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EQ/AB Dynamic Aggressive Growth Portfolio
EQ/AB Dynamic Aggressive Growth Portfolio – Class IB and K Shares
Investment Objective:
Seeks to achieve total return from long-term growth of capital and income, with a greater emphasis on growth of capital.
FEES AND EXPENSES OF THE PORTFOLIO
The following table describes the fees and expenses that you may pay if you buy, hold, and sell 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 - EQ/AB Dynamic Aggressive Growth 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 Fund Operating Expenses - EQ/AB Dynamic Aggressive Growth Portfolio
Class IB Shares
Class K Shares
Management Fee 0.75% 0.75%
Distribution and/or Service Fees (12b-1 fees) 0.25% none
Other Expenses 0.18% 0.18% [1]
Acquired Fund Fees and Expenses 0.09% 0.09% [1]
Total Annual Portfolio Operating Expenses 1.27% 1.02%
Fee Waiver and/or Expense Reimbursement [2] (0.07%) (0.07%)
Total Annual Portfolio Operating Expenses After Fee Waiver and/or Expense Reimbursement 1.20% 0.95%
[1] Based on estimated amounts for the current fiscal year.
[2] Pursuant to a contract, Equitable Investment Management Group, LLC (the “Adviser”) has agreed to make payments or waive its management, administrative and other fees to limit the expenses of the Portfolio through April 30, 2022 (unless the Board of Trustees consents to an earlier revision or termination of this arrangement) (“Expense Limitation Arrangement”) so that the annual operating expenses (including Acquired Fund Fees and Expenses) of the Portfolio (exclusive of taxes, interest, brokerage commissions, dividend and interest expenses on securities sold short, capitalized expenses and extraordinary expenses not incurred in the ordinary course of the Portfolio’s business) do not exceed an annual rate of average daily net assets of 1.20% for Class IB shares and 0.95% for Class K shares of the Portfolio. The Expense Limitation Arrangement may be terminated by the Adviser at any time after April 30, 2022. The Adviser may be reimbursed the amount of any such payments or waivers made after June 30, 2020, in the future provided that the payments or waivers are reimbursed within three years of the payments or waivers being recorded and the Portfolio’s expense ratio, after the reimbursement is taken into account, does not exceed the Portfolio’s expense cap at the time of the waiver or the Portfolio’s expense cap at the time of the reimbursement, whichever is lower.
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 $10,000 in the Portfolio for the periods indicated, that your investment has a 5% return each year, that the Portfolio’s operating expenses remain the same, and that the Expense Limitation Arrangement is not renewed. This Example does not reflect any Contract-related fees and expenses including redemption fees (if any) at the Contract level. If such fees and expenses were reflected, the total expenses would be higher. Although your actual costs may be higher or lower, based on these assumptions, whether you redeem or hold your shares, your costs would be:
Expense Example - EQ/AB Dynamic Aggressive Growth Portfolio - USD ($)
1 Year
3 Years
5 Years
10 Years
Class IB Shares 122 396 690 1,528
Class K Shares 97 318 556 1,241
Expense Example, No Redemption - EQ/AB Dynamic Aggressive Growth Portfolio - USD ($)
1 Year
3 Years
5 Years
10 Years
Class IB Shares 122 396 690 1,528
Class K Shares 97 318 556 1,241
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. During the most recent fiscal year, the Portfolio’s portfolio turnover rate was 22% of the average value of the Portfolio.
INVESTMENTS, RISKS, AND PERFORMANCEPrincipal Investment Strategy:
Under normal conditions, the Portfolio will invest in a diversified range of
securities
and other financial instruments, including derivatives, that provide investment exposure to a variety of asset classes. These asset classes may include: equity securities and fixed income instruments of issuers located
within
and outside the United States, and currencies. By adjusting investment exposure among the various asset classes in the Portfolio, the Sub-Adviser will attempt to reduce overall portfolio volatility and mitigate the effects of extreme market environments, without sacrificing long-term returns. The Portfolio may gain or adjust exposure to each asset class either through transactions in individual securities or through other instruments, including derivatives.
 
