information may also affect the value of these securities. The risks of foreign investments are heightened when investing in issuers in emerging market countries.
Foreign Currency Risk. The value of the Portfolio's foreign investments may fluctuate due to changes in currency exchange rates. A decline in the value of foreign currencies relative to the U.S. dollar generally can be expected to depress the value of the Portfolio's non-U.S. dollar-denominated securities.
Emerging Markets Risk. Risks associated with investments in emerging markets may include: delays in settling portfolio securities transactions; currency and capital controls; greater sensitivity to interest rate changes; pervasive corruption and crime; exchange rate volatility; inflation, deflation or currency devaluation; violent military or political conflicts; confiscations and other government restrictions by the United States or other governments; and government instability. As a result, investments in emerging market securities tend to be more volatile than investments in developed countries.
Country Focus Risk. To the extent the Portfolio invests a significant portion of its assets in one or only a few countries at a time, the Portfolio will face a greater risk of loss due to factors affecting that single country or those few countries than if the Portfolio always maintained wide diversity among countries in which it invests.
ETF Risk. Most ETFs are investment companies whose shares are purchased and sold on a securities exchange. An investment in an ETF generally presents the same primary risks as an investment in a conventional fund (i.e., one that is not exchange-traded) that has the same investment objectives, strategies and policies. However, ETFs are subject to the following risks that do not apply to conventional mutual funds: (i) the market price of an ETF's shares may trade at a premium or a discount to its net asset value; (ii) an active trading market for an ETF's shares may not develop or be maintained; and (iii) there is no assurance that the requirements of the exchange necessary to maintain the listing of an ETF will continue to be met or remain unchanged. In addition, a passively-managed ETF may fail to accurately track the market segment or index that underlies its investment objective. To the extent that the Portfolio invests in an ETF, the Portfolio will indirectly bear its proportionate share of the management and other expenses that are charged by the ETF in addition to the expenses paid by the Portfolio.
Failure to Match Index Performance Risk. The ability of the Portfolio to match the performance of the Index may be affected by, among other things, changes in securities
markets, the manner in which performance of the Index is calculated, changes in the composition of the Index, the amount and timing of cash flows into and out of the Portfolio, commissions, portfolio expenses, and any differences in the pricing of securities by the Portfolio and the Index. When the Portfolio employs an "optimization" strategy, the Portfolio is subject to an increased risk of tracking error, in that the securities selected in the aggregate for the Portfolio may perform differently than the underlying index.
Management Risk. The Portfolio is subject to management risk. The Portfolio's portfolio managers apply investment techniques and risk analyses in making investment decisions, but there can be no guarantee that these decisions or the individual securities selected by the portfolio managers will produce the desired results.
"Passively Managed" Strategy Risk. The Portfolio will not deviate from its strategy, except to the extent necessary to comply with federal tax laws. If the Portfolio's strategy is unsuccessful, the Portfolio will not meet its investment goal. Because the Portfolio will not use certain techniques available to other mutual funds to reduce stock market exposure, the Portfolio may be more susceptible to general market declines than other funds.
Issuer Risk. The value of a security may decline for a number of reasons directly related to the issuer, such as management performance, financial leverage and reduced demand for the issuer's goods and services.
Market Risk. The Portfolio's share price or the market as a whole can decline for many reasons or be adversely affected by a number of factors, including, without limitation: weakness in the broad market, a particular industry, or specific holdings; adverse political, regulatory or economic developments in the United States or abroad; changes in investor psychology; heavy institutional selling; military confrontations, war, terrorism and other armed conflicts, disease/virus outbreaks and epidemics; recessions; taxation and international tax treaties; currency, interest rate and price fluctuations; and other conditions or events.
Affiliated Fund Rebalancing Risk. The Portfolio may be an investment option for other mutual funds for which SunAmerica serves as investment adviser that are managed as "funds of funds." From time to time, the Portfolio may experience relatively large redemptions or investments due to the rebalancing of a fund of funds. In the event of such redemptions or investments, the Portfolio could be required to sell securities or to invest cash at a time when it is not advantageous to do so.