485BPOS
HOMESTEAD FUNDS, INC.
Homestead Funds Trust
4301 Wilson Boulevard Arlington, VA 22203
Daily Income Fund (HDIXX)
Short-Term Government Securities Fund (HOSGX)
Short-Term Bond Fund (HOSBX)
Intermediate Bond Fund (HOIBX)
Rural America Growth & Income Fund (HRRLX)
Stock Index Fund (HSTIX)
Value Fund (HOVLX)
Growth Fund (HNASX)
International Equity Fund (HISIX)
Small-Company Stock Fund (HSCSX)
Statement Of Additional Information
May 1, 2023
This Statement of Additional Information (“SAI”) is not a prospectus, but should be read in conjunction with the prospectus for Homestead Funds, Inc. and Homestead Funds Trust (collectively “Homestead Funds”) dated May 1, 2023, as supplemented from time to time, which may be obtained by contacting Homestead Funds at 800.258.3030 or downloaded from the website at homesteadfunds.com. The audited financial statements included in Homestead Funds’ most recent annual report (with respect to Homestead Funds, Inc. and Homestead Funds Trust) are incorporated by reference into this SAI and may be obtained by calling the toll free number above or visiting the website.
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A-1
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1
General Information and History
Homestead Funds, Inc. (the “Corporation”) is a Maryland corporation organized on June 29, 1990. Homestead Funds Trust (the “Trust”) is a Massachusetts business trust organized on February 15, 2019. The Corporation and the Trust are each registered with the Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”) under the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended (“1940 Act” or “Investment Company Act”), as an open-end management investment company, commonly known as a “mutual fund.” The Corporation and the Trust are collectively referred to herein as the “Homestead Funds.”
Homestead Funds, Inc. currently consists of eight portfolios, the Daily Income Fund, the Short-Term Government Securities Fund, the Short-Term Bond Fund, the Stock Index Fund, the Value Fund, the Growth Fund, the International Equity Fund, and the Small-Company Stock Fund each of which represents a separate series of capital stock in Homestead Funds, Inc. having different investment objectives, strategies, policies and restrictions. The Trust currently consists of two portfolios, the Rural America Growth & Income Fund and the Intermediate Bond Fund, each of which represents a separate series of share of beneficial interest of the Trust. All of the Funds are diversified for purposes of the 1940 Act. Throughout this SAI, the portfolios are referred to individually as a “Fund” and collectively as the “Funds.” The Stock Index Fund also is referred to as the “Index Fund.” The Board of Directors of the Corporation and Board of Trustees of the Trust are referred to collectively as the “Board.”
All of the Funds, except the Stock Index Fund, are advised and managed by Homestead Advisers Corp. (“Homestead Advisers”), which is responsible for the Funds’ day-to-day operations and the investment of each Fund’s assets. Homestead Advisers is an indirect, wholly-owned subsidiary of the National Rural Electric Cooperative Association (“NRECA”), a not-for-profit membership organization whose members provide electric light and power and other services to approximately 42 million people in 48 states. Prior to May 1, 2022, Homestead Advisers was named “RE Advisers Corporation.”
The Stock Index Fund is a feeder fund, meaning that it invests all of its investable assets in a master portfolio. The Fund invests its assets in the S&P 500 Index Master Portfolio (“Master Portfolio”), a separate series of an unaffiliated trust called the Master Investment Portfolio (“MIP” or the “Master Trust”). The Master Portfolio is managed by BlackRock Fund Advisors (“BFA”). BFA is a wholly-owned subsidiary of BlackRock, Inc.
Under the overall supervision of Homestead Advisers and the Homestead Funds’ Board of Directors, the Daily Income Fund is subadvised by Invesco Advisers, Inc. (“Invesco”), the Growth Fund is subadvised by T. Rowe Price Associates, Inc. (“T. Rowe Price”) and the International Equity Fund is subadvised by Harding Loevner LP (“Harding Loevner”).
Investment Restrictions
Fundamental Investment Restrictions
The investment restrictions described below have been adopted as fundamental investment policies of the Funds as noted below. Such fundamental investment policies may be changed only with the vote of a “majority of the outstanding voting securities” of the particular Fund. As used in the prospectus and in this SAI, the term “majority of the outstanding voting securities” means the lesser of (i) 67% of the shares of a Fund present at a meeting where the holders of more than 50% of the outstanding shares of a Fund are present in person or by proxy, or (ii) more than 50% of the outstanding shares of a Fund. Shares of each Fund will be voted separately on matters affecting only that Fund, including approval of changes in the fundamental objectives, policies, or restrictions of that Fund.
Each Fund, except the Intermediate Bond Fund and International Equity Fund, may not:
(1) Concentrate its investments in any particular industry (excluding U.S. Government or any of its agencies or instrumentalities), but if it is deemed appropriate for the achievement of the Fund’s investment objective, up to 25% of its total assets may be invested in any one industry. The Index Fund reserves the right to concentrate its investments in any industry in which the index that it tracks becomes concentrated to approximately the same degree during the same period.
The Intermediate Bond Fund may not:
(2) Concentrate its investments in any particular industry (excluding U.S. Government or any of its agencies or instrumentalities), except that the Fund will normally invest at least 25% of its total assets (i.e., concentrate) in mortgage-related assets and asset-backed instruments issued by government agencies or other governmental entities or by private originators or issuers, and other investments that Homestead Advisers considers to have the same primary economic characteristics.
The International Equity Fund may not:
(3) Purchase securities (other than securities of the U.S. Government, its agencies or instrumentalities) if, as a result of such purchase, more than 25% of the Fund’s total assets would be invested in any one industry; provided that this limitation does not apply to the extent that the Fund could be deemed to be invested in one industry by investing all of its assets in one investment company.
Each Fund may not:
(4) Purchase or sell commodities, provided that (i) currency will not be deemed to be a commodity for purposes of this restriction, (ii) this restriction does not limit the purchase or sale of futures contracts, forward contracts or options, and (iii) this restriction does not limit the purchase or sale of securities or other instruments backed by commodities or the purchase or sale of commodities acquired as a result of ownership of securities or other instruments.
2
(5) Make loans to other parties, except to the extent permitted under the 1940 Act, including the rules, regulations and any orders obtained thereunder. For the purposes of this limitation, entering into repurchase agreements, lending securities and acquiring any debt securities are not deemed to be the making of loans.
(6) Underwrite securities issued by other persons, except to the extent that a Fund may be deemed to be an underwriter, within the meaning of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the “1933 Act”), in selling portfolio securities and provided further, that the purchase by a Fund of securities issued by an open-end management investment company, or a series thereof, with substantially the same investment objective, policies and restrictions as the Fund shall not constitute an underwriting for purposes of this paragraph.
(7) Purchase or sell real estate unless acquired as a result of ownership of securities or other instruments, but this shall not prevent the Fund from investing in securities or other instruments backed by real estate or securities of companies engaged in the real estate business.
(8) Borrow money or issue senior securities, except to the extent permitted under the 1940 Act, including the rules, regulations and any orders obtained thereunder.
Each Fund, pursuant to Section 5(b)(1) of the 1940 Act, may not:
(9) With respect to 75% of the Fund’s total assets, invest more than 5% of its total assets in the securities of any one issuer (excluding cash, cash items or securities issued or guaranteed by the U.S. Government, its agencies, instrumentalities or authorities and the securities of other investment companies) or own more than 10% of the voting securities of any issuer.
All percentage limitations on investments will apply only at the time of making an investment and shall not be considered violated unless an excess or deficiency occurs or exists immediately after and as a result of such investment, unless otherwise indicated. Accordingly, any later increase or decrease resulting from a change in values, net assets or other circumstances will not be considered in determining whether any investment complies with a Fund’s limitation or requirement. Percentage limitations on borrowing shall apply at borrowing and at all times going forward.
For purposes of applying the terms of the policy in paragraph (2) above related to the Intermediate Bond Fund, mortgage-related assets means any security, instrument or other asset that is related to U.S. or non U.S. mortgages, including those issued by private originators or issuers, or issued or guaranteed as to principal or interest by the U.S. Government or its agencies or instrumentalities or by non-U.S. governments or authorities, such as, without limitation, securities representing interests in, collateralized or backed by, or whose values are determined in whole or in part by reference to any number of mortgages or pools of mortgages or the payment experience of such mortgages or pools of mortgages, including REMICs, which could include resecuritizations of REMICs (“Re-REMICs”), mortgage pass-through securities, inverse floaters, collateralized mortgage obligations, collateralized loan obligations, multiclass pass-through securities, private mortgage pass-through securities, stripped mortgage securities (generally interest-only and principal-only securities), mortgage-related asset backed securities and mortgage-related loans (including through participations, assignments, originations and whole loans), including commercial and residential mortgage loans. Such mortgage loans may include reperforming loans (“RPLs”), which are loans that have previously been delinquent but are current at the time securitized. Exposures to mortgage-related assets through derivatives or other financial instruments will be considered investments in mortgage-related assets.
Fundamental Investment Restrictions of the Master Portfolio
The Master Portfolio has adopted the following investment restrictions as fundamental policies. These restrictions cannot be changed, as to the Master Portfolio, without approval by the holders of a majority (as defined in the 1940 Act) of the Master Portfolio’s outstanding voting interests.
The Master Portfolio may not:
(1) Purchase the securities of issuers conducting their principal business activity in the same industry if, immediately after the purchase and as a result thereof, the value of the Master Portfolio’s investments in that industry would equal or exceed 25% of the current value of the Master Portfolio’s total assets, provided that this restriction does not limit the Master Portfolio’s: (i) investments in securities of other investment companies, (ii) investments in securities issued or guaranteed by the U.S. Government, its agencies or instrumentalities, or (iii) investments in repurchase agreements collateralized by U.S. Government securities, and provided further that the Master Portfolio reserves the right to concentrate in any industry in which the index that the Master Portfolio tracks becomes concentrated to approximately the same degree during the same period.
(2) Purchase the securities of any single issuer if, as a result, with respect to 75% of the Master Portfolio’s total assets, more than 5% of the value of its total assets would be invested in the securities of such issuer or the Master Portfolio’s ownership would be more than 10% of the outstanding voting securities of such issuer, provided that this restriction does not limit the Master Portfolio’s cash or cash items, investments in securities issued or guaranteed by the U.S. Government, its agencies and instrumentalities, or investments in securities of other investment companies.
(3) Borrow money or issue senior securities, except to the extent permitted under the 1940 Act, including the rules, regulations and any orders obtained thereunder.
3
(4) Make loans to other parties, except to the extent permitted under the 1940 Act, including the rules, regulations and any orders obtained thereunder. For the purposes of this limitation, entering into repurchase agreements, lending securities and acquiring any debt securities are not deemed to be the making of loans.
(5) Underwrite securities of other issuers, except to the extent that the purchase of permitted investments directly from the issuer thereof or from an underwriter for an issuer and the later disposition of such securities in accordance with the Master Portfolio’s investment program may be deemed to be an underwriting; and provided further, that the purchase by the Master Portfolio of securities issued by an open-end management investment company, or a series thereof, with substantially the same investment objective, policies and restrictions as the Master Portfolio shall not constitute an underwriting for purposes of this paragraph.
(6) Purchase or sell real estate unless acquired as a result of ownership of securities or other instruments (but this shall not prevent the Master Portfolio from investing in securities or other instruments backed by real estate or securities of companies engaged in the real estate business).
(7) Purchase or sell commodities, provided that (i) currency will not be deemed to be a commodity for purposes of this restriction, (ii) this restriction does not limit the purchase or sale of futures contracts, forward contracts or options, and (iii) this restriction does not limit the purchase or sale of securities or other instruments backed by commodities or the purchase or sale of commodities acquired as a result of ownership of securities or other instruments.
(8) Purchase securities on margin (except for short-term credit necessary for the clearance of transactions and except for margin payments in connection with options, futures and options on futures) or make short sales of securities.
Notations Regarding the Master Portfolio’s Fundamental Investment Restrictions
The following notations are not considered to be part of the Master Portfolio’s fundamental investment restrictions and are subject to change without shareholder approval.
While certain swaps are now considered commodity interests for purposes of the Commodity Exchange Act and the rules thereunder, at the time of the Master Portfolio’s adoption of fundamental investment restriction no. 7 above, many swaps were treated as securities for purposes of the Master Portfolio’s compliance with applicable law. Accordingly, fundamental investment restriction no. 7 above is being interpreted to permit the Master Portfolio to engage in transactions in swaps and options on swaps related to financial instruments, such as securities, securities indices and currencies, but not to engage in transactions in swaps or options on swaps related to physical commodities, such as oil or metals.
With respect to fundamental investment restriction no. 3 above, the 1940 Act currently allows the Master Portfolio to borrow up to one-third of the value of its total assets (including the amount borrowed) valued at the lesser of cost or market, less liabilities (not including the amount borrowed) at the time the borrowing is made. In addition, the Master Portfolio has received an exemptive order from the SEC permitting borrowing through the Interfund Lending Program (discussed below), subject to the conditions of the exemptive order. With respect to fundamental investment restriction no. 4 above, the 1940 Act and regulatory interpretations currently limit the percentage of the Master Portfolio’s securities that may be loaned to one-third of the value of its total assets.
Non-Fundamental Investment Restrictions of the Master Portfolio
The Master Portfolio has adopted the following investment restrictions as non-fundamental policies. These restrictions may be changed without interestholder approval by vote of a majority of the Trustees of MIP at any time. The Master Portfolio is subject to the following investment restrictions, all of which are non-fundamental policies:
(1) The Master Portfolio may invest in shares of other open-end management investment companies, subject to the limitations of Section 12(d)(1) of the 1940 Act, including the rules, regulations and exemptive orders obtained thereunder; provided, however that the Master Portfolio, if it has knowledge that its beneficial interests are purchased by another investment company investor pursuant to Section 12(d)(1)(G) of the 1940 Act, will not acquire any securities of registered open-end management investment companies or registered unit investment trusts in reliance on Section 12 (d)(1)(F) or 12(d)(1)(G) of the 1940 Act. Other investment companies in which the Master Portfolio invests can be expected to charge fees for operating expenses, such as investment advisory and administration fees, that would be in addition to those charged by the Master Portfolio.
(2) The Master Portfolio may not invest more than 15% of its net assets in illiquid securities. For this purpose, illiquid securities include, among others, (i) securities that are illiquid by virtue of the absence of a readily available market or legal or contractual restrictions on resale, (ii) fixed time deposits that are subject to withdrawal penalties and that have maturities of more than seven days, and (iii) repurchase agreements not terminable within seven days.
(3) The Master Portfolio may lend securities from its portfolio to brokers, dealers and financial institutions, in amounts not to exceed (in the aggregate) one-third of the Master Portfolio’s total assets. Any such loans of portfolio securities will be fully collateralized based on values that are marked-to-market daily.
(4) The Master Portfolio may not purchase interests, leases, or limited partnership interests in oil, gas, or other mineral exploration or development programs.
(5) The Master Portfolio will provide interestholders with at least 60 days’ notice of any change to the Master Portfolio’s non-fundamental policy to invest at least 90% of the value of the Master Portfolio’s net assets plus the amount of any borrowing for
4
investment purposes, in securities comprising the index that the Master Portfolio tracks. The notice will be provided in plain English in a separate written document, and will contain the following prominent statement or similar statement in bold-face type: “Important Notice Regarding Change in Investment Policy.” This statement will appear on both the notice and the envelope in which it is delivered, unless it is delivered separately from other communications to investors, in which case the statement will appear either on the notice or the envelope in which the notice is delivered.
Names Rule Policy
To the extent a Fund is subject to Rule 35d-1 under the 1940 Act, the Fund has an investment policy, described in the Fund’s prospectus, to, under normal circumstances, invest at least 80% of its assets in the particular types of investments suggested by the Fund’s name (a “Name Policy”). “Assets” for the purposes of a Name Policy are net assets plus the amount of any borrowings for investment purposes. The percentage limitation applies at the time of purchase of an investment. A Fund’s Name Policy may be changed by the Board of the Homestead Funds without shareholder approval. However, to the extent required by SEC regulations, shareholders will be provided with at least sixty (60) days’ notice prior to any change in a Fund’s Name Policy.
Description of Certain Investments and Strategies
All Funds Except The Stock Index Fund
This section describes the common types of investments and management practices applicable to all Funds except the Stock Index Fund. Accordingly, references to a “Fund” or the “Funds” in this section do not include the Stock Index Fund. A description of investment strategies and risks applicable to the Stock Index Fund (through its investment of all of its investable assets in the Master Portfolio) appears under the heading “Stock Index Fund Only” below.
The Funds’ Prospectus describes the Funds’ principal investment strategies.
The following provides information that supplements the information provided in the Funds’ Prospectus and describes certain types of investments that may be made by a Fund, as well as certain investment strategies that a Fund may use. The tables below show the types of instruments and transactions in which the Funds may invest and/or engage, in addition and subject to the Funds’ principal investment strategies set forth in the Funds’ Prospectus. The Funds may, but will not necessarily, engage in any of the investment practices described below. In making its investment decisions for a Fund, Homestead Advisers may consider, where appropriate, the alignment of potential portfolio investments with the interests of NRECA’s member cooperatives, in addition to the interests of Fund shareholders. 
Investment
Strategies
Daily
Income
Fund
Short-
Term
Government
Securities
Fund
Short-
Term
Bond
Fund
Intermediate
Bond
Fund
Rural
America
Growth
&
Income
Fund
Value
Fund
Growth
Fund
International
Equity
Fund
Small-
Company
Stock
Fund
Money
Market
Instruments
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
Funding
Agreements
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
Extendible
Commercial
Notes
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
Participation
Interests
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
Bank and
Savings
and Loan
Obligations
 
X(1)(2)
X(1)(2)
X(1)(2)
X(1)(2)
X(1)(2)
X(1)(2)
X(2)
X(1)(2)
Commercial
Paper and
Other
Short-
Term
Corporate
Debt
Instruments
 
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
5
Investment
Strategies
Daily
Income
Fund
Short-
Term
Government
Securities
Fund
Short-
Term
Bond
Fund
Intermediate
Bond
Fund
Rural
America
Growth
&
Income
Fund
Value
Fund
Growth
Fund
International
Equity
Fund
Small-
Company
Stock
Fund
Repurchase
Agreements
X(3)(4)
X(4)(5)
X(4)
X(4)
X(4)
X(4)
X(17)
X(4)
X(4)
Reverse
Repurchase
Agreements
 
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
Debt
Securities
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
Variable
And
Floating
Rate
Securities
X
X
X
X
X
 
 
 
 
U.S. Government
Securities
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
Municipal
Securities
 
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
Unrated,
Downgraded
and
Below
Investment
Grade
Investments
X(6)
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
Loans,
Assignments,
and
Participations
 
 
 
 
X
 
 
 
 
Mortgage-
Backed
and
Asset-
Backed
Debt
Securities
X(7)
X
X
X
X
 
 
 
 
Mortgage
Pass-
Through
Securities
X(7)
X
X
X
X
 
 
 
 
Collateralized
Mortgage
Obligations
X(7)
X
X
X
X
 
 
 
 
Other
Mortgage-
Related
Securities
X(7)
X
X
X
X
 
 
 
 
Asset-
Backed
Securities
X(7)
X
X
X
X
 
 
 
 
6
Investment
Strategies
Daily
Income
Fund
Short-
Term
Government
Securities
Fund
Short-
Term
Bond
Fund
Intermediate
Bond
Fund
Rural
America
Growth
&
Income
Fund
Value
Fund
Growth
Fund
International
Equity
Fund
Small-
Company
Stock
Fund
Forward
Commitments
and
Dollar
Rolls
 
 
 
X
X
 
 
 
 
Convertible
Securities
 
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
Warrants
and
Rights
X(8)
X(8)
X(9)
X(9)
X(9)
X(9)
X(18)
X(9)
X(9)
Equity
Securities
 
 
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
Illiquid
Securities
X(10)
X(11)
X(11)
X(11)
X(11)
X(11)
X(11)
X(11)
X(11)
Restricted
Securities
 
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
When-
Issued
Securities
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
Participation
Certificates
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
Investment
Companies
and
Exchange-
Traded
Funds
X(12)
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
Technology
Securities
 
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
Health Care
Securities
 
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
Financial
Sector
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
Loans of
Portfolio
Securities
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
Borrowing
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
Securities
of
Foreign
Issuers
X(13)(14)
X(13)(14)(15)
X(13)
X(13)
X(13)
X
X(19)
X(20)
X(13)
U.S. Dollar-
Denominated
Securities
of
Foreign
Issuers
X
X(15)(16)
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
7
Investment
Strategies
Daily
Income
Fund
Short-
Term
Government
Securities
Fund
Short-
Term
Bond
Fund
Intermediate
Bond
Fund
Rural
America
Growth
&
Income
Fund
Value
Fund
Growth
Fund
International
Equity
Fund
Small-
Company
Stock
Fund
ADRs,
EDRs
and
GDRs
 
 
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
Yankee
Securities
X(13)(14)
X(13)(14)(15)
X(13)
X(13)
X
X
X(19)
X(20)
X(13)
Eurodollar
Securities
X(13)(14)
X(13)(14)(15)
X(13)
X(13)
X
X
X(19)
X(20)
X(13)
European
Union
X(13)(14)
X(13)(14)(15)
X(13)
X(13)
X
X
X(19)
X(20)
X(13)
Participation
Notes
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
X
 
Obligations
of
Foreign
Governments,
Supranational
Entities
and
Banks
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
Initial
Public
Offerings
 
 
 
 
X
X
X
 
X
Real Estate
Investment
Trusts
 
 
 
 
 
