The portfolio managers consider stock rankings, benchmark weightings and capitalization outlooks in determining security weightings for individual issuers. The portfolio managers might sell a security if the price is approaching their price target, if the company's competitive position has deteriorated or the company's management has performed poorly, or if they have identified more attractive investment prospects.
Principal Risks of Investing in the Fund
As with any mutual fund investment, loss of money is a risk of investing. 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 governmental agency. The risks associated with an investment in the Fund can increase during times of significant market volatility. The principal risks of investing in the Fund are:
Market Risk. The market values of the Fund's investments, and therefore the value of the Fund's shares, will go up and down, sometimes rapidly or unpredictably. Market risk may affect a single issuer, industry or section of the economy, or it may affect the market as a whole. The value of the Fund's investments may go up or down due to general market conditions that are not specifically related to the particular issuer, such as real or perceived adverse economic conditions, changes in the general outlook for revenues or corporate earnings, changes in interest or currency rates, regional or global instability, natural or environmental disasters, widespread disease or other public health issues, war, military conflict, acts of terrorism, economic crisis or adverse investor sentiment generally. During a general downturn in the financial markets, multiple asset classes may decline in value. When markets perform well, there can be no assurance that specific investments held by the Fund will rise in value.
Investing in Stocks Risk. The value of the Fund's portfolio may be affected by changes in the stock markets. Stock markets may experience significant short-term volatility and may fall or rise sharply at times. Adverse events in any part of the equity or fixed-income markets may have unexpected negative effects on other market segments. Different stock markets may behave differently from each other and U.S. stock markets may move in the opposite direction from one or more foreign stock markets.
The prices of individual stocks generally do not all move in the same direction at the same time. However, individual stock prices tend to go up and down more dramatically than those of certain other types of investments, such as bonds. A variety of factors can negatively affect the price of a particular company's stock. These factors may include, but are not limited to: poor earnings reports, a loss of customers, litigation against the company, general unfavorable performance of the company's sector or industry, or changes in government regulations affecting the company or its industry. To the extent that securities of a particular type are emphasized (for example foreign stocks, stocks of small- or mid-cap companies, growth or value stocks, or stocks of companies in a particular industry), fund share values may fluctuate more in response to events affecting the market for those types of securities.
Small- and Mid-Capitalization Companies Risk. Investing in securities of small- and mid-capitalization companies involves greater risk than customarily is associated with investing in larger, more established companies. Stocks of small- and mid-capitalization companies tend to be more vulnerable to changing market conditions, may have little or no operating history or track record of success, and may have more limited product lines and markets, less experienced management and fewer financial resources than larger companies. These companies' securities may be more volatile and less liquid than those of more established companies. They may be more sensitive to changes in a company's earnings expectations and may experience more abrupt and erratic price movements. Smaller companies' securities often trade in lower volumes and in many instances, are traded over-the-counter or on a regional securities exchange, where the frequency and volume of trading is substantially less than is typical for securities of larger companies traded on national securities exchanges. Therefore, the securities of smaller companies may be subject
to wider price fluctuations and it might be harder for the Fund to dispose of its holdings at an acceptable price when it wants to sell them. Since small- and mid-cap companies typically reinvest a high proportion of their earnings in their business, they may not pay dividends for some time, particularly if they are newer companies. It may take a substantial period of time to realize a gain on an investment in a small- or mid-cap company, if any gain is realized at all.
REIT Risk/Real Estate Risk. Investments in real estate related instruments may be adversely affected by economic, legal, cultural, environmental or technological factors that affect property values, rents or occupancies. Shares of real estate related companies, which tend to be small- and mid-cap companies, may be more volatile and less liquid than larger companies. If a real estate related company defaults on certain types of debt obligations held by the Fund, the Fund may acquire real estate directly, which involves additional risks such as environmental liabilities; difficulty in valuing and selling the real estate; and economic or regulatory changes.
Foreign Securities Risk. The Fund's foreign investments may be adversely affected by political and social instability, changes in economic or taxation policies, difficulty in enforcing obligations, decreased liquidity or increased volatility. Foreign investments also involve the risk of the possible seizure, nationalization or expropriation of the issuer or foreign deposits (in which the Fund could lose its entire investments in a certain market) and the possible adoption of foreign governmental restrictions such as exchange controls. Foreign companies generally may be subject to less stringent regulations than U.S. companies, including financial reporting requirements and auditing and accounting controls, and may therefore be more susceptible to fraud or corruption. There may be less public information available about foreign companies than U.S. companies, making it difficult to evaluate those foreign companies. Unless the Fund has hedged its foreign currency exposure, foreign securities risk also involves the risk of negative foreign currency rate fluctuations, which may cause the value of securities denominated in such foreign currency (or other instruments through which the Fund has exposure to foreign currencies) to decline in value. Currency exchange rates may fluctuate significantly over short periods of time. Currency hedging strategies, if used, are not always successful.
Management Risk. The Fund is actively managed and depends heavily on the Adviser's judgment about markets, interest rates or the attractiveness, relative values, liquidity, or potential appreciation of particular investments made for the Fund's portfolio. The Fund could experience losses if these judgments prove to be incorrect. There can be no guarantee that the Adviser's investment techniques or investment decisions will produce the desired results. Additionally, legislative, regulatory, or tax developments may adversely affect management of the Fund and, therefore, the ability of the Fund to achieve its investment objective.
Performance Information
The bar chart and performance table provide an indication of the risks of investing in the Fund. The Fund has adopted the performance of the Oppenheimer Main Street Small Cap Fund/VA (the predecessor fund) as the result of a reorganization of the predecessor fund into the Fund, which was consummated after the close of business on May 24, 2019 (the "Reorganization"). Prior to the Reorganization, the Fund had not yet commenced operations. The bar chart shows changes in the performance of the Series I shares of the Fund and the Non-Service Shares of the predecessor fund from year to year as of December 31. The performance table compares the predecessor fund's and the Fund's performance to that of a broad measure of market performance and an additional index with characteristics relevant to the Fund.The bar chart and performance table below do not reflect charges assessed in connection with your variable product; if they did, the performance shown would be lower.The Fund's (and the predecessor fund's) past performance is not necessarily an indication of how the Fund will perform in the future.
2 Invesco V.I. Main Street Small Cap Fund®