Foreign
Investment Risk. Investment in foreign securities involves risks due to several factors, such as
illiquidity, the lack of public information, changes in the exchange rates
between foreign currencies and the U.S. dollar, unfavorable political, social and legal developments, or economic and financial instability. Foreign companies are not subject to the
U.S. accounting and financial reporting standards and may have riskier settlement
procedures. U.S. investments that are denominated in foreign currencies or that are traded in foreign markets, or securities of U.S. companies that have significant foreign operations may
be subject to foreign investment risk.
Emerging Markets Risk. Investments in emerging markets are subject to all of the risks of investments in foreign securities, generally to a greater extent than in developed markets, and additional
risks as well. Generally, the economic, social, legal, and political structures in
emerging market countries are less diverse, mature and stable than those in
developed countries. As a result, investments in emerging market securities tend to be more volatile than investments in developed countries. Unlike most developed countries, emerging
market countries may impose restrictions on foreign investment. These countries
may also impose confiscatory taxes on investment proceeds or otherwise restrict the ability of
foreign investors to withdraw their money at will.
Currency Risk. Because the Fund’s foreign investments are generally held in foreign currencies, the Fund could experience gains or losses based
solely on changes in the exchange rate between foreign currencies and the U.S. dollar. Such
gains or losses may be substantial.
Market Risk. The Fund’s share price can fall
because of weakness in the broad market, a particular industry, or specific
holdings or due to adverse social, political or economic developments here or abroad, changes in investor psychology, technological disruptions, or heavy institutional selling and other
conditions or events (including, for example, military confrontations, war,
terrorism, trade wars, disease/virus outbreaks and epidemics). The prices of
individual securities may fluctuate, sometimes dramatically, from day to day. The
prices of stocks and other equity securities tend to be more volatile than those of fixed-income
securities.
U.S. Government
Obligations Risk. U.S. Treasury obligations are backed by the “full faith and
credit” of the U.S. Government and are generally considered to have low
credit risk. Unlike U.S. Treasury obligations, securities issued or guaranteed by federal agencies or authorities and U.S. Government-sponsored instrumentalities or enterprises may or may not be backed by the
full faith and
credit of the U.S. Government and are therefore subject to greater credit risk than securities
issued or guaranteed by the U.S. Treasury.
Foreign Sovereign Debt Risk. Foreign sovereign debt securities are subject to the risk that a governmental entity may delay or refuse to pay
interest or to repay principal on its sovereign debt, due, for example, to cash flow problems, insufficient foreign currency reserves, political, social and economic
considerations, the relative size of the governmental entity’s debt position in relation to the economy or the failure to put in place economic reforms required by the International Monetary
Fund or other multilateral agencies. If a governmental entity defaults, it may ask for more time
in which to pay or for further loans.
Mortgage- and Asset-Backed Securities Risk. Mortgage-backed securities are similar to other debt securities in that they are subject to credit risk and interest rate risk. Mortgage-backed
securities may be issued or guaranteed by the U.S. Government, its agencies or
instrumentalities or may be non-guaranteed securities issued by private issuers.
These securities are also subject to the risk that issuers will prepay the principal more quickly or more slowly than expected, which could cause the Fund to invest the proceeds
in less attractive investments or increase the volatility of their prices. CMOs,
which are a type of mortgage-backed security, may be less liquid and may exhibit greater price volatility than other types of mortgage- and asset-backed securities.
Asset-backed securities are bonds or notes that are normally supported by a specific property. If the issuer fails to pay the interest or return
the principal when the bond matures, then the issuer must give the property to
the bondholders or noteholders. Examples of assets supporting asset-backed
securities include credit card receivables, retail installment loans, home equity loans, auto
loans, and manufactured housing loans.
Collateralized Loan Obligation Risk. A
collateralized loan obligation is a trust typically collateralized by a pool of
loans, which may include, among others, domestic and foreign senior secured loans, senior unsecured loans, and subordinate corporate loans, including loans that may be rated below investment grade or
equivalent unrated loans. The cash flows from the trust are split into two or more
portions, called tranches, varying in risk and yield. The riskiest portion is the
“equity” tranche which bears the bulk of defaults from the bonds or loans in the trust and serves to protect the other, more senior tranches from default in all but the most severe
circumstances. Because it is partially protected from defaults, a senior tranche from a collateralized loan obligation trust typically has higher