 
X
 
 
Derivatives
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
X
 
(1)
The Fund will not invest in any security issued by a commercial bank or a savings and loan association unless the bank or savings and loan association is organized and operating in the United States, has total assets of at least one billion dollars and is a member of the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (“FDIC”), in the case of banks, or insured by the FDIC in the case of savings and loan associations; provided, however, that such limitation will not prohibit investments in foreign branches of domestic banks which meet the foregoing requirements.
(2)
The Fund will not invest in fixed time deposits which (1) are not subject to prepayment or (2) provide for withdrawal penalties upon prepayment (other than overnight deposits) if, in the aggregate, more than 15% of its net assets would be invested in such deposits, repurchase agreements maturing in more than seven days and other illiquid assets.
(3)
The Fund may enter into repurchase agreements only if the underlying security is either a cash item or a government security (as defined in Section 12(a)(16) of the 1940 Act).
(4)
The Fund may enter into repurchase agreements only with member banks of the Federal Reserve System, primary dealers in U.S. Government securities, or other broker-dealers having comparable qualifications.
(5)
The Fund may not invest in repurchase agreements unless the underlying security of the repurchase agreement is a U.S. Government Security or a security issued by an agency or instrumentality of the U.S. Government and guaranteed by the U.S. Government.
(6)
The Fund may invest in unrated Eligible Securities (as defined below under “Money Market Instruments”) to the extent consistent with its policy to invest at least 99.5% of its total assets in cash, government securities, and/or repurchase agreements that are fully collateralized in accordance with Rule 2a-7 under the 1940 Act.
(7)
The Fund may invest in mortgage-backed and asset-backed debt securities only if they are government securities.
(8)
The Fund will not invest in warrants.
(9)
The Fund will limit investments in warrants to no more than 5% of its net assets, valued at the lower of cost or market value, and will further limit investments in unlisted warrants to no more than 2% of net assets.
(10)
The Fund may not invest more than 5% of its net assets in illiquid securities.
(11)
The Fund may not invest more than 15% of its net assets in illiquid securities.
8
(12)
The Fund will not purchase shares of exchange-traded funds (“ETFs”), but it may purchase shares of other government money market funds.
(13)
The Fund may invest only in U.S. dollar-denominated securities.
(14)
The Fund may not invest in longer-term debt securities of foreign issuers (those with approximately two or more year maturities).
(15)
The Fund may not invest in U.S. dollar-denominated securities other than those that are guaranteed by the U.S. Government, including securities of foreign issuers whose principal and interest payments are guaranteed by the U.S. Government or its agencies.
(16)
The Fund may not purchase U.S. dollar-denominated money market instruments.
(17)
The Fund may enter into repurchase agreements only with member banks of the Federal Reserve System or well-established securities dealers.
(18)
The Fund will limit investments in warrants to no more than 10% of its total assets.
(19)
The Fund may invest in foreign securities so long as that investment does not exceed 10% of its net assets. For purposes of this calculation, U.S. dollar-denominated securities of foreign issuers are defined as foreign securities.
(20)
The Fund also may invest in securities of U.S. companies that derive, or are expected to derive, a significant portion of their revenues from their foreign operations, although under normal circumstances not more than 15% of the Fund’s total assets will be invested in securities of U.S. companies.
Money Market Instruments
Each Fund may invest in money market instruments. Money market instruments are high-quality, short-term debt obligations, which include, but are not limited to: (i) bank obligations, including certificates of deposit, time deposits and bankers’ acceptances; (ii) funding agreements; (iii) repurchase agreements; (iv) obligations issued or guaranteed as to principal and interest by the United States or its agencies or its instrumentalities, including Treasury bills, notes and bonds; (v) certain corporate debt securities, such as commercial paper, short-term corporate obligations and extendible commercial notes; (vi) participation interests; and (vii) municipal securities. Each of these investments is discussed in further detail below. Investing in money market instruments is subject to certain risks. Money market instruments (other than certain U.S. Government obligations) are not backed or insured by the U.S. Government, its agencies or its instrumentalities. Accordingly, only the creditworthiness of an issuer or guarantees of that issuer support such instruments.
Subject to the Daily Income Fund’s investment policy to invest at least 99.5% of its total assets in cash, government securities, and/or repurchase agreements that are fully collateralized in accordance with Rule 2a-7 under the 1940 Act, the Daily Income Fund may only invest in “Eligible Securities” for purposes of Rule 2a-7.
Generally, an Eligible Security is a security that has a remaining maturity of 397 days or less, with certain exceptions permitted by applicable regulations, that the Board, Homestead Advisers or Invesco has determined presents minimal credit risks to the Fund; is issued by a registered investment company that is a money market fund; or is a government security.
The Daily Income Fund is also subject under Rule 2a-7 to maturity limits. The maximum dollar-weighted average maturity, which is derived by multiplying the market value of each investment by the time remaining to its expected maturity, adding these calculations, and then dividing the total by the value of a Fund’s portfolio, of the Fund’s investments is limited to 60 days or less and the dollar-weighted average life, which reflects the average time it takes for a dollar of principal of the security to be repaid, of the Fund’s investments is limited to 120 days or less. The Fund is also subject to minimum daily and weekly liquidity requirements. The Fund must hold at least 10% of its total assets in daily liquid assets, determined at the time of acquisition of a security. Daily liquid assets are defined as cash, direct obligations of the U.S. Government, securities that will mature or are subject to a demand feature that is exercisable and payable, within one business day; or amounts receivable and due unconditionally within one business day on pending sales of portfolio securities. The Fund must also hold at least 30% of its total assets in weekly liquid assets, which are defined as cash; direct obligations of the U.S. Government; government securities that are issued by a person controlled or supervised by and acting as an instrumentality of the Government of the United States pursuant to authority granted by the Congress of the United States that (1) are issued at a discount to the principal amount to be repaid at maturity and (2) have a remaining maturity date of 60 days or less; securities that will mature or are subject to a demand feature that is exercisable and payable within five business days; or amounts receivable and due unconditionally within five business days on pending sales of portfolio securities.
While the Daily Income Fund’s Board may elect to subject the Fund to liquidity fee and gate requirements in the future, the Board has not elected to do so at this time.
Funding Agreements
When a Fund enters into a funding agreement, the Fund makes cash contributions to a deposit fund of an insurance company’s general account. The insurance company then credits to a Fund on a monthly basis guaranteed interest, which is based on an index (such as LIBOR or a successor or substitute rate therefor, such as the Secured Overnight Financing Rate ("SOFR")). The funding agreements provide that this guaranteed interest will not be less than a certain minimum rate. The purchase price paid for a funding agreement becomes part of the general assets of the insurance company. Guaranteed Investment Contracts (“GICs”) may be considered illiquid securities and therefore may be subject to any limitations on such investments described elsewhere in this SAI, unless there is an active and substantial secondary market for the particular instrument and market quotations are readily available. Generally, funding
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agreements are not assignable or transferable without the permission of the issuing company, and an active secondary market in some funding agreements does not currently exist. Investments in GICs are subject to the risks associated with fixed-income instruments generally, and are specifically subject to the credit risk associated with an investment in the issuing insurance company.
Extendible Commercial Notes
Extendible commercial notes (“ECNs”) are similar to commercial paper except that, with ECNs, the issuer has the option to extend the notes’ maturity. ECNs are issued at a discount rate, with an initial redemption of not more than 90 days from the date of issue. If ECNs are not redeemed by the issuer on the initial redemption date, the issuer will pay a premium (step-up) rate based on the ECN’s credit rating at the time.
Participation Interests
Participation interests (also called pass-through certificates or securities) represent an interest in a pool of debt obligations, such as municipal bonds or notes that have been “packaged” by an intermediary, such as a bank or broker-dealer. Participation interests typically are issued by partnerships or trusts through which a Fund receives principal and interest payments that are passed through to the holder of the participation interest from the payments made on the underlying debt obligations. The purchaser of a participation interest receives an undivided interest in the underlying debt obligations. The issuers of the underlying debt obligations make interest and principal payments to the intermediary, as an initial purchaser, which are passed through to purchasers in the secondary market, such as a Fund. Mortgage-backed securities are a common type of participation interest (see “Mortgage Pass-Through Securities” below).
Bank and Savings and Loan Obligations
The Funds (except the Daily Income Fund) may invest in bank and savings and loans obligations. These include bankers’ acceptances and certificates of deposit. Bankers’ acceptances are negotiable drafts or bills of exchange, normally drawn by an importer or exporter to pay for specific merchandise, which are “accepted” by a bank, meaning, in effect, that the bank unconditionally agrees to pay the face value of the instrument on maturity. Most bankers’ acceptances have maturities of six months or less and are traded in secondary markets prior to maturity. Eurodollar bankers acceptances are bankers acceptances denominated in U.S. dollars and are “accepted” by foreign branches of major U.S. commercial banks. Certificates of deposit are negotiable certificates issued against funds deposited in a commercial bank for a definite period of time and earning a specified return. Certificates of deposits include fixed time deposits, which 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 which vary depending upon market conditions and the remaining maturity of the obligations. There are typically no contractual restrictions on the right to transfer a beneficial interest in a fixed time deposit to a third party, although there has historically not been an active secondary market for such deposits. A Fund will not invest in fixed time deposits which (1) are not subject to prepayment or (2) provide for withdrawal penalties upon prepayment (other than overnight deposits) if, in the aggregate, more than 15% of its net assets would be invested in such deposits, repurchase agreements maturing in more than seven days and other illiquid assets.
The Funds, other than the International Equity Fund, will not invest in any security issued by a commercial bank or a savings and loan association unless the bank or savings and loan association is organized and operating in the United States, has total assets of at least one billion dollars and is a member of the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (“FDIC”), in the case of banks, or insured by the FDIC in the case of savings and loan associations; provided, however, that such limitation will not prohibit investments in foreign branches of domestic banks which meet the foregoing requirements.
Commercial Paper and Other Short-Term Corporate Debt Instruments
The Funds (except the Daily Income Fund) may purchase commercial paper and other short-term corporate debt instruments. Commercial paper is short-term, debt obligations usually issued by banks, corporations, and other borrowers and often sold on a discount basis in order to finance their current operations. Commercial paper is typically bought by investors to earn returns on a short-term basis, and it is usually repaid at maturity by the issuer from the proceeds of the issuance of new commercial paper. Short-term corporate debt securities include bills, notes, debentures, money market instruments and similar instruments and securities, and are generally used by corporations and other issuers to borrow money from investors for such purposes as working capital or capital expenditures. The issuer pays the investor a variable or fixed rate of interest and normally must repay the amount borrowed on or before maturity. The investment return of corporate debt securities reflects interest earnings and changes in the market value of the security. The market value of a corporate debt obligation may be expected to rise and fall inversely with interest rates generally. In addition to interest rate risk, corporate debt securities also involve the risk that the issuers of the securities may not be able to meet their obligations on interest or principal payments at the time called for by an instrument. The rate of return or return of principal on some debt obligations may be linked or indexed to the level of exchange rates between the U.S. dollar and a foreign currency or currencies. Non-convertible corporate debt securities with a remaining maturity of less than 13 months are generally liquid (and tend to become more liquid as their maturities lessen) and typically are traded as money market securities.
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Repurchase Agreements
The Funds may invest in repurchase agreements. A repurchase agreement is an instrument under which the investor (such as the Fund) acquires ownership of a security (known as the “underlying security”) and the seller (i.e., a bank or primary dealer) agrees, at the time of the sale, to repurchase the underlying security at a mutually agreed upon time and price, thereby determining the yield during the term of the agreement. The underlying securities generally will consist only of high grade money market instruments.
With respect to the Daily Income Fund, the underlying security must be either a cash item or a government security (as defined in Section 2(a)(16) of the 1940 Act). With respect to the Short-Term Government Securities Fund, the underlying security must be a U.S. Government security or a security issued by an agency or instrumentality of the U.S. Government and guaranteed by the U.S. Government. Repurchase agreements are, in effect, collateralized by such underlying securities, and, during the term of a repurchase agreement, the seller will be required to mark to market such securities every business day and to provide such additional collateral as is necessary to maintain the value of all collateral at a level at least equal to the repurchase price. Repurchase agreements that have more than seven days remaining to maturity will be considered illiquid for purposes of the restriction on a Fund’s investment in illiquid and restricted securities.
The Funds will seek to assure that the value of the securities collateralizing all repurchase agreements (reduced by reasonable transaction costs that a Fund would incur in the event of default), will be maintained in a segregated account and, with respect to United States repurchase agreements, will be marked to market daily to ensure that the full value of the collateral, as specified in the repurchase agreement, does not decrease below the repurchase price plus accrued interest. Such collateral will be in the actual constructive possession of the Funds’ custodian at all times. To the extent that the proceeds from any sale of such collateral upon a default in the obligation to repurchase were less than the repurchase price, the Fund would suffer a loss. If the financial institution that is party to the repurchase agreement petitions for bankruptcy or otherwise becomes subject to bankruptcy or other liquidation proceedings, there may be restrictions on the Fund’s ability to sell the collateral and the Fund could suffer a loss. The Funds will enter into repurchase agreements only with sellers deemed to be creditworthy by Homestead Advisers, Invesco, T. Rowe Price or Harding Loevner, as applicable, and only when the economic benefit to the Funds is believed to justify the attendant risks. The Funds have adopted standards by which the adviser will evaluate the counterparty. Such standards are designed to reduce the risk that a counterparty will become involved in bankruptcy proceedings within the time frame contemplated by the repurchase agreement.
Each of the Funds, except for the Growth Fund, may enter into repurchase agreements only with member banks of the Federal Reserve System, primary dealers in U.S. Government securities, or other broker-dealers having comparable qualifications. The Growth Fund may enter into repurchase agreements only with member banks of the Federal Reserve System or well-established securities dealers.
Reverse Repurchase Agreements
Each Fund, except for the Daily Income Fund, may enter into reverse repurchase agreements to the extent permissible under the 1940 Act and within the parameters of the Fund’s investment objectives, strategies, policies and restrictions. Reverse repurchase agreements involve sales of portfolio securities by a Fund concurrently with an agreement by the Fund to repurchase the securities at a later date at a fixed price. Under the 1940 Act, reverse repurchase agreements may be viewed as the borrowing of money by a Fund and, therefore, a form of leverage, which may magnify any gains or losses for the Fund. Reverse repurchase agreements involve the risk that the market value of the securities the Fund is obligated to repurchase under the agreement may decline below the repurchase price. Reverse repurchase agreements involve the risk that the buyer of the securities sold might be unable to deliver them when the Fund seeks to repurchase the securities. If the buyer files for bankruptcy or becomes insolvent, the Fund may be delayed or prevented from recovering the security that it sold.
Debt Securities
The Funds may invest in debt securities, subject to their investment strategies and the restrictions below.
Variable And Floating Rate Securities. The Daily Income Fund, Short-Term Government Securities Fund, Short-Term Bond Fund, Intermediate Bond Fund, and Rural America Growth & Income Fund may invest in adjustable, variable and floating rate securities which bear interest at rates subject to periodic adjustment or provide for periodic recovery of principal on demand.
Variable Rate Instruments. Variable rate instruments are obligations (usually certificates of deposit) that provide for the adjustment of their interest rates on predetermined dates or whenever a specific interest rate changes. With respect to the Daily Income Fund, a government security that is a variable rate security where the variable rate of interest is readjusted no less frequently than every 397 calendar days shall be deemed to have a maturity equal to the period remaining until the next readjustment of the interest rate. A government security that is a floating rate security (see below) shall be deemed to have a remaining maturity of one day. A variable rate instrument that is not a government security and whose principal amount must be unconditionally paid in 397 calendar days or less is deemed to have a maturity equal to the earlier of the period remaining until the next readjustment of the interest rate or the period remaining until the principal amount can be recovered through demand.
Many variable rate instruments are subject to demand features which entitle the purchaser to resell such securities to the issuer or another designated party, either (1) at any time upon notice of usually 13 months or less, or (2) at specified intervals, not exceeding 13 months, and upon 30 days’ notice.
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Floating Rate Instruments. Floating rate instruments (generally corporate notes, bank notes, asset-backed securities and mortgage-backed securities) have interest rate reset provisions similar to those for variable rate instruments and may be subject to demand features like those for variable rate instruments. The interest rate is adjusted periodically (e.g., daily, monthly, quarterly, semi-annually), usually by a set formula based on the prevailing interest rate in the marketplace, though any upward rate adjustments do not guarantee that a floating rate investment’s market value will not decline. The interest rate on floating rate securities is ordinarily determined by reference to, or is a percentage of, a bank’s prime rate (e.g., LIBOR), the 90-day U.S. Treasury bill rate, the rate of return on commercial paper or bank certificates of deposit, an index of short-term interest rates, or some other objective measure. The maturity of a floating rate instrument is considered to be the period remaining until the principal amount can be recovered through demand.
U.S. Government Securities. The Funds may invest in U.S. Government securities. U.S. Government securities are obligations of and, in certain cases, guaranteed by, the U.S. Government, its agencies or instrumentalities. These include the various types of instruments currently outstanding or which may be offered in the future. The U.S. Government does not guarantee the net asset value (“NAV”) of the Funds’ shares.
The Funds may invest in direct obligations of the U.S. Treasury. These obligations include Treasury bills, notes and bonds, all of which have their principal and interest payments backed by the full faith and credit of the U.S. Government.
The Funds may invest in obligations issued by the agencies or instrumentalities of the U.S. Government. These obligations may or may not be backed by the “full faith and credit” of the United States. Securities which are backed by the full faith and credit of the United States include obligations of the Government National Mortgage Association (“Ginnie Mae” or “GNMA”) and the Export-Import Bank. For those securities which are not backed by the full faith and credit of the United States, a Fund must principally look to the federal agency guaranteeing or issuing the obligation for ultimate repayment and therefore may not be able to assert a claim against the United States itself for repayment in the event that the issuer does not meet its commitments. The securities in which a Fund may invest that are not backed by the full faith and credit of the United States include, but are not limited to: (a) obligations of the Federal Home Loan Banks, which are supported by the right of the issuer to borrow from the U.S. Treasury; (b) obligations of the Federal National Mortgage Association (“Fannie Mae” or “FNMA”), which are supported by the discretionary authority of the U.S. Government to purchase the agency’s obligations; and (c) obligations of the Student Loan Marketing Association, which are supported only by the credit of the instrumentality.
Because of the rising U.S. Government debt burden and potential limitations cause by the statutory debt ceiling, it is possible that the U.S. Government may not be able to meet its financial obligations or that securities issued by the U.S. Government may experience credit downgrades. In the past, U.S. sovereign credit has experienced downgrades and there can be no guarantee that it will not experience further downgrades in the future by rating agencies. Such a credit event may adversely impact the financial markets and a fund. From time to time, uncertainty regarding the status of negotiations in the U.S. Government to increase the statutory debt ceiling could increase the risk that the U.S. Government may default on payments on certain U.S. Government securities, cause the credit rating of the U.S. Government to be downgraded or increase volatility in financial markets, result in higher interest rates, reduce prices of U.S. Treasury securities and/or increase the costs of certain kinds of debt.
Municipal Securities. The Funds (except for the Daily Income Fund) may invest in municipal securities. Municipal securities are generally issued by states and local governments and their agencies, authorities and other instrumentalities to raise money for public purposes. They include, for example, general obligations of a state or other government entity supported by its taxing powers to acquire and construct public facilities, or to provide temporary financing in anticipation of the receipt of taxes and other revenue. They also include obligations of states, public authorities or political subdivisions to finance privately owned or operated facilities or public facilities financed solely by enterprise revenues. Municipal securities include municipal lease obligations and securities issued by entities whose underlying assets are municipal bonds. There is no guarantee that income from municipal securities will be exempt from federal and state taxes. Changes in federal or state tax treatment of municipal securities may make municipal securities less attractive as investments or cause them to lose value. Each Fund expects to invest less than 50% of its total assets in tax-exempt municipal bonds. As a result, none of the Funds expect to be eligible to pay exempt interest dividends to shareholders and interest on municipal bonds will be taxable to shareholders when received as a distribution from a Fund.
Municipal securities may include the obligations of the governments of Puerto Rico and other U.S. territories and their political subdivisions (such as the U.S. Virgin Islands and Guam). Payment of interest and preservation of principal is dependent upon the continuing ability of such issuers and/or obligors of territorial, municipal and public authority debt obligations to meet their obligations thereunder. The sources of payment for such obligations and the marketability thereof may be affected by financial and other difficulties experienced by such issuers. For example, securities issued by Puerto Rico and its agencies and instrumentalities have been subject to multiple credit downgrades as a result of Puerto Rico's ongoing fiscal challenges and uncertainty about its ability to make full repayment on these obligations. In May 2017, Puerto Rico filed in U.S. federal court to commence a debt restructuring process similar to that of a traditional municipal bankruptcy under a new federal law for insolvent U.S. territories, called Promesa, which, among other things, established the Financial and Oversight Management Board (FOMB) to oversee Puerto Rico’s financial operations and provide a legal framework for debt restructuring. However, Puerto Rico's case will be the first ever heard under Promesa for which there is no existing body of court precedent. Accordingly, Puerto Rico's debt restructuring process could take significantly longer than recent municipal bankruptcy proceedings adjudicated pursuant to Chapter 9 of the U.S. Bankruptcy Code. In addition to the debt restructuring petition filed on behalf of Puerto Rico, in May 2017, FOMB separately filed debt restructuring petitions for certain Puerto Rico instrumentalities, including the Puerto Rico Highways and Transportation Authority, Puerto Rico
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Sales Tax Financing Corporation (COFINA), Puerto Rico Electric and Power Authority and Employee Retirement System. On February 4, 2019, the United District Court for the District of Puerto Rico approved a plan to restructure $17.6 billion of COFINA-issued debt. In March 2022, the FOMB announced the effectiveness of a plan of adjustment, which reduces debt service by cutting $33 billion of liabilities to $7 billion of new bonds and $10 billion in cash payments. Pursuant to the plan of adjustment, annual debt service will decrease from a maximum of $3.9 billion to $1.15 billion each year. The plan of adjustment does not cover the debt of certain other Puerto Rico instrumentalities, including the Puerto Rico Electric Power Authority and the Highway Transportation Authority. For debt not covered by the plan of adjustment, further legislation by the U.S. Congress, actions by the FOMB, or court approval of a debt restructuring could reduce the principal amount due, the interest rate, the maturity and other terms of Puerto Rico municipal securities, which could adversely affect the value of Puerto Rico municipal securities. To the extent a Fund invests in these securities, such developments could adversely impact the Fund's performance. The risk of investing in a Fund is directly correlated to the Fund’s investment exposures.
Unrated, Downgraded and Below Investment Grade Investments. The Funds may invest in unrated, downgraded and below-investment grade instruments within the parameters of the applicable Fund’s investment objectives, strategies, policies and restrictions. For purposes of a Fund’s rating restrictions, if securities are rated by two or more rating agencies, the higher rating is used. The Daily Income Fund may invest in unrated Eligible Securities to the extent consistent with its policy to invest at least 99.5% of its total assets in cash, government securities, and/or repurchase agreements that are fully collateralized in accordance with Rule 2a-7. See “Money Market Instruments,” above.
Although they may offer higher yields than do higher rated securities, low rated and unrated low quality debt securities generally involve greater volatility of price and risk of principal and income, including the possibility of default by, or bankruptcy of, the issuers of the securities. In addition, the markets in which low rated and unrated low quality debt are traded are more limited than those in which higher rated securities are traded. The existence of limited markets for particular securities may diminish the Fund ability to sell the securities at fair value either to meet redemption requests or to respond to changes in the economy or in the financial markets and could adversely affect and cause fluctuations in the daily net asset value of the Fund interests. Low rated and unrated low quality debt may be regarded as predominately speculative with respect to the issuer’s continuing ability to meet principal and interest payments. Adverse publicity and investor perceptions, whether or not based on fundamental analysis, may decrease the values and liquidity of low rated or unrated low quality debt securities, especially in a thinly traded market. Analysis of the creditworthiness of issuers of low rated or unrated low quality debt securities may be more complex than for issuers of higher rated securities, and the ability of the Fund to achieve its investment objective may, to the extent it holds low rated or unrated low quality debt securities, be more dependent upon such creditworthiness analysis than would be the case if the Fund held exclusively higher rated or higher quality securities. Issuers of securities in default may fail to resume principal or interest payments, in which case the Fund may lose its entire investment. Low rated or unrated low quality debt securities may be more susceptible to real or perceived adverse economic and competitive industry conditions than investment grade securities. The lower ratings of certain securities held by a Fund reflect a greater possibility that adverse changes in the financial condition of the issuer, or in general economic conditions, or both, or an unanticipated rise in interest rates, may impair the ability of the issuer to make payments of interest and principal.
Like those of other fixed income securities, the values of lower-rated securities fluctuate in response to changes in interest rates. Thus, a decrease in interest rates generally will result in an increase in the value of a Fund’s fixed income securities. Conversely, during periods of rising interest rates, the value of a Fund’s fixed income securities generally will decline. In addition, the values of such securities are also affected by changes in general economic conditions and business conditions affecting the specific industries of their issuers. Changes by recognized rating services in their ratings of any fixed income security and in the ability of an issuer to make payments of interest and principal may also affect the value of these investments. Changes in the values of portfolio securities generally will not affect cash income derived from such securities, but will affect a Fund’s NAV.
Issuers of lower-rated securities are often highly leveraged, so that their ability to service their debt obligations during an economic downturn or during sustained periods of rising interest rates may be impaired. In addition, such issuers may not have more traditional methods of financing available to them, and may be unable to repay debt at maturity by refinancing. The risk of loss due to default in payment of interest or principal by such issuers is significantly greater because such securities frequently are unsecured and subordinated to the prior payment of senior indebtedness. Certain of the lower-rated securities in which a Fund may invest are issued to raise funds in connection with the acquisition of a company, in so-called leveraged buy-out transactions. The highly leveraged capital structure of such issuers may make them especially vulnerable to adverse changes in economic conditions.
Under adverse market or economic conditions or in the event of adverse changes in the financial condition of the issuer, a Fund could find it more difficult to sell lower-rated securities when the Fund’s adviser believes it advisable to do so or may be able to sell such securities only at prices lower than might otherwise be available. In many cases, lower-rated securities may be purchased in private placements and, accordingly, will be subject to restrictions on resale as a matter of contract or under securities laws. Under such circumstances, it may also be more difficult to determine the fair value of such securities for purposes of computing a Fund’s NAV. In order to enforce its rights in the event of a default under lower-rated securities, a Fund may be required to take possession of and manage assets securing the issuer’s obligations on such securities, which may increase the Fund’s operating expenses and adversely affect the Fund’s NAV. A Fund may also be limited in its ability to enforce its rights and may incur greater costs in enforcing its rights in the event an issuer becomes the subject of bankruptcy proceedings. In addition, a Fund’s intention to qualify as a regulated investment company (“RIC”) under the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended (the “Code”), may limit the extent to which the Fund may exercise its rights by taking possession of such assets.
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Certain securities held by a Fund may permit the issuer at its option to call, or redeem, its securities. If an issuer were to redeem securities held by a Fund during a time of declining interest rates, the Fund may not be able to reinvest the proceeds in securities providing the same investment return as the securities redeemed.
Lower-rated securities may be subject to certain risks not typically associated with investment grade securities, such as the following: (1) reliable and objective information about the value of lower rated obligations may be difficult to obtain because the market for such securities may be thinner and less active than that for investment grade obligations; (2) adverse publicity and investor perceptions, whether or not based on fundamental analysis, may decrease the values and liquidity of lower than investment grade obligations, and, in turn, adversely affect their market; (3) companies that issue lower rated obligations may be in the growth stage of their development, or may be financially troubled or highly leveraged, so they may not have more traditional methods of financing available to them; (4) when other institutional investors dispose of their holdings of lower rated debt securities, the general market and the prices for such securities could be adversely affected; and (5) the market for lower rated securities could be impaired if legislative proposals to limit their use in connection with corporate reorganizations or to limit their tax and other advantages are enacted.
Maturity of Debt Securities. The maturity of debt securities may be considered long (10 or more years), intermediate (3 to 10 years), or short-term (1 to 3 years). In general, the principal values of longer-term securities fluctuate more widely in response to changes in interest rates than those of shorter-term securities, providing greater opportunity for capital gain or risk of capital loss. A decline in interest rates usually produces an increase in the value of debt securities, while an increase in interest rates generally reduces their value.
LIBOR. Many financial instruments use or may use a floating rate based on LIBOR, which is the offered rate for short-term Eurodollar deposits between major international banks. The U.K. Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) and LIBOR’s administrator, ICE Benchmark Administration (IBA), ceased publishing 24 of the 35 LIBOR settings since January 1, 2022 and a majority of U.S. dollar LIBOR settings will no longer be published after June 30, 2023. Bank working groups and regulators in various countries have suggested other alternatives for their markets, including the Sterling Overnight Index Average (SONIA) rate in England. On December 16, 2022 the U.S. Federal Reserve adopted a final rule to implement the Secured Overnight Financing Rate (SOFR) to serve as a reference rate for U.S. dollar-based debt and derivatives and ultimately reduce the markets’ dependence on LIBOR. Neither the effect of the transition process nor its ultimate success can yet be known. The transition process might lead to increased volatility and illiquidity in markets for instruments whose terms currently include LIBOR. It could also lead to a reduction in the value of some LIBOR-based investments and reduce the effectiveness of new hedges placed against existing LIBOR-based investments. While some LIBOR-based instruments may contemplate 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, not all may have such provisions and there may be significant uncertainty regarding the effectiveness of any such alternative methodologies, resulting in prolonged adverse market conditions for a Fund. There also remains uncertainty and risk regarding the willingness and ability of issuers to include enhanced provisions in new and existing contracts or instruments. All of the aforementioned may adversely affect a Fund's performance or NAV.
Loans, Assignments, and Participations
The Rural America Growth & Income Fund may acquire or invest in loans made by others. The Fund may acquire a loan interest directly by acting as a member of the original lending syndicate. Alternatively, the Fund may acquire some or all of the interest of a bank or other lending institution in a loan to a particular borrower, by means of an assignment or a participation. In an assignment, the Fund assumes all of the rights of a lending institution in a 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. The Fund assumes the position of a co-lender with other syndicate members. As an alternative, the Fund may purchase a participating interest in a portion of the rights of a lending institution in a loan. In such case, the Fund will generally be entitled to receive from the lending institution amounts equal to the payments of principal, interest and premium, if any, on the loan received by the institution, but will not generally be entitled to enforce its rights directly against the agent bank or the borrower, and must rely for that purpose on the lending institution. In the case of a participation, the value of the Fund’s loan investment will depend at least in part on the credit standing of the assigning or participating institution. The loans in which the Fund may invest include those that pay fixed rates of interest and those that pay floating rates – i.e., rates that adjust periodically based on a known lending rate, such as a bank’s prime rate. Investments in loans may be of any quality, including “distressed” loans.
Many loans are made by a syndicate of banks, represented by an agent bank (the “Agent”) which has negotiated and structured the loan and which is responsible generally for collecting interest, principal, and other amounts from the borrower on its own behalf and on behalf of the other lending institutions in the syndicate (the “Lenders”), and for enforcing its and their other rights against the borrower. Each of the lending institutions, which may include the Agent, lends to the borrower a portion of the total amount of the loan, and retains the corresponding interest in the loan. Unless, under the terms of the loan or other indebtedness, the Fund has direct recourse against the borrower, the Fund may have to rely on the Agent or other financial intermediary to apply appropriate credit remedies against a borrower.
The Fund’s ability to receive payments of principal and interest and other amounts in connection with loan participations held by it will depend primarily on the financial condition of the borrower (and, in some cases, the lending institution from which it purchases the loan). The value of collateral, if any, securing a loan can decline, or may be insufficient to meet the borrower’s obligations or may be difficult to liquidate. In addition, the Fund’s access to collateral may be limited by bankruptcy or other insolvency laws. The failure
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by the Fund to receive scheduled interest or principal payments on a loan would adversely affect the income of the Fund and would likely reduce the value of its assets, which would be reflected in a reduction in the Fund’s NAV. Loans that are fully secured offer the 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. 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, the Fund bears a substantial risk of losing the entire amount invested.
Banks and other lending institutions generally perform a credit analysis of the borrower before originating a loan or participating in a lending syndicate. In selecting the loans in which the Fund will invest, however, Homestead Advisers will not rely solely on that credit analysis, but will perform its own investment analysis of the borrowers. Homestead Advisers’ analysis may include consideration of the borrower’s financial strength and managerial experience, debt coverage, additional borrowing requirements or debt maturity schedules, changing financial conditions, and responsiveness to changes in business conditions and interest rates. Because loans in which the Fund may invest may not be rated by independent credit rating agencies, a decision by the Fund to invest in a particular loan may depend heavily on the Homestead Advisers’ or the original lending institution’s credit analysis of the borrower.
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 Homestead Advisers believes to be a fair price. Additionally, even where there is a market for certain loans the settlement period may be extended, up to several weeks or longer. That means the Fund may have a limited ability to receive payment promptly on the sale of some of the loans in its portfolio. In addition, valuation of illiquid indebtedness involves a greater degree of judgment in determining the Fund’s NAV than if that value were based on available market quotations, and could result in significant variations in the Fund’s daily share price. At the same time, some loan interests are traded among certain financial institutions and accordingly may be deemed liquid. Homestead Advisers will determine the liquidity of the Fund’s investments by reference to, among other things, market conditions and contractual provisions. Assignments and participations are generally not registered under the Securities Act, and thus investments in them may be limited by the Fund’s limitations on investment in illiquid securities.
Investments in loans through a direct loan may involve additional risks to the Fund. For example, if a loan is foreclosed, the 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, the Fund could be held liable as co-owner. Lender liability may be founded upon the premise that an institutional lender has violated a duty of good faith and fair dealing owed to the borrower or has assumed a degree of control over the borrower resulting in creation of a fiduciary duty owed to the borrower or its other creditors or shareholders. In addition, courts have in some cases applied the doctrine of equitable subordination to subordinate the claim of a lending institution against a borrower to claims of other creditors of the borrower when the lending institution is found to have engaged in unfair, inequitable, or fraudulent conduct.
From time to time, loans or assignment or participation interests therein acquired by the Fund, or to which the Fund may have direct or indirect investment exposure, will at the time of their acquisition be, or may become after acquisition, non-performing for a wide variety of reasons. Non-performing loans include mortgages where the borrower is in default or is or has been delinquent as to the payment of interest and/or principal, including, potentially, for a significant period of time. Such non-performing loans could require a substantial amount of workout negotiations and/or restructuring, which could entail, among other things, a substantial reduction in the interest rate and a substantial write down of the principal of such loans. Even if a restructuring were successfully accomplished, a risk exists that upon maturity of such a loan, replacement “takeout” financing will not be available.
Loans and certain other forms of direct indebtedness may not be classified as “securities” under the federal securities laws and, therefore, purchasers of such instruments may not be entitled to the protections against fraud and misrepresentation contained in the federal securities laws.
It is the position of the SEC that, in the case of loan participations or assignments where a bank or other lending institution serves as a financial intermediary between a fund and the corporate borrower, if the participation does not shift to the fund the direct debtor-creditor relationship with the borrower, the Fund should treat both the lending bank or other lending institution and the borrower as “issuers.” If and to the extent the Fund treats a financial intermediary as an issuer of indebtedness, the Fund may in certain circumstances be limited in its ability to invest in indebtedness related to a single financial intermediary, or a group of intermediaries engaged in the same industry, even if the underlying borrowers represent many different companies and industries.
In managing the Fund, Homestead Advisers may seek to avoid the receipt of material, non-public information (“Confidential Information”) about the issuers of floating rate loans or other investments being considered for acquisition by the Fund or held in the Fund’s portfolio if the receipt of the Confidential Information would restrict one or more of Homestead Advisers’ clients, including, potentially, the Fund, from trading in securities it holds or in which it may invest. In many instances, issuers offer to furnish Confidential Information to prospective purchasers or holders of the issuer’s loans or other securities. In circumstances when the Adviser declines to receive Confidential Information from these issuers, the Fund may be disadvantaged in comparison to other investors, including with respect to evaluating the issuer and the price the Fund would pay or receive when it buys or sells those investments, and the Fund may not take advantage of investment opportunities that it otherwise might have if it had received such
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Confidential Information. Further, in situations when the Fund is asked, for example, to grant consents, waivers or amendments with respect to such investments, Homestead Advisers’ ability to assess such consents, waivers and amendments may be compromised. In certain circumstances, Homestead Advisers may determine to receive Confidential Information, including on behalf of clients other than the Fund. Receipt of Confidential Information by Homestead Advisers could limit the Fund’s ability to sell certain investments held by the Fund or pursue certain investment opportunities on behalf of the Fund, potentially for a substantial period of time. In certain situations, Homestead Advisers may create information walls around persons having access to the Confidential Information to limit the restrictions on others at Homestead Advisers. Those measures could impair the ability of those persons to assist in managing the Fund. Also, certain issuers of senior floating rate loans, other bank loans and related investments may not have any publicly traded securities (“Private Issuers”) and may offer private information pursuant to confidentiality agreements or similar arrangements. Homestead Advisers may access such private information, while recognizing that the receipt of that information could potentially limit the Fund’s ability to trade in certain securities if the Private Issuer later issues publicly traded securities. If Homestead Advisers intentionally or unintentionally comes into possession of Confidential Information, it may be unable, potentially for a substantial period of time, to sell certain investments held by the Fund.
Lending Fees. In the process of buying, selling and holding loans, the Fund may receive and/or pay certain fees. These fees are in addition to interest payments received and may include facility fees, commitment fees, commissions and prepayment penalty fees. When the Fund buys a loan it may receive a facility fee and when it sells a loan it may pay a facility fee. On an ongoing basis, the Fund may receive a commitment fee based on the undrawn portion of the underlying line of credit portion of the loan. In certain circumstances, the Fund may receive a prepayment penalty fee upon the prepayment of a loan by a borrower. Other fees received by the Fund may include covenant waiver fees and covenant modification fees.
Borrower Covenants. A borrower under a loan may be required to comply with various restrictive covenants contained in a loan agreement or note purchase agreement between the borrower and the Lender or lending syndicate (the “Loan Agreement”). Such covenants, in addition to requiring the scheduled payment of interest and principal, may include restrictions on dividend payments and other distributions to stockholders, provisions requiring the borrower to maintain specific minimum financial ratios and limits on total debt. In addition, the Loan Agreement may contain a covenant requiring the borrower to prepay the loan with a certain portion of excess cash flow. Excess cash flow is generally defined as net income after scheduled debt service payments, taxes paid in cash and permitted capital expenditures but before depreciation and amortization among other adjustments. A breach of a covenant which is not waived by the Agent, or by the lenders directly, as the case may be, is normally an event of acceleration; i.e., the Agent, or the lenders directly, as the case may be, has the right to call the outstanding loan. The typical practice of an Agent or a Lender in relying exclusively or primarily on reports from the borrower may involve a risk of fraud by the borrower. In the case of a loan in the form of a participation, the agreement between the buyer and seller may limit the rights of the participant to vote on certain changes which may be made to the Loan Agreement, such as waiving a breach of a covenant.
Administration of Loans. In certain loans, the Agent administers the terms of the Loan Agreement. In such cases, the Agent is normally responsible for the collection of principal and interest payments from the borrower and the apportionment of these payments to the credit of all institutions which are parties to the Loan Agreement. The Fund will generally rely upon the Agent or an intermediate participant to receive and forward to the Fund its portion of the principal and interest payments on the loan. Furthermore, unless under the terms of a participation agreement the Fund has direct recourse against the borrower, the Fund will rely on the Agent and the other members of the lending syndicate to use appropriate credit remedies against the borrower. The Agent is typically responsible for monitoring compliance with covenants contained in the Loan Agreement based upon reports prepared by the borrower. The Agent usually does, but is often not obligated to, notify holders of loans of any failures of compliance. In certain loans such as asset-backed loans, the Agent may monitor the value of the collateral, if any, and if the value of such collateral declines, may accelerate the loan, may give the borrower an opportunity to provide additional collateral or may seek other protection for the benefit of the participants in the loan. The Agent is compensated by the borrower for providing these services under a Loan Agreement, and such compensation may include special fees paid upon structuring and funding the loan and other fees paid on a continuing basis. With respect to loans for which the Agent does not perform such administrative and enforcement functions, the Adviser will perform such tasks on behalf of the Fund, although a collateral bank will typically hold any collateral on behalf of the Fund and the other lenders pursuant to the applicable Loan Agreement.
A financial institution’s appointment as Agent may usually be terminated in the event that it fails to observe the requisite standard of care or becomes insolvent, enters Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (“FDIC”) receivership, or, if not FDIC insured, enters into bankruptcy or insolvency proceedings. A successor Agent would generally be appointed to replace the terminated Agent, and assets held by the Agent under the Loan Agreement should remain available to holders of loans. However, if assets held by the Agent for the benefit of the Fund were determined to be subject to the claims of the Agent’s general creditors, the Fund might incur certain costs and delays in realizing payment on a loan, or suffer a loss of principal and/or interest. In situations involving other intermediate participants similar risks may arise.
Prepayments. Loans may require, in addition to scheduled payments of interest and principal, the prepayment of the loan from free cash flow, as defined above. The degree to which borrowers prepay loans, whether as a contractual requirement or at their election, may be affected by general business conditions, the financial condition of the borrower and competitive conditions among lenders, among others. As such, prepayments cannot be predicted with accuracy. Upon a prepayment, either in part or in full, the actual outstanding debt on which the Fund derives interest income will be reduced. However, the Fund may, but will not necessarily, receive both a prepayment
