485APOS 1 etftrustcoverpage.htm
As filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission on June 28, 2018
Securities Act Registration No. 333-222469
Investment Company Act Registration No. 811-23324
UNITED STATES
SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION
WASHINGTON, D.C. 20549
FORM N-1A
REGISTRATION STATEMENT UNDER THE SECURITIES ACT OF 1933
PRE-EFFECTIVE AMENDMENT NO.
POST-EFFECTIVE AMENDMENT NO. 3 (X)
and/or
REGISTRATION STATEMENT UNDER THE INVESTMENT COMPANY ACT OF 1940
AMENDMENT NO. 4 (X)
Check appropriate box or boxes
PGIM ETF TRUST
Exact name of registrant as specified in charter
655 Broad Street, 17th Floor
Newark, New Jersey 07102
Address of Principal Executive Offices including Zip Code
(973) 367-7521
Registrant’s Telephone Number, Including Area Code
Deborah A. Docs
655 Broad Street, 17th Floor
Newark, New Jersey 07102
Name and Address of Agent for Service
It is proposed that this filing will become effective:
__ immediately upon filing pursuant to paragraph (b)
__ on (___) pursuant to paragraph (b)
__ 60 days after filing pursuant to paragraph (a)(1)
__ on (____) pursuant to paragraph (a)(1)
X_ 75 days after filing pursuant to paragraph (a)(2)
__ on (date) pursuant to paragraph (a)(2) of Rule 485
If appropriate, check the following box:
__ this post-effective amendment designates a new effective date for a previously filed post-effective amendment.
Explanatory Note:
This Post-Effective Amendment No. 3 to the Registrant’s Registration Statement under the Securities Act of 1933 and Amendment No. 4 to the Registrant’s Registration Statement under the Investment Company Act of 1940 (the Amendment) only relates to the PGIM Active High Yield Bond ETF series of the Registrant.
The Amendment is not intended to amend the current prospectus and statement of additional information for the other series of the Registrant.
 
The information in this Preliminary Prospectus is not complete and may be changed. We may not sell these securities until the registration statement filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission is effective. This Preliminary Prospectus is not an offer to sell these securities and it is not soliciting an offer to buy these securities in any state where the offer or sale is not permitted.
PGIM Active High Yield Bond ETF
SUBJECT TO COMPLETION, PRELIMINARY PROSPECTUS — June 28, 2018
Objective
Total return, through a combination of current income and capital appreciation
PGIM ACTIVE HIGH YIELD BOND ETF
Ticker Symbol: XXXX Listing Exchange: NYSE Arca, Inc.              
    
The Securities and Exchange Commission has not approved or disapproved the Fund's shares, nor has the SEC determined that this prospectus is complete or accurate. It is a criminal offense to state otherwise.
Exchange traded funds are distributed by Prudential Investment Management Services LLC (PIMS), member SIPC. PGIM Fixed Income is a unit of PGIM, Inc. (PGIM), a registered investment adviser. PIMS and PGIM are Prudential Financial companies. © 2018 Prudential Financial, Inc. and its related entities. The Prudential logo and the Rock symbol are service marks of Prudential Financial, Inc. and its related entities, registered in many jurisdictions worldwide.


FUND SUMMARY
INVESTMENT OBJECTIVE
The investment objective of the Fund is to seek total return, through a combination of current income and capital appreciation.
FUND FEES AND EXPENSES
The table below describes the fees and expenses that you may pay if you buy and hold shares of the Fund. Investors purchasing shares of the Fund in the secondary market also may be subject to additional costs (including customary brokerage commissions) charged by their broker, which are not reflected in the tables below. The management agreement between PGIM ETF Trust (the Trust) and PGIM Investments LLC (PGIM Investments) (the Management Agreement) provides that PGIM Investments will pay all operating expenses of the Fund, except for certain expenses, including but not limited to, interest expenses, taxes, brokerage expenses, future Rule 12b-1 fees (if any), acquired fund fees and expenses, and the management fee payable to PGIM Investments under the Management Agreement.
Annual Fund Operating Expenses (expenses that you pay each year as a percentage of the value of your investment)
Management fees 0.XX%
Distribution or distribution and service (12b-1) fees None
Other expenses None
Total annual Fund operating expenses 0.XX%
Example. The following hypothetical example is intended to help you compare the cost of investing in the Fund with the cost of investing in other exchange traded funds. It assumes that you invest $10,000 in the Fund for the time periods indicated. It assumes a 5% return on your investment each year and that the Fund's operating expenses remain the same. Investors may pay brokerage commissions on their purchases and sales of Fund shares, which are not reflected in the Example. Your actual costs may be higher or lower.
Number of Years You Own Shares 1 Year 3 Years
  $XX $XX
Portfolio Turnover. The Fund pays transaction costs, such as commissions, when it buys and sells securities (or “turns over” its portfolio). A higher portfolio turnover rate may indicate higher transaction costs and may result in higher taxes when Fund shares are held in a taxable account. These costs, which are not reflected in annual fund operating expenses or in the example, affect the Fund's performance. The Fund is newly offered; therefore, it does not have a turnover rate for the most recent fiscal year.
INVESTMENTS, RISKS AND PERFORMANCE
Principal Investment Strategies. The Fund seeks to achieve its investment objective by investing primarily in a portfolio of high yield bonds (commonly referred to as junk bonds) of companies or governments. Under normal market conditions, the Fund invests at least 80% of its investable assets in a diversified portfolio of high yield bonds that are below investment grade and other investments (including derivatives) with similar economic characteristics. The term “below investment grade” refers to instruments either rated Ba1 or lower by Moody’s Investors Service (Moody’s), BB+ or lower by S&P Global Ratings (S& P) or Fitch, Inc. (Fitch), or comparably rated by another nationally recognized statistical rating organization (NRSRO), or, if unrated, considered by the Subadviser to be of comparable quality. The term “investable assets” refers to the Fund's net assets plus any borrowings for investment purposes. The Fund's investable assets will be less than its total assets to the extent that it has borrowed money for non-investment purposes, such as to meet anticipated redemptions. The Fund is an actively managed exchange traded fund (ETF) and, thus, does not seek to replicate the performance of a specified index.
The term “bonds” includes fixed income instruments issued by the US Government, its agencies and instrumentalities, commercial paper, asset-backed securities, mortgage-backed securities, variable and floating rate instruments, bills, notes and other obligations issued by banks, corporations and other companies (including trust structures), convertible and non-convertible securities (including preferred stocks), loan participations and assignments, obligations issued by non-U.S. banks, companies or non-U.S. governments, and municipal bonds and notes.
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The Fund may invest in securities which are the subject of bankruptcy proceedings or otherwise in default as to the repayment of principal and/or interest at the time of acquisition by the Fund or are rated in the lower rating categories or, if unrated, are in the judgment of the Subadviser of equivalent quality (“Distressed Securities”). Investing in Distressed Securities is speculative and involves significant risks.
The Fund's investments in derivatives will be included under the 80% asset policy noted above so long as the underlying assets of such derivatives are based on one or more high yield fixed income instruments that are rated below investment grade. Such derivative investments are subject to the Fund's limit of investing up to 25% of its net assets in derivatives.
The Fund may invest up to 20% of its investable assets in foreign currency-denominated fixed-income securities issued by foreign or domestic issuers, including emerging markets. Foreign government fixed-income securities include securities issued by quasi-governmental entities, governmental agencies, supranational entities and other governmental entities.
In managing the Fund’s assets, the subadviser uses a combination of top-down economic analysis and bottom up research in conjunction with proprietary quantitative models and risk management systems. In the top down economic analysis, the subadviser develops views on economic, policy and market trends. In its bottom up research, the subadviser develops an internal rating and outlook on issuers. The rating and outlook is determined based on a thorough review of the financial health and trends of the issuer. The subadviser may also consider investment factors such as expected total return, yield, spread and potential for price appreciation as well as credit quality, maturity and risk. The Fund may invest in a security based upon the expected total return rather than the yield of such security.
Principal Risks. All investments have risks to some degree. An investment in the Fund is not guaranteed to achieve its investment objective; is not a deposit with a bank; is not insured, endorsed or guaranteed by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation or any other government agency; and is subject to investment risks, including possible loss of your original investment.
New/Small Fund Risk. The Fund recently commenced operations and has a limited operating history. As a new and relatively small fund, the Fund's performance may not represent how the Fund is expected to or may perform in the long term if and when it becomes larger and has fully implemented its investment strategies. Investment positions may have a disproportionate impact (negative or positive) on performance in new and smaller funds. New and smaller funds may also require a period of time before they are invested in securities that meet their investment objectives and policies and achieve a representative portfolio composition.
Bond Obligations Risk. As with credit risk, market risk and interest rate risk, the Fund's holdings, share price, yield and total return may fluctuate in response to bond market movements. The value of bonds may decline for issuer-related reasons, including management performance, financial leverage and reduced demand for the issuer’s goods and services. Certain types of fixed-income obligations also may be subject to “call and redemption risk,” which is the risk that the issuer may call a bond held by the Fund for redemption before it matures and the Fund may not be able to reinvest at the same rate of interest and therefore would earn less income.
Junk Bonds Risk. High-yield, high-risk bonds have predominantly speculative characteristics, including particularly high credit risk. Junk bonds tend to be less liquid than higher-rated securities. The liquidity of particular issuers or industries within a particular investment category may shrink or disappear suddenly and without warning. The non-investment grade bond market can experience sudden and sharp price swings and become illiquid due to a variety of factors, including changes in economic forecasts, stock market activity, large sustained sales by major investors, a high profile default or a change in the market's psychology.
Distressed and Defaulted Securities Risk. Distressed and defaulted securities are subject to particularly high credit risk, market risk and illiquidity risk. These securities are at a high risk for default, especially during economic downturns, and they are subject to greater volatility than securities of more stable issuers. To the extent that the Fund invests in bankrupt issuers, the Fund may be subject to litigation risks and costs.
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Liquidity Risk. The Fund may invest in instruments that trade in lower volumes and are less liquid than other investments. Liquidity risk exists when particular investments made by the Fund are difficult to purchase or sell. Liquidity risk also includes the risk that the Fund may make investments that may become less liquid in response to market developments or adverse investor perceptions. If the Fund is forced to sell these investments to pay redemption proceeds or for other reasons, the Fund may lose money. In addition, when there is no willing buyer and investments cannot be readily sold at the desired time or price, the Fund may have to accept a lower price or may not be able to sell the instrument at all. The reduction in dealer market-making capacity in the fixed-income markets that has occurred in recent years also has the potential to reduce liquidity. An inability to sell a portfolio position can adversely affect the Fund's value or prevent the Fund from being able to take advantage of other investment opportunities.
Credit Risk. This is the risk that the issuer, the guarantor or the insurer of a fixed-income security, or the counterparty to a contract may be unable or unwilling to make timely principal and interest payments or to otherwise honor its obligations. Additionally, the securities could lose value due to a loss of confidence in the ability of the issuer, guarantor, insurer or counterparty to pay back debt. The longer the maturity and the lower the credit quality of a bond, the more sensitive it is to credit risk.
Interest Rate Risk. The value of your investment may go down when interest rates rise. A rise in rates tends to have a greater impact on the prices of longer term or duration securities. When interest rates fall, the issuers of debt obligations may prepay principal more quickly than expected, and the Fund may be required to reinvest the proceeds at a lower interest rate. This is referred to as “prepayment risk.” When interest rates rise, debt obligations may be repaid more slowly than expected, and the value of the Fund's holdings may fall sharply. This is referred to as “extension risk.” The Fund may face a heightened level of interest rate risk as a result of the US Federal Reserve Board’s rate setting policies. The Fund may lose money if short-term or long-term interest rates rise sharply or in a manner not anticipated by the subadviser.
ETF Shares Trading Risk. Once Fund shares are listed for trading on NYSE Arca, Inc. (the Exchange), the shares will be bought and sold in the secondary market at market prices. The market prices of the shares of the Fund are expected to fluctuate in response to changes in the Fund’s NAV, the intraday value of the Fund’s holdings and supply and demand for shares of the Fund. We cannot predict whether shares of the Fund will trade above, below or at their NAV. Trading on the Exchange, including trading of Fund shares, may be halted in certain circumstances and shareholders may not be able to sell Fund shares at the time or price desired. During periods of stressed market conditions, the market for the shares of the Fund may become less liquid in response to deteriorating liquidity in the markets for the Fund’s portfolio investments. This adverse effect on the liquidity of the Fund’s shares could lead to differences between the market price of the Fund's shares and the NAV of those shares. There can be no assurance that the requirements of the Exchange to maintain the listing of shares of the Fund will continue to be met. At times, trading in the securities of ETFs has become volatile and unpredictable and the price of ETF shares has diverged from market driven fundamentals.
Disruptions to creations and redemptions, the existence of significant market volatility or potential lack of an active trading market for the shares of the Fund (including through a trading halt), as well as other factors, may result in the Fund’s shares trading on the Exchange significantly above (at a premium) or below (at a discount) to NAV or to the intraday value of the Fund’s holdings. Premiums and discounts relate to differences between the market price and NAV of the Fund’s shares. During such periods, you may incur significant losses if you sell your shares of the Fund.
The securities held by the Fund may be traded in markets that close at a different time than the Exchange. Liquidity in those securities may be reduced after the applicable closing times. Accordingly, during the time when the Exchange is open but after the applicable market closing, fixing or settlement times, bid-ask spreads for the Fund’s shares on the Exchange and the corresponding premium or discount between the market price for Fund shares and their NAV may widen. Additionally, during times when the Exchange is open but after the applicable market is closed, there may be changes between the last quote from the closed foreign market and the value of such security during the Fund' s trading day on the Exchange and this may lead to differences between the market price of the Fund's shares and the underlying value of those shares.
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Authorized Participant Concentration Risk. Only an authorized participant may engage in creation or redemption transactions directly with the Fund. The Fund has a limited number of intermediaries that act as authorized participants and none of these authorized participants is or will be obligated to engage in creation or redemption transactions. To the extent that these intermediaries exit the business or are unable to or choose not to proceed with creation and/or redemption orders with respect to the Fund and no other authorized participant creates or redeems, shares of the Fund may trade at a discount to NAV and possibly face trading halts and/or delisting.
Cash Transactions Risk. Unlike certain ETFs, the Fund may effect creations and redemptions in cash or partially in cash. Therefore, it may be required to sell portfolio securities and subsequently recognize gains on such sales that the Fund might not have recognized if it were to distribute portfolio securities in-kind. As such, investments in shares of the Fund may be less tax-efficient than an investment in an ETF that distributes portfolio securities entirely in-kind.
Cost of Buying or Selling Shares. When you buy or sell shares of the Fund through a broker, you will likely incur a brokerage commission or other charges imposed by brokers. In addition, the market price of shares of the Fund, like the price of any exchange-traded security, includes a “bid-ask spread” charged by the market makers or other participants that trade the particular security. The spread of the Fund’s shares varies over time based on the Fund’s trading volume, the spread of the Fund’s underlying securities, and market liquidity and may increase if the Fund’s trading volume, the spread of the Fund’s underlying securities, or market liquidity decreases. In times of severe market disruption, including when trading of the Fund’s holdings may be halted, the bid-ask spread may increase significantly. This means that the shares may trade at a discount to the Fund’s NAV, and the discount is likely to be greatest during significant market volatility.
No Guarantee of Active Trading Market Risk. While shares of the Fund are listed on the Exchange, there can be no assurance that active trading markets for the shares will develop or be maintained by market makers or by authorized participants. The distributor of the Fund’s shares, does not maintain a secondary market in the shares.
Foreign Securities Risk. Investments in securities of non-US issuers (including those denominated in US dollars) generally involve more risk than investing in securities of US issuers. Foreign political, economic and legal systems, especially those in developing and emerging market countries, may be less stable and more volatile than in the US. Foreign legal systems generally have fewer regulatory requirements than the US legal system. In general, less information is publicly available about non-US companies than about US companies. Non-US companies generally are not subject to the same accounting, auditing, and financial reporting standards as are US companies.
Emerging Markets Risk. The risks of foreign investments are greater for investments in or exposed to emerging markets. Emerging market countries typically have economic and political systems that are less fully developed, and can be expected to be less stable, than those of more developed countries. For example, the economies of such countries can be subject to rapid and unpredictable rates of inflation or deflation. Low trading volumes may result in a lack of liquidity and price volatility. Emerging market countries may have policies that restrict investment by non-US investors, or that prevent non-US investors from withdrawing their money at will. Countries with emerging markets can be found in regions such as Asia, Latin America, Eastern Europe and Africa.
Management Risk. The value of your investment may decrease if judgments by the subadviser about the attractiveness, value or market trends affecting a particular security, industry or sector or about market movements are incorrect.
Derivatives Risk. Derivatives involve special risks and costs and may result in losses to the Fund. The successful use of derivatives requires sophisticated management, and, to the extent that derivatives are used, the Fund will depend on the subadviser’s ability to analyze and manage derivatives transactions. The prices of derivatives may move in unexpected ways, especially in abnormal market conditions. Some derivatives are “leveraged” and therefore may magnify or otherwise increase investment losses to the Fund. The Fund’s use of derivatives may also increase the amount of taxes payable by shareholders. Other risks arise from the potential inability to terminate or sell derivatives
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positions. A liquid secondary market may not always exist for the Fund’s derivatives positions. In fact, many over-the-counter derivative instruments will not have liquidity beyond the counterparty to the instrument. Over-the-counter derivative instruments also involve the risk that the other party will not meet its obligations to the Fund.
The US Government and foreign governments are in the process of adopting and implementing regulations governing derivatives markets, including mandatory clearing of certain derivatives, margin and reporting requirements. The ultimate impact of the regulations remains unclear. Additional regulation of derivatives may make derivatives more costly, limit their availability or utility, or otherwise adversely affect their performance or disrupt markets.
Risks of Investments in Bank Loans. The Fund's ability to receive payments of principal and interest and other amounts in connection with loans (whether through participations, assignments or otherwise) will depend primarily on the financial condition of the borrower. The failure by the Fund to receive scheduled interest or principal payments on a loan because of a default, bankruptcy or any other reason would adversely affect the income of the Fund and would likely reduce the value of its assets. Even with loans secured by collateral, there is the risk that the value of the collateral may decline, may be insufficient to meet the obligations of the borrower, or be difficult to liquidate. In the event of a default, the Fund may have difficulty collecting on any collateral and would not have the ability to collect on any collateral for an uncollateralized loan. Further, the Fund's access to collateral, if any, may be limited by bankruptcy laws. Due to the nature of the private syndication of senior loans, including, for example, lack of publicly-available information, some senior loans are not as easily purchased or sold as publicly-traded securities. In addition, loan participations generally are subject to restrictions on transfer, and only limited opportunities may exist to sell loan participations in secondary markets. As a result, it may be difficult for the Fund to value loans or sell loans at an acceptable price when it wants to sell them. Loans trade in an over-the-counter market, and confirmation and settlement, which are effected through standardized procedures and documentation, may take significantly longer than seven days to complete. Extended trade settlement periods may, in unusual market conditions with a high volume of shareholder redemptions, present a risk to shareholders regarding the Fund's ability to pay redemption proceeds. In some instances, loans and loan participations are not rated by independent credit rating agencies; in such instances, a decision by the Fund to invest in a particular loan or loan participation could depend exclusively on the subadviser's credit analysis of the borrower, or in the case of a loan participation, of the intermediary holding the portion of the loan that the Fund has purchased. To the extent the Fund invests in loans of non-US issuers, the risks of investing in non-US issuers are applicable. Loans may not be considered to be “securities” and as a result may not benefit from the protections of the federal securities laws, including anti-fraud protections and those with respect to the use of material non-public information, so that purchasers, such as the Fund, may not have the benefit of these protections. If the Fund is in possession of material non-public information about a borrower as a result of its investment in such borrower’s loan, the Fund may not be able to enter into a transaction with respect to a publicly-traded security of the borrower when it would otherwise be advantageous to do so.
Mortgage-Backed and Asset-Backed Securities Risk. Mortgage-backed and asset-backed investments tend to increase in value less than other debt securities when interest rates decline, but are subject to similar risk of decline in market value during periods of rising interest rates. The values of mortgage-backed and asset-backed securities become more volatile as interest rates rise. In a period of declining interest rates, the Fund may be required to reinvest more frequent prepayments on mortgage-backed and asset-backed investments in lower-yielding investments. In addition to interest rate risk, investments in mortgage-backed securities composed of subprime mortgages may be subject to a higher degree of credit risk, valuation risk and liquidity risk.
Risk of Increase in Expenses. Your actual cost of investing in the Fund may be higher than the expenses shown in the expense table for a variety of reasons.
Performance. The Fund has not been in operation for a full calendar year, and hence has no past performance data to present. A number of factors—including risk—can affect how the Fund will perform in the future.
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MANAGEMENT OF THE FUND
Investment Manager Subadviser Portfolio Managers Title Service Date
PGIM Investments LLC PGIM Fixed Income/PGIM Limited Robert Cignarella, CFA Managing Director September 2018
    Robert Spano, CFA, CPA Principal September 2018
    Ryan Kelly, CFA Principal September 2018
    Brian Clapp, CFA Principal September 2018
    Daniel Thorogood, CFA Vice President September 2018
BUYING AND SELLING FUND SHARES
The Fund is an exchange traded fund, commonly known as an “ETF”. Individual shares of the Fund may only be purchased and sold in secondary market transactions through brokers or other financial intermediaries and are not individually redeemable by the ETF. Shares of the Fund are listed for trading on the Exchange, and because the shares of the Fund trade at market prices rather than NAV, shares of the Fund may trade at a price greater than NAV (a premium) or less than NAV (a discount). The Fund will issue and redeem its shares at NAV only in a large specified number of shares called a “Creation Unit” or multiples thereof to Authorized Participants who have entered into agreements with the Fund’s distributor. A Creation Unit consists of 25,000 shares of the Fund. The Fund generally issues and redeems Creation Units in return for a specified amount of cash and/or designated portfolio of securities. Except when aggregated in Creation Units, shares are not redeemable securities of the Fund.
TAX INFORMATION
Dividends, Capital Gains and Taxes. The Fund's dividends and distributions are taxable and will be taxed as ordinary income or capital gains, unless you are investing through a tax-deferred arrangement, such as a 401(k) plan or an individual retirement account. Such tax-deferred arrangements may be taxed later upon withdrawal of monies from those arrangements.
PAYMENTS TO BROKER-DEALERS AND OTHER FINANCIAL INTERMEDIaries
If you purchase shares of the Fund through a broker-dealer or other financial intermediary (such as a bank), PGIM or other related companies may pay the intermediary for marketing activities and presentations, educational training programs, conferences, the development of technology platforms and reporting systems or other services related to the sale or promotion of the Fund. These payments may create a conflict of interest by influencing the broker-dealer or other intermediary and your salesperson to recommend the Fund over another investment. Ask your salesperson or visit your financial intermediary’s website for more information.
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MORE ABOUT THE FUND'S PRINCIPAL AND NON-PRINCIPAL INVESTMENT STRATEGIES, INVESTMENTS AND RISKS
INVESTMENTS AND INVESTMENT STRATEGIES
The Fund's investment objective is to seek total return, through a combination of current income and capital appreciation.
In managing the Fund’s assets, the subadviser uses a combination of top-down economic analysis and bottom up research in conjunction with proprietary quantitative models and risk management systems. In the top down economic analysis, the subadviser develops views on economic, policy and market trends by continually evaluating economic data that affect the movement of markets and securities prices. This top-down macroeconomic analysis is integrated into the subadviser’s bottom-up research which informs security selection. In its bottom up research, the subadviser develops an internal rating and outlook on issuers. The rating and outlook is determined based on a complete review of the financial health and trends of the issuer, which include a review of the composition of revenue, profitability, cash flow margin, and leverage.
The subadviser may also consider investment factors such as expected total return, yield, spread and potential for price appreciation as well as credit quality, maturity and risk. The Fund may invest in a security based upon the expected total return rather than the yield of such security.
The subadviser may also utilize proprietary quantitative tools to support relative value trading and asset allocation for portfolio management as well as various risk models to support risk management.
The Fund may invest up to 100% of its total assets in below investment grade investments. Fixed income instruments rated below investment grade are regarded as having predominantly speculative characteristics with respect to the issuer's capacity to pay interest and repay principal and are considered to have a greater vulnerability to default than higher rated securities. In the event that a security receives different ratings from different NRSROs, the Fund will treat the security as being rated in the highest rating category received from an NRSRO. Investing in Distressed Securities is speculative and involves significant risks. Such instruments are subject to very high credit risk. A rating is an assessment of the likelihood of the timely payment of interest and repayment of principal and can be useful when comparing different debt obligations. An investor can evaluate the expected likelihood of default by an issuer by looking at its ratings as compared to another similar issuer.
Lower-rated securities tend to offer higher yields, but also offer greater risks, including higher risk of default, than higher-rated securities. Under certain economic conditions, however, lower-rated securities might not yield significantly more than higher-rated securities, or comparable unrated securities. If that happens, the Fund may invest in higher-rated fixed-income securities that offer similar yields but have less risk. Furthermore, if issuers redeem their high yield securities at a higher than expected rate, which might happen during periods of declining interest rates, the Fund could be forced to buy higher-rated, lower-yielding securities, which would decrease the Fund’s return. Medium-rated fixed income bonds are regarded as investment grade bonds, but have speculative characteristics and are riskier than higher-rated securities. A rating is an assessment of the likelihood of the timely payment of interest and repayment of principal and can be useful when comparing different debt obligations. An investor can evaluate the expected likelihood of default by an issuer by looking at its ratings as compared to those of another similar issuer.
The Fund will provide 60 days’ prior written notice to shareholders of a change in its non-fundamental policy of investing at least 80% of its investable assets in high yield bonds.
Loan Participations and Assignments
The Fund may invest in fixed and floating rate loans (secured or unsecured) arranged through private negotiations between a company as the borrower and one or more financial institutions as lenders. These types of investments can be in the form of loan participations or assignments.
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Loan participations and assignments are nonconvertible corporate debt instruments of varying maturities. With participations, the Fund has the right to receive payments of principal, interest and fees from the lender conditioned upon the lender's receipt of payment from the borrower. In participations, the Fund generally does not have direct rights against the borrower on the loan, which means that if the borrower does not pay back the loan or otherwise comply with the loan agreement, the Fund will not have the right to make it do so. With assignments, the Fund has direct rights against the borrower on the loan, but its rights may be more limited than the original lender's.
Derivative Strategies
Derivatives are financial instruments whose value depends upon, or is derived from, the value of something else, such as one or more underlying investments, indexes or currencies. The Fund may use various derivative strategies to try to improve the Fund's returns. The Fund may also use hedging techniques to try to protect the Fund's assets. A derivative contract will obligate or entitle the Fund to deliver or receive an asset or cash payment based on the change in value of one or more investments, indexes or currencies. Derivatives may be traded on organized exchanges, or in individually negotiated transactions with other parties (these are known as “over-the-counter” derivatives). When the Fund uses derivative strategies, the Fund designates certain assets as segregated or otherwise covers its exposure. Although the Fund has the flexibility to make use of derivatives, it may choose not to for a variety of reasons, even under very volatile market conditions. There can be no guarantee that these strategies and techniques will work as intended, that the instruments necessary to implement these strategies and techniques will be available or that the Fund will not lose money.
Foreign Currency Forward Contracts. The Fund may enter into foreign currency forward contracts to protect the value of its assets against future changes in the level of foreign exchange rates or to enhance returns. A foreign currency forward contract is an obligation to buy or sell a given currency on a future date and at a set price or to make or receive a cash payment based on the value of a given currency at a future date. Delivery of the underlying currency is expected, the terms are individually negotiated, the counterparty is not a clearing corporation or an exchange, and payment on the contract is made upon delivery, rather than daily.
Futures Contracts and Related Options. The Fund may purchase and sell financial futures contracts and related options on financial futures. A futures contract is an agreement to buy or sell a set quantity of an underlying asset at a future date, or to make or receive a cash payment based on the value of a securities index, or some other asset, at a stipulated future date. The terms of futures contracts are standardized. In the case of a financial futures contract based upon a broad index, there is no delivery of the securities comprising the underlying index, margin is uniform, a clearing corporation or an exchange is the counterparty and the Fund makes daily margin payments based on price movements in the index. An option gives the purchaser the right to buy or sell securities or currencies, or in the case of an option on a futures contract, the right to buy or sell a futures contract in exchange for a premium.
Swap Transactions. The Fund may enter into swap transactions. Swap agreements are two-party contracts entered into primarily by institutional investors for periods typically ranging from a few weeks to more than one year. In a standard “swap” transaction, two parties agree to exchange the returns (or differentials in rates of return) earned or realized on particular predetermined investments or instruments, which may be adjusted for an interest factor. There are various types of swaps, including but not limited to credit default swaps, interest rate swaps, total return swaps and index swaps.
Swap Options. The Fund may enter into swap options. A swap option is a contract that gives a counterparty the right (but not the obligation) to enter into a new swap agreement or to shorten, extend, cancel or otherwise modify an existing swap agreement, at some designated future time on specified terms.
Options. The Fund may purchase and sell put and call options on debt securities, aggregates of debt securities, financial indexes, and currencies traded on US or foreign securities exchanges or in the over-the-counter market. An option gives the purchaser the right to buy or sell securities or such currencies in exchange for a premium.
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Short Sales
The Fund may make short sales of a security. This means that the Fund may sell a security that it does not own, which it may do, for example, when the subadviser thinks the value of the security will decline. The Fund generally borrows the security to deliver to the buyers in a short sale. The Fund must then replace the borrowed security by purchasing it at the market price at the time of replacement. The Fund may make short sales “against the box.” In a short sale against the box, at the time of sale, the Fund owns or has the right to acquire the identical security at no additional cost through conversion or exchange of other securities it owns.
Equity and Equity-Related Securities
The Fund may also invest up in equity and equity-related securities incidental to the purchase or ownership of fixed income instruments or in connection with a reorganization of a borrower. These may include common stock, preferred stock or securities that may be converted into or exchanged for common stock—known as convertible securities—like rights and warrants. The Fund may also invest in American Depositary Receipts (ADRs), which are certificates—usually issued by a US bank or trust company—that represent an equity investment in a foreign company or some other foreign issuer. ADRs are valued in US dollars. The subadviser considers ADRs to be equity-related securities. Certain ADR programs are established without the participation of the foreign issuer and as a result, there may be less information available about the foreign issuer. Other equity-related securities in which the Fund may invest include investments in various types of business ventures, including partnerships and joint ventures and securities of real estate investment trusts (REITs). Investments in REITs may result in payment of duplicative management or other fees.
Step-Ups and Payment-In-Kind Securities
“Step up” bonds pay no interest initially but eventually begin to pay a coupon rate prior to maturity, which rate may increase at stated intervals during the life of the security. Payment-in-kind securities (“PIKs”) are debt obligations that pay “interest” in the form of other debt obligations, instead of in cash. Each of these instruments may be issued and traded at a deep discount from face value. Step-ups and PIKs allow an issuer to avoid or delay the need to generate cash to meet current interest payments. The Fund would be required to distribute the income on these instruments as it accrues, even though the Fund will not receive the income on a current basis or in cash. Thus, the Fund may have to sell other investments, including when it may not be advisable to do so, to make income distributions to its stockholders.
Credit-Linked Securities
The Fund may invest in credit-linked securities. Credit-linked securities are securities that are collateralized by one or more credit default swaps on corporate debt securities, such as bonds. The Fund has the right to receive periodic interest payments from the issuer of the credit-linked security at an agreed-upon interest rate, and a return of principal at the maturity date. The source of payment for credit-linked securities is the interest on the notes.
Repurchase Agreements
The Fund may enter into repurchase agreements, where a party agrees to sell a security to the Fund and then repurchases it at an agreed-upon price at a stated time. This creates a fixed return for the Fund, and is, in effect, a loan by the Fund. Repurchase agreements are used for cash management purposes only.
Reverse Repurchase Agreements
The Fund may enter into reverse repurchase agreements, where the Fund sells a security with an obligation to repurchase it at an agreed-upon price and time. Reverse repurchase agreements that involve borrowing to take advantage of investment opportunities, a practice known as leverage, could magnify losses. If the Fund borrows money to purchase securities and those securities decline in value, then the value of the Fund's shares will decline faster than if the Fund were not leveraged. In addition, interest costs and investment fees relating to leverage may exceed potential investment gains. Borrowing, including any reverse repurchase agreements that involve borrowing, shall not exceed 33 13% of the value of the Fund’s total assets.
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Dollar Rolls
The Fund may enter into dollar rolls in which the Fund sells securities to be delivered in the current month and repurchases substantially similar (same type and coupon) securities to be delivered on a specified future date by the same party. The Fund is paid the difference between the current sales price and the forward price for the future purchase as well as the interest earned on the cash proceeds of the initial sale.
Investments in Affiliated Funds
The Fund may invest its assets in affiliated short-term bond funds and/or affiliated or unaffiliated money market funds. The affiliated funds are registered investment companies under the Investment Company Act of 1940 (the “1940 Act”). The Fund can invest its free cash balances in the affiliated funds to obtain income on short-term cash balances while awaiting attractive investment opportunities, to provide liquidity in preparation for anticipated redemptions or for defensive purposes. Such an investment could also allow the Fund to obtain the benefits of a more diversified portfolio available in the affiliated funds than might otherwise be available through direct investments in those asset classes, and will subject the Fund to the risks associated with the particular asset class. The investment results of the portions of the Fund’s assets invested in the affiliated funds will be based on the investment results of the affiliated funds.
When-Issued and Delayed-Delivery Securities
The Fund may purchase securities, including money market obligations, bonds or other obligations, on a when-issued, delayed-delivery or forward commitment basis. When the Fund purchases delayed delivery securities, the price and interest rate are fixed at the time of purchase. For both when-issued and delayed delivery securities, delivery and payment for the obligations take place at a later time. The Fund does not earn interest income until the date the obligations are expected to be delivered. These types of investments potentially leverage the Fund, which could magnify losses. The Fund will segregate liquid assets, marked-to-market daily, with a value equal to any such investments. Segregating assets may cause the Fund to forgo making other potentially favorable investments.
Securities Lending
Consistent with applicable regulatory requirements, the Fund may lend portfolio securities with a value up to 33 1/3% of its total assets to brokers, dealers and other financial organizations to earn additional income. Loans of portfolio securities will be collateralized by cash. Cash collateral may be invested in an affiliated or unaffiliated prime money market fund or short-term bond fund.
Temporary Defensive Investments
In response to adverse market, economic or political conditions, the Fund may take a temporary defensive position and invest up to 100% of its assets in money market instruments, including short-term obligations of, or securities guaranteed by, the US Government, its agencies or instrumentalities, or in high-quality obligations of domestic or foreign banks and corporations, and may hold up to 100% of its assets in cash or cash equivalents. Investing heavily in these securities is inconsistent with and limits the Fund’s ability to achieve its investment objective, but may help to preserve the Fund's assets.
Other Investments
In addition to the strategies and securities discussed above, the Fund may use other strategies or invest in other types of securities as described in the SAI. The Fund might not use all of the strategies or invest in all of the types of securities as described in the Prospectus or in the SAI.
The table below summarizes the investment limits applicable to the Fund’s principal investment strategies and certain non-principal investment strategies.
Principal Strategies: Investment Limits
High Yield Bonds (Junk Bonds): At least 80% of investable assets
Foreign Securities: Up to 20% in non-US currency denominated securities of foreign or domestic issuers
    
