of different countries and regions throughout the world. In buying and selling securities for the Portfolio, the subadviser relies on fundamental analysis, which involves a bottom-up assessment of a company's potential for success in light of various factors, such as its financial condition, earnings outlook, strategy, management, industry position, and economic and market conditions.
The subadviser may engage in frequent and active trading of portfolio securities.
Principal Risks of Investing in the Portfolio
As with any mutual fund, there can be no assurance that the Portfolio's investment goal will be met or that the net return on an investment in the Portfolio will exceed what could have been obtained through other investment or savings vehicles. Shares of the Portfolio are not bank deposits and are not guaranteed or insured by any bank, government entity or the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation. If the value of the assets of the Portfolio goes down, you could lose money.
The following is a summary of the principal risks of investing in the Portfolio.
Equity Securities Risk. The Portfolio invests principally in equity securities and is therefore subject to the risk that stock prices will fall and may underperform other asset classes. Individual stock prices fluctuate from day-to-day and may decline significantly.
Large-Cap Companies Risk. Large-cap companies tend to be less volatile than companies with smaller market capitalizations. In exchange for this potentially lower risk, the Portfolio's value may not rise as much as the value of portfolios that emphasize smaller companies. Larger, more established companies may be unable to respond quickly to new competitive challenges, such as changes in technology and consumer tastes. Larger companies also may not be able to attain the high growth rate of successful smaller companies, particularly during extended periods of economic expansion.
Small- and Mid-Cap Companies Risk. Companies with smaller market capitalizations (particularly under $1 billion depending on the market) tend to be at early stages of development with limited product lines, operating histories, market access for products, financial resources, access to new capital, or depth in management. It may be difficult to obtain reliable information and financial data about these companies. Consequently, the securities of smaller companies may not be as readily marketable and
may be subject to more abrupt or erratic market movements than companies with larger capitalizations. Securities of medium-sized companies are also subject to these risks to a lesser extent.
Growth Stock Risk. The Portfolio invests substantially in growth style stocks. Growth stocks may lack the dividend yield associated with value stocks that can cushion total return in a bear market. Also, growth stocks normally carry a higher price/earnings ratio than many other stocks. Consequently, if earnings expectations are not met, the market price of growth stocks will often decline more than other stocks.
Foreign Investment Risk. The Portfolio's investments in the securities of foreign issuers or issuers with significant exposure to foreign markets involve additional risk. Foreign countries in which the Portfolio invests may have markets that are less liquid, less regulated and more volatile than U.S. markets. The value of the Portfolio's investments may decline because of factors affecting the particular issuer as well as foreign markets and issuers generally, such as unfavorable government actions, and political or financial instability and other conditions or events (including, for example, military confrontations, war, terrorism, sanctions, disease/virus, outbreaks and epidemics). Lack of relevant data and reliable public information may also affect the value of these securities. The risks of foreign investments are heightened when investing in issuers in emerging market countries.
Emerging Markets Risk. Risks associated with investments in emerging markets may include: delays in settling portfolio securities transactions; currency and capital controls; greater sensitivity to interest rate changes; pervasive corruption and crime; exchange rate volatility; inflation, deflation or currency devaluation; violent military or political conflicts; confiscations and other government restrictions by the United States or other governments; and government instability. As a result, investments in emerging market securities tend to be more volatile than investments in developed countries.
Foreign Currency Risk. The value of the Portfolio's foreign investments may fluctuate due to changes in currency exchange rates. A decline in the value of foreign currencies relative to the U.S. dollar generally can be expected to depress the value of the Portfolio's non-U.S. dollar-denominated securities.
Issuer Risk. The value of a security may decline for a number of reasons directly related to the issuer, such as