SUMMARY OF FUND EXPENSES

The purpose of the tables and the example below are to help you understand all fees and expenses that you, as a common shareholder, would bear directly or indirectly. The tables show the expenses of each Fund as a percentage of the average net assets applicable to Common Shares and not as a percentage of total assets or managed assets.

 

 

 

PRINCIPAL RISKS OF THE FUNDS

The factors that are most likely to have a material effect on a particular Fund’s portfolio as a whole are called “principal risks.” Each Fund is subject to the principal risks indicated below, whether through direct investment or derivative positions. Each Fund may be subject to additional risks other than those identified and described below because the types of investments made by a Fund can change over time.

 

 

 

If a below investment grade investment goes into default, or its issuer enters bankruptcy, it might be difficult to sell that investment in a timely manner at a reasonable price.

 

 

 

 

 

The profitability of many types of financial services companies may be adversely affected in certain market cycles, including periods of rising interest rates, which may restrict the availability and increase the cost of capital, and declining economic conditions, which may cause credit losses due to financial difficulties of borrowers. Because many types of financial services companies are especially vulnerable to these economic cycles, the Fund’s investments in these companies may lose significant value during such periods.

CoCos may be subject to an automatic write-down (i.e., the automatic write-down of the principal amount or value of the securities, potentially to zero, and the cancellation of the securities) under certain circumstances, which could result in the Fund losing a portion or all of its investment in such securities. In addition, the Fund may not have any rights with respect to repayment of the principal amount of the securities that has not become due or the payment of interest or dividends on such securities for any period from (and including) the interest or dividend payment date falling immediately prior to the occurrence of such automatic write-down. An automatic write-down could also result in a reduced income rate if the dividend or interest payment is based on the security’s par value. Coupon payments on CoCos may be discretionary and may be cancelled by the issuer for any reason or may be subject to approval by the issuer’s regulator and may be suspended in the event there are insufficient distributable reserves.

In certain scenarios, investors in CoCos may suffer a loss of capital ahead of equity holders or when equity holders do not. There is no guarantee that the Fund will receive a return of principal on CoCos. Any indication that an automatic write-down or conversion event may occur can be expected to have a material adverse effect on the market price of CoCos.

The prices of CoCos may be volatile. Additionally, the trading behavior of a given issuer’s CoCo may be strongly impacted by the trading behavior of other issuers’ CoCos, such that negative information from an unrelated CoCo may cause a decline in value of one or more CoCos held by a fund. Accordingly, the trading behavior of CoCos may not follow the trading behavior of other similarly structured securities.

 

CoCos are issued primarily by financial institutions. Therefore, CoCos present substantially increased risks at times of financial turmoil, which could affect financial institutions more than companies in other sectors and industries.

 

If the Fund engages in futures transactions or in the writing of options on futures, it will be required to maintain initial margin and maintenance margin and may be required to make daily variation margin payments in accordance with applicable rules of the exchanges and the Commodity Futures Trading Commission (“CFTC”). If the Fund purchases a financial futures contract or a call option or writes a put option in order to hedge the anticipated purchase of securities, and if the Fund fails to complete the anticipated purchase transaction, the Fund may have a loss or a gain on the futures or options transaction that will not be offset by price movements in the securities that were the subject of the anticipatory hedge. There can be no assurance that a liquid market will exist at a time when the Fund seeks to close out a derivatives or futures or a futures option position, and the Fund would remain obligated to meet margin requirements until the position is closed.

 

Inflation Correlation Risk. Although the values of certain of the Fund’s loan investments are generally linked or correlated to the rate of inflation, there is no guarantee that such investments will provide any protection against the impact of inflation. In addition, while these investments are expected to be protected from long-term inflationary trends, short-term increases in inflation may lead to a decline in their value. Further, when inflation and expectations of inflation are low or declining, the Fund’s positions in such investments are likely to underperform the overall stock markets.

Interest Rate Risk. Interest rate risk is the risk that debt securities in the Fund’s portfolio will decline in value because of changes in market interest rates. Generally, when market interest rates rise, the market value of such securities will fall, and vice versa. As interest rates decline, issuers of debt securities may prepay principal earlier than scheduled, forcing the Fund to reinvest in lower-yielding securities and potentially reducing the Fund’s income. As interest rates increase, slower than expected principal payments may extend the average life of debt securities, potentially locking in a below-market interest rate and reducing the Fund’s value. In typical market interest rate environments, the prices of longer-term debt securities generally fluctuate more than prices of shorter-term debt securities as interest rates change. If the Fund invests in floating rate securities, the market value of such securities may fall in a declining interest rate environment and may also fall in a rising interest rate environment if there is a lag between the rise in interest rates and the reset. A secondary risk associated with declining interest rates is the risk that income earned by the Fund on floating rate securities may decline due to lower coupon payments on floating-rate securities.

Inverse Floating Rate Securities Risk. In general, income on inverse floating rate securities will decrease when short-term interest rates increase and increase when short-term interest rates decrease. Investments in inverse floating rate securities may subject the Fund to the risks of reduced or eliminated interest payments and losses of principal. In addition, inverse floating rate securities may increase or decrease in value at a greater rate than the underlying interest rate, which effectively leverages the Fund’s investment. As a result, the market value of such securities generally will be more volatile than that of fixed rate securities.

The Fund may invest in inverse floating rate securities issued by special purpose trusts that have recourse to the Fund. In such instances, the Fund may be at risk of loss that exceeds its investment in the inverse floating rate securities.

The Fund may be required to sell its inverse floating rate securities at less than favorable prices, or liquidate other Fund portfolio holdings in certain circumstances, including, but not limited to, the following:

• If the Fund has a need for cash and the securities in a special purpose trust are not actively trading due to adverse market conditions;

• If special purpose trust sponsors (as a collective group or individually) experience financial hardship and consequently seek to terminate their respective outstanding special purpose trusts; and

• If the value of an underlying security declines significantly and if additional collateral has not been posted by the Fund.

