Foreign and Emerging
Countries Risk. Foreign securities may be subject to risk of loss because of more or less foreign government regulation; less public information;
less stringent investor protections; less stringent accounting, corporate governance, financial reporting and disclosure standards; and less economic, political and social stability in the countries in which the Fund
invests. The imposition of sanctions, exchange controls (including repatriation restrictions), confiscations, trade restrictions (including tariffs) and other government restrictions by the United States and other
governments, or from problems in share registration, settlement or custody, may also result in losses. The type and severity of sanctions and other similar measures, including counter sanctions and other retaliatory
actions, that may be imposed could vary broadly in scope, and their impact is impossible to predict. For example, the imposition of sanctions and other similar measures could, among other things, cause a decline in the
value and/or liquidity of securities issued by the sanctioned country or companies located in or economically tied to the sanctioned country and increase market volatility and disruption in the
sanctioned country and throughout the world. Sanctions and other similar measures could limit or prevent the Fund from buying and selling securities (in the sanctioned country and other markets), significantly delay
or prevent the settlement of securities transactions, and significantly impact the Fund’s liquidity and performance. Foreign risk also involves the risk of negative foreign currency exchange rate fluctuations,
which may cause the value of securities denominated in such foreign currency (or other instruments through which the Fund has exposure to foreign currencies) to decline in value. Currency exchange rates
may fluctuate significantly over short periods of time. These risks are more pronounced in connection with the Fund’s investments in securities of issuers located in, or otherwise economically tied to, emerging
countries.
Interest Rate Risk. When interest rates increase, fixed income securities or instruments held by the Fund will generally
decline in value. Long-term fixed income securities or instruments will normally have more
price volatility because of this risk than short-term fixed income securities or instruments. Changing interest rates may have unpredictable effects on the markets, may result in heightened market volatility and may detract from Fund
performance. In addition, changes in monetary policy may exacerbate the risks associated with changing interest rates. Funds with longer average portfolio durations will generally be more sensitive to changes
in interest rates than funds with a shorter average portfolio duration. Fluctuations in interest rates may also affect the liquidity of fixed income securities and instruments held by the Fund.
Large Shareholder Transactions Risk. The Fund may experience adverse effects when certain large shareholders purchase or redeem large amounts of shares of the Fund.
Such large shareholder redemptions, which may occur rapidly or unexpectedly, may cause the
Fund to sell portfolio securities at times when it would not otherwise do so, which may
negatively impact the Fund's NAV and liquidity. Similarly, large Fund share purchases may adversely affect the Fund's performance to the extent that the Fund is delayed in investing new cash or otherwise maintains a larger
cash position than it ordinarily would. These transactions may also accelerate the realization of taxable income to shareholders if such sales of investments resulted in gains, and may also increase transaction costs.
In addition, a large redemption could result in the Fund's current expenses being allocated over a smaller asset base, leading to an increase in the Fund's expense ratio.
Liquidity Risk. The Fund may make investments that are illiquid or that may become less liquid in response to market developments or adverse investor perceptions. Illiquid
investments may be more difficult to value. Liquidity risk may also refer to the risk that the Fund will not be able to pay redemption proceeds within the allowable time period
because of unusual market conditions, declining prices of the securities sold, an unusually high volume of redemption requests or other reasons. To meet redemption requests, the
Fund may be forced to sell investments at an unfavorable time and/or under unfavorable conditions. Liquidity risk may be the result of, among other things, the reduced number and capacity of traditional
market participants to make a market in fixed income securities or the lack of an active market. The potential for liquidity risk may be magnified by a rising interest rate environment or other circumstances where
investor redemptions from fixed income funds may be higher than normal, potentially causing increased supply in the market due to selling activity. These risks may be more pronounced in connection with the
Fund’s investments in securities of issuers located in emerging market countries. Redemptions by large shareholders may have a negative impact on the Fund’s liquidity.
Market Risk. The value of the securities in which the Fund invests may go up or down in response to the prospects of individual companies, particular sectors, governments or
countries and/or general economic conditions throughout the world due to increasingly interconnected global economies and financial markets. Events such as war, military conflict, geopolitical disputes, acts
of terrorism, social or political unrest, natural disasters, recessions, inflation, rapid interest rate changes, supply chain disruptions, tariffs and other restrictions on trade, sanctions or the spread of
infectious illness or other public health threats, or the threat or potential of one or more such events and developments, could also significantly impact the Fund and its investments.
Non-Investment Grade Fixed Income Securities
Risk. Non-investment grade fixed income securities and unrated securities of comparable credit quality (commonly known as
“junk bonds”) are considered speculative and are subject to the increased risk of an issuer’s inability to meet principal and interest payment obligations. These securities may be subject to greater price
volatility due to such factors as specific issuer developments, interest rate sensitivity, negative perceptions of the junk bond markets generally and less liquidity.
Other Investment Companies Risk. By investing in other investment companies (including ETFs) indirectly through the Fund, investors
will incur a proportionate share of the expenses of the other investment companies held by
the Fund (including operating costs and investment management fees) in addition to the fees regularly borne by the Fund. In addition, the Fund will be affected by the investment policies, practices and performance of such
investment companies in direct proportion to the amount of assets the Fund invests therein. To the extent the Fund invests in ETFs, the Fund will invest only in ETFs sponsored by GSAM or its affiliates, unless GSAM
determines, in its sole discretion, that no affiliated ETF is available to provide the desired exposure (for example, by sector, industry, credit quality, or duration). GSAM will consider investing in an unaffiliated ETF on
behalf of the Fund only where no affiliated ETF is available to provide the desired exposure. For investments in affiliated ETFs, GSAM has agreed to waive a portion of its management fees in an amount
equal to any management fees it earns as the investment adviser to the affiliated
ETFs.
Sovereign Default
Risk. An issuer of non-U.S. sovereign debt, or the governmental authorities that control the repayment of the debt, may be unable or unwilling to repay the
principal or interest when due. This may result from political or social factors, the general economic environment of a country, levels of borrowing rates, foreign debt, or foreign currency exchange rates.