NEW YORK LIFE INVESTMENTS FUNDS TRUST AND NEW YORK LIFE INVESTMENTS FUNDS
February 28, 2024
as amended August 28, 2024
STATEMENT OF ADDITIONAL INFORMATION
Class A |
Class A2 |
Investor |
Class B1 |
Class C |
Class |
Class I |
Class P |
Class |
Class |
Class |
Class
|
Class Z |
SIMPLE | ||||||||||||||||
NEW YORK LIFE INVESTMENTS FUNDS |
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
NYLI Candriam Emerging Markets Debt Fund |
MGHAX |
-- |
MGHHX |
-- |
MHYCX |
-- |
MGHIX |
-- |
-- |
-- |
-- |
-- |
-- |
-- | |||||||||||||||
NYLI Income Builder Fund |
MTRAX |
-- |
MTINX |
MKTRX |
MCTRX |
-- |
MTOIX |
-- |
-- |
-- |
-- |
MTODX |
-- |
MTISX | |||||||||||||||
NYLI MacKay Convertible Fund |
MCOAX |
-- |
MCINX |
MCSVX |
MCCVX |
-- |
MCNVX |
-- |
-- |
-- |
-- |
-- |
-- |
-- | |||||||||||||||
NYLI MacKay High Yield Corporate Bond Fund |
MHCAX |
-- |
MHHIX |
MKHCX |
MYHCX |
-- |
MHYIX |
-- |
-- |
MHYRX |
MHYTX |
MHYSX |
-- |
MHHSX | |||||||||||||||
NYLI MacKay Strategic Bond Fund |
MASAX |
-- |
MSYDX |
-- |
MSICX |
-- |
MSDIX |
-- |
-- |
-- |
-- |
MSYEX |
-- |
-- | |||||||||||||||
NYLI MacKay Tax Free Bond Fund |
MTBAX |
-- |
MKINX |
MKTBX |
MTFCX |
MTSPX |
MTBIX |
-- |
-- |
-- |
-- |
MTBDX |
-- |
-- | |||||||||||||||
NYLI MacKay U.S. Infrastructure Bond Fund |
MGVAX |
-- |
MGVNX |
-- |
MGVCX |
-- |
MGOIX |
-- |
-- |
-- |
-- |
MGVDX |
-- |
-- | |||||||||||||||
NYLI Money Market Fund |
MMAXX |
-- |
MKTXX |
MKMXX |
MSCXX |
-- |
-- |
-- |
-- |
-- |
-- |
-- |
-- |
MIPXX | |||||||||||||||
NYLI Winslow Large Cap Growth Fund |
MLAAX |
-- |
MLINX |
MLABX |
MLACX |
-- |
MLAIX |
-- |
MLRRX |
MLRTX |
MLGRX |
MLRSX |
-- |
MLRMX | |||||||||||||||
NYLI WMC Enduring Capital Fund |
MSOAX |
-- |
MCSSX |
MOPBX |
MGOCX |
-- |
MSOIX |
-- |
-- |
-- |
-- |
MCSDX |
-- |
-- | |||||||||||||||
NYLI WMC Value Fund |
MAPAX |
-- |
MSMIX |
MAPBX |
MMPCX |
-- |
MUBFX |
-- |
-- |
-- |
-- |
MMPDX |
-- |
-- | |||||||||||||||
NEW YORK LIFE INVESTMENTS FUNDS TRUST |
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
NYLI Balanced Fund |
MBNAX |
-- |
MBINX |
MBNBX |
MBACX |
-- |
MBAIX |
-- |
-- |
-- |
-- |
MBERX |
-- |
-- | |||||||||||||||
NYLI Candriam Emerging Markets Equity Fund |
MCYAX |
-- |
MCYVX |
-- |
MCYCX |
-- |
MCYIX |
-- |
-- |
-- |
-- |
MCYSX |
-- |
-- | |||||||||||||||
NYLI CBRE Global Infrastructure Fund |
VCRAX |
-- |
VCRVX |
-- |
VCRCX |
-- |
VCRIX |
-- |
-- |
-- |
-- |
VCRQX |
-- |
-- | |||||||||||||||
NYLI CBRE Real Estate Fund |
CLARX |
-- |
CRVRX |
-- |
CRCRX |
-- |
CRARX |
-- |
-- |
-- |
-- |
VREQX |
-- |
-- | |||||||||||||||
NYLI Conservative Allocation Fund |
MCKAX |
-- |
MCKNX |
MCKBX |
MCKCX |
-- |
MCKIX |
-- |
-- |
-- |
-- |
-- |
-- |
MCKSX | |||||||||||||||
NYLI Conservative ETF Allocation Fund |
MNEAX |
-- |
-- |
-- |
MNEKX |
-- |
MNELX |
-- |
-- |
-- |
MNERX |
-- |
-- |
MNEVX | |||||||||||||||
NYLI Cushing® MLP Premier Fund |
CSHAX |
-- |
CSHNX |
-- |
CSHCX |
-- |
CSHZX |
-- |
-- |
-- |
-- |
-- |
-- |
-- | |||||||||||||||
NYLI Epoch Capital Growth Fund |
MECDX |
-- |
MECVX |
-- |
MECEX |
-- |
MECFX |
-- |
-- |
-- |
-- |
-- |
-- |
-- | |||||||||||||||
NYLI Epoch Global Equity Yield Fund |
EPSPX |
-- |
EPSIX |
-- |
EPSKX |
-- |
EPSYX |
-- |
-- |
-- |
-- |
-- |
-- |
-- | |||||||||||||||
NYLI Epoch International Choice Fund |
ICEVX |
-- |
ICELX |
-- |
ICEWX |
-- |
ICEUX |
-- |
-- |
-- |
-- |
-- |
-- |
ICERX | |||||||||||||||
NYLI Epoch U.S. Equity Yield Fund |
EPLPX |
-- |
EPLIX |
EPLBX |
EPLKX |
-- |
EPLCX |
-- |
-- |
-- |
-- |
EPLDX |
-- |
EPLMX | |||||||||||||||
NYLI Equity Allocation Fund |
MGXAX |
-- |
MGXNX |
MGXBX |
MGXCX |
-- |
MGXIX |
-- |
-- |
-- |
-- |
-- |
-- |
MGXSX | |||||||||||||||
NYLI Equity ETF Allocation Fund |
MWFAX |
-- |
-- |
-- |
MWFCX |
-- |
MWFIX |
-- |
-- |
-- |
MWFQX |
-- |
-- |
MWFVX |
Class A |
Class A2 |
Investor |
Class B1 |
Class C |
Class |
Class I |
Class P |
Class |
Class |
Class |
Class
|
Class Z |
SIMPLE | ||||||||||||||||
NYLI Fiera SMID Growth Fund |
APSRX |
-- |
-- |
-- |
APSLX |
-- |
APSGX |
-- |
-- |
-- |
-- |
APSDX |
-- |
-- | |||||||||||||||
NYLI Floating Rate Fund |
MXFAX |
-- |
MXFNX |
-- |
MXFCX |
-- |
MXFIX |
-- |
-- |
-- |
-- |
MXFEX |
-- |
MXFMX | |||||||||||||||
NYLI Growth Allocation Fund |
MGDAX |
-- |
MGDNX |
MGDBX |
MGDCX |
-- |
MGDIX |
-- |
-- |
-- |
-- |
-- |
-- |
MGDSX | |||||||||||||||
NYLI Growth ETF Allocation Fund |
MOEAX |
-- |
-- |
-- |
MOECX |
-- |
MOEIX |
-- |
-- |
-- |
MOERX |
-- |
-- |
MOEVX | |||||||||||||||
NYLI MacKay Arizona Muni Fund |
AZTAX |
-- |
-- |
-- |
AZTCX |
-- |
AZTYX |
-- |
-- |
-- |
-- |
-- |
AZTFX |
-- | |||||||||||||||
NYLI MacKay California Muni Fund |
MSCAX |
-- |
MSCVX |
-- |
MSCCX |
MCAMX |
MCOIX |
-- |
-- |
-- |
-- |
MSODX |
-- |
-- | |||||||||||||||
NYLI MacKay Colorado Muni Fund |
COTAX |
-- |
-- |
-- |
COTCX |
-- |
COTYX |
-- |
-- |
-- |
-- |
-- |
COTFX |
-- | |||||||||||||||
NYLI MacKay High Yield Muni Bond Fund |
MMHAX |
-- |
MMHVX |
-- |
MMHDX |
-- |
MMHIX |
-- |
-- |
-- |
-- |
MMHEX |
-- |
-- | |||||||||||||||
NYLI MacKay New York Muni Fund |
MNOAX |
-- |
MNOVX |
-- |
MNOCX |
MNOLX |
MNOIX |
-- |
-- |
-- |
-- |
MNODX |
-- |
-- | |||||||||||||||
NYLI MacKay Oregon Muni Fund |
ORTBX |
-- |
-- |
-- |
ORTCX |
-- |
ORTYX |
-- |
-- |
-- |
-- |
-- |
ORTFX |
-- | |||||||||||||||
NYLI MacKay Short Duration High Income Fund |
MDHAX |
-- |
MDHVX |
-- |
MDHCX |
-- |
MDHIX |
-- |
-- |
-- |
-- |
-- |
-- |
-- | |||||||||||||||
NYLI MacKay Short Term Muni Fund |
MSTAX |
MSTUX |
MYTBX |
-- |
-- |
-- |
MSTIX |
-- |
-- |
-- |
-- |
MSTEX |
-- |
-- | |||||||||||||||
NYLI MacKay Strategic Muni Allocation Fund |
MTFDX |
-- |
MTFEX |
-- |
MTFFX |
MTFMX |
MTFGX |
-- |
-- |
-- |
-- |
MTFHX |
MTFZX |
-- | |||||||||||||||
NYLI MacKay Total Return Bond Fund |
MTMAX |
-- |
MTMNX |
-- |
MTMCX |
-- |
MTMIX |
-- |
-- |
-- |
-- |
MTRDX |
-- |
MTMSX | |||||||||||||||
NYLI MacKay Utah Muni Fund |
UTAVX |
-- |
-- |
-- |
UTACX |
-- |
UTAYX |
-- |
-- |
-- |
-- |
-- |
UTAHX |
-- | |||||||||||||||
NYLI Moderate Allocation Fund |
MMRAX |
-- |
MMRDX |
MMRBX |
MMRCX |
-- |
MMRIX |
-- |
-- |
-- |
-- |
-- |
-- |
MMRSX | |||||||||||||||
NYLI Moderate ETF Allocation Fund |
MDAAX |
-- |
-- |
-- |
MDAKX |
-- |
MDAIX |
-- |
-- |
-- |
MDARX |
-- |
-- |
MDAVX | |||||||||||||||
NYLI S&P 500 Index Fund |
MSXAX |
-- |
MYSPX |
-- |
-- |
-- |
MSPIX |
-- |
-- |
-- |
-- |
-- |
-- |
MSXMX | |||||||||||||||
NYLI Short Term Bond Fund |
MIXAX |
-- |
MIXNX |
-- |
-- |
-- |
MIXIX |
-- |
-- |
-- |
-- |
-- |
-- |
MIXMX | |||||||||||||||
NYLI PineStone Global Equity Fund |
FCGEX |
-- |
-- |
-- |
FCGYX |
-- |
FCGIX |
FCGPX |
-- |
-- |
-- |
-- |
-- |
-- | |||||||||||||||
NYLI PineStone International Equity Fund |
FCIRX |
-- |
FCIKX |
-- |
FCICX |
FCIUX |
FCIHX |
-- |
-- |
-- |
FCIWX |
-- |
-- | ||||||||||||||||
NYLI PineStone U.S. Equity Fund |
FCUEX |
-- |
-- |
-- |
FCUCX |
FCUIX |
FCUPX |
-- |
-- |
-- |
-- |
-- |
-- | ||||||||||||||||
NYLI WMC Growth Fund |
KLGAX |
-- |
KLGNX |
KLGBX |
KLGCX |
-- |
KLGIX |
-- |
-- |
-- |
-- |
KLGDX |
-- |
-- | |||||||||||||||
NYLI WMC International Research Equity Fund |
MYITX |
-- |
MYINX |
-- |
MYICX |
-- |
MYIIX |
-- |
-- |
-- |
-- |
-- |
-- |
-- | |||||||||||||||
NYLI WMC Small Companies Fund |
MOPAX |
-- |
MOINX |
MOTBX |
MOPCX |
-- |
MOPIX |
-- |
-- |
-- |
-- |
-- |
-- |
-- |
1. Class B shares are closed to all new purchases as well as additional investments by existing Class B shareholders.
MS14-08/24
Although not a prospectus, this Statement of Additional Information (the "SAI") supplements the information contained in the prospectuses dated February 28, 2024, March 29, 2024, and August 28, 2024 as amended or supplemented from time to time, for Class A, Class A2, Investor Class, Class B, Class C, Class C2, Class I, Class P, Class R1, Class R2, Class R3, Class R6, Class Z and SIMPLE Class shares for certain separate investment series of New York Life Investments Funds, a Massachusetts business trust (the “New York Life Investments Funds”) and New York Life Investments Funds Trust, a Delaware statutory trust (the “Prospectuses”). New York Life Investments Funds and New York Life Investments Funds Trust may collectively be referred to as "New York Life Investments Funds" or the "New York Life Investments Group of Funds." Each series of the New York Life Investments Group of Funds may be referred to individually as a "Fund" and collectively, as the "Funds." This SAI is incorporated by
reference in, is made a part of, and should be read in conjunction with, the Prospectuses. The Prospectuses are available without charge by writing to NYLIFE Distributors LLC, Attn: New York Life Investments Marketing Dept., 30 Hudson Street, Jersey City, New Jersey 07302 or by calling toll free 800-624-6782.
No dealer, sales representative or any other person has been authorized to give any information or to make any representations, other than those contained in this SAI or in the related Prospectuses, in connection with the offer contained herein and, if given or made, such other information or representations must not be relied upon as having been authorized by New York Life Investments Funds or NYLIFE Distributors LLC (the "Distributor"), the Funds’ distributor and an affiliate of New York Life Investment Management LLC. This SAI and the Prospectuses do not constitute an offer by New York Life Investments Funds or the Distributor to sell, or a solicitation of an offer to buy, any of the securities offered hereby in any jurisdiction to any person to whom it is unlawful to make such offer in such jurisdiction.
Shareholder inquiries should be made by writing directly to NYLIM Service Company LLC ("Transfer Agent" or "NYLIM Service Company"), the Funds' transfer agent and an affiliate of New York Life Investment Management LLC, P.O. Box 219003, Kansas City, Missouri 64121-9000 or by calling toll free 800-624-6782. In addition, you can make inquiries through your registered representative.
The financial highlights contained in the Prospectus for NYLI CBRE Global Infrastructure Fund and NYLI CBRE Real Estate Fund (the “New York Life Investments CBRE Funds”) reflect the historical financial highlights of Voya CBRE Global Infrastructure Fund, a series of Voya Mutual Funds, and Voya Real Estate Fund, a series of Voya Equity Trust, respectively. Upon completion of the reorganization of Voya CBRE Global Infrastructure Fund with and into the NYLI CBRE Global Infrastructure Fund and the reorganizations of Voya Global Real Estate Fund, a series of Voya Mutual Funds, and Voya Real Estate Fund with and into the NYLI CBRE Real Estate Fund, each of which occurred on February 21, 2020, the NYLI CBRE Global Infrastructure Fund and NYLI CBRE Real Estate Fund assumed the performance, financial and other historical information of the Voya CBRE Global Infrastructure Fund and Voya Real Estate Fund, respectively. Any performance, financial and other historical information provided for NYLI CBRE Global Infrastructure Fund and NYLI CBRE Real Estate Fund in this SAI that relates to periods prior to February 21, 2020, therefore, is that of the applicable Voya Fund noted above.
The financial highlights contained in the Prospectus for NYLI Fiera SMID Growth Fund reflect the historical financial highlights of Fiera Capital Small/Mid-Cap Growth Fund, a former series of Fiera Capital Series Trust. Upon completion of the reorganization of Fiera Capital Small/Mid-Cap Growth Fund with and into the NYLI Fiera SMID Growth Fund, which occurred on July 24, 2023, the NYLI Fiera SMID Growth Fund assumed the performance, financial and other historical information of Fiera Capital Small/Mid-Cap Growth Fund. Any performance, financial and other historical information provided for NYLI Fiera SMID Growth Fund in this SAI that relates to periods prior to July 24, 2023, and therefore, is that of Fiera Capital Small/Mid-Cap Growth Fund.
The financial highlights contained in the Prospectus for NYLI PineStone Global Equity Fund, NYLI PineStone International Equity Fund and NYLI PineStone U.S. Equity Fund reflect the historical financial highlights of Fiera Capital Global Equity Fund, Fiera Capital International Equity Fund and Fiera Capital U.S. Equity Long-Term Quality Fund, each a former series of Fiera Capital Series Trust, respectively. Upon completion of a reorganization of Fiera Capital Global Equity Fund, Fiera Capital International Equity Fund and Fiera Capital U.S. Equity Long-Term Quality Fund with and into the NYLI PineStone Global Equity Fund, NYLI PineStone International Equity Fund and NYLI PineStone U.S. Equity Fund, respectively, which occurred on August 28, 2023, the NYLI PineStone Global Equity Fund, NYLI PineStone International Equity Fund and NYLI PineStone U.S. Equity Fund assumed the performance, financial and other historical information of Fiera Capital Global Equity Fund, Fiera Capital International Equity Fund and Fiera Capital U.S. Equity Long-Term Quality Fund, respectively. Any performance, financial and other historical information provided for NYLI PineStone Global Equity Fund, NYLI PineStone International Equity Fund and NYLI PineStone U.S. Equity Fund in this SAI that relates to periods prior to August 28, 2023, and therefore, is that of Fiera Capital Global Equity Fund, Fiera Capital International Equity Fund and Fiera Capital U.S. Equity Long-Term Quality Fund, respectively.
The financial highlights contained in the Prospectus for NYLI MacKay Arizona Muni Fund, NYLI MacKay Colorado Muni Fund, NYLI MacKay Oregon Muni Fund and NYLI MacKay Utah Muni Fund reflect the historical financial highlights of Aquila Tax-Free Trust of Arizona, Aquila Tax-Free Fund of Colorado, Aquila Tax-Free Trust of Oregon and Aquila Tax-Free Trust For Utah. Upon completion of a reorganization of Aquila Tax-Free Trust of Arizona, Aquila Tax-Free Fund of Colorado, Aquila Tax-Free Trust of Oregon and Aquila Tax-Free Trust For Utah with and into the NYLI MacKay Arizona Muni Fund, NYLI MacKay Colorado Muni Fund, NYLI MacKay Oregon Muni Fund and NYLI MacKay Utah Muni Fund, which occurred on July 19, 2024, the NYLI MacKay Arizona Muni Fund, NYLI MacKay Colorado Muni Fund, NYLI MacKay Oregon Muni Fund and NYLI MacKay Utah Muni Fund assumed the performance, financial and other historical information of Aquila Tax-Free Trust of Arizona, Aquila Tax-Free Fund of Colorado, Aquila Tax-Free Trust of Oregon and Aquila Tax-Free Trust For Utah, respectively. Any performance, financial and other historical information provided for NYLI MacKay Arizona Muni Fund, NYLI MacKay Colorado Muni Fund, NYLI MacKay Oregon Muni Fund and NYLI MacKay Utah Muni Fund in this SAI that relates to periods prior to July 19, 2024, and therefore, is that of Aquila Tax-Free Trust of Arizona, Aquila Tax-Free Fund of Colorado, Aquila Tax-Free Trust of Oregon and Aquila Tax-Free Trust For Utah, respectively. The audited financial statements for Aquila Tax-Free Trust of Arizona, Aquila Tax-Free Fund of Colorado, Aquila Tax-Free Trust of Oregon and Aquila Tax-Free Trust For Utah and report by Tait, Weller & Baker LLP, the funds’ independent registered public accounting firm, as presented in the Annual Report to shareholders of the fund for the year ended March 31, 2024, are incorporated by reference into this SAI.
The audited financial statements of each of the Funds (if applicable), including the Financial Highlights for the most recent fiscal year ended, as presented in the Annual Reports to Shareholders identified in the table below and the reports of KPMG LLP, the Funds' independent registered
public accounting firm, appearing therein are incorporated by reference into this SAI. These documents are available, without charge, by calling toll-free 800-624-6782.
Shareholder Reports
Fiscal Year End April 30 – New York Life Investments Funds Trust |
||
NYLI
CBRE Global Infrastructure Fund |
NYLI
Growth ETF Allocation Fund |
|
Fiscal Year End October 31 – New York Life Investments Funds |
||
NYLI
Candriam Emerging Markets
Debt Fund |
NYLI
MacKay U.S. Infrastructure Bond Fund |
|
Fiscal Year End October 31 – New York Life Investments Funds Trust |
||
NYLI
Balanced Fund |
NYLI
MacKay New York Muni Fund |
|
Fiscal Year End October 31—New York Life Investments Funds Trust |
||
NYLI Fiera SMID Growth Fund NYLI PineStone Global Equity Fund |
NYLI PineStone International Equity Fund NYLI PineStone U.S. Equity Fund |
|
Fiscal Year End October 31—New York Life Investments Funds Trust |
||
NYLI MacKay Arizona Muni Fund NYLI MacKay Colorado Muni Fund |
NYLI MacKay Oregon Muni Fund NYLI MacKay Utah Muni Fund |
|
Fiscal Year End November 30 – New York Life Investments Funds Trust |
Annual Report | |
NYLI Cushing® MLP Premier Fund |
1. Effective May 1, 2023, the Fund changed its fiscal year from April 30th to October 31st.
NYLIFE Distributors LLC is the principal underwriter and distributor of New York Life Investments Funds.
“New York Life Investments” is both a service mark, and the common trade name, of certain investment advisors affiliated with New York Life Insurance Company.
Table of Contents
Investment Practices, Instruments and Risks Common to Multiple Funds |
|
Reduced Sales Charges on Class A, Class A2 and Investor Class Shares |
|
The New York Life Investments Funds
The New York Life Investments Funds is an open-end management investment company (or mutual fund), organized as a Massachusetts business trust by an Agreement and Declaration of Trust dated January 9, 1986, as amended.
Shares of New York Life Investments Funds are currently offered in 11 separate series. Each Fund is a “diversified company”, as defined in the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended ("1940 Act"), unless otherwise indicated. When formed, the NYLI Candriam Emerging Markets Debt Fund was classified as a “non-diversified” fund as defined in the 1940 Act. However, due to the Fund’s principal investment strategies and investment process, the Fund has historically operated as a “diversified” fund. Therefore, the Fund will not operate as a “non-diversified” fund without first obtaining shareholder approval.
New York Life Investments Equity Funds Prospectus dated February 28, 2024 – Fiscal Year End October 31 | |||
NYLI Winslow Large Cap Growth Fund NYLI WMC Enduring Capital Fund |
NYLI WMC Value Fund | ||
New York Life Investments Fixed Income and Mixed Asset Funds Prospectus dated February 28, 2024 – Fiscal Year End October 31 | |||
NYLI
Candriam Emerging Markets Debt Fund |
NYLI MacKay Strategic Bond Fund NYLI
MacKay Tax Free Bond Fund |
New York Life Investments Funds Trust
New York Life Investments Funds Trust is an open-end management investment company (or mutual fund), organized as a Delaware statutory trust by an Agreement and Declaration of Trust dated April 8, 2009, as amended.
Shares of New York Life Investments Funds Trust are currently offered in 39 separate series. With the exception of NYLI CBRE Real Estate Fund, NYLI Cushing MLP Premier Fund, NYLI MacKay Arizona Muni Fund, NYLI MacKay Colorado Muni Fund, NYLI MacKay Oregon Muni Fund, NYLI MacKay Utah Muni Fund and NYLI PineStone U.S. Equity Fund, each Fund is a “diversified company,” as defined in the 1940 Act, unless otherwise indicated. When formed, the NYLI Floating Rate Fund was classified as a "non-diversified" fund as defined in the 1940 Act. However, due to the Fund's principal investment strategies and investment process, the Fund has historically operated as a "diversified" fund. Therefore, the Fund will not operate as a "non-diversified" fund without first obtaining shareholder approval.
New York Life Investments CBRE Specialty Funds Prospectus dated August 28, 2024 – Fiscal Year End April 30 | ||||||
NYLI CBRE Global Infrastructure Fund |
NYLI CBRE Real Estate Fund | |||||
New York Life Investments ETF Asset Allocation Funds Prospectus dated August 28, 2024 – Fiscal Year End April 30 | ||||||
NYLI
Conservative ETF Allocation Fund |
NYLI
Growth ETF Allocation Fund | |||||
New York Life Investments Asset Allocation Funds Prospectus dated February 28, 2024 – Fiscal Year End October 31 | ||||||
NYLI
Conservative Allocation Fund |
NYLI
Growth Allocation Fund | |||||
New York Life Investments Equity Funds Prospectus dated February 28, 2024 – Fiscal Year End October 31 | ||||||
NYLI
Candriam Emerging Markets Equity Fund NYLI Fiera SMID Growth Fund NYLI PineStone Global Equity Fund |
NYLI PineStone International Equity Fund NYLI PineStone U.S. Equity Fund NYLI
S&P 500 Index Fund | |||||
New York Life Investments Fixed Income and Mixed Asset Funds Prospectus dated February 28, 2024 – Fiscal Year End October 31 | ||||||
NYLI
Balanced Fund NYLI MacKay New York Muni Fund |
NYLI
MacKay Short Duration High Income Fund NYLI
MacKay Total Return Bond Fund | |||||
New York Life Investments U.S. Government Liquidity Fund Prospectus dated February 28, 2024 – Fiscal Year End October 31 | ||||||
NYLI U.S. Government Liquidity Fund* |
||||||
New York Life Investments Cushing Fund Prospectus dated March 29, 2024 – Fiscal Year End November 30 | ||||||
NYLI Cushing MLP Premier Fund |
||||||
New York Life Investments Fixed Income and Mixed Asset Funds Prospectus dated July 22, 2024 – Fiscal Year End October 31 | ||||||
NYLI MacKay Arizona Muni Fund NYLI MacKay Colorado Muni Fund NYLI MacKay Oregon Muni Fund |
NYLI MacKay Utah Muni Fund NYLI MacKay Strategic Muni Allocation Fund1 |
1
1 Effective May 1, 2023, the Fund changed its fiscal year end from April 30th to October 31st.
* Shares of the NYLI U.S. Government Liquidity Fund are currently only available to other investment companies advised by New York Life Investments in private placement transactions that do not involve any “public offering” within the meaning of Section 4(a)(2) of the Securities Act of 1933. The NYLI U.S. Government Liquidity Fund is not covered by this SAI.
General
The Boards of Trustees of the New York Life Investments Funds and New York Life Investments Funds Trust may be referred to as the "Trustees," and collectively referred to as the "Board." Each Fund is authorized to offer shares in one or more of the following classes (although one or more classes of a Fund may not currently be offered for sale): Class A, Class A2, Investor Class, Class B, Class C, Class C2, Class I, Class P, Class R1, Class R2, Class R3, Class R6, Class Z and SIMPLE Class shares. Each Fund may offer one or more of these share classes.
New York Life Investment Management LLC ("New York Life Investments" or the "Manager") serves as the investment adviser for the Funds and has entered into subadvisory agreements with the following subadvisors to manage the day-to-day operations of certain Funds:
Subadvisor |
Fund Name | |
Candriam |
New York Life Investments Funds Trust NYLI Candriam Emerging Markets Equity Fund | |
New York Life Investments Funds NYLI Candriam Emerging Markets Debt Fund | ||
CBRE Investment Management Listed Real Assets LLC (“CBRE”) |
New York Life Investments Funds Trust NYLI
CBRE Global Infrastructure Fund | |
Cushing® Asset Management, LP (“Cushing”) |
New York Life Investments Funds Trust NYLI Cushing MLP Premier Fund | |
Epoch Investment Partners, Inc. ("Epoch") |
New York Life Investments Funds NYLI
Income Builder Fund (equity portion) NYLI
Epoch Capital Growth Fund | |
Fiera Capital, Inc. (“Fiera Capital”) |
New York Life Investments Funds Trust NYLI Fiera SMID Growth Fund | |
MacKay Shields LLC ("MacKay Shields") |
New York Life Investments Funds NYLI
Income Builder Fund (fixed-income portion) NYLI
MacKay Arizona Muni Fund NYLI MacKay Utah Muni Fund | |
NYL Investors LLC (“NYL Investors”) |
New York Life Investments Funds NYLI
Money Market Fund NYLI
Balanced Fund (fixed-income portion) | |
PineStone Asset Management Inc. (“PineStone”) |
New York Life Investments Funds Trust NYLI PineStone Global Equity Fund NYLI PineStone International Equity Fund NYLI PineStone U.S. Equity Fund |
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Subadvisor |
Fund Name | |
Wellington Management Company LLP (“Wellington”) |
New York Life Investments Funds NYLI
WMC Enduring Capital Fund NYLI
Balanced Fund (equity portion) | |
Winslow Capital Management, LLC ("Winslow Capital") |
New York Life Investments Funds NYLI Winslow Large Cap Growth Fund |
Collectively, these agreements are referred to as the "Subadvisory Agreements." Candriam, CBRE, Cushing, Epoch, Fiera Capital, MacKay Shields, NYL Investors, PineStone, Wellington and Winslow Capital are sometimes collectively referred to herein as the "Subadvisors" and each individually as a "Subadvisor." Candriam, MacKay Shields and NYL Investors are affiliates of New York Life Investments.
Additional Information About Certain Funds
The Prospectuses discuss the principal investment objectives, strategies, risks and expenses of the Funds. This section contains supplemental information concerning certain securities and other instruments in which certain Funds may invest, the investment policies and portfolio strategies that certain Funds may utilize, and certain risks involved with those investment policies and strategies. For more information regarding the usage of certain securities and other instruments, see "Investment Practices, Instruments and Risks Common to Multiple Funds."
The investment restrictions for each Fund as set forth below are fundamental policies of each Fund; i.e., they may not be changed with respect to a Fund without shareholder approval. In the context of changes to a fundamental policy, shareholder approval means approval by the lesser of (1) more than 50% of the outstanding voting securities of the Fund, or (2) 67% or more of the voting securities present at a meeting if the holders of more than 50% of the outstanding voting securities of the Fund are present or represented by proxy. Except for those investment policies specifically identified as fundamental in the Prospectuses and this SAI, the Funds' investment objectives as described in the Prospectuses, and all other investment policies and practices described in the Prospectuses and this SAI, are non-fundamental and may be changed by the Board at any time without the approval of shareholders.
Unless otherwise indicated, all of the percentage limitations below and in the investment restrictions recited in the Prospectuses apply to each Fund on an individual basis, and apply only at the time a transaction is entered into, except that any borrowing by a Fund that exceeds applicable limitations must be reduced to meet such limitations within the period required by the 1940 Act. Therefore, a change in the percentage that results from a relative change in values or from a change in a Fund's assets will not be considered a violation of the Fund’s policies or restrictions. "Value" for the purposes of all investment restrictions shall mean the value used in determining a Fund's net asset value (“NAV”) unless otherwise indicated.
For purposes of applying each Fund's policies with respect to being a "diversified company” or investing in the securities of any one issuer, an issuer will be deemed to be the sole issuer of a security if its assets and revenues alone back the security. However, if a security also is backed by the enforceable obligation of a superior or unrelated governmental entity or company, such entity or company also will be considered an issuer of the security.
If a security is separately guaranteed, either by a governmental entity or other facility (such as a bank guarantee or a letter of credit), such a guarantee will be considered a separate security issued by the guarantor. However, traditional bond insurance on a security will not be treated as a separate security, and the insurer will not be treated as a separate issuer. Therefore, these restrictions do not limit the percentage of a Fund's assets that may be invested in securities insured by a single bond insurer.
Fundamental Investment Restrictions
NYLI
Balanced Fund |
NYLI
MacKay New York Muni Fund |
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Fund |
Fund NYLI PineStone Global Equity Fund NYLI PineStone International Equity Fund NYLI
PineStone U.S. Equity Fund |
The fundamental investment restrictions applicable to the Funds apply to each of the Funds, except as noted below:
Each Fund (except NYLI MacKay Short Term Muni Fund):
1. Except NYLI Candriam Emerging Markets Debt Fund, NYLI Cushing MLP Premier Fund, NYLI CBRE Real Estate Fund, NYLI MacKay Arizona Muni Fund, NYLI MacKay Colorado Muni Fund, NYLI MacKay Oregon Muni Fund, NYLI MacKay Utah Muni Fund and NYLI PineStone U.S. Equity Fund, shall be a "diversified company" as that term is defined in the 1940 Act, as interpreted or modified by regulatory authorities having jurisdiction, from time to time. NYLI Candriam Emerging Markets Debt Fund, NYLI Cushing MLP Premier Fund, NYLI CBRE Real Estate Fund, NYLI MacKay Arizona Muni Fund, NYLI MacKay Colorado Muni Fund, NYLI MacKay Oregon Muni Fund, NYLI MacKay Utah Muni Fund and NYLI PineStone U.S. Equity Fund are each a "non-diversified company" as that term is defined in the 1940 Act, as interpreted or modified by regulatory authorities having jurisdiction, from time to time.
When formed, the NYLI Candriam Emerging Markets Debt Fund was sub-classified as a "non-diversified" fund as defined in the 1940 Act. However, due to the Fund's principal investment strategy and investment process it has historically operated as a "diversified" fund. Therefore, the NYLI Candriam Emerging Markets Debt Fund will not operate as a "non-diversified" fund without first obtaining shareholder approval.
2. May borrow money to the extent permitted under the 1940 Act, as such may be interpreted or modified by regulatory authorities having jurisdiction, from time to time.
3. May not "concentrate" its investments in a particular industry or group of industries, except as permitted under the 1940 Act, as interpreted or modified by regulatory authorities having jurisdiction, from time to time, provided that, without limiting the generality of the foregoing, this limitation will not apply to a Fund's investments in: (i) securities of other investment companies; (ii) securities issued or guaranteed as to principal and/or interest by the U.S. government, its agencies or instrumentalities or with respect to the NYLI Cushing MLP Premier Fund, tax-exempt securities of state and municipal governments or their political subdivisions; (iii) with respect only to the NYLI Money Market Fund, instruments issued by domestic branches of U.S. banks (including U.S. branches of foreign banks subject to regulation under U.S. laws applicable to domestic banks and, to the extent that its parent is unconditionally liable for the obligation, foreign branches of U.S. banks) or (iv) repurchase agreements (collateralized by the instruments described in Clause (ii) or, with respect to the NYLI Money Market Fund, Clause (iii)).
Under normal market conditions, the NYLI CBRE Global Infrastructure Fund will invest more than 25% of the value of its total assets at the time of purchase in the securities of issuers conducting their business activities in the infrastructure group of industries.
Under normal market conditions, the NYLI CBRE Real Estate Fund will invest more than 25% of the value of its total assets at the time of purchase in the securities of companies principally engaged in the real estate industry.
Under normal market conditions, the NYLI Cushing MLP Premier Fund will, in normal circumstances, invest more than 25% of its assets in the natural resources industry, including master limited partnerships (“MLPs”) operating in such industry.
4. May purchase or sell real estate or any interest therein to the extent permitted under the 1940 Act, as such may be interpreted or modified by regulatory authorities having jurisdiction, from time to time.
5. Except the NYLI Cushing MLP Premier Fund, may not purchase physical commodities or contracts relating to physical commodities, except as permitted under the 1940 Act and other applicable laws, rules and regulations, as such may be interpreted or modified by regulatory authorities having jurisdiction, from time to time. The NYLI Cushing MLP Premier Fund may not purchase physical commodities or contracts relating to physical commodities (unless acquired as a result of owning securities or other instruments) except as permitted under the 1940 Act and other applicable laws, rules and regulations, as such may be interpreted or modified by regulatory authorities having jurisdiction, from time to time.
6. May make loans to the extent permitted by the 1940 Act, as such may be interpreted or modified by regulatory authorities having jurisdiction, from time to time.
7. May act as an underwriter of securities within the meaning of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended ("1933 Act"), to the extent permitted under the 1933 Act, as such may be interpreted or modified by regulatory authorities having jurisdiction, from time to time.
8. May issue senior securities, to the extent permitted under the 1940 Act, as such may be interpreted or modified by regulatory authorities having jurisdiction, from time to time.
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The following fundamental investment restriction is applicable to the NYLI Balanced Fund only.
· The Fund has adopted as a fundamental policy that it will be a "balanced" fund. This fundamental policy cannot be changed without the approval of the Fund's shareholders. As a "balanced" fund, the Fund will invest at least 25% of the value of its net assets plus any borrowings in fixed-income securities. With respect to convertible securities held by the Fund, only that portion of the value attributable to their fixed-income characteristics will be used in calculating the 25% figure. Subject to such restrictions, the percentage of the Fund's assets invested in each type of security at any time shall be in accordance with the judgment of the Manager.
The following fundamental investment restriction is applicable to the NYLI MacKay California Muni Fund only. The NYLI MacKay California Muni Fund must:
· Under normal circumstances, invest at least 80% of its assets (net assets plus any borrowings for investment purposes) in municipal bonds, whose interest is, in the opinion of bond counsel for the issuers at the time of issuance, exempt from federal and California income taxes.
