N-1A 1 b90793a1nv1a.htm JOHN HANCOCK EXCHANGE-TRADED FUND TRUST nv1a
As filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission on August 9, 2012
File Nos. 333-[ ]
811-22733
 
 
UNITED STATES
SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION
Washington, D.C. 20549
Form N-1A
REGISTRATION STATEMENT UNDER THE SECURITIES ACT OF 1933      þ
Pre-Effective Amendment No. ___
Post-Effective Amendment No. ___
and
REGISTRATION STATEMENT UNDER THE INVESTMENT
COMPANY ACT OF 1940
      þ
Amendment No. ____
John Hancock Exchange-Traded Fund Trust
(Exact name of Registrant as Specified in Charter)
601 Congress Street
Boston, MA 02210-2805
(Address of Principal Executive Offices) (Zip Code)
Registrant’s Telephone Number, including area code:
(617) 663-3000
Name and address of agent for service:
Thomas M. Kinzler, Esq.
601 Congress Street
Boston, MA 02210-2805
COPY TO:
Christopher P. Harvey, Esq.
Allison M. Fumai, Esq.
Dechert LLP
200 Clarendon Street, 27th Floor
Boston, MA 02116-5021
Approximate Date of Proposed Public Offering: As soon as practicable after the effective date of this registration statement.
The Registrant hereby amends this Registration Statement on such date or dates as may be necessary to delay its effective date until the Registrant shall file a further amendment which specifically states that this Registration Statement shall thereafter become effective in accordance with Section 8(a) of the Securities Act of 1933, or until the Registration Statement shall become effective on such date as the Securities and Exchange Commission, acting pursuant to said Section 8(a), may determine.
 
 

 


 

(JOHN HANCOCK MUTUAL FUNDS LOGO)
 
 
An Actively-Managed Exchange-Traded Fund
John Hancock
Global Balanced ETF

 
     
 [Ticker Symbol] -
  NYSE Arca, Inc.

 
Prospectus [Date]
 
 
The information in this prospectus is incomplete and may be changed. We may not sell these securities until the registration statement filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission is effective. This prospectus is not an offer to sell these securities, and we are not soliciting to buy these securities in any state where the offer or sale is not permitted.
 
The Securities and Exchange Commission has not approved or disapproved this fund or determined whether the information in this prospectus is adequate and accurate. Anyone who indicates otherwise is committing a federal crime.
 

 


 

 
 
Table of contents
 
 
Fund summary
 
The summary section is a concise look at the investment objective, fees and expenses, principal investment strategies, principal risks, past performance and investment management.
 
Fund details
 
More about topics covered in the summary section, including descriptions of the investment strategies and various risk factors that investors should understand before investing.
 
Your investment
 
How to place an order to buy and sell shares, as well as other information about your investment in the fund.
 
     
 
     
2
  Global Balanced ETF
     
6
  Investment strategies
     
6
  Risks of investing
     
12
  Who’s who
     
14
  Financial highlights
     
15
  Premium/Discount information
     
16
  Transaction policies
     
17
  Dividends and account policies
     
18
  Additional information
     
    For more information  See back cover

  


 

 
 Fund summary
 
 
John Hancock
Global Balanced ETF
 
 
Investment objective
 
To seek a balance between a high level of current income and growth of capital, with a greater emphasis on growth of capital.
 
Fees and expenses
 
This table describes the fees and expenses you may pay if you buy and hold shares of the fund. Investors buying and selling shares of the fund may be subject to brokerage commissions and other costs charged by their broker, which are not reflected in the tables below.
 
             
 Shareholder fees (%) (fees paid directly from your investment)          
 
Maximum front-end sales charge (load) on purchases as a % of purchase price     None      
Maximum deferred sales charge (load) as a % of purchase or sale price, whichever is less     None      
 
             
 Annual fund operating expenses (%)
         
(expenses that you pay each year as a percentage of the value of your investment)1          
 
Management fee     [  ]      
Distribution and service (12b-1) fees2     None      
Other expenses     [  ]      
Total annual fund operating expenses     [  ]      
Contractual expense reimbursement3     [  ]      
Total annual fund operating expenses after expense reimbursements     [  ]      
     
1
  “Annual fund operating expenses” have been estimated for the fund’s first year of operations.
2
  The fund has adopted a Distribution and service (12b-1) Plan pursuant to which the fund may bear a 12b-1 fee not to exceed 0.25% per annum of the fund’s average daily net assets. However, no such fee is currently paid by the fund and there are no plans in place to impose a 12b-1 fee.
3
  The adviser has contractually agreed to waive all or a portion of its management fee and reimburse or pay operating expenses of the fund to the extent necessary to maintain the fund’s total operating expenses at [  ]% , excluding certain expenses such as taxes, brokerage commissions, interest expense, litigation and indemnification expenses and other extraordinary expenses, acquired fund fees and expenses paid indirectly and short dividend expense. The current expense limitation agreement expires on [ ], 2013, unless renewed by mutual agreement of the fund and the adviser based upon a determination that this is appropriate under the circumstances at the time.
 
Expense example
 
This example is intended to help you compare the cost of investing in the fund with the cost of investing in other funds. This example does not take into account brokerage commissions that you may pay when purchasing or selling shares of a fund. Please see below a hypothetical example showing the expenses of a $10,000 investment in the fund for the time periods indicated. The example assumes a 5% average annual return. The example assumes fund expenses will not change over the periods. Although your actual costs may be higher or lower, based on these assumptions, your costs would be:
 
             
 Expenses ($)          
 
1 Year     [  ]      
3 Years     [  ]      
 
Portfolio turnover
 
The fund pays transaction costs, such as commissions, when it buys and 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 costs, which are not reflected in annual fund operating expenses or in the example, affect the fund’s performance. Because the fund had not commenced operations as of the date of this prospectus, there is no portfolio turnover to report.
 
Principal investment strategies
 
The fund normally invests approximately 60% of its assets in equity securities and approximately 40% in fixed-income securities.
 
Variations in the target percentage allocation between equity securities and fixed-income securities are permitted up to 10% in either direction. Thus, based on its target percentage allocation of approximately 60% of its assets in equity and 40% in fixed-income securities, the fund may have an equity/fixed-income allocation ranging between 70%/30% and 50%/50%. Although variations beyond the 10% range are generally not permitted,
 
 
 
Global Balanced ETF – Fund summary

 
2


 

the subadvisers may determine in light of market or economic conditions that the normal percentage limitations should be exceeded to protect the fund or achieve its goal.
 
Consistent with the prescribed percentage allocations, the fund may invest in a wide range of U.S. and non-U.S. equity type securities including, but not limited to, small-, mid- and large-capitalization stocks, domestic and foreign securities (including emerging market securities) and sector holdings such as utilities and science and technology stocks.
 
Consistent with the prescribed percentage allocations, the fund may also invest in both U.S. and non-U.S. fixed-income investments including, but not limited to, investment grade and below investment grade debt securities with maturities that range from short to longer term and various types of debt instruments such as corporate bonds and mortgage-backed and government issued securities.
 
The fund may also invest in the securities of other investment companies (including ETFs) and may make direct investments in other types of investments (including exchange-traded notes (ETNs)). The fund may also invest in foreign currency forward contracts.
 
For defensive purposes in abnormal market conditions, to meet redemption requests, or make anticipated cash payments, the fund may temporarily invest extensively in cash and cash equivalents.
 
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
 
An investment in the fund is not a bank deposit and is not insured or guaranteed by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation or any other government agency. The fund’s shares will go up and down in price, meaning that you could lose money by investing in the fund. Many factors influence an exchange-traded fund’s performance.
 
Instability in the financial markets has led many governments, including the United States government, to take a number of unprecedented actions designed to support certain financial institutions and segments of the financial markets that have experienced extreme volatility and, in some cases, a lack of liquidity. Federal, state and other governments, and their regulatory agencies or self-regulatory organizations, may take actions that affect the regulation of the instruments in which the fund invests, or the issuers of such instruments, in ways that are unforeseeable. Legislation or regulation may also change the way in which the fund itself is regulated. Such legislation or regulation could limit or preclude the fund’s ability to achieve its investment objective.
 
Governments or their agencies may also acquire distressed assets from financial institutions and acquire ownership interests in those institutions. The implications of government ownership and disposition of these assets are unclear, and such a program may have positive or negative effects on the liquidity, valuation and performance of the fund’s portfolio holdings. Furthermore, volatile financial markets can expose the fund to greater market and liquidity risk and potential difficulty in valuing portfolio instruments held by the fund.
 
Because the fund will generally have a greater exposure to equity than fixed-income, equity securities risks are more prevalent than fixed-income securities risk. The fund’s main risk factors are listed below in alphabetical order. Before investing, be sure to read the additional descriptions of these risks beginning on page [  ] of the prospectus.
 
Active management risk The fund is an actively managed ETF that does not seek to replicate the performance of a specified index. The subadvisers’ investment strategy may fail to produce the intended result.
 
Commodity risk The market price of commodity investments may be volatile due to fluctuating demand, supply disruption, speculation and other factors.
 
Convertible securities risk The market values of convertible securities tend to decline as interest rates increase and, conversely, to increase as interest rates decline. In addition, as the market price of the underlying common stock declines below the conversion price, the price of the convertible security tends to be increasingly influenced more by the yield of the convertible security.
 
Credit and counterparty risk The issuer or guarantor of a fixed-income security or a borrower of a fund’s securities may be unable or unwilling to make timely principal, interest or settlement payments, or otherwise honor its obligations. Funds that invest in fixed-income securities are subject to varying degrees of risk that the issuers of the securities will have their credit rating downgraded or will default, potentially reducing a fund’s share price and income level.
 
Currency risk Fluctuations in exchange rates may adversely affect the U.S. dollar value of a fund’s investments. Currency risk includes both the risk that currencies in which a fund’s investments are traded, or currencies in which a fund has taken an active position, will decline in value relative to the U.S. dollar.
 
Economic and market events risk Events in the financial markets have resulted, and may continue to result, in an unusually high degree of volatility in the financial markets, both domestic and foreign. In addition, reduced liquidity in credit and fixed-income markets may adversely affect issuers worldwide.
 
Emerging markets risk The risks of investing in foreign securities are greater for investments in emerging markets. Emerging market countries may experience higher inflation, interest rates and unemployment as well as greater social, economic, regulatory and political uncertainties than more developed countries.
 
Equity securities risk The value of a company’s equity securities is subject to changes in the company’s financial condition, and overall market and economic conditions. The securities of growth companies are subject to greater price fluctuations than other types of stocks because their market prices tend to place greater emphasis on future earnings expectations. The securities of value companies are subject to the risk that the companies may not overcome the adverse business developments or other factors causing their securities to be underpriced or that the market may never come to recognize their fundamental value.
 
Exchange-traded funds risk Owning an ETF exposes the fund to the same risks as the ETF in direct proportion to the allocation of the fund’s assets to the ETF. The risks of owning an ETF generally reflect the risks of owning the underlying securities of the ETF.
 
 
 
Global Balanced ETF – Fund summary

 
3


 

 
Exchange-traded notes risk Similar to ETFs, owning an ETN generally reflects the risks of owning the assets that comprise the underlying market benchmark or strategy that the ETN is designed to reflect. ETNs also are subject to issuer and fixed-income risk.
 
Fixed-income securities risk Fixed-income securities are affected by changes in interest rates and credit quality. A rise in interest rates typically causes bond prices to fall. The longer the average maturity of the bonds held by the fund, the more sensitive the fund is likely to be to interest-rate changes. There is the possibility that the issuer of the security will not repay all or a portion of the principal borrowed and will not make all interest payments.
 
Foreign securities risk As compared to U.S. companies, there may be less publicly available information relating to foreign companies. Foreign securities may be subject to foreign taxes. The value of foreign securities is subject to currency fluctuations and adverse political and economic developments. Investments in emerging-market countries are subject to greater levels of foreign investment risk.
 
Hedging and other strategic transactions risk Hedging and other strategic transactions may increase the volatility of a fund and, if the transaction is not successful, could result in a significant loss to a fund. The use of derivative instruments could produce disproportionate gains or losses, more than the principal amount invested. Investing in derivative instruments involves risks different from, or possibly greater than, the risks associated with investing directly in securities and other traditional investments and, in a down market, could become harder to value or sell at a fair price. The following is a list of strategic transactions in which the fund may invest and the main risks associated with each of them:
 
Foreign currency forward contracts Counterparty risk, liquidity risk (i.e., the inability to enter into closing transactions), foreign currency risk and risk of disproportionate loss are the principal risks of engaging in transactions involving foreign currency forward contracts.
 
Initial public offerings risk IPO shares may have a magnified impact on fund performance and are frequently volatile in price. They can be held for a short period of time causing an increase in portfolio turnover.
 
Issuer risk An issuer of a security may perform poorly and, therefore, the value of its stocks and bonds may decline. An issuer of securities held by the fund could default or have its credit rating downgraded.
 
Large company risk Large-capitalization stocks as a group could fall out of favor with the market, causing the fund to underperform investments that focus on small- or medium-capitalization stocks. Larger, more established companies may be slow to respond to challenges and may grow more slowly than smaller companies. For purposes of the fund’s investment policies, the market capitalization of a company is based on its market capitalization at the time the fund purchases the company’s securities. Market capitalizations of companies change over time.
 
Liquidity risk Exposure exists when trading volume, lack of a market maker or legal restrictions impair the ability to sell particular securities or close derivative positions at an advantageous price.
 
Lower-rated fixed-income securities risk and high-yield securities risk Lower-rated fixed-income securities and high-yield fixed-income securities (commonly known as “junk bonds”) are subject to greater credit quality risk and risk of default than higher-rated fixed-income securities. These securities may be considered speculative and the value of these securities can be more volatile due to increased sensitivity to adverse issuer, political, regulatory, market or economic developments and can be difficult to resell.
 
Medium and smaller company risk The prices of medium and smaller company stocks can change more frequently and dramatically than those of large company stocks. For purposes of the fund’s investment policies, the market capitalization of a company is based on its market capitalization at the time the fund purchases the company’s securities. Market capitalizations of companies change over time.
 
Mortgage-backed and asset-backed securities risk Different types of mortgage-backed securities and asset-backed securities are subject to different combinations of prepayment, extension, interest-rate and/or other market risks.
 
Non-diversified risk Overall risk can be reduced by investing in securities from a diversified pool of issuers and is increased by investing in securities of a small number of issuers. Investments in a non-diversified fund may magnify the fund’s losses from adverse events affecting a particular issuer.
 
Short sales risk Short sales involve costs and risk. The fund must pay the lender interest on the security it borrows, and the fund will lose money if the price of the security increases between the time of the short sale and the date when the fund replaces the borrowed security.
 
Past performance
 
This section normally shows how the fund’s total return has varied from year to year, along with a broad-based market index for reference. Because the fund had not commenced operations as of the date of this prospectus, there is no past performance to report.
 
Investment management
 
Investment adviser John Hancock Investment Management Services, LLC
Subadviser Subadviser # 1
Subadviser Subadviser # 2
 
Portfolio management
 
         
Portfolio Manager # 1
Co-portfolio manager

Managed fund since inception
       
 
         
Portfolio Manager # 2
Co-portfolio manager

Managed fund since inception
       
 
 
 
Global Balanced ETF – Fund summary

 
4


 

 
Purchase and sale of fund shares
 
Individual shares of the fund may be purchased and sold only in secondary market transactions through brokers. Unless imposed by a broker, there is no minimum transaction size for secondary market transactions. Shares of the fund are approved for listing on NYSE Arca, Inc. (“NYSE Arca”). Because shares will trade at market prices rather than NAV, shares of the fund may trade at a price greater than or less than NAV.
 
The fund issues and redeems shares at net asset value (“NAV”) only in a large specified number of shares each called a “Creation Unit,” or multiples thereof. A Creation Unit consists of o shares. As a result, most investors will not be able to transact in shares with the fund but will need to purchase and sell shares in secondary market transactions.
 
Taxes
 
The fund’s distributions are taxable, and will be taxed as ordinary income and/or capital gains, unless you are investing through a tax-deferred arrangement, such as a 401(k) plan or individual retirement account. Withdrawals from such tax-deferred arrangements may be subject to tax at a later date.
 
Payments to broker-dealers and other financial intermediaries
 
If you purchase the fund through a broker-dealer or other financial intermediary (such as a bank, registered investment adviser, financial planner or retirement plan administrator), 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 intermediary and your salesperson to recommend the fund over another investment. Ask your salesperson or visit your financial intermediary’s Web site for more information.
 
 
 
Global Balanced ETF – Fund summary

 
5


 

 
 Fund details
 
 
Investment strategies
 
The Board of Trustees can change the fund’s investment objective and strategy without shareholder approval.
 
The fund has a target percentage allocation between equity securities and fixed-income securities of 60% equity securities and 40% fixed-income securities.
 
Variations in the target percentage allocation between equity securities and fixed-income securities are permitted up to 10%. Thus, based on its target percentage allocation of approximately 60% of assets in equity and 40% in fixed-income, the fund may have an equity/fixed-income allocation ranging between 70%/30% and 50%/ 50%. Although variations beyond the 10% range are generally not permitted, the subadvisers may determine in light of market or economic conditions that the normal percentage limitations should be exceeded to protect the fund or to achieve its goal.
 
Within the prescribed percentage allocation, the subadvisers select the percentage level to be maintained in specific equity and fixed-income securities. The subadvisers may from time to time change the allocation in specific equity and fixed-income securities. To maintain target allocation in equity and fixed-income securities, daily cash flows for the fund will be directed to the security type whose allocation most deviates from target.
 
The fund may invest in a wide range of U.S. and non-U.S. equity type securities. These include small-, mid- and large-capitalization stocks, domestic and foreign securities (including emerging market securities) and sector holdings such as utilities and science and technology stocks.
 
The fund may also invest in both U.S. and non-U.S. fixed-income investments including, but not limited to, investment grade and below investment grade debt securities with maturities that range from short to longer term and various types of debt instruments such as corporate bonds and mortgage backed and government issued securities. With respect to asset backed securities, the fund may invest up to 10% of its assets in mortgage backed securities or in other asset backed securities, although this limitation does not apply to securities issued or guaranteed by Federal agencies and/or U.S. government sponsored instrumentalities.
 
The fund may also invest in affiliated and nonaffiliated investment companies. In addition to investing in exchange-traded funds (ETFs), the fund may also invest in U.S. government securities. The fund is also authorized to use various other investment strategies such as investing directly in fixed-income and equity securities, closed-end funds, partnerships and short selling securities. The fund may also invest in foreign currency forward contracts.
 
The fund is monitored daily. To maintain target allocation in equity and fixed-income securities, daily cash flow for the fund will be directed to the security type whose allocation most deviates from target allocations. The subadvisers may from time to time rebalance the fund’s investment allocation to maintain its target allocations. Adjustments may be made to increase or reduce the percentage of assets invested in any specific equity or fixed-income security held by the fund. In addition, changes to the fund’s investments may be made to reflect fundamental changes in the investment environment or to increase or decrease the fund’s holdings of particular asset classes, such as common stocks of foreign issuers, or to adjust portfolio quality or the duration of fixed income securities.
 
The investment performance of the fund will reflect its subadvisers’ allocation decisions with respect to equity and fixed-income securities.
 
The fund is non-diversified, which means that it may concentrate its assets in a smaller number of issuers than a diversified fund.
 
Temporary defensive investing
 
The fund may invest up to 100% of its assets in cash or money market instruments for the purpose of:
 
•  meeting redemption requests,
 
•  making other anticipated cash payments, or
 
•  protecting the fund in the event the subadvisers determine that market, economic, political or other conditions warrant a defensive posture.
 
To the extent that the fund is in a defensive position, its ability to achieve its investment goal will be limited.
 
Asset allocation management
 
Subject to these limitations, the fund may at any time invest any percentage of its assets in any of the different investments described in the fund’s principal investment strategies. The subadvisers may from time to time adjust the percentage of assets invested in any specific investment held by the fund. Such adjustments may be made, for example, to increase or decrease the fund’s holdings of particular asset classes or to adjust fund quality or the duration of fixed-income securities. In addition, changes may be made to reflect fundamental changes in the investment environment.
 
Risks of investing
 
Below are descriptions of the main factors that may play a role in shaping the fund’s overall risk profile. The descriptions appear in alphabetical order, not in order of importance. For further details about fund risks, including additional risk factors that are not discussed in this prospectus because they are not considered primary factors, see the fund’s Statement of Additional Information (SAI).
 
Active management risk
 
The fund is an actively managed ETF that does not seek to replicate the performance of a specified index. A fund that relies on the manager’s ability to pursue the fund’s investment objective is subject to active management risk. The manager will apply investment techniques and risk analyses in making investment decisions for a fund and there can be no guarantee that these will produce the desired results. A fund generally does not attempt to time the market and instead generally stays fully invested in the relevant asset class, such as domestic equities or foreign equities. Notwithstanding its benchmark, a fund may buy securities not included in its benchmark or hold securities in very different proportions than its benchmark. To the extent a fund invests in those securities, its performance depends on the ability of the manager to choose securities that perform better than securities that are included in the benchmark.
 
Commodity risk
 
The market price of commodity investments may be volatile due to fluctuating demand, supply disruption, speculation and other factors.
 
 
 
Global Balanced ETF – Fund details

 
6


 

 
Convertible securities risk
 
Convertible securities generally offer lower interest or dividend yields than non-convertible fixed-income securities of similar credit quality because of the potential for capital appreciation. The market values of convertible securities tend to decline as interest rates increase and, conversely, to increase as interest rates decline. However, a convertible security’s market value also tends to reflect the market price of common stock of the issuing company, particularly when that stock price is greater than the convertible security’s “conversion price.” The conversion price is defined as the predetermined price or exchange ratio at which the convertible security can be converted or exchanged for the underlying common stock. As the market price of the underlying common stock declines below the conversion price, the price of the convertible security tends to be increasingly influenced more by the yield of the convertible security. Thus, it may not decline in price to the same extent as the underlying common stock. In the event of a liquidation of the issuing company, convertible securities generally entail less risk than its common stock.
 
Credit and counterparty risk
 
This is the risk that the issuer or guarantor of a fixed-income security or a borrower of a fund’s securities will be unable or unwilling to make timely principal, interest or settlement payments or to otherwise honor its obligations. Credit risk associated with investments in fixed-income securities relates to the ability of the issuer to make scheduled payments of principal and interest on an obligation. A fund that invests in fixed-income securities is subject to varying degrees of risk that the issuers of the securities will have their credit ratings downgraded or will default, potentially reducing the fund’s share price and income level. Nearly all fixed-income securities are subject to some credit risk, which may vary depending upon whether the issuers of the securities are corporations, domestic or foreign governments or their subdivisions or instrumentalities. U.S. government securities are subject to varying degrees of credit risk depending upon whether the securities are supported by the full faith and credit of the United States, supported by the ability to borrow from the U.S. Treasury, supported only by the credit of the issuing U.S. government agency, instrumentality or corporation or otherwise supported by the United States. For example, issuers of many types of U.S. government securities (e.g., the Federal Home Loan Mortgage Corporation (Freddie Mac), Federal National Mortgage Association (Fannie Mae) and Federal Home Loan Banks), although chartered or sponsored by Congress, are not funded by congressional appropriations, and their fixed-income securities, including asset-backed and mortgage-backed securities, are neither guaranteed nor insured by the U.S. government. An agency of the U.S. government has placed Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac into conservatorship, a statutory process with the objective of returning the entities to normal business operations. It is unclear what effect this conservatorship will have on the securities issued or guaranteed by Fannie Mae or Freddie Mac. As a result, these securities are subject to more credit risk than U.S. government securities that are supported by the full faith and credit of the United States (e.g., U.S. Treasury bonds). When a fixed-income security is not rated, a subadviser may have to assess the risk of the security itself. Asset-backed securities, whose principal and interest payments are supported by pools of other assets, such as credit card receivables and automobile loans, are subject to further risks, including the risk that the obligors of the underlying assets default on payment of those assets.
 
Funds that invest in below-investment-grade securities (also called junk bonds), which are fixed-income securities rated “Ba” or lower by Moody’s or “BB” or lower by S&P at the time of investment, or determined by a subadviser to be of comparable quality to securities so rated, are subject to increased credit risk. The sovereign debt of many foreign governments, including their subdivisions and instrumentalities, falls into this category. Below-investment-grade securities offer the potential for higher investment returns than higher-rated securities, but they carry greater credit risk: their issuers’ continuing ability to meet principal and interest payments is considered speculative, they are more susceptible to real or perceived adverse economic and competitive industry conditions and they may be less liquid than higher-rated securities.
 
Economic and market events risk
 
Events in the financial sector have resulted, and may continue to result, in an unusually high degree of volatility in the financial markets, both domestic and foreign. These events have included, but are not limited to, the U.S. government’s placement of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac under conservatorship, the bankruptcy filings of Lehman Brothers, Chrysler and General Motors, the sale of Merrill Lynch to Bank of America, the U.S. government support of American International Group and Citigroup, the sale of Wachovia to Wells Fargo, reports of credit and liquidity issues involving certain money market mutual funds, emergency measures by the U.S. and foreign governments banning short-selling, measures to address U.S. federal and state budget deficits, debt crises in the eurozone and S&P’s downgrade of U.S. long-term sovereign debt. Both domestic and foreign equity markets have been experiencing increased volatility and turmoil, with issuers that have exposure to the real estate, mortgage and credit markets particularly affected, and it is uncertain whether or for how long these conditions will continue.
 
In addition to the unprecedented volatility in financial markets, the reduced liquidity in credit and fixed-income markets may adversely affect many issuers worldwide. This reduced liquidity may result in less money being available to purchase raw materials, goods and services from emerging markets, which may, in turn, bring down the prices of these economic staples. It may also result in emerging-market issuers having more difficulty obtaining financing, which may, in turn, cause a decline in their stock prices. These events and possible continuing market volatility may have an adverse effect on the fund.
 
Equity securities risk
 
Common and preferred stocks represent equity ownership in a company. Stock markets are volatile. The price of equity securities will fluctuate, and can decline and reduce the value of a fund investing in equities. The price of equity securities fluctuates based on changes in a company’s financial condition, and overall market and economic conditions. The value of equity securities purchased by a fund could decline if the financial condition of the companies in which the fund is invested declines, or if overall market and economic conditions deteriorate. Even a fund that invests in high-quality or “blue chip” equity securities, or securities of established companies with large market capitalizations (which generally have strong financial characteristics), can be negatively impacted by poor overall market and economic conditions. Companies with large market capitalizations may also have less growth potential than smaller companies and may be less able to react quickly to changes in the marketplace.
 
The fund may maintain substantial exposure to equities and generally does not attempt to time the market. Because of this exposure, the possibility that stock market prices in general will decline over short or extended periods subjects the fund to unpredictable declines in the value of its investments, as well as periods of poor performance.
 
Preferred and convertible securities risk. Unlike interest on debt securities, preferred stock dividends are payable only if declared by the issuer’s board. Also, preferred stock may be subject to optional or mandatory redemption provisions. The value of convertible preferred stock can depend heavily upon the value of the security into which such convertible preferred stock is converted, depending on whether the market price of the underlying security exceeds the conversion price.
 
 
 
Global Balanced ETF – Fund details

 
7


 

 
Growth investing risk. Certain equity securities (generally referred to as growth securities) are purchased primarily because a subadviser believes that these securities will experience relatively rapid earnings growth. Growth securities typically trade at higher multiples of current earnings than other securities. Growth securities are often more sensitive to market fluctuations than other securities because their market prices are highly sensitive to future earnings expectations. At times when it appears that these expectations may not be met, growth stock prices typically fall.
 
Value investing risk. Certain equity securities (generally referred to as value securities) are purchased primarily because they are selling at prices below what the subadviser believes to be their fundamental value and not necessarily because the issuing companies are expected to experience significant earnings growth. The fund bears the risk that the companies that issued these securities may not overcome the adverse business developments or other factors causing their securities to be perceived by the subadviser to be underpriced or that the market may never come to recognize their fundamental value. A value stock may not increase in price, as anticipated by the subadviser investing in such securities, if other investors fail to recognize the company’s value and bid up the price or invest in markets favoring faster growing companies. The fund’s strategy of investing in value stocks also carries the risk that in certain markets value stocks will underperform growth stocks.
 
Exchange-traded funds (ETFs) risk
 
A fund could purchase another ETF to temporarily gain exposure to a portion of the U.S. or a foreign market while awaiting purchase of underlying securities. The risks of owning an ETF generally reflect the risks of owning the underlying securities it is designed to track, although lack of liquidity in an ETF could result in it being more volatile. In addition, ETFs have management fees, which increase their costs. By owning an ETF, the fund will bear fees and expenses charged by the ETF that are in addition to the fund’s own fees and expenses.
 
Exchange-traded notes (ETNs) risk
 
ETNs are a type of unsecured, unsubordinated debt security that have characteristics and risks similar to those of fixed-income securities and trade on a major exchange similar to shares of ETFs. This type of debt security differs, however, from other types of bonds and notes because ETN returns are based upon the performance of a market index minus applicable fees, no period coupon payments are distributed, and no principal protections exist. The purpose of ETNs is to create a type of security that combines the aspects of both bonds and ETFs. The value of an ETN may be influenced by time to maturity, level of supply and demand for the ETN, volatility and lack of liquidity in underlying commodities or securities markets, changes in the applicable interest rates, changes in the issuer’s credit rating and economic, legal, political or geographic events that affect the referenced commodity or security. The fund’s decision to sell its ETN holdings also may be limited by the availability of a secondary market. If the fund must sell some or all of its ETN holdings and the secondary market is weak, it may have to sell such holdings at a discount. If the fund holds its investment in an ETN until maturity, the issuer will give the fund a cash amount that would be equal to principal amount (subject to the day’s index factor). ETNs also are subject to counterparty credit risk and fixed-income risk.
 
Fixed-income securities risk
 
Fixed-income securities are generally subject to two principal types of risks: (a) interest-rate risk and (b) credit quality risk.
 
Interest-rate risk. Fixed-income securities are affected by changes in interest rates. When interest rates decline, the market value of fixed-income securities generally can be expected to rise. Conversely, when interest rates rise, the market value of fixed-income securities generally can be expected to decline. The longer the duration or maturity of a fixed-income security, the more susceptible it is to interest-rate risk.
 
Credit quality risk. Fixed-income securities are subject to the risk that the issuer of the security will not repay all or a portion of the principal borrowed and will not make all interest payments. If the credit quality of a fixed-income security deteriorates after a fund has purchased the security, the market value of the security may decrease and lead to a decrease in the value of the fund’s investments. Funds that may invest in lower-rated fixed-income securities, commonly referred to as “junk” securities, are riskier than funds that may invest in higher-rated fixed-income securities. Additional information on the risks of investing in investment-grade fixed-income securities in the lowest rating category and lower-rated fixed-income securities is set forth below.
 
Investment-grade fixed-income securities in the lowest rating category risk. Investment-grade fixed-income securities in the lowest rating category (rated “Baa” by Moody’s or “BBB” by S&P and comparable unrated securities) involve a higher degree of risk than fixed-income securities in the higher rating categories. While such securities are considered investment-grade quality and are deemed to have adequate capacity for payment of principal and interest, such securities lack outstanding investment characteristics and have speculative characteristics as well. For example, changes in economic conditions or other circumstances are more likely to lead to a weakened capacity to make principal and interest payments than is the case with higher-grade securities.
 
Preferred and convertible securities risk.Unlike interest on debt securities, preferred stock dividends are payable only if declared by the issuer’s board. Also, preferred stock may be subject to optional or mandatory redemption provisions. The value of convertible preferred stock can depend heavily upon the value of the security into which such convertible preferred stock is converted, depending on whether the market price of the underlying security exceeds the conversion price.
 
Prepayment of principal. Many types of debt securities, including floating-rate loans, are subject to prepayment risk. Prepayment risk occurs when the issuer of a security can repay principal prior to the security’s maturity. Securities subject to prepayment risk can offer less potential for gains when the credit quality of the issuer improves.
 
Foreign securities risk
 
Funds that invest in securities traded principally in securities markets outside the United States are subject to additional and more varied risks, as the value of foreign securities may change more rapidly and extremely than the value of U.S. securities. The securities markets of many foreign countries are relatively small, with a limited number of companies representing a small number of industries. Additionally, issuers of foreign securities may not be subject to the same degree of regulation as U.S. issuers. Reporting, accounting and auditing standards of foreign countries differ, in some cases significantly, from U.S. standards. There are generally higher commission rates on foreign portfolio transactions, transfer taxes, higher custodial costs and the possibility that foreign taxes will be charged on dividends and interest payable on foreign securities, some or all of which may not be reclaimable. Also, for lesser-developed countries, nationalization, expropriation or confiscatory taxation, adverse changes in investment or exchange control regulations (which may include suspension of the ability to transfer currency or assets from a country), political changes or diplomatic developments could adversely affect a fund’s investments. In the event of nationalization, expropriation or other confiscation, the fund could lose its entire investment in a foreign security. All funds that invest in foreign securities are subject to these risks. Some of the foreign risks are also applicable to funds that invest a material portion of their assets in securities of foreign issuers traded in the U.S.
 
 
 
Global Balanced ETF – Fund details

 
8


 

Emerging markets risk. Funds that invest a significant portion of their assets in the securities of issuers based in countries with “emerging market” economies are subject to greater levels of foreign investment risk than funds investing primarily in more-developed foreign markets, since emerging market securities may present market, credit, currency, liquidity, legal, political and other risks greater than, or in addition to, the risks of investing in developed foreign countries. These risks include: high currency exchange-rate fluctuations; increased risk of default (including both government and private issuers); greater social, economic and political uncertainty and instability (including the risk of war); more substantial governmental involvement in the economy; less governmental supervision and regulation of the securities markets and participants in those markets; controls on foreign investment and limitations on repatriation of invested capital and on a fund’s ability to exchange local currencies for U.S. dollars; unavailability of currency hedging techniques in certain emerging market countries; the fact that companies in emerging market countries may be newly organized, smaller and less seasoned; the difference in, or lack of, auditing and financial reporting standards, which may result in the unavailability of material information about issuers; 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; difficulties in obtaining and/or enforcing legal judgments in foreign jurisdictions; and significantly smaller market capitalizations of emerging market issuers.
 
Currency risk. Currency risk is the risk that fluctuations in exchange rates may adversely affect the U.S. dollar value of a fund’s investments. Currency risk includes both the risk that currencies in which a fund’s investments are traded, or currencies in which a fund has taken an active investment position, will decline in value relative to the U.S. dollar and, in the case of hedging positions, that the U.S. dollar will decline in value relative to the currency being hedged. Currency rates in foreign countries may fluctuate significantly for a number of reasons, including the forces of supply and demand in the foreign exchange markets, actual or perceived changes in interest rates and intervention (or the failure to intervene) by U.S. or foreign governments or central banks or by currency controls or political developments in the U.S. or abroad. Certain funds may also take active currency positions and may cross-hedge currency exposure represented by their securities into another foreign currency. This may result in a fund’s currency exposure being substantially different than that suggested by its securities investments. All funds with foreign currency holdings and/or that invest or trade in securities denominated in foreign currencies may be adversely affected by changes in foreign currency exchange rates.
 
Hedging and other strategic transactions risk
 
The ability of a fund to utilize hedging and other strategic transactions successfully will depend in part on its subadviser’s ability to predict pertinent market movements and market risk, counterparty risk, credit risk, interest-rate risk and other risk factors, none of which can be assured. The skills required to successfully utilize hedging and other strategic transactions are different from those needed to select a fund’s securities. Even if the subadviser only uses hedging and other strategic transactions in a fund primarily for hedging purposes or to gain exposure to a particular securities market, if the transaction is not successful, it could result in a significant loss to a fund. The amount of loss could be more than the principal amount invested. These transactions may also increase the volatility of a fund and may involve a small investment of cash relative to the magnitude of the risks assumed, thereby magnifying the impact of any resulting gain or loss. In addition, these transactions could result in a loss to a fund if the counterparty to the transaction does not perform as promised.
 
The following is a list of other strategic transactions in which the fund may invest and the main risks associated with each of them:
 
  •  Foreign currency forward contracts Counterparty risk, liquidity risk (i.e., the inability to enter into closing transactions), foreign currency risk and risk of disproportionate loss are the principal risks of engaging in transactions involving foreign currency forward contracts.
 
Initial public offerings (IPOs) risk
 
Certain funds may invest a portion of their assets in shares of IPOs. IPOs may have a magnified impact on the performance of a fund with a small asset base. The impact of IPOs on a fund’s performance likely will decrease as the fund’s asset size increases, which could reduce the fund’s returns. IPOs may not be consistently available to a fund for investing, particularly as the fund’s asset base grows. IPO shares frequently are volatile in price due to the absence of a prior public market, the small number of shares available for trading and limited information about the issuer. Therefore, a fund may hold IPO shares for a very short period of time. This may increase the turnover of a fund and may lead to increased expenses for a fund, such as commissions and transaction costs. In addition, IPO shares can experience an immediate drop in value if the demand for the securities does not continue to support the offering price.
 
Issuer risk
 
An issuer of a security purchased by a fund may perform poorly and, therefore, the value of its stocks and bonds may decline and the issuer may default on its obligations. Poor performance may be caused by poor management decisions, competitive pressures, breakthroughs in technology, reliance on suppliers, labor problems or shortages, corporate restructurings, fraudulent disclosures or other factors.
 
Large company risk
 
Larger, more established companies may be unable to respond quickly to new competitive challenges such as changes in technology and consumer tastes. Many larger companies also may not be able to attain the high growth rate of successful smaller companies, especially during extended periods of economic expansion. For purposes of the fund’s investment policies, the market capitalization of a company is based on its capitalization at the time the fund purchases the company’s securities. Market capitalizations of companies change over time. The fund is not obligated to sell a company’s security simply because, subsequent to its purchase, the company’s market capitalization has changed to be outside the capitalization range for the fund.
 
