|
Share
Class and Ticker Symbol | ||||
Fund |
Class
I |
Class
A |
Class
L |
Class
C |
Class
R6 |
Passport
Overseas Equity Portfolio |
MSACX |
MSIBX |
MSLLX |
MSAAX |
MAIJX |
Emerging
Markets Leaders Portfolio |
MELIX |
MELAX |
— |
MEMLX |
MELSX |
Emerging
Markets Portfolio |
MGEMX |
MMKBX |
MSELX |
MSEPX |
MMMPX |
Next
Gen Emerging Markets Portfolio |
MFMIX |
MFMPX |
MFMLX |
MSFEX |
MSRFX |
Emerging
Markets ex China Portfolio |
MSDUX |
MSDQX |
— |
MSDOX |
MSDMX |
|
Page |
1 | |
1 | |
7 | |
14 | |
21 | |
29 | |
34 | |
35 | |
36 | |
37 | |
39 | |
40 | |
51 | |
53 | |
68 | |
83 | |
88 | |
92 |
|
Class
I |
Class
A |
Class
L |
Class
C |
Class
R6 |
|
Maximum
sales charge (load) imposed on purchases
(as a percentage of offering price) |
None |
5.25% |
None |
None |
None |
|
Maximum
deferred sales charge (load) (as a percentage
based on the lesser of the offering price
or NAV at redemption) |
None |
None1
|
None |
1.00%2
|
None |
|
Class
I |
Class
A |
Class
L |
Class
C |
Class
R6 |
|
Advisory
Fee |
0.65% |
0.65% |
0.65% |
0.65% |
0.65% |
|
Distribution
and/or Shareholder Service (12b-1) Fee |
None |
0.25% |
0.75% |
1.00% |
None |
|
Other
Expenses |
0.43% |
0.44% |
0.50% |
0.89% |
4.90% |
|
Total
Annual Fund Operating Expenses3
|
1.08% |
1.34% |
1.90% |
2.54% |
5.55% |
|
Fee
Waiver and/or Expense Reimbursement3
|
0.18% |
0.09% |
0.15% |
0.54% |
4.70% |
|
Total
Annual Fund Operating Expenses After Fee Waiver
and/or Expense Reimbursement3
|
0.90% |
1.25% |
1.75% |
2.00% |
0.85% |
If
You SOLD Your Shares |
|||||
|
1
Year |
3
Years |
5
Years |
10
Years |
|
Class
I |
$
92 |
$
326 |
$
578 |
$
1,301 |
|
Class
A |
$
646 |
$
919 |
$
1,212 |
$
2,046 |
|
Class
L |
$
178 |
$
582 |
$
1,013 |
$
2,210 |
|
Class
C |
$
303 |
$
739 |
$
1,302 |
$
2,539 |
|
Class
R6 |
$
87 |
$
1,236 |
$
2,374 |
$
5,162 |
If
You HELD Your Shares |
|||||
|
1
Year |
3
Years |
5
Years |
10
Years |
|
Class
I |
$
92 |
$
326 |
$
578 |
$
1,301 |
|
Class
A |
$
646 |
$
919 |
$
1,212 |
$
2,046 |
|
Class
L |
$
178 |
$
582 |
$
1,013 |
$
2,210 |
|
Class
C |
$
203 |
$
739 |
$
1,302 |
$
2,539 |
|
Class
R6 |
$
87 |
$
1,236 |
$
2,374 |
$
5,162 |
1 | Investments in Class A shares that are not subject to any sales charges at the time of purchase are subject to a contingent deferred sales charge (“CDSC”) of 1.00% that will be imposed if you sell your shares within 12 months, except for certain specific circumstances. See “Shareholder Information—How To Redeem Fund Shares” for further information about the CDSC waiver categories. |
2 | The Class C CDSC is only applicable if you sell your shares within one year after the last day of the month of purchase. See “Shareholder Information—How To Redeem Fund Shares” for a complete discussion of the CDSC. |
3 | The Fund’s “Adviser,” Morgan Stanley Investment Management Inc., has agreed to reduce its advisory fee and/or reimburse the Fund so that Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses, excluding acquired fund fees and expenses (as applicable), certain investment related expenses, taxes, interest and other extraordinary expenses (including litigation), will not exceed 0.90% for Class I, 1.25% for Class A, 1.75% for Class L, 2.00% for Class C and 0.85% for Class R6. The fee waivers and/or expense reimbursements will continue for at least one year from the date of this Prospectus or until such time as the Board of Directors of Morgan Stanley Institutional Fund, Inc. (the “Company”) acts to discontinue all or a portion of such waivers and/or reimbursements when it deems such action is appropriate. |
• |
Equity
Securities.
In general, prices of equity securities are more volatile than those of
fixed-income securities. The prices of equity securities
fluctuate, and sometimes widely fluctuate, in response to activities
specific to the issuer of the security as well as factors unrelated
to the fundamental condition of the issuer, including general market,
economic, political conditions and public health conditions.
To the extent that the Fund invests in convertible securities, and the
convertible security’s investment value is greater than
its conversion value, its price will be likely to increase when interest
rates fall and decrease when interest rates rise. If the conversion
value exceeds the investment value, the price of the convertible security
will tend to fluctuate directly with the price of the
underlying security. During periods when equity securities experience
heightened volatility, such as during periods of market, economic
or financial uncertainty or distress, the Fund’s investments in equity
securities may be subject to heightened
risks. |
• |
Foreign
and Emerging Market Securities.
Investments in foreign markets entail special risks such as currency,
political (including geopolitical),
economic and market risks. There also may be greater market volatility,
less reliable financial information, less stringent
investor protections and disclosure standards, higher transaction and
custody costs, decreased market liquidity and less government
and exchange regulation associated with investments in foreign markets. In
addition, investments in certain foreign markets
that have historically been considered stable may become more volatile and
subject to increased risk due to ongoing developments
and changing conditions in such markets. Moreover, the growing
interconnectivity of global economies and financial
markets has increased the probability that adverse developments and
conditions in one country or region will affect the stability
of economies and financial markets in other countries or regions. Certain
foreign markets may rely heavily on particular industries
or foreign capital and are more vulnerable to diplomatic developments, the
imposition of economic sanctions against a particular
country or countries, organizations, companies, entities and/or
individuals, changes in international trading patterns, trade
barriers and other protectionist or retaliatory measures. Investments in
foreign markets may also be adversely affected by governmental
actions such as the imposition of capital controls, nationalization of
companies or industries, expropriation of assets or
the imposition of punitive taxes. The governments of certain countries may
prohibit or impose substantial restrictions on foreign
investing in their capital markets or in certain sectors or industries. In
addition, a foreign government may limit or cause delay
in the convertibility or repatriation of its currency which would
adversely affect the U.S. dollar value and/or liquidity of investments
denominated in that currency. Certain foreign investments may become less
liquid in response to market developments
or adverse investor perceptions, or become illiquid after purchase by the
Fund, particularly during periods of market turmoil.
When the Fund holds illiquid investments, its portfolio may be harder to
value. The risks of investing in emerging market
countries are greater than the risks associated with investments in
foreign developed countries. Certain emerging market countries
may be subject to less stringent requirements regarding accounting,
auditing, financial reporting and record keeping and therefore,
material information related to an investment may not be available or
reliable. In addition, the Fund is limited in its ability
to exercise its legal rights or enforce a counterparty’s legal obligations
in certain jurisdictions outside of the United States, in
particular, in emerging market countries. In addition, the Fund’s
investments in foreign issuers may be denominated in foreign currencies
and therefore, to the extent unhedged, the value of those investments will
fluctuate with U.S. dollar exchange rates. To the
extent hedged by the use of foreign currency forward exchange contracts,
the precise matching of the foreign currency forward exchange
contract amounts and the value of the securities involved will not
generally be possible because the future value of such securities
in foreign currencies will change as a consequence of market movements in
the value of those securities between the date on
which the contract is entered into and the date it matures. There is
additional risk that such transactions may reduce or preclude
the opportunity for gain if the value of the currency should move in the
direction opposite to the position taken and that foreign
currency forward exchange contracts create exposure to currencies in which
the Fund’s securities are not denominated. The
use of foreign currency forward exchange contracts involves the risk of
loss from the insolvency or bankruptcy of the counterparty
to the contract or the failure of the counterparty to make payments or
otherwise comply with the terms of the contract.
Economic sanctions or other similar measures may be, and have been,
imposed against certain countries, organizations, companies,
entities and/or individuals. Economic sanctions and other similar measures
could, among other things, effectively restrict
or eliminate the Fund’s ability to purchase or sell securities, negatively
impact the value or liquidity of the Fund’s investments,
significantly delay or prevent the settlement of the Fund’s securities
transactions, force the Fund to sell or otherwise dispose
of investments at inopportune times or prices, or impair the Fund’s
ability to meet its investment objective or invest in accordance
with its investment strategies. |
Variable
Interest Entities.
Chinese operating companies sometimes rely on variable interest entity
(“VIE”) structures to raise capital from
non-Chinese investors because of Chinese government limitations or
prohibitions on direct foreign ownership in certain industries.