The following fundamental investment restriction is applicable to the NYLI MacKay High Yield Muni Bond Fund only. The NYLI MacKay High Yield Muni Bond Fund must:
· Invest at least 80% of the Fund's net assets in municipal bonds, which include debt obligations issued by or on behalf of a governmental entity or other qualifying entity/issuer that pays interest that is, in the opinion of bond counsel to the issuers, generally excludable from gross income for federal income tax purposes (except that the interest may be includable in taxable income for purposes of the federal alternative minimum tax).
The following fundamental investment restriction is applicable to the NYLI MacKay New York Muni Fund only. The NYLI MacKay New York Muni Fund must:
· Under normal circumstances, invest at least 80% of its assets (net assets plus any borrowings for investment purposes) in municipal bonds, whose interest is, in the opinion of bond counsel for the issuers at the time of issuance, exempt from federal and New York income taxes.
The following fundamental investment restrictions are applicable to the NYLI MacKay Short Term Muni Fund only. The NYLI MacKay Short Term Muni Fund may not:
1. Invest in a security if, as a result of such investment, 25% or more of its total assets would be invested in the securities of issuers in any particular industry, except that this restriction does not apply to securities issued or guaranteed by the U.S. government or its agencies or instrumentalities (or repurchase agreements with respect thereto) and at such time that the 1940 Act is amended to permit a registered investment company to elect to be "periodically industry concentrated," (i.e., a fund that does not concentrate its investments in a particular industry would be permitted, but not required, to invest 25% or more of its assets in a particular industry) the Fund elects to be so classified and the foregoing limitation shall no longer apply with respect to the Fund.
2. Invest in a security if, with respect to 75% of its total assets, more than 5% of its total assets would be invested in the securities of any one issuer, except that this restriction does not apply to securities issued or guaranteed by the U.S. government, its agencies or instrumentalities;
3. Invest in a security if, with respect to 75% of its total assets, it would hold more than 10% of the outstanding voting securities of any one issuer, except that this restriction does not apply to U.S. government securities;
4. Borrow money or issue senior securities, except that the Fund may (i) borrow from banks or enter into reverse repurchase agreements, but only if immediately after each borrowing there is asset coverage of 300%, and (ii) issue senior securities to the extent permitted under the 1940 Act;
5. Lend any funds or other assets, except that the Fund may, consistent with its investment objectives and policies: (i) invest in debt obligations including bonds, debentures or other debt securities, bankers' acceptances and commercial paper, even though the purchase of such obligations may be deemed to be the making of loans; (ii) enter into repurchase agreements; and (iii) lend its portfolio securities in accordance with applicable guidelines established by the Securities and Exchange Commission ("SEC") and any guidelines established by the Board;
6. Purchase or sell real estate (although it may purchase securities secured by real estate or interests therein, or securities issued by companies which invest in real estate, or interests therein);
7. Purchase or sell commodities or commodities contracts, except that, subject to restrictions described in the Prospectus and in this SAI, (i) the Fund may enter into futures contracts on securities, currencies or on indexes of such securities or currencies, or any other financial instruments and options on such futures contracts; (ii) the Fund may enter into spot or forward foreign currency contracts and foreign currency options; and
8. Act as an underwriter of securities of other issuers, except to the extent that in connection with the disposition of portfolio securities, it may be deemed to be an underwriter under the 1933 Act.
The following fundamental investment restrictions are applicable to the NYLI MacKay Tax Free Bond Fund only. The NYLI MacKay Tax Free Bond Fund must:
1. Invest at least 80% of the Fund's net assets in securities the interest on which is exempt from regular federal income tax, including the federal alternative minimum tax, except that the Fund may temporarily invest more than 20% of its net assets in securities the interest income on which may be subject to regular federal income tax.
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2. Invest at least 80% of the value of its assets in investments the income from which is exempt from federal income tax.
Additional Fundamental Investment Policies Related to Fund Names
In addition to the fundamental investment policies discussed above, each fund below has a fundamental policy in accordance with the investment focus suggested by its name.
· NYLI MacKay Arizona Muni Fund. The NYLI MacKay Arizona Muni Fund under normal circumstances, will invest at least 80% of its assets (net assets plus any borrowings for investment purposes) in municipal bonds, whose interest is, in the opinion of bond counsel for the issuers at the time of issuance, exempt from federal and Arizona income taxes.
· NYLI MacKay Colorado Muni Fund. The NYLI MacKay Colorado Muni Fund, under normal circumstances, will invest at least 80% of its assets (net assets plus any borrowings for investment purposes) in municipal bonds, whose interest is, in the opinion of bond counsel for the issuers at the time of issuance, exempt from federal and Colorado income taxes.
· NYLI MacKay Oregon Muni Fund. The NYLI MacKay Oregon Muni Fund, under normal circumstances, will invest at least 80% of its assets (net assets plus any borrowings for the investment purposes) in municipal bonds, whose interest is, in the opinion of bond counsel for the issuers at the time of issuance, exempt from federal and Oregon income taxes.
· NYLI MacKay Short Term Muni Fund. The NYLI MacKay Short Term Muni Fund under normal circumstances, will invest at least 80% of its assets (net assets plus the amount of any borrowings for investment purposes) in municipal debt securities, which include debt obligations issued by or on behalf of a governmental entity or other qualifying entity/issuer that pays interest that is, in the opinion of bond counsel to the issuers, generally excludable from gross income for federal income tax purposes (except that the interest may be includable in taxable income for purposes of the federal alternative minimum tax).
· NYLI MacKay Strategic Muni Allocation Fund. The NYLI MacKay Strategic Muni Allocation Fund under normal circumstances, will invest at least 80% of the value of the Fund’s net assets, plus any borrowings for investment purposes, in investment the income from which is exempt from federal income tax.
· NYLI MacKay Utah Muni Fund. The NYLI MacKay Utah Muni Fund under normal circumstances, will invest at least 80% of its assets (net assets plus borrowings for investment purposes) in municipal bonds, whose interest is, in the opinion of bond counsel for the issuers at the time of issuance, exempt from federal and Utah income taxes.
Additional Information Regarding Fundamental Investment Restrictions
Below is additional information regarding the Funds' fundamental investment restrictions and the current meaning of phrases similar to “to the extent permitted under the 1940 Act” as set forth in the restrictions, if applicable. This phrase may be informed by, among other things, guidance and interpretations of the SEC or its staff or exemptive relief from the SEC and, as such, may change from time to time. This information is in addition to, rather than part of, the fundamental investment restrictions themselves.
· Borrowing. In the event that a Fund's “asset coverage” (as defined in the 1940 Act) at any time falls below 300%, the Fund, within three days thereafter (not including Sundays and holidays) or such longer period as the SEC may prescribe by rules and regulations, will reduce the amount of its borrowings to the extent required so that the asset coverage of such borrowings will be at least 300%.
· Concentration. Although the 1940 Act does not define what constitutes “concentration” in an industry or group of industries, the SEC and its staff take the position that any fund that invests more than 25% of the value of its assets in a particular industry or group of industries (other than securities issued or guaranteed by the U.S. government, its agencies or instrumentalities) is deemed to be “concentrated” in that industry or group of industries.
For the purposes of the Funds' fundamental investment restriction relating to concentration, each Fund may use the industry classifications provided by Bloomberg, L.P., the MSCI/Standard & Poor's Global Industry Classification Standard ("GICS") or any other reasonable industry classification system. Wholly-owned finance companies will be considered to be in the industries of their parents (or affiliated entity) if their activities are primarily related to financing the activities of the parents (or affiliated entity). Due to their varied economic characteristics, issuers within the financial services industry will be classified at the sub-group level. Utilities will be divided according to their services, for example, gas, gas transmission, electric and gas, electric and telephone will each be considered a separate industry. Securities issued by foreign governmental entities (including foreign agencies, foreign municipalities and foreign instrumentalities) will be classified by country. For purposes of classifying such securities, each foreign country will be deemed a separate industry. Also, for purposes of industry concentration, tax-exempt securities issued by states, municipalities and their political subdivisions are not considered to be part of any industry, unless their payments of interest and/or principal are dependent upon revenues derived from projects, rather than the general obligations of the municipal issuer (such as private activity and revenue bonds or municipal securities backed principally from the assets or revenues of non-governmental users). For the purposes of the NYLI MacKay Short Term Muni Fund’s and NYLI MacKay Strategic Muni Allocation Fund's industry concentration policy, the Manager or Subadvisor may analyze the characteristics of a particular issuer and instrument and may assign an industry classification consistent with those characteristics. The Manager and the Subadvisor may, but need not, consider industry classifications provided by third parties or the staff of the SEC.
· Real Estate. A Fund may acquire real estate as a result of ownership of securities or other instruments and a Fund may invest in securities or other instruments backed by real estate or securities of companies engaged in the real estate business or real estate investment trusts.
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· Commodities. Under the federal securities and commodities laws, certain financial instruments such as futures contracts and options thereon, including currency futures, stock index futures or interest rate futures, and certain swaps, including currency swaps, interest rate swaps, swaps on broad-based securities indices and certain credit default swaps, may, under certain circumstances, also be considered to be commodities. Nevertheless, the 1940 Act does not prohibit investments in physical commodities or contracts related to physical commodities.
· Loans. Although the 1940 Act does not prohibit a fund from making loans, SEC staff interpretations currently prohibit funds from lending more than one-third of their total assets, except through the purchase of debt obligations or the use of repurchase agreements.
· Senior Securities. Under the 1940 Act and regulations thereunder, a Fund may trade derivatives and other transactions that create future payment or delivery obligations (except reverse repurchase agreements and similar financing transactions) subject to a “limited derivatives users” exception which imposes a limit on notional derivatives exposure or subject to a value-at-risk (“VaR”) leverage limit and certain derivatives risk management program and reporting requirements. When a Fund trades reverse repurchase agreements or similar financing transactions, including certain tender option bonds, it needs to aggregate the amount of indebtedness associated with the reverse repurchase agreements or similar financing transactions with the aggregate amount of any other senior securities representing indebtedness when calculating a Fund’s asset coverage ratio or treat all such transactions as derivatives transactions. Reverse repurchase agreements or similar financing transactions aggregated with other indebtedness do not need to be included in the calculation of whether a Fund satisfies the limited derivatives users exception, but for a Fund subject to the VaR testing requirement, reverse repurchase agreements and similar financing transactions must be included for purposes of such testing whether treated as derivatives transactions or not. A money market fund may enter into reverse repurchase agreements with banks and needs to aggregate the amount of indebtedness associated with its reverse repurchase agreements with the aggregate amount of any other senior securities representing indebtedness (e.g., borrowings, if applicable) when calculating the fund’s asset coverage ratio.
· Diversification. Under the 1940 Act and the rules, regulations and interpretations thereunder, a “diversified company,” as to 75% of its total assets, may not purchase securities of any issuer (other than obligations of, or guaranteed by, the U.S. government or its agencies, or instrumentalities or securities of other investment companies) if, as a result, more than 5% of its total assets would be invested in the securities of such issuer, or more than 10% of the issuer’s voting securities would be held by the Fund. Pursuant to Rule 2a-7, a money market fund that satisfies the applicable diversification requirements of Rule 2a-7 shall be deemed to have satisfied the diversification requirements of Section 5(b)(1) of the 1940 Act and the rules adopted thereunder.
· 80% Policy. In accordance with SEC staff guidance, the NYLI MacKay Strategic Muni Allocation Fund will not count investments that are subject to the federal alternative minimum tax towards its 80% investment policy. Accordingly, the NYLI MacKay Strategic Muni Allocation Fund, under normal circumstances, will invest at least 80% of the value of its net assets, plus any borrowings for investment purposes, in investments, the income from which is exempt from federal income tax and federal alternative minimum tax.
In addition to each Fund’s fundamental investment restrictions, the Trustees have adopted certain policies and restrictions, set forth below, that are observed in the conduct of the affairs of the Funds. These represent the intentions of the Trustees based upon current circumstances. They differ from fundamental investment policies in that the following non-fundamental investment restrictions may be changed or amended by action of the Trustees at any time without requiring prior notice to or approval of shareholders, unless set forth below.
Unless otherwise indicated, all percentage limitations apply to each Fund on an individual basis, and apply only at the time a transaction is entered into. Accordingly, if a percentage restriction is adhered to at the time of investment, a later increase or decrease in the percentage which results from a relative change in values or from a change in a Fund's assets will not be considered a violation.
Non-Fundamental Investment Policies Related to Fund Names
Certain of the Funds have names that suggest that a Fund will focus on a type of investment, within the meaning of Rule 35d-1 under the 1940 Act. Except for the NYLI MacKay Arizona Muni Fund, NYLI MacKay California Muni Fund, NYLI MacKay Colorado Muni Fund, NYLI MacKay High Yield Muni Bond Fund, NYLI MacKay New York Muni Fund, NYLI MacKay Oregon Muni Fund, NYLI MacKay Short Term Muni Fund, NYLI MacKay Strategic Muni Allocation Fund and NYLI MacKay Tax Free Bond Fund, NYLI MacKay Utah Muni Fund, the New York Life Investments Group of Funds has adopted a non-fundamental policy for each of these Funds to invest, under normal circumstances, at least 80% of the value of its assets (net assets plus the amount of any borrowing for investment purposes) in the particular type of investments suggested by its name. Furthermore, with respect to each of these Funds, the New York Life Investments Group of Funds has adopted a policy to provide a Fund's shareholders with at least 60 days’ prior notice of any change in the policy of a Fund to invest at least 80% of its assets in the manner described below.
The affected Funds and their corresponding 80% policies are as set forth in the table below:
FUND |
NON-FUNDAMENTAL INVESTMENT POLICY | |
NEW YORK LIFE INVESTMENTS FUNDS |
||
NYLI Candriam Emerging Markets Debt Fund |
To invest, under normal circumstances, at least 80% of its assets (net assets plus any borrowing for investment purposes) in fixed-income securities of issuers in emerging markets. | |
NYLI MacKay Convertible Fund |
To invest, under normal circumstances, at least 80% of its assets in convertible securities. |
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FUND |
NON-FUNDAMENTAL INVESTMENT POLICY | |
NYLI MacKay High Yield Corporate Bond Fund |
To invest, under normal circumstances, at least 80% of its assets in high-yield corporate debt securities. | |
NYLI MacKay Strategic Bond Fund |
To invest, under normal conditions, at least 80% of its assets in a diversified portfolio of debt or debt-related securities. | |
NYLI MacKay U.S. Infrastructure Bond Fund |
To invest, under normal circumstances, at least 80% of its assets (net assets plus any borrowings for investment purposes) in an actively managed, diversified portfolio of U.S. infrastructure-related debt securities and/or securities intended primarily to finance infrastructure-related activities. | |
NYLI Winslow Large Cap Growth Fund |
To invest, under normal circumstances, at least 80% of its net assets plus borrowings, in large capitalization companies. | |
NEW YORK LIFE INVESTMENTS FUNDS TRUST |
||
NYLI Candriam Emerging Markets Equity Fund |
To invest, under normal circumstances, at least 80% of its net assets, plus any borrowings for investment purposes, in equity securities or equity-related securities issued by entities in, or tied economically to, emerging markets. | |
NYLI CBRE Global Infrastructure Fund |
To invest, under normal circumstances, at least 80% of its assets (net assets plus borrowings for investment purposes) in securities issued by infrastructure companies. | |
NYLI CBRE Real Estate Fund |
To invest, under normal circumstances, at least 80% of its assets (net assets plus borrowings for investment purposes) in common and preferred stocks of U.S. real estate investment trusts (“REITs”) and other real estate companies. | |
NYLI Conservative ETF Allocation Fund |
To invest, under normal circumstances, at least 80% of its assets (net assets plus any borrowings for investment purposes) in exchange-traded funds. | |
NYLI Cushing MLP Premier Fund |
To invest, under normal circumstances, at least 80% of its assets (net assets plus any borrowings for investment purposes) in a portfolio of master limited partnerships (“MLPs”) and MLP-related investments. | |
NYLI Epoch Global Equity Yield Fund |
To invest, under normal circumstances, at least 80% of its assets in equity securities of dividend-paying companies. | |
NYLI Epoch U.S. Equity Yield Fund |
To invest, under normal circumstances, at least 80% of its assets in equity securities of dividend-paying U.S. companies across all market capitalizations. | |
NYLI Equity Allocation Fund |
To invest, under normal circumstances, at least 80% of its assets (net assets plus any borrowings for investment purposes) in underlying equity funds. | |
NYLI Equity ETF Allocation Fund |
To invest, under normal circumstances, at least 80% of its assets (net assets plus any borrowings for investment purposes) in underlying equity exchange-traded funds. | |
NYLI Fiera SMID Growth Fund |
To invest, under normal circumstances, at least 80% of its assets (net assets plus any borrowings for investment purposes) in common stocks of small- and mid-cap companies. | |
NYLI Floating Rate Fund |
To invest, under normal circumstances, at least 80% of its assets in a portfolio of floating rate loans and other floating rate securities. | |
NYLI Growth ETF Allocation Fund |
To invest, under normal circumstances, at least 80% of its assets (net assets plus any borrowings for investment purposes) in exchange-traded funds. | |
NYLI MacKay Short Duration High Income Fund |
To invest, under normal circumstances, at least 80% of its assets in high-yield debt securities. | |
NYLI MacKay Total Return Bond Fund |
To invest, under normal circumstances, at least 80% of its assets in debt securities. | |
NYLI Moderate ETF Allocation Fund |
To invest, under normal circumstances, at least 80% of its assets (net assets plus any borrowings for investment purposes) in exchange-traded funds. | |
NYLI S&P 500 Index Fund |
To invest, under normal circumstances, at least 80% of its net assets in stocks connoted by the S&P 500® Index. | |
NYLI Short Term Bond Fund |
To invest, under normal circumstances, at least 80% of its assets (net assets plus any borrowings for investment purposes) in debt securities. | |
NYLI PineStone Global Equity Fund |
To invest, under normal circumstances, at least 80% of its assets (net assets plus any borrowings for investment purposes) in equity securities. | |
NYLI PineStone International Equity Fund |
To invest, under normal circumstances, at least 80% of its assets (net assets plus any borrowings for investment purposes) in equity securities. | |
NYLI PineStone U.S. Equity Fund |
To invest, under normal circumstances, at least 80% of its assets (net assets plus any borrowings for investment purposes) in equity securities of U.S. companies. | |
NYLI WMC Small Companies Fund |
To invest, under normal circumstances, at least 80% of its assets in securities of small-capitalization U.S. companies, as defined in the current prospectus of the Fund. | |
NYLI WMC International Research Equity Fund |
To invest, under normal circumstances, at least 80% of its assets (net assets plus any borrowings for investment purposes) in equity securities. |
The 80% investment policies for the NYLI MacKay Arizona Muni Fund, NYLI MacKay California Muni Fund, NYLI MacKay Colorado Muni Fund, NYLI MacKay High Yield Muni Bond Fund, NYLI MacKay New York Muni Fund, NYLI MacKay Oregon Muni Fund, NYLI MacKay Short Term Muni Fund, NYLI MacKay Strategic Muni Allocation Fund, NYLI MacKay Tax Free Bond Fund and NYLI MacKay Utah Muni Fund are fundamental and, therefore, may not be changed without shareholder approval. Please see the discussion regarding fundamental investment restrictions above and in the Funds’ Prospectuses for more information.
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Subject to the limitations set forth herein and in the Prospectuses, the Manager or Subadvisor(s) to each Fund may, in its discretion, at any time, employ any of the following practices, techniques or instruments for the Funds. Furthermore, it is possible that certain types of financial instruments or investment techniques described herein may not be available, permissible, economically feasible, or effective for their intended purposes in all markets and under all conditions. Certain practices, techniques or instruments may not be principal activities of the Funds but, to the extent employed, could from time to time have a material impact on the Funds' performance.
Unless otherwise indicated above, the Funds may engage in the following investment practices or techniques, subject to the specific limits described in the Prospectuses or elsewhere in this SAI. Unless otherwise stated in the Prospectuses, investment techniques are discretionary. That means the Manager or each Subadvisor may elect to engage or not engage in the various techniques at its sole discretion. Investors should not assume that any particular discretionary investment technique or strategy will be employed at all times, or ever employed. With respect to some of the investment practices and techniques, Funds that are most likely to engage in a particular investment practice or technique are indicated in the relevant descriptions as Funds that may engage in such practices or techniques.
The loss of money is a risk of investing in the Funds. None of the Funds, neither individually nor collectively, is intended to constitute a balanced or complete investment program. The NYLI Money Market Fund seeks to maintain a stable NAV of $1.00 per share. Each Fund is subject to the risks and considerations associated with investing in mutual funds generally as well as additional risks and restrictions discussed herein.
Special Note Regarding Recent Market Events
From time to time, events in the financial sector may result in reduced liquidity in the credit, fixed-income and other financial markets and an unusually high degree of volatility in the financial markets, both domestically and internationally. Certain isolated events in a financial market may also result in systemic adverse consequences across broader segments of the financial markets (domestically, regionally or globally) in unanticipated or unforeseen ways. Such events may result from unregulated markets, systemic risk, natural market forces, bad actors or other unforeseen scenarios. In addition, events such as war, acts of terrorism, recessions, rapid inflation, the imposition of international sanctions, earthquakes, hurricanes, epidemics and pandemics and other unforeseen natural or human disasters may have broad adverse social, political and economic effects on the global economy, which could negatively impact the value of the Funds' investments. The potential for market turbulence may have an adverse effect on the value of the Funds' investments.
In the past, instability in the financial markets led the United States and other governments to take a number of unprecedented actions designed to support certain financial and other institutions and certain segments of the financial markets. Federal, state and foreign governments, regulatory agencies and self-regulatory organizations have taken, and could take in the future, actions that affect the regulation of the instruments in which the Funds invest, or the issuers of such instruments, in ways that are unforeseeable. Such legislation or regulation could limit the Funds' ability to achieve their investment objectives.
Governments or their agencies may also acquire distressed assets from financial institutions and acquire ownership interests in those institutions. The implications of government ownership and disposition of these assets vary, and such ownership or disposition may have positive or negative effects on the liquidity, valuation and performance of the Funds' portfolio holdings.
In March 2023, several financial institutions experienced a larger-than-expected decline in deposits and two banks, Silicon Valley Bank (“SVB”) and Signature Bank, were placed into receivership. Given the interconnectedness of the banking system, the Federal Reserve invoked the systemic risk exception, temporarily transferred all deposits—both insured and uninsured—and substantially all the assets of the two banks into respective bridge banks and guaranteed depositors' full access to their funds.
This type of systemic risk event and/or resulting government actions can negatively impact the Funds, for example, through less credit being available to issuers or uncertainty regarding safety of deposits at other institutions. These risks also may adversely affect financial intermediaries, such as clearing agencies, clearing houses, banks, securities firms and exchanges, with which the Funds interact.
The energy markets have experienced significant volatility in recent periods and may continue to experience relatively high volatility for a prolonged period. In part due to geopolitical events, crude oil and natural gas prices may continue to be extremely volatile and it is not possible to predict whether or not they will stay at current levels, increase or decrease. To the extent that issuers in which the Funds invest to sustain their historical distribution levels, which in turn, may adversely affect the Funds. The Subadvisors may take measures to navigate the conditions of the energy markets, but there is no guarantee that such efforts will be effective or that the Funds' performance will correlate with any increase in oil or gas prices. The Funds and their shareholders could therefore lose money as a result of the conditions in the energy market.
Changing interest rate environments (whether downward or upward) impact the various sectors of the economy in different ways. For example, low interest rate environments tend to be a positive factor for the equity markets, whereas high interest rate environments tend to apply downward pressure on earnings and stock prices. Likewise, during periods when interest rates are increasing (rather than stagnant in a high or low interest rate environment), the price of fixed income investments tend to fall as investors begin to seek higher yielding investments. Accordingly, a Fund is subject to heightened interest rate risk during periods of low interest rates. Accordingly, in a rising interest rate environment, the Funds may be adversely affected, especially those Funds that are more susceptible to interest rate risk (e.g., those funds that hold fixed income investments or that invest in equity securities of issuers who are adversely affected by rising interest rates).
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The risks attendant to changing interest rate environments have been, and continue to be, magnified in the current economic environment. In July 2019, the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System (“Federal Reserve Board”) lowered the federal funds rate for the first time since 2008, and further decreased the federal funds rate in September and October of 2019 and March 2020. However, to combat rising inflation, the Federal Reserve Board reversed course and most recently increased the federal funds rate several times in 2022 and 2023.
The impact of epidemics and/or pandemics that may arise in the future are uncertain and could adversely affect the global economy, national economies, individual issuers and capital markets in unforeseeable ways and result in a substantial and extended economic downturn. In addition, public health crises caused by the epidemics and/or pandemics may exacerbate other pre-existing political, social and economic risks in certain countries.
In late February 2022, the Russian military invaded Ukraine, which amplified existing geopolitical tensions among Russia, Ukraine, Europe and many other countries including the U.S. and other members of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (“NATO”). In response, various countries, including the U.S., the United Kingdom and members of the European Union issued broad-ranging economic sanctions against Russia, Russian companies and financial institutions, Russian individuals and others. In particular, U.S. sanctions prohibit any “new investment” in Russia which is defined to include any new purchases of Russian securities. U.S. persons also are required to freeze securities issued by certain Russian entities identified on the List of Specially Designated Nationals, which includes several large publicly traded Russian banks and other companies. Russia has issued various countermeasures that affect the ability of non-Russian persons to trade in Russian securities. Additional sanctions may be imposed in the future. Any actions by Russia made in response to such sanctions or retaliatory measures could further impair the value and liquidity of the Funds' investments. Such sanctions (and any future sanctions) and other actions against Russia and Russia’s military action against Ukraine will adversely impact the economies of Russia and Ukraine. Certain sectors of each country’s economy were particularly affected, including but not limited to, financials, energy, metals and mining, engineering and defense and defense-related materials sectors.
Further, a number of large corporations and U.S. and foreign governmental entities announced plans to divest interests or otherwise curtail business dealings in Russia or with certain Russian businesses. These events resulted in (and will continue to result in) a loss of liquidity and value of Russian and Ukrainian securities and, in some cases, a complete inability to trade in or settle trades in transactions in certain Russian securities. Further actions are likely to be taken by the international community, including governments and private corporations, that will adversely impact the Russian economy in particular. Such actions may include boycotts, tariffs and purchasing and financing restrictions on Russia’s government, companies and certain individuals, or other unforeseeable actions.
The Russian and Ukrainian governments, economies, companies and the region will likely be further adversely impacted in unforeseeable ways. The ramifications of the hostilities and sanctions may also negatively impact other regional and global economic markets (including Europe and the U.S.), companies in other countries (particularly those that have done business with Russia) and various sectors, industries and markets for securities and commodities globally, such as oil and natural gas and precious metals. The imposition of sanctions and other similar measures could, among other things, cause downgrades in Russian securities or those of companies located in or economically tied to Russia, devaluation of Russia's currency and increased market volatility and disruption in Russia and throughout the world. Sanctions and other measures, including banning Russia from global payments systems that facilitate cross-border payments, could also limit or prevent a Fund from buying and selling securities and significantly delay or prevent the settlement of securities transactions. The extent and duration of the military action or future escalation of such hostilities, the extent and impact of existing and future sanctions, market disruptions and volatility, and the result of any diplomatic negotiations cannot be predicted. Sanctions could also result in Russia taking counter measures or retaliatory actions which may further impair the value and liquidity of Russian securities. Moreover, disruptions caused by Russian military action or other actions (including cyberattacks and espionage) or resulting actual and threatened responses to such activity, including cyberattacks on the Russian government, Russian companies or Russian individuals, including politicians, may impact Russia's economy and Russian issuers of securities in which a Fund invests. These and any related events could have a significant impact on a Fund’s performance and the value of an investment in the Fund.
On October 7, 2023, Hamas launched an attack on Israel from the Gaza Strip. The extent and duration of the Israel-Hamas war and any related economic and market impacts are impossible to predict but may be significant, and may negatively impact Israel's economy and issuers of securities in which a Fund invests.
Merger, Reorganization or Liquidation of a Fund
The Board may determine to merge or reorganize a Fund or a class of shares, or to close and liquidate a Fund at any time, which may have adverse consequences for shareholders. In the event of the liquidation of a Fund, shareholders will receive a liquidating distribution equal to their proportionate interest in the Fund. A liquidating distribution may be a taxable event to shareholders, resulting in a gain or loss for tax purposes, depending upon a shareholder's basis in his or her shares of the Fund. In the event of a liquidation of the Fund, a shareholder of the Fund will not be entitled to any refund or reimbursement of expenses borne, directly or indirectly, by the shareholder (such as sales loads, account fees or fund expenses), and a shareholder may receive an amount in liquidation less than the shareholder’s original investment.
Cyber Security and Disruptions in Operations
With the increasing use of the Internet and technology, including cloud-based technology, in connection with the Funds' operations, the Funds may be more susceptible to greater operational and information security risks resulting from breaches in cyber security. Cyber incidents can result from unintentional events (such as an inadvertent release of confidential information) or deliberate attacks by insiders or third parties, including cyber criminals, competitors, nation-states and “hacktivists,” and can be perpetrated by a variety of complex means, including the use of stolen access
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credentials, malware or other computer viruses, ransomware, phishing, structured query language injection attacks and distributed denial of service attacks, among other means. Cyber incidents may result in actual or potential adverse consequences for critical information and communications technology, or systems and networks that are vital to the Funds' or their service providers’ operations, or otherwise impair Fund or service provider operations. For example, a cyber incident may cause operational disruptions and failures impacting information systems or information that a system processes, stores or transmits, such as by theft, damage or destruction or corruption or modification of or denial of access to data maintained online or digitally, denial of service on websites rendering the websites unavailable to intended users or not accessible for such users in a timely manner and the unauthorized release or other exploitation of confidential information (i.e., identity theft or other privacy breaches). In addition, a cyber security breach may cause disruptions and impact the Funds' business operations, which could potentially result in financial losses, inability to determine a Fund's NAV including over an extended period, impediments to trading, the inability of shareholders to transact business, violation of privacy and other applicable law, regulatory penalties and/or fines, compliance and other costs. The Funds and their shareholders could be negatively impacted as a result. Further, substantial costs may be incurred in order to prevent future cyber incidents.
In addition, because the Funds work closely with third-party service providers (e.g., custodians), cyber security breaches at such third-party service providers or trading counterparties may subject a Fund's shareholders to the same risks associated with direct cyber security breaches. Further, cyber security breaches at an issuer of securities in which the Funds invest may similarly negatively impact a Fund's shareholders because of a decrease in the value of these securities. These incidents could result in adverse consequences for such issuers, and may cause a Fund's investment in such securities to lose value. For example, a cyber incident involving an issuer may include the theft, destruction or misappropriation of financial assets, intellectual property or other sensitive information belonging to the issuer or their customers (i.e., identity theft or other privacy breaches). As a result, the issuer may experience the types of adverse consequences summarized above, among others (such as loss of revenue), despite having implemented preventative and other measures reasonably designed to protect from and/or defend against the risks or adverse effects associated with cyber incidents.
The use of cloud-based service providers could heighten or change these risks. In addition, work-from-home arrangements by the Funds, the Manager or their service providers could increase all of the above risks, create additional data and information accessibility concerns, and make the Funds, the Manager or their service providers susceptible to operational disruptions, any of which could adversely impact their operations.
While the Funds have established risk management systems and business continuity policies designed to reduce the risks associated with cyber security breaches and other operational disruptions, there can be no assurances that such measures will be successful particularly since the Funds do not control the cyber security and operational systems of issuers or third-party service providers, and certain security breaches may not be detected. The Funds and their service providers, as well as exchanges and market participants through or with which the Funds trade and other infrastructures on which the Funds or their service providers rely, are also subject to the risks associated with technological and operational disruptions or failures arising from, for example, processing errors and human errors, inadequate or failed internal or external processes, failures in systems and technology, errors in algorithms used with respect to the Funds, changes in personnel and errors caused by third parties or trading counterparties. In addition, there are inherent limitations to these plans and systems, and certain risks may not yet be identified and new risks may emerge in the future. The Funds and their respective shareholders could be negatively impacted as a result of any security breaches or operational disruptions and may bear certain costs tied to such events.
Arbitrage
A Fund may sell a security that it owns in one market and simultaneously purchase the same security in another market, or it may buy a security in one market and simultaneously sell it in another market, in order to take advantage of differences in the price of the security in the different markets. The Funds do not actively engage in arbitrage. Such transactions are generally entered into with respect to debt securities and occur in a dealer's market where the buying and selling dealers involved confirm their prices to a Fund at the time of the transaction, thus eliminating any risk to the assets of the Fund. Such transactions, which involve costs to a Fund, may be limited by the policy of each Fund to qualify as a "regulated investment company" under the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended (the “Internal Revenue Code”).
Bank Obligations
A Fund may invest in certificates of deposit ("CDs"), time deposits, bankers' acceptances and other short-term debt obligations issued by commercial banks or savings and loan institutions ("S&Ls"). CDs are certificates evidencing the obligation of a bank or S&L to repay funds deposited with it for a specified period of time at a specified rate of return. If a CD is non-negotiable, it may be classified as an illiquid investment.
Time deposits in banking institutions are generally similar to CDs, but are uncertificated. Bank time deposits are monies kept on deposit with U.S. or foreign banks (and their subsidiaries and branches) or U.S. S&Ls for a stated period of time at a fixed rate of interest. There may be penalties for the early withdrawal of such time deposits, in which case the yields of these investments will be reduced. Time deposits maturing in more than seven days and/or subject to withdrawal penalties may be classified as an illiquid investment.
Fixed time deposits are bank obligations payable at a stated maturity date and bearing interest at a fixed rate. Fixed time deposits may be withdrawn on demand by the investor, but may be subject to early withdrawal penalties that vary depending upon market conditions and the remaining maturity of the obligation. These instruments reflect the obligation both of the bank and of the drawer to pay the full amount of the instrument upon maturity. There are no contractual restrictions on the right to transfer a beneficial interest in a fixed time deposit to a third party, although there generally is no market for such deposits.
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Bankers' acceptances are credit instruments evidencing the obligation of a bank or S&L to pay a draft drawn on it by a customer, usually in connection with international commercial transactions. Bankers' acceptances are short-term credit instruments used to finance commercial transactions. Generally, an acceptance is a time draft drawn on a bank by an exporter or an importer to obtain a stated amount of funds to pay for specific merchandise. The draft is then "accepted" by a bank that, in effect, unconditionally guarantees to pay the face value of the instrument on its maturity date. The acceptance may then be held by the accepting bank as an asset or it may be sold in the secondary market at the going rate of interest for a specific maturity.
As a result of governmental regulations, U.S. branches of foreign banks and of U.S. banks, among other things, generally are required to maintain specified levels of capital, and are subject to other supervision and prudential regulation designed to promote financial safety and soundness. U.S. S&Ls are supervised and subject to examination by the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency. Deposits held at U.S. banks and U.S. S&Ls are insured up to the insurance limit (currently $250,000 per person per bank) by the Deposit Insurance Fund, which is administered by the FDIC and backed by the full faith and credit of the U.S. government. To the extent a Fund has money deposited at a bank, any amounts over $250,000 will not be insured.
Obligations of foreign banks involve somewhat different investment risks than those affecting obligations of U.S. banks, including: (i) an increased possibility that their liquidity could be impaired because of future political and economic developments; (ii) their obligations may be less marketable than comparable obligations of U.S. banks; (iii) a foreign jurisdiction might impose withholding taxes on interest income payable on those obligations; (iv) foreign deposits may be seized or nationalized; (v) foreign governmental restrictions, such as exchange controls, may be adopted which might adversely affect the payment of principal and interest on those obligations; and (vi) the selection of those obligations may be more difficult because there may be less publicly available information concerning foreign banks or the accounting, auditing, and financial reporting standards, practices and requirements applicable to foreign banks may differ from those applicable to U.S. banks. Foreign banks are not generally subject to examination by any U.S. government agency or instrumentality to the extent they do not have any U.S. banking operations.
See "Cash Equivalents" for more information.
Borrowing
Each Fund may borrow money to the extent permitted under the 1940 Act, or otherwise limited herein, as such may be interpreted or modified by regulatory authorities having jurisdiction, from time to time. This borrowing may be unsecured. The 1940 Act precludes a fund from borrowing if, as a result of such borrowing, the total amount of all money borrowed by a fund exceeds 33 1/3% of the value of its total assets (that is, total assets including borrowings, less liabilities exclusive of borrowings) at the time of such borrowings. This means that the 1940 Act requires a fund to maintain continuous asset coverage of 300% of the amount borrowed. If the 300% asset coverage should decline as a result of market fluctuations or other reasons, a Fund may be required to sell some of its portfolio holdings within three days to reduce the debt and restore the 300% asset coverage, or for other reasons to cover a borrowing transaction, even though it may be disadvantageous from an investment standpoint to sell securities at that time, and could cause the Fund to be unable to meet certain requirements for qualification as a regulated investment company under the Internal Revenue Code.
