AB Bond Fund, Inc. - AB Inflation Strategies
LOGO
PROSPECTUS   |   JANUARY 31, 2023
The AB Inflation Strategies
(Shares Offered—Exchange Ticker Symbol)
 
LOGO   AB Bond Inflation Strategy
(Class 1–ABNOX; Class 2–ABNTX)
   
    
LOGO   AB Municipal Bond Inflation Strategy
(Class 1–AUNOX; Class 2–AUNTX)
   
LOGO   AB All Market Real Return Portfolio
(Class 1–AMTOX)
   
 
 
The Securities and Exchange Commission and the Commodity Futures Trading Commission have not approved or disapproved these securities or passed upon the adequacy of this Prospectus. Any representation to the contrary is a criminal offense.

 
 
 
 
 
Investment Products Offered
 
Ø  Are Not FDIC Insured
Ø  May Lose Value
Ø  Are Not Bank Guaranteed

TABLE OF CONTENTS
 
 
    Page  
SUMMARY INFORMATION     4  
    4  
    8  
    12  
ADDITIONAL INFORMATION ABOUT THE FUNDS’ STRATEGIES, RISKS AND INVESTMENTS     18  
INVESTING IN THE FUNDS     33  
    33  
    34  
    34  
    34  
    36  
MANAGEMENT OF THE FUNDS     37  
DIVIDENDS, DISTRIBUTIONS AND TAXES     39  
GENERAL INFORMATION     41  
FINANCIAL HIGHLIGHTS     42  
APPENDIX A—BOND RATINGS     A‑1  
APPENDIX B—HYPOTHETICAL INVESTMENT AND EXPENSE INFORMATION     B‑1  

SUMMARY INFORMATION
 
 
AB Bond Inflation Strategy
 
INVESTMENT OBJECTIVE
The Fund’s investment objective is to maximize real return without assuming what the Adviser considers to be undue risk.
FEES AND EXPENSES OF THE FUND
This table describes the fees and expenses that you may pay if you buy, hold and sell shares of the Fund.
Shareholder Fees (fees paid directly from your investment)
None
Annual Fund Operating Expenses (expenses that you pay each year as a percentage of the value of your investment)
 
      Class 1      Class 2  
Management Fees
     .50%        .50%  
Distribution and/or Service (12b‑1) Fees
     .10%        None  
Other Expenses:
     
Transfer Agent
     .01%        .01%  
Interest Expense
     .09%        .08%  
Other Expenses(a)
     .08%        .08%  
  
 
 
    
 
 
 
Total Other Expenses
     .18%        .17%  
  
 
 
    
 
 
 
Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses Including Interest Expense Before Waiver
     .78%        .67%  
  
 
 
    
 
 
 
Fee Waiver and/or Expense Reimbursement(b)
     (.09)%        (.09)%  
  
 
 
    
 
 
 
Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses Including Interest Expense After Fee Waiver and/or Expense Reimbursement(c)
     .69%        .58%  
  
 
 
    
 
 
 
   
 
(a)
“Other Expenses” includes acquired fund fees and expenses totaling less than .01%.
 
(b)
The Adviser has contractually agreed to waive its management fees and/or to bear certain expenses of the Fund until January 31, 2024 to the extent necessary to prevent total Fund operating expenses (excluding extraordinary expenses, interest expense, and acquired fund fees and expenses other than the advisory fees of any AB Mutual Funds in which the Fund may invest), on an annualized basis, from exceeding .60% and .50% of average daily net assets, respectively, for Class 1 and Class 2 shares (“expense limitations”). In connection with the Fund’s investments in AB Government Money Market Portfolio (the “Money Market Portfolio”) (except for the investment of any cash collateral from securities lending), the Adviser has contractually agreed to waive its management fee from the Fund and/or reimburse other expenses of the Fund in an amount equal to the Fund’s pro rata share of the Money Market Portfolio’s effective management fee. The expense limitations and waiver agreement will each remain in effect until January 31, 2024 and may only be terminated or changed with the consent of the Fund’s Board of Directors. In addition, the expense limitations and waiver agreement will each be automatically extended for one‑year terms unless the Adviser provides notice of termination to the Fund at least 60 days prior to the end of the period.
 
(c)
If interest expenses were excluded, the net expenses for Class 1 and Class 2 shares would be .60% and .50%, respectively.
Examples
The Examples are intended to help you compare the cost of investing in the Fund with the cost of investing in other mutual funds. The Examples assume that you invest $10,000 in the Fund for the time periods indicated. The Examples also assume that your investment has a 5% return each year, that the Fund’s operating expenses stay the same and that any fee waiver and/or expense limitation is in effect for only the first year. Although your actual costs may be higher or lower, based on these assumptions your costs would be:
 
        Class 1        Class 2  
After 1 Year
     $ 70        $ 59  
After 3 Years
     $ 240        $ 205  
After 5 Years
     $ 424        $ 364  
After 10 Years
     $ 958        $ 826  
Portfolio Turnover
The Fund pays transaction costs, such as commissions, when it buys or sells securities (or “turns over” its portfolio). A higher portfolio turnover rate may indicate higher transaction costs and may result in higher taxes when Fund shares are held in a taxable account. These transaction costs, which are not reflected in the Annual Fund Operating Expenses or in the Examples, affect the Fund’s performance. During the most recent fiscal year, the Fund’s portfolio turnover rate was 79% of the average value of its portfolio.
 
4

PRINCIPAL STRATEGIES
The Fund seeks real return. Real return is the rate of return after adjusting for inflation.
The Fund pursues its objective by investing principally in inflation-indexed securities (such as Treasury Inflation-Protected Securities (“TIPS”) or inflation-indexed securities from issuers other than the U.S. Treasury) or by gaining inflation protection through derivatives transactions, such as inflation (CPI) swaps or total return swaps linked to TIPS. In deciding whether to purchase inflation-indexed securities or use inflation-linked derivatives transactions, the Adviser considers the relative costs and efficiency of each method. In addition, in seeking to maximize real return, the Fund may also invest in other fixed-income investments, such as U.S. and non‑U.S. Government securities, corporate fixed-income securities and mortgage-related securities, as well as derivatives linked to such securities. Under normal circumstances, the Fund invests at least 80% of its net assets in fixed-income securities. While the Fund expects to invest principally in investment-grade securities, it may invest up to 15% of its total assets in fixed-income securities rated BB or B or the equivalent by at least one nationally recognized statistical rating organization (or deemed by the Adviser to be of comparable credit quality), which are not investment-grade (“junk bonds”).
Inflation-indexed securities are fixed-income securities structured to provide protection against inflation. Their principal value and/or the interest paid on them are adjusted to reflect official inflation measures. The inflation measure for TIPS is the Consumer Price Index for Urban Consumers, or the CPI. The Fund may also invest in other inflation-indexed securities, issued by both U.S. and non‑U.S. issuers, and in derivative instruments linked to these securities.
The Fund may invest in derivatives, such as options, futures contracts, forwards, or swaps. The Fund intends to use leverage for investment purposes. To do this, the Fund expects to enter into (i) reverse repurchase agreement transactions and use the cash made available from these transactions to make additional investments in fixed-income securities in accordance with the Fund’s investment policies and (ii) total return swaps. In determining when and to what extent to employ leverage or enter into derivatives transactions, the Adviser considers factors such as the relative risks and returns expected of potential investments and the costs of such transactions. The Adviser considers the impact of reverse repurchase agreements, swaps and other derivatives in making its assessments of the Fund’s risks. The resulting exposures to markets, sectors, issuers or specific securities will be continuously monitored by the Adviser.
The Adviser selects securities for purchase or sale based on its assessment of the securities’ risk and return characteristics as well as the securities’ impact on the overall risk and return characteristics of the Fund. In making this assessment, the Adviser takes into account various factors, including the credit quality and sensitivity to interest rates of the securities under consideration and of the Fund’s other holdings.
The Fund may also invest in loan participations and assignments, structured securities, mortgage-backed and other asset-backed securities, variable, floating, and inverse floating-rate instruments, and preferred stock, and may use other investment techniques. The Fund may invest in fixed-income securities of any maturity and duration. If the rating of a fixed-income security falls below investment-grade, the Fund will not be obligated to sell the security and may continue to hold it if, in the Adviser’s opinion, the investment is appropriate under the circumstances.
PRINCIPAL RISKS
 
Market Risk: The value of the Fund’s assets will fluctuate as the bond market fluctuates. The value of the Fund’s investments may decline, sometimes rapidly and unpredictably, simply because of economic changes or other events, including public health crises (including the occurrence of a contagious disease or illness) and regional and global conflicts, that affect large portions of the market. 
 
 
Credit Risk: An issuer or guarantor of a fixed-income security, or the counterparty to a derivatives or other contract, may be unable or unwilling to make timely payments of interest or principal, or to otherwise honor its obligations. The issuer or guarantor may default, causing a loss of the full principal amount of a security and accrued interest. The degree of risk for a particular security may be reflected in its credit rating. There is the possibility that the credit rating of a fixed-income security may be downgraded after purchase, which may adversely affect the value of the security. Investments in fixed-income securities with lower ratings tend to have a higher probability that an issuer will default or fail to meet its payment obligations. 
 
 
Interest Rate Risk: Changes in interest rates will affect the value of investments in fixed-income securities. When interest rates rise, the value of existing investments in fixed-income securities tends to fall and this decrease in value may not be offset by higher income from new investments. Interest rate risk is generally greater for fixed-income securities with longer maturities or durations. The Fund may be subject to a greater risk of rising interest rates than would normally be the case due to the recent end of a period of historically low rates and the effect of potential central bank monetary policy, and government fiscal policy, initiatives and resulting market reactions to those initiatives. 
 
 
Duration Risk: Duration is a measure that relates the expected price volatility of a fixed-income security to changes in interest rates. The duration of a fixed-income security may be shorter than or equal to full maturity of a fixed-income security. Fixed-income securities with longer durations have more risk and will decrease in price as interest rates rise. 
 
5

 
Inflation Risk: This is the risk that the value of assets or income from investments will be less in the future as inflation decreases the value of money. As inflation increases, the value of the Fund’s assets can decline as can the value of the Fund’s distributions. This risk is significantly greater for fixed-income securities with longer maturities. Although the Fund invests principally in inflation-indexed securities, the value of its securities may be vulnerable to changes in expectations of inflation or interest rates. 
 
 
Derivatives Risk: Derivatives may be difficult to price or unwind and leveraged so that small changes may produce disproportionate losses for the Fund. A short position in a derivative instrument involves the risk of a theoretically unlimited increase in the value of the underlying asset, which could cause the Fund to suffer a potentially unlimited loss. Derivatives, especially over‑the‑counter derivatives, are also subject to counterparty risk, which is the risk that the counterparty (the party on the other side of the transaction) on a derivative transaction will be unable or unwilling to honor its contractual obligations to the Fund. 
 
 
Foreign (Non‑U.S.) Risk: Investments in securities of non‑U.S. issuers may involve more risk than those of U.S. issuers. These securities may fluctuate more widely in price and may be more difficult to trade due to adverse market, economic, political, regulatory or other factors. 
 
 
Currency Risk: Fluctuations in currency exchange rates may negatively affect the value of the Fund’s investments or reduce its returns. 
 
 
Mortgage-Related and/or Other Asset-Backed Securities Risk: Investments in mortgage-related and other asset-backed securities are subject to certain additional risks. The value of these securities may be particularly sensitive to changes in interest rates. These risks include “extension risk”, which is the risk that, in periods of rising interest rates, issuers may delay the payment of principal, and “prepayment risk”, which is the risk that in periods of falling interest rates, issuers may pay principal sooner than expected, exposing the Fund to a lower rate of return upon reinvestment of principal. Mortgage-backed securities offered by non‑governmental issuers and other asset-backed securities may be subject to other risks, such as higher rates of default in the mortgages or assets backing the securities or risks associated with the nature and servicing of mortgages or assets backing the securities. 
 
 
Leverage Risk: To the extent the Fund uses leveraging techniques, its net asset value (“NAV”) may be more volatile because leverage tends to exaggerate the effect of changes in interest rates and any increase or decrease in the value of the Fund’s investments. 
 
 
Illiquid Investments Risk: Illiquid investments risk exists when certain investments are or become difficult to purchase or sell. Difficulty in selling such investments may result in sales at disadvantageous prices affecting the value of your investment in the Fund. Causes of illiquid investments risk may include low trading volumes, large positions and heavy redemptions of Fund shares. Illiquid investments risk may be higher in a rising interest rate environment, when the value and liquidity of fixed-income securities generally go down. 
 
 
Management Risk: The Fund is subject to management risk because it is an actively-managed investment fund. The Adviser will apply its investment techniques and risk analyses in making investment decisions, but there is no guarantee that its techniques will produce the intended results. Some of these techniques may incorporate, or rely upon, quantitative models, but there is no guarantee that these models will generate accurate forecasts, reduce risk or otherwise perform as expected. 
As with all investments, you may lose money by investing in the Fund. 
BAR CHART AND PERFORMANCE INFORMATION
The bar chart and performance information provide an indication of the historical risk of an investment in the Fund by showing:
  
 
how the Fund’s performance changed from year to year over ten years; and
 
 
how the Fund’s average annual returns for one, five and ten years compare to those of a broad-based securities market index.
You can obtain updated performance information for the Fund at www.bernstein.com (click on “Investments,” then “Mutual Fund Performance at a Glance”). 
The Fund’s past performance before and after taxes, of course, does not necessarily indicate how it will perform in the future. 
 
6

Bar Chart
The annual returns in the bar chart are for the Fund’s Class 1 shares.
 
 
LOGO  
During the period shown in the bar chart, the Fund’s: 
Best Quarter was up 7.49%, 2nd quarter, 2020; and Worst Quarter was down ‑6.19%, 2nd quarter, 2013
Performance Table 
Average Annual Total Returns
(For the periods ended December 31, 2022)
 
           1 Year        5 Years        10 Years       
Class 1*   Return Before Taxes      -8.59%          2.55%          1.58%    
 
 
  Return After Taxes on Distributions      -10.82%          1.05%          0.45%    
 
 
    Return After Taxes on Distributions and Sale of Fund Shares      -5.03%          1.36%          0.73%      
Class 2   Return Before Taxes      -8.43%          2.68%          1.69%      
Bloomberg TIPS 1‑10 Year Index
(reflects no deduction for fees, taxes or expenses)
     -7.34%          2.50%          1.29%      
 
*
After‑tax returns:
 
 
Are shown for Class 1 shares only and will vary for Class 2 shares because Class 2 shares have a different expense ratio;
 
 
Are an estimate, which is based on the highest historical individual federal marginal income tax rates, and do not reflect the impact of state and local taxes; actual after‑tax returns depend on an individual investor’s tax situation and are likely to differ from those shown; and
 
 
Are not relevant to investors who hold fund shares through tax‑deferred arrangements such as 401(k) plans or individual retirement accounts.
INVESTMENT ADVISER
AllianceBernstein L.P. is the investment adviser for the Fund.
PORTFOLIO MANAGERS
The following table lists the persons responsible for day‑to‑day management of the Fund’s portfolio:
 
Employee    Length of Service    Title
Michael Canter    Since 2016    Senior Vice President of the Adviser
Janaki Rao    Since 2018    Senior Vice President of the Adviser
ADDITIONAL INFORMATION
For important information about the purchase and sale of Fund shares, tax information and financial intermediary compensation, please turn to ADDITIONAL INFORMATION ABOUT PURCHASE AND SALE OF FUND SHARES, TAXES AND FINANCIAL INTERMEDIARIES, page 17 in this Prospectus.
 
7

AB Municipal Bond Inflation Strategy
 
 
INVESTMENT OBJECTIVE
The Fund’s investment objective is to maximize real after‑tax return for investors subject to federal income taxes, without undue risk to principal.
FEES AND EXPENSES OF THE FUND
This table describes the fees and expenses that you may pay if you buy, hold and sell shares of the Fund.
Shareholder Fees (fees paid directly from your investment)
None
Annual Fund Operating Expenses (expenses that you pay each year as a percentage of the value of your investment)
 
      Class 1      Class 2  
Management Fees
     .50%        .50%  
Distribution and/or Service (12b‑1) Fees
     .10%        None  
Other Expenses:
     
Transfer Agent
     .01%        .01%  
Other Expenses
     .03%        .04%  
  
 
 
    
 
 
 
Total Other Expenses
     .04%        .05%  
  
 
 
    
 
 
 
Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses
     .64%        .55%  
  
 
 
    
 
 
 
Fee Waiver and/or Expense Reimbursement(a)
     (.04)%        (.05)%  
  
 
 
    
 
 
 
Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses After Fee Waiver and/or Expense Reimbursement
     .60%        .50%  
  
 
 
    
 
 
 
   
 
(a)
The Adviser has contractually agreed to waive its management fees and/or to bear certain expenses of the Fund until January 31, 2024 to the extent necessary to prevent total Fund operating expenses (excluding extraordinary expenses, interest expense, and acquired fund fees and expenses other than the advisory fees of any AB Mutual Funds in which the Fund may invest), on an annualized basis, from exceeding .60% and .50% of average daily net assets, respectively, for Class 1 and Class 2 shares (“expense limitations”). The expense limitations will remain in effect until January 31, 2024 and may only be terminated or changed with the consent of the Fund’s Board of Directors. In addition, the expense limitations will be automatically extended for one‑year terms unless the Adviser provides notice of termination to the Fund at least 60 days prior to the end of the period.
Examples
The Examples are intended to help you compare the cost of investing in the Fund with the cost of investing in other mutual funds. The Examples assume that you invest $10,000 in the Fund for the time periods indicated. The Examples also assume that your investment has a 5% return each year, that the Fund’s operating expenses stay the same and that any fee waiver and/or expense limitation is in effect for only the first year. Although your actual costs may be higher or lower, based on these assumptions your costs would be:
 
     Class 1        Class 2  
After 1 Year
  $ 61        $ 51  
After 3 Years
  $ 201        $ 171  
After 5 Years
  $ 353        $ 302  
After 10 Years
  $ 795        $ 684  
Portfolio Turnover
The Fund pays transaction costs, such as commissions, when it buys or sells securities (or “turns over” its portfolio). A higher portfolio turnover rate may indicate higher transaction costs and may result in higher taxes when Fund shares are held in a taxable account. These transaction costs, which are not reflected in the Annual Fund Operating Expenses or in the Examples, affect the Fund’s performance. During the most recent fiscal year, the Fund’s portfolio turnover rate was 27% of the average value of its portfolio.
PRINCIPAL STRATEGIES
The Fund seeks real after‑tax return for investors subject to federal income taxes. Real return is the rate of return after adjusting for inflation. The Fund pursues its objective by investing principally in high-quality, predominantly investment-grade, municipal securities that pay interest exempt from federal taxation. As a fundamental policy, the Fund will invest at least 80% of its net assets in municipal securities. These securities may be subject to the federal alternative minimum tax (“AMT”) for some taxpayers.
  
8

The Fund will invest at least 80% of its total assets in fixed-income securities rated A or better or the equivalent by one or more nationally recognized statistical rating organizations (or deemed to be of comparable credit quality by the Adviser). The Fund may invest up to 20% of its total assets in below investment grade fixed-income securities (“junk bonds”). If the rating of a fixed-income security falls below investment grade, the Fund will not be obligated to sell the security and may continue to hold it if, in the Adviser’s opinion, the investment is appropriate under the circumstances. 
The Adviser selects securities for purchase or sale based on its assessment of the securities’ risk and return characteristics as well as the securities’ impact on the overall risk and return characteristics of the Fund. In making this assessment, the Adviser takes into account various factors, including the credit quality and sensitivity to interest rates of the securities under consideration and of the Fund’s other holdings. The Fund may invest in fixed-income securities with any maturity and duration. 
To provide inflation protection, the Fund will typically enter into inflation swaps. The Fund may use other inflation-indexed instruments. Payments to the Fund pursuant to swaps will result in taxable income, either ordinary income or capital gains, rather than income exempt from federal income taxation. It is expected that the Fund’s primary use of derivatives will be for the purpose of inflation protection. 
The Fund may also invest in: 
 
 
forward commitments; 
 
 
zero‑coupon municipal securities and variable, floating and inverse floating-rate municipal securities; 
 
 
certain types of mortgage-related securities; and 
 
 
derivatives, such as options, futures contracts, forwards and swaps. 
The Fund may utilize leverage for investment purposes through the use of tender option bond (“TOB”) transactions. The Adviser considers the impact of TOB transactions, swaps and other derivatives in making its assessments of the Fund’s risks. The resulting exposures to markets, sectors, issuers or specific securities will be continuously monitored by the Adviser. 
PRINCIPAL RISKS
 
Market Risk: The value of the Fund’s assets will fluctuate as the bond market fluctuates. The value of the Fund’s investments may decline, sometimes rapidly and unpredictably, simply because of economic changes or other events, including public health crises (including the occurrence of a contagious disease or illness) and regional and global conflicts, that affect large portions of the market. 
 
 
Credit Risk: An issuer or guarantor of a fixed-income security, or the counterparty to a derivatives or other contract, may be unable or unwilling to make timely payments of interest or principal, or to otherwise honor its obligations. The issuer or guarantor may default, causing a loss of the full principal amount of a security and accrued interest. The degree of risk for a particular security may be reflected in its credit rating. There is the possibility that the credit rating of a fixed-income security may be downgraded after purchase, which may adversely affect the value of the security. Investments in fixed-income securities with lower ratings tend to have a higher probability that an issuer will default or fail to meet its payment obligations. 
 
 
Municipal Market Risk: This is the risk that special factors may adversely affect the value of municipal securities and have a significant effect on the yield or value of the Fund’s investments in municipal securities. These factors include economic conditions, political or legislative changes, public health crises, uncertainties related to the tax status of municipal securities, and the rights of investors in these securities. To the extent that the Fund invests more of its assets in a particular state’s municipal securities, the Fund is vulnerable to events adversely affecting that state, including economic, political and regulatory occurrences, court decisions, terrorism, public health crises (including the occurrence of a contagious disease or illness) and catastrophic natural disasters, such as hurricanes, fires or earthquakes. For example, the novel coronavirus (COVID‑19) pandemic has significantly stressed the financial resources of many issuers of municipal securities, which could impair any such issuer’s ability to meet its financial obligations when due and adversely impact the value of its securities held by the Fund. As the full effects of the COVID‑19 pandemic on state and local economies and on issuers of municipal securities are still uncertain, the financial difficulties of issuers of municipal securities may worsen, adversely affecting the performance of the Fund. The Fund’s investments in certain municipal securities with principal and interest payments that are made from the revenues of a specific project or facility, and not general tax revenues, may have increased risks. Factors affecting the project or facility, such as local business or economic conditions, could have a significant effect on the project’s ability to make payments of principal and interest on these securities. 
In addition, changes in tax rates or the treatment of income from certain types of municipal securities, among other things, could negatively affect the municipal securities markets. 
 