The Fund may purchase a participation interest in a loan and by doing so acquire some or all of the interest of a bank or other lending institution in a loan to a borrower. A participation typically will result in the Fund having a contractual relationship only with the lender, not the borrower. As a result, the Fund assumes the credit risk of the lender selling the participation in addition to the credit risk of the borrower. By purchasing a participation, the Fund will have the right to receive payments of principal, interest and any fees to which it is entitled only from the lender selling the participation and only upon receipt by the lender of the payments from the borrower. In the event of insolvency or bankruptcy of the lender selling the participation, the Fund may be treated as a general creditor of the lender and may not have a senior claim to the lender’s interest in the loan. If the Fund only acquires a participation in the loan made by a third party, the Fund may not be able to control the exercise of any remedies that the lender would have under the loan. Such third party participation arrangements are designed to give loan investors preferential treatment over high yield investors in the event of a deterioration in the credit quality of the borrower. Even when these arrangements exist, however, there can be no assurance that the principal and interest owed on the loan will be repaid in full.

The lack of an active trading market for certain loans may impair the ability of the Fund to realize full value in the event of the need to sell a loan and may make it difficult to value such loans. Portfolio transactions in loans may settle in as short as seven days but typically can take up to two or three weeks, and in some cases much longer. As a result of these extended settlement periods, the Fund may incur losses if it is required to sell other investments or temporarily borrow to meet its cash needs. The risks associated with unsecured loans, which are not backed by a security interest in any specific collateral, are higher than those for comparable loans that are secured by specific collateral. For secured loans, there is a risk that the value of any collateral securing a loan in which the Fund has an interest may decline and that the collateral may not be sufficient to cover the amount owed on the loan. Interests in loans made to finance highly leveraged companies or transactions such as corporate acquisitions may be especially vulnerable to adverse changes in economic or market conditions. Loans may have restrictive covenants limiting the ability of a borrower to further encumber its assets. However, in periods of high demand by lenders like the Fund for loan investments, borrowers may limit these covenants and weaken a lender’s ability to access collateral securing the loan; reprice the credit risk associated with the borrower; and mitigate potential loss. The Fund may experience relatively greater realized or unrealized losses or delays and expenses in enforcing its rights with respect to loans with fewer restrictive covenants. Additionally, loans may not be considered “securities” and, as a result, the Fund may not be entitled to rely on the anti-fraud protections of the securities laws. Because junior loans have a lower place in an issuer’s capital structure and may be unsecured, junior loans involve a higher degree of overall risk than senior loans of the issuer.

These securities generally can be prepaid at any time, and prepayments that occur either more quickly or more slowly than expected can adversely impact the value of such securities. They are also subject to extension risk, which is the risk that rising interest rates could cause mortgages or other obligations underlying the securities to be prepaid more slowly than expected, thereby lengthening the duration of such securities, increasing their sensitivity to interest rate changes and causing their prices to decline. The Fund may invest in MBS and ABS that are subordinate in right of payment and rank junior to other securities that are secured by or represent an ownership interest in the same pool of assets. In addition, many of the transactions in which such securities are issued have structural features that divert payments of interest and/or principal to more senior classes when the delinquency or loss experience of the pool exceeds certain levels. As a result, such securities may be more sensitive to risk of loss, write-downs, the non-fulfillment of repurchase obligations, over-advancing on a pool of loans and the costs of transferring servicing than senior classes of securities. Further, some of the MBS and ABS in which the Fund invests may

 

Certain non-agency MBS are only entitled to payments provided for in the underlying agreement when and if funds are generated by the underlying mortgage loan pool. This likelihood of the return of interest and principal may be assessed as a credit matter. However, the holders of such non-agency MBS may not have the legal status of secured creditors, and therefore may not be able to accelerate a claim for payment on their securities or force a sale of the mortgage loan pool in the event that insufficient funds exist to pay such amounts on any date designated for such payment. The holders of such non-agency MBS do not typically have any right to remove a servicer solely as a result of a failure of the mortgage pool to perform as expected. In addition, there can be no assurance that originators and servicers of mortgage loans for non-agency MBS will not experience financial difficulties, which may increase the chances that these entities may default on their warehousing or other credit lines or become insolvent or bankrupt, thus increasing the likelihood that repurchase obligations will not be fulfilled and the potential for loss to holders of such non-agency MBS. Further, the prices of non-agency MBS may decline substantially, for reasons that may not be attributable to any of the other risks described herein. In particular, purchasing assets at what may appear to be “undervalued” levels is no guarantee that these assets will not be trading at even more “undervalued” levels at a time of valuation or at the time of sale. It may not be possible to predict, or to protect against, such “spread widening” risk.

Municipal Securities Risk. The values of municipal securities may be adversely affected by local political and economic conditions and developments. Adverse conditions in an industry significant to a local economy could have a correspondingly adverse effect on the financial condition of local issuers. Other factors that could affect municipal securities include a change in the local, state, or national economy, a downgrade of a state’s credit rating or the rating of authorities or political subdivisions of the state, demographic factors, ecological or environmental concerns, inability or perceived inability of a government authority to collect sufficient tax or other revenues, statutory limitations on the issuer’s ability to increase taxes, and other developments generally affecting the revenue of issuers (for example, legislation or court decisions reducing state aid to local governments or mandating additional services). This risk would be heightened to the extent that the Fund invests a substantial portion of the below-investment grade quality portion of its portfolio in the bonds of similar projects (such as those relating to the education, health care, housing, transportation, or utilities industries), in industrial development bonds, or in particular types of municipal securities (such as general obligation bonds, municipal lease obligations, private activity bonds or moral obligation bonds) that are particularly exposed to specific types of adverse economic, business or political events. The value of municipal securities may also be adversely affected by rising health care costs, increasing unfunded pension liabilities, and by the phasing out of federal programs providing financial support. In recent periods, a number of municipal issuers have defaulted on obligations, been downgraded or commenced insolvency proceedings. Financial difficulties of municipal issuers may continue or get worse. In addition, the amount of public information available about municipal bonds is generally less than for certain corporate equities or bonds, meaning that the investment performance of the Fund may be more dependent on the analytical abilities of the Fund’s sub-adviser than funds that invest in stock or other corporate investments.

