Counterparty –
The fund could lose money if the counterparties to derivatives, repurchase agreements and/or other financial contracts entered into for the fund do not fulfill their contractual obligations. In addition, the fund
may incur costs and may be hindered or delayed in enforcing its rights against a counterparty. These risks may be greater to the extent the fund has more contractual exposure to a
counterparty.
Country Focus – To the extent the fund focuses its investments in a particular geographic region or country, or
in securities quoted or denominated in the currency of a particular country, the fund may
be subject to increased currency, political, regulatory, economic and other risks associated with that region or country. A natural or other disaster could occur in a geographic region in which the fund invests, which could
affect the economy or particular business operations of companies in the specific geographic
region. As a result, the fund may be subject to greater price volatility and risk of loss
than a fund holding more geographically diverse investments.
Credit – If an issuer or other obligor (such as a party
providing insurance or other credit enhancement) of a security held by the fund or a
counterparty to a financial contract with the fund is unable or unwilling to meet its financial obligations, or is downgraded or perceived to be less creditworthy (whether by market participants, ratings agencies, pricing
services or otherwise), or if the value of any underlying assets declines, the value of your
investment will typically decline. A decline may be rapid and/or significant, particularly
in certain market environments. In addition, the fund may incur costs and may be hindered or delayed in enforcing its rights against an issuer, obligor or counterparty.
Cybersecurity – Cybersecurity incidents, both intentional
and unintentional, may allow an unauthorized party to gain access to fund assets, fund or
shareholder data (including private shareholder information), or proprietary information, cause the fund or its service providers (including, but not limited to, the fund’s investment manager, any
sub-adviser(s), transfer agent, distributor, custodian, fund accounting agent and financial intermediaries) to suffer data breaches, data corruption or loss of operational functionality, or prevent fund investors
from purchasing, redeeming or exchanging shares, receiving distributions or receiving timely
information regarding the fund or their investment in the fund. Cybersecurity incidents may
render records of fund assets and transactions, shareholder ownership of fund shares, and other data integral to the functioning of the fund inaccessible, inaccurate or incomplete. The use of artificial
intelligence and machine learning could exacerbate these risks. Cybersecurity incidents may result in financial losses to the fund and its shareholders, and substantial costs may be incurred in order to
prevent or mitigate any future cybersecurity incidents.
Depositary Receipts – Depositary receipts are generally subject to the same risks as are the foreign securities that they evidence or into which they may be
converted, and they may be less liquid than the underlying shares in their primary trading
market. In addition, depositary receipts expose the fund to risk associated with the
non-uniform terms that apply to depositary receipt programs, credit exposure to the depositary bank and to the sponsors and other parties with whom the depositary bank establishes the programs. Holders of
depositary receipts may have limited voting rights, and investment restrictions in certain countries
may adversely impact
the value of depositary receipts because such restrictions may limit the ability to convert equity shares into depositary receipts and vice versa.
Derivatives – The use of derivatives involves a variety of
risks, which may be different from, or greater than, the risks associated with investing in
traditional securities, such as stocks and bonds. Risks of derivatives include leverage risk, liquidity risk, interest rate risk, valuation risk, market risk, counterparty risk and credit risk. Use of derivatives can
increase fund losses, increase costs, reduce opportunities for gains, increase fund volatility, and not produce the result intended. Certain derivatives have the potential for unlimited loss, regardless of
the size of the initial investment. Even a small investment in derivatives can have a disproportionate impact on the fund. Derivatives may be difficult or impossible to sell, unwind or value, and the
counterparty (including, if applicable, the fund’s clearing broker, the derivatives exchange or the clearinghouse) may default on its obligations to the fund. In certain cases, the fund may incur costs
and may be hindered or delayed in enforcing its rights against or closing out derivatives instruments with a counterparty, which may result in additional losses. Derivatives are also generally subject to
the risks applicable to the assets, rates, indices or other indicators underlying the derivative, including market risk, credit risk, liquidity risk, management risk and valuation risk. Also, suitable derivative
transactions may not be available in all circumstances or at reasonable prices. The value of a derivative may fluctuate more or less than, or otherwise not correlate well with, the underlying assets, rates,
indices or other indicators to which it relates. Using derivatives also subjects the fund to certain operational and legal risks. The fund may segregate cash or other liquid assets to cover the funding of
its obligations under derivatives contracts or make margin payments when it takes positions
in derivatives involving obligations to third parties. Rule 18f-4 under the 1940 Act
provides a comprehensive regulatory framework for the use of derivatives by funds and imposes requirements and restrictions on funds using derivatives. Rule 18f-4 could have an adverse impact on the fund’s
performance and its ability to implement its investment strategies and may increase costs related to the fund’s use of derivatives. The rule may affect the availability, liquidity or performance of
derivatives, and may not effectively limit the risk of loss from derivatives.
Emerging Markets – Investments in securities of issuers located or doing business in emerging markets are subject to heightened foreign investments risks and
may experience rapid and extreme changes in value. Emerging market countries tend to have
less developed and less stable economic, political and legal systems and regulatory and
accounting standards, may have policies that restrict investment by foreigners or that prevent foreign investors such as the fund from withdrawing their money at will, and are more likely to experience
nationalization, expropriation and confiscatory taxation. Emerging market securities may have low trading volumes and may be or become illiquid. In addition, there may be significant obstacles to obtaining
information necessary for investigations into or litigation against issuers located in or operating in emerging market countries, and shareholders may have limited legal remedies.