Under normal circumstances, the Fund expects to invest substantially all (at least 90%) of its Managed Assets (as defined below) in its equity portfolio or otherwise in pursuit of its investment objective.
The Fund employs a constant
“buy-write”
option strategy whereby the Fund’s
sub-adviser
sells (writes) index call options on a continuous basis on substantially the full value of the Fund’s equity portfolio. The Fund targets a constant overwrite level (i.e., the ratio of the notional value of index call options sold by the Fund to the market value of the Fund’s equity portfolio) of 100% of the value of its equity portfolio. The Fund’s use of a
buy-write
strategy, which is also commonly referred to as a
buy-write
income strategy, is intended to produce cash flow for the Fund in the form of premiums on the options written. In exchange for this cash flow (the income component of a
buy-write
strategy), the Fund’s total return may be reduced relative to the S&P 500 Index in rising markets and may be enhanced relative to the S&P 500 Index in flat or declining markets, in each case consistent with the Fund’s investment objective to seek attractive total return with less volatility than the S&P 500 Index.
“Assets” means net assets of the Fund plus the amount of any borrowings for investment purposes. “Managed Assets” mean the total assets of the Fund, minus the sum of its accrued liabilities (other than Fund liabilities incurred for the express purpose of creating leverage). Total assets for this purpose shall include assets attributable to the Fund’s use of leverage (whether or not those assets are reflected in the Fund’s financial statements for purposes of generally accepted accounting principles), and derivatives will be valued at their market value.
Under normal market conditions:
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As a fundamental policy, the Fund may not concentrate (i.e., invest more than 25% of its total assets) in securities of issuers in any one industry, except that the Fund will be concentrated in an industry or group of industries to the extent the S&P 500 Index is concentrated in an industry or group of industries (the “Industry Concentration Policy”). |
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The Fund may invest no more than 10% of its Managed Assets in short-term, high quality fixed-income securities. |
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The Fund may invest up to 20% of its Managed Assets in securities of non-U.S. issuers that are United States (“U.S.”) dollar denominated, which may include securities of issuers located, or conducting their business, in emerging market countries. |
The foregoing policies apply only at the time of any new investment.
Approving Changes in Investment Policies
The Board of Trustees of the Fund may change the policies described above without a shareholder vote. However, with respect to the Fund’s policy of investing at least 80% of its Assets in its equity portfolio, such policy may not be changed without 60 days’ prior written notice to Common Shareholders.
However, the Fund’s fundamental Industry Concentration Policy may not be changed without the approval of the holders of a majority of the outstanding common shares. A “majority of the outstanding” shares means (i) 67% or more of the shares present at a meeting, if the holders of more than 50% of the shares are present or represented by proxy or (ii) more than 50% of the shares, whichever is less.
The Fund expects to invest in a portfolio of individual common stocks designed to replicate the risk and return profile, and thereby substantially replicate price movements, of the S&P 500 Index. The Fund may also invest in other investment companies, including exchange-traded fund (“ETFs”), that provide similar exposure to individual common stocks consistent with the Fund’s investment objective. Common stock generally represents an equity ownership interest in an issuer, without preference over and with a lower priority than any other class of securities, including such issuer’s debt securities, preferred stock and other senior equity securities. Common stocks usually carry voting rights and earn dividends. Common stocks fluctuate in price in response to many factors including historical and prospective earnings of the issuer, the value of its assets, general economic conditions, interest rates, investor perceptions and market liquidity, as such the company may or may not pay dividends. Dividends on common stocks are declared at the discretion of the company’s board. In addition, common stock generally has the greatest appreciation and depreciation potential because increases and decreases in earnings are usually reflected in a company’s stock price.
In carrying out its option strategy, the Fund may write index call options on the S&P 500 Index and other broad-based indices and may, if the Fund’s
sub-adviser
deems conditions appropriate, write call options on a variety of other equity market indices. As the seller of an index call option, the Fund receives a premium from the purchaser. The purchaser of the index call option has the right to any appreciation in the value of the index over the exercise price upon the exercise of the call option or the expiration date. If, at expiration, the purchaser exercises the index option sold by the Fund, the Fund will pay the purchaser the difference between the cash value of the index and the exercise price of the index option. The premium, the exercise price and the market value of the index determine the gain or loss realized by the Fund as the seller of the index call option.
The Fund may invest in U.S. Government securities. U.S. Government securities include (1) U.S. Treasury obligations, which differ in their interest rates, maturities and times of issuance: U.S. Treasury bills (maturities of one year or less), U.S. Treasury notes (maturities of one year to ten years) and U.S. Treasury bonds (generally maturities of greater than ten years) and (2) obligations issued or guaranteed by U.S. Government agencies and instrumentalities that are supported by any of the following: (i) the full faith and credit of the U.S. Treasury, (ii) the right of the issuer to borrow an amount limited to a specific line of credit from the U.S. Treasury, (iii) discretionary authority of the U.S. Government to purchase certain obligations of the U.S. Government agency or instrumentality or (iv) the credit of the agency or instrumentality.
The Fund also may invest in any other security or agreement collateralized or otherwise secured by U.S. Government securities. Agencies and instrumentalities of the U.S. Government include but are not limited to: Federal Land Banks, Federal Financing Banks, Banks for Cooperatives, Federal Intermediate Credit Banks, Farm Credit Banks, Federal Home Loan Banks, Federal Home Loan Mortgage Corporation, Federal National Mortgage Association, Government National Mortgage Association, Student Loan Marketing Association, U.S. Postal Service, Small Business Administration, Tennessee Valley Authority and any other enterprise established or sponsored by the U.S. Government. Because the U.S. Government generally is not obligated to provide support to its instrumentalities, the Fund will invest in obligations issued by these instrumentalities only if its
sub-adviser
determines that the credit risk with respect to such obligations is minimal.
The Fund may invest in commercial paper. Commercial paper represents short-term unsecured promissory notes issued in bearer form by corporations such as banks or bank holding companies and finance companies.
The Fund may enter into repurchase agreements (the purchase of a security coupled with an agreement to resell that security at a higher price) with respect to its permitted investments. The Fund’s repurchase agreements will provide that the value of the collateral underlying the repurchase agreement will always be at least equal to the repurchase price, including any accrued interest earned on the agreement, and will be
daily.
The Fund may invest in securities of
non-U.S.
issuers that are U.S. dollar-denominated, which may include securities of issuers located, or conducting their business, in emerging market countries. The Fund will classify an issuer of a security as being a U.S. or
non-U.S.
issuer based on the determination of an unaffiliated, recognized financial data provider. Such determinations are based on a number of criteria, such as the
issuer’s country of domicile, the primary exchange on which the security predominately trades, the location from which the majority of the issuer’s revenue comes, and the issuer’s reporting currency. Furthermore, a country is considered to be an “emerging market” if it has a relatively low gross national product per capita compared to the world’s major economies and the potential for rapid economic growth. The Fund considers a country an emerging market country based on the determination of an international organization, such as the International Monetary Fund (“IMF”), or an unaffiliated, recognized financial data provider.