 
Interest Rate Risk: Changes in interest rates will affect the value of investments in fixed-income securities. When interest rates rise, the value of existing investments in fixed-income securities tends to fall and this decrease in value may not be offset by higher income from new investments. Interest rate risk is generally greater for fixed-income securities with longer maturities or 
 
9

 
durations. The Fund may be subject to a greater risk of rising interest rates than would normally be the case due to the recent end of a period of historically low rates and the effect of potential central bank monetary policy, and government fiscal policy, initiatives and resulting market reactions to those initiatives. 
 
 
Duration Risk: Duration is a measure that relates the expected price volatility of a fixed-income security to changes in interest rates. The duration of a fixed-income security may be shorter than or equal to full maturity of a fixed-income security. Fixed-income securities with longer durations have more risk and will decrease in price as interest rates rise. 
 
 
Inflation Risk: This is the risk that the value of assets or income from investments will be less in the future as inflation decreases the value of money. As inflation increases, the value of the Fund’s assets can decline as can the value of the Fund’s distributions. This risk is significantly greater for fixed-income securities with longer maturities. 
 
 
Derivatives Risk: Derivatives may be difficult to price or unwind and leveraged so that small changes may produce disproportionate losses for the Fund. A short position in a derivative instrument involves the risk of a theoretically unlimited increase in the value of the underlying asset, which could cause the Fund to suffer a potentially unlimited loss. Derivatives, especially over‑the‑counter derivatives, are also subject to counterparty risk, which is the risk that the counterparty (the party on the other side of the transaction) on a derivative transaction will be unable or unwilling to honor its contractual obligations to the Fund. 
 
 
Leverage Risk: To the extent the Fund uses leveraging techniques, such as TOBs, its net asset value (“NAV”) may be more volatile because leverage tends to exaggerate the effect of changes in interest rates and any increase or decrease in the value of the Fund’s investments. 
 
 
Illiquid Investments Risk: Illiquid investments risk exists when certain investments are or become difficult to purchase or sell. Difficulty in selling such investments may result in sales at disadvantageous prices affecting the value of your investment in the Fund. Causes of illiquid investments risk may include low trading volumes, large positions and heavy redemptions of Fund shares. Illiquid investments risk may be higher in a rising interest rate environment, when the value and liquidity of fixed-income securities generally go down. 
 
 
Management Risk: The Fund is subject to management risk because it is an actively-managed investment fund. The Adviser will apply its investment techniques and risk analyses in making investment decisions, but there is no guarantee that its techniques will produce the intended results. Some of these techniques may incorporate, or rely upon, quantitative models, but there is no guarantee that these models will generate accurate forecasts, reduce risk or otherwise perform as expected. 
As with all investments, you may lose money by investing in the Fund. 
BAR CHART AND PERFORMANCE INFORMATION
The bar chart and performance information provide an indication of the historical risk of an investment in the Fund by showing:
  
 
how the Fund’s performance changed from year to year over ten years; and
 
 
how the Fund’s average annual returns for one, five and ten years compare to those of a broad-based securities market index.
You can obtain updated performance information for the Fund at www.bernstein.com (click on “Investments,” then “Mutual Fund Performance at a Glance”). 
The Fund’s past performance before and after taxes, of course, does not necessarily indicate how it will perform in the future. 
Bar Chart
The annual returns in the bar chart are for the Fund’s Class 1 shares.
 
 
LOGO  
During the period shown in the bar chart, the Fund’s: 
Best Quarter was up 4.37%, 2nd quarter, 2020; and Worst Quarter was down ‑6.55%, 1st quarter, 2020
 
10

Performance Table
Average Annual Total Returns
(For the periods ended December 31, 2022)
 
           1 Year        5 Years        10 Years         
Class 1*   Return Before Taxes      -4.93%          2.41%          1.57%    
 
 
 
  Return After Taxes on Distributions      -4.96%          2.37%          1.53%    
 
 
 
    Return After Taxes on Distributions and Sale of Fund Shares      -2.33%          2.31%          1.60%          
Class 2   Return Before Taxes      -4.83%          2.51%          1.68%          
Bloomberg TIPS 1‑10 Year Index
(reflects no deduction for fees, taxes or expenses)
     -7.34%          2.50%          1.29%          
 
*
After‑tax returns:
 
 
Are shown for Class 1 shares only and will vary for Class 2 shares because Class 2 shares have a different expense ratio;
 
 
Are an estimate, which is based on the highest historical individual federal marginal income tax rates, and do not reflect the impact of state and local taxes; actual after‑tax returns depend on an individual investor’s tax situation and are likely to differ from those shown; and
 
 
Are not relevant to investors who hold fund shares through tax‑deferred arrangements such as 401(k) plans or individual retirement accounts.
INVESTMENT ADVISER
AllianceBernstein L.P. is the investment adviser for the Fund.
PORTFOLIO MANAGERS
The following table lists the persons responsible for day‑to‑day management of the Fund’s portfolio:
 
Employee    Length of Service    Title
Daryl Clements    Since September 2022    Senior Vice President of the Adviser
Terrance T. Hults    Since 2010    Senior Vice President of the Adviser
Matthew J. Norton    Since 2016    Senior Vice President of the Adviser
Andrew D. Potter    Since 2017    Vice President of the Adviser
ADDITIONAL INFORMATION
For important information about the purchase and sale of Fund shares, tax information and financial intermediary compensation, please turn to ADDITIONAL INFORMATION ABOUT PURCHASE AND SALE OF FUND SHARES, TAXES AND FINANCIAL INTERMEDIARIES, page 17 in this Prospectus.
 
11

AB All Market Real Return Portfolio
 
 
INVESTMENT OBJECTIVE
The Fund’s investment objective is to maximize real return over inflation.
FEES AND EXPENSES OF THE FUND
This table describes the fees and expenses that you may pay if you buy, hold and sell shares of the Fund.
Shareholder Fees (fees paid directly from your investment)
None
Annual Fund Operating Expenses (expenses that you pay each year as a percentage of the value of your investment)
 
      Class 1  
Management Fees
     .75%  
Distribution and/or Service (12b‑1) Fees
     .25%  
Other Expenses:
  
Transfer Agent
     .02%  
Other Expenses
     .08%  
  
 
 
 
Total Other Expenses
     .10%  
  
 
 
 
Acquired Fund Fees and Expenses
     .03%  
  
 
 
 
Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses
     1.13%  
  
 
 
 
Fee Waiver and/or Expense Reimbursement(a)
     (.02)%  
  
 
 
 
Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses After Fee Waiver and/or Expense Reimbursement
     1.11%  
  
 
 
 
   
 
(a)
In connection with the Fund’s investments in AB Government Money Market Portfolio (the “Money Market Portfolio”) (except for the investment of any cash collateral from securities lending), the Adviser has contractually agreed to waive its management fee from the Fund and/or reimburse other expenses of the Fund in an amount equal to the Fund’s pro rata share of the Money Market Portfolio’s effective management fee, as included in “Acquired Fund Fees and Expenses”. The agreement will remain in effect until January 31, 2024 and may only be terminated or changed with the consent of the Fund’s Board of Directors. In addition, the agreement will be automatically extended for one‑year terms unless the Adviser provides notice of termination to the Fund at least 60 days prior to the end of the period.
Examples
The Examples are intended to help you compare the cost of investing in the Fund with the cost of investing in other mutual funds. The Examples assume that you invest $10,000 in the Fund for the time periods indicated. The Examples also assume that your investment has a 5% return each year, that the Fund’s operating expenses stay the same and that any fee waiver and/or expense limitation is in effect for only the first year. Although your actual costs may be higher or lower, based on these assumptions your costs would be:
 
     Class 1  
After 1 Year
  $ 113  
After 3 Years
  $ 357  
After 5 Years
  $ 620  
After 10 Years
  $ 1,373  
Portfolio Turnover
The Fund pays transaction costs, such as commissions, when it buys or sells securities (or “turns over” its portfolio). A higher portfolio turnover rate may indicate higher transaction costs and may result in higher taxes when Fund shares are held in a taxable account. These transaction costs, which are not reflected in the Annual Fund Operating Expenses or in the Examples, affect the Fund’s performance. During the most recent fiscal year, the Fund’s portfolio turnover rate was 79% of the average value of its portfolio.
PRINCIPAL STRATEGIES
The Fund seeks to maximize real return. Real return is the rate of return after adjusting for inflation.
The Fund pursues an aggressive investment strategy involving a variety of asset classes. The Fund invests primarily in instruments that the Adviser expects to outperform broad equity indices during periods of rising inflation. Under normal circumstances, the
  
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Fund expects to invest its assets principally in the following instruments that, in the judgment of the Adviser, are affected directly or indirectly by the level and change in rate of inflation: inflation-indexed fixed-income securities, such as Treasury Inflation-Protected Securities (“TIPS”) and similar bonds issued by governments outside of the United States; commodities; commodity-related equity securities; real estate equity securities; inflation sensitive equity securities, which the Fund defines as equity securities of companies that the Adviser believes have the ability to pass along increasing costs to consumers and maintain or grow margins in rising inflation environments, including equity securities of utilities and infrastructure-related companies (“inflation sensitive equities”); securities and derivatives linked to the price of other assets (such as commodities, stock indices and real estate); and currencies. The Fund expects its investments in fixed-income securities to have a broad range of maturities and quality levels. 
The Fund seeks inflation protection from investments around the globe, both in developed and emerging market countries. In selecting securities for purchase and sale, the Adviser utilizes its qualitative and quantitative resources to determine overall inflation sensitivity, asset allocation, and security selection. The Adviser assesses the securities’ risks and inflation sensitivity as well as the securities’ impact on the overall risks and inflation sensitivity of the Fund. When its analysis indicates that changes are necessary, the Adviser intends to implement them through a combination of changes to underlying positions and the use of inflation swaps and other types of derivatives, such as interest rate swaps. 
The Fund anticipates that its targeted investment mix, other than its investments in inflation-indexed fixed-income securities, will focus on commodity-related equity securities, commodities and commodity derivatives, real estate equity securities and inflation sensitive equities to provide a balance between expected return and inflation protection. The Fund may vary its investment allocations among these asset classes, at times significantly. Its commodities investments will include significant exposure to energy commodities, but will also include agricultural products, and industrial and precious metals, such as gold. The Fund’s investments in real estate equity securities will include real estate investment trusts (“REITs”) and other real estate-related securities. 
The Fund invests in both U.S. and non‑U.S. Dollar‑denominated equity or fixed-income securities. The Fund may invest in currencies for hedging or for investment purposes, both in the spot market and through long or short positions in currency-related derivatives. The Fund does not ordinarily expect to hedge its foreign currency exposure because it will be balanced by investments in U.S. Dollar-denominated securities, although it may hedge the exposure under certain circumstances. 
The Fund may enter into derivatives, such as options, futures contracts, forwards, swaps or structured notes, to a significant extent, subject to the limits of applicable law. The Fund intends to use leverage for investment purposes through the use of cash made available by derivatives transactions to make other investments in accordance with its investment policies. In determining when and to what extent to employ leverage or enter into derivatives transactions, the Adviser considers factors such as the relative risks and returns expected of potential investments and the cost of such transactions. The Adviser considers the impact of derivatives in making its assessments of the Fund’s risks. The resulting exposures to markets, sectors, issuers or specific securities will be continuously monitored by the Adviser. 
The Fund may seek to gain exposure to physical commodities traded in the commodities markets through use of a variety of derivative instruments, including investments in commodity index-linked notes. The Adviser expects that the Fund will seek to gain exposure to commodities and commodity-related instruments and derivatives primarily through investments in AllianceBernstein Cayman Inflation Strategy, Ltd., a wholly-owned subsidiary of the Fund organized under the laws of the Cayman Islands (the “Subsidiary”). The Subsidiary is advised by the Adviser and has the same investment objective and substantially similar investment policies and restrictions as the Fund except that the Subsidiary, unlike the Fund, may invest, without limitation, in commodities and commodity-related instruments. The Fund is subject to the risks associated with the commodities, derivatives and other instruments in which the Subsidiary invests, to the extent of its investment in the Subsidiary. The Fund limits its investment in the Subsidiary to no more than 25% of its net assets. Investment in the Subsidiary is expected to provide the Fund with commodity exposure within the limitations of federal tax requirements that apply to the Fund. 
The Fund is “non‑diversified”, which means that it may concentrate its assets in a smaller number of issuers than a diversified fund. 
PRINCIPAL RISKS
 
Market Risk: The value of the Fund’s assets will fluctuate as the stock, commodity and bond markets fluctuate. The value of the Fund’s investments may decline, sometimes rapidly and unpredictably, simply because of economic changes or other events, including public health crises (including the occurrence of a contagious disease or illness) and regional and global conflicts, that affect large portions of the market. 
 
 
Credit Risk: An issuer or guarantor of a fixed-income security, or the counterparty to a derivatives or other contract, may be unable or unwilling to make timely payments of interest or principal, or to otherwise honor its obligations. The issuer or guarantor may default, causing a loss of the full principal amount of a security and accrued interest. The degree of risk for a particular security may be reflected in its credit rating. There is the possibility that the credit rating of a fixed-income security may be downgraded after purchase, which may adversely affect the value of the security. Investments in fixed-income securities with lower ratings tend to have a higher probability that an issuer will default or fail to meet its payment obligations. 
 
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Interest Rate Risk: Changes in interest rates will affect the value of investments in fixed-income securities. When interest rates rise, the value of existing investments in fixed-income securities tends to fall and this decrease in value may not be offset by higher income from new investments. Interest rate risk is generally greater for fixed-income securities with longer maturities or durations. The Fund may be subject to a greater risk of rising interest rates than would normally be the case due to the recent end of a period of historically low rates and the effect of potential central bank monetary policy, and government fiscal policy, initiatives and resulting market reactions to those initiatives. 
 
 
Commodity Risk: Investing in commodities and commodity-linked derivative instruments, either directly or through the Subsidiary, may subject the Fund to greater volatility than investments in traditional securities. The value of commodity-linked derivative instruments may be affected by changes in overall market movements, commodity index volatility, changes in interest rates, or factors affecting a particular industry or commodity, such as drought, floods, weather, livestock disease, embargoes, tariffs and international economic, political and regulatory developments. 
 
 
Derivatives Risk: Derivatives may be difficult to price or unwind and leveraged so that small changes may produce disproportionate losses for the Fund. A short position in a derivative instrument involves the risk of a theoretically unlimited increase in the value of the underlying asset, which could cause the Fund to suffer a potentially unlimited loss. Derivatives, especially over‑the‑counter derivatives, are also subject to counterparty risk, which is the risk that the counterparty (the party on the other side of the transaction) on a derivative transaction will be unable or unwilling to honor its contractual obligations to the Fund. 
 
 
Leverage Risk: To the extent the Fund uses leveraging techniques, its net asset value (“NAV”) may be more volatile because leverage tends to exaggerate the effect of changes in interest rates and any increase or decrease in the value of the Fund’s investments. 
 
 
Inflation Risk: This is the risk that the value of assets or income from investments will be less in the future as inflation decreases the value of money. As inflation increases, the value of the Fund’s assets can decline as can the value of the Fund’s distributions. This risk is significantly greater for fixed-income securities with longer maturities. 
 
 
Illiquid Investments Risk: Illiquid investments risk exists when certain investments are or become difficult to purchase or sell. Difficulty in selling such investments may result in sales at disadvantageous prices affecting the value of your investment in the Fund. Causes of illiquid investments risk may include low trading volumes and large positions. Foreign fixed-income securities may have more illiquid investments risk because secondary trading markets for these securities may be smaller and less well-developed and the securities may trade less frequently. Illiquid investments risk may be higher in a rising interest rate environment, when the value and liquidity of fixed-income securities generally go down. 
 
 
Foreign (Non‑U.S.) Risk: Investments in securities of non‑U.S. issuers may involve more risk than those of U.S. issuers. These securities may fluctuate more widely in price and may be more difficult to trade due to adverse market, economic, political, regulatory or other factors. 
 
 
Currency Risk: Fluctuations in currency exchange rates may negatively affect the value of the Fund’s investments or reduce its returns. 
 
 
Subsidiary Risk: By investing in the Subsidiary, the Fund is indirectly exposed to the risks associated with the Subsidiary’s investments. The derivatives and other investments held by the Subsidiary are generally similar to those that are permitted to be held by the Fund and are subject to the same risks that apply to similar investments if held directly by the Fund. The Subsidiary is not registered under the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended (the “1940 Act”), and, unless otherwise noted in this Prospectus, is not subject to all of the investor protections of the 1940 Act. However, the Fund wholly owns and controls the Subsidiary, and the Fund and the Subsidiary are managed by the Adviser, making it unlikely the Subsidiary will take actions contrary to the interests of the Fund or its shareholders. 
 
 
Real Estate Risk: The Fund’s investments in real estate securities have many of the same risks as direct ownership of real estate, including the risk that the value of real estate could decline due to a variety of factors that affect the real estate market generally. Investments in REITs may have additional risks. REITs are dependent on the capability of their managers, may have limited diversification, and could be significantly affected by changes in taxes. 
 
 
Non‑Diversification Risk: The Fund may have more risk because it is “non‑diversified”, meaning that it can invest more of its assets in a smaller number of issuers. Accordingly, changes in the value of a single security may have a more significant effect, either negative or positive, on the Fund’s NAV.
 
 
Management Risk: The Fund is subject to management risk because it is an actively-managed investment fund. The Adviser will apply its investment techniques and risk analyses in making investment decisions, but there is no guarantee that its techniques will produce the intended results. Some of these techniques may incorporate, or rely upon, quantitative models, but there is no guarantee that these models will generate accurate forecasts, reduce risk or otherwise perform as expected. 
 
14

As with all investments, you may lose money by investing in the Fund.
BAR CHART AND PERFORMANCE INFORMATION
The bar chart and performance information provide an indication of the historical risk of an investment in the Fund by showing:
  
 
how the Fund’s performance changed from year to year over ten years; and
 
 
how the Fund’s average annual returns for one, five and ten years compare to those of a broad-based securities market index.
You can obtain updated performance information for the Fund at www.bernstein.com (click on “Investments,” then “Mutual Fund Performance at a Glance”). 
The Fund’s past performance before and after taxes, of course, does not necessarily indicate how it will perform in the future.
Bar Chart
The annual returns in the bar chart are for the Fund’s Class 1 shares.
 
  
LOGO
During the period shown in the bar chart, the Fund’s: 
Best Quarter was up 14.00%, 2nd quarter, 2020; and Worst Quarter was down ‑25.66%, 1st quarter, 2020
Performance Table 
Average Annual Total Returns
(For the periods ended December 31, 2022)
 
           1 Year        5 Years        10 Years       
Class 1*   Return Before Taxes      -4.51%          4.16%          0.95%    
 
 
  Return After Taxes on Distributions**      -7.50%          2.58%          -0.20%    
 
 
    Return After Taxes on Distributions and Sale of Fund Shares**      -2.65%          2.79%          0.38%      
MSCI All Country World Commodity Producers Index
(reflects no deduction for fees, taxes or expenses)
     21.08%          6.30%          2.94%      
Bloomberg Commodity Index#
(reflects no deduction for fees, taxes or expenses)
     16.09%          6.44%          -1.28%      
Bloomberg 10+ year U.S. TIPS Index#
(reflects no deduction for fees, taxes or expenses)
     -31.94%          0.19%          0.40%      
 
*
After‑tax returns:
 
 
Are an estimate, which is based on the highest historical individual federal marginal income tax rates, and do not reflect the impact of state and local taxes; actual after‑tax returns depend on an individual investor’s tax situation and are likely to differ from those shown; and
 
 
Are not relevant to investors who hold fund shares through tax‑deferred arrangements such as 401(k) plans or individual retirement accounts.
 
**
After‑tax returns are based on information available to the Fund as of the date of this Prospectus.
 
# 
The information for the Bloomberg Commodity Index and Bloomberg 10+ Year U.S. TIPS Index is presented to show how the Fund’s performance compares with the returns of an index of securities similar to those in which the Fund invests.
 
15

INVESTMENT ADVISER
AllianceBernstein L.P. is the investment adviser for the Fund.
PORTFOLIO MANAGERS
The following table lists the persons responsible for day‑to‑day management of the Fund’s portfolio:
 
Employee    Length of Service    Title
Vinod Chathlani    Since 2015    Senior Vice President of the Adviser
Daniel J. Loewy    Since 2015    Senior Vice President of the Adviser
Leon Zhu    Since 2018    Senior Vice President of the Adviser
ADDITIONAL INFORMATION
For important information about the purchase and sale of Fund shares, tax information and financial intermediary compensation, please turn to ADDITIONAL INFORMATION ABOUT PURCHASE AND SALE OF FUND SHARES, TAXES AND FINANCIAL INTERMEDIARIES, page 17 in this Prospectus.
 
16

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION ABOUT PURCHASE AND SALE OF FUND SHARES, TAXES AND FINANCIAL INTERMEDIARIES
 
   
PURCHASE AND SALE OF FUND SHARES
Purchase Minimums
 
      Initial    Subsequent
Class 1 shares (only available to private clients of Sanford C. Bernstein & Co. LLC (“Bernstein”))    $5,000    None
Class 2 shares (only available to private clients of Bernstein who have a fixed-income account of at least $3,000,000)    None    None
You may sell (redeem) your shares any day the New York Stock Exchange (the “Exchange”) is open by contacting your Bernstein Advisor.
 
   
TAX INFORMATION
Each Fund may make capital gains distributions, which may be subject to federal income taxes and taxable as ordinary income or capital gains, and may also be subject to state and local taxes. Each Fund may pay income dividends. For AB Bond Inflation Strategy and AB All Market Real Return Portfolio, these dividends may be subject to federal income taxes and state and local taxes. For AB Municipal Bond Inflation Strategy, these dividends may be exempt from federal income tax, except to the extent the Fund invests in swap transactions, but may be subject to alternative minimum tax (“AMT”) and state and local income taxes.
 
   
PAYMENTS TO BROKER-DEALERS AND OTHER FINANCIAL INTERMEDIARIES
Shares of the Funds are offered through the Adviser’s private client channel and institutional channel and are generally not sold through intermediaries. If you purchase shares of a Fund through a broker-dealer or other financial intermediary (such as a bank), the Fund and its related companies may pay the intermediary for the sale of Fund shares and related services. These payments may create a conflict of interest by influencing the broker-dealer or other financial intermediary and your salesperson to recommend the Fund over another investment. Ask your salesperson or visit your financial intermediary’s website for more information.
 
