investment adviser to the Fund, either may invest the Fund's assets in a subset of securities in the Index or may invest the Fund's assets in substantially all of the securities represented in the Index in approximately the same proportions as the Index, as determined by the Adviser to be in the best interest of the Fund in pursuing its objective.
Under normal market conditions, the Fund generally invests substantially all, but at least 80%, of its total assets in the securities comprising the Index and in securities that the Adviser determines have economic characteristics that are substantially identical to the economic characteristics of the securities that comprise the Index. In addition, in seeking to track the Index, the Fund may invest in debt securities that are not included in the Index, cash and cash equivalents or money market instruments, such as repurchase agreements and money market funds (including money market funds advised by the Adviser). The Fund may also enter into forward currency exchange contracts for hedging and/or investment purposes. Futures contracts may be used by the Fund in seeking performance that corresponds to its Index and in managing cash flows.
The Index is designed to track the fixed-rate local currency sovereign debt of investment grade countries outside the United States. The Index includes government bonds issued by investment grade countries outside the United States, in local currencies, that have a remaining maturity of one year or more and are rated investment grade (Baa3/BBB-/BBB- or higher using the middle rating of Moody's Investors Service, Inc., S&P Global Ratings and Fitch Ratings, Inc., respectively). Securities included in the Index may include securities that are subject to restrictions on resale under the U.S. federal securities laws ("restricted securities"). Each of the component securities in the Index is a constituent of the Bloomberg Global Treasury ex-US Index. In addition, the securities in the Index must be fixed-rate and have certain minimum amounts outstanding, depending upon the currency in which the bonds are denominated. The Index is calculated by Bloomberg Index Services Limited using a modified "market capitalization" methodology. This design ensures that each constituent country within the Index is represented in a proportion consistent with its percentage with respect to the total market capitalization of the Index. Component securities in each constituent country are represented in a proportion consistent with their percentage relative to the other component securities in the constituent country. The securities in the Index are updated on the last business day of each month. As of February 29, 2024, a significant portion of the Fund comprised companies located in Europe and Japan, although this may change from time to time. As of February 29, 2024, there were approximately 1,604 securities in the Index.
The Index is sponsored by Bloomberg Index Services Limited (the "Index Provider"), which is not affiliated with the Fund or the Adviser. The Index Provider determines the composition of the Index, relative weightings of the securities in the Index and publishes information regarding the market value of the Index.
Principal Risks of Investing in the Fund
As with all investments, there are certain risks of investing in the Fund. Fund Shares will change in value, and you could lose money by investing in the Fund. An investment in the Fund is not insured or guaranteed by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation or any other government agency.
Market Risk: The Fund's investments are subject to changes in general economic conditions, general market fluctuations and the risks inherent in investment in securities markets. Investment markets can be volatile and prices of investments can change substantially due to various factors including, but not limited to, economic growth or recession, changes in interest rates, inflation, changes in the actual or perceived creditworthiness of issuers, and general market liquidity. The Fund is subject to the risk that geopolitical events will disrupt securities markets and adversely affect global economies and markets. Local, regional or global events such as war, military conflicts, acts of terrorism, natural disasters, the spread of infectious illness or other public health issues, or other events could have a significant impact on the Fund and its investments.
Debt Securities Risk: The values of debt securities may increase or decrease as a result of the following: market fluctuations, changes in interest rates, actual or perceived inability or unwillingness of issuers, guarantors or liquidity providers to make scheduled principal or interest payments, or illiquidity in debt securities markets. To the extent that interest rates rise, certain underlying obligations may be paid off substantially slower than originally anticipated and the value of those securities may fall sharply. A rising interest rate environment may cause the value of the Fund's fixed income securities to decrease, an adverse impact on the liquidity of the Fund's fixed income securities, and increased volatility of the fixed income markets. During periods when interest rates are at low levels, the Fund's yield can be low, and the Fund may have a negative yield (i.e., it may lose money on an operating basis). To the extent that interest rates fall, certain underlying obligations may be paid off substantially faster than originally anticipated. If the principal on a debt obligation is prepaid before expected, the prepayments of principal may have to be reinvested in obligations paying interest at lower rates. During periods of falling interest rates, the income received by the Fund may decline. Changes in interest rates will likely have a greater effect on the values of debt securities of longer durations. Returns on investments in debt securities could trail the returns on other investment options, including investments in equity securities.
Non-U.S. Securities Risk: Non-U.S. securities are subject to political, regulatory, and economic risks not present in domestic investments. There may be less information publicly available about a non-U.S. entity than about a U.S. entity, and many non-U.S. entities are not subject to accounting, auditing, legal and financial report standards comparable to those in the United States.