EX-99.(P)(7) 9 d454403dex99p7.htm CODE OF ETHICS OF MSIM, REVISED AS OF DECEMBER 2017 Code of Ethics of MSIM, revised as of December 2017

MORGAN STANLEY INVESTMENT MANAGEMENT1

CODE OF ETHICS AND PERSONAL TRADING GUIDELINES

Effective Date: December 7, 2017

 

 

1  Excluding Private Side Employees


Table of Contents2

 

I.

 

INTRODUCTION

     3  
  A.   

General

     3  
  B.   

Standards of Business Conduct

     3  
  C.   

Overview of Code Requirements

     3  
  D.   

Definitions

     4  
  E.   

Grounds for Disqualification from Employment

     7  

II.

 

TYPES OF ACCOUNTS/ACCOUNT OPENING REQUIREMENTS

     8  
  A.   

Employee Securities Accounts

     8  
  B.   

Fully Managed Account

     8  
  C.   

Other Morgan Stanley Accounts

     9  
  E.   

Individual Savings Accounts (“ISAs”) for employees of MSIM Ltd.

     10  
  F.   

Mutual Fund Accounts

     10  
  G.   

Issuer Purchase Plans

     10  
  H.   

Investment Clubs

     10  
  I.   

529 Plans

     10  

III.

 

TRADE PRE-CLEARANCE/RESTRICTIONS

     10  
  A.   

General

     10  
  B.   

Initiating a Transaction

     11  
  C.   

Pre-Clearance Valid for One Day Only

     11  
  D.   

Restrictions and Requirements for Portfolio Managers and Investment Personnel

     11  
  E.   

Employees Designated to be “Above the Wall”

     11  
  F.   

Transacting in Morgan Stanley Securities

     12  
  G.   

Trading Derivatives

     12  
  H.   

Other Restrictions

     13  
  I.   

Other Activities Requiring Pre-Clearance

     13  

IV.

 

HOLDING REQUIREMENTS AND REPURCHASE LIMITATIONS

     14  
  A.   

Proprietary and Sub-advised Mutual Funds

     14  
  B.   

Covered Securities

     14  
  C.   

Holding Requirements Specific to MSIMJ Employees

     14  

V.

 

REPORTING REQUIREMENTS

     14  
  A.   

Initial Reporting and Certification

     14  
  B.   

Quarterly Reporting and Certification

     15  
  C.   

Annual Reporting and Certification

     15  

VI.

 

OUTSIDE ACTIVITIES AND PRIVATE INVESTMENTS

     16  
  A.   

Approval to Engage in an Outside Activity

     16  
  B.   

Approval to Invest in a Private Investment

     17  
  C.   

Pre-Clearance Process

     17  

VII.

 

CONSULTANTS AND TEMPORARY WORKERS

     17  

VIII.

 

REVIEW, INTERPRETATIONS AND EXCEPTIONS

     18  

IX.

 

ENFORCEMENT AND SANCTIONS

     18  

X.

 

RELATED POLICIES

     18  

 

 

2  Previous versions: August 16, 2002, February 24, 2004, June 15, 2004, December 31, 2004, December 15, 2006, May 12, 2008 , August 19, 2010, September 17, 2010, February 15, 2011, March 1, 2011, September 28, 2011, June 29, 2012, September 16, 2013, October 10, 2014 and March 26, 2016.

 

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I. INTRODUCTION3

 

  A. General

The Morgan Stanley Investment Management (“MSIM”) Code of Ethics (the “Code”) is reasonably designed to prevent legal, business and ethical conflicts, to guard against the misuse of confidential information, and to avoid even the appearance of impropriety that may arise in connection with your personal trading and outside activities as an MSIM employee. It is very important for you to read the “Definitions” section below to understand the scope of this Code, including the individuals, accounts, securities and transactions it covers. You are required to acknowledge receipt and your understanding of this Code at the start of your employment at MSIM or when you become a Covered Person, as defined below, and annually thereafter.

 

  B. Standards of Business Conduct

MSIM seeks to comply with the Federal securities laws and regulations applicable to its business. The Code is designed to assist you in fulfilling your regulatory and fiduciary duties as an MSIM employee as they relate to your personal securities transactions.

 

    Fiduciary Duties. As an MSIM employee, you owe a fiduciary duty to MSIM’s Clients. This means that in every decision relating to personal investments, you must recognize the needs and interests of Clients and place those ahead of any personal interest or interest of the Firm.

 

    Personal Securities Transactions and Relationship to MSIM’s Clients. MSIM generally prohibits you from engaging in personal trading in a manner that would distract you from your daily responsibilities. MSIM strongly encourages you to invest for the long term and discourages short-term, speculative trading. You are cautioned that short-term strategies may attract a higher level of regulatory and other scrutiny. Excessive or inappropriate trading that interferes with job performance or that compromises the duty that MSIM owes to its Clients will not be tolerated.

If you become aware that you or someone else may have violated any aspect of this Code, you must report the suspected violation to Compliance immediately.