Non-Principal Strategies: Investment Limits
Derivatives: Up to 25% of net assets
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Non-Principal Strategies: Investment Limits
Non-agency and non-government sponsored entity and privately issued mortgage-related securities and asset-backed securities: Up to 20% of total assets
Illiquid Securities: Up to 15% of net assets
Equity and Equity-related securities: Up to 20% of investable assets
Borrowing: Up to 33 1/3% of total assets
RISKS OF INVESTING IN THE FUND
New/Small Fund Risk. The Fund recently commenced operations and has a limited operating history. As a new and relatively small fund, the Fund's performance may not represent how the Fund is expected to or may perform in the long term if and when it becomes larger and has fully implemented its investment strategies. Investment positions may have a disproportionate impact (negative or positive) on performance in new and smaller funds. New and smaller funds may also require a period of time before they are invested in securities that meet their investment objectives and policies and achieve a representative portfolio composition. Fund performance may be lower or higher during this “ramp-up” period, and may also be more volatile, than would be the case after the Fund is fully invested. Similarly, a new or smaller fund's investment strategy may require a longer period of time to show returns that are representative of the strategy. New funds have limited performance histories for investors to evaluate and new and smaller funds may not attract sufficient assets to achieve investment and trading efficiencies. If the Fund were to fail to successfully implement its investment strategies or achieve its investment objective, performance may be negatively impacted, and any resulting liquidation could create negative transaction costs for the Fund and tax consequences for investors.
Bond Obligations Risk. As with credit risk, market risk and interest rate risk, the Fund's holdings, share price, yield and total return may fluctuate in response to bond market movements. The value of bonds may decline for issuer-related reasons, including management performance, financial leverage and reduced demand for the issuer’s goods and services. Certain types of fixed-income obligations also may be subject to “call and redemption risk,” which is the risk that the issuer may call a bond held by the Fund for redemption before it matures and the Fund may not be able to reinvest at the same rate of interest and therefore would earn less income.
Junk Bonds Risk. High-yield, high-risk bonds have predominantly speculative characteristics, including particularly high credit risk. Junk bonds tend to be less liquid than higher-rated securities. The liquidity of particular issuers or industries within a particular investment category may shrink or disappear suddenly and without warning. The non-investment grade bond market can experience sudden and sharp price swings and become illiquid due to a variety of factors, including changes in economic forecasts, stock market activity, large sustained sales by major investors, a high profile default or a change in the market's psychology.
Distressed and Defaulted Securities Risk. Distressed and defaulted securities are subject to particularly high credit risk, market risk and illiquidity risk. These securities are at a high risk for default, especially during economic downturns, and they are subject to greater volatility than securities of more stable issuers. To the extent that the Fund invests in bankrupt issuers, the Fund may be subject to litigation risks and costs.
Liquidity Risk. The Fund may invest in instruments that trade in lower volumes and are less liquid than other investments. Liquidity risk exists when particular investments made by the Fund are difficult to purchase or sell. Liquidity risk also includes the risk that the Fund may make investments that may become less liquid in response to market developments or adverse investor perceptions. If the Fund is forced to sell these investments to pay redemption proceeds or for other reasons, the Fund may lose money. In addition, when there is no willing buyer and investments cannot be readily sold at the desired time or price, the Fund may have to accept a lower price or may not be able to sell the instrument at all. The reduction in dealer market-making capacity in the fixed-income markets that has occurred in recent years also has the potential to reduce liquidity. An inability to sell a portfolio position can adversely affect the Fund's value or prevent the Fund from being able to take advantage of other investment opportunities.
Market Risk. Securities markets may be volatile and the market prices of the Fund’s securities may decline. Securities fluctuate in price based on changes in an issuer’s financial condition and overall market and economic conditions. If the market prices of the securities owned by the Fund fall, the value of your investment in the Fund will decline.
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Credit Risk. This is the risk that the issuer, the guarantor or the insurer of a fixed-income security, or the counterparty to a contract may be unable or unwilling to make timely principal and interest payments or to otherwise honor its obligations. Additionally, the securities could lose value due to a loss of confidence in the ability of the issuer, guarantor, insurer or counterparty to pay back debt. The longer the maturity and the lower the credit quality of a bond, the more sensitive it is to credit risk.
Interest Rate Risk. The value of your investment may go down when interest rates rise. A rise in rates tends to have a greater impact on the prices of longer term or duration securities. When interest rates fall, the issuers of debt obligations may prepay principal more quickly than expected, and the Fund may be required to reinvest the proceeds at a lower interest rate. This is referred to as “prepayment risk.” When interest rates rise, debt obligations may be repaid more slowly than expected, and the value of the Fund's holdings may fall sharply. This is referred to as “extension risk.” The Fund may face a heightened level of interest rate risk as a result of the US Federal Reserve Board’s rate setting policies. The Fund may lose money if short-term or long-term interest rates rise sharply or in a manner not anticipated by the subadviser.
ETF Shares Trading Risk. Once Fund shares are listed for trading on NYSE Arca, Inc. (the Exchange), the shares will be bought and sold in the secondary market at market prices. The market prices of the shares of the Fund are expected to fluctuate in response to changes in the Fund’s NAV, the intraday value of the Fund’s holdings and supply and demand for shares of the Fund. We cannot predict whether shares of the Fund will trade above, below or at their NAV. Trading on the Exchange, including trading of Fund shares, may be halted in certain circumstances and shareholders may not be able to sell Fund shares at the time or price desired. During periods of stressed market conditions, the market for the shares of the Fund may become less liquid in response to deteriorating liquidity in the markets for the Fund’s portfolio investments. This adverse effect on the liquidity of the Fund’s shares could lead to differences between the market price of the Fund's shares and the NAV of those shares. There can be no assurance that the requirements of the Exchange to maintain the listing of shares of the Fund will continue to be met. At times, trading in the securities of ETFs has become volatile and unpredictable and the price of ETF shares has diverged from market driven fundamentals.
Disruptions to creations and redemptions, the existence of significant market volatility or potential lack of an active trading market for the shares of the Fund (including through a trading halt), as well as other factors, may result in the Fund’s shares trading on the Exchange significantly above (at a premium) or below (at a discount) to NAV or to the intraday value of the Fund’s holdings. Premiums and discounts relate to differences between the market price and NAV of the Fund’s shares. During such periods, you may incur significant losses if you sell your shares of the Fund.
The securities held by the Fund may be traded in markets that close at a different time than the Exchange. Liquidity in those securities may be reduced after the applicable closing times. Accordingly, during the time when the Exchange is open but after the applicable market closing, fixing or settlement times, bid-ask spreads for the Fund’s shares on the Exchange and the corresponding premium or discount between the market price for Fund shares and their NAV may widen. Additionally, during times when the Exchange is open but after the applicable market is closed, there may be changes between the last quote from the closed foreign market and the value of such security during the Fund' s trading day on the Exchange and this may lead to differences between the market price of the Fund's shares and the underlying value of those shares.
Authorized Participant Concentration Risk. Only an authorized participant may engage in creation or redemption transactions directly with the Fund. The Fund has a limited number of intermediaries that act as authorized participants and none of these authorized participants is or will be obligated to engage in creation or redemption transactions. To the extent that these intermediaries exit the business or are unable to or choose not to proceed with creation and/or redemption orders with respect to the Fund and no other authorized participant creates or redeems, shares of the Fund may trade at a discount to NAV and possibly face trading halts and/or delisting.
Cash Transactions Risk. Unlike certain ETFs, the Fund may effect its creations and redemptions in cash or partially in cash. As a result, an investment in the Fund may be less tax-efficient than an investment in other ETFs. Other ETFs generally make in-kind redemptions and avoid realizing gains in connection with transactions designed to raise cash to
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meet redemption requests. If the Fund effects a portion of redemptions for cash, it may be required to sell portfolio securities in order to obtain the cash needed to distribute redemption proceeds, which involves transaction costs. If the Fund recognizes gain on these sales, this generally will cause the Fund to recognize gain it might not otherwise have recognized if it were to distribute portfolio securities in-kind, or to recognize such gain sooner than would otherwise be required. The Fund generally intends to distribute these gains to shareholders to avoid being taxed on this gain at the Fund level and otherwise comply with the special tax rules that apply to it. This strategy may cause shareholders to be subject to tax on gains they would not otherwise be subject to, or at an earlier date than, if they had made an investment in a different ETF.
Cost of Buying or Selling Shares. When you buy or sell shares of the Fund through a broker, you will likely incur a brokerage commission or other charges imposed by brokers. In addition, the market price of shares of the Fund, like the price of any exchange-traded security, includes a “bid-ask spread” charged by the market makers or other participants that trade the particular security. The spread of the Fund’s shares varies over time based on the Fund’s trading volume, the spread of the Fund’s underlying securities, and market liquidity and may increase if the Fund’s trading volume, the spread of the Fund’s underlying securities, or market liquidity decreases. In times of severe market disruption, including when trading of the Fund’s holdings may be halted, the bid-ask spread may increase significantly. This means that the shares may trade at a discount to the Fund’s NAV, and the discount is likely to be greatest during significant market volatility.
No Guarantee of Active Trading Market Risk. While shares of the Fund are listed on the Exchange, there can be no assurance that active trading markets for the shares will develop or be maintained by market makers or by authorized participants. The distributor of the Fund’s shares, does not maintain a secondary market in the shares.
Foreign Securities Risk. Investments in securities of non-US issuers (including those denominated in US dollars) generally involve more risk than investing in securities of US issuers. Foreign political, economic and legal systems, especially those in developing and emerging market countries, may be less stable and more volatile than in the US. Foreign legal systems generally have fewer regulatory requirements than the US legal system. In general, less information is publicly available about non-US companies than about US companies. Non-US companies generally are not subject to the same accounting, auditing, and financial reporting standards as are US companies.
Emerging Markets Risk. The risks of foreign investments are greater for investments in or exposed to emerging markets. Emerging market countries typically have economic and political systems that are less fully developed, and can be expected to be less stable, than those of more developed countries. For example, the economies of such countries can be subject to rapid and unpredictable rates of inflation or deflation. Low trading volumes may result in a lack of liquidity and price volatility. Emerging market countries may have policies that restrict investment by non-US investors, or that prevent non-US investors from withdrawing their money at will. Countries with emerging markets can be found in regions such as Asia, Latin America, Eastern Europe and Africa.
Management Risk. The value of your investment may decrease if judgments by the subadviser about the attractiveness, value or market trends affecting a particular security, industry or sector or about market movements are incorrect.
Derivatives Risk. Derivatives involve special risks and costs and may result in losses to the Fund. The successful use of derivatives requires sophisticated management, and, to the extent that derivatives are used, the Fund will depend on the subadviser’s ability to analyze and manage derivatives transactions. The prices of derivatives may move in unexpected ways, especially in abnormal market conditions. Some derivatives are “leveraged” and therefore may magnify or otherwise increase investment losses to the Fund. The Fund’s use of derivatives may also increase the amount of taxes payable by shareholders. Other risks arise from the potential inability to terminate or sell derivatives positions. A liquid secondary market may not always exist for the Fund’s derivatives positions. In fact, many over-the-counter derivative instruments will not have liquidity beyond the counterparty to the instrument. Over-the-counter derivative instruments also involve the risk that the other party will not meet its obligations to the Fund.
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The US Government and foreign governments are in the process of adopting and implementing regulations governing derivatives markets, including mandatory clearing of certain derivatives, margin and reporting requirements. The ultimate impact of the regulations remains unclear. Additional regulation of derivatives may make derivatives more costly, limit their availability or utility, or otherwise adversely affect their performance or disrupt markets.
Forward Commitments Risk. Forward commitments are subject to the risk that the counterparty to the forward commitment may fail to make payment or delivery in a timely manner or at all. Forward commitments are also subject to the risk that the value of the security to be purchased may decline prior to the settlement date.
Risks of Investments in Bank Loans. The Fund's ability to receive payments of principal and interest and other amounts in connection with loans (whether through participations, assignments or otherwise) will depend primarily on the financial condition of the borrower. The failure by the Fund to receive scheduled interest or principal payments on a loan because of a default, bankruptcy or any other reason would adversely affect the income of the Fund and would likely reduce the value of its assets. Even with loans secured by collateral, there is the risk that the value of the collateral may decline, may be insufficient to meet the obligations of the borrower, or be difficult to liquidate. In the event of a default, the Fund may have difficulty collecting on any collateral and would not have the ability to collect on any collateral for an uncollateralized loan. Further, the Fund's access to collateral, if any, may be limited by bankruptcy laws. Due to the nature of the private syndication of senior loans, including, for example, lack of publicly-available information, some senior loans are not as easily purchased or sold as publicly-traded securities. In addition, loan participations generally are subject to restrictions on transfer, and only limited opportunities may exist to sell loan participations in secondary markets. As a result, it may be difficult for the Fund to value loans or sell loans at an acceptable price when it wants to sell them. Loans trade in an over-the-counter market, and confirmation and settlement, which are effected through standardized procedures and documentation, may take significantly longer than seven days to complete. Extended trade settlement periods may, in unusual market conditions with a high volume of shareholder redemptions, present a risk to shareholders regarding the Fund's ability to pay redemption proceeds. In some instances, loans and loan participations are not rated by independent credit rating agencies; in such instances, a decision by the Fund to invest in a particular loan or loan participation could depend exclusively on the subadviser's credit analysis of the borrower, or in the case of a loan participation, of the intermediary holding the portion of the loan that the Fund has purchased. To the extent the Fund invests in loans of non-US issuers, the risks of investing in non-US issuers are applicable. Loans may not be considered to be “securities” and as a result may not benefit from the protections of the federal securities laws, including anti-fraud protections and those with respect to the use of material non-public information, so that purchasers, such as the Fund, may not have the benefit of these protections. If the Fund is in possession of material non-public information about a borrower as a result of its investment in such borrower’s loan, the Fund may not be able to enter into a transaction with respect to a publicly-traded security of the borrower when it would otherwise be advantageous to do so.
Mortgage-Backed and Asset-Backed Securities Risk. Mortgage-backed securities are particularly susceptible to prepayment and extension risks, because prepayments on the underlying mortgages tend to increase when interest rates fall and decrease when interest rates rise. Prepayments may also occur on a scheduled basis or due to foreclosure. When market interest rates increase, mortgage refinancings and prepayments slow, which lengthens the effective duration of these securities. As a result, the negative effect of the interest rate increase on the market value of mortgage-backed securities is usually more pronounced than it is for other types of fixed income securities, potentially increasing the volatility of the Fund.
Conversely, when market interest rates decline, while the value of mortgage-backed securities may increase, the rates of prepayment of the underlying mortgages tend to increase, which shortens the effective duration of these securities. Mortgage-backed securities are also subject to the risk that underlying borrowers will be unable to meet their obligations.
At times, some of the mortgage-backed securities in which the Fund may invest will have higher than market interest rates and therefore will be purchased at a premium above their par value. Prepayments may cause losses on securities purchased at a premium.
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The value of mortgage-backed securities may be affected by changes in credit quality or value of the mortgage loans or other assets that support the securities. In addition, for mortgage-backed securities, when market conditions result in an increase in the default rates on the underlying mortgages and the foreclosure values of the underlying real estate are below the outstanding amount of the underlying mortgages, collection of the full amount of accrued interest and principal on these investments may be doubtful. For mortgage derivatives and structured securities that have embedded leverage features, small changes in interest or prepayment rates may cause large and sudden price movements. Mortgage derivatives can also become illiquid and hard to value in declining markets.
In response to the financial crisis that began in 2008, the Federal Reserve attempted to keep mortgage rates low by acting as a buyer of mortgage-backed assets. This support has recently ended. As a result, mortgage rates may rise and prices of mortgage-backed securities may fall. To the extent the Fund’s assets are invested in mortgage-backed securities, returns to Fund investors may decline.
Asset-backed securities are structured like mortgage-backed securities and are subject to many of the same risks. The ability of an issuer of asset-backed securities to enforce its security interest in the underlying assets or to otherwise recover from the underlying obligor may be limited. Certain asset-backed securities present a heightened level of risk because, in the event of default, the liquidation value of the underlying assets may be inadequate to pay any unpaid principal or interest.
The following risks are associated with the Fund’s non-principal investment strategies.
Risk of Increase in Expenses. Your actual cost of investing in the Fund may be higher than the expenses shown in the expense table for a variety of reasons.
Equity and Equity-Related Securities Risks. The value of a particular security could go down and you could lose money. In addition to an individual security losing value, the value of the equity markets or a sector in which the Fund invests could go down. The Fund's holdings can vary significantly from broad market indexes and the performance of the Fund can deviate from the performance of these indexes. Different parts of a market can react differently to adverse issuer, market, regulatory, political and economic developments.
Credit-Linked Securities Risk. Credit-linked securities are subject to the risk that the issuer of the credit-linked security may default or go bankrupt, as well as the credit risk of the corporate issuer underlying the credit default swaps. In addition, credit-linked securities are usually issued in privately negotiated transactions, resulting in limited or no liquidity. Credit-linked securities are also subject to market risk, interest rate risk, prepayment risk and extension risk.
Risks of Step-ups and PIK Securities. Step-ups and PIK securities are typically subject to greater volatility and less liquidity in adverse markets than other debt securities. Step-ups and PIK securities are also subject to credit risk and market risk.
Short Sales Risk. Short sales involve costs and risks. The Fund must pay the lender interest on the security it borrows, and the Fund will lose money to the extent that the price of the security increases between the time of the short sale and the date when the Fund replaces the borrowed security. Although the Fund’s gain is limited to the price at which it sold the securities short, its potential loss is limited only by the maximum attainable price of the securities, less the price at which the security was sold and may, theoretically, be unlimited. When selling short against the box, the Fund gives up the opportunity for capital appreciation in the security.
Stripped Securities Risk. Stripped securities are more volatile than securities where the principal and interest have not been separated. These securities do not make periodic interest payments, and generally lose value when interest rates rise. The value of stripped securities generally fluctuates more in response to interest rate movements than the value of traditional bonds. Interest-only stripped securities generally have greater risk of loss compared to principal-only stripped securities.
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Repurchase Agreements Risk. Repurchase agreements could involve certain risks in the event of default or insolvency of the seller, including losses and possible delays or restrictions upon the Fund’s ability to dispose of the underlying securities. To the extent that, in the meantime, the value of the securities that the Fund has purchased has decreased, the Fund could experience a loss.
Reverse Repurchase Agreements Risk. Reverse repurchase agreements involve leverage, which may exaggerate the increase or decrease of the value of the Fund’s assets during the term of the agreement.
Dollar Rolls Risk. Dollar rolls involve the risk that the market value of the securities that the Fund is committed to buy may decline below the price of the securities the Fund has sold. These transactions may involve leverage.
When-Issued and Delayed-Delivery Transactions Risk. When-issued and delayed delivery securities involve the risk that the security the Fund buys will lose value prior to its delivery. There also is the risk that the security will not be issued or that the other party to the transaction will not meet its obligation. If this occurs, the Fund may lose both the investment opportunity for the assets it set aside to pay for the security and any gain in the security’s price.
Securities Lending Risk. Securities lending involves the risk that the borrower may fail to return the securities in a timely manner or at all. As a result, the Fund may lose money and there may be a delay in recovering the loaned securities. Additionally, losses could result from the reinvestment of collateral received on loaned securities in investments that decline in value, default, or do not perform as well as expected. The affiliated prime money market fund in which cash collateral is invested may impose liquidity fees or temporary gates on redemptions if its weekly liquid assets fall below a designated threshold. If this were to occur, the Fund may lose money on its investment of cash collateral in the affiliated prime money market fund, or the Fund may not be able to redeem its investment of cash collateral in the affiliated prime money market fund, which might cause the Fund to liquidate other holdings in order to return the cash collateral to the borrower upon termination of a securities loan. These events could trigger adverse tax consequences for the Fund.
Please note that, in addition to the risks discussed above, there are many other factors that may impact the Fund’s ability to achieve its investment objective and which could result in a loss of all or a part of your investment.
More information about the Fund’s investment strategies and risks appears in the SAI.
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HOW THE FUND IS MANAGED
BOARD OF TRUSTEES
The Fund is overseen by a Board of Trustees (hereafter referred to as Trustees, or the Board). The Board oversees the actions of the Manager, investment subadviser and distributor and decides on general policies. The Board also oversees the Fund's officers, who conduct and supervise the daily business operations of the Fund.
MANAGER
PGIM Investments LLC (PGIM Investments)
655 Broad Street
Newark, NJ 07102-4410
As manager, PGIM Investments manages the Fund's investment operations and administers its business affairs and is responsible for supervising the Fund's investment subadviser. Pursuant to the management agreement relating to the Fund, PGIM Investments is responsible for substantially all expenses of the Fund, except taxes, brokerage expenses, interest expenses, distribution fees or expenses, expenses incident to shareholder meetings and extraordinary expenses. The Fund may also pay for any costs or expenses of investing in other funds. The Fund pays PGIM Investments management fees at the rate of 0.XX of the Fund's average daily net assets.
PGIM Investments and its predecessors have served as a manager or administrator to investment companies since 1987. As of April 30, 2018, PGIM Investments, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Prudential, served as the investment manager to all of the Prudential US and offshore open-end investment companies, and as the manager or administrator to closed-end investment companies, with aggregate assets of approximately $276.8 billion.
Subject to the supervision of the Board, PGIM Investments is responsible for conducting the initial review of prospective investment subadvisers for the Fund. In evaluating a prospective investment subadviser, PGIM Investments considers many factors, including the firm's experience, investment philosophy and historical performance. Subject to the Board’s oversight, PGIM Investments is also responsible for monitoring the performance of the Fund's investment subadviser and recommending termination and replacement when deemed appropriate. PGIM Investments may provide a subadviser with additional investment guidelines consistent with the Fund's investment objective and restrictions.
PGIM Investments and the Fund operate under an exemptive order (the Order) from the SEC that generally permits PGIM Investments to enter into or amend agreements with unaffiliated investment subadvisers and certain subadvisers that are affiliates of PGIM Investments without obtaining shareholder approval. This authority is subject to certain conditions, including the requirement that the Board must approve any new or amended agreements with an investment subadviser. Shareholders of the Fund still have the right to terminate these agreements at any time by a vote of the majority of the outstanding shares of the Fund. The Fund will notify shareholders of any new investment subadvisers engaged or material amendments to subadvisory agreements made pursuant to the Order. Any new subadvisory agreement or amendment to the Fund’s management agreement or current subadvisory agreement that directly or indirectly results in an increase in the aggregate management fee rate payable by the Fund will be submitted to the Fund’s shareholders for their approval. PGIM Investments does not currently intend to retain unaffiliated subadvisers.
A discussion of the basis for the Board's approvals of the management and subadvisory agreements will be available in the Fund's Annual Report to shareholders dated August 31.
INVESTMENT SUBADVISER
PGIM, Inc. is an indirect, wholly-owned subsidiary of Prudential Financial, Inc. (Prudential Financial) that was organized in 1984. Its address is 655 Broad Street, Newark, New Jersey 07102. As of March 31, 2018, PGIM managed approximately $1.16 trillion in assets.
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PGIM Fixed Income is the primary public fixed-income asset management unit of PGIM, with $717 billion in assets under management as of March 31, 2018, and is the unit of PGIM that provides investment advisory services to the Fund.
PGIM Fixed Income is organized into groups specializing in different sectors of the fixed-income market: US and non-US government bonds, mortgages and asset-backed securities, US and non-US investment grade corporate bonds, high-yield bonds, emerging markets bonds, municipal bonds, and money market securities.
PGIM Limited is an indirect wholly-owned subsidiary of PGIM. PGIM Limited is located at Grand Buildings, 1-3 Strand, Trafalgar Square, London WC2N 5HR. PGIM Limited provides investment advisory services with respect to securities in certain foreign markets. As of March 31, 2018, PGIM Limited managed approximately $41.9 billion in assets, and PGIM Limited-Fixed Income managed approximately $36.5 billion.
PORTFOLIO MANAGERS
Robert Cignarella, Ryan Kelly, Robert Spano, Brian Clapp and Daniel Thorogood of PGIM Fixed Income are responsible for the management of the PGIM Active High Yield Bond ETF.
Robert Cignarella, CFA, is a Managing Director and Head of PGIM Fixed Income's Leveraged Finance Team, which includes the US and European High Yield Bond and Bank Loan sector teams. Previously, Mr. Cignarella was a managing director and co-head of high yield and bank loans at Goldman Sachs Asset Management. He also held positions as a high yield portfolio manager and a high yield and investment grade credit analyst. Earlier, he was a financial analyst in the investment banking division of Salomon Brothers. Mr. Cignarella received an MBA from the University of Chicago, and a bachelor’s degree in operations research and industrial engineering from Cornell University. He holds the Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA) designation.
Robert Spano, CFA, CPA, is Principal and high yield portfolio manager for PGIM Fixed Income's High Yield Team. Prior to assuming his current position in 2007, Mr. Spano was a high yield credit analyst for 10 years in PGIM Fixed Income's Credit Research Group, covering the health, lodging, consumer, gaming, restaurants, and chemical industries. Earlier, he worked as an investment analyst in the Project Finance Unit of Prudential Financial’s private placement group. Mr. Spano also held positions in the internal audit and risk management units of Prudential Securities. He received a BS in Accounting from the University of Delaware and an MBA from New York University. Mr. Spano holds the Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA) and Certified Public Accountant (CPA) designations.
Ryan Kelly, CFA, is a Principal and a high yield portfolio manager for PGIM Fixed Income's High Yield Team. Prior to his current position, Mr. Kelly was a senior high yield credit analyst in PGIM Fixed Income's Credit Research Group, covering the automotive, energy, technology and finance sectors. Previously, Mr. Kelly was a senior high yield bond analyst at Muzinich & Company. Earlier, he was an investment banker at PNC Capital Markets/PNC Bank where he worked in the high yield bond, mergers and acquisition (M&A) and loan syndication groups. Mr. Kelly began his career in investment banking at Chase Manhattan Bank, working on project finance transactions and M&A advisory mandates for the electric power sector. He received a BA in Economics from Michigan State University and holds the Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA) designation.
Brian Clapp, CFA, is Principal and high yield portfolio manager for PGIM Fixed Income's High Yield Team. Previously, Mr. Clapp was a senior high yield credit analyst on PGIM Fixed Income’s Credit Research team. He joined Prudential Financial in 2006 from Muzinich & Co. While there, Mr. Clapp held several positions, including portfolio manager for a high yield bond based hedge fund, hedge fund credit analyst, and credit analyst covering the chemical, industrial, and transportation sectors. Earlier at Triton Partners, an institutional high yield fund manager, Mr. Clapp was a credit analyst covering the metals and mining, healthcare, homebuilding, building products and transportation sectors. He received a BS in Finance from Bryant College, and an MS in Computational Finance, and an MBA from Carnegie Mellon. Mr. Clapp holds the Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA) designation.
20 PGIM Active High Yield Bond ETF

Daniel Thorogood, CFA, is a Vice President and a high yield portfolio manager for PGIM Fixed Income’s High Yield Team. Mr. Thorogood is also responsible for portfolio strategy and managing high yield bond allocations in multi-sector portfolios. Prior to joining the High Yield Team, Mr. Thorogood was a member of PGIM Fixed Income’s Quantitative Research and Risk Management Group. Mr. Thorogood was the head of a team of portfolio analysts who support the firm's credit-related strategies, including investment grade corporate, high yield corporate, and emerging market debt sectors. The team was primarily responsible for performing detailed portfolio analysis relative to benchmarks, monitoring portfolio risk exposures, and analyzing performance through proprietary return attribution models. Prior to joining the Quantitative Research and Risk Management Group in 1996, Mr. Thorogood was Associate Manager in PGIM Fixed Income's Trade Support and Operations Unit. He received a BS in Finance from Florida State University and an MBA in Finance from Rutgers University. Mr. Thorogood holds the Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA) designation.
Additional information about portfolio manager compensation, other accounts managed, and portfolio manager ownership of Fund securities may be found in the SAI.
DISTRIBUTOR
The Fund's Distributor is Prudential Investment Management Services LLC (PIMS or the Distributor). The Distributor is a broker-dealer registered with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The Distributor distributes Creation Units for the Fund and does not maintain a secondary market in shares of the Fund.
Distribution and Servicing Plan
The Fund has adopted a Distribution and Servicing Plan (the 12b-1 Plan) pursuant to Rule 12b-1 under the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended (the 1940 Act). The 12b-1 Plan permits compensation in connection with the distribution and marketing of Fund shares and/or the provision of certain shareholder services. The 12b-1 Plan permits the Fund to pay compensation at an annual rate of up to 0.25% of the Fund's average daily net assets. However, the Board has determined not to authorize payment of a 12b-1 Plan fee at this time.
The 12b-1 fee may only be imposed or increased when the Board determines that it is in the best interests of shareholders to do so. Because these fees, when and if authorized, will be paid out of the Fund's assets on an ongoing basis, over time they will increase the cost of an investment in the Fund.
PGIM or its affiliates make payments to broker-dealers, registered investment advisers, banks or other intermediaries (together, intermediaries) related to marketing activities and presentations, educational training programs, conferences, the development of technology platforms and reporting systems, or their making Fund shares available to their customers generally and in certain investment programs. Such payments, which may be significant to the intermediary, are not made by the Fund. Rather, such payments are made by PGIM or its affiliates from their own resources, which come directly or indirectly in part from fees paid by the Fund. A financial intermediary may make decisions about which investment options it recommends or makes available, or the level of services provided, to its customers based on the payments it is eligible to receive. Therefore, such payments to an intermediary create conflicts of interest between the intermediary and its customers and may cause the intermediary to recommend the funds over another investment. More information regarding these payments is contained in the Fund’s SAI.
Please contact your salesperson or other investment professional for more information regarding any such payments his or her firm may receive from PGIM or its affiliates.
DISCLOSURE OF PORTFOLIO HOLDINGS
Fund policies and procedures with respect to the disclosure of the Fund's portfolio securities are described in the Fund's SAI. On each business day, before commencement of trading on the Exchange, the Fund will disclose on www.pgiminvestments.com the Fund's portfolio holdings that will form the basis for the Fund's calculation of NAV at the end of the business day.
Visit our website at www.pgiminvestments.com 21

FUND DISTRIBUTIONS AND TAX ISSUES
DISTRIBUTIONS
The Fund distributes dividends out of any net investment income to shareholders. For example, if the Fund owns an ACME Corp. bond and the bond pays interest, the Fund will pay out a portion of this interest as a dividend to its shareholders, assuming the Fund’s income is more than its costs and expenses.
The Fund also distributes any realized net capital gains to shareholders. Capital gains are generated when the Fund sells its assets for a profit. For example, if the Fund bought 100 bonds of ACME Corp. for a total of $1,000 and more than one year later sold the bonds for a total of $1,500, the Fund has net long-term capital gains of $500, which it will pass on to shareholders (assuming the Fund’s remaining total gains are greater than any losses it may have).
Dividends and other distributions on shares of the Fund are distributed on a pro rata basis to beneficial owners of such shares.
Dividend payments are made through DTC participants and indirect participants to beneficial owners then of record with proceeds received from the Fund.
Dividend Reinvestment Service. No dividend reinvestment service is provided by the Fund. Broker-dealers may make available the DTC book-entry Dividend Reinvestment Service for use by beneficial owners of the Fund for reinvestment of their dividend distributions. Beneficial owners should contact their broker to determine the availability and costs of the service and the details of participation therein. Brokers may require beneficial owners to adhere to specific procedures and timetables. If this service is available and used, dividend distributions of both income and realized gains will be automatically reinvested in additional whole shares of the Fund purchased in the secondary market. Dividend distributions of both income and realized gains will be subject to taxation whether or not they are reinvested in the Fund.  
The chart below sets forth the expected frequency of dividend and capital gains distributions to shareholders. Various factors may impact the frequency of dividend distributions to shareholders, including but not limited to adverse market conditions or portfolio holding-specific events.
Expected Distribution Schedule*  
Dividends Monthly
Long Term Capital Gains Annually
Short Term Capital Gains Annually
*Under certain circumstances, the Fund may make more than one distribution of short-term and/or long-term capital gains during a fiscal year.
TAX ISSUES
Investors who buy shares of the Fund should be aware of some important tax issues. For example, the Fund distributes dividends of net investment income and realized net capital gains, if any, to shareholders. These distributions are subject to federal income taxes, unless you hold your shares in a 401(k) plan, an Individual Retirement Account (IRA) or some other qualified or tax-deferred plan or account. Dividends and distributions from the Fund also may be subject to state and local income tax in the state where you live. Also, if you sell shares of the Fund for a profit, you may have to pay capital gains taxes on the amount of your profit, unless you hold your shares in a qualified or tax-deferred plan or account.
The following briefly discusses some of the important income tax issues you should be aware of, but is not meant to be tax advice. For tax advice, please speak with your tax adviser.
Fund Distributions
22 PGIM Active High Yield Bond ETF

Dividends of net investment income will generally be taxable to shareholders at ordinary income rates. Dividends from net investment income paid to a non-corporate US shareholder that are reported as qualified dividend income will generally be taxable to such shareholder at the long-term capital gain tax rate. Also, a portion of the dividends paid to corporate shareholders of the Fund will be eligible for the dividends received deduction to the extent the Fund’s income is derived from certain dividends received from US corporations. Because of the nature of the Fund’s investments, the Fund does not expect to pay dividends that for noncorporate shareholders are treated as qualified dividend income or that for corporate shareholders are eligible for the dividends received deduction.
Fund distributions of net capital gains are taxed differently depending on how long the Fund holds the security. If the Fund holds a security for more than one year before selling it, any gain is treated as long-term capital gain which is generally taxed at rates of up to 15% or 20% for noncorporate US shareholders, depending on whether their income exceeds certain threshold amounts which are adjusted annually for inflation. If the Fund holds the security for one year or less, any gain is treated as short-term capital gain, which is taxed at rates applicable to ordinary income. Different rates apply to corporate shareholders.
A US shareholder that is an individual, estate, or certain type of trust is subject to a 3.8% Medicare contribution tax on the lesser of (1) the US shareholder’s “net investment income,” including Fund distributions and net gains from the disposition of Fund shares, and (2) the excess of the US shareholder’s modified adjusted gross income for the taxable year over $200,000 (or $250,000 for married couples filing jointly). For this purpose, net investment income includes interest, dividends, annuities, royalties, capital gain and income from a passive activity business or a business of trading in financial instruments or commodities.
Form 1099
For every year the Fund declares a dividend, you will receive a Form 1099, which reports the amount of ordinary income distributions and long-term capital gains we distributed to you during the prior year unless you own shares of the Fund as part of a qualified or tax-deferred plan or account. If you do own shares of the Fund as part of a qualified or tax-deferred plan or account, your taxes are deferred, so you will not receive a Form 1099 annually, but instead you will receive a Form 1099 when you take any distribution from your qualified or tax-deferred plan or account.
Fund distributions are generally taxable to you in the calendar year in which they are received, except when we declare certain dividends and distributions in the fourth quarter, with a record date in such quarter, and actually pay them in January of the following year. In such cases, the dividends and distributions are treated as if they were paid on December 31st of the prior year.
Withholding Taxes
If federal tax law requires you to provide the Fund with your taxpayer identification number and certifications as to your tax status and you fail to do this, or if you are otherwise subject to backup withholding, we will withhold and pay to the US Treasury a portion of your distributions and sale proceeds based on the applicable backup withholding rate.
Taxation of Non-US Shareholders
For a discussion regarding the taxation of non-US shareholders, please see the SAI and contact your tax adviser.
If You Purchase on or Before a Record Date
If you buy shares of the Fund on or before the record date for a distribution (the date that determines who receives the distribution), we will pay that distribution to you. As explained above, the distribution may be subject to taxes. You may think you’ve done well since you bought shares one day and soon thereafter received a distribution. That is not so, because when dividends are paid out, the value of each share of the Fund decreases by the amount of the dividend to
Visit our website at www.pgiminvestments.com 23

reflect the payout, although this may not be apparent because the value of each share of the Fund also will be affected by market changes, if any. However, the timing of your purchase does mean that part of your investment may have come back to you as taxable income.
TAXES WHEN SHARES ARE SOLD
Any capital gain or loss realized upon a sale of shares is generally treated as long-term capital gain or loss if the shares have been held for more than one year and as short-term capital gain or loss if the shares have been held for one year or less. Capital loss realized on the sale or exchange of Shares held for six months or less will be treated as long-term capital loss to the extent of any capital gain dividends received by the shareholder. The ability to deduct capital losses may be limited. Net gains from the sale of shares are included in “net investment income” for purposes of the 3.8% Medicare contribution tax mentioned above.
For shares purchased and sold from a taxable account, your intermediary will report cost basis information to you and to the IRS. Your intermediary will permit shareholders to elect their preferred cost basis method. In the absence of an election, your cost basis method will be your intermediary’s default method, which is often the average cost method. Please consult your tax adviser to determine the appropriate cost basis method for your particular tax situation and to learn more about how the cost basis reporting laws apply to you and your investments.
The above is a general summary of tax implications of investing in the Fund. Because each investor’s tax consequences are unique, please consult your tax advisor to see how investing in the Fund and, for individuals and S corporations, selection of a particular cost method of accounting will affect your own tax situation.
24 PGIM Active High Yield Bond ETF

HOW TO BUY AND SELL SHARES
Secondary Market
Most investors will buy and sell Fund shares in secondary market transactions through brokers. Shares of the Fund are listed and traded on the secondary market on the Exchange. Shares can be bought and sold throughout the trading day like other publicly traded securities. There is no minimum investment. When buying or selling shares through a broker, you will incur customary brokerage commissions and charges, and you may pay some or all of the spread between the bid and the offered price in the secondary market on each leg of a round trip (purchase and sale) transaction. The spread varies over time for Fund shares based on the Fund’s trading volume and market liquidity, and is generally lower if the Fund has a lot of trading volume and market liquidity.
Shares of the Fund trade on the Exchange at prices that may differ to varying degrees from the daily NAV of the shares.
Directly with the Fund
Fund shares are issued or redeemed by the Fund at NAV per share only in Creation Units. Investors such as market makers, large investors and institutions who wish to deal in Creation Units directly with the Fund must have entered into an authorized participant agreement with the Distributor, or purchase through a dealer that has entered into such an agreement. Set forth below is a brief description of the procedures applicable to purchases and redemptions of Creation Units. For more detailed information, see “Creations and Redemptions of Fund Shares” in the Fund’s Statement of Additional Information.
Beneficial Ownership
The Depository Trust Company (DTC) serves as securities depository for Fund shares. Shares of the Fund may be held only in book-entry form; stock certificates will not be issued. DTC, or its nominee, is the record or registered owner of all outstanding shares of the Fund. Beneficial ownership of shares will be shown on the records of DTC or its participants. Beneficial owners of shares are not entitled to have shares registered in their names, will not receive or be entitled to receive physical delivery of certificates in definitive form and are not considered the registered holder thereof. Accordingly, to exercise any rights of a holder of shares of the Fund, each beneficial owner must rely on the procedures of: (i) DTC; (ii) “DTC Participants,” i.e., securities brokers and dealers, banks, trust companies, clearing corporations and certain other organizations, some of whom (and/or their representatives) own DTC; and (iii) “Indirect Participants,” i.e., brokers, dealers, banks and trust companies that clear through or maintain a custodial relationship with a DTC Participant, either directly or indirectly, through which such beneficial owner holds its interests.
The Fund understands that under existing industry practice, in the event the Fund requests any action of holders of shares, or a beneficial owner desires to take any action that DTC, as the record owner of all outstanding shares, is entitled to take, DTC would authorize the DTC Participants to take such action and that the DTC Participants would authorize the Indirect Participants and beneficial owners acting through such DTC Participants to take such action and would otherwise act upon the instructions of beneficial owners owning through them. As described above, the Fund recognizes DTC or its nominee as the owner of all shares of the Fund for all purposes. For more detailed information, see “Book Entry Only System” in the Fund’s Statement of Additional Information.
Shares of the Fund have not been registered for sale outside of the United States.
Understanding the Price You'll Pay for the Shares
Market Trading Price. The trading price of the Fund’s shares on the Exchange may differ from the Fund’s daily NAV and can be affected by market forces of supply and demand, economic conditions and other factors.
Visit our website at www.pgiminvestments.com 25

The Exchange disseminates the approximate value of shares of the Fund every fifteen seconds. This approximate value should not be viewed as a “real-time” update of the NAV of the Fund because the approximate value may not be calculated in the same manner as the NAV, which is computed only once a day. The approximate value is generally determined by using both current market quotations and/or price quotations obtained from broker-dealers and other market intermediaries that may trade in the portfolio securities held by the Fund. The Fund is not involved in, or responsible for, the calculation or dissemination of the approximate value and the Fund does not make any representation or warranty as to its accuracy.
Premiums and Discounts. The Fund has not commenced operations as of the date of this prospectus, and, therefore, does not have information about the differences between the Fund’s daily market price on the Exchange and its NAV. When available, information regarding how often the shares of the Fund traded on the Exchange at a price above (i.e., at a premium) or below (i.e., at a discount) the NAV of the Fund during the past four calendar quarters, as applicable, can be found at www.pgiminvestments.com.
Net Asset Value. The share value of a fund—known as the net asset value or NAV—is determined by a simple calculation: it's the total value of the Fund (assets minus liabilities) divided by the total number of shares outstanding. For example, if the value of the investments held by Fund XYZ (minus its liabilities) is $1,000 and there are 100 shares of Fund XYZ owned by shareholders, the value of one share of the Fund—or the NAV—is $10 ($1,000 divided by 100).
The Fund's NAV will be determined every day on which the Fund is open as of the close of regular trading on the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) (generally, 4:00 p.m. Eastern time). The price at which a purchase of a Creation Unit is effected is based on the next calculation of NAV after the order is received in proper form in accordance with this prospectus and the requirements of the authorized participant agreement.
The Fund's portfolio securities are valued based upon market quotations or, if market quotations are not readily available, at fair value as determined in good faith under procedures established by the Board. These procedures include pricing methodologies for determining the fair value of certain types of securities and other assets held by the Fund that do not have quoted market prices, and authorize the use of other pricing sources, such as bid prices supplied by a principal market maker and evaluated prices supplied by pricing vendors that employ analytic methodologies that take into account the prices of similar securities and other market factors.
If the Fund determines that a market quotation for a security is not reliable based on, among other things, events or market conditions that occur with respect to one or more securities held by the Fund or the market as a whole, after the quotation is derived or after the closing of the primary market on which the security is traded, but before the time that the Fund's NAV is determined, the Fund may use “fair value pricing,” which is implemented by a valuation committee (Valuation Committee) consisting of representatives of the Manager or by the Board. The subadviser often provides relevant information for the Valuation Committee meeting. In addition, the Fund may use fair value pricing determined by the Valuation Committee or Board if the pricing source does not provide an evaluated price for a security or provides an evaluated price that, in the judgment of the Manager (which may be based upon a recommendation from the subadviser), does not represent fair value. Equity securities that are traded on foreign exchanges are valued using pricing vendor services that provide fair value model prices. The models generate an evaluated adjustment factor for each security, which is applied to the local closing price to adjust it for post-closing market movements. Utilizing that evaluated adjustment factor, the vendor provides an evaluated price for each security. Non-US securities markets are open for trading on weekends and other days when the Fund does not price shares. Therefore, the value of the Fund’s shares may change on days when you will not be able to purchase or redeem the Fund’s shares.
Investments in open-end non-exchange-traded mutual funds shall be valued at their NAV as determined as of the close of the NYSE on the date of valuation, which will reflect the mutual fund’s fair valuation procedures.
26 PGIM Active High Yield Bond ETF

Different valuation methods may result in differing values for the same security. The fair value of a portfolio security that the Fund uses to determine its NAV may differ from the security's quoted or published price. If the Fund needs to implement fair value pricing after the NAV publishing deadline but before shares of the Fund are processed, the NAV you receive or pay may differ from the published NAV price. The prospectuses of any other mutual funds in which the Fund invests will explain each fund’s procedures and policies with respect to the use of fair value pricing.
Fair value pricing procedures are designed to result in prices for the Fund's securities and its NAV that are reasonable in light of the circumstances which make or have made market quotations unavailable or unreliable, and may have the effect of reducing arbitrage opportunities available to short-term traders. There is no assurance, however, that fair value pricing will more accurately reflect the market value of a security than the market price of such security on that day or that it will prevent dilution of the Fund's NAV by short-term traders.
Frequent Purchases and Redemptions
The Fund imposes no restrictions on the frequency of purchases and redemptions. The Board of Trustees evaluated the risks of market timing activities by Fund shareholders when they considered that no restriction or policy was necessary. The Board considered that, unlike mutual funds, the Fund issues and redeems its shares at NAV only in Creation Units, and the Fund’s shares may be purchased and sold on the Exchange at prevailing market prices.
Visit our website at www.pgiminvestments.com 27

FINANCIAL HIGHLIGHTS
No financial highlights information is available for the Fund as of the date of this Prospectus, as the Fund is new and has no prior financial highlights information. As of the date of this Prospectus, the Fund has not yet commenced investment operations.
28 PGIM Active High Yield Bond ETF

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FOR MORE INFORMATION
Please read this Prospectus before you invest in the Fund and keep it for future reference.
For information or shareholder questions contact:
MAIL
PGIM Investments LLC
655 Broad Street, 17th Floor
Newark NJ 07102
WEBSITE
www.pgiminvestments.com
TELEPHONE
(888) 247-8090
(973) 802-2093
(from outside the US)
    
E-DELIVERY
You may request e-delivery of Fund documents by contacting your financial intermediary directly or by going to www.icsdelivery.com. Instead of receiving printed documents by mail, you will receive notification via email when new materials are available. You can cancel your enrollment or change your email address at any time by visiting the website address above.
    