The Fund may buy and sell securities on a when-issued or delayed delivery basis, making payment or taking delivery at a later date, normally within 15 to 45 days of the trade date.
The Fund may invest in illiquid securities (i.e., securities that are not readily marketable), including, but not limited to, restricted securities (securities the disposition of which is restricted under the federal securities laws), securities that may be resold only pursuant to Rule 144A under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the “1933 Act”), and repurchase agreements with maturities in excess of seven days.
The Fund may enter into certain derivative instruments in pursuit of its investment objective, including to seek to enhance return, to hedge certain risks of its investments in securities or as a substitute for a position in the underlying asset. Such instruments include financial futures contracts and options thereon, swaps (with varying terms, including interest rate swaps and credit default swaps), options on interest rates, options on indices, options on swaps, options on currencies and other fixed-income derivative instruments that may have the economic effect of leverage.
The Fund may also invest in securities of other open- or
closed-end
investment companies (including ETFs) that invest primarily in securities of the types in which the Fund may invest directly, to the extent permitted by the Investment Company Act of 1940 Act, as amended (the “1940 Act”), the rules and regulations issued thereunder and applicable exemptive orders issued by the Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”).
The Fund may lend securities representing up to
one-third
of the value of its total assets to broker-dealers, banks, and other institutions to generate additional income. When the Fund loans its portfolio securities, it will receive, at the inception of each loan, cash collateral equal to at least 102% of the value of the loaned securities. Under the Fund’s securities lending agreement, the securities lending agent will generally bear the risk that a borrower may default on its obligation to return loaned securities. The Fund, however, will be responsible for the risks associated with the investment of cash collateral. The Fund may lose money on its investment of cash collateral or may fail to earn sufficient income on its investment to meet its obligations to the borrower.
As a
non-fundamental
policy, the Fund will not leverage its capital structure by issuing senior securities such as the issuance of preferred shares of beneficial interest or debt instruments. However, the Fund may borrow for temporary or emergency purposes and may enter into certain derivatives transactions that have the economic effect of leverage.
Temporary Defensive Periods
During temporary defensive periods the Fund may deviate from its investment objective and policies, and in order to keep the Fund’s cash fully invested, the Fund may invest any portion of its Managed Assets in investment grade debt securities, including obligations issued or guaranteed by the U.S. government, its agencies and instrumentalities. The Fund may not achieve its investment objectives during such periods.
NUVEEN DOW 30
SM
DYNAMIC OVERWRITE FUND (DIAX)
The Fund’s investment objective is to seek attractive total return with less volatility than the Dow Jones Industrial Average (the “DJIA”).
Under normal circumstances, the Fund will invest at least 80% of its Assets (as defined below) in the thirty stocks included in the DJIA in approximately the amount such stocks are weighted in the DJIA and/or in other securities or financial instruments with economic characteristics that are similar to the thirty stocks included in the DJIA that are intended to correlate with the price movements of the DJIA.
Under normal circumstances, the Fund expects to invest substantially all (at least 90%) of its Managed Assets (as defined below) in its equity portfolio or otherwise in pursuit of its investment objective.
The Fund’s
sub-adviser
constructs the Fund’s equity portfolio by purchasing the common stock of each company included in the DJIA in approximately the amounts stocks are weighted in the DJIA. The Fund will periodically rebalance its holdings of DJIA stocks in order to more closely approximate each stock’s weighting in the DJIA. The Fund’s
sub-adviser
will consider the tax consequences of certain transactions within the Fund’s equity portfolio and intends to manage the portfolio in a
tax-efficient
manner by taking, for example, capital losses when possible to offset realized capital gains. The Fund’s
sub-adviser
will rebalance and adjust the Fund’s equity portfolio as necessary for tracking and tax management purposes.
The Fund employs a dynamic options “overwrite” strategy whereby the Fund’s
sub-adviser
sells (writes) call options on a varying percentage of the market value of the Fund’s equity portfolio based on its market outlook. Pursuant to this option strategy, under normal circumstances, the Fund sells (writes) index call options, call options on custom baskets of securities, and call options on individual securities. In addition to a primary emphasis on writing call options to reduce downside risk and volatility of the Fund’s equity portfolio, the Fund’s option strategy as a secondary emphasis seeks additional return opportunities by capitalizing on inefficiencies in the options market through a variety of means including the use of call spreads, purchasing call options, and selling put options.
The Fund targets an overwrite level (i.e., the ratio of the notional value of call options sold by the Fund to the market value of the Fund’s equity portfolio) of 55% of the value of its equity portfolio over time, and the overwrite level will vary, based on market conditions, between 35% to 75% of the value of its equity portfolio.
“Assets” means net assets of the Fund plus the amount of any borrowings for investment purposes. “Managed Assets” mean the total assets of the Fund, minus the sum of its accrued liabilities (other than Fund liabilities incurred for the express purpose of creating leverage). Total assets for this purpose shall include assets attributable to the Fund’s use of leverage (whether or not those assets are reflected in the Fund’s financial statements for purposes of generally accepted accounting principles), and derivatives will be valued at their market value.
Under normal market conditions:
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As a fundamental policy, the Fund may not concentrate (i.e., invest more than 25% of its total assets) in securities of issuers in any one industry, except that if 25% or more of the securities in the DIJA are issued by companies in one industry, the Fund will concentrate in that industry (the “Industry Concentration Policy”). |
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The Fund may invest no more than 10% of its Managed Assets in short-term, high quality fixed-income securities. |
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· |
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The Fund may invest up to 20% of its Managed Assets in securities of non-U.S. issuers that are United States (“U.S.”) dollar denominated, which may include securities of issuers located, or conducting their business, in emerging market countries. |
The foregoing policies apply only at the time of any new investment.
Approving Changes in Investment Policies
The Board of Trustees of the Fund may change the policies described above without a shareholder vote. However, with respect to the Fund’s policy of investing at least 80% of its Assets in its equity portfolio, such policy may not be changed without 60 days’ prior written notice to shareholders.
However, the Fund’s fundamental Industry Concentration Policy may not be changed without the approval of the holders of a majority of the outstanding common shares. A “majority of the outstanding” shares means (i) 67% or more of the shares present at a meeting, if the holders of more than 50% of the shares are present or represented by proxy or (ii) more than 50% of the shares, whichever is less.