 

  C. Overview of Code Requirements

Compliance with the Code is a matter of understanding its basic requirements and making sure the steps you take regarding activities covered by the Code are in accordance with the letter and spirit of the Code. Generally, you have the following obligations:

 

 

3  This Code is intended to fulfill MSIM’s requirements under Rule 204A-1 of the Investment Advisers Act of 1940, as amended (the “Advisers Act”) and Rule 17j-1 under the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended (the “Company Act”). Note that there is a separate Code of Ethics for the Morgan Stanley mutual fund family.

 

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Activity

  

Code Requirements

Employee Securities Account(s)    Pre-clearance, Reporting
Personal Trading Reporting    Pre-clearance, Holding, Reporting
Participating in an Outside Activity    Pre-clearance, Reporting
Making a Private Investment    Pre-clearance, Reporting

You must examine the specific provisions of the Code for more details on each of these activities and are strongly urged to consult with Compliance if you have any questions.

 

  D. Definitions

These definitions are here to help you understand the application of the Code to various activities undertaken by you and other persons related to you who may be covered by the Code. The definitions are an integral part of the Code and a proper understanding of them is essential. Refer back to these definitions as you read the Code.

Access Persons” (for purposes of transacting in Morgan Stanley securities) is defined in the Global Employee Trading and Investing Policy and means those individuals or divisions that, as part of their job function may receive or have access to Morgan Stanley-related material non-public information that is recurring or cyclical in nature.

“Client” means shareholders or limited partners of registered and unregistered investment companies and other investment vehicles, institutional, high net worth and retail separate account clients, employee benefit trusts and all other types of clients advised by MSIM.

“Compliance” means your local Compliance group (New York, London, Singapore, Tokyo and Mumbai).

“Consultant” means a non-employee of MSIM who falls under the definition of a Covered Person.

“Covered Persons” means:

 

    All MSIM Employees;

 

    All directors and officers of MSIM;

 

    Any person (such as certain consultants, leased workers or temporary workers) who provides investment advice to clients on behalf of MSIM, is subject to the supervision and control of MSIM or who has access to nonpublic information regarding any Client’s purchase or sale of securities, or who is involved in making securities recommendations to Clients, or who has access to such recommendations that are nonpublic.

 

    Any person with responsibilities related to MSIM or who supports MSIM as a business and has frequent interaction with Covered Persons or Investment Personnel, as determined by Compliance.

 

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    Any other persons falling within the definition of “Access Person” under Rule 17j-1 of the Company Act or Rule 204A-1 under the Advisers Act (such as those supervised persons who have access to nonpublic information regarding the portfolio holdings of a client fund) and such other persons that may be so deemed by Compliance from time to time.

The definition of “Covered Person” may vary by location. Contact Compliance if you have any question as to your status as a Covered Person.

“Covered Securities” includes generally all equity or debt securities, including derivatives of securities (such as options, warrants and American depositary receipts), futures, commodities, securities indices, exchange-traded funds, open-end mutual funds for which MSIM acts as adviser or sub-adviser, closed-end funds, corporate and municipal bonds, spot foreign exchange transactions (“spot fx”) and similar instruments, but does not include “Exempt Securities,” as defined below. Refer to Schedule A for application of the Code to various security types.

“Employee” means an MSIM employee as well as his/her spouse or domestic partner, dependents and other persons for whom the employee, employee’s spouse or domestic partner contributes substantial financial support.

Employee Securities Accounts” are any accounts in your own name and other accounts you could be expected to influence or control, in whole or in part, directly or indirectly, whether for securities or other financial instruments, and that are capable of holding Covered Securities, whether or not such capability is utilized. Employee Securities Accounts include:

 

    accounts owned by you;

 

    accounts owned by your spouse or domestic partner;

 

    accounts owned by your children or other relatives of you or your spouse or domestic partner who reside in the same household as you and to whom you contribute substantial financial support (e.g., a child in college that is claimed as a dependent on your income tax return or who receives health benefits through you);

 

    accounts where you obtain benefits substantially equivalent to ownership of securities;

 

    accounts that you or the persons described above could be expected to influence or control, such as:

 

    joint accounts;

 

    family accounts;

 

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    retirement accounts;

 

    corporate accounts;

 

    trust accounts for which you act as trustee where you have the power to effect investment decisions or that you otherwise guide or influence;

 

    arrangements similar to trust accounts that benefit you directly;

 

    accounts for which you act as custodian; and

 

    partnership accounts.

“Exempt Securities” are securities that are not subject to the pre-clearance or holding requirements but are subject to reporting requirements of the Code and can be reported via the Reportable Accounts Disclosure System. Examples of Exempt Securities requiring disclosure include:

 

    Bankers’ acceptances, bank certificates of deposit and commercial paper;

 

    Investment grade, short-term debt instruments, including repurchase agreements (which for these purposes are repurchase agreements and any instrument that has a maturity at issuance of fewer than 366 days that is rated in one of the two highest categories by a nationally recognized statistical rating organization);

 

    Direct obligations of the U.S. Government4;

 

    Shares held in money market funds;

 

    Variable insurance products that invest in funds for which MSIM does not act as adviser or sub-adviser; and

 

    Open-end mutual funds for which MSIM does not act as adviser or sub-adviser.

