XML 18 R17.htm IDEA: XBRL DOCUMENT v2.4.1.9
AXA/Invesco Strategic Allocation Portfolio
AXA/Invesco Strategic Allocation Portfolio – Class IB and K Shares
Investment Objective:
Seeks long-term capital appreciation while managing portfolio volatility.
FEES AND EXPENSES OF THE PORTFOLIO
The following table describes the fees and expenses that you may pay if you buy and hold shares of the Portfolio. The table below does not reflect any fees and expenses associated with variable life insurance contracts and variable annuity certificates and contracts (“Contracts”) which would increase overall fees and expenses. See the Contract prospectus for a description of those fees and expenses.
Shareholder Fees
(fees paid directly from your investment)
Shareholder Fees AXA/Invesco Strategic Allocation Portfolio (USD $)
Class IB Shares
Class K Shares
Shareholder Fees (fees paid directly from your investment)      
Annual Portfolio Operating Expenses
(expenses that you pay each year as a percentage of the
value of your investment)
Annual Portfolio Operating Expenses AXA/Invesco Strategic Allocation Portfolio
Class IB Shares
Class K Shares
Management Fee 0.80%rr_ManagementFeesOverAssets 0.80%rr_ManagementFeesOverAssets
Distribution and/or Service Fees (12b-1 fees) 0.25%rr_DistributionAndService12b1FeesOverAssets none
Other Expenses [1] 0.22%rr_OtherExpensesOverAssets 0.22%rr_OtherExpensesOverAssets
Total Annual Portfolio Operating Expenses 1.27%rr_ExpensesOverAssets 1.02%rr_ExpensesOverAssets
Fee Waiver and/or Expense Reimbursement [2] (0.02%)rr_FeeWaiverOrReimbursementOverAssets (0.02%)rr_FeeWaiverOrReimbursementOverAssets
Total Annual Portfolio Operating Expenses After Fee Waiver and/or Expense Reimbursement 1.25%rr_NetExpensesOverAssets 1.00%rr_NetExpensesOverAssets
[1] Based on estimated amounts for the current fiscal year.
[2] Pursuant to a contract, AXA Equitable Funds Management Group, LLC has agreed to make payments or waive its management, administrative and other fees to limit the expenses of the Portfolio through April 30, 2016 (unless the Board of Trustees consents to an earlier revision or termination of this arrangement) ("Expense Limitation Arrangement") so that the annual operating expenses of the Portfolio (exclusive of taxes, interest, brokerage commissions, dividend and interest expenses on securities sold short, capitalized expenses, fees and expenses of other investment companies and exchange traded investment vehicles in which the Portfolio invests and extraordinary expenses) do not exceed an annual rate of average daily net assets of 1.25% for Class IB shares and 1.00% for Class K shares of the Portfolio. The Expense Limitation Arrangement may be terminated by AXA Equitable Funds Management Group, LLC at any time after April 30, 2016.
Example
This Example is intended to help you compare the cost of investing in the Portfolio with the cost of investing in other portfolios. The Example assumes that you invest $10,000 in the Portfolio for the periods indicated and then redeem all of your shares at the end of these periods. The Example also assumes that your investment has a 5% return each year, that the Portfolio’s operating expenses remain the same and that the expense limitation arrangement is not renewed. This Example does not reflect any Contract-related fees and expenses including redemption fees (if any) at the Contract level. If such fees and expenses were reflected, the total expenses would be higher. Although your actual costs may be higher or lower, based on these assumptions your costs would be:
Expense Example AXA/Invesco Strategic Allocation Portfolio (USD $)
1 Year
3 Years
Class IB Shares
127 401
Class K Shares
102 323
PORTFOLIO TURNOVER
The Portfolio 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. These costs, which are not reflected in annual fund operating expenses or in the Example, affect the Portfolio’s performance. The Portfolio had not commenced operations as of the date of this Prospectus, and therefore, its turnover rate during the most recent fiscal year is not available.
INVESTMENTS, RISKS, AND PERFORMANCE

Principal Investment Strategy:
The Portfolio invests primarily in equity and fixed income securities, and derivatives and other instruments that have economic characteristics similar to such securities. Under normal circumstances, the Sub-Adviser will invest in a combination of individual securities, exchange-traded funds (“ETFs”) and futures contracts that provide exposure to global equity markets, including large, mid- and small-cap stocks, and U.S. Treasuries.