In a VIE structure, a series of contractual arrangements are entered into
between a holding company domiciled outside of
China and a Chinese operating company or companies, which are intended to
mimic direct ownership in the operating |
company,
but in many cases these arrangements have not been tested in court and it
is not clear that the contracts are enforceable or
that the structures will otherwise work as intended. The offshore holding
company, which is not a Chinese operating company, then
issues exchange-traded shares that are sold to the public, including
non-Chinese investors (such as the Fund). Shares of the offshore
entity purchased by the Fund would not be equity ownership interests in
the Chinese operating company and the Fund’s interest
would be subject to legal, operational and other risks associated with the
company’s use of the VIE structure. For example, at
any time the Chinese government could determine that the contractual
arrangements constituting part of the VIE structure are unenforceable
or do not comply with applicable law or regulations, these laws or
regulations could change or be interpreted differently
in the future, and the Chinese government may with no advance notice
otherwise intervene in or exert influence over VIE
structures or the related Chinese operating companies. If any of these or
similar risks or developments materialize, the Fund’s investment
in the offshore entity may suddenly and significantly decline in value or
become worthless because of, among other things,
difficulty enforcing (or the inability to enforce) the contractual
arrangements or materially adverse effects on the Chinse operating
company’s performance. In these circumstances, the Fund could experience
significant losses with no recourse available. From
time to time, the Fund’s investments in U.S.-listed shell companies
relying on VIE structures to consolidate China-based operations
could be significant. |
• |
Liquidity.
The Fund may make investments that are illiquid or restricted or that may
become illiquid or less liquid in response to overall
economic conditions or adverse investor perceptions, and which may entail
greater risk than investments in other types of securities.
These investments may be more difficult to value or sell, particularly in
times of market turmoil, and there may be little trading
in the secondary market available for particular securities. If the Fund
is forced to sell an illiquid or restricted security to fund
redemptions or for other cash needs, it may be forced to sell the security
at a loss or for less than its fair
value. |
• |
Derivatives. Derivatives
and other similar instruments often have risks similar to those of the
underlying asset or instrument, including
market risk, and may have additional risks, including imperfect
correlation between the value of the derivative and the underlying
asset, risks of default by the counterparty to certain transactions,
magnification of losses incurred due to changes in the market
value of the securities, instruments, indices or interest rates to which
the derivative instrument relates, risks that the transactions
may not be liquid, risks arising from margin and payment requirements,
risks arising from mispricing or valuation complexity
and operational and legal risks. Certain derivative transactions may give
rise to a form of leverage. Leverage magnifies the
potential for gain and the risk of loss. |
• |
Market
and Geopolitical Risk.
The value of your investment in the Fund is based on the values of the
Fund’s investments, which may
change due to economic and other events that affect markets generally, as
well as those that affect particular regions, countries,
industries, companies or governments. These events may be sudden and
unexpected, and could adversely affect the liquidity
of the Fund’s investments, which may in turn impact valuation, the Fund’s
ability to sell securities and/or its ability to meet
redemptions. The risks associated with these developments may be magnified
if certain social, political, economic and other conditions
and events (such as war, natural disasters, epidemics and pandemics,
terrorism, conflicts, social unrest, recessions, inflation,
rapid interest rate changes and supply chain disruptions) adversely
interrupt the global economy and financial markets. It
is difficult to predict when events affecting the U.S. or global financial
markets may occur, the effects that such events may have and
the duration of those effects (which may last for extended periods). These
events may negatively impact broad segments of businesses
and populations and have a significant and rapid negative impact on the
performance of the Fund’s investments, adversely
affect and increase the volatility of the Fund’s share price
and exacerbate pre-existing risks to the
Fund. |
• |
Active
Management Risk.
In pursuing the Fund’s investment objective, the Adviser has considerable
leeway in deciding which investments
to buy, hold or sell on a day-to-day basis, and which trading strategies
to use. For example, the Adviser, in its discretion,
may determine to use some permitted trading strategies while not using
others. The success or failure of such decisions will
affect the Fund’s performance. |
High
Quarter |
06/30/20 |
22.22% |
Low
Quarter |
03/31/20 |
-21.66% |
|
Past
One Year |
Past
Five Years |
Past
Ten Years |
Since
Inception |
Class
I
(commenced operations on 1/17/1992) | ||||
Return
Before Taxes |
-21.57% |
1.70% |
4.19% |
5.35% |
Return
After Taxes on Distributions1
|
-21.76% |
1.20% |
3.69% |
4.25% |
Return
After Taxes on Distributions and Sale of Fund
Shares |
-12.42% |
1.48% |
3.40% |
4.11% |
Class
A
(commenced operations on 1/2/1996) | ||||
Return
Before Taxes |
-25.86% |
0.31% |
3.29% |
4.40% |
Class
L
(commenced operations on 6/14/2012) | ||||
Return
Before Taxes |
-22.22% |
0.85% |
3.30% |
4.83% |
Class
C
(commenced operations on 4/30/2015) | ||||
Return
Before Taxes |
-23.20% |
0.60% |
N/A |
1.37% |
Class
R6 (commenced
operations on 10/31/2019) |
|
|
|
|
Return
Before Taxes |
-21.45% |
N/A |
N/A |
3.79% |
MSCI
All Country World ex USA Index (reflects no deduction
for fees, expenses or taxes)2
|
-16.00% |
0.88% |
3.80% |
5.27%3
|
Active
International Allocation Blend Index (reflects
no deduction for fees, expenses or taxes)4
|
-16.00% |
0.88% |
4.51% |
5.10%3
|
Lipper
International Large-Cap Growth Funds Index
(reflects no deduction for taxes)5
|
-21.89% |
2.49% |
4.94% |
N/A |
1 | These returns do not reflect any tax consequences from a sale of your shares at the end of each period. |
2 | The MSCI All Country World ex USA Index is a free float-adjusted market capitalization weighted index designed to measure the equity market performance of developed and emerging markets, excluding the United States. The term “free float” represents the portion of shares outstanding that are deemed to be available for purchase in the public equity markets by investors. The performance of the index is listed in U.S. dollars and assumes reinvestment of net dividends. Returns, including periods prior to January 1, 2001, are calculated using the return data of the MSCI All Country World ex USA Index (gross dividends) through December 31, 2000 and the return data of the MSCI All Country World ex USA Index (net dividends) after December 31, 2000. Net total return indices reinvest dividends after the deduction of withholding taxes, using (for international indices) a tax rate applicable to non-resident institutional investors who do not benefit from double taxation treaties. It is not possible to invest directly in an index. |
3 | Since Inception reflects the inception date of Class I. |
4 | The Active International Allocation Blend Index is a performance linked benchmark of the old and new benchmark of the Fund, the old benchmark represented by MSCI EAFE Index (index that is designed to measure the international equity market performance of developed markets, excluding the United States and Canada) from the Fund’s inception to December 31, 2016 and the new benchmark represented by MSCI All Country World ex USA Index for periods thereafter. It is not possible to invest directly in an index. |
5 | The Lipper International Large-Cap Growth Funds Index is an equally-weighted performance index of the largest qualifying funds (based on net assets) in the Lipper International Large-Cap Growth Funds classification. There are currently 30 funds represented in this index. |
Name |
Title
with Adviser |
Date
Began Managing Fund |
Ben
V. Rozin |
Executive
Director of the Adviser |
April
2017 |
Jitania
Kandhari |
Managing
Director of the Adviser |
April
2017 |
|
Class
I |
Class
A |
Class
C |
Class
R6 |
|
Maximum
sales charge (load) imposed on purchases (as a percentage
of offering price) |
None |
5.25% |
None |
None |
|
Maximum
deferred sales charge (load) (as a percentage based on
the lesser of the offering price or NAV at redemption) |
None |
None1
|
1.00%2
|
None |
|
Redemption
Fee (as a percentage of the amount redeemed on redemptions
made within 30 days of purchase) |
2.00% |
2.00% |
2.00% |
2.00% |
|
Class
I |
Class
A |
Class
C |
Class
R6 |
|
Advisory
Fee3
|
0.75% |
0.75% |
0.75% |
0.75% |
|
Distribution
and/or Shareholder Service (12b-1) Fee |
None |
0.25% |
1.00% |
None |
|
Other
Expenses |
0.40% |
0.43% |
0.41% |
0.33% |
|
Total
Annual Fund Operating Expenses4
|
1.15% |
1.43% |
2.16% |
1.08% |
|
Fee
Waiver and/or Expense Reimbursement4
|
0.10% |
0.03% |
0.01% |
0.08% |
|
Total
Annual Fund Operating Expenses After Fee Waiver and/or Expense
Reimbursement4
|
1.05% |
1.40% |
2.15% |
1.00% |
If
You SOLD Your Shares |
|||||
|
1
Year |
3
Years |
5
Years |
10
Years |
|
Class
I |
$
107 |
$
355 |
$
623 |
$
1,389 |
|
Class
A |
$
660 |
$
951 |
$
1,263 |
$
2,146 |
|
Class
C |
$
318 |
$
675 |
$
1,158 |
$
2,307 |
|
Class
R6 |
$
102 |
$
336 |
$
588 |
$
1,310 |
If
You HELD Your Shares |
|||||
|
1
Year |
3
Years |
5
Years |
10
Years |
|
Class
I |
$
107 |
$
355 |
$
623 |
$
1,389 |
|
Class
A |
$
660 |
$
951 |
$
1,263 |
$
2,146 |
|
Class
C |
$
218 |
$
675 |
$
1,158 |
$
2,307 |
|
Class
R6 |
$
102 |
$
336 |
$
588 |
$
1,310 |
1 | Investments in Class A shares that are not subject to any sales charges at the time of purchase are subject to a contingent deferred sales charge (“CDSC”) of 1.00% that will be imposed if you sell your shares within 12 months, except for certain specific circumstances. See “Shareholder Information—How To Redeem Fund Shares” for further information about the CDSC waiver categories. |
2 | The Class C CDSC is only applicable if you sell your shares within one year after the last day of the month of purchase. See “Shareholder Information—How To Redeem Fund Shares” for a complete discussion of the CDSC. |
3 | The Advisory Fee has been restated to reflect the decrease in the advisory fee schedule effective after the close of business on September 30, 2022. |
4 | The Fund’s “Adviser,” Morgan Stanley Investment Management Inc., has agreed to reduce its advisory fee and/or reimburse the Fund so that Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses, excluding acquired fund fees and expenses (as applicable), certain investment related expenses, taxes, interest and other extraordinary expenses (including litigation), will not exceed 1.05% for Class I, 1.40% for Class A, 2.15% for Class C and 1.00% for Class R6. The fee waivers and/or expense reimbursements will continue for at least one year from the date of this Prospectus or until such time as the Board of Directors of Morgan Stanley Institutional Fund, Inc. (the “Company”) acts to discontinue all or a portion of such waivers and/or reimbursements when it deems such action is appropriate. Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses and Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses After Fee Waiver and/or Expense Reimbursement have been restated to reflect the decrease in the expense limitation arrangement effective after the close of business on September 30, 2022. |
• |
Equity
Securities.