Refer to Schedule A for application of the Code to various security types.

“Firm” means Morgan Stanley, MSIM’s parent company.

“Fully Managed Account” means an account for which an Employee has authorized a professional financial advisor or investment manager, in its sole discretion, to acquire and dispose of assets held in the account. The Employee may not make, directly or indirectly, any investment decision, be made aware of any such decisions before transactions are executed by the advisor or manager, or otherwise direct the advisor or manager to effect any transactions in the account. A Fully Managed Account is not considered an Employee Securities Account.

“Investment Personnel” means (i) Employees and any other Covered Persons who obtain or have access to information concerning investment recommendations made to any Client; and (ii) any persons designated as Investment Personnel by Compliance.

 

 

4  Includes securities that are backed by the full faith and credit of the U.S. Government for the timely payment of principal and interest, such as Ginnie Maes, U.S. savings bonds, and U.S. Treasuries, and equivalent securities issued by non-U.S. governments.

 

6


“IPO” means an initial public offering of equity securities registered with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission or a foreign financial regulatory authority.

“Morgan Stanley Broker” means a broker-dealer affiliated with Morgan Stanley.

“Morgan Stanley Investment Management” or “MSIM” means the companies and businesses comprising Morgan Stanley’s Investment Management Division, but not including the Private Side. See Schedule B for a list of those legal entities that comprise MSIM for purposes of the Code.

“Morgan Stanley securities” means equity, preferred and debt securities issued by Morgan Stanley, but excludes structured products, such as equity-linked or credit- linked notes.

“Mutual Funds” means (i) all open-end mutual funds; and (ii) similar pooled investment vehicles established in non-U.S. jurisdictions, such as registered investment trusts in Japan. For purposes of the Code, Mutual Fund does not include shares of open-end money market mutual funds (unless otherwise advised by Compliance).

“Outside Activity” means any organized or business activity conducted by an Employee outside of MSIM. This includes, but is not limited to, participation on a board of directors or advisory board, including that of a charitable organization, working part-time outside of MSIM, establishing a holding company for investments, establishing an LLC that invests in rental properties, or forming a limited partnership.

“Portfolio Managers” means Employees who are primarily responsible for the day-to-day management of a Client portfolio.

“Private Investment” means a securities offering that is exempt from registration under certain provisions of the U.S. securities laws and/or similar laws of non-U.S. jurisdictions. It includes investments in hedge funds, private equity funds, limited partnerships, real estate, peer to peer lending clubs and private businesses.

“Proprietary or Sub-advised Mutual Fund means any open-end Mutual Fund for which MSIM acts as investment adviser or sub-adviser.

“Research Analysts” are Employees who are assigned to make investment recommendations to, or for the benefit of, any Client portfolio.

 

  E. Grounds for Disqualification from Employment

Pursuant to the terms of Section 9 of the Advisers Act, no director, officer or employee of MSIM may become, or continue to remain, an officer, director or employee of MSIM without an exemptive order issued by the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, if such director, officer or employee:

 

   

within the past ten years has been convicted of any felony or misdemeanor (i) involving the purchase or sale of any security; or (ii) arising out of his or her conduct

 

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as an underwriter, broker, dealer, investment adviser, municipal securities dealer, government securities broker, government securities dealer, transfer agent, or entity or person required to be registered under the U.S. Commodity Exchange Act, or as an affiliated person, salesman or employee of any investment company, bank, insurance company or entity or person required to be registered under the U.S. Commodity Exchange Act; or

 

    is or becomes permanently or temporarily enjoined by any court from: (i) acting as an underwriter, broker, dealer, investment adviser, municipal securities dealer, government securities broker, government securities dealer, transfer agent, or entity or person required to be registered under the U.S. Commodity Exchange Act, or as an affiliated person, salesman or employee of any investment company, bank, insurance company or entity or person required to be registered under the U.S. Commodity Exchange Act; or (ii) engaging in or continuing any conduct or practice in connection with any such activity or in connection with the purchase or sale of any security.

You are obligated to immediately report any conviction or injunction described here to Compliance.

 

II. TYPES OF ACCOUNTS/ACCOUNT OPENING REQUIREMENTS

 

  A. Employee Securities Accounts

Generally, you must maintain all Employee Securities Accounts that may invest in Covered Securities at a Morgan Stanley Broker or a Firm-approved third party broker. Requirements may vary in non-U.S. offices. New Employees or newly designated Covered Persons must transfer their Employee Securities Account(s) to a Morgan Stanley Broker/Firm-approved third party broker as applicable in non-US jurisdictions, at their own expense, as soon as practicable (generally within 60 days of becoming a Covered Person). Failure to do so is considered a significant violation of this Code.