The Sub-Adviser targets an allocation of approximately 50% of its non-cash assets in U.S. and foreign large, mid- and small cap stocks, as well as ETFs and futures contracts that provide exposure to such stocks. The Sub-Adviser weights each of the equity categories (Large Cap US, Mid Cap US, Small Cap US, and International Developed) according to the relative market capitalization of each category. The Sub-Adviser rebalances the equity portfolio as necessary to maintain weighting in proportion to market capitalization.

The Sub-Adviser targets an allocation of approximately 50% of its non-cash assets in baskets of U.S. Treasuries, U.S. interest rate futures contracts, and ETFs to create a fixed income allocation with a risk and return profile similar to that of the Barclays Intermediate U.S. Government Bond Index, which is an unmanaged index consisting of all U.S. Treasury and agency securities with remaining maturities of one to ten years.

The Sub-Adviser also employs a risk management process intended to manage the volatility level of the Portfolio’s annual returns. Volatility is a statistical measure of the magnitude of changes in the Portfolio’s returns, without regard to the direction of those changes. Higher volatility generally indicates higher risk and is often reflected by frequent and sometimes significant movements up and down in value. To implement this volatility management strategy, the Sub-Adviser will monitor forecasted annualized volatility of the Portfolio’s returns, placing a greater weight on recent historic data. During periods of heightened forecasted volatility, the Sub-Adviser will attempt to lower volatility by closing existing long exchange-traded futures contracts, selling exposures that are derived using ETFs or, in the case where physical securities are held, selling exchange-traded futures contracts, in the effort to target a certain level of maximum annual volatility as determined by the Sub-Adviser based on its proprietary risk model. The Sub-Adviser may use these methods as often as daily to lower the Portfolio’s expected volatility level. Due to market conditions or other factors, the actual or realized volatility of the Portfolio for any particular period of time may be materially higher or lower than the target maximum annual level. Although these actions are intended to reduce the overall risk of investing in the Portfolio, they may result in periods of underperformance, including periods when market values are increasing, but market volatility is high. In addition, these actions may expose the Portfolio to costs to which it would otherwise not have been exposed, and if unsuccessful may result in substantial losses.

The Portfolio’s investments in derivatives may be deemed to involve the use of leverage because the Portfolio is not required to invest the full market value of the contract upon entering into the contract but participates in gains and losses on the full contract price. The use of derivatives also may be deemed to involve the use of leverage because the heightened price sensitivity of some derivatives to market changes may magnify the Portfolio’s gain or loss. It is not generally expected, however, that the Portfolio will be leveraged by borrowing money for investment purposes.

The Portfolio may maintain a considerable percentage of its total assets in cash and cash equivalent instruments, including money market funds which may be affiliated with the Sub-Adviser, as margin or collateral for the Portfolio’s obligations under derivative transactions, to implement the volatility management strategy, and for other portfolio management purposes. The larger the value of the Portfolio’s derivative positions, as opposed to positions held in non-derivative instruments, the more the Portfolio will be required to maintain cash and cash equivalents as margin or collateral for such derivatives.

The Manager has been granted relief by the Securities and Exchange Commission to hire, terminate and replace Sub-Advisers and amend advisory agreements subject to the approval of the Board of Trustees and without obtaining shareholder approval. However, the Manager may not enter into an advisory agreement on behalf of the Portfolio with an “affiliated person” of the Manager, such as AllianceBernstein L.P., unless the advisory agreement is approved by the Portfolio’s shareholders. The Manager is responsible for overseeing Sub-Advisers and recommending their hiring, termination and replacement to the Board of Trustees.
Principal Risks:
An investment in the Portfolio is not a deposit of a bank and is not insured or guaranteed by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation or any other government agency. You may lose money by investing in the Portfolio. Performance may be affected by one or more of the following risks.