In general, prices of equity securities are more volatile than those of
fixed-income securities. The prices of equity securities
fluctuate, and sometimes widely fluctuate, in response to activities
specific to the issuer of the security as well as factors unrelated
to the fundamental condition of the issuer, including general market,
economic, political conditions and public health conditions.
To the extent that the Fund invests in convertible securities, and the
convertible security’s investment value is greater than
its conversion value, its price will be likely to increase when interest
rates fall and decrease when interest rates rise. If the conversion
value exceeds the investment value, the price of the convertible security
will tend to fluctuate directly with the price of the
underlying security. During periods when equity securities experience
heightened volatility, such as during periods of market, economic
or financial uncertainty or distress, the Fund’s investments in equity
securities may be subject to heightened
risks. |
• |
Foreign
and Emerging Market Securities.
Investments in foreign markets entail special risks such as currency,
political (including geopolitical),
economic and market risks. There also may be greater market volatility,
less reliable financial information, less stringent
investor protections and disclosure standards, higher transaction and
custody costs, decreased market liquidity and less government
and exchange regulation associated with investments in foreign markets. In
addition, investments in certain foreign markets
that have historically been considered stable may become more volatile and
subject to increased risk due to ongoing developments
and changing conditions in such markets. Moreover, the growing
interconnectivity of global economies and financial
markets has increased the probability that adverse developments and
conditions in one country or region will affect the stability
of economies and financial markets in other countries or regions. Certain
foreign markets may rely heavily on particular industries
or foreign capital and are more vulnerable to diplomatic developments, the
imposition of economic sanctions against a particular
country or countries, organizations, companies, entities and/or
individuals, changes in international trading patterns, trade
barriers and other protectionist or retaliatory measures. Investments in
foreign markets may also be adversely affected by governmental
actions such as the imposition of capital controls, nationalization of
companies or industries, expropriation of assets or
the imposition of punitive taxes. The governments of certain countries may
prohibit or impose substantial restrictions on foreign
investing in their capital markets or in certain sectors or industries. In
addition, a foreign government may limit or cause delay
in the convertibility or repatriation of its currency which would
adversely affect the U.S. dollar value and/or liquidity of investments
denominated in that currency. Certain foreign investments may become less
liquid in response to market developments
or adverse investor perceptions, or become illiquid after purchase by the
Fund, particularly during periods of market turmoil.
When the Fund holds illiquid investments, its portfolio may be harder to
value. The risks of investing in emerging market
countries are greater than the risks associated with investments in
foreign developed countries. Certain emerging market countries
may be subject to less stringent requirements regarding accounting,
auditing, financial reporting and record keeping and therefore,
material information related to an investment may not be available or
reliable. In addition, the Fund is limited in its ability
to exercise its legal rights or enforce a counterparty’s legal obligations
in certain jurisdictions outside of the United States, in
particular, in emerging market countries. In addition, the Fund’s
investments in foreign issuers may be denominated in foreign currencies
and therefore, to the extent unhedged, the value of those investments will
fluctuate with U.S. dollar exchange rates. To the
extent hedged by the use of foreign currency forward exchange contracts,
the precise matching of the foreign currency forward exchange
contract amounts and the value of the securities involved will not
generally be possible because the future value of such securities
in foreign currencies will change as a consequence of market movements in
the value of those securities between the date on
which the contract is entered into and the date it matures. There is
additional risk that such transactions may reduce or preclude
the opportunity for gain if the value of the currency should move in the
direction opposite to the position taken and that foreign
currency forward exchange contracts create exposure to currencies in which
the Fund’s securities are not denominated. The
use of foreign currency forward exchange contracts involves the risk of
loss from the insolvency or bankruptcy of the counterparty
to the contract or the failure of the counterparty to make payments or
otherwise comply with the terms of the contract.
Economic sanctions or other similar measures may be, and have been,
imposed against certain countries, organizations, companies,
entities and/or individuals. Economic sanctions and other similar measures
could, among other things, effectively |
restrict
or eliminate the Fund’s ability to purchase or sell securities, negatively
impact the value or liquidity of the Fund’s investments,
significantly delay or prevent the settlement of the Fund’s securities
transactions, force the Fund to sell or otherwise dispose
of investments at inopportune times or prices, or impair the Fund’s
ability to meet its investment objective or invest in accordance
with its investment strategies. |
• |
China
Risk.
Investments in securities of Chinese issuers, including A shares, involve
risks associated with investments in foreign markets
as well as special considerations not typically associated with
investments in the U.S. securities markets. For example, the Chinese
government has historically exercised substantial control over virtually
every sector of the Chinese economy through administrative
regulation and/or state ownership and actions of the Chinese central and
local government authorities continue to have
a substantial effect on economic conditions in China. In addition, the
Chinese government has taken actions that influenced the
prices at which certain goods may be sold, encouraged companies to invest
or concentrate in particular industries, induced mergers
between companies in certain industries and induced private companies to
publicly offer their securities. Investments in China
involve risk of a total loss due to government action or inaction.
Additionally, the Chinese economy is export-driven and highly
reliant on trade. Adverse changes to the economic conditions of its
primary trading partners, such as the United States, Japan
and South Korea, would adversely impact the Chinese economy and the Fund’s
investments. Moreover, a slowdown in other
significant economies of the world, such as the United States, the
European Union and certain Asian countries, may adversely
affect economic growth in China. An economic downturn in China would
adversely impact the Fund’s investments. In addition,
certain securities are, or may in the future, become restricted, and/or
sanctioned by the U.S. government or other governments
and the Fund may be forced to sell such restricted securities and incur a
loss as a result. |
These
and other developments, including government actions, may result in
significant illiquidity risk or forced disposition for Chinese
investments. The Chinese securities markets are emerging markets
characterized by a relatively small number of equity issues
and relatively low trading volume, resulting in decreased liquidity,
greater price volatility (caused by, among other things, military,
diplomatic, or trade conflicts), and potentially fewer investment
opportunities for the Fund. Ongoing political tension between
the People’s Republic of China and the Hong Kong Special Administrative
Region may have impacts on the economy of Hong
Kong, and these impacts remain uncertain. |
Risks
of Investing through Stock Connect.
The Fund may invest in A-shares listed and traded through Stock Connect,
or on such other
stock exchanges in China which participate in Stock Connect from time to
time or in the future. Trading through Stock Connect
is subject to a number of restrictions that may affect the Fund’s
investments and returns. Moreover, Stock Connect A-shares
generally may not be sold, purchased or otherwise transferred other than
through Stock Connect in accordance with applicable
rules. The Stock Connect program is a relatively new program and may be
subject to further interpretation and guidance.
There can be no assurance as to the program’s continued existence or
whether future developments regarding the program
may restrict or adversely affect the Fund’s investments or returns.
Because certain transactions through Stock Connect may
not be subject to certain investor protection programs, the Fund may be
exposed to the risks of default of the broker(s) they engage
in their trading in China A Shares. |
Variable
Interest Entities.
Chinese operating companies sometimes rely on variable interest entity
(“VIE”) structures to raise capital from
non-Chinese investors because of Chinese government limitations or
prohibitions on direct foreign ownership in certain industries.
In a VIE structure, a series of contractual arrangements are entered into
between a holding company domiciled outside of
China and a Chinese operating company or companies, which are intended to
mimic direct ownership in the operating company,
but in many cases these arrangements have not been tested in court and it
is not clear that the contracts are enforceable or
that the structures will otherwise work as intended. The offshore holding
company, which is not a Chinese operating company, then
issues exchange-traded shares that are sold to the public, including
non-Chinese investors (such as the Fund). Shares of the offshore
entity purchased by the Fund would not be equity ownership interests in
the Chinese operating company and the Fund’s interest
would be subject to legal, operational and other risks associated with the
company’s use of the VIE structure. For example, at
any time the Chinese government could determine that the contractual
arrangements constituting part of the VIE structure are unenforceable
or do not comply with applicable law or regulations, these laws or
regulations could change or be interpreted differently
in the future, and the Chinese government may with no advance notice
otherwise intervene in or exert influence over VIE
structures or the related Chinese operating companies. If any of these or
similar risks or developments materialize, the Fund’s investment
in the offshore entity may suddenly and significantly decline in value or
become worthless because of, among other things,
difficulty enforcing (or the inability to enforce) the contractual
arrangements or materially adverse effects on the Chinse operating
company’s performance. In these circumstances, the Fund could experience
significant losses with no recourse available. From
time to time, the Fund’s investments in U.S.-listed shell companies
relying on VIE structures to consolidate China-based operations
could be significant. |
• |
Small
and Mid Cap Companies.