The Fund will invest in the thirty common stocks included in the DJIA in approximately the amount such stocks are weighted in the DJIA. The Fund may also invest in other securities or financial instruments with economic characteristics that are similar to the thirty stocks included in the DJIA that are intended to correlate with the price movements of the DJIA. The Fund may also invest in other investment companies, including exchange-traded fund (“ETFs”), that provide similar exposure to individual common stocks consistent with the Fund’s investment objective. Common stock generally represents an equity ownership interest in an issuer, without preference over and with a lower priority than any other class of securities, including such issuer’s debt securities, preferred stock and other senior equity securities. Common stocks usually carry voting rights and earn dividends. Common stocks fluctuate in price in response to many factors including historical and prospective earnings of the issuer, the
value of its assets, general economic conditions, interest rates, investor perceptions and market liquidity, as such the company may or may not pay dividends. Dividends on common stocks are declared at the discretion of the company’s board. In addition, common stock generally has the greatest appreciation and depreciation potential because increases and decreases in earnings are usually reflected in a company’s stock price.
As part of its option strategy, the Fund sells (writes) index call options, call options on custom baskets of securities, and covered or uncovered call options on individual securities. An option contract is a contract that gives the holder of the option, in return for a premium, the right to buy from (in the case of a call) or sell to (in the case of a put) the writer of the option the reference instrument underlying the option (or the cash value of the index) at a specified exercise price at any time during the term of the option. The writer of an option on a security has the obligation upon exercise of the option to deliver the reference instrument (or the cash) upon payment of the exercise price or to pay the exercise price upon delivery of the reference instrument (or the cash). Upon exercise of an index option, the writer of an option on an index is obligated to pay the difference between the cash value of the index and the exercise price multiplied by the specified multiplier for the index option. Options may be “covered,” meaning that the party required to deliver the reference instrument if the option is exercised owns that instrument (or has set aside sufficient assets to meet its obligation to deliver the instrument). Options may be listed on an exchange or traded in the
(“OTC”) market. In general, exchange-traded options have standardized exercise prices and expiration dates and may require the parties to post margin against their obligations, and the performance of the parties’ obligations in connection with such options is guaranteed by the exchange or a related clearing corporation. OTC options have more flexible terms negotiated between the buyer and the seller but are subject to counterparty risk. The ability of the Fund to transact business with any one or any number of counterparties, the lack of any independent evaluation of the counterparties or their financial capabilities, and the absence of a regulated market to facilitate settlement, may increase the potential for losses to the Fund. OTC options also involve greater liquidity risk. This risk may be increased in times of financial stress, if the trading market for OTC derivative contracts becomes limited.
In carrying out its option strategy, the Fund may write index call options on the DJIA and other broad-based indices and may, if the Fund’s
sub-adviser
deems conditions appropriate, write call options on a variety of other equity market indices. As the seller of an index call option, the Fund receives a premium from the purchaser. The purchaser of the index call option has the right to any appreciation in the value of the index over the exercise price upon the exercise of the call option or the expiration date. If, at expiration, the purchaser exercises the index option sold by the Fund, the Fund will pay the purchaser the difference between the cash value of the index and the exercise price of the index option. The premium, the exercise price and the market value of the index determine the gain or loss realized by the Fund as the seller of the index call option.
The Fund may also write call options on custom baskets of securities. A custom basket call option is an OTC option with a counterparty whose value is linked to the market value of a portfolio of underlying securities and is collateralized by a portion of the Fund’s equity portfolio. In designing the custom basket call options, the Fund’s
sub-adviser
will primarily select assets not held by the Fund. In order to minimize the difference between the returns of the underlying securities in the custom basket (commonly referred to as a tracking error), the Fund’s
sub-adviser
will use optimization calculations when selecting the individual securities for inclusion in the custom basket.
The Fund may also write single name call options, both covered and “naked” or uncovered, on individual stocks. A call option written by the Fund on an individual security is “covered” if the Fund owns the security underlying the call or has an absolute and immediate right to acquire that security without additional cash consideration. Conversely, “naked” call options are those representing more shares of the security underlying the call than are held in the Fund’s portfolio. The Fund, in effect, sells the potential appreciation in the value of the security subject to the call option in exchange for the premium. The Fund may execute a closing purchase transaction with respect to an option it has sold and sell another option (with either a different exercise price or expiration date or both). The Fund’s objective in entering into such a closing transaction will be to optimize net index option premiums. The cost of a closing transaction may reduce the net option premiums realized from the sale of the option. This reduction could be offset, at least in part, by appreciation in the value of the underlying security held in the Fund’s equity portfolio, and by the opportunity to realize additional premium income from selling a new option.
The Fund may also purchase call options. A call option entitles the purchaser, in return for the premium paid, to purchase specified securities at a specified price during the option period. Because the premium paid for a call option is typically a small fraction of the price of the underlying security, a given amount of funds will purchase call options covering a much larger quantity of such security than could be purchased directly. By purchasing call options, the Fund could benefit from any significant increase in the price of the underlying security to a greater extent than if it had invested the same amount in the security directly.
The Fund may also use call spreads as part of its option strategy. A call spread involves the sale of a call option and the corresponding purchase of a call option on the same underlying instrument with the same expiration date but with different exercise prices. The call spreads utilized by the Fund generally will generate less net option premium than writing calls, but limit the overall risk of the strategy by capping the Fund’s liability from the written call while simultaneously allowing for additional upside above the strike price of the purchased call.
The Fund may also use put options as part of its option strategy. A put option gives the purchaser of the option the right (but not the obligation) to sell, and the writer of the option the obligation to buy, the underlying instrument (or the cash value of the index) at a stated price (the “exercise price”) at any time before the option expires. The purchase price for a put option is the “premium” paid by the purchaser for the right to sell. When the Fund sells a put option on an underlying instrument and the underlying instrument decreases in value, the purchaser of the put option has the right to exercise the option, obligating the Fund to purchase the underlying instrument at an exercise price that is higher than the prevailing market price. The Fund collects option premium income when it sells the put option. If the underlying instrument increases in value, the purchaser of the put option is unlikely to exercise the option since the prevailing market price will be higher than the exercise price. Accordingly, the Fund retains all put premium income collected during market advances.
The Fund may invest in U.S. Government securities. U.S. Government securities include (1) U.S. Treasury obligations, which differ in their interest rates, maturities and times of issuance: U.S. Treasury bills (maturities of one year or less), U.S. Treasury notes (maturities of one year to ten years) and U.S. Treasury bonds (generally maturities of greater than ten years) and (2) obligations issued or guaranteed by U.S. Government agencies and
instrumentalities that are supported by any of the following: (i) the full faith and credit of the U.S. Treasury, (ii) the right of the issuer to borrow an amount limited to a specific line of credit from the U.S. Treasury, (iii) discretionary authority of the U.S. Government to purchase certain obligations of the U.S. Government agency or instrumentality or (iv) the credit of the agency or instrumentality.
