Interest
Rate Risk—Fixed income and other debt instruments are subject to the possibility that interest rates could change (or are expected to change). Changes in interest rates (or the expectation of such changes) can be difficult to forecast and may adversely affect the Fund’s investments in these instruments, such as the value or liquidity of, and income generated by, the investments. Interest rates may change as a result of a variety of factors, and the change may be sudden and significant, with unpredictable impacts on the financial markets and the Fund’s investments. Fixed income and other debt instruments with longer durations are more sensitive to changes in interest rates and, thus, subject to more volatility than similar instruments with shorter durations. Generally, when interest rates increase, the values of previously issued fixed income and other debt instruments decline and when interest rates decrease, the values of fixed income and other debt instruments rise. During periods of rising interest rates, changes in interest rates on adjustable rate securities may lag behind changes in market rates, which may cause the value of such securities to decline until their interest rates reset to market rates. During periods of declining interest rates, because the interest rates on adjustable rate securities generally reset downward, their market value is unlikely to rise to the same extent as the value of comparable fixed rate securities. The Fund’s yield, returns, and performance may be adversely affected by changing interest rates and the Fund’s NAV per share may be more volatile during changing interest rate environments. Changes in fiscal, economic, monetary and other policies or measures have in the past, and may in the future, cause or exacerbate the risks associated with changing interest rates. Changes in interest rates may also lead to an increase in Fund redemptions, which may result in high portfolio turnover costs and lower valuations, thereby adversely affecting the Fund’s performance.
Investment in Investment Vehicles Risk—The
Fund may seek to gain certain exposure through investments in other investment vehicles. Investing in other investment vehicles, including ETFs, closed-end funds,
short-term funds advised by the Advisor and/or its affiliates, and other mutual funds, subjects the Fund to those risks affecting the investment vehicle, including the possibility that the value of the underlying securities held by the investment vehicle could decrease or the portfolio becomes illiquid. Moreover, the Fund and its shareholders will incur its pro rata share of the underlying vehicles’ expenses, which will reduce the Fund’s performance. In addition, investments in an ETF or a listed closed-end fund are subject to, among other risks, the risk that the shares may trade at a discount or premium relative to the NAV of the shares and the listing exchange may halt trading of the shares.
Investment in Loans Risk—The Fund may invest in loans directly or indirectly through assignments or participations.
Investments in loans, including loan syndicates and other direct lending opportunities, involve special types of risks, including credit risk, interest rate risk,
counterparty risk, prepayment risk, risk of subordination to other creditors, extension risk, and risk of insufficient or lack of protection under the federal
securities laws. Loans may offer a fixed or floating interest rate. Loans are often below investment grade and may be unrated. The Fund’s investments in loans also can be difficult to value accurately, because of, among other factors, limited public information regarding the loan or the borrowers and may be more susceptible to liquidity risk than fixed-income instruments of similar credit quality and/or maturity. The Fund also is subject to the risk that the value of any collateral for the loan may be insufficient or unavailable to cover the borrower’s obligations should the borrower fail to make payments, become insolvent, or otherwise default. This risk is increased if the Fund’s loans are secured by a single asset. The Fund may also invest in loans that are not secured by collateral which typically present greater risks than collateralized loans. Transactions in loans are often subject to long settlement periods and often require consent from borrowers and/or an agent acting for the lenders, thus potentially limiting the ability of the Fund to invest sale proceeds in other investments and to use proceeds to meet its current redemption obligations. The Fund thus is subject to the risk of selling other investments at disadvantageous times or prices or taking other actions necessary to raise cash to meet its redemption obligations. Participations in loans may subject the Fund to the credit risk of both the borrower and the seller of the participation and may make enforcement of loan covenants, if any, more difficult for the Fund as legal action may have to go through the seller of the participation (or an agent acting on its behalf). Covenants contained in loan documentation are intended to protect lenders and investors by imposing certain restrictions and other limitations on a borrower’s and the credit group’s operations or assets and by providing certain information and consent rights to lenders. In addition to operational covenants, loans and other debt obligations often contain financial covenants which require a borrower and the related credit group to satisfy certain financial tests at periodic intervals or to maintain compliance with certain financial metrics. The Fund is exposed to, including through investment in underlying funds, loans and other similar debt obligations that are sometimes referred to as “covenant-lite” loans or obligations, which generally are loans or other similar debt obligations that lack financial maintenance covenants or possess fewer or contingent financial maintenance covenants and other financial protections for lenders and investors. These "covenant-lite" loans or similar debt obligations are particularly subject to the risks associated with investments in loans as described above.