To the extent that a fund invests a significant portion of its assets in the securities of issuers located in a given state or U.S. territory, it will be disproportionally affected by political and economic conditions and developments in that state or territory and may involve greater risk than funds that invest in a larger universe of securities. In addition, economic, political or regulatory changes in that state or territory could adversely affect municipal securities issuers in that state or territory and therefore the value of a fund’s investment portfolio.

Municipal Securities Market Liquidity Risk. Inventories of municipal securities held by brokers and dealers have decreased in recent years, lessening their ability to make a market in these securities. This reduction in market making capacity has the potential to decrease the Fund’s ability to buy or sell municipal securities at attractive prices, and increase municipal security price volatility and trading costs, particularly during periods of economic or market stress. In addition, recent federal banking regulations may cause certain dealers to reduce their inventories of municipal securities, which may further decrease the Fund’s ability to buy or sell municipal securities. As a result, the Fund may be forced to accept a lower price to sell a security, to sell other securities to raise cash, or to give up an investment opportunity, any of which could have a negative effect on performance. If the Fund needed to sell large blocks of municipal securities to raise cash to meet its obligations, those sales could further reduce the municipal securities’ prices and hurt performance.

Municipal Securities Market Risk. The amount of public information available about the municipal securities in the Fund’s portfolio is generally less than that for corporate equities or bonds, and the investment performance of the Fund may therefore be more dependent on the analytical abilities of the sub-adviser than if the Fund were a stock fund or taxable bond fund. The secondary market for municipal securities, particularly below investment grade municipal securities, also tends to be less well-developed or liquid than many other securities markets, which may adversely affect the Fund’s ability to sell its municipal securities at attractive prices.

Other Investment Companies Risk. Investing in an investment company exposes the Fund to all of the risks of that investment company’s investments. The Fund, as a holder of the securities of other investment companies, will bear its pro rata portion of the other investment companies’ expenses, including advisory fees. These expenses are in addition to the direct expenses of the Fund’s own operations. As a result, the cost of investing in investment company shares may exceed the costs of investing directly in its underlying investments. In addition, securities of other investment companies may be leveraged. As a result, the Fund may be indirectly exposed to leverage through an investment in such securities and therefore magnify the Fund’s leverage risk.

 

With respect to ETF’s, an ETF that is based on a specific index may not be able to replicate and maintain exactly the composition and relative weighting of securities in the index. The value of an ETF based on a specific index is subject to change as the values of its respective component assets fluctuate according to market volatility. ETFs typically rely on a limited pool of authorized participants to create and redeem shares, and an active trading market for ETF shares may not develop or be maintained. The market value of shares of ETFs and closed-end funds may differ from their NAV.

Preferred and Hybrid Preferred Securities Risk. Preferred and other subordinated securities rank lower than bonds and other debt instruments in a company’s capital structure and therefore will be subject to greater credit risk than those debt instruments. There are various special risks associated with investing in preferred securities, including:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Real Estate Investment Trust Risk. Share prices of Real Estate Investment Trusts (“REITs”) typically decline because of adverse developments affecting the real estate industry and real property values. In general, real estate values are affected by a variety of factors, including supply and demand for properties, the economic health of the country or of different regions, and the strength of specific industries that rent properties. Qualification as a REIT under the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended in any particular year is a complex analysis that depends on a number of factors. There can be no assurance that an entity in which the Fund invests with the expectation that it will be taxed as a REIT will, in fact, qualify as a REIT. An entity that fails to qualify as a REIT would be taxed as a corporation, and thus, would not be entitled to a deduction for dividends paid to its shareholders and would not pass through to its shareholders the character of income earned by the entity. Dividends paid by REITs may not receive preferential tax treatment afforded other dividends.

 

Regulation S Securities Risk. The risk that Regulation S securities may be less liquid than U.S. publicly traded securities because of legal or contractual restrictions on resale in the United States. Regulation S securities may be resold in privately negotiated transactions in the United States but the price realized in such resales could be less than the amount originally paid. Further, because Regulation S securities are not publicly traded in the United States, they may not be subject to the same disclosure and other investor protection requirements that would be applicable to publicly traded securities. As a result, Regulation S securities may involve a high degree of business and financial risk and may result in losses.

Reinvestment Risk. Reinvestment risk is the risk that income from the Fund’s portfolio will decline if and when the Fund invests the proceeds from matured, traded or called securities at market interest rates that are below the portfolio’s current earnings rate. A decline in income could affect the common shares’ market price, NAV and/or a common shareholder’s overall returns.

Restricted and Illiquid Investments Risk. Illiquid investments are investments that are not readily marketable. These investments may include restricted investments, including Rule 144A securities, which cannot be resold to the public without an effective registration statement under the 1933 Act, or, if they are unregistered, may be sold only in a privately negotiated transaction or pursuant to an available exemption from registration. The Fund may not be able to readily dispose of such investments at prices that approximate those at which the Fund could sell such investments if they were more widely traded and, as a result of such illiquidity, the Fund may have to sell other investments or engage in borrowing transactions if necessary to raise cash to meet its obligations. Limited liquidity can also affect the market price of investments, thereby adversely affecting the Fund’s NAV and ability to make dividend distributions. The financial markets in general have in recent years experienced periods of extreme secondary market supply and demand imbalance, resulting in a loss of liquidity during which market prices were suddenly and substantially below traditional measures of intrinsic value. During such periods, some investments could be sold only at arbitrary prices and with substantial losses. Periods of such market dislocation may occur again at any time.