Liquidity risk
 
A fund is exposed to liquidity risk when trading volume, lack of a market maker or legal restrictions impair the fund’s ability to sell particular securities or close derivative positions at an advantageous market price. Funds with principal investment strategies that involve investments in securities of companies with smaller market capitalizations, foreign securities or securities with substantial market and/or credit risk tend to have the greatest exposure to liquidity risk. Exposure to liquidity risk may be heightened for funds that invest in securities of emerging markets that are not widely traded, and that may be subject to purchase and sale restrictions.
 
Lower-rated fixed-income securities risk and high-yield securities risk
 
Lower-rated fixed-income securities are defined as securities rated below investment grade (rated “Ba” and below by Moody’s, and “BB” and
 
 
 
Global Balanced ETF – Fund details

 
9


 

below by S&P) (also called junk bonds). The general risks of investing in these securities are as follows:
 
  •  Risk to principal and income. Investing in lower-rated fixed-income securities is considered speculative. While these securities generally provide greater income potential than investments in higher-rated securities, there is a greater risk that principal and interest payments will not be made. Issuers of these securities may even go into default or become bankrupt.
 
  •  Price volatility. The price of lower-rated fixed-income securities may be more volatile than securities in the higher-rating categories. This volatility may increase during periods of economic uncertainty or change. The price of these securities is affected more than higher-rated fixed-income securities by the market’s perception of their credit quality, especially during times of adverse publicity. In the past, economic downturns or increases in interest rates have, at times, caused more defaults by issuers of these securities and may do so in the future. Economic downturns and increases in interest rates have an even greater effect on highly leveraged issuers of these securities.
 
  •  Liquidity. The market for lower-rated fixed-income securities may have more limited trading than the market for investment-grade fixed-income securities. Therefore, it may be more difficult to sell these securities, and these securities may have to be sold at prices below their market value in order to meet redemption requests or to respond to changes in market conditions.
 
  •  Dependence on subadviser’s own credit analysis. While a subadviser may rely on ratings by established credit-rating agencies, it will also supplement such ratings with its own independent review of the credit quality of the issuer. Therefore, the assessment of the credit risk of lower-rated fixed-income securities is more dependent on the subadviser’s evaluation than the assessment of the credit risk of higher-rated securities.
 
Additional risks regarding lower-rated corporate fixed-income securities. Lower-rated corporate fixed-income securities (and comparable unrated securities) tend to be more sensitive to individual corporate developments and changes in economic conditions than higher-rated corporate fixed-income securities. Issuers of lower-rated corporate fixed-income securities may also be highly leveraged, increasing the risk that principal and income will not be repaid.
 
Additional risks regarding lower-rated foreign government fixed-income securities. Lower-rated foreign government fixed-income securities are subject to the risks of investing in foreign countries described under “Foreign securities risk.” In addition, the ability and willingness of a foreign government to make payments on debt when due may be affected by the prevailing economic and political conditions within the country. Emerging-market countries may experience high inflation, interest rates and unemployment, as well as exchange-rate trade difficulties and political uncertainty or instability. These factors increase the risk that a foreign government will not make payments when due.
 
Medium and smaller company risk
 
Market risk and liquidity risk may be pronounced for securities of companies with medium-sized market capitalizations and are particularly pronounced for securities of companies with smaller market capitalizations. These companies may have limited product lines, markets or financial resources or they may depend on a few key employees. The securities of companies with medium and smaller market capitalizations may trade less frequently and in lesser volume than more widely held securities, and their value may fluctuate more sharply than those securities. They may also trade in the over-the-counter market or on a regional exchange, or may otherwise have limited liquidity. Investments in less-seasoned companies with medium and smaller market capitalizations may present greater opportunities for growth and capital appreciation, but also involve greater risks than customarily are associated with more established companies with larger market capitalizations. These risks apply to all funds that invest in the securities of companies with smaller market capitalizations, each of which primarily makes investments in companies with smaller- or medium-sized market capitalizations. For purposes of the fund’s investment policies, the market capitalization of a company is based on its capitalization at the time the fund purchases the company’s securities. Market capitalizations of companies change over time. The fund is not obligated to sell a company’s security simply because, subsequent to its purchase, the company’s market capitalization has changed to be outside the capitalization range for the fund.
 
Mortgage-backed and asset-backed securities risk
 
Mortgage-backed securities. Mortgage-backed securities represent participating interests in pools of residential mortgage loans, which are guaranteed by the U.S. government, its agencies or instrumentalities. However, the guarantee of these types of securities relates to the principal and interest payments, and not to the market value of such securities. In addition, the guarantee only relates to the mortgage-backed securities held by the fund and not the purchase of shares of the fund.
 
Mortgage-backed securities are issued by lenders, such as mortgage bankers, commercial banks and savings and loan associations. Such securities differ from conventional debt securities, which provide for the periodic payment of interest in fixed amounts (usually semiannually) with principal payments at maturity or on specified dates. Mortgage-backed securities provide periodic payments which are, in effect, a “pass-through” of the interest and principal payments (including any prepayments) made by the individual borrowers on the pooled mortgage loans. A mortgage-backed security will mature when all the mortgages in the pool mature or are prepaid. Therefore, mortgage-backed securities do not have a fixed maturity and their expected maturities may vary when interest rates rise or fall.
 
When interest rates fall, homeowners are more likely to prepay their mortgage loans. An increased rate of prepayments on the fund’s mortgage-backed securities will result in an unforeseen loss of interest income to the fund as the fund may be required to reinvest assets at a lower interest rate. Because prepayments increase when interest rates fall, the prices of mortgage-backed securities do not increase as much as other fixed-income securities when interest rates fall.
 
When interest rates rise, homeowners are less likely to prepay their mortgage loans. A decreased rate of prepayments lengthens the expected maturity of a mortgage-backed security. Therefore, the prices of mortgage-backed securities may decrease more than prices of other fixed-income securities when interest rates rise.
 
The yield of mortgage-backed securities is based on the average life of the underlying pool of mortgage loans. The actual life of any particular pool may be shortened by unscheduled or early payments of principal and interest. Principal prepayments may result from the sale of the underlying property, or the refinancing or foreclosure of underlying mortgages. The occurrence of prepayments is affected by a wide range of economic, demographic and social factors and, accordingly, it is not possible to accurately predict the average life of a particular pool. The actual prepayment experience of a pool of mortgage loans may cause the yield realized by the fund to differ from the yield calculated on the basis of the average life of the pool. In addition, if the fund purchases mortgage-backed securities at a premium, the premium may be lost in the event of early prepayment, which may result in a loss to the fund.
 
Prepayments tend to increase during periods of falling interest rates, while during periods of rising interest rates, prepayments are likely to
 
 
 
Global Balanced ETF – Fund details

 
10


 

decline. Monthly interest payments received by a fund have a compounding effect, which will increase the yield to shareholders as compared to debt obligations that pay interest semiannually. Because of the reinvestment of prepayments of principal at current rates, mortgage-backed securities may be less effective than Treasury bonds of similar maturity at maintaining yields during periods of declining interest rates. Also, although the value of debt securities may increase as interest rates decline, the value of these pass-through type of securities may not increase as much, due to their prepayment feature.
 
Collateralized mortgage obligations (CMOs). A fund may invest in mortgage-backed securities called CMOs. CMOs are issued in separate classes with different stated maturities. As the mortgage pool experiences prepayments, the pool pays off investors in classes with shorter maturities first. By investing in CMOs, a fund may manage the prepayment risk of mortgage-backed securities. However, prepayments may cause the actual maturity of a CMO to be substantially shorter than its stated maturity.
 
Asset-backed securities. Asset-backed securities include interests in pools of debt securities, commercial or consumer loans, or other receivables. The value of these securities depends on many factors, including changes in interest rates, the availability of information concerning the pool and its structure, the credit quality of the underlying assets, the market’s perception of the servicer of the pool and any credit enhancement provided. In addition, asset-backed securities have prepayment risks similar to mortgage-backed securities.
 
Non-diversified risk
 
Overall risk can be reduced by investing in securities from a diversified pool of issuers, while overall risk is increased by investing in securities of a small number of issuers. Certain funds are not “diversified” within the meaning of the Investment Company Act of 1940. This means they are allowed to invest in the securities of a relatively small number of issuers, which may result in greater susceptibility to associated risks. As a result, credit, market and other risks associated with a non-diversified fund’s investment strategies or techniques may be more pronounced than for funds that are “diversified.”
 
Short sales risk
 
The funds may make short sales of securities. This means a fund may sell a security that it does not own in anticipation of a decline in the market value of the security. A fund generally borrows the security to deliver to the buyer in a short sale. The fund must then buy the security at its market price when the borrowed security must be returned to the lender. Short sales involve costs and risk. The fund must pay the lender interest on the security it borrows, and the fund will lose money if the price of the security increases between the time of the short sale and the date when the fund replaces the borrowed security. A fund may also make short sales “against the box.” In a short sale against the box, at the time of sale, the fund owns or has the right to acquire the identical security, or one equivalent in kind or amount, at no additional cost.
 
Until a fund closes its short position or replaces a borrowed security, a fund will (i) segregate with its custodian cash or other liquid assets at such a level that the amount segregated plus the amount deposited with the lender as collateral will equal the current market value of the security sold short or (ii) otherwise cover its short position.
 
Risks of investing in an ETF
 
Costs of buying or selling shares
 
Investors buying or selling shares in the secondary market will pay brokerage commissions or other charges imposed by brokers as determined by that broker. Brokerage commissions are often a fixed amount and may be a significant proportional cost for investors seeking to buy or sell relatively small amounts of shares. In addition, secondary market investors will also incur the cost of the difference between the price that an investor is willing to pay for shares (the “bid” price) and the price at which an investor is willing to sell shares (the “ask” price). This difference in bid and ask prices is often referred to as the “spread” or “bid/ask spread.” The bid/ask spread varies over time for shares based on trading volume and market liquidity, and is generally lower if the fund’s shares have more trading volume and market liquidity and higher if the fund’s shares have little trading volume and market liquidity. Further, increased market volatility may cause increased bid/ask spreads. Due to the costs of buying or selling shares, including bid/ask spreads, frequent trading of shares may significantly reduce investment results and an investment in shares may not be advisable for investors who anticipate regularly making small investments.
 
Fluctuation of NAV and market prices of fund shares
 
The NAV of the fund’s shares will generally fluctuate with changes in the market value of the fund’s securities holdings. The market prices of the fund’s shares will generally fluctuate in accordance with changes in the fund’s NAV and supply and demand of shares on the exchange. It cannot be predicted whether shares will trade below, at or above their NAV. The market prices of the fund’s shares may deviate significantly from the NAV of the shares during periods of market volatility. However, given that shares can be created and redeemed in Creation Units (unlike shares of many closed-end funds, which frequently trade at appreciable discounts from, and sometimes at premiums to, their NAV), the adviser believes that large discounts or premiums to the NAV of shares should not be sustained. While the creation/redemption feature is designed to make it likely that shares normally will trade close to the fund’s NAV, disruptions to creations and redemptions may result in trading prices that differ significantly from the fund’s NAV. If an investor purchases shares at a time when the market price is at a premium to the NAV of the shares or sells at a time when the market price is at a discount to the NAV of the shares, then the investor may sustain losses.
 
Halting of trades
 
Trading of fund shares on an exchange may be halted whenever trading in equity securities generally is halted by the activation of market wide “circuit breakers” (a rule that requires a halt in trading for a specific period of time when market prices decline by a specified percentage during the course of a trading day). Trading of fund shares may also be halted if (1) the shares are delisted from the listing exchange without first being listed on another exchange or (2) exchange officials determine that such action is appropriate in the interest of a fair and orderly market or to protect investors.
 
Risks of secondary listings
 
The fund’s shares may be listed or traded on U.S. and non-U.S. stock exchanges other than the U.S. stock exchange where the fund’s primary listing is maintained. There can be no assurance that the fund’s shares will continue to trade on any such stock exchange or in any market or that the fund’s shares will continue to meet the requirements for listing or trading on any exchange or in any market. An active trading market may not exist for fund shares, and although fund shares are listed on a national securities exchange, it is possible that an active trading market may not be maintained. Additionally, the fund’s shares may be less actively traded in certain markets than others, and investors are subject to the execution and settlement risks and market standards of the market where they or their broker direct their trades for execution. Certain information available to investors who trade fund shares on a U.S. stock exchange during regular U.S. market hours may not be available to investors who trade in other markets, which may result in secondary market prices in such markets being less efficient. Because
 
 
 
Global Balanced ETF – Fund details

 
11


 

fund shares trade at market prices NAV, shares may trade at a price greater than NAV (premium) or less than NAV (discount).
 
Tax advantaged product structure
 
Unlike many conventional mutual funds which are bought and sold only at closing NAVs, the shares of the fund have been designed to be tradable in a secondary market on an intra-day basis and to be created and redeemed principally in kind in Creation Units at each day’s market close. These in-kind arrangements are designed to mitigate adverse effects on the fund’s portfolio that could arise from frequent cash purchase and redemption transactions. Moreover, in contrast to conventional mutual funds, where frequent redemptions can have an adverse tax impact on taxable shareholders because of the need for the fund to sell portfolio securities and possibly generate taxable gains to the extent the in-kind redemption mechanism of the fund is used it will not trigger a tax event for shareholders.
 
Who’s who
 
The following are the names of the various entities involved with the fund’s investment and business operations, along with brief descriptions of the role each entity performs.
 
Trustees
 
Oversee the fund’s business activities and retain the services of the various firms that carry out the fund’s operations.
 
Investment adviser
 
Manages the fund’s business and investment activities.
 
John Hancock Investment Management Services, LLC
601 Congress Street
Boston, MA 02210-2805
 
The adviser administers the business and affairs of the fund and retains and compensates the investment subadvisers to manage the assets of the fund. John Hancock is one of the most recognized and respected names in the financial services industry. The adviser’s parent company has been helping individuals and institutions work toward their financial goals since 1862. The adviser offers investment solutions managed by leading institutional money managers, taking a disciplined team approach to portfolio management and research, leveraging the expertise of seasoned investment professionals. As of March 31, 2012, the adviser had total assets under management of approximately $125.5 billion.
 
The adviser does not itself manage any of the fund’s portfolio assets but has ultimate responsibility to oversee the subadvisers and recommend its hiring, termination and replacement. In this connection, the adviser: (i) monitors the compliance of the subadvisers with the investment objectives and related policies of the fund, (ii) reviews the performance of the subadvisers and (iii) reports periodically on such performance to the Board of Trustees.
 
The fund relies on an order from the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) permitting the adviser, subject to Board approval, to appoint a subadviser or change the terms of a subadvisory agreement without obtaining shareholder approval. The fund, therefore, is able to change subadvisers or the fees paid to a subadviser from time to time without the expense and delays associated with obtaining shareholder approval of the change. This order does not, however, permit the adviser to appoint a subadviser that is an affiliate of the adviser or the fund (other than by reason of serving as a subadviser to the fund), or to increase the subadvisory fee of an affiliated subadviser, without the approval of the shareholders.
 
Management fee
 
The fund pays the adviser a management fee for its services to the fund. The fee is stated as an annual percentage of the fund’s current value of the net assets of the fund determined in accordance with the following schedule, and that rate is applied to the average daily net assets of the fund.
 
                     
    Annual
       
Average Daily Net Assets   Rate        
 
 
 
                     
First $o million     [       ]%      
                     
Next $o million     [       ]%      
                     
Excess over $o million     [       ]%      
 
Out of these fees, the investment adviser in turn pays the fees of the subadvisers.
 
The basis for the Trustees’ approval of the advisory fees and the subadvisory fees, and of the investment advisory agreement overall, including the subadvisory agreements, will be discussed in the fund’s first shareholder report.
 
Additional information about fund expenses
 
The fund’s annual operating expenses will likely vary throughout the period and from year to year. The fund’s expenses for the current fiscal year may be higher than the expenses listed in the fund’s “Annual fund operating expenses” table, for some of the following reasons: (i) a significant decrease in average net assets may result in a higher advisory fee rate if advisory fee breakpoints are not achieved; (ii) a significant decrease in average net assets may result in an increase in the expense ratio because certain fund expenses do not decrease as asset levels decrease; or (iii) fees may be incurred for extraordinary events such as fund tax expenses.
 
[Insert contractual waiver description, if applicable.]
 
[Insert voluntary waiver description, if applicable.]
 
Subadvisers
 
Handle the fund’s day-to-day portfolio management.
 
Subadviser # 1
[Address]
City, State ZIP
 
Subadviser # 1 provides investment advisory services to individual and institutional investors. As of September 30, 2012, Subadviser # 1 had total assets under management of approximately $[ ] billion.
 
Portfolio Manager # 1
 
•  Co-portfolio manager
 
•  Managed fund since inception
 
•  Joined Subadviser # 1 in 2012
 
Subadviser # 2
[Address]
City, State ZIP
 
Subadviser # 2 provides investment advisory services to individual and institutional investors. As of September 30, 2012, Subadviser # 2 had total assets under management of approximately $[ ] billion.
 
Portfolio Manager # 2
 
•  Co-portfolio manager
 
•  Managed fund since inception
 
•  Joined Subadviser # 2 in 2012
 
 
 
Global Balanced ETF – Fund details

 
12


 

 
Custodian
 
Holds the fund’s assets, settles all portfolio trades and collects most of the valuation data required for calculating the fund’s net asset value.
 
  
  
  
[  ]
 
Principal distributor
 
Distributes the shares of the fund in Creation Units but does not maintain a secondary market in the shares. The shares are expected to be traded in the secondary market.
 
John Hancock Funds, LLC
601 Congress Street
Boston, MA 02210-2805
 
Transfer agent
 
Handles shareholder services, including recordkeeping and statements, distribution of dividends and processing of buy and sell requests.
 
John Hancock Signature Services, Inc.
P.O. Box 55913
Boston, MA 02205-5913
 
 
 
Global Balanced ETF – Fund details

 
13


 

 
Financial highlights
 
This section normally details the financial performance of the fund. Because the fund had not yet commenced operations as of the date of this prospectus, there are no financial highlights to report.
 
 
 
Global Balanced ETF – Fund details

 
14


 

 
Premium/Discount information
 
Information regarding how often the shares of the fund traded on NYSE Arca at a price above (i.e., at a premium) or below (i.e., at a discount) the NAV of the fund during the past four calendar quarters, as applicable, can be found at [website]. Because the fund had not yet commenced operations as of the date of this prospectus, there is no information about the differences between the fund’s daily market price on and its NAV. Premium/Discount information
 
 
 
 
Global Balanced ETF – Fund details

 
15


 

 
 Your investment
 
 
Transaction policies
 
Valuation of shares
 
The net asset value (NAV) for shares of the fund is determined once daily as of the close of regular trading of the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) (typically 4:00 p.m., Eastern Time) on each business day that the NYSE is open. On holidays or other days when the NYSE is closed, the NAV is not calculated and the fund does not transact purchase or redemption requests. The time at which shares are priced and until which purchase and redemption orders are accepted may be changed as permitted by the Securities and Exchange Commission.
 
Valuation of securities
 
Except as noted below, securities held by the fund are primarily valued on the basis of market quotations or official closing prices. Certain short-term debt instruments are valued on the basis of amortized cost. Shares of other open-end investment companies held by the fund are valued based on the NAVs of those investment companies.
 
If market quotations or official closing prices are not readily available or do not accurately reflect fair value for a security, or if a security’s value has been materially affected by events occurring before the fund’s pricing time but after the close of the exchange or market on which the security is principally traded, the security will be valued at its fair value as determined in good faith by the Trustees. The Trustees have delegated the responsibility to fair value securities to the fund’s Pricing Committee, and the actual calculation of a security’s fair value may be made by persons acting pursuant to the direction of the Trustees.
 
In deciding whether to fair value a security, the fund’s Pricing Committee may review a variety of factors, including:
 
in the case of foreign securities:
 
  •  developments in foreign markets,
 
  •  the performance of U.S. securities markets after the close of trading in the foreign market and
 
  •  the performance of instruments trading in U.S. markets that represent foreign securities or baskets of foreign securities.
 
in the case of fixed-income securities:
 
  •  actions by the Federal Reserve Open Market Committee and other significant trends in U.S. fixed-income markets.
 
in the case of all securities:
 
  •  political or other developments affecting the economy or markets in which an issuer conducts its operations or its securities are traded,
 
  •  announcements relating to the issuer of the security concerning matters such as trading suspensions, acquisitions, recapitalizations, litigation developments, a natural disaster affecting the issuer’s operations or regulatory changes or market developments affecting the issuer’s industry and
 
  •  events affecting the securities markets in general (such as market disruptions or closings and significant fluctuations in U.S. and/or foreign markets).
 
Fair value pricing of securities is intended to help ensure that a fund’s NAV reflects the fair market value of the fund’s portfolio securities as of the close of regular trading on the NYSE (as opposed to a value that no longer reflects market value as of such close), thus limiting the opportunity for aggressive traders or market timers to purchase shares of the fund at deflated prices reflecting stale security valuations and promptly sell such shares at a gain, thereby diluting the interests of long-term shareholders. However, a security’s valuation may differ depending on the method used for determining value, and no assurance can be given that fair value pricing of securities will successfully eliminate all potential opportunities for such trading gains. The use of fair value pricing has the effect of valuing a security based upon the price the fund might reasonably expect to receive if it sold that security in an orderly transaction between market participants, but does not guarantee that the security can be sold at the fair value price. Further, because of the inherent uncertainty and subjective nature of fair valuation, a fair valuation price may differ significantly from the value that would have been used had a readily available market price for the investment existed and these differences could be material. With respect to any portion of a fund’s assets that is invested in another open-end investment company, that portion of the fund’s NAV is calculated based on the NAV of that investment company. The prospectus for the other investment company explains the circumstances and effects of fair value pricing for that other investment company.
 
If the fund has portfolio securities that are primarily listed 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 the fund’s shares.
 
Buy and sell prices
 
The shares of the fund are approved for listing on NYSE Arca, subject to notice of issuance. If you buy or sell shares in the secondary market, you will incur customary brokerage commissions and charges and may pay some or all of the spread between the bid and the offered price in the secondary market on each leg of a round trip (purchase and sale) transaction. In times of severe market disruption or low trading volume in the fund’s shares, this spread can increase significantly. It is anticipated that the shares will trade in the secondary market at prices that may differ to varying degrees from the NAV of the shares. During periods of disruptions to creations and redemptions or the existence of extreme market volatility, the market prices of shares are more likely to differ significantly from the shares’ NAV.
 
Authorized participants (“APs”) may acquire shares directly from the Fund, and APs may tender their shares for redemption directly to the Fund, at NAV per share, only in creation units aggregations, and in accordance with procedures described in the SAI.
 
The Depository Trust Company (DTC) serves as securities depository for the shares. (The shares may be held only in book-entry form; stock certificates will not be issued.) DTC, or its nominee, is the record or registered owner of all outstanding shares. Beneficial ownership of shares will be shown on the records of DTC or its participants (described below). Beneficial owners of shares are not entitled to have shares registered in their names, will not receive or be entitled to receive physical delivery of certificates in definitive form and are not considered the registered holder thereof. Accordingly, to exercise any rights of a holder of shares, each beneficial owner must rely on the procedures of: (i) DTC; (ii) “DTC Participants,” i.e., securities brokers and dealers, banks, trust companies, clearing corporations and certain other organizations, some of whom (and/or their representatives) own DTC; and
 
 
 
Global Balanced ETF – Your investment

 
16


 

(iii) “Indirect Participants,” i.e., brokers, dealers, banks and trust companies that clear through or maintain a custodial relationship with a DTC Participant, either directly or indirectly, through which such beneficial owner holds its interests. The fund understands that under existing industry practice, in the event the fund requests any action of holders of shares, or a beneficial owner desires to take any action that DTC, as the record owner of all outstanding shares, is entitled to take, DTC would authorize the DTC Participants to take such action and that the DTC Participants would authorize the Indirect Participants and beneficial owners acting through such DTC Participants to take such action and would otherwise act upon the instructions of beneficial owners owning through them. As described above, the fund recognizes DTC or its nominee as the owner of all shares for all purposes. For more information, see the section entitled “Book Entry Only System” in the Fund’s SAI.
 
The NYSE Arca is open for trading Monday through Friday and is closed on weekends and the following holidays: New Year’s Day, Martin Luther King, Jr. Day, Presidents’ Day, Good Friday, Memorial Day, Independence Day, Labor Day, Thanksgiving Day and Christmas Day. Because non-U.S. exchanges may be open on days when the fund does not price its shares, the value of the securities in the fund’s portfolio may change on days when shareholders will not be able to purchase or sell the fund’s shares.
 
Fund share trading prices
 
The trading prices of shares of the fund on NYSE Arca may differ from the fund’s daily NAV. Market forces of supply and demand, economic conditions and other factors may affect the trading prices of shares of the fund.
 
The approximate value of shares of the fund, an amount representing on a per share basis the sum of the current market price of the cash (“Deposit Cash”) or securities (“Deposit Securities”), as applicable, accepted by the fund in exchange for shares of the fund and an estimated cash component, if any, is disseminated every 15 seconds throughout the trading day through the facilities of the Consolidated Tape Association. With respect to the fund’s investments in foreign securities, as the respective international local markets close, the market value of the Deposit Cash or Deposit Securities, as applicable, will continue to be updated for foreign exchange rates for the remainder of the U.S. trading day at the prescribed 15 second interval. This approximate value should not be viewed as a “real-time” update of the NAV per share of the fund because the approximate value may not be calculated in the same manner as the NAV, which is computed once a day, generally at the end of the business day. The fund is not involved in, or responsible for, the calculation or dissemination of the approximate value of the shares and the fund does not make any warranty as to its accuracy.
 
Market timing and related matters
 
The fund imposes no restrictions on the frequency of purchases and redemptions. The Board of Trustees considered the nature of the fund (i.e., a fund whose shares are expected to trade intra-day), that the adviser monitors the trading activity of APs for patterns of abusive trading, that the fund reserves the right to reject orders that may be disruptive to the management of or otherwise not in the fund’s best interests and that the fund fair values certain of its securities, determining not to impose restrictions on the frequency of purchases and redemptions at the present time.
 
Dividends and account policies
 
Dividends
 
The fund typically declares and pays dividends quarterly. Capital gains, if any, are typically distributed at least annually, typically at the end of the fund’s fiscal year.
 
Dividend reinvestments
 
No dividend reinvestment service is provided by the Trust. Financial intermediaries may make available the DTC book-entry Dividend Reinvestment Service for use by beneficial owners of fund shares for reinvestment of their dividend distributions. Beneficial owners should contact their financial intermediary to determine the availability and costs of the service and the details of participation therein. Financial intermediaries may require beneficial owners to adhere to specific procedures and timetables. If this service is available and used, dividend distributions of both income and net capital gains will be automatically reinvested in additional whole shares of the fund purchased in the secondary market.
 
Tax consequences
 
If you are subject to U.S. federal income tax, you will be subject to tax on fund taxable distributions. For federal income tax purposes, fund taxable distributions will be taxable to you as either ordinary income or capital gains.
 
Fund taxable dividends (i.e., distributions of investment income) are generally taxable to you as ordinary income. Federal taxes on fund distributions of gains are determined by how long the fund owned the investments that generated the gains, rather than how long you have owned your shares. Distributions of gains from investments that the fund owned for more than one year will generally be taxable to you as long-term capital gains. Distributions of gains from investments that the fund owned for one year or less, including income from securities lending, will generally be taxable to you as ordinary income.
 
Fund distributions are taxable to you even if they are paid from income or gains earned by the fund prior to your investment and thus were included in the price you paid for your shares. For example, if you purchase shares on or just before the record date of the fund distribution, you will pay full price for the shares and may receive a portion of your investment back as a taxable distribution.
 
Taxes when you sell your shares
 
Any gain resulting from the sale of fund shares will generally be subject to federal income tax. Currently, any capital gain or loss realized upon a sale of fund shares is generally treated as a long-term gain or loss if the shares have been held for more than one year. Any capital gain or loss realized upon a sale of fund shares held for one year or less is generally treated as short-term gain or loss, except that any capital loss on the sale of shares held for six months or less is treated as long-term capital loss to the extent that capital gain dividends were paid with respect to such shares.
 
Returns of capital
 
If the fund’s distributions exceed its taxable income and capital gains realized during a taxable year, all or a portion of the distributions made in the same taxable year may be recharacterized as a return of capital to shareholders. A return of capital distribution will generally not be taxable, but will reduce each shareholder’s cost basis in the fund and result in a higher reported capital gain or lower reported capital loss when those shares on which the distribution was received are sold.
 
 
 
Global Balanced ETF – Your investment

 
17


 

 
Backup withholding
 
The fund may be required to withhold U.S. federal income tax on all taxable distributions payable to shareholders if they fail to provide the fund with their correct taxpayer identification number or to make required certifications, or if they have been notified by the IRS that they are subject to backup withholding. Backup withholding is not an additional tax. Any amounts withheld may be credited against U.S. federal income tax liability.
 
Any foreign shareholders would generally be subject to U.S. tax withholding of 30% (or lower applicable treaty rate) on distributions by the fund.
 
This “Tax consequences” section relates only to federal income tax; the consequences under other tax laws may differ. Shareholders should consult their tax advisors as to the possible application of foreign, state and local income tax laws to fund dividends and capital distributions. Please see the Statement of Additional Information for Additional information regarding the tax aspects of investing in the fund.
 
Additional information
 
Continuous offering
 
The method by which Creation Units are created and traded may raise certain issues under applicable securities laws. Because new Creation Units are issued and sold by the fund on an ongoing basis, a “distribution,” as such term is used in the Securities Act, may occur at any point. Broker dealers and other persons are cautioned that some activities on their part may, depending on the circumstances, result in their being deemed participants in a distribution in a manner which could render them statutory underwriters and subject them to the prospectus delivery and liability provisions of the Securities Act.
 
For example, a broker dealer firm or its client may be deemed a statutory underwriter if it takes Creation Units after placing an order with the Distributor, breaks them down into constituent shares, and sells such shares directly to customers, or if it chooses to couple the creation of a supply of new shares with an active selling effort involving solicitation of secondary market demand for shares. A determination of whether one is an underwriter for purposes of the Securities Act must take into account all the facts and circumstances pertaining to the activities of the broker dealer or its client in the particular case, and the examples mentioned above should not be considered a complete description of all the activities that could lead to a categorization as an underwriter.
 
Broker dealers who are not “underwriters” but are participating in a distribution (as contrasted to ordinary secondary trading transactions), and thus dealing with shares that are part of an “unsold allotment” within the meaning of Section 4(3)(C) of the Securities Act, would be unable to take advantage of the prospectus delivery exemption provided by Section 4(3) of the Securities Act. This is because the prospectus delivery exemption in Section 4(3) of the Securities Act is not available in respect of such transactions as a result of Section 24(d) of the Investment Company Act of 1940 Act (“1940 Act”). As a result, broker dealer firms should note that dealers who are not underwriters but are participating in a distribution (as contrasted with ordinary secondary market transactions) and thus dealing with the shares that are part of an overallotment within the meaning of Section 4(3)(A) of the Securities Act would be unable to take advantage of the prospectus delivery exemption provided by Section 4(3) of the Securities Act. Firms that incur a prospectus delivery obligation with respect to shares are reminded that, under Rule 153 of the Securities Act, a prospectus delivery obligation under Section 5(b)(2) of the Securities Act owed to an exchange member in connection with a sale on NYSE Arca is satisfied by the fact that the prospectus is available at NYSE Arca upon request. The prospectus delivery mechanism provided in Rule 153 is available only with respect to transactions on an exchange.
 
Dealers effecting transactions in the fund’s shares, whether or not participating in this distribution, generally are required to deliver a Prospectus. This is in addition to any obligation of dealers to deliver a Prospectus when acting as underwriters.
 
Distribution Plan
 
The Trust does not currently authorize payment of any distribution and/or service (12b-1) fees. If distribution and/or service (12b-1) fees are authorized in the future, to the extent the adviser or its affiliates waive, reduce or reimburse any portion of the distribution and/or service (12b-1) fees pursuant to an agreement, the adviser or its affiliates may pay or reimburse financial institutions for services for which such financial institutions normally receive distribution and/or service (12b-1) fees from the fund out of the adviser’s or its affiliates’ own assets. These payments and reimbursements may be made from profits received by the adviser from management fees paid to it by the fund. Such activities by the adviser or its affiliates may provide incentives to financial institutions to purchase or market shares of the fund. Additionally, these activities may give the adviser or its affiliates additional access to sales representatives of such financial institutions, which may increase sales fund shares.
 
Section 12(d)(1) limitations
 
Section 12(d)(1) of the 1940 Act restricts investments by investment companies in the securities of other investment companies, including shares of the fund. Registered investment companies are permitted to invest in the fund beyond the limits set forth in Section 12(d)(1) subject to certain terms and conditions set forth in an SEC exemptive order issued to the Trust, including that such investment companies enter into an agreement with the fund.
 
Disclosure of fund holdings
 
A description of the fund’s policies and procedures with respect to the disclosure of its portfolio securities is available in the SAI.
 
 
 
Global Balanced ETF – Your investment

 
18


 


 

 
For more information
 
 
Two documents are available that offer further information on the fund:
 
Annual/Semiannual report to shareholders
Includes financial statements, a discussion of the market conditions and investment strategies that significantly affected performance, as well as the auditors’ report (in annual report only).
 
Statement of Additional Information
The SAI contains more detailed information on all aspects of the fund and includes a summary of the fund’s policy regarding disclosure of its portfolio holdings, as well as legal and regulatory matters. A current SAI has been filed with the SEC and is incorporated by reference into (and is legally a part of) this prospectus.
 
To obtain a free copy of these documents
There are several ways you can get a current annual/semiannual report, prospectus or SAI from John Hancock:
 
Online: www.jhfunds.com
 
By mail:  John Hancock Signature Services, Inc.
P.O. Box 55913
Boston, MA 02205-5913
 
By EASI-Line: 1-800-338-8080
 
By phone: 1-800-225-5291
 
By TDD: 1-800-554-6713
 
You can also view or obtain copies of these documents through the SEC:
 
Online: www.sec.gov
 
By e-mail (duplicating fee required): publicinfo@sec.gov
 
By mail (duplicating fee required):  Public Reference Section
Securities and Exchange Commission
Washington, DC 20549-1520
 
In person: at the SEC’s Public Reference Room in Washington, D.C.
For access to the Reference Room call 1-202-551-8090.
 

 
© 2012 JOHN HANCOCK FUNDS, LLC 00ETFPN           SEC file number: 811-xxxxx
 
 
(JOHN HANCOCK MUTUAL FUNDS LOGO)
 
John Hancock Funds, LLC
MEMBER FINRA | SIPC
601 Congress Street
Boston, MA 02210-2805
 
www.jhfunds.com
 
Electronic delivery now available at
www.jhfunds.com/edelivery


 

JOHN HANCOCK EXCHANGE-TRADED FUND TRUST
Statement of Additional Information
[     ], 2012
John Hancock Global Balanced ETF
     
Principal U.S. Listing Exchange
  Ticker
NYSE Arca, Inc.
  [XXXX]
This Statement of Additional Information (“SAI”) provides information about John Hancock Global Balanced ETF (the “Fund”), a series of John Hancock Exchange-Traded Fund Trust (the “Trust”). The information in this SAI is in addition to the information that is contained in the Fund’s prospectus dated [      ], 2012 (the “Prospectus”).
The Fund operates as an exchange-traded fund (“ETF”). As identified and described in more detail within the Prospectus and this SAI, the Fund is an actively managed ETF that does not seek to replicate the performance of a specified index. Once the Fund commences operations, the shares described in the Prospectus and in this SAI are listed and trade on NYSE Arca, Inc. (“NYSE Arca” or the “Exchange”), a national securities exchange and other secondary markets. Another series of the Trust, not discussed in this SAI, is a passively managed ETF that seeks to replicate the performance of a specified index.
Section 12(d)(1) of the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended (“1940 Act”), restricts investments by investment companies in the securities of other investment companies, including shares of the fund. Registered investment companies are permitted to invest in the fund beyond the limits set forth in Section 12(d)(1) subject to certain terms and conditions set forth in an SEC exemptive order issued to the Trust, including that such investment companies enter into an agreement with the fund.
This SAI is not a prospectus. It should be read in conjunction with the Prospectus. Copies of the Prospectus and shareholder reports (when they become available) can be obtained free of charge by contacting:
John Hancock Signature Services, Inc.
P.O. Box 9510
Boston, MA 02205-5913
1-(800)-225-5291
www.jhfunds.com

 


 

TABLE OF CONTENTS
         
    3  
    4  
    10  
    19  
    25  
    38  
    39  
    40  
    40  
    46  
    48  
    49  
    50  
    64  
    65  
    65  
    65  
    70  
    71  
    71  
    71  
    71  
    71  
    71  
    A-1  
    B-1  
    C-1  

2


 

ORGANIZATION OF JOHN HANCOCK EXCHANGE-TRADED FUND TRUST
The Trust was organized on December 7, 2009, as a Massachusetts business trust under the laws of The Commonwealth of Massachusetts and is an open-end investment management company registered under the 1940 Act. The Trust consists of one investment series. The offering of shares of each series is registered under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the “1933 Act”).
The Fund is a non-diversified series of the Trust.
John Hancock Investment Management Services, LLC (“JHIMS” or the “Adviser”) is the investment adviser to the Trust and the Fund. The Adviser is a Delaware limited liability corporation whose principal offices are located at 601 Congress Street, Boston, Massachusetts 02210. The Adviser is registered as an investment adviser under the Investment Advisers Act of 1940, as amended. The ultimate controlling parent of the Adviser is Manulife Financial Corporation (“MFC”), a publicly traded company based in Toronto, Canada. MFC is the holding company of The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company and its subsidiaries, collectively known as Manulife Financial.
Manulife Financial is a leading Canada-based financial services group with principle operations in Asia, Canada and the United States. In 2012, we celebrate 125 years of providing clients strong, reliable, trustworthy and forward-thinking solutions for their most significant financial decisions. Our international network of employees, agents and distribution partners offers financial protection and wealth management products and services to millions of clients. We also provide asset management services to institutional customers. Funds under management by Manulife Financial and its subsidiaries were C$[ ] billion (US$[ ] billion) as at [ ], 2012. The Company operates as Manulife Financial in Canada and Asia and primarily as John Hancock in the United States.
The Fund will offer and issue shares at their net asset value (“NAV”) only in aggregations of a specified number of shares (each, a “Creation Unit”). Similarly, shares are redeemable by the Fund only in Creation Units. Creation Units of the Fund are issued and redeemed generally in exchange for specified securities held by the Fund and a specified cash payment. The shares of the Fund are approved for listing on NYSE Arca and will trade in the secondary market at market prices that may differ from the shares’ NAV. A Creation Unit consists of [ ] shares.
The Trust reserves the right to permit or require a “cash” option for creations and redemptions of shares (subject to applicable legal requirements). In each instance of such cash creations or redemptions, the Trust may impose transaction fees based on transaction expenses related to the particular exchange that will be higher than the transaction fees associated with in-kind purchases or redemptions.
Consistent with CFTC regulations, the Fund has claimed an exclusion from the definition of the term “commodity pool operator” under the CEA and, therefore, are not subject to registration or regulation as pool operators under the Commodity Exchange Act (the “CEA”). However, it should be noted that the CFTC has adopted certain rules that significantly affect the exemptions available to a portfolio. These rules are not yet effective and their scope of application is still uncertain. As of the date of this SAI, there is no certainty that a fund, the Adviser, the subadvisers or other parties will be able to rely on these exclusions and exemptions in the future. Additional CFTC regulation (or a choice to no longer use strategies that trigger additional regulation) may cause a portfolio to change its investment strategies or to incur additional expenses.