The Portfolio’s equity investments will be allocated among discrete portions of the Portfolio that will invest in securities included in the Standard & Poor’s 500
®
Composite Stock Index (“S&P 500 Index”), Standard & Poor’s MidCap 400
®
Index (“S&P MidCap 400 Index”), Russell 2000
®
Index (“Russell 2000 Index”), MSCI EAFE Index, FTSE 100 Index, TOPIX Index, DJ EuroSTOXX 50 Index, and S&P/ASX 200 Index, respectively, and in other securities and instruments, such as derivatives, that provide exposure to these indexes. The Portfolio will invest in these securities and other instruments in a manner that is intended to track the performance
(before fees and expenses) of the relevant index. As of December 31, 2020, the market capitalization of companies in the S&P 500 Index, which consists of common stocks of 500 of the largest U.S. companies, ranged from $4.1 billion to $2.2 trillion; in the S&P MidCap 400 Index, which consists of 400 domestic stocks chosen for market size, liquidity, and industry group representation, from $1.4 billion to $25.7 billion; in the Russell 2000 Index, which tracks the performance of approximately 2000 of the smallest companies in the Russell 3000
®
Index, from $44.7 million to $25.8 billion; in the MSCI EAFE Index, which measures the equity market performance of developed markets, excluding the U.S. and Canada, from $3.2 billion to $340.9 billion (approximately 918 constituents); in the FTSE 100 Index, which represents the performance of the 100 largest UK-domiciled blue chip companies, from $5.5 billion to $157.2 billion; in the TOPIX Index, which comprises all companies listed on the First Section of the Tokyo Stock Exchange, from $18.0 million to $250.7 billion (approximately 2080 constituents); in the DJ EuroSTOXX 50 Index, which represents the performance of the 50 largest companies in 11 Eurozone countries, from $21.8 billion to $317.1 billion; and in the S&P/ASX 200 Index, which represents the 200 largest and most liquid publicly listed companies in Australia, from $545.6 million to $151.9 billion. Each of these indices is weighted by market capitalization. The Sub-Adviser may allocate the Portfolio’s investments among these indices based on its assessment of risk in the equity markets relative to potential return. In addition, the Portfolio may obtain equity exposure by investing in preferred stocks, warrants and convertible securities of domestic and foreign issuers, including sponsored or unsponsored American Depositary Receipts (“ADRs”) and Global Depositary Receipts (“GDRs”).
 
The Portfolio’s fixed income investments will consist primarily of investments in securities included in the Bloomberg Barclays U.S. Intermediate Government Bond Index and in other securities and instruments, such as derivatives, that provide exposure to this index. The Portfolio will invest in these securities and other instruments in a manner that is intended to track the performance (before fees and expenses) of this index. The Bloomberg Barclays U.S. Intermediate Government Bond Index is an unmanaged index that measures the performance of securities consisting of all U.S. Treasury and agency securities with remaining maturities of from one to ten years and issue amounts of at least $250 million outstanding, which may include zero-coupon securities.
 
The Portfolio uses a strategy that is commonly referred to as an indexing strategy. The Portfolio may use a replication technique or sampling approach to execute its indexing strategy. Circumstances under which the Sub-Adviser may use a sampling approach to execute the indexing strategy include when there are practical difficulties or substantial costs involved in compiling a portfolio of securities to track the performance (before fees and expenses) of the relevant index; where the relevant index contains component securities too numerous to purchase or sell efficiently; or in instances when a component security becomes temporarily illiquid, unavailable, or less liquid. The quantity of holdings in the Portfolio will be based on a number of factors, including the asset size of the Portfolio. Each index sponsor has its own method for periodically rebalancing the index by adding, removing or rebalancing the index components to take into account market changes.
 
The Sub-Adviser will manage the Portfolio using a Dynamic Asset Allocation strategy, which involves making short-term adjustments to the Portfolio’s asset mix based on proprietary research on various risk and return factors. The approach seeks to minimize the effects of adverse equity market conditions, mitigate both extreme losses and outsized gains, and improve returns through lower volatility. Under normal market conditions, it is expected that the Portfolio’s asset allocation will be approximately 80% in equity securities (or financial instruments that provide investment exposure to such securities) and approximately 20% in fixed income securities (or financial instruments that provide investment exposure to such securities). The Portfolio’s equity investments may range from 0% to 90% of the Portfolio’s net assets depending on volatility. Likewise, the Portfolio’s fixed income investments may range from 10% to 100% of the Portfolio’s net assets depending on volatility. However, under normal market conditions the Portfolio’s net allocation to equity or fixed income securities will not increase or decrease by more than 7.5% of net assets in a day. When the Sub-Adviser determines that the risks in the equity markets have risen disproportionately to potential returns, the Portfolio will seek to reduce its equity exposure through the use of derivatives and investments in bonds or other fixed income securities, currencies and other financial instruments, or by reducing investments in equity securities. Volatility management techniques may reduce potential losses and/or mitigate financial risks to insurance companies that provide certain benefits and guarantees available under the Contracts and offer the Portfolio as an investment option in their products.
 