Investments in small and mid cap companies may involve greater risks than
investments in larger, more
established companies. The securities issued by small and mid cap
companies may be less liquid and such companies may have
more limited markets, financial resources and product lines, and may lack
the depth of management of larger
companies. |
• |
Liquidity.
The Fund may make investments that are illiquid or restricted or that may
become illiquid or less liquid in response to overall
economic conditions or adverse investor perceptions, and which may entail
greater risk than investments in other types of
|
securities.
These investments may be more difficult to value or sell, particularly in
times of market turmoil, and there may be little trading
in the secondary market available for particular securities. If the Fund
is forced to sell an illiquid or restricted security to fund
redemptions or for other cash needs, it may be forced to sell the security
at a loss or for less than its fair
value. |
• |
Derivatives. Derivatives
and other similar instruments often have risks similar to those of the
underlying asset or instrument, including
market risk, and may have additional risks, including imperfect
correlation between the value of the derivative and the underlying
asset, risks of default by the counterparty to certain transactions,
magnification of losses incurred due to changes in the market
value of the securities, instruments, indices or interest rates to which
the derivative instrument relates, risks that the transactions
may not be liquid, risks arising from margin and payment requirements,
risks arising from mispricing or valuation complexity
and operational and legal risks. Certain derivative transactions may give
rise to a form of leverage. Leverage magnifies the
potential for gain and the risk of loss. |
• |
Non-Diversification.
The Fund is non-diversified, which means that the Fund may invest a
greater percentage of its assets in a smaller
number of issuers than a diversified fund. Because the Fund is
non-diversified, it may be more susceptible to an adverse event
affecting a single issuer or portfolio investment than a diversified
portfolio and a decline in the value of that issuer’s securities
or that portfolio investment may cause the Fund’s overall value to decline
to a greater degree than a diversified
portfolio. |
• |
Market
and Geopolitical Risk.
The value of your investment in the Fund is based on the values of the
Fund’s investments, which may
change due to economic and other events that affect markets generally, as
well as those that affect particular regions, countries,
industries, companies or governments. These events may be sudden and
unexpected, and could adversely affect the liquidity
of the Fund’s investments, which may in turn impact valuation, the Fund’s
ability to sell securities and/or its ability to meet
redemptions. The risks associated with these developments may be magnified
if certain social, political, economic and other conditions
and events (such as war, natural disasters, epidemics and pandemics,
terrorism, conflicts, social unrest, recessions, inflation,
rapid interest rate changes and supply chain disruptions) adversely
interrupt the global economy and financial markets. It
is difficult to predict when events affecting the U.S. or global financial
markets may occur, the effects that such events may have and
the duration of those effects (which may last for extended periods). These
events may negatively impact broad segments of businesses
and populations and have a significant and rapid negative impact on the
performance of the Fund’s investments, adversely
affect and increase the volatility of the Fund’s share price
and exacerbate pre-existing risks to the
Fund. |
• |
Active
Management Risk.
In pursuing the Fund’s investment objective, the Adviser has considerable
leeway in deciding which investments
to buy, hold or sell on a day-to-day basis, and which trading strategies
to use. For example, the Adviser, in its discretion,
may determine to use some permitted trading strategies while not using
others. The success or failure of such decisions will
affect the Fund’s performance. |
* | Performance shown for the Fund’s Class I shares reflects the performance of the limited partnership interests of the Private Fund for periods prior to the Emerging Markets Leaders Reorganization. |
High
Quarter |
06/30/20 |
32.55% |
Low
Quarter |
03/31/20 |
-19.69% |
|
Past
One Year |
Past
Five Years |
Past
Ten Years |
Since
Inception |
Class
I1 (commenced
operations on 6/30/2011) |
|
|||
Return
Before Taxes1
|
-33.49% |
3.26% |
3.84% |
3.95% |
Return
After Taxes on Distributions1,2
|
-33.49% |
2.87% |
3.61% |
3.75% |
Return
After Taxes on Distributions and Sale of Fund
Shares1
|
-19.82% |
2.56% |
3.07% |
3.18% |
Class
A1 (commenced
operations on 6/30/2011) |
|
|||
Return
Before Taxes1
|
-37.18% |
1.80% |
2.97% |
3.19% |
Class
C
(commenced operations on 4/30/2015) |
|
|||
Return
Before Taxes |
-34.84% |
2.13% |
N/A |
3.06% |
Class
R61 (commenced
operations on 6/30/2011) |
|
|||
Return
Before Taxes1
|
-33.42% |
3.34% |
3.88% |
3.99% |
MSCI
Emerging Markets Net Index (reflects no deduction
for fees, expenses or taxes)3
|
-20.09% |
-1.40% |
1.44% |
0.85%4
|
Lipper
Emerging Markets Funds Index (reflects no deduction
for taxes)5
|
-22.34% |
-1.13% |
1.67% |
1.24%4
|
1 | Performance shown for the Fund’s Class I, Class A and Class R6 shares reflects the performance of the limited partnership interests of the Private Fund for periods prior to the Emerging Markets Leaders Reorganization, adjusted to reflect any applicable sales charge of the class, but not adjusted for any other differences in expenses. If adjusted for other expenses, returns would be different. |
2 | These returns do not reflect any tax consequences from a sale of your shares at the end of each period. |
3 | The MSCI Emerging Markets Net Index is a free float-adjusted market capitalization weighted index that is designed to measure equity market performance of emerging markets. The term “free float” represents the portion of shares outstanding that are deemed to be available for purchase in the public equity markets by investors. The MSCI Emerging Markets Net Index currently consists of 24 emerging market country indices. The performance of the index is listed in U.S. dollars and assumes reinvestment of net dividends. Net total return indices reinvest dividends after the deduction of withholding taxes, using (for international indices) a tax rate applicable to non-resident institutional investors who do not benefit from double taxation treaties. It is not possible to invest directly in an index. |
4 | Since Inception reflects the inception date of Class I. |
5 | The Lipper Emerging Markets Funds Index is an equally-weighted performance index of the largest qualifying funds (based on net assets) in the Lipper Emerging Markets Funds classification. There are currently 30 funds represented in this index. |
Name |
Title
with Sub-Adviser |
Date
Began Managing Fund |
Vishal
Gupta |
Managing
Director of MSIM Company |
November
2015 |
|
Class
I |
Class
A |
Class
L |
Class
C |
Class
R6 |
|
Maximum
sales charge (load) imposed on purchases
(as a percentage of offering price) |
None |
5.25% |
None |
None |
None |
|
Maximum
deferred sales charge (load) (as a percentage
based on the lesser of the offering price
or NAV at redemption) |
None |
None1
|
None |
1.00%2
|
None |
|
Redemption
Fee (as a percentage of the amount redeemed
on redemptions made within 30 days of
purchase) |
2.00% |
2.00% |
2.00% |
2.00% |
2.00% |
|
Class
I |
Class
A |
Class
L |
Class
C |
Class
R6 |
|
Advisory
Fee3
|
0.75% |
0.75% |
0.75% |
0.75% |
0.75% |
|
Distribution
and/or Shareholder Service (12b-1) Fee |
None |
0.25% |
0.75% |
1.00% |
None |
|
Other
Expenses |
0.32% |
0.39% |
1.29% |
1.13% |
0.22% |
|
Total
Annual Fund Operating Expenses 4
|
1.07% |
1.39% |
2.79% |
2.88% |
0.97% |
|
Fee
Waiver and/or Expense Reimbursement4
|
0.08% |
0.04% |
0.94% |
0.78% |
0.02% |
|
Total
Annual Fund Operating Expenses After Fee Waiver
and/or Expense Reimbursement4
|
0.99% |
1.35% |
1.85% |
2.10% |
0.95% |
If
You SOLD Your Shares |
|||||
|
1
Year |
3
Years |
5
Years |
10
Years |
|
Class
I |
$
101 |
$
332 |
$
582 |
$
1,298 |
|
Class
A |
$
655 |
$
938 |
$
1,242 |
$
2,103 |
|
Class
L |
$
188 |
$
776 |
$
1,391 |
$
3,050 |
|
Class
C |
$
313 |
$
818 |
$
1,450 |
$
2,791 |
|
Class
R6 |
$
97 |
$
307 |
$
534 |
$
1,188 |
If
You HELD Your Shares |
|||||
|
1
Year |
3
Years |
5
Years |
10
Years |
|
Class
I |
$
101 |
$
332 |
$
582 |
$
1,298 |
|
Class
A |
$
655 |
$
938 |
$
1,242 |
$
2,103 |
|
Class
L |
$
188 |
$
776 |
$
1,391 |
$
3,050 |
|
Class
C |
$
213 |
$
818 |
$
1,450 |
$
2,791 |
|
Class
R6 |
$
97 |
$
307 |
$
534 |
$
1,188 |
1 | Investments in Class A shares that are not subject to any sales charges at the time of purchase are subject to a contingent deferred sales charge (“CDSC”) of 1.00% that will be imposed if you sell your shares within 12 months, except for certain specific circumstances. See “Shareholder Information—How To Redeem Fund Shares” for further information about the CDSC waiver categories. |
2 | The Class C CDSC is only applicable if you sell your shares within one year after the last day of the month of purchase. See “Shareholder Information—How To Redeem Fund Shares” for a complete discussion of the CDSC. |
3 | The Advisory Fee has been restated to reflect the decrease in the advisory fee schedule effective April 28, 2023. |
4 | The Fund’s “Adviser,” Morgan Stanley Investment Management Inc., has agreed to reduce its advisory fee and/or reimburse the Fund so that Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses, excluding acquired fund fees and expenses (as applicable), certain investment related expenses, taxes, interest and other extraordinary expenses (including litigation), will not exceed 0.99% for Class I, 1.35% for Class A, 1.85% for Class L, 2.10% for Class C and 0.95% for Class R6. The fee waivers and/or expense reimbursements will continue for at least one year from the date of this Prospectus or until such time as the Board of Directors of Morgan Stanley Institutional Fund, Inc. (the “Company”) acts to discontinue all or a portion of such waivers and/or reimbursements when it deems such action is appropriate. Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses and Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses After Fee Waiver and/or Expense Reimbursement have been restated to reflect the decrease in the expense limitation arrangement effective April 28, 2023. |
• |
Equity
Securities.
