telecommunications, electronics,
aerospace and defense, health care equipment and biotechnology, among others.
Short-Term Investments Risk. Short-term investments
include, but are not limited to, money market funds, certificates of deposit,
savings association obligations, commercial paper, U.S. government obligations, corporate bonds and notes, and repurchase agreements. Short-term investments may have lower yields than
longer-term investments. Substantial holdings in short-term investments could
cause the Portfolio to miss investment opportunities during periods of rising markets, and the Portfolio may be less likely to achieve its investment objective.
Management Risk. The Portfolio is subject to management risk because it is an actively-managed investment portfolio. The Portfolio’s portfolio managers apply investment techniques and
risk analyses in making investment decisions, but there can be no guarantee that
these decisions or the individual securities selected by the portfolio managers will produce the
desired results.
Market Risk. The Portfolio’s share price or the market as a whole can decline for many reasons or be adversely
affected by a number of factors, including, without limitation: weakness in the
broad market, a particular industry, or specific holdings; adverse social, political, regulatory or economic developments in the United States or abroad; changes in investor
psychology; technological disruptions; heavy institutional selling; military
confrontations, war, terrorism, sanctions and other armed conflicts; trade wars
and similar conflicts; disease/virus outbreaks and epidemics; recessions; taxation and international tax treaties; currency, interest rates and price fluctuations; and other
conditions or events. In addition, the adviser’s or a subadviser’s assessment of securities held in the Portfolio may prove incorrect, resulting in losses or poor performance even in a rising
market.
Non-Diversification
Risk. The Portfolio is organized as a “non-diversified” fund. A non-diversified fund
may invest a larger portion of assets in the securities of a single company than
a diversified fund. By concentrating in a smaller number of issuers, the Portfolio’s risk may be increased because the effect of each security on the Portfolio’s performance is greater.
Issuer Risk. The value of a security may decline for a number of reasons directly related to the issuer, such as management performance, financial leverage and reduced demand for the issuer’s goods and
services.
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.
Foreign Currency Risk. The value of the Portfolio’s foreign investments may fluctuate due to changes in currency exchange rates. A decline in the
value of foreign currencies relative to the U.S. dollar generally can be expected
to depress the value of the Portfolio’s non-U.S. dollar-denominated securities.
The following bar chart illustrates the risks of investing in
the Portfolio by showing changes in the Portfolio’s performance from
calendar year to calendar year and the table compares the Portfolio’s average annual returns to those of the S&P 500® Index (a broad-based securities market index) and the S&P 500® Growth Index, which is relevant to the Portfolio because it has characteristics similar to the Portfolio’s
investment strategies. Fees and expenses incurred at the contract level are not reflected in
the bar chart or table. If these amounts were reflected, returns would be less
than those shown. Of course, past performance is not necessarily an indication of how the
Portfolio will perform in the future.
BlackRock Investment Management, LLC (“BlackRock”) assumed subadvisory duties of
the passively managed portion of the Portfolio effective April 30, 2025. Prior to
that, SunAmerica managed that portion of the Portfolio. Effective May 1, 2019,
Morgan Stanley Investment Management Inc. (“MSIM”) assumed management of a portion
of the Portfolio.