Catalyst
Insider Buying Fund Class A: Class C: Class I: |
Catalyst
Energy Infrastructure Fund Class A: Class C: Class I: |
Catalyst/MAP
Global Equity Fund Class A: Class C: Class I: |
Catalyst/Lyons
Tactical Allocation Fund Class A: Class C: Class I: |
Catalyst
Dynamic Alpha Fund Class A: Class C: Class I: |
PROSPECTUS
This Prospectus provides important information about the Funds that you should know before investing. Please read it carefully and keep it for future reference.
The Securities and Exchange Commission has not approved or disapproved these securities or determined if this Prospectus is truthful or complete. Any representation to the contrary is a criminal offense.
TABLE OF CONTENTS
FUND SUMMARY: CATALYST INSIDER BUYING FUND | 3 |
FUND SUMMARY: CATALYST ENERGY INFRASTRUCTURE FUND | 15 |
FUND SUMMARY: CATALYST/MAP GLOBAL EQUITY FUND | 22 |
FUND SUMMARY: CATALYST/LYONS TACTICAL ALLOCATION FUND | 28 |
FUND SUMMARY: CATALYST DYNAMIC ALPHA FUND | 34 |
ADDITIONAL INFORMATION ABOUT THE FUNDS’ PRINCIPAL INVESTMENT STRATEGIES AND RELATED RISKS | 40 |
HOW TO BUY SHARES | 79 |
HOW TO REDEEM SHARES | 86 |
VALUING THE FUNDS’ ASSETS | 91 |
DIVIDENDS, DISTRIBUTIONS AND TAXES | 91 |
MANAGEMENT OF THE FUNDS | 92 |
FINANCIAL HIGHLIGHTS | 100 |
APPENDIX A: INTERMEDIARY SPECIFIC SALES CHARGE REDUCTIONS AND WAIVERS | 110 |
PRIVACY NOTICE | 116 |
FOR MORE INFORMATION | 118 |
The Fund’s objective is long-term capital appreciation.
This table describes the fees and expenses that you may pay if you buy, hold and sell shares of the Fund. You may pay other fees, such as brokerage commissions and other fees to financial intermediaries, which are not reflected in the table and Example below. More information about these and other discounts is available from your financial professional and is included in the section of the Fund’s prospectus entitled How to Buy Shares on page 81 and Appendix A – Intermediary-Specific Sales Charge Reductions and Waivers, and in the sections of the Fund’s Statement of Additional Information entitled Reduction of Up-Front Sales Charge on Class A Shares on page 56 and Waivers of Up-Front Sales Charge on Class A Shares on page 57.
Shareholder Fees (fees paid directly from your investment) |
Class A |
Class C |
Class I |
Maximum
Sales Charge (Load) Imposed on Purchases (as a % of offering price) |
|||
Maximum
Deferred Sales Charge (Load) (as a % of the original purchase price) |
|||
Maximum Sales Charge (Load) Imposed on Reinvested Dividends and other Distributions | |||
Redemption Fee |
Annual
Fund Operating Expenses (expenses that you pay each year as a percentage of the value of your investment) |
|||
Management Fees | |||
Distribution and/or Service (12b-1) Fees | |||
Other Expenses | |||
Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses | |||
Fee Waiver and/or Expense Reimbursement 2 | ( |
( |
( |
Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses After Fee Waiver and/or Expense Reimbursement |
1 |
2 |
3
This Example is intended to help you compare the cost of investing in the Fund with the cost of investing in other mutual funds.
YEAR | Class A | Class C | Class I |
1 | $ |
$ |
$ |
3 | $ |
$ |
$ |
5 | $ |
$ |
$ |
10 | $ |
$ |
$ |
The Fund
pays transaction costs, such as commissions, when it buys and sells securities
(or “turns over” its portfolio). A higher portfolio turnover may indicate higher
transaction costs and may result in higher taxes when Fund shares are held in a
taxable account. These costs, which are not reflected in annual fund operating
expenses or in the Example, affect the Fund’s performance. The portfolio
turnover rate of the Fund for the fiscal year ended June 30, 2024 was
The Fund seeks to achieve its investment objective by combining a portfolio of common stock (the “Common Stock Component”) with an overlay component that provides exposure to quantitative investment strategies (the “Overlay Component”).
Common Stock Component
The Common Stock Component invests in common stocks of U.S. companies, including real estate investment trusts (“REITs”), and American Depositary Receipts (“ADRs”). The Fund purchases positions in stocks that are experiencing insider buying by corporate executives, directors, large shareholders or activist shareholders. The Fund may invest in companies of any market capitalization, including smaller-sized companies, but intends to emphasize larger capitalization stocks.
The Advisor uses public information that is filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”) on corporate insider and large shareholder buying and selling activity for its investment decisions. The Advisor’s research and quantitative back-testing of insider trading data over long periods of time has resulted in the development of a proprietary method of analyzing insider trading activity that it believes can provide long-term capital appreciation. The underlying thesis is that corporate insiders and large or activist shareholders know more about the prospects of the company than anybody else.
The Advisor’s investment process focuses on insider identities (position in the company), motivations, insider trading trends, trading volumes, firm size and other factors to select stocks for the portfolio. Stocks are sold when the relevant insider trading trends reverse or when portfolio positions achieve or no longer provide the targeted risk adjusted return. The Fund actively trades its portfolio investments, which may lead to higher transaction costs that may affect the Fund’s performance.
4
Overlay Component
The Overlay Component is designed to provide the Fund with exposure to various asset classes and strategies that have historically demonstrated the potential to produce attractive total return over the long term with low to moderate correlation to equities and bonds. The Overlay Component generally seeks to gain this exposure by investing in one or more structured notes and/or one or more non-exchange-traded total return swap contracts.
The Overlay Component pursues an absolute return, multi-risk premia strategy (i.e., a multi-risk factor strategy) that attempts to capture various sources of systematic risk premia in the capital markets. Risk premia refers to sources of return derived by accepting risks beyond those inherent in traditional broad market exposures, such as long-only broad-market equity and bond indexes. Risk premia are considered the building blocks of many variable (i.e., non-linear) and hedged investment strategies. Risk premia strategies use publicly traded instruments and tend to have lower correlation to equities and bonds as well as to one another.
The Overlay Component’s multi-risk premia strategy provides exposure to a blend of Carry, Momentum, Value and Volatility Risk Premia across equity, commodity, foreign exchange and fixed income markets and invests in futures and options on equity indices, commodities, government bonds and non-government bonds, interest rates and currency forwards.
● | Carry Risk Premia: Captures the tendency for higher yielding assets to outperform lower yielding assets over time. Typical Carry Risk Premia strategies include having long, high carry assets and short, low carry assets. An example is to synthetically buy high yielding currency forward contracts and sell low yielding currency forward contracts. |
● | Momentum Risk Premia: Captures the tendency for assets that have performed well in the recent past to continue to perform well, and assets that have performed poorly in the recent past to continue to perform poorly. Typical Momentum Risk Premia strategies include being long historically high performing assets and being short historically low performing assets. An example is to synthetically buy positive trending futures and sell negatively trending futures across multiple asset classes. |
● | Volatility Risk Premia: Captures the behavioral tendency of markets to over-exaggerate implied or expected volatility. Typical Volatility Risk Premia strategies include being short an asset’s expected end-of-day price standard deviation (implied volatility) and being long an asset’s realized end-of-day price standard deviation (realized volatility) over a specified period. An example would be writing ultra short put options on the S&P 500 Index with an intra-day delta hedge. |
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● | Value Risk Premia: Captures the behavioral tendency of asset prices to mean revert to fair value anchors. Typical Value Risk Premia strategies include short term mean-reversion strategies that use price and fundamental indicators to open short positions in “overbought” assets and open long positions in “oversold” assets. An example would be to open short positions in overbought currency pairs and open long positions on oversold currency pairs. |
The Overlay Component’s allocations across these risk premia strategies are made at the discretion of the Advisor with the intent to best complement the Common Stock Component.
Investments in Subsidiary
The Advisor executes a portion of the Fund’s strategy by investing up to 25% of the Fund’s total assets in the Subsidiary, a wholly-owned subsidiary of the Fund organized under the laws of the Cayman Islands. The Subsidiary invests the majority of its assets in structured notes and total return swap contracts. The Subsidiary is subject to the same investment restrictions as the Fund, when viewed on a consolidated basis.
As with any mutual fund, there is no guarantee that the Fund will achieve its objective. Investment markets are unpredictable and there will be certain market conditions where the Fund will not meet its investment objective and will lose money. The Fund’s net asset value and returns will vary and you could lose money on your investment in the Fund and those losses could be significant.
The following summarizes the principal risks of investing in the Fund. These risks could adversely affect the net asset value, total return and the value of the Fund and your investment.
ADRs Risk. ADRs, which are typically issued by a bank, are certificates that evidence ownership of shares of a foreign company and are alternatives to purchasing foreign securities directly in their national markets and currencies. ADRs are subject to the same risks as direct investment in foreign companies and involve risks that are not found in investments in U.S. companies.
Changing Fixed Income Market Conditions Risk. Any future interest rate increases could cause the value of any fund that invests in fixed income securities to decrease to the extent that it invests in fixed income securities. Federal Reserve policy changes may expose fixed-income and related markets to heightened volatility and may reduce liquidity for certain Fund investments, which could cause the value of the Fund’s investments and share price to decline.
Commodity Risk. Investing in the commodities markets may subject the Fund to greater volatility than investments in traditional securities. Commodity prices may be influenced by unfavorable weather, animal and plant disease, geologic and environmental factors as well as changes in government regulation such as tariffs, embargoes or burdensome production rules and restrictions.
Counterparty Risk. Counterparty risk is the risk that a counterparty to a financial instrument held by the Fund or by a special purpose or structured vehicle invested in by the Fund may become insolvent or otherwise fail to perform its obligations, and the Fund may obtain no or limited recovery of its investment, and any recovery may be significantly delayed.
6
Credit Risk. Credit risk is the risk that an issuer of a security will fail to pay principal and interest in a timely manner, reducing the Fund’s total return. The Fund may invest in high-yield, high-risk securities, commonly called “junk bonds,” that are not investment grade and are generally considered speculative because they present a greater risk of loss, including default, than higher quality debt securities. Credit risk may be substantial for the Fund.
Currency Risk. Currency risk is the risk that fluctuations in exchange rates will adversely affect the market value of the Fund’s investments. Currency risk includes the risk that the currencies in which the Fund has taken a position, or in which the Fund’s investments are denominated, will decline in value. Derivative transactions in foreign currencies (such as futures, forwards, options, and swaps) are also subject to currency risk. Some currencies are illiquid, and the Fund may not be able to convert them into U.S. dollars or may only be able to do so at an unfavorable exchange rate. Currency trading involves significant risks, including market risk, interest rate risk, country risk, counterparty credit risk and short sale risk. Market risk results from the price movement of foreign currency values in response to shifting market supply and demand. Since exchange rate changes can readily move in one direction, a currency position carried overnight or over a number of days may involve greater risk than one carried a few minutes or hours. Interest rate risk arises whenever a country changes its stated interest rate target associated with its currency. Country risk arises because virtually every country has interfered with international transactions in its currency. Interference has taken the form of regulation of the local exchange market, restrictions on foreign investment by residents or limits on inflows of investment funds from abroad. Restrictions on the exchange market or on international transactions are intended to affect the level or movement of the exchange rate. This risk could include the country issuing a new currency, effectively making the “old” currency worthless. The Fund may also take short positions, through derivatives, if the Advisor believes the value of a currency is likely to depreciate in value.
Derivatives Risk. Even a small investment in derivatives (including the Fund’s exposure to futures, forwards and options) may give rise to leverage risk (which can increase volatility and magnify the Fund’s potential for loss), counterparty risk (the risk that a counterparty (the other party to a transaction or an agreement or the party with whom the Fund executes transactions) to a transaction with the Fund may be unable or unwilling to make timely principal, interest or settlement payments), and can have a significant impact on the Fund’s performance. Derivatives are also subject to credit risk (the counterparty may default) and liquidity risk (the Fund may not be able to sell the security or otherwise exit the contract in a timely manner).
Duration Risk. Longer-term securities may be more sensitive to interest rate changes. A heightened risk is posed by rising interest rates to a fund whose portfolios include longer-term fixed income securities. Effective duration estimates price changes for relatively small changes in rates.