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Mortgage-Backed and Asset-Backed Debt Securities
The Daily Income Fund, the Short-Term Government Securities Fund, the Short-Term Bond Fund, the Intermediate Bond Fund and the Rural America Growth & Income Fund may invest in mortgage-backed and asset-backed securities. The Daily Income Fund can invest in such securities only if they are government securities.
Mortgage Pass-Through Securities. Interests in pools of mortgage pass-through securities differ from other forms of debt securities (which normally provide periodic payments of interest in fixed amounts and the payment of principal in a lump sum at maturity or on specified call dates). Instead, mortgage pass-through securities provide monthly payments consisting of both interest and principal payments. In effect, these payments are a “pass-through” of the monthly payments made by the individual borrowers on the underlying mortgage loans, net of any fees paid to the issuer or guarantor of such securities. Unscheduled payments of principal may be made if the underlying mortgage loans are repaid, refinanced or the underlying properties are foreclosed, thereby shortening the securities’ weighted average life. Some mortgage pass-through securities (such as securities guaranteed by GNMA) are described as “modified pass-through securities.” These securities entitle the holder to receive all interest and principal payments owed on the mortgage pool, net of certain fees, on the scheduled payment dates regardless of whether the mortgagor actually makes the payment.
From time to time, the residential mortgage market in the United States has experienced difficulties that may adversely affect the performance and market value of certain of a Fund’s mortgage-related investments. Ongoing developments in the residential and commercial mortgage markets may have additional consequences for the market for mortgage-backed securities. During the periods of deteriorating economic conditions, such as recessions or periods of rising unemployment, delinquencies and losses generally increase, sometimes dramatically, with respect to securitizations involving mortgage loans. The effects of the COVID-19 virus, and governmental responses to the effects of the virus, may result in increased delinquencies and losses and have other, potentially unanticipated, adverse effects on such investments and the markets for those investments. Many so-called sub-prime mortgage pools have become distressed during the periods of economic distress and may trade at significant discounts to their face value during such periods. Reduced investor demand for mortgage loans and mortgage-related securities and increased investor yield requirements have caused limited liquidity in the secondary market for mortgage-related securities, which can adversely affect the market value of mortgage-related securities. It is possible that such limited liquidity in such secondary markets could continue or worsen. In addition, there are fewer investors in mortgage- and asset-backed securities markets and those investors are more homogenous than in markets for other kinds of securities. If a number of market participants are impacted by negative economic conditions, forced selling of mortgage- or asset-backed securities unrelated to fundamental analysis could depress market prices and liquidity significantly and for a longer period of time than in markets with greater liquidity.
Borrowers with adjustable rate mortgage loans are more sensitive to changes in interest rates, which affect their monthly mortgage payments, and may be unable to secure replacement mortgages at comparably low interest rates. Residential mortgage loan originators could experience serious financial difficulties or bankruptcy. Owing largely to the foregoing, reduced investor demand for mortgage loans and mortgage-related securities and increased investor yield requirements could cause limited liquidity in the secondary market for mortgage-related securities, which can adversely affect the market value of mortgage-related securities.
The principal governmental guarantor of mortgage-related securities is GNMA. GNMA is a wholly owned United States Government corporation within the Department of Housing and Urban Development. GNMA is authorized to guarantee, with the full faith and credit of the United States Government, the timely payment of principal and interest on securities issued by institutions approved by GNMA (such as savings and loan institutions, commercial banks and mortgage bankers) and backed by pools of mortgages insured by the FHA, or guaranteed by the Department of Veterans Affairs (the “VA”).
Government-related guarantors (i.e., not backed by the full faith and credit of the United States Government) include the FNMA and the Federal Home Loan Mortgage Corporation (“Freddie Mac” or “FHLMC”). FNMA is a government-sponsored corporation owned entirely by private stockholders. It is subject to general regulation by the Secretary of Housing and Urban Development. FNMA purchases conventional (i.e., not insured or guaranteed by any government agency) residential mortgages from a list of approved seller/servicers which include state and federally chartered savings and loan associations, mutual savings banks, commercial banks and credit unions and mortgage bankers. FHLMC was created by Congress in 1970 for the purpose of increasing the availability of mortgage credit for residential housing. It is a government-sponsored corporation formerly owned by the twelve Federal Home Loan Banks and now owned entirely by private stockholders. FHLMC issues Participation Certificates (“PCs”) which are pass-through securities, each representing an undivided interest in a pool of residential mortgages.
FNMA and FHLMC certificates are not backed by the full faith and credit of the United States but the issuing agency or instrumentality has the right to borrow, to meet its obligations, from an existing line of credit with the U.S. Treasury. The U.S. Treasury has no legal obligation to provide such line of credit and may choose not to do so.
On September 6, 2008, the Federal Housing Finance Agency (“FHFA”) placed FNMA and FHMLC into conservatorship. Since the conservatorship began, the U.S. Treasury has at various intervals contributed capital to FNMA and FHMLC in order for them to remain solvent. The FHFA has also periodically updated the lending rules for FMNA and FHMLC by changing the required levels of capitalization, limiting higher risk lending activities, and providing small lender protections. FNMA and FHLMC are continuing to operate as going concerns while in conservatorship and each remain liable for all of its obligations, including its guaranty obligations, associated with its mortgage-backed securities. 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.
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FNMA and FHLMC may be dependent upon the continued support of the U.S. Treasury and the FHFA in order to continue operating their businesses. FNMA and FHLMC also receive substantial support from the Federal Reserve, which may cease at any time. The conservatorship has no specified termination date. There can be no assurance as to when or how the conservatorship will be terminated or whether FNMA and FHLMC will continue to exist following the conservatorship or what their respective businesses structures will be during or following the conservatorship.
Under the Federal Housing Finance Regulatory Reform Act of 2008 (the “Reform Act”), which was included as part of the Housing and Economic Recovery Act of 2008, FHFA, as conservator or receiver, has the power to repudiate any contract entered into by FNMA or FHLMC prior to FHFA’s appointment as conservator or receiver, as applicable, if FHFA determines, in its sole discretion, that performance of the contract is burdensome and that repudiation of the contract promotes the orderly administration of FNMA’s or FHLMC’s affairs. The Reform Act requires FHFA to exercise its right to repudiate any contract within a reasonable period of time after its appointment as conservator or receiver. FHFA, in its capacity as conservator, has indicated that it has no intention to repudiate the guaranty obligations of FNMA or FHLMC because FHFA views repudiation as incompatible with the goals of the conservatorship. However, in the event that FHFA, as conservator or if it is later appointed as receiver for FNMA or FHLMC, were to repudiate any such guaranty obligation, the conservatorship or receivership estate, as applicable, would be liable for actual direct compensatory damages in accordance with the provisions of the Reform Act. Any such liability could be satisfied only to the extent of FNMA’s or FHLMC’s available assets. The future financial performance of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac is heavily dependent on the performance of the U.S. housing market.
In addition, certain rights provided to holders of mortgage-backed securities issued by FNMA and FHLMC under the operative documents related to such securities may not be enforced against FHFA, or enforcement of such rights may be delayed, during the conservatorship or any future receivership. The operative documents for FNMA and FHLMC mortgage-backed securities may provide (or with respect to securities issued prior to the date of the appointment of the conservator may have provided) that upon the occurrence of an event of default on the part of FNMA or FHLMC, in its capacity as guarantor, which includes the appointment of a conservator or receiver, holders of such mortgage-backed securities have the right to replace FNMA or FHLMC as trustee if the requisite percentage of mortgage-backed securities holders consent. The Reform Act prevents mortgage-backed security holders from enforcing such rights if the event of default arises solely because a conservator or receiver has been appointed. The Reform Act also provides that no person may exercise any right or power to terminate, accelerate or declare an event of default under certain contracts to which FNMA or FHLMC is a party, or obtain possession of or exercise control over any property of FNMA or FHLMC, or affect any contractual rights of FNMA or FHLMC, without the approval of FHFA, as conservator or receiver, for a period of 45 or 90 days following the appointment of FHFA as conservator or receiver, respectively.
On June 3, 2019, under the FHFA’s “Single Security Initiative,” FHLMC and FNMA entered into a joint initiative to develop a common securitization platform for the issuance of a “uniform mortgage-backed security” or “UMBS,” in place of their separate offerings of “to be announced” (TBA)-eligible mortgage-backed securities. The Single Security Initiative seeks to generally align the characteristics of FHLMC and FNMA mortgage-backed securities. The effects it may have on the market for mortgage-backed securities are uncertain and the issuance of UMBS may not achieve the intended results and may have unanticipated or adverse effects on the market for mortgage-backed securities.
Commercial banks, savings and loan institutions, 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 pass-through 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. 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 may be issued by governmental entities, private insurers and mortgage poolers. Such insurance and guarantees and the creditworthiness of the issuers thereof will be considered in determining whether a mortgage pass-through security meets the Short-Term Bond Fund’s or the Intermediate Bond 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.
The Short-Term Bond Fund and Intermediate Bond Fund may buy mortgage pass-through securities without insurance or guarantees if Homestead Advisers determines that the securities otherwise meet the Fund’s quality standards.
Collateralized Mortgage Obligations. Collateralized mortgage obligations (“CMOs”) are debt obligations collateralized by mortgage loans or mortgage pass-through securities. CMOs may be collateralized by GNMA, FHLMC or FNMA certificates, but also may be collateralized by whole loans or private mortgage pass-through securities (such collateral is collectively hereinafter referred to as “Mortgage Assets”). Mortgage Assets may be collateralized by commercial or residential uses. Multiclass pass-through securities are equity interests in a trust composed of Mortgage Assets. Payments of principal of and interest on the Mortgage Assets, and any reinvestment income thereon, may require the Fund to pay debt service on the CMOs or make scheduled distributions on the multiclass pass-through securities. CMOs may be issued by federal agencies, or by private originators of, or investors in, mortgage loans, including savings and loan associations, mortgage banks, commercial banks, investment banks and special purpose subsidiaries of the foregoing. The issuer of a series of mortgage pass-through securities may elect to be treated as a Real Estate Mortgage Investment Conduit (“REMIC”). REMICs include governmental and/or private entities that issue a fixed pool of mortgages secured by an interest in real property. REMICs are similar to CMOs in that they issue multiple classes of securities, but unlike CMOs, which are
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required to be structured as debt securities, REMICs may be structured as indirect ownership interests in the underlying assets of the REMICs themselves. Although CMOs and REMICs differ in certain respects, characteristics of CMOs described below apply in most cases to REMICs, as well.
In a CMO, a series of bonds or certificates is issued in multiple classes. Each class of CMOs, often referred to as a tranche, is issued at a specific fixed or floating coupon rate and has a stated maturity or final distribution date. Principal prepayments on the Mortgage Assets may cause the CMOs to be retired substantially earlier than their stated maturities or final distribution dates. Interest is paid or accrues on all classes of the CMOs on a monthly, quarterly or semiannual basis. Certain CMOs may have variable or floating interest rates and others may be stripped mortgage securities.
The principal of and interest on the Mortgage Assets may be allocated among the several classes of a CMO series in a number of different ways. Generally, the purpose of the allocation of the cash flow of a CMO to the various classes is to obtain a more predictable cash flow to certain of the individual tranches than exists with the underlying collateral of the CMO. As a general rule, the more predictable the cash flow is on a CMO tranche, the lower the anticipated yield will be on that tranche at the time of issuance relative to prevailing market yields on other mortgage-backed securities. As part of the process of creating more predictable cash flows on most of the tranches in a series of CMOs, one or more tranches generally must be created that absorb most of the volatility in the cash flows on the underlying mortgage loans. The yields on these tranches are generally higher than prevailing market yields on mortgage-backed securities with similar maturities. As a result of the uncertainty of the cash flows of these tranches, the market prices of and yield on these tranches generally are more volatile.
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. 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 savings and loan associations, homebuilders, mortgage banks, commercial banks, investment banks, partnerships, trusts and special purpose entities of the foregoing.
Asset-Backed Securities. Asset-backed investments tend to increase in value less than other debt securities of similar maturity and credit quality when interest rates decline, but are subject to a similar or greater risk of decline in market value during periods of rising interest rates. In a period of declining interest rates, pre-payments on asset-backed securities may increase and the Fund may be unable to reinvest those prepaid amounts in investments providing the same rate of interest as the pre-paid obligations. Asset-backed securities are structured like mortgage-backed securities, but instead of mortgage loans or interests in mortgage loans, the underlying assets may include a wide variety of items, including, without limitation, motor vehicle installment sales or installment loan contracts, leases of various types of real, personal and other property (including those relating to aircrafts, containers, railroads, telecommunication, energy, and/or other infrastructure assets and infrastructure-related assets), receivables from credit card agreements and automobile finance agreements, student loans, consumer loans, home equity loans, mobile home loans, boat loans, and income from other non-mortgage-related income streams, such as income from business and small business loans, project finance loans, renewable energy projects, personal financial assets, timeshare receivables and franchise rights. They may also include asset-backed securities backed by whole loans or fractions of whole loans issued by alternative lending platforms and securitized by those platforms or other entities (such as third-party originators or brokers). There is a risk that borrowers may default on their obligations in respect of those underlying obligations.
Asset-backed securities involve the risk that borrowers may default on the obligations backing them and that the values of and interest earned on such investments will decline as a result. Loans made to lower quality borrowers, including those of sub-prime quality, involve a higher risk of default. Therefore, the values of asset-backed securities backed by lower quality loans, including those of sub-prime quality, may suffer significantly greater declines in value due to defaults, payment delays or a perceived increased risk of default, especially during periods when economic conditions worsen.
Certain assets underlying asset-backed securities are subject to prepayment, which may reduce the overall return to asset-backed security holders. Holders also may experience delays in payment or losses on the securities if the full amounts due on underlying sales contracts or receivables are not realized by a trust because of, among others, unanticipated legal or administrative costs of enforcing the contracts or because of depreciation or damage to the collateral securing certain contracts, or other factors. The values of asset-backed securities may be substantially dependent on the servicing of the underlying asset pools, and are therefore subject to risks associated with the negligence or malfeasance by their servicers and to the credit risk or insolvency of their servicers. In certain circumstances, the mishandling of related documentation also may affect the rights of security holders in and to the underlying collateral. The insolvency of entities that generate receivables or that utilize the assets may result in added costs and delays in addition to losses associated with a decline in the value of underlying assets. Certain asset-backed securities do not have the benefit of the same security interest in the related collateral as do mortgage-backed securities; nor are they provided government guarantees of repayment as are some mortgage-backed securities. For example, credit card receivables generally are unsecured, and the debtors are entitled to the protection of a number of state and federal consumer credit laws, many of which give such debtors the right to set off certain amounts owed on the credit cards, thereby reducing the balance due. In addition, some issuers of automobile receivables permit the servicers to retain possession of the underlying obligations. If the servicer were to sell these obligations to another party, there is a risk that the purchaser would acquire an interest superior to that of the holders of the related automobile receivables. The impairment of the value of collateral or other assets underlying an asset-backed security, such as a result of non-payment of loans or non-performance of other collateral or underlying assets, may result in a reduction in the value of such asset-backed securities and losses to the Fund. It is
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possible that many or all asset-backed securities will fall out of favor at any time or over time with investors, affecting adversely the values and liquidity of the securities.
During periods of deteriorating economic conditions, such as recessions or periods of rising unemployment, delinquencies and losses generally increase, sometimes dramatically, with respect to securitizations involving loans, sales contracts, receivables and other obligations underlying asset-backed securities. The effects of the COVID-19 virus, and governmental responses to the effects of the virus, may result in increased delinquencies and losses and have other, potentially unanticipated, adverse effects on such investments and the markets for those investments.
The values of asset-backed securities may also be substantially dependent on the servicing of and diligence performed by their servicers or sponsors. For example, the Fund may suffer losses due to a servicer’s, sponsor’s or platform’s negligence or malfeasance, such as through the mishandling of certain documentation affecting security holders’ rights in and to underlying collateral or the failure to update or collect accurate and complete borrower information. In addition, the values of asset-backed securities may be adversely affected by the credit quality of the servicer or sponsor, as applicable. Certain servicers or sponsors may have limited operating histories to evaluate. The insolvency of a servicer or sponsor may result in added costs and delays in addition to losses associated with a decline in the value of underlying assets. The Fund also may experience delays in payment or losses on its investments if the full amount due on underlying collateral is not realized, which may occur because of unanticipated legal or administrative costs of enforcing the contracts, depreciation or damage to the collateral securing certain contracts, under-collateralization or other factors.
Forward Commitments and Dollar Rolls
The Intermediate Bond Fund and Rural America Growth & Income Fund (each such Fund in this section, the "Fund") may enter into contracts to purchase securities for a fixed price at a future date beyond customary settlement time (“forward commitments”) if the Fund sets aside on its books liquid assets in an amount sufficient to meet the purchase price, or if the Fund enters into offsetting contracts for the forward sale of other securities it owns. In the case of to-be-announced (“TBA”) purchase commitments, the unit price and the estimated principal amount are established when the Fund enters into a contract, with the actual principal amount being within a specified range of the estimate. Forward commitments may be considered securities in themselves, and involve a risk of loss if the value of the security to be purchased declines prior to the settlement date, which risk is in addition to the risk of decline in the value of the Fund’s other assets. Where such purchases are made through dealers, the Fund relies on the dealer to consummate the sale. The dealer’s failure to do so may result in the loss to the Fund of an advantageous yield or price. Although the Fund will generally enter into forward commitments with the intention of acquiring securities for its portfolio or for delivery pursuant to options contracts it has entered into, the Fund may dispose of a commitment prior to settlement if Homestead Advisers deems it appropriate to do so. the Fund may realize short-term profits or losses upon the sale of forward commitments.
The Fund may enter into dollar roll transactions (generally using TBAs) in which it sells a fixed income security for delivery in the current month and simultaneously contracts to purchase similar securities (for example, same type, coupon and maturity) at an agreed upon future time. By engaging in a dollar roll transaction, the Fund foregoes principal and interest paid on the security that is sold, but receives the difference between the current sales price and the forward price for the future purchase. the Fund would also be able to earn interest on the proceeds of the sale before they are reinvested. The Fund accounts for dollar rolls as purchases and sales. Dollar rolls may be used to create investment leverage and may increase the Fund’s risk and volatility.
The obligation to purchase securities on a specified future date involves the risk that the market value of the securities that the Fund is obligated to purchase may decline below the purchase price. In addition, in the event the other party to the transaction files for bankruptcy, becomes insolvent or defaults on its obligation, the Fund may be adversely affected.
Recently finalized rules of the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority, Inc. (FINRA) include mandatory margin requirements for the TBA market with limited exceptions. TBA trades historically have not been required to be collateralized. The collateralization of TBA trades is intended to mitigate counterparty credit risk between trade and settlement, but could increase the cost of TBA transactions and impose added operational complexity. The final rules are not currently in effect and additional revisions to these rules are anticipated before they become effective. It is not clear when the rules will be implemented.
Convertible Securities
Each Fund, except for the Daily Income Fund, may from time to time purchase convertible securities. Convertible securities are bonds, debentures, notes, preferred stock or other securities that may be converted or exchanged (by the holder or by the issuer) into shares of the underlying common stock (or cash or securities of equivalent value) within a particular period of time at a stated exchange ratio. A convertible security entitles the holder to receive interest paid or accrued on debt or the dividend paid on preferred stock until the convertible security matures or is redeemed, converted or exchanged. A convertible security may also be called for redemption or conversion by the issuer after a particular date and under certain circumstances (including a specified price) established upon issue. If a convertible security held by a Fund is called for redemption or conversion, the Fund could be required to tender it for redemption, convert it into the underlying common stock, or sell it to a third party.
Before conversion, convertible securities ordinarily provide a stable stream of income, with generally higher yields than the underlying common stocks, but generally lower than comparable non-convertible securities. Because of this higher yield, convertible securities generally sell at prices above their “conversion value,” which is the current market value of the stock to be received upon conversion.
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The difference between this conversion value and the price of convertible securities will vary over time depending on changes in the value of the underlying common stocks and interest rates. When the underlying common stocks decline in value, convertible securities will tend not to decline to the same extent because of the interest or dividend payments and the repayment of principal at maturity for certain types of convertible securities. However, securities that are convertible other than at the option of the holder generally do not limit the potential for loss to the same extent as securities convertible at the option of the holder. When the underlying common stocks rise in value, the value of convertible securities may also be expected to increase. At the same time, however, the difference between the market value of convertible securities and their conversion value will narrow, which means that the value of convertible securities will generally not increase to the same extent as the value of the underlying common stocks. Because convertible securities may also be interest-rate sensitive, their value may increase as interest rates fall and decrease as interest rates rise. Convertible securities are also subject to credit risk, and are often lower-quality securities.
Warrants and Rights
Warrants are instruments which entitle the holder to buy an equity security at a specific price for a specific period of time. Changes in the value of a warrant do not necessarily correspond to changes in the value of its underlying security. The price of a warrant may be more volatile than the price of its underlying security, and a warrant may offer greater potential for capital appreciation as well as capital loss. Rights are similar to warrants but normally have a shorter duration and are typically distributed directly by the issuers to existing shareholders, while warrants are typically attached to new debt or preferred stock issuances.
Warrants and rights do not entitle a holder to dividends or voting rights with respect to the underlying security and do not represent any rights in the assets of the issuing company. A warrant or a right will expire if it is not exercised prior to its expiration date. These factors can make warrants and rights more speculative than other types of investments.
The Daily Income Fund and Short-Term Government Securities Fund will not invest in warrants. Each of the Short-Term Bond Fund, Intermediate Bond Fund, Rural America Growth & Income Fund, Value Fund, International Equity Fund and Small-Company Stock Fund will limit investment in warrants to no more than 5% of its net assets, valued at the lower of cost or market value, and will further limit investments in unlisted warrants to no more than 2% of net assets. The Growth Fund will limit investments in warrants to no more than 10% of its total assets.
Equity Securities
The Value Fund, Growth Fund, International Equity Fund and Small-Company Stock Fund primarily invest in equity securities. The Rural America Growth & Income Fund may invest up to 70% of its total assets in equity securities. Equity securities are securities that represent an ownership interest (or the right to acquire such an interest) in a company and include common and preferred stock. Common stocks represent an equity or ownership interest in an issuer. Equity securities may decline in value due to factors affecting equity securities markets generally, particular industries, sectors or geographic regions represented in those markets, or individual issuers. The types of developments that may affect an issuer of an equity security include management performance, financial leverage and reduced demand for the issuer’s goods or services. Common and preferred stock represent equity or ownership interests in an issuer. Preferred stock, however, pays dividends at a specified rate and has precedence over common stock in the payment of dividends. In the event an issuer is liquidated or declares bankruptcy, the claims of owners of bonds and preferred stock take precedence over the claims of those who own common stock, although preferred stock is junior to the debt securities of the issuer. Preferred shareholders generally have no legal recourse against the issuer if dividends are not paid. Preferred securities typically do not provide any voting rights, except in cases in which dividends are in arrears beyond a certain time period, which varies by issue.
While offering greater potential for long-term growth, equity securities generally are more volatile and riskier than some other forms of investment, although under certain market conditions various fixed-income investments have comparable or greater price volatility.
The Short-Term Bond Fund and Intermediate Bond Fund may invest in equity securities to the extent permitted by its investment objectives and strategies. The Daily Income Fund and Short-Term Government Securities Fund will not invest in equity securities.
Illiquid Securities
An illiquid security is a security that a Fund 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 securities. Each Fund may not acquire illiquid holdings if, as a result, more than 15% (or, with respect to the Daily Income Fund, 5%) of its net assets would be in illiquid investments. If a Fund determines at any time that it owns illiquid securities in excess of 15% (or, with respect to the Daily Income Fund, 5%) of its net assets, it will cease to undertake new commitments to acquire illiquid securities until its holdings are no longer in excess of 15% (or, with respect to the Daily Income Fund, 5%) of its net asset value, and, depending on circumstances, may take additional steps to reduce its holdings of illiquid securities.
In compliance with the SEC’s liquidity risk management rule applicable to open-end mutual funds, the Funds have established a liquidity risk management program. Under the liquidity risk management program, Homestead Advisers assesses, manages, and periodically reviews the Funds’ liquidity risk. The Liquidity Rule defines “liquidity risk” as the risk that the Fund could not meet requests to redeem shares issued by the Fund without significant dilution of remaining investors’ interests in the Fund. While the liquidity risk management program attempts to assess and manage liquidity risk, there is no guarantee it will be effective in its operations and may not reduce the liquidity risk inherent in the Funds’ investments.
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Restricted Securities
The Funds (except the Daily Income Fund) may, from time to time, invest in restricted securities. Restricted securities are securities subject to contractual or legal restrictions on resale, such as those arising from an issuer’s reliance upon certain exemptions from registration under the 1933 Act. There can be no assurance that a trading market will exist at any time for any particular restricted security. Limitations or difficulty in selling restricted securities may have an adverse effect on their marketability, and may prevent the Fund from disposing of them promptly at reasonable prices or at all, which may result in a loss or be costly to a Fund. Where registration is required, the restricted security’s holder may be obligated to pay all or part of the registration expense and a considerable period may elapse between the time the holder decides to seek registration and the time the holder may be permitted to sell the security under an effective registration statement. If, during that period, adverse market conditions were to develop, the holder might obtain a less favorable price than prevailed when it decided to seek registration of the security.
When-Issued Securities
Each Fund may purchase securities on a “when-issued” basis. The price of such securities, which may be expressed in yield terms, is fixed at the time the commitment to purchase is made, but delivery and payment for the when-issued securities take place at a later date. Normally, the settlement date occurs within one month of the purchase, but may take up to three months. During the period between purchase and settlement, no payment is made by a Fund to the issuer and no interest accrues to a Fund. While when-issued securities may be sold prior to the settlement date, each Fund intends to purchase such securities with the purpose of actually acquiring them, unless a sale appears to be desirable for investment reasons. At the time a Fund makes the commitment to purchase a security on a when issued basis, it will record the transaction and reflect the value of the security in determining its net asset value. Each Fund will maintain, in a segregated account with the custodian, cash and liquid high-quality debt securities equal in value to commitments for when-issued securities.
Participation Certificates
A Fund may invest in equity-linked securities (called “participation certificates” in this SAI but may be called different names). In a typical transaction, a Fund would buy a participation certificate from a bank or broker-dealer (“counterparty”) that would entitle the Fund to a return measured by the change in value of an identified underlying security. A Fund may also invest in a participation certificate in which a basket of equity securities serves as the underlying reference security for determining the value of the participation certificate. The purchase price of the participation certificate is based on the market price of the underlying security at the time of purchase converted into U.S. dollars, plus transaction costs. The counterparty may, but is not required to, purchase the shares of the underlying security to hedge its obligation. When the participation certificate expires or a Fund exercises the participation certificate and closes its position, the Fund receives a payment that is based upon the then-current value of the underlying security converted into U.S. dollars (less transaction costs).
The price, performance and liquidity of the participation certificate are all linked directly to the underlying security. A Fund’s ability to redeem or exercise a participation certificate generally is dependent on the liquidity in the local trading market for the security underlying the participation certificate. Participation certificates are typically privately placed securities that have not been registered for sale under the 1933 Act. Pursuant to Rule 144A under the 1933 Act, participation certificates are eligible for purchase or sale to certain qualified institutional buyers.
There are risks associated with participation certificates. A Fund that invests in a participation certificate will bear the full counterparty risk with respect to the issuing counterparty. Counterparty risk in this context is the risk that the issuing counterparty will not fulfill its contractual obligation to timely pay the fund the amount owed under the participation certificate. The Funds attempt to mitigate that risk by purchasing only from issuers with investment grade credit ratings. A participation certificate is a general unsecured contractual obligation of the issuing counterparty. A Fund typically has no rights under a participation certificate against the issuer of the securities underlying the participation certificate and is therefore typically unable to exercise any rights with respect to the issuer (including, without limitation, voting rights and fraud or bankruptcy claims). There is also no assurance that there will be a secondary trading market for a participation certificate or that the trading price of a participation certificate will equal the value of the underlying security. Participation certificates also may have a longer settlement period than the underlying shares and during that time a Fund’s assets could not be deployed elsewhere. The issuers of participation certificates may be deemed to be broker-dealers or engaged in the business of underwriting as defined in the 1940 Act. As a result, a Fund’s investment in participation certificates issued by a particular institution may be limited by certain investment restrictions contained in the 1940 Act.
For the purposes of determining compliance with a Fund’s limitations on investing in certain markets, regions, securities or industries, the Fund looks through the participation certificate to the issuer of the underlying security. The Fund will consider the country classification of the issuer of the security underlying the participation certificate for the purpose of testing compliance with its investment restrictions.
Investment Companies and Exchange-Traded Funds
The Funds may invest in securities issued by other open-end and closed-end investment management companies to the extent permitted under Section 12(d)(1) of the 1940 Act, including any rules thereunder and any exemptive orders obtained thereunder. The 1940 Act generally requires that a Fund limit its investments in securities of other investment companies, including most exchange-traded funds (“ETFs”), or series thereof so that, as determined at the time a securities purchase is made, (i) no more than 5% of the
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value of its total assets will be invested in the securities of any one investment company; (ii) no more than 10% of the value of its total assets will be invested in the aggregate in securities of other investment companies; and (iii) no more than 3% of the outstanding voting stock of any one investment company or series thereof will be owned by a Fund or by companies controlled by a Fund. However, pursuant to the conditions of Rule 12d1-1 of the 1940 Act, these limitations do not apply to a Fund’s acquisition of shares of money market funds that operate in compliance with Rule 2a-7 of the 1940 Act.
In October 2020, the SEC adopted new Rule 12d1-4 under the 1940 Act and other regulatory changes designed to streamline and enhance the regulatory framework for fund of funds arrangements. While new Rule 12d1-4, which had a compliance date of January 19, 2022, permits more types of fund of fund arrangements without an exemptive order, it imposes new conditions, including limits on control and voting of acquired funds’ shares, evaluations and findings by investment advisers, fund investment agreements, and limits on most three-tier fund structures. Although Rule 12d1-4 rescinded applicable exemptive orders and withdrew applicable no action letters, the Rule permits a fund to invest in other investment companies beyond the statutory limits, subject to certain conditions. Rule 12d1-4 may impact a Fund’s ability to invest in other investment companies or pooled investment vehicles.
Investment companies in which a Fund invests can be expected to charge fees for operating expenses, such as investment advisory and administration fees. As a shareholder of another investment company, a Fund would bear, along with other shareholders, a pro rata portion of such expenses, and such fees and other expenses will be borne indirectly by a Fund’s shareholders. These expenses would be in addition to the advisory and other expenses that a Fund bears directly in connection with its own operations.
The Short-Term Government Securities Fund, Short-Term Bond Fund, Intermediate Bond Fund, Rural America Growth & Income Fund, Value Fund, Growth Fund, International Equity Fund and Small-Company Stock Fund may purchase shares of ETFs to the extent permissible under the 1940 Act and as consistent with each Fund’s investment objectives, strategies, policies and restrictions. A Fund may purchase ETF shares to obtain relatively low-cost exposure to the stock market while maintaining flexibility to meet the liquidity needs of the Fund. Because most ETFs are investment companies, a Fund’s purchases of ETF shares generally are subject to the 3/5/10% limitations described above, except as permitted under Rule 12d1-4. The price of an ETF can fluctuate within a wide range, and a Fund could lose money investing in an ETF if the prices of the stocks owned by the ETF decrease. In addition, ETFs are subject to the following risks: (i) the market price of the ETF’s shares may trade at a premium or discount to their net asset value; (ii) an active trading market for an ETF’s shares may not develop or be maintained; (iii) shares may have greater volatility due to a lack of liquidity; or (iv) trading of an ETF’s shares may be halted if the listing exchange’s officials deem such action appropriate, the shares are delisted from the exchange, or the activation of market-wide “circuit breakers” (which are tied to large decreases in stock prices) halts stock trading generally.
The Daily Income Fund may purchase shares of other government money market funds. It will not purchase shares of ETFs.
Technology Securities
The Funds (except the Daily Income Fund) may invest in equity and fixed-income technology securities, as permitted by their investment guidelines. Technology securities can be subject to abrupt or erratic price movements and have been volatile due to the rapid pace of product change and development affecting such companies. Technology companies are subject to significant competitive pressures, such as new market entrants, aggressive pricing, and competition for market share, and the potential for falling profit margins. These companies also face the risks that new services, equipment and technologies will not be accepted by consumers or businesses, or will become rapidly obsolete. Technology companies are heavily dependent on patent and intellectual property rights, the loss or impairment of which may adversely affect profitability. These factors can affect the profitability of technology companies and, as a result, the value of their securities.
Health Care Securities
The Funds (except the Daily Income Fund) may invest in equity and fixed-income health care securities, as permitted by their investment guidelines. Health care companies are generally subject to extensive government regulation and their profitability can be significantly affected by restrictions on government reimbursement for medical expenses, rising costs of medical products and services, pricing pressure (including price discounting), limited product lines as well as an increased emphasis on the delivery of health care through outpatient services. Companies in the health care sector are heavily dependent on obtaining and defending patents, which may be time consuming and costly, and the expiration of patents may also adversely affect the profitability of these companies. Health care companies can also be subject to extensive litigation based on product liability and similar claims. In addition, their products can become obsolete due to industry innovation, changes in technologies or other market developments. Many new products in the health care sector require significant research and development and may be subject to regulatory approvals, all of which may be time consuming and costly with no guarantee that any product will come to market.
Financial Sector Risk
Financial services companies are subject to extensive governmental regulation which may limit both the amounts and types of loans and other financial commitments they can make, the interest rates and fees they can charge, the scope of their activities, the prices they can charge and the amount of capital they must maintain. Profitability is largely dependent on the availability and cost of capital funds and can fluctuate significantly when interest rates change or due to increased competition. In addition, deterioration of the credit markets generally may cause an adverse impact in a broad range of markets, including U.S. and international credit and interbank money markets generally, thereby affecting a wide range of financial institutions and markets. Certain events in the financial sector
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may cause an unusually high degree of volatility in the financial markets, both domestic and foreign, and cause certain financial services companies to incur large losses. Securities of financial services companies may experience a dramatic decline in value when such companies experience substantial declines in the valuations of their assets, take action to raise capital (such as the issuance of debt or equity securities), or cease operations. Credit losses resulting from financial difficulties of borrowers and financial losses associated with investment activities can negatively impact the sector. Insurance companies may be subject to severe price competition. Adverse economic, business or political developments affecting real estate could have a major effect on the value of real estate securities (which include real estate investment trusts). Declining real estate values could adversely affect financial institutions engaged in mortgage finance or other lending or investing activities directly or indirectly connected to the value of real estate.
Loans of Portfolio Securities
Each Fund may lend portfolio securities to the extent allowed under “Fundamental Investment Restrictions,” above.
A Fund may lend portfolio securities to certain creditworthy borrowers, including borrowers affiliated with a Fund’s adviser. The borrowers provide collateral that is maintained in an amount at least equal to the current market value of the securities loaned. No securities loan shall be made on behalf of a Fund if, as a result, the aggregate value of all securities loans of the Fund exceeds one-third of the value of its total assets (including the value of the collateral received). A Fund may terminate a loan at any time and obtain the return of the securities loaned. A Fund receives the value of any interest or cash or non-cash distributions paid on the loaned securities.
With respect to loans that are collateralized by cash, the borrower may be entitled to receive a fee based on the amount of cash collateral. A Fund is compensated by the difference between the amount earned on the reinvestment of cash collateral and the fee paid to the borrower. In the case of collateral other than cash, a Fund is compensated by a fee paid by the borrower equal to a percentage of the market value of the loaned securities. Any cash collateral received by a Fund for such loans and uninvested cash may be invested, among other things, in a private investment company managed by an affiliate of a Fund’s adviser or in registered money market funds advised by a Fund’s adviser or its affiliates; such investments are subject to investment risk.
Securities lending involves exposure to certain risks, including operational risk (i.e., the risk of losses resulting from problems in the settlement and accounting process), “gap” risk (i.e., the risk of a mismatch between the return on cash collateral reinvestments and the fees a Fund has agreed to pay a borrower), and credit, legal, counterparty and market risk. If a securities lending counterparty were to default, a Fund would be subject to the risk of a possible delay in receiving collateral or in recovering the loaned securities, or to a possible loss of rights in the collateral. In the event a borrower does not return a Fund’s securities as agreed, the Fund may experience losses if the proceeds received from liquidating the collateral do not at least equal the value of the loaned security at the time the collateral is liquidated, plus the transaction costs incurred in purchasing replacement securities. This event could trigger adverse tax consequences for a Fund. A Fund could lose money if its short-term investment of the collateral declines in value over the period of the loan. Substitute payments for dividends received by a Fund for securities loaned out will not be considered qualified dividend income for U.S. federal income tax purposes. The securities lending agent will take the tax effects on shareholders of this difference into account in connection with a Fund’s securities lending program. Substitute payments received on tax-exempt securities loaned out will not be tax-exempt income.
Borrowing
The Funds may borrow money for temporary or emergency purposes, including the meeting of redemption requests to the extent permitted under the 1940 Act and as allowed by each Fund’s investment objectives, strategies, policies and restrictions. Borrowing involves special risk considerations. Interest costs on borrowings may fluctuate with changing market rates of interest and may partially offset or exceed the return earned on borrowed funds (or on the assets that were retained rather than sold to meet the needs for which funds were borrowed). Under adverse market conditions, a Fund might have to sell portfolio securities to meet interest or principal payments at a time when investment considerations would not favor such sales. Reverse repurchase agreements, short sales not against the box, dollar roll transactions and other similar investments that involve a form of leverage (i.e., risk of gain or loss disproportionately higher than the amount invested) have characteristics similar to borrowings. The Funds segregate liquid assets in connection with those types of transactions.
Securities of Foreign Issuers
The Daily Income Fund may invest only in U.S. dollar-denominated securities, as discussed below, and may not invest in longer-term debt securities of foreign issuers (those with approximately two or more year maturities).
The International Equity Fund invests primarily in foreign securities. The Growth Fund may invest in foreign securities so long as that investment does not exceed 10% of its net assets. (For purposes of this calculation, U.S. dollar-denominated securities of foreign issuers, as discussed below, are defined as foreign securities.) The Value Fund may invest in foreign securities to the extent permitted by its investment strategy and the remaining Funds may invest only in U.S. dollar-denominated securities, as discussed below. (The Short-Term Government Securities Fund may invest only in those U.S. dollar-denominated securities that are guaranteed by the U.S. Government.)
A Fund may invest in securities issued by a foreign issuer or by an issuer with significant revenue or other exposure to foreign markets. There may be less information publicly available about a foreign market, issuer, or security than about U.S. markets or a
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U.S. issuer or security, and foreign issuers may not be subject to accounting, auditing and financial reporting standards and practices comparable to those in the United States. In addition, there may be less (or less effective) regulation of exchanges, brokers and listed companies in some foreign countries. The securities of some foreign issuers are less liquid and at times more volatile than securities of comparable U.S. issuers. Foreign brokerage commissions, custodial expenses and other fees are also generally higher than in the United States.
Foreign settlement procedures and trade regulations may be more complex and involve certain risks (such as delay in payment or delivery of securities or in the recovery of a Fund’s assets held abroad) and expenses not present in the settlement of investments in U.S. markets. For example, settlement of transactions involving foreign securities or foreign currencies (see below) may occur within a foreign country, and a Fund may accept or make delivery of the underlying securities or currency in conformity with any applicable U.S. or foreign restrictions or regulations, and may pay fees, taxes or charges associated with such delivery. In addition, local market holidays or other factors may extend the time for settlement of purchases and sales of a Fund’s investments in securities that trade on foreign markets. Such investments may also involve the risk that an entity involved in the settlement may not meet its obligations. Extended settlement cycles or other delays in settlement may increase a Fund’s liquidity risk and require the Fund to employ alternative methods (e.g., through borrowings) to satisfy redemption requests during periods of large redemption activity in Fund shares.
In addition, foreign securities may be subject to the risk of nationalization or expropriation of assets, imposition of currency exchange controls, foreign withholding or other taxes or restrictions on the repatriation of foreign currency, confiscatory taxation, political, social or financial instability and diplomatic developments which could affect the value of a Fund’s investments in certain foreign countries. Dividends or interest on, or proceeds from the sale of, foreign securities may be subject to foreign withholding or other taxes, and special U.S. tax considerations may apply.
Legal remedies available to investors in certain foreign countries may be more limited than those available with respect to investments in the United States or in other foreign countries. The laws of some foreign countries may limit a Fund’s ability to invest in securities of certain issuers organized under the laws of those foreign countries. For example, certain countries may require governmental approval prior to investments by foreign persons or limit the amount of investment by foreign persons in a particular company. Certain countries may also limit investment by foreign persons to only a specific class of securities that may have less advantageous terms, and such securities may be less liquid than other classes of securities of an issuer.