17

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION ABOUT THE FUNDS’ STRATEGIES, RISKS AND INVESTMENTS
 
 
This section of the Prospectus provides additional information about the investment strategies, practices and related risks, including principal and non‑principal strategies and risks, of AB Bond Inflation Strategy (“Bond Inflation Strategy”), AB Municipal Bond Inflation Strategy (“Municipal Bond Inflation Strategy”) and AB All Market Real Return Portfolio (“All Market Real Return Portfolio” and together with Bond Inflation Strategy and Municipal Bond Inflation Strategy, the “Funds”). This Prospectus does not describe all of a Fund’s investment practices that are non‑principal strategies or all of the related risks of such strategies; additional information about each Fund’s risks and investments can be found in the Funds’ Statement of Additional Information (“SAI”).
ESG Integration
The following applies to the Bond Inflation Strategy and Municipal Bond Inflation Strategy. The Adviser integrates environmental, social and corporate governance (“ESG”) considerations into its research and investments analysis with the goal of maximizing return and considering risk within the Fund’s investment objective and strategies. Combining third-party ESG data with its own views and research, the Adviser analyzes the ESG practices of companies and issuers to identify potentially material ESG factors that can vary across companies and issuers. ESG considerations may include but are not limited to environmental impact, corporate governance and ethical business practices. ESG considerations may not be applicable to all types of instruments or investments.
Market Risk
The market value of a security may move up or down, sometimes rapidly and unpredictably. These fluctuations may cause a security to be worth less than the price originally paid for it, or less than it was worth at an earlier time. Market risk may affect a single issuer, industry, sector of the economy or the market as a whole. Global economies and financial markets are increasingly interconnected, which increases the probabilities that conditions in one country or region might adversely impact issuers in a different country or region. Conditions affecting the general economy, including interest rate levels and political, social, or economic instability at the local, regional, or global level may also affect the market value of a security. Health crises, such as pandemic and epidemic diseases, as well as other incidents that interrupt the expected course of events, such as natural disasters, including fires, earthquakes and flooding, war or civil disturbance, acts of terrorism, supply chain disruptions, power outages and other unforeseeable and external events, and the public response to or fear of such diseases or events, have had, and may in the future have, an adverse effect on a Fund’s investments and net asset value and can lead to increased market volatility. For example, the diseases or events themselves or any preventative or protective actions that governments may take in respect of such diseases or events may result in periods of business disruption, inability to obtain raw materials, supplies and component parts, and reduced or disrupted operations for a Fund’s portfolio companies. The occurrence and pendency of such diseases or events could adversely affect the economies and financial markets either in specific countries or worldwide. Rates of inflation have recently risen. The value of assets or income from an investment may be worth less in the future as inflation decreases the value of money. As inflation increases, the real value of the Funds’ assets may decline.
Derivatives
Each Fund may, but is not required to, use derivatives for hedging or other risk management purposes or as part of its investment strategies. Derivatives are financial contracts whose value depends on, or is derived from, the value of an underlying asset, reference rate or index. A Fund may use derivatives to earn income and enhance returns, to hedge or adjust the risk profile of its investments, to replace more traditional direct investments and to obtain exposure to otherwise inaccessible markets.
There are four principal types of derivatives—options, futures contracts, forwards and swaps—each of which is described below. Derivatives include listed and cleared transactions where a Fund’s derivative trade counterparty is an exchange or clearinghouse and non‑cleared bilateral “over‑the‑counter” transactions that are privately negotiated and where a Fund’s derivative trade counterparty is a financial institution. Exchange-traded or cleared derivatives transactions tend to be subject to less counterparty credit risk than those that are bilateral and privately negotiated.
A Fund’s use of derivatives may involve risks that are different from, or possibly greater than, the risks associated with investing directly in securities or other more traditional instruments. These risks include the risk that the value of a derivative instrument may not correlate perfectly, or at all, with the value of the assets, reference rates, or indices that they are designed to track. Other risks include: the possible absence of a liquid secondary market for a particular instrument and possible exchange-imposed price fluctuation limits, either of which may make it difficult or impossible to close out a position when desired; and the risk that the counterparty will not perform its obligations. Certain derivatives may have a leverage component and involve leverage risk. Adverse changes in the value or level of the underlying asset, note or index can result in a loss substantially greater than a Fund’s investment (in some cases, the potential loss is unlimited).
The Funds’ investments in derivatives may include, but are not limited to, the following:
 
 
Forward Contracts—A forward contract is an agreement that obligates one party to buy, and the other party to sell, a specific quantity of an underlying commodity or other tangible asset for an agreed-upon price at a future date. A forward contract generally is settled by physical delivery of the commodity or tangible asset to an agreed-upon location (rather than settled by cash), or is rolled forward into a new
 
18

 
forward contract or, in the case of a non‑deliverable forward, by a cash payment at maturity. The Funds’ investments in forward contracts may include the following:
 
 
Forward Currency Exchange Contracts. Bond Inflation Strategy and All Market Real Return Portfolio may purchase or sell forward currency exchange contracts for hedging purposes to minimize the risk from adverse changes in the relationship between the U.S. Dollar and other currencies or for non‑hedging purposes as a means of making direct investments in foreign currencies, as described below under “Other Derivatives and Strategies—Currency Transactions”. A Fund, for example, may enter into a forward contract as a transaction hedge (to “lock in” the U.S. Dollar price of a non‑U.S. Dollar security), as a position hedge (to protect the value of securities the Fund owns that are denominated in a foreign currency against substantial changes in the value of the foreign currency) or as a cross-hedge (to protect the value of securities the Fund owns that are denominated in a foreign currency against substantial changes in the value of that foreign currency by entering into a forward contract for a different foreign currency that is expected to change in the same direction as the currency in which the securities are denominated).
 
 
Futures Contracts and Options on Futures Contracts—A futures contract is a standardized, exchange-traded agreement that obligates the buyer to buy and the seller to sell a specified quantity of an underlying asset (or settle for cash the value of a contract based on an underlying asset, rate or index) at a specific price on the contract maturity date. Options on futures contracts are options that call for the delivery of futures contracts upon exercise. A Fund may purchase or sell futures contracts and options thereon to hedge against changes in interest rates, securities (through index futures or options) or currencies. A Fund may also purchase or sell futures contracts for foreign currencies or options thereon for non‑hedging purposes as a means of making direct investments in foreign currencies, as described below under “Other Derivatives and Strategies—Currency Transactions”.
 
 
Options—An option is an agreement that, for a premium payment or fee, gives the option holder (the buyer) the right but not the obligation to buy (a “call option”) or sell (a “put option”) the underlying asset (or settle for cash an amount based on an underlying asset, rate or index) at a specified price (the exercise price) during a period of time or on a specified date. Investments in options are considered speculative. In purchasing an option on an underlying asset, a Fund would be in a position to realize a gain if, during the option period, the price of the underlying asset increased (in the case of a call) or decreased (in the case of a put) by an amount in excess of the premium paid. A Fund may lose the premium paid for them if the price of the underlying security or other asset decreased or remained the same (in the case of a call option) or increased or remained the same (in the case of a put option). If a put or call option purchased by a Fund were permitted to expire without being sold or exercised, its premium would represent a loss to the Fund. The Funds’ investments in options include the following:
 
 
Options on Municipal and U.S. Government Securities. In an effort to increase current income and to reduce fluctuations in NAV, Bond Inflation Strategy and Municipal Bond Inflation Strategy may write covered and uncovered put and call options and purchase put and call options on municipal securities, U.S. Government securities and financial indices or reference rates. A Fund may also enter into options on the yield “spread” or yield differential between two securities. In contrast to other types of options, this option is based on the difference between the yields of designated securities, futures contracts or other instruments. In addition, a Fund may write covered straddles. A straddle is a combination of a call and a put written on the same underlying security.
A Fund that purchases or writes privately-negotiated options on securities will effect such transactions only with investment dealers and other financial institutions (such as commercial banks or savings and loan institutions) deemed creditworthy by the Adviser. The Adviser has adopted procedures for monitoring the creditworthiness of such counterparties.
 
 
Options on Securities. Similar to options on municipal and U.S. Government securities, a Fund may purchase or write a put or call option on other securities. A Fund may write covered options, which means writing an option for securities the Fund owns, and uncovered options.
 
 
Options on Securities Indices. An option on a securities index is similar to an option on municipal and U.S. Government securities except that, rather than taking or making delivery of a security at a specified price, an option on a securities index gives the holder the right to receive, upon exercise of the option, an amount of cash if the closing level of the chosen index is greater than (in the case of a call) or less than (in the case of a put) the exercise price of the option.
 
 
Options on Foreign Currencies. Bond Inflation Strategy and All Market Real Return Portfolio may invest in options on foreign currencies that are privately negotiated or traded on U.S. or foreign exchanges for hedging purposes to protect against declines in the U.S. Dollar value of foreign currency denominated securities held by the Funds and against increases in the U.S. Dollar cost of securities to be acquired. The purchase of an option on a foreign currency may constitute an effective hedge against fluctuations in exchange rates, although if rates move adversely, a Fund may forfeit the entire amount of the premium plus related transaction costs. A Fund may also invest in options on foreign currencies for non‑hedging purposes as a means of making direct investments in foreign currencies, as described below under “Other Derivatives and Strategies—Currency Transactions”.
 
19

 
Swap Transactions—A swap is an agreement that obligates two parties to exchange a series of cash flows at specified intervals (payment dates) based upon or calculated by reference to changes in specified prices or rates (e.g., interest rates in the case of interest rate swaps or currency exchange rates in the case of currency swaps) for a specified amount of an underlying asset (the “notional” principal amount). Generally, the notional principal amount is used solely to calculate the payment stream, but is not exchanged. Most swaps are entered into on a net basis (i.e., the two payment streams are netted out, with a Fund receiving or paying, as the case may be, only the net amount of the two payments). Certain standardized swaps, including certain interest rate swaps and credit default swaps, are subject to mandatory central clearing and are required to be executed through a regulated swap execution facility. Cleared swaps are transacted through futures commission merchants (“FCMs”) that are members of central clearinghouses with the clearinghouse serving as central counterparty, similar to transactions in futures contracts. Funds post initial and variation margin to support their obligations under cleared swaps by making payments to their clearing member FCMs. Central clearing is intended to reduce counterparty credit risks and increase liquidity, but central clearing does not make swap transactions risk free. The Securities and Exchange Commission (the “Commission”) may adopt similar clearing and execution requirements in respect of certain security-based swaps under its jurisdiction. Privately negotiated swap agreements are two‑party contracts entered into primarily by institutional investors and are not cleared through a third-party, nor are these required to be executed on a regulated swap execution facility. The Funds’ investments in swap transactions include the following:
 
 
Interest Rate Swaps, Swaptions, Caps and Floors. Interest rate swaps involve the exchange by a Fund with another party of payments calculated by reference to specified interest rates (e.g., an exchange of floating-rate payments for fixed-rate payments). Unless there is a counterparty default, the risk of loss to a Fund from interest rate swap transactions is limited to the net amount of interest payments that the Fund is contractually obligated to make. If the counterparty to an interest rate swap transaction defaults, a Fund’s risk of loss consists of the net amount of interest payments that the Fund contractually is entitled to receive.
An option on a swap, also called a “swaption”, is an option that gives the buyer the right, but not the obligation, to enter into a swap on a future date in exchange for paying a market-based “premium”. A receiver swaption gives the owner the right to receive the total return of a specified asset, reference rate, or index. A payer swaption gives the owner the right to pay the total return of a specified asset, reference rate, or index. Swaptions also include options that allow an existing swap to be terminated or extended by one of the counterparties.
The purchase of an interest rate cap entitles the purchaser, to the extent that a specified index exceeds a predetermined interest rate, to receive payments of interest on a contractually-based principal amount from the party selling the interest rate cap. The purchase of an interest rate floor entitles the purchaser, to the extent that a specified index falls below a predetermined interest rate, to receive payments of interest on an agreed-upon principal amount from the party selling the interest rate floor. It may be more difficult for a Fund to trade or close out interest rate caps and floors in comparison to other types of swaps.
There is no limit on the amount of interest rate transactions that may be entered into by a Fund. The value of these transactions will fluctuate based on changes in interest rates.
Interest rate swap, swaption, cap and floor transactions may be used in an effort to preserve a return or spread on a particular investment or a portion of a Fund’s portfolio or to protect against an increase in the price of securities a Fund anticipates purchasing at a later date.
 
 
Inflation (CPI) Swaps. Inflation swap agreements are contracts in which one party agrees to pay the cumulative percentage increase in a price index (the Consumer Price Index with respect to CPI swaps) over the term of the swap (with some lag on the inflation index), and the other pays a compounded fixed rate. Inflation swap agreements may be used to protect the NAV of a Fund against an unexpected change in the rate of inflation measured by an inflation index since the value of these agreements is expected to increase if inflation increases.
 
 
Credit Default Swaps. The “buyer” in a credit default swap contract is obligated to pay the “seller” a periodic stream of payments over the term of the contract in return for a contingent payment upon the occurrence of a credit event with respect to an underlying reference obligation. Generally, a credit event means bankruptcy, failure to pay, obligation acceleration or restructuring. A Fund may be either the buyer or seller in the transaction. If a Fund is a seller, the Fund receives a fixed rate of income throughout the term of the contract, which typically is between one month and ten years, provided that no credit event occurs. If a credit event occurs, a Fund, as seller, typically must pay the contingent payment to the buyer, which will be either (i) the “par value” (face amount) of the reference obligation, in which case the Fund will receive the reference obligation in return or (ii) an amount equal to the difference between the face amount and the current market value of the reference obligation. As a buyer, if a credit event occurs, the Fund would be the receiver of such contingent payments, either delivering the reference obligation in exchange for the full notional (face) value of a reference obligation that may have little or no value, or receiving a payment equal to the difference between the face amount and the current market value of the obligation. The current market value of the reference obligation is typically determined via an auction process sponsored by the International Swaps and Derivatives Association,
 
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Inc. The periodic payments previously received by the Fund, coupled with the value of any reference obligation received, may be less than the full amount it pays to the buyer, resulting in a loss to the Fund. If the reference obligation is a defaulting security, physical delivery of the security will cause the Fund to hold a defaulted security. If a Fund is a buyer and no credit event occurs, the Fund will lose its periodic stream of payments over the term of the contract. However, if a credit event occurs, the buyer typically receives full notional value for a reference obligation that may have little or no value.
Credit default swaps may involve greater risks than if a Fund had invested in the reference obligation directly. Credit default swaps are subject to general market risk and credit risk, and may be illiquid.
 
 
Currency Swaps. Bond Inflation Strategy and All Market Real Return Portfolio may invest in currency swaps for hedging purposes to protect against adverse changes in exchange rates between the U.S. Dollar and other currencies or for non‑hedging purposes as a means of making direct investments in foreign currencies, as described below under “Other Derivatives and Strategies—Currency Transactions”. Currency swaps involve the exchange by a Fund with another party of a series of payments in specified currencies. Currency swaps may be bilateral and privately negotiated with the Fund expecting to achieve an acceptable degree of correlation between its portfolio investments and its currency swaps position. Currency swaps may involve the exchange of actual principal amounts of currencies by the counterparties at the initiation, and again upon the termination, of the transaction.
 
 
Total Return Swaps. A Fund may enter into total return swaps, under which one party agrees to pay the other the total return of a defined underlying asset, such as a security or basket of securities, or non‑asset reference, such as a securities index, during the specified period in return for periodic payments based on a fixed or variable interest rate or the total return from different underlying assets or references. Total return swaps could result in losses if the underlying asset or reference does not perform as anticipated. Total return swaps may reflect a leveraged investment and incorporate borrowing costs which are borne by the Fund. There is no guarantee that the Fund’s investment via a total return swap will deliver returns in excess of the embedded borrowing costs and, accordingly, the Fund’s performance may be less than would be achieved by a direct investment in the underlying reference asset.
 
 
Other Derivatives and Strategies
 
 
Commodity-Linked Derivative Instruments. All Market Real Return Portfolio may invest in commodity-linked derivative instruments, including swaps, commodity options, futures contracts and options on futures contracts. The value of a commodity-linked derivative investment generally is based upon the price movements of a physical commodity (such as energy, mineral, or agricultural products), an intangible commodity (such as an emission allowance or carbon credit), a commodity futures contract, a subset of commodities, a subset of commodity futures contracts or commodity index, or another economic variable tied or linked to the value of commodities or the commodities markets.
As described below under “Investments in Wholly-Owned Subsidiary”, the Fund gains exposure to commodities markets by investing in AllianceBernstein Cayman Inflation Strategy, Ltd., a wholly-owned subsidiary of the Fund organized under the laws of the Cayman Islands (the “Subsidiary”). The Subsidiary enters into commodity-linked derivative instruments, including swaps, commodity options, futures contracts and options on futures contracts. The Subsidiary may also invest directly in commodities.
 
 
Currency Transactions. Bond Inflation Strategy and All Market Real Return Portfolio may invest in non‑U.S. Dollar-denominated securities on a currency hedged or un‑hedged basis. The Adviser may actively manage a Fund’s currency exposures and may seek investment opportunities by taking long or short positions in currencies through the use of currency-related derivatives, including forward currency exchange contracts, futures contracts and options on futures contracts, swaps and options. The Adviser may enter into transactions for investment opportunities when it anticipates that a foreign currency will appreciate or depreciate in value but securities denominated in that currency are not held by a Fund and do not present attractive investment opportunities. Such transactions may also be used when the Adviser believes that it may be more efficient than a direct investment in a foreign currency-denominated security. A Fund may also conduct currency exchange contracts on a spot basis (i.e., for cash at the spot rate prevailing in the currency exchange market for buying or selling currencies).
Event-Linked Securities
Event-linked securities are variable-rate or fixed-rate fixed-income securities or types of equity securities for which the return of principal and payment of interest are contingent on the severity or non‑occurrence of various specified catastrophic events, which may be specific trigger events or a diversified group of events, such as hurricanes, typhoons, wind events or earthquakes. The most common type of event-linked fixed-income bonds are known as “catastrophe” or “cat” bonds. If the trigger events do not occur, a Fund will recover its principal and interest. If a trigger event occurs, a Fund may lose a portion or its entire principal invested in the securities. These securities are generally illiquid and may be rated below investment-grade or the unrated equivalent and have the same or equivalent risks as higher yield debt securities (“junk bonds”).
Forward Commitments
Forward commitments for the purchase or sale of securities may include purchases on a when-issued basis or purchases or
 
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sales on a delayed delivery basis. In some cases, a forward commitment may be conditioned upon the occurrence of a subsequent event, such as approval and consummation of a merger, corporate reorganization or debt restructuring or approval of a proposed financing by appropriate authorities (i.e., a “when, as and if issued” trade).
Bond Inflation Strategy and Municipal Bond Inflation Strategy may invest in TBA—mortgage-backed securities. A TBA or “To Be Announced” trade represents a contract for the purchase or sale of mortgage-backed securities to be delivered at a future agreed-upon date; however, the specific mortgage pool numbers or the number of pools that will be delivered to fulfill the trade obligation or terms of the contract are unknown at the time of the trade. Mortgage pools (including fixed-rate or variable-rate mortgages) guaranteed by the Government National Mortgage Association, or GNMA, the Federal National Mortgage Association, or FNMA, or the Federal Home Loan Mortgage Corporation, or FHLMC, are subsequently allocated to the TBA transactions.
When forward commitments with respect to fixed-income securities are negotiated, the price, which is generally expressed in yield terms, is fixed at the time the commitment is made, but payment for and delivery of the securities take place at a later date. Securities purchased or sold under a forward commitment are subject to market fluctuation and no interest or dividends accrue to the purchaser prior to the settlement date. There is the risk of loss if the value of either a purchased security declines before the settlement date or the security sold increases before the settlement date. The use of forward commitments helps a Fund to protect against anticipated changes in interest rates and prices.
Illiquid Securities
Each Fund limits its investments in illiquid securities to 15% of its net assets. Under Rule 22e‑4 under the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended (the “1940 Act”), the term “illiquid securities” means any security or investment 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 investment.
A Fund that invests in illiquid securities may not be able to sell such securities and may not be able to realize their full value upon sale. Restricted securities (securities subject to legal or contractual restrictions on resale) may be illiquid. Some restricted securities (such as securities issued pursuant to Rule 144A under the Securities Act of 1933 (“Rule 144A Securities”) or certain commercial paper) may be more difficult to trade than other types of securities.
Inflation-Indexed Securities
Inflation-indexed securities are fixed-income securities whose value is periodically adjusted according to the rate of inflation. If the index measuring inflation falls, the principal value of these securities will be adjusted downward, and consequently the interest payable on these securities (calculated with respect to a smaller principal amount) will be reduced.
The value of inflation-indexed securities tends to react to changes in real interest rates. In general, the price of inflation-indexed securities can fall when real interest rates rise, and can rise when real interest rates fall. In addition, the value of these securities can fluctuate based on fluctuations in expectations of inflation. Interest payments on these securities can be unpredictable and will vary as the principal and/or interest is adjusted for inflation.
Treasury Inflation-Protected Securities (“TIPS”), which are issued by the U.S. Treasury, use the CPI as the inflation measure. The principal of a TIPS increases with inflation and decreases with deflation, as measured by the CPI. When a TIPS matures, the holder is paid the adjusted principal or original principal, whichever is greater. TIPS pay interest twice a year, at a fixed rate, which is determined by auction at the time the TIPS are issued. The rate is applied to the adjusted principal; so, like the principal, interest payments rise with inflation and fall with deflation. TIPS are issued in terms of 5, 10, and 30 years.
Insured Bonds
Municipal Bond Inflation Strategy may purchase municipal securities that are insured under policies issued by certain insurance companies. Historically, insured municipal securities typically received a higher credit rating, which meant that the issuer of the securities paid a lower interest rate. As a result of declines in the credit quality and associated downgrades of most fund insurers, insurance has less value than it did in the past. The market now values insured municipal securities primarily based on the credit quality of the issuer of the security with little value given to the insurance feature. In purchasing such insured securities, the Adviser currently evaluates the risk and return of municipal securities through its own research.
Investment in Below Investment-Grade Fixed-Income Securities
Below investment-grade fixed-income securities (commonly called “junk bonds”) are those rated Ba1 or lower by Moody’s Investors Service, Inc. (“Moody’s”), or BB+ or lower by S&P Global Ratings (“S&P”) or Fitch Ratings (“Fitch”), or the equivalent by any other nationally recognized statistical rating organization (“NRSRO”), as well as unrated securities considered by the Adviser to be of comparable quality. For a description of credit ratings, see Appendix A—Bond Ratings.
Investments in below investment-grade securities are subject to greater risk of loss of principal and interest than higher-rated securities. These securities are also generally considered to be subject to greater market risk than higher-rated securities. The capacity of issuers of these securities to pay interest and repay principal is more likely to weaken than is that of issuers of higher-rated securities in times of deteriorating economic conditions or rising interest rates. In addition, below investment-grade securities may be more susceptible to real or perceived adverse economic conditions than investment-grade securities.
The market for these securities may be thinner and less active than that for higher-rated securities, which can adversely affect the prices at which these securities can be sold. To the extent
 