Equity Security Risk. Common stocks are susceptible to general stock market fluctuations and to volatile increases and decreases in value as market confidence in and perceptions of their issuers change. Investor perceptions are based on various and unpredictable factors, including expectations regarding government, economic, monetary and fiscal policies; inflation and interest rates; economic expansion or contraction and global or regional political, economic and banking crises.
7
Fixed-Income Risk. When the Fund invests in fixed income securities, the value of your investment in the Fund will fluctuate with changes in interest rates. Typically, a rise in interest rates causes a decline in the value of fixed income securities owned by the Fund. In general, the market price of fixed income securities with longer maturities will increase or decrease more in response to changes in interest rates than shorter-term securities. Other risk factors include credit risk (the debtor may default) and prepayment risk (the debtor may pay its obligation early, reducing the amount of interest payments). These risks could affect the value of a particular investment by the Fund, possibly causing the Fund’s share price and total return to be reduced and fluctuate more than other types of investments.
Foreign Exchanges Risk. A portion of the derivatives trades made by the Fund may take place on foreign markets. Neither existing CFTC regulations nor regulations of any other U.S. governmental agency apply to transactions on foreign markets. Some of these foreign markets, in contrast to U.S. exchanges, are so-called principals’ markets in which performance is the responsibility only of the individual counterparty with whom the trader has entered into a commodity interest transaction and not of the exchange or clearing corporation. In these kinds of markets, there is risk of bankruptcy or other failure or refusal to perform by the counterparty.
Foreign Investment Risk. Foreign investing involves risks not typically associated with U.S. investments, including adverse fluctuations in foreign currency values, adverse political, social and economic developments, less liquidity, greater volatility, less developed or less efficient trading markets, political instability and differing auditing and legal standards. Investing in emerging markets imposes risks different from, or greater than, risks of investing in foreign developed countries. Foreign companies are generally not subject to the same regulatory requirements of U.S. companies thereby resulting in less publicly available information about these companies.
Forwards Risk. Forward contracts are individually negotiated and privately traded so they are dependent upon the creditworthiness of the counterparty and subject to counterparty default risk and liquidity risk. If a counterparty defaults and fails to deliver or settle a forward trade, replacing the transaction may be costly. Liquidity risk exists because no organized secondary market exists to trade or dispose of forward obligations.
Futures Contract Risk. The successful use of futures contracts draws upon the Advisor’s skill and experience with respect to such instruments and are subject to special risk considerations. The primary risks associated with the use of futures contracts are: (a) the imperfect correlation between the change in market value of the instruments held by the Fund and the price of the forward or futures contract; (b) possible lack of a liquid secondary market for a forward or futures contract and the resulting inability to close a forward or futures contract when desired; (c) losses caused by unanticipated market movements, which are potentially unlimited; (d) the Advisor’s inability to predict correctly the direction of securities prices, interest rates, currency exchange rates and other economic factors; (e) the possibility that the counterparty will default in the performance of its obligations; (f) if the Fund has insufficient cash, it may have to sell securities from its portfolio to meet daily variation margin requirements, and the Fund may have to sell securities at a time when it may be disadvantageous to do so and (g) leverage risk.
8
Income Risk. Income risk is the risk that the income from the Fund’s portfolio will decline because of falling market interest rates. This can result when the Fund invests the proceeds from new share sales, or from matured or called bonds, at market interest rates that are below the portfolio’s current earnings rate.
Interest Rate Risk. Interest rate risk is the risk that bond prices overall, including the prices of securities held by the Fund, will decline over short or even long periods of time due to rising interest rates. Bonds with longer maturities tend to be more sensitive to interest rates than bonds with shorter maturities. For example, if interest rates go up by 1.0%, the price of a 4% coupon bond will decrease by approximately 1.0% for a bond with 1 year to maturity and approximately 4.4% for a bond with 5 years to maturity. Rising interest rates pose a heightened risk to the Fund’s longer-term fixed income securities.
Large Capitalization Company Risk. The Fund may invest in large capitalization companies. The securities of such companies may underperform other segments of the market because such companies may be less responsive to competitive challenges and opportunities and may be unable to attain high growth rates during periods of economic expansion.
Leverage Risk. Using derivatives to increase the Fund’s combined long and short exposure creates leverage, which can magnify the Fund’s potential for gain or loss and, therefore, amplify the effects of market volatility on the Fund’s share price.
Liquidity Risk. Liquidity risk exists when particular investments are difficult to sell. Although most of the Fund’s securities must be liquid at the time of investment, the Fund may purchase illiquid investments and securities may become illiquid after purchase by the Fund, particularly during periods of market turmoil. When the Fund holds illiquid investments, the Fund’s investments may be harder to value, especially in changing markets, and if the Fund is forced to sell these investments to meet redemptions or for other cash needs, the Fund may suffer a loss. In addition, when there is illiquidity in the market for certain securities, the Fund, due to limitations on investments in illiquid investments, may be unable to achieve its desired level of exposure to a certain sector. Some investments held by the Fund may be difficult to sell, or illiquid, particularly during times of market turmoil. Illiquid investments may also be difficult to value. If the Fund is forced to sell an illiquid asset to meet redemption requests or other cash needs, the Fund may be forced to sell at a loss.
Management Risk. The portfolio managers’ judgments about the attractiveness, value and potential appreciation of particular stocks or other securities in which the Fund invests may prove to be incorrect and there is no guarantee that the portfolio managers’ judgment will produce the desired results.
Market Risk. Overall stock market risks may also affect the value of the Fund. Factors such as domestic economic growth and market conditions, interest rate levels and political events affect the securities markets.
9
Medium (Mid) Capitalization Company Risk. The earnings and prospects of mid-capitalization companies are more volatile than larger companies, they may experience higher failure rates than larger companies and normally have a lower trading volume than larger companies, which may tend to make their market price fall more disproportionately than larger companies in response to selling pressures.
Model and Data Risk. Like all quantitative analysis, the investment models utilized by the swap carry the risk that the ranking system, valuation results and predictions might be based on one or more incorrect assumptions, insufficient historical data, inadequate design, or may not be suitable for the purpose intended. In addition, models may not perform as intended for many reasons including errors, omissions, imperfections or malfunctions. Because the use of models are usually based on data supplied by third parties, the success of the swap’s use of such models is dependent on the accuracy and reliability of the supplied data. Historical data inputs may be subject to revision or corrections, which may diminish data reliability and quality of predictive results. Changing and unforeseen market dynamics could also lead to a decrease in the short-term or long-term effectiveness of a model. Models may lose their predictive validity and incorrectly forecast future market behavior and asset prices, leading to potential losses. No assurance can be given that a model will be successful under all or any market conditions.
Options Market Risk. Markets for options may not always operate on a fair and orderly basis. At times, prices for options may not represent fair market value and prices may be subject to manipulation, which may be extreme under some circumstances. The dysfunction and manipulation of volatility and options markets may make it difficult for the fund to effectively implement its investment strategy and achieve its objectives and could potentially lead to significant losses.
Options Risk. There are risks associated with the Fund’s use of options. As the buyer of a call option, the Fund risks losing the entire premium invested in the option if the underlying reference instrument does not rise above the strike price, which means the option will expire worthless. As the buyer of a put option, the Fund risks losing the entire premium invested in the option if the underlying reference instrument does not fall below the strike price, which means the option will expire worthless. Conversely, as a seller (writer) of a call option or put option, the Fund will lose money if the value of the underlying reference instrument rises above (written call option) or falls below (written put option) the respective option’s strike price. The Fund’s losses are potentially large in a written put transaction and potentially unlimited in an unhedged written call transaction.
Additionally, purchased options may decline in value due to changes in price of the underlying reference instrument, passage of time and changes in volatility. Generally, options may not be an effective hedge because they may have imperfect correlation to the value of the Fund’s portfolio securities. Further, the underlying reference instrument on which the option is based may have imperfect correlation to the value of the Fund’s portfolio securities. Option premiums are treated as short-term capital gains and when distributed to shareholders, are usually taxable as ordinary income, which may have a higher tax rate than long-term capital gains for shareholders holding Fund shares in a taxable account. Options are also subject to leverage and volatility risk, liquidity risk, tracking risk (the risk that an option’s returns will deviate from a benchmark) and sub-strategy risk (the risk that hedging sub-strategies will not perform as expected).
10
Real Estate and REIT Risk. The Fund is subject to the risks of the real estate market as a whole, such as taxation, regulations and economic and political factors that negatively impact the real estate market and the direct ownership of real estate. These may include decreases in real estate values, overbuilding, rising operating costs, interest rates and property taxes. In addition, some real estate related investments are not fully diversified and are subject to the risks associated with financing a limited number of projects. REITs are heavily dependent upon the management team and are subject to heavy cash flow dependency, defaults by borrowers and self-liquidation. Subprime mortgages are riskier and potentially less liquid than other mortgage-backed securities.
Regulatory Risk. Changes in the laws or regulations of the United States or other countries, including any changes to applicable tax laws and regulations, could impair the ability of the Fund to achieve its investment objective and could increase the operating expenses of the Fund.
Sector Exposure Risk. Sector exposure risk is the possibility that securities within the same sector will decline in price due to sector-specific market or economic developments. If the Fund invests more heavily in a particular sector, the value of its shares may be especially sensitive to factors and economic risks that specifically affect that sector.
Consumer Discretionary Sector Risk. The success of consumer product manufacturers and retailers is tied closely to the performance of domestic and international economies, interest rates, exchange rates, competition, consumer confidence, changes in demographics and consumer preferences. Companies in the consumer discretionary sector depend heavily on disposable household income and consumer spending, and may be strongly affected by social trends and marketing campaigns.
Financials Sector Risk. Performance of companies in the financials sector may be adversely impacted by many factors, including, among others, government regulations, economic conditions, credit rating downgrades, changes in interest rates, and decreased liquidity in credit markets.
Healthcare Sector Risk. Companies in the healthcare sector may be heavily dependent on clinical trials with uncertain outcomes and decisions made by the governments and regulatory authorities. Further, these companies are dependent on patent protection, and the expiration of patents may adversely affect the profitability of the companies. Additionally, the profitability of some healthcare companies may be dependent on a relatively limited number of products, and their products can become obsolete due to sector innovation, changes in technologies or other market developments.
Technology Sector Risk. Technology companies face intense competition, both domestically and internationally, which may have an adverse effect on profit margins. Technology companies may have limited product lines, markets, financial resources or personnel. The products of technology companies may face obsolescence due to rapid technological developments and frequent new product introduction, unpredictable changes in growth rates and competition for the services of qualified personnel.
Security Risk. The value of the Fund may decrease in response to the activities and financial prospects of an individual security in the Fund’s portfolio.
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Small Capitalization Company Risk. To the extent the Fund invests in the stocks of smaller-sized companies, the Fund may be subject to additional risks, including the risk that earnings and prospects of these companies are more volatile than larger companies.
Structured Note Risk. The Fund may seek investment exposure to sectors through structured notes that may be exchange traded or may trade in the over-the-counter market. These notes are typically issued by banks or brokerage firms, and have interest and/or principal payments which are linked to changes in the price level of certain assets or to the price performance of certain indices. The value of a structured note will be influenced by time to maturity, level of supply and demand for this type of note, interest rate and market volatility, changes in the issuer’s credit quality rating, and economic, legal, political, or events that affect the industry. In addition, there may be a lag between a change in the value of the underlying reference asset and the value of the structured note. Structured notes may also be subject to counterparty risk. The Fund may also be exposed to increased transaction costs when it seeks to sell such notes in the secondary market.
Swaps Risk. Swaps are subject to tracking risk because they may not be perfect substitutes for the instruments they are intended to hedge or replace. Over the counter swaps are subject to counterparty default. Leverage inherent in derivatives will tend to magnify the Fund’s losses. The costs of investing in swaps will be indirectly paid by the Fund.
Tax Risk. By investing in commodities indirectly through the Subsidiary, the Fund will obtain exposure to the commodities markets within the federal tax requirements that apply to the Fund. However, because the Subsidiary is a controlled foreign corporation, any income received from its investments will be passed through to the Fund as ordinary income, which may be taxed at less favorable rates than capital gains.
Turnover Rate Risk. The Fund may have portfolio turnover rates significantly in excess of 100%. Increased portfolio turnover causes the Fund to incur higher brokerage costs, which may adversely affect the Fund’s performance and may produce increased taxable distributions.
