market capitalization, the portfolio
managers tend to favor the securities of mid- and large-capitalization issuers.
The Fund may invest up to 50% of its net assets in securities of foreign issuers, which may
include securities of issuers located in emerging market countries, i.e., those that are generally in the early stages of their industrial cycles. The Fund may invest in depositary receipts or local shares to gain exposure to foreign
companies.
The Fund may invest in illiquid or thinly traded securities, such as
private equity investments. The Fund may also invest in securities that are subject to resale
restrictions such as those contained in Rule 144A promulgated under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended.
The Fund can invest in derivative instruments including options and futures
contracts.
The Fund can use options, including call options, for hedging and
investment purposes.
The Fund can use futures contracts, including index futures, to gain
exposure to the broad market by equitizing cash and to seek to hedge against downside
risk.
The Fund is non-diversified, which means it can invest a greater percentage of its assets in a small group of issuers or any one issuer than a diversified fund
can.
In selecting investments for the Fund, the portfolio managers look for companies using a “bottom-up” stock selection process. The “bottom-up” approach
focuses on fundamental analysis of individual issuers before considering the impact of overall economic, market or industry trends. This approach includes analysis of a company’s financial statements and management structure and
consideration of the company’s operations, product development, and its industry position. The portfolio managers currently focus on companies that the portfolio managers believe are characterized by industry leadership,
market share growth, high caliber management teams, sustainable competitive advantages, and strong growth themes or new innovative products or services. The portfolio managers monitor individual issuers for changes
in the factors above, which may trigger a decision to sell a security, but does not require a decision to do so. The factors considered by the portfolio managers may vary in particular cases and may change over
time.
In attempting to meet its investment objective or to manage subscription and redemption requests, the Fund may engage in active and frequent trading of
portfolio securities.
Principal Risks of Investing in the
Fund
As with any mutual fund investment, loss of money is a risk of investing. An investment in the Fund is not a deposit in a bank and is not insured or guaranteed by the Federal Deposit
Insurance Corporation or any other governmental agency. The risks associated with an investment in the Fund can increase during times of significant market volatility. The principal risks of investing in the Fund
are:
Market Risk. The market values of the Fund’s investments, and therefore the value of the Fund’s shares, will
go up and down, sometimes rapidly or unpredictably. Market risk may affect a single issuer, industry or section of the economy, or it may affect the market as a whole. The value of the Fund’s investments may
go up or down due to general market conditions that are not specifically related to the particular issuer. These market conditions may include real or perceived adverse economic conditions, changes in trade regulation or
economic sanctions, changes in the general outlook for revenues or corporate earnings, changes in interest or currency rates, regional or global instability and uncertainty, natural or environmental disasters,
widespread disease or other public health issues, war, military conflict, acts of terrorism, economic crisis or adverse investor sentiment generally, among others. Certain changes in the U.S. economy in particular, such as when the U.S.
economy weakens or when its financial markets decline, may have a material adverse effect on global financial markets as a whole, and on the securities to which the Fund has exposure. Increasingly strained relations
between the U.S. and foreign countries,
including as a result of economic sanctions and tariffs, may also adversely affect U.S. issuers, as well as
non-U.S. issuers.
During a general downturn in the financial markets, multiple asset classes may decline in value. When markets perform well, there can be no assurance that specific investments
held by the Fund will rise in value.
Technology
Sector Risk. Factors that may also significantly affect the market value of securities of issuers in the technology sector include the failure to obtain, or delays in
obtaining, financing or regulatory approval, intense competition, product compatibility, changing consumer preferences, increased government scrutiny, high required corporate capital expenditure for research and development or
infrastructure and development of new products, rapid obsolescence and competition from alternative technologies. Such issuers are also heavily dependent on patent and other intellectual property rights, and the loss or
impairment of these rights may adversely affect an issuer's profitability.
Investing in Stocks
Risk. The value of the Fund’s portfolio may be affected by changes in the stock markets. Stock markets may experience significant short-term volatility and
may fall or rise sharply at times. Adverse events in any part of the equity or fixed-income markets may have unexpected negative effects on other market segments. Different stock markets may behave differently from each
other and U.S. stock markets may move in the opposite direction from one or more foreign stock markets.
The prices of individual stocks generally do not all move in the same
direction at the same time. However, individual stock prices tend to go up and down more
dramatically than those of certain other types of investments, such as bonds. A variety of factors can negatively affect the price of a particular company’s stock. These factors may include, but are not limited to: poor earnings
reports, a loss of customers, litigation against the company, general unfavorable performance of the company’s sector or industry, or changes in government regulations affecting the company or its industry. To the extent that
securities of a particular type are emphasized (for example foreign stocks, stocks of small- or mid-cap companies, growth or value stocks, or stocks of companies in a particular industry), Fund share values may fluctuate more in
response to events affecting the market for those types of securities.
Growth Investing Risk. The market values of growth securities may be more volatile than other types of investments. The returns on growth securities may or may not move in
tandem with the returns on other styles of investing or the overall stock market. If a growth company’s earnings or stock price fails to increase as anticipated, or if its business plans do not produce the expected results,
the value of its securities may decline sharply. Growth companies may be newer or smaller companies that may experience greater stock price fluctuations and risks of loss than larger, more established companies. Newer
growth companies tend to retain a large part of their earnings for research, development or investments in capital assets. Therefore, they may not pay any dividends for some time. Growth securities typically invest a
high portion of their earnings back into their business and may lack the dividend yield that could cushion their decline in a market downturn. During periods when growth investing is out of favor or when markets are
unstable, it may be more difficult to sell growth company securities at an acceptable price and the securities of growth companies may underperform the securities of value companies or the overall stock market. Growth stocks
may also be more volatile than other securities because of investor speculation and the value of the Fund’s investments will vary and at times may be lower than that of other types of investments.
Small- and Mid-Capitalization Companies Risk. Investing in
securities of small- and mid-capitalization companies involves greater risk than customarily is
associated with investing in larger, more established companies. Stocks of small- and mid-capitalization companies tend to be more vulnerable to changing market conditions, may have little or no operating history or track record of
success, and may have more limited product lines and markets, less experienced management and fewer
financial resources than larger companies. These companies’ securities may