Borrowing tends to exaggerate the effect on a Fund's NAV per share of any changes in the market value of a Fund's portfolio securities. Money borrowed will be subject to interest costs, which may or may not be recovered by earnings on the securities purchased. A Fund also may be required to maintain minimum average balances in connection with a borrowing or to pay a commitment or other fee to maintain a line of credit. Either of these requirements would increase the cost of borrowing over the stated interest rate.
Cash Equivalents
To the extent permitted by its investment objective and policies, each Fund may invest in cash equivalents. Cash equivalents include U.S. government securities, CDs, bank time deposits, bankers' acceptances, repurchase agreements and commercial paper, each of which is discussed in more detail herein. Cash equivalents may include short-term fixed-income securities issued by private and governmental institutions. Repurchase agreements may be considered cash equivalents if the collateral pledged is an obligation of the U.S. government, its agencies or instrumentalities.
Closed-End Funds
The Funds may invest in shares of closed-end funds. Closed-end funds are investment companies that generally do not continuously offer their shares for sale. Rather, closed-end funds typically trade on a secondary market, such as the New York Stock Exchange or the NASDAQ Stock Market, Inc. Closed-end funds are subject to management risk because the adviser to the closed-end fund may be unsuccessful in meeting the fund's investment objective. Moreover, investments in a closed-end fund generally reflect the risks of the closed-end fund's underlying portfolio securities. Closed-end funds may also trade at a discount or premium to their NAV and may trade at a larger discount or smaller premium subsequent to purchase by a Fund. Closed-end funds may trade infrequently and with small volume, which may make it difficult for a Fund to buy and sell shares. Closed-end funds are subject to management fees and other expenses that may increase their cost versus the costs of owning the underlying securities. Since closed-end funds trade on exchanges, a Fund may also incur brokerage expenses and commissions when it buys or sells closed-end fund shares.
Collateralized Debt Obligations
The Funds may invest in collateralized debt obligations (“CDOs”), collateralized bond obligations (“CBOs”), collateralized loan obligations (“CLOs”) and other similarly structured vehicles. CBOs, CLOs, CDOs and similarly structured vehicles are types of asset-backed securities. In a CBO
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transaction, a special purpose entity (“SPE”) issues securities backed by a diversified pool of high risk, below investment grade fixed-income securities. The collateral can be from many different types of fixed-income securities, such as high yield debt, residential privately issued mortgage-related securities, commercial privately issued mortgage-related securities, trust preferred securities and emerging market debt. In a CLO transaction, an SPE issues securities collateralized by a pool of commercial loans, which may include, among others, domestic and foreign senior secured loans, senior unsecured loans and subordinate corporate loans, including loans that may be rated below investment grade or equivalent unrated loans. In a CDO transaction, an SPE issues securities backed by other types of assets, including synthetic instruments that provide exposure to other asset-backed securities representing obligations of various parties. CBOs, CLOs, CDOs and similarly structured vehicles typically charge management fees and administrative expenses.
For CBOs, CLOs, CDOs and similarly structured vehicles the cash flows received by the SPE are allocated among multiple classes of debt, called tranches, varying in seniority, risk level and potential yield. The most subordinated tranche (often referred to as the “equity” tranche) has the highest level of risk, as defaults on the underlying assets held by the SPE are borne first by the most subordinated tranche, thus providing the more senior tranches a cushion from losses. However, despite the cushion from the equity and other more junior tranches, senior tranches can experience substantial losses due to defaults or other losses on the assets which exceed those of the more junior tranches. Additionally, the market value of CBO, CLO and CDO securities can decrease due to such defaults on the underlying assets of such CBO, CDO or CDO, as well as market anticipation of defaults or aversion to CBO, CLO or CDO securities as a class.
The risks of an investment in a CBO, CLO, CDO or similarly structured vehicle depend largely on the type of the underlying collateral and the class of the issuer in which a Fund invests. Normally, CBOs, CLOs and other CDOs are privately offered and sold, and thus, are not registered under the securities laws. As a result, investments in CBOs, CLOs, CDOs and similarly structured vehicles may be classified as illiquid investments. Notwithstanding such classification, an active dealer market may exist for CBOs, CLOs, CDOs and similarly structured vehicles allowing them to qualify for Rule 144A transactions. In addition to the normal risks associated with debt or fixed-income securities discussed elsewhere in this SAI and the Funds' Prospectuses (e.g., interest rate, credit, liquidity, prepayment and default risk), CBOs, CLOs, CDOs and similarly structured vehicles carry additional risks including, but not limited to: (i) the possibility that distributions from the collateral will not be adequate to make interest or other payments owed by the SPE to the holders of its securities; (ii) the underlying assets may experience defaults; (iii) the value or quality of the underlying assets may decline, and the SPE may sell such assets at a loss; (iv) the SPE itself may experience an event of default, which could result in an acceleration of its debt and a liquidation of its assets at a loss; (v) a Fund may invest in CBO, CLO or CDO tranches that are subordinate to other tranches; and (vi) the complex structure of the CBO, CLO or CDO may not be fully understood at the time of investment and may produce disputes with the parties involved in the transaction and/or unexpected investment results.
In addition, these risks may be magnified depending on the tranche of CBO, CLO or CDO securities in which a Fund invests. For example, investments in a junior tranche of CLO securities will likely be more sensitive to loan defaults or credit impairment than investments in more senior tranches. In addition, interest on certain tranches of a CBO, CLO or CDO may be paid in-kind (meaning that unpaid interest is effectively added to principal), which involves continued exposure to default risk with respect to such payments. Certain CBO, CLO and CDO securities may receive credit enhancement in the form of a senior-subordinate structure or over-collateralization, but such enhancement may not always be present and may fail to protect the Funds against the risk of loss due to defaults on the collateral.
CDOs are subject to additional risks because they are backed primarily by pools of assets other than loans including securities (such as other asset-backed securities), synthetic instruments or bonds, and may be highly leveraged. Like CLOs, losses incurred by CDOs are borne first by holders of subordinate tranches. Accordingly, the risks associated with CDO investments depend largely on the type of underlying collateral and the tranche of CDOs in which the Fund invests. Additionally, CDOs that obtain their exposure through synthetic investments entail the risks associated with derivative instruments.
Combined Transactions
Combined transactions involve entering into multiple derivatives transactions (such as multiple options transactions, including purchasing and writing options in combination with each other; multiple futures transactions; and combinations of options, futures, forward and swap transactions) instead of a single derivatives transaction in order to customize the risk and return characteristics of the overall position. Combined transactions typically contain elements of risk that are present in each of the component transactions. A Fund may enter into a combined transaction instead of a single derivatives transaction when, in the opinion of the Manager or a Subadvisor, it is in the best interest of the Fund to do so. Because combined transactions involve multiple transactions, they may result in higher transaction costs and may be more difficult to close out.
Commercial Paper
A Fund may invest in, among other things, commercial paper if it is rated at the time of investment in the highest ratings category by a nationally recognized statistical ratings organization ("NRSRO"), such as Prime-1 or A-1, or if not rated by an NRSRO, if the Fund’s Manager or Subadvisor determines that the commercial paper is of comparable quality.
In addition, unless otherwise stated in the applicable Prospectus or this SAI, each Fund (with the exception of the NYLI Money Market Fund) may invest up to 5% of its total assets in commercial paper if, when purchased, it is rated in the second highest ratings category by an NRSRO, or, if unrated, the Fund’s Manager or Subadvisor determines that the commercial paper is of comparable quality. See "Money Market Investments" for more information.
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Generally, commercial paper represents short-term (typically, nine months or less) unsecured promissory notes issued (in bearer form) by banks or bank holding companies, corporations and finance companies. A commercial paper rating is not a recommendation to purchase, sell or hold a security inasmuch as it does not comment as to market price or suitability for a particular investor. The ratings are based on current information furnished to rating agencies by the issuer or obtained from other sources the rating agencies consider reliable. The rating agencies do not perform an audit in connection with any rating and may, on occasion, rely on unaudited financial information. The ratings may be changed, suspended or withdrawn as a result of changes in or unavailability of such information. See "Cash Equivalents" for more information.
Commodities and Commodity-Linked Derivatives
Commodity-linked or index-linked notes are derivative debt instruments with principal and/or coupon payments linked to the value of commodities, commodity futures contracts or the performance of commodity indices. These notes are sometimes referred to as “structured notes” because the terms of these notes may be structured by the issuer and the purchaser of the note. Structured notes may be illiquid and are often leveraged, increasing the volatility of each note’s market value relative to changes in the underlying commodity, commodity futures contract or commodity index.
Commodities include precious metals (such as gold, silver, platinum and palladium in the form of bullion and coins), industrial metals, gas and other energy products and natural resources. The value of a commodity-linked derivative investment generally is based upon the price movements of a physical commodity (such as energy, mineral or agricultural products), a commodity futures contract or commodity index or other economic variable based upon changes in the value of commodities or the commodities markets or by changes in overall market movements, commodity index volatility, changes in interest rates or factors affecting a particular industry. The value of these securities will rise or fall in response to changes in the underlying commodity or related index investment.
Exposure to the commodities markets may subject a Fund to greater volatility than investments in traditional securities. The commodities markets may fluctuate widely based on a variety of factors such as changes in overall market movements, political and economic events and policies, including environmental policies and regulation, war, acts of terrorism and changes in interest rates or inflation rates. Prices of various commodities may also be affected by factors such as drought, floods, weather, embargoes, disease, pandemics, tariffs and other regulatory developments. Certain commodities are also subject to limited pricing flexibility because of supply and demand factors. Others are subject to broad price fluctuations as a result of the volatility of the prices for certain raw materials and the instability of supplies of other materials. Certain commodities may be produced in a limited number of countries and may be controlled by a small number of producers. As a result, political, economic and supply related events in such countries could have a disproportionate impact on the prices of such commodities.
There are several additional risks associated with commodity futures contracts. In the commodity futures markets there are costs of physical storage associated with purchasing the underlying commodity. The price of the commodity futures contract will reflect the storage costs of purchasing the physical commodity, including the time value of money invested in the physical commodity. To the extent that the storage costs for an underlying commodity change while a Fund is invested in futures contracts on that commodity, the value of the futures contract may change proportionately.
In the commodity futures markets, producers of the underlying commodity may decide to hedge the price risk of selling the commodity by selling futures contracts today to lock in the price of the commodity at delivery tomorrow. In order to induce speculators to purchase the other side of the same futures contract, the commodity producer generally must sell the futures contract at a lower price than the expected future spot price.
Conversely, if most hedgers in the futures market are purchasing futures contracts to hedge against a rise in prices, then speculators will only sell the other side of the futures contract at a higher futures price than the expected future spot price of the commodity. The changing nature of the hedgers and speculators in the commodity markets will influence whether futures prices are above or below the expected future spot price, which can have significant implications for a Fund.
Convertible Securities
A Fund may invest in securities convertible into common stock or the cash value of a single equity security or a basket or index of equity securities. Such investments may be made, for example, if the Manager or a Subadvisor believes that a company's convertible securities are undervalued in the market. Convertible securities eligible for inclusion in the Funds' portfolios include convertible bonds, convertible preferred stocks, warrants or notes or other instruments that may be exchanged for cash payable in an amount that is linked to the value of a particular security, basket of securities, index or indices of securities or currencies.
Convertible debt securities, until converted, have the same general characteristics as other fixed-income securities insofar as they generally provide a stable stream of income with generally higher yields than those of equity securities of the same or similar issuers. By permitting the holder to exchange the investment for common stock or the cash value of a security or a basket or index of securities, convertible securities may also enable the investor to benefit from increases in the market price of the underlying securities. Therefore, convertible securities generally offer lower interest or dividend yields than non-convertible securities of similar quality.
As with all fixed-income securities, the market value of convertible debt securities tends to decline as interest rates increase and, conversely, tends to increase as interest rates decline. The unique feature of the convertible security is that as the market price of the underlying common stock declines, a convertible security tends to trade increasingly on a yield basis, and so may not experience market value declines to the same extent as the underlying common stock. When the market price of the underlying common stock increases, the price of a convertible security increasingly
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reflects the value of the underlying common stock and may rise accordingly. While no securities investment is without some risk, investments in convertible securities generally entail less risk than investments in the common stock of the same issuer. At any given time, investment value is dependent upon such factors as the general level of interest rates, the yield of similar nonconvertible securities, the financial strength of the issuer and the seniority of the security in the issuer's capital structure.
Holders of fixed-income securities (including convertible securities) have a claim on the assets of the issuer prior to the holders of common stock in case of liquidation. However, convertible securities are typically subordinated to similar non-convertible securities of the same issuer. Accordingly, convertible securities have unique investment characteristics because: (1) they have relatively high yields as compared to common stocks; (2) they have defensive characteristics since they provide a fixed return even if the market price of the underlying common stock declines; and (3) they provide the potential for capital appreciation if the market price of the underlying common stock increases.
A convertible security may be subject to redemption at the option of the issuer at a price established in the charter provision or indenture pursuant to which the convertible security is issued. If a convertible security held by a Fund is called for redemption, the Fund will be required to surrender the security for redemption, convert it into the underlying common stock or cash or sell it to a third party.
A Fund may invest in "synthetic" convertible securities. A synthetic convertible security is a derivative position composed of two or more securities whose investment characteristics, taken together, resemble those of traditional convertible securities. Synthetic convertibles are typically offered by financial institutions or investment banks in private placement transactions and are typically sold back to the offering institution. Unlike traditional convertible securities whose conversion values are based on the common stock of the issuer of the convertible security, "synthetic" and "exchangeable" convertible securities are preferred stocks or debt obligations of an issuer which are structured with an embedded equity component whose conversion value is based on the value of the common stocks of two or more different issuers or a particular benchmark (which may include indices, baskets of domestic stocks, commodities, a foreign issuer or basket of foreign stocks or a company whose stock is not yet publicly traded). The value of a synthetic convertible is the sum of the values of its preferred stock or debt obligation component and its convertible component. Therefore, the values of a synthetic convertible and a true convertible security may respond differently to market fluctuations. In addition, a Fund purchasing a synthetic convertible security may have counterparty (including credit) risk with respect to the financial institution or investment bank that offers the instrument. Purchasing a synthetic convertible security may provide greater flexibility than purchasing a traditional convertible security. Synthetic convertible securities are considered convertible securities for compliance testing purposes.
Contingent Convertible Securities
The NYLI MacKay Convertible Fund may invest in a type of convertible securities referred to as contingent convertible securities (“CoCos”), which are a form of hybrid debt security typically issued as subordinated debt instruments (i.e., the rights and claims of holders of CoCos will generally rank junior to the claims of holders of the issuer’s other debt instruments). Unlike traditional convertible securities, the conversion of a CoCo is contingent and occurs based on specified triggering events.
CoCos are usually issued by non-U.S. banks and are subject to risks in addition to those of convertible securities because, among other things, CoCos may be automatically converted to equity (such as common stock) or have their principal written down upon the occurrence of certain triggering events. These triggering events are usually linked to regulatory capital or other financial thresholds or regulatory actions calling into question the issuer’s continued viability as a going concern, such as an issuer’s capital falling below a specified level, an increase in an issuer’s risk weighted assets or the issuer’s share price falling below a particular level for a set period of time. If the issuer triggers the CoCo’s conversion mechanism, the Fund may lose all or part of the principal amount invested on a permanent or temporary basis or the CoCo may be converted to equity or other security ranking junior to the corresponding CoCo, which may occur at a predetermined share price. CoCos’ unique equity conversion and principal write-down features are tailored to the issuer and its regulatory requirements and are set forth in the applicable documentation governing the CoCos.
CoCos often have no stated maturity and often have fully discretionary coupons. This means coupons can potentially be suspended or cancelled at the issuer’s discretion or at the request of the relevant regulatory authority in order to help the bank absorb losses. In light of the uncertainty with respect to investments in CoCos, their value is subject to heightened volatility and may decrease quickly in the event that coupon payments are suspended or otherwise adversely affected.
CoCos are typically issued in the form of subordinated debt instruments to provide the appropriate regulatory capital treatment prior to a conversion. Accordingly, in the event of liquidation, dissolution or winding-up of an issuer prior to a conversion having occurred, the rights and claims of the holders of the CoCos against the issuer in respect of or arising under the terms of the CoCos would generally rank junior to the claims of holders of unsubordinated obligations of the issuer. In addition, if the CoCos are converted into the issuer’s underlying equity securities following a conversion event, each holder of the CoCos will be further subordinated as a result of the conversion from being the holder of a debt instrument to being the holder of an equity instrument. Holders of CoCos may be limited in their ability to institute claims against issuers.
The value of CoCos may fluctuate based on unpredictable factors and will be influenced by many factors, including, without limitation: (i) the creditworthiness of the issuer and/or fluctuations in such issuer’s applicable capital ratios; (ii) supply and demand for the CoCos; (iii) general market conditions and available liquidity; and (iv) economic, financial and political events that affect the issuer, its particular market or the financial markets in general.
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Covenant-Lite Obligations
A Fund may invest in or be exposed to floating rate loans and other similar debt obligations that are sometimes referred to as “covenant-lite” loans or obligations (“covenant-lite obligations”), which are loans or other similar debt obligations that lack financial maintenance covenants or possess fewer or contingent financial maintenance covenants and other financial protections for lenders and investors. A Fund may obtain exposure to covenant-lite obligations through investment in securitization vehicles and other structured products. In current market conditions, many new, restructured or reissued loans and similar debt obligations do not feature traditional financial maintenance covenants, which are intended to protect lenders and investors by imposing certain restrictions and other limitations on a borrower’s operations or assets and by providing certain information and consent rights to lenders. Covenant-lite obligations allow borrowers to exercise more flexibility with respect to certain activities that may otherwise be limited or prohibited under similar loan obligations that are not covenant-lite. In an investment with a traditional financial maintenance covenant, the borrower is required to meet certain regular, specific financial tests over the term of the investment; in a covenant-lite obligation, the borrower would only be required to satisfy certain financial tests at the time it proposes to take a specific action or engage in a specific transaction (e.g., issuing additional debt, paying a dividend or making an acquisition) or at a time when another financial criteria has been met (e.g., reduced availability under a revolving credit facility or asset value falling below a certain percentage of outstanding debt obligations). In addition, in a loan with traditional covenants, the borrower is required to provide certain periodic financial reporting that typically includes a detailed calculation of certain financial metrics; in a covenant-lite obligation, certain detailed financial information is only required to be provided when a financial metric is required to be calculated, which may result in more limited access to financial information, difficulty evaluating the borrower’s financial performance over time and delays in exercising rights and remedies in the event of a significant financial decline. In addition, in the event of default, covenant-lite obligations may exhibit diminished recovery values as the lender may not have the opportunity to negotiate with the borrower or take other measures intended to mitigate losses prior to default. Accordingly, a Fund may have fewer rights with respect to covenant-lite obligations, including fewer protections against the possibility of default and fewer remedies and may experience losses or delays in enforcing its rights on covenant-lite obligations. As a result, investments in or exposure to covenant-lite obligations are generally subject to more risk than investments that contain traditional financial maintenance covenants and financial reporting requirements.
Credit and Liquidity Enhancements
Issuers may employ various forms of credit and liquidity enhancements, including letters of credit, guarantees, puts and demand features, and insurance provided by domestic or foreign entities such as banks and other financial institutions. The Manager or Subadvisor may rely on its evaluation of the credit of the liquidity or credit enhancement provider in determining whether to purchase or sell a security supported by such enhancement in a manner consistent with Rule 2a-7 under the 1940 Act for purposes of NYLI Money Market Fund. In evaluating the credit of a foreign bank or other foreign entities, the Manager or Subadvisor will consider whether adequate public information about the entity is available and whether the entity may be subject to unfavorable political or economic developments, currency controls, or other government restrictions that might affect its ability to honor its commitment. Changes in the credit quality of the entity providing the enhancement could affect the value of the security or a Fund's share price.
Debt Securities
Debt securities may have fixed, variable or floating (including inverse floating) rates of interest. To the extent that a Fund invests in debt securities, it will be subject to certain risks. The value of the debt securities held by a Fund generally will fluctuate depending on a number of factors, including, among others, changes in the perceived creditworthiness of the issuers of those securities, movements in interest rates, the maturities of a Fund's investments and changes in values of the currencies in which a Fund's investments are denominated relative to the U.S. dollar. Generally, a rise in interest rates will reduce the value of fixed-income securities held by a Fund and a decline in interest rates will increase the value of fixed-income securities held by a Fund. Longer term debt securities generally pay higher interest rates than do shorter term debt securities but also may experience greater price volatility as interest rates change.
A Fund's investments in U.S. dollar- or foreign currency-denominated corporate debt securities of domestic or foreign issuers are limited to corporate debt securities (corporate bonds, debentures, notes and other similar corporate debt instruments) which meet the credit quality and maturity criteria set forth for the particular Fund. The rate of return or return of principal on some debt obligations may be linked to indices or stock prices or indexed to the level of exchange rates between the U.S. dollar and foreign currency or currencies. Differing yields on corporate fixed-income securities of the same maturity are a function of several factors, including the relative financial strength of the issuers. Higher yields are generally available from securities in the lower rating categories.
Corporate debt securities may bear fixed, contingent or variable rates of interest and may involve equity features, such as conversion or exchange rights or warrants for the acquisition of stock of the same or a different issuer, participations based on revenues, sales or profits or the purchase of common stock in a unit transaction (where corporate debt securities and common stock are offered as a unit).
Since shares of the Funds represent an investment in securities with fluctuating market prices, the value of shares of each Fund will vary as the aggregate value of the Fund’s portfolio securities increases or decreases. The value of lower-rated debt securities that a Fund purchases may fluctuate more than the value of higher-rated debt securities, thus potentially increasing the volatility of a Fund’s NAV per share. Lower-rated debt securities generally carry greater risk that the issuer will default or be delinquent on the payment of interest and principal. Lower-rated fixed-income securities generally tend to reflect short-term corporate and market developments to a greater extent than higher-rated securities that react primarily to fluctuations in the general level of interest rates. Changes in the value of securities subsequent to their acquisition will not affect cash income or yields to maturity to the Funds but will be reflected in the NAV of the Funds' shares.
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When and if available, debt securities may be purchased at a discount from face value. From time to time, each Fund may purchase securities not paying interest or dividends at the time acquired if, in the opinion of the Manager or Subadvisor, such securities have the potential for future income (or capital appreciation, if any).
Investment grade securities are generally securities rated at the time of purchase Baa3 or better, or BBB- or better by an NRSRO, or comparable non-rated securities. Non-rated securities will be considered for investment by a Fund when the Manager or Subadvisor believes that the financial condition of the issuers of such obligations and the protection afforded by the terms of the obligations themselves limit the risk to the Fund to a degree comparable to that of rated securities which are consistent with the Fund’s objective and policies.
Corporate debt securities with a below investment grade rating or deemed to be comparable to such rating by the Manager or Subadvisor have speculative characteristics, and changes in economic conditions or individual corporate developments are more likely to lead to a weakened capacity to make principal and interest payments than in the case of high grade bonds. If a credit rating agency downgrades the rating of a portfolio security held by a Fund, the Fund may retain the portfolio security if the Manager or Subadvisor, where applicable, deems it in the best interest of the Fund's shareholders.
The ratings of fixed-income securities by an NRSRO are a generally accepted barometer of credit risk. They are, however, subject to certain limitations from an investor's standpoint. The rating of an issuer is heavily weighted by past developments and does not necessarily reflect future conditions. There is frequently a lag between the time a rating is assigned and the time it is updated. In addition, there may be varying degrees of difference in credit risk of securities in each rating category. The Manager or Subadvisor will attempt to reduce the overall portfolio credit risk through diversification and selection of portfolio securities based on considerations mentioned above.
Depositary Receipts and Registered Depositary Certificates
A Fund may invest in securities of non-U.S. issuers directly or in the form of American Depositary Receipts ("ADRs"), European Depositary Receipts ("EDRs"), Global Depositary Receipts ("GDRs"), International Depositary Receipts ("IDRs"), Non-Voting Depositary Receipts (“NVDRs”) or other similar securities representing ownership of securities of non-U.S. issuers held in trust by a bank, exchange or similar financial institution. These securities may not necessarily be denominated in the same currency as the securities they represent. Designed for use in U.S., European and international securities markets, as applicable, ADRs, EDRs, GDRs, IDRs and NVDRs are alternatives to the purchase of the underlying securities in their national markets and currencies, but are subject to the same risks as the non-U.S. securities to which they relate.
ADRs are receipts typically issued by a U.S. bank or trust company which evidence ownership of underlying securities issued by a foreign corporation. EDRs and IDRs are receipts issued in Europe typically by non-U.S. banking and trust companies that evidence ownership of either foreign or U.S. securities. GDRs are receipts issued by either a U.S. or non-U.S. banking institution evidencing ownership of the underlying non-U.S. securities. NVDRs are typically issued by an exchange or its affiliate. Generally, ADRs, in registered form, are designed for use in U.S. securities markets, and EDRs, GDRs, IDRs and NVDRs are designed for use in European and international securities markets. An ADR, EDR, GDR, IDR or NVDR may be denominated in a currency different from the currency in which the underlying foreign security is denominated.
There is no guarantee that a financial institution will continue to sponsor depositary receipts, or that the depositary receipts will continue to trade on an exchange, either of which could adversely affect the liquidity, availability and pricing of the depositary receipt. Changes in foreign currency exchange rates will affect the value of depositary receipts and, therefore, may affect the value of the Fund's portfolio.
Derivative Instruments – General Discussion
The Funds may use derivative instruments consistent with their respective investment objectives for purposes including, but not limited to, hedging, managing risk or equitizing cash while maintaining liquidity. Derivative instruments are commonly defined to include securities or contracts whose value depends on (or "derives" from) the value of one or more other assets, such as securities, currencies or commodities. These "other assets" are commonly referred to as "underlying assets." Please see the disclosure regarding specific types of derivative instruments, such as options, futures, swaps, forward contracts, indexed securities and structured notes elsewhere in this SAI for more information.
Hedging. The Funds may use derivative instruments to protect against possible adverse changes in the market value of securities held in, or anticipated to be held in, their respective portfolios. Derivatives may also be used by the Funds to "lock-in" realized but unrecognized gains in the value of portfolio securities. Hedging strategies, if successful, can reduce the risk of loss by wholly or partially offsetting the negative effect of unfavorable price movements in the investments being hedged. However, hedging strategies can also reduce the opportunity for gain by offsetting the positive effect of favorable price movements in the hedged investments.
Managing Risk. The Funds may also use derivative instruments to manage the risks of their respective assets. Risk management strategies include, but are not limited to, facilitating the sale of portfolio securities, managing the effective maturity or duration of debt obligations held, establishing a position in the derivatives markets as a substitute for buying or selling certain securities or creating or altering exposure to certain asset classes, such as equity, debt and foreign securities. The use of derivative instruments may provide a less expensive, more expedient or more specifically focused way for a Fund to invest than "traditional" securities (i.e., stocks or bonds) would.
Equitization. A Fund may also use derivative instruments to maintain exposure to the market, while maintaining liquidity to meet expected redemptions or pending investment in securities. The use of derivative instruments for this purpose may result in losses to the Fund and may not
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achieve the intended results. The use of derivative instruments may not provide the same type of exposure as is provided by the Fund’s other portfolio investments.
Managed Futures. A Fund may take long and short positions in futures contracts in order to gain exposure to certain global markets. Additionally, a Fund may invest in an investment vehicle that employs a managed futures strategy. The success of a managed futures strategy will depend in part on the Manager, Subadvisor or underlying investment vehicle’s manager’s ability to correctly predict price movements, and such predictions may prove incorrect. The use of a managed futures strategy may not achieve its intended results and may result in losses to a Fund.
Exchange or OTC Derivatives. Derivative instruments may be exchange-traded or traded in over-the-counter ("OTC") transactions between private parties. Exchange-traded derivatives include standardized options, futures and swap contracts traded in an "open outcry" auction on the exchange floor or through competitive trading on an electronic trading system. Exchange-traded contracts are generally liquid. The exchange clearinghouse is the counterparty of every exchange-traded contract. Thus, each holder of an exchange-traded contract bears the credit risk of the clearinghouse (and has the benefit of its financial strength) rather than that of a particular counterparty. OTC derivatives are contracts between the holder and another party to the transaction (usually a securities dealer or a bank), but not any exchange clearinghouse. OTC transactions are subject to additional risks, such as the credit risk of the counterparty to the instrument, and are less liquid than exchange-traded derivatives since they often can only be closed out with the other party to the transaction. Currently, some, but not all, swap transactions are subject to central clearing and exchange-trading. Swap transactions that are not exchange-traded and/or centrally cleared are less liquid than centrally cleared and exchange-traded instruments. Eventually, it is expected that many swaps will be centrally cleared and exchange-traded. Although these changes are expected to decrease the counterparty risk involved in bilaterally negotiated contracts because they interpose the central clearinghouse as the counterparty to each participant’s swap, exchange-trading and clearing would not make swap transactions risk-free.
Risks and Special Considerations. The use of derivative instruments involves risks and special considerations as described below. Risks pertaining to particular derivative instruments are described in the sections relating to those instruments contained elsewhere in this SAI.
1. Leverage & Market Risk. The primary risk of derivatives is the same as the risk of the underlying assets; namely, that the value of the underlying asset may go up or down. Adverse movements in the value of an underlying asset can expose the Funds to losses. Derivative instruments may include elements of leverage and, accordingly, the fluctuation of the value of the derivative instrument in relation to the underlying asset may be magnified. The successful use of derivative instruments depends upon a variety of factors, particularly the Manager's or Subadvisor's ability to anticipate movements of the securities and currencies markets, which requires different skills than anticipating changes in the prices of individual securities. There can be no assurance that any particular strategy adopted will succeed. A decision to engage in a derivative transaction will reflect the Manager's or Subadvisor's judgment that the derivative transaction will provide value to a Fund and its shareholders and is consistent with the Fund's objectives, investment limitations and operating policies. In making such a judgment, the Manager or Subadvisor will analyze the benefits and risks of the derivative transaction and weigh them in the context of the Fund's entire portfolio and investment objective. In order to manage leverage and market risk, the Manager will monitor a Fund against its notional derivatives exposure or value-at-risk (“VaR”) leverage limit, as applicable.
2. Credit Risk. The Funds will be subject to the risk that a loss may be sustained as a result of the failure of a counterparty to comply with the terms of a derivative instrument. The counterparty risk for exchange-traded derivative instruments is generally less than for privately-negotiated or OTC derivative instruments, since generally a clearing agency, which is the issuer or counterparty to each exchange-traded instrument, provides a guarantee of performance. For privately-negotiated instruments, including certain currency forward contracts, there is not always a similar clearing agency guarantee. In all transactions, the Funds will bear the risk that the counterparty will default, and this could result in a loss of the expected benefit of the derivative transaction and possibly other losses to the Funds. The Funds will enter into transactions in derivative instruments only with counterparties that the Manager or Subadvisor reasonably believes are capable of performing under the contract.
3. Correlation Risk. When a derivative transaction is used to completely hedge another position, changes in the market value of the combined position (the derivative instrument plus the position being hedged) can result from an imperfect correlation between the price movements of the two instruments. With a perfect hedge, the value of the combined position remains unchanged for any change in the price of the underlying asset. With an imperfect hedge, the value of the derivative instrument and its hedge are not perfectly correlated. Correlation risk is the risk that there might be imperfect correlation, or even no correlation, between price movements of a derivative instrument and price movements of investments being hedged. For example, if the value of a derivative instrument used in a short hedge (such as writing a call option, buying a put option or selling a futures contract) increased by less than the decline in value of the hedged investments, the hedge would not be perfectly correlated. Such a lack of correlation might occur due to factors unrelated to the value of the investments being hedged, such as speculative or other pressures on the markets in which these instruments are traded. The effectiveness of hedges using instruments on indices will depend, in part, on the degree of correlation between price movements in the index and price movements in the investments being hedged.
4. Market and Fund Liquidity Risk. Derivatives are also subject to the risk that they cannot be sold or disposed of in current market conditions in seven calendar days or less without the sale or disposition significantly changing the market value of the derivative. Generally, exchange-traded contracts are very liquid because the exchange clearinghouse is the counterparty of every contract and prices and volumes are posted on the exchange. OTC transactions are less liquid than exchange-traded derivatives since they often can only be closed out with the other party to the transaction. A Fund might be required by applicable regulatory requirements to make margin payments when it takes positions in derivative instruments involving obligations to third parties (i.e., instruments other than purchased options). If a Fund is unable to close out its positions in
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such instruments, it might be required to continue to maintain such assets or accounts or make such payments until the position expires, matures or is closed out. The requirements might impair the Fund's ability to sell a portfolio security or make an investment at a time when it would otherwise be favorable to do so, or require that the Fund sell a portfolio security at a disadvantageous time. A Fund's ability to sell or close out a position in an instrument prior to expiration or maturity depends on the existence of a liquid secondary market or, in the absence of such a market, the ability and willingness of the counterparty to enter into a transaction closing out the position. Therefore, there is no assurance that any derivatives position can be sold or closed out at a time and price that is favorable to the Funds. The Manager or Subadvisor will also monitor a Fund's obligations to satisfy calls for margin payments and make settlement payments under its derivatives transactions and confirms that the Fund will have sufficient liquid assets available to satisfy such obligations as they become due.
5. Operational & Legal Risk. Operational risk generally refers to the risk related to potential operational issues, including documentation issues, settlement issues, systems failures, inadequate controls and human error. The Manager or Subadvisor will monitor a Fund for operational issues. Legal risk is the risk of loss caused by the legal unenforceability of a party's obligations under the derivative. While a party seeking price certainty agrees to surrender the potential upside in exchange for downside protection, the party taking the risk is looking for a positive payoff. Despite this voluntary assumption of risk, a counterparty that has lost money in a derivative transaction may try to avoid payment by exploiting various legal uncertainties about certain derivative products.
6. Systemic or "Interconnection" Risk. Interconnection risk is the risk that a disruption in the financial markets will cause difficulties for all market participants. In other words, a disruption in one market will spill over into other markets, perhaps creating a chain reaction. Much of the OTC derivatives market takes place among the OTC dealers themselves, thus creating a large interconnected web of financial obligations. This interconnectedness raises the possibility that a default by one large dealer could create losses for other dealers and destabilize the entire market for OTC derivative instruments.
7. Tax Risk. A Fund's transactions in derivatives (such as options, swaps and other similar financial contracts) will be subject to special tax rules, the effect of which may be to accelerate income to the Fund, defer losses to the Fund, cause adjustments in the holding periods of the Fund’s securities and convert short-term capital losses into long-term capital losses. These rules could therefore affect the amount, timing and character of distributions to shareholders.
Derivatives Regulatory Matters
The Funds, as well as the issuers of the securities and other instruments in which the Funds may invest, are subject to considerable regulation and the risks associated with adverse changes in law and regulation governing their operations. For example, regulatory authorities in the United States or other countries may prohibit or restrict the ability of a Fund to fully implement its investment strategy, either generally or with respect to certain industries or countries. In addition, regulatory authorities are in the process of adopting and implementing regulations governing derivatives markets, the ultimate impact of which remains unclear and may adversely affect, among other things, the availability, value or performance of derivatives.
Each of the exchanges and other trading facilitates on which options are traded has established limitations on the maximum number of put or call options on a given underlying security that may be written by a single investor or group of investors acting in concert, regardless of whether the options are written on different exchanges or through one or more brokers. These position limits may restrict the number of listed options which the Funds may write. Option positions of all investment companies advised by the Manager or a Subadvisor are combined for purposes of these limits. An exchange may order the liquidation of positions found to be in excess of these limits and may impose certain other sanctions or restrictions. The CFTC and various exchanges have rules limiting the maximum net long or short positions which any person or group may own, hold or control in any given futures contract or option on such futures contract, and in some very limited cases, swap contracts. The Manager and/or Subadvisor will need to consider whether the exposure created under these contracts might exceed the applicable limits in managing a Fund, and the limits may constrain the ability of the Fund to use such contracts.
A Fund's trading of derivatives and other transactions that create future payment or delivery obligations (except reverse repurchase agreements and similar financing transactions) is subject to a “limited derivatives users” exception that imposes a limit on notional derivatives exposure or subject to a value-at-risk (“VaR”) leverage limit and certain derivatives risk management program and reporting requirements. When a Fund trades reverse repurchase agreements or similar financing transactions, including certain tender option bonds, it needs to aggregate the amount of indebtedness associated with the reverse repurchase agreements or similar financing transactions with the aggregate amount of any other senior securities representing indebtedness when calculating the Fund’s asset coverage ratio or treat all such transactions as derivatives transactions. Reverse repurchase agreements or similar financing transactions aggregated with other indebtedness do not need to be included in the calculation of whether a Fund satisfies the limited derivatives users exception, but for funds subject to the VaR testing requirement, reverse repurchase agreements and similar financing transactions must be included for purposes of such testing whether treated as derivatives transactions or not. SEC guidance in connection with the final rule regarding the use of securities lending collateral that may limit a Fund's securities lending activities. These requirements may limit the ability of a Fund to use derivatives, short sales and reverse repurchase agreements and similar financing transactions as part of its investment strategies. These requirements may increase the cost of a Fund's investments and cost of doing business, which could adversely affect investors. The Manager and Subadvisors cannot predict the effects of these regulations on a Fund. The Manager and Subadvisors intend to monitor developments and seek to manage the Funds in a manner consistent with achieving the Funds' investment objectives, but there can be no assurance that it will be successful in doing so.