U.S. Government Obligations Risk. Securities issued or guaranteed by federal agencies or authorities and U.S. government-sponsored instrumentalities or enterprises may or may not be backed by the full faith and credit of the U.S. government. The Fund may be subject to such risk to the extent it invests in securities issued or guaranteed by federal agencies or authorities and U.S. government sponsored instrumentalities or enterprises.
Volatility Risk. The Fund may have investments that appreciate or decrease significantly in value of short periods of time. This may cause the Fund’s net asset value per share to experience significant increases or declines in value over short periods of time, however, all investments long- or short-term are subject to risk of loss.
Wholly-Owned Subsidiary Risk. By investing in the Subsidiary, the Fund is indirectly exposed to the commodities risks associated with the Subsidiary’s investments in commodity-related instruments. Shareholders of the Fund are indirectly subject to the principal risks of the Subsidiary by virtue of the Fund’s investment in the Subsidiary. There can be no assurance that the Subsidiary’s investments will contribute to the Fund’s returns. The Subsidiary is not registered under the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended (the “1940 Act”), and is not subject to all the investor protections of the 1940 Act. Changes in the laws of the United States and/or the Cayman Islands could result in the inability of the Fund and/or the Subsidiary to operate as described in this Prospectus and could adversely affect the Fund, such as by reducing the Fund’s investment returns. The Fund and the Subsidiary are “commodity pools” under the U.S. Commodity Exchange Act, and the Advisor is a “commodity pool operator” registered with and regulated by the Commodity Futures Trading Commission (“CFTC”). As a result, additional CFTC-mandated disclosure, reporting and recordkeeping obligations apply with respect to the Fund and the Subsidiary and subject each to CFTC penalties if reporting was found to be deficient.
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Annual Return 2014 | |
Annual Return 2015 | - |
Annual Return 2016 | |
Annual Return 2017 | |
Annual Return 2018 | - |
Annual Return 2019 | |
Annual Return 2020 | |
Annual Return 2021 | - |
Annual Return 2022 | - |
Annual Return 2023 |
During the
period shown in the bar chart,
13
(for the periods ended December 31,
2023)
1 Year | 5 Year | 10 Year | |
Class A | |||
( |
|||
Return After Taxes on Distributions | ( |
||
Return After Taxes on Distributions and Sale of Fund Shares | ( |
||
Class C | |||
( |
|||
Class I | |||
S&P
500® Index ( |
|
Advisor: Catalyst Capital Advisors LLC is the Fund’s investment advisor.
Portfolio Manager: David Miller, Chief Investment Officer and Senior Portfolio Manager of the Advisor, and Charles Ashley, Portfolio Manager of the Advisor, serve as the Fund’s portfolio managers. Messrs. Miller and Ashley are jointly and primarily responsible for the day-to-day management of the Fund’s portfolio. Mr. Miller has served the Fund as a Portfolio Manager since the Fund commenced operations in 2011 and Mr. Ashley has served the Fund as a Portfolio Manager since 2024.
Purchase and Sale of Fund Shares: The minimum initial investment in each share class of the Fund is $2,500 for a regular account, $2,500 for an IRA account, or $100 for an automatic investment plan account. The minimum subsequent investment in the Fund is $50. You may purchase and redeem shares of the Fund on any day that the New York Stock Exchange is open. Redemption requests may be made in writing, by telephone or through a financial intermediary to the Fund or the Transfer Agent and will be paid by check or wire transfer.
Tax Information: Dividends and capital gain distributions you receive from the Fund, whether you reinvest your distributions in additional Fund shares or receive them in cash, are taxable to you at either ordinary income or capital gains tax rates unless you are investing through a tax-deferred plan such as an IRA or 401(k) plan. If you are investing in a tax-deferred plan, distributions may be taxable upon withdrawal from the plan.
Payments to Broker-Dealers and Other Financial Intermediaries: If you purchase the Fund through a broker-dealer or other financial intermediary (such as a bank), the Fund and its related companies may pay the intermediary for the sale of Fund shares and related services. These payments may create a conflict of interest by influencing the broker-dealer or other intermediary and your salesperson to recommend the Fund over another investment. Ask your salesperson or visit your financial intermediary’s website for more information.
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The Fund’s objective is current income and capital appreciation.
This table describes the fees and expenses that you may pay if you buy, hold and sell shares of the Fund. You may pay other fees, such as brokerage commissions and other fees to financial intermediaries, which are not reflected in the table and Example below. More information about these and other discounts is available from your financial professional and is included in the section of the Fund’s prospectus entitled How to Buy Shares on page 81 and Appendix A – Intermediary-Specific Sales Charge Reductions and Waivers and in the sections of the Fund’s Statement of Additional Information entitled Reduction of Up-Front Sales Charge on Class A Shares on page 56 and Waivers of Up-Front Sales Charge on Class A Shares on page 57.
Shareholder
Fees (fees paid directly from your investment) |
Class A |
Class C |
Class I |
Maximum Sales Charge(Load) Imposed on Purchases (as a % of offering price) | |||
Maximum Deferred Sales Charge (Load) (as a % of the original purchase price) |
|||
Maximum Sales Charge (Load) Imposed on Reinvested Dividends and other Distributions | |||
Redemption Fee |
Annual
Fund Operating Expenses (expenses that you pay each year as a percentage of the value of your investment) |
|||
Management Fees | |||
Distribution and Service (12b-1) Fees | |||
Other Expenses | |||
Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses | |||
Fee Waiver and/or Expense Reimbursement2 | ( |
( |
( |
Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses After Fee Waiver and/or Expense Reimbursement |
1 |
2 |
15
This Example is intended to help you compare the cost of investing in the Fund with the cost of investing in other mutual funds.
YEAR | Class A | Class C | Class I |
1 | $ |
$ |
$ |
3 | $ |
$ |
$ |
5 | $ |
$ |
$ |
10 | $ |
$ |
$ |
The Fund
pays transaction costs, such as commissions, when it buys and sells securities
(or “turns over” its portfolio). A higher portfolio turnover may indicate higher
transaction costs and may result in higher taxes when Fund shares are held in a
taxable account. These costs, which are not reflected in annual fund operating
expenses or in the Example, affect the Fund’s performance. The portfolio
turnover rate of the Fund for the fiscal year ended June 30, 2024 was
The Fund seeks to achieve its investment objective by primarily investing in the publicly-listed equity securities of U.S. and Canadian companies that generate a majority of their cash flow from midstream energy infrastructure activities. The Fund’s strategy aims to achieve current income and capital appreciation over the long-term. The Fund may also invest in the equity securities of master limited partnerships (“MLPs”) engaged in energy related businesses. Most of the entities in which the Fund invests derive a majority of their revenue from energy infrastructure related activities, including treatment, gathering, compression, processing, transportation, transmission, fractionation, storage and terminalling of natural gas, natural gas liquids, crude oil, or refined products. Under normal conditions, the Fund invests at least 80% of its net assets (plus borrowings for investment purposes) in companies that derive a majority of their revenue from energy infrastructure activities. The Fund may invest in U.S. and foreign issuers of any market capitalization.
The Fund intends to be taxed as a regulated investment company (“RIC”) and comply with all RIC-related restrictions, including limiting its investment in entities taxed as limited partnerships, including MLPs, to 25%.
SL Advisors, LLC, the Fund’s investment sub-advisor (the “Sub-Advisor”), utilizes an investment selection process that includes the analysis of various qualitative and quantitative factors. In evaluating securities for inclusion in the investment portfolio, the Sub-Advisor considers current distribution yield and likely growth prospects of the issuer of the security. Those issuers with a demonstrated history of stable and growing distributions are favored, as are those with well-regarded management teams. Each issuer’s competitive position is also evaluated as is its new projects, its likelihood of successful execution and its impact on future distribution growth. Securities will be sold when other appropriate securities are available with superior return prospects.
16
The Fund is classified as “non-diversified” for purposes of the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended (the “1940 Act”), which means that it is not limited by the 1940 Act with regard to the portion of its assets that may be invested in the securities of a single issuer.
Distribution Policy: The Fund’s distribution policy is to make twelve monthly distributions to shareholders. The Fund may, at the discretion of management, target a specific level of monthly distributions (including any return of capital) from time to time. Shareholders receiving periodic payments from the Fund may be under the impression that they are receiving net profits. However, all or a portion of a distribution may consist of a return of capital. Shareholders should not assume that the source of a distribution from the Fund is net profit. For more information about the Fund’s distribution policy, please turn to “Additional Information About the Fund’s Principal Investment Strategies and Related Risks – Principal Investment Strategies – Catalyst Energy Infrastructure Fund Distribution Policy and Goals” section in the Fund’s Prospectus.
As with any mutual fund, there is no guarantee that the Fund will achieve its objective. Investment markets are unpredictable and there will be certain market conditions where the Fund will not meet its investment objective and will lose money. The Fund’s net asset value and returns will vary and you could lose money on your investment in the Fund and those losses could be significant.
The following summarizes the principal risks of investing in the Fund. These risks could adversely affect the net asset value, total return and the value of the Fund and your investment.
Distribution Policy Risk. The Fund may, at the discretion of management, target a specific level of monthly distributions (including any return of capital) from time to time. Shareholders receiving periodic payments from the Fund may be under the impression that they are receiving net profits. However, all or a portion of a distribution may consist of a return of capital (i.e., from your original investment). Shareholders should not assume that the source of a distribution from the Fund is net profit. Shareholders should note that return of capital will reduce the tax basis of their shares and potentially increase the taxable gain, if any, upon disposition of their shares.
Energy Sector Risk. The Fund focuses its investments in the energy infrastructure sector, which historically has been very volatile. Because of its focus in this sector, the performance of the Fund is tied closely to and affected by developments in the energy sector, such as the possibility that government regulation will negatively impact companies in this sector. Energy infrastructure entities are subject to the risks specific to the industry they serve including, but not limited to, the following:
● | Fluctuations in commodity prices; |
● | Reduced volumes of natural gas or other energy commodities available for transporting, processing, storing or distributing; |
● | New construction risk and acquisition risk which can limit potential growth; |
17
● | A sustained reduced demand for crude oil, natural gas and refined petroleum products resulting from a recession or an increase in market price or higher taxes; |
● | Depletion of the natural gas reserves or other commodities if not replaced; |
● | Changes in the regulatory environment; |
● | Extreme weather; |
● | Rising interest rates which could result in a higher cost of capital and drive investors into other investment opportunities; and |
● | Threats of attack by terrorists. |
Equity Security Risk. Common stocks are susceptible to general stock market fluctuations and to volatile increases and decreases in value as market confidence in and perceptions of their issuers change. Investor perceptions are based on various and unpredictable factors, including expectations regarding government, economic, monetary and fiscal policies; inflation and interest rates; economic expansion or contraction and global or regional political, economic and banking crises.
Foreign Securities Risk. Since the Fund’s investments may include foreign securities, the Fund is subject to risks beyond those associated with investing in domestic securities. Foreign companies are generally not subject to the same regulatory requirements of U.S. companies thereby resulting in less publicly available information about these companies. In addition, foreign accounting, auditing and financial reporting standards generally differ from those applicable to U.S. companies.
Management Risk. The portfolio managers’ judgments about the attractiveness, value and potential appreciation of particular stocks or other securities in which the Fund invests may prove to be incorrect and there is no guarantee that the portfolio managers’ judgment will produce the desired results.
Market Risk. Overall market risks may also affect the value of the Fund. Factors such as domestic economic growth and market conditions, interest rate levels and political events affect the securities markets.
Medium (Mid) Capitalization Company Risk. The earnings and prospects of mid-capitalization companies are more volatile than larger companies, they may experience higher failure rates than larger companies and normally have a lower trading volume than larger companies, which may tend to make their market price fall more disproportionately than larger companies in response to selling pressures.
MLP and MLP-Related Securities Risks. Investments in MLPs and MLP-related securities involve risks different from those of investing in common stock including risks related to limited control and limited rights to vote on matters affecting the MLP or MLP-related security, risks related to potential conflicts of interest between an MLP and the MLP’s general partner, cash flow risks, dilution risks (which could occur if the MLP raises capital and then invests it in projects whose return fails to exceed the cost of capital raised) and risks related to the general partner’s limited call right. MLPs and MLP-related securities are generally considered interest-rate sensitive investments. During periods of interest rate volatility, these investments may not provide attractive returns. Depending on the state of interest rates in general, the use of MLPs or MLP-related securities could enhance or harm the overall performance of the Fund.