The Annual and Semi-Annual Reports and the SAI contain additional information about the Fund. Shareholders may obtain free copies of the SAI, Annual Report and Semi-Annual Report as well as other information about the Fund and may make other shareholder inquiries through the telephone number, address and website listed above.
STATEMENT OF ADDITIONAL INFORMATION (SAI)
(incorporated by reference into this Prospectus)
SEMI-ANNUAL REPORT
ANNUAL REPORT
(contains a discussion of the market conditions and investment strategies that significantly affected the Fund's performance during the last fiscal year)
    
You can also obtain copies of Fund documents, including the SAI, from the Securities and Exchange Commission as follows (the SEC charges a fee to copy documents):
MAIL
Securities and Exchange Commission
Public Reference Section
100 F Street, NE
Washington, DC 20549-1520
ELECTRONIC REQUEST
publicinfo@sec.gov
IN PERSON
Public Reference Room located at
100 F Street, NE in Washington, DC
For hours of operation, call (202) 551-8090
VIA THE INTERNET
on the EDGAR Database at www.sec.gov
    
PGIM Active High Yield Bond ETF
Ticker Symbol XXXX
Listing Exchange NYSE Arca, Inc.
ETF1001STAT The Fund's Investment Company Act File No. 811-23324
 
 

 

 

PGIM INVESTMENTS | Bringing you the investment managers of Prudential Financial, Inc.

PGIM ETF Trust

 

SUBJECT TO COMPLETION, PRELIMINARY STATEMENT OF ADDITIONAL INFORMATION — June 28, 2018

 

 

The information in this Preliminary Statement of Additional Information (SAI) is not complete and may be changed. We may not sell these securities until the registration statement filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission is effective. This SAI is not an offer to sell these securities and it is not soliciting an offer to buy these securities in any state where the offer or sale is not permitted.

This Statement of Additional Information (SAI) of PGIM ETF Trust (the “Trust”) is not a prospectus and should be read in conjunction with the prospectus of each of the funds (each, a “Fund” and collectively, the “Funds”) which comprise the Trust. The current Prospectus for each Fund can be obtained, without charge, by calling 888-247-8090 or by writing to PGIM Investments LLC, 655 Broad Street, 17th Floor, Newark, NJ 07102. This SAI has been incorporated by reference into each Fund’s current Prospectus. The Funds of the Trust which are discussed in this SAI are listed on the front cover.

 

 

PGIM ULTRA SHORT BOND ETF
Ticker Symbol:
PULS
Listing Exchange:
NYSE Arca, Inc.
           

    

 

PGIM ACTIVE HIGH YIELD BOND ETF
Ticker Symbol:
XXXX
Listing Exchange:
NYSE Arca, Inc.
       

 

 

 

 

ETF1000B

 


 

 

 

Table of Contents

 

3 PART I
3 INTRODUCTION
3 GLOSSARY
4 FUND CLASSIFICATION, INVESTMENT Objectives & POLICIES
4 EXCHANGE LISTING AND TRADING
5 INVESTMENT RISKS AND CONSIDERATIONS
32 INVESTMENT RESTRICTIONS
34 INFORMATION ABOUT BOARD MEMBERS AND OFFICERS
42 MANAGEMENT & ADVISORY ARRANGEMENTS
50 OTHER SERVICE PROVIDERS
52 COMPUTATION OF OFFERING PRICE PER SHARE
52 PORTFOLIO TRANSACTIONS & BROKERAGE
53 ADDITIONAL INFORMATION
54 PRINCIPAL SHAREHOLDERS AND CONTROL PERSONS
54 FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
55 PART II
55 CREATIONS AND REDEMPTIONS OF FUND SHARES
71 NET ASSET VALUE
73 TAXES, DIVIDENDS AND DISTRIBUTIONS
81 DISCLOSURE OF PORTFOLIO HOLDINGS
83 PROXY VOTING
83 CODES OF ETHICS
84 APPENDIX I: PROXY VOTING POLICIES OF THE SUBADVISER
85 APPENDIX II: DESCRIPTIONS OF SECURITY RATINGS


 


 

Table of Contents

 

 

PART I

INTRODUCTION

This SAI sets forth information about PGIM ETF Trust (the Trust). It provides additional information about the Trust's Board of Trustees, the advisory services provided to and the management fees paid by each of the Funds that comprise the Trust, and information about other fees paid by and services provided to each Fund. This SAI also provides information about the investment policies and other investment information relevant to each Fund.

Each Fund will offer and issue shares at net asset value (NAV) only in aggregations of a specified number of shares (each a Creation Unit or a Creation Unit Aggregation). Each Fund’s shares will be listed and traded on NYSE Arca, Inc. (the Exchange). Fund shares will trade on the Exchange at market prices that may be below, at or above NAV. Each Fund normally expects to issue and redeem Creation Units in exchange for an all-cash payment (Cash Deposit) but reserves the right to issue and redeem Creation Units in exchange for a basket of securities and other financial instruments (the Deposit Instruments) together with a deposit of a specified cash payment (the Cash Component). Shares are redeemable by each Fund only in Creation Units. In the event of the liquidation of either Fund, the Trust may lower the number of Shares in a Creation Unit, including making the shares individually redeemable.

Each Fund may charge transaction fees for each creation and redemption transaction. See the “Creations and Redemptions” section below. In each instance of cash creations or redemptions, transaction fees may be imposed that will be higher than the transaction fees associated with in-kind creations or redemptions. In all cases, transaction fees will be limited in accordance with the requirements of the Securities and Exchange Commission (the SEC) applicable to management investment companies offering redeemable securities.

Before reading the SAI, you should consult the Glossary below, which defines certain of the terms used in the SAI:

GLOSSARY

 

Term Definition
ADR American Depositary Receipt
ADS American Depositary Share
Board Fund’s Board of Directors or Trustees
Board Member A trustee or director of the Fund’s Board
CEA Commodity Exchange Act, as amended
CFTC US Commodity Futures Trading Commission
Code Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended
CMO Collateralized Mortgage Obligation
ETF Exchange-Traded Fund
EDR European Depositary Receipt
Exchange NYSE Arca, Inc.
Fannie Mae Federal National Mortgage Association
FDIC Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation
Fitch Fitch Ratings, Inc.
Freddie Mac Federal Home Loan Mortgage Corporation
GDR Global Depositary Receipt
Ginnie Mae Government National Mortgage Association
IPO Initial Public Offering
IRS Internal Revenue Service
1933 Act Securities Act of 1933, as amended
1934 Act Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended
1940 Act Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended
1940 Act Laws, Interpretations and Exemptions Exemptive order, SEC release, no-action letter or similar relief or interpretations, collectively
LIBOR London Interbank Offered Rate
Manager or PGIM Investments PGIM Investments LLC


3

 


 

Table of Contents

 

 

 

Term Definition
Moody’s Moody’s Investor Services, Inc.
NASDAQ National Association of Securities Dealers Automated Quotations System
NAV Net Asset Value
NRSRO Nationally Recognized Statistical Rating Organization
NYSE New York Stock Exchange
OTC Over the Counter
Prudential Prudential Financial, Inc.
RIC Regulated Investment Company, as the term is used in the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended
S&P S&P Global Ratings
SEC US Securities & Exchange Commission
World Bank International Bank for Reconstruction and Development

FUND CLASSIFICATION, INVESTMENT Objectives & POLICIES

PGIM Ultra Short Bond ETF and PGIM Active High Yield Bond ETF are both diversified, actively managed exchange traded funds of the PGIM ETF Trust.

The investment objective of PGIM Ultra Short Bond ETF is to seek total return through a combination of current income and capital appreciation, consistent with preservation of capital. The PGIM Ultra Short Bond ETF seeks to achieve its investment objective by investing primarily in a portfolio of investment grade, U.S. dollar denominated short-term fixed, variable and floating rate debt instruments. The investment objective of PGIM Active High Yield Bond ETF is to seek total return through a combination of current income and capital appreciation. The PGIM Active High Yield Bond ETF seeks to achieve its investment objective by investing primarily in a portfolio of high yield bonds (commonly referred to as junk bonds) of companies or governments.

The following section identifies and explains certain of the types of investments and investment strategies that each Fund may use, and the risks associated with such investments and investment strategies. Each Fund also may invest from time to time in certain types of investments and investment strategies that are not discussed below.

EXCHANGE LISTING AND TRADING

Shares of each Fund will be listed for trading and trade throughout the day on the Exchange and may trade on other secondary markets. There can be no assurance that the requirements of the Exchange necessary to maintain the listing of shares of each Fund will continue to be met. In such event, the Exchange may, but is not required to, remove the shares from listing. In the event any Fund ceases to be listed on an exchange, the Fund may cease operating as an “exchange-traded” fund and operate as a mutual fund, provided that shareholders are given advance notice.

As in the case of other publicly-traded securities, when you buy or sell shares through a financial intermediary you may incur a brokerage commission determined by that financial intermediary.

In order to provide additional information regarding the intraday value of shares of each Fund, the Exchange or a market data vendor disseminates every 15 seconds through the facilities of the Consolidated Tape Association or other widely disseminated means an updated intraday indicative value (IIV) for each Fund as calculated by an information provider or market data vendor. The Funds are not involved in or responsible for any aspect of the calculation or dissemination of the IIV and make no representation or warranty as to the accuracy of the IIV.

As active ETFs, each Fund’s IIV is based on the current market value of the Fund’s portfolio holdings that will form the basis for the Fund’s calculation of NAV at the end of the Business Day (as defined below), as disclosed on the Fund’s website prior to that Business Day’s commencement of trading (the “Active Funds IIV Basket”). Unlike the NAV, the IIV may not reflect estimated accrued interest, dividends and other income, or Fund expenses.

The Trust reserves the right to adjust the share count of each Fund in the future to maintain convenient trading ranges for investors. Any adjustments would be accomplished through stock splits or reverse stock splits, which would have no effect on the net assets of the Funds.


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INVESTMENT RISKS AND CONSIDERATIONS

Set forth below are descriptions of some of the types of investments and investment strategies that each Fund may use and the risks and considerations associated with those investments and investment strategies. Please also see each Fund’s Prospectus and the “Fund Classification, Investment Objectives & Policies” section of this SAI.

ASSET-BACKED SECURITIES. Asset-backed securities directly or indirectly represent a participation interest in, or are secured by and payable from, a stream of payments generated by particular assets such as motor vehicle or credit card receivables. Payments of principal and interest may be guaranteed up to certain amounts and for a certain time period by a letter of credit issued by a financial institution unaffiliated with the entities issuing the securities. Asset-backed securities may be classified as pass-through certificates or collateralized obligations.

Pass-through certificates are asset-backed securities which represent an undivided fractional ownership interest in an underlying pool of assets. Pass-through certificates usually provide for payments of principal and interest received to be passed through to their holders, usually after deduction for certain costs and expenses incurred in administering the pool. Because pass-through certificates represent an ownership interest in the underlying assets, the holders thereof bear directly the risk of any defaults by the obligors on the underlying assets not covered by any credit support.

Asset-backed securities issued in the form of debt instruments include collateralized bond obligations (“CBOs”), collateralized loan obligations (“CLOs”) and other similarly structured securities. A CBO is a trust which is often backed by a diversified pool of high risk, below investment grade fixed-income securities. The collateral can be from many different types of fixed-income securities such as high yield debt, residential privately issued mortgage-related securities, commercial privately issued mortgage-related securities, trust preferred securities and emerging market debt. A CLO is a trust typically collateralized by a pool of loans, which may include, among others, domestic and foreign senior secured loans, senior unsecured loans, and subordinate corporate loans, including loans that may be rated below investment grade or equivalent unrated loans. CBOs and CLOs may charge management fees and administrative expenses.

For CBOs and CLOs, the cash flows from the trust are split into two or more portions, called tranches, varying in risk and yield. The riskiest portion is the “equity” tranche which bears the bulk of defaults from the bonds or loans in the trust and serves to protect the other, more senior tranches from default in all but the most severe circumstances. Since they are partially protected from defaults, senior tranches from a CBO trust or CLO trust typically have higher ratings and lower yields than their underlying securities, and can be rated investment grade. Despite the protection from the equity tranche, CBO or CLO tranches can experience substantial losses due to actual defaults, increased sensitivity to defaults due to collateral default and disappearance of protecting tranches, market anticipation of defaults, as well as aversion to CBO or CLO securities as a class.

The risks of an investment in a CBO or CLO depend largely on the type of the collateral securities and the class of the instrument in which the Fund invests. Normally, CBOs and CLOs are privately offered and sold, and thus, are not registered under the securities laws. As a result, investments in CBOs and CLOs may be characterized by the Fund as illiquid securities; however, an active dealer market may exist for CBOs and CLOs, allowing them to qualify for Rule 144A transactions. In addition to the normal risks associated with fixed-income securities discussed elsewhere in this SAI and the Fund’s Prospectus (e.g., interest rate risk and default risk), CBOs and CLOs carry additional risks including, but not limited to: (i) the possibility that distributions from collateral securities will not be adequate to make interest or other payments; (ii) the possibility that the quality of the collateral may decline in value or default; (iii) the risk that the Fund may invest in CBOs or CLOs that are subordinate to other classes; and (iv) the risk that the complex structure of the security may not be fully understood at the time of investment and may produce disputes with the issuer or unexpected investment results.

ASSET-BASED SECURITIES. The Fund may invest in debt, preferred or convertible securities, the principal amount, redemption terms or conversion terms of which are related to the market price of some natural resource asset such as gold bullion. These securities are referred to as “asset-based securities.” While the market prices for an asset-based security and the related natural resource asset generally are expected to move in the same direction, there may not be perfect correlation in the two price movements. Asset-based securities may not be secured by a security interest in or claim on the underlying natural resource assets and do not represent an interest in the referenced assets. Certain asset-based securities may be illiquid.

The asset-based securities in which the Fund may invest may bear interest or pay preferred dividends at below market (or even relatively nominal) rates. As an example, assume gold is selling at a market price of $300 per ounce and an issuer sells a $1,000 face amount gold-related note with a seven-year maturity, payable at maturity at the greater of either $1,000 in cash or the then market price of three ounces of gold. If at maturity, the market price of gold is $400 per ounce, the amount payable on the note would be $1,200. Certain asset-based securities may be payable at maturity in cash at the stated principal amount or, at the option of the holder, directly in a


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stated amount of the asset to which it is related. In such instance, because the Fund does not presently intend to invest directly in natural resource assets, the Fund may sell the asset-based security in the secondary market, to the extent one exists, prior to maturity if the value of the stated amount of the asset exceeds the stated principal amount and thereby realize the appreciation in the underlying asset.

BORROWING AND LEVERAGE. Unless noted otherwise, the Fund may borrow up to 33 13% of the value of its total assets (calculated at the time of the borrowing). The Fund may pledge up to 33 13% of its total assets to secure these borrowings. If the Fund’s asset coverage for borrowings falls below 300%, the Fund will take prompt action to reduce borrowings. If the Fund borrows to invest in securities, any investment gains made on the securities in excess of interest paid on the borrowing will cause the NAV of the shares to rise faster than would otherwise be the case. On the other hand, if the investment performance of the additional securities purchased fails to cover their cost (including any interest paid on the money borrowed) to the Fund, the NAV of the Fund’s shares will decrease faster than would otherwise be the case. This is the speculative factor known as “leverage.” In addition, the Fund may use certain investment management techniques (collectively, “effective leverage”), such as certain derivatives, that may provide leverage and are not subject to the borrowing limitation noted above.

The Fund may borrow from time to time, at the discretion of the subadviser, to take advantage of investment opportunities, when yields on available investments exceed interest rates and other expenses of related borrowing, or when, in the subadviser's opinion, unusual market conditions otherwise make it advantageous for the Fund to increase its investment capacity. The Fund will only borrow when there is an expectation that it will benefit the Fund after taking into account considerations such as interest income and possible losses upon liquidation. Borrowing by the Fund creates an opportunity for increased net income but, at the same time, creates risks, including the fact that leverage may exaggerate changes in the NAV of Fund shares and in the yield on the Fund. Unless otherwise stated, the Fund may borrow through forward rolls, dollar rolls or reverse repurchase agreements.

CONVERTIBLE SECURITIES. The Fund may invest in convertible securities. Convertible securities entitle the holder to receive interest payments paid on corporate debt securities or the dividend preference on a preferred stock until such time as the convertible security matures or is redeemed or until the holder elects to exercise the conversion privilege.

The characteristics of convertible securities make them appropriate investments for an investment company seeking long-term capital appreciation and/or total return. These characteristics include the potential for capital appreciation as the value of the underlying common stock increases, the relatively high yield received from dividend or interest payments as compared to common stock dividends and decreased risks of decline in value relative to the underlying common stock due to their fixed-income nature. As a result of the conversion feature, however, the interest rate or dividend preference on a convertible security is generally less than would be the case if the securities were issued in nonconvertible form.

In analyzing convertible securities, the subadviser will consider both the yield on the convertible security relative to its credit quality and the potential capital appreciation that is offered by the underlying common stock, among other things.

Convertible securities are issued and traded in a number of securities markets. Even in cases where a substantial portion of the convertible securities held by the Fund are denominated in US dollars, the underlying equity securities may be quoted in the currency of the country where the issuer is domiciled. With respect to convertible securities denominated in a currency different from that of the underlying equity securities, the conversion price may be based on a fixed exchange rate established at the time the security is issued. As a result, fluctuations in the exchange rate between the currency in which the debt security is denominated and the currency in which the share price is quoted will affect the value of the convertible security. As described below, the Fund is authorized to enter into foreign currency hedging transactions in which the Fund may seek to reduce the effect of such fluctuations.

Apart from currency considerations, the value of convertible securities is influenced by both the yield of nonconvertible securities of comparable issuers and by the value of the underlying common stock. The value of a convertible security viewed without regard to its conversion feature (i.e., strictly on the basis of its yield) is sometimes referred to as its “investment value.” To the extent interest rates change, the investment value of the convertible security typically will fluctuate. However, at the same time, the value of the convertible security will be influenced by its “conversion value,” which is the market value of the underlying common stock that would be obtained if the convertible security were converted. Conversion value fluctuates directly with the price of the underlying common stock. If, because of a low price of the common stock, the conversion value is substantially below the investment value of the convertible security, the price of the convertible security is governed principally by its investment value.


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To the extent the conversion value of a convertible security increases to a point that approximates or exceeds its investment value, the price of the convertible security will be influenced principally by its conversion value. A convertible security will sell at a premium over the conversion value to the extent investors place value on the right to acquire the underlying common stock while holding a fixed-income security. The yield and conversion premium of convertible securities issued in Japan and the Euromarket are frequently determined at levels that cause the conversion value to affect their market value more than the securities' investment value.

Holders of convertible securities generally have a claim on the assets of the issuer prior to the common stockholders but may be subordinated to other debt securities of the same issuer. A convertible security may be subject to redemption at the option of the issuer at a price established in the charter provision, indenture or other governing instrument pursuant to which the convertible security was issued. If a convertible security held by the Fund is called for redemption, the Fund will be required to redeem the security, convert it into the underlying common stock or sell it to a third party. Certain convertible debt securities may provide a put option to the holder, which entitles the holder to cause the security to be redeemed by the issuer at a premium over the stated principal amount of the debt security under certain circumstances.

Synthetic convertible securities may be either (i) a debt security or preferred stock that may be convertible only under certain contingent circumstances or that may pay the holder a cash amount based on the value of shares of underlying common stock partly or wholly in lieu of a conversion right (a “Cash-Settled Convertible”), (ii) a combination of separate securities chosen by the subadviser in order to create the economic characteristics of a convertible security, i.e., a fixed-income security paired with a security with equity conversion features, such as an option or warrant (a “Manufactured Convertible”) or (iii) a synthetic security manufactured by another party.

Synthetic convertible securities may include either Cash-Settled Convertibles or Manufactured Convertibles. Cash-Settled Convertibles are instruments that are created by the issuer and have the economic characteristics of traditional convertible securities but may not actually permit conversion into the underlying equity securities in all circumstances. As an example, a private company may issue a Cash-Settled Convertible that is convertible into common stock only if the company successfully completes a public offering of its common stock prior to maturity and otherwise pays a cash amount to reflect any equity appreciation. Manufactured Convertibles are created by the subadviser by combining separate securities that possess one of the two principal characteristics of a convertible security, i.e., fixed-income (“fixed-income component”) or a right to acquire equity securities (“convertibility component”). The fixed-income component is achieved by investing in nonconvertible fixed-income securities, such as nonconvertible bonds, preferred stocks and money market instruments. The convertibility component is achieved by investing in call options, warrants, or other securities with equity conversion features (“equity features”) granting the holder the right to purchase a specified quantity of the underlying stocks within a specified period of time at a specified price or, in the case of a stock index option, the right to receive a cash payment based on the value of the underlying stock index.

A Manufactured Convertible differs from traditional convertible securities in several respects. Unlike a traditional convertible security, which is a single security having a unitary market value, a Manufactured Convertible is comprised of two or more separate securities, each with its own market value. Therefore, the total “market value” of such a Manufactured Convertible is the sum of the values of its fixed-income component and its convertibility component.

More flexibility is possible in the creation of a Manufactured Convertible than in the purchase of a traditional convertible security. Because many corporations have not issued convertible securities, the subadviser may combine a fixed-income instrument and an equity feature with respect to the stock of the issuer of the fixed-income instrument to create a synthetic convertible security otherwise unavailable in the market. The subadviser may also combine a fixed-income instrument of an issuer with an equity feature with respect to the stock of a different issuer when the subadviser believes such a Manufactured Convertible would better promote the Fund’s objective(s) than alternate investments. For example, the subadviser may combine an equity feature with respect to an issuer's stock with a fixed-income security of a different issuer in the same industry to diversify the Fund’s credit exposure, or with a US Treasury instrument to create a Manufactured Convertible with a higher credit profile than a traditional convertible security issued by that issuer. A Manufactured Convertible also is a more flexible investment in that its two components may be purchased separately and, upon purchasing the separate securities, “combined” to create a Manufactured Convertible. For example, the Fund may purchase a warrant for eventual inclusion in a Manufactured Convertible while postponing the purchase of a suitable bond to pair with the warrant pending development of more favorable market conditions.

The value of a Manufactured Convertible may respond differently to certain market fluctuations than would a traditional convertible security with similar characteristics. For example, in the event the Fund created a Manufactured Convertible by combining a short-term US Treasury instrument and a call option on a stock, the Manufactured Convertible would likely outperform a traditional convertible of similar maturity that is convertible into that stock during periods when Treasury instruments outperform corporate fixed-income securities and underperform during periods when corporate fixed-income securities outperform Treasury instruments.


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CORPORATE LOANS. Commercial banks and other financial institutions make loans to companies that need capital to grow or restructure (“corporate loans”). Borrowers generally pay interest on corporate loans at rates that change in response to changes in market interest rates such as the LIBOR or the prime rate of US banks. As a result, the value of corporate loan investments is generally responsive to shifts in market interest rates. Because the trading market for corporate loans is less developed than the secondary market for bonds and notes, the Fund may experience difficulties from time to time in selling its corporate loans. Borrowers frequently provide collateral to secure repayment of these obligations. Leading financial institutions often act as agent for a broader group of lenders, generally referred to as a “syndicate.” The syndicate's agent arranges the corporate loans, holds collateral and accepts payments of principal and interest. If the agent develops financial problems, the Fund may not recover its investment, or there might be a delay in the Fund’s recovery. By investing in a corporate loan, the Fund becomes a member of the syndicate.

As in the case of junk bonds, the corporate loans in which the Fund may invest can be expected to provide higher yields than higher-rated fixed-income securities but may be subject to greater risk of loss of principal and interest. There are, however, some significant differences between corporate loans and junk bonds. Corporate loans are frequently secured by pledges of liens and security interests in the assets of the borrower, and the holders of corporate loans are frequently the beneficiaries of debt service subordination provisions imposed on the borrower's bondholders. These arrangements are designed to give corporate loan investors preferential treatment over junk bond investors in the event of a deterioration in the credit quality of the issuer. Even when these arrangements exist, however, there can be no assurance that the principal and interest owed on the corporate loans will be repaid in full. Corporate loans generally bear interest at rates set at a margin above a generally recognized base lending rate that may fluctuate on a day-to-day basis, in the case of the prime rate of a US bank, or that may be adjusted on set dates, typically 30 or 90 days but generally not more than one year, in the case of LIBOR. Consequently, the value of corporate loans held by the Fund may be expected to fluctuate significantly less than the value of fixed rate junk bond instruments as a result of changes in the interest rate environment. On the other hand, the secondary dealer market for corporate loans is not as well developed as the secondary dealer market for junk bonds, and therefore presents increased market risk relating to liquidity and pricing concerns.

The Fund may acquire interests in corporate loans by means of a novation, assignment or participation. In a novation, the Fund would succeed to all the rights and obligations of the assigning institution and become a contracting party under the credit agreement with respect to the debt obligation. As an alternative, the Fund may purchase an assignment, in which case the Fund may be required to rely on the assigning institution to demand payment and enforce its rights against the borrower but would otherwise typically be entitled to all of such assigning institution's rights under the credit agreement. Participation interests in a portion of a debt obligation typically result in a contractual relationship only with the institution selling the participation interest and not with the borrower. In purchasing a loan participation, the Fund generally will have no right to enforce compliance by the borrower with the terms of the loan agreement, nor any rights of set-off against the borrower, and the Fund may not directly benefit from the collateral supporting the debt obligation in which it has purchased the participation. As a result, the Fund will assume the credit risk of both the borrower and the institution selling the participation to the Fund.

The Fund’s ability to receive payments of principal and interest and other amounts in connection with loans (whether through participations, assignments or otherwise) will depend primarily on the financial condition of the borrower. The failure by the Fund to receive scheduled interest or principal payments on a loan because of a default, bankruptcy or any other reason would adversely affect the income of the Fund and would likely reduce the value of its assets. Even with loans secured by collateral, there is the risk that the value of the collateral may decline, may be insufficient to meet the obligations of the borrower, or be difficult to liquidate. In the event of a default, the Fund may have difficulty collecting on any collateral and would not have the ability to collect on any collateral for an uncollateralized loan. Further, the Fund’s access to collateral, if any, may be limited by bankruptcy laws. Due to the nature of the private syndication of senior loans, including, for example, lack of publicly-available information, some senior loans are not as easily purchased or sold as publicly-traded securities. In addition, loan participations generally are subject to restrictions on transfer, and only limited opportunities may exist to sell loan participations in secondary markets. As a result, it may be difficult for the Fund to value loans or sell loans at an acceptable price when it wants to sell them. Loans trade in an over-the-counter market, and confirmation and settlement, which are effected through standardized procedures and documentation, may take significantly longer than seven days to complete. Floating rate loans are especially subject to liquidity and settlement risk due to the fact that they can take more than seven days to settle. Extended trade settlement periods may, in unusual market conditions with a high volume of shareholder redemptions, present a risk to shareholders regarding the Fund’s ability to pay redemption proceeds within the allowable time periods stated in the Prospectus. In some instances, loans and loan participations are not rated by independent credit rating agencies; in such instances, a decision by the Fund to invest in a particular loan or loan participation could depend exclusively on the investment subadviser’s credit analysis of the borrower, or in the case of a loan participation, of the intermediary holding the portion of the loan that the Fund has purchased. To the extent the Fund invests in loans of non-US issuers, the risks of investing in non-US issuers are applicable.


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Loans may not be considered to be “securities” and as a result may not benefit from the protections of the federal securities laws, including anti-fraud protections and those with respect to the use of material non-public information, so that purchasers, such as the Fund, may not have the benefit of these protections. If the Fund is in possession of material non-public information about a borrower as a result of its investment in such borrower’s loan, the Fund may not be able to enter into a transaction with respect to a publicly-traded security of the borrower when it would otherwise be advantageous to do so.

CREDIT-LINKED SECURITIES. Among the income producing securities in which the Fund may invest are credit-linked securities, which are issued by a limited purpose trust or other vehicle that, in turn, invests in a derivative instrument or basket of derivative instruments, such as credit default swaps, interest rate swaps and other securities, in order to provide exposure to certain fixed-income markets. For instance, the Fund may invest in credit-linked securities as a cash management tool in order to gain exposure to a certain market and/or to remain fully invested when more traditional income producing securities are not available.

Like an investment in a bond, investments in these credit-linked securities represent the right to receive periodic income payments (in the form of distributions) and payment of principal at the end of the term of the security. However, these payments are conditioned on the issuer's receipt of payments from, and the issuer's potential obligations to, the counterparties to the derivative instruments and other securities in which the issuer invests. For instance, the issuer may sell one or more credit default swaps, under which the issuer would receive a stream of payments over the term of the swap agreements provided that no event of default has occurred with respect to the referenced debt obligation upon which the swap is based. If a default occurs, the stream of payments may stop and the issuer would be obligated to pay the counterparty the par (or other agreed upon value) of the referenced debt obligation. This, in turn, would reduce the amount of income and principal that the Fund would receive. The Fund’s investments in these instruments are indirectly subject to the risks associated with derivative instruments, including, among others, credit risk, default or similar event risk, counterparty risk, interest rate risk, leverage risk and management risk. It is also expected that the securities will be exempt from registration under the 1933 Act. Accordingly, there may be no established trading market for the securities and they may constitute illiquid investments.

CUSTODIAL RECEIPTS. Obligations issued or guaranteed as to principal and interest by the US Government, foreign governments or semi-governmental entities may be acquired by the Fund in the form of custodial receipts that evidence ownership of future interest payments, principal payments or both on certain notes or bonds. Typically, custodial receipts have their unmatured interest coupons separated (“stripped”) by their holder. Having separated the interest coupons from the underlying principal of the government securities, the holder will resell the stripped securities in custodial receipt programs with a number of different names, including “Treasury Income Growth Receipts” (“TIGRs”) and “Certificate of Accrual on Treasury Securities” (“CATS”). The stripped coupons are sold separately from the underlying principal, which is usually sold at a deep discount because the buyer receives only the right to receive a future fixed payment on the security and does not receive any rights to periodic interest (cash) payments. CATS and TIGRs are not considered US Government securities by the staff of the SEC. Such notes and bonds are held in custody by a bank or a brokerage firm on behalf of the owners.

CYBER SECURITY RISK. With the increasing use of technology and computer systems in general and, in particular, the Internet to conduct necessary business functions, the Fund is susceptible to operational, information security and related risks. These risks, which are often collectively referred to as “cyber security” risks, may include deliberate or malicious attacks, as well as unintentional events and occurrences. Cyber security is generally defined as the technology, operations and related protocol surrounding and protecting a user’s computer hardware, network, systems and applications and the data transmitted and stored therewith. These measures ensure the reliability of a user’s systems, as well as the security, availability, integrity, and confidentiality of data assets.

Deliberate cyber attacks can include, but are not limited to, gaining unauthorized access to computer systems in order to misappropriate and/or disclose sensitive or confidential information; deleting, corrupting or modifying data; and causing operational disruptions. Cyber attacks may also be carried out in a manner that does not require gaining unauthorized access, such as causing denial-of-service attacks on websites (in order to prevent access to computer networks). In addition to deliberate breaches engineered by external actors, cyber security risks can also result from the conduct of malicious, exploited or careless insiders, whose actions may result in the destruction, release or disclosure of confidential or proprietary information stored on an organization’s systems.

Cyber security failures or breaches, whether deliberate or unintentional, arising from the Fund’s third-party service providers (e.g., custodians, financial intermediaries, transfer agents), subadviser, shareholder usage of unsecure systems to access personal accounts, as well as breaches suffered by the issuers of securities in which the Fund invests, may cause significant disruptions in the business operations of the Fund. Potential impacts may include, but are not limited to, potential financial losses for the Fund and the issuers’ securities, the inability of shareholders to conduct transactions with the Fund, an inability of the Fund to calculate NAV, and disclosures of personal or confidential shareholder information.


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In addition to direct impacts on Fund shareholders, cyber security failures by the Fund and/or its service providers and others may result in regulatory inquiries, regulatory proceedings, regulatory and/or legal and litigation costs to the Fund, and reputational damage. The Fund may incur reimbursement and other expenses, including the costs of litigation and litigation settlements and additional compliance costs. The Fund may also incur considerable expenses in enhancing and upgrading computer systems and systems security following a cyber security failure.

The rapid proliferation of technologies, as well as the increased sophistication and activities of organized crime, hackers, terrorists, and others continue to pose new and significant cyber security threats. Although the Fund and its service providers and subadviser may have established business continuity plans and risk management systems to mitigate cyber security risks, there can be no guarantee or assurance that such plans or systems will be effective, or that all risks that exist, or may develop in the future, have been completely anticipated and identified or can be protected against. Furthermore, the Fund cannot control or assure the efficacy of the cyber security plans and systems implemented by third-party service providers, the subadviser, and the issuers in which the Fund invests.

DEBT SECURITIES. The Fund may invest in debt securities, such as bonds, that involve credit risk. This is the risk that the issuer will not make timely payments of principal and interest. The degree of credit risk depends on the issuer's financial condition and on the terms of the bonds. Changes in an issuer's credit rating or the market's perception of an issuer's creditworthiness may also affect the value of the Fund’s investment in that issuer. Credit risk is reduced to the extent the Fund invests its assets in US Government securities. Certain debt securities, however, may be subject to interest rate risk. This is the risk that the value of the security may fall when interest rates rise. In general, the market price of debt securities with longer maturities will go up or down more in response to changes in interest rates than the market price of shorter-term securities. The Fund may face a heightened level of interest rate risk since the US Federal Reserve Board has ended its quantitative easing program and may continue to raise rates. The Fund may lose money if short-term or long-term interest rates rise sharply or in a manner not anticipated by the subadviser.

DEPOSITARY RECEIPTS. The Fund may invest in the securities of foreign issuers in the form of Depositary Receipts or other securities convertible into securities of foreign issuers. Depositary Receipts may not necessarily be denominated in the same currency as the underlying securities into which they may be converted. ADRs and ADSs are receipts or shares typically issued by an American bank or trust company that evidence ownership of underlying securities issued by a foreign corporation. EDRs are receipts issued in Europe that evidence a similar ownership arrangement. GDRs are receipts issued throughout the world that evidence a similar arrangement. Generally, ADRs and ADSs, in registered form, are designed for use in the US securities markets, and EDRs, in bearer form, are designed for use in European securities markets. GDRs are tradable both in the United States and in Europe and are designed for use throughout the world.

The Fund may invest in unsponsored Depositary Receipts. The issuers of unsponsored Depositary Receipts are not obligated to disclose material information in the United States, and, therefore, there may be less information available regarding such issuers and there may not be a correlation between such information and the market value of the Depositary Receipts. Depositary Receipts are generally subject to the same risks as the foreign securities that they evidence or into which they may be converted or exchanged.

The Fund will not invest in any Depositary Receipts that the Manager or a subadviser deems to be illiquid or for which pricing information is not readily available. No affiliated persons of the Fund, the Manager or a subadviser will serve as the depositary bank for any Depositary Receipts held by the Fund.