To the extent a Fund invests a significant portion of its assets in a specific geographic region, countries or group of countries, the Fund will have greater exposure to risks associated with such region, country or group of countries.
The risks described above, including the risks of nationalization or expropriation of assets, typically are increased in connection with investments in developing countries, also known as emerging markets. For example, political and economic structures in these countries may be in their infancy and developing rapidly, and such countries may lack the social, political and economic stability characteristic of more developed countries. Certain of these countries have in the past failed to recognize private property rights and have at times nationalized and expropriated the assets of private companies. In addition, the economies of certain developing or emerging market countries may be dependent on a single industry or limited group of industries, which may increase the risks described above and make those countries particularly vulnerable to global economic and market changes.
There may also be limited counterparties available in developing markets, which may increase a Fund’s credit risks. Foreign government regulations may restrict potential counterparties to certain financial institutions that are located in or operating in a particular country. Such counterparties may not possess creditworthiness standards, financial reporting standards, and legal protections similar to counterparties located in developed markets, which can increase the risk associated with a Fund’s investments in such markets. The Public Company Accounting Oversight Board, which regulates auditors of U.S. public companies, is unable to inspect audit work papers in certain foreign countries. Investors in foreign countries often have limited rights and few practical remedies to pursue shareholder claims, including class actions or fraud claims, and the ability of the SEC, the U.S. Department of Justice and other authorities to bring and enforce actions against foreign issuers or foreign persons is limited.
The values of foreign securities may be adversely affected by changes in currency exchange rates. This may be because the foreign securities are denominated and/or traded in a foreign currency or because the assets or revenues of an issuer are denominated in a currency different from the issuer’s debt or other obligations. For example, the credit quality of issuers who have outstanding debt denominated in the U.S. dollar, and the values of their debt obligations, may be adversely affected if the value of the U.S. dollar strengthens relative to the value of the currency in which the issuer’s assets or revenues are denominated. In addition, each Fund is required to compute and distribute its income in U.S. dollars. Therefore, if the exchange rate for a foreign currency declines after a Fund’s income has been earned and translated into U.S. dollars (but before payment), a Fund could be required to liquidate portfolio securities to make such distributions. Similarly, if an exchange rate declines between the time a Fund incurs expenses in U.S. dollars and the time such expenses are paid, the amount of such currency required to be converted into U.S. dollars in order to pay such expenses in U.S. dollars will be greater than the equivalent amount in any such currency of such expenses at the time they were incurred. High rates of inflation or currency devaluations may adversely affect the economies and securities markets of such countries and the values of a Fund’s investments in those markets. A foreign government may seek to devalue its currency if it has issued debt in its local currency because any such devaluation reduces the burden on it of repaying its debt obligations. Any devaluation of a currency in which a Fund’s portfolio holdings are denominated will reduce the value of and return on the investment to the Fund when translated into U.S. dollars.
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Any partial or complete dissolution of the European Monetary Union (the “EMU”) could have significant adverse effects on currency and financial markets, and on the values of a Fund’s portfolio investments. If one or more EMU countries were to stop using the euro as its primary currency, a Fund’s investments in such countries may be redenominated into a different or newly adopted currency. As a result, the value of those investments could decline significantly and unpredictably. In addition, securities or other investments that are redenominated may be subject to liquidity risk and the risk that the Funds may not be able to value investments accurately to a greater extent than similar investments currently denominated in euros. To the extent a currency used for redenomination purposes is not specified in respect of certain EMU-related investments, or should the euro cease to be used entirely, the currency in which such investments are denominated may be unclear, making such investments particularly difficult to value or dispose of. A Fund may incur additional expenses to the extent it is required to seek judicial or other clarification of the denomination or value of such securities.
The currencies of certain emerging market countries have experienced devaluations relative to the U.S. dollar, and future devaluations may adversely affect the value of assets denominated in such currencies. Many emerging market countries have experienced substantial, and in some periods extremely high, rates of inflation or deflation for many years, and future inflation may adversely affect the economies and securities markets of such countries. When debt and similar obligations issued by foreign issuers are denominated in a currency (e.g., the U.S. dollar or the Euro) other than the local currency of the issuer, the subsequent strengthening of the non-local currency against the local currency will generally increase the burden of repayment on the issuer and may increase significantly the risk of default by the issuer.
In addition, unanticipated political or social developments may affect the value of investments in emerging markets and the availability of additional investments in these markets. The small size, limited trading volume and relative inexperience of the securities markets in these countries may make investments in securities traded in emerging markets illiquid and more volatile than investments in securities traded in more developed countries, and a Fund may be required to establish special custodial or other arrangements before making investments in securities traded in emerging markets. There may be little financial or accounting information available with respect to issuers of emerging market securities, and it may be difficult as a result to assess the value or prospects of an investment in such securities.
Certain of the foregoing risks may also apply to some extent to securities of U.S. issuers that are denominated in foreign currencies or that are traded in foreign markets, or securities of U.S. issuers having significant foreign operations or other exposure to foreign markets. If a Fund invests in securities issued by foreign issuers, the Fund may be subject to the risks described above even if all of the Fund’s investments are denominated in United States dollars, especially with respect to issuers whose revenues are principally earned in a foreign currency but whose debt obligations have been issued in United States dollars or other hard currencies.
U.S. Dollar-Denominated Securities of Foreign Issuers. Subject to each Fund’s investment objectives, strategies, policies and restrictions, each Fund may invest in certain types of U.S. dollar-denominated securities of foreign issuers. For the Short-Term Government Securities Fund, these investments include only securities of foreign issuers whose principal and interest payments are guaranteed by the U.S. Government or its agencies. For the Short-Term Bond Fund, Intermediate Bond Fund, Rural America Growth & Income Fund, Value Fund, Growth Fund, International Equity Fund and Small-Company Stock Fund, these investments may include American Depositary Receipts (“ADRs”), which are discussed below. The Daily Income Fund, Short-Term Bond Fund, Intermediate Bond Fund, Rural America Growth & Income Fund, Value Fund, Growth Fund, International Equity Fund and the Small-Company Stock Fund also may purchase U.S. dollar-denominated money market instruments, and the Short-Term Bond Fund, Intermediate Bond Fund, Rural America Growth & Income Fund, Value Fund, Growth Fund, International Equity Fund and the Small-Company Stock Fund may purchase longer-term debt securities of foreign issuers (those with approximately two or more year maturities). Such money market instruments and debt securities of foreign issuers may be issued and traded domestically (e.g., Yankee securities), or traded exclusively in foreign markets (e.g., Eurodollar securities).
ADRs, EDRs and GDRs. ADRs, as well as other “hybrid” forms of ADRs, including European Depositary Receipts (“EDRs”) and Global Depositary Receipts (“GDRs”), are certificates evidencing ownership of shares of a foreign issuer. These certificates are issued by depository banks and generally trade on an established market in the United States or elsewhere. The underlying shares are held in trust by a custodian bank or similar financial institution in the issuer’s home country. The depository bank may not have physical custody of the underlying securities at all times and may charge fees for various services, including forwarding dividends and interest and corporate actions. ADRs, EDRs and GDRs are alternatives to directly purchasing the underlying foreign securities in their national markets and currencies. However, ADRs, EDRs and GDRs continue to be subject to many of the risks associated with investing directly in foreign securities. These risks include foreign exchange risk as well as the political and economic risks of the underlying issuer’s country.
Yankee Securities. Yankee securities include money market instruments and bonds of foreign issuers who customarily register such securities with the SEC and borrow U.S. dollars by underwritings of securities intended for delivery in the U.S. Although the principal trading market for Yankee securities is the United States, foreign buyers can and do participate in the Yankee securities market. Interest on such Yankee bonds is customarily paid on a semi-annual basis. The marketability of these “foreign bonds” in the United States is in many cases better than that for foreign bonds in foreign markets, but is, of course, dependent upon the quality of the issuer.
Eurodollar Securities. Eurodollar securities include money market instruments and bonds underwritten by an international syndicate and sold “at issue” to non-U.S. investors. Such securities are not registered with the SEC or issued domestically and generally may only be sold to U.S. investors after the initial offering and cooling-off periods. The market for Eurodollar securities is dominated by foreign-based investors and the primary trading market for these securities is in London.
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European Union. Continuing uncertainty as to the status of the Euro and the EMU and the potential for certain countries to withdraw from the institution has created significant volatility in currency and financial markets generally. Any partial or complete dissolution of the European Union (“EU”) could have significant adverse effects on currency and financial markets, and on the values of a Fund’s portfolio investments. The United Kingdom (“UK”) left the EU (commonly known as “Brexit”) on January 31, 2020. An agreement between the UK and the EU governing their future trade relationship became effective January 1, 2021. Brexit has resulted in volatility in European and global markets and could have negative long-term impacts on financial markets in the UK and throughout Europe. Significant uncertainty remains in the market regarding the ramifications of the withdrawal of the UK from the European Union and the arrangements that will apply to the UK’s relationship with the EU and other countries following its withdrawal; the range and potential implications of possible political, regulatory, economic, and market outcomes are difficult to predict. Moreover, other countries may seek to withdraw from the EU and/or abandon the euro, the common currency of the EU. The ultimate effects of these events and other socio-political or geopolitical issues are not known but could profoundly affect global economies and markets. Whether or not a Fund invests in securities of issuers located in Europe or with significant exposure to European issuers or countries, these events could negatively affect the value and liquidity of a Fund’s investments.
Special Risks Regarding Emerging Markets and Frontier Emerging Markets. Investing in companies domiciled in emerging market and frontier emerging market countries may be subject to potentially higher risks than the risks associated with investments in more developed foreign countries, as described above. These risks include: (i) less social, political and economic stability; (ii) greater illiquidity and price volatility due to smaller or limited local capital markets for such securities or low/non-existent trading volumes; (iii) less scrutiny and regulation by local authorities of exchanges and broker-dealers; (iv) greater government involvement in the economy; (v) local governments may decide to seize or confiscate securities held by foreign investors and/or local governments may decide to suspend or limit an issuer’s ability to make dividend or interest payments; (vi) local governments may limit or entirely restrict repatriation of invested capital, profits and dividends; (vii) capital gains may be subject to local taxation, including on a retroactive basis; (viii) issuers facing restrictions on dollar or euro payments imposed by local governments may attempt to make dividend or interest payments to foreign investors in the local currency; (ix) investors may experience difficulty in enforcing legal claims related to the securities and/or local judges may favor the interests of the issuer over those of foreign investors; (x) bankruptcy judgments may only be permitted to be paid in the local currency; (xi) limited public information regarding the issuer may result in greater difficulty in determining market valuation of the securities; (xii) lax financial reporting on a regular basis, substandard disclosure and differences in accounting standards may make it difficult to ascertain the financial health of an issuer; and (xiii) heightened risk of war, conflicts, and terrorism.
Many emerging market and frontier emerging market countries suffer from uncertainty and corruption in their legal frameworks. Legislation may be difficult to interpret and laws may be too new to provide any precedential value. Laws regarding foreign investment and private property may be weak or non-existent. Sudden changes in governments may result in policies which are less favorable to investors such as policies designed to expropriate or nationalize “sovereign” assets. Certain emerging market and frontier emerging market countries in the past have expropriated large amounts of private property, in many cases with little or no compensation and there can be no assurance that such expropriation will not occur in the future.
Many developing countries in which a Fund may invest lack the social, political and economic stability characteristics of the United States. Political instability in these developing countries can be common and may be caused by an uneven distribution of wealth, social unrest, labor strikes, civil wars and religious oppression. Economic instability in emerging market and frontier emerging market countries may take the form of: (i) high interest rates; (ii) high levels of inflation, including hyperinflation; (iii) high levels of unemployment or underemployment; (iv) changes in government economic and tax policies, including confiscatory taxation; and (v) imposition of trade barriers.
Currencies of emerging market and frontier emerging market countries are subject to significantly greater risks than currencies of developed countries. Many of these developing countries have experienced steady declines or even sudden devaluations of their currencies relative to the U.S. dollar. Some emerging market and frontier emerging market currencies may not be internationally traded or may be subject to strict controls by local governments, resulting in undervalued or overvalued currencies. Some emerging market and frontier emerging market countries have experienced balance of payment deficits and shortages in foreign exchange reserves. Governments have responded by restricting currency conversions. Future restrictive exchange controls could prevent or restrict a company’s ability to make dividend or interest payments in the original currency of the obligation (usually U.S. dollars). In addition, even though the currencies of some of these developing countries may be convertible into U.S. dollars, the conversion rates may be artificial to their actual market values.
In the past, some governments within emerging markets and frontier emerging markets have become overly reliant on international capital markets and other forms of foreign credit to finance large public spending programs which cause huge budget deficits. Often, interest payments have become too overwhelming for the government to meet, representing a large percentage of total gross domestic product. These foreign obligations have become the subject of political debate and served as fuel for political parties of the opposition, which pressure the government not to make payments to foreign creditors, but instead to use these funds for social programs. Either due to an inability to pay or submission to political pressure, foreign governments have been forced to seek a restructuring of their loan and/or bond obligations, have declared a temporary suspension of interest payments or have defaulted. These events have adversely affected the values of securities issued by foreign governments and corporations domiciled in emerging market countries and have negatively affected not only their cost of borrowing, but their ability to borrow in the future as well.
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Frontier emerging markets countries generally have smaller economies or less developed capital markets than traditional emerging markets countries, and, as a result, the risks of investing in frontier emerging market countries are magnified in these countries.
Special Risks Regarding Investing in China (the “PRC”). To the extent a Fund invests in securities of Chinese issuers, it may be subject to certain risks and considerations not typically associated with investing in securities of U.S. issuers, including, among others: (i) more frequent (and potentially widespread) trading suspensions and U.S. or foreign government interventions or restrictions with respect to Chinese issuers, which could preclude a Fund from making certain investments or result in the Fund selling investments at disadvantageous times and which may also cause reduced liquidity and increased price volatility in such investments, (ii) currency revaluations and other currency exchange rate fluctuations or blockage, (iii) the nature and extent of intervention by the Chinese government in the Chinese securities markets, whether such intervention will continue and the impact of such intervention or its discontinuation, (iv) the risk of nationalization or expropriation of assets, (v) the risk that the Chinese government may decide not to continue to support economic reform programs, (vi) limitations on the use of brokers, (vii) potentially higher rates of inflation, (viii) the unavailability of consistently-reliable economic data, (ix) the relatively small size and absence of operating history of many Chinese companies, (x) accounting, auditing and financial reporting standards in China are different from U.S. standards and, therefore, disclosure of certain material information may not be available, (xi) greater political, economic, social, legal and tax-related uncertainty, (xii) higher market volatility caused by any potential regional territorial conflicts or natural disasters, (xiii) higher dependence on exports and international trade, (xiv) the risk of increased trade tariffs, sanctions, embargoes and other trade limitations, (xv) restrictions on foreign ownership, and (xvi) custody risks associated with investing through programs to access Chinese securities. Significant portions of the Chinese securities markets may become rapidly illiquid, as Chinese issuers have the ability to suspend the trading of their equity securities, and have shown a willingness to exercise that option in response to market volatility and other events. The liquidity of Chinese securities may shrink or disappear suddenly and without warning as a result of adverse economic, market or political events, or adverse investor perceptions, whether or not accurate. To the extent a Fund invests in China A Shares, it may be subject to additional risks, as the investment regulations under which investments in China A Shares are permitted are relatively new, and the application and interpretation of these regulations is often unclear.
Investing in certain China-related securities, such as Chinese A-shares listed and traded on the Shanghai Stock Exchange and the Shenzhen Stock Exchange through the Shanghai-Hong Kong Stock Connect and Shenzhen-Hong Kong Stock Connect programs, has certain associated risks including a lack of certainty regarding how PRC securities regulations and listing rules of the Shanghai and Shenzhen Stock Exchanges will be applied; underdeveloped concepts of beneficial ownership and associated rights (i.e., participation in corporate actions and shareholder meetings); limitations on the ability to pursue claims against the issuer; and untested PRC trading, clearance and settlement procedures. The Fund may gain economic exposure to certain operating companies in China through legal structures known as variable interest entities (“VIEs”). In a VIE structure, a China-based operating company (“Operating Company”) typically establishes an offshore shell company (“Shell Company”) in another jurisdiction, such as the Cayman Islands, which then enters into service and other contracts with the Operating Company and issues shares on a foreign exchange, like the New York Stock Exchange. Investors in VIEs hold stock in the Shell Company rather than directly in the Operating Company and the Shell Company may not own stock or other equity in the Operating Company. Certain Chinese companies have used VIEs to facilitate foreign investment because of Chinese governmental prohibitions or restrictions on non-Chinese ownership of companies in certain industries in China. Through a VIE arrangement, the Operating Companies indirectly raise capital from U.S. investors without distributing ownership of the Operating Companies to U.S. investors. Investments in VIEs are subject to risks in addition to those generally associated with investments in China. For example, breaches of the contractual arrangements, changes in Chinese law with respect to enforceability or permissibility of these arrangements or failure of these contracts to function as intended would likely adversely affect an investment in a VIE. In addition, VIEs are also subject to the risk of inconsistent and unpredictable application of Chinese law, that the Shell Company may lose control over the Operating Company and that the equity owners of the Operating Company may have interests conflicting with those of the Shell Company's investors. There is also uncertainty related to the Chinese taxation of VIEs and the Chinese tax authorities may take positions which result in increased tax liabilities. Thus, investors, such as the Fund, face risks and uncertainty about future actions or intervention by the government of China at any time and without notice that could suddenly and significantly affect VIEs and the enforceability of the Shell Company's contractual arrangements with the Operating Company. If these risks materialize, the value of investments in VIEs could be significantly adversely affected and the Fund could incur significant losses with no recourse available.
Hong Kong. As part of Hong Kong’s transition from British to Chinese sovereignty in 1997, China agreed to allow Hong Kong to maintain a high degree of autonomy with regard to its political, legal and economic systems for a period of at least 50 years. Under the agreement, China does not tax Hong Kong, does not limit the exchange of the Hong Kong dollar for foreign currencies and does not place restrictions on free trade in Hong Kong. However, there is no guarantee that China will continue to honor the agreement, and China may change its policies regarding Hong Kong at any time. If China were to further exert its authority so as to alter the economic, political or legal structures or the existing social policy of Hong Kong, investor and business confidence in Hong Kong could be negatively affected, which in turn could negatively affect markets and business performance and have an adverse effect on the Fund’s investments. There is uncertainty as to whether China will continue to respect the relative independence of Hong Kong and refrain from exerting a tighter grip on Hong Kong’s political, economic and social concerns. In addition, the Hong Kong dollar trades within a fixed trading band rate to (or is “pegged” to) the U.S. dollar. This fixed exchange rate has contributed to the growth and stability of the Hong Kong economy. However, some market participants have questioned the continued viability of the currency peg. It is uncertain what effect any discontinuance of the currency peg and the establishment of an alternative exchange rate system would have on capital markets generally and the Hong Kong economy. China is Hong Kong’s largest trading partner, both in terms of exports and imports.
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Changes in China’s economic policies, trade regulations or currency exchange rates may have an adverse impact on Hong Kong’s economy. Recent protests and unrest have increased tensions between Hong Kong and China.
Under the Basic Law of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (“SAR”) of China, Hong Kong is exclusively in charge of its internal affairs and external relations, while the government of the PRC is responsible for its foreign affairs and defense. As a separate customs territory, Hong Kong maintains and develops relations with foreign states and regions. As of July 2020, the Chinese Standing Committee of the National People’s Congress enacted the Law of the People’s Republic of China on Safeguarding National Security in the Hong Kong SAR. As of the same month, Hong Kong is no longer afforded preferential economic treatment by the United States under U.S. law, and there is uncertainty as to how the economy of Hong Kong will be affected. Accordingly, it cannot be assured that Hong Kong’s status as a SAR of the PRC will remain unaffected, thereby further affecting its current relations with foreign states and regions. Any further changes in China’s policies could adversely affect market conditions and the performance of Hong Kong’s economy. There can be no assurance that there will be no additional political or social unrest or that such unrest will not lead to the disruption of the economic, political and social conditions of Hong Kong.
Taiwan. The political reunification of China and Taiwan, over which China continues to claim sovereignty, is a highly complex issue and is unlikely to be settled in the near future. Although the relationship between China and Taiwan has been improving, there is the potential for future political or economic disturbances that may have an adverse impact on the values of investments in either China or Taiwan, or make investments in China and Taiwan impractical or impossible. Any escalation of hostility between China and/or Taiwan would likely distort Taiwan’s capital accounts, as well as have a significant adverse impact on the value of investments in both countries and the region.
Hong Kong and Taiwan do not exercise the same level of control over their economies as does China with respect to China, but changes to their political and economic relationships with China could adversely impact the Fund’s investments in companies based in Hong Kong and Taiwan.
Participation Notes. The International Equity Fund may invest in participation notes. Some countries, especially emerging markets countries, do not permit foreigners to participate directly in their securities markets or otherwise present difficulties for efficient foreign investment. The Fund may use participation notes to establish a position in such markets as a substitute for direct investment. Participation notes are issued by banks or broker-dealers and are designed to track the return of a particular underlying equity or debt security, currency or market. When the participation note matures, the issuer of the participation note will pay to, or receive from, the Fund the difference between the nominal value of the underlying instrument at the time of purchase and that instrument’s value at maturity. Investments in participation notes involve the same risks associated with a direct investment in the underlying security, currency or market that they seek to replicate, including, as applicable, foreign, emerging, and frontier risks. In addition, participation notes are generally traded over-the-counter and are subject to counterparty risk. Participation notes constitute general unsecured contractual obligations of the banks or broker-dealers that issue them, and the Fund would be relying on the creditworthiness of such banks or broker-dealers and would have no rights under a participation note against the issuer of the underlying assets. In addition, participation notes may trade at a discount to the value of the underlying securities or markets that they seek to replicate.
The other Funds will not invest in participation notes.
Obligations of Foreign Governments, Supranational Entities and Banks. The Funds may invest in short-term obligations issued or guaranteed by one or more foreign governments or any of their political subdivisions, agencies or instrumentalities that are determined by Homestead Advisers to be of comparable quality to the other obligations in which a Fund may invest. The Funds may also invest in debt obligations of supranational entities. Supranational entities include international organizations designated or supported by governmental entities to promote economic reconstruction or development and international banking institutions and related government agencies. Examples include the International Bank for Reconstruction and Development (the World Bank), the Asian Development Bank and the InterAmerican Development Bank. The percentage of a Fund’s assets invested in obligations of foreign governments and supranational entities will vary depending on the relative yields of such securities, the economic and financial markets of the countries in which the investments are made and the interest rate climate of such countries.
A Fund may invest in high-quality, short-term (one year or less) debt obligations of foreign branches of U.S. banks or U.S. branches of foreign banks that are denominated in and pay interest in U.S. dollars.
Initial Public Offerings
An initial public offering (“IPO”), which marks the debut of a company’s stock on a public stock exchange, results in greater available financing for the company and more information available to evaluate the company’s investment prospects. However, these companies that only recently began to publicly trade tend to have limited products and customers, may not be fully prepared for the additional oversight and regulation that results, and do not have a trading history to assess how the stock has behaved during various market cycles. The prices of securities involved in IPOs are often subject to greater and more unpredictable price changes than more established stocks. Securities issued in IPOs are subject to many of the same risks as investing in companies with smaller market capitalizations. Information about the companies whose securities are issued in IPOs may be available for very limited periods.
Real Estate Investment Trusts (REITs)
Investments in REITs may experience many of the same risks involved with investing in real estate directly. These risks include: declines in real estate values; risks related to local or general economic conditions, particularly lack of demand; overbuilding and
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increased competition; increases in property taxes and operating expenses; changes in zoning laws; heavy cash flow dependency; possible lack of availability of mortgage funds; obsolescence; losses due to natural disasters; condemnation of properties; regulatory limitations on rents and fluctuations in rental income; variations in market rental rates; and possible environmental liabilities. REITs may own real estate properties (Equity REITs) and be subject to these risks directly or may make or purchase mortgages (Mortgage REITs) and be subject to these risks indirectly through underlying construction, development, and long-term mortgage loans that may default or have payment problems.
Equity REITs can be affected by rising interest rates that may cause investors to demand a high annual yield from future distributions, which, in turn, could decrease the market prices for the REITs. In addition, rising interest rates also increase the costs of obtaining financing for real estate projects. Since many real estate projects are dependent upon receiving financing, this could cause the value of the Equity REITs in which the Fund invests to decline.
Mortgage REITs may hold mortgages that the mortgagors elect to prepay during periods of declining interest rates, which may diminish the yield on such REITs. In addition, borrowers may not be able to repay mortgages when due, which could have a negative effect on the Fund.
Some REITs have relatively small market capitalizations, which could increase their volatility. REITs tend to be dependent upon specialized management skills and have limited diversification, so they are subject to risks inherent in operating and financing a limited number of properties. In addition, when the Fund invests in REITs, a shareholder will bear his or her proportionate share of Fund expenses and indirectly bear similar expenses of the REITs. REITs depend generally on their ability to generate cash flow to make distributions to shareholders. Certain REITs may be able to pay up to 90% of their dividends in the form of stock instead of cash. Even if the Fund receives all or part of a REIT distribution in stock, the Fund will still be deemed to have received 100% of the distribution in cash and the entire distribution will be part of the Fund’s taxable income. In addition, both Equity and Mortgage REITs are subject to the risks of failing to qualify for tax-free pass-through of income under the Code or failing to maintain their exemptions from the 1940 Act.
Derivatives
The regulation of the derivatives markets has increased over the past several years, and additional future regulation of the derivatives markets may make derivatives more costly, may limit the availability or liquidity of derivatives, or may otherwise adversely affect the value or performance of derivatives. Any such adverse developments could impair the effectiveness of the Fund’s derivatives transactions and cause the Fund to lose value. For instance, the Securities and Exchange Commission (the “SEC”) adopted Rule 18f-4. which among other things, limits a fund’s derivatives exposure through a value-at-risk test and requires the adoption and implementation of a derivatives risk management program for certain derivatives users. In connection with the adoption of Rule 18f-4, the SEC also eliminated the asset segregation framework arising from prior SEC guidance for covering derivatives and certain financial instruments. Further regulations of derivatives could have an adverse effect on the value or performance of a Fund.
Market Conditions
Unpredictable events such as environmental or natural disasters, pandemics, outbreaks of infectious diseases, and similar public health threats may significantly affect the economy and the markets and issuers in which a fund invests. Certain events may cause instability across global markets, including reduced liquidity and disruptions in trading markets, while some events may affect certain geographic regions, countries, sectors, and industries more significantly than others, and exacerbate other pre-existing political, social, and economic risks.
These types of events may also cause widespread fear and uncertainty, and result in, among other things: quarantines and travel restrictions, including border closings; disruptions to business operations and supply chains; exchange trading suspensions and closures, and overall reduced liquidity of securities, derivatives, and commodities trading markets; reductions in consumer demand and economic output; and significant challenges in healthcare service preparation and delivery. In addition, the operations of the funds, their investment advisers, and the funds’ service providers may be significantly impacted, or even temporarily halted, as a result of extensive employee illnesses or unavailability, government quarantine measures, and restrictions on travel or meetings and other factors related to public emergencies. The novel strain of coronavirus (COVID-19) has resulted in disruptions to global business activity and caused significant volatility and declines in global financial markets whose impact is not yet fully realized.
Governmental and quasi-governmental authorities and regulators have in the past responded to major economic disruptions with a variety of significant fiscal and monetary policy changes, including but not limited to, direct capital infusions into companies, new monetary programs, and dramatically lower interest rates. An unexpected or quick reversal of these policies, or the ineffectiveness of these policies, could negatively impact overall investor sentiment and further increase volatility in securities markets.
Operational and Cybersecurity Risk
Homestead Funds, its service providers, including its adviser, Homestead Advisers, and subadvisers, as applicable, and other market participants increasingly depend on complex information technology and communications systems to conduct business functions. These systems are subject to a number of different threats or risks that could adversely affect a Fund and its shareholders, despite the efforts of the Funds and their service providers to adopt technologies, processes and practices intended to mitigate these risks.
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For example, unauthorized third parties may attempt to improperly access, modify, disrupt the operations of or prevent access to these systems or data within them (a “cyber-attack”), whether systems of the Funds, their service providers, counterparties or other market participants. Power or communications outages, acts of god, information technology equipment malfunctions, operational errors and inaccuracies within software or data processing systems may also disrupt business operations or impact critical data. Market events also may occur at a pace that overloads current information technology and communication systems and processes of the Funds, their service providers or other market participants, impacting the ability to conduct a Fund’s operations.
Cyber-attacks, disruptions or failures that affect the Funds’ service providers or counterparties may adversely affect a Fund and its shareholders, including by causing losses for the Fund or impairing Fund operations. For example, a Fund’s service providers’ assets or sensitive or confidential information may be misappropriated, data may be corrupted and operations may be disrupted (e.g., cyber-attacks or operational failures may cause the release of private shareholder information or confidential Fund information, interfere with the processing of shareholder transactions, impact the ability to calculate the Fund’s NAV and impede trading). In addition, cyber-attacks, disruptions or failures may cause reputational damage and subject a Fund’s service providers to regulatory fines, litigation costs, penalties or financial losses, reimbursement or other compensation costs, and/or additional compliance costs. While the Funds and their service providers may establish business continuity and other plans and processes to address the possibility of cyber-attacks, disruptions or failures, there are inherent limitations in such plans and systems, including that they do not apply to third parties, such as other market participants, as well as the possibility that certain risks have not been identified or that unknown threats may emerge in the future. Each Fund and its service providers may also incur substantial costs for cybersecurity risk management, including insurance, in order to prevent or mitigate future cyber security incidents, and the Fund and its shareholders could be negatively impacted as a result of such costs.
Similar types of operational and technology risks are also present for issuers of securities or other instruments in which each Fund invests, which could result in material adverse consequences for such issuers, and may cause a Fund’s investments to lose value. In addition, cyber-attacks involving a Fund’s counterparty could affect such counterparty’s ability to meet its obligations to the Fund, which may result in losses to the Fund and its shareholders. Furthermore, as a result of cyber-attacks, disruptions or failures, an exchange or market may close or issue trading halts on specific securities or the entire market, which may result in a Fund being, among other things, unable to buy or sell certain securities or unable to accurately price its investments. The Funds cannot directly control any cybersecurity plans and systems put in place by its service providers, Fund counterparties, issuers in which a Fund invests, or securities markets and exchanges.
Temporary Defensive Strategies
At times, a Fund may take temporary defensive positions that may be inconsistent with the Fund’s principal investment strategies in attempting to respond to adverse market, economic, political or other conditions. The adviser then may, but is not required to, temporarily use alternative strategies that are mainly designed to limit the Fund’s losses. In implementing these strategies, a Fund may invest primarily in, among other things, U.S. Government and agency obligations, fixed or floating rate investments, cash or money market instruments (including, money market funds), or any other securities the portfolio manager (s) considers consistent with such defensive strategies or deemed consistent with the then existing market conditions. By way of example, a Fund may hold a higher than normal proportion of its assets in cash in times of extreme market stress. During such periods, a Fund may not achieve its investment objective.
STOCK INDEX FUND ONLY
Because the Stock Index Fund invests all of its investable assets in the Master Portfolio, the Fund is subject to the risks described below indirectly through its investment in the Master Portfolio, which under normal circumstances, invests at least 90% of the value of its assets, plus the amount of any borrowing for investment purposes, is invested in securities comprising the Standard & Poor’s 500 Stock Index (the “Index”).
144A Securities
The Master Portfolio may purchase securities that can be offered and sold only to “qualified institutional buyers” pursuant to Rule 144A under the Securities Act. See “Restricted Securities” below.
Asset-Based Securities
The Master Portfolio may invest in debt, preferred or convertible securities, the principal amount, redemption terms or conversion terms of which are related to the market price of some natural resource asset such as gold bullion. These securities are referred to as “asset-based securities.” The Master Portfolio will purchase only asset-based securities that are rated, or are issued by issuers that have outstanding debt obligations rated, investment grade (for example, AAA, AA, A or BBB by S&P Global Ratings (“S&P”) or Fitch Ratings (“Fitch”), or Baa by Moody’s Investors Service, Inc. (“Moody’s”) or commercial paper rated A-1 by S&P or Prime-1 by Moody’s) or by issuers that BFA has determined to be of similar creditworthiness. Obligations ranked in the fourth highest rating category, while considered “investment grade,” may have certain speculative characteristics and may be more likely to be downgraded than securities rated in the three highest rating categories. If an asset-based security is backed by a bank letter of credit or other similar facility, BFA may take such backing into account in determining the creditworthiness of the issuer. While the market prices for an asset-based security and the related natural resource asset generally are expected to move in the same direction, there may not be
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perfect correlation in the two price movements. Asset-based securities may not be secured by a security interest in or claim on the underlying natural resource asset. The asset-based securities in which the Master Portfolio may invest may bear interest or pay preferred dividends at below market (or even relatively nominal) rates. Certain asset-based securities may be payable at maturity in cash at the stated principal amount or, at the option of the holder, directly in a stated amount of the asset to which it is related. In such instance, because the Master Portfolio does not presently intend to invest directly in natural resource assets, the Master Portfolio would sell the asset-based security in the secondary market, to the extent one exists, prior to maturity if the value of the stated amount of the asset exceeds the stated principal amount and thereby realize the appreciation in the underlying asset.
Precious Metal-Related Securities
The Master Portfolio may invest in the equity and other securities of companies that explore for, extract, process or deal in precious metals (e.g., gold, silver and platinum), and in asset-based securities indexed to the value of such metals. Such securities may be purchased when they are believed to be attractively priced in relation to the value of a company’s precious metal-related assets or when the values of precious metals are expected to benefit from inflationary pressure or other economic, political or financial uncertainty or instability. Based on historical experience, during periods of economic or financial instability the securities of companies involved in precious metals may be subject to extreme price fluctuations, reflecting the high volatility of precious metal prices during such periods. In addition, the instability of precious metal prices may result in volatile earnings of precious metal-related companies, which may, in turn, adversely affect the financial condition of such companies.
The major producers of gold include the Republic of South Africa, Russia, Canada, the United States, Brazil and Australia. Sales of gold by Russia have been limited by sanctions in response to their invasion of Ukraine and the impact on the gold market could be unpredictable as geopolitical forces affect Russia’s gold market. Economic, financial, social and political factors within South Africa may significantly affect South African gold production.
Borrowing and Leverage
The Master Portfolio may borrow as a temporary measure for extraordinary or emergency purposes, including to meet redemptions or to settle securities transactions. The Master Portfolio will not purchase securities at any time when borrowings exceed 5% of their total assets, except (a) to honor prior commitments or (b) to exercise subscription rights when outstanding borrowings have been obtained exclusively for settlements of other securities transactions. The Master Portfolio may also borrow in order to make investments, to the extent disclosed in the Master Portfolio’s prospectus. The purchase of securities while borrowings are outstanding will have the effect of leveraging the Master Portfolio. Such leveraging increases the Master Portfolio’s exposure to capital risk, and borrowed funds are subject to interest costs that will reduce net income. The use of leverage by the Master Portfolio creates an opportunity for greater total return, but, at the same time, creates special risks. For example, leveraging may exaggerate changes in the net asset value of Master Portfolio shares and in the yield on the Master Portfolio’s portfolio. Although the principal of such borrowings will be fixed, the Master Portfolio’s assets may change in value during the time the borrowings are outstanding. Borrowings will create interest expenses for the Master Portfolio that can exceed the income from the assets purchased with the borrowings. To the extent the income or capital appreciation derived from securities purchased with borrowed funds exceeds the interest the Master Portfolio will have to pay on the borrowings, the Master Portfolio’s return will be greater than if leverage had not been used. Conversely, if the income or capital appreciation from the securities purchased with such borrowed funds is not sufficient to cover the cost of borrowing, the return to the Master Portfolio will be less than if leverage had not been used and, therefore, the amount available for distribution to shareholders as dividends will be reduced. In the latter case, BFA in its best judgment nevertheless may determine to maintain the Master Portfolio’s leveraged position if it expects that the benefits to the Master Portfolio’s shareholders of maintaining the leveraged position will outweigh the current reduced return.
Certain types of borrowings by the Master Portfolio may result in the Master Portfolio being subject to covenants in credit agreements relating to asset coverage, portfolio composition requirements and other matters. It is not anticipated that observance of such covenants would impede BFA from managing the Master Portfolio’s portfolio in accordance with the Master Portfolio’s investment objectives and policies. However, a breach of any such covenants not cured within the specified cure period may result in acceleration of outstanding indebtedness and require the Master Portfolio to dispose of portfolio investments at a time when it may be disadvantageous to do so.
The Master Portfolio may at times borrow from affiliates of BFA, provided that the terms of such borrowings are no less favorable than those available from comparable sources of funds in the marketplace.
To the extent permitted by the Master Portfolio’s investment policies and restrictions and subject to the conditions of an exemptive order issued by the SEC, as described below under “Interfund Lending Program,” the Master Portfolio may borrow for temporary purposes through the Interfund Lending Program (as defined below).
Cash Flows; Expenses
The ability of the Master Portfolio to satisfy its investment objective depends to some extent on BFA’s ability to manage cash flow (primarily from purchases and redemptions and distributions from the Master Portfolio’s investments). BFA will make investment changes to the Master Portfolio’s portfolio to accommodate cash flow while continuing to seek to replicate the total return of the Master Portfolio’s target index. Investors should also be aware that the investment performance of each index is a hypothetical number which does not take into account brokerage commissions and other transaction costs, custody and other costs of investing, and any incremental operating costs (e.g., transfer agency and accounting costs) that will be borne by the Master Portfolio. Finally, since the
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Master Portfolio seeks to replicate the total return of its target index, BFA generally will not attempt to judge the merits of any particular security as an investment.
Cash Management
Generally, BFA will employ futures and options on futures to provide liquidity necessary to meet anticipated redemptions or for day-to-day operating purposes. However, if considered appropriate in the opinion of BFA, a portion of the Master Portfolio’s assets may be invested in certain types of instruments with remaining maturities of 397 days or less for liquidity purposes. Such instruments would consist of: (i) obligations of the U.S. Government, its agencies, instrumentalities, authorities or political subdivisions (“U.S. Government Securities”); (ii) other fixed-income securities rated Aa or higher by Moody’s or AA or higher by S&P or, if unrated, of comparable quality in the opinion of BFA; (iii) commercial paper; (iv) bank obligations, including negotiable certificates of deposit, time deposits and bankers’ acceptances; and (v) repurchase agreements. At the time the Master Portfolio invests in commercial paper, bank obligations or repurchase agreements, the issuer or the issuer’s parent must have outstanding debt rated Aa or higher by Moody’s or AA or higher by S&P or outstanding commercial paper, bank obligations or other short-term obligations rated Prime-1 by Moody’s or A-1 by S&P; or, if no such ratings are available, the instrument must be of comparable quality in the opinion of BFA. For more information on money market instruments, see “Money Market Securities” below.
Commercial Paper
The Master Portfolio may purchase commercial paper. Commercial paper purchasable by the Master Portfolio includes “Section 4(a)(2) paper,” a term that includes debt obligations issued in reliance on the “private placement” exemption from registration afforded by Section 4(a)(2) of the Securities Act. Section 4(a)(2) paper is restricted as to disposition under the Federal securities laws, and is frequently sold (and resold) to institutional investors such as the Master Portfolio through or with the assistance of investment dealers who make a market in the Section 4(a)(2) paper, thereby providing liquidity. Certain transactions in Section 4(a)(2) paper may qualify for the registration exemption provided in Rule 144A under the Securities Act. The Master Portfolio can purchase commercial paper rated (at the time of purchase) “A-1” by S&P or “Prime-1” by Moody’s or when deemed advisable by BFA or a sub-adviser, “high quality” issues rated “A-2”, “Prime-2” or “F-2” by S&P, Moody’s or Fitch, respectively.
Cyber Security Issues
With the increased use of technologies such as the Internet to conduct business, the Master Portfolio is susceptible to operational, information security and related risks. In general, cyber incidents can result from deliberate attacks or unintentional events. Cyber attacks include, but are not limited to, gaining unauthorized access to digital systems (e.g., through “hacking” or malicious software coding) for purposes of misappropriating assets or sensitive information, corrupting data, or causing operational disruption. Cyber attacks may also be carried out in a manner that does not require gaining unauthorized access, such as causing denial-of-service attacks on websites (i.e., efforts to make network services unavailable to intended users). Cyber security failures or breaches by the Master Portfolio’s adviser, sub-adviser(s) and other service providers (including, but not limited to, Master Portfolio accountants, custodians, transfer agents and administrators), and the issuers of securities in which the Master Portfolio invest, have the ability to cause disruptions and impact business operations, potentially resulting in financial losses, interference with the Master Portfolio’s ability to calculate its net asset value, impediments to trading, the inability of Master Portfolio shareholders to transact business, violations of applicable privacy and other laws, regulatory fines, penalties, reputational damage, reimbursement or other compensation costs, or additional compliance costs. In addition, substantial costs may be incurred in order to prevent any cyber incidents in the future. While the Master Portfolio have established business continuity plans in the event of, and risk management systems to prevent, such cyber attacks, there are inherent limitations in such plans and systems including the possibility that certain risks have not been identified. Furthermore, the Master Portfolio cannot control the cyber security plans and systems put in place by service providers to the Master Portfolio and issuers in which the Master Portfolio invests. The Master Portfolio and its shareholders could be negatively impacted as a result.