18
MLP Tax Risk. MLPs, typically, do not pay U.S. federal income tax at the partnership level. Instead, each partner is allocated a share of the partnership’s income, gains, losses, deductions and expenses. A change in current tax law or in the underlying business mix of a given MLP could result in an MLP being treated as a corporation for U.S. federal income tax purposes, which would result in such MLP being required to pay U.S. federal income tax on its taxable income. The classification of an MLP as a corporation for U.S. federal income tax purposes would have the effect of reducing the amount of cash available for distribution by the MLP. Thus, if any of the MLPs owned by the Fund were treated as corporations for U.S. federal income tax purposes, it could result in a reduction of the value of your investment in the Fund and lower income, as compared to an MLP that is not taxed as a corporation.
Non-diversification Risk. Because a relatively high percentage of the Fund’s assets may be invested in the securities of a limited number of companies that could be in the same or related economic sectors, the Fund’s portfolio may be more susceptible to any single economic, technological or regulatory occurrence than the portfolio of a diversified fund.
Sector Exposure Risk. Sector exposure risk is the possibility that securities within the same sector will decline in price due to sector-specific market or economic developments. The Fund typically focuses its investments in the energy sector and, therefore, is more susceptible to energy sector risk, as described above.
Security Risk. The value of the Fund may decrease in response to the activities and financial prospects of an individual security in the Fund’s portfolio.
Small Capitalization Company Risk. To the extent the Fund invests in the stocks of smaller-sized companies, the Fund may be subject to additional risks, including the risk that earnings and prospects of these companies are more volatile than larger companies.
19
Annual Return 2015 | - |
Annual Return 2016 | |
Annual Return 2017 | - |
Annual Return 2018 | - |
Annual Return 2019 | |
Annual Return 2020 | - |
Annual Return 2021 | |
Annual Return 2022 | |
Annual Return 2023 |
During the
period shown in the bar chart,
(for the periods ended December 31, 2023)
Class A | 1 Year | 5 Year | Since
Inception ( ) |
( | |||
Return After Taxes on Distributions | ( | ||
Return After Taxes on Distributions and Sale of Fund Shares | ( | ||
Class C | |||
( | |||
Class I | |||
S&P
500® Index ( |
|||
Solactive
MLP Infrastructure Index ( |
( |
1 |
20
Advisor: Catalyst Capital Advisors LLC is the Fund’s investment advisor.
Sub-Advisor: SL Advisors, LLC is the Fund’s investment sub-advisor.
Portfolio Managers: Simon Lack, Managing Partner and Chief Compliance Officer of the Sub-Advisor, and Henry Hoffman, Partner of the Sub-Advisor, serve as the Fund’s Portfolio Managers and are jointly and primarily responsible for the day to day management of the Fund’s portfolio. Mr. Lack has served the Fund in this capacity since the Fund commenced operations in 2014. Mr. Hoffman has served the Fund in this capacity since 2021.
Purchase and Sale of Fund Shares: The minimum initial investment in all share classes of the Fund is $2,500 for regular and IRA accounts, and $100 for an automatic investment plan account. The minimum subsequent investment in all share classes of the Fund is $50. You may purchase and redeem shares of the Fund on any day that the New York Stock Exchange is open. Redemption requests may be made in writing, by telephone or through a financial intermediary to the Fund or the Transfer Agent and will be paid by check or wire transfer.
Tax Information: Dividends and capital gain distributions you receive from the Fund, whether you reinvest your distributions in additional Fund shares or receive them in cash, are taxable to you at either ordinary income or capital gains tax rates unless you are investing through a tax-deferred plan such as an IRA or 401(k) plan. If you are investing in a tax-deferred plan, distributions may be taxable upon withdrawal from the plan.
Payments to Broker-Dealers and Other Financial Intermediaries: If you purchase the Fund through a broker-dealer or other financial intermediary (such as a bank), the Fund and its related companies may pay the intermediary for the sale of Fund shares and related services. These payments may create a conflict of interest by influencing the broker-dealer or other intermediary and your salesperson to recommend the Fund over another investment. Ask your salesperson or visit your financial intermediary’s website for more information.
21
The Fund’s objective is long-term capital appreciation.
This table describes the fees and expenses that you may pay if you buy, hold and sell shares of the Fund. You may pay other fees, such as brokerage commissions and other fees to financial intermediaries, which are not reflected in the table and Example below. More information about these and other discounts is available from your financial professional and is included in the section of the Fund’s prospectus entitled How to Buy Shares on page 81 and Appendix A – Intermediary-Specific Sales Charge Reductions and Waivers and in the sections of the Fund’s Statement of Additional Information entitled Reduction of Up-Front Sales Charge on Class A Shares on page 56 and Waivers of Up-Front Sales Charge on Class A Shares on page 57.
Shareholder
Fees (fees paid directly from your investment) |
Class A |
Class C |
Class I |
Maximum Sales Charge (Load) Imposed on Purchases (as a % of offering price) | |||
Maximum Deferred Sales Charge (Load) (as a % of the original purchase price) | |||
Maximum Sales Charge (Load) Imposed on Reinvested Dividends and other Distributions | |||
Redemption Fee |
Annual
Fund Operating Expenses (expenses that you pay each year as a percentage of the value of your investment) |
|||
Management Fees | |||
Distribution and/or Service (12b-1) Fees | |||
Other Expenses | |||
Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses | |||
Fee Waiver and/or Expense Reimbursement2 | ( |
( |
( |
Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses After Fee Waiver and/or Expense Reimbursement |
1 |
2 |
22
This Example is intended to help you compare the cost of investing in the Fund with the cost of investing in other mutual funds.
YEAR | Class A | Class C | Class I |
1 | $ |
$ |
$ |
3 | $ |
$ |
$ |
5 | $ |
$ |
$ |
10 | $ |
$ |
$ |
The Fund
pays transaction costs, such as commissions, when it buys and sells securities
(or “turns over” its portfolio). A higher portfolio turnover may indicate higher
transaction costs and may result in higher taxes when Fund shares are held in a
taxable account. These costs, which are not reflected in annual fund operating
expenses or in the Example, affect the Fund’s performance. The portfolio
turnover rate of the Fund for the fiscal year ended June 30, 2024 was
The Fund primarily invests in equity securities of U.S. and foreign issuers, including without limitation sponsored American Depositary Receipts (“ADRs”). The Fund may invest in the securities of companies with market capitalization volume of $300 million or more and in the securities of companies of any. The Fund may also write covered call options on its equity positions. The allocation of the Fund’s investments to U.S. and foreign issuers and among various levels of market capitalizations may vary substantially depending on various factors, including market conditions, but under normal conditions, at least 40% of the Fund’s assets is invested in securities of issuers domiciled in at least 3 countries outside of the United States, and at least 80% of its net assets plus any borrowings for investment purposes are invested in equity securities. Equity securities include equity securities and options on equity securities.
Managed Asset Portfolios, LLC, the Fund’s investment sub-advisor (the “Sub-Advisor”) seeks to invest in attractively valued securities that, in its opinion, represent above-average long-term investment opportunities. The Sub-Advisor seeks investments in securities using a bottom up process to identify temporarily out of favor securities that have an attractive valuation compared to the company’s net assets and earnings power. The Sub-Advisor also seeks securities where a catalyst may unlock the intrinsic value of the company. Stocks are subsequently removed from the portfolio when the stock exceeds their estimated fair market value or when there is a change or deterioration at the company that cause the portfolio managers to believe the stock is no longer attractive relative to other investment opportunities.
23
As with any mutual fund, there is no guarantee that the Fund will achieve its objective. Investment markets are unpredictable and there will be certain market conditions where the Fund will not meet its investment objective and will lose money. The Fund’s net asset value and returns will vary and you could lose money on your investment in the Fund and those losses could be significant.
The following summarizes the principal risks of investing in the Fund. These risks could adversely affect the net asset value, total return and the value of the Fund and your investment.
ADRs Risk. ADRs, which are typically issued by a bank, are certificates that evidence ownership of shares of a foreign company and are alternatives to purchasing foreign securities directly in their national markets and currencies. ADRs are subject to the same risks as direct investment in foreign companies and involve risks that are not found in investments in U.S. companies.
Equity Security Risk. Common stocks are susceptible to general stock market fluctuations and to volatile increases and decreases in value as market confidence in and perceptions of their issuers change. Investor perceptions are based on various and unpredictable factors, including expectations regarding government, economic, monetary and fiscal policies; inflation and interest rates; economic expansion or contraction and global or regional political, economic and banking crises.
Foreign Securities Risk. Since the Fund’s investments may include ADRs, the Fund is subject to risks beyond those associated with investing in domestic securities. The value of foreign securities is subject is subject to currency fluctuations. Foreign companies are generally not subject to the same regulatory requirements of U.S. companies thereby resulting in less publicly available information about these companies. In addition, foreign accounting, auditing and financial reporting standards generally differ from those applicable to U.S. companies.
Large Capitalization Company Risk. The Fund may invest in large capitalization companies. The securities of such companies may underperform other segments of the market because such companies may be less responsive to competitive challenges and opportunities and may be unable to attain high growth rates during periods of economic expansion.
Management Risk. The portfolio managers’ judgments about the attractiveness, value and potential appreciation of particular stocks or other securities in which the Fund invests may prove to be incorrect and there is no guarantee that the portfolio managers’ judgment will produce the desired results.
Market Risk. Overall stock market risks may also affect the value of the Fund. Factors such as domestic economic growth and market conditions, interest rate levels and political events affect the securities markets.
Medium (Mid) Capitalization Company Risk. The earnings and prospects of mid-capitalization companies are more volatile than larger companies, they may experience higher failure rates than larger companies and normally have a lower trading volume than larger companies, which may tend to make their market price fall more disproportionately than larger companies in response to selling pressures.
24
Options Risk. There are risks associated with the sale and purchase of call and put options. As the buyer of a put option, the Fund assumes the risk of a rise in the market price of the underlying security above the exercise price of the option which will cause a loss of the premium paid for the option.
Sector Exposure Risk. Sector exposure risk is the possibility that securities within the same sector will decline in price due to sector-specific market or economic developments. If the Fund invests more heavily in a particular sector, the value of its shares may be especially sensitive to factors and economic risks that specifically affect that sector.
Consumer Staples Sector Risk. The consumer staples sector may be affected by the regulation of various product components and production methods, marketing campaigns and other factors affecting consumer demand. Tobacco companies, in particular, may be adversely affected by new laws, regulations and litigation.
Security Risk. The value of the Fund may decrease in response to the activities and financial prospects of an individual security in the Fund’s portfolio.
Small Capitalization Company Risk. To the extent the Fund invests in the stocks of smaller-sized companies, the Fund may be subject to additional risks, including the risk that earnings and prospects of these companies are more volatile than larger companies.
25
Annual Return 2014 | |
Annual Return 2015 | - |
Annual Return 2016 | |
Annual Return 2017 | |
Annual Return 2018 | - |
Annual Return 2019 | |
Annual Return 2020 | |
Annual Return 2021 | |
Annual Return 2022 | - |
Annual Return 2023 |
During the
period shown in the bar chart,
(for the periods ended December 31,
2023)
Class A | 1 Year | 5 Year | 10 Year |
Return After Taxes on Distributions | |||
Return After Taxes on Distributions and Sale of Fund Shares | |||
Class C | |||
Class I | |||
MSCI
ACWI ( |
| ||
MSCI
ACWI Value Index Gross ( |
|
26
Advisor: Catalyst Capital Advisors LLC (the “Advisor”) is the Fund’s investment advisor.
Sub-Advisor: Managed Asset Portfolios, LLC serves as the Fund’s Sub-Advisor.
Portfolio Managers: Michael Dzialo, President and Portfolio Manager of the Sub-Advisor, Peter Swan, International Portfolio Manager of the Sub-Advisor, and Karen Culver, Portfolio Manager of the Sub-Advisor and Zachary S. Fellows, Portfolio Manager and Senior Research Analyst of the Sub-Advisor, serve as the Fund’s Portfolio Managers. Messrs. Dzialo, Swan, and Fellows and Ms. Culver are jointly and primarily responsible for the day-to-day management of the Fund. Messrs. Dzialo and Swan have served the Fund in this capacity since the Fund commenced operations in 2011 and Ms. Culver has served the Fund in this capacity since 2012. Mr. Fellows has served the Fund in this capacity since 2024.
Purchase and Sale of Fund Shares: The minimum initial investment in each share class of the Fund is $2,500 for a regular account, $2,500 for an IRA account, or $100 for an automatic investment plan account. The minimum subsequent investment in the Fund is $50. You may purchase and redeem shares of the Fund on any day that the New York Stock Exchange is open. Redemption requests may be made in writing, by telephone or through a financial intermediary to the Fund or the Transfer Agent and will be paid by check or wire transfer.