3


 

INVESTMENT POLICIES
The principal strategies and risks of investing in the Fund are described in the Prospectus. Unless otherwise indicated in the Prospectus or this SAI, the investment objective and policies of the Fund may be changed without shareholder approval. The Fund may invest in the types of instruments described below.
Conversion of Debt Securities
In the event debt securities held by the Fund are converted to or exchanged for equity securities, the Fund may continue to hold such equity securities.
Money Market Instruments
Money market instruments (and other securities as noted in the Fund description) may be purchased for temporary defensive purposes.
U.S. Government And Government Agency Obligations
U.S. Government Obligations. U.S. Government obligations are debt securities issued or guaranteed as to principal or interest by the U.S. Treasury. These securities include treasury bills, notes and bonds.
GNMA Obligations. GNMA obligations are mortgage-backed securities guaranteed by the Government National Mortgage Association (“GNMA”), which guarantee is supported by the full faith and credit of the U.S. Government.
U.S. Agency Obligations. U.S. Government agency obligations are debt securities issued or guaranteed as to principal or interest by an agency or instrumentality of the U.S. Government pursuant to authority granted by Congress. U.S. Government agency obligations include, but are not limited to:
  Student Loan Marketing Association;
  Federal Home Loan Banks (“FHLBs”);
  Federal Intermediate Credit Banks; and
  Federal National Mortgage Association (“Fannie Mae”).
U.S. Instrumentality Obligations. U.S. instrumentality obligations include, but are not limited to, those issued by the Export-Import Bank and Farmers Home Administration.
Some obligations issued or guaranteed by U.S. Government agencies or instrumentalities are supported by the right of the issuer to borrow from the U.S. Treasury or the Federal Reserve Banks, such as those issued by Federal Intermediate Credit Banks. Others, such as those issued by the Fannie Mae, FHLBs and the Federal Home Loan Mortgage Corporation (“Freddie Mac”) are supported by discretionary authority of the U.S. Government to purchase certain obligations of the agency or instrumentality. In addition, other obligations such as those issued by the Student Loan Marketing Association are supported only by the credit of the agency or instrumentality. There are also separately traded interest components of securities issued or guaranteed by the U.S. Treasury.
No assurance can be given that the U.S. Government will provide financial support for the obligations of such U.S. Government-sponsored agencies or instrumentalities in the future, since it is not obligated to do so by law. In this document, “U.S. Government securities” refers not only to securities issued or guaranteed as to principal or interest by the U.S. Treasury but also to securities that are backed only by their own credit and not the full faith and credit of the U.S. Government.

4


 

It is possible that the availability and the marketability (that is, liquidity) of the securities discussed in this section could be adversely affected by actions of the U.S. government to tighten the availability of its credit. In 2008, the Federal Housing Finance Agency (“FHFA”), an agency of the U.S. government, placed Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac into conservatorship, a statutory process with the objective of returning the entities to normal business operations. FHFA will act as the conservator to operate Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac until they are stabilized. It is unclear what effect this conservatorship will have on the securities issued or guaranteed by Fannie Mae or Freddie Mac.
Municipal Obligations
Municipal Bonds. Municipal bonds are issued to obtain funding for various public purposes including the construction of a wide range of public facilities such as airports, highways, bridges, schools, hospitals, housing, mass transportation, streets and water and sewer works. Other public purposes for which municipal bonds may be issued include refunding outstanding obligations, obtaining funds for general operating expenses and obtaining funds to lend to other public institutions and facilities. In addition, certain types of industrial development bonds are issued by or on behalf of public authorities to obtain funds for many types of local, privately operated facilities. Such debt instruments are considered municipal obligations if the interest paid on them is exempt from federal income tax. The payment of principal and interest by issuers of certain obligations purchased may be guaranteed by a letter of credit, note repurchase agreement, insurance or other credit facility agreement offered by a bank or other financial institution. Such guarantees and the creditworthiness of guarantors will be considered by the subadviser in determining whether a municipal obligation meets investment quality requirements. No assurance can be given that a municipality or guarantor will be able to satisfy the payment of principal or interest on a municipal obligation.
Municipal Notes. Municipal notes are short-term obligations of municipalities, generally with a maturity ranging from six months to three years. The principal types of such notes include tax, bond and revenue anticipation notes and project notes.
Municipal Commercial Paper. Municipal commercial paper is a short-term obligation of a municipality, generally issued at a discount with a maturity of less than one year. Such paper is likely to be issued to meet seasonal working capital needs of a municipality or interim construction financing. Municipal commercial paper is backed in many cases by letters of credit, lending agreements, note repurchase agreements or other credit facility agreements offered by banks and other institutions.
Federal tax legislation enacted in the 1980s placed substantial new restrictions on the issuance of the bonds described above and in some cases eliminated the ability of state or local governments to issue municipal obligations for some of the above purposes. Such restrictions do not affect the federal income tax treatment of municipal obligations issued prior to the effective dates of the provisions imposing such restrictions. The effect of these restrictions may be to reduce the volume of newly issued municipal obligations.
Issuers of municipal obligations are subject to the provisions of bankruptcy, insolvency and other laws affecting the rights and remedies of creditors, such as the Federal Bankruptcy Act, and laws, if any, which may be enacted by Congress or state legislatures extending the time for payment of principal or interest, or both, or imposing other constraints upon enforcement of such obligations. There is also the possibility that as a result of litigation or other conditions the power or ability of any one or more issuers to pay when due the principal of and interest on their municipal obligations may be affected.
The yields of municipal bonds depend upon, among other things, general money market conditions, general conditions of the municipal bond market, size of a particular offering, the maturity of the obligation and rating of the issue. The ratings of Standard & Poor’s (“S&P”), Moody’s Investors Service, Inc. (“Moody’s”) and Fitch Investors Service (“Fitch”) represent their respective opinions on the quality of the municipal bonds they undertake to rate. It should be emphasized, however, that ratings are general and not absolute standards of quality. Consequently, municipal bonds with the same maturity, coupon and rating may have different yields and municipal bonds of the same maturity and coupon with different ratings may have the same yield. See Appendix A to this SAI for a description of ratings. Many issuers of securities

5


 

choose not to have their obligations rated. Although unrated securities eligible for purchase must be determined to be comparable in quality to securities having certain specified ratings, the market for unrated securities may not be as broad as for rated securities since many investors rely on rating organizations for credit appraisal.
Canadian and Provincial Government and Crown Agency Obligations
Canadian Government Obligations. Canadian Government obligations are debt securities issued or guaranteed as to principal or interest by the Government of Canada pursuant to authority granted by the Parliament of Canada and approved by the Governor in Council, where necessary. These securities include treasury bills, notes, bonds, debentures and marketable Government of Canada loans.
Canadian Crown Obligations. Canadian Crown agency obligations are debt securities issued or guaranteed by a Crown corporation, company or agency (“Crown Agencies”) pursuant to authority granted by the Parliament of Canada and approved by the Governor in Council, where necessary. Certain Crown Agencies are by statute agents of Her Majesty in right of Canada, and their obligations, when properly authorized, constitute direct obligations of the Government of Canada. These obligations include, but are not limited to, those issued or guaranteed by the:
  Export Development Corporation;
  Farm Credit Corporation;
  Federal Business Development Bank; and
  Canada Post Corporation.
In addition, certain Crown Agencies that are not, by law, agents of Her Majesty may issue obligations that, by statute, the Governor in Council may authorize the Minister of Finance to guarantee on behalf of the Government of Canada. Other Crown Agencies that are not, by law, agents of Her Majesty may issue or guarantee obligations not entitled to be guaranteed by the Government of Canada. No assurance can be given that the Government of Canada will support the obligations of Crown Agencies that are not agents of Her Majesty, which it has not guaranteed, since it is not obligated to do so by law.
Provincial Government Obligations. Provincial Government obligations are debt securities issued or guaranteed as to principal or interest by the government of any province of Canada pursuant to authority granted by the provincial Legislature and approved by the Lieutenant Governor in Council of such province, where necessary. These securities include treasury bills, notes, bonds and debentures.
Provincial Crown Agency Obligations. Provincial Crown Agency obligations are debt securities issued or guaranteed by a provincial Crown corporation, company or agency (“Provincial Crown Agencies”) pursuant to authority granted by the provincial Legislature and approved by the Lieutenant Governor in Council of such province, where necessary. Certain Provincial Crown Agencies are by statute agents of Her Majesty in right of a particular province of Canada, and their obligations, when properly authorized, constitute direct obligations of such province. Other Provincial Crown Agencies which are not by law agents of Her Majesty in right of a particular province of Canada may issue obligations which by statute the Lieutenant Governor in Council of such province may guarantee, or may authorize the Treasurer thereof to guarantee, on behalf of the government of such province. Finally, other Provincial Crown Agencies that are not, by law, agencies of Her Majesty may issue or guarantee obligations not entitled to be guaranteed by a provincial government. No assurance can be given that the government of any province of Canada will support the obligations of Provincial Crown Agencies that are not agents of Her Majesty and that it has not guaranteed, as it is not obligated to do so by law. Provincial Crown Agency obligations described above include, but are not limited to, those issued or guaranteed by a:
  provincial railway corporation;

6


 

  provincial hydroelectric or power commission or authority;
  provincial municipal financing corporation or agency; and
  provincial telephone commission or authority.
Certificates Of Deposit, Time Deposits And Bankers’ Acceptances
Certificates of Deposit. Certificates of deposit are certificates issued against funds deposited in a bank or a savings and loan. They are issued for a definite period of time and earn a specified rate of return.
Time Deposits. Time deposits are non-negotiable deposits maintained in banking institutions for specified periods of time at stated interest rates.
Bankers’ Acceptances. Bankers’ acceptances are short-term credit instruments evidencing the obligation of a bank to pay a draft which has been drawn on it by a customer. These instruments reflect the obligations both of the bank and of the drawer to pay the face amount of the instrument upon maturity. They are primarily used to finance the import, export, transfer or storage of goods. They are “accepted” when a bank guarantees their payment at maturity.
These obligations are not insured by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation.
Commercial Paper
Commercial paper consists of unsecured promissory notes issued by corporations to finance short-term credit needs. Commercial paper is issued in bearer form with maturities generally not exceeding nine months. Commercial paper obligations may include variable amount master demand notes.
Variable Amount Master Demand Notes. Variable amount master demand notes are obligations that permit the investment of fluctuating amounts at varying rates of interest pursuant to direct arrangements between the Fund, as lender, and the borrower. These notes permit daily changes in the amounts borrowed. The investing (i.e., “lending”) Fund has the right to increase the amount under the note at any time up to the full amount provided by the note agreement, or to decrease the amount, and the borrower may prepay up to the full amount of the note without penalty. Because variable amount master demand notes are direct lending arrangements between the lender and borrower, it is not generally contemplated that such instruments will be traded. There is no secondary market for these notes, although they are redeemable (and thus immediately repayable by the borrower) at face value, plus accrued interest, at any time.
A subadviser will only invest in variable amount master demand notes issued by companies which, at the date of investment, have an outstanding debt issue rated “Aaa” or “Aa” by Moody’s or “AAA” or “AA” by S&P or Fitch, and which the subadviser has determined present minimal risk of loss. A subadviser will look generally at the financial strength of the issuing company as “backing” for the note and not to any security interest or supplemental source, such as a bank letter of credit. A variable amount master demand note will be valued on each day a NAV is determined. The NAV will generally be equal to the face value of the note plus accrued interest unless the financial position of the issuer is such that its ability to repay the note when due is in question.
Corporate Obligations
Corporate obligations are bonds and notes issued by corporations to finance long-term credit needs.
Repurchase Agreements
Repurchase agreements are arrangements involving the purchase of an obligation and the simultaneous agreement to resell the same obligation on demand or at a specified future date and at an agreed upon price. A repurchase agreement can be viewed as a loan made by the Fund to the seller of the obligation with such

7


 

obligation serving as collateral for the seller’s agreement to repay the amount borrowed with interest. Repurchase agreements permit the opportunity to earn a return on cash that is only temporarily available. Repurchase agreements may be entered with banks, brokers or dealers. However, a repurchase agreement will only be entered with a broker or dealer if the broker or dealer agrees to deposit additional collateral should the value of the obligation purchased decrease below the resale price.
Generally, repurchase agreements are of a short duration, often less than one week but on occasion for longer periods. Securities subject to repurchase agreements will be valued every business day and additional collateral will be requested if necessary so that the value of the collateral is at least equal to the value of the repurchase obligation, including the interest accrued thereon.
A subadviser shall engage in a repurchase agreement transaction only with those banks or broker/dealers who meet the subadviser’s quantitative and qualitative criteria regarding creditworthiness, asset size and collateralization requirements. A subadviser also may engage in repurchase agreement transactions. The counterparties to a repurchase agreement transaction are limited to a:
  Federal Reserve System member bank;
  primary government securities dealer reporting to the Federal Reserve Bank of New York’s Market Reports Division; or
  broker/dealer, which reports U.S. Government securities positions to the Federal Reserve Board.
The Fund also may participate in repurchase agreement transactions utilizing the settlement services of clearing firms that meet applicable subadviser creditworthiness requirements.
The subadvisers will continuously monitor the respective transaction to ensure that the collateral held with respect to a repurchase agreement equals or exceeds the amount of the respective obligation.
The risk of a repurchase agreement transaction is limited to the ability of the seller to pay the agreed-upon sum on the delivery date. In the event of bankruptcy or other default by the seller, the instrument purchased may decline in value, interest payable on the instrument may be lost and there may be possible difficulties and delays in obtaining collateral and delays and expense in liquidating the instrument. If an issuer of a repurchase agreement fails to repurchase the underlying obligation, the loss, if any, would be the difference between the repurchase price and the underlying obligation’s market value. The Fund might also incur certain costs in liquidating the underlying obligation. Moreover, if bankruptcy or other insolvency proceedings are commenced with respect to the seller, realization upon the underlying obligation might be delayed or limited.
Foreign Repurchase Agreements
Foreign repurchase agreements involve an agreement to purchase a foreign security and to sell that security back to the original seller at an agreed-upon price in either U.S. dollars or foreign currency. Unlike typical U.S. repurchase agreements, foreign repurchase agreements may not be fully collateralized at all times. The value of a security purchased may be more or less than the price at which the counterparty has agreed to repurchase the security. In the event of default by the counterparty, the Fund may suffer a loss if the value of the security purchased is less than the agreed-upon repurchase price, or if it is unable to successfully assert a claim to the collateral under foreign laws. As a result, foreign repurchase agreements may involve higher credit risks than repurchase agreements in U.S. markets, as well as risks associated with currency fluctuations. In addition, as with other emerging market investments, repurchase agreements with counterparties located in emerging markets, or relating to emerging markets, may involve issuers or counterparties with lower credit ratings than typical U.S. repurchase agreements.

8


 

Hedging and Other Strategic Transactions
Currency Transactions. Hedging refers to protecting against possible changes in the market value of securities that the Fund already owns or plans to buy or protecting unrealized gains in the Fund. The Fund may invest in foreign currency forward contracts.
A forward currency contract involves a privately negotiated obligation to purchase or sell (with delivery generally required) a specific currency at a future date at a price set at the time of the contract. The Fund may enter into currency transactions only with counterparties that are deemed creditworthy by the subadviser.
The Fund’s dealings in forward currency contracts will be limited to hedging and similar purposes, including transaction hedging, position hedging, cross hedging and proxy hedging. The Fund also may use foreign currency forward contracts to increase exposure to a foreign currency or to shift exposure to foreign currency fluctuation from one country to another.
The Fund also may engage in non-deliverable forward transactions to manage currency risk or to gain exposure to a currency without purchasing securities denominated in that currency. A non-deliverable forward is a transaction that represents an agreement between the Fund and a counterparty (usually a commercial bank) to buy or sell a specified (notional) amount of a particular currency at an agreed upon foreign exchange rate on an agreed upon future date. Unlike other currency transactions, there is no physical delivery of the currency on the settlement of a non-deliverable forward transaction. Rather, the Fund and the counterparty agree to net the settlement by making a payment in U.S. dollars or another fully convertible currency that represents any differential between the foreign exchange rate agreed upon at the inceptions of the non-deliverable forward agreement and the actual exchange rate on the agreed upon future date. Thus, the actual gain or loss of a given non-deliverable forward transaction is calculated by multiplying the transaction’s notional amount by the difference between the agreed upon forward exchange rate and the actual exchange rate when the transaction is completed.
When the Fund enters into a non-deliverable forward transaction, the Fund will segregate liquid assets in an amount not less than the value of the Fund’s net exposure to such non-deliverable forward transactions. If the additional segregated assets decline in value or the amount of the Fund’s commitment increases because of changes in currency rates, additional cash or securities will be segregated on a daily basis so that the value of the account will equal the amount of the Fund’s commitments under the non-deliverable forward agreement.
Since the Fund generally may only close out a non-deliverable forward with the particular counterparty, there is a risk that the counterparty will default on its obligation to pay under the agreement. If the counterparty defaults, the Fund will have contractual remedies pursuant to the agreement related to the transaction, but there is no assurance that contract counterparties will be able to meet their obligations pursuant to such agreements or that, in the event of a default, the Fund will succeed in pursuing contractual remedies. The Fund thus assumes the risk that it may be delayed or prevented from obtaining payments owed to it pursuant to non-deliverable forward transactions.
In addition, where the currency exchange rates that are the subject of a given non-deliverable forward transaction do not move in the direction or to the extent anticipated, the Fund could sustain losses on the non-deliverable forward transaction. The Fund’s investment in a particular non-deliverable forward transaction will be affected favorably or unfavorably by factors that affect the subject currencies, including economic, political and legal developments that impact the applicable countries, as well as exchange control regulations of the applicable countries. These risks are heightened when a non-deliverable forward transaction involves currencies of emerging market countries because such currencies can be volatile and there is a greater risk that such currencies will be devalued against the U.S. dollar or other currencies.
Transaction Hedging. Transaction hedging involves entering into a currency transaction with respect to specific assets or liabilities of the Fund, which will generally arise in connection with the purchase or sale of the Fund’s securities or the receipt of income from them.

9


 

Position Hedging. Position hedging involves entering into a currency transaction with respect to Fund securities positions denominated or generally quoted in that currency.
Cross Hedging. The Fund may cross-hedge currencies by entering into transactions to purchase or sell one or more currencies that are expected to increase or decline in value relative to other currencies to which the Fund has, or expects to have, exposure.
Proxy Hedging. To reduce the effect of currency fluctuations on the value of existing or anticipated holdings of its securities, the Fund also may engage in proxy hedging. Proxy hedging is often used when the currency to which the Fund’s holdings are exposed is generally difficult to hedge or specifically difficult to hedge against the dollar. Proxy hedging entails entering into a forward contract to sell a currency, the changes in the value of which are generally considered to be linked to a currency or currencies in which some or all of the Fund’s securities are or are expected to be denominated, and to buy dollars. The amount of the contract would not exceed the market value of the Fund’s securities denominated in linked currencies.
Risk of Currency Transactions. Currency transactions are subject to risks different from other Fund transactions, as discussed below under “Risk Factors.” If the Fund enters into a currency hedging transaction, the Fund will comply with the asset segregation requirements described below under “Use of Segregated and Other Special Accounts.”
Market Events
Events in the financial sector have resulted, and may continue to result, in an unusually high degree of volatility in the financial markets, both domestic and foreign. These events have included, but are not limited to, the U.S. government’s placement of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac under conservatorship (see “Investment Policies — U.S. Government and Government Agency Obligations U.S. Instrumentality Obligations”), the bankruptcy filings of Lehman Brothers, Chrysler and General Motors, the sale of Merrill Lynch to Bank of America, the U.S. Government support of American International Group and Citigroup, the sale of Wachovia to Wells Fargo, reports of credit and liquidity issues involving certain money market mutual funds, emergency measures by the U.S. and foreign governments banning short-selling, measures to address U.S. federal and state budget deficits, debt crises in the Eurozone, and S&P’s downgrade of U.S. long-term sovereign debt. Both domestic and foreign equity markets have been experiencing increased volatility and turmoil, with issuers that have exposure to the real estate, mortgage and credit markets particularly affected, and it is uncertain whether or for how long these conditions will continue.
In addition to the unprecedented volatility in financial markets, the reduced liquidity in credit and fixed-income markets may adversely affect many issuers worldwide. This reduced liquidity may result in less money being available to purchase raw materials, goods and services from emerging markets, which may, in turn, bring down the prices of these economic staples. It also may result in emerging market issuers having more difficulty obtaining financing, which may, in turn, cause a decline in their stock prices. These events and possible continuing market volatility may have an adverse effect on the Fund.
OTHER INSTRUMENTS
The following discussion provides an explanation of some of the other instruments in which the Fund may invest, consistent with its investment objective and policies.
Warrants
Warrants may trade independently of the underlying securities. Warrants are rights to purchase securities at specific prices and are valid for a specific period of time. Warrant prices do not necessarily move parallel to the prices of the underlying securities, and warrant holders receive no dividends and have no voting rights or rights with respect to the assets of an issuer. The price of a warrant may be more volatile than the price of its underlying security, and a warrant may offer greater potential for capital appreciation as well as

10


 

capital loss. Warrants cease to have value if not exercised prior to the expiration date. These factors can make warrants more speculative than other types of investments.
Reverse Repurchase Agreements
Under a reverse repurchase agreement, the Fund sells a debt security and agrees to repurchase it at an agreed upon time and at an agreed upon price. The Fund retains record ownership of the security and the right to receive interest and principal payments thereon. At an agreed upon future date, the Fund repurchases the security by remitting the proceeds previously received, plus interest. The difference between the amount the Fund receives for the security and the amount it pays on repurchase is payment of interest. In certain types of agreements, there is no agreed-upon repurchase date and interest payments are calculated daily, often based on the prevailing overnight repurchase rate. A reverse repurchase agreement may be considered a form of leveraging and may, therefore, increase fluctuations in the Fund’s NAV per share. The Fund will cover its repurchase agreement transactions by segregating cash, Treasury bills or other U.S. Government securities having an aggregate value at least equal to the amount of such commitment to repurchase including accrued interest, until payment is made.
Investments in Creditors’ Claims
Creditors’ claims in bankruptcy (“Creditors’ Claims”) are rights to payment from a debtor under the U.S. bankruptcy laws. Creditors’ Claims may be secured or unsecured. A secured claim generally receives priority in payment over unsecured claims.
Sellers of Creditors’ Claims can either be: (i) creditors that have extended unsecured credit to the debtor company (most commonly trade suppliers of materials or services); or (ii) secured creditors (most commonly financial institutions) that have obtained collateral to secure an advance of credit to the debtor. Selling a Creditor’s Claim offers the creditor an opportunity to turn a claim that otherwise might not be satisfied for many years into liquid assets.
Creditors’ Claims may be purchased directly from a creditor although most are purchased through brokers. Creditors’ Claims can be sold as a single claim or as part of a package of claims from several different bankruptcy filings. Purchasers of Creditors’ Claims may take an active role in the reorganization process of the bankrupt company and, in certain situations where the Creditors’ Claim is not paid in full, the claim may be converted into stock of the reorganized debtor.
Although Creditors’ Claims can be sold to other investors, the market for Creditors’ Claims is not liquid and, as a result, a purchaser of a Creditors’ Claim may be unable to sell the claim or may have to sell it at a drastically reduced price. There is no guarantee that any payment will be received from a Creditors’ Claim, especially in the case of unsecured claims.
Mortgage Securities
Prepayment of Mortgages. Mortgage securities differ from conventional bonds in that principal is paid over the life of the securities rather than at maturity. As a result, by investing in mortgage securities, the Fund receives monthly scheduled payments of principal and interest, and may receive unscheduled principal payments representing prepayments on the underlying mortgages. When the Fund reinvests the payments and any unscheduled prepayments of principal it receives, it may receive a rate of interest that is higher or lower than the rate on the existing mortgage securities. For this reason, mortgage securities may be less effective than other types of debt securities as a means of locking in long term interest rates.
In addition, because the underlying mortgage loans and assets may be prepaid at any time, if the Fund purchases mortgage securities at a premium, a prepayment rate that is faster than expected will reduce yield to maturity, while a prepayment rate that is slower than expected will increase yield to maturity. Conversely, if the Fund purchases these securities at a discount, faster than expected prepayments will increase yield to maturity, while slower than expected payments will reduce yield to maturity.
Adjustable Rate Mortgage Securities. Adjustable rate mortgage securities are similar to the fixed rate mortgage securities discussed above, except that, unlike fixed rate mortgage securities, adjustable rate

11


 

mortgage securities are collateralized by or represent interests in mortgage loans with variable rates of interest. These variable rates of interest reset periodically to align themselves with market rates. Most adjustable rate mortgage securities provide for an initial mortgage rate that is in effect for a fixed period, typically ranging from three to twelve months. Thereafter, the mortgage interest rate will reset periodically in accordance with movements in a specified published interest rate index. The amount of interest due to an adjustable rate mortgage holder is determined in accordance with movements in a specified published interest rate index by adding a pre-determined increment or “margin” to the specified interest rate index. Many adjustable rate mortgage securities reset their interest rates based on changes in:
  one-year, three-year and five-year constant maturity Treasury Bill rates;
  three-month or six-month Treasury Bill rates;
  11th District Federal Home Loan Bank Cost of Funds;
  National Median Cost of Funds; or
  one-month, three-month, six-month or one-year London Interbank Offered Rate (“LIBOR”) and other market rates.
During periods of increasing rates, the Fund will not benefit from such increase to the extent that interest rates rise to the point where they cause the current coupon of adjustable rate mortgages held as investments to exceed any maximum allowable annual or lifetime reset limits or “cap rates” for a particular mortgage. In this event, the value of the mortgage securities held by the Fund would likely decrease. During periods of declining interest rates, income to the Fund derived from adjustable rate mortgages that remain in a mortgage pool may decrease in contrast to the income on fixed rate mortgages, which will remain constant. Adjustable rate mortgages also have less potential for appreciation in value as interest rates decline than do fixed rate investments. Also, the Fund’s NAV could vary to the extent that current yields on adjustable rate mortgage securities held as investments are different than market yields during interim periods between coupon reset dates.
Privately-Issued Mortgage Securities. Privately-issued mortgage securities provide for the monthly principal and interest payments made by individual borrowers to pass through to investors on a corporate basis, and in privately issued collateralized mortgage obligations, as further described below. Privately-issued mortgage securities are issued by private originators of, or investors in, mortgage loans, including:
  mortgage bankers;
  commercial banks;
  investment banks;
  savings and loan associations; and
  special purpose subsidiaries of the foregoing.
Since privately-issued mortgage certificates are not guaranteed by an entity having the credit status of GNMA or Freddie Mac, such securities generally are structured with one or more types of credit enhancement. For a description of the types of credit enhancements that may accompany privately-issued mortgage securities, see “Types of Credit Support” below. The Fund will not limit its investments in mortgage securities to those with credit enhancements.
Collateralized Mortgage Obligations (“CMOs”). CMOs generally are bonds or certificates issued in multiple classes that are collateralized by or represent an interest in mortgages. CMOs may be issued by single-purpose, stand-alone finance subsidiaries or trusts of financial institutions, government agencies, investment banks or other similar institutions. Each class of CMOs, often referred to as a “tranche,” may be

12


 

issued with a specific fixed coupon rate (which may be zero) or a floating coupon rate. Each class of CMOs also has a stated maturity or final distribution date. Principal prepayments on the underlying mortgages may cause the CMOs to be retired substantially earlier than their stated maturities or final distribution dates. Interest is paid or accrued on CMOs on a monthly, quarterly or semiannual basis. The principal of and interest on the underlying mortgages may be allocated among the several classes of a series of a CMO in many ways. The general goal sought to be achieved in allocating cash flows on the underlying mortgages to the various classes of a series of CMOs is to create tranches on which the expected cash flows have a higher degree of predictability than the underlying mortgages. In creating such tranches, other tranches may be subordinated to the interests of these tranches and receive payments only after the obligations of the more senior tranches have been satisfied. As a general matter, the more predictable the cash flow is on a CMO tranche, the lower the anticipated yield will be on that tranche at the time of issuance. As part of the process of creating more predictable cash flows on most of the tranches in a series of CMOs, one or more tranches generally must be created that absorb most of the volatility in the cash flows on the underlying mortgages. The yields on these tranches are relatively higher than on tranches with more predictable cash flows. Because of the uncertainty of the cash flows on these tranches, and the sensitivity of these transactions to changes in prepayment rates on the underlying mortgages, the market prices of and yields on these tranches tend to be highly volatile. The market prices of and yields on tranches with longer terms to maturity also tend to be more volatile than tranches with shorter terms to maturity due to these same factors. To the extent the mortgages underlying a series of a CMO are so-called “subprime mortgages” (mortgages granted to borrowers whose credit history is not sufficient to obtain a conventional mortgage), the risk of default is higher, which increases the risk that one or more tranches of a CMO will not receive its predicted cash flows.
CMOs purchased by the Fund may be:
(1) collateralized by pools of mortgages in which each mortgage is guaranteed as to payment of principal and interest by an agency or instrumentality of the U.S. Government;
(2) collateralized by pools of mortgages in which payment of principal and interest is guaranteed by the issuer and the guarantee is collateralized by U.S. Government securities; or
(3) securities for which the proceeds of the issuance are invested in mortgage securities and payment of the principal and interest is supported by the credit of an agency or instrumentality of the U.S. Government.
Separate Trading of Registered Interest and Principal of Securities (“STRIPS”). Separately traded interest components of securities may be issued or guaranteed by the U.S. Treasury. The interest components of selected securities are traded independently under the STRIPS program. Under the STRIPS program, the interest components are individually numbered and separately issued by the U.S. Treasury at the request of depository financial institutions, which then trade the component parts independently.
Types of Credit Support. Mortgage securities are often backed by a pool of assets representing the obligations of a number of different parties. To lessen the impact of an obligor’s failure to make payments on underlying assets, mortgage securities may contain elements of credit support. A discussion of credit support is described under “Asset-Backed Securities.”
Asset-Backed Securities
The securitization techniques used to develop mortgage securities are also being applied to a broad range of other assets. Through the use of trusts and special purpose corporations, automobile and credit card receivables are being securitized in pass-through structures similar to mortgage pass-through structures or in a pay-through structure similar to the CMO structure.
Generally, the issuers of asset-backed bonds, notes or pass-through certificates are special purpose entities and do not have any significant assets other than the receivables securing such obligations. In general, the collateral supporting asset-backed securities is of a shorter maturity than that of mortgage loans. As a result, investment in these securities should be subject to less volatility than mortgage securities.

13


 

Instruments backed by pools of receivables are similar to mortgage-backed securities in that they are subject to unscheduled prepayments of principal prior to maturity. When the obligations are prepaid, the Fund must reinvest the prepaid amounts in securities with the prevailing interest rates at the time. Therefore, the Fund’s ability to maintain an investment including high-yielding asset-backed securities will be affected adversely to the extent that prepayments of principal must be reinvested in securities which have lower yields than the prepaid obligations. Moreover, prepayments of securities purchased at a premium could result in a realized loss. Unless otherwise stated in its prospectus, the Fund will only invest in asset-backed securities rated, at the time of purchase, AA or better by S&P or Fitch or Aa or better by Moody’s.
As with mortgage securities, asset-backed securities are often backed by a pool of assets representing the obligation of a number of different parties and use similar credit enhancement techniques. For a description of the types of credit enhancement that may accompany asset-backed securities, see “Types of Credit Support” below. The Fund will not limit its investments in asset-backed securities to those with credit enhancements. Although asset-backed securities are not generally traded on a national securities exchange, such securities are widely traded by brokers and dealers, and will not be considered illiquid securities for the purposes of the investment restriction on illiquid securities under “Additional Investment Policies.”
Types of Credit Support. To lessen the impact of an obligor’s failure to make payments on underlying assets, mortgage securities and asset-backed securities may contain elements of credit support. Such credit support falls into two categories:
  liquidity protection; and
  default protection.
Liquidity protection refers to the provision of advances, generally by the entity administering the pool of assets, to ensure that the pass-through of payments due on the underlying pool of assets occurs in a timely fashion. Default protection provides against losses resulting from ultimate default and enhances the likelihood of ultimate payment of the obligations on at least a portion of the assets in the pool. This protection may be provided through guarantees, insurance policies or letters of credit obtained by the issuer or sponsor from third parties, through various means of structuring the transaction or through a combination of such approaches. The Fund will not pay any additional fees for such credit support, although the existence of credit support may increase the price of a security.
Some examples of credit support include:
  “senior-subordinated securities” (multiple class securities with one or more classes subordinate to other classes as to the payment of principal thereof and interest thereon, with the result that defaults on the underlying assets are borne first by the holders of the subordinated class);
  creation of “reserve funds” (where cash or investments, sometimes funded from a portion of the payments on the underlying assets, are held in reserve against future losses); and
  “over-collateralization” (where the scheduled payments on, or the principal amount of, the underlying assets exceed those required to make payment on the securities and pay any servicing or other fees).
The ratings of mortgage securities and asset-backed securities for which third-party credit enhancement provides liquidity protection or default protection are generally dependent upon the continued creditworthiness of the provider of the credit enhancement. The ratings of these securities could be reduced in the event of deterioration in the creditworthiness of the credit enhancement provider even in cases where the delinquency and loss experienced on the underlying pool of assets is better than expected.
The degree of credit support provided for each issue is generally based on historical information concerning the level of credit risk associated with the underlying assets. Delinquency or loss greater than anticipated could adversely affect the return on an investment in mortgage securities or asset-backed securities.