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that there is no established secondary market for these securities, a Fund may experience difficulty in valuing such securities and, in turn, the Fund’s assets.
Investment in Exchange-Traded Funds and Other Investment Companies
A Fund may invest in shares of exchange-traded funds (“ETFs”), subject to the restrictions and limitations of the 1940 Act, or any applicable rules, exemptive orders or regulatory guidance thereunder. ETFs are pooled investment vehicles that seek to track the performance of a specific index or implement actively-managed investment strategies. Index ETFs will not track their underlying indices precisely since the ETFs have expenses and may need to hold a portion of their assets in cash, unlike the underlying indices, and the ETFs may not invest in all of the securities in the underlying indices in the same proportion as the indices for varying reasons. Unlike index ETFs, actively-managed ETFs generally seek to outperform a benchmark index, and they typically have higher expenses than index ETFs, which can lower investment returns. Both index ETFs and actively-managed ETFs may offer exposure to broad investment strategies and across various asset classes, including equity, fixed-income, commodities and currencies. A Fund will incur transaction costs when buying and selling ETF shares, and indirectly bear the expenses of the ETFs. In addition, the market value of an ETF’s shares, which is based on supply and demand in the market for the ETF’s shares, may differ from its NAV. Accordingly, there may be times when an ETF’s shares trade at a discount or premium to its NAV.
A Fund may also invest in investment companies other than ETFs, as permitted by the 1940 Act or the rules and regulations or exemptive orders thereunder. As with ETF investments, if the Fund acquires shares in other investment companies, shareholders would bear, indirectly, the expenses of such investment companies (which may include management and advisory fees), which to the extent waived or reimbursed, would be in addition to the Fund’s expenses. The Funds intend to invest uninvested cash balances in an affiliated money market fund as permitted by Rule 12d1‑1 under the 1940 Act. A Fund’s investment in other investment companies, including ETFs, subjects the Fund indirectly to the underlying risks of those investment companies.
Investments in Wholly-Owned Subsidiary
Investments in the Subsidiary are expected to provide All Market Real Return Portfolio with exposure to the commodities markets within the limitations of Subchapter M of the U.S. Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended (the “Code”) and Internal Revenue Service (“IRS”) revenue rulings. Federal tax requirements limit the extent to which the Fund may invest directly in commodity-linked swaps or certain other commodity-linked derivatives. The Subsidiary, on the other hand, may invest in these commodity-linked derivatives without limitations. See “Dividends, Distributions and Taxes” below for further information.
The Subsidiary enters into commodity-linked derivative instruments, including swaps, commodity options, futures contracts and options on futures contracts. Although All Market Real Return Portfolio may enter into these commodity-linked derivative instruments directly, the Fund will likely gain exposure to these derivative instruments indirectly by investing in the Subsidiary. To the extent that the Adviser believes that these commodity-linked derivative instruments are better suited to provide exposure to the commodities markets than commodity index-linked notes, the Fund’s investments in the Subsidiary will likely increase. The Subsidiary will also invest in the AB Government Money Market Portfolio, inflation-indexed securities and other fixed-income instruments, which are intended to serve as margin or collateral for the Subsidiary’s derivatives positions. To the extent that the Fund invests in the Subsidiary, it may be subject to the risks associated with those derivative instruments and other securities, which are discussed elsewhere in this Prospectus. While the Subsidiary is expected to obtain its commodities exposure through derivatives transactions, it may in the future hold physical commodities.
While the Subsidiary may be considered similar to an investment company, it is not registered under the 1940 Act and, unless otherwise noted in this Prospectus, is not subject to all of the investor protections of the 1940 Act. The Subsidiary has the same investment objective as the Fund and is subject to the same investment policies and restrictions as the Fund, including those related to leverage and liquidity, except that the Subsidiary may invest without limitation in commodities and commodity-linked instruments. The Subsidiary is also subject to the same valuation, brokerage, and compliance policies and procedures as the Fund. The Fund and the Subsidiary will, however, test compliance with certain restrictions on a consolidated basis. In addition, the Fund wholly owns and controls the Subsidiary and the Adviser acts as investment adviser to the Fund and the Subsidiary. The Subsidiary’s financial statements will be consolidated with the Fund’s financial statements that are included in the Fund’s annual and semi-annual reports to shareholders. Changes in the laws of the United States and/or the Cayman Islands could result in the inability of the Fund and/or the Subsidiary to operate as described in this Prospectus and the SAI and could adversely affect the Fund.
LIBOR Transition and Associated Risk
A Fund may be exposed to debt securities, derivatives or other financial instruments that utilize the London Interbank Offered Rate, or “LIBOR,” as a “benchmark” or “reference rate” for various interest rate calculations. In 2017, the United Kingdom Financial Conduct Authority (“FCA”), which regulates LIBOR, announced a desire to phase out the use of LIBOR by the end of 2021. As announced by the FCA and LIBOR’s administrator, ICE Benchmark Administration, most LIBOR settings (which reflect LIBOR rates quoted in different currencies over various time periods) have not been published since the end of 2021, but the most widely used U.S. Dollar LIBOR settings are expected to continue to be published until June 30, 2023. However, banks were strongly encouraged to cease entering into agreements with counterparties referencing LIBOR by the end of 2021. It is possible that a subset of LIBOR settings will be published after these dates on a “synthetic” basis, but any such publications would be considered non‑representative of the underlying market. Since
 
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2018 the Federal Reserve Bank of New York has published the Secured Overnight Financing Rate (referred to as SOFR), which is intended to replace U.S. Dollar LIBOR. SOFR is a broad measure of the cost of borrowing cash overnight collateralized by U.S. Treasury securities in the repurchase agreement (repo) market and has been used increasingly on a voluntary basis in new instruments and transactions. In addition, on March 15, 2022, the Adjustable Interest Rate Act was signed into law. This law provides a statutory fallback mechanism to replace LIBOR with a benchmark rate that is selected by the Federal Reserve Board and based on SOFR for certain contracts that reference LIBOR without adequate fallback provisions. On December 16, 2022, the Federal Reserve Board adopted regulations implementing the law by identifying benchmark rates based on SOFR that will replace LIBOR in different categories of financial contracts after June 30, 2023. The regulations include provisions that (i) provide a safe harbor for selection or use of a replacement benchmark rate selected by the Federal Reserve Board; (ii) clarify who may choose the replacement benchmark rate selected by the Federal Reserve Board; and (iii) ensure that contracts with a replacement benchmark rate selected by the Federal Reserve Board will not be interrupted or terminated following the replacement of LIBOR.
The elimination of LIBOR or changes to other reference rates or any other changes or reforms to the determination or supervision of reference rates could have an adverse impact on the market for, or value of, any securities or payments linked to those reference rates, which may adversely affect a Fund’s performance and/or net asset value. Uncertainty and risk also remain regarding the willingness and ability of issuers and lenders to include revised provisions in new and existing contracts or instruments. Consequently, the transition from LIBOR to other reference rates may lead to increased volatility and illiquidity in markets that are tied to LIBOR, fluctuations in values of LIBOR-related investments or investments in issuers that utilize LIBOR, increased difficulty in borrowing or refinancing and diminished effectiveness of hedging strategies, potentially adversely affecting a Fund’s performance. Furthermore, the risks associated with the expected discontinuation of LIBOR and transition may be exacerbated if the work necessary to effect an orderly transition to an alternative reference rate is not completed in a timely manner. Neither the effect of the LIBOR transition process nor its ultimate success can yet be known.
Loan Participations and Assignments
A Fund may invest in loans (which may be syndicated) to corporate, governmental or other borrowers, either by participating as co‑lender at the time the loan is originated or by buying an interest in the loan in the secondary market from a financial institution or institutional investor. The financial status of an institution interposed between a Fund and a borrower may affect the ability of the Fund to receive principal and interest payments.
The success of a Fund may depend on the skill with which an agent bank administers the terms of the corporate loan agreements, monitors borrower compliance with covenants, collects principal, interest and fee payments from borrowers and, where necessary, enforces creditor remedies against borrowers. Agent banks typically have broad discretion in enforcing loan agreements.
The lack of a liquid secondary market may have an adverse impact on the value of loan participations and assignments and a Fund’s ability to dispose of such investments when necessary to meet the Fund’s liquidity needs in response to a specific economic event such as a deterioration in the creditworthiness of the borrower. The lack of a liquid secondary market for loan assignments and participations also may make it more difficult for the Fund to assign a value to these investments for purposes of valuing the Fund’s portfolio and calculating its asset value.
Loans of Portfolio Securities
For the purpose of achieving income, a Fund may make secured loans of portfolio securities to brokers, dealers and financial institutions (“borrowers”) to the extent permitted under the 1940 Act or the rules and regulations thereunder (as such statute, rules or regulations may be amended from time to time) or by guidance regarding interpretations of or exemptive orders under the 1940 Act. Under a Fund’s securities lending program, all securities loans will be secured continuously by cash collateral and/or non‑cash collateral. Non‑cash collateral will include only securities issued or guaranteed by the U.S. Government or one of its agencies or instrumentalities. The loans will be made only to borrowers deemed by the Adviser to be creditworthy, and when, in the judgment of the Adviser, the consideration that can be earned at that time from securities loans justifies the attendant risk. If a loan is collateralized by cash, the Fund will be compensated for the loan from a portion of the net return from the interest earned on the collateral after a rebate paid to the borrower (in some cases this rebate may be a “negative rebate”, or fee paid by the borrower to the Fund in connection with the loan). If the Fund receives non‑cash collateral, the Fund will receive a fee from the borrower generally equal to a negotiated percentage of the market value of the loaned securities. For its services, the securities lending agent receives a fee from the Fund.
A Fund will have the right to call a loan and obtain the securities loaned at any time on notice to the borrower within the normal and customary settlement time for the securities. While the securities are on loan, the borrower is obligated to pay the Fund amounts equal to any income or other distributions from the securities. The Fund will not have the right to vote any securities during the existence of a loan, but will have the right to recall loaned securities in order to exercise voting or other ownership rights. When the Fund lends its securities, its investment performance will continue to reflect changes in the value of securities loaned.
A Fund will invest any cash collateral in shares of a money market fund approved by the Fund’s Board of Directors (the “Board”) and expected to be managed by the Adviser. Any such investment will be at the Fund’s risk. A Fund may pay reasonable finders’, administrative, and custodial fees in connection with a loan.
 
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Principal risks of lending portfolio securities include that the borrower will fail to return the loaned securities upon termination of the loan and that the value of the collateral will not be sufficient to replace the loaned securities.
Mortgage-Related, Other Asset-Backed Securities and Structured Securities
A Fund may invest in mortgage-related or other asset-backed securities. Mortgage-related securities include mortgage pass-through securities, collateralized mortgage obligations (“CMOs”), commercial mortgage-backed securities, mortgage dollar rolls, CMO residuals, stripped mortgage-backed securities (“SMBS”) and other securities that directly or indirectly represent a participation in or are secured by and payable from mortgage loans on real property. These securities may be issued or guaranteed by the U.S. Government or one of its sponsored entities or may be issued by private organizations.
The value of mortgage-related or other asset-backed securities may be particularly sensitive to changes in prevailing interest rates. Early payments of principal on some mortgage-related securities may occur during periods of falling mortgage interest rates and expose a Fund to a lower rate of return upon reinvestment of principal. Early payments associated with mortgage-related securities cause these securities to experience significantly greater price and yield volatility than is experienced by traditional fixed-income securities. During periods of rising interest rates, a reduction in prepayments may increase the effective life of mortgage-related securities, subjecting them to greater risk of decline in market value in response to rising interest rates. If the life of a mortgage-related security is inaccurately predicted, a Fund may not be able to realize the rate of return it expected.
One type of SMBS has one class receiving all of the interest from the mortgage assets (the interest-only, or “IO” class), while the other class will receive all of the principal (the principal-only, or “PO” class). The yield to maturity on an IO class is extremely sensitive to the rate of principal payments (including prepayments) on the underlying mortgage assets, and a rapid rate of principal payments may have a material adverse effect on a Fund’s yield to maturity from these securities.
Another type of mortgage-related security, known as a Government Sponsored Enterprise (“GSE”) Risk-Sharing Bond or Credit Risk Transfer Security (“CRT”), is issued by GSEs (and sometimes banks or mortgage insurers) and structured without any government or GSE guarantee in respect of borrower defaults or underlying collateral. The risks associated with an investment in CRTs differ from the risks associated with an investment in mortgage-backed securities issued by GSEs because, in CRTs, some or all of the credit risk associated with the underlying mortgage loans is transferred to the end‑investor.
A Fund may invest in collateralized debt obligations (“CDOs”), which include collateralized bond obligations (“CBOs”), collateralized loan obligations (“CLOs”), and other similarly structured securities. CBOs and CLOs are types of asset-backed securities. A CBO is a trust that is backed by a diversified pool of high-risk, below investment-grade fixed-income securities. A CLO is a trust typically collateralized by a pool of loans, which may include, among others, domestic and foreign senior secured loans, senior unsecured loans, and subordinate corporate loans, including loans that may be rated below investment-grade or equivalent unrated loans.
A Fund may invest in other asset-backed securities. The securitization techniques used to develop mortgage-related securities are applied to a broad range of financial assets. Through the use of trusts and special purpose corporations, various types of assets, including automobile loans and leases, credit card receivables, home equity loans, equipment leases and trade receivables, are securitized in structures similar to the structures used in mortgage securitizations.
A Fund may invest in various types of structured securities and basket securities. Structured securities are securities issued in structured financing transactions, which generally involve aggregating types of debt assets in a pool or special purpose entity and then issuing new securities. Types of structured financings include securities described elsewhere in this Prospectus, such as mortgage-related and other asset-backed securities. A Fund’s investments include investments in structured securities that represent interests in entities organized and operated solely for the purpose of restructuring the investment characteristics of particular debt obligations. This type of restructuring involves the deposit with or purchase by an entity, such as a corporation or trust, of specified instruments (such as commercial bank loans or high-yield bonds) and the issuance by that entity of one or more classes of structured securities backed by, or representing interests in, the underlying instruments. The cash flow on the underlying instruments may be apportioned among the newly issued structured securities to create securities with different investment characteristics, such as varying maturities, payment priorities and interest rate provisions, and the extent of the payments made with respect to structured securities is dependent on the extent of the cash flow from the underlying instruments. Structured securities of a given class may be either subordinated or unsubordinated to the payment of another class. Subordinated structured securities typically have higher yields and present greater risks than unsubordinated structured securities.
Basket securities in which a Fund may invest may consist of entities organized and operated for the purpose of holding a basket of other securities. Baskets involving debt obligations may be designed to represent the characteristics of some portion of the debt securities market or the entire debt market.
Municipal Securities
Municipal Bond Inflation Strategy invests in municipal securities. The two principal classifications of municipal securities are bonds and notes. Municipal bonds are intended to meet longer-term capital needs while municipal notes are intended to fulfill short-term capital needs. Municipal notes generally have original maturities not exceeding one year. Municipal notes include tax anticipation notes, revenue anticipation notes, bond anticipation notes, variable-rate demand obligations, and tax‑exempt commercial paper.
 
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Municipal securities are typically classified as “general obligation” or “revenue” or “special obligation” bonds. General obligation bonds are secured by the issuer’s pledge of its full faith, credit, and taxing power for the payment of principal and interest. Revenue or special obligation bonds are payable only from the revenues derived from a particular facility or class of facilities or, in some cases, from the proceeds of a special excise or other tax, but not from general tax revenues. Municipal Bond Inflation Strategy may invest more than 25% of its net assets in revenue bonds, which generally do not have the pledge of the credit of the issuer. The payment of the principal and interest on revenue bonds is dependent solely on the ability of the user of the facilities financed by the bonds to meet its financial obligations and the pledge, if any, of real and personal property financed as security for such payment. The Fund may invest more than 25% of its total assets in securities or obligations that are related in such a way that business or political developments or changes affecting one such security could also affect the others (for example, securities with interest that is paid from projects of a similar type).
The Fund may invest in municipal lease obligations. A municipal lease obligation is not backed by the full faith and credit of the issuing municipality, but is usually backed by the municipality’s pledge to make annual appropriations for lease payments. Thus, it is possible that a municipality will not appropriate money for lease payments. Additionally, some municipal lease obligations may allow for lease cancellation prior to the maturity date of the security. Municipal lease obligations may be less readily marketable than other municipal securities and some may be illiquid.
Current federal tax law distinguishes between municipal securities issued to finance certain private activities (“private activity bonds”) and other municipal securities. Private activity bonds, most of which are AMT‑subject bonds and are also revenue bonds, include bonds issued to finance such projects as airports, housing projects, resource recovery programs, solid waste disposal facilities, and student loan programs.
There have been some municipal issuers that have defaulted on obligations, been downgraded or commenced insolvency proceedings. For example, the COVID‑19 pandemic has significantly stressed the financial resources of many issuers of municipal securities, which could impair any such issuer’s ability to meet its financial obligations when due and adversely impact the value of its securities held by a Fund. As the full effects of the COVID‑19 pandemic on state and local economies and on issuers of municipal securities are still uncertain, the financial difficulties of issuers of municipal securities may worsen, adversely affecting the performance of a Fund.
Preferred Stock
A Fund may invest in preferred stock. Preferred stock is a class of capital stock that typically pays dividends at a specified rate. Preferred stock is generally senior to common stock but is subordinated to any debt the issuer has outstanding. Accordingly, preferred stock dividends are not paid until all debt obligations are first met. Preferred stock may be subject to more fluctuations in market value, due to changes in market participants’ perceptions of the issuer’s ability to continue to pay dividends, than debt of the same issuer. These investments include convertible preferred stock, which includes an option for the holder to convert the preferred stock into the issuer’s common stock under certain conditions, among which may be the specification of a future date when the conversion must begin, a certain number of shares of common stock per share of preferred stock, or a certain price per share for the common stock. Convertible preferred stock tends to be more volatile than non‑convertible preferred stock, because its value is related to the price of the issuer’s common stock as well as the dividends payable on the preferred stock.
Real Estate Investment Trusts (“REITs”)
All Market Real Return Portfolio invests in REITs from time to time. REITs are pooled investment vehicles that invest primarily in income-producing real estate or real estate-related loans or interests. REITs are generally classified as equity REITs, mortgage REITs or a combination of equity and mortgage REITs. Equity REITs invest the majority of their assets directly in real property and derive income primarily from the collection of rents. Equity REITs can also realize capital gains by selling properties that have appreciated in value. Mortgage REITs invest the majority of their assets in real estate mortgages and derive income from the collection of interest and principal payments. Similar to investment companies such as the Funds, REITs are not taxed on income distributed to shareholders, provided they comply with several requirements of the Code. The Fund will indirectly bear its proportionate share of expenses incurred by REITs in which the Fund invests in addition to the expenses incurred directly by the Fund.
Repurchase Agreements and Buy/Sell Back Transactions
A Fund may enter into repurchase agreements. In a repurchase agreement transaction, the Fund buys a security and simultaneously agrees to sell it back to the counterparty at a specified price in the future. However, a repurchase agreement is economically similar to a secured loan, in that the Fund lends cash to a counterparty for a specific term, normally a day or a few days, and is given acceptable collateral (the purchased securities) to hold in case the counterparty does not repay the loan. The difference between the purchase price and the repurchase price of the securities reflects an agreed-upon “interest rate”. Given that the price at which a Fund will sell the collateral back is specified in advance, a Fund is not exposed to price movements on the collateral unless the counterparty defaults. If the counterparty defaults on its obligation to buy back the securities at the maturity date and the liquidation value of the collateral is less than the outstanding loan amount, a Fund would suffer a loss. In order to further mitigate any potential credit exposure to the counterparty, if the value of the securities falls below a specified level that is linked to the loan amount during the life of the agreement, the counterparty must provide additional collateral to support the loan.
A Fund may enter into buy/sell back transactions, which are similar to repurchase agreements. In this type of transaction, a Fund enters a trade to buy securities at one price and simultaneously enters a trade to sell the same securities at another
 
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price on a specified date. Similar to a repurchase agreement, the repurchase price is higher than the sale price and reflects current interest rates. Unlike a repurchase agreement, however, the buy/sell back transaction is considered two separate transactions.
Reverse Repurchase Agreements and Dollar Rolls
Bond Inflation Strategy and All Market Real Return Portfolio may enter into reverse repurchase agreements and dollar rolls, subject to the Funds’ limitations on borrowings. A reverse repurchase agreement or dollar roll involves the sale of a security by a Fund and its agreement to repurchase the instrument at a specified time and price, and may be considered a form of borrowing for some purposes. Reverse repurchase agreements, dollar rolls and other forms of borrowings may create leveraging risk for a Fund. In addition, reverse repurchase agreements and dollar rolls involve the risk that the market value of the securities a Fund is obligated to repurchase may decline below the purchase price.
Dollar rolls involve sales by a Fund of securities for delivery in the current month and the Fund’s simultaneously contracting to repurchase substantially similar (same type and coupon) securities on a specified future date. During the roll period, a Fund forgoes principal and interest paid on the securities. A Fund is compensated by the difference between the current sales price and the lower forward price for the future purchase (often referred to as the “drop”) as well as by the interest earned on the cash proceeds of the initial sale.
Reverse repurchase agreements and dollar rolls involve the risk that the market value of the securities a Fund is obligated to repurchase under the agreement may decline below the repurchase price. In the event the buyer of securities under a reverse repurchase agreement or dollar roll files for bankruptcy or becomes insolvent, a Fund’s use of the proceeds of the agreement may be restricted pending a determination by the other party, or its trustee or receiver, whether to enforce the Fund’s obligation to repurchase the securities.
Rights and Warrants
Rights and warrants are option securities permitting their holders to subscribe for other securities. Rights are similar to warrants except that they have a substantially shorter duration. Rights and warrants do not carry with them dividend or voting rights with respect to the underlying securities, or any rights in the assets of the issuer. As a result, an investment in rights and warrants may be considered more speculative than certain other types of investments. In addition, the value of a right or a warrant does not necessarily change with the value of the underlying securities, and a right or a warrant ceases to have value if it is not exercised prior to its expiration date.
Short Sales
A Fund may make short sales as a part of overall portfolio management or to offset a potential decline in the value of a security. A short sale involves the sale of a security that a Fund does not own, or if the Fund owns the security, is not to be delivered upon consummation of the sale. When a Fund makes a short sale of a security that it does not own, it must borrow from a broker-dealer the security sold short and deliver the security to the broker-dealer upon conclusion of the short sale.
If the price of the security sold short increases between the time of the short sale and the time a Fund replaces the borrowed security, the Fund will incur a loss; conversely, if the price declines, the Fund will realize a short-term capital gain. Although a Fund’s gain is limited to the price at which it sold the security short, its potential loss is theoretically unlimited because there is a theoretically unlimited potential for the price of a security sold short to increase.
Standby Commitment Agreements
Standby commitment agreements are similar to put options that commit a Fund, for a stated period of time, to purchase a stated amount of a security that may be issued and sold to the Fund at the option of the issuer. The price and coupon of the security are fixed at the time of the commitment. At the time of entering into the agreement, a Fund is paid a commitment fee, regardless of whether the security ultimately is issued. A Fund will enter into such agreements only for the purpose of investing in the security underlying the commitment at a yield and price considered advantageous to the Fund and unavailable on a firm commitment basis. There is no guarantee that a security subject to a standby commitment will be issued. In addition, the value of the security, if issued, on the delivery date may be more or less than its purchase price. Since the issuance of the security is at the option of the issuer, a Fund will bear the risk of capital loss in the event the value of the security declines and may not benefit from an appreciation in the value of the security during the commitment period if the issuer decides not to issue and sell the security to the Fund.
Sovereign Debt Obligations
No established secondary markets may exist for many sovereign debt obligations. Reduced secondary market liquidity may have an adverse effect on the market price and a Fund’s ability to dispose of particular instruments when necessary to meet its liquidity requirements or in response to specific economic events such as a deterioration in the creditworthiness of the issuer. Reduced secondary market liquidity for certain sovereign debt obligations may also make it more difficult for a Fund to obtain accurate market quotations for the purpose of valuing its portfolio. Market quotations are generally available on many sovereign debt obligations only from a limited number of dealers and may not represent firm bids of those dealers or prices for actual sales.
By investing in sovereign debt obligations, a Fund will be exposed to the direct or indirect consequences of political, social, and economic changes in various countries. Political changes in a country may affect the willingness of a foreign government to make or provide for timely payments of its obligations. The country’s economic status, as reflected in, among other things, its inflation rate, the amount of its external debt and its gross domestic product, will also affect the government’s ability to honor its obligations. In addition, countries that issue debt obligations denominated in a foreign currency and countries that do not have their own currency (e.g., Eurozone countries) may have a higher risk of default than other countries.
 
