Index. However, the Fund may also use a “representative sampling” strategy to invest in or gain exposure to only a representative sample of the components of the Index or to instruments not contained in the Index or in financial instruments, with the intent of obtaining exposure with aggregate characteristics similar to those of the Index. For example, the Fund may utilize a representative sampling strategy when the Advisor believes a replication strategy might be detrimental or disadvantageous to shareholders, such as when buying each component of the Index is impracticable or inefficient, or when there are practical difficulties or additional costs involved in replicating an Index. The Fund also may use representative sampling if the Advisor believes one or more components of the Index becomes illiquid, unavailable or less liquid, or as a result of legal restrictions or limitations (such as tax diversification requirements) that apply to the Fund.
Please see “Investment Objectives, Principal Investment Strategies and Related Risks” in the Fund’s Prospectus for additional details.
You could lose money by investing in the Fund.
●Risks Relating to Investing in Listed Private Equity Companies — The Fund is subject to risks faced by companies in the private equity sector, in particular the returns of such companies’ underlying investments. There are certain risks inherent in investing in listed private equity companies, which encompass BDCs and other financial institutions whose principal business is to invest in and provide mezzanine financing to privately held companies. Generally, little public information exists for privately held companies, and there is a risk that investors in such companies may not be able to make a fully informed investment decision. Private equity securities also carry risks associated with unclear ownership and market access constraints. In addition, at times, a private equity company may hold a significant portion of its assets in cash or cash equivalents (e.g., after divesting itself of its interests in a portfolio company upon the portfolio company’s IPO, merger or recapitalization). This may result in lower returns than if the private equity company had invested such cash or cash equivalents in successful portfolio companies.
●Foreign Investments/Emerging Market Risk — Exposure to securities of foreign issuers may provide the Fund with increased risk. Foreign investments may be more susceptible to political, social, economic and regional factors than may be the case with U.S. securities. In addition, markets for foreign investments are usually less liquid, more volatile and significantly smaller than markets for U.S. securities, which may affect, among other things, the Fund’s ability to purchase or sell foreign investments at appropriate times and prices. Because of differences in settlement times and/or foreign market holidays, transactions in a foreign market may take place one or more days after the necessary exposure to these investments is determined.
Because the Fund’s foreign investment exposure may include issuers domiciled in developing or “emerging market” countries, all the aforementioned factors are heightened. Investments in emerging markets are considered speculative.
●Foreign Currency Risk — Investments linked to or denominated in foreign currencies are exposed to additional risk factors versus those investments denominated in U.S. dollars and linked to U.S. investments. The value of an investment linked to or denominated in a foreign currency could change significantly as foreign currencies strengthen or weaken relative to the U.S. dollar. In certain “restricted market” countries (which limit the ability of non-nationals to transact in those countries’ currencies), the Fund will be limited in its ability to use multiple dealers to obtain exchange rates. This may result in potentially higher costs for the Funds, and increased correlation risk. Further limitations on dealers may cause delays in execution, which may also increase correlation risk.
●Equity and Market Risk — Equity markets are volatile, and the value of equity securities and other instruments correlated with equity markets may fluctuate dramatically from day to day. Equity markets are subject to corporate, political, regulatory, market, social, geopolitical and economic developments, including changes in interest and currency rates, inflation (or expectations for inflation), deflation (or expectations for deflation), global demand for particular products or resources, market instability, debt crises, embargoes, tariffs, sanctions and other trade barriers, regulatory or governmental trade or market control programs, recessions, supply chain disruptions, labor disturbances, environmental or man-made disasters, war, terrorism, public health emergencies (such as the spread of infectious diseases, pandemics and epidemics), social unrest and other unforeseeable events.
●Risks Relating to Investing in Business Development Companies (BDCs) — BDCs are special investment vehicles designed to facilitate capital formation for small and middle-market companies. A BDC is a domestic company that operates for the purpose of making investments in certain securities and, with limited exceptions, makes available “significant managerial assistance” with respect to the issuers of such securities. The Fund is subject to risks faced by BDCs, including: increasing competition for limited BDC investment opportunities; potential uncertainty as to the value of a BDC’s private investments; risks associated with leverage; and reliance on a BDC’s managerial acumen.
In addition, a significant portion of the Index is composed of BDCs or other investment companies. The Fund may not acquire greater than three percent (3%) of the total outstanding shares of such companies. As a result, the Fund’s ability to purchase certain of the securities in the Index in the proportions represented in the Index could be inhibited. In these circumstances, the Fund may be required to