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The Manager has filed notices of eligibility to claim an exclusion from the definition of the term “commodity pool operator” (“CPO”) under the Commodity Exchange Act (“CEA”) for the Funds offered in this SAI, and, therefore, is not subject to registration or regulation as a CPO with regard to these Funds under the CEA. The Manager is also exempt from registration as a “commodity trading advisor” (“CTA”) with respect to the Funds covered by this SAI. Accordingly, the Manager is not subject to regulation as a CPO or CTA with respect to the Funds.
The terms of Commodity Futures Trading Commission (“CFTC”) Regulation 4.5 require each of the Funds covered by this SAI, among other things, to adhere to certain limits on its investments in “commodity interests.” Commodity interests include futures, commodity options and swaps, which in turn include non-deliverable currency forwards. The Funds are not intended as vehicles for trading in the commodity futures, commodity options or swaps markets. The CFTC has neither reviewed nor approved the Manager’s reliance on these exclusions, the Funds' investment strategies, applicable Prospectus or the SAI.
For certain Funds operating as funds-of-funds, the Manager has also claimed temporary relief from CPO registration under the CEA and, therefore, are not currently subject to registration or regulation as a CPO with regard to these Funds under the CEA. When the temporary exemption expires, to the extent these Funds are not otherwise eligible for exemption from CFTC regulation, the Manager may consider steps, such as substantial investment strategy changes, in order to continue to qualify for exemption from CFTC regulation.
The requirements for qualification as a regulated investment company also may limit the extent to which a Fund may enter into futures, options on futures or forward contracts. See "Tax Information."
Direct Investments
Direct investments include (i) the private purchase from an enterprise of an equity interest in the enterprise in the form of shares of common stock or equity interests in trusts, partnerships, joint ventures or similar enterprises, and (ii) the purchase of such an equity interest in an enterprise from a principal investor in the enterprise.
Certain direct investments may include investments in smaller, less seasoned companies. These companies may have limited product lines, markets or financial resources, or they may be dependent on a limited management group. Direct investments may also fund new operations for an enterprise which itself is engaged in similar operations or is affiliated with an organization that is engaged in similar operations.
Direct investments may involve a high degree of business and financial risk that can result in substantial losses. Because of the absence of any public trading market for these investments, the direct investments may take longer to liquidate than would be the case for publicly traded securities. Although these securities may be resold in privately negotiated transactions, the resale prices on these securities could be adversely impacted as a result of relative illiquidity. Furthermore, issuers whose securities are not publicly traded may not be subject to public disclosure and other investor protection requirements applicable to publicly traded securities. If such securities are required to be registered under the securities laws of one or more jurisdictions before being resold, a Fund may be required to bear the expense of the registration. Direct investments can be difficult to price accurately and may be valued at “fair value” in accordance with valuation policies established by the Board, and are subject to the valuation risks. See “How Portfolio Securities Are Valued” below.
Distressed Securities
Certain Funds may invest in securities, claims and obligations of U.S. and non-U.S. issuers which are experiencing significant financial or business difficulties (including companies involved in bankruptcy or other reorganization and liquidation proceedings). Certain Funds may purchase distressed securities and instruments of all kinds, subject to tax considerations, including equity and debt instruments and, in particular, loans, loan participations, claims held by trade or other creditors, bonds, notes, non-performing and sub-performing mortgage loans, beneficial interests in liquidating trusts or other similar types of trusts, fee interests and financial interests in real estate, partnership interests and similar financial instruments, executory contracts and participations therein, many of which are not publicly traded and which may involve a substantial degree of risk.
Investments in distressed securities are subject to substantial risks in addition to the risks of investing in other types of high yield securities. Distressed securities are speculative and involve substantial risk that principal will not be repaid. Generally, a Fund will not receive interest payments on such securities and may incur costs to protect its investment. In addition, a Fund's ability to sell distressed securities and any securities received in exchange for such securities may be restricted and the secondary market on which distressed company securities are traded may be less liquid than the market for higher grade securities.
In particular, defaulted obligations might be repaid, if at all, only after lengthy workout or bankruptcy proceedings, during which the issuer might not make any interest or other payments. The amount of any recovery may be adversely affected by the relative priority of a Fund's investment in the issuer’s capital structure. The ability to enforce obligations may be adversely affected by actions or omissions of predecessors in interest that give rise to counterclaims or defenses, including causes of action for equitable subordination or debt recharacterization. In addition, such investments, collateral securing such investments, and payments made in respect of such investments may be challenged as fraudulent conveyances or to be subject to avoidance as preferences under certain circumstances.
Investments in distressed securities inherently have more credit risk than do investments in similar securities and instruments of non-distressed companies, and the degree of risk associated with any particular distressed securities may be difficult or impossible for the Manager or a
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Subadvisor to determine within reasonable standards of predictability. The level of analytical sophistication, both financial and legal, necessary for successful investment in distressed securities is unusually high.
If the evaluation of the eventual recovery value of a defaulted instrument by the Manager or a Subadvisor should prove incorrect, a Fund may lose a substantial portion or all of its investment or it may be required to accept cash or instruments with a value less than a Fund's original investment.
Investments in financially distressed companies domiciled outside the United States involve additional risks. Bankruptcy law and creditor reorganization processes may differ substantially from those in the United States, resulting in greater uncertainty as to the rights of creditors, the enforceability of such rights, reorganization timing and the classification, seniority and treatment of claims. In certain developing countries, although bankruptcy laws have been enacted, the process for reorganization remains highly uncertain.
Effective Maturity
Certain Funds may use an effective maturity for determining the maturity of their portfolio. Effective maturity means the average expected repayment date of the portfolio taking into account prospective calls, puts and mortgage pre-payments, in addition to the maturity dates of the securities in the portfolio.
Equity Securities
Common Stock. Common stock represents an equity or ownership interest in an issuer. Common stock typically entitles the owner to vote on the election of directors and other important matters as well as to receive dividends on such stock. In the event an issuer is liquidated or declares bankruptcy, the claims of owners of bonds, other debt holders, and owners of preferred stock take precedence over the claims of those who own common stock.
Growth Stock. A Fund may invest in equity securities of companies that the portfolio manager believes will experience relatively rapid earnings growth. Such “growth stocks” typically trade at higher multiples of current earnings than other securities. Therefore, the values of growth stocks may be more sensitive to changes in current or expected earnings than the values of other securities.
The principal risk of investing in growth stocks is that investors expect growth companies to increase their earnings at a certain rate that is generally higher than the rate expected for non-growth companies. If these expectations are not met, the market price of the stock may decline significantly, even if earnings showed an absolute increase. Growth stocks also typically lack the dividend yield that can cushion stock prices in market downturns.
Large-Cap Stock. Although stocks issued by larger companies tend to have less overall volatility than stocks issued by smaller companies, larger companies may not be able to attain the high growth rates of successful smaller companies, especially during strong economic periods. In addition, larger companies may be less capable of responding quickly to competitive challenges and industry changes, and may suffer sharper price declines as a result of earnings disappointments. During a period when the performance of stocks issued by larger companies falls behind other types of investments, such as smaller capitalized companies, a Fund’s investments in large-cap issuers may be more likely to adversely affect its performance relative to funds investing in smaller cap companies.
Mid-Cap and Small-Cap Stocks. The general risks associated with equity securities and liquidity risk are particularly pronounced for stocks of companies with market capitalizations that are small compared to other publicly traded companies. These companies may have limited product lines, markets or financial resources or they may depend on a few key employees. Stocks of mid-capitalization and small-capitalization companies may trade less frequently and in lesser volume than more widely held securities, and their values may fluctuate more sharply than other securities. They may also trade in the over-the-counter market or on a regional exchange, or may otherwise have limited liquidity. Generally, the smaller the company, the greater these risks become.
Preferred Stock. Preferred stock represents an equity or ownership interest in an issuer. Preferred stock normally pays dividends at a specified rate and has precedence over common stock in the event the issuer is liquidated or declares bankruptcy. However, in the event an issuer is liquidated or declares bankruptcy, the claims of owners of bonds take precedence over the claims of those who own preferred and common stock. Preferred stock, unlike common stock, often has a stated dividend rate payable from the issuer's earnings. Preferred stock dividends may be cumulative or noncumulative, participating or auction rate. "Cumulative" dividend provisions require all or a portion of prior unpaid dividends to be paid before dividends can be paid to the issuer's common stock. "Participating" preferred stock may be entitled to a dividend exceeding the stated dividend in certain cases. In some cases, preferred stock dividends are not paid at a stated rate and may vary depending on an issuer’s financial performance. If interest rates rise, the fixed dividend on preferred stocks may be less attractive, causing the price of such stocks to decline. Preferred stock may have mandatory sinking fund provisions, as well as provisions allowing the stock to be called or redeemed, which can limit the benefit of a decline in interest rates. Preferred stock is subject to many of the risks to which common stock and debt securities are subject. In addition, a company’s preferred securities generally pay dividends only after the company makes required payments to holders of its bonds and other debt. For this reason, the value of preferred securities will usually react more strongly than bonds and other debt to actual or perceived changes in the company’s financial condition or prospects. Preferred securities of smaller companies may be more vulnerable to adverse developments than preferred securities of larger companies.
Value Stock. A Fund may invest in companies that may not be expected to experience significant earnings growth, but whose securities their portfolio manager believes are selling at a price lower than their true value. Companies that issue such “value stocks” may have experienced
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adverse business developments or may be subject to special risks that have caused their securities to be out of favor. The principal risk of investing in value stocks is that they may never reach what a Fund's portfolio manager believes is their full value or that they may go down in value. If the portfolio manager’s assessment of a company’s prospects is wrong, or if the market does not recognize the value of the company, the price of that company’s stocks may decline or may not approach the value that the portfolio manager anticipates.
Eurocurrency Instruments
A Fund may make investments in Eurocurrency instruments. Eurocurrency instruments are futures contracts or options thereon which are linked to the interbank rates or other reference rates. Eurocurrency futures contracts enable purchasers to obtain a fixed rate for the lending of funds and sellers to obtain a fixed rate for borrowings. Each Fund might use Eurocurrency futures contracts and options thereon to hedge against changes in interbank rates, to which many interest rate swaps and fixed- income instruments are linked. See "Floating Rate and Variable Rate Securities" and "LIBOR Replacement" for more information concerning LIBOR.
Exchange-Traded Funds
A Fund may invest in shares of exchange-traded funds ("ETFs"). ETFs are investment companies whose shares trade like stocks. (See also "Investment Companies.") Like stocks, shares of ETFs are not traded at NAV, and may trade at prices above or below the value of their underlying portfolios. The share price of an ETF is derived from and based upon the securities held by the ETF and the relative supply of and demand for the ETF’s shares. A lack of liquidity in an ETF’s shares could result in the market price of the ETF’s shares being more volatile than the underlying portfolio of securities. Disruptions in the markets for the securities underlying ETFs purchased or sold by a Fund could result in losses on the Fund’s investment in ETFs. ETFs also have management fees that increase their costs versus the costs of owning the underlying securities directly. A portfolio manager may from time to time invest in ETFs, primarily as a means of gaining exposure for a Fund to the equity market without investing in individual common stocks, particularly in the context of managing cash flows into the Fund or where access to a local market is restricted or not cost-effective, or for other portfolio management reasons.
A Fund may invest in certain ETFs beyond the limits of Section 12(d)(1) of the 1940 Act, subject to certain terms and conditions. Ordinarily, the 1940 Act limits a Fund's investments in a single ETF to 5% of the Fund’s total assets and in all ETFs to 10% of the Fund’s total assets and 3% of the total shares outstanding of the ETF. In reliance on regulations under the 1940 Act, a Fund may generally invest in excess of these limitations in a single ETF or in multiple ETFs, respectively. For additional information, see “Investment Companies” below.
An ETF may not replicate exactly the performance of the index it seeks to track for a number of reasons, including transaction costs incurred by the ETF, the temporary unavailability of certain index securities in the secondary market or discrepancies between the ETF and the index with respect to the weighting of securities or the number of securities held.
A Fund may invest its net assets in ETFs that invest in securities similar to those in which the Fund may invest directly, and count such holdings towards various guideline tests (such as the 80% test required under Rule 35d-1 under the 1940 Act).
A Fund may invest in ETFs, among other reasons, to gain broad market, sector or asset class exposure, including during periods when it has large amounts of uninvested cash or when the Manager or Subadvisor believes share prices of ETFs offer attractive values, subject to any applicable investment restrictions in the applicable Prospectus and this SAI.
Among other types of ETFs, a Fund also may invest in Standard & Poor's Depositary Receipts ("SPDRs"). SPDRs are units of beneficial interest in an investment trust sponsored by a wholly-owned subsidiary of the NYSE MKT, LLC (“NYSE MKT”) (formerly known as the American Stock Exchange, Inc.) that represent proportionate undivided interests in a portfolio of securities consisting of substantially all of the common stocks, in substantially the same weighting, as the component common stocks of the S&P 500® Index. SPDRs are designed to provide investment results that generally correspond to the price and yield performance of the component common stocks of the S&P 500® Index. SPDRs are listed on the AMEX and traded in the secondary market. The values of SPDRs are subject to change as the values of their respective component common stocks fluctuate according to the volatility of the market. Investments in SPDRs involve certain inherent risks generally associated with investments in a broadly based portfolio of common stocks, including the risk that the general level of stock prices may decline, thereby adversely affecting the value of each unit of SPDRs invested in by a Fund. Moreover, a Fund's investment in SPDRs may not exactly match the performance of a direct investment in the index to which SPDRs are intended to correspond. For example, replicating and maintaining price and yield performance of an index may be problematic for a Fund due to transaction costs and other Fund expenses.
ETFs generally do not sell or redeem their shares for cash, and most investors do not purchase or redeem shares directly from an ETF at all. Instead, the ETF issues and redeems its shares in large blocks (typically 50,000 shares) called “creation units.” Creation units are issued to anyone who deposits a specified portfolio of the ETF’s underlying securities, as well as a cash payment generally equal to accumulated dividends on the securities (net of expenses) up to the time of deposit. Creation units are redeemed in kind for a portfolio of the underlying securities (based on the ETF’s NAV) together with a cash payment generally equal to accumulated dividends on the date of redemption. Most ETF investors purchase and sell ETF shares in the secondary trading market on a securities exchange in lots of any size, at any time during the trading day. ETF investors generally pay a brokerage fee for each purchase or sale of ETF shares, including purchases made to reinvest dividends.
The purchase of ETFs may require the payment of substantial premiums above, or discounts below, the value of such ETFs’ portfolio securities or NAVs and may be illiquid. Because ETF shares are created from the securities of an underlying portfolio and may be redeemed for the securities of an underlying portfolio on any day, arbitrage traders may move to profit from any price discrepancies between the shares and the ETF’s portfolio,
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which in turn helps to close the price gap between the two. Because of supply and demand and other market factors, there may be times during which an ETF share trades at a premium or discount to its NAV. Market makers in an ETF’s shares generally seek to take advantage of arbitrage opportunities when the price of an ETF’s shares differ from the aggregate value of the ETF’s underlying portfolio securities, thus enabling an ETF’s share price to track the value of its portfolio holdings. However, market makers may choose to “step away” from this role, which may result in a premium or discount for the shares as compared to their net asset value.
A Fund intends to be a long-term investor in ETFs and does not intend to purchase and redeem creation units to take advantage of short-term arbitrage opportunities. However, a Fund may redeem creation units for the underlying securities (and any applicable cash) and may assemble a portfolio of the underlying securities to be used (with any required cash) to purchase creation units, if the Manager or Subadvisor believes that it is in the Fund’s best interest to do so. A Fund's ability to redeem creation units may be limited by the 1940 Act, which provides that ETFs are not obligated to redeem shares held by the Fund in an amount exceeding 1% of their total outstanding securities during any period of less than 30 days.
A Fund will invest in ETF shares only if the ETF is registered as an investment company under the 1940 Act (see “Investment Companies” below). If an ETF in which a Fund invests ceases to be a registered investment company, a Fund will dispose of the securities of the ETF. Furthermore, in connection with its investment in ETF shares, a Fund incurs various costs. A Fund may also realize capital gains or losses when ETF shares are sold, and the purchase and sale of the ETF shares may generate a brokerage commission that may result in costs. In addition, a Fund will be subject to other fees as an investor in ETFs. Generally, those fees include, but are not limited to, trustee fees, operating expenses, licensing fees, registration fees and marketing expenses, each of which will be reflected in the NAV of the ETF and therefore its shares.
There is a risk that an ETF in which a Fund invests may terminate due to extraordinary events that may cause service providers to the ETF, such as the trustee or sponsor, to close or otherwise fail to perform their obligations to the ETF. Also, because certain of the ETFs in which a Fund may principally invest are granted licenses to use the relevant indices as a basis for determining their compositions and otherwise to use certain trade names, the ETFs may terminate if the license agreements are terminated. In addition, an ETF may terminate if its NAV falls below a certain amount.
Aggressive ETF Investment Technique Risk. ETFs may use investment techniques and financial instruments that could be considered aggressive, including the use of futures contracts, options on futures contracts, securities and indices, forward contracts, swap agreements and similar instruments. An ETF’s investment in financial instruments may involve a small investment relative to the amount of investment exposure assumed and may result in losses exceeding the amounts invested in those instruments. Such instruments, particularly when used to create leverage, may expose the ETF to potentially dramatic changes (losses or gains) in the value of the instruments and imperfect correlation between the value of the instruments and the relevant security or index. The use of aggressive investment techniques also exposes an ETF to risks different from, or possibly greater than, the risks associated with investing directly in securities contained in an index underlying the ETF’s benchmark, including: (1) the risk that an instrument is temporarily mispriced; (2) credit, performance or documentation risk on the amount each ETF expects to receive from a counterparty; (3) the risk that securities prices, interest rates and currency markets will move adversely and an ETF will incur significant losses; (4) imperfect correlation between the price of financial instruments and movements in the prices of the underlying securities; (5) the risk that the cost of holding a financial instrument may exceed its total return; and (6) the possible absence of a liquid secondary market for any particular instrument and possible exchange-imposed price fluctuation limits, both of which may make it difficult or impossible to adjust an ETF’s position in a particular instrument when desired.
Inverse Correlation ETF Risk. ETFs benchmarked to an inverse multiple of an index generally lose value as the index or security underlying such ETF’s benchmark is increasing (gaining value), a result that is the opposite from conventional mutual funds.
Leveraged ETF Risk. Leverage offers a means of magnifying market movements into larger changes in an investment’s value and provides greater investment exposure than an unleveraged investment. While only certain ETFs employ leverage, many may use leveraged investment techniques for investment purposes. ETFs that employ leverage will normally lose more money in adverse market environments than ETFs that do not employ leverage.
Exchange Traded Notes
A Fund may invest in exchange-traded notes (“ETNs”), which are unsecured and unsubordinated structured debt securities that combine certain features of debt securities and ETFs and typically provide exposure to a market index. A Fund will bear its proportionate share of any fees and expenses of any ETNs in which it invests and, as a result, returns on these investments typically do not correlate fully to the performance of the relevant market index. Investments in ETNs are subject to risks similar to debt securities, including credit risk and counterparty risk, and the value of an ETN may be impacted by time remaining to maturity, level of supply and demand for the ETN, volatility and lack of liquidity in underlying markets, changes in the applicable interest rates, changes in the issuer’s credit rating and economic, legal, political or geographic events that affect the ETN or the components of the relevant market index. Unlike many debt securities, no periodic coupon payments are distributed and no principal protections exist for investments in ETNs. In addition, ETNs are subject to the other risks associated with the components of the relevant market index and the risks generally associated with investments in ETFs. For example, a Fund may be limited in its ability to sell its ETN holdings at a favorable time or price depending on the availability and liquidity of a secondary market, and a Fund may have to sell some or all of its ETN holdings at a discount. The timing and character of income and gains derived by a Fund from investments in ETNs for U.S. federal income tax purposes may be affected by future legislation.
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Firm or Standby Commitments — Obligations with Puts Attached
A Fund may from time to time purchase securities on a "firm commitment" or "standby commitment" basis. Such transactions might be entered into, for example, when the Manager or Subadvisor of a Fund anticipates a decline in the yield of securities of a given issuer and is able to obtain a more advantageous yield by committing currently to purchase securities to be issued or delivered later.
Securities purchased on a firm commitment basis are purchased for delivery beyond the normal settlement date at a stated price and yield. Delivery of and payment for these securities can take place a month or more after the date of the purchase commitment. No income accrues to the purchaser of a security on a firm commitment basis prior to delivery. Such securities are recorded as an asset and are subject to changes in value based upon changes in the general level of interest rates. Purchasing a security on a firm commitment basis can involve a risk that the market price at the time of delivery may be lower than the agreed upon purchase price, in which case there could be an unrealized loss at the time of delivery. A Fund will generally make commitments to purchase securities on a firm commitment basis with the intention of actually acquiring the securities, but may sell them before the settlement date if it is deemed advisable.
A Fund may purchase securities together with the right to resell the securities to the seller at an agreed-upon price or yield within a specified period prior to the maturity date of the securities. Although it is not a put option in the usual sense, such a right to resell is commonly known as a "put" and is also referred to as a "standby commitment." Funds may pay for a standby commitment either separately in cash, or in the form of a higher price for the securities that are acquired subject to the standby commitment, thus increasing the cost of securities and reducing the yield otherwise available from the same security. The Manager and the Subadvisors understand that the Internal Revenue Service (the "IRS") has issued a revenue ruling to the effect that, under specified circumstances, a regulated investment company will be the owner of tax-exempt municipal obligations acquired subject to a put option. The IRS has also issued private letter rulings to certain taxpayers (which do not serve as precedent for other taxpayers) to the effect that tax-exempt interest received by a regulated investment company with respect to such obligations will be tax-exempt in the hands of the company and may be distributed to its shareholders as exempt-interest dividends. The IRS has subsequently announced that it will not ordinarily issue advance letter rulings as to the identity of the true owner of property in cases involving the sale of securities or participation interests therein if the purchaser has the right to cause the security, or the participation interest therein, to be purchased by either the seller or a third party. Each Fund intends to take the position that it is the owner of any debt securities acquired subject to a standby commitment and that tax-exempt interest earned with respect to such debt securities will be tax-exempt in its possession; however, no assurance can be given that this position would prevail if challenged. In addition, there is no assurance that firm or standby commitments will be available to a Fund, nor will a Fund assume that such commitments would continue to be available under all market conditions.
A standby commitment may not be used to affect a Fund's valuation of the security underlying the commitment. Any consideration paid by a Fund for the standby commitment, whether paid in cash or by paying a premium for the underlying security, which increases the cost of the security and reduces the yield otherwise available from the same security, will be accounted for by the Fund as unrealized depreciation until the standby commitment is exercised or has expired.
Firm and standby transactions are entered into in order to secure what is considered to be an advantageous price and yield to a Fund and not for purposes of leveraging the Fund's assets. However, a Fund will not accrue any income on these securities prior to delivery. The value of firm and standby commitment agreements may vary prior to and after delivery depending on market conditions and changes in interest rate levels. If the other party to a delayed delivery transaction fails to deliver or pay for the securities, the Fund could miss a favorable price or yield opportunity or could suffer a loss. A Fund may dispose of or renegotiate a delayed delivery transaction after it is entered into.
The Funds do not believe that a Fund's NAV per share or income will be exposed to additional risk by the purchase of securities on a firm or standby commitment basis. At the time a Fund makes the commitment to purchase a security on a firm or standby commitment basis, it will record the transaction and reflect the amount due and the value of the security in determining the Fund's NAV per share. The market value of the firm or standby commitment securities may be more or less than the purchase price payable at the settlement date. The Board does not believe that a Fund's NAV or income will be exposed to additional risk by the purchase of securities on a firm or standby commitment basis.
Floating and Variable Rate Securities
The Funds may invest in floating and variable rate debt instruments. Floating and variable rate securities provide for a periodic adjustment in the interest rate paid on the obligations. The terms of such obligations must provide that interest rates are adjusted periodically based upon an interest rate adjustment index as provided in the respective obligations. The adjustment intervals may be regular and range from daily up to annually, or may be based on an event, such as a change in the prime rate.
Some variable or floating rate securities are structured with liquidity features such as (1) put options or tender options that permit holders (sometimes subject to conditions) to demand payment of the unpaid principal balance plus accrued interest from the issuers or certain financial intermediaries or (2) auction rate features, remarketing provisions or other maturity-shortening devices designed to enable the issuer to refinance or redeem outstanding debt securities (market-dependent liquidity features). Variable or floating rate securities that include market-dependent liquidity features may have greater liquidity risk than other securities, due to (for example) the failure of a market-dependent liquidity feature to operate as intended (as a result of the issuer's declining creditworthiness, adverse market conditions or other factors) or the inability or unwillingness of a participating broker/dealer to make a secondary market for such securities. As a result, variable or floating rate securities that include market-dependent liquidity features may lose value and the holders of such securities may be required to retain them until the later of the repurchase date, the resale date, or maturity.
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The interest rate on a floating rate debt instrument ("floater") is a variable rate that is tied to another interest rate, such as a money-market index or Treasury bill rate or an interbank offered rate. The interest rate on a floater may reset periodically, typically every three to six months, or whenever a specified interest rate changes. While, because of the interest rate reset feature, floaters provide a Fund with a certain degree of protection against rises in interest rates; a Fund will participate in any declines in interest rates as well. To be an eligible investment for a money market fund, there must be a reasonable expectation that, at any time until the final maturity for the floater or the period remaining until the principal amount can be recovered through demand, the market value of a floater will approximate its amortized cost and the investment otherwise must comply with Rule 2a-7 under the 1940 Act.
In June 2017, the Alternative Reference Rates Committee, a group of large U.S. banks working with the Federal Reserve, announced its selection of a new Secured Overnight Funding Rate (“SOFR”), which is intended to be a broad measure of secured overnight U.S. Treasury repo rates as its recommendation, as an appropriate replacement for the London Interbank Offered Rate or “LIBOR”, which was a widely used referenced rate. The Federal Reserve Bank of New York began publishing SOFR earlier in 2018, which has been used increasingly on a voluntary basis in new instruments and transactions. At times, SOFR has proven to be more volatile than the 3-month LIBOR. Bank working groups and regulators in other countries have suggested other alternatives for their markets, including the Sterling Overnight Interbank Average Rate (“SONIA”) in England.
For more information on the risks associated with the discontinuation and transition of LIBOR, please see “LIBOR Replacement" in this section.
Certain Funds may invest in leveraged inverse floating rate debt instruments ("inverse floaters"). The interest rate on an inverse floater resets in the opposite direction from the market rate of interest to which the inverse floater is indexed. An inverse floater may be considered to be leveraged to the extent that its interest rate varies by a magnitude that exceeds the magnitude of the change in the index rate of interest. The higher degree of leverage inherent in inverse floaters is associated with greater volatility in their market values. Accordingly, the duration of an inverse floater may exceed its stated final maturity. Certain inverse floaters may be classified as illiquid investments.
In certain circumstances, floating rate loans may not be deemed to be securities. As a result, a Fund may not have the protection of the anti-fraud provisions of the federal securities laws. In such cases, the Fund generally must rely on the contractual provisions in the loan agreement and common-law fraud protections under applicable state law.
Foreign Currency Transactions
A foreign currency forward exchange contract (a "forward contract") involves an obligation to purchase or sell a specific currency at a future date, which may be any fixed number of days (usually less than one year) from the contract date, at a price set at the time of the contract. These contracts may be used to gain exposure to a particular currency or to hedge against the risk of loss due to changing currency exchange rates. Forward contracts to purchase or sell a foreign currency may also be used by a Fund in anticipation of future purchases (or in settlement of such purchases) or sales of securities denominated in foreign currency, even if the specific investments have not yet been selected. Forward currency contracts may also be used to exchange one currency for another, including to repatriate foreign currency. A forward contract generally has no deposit requirement and no commissions are charged at any stage for trades. Although foreign exchange dealers do not charge a fee for conversion, they do realize a profit based on the difference (the spread) between the price at which they are buying and selling various currencies. Although these contracts are intended, when used for hedging purposes, to minimize the risk of loss due to a decline in the value of the hedged currencies, they also tend to limit any potential gain which might result should the value of such currencies increase.
Foreign currency transactions in which a Fund may engage include foreign currency forward contracts, currency exchange transactions on a spot (i.e., cash) basis, put and call options on foreign currencies and foreign exchange futures contracts. A Fund also may use foreign currency transactions to increase exposure to a foreign currency or to shift exposure to foreign currency fluctuations from one country to another.
To the extent that a Fund invests in foreign securities, it may enter into foreign currency forward contracts in order to increase its return by trading in foreign currencies and/or protect against uncertainty in the level of future foreign currency exchange rates. A Fund may also enter into contracts to purchase foreign currencies to protect against an anticipated rise in the U.S. dollar price of securities it intends to purchase and may enter into contracts to sell foreign currencies to protect against the decline in value of its foreign currency-denominated portfolio securities due to a decline in the value of the foreign currencies against the U.S. dollar. In addition, a Fund may use one currency (or a basket of currencies) to hedge against adverse changes in the value of another currency (or a basket of currencies) when exchange rates between the two currencies are correlated.
Normally, consideration of fair value exchange rates will be incorporated in a longer-term investment decision made with regard to overall diversification strategies. However, certain Subadvisors believe that it is important to have the flexibility to enter into such forward contracts when they determine that the best interest of a Fund will be served by entering into such a contract. Set forth below are examples of some circumstances in which a Fund might employ a foreign currency transaction. When a Fund enters into, or anticipates entering into, a contract for the purchase or sale of a security denominated in a foreign currency, it may desire to "lock in" the U.S. dollar price of the security. By entering into a forward contract for the purchase or sale, for a fixed amount of U.S. dollars, of the amount of foreign currency involved in the underlying security transaction, a Fund will be able to insulate itself from a possible loss resulting from a change in the relationship between the U.S. dollar and the subject foreign currency during the period between the date on which the security is purchased or sold and the date on which payment is made or received, although a Fund would also forego any gain it might have realized had rates moved in the opposite direction. This technique is sometimes referred to as a "settlement" hedge or "transaction" hedge.
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When the Manager or Subadvisor believes that the currency of a particular foreign country may suffer a substantial decline against the U.S. dollar, it may enter into a forward contract to sell, for a fixed amount of dollars, the amount of foreign currency approximating the value of some or all of a Fund's portfolio securities denominated in such foreign currency. Such a hedge (sometimes referred to as a "position" hedge) will tend to offset both positive and negative currency fluctuations, but will not offset changes in security values caused by other factors. The Fund also may hedge the same position by using another currency (or a basket of currencies) expected to perform in a manner substantially similar to the hedged currency, which may be less costly than a direct hedge. This type of hedge, sometimes referred to as a "proxy hedge," could offer advantages in terms of cost, yield, or efficiency, but generally would not hedge currency exposure as effectively as a direct hedge into U.S. dollars. Proxy hedges may result in losses if the currency used to hedge does not perform similarly to the currency in which the hedged securities are denominated. A proxy hedge entails greater risk than a direct hedge because it is dependent on a stable relationship between the two currencies paired, as proxies, and the relationship can be very unstable at times. The precise matching of the forward contract amounts and the value of the securities involved will not generally be possible since 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 the forward contract is entered into and the date it matures. With respect to positions that constitute "transaction" or "position" hedges (including "proxy" hedges), a Fund will not enter into forward contracts to sell currency or maintain a net exposure to such contracts if the consummation of such contracts would obligate the Fund to deliver an amount of foreign currency in excess of the value of the Fund's portfolio securities or other assets denominated in that currency (or the related currency, in the case of a "proxy" hedge).
A Fund also may enter into forward contracts to shift its investment exposure from one currency into another currency that is expected to perform inversely with respect to the hedged currency relative to the U.S. dollar. This type of strategy, sometimes known as a "cross-currency" hedge, will tend to reduce or eliminate exposure to the currency that is sold, and increase exposure to the currency that is purchased, much as if a Fund had sold a security denominated in one currency and purchased an equivalent security denominated in another. "Cross-currency" hedges protect against losses resulting from a decline in the hedged currency but will cause a Fund to assume the risk of fluctuations in the value of the currency it purchases.
A Fund may also enter into currency transactions to profit from changing exchange rates based upon the Manager's or Subadvisor's assessment of likely exchange rate movements. These transactions will not necessarily hedge existing or anticipated holdings of foreign securities and may result in a loss if the Manager's or Subadvisor's currency assessment is incorrect.
At the consummation of the forward contract, a Fund may either make delivery of the foreign currency or terminate its contractual obligation to deliver the foreign currency by purchasing an offsetting contract obligating it to purchase at the same maturity date the same amount of such foreign currency. If a Fund chooses to make delivery of the foreign currency, it may be required to obtain such currency for delivery through the sale of portfolio securities denominated in such currency or through conversion of other assets of the Fund into such currency. If a Fund engages in an offsetting transaction, the Fund will realize a gain or a loss to the extent that there has been a change in forward contract prices. Closing purchase transactions with respect to forward contracts are usually effected with the currency trader who is a party to the original forward contract. A Fund will only enter into such a forward contract if it is expected that there will be a liquid market in which to close out the contract. However, there can be no assurance that a liquid market will exist in which to close a forward contract, in which case a Fund may suffer a loss.
When a Fund has sold a foreign currency, a similar process would be followed at the consummation of the forward contract. Of course, a Fund is not required to enter into such transactions with regard to its foreign currency-denominated securities and will not do so unless deemed appropriate by the Manager or Subadvisor.
Certain Subadvisors believe that active currency management strategies can be employed as an overall portfolio risk management tool. For example, in their view, foreign currency management can provide overall portfolio risk diversification when combined with a portfolio of foreign securities, and the market risks of investing in specific foreign markets can at times be reduced by currency strategies that may not involve the currency in which the foreign security is denominated. However, the use of currency management strategies to protect the value of a Fund's portfolio securities against a decline in the value of a currency does not eliminate fluctuations in the underlying prices of the securities.
While a Fund may enter into forward contracts to reduce currency exchange risks, changes in currency exchange rates may result in poorer overall performance for the Fund than if it had not engaged in such transactions. Exchange rate movements can be large, depending on the currency, and can last for extended periods of time, affecting the value of a Fund's assets. Moreover, there may be an imperfect correlation between a Fund's portfolio holdings of securities denominated in a particular currency and forward contracts entered into by the Fund. Such imperfect correlation may prevent the Fund from achieving the intended hedge or expose the Fund to the risk of currency exchange loss.
The Funds cannot assure that their use of currency management will always be successful. Successful use of currency management strategies will depend on the Manager's or Subadvisor's skill in analyzing currency values. Currency management strategies may substantially change a Fund's investment exposure to changes in currency exchange rates and could result in losses to a Fund if currencies do not perform as the Manager or Subadvisor anticipates. For example, if a currency's value rose at a time when the Manager or Subadvisor had hedged a Fund by selling that currency in exchange for dollars, a Fund would not participate in the currency's appreciation. If the Manager or Subadvisor hedges currency exposure through proxy hedges, a Fund could realize currency losses from both the hedge and the security position if the two currencies do not move in tandem. Similarly, if the Manager or Subadvisor increases a Fund's exposure to a foreign currency and that currency's value declines, a Fund will realize a loss. There is no assurance that the Manager's or Subadvisor's use of currency management strategies will be advantageous to a Fund or that it will hedge at appropriate times. The forecasting of currency market movement is extremely difficult, and whether any hedging strategy will be successful is highly uncertain. Moreover, it is impossible to forecast with precision the market value of some portfolio securities at
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the expiration of a foreign currency forward contract. Accordingly, a Fund may be required to buy or sell additional currency on the spot market (and bear the expense of such transaction) if the Manager's or Subadvisor's predictions regarding the movement of foreign currency or securities markets prove inaccurate. In addition, the use of cross-hedging transactions may involve special risks, and may leave a Fund in a less advantageous position than if such a hedge had not been established. Because foreign currency forward contracts are privately negotiated transactions, there can be no assurance that a Fund will have flexibility to roll-over a foreign currency forward contract upon its expiration if it desires to do so. Additionally, these contracts are subject to counterparty risks as there can be no assurance that the other party to the contract will perform its services thereunder. Certain foreign currency forwards may eventually be exchange-traded and cleared. Although these changes are expected to decrease the credit risk and liquidity risk involved in bilaterally negotiated contracts, exchange-trading and clearing would not make the contracts risk-free. A Fund may hold a portion of its assets in bank deposits denominated in foreign currencies, so as to facilitate investment in foreign securities as well as protect against currency fluctuations and the need to convert such assets into U.S. dollars (thereby also reducing transaction costs). To the extent these monies are converted back into U.S. dollars, the value of the assets so maintained will be affected favorably or unfavorably by changes in foreign currency exchange rates and exchange control regulations.