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The Funds are permitted to invest in sovereign debt obligations of issuers that are not current in the payment of interest or principal or are in default so long as the Adviser believes it to be consistent with the Funds’ investment objectives. The Funds may have limited legal recourse in the event of a default with respect to certain sovereign debt obligations they hold. For example, remedies from defaults on certain sovereign debt obligations, unlike those on private debt, must, in some cases, be pursued in the courts of the defaulting party itself. Legal recourse therefore may be significantly diminished. Bankruptcy, moratorium, and other similar laws applicable to issuers of sovereign debt obligations may be substantially different from those applicable to issuers of private debt obligations. The political context, expressed as the willingness of an issuer of sovereign debt obligations to meet the terms of the debt obligation, for example, is of considerable importance. In addition, no assurance can be given that the holders of commercial bank debt will not contest payments to the holders of securities issued by foreign governments in the event of default under commercial bank loan agreements.
Structured Products
A Fund may invest in certain hybrid derivatives-type investments that combine features of a traditional stock or bond with those of, for example, a futures contract or an option. These investments include structured notes and indexed securities, commodity-linked notes and commodity index-linked notes and credit-linked securities. The performance of the structured product, which is generally a fixed-income security, is tied (positively or negatively) to the price or prices of an unrelated reference indicator such as a security or basket of securities, currencies, commodities, a securities or commodities index or a credit default swap or other kinds of swaps. The structured product may not pay interest or protect the principal invested. The structured product or its interest rate may be a multiple of the reference indicator and, as a result, may be leveraged and move (up or down) more rapidly than the reference indicator. Investments in structured products may provide a more efficient and less expensive means of investing in underlying securities, commodities or other derivatives, but may potentially be more volatile and carry greater trading and market risk than investments in traditional securities. The purchase of a structured product also exposes a Fund to the credit risk of the issuer of the structured product.
Structured notes are derivative debt instruments. The interest rate or principal of these notes is determined by reference to an unrelated indicator (for example, a currency, security, or index thereof) unlike a typical note where the borrower agrees to make fixed or floating interest payments and to pay a fixed sum at maturity. Indexed securities may include structured notes as well as securities other than debt securities, the interest or principal of which is determined by an unrelated indicator.
Commodity-linked notes and commodity index-linked notes provide exposure to the commodities markets. These are derivative securities with one or more commodity-linked components that have payment features similar to commodity futures contracts, commodity options, commodity indices or similar instruments. Commodity-linked products may be either equity or debt securities, leveraged or unleveraged, and have both security and commodity-like characteristics. A portion of the value of these instruments may be derived from the value of a commodity, futures contract, index or other economic variable.
A Fund may also invest in certain hybrid derivatives-type investments that combine features of a traditional bond with those of certain derivatives such as a credit default swap, an interest rate swap or other securities. These investments include credit-linked securities. The issuers of these securities frequently are limited purpose trusts or other special purpose vehicles that invest in a derivative instrument or basket of derivative instruments in order to provide exposure to certain fixed-income markets. For instance, a Fund may invest in credit-linked securities as a cash management tool to gain exposure to a certain market or to remain fully invested when more traditional income-producing securities are not available. The performance of the structured product, which is generally a fixed-income security, is linked to the receipt of payments from the counterparties to the derivatives instruments or other securities. A Fund’s investments in credit-linked securities are indirectly subject to the risks associated with derivative instruments, including, among others, credit risk, default risk, counterparty risk, interest rate risk and leverage risk. These securities are generally structured as Rule 144A Securities so that they may be freely traded among institutional buyers. However, changes in the market for credit-linked securities or the availability of willing buyers may result in reduced liquidity for the securities.
Tender Option Bond (“TOB”) Transactions
Municipal Bond Inflation Strategy may enter into and has, from time to time, entered into TOB transactions in which the Fund transfers one or more municipal securities into a special purpose entity (the “Trust”). The Fund receives cash and a residual interest security (sometimes referred to as “inverse floaters”) issued by the Trust in return. The Trust simultaneously issues securities, which pay an interest rate that is reset each week based on an index of high-grade short-term demand notes. These securities, sometimes referred to as “floaters”, are bought by third parties, including tax‑exempt money market funds, and can be tendered by these holders to a liquidity provider at par, unless certain events occur. The floaters typically have first priority on the cash flow from the underlying municipal securities held by the Trust, and the remaining cash flow, less certain expenses, is paid to holders of the inverse floaters. The interest rate payable on the inverse floaters bears an inverse relationship to the interest rate on the floaters. Under certain circumstances, the Trust may be terminated or collapsed, either by the Fund or upon the occurrence of certain events, such as a downgrade in the credit quality of the underlying municipal securities or in the event holders of the floaters tender their securities to the liquidity provider. The Fund continues to earn all the interest from the transferred municipal securities less the amount of interest paid on the floaters and the expenses of the Trust, which may include payments to the
 
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trustee and the liquidity provider and organizational costs. The Fund receives cash proceeds from the Trust’s sale of the floaters as consideration for the transferred municipal securities and uses the cash proceeds for investment purposes (e.g., the purchase of longer-term municipal securities), which involves leverage risk.
To the extent that a Fund, rather than a third-party bank or financial institution, serves as the sponsor of a TOB trust, the Fund’s duties and responsibilities under such an arrangement may give rise to certain risks including compliance, securities law and operational risks.
For a discussion of the risks of TOBs, see “Borrowings and Leverage” below.
Unrated Securities
A Fund may invest in unrated securities when the Adviser believes that the financial condition of the issuers of such securities, or the protection afforded by the terms of the securities themselves, limits the risk to the Fund to a degree comparable to that of rated securities that are consistent with the Fund’s objective and policies.
Variable, Floating and Inverse Floating-Rate Instruments
Variable and floating-rate securities pay interest at rates that are adjusted periodically, according to a specified formula. A “variable” interest rate adjusts at predetermined intervals (e.g., daily, weekly or monthly), while a “floating” interest rate adjusts whenever a specified benchmark rate (such as the bank prime lending rate) changes.
Bond Inflation Strategy and Municipal Bond Inflation Strategy may also invest in inverse floating-rate debt instruments (“inverse floaters”). The interest rate on an inverse floater resets in the opposite direction from the market rate of interest to which the inverse floater is indexed. An inverse floater may have greater volatility in market value, in that, during periods of rising interest rates, the market values of inverse floaters will tend to decrease more rapidly than those of fixed-rate securities.
Zero-Coupon and Principal-Only Securities
Zero-coupon securities and principal-only (PO) securities are debt securities that have been issued without interest coupons or stripped of their unmatured interest coupons, and include receipts or certificates representing interests in such stripped debt obligations and coupons. Such a security pays no interest to its holder during its life. Its value to an investor consists of the difference between its face value at the time of maturity and the price for which it was acquired, which is generally an amount significantly less than its face value. Such securities usually trade at a deep discount from their face or par value and are subject to greater fluctuations in market value in response to changing interest rates than debt obligations of comparable maturities and credit quality that make current distributions of interest. On the other hand, because there are no periodic interest payments to be reinvested prior to maturity, these securities eliminate reinvestment risk and “lock in” a rate of return to maturity.
ADDITIONAL RISKS AND OTHER CONSIDERATIONS
Investments in the Funds involve the risk considerations described below. Certain of these risks may be heightened when investing in emerging markets.
Borrowings and Leverage
A Fund may use borrowings for investment purposes, subject to its investment policies and procedures and to the applicable statutory or regulatory requirements, by entering into transactions such as reverse repurchase agreements, derivatives transactions or, for Municipal Bond Inflation Strategy, TOBs. Borrowings by a Fund result in leveraging of the Fund’s shares.
Utilization of leverage, which is usually considered speculative, involves certain risks to a Fund’s shareholders. These include a higher volatility of the NAV of the Fund’s shares of common stock and the relatively greater effect of changes in the value of the Fund’s portfolio on the NAV of the shares caused by favorable or adverse changes in market conditions or interest rates. In the case of borrowings for investment purposes, so long as the Fund is able to realize a net return on the leveraged portion of its investment portfolio that is higher than the interest expense paid on borrowings, the effect of leverage will be to cause the Fund’s shareholders to realize a higher net return than if the Fund were not leveraged. If the interest expense on borrowings or other costs of leverage approach the net return on the Fund’s investment portfolio or investments made through leverage, as applicable, the benefit of leverage to the Fund’s shareholders will be reduced. If the interest expense on borrowings or other costs of leverage were to exceed the net return to the Fund, a Fund’s use of leverage could result in a lower rate of net return than if the Fund were not leveraged. Similarly, the effect of leverage in a declining market could normally be a greater decrease in NAV than if the Fund were not leveraged.
During periods of rising short-term interest rates, the interest paid on floaters in TOBs would increase, which may adversely affect Municipal Bond Inflation Strategys net return. If rising short-term rates coincide with a period of rising long-term rates, the value of securities with longer-term maturities purchased with the proceeds of leverage provided by TOBs would decline, adversely affecting the Fund’s NAV. In certain circumstances, adverse changes in interest rates or other events could cause a TOB trust to terminate or collapse, potentially requiring the Fund to liquidate the longer-term securities at unfavorable prices to meet the Trust’s outstanding obligations.
In the case of All Market Real Return Portfolio, the Subsidiary may also use leverage for investment transactions with similar risks. The Fund will be exposed to these risks through its investments in the Subsidiary.
The Commission has adopted Rule 18f‑4 under the 1940 Act, which imposes limits on the amount of derivatives and certain other forms of leverage into which a fund can enter. Rule 18f‑4, among other things, permits a fund to treat TOBs (and other similar financing transactions) either as borrowings (subject to asset coverage requirements under the 1940 Act) or
 
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as “derivatives transactions” subject to certain risk-based limits of Rule 18f‑4.
Foreign (Non‑U.S.) Securities
Investing in securities of non‑U.S. issuers involves special risks and considerations not typically associated with investing in U.S. securities. The securities markets of many foreign countries are relatively small, with the majority of market capitalization and trading volume concentrated in a limited number of companies representing a small number of industries. Investments in securities of non‑U.S. issuers may experience greater price volatility and significantly lower liquidity than a portfolio invested solely in securities of U.S. companies. These markets may be subject to greater influence by adverse events generally affecting the market, and by large investors trading significant blocks of securities, than is usual in the United States. Sanctions imposed by the U.S. or a foreign country may restrict a Fund’s ability to purchase or sell foreign securities or may require a Fund to divest its holdings in foreign securities, which could adversely affect the value or liquidity of such holdings. The imposition of sanctions could also adversely affect global sectors and economies and thereby negatively affect the value of a Fund’s investments beyond any direct exposure to the countries or regions subject to the sanctions. In addition, the securities markets of some foreign countries may be closed on certain days (e.g., local holidays) when the Funds are open for business. On such days, a Fund may be unable to add to or exit its positions in foreign securities traded in such markets even though it may otherwise be attractive to do so.
Securities registration, custody, and settlement may in some instances be subject to delays and legal and administrative uncertainties. Foreign investment in the securities markets of certain foreign countries is restricted or controlled to varying degrees. These restrictions or controls may at times limit or preclude investment in certain securities and may increase the cost and expenses of Bond Inflation Strategy and All Market Real Return Portfolio. In addition, the repatriation of investment income, capital or the proceeds of sales of securities from certain of the countries is controlled under regulations, including in some cases the need for certain advance government notification or authority, and if a deterioration occurs in a country’s balance of payments, the country could impose temporary restrictions on foreign capital remittances. Income from certain investments held by a Fund could be reduced by foreign income taxes, including withholding taxes.
A Fund also could be adversely affected by delays in, or a refusal to grant, any required governmental approval for repatriation, as well as by the application to it of other restrictions on investment. Investing in local markets may require a Fund to adopt special procedures or seek local governmental approvals or other actions, any of which may involve additional costs to the Fund. These factors may affect the liquidity of a Fund’s investments in any country and the Adviser will monitor the effect of any such factor or factors on the Fund’s investments. Transaction costs, including brokerage commissions for transactions both on and off the securities exchanges, in many foreign countries are generally higher than in the United States.
Issuers of securities in foreign jurisdictions are generally not subject to the same degree of regulation as are U.S. issuers with respect to such matters as insider trading rules, restrictions on market manipulation, shareholder proxy requirements, and timely disclosure of information. The reporting, accounting, and auditing standards of foreign countries may differ, in some cases significantly, from U.S. standards in important respects, and less information may be available to investors in securities of non‑U.S. issuers than to investors in U.S. securities. Substantially less information is publicly available about certain non‑U.S. issuers than is available about most U.S. issuers.
The economies of individual foreign countries may differ favorably or unfavorably from the U.S. economy in such respects as growth of gross domestic product or gross national product, rate of inflation, capital reinvestment, resource self-sufficiency, and balance of payments position. Nationalization, expropriation or confiscatory taxation, currency blockage, political changes, government regulation, political or social instability, public health crises (including the occurrence of a contagious disease or illness), revolutions, wars or diplomatic developments could affect adversely the economy of a foreign country. In the event of nationalization, expropriation, or other confiscation, a Fund could lose its entire investment in securities in the country involved. In addition, laws in foreign countries governing business organizations, bankruptcy and insolvency may provide less protection to security holders such as the Funds than that provided by U.S. laws.
The United Kingdom (the “U.K.”) formally withdrew from the European Union (the “EU”) on January 31, 2020. The U.K. and the EU negotiated an agreement governing their future trading and security relationships. This agreement became effective on a provisional basis on January 1, 2021 and entered into full force on May 1, 2021. The U.K. and the EU also negotiated a Memorandum of Understanding (“MoU”), which creates a framework for voluntary regulatory cooperation in financial services between the U.K. and the EU. The impact on the U.K. and European economies and the broader global economy of the uncertainties associated with implementing the agreement and MoU are significant and could have an adverse effect on the value of a Fund’s investments and its net asset value. These uncertainties include an increase in the regulatory and customs requirements imposed on cross-border trade between the U.K. and the EU, the negotiation and implementation of additional arrangements between the U.K. and the EU affecting important parts of the economy (such as financial services), volatility and illiquidity in markets, currency fluctuations, the renegotiation of other existing trading and cross-border cooperation arrangements (whether economic, tax, fiscal, legal, regulatory or otherwise) of the U.K. and the EU, and potentially lower growth for companies in the U.K., Europe and globally.
In addition, Russia launched a large-scale invasion of Ukraine on February 24, 2022. The extent and duration of the military action, as well as sanctions imposed following the invasion, have resulted in, and may continue to result in, significant market disruptions in the region and beyond. Future market
 
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disruptions are impossible to predict, but they could continue to be significant and adversely affect economies in the region and beyond, and to have a significant effect on the value of certain securities, as well as the markets for certain commodities, such as oil and natural gas, as well as other sectors.
Investments in securities of companies in emerging markets involve special risks. There are approximately 100 countries identified by the World Bank (International Bank for Reconstruction and Development) as Low Income, Lower Middle Income and Upper Middle Income countries that are generally regarded as emerging markets. Emerging market countries that the Adviser currently considers for investment include:
 
Argentina
Bangladesh
Belize
Brazil
Bulgaria
Chile
China
Colombia
Croatia
Czech Republic
Dominican Republic
Ecuador
Egypt
El Salvador
Gabon
Georgia
Ghana
Greece
  
Hungary
India
Indonesia
Iraq
Ivory Coast
Jamaica
Jordan
Kazakhstan
Kenya
Lebanon
Lithuania
Malaysia
Mexico
Mongolia
Nigeria
Pakistan
Panama
Peru
  
Philippines
Poland
Qatar
Saudi Arabia
Senegal
Serbia
South Africa
South Korea
Sri Lanka
Taiwan
Thailand
Turkey
Ukraine
United Arab Emirates
Uruguay
Venezuela
Vietnam
Countries may be added to or removed from this list at any time.
Investing in emerging market securities involves risks different from, and greater than, risks of investing in domestic securities or in the securities of issuers domiciled in developed, foreign countries. These risks include: smaller market capitalization of securities markets, which may suffer periods of relative illiquidity; significant price volatility; restrictions on foreign investment; and the imposition of capital controls, which may restrict a Fund’s ability to repatriate investment income and capital. In addition, foreign investors may be required to register the proceeds of sales and future economic or political crises could lead to price controls, forced mergers, expropriation or confiscatory taxation, seizure, nationalization or creation of government monopolies. The currencies of emerging market countries may experience significant declines against the U.S. Dollar, and devaluation may occur subsequent to investments in these currencies by a Fund. Inflation and rapid fluctuations in inflation rates have had, and may continue to have, negative effects on the economies and securities markets of certain emerging market countries.
Additional risks of emerging market securities may include: greater social, economic and political uncertainty and instability; more substantial governmental involvement in the economy; less governmental supervision and regulation; unavailability of currency hedging techniques; companies that are newly organized and small; less developed legal systems with fewer security holder rights and practical remedies to pursue claims, including class actions or fraud claims; the limited ability of U.S. authorities to bring and enforce actions against non‑U.S. companies and non‑U.S. persons; and differences in the nature and quality of financial information, including (i) auditing and financial reporting standards, which may result in unavailability or unreliability of material information about issuers and (ii) the risk that the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board (“PCAOB”) may not be able to inspect audit practices and work conducted by PCAOB-registered audit firms in certain emerging market countries, such as China. Thus there can be no assurance that the quality of financial reporting or the audits conducted by such audit firms of U.S.-listed emerging market companies meet PCAOB standards. Furthermore, in December 2021, the Commission finalized rules to implement the Holding Foreign Companies Accountable Act, which requires the Commission to prohibit the trading of securities of foreign issuers (including those based in China) on a national securities exchange or through any other method regulated by the Commission (including through over‑the‑counter trading) if the PCAOB is unable to inspect the work papers of the auditors of such companies for three years. To the extent a Fund invests in the securities of a company whose securities become subject to such a trading prohibition, the Fund’s ability to transact in such securities, and the liquidity of the securities, as well as their market price, would likely be adversely affected. A Fund would also have to seek other markets in which to transact in such securities, which could increase the Fund’s costs. In addition, emerging securities markets may have different clearance and settlement procedures, which may be unable to keep pace with the volume of securities transactions or otherwise make it difficult to engage in such transactions. Settlement problems may cause a Fund to miss attractive investment opportunities, hold a portion of its assets in cash pending investment, or be delayed in disposing of a portfolio security. Such a delay could result in possible liability to a purchaser of the security.
Foreign (Non‑U.S.) Currencies
Bond Inflation Strategy and All Market Real Return Portfolio may invest a substantial portion of their assets in securities denominated in, and receiving revenues in, foreign currencies and will be adversely affected by reductions in the value of those currencies relative to the U.S. Dollar. Foreign currency exchange rates may fluctuate significantly. They are determined by supply and demand in the foreign exchange markets, the relative merits of investments in different countries, actual or perceived changes in interest rates, and other complex factors. Currency exchange rates also can be affected unpredictably by intervention (or the failure to intervene) by U.S. or foreign governments or central banks or by currency controls or political developments. In light of these risks, a Fund may engage in certain currency hedging transactions, as described above, which involve certain special risks.
A Fund may also invest directly in foreign currencies for non‑hedging purposes on a spot basis (i.e., cash) or through derivatives transactions, such as forward currency exchange contracts, futures contracts and options thereon, swaps and
 
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options as described above. These investments will be subject to the same risks. In addition, currency exchange rates may fluctuate significantly over short periods of time, causing a Fund’s NAV to fluctuate.
Management Risk – Quantitative Models
The Adviser may use investment techniques that incorporate, or rely upon, quantitative models. These models may not work as intended and may not enable a Fund to achieve its investment objective. In addition, certain models may be constructed using data from external providers, and these inputs may be incorrect or incomplete, thus potentially limiting the effectiveness of the models. Finally, the Adviser may change, enhance and update its models and its usage of existing models at its discretion.
Future Developments
A Fund may take advantage of other investment practices that are not currently contemplated for use by the Fund, or are not available but may yet be developed, to the extent such investment practices are consistent with the Fund’s investment objective and legally permissible for the Fund. Such investment practices, if they arise, may involve risks that exceed those involved in the activities described above.
Changes in Investment Objective and Policies
The Funds are each a series of AB Bond Fund, Inc. with one Board. The Board may change a Fund’s investment objective without shareholder approval. A Fund will provide shareholders with 60 days’ prior written notice of any change to the Fund’s investment objective. Bond Inflation Strategy has a policy to invest at least 80% of its net assets in fixed-income securities and will not change this policy without 60 days’ prior written notice to shareholders. Municipal Bond Inflation Strategy has a fundamental policy to invest at least 80% of its net assets in municipal securities and will not change this policy without shareholder approval. Unless otherwise noted, all other investment policies of the Funds may be changed without shareholder approval.
Temporary Defensive Position
For temporary defensive purposes in an attempt to respond to adverse market, economic, political or other conditions, Bond Inflation Strategy may reduce its position in fixed-income securities and invest in, without limit, certain types of short-term, liquid, high-grade or high-quality debt securities, Municipal Bond Inflation Strategy may invest without limit in high-quality municipal notes, variable-rate demand obligations, or in taxable cash equivalents. For temporary defensive purposes in an attempt to respond to adverse market, economic, political or other conditions, All Market Real Return Portfolio may reduce its position in equity securities and invest in, without limit, certain types of short-term, liquid, high-grade or high-quality debt securities. While a Fund is investing for temporary defensive purposes, it may not meet its investment objective.
Portfolio Holdings
A description of each Fund’s policies and procedures with respect to the disclosure of each Fund’s portfolio securities is available in the Funds’ SAI.
Cyber Security Risk
As the use of the Internet and other technologies has become more prevalent in the course of business, the Funds and their service providers, including the Adviser, have become more susceptible to operational and financial risks associated with cyber security. Cyber security incidents can result from deliberate attacks such as 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, or from unintentional events, such as the inadvertent release of confidential information. Cyber security failures or breaches of a Fund or its service providers or the issuers of securities in which the Fund invests have the ability to cause disruptions and impact business operations, potentially resulting in financial losses, the inability of Fund shareholders to transact business, violations of applicable privacy and other laws, regulatory fines, penalties, reputational damage, reimbursement or other compensation costs, and/or additional compliance costs. While measures have been developed which are designed to reduce the risks associated with cyber security incidents, there can be no assurance that those measures will be effective, particularly since a Fund does not control the cyber security defenses or plans of its service providers, financial intermediaries and companies with which those entities do business and companies in which the Fund invests.
Cyber security incidents, both intentional and unintentional, may allow an unauthorized party to gain access to Fund or shareholder assets, Fund or customer data (including private shareholder information), or proprietary information, or cause a Fund, the Adviser, and/or a Fund’s service providers (including, but not limited to, fund accountants, custodians, sub‑custodians, transfer agents and financial intermediaries) to suffer data breaches, data corruption or lose operational functionality, or prevent Fund shareholders from purchasing, redeeming, or exchanging shares or receiving distributions. The Funds and the Adviser have limited ability to prevent or mitigate cyber security incidents affecting third-party service providers. Cyber security incidents may result in financial losses to a Fund and its shareholders, and substantial costs may be incurred in seeking to prevent or minimize future cyber security incidents.
 