Second lien loans and unsecured loans generally are subject to the same risks associated with investments in senior loans, as discussed below. Because second lien loans and unsecured loans are 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, if any, may be insufficient to meet scheduled payments after giving effect to the senior secured obligations of the borrower. This risk is generally higher for unsecured loans, which are not backed by a security interest in any specific collateral. Second lien loans and unsecured loans are expected to have greater price volatility than senior loans and may be less liquid. Second lien loans and unsecured loans of below investment grade quality also share the same risks of other below investment grade debt instruments.

A financial institution’s employment as an agent under a senior loan might be terminated in the event that it fails to observe a requisite standard of care or becomes insolvent. A successor agent would generally be appointed to replace the terminated agent, and assets held by the agent under the loan agreement would likely remain available to holders of such indebtedness. However, if assets held by the terminated agent for the benefit of the Fund were determined to be subject to the claims of the agent’s general creditors, the Fund might incur certain costs and delays in realizing payment on a senior loan or loan participation and could suffer a loss of principal and/or interest. In situations involving other interposed financial institutions (e.g., an insurance company or government agency) similar risks may arise.

Senior loans typically hold the most senior position in the capital structure of a business entity, are typically secured with specific collateral and have a claim on the assets and/or stock of the issuer that is senior to that held by subordinated debt holders and stockholders of the issuer. Senior loans are usually rated below investment grade, and share the same risks of other below investment grade debt instruments.

Although the Fund may invest in senior loans that are secured by specific collateral, there can be no assurance that the liquidation of such collateral would satisfy an issuer’s obligation to the Fund in the event of issuer default or that such collateral could be readily liquidated under such circumstances. If the terms of a senior loan do not require the issuer to pledge additional collateral in the event of a decline in the value of the already pledged collateral, the Fund will be exposed to the risk that the value of the collateral will not at all times equal or exceed the amount of the issuer’s obligations under the senior loan.

In the event of bankruptcy of an issuer, the Fund could also experience delays or limitations with respect to its ability to realize the benefits of any collateral securing a senior loan. Some senior loans are subject to the risk that a court, pursuant to fraudulent conveyance or other similar laws, could subordinate the senior loans to presently existing or future indebtedness of the issuer or take other action detrimental to lenders, including the Fund. Such court action could under certain circumstances include invalidation of senior loans.

In addition to the general risks associated with investments in debt securities, holders of structured products bear risks of the underlying investments, index or reference obligation (collectively, the “reference instrument”) and are subject to counterparty, valuation and liquidity risks. The Fund may have the right to receive payments to which it is entitled only from the structured product, and generally does not have direct rights against the issuer or the entity that sold assets to the special purpose trust. While certain structured products enable the investor to acquire interests in a pool of securities without the brokerage and other expenses associated with directly holding the same securities, investors in structured products generally pay their share of the structured product’s administrative and other expenses. When investing in structured products, it is impossible to predict whether the reference instrument will rise or fall, but prices of the reference instrument (and, therefore, the prices of structured products) will be influenced by the same types of political and economic events that affect particular issuers of securities and capital markets generally. Structured products may also be less liquid, more volatile and more difficult to price than other types of securities.

Investments in sovereign debt, including supranational debt, involve special risks. Foreign governmental issuers of debt or the governmental authorities that control the repayment of the debt may be unable or unwilling to repay principal or pay interest when due. In the event of default, there may be limited or no legal recourse in that, generally, remedies for defaults must be pursued in the courts of the defaulting party. Political conditions, especially a sovereign entity’s willingness to meet the terms of its debt obligations, are of considerable significance. The ability of a foreign sovereign issuer, especially an emerging market country, to make timely payments on its debt obligations will also be strongly influenced by the sovereign issuer’s balance of payments, including export performance, its access to international credit facilities and investments, fluctuations of interest rates and the extent of its foreign reserves. A country whose exports are concentrated in

 

a few commodities or whose economy depends on certain strategic imports could be vulnerable to fluctuations in international prices of these commodities or imports. If a sovereign issuer cannot generate sufficient earnings from foreign trade to service its external debt, it may need to depend on continuing loans and aid from foreign governments, commercial banks, and multinational organizations. The cost of servicing external debt will also generally be adversely affected by rising international interest rates, as many external debt obligations bear interest at rates which are adjusted based upon international interest rates. Foreign investment in certain sovereign debt is restricted or controlled to varying degrees, including requiring governmental approval for the repatriation of income, capital or proceeds of sales by foreign investors. There are no bankruptcy proceedings similar to those in the U.S. by which defaulted debt may be collected.

Issuers of subordinated loans and other subordinated debt instruments in which the Fund may invest usually will have, or may be permitted to incur, other debt that ranks equally with, or senior to, the subordinated loans or other subordinated debt instruments. By their terms, such debt instruments may provide that the holders are entitled to receive payment of interest or principal on or before the dates on which the Fund is entitled to receive payments in respect of subordinated loans or other subordinated debt instruments in which it invests. Also, in the event of insolvency, liquidation, dissolution, reorganization or bankruptcy of an issuer, holders of debt instruments ranking senior to the subordinated loan or other debt instrument in which the Fund invests would typically be entitled to receive payment in full before the Fund receives any distribution in respect of its investment. After repaying such senior creditors, such issuer may not have any remaining assets to use for repaying its obligation to the Fund. In the case of debt ranking equally with subordinated loans or other subordinated debt instruments in which the Fund invests, the Fund would have to share on an equal basis any distributions with other creditors holding such debt in the event of an insolvency, liquidation, dissolution, reorganization or bankruptcy of the relevant issuer. In addition, the Fund will likely not be in a position to control any issuer by investing in its debt instruments. As a result, the Fund will be subject to the risk that an issuer in which it invests may make business decisions with which the Fund disagrees and the management of such issuer, as representatives of the holders of their common equity, may take risks or otherwise act in ways that do not serve the Fund’s interests as a debt investor.