In implementing the Dynamic Asset Allocation strategy, the Sub-Adviser may invest in derivatives, including futures, forwards and options, and other instruments rather than investing directly in equity or fixed income securities. These derivatives and other instruments may be used for a variety of purposes, including to reduce risk, to seek enhanced returns from certain asset classes and to leverage the Portfolio’s exposure to certain asset classes. The Portfolio may use index futures, for example, to gain broad exposure to a particular segment of the market, while buying representative securities to achieve exposure to another. The Sub-Adviser will choose in each case based on considerations of cost and efficiency of access to the desired investment exposure. It is anticipated that the Portfolio’s derivative instruments will consist primarily of exchange-traded futures and options contracts on securities and securities indices, but the Portfolio also may utilize
other types of derivatives. Similarly, when the Sub-Adviser decides to reduce (or eliminate) the
Portfolio’s
exposure to equity markets, the Sub-Adviser may choose to do so directly through securities transactions or indirectly through derivatives transactions.
 
The Portfolio may invest in derivatives to the extent permitted by applicable law. It is anticipated that the Portfolio’s use of derivatives will be consistent with its overall investment strategy of obtaining and managing exposure to various asset classes. Because the Sub-Adviser will use derivatives to manage the Portfolio’s exposure to different asset classes, the Portfolio’s use of derivatives may be substantial. 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. In addition, the Portfolio’s investments in derivatives 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 significant percentage of its assets in cash and cash equivalent instruments, some of which may serve as margin or collateral for the Portfolio’s obligations under derivative transactions.
 
The Sub-Adviser also may use exchange-traded funds (“ETFs”) in seeking to carry out the Portfolio’s investment strategies. The Portfolio also may enter into foreign currency transactions for hedging and
non-hedging
purposes on a spot (
i.e.
, cash) basis or through the use of derivatives. The Portfolio also may invest its uninvested cash in high-quality, short-term debt securities, including high-quality money market instruments, and also may invest uninvested cash in money market funds, including money market funds managed by Equitable Investment Management Group, LLC, the Portfolio’s investment adviser.
 
The Portfolio also may lend its portfolio securities to earn additional income.
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. The value of your investment may fall, sometimes sharply, and you could lose money by investing in the Portfolio. There can be no assurance that the Portfolio will achieve its investment objective.
 
The following risks can negatively affect the Portfolio’s performance. The most significant risks as of the date of this Prospectus are listed first, followed by additional risks in alphabetical order.
 
Market Risk:
The Portfolio is subject to the risk that the securities markets will move down, sometimes rapidly and unpredictably, based on overall economic conditions and other factors, which may negatively affect Portfolio performance. Securities markets also may experience long periods of decline in value. Changes in the financial condition of a single issuer can impact a market as a whole. Geo-political risks, including terrorism, tensions or open conflict between nations, or political or economic dysfunction within some nations that are major players on the world stage, may lead to instability in world economies and markets, may lead to increased market volatility, and may have adverse long-term effects. Events such as natural disasters, public health crises (such as epidemics and pandemics) and social unrest, and governments’ reactions to such events, could cause uncertainty in the markets and may adversely affect the performance of the global economy. Adverse market conditions may not have the same impact on all types of securities. In addition, markets and market participants are increasingly reliant on information data systems. Inaccurate data, software or other technology malfunctions, programming inaccuracies, unauthorized use or access, and similar circumstances may impair the performance of these systems and may have an adverse impact upon a single issuer, a group of issuers, or the market at-large.
 
Asset Allocation Risk:
The Portfolio’s investment performance depends upon how its assets are allocated across various asset classes and how its assets are invested within those asset classes. Some asset classes and investments may perform below expectations or the securities markets generally over short and extended periods. The allocation strategies used and the allocation and investment decisions made could cause the Portfolio to lose value and may not produce the desired results.
 