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INVESTING IN THE FUNDS
 
 
This section discusses how to buy, sell or redeem, or exchange shares of the Funds that are offered in this Prospectus. The Funds offer two classes of shares through this Prospectus, except for All Market Real Return Portfolio, which offers one class of shares through this Prospectus.
The NAV of each of the Funds is disclosed daily on the Fund’s website or through the investor’s online account information at www.abfunds.com and/or by calling (800) 221‑5672.
Each share class represents an investment in the same portfolio of securities, but the classes may bear different ongoing distribution expenses.
HOW TO BUY SHARES
The purchase of the Funds’ shares is priced at the next-determined NAV after your order is received in accordance with the process described below under “Asset Allocation” and “Procedures”.
Class 1 Shares
A Fund’s Class 1 shares are sold only to the private clients (“Clients”) of Bernstein by Bernstein registered representatives (“Bernstein Advisors”). The minimum initial investment for Class 1 shares is $5,000. There is no minimum amount for subsequent investments in the same Fund although the Fund reserves the right to impose a minimum investment amount. There is no minimum amount for reinvestment of dividends and distributions declared by a Fund in the shares of the Fund.
Class 2 Shares
Class 2 shares of Bond Inflation Strategy and Municipal Bond Inflation Strategy are offered only to Clients who have at least a $3,000,000 fixed-income account with Bernstein. There is no minimum amount for initial or subsequent investments in the same Fund although a Fund reserves the right to impose a minimum investment amount. There is no minimum amount for reinvestment of dividends and distributions declared by a Fund in the shares of the Fund.
Asset Allocation
Bernstein may, at a Client’s request, maintain a specified percentage of the Client’s assets in one or more of the Funds, or vary the percentage based on Bernstein’s opinion of a client’s asset allocation. In keeping with these Client mandates or for tax considerations, Bernstein may, without additional instructions from the Client, purchase or sell shares of any Fund from time to time.
Unless you inform Bernstein otherwise, the cash balances in any account carried by Bernstein that is invested solely in a single Fund will be invested in the same Fund without regard to the minimum investment requirement.
Procedures
To purchase shares, you must open a discretionary account with a Bernstein Advisor (unless you currently have an account with Bernstein) and pay for the requested shares. With respect to discretionary accounts, Bernstein has the authority and responsibility to formulate an investment strategy on your behalf, including which securities to buy and sell, when to buy and sell, and in what amounts, in accordance with agreed-upon objectives. Payment may be made by wire transfer or check. All checks should be made payable to the particular Fund in which you are purchasing shares. Payment must be made in U.S. Dollars. All purchase orders will be confirmed in writing.
Required Information
A Fund is required by law to obtain, verify and record certain personal information from you or persons authorized to act on your behalf in order to establish an account. Required information includes name, date of birth, permanent residential address and taxpayer identification number (for most investors, your social security number). A Fund may also ask to see other identifying documents. If you do not provide the information, the Fund will not be able to open your account. If a Fund is unable to verify your identity, or that of another person(s) authorized to act on your behalf, or, if the Fund believes it has identified potentially criminal activity, the Fund reserves the right to take action it deems appropriate or as required by law, which may include closing your account. If you are not a U.S. citizen or resident alien, your account must be affiliated with a Financial Industry Regulatory Authority, or FINRA, member firm.
A Fund is required to withhold 24% of taxable dividends, capital gains distributions, and redemptions paid to any shareholder who has not provided the Fund with his or her correct taxpayer identification number. To avoid this, you must provide your correct taxpayer identification number on your Mutual Fund Application.
General
AllianceBernstein Investments, Inc. (“ABI”) or Bernstein may refuse any order to purchase shares. Each Fund reserves the right to suspend the sale of its shares to the public in response to conditions in the securities markets or for other reasons.
Asset-Based Sales Charges or Distribution and/or Service (Rule 12b‑1) Fees
Each Fund has adopted a plan under Commission Rule 12b‑1 that allows the Fund to pay asset-based sales charges or distribution and/or service (Rule 12b‑1) fees for the distribution and sale of its shares. The amount of these fees for each Fund’s Class 1 shares is:
 
      Distribution and/or Service
(Rule 12b‑1) Fee (as a
Percentage of Aggregate
Average Daily Net Assets)
Bond Inflation Strategy
       0.10 %
Municipal Bond Inflation Strategy
       0.10 %
All Market Real Return Portfolio
       0.25 %
Because these fees are paid out of a Fund’s assets on an ongoing basis, over time these fees will increase the cost of your investment and may cost you more than paying other types of
 
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sales fees. Because higher fees mean a higher expense ratio, Class 1 shares pay correspondingly lower dividends and may have a lower NAV (and returns) than Class 2 shares. All or some of these fees may be paid to financial intermediaries, including your financial advisor’s firm.
Other
A transaction, service, administrative or other similar fee may be charged by your broker-dealer, agent or other financial intermediary, with respect to the purchase, sale or exchange of Class 1 or Class 2 shares made through your Bernstein Advisor. The financial intermediaries or your fee‑based program also may impose requirements on the purchase, sale or exchange of shares that are different from, or in addition to, those imposed by the Funds, including requirements as to the minimum initial and subsequent investment amounts.
HOW TO EXCHANGE SHARES
You may exchange your Fund shares for shares of the same class of other AB Inflation Strategies that offer the same classes of shares but not other AB Mutual Funds because they do not currently offer the same classes of shares. Your exchange of shares is priced at the next-determined NAV after your order is received in proper form by the Fund. You may request an exchange by contacting your Bernstein Advisor. The Funds may modify, restrict or terminate the exchange privilege on 60 days’ written notice.
HOW TO SELL OR REDEEM SHARES
You may “redeem” your shares (i.e., sell your shares to a Fund) on any day the Exchange is open by sending a written request to Bernstein or your Bernstein Advisor. Your signature must appear on your written redemption order and must be guaranteed by a financial institution that meets Bernstein’s requirements (such as a commercial bank that is a member of the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation, a trust company, a member firm of a domestic securities exchange or other institution). An authorized person at the guarantor institution must sign the guarantee and “Signature Guaranteed” must appear with the signature. Signature guarantees by notaries or institutions that do not provide reimbursement in the case of fraud are not acceptable. Signature guarantees may be waived by Bernstein in certain instances. Bernstein may waive the requirement that a redemption request must be in writing. Bernstein may request further documentation from corporations, executors, administrators, trustees or guardians.
Your sale price will be that day’s NAV, after the Fund receives your redemption request in proper form. Each Fund expects that it will typically take one to three business days following the receipt of your redemption request in proper form to pay out redemption proceeds. However, while not expected, payment of redemption proceeds may take up to seven days from the day your request is received in proper form by the Fund by the Fund Closing Time. The sales proceeds will be held in your account with Bernstein unless you have previously provided alternative written instructions. If you recently purchased your shares by check or electronic funds transfer, your redemption payment may be delayed until Bernstein is reasonably satisfied that the check or electronic funds transfer has been collected (which may take up to 10 days).
Each Fund expects, under normal circumstances, to use cash or cash equivalents held by the Fund to satisfy redemption requests. The Fund may also determine to sell portfolio assets to meet such requests. Under certain circumstances, including stressed market conditions, the Fund may determine to pay a redemption request by accessing a bank line of credit or by distributing wholly or partly in kind securities from its portfolio, instead of cash.
Sale In‑Kind
The Funds normally pay proceeds of a sale of Fund shares in cash. However, each of the Funds has reserved the right to pay the sale price in whole or in part by a distribution in‑kind of securities in lieu of cash. If the redemption payment is made in‑kind, the securities received will be subject to market risk and may decline in value. In addition, you may incur brokerage commissions if you elect to sell the securities for cash. For more information, see the Funds’ SAI.
Automatic Sale of Your Shares – For Class 1
Under certain circumstances, the Adviser may redeem your Class 1 shares of a Fund without your consent. Maintaining small shareholder accounts is costly. Accordingly, if you make a sale that reduces the value of your account to less than $1,000, the Adviser may, on at least 60 days’ prior written notice, sell your remaining Class 1 shares in the Fund and close your account. The Adviser will not close your account if you increase your account balance to $1,000 during the 60‑day notice period.
Automatic Sale of Your Shares – For Class 2
Under certain circumstances, the Adviser may redeem your Class 2 shares of a Fund without your consent. Maintaining small shareholder accounts is costly. Accordingly, if you make a sale that reduces the value of your account to less than $250,000, the Adviser may, on at least 60 days’ prior written notice, sell your remaining Class 2 shares in the Fund and close your account. The Adviser will not close your account if you increase your account balance to $250,000 during the 60‑day notice period.
Systematic Withdrawal Plan
A systematic withdrawal plan enables shareholders to sell shares automatically at regular monthly intervals. In general, a systematic withdrawal plan is available only to shareholders who own book-entry shares worth $25,000 or more. The proceeds of these sales will be sent directly to you or your designee. The use of this service is at the Funds’ discretion. For further information, call your Bernstein Advisor at (212) 486‑5800.
FREQUENT PURCHASES AND REDEMPTIONS OF FUND SHARES
The Board has adopted policies and procedures designed to detect and deter frequent purchases and redemptions of Fund shares or excessive or short-term trading that may disadvantage long-term Fund shareholders. These policies are described
 
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below. There is no guarantee that the Funds will be able to detect excessive or short-term trading or to identify shareholders engaged in such practices, particularly with respect to transactions in omnibus accounts. Shareholders should be aware that application of these policies may have adverse consequences, as described below, and should avoid frequent trading in Fund shares through purchases, sales and exchanges of shares. The Funds reserve the right to restrict, reject or cancel, without any prior notice, any purchase or exchange order for any reason, including any purchase or exchange order accepted by any shareholder’s financial intermediary.
Risks Associated With Excessive Or Short-Term Trading Generally. While the Funds will try to prevent market timing by utilizing the procedures described below, these procedures may not be successful in identifying or stopping excessive or short-term trading in all circumstances. By realizing profits through short-term trading, shareholders that engage in rapid purchases and sales or exchanges of a Fund’s shares dilute the value of shares held by long-term shareholders. Volatility resulting from excessive purchases and sales or exchanges of Fund shares, especially involving large dollar amounts, may disrupt efficient portfolio management and cause a Fund to sell portfolio securities at inopportune times to raise cash to accommodate redemptions relating to short-term trading activity. In particular, a Fund may have difficulty implementing its long-term investment strategies if it is forced to maintain a higher level of its assets in cash to accommodate significant short-term trading activity. In addition, a Fund may incur increased administrative and other expenses due to excessive or short-term trading, including increased brokerage costs and realization of taxable capital gains.
Funds that may invest significantly in securities of foreign issuers may be particularly susceptible to short-term trading strategies. This is because securities of foreign issuers are typically traded on markets that close well before the time a Fund ordinarily calculates its NAV (ordinarily at 4:00 p.m., Eastern time), which gives rise to the possibility that developments may have occurred in the interim that would affect the value of these securities. The time zone differences among international stock markets can allow a shareholder engaging in a short-term trading strategy to exploit differences in Fund share prices that are based on closing prices of securities of foreign issuers established some time before a Fund calculates its own share price (referred to as “time zone arbitrage”). Each Fund has procedures, referred to as fair value pricing, designed to adjust closing market prices of securities of foreign issuers to reflect what is believed to be the fair value of those securities at the time a Fund calculates its NAV. While there is no assurance, the Funds expect that the use of fair value pricing, in addition to the short-term trading policies discussed below, will significantly reduce a shareholder’s ability to engage in time zone arbitrage to the detriment of other Fund shareholders.
A shareholder engaging in a short-term trading strategy may also target a Fund irrespective of its investments in securities of foreign issuers. Any Fund that invests in securities that are, among other things, thinly traded or traded infrequently, or that have a limited public float has the risk that the current market price for the securities may not accurately reflect current market values. A shareholder may seek to engage in short-term trading to take advantage of these pricing differences (referred to as “price arbitrage”). The Funds may be adversely affected by price arbitrage.
Policy Regarding Short-Term Trading. Purchases and exchanges of shares of the Funds should be made for investment purposes only. The Funds seek to prevent patterns of excessive purchases and sales of Fund shares to the extent they are detected by the procedures described below, subject to each Fund’s ability to monitor purchase, sale and exchange activity. The Funds reserve the right to modify this policy, including any surveillance or account blocking procedures established from time to time to effectuate this policy, at any time without notice.
 
 
Transaction Surveillance Procedures. The Funds, through their agents, ABI and AllianceBernstein Investor Services, Inc. (“ABIS”), maintain surveillance procedures to detect excessive or short-term trading in Fund shares. This surveillance process involves several factors, which include scrutinizing transactions in Fund shares that exceed certain monetary thresholds or numerical limits within a specified period of time. Generally, more than two exchanges of Fund shares during any 60‑day period or purchases of shares followed by a sale within 60 days will be identified by these surveillance procedures. For purposes of these transaction surveillance procedures, the Funds may consider trading activity in multiple accounts under common ownership, control or influence. Trading activity identified by either, or a combination, of these factors, or as a result of any other information available at the time, will be evaluated to determine whether such activity might constitute excessive or short-term trading. With respect to managed or discretionary accounts for which the account owner gives his/her broker, investment adviser or other third-party authority to buy and sell Fund shares, the Funds may consider trades initiated by the account owner, such as trades initiated in connection with bona fide cash management purposes, separately in their analysis. These surveillance procedures may be modified from time to time, as necessary or appropriate to improve the detection of excessive or short-term trading or to address specific circumstances.
 
 
Account Blocking Procedures. If the Funds determine, in their sole discretion, that a particular transaction or pattern of transactions identified by the transaction surveillance procedures described above is excessive or short-term trading in nature, the Funds will take remedial actions that may include issuing a warning, revoking certain account-related activities (such as the ability to place purchase, sale and exchange orders over the internet or by phone) or prohibiting or “blocking” future purchase or exchange activity. However, sales of Fund shares back to a Fund or redemptions will continue to be permitted in accordance with the terms of the Fund’s current Prospectus. As a result, unless the
 
35

 
shareholder redeems his or her shares, which may have consequences if the shares have declined in value, a contingent deferred sales charge, or CDSC, is applicable or adverse tax consequences may result, the shareholder may be “locked” into an unsuitable investment. A blocked account will generally remain blocked for 90 days. Subsequent detections of excessive or short-term trading may result in an indefinite account block, or an account block until the account holder or the associated broker, dealer or other financial intermediary provides evidence or assurance acceptable to the Fund that the account holder did not or will not in the future engage in excessive or short-term trading.
 
 
Applications of Surveillance Procedures and Restrictions to Omnibus Accounts. Omnibus account arrangements are common forms of holding shares of the Funds, particularly among certain brokers, dealers and other financial intermediaries, including sponsors of retirement plans. The Funds apply their surveillance procedures to these omnibus account arrangements. As required by Commission rules, the Funds have entered into agreements with all of their financial intermediaries that require the financial intermediaries to provide the Funds, upon the request of the Funds or their agents, with individual account level information about their transactions.
If the Funds detect excessive trading through their monitoring of omnibus accounts, including trading at the individual account level, the financial intermediaries will also execute instructions from the Funds to take actions to curtail the activity, which may include applying blocks to accounts to prohibit future purchases and exchanges of Fund shares. For certain retirement plan accounts, the Funds may request that the retirement plan or other intermediary revoke the relevant participant’s privilege to effect transactions in Fund shares via the internet or telephone, in which case the relevant participant must submit future transaction orders via the U.S. Postal Service (i.e., regular mail).
HOW THE FUNDS VALUE THEIR SHARES
Each Fund’s NAV is calculated on any day the Exchange is open at the close of regular trading (ordinarily, 4:00 p.m., Eastern time, but sometimes earlier, as in the case of scheduled half‑day trading or unscheduled suspensions of trading). To calculate NAV, a Fund’s assets are valued and totaled, liabilities are subtracted, and the balance, called net assets, is divided by the number of shares outstanding. If a Fund invests in securities that are primarily traded on foreign exchanges that trade on weekends or other days when the Fund does not price its shares, the NAV of the Fund’s shares may change on days when shareholders will not be able to purchase or redeem their shares in the Fund.
The Funds value their securities at market value determined on the basis of market quotations or, if market quotations are not readily available or are unreliable, at “fair value” as determined in accordance with procedures approved by the Board. Pursuant to these procedures, the Adviser, as each Fund’s “valuation designee” pursuant to Rule 2a‑5 under the 1940 Act, is responsible for making all fair value determinations relating to a Fund’s portfolio investments, subject to oversight of the Fund’s Board.
When making a fair value determination, the Adviser may take into account any factors it deems appropriate. The Adviser may also determine fair value based upon developments related to a specific security, current valuations of foreign stock indices (as reflected in U.S. futures markets) and/or U.S. sector or broader stock market indices. The prices of securities used to calculate NAV may differ from quoted or published prices for the same securities. Making a fair value determination involves subjective judgments, and it is possible that the fair value determined for a security is materially different than the value that could be realized upon the sale of that security.
The Funds expect to use fair value pricing for securities primarily traded on U.S. exchanges under certain circumstances, such as the early closing of the exchange on which a security is traded or suspension of trading in the security, or for securities for which market quotations are not readily available or deemed unreliable (including restricted securities). The Funds use fair value pricing routinely for securities primarily traded in non‑U.S. markets because, among other things, most foreign markets close well before a Fund ordinarily values its securities at 4:00 p.m., Eastern time. The earlier close of these foreign markets gives rise to the possibility that significant events, including broad market moves, may have occurred in the interim. Factors considered in fair value pricing may include, but are not limited to, interest rates, foreign currency exchange rates, levels of publicly available benchmarks, prices of futures contracts or comparable securities, or information obtained by analysis of the issuers’ financial statements. Because most fixed-income securities are not traded on exchanges, they are primarily valued using fair value prices provided by independent pricing services when the valuation designee reasonably believes that such prices reflect the fair value of the instrument.
The Adviser has established a valuation committee of senior officers and employees of the Adviser (“Valuation Committee”) to fulfill the Adviser’s responsibilities as each Fund’s valuation designee, which operates under the policies and procedures approved by the Board, to value a Fund’s assets on behalf of the Fund. The Valuation Committee values Fund assets as described above. More information about the valuation of the Funds’ assets is available in the Funds’ SAI.
 
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MANAGEMENT OF THE FUNDS
 
 
INVESTMENT ADVISER
Each Fund’s Adviser is AllianceBernstein L.P., 501 Commerce Street, Nashville, TN 37203. The Adviser, which is a controlled indirect subsidiary of Equitable Holdings, Inc., is a leading global investment adviser supervising client accounts with assets as of September 30, 2022 totaling approximately $613 billion (of which over $118 billion represented assets of registered investment companies sponsored by the Adviser). As of September 30, 2022, the Adviser managed retirement assets for many of the largest public and private employee benefit plans (including 17 of the nation’s FORTUNE 100 companies), for public employee retirement funds in 33 of the 50 states, for investment companies, and for foundations, endowments, banks and insurance companies worldwide. The 28 registered investment companies managed by the Adviser, comprising approximately 92 separate investment portfolios, had as of September 30, 2022 approximately 2.8 million shareholder accounts.
The Adviser provides investment advisory services and order placement facilities for each of the Funds. For these advisory services, each Fund paid the Adviser during the most recent fiscal year a management fee as a percentage of average daily net assets as follows:
 
Fund    Fee as a Percentage of
Average Daily Net
Assets
  Fiscal Year
Ended
Bond Inflation Strategy
       .35 %*       10/31/22
Municipal Bond Inflation Strategy
       .43 %*       10/31/22
All Market Real Return Portfolio
       .73 %*       10/31/22
*
Fee stated net of any waivers and/or reimbursements. See “Fees and Expenses of the Fund” in the Summary Information at the beginning of this Prospectus for more information about fee waivers.
A discussion regarding the basis for the Board’s approval of each Fund’s investment advisory agreement is available in the Fund’s annual report to shareholders for the fiscal year ended October 31, 2022.
The Adviser acts as an investment adviser to other persons, firms or corporations, including investment companies, hedge funds, pension funds and other institutional investors. The Adviser may receive management fees, including performance fees, that may be higher or lower than the advisory fees it receives from the Funds. Certain other clients of the Adviser have investment objectives and policies similar to those of a Fund. The Adviser may, from time to time, make recommendations that result in the purchase or sale of a particular security by its other clients simultaneously with a Fund. If transactions on behalf of more than one client during the same period increase the demand for securities being purchased or the supply of securities being sold, there may be an adverse effect on price or quantity. It is the policy of the Adviser to allocate advisory recommendations and the placing of orders in a manner that is deemed equitable by the Adviser to the accounts involved, including the Funds. When two or more of the clients of the Adviser (including a Fund) are purchasing or selling the same security on a given day from the same broker or dealer, such transactions are averaged as to price. The securities are then allocated to participating accounts using automated algorithms designed to achieve a fair, equitable and objective distribution of the securities over time.
PORTFOLIO MANAGERS
The management of, and investment decisions for, the Funds’ portfolios are made by certain Investment Policy Teams. Each Investment Policy Team relies heavily on the fundamental analysis and research of the Adviser’s large internal research staff. No one person is principally responsible for coordinating each Fund’s investments.
The day‑to‑day management of, and investment decisions for, Bond Inflation Strategy are made by the Adviser’s U.S. Multi-Sector Fixed-Income Team. The U.S. Multi-Sector Fixed-Income Team relies heavily on the fundamental analysis and research of the Adviser’s large internal research staff. No one person is principally responsible for coordinating the Fund’s investments.
The following table lists the senior members of the U.S. Multi-Sector Fixed-Income Team with the responsibility for day‑to‑day management of the Fund’s portfolio, the year that each person assumed joint and primary responsibility for the Fund, and each person’s principal occupation during the past five years:
 
Employee; Length of Service; Title    Principal Occupation(s) During
the Past Five (5) Years
Michael Canter; since 2016; Senior Vice President of the Adviser    Senior Vice President of the Adviser, with which he has been associated in a substantially similar capacity since prior to 2018. He is also the Director and Chief Investment Officer—Securitized Assets.
Janaki Rao; since 2018; Senior Vice President of the Adviser    Senior Vice President of the Adviser, with which he has been associated in a substantially similar capacity since prior to 2018. He is also Director of US Multi-Sector Fixed-Income Portfolios.
The day‑to‑day management of, and investment decisions for, Municipal Bond Inflation Strategy are made by the Adviser’s Municipal Bond Investment Team. The following table lists the senior members of the Municipal Bond Investment Team with the responsibility for day‑to‑day management of the Fund’s portfolio, the year that each person assumed joint and primary responsibility for the Fund, and each person’s principal occupation during the past five years:
 
Employee; Length of Service; Title    Principal Occupation(s) During
the Past Five (5) Years
Daryl Clements; since September 2022; Senior Vice President of the Adviser    Senior Vice President of the Adviser, with which he has been associated in a substantially similar capacity since prior to 2018.
Terrance T. Hults; since 2010; Senior Vice President of the Adviser    Senior Vice President of the Adviser, with which he has been associated in a substantially similar capacity since prior to 2018.
 