Subsidiary Risk. The Fund, through its investments in the Regulation S Subsidiary and its TEFRA Bond Subsidiary (together with the Regulation S Subsidiary, the “Subsidiaries”), is indirectly exposed to the risks associated with the Subsidiaries’ investments. There can be no assurance that the investment objective of the Fund or the Subsidiaries will be achieved. Further, the Subsidiaries are not registered under the 1940 Act and, therefore, as an investor in the Subsidiaries, the Fund does not have all of the protections offered to investors by the 1940 Act. However, each Subsidiary is wholly owned and controlled by the Fund and managed by the Fund’s sub-adviser making it unlikely that the Subsidiaries will take action contrary to the interests of the Fund and its Common Shareholders. The Board of Trustees has oversight responsibility for the investment activities of the Fund, including its investment in the Subsidiaries, and the Fund’s role as sole shareholder of the Subsidiaries. The Subsidiaries are subject to the same investment restrictions and limitations, and follow the same compliance policies and procedures, as the Fund. Changes in the laws of the United States and/or Cayman Islands could result in the inability of the Fund to invest in the Subsidiaries and could adversely affect the Fund.

Swap Transactions Risk. Like most derivative instruments, the use of swaps is a highly specialized activity that involves investment techniques and risks different from those associated with ordinary portfolio securities transactions. In addition, the use of swaps requires an understanding by the investment adviser and/or the sub-adviser of not only the referenced asset, rate or index, but also of the swap itself. If the investment adviser and/or the sub-adviser is incorrect in its forecasts of default risks, market spreads or other applicable factors or events, the investment performance of the Fund would diminish compared with what it would have been if these techniques were not used.

TEFRA Bond Risk. TEFRA Bonds are offered and distributed in offshore markets and may be subject to restrictions on transfer or ownership and may be less liquid than comparable registered securities and may be more difficult to value or dispose of promptly at favorable prices.

TEFRA Bond Subsidiary Risk. The Fund may seek exposure to TEFRA Bonds through investment of up to 25% of its total assets in the TEFRA Bond Subsidiary. Under the applicable U.S. Treasury regulations, income from the TEFRA Bond Subsidiary will only be considered qualifying income under Subchapter M of the Internal Revenue Code, if either (ii) there is a distribution out of the earnings and profits of the subsidiary that are attributable to such income inclusion or (i) such inclusion is derived with respect to the Fund’s business of investing in stock, securities, or currencies. The tax treatment of the Fund’s investments in its TEFRA Bond Subsidiary could affect whether income derived from such investments is qualifying income, or otherwise affect the character, timing and/or amount of the Fund’s taxable income or any gains and distributions made by the Fund.

Unrated Securities Risk. Unrated securities determined by the Fund’s investment adviser to be of comparable quality to rated investments which the Fund may purchase may pay a higher dividend or interest rate than such rated investments and be subject to a greater risk of illiquidity or price changes. Less public information is typically available about unrated investments or issuers than rated investments or issuers. Some unrated securities may not have an active trading market or may be difficult to value, which means the Fund might have difficulty selling them promptly at an acceptable price. To the extent that the Fund invests in unrated securities, the Fund’s ability to achieve its investment objectives will be more dependent on the investment adviser’s credit analysis than would be the case when the Fund invests in rated securities.

U.S. Government Securities Risk. U.S. government securities are guaranteed only as to the timely payment of interest and the payment of principal when held to maturity. Accordingly, the current market values for these securities will fluctuate with changes in interest rates. Securities issued or guaranteed by U.S. government agencies and instrumentalities are supported by varying degrees of credit but generally are not backed by the full faith and credit of the U.S. government. No assurance can be given that the U.S. government will provide financial support to its agencies and instrumentalities if it is not obligated by law to do so.

Valuation Risk. Certain securities in which the Fund invests typically are valued by a pricing service utilizing a range of market-based inputs and assumptions, including readily available market quotations obtained from broker-dealers making markets in such instruments, cash flows and transactions for comparable instruments. There is no assurance that the Fund will be able to sell a portfolio security at the price established by the pricing service, which could result in a loss to the Fund. Pricing services generally price securities assuming orderly transactions of an institutional “round lot” size, but some trades may occur in smaller, “odd lot” sizes, often at lower prices than institutional round lot trades. Different pricing

 

services may incorporate different assumptions and inputs into their valuation methodologies, potentially resulting in different values for the same securities. As a result, if the Fund were to change pricing services, or if the Fund’s pricing service were to change its valuation methodology, there could be a material impact, either positive or negative, on the Fund’s NAV.

Warrants and Equity Securities Risk. Investments in warrants and equity securities entail certain risks in addition to those associated with investments in adjustable rate instruments or other debt instruments. The value of warrants and equity securities may be affected more rapidly, and to a greater extent, by company-specific developments and general market conditions. These risks may increase fluctuations in the Fund’s NAV. The Fund may possess material non-public information about an issuer as a result of its ownership of an adjustable rate instrument or other debt instrument of such issuer. Because of prohibitions on trading in securities of issuers while in possession of such information, the Fund might be unable to enter into a transaction in a security of such an issuer when it would otherwise be advantageous to do so.

When-Issued and Delayed-Delivery Transactions Risk. When-issued and delayed-delivery transactions may involve an element of risk because no interest accrues on the securities prior to settlement and, because securities are subject to market fluctuations, the value of the securities at time of delivery may be less (or more) than their cost. A separate account of the Fund will be established with its custodian consisting of cash equivalents or liquid securities having a market value at all times at least equal to the amount of any delayed payment commitment.