The Fund also may invest in any other security or agreement collateralized or otherwise secured by U.S. Government securities. Agencies and instrumentalities of the U.S. Government include but are not limited to: Federal Land Banks, Federal Financing Banks, Banks for Cooperatives, Federal Intermediate Credit Banks, Farm Credit Banks, Federal Home Loan Banks, Federal Home Loan Mortgage Corporation, Federal National Mortgage Association, Government National Mortgage Association, Student Loan Marketing Association, U.S. Postal Service, Small Business Administration, Tennessee Valley Authority and any other enterprise established or sponsored by the U.S. Government. Because the U.S. Government generally is not obligated to provide support to its instrumentalities, the Fund will invest in obligations issued by these instrumentalities only if its
sub-adviser
determines that the credit risk with respect to such obligations is minimal.
The Fund may invest in commercial paper. Commercial paper represents short-term unsecured promissory notes issued in bearer form by corporations such as banks or bank holding companies and finance companies.
The Fund may enter into repurchase agreements (the purchase of a security coupled with an agreement to resell that security at a higher price) with respect to its permitted investments. The Fund’s repurchase agreements will provide that the value of the collateral underlying the repurchase agreement will always be at least equal to the repurchase price, including any accrued interest earned on the agreement, and will be
daily.
The Fund may invest in securities of
non-U.S.
issuers that are U.S. dollar-denominated, which may include securities of issuers located, or conducting their business, in emerging market countries. The Fund will classify an issuer of a security as being a U.S. or
non-U.S.
issuer based on the determination of an unaffiliated, recognized financial data provider. Such determinations are based on a number of criteria, such as the
issuer’s country of domicile, the primary exchange on which the security predominately trades, the location from which the majority of the issuer’s revenue comes, and the issuer’s reporting currency. Furthermore, a country is considered to be an “emerging market” if it has a relatively low gross national product per capita compared to the world’s major economies and the potential for rapid economic growth. The Fund considers a country an emerging market country based on the determination of an international organization, such as the International Monetary Fund (“IMF”), or an unaffiliated, recognized financial data provider.
The Fund may buy and sell securities on a when-issued or delayed delivery basis, making payment or taking delivery at a later date, normally within 15 to 45 days of the trade date.
The Fund may invest in illiquid securities (i.e., securities that are not readily marketable), including, but not limited to, restricted securities (securities the disposition of which is restricted under the federal securities laws), securities that may be resold only pursuant to Rule 144A under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the “1933 Act”), and repurchase agreements with maturities in excess of seven days.
The Fund may enter into certain derivative instruments in pursuit of its investment objective, including to seek to enhance return, to hedge certain risks of its investments in securities or as a substitute for a position in the underlying asset. Such instruments include financial futures contracts and options thereon, swaps (with varying terms, including interest rate swaps and credit default swaps), options on interest rates, options on indices, options on swaps, options on currencies and other fixed-income derivative instruments that may have the economic effect of leverage.
The Fund may also invest in securities of other open- or
closed-end
investment companies (including ETFs) that invest primarily in securities of the types in which the Fund may invest directly, to the extent permitted by the Investment Company Act of 1940 Act, as amended (the “1940 Act”), the rules and regulations issued thereunder and applicable exemptive orders issued by the Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”).
The Fund may lend securities representing up to
one-third
of the value of its total assets to broker-dealers, banks, and other institutions to generate additional income. When the Fund loans its portfolio securities, it will receive, at the inception of each loan, cash collateral equal to at least 102% of the value of the loaned securities. Under the Fund’s securities lending agreement, the securities lending agent will generally bear the risk that a
borrower may default on its obligation to return loaned securities. The Fund, however, will be responsible for the risks associated with the investment of cash collateral. The Fund may lose money on its investment of cash collateral or may fail to earn sufficient income on its investment to meet its obligations to the borrower.
As a
non-fundamental
policy, the Fund will not leverage its capital structure by issuing senior securities such as the issuance of preferred shares of beneficial interest or debt instruments. However, the Fund may borrow for temporary or emergency purposes and may enter into certain derivatives transactions that have the economic effect of leverage.
Temporary Defensive Periods
During temporary defensive periods the Fund may deviate from its investment objective and policies, and in order to keep the Fund’s cash fully invested, the Fund may invest any portion of its Managed Assets in investment grade debt securities, including obligations issued or guaranteed by the U.S. government, its agencies and instrumentalities. The Fund may not achieve its investment objective during such periods.
NUVEEN S&P 500 DYNAMIC OVERWRITE FUND (SPXX)
The Fund’s investment objective is to seek attractive total return with less volatility than the S&P 500 Index.
Under normal circumstances, the Fund will invest at least 80% of its Assets (as defined below) in a diversified equity portfolio made up of securities comprising the S&P 500 Index (or securities that have economic characteristics that are similar to those securities comprising the S&P 500 Index) that seeks to substantially replicate price movements of the S&P 500 Index and is designed to support the Fund’s option strategy.
Under normal circumstances, the Fund expects to invest substantially all (at least 90%) of its Managed Assets (as defined below) in its equity portfolio or otherwise in pursuit of its investment objective.
The Fund’s
sub-adviser
uses a multi-factor quantitative model, which will consider opportunities to engage in
tax-loss
harvesting (i.e., periodically selling positions that have depreciated in value to realize capital losses that can be used to offset capital gains realized by the Fund) and other tax management considerations to improve
after-tax
shareholder outcomes, to construct the Fund’s equity portfolio.
The Fund employs a dynamic options “overwrite” strategy whereby the Fund’s
sub-adviser
sells (writes) call options on a varying percentage of the market value of the Fund’s equity portfolio based on its market outlook. Pursuant to this option strategy, under normal circumstances, the Fund sells (writes) index call options, call options on custom baskets of securities, and call options on individual securities. In addition to a primary emphasis on writing call options to reduce downside risk and volatility of the Fund’s equity portfolio, the Fund’s option strategy as a secondary emphasis seeks additional return opportunities by capitalizing on inefficiencies in the options market through a variety of means including the use of call spreads and selling put options.
The Fund targets an overwrite level (i.e., the ratio of the notional value of call options sold by the Fund to the market value of the Fund’s equity portfolio) of 55% of the value of its equity portfolio over time, and the overwrite level will vary, based on market conditions, between 35% to 75% of the value of its equity portfolio.
“Assets” means net assets of the Fund plus the amount of any borrowings for investment purposes. “Managed Assets” mean the total assets of the Fund, minus the sum of its accrued liabilities (other than Fund liabilities incurred for the express purpose of creating leverage). Total assets for this purpose shall include assets attributable to the Fund’s use of leverage (whether or not those assets are reflected in the Fund’s financial statements for purposes of generally accepted accounting principles), and derivatives will be valued at their market value.