Opening a Morgan Stanley Brokerage Account. When opening an account, you must notify the Morgan Stanley Broker that you are an Employee and that your account must be coded as an employee or employee-related account.

 

  B. Fully Managed Account*

You may open a Fully Managed Account if the account meets the standards set forth below. In certain circumstances and with approval from Compliance, you may appoint non-Morgan Stanley managers (e.g., trust companies, banks or registered investment advisers) to manage your account.

In order to establish a Fully Managed Account, you must grant the manager complete investment discretion over your account. Pre-clearance is not required for trades in this account; however, you may not participate, directly or indirectly, in individual investment decisions or be made aware of such decisions before transactions are executed. This restriction does not preclude you from establishing investment guidelines for the

 

8


manager, such as indicating industries in which you desire to invest, the types of securities you want to purchase or your overall investment objectives. However, those guidelines may not be changed so frequently as to give the appearance that you are actually directing account investments. To the extent that you become aware of a proposed transaction by the manager in these types of accounts or have personally directed or asked another person to direct trades in these accounts, you are required to pre-clear the transaction prior to execution of the trade by the manager. If the account is managed by a Firm other than Morgan Stanley, you must submit a request in the Outside Business Interests System (the “OBI System”) and arrange for duplicate copies of trade confirmations and statements to be sent to Compliance.

Annually, employees will be required to attest that they have not made, directly or indirectly, any individual investment decision related to such managed account(s), nor have they directed another person to make such investments without first pre-clearing those transactions in accordance with Section III.

 

* Pursuant to local regulation, employees of MSIM Private Limited and IM Public Side employees of the Global In-house Centers as listed in Schedule B are prohibited from opening fully managed accounts.

 

  C. Other Morgan Stanley Accounts

Employee Stock Purchase Plan (ESPP) (no new contributions)

Employee Stock Ownership Plan (ESOP)

Employee Incentive Compensation Plan (EICP)

Morgan Stanley Compensation Incentive Program (MSCIP)

Morgan Stanley 401(k) (401(k) Plan)

You do not have to pre-clear participation in the ESOP, EICP MSCIP or 401(k) Plan with Compliance. However, you must disclose participation in any of these plans as part of the quarterly reporting process upon initial participation, and in annual certifications.

 

  D. Non-Morgan Stanley Accounts

Exceptions to the requirement to maintain Employee Securities Accounts at a Morgan Stanley Broker are rare and require Compliance approval. If your request is approved, you will be required to ensure that duplicate confirmations and statements are sent to Compliance. Requirements may vary in non-U.S. offices.

If you open an outside account without obtaining the required Compliance pre-approval, you must immediately disclose it to Compliance. You may be required to close such account.

Maintaining a non-Morgan Stanley 401(k) plan or similar account that permits you to trade covered securities must be approved by Compliance.

 

9


  E. Individual Savings Accounts (“ISAs”) for employees of MSIM Ltd.

Fully Managed ISAs (i.e., an independent manager makes the investment decisions) may be established and maintained without the prior approval of Compliance, provided that you exercise no influence or control on stock selection or other investment decisions. Non-discretionary ISAs (including single company ISAs), where you make investment decisions, may only be established and maintained as long as the account is pre-approved by Compliance, duplicate statements are supplied to Compliance and applicable reporting requirements are met. Once a Fully Managed ISA is established, it must be disclosed to Compliance in the OBI System.

 

  F. Mutual Fund Accounts

You may open an account for the purpose of transacting in open-end Mutual Funds, including Sub-Advised and Proprietary Mutual Funds (i.e., an account directly with a fund transfer agent) without prior approval from Compliance; however, these accounts are subject to reporting requirements of the Code and should be reported via the Reportable Accounts Disclosure System.

 

  G. Issuer Purchase Plans

You may open an account directly with an issuer to purchase its shares, such as a dividend reinvestment plan, or “DRIP,” by submitting the DRIP Form to your local Compliance group and pre-clearing the initial purchase and any sales. You must also report DRIP holdings to Compliance as part of the annual certification process.

 

  H. Investment Clubs

You may not participate in or solicit transactions on behalf of investment clubs in which members pool their funds to make investments in securities or other financial products.

 

  I. 529 Plans

You do not have to obtain approval from Compliance to participate in a 529 plan; however, these plans should be reported via the Reportable Accounts Disclosure System.

 

III. TRADE PRE-CLEARANCE/RESTRICTIONS

 

  A. General

You are required to pre-clear all personal securities transactions in Covered Securities, other than transactions in Proprietary or Sub-advised Mutual Funds. Transactions involving Exempt Securities, including Proprietary and Sub-Advised Mutual Funds, do not require pre-clearance. Should an employee be made aware of a proposed transaction in a Fully Managed account or have personally directed, or asked another person to direct a trade in a Fully Managed account, the employee is required to pre-clear that trade prior to execution. See the Securities Transaction Matrix attached as Schedule A for additional information about when pre-clearance is required. In keeping with the general principles and objectives of the Code, Compliance, in its sole discretion, may refuse to grant approval of a personal securities transaction, without specifying a reason for the refusal.