14


 

Collateralized Debt Obligations. Collateralized debt obligations (“CDOs”) 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 that 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.
For both CBOs and CLOs, the cash flows from the trust are split into two or more portions, called tranches, varying in risk and yield. The riskiest portion is the “equity” tranche, which bears the bulk of defaults from the bonds or loans in the trust and serves to protect the other, more senior tranches from default in all but the most severe circumstances. Since it is partially protected from defaults, a senior tranche from a CBO trust or CLO trust typically have higher ratings and lower yields than their underlying securities, and can be rated investment grade. Despite the protection from the equity tranche, CBO or CLO tranches can experience substantial losses due to actual defaults, increased sensitivity to defaults due to collateral default and disappearance of protecting tranches, market anticipation of defaults, as well as aversion to CBO or CLO securities as a class. In the case of all CBO or CLO tranches, the market prices of and yields on tranches with longer terms to maturity tend to be more volatile than those of tranches with shorter terms to maturity due to the greater volatility and uncertainty of cash flows.
Zero Coupon Securities, Deferred Interest Bonds And Pay-In-Kind Bonds
Zero coupon securities, deferred interest bonds and pay-in-kind bonds involve special risk considerations. Zero coupon securities and deferred interest bonds are debt securities that pay no cash income but are sold at substantial discounts from their value at maturity. While zero coupon bonds do not require the periodic payment of interest, deferred interest bonds provide for a period of delay before the regular payment of interest begins. When a zero coupon security or a deferred interest bond is held to maturity, its entire return, which consists of the amortization of discount, comes from the difference between its purchase price and its maturity value. This difference is known at the time of purchase, so that investors holding these securities until maturity know at the time of their investment what the return on their investment will be. Pay-in-kind bonds are bonds that pay all or a portion of their interest in the form of debt or equity securities.
Zero coupon securities, deferred interest bonds and pay-in-kind bonds are subject to greater price fluctuations in response to changes in interest rates than ordinary interest-paying debt securities with similar maturities. The value of zero coupon securities and deferred interest bonds usually appreciates during periods of declining interest rates and usually depreciates during periods of rising interest rates.
Issuers of Zero Coupon Securities and Pay-In-Kind Bonds. Zero coupon securities and pay-in-kind bonds may be issued by a wide variety of corporate and governmental issuers. Although zero coupon securities and pay-in-kind bonds are generally not traded on a national securities exchange, these securities are widely traded by brokers and dealers and, to the extent they are widely traded, will not be considered illiquid for the purposes of the investment restriction under “Additional Investment Policies.”
Tax Considerations. Current federal income tax law requires the holder of a zero coupon security or certain pay-in-kind bonds to accrue income with respect to these securities prior to the receipt of cash payments. To maintain its qualification as a regulated investment company and avoid liability for federal income and excise taxes, the Fund may be required to distribute income accrued with respect to these securities and may have to dispose of portfolio securities under disadvantageous circumstances in order to generate cash to satisfy these distribution requirements.
Loans And Other Direct Debt Instruments
The Fund may invest in loans and other direct debt instruments. Direct debt instruments are interests in amounts owed by a corporate, governmental, or other borrower to lenders or lending syndicates (loans and loan participations), to suppliers of goods or services (trade claims or other receivables), or to other parties. Direct debt instruments involve a risk of loss in case of default or insolvency of the borrower and may offer

15


 

less legal protection to the purchaser in the event of fraud or misrepresentation, or there may be a requirement that the Fund supply additional cash to a borrower on demand.
High Yield (High Risk) Domestic Corporate Debt Securities
The Fund may invest in high yield U.S. corporate debt securities include bonds, debentures, notes, bank loans, credit-linked notes and commercial paper. Most of these debt securities will bear interest at fixed rates, except bank loans, which usually have floating rates. Bonds also may have variable rates of interest or debt securities, which involve equity features, such as equity warrants or convertible outright and participation features (i.e., interest or other payments, often in addition to a fixed rate of return, that are based on the borrower’s attainment of specified levels of revenues, sales or profits and thus enable the holder of the security to share in the potential success of the venture). The high yield market has evolved, and today, much high yield debt is used for general corporate purposes, such as financing capital needs or consolidating and paying down bank lines of credit.
The secondary market for high yield U.S. corporate debt securities is concentrated in relatively few market makers and is dominated by institutional investors, including mutual funds, insurance companies and other financial institutions. Accordingly, the secondary market for such securities is not as liquid as, and is more volatile than, the secondary market for higher-rated securities. In addition, market trading volume for high yield U.S. corporate debt securities is generally lower and the secondary market for such securities could shrink or disappear suddenly and without warning as a result of adverse market or economic conditions, independent of any specific adverse changes in the condition of a particular issuer. The lack of sufficient market liquidity may cause the Fund to incur losses because it will be required to effect sales at a disadvantageous time and then only at a substantial drop in price. These factors may have an adverse effect on the market price and the Fund’s ability to dispose of particular portfolio investments. A less liquid secondary market also may make it more difficult for a portfolio to obtain precise valuations of the high yield securities in its portfolio.
Brady Bonds
Brady Bonds are debt securities issued under the framework of the “Brady Plan,” an initiative announced by former U.S. Treasury Secretary Nicholas F. Brady in 1989 as a mechanism for debtor nations to restructure their outstanding external commercial bank indebtedness. The Brady Plan framework, as it has developed, involves the exchange of external commercial bank debt for newly issued bonds (Brady Bonds). Brady Bonds also may be issued in respect of new money being advanced by existing lenders in connection with the debt restructuring. Brady Bonds issued to date generally have maturities between 15 and 30 years from the date of issuance and have traded at a deep discount from their face value. In addition to Brady Bonds, investments in emerging market governmental obligations issued as a result of debt restructuring agreements outside of the scope of the Brady Plan are available.
Agreements implemented under the Brady Plan to date are designed to achieve debt and debt-service reduction through specific options negotiated by a debtor nation with its creditors. As a result, the financial packages offered by each country differ. The types of options have included:
  the exchange of outstanding commercial bank debt for bonds issued at 100% of face value, which carry a below-market stated rate of interest (generally known as par bonds);
  bonds issued at a discount from face value (generally known as discount bonds);
  bonds bearing an interest rate which increases over time; and
  bonds issued in exchange for the advancement of new money by existing lenders.
Discount bonds issued to date under the framework of the Brady Plan have generally borne interest computed semi-annually at a rate equal to 13/16 of one percent above the current six-month LIBOR rate. Regardless of the stated face amount and interest rate of the various types of Brady Bonds, when investing

16


 

in Brady Bonds the Fund will purchase Brady Bonds in secondary markets in which the price and yield to the investor reflect market conditions at the time of purchase.
Certain sovereign bonds are entitled to “value recovery payments” in certain circumstances, which in effect constitute supplemental interest payments but generally are not collateralized. Certain Brady Bonds have been collateralized as to principal due at maturity (typically 15 to 30 years from the date of issuance) by U.S. Treasury zero coupon bonds with a maturity equal to the final maturity of such Brady Bonds, although the collateral is not available to investors until the final maturity of the Brady Bonds. Collateral purchases are financed by the International Monetary Fund (the “IMF”), the World Bank and the debtor nations’ reserves. In addition, interest payments on certain types of Brady Bonds may be collateralized by cash or high-grade securities in amounts that typically represent between 12 and 18 months of interest accruals on these instruments, with the balance of the interest accruals being uncollateralized.
The Fund may purchase Brady Bonds with no or limited collateralization, and must rely for payment of interest and (except in the case of principal collateralized Brady Bonds) principal primarily on the willingness and ability of the foreign government to make payment in accordance with the terms of the Brady Bonds.
Brady Bonds issued to date are purchased and sold in secondary markets through U.S. securities dealers and other financial institutions and are generally maintained through European transactional securities depositories. A substantial portion of the Brady Bonds and other sovereign debt securities in which the Fund invests are likely to be acquired at a discount.
Sovereign Debt Obligations
Sovereign debt obligations are issued or guaranteed by foreign governments or their agencies. Sovereign debt may be in the form of conventional securities or other types of debt instruments such as loan or loan participations. Typically, sovereign debt of developing countries may involve a high degree of risk and may be in default or present the risk of default, however, sovereign debt of developed countries also may involve a high degree of risk and may be in default or present the risk of default. Governments rely on taxes and other revenue sources to pay interest and principal on their debt obligations, and governmental entities responsible for repayment of the debt may be unable or unwilling to repay principal and pay interest when due and may require renegotiation or rescheduling of debt payments. The payment of principal and interest on these obligations may be adversely affected by a variety of factors, including economic results, changes in interest and exchange rates, changes in debt ratings, a limited tax base or limited revenue sources, natural disasters, or other economic or credit problems. In addition, prospects for repayment and payment of interest may depend on political as well as economic factors. Defaults in sovereign debt obligations, or the perceived risk of default, also may impair the market for other securities and debt instruments, including securities issued by banks and other entities holding such sovereign debt, and negatively impact the Fund.
Indexed Securities
Indexed securities are instruments whose prices are indexed to the prices of other securities, securities indices, currencies, or other financial indicators. Indexed securities typically, but not always, are debt securities or deposits whose value at maturity or coupon rate is determined by reference to a specific instrument or statistic.
Currency indexed securities typically are short-term to intermediate-term debt securities whose maturity values or interest rates are determined by reference to the values of one or more specified foreign currencies, and may offer higher yields than U.S. dollar denominated securities. Currency indexed securities may be positively or negatively indexed; that is, their maturity value may increase when the specified currency value increases, resulting in a security that performs similarly to a foreign denominated instrument, or their maturity value may decline when foreign currencies increase, resulting in a security whose price characteristics are similar to a put on the underlying currency. Currency indexed securities also may have prices that depend on the values of a number of different foreign currencies relative to each other.

17


 

The performance of indexed securities depends to a great extent on the performance of the security, currency, or other instrument to which they are indexed, and also may be influenced by interest rate changes in the United States and abroad. Indexed securities may be more volatile than the underlying instruments. Indexed securities are also subject to the credit risks associated with the issuer of the security, and their values may decline substantially if the issuer’s creditworthiness deteriorates. Issuers of indexed securities have included banks, corporations, and certain U.S. Government agencies.
Depositary Receipts
Securities of foreign issuers may include American Depositary Receipts, European Depositary Receipts, Global Depositary Receipts, and International Depositary Receipts (“ADRs,” “EDRs,” “GDRs,” and “IDRs,” respectively, and collectively, “Depositary Receipts”). Depositary Receipts are certificates typically issued by a bank or trust company that give their holders the right to receive securities issued by a foreign or domestic corporation.
ADRs are U.S. dollar-denominated securities backed by foreign securities deposited in a U.S. securities depository. ADRs are created for trading in the U.S. markets. The value of an ADR will fluctuate with the value of the underlying security and will reflect any changes in exchange rates. An investment in ADRs involves risks associated with investing in foreign securities.
EDRs, GDRs, and IDRs, which are receipts evidencing an arrangement with a non-U.S. bank similar to that for ADRs and are designed for use in non-U.S. securities markets. EDRs, GDRs, and IDRs are not necessarily quoted in the same currency as the underlying security.
Variable And Floating Rate Obligations
Investments in floating or variable rate securities normally will involve industrial development or revenue bonds, which provide that the rate of interest is set as a specific percentage of a designated base rate, such as rates of Treasury Bonds or Bills or the prime rate at a major commercial bank. In addition, a bondholder can demand payment of the obligations on behalf of the investing Fund on short notice at par plus accrued interest, which amount may be more or less than the amount the bondholder paid for them. The maturity of floating or variable rate obligations (including participation interests therein) is deemed to be the longer of (i) the notice period required before the Fund is entitled to receive payment of the obligation upon demand or (ii) the period remaining until the obligation’s next interest rate adjustment. If not redeemed by the investor through the demand feature, the obligations mature on a specified date, which may range up to thirty years from the date of issuance.
Exchange-Traded Funds (“ETFs”)
The Fund may invest in ETFs. The Fund could purchase an ETF to temporarily gain exposure to a portion of the U.S. or a foreign market while awaiting purchase of underlying securities. The risks of owning an ETF generally reflect the risks of owning the underlying securities they are designed to track, although lack of liquidity in an ETF could result in it being more volatile than the underlying securities and ETFs have management fees which increase their costs. In addition, there is the risk that an ETF may fail to closely track the index that it is designed to replicate.
Exchange-Traded Notes (“ETNs”)
The Fund may invest in exchange-traded notes (“ETNs”), which are senior, unsecured, unsubordinated debt securities whose returns are linked to the performance of a particular market benchmark or strategy, minus applicable fees. ETNs are traded on an exchange (e.g., the New York Stock Exchange) during normal trading hours; however, investors also can hold ETNs until they mature. At maturity, the issuer pays to the investor a cash amount equal to the principal amount, subject to the day’s market benchmark or strategy factor. ETNs do not make periodic coupon payments or provide principal protection. ETNs are subject to credit risk, including the credit risk of the issuer, and the value of the ETN may drop due to a downgrade in the issuer’s credit rating, despite the underlying market benchmark or strategy remaining unchanged. The

18


 

value of an ETN also may be influenced by time to maturity, level of supply and demand for the ETN, volatility and lack of liquidity in underlying assets, changes in the applicable interest rates, changes in the issuer’s credit rating, and economic, legal, political, or geographic events that affect the referenced underlying asset. When the Fund invests in ETNs, it will bear its proportionate share of any fees and expenses borne by the ETN. A decision by the Fund to sell ETN holdings may be limited by the availability of a secondary market. In addition, although an ETN may be listed on an exchange, the issuer may not be required to maintain the listing, and there can be no assurance that a secondary market will exist for an ETN.
ETNs also are subject to tax risk. No assurance can be given that the Internal Revenue Service (the “IRS”) will accept, or a court will uphold, how the Fund characterizes and treats ETNs for tax purposes.
An ETN that is tied to a specific market benchmark or strategy may not be able to replicate and maintain exactly the composition and relative weighting of securities, commodities or other components in the applicable market benchmark or strategy. Some ETNs that use leverage can, at times, be relatively illiquid, and thus they may be difficult to purchase or sell at a fair price. Leveraged ETNs are subject to the same risk as other instruments that use leverage in any form. The market value of ETNs may differ from their market benchmark or strategy. This difference in price may be due to the fact that the supply and demand in the market for ETNs at any point in time is not always identical to the supply and demand in the market for the securities, commodities or other components underlying the market benchmark or strategy that the ETN seeks to track. As a result, there may be times when an ETN trades at a premium or discount to its market benchmark or strategy.
ADDITIONAL INVESTMENT POLICIES
The following provides a more detailed explanation of some investment policies of the Fund.
Lending of Securities
The Fund may lend its securities so long as such loans do not represent more than 33 1/3% of its total assets. As collateral for the loaned securities, the borrower gives the Fund collateral equal to at least 102% of the value of the loaned securities (105% for foreign equity and corporate securities). The collateral will consist of cash (including U.S. dollars and foreign currency). The borrower must also agree to increase the collateral if the value of the loaned securities increases. As with other extensions of credit, there are risks that collateral could be inadequate in the event of the borrower failing financially, which could result in actual financial loss, and risks that recovery of loaned securities could be delayed, which could result in interference with portfolio management decisions or exercise of ownership rights. The collateral is managed by an affiliate of the Adviser. The Fund will be responsible for the risks associated with the investment of cash collateral, including the risk that the Fund may lose money on the investment or may fail to earn sufficient income to meet its obligations to the borrower. In addition, the Fund may lose its right to vote its shares of the loaned securities at a shareholders meeting if the subadviser fails to timely recall the security or the borrower fails to return the recalled security in advance of the record date for the meeting.
The Fund may enter into an agreement with one or more securities lending agents (each, a “Securities Lending Agreement”). Under a Securities Lending Agreement, the securities lending agent will generally bear the risk that a borrower may default on its obligation to return loaned securities.
Securities lending involves counterparty risk, including the risk that the loaned securities may not be returned or returned in a timely manner and/or a loss of rights in the collateral if the borrower or the lending agent defaults or fails financially. This risk is increased when the Fund’s loans are concentrated with a single or limited number of borrowers. There are no limits on the number of borrowers to which the Fund may lend securities and the Fund may lend securities to only one or a small group of borrowers. In addition, under a Securities Lending Agreement, loans may be made to affiliates of the relevant securities lending agent identified in the Securities Lending Agreement.

19


 

Cash collateral may be invested by the Fund in a privately offered registered investment company advised by John Hancock Asset Management a division of Manulife Asset Management (US) LLC (“John Hancock Asset Management”) that is part of the same group of investment companies as the Fund and that is offered exclusively to funds in the same group of investment companies. Investment of cash collateral offers the opportunity for the Fund to profit from income earned by this collateral pool, but also the risk of loss, should the value of the Fund’s shares in the collateral pool decrease below their initial value.
Interfund Lending
Pursuant to an exemptive order issued by the SEC, the Fund may lend money to, and borrow money from, other funds advised by the Adviser, John Hancock Advisers or John Hancock Asset Management. The Fund will borrow through the program only when the costs are equal to or lower than the cost of bank loans, and will lend through the program only when the returns are higher than those available from an investment in overnight repurchase agreements. Interfund loans and borrowings normally extend overnight, but can have a maximum duration of seven days. Loans may be called on one day’s notice. The Fund may have to borrow from a bank at a higher interest rate if an interfund loan is called or not renewed. Any delay in repayment to the Fund could result in a lost investment opportunity or additional borrowing costs.
When-Issued Securities/Delayed Delivery Securities/Forward Commitments
The Fund may purchase or sell debt or equity securities on a “when-issued,” delayed-delivery, or on a “forward commitment” basis. When-issued, delayed-delivery or forward-commitment transactions involve a commitment to purchase or sell securities at a predetermined price or yield in which payment and delivery take place after the customary settlement for such securities (which is typically one month or more after trade date). When purchasing securities in one of these types of transactions, payment for the securities is not required until the delivery date, however, the purchaser assumes the rights and risks of ownership, including the risks of price and yield fluctuations and the risk that the security will not be delivered. When the Fund has sold securities pursuant to one of these transactions, it will not participate in further gains or losses with respect to that security. At the time of delivery, the value of when-issued, delayed-delivery or forward commitment securities may be more or less than the transaction price, and the yields then available in the market may be higher or lower than those obtained in the transaction.
Under normal circumstances, when purchasing securities on a when-issued or forward commitment basis, the Fund will take delivery of the securities, but the Fund may, if deemed advisable, sell the securities before the settlement date. Forward contracts may settle in cash between the counterparty and the Fund or by physical settlement of the underlying securities, and the Fund may renegotiate or roll over a forward commitment transaction. In general, the Fund does not pay for the securities, or start earning interest on them, or deliver or take possession of securities until the obligations are scheduled to be settled. In such transactions, no cash changes hands on the trade date, however, if the transaction is collateralized, the exchange of margin may take place between the Fund and the counterparty according to an agreed-upon schedule. The Fund does, however, record the transaction and reflect the value each day of the securities in determining its NAV.
While awaiting settlement of the obligations purchased or sold on such basis, the Fund will maintain on its records liquid assets consisting of cash, liquid high quality debt obligations or other assets equal to the amount of the commitments to purchase or sell when-issued, delayed-delivery or forward commitment securities. The availability of liquid assets for this purpose and the effect of asset segregation on the Fund’s ability to meet its current obligations, to honor requests for redemption, and to otherwise manage its investment portfolio will limit the extent to which the Fund may purchase when-issued or forward commitment securities.
Illiquid Securities
The Fund may not invest more than 15% of its net assets in securities that are not readily marketable (“illiquid securities”). Investment in illiquid securities involves the risk that, because of the lack of

20


 

consistent market demand for such securities, the Fund may be forced to sell them at a discount from the last offer price.
Illiquid securities may include, but are not limited to: (a) repurchase agreements with maturities greater than seven days; (b) time deposits maturing in more than seven calendar days; and (c) securities of new and early stage companies whose securities are not publicly traded.
Rule 144A Securities are excluded from the limitation on illiquid securities. Securities that are restricted as to resale but for which a ready market is available pursuant to an exemption provided by Rule 144A of the 1933 Act, or other exemptions from the registration requirements of the 1933 Act may be excluded from the limitation on illiquid securities. The subadviser decides, subject to the oversight of the Board, whether securities sold pursuant to Rule 144A are readily marketable for purposes of the Fund’s investment restriction. The subadviser also will monitor the liquidity of Rule 144A securities held by the Fund for which it is responsible. To the extent that Rule 144A securities held by the Fund should become illiquid because of a lack of interest on the part of qualified institutional investors, the overall liquidity of the Fund could be adversely affected.
Section 4(2) Commercial Paper is excluded from the limitation on illiquid securities.
Short Sales
The Fund may make short sales of securities or maintain a short position, provided that at all times when a short position is open, the Fund owns an equal amount of such securities or securities convertible into or exchangeable, without payment of any further consideration, for an equal amount of the securities of the same issuer as the securities sold short (a short sale “against-the-box”).
The Fund also may sell a security it does not own in anticipation of a decline in the market value of that security (a “short sale”). To complete such a transaction, the Fund must borrow the security to make delivery to the buyer. The Fund is then obligated to replace the security borrowed by purchasing it at market price at the time of replacement. The price at such time may be more or less than the price at which the security was sold by the Fund. Until the security is replaced, the Fund is required to pay the lender any dividends or interest which accrues during the period of the loan. To borrow the security, the Fund also may be required to pay a premium, which would increase the cost of the security sold. The proceeds of the short sale will be retained by the broker, to the extent necessary to meet margin requirements, until the short position is closed out. Until the Fund replaces a borrowed security, it will segregate with its custodian cash or other liquid assets at such a level that: (i) the amount segregated plus the amount deposited with the broker as collateral will equal the current value of the security sold short; and (ii) the amount segregated plus the amount deposited with the broker as collateral will not be less than the market value of the security at the time it was sold short. The Fund will incur a loss as a result of the short sale if the price of the security increases between the date of the short sale and the date on which the Fund replaced the borrowed security. The Fund will realize a gain if the security declines in price between those dates. This result is the opposite of what one would expect from a cash purchase of a long position in a security. The amount of any gain will be decreased, and the amount of any loss increased, by the amount of any premium, dividends or interest the Fund may be required to pay in connection with a short sale.
Investment In Other Investment Companies
The Fund may invest in other investment companies (including shares of closed-end investment companies, unit investment trusts, and open-end investment companies) to the extent permitted by federal securities laws (including the rules, regulations and interpretations thereunder) and to the extent permitted by exemptive relief obtained from the SEC by the custodian and the subadviser.
Investing in other investment companies involves substantially the same risks as investing directly in the underlying instruments, but the total return on such investments at the investment company-level may be reduced by the operating expenses and fees of such other investment companies, including advisory fees. Certain types of investment companies, such as closed-end investment companies, issue a fixed number of

21


 

shares that trade on a stock exchange or may involve the payment of substantial premiums above the value of such investment companies’ portfolio securities when traded OTC or a discount to their NAV. Others are continuously offered at NAV, but also may be traded in the secondary market.
Loan Participations And Assignments
Loan participations are loans or other direct debt instruments that are interests in amounts owned by a corporate, governmental or other borrower to another party. They may represent amounts owed to lenders or lending syndicates to suppliers of goods or services, or to other parties. The Fund will have the right to receive payments of principal, interest and any fees to which it is entitled only from the lender selling the participation and only upon receipt by the lender of the payments from the borrower. In connection with purchasing participations, the Fund generally will have no right to enforce compliance by the borrower with the term of the loan agreement relating to loan, nor any rights of set-off against the borrower, and the Fund may not directly benefit from any collateral supporting the loan in which it has purchased the participation. As a result, the Fund will assume the credit risk of both the borrower and the lender that is selling the participation. In the event of the insolvency of the lender selling a participation, the Fund may be treated as a general creditor of the lender and may not benefit from any set-off between the lender and the borrower.
When the Fund purchases assignments from lenders it will acquire direct rights against the borrower on the loan. However, because assignments are arranged through private negotiations between potential assignees and potential assignors, the rights and obligation acquired by the Fund as the purchaser of an assignment may differ from, and be more limited than, those held by the assigning lender. Investments in loan participations and assignments present the possibility that the Fund could be held liable as a co-lender under emerging legal theories of lender liability. In addition, if the loan is foreclosed, the Fund could be part owner of any collateral and could bear the costs and liabilities of owning and disposing of the collateral. It is anticipated that such securities could be sold only to a limited number of institutional investors. In addition, some loan participations and assignments may not be rated by major rating agencies and may not be protected by the securities laws.
Investments in loans and loan participations will subject the Fund to liquidity risk. Loans and loan participations may be transferable among financial institutions, but may not have the liquidity of conventional debt securities and are often subject to restrictions on resale thereby making them potentially illiquid. For example, the purchase or sale of loans requires, in many cases, the consent of either a third party (such as the lead or agent bank for the loan) or of the borrower, and although such consent is, in practice, infrequently withheld, the consent requirement can delay a purchase or hinder the Fund’s ability to dispose of its investments in loans in a timely fashion. In addition, in some cases, negotiations involved in disposing of indebtedness may require weeks to complete. Consequently, some indebtedness may be difficult or impossible to dispose of readily at what the subadviser believes to be a fair price.
Corporate loans that the Fund may acquire, or in which the Fund may purchase a loan participation, are made generally to finance internal growth, mergers, acquisitions, stock repurchases, leveraged buy-outs, leverage recapitalizations and other corporate activities. The highly leveraged capital structure of the borrowers in certain of these transactions may make such loans especially vulnerable to adverse changes in economic or market conditions and greater credit risk than other investments.
Certain of the loan participations or assignments acquired by the Fund may involve unfunded commitments of the lenders or revolving credit facilities under which a borrower may from time to time borrow and repay amounts up to the maximum amount of the facility. In such cases, the Fund would have an obligation to advance its portion of such additional borrowings upon the terms specified in the loan documentation. Such an obligation may have the effect of requiring the Fund to increase its investment in a company at a time when it might not be desirable to do so (including at a time when the company’s financial condition makes it unlikely that such amounts will be repaid).
The borrower of a loan in which the Fund holds an interest (including through a loan participation) may, either at its own election or pursuant to the terms of the loan documentation, prepay amounts of the loan

22


 

from time to time. The degree to which borrowers prepay loans, whether as a contractual requirement or at their election, may be affected by general business conditions, the financial condition of the borrower and competitive conditions among lenders, among others. As such, prepayments cannot be predicted with accuracy. Upon a prepayment, either in part or in full, the actual outstanding debt on which the Fund derives interest income will be reduced. The effect of prepayments on the Fund’s performance may be mitigated by the receipt of prepayment fees, and the Fund’s ability to reinvest prepayments in other loans that have similar or identical yields. However, there is no assurance that the Fund will be able to reinvest the proceeds of any loan prepayment at the same interest rate or on the same terms as those of the prepaid loan.
The Fund may invest in loans that pay interest at fixed rates and loans that pay interest at rates that float or reset periodically at a margin above a generally recognized base lending rate such as the Prime Rate, LIBOR or another generally recognized base lending rate. Most floating rate loans are senior in rank in the event of bankruptcy to most other securities of the borrower such as common stock or public bonds. In addition, floating rate loans are also normally secured by specific collateral or assets of the borrower so that the holders of the loans will have a priority claim on those assets in the event of default or bankruptcy of the issuer. While the seniority in rank and the security interest are helpful in reducing credit risk, such risk is not eliminated. Securities with floating interest rates can be less sensitive to interest rate changes, but may decline in value if their interest rates do not rise as much as interest rates in general, or if interest rates decline. While, because of this interest rate reset feature, loans with resetting interest rates provide a considerable degree of protection against rising interest rates, there is still potential for interest rates on such loans to lag changes in interest rates in general for some period of time. In addition, changes in interest rates will affect the amount of interest income paid to the Fund as the floating rate instruments adjust to the new levels of interest rates. In a rising base rate environment, income generation will generally increase. Conversely, during periods when the base rate is declining, the income generating ability of the loan instruments will be adversely affected.
Investments in many loans have additional risks that result from the use of agents and other interposed financial institutions. Many loans are structured and administered by a financial institution (i.e., a commercial bank) that acts as the agent of the lending syndicate. The agent typically administers and enforces the loan on behalf of the other lenders in the lending syndicate. In addition, an institution, typically but not always the agent, holds the collateral, if any, on behalf of the lenders. A financial institution’s employment as an agent might be terminated in the event that it fails to observe a requisite standard of care or becomes insolvent. A successor agent would generally be appointed to replace the terminated agent, and assets held by the agent under the loan agreement would likely remain available to holders of such indebtedness. However, if assets held by the agent for the benefit of the Fund were determined to be subject to the claims of the agent’s general creditors, the Fund might incur certain costs and delays in realizing payment on a loan or loan participation and could suffer a loss of principal and/or interest. In situations involving other interposed financial institutions (e.g., an insurance company or government agency) similar risks may arise.
Index-Related Securities (“Equity Equivalents”)
The Fund may invest in certain types of securities that enable investors to purchase or sell shares in a basket of securities that seeks to track the performance of an underlying index or a portion of an index. Such Equity Equivalents include, among others DIAMONDS (interests in a basket of securities that seeks to track the performance of the Dow Jones Industrial Average), SPDRs or S&P’s Depository Receipts (interests in a basket of securities of the largest and most actively traded non-financial companies listed on the Nasdaq Stock Market). Such securities are similar to index mutual funds, but they are traded on various stock exchanges or secondary markets. The value of these securities is dependent upon the performance of the underlying index on which they are based. Thus, these securities are subject to the same risks as their underlying indices as well as the securities that make up those indices. For example, if the securities comprising an index that an index-related security seeks to track perform poorly, the index-related security will lose value.
Equity Equivalents may be used for several purposes, including to simulate full investment in the underlying index while retaining a cash balance for portfolio management purposes, to facilitate trading, to

23


 

reduce transaction costs or to seek higher investment returns where an Equity Equivalent is priced more attractively than securities in the underlying index. Because the expense associated with an investment in Equity Equivalents may be substantially lower than the expense of small investments directly in the securities compromising the indices they seek to track, investments in Equity Equivalents may provide a cost-effective means of diversifying the Fund’s assets across a broad range of securities.
To the extent that the Fund invests in securities of other investment companies, including Equity Equivalents, Fund shareholders would indirectly pay a portion of the operating costs of such companies in addition to the expenses of its own operations. These costs include management, brokerage, shareholder servicing and other operational expenses. Indirectly, if the Fund invests in Equity Equivalents, shareholders may pay higher operational costs than if they owned the underlying investment companies directly. Additionally, the Fund’s investments in such investment companies are subject to limitations under the 1940 Act and market availability.
The prices of Equity Equivalents are derived and based upon the securities held by the particular investment company. Accordingly, the level of risk involved in the purchase or sale of an Equity Equivalent is similar to the risk involved in the purchase or sale of traditional common stock, with the exception that the pricing mechanism for such instruments is based on a basket of stocks. The market prices of Equity Equivalents are expected to fluctuate in accordance with both changes in the NAVs of their underlying indices and the supply and demand for the instruments on the exchanges on which they are traded. Substantial market or other disruptions affecting Equity Equivalents could adversely affect the liquidity and value of the shares of the Fund.
Fixed Income Securities
Investment grade bonds are rated at the time of purchase in the four highest rating categories by a nationally recognized statistical rating organization (“NRSRO”), such as those rated Aaa, Aa, A and Baa by Moody’s or AAA, AA, A and BBB by S&P or Fitch. Obligations rated in the lowest of the top four rating categories (such as Baa by Moody’s or BBB by S&P or Fitch) may have speculative characteristics and changes in economic conditions or other circumstances are more likely to lead to a weakened capacity to make principal and interest payments, including a greater possibility of default or bankruptcy of the issuer, than is the case with higher grade bonds. Subsequent to its purchase, an issue of securities may cease to be rated or its rating may be reduced below the minimum required for purchase by the Fund. In addition, it is possible that Moody’s, S&P, Fitch and other NRSROs might not timely change their ratings of a particular issue to reflect subsequent events. None of these events will require the sale of the securities by the Fund, although the subadviser will consider these events in determining whether it should continue to hold the securities.
Market Capitalization Weighted Approach
The Fund’s structure may involve market capitalization weighting in determining individual security weights and, where applicable, country or region weights. Market capitalization weighting means each security is generally purchased based on the issuer’s relative market capitalization. Market capitalization weighting will be adjusted by the subadviser, for a variety of factors. The Fund may deviate from market capitalization weighting to limit or fix the exposure to a particular country or issuer to a maximum portion of the assets of the Fund. Additionally, the subadviser may consider such factors as free float, momentum, trading strategies, liquidity management and other factors determined to be appropriate by the subadviser given market conditions. The subadviser may exclude the eligible security of a company that meets applicable market capitalization criterion if it determines that the purchase of such security is inappropriate in light of other conditions. These adjustments will result in a deviation from traditional market capitalization weighting.
Adjustment for free float adjusts market capitalization weighting to exclude the share capital of a company that is not freely available for trading in the public equity markets by international investors. For example, the following types of shares may be excluded: (i) those held by strategic investors (such as governments, controlling shareholders and management); (ii) treasury shares; or (iii) shares subject to foreign ownership restrictions.

24


 

Deviation from market capitalization weighting also will occur because the subadviser generally intends to purchase in round lots. Furthermore, the subadviser may reduce the relative amount of any security held in order to retain sufficient portfolio liquidity. A portion, but generally not in excess of 20% of the Fund’s assets, may be invested in interest bearing obligations, such as money market instruments, thereby causing further deviation from market capitalization weighting.
Block purchases of eligible securities may be made at opportune prices, even though such purchases exceed the number of shares that, at the time of purchase, would be purchased under a market capitalization weighted approach. Changes in the composition and relative ranking (in terms of market capitalization) of the stocks that are eligible for purchase take place with every trade when the securities markets are open for trading due, primarily, to price fluctuations of such securities. On at least a semi-annual basis, the subadviser will prepare a list of companies whose stock is eligible for investment by the Fund. Additional investments generally will not be made in securities that have changed in value sufficiently to be excluded from the current market capitalization requirement for eligible portfolio securities. This may result in further deviation from market capitalization weighting. This deviation could be substantial if a significant amount of holdings of the Fund change in value sufficiently to be excluded from the requirement for eligible securities but not by a sufficient amount to warrant their sale.
Country weights may be based on the total market capitalization of companies within each country. The calculation of country market capitalization may take into consideration the free float of companies within a country or whether these companies are eligible to be purchased for the particular strategy. In addition, to maintain a satisfactory level of diversification, the subadviser may limit or adjust the exposure to a particular country or region to a maximum proportion of the assets of that vehicle. Country weights also may deviate from target weights due to general day-to-day trading patterns and price movements. As a result, the weighting of countries will likely vary from their weighting in published international indices.
RISK FACTORS
The risks of investing in certain types of securities are described below. The value of an individual security or a particular type of security can be more volatile than the market as a whole and can perform differently than the value of the market as a whole.
Collateralized Debt Obligations
The risks of an investment in a CDO depend largely on the quality of the collateral and the tranches of the CDO in which the Fund invests. Normally, CBOs, CLOs and other CDOs are privately offered and sold, and thus, are not registered under the securities laws. As a result, investments in CDOs may be characterized by the Fund as illiquid securities; however an active dealer market may exist for CDOs allowing a CDO to qualify for treatment as a liquid security. In addition to the normal risks associated with fixed income securities discussed elsewhere in this SAI and the Prospectus (i.e., interest rate risk and default risk), CDOs carry additional risks including, but are not limited to: (i) the possibility that distributions from the collateral will not be adequate to meet the CDO’s obligations to make interest or other payments; and (ii) the quality of the collateral assets may decline or the obligors of those assets may default. In addition, the complex structure of the CDO may not be fully understood at the time of investment and may produce disputes with the issuer or unexpected investment results. The Fund may invest in CDO tranches that are subordinate to other tranches and, therefore, receive payments only after the obligations of the more senior tranches have been satisfied.
Non-Diversification
The Fund is non-diversified.
Definition of a Non-Diversified Fund. As a non-diversified fund, the Fund is not limited as to the percentage of its assets that may be invested in any one issuer, and as to the percentage of the outstanding voting securities of such issuer that may be owned, only by the Fund’s own investment restrictions. In contrast, a diversified fund is limited as to the amount it may invest in any single issuer. With respect to

25


 

75% of its total assets, a diversified fund currently may not invest in a security if, as a result of such investment, more than 5% of its total assets would be invested in securities of any one issuer. In addition, with respect to 75% of its total assets, a diversified fund may not hold more than 10% of the outstanding voting securities of any one issuer. Under the 1940 Act, these restrictions do not apply to U.S. government securities, securities of other investment companies, cash and cash items.
Since the Fund, as a non-diversified fund, may invest a high percentage of its assets in the securities of a small number of companies, it may be affected more than a diversified fund by a change in the financial condition of any of these companies or by the financial markets’ assessment of any of these companies.
Equity Securities
Equity securities include common, preferred and convertible preferred stocks and securities the values of which are tied to the price of stocks, such as rights, warrants and convertible debt securities. Common and preferred stocks represent equity ownership in a company. Stock markets are volatile. The price of equity securities will fluctuate and can decline and reduce the value of the Fund investing in equities. The price of equity securities fluctuates based on changes in a company’s financial condition and overall market and economic conditions. The value of equity securities purchased by the Fund could decline if the financial condition of the companies invested in decline or if overall market and economic conditions deteriorate. Even when the Fund invests in high quality or “blue chip” equity securities or securities of established companies with large market capitalizations (which generally have strong financial characteristics) it can be negatively impacted by poor overall market and economic conditions. Companies with large market capitalizations also may have less growth potential than smaller companies and may be able to react less quickly to change in the marketplace.
Fixed-Income Securities
Fixed-income securities are generally subject to two principal types of risks: (a) interest rate risk; and (b) credit quality risk.
Interest Rate Risk. Fixed-income securities are affected by changes in interest rates. When interest rates decline, the market value of the fixed-income securities generally can be expected to rise. Conversely, when interest rates rise, the market value of fixed-income securities generally can be expected to decline.
Credit Quality Risk. Fixed-income securities are subject to the risk that the issuer of the security will not repay all or a portion of the principal borrowed and will not make all interest payments. If the credit quality of a fixed-income security deteriorates after the Fund has purchased the security, the market value of the security may decrease and lead to a decrease in the value of the Fund’s investments. By investing in lower rated fixed-income securities, the Fund may be riskier than funds that may invest in higher rated fixed-income securities.
Investment Grade Fixed-Income Securities In The Lowest Rating Category
Investment grade fixed-income securities in the lowest rating category (rated “Baa” by Moody’s or “BBB” by S&P or Fitch and comparable unrated securities) involve a higher degree of risk than fixed-income securities in the higher rating categories. While such securities are considered investment grade quality and are deemed to have adequate capacity for payment of principal and interest, such securities lack outstanding investment characteristics and have speculative characteristics as well. For example, changes in economic conditions or other circumstances are more likely to lead to a weakened capacity to make principal and interest payments than is the case with higher grade securities.

