Prepayment
Risk. Prepayment risk is the possibility that the principal of the loans underlying
mortgage-backed or other pass-through or fixed income securities may be prepaid
at any time. As a general rule, prepayments increase during a period of falling interest rates and decrease during a period of rising interest rates. This can reduce the returns of a Portfolio
because the Portfolio will have to reinvest that money at the lower prevailing interest rates. In periods of increasing interest rates, the occurrence of prepayments generally
declines, with the effect that the securities subject to prepayment risk held by
a Portfolio may exhibit price characteristics of longer-term debt securities.
Derivatives Risk. A derivative is any financial
instrument whose value is based on, and determined by, another security, index,
rate or benchmark (i.e., stock options, futures, caps, floors, etc.). To the extent a derivative contract is used to hedge another
position in the Portfolio, the Portfolio will be exposed to the risks associated with hedging described below. To the extent an option, futures contract, swap, or other derivative
is used with the goal of enhancing return, rather than as a hedge, the Portfolio will be directly exposed to the risks of the contract. Unfavorable changes in the value of the
underlying security, index, rate or benchmark may cause sudden losses. Gains or
losses from the Portfolio’s use of derivatives may be substantially greater than the amount of the Portfolio’s investment. Certain derivatives have the potential for unlimited
loss. Derivatives are also associated with various other risks, including market risk, leverage risk, hedging risk, counterparty risk, valuation risk, regulatory risk, illiquidity
risk and interest rate fluctuations risk. The primary risks associated with the
Portfolio’s use of derivatives are market risk, counterparty risk and hedging
risk.
Hedging Risk. While hedging strategies can be very useful and inexpensive ways of reducing risk, they are sometimes ineffective due to unexpected changes in the market or exchange rates. Hedging also
involves the risk that changes in the value of the related security will not
match those of the instruments being hedged as expected, in which case any losses
on the instruments being hedged may not be reduced. For gross currency hedges,
there is an additional risk, to the extent that these transactions create exposure to currencies in which the Portfolio’s securities (or other positions) are not denominated.
Credit Risk. Credit risk applies to most fixed income securities, but is generally not a factor for obligations backed by the “full faith and credit” of the U.S. Government. The
Portfolio could lose money if the issuer of a fixed income security is unable or perceived to be
unable to pay interest or to
repay principal when it becomes due.
Settlement Risk. Investments purchased on an extended-settlement basis, such as when-issued, forward commitment or delayed-delivery
transactions, involve a risk of loss if the value of the security to be purchased
declines before the settlement date. Conversely, the sale of securities on an
extended-settlement basis involves the risk that the value of the securities sold may increase
before the settlement date.
Illiquidity Risk. An illiquid investment is any investment that the Portfolio reasonably expects cannot be sold or disposed of in current market
conditions in seven calendar days or less without the sale or disposition significantly changing the market value of the investment. Illiquidity risk exists when particular
investments are difficult to sell. Although most of the Portfolio’s investments must be liquid at the time of investment, investments may lack liquidity after purchase by the
Portfolio, particularly during periods of market turmoil. When the Portfolio holds illiquid investments, its investments may be harder to value, especially in changing markets, and if
the Portfolio is forced to sell these investments to meet redemption requests or
for other cash needs, the Portfolio may suffer a loss. In addition, when there is illiquidity in the market for certain investments, the Portfolio, due to limitations on illiquid investments, may be unable
to achieve its desired level of exposure to a certain sector. When there is little or no active trading market for specific types of securities, it can become more difficult to
sell the securities at or near their perceived value. In such a market, the value of such securities and the Portfolio’s share price may fall dramatically.
Inflation Risk. The market price of the Portfolio’s debt securities generally falls as inflation increases because the purchasing power of the future
income and repaid principal is expected to be worth less when received by the
Portfolio. Debt securities that pay a fixed rather than variable interest rate
are especially vulnerable to inflation risk because interest rates on variable rate debt securities may increase as inflation increases. The Portfolio may be subject to inflation risk because no
more than 55% of the Portfolio’s assets may be invested in securities issued by the same entity, such as the U.S. Treasury, due to the Internal Revenue Code provisions
governing insurance product funds. Because the number of inflation-indexed debt
securities issued by other entities is limited, the Portfolio may have a substantial position in non-inflation-indexed securities. To the extent that this is the case, that portion of the portfolio will not be
automatically protected from inflation.