 

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Personal trade requests will be denied if there is an open order for any Client in the same security or related security at the time the personal trade request is submitted. Exceptions are granted if the Covered Security is being purchased or sold for a passively-managed index fund or index portfolio.

Any transaction that is prohibited by the Code may be required to be reversed and any profits (or any differential between the sale price of the personal security transaction and the subsequent purchase or sale price by a Client during the relevant period) subject to disgorgement. See “Enforcement and Sanctions” below.

 

  B. Initiating a Transaction

Pre-clearance is obtained by entering your trade request into the Trade Pre-Clearance system (type “TPC” into your intranet browser). Upon completion of the necessary checks, Compliance will notify you promptly regarding your request, generally on the same business day.

 

  C. Pre-Clearance Valid for One Day Only

If your trade request is approved, such approval is valid only for the day on which it is granted. Any transaction not completed on that day will require a new approval. This means that open orders, such as limit orders and stop-loss orders, must be pre-cleared each day until the transaction is effected. 5

 

  D. Restrictions and Requirements for Portfolio Managers and Investment Personnel

No purchase or sale transaction may be made in any Covered Security or a related investment (i.e., derivatives) by a Portfolio Manager for a period of seven calendar days before or seven calendar days after the Portfolio Manager purchases or sells the security on behalf of a Client. A Portfolio Manager may request an exception from the blackout period if the Covered Security was traded for an index fund or index portfolio.

Investment Personnel who have knowledge of a Portfolio Manager’s trading activity are subject to the same seven day blackout period. Investment Personnel must obtain approval from their manager or his/her designee prior to obtaining pre-clearance by Compliance.

 

  E. Employees Designated to be “Above the Wall”

Employees in the MSIM Legal and Compliance Division and the MSIM Global Risk & Analysis are designated to be “Above the Wall” (“ATW”) and their personal securities transactions are subject to additional pre-clearance checks with the Control Group. Other employees may also be subject to the ATW checks as deemed necessary by Compliance.

 

 

5  In the case of trades in international markets where the market has already closed, transactions must be executed by the next close of trading in that market.

 

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  F. Transacting in Morgan Stanley Securities

Transacting in, including the gifting of, Morgan Stanley securities must take place during designated window periods. Consult MS Today for the window period announcement prior to trading. Except as noted below for Access Persons, if you are transacting in Morgan Stanley securities through a brokerage account, you are not required to pre-clear the transaction with Compliance. Similarly, you do not have to pre-clear transactions in Morgan Stanley securities sold out of your EICP, ESOP, ESPP or 401(k) Plan. All other holding and reporting requirements for Covered Securities still apply.

As noted above, transactions in Morgan Stanley securities effected by MSIMJ employees are subject to a six month holding period.

Additional Restrictions for Access Persons Transacting in Morgan Stanley Securities. All transactions in Morgan Stanley securities must occur during the designated 30-day open window period each quarter. Compliance communicates the open and closed window periods applicable to Access Persons each quarter. During an open window period, Access Persons are required to pre-clear transactions in Morgan Stanley securities through TPC. This includes transactions made in the Morgan Stanley stock fund of the 401(k) Plan or shares held externally from previous Firm-sponsored plans (e.g., Computershare, Equiniti).

Positions in Morgan Stanley securities must be held for a minimum of 30 calendar days. A six-month holding period applies to the Firm’s Management and Operating Committee members for positions in Morgan Stanley securities. Shares received as part of equity-based compensation are exempt from the holding period requirements. You are prohibited from buying or selling Morgan Stanley securities if you are in possession of material, non-public information regarding Morgan Stanley.

 

  G. Trading Derivatives

You may not trade futures, forward contracts, including currency forwards, physical commodities and related derivatives, over-the-counter warrants or swaps. You are prohibited from selling (“writing”) a put. The following is a list of permitted options trading:

Call Options

Listed Call Options. You may purchase a listed call option if the call option has a “period to expiration” of at least 30 days from the date of purchase and you hold the call option for at least 30 days prior to sale. If you choose to exercise the option, you must also hold the underlying security delivered pursuant to the exercise for 30 days.

Covered Calls. You may also sell (or “write”) a call option only if you have held the underlying security (in the corresponding amount) for at least 30 days.

 

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Put Options

Listed Put Options. You may purchase a listed put option if the put option has a “period to expiration” of at least 30 days from the date of purchase and you hold the put option for at least 30 days prior to sale. If you purchase a put option on a security you already own, you may exercise the put once you have held the underlying security for 30 days. If you purchase a put on a security that you do not own, you may not exercise the put; and must sell the option prior to its expiration date.

You must obtain pre-clearance from Compliance to exercise an option or purchase or sell an option.