26


 

Lower Rated Fixed-Income Securities
Lower rated fixed-income securities are defined as securities rated below investment grade (rated “Ba” and below by Moody’s and “BB” and below by S&P or Fitch). The principal risks of investing in these securities are as follows:
Risk to Principal and Income. Investing in lower rated fixed-income securities is considered speculative. While these securities generally provide greater income potential than investments in higher rated securities, there is a greater risk that principal and interest payments will not be made. Issuers of these securities may even go into default or become bankrupt.
Price Volatility. The price of lower rated fixed-income securities may be more volatile than securities in the higher rating categories. This volatility may increase during periods of economic uncertainty or change. The price of these securities is affected more than higher rated fixed-income securities by the market’s perception of their credit quality especially during times of adverse publicity. In the past, economic downturns or an increase in interest rates have, at times, caused more defaults by issuers of these securities and may do so in the future. Economic downturns and increases in interest rates have an even greater affect on highly leveraged issuers of these securities.
Liquidity. The market for lower rated fixed-income securities may have more limited trading than the market for investment grade fixed-income securities. Therefore, it may be more difficult to sell these securities and these securities may have to be sold at prices below their market value in order to meet redemption requests or to respond to changes in market conditions.
Dependence on Subadviser’s Own Credit Analysis. While a subadviser to the Fund may rely on ratings by established credit rating agencies, it also may supplement such ratings with its own independent review of the credit quality of the issuer. Therefore, the assessment of the credit risk of lower rated fixed-income securities is more dependent on the subadviser’s evaluation than the assessment of the credit risk of higher rated securities.
Additional Risks Regarding Lower Rated Corporate Fixed-Income Securities. Lower rated corporate debt securities (and comparable unrated securities) tend to be more sensitive to individual corporate developments and changes in economics conditions than higher-rated corporate fixed-income securities.
Issuers of lower rated corporate debt securities also may be highly leveraged, increasing the risk that principal and income will not be repaid.
Additional Risks Regarding Lower Rated Foreign Government Fixed-Income Securities. Lower rated foreign government fixed-income securities are subject to the risks of investing in emerging market countries described under “Foreign Securities.” In addition, the ability and willingness of a foreign government to make payments on debt when due may be affected by the prevailing economic and political conditions within the country. Emerging market countries may experience high inflation, interest rates and unemployment as well as exchange rate trade difficulties and political uncertainty or instability. These factors increase the risk that a foreign government will not make payments when due.
Small and Medium Size Companies
Survival of Small or Unseasoned Companies. Companies that are small or unseasoned (i.e., less than three years of operating history) are more likely than larger or established companies to fail or not to accomplish their goals. As a result, the value of their securities could decline significantly. These companies are less likely to survive since they are often dependent upon a small number of products and may have limited financial resources and a small management group.
Changes in Earnings and Business Prospects. Small or unseasoned companies often have a greater degree of change in earnings and business prospects than larger or established companies, resulting in more volatility in the price of their securities.

27


 

Liquidity. The securities of small or unseasoned companies may have limited marketability. This factor could cause the value of the Fund’s investments to decrease if it needs to sell such securities when there are few interested buyers.
Impact of Buying or Selling Shares. Small or unseasoned companies usually have fewer outstanding shares than larger or established companies. Therefore, it may be more difficult to buy or sell large amounts of these shares without unfavorably impacting the price of the security.
Publicly Available Information. There may be less publicly available information about small or unseasoned companies. Therefore, when making a decision to purchase a security for the Fund, a subadviser may not be aware of problems associated with the company issuing the security.
Medium Size Companies. Investments in the securities of medium sized companies present risks similar to those associated with small or unseasoned companies although to a lesser degree due to the larger size of the companies.
Foreign Securities
Currency Fluctuations. Investments in foreign securities may cause the Fund to lose money when converting investments from foreign currencies into U.S. dollars. The Fund may attempt to lock in an exchange rate by purchasing a foreign currency exchange contract prior to the settlement of an investment in a foreign security. However, it may not always be successful in doing so and the Fund could still lose money.
Political and Economic Conditions. Investments in foreign securities subject the Fund to the political or economic conditions of the foreign country. These conditions could cause the Fund’s investments to lose value if these conditions deteriorate for any reason. This risk increases in the case of emerging market countries which are more likely to be politically unstable. Political instability could cause the value of any investment in the securities of an issuer based in a foreign country to decrease or could prevent or delay the Fund from selling its investment and taking the money out of the country.
Removal of Proceeds of Investments from a Foreign Country. Foreign countries, especially emerging market countries, often have currency controls or restrictions that may prevent or delay the Fund from taking money out of the country or may impose additional taxes on money removed from the country. Therefore, the Fund could lose money if it is not permitted to remove capital from the country or if there is a delay in taking the assets out of the country, since the value of the assets could decline during this period, or the exchange rate to convert the assets into U.S. dollars could worsen.
Nationalization of Assets. Investments in foreign securities subject the Fund to the risk that the company issuing the security may be nationalized. If the company is nationalized, the value of the company’s securities could decrease in value or even become worthless.
Settlement of Sales. Foreign countries, especially emerging market countries, also may have problems associated with settlement of sales. Such problems could cause the Fund to suffer a loss if a security to be sold declines in value while settlement of the sale is delayed.
Investor Protection Standards. Foreign countries, especially emerging market countries, may have less stringent investor protection and disclosure standards than the U.S. Therefore, when making a decision to purchase a security for the Fund, the subadviser may not be aware of problems associated with the company issuing the security and may not enjoy the same legal rights as those provided in the U.S.
Investment Company Securities
The Fund may invest in securities of other investment companies. The total return on such investments will be reduced by the operating expenses and fees of such other investment companies, including advisory

28


 

fees. Investments in closed-end funds may involve the payment of substantial premiums above the value of such funds’ portfolio securities.
Stripped Securities
Stripped securities are the separate income or principal components of a debt security. The risks associated with stripped securities are similar to those of other debt securities, although stripped securities may be more volatile, and the value of certain types of stripped securities may move in the same direction as interest rates. U.S. Treasury securities that have been stripped by a Federal Reserve Bank are obligations issued by the U.S. Treasury.
Mortgage-Backed and Asset-Backed Securities
Mortgage-Backed Securities. Mortgage-backed securities represent participating interests in pools of residential mortgage loans, which are guaranteed by the U.S. Government, its agencies or instrumentalities. However, the guarantee of these types of securities relates to the principal and interest payments and not the market value of such securities. In addition, the guarantee only relates to the mortgage-backed securities held by the Fund and not the purchase of shares of the Fund.
Mortgage-backed securities are issued by lenders such as mortgage bankers, commercial banks, and savings and loan associations. Such securities differ from conventional debt securities, which provide for the periodic payment of interest in fixed amounts (usually semiannually) with principal payments at maturity or on specified dates. Mortgage-backed securities provide periodic payments that are, in effect, a “pass-through” of the interest and principal payments (including any prepayments) made by the individual borrowers on the pooled mortgage loans. A mortgage-backed security will mature when all the mortgages in the pool mature or are prepaid. Therefore, mortgage-backed securities do not have a fixed maturity, and their expected maturities may vary when interest rates raise or fall.
When interest rates fall, homeowners are more likely to prepay their mortgage loans. An increased rate of prepayments on the Fund’s mortgage-backed securities will result in an unforeseen loss of interest income to the Fund as the Fund may be required to reinvest assets at a lower interest rate. Because prepayments increase when interest rates fall, the prices of mortgaged-backed securities do not increase as much as other fixed-income securities when interest rates fall.
When interest rates rise, homeowners are less likely to prepay their mortgages loans. A decreased rate of prepayments lengthens the expected maturity of a mortgage-backed security. Therefore, the prices of mortgage-backed securities may decrease more than prices of other fixed-income securities when interest rates rise.
The yield of mortgage-backed securities is based on the average life of the underlying pool of mortgage loans. The actual life of any particular pool may be shortened by unscheduled or early payments of principal and interest. Principal prepayments may result from the sale of the underlying property or the refinancing or foreclosure of underlying mortgages. The occurrence of prepayments is affected by a wide range of economic, demographic and social factors and, accordingly, it is not possible to accurately predict the average life of a particular pool. The actual prepayment experience of a pool of mortgage loans may cause the yield realized by the Fund to differ from the yield calculated on the basis of the average life of the pool. In addition, if the Fund purchases mortgage-backed securities at a premium, the premium may be lost in the event of early prepayment which may result in a loss.
Prepayments tend to increase during periods of falling interest rates, while during periods of rising interest rates prepayments are likely to decline. Monthly interest payments received by the Fund have a compounding effect, which will increase the yield to shareholders as compared to debt obligations that pay interest semiannually. Because of the reinvestment of prepayments of principal at current rates, mortgage-backed securities may be less effective than Treasury bonds of similar maturity at maintaining yields during periods of declining interest rates. Also, although the value of debt securities may increase as interest rates

29


 

decline, the value of these pass-through type of securities may not increase as much due to their prepayment feature.
Collateralized Mortgage Obligations (“CMOs”). CMOs are mortgage-backed securities issued in separate classes with different stated maturities. As the mortgage pool experiences prepayments, the pool pays off investors in classes with shorter maturities first. By investing in CMOs, the Fund may manage the prepayment risk of mortgage-backed securities. However, prepayments may cause the actual maturity of a CMO to be substantially shorter than its stated maturity.
Asset-Backed Securities. Asset-backed securities include interests in pools of debt securities, commercial or consumer loans, or other receivables. The value of these securities depends on many factors, including changes in interest rates, the availability of information concerning the pool and its structure, the credit quality of the underlying assets, the market’s perception of the servicer of the pool, and any credit enhancement provided. In addition, asset-backed securities have prepayment risks similar to mortgage-backed securities.
Securities Linked to the Real Estate Market
Investing in securities of companies in the real estate industry subjects the Fund to the risks associated with the direct ownership of real estate. These risks include, but are not limited to:
  declines in the value of real estate;
  risks related to general and local economic conditions;
  possible lack of availability of mortgage portfolios;
  overbuilding;
  extended vacancies of properties;
  increased competition;
  increases in property taxes and operating expenses;
  change in zoning laws;
  losses due to costs resulting from the clean-up of environmental problems;
  liability to third parties for damages resulting from environmental problems;
  casualty or condemnation losses;
  limitations on rents;
  changes in neighborhood values and the appeal of properties to tenants; and
  changes in interest rates.
Therefore, for the Fund investing a substantial amount of its assets in securities of companies in the real estate industry, the value of the Fund’s shares may change at different rates compared to the value of shares of the fund with investments in a mix of different industries.
Securities of companies in the real estate industry include real estate investment trusts (“REITs”), including equity REITs and mortgage REITs. Equity REITs may be affected by changes in the value of the underlying property owned by the trusts, while mortgage REITs may be affected by the quality of any

30


 

credit extended. Further, equity and mortgage REITs are dependent upon management skills and generally may not be diversified. Equity and mortgage REITs are also subject to heavy cash flow dependency, defaults by borrowers and self-liquidations. In addition, equity and mortgage REITs could possibly fail to qualify for tax free pass-through of income under the Code, or to maintain their exemptions from registration under the 1940 Act. The above factors also may adversely affect a borrower’s or a lessee’s ability to meet its obligations to the REIT. In the event of a default by a borrower or lessee, the REIT may experience delays in enforcing its rights as a mortgagee or lessor and may incur substantial costs associated with protecting its investments.
In addition, even the larger REITs in the industry tend to be small to medium-sized companies in relation to the equity markets as a whole. See “Small and Medium Size Companies” for a discussion of the risks associated with investments in these companies.
Industry or Sector Investing
When the Fund invests a substantial portion of its assets in a particular industry or sector of the economy, the Fund’s investments are not as varied as the investments of most mutual funds and are far less varied than the broad securities markets. As a result, the Fund’s performance may be more volatile than that of other mutual funds, and the values of the Fund’s investments tend to go up and down more rapidly. In addition, by investing substantially in a particular industry or sector, the Fund is particularly susceptible to the impact of market, economic, regulatory and others factors affecting that industry or sector.
Internet-Related Investments. The value of companies engaged in Internet-related activities, which is a developing industry, is particularly vulnerable to: (a) rapidly changing technology; (b) extensive government regulation; and (c) relatively high risk of obsolescence caused by scientific and technological advances. In addition, companies engaged in Internet-related activities are difficult to value and many have high share prices relative to their earnings, which they may not be able to maintain over the long-term. Moreover, many Internet companies are not yet profitable and will need additional financing to continue their operations. There is no guarantee that such financing will be available when needed. Since many Internet companies are start-up companies, the risks associated with investing in small companies are heightened for these companies. Investment of a significant portion of the Fund’s assets in Internet-related companies should be considered extremely risky even as compared to other funds that invest primarily in small company securities.
Financial Services Industry. If the Fund invests principally in securities of companies in the financial services industry, it will be particularly vulnerable to events affecting that industry. Companies in the financial services industry include commercial and industrial banks, savings and loan associations and their holding companies, consumer and industrial finance companies, diversified financial services companies, investment banking, securities brokerage and investment advisory companies, leasing companies and insurance companies.
Banking. Commercial banks (including “money center” regional and community banks), savings and loan associations and holding companies of the foregoing are especially subject to adverse effects of volatile interest rates, concentrations of loans in particular industries (such as real estate or energy) and significant competition. The profitability of these businesses is to a significant degree dependent upon the availability and cost of capital portfolios. Economic conditions in the real estate market may have a particularly strong effect on certain banks and savings associations. Commercial banks and savings associations are subject to extensive federal and, in many instances, state regulation. Neither such extensive regulation nor the federal insurance of deposits ensures the solvency or profitability of companies in this industry, and there is no assurance against losses in securities issued by such companies.
Insurance. Insurance companies are particularly subject to government regulation and rate setting, potential anti-trust and tax law changes, and industry-wide pricing and competition cycles. Property and casualty insurance companies also may be affected by weather and other catastrophes. Life and health insurance companies may be affected by mortality and morbidity rates, including the effects of epidemics.

31


 

Individual insurance companies may be exposed to reserve inadequacies, problems in investment portfolios (for example, due to real estate or “junk” bond holdings) and failures of reinsurance carriers.
Other Financial Services Companies. Many of the investment considerations discussed in connection with banks and insurance also apply to financial services companies. These companies are all subject to extensive regulation, rapid business changes, volatile performance dependent upon the availability and cost of capital, and prevailing interest rates and significant competition. General economic conditions significantly affect these companies. Credit and other losses resulting from the financial difficulty of borrowers or other third parties have a potentially adverse effect on companies in this industry. Investment banking, securities brokerage and investment advisory companies are particularly subject to government regulation and the risks inherent in securities trading and underwriting activities.
Telecommunications. Companies in the telecommunications sector are subject to the additional risks of rapid obsolescence, lack of standardization or compatibility with existing technologies, an unfavorable regulatory environment, and a dependency on patent and copyright protection. The prices of the securities of companies in the telecommunications sector may fluctuate widely due to both federal and state regulations governing rates of return and services that may be offered, fierce competition for market share, and competitive challenges in the U.S. from foreign competitors engaged in strategic joint ventures with U.S. companies, and in foreign markets from both U.S. and foreign competitors. In addition, recent industry consolidation trends may lead to increased regulation of telecommunications companies in their primary markets.
Utilities. Many utility companies, especially electric and gas and other energy related utility companies, are subject to various uncertainties, including: risks of increases in fuel and other operating costs; restrictions on operations and increased costs and delays as a result of environmental and nuclear safety regulations; coping with the general effects of energy conservation; technological innovations which may render existing plants, equipment or products obsolete; the potential impact of natural or man-made disasters; difficulty obtaining adequate returns on invested capital, even if frequent rate increases are approved by public service commissions; the high cost of obtaining financing during periods of inflation; difficulties of the capital markets in absorbing utility debt and equity securities; and increased competition. For example, electric utilities in certain markets have experienced financial difficulties recently related to changes in regulations and price volatility in the oil and natural gas markets. Similar difficulties could arise for other types of utilities or in other regions. Because utility companies are faced with the same obstacles, issues and regulatory burdens, their securities may react similarly and more in unison to these or other market conditions.
Health Sciences. Companies in this sector are subject to the additional risks of increased competition within the health care industry, changes in legislation or government regulations, reductions in government funding, product liability or other litigation and the obsolescence of popular products. The prices of the securities of health sciences companies may fluctuate widely due to government regulation and approval of their products and services, which may have a significant effect on their price and availability. In addition, the types of products or services produced or provided by these companies may quickly become obsolete. Moreover, liability for products that are later alleged to be harmful or unsafe may be substantial and may have a significant impact on a company’s market value or share price.
Natural Resources. A portfolio’s investments in natural resources companies are especially affected by variations in the commodities markets (which may be due to market events, regulatory developments or other factors that the Fund cannot control) and these companies may lack the resources and the broad business lines to weather hard times. Natural resources companies can be significantly affected by events relating to international political developments, energy conservation, the success of exploration projects, commodity prices, and tax and government regulations.
Initial Public Offerings (“IPOs”)
The Fund may invest a portion of its assets in shares of IPOs, consistent with its investment objectives and policies. IPOs may have a magnified impact on the performance of the Fund with a small asset base. The

32


 

impact of IPOs on the Fund’s performance likely will decrease as the Fund’s asset size increases, which could reduce the Fund’s returns. IPOs may not be consistently available to the Fund for investment, particularly as the Fund’s asset base grows. IPO shares frequently are volatile in price due to the absence of a prior public market, the small number of shares available for trading and limited information about the issuer. Therefore, the Fund may hold IPO shares for a very short period of time. This may increase the Fund’s turnover and may lead to increased expenses for the Fund, such as commissions and transaction costs. In addition, IPO shares can experience an immediate drop in value if the demand for the securities does not continue to support the offering price.
U.S. Government Securities
The Fund may invest in U.S. government securities. These securities are issued or guaranteed by the U.S. government or by an agency or instrumentality of the U.S. government. Not all U.S. government securities are backed by the full faith and credit of the United States. Some are supported only by the credit of the issuing agency or instrumentality, which depends entirely on its own resources to repay the debt. U.S. government securities that are backed by the full faith and credit of the United States include U.S. Treasuries and mortgage-backed securities guaranteed by GNMA. Securities that are only supported by the credit of the issuing agency or instrumentality include those issued by Fannie Mae, the FHLBs and the Freddie Mac.
High Yield (High Risk) Securities
General. The Fund may invest in high yield (high risk) securities, consistent with its investment objectives and policies. High yield securities are those rated below investment grade and comparable unrated securities. These securities offer yields that fluctuate over time, but generally are superior to the yields offered by higher rated securities. However, securities rated below investment grade also have greater risks than higher rated securities as described below.
Interest Rate Risk. To the extent that the Fund invests primarily in fixed-income securities, the NAV of the Fund’s shares can be expected to change as general levels of interest rates fluctuate. However, the market values of securities rated below investment grade (and comparable unrated securities) tend to react less to fluctuations in interest rate levels than do those of higher-rated securities. Except to the extent that values are affected independently by other factors (such as developments relating to a specific issuer) when interest rates decline, the value of a fixed-income fund generally rise. Conversely, when interest rates rise, the value of a fixed-income fund will decline.
Liquidity. The secondary markets for high yield corporate and sovereign debt securities are not as liquid as the secondary markets for investment grade securities. The secondary markets for high yield debt securities are concentrated in relatively few market makers and participants are mostly institutional investors. In addition, the trading volume for high yield debt securities is generally lower than for investment grade securities. Furthermore, the secondary markets could contract under adverse market or economic conditions independent of any specific adverse changes in the condition of a particular issuer.
These factors may have an adverse effect on the ability of Fund investing in high yield securities to dispose of particular portfolio investments. These factors also may limit the Fund’s ability to obtain accurate market quotations to value its investments in high yield securities and calculate its NAV accrucately. If the Fund is not able to obtain precise or accurate market quotations for a particular high yield debt security, it will be more difficult for the subadviser to value the Fund’s investments.
Less liquid secondary markets also may affect the Fund’s ability to sell securities at their fair value. The Fund may invest up to 15% of its net assets, measured at the time of investment, in illiquid securities. These securities may be more difficult to value and to sell at fair value. If the secondary markets for high yield debt securities are affected by adverse economic conditions, the proportion of the Fund’s assets invested in illiquid securities may increase.

33


 

Non-Investment Grade Corporate Debt Securities. While the market values of securities rated below investment grade (and comparable unrated securities) tend to react less to fluctuations in interest rate levels than do those of higher-rated securities, the market values of non-investment grade corporate debt securities tend to be more sensitive to individual corporate developments and changes in economic conditions than higher-rated securities.
In addition, these securities generally present a higher degree of credit risk. Issuers of these securities are often highly leveraged and may not have more traditional methods of financing available to them. Therefore, their ability to service their debt obligations during an economic downturn or during sustained periods of rising interest rates may be impaired. The risk of loss due to default by such issuers is significantly greater than with investment grade securities because such securities generally are unsecured and frequently are subordinated to the prior payment of senior indebtedness.
Non-Investment Grade Foreign Sovereign Debt Securities. Investing in non-investment grade foreign sovereign debt securities will expose the Fund to the consequences of political, social or economic changes in the developing and emerging market countries that issue the securities. The ability and willingness of sovereign obligors in these countries to pay principal and interest on such debt when due may depend on general economic and political conditions within the relevant country. Developing and emerging market countries have historically experienced (and may continue to experience) high inflation and interest rates, exchange rate trade difficulties, extreme poverty and unemployment. Many of these countries are also characterized by political uncertainty or instability.
The ability of a foreign sovereign obligor to make timely payments on its external debt obligations will also be strongly influenced by:
  the obligor’s balance of payments, including export performance;
  the obligor’s access to international credits and investments;
  fluctuations in interest rates; and
  the extent of the obligor’s foreign reserves.
Obligor’s Balance of Payments. A country whose exports are concentrated in a few commodities or whose economy depends on certain strategic imports could be vulnerable to fluctuations in international prices of these commodities or imports. To the extent that a country receives payment for its exports in currencies other than dollars, its ability to make debt payments denominated in dollars could be adversely affected.
Obligor’s Access to International Credits and Investments. If a foreign sovereign obligor cannot generate sufficient earnings from foreign trade to service its external debt, it may need to depend on continuing loans and aid from foreign governments, commercial banks, and multilateral organizations, and inflows of foreign investment. The commitment on the part of these entities to make such disbursements may be conditioned on the government’s implementation of economic reforms and/or economic performance and the timely service of its obligations. Failure in any of these efforts may result in the cancellation of these third parties’ lending commitments, thereby further impairing the obligor’s ability or willingness to service its debts on time.
Obligor’s Fluctuations in Interest Rates. The cost of servicing external debt is generally adversely affected by rising international interest rates since many external debt obligations bear interest at rates, which are adjusted based upon international interest rates.
Obligor’s Foreign Reserves. The ability to service external debt will also depend on the level of the relevant government’s international currency reserves and its access to foreign exchange. Currency devaluations may affect the ability of a sovereign obligor to obtain sufficient foreign exchange to service its external debt.

34


 

The Consequences of a Default. As a result of the previously listed factors, a governmental obligor may default on its obligations. If a default occurs, the Fund holding foreign sovereign debt securities may have limited legal recourse against the issuer and/or guarantor. Remedies must, in some cases, be pursued in the courts of the defaulting party itself, and the ability of the holder of the foreign sovereign debt securities to obtain recourse may be subject to the political climate in the relevant country. In addition, no assurance can be given that the holders of commercial bank debt will not contest payments to the holders of other foreign sovereign debt obligations in the event of default under their commercial bank loan agreements.
Sovereign obligors in developing and emerging countries are among the world’s largest debtors to commercial banks, other governments, international financial organizations and other financial institutions. These obligors have in the past experienced substantial difficulties in servicing their external debt obligations. This difficulty has led to defaults on certain obligations and the restructuring of certain indebtedness. Restructuring arrangements have included, among other things:
  reducing and rescheduling interest and principal payments by negotiating new or amended credit agreements or converting outstanding principal and unpaid interest to Brady Bonds; and
  obtaining new credit to finance interest payments.
Holders of certain foreign sovereign debt securities may be requested to participate in the restructuring of such obligations and to extend further loans to their issuers. There can be no assurance that the Brady Bonds and other foreign sovereign debt securities in which the Fund may invest will not be subject to similar restructuring arrangements or to requests for new credit that may adversely affect the Fund’s holdings. Furthermore, certain participants in the secondary market for such debt may be directly involved in negotiating the terms of these arrangements and may therefore have access to information not available to other market participants.
Securities in the Lowest Rating Categories. Certain debt securities in which the Fund may invest may have (or be considered comparable to securities having) the lowest ratings for non-subordinated debt instruments assigned by Moody’s, S&P or Fitch. These securities are rated Caa or lower by Moody’s or CCC or lower by S&P or Fitch. These securities are considered to have the following characteristics:
  extremely poor prospects of ever attaining any real investment standing;
  current identifiable vulnerability to default;
  unlikely to have the capacity to pay interest and repay principal when due in the event of adverse business, financial or economic conditions;
  are speculative with respect to the issuer’s capacity to pay interest and repay principal in accordance with the terms of the obligations; and/or
  are in default or not current in the payment of interest or principal.
Accordingly, it is possible that these types of characteristics could, in certain instances, reduce the value of securities held by the Fund with a commensurate effect on the value of the Fund’s shares.
Risks of Hedging and Other Strategic Transactions.
Hedging and Other Strategic Transactions have special risks associated with them, including:
  possible default by the counterparty to the transaction;
  markets for the securities used in these transactions could be illiquid; and
 
  to the extent the subadviser’s assessment of market movements is incorrect, the risk that the use of the hedging and other strategic transactions could result in losses to the portfolio.

35


 

Losses resulting from the use of Hedging and Other Strategic Transactions will reduce the Fund’s NAV, and possibly income. Losses can be greater than if Hedging and Other Strategic Transactions had not been used.
In addition to the general risks of hedging and other strategic transactions described above, currency hedging transactions have the following risks:
  Currency hedging can result in losses to the Fund if the currency being hedged fluctuates in value to a degree or direction that is not anticipated.
  Proxy hedging involves determining the correlation between various currencies. If the subadviser’s determination of this correlation is incorrect, the Fund’s losses could be greater than if the proxy hedging were not used.
  Foreign government exchange controls and restrictions on repatriation of currency can negatively affect currency transactions. These forms of governmental actions can result in losses to the Fund if it is unable to deliver or receive currency or monies to settle obligations. Such governmental actions could also cause hedges it has entered into to be rendered useless, resulting in full currency exposure as well as incurring transaction costs.
Risks of Hedging and Other Strategic Transactions Outside of the United States.
When conducted outside the United States, hedging and other strategic transactions will not only be subject to the risks described above but could also be adversely affected by:
  foreign governmental actions affecting foreign securities, currencies or other instruments;
  less stringent regulation of these transactions in many countries as compared to the United States;
  the lack of clearing mechanisms and related guarantees in some countries for these transactions;
  more limited availability of data on which to make trading decisions than in the United States;
  delays in a portfolio’s ability to act upon economic events occurring in foreign markets during non-business hours in the United States;
  the imposition of different exercise and settlement terms and procedures and margin requirements than in the United States; and
  lower trading volume and liquidity.
Use of Segregated and Other Special Accounts
Use of extensive hedging and other strategic transactions by the Fund will require, among other things, that the Fund segregate cash or other liquid assets with its custodian, or a designated subcustodian, to the extent that the Fund’s obligations are not otherwise “covered” through ownership of the underlying security, financial instrument or currency.
In general, either the full amount of any obligation by the Fund to pay or deliver securities or assets must be covered at all times by (a) holding the securities, instruments or currency required to be delivered, or (b) subject to any regulatory restrictions, segregating an amount of cash or other liquid asset at least equal to the current amount of the obligation. The segregated assets cannot be sold or transferred unless equivalent assets are substituted in their place or it is no longer necessary to segregate them.
Currency Contracts. Except when the Fund enters into a forward contract in connection with the purchase or sale of a security denominated in a foreign currency or for other non-speculative purposes, which requires no segregation, a currency contract that obligates the Fund to buy or sell a foreign currency will generally require the Fund to hold an amount of that currency or liquid securities denominated in that currency equal to the Fund’s obligations or to segregate cash or other liquid assets equal to the amount of the Fund’s obligations.

36


 

Gaming-Tribal Authority Investments.
The Fund may invest in securities issued by gaming companies, including gaming facilities operated by Indian (Native American) tribal authorities. The value of the Fund’s investments in gaming companies is subject to legislative or regulatory changes, adverse market conditions, and/or increased competition affecting the gaming sector. Securities of gaming companies may be considered speculative, and generally exhibit greater volatility than the overall market. The market value of gaming company securities may fluctuate widely due to unpredictable earnings, due in part to changing consumer tastes and intense competition, strong reaction to technological developments, and the threat of increased government regulation.
Securities issued by Indian tribal authorities are subject to particular risks. Indian tribes enjoy sovereign immunity, which is the legal privilege by which the United States federal, state, and tribal governments cannot be sued without their consent. In order to sue an Indian tribe (or an agency or instrumentality thereof), the tribe must have effectively waived its sovereign immunity with respect to the matter in dispute. Certain Indian tribal authorities have agreed to waive their sovereign immunity in connection with their outstanding debt obligations. Generally, waivers of sovereign immunity have been held to be enforceable against Indian tribes. Nevertheless, if a waiver of sovereign immunity is held to be ineffective, claimants, including investors in Indian tribal authority securities (such as the Fund), could be precluded from judicially enforcing their rights and remedies.
Further, in most commercial disputes with Indian tribes, it may be difficult or impossible to obtain federal court jurisdiction. A commercial dispute may not present a federal question, and an Indian tribe may not be considered a citizen of any state for purposes of establishing diversity jurisdiction. The U.S. Supreme Court has held that jurisdiction in a tribal court must be exhausted before any dispute can be heard in an appropriate federal court. In cases where the jurisdiction of the tribal forum is disputed, the tribal court first must rule as to the limits of its own jurisdiction. Such jurisdictional issues, as well as the general view that Indian tribes are not considered to be subject to ordinary bankruptcy proceedings, may be disadvantageous to holders of obligations issued by Indian tribal authorities, including the Fund.
European Risk
Countries in Europe may be significantly affected by fiscal and monetary controls implemented by the European Union (“EU”) and European Economic and Monetary Union (“EMU”), which require member countries to comply with restrictions on inflation rates, deficits, interest rates, debt levels and fiscal and monetary controls. Decreasing imports or exports, changes in governmental or regulations on trade, changes in the exchange rate of the Euro, the default or threat of default by an EU member country on its sovereign debt, and/or an economic recession in an EU member country may have a significant adverse effect on the economies of EU member countries and major trading partners outside Europe.
The European financial markets have recently experienced volatility and adverse trends due to concerns about economic downturns, rising government debt levels and the possible default of government debt in several European countries, including Greece, Ireland, Italy, Portugal and Spain. Several countries, including Greece and Italy, have agreed to multi-year bailout loans from the European Central Bank, International Monetary Fund, and other institutions. A default or debt restructuring by any European country, such as the recent restructuring of Greece’s outstanding sovereign debt, can adversely impact holders of that country’s debt and sellers of credit default swaps linked to that country’s creditworthiness, which may be located in countries other than those listed above. The manner in which the EU and EMU responded to the global recession and sovereign debt issues raised questions about their ability to react quickly to rising borrowing costs and the potential default by Greece and other countries of their sovereign debt and revealed a lack of cohesion in dealing with the fiscal problems of member states. To address budget deficits and public debt concerns, a number of European countries have imposed strict austerity measures and comprehensive financial and labor market reforms. Many European countries continue to suffer from high unemployment rates and are projected to experience similar, double-digit unemployment rates in 2012.

37


 

Investing in the securities of Eastern European issuers is highly speculative and involves risks not usually associated with investing in the more developed markets of Western Europe. Securities markets of Eastern European countries typically are less efficient and have lower trading volume, lower liquidity, and higher volatility than more developed markets. Eastern European economies also may be particularly susceptible to the international credit market due to their reliance on bank related inflows of capital.
The Fund may be exposed to these risks through its direct investments in European securities, including sovereign debt, or indirectly through investments in money market funds and financial institutions with significant investments in such securities.
Natural Disasters and Adverse Weather Conditions.
Certain areas of the world historically have been prone to major natural disasters, such as hurricanes, earthquakes, typhoons, flooding, tidal waves, tsunamis, erupting volcanoes, wildfires or droughts, and have been economically sensitive to environmental events. Such disasters, and the resulting damage, could have a severe and negative impact on the Fund’s investment portfolio and, in the longer term, could impair the ability of issuers in which the Fund invests to conduct their businesses in the manner normally conducted. Adverse weather conditions also may have a particularly significant negative effect on issuers in the agricultural sector and on insurance companies that insure against the impact of natural disasters.
INVESTMENT RESTRICTIONS
There are two classes of investment restrictions to which the Trust is subject in implementing the investment policies of the Fund: (a) fundamental and (b) non-fundamental. Fundamental restrictions may only be changed by a vote of the lesser of: (i) 67% or more of the shares represented at a meeting at which more than 50% of the outstanding shares are represented; or (ii) more than 50% of the outstanding shares. Non-fundamental restrictions are subject to change by the Board of Trustees of the Trust (the “Board”) without shareholder approval.
When submitting an investment restriction change to the holders of the Fund’s outstanding voting securities, the matter shall be deemed to have been effectively acted upon if a majority of the outstanding voting securities of the Fund vote for the approval of the matter, notwithstanding: (1) that the matter has not been approved by the holders of a majority of the outstanding voting securities of any other series of the Trust affected by the matter, and (2) that the matter has not been approved by the vote of a majority of the outstanding voting securities of the Trust as a whole.
Restrictions (1) through restriction (7) are fundamental. Restrictions (8) through (10) are non-fundamental.
Fundamental Investment Restrictions
The Fund may not issue senior securities, except to the extent that the borrowing of money in accordance with restriction (2) below may constitute the issuance of a senior security. (For purposes of this restriction, purchasing securities on a when-issued, forward commitment or delayed delivery basis and engaging in hedging and other strategic transactions will not be deemed to constitute the issuance of a senior security.) In addition, unless the Fund is specifically excepted by the terms of a restriction:
(1) Concentration. The Fund will not concentrate its investments in a particular industry or group of industries, as that term is used in the 1940 Act, as amended, and as interpreted or modified by regulatory authority having jurisdiction, from time to time. This restriction does not apply to obligations issued or guaranteed by the U.S. Government, its agencies or instrumentalities.
(2) Borrowing. The Fund will not borrow money, except as permitted under the 1940 Act, as amended, and as interpreted or modified by regulatory authority having jurisdiction, from time to time.