DERIVATIVES. The Fund may use instruments referred to as derivatives. Derivatives are financial instruments the value of which is derived from another security, a commodity (such as gold or oil), a currency or an index (a measure of value or rates, such as the S&P 500 Index or the prime lending rate). Derivatives allow the Fund to increase or decrease the level of risk to which the Fund is exposed more quickly and efficiently than transactions in other types of instruments. The Fund may use derivatives for hedging purposes. The Fund may also use derivatives to seek to enhance returns. The use of a derivative is speculative if the Fund is primarily seeking to achieve gains, rather than offset the risk of other positions. When the Fund invests in a derivative for speculative purposes, the Fund will be fully exposed to the risks of loss of that derivative, which may sometimes be greater than the derivative's cost. The Fund may not use any derivative to gain exposure to an asset or class of assets that the Fund would be prohibited by its investment restrictions from purchasing directly.

A discussion of the risk factors relating to derivatives is set out in the sub-section entitled “Risk Factors Involving Derivatives.”

EQUITY AND EQUITY-RELATED SECURITIES. The Fund may invest in or hold common stock and other equity and equity-related securities. Common stock represents an equity ownership interest in a company. Historical trends would indicate that common stock is subject to higher levels of volatility and market and issuer-specific risk than debt securities. The value of equity securities may be affected more rapidly, and to a greater extent, by company-specific developments and general market conditions. These risks may increase fluctuations in the Fund's NAV. The equity interests held by the Fund, if any, may not pay dividends or otherwise generate income or


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appreciate in value and, in fact, may decline in value. Accordingly, the Fund may not be able to realize gains from its equity investments, and any gains that the Fund does realize may not be sufficient to contribute materially to the Fund's investment objective. Equity securities held by the Fund may be illiquid.

HEDGING. Hedging is a strategy in which a derivative or security is used to offset the risks associated with other Fund holdings. Losses on the other investment may be substantially reduced by gains on a derivative that reacts in an opposite manner to market movements. While hedging can reduce losses, it can also reduce or eliminate gains or cause losses if the market moves in a different manner than anticipated by the Fund or if the cost of the derivative outweighs the benefit of the hedge. Hedging also involves the risk that changes in the value of the derivative will not match those of the holdings being hedged as expected by the Fund, in which case any losses on the holdings being hedged may not be reduced or may be increased. The inability to close options and futures positions also could have an adverse impact on the Fund’s ability to hedge effectively its portfolio. There is also a risk of loss by the Fund of margin deposits or collateral in the event of bankruptcy of a broker with whom the Fund has an open position in an option, a futures contract or a related option.

There can be no assurance that the Fund’s hedging strategies will be effective or that hedging transactions will be available to the Fund. The Fund is not required to engage in hedging transactions and the Fund may choose not to do so from time to time.

INDEXED AND INVERSE SECURITIES. The Fund may invest in securities the potential return of which is based on an index or interest rate. As an illustration, the Fund may invest in a security whose value is based on changes in a specific index or that pays interest based on the current value of an interest rate index, such as the prime rate. The Fund may also invest in a debt security that returns principal at maturity based on the level of a securities index or a basket of securities, or based on the relative changes of two indices. In addition, the Fund may invest in securities the potential return of which is based inversely on the change in an index or interest rate (that is, a security the value of which will move in the opposite direction of changes to an index or interest rate). For example, the Fund may invest in securities that pay a higher rate of interest when a particular index decreases and pay a lower rate of interest (or do not fully return principal) when the value of the index increases. Investing in such securities may subject the Fund to reduced or eliminated interest payments or loss of principal in the event of an adverse movement in the relevant interest rate, index or indices. Indexed and inverse securities may involve credit risk, and certain indexed and inverse securities may involve leverage risk, liquidity risk and currency risk. The Fund may invest in indexed and inverse securities for hedging purposes or to seek to increase returns. When used for hedging purposes, indexed and inverse securities involve correlation risk. (Furthermore, where such a security includes a contingent liability, in the event of such an adverse movement, the Fund may be required to pay substantial additional margin to maintain the position.)

SWAP AGREEMENTS. The Fund may enter into swap transactions, including, but not limited to, equity, interest rate, index, credit default, total return and, to the extent that it invests in foreign currency-denominated securities, currency exchange rate swap agreements. In addition, the Fund may enter into options on swap agreements (swap options). These swap transactions are entered into in an attempt to obtain a particular return when it is considered desirable to do so, possibly at a lower cost to the Fund than if the Fund had invested directly in an instrument that yielded that desired return. Swap transactions are a type of derivative. Derivatives are further discussed in the sub-sections entitled “Derivatives” and “Risk Factors Involving Derivatives.”

Swap agreements are two party contracts entered into primarily by institutional investors. In a standard “swap” transaction, two parties agree to exchange the returns (or differentials in rates of return) earned or realized on or calculated with respect to particular predetermined investments or instruments, which may be adjusted for an interest factor. The gross returns to be exchanged or “swapped” between the parties are generally calculated with respect to a “notional amount,” that is, the return on or increase in value of a particular dollar amount invested at a particular interest rate or in a “basket” of securities representing a particular index or other investments or instruments. Most swap agreements entered into by the Fund would calculate the obligations of the parties to the agreement on a “net basis.” Consequently the Fund’s current obligations (or rights) under a swap agreement will generally be equal only to the net amount to be paid or received under the agreement based on the relative values of the positions held by each party to the agreement (the “net amount”). The Fund’s current obligations under a swap agreement will be accrued daily (offset against any amounts owed to the Fund) and any accrued but unpaid net amounts owed to a swap counterparty will be covered by the segregation of liquid assets.

To the extent that the Fund enters into swaps on other than a net basis, the segregated amount maintained will be the full amount of the Fund’s obligations, if any, with respect to such swaps, accrued on a daily basis. Inasmuch as segregated accounts are established for these hedging transactions, the subadviser and the Fund believe such obligations do not constitute senior securities and, accordingly, will not treat them as being subject to the Fund’s borrowing restrictions. If there is a default by the other party to such a transaction, the Fund will have contractual remedies pursuant to the agreement related to the transaction. Since swaps are individually negotiated, the Fund expects to achieve an acceptable degree of correlation between its rights to receive a return on its portfolio securities and its rights


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and obligations to receive and pay a return pursuant to swaps. The Fund will enter into swaps only with counterparties meeting certain creditworthiness standards (generally, such counterparties would have to be eligible counterparties under the terms of the Fund’s repurchase agreement guidelines approved by the Board).

Some swaps will be subject to mandatory or optional clearing through derivatives clearing organizations. While this is expected to better protect collateral, margin and other applicable requirements may increase the financial and operational costs for such transactions.

Recent legislation requires certain swaps to be executed through a centralized exchange or regulated facility and be cleared through a regulated clearinghouse. Although this clearing mechanism is generally expected to reduce counterparty credit risk, it may disrupt or limit the swap market and may not result in swaps being easier to trade or value. As swaps become more standardized, the Fund may not be able to enter into swaps that meet its investment needs. The Fund also may not be able to find a clearinghouse willing to accept a swap for clearing. In a cleared swap, a central clearing organization will be the counterparty to the transaction. The Fund will assume the risk that the clearinghouse may be unable to perform its obligations. The Fund will be required to maintain its positions with a clearing organization through one or more clearing brokers. The clearing organization will require the Fund to post margin and the broker may require the Fund to post additional margin to secure the Fund’s obligations. The amount of margin required may change from time to time. In addition, cleared transactions may be more expensive to maintain than OTC transactions and may require the Fund to deposit larger amounts of margin. The Fund may not be able to recover margin amounts if the broker has financial difficulties. Also, the broker may require the Fund to terminate a derivatives position under certain circumstances. This may cause the Fund to lose money.

CREDIT DEFAULT SWAP AGREEMENTS AND SIMILAR INSTRUMENTS. The Fund may enter into credit default swap agreements and similar agreements. The credit default swap agreement or similar instrument may have as reference obligations one or more securities that are not currently held by the Fund. The protection “buyer” in a credit default contract may be obligated to pay the protection “seller” an up-front or a periodic stream of payments over the term of the contract provided generally that no credit event on a reference obligation has occurred. If a credit event occurs, the seller generally must pay the buyer the “par value” (full notional value) of the swap in exchange for an equal face amount of deliverable obligations of the reference entity described in the swap, or the seller may be required to deliver the related net cash amount, if the swap is cash settled. The Fund may be either the buyer or seller in the transaction. If the Fund is a buyer and no credit event occurs, the Fund recovers nothing if the swap is held through its termination date. However, if a credit event occurs, the buyer may elect to receive the full notional value of the swap in exchange for an equal face amount of deliverable obligations of the reference entity that may have little or no value. As a seller, the Fund generally receives an up-front payment or a fixed rate of income throughout the term of the swap provided that there is no credit event. If a credit event occurs, generally the seller must pay the buyer the full notional value of the swap in exchange for an equal face amount of deliverable obligations of the reference entity that may have little or no value.

Credit default swaps and similar instruments involve greater risks than if the Fund had invested in the reference obligation directly, since, in addition to general market risks, they are subject to illiquidity risk, counterparty risk and credit risk. The Fund will enter into credit default swap agreements and similar instruments only with counterparties that are rated investment grade quality by at least one credit rating agency at the time of entering into such transaction or whose creditworthiness is believed by the subadviser to be equivalent to such rating. If a credit event were to occur, the value of any deliverable obligation received by the seller, coupled with the up-front or periodic payments previously received, may be less than the full notional value it pays to the buyer, resulting in a loss of value to the Fund. When acting as a seller of a credit default swap or a similar instrument, the Fund is exposed to many of the same risks of leverage since, if a credit event occurs, the seller may be required to pay the buyer the full notional value of the contract net of any amounts owed by the buyer related to its delivery of deliverable obligations.

CREDIT-LINKED SECURITIES. Among the income producing securities in which the Fund may invest are credit-linked securities, which are issued by a limited purpose trust or other vehicle that, in turn, invests in a derivative instrument or basket of derivative instruments, such as credit default swaps, interest rate swaps and other securities, in order to provide exposure to certain fixed-income markets. For instance, the Fund may invest in credit-linked securities as a cash management tool in order to gain exposure to a certain market and/or to remain fully invested when more traditional income producing securities are not available.

Like an investment in a bond, investments in these credit-linked securities represent the right to receive periodic income payments (in the form of distributions) and payment of principal at the end of the term of the security. However, these payments are conditioned on the issuer's receipt of payments from, and the issuer's potential obligations to, the counterparties to the derivative instruments and other securities in which the issuer invests. For instance, the issuer may sell one or more credit default swaps, under which the issuer would receive a stream of payments over the term of the swap agreements provided that no event of default has occurred with respect to the referenced debt obligation upon which the swap is based. If a default occurs, the stream of payments may stop and the issuer would be obligated to pay the counterparty the par (or other agreed upon value) of the referenced debt obligation. This, in turn, would reduce the amount of income and principal that the Fund would receive. The Fund’s investments in these instruments are indirectly subject to the


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risks associated with derivative instruments, including, among others, credit risk, default or similar event risk, counterparty risk, interest rate risk, leverage risk and management risk. It is also expected that the securities will be exempt from registration under the 1933 Act. Accordingly, there may be no established trading market for the securities and they may constitute illiquid investments.

TOTAL RETURN SWAP AGREEMENTS. The Fund may enter into total return swap agreements. Total return swap agreements are contracts in which one party agrees to make periodic payments based on the change in market value of the underlying assets, which may include a specified security, basket of securities or securities indices during the specified period, in return for periodic payments based on a fixed or variable interest rate or the total return from other underlying assets. Total return swap agreements may be used to obtain exposure to a security or market without owning or taking physical custody of such security or market. Total return swap agreements may effectively add leverage to the Fund’s portfolio because, in addition to its total net assets, the Fund would be subject to investment exposure on the notional amount of the swap. Total return swap agreements entail the risk that a party will default on its payment obligations to the Fund thereunder. Swap agreements also bear the risk that the Fund will not be able to meet its obligation to the counterparty. Generally, the Fund will enter into total return swaps on a net basis (i.e., the two payment streams are netted out with the Fund receiving or paying, as the case may be, only the net amount of the two payments). The net amount of the excess, if any, of the Fund’s obligations over its entitlements with respect to each total return swap will be accrued on a daily basis, and an amount of cash or liquid instruments having an aggregate NAV at least equal to the accrued excess will be segregated by the Fund. If the total return swap transaction is entered into on other than a net basis, the full amount of the Fund’s obligations will be accrued on a daily basis, and the full amount of the Fund’s obligations will be segregated by the Fund in an amount equal to or greater than the market value of the liabilities under the total return swap agreement or the amount it would have cost the Fund initially to make an equivalent direct investment, plus or minus any amount the Fund is obligated to pay or is to receive under the total return swap agreement.

Segregation and other requirements pertaining to total return swap agreements are subject to change in the event of future changes in applicable laws or regulations. It is possible that any such changes in laws or regulations could require modifications to the operation of the Fund.

OPTIONS ON SECURITIES AND SECURITIES INDEXES.

TYPES OF OPTIONS. The Fund may engage in transactions in options on individual securities, baskets of securities or securities indices, or particular measurements of value or rate (an “index”), such as an index of the price of treasury securities or an index representative of short term interest rates. Such investments may be made on exchanges and in OTC markets. In general, exchange-traded options have standardized exercise prices and expiration dates and require the parties to post margin against their obligations, and the performance of the parties' obligations in connection with such options is guaranteed by the exchange or a related clearing corporation. OTC options have more flexible terms negotiated between the buyer and the seller, but generally do not require the parties to post margin and are subject to greater credit risk. OTC options also involve greater liquidity risk. See “Additional Risk Factors of OTC Transactions; Limitations on the Use of OTC Derivatives.”

CALL OPTIONS. The Fund may purchase call options on any of the types of securities or instruments in which it may invest. A call option gives the Fund the right to buy, and obligates the seller to sell, the underlying security at the exercise price at any time during the option period. The Fund also may purchase and sell call options on indices. Index options are similar to options on securities except that, rather than taking or making delivery of securities underlying the option at a specified price upon exercise, an index option gives the holder the right to receive cash upon exercise of the option if the level of the index upon which the option is based is greater than the exercise price of the option.

The Fund may only write (i.e., sell) covered call options on the securities or instruments in which it may invest and enter into closing purchase transactions with respect to certain of such options, provided such options are “covered,” as defined herein. A covered call option is an option in which the Fund owns the underlying security or has an absolute and immediate right to acquire that security, without additional consideration (or for additional consideration held in a segregated account by its custodian), upon conversion or exchange of other securities currently held in its portfolio or with respect to which the Fund holds cash or other liquid assets segregated within the Fund’s account at the custodian or in a separate segregation account at the custodian. The principal reason for writing call options is the attempt to realize, through the receipt of premiums, a greater return than would be realized on the securities alone. By writing covered call options, the Fund gives up the opportunity, while the option is in effect, to profit from any price increase in the underlying security above the option exercise price. In addition, the Fund’s ability to sell the underlying security will be limited while the option is in effect unless the Fund enters into a closing purchase transaction. A closing purchase transaction cancels out the Fund’s position as the writer of an option by means of an offsetting purchase of an identical option prior to the expiration of the option it has written. Covered call options also serve as a partial hedge to the extent of the premium received against a decline in the price of the underlying security. Also, with respect to call options written by the Fund that are covered only by segregated portfolio securities, the Fund is exposed to the risk of loss equal to the amount by which the price of the underlying securities rises above the exercise price.


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PUT OPTIONS. The Fund may purchase put options to seek to hedge against a decline in the value of its securities or to enhance its return. By buying a put option, the Fund acquires a right to sell such underlying securities or instruments at the exercise price, thus limiting the Fund’s risk of loss through a decline in the market value of the securities or instruments until the put option expires. The amount of any appreciation in the value of the underlying securities or instruments will be partially offset by the amount of the premium paid for the put option and any related transaction costs. Prior to its expiration, a put option may be sold in a closing sale transaction and profit or loss from the sale will depend on whether the amount received is more or less than the premium paid for the put option plus the related transaction costs. A closing sale transaction cancels out the Fund’s position as the purchaser of an option by means of an offsetting sale of an identical option prior to the expiration of the option it has purchased. The Fund also may purchase uncovered put options.

The Fund may write (i.e., sell) put options on the types of securities or instruments that may be held by the Fund, provided that such put options are covered (as described above, covered options are secured by cash or other liquid assets held in a segregated account or the referenced security). The Fund will receive a premium for writing a put option, which increases the Fund’s return.

FUTURES. The Fund may engage in transactions in futures and options thereon. Futures are standardized, exchange-traded contracts which obligate a purchaser to take delivery, and a seller to make delivery, of a specific amount of an asset at a specified future date at a specified price. No price is paid upon entering into a futures contract. Rather, upon purchasing or selling a futures contract the Fund is required to deposit collateral (“margin”) equal to a percentage (generally less than 10%) of the contract value. Each day thereafter until the futures position is closed, the Fund will pay additional margin representing any loss experienced as a result of the futures position the prior day or be entitled to a payment representing any profit experienced as a result of the futures position the prior day. Futures involve substantial leverage risk.

The sale of a futures contract limits the Fund’s risk of loss through a decline in the market value of portfolio holdings correlated with the futures contract prior to the futures contract's expiration date. In the event the market value of the portfolio holdings correlated with the futures contract increases rather than decreases, however, the Fund will realize a loss on the futures position and a lower return on the portfolio holdings than would have been realized without the purchase of the futures contract.

The purchase of a futures contract may protect the Fund from having to pay more for securities as a consequence of increases in the market value for such securities during a period when the Fund was attempting to identify specific securities in which to invest in a market the Fund believes to be attractive. In the event that such securities decline in value or the Fund determines not to complete an anticipatory hedge transaction relating to a futures contract, however, the Fund may realize a loss relating to the futures position.

The Fund is also authorized to purchase or sell call and put options on futures contracts including financial futures and stock indices in connection with its hedging activities. Generally, these strategies would be used under the same market and market sector conditions (i.e., conditions relating to specific types of investments) in which the Fund entered into futures transactions. The Fund may purchase put options or write (i.e., sell) call options on futures contracts and stock indices rather than selling the underlying futures contract in anticipation of a decrease in the market value of its securities. Similarly, the Fund can purchase call options, or write put options on futures contracts and stock indices, as a substitute for the purchase of such futures to hedge against the increased cost resulting from an increase in the market value of securities which the Fund intends to purchase.

The Fund may only write “covered” put and call options on futures contracts. The Fund will be considered “covered” with respect to a call option written on a futures contract if the Fund owns the assets that are deliverable under the futures contract or an option to purchase that futures contract having a strike price equal to or less than the strike price of the “covered” option and having an expiration date not earlier than the expiration date of the “covered” option, or if it holds segregated in an account with its custodian for the term of the option cash or other liquid assets at all times equal in value to the mark-to-market value of the futures contract on which the option was written. The Fund will be considered “covered” with respect to a put option written on a futures contract if the Fund owns an option to sell that futures contract having a strike price equal to or greater than the strike price of the “covered” option, or if the Fund holds segregated in an account with its custodian for the term of the option cash or other liquid assets at all times equal in value to the exercise price of the put (less any initial margin deposited by the Fund with its futures custody manager or as otherwise permitted by applicable law with respect to such option). There is no limitation on the amount of the Fund’s assets that can be segregated. Segregation requirements may impair the Fund’s ability to sell a portfolio security or make an investment at a time when it would otherwise be favorable to do so, or require the Fund to sell a portfolio security or close out a derivatives position at a disadvantageous time or price.

The Manager has filed a notice of exclusion from registration as a “commodity pool operator” with respect to the Fund under CFTC Rule 4.5 and, therefore, is not subject to registration or regulation with respect to the Fund under the CEA. In order for the Manager to claim exclusion from registration as a “commodity pool operator” under the CEA, the Fund is limited in its ability to trade instruments subject to the CFTC’s jurisdiction, including commodity futures (which include futures on broad-based securities indexes, interest rate futures


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and currency futures), options on commodity futures, certain swaps or other investments (whether directly or indirectly through investments in other investment vehicles). Under this exclusion, the Fund must satisfy one of the following two trading limitations whenever it enters into a new commodity trading position: (1) the aggregate initial margin and premiums required to establish the Fund’s positions in CFTC-regulated instruments may not exceed 5% of the liquidation value of the Fund’s portfolio (after accounting for unrealized profits and unrealized losses on any such investments); or (2) the aggregate net notional value of such instruments, determined at the time the most recent position was established, may not exceed 100% of the liquidation value of the Fund’s portfolio (after accounting for unrealized profits and unrealized losses on any such positions). The Fund would not be required to consider its exposure to such instruments if they were held for “bona fide hedging” purposes, as such term is defined in the rules of the CFTC. In addition to meeting one of the foregoing trading limitations, the Fund may not market itself as a commodity pool or otherwise as a vehicle for trading in the markets for CFTC-regulated instruments.

FOREIGN EXCHANGE TRANSACTIONS. The Fund may engage in spot and forward foreign exchange transactions and currency swaps, purchase and sell options on currencies and purchase and sell currency futures and related options thereon (collectively, Currency Instruments) for purposes of hedging against the decline in the value of currencies in which its portfolio holdings are denominated against the US dollar or to seek to enhance returns. Such transactions could be effected with respect to hedges on non-US dollar denominated securities owned by the Fund, sold by the Fund but not yet delivered, or committed or anticipated to be purchased by the Fund.

As an illustration, the Fund may use such techniques to hedge the stated value in US dollars of an investment in a yen-denominated security. In such circumstances, for example, the Fund may purchase a foreign currency put option enabling the Fund to sell a specified amount of yen for dollars at a specified price by a future date. To the extent the hedge is successful, a loss in the value of the yen relative to the dollar will tend to be offset by an increase in the value of the put option. To offset, in whole or in part, the cost of acquiring such a put option, the Fund may also sell a call option which, if exercised, requires the Fund to sell a specified amount of yen for dollars at a specified price by a future date (a technique called a “straddle”). By selling such a call option in this illustration, the Fund gives up the opportunity to profit without limit from increases in the relative value of the yen to the dollar. Straddles of the type that may be used by the Fund are considered to constitute hedging transactions and are consistent with the policies described above. The Fund will not attempt to hedge all of its foreign portfolio positions.

FORWARD FOREIGN EXCHANGE TRANSACTIONS. Forward foreign exchange transactions are OTC contracts to purchase or sell a specified amount of a specified currency or multinational currency unit at a price and future date set at the time of the contract. Spot foreign exchange transactions are similar but require current, rather than future, settlement. The Fund will enter into foreign exchange transactions for purposes of hedging either a specific transaction or a portfolio position, or to seek to enhance returns. The Fund may enter into a foreign exchange transaction for purposes of hedging a specific transaction by, for example, purchasing a currency needed to settle a security transaction or selling a currency in which the Fund has received or anticipates receiving a dividend or distribution.

The Fund may enter into a foreign exchange transaction for purposes of hedging a portfolio position by selling forward a currency in which a portfolio position of the Fund is denominated or by purchasing a currency in which the Fund anticipates acquiring a portfolio position in the near future. The Fund may also hedge portfolio positions through currency swaps, which are transactions in which one currency is simultaneously bought for a second currency on a spot basis and sold for the second currency on a forward basis. Forward foreign exchange transactions involve substantial currency risk, and also involve credit and liquidity risk.

CURRENCY FUTURES. The Fund may seek to enhance returns or hedge against the decline in the value of a currency through use of currency futures or options thereon. Currency futures are similar to forward foreign exchange transactions except that futures are standardized, exchange-traded contracts. See the sub-section entitled “Futures.” Currency futures involve substantial currency risk, and also involve leverage risk.

CURRENCY OPTIONS. The Fund may seek to enhance returns or hedge against the decline in the value of a currency against the US dollar through the use of currency options. Currency options are similar to options on securities, but in consideration for an option premium the writer of a currency option is obligated to sell (in the case of a call option) or purchase (in the case of a put option) a specified amount of a specified currency on or before the expiration date for a specified amount of another currency. The Fund may engage in transactions in options on currencies either on exchanges or OTC markets. See “Types of Options” and “Additional Risk Factors of OTC Transactions; Limitations on the Use of OTC Derivatives” in this SAI. Currency options involve substantial currency risk, and may also involve credit, leverage or liquidity risk.

LIMITATIONS ON CURRENCY HEDGING. The Fund may use currency hedging instruments to seek to enhance returns. However, the Fund will not hedge a currency in excess of the aggregate market value of the securities that it owns (including receivables for unsettled securities sales), or has committed to or anticipates purchasing, which are denominated in such currency. This limitation does not prohibit the Fund from obtaining long or short exposure to a currency for non-hedging purposes. The Fund may, however, hedge a


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currency by entering into a transaction in a Currency Instrument denominated in a currency other than the currency being hedged (a “cross-hedge”). The Fund will only enter into a cross-hedge if the subadviser believes that (i) there is a demonstrable high correlation between the currency in which the cross-hedge is denominated and the currency being hedged, and (ii) executing a cross-hedge through the currency in which the cross-hedge is denominated will be significantly more cost-effective or provide substantially greater liquidity than executing a similar hedging transaction by means of the currency being hedged.

RISK FACTORS IN HEDGING FOREIGN CURRENCY. Hedging transactions involving Currency Instruments have substantial risks, including correlation risk. While the Fund’s use of Currency Instruments to effect hedging strategies is intended to reduce the volatility of the NAV of the Fund’s shares, the NAV of the Fund’s shares will fluctuate. Moreover, although Currency Instruments will be used with the intention of hedging against adverse currency movements, transactions in Currency Instruments involve the risk that anticipated currency movements will not be accurately predicted and that the Fund’s hedging strategies will be ineffective. To the extent that the Fund hedges against anticipated currency movements that do not occur, the Fund may realize losses and decrease its total return as the result of its hedging transactions. Furthermore, the Fund will only engage in hedging activities from time to time and may not be engaging in hedging activities when movements in currency exchange rates occur.

In connection with its trading in forward foreign currency contracts, the Fund will contract with a foreign or domestic bank, or a foreign or domestic securities dealer, to make or take future delivery of a specified amount of a particular currency. There are no limitations on daily price moves in such forward contracts, and banks and dealers are not required to continue to make markets in such contracts. There have been periods during which certain banks or dealers have refused to quote prices for such forward contracts or have quoted prices with an unusually wide spread between the price at which the bank or dealer is prepared to buy and that at which it is prepared to sell. Governmental imposition of credit controls might limit any such forward contract trading. With respect to its trading of forward contracts, if any, the Fund will be subject to the risk of bank or dealer failure and the inability of, or refusal by, a bank or dealer to perform with respect to such contracts. Any such default would deprive the Fund of any profit potential or force the Fund to cover its commitments for resale, if any, at the then market price and could result in a loss to the Fund.

It may not be possible for the Fund to hedge against currency exchange rate movements, even if correctly anticipated, in the event that (i) the currency exchange rate movement is so generally anticipated that the Fund is not able to enter into a hedging transaction at an effective price, or (ii) the currency exchange rate movement relates to a market with respect to which Currency Instruments are not available and it is not possible to engage in effective foreign currency hedging. The cost to the Fund of engaging in foreign currency transactions varies with such factors as the currencies involved, the length of the contract period and the market conditions then prevailing. Since transactions in foreign currency exchange usually are conducted on a principal basis, no fees or commissions are involved.

RISK FACTORS INVOLVING DERIVATIVES. Derivatives are volatile and involve significant risks, including:

Counterparty Risk—the risk that the counterparty on a derivative transaction will be unable to honor its financial obligation to the Fund.

Currency Risk—the risk that changes in the exchange rate between two currencies will adversely affect the value (in US dollar terms) of an investment.

Leverage Risk—the risk associated with certain types of investments or trading strategies (such as borrowing money to increase the amount of investments) that relatively small market movements may result in large changes in the value of an investment. Certain investments or trading strategies that involve leverage can result in losses that greatly exceed the amount originally invested.

Liquidity Risk—the risk that certain securities may be difficult or impossible to sell at the time that the seller would like or at the price that the seller believes the security is currently worth.

Regulatory Risk—the risk that new regulation of derivatives may make them more costly, may limit their availability, or may otherwise affect their value or performance.

The use of derivatives for hedging purposes involves correlation risk. If the value of the derivative moves more or less than the value of the hedged instruments, the Fund will experience a gain or loss that will not be completely offset by movements in the value of the hedged instruments.

The Fund intends to enter into transactions involving derivatives only if there appears to be a liquid secondary market for such instruments or, in the case of illiquid instruments traded in OTC transactions, such instruments satisfy the criteria set forth below under “Additional Risk Factors of OTC Transactions; Limitations on the Use of OTC Derivatives.” However, there can be no assurance that, at any specific time, either a liquid secondary market will exist for a derivative or the Fund will otherwise be able to sell such instrument at an acceptable price. It may therefore not be possible to close a position in a derivative without incurring substantial losses, if at all.


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Certain transactions in derivatives (such as futures transactions or sales of put options) involve substantial leverage risk and may expose the Fund to potential losses, which exceed the amount originally invested by the Fund. When the Fund engages in such a transaction, the Fund will deposit in a segregated account at its custodian liquid securities or cash and cash equivalents with a value at least equal to the Fund’s exposure, on a mark-to-market basis, to the transaction (as calculated pursuant to requirements of the SEC). Such segregation will ensure that the Fund has assets available to satisfy its obligations with respect to the transaction, but will not limit the Fund’s exposure to loss.

ADDITIONAL RISK FACTORS OF OTC TRANSACTIONS; LIMITATIONS ON THE USE OF OTC DERIVATIVES. Certain derivatives traded in OTC markets, including indexed securities, certain swaps and OTC options, involve substantial liquidity risk. The absence of liquidity may make it difficult or impossible for the Fund to sell such instruments promptly at an acceptable price. The absence of liquidity may also make it more difficult for the Fund to ascertain a market value for such instruments. The Fund will, therefore, acquire illiquid OTC instruments (i) if the agreement pursuant to which the instrument is purchased contains a formula price at which the instrument may be terminated or sold, or (ii) for which the subadviser anticipates the Fund can receive on each business day at least two independent bids or offers, unless a quotation from only one dealer is available, in which case that dealer's quotation may be used.

Because derivatives traded in OTC markets are not guaranteed by an exchange or clearing corporation and generally do not require payment of margin, to the extent that the Fund has unrealized gains in such instruments or has deposited collateral with its counterparties, the Fund is at risk that its counterparties will become bankrupt or otherwise fail to honor their obligations. The Fund will attempt to minimize the risk that a counterparty will become bankrupt or otherwise fail to honor its obligations by engaging in transactions in derivatives traded in OTC markets only with financial institutions that appear to have substantial capital or that have provided the Fund with a third-party guaranty or other credit enhancement.

DISTRESSED SECURITIES. The Fund may invest in securities, including corporate loans purchased in the secondary market, which are the subject of bankruptcy proceedings or otherwise in default as to the repayment of principal and/or interest at the time of acquisition by the Fund or are rated in the lower rating categories (generally, Ca or lower by Moody's and CC or lower by S&P or Fitch) or which, if unrated, are in the judgment of the subadviser of equivalent quality (“Distressed Securities”). Investing in Distressed Securities is speculative and involves significant risks. Distressed Securities frequently do not produce income while they are outstanding and may require the Fund to bear certain extraordinary expenses in order to protect and recover its investment.

The Fund will generally make such investments only when the subadviser believes it is reasonably likely that the issuer of the Distressed Securities will make an exchange offer or will be the subject of a plan of reorganization pursuant to which the Fund will receive new securities. However, there can be no assurance that such an exchange offer will be made or that such a plan of reorganization will be adopted. In addition, a significant period of time may pass between the time at which the Fund makes its investment in Distressed Securities and the time that any such exchange offer or plan of reorganization is completed. During this period, it is unlikely that the Fund will receive any interest payments on the Distressed Securities, the Fund will be subject to significant uncertainty as to whether or not the exchange offer or plan of reorganization will be completed and the Fund may be required to bear certain extraordinary expenses to protect and recover its investment. Even if an exchange offer is made or plan of reorganization is adopted with respect to Distressed Securities held by the Fund, there can be no assurance that the securities or other assets received by the Fund in connection with such exchange offer or plan of reorganization will not have a lower value or income potential than may have been anticipated when the investment was made. Moreover, any securities received by the Fund upon completion of an exchange offer or plan of reorganization may be restricted as to resale. As a result of the Fund’s participation in negotiations with respect to any exchange offer or plan of reorganization with respect to an issuer of Distressed Securities, the Fund may be restricted from disposing of such securities.

FOREIGN INVESTMENTS. The Fund may invest in foreign equity and/or debt securities. Foreign debt securities include certain foreign bank obligations and US dollar or foreign currency-denominated obligations of foreign governments or their subdivisions, agencies and instrumentalities, international agencies and supranational entities.

Foreign Market Risk. Foreign securities offer the potential for more diversification than if the Fund invests only in the United States because securities traded on foreign markets have often (though not always) performed differently from securities in the United States. However, such investments involve special risks not present in US investments that can increase the chances that the Fund will lose money. In particular, the Fund is subject to the risk that, because there are generally fewer investors on foreign exchanges and a smaller number of shares traded each day, it may be difficult for the Fund to buy and sell securities on those exchanges. In addition, prices of foreign securities may fluctuate more than prices of securities traded in the United States.

Foreign Economy Risk. The economies of certain foreign markets often do not compare favorably with that of the United States with respect to such issues as growth of gross national product, reinvestment of capital, resources, and balance of payments position. Certain such economies may rely heavily on particular industries or foreign capital and are more vulnerable to diplomatic developments, the imposition of economic sanctions against a particular country or countries, changes in international trading patterns, trade barriers, and


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other protectionist or retaliatory measures. Investments in foreign markets may also be adversely affected by governmental actions such as the imposition of capital controls, nationalization of companies or industries, expropriation of assets, or the imposition of punitive taxes. In addition, the governments of certain countries may prohibit or impose substantial restrictions on foreign investing in their capital markets or in certain industries. Any of these actions could severely affect security prices, impair the Fund’s ability to purchase or sell foreign securities or transfer the Fund’s assets or income back into the United States, or otherwise adversely affect the Fund’s operations. Other foreign market risks include foreign exchange controls, difficulties in pricing securities, defaults on foreign government securities, difficulties in enforcing favorable legal judgments in foreign courts, and political and social instability. Legal remedies available to investors in certain foreign countries may be less extensive than those available to investors in the United States or other foreign countries.

Currency Risk and Exchange Risk. Securities in which the Fund invests may be denominated or quoted in currencies other than the US dollar. Changes in foreign currency exchange rates will affect the value of the Fund’s portfolio. Generally, when the US dollar rises in value against a foreign currency, a security denominated in that currency loses value because the currency is worth fewer US dollars. Conversely, when the US dollar decreases in value against a foreign currency, a security denominated in that currency gains value because the currency is worth more US dollars. This risk, generally known as “currency risk,” means that a stronger US dollar will reduce returns for US investors while a weak US dollar will increase those returns.

Governmental Supervision and Regulation/Accounting Standards. Many foreign governments supervise and regulate stock exchanges, brokers and the sale of securities less rigorously than the United States. Some countries may not have laws to protect investors comparable to the US securities laws. For example, some foreign countries may have no laws or rules against insider trading. Insider trading occurs when a person buys or sells a company's securities based on nonpublic information about that company. Accounting standards in other countries are not necessarily the same as in the United States. If the accounting standards in another country do not require as much detail as US accounting standards, it may be harder for Fund management to completely and accurately determine a company's financial condition.

Certain Risks of Holding Fund Assets Outside the United States. The Fund generally holds its foreign securities and cash in foreign banks and securities depositories. Some foreign banks and securities depositories may be recently organized or new to the foreign custody business. In addition, there may be limited or no regulatory oversight over their operations. Also, the laws of certain countries may put limits on the Fund’s ability to recover its assets if a foreign bank or depository or issuer of a security or any of their agents goes bankrupt. In addition, it is often more expensive for the Fund to buy, sell and hold securities in certain foreign markets than in the United States. The increased expense of investing in foreign markets reduces the amount the Fund can earn on its investments and typically results in a higher operating expense ratio for the Fund as compared to investment companies that invest only in the United States.

Settlement Risk. Settlement and clearance procedures in certain foreign markets differ significantly from those in the United States. Foreign settlement procedures and trade regulations also may involve certain risks (such as delays in payment for or delivery of securities) not typically generated by the settlement of US investments. Communications between the United States and emerging market countries may be unreliable, increasing the risk of delayed settlements or losses of security certificates. Settlements in certain foreign countries at times have not kept pace with the number of securities transactions; these problems may make it difficult for the Fund to carry out transactions. If the Fund cannot settle or there is a delay in settling a purchase of securities, the Fund may miss attractive investment opportunities and certain assets may be uninvested with no return earned thereon for some period. If the Fund cannot settle or there is a delay in settling a sale of securities, the Fund may lose money if the value of the security then declines or, if there is a contract to sell the security to another party, the Fund could be liable to that party for any losses incurred.

Dividends or interest on, or proceeds from the sale of, foreign securities may be subject to foreign withholding taxes, thereby reducing the amount available for distribution to shareholders.

RECENT EVENTS IN EUROPEAN COUNTRIES. A number of countries in Europe have experienced severe economic and financial difficulties. Many non-governmental issuers, and even certain governments, have defaulted on, or been forced to restructure, their debts; many other issuers have faced difficulties obtaining credit or refinancing existing obligations; financial institutions have in many cases required government or central bank support, have needed to raise capital, and/or have been impaired in their ability to extend credit; and financial markets in Europe and elsewhere have experienced extreme volatility and declines in asset values and liquidity. These difficulties may continue, worsen or spread within and beyond Europe. Responses to the financial problems by European governments, central banks and others, including austerity measures and reforms, may not work, may result in social unrest and may limit future growth and economic recovery or have other unintended consequences. Further defaults or restructurings by governments and others of their debt could have additional adverse effects on economies, financial markets and asset valuations around the world. In addition, the United Kingdom has voted to withdraw from the European Union, and one or more other countries may withdraw from the European


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Union and/or abandon the euro, the common currency of the European Union. The impact of these actions, especially if they occur in a disorderly fashion, is not clear but could be significant and far-reaching. Whether or not the Fund invests in securities of issuers located in Europe or with significant exposure to European issuers or countries, these events could negatively affect the value and liquidity of the Fund’s investments.

INVESTMENT IN EMERGING MARKETS. The Fund may invest in the securities of issuers domiciled in various countries with emerging capital markets. Specifically, a country with an emerging capital market is any country that the World Bank, the International Finance Corporation, the United Nations or its authorities has determined to have a low or middle income economy. Countries with emerging markets can be found in regions such as Asia, Latin America, Eastern Europe and Africa.