Volatility Management Risk:
The Sub-Adviser from time to time may employ various volatility management techniques or make short-term adjustments to the Portfolio’s asset mix (such as by using ETFs or futures and options to manage equity exposure) in managing the Portfolio. Although these actions are intended to reduce the overall risk of investing in the Portfolio, they may not work as intended and may result in losses by the Portfolio or periods of underperformance, particularly during periods when market values are increasing but market volatility is high or when the Portfolio has reduced its equity exposure but market changes do not impact equity returns adversely to the extent predicted by the Sub-Adviser.
 
The result 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 result 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 in an efficient manner. In addition, market conditions change, sometimes rapidly and unpredictably, and the Sub-Adviser may be unable to execute the volatility management strategy in a timely manner or at all.
 
The Sub-Adviser uses proprietary modeling tools to implement the Portfolio’s volatility management strategy. If the proprietary modeling tools prove to be flawed or for other reasons do not produce the desired results, any decisions based on the modeling tools may expose the Portfolio to additional risks and losses. The use of modeling tools has inherent risks, and the success of using a modeling tool depends, among other things, on the accuracy and completeness of the tool’s development, implementation and maintenance; on the tool’s assumptions and methodologies; and on the accuracy and reliability of the inputs and output of the tool. The Sub-Adviser from time to time may make changes to its proprietary modeling tools that do not require shareholder notice.
 
Moreover, volatility management strategies may expose the Portfolio to costs, such as increased portfolio transaction costs, which could cause or increase losses or reduce gains. 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 other 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 substantial) 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, even during periods when the market is rising. Volatility management techniques, when implemented effectively to reduce the overall risk of investing in the Portfolio, may result in underperformance by the Portfolio. For example, if the Portfolio has reduced its overall exposure to equities to avoid losses in certain market environments, the Portfolio may forgo some of the returns that can be associated with periods of rising equity values. The Portfolio’s performance may be lower than the performance of similar funds where volatility management techniques are not used.
 
Equity Risk:
In general, the values of stocks and other equity securities 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.
 
Index Strategy Risk:
The Portfolio (or a portion thereof) employs an index strategy and generally will not modify its index strategy to respond to changes in market trends or the economy, which means that the Portfolio may be particularly susceptible to a general decline in the market segment relating to the relevant index. In addition, although the index strategy attempts to closely track the relevant index, the Portfolio may not invest in all of the securities in the index. Therefore, there can be no assurance that the performance of the index strategy will match that of the relevant index. To the extent the Portfolio utilizes a representative sampling approach, it may experience tracking error to a greater extent than if the Portfolio sought to replicate the index.
 
ETFs Risk:
The Portfolio’s shareholders will indirectly bear fees and expenses paid by the ETFs in which it invests, 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 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 or other investments 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. An index-based ETF’s performance may not match that of the index it seeks to track. An actively managed ETF’s performance will reflect its adviser’s ability to make investment decisions that are suited to achieving the ETF’s investment objective. 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 correlate 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.
 
Government Securities Risk:
Not all obligations of the U.S. government, its agencies and instrumentalities are backed by the full faith and credit of the U.S. government. Some obligations are backed only by the credit of the issuing agency or instrumentality, and, in some cases, there may be some risk of default by the issuer. Any guarantee by the U.S. government or its agencies or instrumentalities of a security the Portfolio holds does not apply to the market value of the security or to shares of the Portfolio. A security backed by the U.S. Treasury or the full faith and credit of the U.S. government is guaranteed only as to the timely payment of interest and principal when held to maturity.
 
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 the 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 investment manager’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 the 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.
 