Zero Coupon Bonds or Pay-In-Kind Securities Risk. Zero coupon and pay-in-kind securities may be subject to greater fluctuation in value and less liquidity in the event of adverse market conditions than comparably rated securities paying cash interest at regular interest payment periods. Prices on non-cash-paying instruments may be more sensitive to changes in the issuer’s financial condition, fluctuation in interest rates and market demand/supply imbalances than cash-paying securities with similar credit ratings, and thus may be more speculative.

Anti-Takeover Provisions. The Declaration of Trust and the Fund’s by-laws include provisions that could limit the ability of other entities or persons to acquire control of the Fund or convert the Fund to open-end status. These provisions could have the effect of depriving the Common Shareholders of opportunities to sell their Common Shares at a premium over the then-current market price of the Common Shares.

Borrowing Risk. In addition to borrowing for leverage, the Fund may borrow for temporary or emergency purposes, to pay dividends, repurchase its shares, or clear portfolio transactions. Borrowing may exaggerate changes in the NAV of the Fund’s shares and may affect the Fund’s net income. When the Fund borrows money, it must pay interest and other fees, which will reduce the Fund’s returns if such costs exceed the returns on the portfolio securities purchased or retained with such borrowings. Any such borrowings are intended to be temporary. However, under certain market circumstances, such borrowings might be outstanding for longer periods of time.

Counterparty Risk. Changes in the credit quality of the companies that serve as the Fund’s counterparties with respect to derivatives or other transactions supported by another party’s credit will affect the value of those instruments. Certain entities that have served as counterparties in the markets for these transactions have incurred or may incur in the future significant financial hardships including bankruptcy and losses as a result of exposure to sub-prime mortgages and other lower-quality credit investments. As a result, such hardships have reduced these entities’ capital and called into question their continued ability to perform their obligations under such transactions. By using such derivatives or other transactions, the Fund assumes the risk that its counterparties could experience similar financial hardships. In the event of the insolvency of a counterparty, the Fund may sustain losses or be unable to liquidate a derivatives position.

Cybersecurity Risk. The Fund and its service providers are susceptible to operational and information security risk resulting from cyber incidents. Cyber incidents refer to both intentional attacks and unintentional events including: processing errors, human errors, technical errors including computer glitches and system malfunctions, inadequate or failed internal or external processes, market-wide technical-related disruptions, unauthorized access to digital systems (through “hacking” or malicious software coding), computer viruses, and cyber-attacks which shut down, disable, slow or otherwise disrupt operations, business processes or website access or functionality (including denial of service attacks). Cyber incidents could adversely impact the Fund and cause the Fund to incur financial loss and expense, as well as face exposure to regulatory penalties, reputational damage, and additional compliance costs associated with corrective measures. In addition, substantial costs may be incurred in order to prevent any cyber incidents in the future. Furthermore, the Fund cannot control the cybersecurity plans and systems put in place by its service providers or any other third parties whose operations may affect the Fund. Because technology is frequently changing (including the development of artificial intelligence and machine learning), new ways to carry out cyber attacks are always developing. Therefore, there is a chance that some risks have not been identified or prepared for, or that an attack may not be detected, which puts limitations on the Fund’s ability to plan for or respond to a cyber attack. Like other funds and business enterprises, the Fund, the investment adviser, and their service providers are subject to the risk of cyber incidents occurring from time to time. The rapid development and increasingly widespread use of artificial intelligence technologies could increase the effectiveness of cyber attacks and exacerbate the risks.

Fund Tax Risk. The Fund has elected to be treated and intends to qualify each year as a Regulated Investment Company (“RIC”) under the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended (the “Code”). As a RIC, the Fund is not expected to be subject to U.S. federal income tax to the extent that it distributes its investment company taxable income and net capital gains. To qualify for the special tax treatment available to a RIC, the Fund must comply with certain investment, distribution, and diversification requirements. Under certain circumstances, the Fund may be forced to sell certain assets when it is not advantageous in order to meet these requirements, which may reduce the Fund’s overall return. If the Fund fails to meet any of these requirements, subject to the opportunity to cure such failures under applicable provisions of the Code, the Fund’s income would be subject to a double level of U.S. federal income tax. The Fund’s income, including its net capital gain, would first be subject to U.S. federal income tax at regular corporate rates, even if such income were distributed to shareholders and, second, all distributions by the Fund from earnings and profits, including distributions of net capital gain (if any), would be taxable to shareholders as dividends.

Global Economic Risk. National and regional economies and financial markets are becoming increasingly interconnected, which increases the possibilities that conditions in one country, region or market might adversely impact issuers in a different country, region or market. Changes in legal, political, regulatory, tax and economic conditions may cause fluctuations in markets and asset prices around the world, which could negatively impact

 

the value of the Fund’s investments. Major economic or political disruptions, particularly in large economies, may have global negative economic and market repercussions. Additionally, instability in various countries, war, natural and environmental disasters, the spread of infectious illnesses or other public health emergencies, terrorist attacks in the United States and around the world, growing social and political discord in the United States, debt crises, the response of the international community—through economic sanctions and otherwise—to international events, further downgrade of U.S. government securities, changes in the U.S. president or political shifts in Congress, trade disputes and other similar events may adversely affect the global economy and the markets and issuers in which the Fund invests. These events could reduce consumer demand or economic output, result in market closure, travel restrictions or quarantines, and generally have a significant impact on the global economy. These events could also impair the information technology and other operational systems upon which the Fund’s service providers, including the Fund’s sub-adviser, rely, and could otherwise disrupt the ability of employees of the Fund’s service providers to perform essential tasks on behalf of the Fund.