Investments in the securities of issuers domiciled in countries with emerging capital markets involve certain additional risks not involved in investments in securities of issuers in more developed capital markets, such as (i) low or non-existent trading volume, resulting in a lack of liquidity and increased volatility in prices for such securities, as compared to securities of comparable issuers in more developed capital markets, (ii) uncertain national policies and social, political and economic instability, increasing the potential for expropriation of assets, confiscatory taxation, high rates of inflation or unfavorable diplomatic developments, (iii) possible fluctuations in exchange rates, differing legal systems and the existence or possible imposition of exchange controls, custodial restrictions or other foreign or US governmental laws or restrictions applicable to such investments, (iv) national policies that may limit the Fund’s investment opportunities such as restrictions on investment in issuers or industries deemed sensitive to national interests, and (v) the lack or relatively early development of legal structures governing private and foreign investments and private property. In addition to withholding taxes on investment income, some countries with emerging markets may impose differential capital gains taxes on foreign investors.

Such capital markets are emerging in a dynamic political and economic environment brought about by events over recent years that have reshaped political boundaries and traditional ideologies. In such a dynamic environment, there can be no assurance that these capital markets will continue to present viable investment opportunities for the Fund. In the past, governments of such nations have expropriated substantial amounts of private property, and most claims of the property owners have never been fully settled. There is no assurance that such expropriations will not reoccur. In such an event, it is possible that the Fund could lose the entire value of its investments in the affected markets.

Also, there may be less publicly available information about issuers in emerging markets than would be available about issuers in more developed capital markets, and such issuers may not be subject to accounting, auditing and financial reporting standards and requirements comparable to those to which US companies are subject. In certain countries with emerging capital markets, reporting standards vary widely. As a result, traditional investment measurements used in the United States, such as price/earnings ratios, may not be applicable. Emerging market securities may be substantially less liquid and more volatile than those of mature markets, and companies may be held by a limited number of persons. This may adversely affect the timing and pricing of the Fund’s acquisition or disposal of securities.

Practices in relation to settlement of securities transactions in emerging markets involve higher risks than those in developed markets, in part because the Fund will need to use brokers and counterparties that are less well capitalized, and custody and registration of assets in some countries may be unreliable. The possibility of fraud, negligence, undue influence being exerted by the issuer or refusal to recognize ownership exists in some emerging markets, and, along with other factors, could result in ownership registration being completely lost. The Fund would absorb any loss resulting from such registration problems and may have no successful claim for compensation.

RISKS OF INVESTING IN ASIA-PACIFIC COUNTRIES. In addition to the risks of foreign investing and the risks of investing in emerging markets, the developing market Asia-Pacific countries in which the Fund may invest are subject to certain additional or specific risks. There is a high concentration of market capitalization and trading volume in a small number of issuers representing a limited number of industries, as well as a high concentration of investors and financial intermediaries. Many of these markets also may be affected by developments with respect to more established markets in the region such as in Japan and Hong Kong. Brokers in developing market Asia-Pacific countries typically are fewer in number and less well capitalized than brokers in the United States. These factors, combined with the US regulatory requirements for open-end investment companies and the restrictions on foreign investment discussed below, result in potentially fewer investment opportunities for the Fund and may have an adverse impact on the investment performance of the Fund.

Many of the developing market Asia-Pacific countries may be subject to a greater degree of economic, political and social instability than is the case in the United States and Western European countries. Such instability may result from, among other things: (i) authoritarian governments or military involvement in political and economic decision-making, including changes in government through extra-constitutional means; (ii) popular unrest associated with demands for improved political, economic and social conditions; (iii) internal insurgencies; (iv) hostile relations with neighboring countries; and (v) ethnic, religious and racial disaffection. In addition, the


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governments of many such countries, such as Indonesia, have a heavy role in regulating and supervising the economy. Another risk common to most such countries is that the economy is heavily export oriented and, accordingly, is dependent upon international trade. The existence of overburdened infrastructure and obsolete financial systems also present risks in certain countries, as do environmental problems. Certain economies also depend to a significant degree upon exports of primary commodities and, therefore, are vulnerable to changes in commodity prices that, in turn, may be affected by a variety of factors.

The legal systems in certain developing market Asia-Pacific countries also may have an adverse impact on the Fund. For example, while the potential liability of a shareholder in a US corporation with respect to acts of the corporation is generally limited to the amount of the shareholder’s investment, the notion of limited liability is less clear in certain emerging market Asia-Pacific countries. Similarly, the rights of investors in developing market Asia-Pacific companies may be more limited than those of shareholders of US corporations. It may be difficult or impossible to obtain and/or enforce a judgment in a developing market Asia-Pacific country.

Governments of many developing market Asia-Pacific countries have exercised and continue to exercise substantial influence over many aspects of the private sector. In certain cases, the government owns or controls many companies, including the largest in the country. Accordingly, government actions in the future could have a significant effect on economic conditions in developing market Asia-Pacific countries, which could affect private sector companies and the Fund itself, as well as the value of securities in the Fund’s portfolio. In addition, economic statistics of developing market Asia-Pacific countries may be less reliable than economic statistics of more developed nations.

In addition to the relative lack of publicly available information about developing market Asia-Pacific issuers and the possibility that such issuers may not be subject to the same accounting, auditing and financial reporting standards as US companies, inflation accounting rules in some developing market Asia-Pacific countries require companies that keep accounting records in the local currency, for both tax and accounting purposes, to restate certain assets and liabilities on the company’s balance sheet in order to express items in terms of currency of constant purchasing power. Inflation accounting may indirectly generate losses or profits for certain developing market Asia-Pacific companies. Satisfactory custodial services for investment securities may not be available in some developing Asia-Pacific countries, which may result in the Fund incurring additional costs and delays in providing transportation and custody services for such securities outside such countries.

Certain developing Asia-Pacific countries, such as the Philippines, India and Turkey, are especially large debtors to commercial banks and foreign governments. Fund management may determine that, notwithstanding otherwise favorable investment criteria, it may not be practicable or appropriate to invest in a particular developing Asia-Pacific country. The Fund may invest in countries in which foreign investors, including management of the Fund, have had no or limited prior experience.

Restrictions on Foreign Investments in Asia-Pacific Countries. Some developing Asia-Pacific countries prohibit or impose substantial restrictions on investments in their capital markets, particularly their equity markets, by foreign entities such as the Fund. As illustrations, certain countries may require governmental approval prior to investments by foreign persons or limit the amount of investment by foreign persons in a particular company or limit the investment by foreign persons to only a specific class of securities of a company which may have less advantageous terms (including price) than securities of the company available for purchase by nationals. There can be no assurance that the Fund will be able to obtain required governmental approvals in a timely manner. In addition, changes to restrictions on foreign ownership of securities subsequent to the Fund’s purchase of such securities may have an adverse effect on the value of such shares. Certain countries may restrict investment opportunities in issuers or industries deemed important to national interests.

The manner in which foreign investors may invest in companies in certain developing Asia-Pacific countries, as well as limitations on such investments, also may have an adverse impact on the operations of the Fund. For example, the Fund may be required in certain of such countries to invest initially through a local broker or other entity and then have the shares purchased re-registered in the name of the Fund. Re-registration may in some instances not be able to occur on a timely basis, resulting in a delay during which the Fund may be denied certain of its rights as an investor, including rights as to dividends or to be made aware of certain corporate actions. There also may be instances where the Fund places a purchase order but subsequently learns, at the time of re-registration, that the permissible allocation of the investment to foreign investors has been filled, depriving the Fund of the ability to make its desired investment at that time.

Substantial limitations may exist in certain countries with respect to the Fund’s ability to repatriate investment income, capital or the proceeds of sales of securities by foreign investors. The Fund could be adversely affected by delays in, or a refusal to grant, any required governmental approval for repatriation of capital, as well as by the application to the Fund of any restrictions on investments. For example, in September 1998, Malaysia imposed currency controls that limited funds’ ability to repatriate proceeds of Malaysian investments. It is possible that Malaysia, or certain other countries may impose similar restrictions or other restrictions relating to their currencies or to securities of issuers in those countries. To the extent that such restrictions have the effect of making certain investments


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illiquid, securities may not be available to meet redemptions. Depending on a variety of financial factors, the percentage of the Fund’s portfolio subject to currency controls may increase. In the event other countries impose similar controls, the portion of the Fund’s assets that may be used to meet redemptions may be further decreased. Even where there is no outright restriction on repatriation of capital, the mechanics of repatriation may affect certain aspects of the operations of the Fund. For example, funds may be withdrawn from the People’s Republic of China only in US or Hong Kong dollars and only at an exchange rate established by the government once each week. In certain countries, banks or other financial institutions may be among the leading companies or have actively traded securities. The 1940 Act restricts the Fund’s investments in any equity securities of an issuer that, in its most recent fiscal year, derived more than 15% of its revenues from “securities related activities,” as defined by the rules thereunder. These provisions may restrict the Fund’s investments in certain foreign banks and other financial institutions.

In addition to the risks listed above, investing in China presents additional risks. Investing in China involves a high degree of risk and special considerations not typically associated with investing in other more established economies or securities markets. Such risks may include: (a) the risk of nationalization or expropriation of assets or confiscatory taxation; (b) greater social, economic and political uncertainty (including the risk of war and social unrest); (c) dependency on exports and the corresponding importance of international trade; (d) the increasing competition from Asia’s other low-cost emerging economies; (e) greater price volatility and significantly smaller market capitalization of securities markets; (f) substantially less liquidity, particularly of certain share classes of Chinese securities; (g) currency exchange rate fluctuations and the lack of available currency hedging instruments; (h) higher rates of inflation; (i) controls on foreign investment and limitations on repatriation of invested capital and on the Fund’s ability to exchange local currencies for US dollars; (j) greater governmental involvement in and control over the economy; (k) the risk that the Chinese government may decide not to continue to support the economic reform programs implemented since 1978 and could return to the prior, completely centrally planned, economy; (l) the fact that China companies, particularly those located in China, may be smaller, less seasoned and newly-organized; (m) the difference in, or lack of, auditing and financial reporting standards which may result in unavailability of material information about issuers, particularly in China; (n) the fact that statistical information regarding the economy of China may be inaccurate or not comparable to statistical information regarding the US or other economies; (o) the less extensive, and still developing, regulation of the securities markets, business entities and commercial transactions; (p) the fact that the settlement period of securities transactions in foreign markets may be longer; (q) the willingness and ability of the Chinese government to support the Chinese and Hong Kong economies and markets is uncertain; (r) the risk that it may be more difficult, or impossible, to obtain and/or enforce a judgment than in other countries; and (s) the rapidity and erratic nature of growth, particularly in China, resulting in efficiencies and dislocations.

Investment in China is subject to certain political risks. Following the establishment of the People’s Republic of China by the Communist Party in 1949, the Chinese government renounced various debt obligations incurred by China’s predecessor governments, which obligations remain in default, and expropriated assets without compensation. There can be no assurance that the Chinese government will not take similar action in the future. The political reunification of China and Taiwan is a highly problematic issue and is unlikely to be settled in the near future. This situation poses a threat to Taiwan’s economy and could negatively affect its stock market.

Hong Kong reverted to Chinese sovereignty on July 1, 1997 as a Special Administrative Region of the People’s Republic of China under the principle of “one country, two systems.” Although China is obligated to maintain the current capitalist economic and social system of Hong Kong through June 30, 2047, the continuation of economic and social freedoms enjoyed in Hong Kong is dependent on the government of China. Any attempt by China to tighten its control over Hong Kong’s political, economic, legal or social policies may result in an adverse effect on Hong Kong’s markets. Uncertainty over Hong Kong’s political future arising from interactions with China has resulted in social unrest, which could in turn cause uncertainty in the markets. In addition, the Hong Kong dollar trades at a fixed exchange rate in relation to (or, is “pegged” to) the US dollar, which has contributed to the growth and stability of the Hong Kong economy. However, it is uncertain how long the currency peg will continue or what effect the establishment of an alternative exchange rate system would have on the Hong Kong economy. Because the Fund's NAV is denominated in US dollars, the establishment of an alternative exchange rate system could result in a decline in the Fund’s NAV.

The Chinese economy has grown rapidly during the past several years but there is no assurance that this growth rate will be maintained. In fact, the Chinese economy may experience a significant slowdown as a result of, among other things, a deterioration in global demand for Chinese exports, as well as contraction in spending on domestic goods by Chinese consumers. In addition, China may experience substantial rates of inflation or economic recessions, which would have a negative effect on the economy and securities market. Delays in enterprise restructuring, slow development of well-functioning financial and widespread corruption have also hindered performance of the Chinese economy. China continues to receive substantial pressure from trading partners to liberalize official currency exchange rates.


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Risk of Investing through Stock Connect. China A-shares (“A-shares”) are equity securities of companies based in mainland China that trade on Chinese stock exchanges such as the Shanghai Stock Exchange (“SSE”) and the Shenzhen Stock Exchange (“SZSE”). Foreign investment in A-shares on the SSE and SZSE has historically not been permitted, other than through a license granted under regulations in the People’s Republic of China (“PRC”) known as the Qualified Foreign Institutional Investor and Renminbi (“RMB”) Qualified Foreign Institutional Investor systems. Each license permits investment in A-shares only up to a specified quota.

Investment in eligible A-shares listed and traded on the SSE is also permitted through the Shanghai-Hong Kong Stock Connect program (“Stock Connect”). Stock Connect is a securities trading and clearing program established by Hong Kong Securities Clearing Company Limited (“HKSCC”), the SSE and China Securities Depository and Clearing Corporation Limited (“CSDCC”) that aims to provide mutual stock market access between the PRC and Hong Kong by permitting investors to trade and settle shares on each market through their local exchanges. The Fund may invest in A-shares through Stock Connect or on such other stock exchanges in China which participate in Stock Connect from time to time. Under Stock Connect, the Fund’s trading of eligible A-shares listed on the SSE would be effectuated through its Hong Kong broker.

Although no individual investment quotas or licensing requirements apply to investors in Stock Connect, trading through Stock Connect’s Northbound Trading Link is subject to aggregate and daily investment quota limitations that require that buy orders for A-shares be rejected once the remaining balance of the relevant quota drops to zero or the daily quota is exceeded (although the Fund will be permitted to sell A-shares regardless of the quota balance). These limitations may restrict the Fund from investing in A-shares on a timely basis, which could affect the Fund’s ability to effectively pursue its investment strategy. Investment quotas are also subject to change.

Investment in eligible A-shares through Stock Connect is subject to trading, clearance and settlement procedures that could pose risks to the Fund. A-shares purchased through Stock Connect generally may not be sold or otherwise transferred other than through Stock Connect in accordance with applicable rules. For example, PRC regulations require that in order for an investor to sell any A-shares on a certain trading day, there must be sufficient A-shares in the investor’s account before the market opens on that day. If there are insufficient A-shares in the investor’s account, the sell order will be rejected by the SSE. The Stock Exchange of Hong Kong (“SEHK”) carries out pre-trade checking on sell orders of certain stocks listed on the SSE market (“SSE Securities”) of its participants (i.e., stock brokers) to ensure that this requirement is satisfied. While shares must be designated as eligible to be traded under Stock Connect, those shares may also lose such designation, and if this occurs, such shares may be sold but cannot be purchased through Stock Connect. In addition, Stock Connect will only operate on days when both the Chinese and Hong Kong markets are open for trading and when banks in both markets are open on the corresponding settlement days. Therefore, an investment in A-shares through Stock Connect may subject the Fund to a risk of price fluctuations on days where the Chinese market is open, but Stock Connect is not trading. Moreover, day (turnaround) trading is not permitted on the A-shares market. If an investor buys A-shares on day “T,” the investor will only be able to sell the A-shares on or after day T+1. Further, since all trades of eligible Stock Connect A-shares must be settled in RMB, investors must have timely access to a reliable supply of offshore RMB, which cannot be guaranteed.

A-shares held through the nominee structure under Stock Connect will be held through HKSCC as nominee on behalf of investors. The precise nature and rights of the Fund as the beneficial owner of the SSE Securities through HKSCC as nominee is not well defined under PRC law. There is lack of a clear definition of, and distinction between, legal ownership and beneficial ownership under PRC law and there have been few cases involving a nominee account structure in the PRC courts. The exact nature and methods of enforcement of the rights and interests of the Fund under PRC law is also uncertain. In the unlikely event that HKSCC becomes subject to winding up proceedings in Hong Kong there is a risk that the SSE Securities may not be regarded as held for the beneficial ownership of the Fund or as part of the general assets of HKSCC available for general distribution to its creditors. Notwithstanding the fact that HKSCC does not claim proprietary interests in the SSE Securities held in its omnibus stock account in the CSDCC, the CSDCC as the share registrar for SSE listed companies will still treat HKSCC as one of the shareholders when it handles corporate actions in respect of such SSE Securities. HKSCC monitors the corporate actions affecting SSE Securities and keeps participants of Central Clearing and Settlement System (“CCASS”) informed of all such corporate actions that require CCASS participants to take steps in order to participate in them. Investors may only exercise their voting rights by providing their voting instructions to the HKSCC through participants of the CCASS. All voting instructions from CCASS participants will be consolidated by HKSCC, who will then submit a combined single voting instruction to the relevant SSE-listed company.

The Fund’s investments through Stock Connect’s Northbound Trading Link are not covered by Hong Kong’s Investor Compensation Fund. Hong Kong’s Investor Compensation Fund is established to pay compensation to investors of any nationality who suffer pecuniary losses as a result of default of a licensed intermediary or authorized financial institution in relation to exchange-traded products in Hong Kong. In addition, since the Fund is carrying out Northbound trading through securities brokers in Hong Kong but not PRC brokers, it is not protected by the China Securities Investor Protection Fund in the PRC.


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Market participants are able to participate in Stock Connect subject to meeting certain information technology capability, risk management and other requirements as may be specified by the relevant exchange and/or clearing house. Further, the “connectivity” in Stock Connect requires the routing of orders across the border of Hong Kong and the PRC. This requires the development of new information technology systems on the part of the SEHK and exchange participants. There is no assurance that these systems will function properly or will continue to be adapted to changes and developments in both markets. In the event that the relevant systems fail to function properly, trading in A-shares through Stock Connect could be disrupted.

Stock Connect launched on November 17, 2014 and is in its initial stages. The current regulations are untested and there is no certainty as to how they will be applied or interpreted going forward. In addition, the current regulations are subject to change and there can be no assurance that Stock Connect will not be discontinued. New regulations may be issued from time to time by the regulators and stock exchanges in PRC and Hong Kong in connection with operations, legal enforcement and cross-border trades under Stock Connect. The Fund may be adversely affected as a result of such changes. Furthermore, the securities regimes and legal systems of PRC and Hong Kong differ significantly and issues may arise based on these differences. In the event that the relevant systems fail to function properly, trading in both markets through Stock Connect could be disrupted and the Fund’s ability to achieve its investment objective may be adversely affected. In addition, the Fund’s investments in A-shares through Stock Connect are generally subject to Chinese securities regulations and listing rules, among other restrictions. Further, different fees, costs and taxes are imposed on foreign investors acquiring A-shares obtained through Stock Connect, and these fees, costs and taxes may be higher than comparable fees, costs and taxes imposed on owners of other securities providing similar investment exposure.

A-Share Market Suspension Risk. A-shares may only be bought from, or sold to, the Fund at times when the relevant A-shares may be sold or purchased on the relevant Chinese stock exchange. The A-shares market has historically had a higher propensity for trading suspensions than many other global equity markets. Trading suspensions in certain stocks could lead to greater market execution risk and costs for the Fund. The SSE currently applies a daily price limit, set at 10%, of the amount of fluctuation permitted in the prices of A-shares during a single trading day. The daily price limit refers to price movements only and does not restrict trading within the relevant limit. There can be no assurance that a liquid market on an exchange will exist for any particular A-share or for any particular time.

RISK OF INVESTMENTS IN THE RUSSIAN FEDERATION. The Fund may invest a portion of its assets in securities issued by companies located in the Russian Federation. Settlement, clearing and registration of securities transactions in the Russian Federation are subject to significant risks. Ownership of shares is defined according to entries in the company’s share register and normally evidenced by extracts from the register. These extracts are not negotiable instruments and are not effective evidence of securities ownership. The registrars are not necessarily subject to effective state supervision nor are they licensed with any governmental entity. Also, there is no central registration system for shareholders and it is possible for the Fund to lose its registration through fraud, negligence or mere oversight. While the Fund will endeavor to ensure that its interests continue to be appropriately recorded, either by itself or through a custodian or other agent inspecting the share register and by obtaining extracts of share registers through regular confirmations, these extracts are not legally enforceable and it is possible that a subsequent illegal amendment or other fraudulent act may deprive the Fund of its ownership rights or improperly dilute its interests. In addition, while applicable Russian regulations impose liability on registrars for losses resulting from their errors, it may be difficult for the Fund to enforce any rights it may have against the registrar or issuer of the securities in the event of loss of share registration. While the Fund intends to invest directly in Russian companies that use an independent registrar, there can be no assurance that such investments will not result in a loss to the Fund.

As a result of recent political and military actions undertaken by the Russian Federation, the US and the European Union have instituted various economic sanctions against Russian individuals and entities. The US and/or the European Union may impose additional economic sanctions, or take other actions, against individuals and/or companies in specific sectors of the Russian economy, including, but not limited to, the financial services, energy, metals and mining, engineering, and defense and defense-related materials sectors. These sanctions, and the threat of additional sanctions, could have adverse consequences for the Russian economy, including continued weakening of the Russian currency, downgrades in Russia’s credit rating, and a significant decline in the value and liquidity of securities issued by Russian companies or the Russian government. Any of these events could negatively impact the Fund’s investment in Russian securities. These sanctions have the possibility of impairing the Fund’s ability to invest in accordance with its investment strategy and/or to meet its investment objective. For example, the Fund may be prohibited from investing in securities issued by companies subject to such sanctions. In addition, these sanctions may require a fund to freeze its existing investments in Russian securities, thereby prohibiting the Fund from buying, selling, receiving or delivering those securities or other financial instruments. It is also possible that any counter measures or retaliatory action by Russia could further impair the value and liquidity of securities issued by Russian companies and may have an impact on the economies of other emerging markets as well.

ILLIQUID OR RESTRICTED SECURITIES. The Fund may invest in securities that lack an established secondary trading market or otherwise are considered illiquid. Liquidity of a security relates to the ability to dispose easily of the security and the price to be obtained upon disposition of the security, which may be less than would be obtained for a comparable more liquid security. Illiquid securities may trade at a discount from comparable, more liquid investments. Investment of the Fund’s assets in illiquid securities may restrict the ability of


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the Fund to dispose of its investments in a timely fashion and for a fair price as well as its ability to take advantage of market opportunities. The risks associated with illiquidity will be particularly acute where the Fund’s operations require cash, such as when the Fund redeems shares or pays dividends, and could result in the Fund borrowing to meet short-term cash requirements or incurring capital losses on the sale of illiquid investments. The Fund may invest in securities that are not registered (restricted securities) under the 1933 Act. The Fund is subject to a maximum of 15% of net assets invested in illiquid securities.

Restricted securities may be sold in private placement transactions between issuers and their purchasers and may be neither listed on an exchange nor traded in other established markets. In many cases, privately placed securities may not be freely transferable under the laws of the applicable jurisdiction or due to contractual restrictions on resale. As a result of the absence of a public trading market, privately placed securities may be less liquid and more difficult to value than publicly traded securities. To the extent that privately placed securities may be resold in privately negotiated transactions, the prices realized from the sales, due to illiquidity, could be less than those originally paid by the Fund or less than their fair market value. In addition, issuers whose securities are not publicly traded may not be subject to the disclosure and other investor protection requirements that may be applicable if their securities were publicly traded. If any privately placed securities held by the Fund are required to be registered under the securities laws of one or more jurisdictions before being resold, the Fund may be required to bear the expenses of registration. Certain of the Fund’s investments in private placements may consist of direct investments and may include investments in smaller, less seasoned issuers, which may involve greater risks. These issuers may have limited product lines, markets or financial resources or they may be dependent on a limited management group. In making investments in such securities, the Fund may obtain access to material nonpublic information, which may restrict the Fund’s ability to conduct portfolio transactions in such securities.

The Fund may purchase restricted securities that can be offered and sold to “qualified institutional buyers” under Rule 144A under the 1933 Act. The Board has determined to treat as liquid Rule 144A securities that are either freely tradable in their primary markets offshore or have been determined to be liquid in accordance with the policies and procedures adopted by the Board. The Board has adopted guidelines and delegated to the Manager the daily function of determining and monitoring liquidity of restricted securities. The Board, however, will retain sufficient oversight and be ultimately responsible for the determinations. Since it is not possible to predict with assurance exactly how the market for restricted securities sold and offered under Rule 144A will continue to develop, the Board will carefully monitor the Fund’s investments in these securities. This investment practice could have the effect of increasing the level of illiquidity in the Fund to the extent that qualified institutional buyers become for a time uninterested in purchasing these securities.

INITIAL PUBLIC OFFERINGS. The Fund may invest in securities sold in IPOs. An IPO is the first sale of stock by a private company to the public. IPOs are often issued by smaller, younger companies seeking capital to expand, but can also be done by large privately owned companies looking to become publicly traded.

In an IPO, the issuer obtains the assistance of an underwriting firm, which helps it determine what type of security to issue (common or preferred), best offering price and time to bring it to market. The volume of IPOs and the levels at which the newly issued stocks trade in the secondary market are affected by the performance of the stock market overall. If IPOs are brought to the market, availability may be limited and the Fund may not be able to buy any shares at the offering price, or if the Fund is able to buy shares, the Fund may not be able to buy as many shares at the offering price as the Fund would like.

Investing in IPOs entails risks. Importantly, the prices of securities involved in IPOs are often subject to greater and more unpredictable price changes than more established stocks. It is difficult to predict what the stock will do on its initial day of trading and in the near future since there is often little historical data with which to analyze the company. Also, most IPOs are of companies going through a transitory growth period, and they are therefore subject to additional uncertainty regarding their future value.

INVESTMENT IN OTHER INVESTMENT COMPANIES. The Fund may invest in other investment companies, including ETFs. In accordance with the 1940 Act, the Fund may invest up to 10% of its total assets in securities of other investment companies. In addition, under the 1940 Act, the Fund may not own more than 3% of the total outstanding voting stock of any investment company and not more than 5% of the value of the Fund’s total assets may be invested in securities of any single investment company.

Notwithstanding the limits discussed above, the Fund may invest in other investment companies outside of these limits provided that the Fund complies with the applicable provisions of Rules 12d1-1, 12d1-2 and 12d1-3 promulgated by the SEC under the 1940 Act or otherwise permitted by the 1940 Act Laws, Interpretations and Exemptions.

As with other investments, investments in other investment companies are subject to market and selection risk. In addition, if the Fund acquires shares in other investment companies, shareholders would bear both their proportionate share of expenses in the Fund (including management and advisory fees) and, indirectly, their proportionate shares of the expenses of such investment companies (including management and advisory fees).


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JUNK BONDS. Junk bonds are debt securities that are rated below investment grade by a NRSRO or are unrated securities that the subadviser believes are of comparable quality. Although junk bonds generally pay higher rates of interest than investment grade bonds, they are high risk investments that may cause income and principal losses for the Fund. The major risks of junk bond investments include the following:

 

Junk bonds are issued by less creditworthy issuers. These securities are vulnerable to adverse changes in the issuer's economic condition and to general economic conditions. Issuers of junk bonds may be unable to meet their interest or principal payment obligations because of an economic downturn, specific issuer developments or the unavailability of additional financing.
The issuers of junk bonds may have a larger amount of outstanding debt relative to their assets than issuers of investment grade bonds. If the issuer experiences financial stress, it may be unable to meet its debt obligations.
Junk bonds are frequently ranked junior to claims by other creditors. If the issuer cannot meet its obligations, the senior obligations are generally paid off before the junior obligations.
Junk bonds frequently have redemption features that permit an issuer to repurchase the security from the Fund before it matures. If an issuer redeems the junk bonds, the Fund may have to invest the proceeds in bonds with lower yields and may lose income.
Prices of junk bonds are subject to extreme price fluctuations. Negative economic developments may have a greater impact on the prices of junk bonds than on other higher rated fixed-income securities.
Junk bonds may be less liquid than higher rated fixed-income securities even under normal economic conditions. There are fewer dealers in the junk bond market, and there may be significant differences in the prices quoted for junk bonds by the dealers. Because they are less liquid, judgment may play a greater role in valuing certain of the Fund’s portfolio securities than in the case of securities trading in a more liquid market.
The Fund may incur expenses to the extent necessary to seek recovery upon default or to negotiate new terms with a defaulting issuer.

MONEY MARKET INSTRUMENTS. The Fund may invest in money market instruments. Money market instruments include cash equivalents and short-term obligations of US banks, non-US government securities, certificates of deposit and short-term obligations issued or guaranteed by the US Government or its agencies. Money market instruments also include bankers' acceptances, commercial paper, certificates of deposit and Eurodollar obligations issued or guaranteed by bank holding companies in the US, their subsidiaries and non-US branches, by non-US banking institutions, and by the World Bank and other multinational instrumentalities, as well as commercial paper and other short-term obligations of, and variable amount master demand notes, variable rate notes and funding agreements issued by, US and non-US corporations.

MORTGAGE-BACKED SECURITIES. Investing in mortgage-backed securities involves certain unique risks in addition to those generally associated with investing in fixed-income securities and in the real estate industry in general. These unique risks include the failure of a party to meet its commitments under the related operative documents, adverse interest rate changes and the effects of prepayments on mortgage cash flows. Mortgage-backed securities are “pass-through” securities, meaning that principal and interest payments made by the borrower on the underlying mortgages are passed through to the Fund. The value of mortgage-backed securities, like that of traditional fixed-income securities, typically increases when interest rates fall and decreases when interest rates rise. However, mortgage-backed securities differ from traditional fixed-income securities because of their potential for prepayment without penalty. The price paid by the Fund for its mortgage-backed securities, the yield the Fund expects to receive from such securities and the average life of the securities are based on a number of factors, including the anticipated rate of prepayment of the underlying mortgages. In a period of declining interest rates, borrowers may prepay the underlying mortgages more quickly than anticipated, thereby reducing the yield to maturity and the average life of the mortgage-backed securities. Moreover, when the Fund reinvests the proceeds of a prepayment in these circumstances, the likely rate of interest received will be lower than the rate on the security that was prepaid.

Mortgage-backed securities, including CMOs, can be collateralized by either fixed-rate mortgages or adjustable rate mortgages. Fixed-rate mortgage securities are collateralized by fixed-rate mortgages and tend to have high prepayment rates when the level of prevailing interest rates declines significantly below the interest rates on the mortgages. Thus, under those circumstances, the securities are generally less sensitive to interest rate movements than lower coupon fixed-rate mortgages. CMOs may be collateralized by whole mortgage loans or private mortgage pass-through securities, but are more typically collateralized by portfolios of mortgage pass-through securities guaranteed by Ginnie Mae, Freddie Mac or Fannie Mae.

Generally, adjustable rate mortgage securities (ARMs) have a specified maturity date and amortize principal over their life. In periods of declining interest rates, there is a reasonable likelihood that ARMs will experience increased rates of prepayment of principal. However, the major difference between ARMs and fixed-rate mortgage securities (FRMs) is that the interest rate and the rate of amortization of principal of ARMs can and do change in accordance with movements in a particular, pre-specified, published interest rate index. The amount of interest on an ARM is calculated by adding a specified amount, the “margin,” to the index, subject to limitations on the maximum and minimum interest that is charged during the life of the mortgage or to maximum and minimum changes to that interest rate during a given period.


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The underlying mortgages which collateralize the ARMs in which the Fund invests will frequently have caps and floors which limit the maximum amount by which the loan rate to the residential borrower may change up or down (1) per reset or adjustment interval and (2) over the life of the loan. Some residential mortgage loans restrict periodic adjustments by limiting changes in the borrower's monthly principal and interest payments rather than limiting interest rate changes. These payment caps may result in negative amortization.

To the extent that the Fund purchases mortgage-backed securities at a premium, mortgage foreclosures and principal prepayments may result in a loss to the extent of the premium paid. If the Fund buys such securities at a discount, both scheduled payments of principal and unscheduled prepayments will increase current and total returns and will accelerate the recognition of income which, when distributed to shareholders, will be taxable as ordinary income. In a period of rising interest rates, prepayments of the underlying mortgages may occur at a slower than expected rate, creating maturity extension risk. This particular risk may effectively change a security that was considered short- or intermediate-term at the time of purchase into a long-term security. Since long-term securities generally fluctuate more widely in response to changes in interest rates than shorter-term securities, maturity extension risk could increase the inherent volatility of the Fund. Under certain interest rate and prepayment scenarios, the Fund may fail to recoup fully its investment in mortgage-backed securities notwithstanding any direct or indirect governmental or agency guarantee.

Most mortgage-backed securities are issued by federal government agencies such as Ginnie Mae, or by government sponsored enterprises such as Freddie Mac and Fannie Mae. Principal and interest payments on mortgage-backed securities issued by the federal government and some federal agencies, such as Ginnie Mae, are guaranteed by the federal government and backed by the full faith and credit of the United States. Mortgage-backed securities issued by other government agencies or government sponsored enterprises are backed only by the credit of the government agency or enterprise and are not backed by the full faith and credit of the United States. Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac are authorized to borrow from the US Treasury to meet their obligations. Private mortgage-backed securities are issued by private corporations rather than government agencies and are subject to credit risk and interest rate risk.

Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac are stockholder-owned companies chartered by Congress. Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac guarantee the securities they issue as to timely payment of principal and interest, but such guarantee is not backed by the full faith and credit of the United States. In September 2008, Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac were placed into conservatorship by their regulator, the Federal Housing Finance Agency. It is unclear what effect this conservatorship, which remains ongoing as of the date of this SAI, will have on the securities issued or guaranteed by Fannie Mae or Freddie Mac. Although the US Government has provided financial support to Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, there can be no assurance that it will support these or other government-sponsored enterprises (GSEs) in the future.

The Fund may purchase certain mortgage-backed securities, the underlying investments of which consist of loans issued and/or serviced by an affiliated entity.

REAL ESTATE INVESTMENT TRUSTS. Investing in REITs involves certain unique risks in addition to those risks associated with investing in the real estate industry in general. Equity REITs may be affected by changes in the value of the underlying property owned by the REITs, while mortgage REITs may be affected by the quality of any credit extended. REITs are dependent upon management skills, may not be diversified geographically or by property type, and are subject to heavy cash flow dependency, default by borrowers and self-liquidation. REITs must also meet certain requirements under the Code to avoid entity level tax and be eligible to pass-through certain tax attributes of their income to shareholders. REITs are consequently subject to the risk of failing to meet these requirements for favorable tax treatment and of failing to maintain their exemptions from registration under the 1940 Act. REITs are also subject to the risks of changes in the Code affecting their tax status.

Tax reform legislation commonly referred to as the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act (the “Tax Act”) permits a direct REIT shareholder to claim a 20% “qualified business income” deduction for ordinary REIT dividends, but does not permit a RIC (such as a Fund) paying dividends attributable to such income to pass through this special treatment to its shareholders. Unless future legislation or regulatory guidance provides for a pass-through, investors in such a RIC will treat such distributions as ordinary dividend income, as under prior law, whereas a direct REIT investor would benefit from the special treatment.

REITs (especially mortgage REITs) are also subject to interest rate risks. When interest rates decline, the value of a REIT's investment in fixed rate obligations can be expected to rise. Conversely, when interest rates rise, the value of a REIT's investment in fixed rate obligations can be expected to decline. In contrast, as interest rates on adjustable rate mortgage loans are reset periodically, yields on a REIT's investments in such loans will gradually align themselves to reflect changes in market interest rates, causing the value of such investments to fluctuate less dramatically in response to interest rate fluctuations than would investments in fixed rate obligations.

Investing in certain REITs involves risks similar to those associated with investing in small capitalization companies. These REITs may have limited financial resources, may trade less frequently and in limited volume and may be subject to more abrupt or erratic price movements than larger company securities. Historically, small capitalization stocks, such as REITs, have been more volatile in price than


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the larger capitalization stocks included in the S&P 500 Index. The management of a REIT may be subject to conflicts of interest with respect to the operation of the business of the REIT and may be involved in real estate activities competitive with the REIT. REITs may own properties through joint ventures or in other circumstances in which the REIT may not have control over its investments. REITs may incur significant amounts of leverage. The Fund’s investments in REITs may subject the Fund to duplicate management and/or advisory fees.

REPURCHASE AGREEMENTS. The Fund may invest in securities pursuant to repurchase agreements. The Fund will enter into repurchase agreements only with parties meeting creditworthiness standards as set forth in the Fund’s repurchase agreement procedures.

Under such agreements, the other party agrees, upon entering into the contract with the Fund, to repurchase the security at a mutually agreed-upon time and price in a specified currency, thereby determining the yield during the term of the agreement. This results in a fixed rate of return insulated from market fluctuations during such period, although such return may be affected by currency fluctuations. In the case of repurchase agreements, the prices at which the trades are conducted do not reflect accrued interest on the underlying obligation. Such agreements usually cover short periods, such as under one week. Repurchase agreements may be construed to be collateralized loans by the purchaser to the seller secured by the securities transferred to the purchaser.

In the case of a repurchase agreement, as a purchaser, the Fund will require all repurchase agreements to be fully collateralized at all times by cash or other liquid assets in an amount at least equal to the resale price. The seller is required to provide additional collateral if the market value of the securities falls below the repurchase price at any time during the term of the repurchase agreement. In the event of default by the seller under a repurchase agreement construed to be a collateralized loan, the underlying securities are not owned by the Fund but only constitute collateral for the seller's obligation to pay the repurchase price. Therefore, the Fund may suffer time delays and incur costs or possible losses in connection with disposition of the collateral.

The Fund may participate in a joint repurchase agreement account with other investment companies managed by the Manager pursuant to an order of the SEC. On a daily basis, any uninvested cash balances of the Fund may be aggregated with those of such investment companies and invested in one or more repurchase agreements. The Fund participates in the income earned or accrued in the joint account based on the percentage of its investment.

REVERSE REPURCHASE AGREEMENTS AND DOLLAR ROLLS. The Fund may enter into reverse repurchase agreements. A reverse repurchase agreement involves the sale of a portfolio-eligible security by the Fund, coupled with its agreement to repurchase the instrument at a specified time and price. See “Repurchase Agreements.” The Fund’s investments in these instruments are subject to the Fund’s restrictions on borrowing.

The Fund may enter into dollar rolls. In a dollar roll, the Fund sells securities for delivery in the current month and simultaneously contracts to repurchase substantially similar (same type and coupon) securities on a specified future date from the same party. During the roll period, the Fund forgoes principal and interest paid on the securities. The Fund is compensated by the difference between the current sale price and the forward price for the future purchase (often referred to as the drop) as well as by the interest earned on the cash proceeds of the initial sale. The Fund will segregate cash or other liquid assets, marked to market daily, having a value equal to the obligations of the Fund in respect of dollar rolls.