Debt Securities
Debt securities, such as bonds, involve credit risk. This is the risk that the issuer will not make timely payments of principal and interest. The degree of credit risk depends on the issuer’s financial condition and on the terms of the debt securities. Changes in an issuer’s credit rating or the market’s perception of an issuer’s creditworthiness may also affect the value of the Master Portfolio’s investment in that issuer. Credit risk is reduced to the extent the Master Portfolio limits its debt investments to U.S. Government securities, as long as uncertain statutory debt ceiling negotiations do not affect the credit rating of the U.S. Government. During the statutory debt ceiling negotiations in 2011, the credit rating of the U.S. Government was downgraded and frequent uncertainty regarding debt ceiling negotiations could lead to additional downgrades.
All debt securities are subject to interest rate risk. This is the risk that the value of the security may fall when interest rates rise. If interest rates move sharply in a manner not anticipated by Master Portfolio management, the Master Portfolio’s investments in debt securities could be adversely affected and the Master Portfolio could lose money. In general, the market price of debt securities with longer maturities will go up or down more in response to changes in interest rates than will the market price of shorter-term debt securities.
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During periods of rising interest rates, the average life of certain fixed-income securities is extended because of slower than expected principal payments. This may lock in a below-market interest rate and extend the duration of these fixed-income securities, especially mortgage-related securities, making them more sensitive to changes in interest rates. As a result, in a period of rising interest rates, these securities may exhibit additional volatility and lose value. This is known as extension risk.
The value of fixed-income securities in the Master Portfolio can be expected to vary inversely with changes in prevailing interest rates. Fixed-income securities with longer maturities, which tend to produce higher yields, are subject to potentially greater capital appreciation and depreciation than securities with shorter maturities. The Master Portfolio is not restricted to any maximum or minimum time to maturity in purchasing individual portfolio securities, and the average maturity of the Master Portfolio’s assets will vary.
Depositary Receipts (ADRs, EDRs and GDRs)
The Master Portfolio may invest in the securities of foreign issuers in the form of Depositary Receipts or other securities convertible into securities of foreign issuers. Depositary Receipts may not necessarily be denominated in the same currency as the underlying securities into which they may be converted. The Master Portfolio may invest in both sponsored and unsponsored ADRs, EDRs, GDRs and other similar global instruments. ADRs typically are issued by an American bank or trust company and evidence ownership of underlying securities issued by a foreign corporation. EDRs, which are sometimes referred to as Continental Depositary Receipts, are receipts issued in Europe, typically by foreign banks and trust companies, that evidence ownership of either foreign or domestic underlying securities. GDRs are depositary receipts structured like global debt issues to facilitate trading on an international basis. In addition to investment risks associated with the underlying issuer, Depositary Receipts expose the Master Portfolio to additional risks associated with the non-uniform terms that apply to Depositary Receipt programs, credit exposure to the depository bank and to the sponsors and other parties with whom the depository bank establishes the programs, currency risk and the risk of an illiquid market for Depositary Receipts. Unsponsored ADR, EDR and GDR programs are organized independently and without the cooperation of the issuer of the underlying securities. Unsponsored programs generally expose investors to greater risks than sponsored programs and do not provide holders with many of the shareholder benefits that come from investing in a sponsored Depositary Receipt. As a result, available information concerning the issuer may not be as current as for sponsored ADRs, EDRs and GDRs, and the prices of unsponsored ADRs, EDRs and GDRs may be more volatile than if such instruments were sponsored by the issuer. Depositary Receipts are generally subject to the same risks as the foreign securities that they evidence or into which they may be converted. Investments in ADRs, EDRs and GDRs present additional investment considerations as described under “Foreign Investment Risks.”
Derivatives
General. The Master Portfolio may use instruments referred to as derivatives, which are financial instruments that derive their value from one or more securities, commodities (such as gold or oil), currencies, interest rates, credit events or indices (a measure of value or rates, such as the S&P 500 Index or the prime lending rate). Derivatives may allow the Master Portfolio to increase or decrease the level of risk to which the Master Portfolio is exposed more quickly and efficiently than with other transactions. The Master Portfolio may use derivatives to maintain a portion of its long and short positions. Unless otherwise permitted, the Master Portfolio may not use derivatives to gain exposure to an asset or asset class it is prohibited by its investment restrictions from purchasing directly. As described below, derivatives can be used for hedging or speculative purposes. The Master Portfolio will engage in transaction-level payment netting, i.e., the payment obligations of derivatives contracts are netted against one another with the Master Portfolio receiving or paying, as the case may be, only the net amount of the two payment streams.
Hedging. The Master Portfolio may use derivatives for hedging purposes, in which a derivative is used to offset the risks associated with other Master Portfolio holdings. Losses on other investments may be substantially reduced by gains on a derivative that reacts in an opposite manner to market movements. Although hedging may reduce losses, it may also reduce or eliminate gains. In addition, hedging may cause losses if the market moves in an unanticipated manner, or if the cost of the derivative outweighs the benefit of the hedge. The effectiveness of hedging may be reduced by correlation risk, i.e., the risk that changes in the value of the derivative will not match those of the holdings being hedged as expected by the Master Portfolio, which may result in additional losses to the Master Portfolio. The inability to close or offset derivatives could also reduce the effectiveness of the Master Portfolio's hedging. There is no assurance that the Master Portfolio’s hedging will be effective. The Master Portfolio is not required to use derivatives to hedge.
Regulation of Derivatives.
Rule 18f-4 Under the Investment Company Act. Rule 18f-4 under the Investment Company Act permits a fund to enter into Derivatives Transactions (as defined below) and certain other transactions notwithstanding the restrictions on the issuance of “senior securities” under Section 18 of the Investment Company Act. Section 18 of the Investment Company Act, among other things, prohibits open-end funds, including the Master Portfolio, from issuing or selling any “senior security,” other than borrowing from a bank (subject to a requirement to maintain 300% “asset coverage”).
Under Rule 18f-4, “Derivatives Transactions” include the following: (1) any swap, security-based swap (including a contract for differences), futures contract, forward contract, option (excluding purchased options), any combination of the foregoing, or any similar instrument, under which a fund is or may be required to make any payment or delivery of cash or other assets during the life of the instrument or at maturity or early termination, whether as margin or settlement payment or otherwise; (2) any short sale borrowing; (3) reverse repurchase agreements and similar financing transactions (e.g., recourse and non-recourse tender option bonds, and
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borrowed bonds), if a fund elects to treat these transactions as Derivatives Transactions under Rule 18f-4; and (4) when-issued or forward-settling securities (e.g., firm and standby commitments, including to-be-announced (“TBA”) commitments, and dollar rolls) and non-standard settlement cycle securities, unless such transactions meet the Delayed-Settlement Securities Provision (as defined below under “—When-Issued Securities, Delayed Delivery Securities and Forward Commitments”).
Unless a fund is relying on the Limited Derivatives User Exception (as defined below), the fund must comply with Rule 18f-4 with respect to its Derivatives Transactions. Rule 18f-4, among other things, requires a fund to adopt and implement a comprehensive written derivatives risk management program (“DRMP”) and comply with a relative or absolute limit on fund leverage risk calculated based on value-at-risk (“VaR”). The DRMP is administered by a “derivatives risk manager,” who is appointed by the fund’s board, including a majority of the independent Directors, and periodically reviews the DRMP and reports to the fund’s board. Rule 18f-4 provides an exception from the DRMP, VaR limit and certain other requirements if a fund’s “derivatives exposure” is limited to 10% of its net assets (as calculated in accordance with Rule 18f-4) and the fund adopts and implements written policies and procedures reasonably designed to manage its derivatives risks (the “Limited Derivatives User Exception”).
Dodd-Frank Regulations. The Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act (“Dodd-Frank”), enacted in July 2010, includes provisions that comprehensively regulate the over-the-counter (“OTC”) derivatives markets for the first time. While the Commodity Futures Trading Commission (“CFTC”) and other U.S. regulators have adopted many of the required Dodd-Frank regulations, certain regulations have only recently become effective and other regulations remain to be adopted. The full impact of Dodd-Frank on the Master Portfolio remains uncertain.
OTC derivatives dealers are now required to register with the CFTC as “swap dealers” and will ultimately be required to register with the SEC as “security-based swap dealers”. Registered swap dealers are subject to various regulatory requirements, including, but not limited to, margin, recordkeeping, reporting, transparency, position limits, limitations on conflicts of interest, business conduct standards, minimum capital requirements and other regulatory requirements.
The CFTC requires that certain interest rate swaps and certain credit default swaps must be executed in regulated markets and be submitted for clearing to regulated clearinghouses. The SEC is also expected to impose similar requirements on certain security-based derivatives in the future. OTC derivatives trades submitted for clearing are subject to minimum initial and variation margin requirements set by the relevant clearinghouse, as well as margin requirements mandated by the CFTC, SEC and/or federal prudential regulators. In addition, futures commission merchants (“FCMs”), who act as clearing members on behalf of customers for cleared OTC derivatives and futures contracts, also have discretion to increase a fund’s margin requirements for these transactions beyond any regulatory and clearinghouse minimums subject to any restrictions on such discretion in the documentation between the FCM and the customer. These regulatory requirements may make it more difficult and costly for the Master Portfolio to enter into highly tailored or customized transactions, potentially rendering certain investment strategies impossible or not economically feasible. If the Master Portfolio decides to execute and clear cleared OTC derivatives and/or futures contracts through execution facilities, exchanges or clearinghouses, either indirectly through an executing broker, clearing member FCM or as a direct member, the Master Portfolio would be required to comply with the rules of the execution facility, exchange or clearinghouse and other applicable law. With respect to cleared OTC derivatives and futures contracts and options on futures, the Master Portfolio will not face a clearinghouse directly but rather will do so through a FCM that is registered with the CFTC and/or SEC and that acts as a clearing member. The Master Portfolio may face the indirect risk of the failure of another clearing member customer to meet its obligations to its clearing member. Such scenario could arise due to a default by the clearing member on its obligations to the clearinghouse simultaneously with a customer’s failure to meet its obligations to the clearing member.
Clearing member FCMs are required to post initial margin to the clearinghouses through which they clear their customers’ cleared OTC derivatives and futures contracts, instead of using such initial margin in their businesses, as was widely permitted before Dodd-Frank. While an FCM may require its customer to post initial margin in excess of clearinghouse requirements, and certain clearinghouses may share a portion of their earnings on initial margin with their clearing members, some portion of the initial margin that is passed through to the clearinghouse does not generate earnings for the FCM. The inability of FCMs to earn the same levels of returns on initial margin for cleared OTC derivatives as they could earn with respect to non-cleared OTC derivatives may cause FCMs to charge higher fees, or provide less favorable pricing on cleared OTC derivatives than swap dealers will provide for non-cleared OTC derivatives. Furthermore, customers, including the Master Portfolio, are subject to additional fees payable to FCMs with respect to cleared OTC derivatives, which may raise the cost to the Master Portfolio of clearing as compared to trading non-cleared OTC derivatives bilaterally.
With respect to uncleared swaps, swap dealers are required to collect variation margin from a fund and may be required by applicable regulations to collect initial margin from the Master Portfolio. Both initial and variation margin may be comprised of cash and/or securities, subject to applicable regulatory haircuts. Shares of investment companies (other than certain money market funds) may not be posted as collateral under applicable regulations. The CFTC and the U.S. commodities exchanges impose limits on the maximum net long or net short speculative positions that any person may hold or control in any particular futures or options contracts traded on U.S. commodities exchanges. For example, the CFTC has historically imposed speculative position limits on a number of agricultural commodities (e.g., corn, oats, wheat, soybeans and cotton) and United States commodities exchanges currently impose speculative position limits on many other commodities. The Master Portfolio could be required to liquidate positions it holds in order to comply with position limits or may not be able to fully implement trading instructions generated by its trading models, in order to comply with position limits. Any such liquidation or limited implementation could result in substantial costs to the Master Portfolio.
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Dodd-Frank significantly expanded the CFTC’s authority to impose position limits with respect to agricultural commodities and other physical commodity futures contracts, options on these futures contracts and economically equivalent swaps. In October 2020, the CFTC adopted a new set of speculative position limit rules with respect to agricultural commodities and other physical commodity futures contracts, options on these futures contracts (“core referenced futures contracts”) and economically equivalent swaps. An economically equivalent swap is a swap with identical material contractual specifications, terms and conditions to a core referenced futures contract, disregarding differences with respect to any of the following: (1) lot size specifications or notional amounts, (2) post-trade risk management arrangements and (3) delivery dates for physically-settled swaps as long as these delivery dates diverge by less than one calendar day from the referenced contract’s delivery date (or, for natural gas, two calendar days). A cash-settled swap could only be deemed to be economically equivalent to a cash-settled referenced contract, and a physically-settled swap could only be deemed to be economically equivalent to a physically-settled referenced contract. However, a cash-settled swap that initially did not qualify as economically equivalent due to the fact that there was no corresponding cash-settled core referenced futures contract could subsequently become an economically equivalent swap if a cash-settled futures contract market were to subsequently be developed. The CFTC’s new position limits rules include an exemption from limits for bona fide hedging transactions or positions. A bona fide hedging transaction or position may exceed the applicable federal position limits if the transaction or position: (1) represents a substitute for transactions or positions made or to be made at a later time in a physical marketing channel; (2) is economically appropriate to the reduction of price risks in the conduct and management of a commercial enterprise; and (3) arises from the potential change in value of (A) assets which a person owns, produces, manufactures, processes or merchandises, or anticipates owning, producing, manufacturing, processing or merchandising; (B) liabilities which a person owes or anticipates incurring; or (C) services that a person provides or purchases, or anticipates providing or purchasing. The CFTC’s new position rules set forth a list of enumerated bona fide hedges for which a market participant is not required to request prior approval from the CFTC in order to hold a bona fide hedge position above the federal position limit. However, a market participant holding an enumerated bona fide hedge position still would need to request an exemption from the relevant exchange for exchange-set limits. For non-enumerated bona fide hedge positions, a market participant may request CFTC approval which must be granted prior to exceeding the applicable federal position limit, except where there is a demonstrated sudden or unforeseen increase in bona fide hedging needs (in which case the application must be submitted within five business days after the market participant exceeds the applicable limit). The compliance dates for the CFTC’s new federal speculative position limits are January 1, 2022 for the core referenced futures contracts and January 1, 2023 for economically equivalent swaps. While the ultimate effect of the final position limit rules are not yet known, these limits will likely restrict the ability of many market participants to trade in the commodities markets to the same extent as they have in the past. These rules may, among other things, reduce liquidity, increase market volatility, limit the size and duration of positions available to market participants, and increase costs in these markets, which could adversely affect the Master Portfolio. These new regulations and the resulting increased costs and regulatory oversight requirements may result in market participants being required or deciding to limit their trading activities, which could lead to decreased market liquidity and increased market volatility. In addition, transaction costs incurred by market participants are likely to be higher due to the increased costs of compliance with the new regulations. These consequences could adversely affect the Master Portfolio’s returns.
Additional Regulation of Derivatives. Regulatory bodies outside the U.S. have also passed, proposed, or may propose in the future, legislation similar to Dodd-Frank or other legislation that could increase the costs of participating in, or otherwise adversely impact the liquidity of, participating in the commodities markets. For example, the European Market Infrastructure Regulation (Regulation (EU) No 648/2012) (“EMIR”) introduced certain requirements in respect of OTC derivatives including:(i) the mandatory clearing of OTC derivative contracts declared subject to the clearing obligation; (ii) risk mitigation techniques in respect of uncleared OTC derivative contracts, including the mandatory margining of uncleared OTC derivative contracts; and (iii) reporting and recordkeeping requirements in respect of all derivatives contracts. By way of further example, the European Union Markets in Financial Instruments Directive (Directive 2014/65/EU) and Markets in Financial Instruments Regulation (Regulation (EU) No 600/2014) (together “MiFID II”), which have applied since January 3, 2018, govern the provision of investment services and activities in relation to, as well as the organized trading of, financial instruments such as shares, bonds, units in collective investment schemes and derivatives. In particular, MiFID II requires European Union Member States to apply position limits to the size of a net position a person can hold at any time in commodity derivatives traded on European Union trading venues and in “economically equivalent” OTC contracts. If the requirements of EMIR and MiFID II apply, the cost of derivatives transactions is expected to increase.
In addition, regulations adopted by global prudential regulators that are now in effect require certain prudentially regulated entities and certain of their affiliates and subsidiaries (including swap dealers) to include in their derivatives contracts and certain other financial contracts, terms that delay or restrict the rights of counterparties (such as the Master Portfolio) to terminate such contracts, foreclose upon collateral, exercise other default rights or restrict transfers of credit support in the event that the prudentially regulated entity and/or its affiliates are subject to certain types of resolution or insolvency proceedings. Similar regulations and laws have been adopted in non-U.S. jurisdictions that may apply to the Master Portfolio’s counterparties located in those jurisdictions. It is possible that these new requirements, as well as potential additional related government regulation, could adversely affect the Master Portfolio’s ability to terminate existing derivatives contracts, exercise default rights or satisfy obligations owed to it with collateral received under such contracts.
Risk Factors in Derivatives.
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There are significant risks that apply generally to derivatives transactions, including:
Correlation Risk — the risk that changes in the value of a derivative will not match the changes in the value of the portfolio holdings that are being hedged or of the particular market or security to which the Master Portfolio seeks exposure. There are a number of factors which may prevent a derivative instrument from achieving the desired correlation (or inverse correlation) with an underlying asset, rate or index, such as the impact of fees, expenses and transaction costs, the timing of pricing, and disruptions or illiquidity in the markets for such derivative instrument.
Counterparty Risk — the risk that a derivatives transaction counterparty will be unable or unwilling to make payments or otherwise honor its obligations to the Master Portfolio and the related risks of having concentrated exposure to such a counterparty. In particular, derivatives traded in OTC markets often are not guaranteed by an exchange or clearing corporation and often do not require payment of margin, and to the extent that the Master Portfolio has unrealized gains in such instruments or has deposited collateral with its counterparties the Master Portfolio is at risk that its counterparties will become bankrupt or otherwise fail to honor their obligations. The Master Portfolio will typically attempt to minimize counterparty risk by engaging in OTC derivatives transactions only with creditworthy entities that have substantial capital or that have provided the Master Portfolio with a third-party guaranty or other credit support.
Credit Risk — the risk that the reference entity in a credit default swap or similar derivative will not be able to honor its financial obligations.
Currency Risk — the risk that changes in the exchange rate between two currencies will adversely affect the value (in U.S. dollar terms) of a derivative.
Illiquidity Risk — the risk that certain securities or instruments may be difficult or impossible to sell at the time or at the price desired by the counterparty in connection with payments of margin, collateral, or settlement payments. There can be no assurance that the Master Portfolio will be able to unwind or offset a derivative at its desired price, in a secondary market or otherwise. It may, therefore, not be possible for the Master Portfolio to unwind its position in a derivative without incurring substantial losses (if at all). Certain OTC derivatives, including swaps and OTC options, involve substantial illiquidity risk. Illiquidity may also make it more difficult for the Master Portfolio to ascertain a market value for such derivatives. The Master Portfolio will, therefore, acquire illiquid OTC derivatives (i) if the agreement pursuant to which the instrument is purchased contains a formula price at which the instrument may be terminated or sold, or (ii) for which BFA anticipates the Master Portfolio can receive on each business day at least two independent bids or offers, unless a quotation from only one dealer is available, in which case that dealer’s quotation may be used. The illiquidity of the derivatives markets may be due to various factors, including congestion, disorderly markets, limitations on deliverable supplies, the participation of speculators, government regulation and intervention, and technical and operational or system failures. In addition, the liquidity of a secondary market in an exchange-traded derivative contract may be adversely affected by “daily price fluctuation limits” established by the exchanges which limit the amount of fluctuation in an exchange-traded contract price during a single trading day. Once the daily limit has been reached in the contract, no trades may be entered into at a price beyond the limit, thus preventing the liquidation of open positions. Prices have in the past moved beyond the daily limit on a number of consecutive trading days. If it is not possible to close an open derivative position entered into by the Master Portfolio, the Master Portfolio would continue to be required to make daily cash payments of variation margin in the event of adverse price movements. In such a situation, if the Master Portfolio has insufficient cash, it may have to sell portfolio securities to meet daily variation margin requirements at a time when it may be disadvantageous to do so.
Index Risk — if the derivative is linked to the performance of an index, it will be subject to the risks associated with changes in that index. If the index changes, the Master Portfolio could receive lower interest payments or experience a reduction in the value of the derivative to below the price that the Master Portfolio paid for such derivative.
Legal Risk — the risk of insufficient documentation, insufficient capacity or authority of counterparty, or legality or enforceability of a contract.
Leverage Risk — the risk that the Master Portfolio’s derivatives transactions can magnify the Master Portfolio’s gains and losses. Relatively small market movements may result in large changes in the value of a derivatives position and can result in losses that greatly exceed the amount originally invested.
Market Risk — the risk that changes in the value of one or more markets or changes with respect to the value of the underlying asset will adversely affect the value of a derivative. In the event of an adverse movement, the Master Portfolio may be required to pay substantial additional margin to maintain its position or the Master Portfolio’s returns may be adversely affected.
Operational Risk — the risk related to potential operational issues, including documentation issues, settlement issues, systems failures, inadequate controls and human error.
Valuation Risk — the risk that valuation sources for a derivative will not be readily available in the market. This is possible especially in times of market distress, since many market participants may be reluctant to purchase complex instruments or quote prices for them.
Volatility Risk — the risk that the value of derivatives will fluctuate significantly within a short time period.
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Types of Derivatives Transactions. The Master Portfolio may enter into derivatives transactions in accordance with their investment guidelines and restrictions, including the following:
Futures
The Master Portfolio may enter into futures contracts (“futures”) and options on futures contracts. Futures are standardized, exchange-traded contracts that require a purchaser to take delivery, and a seller to make delivery, of a specified amount of an asset at a specified future date and price. Upon purchasing or selling a futures contract, the Master Portfolio is required to deposit initial margin equal to a percentage (generally less than 10%) of the contract value. Futures contracts are marked to market daily for the duration of the contract, and the Master Portfolio will either post additional margin or be entitled to a payment, as applicable, based on the mark-to-market movement of the contract.
The Master Portfolio may sell a futures contract prior to the completion of its term to limit its risk of loss from a decline in the market value of portfolio holdings correlated with the futures contract. However, in the event the market value of the portfolio holdings correlated with the futures contract increases rather than decreases, the Master Portfolio will realize a loss on the futures position and a lower return on the portfolio holdings than would have been realized without the purchase of the futures contract.
The purchase of a futures contract may provide the Master Portfolio a lower cost alternative to purchasing securities or commodities directly. In the event that such securities or commodities decline in value or the Master Portfolio determines not to complete an anticipatory hedge transaction relating to a futures contract, however, the Master Portfolio may realize a loss relating to the futures position.
Futures contracts are also subject to position limits. In order to comply with position limits, the Master Portfolio may be required to liquidate positions or may not be able to fully implement trading instructions. Any such liquidation or limited implementation could result in substantial costs to the Master Portfolio. See “Regulation of OTC Derivatives” above.
The Master Portfolio is also permitted to purchase or sell call and put options on futures contracts, including financial futures and stock indices. Generally, these strategies would be used under the same market and market sector conditions (i.e., conditions relating to specific types of investments) in which the Master Portfolio entered into futures transactions. The Master Portfolio may purchase put options or write call options on futures contracts and stock indices in lieu of selling the underlying futures contract in anticipation of a decrease in the market value of its securities. Similarly, the Master Portfolio can purchase call options, or write put options on futures contracts and stock indices, as a substitute for the purchase of such futures contracts to hedge against the increased cost resulting from an increase in the market value of securities which the Master Portfolio intends to purchase.
To maintain greater flexibility, the Master Portfolio may invest in instruments which have characteristics similar to futures contracts. These instruments may take a variety of forms, such as debt securities with interest or principal payments determined by reference to the value of a security, an index of securities or a commodity at a future point in time. The risks of such investments could reflect the risks of investing in futures and securities, including volatility and illiquidity.
When the Master Portfolio enters into futures contracts or writes options on futures contracts, the Master Portfolio will segregate liquid assets with a value at least equal to the Master Portfolio’s exposure, on a mark-to-market basis, to the transactions (as calculated pursuant to requirements of the CFTC). In certain instances, the Master Portfolio may segregate liquid assets with a value at least equal to the Master Portfolio’s exposure on a notional basis when it enters into futures contracts or written options of futures contracts, consistent with the Master Portfolio’ policies and procedures.
Futures contracts and options on futures contracts are subject to significant correlation risk, leverage risk, illiquidity risk, market risk and counterparty risk with respect to the Master Portfolio’s futures broker or the clearinghouse. See “Risk Factors in Derivatives” above.
Swap Agreements
The Master Portfolio may enter into swap agreements for hedging purposes or speculative purposes. Swap agreements are OTC contracts entered into primarily by financial institutions and institutional investors which may or may not be cleared by a central clearinghouse. In a standard “swap” transaction, two parties agree to exchange the returns earned or realized from one or more underlying assets or rates of return, which may be adjusted for an interest factor. The gross returns to be exchanged or “swapped” between the parties are generally calculated with respect to a “notional amount,” e.g., the return or increase in value of a particular dollar amount invested at a particular interest rate, in a particular foreign currency, or in a “basket” of securities representing a particular index. The notional amount of the swap agreement is only used to calculate the obligations that the parties to a swap agreement have agreed to exchange. Swaps that are not cleared involve substantial counterparty risk. The Master Portfolio will typically attempt to mitigate this counterparty risk by entering into swap agreements only with creditworthy entities that have substantial capital or that have provided the Master Portfolio with a third-party guaranty or other credit support. The Master Portfolio’s ability to use swap agreements may be restricted by the tax rules applicable to RICs.
Total Return Swaps. Total return swaps are contracts in which one party agrees to make periodic payments to the other party based on the return of the assets underlying the contract in exchange for periodic payments based on a fixed or variable interest rate or the total return from different underlying assets. The return of the assets underlying the contract includes both the income generated by the asset and the change in market value of the asset. The asset underlying the contract may include a specified security, basket of
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securities or securities indices. Total return swaps on a specified security, basket of securities, or securities indices may sometimes be referred to as “contracts for difference”.
Total return swaps may be used to obtain exposure to a security or market without owning or taking physical custody of such security or investing directly in such market. Upon entering into a total return swap, the Master Portfolio is required to deposit initial margin but the parties do not exchange the notional amount. As a result, total return swaps may effectively add leverage to the Master Portfolio’s portfolio because the Master Portfolio would be subject to investment exposure on the notional amount of the swap.
The net amount of the excess, if any, of the Master Portfolio’s obligations over its entitlements with respect to each total return swap will be accrued on a daily basis, and an amount of liquid assets having an aggregate NAV at least equal to the accrued excess will be segregated by the Master Portfolio. If the total return swap transaction is entered into on other than a net basis, the full amount of the Master Portfolio’s obligations will be accrued on a daily basis, and the full amount of the Master Portfolio’s obligations will be segregated by the Master Portfolio in an amount equal to or greater than the market value of the liabilities under the total return swap or the amount it would have cost the Master Portfolio initially to make an equivalent direct investment, plus or minus any amount the Master Portfolio is obligated to pay or is to receive under the total return swap.
Total return swaps are subject to significant correlation risk, leverage risk, illiquidity risk, market risk and counterparty risk. See “Risk Factors in Derivatives” above.
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Foreign Exchange Transactions
The Master Portfolio may enter into spot foreign exchange transactions, forward foreign exchange transactions (“FX forwards”) and currency swaps, purchase and sell currency options, currency futures and related options thereon (collectively, “Currency Instruments”) for purposes of hedging against the decline in the value of currencies in which its portfolio holdings are denominated against the U.S. dollar or to seek to enhance returns.
Such transactions could be effected to hedge with respect to foreign dollar denominated securities owned by the Master Portfolio, sold by the Master Portfolio but not yet delivered, or committed or anticipated to be purchased by the Master Portfolio. As an illustration, the Master Portfolio may use such techniques to hedge the stated value in U.S. dollars of an investment in a yen-denominated security. For example, the Master Portfolio may purchase a foreign currency put option enabling it to sell a specified amount of yen for dollars at a specified price by a future date. To the extent the hedge is successful, a loss in the value of the yen relative to the dollar will tend to be offset by an increase in the value of the put option. To offset, in whole or in part, the cost of acquiring such a put option, the Master Portfolio may also sell a call option which, if exercised, requires it to sell a specified amount of yen for dollars at a specified price by a future date (a technique called a “straddle”). By selling such a call option in this illustration, the Master Portfolio gives up the opportunity to profit without limit from increases in the relative value of the yen to the dollar. “Straddles” of the type that may be used by the Master Portfolio are considered hedging transactions.
Hedging transactions involving Currency Instruments involve substantial risks, including correlation risk. The Master Portfolio’s use of Currency Instruments to effect hedging strategies is intended to reduce the volatility of the NAV of the Master Portfolio’s shares; however, the use of such hedging strategies will not prevent the NAV of the Master Portfolio’s shares from fluctuating. Moreover, although Currency Instruments will be used with the intention of hedging against adverse currency movements, transactions in Currency Instruments involve the risk that anticipated currency movements will not be accurately predicted and that the Master Portfolio’s hedging strategies will be ineffective. To the extent that the Master Portfolio hedges against anticipated currency movements that do not occur, the Master Portfolio may realize losses and decrease its total return. Furthermore, the Master Portfolio will only engage in hedging activities from time to time and may not be engaging in hedging activities when movements in currency exchange rates actually occur.
In connection with its trading in forward foreign currency contracts, the Master Portfolio will contract with a foreign or domestic bank, or foreign or domestic securities dealer, to make or take future delivery of a specified amount of a particular currency. There are no limitations on daily price moves in such forward contracts, and banks and dealers are not required to continue to make markets in such contracts. There have been periods during which certain banks or dealers have refused to quote prices for such forward contracts or have quoted prices with an unusually wide spread between the price at which the bank or dealer is prepared to buy and that at which it is prepared to sell. Governmental imposition of currency controls might limit any such forward contract trading. With respect to its trading of forward contracts, if any, the Master Portfolio will be subject to counterparty risk. Any such failure to perform by a counterparty would deprive the Master Portfolio of any profit potential or force the Master Portfolio to cover its commitments for resale, if any, at the then market price and could result in a loss to the Master Portfolio.
It may not be possible for the Master Portfolio to hedge against currency exchange rate movements, even if correctly anticipated, in the event that (i) the currency exchange rate movement is so generally anticipated that the Master Portfolio is not able to enter into a hedging transaction at an effective price, or (ii) the currency exchange rate movement relates to a market with respect to which Currency Instruments are not available and it is not possible to engage in effective foreign currency hedging. The cost to the Master Portfolio of engaging in foreign currency transactions varies with such factors as the currencies involved, the length of the contract period and the market conditions then prevailing. Since transactions in foreign currency exchange usually are conducted on a principal basis, no fees or commissions are involved.
The Master Portfolio will not hedge a currency in excess of the aggregate market value of the securities that it owns (including receivables for unsettled securities sales), or has committed to purchase or anticipates purchasing, which are denominated in such currency. Open positions in FX forwards used for non-hedging purposes will be covered by the segregation of liquid assets and are mark-to-market daily.
Spot Transactions and FX Forwards. FX forwards are OTC contracts to purchase or sell a specified amount of a specified currency or multinational currency unit at a specified price and specified future date. Spot foreign exchange transactions are similar but are settled in the current, or “spot”, market. The Master Portfolio will enter into foreign exchange transactions for purposes of hedging either a specific transaction or a portfolio position, or to seek to enhance returns. FX forwards involve substantial currency risk, credit risk and liquidity risk. The Master Portfolio may enter into a foreign exchange transaction for purposes of hedging a specific transaction by, for example, purchasing a currency needed to settle a security transaction or selling a currency in which the Master Portfolio has received or anticipates receiving a dividend or distribution. The Master Portfolio may enter into a foreign exchange transaction for purposes of hedging a portfolio position by selling forward a currency in which a portfolio position of the Master Portfolio is denominated or by purchasing a currency in which the Master Portfolio anticipates acquiring a portfolio position in the near future. The Master Portfolio may also hedge a currency by entering into a transaction in a Currency Instrument denominated in a currency other than the currency being hedged (a “cross-hedge”). The Master Portfolio will only enter into a cross-hedge if BFA believes that (i) there is a demonstrably high correlation between the currency in which the cross-hedge is denominated and the currency being hedged, and (ii) executing a cross-hedge through the currency in which the cross-hedge is denominated will be significantly more cost-effective or provide substantially greater liquidity than executing a similar hedging transaction by means of the currency being hedged.
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The Master Portfolio may also engage in proxy hedging transactions to reduce the effect of currency fluctuations on the value of existing or anticipated holdings of portfolio securities. Proxy hedging is often used when the currency to which the Master Portfolio is exposed is difficult to hedge, or to hedge against the U.S. dollar. Proxy hedging entails entering into a forward contract to sell a currency whose changes in value are generally considered to be linked to a currency or currencies in which some or all of the Master Portfolio’s securities are, or are expected to be, denominated, and to buy U.S. dollars. Proxy hedging involves some of the same risks and considerations as other transactions with similar instruments. Currency transactions can result in losses to the Master Portfolio if the currency being hedged fluctuates in value to a degree or in a direction that is not anticipated. In addition, there is the risk that the perceived linkage between various currencies may not be present, including during the particular time that the Master Portfolio is engaging in proxy hedging.
The Master Portfolio may also cross-hedge currencies by entering into forward contracts to sell one or more currencies that are expected to decline in value relative to other currencies to which the Master Portfolio has or in which the Master Portfolio expects to have portfolio exposure. For example, the Master Portfolio may hold both Canadian government bonds and Japanese government bonds, and BFA or a sub-adviser may believe that Canadian dollars will deteriorate against Japanese yen. The Master Portfolio would sell Canadian dollars to reduce its exposure to that currency and buy Japanese yen. This strategy would be a hedge against a decline in the value of Canadian dollars, although it would expose the Master Portfolio to declines in the value of the Japanese yen relative to the U.S. dollar.
Some of the forward non-U.S. currency contracts entered into by the Master Portfolio are classified as non-deliverable forwards (“NDFs”). NDFs are cash-settled, short-term forward contracts that may be thinly traded or are denominated in non-convertible foreign currency, where the profit or loss at the time at the settlement date is calculated by taking the difference between the agreed upon exchange rate and the spot rate at the time of settlement, for an agreed upon notional amount of funds. All NDFs have a fixing date and a settlement date. The fixing date is the date at which the difference between the prevailing market exchange rate and the agreed upon exchange rate is calculated. The settlement date is the date by which the payment of the difference is due to the party receiving payment. NDFs are commonly quoted for time periods of one month up to two years, and are normally quoted and settled in U.S. dollars. They are often used to gain exposure to and/or hedge exposure to foreign currencies that are not internationally traded.
Currency Futures. The Master Portfolio may seek to enhance returns or hedge against the decline in the value of a currency through use of currency futures or options on currency futures. Currency futures are similar to forward foreign exchange transactions except that futures are standardized, exchange-traded contracts while forward foreign exchange transactions are traded in the OTC market. Currency futures involve substantial currency risk as well as the risks discussed above in “Futures”.
Currency Options. The Master Portfolio may seek to enhance returns or hedge against the decline in the value of a currency through the use of currency options. Currency options are similar to options on securities. For example, in consideration for an option premium the writer of a currency option is obligated to sell (in the case of a call option) or purchase (in the case of a put option) a specified amount of a specified currency on or before the expiration date for a specified amount of another currency. The Master Portfolio may engage in transactions in options on currencies either on exchanges or OTC markets. The Master Portfolio may write covered call options on up to 100% of the currencies in its portfolio. Currency options involve substantial currency risk, and may also involve credit, leverage or illiquidity risk.
Currency Swaps. The Master Portfolio may enter into currency swaps in order to protect against currency fluctuations or to hedge portfolio positions. Currency swaps are transactions in which one currency is simultaneously bought for a second currency on a spot basis and sold for the second currency on a forward basis. Currency swaps involve the exchange of the rights of the Master Portfolio and another party to make or receive payments in specified currencies, and typically require the delivery of the entire principal value of one designated currency in exchange for the other designated currency. As a result, the entire principal value of a currency swap is subject to the risk that the other party to the swap will default on its contractual delivery obligations.
Equity Securities
The Master Portfolio may invest in equity securities, which include common stock, preferred stock; bonds, notes and debentures convertible into common or preferred stock; stock purchase warrants and rights; equity interests in trusts; general and limited partnerships and limited liability companies; and depositary receipts. Stock markets are volatile. The price of equity securities will fluctuate and can decline and reduce the value of a portfolio investing in equities. The price of equity securities fluctuates based on changes in a company's financial condition and overall market and economic conditions. The value of equity securities purchased by the Master Portfolio could decline if the financial condition of the companies the Master Portfolio invests in decline or if overall market and economic conditions deteriorate. They may also decline due to factors that affect a particular industry or industries, such as labor shortages or increase in production costs and competitive conditions within an industry. In addition, they may decline due to general market conditions that are not specifically related to a company or industry, such as real or perceived adverse economic conditions, changes in the general outlook for corporate earnings, changes in interest or currency rates or generally adverse investor sentiment.
From time to time certain of the Master Portfolio may invest in shares of companies through initial public offerings (“IPOs”). IPOs have the potential to produce, and have in fact produced, substantial gains for the Master Portfolio. There is no assurance that the Master Portfolio will have continued access to profitable IPOs and therefore investors should not rely on these past gains as an indication of future performance. The investment performance of the Master Portfolio during periods when it is unable to invest
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significantly or at all in IPOs may be lower than during periods when it is able to do so. In addition, as the Master Portfolio increases in size, the impact of IPOs on its performance will generally decrease. Securities issued in IPOs are subject to many of the same risks as investing in companies with smaller market capitalizations. Securities issued in IPOs have no trading history, and information about the companies may be available for very limited periods. In addition, the prices of securities sold in IPOs may be highly volatile or may decline shortly after the initial public offering.
The Master Portfolio may invest in companies that have relatively small market capitalizations. These organizations will normally have more limited product lines, markets and financial resources and will be dependent upon a more limited management group than larger capitalized companies. In addition, it is more difficult to get information on smaller companies, which tend to be less well known, have shorter operating histories, do not have significant ownership by large investors and are followed by relatively few securities analysts. The securities of smaller capitalized companies are often traded in the OTC markets and may have fewer market makers and wider price spreads. This may result in greater price movements and less ability to sell the Master Portfolio's investment than if the Master Portfolio held the securities of larger, more established companies. For a discussion of the types of equity securities in which the Master Portfolio may invest and the risks associated with investing in such equity securities, see the Master Portfolio’s prospectus.
Real Estate Related Securities. Although the Master Portfolio may not invest directly in real estate, the Master Portfolio may invest in equity securities of issuers that are principally engaged in the real estate industry. Such investments are subject to certain risks associated with the ownership of real estate and with the real estate industry in general. These risks include, among others: possible declines in the value of real estate; risks related to general and local economic conditions; possible lack of availability of mortgage funds or other limitations on access to capital; overbuilding; risks associated with leverage; market illiquidity; extended vacancies of properties; increase in competition, property taxes, capital expenditures and operating expenses; changes in zoning laws or other governmental regulation; costs resulting from the clean-up of, and liability to third parties for damages resulting from, environmental problems; tenant bankruptcies or other credit problems; casualty or condemnation losses; uninsured damages from floods, earthquakes or other natural disasters; limitations on and variations in rents, including decreases in market rates for rents; investment in developments that are not completed or that are subject to delays in completion; and changes in interest rates. To the extent that assets underlying the Master Portfolio’s investments are concentrated geographically, by property type or in certain other respects, the Master Portfolio may be subject to certain of the foregoing risks to a greater extent. Investments by the Master Portfolio in securities of companies providing mortgage servicing will be subject to the risks associated with refinancings and their impact on servicing rights.
In addition, if the Master Portfolio receives rental income or income from the disposition of real property acquired as a result of a default on securities the Master Portfolio owns, the receipt of such income may adversely affect the Stock Index Fund’s ability to retain its tax status as a RIC because of certain income source requirements applicable to RICs under the Code.
Securities of Smaller or Emerging Growth Companies. Investment in smaller or emerging growth companies involves greater risk than is customarily associated with investments in more established companies. The securities of smaller or emerging growth companies may be subject to more abrupt or erratic market movements than larger, more established companies or the market average in general. These companies may have limited product lines, markets or financial resources, or they may be dependent on a limited management group.
