unlikely event that the OCC or the Fund's clearing member becomes bankrupt, insolvent or is otherwise unable to meet its settlement obligations, the Fund could suffer significant losses and/or be unable to achieve its Defined Outcome strategy.
Options Risk. An option is a contract that gives the purchaser of the option, in return for the premium paid, the right, but not the obligation, to buy from (in the case of a call option) or sell to (in the case of a put option) the writer of the option at the exercise price during the term of the option (for American style options) or on a specified date (for European style options), the security, currency or other instrument underlying the option (or to receive payment of a cash settlement amount, in the case of cash-settled options, such as index options). Options transactions represent the possibility of large amounts of exposure (or leverage), which may result in the Fund's net asset value being more sensitive to changes in the value of the option. The value of an option position will reflect, among other things, the current market value of the underlying investment, the time remaining until expiration, the relationship of the exercise price to the market value of the underlying investment, the price volatility of the underlying investment and general market and interest rate conditions.
Flex Options Risk. Flex Options are cleared and guaranteed for settlement by the OCC, but are not listed like other exchange-traded options. Therefore, Flex Options may be less liquid than certain other securities, such as conventional, listed options, and the Fund may not be able to close out certain Flex Options positions at desirable times and prices, which could prevent the Fund from achieving its Defined Outcome strategy.
In the event that trading in Flex Options is limited or absent, the value of the Fund's Flex Options may decrease. There is no guarantee that a liquid secondary trading market will exist for the Flex Options.
Non-Indexing Risk. Unlike many investment companies, the Fund does not utilize an investing strategy that seeks returns that correspond to the returns of the Underlying Index in all cases. The operation of the Cap and the Buffer are designed to provide holders of shares of the Fund over an Outcome Period with an investment return that differs from the return of the Underlying Index if the performance of the Underlying Index exceeds the Cap or is negative. Additionally, a shareholder who redeems shares before the conclusion of an Outcome Period is unlikely to realize returns that correspond to the performance of the Underlying Index since the start of the Outcome Period. If you desire to achieve an investment return that equals the return on the Underlying Index in all cases, you should not buy shares of the Fund.
Industry Concentration Risk. In following its methodology, the Underlying Index from time to time may be concentrated to a significant degree in securities of issuers located in a single industry or industry group. To the extent that the Underlying Index concentrates in the securities of issuers in a particular industry or industry group, the Fund will also concentrate its investments to approximately the same extent. By concentrating its investments in an industry or industry group, the Fund may face more risks than if it were diversified broadly over numerous industries or industry groups. Such industry-based risks, any of which may adversely affect the companies in the Underlying Index, may include, but are not limited to, the following: general economic conditions or cyclical market patterns that could negatively affect supply and demand in a particular industry; competition for resources; adverse labor relations; political or world events; obsolescence of technologies; and increased competition or new product introductions that may affect the profitability or viability of companies in an industry. In addition, at times, such industry or industry group may be out of favor and underperform other industries or the market as a whole.
Technology Sector Risk. Technology companies are subject to intense competition, rapid obsolescence of their products, issues with obtaining financing or regulatory approvals, product incompatibility, changing consumer preferences, increased government scrutiny, high required corporate capital expenditure for research and development or
infrastructure and development of new products, each of which make the prices of securities issued by these companies more volatile. Technology companies are also heavily dependent on patent and other intellectual property rights, and the loss or impairment of these rights may adversely affect the company's profitability.
Non-Diversification Risk. Under the Investment Company Act of 1940 (1940 Act), a fund designated as "diversified" must limit its holdings such that the securities of issuers which individually represent more than 5% of its total assets must in the aggregate represent less than 25% of its total assets. The Fund is classified as "diversified" for purposes of the 1940 Act. However, the Fund may be "non-diversified," as defined in the 1940 Act, solely as a result of a change in relative market capitalization or index weighting of one or more constituents of the Underlying Index. A non-diversified fund can invest such that a greater portion of its assets are tied to the securities of a small number of issuers or any single issuer than a diversified fund can. In such circumstances, a change in the value of one or a few issuers' securities will therefore affect the value of the Fund more than if it was a diversified fund. As such, the Fund's performance may be hurt disproportionately by the poor performance of relatively few stocks, or even a single stock, and the Fund's shares may experience significant fluctuations in value.
Non-Correlation Risk. The Fund's returns may not match the returns of the Underlying Index (that is, it may experience tracking error) for a number of reasons. In addition to the impact of the Cap and the Buffer on the Fund's returns as compared to the returns of the Underlying Index, the Fund incurs operating expenses not applicable to the Underlying Index. To the extent that the Fund has recently commenced operations and/or otherwise has a relatively small amount of assets, such operating expenses could have a proportionally greater impact on the Fund. Additionally, subscription and redemption activity in the Fund may cause the Fund to experience tracking error. Investors purchasing or redeeming shares of the Fund will transact at the net asset value per share of the relevant Series of shares next computed after the Fund receives that investor's order. However, the Fund generally will not purchase or sell the relevant options contracts referencing the Underlying Index in response to investor subscriptions and redemptions on a particular business day until after the investor orders are received, and the price of those options contracts may have changed (potentially substantially) in the intervening period since the net asset value of the Fund's shares was last determined. The potential for such tracking error is greater when subscription and redemption activity in the Fund is relatively higher and/or during periods that the value of the Underlying Index or options contracts thereon are experiencing relatively higher volatility. The Fund's net asset value will be principally composed of options contracts on the Underlying Index, the value of which is derived not only from the performance of the Underlying Index but also from the time remaining until expiration, the price volatility of the Underlying Index and general interest rate conditions. Consequently, the Fund's net asset value will not directly correlate on a day-to-day basis with the returns experienced by the Underlying Index.
Operational Risk. The Fund is exposed to operational risks arising from a number of factors, including, but not limited to, human error, processing and communication errors, errors of the Fund's service providers, counterparties or other third-parties, failed or inadequate processes and technology or systems failures. The Fund and its Adviser seek to reduce these operational risks through controls and procedures. However, these measures do not address every possible risk and may be inadequate to address these risks.
Redemption Risk. In some instances, an insurance company through which the Fund is available may restrict its contract owners from purchasing the Fund's shares after an Outcome Period has already commenced. Nevertheless, existing Fund shareholders are legally permitted to redeem shares they already hold throughout the Outcome Period on any trading day, as described in the applicable variable insurance contract prospectus. Such redemptions may increase the Fund's transaction costs and could cause the
4 Invesco® V.I. Nasdaq 100 Buffer Fund - September