Derivatives Risk:
The Portfolio’s investments in derivatives may rise or fall in value more rapidly than other investments and may reduce the Portfolio’s returns and increase the volatility of the Portfolio’s net asset value. Investing in derivatives involves investment techniques and risk analyses different from, and risks in some respects greater than, those associated with investing in more traditional investments, such as stocks and bonds. Derivatives may be leveraged such that a small investment can have a significant impact on the Portfolio’s exposure to stock market values, interest rates, or other investments. As a result, a relatively small price movement in a derivatives contract may cause an immediate and substantial loss, and the Portfolio could lose more than the amount it invested. Some derivatives can have the potential for unlimited losses. 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, or to terminate or offset existing arrangements, which may result in a loss or may be costly to the Portfolio. Some derivatives are more sensitive to market price fluctuations and to interest rate changes than other investments. Derivatives may not behave as anticipated by the Portfolio, and derivatives strategies that are successful under certain market conditions may be less successful or unsuccessful under other market conditions. The Portfolio also may be exposed to losses if the counterparty in the transaction is unable or unwilling to fulfill its contractual obligation. In certain cases, the Portfolio may be hindered or delayed in exercising remedies against or closing out derivatives with a counterparty, resulting in additional losses. Derivatives also may be subject to the risk of mispricing or improper valuation. Derivatives can be difficult to value, and valuation may be more difficult in times of market turmoil. Changing regulation may make derivatives more costly, limit their availability, impact the Portfolio’s ability to maintain its investments in derivatives, disrupt markets, or otherwise adversely affect their value or performance.
 
Leveraging Risk:
When the Portfolio leverages its holdings, the value of an investment in the Portfolio will be more volatile and all other risks will tend to be compounded. Investments that create leverage can result in losses to the Portfolio that exceed the amount originally invested and may accelerate the rate of losses (some of which may be sudden or substantial). For certain investments that create leverage, relatively small market fluctuations can result in large changes in the value of such investments. There can be no assurance that the Portfolio’s use of any leverage will be successful.
 
Credit Risk:
The Portfolio is subject to the risk that the issuer or guarantor of a fixed income security, or the counterparty to a transaction, is unable or unwilling, or is perceived as unable or unwilling, to make timely interest or principal payments, or otherwise honor its obligations, which may cause the Portfolio’s holdings to lose value. The downgrade of a security’s credit rating may decrease its value. Lower credit quality also may lead to greater volatility in the price of a security and may negatively affect a security’s liquidity. The credit quality of a security can deteriorate suddenly and rapidly.
 
Interest Rate Risk:
Changes in interest rates may affect the yield, liquidity and value of investments in income producing or debt securities. Changes in interest rates also may affect the value of other securities. When interest rates rise, the value of the Portfolio’s debt securities generally declines. Conversely, when interest rates decline, the value of the Portfolio’s debt securities generally rises. Typically, the longer the maturity or duration of a debt security, the greater the effect a change in interest rates could have on the security’s price. Thus, the sensitivity of the Portfolio’s debt securities to interest rate risk will increase with any increase in the duration of those securities. Very low or negative interest rates may magnify interest rate risk. A significant or rapid rise in interest rates also could result in losses to the Portfolio.
 
Portfolio Management Risk:
The Portfolio is subject to the risk that strategies used by an investment manager and its securities selections fail to produce the intended results. An investment manager’s judgments or decisions about the quality, relative yield or value of, or market trends affecting, a particular security or issuer, industry, sector, region or market segment, or about the economy or interest rates, may be incorrect or otherwise may not produce the intended results, which may result in losses to the Portfolio. In addition, many processes used in Portfolio management, including security selection, rely, in whole or in part, on the use of various technologies. The Portfolio may suffer losses if there are imperfections, errors or limitations in the quantitative, analytic or other tools, resources, information and data used, or the analyses employed or relied on, by an investment manager, or if such tools, resources, information or data are used incorrectly, fail to produce the desired results, or otherwise do not work as intended. There can be no assurance that the use of these technologies will result in effective investment decisions for the Portfolio.
 
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. In addition, the Portfolio may maintain cash and cash equivalent positions as part of the Portfolio’s strategy in order to take advantage of investment opportunities as they arise, to manage the Portfolio’s market exposure and for other portfolio management purposes. As such, the Portfolio may maintain cash balances, which may be significant, with counterparties such as the Trust’s custodian or its affiliates. Maintaining larger cash and cash equivalent positions could negatively affect the Portfolio’s performance due to missed investment opportunities and may also subject the Portfolio to additional risks, such as increased credit risk with respect to the custodian bank holding the assets and the risk that a counterparty may be unable or unwilling to honor its obligations.
 
Cash may be invested in institutional money market funds. An institutional money market fund does not maintain a stable $1.00 net asset value per share; rather the fund’s net asset value fluctuates with changes in the values of the securities in which the fund invests. An institutional money market fund may impose a fee upon the sale of fund shares or may temporarily suspend the ability to sell shares if the fund’s liquidity falls below required minimums because of market conditions or other factors.
 