Foreign Government and Supranational Entity Securities
A Fund may invest in debt securities or obligations of foreign governments, agencies and supranational organizations ("Sovereign Debt"). A Fund's portfolio may include government securities of a number of foreign countries or, depending upon market conditions, those of a single country. Investments in Sovereign Debt can involve greater risks than investing in U.S. government securities. The issuer of the debt or the governmental authorities that control the repayment of the debt may be unable or unwilling to repay principal or interest when due in accordance with the terms of such debt, and a Fund may have limited legal recourse in the event of default.
The Manager's or Subadvisor's determination that a particular country should be considered stable depends on its evaluation of political and economic developments affecting the country as well as recent experience in the markets for government securities of the country. The Manager or Subadvisors do not believe that the credit risk inherent in the Sovereign Debt of such stable foreign governments is significantly greater than that of U.S. government securities. The percentage of a Fund's assets invested in foreign government securities will vary depending on the relative yields of such securities, the economies of the countries in which the investments are made and such countries' financial markets, the interest rate climate of such countries and the relationship of such countries' currencies to the U.S. dollar. Currency is judged on the basis of fundamental economic criteria (e.g., relative inflation levels and trends, growth rate forecasts, balance of payments status and economic policies) as well as technical and political data.
Debt securities of "quasi-governmental entities" are issued by entities owned by either a national, state or equivalent government or are obligations of a political unit that is not backed by the national government's full faith and credit and general taxing powers. Examples of quasi-governmental issuers include, among others, the Province of Ontario and the City of Stockholm. A Fund's portfolio may also include debt securities denominated in European Currency Units of an issuer in a country in which the Fund may invest. A European Currency Unit represents specified amounts of the currencies of certain member states of the European Union.
A "supranational entity" is an entity established or financially supported by the governments of several countries to promote reconstruction, economic development or trade. Examples of supranational entities include the World Bank (International Bank for Reconstruction and Development), the European Investment Bank, the Inter-American Development Bank, the Asian Development Bank, the African Development Bank and the European Coal and Steel Community. Typically, the governmental members, or "stockholders," make initial capital contributions to the supranational entity and may be committed to make additional contributions if the supranational entity is unable to repay its borrowings. There is no guarantee that one or more stockholders of a supranational entity will continue to make any necessary additional capital contributions or otherwise provide continued financial backing to the supranational entity. If such contributions or financial backing are not made, the entity may be unable to pay interest or repay principal on its debt securities. As a result, a Fund might lose money on such investments. In addition, if the securities of a supranational entity are denominated in a foreign currency, the obligations also will bear the risks of foreign currency investments. Securities issued by supranational entities may (or may not) constitute foreign securities for purposes of the Funds depending on a number of factors, including the countries that are members of the entity, the location of the primary office of the entity, the obligations of the members, the markets in which the securities trade, and whether, and to what extent, the performance of the securities is tied closely to the political or economic developments of a particular country or geographic region.
The occurrence of political, social or diplomatic changes in one or more of the countries issuing Sovereign Debt could adversely affect a Fund's investments. Political changes or a deterioration of a country's domestic economy or balance of trade may affect the willingness of countries to service their Sovereign Debt. While the Manager or Subadvisors intend to manage the Funds' portfolios in a manner that will minimize the exposure to such risks, there can be no assurance that adverse political changes will not cause a Fund to suffer a loss of interest or principal on any of its holdings.
Foreign Index-Linked Instruments
A Fund may invest, subject to compliance with its limitations and policies applicable to its investment in debt securities, in instruments which have the investment characteristics of particular securities, securities indices, futures contracts or currencies. Such instruments may take a variety of forms, such as debt instruments with interest or principal payments determined by reference to the value of a currency or commodity at a future point in time. For example, a Fund may invest in instruments issued by the U.S. or a foreign government or by private issuers that return principal and/or pay interest to investors in amounts which are linked to the level of a particular foreign index ("foreign index-linked instruments"). Foreign
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index-linked instruments have the investment characteristics of particular securities, securities indices, futures contracts or currencies. Such instruments may take a variety of forms, such as debt instruments with interest or principal payments determined by reference to the value of a currency or commodity at a future point in time.
A foreign index-linked instrument may be based upon the exchange rate of a particular currency or currencies or the differential between two currencies, the level of interest rates in a particular country or countries, or the differential in interest rates between particular countries. In the case of foreign index-linked instruments linking the interest component to a foreign index, the amount of interest payable will adjust periodically in response to changes in the level of the foreign index during the term of the foreign index-linked instrument. The risks of such investments would reflect the risks of investing in the index or other instrument the performance of which determines the return for the instrument. Currency-indexed securities may be positively or negatively indexed, meaning their maturity value may increase when the specified currency value increases, resulting in a security that performs similarly to a foreign-denominated instrument, or their maturity value may decline when foreign currencies increase, resulting in a security whose price characteristics are similar to a put on the underlying currency. Currency-indexed securities may also have prices that depend on the values of a number of different foreign currencies relative to each other.
Foreign Securities
A Fund may invest in U.S. dollar-denominated and non-U.S. dollar-denominated foreign debt and equity securities and in CDs issued by foreign banks and foreign branches of U.S. banks. The NYLI Money Market Fund is permitted to purchase U.S. dollar-denominated securities of foreign issuers subject to Rule 2a-7 under the 1940 Act. Securities of issuers within a given country may be denominated in the currency of another country. These foreign securities can be subject to most, if not all, of the risks of foreign investing. Foreign securities may also be domiciled in the U.S. and traded on a U.S. market but possess elements of foreign risk.
An issuer of a security is considered to be a U.S. or foreign issuer based on the issuer’s “country of risk” (or similar designation), as determined by a third party such as Bloomberg. In determining whether an issuer of a security is foreign, a Fund will ordinarily look to the issuer’s “country of risk.” The issuer’s “country of risk” is determined based on a number of criteria, which may change from time to time and currently include, but not limited to, its country of domicile, the primary stock exchange on which it trades, the location from which the majority of its revenue comes and its reporting currency. Although a Fund will generally rely on an issuer’s “country of risk,” as determined by Bloomberg, when categorizing securities as either U.S. or foreign-based, it is not required to do so. For example, a Fund may choose to use a third party other than Bloomberg in cases where the Fund or the Fund's subadvisor(s) disagree with Bloomberg’s categorization of a particular issuer.
Investors should carefully consider the appropriateness of foreign investing in light of their financial objectives and goals. While foreign markets may present unique investment opportunities, foreign investing involves risks not associated with domestic investing. In many foreign countries, there is less government supervision and regulation of business and industry practices, stock exchanges, brokers and listed companies than in the United States. Foreign investments involve risks relating to local political, economic, regulatory or social instability, military action or unrest, or adverse diplomatic or trade or other economic developments (including, for example, sanctions or tariffs), and may be affected by actions of foreign governments adverse to the interests of U.S. investors. Securities denominated in foreign currencies may gain or lose value as a result of fluctuating currency exchange rates. Securities markets in other countries are not always as efficient as those in the U.S. and are sometimes less liquid and more volatile. Foreign securities transactions may be subject to higher brokerage and custodial costs than domestic securities transactions.
Certain Funds may invest in securities of issuers in emerging markets, including issuers in Asia (including Russia), Eastern Europe, Central and South America, the Middle East and Africa. Securities markets of emerging market countries may also have less efficient clearance and settlement procedures than U.S. markets, making it difficult to conduct and complete transactions. Delays in the settlement could result in temporary periods when a portion of a Fund's assets is uninvested and no return is earned thereon. Inability to make intended security purchases could cause a Fund to miss attractive investment opportunities. Inability to dispose of portfolio securities could result either in losses to a Fund due to subsequent declines in value of the portfolio security or, if a Fund has entered into a contract to sell the security, could result in possible liability of a Fund to the purchaser. Other risks involved in investing in the securities of foreign issuers include differences in accounting, auditing and financial reporting standards; limited publicly available information; the difficulty of assessing economic trends in foreign countries; generally higher commission rates on foreign portfolio transactions; the possibility of nationalization, expropriation or confiscatory taxation; adverse changes in investment or exchange control regulations (which may include suspension of the ability to transfer currency from a country); government interference, including government ownership of companies in certain sectors, wage and price controls, or imposition of trade barriers and other protectionist measures; difficulties in invoking legal process abroad and enforcing contractual obligations; political, social or economic instability which could affect U.S. investments in foreign countries; and potential restrictions on the flow of international capital. Additionally, foreign securities and dividends and interest payable on those securities may be subject to foreign taxes, including foreign withholding taxes, and other foreign taxes may apply with respect to securities transactions. Additional costs associated with an investment in foreign securities may include higher transaction, custody and foreign currency conversion costs. In the event of litigation relating to a portfolio investment, the Funds may encounter substantial difficulties in obtaining and enforcing judgments against non-U.S. resident individuals and companies. Additionally, investments in certain countries may subject a Fund to a number of tax rules, the application of which may be uncertain. Countries may amend or revise their existing tax laws, regulations and/or procedures in the future, possibly with retroactive effect. Changes in or uncertainties regarding the laws, regulations or procedures of a country could reduce the after-tax profits of a Fund, directly or indirectly, including by reducing the after-tax profits of companies located in such countries in which a Fund invests, or result in unexpected tax liabilities for a Fund.
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Some securities are issued by companies organized outside the United States but are traded in U.S. securities markets and are denominated in U.S. dollars. Other securities are not traded in the United States but are denominated in U.S. dollars. These securities may be exposed to many, if not all, of the risks of foreign investing. For example, foreign trading market or currency risks will not apply to U.S. dollar-denominated securities traded in U.S. securities markets.
Investment in countries with emerging markets presents risks in greater degree than, and in addition to, those presented by investment in foreign issuers in general. Countries with developing markets have economic and legal structures that are less mature. Furthermore, countries with developing markets have less stable political systems and may have high inflation, rapidly changing interest and currency exchange rates, and their securities markets are substantially less developed. Countries with lower levels of government regulation could be more susceptible to market manipulation, and less extensive and transparent accounting, auditing, recordkeeping, financial reporting and other requirements which limit the quality and availability of financial information. There is also a risk that the SEC and the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board (“PCAOB”) may not be able to inspect the audit work and practices of PCAOB-registered auditing firms in emerging market countries, such as China, and this may result in the unavailability of financial information about U.S.-listed emerging market companies. The economies of countries with developing markets generally are heavily dependent upon international trade, and, accordingly, have been and may continue to be adversely affected by barriers, exchange controls, managed adjustments in relative currency values and other protectionist measures in the countries with which they trade. These economies also have been and may continue to be adversely affected by economic conditions in the countries with which they trade.
China. To the extent a Fund invests in Chinese securities, its investments may be impacted by the economic, political, diplomatic and social conditions within China. Moreover, investments may be impacted by geopolitical developments such as China’s posture regarding Hong Kong and Taiwan, international scrutiny of China’s human rights record, including China’s treatment of some of its minorities and competition between the United States and China. These domestic and external conditions may trigger a significant reduction in international trade, the institution of tariffs, sanctions by governmental entities or other trade barriers, the oversupply of certain manufactured goods, substantial price reductions of goods and possible failure of individual companies and/or large segments of China’s export industry. Events such as these and their consequences are difficult to predict and could have a negative impact on a Fund’s performance, including the loss incurred from a forced sale when trade barriers or other investment restrictions cause a security to become restricted. Special risks associated with investments in China include exposure to currency fluctuations, less liquidity, expropriation, confiscatory taxation, nationalization and exchange control regulations (including currency blockage). Inflation and rapid fluctuations in inflation and interest rates have had, and may continue to have, negative effects on the economy and securities markets of China, Hong Kong and Taiwan. Also, China generally has less established legal, accounting and financial reporting systems than those in more developed markets, which may reduce the scope or quality of financial information relating to Chinese issuers. These less developed systems also give rise to unofficial organizational structures and contractual arrangements which exist outside Chinese law. If Chinese regulators do not accept these structures and arrangements, the value of certain investments may be impacted with limited legal recourse for remedy.
Investments in China may subject a Fund's investments to a number of tax rules, and the application of many of those rules may be uncertain. Moreover, China has implemented a number of tax reforms in recent years, and may amend or revise its existing tax laws and/or procedures in the future, possibly with retroactive effect. Changes in applicable Chinese tax law could reduce the after-tax profits of the Fund, directly or indirectly, including by reducing the after-tax profits of companies in China in which a Fund invests. Chinese taxes that may apply to a Fund's investments include income tax or withholding tax on dividends, interest or gains earned by the Fund, business tax and stamp duty. Uncertainties in Chinese tax rules could result in unexpected tax liabilities for the Fund.
In December 2020, the U.S. Congress passed the Holding Foreign Companies Accountable Act (“HFCAA”). The HFCAA provides that after three consecutive years of determinations by the U.S. Public Company Accounting Oversight Board (“PCAOB”) that positions taken by authorities in China obstructed the PCAOB’s ability to inspect and investigate registered public accounting firms in mainland China and Hong Kong completely, the companies audited by those firms would be subject to a trading prohibition on U.S. markets. On August 26, 2022, the PCAOB signed a Statement of Protocol with the China Securities Regulatory Commission (“CSRC”) and the Ministry of Finance of the People’s Republic of China to grant the PCAOB access to inspect and investigate registered public accounting firms in mainland China and Hong Kong completely, consistent with U.S. law. To the extent the PCAOB remains unable to inspect audit work papers and practices of PCAOB-registered accounting firms in China with respect to their audit work of U.S. reporting companies, such inability may impose significant additional risks associated with investments in China. Further, to the extent a Fund invests in the securities of a company whose securities become subject to a trading prohibition, the Fund's ability to transact in such securities, and the liquidity of the securities, as well as their market price, would likely be adversely affected.
Certain Funds may obtain exposure to companies based or operated in China by investing through legal structures known as variable interest entities (“VIEs”). Because of Chinese governmental restrictions on non-Chinese ownership of companies in certain industries in China, certain Chinese companies have used VIEs to facilitate foreign investment without distributing direct ownership of companies based or operated in China. In such cases, the Chinese operating company establishes an offshore company, and the offshore company enters into contractual arrangements (such as powers of attorney, equity pledge agreements and other services or business cooperation agreements) with the operating company. These contractual arrangements are intended to give the offshore company the ability to exercise power over and obtain economic rights from the operating company. Shares of the offshore company, in turn, are listed and traded on exchanges outside of China and are available to non-Chinese investors such as a Fund. This arrangement allows non-Chinese investors in the offshore company to obtain economic exposure to the Chinese company without direct equity ownership in the Chinese company. Thus, VIE structures and its contractual arrangements are not equivalent to equity ownership in the operating Chinese company, which presents additional risks.
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Although VIEs are a longstanding industry practice and well known to officials and regulators in China, VIEs are not formally recognized under Chinese law. On February 17, 2023, the CSRC released the “Trial Administrative Measures of Overseas Securities Offering and Listing by Domestic Companies” (the “Trial Measures”) which went into effect on March 31, 2023. The Trial Measures will require Chinese companies that pursue listings outside of mainland China, including those that do so using the VIE structure, to make a filing with the CSRC. While the Trial Measures do not prohibit the use of VIE structures, this does not serve as a formal endorsement either. There is a risk that China may cease to tolerate VIEs at any time or impose new restrictions on the structure, in each case either generally or with respect to specific industries, sectors or companies. Investments involving a VIE may also pose additional risks because such investments are made through a company whose interests in the underlying operating company are established through contract rather than through equity ownership. For example, in the event of a dispute, the offshore company’s contractual claims with respect to the operating company may be deemed unenforceable in China, thus limiting (or eliminating) the remedies and rights available to the offshore company and its investors. Such legal uncertainty may also be exploited against the interests of the offshore company and its investors. There is also uncertainty related to the Chinese taxation of VIEs and the Chinese tax authorities could take positions that result in increased tax liabilities. Further, the interests of the equity owners of the operating company may conflict with the interests of the investors of the offshore company, and the fiduciary duties of the officers and directors of the operating company may differ from, or conflict with, the fiduciary duties of the officers and directors of the offshore company. Foreign companies listed on U.S. exchanges, including offshore companies that utilize a VIE structure, also could face delisting or other ramifications for failure to meet the requirements of the SEC, the PCAOB or other United States regulators. Any of the foregoing risks and events could negatively impact the value and liquidity of the investment in a VIE, and therefore a Fund's performance.
Funds of Funds
The “New York Life Investments Asset Allocation Funds,” consisting of the NYLI Conservative Allocation Fund, NYLI Equity Allocation Fund, NYLI Growth Allocation Fund, and NYLI Moderate Allocation Fund and the "New York Life Investments ETF Asset Allocation Funds," consisting of the NYLI Conservative ETF Allocation Fund, NYLI Equity ETF Allocation Fund, NYLI Growth ETF Allocation Fund and NYLI Moderate ETF Allocation Fund are each a "fund of funds," and are collectively referred to as the “New York Life Investments Funds of Funds.” Each of the New York Life Investments Asset Allocation Funds seeks to achieve its investment objective by investing primarily in certain series of New York Life Investments Funds Trust and The New York Life Investments Funds. The New York Life Investments Asset Allocation Funds may also invest in exchange-traded funds advised by New York Life Investments or its affiliates. The series/funds in which the New York Life Investments Asset Allocation Funds invest may be referred to in this SAI as the "Underlying Funds." Most of the Underlying Funds in which the New York Life Investments Asset Allocation Funds currently invest are advised by New York Life Investments or its affiliates and are considered to be within the same "group of investment companies" as the New York Life Investments Asset Allocation Funds. The New York Life Investments Asset Allocation Funds do not currently invest in Underlying Funds that are not within the same "group of investment companies" as the Funds, but reserve the right to do so without prior notice to shareholders. New York Life Investments may change the Underlying Funds from time to time without prior approval from shareholders. The New York Life Investments Asset Allocation Funds, in addition to investing primarily in Underlying Funds, may invest directly in certain liquid securities, such as the following: bank obligations, commercial paper, firm or standby commitments, lending of portfolio securities, repurchase agreements, restricted 144A and 4(a)(2) securities and reverse repurchase agreements. These securities are described later in this section.
Each New York Life Investments ETF Asset Allocation Fund (except the NYLI Equity ETF Allocation Fund) invests, under normal circumstances, at least 80% of its assets (net assets plus any borrowings for investment purposes) in exchange-traded funds. The NYLI Equity ETF Allocation Fund invests, under normal circumstances, at least 80% of its assets (net assets plus any borrowings for investment purposes) in underlying equity exchange-traded funds. Each of the New York Life Investments ETF Asset Allocation Funds seeks to achieve its investment objective by investing in unaffiliated passively-managed ETFs. The series/funds in which the New York Life Investments ETF Asset Allocation Funds invest may be referred to in this SAI as the "Underlying ETFs." The New York Life Investments ETF Asset Allocation Funds do not currently invest in Underlying ETFs that are within the same "group of investment companies" as the New York Life Investments ETF Asset Allocation Funds, but reserve the right to do so without prior shareholder approval. New York Life Investments may change the Underlying ETFs from time to time without prior approval from shareholders.
By investing in the Underlying Funds and Underlying ETFs (as applicable), the New York Life Investments Funds of Funds may have an indirect investment interest in some or all of the securities and instruments described in this section depending upon how their assets are allocated among the Underlying Funds and Underlying ETFs. In general, this SAI addresses many of the investment techniques and instruments used by Underlying Funds and Underlying ETFs, although the New York Life Investments Funds of Funds may also be subject to additional risks associated with other securities, instruments and techniques utilized by the Underlying Funds and Underlying ETFs that are not described below. The New York Life Investments Funds of Funds will also have an indirect investment interest in other securities and instruments utilized by the Underlying Funds and Underlying ETFs. These securities and instruments are described in the Underlying Funds' and Underlying ETFs' current prospectuses and statements of additional information, which for the Underlying Funds and Underlying ETFs that are within the same “group of investment companies” as the New York Life Investments Funds of Funds are available upon request, free of charge, by calling us toll-free at 800-624-6782 or on the internet at dfinview.com/NYLIM.
The Underlying Funds and Underlying ETFs may engage in investment practices, or invest in instruments to the extent permitted in the prospectus and SAI or other offering documents through which they are offered. Unless otherwise stated in the applicable prospectus or other offering documents, investment techniques are discretionary. That means the manager or subadvisor of an Underlying Fund or Underlying ETF may elect in its sole discretion to employ or not employ the various techniques. Furthermore, it is possible that certain types of financial instruments or
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investment techniques described herein may not be available, permissible, economically feasible, or effective for their intended purposes in all markets. Certain practices, techniques, or instruments may not be principal activities but, to the extent employed, could from time to time have a material impact on the performance of the Underlying Funds or Underlying ETFs. Investors should not assume that any particular discretionary investment technique will ever be employed, or if employed, that it will be employed at all times.
The New York Life Investments Funds of Funds may invest in the Underlying Funds and Underlying ETFs (as applicable) in excess of statutory limits imposed by the 1940 Act in reliance on Rule 12d1-4 under the 1940 Act. These investments would be subject to the applicable conditions of Rule 12d1-4, which in part would affect or otherwise impose certain limits on the investments and operations of the Underlying Fund or Underlying ETF (notably such fund’s ability to invest in other investment companies and certain structured finance vehicles).
Futures Transactions
A futures contract is an agreement to buy or sell an underlying instrument such as a security or currency (or to deliver a final cash settlement price in the case of a contract relating to an index or otherwise not calling for physical delivery at the end of trading in the contract), for a set price at a future date. When interest rates are changing and portfolio values are falling, futures contracts can offset a decline in the value of a Fund's current portfolio securities. When interest rates are changing and portfolio values are rising, the purchase of futures contracts can secure better effective rates or purchase prices for the Fund than might later be available in the market when the Fund makes anticipated purchases. See "Derivative Instruments — General Discussion" for more information. For a discussion on currency futures, please see "Foreign Currency Transactions (Forward Contracts)" in this section.
In the United States, futures contracts are traded on boards of trade that have been designated as "contract markets" or registered as derivatives transaction execution facilities by the CFTC. Futures contracts generally trade on these markets through competitive trading on an electronic trading system. A Fund (with the exception of the NYLI Money Market Fund) may only enter into futures contracts or related options that are standardized and traded on a U.S. or foreign exchange or board of trade, or similar entity, or quoted on an automatic quotation system. Currently, there are futures contracts based on a variety of instruments, indices and currencies. Subject to compliance with applicable CFTC rules, the Funds also may enter into futures contracts traded on foreign futures exchanges such as those located in Frankfurt, Tokyo, London or Paris as long as trading on foreign futures exchanges does not subject a Fund to risks that are materially greater than the risks associated with trading on U.S. exchanges, and in certain cases so long as the futures contract has received specific approval for U.S. person trading.
Positions taken in the futures markets are not normally held until delivery or final cash settlement is required, but are instead liquidated through offsetting transactions, which may result in a gain or a loss. While futures positions taken by a Fund will usually be liquidated in this manner, the Fund may instead make or take delivery of underlying securities or currencies whenever it appears economically advantageous to the Fund to do so. A clearing organization associated with the exchange on which futures are traded assumes responsibility for closing-out transactions and guarantees that as between the clearing members of an exchange, the sale and purchase obligations will be performed with regard to all positions that remain open at the termination of the contract. The Funds will not enter into futures contracts to the extent that the market value of the contracts exceed 100% of a Fund's net assets.
When a purchase or sale of a futures contract is made by a Fund, the Fund is required to deposit with its futures commission merchant a specified amount of liquid assets ("initial margin") as a partial guarantee of its performance under the contract. The margin required for a futures contract is set by the exchange on which the contract is traded and may be modified during the term of the contract. The initial margin is in the nature of a performance bond or good faith deposit on the futures contract that is returned to the Fund upon termination of the contract assuming all contractual obligations have been satisfied. Each Fund expects to earn interest income on its initial margin deposits. A Fund is also required to deposit and maintain margin with respect to put and call options on futures contracts written by it. Such margin deposits will vary depending on the nature of the underlying futures contract (and the related initial margin requirements), the current market value of the option, and other futures positions held by the Fund.
A futures contract held by a Fund is valued daily at the official settlement price of the exchange on which it is traded. Each day, as the value of the security, currency, commodity or index fluctuates, a Fund pays or receives cash, called "variation margin," equal to the daily change in value of the futures contract. This process is known as "marking-to-market." Variation margin does not represent a borrowing or loan by a Fund but is instead a settlement between the Fund and the broker of the amount one would owe the other if the futures contract expired. In computing daily NAV per share, each Fund will mark-to-market its open futures positions.
Futures on Debt Securities. Bond prices are established in both the cash market and the futures market. In the cash market, bonds are purchased and sold with payment for the full purchase price of the bond being made in cash, generally within five business days after the trade. In the futures market, only a contract is made to purchase or sell a bond in the future for a set price on a certain date. Historically, the prices for bonds established in the futures markets have tended to move generally in the aggregate in concert with the cash market prices and have maintained fairly predictable relationships.
Accordingly, a Fund may purchase and sell futures contracts on debt securities and on indices of debt securities in order to hedge against anticipated changes in interest rates that might otherwise have an adverse effect upon the value of a Fund's securities. A Fund may also enter into such futures contracts as a substitute for the purchase of longer-term securities to lengthen or shorten the average maturity or duration of the Fund's portfolio, and for other appropriate risk management, income enhancement and investment purposes.
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For example, a Fund may take a "short" position in the futures market by selling contracts for the future delivery of debt securities held by the Fund (or securities having characteristics similar to those held by the Fund) in order to hedge against an anticipated rise in interest rates that would adversely affect the value of the Fund's investment portfolio. When hedging of this character is successful, any depreciation in the value of portfolio securities will be substantially offset by appreciation in the value of the futures position. On other occasions, a Fund may take a "long" position by purchasing futures on debt securities. This would be done, for example, when the Fund intends to purchase particular securities and it has the necessary cash, but expects the rate of return available in the securities markets at that time to be less favorable than rates currently available in the futures markets. If the anticipated rise in the price of the securities should occur (with its accompanying reduction in yield), the increased cost to a Fund of purchasing the securities will be offset, at least to some extent, by the rise in the value of the futures position taken in anticipation of the subsequent securities purchase. A Fund could accomplish similar results by selling securities with long maturities and investing in securities with short maturities when interest rates are expected to increase, or by buying securities with long maturities and selling securities with short maturities when interest rates are expected to decline. However, by using futures contracts as a risk management technique, given the greater liquidity in the futures market than in the cash market, it may be possible to accomplish the same result more easily and more quickly.
Depending upon the types of futures contracts that are available to hedge a Fund's portfolio of securities or portion of a portfolio, perfect correlation between that Fund's futures positions and portfolio positions may be difficult to achieve. Futures contracts do not exist for all types of securities and markets for futures contracts that do exist may, for a variety of reasons, be illiquid at particular times when a Fund might wish to buy or sell a futures contract.
Securities Index Futures. A securities index futures contract is an agreement in which one party agrees to deliver to the other an amount of cash equal to a specific dollar amount times the difference between the value of a specific securities index at the close of the last trading day of the contract and the price at which the agreement is made. A securities index futures contract does not require the physical delivery of securities, but merely provides for profits and losses resulting from changes in the market value of the contract to be credited or debited at the close of each trading day to the respective accounts of the parties to the contract. On the contract's expiration date a final cash settlement occurs and the futures positions are simply closed out. Changes in the market value of a particular securities index futures contract reflect changes in the specified index of equity securities on which the contract is based. A securities index is designed to reflect overall price trends in the market for equity securities.
A Fund may purchase and sell securities index futures to hedge the equity portion of its investment portfolio with regard to market (systematic) risk (involving the market's assessment of overall economic prospects), as distinguished from stock-specific risk (involving the market's evaluation of the merits of the issuer of a particular security) or to gain market exposure to that portion of the market represented by the futures contracts. The Funds may enter into securities index futures to the extent that they have equity securities in their portfolios. Similarly, the Funds may enter into futures on debt securities indices (including the municipal bond index) to the extent they have debt securities in their portfolios. In addition, to the extent that it invests in foreign securities, and subject to any applicable restriction on the Fund's ability to invest in foreign currencies, each Fund may enter into contracts for the future delivery of foreign currencies to hedge against changes in currency exchange rates. A Fund may also use securities index futures to maintain exposure to the market, while maintaining liquidity to meet expected redemptions or pending investment in securities.
By establishing an appropriate "short" position in securities index futures, a Fund may seek to protect the value of its portfolio against an overall decline in the market for securities. Alternatively, in anticipation of a generally rising market, a Fund can seek to avoid losing the benefit of apparently low current prices by establishing a "long" position in securities index futures and later liquidating that position as particular securities are in fact acquired. To the extent that these hedging strategies are successful, a Fund will be affected to a lesser degree by adverse overall market price movements, unrelated to the merits of specific portfolio securities, than would otherwise be the case. A Fund may also purchase futures on debt securities or indices as a substitute for the purchase of longer-term debt securities to lengthen the dollar-weighted average maturity of the Fund's debt portfolio or to gain exposure to particular markets represented by the index.
Risks of VIX Futures. A Fund may purchase and sell futures contracts that track the level of volatility indices which measure the expected future volatility of the stock market (“VIX futures”). One example of a volatility index is the CBOE Volatility Index, which attempts to reflect projected future (30-day) stock market volatility implied by the price quotes of designated options on the S&P 500 Index that are listed on the CBOE. The prices of options on the S&P 500 Index have tended to increase during periods of heightened volatility and decrease during periods of greater market stability, which would result in increases or decreases, respectively, in the level of the CBOE Volatility Index.
VIX futures are contracts in which parties buy and sell the expectation of future volatility in the value of an index of equity securities (such as the S&P 500). A VIX future references a particular market volatility index, which measures market expectations of near-term volatility in the value of a specified equity index conveyed by prices of options on that equity index. Therefore, the value of VIX futures depends on changes in the expected volatility of stock prices, and VIX futures provide a way for a Fund to seek to either hedge certain of its portfolio positions or to profit by correctly forecasting the future volatility in the stock market. However, VIX futures are subject to the risk that the Subadvisor is incorrect in its forecast of volatility for the underlying index, resulting in a Fund having to make a cash payment to settle the futures contract, and in certain instances, have the potential for unlimited loss. VIX futures also subject a Fund to leverage risk (as require only a small investment in the form of a deposit or margin) and volatility risk (as futures markets can be highly volatile). A Fund may also invest in ETNs that track volatility indices. See “Exchange Traded Notes” above for more information concerning ETNs.
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Options on Futures. For bona fide hedging, risk management, income enhancement and investment and other appropriate purposes, the Funds also may purchase and write call and put options on futures contracts that are traded on exchanges that are licensed and regulated by the CFTC for the purpose of options trading, or, subject to applicable CFTC rules, on foreign exchanges.
A "call" option on a futures contract gives the purchaser the right, but not the obligation, in return for the premium paid, to purchase a futures contract (assume a "long" position) at a specified exercise price at any time before the option expires. Upon the exercise of a "call," the writer of the option is obligated to sell the futures contract (to deliver a "long" position to the option holder) at the option exercise price, which will presumably be lower than the current market price of the contract in the futures market. The writing of a call option on a futures contract constitutes a partial hedge against declining prices of the underlying securities or the currencies in which such securities are denominated. If the futures price at expiration is below the exercise price, a Fund will retain the full amount of the option premium, which provides a partial hedge against any decline that may have occurred in the Fund's holdings of securities or the currencies in which such securities are denominated. The purchase of a call option on a futures contract represents a means of hedging against a market advance affecting securities prices or currency exchange rates when a Fund is not fully invested or of lengthening the average maturity or duration of a Fund's portfolio.
A "put" option on a futures contract gives the purchaser the right, in return for the premium paid, to sell a futures contract (assume a "short" position), for a specified exercise price at any time before the option expires. Upon exercise of a "put," the writer of the option is obligated to purchase the futures contract (deliver a "short" position to the option holder) at the option exercise price, which will presumably be higher than the current market price of the contract in the futures market. If a Fund writes a put option on a futures contract on debt securities related to securities that the Fund expects to acquire and the market price of such securities increases, the net cost to a Fund of the debt securities acquired by it will be reduced by the amount of the option premium received. If market prices have declined, a Fund's purchase price upon exercise may be greater than the price at which the debt securities might be purchased in the securities market. The purchase of put options on futures contracts may be a means of hedging a Fund's portfolio against the risk of rising interest rates, declining securities prices or declining exchange rates for a particular currency.
When an entity exercises an option and assumes a "long" futures position, in the case of a "call," or a "short" futures position, in the case of a "put," its gain will be credited to its futures margin account, while the loss suffered by the writer of the option will be debited to its account. However, as with the trading of futures, most participants in the options markets do not seek to realize their gains or losses by exercise of their option rights. Instead, the writer or holder of an option will usually realize a gain or loss by buying or selling an offsetting option at a market price that will reflect an increase or a decrease from the premium originally paid.
Depending on the pricing of the option compared to either the futures contract upon which it is based or upon the price of the underlying securities, commodities or currencies, owning an option may or may not be less risky than ownership of the futures contract or underlying assets. In contrast to a futures transaction, in which only transaction costs are involved, benefits received in an option transaction will be reduced by the amount of the premium paid as well as by transaction costs. In the event of an adverse market movement, however, a Fund will not be subject to a risk of loss on the option transaction beyond the price of the premium it paid plus its transaction costs, and may consequently benefit from a favorable movement in the value of its portfolio assets in which such securities are denominated that would have been more completely offset if the hedge had been effected through the use of futures. If a Fund writes options on futures contracts, the Fund will receive a premium but will assume a risk of adverse movement in the price of the underlying futures contract comparable to that involved in holding a futures position. If the option is not exercised, a Fund will realize a gain in the amount of the premium, which may partially offset unfavorable changes in the value of assets held by or to be acquired for the Fund. If the option is exercised, a Fund will incur a loss on the option transaction, which will be reduced by the amount of the premium it has received, but which may partially offset favorable changes in the value of its portfolio assets or the currencies in which such assets are denominated.
While the holder or writer of an option on a futures contract may normally terminate its position by selling or purchasing an offsetting option of the same series, a Fund's ability to establish and close out options positions at fairly established prices will be subject to the maintenance of a liquid market.
Risks Associated with Futures and Options on Futures Contracts. There are several risks associated with the use of futures contracts and options on futures contracts as hedging techniques, including market price, interest rate, leverage, liquidity, counterparty, operational and legal risks. There can be no assurance that hedging strategies using futures will be successful. A purchase or sale of a futures contract may result in losses in excess of the amount invested in the futures contract, which in some cases may be unlimited. There can be no guarantee that there will be a correlation between price movements in the hedging vehicle and in a Fund's assets being hedged, even if the hedging vehicle closely correlates with a Fund's investments, such as with stock index futures contracts. If the price of a futures contract changes more than the price of the securities, assets or currencies, a Fund will experience either a loss or a gain on the futures contracts that will not be completely offset by changes in the price of the securities, assets or currencies that are the subject of the hedge. An incorrect correlation could result in a loss on both the hedged securities, assets or currencies and the hedging vehicle so that the portfolio return might have been better had hedging not been attempted. It is not possible to hedge fully or perfectly against currency fluctuations affecting the value of securities denominated in foreign currencies because the value of such securities is likely to fluctuate as a result of independent factors not related to currency fluctuations. In addition, there are significant differences between the securities and futures markets that could result in an imperfect correlation between the markets, causing a given hedge not to achieve its objectives. The degree of imperfection of correlation depends on circumstances such as variations in speculative market demand for futures and options on securities, including technical influences in futures trading and options, and
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differences between the financial instruments being hedged and the instruments underlying the standard contracts available for trading in such respects as interest rate levels, maturities and creditworthiness of issuers. A decision as to whether, when and how to hedge involves the exercise of skill and judgment, and even a well-conceived hedge may be unsuccessful to some degree because of market behavior or unexpected interest rate trends. It is also possible that, when a Fund has sold stock index futures to hedge its portfolio against a decline in the market, the market may advance while the value of the particular securities held in the Fund's portfolio might decline. If this were to occur, a Fund would incur a loss on the futures contracts and also experience a decline in the value of its portfolio securities.
Futures exchanges may limit the amount of fluctuation permitted in certain futures contract prices during a single trading day. The daily limit establishes the maximum amount that the price of a futures contract may vary either up or down from the previous day's settlement price at the end of the current trading session. Once the daily limit has been reached in a futures contract subject to the limit, no more trades may be made on that day at a price beyond that limit. The daily limit governs only price movements during a particular trading day and therefore does not limit potential losses because the limit may work to prevent the liquidation of unfavorable positions. For example, futures prices have occasionally moved to the daily limit for several consecutive trading days with little or no trading, thereby preventing prompt liquidation of positions and subjecting some holders of futures contracts to substantial losses.
There can be no assurance that a liquid market will exist at a time when a Fund seeks to close out a futures contract or a futures option position. If no liquid market exists, a Fund would remain obligated to meet margin requirements until the position is closed.
Also, in the event of the bankruptcy or insolvency of a futures commission merchant that holds margin on behalf of a Fund, the Fund may not be entitled to the return of all the margin owed to the Fund, potentially resulting in a loss.
In addition to the risks that apply to all options transactions, there are several special risks relating to options on futures contracts. Although the Funds generally will purchase only those options and futures contracts for which there appears to be an active market, there is no assurance that a liquid market on an exchange will exist for any particular option or futures contract at any particular time. In the event no such market exists for particular options, it might not be possible to effect closing transactions in such options with the result that a Fund would have to exercise options it has purchased in order to realize any profit and would be less able to limit its exposure to losses on options it has written.