Tax Information: Dividends and capital gain distributions you receive from the Fund, whether you reinvest your distributions in additional Fund shares or receive them in cash, are taxable to you at either ordinary income or capital gains tax rates unless you are investing through a tax-deferred plan such as an IRA or 401(k) plan. If you are investing in a tax-deferred plan, distributions may be taxable upon withdrawal from the plan.
Payments to Broker-Dealers and Other Financial Intermediaries: If you purchase the Fund through a broker-dealer or other financial intermediary (such as a bank), the Fund and its related companies may pay the intermediary for the sale of Fund shares and related services. These payments may create a conflict of interest by influencing the broker-dealer or other intermediary and your salesperson to recommend the Fund over another investment. Ask your salesperson or visit your financial intermediary’s website for more information.
27
The Fund’s investment objective is long-term capital appreciation.
This table describes the fees and expenses that you may pay if you buy, hold and sell shares of the Fund. You may pay other fees, such as brokerage commissions and other fees to financial intermediaries, which are not reflected in the table and Example below. More information about these and other discounts is available from your financial professional and is included in the section of the Fund’s prospectus entitled How to Buy Shares on page 81 and Appendix A – Intermediary-Specific Sales Charge Reductions and Waivers and in the sections of the Fund’s Statement of Additional Information entitled Reduction of Up-Front Sales Charge on Class A Shares on page 56 and Waivers of Up-Front Sales Charge on Class A Shares on page 57.
Shareholder Fees (fees paid directly from your investment) |
Class A |
Class C |
Class I |
Maximum
Sales Charge (Load) Imposed on Purchases (as a % of offering price) |
|||
Maximum Deferred Sales Charge (Load) (as a % of the original purchase price) | |||
Maximum Sales Charge (Load) Imposed on Reinvested Dividends and other Distributions | |||
Redemption Fee |
Annual
Fund Operating Expenses (expenses that you pay each year as a percentage of the value of your investment) |
|||
Management Fees | |||
Distribution and/or Service (12b-1) Fees | |||
Other Expenses | |||
Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses | |||
Fee Waiver and/or Expense Reimbursement2 | ( |
( |
( |
Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses After Fee Waiver and/or Expense Reimbursement |
1 |
2 |
28
This Example is intended to help you compare the cost of investing in the Fund with the cost of investing in other mutual funds.
YEAR | Class A | Class C | Class I |
1 | $ |
$ |
$ |
3 | $ |
$ |
$ |
5 | $ |
$ |
$ |
10 | $ |
$ |
$ |
The Fund
pays transaction costs, such as commissions, when it buys and sells securities
(or “turns over” its portfolio). A higher portfolio turnover may indicate higher
transaction costs and may result in higher taxes when Fund shares are held in a
taxable account. These costs, which are not reflected in annual fund operating
expenses or in the Example, affect the Fund’s performance. The portfolio
turnover rate of the Fund for the fiscal year ended June 30, 2024 was
The Fund seeks to achieve its investment objective by combining a tactical allocation process intended to offer downside protection during significant market declines, with individual stock selection. Lyons Wealth Management, LLC, the Fund’s investment sub-advisor (the “Sub-Advisor”), uses a proprietary quantitative risk model that seeks to remain fully invested in equities continuously, during bull market conditions, and to shift defensive only during sustained periods of heightened equity market risk. This binary model is intended to identify extended time periods over which risk levels are anticipated to remain either acceptable for owning stocks or elevated above the expected reward.
Asset allocation between stocks or bonds is determined monthly based on the risk model’s binary output. A positive reading generally indicates that long-term market risk remains at a level the Sub-Advisor believes is currently acceptable for owning stocks, and results in a portfolio allocation to equities. A negative reading indicates that market risk has reached levels the Sub-Advisor believes are typically indicative of long-term, significant market declines, and results in a portfolio shift to fixed income securities. The portfolio may shift allocation at any point during the quarter, but generally reallocation only occurs upon the systematic month-end signal readings. The Sub-Advisor anticipates that the model may sustain a given signal for extended periods of time, potentially for multi-year periods.
The portfolio’s default allocation is to equities. While maintaining equity exposure, the Sub-Advisor invests in a concentrated portfolio of stocks selected for earnings efficiency, company strength, and relative value. Stock selection is based on the Sub-Advisor’s proprietary ranking model that ranks stocks according to fundamental criteria. The Fund invests in U.S. listed mid-cap, large-cap and mega-cap companies. While maintaining an equity allocation, the portfolio is reconstituted and rebalanced quarterly.
29
The Fund’s defensive portfolio consists of fixed income securities. Securities are selected for investment based on yields, prices, yield to maturity, duration and risk. The Fund may invest in domestic, investment-grade fixed income securities of any duration and maturity, but it generally will invest in short-term and intermediate-term U.S. Treasury bills and notes with one to ten years to maturity at the time of issuance. These fixed income positions are sold when the risk model produces a positive signal, and a new equity portfolio is established based on an updated stock selection model ranking.
As with any mutual fund, there is no guarantee that the Fund will achieve its objective. Investment markets are unpredictable and there will be certain market conditions where the Fund will not meet its investment objective and will lose money. The Fund’s net asset value and returns will vary and you could lose money on your investment in the Fund and those losses could be significant.
The following summarizes the principal risks of investing in the Fund. These risks could adversely affect the net asset value, total return and the value of the Fund and your investment.
Allocation Risk. The risk that if the Fund’s strategy for allocating assets among different assets classes does not work as intended, the Fund may not achieve its objective or may underperform other funds with the same or similar investment strategy.
Equity Security Risk. Common stocks are susceptible to general stock market fluctuations and to volatile increases and decreases in value as market confidence in and perceptions of their issuers change. Investor perceptions are based on various and unpredictable factors, including expectations regarding government, economic, monetary and fiscal policies; inflation and interest rates; economic expansion or contraction and global or regional political, economic and banking crises.
Fixed Income Risk. When the Fund invests in fixed income securities, the value of your investment in the Fund will fluctuate with changes in interest rates. Typically, a rise in interest rates causes a decline in the value of fixed income securities owned by the Fund. In general, the market price of fixed income securities with longer maturities will increase or decrease more in response to changes in interest rates than shorter-term securities. Other risk factors include credit risk (the debtor may default) and prepayment risk (the debtor may pay its obligation early, reducing the amount of interest payments). These risks could affect the value of a particular investment by the Fund, possibly causing the Fund’s share price and total return to be reduced and fluctuate more than other types of investments.
Large Capitalization Company Risk. The Fund may invest in large capitalization companies. The securities of such companies may underperform other segments of the market because such companies may be less responsive to competitive challenges and opportunities and may be unable to attain high growth rates during periods of economic expansion.
Management Risk. The portfolio managers’ judgments about the attractiveness, value and potential appreciation of particular stocks or other securities in which the Fund invests may prove to be incorrect and there is no guarantee that the portfolio managers’ judgment will produce the desired results.
30
Market Risk. Overall stock market risks may also affect the value of the Fund. Factors such as domestic economic growth and market conditions, interest rate levels and political events affect the securities markets.
Mega Capitalization Company Risk. The securities of mega capitalization companies may underperform securities of smaller companies because such companies may be slow to respond to competitive challenges and growth opportunities.
Medium (Mid) Capitalization Company Risk. The earnings and prospects of mid-capitalization companies are more volatile than larger companies, they may experience higher failure rates than larger companies and normally have a lower trading volume than larger companies, which may tend to make their market price fall more disproportionately than larger companies in response to selling pressures.
Model and Data Risk. Like all quantitative analysis, the investment models utilized by the Sub-Advisor carry the risk that the ranking system, valuation results and predictions might be based on one or more incorrect assumptions, insufficient historical data, inadequate design, or may not be suitable for the purpose intended. In addition, models may not perform as intended for many reasons including errors, omissions, imperfections or malfunctions. Because the use of models are usually based on data supplied by third parties, the success of the Sub-Advisor’s use of such models is dependent on the accuracy and reliability of the supplied data. Historical data inputs may be subject to revision or corrections, which may diminish data reliability and quality of predictive results. Changing and unforeseen market dynamics could also lead to a decrease in the short-term or long-term effectiveness of a model. Models may lose their predictive validity and incorrectly forecast future market behavior and asset prices, leading to potential losses. No assurance can be given that a model will be successful under all or any market conditions.
Sector Exposure Risk. Sector exposure risk is the possibility that securities within the same sector will decline in price due to sector-specific market or economic developments. If the Fund invests more heavily in a particular sector, the value of its shares may be especially sensitive to factors and economic risks that specifically affect that sector.
Consumer Discretionary Sector Risk. The success of consumer product manufacturers and retailers is tied closely to the performance of domestic and international economies, interest rates, exchange rates, competition, consumer confidence, changes in demographics and consumer preferences. Companies in the consumer discretionary sector depend heavily on disposable household income and consumer spending, and may be strongly affected by social trends and marketing campaigns.
Industrials Sector Risk. The value of securities issued by companies in the industrials sector may be adversely affected by supply and demand related to their specific products or services and industrials sector products in general. The products of manufacturing companies may face obsolescence due to rapid technological developments and frequent new product introduction. Government regulations, world events, economic conditions and exchange rates may adversely affect the performance of companies in the industrials sector.
31
Security Risk. The value of the Fund may decrease in response to the activities and financial prospects of an individual security in the Fund’s portfolio.
U.S. Agency Securities Risk. The Fund may invest in U.S. government or agency obligations. Securities issued or guaranteed by federal agencies and U.S. government sponsored entities may or may not be backed by the full faith and credit of the U.S. government.
Annual Return 2014 | |
Annual Return 2015 | - |
Annual Return 2016 | |
Annual Return 2017 | |
Annual Return 2018 | - |
Annual Return 2019 | |
Annual Return 2020 | |
Annual Return 2021 | |
Annual Return 2022 | - |
Annual Return 2023 |
During the
period shown in the bar chart,
32
(for the periods ended December 31,
2023)
Class A | 1 Year | 5 Years | 10 Years |
Return After Taxes on Distributions | |||
Return After Taxes on Distributions and Sale of Fund Shares | |||
Class C | |||
Class I | |||
S&P
500® Index ( |
|||
Lipper
Flexible Portfolio Funds Index ( |
|
1 |
Advisor: Catalyst Capital Advisors LLC is the Fund’s investment advisor.
Sub-Advisor: Lyons Wealth Management, LLC serves as the Fund’s investment sub-advisor.
Portfolio Managers: Alexander Read, Chief Executive Officer and Chief Investment Officer of the Sub-Advisor and Matthew Ferratusco, Portfolio Manager and Analyst of the Sub-Advisor, serve as the Fund’s Portfolio Managers. Messrs. Read and Ferratusco are jointly and primarily responsible for managing the Fund. Mr. Read has served the Fund in this capacity since the Fund commenced operations in 2012. Mr. Ferratusco has served the Fund in the capacity since January 2016.
Purchase and Sale of Fund Shares: The minimum initial investment in each share class of the Fund is $2,500 for a regular account, $2,500 for an IRA account, or $100 for an automatic investment plan account. The minimum subsequent investment in the Fund is $50. You may purchase and redeem shares of the Fund on any day that the New York Stock Exchange is open. Redemption requests may be made in writing, by telephone or through a financial intermediary to the Fund or the Transfer Agent and will be paid by check or wire transfer.
Tax Information: Dividends and capital gain distributions you receive from the Fund, whether you reinvest your distributions in additional Fund shares or receive them in cash, are taxable to you at either ordinary income or capital gains tax rates unless you are investing through a tax-deferred plan such as an IRA or 401(k) plan. If you are investing in a tax-deferred plan, distributions may be taxable upon withdrawal from the plan.
Payments to Broker-Dealers and Other Financial Intermediaries: If you purchase the Fund through a broker-dealer or other financial intermediary (such as a bank), the Fund and its related companies may pay the intermediary for the sale of Fund shares and related services. These payments may create a conflict of interest by influencing the broker-dealer or other intermediary and your salesperson to recommend the Fund over another investment. Ask your salesperson or visit your financial intermediary’s website for more information.
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The Fund’s objective is long-term capital appreciation.