37

Employee; Length of Service; Title    Principal Occupation(s) During
the Past Five (5) Years
Matthew J. Norton; since 2016; Senior Vice President of the Adviser    Senior Vice President of the Adviser, with which he has been associated in a substantially similar capacity since prior to 2018. He is also Chief Investment Officer—Municipal Bonds.
Andrew D. Potter; since 2017; Vice President of the Adviser    Vice President of the Adviser, with which he has been associated in a substantially similar capacity since prior to 2018.
The day‑to‑day management of, and investment decisions for, All Market Real Return Portfolio are made by the Adviser’s All Market Real Return Portfolio Team. The All Market Real Return Portfolio Team relies heavily on the fundamental analysis and research of the Adviser’s large internal research staff. No one person is principally responsible for coordinating the Fund’s investments.
The following table lists the senior members of the All Market Real Return Portfolio Team with responsibility for day‑to‑day management of the Fund’s portfolio, the year that each person assumed joint and primary responsibility for the Fund, and each person’s principal occupation during the past five years.
 
Employee; Length of Service; Title   
Principal Occupation(s) During
the Past Five (5) Years
Vinod Chathlani; since 2015; Senior Vice President of the Adviser    Senior Vice President of the Adviser, with which he has been associated in a substantially similar capacity since prior to 2018.
Daniel J. Loewy; since 2015; Senior Vice President of the Adviser    Senior Vice President of the Adviser, with which he has been associated in a substantially similar capacity since prior to 2018. He is also Chief Investment Officer and Head of Multi-Asset Solutions and Chief Investment Officer for Dynamic Asset Allocation.
Leon Zhu; since 2018; Senior Vice President of the Adviser    Senior Vice President of the Adviser, with which he has been associated in a substantially similar capacity since prior to 2018.
The Funds’ SAI provides additional information about the portfolio managers’ compensation, other accounts managed by the portfolio managers, and the portfolio managers’ ownership of securities in the Funds.
TRANSFER AGENCY AND RETIREMENT PLAN SERVICES
ABIS acts as the transfer agent for the Funds. ABIS, an indirect wholly-owned subsidiary of the Adviser, registers the transfer, issuance and redemption of Fund shares and disburses dividends and other distributions to Fund shareholders.
Many Fund shares are owned by financial intermediaries for the benefit of their customers. Retirement plans may also hold Fund shares in the name of the plan, rather than the participant. In those cases, the Funds often do not maintain an account for you. Thus, some or all of the transfer agency functions for these and certain other accounts are performed by the financial intermediaries and plan recordkeepers. Financial intermediaries and recordkeepers, which may have affiliated financial intermediaries that sell shares of the AB Mutual Funds, may be paid by a Fund, the Adviser, ABI and ABIS (i) account fees in amounts up to $19 per account per annum, (ii) asset-based fees of up to 0.25% (except in respect of a limited number of intermediaries) per annum of the average daily assets held through the intermediary, or (iii) a combination of both. These amounts include fees for shareholder servicing, sub‑transfer agency, sub‑accounting and recordkeeping services. These amounts do not include fees for shareholder servicing that may be paid separately by the Fund pursuant to its Rule 12b‑1 plan. Amounts paid by a Fund for these services are included in “Other Expenses” under “Fees and Expenses of the Fund” in the Summary Information section of this Prospectus. In addition, financial intermediaries may be affiliates of entities that receive compensation from the Adviser or ABI for maintaining retirement plan “platforms” that facilitate trading by affiliated and non‑affiliated financial intermediaries and recordkeeping for retirement plans.
Because financial intermediaries and plan recordkeepers may be paid varying amounts per class for sub‑transfer agency and related recordkeeping services, the service requirements of which may also vary by class, this may create an additional incentive for financial intermediaries and their financial advisors to favor one fund complex over another or one class of shares over another.
 
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DIVIDENDS, DISTRIBUTIONS AND TAXES
 
 
DIVIDENDS AND DISTRIBUTIONS
Each Fund’s income dividends and capital gains distributions, if any, declared by the Fund on its outstanding shares will, at the election of each shareholder, be paid in cash or in additional shares of the same class of shares of that Fund. If paid in additional shares, the shares will have an aggregate NAV as of the close of business on the declaration date of the dividend or distribution equal to the cash amount of the dividend or distribution.
Income dividends are typically declared and paid monthly, except with respect to All Market Real Return Portfolio, which typically declares and pays annually. During the fourth quarter of the calendar year, typically in early November, an estimate of each Fund’s capital gains distribution, if any, will be made available on the Fund’s website at www.alliancebernstein.com/investments/us/tax‑center.htm.
You may make an election to receive dividends and distributions in cash or in shares at the time you purchase shares. Your election can be changed at any time prior to a record date for a dividend. There is no sales or other charge in connection with the reinvestment of dividends or capital gains distributions. Cash dividends may be paid by check or, at your election, electronically via the ACH network.
If you receive an income dividend or capital gains distribution in cash you may, within 120 days following the date of its payment, reinvest the dividend or distribution in additional shares of that Fund without charge by returning to the Adviser, with appropriate instructions, the check representing the dividend or distribution. Thereafter, unless you otherwise specify, you will be deemed to have elected to reinvest all subsequent dividends and distributions in shares of that Fund.
There is no fixed dividend rate and there can be no assurance that a Fund will pay any dividends or realize any capital gains. The amount of any dividend distribution paid in shares of a Fund must necessarily depend upon the realization of income and capital gains from the Fund’s investments.
TAX INFORMATION
Any investment in a Fund typically involves several tax considerations. The information below is intended as a general summary for U.S. citizens and residents. Please see the SAI for additional information. Because each person’s tax situation is different, you are encouraged to consult your tax adviser about the tax implications of an investment in a Fund in your particular situation. You also can visit the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) website at www.irs.gov for more information about applicable tax rates and other information.
General
If you purchase shares before a Fund deducts a distribution from its NAV, you will pay the full price for the shares and then receive a portion of the price back as a distribution, which may be taxable.
For tax purposes, an exchange is treated as a sale of Fund shares. The sale or exchange of Fund shares is a taxable transaction for federal income tax purposes.
Each year shortly after December 31, each Fund will send its shareholders tax information stating the amount and type of all its distributions for the year. You are encouraged to consult your tax adviser about the federal, state, and local tax consequences in your particular circumstances, as well as about any possible foreign tax consequences.
A Fund may experience relatively large redemptions due to transactions in Fund shares by significant investors. If large shareholder redemptions occur, a Fund could be required to sell portfolio securities and this may result in the Fund’s realization of net capital gains, which could be significant. Certain investment advisers, including an affiliate of the Adviser, provide tax management services to their clients that invest in the Funds. As part of these services, those investment advisers conduct year‑end tax trading on behalf of their clients to offset capital gains taxes where possible, which may result in buying and selling shares in one or more of the Funds. These transactions could result in a Fund experiencing temporary asset inflows or outflows at year end. The Adviser’s affiliate coordinates with the Adviser to try to ensure that the implementation of its tax management strategies will not compromise the interests of any Fund or its shareholders, and the Adviser considers that it has a fiduciary duty to both the Funds and its affiliate’s clients. The implementation of tax management strategies by such investment advisers may require a Fund to sell portfolio securities to satisfy redemption requests or increase asset allocations to cash or cash equivalents, which could result in the Fund’s realization of capital gains. If a significant amount of a Fund’s assets is allocated to cash or cash equivalents, it may be more difficult for the Fund to achieve its investment objective. Implementation of tax management strategies may also require a Fund to incur transaction costs, which will reduce its return.
Bond Inflation Strategy and All Market Real Return Portfolio
You will normally have to pay federal income tax, and any state or local income taxes, on the distributions you receive from a Fund, whether you take the distributions in cash or reinvest them in additional shares. Distributions of net capital gains from the sale of investments that a Fund owned for more than one year and that are properly designated as capital gains distributions are taxable as long-term capital gains. Distributions of dividends to the Fund’s non‑corporate shareholders may be treated as “qualified dividend income”, which is taxed at the same preferential rates applicable to long-term capital gains, if such distributions are derived from, and designated by the Fund as, “qualified dividend income” and provided that holding period and other requirements are met by both the shareholder and the Fund. “Qualified dividend income” generally is income derived from dividends from U.S.
 
39

corporations and “qualified foreign corporations”. Other distributions by a Fund are generally taxable to you as ordinary income. Each Fund will notify you as to how much of the Fund’s distributions, if any, qualify for these reduced tax rates. Dividends declared in October, November, or December and paid in January of the following year are taxable as if they had been paid the previous December.
Periodic adjustments for inflation to the principal amount of an inflation-indexed bond may give rise to original issue discount, which will be includable in each affected Fund’s gross income. Due to original issue discount, each affected Fund may be required to make annual distributions to shareholders that exceed the cash received, which may cause each affected Fund to liquidate certain investments when it is not advantageous to do so. Also, if the principal value of an inflation-indexed bond is adjusted downward due to deflation, amounts previously distributed in the taxable year may be characterized in some circumstances as a return of capital.
Investment income received by a Fund from sources within foreign countries may be subject to foreign income taxes withheld at the source. To the extent that any Fund is liable for foreign income taxes withheld at the source, the Fund intends, if possible, to operate so as to meet the requirements of the Code to “pass through” to the Fund’s shareholders credits for foreign income taxes paid (or to permit shareholders to claim a deduction for such foreign taxes), but there can be no assurance that any Fund will be able to do so, and Funds that invest primarily in U.S. securities will not do so. Furthermore, a shareholder’s ability to claim a foreign tax credit or deduction for foreign taxes paid by the Fund may be subject to certain limitations imposed by the Code, as a result of which a shareholder may not be permitted to claim a credit or deduction for all or a portion of the amount of such taxes.
Under certain circumstances, if a Fund realizes losses (e.g., from fluctuations in currency exchange rates) after paying a dividend, all or a portion of the dividend may subsequently be characterized as a return of capital. Returns of capital are generally nontaxable, but will reduce a shareholder’s basis in shares of the Fund. If that basis is reduced to zero (which could happen if the shareholder does not reinvest distributions and returns of capital are significant), any further returns of capital will be taxable as a capital gain.
One of the requirements for favorable tax treatment as a regulated investment company under the Code is that a Fund derive at least 90% of its gross income from certain qualifying sources of income. The IRS has issued a revenue ruling which holds that income derived from commodity-linked derivatives is not qualifying income under Subchapter M of the Code. As such, All Market Real Return Portfolio’s ability to utilize commodity-linked derivatives as part of its investment strategy is limited to a maximum of 10% of its gross income.
All Market Real Return Portfolio will seek to gain exposure to the commodities markets primarily through investments in the Subsidiary. Under recently finalized Treasury Regulations, income derived from All Market Real Return Portfolio’s investment in its Subsidiary will constitute qualifying income to the Fund, even if the Subsidiary itself owns commodity-linked derivatives.
Municipal Bond Inflation Strategy
Distributions to shareholders out of tax‑exempt interest income earned by the Fund are not subject to federal income tax. Under current tax law, some individuals may be subject to the AMT on distributions to shareholders out of income from the AMT‑subject bonds in which the Fund invests. Distributions out of taxable interest, other investment income, and net realized short-term capital gains, including any income derived from the Fund’s swap transactions, are taxable to shareholders as ordinary income. Any distributions of long-term capital gains generally will be taxable to you as long-term capital gains regardless of how long you have held your shares. Since the Fund’s investment income is derived from interest rather than dividends, no portion of its distributions will be eligible for the dividends-received deduction available to corporations, and for non‑corporate shareholders no portion of such distributions will be treated as “qualified dividend income” taxable at the same preferential rates applicable to long-term capital gains.
Interest on indebtedness incurred by shareholders to purchase or carry shares of the Fund is not deductible for federal income tax purposes. Further, persons who are “substantial users” (or related persons) of facilities financed by AMT‑subject bonds should consult their tax advisers before purchasing shares of the Fund.
Shareholders may be subject to state and local taxes on distributions from the Fund, including distributions that are exempt from federal income tax. The Fund will report annually to shareholders the percentage and source of interest earned by the Fund that is exempt from federal income tax.
Non‑U.S. Shareholders
If you are a nonresident alien individual or a foreign corporation for federal income tax purposes, please see the Funds’ SAI for information on how you will be taxed as a result of holding shares in the Funds.
 
40

GENERAL INFORMATION
 
 
Under unusual circumstances, a Fund may suspend redemptions or postpone payment for up to seven days or longer, as permitted by federal securities law. The Funds reserve the right to close an account that has remained below $1,000 for 90 days.
Householding. Many shareholders of the AB Mutual Funds have family members living in the same home who also own shares of the same Funds. In order to reduce the amount of duplicative mail that is sent to homes with more than one Fund account and to reduce expenses of the Funds, all AB Mutual Funds will, until notified otherwise, send only one copy of each prospectus, shareholder report and proxy statement to each household address. This process, known as “householding”, does not apply to account statements, confirmations, or personal tax information. If you do not wish to participate in householding, or wish to discontinue householding at any time, please contact Bernstein or your Bernstein Advisor.
 
41

FINANCIAL HIGHLIGHTS
 
 
The financial highlights table is intended to help you understand each Fund’s financial performance for the past five years. Certain information reflects financial results for a single share of a class of each Fund. The total returns in the table represent the rate that an investor would have earned (or lost) on an investment in the Fund (assuming reinvestment of all dividends and distributions). Each Fund’s financial statements have been audited by Ernst & Young LLP, the independent registered public accounting firm for each Fund, whose report, along with each Fund’s financial statements, are included in each Fund’s annual report, which is available upon request.
 
42

AB Bond Inflation Strategy
 
    CLASS 1  
    Year Ended October 31,  
     2022     2021     2020     2019     2018  
Net asset value, beginning of period
  $  11.73     $  11.35     $  10.77     $  10.33     $  10.69  
 
 
 
   
 
 
   
 
 
   
 
 
   
 
 
 
Income From Investment Operations          
Net investment income(a)(b)
    .64       .52       .26       .24       .28  
Net realized and unrealized gain (loss) on investment and foreign currency transactions
    (1.62     .34       .59       .48       (.36
Contributions from Affiliates
    – 0 –       – 0 –       – 0 –       .00 (c)     – 0 –  
 
 
 
   
 
 
   
 
 
   
 
 
   
 
 
 
Net increase (decrease) in net asset value from operations
    (.98     .86       .85       .72       (.08
 
 
 
   
 
 
   
 
 
   
 
 
   
 
 
 
Less: Dividends and Distributions          
Dividends from net investment income
    (.65     (.48     (.27     (.27     (.28
Distributions from net realized gain on investment transactions
    (.04     – 0 –       – 0 –       – 0 –       – 0 –  
Return of capital
    – 0 –       – 0 –       – 0 –       (.01     – 0 –  
 
 
 
   
 
 
   
 
 
   
 
 
   
 
 
 
Total dividends and distributions
    (.69     (.48     (.27     (.28     (.28
 
 
 
   
 
 
   
 
 
   
 
 
   
 
 
 
Net asset value, end of period
  $  10.06     $  11.73     $  11.35     $  10.77     $  10.33  
 
 
 
   
 
 
   
 
 
   
 
 
   
 
 
 
Total Return          
Total investment return based on net asset value(d)
    (8.75 )%      7.77     7.84     7.18     (.77 )%(f)
Ratios/Supplemental Data          
Net assets, end of period (000’s omitted)
  $ 390,055     $ 377,333     $ 312,381     $ 319,282     $ 306,620  
Ratio to average net assets of:
         
Expenses, net of waivers/reimbursements(e)
    .69     .63     .75     1.07     1.14
Expenses, before waivers/reimbursements(e)
    .78     .75     .88     1.20     1.28
Net investment income(b)
    5.76     4.44     2.42     2.31     2.66
Portfolio turnover rate
    79     62     48     40     36
 
 
    CLASS 2  
    Year Ended October 31,  
     2022     2021     2020     2019     2018  
Net asset value, beginning of period
  $  11.73     $  11.34     $  10.76     $  10.32     $  10.69  
 
 
 
   
 
 
   
 
 
   
 
 
   
 
 
 
Income From Investment Operations          
Net investment income(a)(b)
    .64       .53       .28       .26       .29  
Net realized and unrealized gain (loss) on investment and foreign currency transactions
    (1.61     .35       .58       .48       (.37
Contributions from Affiliates
    – 0 –       – 0 –       – 0 –       .00 (c)     – 0 –  
 
 
 
   
 
 
   
 
 
   
 
 
   
 
 
 
Net increase (decrease) in net asset value from operations
    (.97     .88       .86       .74       (.08
 
 
 
   
 
 
   
 
 
   
 
 
   
 
 
 
Less: Dividends and Distributions          
Dividends from net investment income
    (.66     (.49     (.28     (.29     (.29
Distributions from net realized gain on investment transactions
    (.04     – 0 –       – 0 –       – 0 –       – 0 –  
Return of capital
    – 0 –       – 0 –       – 0 –       (.01     – 0 –  
 
 
 
   
 
 
   
 
 
   
 
 
   
 
 
 
Total dividends and distributions
    (.70     (.49     (.28     (.30     (.29
 
 
 
   
 
 
   
 
 
   
 
 
   
 
 
 
Net asset value, end of period
  $  10.06     $  11.73     $  11.34     $  10.76     $  10.32  
 
 
 
   
 
 
   
 
 
   
 
 
   
 
 
 
Total Return          
Total investment return based on net asset value(d)
    (8.77 )%      7.98     7.96     7.19     (.77 )% 
Ratios/Supplemental Data          
Net assets, end of period (000’s omitted)
  $ 59,262     $ 66,348     $ 60,289     $ 58,829     $ 50,705  
Ratio to average net assets of:
         
Expenses, net of waivers/reimbursements(e)
    .58     .53     .65     .96     1.03
Expenses, before waivers/reimbursements(e)
    .67     .65     .78     1.09     1.17
Net investment income(b)
    5.75     4.51     2.53     2.45     2.78
Portfolio turnover rate
    79     62     48     40     36
See footnotes on page 44.
 
43

(a)
Based on average shares outstanding.
 
(b)
Net of expenses waived/reimbursed by the Adviser.
 
(c)
Amount is less than $.005.
 
(d)
Total investment return is calculated assuming an initial investment made at the net asset value at the beginning of the period, reinvestment of all dividends and distributions at net asset value during the period, and redemption on the last day of the period. Initial sales charges or contingent deferred sales charges are not reflected in the calculation of total investment return. Total return does not reflect the deduction of taxes that a shareholder would pay on fund distributions or the redemption of fund shares. Total investment return calculated for a period of less than one year is not annualized.
 
(e)
The expense ratios presented below exclude interest expense:
 
     Year Ended October 31,  
      2022      2021      2020      2019      2018  
Class 1
              
Net of waivers/reimbursements
     .60%        .60%        .60%        .60%        .60%  
Before waivers/reimbursements
     .69%        .72%        .73%        .73%        .74%  
Class 2
              
Net of waivers/reimbursements
     .50%        .50%        .50%        .50%        .50%  
Before waivers/reimbursements
     .59%        .62%        .63%        .63%        .64%  
 
(f)
The net asset value and total return include adjustments in accordance with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America for financial reporting purposes. As such, the net asset value and total return for shareholder transactions may differ from financial statements.
 
44

AB Municipal Bond Inflation Strategy
 
     CLASS 1  
     Year Ended October 31,  
      2022      2021      2020      2019      2018  
Net asset value, beginning of period
   $  10.97      $  10.25      $  10.19      $  9.98      $  10.25  
  
 
 
    
 
 
    
 
 
    
 
 
    
 
 
 
Income From Investment Operations               
Net investment income(a)(b)
     .15        .18        .23        .25        .23  
Net realized and unrealized gain (loss) on investment transactions
     (.79      .74        .07 (c)      .22        (.26
Contributions from Affiliates
     – 0 –        .00 (d)      – 0 –        – 0 –        – 0 –  
  
 
 
    
 
 
    
 
 
    
 
 
    
 
 
 
Net increase (decrease) in net asset value from operations
     (.64      .92        .30        .47        (.03
  
 
 
    
 
 
    
 
 
    
 
 
    
 
 
 
Less: Dividends               
Dividends from net investment income
     (.15      (.20      (.24      (.26      (.24
  
 
 
    
 
 
    
 
 
    
 
 
    
 
 
 
Net asset value, end of period
   $  10.18      $  10.97      $  10.25      $  10.19      $  9.98  
  
 
 
    
 
 
    
 
 
    
 
 
    
 
 
 
Total Return               
Total investment return based on net asset value(e)*
     (5.92 )%       9.01      3.04      4.72      (.32 )% 
Ratios/Supplemental Data               
Net assets, end of period (000’s omitted)
   $ 594,155      $ 555,642      $ 444,500      $ 498,857      $ 485,386  
Ratio to average net assets of:
              
Expenses, net of waivers/reimbursements
     .60      .60      .60      .60      .60
Expenses, before waivers/reimbursements
     .64      .66      .67      .67      .67
Net investment income(b)
     1.43      1.72      2.33      2.47      2.27
Portfolio turnover rate
     27      10      29      12      15
 
 
     CLASS 2  
     Year Ended October 31,  
      2022      2021      2020      2019      2018  
Net asset value, beginning of period
   $  10.98      $  10.25      $  10.19      $  9.99      $  10.25  
  
 
 
    
 
 
    
 
 
    
 
 
    
 
 
 
Income From Investment Operations               
Net investment income(a)(b)
     .17        .20        .24        .26        .24  
Net realized and unrealized gain (loss) on investment transactions
     (.80      .74        .07 (c)      .21        (.25
Contributions from Affiliates
     – 0 –        .00 (d)      – 0 –        – 0 –        – 0 –  
  
 
 
    
 
 
    
 
 
    
 
 
    
 
 
 
Net increase (decrease) in net asset value from operations
     (.63      .94        .31        .47        (.01
  
 
 
    
 
 
    
 
 
    
 
 
    
 
 
 
Less: Dividends               
Dividends from net investment income
     (.16      (.21      (.25      (.27      (.25
  
 
 
    
 
 
    
 
 
    
 
 
    
 
 
 
Net asset value, end of period
   $  10.19      $  10.98      $  10.25      $  10.19      $  9.99  
  
 
 
    
 
 
    
 
 
    
 
 
    
 
 
 
Total Return               
Total investment return based on net asset value(e)*
     (5.83 )%       9.21      3.14      4.73      (.12 )% 
Ratios/Supplemental Data               
Net assets, end of period (000’s omitted)
   $ 315,364      $ 238,315      $ 215,763      $ 238,306      $ 231,109  
Ratio to average net assets of:
              
Expenses, net of waivers/reimbursements
     .50      .50      .50      .50      .50
Expenses, before waivers/reimbursements
     .55      .56      .57      .57      .57
Net investment income(b)
     1.56      1.84      2.43      2.57      2.37
Portfolio turnover rate.
     27      10      29      12      15
 
(a)
Based on average shares outstanding.
 