The Fund does not know and cannot predict how long the securities markets may be affected by these events, and the future impact of these and similar events on the global economy and securities markets is uncertain. The Fund may be adversely affected by abrogation of international agreements and national laws which have created the market instruments in which the Fund may invest, failure of the designated national and international authorities to enforce compliance with the same laws and agreements, failure of local, national and international organizations to carry out the duties prescribed to them under the relevant agreements, revisions of these laws and agreements which dilute their effectiveness or conflicting interpretation of provisions of the same laws and agreements.

Governmental and quasi-governmental authorities and regulators throughout the world have in the past responded to major economic disruptions with a variety of significant fiscal and monetary policy changes, including but not limited to, direct capital infusions into companies, new monetary programs and dramatically lower interest rates. An unexpected or quick reversal of these policies, or the ineffectiveness of these policies, could increase volatility in securities markets, which could adversely affect the Fund’s investments.

Investment and Market Risk. An investment in common shares is subject to investment risk, including the possible loss of the entire principal amount that you invest. Common shares frequently trade at a discount to their NAV. An investment in common shares represents an indirect investment in the securities owned by the Fund. Common shares at any point in time may be worth less than your original investment, even after taking into account the reinvestment of Fund dividends and distributions.

Legislation and Regulatory Risk. At any time after the date of this report, legislation or additional regulations may be enacted that could negatively affect the assets of the Fund, securities held by the Fund or the issuers of such securities. Fund shareholders may incur increased costs resulting from such legislation or additional regulation. There can be no assurance that future legislation, regulation or deregulation will not have a material adverse effect on the Fund or will not impair the ability of the Fund to achieve its investment objectives.

Leverage Risk. The use of leverage creates special risks for common shareholders, including potential interest rate risks and the likelihood of greater volatility of NAV and market price of, and distributions on, the common shares. The use of leverage in a declining market will likely cause a greater decline in the Fund’s NAV, which may result at a greater decline of the common share price, than if the Fund were not to have used leverage.

Certain types of leverage may result in the Fund being subject to certain covenants, asset coverage or other portfolio composition limits by its lenders, debt or preferred securities purchasers, rating agencies that may rate the debt or preferred securities, or reverse repurchase counterparties. Such limitations may be more stringent than those imposed by the 1940 Act and may impact whether the Fund is able to maintain its desired amount of leverage. In addition, whenever the Fund incurs borrowings and/or preferred shares are outstanding, Common Shareholders will not be entitled to receive any cash distributions from the Fund unless all interest on such borrowings has been paid and all accumulated dividends on preferred shares have been paid, unless asset coverage (as defined in the 1940 Act) with respect to any borrowings would be at least 300% after giving effect to the distributions and asset coverage (as defined in the 1940 Act) with respect to preferred shares would be at least 200% after giving effect to the distributions.

The Fund will pay (and common shareholders will bear) any costs and expenses relating to the Fund’s use of leverage, which will result in a reduction in the Fund’s NAV. The investment adviser may, based on its assessment of market conditions and composition of the Fund’s holdings, increase or decrease the amount of leverage. Such changes may impact the Fund’s distributions and the price of the common shares in the secondary market. There is no assurance that the Fund’s use of leverage will be successful.

The Fund may seek to refinance its leverage over time, in the ordinary course, as current forms of leverage mature or it is otherwise desirable to refinance; however, the form that such leverage will take cannot be predicted at this time. If the Fund is unable to replace existing leverage on comparable terms, its costs of leverage will increase. Accordingly, there is no assurance that the use of leverage may result in a higher yield or return to common shareholders.

The amount of fees paid to the investment adviser and the sub-advisor for investment advisory services will be higher if the Fund uses leverage because the fees will be calculated based on the Fund’s Managed Assets - this may create an incentive for the investment adviser and the sub-advisor to leverage the Fund or increase the Fund’s leverage.

Because the assets of the Fund will be liquidated in connection with its termination, the Fund may be required to sell portfolio securities when it otherwise would not, including at times when market conditions are not favorable, which may cause the Fund to lose money. The Fund’s investment objectives and policies are not designed to return to investors who purchase common shares in this offering their initial investment on the termination date. When terminated, the Fund’s distributions will be based upon the Fund’s NAV at the end of the term and such initial investors and any investors that purchase common shares after the completion of this offering may receive more or less than their original investment upon termination.

Market Discount from Net Asset Value. Shares of closed-end investment companies like the Fund frequently trade at prices lower than their NAV. This characteristic is a risk separate and distinct from the risk that the Fund’s NAV could decrease as a result of investment activities. Whether investors will realize gains or losses upon the sale of the common shares will depend not upon the Fund’s NAV but entirely upon whether the market price

 

of the common shares at the time of sale is above or below the investor’s purchase price for the common shares. Furthermore, management may have difficulty meeting the Fund’s investment objectives during periods of market turmoil and as investors’ perceptions regarding closed-end funds or their underlying investments change. Because the market price of the common shares will be determined by factors such as relative supply of and demand for the common shares in the market, general market and economic circumstances, and other factors beyond the control of the Fund, the Fund cannot predict whether the common shares will trade at, below or above NAV. The common shares are designed primarily for long-term investors, and you should not view the Fund as a vehicle for short-term trading purposes.

Recent Market Conditions. Periods of unusually high financial market volatility and restrictive credit conditions, at times limited to a particular sector or geographic area, have occurred in the past and may be expected to recur in the future. Some countries, including the United States, have adopted or have signaled protectionist trade measures, including the imposition of tariffs, relaxation of the financial industry regulations that followed the financial crisis, and/or reductions to corporate taxes. The scope of these policy changes is still developing, but the equity and debt markets may react strongly to expectations of change, which could increase volatility, particularly if a resulting policy runs counter to the market’s expectations. The outcome of such changes cannot be foreseen at the present time. In addition, geopolitical and other risks, including environmental and public health risks, may add to instability in the world economy and markets generally. As a result of increasingly interconnected global economies and financial markets, the value and liquidity of the Fund’s investments may be negatively affected by events impacting a country or region, regardless of whether the Fund invests in issuers located in or with significant exposure to such country or region.

