Principal Risks
You could lose money on an investment in the Portfolio. Any of the following risks, among others, could affect Portfolio performance or cause the Portfolio to lose money or to underperform market averages of other funds. The principal risks are presented in alphabetical order to facilitate readability, and their order does not imply that the realization of one risk is more likely to occur or have a greater adverse impact than another risk.
Company:The price of a company's stock could decline or underperform for many reasons, including, among others, poor management, financial problems, reduced demand for the company's goods or services, regulatory fines and judgments, or business challenges. If a company is unable to meet its financial obligations, declares bankruptcy, or becomes insolvent, its stock could become worthless.
Currency:To the extent that the Portfolio invests directly or indirectly in foreign (non-U.S.) currencies or in securities denominated in, or that trade in, foreign (non-U.S.) currencies, it is subject to the risk that those foreign (non-U.S.) currencies will decline in value relative to the U.S. dollar or, in the case of hedging positions, that the U.S. dollar will decline in value relative to the currency being hedged by the Portfolio through foreign currency exchange transactions.
Derivative Instruments:Derivative instruments are subject to a number of risks, including the risk of changes in the market price of the underlying asset, reference rate, or index credit risk with respect to the counterparty, risk of loss due to changes in market interest rates, liquidity risk, valuation risk, and volatility risk. The amounts required to purchase certain derivatives may be small relative to the magnitude of exposure assumed by the Portfolio. Therefore, the purchase of certain derivatives may have an economic leveraging effect on the Portfolio and exaggerate any increase or decrease in the net asset value. Derivatives may not perform as expected, so the Portfolio may not realize the intended benefits. When used for hedging purposes, the change in value of a derivative may not correlate as expected with the asset, reference rate, or index being hedged. When used as an alternative or substitute for direct cash investment, the return provided by the derivative may not provide the same return as direct cash investment.
Dividend:Companies that issue dividend yielding equity securities are not required to continue to pay dividends on such securities. Therefore, there is a possibility that such companies could reduce or eliminate the payment of dividends in the future. As a result, the Portfolio's ability to execute its investment strategy may be limited.
Environmental, Social, and Governance (Quantitative):The Sub-Adviser's consideration of ESG factors in selecting investments for the Portfolio depends on the operation of quantitative methods and models whose design reflects qualitative and subjective judgments of the Sub-Adviser, including reliance on, or incorporation of, data in respect of ESG factors that may rely on third-party data that might be incorrect or based on incomplete or inaccurate information. There is no minimum percentage of the Portfolio's assets that will be invested in companies that the Sub-Adviser views favorably in light of ESG factors, and the Sub-Adviser may not invest in companies that compare favorably to other companies on the basis of ESG factors. It is possible that the Portfolio will have less exposure to certain companies due to the Sub-Adviser's assessment of ESG factors than other comparable mutual funds. There can be no assurance that an investment selected by the Sub-Adviser, which includes its consideration of ESG factors, will provide more favorable investment performance than another potential investment, and such an investment may, in fact, underperform other potential investments.
Foreign (Non-U.S.) Investments: Investing in foreign (non-U.S.) securities may result in the Portfolio experiencing more rapid and extreme changes in value than a fund that invests exclusively in securities of U.S. companies due, in part, to: smaller markets; differing reporting, accounting, auditing and financial reporting standards and practices; nationalization, expropriation, or confiscatory taxation; foreign currency fluctuations, currency blockage, or replacement; potential for default on sovereign debt; and political changes or diplomatic developments, which may include the imposition of economic sanctions (or the threat of new or modified sanctions) or other measures by the U.S. or other governments and supranational organizations. Markets and economies throughout the world are becoming increasingly interconnected, and conditions or events in one market, country or region may adversely impact investments or issuers in another market, country or region.
Investment Model: The Sub-Adviser's proprietary investment model may not adequately take into account existing or unforeseen market factors or the interplay between such factors, and there is no guarantee that the use of a proprietary investment model will result in effective investment decisions for the Portfolio. Volatility management techniques may not always be successful in reducing volatility, may not protect against market declines, and may limit the Portfolio's participation in market gains, negatively impacting performance even during periods when the market is rising. During sudden or significant market rallies, such underperformance may be significant. Moreover, volatility management strategies may increase portfolio transaction costs, which may increase losses or reduce gains. The Portfolio's volatility may not be lower than that of the Portfolio's Index during all market cycles due to market factors. Portfolios that are actively managed, in whole or in part, according to a quantitative investment model (including models that utilize artificial intelligence) can perform differently from the market, based on the investment model and the factors used in the analysis, the weight placed on each factor, and changes from the factors'