38


 

(3) Underwriting. The Fund will not engage in the business of underwriting securities issued by others, except to the extent that the Fund may be deemed to be an underwriter in connection with the disposition of portfolio securities.
(4) Real Estate. The Fund will not purchase or sell real estate, which term does not include securities of companies which deal in real estate or mortgages or investments secured by real estate or interests therein, except that the Fund reserves freedom of action to hold and to sell real estate acquired as a result of the Fund’s ownership of securities.
(5) Commodities. The Fund will not purchase or sell commodities, except as permitted under the 1940 Act, as amended, and as interpreted or modified by regulatory authority having jurisdiction, from time to time.
(6) Loans. The Fund will not make loans except as permitted under the 1940 Act, as amended, and as interpreted or modified by regulatory authority having jurisdiction, from time to time.
(7) Senior Securities. The Fund will not issue senior securities, except as permitted under the 1940 Act, as amended, and as interpreted or modified by regulatory authority having jurisdiction, from time to time.
Non-Fundamental Investment Restrictions
The Fund will not:
(8) Knowingly invest more than 15% of the value of its net assets in securities or other investments, including repurchase agreements maturing in more than seven days but excluding master demand notes, which are not readily marketable.
(9) Make short sales of securities or maintain a short position, if, when added together, more than 25% of the value of the Fund’s net assets would be: (i) deposited as collateral for the obligation to replace securities borrowed to effect short sales; and (ii) allocated to segregated accounts in connection with short sales, except that it may obtain such short-term credits as may be required to clear transactions. For purposes of this restriction, collateral arrangements with respect to hedging and other strategic transactions will not be deemed to involve the use of margin. Short sales “against-the-box” are not subject to this limitation.
(10) Pledge, hypothecate, mortgage or transfer (except as provided in restriction (7) as security for indebtedness any securities held by the Fund, except in an amount of not more than 10% of the value of the Fund’s total assets and then only to secure borrowings permitted by restrictions (2) and (9). For purposes of this restriction, collateral arrangements with respect to hedging and other strategic transactions will not be deemed to involve a pledge of assets.
If a percentage restriction is adhered to at the time of an investment, a later increase or decrease in the investment’s percentage of the value of the Fund’s total assets resulting from a change in such values or assets will not constitute a violation of the percentage restriction. Any subsequent change in a rating assigned by any rating service to a security (or, if unrated, any change in the subadviser’s assessment of the security), or change in the percentage of portfolio assets invested in certain securities or other instruments, or change in the average duration of the Fund’s investment portfolio, resulting from market fluctuations or other changes in the Fund’s total assets will not require the Fund to dispose of an investment until the subadviser determines that it is practicable to sell or close out the investment without undue market or tax consequences to the Fund. In the event that rating services assign different ratings to the same security, the subadviser will determine which rating it believes best reflects the security’s quality and risk at that time, which may be the higher of the several assigned ratings.
PORTFOLIO TURNOVER
The annual rate of portfolio turnover may vary from year to year as well as within a year. A high rate of portfolio turnover (100% or more) generally involves correspondingly greater brokerage commission

39


 

expenses, which must be borne directly by the Fund. Portfolio turnover is calculated by dividing the lesser of purchases or sales of portfolio securities during the fiscal year by the monthly average of the value of the Fund’s securities. (Excluded from the computation are all securities with maturities at the time of acquisition of one year or less). Portfolio turnover rates can change from year to year due to various factors, including among others, portfolio adjustments made in response to market conditions.
EXCHANGE LISTING AND TRADING
A discussion of exchange listing and trading matters associated with an investment in the Fund is contained in the Prospectus under the headings “Fund details—Risks of Investing” and “Your account—Transaction Policies.” The discussion below supplements, and should be read in conjunction with, such sections of the Prospectus.
The shares of the Fund are approved for listing on NYSE Arca and will trade in the secondary market at prices that may differ to some degree from their NAV. The Exchange may but is not required to remove the shares of the Fund from listing if: (1) following the initial twelve-month period beginning upon the commencement of trading of the Fund, there are fewer than 50 beneficial holders of the shares for 30 or more consecutive trading days; or (2) such other event shall occur or condition exists that, in the opinion of the Exchange, makes further dealings on the Exchange inadvisable. In addition, the Exchange will remove the shares from listing and trading upon termination of the Trust. There can be no assurance that the requirements of the Exchange necessary to maintain the listing of shares of the Fund will continue to be met.
As in the case of other securities traded on the Exchange, brokers’ commissions on transactions will be based on negotiated commission rates at customary levels.
In order to provide investors with a basis to gauge whether the market price of the shares on the Exchange is approximately consistent with the current value of the assets of the Fund on a per share basis, an updated Indicative Per Share Portfolio Value is disseminated intra-day through the facilities of the Consolidated Tape Association’s Network B. Indicative Per Share Portfolio Values are disseminated every 15 seconds during regular Exchange trading hours based on the most recently reported prices of all the securities held by the Fund (“Fund Securities”). The Fund is not involved in or responsible for the calculation or dissemination of the Indicative Per Share Portfolio Value and make no warranty as to the accuracy of the Indicative Per Share Portfolio Value.
The Indicative Per Share Portfolio Value has a net other assets value component, each of which are summed and divided by the total estimated Fund shares outstanding, including shares expected to be issued by each Fund on that day, to arrive at an Indicative Per Share Portfolio Value. The net other assets value component consists of estimates of all other assets and liabilities of the Fund including, among others, current day estimates of interest income and expense accruals.
THOSE RESPONSIBLE FOR MANAGEMENT
The business of the Trust, an open-end management investment company, is managed by the Board, including certain Trustees who are not “interested persons” (as defined by the 1940 Act) of the Trust’s series (the “Independent Trustees”). The Trustees elect officers who are responsible for the day-to-day operations of the Fund and who execute policies formulated by the Trustees. Several of the Trustees and officers of the Trust are also officers or Directors of the Adviser, or officers or Directors of the principal distributor to the Fund, John Hancock Funds, LLC (the “Distributor”). The tables below present certain information, as of the date of this SAI, regarding the Trustees and officers of the Trust, including their principal occupations. Each Trustee oversees the Trust’s series, and some Trustees also oversee other funds in the John Hancock fund complex.
Because the Trust does not hold regular annual shareholders meetings, each Trustee holds office for an indefinite term until his/her successor is duly elected and qualified or until he or she dies, retires, resigns, is removed or becomes disqualified. Trustees may be removed (provided the aggregate number of Trustees

40


 

after such removal shall not be less than one) with cause or without cause, by the action of two-thirds of the remaining Trustees or by action of two-thirds of the outstanding Shares of the Trust. The business address of each Trustee and officer of the Trust is 601 Congress Street, Boston, Massachusetts 02210-2805.
Independent Trustees
             
    Position(s)       Number of Funds in
    Held with   Principal Occupation(s) and other   Fund Complex
Name (Birth Year)   Trust   Directorships During Past 5 Years   Overseen
 
           
Non-Independent Trustees
             
            Number of
    Position(s)       Funds in Fund
    Held with   Principal Occupation(s) and other   Complex
Name (Birth Year)   Trust   Directorships During Past 5 Years   Overseen
 
           

41


 

Principal Officers who are not Trustees
         
    Position(s)    
    Held with the    
Name (Birth Year)   Trust   Principal Occupation(s) During Past 5 Years
Hugh McHaffie
(1959)
  President
(since [ ])
  Executive Vice President, John Hancock Financial Services (since 2006, including prior positions); Chairman and Director, John Hancock Advisers, LLC, John Hancock Investment Management Services, LLC and John Hancock Funds, LLC (since 2010); Non Independent Trustee, John Hancock retail funds (since 2010); President, John Hancock Variable Insurance Trust and John Hancock Funds II (since 2009); Senior Vice President, Individual Business Product Management, MetLife, Inc. (1999-2006).
 
       
Andrew J. Arnott
(1971)
  Senior Vice President
(since [ ])
  Senior Vice President, John Hancock Financial Services (since 2009); Executive Vice President, John Hancock Advisers, LLC (since 2005); Executive Vice President, John Hancock Investment Management Services, LLC (since 2006); Executive Vice President, John Hancock Funds, LLC (since 2004); Chief Operating Officer, John Hancock retail funds (since 2009); Vice President, John Hancock Funds II and John Hancock Variable Insurance Trust (since 2006); Senior Vice President, Product Management and Development, John Hancock Funds, LLC (until 2009).
 
       
Thomas M. Kinzler
(1955)
  Secretary and Chief Legal Officer
(since [ ])
  Vice President, John Hancock Financial Services (since 2006); Secretary and Chief Legal Counsel, John Hancock Advisers, LLC, John Hancock Investment Management Services, LLC and John Hancock Funds, LLC (since 2007); Secretary and Chief Legal Officer, John Hancock retail funds, John Hancock Funds II and John Hancock Variable Insurance Trust (since 2006); Vice President and Associate General Counsel, Massachusetts Mutual Life Insurance Company (1999—2006); Secretary and Chief Legal Counsel, MML Series Investment Fund (2000—2006); Secretary and Chief Legal Counsel, MassMutual Select Funds and MassMutual Premier Funds (2004—2006).

42


 

         
    Position(s)    
    Held with the    
Name (Birth Year)   Trust   Principal Occupation(s) During Past 5 Years
Francis V. Knox, Jr.
(1947)
  Chief Compliance Officer (“CCO”)
(since [ ])
  Vice President, John Hancock Financial Services (since 2005); Chief Compliance Officer, John Hancock retail funds, John Hancock Funds II, John Hancock Variable Insurance Trust, John Hancock Advisers, LLC and John Hancock Investment Management Services, LLC (since 2005); Vice President and Chief Compliance Officer, John Hancock Asset Management a division of Manulife Asset Management (US) LLC (2005—2008).
 
       
Michael J. Leary
(1965)
  Treasurer
(since [ ])
  Assistant Vice President, John Hancock Financial Services (since 2007); Treasurer, John Hancock Funds II and John Hancock Variable Insurance Trust (since 2009); Treasurer, John Hancock retail funds (2007-2010); Vice President, John Hancock Advisers, LLC and John Hancock Investment Management Services, LLC (since 2007); Assistant Treasurer, John Hancock retail funds (2007-2009 and 2010), John Hancock Funds II and John Hancock Variable Insurance Trust (2007—2009) and John Hancock Funds III (since 2009); Vice President and Director of Fund Administration, JP Morgan (2004-2007).
 
       
John G. Vrysen
(1955)
  Chief Operating Officer
(since [ ])
  Senior Vice President, John Hancock Financial Services (since 2006); Director, Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer, John Hancock Advisers, LLC, John Hancock Investment Management Services, LLC and John Hancock Funds, LLC (since 2005); Chief Operating Officer, John Hancock Funds II and John Hancock Variable Insurance Trust (since 2007); Chief Operating Officer, John Hancock retail funds (until 2009); Trustee, John Hancock retail funds (since 2009).
 
       
Charles A. Rizzo
(1959)
  Chief Financial Officer
(since [ ])
  Vice President, John Hancock Financial Services (since 2008); Senior Vice President, John Hancock Advisers, LLC and John Hancock Investment Management Services, LLC (since 2008); Chief Financial Officer, John Hancock retail funds, John Hancock Funds II and John Hancock Variable Insurance Trust (since 2007); Assistant Treasurer, Goldman Sachs Mutual Fund Complex (2005—2007); Vice President, Goldman Sachs (2005—2007); Managing Director and Treasurer, Scudder Funds, Deutsche Asset Management (2003—2005).
Additional Information About the Trustees
In addition to the description of each Trustee’s Principal Occupation(s) and Other Directorships set forth above, the following provides further information about each Trustee’s specific experience, qualifications, attributes or skills. The information in this section should not be understood to mean that any of the Trustees is an “expert” within the meaning of the federal securities laws.
There are no specific required qualifications for Board membership. The Board believes that the different perspectives, viewpoints, professional experience, education, and individual qualities of each Trustee represent a diversity of experiences and a variety of complementary skills. Each Trustee has experience as a Trustee of the Trust, as well as experience as a Trustee of other John Hancock funds. It is the Trustees’ belief that this allows the Board, as a whole, to oversee the business of the funds in a manner consistent with the best interests of the shareholders of the Fund and the Trust’s other funds (collectively, “funds”).

43


 

When considering potential nominees to fill vacancies on the Board, and as part of its annual self-evaluation, the Board reviews the mix of skills and other relevant experiences of the Trustees.
Duties and Compensation of Trustees
The Trust is organized as a Massachusetts business trust/Delaware statutory trust. Under the Declaration of Trust, the Trustees are responsible for managing the affairs of the Trust, including the appointment of advisers and subadvisers. Each Trustee has the experience, skills, attributes or qualifications described above (see “Principal Occupation(s) and Other Directorships” and “Additional Information About the Trustees” above). The Board appoints officers who assist in managing the day-to-day affairs of the Trust. The Board met [     ] times as of the date of this SAI.
The Board has appointed an Independent Trustee as Chairman. The Chairman presides at meetings of the Trustees, and may call meetings of the Board and any Board committee whenever he deems it necessary. The Chairman participates in the preparation of the agenda for meetings of the Board and the identification of information to be presented to the Board with respect to matters to be acted upon by the Board. The Chairman also acts as a liaison with the funds’ management, officers, attorneys, and other Trustees generally between meetings. The Chairman may perform such other functions as may be requested by the Board from time to time. Except for any duties specified in this SAI or pursuant to the Trust’s Declaration of Trust or By-laws, or as assigned by the Board, the designation of a Trustee as Chairman does not impose on that Trustee any duties, obligations or liability that are greater than the duties, obligations or liability imposed on any other Trustee, generally. The Board has designated a number of standing committees as further described below, each of which has a Chairman. The Board also may designate working groups or ad hoc committees as it deems appropriate.
The Board believes that this leadership structure is appropriate because it allows the Board to exercise informed and independent judgment over matters under its purview, and it allocates areas of responsibility among committees or working groups of Trustees and the full Board in a manner that enhances effective oversight. The Board considers leadership by an Independent Trustee as Chairman to be integral to promoting effective independent oversight of the funds’ operations and meaningful representation of the shareholders’ interests, given the number of funds offered by the Trust and the amount of assets that these funds represent. The Board also believes that having a super-majority of Independent Trustees is appropriate and in the best interest of the funds’ shareholders. Nevertheless, the Board also believes that having an interested person serve on the Board brings corporate and financial viewpoints that are, in the Board’s view, crucial elements in its decision-making process. In addition, the Board believes that Mr. [      ], as Chairman and Director of the Adviser, and senior executive of MFC, the Adviser’s parent company, and of other affiliates of the Adviser, provides the Board with the Adviser’s perspective in managing and sponsoring the funds. The leadership structure of the Board may be changed, at any time and in the discretion of the Board, including in response to changes in circumstances or the characteristics of the Trust.
Board Committees
The Board has a standing Audit Committee composed solely of Independent Trustees (Messrs. [ ], [      ] and [ ]). Mr. [ ] serves as Chairman of this Committee. The Committee met [     ] times as of the date of this SAI to review the internal and external accounting and auditing procedures of the Trust and, among other things, to consider the selection of an independent registered public accounting firm for the Trust, approve all significant services proposed to be performed by its independent registered public accounting firm and to consider the possible effect of such services on its independence.
The Board also has a Nominating Committee composed of all of the Independent Trustees. The Nominating Committee met [     ] times as of the date of this SAI. The Nominating Committee will consider nominees recommended by Trust shareholders. Nominations should be forwarded to the attention of the Secretary of the Trust at 601 Congress Street, Boston, Massachusetts 02210. Any shareholder nomination must be submitted in compliance with all of the pertinent provisions of Rule 14a-8 under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (the “Exchange Act”) in order to be considered by the Nominating Committee.

44


 

The Board also has a standing Compliance Committee and three Investment Committees. The Compliance Committee reviews and makes recommendation to the full Board regarding certain compliance matters relating to the Trust. The Compliance Committee is composed of the following Trustees: Messrs. [     ], [      ], and [      ], and Ms. [      ]). Mr. [      ] serves as Chairman of this Committee. The Compliance Committee met [ ] times as of the date of this SAI. Each Investment Committee reviews investment matters relating to a particular group of funds. The Investment Committees are composed of the following Trustees: Investment Committee A: Messrs. [      ] and [      ]; Investment Committee B: Messrs. [      ], [      ] and [      ]; Investment Committee C: Messrs. [      ] and [      ], and Ms. [      ]. Messrs. [      ] and [      ] and Ms. [      ] serve as Chairpersons of Investment Committee A, B and C, respectively. Each Investment Committee met [     ] times as of the date of this SAI.
Annually, the Board evaluates its performance and that of its Committees, including the effectiveness of the Board’s Committee structure.
Risk Oversight
As a registered investment company, the Fund is subject to a variety of risks, including investment risks (such as, among others, market risk, credit risk and interest rate risk), financial risks (such as, among others, settlement risk, liquidity risk and valuation risk), compliance risks, and operational risks. As a part of its overall activities, the Board oversees the Fund’s risk management activities that are implemented by the Adviser, the Fund’s Chief Compliance Officer (“CCO”) and other service providers to the Fund as of the date of this SAI. The Adviser has primary responsibility for the Fund’s risk management on a day-to-day basis as a part of its overall responsibilities. The Fund’s subadvisers, subject to oversight of the Adviser, are primarily responsible for managing investment and financial risks as a part of their day-to-day investment responsibilities, as well as operational and compliance risks at their respective firms. The Adviser and the CCO also assist the Board in overseeing compliance with investment policies of the Fund and regulatory requirements, and monitor the implementation of the various compliance policies and procedures approved by the Board as a part of its oversight responsibilities.
The Adviser identifies to the Board the risks that it believes may affect the Fund and develops processes and controls regarding such risks. However, risk management is a complex and dynamic undertaking and it is not always possible to comprehensively identify and/or mitigate all such risks at all times since risks are at times impacted by external events. In discharging its oversight responsibilities, the Board considers risk management issues throughout the year with the assistance of its various Committees as described below. Each Committee meets at least quarterly and presents reports to the Board, which may prompt further discussion of issues concerning the oversight of the Fund’s risk management. The Board as a whole also reviews written reports or presentations on a variety of risk issues as needed and may discuss particular risks that are not addressed in the Committee process.
The Board has established three Investment Committees. Each Investment Committee assists the Board in overseeing the significant investment policies of the Fund and the performance of its subadvisers. The Adviser monitors these policies and subadviser activities and may recommend changes to each Investment Committee in response to subadviser requests or other circumstances. On at least a quarterly basis, each Investment Committee reviews reports from the Adviser regarding the Fund’s investment performance, which include information about investment and financial risks and how they are managed, and from the CCO regarding subadviser compliance matters. In addition, each Investment Committee (or, in certain cases, the Board as a whole) meets periodically with the portfolio managers of the Fund’s subadvisers to receive reports regarding management of the Fund.
The Audit Committee assists the Board in reviewing with the independent auditors, at various times throughout the year, matters relating to the Fund’s financial reporting. In addition, this Committee oversees the process of the Fund’s valuation of its portfolio securities, with day-to-day responsibility for valuation determinations having been delegated to the Fund’s Pricing Committee (comprised of officers of the Trust).

45


 

The Compliance Committee assists the Board in overseeing the activities of the Trust’s CCO with respect to the compliance programs of the Fund, the Adviser, the subadvisers, and certain of the Fund’s other service providers (the distributor and transfer agent). This Committee and the Board receive and consider periodic reports from the CCO throughout the year, including the CCO’s annual written report, which, among other things, summarizes material compliance issues that arose during the previous year and any remedial action taken to address these issues, as well as any material changes to the compliance programs. In addressing issues regarding the Fund’s risk management between meetings, appropriate representatives of the Adviser communicate with the Chairman of the Board, the relevant Committee Chair, or the Trust’s CCO, who is directly accountable to the Board. As appropriate, the Chairman of the Board, the Committee Chairs and the Trustees confer among themselves, with the Trust’s CCO, the Adviser, other service providers, external fund counsel, and counsel to the Independent Trustees, to identify and review risk management issues that may be placed on the full Board’s agenda and/or that of an appropriate Committee for review and discussion.
In addition, in its annual review of the Fund’s advisory, sub-advisory and distribution agreements, the Board reviews information provided by the Adviser, the subadvisers and the distributor relating to their operational capabilities, financial condition, risk management processes and resources.
The Board may, at any time and in its discretion, change the manner in which it conducts its risk oversight role.
The Adviser also has its own, independent interest in risk management. In this regard, the Adviser has appointed a Risk and Investment Operations Committee, consisting of senior personnel from each of the Adviser’s functional departments. This Committee reports periodically to the Board on risk management matters. The Adviser’s risk management program is part of the overall risk management program of John Hancock, the Adviser’s parent company. John Hancock’s Chief Risk Officer supports the Adviser’s risk management program, and at the Board’s request will report on risk management matters.
Compensation of Trustees and Officers
Because the Fund and Trust are new, the Trustees have not yet earned compensation from the Trust.
Each Independent Trustee receives an annual retainer of $[ ] and a fee of $[ ] for attendance at meeting of the Trustees that he or she attends in person. The Chairman of the Board receives an additional $[ ] annual retainer. The Chairman of the Audit Committee receives an additional $[ ] annual retainer. The Chairman of the Compliance Committee receives an additional $[ ] annual retainer.
Trustee Ownership of Shares of the Fund
The Fund will commence operation on or following the date of this SAI and, therefore, the officers and Trustees of the Trust as a group beneficially owned no shares of the Fund.
SHAREHOLDERS OF THE FUND
The Adviser will own all of the outstanding shares of the Fund on commencement date and, therefore, will be deemed to control the Fund.
INVESTMENT MANAGEMENT ARRANGEMENTS AND OTHER SERVICES
The Advisory Agreement
The Fund has entered into an investment management contract (the “Advisory Agreement”) with the Adviser. Pursuant to the Advisory Agreement, the Adviser selects, contracts with, and compensates subadvisers to manage the investment and reinvestment of the assets of the Fund. The Adviser monitors the compliance of such subadvisers with the investment objectives and related policies of the Fund and reviews the performance of such subadvisers and reports periodically on such performance to the Trustees. The

46


 

Adviser may elect directly to manage the investment and reinvestment of the assets of the Fund, subject to the approval of the Trustees. In directly managing the assets, the Adviser will have the same responsibilities as those described below with respect to a subadviser under a subadvisory agreement.
The Trust bears all costs of its organization and operation, including but not limited to expenses of preparing, printing and mailing all shareholders’ reports, notices, prospectuses, proxy statements and reports to regulatory agencies; expenses relating to the issuance, registration and qualification of shares; government fees; interest charges; expenses of furnishing to shareholders their account statements; taxes; expenses of redeeming shares; brokerage and other expenses connected with the execution of portfolio securities transactions; expenses pursuant to the Fund’s plan of distribution; fees and expenses of custodians including those for keeping books and accounts maintaining a committed line of credit and calculating the NAV of shares; fees and expenses of transfer agents and dividend disbursing agents; legal, accounting, financial, management, tax and auditing fees and expenses of the Fund (including an allocable portion of the cost of the Adviser’s employees rendering such services to the Fund); the compensation and expenses of officers and Trustees (other than persons serving as President or Trustee who are otherwise affiliated with the Fund the Adviser or any of their affiliates); expenses of Trustees’ and shareholders’ meetings; trade association memberships; insurance premiums; and any extraordinary expenses.
Adviser Compensation. As compensation for its services, the Adviser receives a fee from the Fund. The fee for the Fund is stated as an annual percentage of the current value of the “aggregate net assets” of the Fund. The fee for the Fund is based on the applicable annual rate for it which for each day is equal to (i) the sum of the amounts determined by applying the annual percentage rates for the Fund to the applicable portions of aggregate net assets divided by (ii) aggregate net assets (totaling the “Applicable Annual Fee Rate”). The fee for the Fund is accrued and paid daily to the Adviser for each calendar day. The daily fee accruals are computed by multiplying the fraction of one over the number of calendar days in the year by the Applicable Annual Fee Rate, and multiplying this product by the net assets of the Fund. The management fees that the Fund currently is obligated to pay the Adviser are as set forth in the Prospectus.
From time to time, the Adviser may reduce its fee or make other arrangements to limit the Fund’s expenses to a specified percentage of average daily net assets. The Adviser retains the right to re-impose a fee and recover any other payments to the extent that, during the fiscal year, the Fund’s annual expenses fall below this limit. The Adviser may recapture operating expenses reimbursed or fees waived under previous expense limitation or waiver arrangements for a period of three years following the beginning of the month in which such reimbursement or waivers occurred.
Securities held by the Fund also may be held by other funds or investment advisory clients for which the Adviser, a subadviser or their respective affiliates provide investment advice. Because of different investment objectives or other factors, a particular security may be bought for one or more funds or clients when one or more are selling the same security. If opportunities for purchase or sale of securities by the Adviser or subadviser for the Fund or for other funds or clients for which the Adviser or subadviser renders investment advice arise for consideration at or about the same time, transactions in such securities will be made, insofar as feasible, for the respsective funds or clients in a manner deemed equitable to all of them. To the extent that transactions on behalf of more than one client of the Adviser or subadviser or their respective affiliates may increase the demand for securities being purchased or the supply of securities being sold, there may be an adverse effect on price.
The Service Agreement
[To be filed by subsequent amendment.]
The Subadvisory Agreements
[To be filed by subsequent amendment.]
Other Services
Proxy Voting. The Trust’s proxy voting policies and procedures (the “Trust Procedures”) delegate to the subadviser of the Fund the responsibility to vote all proxies relating to securities held by the Fund in accordance with the subadviser’s proxy voting policies and procedures. Each subadviser has a duty to vote

47


 

or not vote such proxies in the best interests of the Fund it subadvises and its shareholders, and to avoid the influence of conflicts of interest. Complete descriptions of the Trust Procedures and the proxy voting procedures of the subadviser are set forth in Appendix C to this SAI.
It is possible that conflicts of interest could arise for a subadviser when voting proxies. Such conflicts could arise, for example, when the subadviser or its affiliate has an existing business relationship with the issuer of the security being voted or with a third party that has an interest in the vote. A conflict of interest could also arise when the Fund, its Adviser or principal underwriter or any of their affiliates has an interest in the vote.
In the event that a subadviser becomes aware of a material conflict of interest, the Trust Procedures generally require the subadviser to follow any conflicts procedures that may be included in the subadviser’s proxy voting procedures. These conflicts procedures generally include one or more of the following:
(a)   voting pursuant to the recommendation of a third party voting service;
(b)   voting pursuant to pre-determined voting guidelines; or
(c)   referring voting to a special compliance or oversight committee.
The specific conflicts procedures of the subadviser are set forth in its proxy voting procedures included in Appendix C. While these conflicts procedures may reduce the influence of conflicts of interest on proxy voting, such influence will not necessarily be eliminated.
Although a subadviser may have a duty to vote all proxies on behalf of the Fund it subadvises, it is possible that the subadviser may not be able to vote proxies under certain circumstances. For example, it may be impracticable to translate in a timely manner voting materials that are written in a foreign language or to travel to a foreign country when voting in person rather than by proxy is required. In addition, if the voting of proxies for shares of a security prohibits a subadviser from trading the shares in the marketplace for a period of time, the subadviser may determine that it is not in the best interests of the Fund to vote the proxies. A subadviser also may choose not to recall securities that have been lent in order to vote proxies for shares of the security since the portfolio would lose security lending income if the securities were recalled.
Information regarding how the Fund voted proxies relating to portfolio securities during the most recent 12-month period ended June 30 is available: (1) without charge upon request, by calling (800) 344-1029 (attention: Secretary); and (2) on the SEC’s Web site at www.sec.gov.
DISTRIBUTION AGREEMENTS
The Fund has a Distribution Agreement with John Hancock Funds, LLC, the Distributor, located at 601 Congress Street, Boston, Massachusetts. Under the Agreement, the Distributor is obligated to use its best efforts to sell shares of the Fund. Shares will be continuously offered for sale by the Trust through the Distributor only in Creation Units, as described below under “Creation and Redemption of Creation Units—Procedures for Creation of Creation Units.” Shares in less than Creation Units are not distributed by the Distributor. The Distributor will deliver a prospectus to persons purchasing shares in Creation Units and will maintain records of both orders placed with it and confirmations of acceptance furnished by it. The Distributor is a broker-dealer registered under the Exchange Act and a member of the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (“FINRA”). The Distributor has no role in determining the investment policies of the Trust or which securities are to be purchased or sold by the Trust.
The Distributor may also enter into sales and investor services agreements with broker-dealers or other persons that are Participating Parties and DTC Participants (as defined below) to provide distribution assistance, including broker-dealer and shareholder support and educational and promotional services but must pay such broker-dealers or other persons, out of its own assets.
The Board has adopted a Distribution Plan with respect to shares of the Fund pursuant to Rule 12b-1 under the 1940 Act (the “12b-1 Plan”). Under the 12b-1 Plans, the Fund will pay distribution and service fees at an aggregate annual rate of up to [ ]% for shares of the Fund. However, the service fees will not exceed 0.25% of the Fund’s average daily net assets. No payments pursuant to the 12b-1 Plan are currently

48


 

charged to the Fund, and there are no plans in place to impose a 12b-1 Plan fee. Additionally, the implementation of any such payments would have to be approved by the Board prior to implementation.
BOOK ENTRY ONLY SYSTEM
The following information supplements and should be read in conjunction with the section in the Prospectus entitled “Your Account—Transaction Policies.”
The Depository Trust Company (“DTC”) acts as securities depositary for the shares of the Fund. Shares of the Fund are represented by securities registered in the name of DTC or its nominee and deposited with, or on behalf of, DTC. Certificates will not be issued for shares of the Fund.
DTC, a limited-purpose trust company, was created to hold securities of its participants (the “DTC Participants”) and to facilitate the clearance and settlement of securities transactions among the DTC Participants in such securities through electronic book-entry changes in accounts of the DTC Participants, thereby eliminating the need for physical movement of securities certificates. DTC Participants include securities brokers and dealers, banks, trust companies, clearing corporations and certain other organizations, some of whom (and/or their representatives) own DTC. More specifically, DTC is owned by a number of its DTC Participants and by the NYSE and FINRA. Access to the DTC system is also available to others such as banks, brokers, dealers and trust companies that clear through or maintain a custodial relationship with a DTC Participant, either directly or indirectly (the “Indirect Participants”).
Beneficial ownership of shares of the Fund is limited to DTC Participants, Indirect Participants and persons holding interests through DTC Participants and Indirect Participants. Ownership of beneficial interests in shares of the Fund (owners of such beneficial interests are referred to herein as “Beneficial Owners”) is shown on, and the transfer of ownership is effected only through, records maintained by DTC (with respect to DTC Participants) and on the records of DTC Participants (with respect to Indirect Participants and Beneficial Owners that are not DTC Participants). Beneficial Owners will receive from or through the DTC Participant a written confirmation relating to their purchase of shares of the Fund.
Conveyance of all notices, statements and other communications to Beneficial Owners is effected as follows. Pursuant to the Depositary Agreement between the Trust and DTC, DTC is required to make available to the Trust upon request and for a fee to be charged to the Trust a listing of the share holdings of each DTC Participant. The Trust shall inquire of each such DTC Participant as to the number of Beneficial Owners holding shares of the Fund, directly or indirectly, through such DTC Participant. The Trust shall provide each such DTC Participant with copies of such notice, statement or other communication, in such form, number and at such place as such DTC Participant may reasonably request, in order that such notice, statement or communication may be transmitted by such DTC Participant, directly or indirectly, to such Beneficial Owners. In addition, the Trust shall pay to each such DTC Participant a fair and reasonable amount as reimbursement for the expenses attendant to such transmittal, all subject to applicable statutory and regulatory requirements.
Share distributions shall be made to DTC or its nominee, Cede & Co., as the registered holder of all shares of the Fund. DTC or its nominee, upon receipt of any such distributions, shall credit immediately DTC Participants’ accounts with payments in amounts proportionate to their respective beneficial interests in shares of the Fund as shown on the records of DTC or its nominee. Payments by DTC Participants to Indirect Participants and Beneficial Owners of shares of the Fund held through such DTC Participants will be governed by standing instructions and customary practices, as is now the case with securities held for the accounts of customers in bearer form or registered in a “street name,” and will be the responsibility of such DTC Participants.
The Trust has no responsibility or liability for any aspects of the records relating to or notices to Beneficial Owners, or payments made on account of beneficial ownership interests in such shares of the Fund, or for maintaining, supervising or reviewing any records relating to such beneficial ownership interests or for any other aspect of the relationship between DTC and the DTC Participants or the relationship between such

49


 

DTC Participants and the Indirect Participants and Beneficial Owners owning through such DTC Participants.
DTC may determine to discontinue providing its service with respect to the shares of the Fund at any time by giving reasonable notice to the Trust and discharging its responsibilities with respect thereto under applicable law. Under such circumstances, the Trust shall take action either to find a replacement for DTC to perform its functions at a comparable cost or, if such a replacement is unavailable, to issue and deliver printed certificates representing ownership of shares of the Fund, unless the Trust makes other arrangements with respect thereto satisfactory to the Exchange.
CREATION AND REDEMPTION OF CREATION UNITS
General
The Fund will issue and sell shares only in Creation Units on a continuous basis through the Distributor, without an initial sales load, at their NAV next determined after receipt, on any Business Day (as defined herein), of an order in proper form.
An authorized participant that is not a “qualified institutional buyer,” as such term is defined under Rule 144A of the 1933 Act, will not be able to receive, as part of a redemption, restricted securities eligible for resale under Rule 144A.
A “Business Day” with respect to the Fund is any day on which the NYSE is open for business. As of the date of the Prospectus, the NYSE observes the following holidays: New Year’s Day, Martin Luther King, Jr. Day, President’s Day (Washington’s Birthday), Good Friday, Memorial Day (observed), Independence Day, Labor Day, Thanksgiving Day and Christmas Day.
Fund Deposit
The consideration for a purchase of Creation Units generally consists of the in-kind deposit of a designated portfolio of equity securities (the “Deposit Securities”) that comprise the Index and an amount of cash computed as described below (the “Cash Component”) or, as permitted or required by the Fund, of cash. The Cash Component together with the Deposit Securities, as applicable, are referred to as the “Fund Deposit,” which represents the minimum initial and subsequent investment amount for Shares. The Cash Component represents the difference between the NAV of a Creation Unit and the market value of Deposit Securities and may include a Dividend Equivalent Payment. The “Dividend Equivalent Payment” enables the Fund to make a complete distribution of dividends on the next dividend payment date, and is an amount equal, on a per Creation Unit basis, to the dividends on the Fund Securities with ex dividend dates within the accumulation period for such distribution (the “Accumulation Period”), net of expenses and liabilities for such period, as if all of the Fund Securities had been held by the Trust for the entire Accumulation Period. The Accumulation Period begins on the ex dividend date for the Fund and ends on the next ex dividend date.
The Administrator, through the National Securities Clearing Corporation (the “NSCC”), makes available on each Business Day, immediately prior to the opening of business on the Exchange (currently 9:30 a.m. Eastern time), the list of the names and the required number of shares of each Deposit Security to be included in the current Fund Deposit (based on information at the end of the previous Business Day) as well as the Cash Component for the Fund. Such Fund Deposit is applicable, subject to any adjustments as described below, in order to effect creations of Creation Units of the Fund until such time as the next-announced Fund Deposit composition is made available.
The identity and number of shares of the Deposit Securities required for the Fund Deposit for the Fund changes as rebalancing adjustments and corporate action events are reflected from time to time by the Adviser with a view to the investment objective of the Fund. The composition of the Deposit Securities may also change in response to adjustments to the weighting or composition of the securities constituting the Index. In addition, the Trust reserves the right to accept a basket of securities or cash that differs from

50


 

Deposit Securities or to permit or require the substitution of an amount of cash (i.e., a “cash in lieu” amount) to be added to the Cash Component to replace any Deposit Security which may, among other reasons, not be available in sufficient quantity for delivery, not be permitted to be re-registered in the name of the Trust as a result of an in-kind creation order pursuant to local law or market convention or which may not be eligible for transfer through the Clearing Process (described below), or which may not be eligible for trading by a Participating Party (defined below). In light of the foregoing, in order to seek to replicate the in-kind creation order process, the Trust expects to purchase the Deposit Securities represented by the cash in lieu amount in the secondary market (“Market Purchases”). In such cases where the Trust makes Market Purchases because a Deposit Security may not be permitted to be re-registered in the name of the Trust as a result of an in-kind creation order pursuant to local law or market convention, or for other reasons, the Authorized Participant will reimburse the Trust for, among other things, any difference between the market value at which the securities were purchased by the Trust and the cash in lieu amount (which amount, at the Adviser’s discretion, may be capped), applicable registration fees and taxes. Brokerage commissions incurred in connection with the Trust’s acquisition of Deposit Securities will be at the expense of the Fund and will affect the value of all Shares of the Fund; but the Adviser may adjust the transaction fee to the extent the composition of the Deposit Securities changes or cash in lieu is added to the Cash Component to protect ongoing shareholders. The adjustments described above will reflect changes, known to the Adviser on the date of announcement to be in effect by the time of delivery of the Fund Deposit, in the composition of the Index or resulting from stock splits and other corporate actions.
In addition to the list of names and numbers of securities constituting the current Deposit Securities of the Fund Deposit, the Administrator, through the NSCC, also makes available (i) on each Business Day, the Dividend Equivalent Payment, if any, and the estimated Cash Component effective through and including the previous Business Day, per outstanding Shares of the Fund, and (ii) on a continuous basis throughout the day, the Indicative Per Share Portfolio Value.
Procedures for Creation of Creation Units
To be eligible to place orders with the Distributor to create Creation Units of the Fund, an entity or person either must be (1) a “Participating Party,” i.e., a broker dealer or other participant in the Clearing Process through the Continuous Net Settlement System of the NSCC; or (2) a DTC Participant (see “Book Entry Only System”); and, in either case, must have executed an agreement with the Trust and with the Distributor with respect to creations and redemptions of Creation Units outside the Clearing Process (“Participant Agreement”) (discussed below). A Participating Party and DTC Participant are collectively referred to as an “Authorized Participant.” All Creation Units of the Fund, however created, will be entered on the records of the Depository in the name of Cede & Co. for the account of a DTC Participant.
All orders to create Creation Units must be placed in multiples of [ ] Shares (i.e., a Creation Unit). All orders to create Creation Units, whether through the Clearing Process or outside the Clearing Process, must be received by the Distributor no later than the closing time of the regular trading session on NYSE Arca (“Closing Time”) (ordinarily 4:00 p.m. Eastern time) on the date such order is placed in order for creation of Creation Units to be effected based on the NAV of the Fund as determined on such date. A “Custom Order” may be placed by an Authorized Participant in the event that the Trust permits or requires the substitution of an amount of cash to be added to the Cash Component to replace any Deposit Security which may not be available in sufficient quantity for delivery or which may not be eligible for trading by such Authorized Participant or the investor for which it is acting, or other relevant reason. The date on which a creation order (or order to redeem as discussed below) is placed is herein referred to as the “Transmittal Date.” Orders must be transmitted by telephone or other transmission method acceptable to the Distributor pursuant to procedures set forth in the Participant Agreement, as described below (see “—Placement of Creation Orders Using Clearing Process”). Severe economic or market disruptions or changes, or telephone or other communication failure, may impede the ability to reach the Distributor, a Participating Party or a DTC Participant.
Creation Units may be created in advance of the receipt by the Trust of all or a portion of the Fund Deposit. In such cases, the Participating Party will remain liable for the full deposit of the missing portion(s) of the Fund Deposit and will be required to post collateral with the Trust consisting of cash at least equal to a