Cash Management Risk: Upon entering into certain derivatives contracts, such as futures contracts, and to maintain open positions in certain derivatives contracts, the Portfolio may be required to post collateral for the contract, the amount of which may vary. As such, the Portfolio may maintain cash balances, including foreign currency balances, which may be significant, with counterparties such as the Trust’s custodian or its affiliates. The Portfolio is thus subject to counterparty risk and credit risk with respect to these arrangements.

Credit Risk: The risk that the issuer or the guarantor (or other obligor, such as a party providing insurance or other credit enhancement) of a fixed income security, or the counterparty to a derivatives contract, repurchase agreement, loan of portfolio securities or other transaction, is unable or unwilling, or is perceived (whether by market participants, ratings agencies, pricing services or otherwise) as unable or unwilling, to make timely principal and/or interest payments, or otherwise honor its obligations. Securities are subject to varying degrees of credit risk, which are often reflected in their credit ratings. The downgrade of the credit rating of a security may decrease its value.

Derivatives Risk: A portfolio’s investments in derivatives may rise or fall more rapidly than other investments. Changes in the value of the derivative may not correlate perfectly or at all with the underlying asset, rate or index, and a portfolio could lose more than the principal amount invested. In addition, it may be difficult or impossible for the Portfolio to purchase or sell certain derivatives in sufficient amounts to achieve the desired level of exposure, which may result in a loss or may be costly to the Portfolio. Derivatives also may be subject to certain other risks such as leveraging risk, interest rate risk, credit risk, the risk that a counterparty may be unable or unwilling to honor its obligations, and the risk of mispricing or improper valuation. Derivatives also may not behave as anticipated by the Portfolio, especially in abnormal market conditions. Changing regulation may make derivatives more costly, limit their availability, disrupt markets, or otherwise adversely affect their value or performance.

Equity Risk: In general, stocks and other equity security values fluctuate, and sometimes widely fluctuate, in response to changes in a company’s financial condition as well as general market, economic and political conditions and other factors.

ETFs Risk: A Portfolio that invests in ETFs will indirectly bear fees and expenses charged by those ETFs, in addition to the Portfolio’s direct fees and expenses. The cost of investing in the Portfolio, therefore, may be higher than the cost of investing in a mutual fund that exclusively invests directly in individual stocks and bonds. In addition, the Portfolio’s net asset value will be subject to fluctuations in the market values of the ETFs in which it invests. The Portfolio is also subject to the risks associated with the securities in which the ETFs invest and the ability of the Portfolio to meet its investment objective will directly depend on the ability of the ETFs to meet their investment objectives. The Portfolio and ETFs are subject to certain general investment risks, including market risk, asset class risk, issuer-specific risk, investment style risk and portfolio management risk. In addition, to the extent a Portfolio invests in ETFs that invest in equity securities, fixed income securities and/or foreign securities, the Portfolio is subject to the risks associated with investing in such securities such as equity risk, market capitalization risk, investment grade securities risk, interest rate risk, credit/default risk, foreign and emerging markets securities risk and non-investment grade securities risk. There is also the risk that an ETF’s performance may not match that of the relevant index. It is also possible that an active trading market for an ETF may not develop or be maintained, in which case the liquidity and value of the Portfolio’s investment in the ETF could be substantially and adversely affected. The extent to which the investment performance and risks associated with the Portfolio correlates to those of a particular ETF will depend upon the extent to which the Portfolio’s assets are allocated from time to time for investment in the ETF, which will vary.

Foreign Securities Risk: Investments in foreign securities, including depositary receipts, involve risks not associated with investing in U.S. securities. Foreign markets, particularly emerging markets, may be less liquid, more volatile and subject to less government supervision than domestic markets. Security values also may be negatively affected by changes in the exchange rates between the U.S. dollar and foreign currencies. Differences between U.S. and foreign legal, political and economic systems, regulatory regimes and market practices also may impact security values and it may take more time to clear and settle trades involving foreign securities.
Currency Risk: Investments in foreign currencies and in securities that trade in, or receive revenues in, or in derivatives that provide exposure to foreign currencies are subject to the risk that those currencies will decline in value relative to the U.S. dollar, or, in the case of hedging positions, that the U.S. dollar will decline in value relative to the currency being hedged. Any such decline may erode or reverse any potential gains from an investment in securities denominated in foreign currency or may widen existing loss. Currency rates may fluctuate significantly over short periods of time for a number of reasons, including changes in interest rates, intervention (or the failure to intervene) by governments, central banks or supranational entities, or by the imposition of currency controls or other political developments in the U.S. or abroad.