This table describes the fees and expenses that you may pay if you buy, hold and sell shares of the Fund. You may pay other fees, such as brokerage commissions and other fees to financial intermediaries, which are not reflected in the table and Example below. More information about these and other discounts is available from your financial professional and is included in the section of the Fund’s prospectus entitled How to Buy Shares on page 81 and Appendix A – Intermediary-Specific Sales Charge Reductions and Waivers and in the sections of the Fund’s Statement of Additional Information entitled Reduction of Up-Front Sales Charge on Class A Shares on page 56 and Waivers of Up-Front Sales Charge on Class A Shares on page 57.
Shareholder
Fees (fees paid directly from your investment) |
Class A |
Class C |
Class I |
Maximum Sales Charge (Load) Imposed on Purchases (as a % of offering price) | |||
Maximum Deferred Sales Charge (Load) (as a % of the original purchase price) | |||
Maximum Sales Charge (Load) Imposed on Reinvested Dividends and other Distributions | |||
Redemption Fee |
Annual
Fund Operating Expenses (expenses that you pay each year as a percentage of the value of your investment) |
|||
Management Fees | |||
Distribution and/or Service (12b-1) Fees | |||
Other Expenses | |||
Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses | |||
Fee Waiver and Reimbursement 2 | ( |
( |
( |
Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses After Fee Waiver and Reimbursement |
1 |
2 |
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This Example is intended to help you compare the cost of investing in the Fund with the cost of investing in other mutual funds.
YEAR | Class A | Class C | Class I |
1 | $ |
$ |
$ |
3 | $ |
$ |
$ |
5 | $ |
$ |
$ |
10 | $ |
$ |
$ |
The Fund
pays transaction costs, such as commissions, when it buys and sells securities
(or “turns over” its portfolio). A higher portfolio turnover may indicate higher
transaction costs and may result in higher taxes when Fund shares are held in a
taxable account. These costs, which are not reflected in annual fund operating
expenses or in the Example, affect the Fund’s performance. The portfolio
turnover rate of the Fund for the fiscal year ended June 30, 2024 was
The Fund seeks to achieve its investment objective by investing primarily in common stocks of U.S. companies. In addition to common stocks, other types of equity securities in which the Fund may invest include real estate investment trusts (“REITs”) and American Depositary Receipts (“ADRs”). Under normal conditions, the Fund invests at least 80% of the Fund’s net assets plus any borrowings for investment purposes in equity securities defined as common stocks, REITs and ADRs. The Fund is managed using an approach that imposes no limits or restrictions on the market capitalization of its investments. The Fund’s investment strategy focuses on individual stock selection taking into consideration the stock’s industry group. Using quantitative measures established by Cookson, Peirce & Co., Inc., the Fund’s investment sub-advisor ( the “Sub-Advisor”), the Fund seeks to purchase equities which have stronger relative performance than other equities.
The Fund believes that the whole market approach provides one main advantage: it allows a shareholder to participate in all major areas of the U.S. equity market in a single fund, including companies of all sizes with both growth and value characteristics. In so doing, the Fund uses a proprietary, disciplined and quantitative process so that more stocks can be analyzed on a weekly basis more objectively than by following a more traditional, labor intensive investment process. The Sub-Advisor uses this process to continually analyze equity securities across various industries as candidates for purchase by the Fund. From the universe of stocks, the Sub-Advisor employs a proprietary analysis based on stock and industry strength, volatility and other factors to select particular stocks to buy, sell or hold. The Fund actively trades its portfolio investments, which may lead to higher transaction costs that may affect the Fund’s performance.
The Fund is classified as “non-diversified” for purposes of the Investment Company Act of 1940 (the “1940 Act”), which means that it is not limited by the 1940 Act with regard to the portion of its assets that may be invested in the securities of a single issuer.
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As with any mutual fund, there is no guarantee that the Fund will achieve its objective. Investment markets are unpredictable and there will be certain market conditions where the Fund will not meet its investment objective and will lose money. The Fund’s net asset value and returns will vary and you could lose money on your investment in the Fund and those losses could be significant.
The following summarizes the principal risks of investing in the Fund. These risks could adversely affect the net asset value, total return and the value of the Fund and your investment.
ADRs Risk. ADRs, which are typically issued by a bank, are certificates that evidence ownership of shares of a foreign company and are alternatives to purchasing foreign securities directly in their national markets and currencies. ADRs are subject to the same risks as direct investment in foreign companies and involve risks that are not found in investments in U.S. companies.
Equity Security Risk. Common stocks are susceptible to general stock market fluctuations and to volatile increases and decreases in value as market confidence in and perceptions of their issuers change. Investor perceptions are based on various and unpredictable factors, including expectations regarding government, economic, monetary and fiscal policies; inflation and interest rates; economic expansion or contraction and global or regional political, economic and banking crises.
Foreign Securities Risk. Since the Fund’s investments may include ADRs, the Fund is subject to risks beyond those associated with investing in domestic securities. The value of foreign securities is subject is subject to currency fluctuations. Foreign companies are generally not subject to the same regulatory requirements of U.S. companies thereby resulting in less publicly available information about these companies. In addition, foreign accounting, auditing and financial reporting standards generally differ from those applicable to U.S. companies.
Large Capitalization Company Risk. The Fund may invest in large capitalization companies. The securities of such companies may underperform other segments of the market because such companies may be less responsive to competitive challenges and opportunities and may be unable to attain high growth rates during periods of economic expansion.
Management Risk. The portfolio managers’ judgments about the attractiveness, value and potential appreciation of particular stocks or other securities in which the Fund invests may prove to be incorrect and there is no guarantee that the portfolio managers’ judgment will produce the desired results.
Market Risk. Overall stock market risks may also affect the value of the Fund. Factors such as domestic economic growth and market conditions, interest rate levels and political events affect the securities markets.
Medium (Mid) Capitalization Company Risk. The earnings and prospects of mid-capitalization companies are more volatile than larger companies, they may experience higher failure rates than larger companies and normally have a lower trading volume than larger companies, which may tend to make their market price fall more disproportionately than larger companies in response to selling pressures.
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Non-diversification Risk. Because a relatively high percentage of the Fund’s assets may be invested in the securities of a limited number of companies that could be in the same or related economic sectors, the Fund’s portfolio may be more susceptible to any single economic, technological or regulatory occurrence than the portfolio of a diversified fund.
Real Estate and REIT Risk. The Fund is subject to the risks of the real estate market as a whole, such as taxation, regulations and economic and political factors that negatively impact the real estate market and the direct ownership of real estate. These may include decreases in real estate values, overbuilding, rising operating costs, interest rates and property taxes. In addition, some real estate related investments are not fully diversified and are subject to the risks associated with financing a limited number of projects. REITs are heavily dependent upon the management team and are subject to heavy cash flow dependency, defaults by borrowers and self-liquidation.
Security Risk. The value of the Fund may decrease in response to the activities and financial prospects of an individual security in the Fund’s portfolio.
Small Capitalization Company Risk. To the extent the Fund invests in the stocks of smaller-sized companies, the Fund may be subject to additional risks, including the risk that earnings and prospects of these companies are more volatile than larger companies.
Turnover Rate Risk. The Fund may have portfolio turnover rates significantly in excess of 100%. Increased portfolio turnover causes the Fund to incur higher brokerage costs, which may adversely affect the Fund’s performance and may produce increased taxable distributions.
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Annual Return 2014 | |
Annual Return 2015 | |
Annual Return 2016 | |
Annual Return 2017 | |
Annual Return 2018 | - |
Annual Return 2019 | |
Annual Return 2020 | |
Annual Return 2021 | |
Annual Return 2022 | - |
Annual Return 2023 |
During the
period shown in the bar chart,
(for the periods ended December 31,
2023)
Class A | 1 Year | 5 Year | 10 Year |
Return After Taxes on Distributions | |||
Return After Taxes on Distributions and Sale of Fund Shares | |||
Class C | |||
Class I | |||
S&P
500® Total Return Index ( |
|
38
Advisor: Catalyst Capital Advisors LLC is the Fund’s investment advisor.
Sub-Advisor: Cookson, Peirce & Co., Inc. serves as the Fund’s sub-advisor.
Portfolio Managers: Bruce W. Miller, Chief Investment Officer of the Sub-Advisor, Cory S. Krebs, President of the Sub-Advisor and Luke O’Neill, Senior Vice President of the Sub-Advisor, serve as the Fund’s Portfolio Managers. Messrs. Miller, Krebs and O’Neill are jointly and primarily responsible for the day-to-day management of the Fund. Messrs. Miller and Krebs have served the Fund in this capacity since the Fund commenced operations in 2011. Mr. O’Neill has served the Fund in this capacity since 2019.
Purchase and Sale of Fund Shares: The minimum initial investment in each share class of the Fund is $2,500 for a regular account, $2,500 for an IRA account, or $100 for an automatic investment plan account. The minimum subsequent investment in the Fund is $50. You may purchase and redeem shares of the Fund on any day that the New York Stock Exchange is open. Redemptions requests may be made in writing, by telephone or through a financial intermediary to the Fund or the Transfer Agent and will be paid by check or wire transfer.
Tax Information: Dividends and capital gain distributions you receive from the Fund, whether you reinvest your distributions in additional Fund shares or receive them in cash, are taxable to you at either ordinary income or capital gains tax rates unless you are investing through a tax-deferred plan such as an IRA or 401(k) plan. If you are investing in a tax-deferred plan, distributions may be taxable upon withdrawal from the plan.
Payments to Broker-Dealers and Other Financial Intermediaries: If you purchase the Fund through a broker-dealer or other financial intermediary (such as a bank), the Fund and its related companies may pay the intermediary for the sale of Fund shares and related services. These payments may create a conflict of interest by influencing the broker-dealer or other intermediary and your salesperson to recommend the Fund over another investment. Ask your salesperson or visit your financial intermediary’s website for more information.
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ADDITIONAL INFORMATION ABOUT THE FUNDS’ PRINCIPAL INVESTMENT STRATEGIES AND RELATED RISKS
INVESTMENT OBJECTIVES
The investment objective of each Fund is non-fundamental and may be changed by the Board of Trustees (“Board”) without shareholder approval. If the Board decides to change a Fund’s investment objective, shareholders will be given 60 days’ advance notice.
Fund | Investment Objective |
Catalyst Insider Buying Fund | The Fund’s investment objective is long-term capital appreciation. |
Catalyst Energy Infrastructure Fund | The Fund’s investment objective is current income and capital appreciation. |
Catalyst/MAP Global Equity Fund | The Fund’s investment objective is long-term capital appreciation. |
Catalyst/Lyons Tactical Allocation Fund | The Fund’s investment objective is long-term capital appreciation. |
Catalyst Dynamic Alpha Fund | The Fund’s investment objective is long-term capital appreciation. |
PRINCIPAL INVESTMENT STRATEGIES
Each Fund’s main investment strategies are discussed in the Summary Section for the Fund and are the strategies that the Advisor and/or Sub-Advisor believes are most likely to be important in trying to achieve the Fund’s investment objective. You should note, however, that each Fund may use other non-principal strategies and invest in other securities not described in this prospectus, which are disclosed in detail in the Funds’ Statement of Additional Information (“SAI”). For a copy of the SAI please call toll free at 1-866-447-4228 or visit the Funds’ website at www.CatalystMF.com.
Catalyst Insider Buying Fund
The Fund seeks to achieve its investment objective by combining a portfolio of common stock (the “Common Stock Component”) with an overlay component that provides exposure to quantitative investment strategies (the “Overlay Component”).
Common Stock Component
The Fund’s Common Stock Component invests in common stocks of U.S. companies, including REITs and ADRs. The Fund purchases positions in stocks that are experiencing insider buying by corporate executives, directors, large shareholders or activist shareholders. The Fund may invest in companies of any market capitalization, including smaller-sized companies, but intends to emphasize larger capitalization stocks.
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The Advisor uses public information that is filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”) on corporate insider and large shareholder buying and selling activity for its investment decisions. The Advisor’s research and quantitative back-testing of insider trading data over long periods of time has resulted in the development of a proprietary method of analyzing insider trading activity that it believes can provide long-term capital appreciation. The underlying thesis is that corporate insiders and large or activist shareholders know more about the prospects of the company than anybody else.
The Advisor’s investment process focuses on insider identities (position in the company), motivations, insider trading trends, trading volumes, firm size and other factors to select stocks for the portfolio. Stocks are sold when the relevant insider trading trends reverse or when portfolio positions achieve or no longer provide the targeted risk adjusted return. The Fund actively trades its portfolio investments, which may lead to higher transaction costs that may affect the Fund’s performance.