While smaller or emerging growth company issuers may offer greater opportunities for capital appreciation than large cap issuers, investments in smaller or emerging growth companies may involve greater risks and thus may be considered speculative. BFA believes that properly selected companies of this type have the potential to increase their earnings or market valuation at a rate substantially in excess of the general growth of the economy. Full development of these companies and trends frequently takes time.
Small cap and emerging growth securities will often be traded only in the OTC market or on a regional securities exchange and may not be traded every day or in the volume typical of trading on a national securities exchange. As a result, the disposition by the Master Portfolio of portfolio securities to meet redemptions or otherwise may require the Master Portfolio to make many small sales over a lengthy period of time, or to sell these securities at a discount from market prices or during periods when, in BFA’s judgment, such disposition is not desirable.
The process of selection and continuous supervision by BFA does not, of course, guarantee successful investment results; however, it does provide access to an asset class not available to the average individual due to the time and cost involved. Careful initial selection is particularly important in this area as many new enterprises have promise but lack certain of the fundamental factors necessary to prosper. Investing in small cap and emerging growth companies requires specialized research and analysis. In addition, many investors cannot invest sufficient assets in such companies to provide wide diversification.
Small companies are generally little known to most individual investors although some may be dominant in their respective industries. BFA believes that relatively small companies will continue to have the opportunity to develop into significant business enterprises. The Master Portfolio may invest in securities of small issuers in the relatively early stages of business development that have a new technology, a unique or proprietary product or service, or a favorable market position. Such companies may not be counted upon to develop into major industrial companies, but BFA believes that eventual recognition of their special value characteristics by the investment community can provide above-average long-term growth to the portfolio.
Equity securities of specific small cap issuers may present different opportunities for long-term capital appreciation during varying portions of economic or securities market cycles, as well as during varying stages of their business development. The market valuation
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of small cap issuers tends to fluctuate during economic or market cycles, presenting attractive investment opportunities at various points during these cycles.
Smaller companies, due to the size and kinds of markets that they serve, may be less susceptible than large companies to intervention from the Federal government by means of price controls, regulations or litigation.
Foreign Investments
Foreign Investment Risks. The Master Portfolio may invest in foreign securities, including securities from issuers located in emerging market countries. These securities may be denominated in U.S. dollars or in a foreign currency. Investing in foreign securities involves risks not typically associated with investing in securities of companies organized and operated in the United States that can increase the chances that the Master Portfolio will lose money.
Securities issued by certain companies organized outside the United States may not be deemed to be foreign securities (but rather deemed to be U.S. securities) if (i) the company’s principal operations are conducted from the U.S., (ii) the company’s equity securities trade principally on a U.S. stock exchange, (iii) the company does a substantial amount of business in the U.S. or (iv) the issuer of securities is included in the Master Portfolio’s primary U.S. benchmark index.
In addition to equity securities, foreign investments of the Master Portfolio may include: (a) debt obligations issued or guaranteed by foreign sovereign governments or their agencies, authorities, instrumentalities or political subdivisions, including a foreign state, province or municipality; (b) debt obligations of supranational organizations; (c) debt obligations of foreign banks and bank holding companies; (d) debt obligations of domestic banks and corporations issued in foreign currencies; (e) debt obligations denominated in the Euro; and (f) foreign corporate debt securities and commercial paper. Such securities may include loan participations and assignments, convertible securities and zero-coupon securities.
Dividends or interest on, or proceeds from the sale of, foreign securities may be subject to foreign withholding taxes.
Foreign Market Risk. The Master Portfolio that may invest in foreign securities offer the potential for more diversification than the Master Portfolio that invests only in the United States because securities traded on foreign markets have often (though not always) performed differently from securities traded in the United States. However, such investments often involve risks not present in U.S. investments that can increase the chances that the Master Portfolio will lose money. In particular, the Master Portfolio is subject to the risk that, because there are generally fewer investors on foreign exchanges and a smaller number of shares traded each day, it may be difficult for the Master Portfolio to buy and sell securities on those exchanges. In addition, prices of foreign securities may fluctuate more than prices of securities traded in the United States. Investments in foreign markets may also be adversely affected by governmental actions such as the imposition of punitive taxes. In addition, economic conditions, such as volatile currency exchange rates and interest rates, political events, military action and other conditions may, without prior warning, lead to the governments of certain countries, or the U.S. Government with respect to certain countries, prohibiting or imposing substantial restrictions through capital controls and/or sanctions on foreign investing in the capital markets or certain industries in those countries. Capital controls and/or sanctions may include the prohibition of, or restrictions on, the ability to own or transfer currency, securities, derivatives or other assets and may also include retaliatory actions of one government against another government, such as seizure of assets. Any of these actions could severely affect the Master Portfolio’s ability to purchase, sell, transfer, receive, deliver or otherwise obtain exposure to foreign securities and assets, including the ability to transfer the Master Portfolio’s assets or income back into the United States, and could negatively impact the value and/or liquidity of such assets or otherwise adversely affect the Master Portfolio’s operations, causing the Master Portfolio to decline in value. Other potential foreign market risks include exchange controls, difficulties in pricing securities, defaults on foreign government securities, difficulties in enforcing favorable legal judgments in foreign courts, and political and social conditions, such as diplomatic relations, confiscatory taxation, expropriation, limitation on the removal of funds or assets, or imposition of (or change in) exchange control regulations. Legal remedies available to investors in certain foreign countries may be less extensive than those available to investors in the United States or other foreign countries. In addition, changes in government administrations or economic or monetary policies in the U.S. or abroad could result in appreciation or depreciation of portfolio securities and could favorably or adversely affect the Master Portfolio’s operations.
Foreign Economy Risk. The economies of certain foreign markets often do not compare favorably with that of the United States with respect to such issues as growth of gross national product, reinvestment of capital, resources, and balance of payments position. Certain such economies may rely heavily on particular industries or foreign capital and are more vulnerable to diplomatic developments, the imposition of economic sanctions against a particular country or countries, changes in international trading patterns, trade barriers, and other protectionist or retaliatory measures.
Currency Risk and Exchange Risk. Because foreign securities generally are denominated and pay dividends or interest in foreign currencies, the value of the Master Portfolio's investments in foreign securities as measured in U.S. dollars will be affected favorably or unfavorably by changes in exchange rates. Generally, when the U.S. dollar rises in value against a foreign currency, a security denominated in that currency loses value because the currency is worth fewer U.S. dollars. Conversely, when the U.S. dollar decreases in value against a foreign currency, a security denominated in that currency gains value because the currency is worth more U.S. dollars. This risk, generally known as “currency risk,” means that a stronger U.S. dollar will reduce returns for U.S. investors while a weak U.S. dollar will increase those returns.
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Governmental Supervision and Regulation/Accounting Standards. Many foreign governments supervise and regulate stock exchanges, brokers and the sale of securities less than does the United States. Some countries may not have laws to protect investors comparable to the U.S. securities laws. For example, some foreign countries may have no laws or rules against insider trading. Insider trading occurs when a person buys or sells a company’s securities based on nonpublic information about that company. Accounting standards in other countries are not necessarily the same as in the United States. If the accounting standards in another country do not require as much detail as U.S. accounting standards, it may be harder for BFA to completely and accurately determine a company’s financial condition. In addition, the U.S. Government has from time to time in the past imposed restrictions, through penalties and otherwise, on foreign investments by U.S. investors such as the Master Portfolio. If such restrictions should be reinstituted, it might become necessary for the Master Portfolio to invest all or substantially all of its assets in U.S. securities. Also, brokerage commissions and other costs of buying or selling securities often are higher in foreign countries than they are in the United States. This reduces the amount the Master Portfolio can earn on its investments.
Certain Risks of Holding Fund Assets Outside the United States. The Master Portfolio generally holds its foreign securities and cash in foreign banks and securities depositories. Some foreign banks and securities depositories may be recently organized or new to the foreign custody business. In addition, there may be limited or no regulatory oversight over their operations. Also, the laws of certain countries may put limits on the Master Portfolio's ability to recover its assets if a foreign bank or depository or issuer of a security or any of their agents goes bankrupt. In addition, it is often more expensive for the Master Portfolio to buy, sell and hold securities in certain foreign markets than in the United States. The increased expense of investing in foreign markets reduces the amount the Master Portfolio can earn on its investments and typically results in a higher operating expense ratio for the Master Portfolio as compared to investment companies that invest only in the United States.
Publicly Available Information. In general, less information is publicly available with respect to foreign issuers than is available with respect to U.S. companies. Most foreign companies are also not subject to the uniform accounting and financial reporting requirements applicable to issuers in the United States. While the volume of transactions effected on foreign stock exchanges has increased in recent years, it remains appreciably below that of the New York Stock Exchange. Accordingly, the Master Portfolio’s foreign investments may be less liquid and their prices may be more volatile than comparable investments in securities in U.S. companies. In addition, there is generally less government supervision and regulation of securities exchanges, brokers and issuers in foreign countries than in the United States.
Settlement Risk. Settlement and clearance procedures in certain foreign markets differ significantly from those in the United States. Foreign settlement procedures and trade regulations also may involve certain risks (such as delays in payment for or delivery of securities) not typically generated by the settlement of U.S. investments. Communications between the United States and emerging market countries may be unreliable, increasing the risk of delayed settlements or losses of security certificates in markets that still rely on physical settlement. Settlements in certain foreign countries at times have not kept pace with the number of securities transactions; these problems may make it difficult for the Master Portfolio to carry out transactions. If the Master Portfolio cannot settle or is delayed in settling a purchase of securities, it may miss attractive investment opportunities and certain of its assets may be uninvested with no return earned thereon for some period. If the Master Portfolio cannot settle or is delayed in settling a sale of securities, it may lose money if the value of the security then declines or, if it has contracted to sell the security to another party, the Master Portfolio could be liable to that party for any losses incurred.
Illiquid Investments
The Master Portfolio may invest up to an aggregate amount of 15% of its net assets in illiquid investments. An illiquid investment is any investment that the Master Portfolio 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. If illiquid investments exceed 15% of the Master Portfolio’s net assets, the Liquidity Rule (as defined below) and the Liquidity Program (as defined below) will require that certain remedial actions be taken. Illiquid investments may trade at a discount from comparable liquid investments. Investment of the Master Portfolio’s assets in illiquid investments may restrict the ability of the Master Portfolio to dispose of its investments in a timely fashion and for a fair price as well as its ability to take advantage of market opportunities. The risks associated with illiquidity will be particularly acute where the Master Portfolio’s operations require cash, such as when the Master Portfolio redeems shares or pays dividends, and could result in the Master Portfolio borrowing to meet short-term cash requirements or incurring capital losses on the sale of illiquid investments.
Indexed and Inverse Securities
The Master Portfolio may invest in securities that provide a potential return based on a particular index of value or interest rates. For example, the Master Portfolio may invest in securities that pay interest based on an index of interest rates. The principal amount payable upon maturity of certain securities also may be based on the value of the index. To the extent the Master Portfolio invests in these types of securities, the Master Portfolio’s return on such securities will be subject to risk with respect to the value of the particular index: that is, if the value of the index falls, the value of the indexed securities owned by the Master Portfolio will fall. Interest and principal payable on certain securities may also be based on relative changes among particular indices. The Master Portfolio may also invest in so-called “inverse floating obligations” or “residual interest bonds” on which the interest rates vary inversely with a floating rate (which may be reset periodically by a Dutch auction, a remarketing agent, or by reference to a short-term tax-exempt interest rate index). The Master Portfolio may purchase synthetically-created inverse floating rate bonds evidenced by custodial or trust receipts. Generally, income on inverse floating rate bonds will decrease when interest rates increase, and will increase
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when interest rates decrease. Such securities have the effect of providing a degree of investment leverage, since they may increase or decrease in value in response to changes, as an illustration, in market interest rates at a rate that is a multiple of the rate at which fixed-rate securities increase or decrease in response to such changes. As a result, the market values of such securities will generally be more volatile than the market values of fixed-rate securities. To seek to limit the volatility of these securities, the Master Portfolio may purchase inverse floating obligations that have shorter-term maturities or that contain limitations on the extent to which the interest rate may vary. Certain investments in such obligations may be illiquid. BFA believes that indexed and inverse floating obligations represent flexible portfolio management instruments for the Master Portfolio that allow the Master Portfolio to seek potential investment rewards, hedge other portfolio positions or vary the degree of investment leverage relatively efficiently under different market conditions. The Master Portfolio may invest in indexed and inverse securities for hedging purposes or to seek to increase returns. When used for hedging purposes, indexed and inverse securities involve correlation risk. Furthermore, where such a security includes a contingent liability, in the event of an adverse movement in the underlying index or interest rate, the Master Portfolio may be required to pay substantial additional margin to maintain the position.
The Master Portfolio may invest up to 10% of its total assets in leveraged inverse floating rate debt instruments (“inverse floaters”). Inverse floaters are securities the potential of which is inversely related to changes in interest rates. In general, the return on inverse floaters will decrease when short-term interest rates increase and increase when short-term rates decrease. Municipal tender option bonds, both taxable and tax-exempt, which may include inverse floating rate debt instruments, (including residual interests thereon) are excluded from this 10% limitation.
Inflation Risk
Like all mutual funds, the Master Portfolio is subject to inflation risk. Inflation risk is the risk that the present value of assets or income from investments will be less in the future as inflation decreases the value of money. As inflation increases, the present value of the Master Portfolio’s assets can decline as can the value of the Master Portfolio’s distributions.
Information Concerning the Index
S&P 500® Index (“S&P 500”). “Standard & Poor’s®,” “S&P®,” “S&P 500®,” “Standard & Poor’s 500,” and “500” are trademarks of S&P Global, Inc. and have been licensed for use by certain mutual funds sponsored and advised by BlackRock or its affiliates (“BlackRock Funds”). The Master Portfolio is not sponsored, endorsed, sold or promoted by S&P, a division of S&P Global, Inc. S&P makes no representation regarding the advisability of investing in the Master Portfolio. S&P makes no representation or warranty, express or implied, to the owners of shares of the Master Portfolio or any member of the public regarding the advisability of investing in securities generally or in the Master Portfolio particularly or the ability of the S&P 500 to track general stock market performance. S&P’s only relationship to the Master Portfolio is the licensing of certain trademarks and trade names of S& P and of the S&P 500 which is determined, composed and calculated by S&P without regard to the Funds. S&P has no obligation to take the needs of the Master Portfolio or the owners of shares of the Master Portfolio into consideration in determining, composing or calculating the S&P 500. S&P is not responsible for and has not participated in the determination of the prices and amount of any Fund or the timing of the issuance or sale of shares of the Master Portfolio or in the determination or calculation of the equation by which the Master Portfolio is to be converted into cash. S&P has no obligation or liability in connection with the administration, marketing or trading of the Master Portfolio.
S&P does not guarantee the accuracy and/or the completeness of the S&P 500 Index or any data included therein, and S&P shall have no liability for any errors, omissions, or interruptions therein. S&P makes no warranty, express or implied, as to results to be obtained by the Master Portfolio, owners of shares of the Master Portfolio, or any other person or entity from the use of the S&P 500 Index or any data included therein. S&P makes no express or implied warranties and expressly disclaims all warranties of merchantability or fitness for a particular purpose or use with respect to the S&P 500 Index or any data included therein. Without limiting any of the foregoing, in no event shall S&P have any liability for any special, punitive, indirect, or consequential damages (including lost profits), even if notified of the possibility of such damages.
Initial Public Offering (“IPO”) Risk
The volume of initial public offerings and the levels at which the newly issued stocks trade in the secondary market are affected by the performance of the stock market overall. If initial public offerings are brought to the market, availability may be limited and the Master Portfolio may not be able to buy any shares at the offering price, or if it is able to buy shares, it may not be able to buy as many shares at the offering price as it would like. In addition, the prices of securities involved in initial public offerings are often subject to greater and more unpredictable price changes than more established stocks. IPOs have the potential to produce substantial gains. There is no assurance that the Master Portfolio will have access to profitable IPOs and therefore investors should not rely on any past gains from IPOs as an indication of future performance. The investment performance of the Master Portfolio during periods when it is unable to invest significantly or at all in IPOs may be lower than during periods when it is able to do so. In addition, as the Master Portfolio increases in size, the impact of IPOs on its performance will generally decrease. Securities issued in IPOs are subject to many of the same risks as investing in companies with smaller market capitalizations. Securities issued in IPOs have no trading history, and information about the companies may be available for very limited periods.
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Interfund Lending Program
Pursuant to an exemptive order granted by the SEC (the “IFL Order”), the Master Portfolio, to the extent permitted by its investment policies and restrictions and subject to meeting the conditions of the IFL Order, has the ability to lend money to, and borrow money from, other BlackRock-advised funds (“the Funds”) pursuant to a master interfund lending agreement (the “Interfund Lending Program”). Under the Interfund Lending Program, the Master Portfolio may lend or borrow money for temporary purposes directly to or from other Funds (an “Interfund Loan”). 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. Although Funds that are money market funds may, to the extent permitted by their investment policies, participate in the Interfund Lending Program as borrowers or lenders, they typically will not need to participate as borrowers because they are required to comply with the liquidity provisions of Rule 2a-7 under the 1940 Act.
If the Master Portfolio has outstanding bank borrowings, any Interfund Loans to the Master Portfolio would: (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 Master Portfolio, that event of default will automatically (without need for action or notice by the lending Fund) constitute an immediate event of default under the interfund lending agreement, entitling the lending Fund to call the Interfund Loan immediately (and exercise all rights with respect to any collateral), and cause such call to be made if the lending bank exercises its right to call its loan under its agreement with the borrowing Fund.
The Master Portfolio 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 Master Portfolio has a secured loan outstanding from any other lender, including but not limited to another Fund, the Master Portfolio'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 borrowing 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. The Master Portfolio 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 the Master Portfolio's investment restrictions.
The Master Portfolio may not 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. The Master Portfolio'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 described above and the other conditions of the IFL 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 under the Interfund Lending Program, there is a risk that the Interfund Loan could be called on one day’s notice, in which case the borrowing Fund may have to seek to borrow from a bank, which would likely involve higher rates, seek an Interfund Loan from another Fund, or liquidate portfolio securities if no lending sources are available to meet its liquidity needs. 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 could result in a lost opportunity by the lending Fund or force the lending Fund to borrow or liquidate securities to meet its liquidity needs. The Master Portfolio may not borrow more than the amount permitted by its investment restrictions. There can be no assurance that an interfund loan will be available to a borrowing or lending Fund.
Investment in Emerging Markets
The Master Portfolio may invest in the securities of issuers domiciled in various countries with emerging capital markets. Unless otherwise provided in the Master Portfolio’s prospectus, a country with an emerging capital market is any country that is (i) generally recognized to be an emerging market country by the international financial community, such as the International Finance Corporation, or determined by the World Bank to have a low, lower-middle or middle upper income economy; (ii) classified by the United Nations or its authorities to be developing; and/or (iii) included in a broad-based index that is generally representative of emerging markets. Countries with emerging markets can be found in regions such as Asia, Latin America, Eastern Europe and Africa.
Investments in the securities of issuers domiciled in countries with emerging capital markets involve certain additional risks that do not generally apply to investments in securities of issuers in more developed capital markets, such as (i) low or non-existent trading volume, resulting in market illiquidity and increased volatility in prices for such securities, as compared to securities of comparable issuers in more developed capital markets; (ii) uncertain national policies and social, political and economic instability, increasing the potential for expropriation of assets, confiscatory taxation, high rates of inflation or unfavorable diplomatic developments; (iii) possible fluctuations in exchange rates, differing legal systems and the existence or possible imposition of exchange controls, custodial restrictions or other foreign or U.S. governmental laws or restrictions applicable to such investments; (iv) national policies that may limit the Master Portfolio’s investment opportunities such as restrictions on investment in issuers or industries deemed sensitive to national interests; and (v) the lack or relatively early development of legal structures governing private and foreign
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investments and private property. In addition to withholding taxes on investment income, some countries with emerging markets may impose differential capital gains taxes on foreign investors.
Political and economic structures in emerging market countries may be undergoing significant evolution and rapid development, and these countries may lack the social, political and economic stability characteristic of more developed countries. In such a dynamic environment, there can be no assurance that any or all of these capital markets will continue to present viable investment opportunities for the Master Portfolio. In the past, governments of such nations have expropriated substantial amounts of private property, and most claims of the property owners have never been fully settled. There is no assurance that such expropriations will not reoccur. In such an event, it is possible that the Master Portfolio could lose the entire value of its investments in the affected market. As a result the risks described above, including the risks of nationalization or expropriation of assets, may be heightened. In addition, unanticipated political or social developments may affect the value of investments in these countries and the availability to the Master Portfolio of additional investments. The small size and inexperience of the securities markets in certain of these countries and the limited volume of trading in securities in these countries may make investments in the countries illiquid and more volatile than investments in Japan or most Western European countries.
Also, there may be less publicly available information about issuers in emerging markets than would be available about issuers in more developed capital markets, and such issuers may not be subject to accounting, auditing and financial reporting standards and requirements comparable to those to which U.S. companies are subject. In certain countries with emerging capital markets, reporting standards vary widely. As a result, traditional investment measurements used in the United States, such as price/earnings ratios, may not be applicable. Emerging market securities may be substantially less liquid than, and more volatile than, those of mature markets, and company shares may be held by a limited number of persons. This may adversely affect the timing and pricing of the Master Portfolio’s acquisition or disposal of securities.
Practices in relation to settlement of securities transactions in emerging markets involve higher risks than those in developed markets, in part because the Master Portfolio will need to use brokers and counterparties that are less well capitalized, and custody and registration of assets in some countries may be unreliable. The possibility of fraud, negligence, undue influence being exerted by the issuer or refusal to recognize ownership exists in some emerging markets, and, along with other factors, could result in ownership registration being completely lost. The Master Portfolio would absorb any loss resulting from such registration problems and may have no successful claim for compensation.
Investment in non-dollar denominated securities including securities from issuers located in emerging market countries may be on either a currency hedged or unhedged basis, and the Master Portfolios may hold from time to time various foreign currencies pending investment or conversion into U.S. dollars. Some of these instruments may have the characteristics of futures contracts. In addition, the Master Portfolio may engage in foreign currency exchange transactions to seek to protect against changes in the level of future exchange rates which would adversely affect the Master Portfolio’s performance. These investments and transactions involving foreign securities, currencies, options (including options that relate to foreign currencies), futures, hedging and cross-hedging are described below and under “Derivatives”.
Risks of Investing in Asia-Pacific Countries. In addition to the risks of foreign investing and the risks of investing in developing markets, the developing market Asia-Pacific countries in which the Master Portfolio may invest are subject to certain additional or specific risks. The Master Portfolio may make substantial investments in Asia-Pacific countries. In many of these markets, there is a high concentration of market capitalization and trading volume in a small number of issuers representing a limited number of industries, as well as a high concentration of investors and financial intermediaries. Many of these markets also may be affected by developments with respect to more established markets in the region such as in Japan and Hong Kong. Brokers in developing market Asia-Pacific countries typically are fewer in number and less well capitalized than brokers in the United States. These factors, combined with the U.S. regulatory requirements for open-end investment companies and the restrictions on foreign investment discussed below, result in potentially fewer investment opportunities for the Master Portfolio and may have an adverse impact on the investment performance of the Master Portfolio.
Many of the developing market Asia-Pacific countries may be subject to a greater degree of economic, political and social instability than is the case in the United States and Western European countries. Such instability may result from, among other things: (i) authoritarian governments or military involvement in political and economic decision-making, including changes in government through extra-constitutional means; (ii) popular unrest associated with demands for improved political, economic and social conditions; (iii) internal insurgencies; (iv) hostile relations with neighboring countries; and (v) ethnic, religious and racial disaffection. In addition, the governments of many of such countries, such as Indonesia, have a substantial role in regulating and supervising the economy. Another risk common to most such countries is that the economy is heavily export oriented and, accordingly, is dependent upon international trade. The existence of overburdened infrastructure and obsolete financial systems also presents risks in certain countries, as do environmental problems. Certain economies also depend to a significant degree upon exports of primary commodities and, therefore, are vulnerable to changes in commodity prices that, in turn, may be affected by a variety of factors.
The legal systems in certain developing market Asia-Pacific countries also may have an adverse impact on the Master Portfolio. For example, while the potential liability of a shareholder in a U.S. corporation with respect to acts of the corporation is generally limited to the amount of the shareholder’s investment, the notion of limited liability is less clear in certain emerging market Asia-Pacific countries. Similarly, the rights of investors in developing market Asia-Pacific companies may be more limited than those of
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shareholders of U.S. corporations. It may be difficult or impossible to obtain and/or enforce a judgment in a developing market Asia-Pacific country.
Governments of many developing market Asia-Pacific countries have exercised and continue to exercise substantial influence over many aspects of the private sector. In certain cases, the government owns or controls many companies, including the largest in the country. Accordingly, government actions in the future could have a significant effect on economic conditions in developing market Asia-Pacific countries, which could affect private sector companies and the Master Portfolio itself, as well as the value of securities in the Master Portfolio’s portfolio. In addition, economic statistics of developing market Asia-Pacific countries may be less reliable than economic statistics of more developed nations.
In addition to the relative lack of publicly available information about developing market Asia-Pacific issuers and the possibility that such issuers may not be subject to the same accounting, auditing and financial reporting standards as U.S. companies, inflation accounting rules in some developing market Asia-Pacific countries require companies that keep accounting records in the local currency, for both tax and accounting purposes, to restate certain assets and liabilities on the company’s balance sheet in order to express items in terms of currency of constant purchasing power. Inflation accounting may indirectly generate losses or profits for certain developing market Asia-Pacific companies.
Satisfactory custodial services for investment securities may not be available in some developing Asia-Pacific countries, which may result in the Master Portfolio incurring additional costs and delays in providing transportation and custody services for such securities outside such countries.
Certain developing Asia-Pacific countries, such as the Philippines, India and Turkey, are especially large debtors to commercial banks and foreign governments.
On March 11, 2011, a powerful earthquake and resulting tsunami struck northeastern Japan causing major damage along the coast, including damage to nuclear power plants in the region. Future similar disasters, and the resulting damage, could have a severe and negative impact on the Master Portfolio’s investment portfolio and, in the longer term, could impair the ability of issuers in which the Master Portfolio invests to conduct their businesses in the manner normally conducted.
The Master Portfolio's management may determine that, notwithstanding otherwise favorable investment criteria, it may not be practicable or appropriate to invest in a particular developing Asia-Pacific country. The Master Portfolio may invest in countries in which foreign investors, including management of the Master Portfolio, have had no or limited prior experience.
Restrictions on Foreign Investments in Asia-Pacific Countries. Some developing Asia-Pacific countries prohibit or impose substantial restrictions on investments in their capital markets, particularly their equity markets, by foreign entities such as the Master Portfolio. As illustrations, certain countries may require governmental approval prior to investments by foreign persons or limit the amount of investment by foreign persons in a particular company or limit the investment by foreign persons to only a specific class of securities of a company which may have less advantageous terms (including price and shareholder rights) than securities of the company available for purchase by nationals. There can be no assurance that the Master Portfolio will be able to obtain required governmental approvals in a timely manner. In addition, changes to restrictions on foreign ownership of securities subsequent to the Master Portfolio’s purchase of such securities may have an adverse effect on the value of such shares. Certain countries may restrict investment opportunities in issuers or industries deemed important to national interests.
The manner in which foreign investors may invest in companies in certain developing Asia-Pacific countries, as well as limitations on such investments, also may have an adverse impact on the operations of the Master Portfolio. For example, the Master Portfolio may be required in certain of such countries to invest initially through a local broker or other entity and then have the shares purchased re-registered in the name of the Master Portfolio. Re-registration may in some instances not be able to occur on a timely basis, resulting in a delay during which the Master Portfolio may be denied certain of its rights as an investor, including rights as to dividends or to be made aware of certain corporate actions. There also may be instances where the Master Portfolio places a purchase order but is subsequently informed, at the time of re-registration, that the permissible allocation of the investment to foreign investors has been filled, depriving the Master Portfolio of the ability to make its desired investment at that time.
Substantial limitations may exist in certain countries with respect to the Master Portfolio’s ability to repatriate investment income, capital or the proceeds of sales of securities by foreign investors. The Master Portfolio could be adversely affected by delays in, or a refusal to grant, any required governmental approval for repatriation of capital, as well as by the application to the Master Portfolio of any restrictions on investments. It is possible that certain countries may impose currency controls or other restrictions relating to their currencies or to securities of issuers in those countries. To the extent that such restrictions have the effect of making certain investments illiquid, securities may not be available for sale to meet redemptions. Depending on a variety of financial factors, the percentage of the Master Portfolio’s portfolio subject to currency controls may increase. In the event other countries impose similar controls, the portion of the Master Portfolio’s assets that may be used to meet redemptions may be further decreased. Even where there is no outright restriction on repatriation of capital, the mechanics of repatriation may affect certain aspects of the operations of the Master Portfolio (for example, if funds may be withdrawn only in certain currencies and/or only at an exchange rate established by the government).
In certain countries, banks or other financial institutions may be among the leading companies or have actively traded securities available for investment. The Investment Company Act restricts the Master Portfolio’s investments in any equity securities of an issuer
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that, in its most recent fiscal year, derived more than 15% of its revenues from “securities related activities,” as defined by the rules thereunder. These provisions may restrict the Master Portfolio’s investments in certain foreign banks and other financial institutions.
Political and economic structures in emerging market countries may be undergoing significant evolution and rapid development, and these countries may lack the social, political and economic stability characteristic of more developed countries. Some of these countries may have in the past failed to recognize private property rights and have at times nationalized or expropriated the assets of private companies. As a result the risks described above, including the risks of nationalization or expropriation of assets, may be heightened. In addition, unanticipated political or social developments may affect the value of investments in these countries and the availability to the Master Portfolio of additional investments in emerging market countries. The small size and inexperience of the securities markets in certain of these countries and the limited volume of trading in securities in these countries may make investments in the countries illiquid and more volatile than investments in Japan or most Western European countries. There may be little financial or accounting information available with respect to issuers located in certain emerging market countries, and it may be difficult to assess the value or prospects of an investment in such issuers.
If the Master Portfolio invests significantly in foreign securities, the expense ratio of the Master Portfolio can be expected to be higher than those of funds investing primarily in domestic securities. The costs attributable to investing abroad are usually higher for several reasons, such as the higher cost of custody of foreign securities, higher commissions paid on comparable transactions on foreign markets and additional costs arising from delays in settlements of transactions involving foreign securities.
Risks of Investments in Russia. The Master Portfolio may invest a portion of its assets in securities issued by companies located in Russia. The Russian securities market suffers from a variety of problems described above in “Investment in Emerging Markets” not encountered in more developed markets. The Russian securities market is relatively new, and a substantial portion of securities transactions are privately negotiated outside of stock exchanges. The inexperience of the Russian securities market and the limited volume of trading in securities in the market may make obtaining accurate prices on portfolio securities from independent sources more difficult than in more developed markets.
Because of the recent formation of the Russian securities markets, the underdeveloped state of Russia’s banking and telecommunication system and the legal and regulatory framework in Russia, settlement, clearing and registration of securities transactions are subject to additional risks. Prior to 2013, there was no central registration system for equity share registration in Russia and registration was carried out either by the issuers themselves or by registrars located throughout Russia. These registrars may not have been subject to effective state supervision or licensed with any governmental entity. In 2013, Russia established the National Settlement Depository (“NSD”) as a recognized central securities depository, and title to Russian equities is now based on the records of the NSD and not on the records of the local registrars. The implementation of the NSD is generally expected to decrease the risk of loss in connection with recording and transferring title to securities; however, loss may still occur. Additionally, issuers and registrars remain prominent in the validation and approval of documentation requirements for corporate action processing in Russia, and there remain inconsistent market standards in the Russian market with respect to the completion and submission of corporate action elections. To the extent that the Master Portfolio suffers a loss relating to title or corporate actions relating to its portfolio securities, it may be difficult for the Master Portfolio to enforce its rights or otherwise remedy the loss.
In addition, Russia also may attempt to assert its influence in the region through economic or even military measures, as it did with Georgia in the summer of 2008 and Crimea in 2014 and ongoing military attacks in Ukraine since 2022. Russia launched a large-scale invasion of Ukraine on February 24, 2022. The extent and duration of the military action, resulting sanctions and resulting future market disruptions, including declines in its stock markets and the value of the ruble against the U.S. dollar, are impossible to predict, but could be significant. Any such disruptions caused by Russian military action or other actions (including cyberattacks and espionage) or resulting actual and threatened responses to such activity, including purchasing and financing restrictions, boycotts or changes in consumer or purchaser preferences, sanctions, tariffs or cyberattacks on the Russian government, Russian companies or Russian individuals, including politicians, may impact Russia’s economy and Russian issuers of securities in which the Master Portfolio invests. Actual and threatened responses to such activity, including purchasing restrictions, sanctions, tariffs or cyberattacks on the Russian government or Russian companies, may impact Russia’s economy and Russian issuers of securities in which the Master Portfolio invests. Actual and threatened responses to such military action may also impact the markets for certain Russian commodities, such as oil and natural gas, as well as other sectors of the Russian economy, and may likely have collateral impacts on such sectors globally.
Governments in the United States and many other countries (collectively, the “Sanctioning Bodies”) have imposed economic sanctions, which can consist of prohibiting certain securities trades, certain private transactions in the energy sector, asset freezes and prohibition of all business, against certain Russian individuals, including politicians, and Russian corporate and banking entities. The Sanctioning Bodies, or others, could also institute broader sanctions on Russia, including banning Russia from global payments systems that facilitate cross-border payments beyond current SWIFT bans. These sanctions, or even the threat of further sanctions, may result in the decline of the value and liquidity of Russian securities, a weakening of the ruble or other adverse consequences to the Russian economy. These sanctions could also result in the immediate freeze of Russian securities and/or funds invested in prohibited assets, impairing the ability of Master Portfolio to buy, sell, receive or deliver those securities and/or assets. Sanctions could also result in Russia taking counter measures or retaliatory actions which may further impair the value and liquidity of Russian securities
Risks of Investing in Saudi Arabia. The ability of foreign investors (such as the Master Portfolio) to invest in Saudi Arabian issuers is new and untested. Such ability could be restricted or revoked by the Saudi Arabian government at any time, and unforeseen risks could
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materialize due to foreign ownership in such securities. In addition, the Capital Market Authority places investment limitations on the ownership of Saudi Arabian issuers by foreign investors, including a limitation on the Master Portfolio's ownership of any single issuer listed on the Saudi Arabian Stock Exchange, which may prevent the Master Portfolio from investing in accordance with its strategy and contribute to tracking error against the Index. These restrictions may be changed or new restrictions, such as licensing requirements, special approvals or additional foreign taxes, may be instituted at any time. The Master Portfolio may not be able to obtain or maintain any such licenses or approvals and may not be able to buy and sell securities at full value. Major disruptions or regulatory changes could occur in the Saudi Arabian market, any of which could negatively impact the Master Portfolio. These risks may be exacerbated, compared to more developed markets, given the limited history of foreign investment in the Saudi Arabian market. Investments in Saudi Arabia may also be subject to loss due to expropriation or nationalization of assets and property or the imposition of restrictions on additional foreign investments and repatriation of capital. Such heightened risks may include, among others, restrictions on and government intervention in international trade, confiscatory taxation, political instability, including authoritarian and/or military involvement in governmental decision making, armed conflict, crime and instability as a result of religious, ethnic and/or socioeconomic unrest. Saudi Arabia has privatized, or has begun the process of privatizing, certain entities and industries. Newly privatized companies may face strong competition from government sponsored competitors that have not been privatized. In some instances, investors in newly privatized entities have suffered losses due to the inability of the newly privatized entities to adjust quickly to a competitive environment or changing regulatory and legal standards or, in some cases, due to re-nationalization of such privatized entities. There is no assurance that similar losses will not recur. Further, under income tax laws imposed by the Department of Zakat and Income Tax, dividends paid by a Saudi Arabian company to foreign stockholders are generally subject to a 5% withholding tax (different tax rates may apply pursuant to an applicable treaty). Saudi Arabia is highly reliant on income from the sale of petroleum and trade with other countries involved in the sale of petroleum, and its economy is therefore vulnerable to changes in foreign currency values and the market for petroleum. As global demand for petroleum fluctuates, Saudi Arabia may be significantly impacted. Like most Middle Eastern governments, the government of Saudi Arabia exercises substantial influence over many aspects of the private sector. Although liberalization in the wider economy is underway, in many areas it has lagged significantly: restrictions on foreign ownership persist, and the government has an ownership stake in many key industries. The situation is exacerbated by the fact that Saudi Arabia is governed by an absolute monarchy. Saudi Arabia has historically experienced strained relations with economic partners worldwide, including other countries in the Middle East due to geopolitical events. Incidents involving a Middle Eastern country’s or the region’s security, including terrorism, may cause uncertainty in their markets and may adversely affect its economy and the Master Portfolio's investments. Governmental actions in the future could have a significant effect on economic conditions in Saudi Arabia, which could affect private sector companies and the Master Portfolio, as well as the value of securities in the Master Portfolio's portfolio. Any economic sanctions on Saudi Arabian individuals or Saudi Arabian corporate entities, or even the threat of sanctions, may result in the decline of the value and liquidity of Saudi Arabian securities, a weakening of the Saudi riyal or other adverse consequences to the Saudi Arabian economy. In addition, Saudi Arabia’s economy relies heavily on cheap, foreign labor, and changes in the availability of this labor supply could have an adverse effect on the economy.
The securities markets in Saudi Arabia may not be as developed as those in other countries. As a result, securities markets in Saudi Arabia are subject to greater risks associated with market volatility, lower market capitalization, lower trading volume, illiquidity, inflation, greater price fluctuations, uncertainty regarding the existence of trading markets, governmental control and heavy regulation of labor and industry. Shares of certain Saudi Arabian companies tend to trade less frequently than those of companies on exchanges in more developed markets. Such infrequent trading may adversely affect the pricing of these securities and the Master Portfolio's ability to sell these securities in the future. Current regulations in Saudi Arabian markets may require the Master Portfolio to execute trades of securities through a single broker. As a result, BFA will have less flexibility to choose among brokers on behalf of the Master Portfolio than is typically the case for investment managers.
Although the political situation in Saudi Arabia is largely stable, Saudi Arabia has historically experienced political instability, and there remains the possibility that the stability will not hold in the future or that instability in the larger Middle East region could adversely impact the economy of Saudi Arabia. Instability may be caused by military developments, government interventions in the marketplace, terrorism, extremist attitudes, attempted social or political reforms, religious differences, or other factors. Additionally, anti-Western views held by certain groups in the Middle East may influence government policies regarding foreign investment. Further developments in U.S. relations with Saudi Arabia and other Middle-Eastern countries may affect these attitudes and policies. The U.S. is a significant, and in some cases the most significant, trading partner of, or foreign investor in, Saudi Arabia. As a result, economic conditions of Saudi Arabia may be particularly affected by changes in the U.S. economy. A decrease in U.S. imports or exports, new trade and financial regulations or tariffs, changes in the U.S. dollar exchange rate or an economic slowdown in the U.S. may have a material adverse effect on the economic conditions of Saudi Arabia and, as a result, securities to which the Master Portfolio has exposure. Political instability in North Africa and the larger Middle East region has caused significant disruptions to many industries. Continued political and social unrest in these areas may negatively affect the value of securities in the Master Portfolio's portfolio.
Certain issuers located in Saudi Arabia may operate in, or have dealings with, countries subject to sanctions and/or embargoes imposed by the U.S. government and the United Nations and/or countries identified by the U.S. government as state sponsors of terrorism. As a result, an issuer may sustain damage to its reputation if it is identified as an issuer which operates in, or has dealings with, such countries. To the extent the Master Portfolio invests in such issuers, it will be indirectly subject to those risks.
Risks of Investing in Venezuela. Investment in Venezuela may subject the Master Portfolio to legal, regulatory, political, currency, security, expropriation and/or nationalization of assets and economic risk specific to Venezuela. Venezuela is extremely well endowed