51


 

percentage of the marked to market value of such missing portion(s) that is specified in the Participant Agreement. The Trust may use such collateral to buy the missing portion(s) of the Fund Deposit at any time and will subject such Participating Party to liability for any shortfall between the cost to the Trust of purchasing such securities and the value of such collateral. The Trust will have no liability for any such shortfall. The Trust will return any unused portion of the collateral to the Participating Party once the entire Fund Deposit has been properly received by the Distributor and deposited into the Trust.
Orders to create Creation Units of the Fund shall be placed with a Participating Party or DTC Participant, as applicable, in the form required by such Participating Party or DTC Participant. Investors should be aware that their particular broker may not have executed a Participant Agreement, and that, therefore, orders to create Creation Units of the Fund may have to be placed by the investor’s broker through a Participating Party or a DTC Participant who has executed a Participant Agreement. At any given time there may be only a limited number of broker dealers that have executed a Participant Agreement. Those placing orders to create Creation Units of the Fund through the Clearing Process should afford sufficient time to permit proper submission of the order to the Distributor prior to the Closing Time on the Transmittal Date.
Orders for creation that are effected outside the Clearing Process are likely to require transmittal by the DTC Participant earlier on the Transmittal Date than orders effected using the Clearing Process. Those persons placing orders outside the Clearing Process should ascertain the deadlines applicable to DTC and the Federal Reserve Bank wire system by contacting the operations department of the broker or depository institution effectuating such transfer of Deposit Securities and Cash Component.
Orders to create Creation Units of the Fund may be placed through the Clearing Process utilizing procedures applicable to domestic funds for domestic securities (“Domestic Funds”) (see "—Placement of Creation Orders Using Clearing Process”) or outside the Clearing Process utilizing the procedures applicable to either Domestic Funds or foreign funds for foreign securities (“Foreign Funds”) (see “— Placement of Creation Orders Outside Clearing Process—Domestic Funds” and “—Placement of Creation Orders Outside Clearing Process—Foreign Funds”). In the event that the Fund includes both domestic and foreign securities, the time for submitting orders is as stated in the “Placement of Creation Orders Outside Clearing Process—Foreign Funds” and “Placement of Redemption Orders Outside Clearing Process—Foreign Funds” sections below shall operate.
Placement of Creation Orders Using Clearing Process
Fund Deposits created through the Clearing Process, if available, must be delivered through a Participating Party that has executed a Participant Agreement with the Distributor and with the Trust (as the same may be from time to time amended in accordance with its terms).
The Participant Agreement authorizes the Distributor to transmit to NSCC on behalf of the Participating Party such trade instructions as are necessary to effect the Participating Party’s creation order. Pursuant to such trade instructions from the Distributor to NSCC, the Participating Party agrees to transfer the requisite Deposit Securities (or contracts to purchase such Deposit Securities that are expected to be delivered in a “regular way” manner by the third (3rd) Business Day) and the Cash Component to the Trust, together with such additional information as may be required by the Distributor. An order to create Creation Units of the Fund through the Clearing Process is deemed received by the Distributor on the Transmittal Date if (i) such order is received by the Distributor not later than the Closing Time on such Transmittal Date and (ii) all other procedures set forth in the Participant Agreement are properly followed.
Placement of Creation Orders Using Clearing Process — Domestic Securities
Fund Deposits created outside the Clearing Process must be delivered through a DTC Participant that has executed a Participant Agreement with the Distributor and with the Trust. A DTC Participant who wishes to place an order creating Creation Units of the Fund to be effected outside the Clearing Process need not be a Participating Party, but such orders must state that the DTC Participant is not using the Clearing Process and that the creation of Creation Units will instead be effected through a transfer of securities and

52


 

cash. The Fund Deposit transfer must be ordered by the DTC Participant in a timely fashion so as to ensure the delivery of the requisite number of Deposit Securities through DTC to the account of the Trust by no later than 11:00 a.m. Eastern time, of the next Business Day immediately following the Transmittal Date. All questions as to the number of Deposit Securities to be delivered, and the validity, form and eligibility (including time of receipt) for the deposit of any tendered securities, will be determined by the Trust, whose determination shall be final and binding. The cash equal to the Cash Component must be transferred directly to the Distributor through the Federal Reserve wire system in a timely manner so as to be received by the Distributor no later than 2:00 p.m. Eastern time, on the next Business Day immediately following the Transmittal Date. An order to create Creation Units of the Fund outside the Clearing Process is deemed received by the Distributor on the Transmittal Date if (i) such order is received by the Distributor not later than the Closing Time on such Transmittal Date; and (ii) all other procedures set forth in the Participant Agreement are properly followed. However, if the Distributor does not receive both the requisite Deposit Securities and the Cash Component in a timely fashion on the next Business Day immediately following the Transmittal Date, such order will be cancelled. Upon written notice to the Distributor, such cancelled order may be resubmitted the following Business Day using the Fund Deposit as newly constituted to reflect the current NAV of the Fund. The delivery of Creation Units so created will occur no later than the third (3rd) Business Day following the day on which the creation order is deemed received by the Distributor.
Additional transaction fees may be imposed with respect to transactions effected outside the Clearing Process (through a DTC participant) and in circumstances in which any cash can be used in lieu of Deposit Securities to create Creation Units. (See “Creation Transaction Fee” section below.)
Placement of Creation Orders Using Clearing Process — Foreign Securities
The Distributor will inform the transfer agent, the Adviser and the custodian upon receipt of a Creation Order. The custodian will then provide such information to the appropriate custodian. The custodian will cause the subcustodian of the Fund to maintain an account into which the Deposit Securities (or the cash value of all or part of such securities, in the case of a permitted or required cash purchase or “cash in lieu” amount) will be delivered. Deposit Securities must be delivered to an account maintained at the applicable local custodian. The Trust must also receive, on or before the contractual settlement date, immediately available or same day funds estimated by the custodian to be sufficient to pay the Cash Component next determined after receipt in proper form of the purchase order, together with the creation transaction fee described below.
Once the Trust has accepted a creation order, the Trust will confirm the issuance of a Creation Unit of the Fund against receipt of payment, at such NAV as will have been calculated after receipt in proper form of such order. The Distributor will then transmit a confirmation of acceptance of such order.
Creation Units will not be issued until the transfer of good title to the Trust of the Deposit Securities and the payment of the Cash Component have been completed. When the subcustodian has confirmed to the custodian that the required Deposit Securities (or the cash value thereof) have been delivered to the account of the relevant subcustodian, the Distributor and the Adviser will be notified of such delivery and the Trust will issue and cause the delivery of the Creation Units.
Acceptance of Creation Orders
The Trust reserves the absolute right to reject a creation order transmitted to it by the Distributor if, for any reason, (a) the order is not in proper form; (b) the creator or creators, upon obtaining the Shares, would own 80% or more of the currently outstanding Shares of the Fund; (c) the Deposit Securities delivered are not as specified by the Administrator, as described above; (d) the acceptance of the Deposit Securities would have certain adverse tax consequences to the Fund; (e) the acceptance of the Fund Deposit would, in the opinion of counsel, be unlawful; (f) the acceptance of the Fund Deposit would otherwise, in the discretion of the Trust or the Adviser, have an adverse effect on the Trust or the rights of beneficial owners; or (g) in the event that circumstances outside the control of the Trust, the Distributor and the Adviser make it for all practical purposes impossible to process creation orders. Examples of such circumstances include, without

53


 

limitation, acts of God or public service or utility problems such as earthquakes, fires, floods, extreme weather conditions and power outages resulting in telephone, telecopy and computer failures; wars; civil or military disturbances, including acts of civil or military authority or governmental actions; terrorism; sabotage; epidemics; riots; labor disputes; market conditions or activities causing trading halts; systems failures involving computer or other information systems affecting the Trust, the Adviser, the Distributor, DTC, the NSCC or any other participant in the creation process, and similar extraordinary events. The Trust shall notify a prospective creator of its rejection of the order of such person. The Trust and the Distributor are under no duty, however, to give notification of any defects or irregularities in the delivery of Fund Deposits nor shall either of them incur any liability for the failure to give any such notification.
All questions as to the number of shares of each security in the Deposit Securities and the validity, form, eligibility and acceptance for deposit of any securities to be delivered shall be determined by the Trust, and the Trust’s determination shall be final and binding.
Creation Transaction Fee
A purchase transaction fee may be imposed for the transfer and other transaction costs associated with the issuance of Creation Units. Where the Trust permits or specifies cash creations, an Authorized Participant submitting a cash creation order may be assessed a variable charge on the cash portion of its order up to a maximum amount as indicated in the table below. Authorized Participants will bear the costs of transferring Deposit Securites to the Trust. Investors who use the services of an Authorized Participant, broker or other such intermediary may be charged fees for such services. The following table sets forth the standard and variable creation transaction fees for the Fund:
     
Standard Creation Transaction   Maximum Variable Charge for Cash
Fee*   Creations**
$[  ]   $[  ]
 
*   Applicable to in-kind redemptions only.
 
**   As a percentage of the cash amount received.
The standard creation transaction fee applies to any Creation Unit purchase that includes in-kind securities and is a fixed amount. The variable creation transaction fee may apply to the cash amount invested only, to the extent cash purchases are available or specified, and, if imposed, may be imposed up to the maximum amount indicated in the table above. To the extent a purchase transaction consists of both in-kind securities and cash, the standard fee applies and the variable fee may also be imposed with regard to the cash amount invested. The Fund reserves the right to not impose a variable creation transaction fee or to vary the amount of the variable creation transaction fee imposed, up to the maximum amount listed above, depending on the materiality of the Fund’s actual transaction costs incurred in purchasing securities with the cash received or where the Adviser believes that not imposing or varying the variable creation transaction fee would be in the Fund’s best interests. Actual transaction costs may vary depending on the time of day a purchase order is received or the nature of the securities to be purchased.
Redemption of Creation Units
Shares may be redeemed only in Creation Units at their NAV next determined after receipt of a redemption request in proper form by the Distributor, only on a Business Day and only through a Participating Party or DTC Participant who has executed a Participant Agreement. The Trust will not redeem Shares in amounts less than Creation Units. Beneficial Owners also may sell Shares in the secondary market, but must accumulate enough Shares to constitute a Creation Unit in order to have such Shares redeemed by the Trust. There can be no assurance, however, that there will be sufficient liquidity in the public trading market at any time to permit assembly of a Creation Unit. Investors should expect to incur brokerage and other costs in connection with assembling a sufficient number of Shares to constitute a redeemable Creation Unit. See the section entitled “Fund details—Risks of Investing” in the Prospectus.
The Administrator, through NSCC, makes available immediately prior to the opening of business on the Exchange (currently 9:30 a.m. Eastern time) on each day that the Exchange is open for business, the Fund

54


 

Securities that will be applicable (subject to possible amendment or correction) to redemption requests received in proper form (as defined below) on that day. Unless cash redemptions are permitted or required for the Fund, the redemption proceeds for a Creation Unit generally consist of Fund Securities as announced by the Administrator on the Business Day of the request for redemption, plus cash in an amount equal to the difference between the NAV of the Shares being redeemed, as next determined after a receipt of a request in proper form, and the value of the Fund Securities, less the redemption transaction fee and variable fees described below. Should the Fund Securities have a value greater than the NAV of the Shares being redeemed, a compensating cash payment to the Trust equal to the differential plus the applicable redemption transaction fee will be required to be arranged for by or on behalf of the redeeming shareholder. The Fund reserves the right to honor a redemption request by delivering a basket of securities or cash that differs from the Fund Securities.
Redemption Transaction Fee
A redemption transaction fee may be imposed to offset transfer and other transaction costs. Where the Trust permits or specifies cash redemptions, an Authorized Participant submitting a cash redemption order may be assessed a variable charge on the cash portion of its order up to a maximum amount as indicated in the table below. Authorized Participants will bear the costs of transferring Fund Securities or cash from the Trust to their account or on their order. Investors who use the services of an Authorized Participant, broker or other such intermediary may be charged fees for such services. A DTC Participant may be required to pay a higher transaction fee than would have been charged had the redemption been effected through the Clearing Process. The following tables set forth the standard and variable redemption transaction fees for the Fund:
     
Standard Creation Transaction   Maximum Variable Charge for Cash
Fee*   Creations**
$[  ]
  $[   ]
 
*   Applicable to in-kind redemptions only.
 
**   As a percentage of the cash amount received.
The standard redemption transaction fee applies to any Creation Unit redemption that includes in-kind securities and is a fixed amount. The variable redemption transaction fee may apply to the cash amount received only, to the extent cash redemptions are available or specified, and, if imposed, may be imposed up to the maximum amount indicated in the table above. To the extent a redemption transaction consists of both in-kind securities and cash, the standard fee applies and the variable fee may also be imposed with regard to the cash amount received. The Fund reserves the right to not impose a variable redemption transaction fee or to vary the amount of the variable redemption transaction fee imposed, up to the maximum amount listed above, depending on the materiality of the Fund’s actual transaction costs incurred in selling securities to raise the cash amount redeemed or where the Adviser believes that not imposing or varying the variable redemption transaction fee would be in the Fund’s best interests. Actual transaction costs may vary depending on the time of day a redemption order is received or the nature of the securities to be sold.
Placement of Redemption Orders Using Clearing Process
Orders to redeem Creation Units of the Fund through the Clearing Process, if available, must be delivered through a Participating Party that has executed the Participant Agreement with the Distributor and with the Trust (as the case may be from time to time amended in accordance with its terms). An order to redeem Creation Units of the Fund using the Clearing Process is deemed received on the Transmittal Date if (i) such order is received by the Distributor not later than 4:00 p.m. Eastern time on such Transmittal Date; and (ii) all other procedures set forth in the Participant Agreement are properly followed; such order will be effected based on the NAV of the Fund as next determined. An order to redeem Creation Units of the Fund using the Clearing Process made in proper form but received by the Fund after 4:00 p.m. Eastern time, will be deemed received on the next Business Day immediately following the Transmittal Date. The requisite Fund Securities (or contracts to purchase such Fund Securities which are expected to be delivered in a

55


 

“regular way” manner) and the applicable cash payment will be transferred by the third (3rd) Business Day following the date on which such request for redemption is deemed received.
Placement of Redemption Orders Using Clearing Process — Domestic Securities
Orders to redeem Creation Units of the Fund outside the Clearing Process must be delivered through a DTC Participant that has executed the Participant Agreement with the Distributor and with the Trust. A DTC Participant who wishes to place an order for redemption of Creation Units of the Fund to be effected outside the Clearing Process need not be a Participating Party, but such orders must state that the DTC Participant is not using the Clearing Process and that redemption of Creation Units of the Fund will instead be effected through transfer of Creation Units of the Fund directly through DTC. An order to redeem Creation Units of the Fund outside the Clearing Process is deemed received by the Administrator on the Transmittal Date if (i) such order is received by the Administrator not later than 4:00 p.m. Eastern time on such Transmittal Date; (ii) such order is preceded or accompanied by the requisite number of Shares of Creation Units specified in such order, which delivery must be made through DTC to the Administrator no later than 11:00 a.m. Eastern time, on such Transmittal Date (the “DTC Cut-Off-Time”); and (iii) all other procedures set forth in the Participant Agreement are properly followed.
After the Administrator has deemed an order for redemption outside the Clearing Process received, the Administrator will initiate procedures to transfer the requisite Fund Securities (or contracts to purchase such Fund Securities) which are expected to be delivered within three Business Days and the cash redemption payment to the redeeming Beneficial Owner by the third Business Day following the Transmittal Date on which such redemption order is deemed received by the Administrator. An additional variable redemption transaction fee of up to four times the basic transaction fee is applicable to redemptions outside the Clearing Process.
Placement of Redemption Orders Using Clearing Process — Foreign Securities
Arrangements satisfactory to the Trust must be in place for the Participating Party to transfer the Creation Units through DTC on or before the settlement date. Redemptions of Shares for Fund Securities will be subject to compliance with applicable U.S. federal and state securities laws and the Fund (whether or not it otherwise permits or requires cash redemptions) reserves the right to redeem Creation Units for cash to the extent that the Fund could not lawfully deliver specific Fund Securities upon redemptions or could not do so without first registering the Deposit Securities under such laws.
In connection with taking delivery of Shares for Fund Securities upon redemption of Creation Units, a redeeming shareholder or entity acting on behalf of a redeeming shareholder must maintain appropriate custody arrangements with a qualified broker-dealer, bank or other custody providers in each jurisdiction in which any of the Fund Securities are customarily traded, to which account such Fund Securities will be delivered. If neither the redeeming shareholder nor the entity acting on behalf of a redeeming shareholder has appropriate arrangements to take delivery of the Fund Securities in the applicable foreign jurisdiction and it is not possible to make other such arrangements, or if it is not possible to effect deliveries of the Fund Securities in such jurisdictions, the Trust may, in its discretion, exercise its option to redeem such Shares in cash, and the redeeming shareholder will be required to receive its redemption proceeds in cash.
Deliveries of redemption proceeds generally will be made within three business days. Due to the schedule of holidays in certain countries, however, the delivery of redemption proceeds may take longer than three business days after the day on which the redemption request is received in proper form. In such cases, the local market settlement procedures will not commence until the end of the local holiday periods.
The holidays applicable to the Fund are listed below. The proclamation of new holidays, the treatment by market participants of certain days as “informal holidays” (e.g., days on which no or limited securities transactions occur, as a result of substantially shortened trading hours), the elimination of existing holidays or changes in local securities delivery practices, could affect the information set forth herein at some time in the future. The dates in calendar year 2012 in which the regular holidays affecting the relevant securities

56


 

markets are as follows (the following holiday schedule is subject to potential changes in the securities market):
                 
ARGENTINA
               
March 24
  May 1   August 20   December 25    
April 2
  May 25   October 15   December 31    
April 5
  June 18   December 8        
April 6
  July 9   December 24        
 
               
AUSTRALIA
               
January 2
  April 6   May 21   August 15   December 26
January 26
  April 9   June 6   October 1    
March 5
  April 25   June 11   November 6    
March 12
  May 7   August 6   December 25    
 
               
AUSTRIA
               
January 6
  May 17   October 26   December 26    
April 6
  May 28   November 1   December 31    
April 9
  June 7   December 24        
May 1
  August 15   December 25        
 
               
BAHRAIN
               
February 4
  August 20   November 14   December 17    
May 1
  October 25   November 22        
August 18
  October 26   November 23        
August 19
  October 27   December 16        
 
               
BELGIUM
               
April 6
  May 18   December 25        
April 9
  May 28   December 26        
May 1
  August 15            
May 17
  November 1            
 
               
BRAZIL
               
January 20
  April 6   October 12   December 24    
January 25
  May 1   November 2   December 25    
February 20
  July 9   November 15   December 31    
February 21
  September 7   November 20        
 
               
CANADA
               
January 2
  May 21   September 3   December 26    
January 3
  June 25   October 8        
February 20
  July 2   November 12        
April 6
  August 6   December 25        
 
               
CHILE
               
April 6
  July 2   October 15        
May 1
  August 15   November 1        
May 21
  September 18   December 25        
June 4
  September 19   December 31        
 
               
CHINA
               
January 2
  January 30   May 7   October 4    
January 16
  January 31   May 28   October 5    

57


 

                 
January 23
  February 20   July 4   October 8    
January 24
  May 1   September 3   November 12    
January 25
  May 2   October 1   November 22    
January 26
  May 3   October 2   December 25    
January 27
  May 4   October 3        
 
               
DENMARK
               
April 5
  May 17   December 25        
April 6
  May 28   December 26        
April 9
  June 5   December 31        
May 4
  December 24            
 
               
FINLAND
               
January 6
  May 17   December 25        
April 6
  June 22   December 26        
April 9
  December 6   December 31        
May 1
  December 24            
 
               
EGYPT
               
January 1
  May 1   August 20   November 15    
April 15
  July 1   August 21        
April 16
  July 23   October 25        
April 25
  August 19   October 28        
 
               
FRANCE
               
April 6
  May 17   December 26        
April 9
  August 15            
May 1
  November 1            
May 8
  December 25            
 
               
GERMANY
               
January 6
  May 1   August 15   December 25    
February 20
  May 17   October 3   December 26    
April 6
  May 28   November 1   December 31    
April 9
  June 7   December 24        
 
               
GREECE
               
January 6
  April 13   June 4        
February 27
  April 16   August 15        
April 6
  August 15   December 25        
April 9
  May 1   December 26        
 
               
HONG KONG
               
January 2
  April 6   October 1   December 25    
January 23
  April 9   October 2   December 26    
January 24
  May 1   October 23   December 31    
April 4
  July 2   December 24        
 
               
HUNGARY
               
March 15
  May 1   October 23   December 25    
March 16
  May 28   November 1   December 26    
April 9
  August 20   November 2   December 31    
April 30
  October 22   December 24        

58


 

                 
INDIA
               
January 26
  April 6   August 18   October 24    
February 20
  April 14   August 20   October 27    
March 8
  May 1   August 22   November 13    
March 23
  June 30   September 19   November 15    
April 2
  July 2   September 29   November 28    
April 4
  August 15   October 2   December 25    
 
               
INDONESIA
               
January 23
  June 18   August 23   December 24    
February 6
  August 17   August 24   December 25    
March 23
  August 20   October 26   December 26    
April 6
  August 21   November 15   December 31    
May 17
  August 22   November 16        
 
               
IRELAND
               
January 2
  May 1   October 29   December 27    
March 19
  May 7   December 24        
April 6
  June 4   December 25        
April 9
  August 6   December 26        
 
               
ITALY
               
January 6
  May 1   December 24        
April 6
  June 29   December 25        
April 9
  August 15   December 26        
April 25
  November 1   December 31        
 
               
JAPAN
               
January 2
  April 30   July 16   December 24    
January 3
  May 3   September 17   December 31    
January 9
  May 4   October 8        
March 20
  May 5   November 23        
 
               
KUWAIT
               
February 4
  February 26            
February 5
               
February 25
               
February 26
               
 
               
LUXEMBOURG
               
January 1
  May 1   June 23   December 25    
April 22
  June 2   August 15   December 26    
April 25
  June 13   November 1        
 
               
MALAYSIA
               
January 2
  May 1   August 20   November 15    
January 23
  May 7   August 21   December 25    
January 24
  May 30   August 31        
February 1
  May 31   October 26        
February 6
  June 2   November 13        
 
               
MEXICO
               
February 6
  April 6   November 20        
March 19
  May 1   December 12        
March 21
  November 2   December 25        
April 5
  November 19            

59


 

                 
MOROCCO
               
January 11
  August 14   November 6        
February 6
  August 20   November 15        
May 1
  August 21            
July 30
  October 26            
 
               
NETHERLANDS
               
April 6
  May 17            
April 9
  May 28            
April 30
  December 25            
May 1
  December 26            
 
               
NEW ZEALAND
               
January 2
  April 6   October 22        
January 3
  April 9   December 25        
January 30
  April 25   December 26        
February 6
  June 4            
 
               
NORWAY
               
April 5
  May 1   December 25        
April 6
  May 17   December 26        
April 9
  May 28            
 
               
PHILIPPINES
               
April 5
  June 12   November 2   December 31    
April 6
  August 20   November 30        
April 9
  August 21   December 24        
May 1
  November 1   December 25        
 
               
POLAND
               
April 6
  June 7   December 26        
April 9
  August 15            
May 1
  November 1            
May 3
  December 25            
 
               
PORTUGAL
               
February 21
  May 1   October 5   December 26    
April 6
  June 7   November 1        
April 9
  June 13   December 24        
April 25
  August 15   December 25        
 
               
QATAR
               
August 19
               
September 3
               
October 25
               
December 18
               
 
               
RUSSIA
               
January 2
  January 9   April 30   November 5    
January 3
  February 23   May 1   December 31    
January 4
  February 24   May 9        
January 5
  March 8   June 11        
January 6
  March 9   June 12        

60


 

                 
SAUDI ARABIA
               
August 13
               
 
               
SINGAPORE
               
January 2
  May 5   October 26        
January 23
  May 7   November 13        
April 6
  August 9   December 25        
May 1
  August 20            
 
               
SOUTH AFRICA            
January 2
  April 27   December 17        
March 21
  May 1   December 25        
April 6
  August 9   December 26        
April 9
  September 24            
 
               
SOUTH KOREA
               
January 23
  April 12   August 15   December 25    
January 24
  May 1   October 1   December 31    
March 1
  May 28   October 3        
April 5
  June 6   December 19        
 
               
SPAIN
               
January 6
  April 9   August 15   December 6    
March 20
  May 1   October 12   December 25    
April 5
  May 2   November 1   December 26    
April 6
  May 15   November 9        
 
               
SWEDEN
               
January 6
  May 17   December 25        
April 6
  June 6   December 26        
April 9
  June 22   December 31        
May 1
  December 24            
 
               
SWITZERLAND
               
January 2
  April 9   June 7   September 6   December 26
January 6
  May 1   June 29   November 1   December 31
March 19
  May 17   August 1   December 24    
April 6
  May 28   August 15   December 25    
 
               
TAIWAN
               
January 19
  January 25   May 1        
January 20
  January 26   October 10        
January 23
  February 28            
January 34
  April 4            
 
               
THAILAND
               
January 2
  April 16   August 3   December 10    
March 8
  May 1   August 13   December 31    
April 6
  May 7   October 23        
April 13
  June 4   December 5        
 
               
TURKEY
               
April 23
  October 25            
August 20
  October 26            
August 21
  October 28            

61


 

             
August 30
  October 29        
April 23
  October 25        
             
UNITED KINGDOM        
January 2
  May 28        
April 6
  August 27        
April 9
  December 25        
May 7
  December 26        
             
VENEZUELA        
January 9
  April 5   May 21   July 24
February 20
  April 6   June 11   August 13
February 21
  April 19   July 2   October 12
March 19
  May 1   July 5   November 5
             
VIETNAM        
January 2
  January 25        
January 23
  January 26        
January 24
           
The longest redemption cycle for the Fund is a function of the longest redemption cycle among the countries whose securities comprise the Fund. In the calendar years 2012 and 2013, the dates of regular holidays affecting the following securities markets present the worst-case (longest) redemption cycle* for the Fund as follows:
                         
SETTLEMENT PERIODS                  
GREATER THAN SEVEN DAYS   Beginning of     End of Settlement     Number of Days in  
FOR YEAR 2012   Settlement Period     Period     Settlement Period  
Austria
    12/19/12       12/27/12       8  
 
    12/20/12       12/28/12       8  
 
    12/21/12       01/01/13       11  
Croatia
    12/19/12       12/27/12       8  
 
    12/20/12       12/28/12       8  
 
    12/21/12       01/01/13       11  
Denmark
    04/02/12       04/10/12       8  
 
    04/03/12       04/11/12       8  
 
    04/04/12       04/12/12       8  
 
    12/19/12       12/27/12       8  
 
    12/20/12       12/28/12       8  
 
    12/21/12       01/01/13       11  
Czech Republic
    12/19/12       12/27/12       8  
 
    12/20/12       12/28/12       8  
 
    12/21/12       12/31/12       10  
Finland
    12/19/12       12/27/12       8  
 
    12/20/12       12/28/12       8  
 
    12/21/12       01/01/13       11  
Ireland
    12/19/12       12/28/12       9  
 
    12/20/12       12/31/12       11  
 
    12/21/12       01/01/13       11  
Italy
    12/19/12       12/27/12       8  
 
    12/20/12       12/28/12       8  
 
    12/21/12       01/01/13       11  
Spain
    04/02/12       04/10/12       8  
 
    04/03/12       04/11/12       8  

62


 

                         
SETTLEMENT PERIODS                  
GREATER THAN SEVEN DAYS   Beginning of     End of Settlement     Number of Days in  
FOR YEAR 2012   Settlement Period     Period     Settlement Period  
 
    04/04/12       04/12/12       8  
Sweden
    12/19/12       12/27/12       8  
 
    12/20/12       12/28/12       8  
 
    12/21/12       12/31/12       10  
Switzerland
    12/19/12       12/27/12       8  
 
    12/20/12       12/28/12       8  
 
    12/21/12       12/31/12       10  
                         
SETTLEMENT PERIODS                  
GREATER THAN SEVEN DAYS   Beginning of     End of Settlement     Number of Days in  
FOR YEAR 2013   Settlement Period     Period     Settlement Period  
Austria
    12/19/13       12/27/13       8  
 
    12/20/13       12/30/13       10  
 
    12/23/13       01/02/14       10  
Czech Republic
    12/19/13       12/27/13       8  
 
    12/20/13       12/30/13       10  
 
    12/23/13       01/02/14       10  
Denmark
    03/25/13       04/02/13       8  
 
    03/26/13       04/03/13       8  
 
    03/27/13       04/04/13       8  
 
    12/19/13       12/27/13       8  
 
    12/20/13       12/30/13       10  
 
    12/23/13       01/02/14       10  
Egypt
    10/08/13       10/17/13       9  
 
    10/09/13       10/18/13       9  
 
    10/10/13       10/21/13       11  
 
    10/29/13       11/06/13       8  
 
    10/30/13       11/07/13       8  
 
    10/31/13       11/08/13       8  
Finland
    12/19/13       12/27/13       8  
 
    12/20/13       12/30/13       10  
 
    12/23/13       01/02/14       10  
Germany
    12/19/13       12/27/13       8  
 
    12/20/13       12/30/13       10  
Ireland
    12/19/13       12/30/13       11  
 
    12/20/13       12/31/13       11  
 
    12/23/13       01/02/14       10  
Italy
    12/19/13       12/27/13       8  
 
    12/20/13       12/30/13       10  
 
    12/23/13       01/02/14       10  
Lithuania
    12/20/13       12/30/13       10  
 
    12/23/13       12/31/13       8  
 
    12/24/13       01/02/14       9  
Norway
    03/25/13       04/02/13       8  
 
    03/26/13       04/03/13       8  
 
    03/27/13       04/04/13       8  
 
    12/19/13       12/27/13       8  
 
    12/20/13       12/30/13       10  
 
    12/23/13       01/02/14       10  
Portugal
    12/19/13       12/27/13       8  
 
    12/20/13       12/30/13       10  
 
    12/23/13       12/31/13       8  
Spain
    03/25/13       04/02/13       8  
 
    03/26/13       04/03/13       8  

63


 

                         
SETTLEMENT PERIODS                  
GREATER THAN SEVEN DAYS   Beginning of     End of Settlement     Number of Days in  
FOR YEAR 2013   Settlement Period     Period     Settlement Period  
 
    03/27/13       04/04/13       8  
Sweden
    12/19/13       12/27/13       8  
 
    12/20/13       12/30/13       10  
 
    12/23/13       01/02/14       10  
Switzerland
    12/19/13       12/27/13       8  
 
    12/20/13       12/30/13       10  
 
    12/23/13       01/02/14       10  
Turkey
    10/10/13       10/21/13       11  
 
    10/11/13       10/22/13       11  
 
*   These worst-case redemption cycles are based on information regarding regular holidays, which may be out of date. Based on changes in holidays, longer (worse) redemption cycles are possible.
The right of redemption may be suspended or the date of payment postponed (1) for any period during which the NYSE is closed (other than customary weekend and holiday closings); (2) for any period during which trading on the NYSE is suspended or restricted; (3) for any period during which an emergency exists as a result of which disposal of the Shares of the Fund or determination of its NAV is not reasonably practicable; or (4) in such other circumstance as is permitted by the SEC.
NET ASSET VALUE
The NAV for the Fund is determined each business day at the close of regular trading on the NYSE (typically 4:00 p.m. Eastern Time) by dividing the Fund’s net assets by the number of its shares outstanding. On any day an international market is closed and the NYSE is open, any foreign securities will be valued at the prior day’s close with the current day’s exchange rate. Trading of foreign securities may take place on Saturdays and U.S. business holidays on which the Fund’s NAV is not calculated. Consequently, the Fund’s portfolio securities may trade and the NAV of the Fund’s redeemable securities may be significantly affected on days when a shareholder has no access to the Fund.
Portfolio securities are valued by various methods which are generally described below. As noted in the Prospectus, portfolio securities also may be fair valued by the Trust’s Pricing Committee in certain instances. Most equity securities that are traded on a stock exchange or in the OTC market are valued at the last sale price as of the close of the exchange in the principal market on which the security trades, or, lacking any sales, at the closing bid prices. Certain exceptions exist; for example, securities traded on the London Stock Exchange and NASDAQ are valued at the official closing price. Debt securities with remaining maturities of one year or more at the time of acquisition are valued on the using prices provided by a pricing service, or by prices furnished by recognized dealers in such securities. Debt securities with remaining maturities of less than one year at the time of acquisition are generally valued at amortized cost.
The value of securities denominated in foreign currencies are converted into U.S. dollars at the prevailing exchange rate at the close of the NYSE. Exchange-traded options are valued at sale prices, if available, and at the mean of the bid and ask prices if a sale price is unavailable. Futures contracts are valued at the most recent settlement price.
Open-End Investment Companies. Shares of other open-end investments companies held by the Fund are valued based on the NAV of the Underlying Fund.
In certain instances, the Trust’s Pricing Committee may determine that a reported valuation does not reflect fair value, based on additional information available or other factors, and may accordingly determine in good faith the fair value of the assets, which may differ from the reported valuation.

64


 

POLICY REGARDING DISCLOSURE OF PORTFOLIO HOLDINGS
The Fund’s portfolio holdings are disseminated publicly each day that the Fund is open for business through financial reporting and news services, including publicly accessible Internet websites. In addition, for in-kind creations, a basket composition file, which includes the names and quantities of the Deposit Securities to deliver in exchange for shares, together with estimate and actual Cash Components, is the consideration to be exchanged for disseminated publicly each day prior to the opening of NYSE Arca via the NSCC. The basket represents one Creation Unit of the Fund. The Trust, the Adviser, any subadvser, the transfer agent and the custodian will not disseminate non-public information concerning the Trust.
Access to information concerning the Fund’s portfolio holdings may be permitted at other times to personnel of third-party service providers, including the Fund’s custodian, transfer agent, auditors and counsel, as may be necessary to conduct business in the ordinary course in a manner consistent with such service providers’ agreements with the Trust on behalf of the Fund.
DESCRIPTION OF PORTFOLIO SHARES
The Trustees are responsible for the management and supervision of the Trust. The Declaration of Trust permits the Trustees to issue an unlimited number of full and fractional shares of beneficial interest of the Fund or other series of the Trust without par value. Under the Declaration of Trust, the Trustees have the authority to create and classify shares of beneficial interest in separate series and classes without further action by shareholders. As of the date of this SAI, the Trustees have authorized shares of 1 series. Additional series may be added in the future. The shares of the Fund represent an equal proportionate interest in the aggregate net assets attributable to the Fund.
In the event of liquidation, shareholders are entitled to share pro rata in the net assets of the Fund available for distribution to these shareholders. Shares entitle their holders to one vote per share (and fractional votes for fractional shares), are freely transferable and have no preemptive, subscription or conversion rights. When issued, shares are fully paid and non-assessable, except as set forth below.
Unless otherwise required by the 1940 Act or the Declaration of Trust, the Trust has no intention of holding annual meetings of shareholders. Trust shareholders may remove a Trustee by the affirmative vote of at least two-thirds of the Trust’s outstanding shares and the Trustees shall promptly call a meeting for such purpose when requested to do so in writing by the record holders of not less than 10% of the outstanding shares of the Trust. Shareholders may, under certain circumstances, communicate with other shareholders in connection with requesting a special meeting of shareholders. However, at any time that less than a majority of the Trustees holding office were elected by the shareholders, the Trustees will call a special meeting of shareholders for the purpose of electing Trustees.
Under Massachusetts law, shareholders of a Massachusetts business trust could, under certain circumstances, be held personally liable for acts or obligations of the Fund. However, the Declaration of Trust contains an express disclaimer of shareholder liability for acts, obligations or affairs of the Fund. The Declaration of Trust also provides for indemnification out of the Fund’s assets for all losses and expenses of any shareholder held personally liable by reason of being or having been a shareholder. The Declaration of Trust also provides that the Fund shall not be liable for the liabilities of any other series of the Trust. Furthermore, the Fund shall not be liable for the liabilities of any other fund within the John Hancock Fund fund complex. Liability is therefore limited to circumstances in which the Fund itself would be unable to meet its obligations, and the possibility of this occurrence is remote.
The Fund reserves the right to reject any purchase order application that conflicts with the Fund’s internal policies or the policies of any regulatory authority.
ADDITIONAL INFORMATION CONCERNING TAXES
The following discussion is a general and abbreviated summary of certain additional tax considerations affecting the Fund and its shareholders. No attempt is made to present a detailed explanation of all federal, state, local and foreign tax concerns, and the discussions set forth here and in the Prospectus do not

65


 

constitute tax advice. Investors are urged to consult their own tax advisors with specific questions relating to federal, state, local or foreign taxes.
The Trust believes that the Fund will qualify as a regulated investment company under Subchapter M of the Code. If the Fund does not qualify as a regulated investment company, it will be subject to U.S. federal income tax on its net investment income and net capital gains. As a result of qualifying as a regulated investment company, the Fund will not be subject to U.S. federal income tax on its net investment income (i.e., its investment company taxable income, as that term is defined in the Code, determined without regard to the deduction for dividends paid) and net capital gain (i.e., the excess of its net realized long-term capital gain over its net realized short-term capital loss), if any, that it distributes to its shareholders in each taxable year, provided that it distributes to its shareholders at least 90% of its net investment income and 90% of its net exempt interest income for such taxable year.
The Fund will be subject to a non-deductible 4% excise tax to the extent that the Fund does not distribute by the end of each calendar year (a) at least 98% of its ordinary income for the calendar year; (b) at least 98.2% of its capital gain net income for the one-year period ending, as a general rule, on October 31 of each year; and (c) 100% of the undistributed ordinary income and capital gain net income from the preceding calendar years (if any). For this purpose, any income or gain retained by the Fund that is subject to corporate tax will be considered to have been distributed by year-end. To the extent possible, the Fund intends to make sufficient distributions to avoid the application of both corporate income and excise taxes. Under current law, distributions of net investment income and net capital gain are not taxed to a life insurance company to the extent applied to increase the reserves for the company’s variable annuity and life insurance contracts.
To qualify as a regulated investment company for income tax purposes, the Fund must derive at least 90% of its annual gross income from dividends, interest, payments with respect to securities loans, gains from the sale or other disposition of stock, securities or foreign currencies, or other income derived with respect to its business of investing in stock, securities and currencies, and net income derived from an interest in a qualified publicly traded partnership.
A “qualified publicly traded partnership” is a publicly traded partnership other than a publicly traded partnership that would satisfy the qualifying income requirements of Code Section 7704 if such qualifying income included only income derived from dividends, interest, payments with respect to securities loans, and gains from the sale or other disposition of stock, securities, or foreign currencies, or other income derived with respect to its business of investing in stock, securities and currencies (“RIC-type income”). Qualified publicly traded partnerships therefore are publicly traded partnerships that satisfy the Section 7704 qualifying income requirements and derive more than 10% of their gross income from types of income, such as income derived from the buying and selling of commodities, other than RIC-type income. All of the income received by the Fund from its investment in a qualified publicly traded partnership will be income satisfying the 90% qualifying income test for regulated investment companies. If the Fund invests in publicly traded partnerships it might be required to recognize in its taxable year income in excess of its cash distributions from such publicly traded partnerships during that year. Such income, even if not reported to the Fund by the publicly traded partnerships until after the end of that year, would nevertheless be subject to the RIC income distribution requirements and would be taken into account for purposes of the 4% excise tax.
To qualify as a regulated investment company, the Fund must also satisfy certain requirements with respect to the diversification of its assets. The Fund must have, at the close of each quarter of the taxable year, at least 50% of the value of its total assets represented by cash, cash items, United States government securities, securities of other regulated investment companies, and other securities which, in respect of any one issuer, do not represent more than 5% of the value of the assets of the Fund nor more than 10% of the voting securities of that issuer. In addition, at those times not more than 25% of the value of the Fund’s assets may be invested in securities (other than United States government securities or the securities of other regulated investment companies) of, (i) any one issuer, (ii) two or more issuers that the Fund controls and that are engaged in the same or similar trades or businesses or related trades or businesses; or (iii) one or more qualified publicly traded partnerships.