Overlay Component
The Overlay Component is designed to provide the Fund with exposure to various asset classes and strategies that have historically demonstrated the potential to produce attractive total return over the long term with low to moderate correlation to equities and bonds. The Overlay Component generally seeks to gain this exposure by investing in one or more structured notes with an average duration of 12 months or more and/or one or more non-exchange-traded total return swap contracts.
The Overlay Component pursues an absolute return, multi-risk premia strategy (i.e., a multi-risk factor strategy) that attempts to capture various sources of systematic risk premia in the capital markets. Risk premia refers to sources of return derived by accepting risks beyond those inherent in traditional broad market exposures, such as long-only broad-market equity and bond indexes. Risk premia are considered the building blocks of many variable (i.e., non-linear) and hedged investment strategies. Risk premia strategies use publicly traded instruments and tend to have lower correlation to equities and bonds as well as to one another.
The Overlay Component’s multi-risk premia strategy provides exposure to a blend of Carry, Momentum, Value and Volatility Risk Premia across equity, commodity, foreign exchange and fixed income markets and invests in futures and options on equity indices, commodities, government bonds and non-government bonds, interest rates and currency forwards.
● | Carry Risk Premia: Captures the tendency for higher yielding assets to outperform lower yielding assets over time. Typical Carry Risk Premia strategies include having long, high carry assets and short, low carry assets. An example is to synthetically buy high yielding currency forward contracts and sell low yielding currency forward contracts. |
● | Momentum Risk Premia: Captures the tendency for assets that have performed well in the recent past to continue to perform well, and assets that have performed poorly in the recent past to continue to perform poorly. Typical Momentum Risk Premia strategies include being long historically high performing assets and being short historically low performing |
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assets. An example is to synthetically buy positive trending futures and sell negatively trending futures across multiple asset classes. |
● | Volatility Risk Premia: Captures the behavioral tendency of markets to over-exaggerate implied or expected volatility. Typical Volatility Risk Premia strategies include being short an asset’s expected end-of-day price standard deviation (implied volatility) and being long an asset’s realized end-of-day price standard deviation (realized volatility) over a specified period. An example would be writing ultra short put options on the S&P 500 Index with an intra-day delta hedge. |
● | Value Risk Premia: Captures the behavioral tendency of asset prices to mean revert to fair value anchors. Typical Value Risk Premia strategies include short term mean-reversion strategies that use price and fundamental indicators to open short positions in “overbought” assets and open long positions in “oversold” assets. An example would be to open short positions in overbought currency pairs and open long positions on oversold currency pairs. |
The Overlay Component’s allocations across these risk premia strategies are made at the discretion of the Advisor with the intent to best complement the Common Stock Component.
Subsidiary
The Fund executes a portion of its strategy by investing up to 25% of its total assets in a wholly-owned and controlled Subsidiary, which is a wholly-owned by the Fund and organized under the laws of the Cayman Islands. The Fund does not intend to create or acquire primary control of any other entity. The Subsidiary invests the majority of its assets in structured notes and swap contracts subject to the same investment restrictions as the Fund, when viewed on a consolidated basis. The principal investment strategies and principal investment risks of the Subsidiary are also principal investment strategies and principal risks of the Fund and are reflected in this Prospectus. The financial statements of the Subsidiary are consolidated with those of the Fund. By investing in commodities indirectly through the Subsidiary, the Fund obtains exposure to the commodities markets within the federal tax requirements that apply to the Fund. Specifically, the Subsidiary provides the Fund with exposure to the commodities markets within the limitations of the federal tax requirements of Subchapter M of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended (the “Code”). Subchapter M requires, among other things, that at least 90% of the Fund’s income be derived from securities or derived with respect to its business of investing in securities (typically referred to as “qualifying income”). The Fund makes investments in certain commodity-linked derivatives through the Subsidiary because income from these derivatives is not treated as “qualifying income” for purposes of the 90% income requirement if the Fund invests in the derivative directly.
The Internal Revenue Service has issued a number of private letter rulings to other mutual funds (unrelated to the Fund), which indicate that certain income from the Fund’s investment in a wholly-owned foreign subsidiary will constitute “qualifying income” for purposes of Subchapter M. The Fund does not have a private letter ruling. To satisfy the 90% income requirement, the Subsidiary declares and distributes a dividend to the Fund, no less than annually, as the sole shareholder of the Subsidiary, in an amount approximately equal to the total amount of “Subpart F” income (as defined in Section 951 of the Code) generated by or expected to be generated by the Subsidiary’s
42
investments during the fiscal year. Such dividend distributions are “qualifying income” pursuant to Subchapter M (Section 851(b)) of the Code.
Because the Fund may invest a substantial portion of its assets in the Subsidiary, which may hold some of the investments described in this Prospectus, the Fund may be considered to be investing indirectly in some of those investments through its Subsidiary. For that reason, references to the Fund may also include the Subsidiary.
The Subsidiary is subject to the same investment restrictions and limitations, and follows the same compliance policies and procedures, as the Fund. The Fund complies with the provisions of the 1940 Act governing investment policies, capital structure and leverage on an aggregate basis with the Subsidiary. In addition, the Subsidiary complies with the provisions of the 1940 Act relating to affiliated transactions and custody. The Fund’s custodian also serves as the custodian to the Subsidiary.
The investment advisor to the Subsidiary also complies with the provisions of the 1940 Act regarding investment advisory contracts and is considered to be an investment advisor to the Fund under the 1940 Act.
Catalyst Energy Infrastructure Fund
The Fund seeks to achieve its investment objective by primarily investing in the publicly-listed equity securities of U.S. and Canadian companies that generate a majority of their cash flow from midstream energy infrastructure activities. The Fund may also invest in the equity securities of MLPs (publicly traded partnerships) engaged in energy related businesses. The Fund’s strategy aims to achieve current income and capital appreciation over the long-term. Most of the entities in which the Fund invests derive a majority of their revenue from “midstream” energy infrastructure related activities, including treatment, gathering, compression, processing, transportation, transmission, fractionation, storage and terminalling of natural gas, natural gas liquids, crude oil, or refined products. Under normal conditions, the Fund invests at least 80% of its net assets (plus borrowings for investment purposes) in companies that derive a majority of their revenue from energy infrastructure activities. The Fund may invest in U.S. and foreign issuers of any market capitalization.
The Fund intends to be taxed as a RIC and comply with all RIC-related restrictions, including limiting its investment in entities taxed as limited partnerships, including MLPs, to 25%.
The Sub-Advisor utilizes an investment selection process that includes the analysis of various qualitative and quantitative factors. In evaluating securities for inclusion in the investment portfolio, the Sub-Advisor considers current distribution yield and likely growth prospects of the issuer of the security. Those issuers with a demonstrated history of stable and growing distributions are favored, as are those with well-regarded management teams. Each issuer’s competitive position is also evaluated as is its new projects, its likelihood of successful execution and its impact on future distribution growth. Securities will be sold when other appropriate securities are available with superior return prospects.
43
The Fund is classified as “non-diversified” for purposes of the 1940 Act, which means that it is not limited by the 1940 Act with regard to the portion of its assets that may be invested in the securities of a single issuer.
Distribution Policy and Goals
The Fund’s distribution policy is to make monthly distributions to shareholders. All income will be distributed monthly regardless of whether such income will be treated as return of capital.
The Fund generally distributes to shareholders substantially all of its net income (for example, interest and dividends) monthly as well as substantially all of its net capital gains (that is, long-term capital gains from the sale of portfolio securities and short-term capital gains from both the sale of portfolio securities and option premium earned) annually. In addition, pursuant to its distribution policy, the Fund may make distributions that are treated as a return of capital. Return of capital is the portion of a distribution that is the return of your original investment dollars in the Fund. A return of capital is not taxable to a shareholder unless it exceeds a shareholder’s tax basis in the shares.
Returns of capital reduce a shareholder’s tax cost (or “tax basis”). Once a shareholder’s tax basis is reduced to zero, any further return of capital would be taxable. Shareholders receiving periodic payments from the Fund may be under the impression that they are receiving net profits. However, all or a portion of a distribution may consist of a return of capital (i.e. from your original investment). Shareholders should not assume that the source of a distribution from the Fund is net profit. Shareholders should note that return of capital will reduce the tax basis of their shares and potentially increase the taxable gain, if any, upon disposition of their shares. As required under the 1940 Act, the Fund provides notice to shareholders at the time of distribution when such distribution does not consist solely of net income. Additionally, each distribution payment is accompanied by a written statement which discloses the estimated source or sources of each distribution. The IRS requires you to report these amounts, excluding returns of capital, on your income tax return for the year declared. The Fund provides disclosures, with each monthly distribution, that estimate the percentages of the current and year-to-date distributions that represent (1) net investment income, (2) capital gains and (3) return of capital. At the end of the year, the Fund may be required under applicable law to re-characterize distributions made previously during that year among (1) ordinary income, (2) capital gains and (3) return of capital for tax purposes. An additional distribution may be made in December, and other additional distributions may be made with respect to a particular fiscal year in order to comply with applicable law. Distributions declared in December, if paid to shareholders by the end of January, are treated for federal income tax purposes as if received in December.
Catalyst/MAP Global Equity Fund
The Fund primarily invests in equity securities of U.S. and foreign issuers, including without limitation sponsored ADRs. The Fund may invest in companies of any market capitalization. The Fund may also write covered call options on its equity positions. The allocation of the Fund’s investments to U.S. and foreign issuers and among various levels of market capitalizations may vary substantially depending on various factors, including market conditions, but under normal conditions, at least 40% of the Fund’s assets is invested insecurities of issuers domiciled outside
44
of the United States, and at least 80% of its net assets plus any borrowings for investment purposes are invested in equity securities. Equity securities include equity securities and options on equity securities.
The place of domicile of an issuer is not always clear. The determination of domicile may be based on many factors, such as the company’s country of incorporation, country of headquarter offices, primary exchange, geographic sources of revenue, and geographic location of assets. Domicile is determined at the time of investment.
The Sub-Advisor seeks to invest in attractively valued securities that, in its opinion, represent above-average long-term investment opportunities. The Sub-Advisor seeks investments in securities using a bottom up process to identify temporarily out of favor securities that have an attractive valuation compared to the company’s net assets and earnings power. The Sub-Advisor also seeks securities where a catalyst may unlock the intrinsic value of the company. Stocks are subsequently removed from the portfolio when the stock exceeds their estimated fair market value or when there is a change or deterioration at the company that cause the portfolio managers to believe the stock is no longer attractive relative to other investment opportunities.
Catalyst/Lyons Tactical Allocation Fund
The Fund seeks to achieve its investment objective by combining a tactical allocation process intended to offer downside protection during significant market declines, with individual stock selection. The Sub-Advisor uses a proprietary quantitative risk model that seeks to remain fully invested in equities continuously, during bull market conditions, and to shift defensive only during sustained periods of heightened equity market risk. This binary model is intended to identify extended time periods over which risk levels are anticipated to remain either acceptable for owning stocks or elevated above the expected reward.
Asset allocation between stocks or bonds is determined monthly based on the risk model’s binary output. A positive reading generally indicates that long-term market risk remains at a level the Sub-Advisor believes is currently acceptable for owning stocks, and results in a portfolio allocation to equities. A negative reading indicates that market risk has reached extreme levels the Sub-Advisor believes are typically indicative of long-term, significant market declines, and results in a portfolio shift to fixed income securities. The portfolio may shift allocation at any point during the quarter, but generally will only occur upon the systematic month-end signal readings. The Sub-Advisor anticipates that the model may sustain a given signal for extended periods of time, potentially for multi-year periods.
The portfolio’s default allocation is equities. While maintaining equity exposure, the Sub-Advisor invests in a concentrated portfolio of stocks selected for earnings efficiency, company strength, and relative value. Stock selection is based on the Sub-Advisor’s proprietary ranking model that ranks stocks according to fundamental criteria. The Fund invests in U.S. listed mid-cap, large-cap and mega-cap companies. While maintaining an equity allocation, the portfolio is reconstituted and rebalanced quarterly.
The Fund’s defensive portfolio consists of fixed income securities. Securities are selected for investment based on yields, prices, yield to maturity, duration and risk. The Fund may invest in
45
domestic, investment-grade securities of any maturity, but it generally will invest in short-term and intermediate-term U.S. Treasury bills and notes with one to ten years to maturity. These fixed income positions are sold when the risk model produces a positive signal, and a new equity portfolio is established based on an updated stock selection model ranking.