Ukraine has experienced ongoing military conflict, most recently commencing in February 2022 when Russia invaded Ukraine; this conflict may expand and military attacks could occur elsewhere in Europe. Europe has also been struggling with mass migration from the Middle East and Africa. The ultimate effects of these events and other socio-political or geographical issues are not known but could profoundly affect global economies and markets. Additionally, in October 2023 armed conflict broke out between Israel and the militant group Hamas after Hamas infiltrated Israel’s southern border from the Gaza Strip. Israel has since declared war against Hamas and this conflict has escalated into a greater regional conflict. The ultimate effects of these events and other socio-political or geographical issues are not known but could profoundly affect global economies and markets.

The ongoing trade war between China and the United States, including the imposition of tariffs by each country on the other country’s products, has created a tense political environment. These actions may trigger a significant reduction in international trade, adverse effects in the supply of certain manufactured goods, substantial adverse price changes for goods and possible failure of individual companies and/or large segments of China’s export industry and U.S. importers, which could have a negative impact on the Fund’s performance. U.S. companies that source material and goods from China and those that make large amounts of sales in China would are vulnerable to an escalation of trade tensions. Beginning in early 2025, the United States also imposed tariffs on other countries, including Mexico and Canada. The possibility of additional tariffs being imposed or the outbreak of a trade war may adversely impact U.S. and international markets. Uncertainty regarding the outcome of the trade tensions and the potential for a trade war could cause the U.S. dollar to decline further. Events such as these and their consequences are difficult to predict and it is unclear whether further tariffs may be imposed or other escalating actions may be taken in the future. Additionally, political uncertainty regarding U.S. policy, including the U.S. government’s approach to trade, may impact the markets and the Fund’s performance.

The U.S. Federal Reserve (the “Fed”) has in the past sharply raised interest rates, and has signaled an intention to maintain relatively higher interest rates until current inflation levels re-align with the Fed’s long-term inflation target. Changing interest rate environments impact the various sectors of the economy in different ways. For example, in March 2023, the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (“FDIC”) was appointed receiver for each of Silicon Valley Bank and Signature Bank, the second- and third-largest bank failures in U.S. history, which failures may be attributable, in part, to rising interest rates. Bank failures may have a destabilizing impact on the broader banking industry or markets generally.

The impact of these developments in the near- and long-term is unknown and could have additional adverse effects on economies, financial markets and asset valuations around the world.

Reverse Repurchase Agreement Risk. A reverse repurchase agreement, in economic essence, constitutes a securitized borrowing by the Fund from the security purchaser. The Fund may enter into reverse repurchase agreements for the purpose of creating a leveraged investment exposure and, as such, their usage involves essentially the same risks associated with a leveraging strategy generally since the proceeds from these agreements may be invested in additional portfolio securities. Reverse repurchase agreements tend to be short-term in tenor, and there can be no assurances that the purchaser (lender) will commit to extend or “roll” a given agreement upon its agreed-upon repurchase date or an alternative purchaser can be identified on similar terms. Reverse repurchase agreements also involve the risk that the purchaser fails to return the securities as agreed upon, files for bankruptcy or becomes insolvent. The Fund may be restricted from taking normal portfolio actions during such time, could be subject to loss to the extent that the proceeds of the agreement are less than the value of securities subject to the agreement and may experience adverse tax consequences.

TRADING AND NET ASSET VALUE INFORMATION

 

Shares of closed-end investment companies, including those of the Funds, may frequently trade at prices lower than NAV, the Funds’ Board of Trustees (Board) has currently determined that, at least annually, it will consider action that might be taken to reduce or eliminate any material discount from NAV in respect of Common Shares, which may include the repurchase of such shares in the open market or in private transactions, the making of a tender offer for such shares at NAV, or the conversion of the Fund to an open-end investment company. The Funds cannot assure you that their Board will decide to take any of these actions, or that share repurchases or tender offers will actually reduce market discount.

CoCos may be subject to an automatic write-down (i.e., the automatic write-down of the principal amount or value of the securities, potentially to zero, and the cancellation of the securities) under certain circumstances, which could result in the Fund losing a portion or all of its investment in such securities. In addition, the Fund may not have any rights with respect to repayment of the principal amount of the securities that has not become due or the payment of interest or dividends on such securities for any period from (and including) the interest or dividend payment date falling immediately prior to the occurrence of such automatic write-down. An automatic write-down could also result in a reduced income rate if the dividend or interest payment is based on the security’s par value. Coupon payments on CoCos may be discretionary and may be cancelled by the issuer for any reason or may be subject to approval by the issuer’s regulator and may be suspended in the event there are insufficient distributable reserves.

In certain scenarios, investors in CoCos may suffer a loss of capital ahead of equity holders or when equity holders do not. There is no guarantee that the Fund will receive a return of principal on CoCos. Any indication that an automatic write-down or conversion event may occur can be expected to have a material adverse effect on the market price of CoCos.

The prices of CoCos may be volatile. Additionally, the trading behavior of a given issuer’s CoCo may be strongly impacted by the trading behavior of other issuers’ CoCos, such that negative information from an unrelated CoCo may cause a decline in value of one or more CoCos held by a fund. Accordingly, the trading behavior of CoCos may not follow the trading behavior of other similarly structured securities.

 

CoCos are issued primarily by financial institutions. Therefore, CoCos present substantially increased risks at times of financial turmoil, which could affect financial institutions more than companies in other sectors and industries.