Duration Risk
Duration is a mathematical calculation of the average life of a fixed-income or
preferred security that serves as a measure of the security’s price risk to changes in interest rates (or yields). Securities with longer durations tend to be more
sensitive to interest rate (or yield) changes than securities with shorter durations.
Debt securities generally present various risks, including many of the risks described above under “Preferred Securities Risk.” These include interest rate risk, credit risk, call risk, prepayment and extension risk, convertible securities risk, and liquidity risk.
Below Investment Grade Securities Risk
Below investment grade securities, or equivalent unrated securities, generally
involve greater volatility of price and risk of loss of income and principal, and may be more susceptible to real or perceived adverse economic and competitive industry
conditions than higher grade securities. It is reasonable to expect that any adverse economic condition could disrupt the market for below investment grade securities, have an adverse impact on the value of those securities and adversely affect the ability of the issuers of those securities to repay principal and interest on those securities.
Because under normal market conditions the Fund will invest at least 25% of its
assets in securities of issuers in the utilities and financials sectors, collectively, it will be more susceptible to adverse economic or regulatory occurrences affecting each of these sectors.
With respect to the financials sector, these include changes in interest rates, loan concentration and competition, than a fund that does not concentrate its investments in the financials sector. In addition, the Fund will also be subject to the risks of investing in the individual industries and securities that comprise the financial sector, include the bank, diversified financials, real estate (including REITs) and insurance industries.
Companies in the utilities sector may be affected by general economic
conditions, supply and demand, financing and operating costs, rate caps, interest rates, liabilities arising from governmental or civil actions, consumer confidence and
spending, competition, resource conservation and depletion, human-made or natural disasters, geopolitical events, and environmental and other government regulations. To the extent that the Fund focuses its investments in other sectors or industries, such as (but not limited to) energy, industrials, pipelines, health care and telecommunications, the Fund will be subject to the risks associated with these particular sectors and industries. These sectors and industries may be adversely affected by, among others, changes in government regulation, world events and economic conditions.
Foreign (Non-U.S.) and Emerging Market Securities Risk
Risks of investing in foreign securities, which can be expected to be greater for investments in emerging markets, include currency risks, future political and economic developments, including but not limited to, international wars or conflicts, instability in regions such as Asia, Eastern Europe and the Middle East, terrorism, natural disasters and public health emergencies (including epidemics and pandemics), and possible imposition of foreign withholding or other taxes on income or proceeds payable on the securities (including trading and tariff arrangements and restrictions, sanctions and cybersecurity attacks). In addition, there may be less publicly available information about a foreign issuer than about a domestic issuer, and foreign issuers may not be subject to the same accounting, auditing and financial recordkeeping standards and requirements as domestic issuers.
Securities of companies in emerging markets may be more volatile than those of companies in more developed markets. Emerging market countries generally have less developed markets, exchanges and economies and, in some countries, less mature governments and governmental institutions. Foreign securities markets and exchanges may be less liquid, more volatile and less subject to governmental supervision than in the United States. Political developments in foreign countries or the United States may at times subject such countries to sanctions from the U.S. government, foreign governments and/or international institutions that could negatively affect the Fund’s investments in issuers located in, doing business in or with assets in such countries. Investing in securities of companies in emerging markets may entail special risks relating to potential economic, political or social instability and the risks of expropriation, nationalization, confiscation, trade sanctions or embargoes, exchange controls, the imposition of restrictions on foreign investment, the lack of hedging instruments, restrictions on repatriation of capital invested or from problems in security registration or settlement and custody. Furthermore, custody practices and regulations abroad may offer less protection to investors, such as the Fund, and the Fund may be limited in its ability to enforce contractual rights or obligations. The securities and real estate markets of some emerging market countries have in the past experienced substantial market disruptions and may do so in the future. The economies of many emerging market countries may be heavily dependent on international trade and have thus been, and may continue to be, adversely affected by trade barriers, foreign exchange controls and other protectionist measures imposed or negotiated by the countries with which they wish to trade.