Convertible Securities Risk:
A convertible security is a form of hybrid security; that is, a security with both debt and equity characteristics. The value of a convertible security fluctuates in relation to changes in interest rates and the credit quality of the issuer and also fluctuates in relation to changes in the price of the underlying common stock. A convertible security may be subject to redemption at the option of the issuer at a price established in the convertible security’s governing instrument, which may be less than the current market price of the security. If a convertible security held by the Portfolio is called for redemption, the Portfolio will be required to permit the issuer to redeem the security, convert it into underlying common stock or sell it to a third party. Convertible securities are subject to equity risk, interest rate risk, and credit risk and are often lower-quality securities. Lower quality may lead to greater volatility in the price of a security and may negatively affect a security’s liquidity. Since it derives a portion of its value from the common stock into which it may be converted, a convertible security is also subject to the same types of market and issuer-specific risks that apply to the underlying common stock.
 
Foreign Securities Risk:
Investments in foreign securities, including depositary receipts, involve risks in addition to those associated with investments in U.S. securities. Foreign markets may be less liquid, more volatile and subject to less government supervision and regulation than U.S. markets, and it may take more time to clear and settle trades involving foreign securities, which could negatively impact the Portfolio’s investments and cause it to lose money. 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, as well as trade barriers and other protectionist trade policies (including those of the U.S.), governmental instability, or other political or economic actions, also may adversely impact security values. World markets, or those in a particular region, may all react in similar fashion to important economic, political or other developments. Events and evolving conditions in certain economies or markets may alter the risks associated with investments tied to countries or regions that historically were perceived as comparatively stable and make such investments riskier and more volatile. Regardless of where a company is organized or its stock is traded, its performance may be significantly affected by events in regions from which it derives its profits or in which it conducts significant operations.
 
Currency Risk:
  Investments that are denominated in or that provide exposure to foreign currencies are subject to the risk that those currencies will decline in value relative to the U.S. dollar. Any such decline may erode or reverse any potential gains from an investment in securities denominated in foreign currency or may widen existing loss. In the case of hedging positions, there is the risk that the U.S. dollar will decline in value relative to the currency being hedged. Currency rates may fluctuate significantly over short periods of time.
 
European Economic Risk:
The economies of European Union (“EU”) member countries and their trading partners, as well as the broader global economy, may be adversely affected by changes in the euro’s exchange rate, changes in EU or governmental regulations on trade, and the threat of default or an actual default by an EU member country on its sovereign debt, which could negatively impact the Portfolio’s investments and cause it to lose money. The United Kingdom (“UK”) left the EU on January 31, 2020, commonly referred to as “Brexit.” Following a transition period, the UK’s post-Brexit trade agreement with the EU went into effect on January 1, 2021. The agreement governs the new relationship between the UK and the EU with respect to trading goods and services, but significant aspects of the relationship remain unsettled and subject to further negotiation and agreement. The political, regulatory, economic, and market consequences of Brexit are uncertain, and the ultimate ramifications may not be known for some time. The negative impact on not only the UK and European economies but also the broader global economy could be significant, potentially resulting in increased volatility and illiquidity, which could adversely affect the value of the Portfolio’s investments. Any further withdrawals from the EU could cause additional market disruption globally.
Geographic Concentration Risk:
To the extent the Portfolio 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, it 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.
 
Investment Grade Securities Risk:
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, are considered to lack outstanding investment characteristics, and may possess certain speculative 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, which may lead to a decline in their market price. 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.
 
Liquidity Risk:
From time to time, there may be little or no active trading market for a particular investment in which the Portfolio may invest or is invested. In such a market, the value of such an investment and the Portfolio’s share price may fall dramatically. Illiquid investments may be difficult or impossible to sell or purchase at an advantageous time or price or in sufficient amounts to achieve the Portfolio’s desired level of exposure. To meet redemption requests during periods of illiquidity, the Portfolio may be forced to dispose of investments at unfavorable times or prices and/or under unfavorable conditions, which may result in a loss or may be costly to the Portfolio. Investments that are illiquid or that trade in lower volumes may be more difficult to value. The Portfolio also may not receive its proceeds from the sale of certain investments for an extended period of time. Certain investments that were liquid when purchased may later become illiquid, sometimes abruptly, particularly in times of overall economic distress or adverse investor perception. An inability to sell a portfolio position can adversely affect the Portfolio’s value or prevent the Portfolio from being able to take advantage of other investment opportunities. During periods of market stress, an investment or even an entire market segment may become illiquid, sometimes abruptly, which can adversely affect the Portfolio’s ability to limit losses. In addition, a reduction in the ability or willingness of dealers and other institutional investors to make a market in certain securities may result in decreased liquidity in certain markets.
 