Hard Assets Securities
Hard assets securities include equity securities of "hard assets companies" and derivative securities and instruments whose value is linked to the price of a commodity or a commodity index. The term "hard assets companies" refers to companies that directly or indirectly (whether through supplier relationships, servicing agreements or otherwise) derive at least 50% of gross revenue or profit from exploration, development, production, distribution or facilitation of processes relating to: (i) precious metals (including gold), (ii) base and industrial metals, (iii) energy, or (iv) other commodities.
Since the market action of hard assets securities may move against or independently of the market trend of industrial shares, the addition of such securities to an overall portfolio may increase the return and reduce the price fluctuations of such a portfolio. There can be no assurance that an increased rate of return or a reduction in price fluctuations of a portfolio will be achieved. Hard assets securities are affected by many factors, including movement in the stock market. Inflation may cause a decline in the market, including hard assets securities. The price of precious metal and natural resource securities are particularly susceptible to volatility and there may be sharp fluctuations in prices, even during periods of rising prices. Additionally, companies engaged in the production and distribution of hard assets may be adversely affected by changes in world events, political and economic conditions, energy conservation, environmental policies, commodity price volatility, changes in exchange rates, imposition of import controls, increased competition, depletion of resources and labor relations.
High Yield Securities
Typically, high yield debt securities (sometimes called "junk bonds") are rated below investment grade by one or more of the rating agencies or, if not rated, are determined to be of comparable quality by the relevant Subadvisor and are generally considered to be speculative. Investment in lower rated corporate debt securities typically provide greater income and increased opportunity for capital appreciation than investments in higher quality securities, but they also typically entail greater price volatility and principal and income risk. These high yield securities are regarded as predominantly speculative with respect to the issuer's continuing ability to meet principal and interest payments.
Investment in high yield/high risk bonds involves special risks in addition to the risks associated with investments in higher rated debt securities. High yield/high risk bonds may be more susceptible to real or perceived adverse economic and competitive industry conditions than higher grade bonds. The prices of high yield/high risk bonds have been found to be less sensitive to interest-rate changes than more highly rated investments, but more sensitive to adverse economic downturns or individual corporate developments.
The secondary market on which high yield/high risk bonds are traded may be less liquid than the market for higher grade bonds. Less liquidity in the secondary trading market could adversely affect the price at which a Fund could sell a high yield/high risk bond, and could adversely affect and cause large fluctuations in the Fund's daily NAV. A projection of an economic downturn or of a period of rising interest rates, for example, could cause a decline in high yield/high risk bond prices because the advent of a recession could lessen the ability of a highly leveraged company to make principal and interest payments on its debt securities.
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Adverse publicity and investor perceptions, whether or not based on fundamental analysis, may decrease the values and liquidity of high yield/high risk bonds, especially in a thinly traded market.
Some high yield securities are issued by smaller, less-seasoned companies, while others are issued as part of a corporate restructuring, such as an acquisition, merger, or leveraged buyout. Companies that issue high yield securities are often highly leveraged and may not have available to them more traditional methods of financing. Therefore, the risk associated with acquiring the securities of such issuers generally is greater than is the case with investment-grade securities. Some high yield securities were once rated as investment-grade but have been downgraded to junk bond status because of financial difficulties experienced by their issuers.
If the issuer of high yield/high risk bonds defaults, a Fund may incur additional expenses to seek recovery. In the case of high yield/high risk bonds structured as zero coupon or payment-in-kind securities, the market prices of such securities are affected to a greater extent by interest rate changes, and therefore tend to be more volatile than securities that pay interest periodically and in cash.
Analysis of the creditworthiness of issuers of high yield/high risk bonds may be more complex than for issuers of higher quality debt securities, and the ability of a Fund to achieve its investment objective may, to the extent of its investment in high yield/high risk bonds, be more dependent upon such creditworthiness analysis than would be the case if the Fund were investing in higher quality bonds. When secondary markets for high yield securities are less liquid than the market for higher grade securities, it may be more difficult to value the securities because such valuation may require more research, and elements of judgment may play a greater role in the valuation because there is less reliable, objective data available.
The use of credit ratings as the sole method for evaluating high yield/high risk bonds also involves certain risks. For example, credit ratings evaluate the safety of principal and interest payments, not the market value risk of high yield/high risk bonds. Also, credit rating agencies may fail to change credit ratings on a timely basis to reflect subsequent events. If a credit rating agency changes the rating of a portfolio security held by a Fund, the Fund may retain the portfolio security if the Manager or Subadvisor, where applicable, deems it in the best interest of the Fund's shareholders. Legislation designed to limit the use of high yield/high risk bonds in corporate transactions may have a material adverse effect on a Fund's NAV per share and investment practices.
In addition, there may be special tax considerations associated with investing in high yield/high risk bonds structured as zero coupon or payment-in-kind securities. A Fund records the interest on these securities annually as income even though it receives no cash interest until the security's maturity or payment date. As a result, the amounts that have accrued each year are required to be distributed to shareholders and such amounts will be taxable to shareholders. Therefore, a Fund may have to sell some of its assets to distribute cash to shareholders. These actions are likely to reduce the Fund's assets and may thereby increase its expense ratios and decrease its rate of return.
Hybrid Instruments and Other Capital Securities
Hybrid Instruments. A hybrid instrument, or hybrid, is a derivative interest in an issuer that combines the characteristics of an equity security and a debt security. A hybrid may have characteristics that, on the whole, more strongly suggest the existence of a bond, stock or other traditional investment, but may also have prominent features that are normally associated with a different type of investment. For example, a hybrid instrument may have an interest rate or principal amount that is determined by an unrelated indicator, such as the performance of a commodity or a securities index. Moreover, hybrid instruments may be treated as a particular type of investment for one regulatory purpose (such as taxation) and may be simultaneously treated as a different type of investment for a different regulatory purpose (such as securities or commodity regulation). Hybrids can be used as an efficient means of pursuing a variety of investment goals, including increased total return and duration management. Because hybrids combine features of two or more traditional investments, and may involve the use of innovative structures, hybrids present risks that may be similar to, different from, or greater than those associated with traditional investments with similar characteristics. Some of these structural features may include, but are not limited to, structural subordination to the claims of senior debt holders, interest payment deferrals under certain conditions, perpetual securities with no final maturity date and/or maturity extension risk for callable securities should the issuer elect not to redeem the security at a predetermined call date.
Thus, an investment in a hybrid may entail significant market risks that are not associated with a similar investment in a traditional, U.S.-dollar-denominated bond with a fixed principal amount that pays a fixed rate or floating rate of interest. The purchase of hybrids also exposes a fund to the credit risk of the issuer of the hybrids. There is a risk that, under certain conditions, the redemption value of a hybrid may be zero. Depending on the level of a Fund's investment in hybrids, these risks may cause significant fluctuations in the Fund's NAV. Certain issuers of hybrid instruments known as structured products may be deemed to be investment companies as defined in the 1940 Act. As a result, the Funds' investments in these products may be subject to limits described below under the heading "Investment Companies."
Other Capital Securities. Other capital securities give issuers flexibility in managing their capital structure. The features associated with these securities are predominately debt like in that they have coupons, pay interest and in most cases have a final stated maturity. There are certain features that give the companies flexibility not commonly found in fixed-income securities, which include, but are not limited to, deferral of interest payments under certain conditions and subordination to debt securities in the event of default. However, it should be noted that in an event of default the securities would typically be expected to rank senior to common equity. The deferral of interest payments is generally not an event of default for an extended period of time and the ability of the holders of such instruments to accelerate payment under terms of these instruments is generally more limited than other debt securities.
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Trust Preferred Securities. Trust preferred securities are typically issued by corporations, generally in the form of interest bearing notes with preferred securities characteristics, or by an affiliated business trust of a corporation, generally in the form of beneficial interests in subordinated debentures or similarly structured securities. The trust preferred securities market consists of both fixed and adjustable coupon rate securities that are either perpetual in nature or have stated maturity dates.
Trust preferred securities are typically junior and fully subordinated liabilities of an issuer or the beneficiary of a guarantee that is junior and fully subordinated to the other liabilities of the guarantor. Trust preferred securities have many of the key characteristics of equity due to their subordinated position in an issuer's capital structure and because their quality and value are heavily dependent on the profitability of the issuer rather than on any legal claims to specific assets or cash flows.
Illiquid Investments
A Fund may acquire an illiquid investment so long as immediately after the acquisition the Fund would not have invested more than 15% of its net assets in illiquid investments that are assets (5% of "total assets," as that term is defined in Rule 2a-7 under the 1940 Act, for the NYLI Money Market Fund). A Fund will consider taking measures to reduce its holdings of illiquid investments if they exceed the percentage limitation as a result of changes in the values of the investments or if liquid investments have become illiquid.
An illiquid investment for each Fund, other than the NYLI Money Market Fund, means any investment that the Manager or Subadvisor reasonably expects cannot be sold or disposed of in current market conditions in seven calendar days or less without the sale or disposition significantly changing the market value of the investment. With respect to the NYLI Money Market Fund, illiquid security means a security that cannot be sold or disposed of in the ordinary course of business within seven calendar days at approximately the value ascribed to it by the Fund. Illiquid investments may include repurchase agreements maturing in more than seven days.
The Funds, other than the NYLI Money Market Fund, have implemented a written liquidity risk management program and related procedures (“Liquidity Program”) that is reasonably designed to assess and manage the Funds' “liquidity risk” (defined by the SEC as the risk that a Fund could not meet requests to redeem shares issued by the Fund without significant dilution of remaining investors’ interests in the Fund). The liquidity classification of each investment will be made after reasonable inquiry and taking into account, among other things, market, trading and investment-specific considerations deemed to be relevant to the liquidity classification of each Fund's investments in accordance with the Liquidity Program.
The lack of an established secondary market may make it more difficult to value illiquid investments, requiring a Fund to rely on judgments that may be somewhat subjective in determining value, which could vary from the amount that a Fund could realize upon disposition. Often, illiquid investments will be valued in accordance with fair valuation procedures adopted by the Board. An investment’s illiquidity might prevent the sale of such investment at a time when the Manager or Subadvisor might wish to sell, and these investments could have the effect of decreasing a Fund's liquidity. Difficulty in selling an investment, particularly an illiquid investment, may result in a loss or may be costly to a Fund.
Indexed Securities and Structured Notes
Structured notes are derivative debt instruments, the interest rate or principal of which is determined by an unrelated indicator (for example, a currency, security, commodity or index thereof). The terms of the instrument may be “structured” by the purchaser and the borrower issuing the note. Indexed securities may include structured notes as well as securities other than debt securities, the interest rate or principal of which is determined by an unrelated indicator. Indexed securities may include a multiplier that multiplies the indexed element by a specified factor and, therefore, the value of such securities may be very volatile. The terms of structured notes and indexed securities may provide that in certain circumstances no principal is due at maturity, which may result in a loss of invested capital. Structured notes and indexed securities may be positively or negatively indexed, so that appreciation of the unrelated indicator may produce an increase or a decrease in the interest rate or the value of the structured note or indexed security at maturity may be calculated as a specified multiple of the change in the value of the unrelated indicator. Therefore, the value of such notes and securities may be very volatile. Structured notes and indexed securities may entail a greater degree of market risk than other types of debt securities because the investor bears the risk of the unrelated indicator. Structured notes or indexed securities also may be more volatile, less liquid, and more difficult to accurately price than less complex securities and instruments or more traditional debt securities. To the extent a Fund invests in these notes and securities, however, the Manager or Subadvisor analyzes these notes and securities in its overall assessment of the effective duration of the Fund’s holdings in an effort to monitor the Fund’s interest rate risk.
Certain issuers of structured products may be deemed to be investment companies as defined in the 1940 Act. As a result, the Funds' investments in these structured products may be subject to limits applicable to investments in investment companies and may be subject to restrictions contained in the 1940 Act.
Industrial Development and Pollution Control Bonds
Industrial Development Bonds that pay tax-exempt interest are, in most cases, revenue bonds and are issued by, or on behalf of, public authorities to raise money to finance various privately operated facilities for business, manufacturing, housing, sports and pollution control. These bonds are also used to finance public facilities such as airports, mass transit systems, ports and parking. Consequently, the credit quality of these securities depends upon the ability of the user of the facilities financed by the bonds and any guarantor to meet its financial obligations. These bonds are generally not secured by the taxing power of the municipality but are secured by the revenues of the authority derived from payments by the industrial user.
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Industrial Development and Pollution Control Bonds, although nominally issued by municipal authorities, are generally not secured by the taxing power of the municipality but are secured by the revenues of the authority derived from payments by the industrial user. Industrial Development Bonds issued after August 7, 1986, as well as certain other bonds, are now classified as "private activity bonds." Some, but not all, private activity bonds issued after that date qualify to pay tax-exempt interest.
Inflation/Deflation Risk
A Fund's investments may be subject to inflation risk, which is the risk that the real value (i.e., nominal price of the asset adjusted for inflation) of assets or income from investments will be less in the future because inflation decreases the purchasing power and value of money (i.e., as inflation increases, the real value of a Fund's assets can decline). Inflation rates may change frequently and significantly as a result of various factors, including unexpected shifts in the domestic or global economy and changes in monetary or economic policies (or expectations that these policies may change). A Fund's investments may not keep pace with inflation, which would adversely affect the real value of Fund shareholders’ investment in the Fund. This risk is greater for fixed-income instruments with longer maturities.
Deflation risk is the risk that prices throughout the economy decline over time. Deflation may have an adverse effect on the creditworthiness of issuers and may make issuer default more likely, which may result in a decline in the value of a Fund's assets.
Information Regarding Investments in a Fund by Management or Affiliates
The Manager, a Subadvisor or their affiliates may, from time to time, make initial or subsequent investments in a Fund. These investments may be redeemed from a Fund at any time, which may adversely impact the Fund and its shareholders. Additionally, the Manager, a Subadvisor or their affiliates may choose to hedge all or part of their investment in a Fund. It is not expected that any such hedge will adversely impact any Fund.
Infrastructure Industry Risk
The NYLI MacKay U.S. Infrastructure Bond Fund and the NYLI CBRE Global Infrastructure Fund have greater exposure to adverse economic, regulatory, political, legal and other changes affecting the issuers of infrastructure-related securities. Infrastructure-related businesses are subject to a variety of factors that may adversely affect their business or operations, including high interest costs in connection with capital construction programs, costs associated with environmental and other regulations, the effects of economic slowdown and surplus capacity, increased competition from other providers of services, uncertainties concerning the availability of fuel at reasonable prices, the effects of energy conservation policies and other factors. Additionally, infrastructure-related entities may be subject to regulation by various governmental authorities and may also be affected by governmental regulation of rates charged to customers, service interruption and/or legal challenges due to environmental, operational or other mishaps and the imposition of special tariffs and changes in tax laws, regulatory policies and accounting standards as well as federal and state or local funding for infrastructure projects. There is also the risk that corruption may negatively affect publicly-funded infrastructure projects, resulting in delays and cost overruns.
Specific infrastructure assets in which each Fund invests may be subject to the following additional risks:
· communication infrastructure companies are subject to risks involving changes in government regulation, competition, dependency on patent protection, equipment incompatibility, changing consumer preferences, technological obsolescence and large capital expenditures and debt burdens.
· energy infrastructure companies are subject to adverse changes in fuel prices, the effects of energy conservation policies and other risks, such as increased regulation, negative effects of economic slowdowns, reduced demand, cleanup and litigation costs as a result of environmental damage, changing and international politics and regulatory policies of various governments. Natural disasters or terrorist attacks damaging sources of energy supplies will also negatively impact energy companies.
· social infrastructure companies are subject to government regulation and the costs of compliance with such regulations and delays or failures in receiving required regulatory approvals. The enactment of new or additional regulatory requirements may negatively affect the business of a social infrastructure company.
· transportation infrastructure companies can be significantly affected by economic changes, fuel prices, labor relations, insurance costs and government regulations. Transportation infrastructure companies will also be negatively impacted by natural disasters or terrorist attacks.
· utility company revenues and costs are subject to regulation by states and other regulators. Regulatory authorities also may restrict a company’s access to new markets. Utilities companies may incur unexpected increases in fuel and other operating costs. Utilities are also subject to considerable costs associated with environmental compliance, nuclear waste clean-up and safety regulation.
Initial Public Offerings
Initial public offerings ("IPOs") of securities occur when a company first offers its securities to the public. Although companies can be any age or size at the time of their IPO, they are often smaller and have limited operating histories, which may involve a greater potential for the value of their securities to be impaired following the IPO.
Investors in IPOs can be adversely affected by substantial dilution in the value of their shares, by the issuance of additional shares and by concentration of control in existing management and principal shareholders. In addition, all of the factors that affect stock market performance may have a greater impact on the shares of IPO companies.
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The price of a company's securities may be highly unstable at the time of its IPO and for a period thereafter due to market psychology prevailing at the time of the IPO, the absence of a prior public market, the small number of shares available and limited availability of investor information. As a result of this or other factors, a Fund's Subadvisor might decide to sell a security issued through an IPO more quickly than it would otherwise, which may result in a significant gain or loss and greater transaction costs to the Fund. Any gains from shares held for one year or less may be treated as short-term gains, and be taxable as ordinary income to a Fund's shareholders. In addition, IPO securities may be subject to varying patterns of trading volume and may, at times, be difficult to sell without an unfavorable impact on prevailing prices.
The effect of an IPO investment can have a magnified impact on a Fund's performance if the Fund's asset base is small. Consequently, IPOs may constitute a significant portion of a Fund's returns particularly when the Fund is small. Since the number of securities issued in an IPO is limited, it is likely that IPO securities will represent a small component of a Fund's assets as it increases in size and therefore have a more limited effect on the Fund's performance.
There can be no assurance that IPOs will continue to be available for a Fund to purchase. The number or quality of IPOs available for purchase by a Fund may vary, decrease or entirely disappear. In some cases, a Fund may not be able to purchase IPOs at the offering price, but may have to purchase the shares in the after-market at a price greatly exceeding the offering price, making it more difficult for the Fund to realize a profit.
Interfund Lending
The Funds have obtained an exemptive order from the SEC allowing the Funds to lend money to, and borrow money from, each other pursuant to a master interfund lending agreement (the “Interfund Lending Program”). Under the Interfund Lending Program, the Funds (other than a money market fund) may lend or borrow money for temporary purposes directly to or from one another (an “Interfund Loan”), subject to meeting the conditions of the SEC exemptive order. All Interfund Loans would consist only of uninvested cash reserves that the lending Fund otherwise would invest in short-term repurchase agreements or other short-term instruments.
If a Fund has outstanding bank borrowings, any Interfund Loans to the Fund will: (a) be at an interest rate equal to or lower than that of any outstanding bank loan, (b) be secured at least on an equal priority basis with at least an equivalent percentage of collateral to loan value as any outstanding bank loan that requires collateral, (c) have a maturity no longer than any outstanding bank loan (and in any event not over seven days), and (d) provide that, if an event of default occurs under any agreement evidencing an outstanding bank loan to the Fund, that event of default will automatically (without need for action or notice by the lending Fund) constitute an immediate event of default under the master interfund lending agreement, entitling the lending Fund to call the Interfund Loan immediately (and exercise all rights with respect to any collateral), and that such call will be made if the lending bank exercises its right to call its loan under its agreement with the borrowing Fund. The Funds are currently parties to a line of credit which restricts a Fund's ability to participate in interfund lending while the Fund has an outstanding balance on the line of credit.
A Fund may borrow on an unsecured basis through the Interfund Lending Program only if its outstanding borrowings from all sources immediately after the borrowing total 10% or less of its total assets, provided that if the Fund has a secured loan outstanding from any other lender, including but not limited to another Fund, the Fund’s borrowing will be secured on at least an equal priority basis with at least an equivalent percentage of collateral to loan value as any outstanding loan that requires collateral. If a Fund's total outstanding borrowings immediately after an Interfund Loan under the Interfund Lending Program exceed 10% of its total assets, the Fund may borrow through the Interfund Lending Program on a secured basis only. A Fund may not borrow under the Interfund Lending Program or from any other source if its total outstanding borrowings immediately after the borrowing would be more than 33 1/3% of its total assets or any lower threshold provided for by a Fund's fundamental restriction or non-fundamental policy.
No Fund may lend to another Fund through the Interfund Lending Program if the loan would cause the lending Fund’s aggregate outstanding loans through the Interfund Lending Program to exceed 15% of its current net assets at the time of the loan. A Fund's Interfund Loans to any one Fund shall not exceed 5% of the lending Fund’s net assets. The duration of Interfund Loans will be limited to the time required to receive payment for securities sold, but in no event more than seven days, and for purposes of this condition, loans effected within seven days of each other will be treated as separate loan transactions. Each Interfund Loan may be called on one business day’s notice by a lending Fund and may be repaid on any day by a borrowing Fund.
The limitations detailed above and the other conditions of the SEC exemptive order permitting interfund lending are designed to minimize the risks associated with interfund lending for both the lending Fund and the borrowing Fund. However, no borrowing or lending activity is without risk. When a Fund borrows money from another Fund, there is a risk that the Interfund Loan could be called on one day’s notice or not renewed, in which case the Fund may have to borrow from a bank at higher rates if an Interfund Loan is not available from another Fund. Interfund Loans are subject to the risk that the borrowing Fund could be unable to repay the loan when due, and a delay in repayment to a lending Fund could result in a lost opportunity or additional lending costs. No Fund may borrow more than the amount permitted by its investment limitations.
Investment Companies
A Fund may invest in securities of other investment companies, including ETFs and business development companies, subject to limitations prescribed by the 1940 Act and any applicable investment restrictions described in the Fund’s Prospectus and SAI and count such holdings towards various guideline tests (such as the 80% test required under Rule 35d-1 under the 1940 Act). These securities represent interests in professionally managed portfolios that may invest in various types of instruments pursuant to a wide range of investment styles. Investing in other investment companies involves substantially the same risks as investing directly in the underlying instruments, but may involve duplicative management and advisory fees and operating expenses. Certain types of investment companies, such as closed-end investment companies, issue
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a fixed number of shares that trade on a stock exchange or OTC at a premium or a discount to their NAV per share. Others are continuously offered at NAV per share but may also be traded in the secondary market. Each Fund indirectly will bear its proportionate share of any management fees and other expenses paid by the investment companies in which the Fund invests in addition to the fees and expenses the Fund bears directly in connection with its own operations.
Among other things, the 1940 Act limitations generally prohibit a Fund from: (1) acquiring more than 3% of the voting shares of an investment company; (2) investing more than 5% of the Fund's total assets in securities of any one investment company; and (3) investing more than 10% of the Fund’s total assets in securities of all investment companies. These restrictions do not apply to the New York Life Investments Funds of Funds and typically do not apply to certain investments in money market funds, including money market funds advised by the Manager. The Funds' investments in money market funds may include money market funds managed by New York Life Investments that are offered for sale only to the Funds and other funds within the New York Life Investments Group of Funds such as the NYLI U.S. Government Liquidity Fund. The NYLI U.S. Government Liquidity Fund invests 99.5% or more of its total assets in cash, “government securities” and/or repurchase agreements that are “collateralized fully” (i.e. collateralized by cash and/or government securities) so as to qualify as a “government money market fund” pursuant to Rule 2a-7 under the 1940 Act. A Fund may invest in money market funds for various cash management purposes. In addition, no Fund (with the exception of the New York Life Investments Funds of Funds) may acquire the securities of registered open-end investment companies or registered unit investment trusts in reliance on Section 12(d)(1)(F) or 12(d)(1)(G) of the 1940 Act. Certain underlying funds may be advised or subadvised by New York Life Investments or its affiliates. These advisers and subadvisors are under common control with New York Life Investments and the underlying funds advised by those entities are considered to be in the same “group of investment companies” as the Funds for purposes of Section 12(d)(1)(G) of the 1940 Act. For purposes of determining compliance with a Fund's policy on concentrating its investments in any one industry, the Funds will consider the portfolio positions of the underlying investment companies (at the time of purchase) in which the Funds invest to the extent reasonably practicable based on information publicly available to the Funds as shareholders in these underlying investment companies.
The Funds may invest in securities of other investment companies, including ETFs and money market funds, subject to statutory limitations prescribed by the 1940 Act or exemptive relief or regulations thereunder. For more information, please see “Exchange-Traded Funds.”
Potential conflicts of interest situations could occur where a Fund's portfolio manager is subject to competing interests that have the potential to influence his or her decision to invest a Fund's assets in a fund managed by New York Life Investments. For example, the NYLI U.S. Government Liquidity Fund, along with other money market funds managed by New York Life Investments, is available as an investment option for portfolio managers of each Fund. New York Life Investments and its affiliates would generate additional revenue from a Fund's investments in these money market funds as compared to investments in money market funds sponsored by third parties. A portfolio manager may also have an incentive to invest in the NYLI U.S. Government Liquidity Fund or another fund managed by New York Life Investments to increase the fund’s assets under management or otherwise support the fund. Moreover, a situation could occur where the best interests of the Fund could be adverse to the best interests of the NYLI U.S. Government Liquidity Fund or another fund managed by New York Life Investments or vice versa. These incentives may result in decisions that adversely impact a Fund. Like any other Fund investment, it is possible for a Fund to lose money by investing in other funds.
New York Life Investments and the portfolio managers have a fiduciary duty to each Fund to act in that Fund’s best interests when selecting underlying funds. Under the oversight of the Board and pursuant to applicable policies and procedures, New York Life Investments will carefully analyze any such situation and take all steps it believes to be necessary to minimize and, where possible, eliminate potential conflicts.
Lending of Portfolio Securities
A Fund may lend portfolio securities to certain broker/dealers and institutions to the extent permitted by the 1940 Act, as modified or interpreted by regulatory authorities having jurisdiction, from time to time, in accordance with procedures adopted by the Board. By lending its securities, a Fund attempts to increase its net investment income through the receipt of lending fees or the spread received in connection with the investment of cash collateral. Any gain or loss in the market price of the securities loaned that might occur during the term of the loan would belong to the Fund. Such loans must be secured by collateral in cash, U.S. Treasury securities and/or U.S. government agency securities that are issued or guaranteed by the United States government or its agencies or instrumentalities maintained on a current basis in an amount at least equal to 100% of the current market value of the securities loaned. A Fund may call a loan and obtain the securities loaned at any time generally on less than five days' notice. For the duration of a loan, the Fund would continue to receive the equivalent of the interest or dividends paid by the issuer on the securities loaned and would also receive compensation from the investment of cash collateral or lending fees to the extent the borrower pledges securities instead of cash. A Fund would not, however, have the right to vote any securities having voting rights during the existence of the loan, but the Fund may call the loan in anticipation of an important vote to be taken among holders of the securities or of the giving or withholding of their consent on a material matter affecting the investment. The New York Life Investments Group of Funds, on behalf of certain of the Funds, has entered into an agency agreement with JPMorgan Chase Bank, N.A. (“JPMorgan”), which acts as the Funds' agent in making loans of portfolio securities, subject to the supervision and control of the Manager or a Subadvisor, as the case may be.
As with other extensions of credit, there are risks of delay in recovery of, or even loss of rights in, the collateral should the borrower of the securities fail financially or breach its agreement with a Fund. A Fund also bears the risk that the borrower may fail to return the securities in a timely manner or at all, either because the borrower fails financially or for other reasons, such as the financial failure of the securities lending agent. A Fund could experience delays and costs in recovering the loaned securities or in gaining access to and liquidating the collateral, which could result in actual financial loss and which could interfere with portfolio management decisions or the exercise of ownership rights in the loaned securities. However, the loans would be made only to firms deemed by the Manager or a Subadvisor or its agent to be creditworthy and when the
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consideration that can be earned currently from securities loans of this type, justifies the attendant risk. If the Manager or a Subadvisor determines to make securities loans, it is intended that the value of the securities loaned will not exceed 33 1/3% of the value of the total assets of the lending Fund, including the value of any cash collateral received.
While securities are on loan, each Fund is subject to: the risk that the borrower may default on the loan and that the collateral could be inadequate in the event the borrower defaults; the risk that the earnings on any cash collateral invested may not be sufficient to pay fees incurred in connection with the loan; the risk that the principal value of any cash collateral invested may decline and may not be sufficient to pay back the borrower for amount of the collateral posted; the risk that the borrower may use the loaned securities to cover a short sale which may place downward pressure on the market prices of the loaned securities; the risk that return of loaned securities could be delayed and could interfere with portfolio management decisions; and the risk that any efforts to recall the securities for purposes of voting may not be effective.
The Funds, subject to certain conditions and limitations, are permitted to invest cash collateral and uninvested cash in one or more money market funds that are managed by the Manager, its affiliates or unaffiliated third-party investment advisers.
LIBOR Replacement
The terms of many investments, financings or other transactions in the U.S. and globally have been historically tied to LIBOR, which functions as a reference rate or benchmark for various commercial and financial contracts. LIBOR may be a significant factor in determining payment obligations under derivatives transactions, the cost of financing of Fund investments or the value or return on certain other Fund investments. As a result, LIBOR may be relevant to, and directly affect, a Fund’s performance, price volatility, liquidity and value, as well as the price volatility, liquidity and value of the assets that the Fund holds.
Although some LIBOR-based or formerly LIBOR-based instruments may have contemplated a scenario where LIBOR is no longer available by providing for an alternative rate-setting methodology and/or increased costs for certain LIBOR-related instruments or financing transactions, others may not have had such provisions and there may be significant uncertainty regarding the effect of any such alternative methodologies. Instruments that included robust fallback provisions to facilitate the transition from LIBOR to an alternative reference rate may also have included adjustments that do not adequately compensate the holder for the different characteristics of the alternative reference rate. Such fallback provisions may have resulted in a value transfer from one party to the instrument to the counterparty. Additionally, because such provisions may differ across instruments (e.g., hedges versus cash positions hedged, or investments in structured finance products transitioning to a different rate or at a different time as the assets underlying those structured finance products), the transition from LIBOR to differing alternative reference rates or using different adjustments may give rise to basis risk and render hedges less effective. Any such effects of the transition process, including unforeseen effects, could result in losses to a Fund. Fund investments may also be tied to other discontinued reference rates with respect to other currencies, which also will likely face similar issues. In many cases, in the event that an instrument falls back to an alternative reference rate, including SOFR or any reference rate based on SOFR, the alternative reference rate will not perform the same as LIBOR would have and may not include adjustments to such alternative reference rate that are reflective of current economic circumstances or differences between such alternative reference rate and LIBOR. SOFR is based on a secured lending markets in U.S. government securities and does not reflect credit risk in the interbank lending market in the way that LIBOR did. The alternative reference rates are generally secured by U.S. treasury securities and reflect the performance of the overnight repo market for U.S. treasury securities and not the interbank lending markets. In the event of a credit crisis, floating rate instruments using alternative reference rates could therefore perform differently than those instruments using a rate indexed to the interbank lending market.
The IRS has issued regulations regarding the tax consequences of the transition from LIBOR or another interbank offered rate (“IBOR”) to a new reference rate in debt instruments and non-debt contracts. Under the regulations, alteration or modification of the terms of a debt instrument to replace an operative rate that uses a discontinued IBOR with a qualified rate (as defined in the regulations) including true up payments equalizing the fair market value of contracts before and after such IBOR transition, to add a qualified rate as a fallback rate to a contract whose operative rate uses a discontinued IBOR or to replace a fallback rate that uses a discontinued IBOR with a qualified rate would not be taxable. The IRS may provide additional guidance, with potential retroactive effect.
These developments could negatively impact financial markets in general and present heightened risks, including with respect to a Fund’s investments.
Loan Participation Interests
A Fund may invest in participation interests in loans. A Fund's investment in loan participation interests may take the form of participation interests in, or assignments or novations of a corporate loan ("Participation Interests"). The Participation Interests may be acquired from an agent bank, co-lenders or other holders of Participation Interests ("Participants"). In a novation, a Fund would assume all of the rights of the lender in a corporate loan, including the right to receive payments of principal and interest and other amounts directly from the borrower and to enforce its rights as a lender directly against the borrower. As an alternative, a Fund may purchase an assignment of all or a portion of a lender's interest in a corporate loan, in which case the Fund may be required generally to rely on a third-party agent bank, acting on behalf of the Participants, to demand payment and enforce the lenders' rights and exercise their remedies against the borrower, but would otherwise be entitled to the direct benefit of all such lender rights and remedies.
A Fund may also purchase participations in a portion of the rights of the lender in a corporate loan. In such a case, the Fund will be entitled to receive payments of principal, interest and fees, if any, but generally will not be entitled to enforce its rights directly against the borrower; rather the
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Fund must rely on the agent bank and/or the seller of the participation for that purpose. A Fund will not act as an agent bank, guarantor or sole negotiator of a credit facility with respect to a corporate loan. In addition, an agent bank may be responsible for various services with respect to the loan including, recordkeeping or other services (such as interest payment services) with respect to Loan Participation Interests held by a Fund and the related loan documentation. These services may be subject to risks of, among other things, computational errors, cyber-attacks, delays, and the bankruptcy or insolvency of such agents. The Funds are also subject to the risk of loss caused by human error and system or control failures by these agents. All these risks may affect the Funds, the Funds' investments and the Funds' investment performance.
In a typical corporate loan involving the sale of Participation Interests, the agent bank administers the terms of the corporate loan agreement and is responsible for the collection of principal and interest and fee payments to the credit of all lenders that are parties to the corporate loan agreement. The agent bank in such cases will be qualified under the 1940 Act to serve as a custodian for registered investment companies. A Fund generally will rely on the agent bank or an intermediate Participant to collect its portion of the payments on the corporate loan. The agent bank may monitor the value of the collateral and, if the value of the collateral declines, may take certain action, including accelerating the corporate loan, giving the borrower an opportunity to provide additional collateral or seeking other protection for the benefit of the Participants in the corporate loan, depending on the terms of the corporate loan agreement. Furthermore, unless under the terms of a participation agreement a Fund has direct recourse against the borrower (which is unlikely), a Fund will rely on the agent bank to use appropriate creditor remedies against the borrower. The agent bank also is responsible for monitoring compliance with covenants, if any, contained in the corporate loan agreement and for notifying holders of corporate loans of any failures of compliance. Typically, under corporate loan agreements, the agent bank is given discretion in enforcing the corporate loan agreement, and is obligated to follow the terms of the loan agreements and use only the same care it would use in the management of its own property. For these services, the borrower compensates the agent bank. Such compensation may include special fees paid on structuring and funding the corporate loan and other fees paid on a continuing basis.
A financial institution's employment as an agent bank may be terminated in the event that it fails to observe the requisite standard of care, becomes insolvent, or has a receiver, conservator or similar official appointed for it by the appropriate bank regulatory authority or becomes a debtor in a bankruptcy proceeding. Generally, a successor agent bank will be appointed to replace the terminated bank and assets held by the agent bank under the corporate loan agreement should remain available to holders of corporate loans. If, however, assets held by the agent bank for the benefit of a Fund were determined by an appropriate regulatory authority or court to be subject to the claims of the agent bank's general or secured creditors, the Fund might incur certain costs and delays in realizing payment on a corporate loan, or suffer a loss of principal and/or interest. In situations involving intermediate Participants similar risks may arise.
When a Fund acts as co-lender in connection with Participation Interests or when a Fund acquires a Participation Interest the terms of which provide that the Fund will be in privity of contract with the corporate borrower, the Fund will have direct recourse against the borrower in the event the borrower fails to pay scheduled principal and interest. In all other cases, the Fund will look to the agent bank to enforce appropriate credit remedies against the borrower. In acquiring Participation Interests a Fund's Manager or Subadvisor will conduct analysis and evaluation of the financial condition of each such co-lender and participant to ensure that the Participation Interest meets the Fund's qualitative standards. There is a risk that there may not be a readily available market for Participation Interests and, in some cases, this could result in a Fund disposing of such securities at a substantial discount from face value or holding such security until maturity. When a Fund is required to rely upon a lending institution to pay the Fund principal, interest, and other amounts received by the lending institution for the loan participation, the Fund will treat both the borrower and the lending institution as an "issuer" of the loan participation for purposes of certain investment restrictions pertaining to the diversification and concentration of the Fund's portfolio.
Purchasers of loans and other forms of direct indebtedness depend primarily upon the creditworthiness of the corporate borrower for payment of principal and interest. If a Fund does not receive scheduled interest or principal payments on such indebtedness, the Fund's share price and yield could be adversely affected. Loans that are fully secured offer a Fund more protection than an unsecured loan in the event of non-payment of scheduled interest or principal. However, there is no assurance that the liquidation of collateral from a secured loan would satisfy the corporate borrower's obligation, or that the collateral can be liquidated.
Each Fund may invest in loan participations with credit quality comparable to that of issuers of its portfolio investments. Indebtedness of companies whose creditworthiness is poor involves substantially greater risks, and may be highly speculative. Some companies may never pay off their indebtedness or may pay only a small fraction of the amount owed. Consequently, when investing in indebtedness of companies with poor credit, a Fund bears a substantial risk of losing the entire amount invested.