In general, prices of equity securities are more volatile than those of
fixed-income securities. The prices of equity securities
fluctuate, and sometimes widely fluctuate, in response to activities
specific to the issuer of the security as well as factors unrelated
to the fundamental condition of the issuer, including general market,
economic, political conditions and public health conditions.
During periods when equity securities experience heightened volatility,
such as during periods of market, economic or financial
uncertainty or distress, the Fund’s investments in equity securities may
be subject to heightened risks. |
• |
Foreign
and Emerging Market Securities.
Investments in foreign markets entail special risks such as currency,
political (including geopolitical),
economic and market risks. There also may be greater market volatility,
less reliable financial information, less stringent
investor protections and disclosure standards, higher transaction and
custody costs, decreased market liquidity and less government
and exchange regulation associated with investments in foreign markets. In
addition, investments in certain foreign markets
that have historically been considered stable may become more volatile and
subject to increased risk due to ongoing developments
and changing conditions in such markets. Moreover, the growing
interconnectivity of global economies and financial
markets has increased the probability that adverse developments and
conditions in one country or region will affect the stability
of economies and financial markets in other countries or regions. Certain
foreign markets may rely heavily on particular industries
or foreign capital and are more vulnerable to diplomatic developments, the
imposition of economic sanctions against a particular
country or countries, organizations, companies, entities and/or
individuals, changes in international trading patterns, trade
barriers and other protectionist or retaliatory measures. Investments in
foreign markets may also be adversely affected by governmental
actions such as the imposition of capital controls, nationalization of
companies or industries, expropriation of assets or
the imposition of punitive taxes. The governments of certain countries may
prohibit or impose substantial restrictions on foreign
investing in their capital markets or in certain sectors or industries. In
addition, a foreign government may limit or cause delay
in the convertibility or repatriation of its currency which would
adversely affect the U.S. dollar value and/or liquidity of investments
denominated in that currency. Certain foreign investments may become less
liquid in response to market developments
or adverse investor perceptions, or become illiquid after purchase by the
Fund, particularly during periods of market turmoil.
When the Fund holds illiquid investments, its portfolio may be harder to
value. The risks of investing in emerging market
countries are greater than the risks associated with investments in
foreign developed countries. Certain emerging market countries
may be subject to less stringent requirements regarding accounting,
auditing, financial reporting and record keeping and therefore,
material information related to an investment may not be available or
reliable. In addition, the Fund is limited in its ability
to exercise its legal rights or enforce a counterparty’s legal obligations
in certain jurisdictions outside of the United States, in
particular, in emerging market countries. In addition, the Fund’s
investments in foreign issuers may be denominated in foreign currencies
and therefore, to the extent unhedged, the value of those investments will
fluctuate with U.S. dollar exchange rates. To the
extent hedged by the use of foreign currency forward exchange contracts,
the precise matching of the foreign currency forward exchange
contract amounts and the value of the securities involved will not
generally be possible because the future value of such securities
in foreign currencies will change as a consequence of market movements in
the value of those securities between the date on
which the contract is entered into and the date it matures. There is
additional risk that such transactions may reduce or preclude
the opportunity for gain if the value of the currency should move in the
direction opposite to the position taken and that foreign
currency forward exchange contracts create exposure to currencies in which
the Fund’s securities are not denominated. The
use of foreign currency forward exchange contracts involves the risk of
loss from the insolvency or bankruptcy of the counterparty
to the contract or the failure of the counterparty to make payments or
otherwise comply with the terms of the contract.
Economic sanctions or other similar measures may be, and have been,
imposed against certain countries, organizations, companies,
entities and/or individuals. Economic sanctions and other similar measures
could, among other things, effectively restrict
or eliminate the Fund’s ability to purchase or sell securities, negatively
impact the value or liquidity of the Fund’s investments,
significantly delay or prevent the settlement of the Fund’s securities
transactions, force the Fund to sell or otherwise dispose
of investments at inopportune times or prices, or impair the Fund’s
ability to meet its investment objective or invest in accordance
with its investment strategies. |
• |
Foreign
Currency.
The Fund’s investments in foreign securities may be denominated in foreign
currencies. The value of foreign currencies
may fluctuate relative to the value of the U.S. dollar. Since the Fund may
invest in such non-U.S. dollar-denominated securities,
and therefore may convert the value of such securities into U.S. dollars,
changes in currency exchange rates can increase or
decrease the U.S. dollar value of the Fund’s assets. Currency exchange
rates may fluctuate significantly over short periods of time
for a number of reasons, including changes in interest rates and the
overall economic health of the issuer. Devaluation of a currency
by a country’s government or banking authority also will have a
significant impact on the value of any investments denominated
in that currency. The Adviser may use derivatives to reduce this risk. The
Adviser may in its discretion choose not to
|
hedge
against currency risk. In addition, certain market conditions may make it
impossible or uneconomical to hedge against currency
risk. |
• |
China
Risk.
Investments in securities of Chinese issuers, including A shares, involve
risks associated with investments in foreign markets
as well as special considerations not typically associated with
investments in the U.S. securities markets. For example, the Chinese
government has historically exercised substantial control over virtually
every sector of the Chinese economy through administrative
regulation and/or state ownership and actions of the Chinese central and
local government authorities continue to have
a substantial effect on economic conditions in China. In addition, the
Chinese government has taken actions that influenced the
prices at which certain goods may be sold, encouraged companies to invest
or concentrate in particular industries, induced mergers
between companies in certain industries and induced private companies to
publicly offer their securities. Investments in China
involve risk of a total loss due to government action or inaction.
Additionally, the Chinese economy is export-driven and highly
reliant on trade. Adverse changes to the economic conditions of its
primary trading partners, such as the United States, Japan
and South Korea, would adversely impact the Chinese economy and the Fund’s
investments. Moreover, a slowdown in other
significant economies of the world, such as the United States, the
European Union and certain Asian countries, may adversely
affect economic growth in China. An economic downturn in China would
adversely impact the Fund’s investments. In addition,
certain securities are, or may in the future, become restricted, and/or
sanctioned by the U.S. government or other governments
and the Fund may be forced to sell such restricted securities and incur a
loss as a result. |
These
and other developments, including government actions, may result in
significant illiquidity risk or forced disposition for Chinese
investments. The Chinese securities markets are emerging markets
characterized by a relatively small number of equity issues
and relatively low trading volume, resulting in decreased liquidity,
greater price volatility (caused by, among other things, military,
diplomatic, or trade conflicts), and potentially fewer investment
opportunities for the Fund. Ongoing political tension between
the People’s Republic of China and the Hong Kong Special Administrative
Region may have impacts on the economy of Hong
Kong, and these impacts remain uncertain. |
Risks
of Investing through Stock Connect.
The Fund may invest in A-shares listed and traded through Stock Connect,
or on such other
stock exchanges in China which participate in Stock Connect from time to
time or in the future. Trading through Stock Connect
is subject to a number of restrictions that may affect the Fund’s
investments and returns. Moreover, Stock Connect A-shares
generally may not be sold, purchased or otherwise transferred other than
through Stock Connect in accordance with applicable
rules. The Stock Connect program is a relatively new program and may be
subject to further interpretation and guidance.
There can be no assurance as to the program’s continued existence or
whether future developments regarding the program
may restrict or adversely affect the Fund’s investments or returns.
Because certain transactions through Stock Connect may
not be subject to certain investor protection programs, the Fund may be
exposed to the risks of default of the broker(s) they engage
in their trading in China A Shares. |
Variable
Interest Entities.
Chinese operating companies sometimes rely on variable interest entity
(“VIE”) structures to raise capital from
non-Chinese investors because of Chinese government limitations or
prohibitions on direct foreign ownership in certain industries.