Dollar rolls involve the risk that the market value of the securities retained by the Fund may decline below the price of the securities sold by the Fund but which the Fund is obligated to repurchase under the agreement. In the event the buyer of securities under a dollar roll files for bankruptcy or becomes insolvent, the Fund’s use of the proceeds of the agreement may be restricted pending a determination by the other party, or its trustee or receiver, whether to enforce the Fund’s obligation to repurchase the securities. Cash proceeds from dollar rolls may be invested in cash or other liquid assets.

SECURITIES OF SMALLER OR EMERGING GROWTH COMPANIES. Investment in smaller or emerging growth companies involves greater risk than is customarily associated with investments in more established companies. The securities of smaller or emerging growth companies may be subject to more abrupt or erratic market movements than larger, more established companies or the market average in general. These companies may have limited product lines, markets or financial resources, or they may be dependent on a limited management group.

While smaller or emerging growth company issuers may offer greater opportunities for capital appreciation than large cap issuers, investments in smaller or emerging growth companies may involve greater risks and thus may be considered speculative. The subadviser believes that properly selected companies of this type have the potential to increase their earnings or market valuation at a rate substantially in excess of the general growth of the economy. Full development of these companies and trends frequently takes time.


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Small cap and emerging growth securities will often be traded only in the OTC market or on a regional securities exchange and may not be traded every day or in the volume typical of trading on a national securities exchange. As a result, the disposition by the Fund of portfolio securities to meet redemptions or otherwise may require the Fund to make many small sales over a lengthy period of time, or to sell these securities at a discount from market prices or during periods when, in the subadviser's judgment, such disposition is not desirable.

While the process of selection and continuous supervision by the subadviser does not, of course, guarantee successful investment results, it does provide access to an asset class not available to the average individual due to the time and cost involved. Careful initial selection is particularly important in this area as many new enterprises have promise but lack certain of the fundamental factors necessary to prosper. Investing in small cap and emerging growth companies requires specialized research and analysis. In addition, many investors cannot invest sufficient assets in such companies to provide wide diversification.

Small companies are generally little known to most individual investors although some may be dominant in their respective industries. The subadviser believes that relatively small companies will continue to have the opportunity to develop into significant business enterprises. The Fund may invest in securities of small issuers in the relatively early stages of business development that have a new technology, a unique or proprietary product or service, or a favorable market position. Such companies may not be counted upon to develop into major industrial companies, but Fund management believes that eventual recognition of their special value characteristics by the investment community can provide above-average long-term growth to the portfolio.

Equity securities of specific small cap issuers may present different opportunities for long-term capital appreciation during varying portions of economic or securities markets cycles, as well as during varying stages of their business development. The market valuation of small cap issuers tends to fluctuate during economic or market cycles, presenting attractive investment opportunities at various points during these cycles. Smaller companies, due to the size and kinds of markets that they serve, may be less susceptible than large companies to intervention from the federal government by means of price controls, regulations or litigation.

SECURITIES LENDING. Unless otherwise noted, the Fund may lend its portfolio securities to brokers, dealers and other financial institutions subject to applicable regulatory requirements and guidance, including the requirements that: (1) the aggregate market value of securities loaned will not at any time exceed 33 1/3% of the total assets of the Fund; (2) the borrower pledge and maintain with the Fund collateral consisting of cash having at all times a value of not less than 102% of the value of the securities lent; and (3) the loan be made subject to termination by the Fund at any time. Securities Finance Trust Company (eSecLending) serves as securities lending agent for each Fund, and in that role administers the Fund’s securities lending program. As compensation for these services, eSecLending receives a portion of any amounts earned by the Fund through lending securities.

Cash collateral is invested in an affiliated prime money market fund and will be subject to market depreciation or appreciation. The Fund will be responsible for any loss that results from this investment of collateral. The affiliated prime money market fund in which cash collateral is invested may impose liquidity fees or temporary gates on redemptions if its weekly liquid assets fall below a designated threshold. If this were to occur, the Fund may lose money on its investment of cash collateral in the affiliated prime money market fund, or the Fund may not be able to redeem its investment of cash collateral in the affiliated prime money market fund, which might cause the Fund to liquidate other holdings in order to return the cash collateral to the borrower upon termination of a securities loan. These events could trigger adverse tax consequences for the Fund.

On termination of the loan, the borrower is required to return the securities to the Fund, and any gain or loss in the market price during the loan would inure to the Fund. If the borrower defaults on its obligation to return the securities lent because of insolvency or other reasons, the Fund could experience delays and costs in recovering the securities lent or in gaining access to the collateral. In such situations, the Fund may sell the collateral and purchase a replacement investment in the market. There is a risk that the value of the collateral could decrease below the value of the replacement investment by the time the replacement investment is purchased.

During the time portfolio securities are on loan, the borrower will pay the Fund an amount equivalent to any dividend or interest paid on such securities. Voting or consent rights which accompany loaned securities pass to the borrower. However, all loans may be terminated at any time to facilitate the exercise of voting or other consent rights with respect to matters considered to be material. The Fund bears the risk that there may be a delay in the return of the securities which may impair the Fund’s ability to exercise such rights.

SHORT SALES AND SHORT SALES AGAINST-THE-BOX. The Fund may make short sales of securities, either as a hedge against potential declines in value of a portfolio security or to realize appreciation when a security that the Fund does not own declines in value. Because making short sales in securities not owned by the Fund exposes the Fund to the risks associated with those securities, such short sales involve speculative exposure risk. As a result, if the Fund makes short sales in securities that increase in value, the Fund will likely underperform similar mutual funds that do not make short sales in securities they do not own. The Fund will incur a loss as a result of a short sale if the price of the security increases between the date of the short sale and the date on which the Fund replaces the borrowed


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security. The Fund will realize a gain if the security declines in price between those dates. There can be no assurance that the Fund will be able to close out a short sale position at any particular time or at a desired price. Although the Fund’s gain is limited to the price at which the Fund sold the security short, its potential loss is limited only by the maximum attainable price of the security, less the price at which the security was sold and may, theoretically, be unlimited. There is also a risk that a borrowed security will need to be returned to the broker/dealer on short notice. If the request for the return of a security occurs at a time when other short sellers of the security are receiving similar requests, a “short squeeze” can occur, meaning that the Fund might be compelled, at the most disadvantageous time, to replace the borrowed security with a security purchased on the open market, possibly at prices significantly in excess of the proceeds received earlier.

The Fund has a short position in the securities sold short until it delivers to the broker/dealer the securities sold, at which time the Fund receives the proceeds of the sale. In addition, the Fund is required to pay to the broker/dealer the amount of any dividends or interest paid on shares sold short. The Fund will normally close out a short position by purchasing on the open market and delivering to the broker/dealer an equal amount of the securities sold short.

The Fund may also make short sales against-the-box. A short sale against-the-box is a short sale in which the Fund owns an equal amount of the securities sold short, or securities convertible or exchangeable for, with or without payment of any further consideration, such securities. However, if further consideration is required in connection with the conversion or exchange, cash or other liquid assets, in an amount equal to such consideration, must be segregated on the Fund’s records or with its Custodian.

SOVEREIGN DEBT. Investment in sovereign debt can involve a high degree of risk. The governmental entity that controls the repayment of sovereign debt may not be able or willing to repay the principal and/or interest when due in accordance with the terms of such debt. A governmental entity's willingness or ability to repay principal and interest due in a timely manner may be affected by, among other factors, its cash flow situation, the extent of its foreign reserves, the availability of sufficient foreign exchange on the date a payment is due, the relative size of the debt service burden to the economy as a whole, the governmental entity's policy towards the International Monetary Fund and the political constraints to which a governmental entity may be subject. Governmental entities may also be dependent on expected disbursements from foreign governments, multilateral agencies and others abroad to reduce principal and interest arrearages on their debt. The commitment on the part of these governments, agencies and others to make such disbursements may be conditioned on the implementation of economic reforms and/or economic performance and the timely service of such debtor's obligations. Failure to implement such reforms, achieve such levels of economic performance or repay principal or interest when due may result in the cancellation of such third parties' commitments to lend funds to the governmental entity, which may further impair such debtor's ability or willingness to timely service its debts. Consequently, governmental entities may default on their sovereign debt. Holders of sovereign debt may be requested to participate in the rescheduling of such debt and to extend further loans to governmental entities. In the event of a default by a governmental entity, there may be few or no effective legal remedies for collecting on such debt.

SUPRANATIONAL ENTITIES. The Fund may invest in debt securities of supranational entities. Examples include the World Bank, the European Steel and Coal Community, the Asian Development Bank and the Inter-American Development Bank. The government members, or “stockholders,” usually make initial capital contributions to the supranational entity and in many cases are committed to make additional capital contributions if the supranational entity is unable to repay its borrowings.

STRIPPED SECURITIES. Stripped securities are created when the issuer separates the interest and principal components of an instrument and sells them as separate securities. In general, one security is entitled to receive the interest payments on the underlying assets (the interest only or “IO” security) and the other to receive the principal payments (the principal only or “PO” security). Some stripped securities may receive a combination of interest and principal payments. The yields to maturity on IOs and POs are sensitive to the expected or anticipated rate of principal payments (including prepayments) on the related underlying assets, and principal payments may have a material effect on yield to maturity. If the underlying assets experience greater than anticipated prepayments of principal, the Fund may not fully recoup its initial investment in IOs. Conversely, if the underlying assets experience less than anticipated prepayments of principal, the yield on POs could be adversely affected. Stripped securities may be highly sensitive to changes in interest rates and rates of prepayment.

STRUCTURED NOTES / STRUCTURED SECURITIES. The Fund may invest in structured notes and other types of structured securities, including participation notes, structured notes, low exercise price warrants and other related instruments. These securities are generally privately negotiated debt obligations where the principal and/or interest or value of the structured security is determined by reference to the performance of a specific asset, benchmark asset, market or interest rate (“reference instrument”).  Issuers of structured securities include corporations and banks. The interest rate or the principal amount payable upon maturity or redemption may increase or decrease, depending upon changes in the value of the reference instrument. The terms of a structured security may provide that, in certain circumstances, no principal is due at maturity and, therefore, may result in a loss of invested capital by the Fund.  Receipt of the reference instrument is also, in certain circumstances, exchanged upon maturity of the security.


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A structured security may be positively, negatively, or both positively and negatively indexed; that is, its value or interest rate may increase or decrease if the value of the reference instrument increases. Similarly, its value or interest rate may increase or decrease if the value of the reference instrument decreases. Further, the change in the principal amount payable with respect to, or the interest rate of, a structured security may be calculated as a multiple of the percentage change (positive or negative) in the value of the underlying reference instrument(s); therefore, the value of such structured security may be very volatile. Additionally, caps can be placed on the amount of appreciation with regard to the reference instrument.

Structured securities may entail a greater degree of market risk than other types of debt securities because the investor bears the risk of the reference instrument. Structured securities may also be more volatile, less liquid, and more difficult to accurately price than less complex securities or more traditional debt securities. The secondary market for structured securities could be illiquid, making them difficult to sell when the Fund determines to sell them. The possible lack of a liquid secondary market for structured securities and the resulting inability of the Fund to sell a structured security could expose the Fund to losses and could make structured securities more difficult for the Fund to value accurately.

In addition, because structured securities generally are traded over-the-counter, structured securities are subject to the creditworthiness of the counterparty of the structured security, and their values may decline substantially if the counterparty's creditworthiness deteriorates.

YANKEE OBLIGATIONS. The Fund may invest in US dollar-denominated debt securities of foreign corporations issued in the United States and US dollar-denominated debt securities issued or guaranteed as to payment of principal and interest by governments, quasi-governmental entities, government agencies, and other governmental entities of foreign countries and supranational entities, which securities are issued in the United States (Yankee obligations). Debt securities of quasi-governmental entities are issued by entities owned by either a national, state or equivalent government or are obligations of a political unit that is not backed by the national government’s full faith and credit and general taxing powers. These include, among others, the Province of Ontario and the City of Tokyo.

TEMPORARY DEFENSIVE STRATEGY AND SHORT-TERM INVESTMENTS. The Fund may temporarily invest without limit in money market instruments, including commercial paper of US corporations, certificates of deposit, bankers' acceptances and other obligations of domestic banks, and obligations issued or guaranteed by the US Government, its agencies or its instrumentalities, as part of a temporary defensive strategy.

The Fund may invest in money market instruments to maintain appropriate liquidity to meet anticipated redemptions. Money market instruments typically have a maturity of one year or less as measured from the date of purchase. The Fund also may temporarily hold cash or invest in money market instruments pending investment of proceeds from new sales of Fund shares or during periods of portfolio restructuring.

WARRANTS AND RIGHTS. Warrants and rights are securities permitting, but not obligating, the warrant holder to subscribe for other securities. Buying a warrant does not make the Fund a shareholder of the underlying stock. The warrant holder has no right to dividends or votes on the underlying stock. A warrant does not carry any right to assets of the issuer, and for this reason investment in warrants may be more speculative than other equity-based investments.

WHEN-ISSUED SECURITIES, DELAYED DELIVERY SECURITIES AND FORWARD COMMITMENTS. The Fund may purchase or sell securities that the Fund is entitled to receive on a when-issued basis. The Fund may also purchase or sell securities on a delayed delivery basis or through a forward commitment. When delayed delivery securities are purchased, the price and interest rate are fixed at the time of purchase. When-issued, delayed delivery and forward commitment transactions all involve the purchase or sale of securities with payment and delivery taking place in the future. The Fund enters into these transactions to obtain what is considered an advantageous price to the Fund at the time of entering into the transaction. The Fund has not established any limit on the percentage of its assets that may be committed in connection with these transactions. When the Fund purchases securities in these transactions, the Fund segregates liquid securities in an amount equal to the amount of its purchase commitments.

There can be no assurance that a security purchased on a when-issued basis will be issued or that a security purchased or sold through a forward commitment will be delivered. The value of securities in these transactions on the delivery date may be more or less than the Fund’s purchase price. The Fund may bear the risk of a decline in the value of the security in these transactions and may not benefit from an appreciation in the value of the security during the commitment period.

US GOVERNMENT SECURITIES. The Fund may invest in adjustable rate and fixed rate US Government securities. US Government securities are instruments issued or guaranteed by the US Treasury or by an agency or instrumentality of the US Government. US Government guarantees do not extend to the yield or value of the securities or the Fund’s shares. Not all US Government securities are backed by the full faith and credit of the United States. Some are supported only by the credit of the issuing agency.


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US Treasury securities include bills, notes, bonds and other debt securities issued by the US Treasury. These instruments are direct obligations of the US Government and, as such, are backed by the full faith and credit of the United States. They differ primarily in their interest rates, the lengths of their maturities and the dates of their issuances.

Securities issued by agencies of the US Government or instrumentalities of the US Government, including those which are guaranteed by Federal agencies or instrumentalities, may or may not be backed by the full faith and credit of the United States. Obligations of Ginnie Mae, the Farmers Home Administration and the Small Business Administration are backed by the full faith and credit of the United States. In the case of securities not backed by the full faith and credit of the United States, the Fund must look principally to the agency issuing or guaranteeing the obligation for ultimate repayment and may not be able to assert a claim against the United States if the agency or instrumentality does not meet its commitments.

The Fund may also invest in component parts of US Government securities, namely either the corpus (principal) of such obligations or one or more of the interest payments scheduled to be paid on such obligations. These obligations may take the form of (1) obligations from which the interest coupons have been stripped; (2) the interest coupons that are stripped; (3) book-entries at a Federal Reserve member bank representing ownership of obligation components; or (4) receipts evidencing the component parts (corpus or coupons) of US Government obligations that have not actually been stripped. Such receipts evidence ownership of component parts of US Government obligations (corpus or coupons) purchased by a third party (typically an investment banking firm) and held on behalf of the third party in physical or book-entry form by a major commercial bank or trust company pursuant to a custody agreement with the third party. The Fund may also invest in custodial receipts held by a third party that are not US Government securities.

ZERO COUPON SECURITIES, PAY-IN-KIND SECURITIES AND DEFERRED PAYMENT SECURITIES. The Fund may invest in zero coupon securities. Zero coupon securities are securities that are sold at a discount to par value and on which interest payments are not made during the life of the security. The discount approximates the total amount of interest the security will accrue and compound over the period until maturity on the particular interest payment date at a rate of interest reflecting the market rate of the security at the time of issuance. Upon maturity, the holder is entitled to receive the par value of the security. While interest payments are not made on such securities, holders of such securities are deemed to have received income (“phantom income”) annually, notwithstanding that cash may not be received currently. To the extent a distribution is paid, there may be uncertainty about the source of the distribution. The effect of owning instruments that do not make current interest payments is that a fixed yield is earned not only on the original investment but also, in effect, on all discount accretion during the life of the obligations. This implicit reinvestment of earnings at the same rate eliminates the risk of being unable to invest distributions at a rate as high as the implicit yield on the zero coupon bond, but at the same time eliminates the holder's ability to reinvest at higher rates in the future. For this reason, some of these securities may be subject to substantially greater price fluctuations during periods of changing market interest rates than are comparable securities that pay interest currently, which fluctuation increases the longer the period to maturity. These investments benefit the issuer by mitigating its need for cash to meet debt service, but also require a higher rate of return to attract investors who are willing to defer receipt of cash. Because these securities do not pay current cash income, their price can be volatile when interest rates fluctuate and an investment in these securities generally has a greater potential for complete loss of principal and/or return than an investment in debt securities that make periodic interest payments. Such investments are more vulnerable to the creditworthiness of the issuer and any other parties upon which performance relies. If the issuer defaults, the Fund may not obtain any return on its investment. These securities may be subject to less liquidity in the event of adverse market conditions than comparably rated securities that pay cash interest at regular intervals. The Fund accrues income with respect to these securities for federal income tax and accounting purposes prior to the receipt of cash payments.

Pay-in-kind securities are securities that have interest payable by delivery of additional securities. Upon maturity, the holder is entitled to receive the aggregate par value of the securities. Deferred payment securities are securities that remain a zero coupon security until a predetermined date, at which time the stated coupon rate becomes effective and interest becomes payable at regular intervals. Pay-in-kind and deferred payment securities may be subject to greater fluctuation in value and lesser liquidity in the event of adverse market conditions than comparable rated securities paying cash interest at regular intervals.

In addition to the above described risks, there are certain other risks related to investing in zero coupon, pay-in-kind and deferred payment securities. During a period of severe market conditions, the market for such securities may become even less liquid. In addition, as these securities do not pay cash interest, the Fund’s investment exposure to these securities and their risks, including credit risk, will increase during the time these securities are held in the Fund’s portfolio. Further, to maintain its qualification for pass-through treatment under the federal tax laws, the Fund is required to distribute income to its shareholders and, consequently, may have to dispose of its portfolio securities under disadvantageous circumstances to generate the cash, or may have to leverage itself by borrowing the cash to satisfy these distributions, as they relate to the distribution of phantom income and the value of the paid-in-kind interest. The required distributions will result in an increase in the Fund’s exposure to such securities.


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INVESTMENT RESTRICTIONS

The Funds have each adopted the restrictions listed below as fundamental policies. Under the 1940 Act, a fundamental policy is one that cannot be changed without the approval of the holders of a majority of each Fund’s outstanding voting securities. A “majority of each Fund’s outstanding voting securities,” when used in this SAI, means the lesser of (i) 67% of the voting shares represented at a meeting at which more than 50% of the outstanding voting shares are present in person or represented by proxy or (ii) more than 50% of the outstanding voting shares.

If any percentage restriction described below is complied with at the time of an investment, a later increase or decrease in the percentage resulting from a change in asset values or characteristics will not constitute a violation of such restriction, unless otherwise noted below.

Fundamental Investment Policies

Each Fund’s fundamental investment policies are as follows:

(1) The Fund may borrow money to the extent not prohibited by the 1940 Act.

(2) The Fund may engage in the business of underwriting the securities of other issuers to the extent not prohibited by the 1940 Act.

(3) The Fund may lend money or other assets to the extent not prohibited by the 1940 Act.

(4) The Fund may issue senior securities to the extent not prohibited by the 1940 Act.

(5) The Fund may purchase or sell real estate to the extent not prohibited by the 1940 Act.

(6) The Fund may purchase or sell commodities or contracts related to commodities to the extent not prohibited by the 1940 Act.

(7) The Fund will not invest more than 25% of its total assets in the securities of one or more issuers conducting their principal business activities in the same industry, except as permitted by the 1940 Act, any exemptive order, SEC release, no-action letter or similar relief or interpretations (collectively, the 1940 Act Laws, Interpretations and Exemptions).

With respect to the fundamental policy relating to borrowing money set forth in (1) above, the 1940 Act permits each Fund to borrow money in amounts of up to one-third of the Fund’s total assets from banks for any purpose, and to borrow up to an additional 5% of the Fund’s total assets from banks or other lenders for temporary purposes. (A Fund’s total assets include the amounts being borrowed.) To limit the risks attendant to borrowing, the 1940 Act requires each Fund to maintain an “asset coverage” of at least 300% of the amount of its borrowings, provided that in the event that the Fund’s asset coverage falls below 300%, the Fund is required to reduce the amount of its borrowings so that it meets the 300% asset coverage threshold within three days (not including weekends and holidays). Asset coverage means the ratio that the value of the Fund’s total assets (including amounts borrowed), minus liabilities other than borrowings, bears to the aggregate amount of all borrowings. The policy in (1) above will be interpreted to permit a Fund to engage in trading practices and investments that may be considered to be borrowing to the extent permitted by the 1940 Act. Short-term credits necessary for the settlement of securities transactions and arrangements with respect to securities lending will not be considered to be borrowings under the policy. Practices and investments that may involve leverage but are not considered to be borrowings are not subject to the policy.

With respect to the fundamental policy relating to underwriting set forth in (2) above, the 1940 Act does not prohibit each Fund from engaging in the business of underwriting or from underwriting the securities of other issuers; in fact, the 1940 Act permits a Fund to have underwriting commitments of up to 25% of its assets under certain circumstances. Those circumstances currently are that the amount of the Fund’s underwriting commitments, when added to the value of the Fund’s investments in issuers where the Fund owns more than 10% of the outstanding voting securities of those issuers, cannot exceed the 25% cap. A fund engaging in transactions involving the acquisition or disposition of portfolio securities may be considered to be an underwriter under the 1933 Act. Under the 1933 Act, an underwriter may be liable for material omissions or misstatements in an issuer’s registration statement or prospectus. Although it is not believed that the application of the 1933 Act provisions described above would cause a Fund to be engaged in the business of underwriting, the policy in (2) above will be interpreted not to prevent a Fund from engaging in transactions involving the acquisition or disposition of portfolio securities, regardless of whether the Fund may be considered to be an underwriter under the 1933 Act.

With respect to the fundamental policy relating to lending set forth in (3) above, the 1940 Act does not prohibit each Fund from making loans; however, SEC staff interpretations currently prohibit funds from lending more than one-third of their total assets, except through the purchase of debt obligations or the use of repurchase agreements. (A repurchase agreement is an agreement to purchase a security,


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coupled with an agreement to sell that security back to the original seller on an agreed-upon date at a price that reflects current interest rates. The SEC frequently treats repurchase agreements as loans.) Each Fund will be permitted by this policy to make loans of money. The policy in (3) above will be interpreted not to prevent a Fund from purchasing or investing in credit instruments, debt obligations and loans or any similar security or financial instrument. In addition, collateral arrangements with respect to options, forward currency and futures transactions and other derivative instruments, as well as delays in the settlement of securities transactions, will not be considered loans.

With respect to the fundamental policy relating to issuing senior securities set forth in (4) above, “senior securities” are defined as Fund obligations that have a priority over the Fund’s shares with respect to the payment of dividends or the distribution of Fund assets. The 1940 Act prohibits each Fund from issuing senior securities except that the Fund may borrow money in amounts of up to one-third of the Fund’s total assets from banks for any purpose. Each Fund may also borrow up to an additional 5% of the Fund’s total assets from banks or other lenders for temporary purposes, and these borrowings are not considered senior securities. The policy in (4) above will be interpreted not to prevent collateral arrangements with respect to swaps, options, forward or futures contracts or other derivatives, or the posting of initial or variation margin.

With respect to the fundamental policy relating to real estate set forth in (5) above, the 1940 Act does not prohibit each Fund from owning real estate; however, the Fund is limited in the amount of illiquid assets it may purchase. The policy in (5) above will be interpreted not to prevent a Fund from investing in real estate-related companies, companies whose businesses consist in whole or in part of investing in real estate, instruments (like mortgages) that are secured by real estate or interests therein, or real estate investment trust securities.

With respect to the fundamental policy relating to commodities set forth in (6) above, the 1940 Act does not prohibit each Fund from owning commodities, whether physical commodities and contracts related to physical commodities (such as oil or grains and related futures contracts), or financial commodities and contracts related to financial commodities (such as currencies and, possibly, currency futures). However, a Fund is limited in the amount of illiquid assets it may purchase. The policy in (6) above will be interpreted to permit investments in ETFs that invest in physical and/or financial commodities.

With respect to the fundamental policy relating to concentration set forth in (7) above, the 1940 Act does not define what constitutes “concentration” in an industry. The SEC staff has taken the position that investment of 25% or more of a fund’s total assets in one or more issuers conducting their principal activities in the same industry or group of industries constitutes concentration. It is possible that interpretations of concentration could change in the future. The policy in (7) above will be interpreted to refer to concentration as that term may be interpreted from time to time. The policy also will be interpreted to permit investment without limit in the following: securities of the US Government and its agencies or instrumentalities; securities of state, territory, possession or municipal governments and their authorities, agencies, instrumentalities or political subdivisions; and repurchase agreements collateralized by any such obligations. Accordingly, issuers of the foregoing securities will not be considered to be members of any industry. There also will be no limit on investment in issuers domiciled in a single jurisdiction or country; however, the Trust understands that the SEC staff considers securities issued by a foreign government to be in a single industry for purposes of calculating applicable limits on concentration. The policy also will be interpreted to give broad authority to each Fund as to how to classify issuers within or among industries.

The Funds’ fundamental policies will be interpreted broadly. For example, the policies will be interpreted to refer to the 1940 Act and the related rules as they are in effect from time to time, and to interpretations and modifications of or relating to the 1940 Act by the SEC and others as they are given from time to time. When a policy provides that an investment practice may be conducted as permitted by the 1940 Act, the policy will be interpreted to mean either that the 1940 Act expressly permits the practice or that the 1940 Act does not prohibit the practice.

Non-Fundamental Investment Policies

Each Fund’s non-fundamental investment policies are as follows:

The Fund may not invest in other registered open-end management investment companies and registered unit investment trusts in reliance upon the provisions of subparagraphs (G) or (F) of Section 12(d)(1) of the 1940 Act. The foregoing investment policy does not restrict the Fund from (i) acquiring securities of other registered investment companies in connection with a merger, consolidation, reorganization, or acquisition of assets, or (ii) purchasing the securities of registered investment companies, to the extent otherwise permissible under Section 12(d)(1) of the 1940 Act.

The Fund may not purchase or otherwise acquire any security if immediately after the acquisition the value of illiquid securities held by the Fund would exceed 15% of the Fund’s net assets except as permitted by 1940 Act Laws, Interpretations and Exemptions. The Fund monitors the portion of the Fund’s total assets that is invested in illiquid securities on an ongoing basis, not only at the time of investment in such securities.


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The Fund will provide 60 days' prior written notice to shareholders of a change in the Fund's non-fundamental policy of investing at least 80% of its investable assets (that is, net assets plus borrowings for investment purposes) in the type of investments suggested by the Fund's name.

Diversification

The Funds are currently classified as diversified funds, as “diversified” is defined under the 1940 Act. In general, this means that each Fund may not purchase securities of an issuer (other than obligations issued or guaranteed by the US Government, its agencies or instrumentalities) if, with respect to 75% of its total assets, (a) more than 5% of the Fund’s total assets would be invested in securities of that issuer or (b) the Fund would hold more than 10% of the outstanding voting securities of that issuer. With respect to the remaining 25% of its total assets, each Fund can invest more than 5% of its assets in one issuer. Under the 1940 Act, neither Fund can change its classification from diversified to non-diversified without shareholder approval.

INFORMATION ABOUT BOARD MEMBERS AND OFFICERS

Information about Board Members and Officers of the Funds is set forth below. Board Members who are not deemed to be “interested persons” of the Funds, as defined in the 1940 Act, are referred to as “Independent Board Members.” Board Members who are deemed to be “interested persons” of the Funds are referred to as “Interested Board Members.” The Board Members are responsible for the overall supervision of the operations of the Funds and perform the various duties imposed on the directors of investment companies by the 1940 Act. The Board in turn elects the Officers, who are responsible for administering the day-to-day operations of the Funds.

 

Independent Board Members    
Name, Address, Age
Position(s)
Portfolios Overseen
Principal Occupation(s)
During Past Five Years
Other Directorships
Held During
Past Five Years
Length of
Board Service
Ellen S. Alberding (60)
Board Member
Portfolios Overseen: 91
President and Board Member, The Joyce Foundation (charitable foundation) (since 2002); Vice Chair, City Colleges of Chicago (community college system) (2011-2015); Trustee, National Park Foundation (charitable foundation for national park system) (2009-2018); Trustee, Economic Club of Chicago (since 2009); Trustee, Loyola University (since 2018). None. Since December 2017
Kevin J. Bannon (65)
Board Member
Portfolios Overseen: 91
Retired; Managing Director (April 2008-May 2015) and Chief Investment Officer (October 2008-November 2013) of Highmount Capital LLC (registered investment adviser); formerly Executive Vice President and Chief Investment Officer (April 1993-August 2007) of Bank of New York Company; President (May 2003-May 2007) of BNY Hamilton Family of Mutual Funds. Director of Urstadt Biddle Properties (equity real estate investment trust) (since September 2008). Since December 2017
Linda W. Bynoe (65)
Board Member
Portfolios Overseen: 91
President and Chief Executive Officer (since March 1995) and formerly Chief Operating Officer (December 1989-February 1995) of Telemat Ltd. (management consulting); formerly Vice President (January 1985-June 1989) at Morgan Stanley & Co. (broker-dealer). Director of Anixter International, Inc. (communication products distributor) (since January 2006); Director of Northern Trust Corporation (financial services) (since April 2006); Trustee of Equity Residential (residential real estate) (since December 2009). Since December 2017
Barry H. Evans (57)±
Board Member
Portfolios Overseen: 90
Retired; formerly President (2005 – 2016), Global Chief Operating Officer (2014– 2016), Chief Investment Officer – Global Head of Fixed Income (1998-2014), and various portfolio manager roles (1986-2006), Manulife Asset Management U.S. Director, Manulife Trust Company (since 2011); formerly Director, Manulife Asset Management Limited (2015-2017); formerly Chairman of the Board of Directors of Manulife Asset Management U.S. (2005-2016); formerly Chairman of the Board, Declaration Investment Management and Research (2008-2016). Since December 2017


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Independent Board Members    
Name, Address, Age
Position(s)
Portfolios Overseen
Principal Occupation(s)
During Past Five Years
Other Directorships
Held During
Past Five Years
Length of
Board Service
Keith F. Hartstein (61)
Board Member & Independent Chair
Portfolios Overseen: 91
Retired; Member (since November 2014) of the Governing Council of the Independent Directors Council (organization of independent mutual fund directors); formerly President and Chief Executive Officer (2005-2012), Senior Vice President (2004-2005), Senior Vice President of Sales and Marketing (1997-2004), and various executive management positions (1990-1997), John Hancock Funds, LLC (asset management); Chairman, Investment Company Institute’s Sales Force Marketing Committee (2003-2008). None. Since December 2017
Laurie Simon Hodrick (55)±
Board Member
Portfolios Overseen: 90
A. Barton Hepburn Professor Emerita of Economics in the Faculty of Business, Columbia Business School (since 2018); Visiting Professor of Law, Stanford Law School (since 2015); Visiting Fellow at the Hoover Institution, Stanford University (since 2015); Sole Member, ReidCourt LLC (since 2008) (a consulting firm); formerly A. Barton Hepburn Professor of Economics in the Faculty of Business, Columbia Business School (1996-2017); formerly Managing Director, Global Head of Alternative Investment Strategies, Deutsche Bank (2006-2008). Independent Director, Corporate Capital Trust (since April 2017) (a business development company). Since December 2017
Michael S. Hyland, CFA (72)
Board Member
Portfolios Overseen: 91
Retired (since February 2005); formerly Senior Managing Director (July 2001-February 2005) of Bear Stearns & Co, Inc.; Global Partner, INVESCO (1999-2001); Managing Director and President of Salomon Brothers Asset Management (1989-1999). None. Since December 2017
Richard A. Redeker (74)
Board Member
Portfolios Overseen: 91
Retired Mutual Fund Senior Executive (50 years); Management Consultant; Director, Mutual Fund Directors Forum (since 2014); Independent Directors Council (organization of independent mutual fund directors)-Executive Committee, Chair of Policy Steering Committee, Governing Council. None. Since December 2017
Brian K. Reid (56)#
Board Member
Portfolios Overseen: 90
Retired; formerly Chief Economist for the Investment Company Institute (ICI) (2005-2017); formerly Senior Economist and Director of Industry and Financial Analysis at the ICI (1998-2004); formerly Senior Economist, Industry and Financial Analysis at the ICI (1996-1998); formerly Staff Economist at the Federal Reserve Board (1989-1996); Director, ICI Mutual Insurance Company (2012-2017). None. Since March 2018

    

 

Interested Board Members
Name, Address, Age
Position(s)
Portfolios Overseen
Principal Occupation(s)
During Past Five Years
Other Directorships
Held During
Past Five Years
Length of
Board Service
Stuart S. Parker (55)
Board Member & President
Portfolios Overseen: 91
President of PGIM Investments LLC (formerly known as Prudential Investments LLC) (since January 2012); Executive Vice President of Prudential Investment Management Services LLC (since December 2012); formerly Executive Vice President of Jennison Associates LLC and Head of Retail Distribution of PGIM Investments LLC (June 2005-December 2011). None. Since December 2017


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Interested Board Members
Name, Address, Age
Position(s)
Portfolios Overseen
Principal Occupation(s)
During Past Five Years
Other Directorships
Held During
Past Five Years
Length of
Board Service
Scott E. Benjamin (45)
Board Member & Vice President
Portfolios Overseen:91
Executive Vice President (since June 2009) of PGIM Investments LLC; Executive Vice President (June 2009-June 2012) and Vice President (since June 2012) of Prudential Investment Management Services LLC; Executive Vice President (since September 2009) of AST Investment Services, Inc.; Senior Vice President of Product Development and Marketing, PGIM Investments (since February 2006); formerly Vice President of Product Development and Product Management, PGIM Investments LLC (2003-2006). None. Since December 2017
Grace C. Torres*
(58)
Board Member
Portfolios Overseen: 90
Retired; formerly Treasurer and Principal Financial and Accounting Officer of the PGIM Funds, Target Funds, Advanced Series Trust, Prudential Variable Contract Accounts and The Prudential Series Fund (1998-June 2014); Assistant Treasurer (March 1999-June 2014) and Senior Vice President (September 1999-June 2014) of PGIM Investments LLC; Assistant Treasurer (May 2003-June 2014) and Vice President (June 2005-June 2014) of AST Investment Services, Inc.; Senior Vice President and Assistant Treasurer (May 2003-June 2014) of Prudential Annuities Advisory Services, Inc. Director (July 2015-January 2018) of Sun Bancorp, Inc. N.A. and Sun National Bank; Director (since January 2018) of OceanFirst Financial Corp. and OceanFirst Bank. Since December 2017

* Note: Prior to her retirement in 2014, Ms. Torres was employed by PGIM Investments LLC. Due to her prior employment, she is considered to be an “interested person” under the 1940 Act. Ms. Torres is a Non-Management Interested Board Member.

 

Fund Officers(a)    
Name, Address and Age
Position with Fund
Principal Occupation(s) During Past Five Years Length of
Service as Trust Officer
Raymond A. O’Hara (62)
Chief Legal Officer
Vice President and Corporate Counsel (since July 2010) of Prudential Insurance Company of America (Prudential); Vice President (March 2011-Present) of Pruco Life Insurance Company and Pruco Life Insurance Company of New Jersey; Vice President and Corporate Counsel (March 2011-Present) of Prudential Annuities Life Assurance Corporation; Chief Legal Officer of PGIM Investments LLC (since June 2012); Chief Legal Officer of Prudential Mutual Fund Services LLC (since June 2012) and Corporate Counsel of AST Investment Services, Inc. (since June 2012); formerly Assistant Vice President and Corporate Counsel (September 2008-July 2010) of The Hartford Financial Services Group, Inc.; formerly Associate (September 1980-December 1987) and Partner (January 1988–August 2008) of Blazzard & Hasenauer, P.C. (formerly, Blazzard, Grodd & Hasenauer, P.C.). Since 2017
Chad A. Earnst (42)
Chief Compliance Officer
Chief Compliance Officer (September 2014-Present) of PGIM Investments LLC; Chief Compliance Officer (September 2014-Present) of the PGIM Funds, Target Funds, Advanced Series Trust, The Prudential Series Fund, Prudential's Gibraltar Fund, Inc., PGIM Global Short Duration High Yield Income Fund, Inc., PGIM Short Duration High Yield Fund, Inc. and PGIM Jennison MLP Income Fund, Inc.; formerly Assistant Director (March 2010-August 2014) of the Asset Management Unit, Division of Enforcement, US Securities & Exchange Commission; Assistant Regional Director (January 2010-August 2014), Branch Chief (June 2006–December 2009) and Senior Counsel (April 2003-May 2006) of the Miami Regional Office, Division of Enforcement, US Securities & Exchange Commission. Since 2017
Dino Capasso (43)
Deputy Chief Compliance Officer
Vice President and Deputy Chief Compliance Officer (June 2017-Present) of PGIM Investments LLC; formerly, Senior Vice President and Senior Counsel (January 2016-June 2017), and Vice President and Counsel (February 2012-December 2015) of Pacific Investment Management Company LLC. Since 2018
Deborah A. Docs (60)
Secretary
Vice President and Corporate Counsel (since January 2001) of Prudential; Vice President (since December 1996) and Assistant Secretary (since March 1999) of PGIM Investments LLC; formerly Vice President and Assistant Secretary (May 2003-June 2005) of AST Investment Services, Inc. Since 2017
Jonathan D. Shain (59)
Assistant Secretary
Vice President and Corporate Counsel (since August 1998) of Prudential; Vice President and Assistant Secretary (since May 2001) of PGIM Investments LLC; Vice President and Assistant Secretary (since February 2001) of Prudential Mutual Fund Services LLC; formerly Vice President and Assistant Secretary (May 2003-June 2005) of AST Investment Services, Inc. Since 2017


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Fund Officers(a)    
Name, Address and Age
Position with Fund
Principal Occupation(s) During Past Five Years Length of
Service as Trust Officer
Claudia DiGiacomo (43)
Assistant Secretary
Vice President and Corporate Counsel (since January 2005) of Prudential; Vice President and Assistant Secretary of PGIM Investments LLC (since December 2005); formerly Associate at Sidley Austin Brown & Wood LLP (1999-2004). Since 2017
Andrew R. French (55)
Assistant Secretary
Vice President and Corporate Counsel (since February 2010) of Prudential; formerly Director and Corporate Counsel (2006-2010) of Prudential; Vice President and Assistant Secretary (since January 2007) of PGIM Investments LLC; Vice President and Assistant Secretary (since January 2007) of Prudential Mutual Fund Services LLC. Since 2017
Charles H. Smith (45)
Anti-Money Laundering
Compliance Officer
Vice President, Corporate Compliance, Anti-Money Laundering Unit (since January 2015) of Prudential; committee member of the American Council of Life Insurers Anti-Money Laundering and Critical Infrastructure Committee (since January 2016); formerly Global Head of Economic Sanctions Compliance at AIG Property Casualty (February 2007 – December 2014); Assistant Attorney General at the New York State Attorney General's Office, Division of Public Advocacy. (August 1998 —January 2007). Since 2017
M. Sadiq Peshimam (54)
Treasurer and Principal Financial
and Accounting Officer
Vice President (since 2005) of PGIM Investments LLC; formerly Assistant Treasurer of funds in the PGIM Mutual Fund Complex (2006-2014). Since 2017
Peter Parrella (59)
Assistant Treasurer
Vice President (since 2007) and Director (2004-2007) within Prudential Mutual Fund Administration; formerly Tax Manager at SSB Citi Fund Management LLC (1997-2004). Since 2017
Lana Lomuti (50)
Assistant Treasurer
Vice President (since 2007) and Director (2005-2007), within Prudential Mutual Fund Administration; formerly Assistant Treasurer (December 2007-February 2014) of The Greater China Fund, Inc. Since 2017
Linda McMullin (56)
Assistant Treasurer
Vice President (since 2011) and Director (2008-2011) within Prudential Mutual Fund Administration. Since 2017
Kelly A. Coyne (49)
Assistant Treasurer
Director, Investment Operations of Prudential Mutual Fund Services LLC (since 2010).  