Mid-Cap
and
Small-Cap
Company Risk:
Mid-cap and
small-cap
companies carry additional risks because the operating histories of these companies tend to be more limited, their earnings and revenues less predictable (and some companies may be experiencing significant losses), and their share prices more volatile than those of larger, more established companies, all of which can negatively affect their value. In general, these risks are greater for small-cap companies than for
mid-cap
companies.
 
Redemption Risk:
The Portfolio may experience periods of heavy redemptions that could cause the Portfolio to sell assets at inopportune times or at a loss or depressed value. Redemption risk is heightened during periods of declining or illiquid markets. Heavy redemptions could hurt the Portfolio’s performance.
 
Market developments and other factors, including a general rise in interest rates, have the potential to cause investors to move out of fixed income securities on a large scale, which may increase redemptions from mutual funds that hold large amounts of fixed income securities. The market-making capacity of dealers has been reduced in recent years, in part as a result of structural changes, such as fewer proprietary trading desks at broker-dealers and increased regulatory capital requirements. In addition, significant securities market disruptions related to the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic have led to dislocation in the market for a variety of fixed income securities (including, without limitation, commercial paper, corporate debt securities, certificates of deposit, asset-backed debt securities and municipal obligations), which has decreased liquidity and sharply reduced returns in certain cases. Increased redemptions from mutual funds that hold large amounts of fixed income securities, coupled with a reduction in the ability or willingness of dealers and other institutional investors to buy or hold fixed income securities, may result in decreased liquidity and increased volatility in the fixed income markets.
 
Securities Lending Risk:
The Portfolio may lend its portfolio securities to seek income. There is a risk that a borrower may default on its obligations to return loaned securities. The Portfolio will be responsible for the risks associated with the investment of cash collateral and may lose money on its investment of cash collateral or may fail to earn sufficient income on its investment to meet obligations to the borrower. Securities lending may introduce leverage into the Portfolio. In addition, delays may occur in the recovery of loaned securities from borrowers, which could interfere with the Portfolio’s ability to vote proxies or to settle transactions.
 
Zero Coupon and Pay-in-Kind Securities Risk:
A zero coupon or pay-in-kind security pays no interest in cash to its holder during its life. Accordingly, zero coupon securities usually trade at a deep discount from their face or par value and, together with pay-in-kind securities, will be subject to
greater fluctuations in market value in response to changing interest rates than debt obligations of comparable maturities that make current distribution of interest in cash.
Risk/Return Bar Chart and Table
The bar chart and table below provide some indication of the risks of investing in the Portfolio by showing changes in the Portfolio’s performance from year to year and by showing how the Portfolio’s average annual total returns for the past one-year and since inception periods through December 31, 2020 compared to the returns of a broad-based securities market index. The additional broad-based securities market index and the hypothetical composite index show how the Portfolio’s performance compared with the returns of other asset classes in which the Portfolio may invest. Past performance is not an indication of future performance.
 
The performance results do not reflect any Contract-related fees and expenses, which would reduce the performance results.
 
After the close of business on September 10, 2019, operations for Class K ceased and shares were fully redeemed.
Calendar Year Annual Total Returns — Class IB
Bar Chart
   
Best quarter (% and time period)
 
Worst quarter (% and time period)
10.93% (2020 4th Quarter)
 
–17.22% (2020 1st Quarter)
 
Average Annual Total Returns
Average Annual Total Returns - EQ/AB Dynamic Aggressive Growth Portfolio
One Year
Since Inception
Inception Date
Class IB Shares 2.70% 4.93% Nov. 13, 2017
EQ/AB Dynamic Aggressive Growth Index (reflects no deduction for fees, expenses, or taxes) 13.88% 10.26%  
S&P 500 Index (reflects no deduction for fees, expenses, or taxes) 18.40% 14.88%  
Bloomberg Barclays U.S. Intermediate Government Bond Index (reflects no deduction for fees, expenses, or taxes) 5.73% 3.89%