Emerging Market Securities
Risk. Securities issued by foreign governments or companies in emerging market countries, such
as China, Russia and certain countries in Eastern Europe, the Middle East, Asia, Latin America or Africa, are more likely to have greater exposure to the risks of investing in
foreign securities that are described in Foreign Securities Risk. In addition, emerging market countries are more likely to experience instability resulting, for example, from rapid changes or developments in social, political, economic or other conditions. Their economies are usually
less mature and their securities markets are typically less developed with more limited trading activity (i.e., lower trading volumes and less liquidity) than more developed
countries. Emerging market securities tend to be more volatile, and may be more susceptible to market manipulation, than securities in more developed markets. Many emerging market countries are heavily dependent on international trade and have fewer trading partners, which makes
them more sensitive to world commodity prices and economic downturns in other countries, and some have a higher risk of currency devaluations. Due to the differences in the nature
and quality of financial information of issuers of emerging market securities, including auditing and financial reporting standards, financial information and disclosures about such issuers may be unavailable or, if made available, may be considerably less reliable than publicly
available information about other foreign securities.
Fixed Income Instruments Risk. The Fund is subject to the general risks and considerations associated with
investing in debt securities, including the risk that issuers will fail to make timely payments of principal or interest or default altogether. Lower-rated securities in which the Fund may invest may be more volatile and may decline more in price
in response to negative issuer developments or general economic news than higher rated securities. In addition, as interest rates rise, the Fund’s investments typically will
lose value.
Foreign Securities Risk. Investments in or exposure to securities of foreign companies may involve heightened risks relative to investments in or
exposure to securities of U.S. companies. Investing in securities of foreign companies subjects the Fund to the risks associated with an issuer’s (and any of its related
companies’) country of organization and places of business operations, including risks related to political, regulatory, economic, social, diplomatic and other conditions or events (including, for example, military confrontations and actions, war, other conflicts, terrorism and
disease/virus outbreaks and epidemics) occurring in the country or region, as well as risks associated with less developed custody and settlement practices. Foreign securities may
be more volatile and less liquid than securities of U.S. companies and are subject to the risks associated with potential imposition of economic and other sanctions against a particular foreign country, its nationals or industries or businesses within the country. In addition, foreign
governments may impose withholding or other taxes on the Fund’s income, capital gains or proceeds from the
disposition of foreign securities, which could reduce the Fund’s return on such
securities.
High-Yield Investments Risk. Securities and other debt instruments held by the Fund that are rated below
investment grade (commonly called “high-yield” or “junk” bonds) and unrated debt instruments of comparable quality expose the Fund to a greater risk of loss of principal and income than a fund that invests solely or primarily in investment
grade debt instruments. In addition, these investments have greater price fluctuations, are less liquid and are more likely to experience a default than higher-rated debt
instruments. High-yield debt instruments are considered to be predominantly speculative with respect to the issuer’s capacity to pay interest and repay
principal.
Interest Rate Risk. Interest rate risk is the risk of losses attributable to changes in interest rates. In general, if interest rates rise, the
values of debt instruments tend to fall, and if interest rates fall, the values of debt instruments tend to rise. Changes in the value of a debt instrument usually will not affect
the amount of income the Fund receives from it but will generally affect the value of your investment in the Fund. Changes in interest rates may also affect the liquidity of the Fund’s investments in debt instruments. In general, the longer the maturity or duration of a debt
instrument, the greater its sensitivity to changes in interest rates. For example, a three-year duration means a bond is expected to decrease in value by 3% if interest rates rise 1% and increase in value by 3% if interest rates fall 1%.
Interest rate declines also may increase prepayments of debt obligations, which, in turn, would increase prepayment risk. The Fund is subject to the risk that the income generated by its investments may not keep pace with inflation. Actions
by governments and central banking authorities can result in increases or decreases in interest rates. Higher periods of inflation could lead such authorities to raise interest
rates. Such actions may negatively affect the value of debt instruments held by the Fund, resulting in a negative impact on the Fund's performance and NAV. Any interest rate increases could cause the value of the Fund’s investments in debt instruments to decrease. Rising interest rates
may prompt redemptions from the Fund, which may force the Fund to sell investments at a time when it is not
advantageous to do so, which could result in losses.
Issuer Risk. An issuer in which the Fund invests or to which it has exposure may perform poorly or below
expectations, and the value of its securities may therefore decline, which may negatively affect the Fund’s
performance. Underperformance of an issuer may be caused by poor management decisions, competitive pressures,