Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended (1940 Act). In complying with the 80% investment requirements, the Fund may invest in derivatives and other instruments that have economic characteristics similar to the Fund's direct investments that are counted toward the 80% investment requirements.
As a fundamental policy, the Fund may invest up to 20% of its net assets in securities subject to the federal alternative minimum tax (AMT). The Fund invests mainly in New York municipal securities that pay interest that, in the opinion of counsel to the issuer of each security, is exempt from federal and New York personal income taxes.
These securities are generally issued by the state and its political subdivisions (such as cities, towns, counties, agencies and authorities) and primarily include municipal bonds (long-term (more than one-year) obligations), municipal notes (short-term obligations), interests in municipal leases and tax-exempt commercial paper. Municipal securities generally are classified as general or revenue obligations. General obligations are secured by the issuer's pledge of its full faith, credit and taxing power for the payment of principal and interest. Revenue obligations are bonds whose interest is payable only from the revenues derived from a particular facility or class of facilities, or a specific excise tax or other revenue source. The securities in which the Fund invests may also include those issuers located outside of New York, such as U.S. territories, commonwealths and possessions or by their agencies, instrumentalities and authorities, if the interest on such securities is not subject to New York and federal income tax. These securities are "New York municipal securities" for purposes of this prospectus.
The Fund can invest up to 25% of its total assets in below-investment-grade securities (commonly called "junk bonds"). This restriction is applied at the time of purchase and the Fund may continue to hold a security whose credit rating has been downgraded or, in the case of an unrated security, after the Fund's Adviser, Invesco Advisers, Inc. (Invesco or the Adviser), has changed its assessment of the security's credit quality. As a result, credit rating downgrades or other market fluctuations may cause the Fund's holdings of below-investment grade securities to exceed, at times significantly, this restriction for an extended period of time. If the Fund has more than 25% of its total assets invested in below-investment-grade securities, the Adviser will not purchase additional below-investment-grade securities until the level of holdings in those securities no longer exceeds the restriction. Investment-grade securities are those rated within the four highest rating categories of S&P Global Ratings (S&P), Moody's, Fitch or another nationally recognized statistical rating organization (or, in the case of unrated securities, determined by the Adviser to be comparable to securities rated investment-grade). While securities rated within the fourth highest category by S&P (meaning BBB+, BBB or BBB-) or by Moody's (meaning Baa1, Baa2 or Baa3) are considered investment-grade, they have some speculative characteristics. If two or more nationally recognized statistical rating organizations have assigned different ratings to a security, the Adviser uses the highest rating assigned. The Fund may also invest in unrated securities, in which case the Adviser internally assigns ratings to those securities, after assessing their credit quality and other factors, in investment-grade or below-investment grade categories similar to those of nationally recognized statistical rating organizations. There can be no assurance, nor is it intended, that the Adviser's credit analysis process is consistent or comparable with the credit analysis process used by a nationally recognized statistical rating organization.
To the extent the Fund invests in pre-refunded municipal securities collateralized by U.S. government securities, the Fund may treat those securities as investment-grade (AAA) securities even if the issuer itself has a below-investment-grade rating.
The Fund's investments have no maturity limitations and can include municipal bonds, municipal notes, and interests in municipal leases and tax-exempt commercial paper. At times, the Fund may focus on longer-term securities to seek higher yields. This portfolio strategy is subject to change.
The Fund can buy general obligation bonds and revenue bonds, including "private activity" municipal securities that pay income subject to alternative minimum taxation. The Fund may invest a substantial percentage of its assets in "callable" securities, which may be redeemed by the issuer before their maturity date.
The Fund can invest in inverse floating rate securities, a variable rate instrument, to seek increased income and return. Inverse floating rate securities are leveraged instruments and the extent of their leverage will vary depending on the security's characteristics. However, the Fund may only expose up to 20% of its total assets to the effects of leverage from its investments in inverse floaters. The Fund's investments in inverse floaters are included for the purposes of the 80% policies described above.
The Fund can invest in derivative instruments, including futures contracts and swap contracts.
The Fund can use futures contracts, including interest rate futures, to reduce exposure to interest rate changes and to manage duration.
The Fund can use swap contracts, including interest rate swaps, to hedge its exposure to interest rates. The Fund may not enter into interest rate swaps with respect to more than 25% of its total assets.
The Fund can borrow money to purchase additional securities, which is another form of leverage. Although the amount of borrowing will vary from time to time, the amount of leveraging from borrowings will not exceed one-third of the Fund's total assets.
The Fund can invest up to 20% of its net assets (plus borrowings for investment purposes) in investments that generate income subject to income taxes. Taxable investments include many of the types of securities the Fund would buy for temporary defensive purposes. The Fund does not anticipate investing substantial amounts of its assets in taxable investments under normal market conditions or as part of its normal trading strategies and policies.
The Fund may invest more than 25% of its net assets in a segment of the municipal securities market with similar characteristics if the Adviser determines that the yields available from obligations in a particular segment justify the additional risks of a larger investment in such segment. The Fund may not, however, invest more than 25% of its net assets in industrial development revenue bonds issued for companies in the same industry.
The Fund can invest up to 25% of its total assets in tobacco settlement revenue bonds and up to 25% of its total assets in tobacco-related bonds without an appropriation pledge that make payments only from a state's interest in the Master Settlement Agreement (MSA).
The Fund can invest in reverse repurchase agreements.
In selecting securities for the Fund, the portfolio managers generally look for triple tax-exempt municipal securities (the interest on which is exempt from federal, state, and where applicable, local income taxes) using a variety of factors. Currently, the portfolio managers look for a wide range of securities of different issuers within the state of New York, including those of different agencies and municipalities. The portfolio managers also focus on finding primarily investment-grade securities that offer high-income opportunities, including unrated bonds and securities of smaller issuers that might be overlooked by other investors and funds.
These factors may change over time and may vary in particular cases. The portfolio managers may consider selling a security if any of these factors no longer applies to a security purchased for the Fund, but are not required to do so.
Principal Risks of Investing in the Fund
As with any mutual fund investment, loss of money is a risk of investing. An investment in the Fund is not a deposit in a bank and is not insured or guaranteed by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation or any other governmental agency. The risks associated with an investment in the Fund can increase during times of significant market volatility. The principal risks of investing in the Fund are:
Market Risk. The market values of the Fund's investments, and therefore the value of the Fund's shares, will go up and down, sometimes