Geographic Concentration Risk: A Portfolio that invests a significant portion of its assets in securities of companies domiciled, or exercising the predominant part of their economic activity, in one country or geographic region assumes the risk that economic, political, social and environmental conditions in that particular country or region will have a significant impact on the Portfolio’s investment performance and that the Portfolio’s performance will be more volatile than the performance of more geographically diversified funds. The economies and financial markets of certain regions can be highly interdependent and may decline all at the same time. In addition, certain areas are prone to natural disasters such as earthquakes, volcanoes, droughts or tsunamis and are economically sensitive to environmental events.

Political/Economic Risk: Changes in economic and tax policies, government instability, war or other political or economic actions or factors may have an adverse effect on a Portfolio’s foreign investments.

Regulatory Risk: Less information may be available about foreign companies. In general, foreign companies are not subject to uniform accounting, auditing and financial reporting standards or to other regulatory practices and requirements as are U.S. companies. Many foreign governments do not supervise and regulate stock exchanges, brokers and the sale of securities to the same extent as does the United States and may not have laws to protect investors that are comparable to U.S. securities laws. In addition, some countries may have legal systems that may make it difficult for the Portfolio to vote proxies, exercise shareholder rights, and pursue legal remedies with respect to its foreign investments.

Settlement Risk: Settlement and clearance procedures in certain foreign markets differ significantly from those in the United States. Foreign settlement and clearance procedures and trade regulations also may involve certain risks (such as delays in payment for or delivery of securities) not typically associated with the settlement of U.S. investments. At times, settlements in certain foreign countries have not kept pace with the number of securities transactions. These problems may make it difficult for a portfolio to carry out transactions. If a portfolio cannot settle or is delayed in settling a purchase of securities, it may miss attractive investment opportunities and certain of its assets may be uninvested with no return earned thereon for some period. If a Portfolio cannot settle or is delayed in settling a sale of securities, it may lose money if the value of the security then declines or, if it has contracted to sell the security to another party, the Portfolio could be liable for any losses incurred.

Transaction Costs Risk: The costs of buying and selling foreign securities, including tax, brokerage and custody costs, generally are higher than those involving domestic transactions.
Futures Contract Risk: The primary risks associated with the use of futures contracts are (a) the imperfect correlation between the change in market value of the instruments held by a Portfolio and the price of the futures contract; (b) liquidity risks, including the possible absence of a liquid secondary market for a futures contract and the resulting inability to close a futures contract when desired; (c) losses (potentially unlimited) caused by unanticipated market movements; (d) an adviser’s inability to predict correctly the direction of securities prices, interest rates, currency exchange rates and other economic factors; (e) the possibility that a counterparty, clearing member or clearinghouse will default in the performance of its obligations; (f) if a Portfolio has insufficient cash, it may have to sell securities from its portfolio to meet daily variation margin requirements, and the Portfolio may have to sell securities at a time when it may be disadvantageous to do so; and (g) transaction costs associated with investments in futures contracts may be significant, which could cause or increase losses or reduce gains. Futures contracts are also subject to the same risks as the underlying investments to which they provide exposure. In addition, futures contracts may subject the Portfolio to leveraging risk.

Interest Rate Risk: The risk that fixed income securities will decline in value because of changes in interest rates. When interest rates decline, the value of a portfolio’s debt securities generally rises. Conversely, when interest rates rise, the value of a Portfolio’s debt securities generally declines. A Portfolio with a longer average duration will be more sensitive to changes in interest rates, usually making it more volatile than a fund with a shorter average duration. As of the date of this Prospectus, interest rates in the United States are at or near historic lows, but may rise significantly or rapidly, potentially resulting in losses to the Portfolio.