(b)
Net of expenses waived/reimbursed by the Adviser.
 
(c)
Due to timing of sales and repurchase of capital shares, the net realized and unrealized gain (loss) per share is not in accordance with the Fund’s change in net realized and unrealized gain (loss) on investment transactions for the period.
 
(d)
Amount is less than $.005.
 
(e)
Total investment return is calculated assuming an initial investment made at the net asset value at the beginning of the period, reinvestment of all dividends and distributions at net asset value during the period, and redemption on the last day of the period. Initial sales charges or contingent deferred sales charges are not reflected in the calculation of total investment return. Total return does not reflect the deduction of taxes that a shareholder would pay on portfolio distributions or the redemption of portfolio shares. Total investment return calculated for a period of less than one year is not annualized.
 
*
Includes the impact of proceeds received by the Fund in connection with a trade-error reimbursement from the Adviser, which enhanced performance by .03% for the year ended October 31, 2021.
 
45

AB All Market Real Return Portfolio
 
    CLASS 1  
    Year Ended October 31,  
     2022     2021     2020     2019     2018  
Net asset value, beginning of period
  $  10.61     $  7.52     $  8.51     $  8.39     $  8.76  
 
 
 
   
 
 
   
 
 
   
 
 
   
 
 
 
Income From Investment Operations          
Net investment income(a)(b)
    .15       .13       .10       .13       .15  
Net realized and unrealized gain (loss) on investment and foreign currency transactions
    (.85     3.23       (.93     .12       (.22
Contributions from Affiliates
    .00 (c)     – 0 –       .00 (c)     – 0 –       – 0 –  
 
 
 
   
 
 
   
 
 
   
 
 
   
 
 
 
Net increase (decrease) in net asset value from operations
    (.70     3.36       (.83     .25       (.07
 
 
 
   
 
 
   
 
 
   
 
 
   
 
 
 
Less: Dividends          
Dividends from net investment income
    (.96     (.27     (.16     (.13     (.30
 
 
 
   
 
 
   
 
 
   
 
 
   
 
 
 
Net asset value, end of period
  $  8.95     $  10.61     $  7.52     $  8.51     $  8.39  
 
 
 
   
 
 
   
 
 
   
 
 
   
 
 
 
Total Return          
Total investment return based on net asset value(d)*
    (6.85 )%      45.63     (9.94 )%      3.14     (.92 )% 
Ratios/Supplemental Data          
Net assets, end of period (000’s omitted)
  $ 638,229     $ 678,946     $ 470,635     $ 608,485     $ 641,891  
Ratio to average net assets of:
         
Expenses, net of waivers/reimbursements(e)(f)‡
    1.08     1.08     1.10     1.09     1.08
Expenses, before waivers/reimbursements(e)(f)‡
    1.10     1.10     1.11     1.10     1.08
Net investment income(b)
    1.50     1.33     1.26     1.62     1.71
Portfolio turnover rate
    79     65     88     100     141
‡ Expense ratios exclude the estimated acquired fund fees of the affiliated/unaffiliated underlying portfolios
    .03     .03     .04     .02     .03
 
(a)
Based on average shares outstanding.
 
(b)
Net of expenses waived/reimbursed by the Adviser.
 
(c)
Amount is less than $.005.
 
(d)
Total investment return is calculated assuming an initial investment made at the net asset value at the beginning of the period, reinvestment of all dividends and distributions at net asset value during the period, and redemption on the last day of the period. Initial sales charges or contingent deferred sales charges are not reflected in the calculation of total investment return. Total return does not reflect the deduction of taxes that a shareholder would pay on fund distributions or the redemption of fund shares. Total investment return calculated for a period of less than one year is not annualized.
 
(e)
In connection with the Fund’s investments in affiliated underlying portfolios, the Fund incurs no direct expenses, but bears proportionate shares of the fees and expenses (i.e., operating, administrative and investment advisory fees) of the affiliated underlying portfolios. The Adviser has contractually agreed to waive its fees from the Fund in an amount equal to the Fund’s pro rata share of certain acquired fund fees and expenses, and for the years ended October 31, 2022, October 31, 2021, October 31, 2020, October 31, 2019 and October 31, 2018, such waiver amounted to .02%, .01%, .01%, .01% and .01%, respectively.
 
(f)
The expense ratios presented below exclude interest/bank overdraft expense:
 
     Year Ended October 31,  
      2022      2021      2020      2019      2018  
Class 1
              
Net of waivers/reimbursements
     1.08%        1.08%        1.10%        1.09%        1.08%  
Before waivers/reimbursements
     1.10%        1.10%        1.11%        1.09%        1.08%  
 
 * 
Includes the impact of proceeds received and credited to the Fund resulting from class action settlements, which enhanced the Fund’s performance for the years ended October 31, 2020 and October 31, 2019 by .02% and .07%, respectively.
 
46

APPENDIX A
 
 
BOND RATINGS
The following is a summary of published ratings by certain NRSROs. The Adviser generally uses ratings issued by such NRSROs but may rely on ratings from other NRSROs, depending on the security in question. The rating of an issuer is heavily weighted by past developments and does not necessarily reflect probable future conditions. While NRSROs may from time to time revise such ratings, they undertake no obligation to do so. NRSROs may also fail to change credit ratings to reflect subsequent events on a timely basis.
Moody’s Investors Service, Inc. (“Moody’s”)
Aaa—Bonds which are rated Aaa are judged to be of the highest quality and are subject to the lowest level of credit risk.
Aa—Bonds which are rated Aa are judged to be of high quality and are subject to very low credit risk.
A—Bonds which are rated A are judged to be upper-medium grade and are subject to low credit risk.
Baa—Bonds which are rated Baa are judged to be medium-grade and subject to moderate credit risk and as such may possess certain speculative characteristics.
Ba—Bonds which are rated Ba are judged to be speculative and are subject to substantial credit risk.
B—Bonds which are rated B are considered speculative and are subject to high credit risk.
Caa—Bonds which are rated Caa are judged to be speculative of poor standing and are subject to very high credit risk.
Ca—Bonds which are rated Ca are highly speculative and are likely in, or very near, default, with some prospect of recovery of principal and interest.
C—Bonds which are rated C are the lowest rated class of bonds and are typically in default, with little prospect for recovery of principal or interest.
Note—Moody’s applies numerical modifiers, 1, 2 and 3 in each generic rating classification from Aa through Caa. The modifier 1 indicates that the security ranks in the higher end of its generic rating category; the modifier 2 indicates a mid‑range ranking; and the modifier 3 indicates a ranking in the lower end of its generic rating category. Additionally, a “(hyb)” indicator is appended to all ratings of hybrid securities issued by banks, insurers, finance companies, and securities firms.
By their terms, hybrid securities allow for the omission of scheduled dividends, interest or principal payments, which can potentially result in impairment if such an omission occurs. Hybrid securities may also be subject to contractually allowable write-downs of principal that could result in impairment. Together with the hybrid indicator, the long-term obligation rating assigned to a hybrid security is an expression of the relative credit risk associated with that security.
S&P Global Ratings (“S&P”)
AAA—Debt rated AAA has the highest rating assigned by S&P. The obligor’s capacity to meet its financial commitments on the obligation is extremely strong.
AA—Debt rated AA differs from the highest rated obligations only to a small degree. The obligor’s capacity to meet its financial commitments on the obligation is very strong.
A—Debt rated A is somewhat more susceptible to the adverse effects of changes in circumstances and economic conditions than obligations in higher rated categories. However, the obligor’s capacity to meet its financial commitments on the obligation is still strong.
BBB—Debt rated BBB exhibits adequate protection parameters. However, adverse economic conditions or changing circumstances are more likely to weaken the obligor’s capacity to meet its financial commitments on the obligation.
BB, B, CCC, CC, C—Debt rated BB, B, CCC, CC or C are regarded as having significant speculative characteristics. BB indicates the lowest degree of speculation and C the highest. While such debt will likely have some quality and protective characteristics, these may be outweighed by large uncertainties or major exposure to adverse conditions.
BB—Debt rated BB is less vulnerable to nonpayment than other speculative debt. However, it faces major ongoing uncertainties or exposures to adverse business, financial or economic conditions which could lead to the obligor’s inadequate capacity to meet its financial commitments on the obligation.
B—Debt rated B is more vulnerable to nonpayment than obligations rated BB, but the obligor currently has the capacity to meet its financial commitments on the obligation. Adverse business, financial or economic conditions will likely impair the obligor’s capacity or willingness to meet its financial commitments on the obligation.
CCC—Debt rated CCC is currently vulnerable to nonpayment and is dependent upon favorable business, financial and economic conditions for the obligor to meet its financial commitments on the obligation. In the event of adverse business, financial or economic conditions, the obligor is not likely to have the capacity to meet its financial commitments on the obligation.
CC—Debt rated CC is currently highly vulnerable to nonpayment. The CC rating is used when a default has not yet occurred but S&P expects default to be a virtual certainty, regardless of the anticipated time to default.
C—Debt rated C is currently highly vulnerable to nonpayment, and the obligation is expected to have lower relative seniority or lower ultimate recovery compared with obligations that are rated higher.
D—Debt rated D is in default or in breach of an imputed promise. For non‑hybrid capital instruments, the D rating
 
A-1

category is used when payments on an obligation are not made on the date due, unless S&P believes that such payments will be made within five business days in the absence of a stated grace period or within the earlier of the stated grace period or 30 calendar days. The D rating also will be used upon the filing of a bankruptcy petition or the taking of similar action and where default on an obligation is a virtual certainty, for example due to automatic stay provisions. An obligation’s rating is lowered to D if it is subject to a distressed debt restructuring.
Plus (+) or Minus (-)—Ratings from AA to CCC may be modified by the addition of a plus or minus sign to show relative standing within the rating categories.
NR—NR indicates that a rating has not been assigned or is no longer assigned.
Fitch Ratings
AAA—Bonds considered to be investment grade and of the highest credit quality. The AAA ratings denote the lowest expectation of credit risk and are assigned only in cases of exceptionally strong capacity for payment of financial commitments. This capacity is highly unlikely to be adversely affected by foreseeable events.
AA—Bonds considered to be investment grade and of very high credit quality. The AA ratings denote expectations of very low credit risk and indicate very strong capacity for payment of financial commitments. This capacity is not significantly vulnerable to foreseeable events.
A—Bonds considered to be investment grade and of high credit quality. The A ratings denote expectations of low credit risk. The capacity for payment of financial commitments is considered strong. This capacity may, nevertheless, be more vulnerable to adverse business or economic conditions than bonds with higher ratings.
BBB—Bonds considered to be investment grade and of good credit quality. The BBB ratings indicate that expectations of credit risk are currently low. The capacity for payment of financial commitments is considered adequate, but adverse business or economic conditions are more likely to impair this capacity.
BB—Bonds are considered speculative and are indicative of an elevated vulnerability to credit risk, particularly in the event of adverse changes in business or economic conditions over time; however, business or financial alternatives may be available to allow financial commitments to be met.
B—Bonds are considered highly speculative. The B ratings indicate that material credit risk is present.
CCC—Bonds are considered to have substantial credit risk.
CC—Bonds are considered to have very high levels of credit risk.
C—Bonds are considered to have exceptionally high levels of credit risk.
Defaulted obligations are typically rated in the CCC to C rating categories, depending upon their recovery prospects and other relevant characteristics. This approach better aligns obligations that have comparable overall expected loss but varying vulnerability to default and loss.
Plus (+) Minus (-)—Plus and minus signs are used with a rating symbol to indicate the relative position of a credit within the rating category. Plus and minus signs, however, are not used in the AAA category or in categories below CCC.
DBRS Morningstar
AAA—Long-term debt rated AAA is of the highest credit quality. The capacity for the payment of financial obligations is exceptionally high and unlikely to be adversely affected by future events.
AA—Long-term debt rated AA is of superior credit quality. The capacity for the payment of financial obligations is considered high. Credit quality differs from AAA only to a small degree. Unlikely to be significantly vulnerable to future events.
A—Long-term debt rated A is of good credit quality. The capacity for the payment of financial obligations is substantial, but of lesser credit quality than AA. May be vulnerable to future events, but qualifying negative factors are considered manageable.
BBB—Long-term debt rated BBB is of adequate credit quality. The capacity for the payment of financial obligations is considered acceptable. May be vulnerable to future events.
BB—Long-term debt rated BB is of speculative, non‑investment grade credit quality. The capacity for the payment of financial obligations is uncertain. Vulnerable to future events.
B—Long-term debt rated B is of highly speculative credit quality. There is a high level of uncertainty as to the capacity to meet financial obligations.
CCC, CC and C—Long-term debt rated in any of these categories is of very highly speculative credit quality. In danger of defaulting on financial obligations. There is little difference between these three categories, although CC and C ratings are normally applied to obligations that are seen as highly likely to default, or subordinated to obligations rated in the CCC to B range. Obligations in respect of which default has not technically taken place but is considered inevitable may be rated in the C category.
D—When the issuer has filed under any applicable bankruptcy, insolvency or winding up statute or there is a failure to satisfy an obligation after the exhaustion of grace periods, a downgrade to D may occur. DBRS Morningstar may also use SD (Selective Default) in cases where only some securities are impacted, such as the case of a “distressed exchange.”
All rating categories other than AAA and D also contain subcategories “(high)” and “(low).” The absence of either a “(high)” or “(low)” designation indicates the rating is in the middle of the category.
 
A-2

Kroll Bond Rating Agency (“KBRA”)
AAA—Determined to have almost no risk of loss due to credit-related events. Assigned only to the very highest quality obligors and obligations able to survive extremely challenging economic events.
AA—Determined to have minimal risk of loss due to credit-related events. Such obligors and obligations are deemed very high quality.
A—Determined to be of high quality with a small risk of loss due to credit-related events. Issuers and obligations in this category are expected to weather difficult times with low credit losses.
BBB—Determined to be of medium quality with some risk of loss due to credit-related events. Such issuers and obligations may experience credit losses during stressed environments.
BB—Determined to be of low quality with moderate risk of loss due to credit-related events. Such issuers and obligations have fundamental weaknesses that create moderate credit risk.
B—Determined to be of very low quality with high risk of loss due to credit-related events. These issuers and obligations contain many fundamental shortcomings that create significant credit risk.
CCC—Determined to be at substantial risk of loss due to credit-related events, near default or in default with high recovery expectations.
CC—Determined to be near default or in default with average recovery expectations.
C—Determined to be near default or in default with low recovery expectations.
D—KBRA defines default as occurring if: (1) there is a missed interest payment, principal payment, or preferred dividend payment, as applicable, on a rated obligation which is unlikely to be recovered; (2) the rated entity files for protection from creditors, is placed into receivership, or is closed by regulators such that a missed payment is likely to result; (3) the rated entity seeks and completes a distressed exchange, where existing rated obligations are replaced by new obligations with a diminished economic value.
KBRA may append - or + modifiers to ratings in categories AA through CCC to indicate, respectively, upper and lower risk levels within the broader category.
 
A-3

APPENDIX B
 
 
Hypothetical Investment and Expense Information
 
The following supplemental hypothetical investment information provides additional information calculated and presented in a manner different from expense information found under “Fees and Expenses of the Fund” in the Summary Information at the beginning of this Prospectus, about the effect of a Fund’s expenses, including investment advisory fees and other Fund costs, on the Fund’s returns over a 10‑year period. The chart shows the estimated expenses (net of any fee or expense waiver for the first year) that would be charged on a hypothetical investment of $10,000 in Class 1 shares of each Fund assuming a 5% return each year. Except as otherwise indicated, the chart also assumes that the current annual expense ratio stays the same throughout the 10‑year period. The current annual expense ratio for each Fund is the same as stated under “Fees and Expenses of the Fund”. Additional information concerning the fees and expenses incurred by the Funds may be found at FINRA’s Fund Analyzer web page (available at https://tools.finra.org/fund_analyzer/). Your actual expenses may be higher or lower.
AB Bond Inflation Strategy
 
 
Year
   Hypothetical
Investment
    
Hypothetical
Performance
Earnings
    
Investment
After
Returns
    
Hypothetical
Expenses*
    
Hypothetical
Ending
Investment
1
     $ 10,000.00        $ 488.75        $ 10,263.75        $ 295.82        $ 10,192.93
2
       10,192.93          509.65          10,702.58          83.48          10,619.10
3
       10,619.10          530.96          11,150.06          86.97          11,063.09
4
       11,063.09          553.15          11,616.24          90.61          11,525.63
5
       11,525.63          576.28          12,101.91          94.39          12,007.52
6
       12,007.52          600.38          12,607.90          98.34          12,509.56
7
       12,509.56          625.48          13,135.04          102.45          13,032.59
8
       13,032.59          651.63          13,684.22          106.74          13,577.48
9
       13,577.48          678.87          14,256.35          111.20          14,145.15
10
       14,145.15          707.26          14,852.41          115.85          14,736.56
Cumulative
            $ 5,922.41               $ 1,185.85       
AB Municipal Bond Inflation Strategy
 
 
Year
   Hypothetical
Investment
    
Hypothetical
Performance
Earnings
    
Investment
After
Returns
    
Hypothetical
Expenses*
    
Hypothetical
Ending
Investment
1
     $ 10,000.00        $ 500.00        $ 10,500.00        $ 63.00        $ 10,437.00
2
       10,437.00          521.85          10,958.85          70.14          10,888.71
3
       10,888.71          544.44          11,433.15          73.17          11,359.98
4
       11,359.98          568.00          11,927.98          76.34          11,851.64
5
       11,851.64          592.58          12,444.22          79.64          12,364.58
6
       12,364.58          618.23          12,982.81          83.09          12,899.72
7
       12,899.72          644.99          13,544.71          86.69          13,458.02
8
       13,458.02          672.90          14,130.92          90.44          14,040.48
9
       14,040.48          702.02          14,742.50          94.35          14,648.15
10
       14,648.15          732.41          15,380.56          98.44          15,282.12
Cumulative
            $ 6,097.42               $ 815.30       
AB All Market Real Return Portfolio
 
 
Year
   Hypothetical
Investment
    
Hypothetical
Performance
Earnings
    
Investment
After
Returns
    
Hypothetical
Expenses*
    
Hypothetical
Ending
Investment
1
     $ 10,000.00        $ 500.00        $ 10,500.00        $ 116.55        $ 10,383.45
2
       10,383.45          519.17          10,902.62          123.20          10,779.42
3
       10,779.42          538.97          11,318.39          127.90          11,190.49
4
       11,190.49          559.52          11,750.01          132.78          11,617.23
5
       11,617.23          580.86          12,198.09          137.84          12,060.25
6
       12,060.25          603.01          12,663.26          143.09          12,520.17
7
       12,520.17          626.01          13,146.18          148.55          12,997.63
8
       12,997.63          649.88          13,647.51          154.22          13,493.29
9
       13,493.29          674.66          14,167.95          160.10          14,007.85
10
       14,007.85          700.39          14,708.24          166.20          14,542.04
Cumulative
            $ 5,952.47               $ 1,410.43       
*
Expenses are net of any fee waiver or expense waiver for the first year. Thereafter, the expense ratio reflects the Fund’s operating expenses as reflected under “Fees and Expenses of the Fund” before fee waiver in the Summary Information at the beginning of this Prospectus.
 
B-1

For more information about the Funds, the following documents are available upon request:
 
 
ANNUAL/SEMI-ANNUAL REPORTS TO SHAREHOLDERS
The Funds’ annual and semi-annual reports to shareholders contain additional information on the Funds’ investments. In the annual report, you will find a discussion of the market conditions and investment strategies that significantly affected a Fund’s performance during its last fiscal year.
 
 
STATEMENT OF ADDITIONAL INFORMATION (SAI)
The Funds have an SAI, which contains more detailed information about the Funds, including their operations and investment policies. The Funds’ SAI and the independent registered public accounting firm’s report and financial statements in each Fund’s most recent annual report to shareholders are incorporated by reference into (and are legally part of) this Prospectus.
You may request a free copy of the current annual/semi-annual report or the SAI, or make inquiries concerning the Funds, by contacting your Bernstein advisor, or by contacting the Adviser:
 
By Mail:  
AllianceBernstein L.P.
501 Commerce Street
Nashville, TN 37203
By Phone:   (212) 486‑5800
On the Internet:   www.bernstein.com
You may also view reports and other information about the Funds, including the SAI, by visiting the EDGAR database on the Securities and Exchange Commission’s website (http://www.sec.gov). Copies of this information can be obtained, for a duplicating fee, by electronic request at the following e‑mail address: [email protected].
The [A/B] logo is a service mark of AllianceBernstein and AllianceBernstein® is a registered trademark used by permission of the owner, AllianceBernstein L.P.
SEC File No. 811‑02383
PRO-PC-0125-0123
 
LOGO

 

 

AB INFLATION STRATEGIES

-AB Bond Inflation Strategy

(Class A–ABNAX; Class C–ABNCX; Advisor Class–ABNYX; Class R–ABNRX; Class K–ABNKX; Class I–ANBIX; Class 1–ABNOX; Class 2–ABNTX; Class Z – ABNZX)

-AB Municipal Bond Inflation Strategy

(Class A–AUNAX; Class C–AUNCX; Advisor Class–AUNYX; Class 1–AUNOX; Class 2–AUNTX)

-AB All Market Real Return Portfolio

(Class A–AMTAX; Class C–ACMTX; Advisor Class–AMTYX; Class R–AMTRX; Class K–AMTKX; Class I–AMTIX; Class 1–AMTOX; Class 2–AMTTX; Class Z–AMTZX)

 

 

c/o AllianceBernstein Investor Services, Inc.
P.O. Box 786003, San Antonio, Texas 78278-6003
Toll Free: (800) 221-5672
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