(a) Excludes Mr. Parker and Mr. Benjamin, interested Board Members who also serve as President and Vice President, respectively.

Explanatory Notes to Tables:

 

Board Members are deemed to be “Interested,” as defined in the 1940 Act, by reason of their affiliation with PGIM Investments LLC and/or an affiliate of PGIM Investments LLC.
Unless otherwise noted, the address of all Board Members and Officers is c/o PGIM Investments LLC, 655 Broad Street, Newark, New Jersey 07102-4410.
There is no set term of office for Board Members or Officers. The Board Members have adopted a retirement policy, which calls for the retirement of Board Members on December 31 of the year in which they reach the age of 75.
“Other Directorships Held” includes only directorships of companies required to register or file reports with the SEC under the 1934 Act (that is, “public companies”) or other investment companies registered under the 1940 Act.
“Portfolios Overseen” includes all investment companies managed by PGIM Investments LLC. The investment companies for which PGIM Investments LLC serves as manager include the PGIM Funds, The Prudential Variable Contract Accounts, PGIM ETF Trust, PGIM Short Duration High Yield Fund, Inc., PGIM Global Short Duration High Yield Fund, Inc., The Prudential Series Fund, Prudential's Gibraltar Fund, Inc. and the Advanced Series Trust.

COMPENSATION OF BOARD MEMBERS AND OFFICERS. Pursuant to a management agreement with the Funds, the Manager pays all compensation of Fund Officers and employees as well as the fees and expenses of all Interested Board Members.

The Funds pay each Independent Board Member and Non-Management Interested Board Member annual compensation in addition to certain out-of-pocket expenses. Independent Board Members and Non-Management Interested Board Members who serve on Board Committees may receive additional compensation. The amount of annual compensation paid to each Independent Board Member and Non-Management Interested Board Member may change as a result of the introduction of additional funds on whose Boards the Board Member may be asked to serve.

Independent Board Members and Non-Management Interested Board Members may defer receipt of their fees pursuant to a deferred fee agreement with the Funds. Under the terms of the agreement, the Funds accrue deferred Board Members' fees daily which, in turn, accrue interest at a rate equivalent to the prevailing rate of 90-day US Treasury Bills at the beginning of each calendar quarter or at the daily rate of return of any mutual fund managed by PGIM Investments chosen by the Board Member. Payment of the interest so accrued is also deferred and becomes payable at the option of the Board Member. The obligation to make payments of deferred Board Members' fees, together with interest thereon, is a general obligation of the Funds. The Funds do not have a retirement or pension plan for Board Members.


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The following table sets forth the estimated aggregate compensation expected to be paid by the Funds for the most recent fiscal year to the Independent Board Members and Non-Management Interested Board Members for service on the Board, and the Board of any other investment company in the Fund Complex for the most recently completed calendar year. Board Members and officers who are “interested persons” of the Funds (as defined in the 1940 Act) (with the exception of Non-Management Interested Board Members) do not receive compensation from PGIM Investments-managed funds and therefore are not shown in the following table.

 

Name Aggregate Fiscal Year
Compensation from the Funds*
Pension or Retirement Benefits
Accrued as Part of Fund Expenses
Estimated Annual Benefits
Upon Retirement
Total Compensation from Funds
and Fund Complex for Most
Recent Calendar Year
Compensation Received by Independent Board Members
Ellen S. Alberding $1,200† None None $250,000 (31/90)*
Kevin J. Bannon $1,200† None None $254,000 (31/90)*
Linda W. Bynoe** $1,200† None None $254,000 (31/90)*
Barry H. Evans** $1,200† None None $82,000 (30/89)*
Keith F. Hartstein** $1,200† None None $315,000 (31/90)*
Laurie Simon Hodrick** $1,200† None None $83,000 (30/89)*
Michael S. Hyland** $1,200† None None $248,000 (31/90)*
Richard A. Redeker** $1,200† None None $263,500 (31/90)*
Brian K. Reid# $1,000† None None None
Compensation Received by Non-Management Interested Board Member
Grace C. Torres‡ $1,200† None None $217,645 (31/90)*

‡ Ms. Torres serves as a Non-Management Interested Board Member, and receives compensation from the Funds for her service as a Board Member.
# Mr. Reid joined the Board effective as of March 1, 2018.
† Because the Funds are new information is estimated for the fiscal year ending August 31, 2018.

Explanatory Notes to Board Member Compensation Tables

* Compensation relates to portfolios that were in existence for any period during 2017. Number of funds and portfolios represent those in existence as of December 31, 2017, and excludes funds that have merged or liquidated during the year. Additionally, the number of funds and portfolios includes those which are approved as of December 31, 2017, but may commence operations after that date. No compensation is paid out from such funds/portfolios.

** Under the deferred fee agreement for the PGIM Investments-managed funds, certain Board Members have elected to defer all or part of their total compensation. The total amount of deferred compensation accrued during the calendar year ended December 31, 2017, including investment results during the year on cumulative deferred fees, amounted to $115,556, $890, $156,464, $311, $159 and $96,368 for Ms. Bynoe, Mr. Evans, Mr. Hartstein, Ms. Hodrick, Mr. Hyland and Mr. Redeker, respectively.

BOARD COMMITTEES. The Board has established three standing committees in connection with Fund governance—Audit, Nominating and Governance, and Investment. Information on the membership of each standing committee and its functions is set forth below.

Audit Committee: The Board has determined that each member of the Audit Committee is not an “interested person” as defined in the 1940 Act. The responsibilities of the Audit Committee are to assist the Board in overseeing the Funds' independent registered public accounting firm, accounting policies and procedures and other areas relating to the Funds' auditing processes. The Audit Committee is responsible for pre-approving all audit services and any permitted non-audit services to be provided by the independent registered public accounting firm directly to the Funds. The Audit Committee is also responsible for pre-approving permitted services to be provided by the independent registered public accounting firm to (1) the Manager and (2) any entity in a control relationship with the Manager that provides ongoing services to the Funds, provided that the engagement of the independent registered public accounting firm relates directly to the operation and financial reporting of the Funds. The scope of the Audit Committee's responsibilities is oversight. It is management's responsibility to maintain appropriate systems for accounting and internal control and the independent registered public accounting firm's responsibility to plan and carry out an audit in accordance with the standards of the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board (United States). The number of Audit Committee meetings held to date is set forth in the table below.

The membership of the Audit Committee is set forth below:

Kevin J. Bannon (Chair)
Laurie Simon Hodrick
Michael S. Hyland, CFA
Brian K. Reid
Keith F. Hartstein (ex-officio)


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Nominating and Governance Committee: The Nominating and Governance Committee of the Board is responsible for nominating Board Members and making recommendations to the Board concerning Board composition, committee structure and governance, director education, and governance practices. The Board has determined that each member of the Nominating and Governance Committee is not an “interested person” as defined in the 1940 Act. The number of Nominating and Governance Committee meetings held to date is set forth in the table below. The Nominating and Governance Committee Charter is available on the Funds' website.

The membership of the Nominating and Governance Committee is set forth below:

Linda W. Bynoe (Chair)
Ellen S. Alberding
Barry H. Evans
Richard A. Redeker
Keith F. Hartstein (ex-officio)

Investment Committees: The Board of each fund in the PGIM retail mutual funds complex has formed joint committees to review the performance of each Fund in the Fund Complex. The Gibraltar Investment Committee reviews the performance of each Fund that is subadvised by Jennison Associates LLC and Quantitative Management Associates LLC. The Dryden Investment Committee reviews the performance of each Fund that is subadvised by PGIM Fixed Income and PGIM Real Estate (each of which is a business unit of PGIM, Inc.). In addition, the Dryden Investment Committee reviews the performance of the closed-end funds. Each committee meets at least four times per year and reports the results of its review to the full Board of each Fund at each regularly scheduled Board meeting. Every Independent Board Member sits on one of the two committees. The Non-Management Interested Board Member sits on one of the two committees.

The number of Gibraltar Investment Committee or Dryden Investment Committee meetings, as applicable, held to date is set forth in the table below.

The membership of the Gibraltar Investment Committee and the Dryden Investment Committee is set forth below:

Gibraltar Investment Committee
Ellen S. Alberding (Chair)
Kevin J. Bannon
Keith F. Hartstein
Laurie Simon Hodrick
Richard A. Redeker
Brian K. Reid

Dryden Investment Committee
Michael S. Hyland, CFA (Chair)
Linda W. Bynoe
Barry H. Evans
Grace C. Torres

 

Board Committee Meetings (to date)
Audit Committee Nominating & Governance Committee Dryden/Gibraltar Investment Committee
1 0 N/A

LEADERSHIP STRUCTURE AND QUALIFICATIONS OF BOARD MEMBERS. The Board is responsible for oversight of the Funds. The Funds have engaged the Manager to manage the Funds on a day-to-day basis. The Board oversees the Manager and certain other principal service providers in the operations of the Funds. The Board is currently composed of twelve members, nine of whom are Independent Board Members. The Board meets in-person at regularly scheduled meetings four times throughout the year. In addition, the Board Members may meet in-person or by telephone at special meetings or on an informal basis at other times. As described above, the Board has established three standing committees—Audit, Nominating and Governance, and Investment—and may establish ad hoc committees or working groups from time to time, to assist the Board in fulfilling its oversight responsibilities. The Independent Board Members have also engaged independent legal counsel to assist them in fulfilling their responsibilities.

The Board is chaired by an Independent Board Member. As Chair, this Independent Board Member leads the Board in its activities. Also, the Chair acts as a member or as an ex-officio member of each standing committee and any ad hoc committee of the Board. The Board Members have determined that the Board's leadership and committee structure is appropriate because the Board believes it sets


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the proper tone to the relationships between the Funds, on the one hand, and the Manager, the subadviser(s) and certain other principal service providers, on the other, and facilitates the exercise of the Board's independent judgment in evaluating and managing the relationships. In addition, the structure efficiently allocates responsibility among committees.

The Board has concluded that, based on each Board Member's experience, qualifications, attributes or skills on an individual basis and in combination with those of the other Board Members, each Board Member should serve as a Board Member. Among other attributes common to all Board Members are their ability to review critically, evaluate, question and discuss information provided to them, to interact effectively with the various service providers to the Funds, and to exercise reasonable business judgment in the performance of their duties as Board Members. In addition, the Board has taken into account the actual service and commitment of the Board Members during their tenure in concluding that each should continue to serve. A Board Member's ability to perform his or her duties effectively may have been attained through a Board Member's educational background or professional training; business, consulting, public service or academic positions; experience from service as a Board Member of the Funds, other funds in the Fund Complex, public companies, or non-profit entities or other organizations; or other experiences. Set forth below is a brief discussion of the specific experience, qualifications, attributes or skills of each Board Member that led the Board to conclude that he or she should serve as a Board Member.

Ellen S. Alberding. Ms. Alberding joined the Fund Complex in 2013. Ms. Alberding has 30 years of experience in the non-profit sector, including over 20 years as the president of a charitable foundation, where she oversees multiple investment managers. Ms. Alberding also served as a Trustee of the Aon Funds from 2000 to 2003.

Kevin J. Bannon. Mr. Bannon joined the Fund Complex in 2008. Mr. Bannon has held senior executive positions in the financial services industry, including serving as a senior executive of asset management firms, for over 17 years.

Linda W. Bynoe. Ms. Bynoe has been a Board member of funds in the Fund Complex since 2005, having served on the boards of other mutual fund complexes since 1993. She has worked in the financial services industry over 11 years, has approximately 20 years of experience as a management consultant and serves as a director of financial services and other complex global corporations.

Barry H. Evans. Mr. Evans joined the Fund Complex in 2017. Mr. Evans has held senior executive positions and various portfolio manager roles in an asset management firm for thirty years.

Keith F. Hartstein. Mr. Hartstein joined the Fund Complex in 2013. Mr. Hartstein has worked in the asset management industry for almost 30 years and served as a senior executive in an asset management firm.

Laurie Simon Hodrick. Ms. Hodrick joined the Fund Complex in 2017. Ms. Hodrick brings almost 30 years of experience as a finance academic, practitioner, and consultant.

Michael S. Hyland. Mr. Hyland joined the Fund Complex in 2008. Mr. Hyland has held senior executive positions in the financial services industry, including serving as a senior executive of asset management firms, for over 12 years.

Richard A. Redeker. Mr. Redeker has served as a Board member of mutual funds in the Fund Complex for more than 15 years, including as a member and/or Chair of various Board committees. Mr. Redeker has more than 50 years of experience as a senior executive in the mutual fund industry.

Brian K. Reid. Mr. Reid joined the Fund Complex in 2018. Mr. Reid has more than 30 years of experience in economics and related fields, including serving as Chief Economist for the Investment Company Institute (ICI) for 13 years.

Stuart S. Parker. Mr. Parker, who has served as an Interested Board Member and President of the other funds in the Fund Complex since 2012, is President, Chief Operating Officer and Officer-in-Charge of PGIM Investments and several of its affiliates that provide services to the Fund and has held senior positions in PGIM Investments since 2005.

Scott E. Benjamin. Mr. Benjamin, an Interested Board Member of the Fund and of other funds in the Fund Complex since 2010, has served as a Vice President of other funds in the Fund Complex since 2009 and has held senior positions in PGIM Investments since 2003.

Grace C. Torres. Ms. Torres, a Non-Management Interested Board Member of the Funds and other funds in the Fund Complex, formerly served as Treasurer and Principal Financial and Accounting Officer for other funds in the Fund Complex for 16 years and held senior positions with the Manager from 1999 to 2014. In addition, Ms. Torres is a certified public accountant (CPA).

Specific details about each Board Member's professional experience appear in the professional biography tables, above.


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Risk Oversight. Investing in general and the operation of a mutual fund involve a variety of risks, such as investment risk, compliance risk, and operational risk, among others. The Board oversees risk as part of its oversight of the Funds. Risk oversight is addressed as part of various regular Board and committee activities. The Board, directly or through its committees, reviews reports from among others, the Manager, subadvisers, the Funds' Chief Compliance Officer, the Funds' independent registered public accounting firm, counsel, and internal auditors of the Manager or its affiliates, as appropriate, regarding risks faced by the Funds and the risk management programs of the Manager and certain service providers. The actual day-to-day risk management with respect to the Funds resides with the Manager and other service providers to the Funds. Although the risk management policies of the Manager and the service providers are designed to be effective, those policies and their implementation vary among service providers and over time, and there is no guarantee that they will be effective. Not all risks that may affect the Funds can be identified or processes and controls developed to eliminate or mitigate their occurrence or effects, and some risks are simply beyond any control of the Funds or the Manager, its affiliates or other service providers.

Selection of Board Member Nominees. The Nominating and Governance Committee is responsible for considering nominees for Board Members at such times as it considers electing new members to the Board. The Nominating and Governance Committee may consider recommendations by business and personal contacts of current Board Members, and by executive search firms which the Committee may engage from time to time and will also consider shareholder recommendations. The Nominating and Governance Committee has not established specific, minimum qualifications that it believes must be met by a nominee. In evaluating nominees, the Nominating and Governance Committee considers, among other things, an individual's background, skills, and experience; whether the individual is an “interested person” as defined in the 1940 Act; and whether the individual would be deemed an “audit committee financial expert” within the meaning of applicable SEC rules. The Nominating and Governance Committee also considers whether the individual's background, skills, and experience will complement the background, skills, and experience of other nominees and will contribute to the diversity of the Board. There are no differences in the manner in which the Nominating and Governance Committee evaluates nominees for the Board based on whether the nominee is recommended by a shareholder.

A shareholder who wishes to recommend a board member for nomination should submit his or her recommendation in writing to the Chair of the Board (Keith Hartstein) or the Chair of the Nominating and Governance Committee (Linda W. Bynoe), in either case in care of the specified Fund(s), at 655 Broad Street, 17th Floor, Newark, New Jersey 07102-4410. At a minimum, the recommendation should include: the name, address and business, educational and/or other pertinent background of the person being recommended; a statement concerning whether the person is an “interested person” as defined in the 1940 Act; any other information that the Funds would be required to include in a proxy statement concerning the person if he or she was nominated; and the name and address of the person submitting the recommendation, together with the number of Fund shares held by such person and the period for which the shares have been held. The recommendation also can include any additional information which the person submitting it believes would assist the Nominating and Governance Committee in evaluating the recommendation.

Shareholders should note that a person who owns securities issued by Prudential (the parent company of the Funds' Manager) would be deemed an “interested person” under the 1940 Act. In addition, certain other relationships with Prudential or its subsidiaries, with registered broker-dealers, or with the Funds' outside legal counsel may cause a person to be deemed an “interested person.” Before the Nominating and Governance Committee decides to nominate an individual to the Board, Committee members and other Board Members customarily interview the individual in person. In addition, the individual customarily is asked to complete a detailed questionnaire which is designed to elicit information which must be disclosed under SEC and stock exchange rules and to determine whether the individual is subject to any statutory disqualification from serving on the board of a registered investment company.

Share Ownership. Information relating to each Board Member's Fund share ownership and in all registered funds in the PGIM Investments-advised funds that are overseen by the respective Board Member as of the most recently completed calendar year is set forth in the chart below.

 

Name Dollar Range of Equity
Securities in each Fund
Aggregate Dollar Range of
Equity Securities in All
Registered Investment
Companies Overseen by
Board Member in Fund Complex
Board Member Share Ownership: Independent Board Members
Ellen S. Alberding None More than $100,000
Kevin J. Bannon None More than $100,000
Linda W. Bynoe None More than $100,000
Barry H. Evans± None More than $100,000
Keith F. Hartstein None More than $100,000


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Name Dollar Range of Equity
Securities in each Fund
Aggregate Dollar Range of
Equity Securities in All
Registered Investment
Companies Overseen by
Board Member in Fund Complex
Board Member Share Ownership: Independent Board Members
Laurie Simon Hodrick± None $50,001-$100,000
Michael S. Hyland None More than $100,000
Richard A. Redeker None More than $100,000
Brian K. Reid# None None
Board Member Share Ownership: Interested Board Members
Stuart S. Parker None More than $100,000
Scott E. Benjamin None More than $100,000
Grace C. Torres None More than $100,000

± Mr. Evans and Ms. Hodrick joined the Fund Complex effective as of September 1, 2017.
# Mr. Reid joined the Board effective as of March 1, 2018.

None of the Independent Board Members, or any member of his/her immediate family, owned beneficially or of record any securities in an investment adviser or principal underwriter of the Funds or a person (other than a registered investment company) directly or indirectly controlling, controlled by, or under common control with an investment adviser or principal underwriter of the Funds as of the most recently completed calendar year.

Shareholder Communications with Board Members. Shareholders can communicate directly with Board Members by writing to the Chair of the Board, c/o the Funds, 655 Broad Street, 17th Floor, Newark, New Jersey 07102-4410. Shareholders can communicate directly with an individual Board Member by writing to that Board Member, c/o the Funds, 655 Broad Street, 17th Floor, Newark, New Jersey 07102-4410. Such communications to the Board or individual Board Members are not screened before being delivered to the addressee.

MANAGEMENT & ADVISORY ARRANGEMENTS

MANAGER. The Manager’s address is 655 Broad Street, Newark, New Jersey 07102-4410. The Manager serves as manager to all of the other investment companies that comprise the PGIM mutual funds, closed end funds and ETFs. See the Prospectus for more information about PGIM Investments. As of April 30, 2018, the Manager served as the investment manager to all of the Prudential US and offshore open-end investment companies, and as administrator to closed-end investment companies, with aggregate assets of approximately $276.8 billion.

The Manager is a wholly-owned subsidiary of PIFM Holdco, LLC, which is a wholly-owned subsidiary of PGIM Holding Company LLC, which is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Prudential.

Pursuant to management agreements with the Trust on behalf of each Fund (the Management Agreements), PGIM Investments, subject to the supervision of the Board and in conformity with the stated policies of the Funds, manages both the investment operations of the Funds and the composition of each Fund's portfolio, including the purchase, retention, disposition and loan of securities and other assets. In connection therewith, the Manager is obligated to keep certain books and records of the Funds. The Manager is authorized to enter into subadvisory agreements for investment advisory services in connection with the management of each Fund. The Manager will continue to have responsibility for all investment advisory services performed pursuant to any such subadvisory agreements. PGIM Investments will review the performance of the investment subadviser(s) and make recommendations to the Board with respect to the retention of investment subadvisers and the renewal of contracts. The Manager also administers each Fund's business affairs and, in connection therewith, furnishes the Funds with office facilities, together with those ordinary clerical and bookkeeping services which are not being furnished by the Funds’ custodian (the Custodian). The management services of PGIM Investments to each Fund are not exclusive under the terms of the Management Agreements and PGIM Investments is free to, and does, render management services to others.

PGIM Investments may from time to time waive all or a portion of its management fee. Fee waivers and subsidies will increase the Funds’ total return. These voluntary waivers may be terminated at any time without notice. To the extent that PGIM Investments agrees to waive its fee, it may enter into a relationship agreement with the subadviser to share the economic impact of the fee waiver or expense subsidy.


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The Board of Trustees of the Trust has approved a unitary management fee structure for the Funds. Under the unitary fee structure, the Manager is responsible for paying substantially all the expenses of the Funds, excluding payments under the Funds’ 12b-1 plan (if any), interest expenses, taxes, acquired fund fees and expenses, brokerage fees, costs of holding shareholder meetings, litigation, indemnification and extraordinary expenses.

In connection with its management of the corporate affairs of the Funds, PGIM Investments bears the following expenses:

 

Expenses of any subadviser of the Funds, the Funds’ transfer agent, registrar, distributor, depository, dividend disbursing agent, securities lending agent, any index calculation, maintenance or dissemination agent, accounting services provider, and the agent responsible for calculating the current value of portfolio positions for dissemination during the business day;
All fees and expenses of the Custodian that relate to the Funds, including (i) the custodial function and the recordkeeping connected therewith, (ii) preparing and maintaining the general accounting records of the Funds, and (iii) the pricing or valuation of the shares of the Funds;
Expenses of obtaining quotations for calculating the value of the Funds’ net assets and expenses relating to the computation of the Funds’ net asset value;
Expenses of maintaining the Funds’ tax records;
Recordkeeping fees and expenses for shareholder accounts;
Costs and/or fees, including legal fees, incident to the preparation, printing and distribution of the Funds’ product descriptions (unless such expenses are paid for pursuant to a Rule 12b-1 distribution plan or related agreement), notices and reports of each Fund to its shareholders and other related communications of each Fund to its shareholders (other than those that are paid by the Funds), the expenses of preparing, setting in print, printing and distributing prospectuses and statements of additional information and any supplements thereto (unless such expenses are paid for pursuant to a Rule 12b-1 distribution plan or related agreement), the filing of reports with regulatory bodies, the maintenance of each Fund’s existence and qualification to do business, and the expenses of issuing, redeeming, registering and qualifying for sale, shares with federal and state securities authorities;
Any licensing fees necessary for the operation of the Trust and the Funds;
Any costs related to the use of any index for which an affiliated person, or an affiliated person of an affiliated person, of the Trust, Funds, Manager, any subadviser, the distributor or promoter of the Fund serves as index provider, as such may be required by the 1940 Act or any exemptive relief relied upon under the 1940 Act;
The Funds’ ordinary legal fees, including fees that arise in the ordinary course of business in connection with listing shares of the Funds on a securities exchange;
Fees and expenses of independent accountants for the Funds;
Costs of printing certificates (if any) representing shares of the Funds;
Each Fund’s pro rata portion of the fidelity bond or other insurance premiums;
Association membership dues;
Organizational and offering expenses, and any other expenses which are capitalized in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles;
Fees and expenses of Trustees who are not “interested persons” of the Trust within the meaning of the Investment Company Act; and
Salaries and expenses of all employees of the Trust and the Manager.

Under the terms of the Management Agreements, each Fund is responsible for the payment of the following expenses:

 

Taxes (including, but not limited to, income, excise, stamp, transfer and withholding taxes) and governmental fees, if any, levied against the Fund;
Brokerage fees, commissions and other portfolio transaction expenses incurred for the Funds, including acquired fund fees and expenses and expenses of other pooled investment vehicles and expenses relating to creation and redemption transactions;
Costs, including the interest expenses and any loan commitment or other associated fees, of borrowing money;

 

Expenses incurred pursuant to a Rule 12b-1 distribution plan or related agreement, including distribution fees;
Expenses incident to meetings of each Fund’s shareholders and the associated preparation, filing and mailing of associated notices and proxy statements; and
Extraordinary expenses, including extraordinary legal expenses, as may arise including expenses incurred in connection with litigation, investigations, regulatory inquiries, proceedings, other claims and the legal obligations of the Funds to indemnify its Trustees, officers, employees, shareholders, distributors, the Manager, and agents with respect thereto; and
The management fee payable to PGIM Investments.

Each Management Agreement provides that PGIM Investments will not be liable for any error of judgment by PGIM Investments or for any loss suffered by the Funds in connection with the matters to which the Management Agreement relates, except a loss resulting from a breach of fiduciary duty with respect to the receipt of compensation for services (in which case any award of damages shall be limited to the period and the amount set forth in Section 36(b)(3) of the 1940 Act) or loss resulting from willful misfeasance, bad faith or gross negligence on its part in the performance of its duties or from reckless disregard by it of its obligations and duties under the Management Agreement . Each Management Agreement provides that it will terminate automatically if assigned (as defined in the 1940 Act), and that it may be terminated without penalty by either PGIM Investments or the Fund by the Board or vote of a majority of the


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outstanding voting securities of the Fund (as defined in the 1940 Act) upon not more than 60 days', nor less than 30 days', written notice. Each Management Agreement will continue in effect for a period of more than two years from the date of execution only so long as such continuance is specifically approved at least annually in accordance with the requirements of the 1940 Act.

Pursuant to each Management Agreement, PGIM Investments is entitled to receive the fees set forth below, payable monthly based on each Fund’s average daily net assets. Under each Management Agreement, PGIM Investments is responsible for substantially all the expenses of the Funds, excluding payments noted above.

Contractual Management Fee Rate: PGIM Ultra Short Bond ETF:

0.15%

Since the Fund  is newly-organized, it did not pay management fees during the last three fiscal years.

Contractual Management Fee Rate: PGIM Active High Yield Bond ETF:

0.xx%

Since the Fund  is newly-organized, it did not pay management fees during the last three fiscal years.

SUBADVISORY ARRANGEMENTS. The Manager has entered into subadvisory agreements (the Subadvisory Agreements) with the Funds' investment subadviser. Each Subadvisory Agreement provides that the subadviser will furnish investment advisory services in connection with the management of the Funds. In connection therewith, the subadviser is obligated to keep certain books and records of the Funds. Under the Subadvisory Agreements, the subadviser, subject to the supervision of PGIM Investments, is responsible for managing the assets of the Funds in accordance with the Funds' investment objectives, policies and restrictions. The subadviser determines what securities and other instruments are purchased and sold for the Funds and is responsible for obtaining and evaluating financial data relevant to the Funds. PGIM Investments continues to have responsibility for all investment advisory services pursuant to the Management Agreements and supervises the subadviser's performance of such services.

As discussed in the Prospectuses, PGIM Investments employs the subadviser under a “manager of managers” structure that allows PGIM Investments to replace the subadviser or amend a Subadvisory Agreement without seeking shareholder approval. The Subadvisory Agreements provide that they will terminate in the event of their assignment (as defined in the 1940 Act) or upon the termination of the respective Management Agreement. The Subadvisory Agreements may be terminated by the Funds, PGIM Investments, or the subadviser upon not more than 60 days’ nor less than 30 days’ written notice. Each Subadvisory Agreement provides that it will continue in effect for a period of not more than two years from its execution only so long as such continuance is specifically approved at least annually in accordance with the requirements of the 1940 Act. Any new subadvisory agreement or amendment to a Fund’s Management Agreement or Subadvisory Agreement that directly or indirectly results in an increase in the aggregate management fee rate payable by the Fund will be submitted to the Fund’s shareholders for their approval.

The applicable fee rates payable by PGIM Investments for the indicated fiscal years are set forth below. Subadvisory fees are based on the average daily net assets of each Fund, calculated and paid on a monthly basis, at the fee rate as set forth in the Subadvisory Agreement. Subadvisory fees are deducted out of the management fee paid by the Funds.

Subadvisory Fee Rate: PGIM Ultra Short Bond ETF:

0.075%.

Since the Fund is newly-organized, it did not pay subadvisory fees during the last three fiscal years.

Subadvisory Fee Rate: PGIM Active High Yield Bond ETF:

0.xxx%.

Since the Fund is newly-organized, it did not pay subadvisory fees during the last three fiscal years.

The Manager pays the subadviser for its services under the Subadvisory Agreements in the amount and on the terms stated in the agreement. Because the subadviser is an affiliate, the Manager may from time to time share certain of its profits with, or allocate other resources to, the subadviser. Any such payments by the Manager to the subadviser will be from the Manager’s own resources.

THE FUND’S PORTFOLIO MANAGERS: INFORMATION ABOUT OTHER ACCOUNTS MANAGED


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The table below identifies the number and total assets of other mutual funds and other types of investment accounts managed by each portfolio manager. For each category, the number of investment accounts and total assets in the investment accounts whose fees are based on performance, if any, is indicated in italics typeface. Information shown below is as of the Fund’s most recently completed fiscal year, unless noted otherwise.

 

PGIM Ultra Short Bond ETF
Subadviser Portfolio Managers Registered Investment
Companies/Total Assets
Other Pooled
Investment Vehicles/
Total Assets
Other Accounts/
Total Assets
PGIM Fixed Income* Joseph D’Angelo 22/$38,598,810,758 4/$1,180,170,221 23/$13,699,682,360
  Douglas G. Smith 18/$1,482,029,192 1/$1,701,130 22/$13,538,462,747

*Accounts are managed on a team basis. If a portfolio manager is a member of a team, any account managed by that team is included in the number of accounts and total assets for such portfolio manager (even if such portfolio manager is not primarily involved in the day-to-day management of the account).

 

PGIM Active High Yield Bond ETF
Subadviser Portfolio Managers Registered Investment
Companies/Total Assets
Other Pooled
Investment Vehicles/
Total Assets
Other Accounts/
Total Assets
PGIM Fixed Income/PGIM Limited* Robert Cignarella, CFA XX/$XXXX XX/$XXXX XX/$XXXX
  Robert Spano, CFA, CPA XX/$XXXX XX/$XXXX XX/$XXXX
  Ryan Kelly, CFA XX/$XXXX XX/$XXXX XX/$XXXX
  Brian Clapp, CFA XX/$XXXX XX/$XXXX XX/$XXXX
  Daniel Thorogood, CFA XX/$XXXX XX/$XXXX XX/$XXXX

*Accounts are managed on a team basis. If a portfolio manager is a member of a team, any account managed by that team is included in the number of accounts and total assets for such portfolio manager (even if such portfolio manager is not primarily involved in the day-to-day management of the account).

THE FUND’S PORTFOLIO MANAGERS: PERSONAL INVESTMENTS AND FINANCIAL INTERESTS

The table below identifies the dollar value (in ranges) of investments beneficially held by, and financial interests awarded to, each portfolio manager, if any, in the Fund and in other investment accounts managed by, or which have an individual portion or sleeve managed by, each portfolio manager that utilize investment strategies, objectives and mandates similar to the Fund. Information shown below is as of the Fund’s most recently completed fiscal year, unless noted otherwise.

 

Personal Investments and Financial Interests of the Portfolio Managers
Subadviser Portfolio Managers Investments and Other Financial Interests in the Fund and Similar Strategies*
PGIM Fixed Income Joseph D’Angelo None
  Douglas G. Smith None
  Robert Cignarella, CFA None
  Robert Spano, CFA, CPA None
  Ryan Kelly, CFA None
  Brian Clapp, CFA None
  Daniel Thorogood, CFA None

*“Investments and Other Financial Interests in the Fund and Similar Strategies” include direct investment in the indicated Fund and investment in all other investment accounts which are managed by the same portfolio manager that utilize investment strategies, investment objectives and mandates that are similar to those of the Fund. “Other financial interests” are interests related to awards under a targeted long-term incentive plan, the value of which is subject to increase or decrease based on the performance of the indicated Fund. “Other Investment Accounts” in similar strategies include other PGIM Funds, insurance company separate accounts, and collective and commingled trusts. The dollar range of each Portfolio Manager’s direct investment in each Fund is as follows: Joseph D’Angelo: Ultra Short Bond: None; Douglas G. Smith: Ultra Short Bond: None; Robert Cignarella, CFA: Active High Yield Bond: None; Robert Spano, CFA, CPA: Active High Yield Bond: None; Ryan Kelly, CFA: Active High Yield Bond: None; Brian Clapp, CFA: Active High Yield Bond: None; Daniel Thorogood, CFA: Active High Yield Bond: None.

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION ABOUT THE PORTFOLIO MANAGERS—COMPENSATION AND CONFLICTS OF INTEREST. Set forth below, for each portfolio manager, is an explanation of the structure of, and methods used to determine, portfolio manager compensation. Also set forth below, for each portfolio manager, is an explanation of any material conflicts of interest that may arise between a portfolio manager's management of the Fund's investments and investments in other accounts.


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PGIM, Inc. (PGIM)
COMPENSATION. The base salary of an investment professional in the PGIM Fixed Income unit of PGIM is based on market data relative to similar positions as well as the past performance, years of experience and scope of responsibility of the individual. Incentive compensation, including the annual cash bonus, the long-term equity grant and grants under PGIM Fixed Income’s long-term incentive plans, is primarily based on such person’s contribution to PGIM Fixed Income’s goal of providing investment performance to clients consistent with portfolio objectives, guidelines and risk parameters and market-based data such as compensation trends and levels of overall compensation for similar positions in the asset management industry. In addition, an investment professional’s qualitative contributions to the organization and its commercial success are considered in determining incentive compensation. Incentive compensation is not solely based on the performance of, or value of assets in, any single account or group of client accounts.

An investment professional’s annual cash bonus is paid from an annual incentive pool. The pool is developed as a percentage of PGIM Fixed Income’s operating income and the percentage used to calculate the pool may be refined by factors such as:

 

business initiatives;
the number of investment professionals receiving a bonus and related peer group compensation;
financial metrics of the business relative to those of appropriate peer groups; and
investment performance of portfolios: (i) relative to appropriate peer groups; and/or (ii) as measured against relevant investment indices.

Long-term compensation consists of Prudential Financial, Inc. restricted stock and grants under the long-term incentive plan and targeted long-term incentive plan. Grants under the long-term incentive plan and targeted long-term incentive plan are participation interests in notional accounts with a beginning value of a specified dollar amount. For the long-term incentive plan, the value attributed to these notional accounts increases or decreases over a defined period of time based, in part, on the performance of investment composites representing a number of PGIM Fixed Income’s investment strategies. With respect to targeted long-term incentive awards, the value attributed to the notional accounts increases or decreases over a defined period of time based on the performance of either (i) a long/short investment composite or (ii) a commingled investment vehicle. An investment composite is an aggregation of accounts with similar investment strategies. The long-term incentive plan is designed to more closely align compensation with investment performance and the growth of PGIM Fixed Income’s business. The targeted long-term incentive plan is designed to align the interests of certain of PGIM Fixed Income’s investment professionals with the performance of a particular long/short composite or commingled investment vehicle. The chief investment officer/head of PGIM Fixed Income also receives (i) performance shares which represent the right to receive shares of Prudential Financial, Inc. common stock conditioned upon, and subject to, the achievement of specified financial performance goals by Prudential Financial, Inc.; (ii) book value units which track the book value per share of Prudential Financial, Inc.; and (iii) Prudential Financial, Inc. stock options. Each of the restricted stock, long-term incentive plan grants, performance shares, book value units and stock options is subject to vesting requirements.

CONFLICTS OF INTEREST. Like other investment advisers, PGIM Fixed Income is subject to various conflicts of interest in the ordinary course of its business. PGIM Fixed Income strives to identify potential risks, including conflicts of interest, that are inherent in its business, and conducts annual conflict of interest reviews. When actual or potential conflicts of interest are identified, PGIM Fixed Income seeks to address such conflicts through one or more of the following methods:

 

elimination of the conflict;
disclosure of the conflict; or
management of the conflict through the adoption of appropriate policies, procedures or other mitigants.

PGIM Fixed Income follows the policies of Prudential Financial, Inc. on business ethics, personal securities trading by investment personnel, and information barriers. PGIM Fixed Income has adopted a code of ethics, allocation policies and conflicts of interest policies, among others, and has adopted supervisory procedures to monitor compliance with its policies. PGIM Fixed Income cannot guarantee, however, that its policies and procedures will detect and prevent, or result in the disclosure of, each and every situation in which a conflict may arise.