66


 

If the Fund fails to meet the annual 90% qualifying income test described above, the Fund will nevertheless be considered to have satisfied the test if: (i) (a) such failure is due to reasonable cause and not due to willful neglect; and (b) the Fund reports the failure pursuant to Treasury Regulations to be adopted; and (ii) the Fund pays an excise tax equal to the excess non-qualifying income. If the Fund fails to meet the asset diversification test described above with respect to any quarter, the Fund will nevertheless be considered to have satisfied the requirements for such quarter if the Fund cures such failure within 6 months and either: (i) such failure is de minimis; or (ii) (a) such failure is due to reasonable cause and not due to willful neglect and (b) the Fund reports the failure under Treasury Regulations to be adopted and pays an excise tax.
If the Fund failed to qualify as a regulated investment company, the Fund would incur regular corporate income tax on its taxable income and net capital gain for that year, it would lose its deduction for dividends paid to shareholders, and it would be subject to certain gain recognition and distribution requirements upon requalification. Further distributions of income by the Fund to its shareholders would be treated as dividend income, although such dividend income would constitute qualified dividend income subject to reduced federal income tax rates if the shareholder satisfies certain holding period requirements with respect to its shares in the Fund (which reduced rates are currently scheduled to expire in 2012). Compliance with the regulated investment company 90% qualifying income test and with the asset diversification requirements is carefully monitored by the Adviser and the subadvisers and it is intended that the Fund will comply with the requirements for qualification as regulated investment companies.
The Fund may make investments that produce income that is not matched by a corresponding cash distribution to the Fund, such as investments in pay-in-kind bonds or in obligations such as certain Brady Bonds and zero-coupon securities having original issue discount (i.e., an amount equal to the excess of the stated redemption price of the security at maturity over its issue price), or market discount (i.e., an amount equal to the excess of the stated redemption price at maturity of the security (appropriately adjusted if it also has original issue discount) over its basis immediately after it was acquired) if the Fund elects to accrue market discount on a current basis. In addition, income may continue to accrue for federal income tax purposes with respect to a non-performing investment. Any such income would be treated as income earned by the Fund and therefore, would be subject to the distribution requirements of the Code. Because such income may not be matched by a corresponding cash distribution to the Fund, it may be required to borrow money or dispose of other securities to be able to make distributions to its investors. In addition, if an election is not made to currently accrue market discount with respect to a market discount bond, all or a portion of any deduction for any interest expense incurred to purchase or hold such bond may be deferred until such bond is sold or otherwise disposed.
[Investing in foreign securities or currencies may subject the Fund to withholding or other taxes to foreign governments. Foreign tax withholding from dividends and interest, if any, is generally imposed at a rate between 10% and 35%. If the Fund purchases shares in a “passive foreign investment company” (a “PFIC”), the Fund may be subject to U.S. federal income tax on a portion of any “excess distribution” or gain from the disposition of such shares even if such income is distributed as a taxable dividend by the Fund to its shareholders. Additional charges in the nature of interest may be imposed on the Fund in respect of deferred taxes arising from such distributions or gains. If the Fund were to invest in a PFIC and elected to treat the PFIC as a “qualified electing fund” under the Code, in lieu of the foregoing requirements, the Fund would be required to include in income each year a portion of the ordinary earnings and net capital gain of the qualified electing Fund, even if not distributed to the Fund. Alternatively, the Fund can elect to mark-to-market at the end of each taxable year its shares in a PFIC; in this case, the Fund would recognize as ordinary income any increase in the value of such shares, and as ordinary loss any decrease in such value to the extent it did not exceed prior increases included in income. Under either election, the Fund might be required to recognize during a year income in excess of its distributions from PFICs and its proceeds from dispositions of PFIC stock during that year, and such income would nevertheless be subject to the distribution requirements and would be taken into account for purposes of the 4% excise tax.]
For United States federal income tax purposes, distributions paid out of the Fund’s current or accumulated earnings and profits will, except in the case of distributions of qualified dividend income and capital gain dividends described below, be taxable as ordinary dividend income. Under the “Jobs and Growth Tax

67


 

Relief Reconciliation Act of 2003” (the “Tax Act”), certain income distributions paid by the Fund (whether paid in cash or reinvested in additional Fund shares) to individual taxpayers are taxed at rates applicable to net long-term capital gains (15%, or 0% for individuals in the 10% or 15% tax brackets). This tax treatment applies only if certain holding period requirements and other requirements are satisfied by the shareholder and the dividends are attributable to qualified dividend income received by the Fund itself. For this purpose, “qualified dividend income” means dividends received by the Fund from United States corporations and “qualified foreign corporations,” provided that the Fund satisfies certain holding period and other requirements in respect of the stock of such corporations. These special rules relating to the taxation of ordinary income dividends paid by regulated investment companies generally apply to taxable years beginning before January 1, 2013. Thereafter, the Fund’s dividends, other than capital gain dividends, will be fully taxable at ordinary income tax rates unless further Congressional action is taken. There can be no assurance as to what portion of the Fund’s dividend distributions will qualify for favorable treatment under the Tax Act.
Shareholders receiving any distribution from the Fund in the form of additional shares pursuant to the dividend reinvestment plan will be treated as receiving a taxable distribution in an amount equal to the fair market value of the shares received, determined as of the reinvestment date.
Distributions of net capital gain, if any, designated as capital gains dividends are taxable to a shareholder as long-term capital gains, regardless of how long the shareholder has held Fund shares. A distribution of an amount in excess of the Fund’s current and accumulated earnings and profits will be treated by a shareholder as a return of capital which is applied against and reduces the shareholder’s basis in his or her shares. To the extent that the amount of any such distribution exceeds the shareholder’s basis in his or her shares, the excess will be treated by the shareholder as gain from a sale or exchange of the shares. Distributions of gains from the sale of investments that the Fund owned for one year or less will be taxable as ordinary income.
The Fund may elect to retain its net capital gain or a portion thereof for investment and be taxed at corporate rates on the amount retained. In such case, it may designate the retained amount as undistributed capital gains in a notice to its shareholders who will be treated as if each received a distribution of his pro rata share of such gain, with the result that each shareholder will: (i) be required to report his pro rata share of such gain on his tax return as long-term capital gain; (ii) receive a refundable tax credit for his pro rata share of tax paid by the Fund on the gain; and (iii) increase the tax basis for his shares by an amount equal to the deemed distribution less the tax credit.
Selling shareholders will generally recognize gain or loss in an amount equal to the difference between the shareholder’s adjusted tax basis in the shares sold and the sale proceeds. If the shares are held as a capital asset, the gain or loss will be a capital gain or loss. The maximum tax rate applicable to net capital gains recognized by individuals and other non-corporate taxpayers is: (i) the same as the maximum ordinary income tax rate for gains recognized on the sale of capital assets held for one year or less; or (ii) 15% for gains recognized on the sale of capital assets held for more than one year (as well as certain capital gain distributions) (0% for individuals in the 10% or 15% tax brackets) but only for taxable years beginning on or before December 31, 2012. Thereafter, the maximum rate will increase to 20%, unless Congress enacts legislation providing otherwise.
Any loss realized upon the sale or exchange of Fund shares with a holding period of six months or less will be treated as a long-term capital loss to the extent of any capital gain distributions received (or amounts designated as undistributed capital gains) with respect to such shares. In addition, all or a portion of a loss realized on a sale or other disposition of Fund shares may be disallowed under “wash sale” rules to the extent the shareholder acquires other shares of the same Fund (whether through the reinvestment of distributions or otherwise) within a period of 61 days beginning 30 days before and ending 30 days after the date of disposition of the common shares. Any disallowed loss will result in an adjustment to the shareholder’s tax basis in some or all of the other shares acquired.
Sales charges paid upon a purchase of shares cannot be taken into account for purposes of determining gain or loss on a sale of the shares before the 91st day after their purchase to the extent a sales charge is reduced or eliminated in a subsequent acquisition of shares of the Fund (or of another fund) pursuant to the

68


 

reinvestment or exchange privilege. Any disregarded amounts will result in an adjustment to the shareholder’s tax basis in some or all of any other shares acquired.
Dividends and distributions on the Fund’s shares are generally subject to federal income tax as described herein to the extent they do not exceed the Fund’s realized income and gains, even though such dividends and distributions may economically represent a return of a particular shareholder’s investment. Such distributions are likely to occur in respect of shares purchased at a time when the Fund’s NAV reflects gains that are either unrealized, or realized but not distributed. Such realized gains may be required to be distributed even when the Fund’s NAV also reflects unrealized losses. Certain distributions declared in October, November or December to shareholders of record of such month and paid in the following January will be taxed to shareholders as if received on December 31 of the year in which they were declared. In addition, certain other distributions made after the close of a taxable year of the Fund may be “spilled back” and treated as paid by the Fund (except for purposes of the non-deductible 4% federal excise tax) during such taxable year. In such case, shareholders will be treated as having received such dividends in the taxable year in which the distributions were actually made.
The Fund will inform shareholders of the source and tax status of all distributions promptly after the close of each calendar year.
The benefits of the reduced tax rates applicable to long-term capital gains and qualified dividend income may be impacted by the application of the alternative minimum tax to individual shareholders.
The Fund may make investments in convertible securities and exchange traded notes. Convertible debt ordinarily is treated as a “single property” consisting of a pure debt interest until conversion, after which the investment becomes an equity interest. If the security is issued at a premium (i.e., for cash in excess of the face amount payable on retirement), the creditor-holder may amortize the premium over the life of the bond. If the security is issued for cash at a price below its face amount, the creditor-holder must accrue original issue discount in income over the life of the debt. The creditor-holder’s exercise of the conversion privilege is treated as a nontaxable event. Mandatorily convertible debt, such as an exchange traded note issued in the form of an unsecured obligation that pays a return based on the performance of a specified market index, currency or commodity, is often treated as a contract to buy or sell the reference property rather than debt. Similarly, convertible preferred stock with a mandatory conversion feature is ordinarily, but not always, treated as equity rather than debt. In general, conversion of preferred stock for common stock of the same corporation is tax-free. Conversion of preferred stock for cash is a taxable redemption. Any redemption premium for preferred stock that is redeemable by the issuing company might be required to be amortized under original issue discount (OID) principles.
Additional Tax Considerations. If the Fund failed to qualify as a regulated investment company, the Fund would incur regular corporate federal income tax on its taxable income for that year and be subject to certain distribution requirements upon requalification. Accordingly, compliance with the above rules is carefully monitored by the Adviser and the subadvisers and it is intended that the Fund will comply with these rules as they exist or as they may be modified from time to time. Compliance with the tax requirements described above may result in a reduction in the investment return for the Fund; to comply with the above rules, the investments utilized (and the time at which such investments are entered into and closed out) may be different from what the subadvisers might otherwise believe to be desirable.
If a shareholder realizes a loss on disposition of the Fund’s shares of $2 million or more for an individual shareholder or $10 million or more for a corporate shareholder, the shareholder must file with the IRS a disclosure statement on Form 8886. Direct shareholders of portfolio securities are in many cases excepted from this reporting requirement, but under current guidance, shareholders of a regulated investment company are not excepted. Future guidance may extend the current exception from this reporting requirement to shareholders of most or all regulated investment companies.
The foregoing is a general and abbreviated summary of the applicable provisions of the Code and Treasury Regulations currently in effect. It is not intended to be a complete explanation or a substitute for consultation with individual tax advisors. For the complete provisions, reference should be made to the pertinent Code sections and the Treasury Regulations promulgated thereunder. The Code and Treasury Regulations are subject to change, possibly with retroactive effect.

69


 

PORTFOLIO BROKERAGE
Pursuant to the Subadvisory Agreements, the subadvisers are responsible for placing all orders for the purchase and sale of portfolio securities of the Fund. The subadvisers have no formula for the distribution of the Fund’s brokerage business; rather they place orders for the purchase and sale of securities with the primary objective of obtaining the most favorable overall results for the Fund. The cost of securities transactions for the Fund will consist primarily of brokerage commissions or dealer or underwriter spreads. Fixed income securities and money market instruments are generally traded on a net basis and do not normally involve either brokerage commissions or transfer taxes.
Occasionally, securities may be purchased directly from the issuer. For securities traded primarily in the OTC market, the subadvisers will, where possible, deal directly with dealers who make a market in the securities unless better prices and execution are available elsewhere. Such dealers usually act as principals for their own account.
Selection of Brokers or Dealers to Effect Trades. In selecting brokers or dealers to implement transactions, the subadvisers will give consideration to a number of factors, including:
  price, dealer spread or commission, if any;
 
  the reliability, integrity and financial condition of the broker-dealer;
 
  size of the transaction;
 
  difficulty of execution;
 
  brokerage and research services provided; and
 
  confidentiality and anonymity.
Consideration of these factors by a subadviser, either in terms of a particular transaction or the subadviser’s overall responsibilities with respect to the Fund and any other accounts managed by the subadviser, could result in the Fund paying a commission or spread on a transaction that is in excess of the amount of commission or spread another broker-dealer might have charged for executing the same transaction.
Allocation of Trades by the Subadvisers. Each subadviser manages a number of accounts other than the Fund. Although investment determinations for the Fund will be made by a subadviser independently from the investment determinations it makes for any other account, investments deemed appropriate for the Fund by the subadviser also may be deemed appropriate by it for other accounts. Therefore, the same security may be purchased or sold at or about the same time for both the Fund and other accounts. In such circumstances, the subadviser may determine that orders for the purchase or sale of the same security for the Fund and one or more other accounts should be combined. In this event the transactions will be priced and allocated in a manner deemed by the subadviser to be equitable and in the best interests of the Fund and such other accounts. While in some instances combined orders could adversely affect the price or volume of a security, the Fund believes that its participation in such transactions on balance will produce better overall results for the Fund.
Affiliated Underwriting Transactions by the Subadvisers. The Trust has approved procedures in conformity with Rule 10f-3 under the 1940 Act whereby the Fund may purchase securities that are offered in underwritings in which an affiliate of the subadvisers participates. These procedures prohibit the Fund from directly or indirectly benefiting a subadviser affiliate in connection with such underwritings. In addition, for underwritings where a subadviser affiliate participates as a principal underwriter, certain restrictions may apply that could, among other things, limit the amount of securities that the Fund could purchase.

70


 

LEGAL AND REGULATORY MATTERS
On June 25, 2007, the Adviser and three of its affiliates including the Distributor (collectively, the “John Hancock Affiliates”) reached a settlement with the SEC that resolved an investigation of certain practices relating to the John Hancock Affiliates’ variable annuity and mutual fund operations involving directed brokerage and revenue sharing. Under the terms of the settlement, each John Hancock Affiliate was censured and agreed to pay a $500,000 civil penalty to the United States Treasury. In addition, the Adviser and one of the John Hancock Affiliates agreed to pay disgorgement of $14,838,943 and prejudgment interest of $2,001,999 to the John Hancock Trust funds that participated in the Adviser’s commission recapture program during the period from 2000 to April 2004. The Distributor and another John Hancock Affiliate agreed to pay disgorgement in the amount of $2,087,477 and prejudgment interest of $359,460 to certain entities advised by the associated John Hancock Affiliates. Collectively, all John Hancock Affiliates agreed to pay a total disgorgement of $16,926,420 and prejudgment interest of $2,361,460 to entities advised or distributed by John Hancock Affiliates. The Adviser discontinued the use of directed brokerage in recognition of the sale of fund shares in April 2004.
INDEPENDENT REGISTERED PUBLIC ACCOUNTING FIRM
[     ], an independent registered public accounting firm, has been appointed as the independent registered public accounting firm for the Fund. [     ] has offices at [     ].
COUNSEL
[Dechert LLP, 200 Clarendon Street, Boston, MA 02116, passes upon certain legal matters in connection with the shares offered by the Trust, and also acts as counsel to the Trust.]
CUSTODY OF PORTFOLIO SECURITIES
State Street Bank and Trust Company (“State Street”), 2 Avenue de Lafayette, Boston, Massachusetts 02111, currently acts as custodian and bookkeeping agent of the Fund and its assets. State Street has selected various banks and trust companies in foreign countries to maintain custody of certain foreign securities. State Street is authorized to use the facilities of the Depository Trust Company, the Participants Trust Company and the book-entry system of the Federal Reserve Banks.
CODES OF ETHICS
The Trust, the Adviser, the Distributor and the subadvisers have adopted Codes of Ethics that comply with Rule 17j-1 under the 1940 Act. Each Code of Ethics permits personnel subject to the Code of Ethics to invest in securities including securities that may be purchased or held by the Fund.
FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
The audited financial statements for the Fund and related report of the Trust’s independent registered public accounting firm will be available in the Trust’s annual report once the Fund has completed its first annual fiscal period.

71


 

APPENDIX A
DESCRIPTION OF BOND RATINGS
DESCRIPTIONS OF CREDIT RATING SYMBOLS AND DEFINITIONS
The ratings of Moody’s Investors Service, Inc. (“Moody’s”), Standard & Poor’s Corporation (“S&P”) and Fitch Ratings (“Fitch”) represent their respective opinions as of the date they are expressed and not statements of fact as to the quality of various long-term and short-term debt instruments they undertake to rate. It should be emphasized that ratings are general and are not absolute standards of quality. Consequently, debt instruments with the same maturity, coupon and rating may have different yields while debt instruments of the same maturity and coupon with different ratings may have the same yield.
Ratings do not constitute recommendations to buy, sell, or hold any security, nor do they comment on the adequacy of market price, the suitability of any security for a particular investor, or the tax-exempt nature or taxability of any payments of any security.
MOODY’S LONG-TERM OBLIGATION RATINGS
Moody’s long-term ratings are opinions of the relative credit risk of financial obligations with an original maturity of one year or more. They address the possibility that a financial obligation will not be honored as promised and reflect both the likelihood of default and any financial loss suffered in the event of default.
Aaa: Obligations rated ‘Aaa’ are judged to be of the highest quality, with minimal credit risk.
Aa: Obligations rated ‘Aa’ are judged to be of high quality and are subject to very low credit risk.
A: Obligations rated ‘A’ are considered upper-medium grade and are subject to low credit risk.
Baa: Obligations rated ‘Baa’ are subject to moderate credit risk. They are considered medium-grade and as such may possess certain speculative characteristics.
Ba: Obligations rated ‘Ba’ are judged to have speculative elements are subject to substantial credit risk.
B: Obligations rated ‘B’ are considered speculative elements and are subject to high credit risk.
Caa: Obligations rated ‘Caa’ are judged to be of poor standing and are subject to very high credit risk.
Ca: Obligations rated ‘Ca’ are highly speculative and are likely in, or very near, default, with some prospect of recovery of principal and interest.
C: Obligations rated ‘C’ are the lowest rated class of bonds and are typically in default, with little prospect for recovery of principal or interest.
Note: Addition of a Modifier 1, 2 or 3: Moody’s appends numerical modifiers 1, 2 and 3 to each generic rating classification from “Aa” through “Caa”. The modifier 1 indicates that the obligation 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 that generic rating category.
S&P’S LONG-TERM ISSUE CREDIT RATINGS
An S&P issue credit rating is a forward-looking opinion about the creditworthiness of an obligor with respect to a specific obligation, a specific class of financial obligations, or a specific financial program

A-1


 

(including ratings on medium-term note programs and commercial paper programs). They are an assessment of default risk, but may incorporate an assessment of relative seniority or ultimate recovery in the event of default. Junior obligations are typically rated lower than senior obligations, to reflect the lower priority in bankruptcy.
AAA: An obligation rated ‘AAA’ has the highest rating assigned by S&P. The obligor’s capacity to meet its financial commitment on the obligation is extremely strong.
AA: An obligation rated ‘AA’ differs from the highest-rated obligations only to a small degree. The obligor’s capacity to meet its financial commitment on the obligation is very strong.
A: An obligation 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 commitment on the obligation is still strong.
BBB: An obligation rated ‘BBB’ exhibits adequate protection parameters. However, adverse economic conditions or changing circumstances are more likely to lead to a weakened capacity of the obligor to meet its financial commitment on the obligation.
BB, B, CCC, CC and C: Obligations rated ‘BB’, ‘B’, ‘CCC’ ‘CC’ and ‘C’ are regarded as having significant speculative characteristics. ‘BB’ indicates the least degree of speculation and ‘C’ the highest. While such obligations will likely have some quality and protective characteristics, these may be outweighed by large uncertainties or major exposures to adverse conditions.
BB: An obligation rated ‘BB’ is less vulnerable to nonpayment than other speculative issues. However, it faces major ongoing uncertainties or exposure to adverse business, financial, or economic conditions, which could lead to the obligor’s inadequate capacity to meet its financial commitment on the obligation.
B: An obligation rated ‘B’ is more vulnerable to nonpayment than obligations rated ‘BB’, but the obligor currently has the capacity to meet its financial commitment on the obligation. Adverse business, financial, or economic conditions will likely impair the obligor’s capacity or willingness to meet its financial commitment on the obligation.
CCC: An obligation rated ‘CCC’ is currently vulnerable to nonpayment and is dependent upon favorable business, financial, and economic conditions for the obligor to meet its financial commitment 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 commitment on the obligation.
CC: An obligation rated ‘CC’ is currently highly vulnerable to nonpayment.
C: The ‘C’ rating is assigned to obligations that are currently highly vulnerable to nonpayment, obligations that have payment arrearages allowed by the terms of the documents, or obligations of an issuer that is the subject of a bankruptcy petition or similar action which have not experienced a payment default.
D: An obligation rated ‘D’ is in payment default. The ‘D’ rating category is used when payments on an obligation, including a regulatory capital instrument, are not made on the date due, unless S&P believes that such payments will be made within the shorter of the stated grace period but not longer than five business days. The ‘D’ rating also will be used upon the filing of a bankruptcy petition or taking of a similar action if payments on an obligation are jeopardized.
Note: Addition of a Plus (+) or minus (-) sign: The ratings from ‘AA’ to ‘CCC’ may be modified by the addition of a plus (+) or minus (-) sign to show relative standing within the major rating categories.
NR: This indicates that no rating has been requested, that there is insufficient information on which to base a rating, or that S&P does not rate a particular obligation as a matter of policy.

A-2


 

FITCH CREDIT RATING SCALES
The terms “investment grade” and “speculative grade” have established themselves over time as shorthand to describe the categories ‘AAA’ to ‘BBB’ (investment grade) and ‘BB’ to ‘D’ (speculative grade). The terms are market conventions and do not imply any recommendation or endorsement of a specific security for investment purposes. “Investment grade” categories indicate relatively low to moderate credit risk, while ratings in the “speculative” categories either signal a higher level of credit risk or that a default has already occurred.
NR: A designation of “Not Rated” or “NR” is used to denote securities not rated by Fitch where Fitch has rated some, but not all, securities comprising a capital structure.
Investment Grade
AAA: Highest credit quality. ‘AAA’ ratings denote the lowest expectation of credit risk. They are assigned only in case of exceptionally strong capacity for payment of financial commitments. This capacity is highly unlikely to be adversely affected by foreseeable events.
AA: Very high credit quality. ‘AA’ ratings denote expectations of very low credit risk. They indicate very strong capacity for payment of financial commitments. This capacity is not significantly vulnerable to foreseeable events.
A: High credit quality. ‘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 changes in adverse business or economic conditions than is the case for higher ratings.
BBB: Good credit quality. ‘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. This is the lowest investment grade category.
Speculative Grade
BB: Speculative.
    ‘BB’ ratings indicate 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. Securities rated in this category are not investment grade.
B: Highly speculative.
    For issuers and performing obligations, ‘B’ ratings indicate that material credit risk is present, but a limited margin of safety remains. Financial commitments are currently being met; however, capacity for continued payment is vulnerable to deterioration in the business and economic environment.
 
    For individual obligations, may indicate distressed or defaulted obligations with potential for extremely high recoveries. Such obligations would possess a Recovery Rating of ‘R1’ (outstanding).
CCC: Substantial credit risk.
    For issuers and performing obligations, default is a real possibility. Capacity for meeting financial commitments is solely reliant upon sustained, favorable business or economic conditions.
 
    For individual obligations, may indicate distressed or defaulted obligations with potential for average to superior levels of recovery. Differences in credit quality may be denoted by plus/minus

A-3


 

      distinctions. Such obligations typically would possess a Recovery Rating of ‘R2’ (superior), or ‘R3’ (good) or ‘R4’ (average).
CC: Very high levels of credit risk.
    For issuers and performing obligations, default of some kind appears probable.
 
    For individual obligations, may indicate distressed or defaulted obligations with Recovery Raging of ‘R4’ (average) or ‘R5’ (below average).
C: Exceptionally high levels of credit risk.
    For issuers and performing obligations, default is imminent, or inevitable, or is at a standstill.
 
    For individual obligations, may indicate distressed or defaulted obligations with potential for below-average to poor recoveries. Such obligations would possess a Recovery Rating of ‘R6’ (poor).
RD: Restricted default.
    Indicates an entity that has failed to make due payments (within the applicable grace period) on some but not all material financial obligations, but continues to honor other classes of obligations.
D: Default.
    Indicates an entity or sovereign that has defaulted on all of its financial obligations. Default generally is defined as one of the following:
  -   failure of an obligor to make timely payment of principal and/or interest under the contractual terms of any financial obligation;
 
  -   the bankruptcy filings, administration, receivership, liquidation or winding-up or cessation of business of an issuer/obligor; or
 
  -   the distressed exchange of an obligation, where creditors were offered securities with diminished structural or economic terms compared with the existing obligation to avoid a probable payment default.
Default ratings are not assigned prospectively to entities or their obligations; within this context, non-payment on an instrument that contains a deferral feature or grace period will generally not be considered a default until after the expiration of the deferral or grace period, unless a default is otherwise driven by bankruptcy or other similar circumstance, or by a distresses debt exchange.
Issuers will be rated ‘D’ upon a default. Defaulted and distressed obligations typically are rated along the continuum of ,’B’ to ‘C’ rating categories, depending upon their recovery prospects and other relevant characteristics. Additionally, in structured finance transactions, where analysis indicates that an instrument is irrevocably impaired such that it is not expected to meet pay interest and/or principal in full in accordance with the terms of the obligation’s documentation during the life of the transaction, but where no payment default in accordance with the terms of the documentation is imminent, the obligation may be rated in the ‘C’ category.
Default is determined by reference to the terms of the obligations’ documentation. Fitch will assign default ratings where it has reasonably determined that payment has not been made on a material obligation in accordance with the requirements of the obligation’s documentation, or where it believes that default ratings consistent with Fitch’s published definition of default are the most appropriate ratings to assign.
Note: Addition of a Plus (+) or minus (-) sign: Fitch ratings may be appended by the addition of a plus (+) or minus (-) sign to denote relative status within major rating categories.

A-4


 

CORPORATE AND TAX-EXEMPT COMMERCIAL PAPER RATINGS
MOODY’S SHORT-TERM OBLIGATION RATINGS
Moody’s short-term ratings are opinions of the ability of issuers to honor short-term financial obligations. Ratings may be assigned to issuers, short-term programs or to individual short-term debt instruments. Such obligations generally have an original maturity not exceeding 13 months, unless explicitly noted.
Moody’s employs the following designations to indicate the relative repayment ability of rated issuers:
P-1: Issuers (or supporting institutions) rated Prime-1 have a superior ability to repay short-term debt obligations.
P-2: Issuers (or supporting institutions) rated Prime-2 have a strong ability to repay short-term debt obligations.
P-3: Issuers (or supporting institutions) rated Prime-3 have an acceptable ability to repay short-term obligations.
NP: Issuers (or supporting institutions) rated Not Prime do not fall within any of the Prime rating categories.
S&P’S SHORT-TERM OBLIGATION RATINGS
S&P’s short-term ratings are generally assigned to those obligations considered short-term in the relevant market. In the U.S., for example, that means obligations with an original maturity of no more than 365 days — including commercial paper. Short-term ratings are also used to indicate the creditworthiness of an obligor with respect to put features on long-term obligations. The result is a dual-rating, in which the short-term rating addresses the put feature, in addition to the usual long-term rating. Medium term notes are assigned long-term ratings. Ratings are graded into several categories, ranging from ‘A’ for the highest-quality obligations to ‘D’ for the lowest. These categories are as follows:
A-1: A short-term obligation rated ‘A-1’ is rated in the highest category by S&P. The obligor’s capacity to meet its financial commitment on the obligation is strong. Within this category, certain obligations are designated with a plus sign (+). This indicates that the obligor’s capacity to meet its financial commitment on these obligations is very strong.
A-2: A short-term obligation rated ‘A-2’ is somewhat more susceptible to the adverse effects of changes in circumstances and economic conditions than obligations in higher rating categories. However, the obligor’s capacity to meet its financial commitment on the obligation is satisfactory.
A-3: A short-term obligation rated ‘A-3’ exhibits adequate protection parameters. However, adverse economic conditions or changing circumstances are more likely to lead to a weakened capacity of the obligor to meet its financial commitment on the obligation.
B: A short-term obligation rated ‘B’ is regarded as having significant speculative characteristics. The obligor currently has the capacity to meet its financial commitment on the obligation; however, it faces major ongoing uncertainties which could lead to the obligor’s inadequate capacity to meet its financial commitment on the obligation.
C: A short-term obligation rated ‘C’ is currently vulnerable to nonpayment and is dependent upon favorable business, financial and economic conditions for the obligor to meet its financial commitment on the obligation.

A-5


 

D: A short-term obligation rated ‘D’ is in payment default. The ‘D’ rating category is used when payments on an obligation, including a regulatory capital instrument, are not made on the date due, even if the applicable grace period has not expired, unless S&P believes that such payments will be made during such grace period. The ‘D’ rating also will be used upon the filing of a bankruptcy petition or the taking of a similar action if payments on an obligation are jeopardized.
Dual Ratings — S&P assigns “dual” rating to all debt issues that have a put option or demand feature as part of their structure.
The first rating addresses the likelihood of repayment of principal and interest as due, and the second rating addresses only the demand feature. The long-term debt rating symbols are used for bonds to denote the long-term maturity and the short-term rating symbols for the put option (for example, ‘AAA/A-1+’). With U. S. municipal short-term demand debt, note rating symbols are used with the short-term issue credit rating symbols (for example, ‘SP-1+/A-1+’).
FITCH SHORT-TERM ISSUER OR OBLIGATION RATINGS
A short-term issuer or obligation rating is based in all cases on the short-term vulnerability to default of the rated entity or security stream and relates to the capacity to meet financial obligations in accordance with the documentation governing the relevant obligation. Short-Term Ratings are assigned to obligations whose initial maturity is viewed as “short-term” based on market convention. Typically, this means up to 13 months for corporate, sovereign and structured obligations, and up to 36 months for obligations in U.S. public finance markets.
F1: Highest short-term credit quality.
Indicates the strongest intrinsic capacity for timely payment of financial commitments; may have an added plus sign (“+”) to denote any exceptionally strong credit feature.
F2: Good short-term credit quality.
Good intrinsic capacity for timely payment of financial commitments.
F3: Fair short-term credit quality.
The intrinsic capacity for timely payment of financial commitments is adequate.
B: Speculative short-term credit quality.
Minimal capacity for timely payment of financial commitments, plus heightened vulnerability to near term adverse changes in financial and economic conditions.
C: High short-term default risk.
Default is a real possibility
RD: Restricted default.
Indicates an entity that has defaulted on one or more of its financial commitments, although it continues to meet other financial obligations. Applicable to entity ratings only.
D: Default.
Indicates a broad-based default event for an entity, or the default of a short-term obligation.

A-6


 

TAX-EXEMPT NOTE RATINGS
MOODY’S U.S. MUNICIPAL SHORT-TERM DEBT RATINGS
There are three rating categories for short-term municipal obligations that are considered investment grade. These ratings are designated as Municipal Investment Grade (MIG) and are divided into three levels ‘MIG 1’ through ‘MIG 3’. In addition, those short-term obligations that are of speculative quality are designated ‘SG’, or speculative grade. MIG ratings expire at the maturity of the obligation.
MIG 1: This designation denotes superior credit quality. Excellent protection is afforded by established cash flows, highly reliable liquidity support, or demonstrated broad-based access to the market for refinancing.
MIG 2: This designation denotes strong credit quality. Margins of protection are ample, although not as large as in the preceding group.
MIG 3: This designation denotes acceptable credit quality. Liquidity and cash-flow protection may be narrow, and market access for refinancing is likely to be less well-established.
SG: This designation denotes speculative-grade credit quality. Debt instruments in this category may lack sufficient margins of protection.
S&P’S MUNICIPAL SHORT-TERM NOTE RATINGS
An S&P U.S. municipal note rating reflects S&P’s opinion about the liquidity factors and market access risks unique to notes. Notes due in 3 years or less will likely receive a note rating. Notes maturing beyond 3 years will most likely receive a long-term debt rating. The following criteria will be used in making that assessment:
    Amortization schedule — the larger the final maturity relative to other maturities, the more likely it will be treated as note; and
 
    Source of payment — the more dependent the issue is on the market for its refinancing, the more likely it will be treated as a note.
Note rating symbols are as follows:
SP-1: Strong capacity to pay principal and interest. An issue determined to possess a very strong capacity to pay debt service is given a plus (+) designation.
SP-2: Satisfactory capacity to pay principal and interest, with some vulnerability to adverse financial and economic changes over the term of the notes.
SP-3: Speculative capacity to pay principal and interest.
FITCH: see FITCH CREDIT RATINGS SCALES or FITCH SHORT-TERM ISSUER OR OBLIGATIONS RATINGS above.

A-7


 

APPENDIX B
FUND MANAGER INFORMATION
[To be filed by subsequent amendment.]

B-1


 

APPENDIX C
PROXY VOTING POLICIES AND PROCEDURES
[To be filed by subsequent amendment.]

C-1


 

PART C. OTHER INFORMATION
Item 28. Exhibits
     
(a)(1)
  Agreement and Declaration of Trust dated November 24, 2009 – FILED HEREWITH
 
   
(a)(2)
  Amendment dated May 24, 2012 to the Agreement and Declaration of Trust dated November 24, 2009 – FILED HEREWITH
 
   
(b)(1)
  By-Laws of the Trust dated November 24, 2009 – FILED HEREWITH
 
   
(c)
  See Exhibits (a)(1) and (b)(1).
 
   
(d)
  Advisory Agreement and Subadvisory Agreements – TO BE FILED BY AMENDMENT
 
   
(e)
  Distribution Agreement – TO BE FILED BY AMENDMENT
 
   
(f)
  Not applicable.
 
   
(g)
  Custodian Agreement – TO BE FILED BY AMENDMENT
 
   
(h)
  Other Material Contracts – TO BE FILED BY AMENDMENT
 
   
(i)
  Legal Opinion – TO BE FILED BY AMENDMENT
 
   
(j)
  Consent of Independent Registered Public Accounting Firm – TO BE FILED BY AMENDMENT
 
   
(k)
  Not applicable.
 
   
(l)
  Not applicable.
 
   
(m)
  Plan of Distribution pursuant to Rule 12b-1 – TO BE FILED BY AMENDMENT
 
   
(n)
  Not applicable.
 
   
(o)
  Not applicable.
 
   
(p)
  Codes of Ethics of the Registrant and its Investment Adviser, Principal Underwriter and Subadvisers – TO BE FILED BY AMENDMENT
Item 29. Persons Controlled by or Under Common Control with Registrant.
[To be filed by amendment]
Item 30. Indemnification
[To be filed by amendment]
Item 31. Business and Other Connections of the Investment Adviser
[To be filed by amendment]

 


 

Item 32. Principal Underwriter
[To be filed by amendment]
Item 33. Location of Accounts and Records
[To be filed by amendment]
Item 34. Management Services
Not applicable.
Item 35. Undertakings
Not applicable.

 


 

SIGNATURES
Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Act of 1933 and the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended, the Registrant has duly caused this Registration Statement to be signed on its behalf by the undersigned, thereunto duly authorized, in the City of Boston and the Commonwealth of Massachusetts on the 9th day of August, 2012.
             
    John Hancock Exchange-Traded Fund Trust
 
           
 
  By:   /s/ Andrew G. Arnott
 
Andrew G. Arnott, as Trustee not individually
   
Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Act of 1933, this Registration Statement has been signed by the following person in the capacities and on the dates indicated:
         
Signature   Title   Date
 
       
/s/ Andrew G. Arnott
 
  Trustee (not individually)    August 9, 2012
Andrew G. Arnott
       
 
       
/s/ Thomas M. Kinzler
 
  Trustee (not individually)    August 9, 2012
Thomas M. Kinzler
       
 
       
/s/ Leo Zerilli
 
  Trustee (not individually)    August 9, 2012
Leo Zerilli
       

 


 

EXHIBIT LIST
     
(a)(1)
  Agreement and Declaration of Trust dated November 24, 2009
 
   
(a)(2)
  Amendment dated May 24, 2012, to the Agreement and Declaration of Trust dated November 24, 2009
 
   
(b)(1)
  By-Laws of the Trust dated November 24, 2009