The S&P 500® is an unmanaged index of 500 common stocks chosen to reflect the industries of the U.S. economy and is often considered a proxy for the stock market in general. S&P® adjusts each company's stock weighting in the index by the number of available float shares (those shares available to public investors) divided by the company's total shares outstanding, which means larger companies with more available float shares have greater representation in the index than smaller ones.
In seeking to match the performance of the index, the Subadviser uses a passive management approach and generally purchases all of the stocks comprising the benchmark index. However, in certain circumstances the Subadviser may find it advantageous to purchase a representative sample of the stocks comprising the index. The Subadviser also may use stock index futures as a substitute for the sale or purchase of securities. Under normal circumstances, the Fund invests at least 80% of the value of its net assets in the securities of or in a statistically selected sampling of the securities of companies included in the S&P 500 Index or in derivative instruments linked to that Index.
Industry Concentration Policy. The Fund will concentrate its investments (i.e., hold 25% or more of its total assets) in a particular industry or group of industries to approximately the same extent that the Index is concentrated.
Principal Risks of Investing in the Fund
The price per share of the Fund will fluctuate with changes in the value of the investments held by the Fund. You may lose money by investing in the Fund. 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 government agency. There is no guarantee that the Fund will achieve its objective.
The following is a summary of the principal risks to which the Fund's portfolio as a whole is subject, any of which may adversely affect the Fund's net asset value (NAV), yield, total return and ability to achieve its investment objective. As changes occur in a Fund's portfolio holdings, the extent to which the portfolio is subject to each of these risks may also change.
Market Risk - The market value of portfolio securities may go up or down, sometimes rapidly and unpredictably.
Issuer Risk - The value of a security may decline for a number of reasons directly related to the issuer of the security.
Index Fund Risk - The Fund does not attempt to manage market volatility or reduce the effects of poor performance. In addition, factors such as fund expenses, selection of a representative portfolio, changes in the composition of the index, or the timing of purchases or redemptions of fund shares may affect the correlation between the performance of the index and the fund's performance.
Derivatives Risk - Investing in derivative instruments involves risks that may be different from or greater than the risks associated with investing directly in securities or other traditional investments. Derivatives are subject to a number of other risks, such as liquidity risk, interest rate risk, market risk, credit risk, counterparty risk, and selection risk. Derivatives also involve the risk of mispricing or improper valuation and the risk that changes in the value may not correlate perfectly with the underlying asset, rate, or index. Using derivatives may result in losses, possibly in excess of the principal amount invested.
Futures Risk - The value of futures contracts depend primarily upon the price of the securities, indexes, commodities, currencies or other instruments underlying them. Price movements are also influenced by, among other things, interest rates, changing supply and demand relationships, trade, fiscal, monetary, and exchange control programs and policies of governments, and national and international political and economic events and policies. The cost of futures may also be related, in part, to the degree of volatility of the underlying indices, securities, currencies, or other assets. Accordingly, futures on highly volatile indices, securities, currency, or other assets may be more expensive than futures on other investments. Changes in the value of the derivative may not correlate perfectly with the underlying asset, rate or index, and a fund could lose more than the principal amount invested.
Technology Sector Risk - Technology companies, including information technology companies, may have limited product lines, markets, financial resources or personnel. Technology companies typically face intense competition and potentially rapid product obsolescence. They are also heavily dependent on intellectual property rights and may be adversely affected by the loss or impairment of those rights.