Under normal market conditions:
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|
As a fundamental policy, the Fund may not concentrate (i.e., invest more than 25% of its total assets) in securities of issuers in any one industry; notwithstanding the foregoing, the Fund will be concentrated in an industry or group of industries to the extent the S&P 500 Index is concentrated in an industry or group of industries (the “Industry Concentration Policy”). |
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· |
|
The Fund may invest no more than 10% of its Managed Assets in short-term, high quality fixed-income securities. |
| |
· |
|
The Fund may invest up to 20% of its Managed Assets in securities of non-U.S. issuers that are United States (“U.S.”) dollar denominated, which may include securities of issuers located, or conducting their business, in emerging market countries. |
The foregoing policies apply only at the time of any new investment.
Approving Changes in Investment Policies
The Board of Trustees of the Fund may change the policies described above without a shareholder vote. However, with respect to the Fund’s policy of investing at least 80% of its Assets in its equity portfolio, such policies may not be changed without 60 days’ prior written notice to shareholders.
However, the Fund’s fundamental Industry Concentration Policy may not be changed without the approval of the holders of a majority of the outstanding common shares. A “majority of the outstanding” shares means (i) 67% or more of the shares present at a meeting, if the holders of more than 50% of the shares are present or represented by proxy or (ii) more than 50% of the shares, whichever is less.
The Fund will invest in a portfolio of individual common stocks designed to replicate the risk and return profile, and thereby substantially replicate price movements of the S&P 500 Index. The Fund may also invest in other investment companies, including exchange-traded fund (“ETFs”), that provide similar exposure to individual common stocks consistent with the Fund’s investment objective. Common stock generally represents an equity ownership interest in an issuer, without preference over and with a lower priority than any other class of securities, including such issuer’s debt securities, preferred stock and other senior equity securities. Common stocks usually carry voting rights and earn dividends. Common stocks fluctuate in price in response to many factors including historical and prospective earnings of the issuer, the value of its assets, general economic conditions, interest rates, investor perceptions and market liquidity, as such the company may or may not pay dividends. Dividends on common stocks are declared at the discretion of the company’s board. In addition, common stock generally has the greatest appreciation and depreciation potential because increases and decreases in earnings are usually reflected in a company’s stock price.
As part of its option strategy, the Fund sells (writes) index call options, call options on custom baskets of securities, and covered or uncovered call options on individual securities. An option contract is a contract that gives the holder of the option, in return for a premium, the right to buy from (in the case of a call) or sell to (in the case of a put) the writer of the option the reference instrument underlying the option (or the cash value of the index) at a specified exercise price at any time during the term of the option. The writer of an option on a security has the obligation upon exercise of the option to deliver the reference instrument (or the cash) upon payment of the exercise price or to pay the exercise price upon delivery of the reference instrument (or the cash). Upon exercise of an index option, the writer of an option on an index is obligated to pay the difference between the cash value of the index and the exercise price multiplied by the specified multiplier for the index option. Options may be “covered,” meaning that the party required to deliver the reference instrument if the option is exercised owns that instrument (or has set aside sufficient assets to meet its obligation to deliver the instrument). Options may be listed on an exchange or traded in the
(“OTC”) market. In general, exchange-traded options have standardized exercise prices and expiration dates and may require the parties to post margin against their obligations, and the performance of the parties’ obligations in connection with such options is guaranteed by the exchange or a related clearing corporation. OTC options have more flexible terms negotiated between the buyer and the seller but are subject to counterparty risk. The ability of the Fund to transact business with any one or any number of counterparties, the lack of any independent evaluation of the counterparties or their financial capabilities, and the absence of a regulated market to facilitate settlement, may increase the potential for losses to the Fund. OTC options also involve greater liquidity risk. This risk may be increased in times of financial stress, if the trading market for OTC derivative contracts becomes limited.
In carrying out its option strategy, the Fund may write index call options on the S&P 500 Index and other broad-based indices and may, if the Fund’s
sub-adviser
deems conditions appropriate, write call options on a variety of other equity market indices. As the seller of an index call option, the Fund receives a premium from the purchaser. The purchaser of the index call option has the right to any appreciation in the value of the index over the exercise price upon the exercise of the call option or the expiration date. If, at expiration, the purchaser exercises the index option sold by the Fund, the Fund will pay the purchaser the difference between the cash value of the index and the exercise price of the index option. The premium, the exercise price and the market value of the index determine the gain or loss realized by the Fund as the seller of the index call option.
The Fund may also write call options on custom baskets of securities. A custom basket call option is an OTC option with a counterparty whose value is linked to the market value of a portfolio of underlying securities and is collateralized by a portion of the Fund’s equity portfolio. In designing the custom basket call options, the Fund’s
sub-adviser
will primarily select assets not held by the Fund. In order to minimize the difference between the returns of the underlying securities in the custom basket (commonly referred to as a tracking error), the Fund’s
sub-adviser
will use optimization calculations when selecting the individual securities for inclusion in the custom basket.
The Fund may also write single name call options, both covered and “naked” or uncovered, on individual stocks. A call option written by the Fund on an individual security is “covered” if the Fund owns the security underlying the call or has an absolute and immediate right to acquire that security without additional cash consideration. Conversely, “naked” call options are those representing more shares of the security underlying the call than are held in the Fund’s portfolio. The Fund, in effect, sells the potential appreciation in the value of the security subject to the call option in exchange for the premium. The Fund may execute a closing purchase transaction with respect to an option it has sold and sell another option (with either a different exercise price or expiration date or both). The Fund’s objective in entering into such a closing transaction will be to optimize net index option premiums. The cost of a closing transaction may reduce the net option premiums realized from the sale of the option. This reduction could be offset, at least in part, by appreciation in the value of the underlying security held in the Fund’s equity portfolio, and by the opportunity to realize additional premium income from selling a new option.
The Fund may also use call spreads as part of its option strategy. A call spread involves the sale of a call option and the corresponding purchase of a call option on the same underlying instrument with the same expiration date but with different exercise prices. The call spreads utilized by the Fund generally will generate less net option premium than writing calls, but limit the overall risk of the strategy by capping the Fund’s liability from the written call while simultaneously allowing for additional upside above the strike price of the purchased call.
