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.
Selection Risk - Because this Fund is actively managed, there can be no guarantee that investment decisions made for the Fund will produce the desired results. Although the Fund seeks to provide a total return in excess of the Index, market conditions or implementation of the Fund's investment strategy may result in losses, and the Fund may not achieve the desired correlation with and/or may not outperform the Index.
Sovereign Debt Risk - Sovereign debt instruments are subject to the risk that a governmental entity may delay or refuse to pay interest or repay principal on its sovereign debt, due, for example, to cash flow problems, insufficient foreign currency reserves, political considerations, the relative size of the governmental entity's debt position in relation to the economy or the failure to put in place economic reforms required by the International Monetary Fund or other multilateral agencies.
Treasury Obligations Risk - Direct obligations of the U.S. Treasury have historically involved little risk of loss of principal if held to maturity. However, due to fluctuations in interest rates, the market value of such securities may vary during the period shareholders own shares of a fund. Because U.S. Treasury obligations trade actively outside the United States, their prices may rise and fall as changes in global economic conditions affect the demand for these securities. In addition, changes in the credit rating or financial condition of the U.S. government may cause the value of U.S. Treasury Obligations to decline.
U.S. Government Obligations Risk - Certain securities in which a fund may invest, including securities issued by certain government agencies and government sponsored enterprises, are not guaranteed by the U.S. Government or supported by the full faith and credit of the United States. It is possible that issuers of U.S. government securities will not have the funds to meet their payment obligations in the future. No assurance can be given that the U.S. government will provide financial support to its agencies and authorities if it is not obligated by law to do so.
Interest Rate Risk - Debt securities held by a fund may decline in value due to rising interest rates. Macroeconomic factors, such as inflationary trends, can heighten interest rate risk.
Income Risk - Falling interest rates may cause a fund's income to decline.
Credit Risk - The failure of the issuer of a debt security to pay interest or repay principal in a timely manner may have an adverse impact on a fund's earnings.
Call Risk - If interest rates fall, issuers of callable debt securities are more likely to prepay prior to the maturity date. The fund may not be able to reinvest the proceeds from the prepayment in investments that will generate the same level of income.
Currency Risk - Investing in securities that trade in and receive revenues in foreign currencies creates risk because foreign currencies may decline relative to the U.S. dollar, resulting in a potential loss to a fund. In the case of hedging positions, the U.S. dollar may decline in value relative to the currency that has been hedged.
Extension Risk - If interest rates rise, debt securities may be paid in full more slowly than anticipated. Periods of low relative interest rates or inflationary trends may increase the risks associated with rising interest rates.
Liquidity Risk - An investment that is difficult to purchase or sell may have an adverse effect on the fund's returns.
Mortgage-Related and Other Asset-Backed Securities Risk - Investing in mortgage-related or other asset-backed securities involves a variety of risks associated with the credit markets, such as rising or falling interest rates, increases in the rate of defaults or prepayments, and the quality of the pool of mortgages (subprime risk) or other assets that backs the security.
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