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with natural resources and its economy is heavily dependent on export of natural resources to key trading partners. According to the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries (“OPEC”), Venezuela boasts the world’s largest oil reserves. According to an industry report, Venezuela also has the continent’s largest natural gas reserves at an estimated 152 trillion cubic meters. Any act of terrorism, an armed conflict or a breakdown of a key trading relationship that disrupts the production or export of natural resources will likely negatively affect the Venezuelan economy. The government continues to control key sectors of the economy, including upstream oil and gas production, and has sought to increase its role in key sectors, such as telecommunications and steel. Meanwhile, ambiguities in the investment environment remain, such as continued high levels of bureaucracy and corruption, large macroeconomic imbalances, and political and policy uncertainty. Friction continues between the governments of the U.S. and Venezuela. The U.S. has imposed economic sanctions, which consist of asset freezes and sectoral sanctions, on certain Venezuelan individuals and Venezuelan corporate entities, and on the Venezuelan government. The U.S. could also institute broader sanctions on Venezuela. These sanctions, or even the threat of further sanctions, may result in the decline of the value and liquidity of Venezuelan securities, a weakening of the bolivar or other adverse consequences to the Venezuelan economy. These sanctions impair the ability of the Master Portfolio to buy, sell, receive or deliver those securities and/or assets. Additional sanctions against Venezuela may in the future be imposed by the U.S. or other countries. These factors, among others, can have a negative impact on the Master Portfolio's investments.
China Investments Risk
Investments in securities of companies domiciled in the People’s Republic of China (“China” or the “PRC”) involve a high degree of risk and special considerations not typically associated with investing in the U.S. securities markets. Such heightened risks include, among others, an authoritarian government, popular unrest associated with demands for improved political, economic and social conditions, the impact of regional conflict on the economy and hostile relations with neighboring countries.
Military conflicts, either in response to internal social unrest or conflicts with other countries, could disrupt economic development. The Chinese economy is vulnerable to the long-running disagreements with Hong Kong related to integration. China has a complex territorial dispute regarding the sovereignty of Taiwan; Taiwan-based companies and individuals are significant investors in China. Potential military conflict between China and Taiwan may adversely affect securities of Chinese issuers. In addition, China has strained international relations with Japan, India, Russia and other neighbors due to territorial disputes, historical animosities and other defense concerns. China could be affected by military events on the Korean peninsula or internal instability within North Korea. These situations may cause uncertainty in the Chinese market and may adversely affect the performance of the Chinese economy.
The Chinese government has implemented significant economic reforms in order to liberalize trade policy, promote foreign investment in the economy, reduce government control of the economy and develop market mechanisms. But there can be no assurance that these reforms will continue or that they will be effective. Despite reforms and privatizations of companies in certain sectors, the Chinese government still exercises substantial influence over many aspects of the private sector and may own or control many companies. The Chinese government continues to maintain a major role in economic policy making and investing in China involves risks of losses due to expropriation, nationalization, confiscation of assets and property, and the imposition of restrictions on foreign investments and on repatriation of capital invested.
The Chinese government may intervene in the Chinese financial markets, such as by the imposition of trading restrictions, a ban on “naked” short selling or the suspension of short selling for certain stocks. This may affect market price and liquidity of these stocks, and may have an unpredictable impact on the investment activities of the Master Portfolio. Furthermore, such market interventions may have a negative impact on market sentiment which may in turn affect the performance of the securities markets and as a result the performance of the Master Portfolio.
In addition, there is less regulation and monitoring of the securities markets and the activities of investors, brokers and other participants in China than in the United States. Accordingly, issuers of securities in China are not subject to the same degree of regulation as those in the United States with respect to such matters as insider trading rules, tender offer regulation, stockholder proxy requirements and the requirements mandating timely and accurate disclosure of information. Stock markets in China are in the process of change and further development. This may lead to trading volatility, and difficulties in the settlement and recording of transactions and interpretation and application of the relevant regulations. Custodians may not be able to offer the level of service and safe-keeping in relation to the settlement and administration of securities in China that is customary in more developed markets. In particular, there is a risk that the Master Portfolio may not be recognized as the owner of securities that are held on behalf of the Master Portfolio by a sub-custodian.
The Renminbi (“RMB”) is currently not a freely convertible currency and is subject to foreign exchange control policies and repatriation restrictions imposed by the Chinese government. The imposition of currency controls may negatively impact performance and liquidity of the Master Portfolio as capital may become trapped in the PRC. The Master Portfolio could be adversely affected by delays in, or a refusal to grant, any required governmental approval for repatriation of capital, as well as by the application to the Master Portfolio of any restrictions on investments. Investing in entities either in, or which have a substantial portion of their operations in, the PRC may require the Master Portfolio to adopt special procedures, seek local government approvals or take other actions, each of which may involve additional costs and delays to the Master Portfolio.
While the Chinese economy has grown rapidly in recent years, there is no assurance that this growth rate will be maintained. China may experience substantial rates of inflation or economic recessions, causing a negative effect on the economy and securities market. China’s economy is heavily dependent on export growth. Reduction in spending on Chinese products and services, institution of tariffs or other trade barriers or a downturn in any of the economies of China’s key trading partners may have an adverse impact on the
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securities of Chinese issuers. The tax laws and regulations in the PRC are subject to change, including the issuance of authoritative guidance or enforcement, possibly with retroactive effect. The interpretation, applicability and enforcement of such laws by the PRC tax authorities are not as consistent and transparent as those of more developed nations, and may vary over time and from region to region. The application and enforcement of the PRC tax rules could have a significant adverse effect on the Master Portfolio and its investors, particularly in relation to capital gains withholding tax imposed upon non-residents. In addition, the accounting, auditing and financial reporting standards and practices applicable to Chinese companies may be less rigorous, and may result in significant differences between financial statements prepared in accordance with PRC accounting standards and practices and those prepared in accordance with international accounting standards. From time to time and in recent months, China has experienced outbreaks of infectious illnesses and the country may be subject to other public health threats, infectious illnesses, diseases or similar issues in the future. Any spread of an infectious illness, public health threat or similar issue could reduce consumer demand or economic output, result in market closures, travel restrictions or quarantines, and generally have a significant impact on the Chinese economy, which in turn could adversely affect the Master Portfolio's investments.
Risk of Investing through Stock Connect. China A-shares are equity securities of companies domiciled in China that trade on Chinese stock exchanges such as the Shanghai Stock Exchange (“SSE”) and the Shenzhen Stock Exchange (“SZSE”) (“A-shares”). Foreign investment in A-shares on the SSE and SZSE has historically not been permitted, other than through a license granted under regulations in the PRC known as the Qualified Foreign Institutional Investor and Renminbi Qualified Foreign Institutional Investor systems.
Investment in eligible A-shares listed and traded on the SSE or SZSE is also permitted through the Shanghai-Hong Kong Stock Connect program or the Shenzhen-Hong Kong Stock Connect program, as applicable (each, a “Stock Connect” and collectively, “Stock Connects”). Each Stock Connect is a securities trading and clearing links program established by The Stock Exchange of Hong Kong Limited (“SEHK”), the Hong Kong Securities Clearing Company Limited (“HKSCC”), the SSE or SZSE, as applicable, and China Securities Depository and Clearing Corporation Limited (“CSDCC”) that aims to provide mutual stock market access between the PRC and Hong Kong by permitting investors to trade and settle shares on each market through their local securities brokers. Under Stock Connects, the Master Portfolio’s trading of eligible A-shares listed on the SSE or SZSE, as applicable, would be effectuated through its Hong Kong broker and a securities trading service company established by SEHK.
Although no individual investment quotas or licensing requirements apply to investors in Stock Connects, trading through a Stock Connect’s Northbound Trading Link is subject to daily investment quota limitations which require that buy orders for A-shares be rejected once the daily quota is exceeded (although the Master Portfolio will be permitted to sell A-shares regardless of the quota). These limitations may restrict the Master Portfolio from investing in A-shares on a timely basis, which could affect the Master Portfolio’s ability to effectively pursue its investment strategy. Investment quotas are also subject to change. Investment in eligible A-shares through a Stock Connect is subject to trading, clearance and settlement procedures that could pose risks to the Master Portfolio. A-shares purchased through Stock Connects generally may not be sold or otherwise transferred other than through Stock Connects in accordance with applicable rules. For example, the PRC regulations require that in order for an investor to sell any A-share on a certain trading day, there must be sufficient A-shares in the investor’s account before the market opens on that day. If there are insufficient A-shares in the investor’s account, the sell order will be rejected by the SSE or SZSE, as applicable. SEHK carries out pre-trade checking on sell orders of certain stocks listed on the SSE market (“SSE Securities”) or SZSE market (“SZSE Securities”) of its participants (i.e., stock brokers) to ensure that this requirement is satisfied. While shares must be designated as eligible to be traded under a Stock Connect, those shares may also lose such designation, and if this occurs, such shares may be sold but cannot be purchased through a Stock Connect. In addition, Stock Connects will only operate on days when both the Chinese and Hong Kong markets are open for trading, and banking services are available in both markets on the corresponding settlement days. Therefore, an investment in A-shares through a Stock Connect may subject the Master Portfolio to a risk of price fluctuations on days when the Chinese market is open, but a Stock Connect is not trading. Moreover, day (turnaround) trading is not permitted on the A-shares market. If an investor buys A-shares on day “T,” the investor will only be able to sell the A-shares on or after day T+1. Further, since all trades of eligible A-shares must be settled in RMB, investors must have timely access to a reliable supply of offshore RMB, which cannot be guaranteed. There is also no assurance that RMB will not be subject to devaluation. Any devaluation of RMB could adversely affect the Master Portfolio’s investments. If he Master Portfolio holds a class of shares denominated in a local currency other than RMB, the Master Portfolio will be exposed to currency exchange risk if the Master Portfolio converts the local currency into RMB for investments in A-shares. The Master Portfolio may also incur conversion costs.
A-shares held through the nominee structure under a Stock Connect will be held through HKSCC as nominee on behalf of investors. The precise nature and rights of the Master Portfolio as the beneficial owner of the SSE Securities or SZSE Securities through HKSCC as nominee is not well defined under the PRC laws. There is a lack of a clear definition of, and distinction between, legal ownership and beneficial ownership under the PRC laws and there have been few cases involving a nominee account structure in the PRC courts. The exact nature and methods of enforcement of the rights and interests of the Master Portfolio under the PRC laws is also uncertain. In the unlikely event that HKSCC becomes subject to winding up proceedings in Hong Kong, there is a risk that the SSE Securities or SZSE Securities may not be regarded as held for the beneficial ownership of the Master Portfolio or as part of the general assets of HKSCC available for general distribution to its creditors. Notwithstanding the fact that HKSCC does not claim proprietary interests in the SSE Securities or SZSE Securities held in its omnibus stock account in the CSDCC, the CSDCC as the share registrar for SSE- or SZSE-listed companies will still treat HKSCC as one of the shareholders when it handles corporate actions in respect of such SSE Securities or SZSE Securities. HKSCC monitors the corporate actions affecting SSE Securities and SZSE Securities and keeps participants of Central Clearing and Settlement System (“CCASS”) informed of all such corporate actions that
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require CCASS participants to take steps in order to participate in them. Investors may only exercise their voting rights by providing their voting instructions to HKSCC through participants of CCASS. All voting instructions from CCASS participants will be consolidated by HKSCC, who will then submit a combined single voting instruction to the relevant SSE- or SZSE-listed company.
The Master Portfolio’s investments through a Stock Connect’s Northbound Trading Link are not covered by Hong Kong’s Investor Compensation Fund. Hong Kong’s Investor Compensation Fund is established to pay compensation to investors of any nationality who suffer pecuniary losses as a result of default of a licensed intermediary or authorized financial institution in relation to exchange-traded products in Hong Kong. In addition, since the Master Portfolio carries out Northbound Trading through securities brokers in Hong Kong but not PRC brokers, it is not protected by the China Securities Investor Protection Fund in the PRC.
Market participants are able to participate in Stock Connects subject to meeting certain information technology capability, risk management and other requirements as may be specified by the relevant exchange and/or clearing house. Further, the “connectivity” in Stock Connects requires routing of orders across the border of Hong Kong and the PRC. This requires the development of new information technology systems on the part of SEHK and exchange participants. There is no assurance that the systems of SEHK and market participants will function properly or will continue to be adapted to changes and developments in both markets. In the event that the relevant systems fail to function properly, trading in A-shares through Stock Connects could be disrupted.
The Shanghai-Hong Kong Stock Connect program launched in November 2014 and the Shenzhen-Hong Kong Stock Connect program launched in December 2016 are both in their initial stages. The current regulations are relatively untested and there is no certainty as to how they will be applied or interpreted going forward. In addition, the current regulations are subject to change and there can be no assurance that a Stock Connect will not be discontinued. New regulations may be issued from time to time by the regulators and stock exchanges in China and Hong Kong in connection with operations, legal enforcement and cross-border trades under Stock Connects. The Master Portfolio may be adversely affected as a result of such changes. Furthermore, the securities regimes and legal systems of China and Hong Kong differ significantly and issues may arise from the differences on an on-going basis. In the event that the relevant systems fail to function properly, trading in both markets through Stock Connects could be disrupted and the Master Portfolio’s ability to achieve its investment objective may be adversely affected. In addition, the Master Portfolio’s investments in A-shares through Stock Connects are generally subject to Chinese securities regulations and listing rules, among other restrictions. Further, different fees, costs and taxes are imposed on foreign investors acquiring A-shares through Stock Connects, and these fees, costs and taxes may be higher than comparable fees, costs and taxes imposed on owners of other securities providing similar investment exposure.
A-Share Market Suspension Risk. A-shares may only be bought from, or sold to, the Master Portfolio at times when the relevant A-shares may be sold or purchased on the relevant Chinese stock exchange. The A-shares market has a higher propensity for trading suspensions than many other global equity markets. Trading suspensions in certain stocks could lead to greater market execution risk and costs for the Master Portfolio. The SSE and SZSE currently apply a daily price limit, generally set at 10%, of the amount of fluctuation permitted in the prices of A-shares during a single trading day. The daily price limit refers to price movements only and does not restrict trading within the relevant limit. There can be no assurance that a liquid market on an exchange will exist for any particular A-share or for any particular time.
Risk of Investing in the China Interbank Bond Market through Bond Connect. The Master Portfolio may invest directly in the domestic bond market in the PRC (the “China Interbank Bond Market”) through the northbound trading of Bond Connect (“Bond Connect”). Bond Connect is an initiative launched in July 2017 for mutual bond market access between the PRC and Hong Kong, established by the China Foreign Exchange Trade System & National Interbank Funding Centre (“CFETS”), China Central Depository & Clearing Co., Ltd (“CDCC”), Shanghai Clearing House (“SCH”), Hong Kong Exchanges and Clearing Limited (“HKEX”) and Central Moneymarkets Unit (“CMU”). Under the prevailing regulations in the PRC, eligible foreign investors are allowed to invest in the bonds circulated in the China Interbank Bond Market through Bond Connect. Eligible foreign investors may submit trade requests for bonds circulated in the China Interbank Bond Market through offshore electronic bond trading platforms (such as Tradeweb), which will in turn transmit their requests for quotation to CFETS. CFETS will send the requests for quotation to a number of approved onshore dealers (including market makers and others engaged in the market making business) in the PRC. The approved onshore dealer(s) will respond to the requests for quotation via CFETS and CFETS will send their responses to those eligible foreign investors through the same offshore electronic bond trading platforms. Once the eligible foreign investor accepts the quotation, the trade is concluded on CFETS.
The settlement and custody of bonds traded in the China Interbank Bond Market under Bond Connect will be effected through the settlement and custody link between CMU, as an offshore custody agent, and CDCC and SCH, as onshore custodians and clearing institutions in the PRC. Under the settlement link, CDCC or SCH will effect gross settlement of confirmed trades onshore and CMU will process bond settlement instructions from CMU members on behalf of eligible foreign investors in accordance with its relevant rules. Since the introduction in August 2018 of delivery versus payment (DVP) settlement in respect of Bond Connect, the movement of cash and securities is carried out simultaneously on a real-time basis. Pursuant to the prevailing regulations in the PRC, CMU, as the offshore custody agent recognized by the Hong Kong Monetary Authority, will open omnibus nominee accounts with the onshore custody agent recognized by the People’s Bank of China (i.e., CDCC and SCH). All bonds traded by eligible foreign investors through Bond Connect will be registered in the name of CMU, which will hold such bonds as a nominee owner. Therefore, the Master Portfolio will be exposed to custody risks with respect to CMU. In addition, as the relevant filings, registration with the People’s Bank of China, and account opening have to be carried out by third parties, including CMU, CDCC, SCH, and CFETS, the Master Portfolio is subject to the risks of default or errors on the part of such third parties.
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The precise nature and rights of the Master Portfolio as the beneficial owner of the bonds traded in the China Interbank Bond Market through CMU as nominee is not well-defined under PRC law. There is a lack of a clear definition of, and distinction between, legal ownership and beneficial ownership under PRC law and there have been few cases involving a nominee account structure in the PRC courts. The exact nature and methods of enforcement of the rights and interests of the Master Portfolio under PRC law are also uncertain.
Market volatility and potential lack of liquidity due to low trading volume of certain bonds in the China Interbank Bond Market may result in prices of certain bonds traded on such market fluctuating significantly. To the extent the Master Portfolio invests in such market, it is therefore subject to liquidity and volatility risks. The bid-ask spreads of the prices of such securities may be large, and the Master Portfolio may therefore incur significant costs and may suffer losses when selling such investments. The bonds traded in the China Interbank Bond Market may be difficult or impossible to sell, which may impact the Master Portfolio’s ability to acquire or dispose of such securities at their expected prices.
Investing in the China Interbank Bond Market through Bond Connect is also subject to regulatory risks. The relevant rules and regulations are subject to change, which may have potential retrospective effect, and there can be no assurance that Bond Connect will not be discontinued or abolished. Furthermore, the securities regimes and legal systems of China and Hong Kong differ significantly and issues may arise based on these differences. In the event that the relevant authorities suspend account opening or trading on the China Interbank Bond Market, the Master Portfolio’s ability to invest in the China Interbank Bond Market will be adversely affected and limited. In such event, the Master Portfolio’s ability to achieve its investment objective will be negatively affected and, after exhausting other trading alternatives, the Master Portfolio may suffer substantial losses as a result. Further, if Bond Connect is not operating, the Master Portfolio may not be able to acquire or dispose of bonds through Bond Connect in a timely manner, which could adversely affect the Master Portfolio’s performance.
Trading through Bond Connect is performed through newly developed trading platforms and operational systems. There is no assurance that such systems will function properly or will continue to be adapted to changes and developments in the market. In the event that the relevant systems fail to function properly, trading through Bond Connect may be disrupted. The Master Portfolio’s ability to trade through Bond Connect (and hence to pursue its investment strategy) may therefore be adversely affected. In addition, where the Master Portfolio invests in the China Interbank Bond Market through Bond Connect, it may be subject to risks of delays inherent in the order placing and/or settlement systems.
Bond Connect trades are settled in Chinese currency, the RMB, which is currently restricted and not freely convertible. As a result, the Master Portfolio will be exposed to currency risk, and it cannot be guaranteed that investors will have timely access to a reliable supply of RMB.
Tax Risk. Under prevailing tax regulations, a 10% withholding tax is imposed on PRC-sourced dividends and interest from non-government bonds paid to the Master Portfolio unless the rate is reduced under an applicable tax treaty. From May 1, 2016, Value Added Tax (“VAT”) is levied on certain income derived by the Master Portfolio, including interest income from non-government bonds and trading gains, unless specifically exempted by the PRC tax authorities. VAT exemptions currently apply to debt securities traded in the China Interbank Bond Market.
On November 22, 2018, the PRC’s Ministry of Finance and State Administration of Taxation jointly issued Circular 108 providing foreign institutional investors with a temporary exemption from withholding income tax and VAT with respect to interest income derived from non-government bonds in the domestic bond market for the period from November 7, 2018 to November 6, 2021. Circular 108 is silent on the PRC tax treatment with respect to non-government bond interest derived prior to November 7, 2018.
There is a risk the PRC tax authorities may withdraw the temporary tax exemptions in the future and seek to collect withholding income tax and VAT on interest income from non-government bonds to the Master Portfolio without prior notice. If the tax exemptions are withdrawn, any taxes arising from or to the Master Portfolio may be directly borne by or indirectly passed on to the Master Portfolio and may result in a substantial impact to its NAV. As with any NAV adjustment, investors may be advantaged or disadvantaged depending on when the investors purchased or sold shares of the Master Portfolio.
Any changes in PRC tax law, future clarifications thereof, and/or subsequent retroactive enforcement by the PRC tax authorities may result in a loss which could be material to the Master Portfolio. BFA will keep the provisioning policy for tax liability under review and may, in its discretion from time to time, make a provision for potential tax liabilities if in its opinion such provision is warranted or as further publicly clarified by the PRC.
Investment in Other Investment Companies
The Master Portfolio may, subject to applicable law, invest in other investment companies (including investment companies managed by BFA and its affiliates), including money market funds and ETFs, which are typically open-end funds or unit investment trusts listed on a stock exchange. Under the Investment Company Act, however, the Master Portfolio may invest up to 10% of its total assets in securities of other investment companies (measured at the time of such investment). In addition, under the Investment Company Act the Master Portfolio may not acquire securities of an investment company if such acquisition would cause the Master Portfolio to own more than 3% of the total outstanding voting stock of such investment company and the Master Portfolio may not invest in another investment company if such investment would cause more than 5% of the value of the Master Portfolio’s total assets to be invested in securities of such investment company. (These limits do not restrict a feeder fund from investing all of its assets in shares of its Master
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Portfolio.) In addition to the restrictions on investing in other investment companies discussed above, the Master Portfolio may not invest in a registered closed-end investment company if such investment would cause the Master Portfolio and other BFA-advised investment companies to own more than 10% of the total outstanding voting stock of such closed-end investment company. Pursuant to the Investment Company Act (or alternatively, pursuant to exemptive orders received from the Commission) these percentage limitations do not apply to investments in affiliated money market funds, and under certain circumstances, do not apply to investments in affiliated investment companies, including ETFs. In addition, many third-party ETFs have obtained exemptive relief from the Commission to permit unaffiliated funds (such as the Master Portfolio) to invest in their shares beyond the statutory limits, subject to certain conditions and pursuant to contractual arrangements between the ETFs and the investing funds. The Master Portfolio may rely on these exemptive orders in investing in ETFs. Further, under certain circumstances the Master Portfolio may be able to rely on certain provisions of the Investment Company Act to invest in shares of unaffiliated investment companies beyond the statutory limits noted above, but subject to certain other statutory restrictions.
As with other investments, investments in other investment companies are subject to market and selection risk.
Shares of investment companies, such as closed-end fund investment companies, that trade on an exchange may at times be acquired at market prices representing premiums to their net asset values. In addition, investment companies held by the Master Portfolio that trade on an exchange could trade at a discount from net asset value, and such discount could increase while the Master Portfolio holds the shares. If the market price of shares of an exchange-traded investment company decreases below the price that the Master Portfolio paid for the shares and the Master Portfolio were to sell its shares of such investment company at a time when the market price is lower than the price at which it purchased the shares, the Master Portfolio would experience a loss.
In addition, if the Master Portfolio acquires shares in investment companies, including affiliated investment companies, shareholders would bear both their proportionate share of expenses in the Master Portfolio and, indirectly, the expenses of such investment companies. Such expenses, both at the Master Portfolio level and acquired investment company level, would include management and advisory fees, unless such fees have been waived by BFA. Please see the Master Portfolio’s prospectus to determine whether any such management and advisory fees have been waived by BFA. Investments by the Master Portfolio in wholly owned investment entities created under the laws of certain countries will not be deemed an investment in other investment companies. Pursuant to guidance issued by the staff of the Commission, fees and expenses of money market funds used for the investment of cash collateral received in connection with loans of Master Portfolio securities are not treated as “acquired fund fees and expenses,” which are fees and expenses charged by other investment companies and pooled investment vehicles in which the Master Portfolio invests a portion of its assets.
To the extent shares of the Master Portfolio are held by an affiliated fund, the ability of the Master Portfolio itself to purchase other affiliated investment companies may be limited. In addition, a fund-of-funds (e.g., an investment company that seeks to meet its investment objective by investing significantly in other investment companies) may be limited in its ability to purchase affiliated underlying funds if such affiliated underlying funds themselves own shares of affiliated funds.
A number of publicly traded closed-end investment companies have been organized to facilitate indirect foreign investment in developing countries, and certain of such countries, such as Thailand, South Korea, Chile and Brazil, have specifically authorized such funds. There also are investment opportunities in certain of such countries in pooled vehicles that resemble open-end investment companies. The restrictions on investments in securities of investment companies set forth above may limit opportunities for the Master Portfolio to invest indirectly in certain developing countries.
LIBOR Risk
The Master Portfolio may be exposed to financial instruments that are tied to the London Interbank Offered Rate (previously defined as “LIBOR”) to determine payment obligations, financing terms, hedging strategies or investment value. The Master Portfolio’s investments may pay interest at floating rates based on LIBOR or may be subject to interest caps or floors based on LIBOR. The Master Portfolio may also obtain financing at floating rates based on LIBOR. Derivative instruments utilized by the Master Portfolio may also reference LIBOR. The United Kingdom’s Financial Conduct Authority announced after June 30, 2023, the overnight, 1-month, 3-month, 6-month and 12-month U.S. dollar LIBOR settings will cease to be published or will no longer be representative. The Master Portfolio may have investments linked to other interbank offered rates, such as the Euro Overnight Index Average (“EONIA”), which may also cease to be published. Various governments and financial industry groups have begun the transition away from LIBOR, but there are challenges to converting certain securities and transactions to a new reference rate (e.g., the Secured Overnight Financing Rate (“SOFR”), which replaced the U.S. dollar LIBOR). Neither the effect of the LIBOR transition process nor its ultimate success can yet be known. The transition process might lead to increased volatility and illiquidity in markets for, and reduce the effectiveness of new hedges placed against, instruments whose terms currently include LIBOR. While some existing LIBOR-based instruments may contemplate a scenario where LIBOR is no longer available by providing for an alternative rate-setting methodology, there may be significant uncertainty regarding the effectiveness of any such alternative methodologies to replicate LIBOR. Not all existing LIBOR-based instruments may have alternative rate-setting provisions and there remains uncertainty regarding the willingness and ability of issuers to add alternative rate-setting provisions in certain existing instruments. In addition, a liquid market for newly-issued instruments that use a reference rate other than LIBOR still may be developing. There may also be challenges for the Master Portfolio to enter into hedging transactions against such newly-issued instruments until a market for such hedging transactions develops. All of the aforementioned may adversely affect the Master Portfolio’s performance or NAV.
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Liquidity Risk Management
Rule 22e-4 under the Investment Company Act (the “Liquidity Rule”) requires open-end funds, such as the Master Portfolio, to adopt a liquidity risk management program and enhance disclosures regarding fund liquidity. As required by the Liquidity Rule, the Master Portfolio has implemented a liquidity risk management program (the “Liquidity Program”), and the Boards of Directors of the Master Portfolio, including a majority of the independent Directors, have appointed BFA as the liquidity risk program administrator of the Liquidity Program. Under the Liquidity Program, BFA assesses, manages, and periodically reviews the Master Portfolio's liquidity risk and classifies each investment held by the Master Portfolio as a “highly liquid investment,” “moderately liquid investment,” “less liquid investment” or “illiquid investment”. The Liquidity Rule defines “liquidity risk” as the risk that the Master Portfolio could not meet requests to redeem shares issued by the Master Portfolio without significant dilution of the remaining investors' interests in the Master Portfolio. The liquidity of the Master Portfolio's portfolio investments is determined based on relevant market, trading and investment-specific considerations under the Liquidity Program. To the extent that an investment is deemed to be an illiquid investment or a less liquid investment, the Master Portfolio can expect to be exposed to greater liquidity risk.
Master Limited Partnerships
The Master Portfolio may invest in publicly traded master limited partnerships (“MLPs”) which are limited partnerships or limited liability companies taxable as partnerships. MLPs may derive income and gains from the exploration, development, mining or production, processing, refining, transportation (including pipelines transporting gas, oil, or products thereof), or the marketing of any mineral or natural resources. MLPs generally have two classes of owners, the general partner and limited partners. When investing in an MLP, the Master Portfolio intends to purchase publicly traded common units issued to limited partners of the MLP. The general partner is typically owned by a major energy company, an investment fund, the direct management of the MLP or is an entity owned by one or more of such parties. 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 MLP through an up to 2% equity interest in the MLP plus, in many cases, ownership of common units and subordinated units. Limited partners own the remainder of the partnership, through ownership of common units, and have a limited role in the partnership’s operations and management.
MLPs are typically structured such that common units and general partner interests have first priority to receive quarterly cash distributions up to an established minimum amount (“minimum quarterly distributions” or “MQD”). Common and general partner interests also accrue arrearages in distributions to the extent the MQD is not paid. Once common and general partner interests have been paid, subordinated units receive distributions of up to the MQD; however, subordinated units do not accrue arrearages. Distributable cash in excess of the MQD paid to both common and subordinated units is distributed to both common and subordinated units generally on a pro rata basis. The general partner is also eligible to receive incentive distributions if the general partner operates the business in a manner which results in distributions paid per common unit surpassing specified target levels. As the general partner increases cash distributions to the limited partners, the general partner receives an increasingly higher percentage of the incremental cash distributions. A common arrangement provides that the general partner can reach a tier where it receives 50% of every incremental dollar paid to common and subordinated unit holders. These incentive distributions encourage the general partner to streamline costs, increase capital expenditures and acquire assets in order to increase the partnership’s cash flow and raise the quarterly cash distribution in order to reach higher tiers. Such results benefit all security holders of the MLP.
MLP common units represent a limited partnership interest in the MLP. Common units are listed and traded on U.S. securities exchanges, with their value fluctuating predominantly based on prevailing market conditions and the success of the MLP. The Master Portfolio intends to purchase common units in market transactions. Unlike owners of common stock of a corporation, owners of common units have limited voting rights and have no ability to annually elect directors. In the event of liquidation, common units have preference over subordinated units, but not over debt or preferred units, to the remaining assets of the MLP.
Merger Transaction Risk
The Master Portfolio may buy stock of the target company in an announced merger transaction prior to the consummation of such transaction. In that circumstance, the Master Portfolio would expect to receive an amount (whether in cash, stock of the acquiring company or a combination of both) in excess of the purchase price paid by the Master Portfolio for the target company’s stock. However, the Master Portfolio is subject to the risk that the merger transaction may be canceled, delayed or restructured, in which case the Master Portfolio’s holding of the target company’s stock may not result in any profit for the Master Portfolio and may lose significant value.
Money Market Obligations of Domestic Banks, Foreign Banks and Foreign Branches of U.S. Banks
The Master Portfolio may purchase bank obligations, such as certificates of deposit, notes, bankers’ acceptances and time deposits, including instruments issued or supported by the credit of U.S. or foreign banks or savings institutions having total assets at the time of purchase in excess of $1 billion. These obligations may be general obligations of the parent bank or may be limited to the issuing branch or subsidiary by the terms of a specific obligation or by government regulation. The assets of a bank or savings institution will be deemed to include the assets of its domestic and foreign branches for purposes of the Master Portfolio's investment policies. Investments in short-term bank obligations may include obligations of foreign banks and domestic branches of foreign banks, and also foreign branches of domestic banks.
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To the extent consistent with their investment objectives, the Master Portfolio may invest in debt obligations of domestic or foreign corporations and banks, and may acquire commercial obligations issued by Canadian corporations and Canadian counterparts of U.S. corporations, as well as Europaper, which is U.S. dollar-denominated commercial paper of a foreign issuer.
Money Market Securities. The Master Portfolio may invest in a broad range of short-term, high quality, U.S. dollar-denominated instruments, such as government, bank, commercial and other obligations that are available in the money markets. In particular, the Master Portfolio may invest in:
(a) U.S. dollar-denominated obligations issued or supported by the credit of U.S. or foreign banks or savings institutions with total assets in excess of $1 billion (including obligations of foreign branches of such banks);
(b) high quality commercial paper and other obligations issued or guaranteed by U.S. and foreign corporations and other issuers rated (at the time of purchase) A-2 or higher by S&P, Prime-2 or higher by Moody’s or F-2 or higher by Fitch, as well as high quality corporate bonds rated (at the time of purchase) A or higher by those rating agencies;
(c) unrated notes, paper and other instruments that are of comparable quality to the instruments described in (b) above as determined by BFA;
(d) asset-backed securities (including interests in pools of assets such as mortgages, installment purchase obligations and credit card receivables);
(e) securities issued or guaranteed as to principal and interest by the U.S. Government or by its agencies or authorities and related custodial receipts;
(f) dollar-denominated securities issued or guaranteed by foreign governments or their political subdivisions, agencies or authorities;
(g) funding agreements issued by highly-rated U.S. insurance companies;
(h) securities issued or guaranteed by state or local governmental bodies;
(i) repurchase agreements relating to the above instruments;
(j) municipal bonds and notes whose principal and interest payments are guaranteed by the U.S. Government or one of its agencies or authorities or which otherwise depend directly or indirectly on the credit of the United States;
(k) fixed and variable rate notes and similar debt instruments rated MIG-2, VMIG-2 or Prime-2 or higher by Moody’s, SP-2 or A-2 or higher by S&P, or F-2 or higher by Fitch;
(l) tax-exempt commercial paper and similar debt instruments rated Prime-2 or higher by Moody’s, A-2 or higher by S&P, or F-2 or higher by Fitch;
(m) municipal bonds rated A or higher by Moody’s, S&P or Fitch;
(n) unrated notes, paper or other instruments that are of comparable quality to the instruments described above, as determined by BFA under guidelines established by the Master Portfolio’s board; and
(o) municipal bonds and notes which are guaranteed as to principal and interest by the U.S. Government or an agency or instrumentality thereof or which otherwise depend directly or indirectly on the credit of the United States.
Portfolio Turnover Rates
The Master Portfolio's annual portfolio turnover rate will not be a factor preventing a sale or purchase when BFA believes investment considerations warrant such sale or purchase. Although the Master Portfolio will use an approach to investing that is largely a passive, indexing approach, the Master Portfolio may engage in a substantial number of portfolio transactions. The rate of portfolio turnover will be a limiting factor when BFA considers whether to purchase or sell securities for the Master Portfolio only to the extent that BFA will consider the impact of transaction costs on the Master Portfolio's tracking error. Portfolio turnover may vary greatly from year to year as well as within a particular year. High portfolio turnover (i.e., 100% or more) may result in increased transaction costs to the Master Portfolio, including brokerage commissions, dealer mark-ups and other transaction costs on the sale of the securities and reinvestment in other securities. The sale of the Master Portfolio’s securities may result in the recognition of capital gain or loss. Given the frequency of sales, such gain or loss will likely be short-term capital gain or loss. These effects of higher than normal portfolio turnover may adversely affect the Master Portfolio's performance.
Preferred Stock
The Master Portfolio may invest in preferred stocks. Preferred stock has a preference over common stock in liquidation (and generally dividends as well) but is subordinated to the liabilities of the issuer in all respects. As a general rule, the market value of preferred stock with a fixed dividend rate and no conversion element varies inversely with interest rates and perceived credit risk, while the market price of convertible preferred stock generally also reflects some element of conversion value. Because preferred stock is junior to debt securities and other obligations of the issuer, deterioration in the credit quality of the issuer will cause greater changes in the
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value of a preferred stock than in a more senior debt security with similar stated yield characteristics. Unlike interest payments on debt securities, preferred stock dividends are payable only if declared by the issuer’s board of directors. Preferred stock also may be subject to optional or mandatory redemption provisions.
Trust Preferred Securities
The Master Portfolio may invest in 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 and benefit from a guarantee that is junior and fully subordinated to the other liabilities of the guarantor. In addition, trust preferred securities typically permit an issuer to defer the payment of income for five years or more without triggering an event of default. Because of their subordinated position in the capital structure of an issuer, the ability to defer payments for extended periods of time without default consequences to the issuer, and certain other features (such as restrictions on common dividend payments by the issuer or ultimate guarantor when full cumulative payments on the trust preferred securities have not been made), these trust preferred securities are often treated as close substitutes for traditional preferred securities, both by issuers and investors.
Trust preferred securities include but are not limited to trust originated preferred securities (“TOPRS®”); monthly income preferred securities (“MIPS®”); quarterly income bond securities (“QUIBS®”); quarterly income debt securities (“QUIDS®”); quarterly income preferred securities (“QUIPSSM”); corporate trust securities (“CORTS®”); public income notes (“PINES®”); and other trust preferred securities.
Trust preferred securities are typically issued with a final maturity date, although some are perpetual in nature. In certain instances, a final maturity date may be extended and/or the final payment of principal may be deferred at the issuer’s option for a specified time without default. No redemption can typically take place unless all cumulative payment obligations have been met, although issuers may be able to engage in open-market repurchases without regard to whether all payments have been paid.
Many trust preferred securities are issued by trusts or other special purpose entities established by operating companies and are not a direct obligation of an operating company. At the time the trust or special purpose entity sells such preferred securities to investors, it purchases debt of the operating company (with terms comparable to those of the trust or special purpose entity securities), which enables the operating company to deduct for tax purposes the interest paid on the debt held by the trust or special purpose entity. The trust or special purpose entity is generally required to be treated as transparent for U.S. federal income tax purposes such that the holders of the trust preferred securities are treated as owning beneficial interests in the underlying debt of the operating company. Accordingly, payments on the trust preferred securities are treated as interest rather than dividends for U.S. federal income tax purposes. The trust or special purpose entity in turn would be a holder of the operating company’s debt and would have priority with respect to the operating company’s earnings and profits over the operating company’s common shareholders, but would typically be subordinated to other classes of the operating company’s debt. Typically a preferred share has a rating that is slightly below that of its corresponding operating company’s senior debt securities.
Real Estate Investment Trusts (“REITs”)
In pursuing its investment strategy, the Master Portfolio may invest in shares of REITs. REITs possess certain risks which differ from an investment in common stocks. REITs are financial vehicles that pool investor’s capital to purchase or finance real estate. REITs may concentrate their investments in specific geographic areas or in specific property types, i.e., hotels, shopping malls, residential complexes and office buildings.
REITs are subject to management fees and other expenses, and so the Master Portfolio will bear its proportionate share of the costs of the REITs’ operations. There are three general categories of REITs: Equity REITs, Mortgage REITs and Hybrid REITs. Equity REITs invest primarily in direct fee ownership or leasehold ownership of real property; they derive most of their income from rents. Mortgage REITs invest mostly in mortgages on real estate, which may secure construction, development or long-term loans; the main source of their income is mortgage interest payments. Hybrid REITs hold both ownership and mortgage interests in real estate.
Investing in REITs involves certain unique risks in addition to those risks associated with investing in the real estate industry in general. The market value of REIT shares and the ability of the REITs to distribute income may be adversely affected by several factors, including rising interest rates, changes in the national, state and local economic climate and real estate conditions, perceptions of prospective tenants of the safety, convenience and attractiveness of the properties, the ability of the owners to provide adequate management, maintenance and insurance, the cost of complying with the Americans with Disabilities Act, increased competition from new properties, the impact of present or future environmental legislation and compliance with environmental laws, failing to maintain their exemptions from registration under the Investment Company Act or qualification as a REIT for U.S. federal income tax purposes, changes in real estate taxes and other operating expenses, adverse changes in governmental rules and fiscal policies, adverse changes in zoning laws and other factors beyond the control of the issuers of the REITs. In addition, distributions received by the Master Portfolio from REITs may consist of dividends, capital gains and/or return of capital. As REITs generally pay a higher rate of dividends (on a pre-tax basis) than operating companies, to the extent application of the Master Portfolio’s investment strategy results in the Master Portfolio investing in REIT shares, the percentage of the Master Portfolio’s dividend income received from REIT shares
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will likely exceed the percentage of the Master Portfolio’s portfolio which is comprised of REIT shares. Ordinarily, REIT dividends received by the Master Portfolio and distributed to the Master Portfolio’s shareholders will generally be taxable as ordinary income and will not constitute "qualified dividend income." However, for tax years beginning before January 1, 2026, a non-corporate taxpayer who is a direct REIT shareholder may claim a 20% “qualified business income” deduction for ordinary REIT dividends, and Treasury regulations permit a RIC to report dividends as eligible for this deduction to the extent the RIC’s income is derived from ordinary REIT dividends (reduced by allocable RIC expenses). A shareholder may treat the dividends as such provided the RIC and the shareholder satisfy applicable holding period requirements.
REITs (especially mortgage REITs) are also subject to interest rate risk. Rising interest rates may cause REIT investors to demand a higher annual yield, which may, in turn, cause a decline in the market price of the equity securities issued by a REIT. Rising interest rates also generally increase the costs of obtaining financing, which could cause the value of the Master Portfolio’s REIT investments to decline. During periods when interest rates are declining, mortgages are often refinanced. Refinancing may reduce the yield on investments in mortgage REITs. In addition, since REITs depend on payment under their mortgage loans and leases to generate cash to make distributions to their shareholders, investments in REITs may be adversely affected by defaults on such mortgage loans or leases.
Investing in certain REITs, which often have small market capitalizations, may also involve the same risks as investing in other small capitalization companies. REITs may have limited financial resources and their securities may trade less frequently and in limited volume and may be subject to more abrupt or erratic price movements than larger company securities. Historically, small capitalization stocks, such as REITs, have been more volatile in price than the larger capitalization stocks such as those included in the S&P 500 Index. The management of a REIT may be subject to conflicts of interest with respect to the operation of the business of the REIT and may be involved in real estate activities competitive with the REIT. REITs may own properties through joint ventures or in other circumstances in which the REIT may not have control over its investments. REITs may incur significant amounts of leverage.
Recent Market Events