Loans and other types of direct indebtedness may not be readily marketable and may be subject to restrictions on resale. In some cases, negotiations involved in disposing of indebtedness may require weeks to complete. Consequently, some indebtedness may be difficult or impossible to dispose of readily at what the Manager or Subadvisor believes to be a fair price. In addition, valuation of illiquid indebtedness involves a greater degree of judgment in determining a Fund's NAV than if that value were based on available market quotations and could result in significant variations in a Fund's daily share price. At the same time, some loan interests are traded among certain financial institutions and accordingly may be deemed liquid. As the market for different types of indebtedness develops, the liquidity of these instruments is expected to improve.
Investment in loans through a direct assignment of the financial institution's interests with respect to the loan may involve additional risks to a Fund. For example, if a loan is foreclosed, a Fund could become part owner of any collateral, and would bear the costs and liabilities associated with owning and disposing of the collateral. In addition, it is conceivable that under emerging legal theories of lender liability, a Fund could be held
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liable as co-lender. It is unclear whether loans and other forms of direct indebtedness offer securities law protections against fraud and misrepresentation. In the absence of definitive regulatory guidance, a Fund will rely on the Manager's or Subadvisor's research in an attempt to avoid situations where fraud or misrepresentation could adversely affect the Fund.
Floating Rate Loans. Floating rate loans are provided by banks and other financial institutions to corporate customers. Companies undertake these loans to finance acquisitions, buy-outs, recapitalizations or other leveraged transactions. Typically, these loans are the most senior source of capital in a borrower's capital structure and have certain of the borrower's assets pledged as collateral although they may not be fully collateralized and may be uncollateralized. The borrower pays interest and principal to the lenders.
A senior loan in which a Fund may invest typically is structured by a group of lenders. This means that the lenders participate in the negotiations with the borrower and in the drafting of the terms of the loan. The group of lenders often consists of commercial and investment banks, thrift institutions, insurance companies, finance companies, mutual funds and other institutional investment vehicles or other financial institutions. One or more of the lenders, referred to as the agent bank, usually administers the loan on behalf of all the lenders. In addition, to the extent a Fund holds a loan through a financial intermediary, or relies on a financial intermediary to administer the loan, the Fund’s investment, including receipt of principal and interest relating to the loan, will be subject to the credit risk of the intermediary.
Secondary trades of senior loans may have extended settlement periods. Any settlement of a secondary market purchase of senior loans in the ordinary course, on a settlement date beyond the period expected by loan market participants (i.e., T+7 for par/near par loans and T+20 for distressed loans, in other words more than seven or twenty business days beyond the trade date, respectively) is subject to the “delayed compensation” rules prescribed by the Loan Syndications and Trading Association (“LSTA”) and addressed in the LSTA’s standard loan documentation for par/near par trades and for distressed trades. “Delayed compensation” is a pricing adjustment comprised of certain interest and fees, which is payable between the parties to a secondary loan trade. The LSTA introduced a requirements-based rules program in order to incentivize shorter settlement times for secondary transactions and discourage certain delay tactics that create friction in the loan syndications market by, among other things, mandating that the buyer of a senior loan satisfy certain “basic requirements” as prescribed by the LSTA no later than T+5 in order for the buyer to receive the benefit of interest and other fees accruing on the purchased loan from and after T+7 for par/near par loans (for distressed trades, T+20) until the settlement date, subject to certain specific exceptions. These “basic requirements” generally require a buyer to execute the required trade documentation and to be, and remain, financially able to settle the trade no later than T+7 for par/near par loans (and T+20 for distressed trades). In addition, buyers are required to fund the purchase price for a secondary trade upon receiving notice from the agent of the effectiveness of the trade in the agent’s loan register. A Fund, as a buyer of a senior loan in the secondary market, would need to meet these “basic requirements” or risk forfeiting all or some portion of the interest and other fees accruing on the loan from and after T+7 for par/near par loans (for distressed trades, T+20) until the settlement date. The “delayed compensation” mechanism does not mitigate the other risks of delayed settlement or other risks associated with investments in senior loans.
A Fund may invest in a floating rate loan in one of three ways: (1) it may make a direct investment in the loan by participating as one of the lenders; (2) it may purchase a participation interest; or (3) it may purchase an assignment. A Fund may make a direct investment in a floating rate loan pursuant to a primary syndication and initial allocation process (i.e., buying an unseasoned loan issue). Participation interests are interests issued by a lender or other financial institution, which represent a fractional interest in a loan that continues to be directly owned by the issuing lender. A Fund may acquire participation interests from a lender or other holders of participation interests. Holders of participation interests are referred to as participants. An assignment represents a portion of a loan previously owned by a different lender. Unlike when a Fund purchases a participation interest, a Fund that purchases an assignment will become a lender for the purposes of the relevant loan agreement.
A Fund can purchase a loan by signing as a direct lender under the loan document or by purchasing an assignment interest from the underwriting agent shortly after the initial funding on a basis which is consistent with the initial allocation under the syndication process. This is known as buying in the "primary" market. Such an investment is typically made at or about a floating rate loan's "par" value, which is its face value. From time to time, lenders in the primary market will receive an up-front fee for committing to purchase a floating rate loan that is being originated. In such instances, the fee received is reflected on the books of the Fund as a discount to the loan's par value. The discount is then amortized over the life of the loan, which would effectively increase the yield a Fund receives on the investment.
If a Fund purchases an existing assignment of a floating rate loan, or purchases a participation interest in a floating rate loan, it is said to be purchasing in the "secondary" market. Purchases of floating rate loans in the secondary market may take place at, above, or below the par value of a floating rate loan. Purchases above par will effectively reduce the amount of interest received by the Fund through the amortization of the purchase price premium, whereas purchases below par will effectively increase the amount of interest received by the Fund through the amortization of the purchase price discount. Where reduced primary investment opportunities in floating rate loans exist, a Fund may be able to invest in floating rate loans only through participation interests or assignments. If a Fund purchases an assignment from a lender, the Fund will generally have direct contractual rights against the borrower in favor of the lenders. On the other hand, if a Fund purchases a participation interest either from a lender or a participant, the Fund typically will have established a direct contractual relationship with the seller of the participation interest, but not with the borrower. Consequently, the Fund is subject to the credit risk of the lender or participant who sold the participation interest to the Fund, in addition to the usual credit risk of the borrower. Therefore, when a Fund invests in floating rate loans through the purchase of participation interests, the Manager or Subadvisor must consider the creditworthiness of the agent bank and any lenders and participants interposed between the Fund and a borrower. This secondary market is private and unregulated, and there is no organized exchange or board of
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trade on which floating rate loans are traded. Floating rate loans often trade in large denominations. Trades can be infrequent, and the market may be volatile.
Floating rate loans generally are subject to extended settlement periods that may be longer than seven days and may require the consent of the borrower and/or agent prior to their sale or assignment. These factors may impair, delay or negate a Fund's ability to generate cash through the liquidation of floating rate loans to repay debts, fund redemptions, or for any other purpose.
Typically, floating rate loans are secured by collateral although they may not be fully collateralized or may be uncollateralized. However, the value of the collateral may not be sufficient to repay the loan or, should a loan in which a Fund is invested be foreclosed on, the Fund may become owner of the collateral and will be responsible for any costs and liabilities associated with owning the collateral. The collateral may consist of various types of assets or interests including intangible assets. It may include working capital assets, such as accounts receivable or inventory, or tangible fixed assets, such as real property, buildings and equipment. It may include intangible assets, such as trademarks, copyrights and patent rights, or security interests in securities of subsidiaries or affiliates. If the collateral includes a pledge of equity interests in the borrower by its owners, the Fund may become the owner of equity in the borrower and may be responsible for the borrower’s business operations and/or assets.
The borrower under a floating rate loan must comply with restrictive covenants, if any, contained in the floating rate loan agreement between the borrower and the syndicate of lenders. A restrictive covenant includes a promise by the borrower to not take certain action that may impair the rights of lenders or increase the credit risk associated with the borrower or the loan. Generally these covenants, in addition to requiring the scheduled payment of interest and principal, may include restrictions on dividend payments and other distributions to shareholders, provisions requiring the borrower to maintain specific financial ratios or relationships and limits on total debt. In addition, a covenant may require the borrower to prepay the floating rate loan with any excess cash flow. Excess cash flow generally includes net cash flow after scheduled debt service payments and permitted capital expenditures, among other things, as well as the proceeds from certain asset dispositions or sales of securities. A breach of a covenant (after giving effect to any cure period) that is not waived by the agent bank and the lending syndicate normally is an event of acceleration. This means that the agent bank may have the right to demand immediate repayment in full of the outstanding floating rate loan on behalf of the syndicate lenders. Investments in, or exposure to, loans that lack financial maintenance covenants or possess fewer or contingent financial maintenance covenants or other financial protections than certain other types of loans or other similar debt obligations subject a Fund to the risks of “Covenant-Lite Obligations” discussed above.
The Manager or Subadvisor must determine that the investment is suitable for each Fund based on the Manager's or Subadvisor’s independent credit analysis and industry research. Generally, this means that the Manager or Subadvisor has determined that the likelihood that the corporation will meet its obligations is acceptable. In considering investment opportunities, the Manager or the Subadvisor will conduct extensive due diligence, which may include, without limitation, management meetings; financial analysis; industry research and reference verification from customers, suppliers and rating agencies.
Floating rate loans feature rates that reset regularly, maintaining a fixed spread over a reference rate such as the SOFR or the prime rates of large money-center banks. The interest rate on the Fund's investment securities generally reset quarterly. During periods in which short-term rates rapidly increase, the Fund's NAV may be affected. Investment in floating rate loans with longer interest rate reset periods or loans with fixed interest rates may also increase fluctuations in a Fund's NAV as a result of changes in interest rates. However, the Fund may attempt to hedge its fixed rate loans against interest rate fluctuations by entering into interest rate swap or other derivative transactions.
In certain circumstances, floating rate loans may not be deemed to be securities. As a result, a Fund may not have the protection of the anti-fraud provisions of the federal securities laws. In such cases, the Fund generally must rely on the contractual provisions in the loan agreement and common-law fraud protections under applicable state law.
In addition, the Fund may have arrangements with loan, administrative and similar agents under which these agents provide recordkeeping or other services (such as interest payment services) with respect to loan positions held by a Fund and the related loan documentation. These services may be subject to risks of, among other things, computational errors, cyber-attacks, delays and the bankruptcy or insolvency of such agents. The Funds are also subject to the risk of loss caused by human error and system or control failures by these agents. All these risks may affect the Funds, the Funds' investments and the Funds' investment performance.
Unfunded Loan Commitments. The Funds may enter into loan commitments that are unfunded at the time of investment. A loan commitment is a written agreement under which the lender (such as a Fund) commits itself to make a loan or loans up to a specified amount within a specified time period. The loan commitment sets out the terms and conditions of the lender's obligation to make the loans. Loan commitments are made pursuant to a term loan, a revolving credit line or a combination thereof. A term loan is typically a loan in a fixed amount that borrowers repay in a scheduled series of repayments or a lump-sum payment at maturity. A revolving credit line allows borrowers to draw down, repay and reborrow specified amounts on demand. The portion of the amount committed by a lender under a loan commitment that the borrower has not drawn down is referred to as "unfunded." Loan commitments may be traded in the secondary market through dealer desks at large commercial and investment banks. Typically, the Funds enter into fixed commitments on term loans as opposed to revolving credit line arrangements.
Borrowers pay various fees in connection with loans and related commitments. In particular, borrowers may pay a commitment fee to lenders on unfunded portions of loan commitments and/or facility and usage fees, which are designed to compensate lenders in part for having an unfunded loan commitment.
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Unfunded loan commitments expose lenders to credit risk—the possibility of loss due to a borrower's inability to meet contractual payment terms. A lender typically is obligated to advance the unfunded amount of a loan commitment at the borrower's request, subject to certain conditions regarding the creditworthiness of the borrower. Borrowers with deteriorating creditworthiness may continue to satisfy their contractual conditions and therefore be eligible to borrow at times when the lender might prefer not to lend. In addition, a lender may have assumptions as to when a borrower may draw on an unfunded loan commitment when the lender enters into the commitment. If the borrower does not draw as expected, the commitment may not prove as attractive an investment as originally anticipated.
Each Fund records an investment when the borrower draws down the money and records interest as earned.
Master Limited Partnerships
The Funds may invest in certain companies that are structured as MLPs in which ownership interests are publicly traded. MLPs often own several properties or businesses (or directly own interests) that are related to real estate development and oil and gas industries, but they also may finance motion pictures, research and development and other projects. Generally, an MLP is operated under the supervision of one or more managing general partners. Limited partners (like a Fund when it invests in an MLP) are not involved in the day-to-day management of the partnership. They are allocated income and capital gains associated with the partnership project in accordance with the terms established in the partnership agreement. The risks of investing in an MLP are generally those inherent in investing in a partnership as opposed to a corporation. For example, state law governing partnerships is often less restrictive than state law governing corporations. Accordingly, there may be less protections afforded investors in an MLP than investors in a corporation. Additional risks involved with investing in an MLP are risks associated with the specific industry or industries in which the partnership invests, such as the risks of investing in real estate, or oil and gas industries.
Individuals (and certain other noncorporate entities) are generally eligible for a 20% deduction with respect to net taxable income from certain MLPs through 2025. Currently, there is not a regulatory mechanism for regulated investment companies to pass through the 20% deduction to shareholders. As a result, in comparison, investors investing directly in such MLPs would generally be eligible for the 20% deduction for any such taxable income from these investments while investors investing in those MLPs indirectly through the Fund would not be eligible for the 20% deduction for their share of such taxable income.
A Fund will invest no more than 25% of its total assets in securities of MLPs that are qualified publicly traded partnerships ("QPTPs"), which are treated as partnerships for U.S. federal income tax purposes.
MLPs are generally not subject to tax at the partnership level. Rather, each partner is allocated a share of the MLP’s income, gains, losses, deductions and expenses. A change in current tax law, or a change in the underlying business of a given MLP could result in the MLP being treated as a corporation for U.S. federal tax purposes, which would result in such MLP being subject to U.S. federal income tax on its taxable income. Such treatment also would have the effect of reducing the amount of cash available for distribution by the affected MLP. Thus, if any MLP owned by a Fund were treated as a corporation for U.S. federal tax purposes, such treatment could result in a reduction in the value of the Fund’s investment in such MLP.
MLP Interests and Other Natural Resources Sector Companies Risk
MLPs are organized as limited partnerships or limited liability companies under state law and are generally subject to tax as partnerships for U.S. federal income tax purposes. The equity securities issued by many MLPs are publicly traded and listed and traded on a U.S. exchange. An MLP typically issues general partner and limited partner interests. The general partner manages and often controls, has an ownership stake in, and is normally eligible to receive incentive distribution payments from, the MLP. Since MLP equity securities are typically publicly traded, in order to be treated as a partnership for U.S. federal income tax purposes, an MLP must derive at least 90% of its gross income for each taxable year from certain qualifying sources as described in the Internal Revenue Code. These qualifying sources include natural resources-based activities such as the exploration, development, mining, production, processing, refining, transportation, storage and certain marketing of mineral or natural resources. The general partner may be structured as a private or publicly-traded corporation or other entity. The general partner typically controls the operations and management of the entity through an up to 2% general partner interest in the entity plus, in many cases, ownership of some percentage of the outstanding limited partner interests. The limited partners, through their ownership of limited partner interests, provide capital to the entity, are intended to have no role in the operation and management of the entity and receive cash distributions. Due to their structure as partnerships for U.S. federal income tax purposes and the expected character of their income, MLPs generally are not subject to U.S. federal income tax. Thus, unlike investors in corporate securities, direct MLP investors are generally not subject to double taxation (i.e., corporate-level tax and tax on corporate dividends).
Certain MLPs are dependent on their parents or sponsors for a majority of their revenues. Any failure by an MLP’s parents or sponsors to satisfy their payments or obligations would impact the MLP’s revenues and cash flows and ability to make distributions. Moreover, the terms of an MLP’s transactions with its parent or sponsor are typically not arrived at on an arm’s-length basis, and may not be as favorable to the MLP as a transaction with a non-affiliate.
MLP Equity Securities. Equity securities issued by MLPs typically consist of common units, subordinated units and a general partner interests.
· Common Units. The common units of many MLPs are listed and traded on national securities exchanges, including the New York Stock Exchange (the “NYSE”), the NYSE MKT and the NASDAQ Stock Market (the “NASDAQ”). Holders of MLP common units typically have very limited control and voting rights. Holders of such common units are typically entitled to receive the minimum quarterly distribution (the
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“MQD”), including arrearage rights, from the issuer. In the event of a liquidation, common unit holders are intended to have a preference to the remaining assets of the issuer over holders of subordinated units. The Funds may invest in different classes of common units that may have different voting, trading and distribution rights.
· Subordinated Units. Subordinated units, which, like common units, represent limited partner interests, are not typically listed on an exchange or publicly traded. Holders of such subordinated units are generally entitled to receive a distribution only after the MQD and any arrearages from prior quarters have been paid to holders of common units. Holders of subordinated units typically have the right to receive distributions before any incentive distributions are payable to the general partner. Subordinated units generally do not provide arrearage rights. Most MLP subordinated units are convertible into common units after the passage of a specified period of time or upon the achievement by the issuer of specified financial goals. The Funds may invest in different classes of subordinated units that may have different voting, trading and distribution rights.
· General Partner Interests. The general partner interest in MLPs is typically retained by the original sponsors of an MLP, such as its founders, corporate partners and entities that sell assets to the MLP. The holder of the general partner interest can be liable in certain circumstances for amounts greater than the amount of the holder’s investment. General partner interests often confer direct board participation rights in, and in many cases control over the operations of, the MLP. General partner or managing member interests receive cash distributions, typically in an amount of up to 2% of available cash, which is contractually defined in the partnership or limited liability company agreement. In addition, holders of general partner or managing member interests may receive incentive distribution rights, which provide them with an increasing share of the entity’s aggregate cash distributions upon the payment of per common unit distributions that exceed specified threshold levels above the MQD. Due to the incentive distribution rights, some GP MLPs have higher distribution growth prospects than their underlying MLPs, but quarterly incentive distribution payments would also decline at a greater rate than the decline rate in quarterly distributions to common and subordinated unit holders in the event of a reduction in the MLP’s quarterly distribution.
I-Shares. I-Shares represent an ownership interest issued by an MLP affiliate. The MLP affiliate uses the proceeds from the sale of I-Shares to purchase limited partnership interests in the MLP in the form of I-units. Thus, I-Shares represent an indirect limited partner interest in the MLP. I units have features similar to MLP common units in terms of voting rights, liquidation preference and distribution. I-Shares differ from MLP common units primarily in that instead of receiving cash distributions, holders of I-Shares will receive distributions of additional I-Shares in an amount equal to the cash distributions received by common unit holders. I-Shares are traded on the NYSE.
MLPs and other natural resources sector companies are subject to certain risks, including, but not limited to, the following: MLPs and other companies operating in the natural resources sector may be affected by fluctuations in the prices of commodities; the highly cyclical nature of the natural resources sector may adversely affect the earnings or operating cash flows of the issuers in which a Fund will invest; a significant decrease in the production of energy commodities would reduce the revenue, operating income and operating cash flows of MLPs and other natural resources sector companies and, therefore, their ability to make distributions or pay dividends; a sustained decline in demand for energy commodities could adversely affect the revenues and cash flows of MLPs and other natural resources sector companies; MLPs and other natural resources sector companies may be subject to construction risk, development risk, acquisition risk or other risks arising from their specific business strategies; the natural resources sector is highly competitive; extreme weather conditions could result in substantial damage to the facilities of certain MLPs and other natural resources sector companies and significant volatility in the supply of natural resources, commodity prices and the earnings of such companies, and could therefore adversely affect their securities; the amount of cash that a Fund has available to distribute to shareholders will depend on the ability of the companies in which a Fund has an interest to make distributions or pay dividends to their investors, the tax character of those distributions or dividends; the profitability of MLPs and other natural resources sector companies are subject to significant foreign, federal, state and local regulation in virtually every aspect of their operations and could be adversely affected by changes in the regulatory environment; there is an inherent risk that MLPs may incur environmental costs and liabilities due to the nature of their businesses and the substances they handle and the possibility exists that stricter laws, regulations or enforcement policies could significantly increase the compliance costs of MLPs, and the cost of any remediation that may become necessary, which MLPs may not be able to recover from insurance; certain MLPs and other natural resources sector companies are dependent on their parents or sponsors for a majority of their revenues and any failure by the parents or sponsors to satisfy their payments or obligations would impact the company’s revenues and cash flows and ability to make distributions; and the operations of MLPs and other natural resources sector companies are subject to many hazards inherent in their business and since the September 11th terrorist attacks, the U.S. government has issued warnings that energy assets, specifically U.S. pipeline infrastructure, may be targeted in future terrorist attacks.
Money Market Investments
Consistent with the provisions of Rule 2a-7 under the 1940 Act ("Rule 2a-7"), the NYLI Money Market Fund invests in U.S. dollar-denominated money market instruments that present minimal credit risk. The Manager or Subadvisor shall determine whether a security presents minimal credit risk under procedures adopted by the NYLI Money Market Fund's Board of Trustees. In the event that an instrument acquired by the NYLI Money Market Fund experiences a default (other than an immaterial default unrelated to the financial condition of the issuer), ceases to be an eligible security under Rule 2a-7 or experiences an event of insolvency under Rule 2a-7, the Fund will dispose of such security as soon as practicable consistent with achieving an orderly disposition of the security, by sale, exercise of any demand feature or otherwise, unless the Manager (or the Board with the assistance of the Manager) finds that disposal of the security would not be in the best interests of the Fund (which determination may take into account, among other factors, market conditions that could affect the orderly disposition of the portfolio security). These circumstances are subject to certain reporting requirements under the Fund’s procedures adopted under Rule 2a-7.
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The SEC and other government agencies continue to review the regulation of money market funds, such as the NYLI Money Market Fund, and may implement certain regulatory changes in the future. In July 2023, the SEC approved amendments to Rule 2a-7 and other rules that govern money market funds. Among other things, the amendments (i) remove redemption gates from Rule 2a-7 and the tie between the weekly liquid assets threshold and liquidity fees; (ii) institute a new mandatory liquidity fee framework for institutional prime and institutional tax-exempt money market funds; (iii) maintain a board’s ability to impose liquidity fees on a discretionary basis for non-government money market funds (i.e., institutional prime and institutional tax-exempt money market funds and retail money market funds); (iv) substantially increase the required minimum levels of applicable daily and weekly liquid assets for all money market funds; (v) permit stable net asset value (NAV) money market funds to institute a reverse distribution mechanism (RDM) or similar mechanisms during a negative interest rate environment to maintain a stable $1.00 share price; and (vi) enhance the reporting requirement of registered money market funds as well as SEC-registered investment advisers to private liquidity funds on Form PF. The amendments are effective as of October 2, 2023 with various compliance dates following thereafter. These changes and developments, when implemented, may affect the investment strategies, performance, yield, operating expenses and continued viability of the NYLI Money Market Fund.
Mortgage Dollar Rolls
A mortgage dollar roll ("MDR") is a transaction in which a Fund sells mortgage-related securities from its portfolio to a counterparty from whom it simultaneously agrees to buy a similar security on a delayed delivery basis. MDR transactions involve certain risks, including the risk that the mortgage-related securities returned to the Fund at the end of the roll, while substantially similar, could be inferior to what was initially sold to the counterparty.
Mortgage Related and Other Asset-Backed Securities
Each Fund may buy mortgage-related and other asset-backed securities. Mortgage-related securities are a type of asset-backed securities and include mortgage-backed securities, mortgage pass-through securities and private mortgage pass-through securities, GNMA certificates, mortgage dollar rolls, stripped mortgage-backed securities, collateralized mortgage obligations and other securities that directly or indirectly represent a participation in, or are secured by and payable from, mortgage loans on real property. Mortgage-backed securities represent interests in pools of residential or commercial mortgage loans. The payment of principal and interest and the price of a mortgage-backed security generally depend on the cash flows generated by the underlying (adjustable and fixed rate) mortgages and the terms of the mortgage-backed security.
Like other fixed-income securities, when interest rates rise, the value of a mortgage-related security generally will decline. However, when interest rates are declining, the value of a mortgage-related security with prepayment features may not increase as much as other fixed-income securities. The value of these securities may be significantly affected by changes in interest rates, the market's perception of issuers and the creditworthiness of the parties involved. The ability of a Fund to successfully utilize these instruments may depend in part upon the ability of the Fund's Manager or Subadvisor to forecast interest rates and other economic factors correctly. Some securities may have a structure that makes their reaction to interest rate changes and other factors difficult to predict, making their value highly volatile. These securities may also be subject to prepayment risk and, if the security has been purchased at a premium, the amount of the premium would be lost in the event of prepayment.
The Funds may also invest in debt securities that are secured with collateral consisting of mortgage-related securities (see "Collateralized Mortgage Obligations"), and in other types of mortgage-related securities. While principal and interest payments on some mortgage-related securities may be guaranteed by the U.S. government, government agencies or other guarantors, the market value of such securities is not guaranteed.
Generally, a Fund will invest in mortgage-related (or other asset-backed) securities either (1) issued by U.S. government-sponsored corporations such as GNMA, the Federal Home Loan Mortgage Corporation ("FHLMC") and FNMA, or (2) privately issued securities rated Baa3 or better by Moody's or BBB- or better by S&P or, if not rated, of comparable investment quality as determined by the Manager or a Subadvisor.
Rating agencies, from time to time, have placed on credit watch or downgraded the ratings previously assigned to a large number of mortgage-related securities (which may include certain of the mortgage-related securities in which certain of the Funds may have invested or may in the future invest), and may continue to do so in the future. If a mortgage-related security in which the Fund is invested is placed on credit watch or downgraded, the value of the security may decline and the Fund may experience losses.
Adverse economic conditions may reduce the cash flow that a Fund investing in such mortgage-related securities receives from such securities and increase the incidence and severity of credit events and losses in respect of such securities. In addition, certain adverse economic conditions may result in interest rate spreads for mortgage-backed securities being widened and becoming more volatile. In the event that interest rate spreads for mortgage-related securities widen following the purchase of such assets by a Fund, the market value of such securities is likely to decline and, in the case of a substantial spread widening, could decline by a substantial amount. Furthermore, adverse changes in market conditions may result in a severe liquidity crisis in the market for mortgage-backed securities (including the mortgage-related securities in which certain of the Funds may invest) and an unwillingness by banks, financial institutions and investors to extend credit to servicers, originators and other participants in the mortgage-related securities market for these securities and other asset-backed securities. As a result, the liquidity and/or the market value of any mortgage-related securities that are owned by a Fund may experience declines after they are purchased by such Fund.
Legislative, regulatory and enforcement actions seeking to prevent or restrict foreclosures may adversely affect the value of mortgage-backed securities held by a Fund. Future legislative or regulatory initiatives by federal, state or local legislative bodies or administrative agencies, if enacted or adopted, could delay foreclosure or the exercise of other remedies, provide new defenses to foreclosure, or otherwise impair the ability of the loan servicer to foreclose or realize on a defaulted residential mortgage loan included in a pool of residential mortgage loans backing such
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residential mortgage-backed securities. The nature or extent of any future limitations on foreclosure or exercise of other remedies that may be enacted is uncertain. Governmental actions that interfere with the foreclosure process, for example, could increase the costs of such foreclosures or exercise of other remedies, could delay the timing or reduce the amount of recoveries on defaulted residential mortgage loans and securities backed by such residential mortgage loans owned by a Fund, which could adversely affect the yields on the mortgage-related securities owned by the Funds and could have the effect of reducing returns to the Funds, that have invested in mortgage-related securities collateralized by these residential mortgage loans.
The U.S. government, including the Federal Reserve, the Treasury, and other governmental and regulatory bodies have taken or are considering taking actions to address fallout from, or to mitigate the future occurrence of events similar to, the financial crisis of 2008, including initiatives to limit large-scale losses associated with mortgage-related securities held on the books of certain U.S. financial institutions and to support the credit markets generally. The impact that such actions could have on any of the mortgage-related securities held by the Funds is unknown.
Some of the loans or other similar debt obligations to which a Fund may obtain exposure through its investments in asset-backed securities or other types of structured products may lack financial maintenance covenants or possess fewer or contingent financial maintenance covenants or other financial protections than certain other types of loans or other similar debt obligations. These investments subject the Fund to the risks of “Covenant-Lite Obligations” discussed above.
Mortgage Pass-Through Securities. The Funds may invest in mortgage pass-through securities. Mortgage pass-through securities are interests in pools of mortgage-related securities. Unlike interests in other forms of debt securities, which normally provide for periodic payment of interest in fixed amounts with the payment of principal being made at maturity or specified call dates, these securities provide a monthly payment that consists of both interest and principal payments. In effect, these payments are a "pass-through" of the monthly payments made by the individual borrowers on their residential mortgage loans, net of any fees paid to the issuer or guarantor of such securities. Additional payments are caused by repayments of principal resulting from the sale of the underlying residential property, refinancing or foreclosure, net of fees or costs that may be incurred. Some mortgage-related securities (such as securities issued by GNMA) are described as "modified pass-through." These securities entitle the holder to receive all interest and principal payments owed on the mortgage pool, net of certain fees, at the scheduled payment dates regardless of whether or not the mortgagor actually makes the payment. Some mortgage pass-through certificates may include securities backed by adjustable-rate mortgages that bear interest at a rate that will be adjusted periodically.
Early repayment of principal on mortgage pass-through securities (arising from prepayments of principal due to sale of the underlying property, refinancing, or foreclosure, net of fees and costs that may be incurred) may expose a Fund to a lower rate of return upon reinvestment of principal. Also, if a security subject to prepayment has been purchased at a premium, in the event of prepayment, the value of the premium would be lost. Reinvestments of prepayments may occur at lower interest rates than the original investment, thus adversely affecting a Fund's yield. Prepayments may cause the yield of a mortgage-backed security to differ from what was assumed when a Fund purchased the security. Prepayments at a slower rate than expected may lengthen the effective life of a mortgage-backed security. The value of securities with longer effective lives generally fluctuates more widely in response to changes in interest rates than the value of securities with shorter effective lives.
Payment of principal and interest on some mortgage pass-through securities (but not the market value of the securities themselves) may be guaranteed by the full faith and credit of the U.S. government (in the case of securities guaranteed by GNMA); or guaranteed by agencies or instrumentalities of the U.S. government (in the case of securities guaranteed by FNMA or FHLMC), which are supported only by the discretionary authority of the U.S. government to purchase the agency's obligations. Mortgage pass-through securities created by nongovernmental issuers (such as commercial banks, savings and loan institutions, private mortgage insurance companies, mortgage bankers and other secondary market issuers) may be supported by various forms of insurance or guarantees, including individual loan, title, pool and hazard insurance and letters of credit, which may be issued by governmental entities, private insurers, or the mortgage poolers.
It is possible that issuers of U.S. Government securities will not have the funds to meet their payment obligations in the future. FHLMC and FNMA have been operating under conservatorship, with the FHFA acting as their conservator, since September 2008. The FHFA and U.S. Presidential administration have made public statements regarding plans to consider ending the conservatorships. Under a letter agreement between the FHFA (in its role as conservator) and the U.S. Treasury, the FHFA is prohibited from removing its conservatorship of each enterprise until litigation regarding the conservatorship has ended and each enterprise has retained equity capital levels equal to three percent of their total assets. It is unclear how long it will be before the FHFA will be able to remove its conservatorship of the enterprises under this letter agreement. The FHFA has indicated that the conservatorship of each enterprise will end when the director of FHFA determines that FHFA’s plan to restore the enterprise to a safe and solvent condition has been completed. The FHFA recently announced plans to consider taking FHLMC and FNMA out of conservatorship and has begun a multi-step process, including its first pricing review of FHLMC and FNMA products since 2015, to unwind FHLMC and FNMA from government control. In the event that FHLMC or FNMA are taken out of conservatorship, it is unclear how their respective capital structure would be constructed and what impact, if any, there would be on FHLMC’s or FNMA’s creditworthiness and guarantees of certain mortgage-backed securities. The entities are dependent upon the continued support of the U.S. Department of the Treasury and FHFA in order to continue their business operations. These factors, among others, could affect the future status and role of FHLMC and FNMA and the value of their securities and the securities which they guarantee.
GNMA Certificates. The principal governmental guarantor of mortgage-related securities is the GNMA. GNMA is a wholly owned U.S. government corporation within the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development ("HUD"). GNMA is authorized to guarantee, with the full faith and credit of the U.S. government, the timely payment of principal and interest on securities issued by institutions approved by GNMA (such as S&Ls,
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commercial banks and mortgage bankers) and backed by pools of FHA-insured or Veterans Administration-guaranteed mortgages. In order to meet its obligations under such guarantee, GNMA is authorized to borrow from the U.S. Treasury with no limitations as to amount. GNMA certificates differ from typical bonds because principal is repaid monthly over the term of the loan rather than returned in a lump sum at maturity. Although GNMA guarantees timely payment even if homeowners delay or default, tracking the "pass-through" payments may, at times, be difficult. Expected payments may be delayed due to the delays in registering the newly traded paper securities. The custodian's policies for crediting missed payments while errant receipts are tracked down may vary. Although the mortgage loans in the pool underlying a GNMA certificate will have maturities of up to 30 years, the actual average life of a GNMA certificate typically will be substantially less because the mortgages will be subject to normal principal amortization and may be prepaid prior to maturity.
If either fixed or variable rate pass-through securities issued by the U.S. government or its agencies or instrumentalities are developed in the future, the Funds reserve the right to invest in them.
Private Mortgage Pass-Through Securities. Commercial banks, S&Ls, private mortgage insurance companies, mortgage bankers and other secondary market issuers also create pass-through pools of conventional residential mortgage loans. Such issuers may, in addition, be the originators and/or servicers of the underlying mortgage loans as well as the guarantors of the mortgage-related securities. Pools created by such non-governmental issuers generally offer a higher rate of interest than government and government-related pools because there are no direct or indirect government or agency guarantees of payments in the former pools. However, timely payment of interest and principal of these pools may be supported by various forms of insurance or guarantees, including individual loan, title, pool and hazard insurance and letters of credit. The insurance and guarantees are issued by governmental entities, private insurers and the mortgage poolers. Such insurance and guarantees and the creditworthiness of the issuers thereof will be considered in determining whether a mortgage-related security meets a Fund's investment quality standards. There can be no assurance that the private insurers or guarantors can meet their obligations under the insurance policies or guarantee arrangements. A Fund may buy mortgage-related securities without insurance or guarantees if, through an examination of the loan experience and practices of the originator/servicers and poolers, the Fund's Manager or Subadvisor determines that the securities meet the Fund's quality standards. Although the market for such securities is becoming increasingly liquid, securities issued by certain private organizations may not be readily marketable.
Collateralized Mortgage Obligations ("CMOs"). A CMO is a debt obligation that is collateralized by a mortgage-backed bond or a mortgage security. Similar to a bond, interest and prepaid principal is paid, in most cases, semiannually. CMOs may be collateralized by whole mortgage loans, but are more typically collateralized by portfolios of mortgage pass-through securities guaranteed by GNMA, FHLMC or FNMA, and their income streams. CMOs may offer a higher yield than U.S. government securities, but they may also be subject to greater price fluctuation and credit risk. In addition, CMOs typically will be issued in a variety of classes or series, which have different maturities and are retired in sequence. Privately issued CMOs are not government securities nor are they supported in any way by any governmental agency or instrumentality. In the event of a default by an issuer of a CMO, there is no assurance that the collateral securing such CMO will be sufficient to pay principal and interest. It is possible that there will be limited opportunities for trading CMOs in the OTC market, the depth and liquidity of which will vary from time to time.
CMOs are typically structured into multiple classes or series, each bearing a different stated maturity. Actual maturity and average life will depend upon the prepayment experience of the collateral. CMOs provide for a modified form of call protection through a de facto breakdown of the underlying pool of mortgages according to how quickly the loans are repaid. Monthly payment of principal received from the pool of underlying mortgages, including prepayments, is first returned to investors holding the shortest maturity class. Investors holding the longer maturity classes receive principal only after the first class has been retired. An investor is partially guarded against a sooner than desired return of principal because of the sequential payments.
For example, if it is probable that the issuer of an instrument will take advantage of a maturity-shortening device, such as a call, refunding, or redemption provision, the date on which the instrument will probably be called, refunded, or redeemed may be considered to be its maturity date. Also, the maturities of mortgage securities, including collateralized mortgage obligations, and some asset-backed securities are determined on a weighted average life basis, which is the average time for principal to be repaid. For a mortgage security, this average time is calculated by estimating the timing of principal payments, including unscheduled prepayments, during the life of the mortgage. The weighted average life of these securities is likely to be substantially shorter than their stated final maturity.
