Senior loans hold the most senior position in the capital
structure of a business entity, and are typically secured with specific collateral, but are
nevertheless usually rated below investment grade. Because second lien loans are subordinated
or unsecured and thus lower in priority of payment to senior loans, they are subject to the additional risk that the cash flow of the borrower and property securing the loan or debt, if any, may be insufficient to meet
scheduled payments after giving effect to the senior secured obligations of the borrower. Second lien loans generally have greater price volatility than senior loans and may be less liquid. Generally, loans have
the benefit of restrictive covenants that limit the ability of the borrower to further encumber its assets or impose other obligations. To the extent a loan does not have certain covenants (or has less restrictive
covenants), an investment in the loan will be particularly sensitive to the risks associated with loan investments.
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.
The bar chart and table below provide an indication of the risks of
investing in the Fund by showing: (a) changes in the performance of the Fund’s Class P
Shares from year to year; and (b) how the average annual total returns of the Fund’s Class P Shares compare to those of a regulatorily required broad-based securities market index (Bloomberg U.S. Aggregate Bond Index) (the
"Regulatory Benchmark") and the S&P UBS Leveraged Loan Index (Total Return, USD, Unhedged) (the “Performance Benchmark”). The Performance Benchmark is generally more representative of the market sectors and/or types of
investments in which the Fund invests or to which the Fund has exposure and which the
Investment Adviser uses to measure the Fund’s performance. The Fund has included in the table below the performance of the Regulatory Benchmark, which represents a broader measure of market performance, to comply with regulatory
requirements. For additional information about these benchmark indices, please see
“Additional Performance and Benchmark Information” on page 42 of the Prospectus.
The Fund’s past performance, before and after taxes, is not necessarily an indication
of how the Fund will perform in the future. Updated performance information is available at no additional cost at am.gs.com or by calling the appropriate phone number on the back cover of the Prospectus.
During the periods shown in the chart above:
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