Investment Grade Securities Risk: Debt securities commonly are rated by national bond ratings agencies. Investment grade securities are securities rated BBB or higher by Standard & Poor’s Ratings Services (“S&P”) or Fitch Ratings, Ltd. (“Fitch”) or Baa or higher by Moody’s Investors Service, Inc. (“Moody’s”). Securities rated in the lower investment grade rating categories (e.g., BBB or Baa) are considered investment grade securities, but are somewhat riskier than higher rated obligations because they are regarded as having only an adequate capacity to pay principal and interest, and are considered to lack outstanding investment characteristics.

Large-Cap 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.

Leveraging Risk: When a portfolio leverages its holdings, the value of an investment in that portfolio will be more volatile and all other risks will tend to be compounded. For example, a portfolio may take on leveraging risk when it engages in derivatives transactions, (such as futures or options investments) invests collateral from securities loans or borrows money. A Portfolio may experience leveraging risk in connection with investments in derivatives because its investments in derivatives may be purchased with a fraction of the assets that would be needed to purchase the securities directly, so that the remainder of the assets may be invested in other investments. Such investments may have the effect of leveraging a Portfolio because the Portfolio may experience gains or losses not only on its investments in derivatives, but also on the investments purchased with the remainder of the assets. If the value of a Portfolio’s investments in derivatives is increasing, this could be offset by declining values of the Portfolio’s other investments. Conversely, it is possible that the rise in the value of a Portfolio’s non-derivative investments could be offset by a decline in the value of the Portfolio’s investments in derivatives. In either scenario, a Portfolio may experience losses. In a market where the value of a Portfolio’s investments in derivatives is declining and the value of its other investments is declining, the Portfolio may experience substantial losses.

Mid-Cap and Small-Cap Company Risk: A Portfolio’s investments in mid- and small-cap companies may involve greater risks than investments in larger, more established issuers because they generally are more vulnerable than larger companies to adverse business or economic developments. Such companies generally have narrower product lines, more limited financial resources and more limited markets for their stock as compared with larger companies. As a result, the value of such securities may be more volatile than the securities of larger companies, and the Portfolio may experience difficulty in purchasing or selling such securities at the desired time and price or in the desired amount. In general, these risks are greater for small-cap companies than for mid-cap companies.

Volatility Management Risk: The Sub-Adviser from time to time employs various volatility management techniques in managing the Portfolio, including the use of futures and options to manage equity exposure. Although these actions are intended to reduce the overall risk of investing in a Portfolio, they may not work as intended and may result in losses by a Portfolio or periods of underperformance, particularly during periods when market values are increasing but market volatility is high. The success of the Portfolio’s volatility management strategy will be subject to the Sub-Adviser’s ability to correctly assess the degree of correlation between the performance of the relevant market index and the metrics used by the Sub-Adviser to measure market volatility. Since the characteristics of many securities change as markets change or time passes, the success of the Portfolio’s volatility management strategy also will be subject to the Sub-Adviser’s ability to continually recalculate, readjust, and execute volatility management techniques (such as options and futures transactions) in an efficient manner. In addition, because market conditions change, sometimes rapidly and unpredictably, the success of the volatility management strategy will be subject to the Sub-Adviser’s ability to execute the strategy in a timely manner. Moreover, volatility management strategies may increase portfolio transaction costs, which could cause or increase losses or reduce gains. For a variety of reasons, the Sub-Adviser may not seek to establish a perfect correlation between the relevant market index and the metrics that the Sub-Adviser uses to measure market volatility. In addition, it is not possible to manage volatility fully or perfectly. Futures contracts and other instruments used in connection with the volatility management strategy are not necessarily held by the Portfolio to hedge the value of the Portfolio’s other investments and, as a result, these futures contracts and other instruments may decline in value at the same time as the Portfolio’s investments. Any one or more of these factors may prevent the Portfolio from achieving the intended volatility management or could cause the Portfolio to underperform or experience losses (some of which may be sudden) or volatility for any particular period that may be higher or lower. In addition, the use of volatility management techniques may not protect against market declines and may limit the Portfolio’s participation in market gains.
Risk/Return Bar Chart and Table
Performance information will be available in the Prospectus after the Portfolio has been in operation for one full calendar year.