As CMOs have evolved, some classes of CMO bonds have become more common than others, such as parallel-pay and planned amortization class (“PAC”) CMOs and multi-class pass through certificates. Parallel-pay CMOs and multi-class pass through certificates are structured to provide payments of principal on each payment date to more than one class. These simultaneous payments are taken into account in calculating the stated maturity date or final distribution date of each class, which, as with other CMO and multi-class pass-through structures, must be retired by its stated maturity date or final distribution date but may be retired earlier. PACs generally require payments of a specified amount of principal on each payment date. PACs are parallel-pay CMOs with the required principal amount on such securities having the highest priority after interest has been paid to all classes. Any CMO or multi-class pass through structure that includes PAC securities must also have support tranches—known as support bonds, companion bonds or non-PAC bonds—which lend or absorb principal cash flows to allow the PAC securities to maintain their stated maturities and final distribution dates within a range of actual prepayment experience. These support tranches are subject to a higher level of maturity risk compared to other mortgage-related securities, and usually provide a higher yield to compensate investors. If principal cash flows are received in amounts outside a pre-determined range such that the support bonds cannot lend or absorb sufficient cash flows to the PAC
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securities as intended, the PAC securities are subject to heightened maturity risk. Consistent with a Fund's investment objectives and policies, the Fund’s Manager or Subadvisor may invest in various tranches of CMO bonds, including support bonds.
An obligation's maturity is typically determined on a stated final maturity basis, although there are some exceptions to this rule. Dollar-weighted average maturity is derived by multiplying the value of each investment by the time remaining to its maturity, adding these calculations, and then dividing the total by the value of a Fund's portfolio holdings. In a typical CMO transaction, a corporation ("issuer") issues multiple series (e.g., A, B, C, Z) of CMO bonds ("Bonds"). Proceeds of the Bond offering are used to purchase mortgages or mortgage pass-through certificates ("Collateral"). The Collateral is pledged to a third-party trustee as security for the Bonds. Principal and interest payments from the Collateral are used to pay principal on the Bonds in the order A, B, C, Z. The Series A, B and C Bonds all bear current interest. Interest on the Series Z Bond is accrued and added to principal and a like amount is paid as principal on the Series A, B or C Bonds currently being paid off. When the Series A, B and C Bonds are paid in full, interest and principal on the Series Z Bond begins to be paid currently. With some CMOs, the issuer serves as a conduit to allow loan originators (primarily builders or S&Ls) to borrow against their loan portfolios.
The primary risk of CMOs is the uncertainty of the timing of cash flows that results from the rate of prepayments on the underlying mortgages serving as collateral and from the structure of the particular CMO transaction (that is, the priority of the individual tranches). An increase or decrease in prepayment rates (resulting from a decrease or increase in mortgage interest rates) will affect the yield, average life and price of CMOs. The prices of certain CMOs, depending on their structure and the rate of prepayments, can be volatile. Some CMOs may also not be as liquid as other securities.
FHLMC Collateralized Mortgage Obligations ("FHLMC CMOs"). FHLMC CMOs are debt obligations of FHLMC issued in multiple classes having different maturity dates that are secured by the pledge of a pool of conventional mortgage loans purchased by FHLMC. Unlike FHLMC PCs, payments of principal and interest on the FHLMC CMOs are made semiannually, as opposed to monthly. The amount of principal payable on each semiannual payment date is determined in accordance with FHLMC's mandatory sinking fund schedule, which, in turn, is equal to approximately 100% of FHA prepayment experience applied to the mortgage collateral pool. All sinking fund payments in the CMOs are allocated to the retirement of the individual classes of bonds in the order of their stated maturities. Payment of principal on the mortgage loans in the collateral pool in excess of the amount of FHLMC's minimum sinking fund obligation for any payment date are paid to the holders of the CMOs as additional sinking fund payments. Because of the "pass-through" nature of all principal payments received on the collateral pool in excess of FHLMC's minimum sinking fund requirement, the rate at which principal of the CMOs is actually repaid is likely to be such that each class of bonds will be retired in advance of its scheduled maturity date.
If collection of principal (including prepayments) on the mortgage loans during any semi-annual payment period is not sufficient to meet FHLMC's minimum sinking fund obligation on the next sinking fund payment date, FHLMC agrees to make up the deficiency from its general funds.
Criteria for the mortgage loans in the pool backing the CMOs are identical to those of FHLMC PCs. FHLMC has the right to substitute collateral in the event of delinquencies and/or defaults.
Other Mortgage-Related Securities. Other mortgage-related securities include securities other than those described above that directly or indirectly represent a participation in, or are secured by and payable from, mortgage loans on real property, including CMO residuals or stripped mortgage-backed securities, and may be structured in classes with rights to receive varying proportions of principal and interest. Other mortgage-related securities may be equity or debt securities issued by agencies or instrumentalities of the U.S. government or by private originators of, or investors in, mortgage loans, including S&Ls, homebuilders, mortgage banks, commercial banks, investment banks, partnerships, trusts and special purpose entities of the foregoing.
The Funds' Manager or Subadvisors expect that governmental, government-related or private entities may create mortgage loan pools and other mortgage-related securities offering mortgage pass-through and mortgage-collateralized investments in addition to those described above. The mortgages underlying these securities may include alternative mortgage instruments, that is, mortgage instruments whose principal or interest payments may vary or whose terms to maturity may differ from customary long-term fixed rate mortgages. As new types of mortgage-related securities are developed and offered to investors, a Fund's Manager or Subadvisor will, consistent with the Fund's investment objectives, policies and quality standards, consider making investments in such new types of mortgage-related securities.
CMO Residuals. CMO residuals are derivative mortgage securities issued by agencies or instrumentalities of the U.S. government or by private originators of, or investors in, mortgage loans, including S&Ls, homebuilders, mortgage banks, commercial banks, investment banks and special purpose entities of the foregoing.
The cash flow generated by the mortgage assets underlying a series of CMOs is applied first to make required payments of principal and interest on the CMOs and second to pay the related administrative expenses of the issuer. The residual in a CMO structure generally represents the interest in any excess cash flow remaining after making the foregoing payments. Each payment of such excess cash flow to a holder of the related CMO residual represents income and/or a return of capital. The amount of residual cash flow resulting from a CMO will depend on, among other things, the characteristics of the mortgage assets, the coupon rate of each class of CMO, prevailing interest rates, the amount of administrative expenses and the prepayment experience on the mortgage assets. In particular, the yield to maturity on CMO residuals is extremely sensitive to prepayments on the related underlying mortgage assets, in the same manner as an interest-only class of stripped mortgage-backed securities. See "Stripped Mortgage-Backed Securities." In addition, if a series of a CMO includes a class that bears interest at an adjustable rate, the yield to maturity on the
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related CMO residual will also be extremely sensitive to changes in the level of the index upon which interest rate adjustments are based. As described below with respect to stripped mortgage-backed securities, in certain circumstances, a portfolio may fail to recoup fully its initial investment in a CMO residual.
CMO residuals are generally purchased and sold by institutional investors through several investment banking firms acting as brokers or dealers. The CMO residual market has only very recently developed and CMO residuals currently may not have the liquidity of other more established securities trading in other markets. Transactions in CMO residuals are generally completed only after careful review of the characteristics of the securities in question. In addition, CMO residuals may, pursuant to an exemption therefrom, or may not have been registered under the 1933 Act. CMO residuals, whether or not registered under the 1933 Act, may be subject to certain restrictions on transferability, and may be classified as illiquid investments.
Under certain circumstances, a Fund's investment in residual interests in "real estate mortgage investment conduits" ("REMICs") may cause shareholders of that Fund to be deemed to have taxable income in addition to their Fund dividends and distributions and such income may not be eligible to be reduced for tax purposes by certain deductible amounts, including net operating loss deductions. In addition, in some cases, the Fund may be subject to taxes on certain amounts deemed to have been earned from a REMIC residual. Prospective investors may wish to consult their tax advisors regarding REMIC residual investments by a Fund.
CMOs and REMICs may offer a higher yield than U.S. government securities, but they may also be subject to greater price fluctuation and credit risk. In addition, CMOs and REMICs typically will be issued in a variety of classes or series, which have different maturities and are retired in sequence. Privately issued CMOs and REMICs are not government securities nor are they supported in any way by any governmental agency or instrumentality. In the event of a default by an issuer of a CMO or a REMIC, there is no assurance that the collateral securing such CMO or REMIC will be sufficient to pay principal and interest. It is possible that there will be limited opportunities for trading CMOs and REMICs in the OTC market, the depth and liquidity of which will vary from time to time. Holders of "residual" interests in REMICs (including the Funds) could be required to recognize potential phantom income, as could shareholders (including unrelated business taxable income for tax-exempt shareholders) of funds that hold such interests. The Funds will consider this rule in determining whether to invest in residual interests.
Stripped Mortgage-Backed Securities ("SMBS"). SMBS are derivative multi-class mortgage securities. SMBS may be issued by agencies or instrumentalities of the U.S. government, or by private originators of, or investors in, mortgage loans, including S&Ls, mortgage banks, commercial banks, investment banks and special purpose entities of the foregoing.
SMBS are usually structured with two classes that receive different proportions of the interest and principal distributions on a pool of mortgage assets. A common type of SMBS will have one class receiving some of the interest and most of the principal from the mortgage assets, while the other class will receive most of the interest and the remainder of the principal. In the most extreme case, one class will receive all of the interest (the interest only or "IO" class), while the other class will receive all of the principal (the principal-only or "PO" class). The yield to maturity on an IO class is extremely sensitive to the rate of principal payments (including prepayments) on the related underlying mortgage assets, and a rapid rate of principal payments may have a material adverse effect on a Fund's yield to maturity from these securities. If the underlying mortgage assets experience greater than anticipated prepayments of principal, a Fund may fail to fully recoup its initial investment in these securities even if the security is in one of the highest rating categories.
Although SMBS are purchased and sold by institutional investors through several investment banking firms acting as brokers or dealers, these securities were only recently developed. As a result, established trading markets have not yet developed and, accordingly, these securities may be classified as illiquid investments.
Risks Associated with Mortgage-Backed Securities. As in the case with other fixed-income securities, when interest rates rise, the value of a mortgage-backed security generally will decline; however, when interest rates are declining, the value of mortgage-backed securities with prepayment features may not increase as much as other fixed-income securities. The value of some mortgage-backed securities in which the Funds may invest may be particularly sensitive to changes in prevailing interest rates, and, like the other investments of the Funds, the ability of a Fund to successfully utilize these instruments may depend in part upon the ability of the Manager or Subadvisor to forecast interest rates and other economic factors correctly. If the Manager or Subadvisor incorrectly forecasts such factors and has taken a position in mortgage-backed securities that is or becomes contrary to prevailing market trends, the Funds could be exposed to the risk of a loss.
Investment in mortgage-backed securities poses several risks, including prepayment, extension market and credit risk. Prepayment risk reflects the chance that borrowers may prepay their mortgages faster than expected, thereby affecting the investment's average life and perhaps its yield. Whether or not a mortgage loan is prepaid is almost entirely controlled by the borrower. Borrowers are most likely to exercise their prepayment options at a time when it is least advantageous to investors, generally prepaying mortgages as interest rates fall, and slowing payments as interest rates rise. Conversely, when interest rates are rising, the rate of prepayment tends to decrease, thereby lengthening the average life of the mortgage-backed security. Besides the effect of prevailing interest rates, the rate of prepayment and refinancing of mortgages may also be affected by changes in home values, ease of the refinancing process and local economic conditions.
Market risk reflects the chance that the price of the security may fluctuate over time. The price of mortgage-backed securities may be particularly sensitive to prevailing interest rates, the length of time the security is expected to be outstanding, and the liquidity of the issue. In a period of
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unstable interest rates, there may be decreased demand for certain types of mortgage-backed securities, and a Fund invested in such securities and wishing to sell them may find it difficult to find a buyer, which may in turn decrease the price at which they may be sold.
Credit risk reflects the chance that a Fund may not receive all or part of its principal because the issuer or credit enhancer has defaulted on its obligations. Obligations issued by U.S. government-related entities are guaranteed as to the payment of principal and interest, but are not backed by the full faith and credit of the U.S. government. The performance of private label mortgage-backed securities, issued by private institutions, is based on the financial health of those institutions.
To the extent that mortgages underlying a mortgage-related security are so-called "subprime mortgages" (i.e., mortgages granted to borrowers whose credit history is not sufficient to obtain a conventional mortgage), the risk of default is higher. Subprime mortgages also have higher serious delinquency rates than prime loans. The downturn in the subprime mortgage lending market may have far-reaching consequences into various aspects of the financials sector, and consequently, the value of a Fund may decline in response to such developments. A decline or flattening of housing values may cause delinquencies in the mortgages (especially sub-prime or non-prime mortgages) underlying mortgage-backed securities held by a Fund and thereby adversely affect the ability of the mortgage-backed security issuer to make principal payments to holders, such as a Fund. Further, mortgage-backed securities are also subject to the risks associated with the types of real estate to which they relate and adverse economic or market events with respect to these property types (e.g., apartment properties, retail shopping centers, office and industrial properties, hotels, healthcare facilities, manufactured housing and mixed-property types).
Other Asset-Backed Securities. Asset-backed securities are securities that represent interests in, and whose values and payments are based on, a “pool” of underlying assets, which may include, among others, lower-rated debt securities, consumer loans or mortgages, and leases of property. Asset-backed securities include collateralized debt obligations, such as collateralized bond obligations and collateralized loan obligations. (See “Collateralized Debt Obligations”). The Funds' Manager or Subadvisors expect that other asset-backed securities (unrelated to mortgage loans) will be offered to investors in the future. Several types of asset-backed securities have already been offered to investors, including credit card receivables and Certificates for Automobile Receivables(SM) ("CARs(SM)"). CARs(SM) represent undivided fractional interests in a trust ("trust") whose assets consist of a pool of motor vehicle retail installment sales contracts and security interests in the vehicles securing the contracts. Payments of principal and interest on CARs(SM) are passed-through monthly to certificate holders, and are guaranteed up to certain amounts and for a certain time period by a letter of credit issued by a financial institution unaffiliated with the trustee or originator of the trust.
An investor's return on CARs(SM) may be affected by early prepayment of principal on the underlying vehicle sales contracts. If the letter of credit is exhausted, the trust may be prevented from realizing the full amount due on a sales contract because of state law requirements and restrictions relating to foreclosure sales of vehicles and the obtaining of deficiency judgments following such sales or because of depreciation, damage or loss of a vehicle, the application of federal and state bankruptcy and insolvency laws, or other factors. As a result, certificate holders may experience delays in payments or losses if the letter of credit is exhausted.
If consistent with a Fund's investment objective and policies, and, in the case of a money market fund, the requirements of Rule 2a-7, a Fund also may invest in other types of asset-backed securities. Certain asset-backed securities may present the same types of risks that may be associated with mortgage-backed securities.
Delinquencies and losses on sub-prime and non-prime automobile loans have increased in recent years and, as a result, issuers of asset-backed securities backed by such loans may be adversely affected in their ability to continue to make principal and interest payments. The risk associated with investments in asset-backed securities may be heightened to the extent that a Fund invests in such loans.
Municipal Securities
A Fund may purchase municipal securities. Municipal securities include securities issued by, or on behalf of, the District of Columbia, the states, the territories (including Puerto Rico, Guam and the U.S. Virgin Islands), commonwealths and possessions of the United States and their political subdivisions, and agencies, authorities and instrumentalities (collectively, “municipalities”). Municipal securities, which may be issued in various forms, including bonds and notes, are issued to obtain funds for various public purposes.
Municipal bonds are debt obligations issued by municipalities. Typically, the interest payable on municipal bonds is, in the opinion of bond counsel to the issuer at the time of issuance, exempt from federal income tax.
A Fund's investments in municipal securities may be affected by political, societal and economic developments within the applicable municipality and by the financial condition of the municipality. Certain of the issuers in which a Fund may invest have recently experienced, or may experience, significant financial difficulties and repeated credit rating downgrades.
Additionally, Puerto Rico, in particular, has been experiencing significant financial difficulties and other events that have adversely affected its economy, infrastructure and financial condition, which have further strained Puerto Rico’s economic stagnation and fiscal challenges (including budget deficits, underfunded pensions, high unemployment, population decline, significant debt service obligations, liquidity issues and reduced access to financial markets). The default by issuers of Puerto Rico municipal securities on their obligations under securities held by a Fund may adversely affect the Fund and cause the Fund to lose the value of its investment in such securities.
Municipal bonds include securities from a variety of sectors, each of which has unique risks. They include, but are not limited to, general obligation bonds, limited obligation bonds and revenue bonds (including industrial development bonds issued pursuant to federal tax law). General obligation
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bonds are obligations involving the credit of an issuer possessing taxing power and are payable from such issuer's general revenues and not from any particular source. Limited obligation bonds are payable only from the revenues derived from a particular facility or class of facilities or, in some cases, from the proceeds of a special excise or other specific revenue source. Revenue bonds are issued for either project or enterprise financings in which the bond issuer pledges to the bondholders the revenues generated by the operating projects financed from the proceeds of the bond issuance. Revenue bonds involve the credit risk of the underlying project or enterprise (or its corporate user) rather than the credit risk of the issuing municipality. Under the Internal Revenue Code, certain limited obligation bonds are considered "private activity bonds" and interest paid on such bonds is treated as an item of tax preference for purposes of calculating federal alternative minimum tax liability. Tax exempt private activity bonds and industrial development bonds generally are also classified as revenue bonds and thus are not payable from the issuer's general revenues. The credit and quality of private activity bonds and industrial development bonds are usually related to the credit of the corporate user of the facilities. Payment of interest on and repayment of principal of such bonds are the responsibility of the corporate user (and/or any guarantor).
Some municipal bonds may be issued as variable or floating rate securities and may incorporate market-dependent liquidity features. Some longer- term municipal bonds give the investor the right to "put" or sell the security at par (face value) within a specified number of days following the investor's request—usually one to seven days. This demand feature enhances a security's liquidity by shortening its effective maturity and enables it to trade at a price equal to or very close to par. If a demand feature terminates prior to being exercised, a Fund would hold the longer-term security, which could experience substantially more volatility. Municipal bonds that are issued as variable or floating rate securities incorporating market-dependent liquidity features may have greater liquidity risk than other municipal bonds.
Some municipal bonds feature credit enhancements, such as lines of credit, letters of credit, municipal bond insurance and standby bond purchase agreements ("SBPAs"). SBPAs include lines of credit that are issued by a third party, usually a bank, to enhance liquidity and ensure repayment of principal and any accrued interest if the underlying municipal bond should default. Municipal bond insurance, which is usually purchased by the bond issuer from a private, non-governmental insurance company, provides an unconditional and irrevocable assurance that the insured bond's principal and interest will be paid when due. Insurance does not guarantee the price of the bond or the share price of any Fund.
The credit rating of an insured bond may reflect the credit rating of the insurer, based on its claims-paying ability. The obligation of a municipal bond insurance company to pay a claim extends over the life of each insured bond. Although defaults on insured municipal bonds have historically been low and municipal bond insurers historically have met their claims, there is no assurance this will continue. A higher-than-expected default rate could strain the insurer's loss reserves and adversely affect its ability to pay claims to bondholders. The number of municipal bond insurers is relatively small, and not all of them have the highest credit rating. An SBPA can include a liquidity facility that is provided to pay the purchase price of any bonds that cannot be remarketed. The obligation of the liquidity provider (usually a bank) is only to advance funds to purchase tendered bonds that cannot be remarketed and does not cover principal or interest under any other circumstances. The liquidity provider's obligations under the SBPA are usually subject to numerous conditions, including the continued creditworthiness of the underlying borrower or bond issuer.
Municipal bonds also include tender option bonds (“TOBs”), which are municipal derivatives created by dividing the income stream provided by an underlying municipal bond to create two securities issued by a special-purpose trust, one short-term and one long-term. The interest rate on the short-term component is periodically reset. The short-term component has negligible interest rate risk, while the long-term component has all of the interest rate risk of the original bond. After income is paid on the short-term securities at current rates, the residual income goes to the long- term securities.
Therefore, rising short-term interest rates result in lower income for the longer-term portion, and vice versa. The longer-term components can be very volatile and may be less liquid than other municipal bonds of comparable maturity. These securities have been developed in the secondary market to meet the demand for short-term, tax-exempt securities.
Although most municipal bonds are exempt from federal income tax, some are not. Taxable municipal bonds include Build America Bonds ("BABs"), the borrowing costs of which are subsidized by the U.S. government, but which are subject to state and federal income tax. BABs were created pursuant to the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009, as amended ("ARRA"), to offer an alternative form of financing to state and local governments whose primary means for accessing the capital markets had been through the issuance of tax-free municipal bonds. BABs include Recovery Zone Economic Development Bonds, which are subsidized more heavily by the U.S. government than other BABs, and are designed to finance certain types of projects in distressed geographic areas.
Under ARRA, an issuer of a BAB is entitled to receive payments from the U.S. Treasury Department over the life of the BAB equal to 35% of the interest paid (or 45% of the interest paid in the case of a Recovery Zone Economic Development Bond). For example, if a state or local government were to issue a BAB at a 10% taxable interest rate, the U.S. Treasury Department would make a payment directly to the issuing government of 3.5% of that interest (or 4.5% in the case of a Recovery Zone Economic Development Bond). Thus, the state or local government's net borrowing cost would be 6.5% or 5.5%, respectively, on a bond that pays 10% interest. In other cases, holders of a BAB receive a 35% or 45% tax credit, respectively. Pursuant to ARRA, the issuance of BABs ceased on December 31, 2010. The BABs outstanding at such time will continue to be eligible for the federal interest rate subsidy or tax credit, which continues for the life of the BABs; however, no bonds issued following expiration of the program will be eligible for federal payment or tax credit. Under the sequestration process under the Budget Control Act of 2011, automatic spending cuts that became effective on March 1, 2013 will reduce the federal subsidy for BABs and other subsidized municipal bonds. Such cuts may end earlier if rescinded by Congress. Due to continuing uncertainty related to Congressional budget deficit reduction, there is a possibility that federal funds allocated to subsidize issuers of BABs for a portion of the interest paid by such issuers could be further reduced or eliminated in the future. To the extent the federal subsidy is reduced or eliminated, there is a risk that issuers of BABs could redeem bonds prior to their stated
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maturities based on the redemption language applicable to specific issues of BABs. Once such redemption provisions permit redemption of BABs because the subsidy is reduced or eliminated, issuers may be able to redeem BABs even after any reduction in the subsidy has ended. In addition to BABs, a Fund may invest in other municipal bonds that pay taxable interest.
Prices and yields on municipal bonds are dependent on a variety of factors, including general money-market conditions, the financial condition of the issuer, general conditions of the municipal bond market, the size of a particular offering, the maturity of the obligation and the rating of the issue. A number of these factors, including the ratings of particular issues, are subject to change from time to time. Information about the financial condition of an issuer of municipal bonds may not be as extensive as that which is made available by corporations whose securities are publicly traded. Tax Anticipation Notes are used to finance working capital needs of municipalities and are issued in anticipation of various seasonal tax revenues, to be payable from these specific future taxes. They are usually general obligations of the issuer, secured by the taxing power for the payment of principal and interest.
Municipal securities also include various forms of notes. These notes include, but are not limited to, the following types:
· Revenue anticipation notes which are issued in expectation of receipt of other kinds of revenue, such as federal revenues. They, also, are usually general obligations of the issuer.
· Bond anticipation notes which are normally issued to provide interim financial assistance until long-term financing can be arranged. The long- term bonds then provide funds for the repayment of the notes.
· Construction loan notes which are sold to provide construction financing for specific projects. After successful completion and acceptance, many projects receive permanent financing through the Federal Housing Administration ("FHA") under the FNMA or GNMA.
· Project notes which are instruments sold by HUD but issued by a state or local housing agency to provide financing for a variety of programs. They are backed by the full faith and credit of the U.S. government, and generally carry a term of one year or less.
· Short-term discount notes (tax-exempt commercial paper), which are short-term (365 days or less) promissory notes issued by municipalities to supplement their cash flow.
An entire issue of municipal securities may be purchased by one or a small number of institutional investors such as the Funds. Thus, the issue may not be said to be publicly offered. Unlike securities that must be registered under the 1933 Act prior to offer and sale, unless an exemption from such registration is available, municipal securities that are not publicly offered may nevertheless be readily marketable. A secondary market may exist for municipal securities that were not publicly offered initially.
Municipal securities are subject to credit risk. Information about the financial condition of an issuer of municipal securities may not be as extensive as that which is made available by corporations whose securities are publicly traded. Obligations of issuers of municipal securities are generally subject to the provisions of bankruptcy, insolvency and other laws affecting the rights and remedies of creditors. Congress or state legislatures may seek to extend the time for payment of principal or interest, or both, or to impose other constraints upon enforcement of such obligations. There is also the possibility that, as a result of litigation or other conditions, the power or ability of issuers to meet their obligations for the payment of interest and principal on their municipal securities may be materially affected or their obligations may be found to be invalid or unenforceable. Such litigation or conditions may from time to time have the effect of introducing uncertainties in the market for municipal securities or certain segments thereof, or of materially affecting the credit risk with respect to particular bonds. Adverse economic, business, legal, or political developments might affect all or a substantial portion of a Fund's municipal securities in the same manner. In addition, many states and municipalities were adversely impacted by the Coronavirus pandemic as a result of declines in revenues and increased expenditures required to manage and mitigate the outbreak.
An insolvent municipality may take steps to reorganize its debt, which might include extending debt maturities, reducing the amount of principal or interest, refinancing the debt or taking other measures that may significantly affect the rights of creditors and the value of the securities issued by the municipality and the value of a Fund's investments in those securities. Under bankruptcy law, certain municipalities that meet specific conditions may be provided protection from creditors while they develop and negotiate plans for reorganizing their debts. U.S. bankruptcy law generally provides that individual U.S. states are not permitted to pass their own laws purporting to bind non-consenting creditors to a restructuring of a municipality’s indebtedness, and thus all such restructurings must be pursuant to Chapter 9 of the Bankruptcy Code. Changes to the Bankruptcy Code or the administration of its provisions relating to municipal bankruptcies could adversely impact a Fund's investments in municipal securities.
Municipal bankruptcies are relatively rare, and certain provisions of U.S. bankruptcy law governing such bankruptcies are unclear and remain untested. Although Puerto Rico is a U.S. Territory, neither Puerto Rico nor its subdivisions or agencies are eligible to file under U.S. bankruptcy law in order to seek protection from creditors or restructure their debt.
Puerto Rico has faced a number of significant fiscal challenges, including a structural imbalance between its general fund revenues and expenditures, substantial unemployment and mounting unfunded retirement obligations. To help address these and other challenges, in June 2016, the U.S. Congress passed the Puerto Rico Oversight, Management, and Economic Stability Act (“PROMESA”), which established a federally-appointed fiscal oversight board (“Oversight Board”) to oversee Puerto Rico’s financial operations and allows Puerto Rico and its instrumentalities, with approval of the Oversight Board, to file cases to restructure debt and other obligations in a “Title III” proceeding. Title III incorporates many provisions of the federal Bankruptcy Code, and incorporates legal mechanisms for a litigation stay and restructuring of pension and debt
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obligations, among other provisions. The Oversight Board is comprised of seven members appointed by the President who are nominated by a bipartisan selection process.
Puerto Rico has been in bankruptcy proceedings for approximately six years. However, in quarter one of 2022, the central government executed a debt exchange and exited bankruptcy. A debt adjustment plan was approved by Puerto Rico’s bankruptcy court in January 2022, and a debt exchange went effective in March 2022. Puerto Rico’s direct debt obligations were reduced from $34.3 billion to $7.4 billion, and its annual debt service was reduced from $4.2 billion to $1.15 billion.
The plan required that Puerto Rico adopt debt management policies to ensure debt service does not become unsustainable. Among other things, the policies dictate that debt proceeds may only be used to fund capital projects and that debt to cover deficits will no longer be allowed. Additionally, debt refundings are required to result in cash flow savings each fiscal year and may not raise principal. New debt is required to begin amortizing within two years and may not have a maturity greater than 30 years.
The Oversight Board is required by law to remain in place until, based on audited financials, four consecutive fiscal years have ended with balanced operations and Puerto Rico has demonstrated affordable market access to short-term and long-term credit markets at reasonable interest rates. Although the plan has substantially reduced the outstanding debt obligations of Puerto Rico and certain of its instrumentalities, there can be no assurances that Puerto Rico will be able to negotiate settlements with respect to the balance of its outstanding debt. In addition, the composition of the Oversight Board has changed significantly in recent years, and there is no assurance that the board members will approve future restructuring agreements with other creditors.
The budget process will continue to require the Oversight Board, the governor of Puerto Rico, and Puerto Rico’s Legislative Assembly to develop a budget that complies with the fiscal plan developed by the Oversight Board and the governor of Puerto Rico. The 2023 fiscal plan was certified by the Oversight Board on April 3, 2023 (“2023 Fiscal Plan”). The 2023 Fiscal Plan notes that through successive federal stimulus and recovery packages, Puerto Rico has received approximately $120 billion in federal funds, and the 2023 Fiscal Plan assumes full deployment of these funds by 2035. Apart from federal aid, the 2023 Fiscal Plan projects revenues of approximately $14.0 billion. Against these revenues, the 2023 Fiscal Plan projections reflect $12.4 billion of expenditures for fiscal year 2023.
The budget for fiscal year 2024 was certified on June 30, 2023 and provides for approximately $12.7 billion in General Fund expenditures. Allocations in the fiscal year 2024 budget to education, health care and economic development were approximately $2.6 billion, $1.5 billion and $64.1 million, respectively.
In addition, in early 2020, Puerto Rico was significantly impacted by COVID-19, which had substantial adverse effects on the health of the population and economic activity. In March 2020, the Oversight Board authorized Puerto Rico to implement a $787 million relief package to fight the pandemic and its economic impacts, of which $500 million was incremental new spending made available through a special appropriation. Any reduction in Puerto Rico’s revenues as a result of the current economic environment could negatively affect Puerto Rico’s ability to meet its debt service obligations, including with respect to debt held by a Fund. Further, Congress passed the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act (“CARES Act”) in March 2020, which provided for approximately $2.2 trillion in disaster relief. Among other things, the CARES Act established the Coronavirus Relief Fund (“CRF”), from which Puerto Rico has received $2.2 billion. In March 2021, the American Rescue Plan was signed into law, which provides an additional $350 billion in emergency funding for state, local, territorial and Tribal governments, including $4.5 billion specifically for relief to U.S. territories. It is not presently possible to predict whether the CRF and American Rescue Plan funds allocated to Puerto Rico will be sufficient to address its long-term economic challenges. A failure by Puerto Rico to meet its debt obligations could lead to a significant decline in the value, liquidity and marketability of Fund investments. The current economic environment also may negatively affect the economy of Puerto Rico.
In September 2017, two successive hurricanes caused significant damage to Puerto Rico. The hurricanes caused severe flooding and infrastructure damage, and more than 1 million people lost power throughout the island. Estimates suggest that the hurricanes caused more than $80 billion in damage, which led to additional strain on Puerto Rico’s economic situation. In February 2018, Congress appropriated approximately $90 billion for disaster recovery efforts for areas affected by the hurricanes, and approximately $11 billion was available for Puerto Rico. In late December 2019 and January 2020, a series of earthquakes, including the strongest earthquake to hit the island in more than a century, caused an estimated $200 million in damage. The aftershocks from these earthquakes may continue for years, and it is not currently possible to predict the extent of the damage that could arise from any aftershocks. The damage caused by the hurricanes, earthquakes, and aftershocks is expected to have substantial adverse effects on Puerto Rico’s economy. In addition to diverting funds to relief and recovery efforts, Puerto Rico is expected to lose substantial revenue as a result of decreased tourism and general business operations. These developments have an adverse effect on Puerto Rico’s finances and negatively impact the payment of principal and interest, the marketability, liquidity and value of securities issued by Puerto Rico. Moreover, future weather events or natural disasters, which may become more frequent and severe as a result of climate change, could negatively impact Puerto Rico’s ability to resolve ongoing debt negotiations. Any delays in debt restructuring negotiations could adversely affect Fund performance.
Municipal securities are subject to interest rate risk. Interest rate risk is the chance that security prices overall will decline over short or even long periods because of rising interest rates. Interest rate risk is higher for long-term bonds, whose prices are more sensitive to interest rate changes than are the prices of shorter-term bonds. Generally, prices of longer maturity issues tend to fluctuate more than prices of shorter maturity issues. Prices and yields on municipal securities are dependent on a variety of factors, such as the financial condition of the issuer, general conditions of
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the municipal securities market, the size of a particular offering, the maturity of the obligation and the rating of the issue. In market environments where interest rates are rising, issuers may be less willing or able to make principal and/or interest payments on securities when due. A number of these factors, including the ratings of particular issues, are subject to change from time to time.
Municipal bonds are subject to call risk. Call risk is the chance that during periods of falling interest rates, a bond issuer will call—or repay—a higher-yielding bond before its maturity date. Forced to reinvest the unanticipated proceeds at lower interest rates, a Fund would experience a decline in income and lose the opportunity for additional price appreciation associated with falling rates. Call risk is generally high for long-term bonds. Municipal bonds may be classified as illiquid investments.
High yield municipal bonds are subject to increased liquidity and valuation risk as compared to other municipal bonds and to high yield debt securities generally. There may be no active market for a high yield municipal bond, or it may trade in secondary markets on an infrequent basis. High yield municipal bonds may be more likely than other municipal bonds to be considered illiquid. It may be difficult for a Fund to obtain an accurate or recent market quotation for a high yield municipal bond, which may cause the security to be "fair valued" in accordance with the fair valuation policies established by the Board. See "How Portfolio Securities Are Valued." For a more general discussion of the risks associated with high yield securities, which generally also are applicable to high yield municipal bonds, see "High Yield Securities."
There are, in addition, a variety of hybrid and special types of municipal obligations, such as municipal lease obligations, as well as numerous differences in the security of municipal securities both within and between the two principal classifications described above. Municipal lease obligations are municipal securities that may be supported by a lease or an installment purchase contract issued by state and local government authorities to acquire funds to obtain the use of a wide variety of equipment and facilities such as fire and sanitation vehicles, computer equipment and other capital assets. These obligations, which may be secured or unsecured, are not general obligations and have evolved to make it possible for state and local governments to obtain the use of property and equipment without meeting constitutional and statutory requirements for the issuance of debt. Thus, municipal lease obligations have special risks not normally associated with municipal securities. These obligations frequently contain "non-appropriation" clauses that provide that the governmental issuer of the obligation has no obligation to make future payments under the lease or contract unless money is appropriated for such purposes by the legislative body on a yearly or other periodic basis. In addition to the "non-appropriation" risk, many municipal lease obligations have not yet developed the depth of marketability associated with municipal bonds; moreover, although the obligations may be secured by the leased equipment, the disposition of the equipment in the event of foreclosure might prove difficult. For the purpose of each Fund‘s investment restrictions, the identification of the "issuer" of municipal securities that are not general obligation bonds is made by the Manager or Subadvisor on the basis of the characteristics of the municipal securities as described above, the most significant of which is the source of funds for the payment of principal of and interest on such securities.
The Internal Revenue Code limits the types and volume of municipal securities qualifying for the federal income tax exemption for interest, and the Internal Revenue Code treats tax-exempt interest on certain municipal securities as a tax preference item included in the alternative minimum tax base for non-corporate shareholders. Further, an issuer's failure to comply with the detailed and numerous requirements imposed by the Internal Revenue Code after bonds have been issued may cause the retroactive revocation of the tax-exempt status of certain municipal securities after their issuance. If an issuer of a municipal bond fails to satisfy certain requirements with respect to a particular municipal bond issuance, any interest earned by a Fund from its investment in such municipal bond may be taxable. The Funds intend to monitor developments in the municipal bond market to determine whether any defensive action should be taken.
With respect to the NYLI MacKay California Muni Fund, please see Appendix A for specific risks associated with investments in California. With respect to NYLI MacKay New York Muni Fund, please see Appendix B for specific risks associated with investments in New York.
Options
A Fund may use options for any purpose consistent with their respective investment objectives, such as to seek to hedge or manage risk, or to seek to increase total return. An option is a contract in which the "holder" (the buyer) pays a certain amount (the "premium") to the "writer" (the seller) to obtain the right, but not the obligation, to buy from the writer (in a "call") or sell to the writer (in a "put") a specific asset at an agreed upon price (the "strike price" or "exercise price") at or before a certain time (the "expiration date"). The holder pays the premium at inception and has no further financial obligation. The holder of an option will benefit from favorable movements in the price of the underlying asset but is not exposed to corresponding losses due to adverse movements in the value of the underlying asset. The writer of an option will receive fees or premiums but is exposed to losses due to changes in the value of the underlying asset. A Fund may purchase (buy) or write (sell) put and call options on assets, such as securities, currencies and indices of debt and equity securities ("underlying assets") and enter into closing transactions with respect to such options to terminate an existing position. See "Derivative Instruments — General Discussion" for more information. Options used by the Funds may include European, American and Bermuda-style options. If an option is exercisable only at maturity, it is a "European" option; if it is also exercisable prior to maturity, it is an "American" option; if it is exercisable only at certain times, it is a "Bermuda" option.
If a Fund's Manager or Subadvisor judges market conditions incorrectly or employs a strategy that does not correlate well with the Fund’s investments, these techniques could result in a loss, regardless of whether the intent was to reduce risk or increase return. These techniques may increase the volatility of a Fund's NAV per share and may involve a small investment of cash relative to the magnitude of the risk assumed. In addition, these techniques could result in a loss if the counterparty to the transaction does not perform as promised. Writing (selling) optio