The Fund may also use put options as part of its option strategy. A put option gives the purchaser of the option the right (but not the obligation) to sell, and the writer of the option the obligation to buy, the underlying instrument (or the cash value of the index) at a stated price (the “exercise price”) at any time before the option expires. The purchase price for a put option is the “premium” paid by the purchaser for the right to sell. When the Fund sells a put option on an underlying instrument and the underlying instrument decreases in value, the purchaser of the put option has the right to exercise the option, obligating the Fund to purchase the underlying instrument at an exercise price that is higher than the prevailing market price. The Fund collects option premium income when it sells the put option. If the underlying instrument increases in value, the purchaser of the put option is unlikely to exercise the option since the prevailing market price will be higher than the exercise price. Accordingly, the Fund retains all put premium income collected during market advances.
The Fund may invest in U.S. Government securities. U.S. Government securities include (1) U.S. Treasury obligations, which differ in their interest rates, maturities and times of issuance: U.S. Treasury bills (maturities of one year or less), U.S. Treasury notes (maturities of one year to ten years) and U.S. Treasury bonds (generally maturities of greater than ten years) and (2) obligations issued or guaranteed by U.S. Government agencies and instrumentalities that are supported by any of the following: (i) the full faith and credit of the U.S. Treasury, (ii) the right of the issuer to borrow an
amount limited to a specific line of credit from the U.S. Treasury, (iii) discretionary authority of the U.S. Government to purchase certain obligations of the U.S. Government agency or instrumentality or (iv) the credit of the agency or instrumentality.
The Fund also may invest in any other security or agreement collateralized or otherwise secured by U.S. Government securities. Agencies and instrumentalities of the U.S. Government include but are not limited to: Federal Land Banks, Federal Financing Banks, Banks for Cooperatives, Federal Intermediate Credit Banks, Farm Credit Banks, Federal Home Loan Banks, Federal Home Loan Mortgage Corporation, Federal National Mortgage Association, Government National Mortgage Association, Student Loan Marketing Association, U.S. Postal Service, Small Business Administration, Tennessee Valley Authority and any other enterprise established or sponsored by the U.S. Government. Because the U.S. Government generally is not obligated to provide support to its instrumentalities, the Fund will invest in obligations issued by these instrumentalities only if its
sub-adviser
determines that the credit risk with respect to such obligations is minimal.
The Fund may invest in commercial paper. Commercial paper represents short-term unsecured promissory notes issued in bearer form by corporations such as banks or bank holding companies and finance companies.
The Fund may enter into repurchase agreements (the purchase of a security coupled with an agreement to resell that security at a higher price) with respect to its permitted investments. The Fund’s repurchase agreements will provide that the value of the collateral underlying the repurchase agreement will always be at least equal to the repurchase price, including any accrued interest earned on the agreement, and will be
daily.
The Fund may invest in securities of
non-U.S.
issuers that are U.S. dollar-denominated, which may include securities of issuers located, or conducting their business, in emerging market countries. The Fund will classify an issuer of a security as being a U.S. or
non-U.S.
issuer based on the determination of an unaffiliated, recognized financial data provider. Such determinations are based on a number of criteria, such as the
issuer’s country of domicile, the primary exchange on which the security predominately trades, the location from which the majority of the issuer’s revenue comes, and the issuer’s reporting currency. Furthermore, a country is considered to be an “emerging market” if it has a relatively low gross national product per capita compared to the world’s major economies and the potential for rapid economic growth. The Fund considers a country an emerging market country based on the determination of an international organization, such as the International Monetary Fund (“IMF”), or an unaffiliated, recognized financial data provider.
The Fund may buy and sell securities on a when-issued or delayed delivery basis, making payment or taking delivery at a later date, normally within 15 to 45 days of the trade date.
The Fund may invest in illiquid securities (i.e., securities that are not readily marketable), including, but not limited to, restricted securities (securities the disposition of which is restricted under the federal securities laws), securities that may be resold only pursuant to Rule 144A under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the “1933 Act”), and repurchase agreements with maturities in excess of seven days.
The Fund may enter into certain derivative instruments in pursuit of its investment objective, including to seek to enhance return, to hedge certain risks of its investments in securities or as a substitute for a position in the underlying asset. Such instruments include financial futures contracts and options thereon, swaps (with varying terms, including interest rate swaps and credit default swaps), options on interest rates, options on indices, options on swaps, options on currencies and other fixed-income derivative instruments that may have the economic effect of leverage.
The Fund may also invest in securities of other open- or
closed-end
investment companies (including ETFs) that invest primarily in securities of the types in which the Fund may invest directly, to the extent permitted by the Investment Company Act of 1940 Act, as amended (the “1940 Act”), the rules and regulations issued thereunder and applicable exemptive orders issued by the Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”).
The Fund may lend securities representing up to
one-third
of the value of its total assets to broker-dealers, banks, and other institutions to generate additional income. When the Fund loans its portfolio securities, it will receive, at the inception of each loan, cash collateral equal to at least 102% of the value of the loaned securities. Under the Fund’s securities lending agreement, the securities lending agent will generally bear the risk that a borrower may default on its obligation to return loaned securities. The Fund, however, will be responsible for the risks associated with the investment of cash collateral. The Fund may lose money on its investment of cash collateral or may fail to earn sufficient income on its investment to meet its obligations to the borrower.
As a
non-fundamental
policy, the Fund will not leverage its capital structure by issuing senior securities such as the issuance of preferred shares of beneficial interest or debt instruments. However, the Fund may borrow for temporary or emergency purposes and may enter into certain derivatives transactions that have the economic effect of leverage.
Temporary Defensive Periods
During temporary defensive periods the Fund may deviate from its investment objective and policies, and in order to keep the Fund’s cash fully invested, the Fund may invest any portion of its Managed Assets in investment grade debt securities, including obligations issued or guaranteed by the U.S. government, its agencies and instrumentalities. The Fund may not achieve its investment objective during such periods.
NUVEEN NASDAQ 100 DYNAMIC OVERWRITE FUND (QQQX)
The Fund’s investment objective is to seek attractive total return with less volatility than the Nasdaq 100 Index.
Under normal circumstances, the Fund will invest at least 80% of its Assets (as defined below) in an equity portfolio made up of securities comprising the Nasdaq 100 Index (or securities that have economic characteristics that are similar to those securities comprising the Nasdaq 100 Index) that seeks to substantially replicate price movements of the Nasdaq 100 Index and is designed to support the Fund’s option strategy.
Under normal circumstances, the Fund expects to invest substantially all (at least 90%) of its Managed Assets (as defined below) in its equity portfolio or otherwise in pursuit of its investment objective.
The Fund’s
sub-adviser
uses a multi-factor quantitative model, which will consider opportunities to engage in
tax-loss
harvesting (i.e., periodically selling positions that have depreciated in value to realize capital losses that can be used to offset capital gains realized by the Fund) and other tax management considerations to improve
after-tax
shareholder outcomes, to construct the Fund’s equity portfolio.