In a VIE structure, a series of contractual arrangements are entered into
between a holding company domiciled outside of
China and a Chinese operating company or companies, which are intended to
mimic direct ownership in the operating company,
but in many cases these arrangements have not been tested in court and it
is not clear that the contracts are enforceable or
that the structures will otherwise work as intended. The offshore holding
company, which is not a Chinese operating company, then
issues exchange-traded shares that are sold to the public, including
non-Chinese investors (such as the Fund). Shares of the offshore
entity purchased by the Fund would not be equity ownership interests in
the Chinese operating company and the Fund’s interest
would be subject to legal, operational and other risks associated with the
company’s use of the VIE structure. For example, at
any time the Chinese government could determine that the contractual
arrangements constituting part of the VIE structure are unenforceable
or do not comply with applicable law or regulations, these laws or
regulations could change or be interpreted differently
in the future, and the Chinese government may with no advance notice
otherwise intervene in or exert influence over VIE
structures or the related Chinese operating companies. If any of these or
similar risks or developments materialize, the Fund’s investment
in the offshore entity may suddenly and significantly decline in value or
become worthless because of, among other things,
difficulty enforcing (or the inability to enforce) the contractual
arrangements or materially adverse effects on the Chinse operating
company’s performance. In these circumstances, the Fund could experience
significant losses with no recourse available. From
time to time, the Fund’s investments in U.S.-listed shell companies
relying on VIE structures to consolidate China-based operations
could be significant. |
• |
India
Risk.
To the extent that the Fund invests a substantial portion of its assets in
Indian issuers, the value of the Fund’s assets may
be adversely affected by political, economic, social and religious factors
impacting Indian businesses and the Indian economy, changes
in Indian law or regulations and the status of India’s relations with
other countries. Indian government actions in the future
could have a significant effect on the Indian economy, which could affect
private sector companies and the Fund, market conditions,
and prices and yields of securities in the Fund’s portfolio. To the extent
the Fund invests a significant portion of its assets
in Indian businesses and the Indian economy, factors that have an adverse
impact on Indian businesses and the Indian economy
may have a disproportionate impact on the Fund’s
performance. |
• |
Liquidity.
The Fund may make investments that are illiquid or restricted or that may
become illiquid or less liquid in response to overall
economic conditions or adverse investor perceptions, and which may entail
greater risk than investments in other types of securities.
These investments may be more difficult to value or sell, particularly in
times of market turmoil, and there may be little trading
in the secondary market available for particular securities. If the Fund
is forced to sell an illiquid or restricted security to fund
redemptions or for other cash needs, it may be forced to sell the security
at a loss or for less than its fair
value. |
• |
Derivatives. Derivatives
and other similar instruments often have risks similar to those of the
underlying asset or instrument, including
market risk, and may have additional risks, including imperfect
correlation between the value of the derivative and the underlying
asset, risks of default by the counterparty to certain transactions,
magnification of losses incurred due to changes in the market
value of the securities, instruments, indices or interest rates to which
the derivative instrument relates, risks that the transactions
may not be liquid, risks arising from margin and payment requirements,
risks arising from mispricing or valuation complexity
and operational and legal risks. Certain derivative transactions may give
rise to a form of leverage. Leverage magnifies the
potential for gain and the risk of loss. |
• |
Market
and Geopolitical Risk.
The value of your investment in the Fund is based on the values of the
Fund’s investments, which may
change due to economic and other events that affect markets generally, as
well as those that affect particular regions, countries,
industries, companies or governments. These events may be sudden and
unexpected, and could adversely affect the liquidity
of the Fund’s investments, which may in turn impact valuation, the Fund’s
ability to sell securities and/or its ability to meet
redemptions. The risks associated with these developments may be magnified
if certain social, political, economic and other conditions
and events (such as war, natural disasters, epidemics and pandemics,
terrorism, conflicts, social unrest, recessions, inflation,
rapid interest rate changes and supply chain disruptions) adversely
interrupt the global economy and financial markets. It
is difficult to predict when events affecting the U.S. or global financial
markets may occur, the effects that such events may have and
the duration of those effects (which may last for extended periods). These
events may negatively impact broad segments of businesses
and populations and have a significant and rapid negative impact on the
performance of the Fund’s investments, adversely
affect and increase the volatility of the Fund’s share price
and exacerbate pre-existing risks to the
Fund. |
• |
Active
Management Risk.
In pursuing the Fund’s investment objective, the Adviser has considerable
leeway in deciding which investments
to buy, hold or sell on a day-to-day basis, and which trading strategies
to use. For example, the Adviser, in its discretion,
may determine to use some permitted trading strategies while not using
others. The success or failure of such decisions will
affect the Fund’s performance. |
High
Quarter |
06/30/20 |
19.82% |
Low
Quarter |
03/31/20 |
-26.72% |
|
Past
One Year |
Past
Five Years |
Past
Ten Years |
Since
Inception |
Class
I
(commenced operations on 9/25/1992) | ||||
Return
Before Taxes |
-25.06% |
-2.57% |
0.72% |
6.35% |
Return
After Taxes on Distributions1
|
-25.63% |
-3.70% |
-0.06% |
5.51% |
Return
After Taxes on Distributions and Sale of Fund
Shares |
-14.09% |
-1.63% |
0.79% |
5.54% |
Class
A
(commenced operations on 1/2/1996) | ||||
Return
Before Taxes |
-29.23% |
-3.92% |
-0.13% |
5.02% |
Class
L
(commenced operations on 4/27/2012) | ||||
Return
Before Taxes |
-25.68% |
-3.40% |
-0.13% |
0.44% |
Class
C
(commenced operations on 4/30/2015) | ||||
Return
Before Taxes |
-26.61% |
-3.64% |
N/A |
-0.54% |
Class
R6
(commenced operations on 9/13/2013) | ||||
Return
Before Taxes |
-24.98% |
-2.46% |
N/A |
1.16% |
MSCI
Emerging Markets Index (reflects no deduction
for fees, expenses or taxes)2
|
-20.09% |
-1.40% |
1.44% |
6.39%3
|
Lipper
Emerging Markets Funds Index (reflects no deduction
for taxes)4
|
-22.34% |
-1.13% |
1.67% |
N/A |
1 | These returns do not reflect any tax consequences from a sale of your shares at the end of each period. |
2 | The MSCI Emerging Markets Index is a free float-adjusted market capitalization weighted index that is designed to measure equity market performance of emerging markets. The term “free float” represents the portion of shares outstanding that are deemed to be available for purchase in the public equity markets by investors. The MSCI Emerging Markets Index currently consists of 24 emerging market country indices. The performance of the index is listed in U.S. dollars and assumes reinvestment of net dividends. Returns, including periods prior to January 1, 2001, are calculated using the return data of the MSCI Emerging Markets Index (gross dividends) through December 31, 2000 and the return data of the MSCI Emerging Markets Net Index (net dividends) after December 31, 2000. Net total return indices reinvest dividends after the deduction of withholding taxes, using (for international indices) a tax rate applicable to non-resident institutional investors who do not benefit from double taxation treaties. It is not possible to invest directly in an index. |
3 | Since Inception reflects the inception date of Class I. |
4 | The Lipper Emerging Markets Funds Index is an equally-weighted performance index of the largest qualifying funds (based on net assets) in the Lipper Emerging Markets Funds classification. There are currently 30 funds represented in this index. |
Name |
Title
with Adviser/ Sub-Adviser or Affiliate |
Date
Began Managing Fund |
Eric
Carlson |
Managing
Director of the Adviser |
September
1997 |
Paul
Psaila |
Managing
Director of the Adviser |
February
1994 |
Amay
Hattangadi |
Managing
Director of MSIM Company |
July
2018 |
|
Class
I |
Class
A |
Class
L |
Class
C |
Class
R6 |
|
Maximum
sales charge (load) imposed on purchases
(as a percentage of offering price) |
None |
5.25% |
None |
None |
None |
|
Maximum
deferred sales charge (load) (as a percentage
based on the lesser of the offering price
or NAV at redemption) |
None |
None1
|
None |
1.00%2
|
None |
|
Redemption
Fee (as a percentage of the amount redeemed
on redemptions made within 30 days of
purchase) |
2.00% |
2.00% |
2.00% |
2.00% |
2.00% |
|
Class
I |
Class
A |
Class
L |
Class
C |
Class
R6 |
|
Advisory
Fee |
1.20% |
1.20% |
1.20% |
1.20% |
1.20% |
|
Distribution
and/or Shareholder Service (12b-1) Fee |
None |
0.25% |
0.75% |
1.00% |
None |
|
Other
Expenses |
1.10% |
1.21% |
2.07% |
1.55% |
1.04% |
|
Total
Annual Fund Operating Expenses 3
|
2.30% |
2.66% |
4.02% |
3.75% |
2.24% |
|
Fee
Waiver and/or Expense Reimbursement3
|
1.05% |
1.06% |
1.92% |
1.40% |
1.04% |
|
Total
Annual Fund Operating Expenses After Fee Waiver
and/or Expense Reimbursement3
|
1.25% |
1.60% |
2.10% |
2.35% |
1.20% |
If
You SOLD Your Shares |
|||||
|
1
Year |
3
Years |
5
Years |
10
Years |
|
Class
I |
$
127 |
$
618 |
$
1,135 |
$
2,554 |
|
Class
A |
$
679 |
$
1,213 |
$
1,771 |
$
3,287 |
|
Class
L |
$
213 |
$
1,048 |
$
1,900 |
$
4,104 |
|
Class
C |
$
338 |
$
1,018 |
$
1,817 |
$
3,663 |
|
Class
R6 |
$
122 |
$
600 |
$
1,105 |
$
2,494 |
If
You HELD Your Shares |
|||||
|
1
Year |
3
Years |
5
Years |
10
Years |
|
Class
I |
$
127 |
$
618 |
$
1,135 |
$
2,554 |
|
Class
A |
$
679 |
$
1,213 |
$
1,771 |
$
3,287 |
|
Class
L |
$
213 |
$
1,048 |
$
1,900 |
$
4,104 |
|
Class
C |
$
238 |
$
1,018 |
$
1,817 |
$
3,663 |
|
Class
R6 |
$
122 |
$
600 |
$
1,105 |
$
2,494 |
1 | Investments in Class A shares that are not subject to any sales charges at the time of purchase are subject to a contingent deferred sales charge (“CDSC”) of 1.00% that will be imposed if you sell your shares within 12 months after purchase, except for certain specific circumstances. See “Shareholder Information—How To Redeem Fund Shares” for further information about the CDSC waiver categories. |
2 | The Class C CDSC is only applicable if you sell your shares within one year after the last day of the month of purchase. See “Shareholder Information—How To Redeem Fund Shares” for a complete discussion of the CDSC. |
3 | The Fund’s “Adviser,” Morgan Stanley Investment Management Inc., has agreed to reduce its advisory fee and/or reimburse the Fund so that Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses, excluding acquired fund fees and expenses (as applicable), certain investment related expenses, taxes, interest and other extraordinary expenses (including litigation), will not exceed 1.25% for Class I, 1.60% for Class A, 2.10% for Class L, 2.35% for Class C and 1.20% for Class R6. The fee waivers and/or expense reimbursements will continue for at least one year from the date of this Prospectus or until such time as the Board of Directors of Morgan Stanley Institutional Fund, Inc. (the “Company”) acts to discontinue all or a portion of such waivers and/or reimbursements when it deems such action is appropriate. |
• |
Equity
Securities.