 

  H. Other Restrictions

Primary and Secondary Public Offerings. You and your Employee Securities Account(s) are generally prohibited from purchasing any equity security in an initial or secondary/follow on public offering. In addition, unless otherwise notified by Compliance, you may not purchase an equity security that is part of a primary or secondary public offering that the Firm is underwriting or selling until the distribution has been completed. Accordingly, you must consult Compliance prior to purchasing an equity security in a primary or secondary public offering to determine whether any restrictions apply. This restriction does not apply to rights issuances to which Employee Securities Accounts would be entitled with regard to their existing holdings. Note that this restriction also applies to your immediate family, regardless of whether the securities are purchased into an Employee Securities Account.

Purchases of new issue debt are permitted, provided such purchases are pre-cleared by Compliance and meet other relevant requirements of the Code.

Short Sales. You may not engage in short selling of Covered Securities.

Restricted List. You may not transact in Covered Securities that appear on the Firmwide Restricted List. Please check the Restricted List at the time of submitting a TPC request. Additionally, Compliance will also check the Restricted List as part of the pre-clearance process.

 

  I. Other Activities Requiring Pre-Clearance

The following activities also require pre-clearance:

 

    Outside Activities

 

    Transactions in Private Investments

 

    Political Contributions

 

  J. Additional Large Trading Clearance for Employees in Japan

Employees in Japan must obtain additional pre-approval from either the Head of Japan Legal or Japan Legal Chief Operating Officer prior to entering any trade in excess of the Threshold (USD500, 000 or its currency equivalent) in relation to Securities.

 

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IV. HOLDING REQUIREMENTS AND REPURCHASE LIMITATIONS

 

  A. Proprietary and Sub-advised Mutual Funds

You may not redeem or exchange Proprietary or Sub-Advised Mutual Funds until at least 30 calendar days from the purchase trade date.

 

  B. Covered Securities

You may not sell a Covered Security until you have held it for at least 30 days. If you sell a Covered Security, you may not repurchase the same security for at least 30 days.

 

  C. Holding Requirements Specific to MSIMJ Employees

When selling equity and equity-linked notes, Covered Persons at MSIMJ must hold such instruments for at least six months; however, Compliance may grant an exception if the instruments are held for at least 30 calendar days from the date of purchase. This includes transactions in Morgan Stanley securities.

 

V. REPORTING REQUIREMENTS

 

  A. Initial Reporting and Certification

When you commence employment with MSIM or otherwise become a Covered Person, you must provide an Initial Disclosure Form (the “Initial Report”) to Compliance no later than 10 days after you become a Covered Person. The information you provide must not be more than 45 days old from the day you became a Covered Person and must include:

 

    the title and type, and, as applicable, the exchange ticker symbol or CUSIP number, number of shares and principal amount of any Covered Security;

 

    the name of any broker-dealer, bank or financial institution where you maintain an account in which any securities are held;

 

    any Outside Activities; and

 

    the date you submitted the Initial Report.

All new Covered Persons will receive training on the principles and procedures of the Code. As a Covered Person, you must also certify that you have read, understand and agree to abide by the terms of the Code. If you have any questions, contact your local Compliance group.

 

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  B. Quarterly Reporting and Certification

You must submit a Quarterly Transaction Report to Compliance no later than 30 calendar days after the end of each calendar quarter, or in accordance with regulatory requirements applicable to your region. The Quarterly Report must contain the information set forth below.

 

    For transactions in an Employee Security Account during the previous quarter you must provide:

 

    the date of the transaction, the title, and, as applicable, the exchange ticker symbol or CUSIP number, interest rate and maturity date, number of shares and principal amount of any Covered Security;

 

    the nature of the transaction (i.e. purchase, sale or other type of acquisition or disposition);

 

    the price of the security at which the transaction was effected;

 

    the name of the broker-dealer or bank with or through which the transaction was effected; and

 

    the date you submitted the Quarterly Report.

You do not have to submit a Quarterly Transaction Report if it would duplicate information provided in broker trade confirmations or account statements that Compliance already receives or may access.

 

    For any new account established by you during the previous quarter in which any securities are held for your direct or indirect benefit, you must provide:

 

    the name of the broker-dealer, bank or financial institution with which you established the account;

 

    the date the account was established; and

 

    the date you submitted the Quarterly Transaction Report.

A reminder to complete the Quarterly Transaction Report will be provided to you by Compliance.

 

  C. Annual Reporting and Certification

You must update, as applicable, and certify to the following information on an annual basis (the “Annual Report”):

 

    a list of your current Morgan Stanley brokerage account(s);

 

    a list of all securities and principal amount beneficially owned by you in these account(s);

 

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    a list of all your approved Outside Activities, including non-Morgan Stanley brokerage accounts, Private Investments and Outside Activities;

 

    a list of all other investments you hold outside of Morgan Stanley (such as DRIPs, other 401(k) accounts and any securities held in certificate form);

 

    a list of broker-dealers, banks or financial institutions with which you maintain an account in which any securities are held; and

 

    that you have not made, directly or indirectly, any individual investment decision related to such managed account(s), nor have you directed another person to make such investments without first pre-clearing those transactions in accordance with Section III.