The Fund employs a dynamic options “overwrite” strategy whereby the Fund’s
sub-adviser
sells (writes) call options on a varying percentage of the market value of the Fund’s equity portfolio based on its market outlook. Pursuant to this option strategy, under normal circumstances, the Fund sells (writes) index call options, call options on custom baskets of securities, and call options on individual securities. In addition to a primary emphasis on writing call options to reduce downside risk and volatility of the Fund’s equity portfolio, the Fund’s option strategy as a secondary emphasis seeks additional return opportunities by capitalizing on inefficiencies in the options market through a variety of means including the use of call spreads and selling put options.
The Fund targets an overwrite level (i.e., the ratio of the notional value of call options sold by the Fund to the market value of the Fund’s equity portfolio) of 55% of the value of its equity portfolio over time, and the overwrite level will vary, based on market conditions, between 35% to 75% of the value of its equity portfolio.
“Assets” means net assets of the Fund plus the amount of any borrowings for investment purposes. “Managed Assets” mean the total assets of the Fund, minus the sum of its accrued liabilities (other than Fund liabilities incurred for the express purpose of creating leverage). Total assets for this purpose shall include assets attributable to the Fund’s use of leverage (whether or not those assets are reflected in the Fund’s financial statements for purposes of generally accepted accounting principles), and derivatives will be valued at their market value.
Under normal market conditions:
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As a fundamental policy, the Fund may not concentrate (i.e., invest more than 25% of its total assets) in securities of issuers in any one industry, except that if 25% or more of the securities in the Nasdaq 100 Index are issued by companies in one industry, the Fund will concentrate in that industry unless the Fund would need to avoid concentration in order to implement its investment strategy as it relates to avoiding the adverse tax treatment associated with straddle positions (the “Industry Concentration Policy”). |
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The Fund may invest no more than 10% of its Managed Assets in short-term, high quality fixed-income securities. |
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The Fund may invest up to 20% of its Managed Assets in securities of non-U.S. issuers that are United States (“U.S.”) dollar denominated, which may include securities of issuers located, or conducting their business, in emerging market countries. |
The foregoing policies apply only at the time of any new investment.
Approving Changes in Investment Policies
The Board of Trustees of the Fund may change the policies described above without a shareholder vote. However, with respect to the Fund’s policy of investing at least 80% of its Assets in the equity portfolio, such policy may not be changed without 60 days’ prior written notice to shareholders.
However, the Fund’s fundamental Industry Concentration Policy may not be changed without the approval of the holders of a majority of the outstanding common shares. A “majority of the outstanding” shares means (i) 67% or more of the shares present at a meeting, if the holders of more than 50% of the shares are present or represented by proxy or (ii) more than 50% of the shares, whichever is less.
The Fund will invest in a portfolio of individual common stocks designed to replicate the risk and return profile, and thereby substantially replicate price movements of the Nasdaq 100 Index. The Fund may also invest in other investment companies, including exchange-traded fund (“ETFs”), that provide similar exposure to individual common stocks consistent with the Fund’s investment objective. Common stock generally represents an equity ownership interest in an issuer, without preference over and with a lower priority than any other class of securities, including such issuer’s debt securities, preferred stock and other senior equity securities. Common stocks usually carry voting rights and earn dividends. Common stocks fluctuate in price in response to many factors including historical and prospective earnings of the issuer, the value of its assets, general economic conditions, interest rates, investor perceptions and market liquidity, as such the company may or may not pay dividends. Dividends on common stocks are declared at the discretion of the company’s board. In addition, common stock generally has the greatest appreciation and depreciation potential because increases and decreases in earnings are usually reflected in a company’s stock price.
As part of its option strategy, the Fund sells (writes) index call options, call options on custom baskets of securities, and covered or uncovered call options on individual securities. An option contract is a contract that gives the holder of the option, in return for a premium, the right to buy from (in the case of a call) or sell to (in the case of a put) the writer of the option the reference instrument underlying the option (or the cash value of the index) at a specified exercise price at any time during the term of the option. The writer of an option on a security has the obligation upon exercise of the option to deliver the reference instrument (or the cash) upon payment of the exercise price or to pay the exercise price upon delivery of the reference instrument (or the cash). Upon exercise of an index option, the writer of an option on an index is obligated to pay the difference between the cash value of the index and the exercise price multiplied by the specified multiplier for the index option. Options may be “covered,” meaning that the party required to deliver the reference instrument if the option is exercised owns that instrument (or has set aside sufficient assets to meet its obligation to deliver the instrument). Options may be listed on an exchange or traded in the
(“OTC”) market. In general, exchange-traded options have standardized exercise prices and expiration dates and may require the parties to post margin against their obligations, and the performance of the parties’ obligations in connection with such options is guaranteed by the exchange or a related clearing corporation. OTC options have more flexible terms negotiated between the buyer and the seller but are subject to counterparty risk. The ability of the Fund to transact business with any one or any number of counterparties, the lack of any independent evaluation of the counterparties or their financial capabilities, and the absence of a regulated market to facilitate settlement, may increase the potential for losses to the Fund. OTC options also involve greater liquidity risk. This risk may be increased in times of financial stress, if the trading market for OTC derivative contracts becomes limited.
In carrying out its option strategy, the Fund may write index call options on the Nasdaq 100 Index and other broad-based indices and may, if the Fund’s
sub-adviser
deems conditions appropriate, write call options on a variety of other equity market indices. As the seller of an index call option, the Fund receives a premium from the purchaser. The purchaser of the index call option has the right to any appreciation in the value of the index over the exercise price upon the exercise of the call option or the expiration date. If, at expiration, the purchaser exercises the index option sold by the Fund, the Fund will pay the purchaser the difference between the cash value of the index and the exercise price of the index option. The premium, the exercise price and the market value of the index determine the gain or loss realized by the Fund as the seller of the index call option.
The Fund may also write call options on custom baskets of securities. A custom basket call option is an OTC option with a counterparty whose value is linked to the market value of a portfolio of underlying securities and is collateralized by a portion of the Fund’s equity portfolio. In designing the custom basket call options, the Fund’s
sub-adviser
will primarily select assets not held by the Fund. In order to minimize the difference between the returns of the underlying securities in the custom basket (commonly referred to as a tracking error), the Fund’s
sub-adviser
will use optimization calculations when selecting the individual securities for inclusion in the custom basket.
The Fund may also write single name call options, both covered and “naked” or uncovered, on individual stocks. A call option written by the Fund on an individual security is “covered” if the Fund owns the security underlying the call or has an absolute and immediate right to acquire that security without additional cash consideration. Conversely, “naked” call options are those representing more shares of the security underlying the call than are held in the Fund’s portfolio. The Fund, in effect, sells the potential appreciation in the value of the security subject to the call option in exchange for the premium. The Fund may execute a closing purchase transaction with respect to an option it has sold and sell another option (with either a different exercise price or expiration date or both). The Fund’s objective in entering into such a closing transaction will be to optimize net index option premiums. The cost of a closing transaction may reduce the net option premiums realized from the sale of the option. This reduction could be offset, at least in part, by appreciation in the value of the underlying security held in the Fund’s equity portfolio, and by the opportunity to realize additional premium income from selling a new option.