In general, prices of equity securities are more volatile than those of
fixed-income securities. The prices of equity securities
fluctuate, and sometimes widely fluctuate, in response to activities
specific to the issuer of the security as well as factors unrelated
to the fundamental condition of the issuer, including general market,
economic, political conditions and public health conditions.
To the extent that the Fund invests in convertible securities, and the
convertible security’s investment value is greater than
its conversion value, its price will be likely to increase when interest
rates fall and decrease when interest rates rise. If the conversion
value exceeds the investment value, the price of the convertible security
will tend to fluctuate directly with the price of the
underlying security. During periods when equity securities experience
heightened volatility, such as during periods of market, economic
or financial uncertainty or distress, the Fund’s investments in equity
securities may be subject to heightened
risks. |
• |
Foreign
and Emerging Market Securities.
Investments in foreign markets entail special risks such as currency,
political (including geopolitical),
economic and market risks. There also may be greater market volatility,
less reliable financial information, less stringent
investor protections and disclosure standards, higher transaction and
custody costs, decreased market liquidity and less government
and exchange regulation associated with investments in foreign markets. In
addition, investments in certain foreign markets
that have historically been considered stable may become more volatile and
subject to increased risk due to ongoing developments
and changing conditions in such markets. Moreover, the growing
interconnectivity of global economies and financial
markets has increased the probability that adverse developments and
conditions in one country or region will affect the stability
of economies and financial markets in other countries or regions. Certain
foreign markets may rely heavily on particular industries
or foreign capital and are more vulnerable to diplomatic developments, the
imposition of economic sanctions against a particular
country or countries, organizations, companies, entities and/or
individuals, changes in international trading patterns, trade
barriers and other protectionist or retaliatory measures. Investments in
foreign markets may also be adversely affected by governmental
actions such as the imposition of capital controls, nationalization of
companies or industries, expropriation of assets or
the imposition of punitive taxes. The governments of certain countries may
prohibit or impose substantial restrictions on foreign
investing in their capital markets or in certain sectors or industries. In
addition, a foreign government may limit or cause delay
in the convertibility or repatriation of its currency which would
adversely affect the U.S. dollar value and/or liquidity of investments
denominated in that currency. Certain foreign investments may become less
liquid in response to market developments
or adverse investor perceptions, or become illiquid after purchase by the
Fund, particularly during periods of market turmoil.
When the Fund holds illiquid investments, its portfolio may be harder to
value. The risks of investing in emerging market
countries are greater than the risks associated with investments in
foreign developed countries. Certain emerging market countries
may be subject to less stringent requirements regarding accounting,
auditing, financial reporting and record keeping and
|
therefore,
material information related to an investment may not be available or
reliable. In addition, the Fund is limited in its ability
to exercise its legal rights or enforce a counterparty’s legal obligations
in certain jurisdictions outside of the United States, in
particular, in emerging market countries. In addition, the Fund’s
investments in foreign issuers may be denominated in foreign currencies
and therefore, to the extent unhedged, the value of those investments will
fluctuate with U.S. dollar exchange rates. To the
extent hedged by the use of foreign currency forward exchange contracts,
the precise matching of the foreign currency forward exchange
contract amounts and the value of the securities involved will not
generally be possible because the future value of such securities
in foreign currencies will change as a consequence of market movements in
the value of those securities between the date on
which the contract is entered into and the date it matures. There is
additional risk that such transactions may reduce or preclude
the opportunity for gain if the value of the currency should move in the
direction opposite to the position taken and that foreign
currency forward exchange contracts create exposure to currencies in which
the Fund’s securities are not denominated. The
use of foreign currency forward exchange contracts involves the risk of
loss from the insolvency or bankruptcy of the counterparty
to the contract or the failure of the counterparty to make payments or
otherwise comply with the terms of the contract.
Economic sanctions or other similar measures may be, and have been,
imposed against certain countries, organizations, companies,
entities and/or individuals. Economic sanctions and other similar measures
could, among other things, effectively restrict
or eliminate the Fund’s ability to purchase or sell securities, negatively
impact the value or liquidity of the Fund’s investments,
significantly delay or prevent the settlement of the Fund’s securities
transactions, force the Fund to sell or otherwise dispose
of investments at inopportune times or prices, or impair the Fund’s
ability to meet its investment objective or invest in accordance
with its investment strategies. |
• |
Small
and Mid Cap Companies.
Investments in small and mid cap companies may involve greater risks than
investments in larger, more
established companies. The securities issued by small and mid cap
companies may be less liquid and such companies may have
more limited markets, financial resources and product lines, and may lack
the depth of management of larger
companies. |
• |
Frontier
Emerging Market Securities. Investing
in the securities of issuers operating in frontier emerging markets
involves a high degree
of risk and special considerations not typically associated with investing
in the securities of other foreign or U.S. issuers. In addition,
the risks associated with investing in the securities of issuers operating
in emerging market countries are magnified when investing
in frontier emerging market countries. These types of investments could be
affected by factors not usually associated with
investments in U.S. issuers, including risks associated with expropriation
and/or nationalization, political or social instability, pervasiveness
of corruption and crime, armed conflict, the impact on the economy of
civil war, religious or ethnic unrest and the withdrawal
or non-renewal of any license enabling the Fund to trade in securities of
a particular country, confiscatory taxation, restrictions
on transfers of assets, lack of uniform accounting, auditing and financial
reporting standards, less publicly available financial
and other information, less stringent investor protections and disclosure
standards, diplomatic development which could affect
U.S. investments in those countries and potential difficulties in
enforcing contractual obligations. These risks and special considerations
make investments in companies operating in frontier emerging market
countries highly speculative in nature and, accordingly,
an investment in the Fund must be viewed as highly speculative in nature
and may not be suitable for an investor who
is not able to afford the loss of his or her entire investment. To the
extent that the Fund invests a significant percentage of its assets
in a single frontier emerging market country, the Fund will be subject to
heightened risk associated with investing in frontier
emerging market countries and additional risks associated with that
particular country. A government of a frontier emerging
market country may limit or cause delay in the convertibility or
repatriation of its currency and therefore could adversely affect
the U.S. dollar value and/or liquidity of investments denominated in that
currency. Certain foreign investments may become
less liquid in response to market developments or adverse investor
perceptions, or become illiquid after purchase by the Fund,
particularly during periods of market turmoil. When the Fund holds
illiquid investments, its portfolio may be harder to value.
From time to time, certain of the companies in which the Fund expects to
invest may operate in, or have dealings with, countries
subject to sanctions or embargoes imposed by the U.S. Government and the
United Nations and/or countries identified by
the U.S. Government as state sponsors of terrorism. A company may suffer
damage to its reputation if it is identified as such a company
and, as an investor in such companies, the Fund will be indirectly subject
to those risks. Certain frontier market countries
may be subject to less stringent requirements regarding accounting,
auditing, financial reporting and record keeping and therefore,
material information related to an investment may not be available or
reliable. In addition, the Fund is limited in its ability
to exercise its legal rights or enforce a counterparty’s legal obligations
in certain jurisdictions outside of the United States, in
particular, in frontier markets countries. In addition, a substantial
portion of the Fund’s investments in foreign issuers may be denominated
in foreign currencies and therefore, to the extent unhedged, the value of
those investments will fluctuate with U.S. dollar
exchange rates. To the extent hedged by the use of foreign currency
forward exchange contracts, the precise matching of the foreign
currency forward exchange contract amounts and the value of the securities
involved will not generally be possible because the
future value of such securities in foreign currencies will change as a
consequence of market movements in the value of those securities
between the date on which the contract is entered into and the date it
matures. There is additional risk that such transactions
could reduce or preclude the opportunity for gain if the value of the
currency moves in the direction opposite to the position
taken and that foreign currency forward exchange contracts create exposure
to currencies in which the Fund’s securities are
not denominated. The use of foreign currency forward exchange contracts
involves the risk of loss from the insolvency or bankruptcy
of the counterparty to the contract or the failure of the counterparty to
make payments or otherwise comply with the terms
of the contract. Economic sanctions may be, and have been, imposed against
certain countries, organizations, companies, entities
and/or individuals. Economic sanctions and other similar governmental
actions could, among other things, effectively
|
restrict
or eliminate the Fund’s ability to purchase or sell securities or groups
of securities, and thus may make the Fund’s investments
in such securities less liquid or more difficult to value. In addition, as
a result of economic sanctions, the Fund may be forced
to sell or otherwise dispose of investments at inopportune times or
prices. |
• |
Information
Technology Sector.