Catalyst Dynamic Alpha Fund
The Fund seeks to achieve its investment objective by investing primarily in common stocks of U.S. companies. In addition to common stocks, other types of equity securities in which the Fund may invest include REITs and ADRs. Under normal conditions, the Fund invests at least 80% of the Fund’s net assets plus any borrowings for investment purposes in equity securities defined as common stocks, REITs and ADRs. This is a non-fundamental policy of the Fund and may be changed upon 60 days’ notice to shareholders of the Fund. The Fund is managed using an approach that imposes no limits or restrictions on the market capitalization of its investments. The Fund’s investment strategy focuses on individual stock selection taking into consideration the stock’s industry group. Using quantitative measures established by the Sub-Advisor, the Fund seeks to purchase equities which have stronger relative performance than other equities.
The Fund believes that the whole market approach provides one main advantage: it allows a shareholder to participate in all major areas of the U.S. equity market in a single fund, including companies of all sizes with both growth and value characteristics. In so doing, the Fund uses a proprietary, disciplined and quantitative process so that more stocks can be analyzed on a weekly basis more objectively than by following a more traditional, labor intensive investment process. The Sub-Advisor uses this process to continually analyze equity securities across various industries as candidates for purchase by the Fund. From the universe of stocks, the Sub-Advisor employs a proprietary analysis based on stock and industry strength, volatility and other factors to select particular stocks to buy, sell or hold. The Fund actively trades its portfolio investments, which may lead to higher transaction costs that may affect the Fund’s performance.
The Fund is classified as “non-diversified” for purposes of the 1940 Act, which means that it is not limited by the 1940 Act with regard to the portion of its assets that may be invested in the securities of a single issuer.
Temporary Defensive Positions
From time to time, each Fund may take temporary defensive positions, which are inconsistent with the Fund’s principal investment strategies, in attempting to respond to adverse market, economic, political, or other conditions. For example, each Fund may hold all or a portion of its respective assets in money market instruments, including cash, cash equivalents, U.S. government securities, other investment grade fixed income securities, certificates of deposit, bankers acceptances, commercial paper, money market funds and repurchase agreements. While a Fund is in a defensive position, the opportunity to achieve its investment objective will be limited. If a Fund invests in a money market fund, the shareholders of the Fund generally will be subject to duplicative management fees. Although a Fund would do this only in seeking to avoid losses, the Fund will be unable to pursue its investment objective during that time, and it could reduce the benefit from any upswing in the market.
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Manager-of-Managers Order (Catalyst/Lyons Tactical Allocation Fund, Catalyst Energy Infrastructure Fund and Catalyst Dynamic Alpha Fund Only)
The Trust and the Advisor have obtained an exemptive order (the “Order”) from the SEC that would permit the Advisor, with the Board’s approval, to enter into sub-advisory agreements with one or more sub-advisors without obtaining shareholder approval. The Order permits the Advisor, subject to the approval of the Board, to replace Sub-Advisors or amend sub-advisory agreements, including fees, without shareholder approval whenever the Advisor and the Trustees believe such action will benefit the Fund and its shareholders.
NON-PRINCIPAL INVESTMENT STRATEGY
All Funds
In addition to the principal investment strategies discussed above, the Funds may invest in other registered and unregistered investment companies, including affiliated funds.
Catalyst/Lyons Tactical Allocation Fund
Option hedging is used to address short-term market risk while allocated to equities. Hedging is executed using index options and is determined by a combination of technical factors and market events that may be anticipated to cause short-term declines in equity markets. Additionally, hedging is conducted immediately following an allocation change between equities and fixed income, and is intended to offset the risk of whipsaws from an adverse market movement against an allocation shift. Shifts are expected to occur infrequently and in highly volatile market environments. The potential exists for the market to move in the opposite direction of the Fund’s allocation shifts in the months immediately following (e.g. market rally after shifting to defense, and vice versa). At the time of an allocation change between stocks and bonds, the Sub-Advisor may purchase calls (following a defensive shift) or puts (after re-entering stocks). Due to the low frequency of allocation shifts and the imposed use constraints, hedging is limited in frequency, scope and cost.
PRINCIPAL AND NON-PRINCIPAL INVESTMENT RISKS
All mutual funds carry a certain amount of risk. As with any mutual fund, there is no guarantee that a Fund will achieve its objective. Investment markets are unpredictable and there will be certain market conditions where the Fund will not meet its investment objective and will lose money. Each Fund’s net asset value and returns will vary and you could lose money on your investment in the Fund and those losses could be significant. An investment in the Fund is not a complete investment program.
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The table below identifies each Fund’s principal risks and non-principal risks.
Key:
Principal Risk: ●
Non-Principal Risk: ○
Not Applicable: n/a
Catalyst |
Catalyst |
Catalyst/ MAP Global Equity Fund |
Catalyst/ |
Catalyst | |
Actively Managed Funds Risk | ○ | ○ | ○ | ○ | ○ |
ADR Currency Risk | ○ | ○ | ○ | ○ | ○ |
ADRs Risk | ● | ○ | ● | ○ | ● |
Affiliated Investment Company Risk | ○ | ○ | ○ | ○ | ○ |
Allocation Risk | ○ | ○ | ○ | ● | ○ |
Asset Backed and Mortgage-Backed Security Risk | ○ | ○ | ○ | ○ | ○ |
Bank Loans Risk | ○ | ○ | ○ | ○ | ○ |
Basic Materials Industry Risk | ○ | ○ | ○ | ○ | ○ |
Business Development Companies (“BDC”) Risk | ○ | ○ | ○ | ○ | ○ |
Call Options Risk | ○ | ○ | ○ | ○ | ○ |
Capacity Risk | ○ | ○ | ○ | ○ | ○ |
Cash and Cash Equivalents Risk | ○ | ○ | ○ | ○ | ○ |
CDOs and CLOs Risk | ○ | ○ | ○ | ○ | ○ |
Changing Fixed Income Market Conditions Risk | ● | ○ | ○ | ○ | ○ |
Collateralized Bond Obligation Risk | ○ | ○ | ○ | ○ | ○ |
Commodity Risk | ● | ○ | ○ | ○ | ○ |
Common Stock Risk | ○ | ○ | ○ | ○ | ○ |
Conflict of Interest – Advisors/Sub-Advisors Risk | ○ | ○ | ○ | ○ | ○ |
Conflict of Interest – Portfolio Manager Risk | ○ | ○ | ○ | ○ | ○ |
Consumer Discretionary Sector Risk | ● | ○ | ○ | ● | ○ |
Consumer Staples Sector Risk | ○ | ○ | ● | ○ | ○ |
Convertible Securities Risk | ○ | ○ | ○ | ○ | ○ |
Counterparty Risk | ● | ○ | ○ | ○ | ○ |
Credit Default Swap Risk | ○ | ○ | ○ | ○ | ○ |
Credit Risk | ● | ○ | ○ | ○ | ○ |
Credit Risk (for Floating Rate Loans) | ○ | ○ | ○ | ○ | ○ |
Currency Risk | ● | ○ | ○ | ○ | ○ |
Debt Securities Risk | ○ | ○ | ○ | ○ | ○ |
Derivatives Risk | ● | ○ | ○ | ○ | ○ |
Distribution Policy Risk | n/a | ● | n/a | n/a | n/a |
Dividend Risk | ○ | ○ | ○ | ○ | ○ |
Dividend Yield Risk | ○ | ○ | ○ | ○ | ○ |
Duration Risk | ● | ○ | ○ | ○ | ○ |
48
Catalyst |
Catalyst |
Catalyst/ MAP Global Equity Fund |
Catalyst/ |
Catalyst | |
Emerging Markets Risk | ○ | ○ | ○ | ○ | ○ |
Energy Sector Risk | ○ | ● | ○ | ○ | ○ |
Equity REIT Risk | ○ | ○ | ○ | ○ | ○ |
Equity Security Risk | ● | ● | ● | ● | ● |
ETFs Risk | ○ | ○ | ○ | ○ | ○ |
Exchange Traded Notes Risk | ○ | ○ | ○ | ○ | ○ |
Extension Risk | ○ | ○ | ○ | ○ | ○ |
Financials Sector Risk | ● | ○ | ○ | ○ | ○ |
Fixed Income Risk | ● | ○ | ○ | ● | ○ |
Foreign Currency Risk | ○ | ○ | ○ | ○ | ○ |
Foreign Exchanges Risk | ● | ○ | ○ | ○ | ○ |
Foreign Investment Risk | ● | ○ | ○ | ○ | ○ |
Foreign Securities Risk | ○ | ● | ● | ○ | ● |
Forwards Risk | ● | ○ | ○ | ○ | ○ |
Futures Contract Risk | ● | ○ | ○ | ○ | ○ |
Futures Risk | ○ | ○ | ○ | ○ | ○ |
Geographic Concentration Risk | ○ | ○ | ○ | ○ | ○ |
Growth Stock Risk | ○ | ○ | ○ | ○ | ○ |
Healthcare Sector Risk | ● | ○ | ● | ○ | ○ |
Hedging Risk | ○ | ○ | ○ | ○ | ○ |
Income Risk | ● | ○ | ○ | ○ | ○ |
Index Risk | ○ | ○ | ○ | ○ | ○ |
Industrials Sector Risk | ● | ||||
Inflation-Indexed Bond Risk | ○ | ○ | ○ | ○ | ○ |
Inflation Protected Securities Risk | ○ | ○ | ○ | ○ | ○ |
Interest Rate Risk | ● | ○ | ○ | ○ | ○ |
Inverse ETF Risk | ○ | ○ | ○ | ○ | ○ |
Investment Model Risk | ○ | ○ | ○ | ○ | ○ |
IPO Risk | ○ | ○ | ○ | ○ | ○ |
Issuer Specific Risk | ○ | ○ | ○ | ○ | ○ |
Junk Bond Risk | ○ | ○ | ○ | ○ | ○ |
Large Capitalization Company Risk | ● | ○ | ● | ● | ● |
Leverage Risk | ● | ○ | ○ | ○ | ○ |
Leveraged ETF Risk | ○ | ○ | ○ | ○ | ○ |
Liquidity Risk | ● | ○ | ○ | ○ | ○ |
Litigation Risk | ○ | ○ | ○ | ○ | ○ |
Loan Risk | ○ | ○ | ○ | ○ | ○ |
Machinery and Electrical Equipment Industry Risk | ○ | ○ | ○ | ○ | ○ |
Management Risk | ● | ● | ● | ● | ● |
Market Risk | ● | ● | ● | ● | ● |
Market Volatility-Linked ETFs Risk | ○ | ○ | ○ | ○ | ○ |
Mega Capitalization Company Risk | ● | ||||
Medium (Mid) Capitalization Company Risk | ● | ● | ● | ● | ● |
Micro Capitalization Company Risk | ○ | ○ | ○ | ○ | ○ |
49
Catalyst |
Catalyst |
Catalyst/ MAP Global Equity Fund |
Catalyst/ |
Catalyst | |
MLP, MLP-Related Securities Risks | ○ | ● | ○ | ○ | ○ |
Model and Data Risk | ● | ○ | ○ | ● | ○ |
Mortgage REITs Risk | ○ | ○ | ○ | ○ | ○ |
Municipal Security Risk | ○ | ○ | ○ | ○ | ○ |
Non-diversification Risk | n/a | ● | n/a | n/a | ● |
Options Market Risk | ● | ○ | ○ | ○ | ○ |
Options Risk | ● | ○ | ● | ○ | ○ |
Over-the Counter (“OTC”) Trading Risk | ○ | ○ | ○ | ○ | ○ |
Preferred Stock Risk | ○ | ○ | ○ | ○ | ○ |
Prepayment and Extension Risk for Floating Rate Loans | ○ | ○ | ○ | ○ | ○ |
Prepayment Risk | ○ | ○ | ○ | ○ | ○ |
Real Estate and REIT Risk | ● | ○ | ○ | ○ | ● |
Regulatory Risk | ● | ○ | ○ | ○ | ○ |
Repurchase and Reverse Repurchase Agreement Risk | ○ | ○ | ○ | ○ | ○ |
Restricted Securities Risk | ○ | ○ | ○ | ○ | ○ |
Retail Sector Risk | ○ | ○ | ○ | ○ | ○ |
Risk Management Risk | ○ | ○ | ○ | ○ | ○ |
Sector Exposure Risk | ● | ● | ● | ● | ○ |
Security Risk | ● | ● | ● | ● | ● |
Segregation Risk |