The information in the Annual Report must not be more than 45 days old from the day you submit it to Compliance. You must also certify that you have read and agree to abide by the requirements of the Code and that you are in compliance with the Code.

The link to the Annual Report will be provided to you by Compliance.

 

VI. OUTSIDE ACTIVITIES AND PRIVATE INVESTMENTS

 

  A. Approval to Engage in an Outside Activity

You may not engage in any Outside Activity, regardless of whether or not you receive compensation or are asked to engage in such activity by the Firm, without prior approval from Compliance. If you receive approval, it is your responsibility to notify Compliance immediately if any conflict or potential conflict of interest arises in the course of the Outside Activity. In addition, and as part of the Annual Certification of Employees, you are required to review/edit each disclosure for completeness and accuracy.

Examples of an Outside Activity include providing consulting services, organizing a company, giving a formal lecture or publishing a book or article, accepting compensation from any person or organization other than the Firm, serving as an officer, employee, director, partner, member, or advisory board member of a company or organization not affiliated with the Firm, whether or not related to the financial services industry (including charitable organizations or activities for which you do not receive compensation), setting up a holding company for investments or investing in rental properties. For U.S. registered Employees only, real estate investments that generate rental income require disclosure in the OBI System, unless the property is also used by the Employee as a primary, secondary or vacation residence. Generally, Compliance will not approve any Outside Activity related to the securities or financial services industry other than activities that reflect the interests of the industry as a whole and that are not in competition with those of the Firm.

In the case of Employees of Morgan Stanley AIP GP LP (“AIP”), where serving on an advisory board for a company in which AIP invests is part of the Employee’s roles and

 

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responsibilities as an Employee of AIP, such service shall not be considered an Outside Activity and approval via the OBI System is not required. The relevant senior business managers are responsible for approving Employees to serve on advisory boards, documenting such approvals, maintaining a list of such Employees, and reviewing the list in consultation with the relevant Compliance officers at least annually.

A request to serve on the board of any company, particularly the board of a public company, will be granted in very limited instances only. If you receive approval, your directorship may be subject to the implementation of information barrier procedures to isolate you from making investment decisions for Clients concerning the company in question, as applicable.

 

  B. Approval to Invest in a Private Investment

You may not invest in a Private Investment of any kind without prior approval from Compliance. Private Investments include investments in privately held corporations, limited partnerships, tax shelter programs, hedge funds (including those sponsored by Morgan Stanley or its affiliates), and holding companies (i.e. LLC, LP, S-Corp, C-Corp, etc.).

 

  C. Pre-Clearance Process

You may request pre-clearance of Outside Activities and Private Investments by typing “OBI” into your intranet browser.

 

VII. CONSULTANTS AND TEMPORARY WORKERS

Consultants and other temporary workers who fall under the definition of a Covered Person by virtue of their duties and responsibilities with MSIM must adhere to the following:

 

    Initial, quarterly and annual reporting;

 

    Provision of duplicate trade confirmations and account statements to Compliance for transactions in any Covered Security;

 

    Prohibition against participating in any IPOs;

 

    Pre-clearance of Outside Activities and Private Investments.

Certain Consultants or temporary workers may be required to pre-clear all personal securities transactions in Covered Securities. Consultants or temporary workers that are hired for positions lasting more than one year or are otherwise classified as a Covered Person by their assignment contacts/managers or Complinace are required to transfer brokerage accounts to a Morgan Stanley Broker or Firm approved third party broker as applicable to the respective jurisdiction.

 

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VIII. REVIEW, INTERPRETATIONS AND EXCEPTIONS

 

     Compliance is responsible for administering the Code and reviewing your Initial, Quarterly and Annual Reports. Compliance has the authority to make final decisions regarding Code policies and may grant an exception to a policy as long as it determines that no abuse or potential abuse is involved. Exceptions are granted only in rare and unusual circumstances, such as financial hardship. You must contact Compliance with any questions regarding the applicability, meaning or administration of the Code, including requests for an exception, in advance of any contemplated transaction.

 

IX. ENFORCEMENT AND SANCTIONS

 

     Violations of the Code are reported to the Head of MSIM Compliance and senior management and, on a quarterly basis, to the applicable funds’ board of directors. We may issue letters of warning/education or impose sanctions as appropriate, including notifying your manager, issuing a reprimand (orally or in writing), restricting your trading privileges, reducing your discretionary bonus, if any, requiring reversal of a trade made in violation of the Code or other applicable policies, or taking other disciplinary action, including, but not limited to, suspension or termination of your employment. Violations are considered on a cumulative basis. The foregoing sanctions are intended to be guidelines only. Compliance, in its discretion, may recommend alternative actions if deemed warranted by the facts and circumstances of each situation. MSIM management, including the Head of MSIM Compliance, is authorized to determine the choice of actions to be taken in specific cases.

 

     Sanctions may vary based on applicable law and regulatory requirements in your jurisdiction.