To the extent the Fund invests a substantial portion of its assets in the
information technology sector,
the value of Fund shares may be particularly impacted by events that
adversely affect the information technology sector, such
as rapid changes in technology product cycles, product obsolescence,
government regulation, and competition, and may fluctuate
more than that of a fund that does not invest significantly in companies
in the technology sector. |
• |
Banking
Industry.
The banking industry can be affected by global and local economic
conditions, such as the levels and liquidity of the
global and local financial and asset markets, the absolute and relative
level and volatility of interest rates and equity prices, investor
sentiment, inflation, and the availability and cost of credit. Adverse
developments in these conditions can have a greater adverse
effect on the banking industry of a frontier emerging market economy than
on other industries of its economy. The enactment
of new legislation or regulations, as well as changes in interpretation
and enforcement of current laws, may affect the manner
of operations and profitability of the banking industry. To the extent the
Fund invests a substantial portion of its assets in the
banking industry, factors that have an adverse impact on this industry may
have a disproportionate impact on the Fund’s performance. |
• |
Investment
Company Securities.
Subject to the limitations set forth in the 1940 Act, or as otherwise
permitted by the SEC, the Fund
may acquire shares in other investment companies, including foreign
investment companies and ETFs,
which may be managed
by the Adviser or its affiliates. The market value of the shares of other
investment companies may differ from the NAV of
the Fund. The shares of closed-end investment companies frequently trade
at a discount to their NAV. As a shareholder in an investment
company, the Fund would bear its ratable share of that entity’s expenses,
including its investment advisory and administration
fees. At the same time, the Fund would continue to pay its own advisory
and administration fees and other expenses.
As a result, the Fund and its shareholders, in effect, will be absorbing
duplicate levels of fees with respect to investments in
other investment companies. |
• |
Liquidity.
The Fund may make investments that are illiquid or restricted or that may
become illiquid or less liquid in response to overall
economic conditions or adverse investor perceptions, and which may entail
greater risk than investments in other types of securities.
These investments may be more difficult to value or sell, particularly in
times of market turmoil, and there may be little trading
in the secondary market available for particular securities. If the Fund
is forced to sell an illiquid or restricted security to fund
redemptions or for other cash needs, it may be forced to sell the security
at a loss or for less than its fair
value. |
• |
Derivatives. Derivatives
and other similar instruments often have risks similar to those of the
underlying asset or instrument, including
market risk, and may have additional risks, including imperfect
correlation between the value of the derivative and the underlying
asset, risks of default by the counterparty to certain transactions,
magnification of losses incurred due to changes in the market
value of the securities, instruments, indices or interest rates to which
the derivative instrument relates, risks that the transactions
may not be liquid, risks arising from margin and payment requirements,
risks arising from mispricing or valuation complexity
and operational and legal risks. Certain derivative transactions may give
rise to a form of leverage. Leverage magnifies the
potential for gain and the risk of loss. |
• |
Market
and Geopolitical Risk.
The value of your investment in the Fund is based on the values of the
Fund’s investments, which may
change due to economic and other events that affect markets generally, as
well as those that affect particular regions, countries,
industries, companies or governments. These events may be sudden and
unexpected, and could adversely affect the liquidity
of the Fund’s investments, which may in turn impact valuation, the Fund’s
ability to sell securities and/or its ability to meet
redemptions. The risks associated with these developments may be magnified
if certain social, political, economic and other conditions
and events (such as war, natural disasters, epidemics and pandemics,
terrorism, conflicts, social unrest, recessions, inflation,
rapid interest rate changes and supply chain disruptions) adversely
interrupt the global economy and financial markets. It
is difficult to predict when events affecting the U.S. or global financial
markets may occur, the effects that such events may have and
the duration of those effects (which may last for extended periods). These
events may negatively impact broad segments of businesses
and populations and have a significant and rapid negative impact on the
performance of the Fund’s investments, adversely
affect and increase the volatility of the Fund’s share price
and exacerbate pre-existing risks to the
Fund. |
• |
Active
Management Risk.
In pursuing the Fund’s investment objective, the Adviser has considerable
leeway in deciding which investments
to buy, hold or sell on a day-to-day basis, and which trading strategies
to use. For example, the Adviser, in its discretion,
may determine to use some permitted trading strategies while not using
others. The success or failure of such decisions will
affect the Fund’s performance. |
High
Quarter |
06/30/20 |
30.60% |
Low
Quarter |
03/31/20 |
-30.06% |
|
Past
One Year |
Past
Five Years |
Past
Ten Years |
Since
Inception |
Class
I1 (commenced
operations on 8/25/2008) |
|
|||
Return
Before Taxes1
|
-37.59% |
-6.49% |
0.91% |
-0.90% |
Return
After Taxes on Distributions1,2
|
-37.59% |
-6.74% |
0.75% |
-1.07% |
Return
After Taxes on Distributions and Sale of Fund
Shares1
|
-22.25% |
-4.70% |
0.83% |
-0.56% |
Class
A (commenced
operations on 9/14/2012) |
|
|||
Return
Before Taxes |
-41.08% |
-7.82% |
0.02% |
0.55% |
Class
L
(commenced operations on 9/14/2012) |
|
|||
Return
Before Taxes |
-38.13% |
-7.28% |
0.00% |
0.51% |
Class
C
(commenced operations on 4/30/2015) |
|
|||
Return
Before Taxes |
-38.91% |
-7.52% |
N/A |
-4.32% |
Class
R6 (commenced
operations on 2/27/2015) |
|
|||
Return
Before Taxes |
-37.32% |
-6.40% |
N/A |
-2.79% |
MSCI
Frontier Emerging Markets Net Index (reflects
no deduction for fees, expenses or taxes)3
|
-18.18% |
-4.14% |
-0.16% |
-1.35%4
|
MSCI
Frontier Markets/MSCI Frontier Emerging Markets
Blend Index (reflects no deduction for taxes)5
|
-18.18% |
-0.61% |
4.21% |
-0.39%4
|
Lipper
Emerging Markets Funds Index (reflects no deduction
for taxes)6
|
-22.34% |
-1.13% |
1.67% |
2.46%4
|
1 | Performance shown for the Fund’s Class I shares reflects the performance of the common shares of the Frontier Predecessor Fund for periods prior to September 17, 2012. |
2 | These returns do not reflect any tax consequences from a sale of your shares at the end of each period. |
3 | The MSCI Frontier Emerging Markets Net Index is a free float-adjusted market capitalization index that is designed to measure equity market performance of frontier emerging markets. The MSCI Frontier Emerging Markets Index captures large and mid cap representation across 32 Frontier Emerging Markets countries. The performance of the index is listed in U.S. dollars and assumes reinvestment of net dividends. Net total return indices reinvest dividends after the deduction of withholding taxes, using (for international indices) a tax rate applicable to non-resident institutional investors who do not benefit from double taxation treaties. It is not possible to invest directly in an index. |
4 | Since Inception reflects the inception date of Class I. |
5 | The MSCI Frontier Markets/MSCI Frontier Emerging Markets Blend Index is a performance linked benchmark of the old and new benchmark of the Fund. The old benchmark represented by the MSCI Frontier Markets Net Index from the Fund’s inception to June 29, 2021 to the new benchmark represented by the MSCI Frontier Emerging Markets Net Index for periods thereafter. The performance of the Index is calculated in U.S. dollars and assumes reinvestment of net dividends. Net total return indices reinvest dividends after the deduction of withholding taxes, using (for international indices) a tax rate applicable to nonresident institutional investors who do not benefit from double taxation treaties. It is not possible to invest directly in an index. |
6 | The Lipper Emerging Markets Funds Index is an equally weighted performance index of the largest qualifying funds (based on net assets) in the Lipper Emerging Markets Funds classification. There are currently 30 funds represented in this Index. |
Name |
Title
with Adviser |
Date
Began Managing Fund |
Steven
Quattry |
Executive
Director |
January
2019 |
|
Class
I |
Class
A |
Class
C |
Class
R6 |
|
Maximum
sales charge (load) imposed on purchases (as a percentage
of offering price) |
|
|
|
|
|
Maximum
deferred sales charge (load) (as a percentage based on
the lesser of the offering price or NAV at redemption) |
|
|
|
|
|
Redemption
Fee (as a percentage of the amount redeemed on redemptions
made within 30 days of purchase) |
|
|
|
|
|