could have a significant
negative impact on the Fund. In addition, transactions by large shareholders may account for a large percentage of the trading volume on the Exchange and may,
therefore, have a material upward or downward effect on the market price of the shares.
Leverage Risk—The Fund’s use of
leverage, through borrowings or instruments such as derivatives and reverse repurchase agreements, may cause the Fund to be more volatile and riskier and magnify
the Fund's losses to an extent greater than if it had not been leveraged. The use of leverage may also increase the Fund’s sensitivity to various risks and interest rate environments.
Liquidity and Valuation Risk—It may be difficult for the Fund to purchase and
sell particular investments to meet redemption orders or otherwise within a reasonable time at a fair price, or the price at which it has been valued by the
Investment Manager for purposes of the Fund’s net asset value, causing the Fund to be less liquid and unable to realize what the Investment Manager believes should be the price of the investment. Valuation of portfolio investments may be difficult, such as during periods of market turmoil or reduced liquidity, and for investments that may, for example, trade infrequently or irregularly. In these and other circumstances, an investment may be valued using fair value methodologies, which are inherently subjective, reflect good faith judgments based on available information and may not accurately estimate the price at which the Fund could sell the investment at that time. Liquidity and valuation risks are heightened in a changing interest rate or volatile environment, particularly for fixed-income and other debt instruments.
Management Risk—The Fund is actively managed, which means that investment
decisions are made based on investment views. There is no guarantee that the investment views will produce the desired results or expected returns. As a result of these and other factors, the Fund may lose value or fail to meet its investment objective or underperform its benchmark index or funds with similar investment objectives and strategies. Furthermore, active and frequent trading that can accompany active management, also called “high turnover,” may have a negative impact on performance. Active and frequent trading may result in higher brokerage costs or mark-up charges and tax costs, which are ultimately passed on to shareholders of the Fund. Active and frequent trading may also result in adverse tax consequences.
Market Risk—The value of, or income generated by, the investments held by the
Fund may fluctuate rapidly and unpredictably. These fluctuations may be frequent and significant. In addition, the Fund may incur losses as a result of various market and economic factors, such as those affecting (or perceived to affect) individual companies or issuers or particular industries, or from broader influences, such as general market conditions. In addition, responses to government actions or interventions as well as developments related to economic, political (including geopolitical), social, public health, market, extreme weather, natural or man-made disasters, U.S. trade disputes or other disputes with specific countries that result in additional tariffs, trade barriers and/or investment restrictions in certain securities in those countries, or other conditions or events may cause volatility in financial markets and reduced liquidity in equity, credit and/or debt markets, which could adversely impact the Fund and its investments and their value and performance. Certain securities may be difficult to value under such conditions. The Fund's investments may perform poorly or underperform the general securities markets or other types of securities.
Municipal Securities Risk—Municipal securities are subject to a variety of risks generally associated with investments in
debt instruments, including credit, interest rate, prepayment, liquidity, and valuation risks, as well as risks specific to municipal securities. The ability of
issuers of municipal securities to pay their obligations can be adversely affected by, among other developments or events, (i) unfavorable legislative, tax,
political, or other developments or events, including extreme weather, natural or man-made disasters and public health conditions, and (ii) changes in the economic and fiscal conditions of issuers of municipal securities or the federal government (in cases where it provides financial support to such issuers). In addition, the values of, and income generated by, municipal securities may fully or partially depend on a specific revenue or tax source, such as the taxing authority or revenue of a local government, the credit of a private issuer, or the current or anticipated revenues from a specific project. Developments adversely affecting such sources, such as economic, social or public health conditions, would negatively impact the cash flows of such sources and, in turn, municipal securities fully or partially backed by such sources. To the extent the Fund invests a substantial portion of its assets in municipal securities issued by issuers in a particular state, municipality or project or in municipal instruments that finance similar projects, such as those relating to education, healthcare, transportation, housing, utilities, or water and sewer, the Fund will be particularly sensitive to developments and events adversely affecting such state or municipality or with respect to such projects. Certain sectors of the municipal bond market have special risks that can affect them more significantly than the market as a whole. Because many municipal instruments are issued to finance similar projects (such as education, healthcare, transportation and utilities), conditions in these industries can significantly affect the overall municipal