Stresses associated with the 2008 financial crisis in the United States and global economies peaked approximately a decade ago, but periods of unusually high volatility in the financial markets and restrictive credit conditions, sometimes limited to a particular sector or a geography, continue to recur. Some countries, including the United States, have adopted and/or are considering the adoption of more protectionist trade policies, a move away from the tighter financial industry regulations that followed the financial crisis, and/or substantially reducing corporate taxes. The exact shape of these policies is still being considered, but the equity and debt markets may react strongly to expectations of change, which could increase volatility, especially if the market’s expectations are not borne out. A rise in protectionist trade policies, and the possibility of changes to some international trade agreements, could affect the economies of many nations in ways that cannot necessarily be foreseen at the present time. In addition, geopolitical and other risks, including environmental and public health, may add to instability in world economies and markets generally. Economies and financial markets throughout the world are becoming increasingly interconnected. As a result, whether or not the Master Portfolio invests in securities of issuers located in or with significant exposure to countries experiencing economic, political and/or financial difficulties, the value and liquidity of the Master Portfolio’s investments may be negatively affected by such events. An outbreak of respiratory disease caused by a novel coronavirus was first detected in China in December 2019 and became a global pandemic. This pandemic resulted in closing borders, enhanced health screenings, healthcare service preparation and delivery, quarantines, cancellations, disruptions to supply chains and customer activity, as well as general concern and uncertainty which may all be experienced again if another pandemic arises. Disruptions in markets can adversely impact the Master Portfolio and its investments. Further, certain local markets may be subject to future closures, and there can be no certainty regarding whether markets will face further closures. Any suspension of trading in markets in which the Master Portfolio invests will have an impact on the Master Portfolio and its investments and will impact the Master Portfolio’s ability to purchase or sell securities in such market. Outbreaks can also impair the information technology and other operational systems upon which the Master Portfolio’s service providers, including BFA, rely, and could otherwise disrupt the ability of employees of the Master Portfolio’s service providers to perform critical tasks relating to the Master Portfolio. The impact of this outbreak has adversely affected the economies of many nations and the entire global economy and may impact individual issuers and capital markets in ways that cannot be foreseen. Many governmental and quasi-governmental authorities and regulators through the world responded to these major economic disruptions with a variety of fiscal and monetary policy changes, including direct capital infusions into companies and other issuers, new monetary policy tools, and lower interest rates. An unexpected or sudden reversal of these policies, or the ineffectiveness of such policies, is likely to increase market volatility, which could adversely affect the Master Portfolio’s investments. Public health crises caused by the outbreak may exacerbate other preexisting political, social and economic risks in certain countries or globally. Other infectious illness outbreaks that may arise in the future could have similar or other unforeseen effects. The duration of this outbreak or others and their effects cannot be determined with certainty.
Repurchase Agreements and Purchase and Sale Contracts
Under repurchase agreements and purchase and sale contracts, the other party agrees, upon entering into the contract with the Master Portfolio, to repurchase a security sold to the Master Portfolio at a mutually agreed-upon time and price in a specified currency, thereby determining the yield during the term of the agreement.
A purchase and sale contract differs from a repurchase agreement in that the contract arrangements stipulate that securities are owned by the Master Portfolio and the purchaser receives any interest on the security paid during the period. In the case of repurchase agreements, the prices at which the trades are conducted do not reflect accrued interest on the underlying obligation; whereas, in the
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case of purchase and sale contracts, the prices take into account accrued interest. The Master Portfolio may enter into “tri-party” repurchase agreements. In “tri-party” repurchase agreements, an unaffiliated third-party custodian maintains accounts to hold collateral for the Master Portfolio and its counterparties and, therefore, the Master Portfolio may be subject to the credit risk of those custodians.
Some repurchase agreements and purchase and sale contracts are structured to result in a fixed rate of return insulated from market fluctuations during the term of the agreement, although such return may be affected by currency fluctuations. However, in the event of a default under a repurchase agreement or under a purchase and sale contract, instead of the contractual fixed rate, the rate of return to the Master Portfolio would be dependent upon intervening fluctuations of the market values of the securities underlying the contract and the accrued interest on those securities. In such event, the Master Portfolio would have rights against the seller for breach of contract with respect to any losses arising from market fluctuations following the default.
Both types of agreement usually cover short periods, such as less than one week, although they may have longer terms, and may be construed to be collateralized loans by the purchaser to the seller secured by the securities transferred to the purchaser. In the case of a repurchase agreement, as a purchaser, BFA or a sub-adviser will monitor the creditworthiness of the seller, and the Master Portfolio will require the seller to provide additional collateral if the market value of the securities falls below the repurchase price at any time during the term of the repurchase agreement. The Master Portfolio does not have this right to seek additional collateral as a purchaser in the case of purchase and sale contracts. BFA or a sub-adviser will mark-to-market daily the value of the securities. Securities subject to repurchase agreements (other than tri-party repurchase agreements) and purchase and sale contracts will be held by the Master Portfolio’s custodian (or sub-custodian) in the Federal Reserve/Treasury book-entry system or by another authorized securities depository.
In the event of default by the seller under a repurchase agreement construed to be a collateralized loan, the underlying securities are not owned by the Master Portfolio but only constitute collateral for the seller’s obligation to pay the repurchase price. Therefore, the Master Portfolio may suffer time delays and incur costs or possible losses in connection with disposition of the collateral. If the seller becomes insolvent and subject to liquidation or reorganization under applicable bankruptcy or other laws, the Master Portfolio’s ability to dispose of the underlying securities may be restricted. Finally, it is possible that the Master Portfolio may not be able to substantiate its interest in the underlying securities. To minimize this risk, the securities underlying the repurchase agreement will be held by the applicable custodian at all times in an amount at least equal to the repurchase price, including accrued interest. If the seller fails to repurchase the securities, the Master Portfolio may suffer a loss to the extent proceeds from the sale of the underlying securities are less than the repurchase price.
In any repurchase transaction to which the Master Portfolio is a party, collateral for a repurchase agreement may include cash items and obligations issued by the U.S. Government or its agencies or instrumentalities. For the Master Portfolio, however, collateral may include instruments other than cash items and obligations issued by the U.S. Government or its agencies or instrumentalities, including securities that the Master Portfolio could not hold directly under its investment strategies without the repurchase obligation.
The type of collateral underlying repurchase agreements may also pose certain risks for the Master Portfolio. Lower quality collateral and collateral with longer maturities may be subject to greater price fluctuations than higher quality collateral and collateral with shorter maturities. If the repurchase agreement counterparty were to default, lower quality collateral may be more difficult to liquidate than higher quality collateral. Should the counterparty default and the amount of collateral not be sufficient to cover the counterparty’s repurchase obligation, the Master Portfolio would retain the status of an unsecured creditor of the counterparty (i.e., the position the Master Portfolio would normally be in if it were to hold, pursuant to its investment policies, other unsecured debt securities of the defaulting counterparty) with respect to the amount of the shortfall. As an unsecured creditor, the Master Portfolio would be at risk of losing some or all of the principal and income involved in the transaction.
Repurchase agreements and purchase and sale contracts may be entered into only with financial institutions that have capital of at least $50 million or whose obligations are guaranteed by an entity that has capital of at least $50 million.
Regulations adopted by global prudential regulators that are now in effect require certain bank-regulated counterparties and certain of their affiliates to include in certain financial contracts, including many repurchase agreements and purchase and sale contracts, terms that delay or restrict the rights of counterparties, such as the Master Portfolio, to terminate such agreements, take foreclosure action, exercise other default rights or restrict transfers of credit support in the event that the counterparty and/or its affiliates are subject to certain types of resolution or insolvency proceedings. It is possible that these new requirements, as well as potential additional government regulation and other developments in the market, could adversely affect the Master Portfolio's ability to terminate existing repurchase agreements and purchase and sale contracts or to realize amounts to be received under such agreements.
Reverse Repurchase Agreements
The Master Portfolio may enter into reverse repurchase agreements with the same parties with whom it may enter into repurchase agreements. Under a reverse repurchase agreement, the Master Portfolio sells securities to another party and agrees to repurchase them at a particular date and price. The Master Portfolio may enter into a reverse repurchase agreement when it is anticipated that the interest income to be earned from the investment of the proceeds of the transaction is greater than the interest expense of the transaction.
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At the time the Master Portfolio enters into a reverse repurchase agreement, it will segregate liquid assets with a value not less than the repurchase price (including accrued interest). The use of reverse repurchase agreements may be regarded as leveraging and, therefore, speculative. Furthermore, reverse repurchase agreements involve the risks that (i) the interest income earned in the investment of the proceeds will be less than the interest expense, (ii) the market value of the securities retained in lieu of sale by the Master Portfolio may decline below the price of the securities the Master Portfolio has sold but is obligated to repurchase, (iii) the market value of the securities sold will decline below the price at which the Master Portfolio is required to repurchase them and (iv) the securities will not be returned to the Master Portfolio.
In addition, if the buyer of securities under a reverse repurchase agreement files for bankruptcy or becomes insolvent, such buyer or its trustee or receiver may receive an extension of time to determine whether to enforce the Master Portfolio’s obligations to repurchase the securities and the Master Portfolio’s use of the proceeds of the reverse repurchase agreement may effectively be restricted pending such decision.
Additionally, regulations adopted by global prudential regulators that are now in effect require certain bank-regulated counterparties and certain of their affiliates to include in certain financial contracts, including many reverse repurchase agreements, terms that delay or restrict the rights of counterparties, such as the Master Portfolio, to terminate such agreements, take foreclosure action, exercise other default rights or restrict transfers of credit support in the event that the counterparty and/or its affiliates are subject to certain types of resolution or insolvency proceedings. It is possible that these new requirements, as well as potential additional government regulation and other developments in the market, could adversely affect the Master Portfolio’s ability to terminate existing reverse repurchase agreements or to realize amounts to be received under such agreements.
Rule 18f-4 under the Investment Company Act permits the Master Portfolio to enter into reverse repurchase agreements and similar financing transactions (e.g., recourse and non-recourse tender option bonds, borrowed bonds) notwithstanding the limitation on the issuance of senior securities in Section 18 of the Investment Company Act, provided that the Master Portfolio either (i) complies with the 300% asset coverage ratio with respect to such transactions and any other borrowings in the aggregate, or (ii) treats such transactions as Derivatives Transactions under Rule 18f-4. See “—Derivatives — Regulation of Derivatives — Rule 18f-4 under the Investment Company Act” above.
Restricted Securities
The Master Portfolio may invest in securities that are not registered under the Securities Act (e.g., Rule 144A Securities) (“restricted securities”). Restricted securities may be sold in private placement transactions between issuers and their purchasers and may be neither listed on an exchange nor traded in other established markets. In many cases, privately placed securities may not be freely transferable under the laws of the applicable jurisdiction or due to contractual restrictions on resale. Some of these securities are new and complex, and trade only among institutions; the markets for these securities are still developing, and may not function as efficiently as established markets. As a result of the absence of a public trading market, privately placed securities may be deemed to be illiquid investments or less liquid investments and may be more difficult to value than publicly traded securities. To the extent that privately placed securities may be resold in privately negotiated transactions, the prices realized from the sales, due to lack of liquidity, could be less than those originally paid by the Master Portfolio or less than their fair market value. In addition, issuers whose securities are not publicly traded may not be subject to the disclosure and other investor protection requirements that may be applicable if their securities were publicly traded. If any privately placed securities held by the Master Portfolio are required to be registered under the securities laws of one or more jurisdictions before being resold, the Master Portfolio may be required to bear the expenses of registration. Where registration is required for restricted securities, a considerable time period may elapse between the time the Master Portfolio decides to sell the security and the time it is actually permitted to sell the security under an effective registration statement. If during such period, adverse market conditions were to develop, the Master Portfolio might obtain less favorable pricing terms than when it decided to sell the security. Transactions in restricted securities may entail other transaction costs that are higher than those for transactions in unrestricted securities. Certain of the Master Portfolio’s investments in private placements may consist of direct investments and may include investments in smaller, less seasoned issuers, which may involve greater risks. These issuers may have limited product lines, markets or financial resources, or they may be dependent on a limited management group. In making investments in such securities, the Master Portfolio may obtain access to material nonpublic information, which may restrict the Master Portfolio’s ability to conduct portfolio transactions in such securities.
Rights Offerings and Warrants to Purchase
The Master Portfolio may participate in rights offerings and may purchase warrants, which are privileges issued by corporations enabling the owners to subscribe to and purchase a specified number of shares of the corporation at a specified price during a specified period of time. Subscription rights normally have a short life span to expiration. The purchase of rights or warrants involves the risk that the Master Portfolio could lose the purchase value of a right or warrant if the right to subscribe to additional shares is not exercised prior to the rights’ and warrants’ expiration. Also, the purchase of rights and/or warrants involves the risk that the effective price paid for the right and/or warrant added to the subscription price of the related security may exceed the value of the subscribed security’s market price such as when there is no movement in the level of the underlying security. Buying a warrant does not make the Master Portfolio a shareholder of the underlying stock. The warrant holder has no voting or dividend rights with respect to the underlying stock. A warrant does not carry any right to assets of the issuer, and for this reason investments in warrants may be more speculative than other equity-based investments.
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Securities Lending
The Master Portfolio may lend portfolio securities to certain borrowers determined to be creditworthy by BFA, including to borrowers affiliated with BFA. The borrowers provide collateral that is maintained in an amount at least equal to the current market value of the securities loaned. No securities loan shall be made on behalf of the Master Portfolio if, as a result, the aggregate value of all securities loans of the Master Portfolio exceeds one-third of the value of the Master Portfolio’s total assets (including the value of the collateral received). The Master Portfolio may terminate a loan at any time and obtain the return of the securities loaned. The Master Portfolio receives the value of any interest or cash or non-cash distributions paid on the loaned securities that it would have otherwise received if the securities were not on loan.
With respect to loans that are collateralized by cash, the borrower may be entitled to receive a fee based on the amount of cash collateral. The Master Portfolio is compensated by the difference between the amount earned on the reinvestment of cash collateral and the fee paid to the borrower. In the case of collateral other than cash, the Master Portfolio is compensated by a fee paid by the borrower equal to a percentage of the market value of the loaned securities. Any cash collateral received by the Master Portfolio for such loans, and uninvested cash, may be invested, among other things, in a private investment company managed by an affiliate of BFA or in registered money market funds advised by BFA or its affiliates; such investments are subject to investment risk.
Securities lending involves exposure to certain risks, including operational risk (i.e., the risk of losses resulting from problems in the settlement and accounting process), “gap” risk (i.e., the risk of a mismatch between the return on cash collateral reinvestments and the fees the Master Portfolio has agreed to pay a borrower), and credit, legal, counterparty and market risk. If a securities lending counterparty were to default, the Master Portfolio would be subject to the risk of a possible delay in receiving collateral or in recovering the loaned securities, or to a possible loss of rights in the collateral. In the event a borrower does not return the Master Portfolio’s securities as agreed, the Master Portfolio may experience losses if the proceeds received from liquidating the collateral do not at least equal the value of the loaned security at the time the collateral is liquidated, plus the transaction costs incurred in purchasing replacement securities. This event could trigger adverse tax consequences for the Master Portfolio. The Master Portfolio could lose money if its short-term investment of the collateral declines in value over the period of the loan. Substitute payments for dividends received by the Master Portfolio for securities loaned out by the Master Portfolio will not be considered qualified dividend income for U.S. federal income tax purposes. The securities lending agent will take the tax effects on shareholders of this difference into account in connection with the Master Portfolio’s securities lending program. Substitute payments received on tax-exempt securities loaned out will not be tax-exempt income.
Regulations adopted by global prudential regulators that are now in effect require certain bank-regulated counterparties and certain of their affiliates to include in certain financial contracts, including many securities lending agreements, terms that delay or restrict the rights of counterparties, such as the Master Portfolio, to terminate such agreements, foreclose upon collateral, exercise other default rights or restrict transfers of credit support in the event that the counterparty and/or its affiliates are subject to certain types of resolution or insolvency proceedings. It is possible that these new requirements, as well as potential additional government regulation and other developments in the market, could adversely affect the Master Portfolio's ability to terminate existing securities lending agreements or to realize amounts to be received under such agreements.
Short Sales
The Master Portfolio may make short sales of securities, either as a hedge against potential declines in value of a portfolio security or to realize appreciation when a security that the Master Portfolio does not own declines in value. The Master Portfolio has a fundamental investment restriction prohibiting short sales of securities unless they are against-the-box. In a short sale against-the-box, at the time of the sale, the Master Portfolio owns or has the immediate and unconditional right to acquire the identical security at no additional cost. When the Master Portfolio makes a short sale, it borrows the security sold short and delivers it to the broker-dealer through which it made the short sale. The Master Portfolio may have to pay a fee to borrow particular securities and is often obligated to turn over any payments received on such borrowed securities to the lender of the securities.
The Master Portfolio secures its obligation to replace the borrowed security by depositing collateral with the broker-dealer, usually in cash, U.S. Government securities or other liquid securities similar to those borrowed. With respect to uncovered short positions, the Master Portfolio is required to deposit similar collateral with its custodian, if necessary, to the extent that the value of both collateral deposits in the aggregate is at all times equal to at least 100% of the current market value of the security sold short. Depending on arrangements made with the broker-dealer from which the Master Portfolio borrowed the security, regarding payment received by the Master Portfolio on such security, the Master Portfolio may not receive any payments (including interest) on its collateral deposited with such broker-dealer.
Because making short sales in securities that it does not own exposes the Master Portfolio to the risks associated with those securities, such short sales involve speculative exposure risk. The Master Portfolio will incur a loss as a result of a short sale if the price of the security increases between the date of the short sale and the date on which the Master Portfolio replaces the borrowed security. As a result, if the Master Portfolio makes short sales in securities that increase in value, it will likely underperform similar mutual funds that do not make short sales in securities. The Master Portfolio will realize a gain on a short sale if the security declines in price between those dates. There can be no assurance that the Master Portfolio will be able to close out a short sale position at any particular time or at an acceptable price. Although the Master Portfolio’s gain is limited to the price at which it sold the security short, its potential loss is limited only by the maximum attainable price of the security, less the price at which the security was sold and may, theoretically, be unlimited.
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The Master Portfolio may also make short sales “against the box” without being subject to such limitations.
The Master Portfolio must comply with Rule 18f-4 under the Investment Company Act with respect to its short sale borrowings, which are considered Derivatives Transactions under the Rule. See “—Derivatives — Regulation of Derivatives — Rule 18f-4 under the Investment Company Act” above.
U.S. Government Obligations
The Master Portfolio may purchase obligations issued or guaranteed by the U.S. Government and U.S. Government agencies and instrumentalities. Obligations of certain agencies and instrumentalities of the U.S. Government are supported by the full faith and credit of the U.S. Treasury. Others are supported by the right of the issuer to borrow from the U.S. Treasury; and still others are supported only by the credit of the agency or instrumentality issuing the obligation. No assurance can be given that the U.S. Government will provide financial support to U.S. Government-sponsored instrumentalities if it is not obligated to do so by law. Certain U.S. Treasury and agency securities may be held by trusts that issue participation certificates (such as Treasury income growth receipts and certificates of accrual on Treasury certificates). These certificates, as well as Treasury receipts and other stripped securities, represent beneficial ownership interests in either future interest payments or the future principal payments on U.S. Government obligations. These instruments are issued at a discount to their “face value” and may (particularly in the case of stripped mortgage-backed securities) exhibit greater price volatility than ordinary debt securities because of the manner in which their principal and interest are returned to investors.
Examples of the types of U.S. Government obligations that may be held by the Master Portfolio include U.S. Treasury Bills, Treasury Notes and Treasury Bonds and the obligations of the Federal Housing Administration, Farmers Home Administration, Export-Import Bank of the United States, Small Business Administration, Ginnie Mae, Fannie Mae, Federal Financing Bank, General Services Administration, Student Loan Marketing Association, Central Bank for Cooperatives, Federal Home Loan Banks, Freddie Mac, Federal Intermediate Credit Banks, Federal Land Banks, Farm Credit Banks System, Maritime Administration, Tennessee Valley Authority and Washington D.C. Armory Board. The Master Portfolio may also invest in mortgage-related securities issued or guaranteed by U.S. Government agencies and instrumentalities, including such instruments as obligations of the Ginnie Mae, Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac. See “Mortgage-Backed Securities” above.
Because of the rising U.S. Government debt burden and potential limitations cause by the statutory debt ceiling, it is possible that the U.S. Government may not be able to meet its financial obligations or that securities issued by the U.S. Government may experience credit downgrades. In the past, U.S. sovereign credit has experienced downgrades and there can be no guarantee that it will not experience further downgrades in the future by rating agencies. Such a credit event may adversely impact the financial markets and a fund. From time to time, uncertainty regarding the status of negotiations in the U.S. Government to increase the statutory debt ceiling could increase the risk that the U.S. Government may default on payments on certain U.S. Government securities, cause the credit rating of the U.S. Government to be downgraded or increase volatility in financial markets, result in higher interest rates, reduce prices of U.S. Treasury securities and/or increase the costs of certain kinds of debt.
U.S. Treasury Obligations
Treasury obligations may differ in their interest rates, maturities, times of issuance and other characteristics. Obligations of U.S. Government agencies and authorities are supported by varying degrees of credit but generally are not backed by the full faith and credit of the U.S. Government. No assurance can be given that the U.S. Government will provide financial support to its agencies and authorities if it is not obligated by law to do so.
Utility Industries
Risks that are intrinsic to the utility industries include difficulty in obtaining an adequate return on invested capital, difficulty in financing large construction programs during an inflationary period, restrictions on operations and increased cost and delays attributable to environmental considerations and regulation, difficulty in raising capital in adequate amounts on reasonable terms in periods of high inflation and unsettled capital markets, technological innovations that may render existing plants, equipment or products obsolete, the potential impact of natural or man-made disasters, increased costs and reduced availability of certain types of fuel, occasional reduced availability and high costs of natural gas for resale, the effects of energy conservation, the effects of a national energy policy and lengthy delays and greatly increased costs and other problems associated with the design, construction, licensing, regulation and operation of nuclear facilities for electric generation, including, among other considerations, the problems associated with the use of radioactive materials and the disposal of radioactive wastes. There are substantial differences among the regulatory practices and policies of various jurisdictions, and any given regulatory agency may make major shifts in policy from time to time. There is no assurance that regulatory authorities will, in the future, grant rate increases or that such increases will be adequate to permit the payment of dividends on common stocks issued by a utility company. Additionally, existing and possible future regulatory legislation may make it even more difficult for utilities to obtain adequate relief. Certain of the issuers of securities held in the Master Portfolio’s portfolio may own or operate nuclear generating facilities. Governmental authorities may from time to time review existing policies and impose additional requirements governing the licensing, construction and operation of nuclear power plants. Prolonged changes in climatic conditions can also have a significant impact on both the revenues of an electric and gas utility as well as the expenses of a utility, particularly a hydro-based electric utility.
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Utility companies in the United States and in foreign countries are generally subject to regulation. In the United States, most utility companies are regulated by state and/or federal authorities. Such regulation is intended to ensure appropriate standards of service and adequate capacity to meet public demand. Generally, prices are also regulated in the United States and in foreign countries with the intention of protecting the public while ensuring that the rate of return earned by utility companies is sufficient to allow them to attract capital in order to grow and continue to provide appropriate services. There can be no assurance that such pricing policies or rates of return will continue in the future.
The nature of regulation of the utility industries continues to evolve both in the United States and in foreign countries. In recent years, changes in regulation in the United States increasingly have allowed utility companies to provide services and products outside their traditional geographic areas and lines of business, creating new areas of competition within the industries. In some instances, utility companies are operating on an unregulated basis. Because of trends toward deregulation and the evolution of independent power producers as well as new entrants to the field of telecommunications, non-regulated providers of utility services have become a significant part of their respective industries. BFA believes that the emergence of competition and deregulation will result in certain utility companies being able to earn more than their traditional regulated rates of return, while others may be forced to defend their core business from increased competition and may be less profitable. Reduced profitability, as well as new uses of funds (such as for expansion, operations or stock buybacks) could result in cuts in dividend payout rates. BFA seeks to take advantage of favorable investment opportunities that may arise from these structural changes. Of course, there can be no assurance that favorable developments will occur in the future.
Foreign utility companies are also subject to regulation, although such regulations may or may not be comparable to those in the United States. Foreign utility companies may be more heavily regulated by their respective governments than utilities in the United States and, as in the United States, generally are required to seek government approval for rate increases. In addition, many foreign utilities use fuels that may cause more pollution than those used in the United States, which may require such utilities to invest in pollution control equipment to meet any proposed pollution restrictions. Foreign regulatory systems vary from country to country and may evolve in ways different from regulation in the United States.
The Master Portfolio’s investment policies are designed to enable it to capitalize on evolving investment opportunities throughout the world. For example, the rapid growth of certain foreign economies will necessitate expansion of capacity in the utility industries in those countries. Although many foreign utility companies currently are government-owned, thereby limiting current investment opportunities for the Master Portfolio, BFA believes that, in order to attract significant capital for growth, foreign governments are likely to seek global investors through the privatization of their utility industries. Privatization, which refers to the trend toward investor ownership of assets rather than government ownership, is expected to occur in newer, faster-growing economies and in mature economies. Of course, there is no assurance that such favorable developments will occur or that investment opportunities in foreign markets will increase.
The revenues of domestic and foreign utility companies generally reflect the economic growth and development in the geographic areas in which they do business. BFA will take into account anticipated economic growth rates and other economic developments when selecting securities of utility companies.
Electric. The electric utility industry consists of companies that are engaged principally in the generation, transmission and sale of electric energy, although many also provide other energy-related services. In the past, electric utility companies, in general, have been favorably affected by lower fuel and financing costs and the full or near completion of major construction programs. In addition, many of these companies have generated cash flows in excess of current operating expenses and construction expenditures, permitting some degree of diversification into unregulated businesses. Some electric utilities have also taken advantage of the right to sell power outside of their traditional geographic areas. Electric utility companies have historically been subject to the risks associated with increases in fuel and other operating costs, high interest costs on borrowings needed for capital construction programs, costs associated with compliance with environmental and safety regulations and changes in the regulatory climate. As interest rates declined, many utilities refinanced high cost debt and in doing so improved their fixed charges coverage. Regulators, however, lowered allowed rates of return as interest rates declined and thereby caused the benefits of the rate declines to be shared wholly or in part with customers. In a period of rising interest rates, the allowed rates of return may not keep pace with the utilities’ increased costs. The construction and operation of nuclear power facilities are subject to strict scrutiny by, and evolving regulations of, the Nuclear Regulatory Commission and state agencies which have comparable jurisdiction. Strict scrutiny might result in higher operating costs and higher capital expenditures, with the risk that the regulators may disallow inclusion of these costs in rate authorizations or the risk that a company may not be permitted to operate or complete construction of a facility. In addition, operators of nuclear power plants may be subject to significant costs for disposal of nuclear fuel and for decommissioning such plants. The rating agencies look closely at the business profile of utilities. Ratings for companies are expected to be impacted to a greater extent in the future by the division of their asset base. Electric utility companies that focus more on the generation of electricity may be assigned less favorable ratings as this business is expected to be competitive and the least regulated. On the other hand, companies that focus on transmission and distribution, which is expected to be the least competitive and the more regulated part of the business, may see higher ratings given the greater predictability of cash flow.
A number of states are considering or have enacted deregulation proposals. The introduction of competition into the industry as a result of such deregulation has at times resulted in lower revenue, lower credit ratings, increased default risk, and lower electric utility security prices. Such increased competition may also cause long-term contracts, which electric utilities previously entered into to buy power, to become “stranded assets” which have no economic value. Any loss associated with such contracts must be absorbed by
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ratepayers and investors. In addition, some electric utilities have acquired electric utilities overseas to diversify, enhance earnings and gain experience in operating in a deregulated environment. In some instances, such acquisitions have involved significant borrowings, which have burdened the acquirer’s balance sheet. There is no assurance that current deregulation proposals will be adopted. However, deregulation in any form could significantly impact the electric utilities industry.
Telecommunications. The telecommunications industry today includes both traditional telephone companies, with a history of broad market coverage and highly regulated businesses, and cable companies, which began as small, lightly regulated businesses focused on limited markets. Today these two historically different businesses are converging in an industry that is trending toward larger, competitive national and international markets with an emphasis on deregulation. Companies that distribute telephone services and provide access to the telephone networks still comprise the greatest portion of this segment, but non-regulated activities such as wireless telephone services, paging, data transmission and processing, equipment retailing, computer software and hardware and internet services are becoming increasingly significant components as well. In particular, wireless and internet telephone services continue to gain market share at the expense of traditional telephone companies. The presence of unregulated companies in this industry and the entry of traditional telephone companies into unregulated or less regulated businesses provide significant investment opportunities with companies that may increase their earnings at faster rates than had been allowed in traditional regulated businesses. Still, increasing competition, technological innovations and other structural changes could adversely affect the profitability of such utilities and the growth rate of their dividends. Given mergers and proposed legislation and enforcement changes, it is likely that both traditional telephone companies and cable companies will continue to provide an expanding range of utility services to both residential, corporate and governmental customers.
Gas. Gas transmission companies and gas distribution companies are undergoing significant changes. In the United States, interstate transmission companies are regulated by the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, which is reducing its regulation of the industry. Many companies have diversified into oil and gas exploration and development, making returns more sensitive to energy prices. In the recent decade, gas utility companies have been adversely affected by disruptions in the oil industry and have also been affected by increased concentration and competition. In the opinion of BFA, however, environmental considerations could improve the gas industry outlook in the future. For example, natural gas is the cleanest of the hydrocarbon fuels, and this may result in incremental shifts in fuel consumption toward natural gas and away from oil and coal, even for electricity generation. However, technological or regulatory changes within the industry may delay or prevent this result.
Water. Water supply utilities are companies that collect, purify, distribute and sell water. In the United States and around the world the industry is highly fragmented because most of the supplies are owned by local authorities. Companies in this industry are generally mature and are experiencing little or no per capita volume growth. In the opinion of BFA, there may be opportunities for certain companies to acquire other water utility companies and for foreign acquisition of domestic companies. BFA believes that favorable investment opportunities may result from consolidation of this segment. As with other utilities, however, increased regulation, increased costs and potential disruptions in supply may adversely affect investments in water supply utilities.
Utility Industries Generally. There can be no assurance that the positive developments noted above, including those relating to privatization and changing regulation, will occur or that risk factors other than those noted above will not develop in the future.
When-Issued Securities, Delayed Delivery Securities and Forward Commitments
The Master Portfolio may purchase or sell securities that it is entitled to receive on a when issued basis. The Master Portfolio may also purchase or sell securities on a delayed delivery basis or through a forward commitment (including on a “TBA” (to be announced) basis). These transactions involve the purchase or sale of securities by the Master Portfolio at an established price with payment and delivery taking place in the future. The Master Portfolio enters into these transactions to obtain what is considered an advantageous price to the Master Portfolio at the time of entering into the transaction. When the Master Portfolio purchases securities in these transactions, the Master Portfolio segregates liquid securities in an amount equal to the amount of its purchase commitments.
Pursuant to recommendations of the Treasury Market Practices Group, which is sponsored by the Federal Reserve Bank of New York, the Master Portfolio or its counterparty generally will be required to post collateral when entering into certain forward-settling transactions, including without limitation TBA transactions.
There can be no assurance that a security purchased on a when issued basis will be issued or that a security purchased or sold on a delayed delivery basis or through a forward commitment will be delivered. Also, the value of securities in these transactions on the delivery date may be more or less than the price paid by the Master Portfolio to purchase the securities. The Master Portfolio will lose money if the value of the security in such a transaction declines below the purchase price and will not benefit if the value of the security appreciates above the sale price during the commitment period.
If deemed advisable as a matter of investment strategy, the Master Portfolio may dispose of or renegotiate a commitment after it has been entered into, and may sell securities it has committed to purchase before those securities are delivered to the Master Portfolio on the settlement date. In these cases the Master Portfolio may realize a taxable capital gain or loss.
When the Master Portfolio engages in when-issued, TBA or forward commitment transactions, it relies on the other party to consummate the trade. Failure of such party to do so may result in the Master Portfolio’s incurring a loss or missing an opportunity to obtain a price considered to be advantageous.
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The market value of the securities underlying a commitment to purchase securities, and any subsequent fluctuations in their market value, is taken into account when determining the market value of the Master Portfolio starting on the day the Master Portfolio agrees to purchase the securities. The Master Portfolio does not earn interest on the securities it has committed to purchase until they are paid for and delivered on the settlement date.
Regulations adopted by global prudential regulators that are now in effect require certain bank-regulated counterparties and certain of their affiliates to include in certain financial contracts, including many agreements with respect to when issued, TBA and forward commitment transactions, terms that delay or restrict the rights of counterparties, such as the Master Portfolio, to terminate such agreements, foreclose upon collateral, exercise other default rights or restrict transfers of credit support in the event that the counterparty and/or its affiliates are subject to certain types of resolution or insolvency proceedings. It is possible that these new requirements, as well as potential additional government regulation and other developments in the market, could adversely affect the Master Portfolio's ability to terminate existing agreements with respect to these transactions or to realize amounts to be received under such agreements.
Rule 18f-4 under the Investment Company Act permits the Master Portfolio to enter into when-issued or forward-settling securities (e.g., firm and standby commitments, including TBA commitments, and dollar rolls) and non-standard settlement cycle securities notwithstanding the limitation on the issuance of senior securities in Section 18 of the Investment Company Act, provided that the Master Portfolio intends to physically settle the transaction and the transaction will settle within 35 days of its trade date (the “Delayed-Settlement Securities Provision”). If a when-issued, forward-settling or non-standard settlement cycle security does not satisfy the Delayed-Settlement Securities Provision, then it is treated as a Derivatives Transaction under Rule 18f-4. See “—Derivatives — Regulation of Derivatives — Rule 18f-4 under the Investment Company Act” above.
Yields and Ratings
The yields on certain obligations are dependent on a variety of factors, including general market conditions, conditions in the particular market for the obligation, the financial condition of the issuer, the size of the offering, the maturity of the obligation and the ratings of the issue. The ratings of Moody’s, Fitch and S&P represent their respective opinions as to the quality of the obligations they undertake to rate. Ratings, however, are general and are not absolute standards of quality. Consequently, obligations with the same rating, maturity and interest rate may have different market prices. Subsequent to its purchase by the Master Portfolio, a rated security may cease to be rated. BFA will consider such an event in determining whether the Master Portfolio should continue to hold the security.
(End of "DESCRIPTION OF CERTAIN INVESTMENTSAND STRATEGIES - STOCK INDEX FUND ONLY")
Portfolio Turnover
A portfolio turnover rate is, in summary, the percentage computed by dividing the lesser of a Fund’s purchases or sales of securities (excluding short-term securities) by the average market value of that Fund. Homestead Advisers and the subadvisers manage each Fund’s assets by buying and selling securities to help attain its investment objective. This may result in increases or decreases in a Fund’s current income and gains available for distribution to its shareholders. Each of the Funds may dispose of investments (including money market instruments) regardless of the holding period if, in the opinion of the Fund’s adviser, it is in the best interest of the Fund to do so, for example, because an issuer’s creditworthiness or perceived changes in a company’s growth prospects or asset value make selling them advisable. Such an investment decision may result in capital gains, including short-term capital gains taxable for U.S. federal income tax purposes as ordinary income when distributed to shareholders, or losses and could result in a high portfolio turnover rate during a given period. Transactions in equity securities typically involve the payment of brokerage commissions, which are borne by the Funds and negatively affect a Fund’s performance. Debt securities are normally traded on a principal basis, involving a mark-up or mark-down of the price which is an indirect transaction cost, and therefore the Funds incur transaction costs when trading them. Its costs are incorporated in purchase or sale prices and negatively affect the Funds’ performance.
Portfolio turnover rates can vary greatly from year to year, as well as within a particular year.
The portfolio turnover rates of the Funds for the fiscal years ended December 31, 2022 and December 31, 2021 are as follows: 
Fund
2022
2021
Short-Term Government Securities Fund(1)
202%
155%
Short-Term Bond Fund(1)
328%
355%
Intermediate Bond Fund(1)
258%
249%
Rural America Growth & Income Fund(2)(3)
44%
9%
Stock Index Fund(4)
13%
6%
Value Fund
10%
9%
Growth Fund
23%
26%
International Equity Fund
13%
13%
Small-Company Stock Fund
16%
24%
(1)
The portfolio turnover rate includes purchases and sales of long-term U.S. Treasury Bonds.
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(2)
The portfolio turnover rate for the Rural America Growth & Income Fund for 2021 represents the turnover since inception on May 1, 2021.
(3)
The change in the portfolio turnover rate from 2021 to 2022 is primarily due to an increase in shareholder redemptions, resulting in more security sales.
(4)
Represents the portfolio turnover rates for the Master Portfolio during the periods indicated.
Directors/Trustees and Management of Homestead Funds
Directors/Trustees and Officers
The primary responsibility of the Board is to represent the interests of the shareholders of the Funds and to provide oversight of the management and business affairs of Homestead Funds. The Board also elects the officers of Homestead Funds, who are responsible for supervising and administering the Funds’ day-to-day operations. For purposes of the discussion below, the “Directors” include the Trustees of the Trust, as applicable.
The following tables list the Directors and officers of Homestead Funds, any other position each may hold with Homestead Funds, the principal occupation of each person listed during the past five years, and certain additional information as indicated. Each Director shall hold office until his or her successor is elected and qualifies or until his or her earlier death, resignation, or removal. The Homestead Funds have a policy that each Director must retire by the end of the calendar year in which he or she attains the age of 78; provided, however, that the Board may authorize any person serving as Director as of December 17, 2019, to serve for up to two additional one-year periods. Each officer elected by the Board shall hold office until his or her successor shall have been chosen and qualified or until his or her resignation or removal.
Independent Directors 
Name, Address
and Year of Birth(1)
Position(s) Held
with Homestead Funds
Term of
Office and
Length of
Time
Served
Principal Occupation(s)
During Past Five Years
Number of
Portfolios
Overseen by
Director
in the
Fund
Complex(2)
Other
Directorships
Held by
Director
James F. Perna
1947
Director/Trustee, Chairman of
the Board, Member of Audit
Committee, Member of
Compensation Committee
1990-present
(Homestead
Funds, Inc.);
since
inception
(Homestead
Funds Trust)
Solo Practitioner (attorney)
(2008-present)
10
None
Douglas W. Johnson
1955
Director/Trustee, Chairman of
Audit Committee, Member of
Compensation Committee
2003-present
(Homestead
Funds, Inc.);
since
inception
(Homestead
Funds Trust)
CEO, Blue Ridge Electric
Membership Corporation (1989-
present)
10
None
Kenneth R. Meyer
1944
Director/Trustee, Member of
Audit Committee, Chairman of
Compensation Committee
2005-present
(Homestead
Funds, Inc,);
since
inception
(Homestead
Funds Trust)
Retired (2004-present)
10
None
Anthony M.
Marinello
1946
Director/Trustee, Member of
Audit Committee, Member of
Compensation Committee
1990-present
(Homestead
Funds, Inc.);
since
inception
(Homestead
Funds Trust)
Retired (2004-present)
10
None
67
Name, Address
and Year of Birth(1)
Position(s) Held
with Homestead Funds
Term of
Office and
Length of
Time
Served
Principal Occupation(s)
During Past Five Years
Number of
Portfolios
Overseen by
Director
in the
Fund
Complex(2)
Other
Directorships
Held by
Director
Sheldon C. Petersen
1953
Director/Trustee, Member of
Audit Committee, Member of
Compensation Committee
2005-present
(Homestead
Funds, Inc.);
since
inception
(Homestead
Funds Trust)
Retired (2021-present); CEO,
National Rural Utilities
Cooperative Finance
Corporation (1995-2021)
10
None
Mark Rose
1953
Director/Trustee, Member of
Audit Committee, Member of
Compensation Committee
2005-present
(Homestead
Funds, Inc.);
since
inception
(Homestead
Funds Trust)
Consultant, public affairs (2017-
present) (self-employed); CEO
and General Manager,
Bluebonnet Electric Cooperative
(2002-2017)
10
None
Peter J. Tonetti
1953
Director/Trustee, Member of
Audit Committee, Member of
Compensation Committee
2010-present
(Homestead
Funds, Inc,);
since
inception
(Homestead
Funds Trust)
Retired (2015-present)
10
None
Julie H. Dellinger
1953
Director/Trustee, Vice Chair of
Audit Committee, Member of
Compensation Committee
2019-present
Westminster Investment
Consultants, CEO (2017-
present); Managing Vice
President of Investments, ICMA-
RC and Manager, Vantagepoint
Investment Advisers, LLC
(1998-2017)
10
None
Judith H. McKinney
1950
Director/Trustee, Member of
Audit Committee, Member of
Compensation Committee
2019-present
Retired (2019-present);
Executive Vice President and
Manager, Callan LLC (2007-
2019)
10
None
Interested Director and Officers 
Name, Address(1)
and Year of Birth
Position(s) Held
with Homestead Funds
Term of
Office and
Length of
Time
Served
Principal Occupation(s)
During Past Five Years
Number of
Portfolios
Overseen by
Director
in the
Fund
Complex(2)
Other
Directorships
Held by
Director
Mark D. Santero(3)
1961
Director/Trustee, President
and Chief
Executive Officer
2018-present
(Homestead
Funds, Inc.);
since
inception
(Homestead
Funds Trust)
Homestead Advisers Corp.,
President, Chief Executive
Officer and Director (2018-
present); Chief Executive
Officer, The Dreyfus
Corporation (2016-2017); Chief
Operating Officer, BNY Mellon
Investment Management (2014-
2016)
10
None
68
Name, Address(1)
and Year of Birth
Position(s) Held
with Homestead Funds
Term of
Office and
Length of
Time
Served
Principal Occupation(s)
During Past Five Years
Number of
Portfolios
Overseen by
Director
in the
Fund
Complex(2)
Other
Directorships
Held by
Director