The Fund may also use call spreads as part of its option strategy. A call spread involves the sale of a call option and the corresponding purchase of a call option on the same underlying instrument with the same expiration date but with different exercise prices. The call spreads utilized by the Fund generally will generate less net option premium than writing calls, but limit the overall risk of the strategy by capping the Fund’s liability from the written call while simultaneously allowing for additional upside above the strike price of the purchased call.
The Fund may also use put options as part of its option strategy. A put option gives the purchaser of the option the right (but not the obligation) to sell, and the writer of the option the obligation to buy, the underlying instrument (or the cash value of the index) at a stated price (the “exercise price”) at any time before the option expires. The purchase price for a put option is the “premium” paid by the purchaser for the right to sell. When the Fund sells a put option on an underlying instrument and the underlying instrument decreases in value, the purchaser of the put option has the right to exercise the option, obligating the Fund to purchase the underlying instrument at an exercise price that is higher than the prevailing market price. The Fund collects option premium income when it sells the put option. If the underlying instrument increases in value, the purchaser of the put option is unlikely to exercise the option since the prevailing market price will be higher than the exercise price. Accordingly, the Fund retains all put premium income collected during market advances.
The Fund may invest in U.S. Government securities. U.S. Government securities include (1) U.S. Treasury obligations, which differ in their interest rates, maturities and times of issuance: U.S. Treasury bills (maturities of one year or less), U.S. Treasury notes (maturities of one year to ten years) and U.S. Treasury bonds (generally maturities of greater than ten years) and (2) obligations issued or guaranteed by U.S. Government agencies and instrumentalities that are supported by any of the following: (i) the full faith and credit of the U.S. Treasury, (ii) the right of the issuer to borrow an
amount limited to a specific line of credit from the U.S. Treasury, (iii) discretionary authority of the U.S. Government to purchase certain obligations of the U.S. Government agency or instrumentality or (iv) the credit of the agency or instrumentality.
The Fund also may invest in any other security or agreement collateralized or otherwise secured by U.S. Government securities. Agencies and instrumentalities of the U.S. Government include but are not limited to: Federal Land Banks, Federal Financing Banks, Banks for Cooperatives, Federal Intermediate Credit Banks, Farm Credit Banks, Federal Home Loan Banks, Federal Home Loan Mortgage Corporation, Federal National Mortgage Association, Government National Mortgage Association, Student Loan Marketing Association, U.S. Postal Service, Small Business Administration, Tennessee Valley Authority and any other enterprise established or sponsored by the U.S. Government. Because the U.S. Government generally is not obligated to provide support to its instrumentalities, the Fund will invest in obligations issued by these instrumentalities only if its
sub-adviser
determines that the credit risk with respect to such obligations is minimal.
The Fund may invest in commercial paper. Commercial paper represents short-term unsecured promissory notes issued in bearer form by corporations such as banks or bank holding companies and finance companies.
The Fund may enter into repurchase agreements (the purchase of a security coupled with an agreement to resell that security at a higher price) with respect to its permitted investments. The Fund’s repurchase agreements will provide that the value of the collateral underlying the repurchase agreement will always be at least equal to the repurchase price, including any accrued interest earned on the agreement, and will be
daily.
The Fund may invest in securities of
non-U.S.
issuers that are U.S. dollar-denominated, which may include securities of issuers located, or conducting their business, in emerging market countries. The Fund will classify an issuer of a security as being a U.S. or
non-U.S.
issuer based on the determination of an unaffiliated, recognized financial data provider. Such determinations are based on a number of criteria, such as the
issuer’s country of domicile, the primary exchange on which the security predominately trades, the location from which the majority of the issuer’s revenue comes, and the issuer’s reporting currency. Furthermore, a country is considered to be an “emerging market” if it has a relatively low gross national product per capita compared to the world’s major economies and the potential for rapid economic growth. The Fund considers a country an emerging market country based on the determination of an international organization, such as the International Monetary Fund (“IMF”), or an unaffiliated, recognized financial data provider.
The Fund may buy and sell securities on a when-issued or delayed delivery basis, making payment or taking delivery at a later date, normally within 15 to 45 days of the trade date.
The Fund may invest in illiquid securities (i.e., securities that are not readily marketable), including, but not limited to, restricted securities (securities the disposition of which is restricted under the federal securities laws), securities that may be resold only pursuant to Rule 144A under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the “1933 Act”), and repurchase agreements with maturities in excess of seven days.
The Fund may enter into certain derivative instruments in pursuit of its investment objective, including to seek to enhance return, to hedge certain risks of its investments in securities or as a substitute for a position in the underlying asset. Such instruments include financial futures contracts and options thereon, swaps (with varying terms, including interest rate swaps and credit default swaps), options on interest rates, options on indices, options on swaps, options on currencies and other fixed-income derivative instruments that may have the economic effect of leverage.
The Fund may also invest in securities of other open- or
closed-end
investment companies (including ETFs) that invest primarily in securities of the types in which the Fund may invest directly, to the extent permitted by the Investment Company Act of 1940 Act, as amended (the “1940 Act”), the rules and regulations issued thereunder and applicable exemptive orders issued by the Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”).
The Fund may lend securities representing up to
one-third
of the value of its total assets to broker-dealers, banks, and other institutions to generate additional income. When the Fund loans its portfolio securities, it will receive, at the inception of each loan, cash collateral equal to at least 102% of the value of the loaned securities. Under the Fund’s securities lending agreement, the securities lending agent will generally bear the risk that a borrower may default on its obligation to return loaned securities. The Fund, however, will be responsible for the risks associated with the investment of cash collateral. The Fund may lose money on its investment of cash collateral or may fail to earn sufficient income on its investment to meet its obligations to the borrower.
As a
non-fundamental
policy, the Fund will not leverage its capital structure by issuing senior securities such as the issuance of preferred shares of beneficial interest or debt instruments. However, the Fund may borrow for temporary or emergency purposes and may enter into certain derivatives transactions that have the economic effect of leverage.
Temporary Defensive Periods
During temporary defensive periods the Fund may deviate from its investment objective and policies, and in order to keep the Fund’s cash fully invested, the Fund may invest any portion of its Managed Assets in investment grade debt securities, including obligations issued or guaranteed by the U.S. government, its agencies and instrumentalities. The Fund may not achieve its investment objective during such periods.