 

X. RELATED POLICIES

 

     In addition to this Code, you are also subject to the policies and procedures documented in the Compliance Manual applicable to your region; the Global Employee Trading and Investing Policy; the Morgan Stanley Code of Conduct; the Global Confidential and Material Non-Public Information Policy; the Policy on U.S. Political Contributions and Activities; the Global Outside Activities Policy; and the IM Global Gifts, Entertainment and Charitable Giving Policy (requirements may vary in non-U.S. offices).

 

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SCHEDULE A

SECURITIES TRANSACTION MATRIX

 

TYPE OF SECURITY

  

Pre-Clearance
Required

(via TPC)

  

Reporting

Required

  

Holding

Period

Required

Covered Securities         
Pooled Investment Vehicles:         
Closed-End Funds    Yes    Yes    Yes
Open-End Mutual Funds advised by MSIM    No    Yes    Yes
Open-End Mutual Funds sub-advised by MSIM    No    Yes    No
Unit Investment Trusts    No    Yes    No
Exchange Traded Funds (ETFs)    Yes    Yes    Yes
Exchange Traded Notes (ETNs)    Yes    Yes    Yes
Equities:         
Morgan Stanley securities6    No    Yes    Yes
Common Stocks    Yes    Yes    Yes
Listed depository receipts e.g. ADRs, ADSs, GDRs    Yes    Yes    Yes
DRIPs7    Yes    Yes    Yes
Stock Splits    No    Yes    Yes
Rights    Yes    Yes    Yes
Stock Dividend    No    Yes    Yes
Warrants (Listed and Exercised)    Yes    Yes    Yes
Preferred Stock    Yes    Yes    Yes
JREIT    Yes    Yes    Yes
Initial Public Offerings (equity IPOs)       PROHIBITED   
Hedge Funds    Yes    Yes    No
Private Investments in Public Equity Securities (PIPES)       PROHIBITED   
Derivatives         
Morgan Stanley (stock options)    Yes    Yes    Yes
Common Stock Options    Yes    Yes    Yes
Spot FX    No    Yes    Yes
Forward Contracts (including currency forwards)       PROHIBITED   
Commodities       PROHIBITED   
OTC warrants or swaps       PROHIBITED   
Futures       PROHIBITED   

 

 

6  Employees may transact in Morgan Stanley securities during designated window periods. In addition, the pre-clearance of transactions in Morgan Stanley securities is required for all Access Persons.
7  Automatic purchases for dividend reinvestment plan are not subject to pre-approval requirements.

 

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TYPE OF SECURITY

  

Pre-Clearance
Required

(via TPC)

  

Reporting

Required

  

Holding

Period

Required

Fixed Income Instruments:         
Fannie Mae    Yes    Yes    Yes
Freddie Mac    Yes    Yes    Yes
Corporate Bonds    Yes    Yes    Yes
Convertible Bonds (converted)    Yes    Yes    Yes
Municipal Bonds    Yes    Yes    Yes
New Issues (fixed income)    Yes    Yes    Yes
High Yield Securities       PROHIBITED   
Private Investments (e.g. limited partnerships)    Yes    Yes    N/A
Private Investments and Outside Activities         
Private Investments (e.g., limited partnerships)    Yes (via OBI)    Yes    N/A
Outside Activities    Yes (via OBI)    Yes    N/A
Investment Clubs       PROHIBITED   
Exempt Securities
Mutual Funds (open-end) not advised or sub-advised by MSIM    No    Yes    No
US Treasury/Sovereign Debt8    No    Yes    No
CDs    No    Yes    No
Money Market Funds    No    Yes    No
GNMA    No    Yes    No
Commercial Paper    No    Yes    No
Bankers’ Acceptances    No    Yes    No
Investment Grade Short-Term Debt Instruments9    No    Yes    No

 

 

8  Sovereign debt securities rated AA or higher.
9  For these purposes, repurchase agreements and any instrument that has a maturity at issuance of fewer than 366 days that is rated as investment grade by a nationally recognized statistical rating organization.

 

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SCHEDULE B

INVESTMENT MANAGEMENT DIVISION

(excluding Private Side)

Registered Investment Advisers

Morgan Stanley Investment Management Inc.

Morgan Stanley AIP GP LP

Private Investment Partners, Inc.

Morgan Stanley Investment Management Limited (MSIM Ltd.)

Morgan Stanley Investment Management Company (Singapore)

Morgan Stanley Investment Management (Japan) Co., Ltd. (MSIMJ)

Registered Commodity Pool Operator/Commodity Trading Advisor

Ceres Managed Futures LLC

Investment Advisers that are not Registered

Morgan Stanley Investment Management Private Limited (MSIM Private Limited)

Morgan Stanley Investment Management (Australia) Pty Limited

Broker-Dealer

Morgan Stanley Distribution Inc.

Transfer Agent

Morgan Stanley Services Company Inc.

Global In-house Center (India)

Morgan Stanley Advantage Services Pvt. Ltd. (with respect to Public Side Investment Management Employees only)

Morgan Stanley Solutions India Pvt. Ltd. (with respect to Investment Management Public Side Employees only)

 

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