Example, affect the Fund's performance. During the most recent fiscal year, the Fund's portfolio turnover rate was 197% of the average value of its portfolio.
Principal Investment Strategies of the Fund
Under normal circumstances, the Fund invests at least 80% of its assets in inflation-indexed bonds of varying maturities issued by the U.S. and non-U.S. governments, their agencies or instrumentalities, and U.S. and non-U.S. corporations.
The Fund maintains an average portfolio duration that is within ±40% of the duration of the Bloomberg U.S. Treasury Inflation Protected Securities Index (the benchmark).
The Fund may invest up to 20% of its assets in non-investment grade bonds (high yield or junk bonds) or securities of emerging market issuers. The Fund may also invest up to 20% of its assets in non-dollar denominated securities of non-U.S. issuers, and may invest without limit in U.S. dollar denominated securities of non-U.S. issuers.
The Fund may seek to provide exposure to the investment returns of real assets that trade in the commodity markets through investment in commodity-linked derivative instruments and investment vehicles such as exchange-traded funds that exclusively invest in commodities and are designed to provide this exposure without direct investment in physical commodities. The Fund may also gain exposure to commodity markets by investing up to 25% of its total assets in Cayman Inflation Protected Bond Portfolio, Ltd. (the "Subsidiary"), a wholly owned subsidiary of the Fund formed in the Cayman Islands, which invests primarily in commodity-related instruments.
The Fund also makes investments in residential and commercial mortgage-backed securities and other asset-backed securities.
Non-investment grade bonds acquired by the Fund will generally be in the lower rating categories of the major rating agencies (BB or lower by S&P Global Ratings ("S&P") or Ba or lower by Moody's Investors Service, Inc. ("Moody's")) or will be determined by the management team to be of similar quality. Split rated bonds will be considered to have the higher credit rating. Split rated bonds are bonds that receive different ratings from two or more rating agencies.
The Fund may buy or sell options or futures, or enter into credit default swaps and interest rate or foreign currency transactions, including swaps (collectively, commonly known as derivatives). The Fund may seek to obtain market exposure to the securities in which it primarily invests by entering into a series of purchase and sale contracts or by using other investment techniques (such as reverse repurchase agreements or dollar rolls).
The Fund may engage in active and frequent trading of portfolio securities to achieve its primary investment strategies.
Principal Risks of Investing in the Fund
Risk is inherent in all investing. The value of your investment in the Fund, as well as the amount of return you receive on your investment, may fluctuate significantly from day to day and over time. You may lose part or all of your investment in the Fund or your investment may not perform as well as other similar investments. The following is a summary description of principal risks of investing in the Fund. The relative significance of each risk factor below may change over time and you should review each risk factor carefully.
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Inflation-Indexed Bonds Risk - The principal value of an investment is not protected or otherwise guaranteed by virtue of the Fund's investments in inflation-indexed bonds.
Inflation-indexed bonds are fixed-income securities whose principal value is periodically adjusted according to the rate of inflation. If the index measuring inflation falls, the principal value of inflation-indexed bonds will be adjusted downward, and consequently the interest payable on these securities (calculated with respect to a smaller principal amount) will be reduced.
Repayment of the original bond principal upon maturity (as adjusted for inflation) is guaranteed in the case of U.S. Treasury inflation-indexed bonds. For bonds that do not provide a similar guarantee, the adjusted principal value of the bond repaid at maturity may be less than the original principal value.
The value of inflation-indexed bonds is expected to change in response to changes in real interest rates. Real interest rates are tied to the relationship between nominal interest rates and the rate of inflation. If nominal interest rates increase at a faster rate than inflation, real interest rates may rise, leading to a decrease in value of inflation-indexed bonds. Short-term increases in inflation may lead to a decline in value. Any increase in the principal amount of an inflation-indexed bond will be considered taxable ordinary income, even though investors do not receive their principal until maturity.