Note 1. Security Valuation
The Fund utilizes
a fair value hierarchy which prioritizes the inputs to valuation techniques used to measure fair value into three broad levels.The Fund’s policy is to recognize transfers into or out of Level 3 at the end
of the reporting period.
| •
| Level 1 – quoted prices in active markets for identical securities (security types generally include listed equities).
|
| •
| Level 2 – prices determined using other significant observable inputs (including quoted prices for similar securities, interest rates, prepayment speeds, credit risk, etc.).
|
| •
| Level 3 – prices determined using significant unobservable inputs (including the Valuation Committee’s own assumptions in determining the fair value of investments).
|
A description of
the valuation techniques applied to the Fund’s major categories of assets and liabilities measured at fair value on a recurring basis is as follows:
Equity securities
are valued at the official closing price (typically last sale) on the exchange on which the securities are primarily traded or, if no closing price is available, at the last bid price and are categorized as Level 1 in
the hierarchy. Illiquid, restricted equity securities and illiquid private placements are internally fair valued by the Valuation Committee, and are generally categorized as Level 3 in the hierarchy.
Certain non-U.S.
securities may be fair valued in cases where closing prices are not readily available or are deemed not reflective of readily available market prices. For example, significant events (such as movement in the U.S.
securities market, or other regional and local developments) may occur between the time that non-U.S. markets close (where the security is principally traded) and the time that the Fund calculates its net asset value
(“NAV”) at the close of regular trading on the New York Stock Exchange (“NYSE”) (generally 4 p.m. Eastern time) that may impact the value of securities traded in these non-U.S. markets. In such
cases, the Fund fair values non-U.S. securities using an independent pricing service which considers the correlation of the trading patterns of the non-U.S. security to the intraday trading in the U.S. markets for
investments such as American Depositary Receipts, financial futures, exchange-traded funds (“ETFs”), and certain indexes, as well as prices for similar securities. Such fair valuations are categorized as
Level 2 in the hierarchy. Because the frequency of significant events is not predictable, fair valuation of certain non-U.S. common stocks may occur on a frequent basis.
Listed
derivatives, such as options, that are actively traded are valued at the last posted settlement price from the exchange where they are
principally traded and are categorized as Level 1 in the hierarchy. Over-the-counter derivative contracts, which include forward currency
contracts and equity-linked instruments, do not require material subjectivity as pricing inputs are observed from actively quoted markets and are
categorized as Level 2 in the hierarchy.
Investments in
open-end mutual funds are valued at NAV. Investments in closed-end funds and ETFs are valued as of the close of regular trading on the NYSE each business day. Each is categorized as Level 1 in the hierarchy.
A summary of the
inputs used to value the Fund’s net assets by each major security type is disclosed at the end of the Schedule of Investments for the Fund. The inputs or methodologies used for valuing securities are not
necessarily an indication of the risk associated with investing in those securities.