Side-by-Side Management of Accounts and Related Conflicts of Interest. PGIM Fixed Income’s side-by-side management of multiple accounts can create conflicts of interest. Examples are detailed below, followed by a discussion of how PGIM Fixed Income addresses these conflicts.

 

Performance Fees - PGIM Fixed Income manages accounts with asset-based fees alongside accounts with performance-based fees. This side-by-side management may be deemed to create an incentive for PGIM Fixed Income and its investment professionals to favor one account over another. Specifically, PGIM Fixed Income or its affiliates could be considered to have the incentive to favor accounts for which PGIM Fixed Income or an affiliate receives performance fees, and possibly take greater investment risks in those accounts, in order to bolster performance and increase its fees.
Affiliated accounts - PGIM Fixed Income manages accounts on behalf of its affiliates as well as unaffiliated accounts. PGIM Fixed Income could be considered to have an incentive to favor accounts of affiliates over others.


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Large accounts/higher fee strategies - large accounts and clients typically generate more revenue than do smaller accounts or clients and certain of PGIM Fixed Income’s strategies have higher fees than others. As a result, a portfolio manager could be considered to have an incentive when allocating scarce investment opportunities to favor accounts that pay a higher fee or generate more income for PGIM Fixed Income.
Long only and long/short accounts - PGIM Fixed Income manages accounts that only allow it to hold securities long as well as accounts that permit short selling. PGIM Fixed Income may, therefore, sell a security short in some client accounts while holding the same security long in other client accounts. These short sales could reduce the value of the securities held in the long only accounts. In addition, purchases for long only accounts could have a negative impact on the short positions.
Securities of the same kind or class - PGIM Fixed Income sometimes buys or sells for one client account securities of the same kind or class that are purchased or sold for another client at prices that may be different. PGIM Fixed Income may also, at any time, execute trades of securities of the same kind or class in one direction for an account and in the opposite direction for another account due to differences in price, investment strategy or client direction. Different strategies trading in the same securities or types of securities may appear as inconsistencies in PGIM Fixed Income’s management of multiple accounts side-by-side.
Investment at different levels of an issuer’s capital structure – PGIM Fixed Income may invest client assets in the same issuer, but at different levels in the capital structure. In the event of restructuring or insolvency, PGIM Fixed Income may exercise remedies and take other actions on behalf of the holders of senior debt that are not in the interest of, or are adverse to, other clients that are the holders of junior debt, or vice versa.
Financial interests of investment professionals - PGIM Fixed Income investment professionals may invest in certain investment vehicles that it manages, including mutual funds and private funds. Also, certain of these investment vehicles are options under the 401(k) and deferred compensation plans offered by Prudential Financial, Inc. In addition, the value of grants under PGIM Fixed Income’s long-term incentive plan and targeted long-term incentive plan is affected by the performance of certain client accounts. As a result, PGIM Fixed Income investment professionals may have financial interests in accounts managed by PGIM Fixed Income or that are related to the performance of certain client accounts.
Non-discretionary accounts - PGIM Fixed Income provides non-discretionary investment advice to some clients and manages others on a discretionary basis. Trades in non-discretionary accounts or accounts where discretion is limited could occur before, in concert with, or after PGIM Fixed Income executes similar trades in its discretionary accounts. The non-discretionary/limited discretion clients may be disadvantaged if PGIM Fixed Income delivers investment advice to them after it initiates trading for the discretionary clients, or vice versa.

How PGIM Fixed Income Addresses These Conflicts of Interest. PGIM Fixed Income has developed policies and procedures designed to address the conflicts of interest with respect to its different types of side-by-side management described above.

 

Quarterly Strategy Reviews. Each quarter, the chief investment officer/head of PGIM Fixed Income holds a series of meetings with the senior portfolio managers and team responsible for the management of each of PGIM Fixed Income’s investment strategies. At each meeting, the chief investment officer/head of PGIM Fixed Income and strategy teams review and discuss the investment performance and performance attribution for each client account managed in the applicable strategy. These meetings are also typically attended by PGIM Fixed Income’s chief compliance officer or his designee and head of investment risk management or his designee.
Quarterly Senior Management Investment Review. Each quarter, the chief investment officer/head of PGIM Fixed Income reviews the investment performance and performance attribution of each of our strategies during a meeting typically attended by members of PGIM Fixed Income’s senior leadership team, chief compliance officer or his designee, head of investment risk management or his designee and senior portfolio managers.
In keeping with PGIM Fixed Income’s fiduciary obligations, its policy with respect to trade aggregation and allocation is to treat all of its client accounts fairly and equitably over time. PGIM Fixed Income’s trade management oversight committee, which generally meets quarterly, is responsible for providing oversight with respect to trade aggregation and allocation. Its compliance group periodically reviews a sampling of new issue allocations and related documentation to confirm compliance with the trade aggregation and allocation procedures. In addition, the compliance and investment risk management groups review forensic reports regarding new issue and secondary trade activity on a quarterly basis. This forensic analysis includes such data as the: (i) number of new issues allocated in the strategy; (ii) size of new issue allocations to each portfolio in the strategy; (iii) profitability of new issue transactions; and (iv) portfolio turnover. The results of these analyses are reviewed and discussed at PGIM Fixed Income’s trade management oversight committee meetings. The procedures above are designed to detect patterns and anomalies in PGIM Fixed Income’s side-by-side management and trading so that it may assess and improve its processes.
PGIM Fixed Income has procedures that specifically address its side-by-side management of long/short and long only portfolios. These procedures address potential conflicts that could arise from differing positions between long/short and long only portfolios. In addition, lending opportunities with respect to securities for which the market is demanding a slight premium rate over normal market rates are allocated to long only accounts prior to allocating the opportunities to long/short accounts.

Conflicts Related to PGIM Fixed Income’s Affiliations. As an indirect wholly-owned subsidiary of Prudential Financial, Inc., PGIM Fixed Income is part of a diversified, global financial services organization. PGIM Fixed Income is affiliated with many types of U.S. and non-U.S. financial service providers, including insurance companies, broker-dealers, commodity trading advisors, commodity pool operators and other investment advisers. Some of its employees are officers of and/or provide services to some of these affiliates.

 

Conflicts Arising Out of Legal Restrictions. PGIM Fixed Income may be restricted by law, regulation, contract or other constraints as to how much, if any, of a particular security it may purchase or sell on behalf of a client, and as to the timing of such purchase or sale.


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  Sometimes these restrictions apply as a result of its relationship with Prudential Financial, Inc. and its other affiliates. For example, PGIM Fixed Income does not purchase securities issued by Prudential Financial, Inc. for client accounts. In addition, PGIM Fixed Income’s holdings of a security on behalf of its clients are required, under certain regulations, to be aggregated with the holdings of that security by other Prudential Financial, Inc. affiliates. These holdings could, on an aggregate basis, exceed certain reporting or ownership thresholds. Prudential Financial, Inc. tracks these aggregated holdings and may restrict purchases to avoid crossing such thresholds because of the potential consequences to Prudential Financial, Inc. if such thresholds are exceeded. In addition, PGIM Fixed Income could receive material, non-public information with respect to a particular issuer and, as a result, be unable to execute transactions in securities of that issuer for its clients. For example, PGIM Fixed Income’s bank loan team often invests in private bank loans in connection with which the borrower provides material, non-public information, resulting in restrictions on trading securities issued by those borrowers. PGIM Fixed Income has procedures in place to carefully consider whether to intentionally accept material, non-public information with respect to certain issuers. PGIM Fixed Income is generally able to avoid receiving material, non-public information from its affiliates and other units within PGIM by maintaining information barriers. In some instances, it may create an isolated information barrier around a small number of its employees so that material, non-public information received by such employees is not attributed to the rest of PGIM Fixed Income.
Conflicts Related to Outside Business Activity. From time to time, certain of PGIM Fixed Income employees or officers may engage in outside business activity, including outside directorships. Any outside business activity is subject to prior approval pursuant to PGIM Fixed Income’s personal conflicts of interest and outside business activities policy. Actual and potential conflicts of interest are analyzed during such approval process. PGIM Fixed Income could be restricted in trading the securities of certain issuers in client portfolios in the unlikely event that an employee or officer, as a result of outside business activity, obtains material, non-public information regarding an issuer.
Conflicts Related to Investment of Client Assets in Affiliated Funds. PGIM Fixed Income may invest client assets in funds that it manages or subadvises for an affiliate. PGIM Fixed Income may also invest cash collateral from securities lending transactions in these funds. These investments benefit both PGIM Fixed Income and its affiliate.
PICA General Account. Because of the substantial size of the general accounts of our affiliated insurance companies, trading by these general accounts, including PGIM Fixed Income’s trades on behalf of the accounts, may affect the market prices or limit the availability of the securities or instruments transacted. Although PGIM Fixed Income does not expect that the general accounts will execute transactions that will move a market frequently, and generally only in response to unusual market or issuer events, the execution of these transactions could have an adverse effect on transactions for or positions held by other clients.

Conflicts Related to Co-investment by Affiliates

PGIM Fixed Income affiliates may provide initial funding or otherwise invest in vehicles it manages. When an affiliate provides “seed capital” or other capital for a fund, it may do so with the intention of redeeming all or part of its interest at a future point in time or when it deems that sufficient additional capital has been invested in that fund.

The timing of a redemption by an affiliate could benefit the affiliate. For example, the fund may be more liquid at the time of the affiliate’s redemption than it is at times when other investors may wish to withdraw all or part of their interests.

In addition, a consequence of any withdrawal of a significant amount, including by an affiliate, is that investors remaining in the fund will bear a proportionately higher share of fund expenses following the redemption.

PGIM Fixed Income could also face a conflict if the interests of an affiliated investor in a fund it manages diverge from those of the fund or other investors. For example, PGIM Fixed Income affiliates, from time to time, hedge some or all of the risks associated with their investments in certain funds PGIM Fixed Income manages. PGIM Fixed Income may provide assistance in connection with this hedging activity.

PGIM Fixed Income believes that these conflicts are mitigated by its allocation policies and procedures, its supervisory review of accounts and its procedures with respect to side-by-side management of long only and long-short accounts.

Conflicts Arising Out of Industry Activities

PGIM Fixed Income and its affiliates have service agreements with various vendors that are also investment consultants. Under these agreements, PGIM Fixed Income or its affiliates compensate the vendors for certain services, including software, market data and technology services. PGIM Fixed Income’s clients may also retain these vendors as investment consultants. The existence of these service agreements may provide an incentive for the investment consultants to favor PGIM Fixed Income when they advise their clients. PGIM Fixed Income does not, however, condition its purchase of services from consultants upon their recommending PGIM Fixed Income to their clients. PGIM Fixed Income will provide clients with information about services that it obtains from these consultants upon request.


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PGIM Fixed Income retains third party advisors and other service providers to provide various services for PGIM Fixed Income as well as for funds that PGIM Fixed Income manages or subadvises. A service provider may provide services to PGIM Fixed Income or one of PGIM Fixed Income’s funds while also providing services to other PGIM units, other PGIM-advised funds, or affiliates of PGIM, and may negotiate rates in the context of the overall relationship. PGIM Fixed Income may benefit from negotiated fee rates offered to its funds and vice versa. There is no assurance, however, that PGIM Fixed Income will be able to obtain advantageous fee rates from a given service provider negotiated by its affiliates based on their relationship with the service provider, or that PGIM Fixed Income will know of such negotiated fee rates.

Conflicts Related to Securities Holdings and Other Financial Interests

Prudential Financial, PICA, PGIM Fixed Income and other affiliates of PGIM at times have financial interests in, or relationships with, companies whose securities or related instruments PGIM Fixed Income holds, purchases or sells in its client accounts. Certain of these interests and relationships are material to PGIM Fixed Income or to the Prudential enterprise. At any time, these interests and relationships could be inconsistent or in potential or actual conflict with positions held or actions taken by PGIM Fixed Income on behalf of PGIM Fixed Income’s client accounts. For example:

 

PGIM Fixed Income invests in the securities of one or more clients for the accounts of other clients.
PGIM Fixed Income’s affiliates sell various products and/or services to certain companies whose securities PGIM Fixed Income purchases and sells for PGIM Fixed Income clients.
PGIM Fixed Income invests in the debt securities of companies whose equity is held by its affiliates.
PGIM Fixed Income’s affiliates hold public and private debt and equity securities of a large number of issuers and may invest in some of the same issuers for other client accounts but at different levels in the capital structure. For example:

 

Affiliated accounts can hold the senior debt of an issuer whose subordinated debt is held by PGIM Fixed Income’s clients or hold secured debt of an issuer whose public unsecured debt is held in client accounts. In the event of restructuring or insolvency, the affiliated accounts as holders of senior debt may exercise remedies and take other actions that are not in the interest of, or are adverse to, other clients that are the holders of junior debt.
To the extent permitted by applicable law, PGIM Fixed Income may also invest client assets in offerings of securities the proceeds of which are used to repay debt obligations held in affiliated accounts or other client accounts. PGIM Fixed Income’s interest in having the debt repaid creates a conflict of interest. PGIM Fixed Income has adopted a refinancing policy to address this conflict.

 

Certain of PGIM Fixed Income’s affiliates (as well as directors or officers of its affiliates) are officers or directors of issuers in which PGIM Fixed Income invests from time to time. These issuers may also be service providers to PGIM Fixed Income or its affiliates.
In addition, PGIM Fixed Income may invest client assets in securities backed by commercial mortgage loans that were originated or are serviced by an affiliate.

In general, conflicts related to the financial interests described above are addressed by the fact that PGIM Fixed Income makes investment decisions for each client independently considering the best economic interests of such client.

Conflicts Related to the Offer and Sale of Securities. Certain of PGIM Fixed Income’s employees may offer and sell securities of, and interests in, commingled funds that it manages or subadvises. There is an incentive for PGIM Fixed Income’s employees to offer these securities to investors regardless of whether the investment is appropriate for such investor since increased assets in these vehicles will result in increased advisory fees to it. In addition, such sales could result in increased compensation to the employee.

Conflicts Related to Long-Term Compensation. The performance of many client accounts is not reflected in the calculation of changes in the value of participation interests under PGIM Fixed Income’s long-term incentive plan. This may be because the composite representing the strategy in which the account is managed is not one of the composites included in the calculation or because the account is excluded from a specified composite due to guideline restrictions or other factors. In addition, the performance of only a small number of our investment strategies is covered under PGIM Fixed Income’s targeted long-term incentive plan. As a result of the long-term incentive plan and targeted long-term incentive plan, PGIM Fixed Income’s portfolio managers from time to time have financial interests related to the investment performance of some, but not all, of the accounts they manage. To address potential conflicts related to these financial interests, PGIM Fixed Income has procedures, including trade allocation and supervisory review procedures, designed to confirm that each of its client accounts is managed in a manner that is consistent with PGIM Fixed Income’s fiduciary obligations, as well as with the account’s investment objectives, investment strategies and restrictions. For example, PGIM Fixed Income’s chief investment officer/head reviews performance among similarly managed accounts on a quarterly basis during meetings typically attended by members of PGIM Fixed Income’s senior leadership team, chief compliance officer or his designee, head of investment risk management or his designee and senior portfolio managers.

Conflicts Related to Trading – Personal Trading by Employees. Personal trading by PGIM Fixed Income employees creates a conflict when they are trading the same securities or types of securities as PGIM Fixed Income trades on behalf of its clients. This conflict is mitigated by PGIM Fixed Income’s personal trading standards and procedures.


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In general, conflicts related to the securities holdings and financial interests described above are addressed by the fact that PGIM Fixed Income makes investment decisions for each client independently considering the best economic interests of such client.

Conflicts Related to Valuation and Fees. When client accounts hold illiquid or difficult to value investments, PGIM Fixed Income faces a conflict of interest when making recommendations regarding the value of such investments since its management fees are generally based on the value of assets under management. PGIM Fixed Income believes that its valuation policies and procedures mitigate this conflict effectively and enable it to value client assets fairly and in a manner that is consistent with the client’s best interests. In addition, single client account clients often calculate fees based on the valuation of assets provided by their custodian or administrator.

Conflicts Related to Securities Lending Fees. When PGIM Fixed Income manages a client account and also serves as securities lending agent for the account, it could be considered to have the incentive to invest in securities that would generate higher securities lending returns, but may not otherwise be in the best interest of the client account.

OTHER SERVICE PROVIDERS

CUSTODIAN, TRANSFER AGENT AND ADMINISTRATIVE AGENT. Brown Brothers Harriman & Co. (BBH&Co. or the Administrative Agent), 50 Post Office Square, Boston, Massachusetts 02110-1548, serves as the Custodian, Transfer Agent and Administrative Agent for the Funds. Pursuant to an Administrative and Transfer Agency Agreement, BBH&Co. maintains certain books and records and provides transfer agency, administrative, legal, tax support and accounting and financial reporting services for the maintenance and operations of the Funds. Pursuant to a Custodian Agreement, BBH&Co. maintains certain financial accounting books and records pursuant to an agreement with the Funds. Subcustodians provide custodial services for any non-US assets held outside the United States. As the transfer and dividend disbursing agent of the Funds, BBH&Co. provides customary transfer agency services to the Funds, including the handling of shareholder communications, the processing of shareholder transactions, the maintenance of shareholder account records, the payment of dividends and distributions, and related functions. For these services, BBH&Co. receives compensation from the Manager and is reimbursed for expenses, including custodian and administration fees and certain out-of-pocket expenses including, but not limited to, postage, stationery, printing, allocable communication expenses and other costs. The Manager is responsible for compensating BBH&Co. under the Custodian and Administrative and Transfer Agency Agreements. Because the Funds are new, information with respect to payments is not available.

INDEPENDENT REGISTERED PUBLIC ACCOUNTING FIRM. [_________],[address], serves as independent registered public accounting firm for each Fund, and in that capacity will audit the annual financial statements for the next fiscal year. 

DISTRIBUTOR. Prudential Investment Management Services LLC (PIMS or the Distributor), 655 Broad Street, Newark, New Jersey 07102-4410, acts as the distributor of the Funds. The Distributor is a subsidiary of Prudential.

Shares will be continuously offered for sale by the Distributor only. The Distributor will deliver the Prospectus and, upon request, this SAI to persons purchasing Creation Unit Aggregations and will maintain records of both orders placed with it and confirmations of acceptance furnished by it. The Distributor is a broker-dealer registered under the Securities Exchange Act and a member of the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (“FINRA”). Although the Distributor does not receive any fees under the Distribution Agreement, the Manager or its affiliates may pay the Distributor for certain distribution related services.

DISTRIBUTION AND SERVICING (12B-1) PLAN. The Trust has adopted a Distribution and Servicing (12b-1) Plan (the “12b-1 Plan”) with respect to shares of the Funds to permit the implementation of each Fund’s method of distribution. However, no 12b-1 Plan fee is currently charged to the Funds, and there are no plans in place to impose a 12b-1 Plan fee.

Under the terms of the 12b-1 Plan, the Trust is permitted to compensate, out of each Fund’s assets, in amounts up to an annual rate of 0.25% of the average daily net assets of the Funds’ shares, financial intermediaries for costs and expenses incurred in connection with the distribution and marketing of the shares and/or the provision of certain shareholder services to its customers that invest in shares of the Funds. Such services may include, but are not limited to, the following: marketing and promotional services including advertising; providing facilities to answer questions from prospective investors about the Funds; receiving and answering correspondence or responding to shareholder inquiries, including requests for prospectuses and statements of additional information; and preparing, printing and delivering prospectuses and shareholder reports to prospective shareholders.

Fees paid pursuant to the 12b-1 Plan may be paid for shareholder services and the maintenance of shareholder accounts, and therefore may constitute “service fees” for purposes of applicable rules of the FINRA. The 12b-1 Plan has been adopted in accordance with the requirements of Rule 12b-1 under the 1940 Act and will be administered in accordance with the provisions of that rule.


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The 12b-1 Plan provides that it may not be amended to materially increase the costs which shareholders may bear under the 12b-1 Plan without the approval of a majority of the outstanding voting securities of the Funds and by vote of a majority of both: (i) the Trustees of the Trust; and (ii) those Trustees who are not “interested persons” of the Trust (as defined in the 1940 Act) and who have no direct or indirect financial interest in the operation of the 12b-1 Plan or any agreements related to it (the “Disinterested Trustees”), cast in person at a meeting called for the purpose of voting on the 12b-1 Plan and any related amendments. The 12b-1 Plan provides that it may not take effect until approved by vote of a majority of both: (i) the Trustees of the Trust; and (ii) the Disinterested Trustees defined above.

Following the expiration of the one-year period commencing with the effectiveness of the 12b-1 Plan, the 12b-1 Plan shall continue in effect so long as such continuance is specifically approved at least annually by the Trustees and the Disinterested Trustees defined above. The 12b-1 Plan provides that an appropriate officer of the Funds shall provide to the Trustees, and the Board of Trustees shall review at least quarterly, a written report of the amounts so expended and the purposes for which such expenditures were made.

In addition, the Manager and its affiliates also may make payments out of their own resources, at no cost to the Funds, to financial intermediaries for services which may be deemed to be primarily intended to result in the sale of shares of the Funds. The payments described in this section may be significant to the payors and the payees.

PAYMENTS TO FINANCIAL SERVICES FIRMS. The Manager and its affiliates may make payments (“Payments”) to certain broker-dealers and other financial intermediaries (“Intermediaries”) related to activities that are designed to make registered representatives, other professionals and individual investors more knowledgeable about the Funds or for other activities, such as participation in marketing activities and presentations, educational training programs, the support of technology platforms and/or reporting systems. The Manager and its affiliates may also make Payments to Intermediaries for certain printing, publishing and mailing costs associated with the Funds or materials relating to exchange-traded funds in general. In addition, the Manager and its affiliates may make Payments to Intermediaries that make Fund shares available to their clients or for otherwise promoting the Funds. Payments of this type are sometimes referred to as marketing support or revenue-sharing payments. Any Payments made by the Manager and its affiliates will be made from its own assets and not from the assets of the Funds.

Payments to an Intermediary may be significant to the Intermediary. As a result, an Intermediary may make decisions about which investment options it will recommend or make available to its clients or what services to provide for various products based on payments it receives or is eligible to receive. Payments create conflicts of interest between the Intermediary and its clients and these financial incentives may cause the Intermediary to recommend the Funds over other investments.

The Manager or its affiliates may determine to make Payments based on any number of metrics. For example, the Manager and its affiliates may make Payments at year-end and/or other intervals in a fixed amount, an amount based upon an Intermediary’s services at defined levels, an amount based upon the total assets represented by funds subject to arrangements with the Intermediary, or an amount based on the Intermediary’s net sales of one or more funds in a year or other period, any of which arrangements may include an agreed-upon minimum or maximum payment, or any combination of the foregoing. A shareholder should contact his or her Intermediary’s salesperson or other investment professional for more information regarding any Payments the Intermediary firm may receive.

In addition to the payments described above, the Manager and its affiliates may also make payments to Intermediaries in connection with certain transaction fees (also referred to as “ticket charges”) incurred by Intermediaries.

In addition to the payments described above, the Manager and its affiliates may make payments in connection with, or reimburse Intermediaries’ sponsorship and/or attendance, at conferences, seminars or informational meetings (“event support”), provide Intermediaries or their personnel with occasional tickets to events or other entertainment, meals and small gifts (“other non-cash compensation”), and make charitable contributions to valid charitable organizations at the request of Intermediaries (“charitable contributions”) to the extent permitted by applicable law, rules and regulations.

Independent financial intermediaries unaffiliated with the Manager and its affiliates may perform shareholder servicing functions with respect to certain of their clients whose assets may be invested in the Funds. These services may include the provision of ongoing information concerning the Funds and their investment performance, responding to shareholder inquiries, and other services. The Manager and its affiliates may pay fees to such entities for the provision of these services out of their own resources.

From time to time, the Manager and its affiliates may pay or reimburse broker-dealers, banks or other financial institutions for the Manager and its affiliates’ attendance at investment forums sponsored by such firms, or the Manager and its affiliates may co-sponsor such investment forums with such financial institutions. Payments and reimbursements for such activities are made out of the Manager and its affiliates’ own assets and at no cost to the Funds. Such activities may provide incentives to financial institutions to market shares of the Funds. Additionally, these activities may give the Manager and its affiliates additional access to sales representatives of such financial institutions, which may increase sales of Fund shares.


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No dividend reinvestment service is provided by the Trust. Financial intermediaries may make available the DTC book-entry Dividend Reinvestment Service for use by beneficial owners of Fund shares for reinvestment of their dividend distributions. Beneficial owners should contact their financial intermediary to determine the availability and costs of the service and the details of participation therein. Financial intermediaries may require beneficial owners to adhere to specific procedures and timetables. If this service is available and used, dividend distributions of both income and net capital gains will be automatically reinvested in additional whole shares of the Funds purchased in the secondary market.

COMPUTATION OF OFFERING PRICE PER SHARE

Because each Fund is new, this information is not available.

PORTFOLIO TRANSACTIONS & BROKERAGE

The Funds have adopted a policy pursuant to which the Funds and their Manager, subadviser and principal underwriter are prohibited from directly or indirectly compensating a broker-dealer for promoting or selling Fund shares by directing brokerage transactions to that broker. The Funds have adopted procedures for the purpose of deterring and detecting any violations of the policy. The policy permits the Funds, the Manager and the subadviser to use selling brokers to execute transactions in portfolio securities so long as the selection of such selling brokers is the result of a decision that executing such transactions is in the best interest of the Funds and is not influenced by considerations about the sale of Fund shares. For purposes of this section, the term “Manager” includes the subadviser.

The Manager is responsible for decisions to buy and sell securities, futures contracts and options on such securities and futures for the Funds, the selection of brokers, dealers and futures commission merchants to effect the transactions and the negotiation of brokerage commissions, if any. On a national securities exchange, broker-dealers may receive negotiated brokerage commissions on Fund portfolio transactions, including options, futures, and options on futures transactions and the purchase and sale of underlying securities upon the exercise of options. On a non-US securities exchange, commissions may be fixed. Orders may be directed to any broker or futures commission merchant including, to the extent and in the manner permitted by applicable laws, one of the Manager's affiliates (an affiliated broker). Brokerage commissions on US securities, options and futures exchanges or boards of trade are subject to negotiation between the Manager and the broker or futures commission merchant.

In the OTC market, securities are generally traded on a “net” basis with dealers acting as principal for their own accounts without a stated commission, although the price of the security usually includes a profit to the dealer. In underwritten offerings, securities are purchased at a fixed price which includes an amount of compensation to the underwriter, generally referred to as the underwriter's concession or discount. On occasion, certain money market instruments and US Government agency securities may be purchased directly from the issuer, in which case no commissions or discounts are paid. The Funds will not deal with an affiliated broker in any transaction in which an affiliated broker acts as principal except in accordance with the rules of the SEC.

In placing orders for portfolio securities of the Funds, the Manager's overriding objective is to obtain the best possible combination of favorable price and efficient execution. The Manager seeks to effect such transaction at a price and commission that provides the most favorable total cost of proceeds reasonably attainable in the circumstances. The factors that the Manager may consider in selecting a particular broker, dealer or futures commission merchant (firms) are the Manager's knowledge of negotiated commission rates currently available and other current transaction costs; the nature of the portfolio transaction; the size of the transaction; the desired timing of the trade; the activity existing and expected in the market for the particular transaction; confidentiality; the execution, clearance and settlement capabilities of the firms; the availability of research and research-related services provided through such firms; the Manager's knowledge of the financial stability of the firms; the Manager's knowledge of actual or apparent operational problems of firms; and the amount of capital, if any, that would be contributed by firms executing the transaction. Given these factors, the Funds may pay transaction costs in excess of that which another firm might have charged for effecting the same transaction.

When the Manager selects a firm that executes orders or is a party to portfolio transactions, relevant factors taken into consideration are whether that firm has furnished research and research-related products and/or services, such as research reports, research compilations, statistical and economic data, computer databases, quotation equipment and services, research-oriented computer software and services, reports concerning the performance of accounts, valuations of securities, investment-related periodicals, investment seminars and other economic services and consultations. Such services are used in connection with some or all of the Manager's investment activities; some of such services, obtained in connection with the execution of transactions for one investment account, may be used in managing other accounts, and not all of these services may be used in connection with the Funds. The Manager maintains an internal allocation procedure to identify those firms who have provided it with research and research-related products and/or services, and the amount that was provided, and to endeavor to direct sufficient commissions to them to ensure the continued receipt of those services that the Manager believes provide a benefit to the Funds and its other clients. The Manager makes a good faith determination that the research and/or service is reasonable in light of the type of service provided and the price and execution of the related portfolio transactions.


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When the Manager deems the purchase or sale of equities to be in the best interests of the Funds or its other clients, including Prudential, the Manager may, but is under no obligation to, aggregate the transactions in order to obtain the most favorable price or lower brokerage commissions and efficient execution. In such event, allocation of the transactions, as well as the expenses incurred in the transaction, will be made by the Manager in the manner it considers to be most equitable and consistent with its fiduciary obligations to its clients. The allocation of orders among firms and the commission rates paid are reviewed periodically by the Funds' Board. Portfolio securities may not be purchased from any underwriting or selling syndicate of which any affiliate, during the existence of the syndicate, is a principal underwriter (as defined in the 1940 Act), except in accordance with rules of the SEC. This limitation, in the opinion of the Funds, will not significantly affect the Funds' ability to pursue their present investment objectives. However, in the future in other circumstances, the Funds may be at a disadvantage because of this limitation in comparison to other funds with similar objectives but not subject to such limitations.

Subject to the above considerations, an affiliate may act as a broker or futures commission merchant for the Funds. In order for an affiliate of the Manager to effect any portfolio transactions for the Funds, the commissions, fees or other remuneration received by the affiliated broker must be reasonable and fair compared to the commissions, fees or other remuneration paid to other firms in connection with comparable transactions involving similar securities or futures being purchased or sold on an exchange or board of trade during a comparable period of time. This standard would allow the affiliated broker to receive no more than the remuneration which would be expected to be received by an unaffiliated firm in a commensurate arm's-length transaction. Furthermore, the Board, including a majority of the Independent Board Members, has adopted procedures which are reasonably designed to provide that any commissions, fees or other remuneration paid to the affiliated broker (or any affiliate) are consistent with the foregoing standard. In accordance with Section 11(a) of the 1934 Act, an affiliate may not retain compensation for effecting transactions on a national securities exchange for the Funds unless the Funds have expressly authorized the retention of such compensation. The affiliate must furnish to the Funds at least annually a statement setting forth the total amount of all compensation retained by the affiliate from transactions effected for the Funds during the applicable period. Brokerage transactions with an affiliated broker are also subject to such fiduciary standards as may be imposed upon the affiliate by applicable law. Transactions in options by the Funds will be subject to limitations established by each of the exchanges governing the maximum number of options which may be written or held by a single investor or group of investors acting in concert, regardless of whether the options are written or held on the same or different exchanges or are written or held in one or more accounts or through one or more brokers. Thus, the number of options which the Funds may write or hold may be affected by options written or held by the Manager and other investment advisory clients of the Manager. An exchange may order the liquidation of positions found to be in excess of these limits, and it may impose certain other sanctions.

Because each Fund is new, it does not disclose its payment of commissions because it has not yet completed a fiscal year.

Each Fund is required to disclose its holdings of securities of its regular brokers and dealers (as defined under Rule 10b-1 under the 1940 Act) and their parents as of the most recently completed fiscal year. Because each Fund is new, it has not yet completed a fiscal year.

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION

FUND HISTORY. PGIM ETF Trust (the “Trust”) was organized as a Delaware statutory trust on October 23, 2017. PGIM Ultra Short Bond ETF was established on December 9, 2017 and commenced operations on April 5, 2018. PGIM Active High Yield Bond ETF was established on June 20, 2017 and is expected to commence operations on September __, 2018. PGIM QMA Strategic Alpha International Equity ETF, PGIM QMA Strategic Alpha Large-Cap Core ETF, PGIM QMA Strategic Alpha Small-Cap Growth ETF, and PGIM QMA Strategic Alpha Small-Cap Value ETF were established on June 20, 2017 and are expected to commence operations on September __, 2018.

DESCRIPTION OF SHARES AND ORGANIZATION.

The Trust is authorized to issue an unlimited number of shares of beneficial interest, $.001 par value per share, of one or more series and classes within any series and to divide or combine the shares of any series or class without materially changing the proportionate beneficial interest of such shares of such series or class in the assets held with respect to that series. In accordance with the Trust’s Agreement and Declaration of Trust, the Board Members may authorize the creation of additional series and classes within such series, with such preferences, privileges and rights as the Board Members may determine.

Shares of each Fund, when issued, are fully paid, nonassessable, and fully transferable. Shares are also redeemable at the option of the Trust under certain circumstances. There are no conversion, preemptive or other subscription rights. In the event of liquidation, each share of each Fund is entitled to its portion of all of the Fund’s assets after all debt and expenses of the Fund have been paid.


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The Trust does not intend to hold annual meetings of shareholders unless otherwise required by law. The Trust will not be required to hold meetings of shareholders unless, for example, the election of Board Members is required to be acted on by shareholders under the 1940 Act. Shareholders have certain rights, including the right to call a meeting upon the written request of 10% of the Trust’s outstanding shares entitled to vote for the purpose of voting on the removal of one or more Board Members.

Under the Agreement and Declaration of Trust, the Board may authorize the creation of additional series of shares (the proceeds of which would be invested in separate, independently managed portfolios with distinct investment objectives and policies and share purchase, redemption and NAV procedures) with such preferences, privileges and rights as the Board Members may determine. All consideration received by the Trust for shares of any additional series, and all assets in which such consideration is invested, would belong to that series (subject only to the rights of creditors of that series) and would be subject to the liabilities related thereto.

The Board has the power to alter the number and the terms of office of the Board Members, provided that at all times at least a majority of the Board Members have been elected by the shareholders of the Trust. The voting rights of shareholders are not cumulative, so that holders of more than 50 percent of the shares voting can, if they choose, elect all Board Members being selected, while the holders of the remaining shares would be unable to elect any Board Members.

PRINCIPAL SHAREHOLDERS AND CONTROL PERSONS

PGIM Investments LLC, or an affiliate, will own all (100%) initial seed capital shares of each Fund as of the date of this SAI and shall be deemed a control person of the Fund. As of the date of this SAI, the only principal shareholder of each Fund is PGIM Investments LLC. PGIM Investments is a New York limited liability company. Shareholders owning voting securities in excess of 25% may be able to determine the outcome of any matter affecting and voted on by shareholders of each Fund.

As of the date of this SAI, the Board Members and Officers of the Fund, as a group, owned less than 1% of the outstanding shares of each Fund.

FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

Because PGIM Active High Yield Bond ETF is new, no financial information is available. When available, the Fund's Annual and Semi-Annual Reports will be available upon request and without charge.

PGIM Ultra Short Bond ETF's Statement of Assets and Liabilities as of March 9, 2018, as well as the accompanying footnotes were audited by KPMG, LLP, an independent registered public accounting firm and are incorporated by reference herein.


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PART II

CREATIONS AND REDEMPTIONS OF FUND SHARES

The Funds will issue and sell its shares only in Creation Units on a continuous basis through the Distributor, without a sales load, at the NAV next determined after receipt, on any Business Day (as defined herein), of an order in proper form. Shares are not individually redeemable.

CREATION AND REDEMPTION TRANSACTION FEES. A transaction fee, as set forth in the table below, is imposed for the transfer and other transaction costs associated with the purchase or redemption of Creation Units, as applicable. Investors who have entered into an agreement with the Distributor and are authorized to transact with the Trust in Creation Units (“Authorized Participants”) will be required to pay a fixed creation transaction fee and/or a fixed redemption transaction fee, as applicable, for each transaction in a Creation Unit regardless of the number of Creation Units created or redeemed on that day. The Funds may adjust the transaction fee from time to time. An additional charge or a variable charge (discussed below) will be applied to certain creation and redemption transactions, including non-standard orders and whole or partial cash purchases or redemptions. With respect to creation orders, Authorized Participants are responsible for the costs of transferring the securities and other instruments constituting the Deposit Instruments to the account of the Trust and with respect to redemption orders, Authorized Participants are responsible for the costs of transferring the securities and other instruments received on redemption from the Trust to their designated account. Investors who use the services of a broker or other such intermediary may also be charged a fee for such services.

From time to time, the Funds may waive all or a portion of their applicable transaction fee(s).

The following table shows, as of the date of this SAI, the approximate value of one Creation Unit of each Fund, fixed fees and maximum additional charges for creations and redemptions (as described above):

 

Fund Approximate Value
of a Creation Unit
Size of a
Creation Unit
Fixed
Transaction Fee
Maximum Additional
Charge for Creations*
Maximum Additional
Charge for Redemptions*
PGIM Ultra Short Bond ETF $1,250,000 25,000 shares $600.00 3.00% 2.00%
PGIM Active High Yield Bond ETF $1,250,000 25,000 shares $2,000.00 3.00% 2.00%

 

* As a percentage of the NAV per Creation Unit, inclusive, in the case of redemptions, of the fixed redemption transaction fee.

In its discretion, the Trust reserves the right to increase or decrease the number of shares that constitute a Creation Unit. The Board reserves the right to declare a split or a consolidation in the number of shares outstanding of the Funds, and to make a corresponding change in the number of shares constituting a Creation Unit, in the event that the per share price in the secondary market rises (or declines) to an amount that falls outside the range deemed desirable by the Board.

GENERAL. An Authorized Participant that is not a “qualified institutional buyer,” as such term is defined under Rule 144A of the Securities Act of 1933, will not be able to receive, as part of a redemption, restricted securities eligible for resale under Rule 144A.

A “Business Day” with respect to the Funds is any day on which the Exchange is open for business. As of the date of this SAI, the Exchange observes the following holidays: New Year’s Day, Martin Luther King, Jr. Day, President’s Day, Good Friday, Memorial Day, Independence Day, Labor Day, Thanksgiving Day and Christmas Day.

CONTINUOUS OFFERING. The method by which Creation Units are created and traded may raise certain issues under applicable securities laws. Because new Creation Units are issued and sold by the Funds on an ongoing basis, at any point a “distribution,” as such term is used in the 1933 Act, may occur. Broker-dealers and other persons are cautioned that some activities on their part may, depending on the circumstances, result in their being deemed participants in a distribution in a manner that could render them statutory underwriters and subject them to the prospectus delivery requirement and liability provisions of the 1933 Act.

For example, a broker-dealer firm or its client may be deemed a statutory underwriter if it takes Creation Units after placing an order with the Distributor, breaks them down into constituent shares and sells such shares directly to customers or if it chooses to couple the creation of new shares with an active selling effort involving solicitation of secondary market demand for shares. A determination of whether one is an underwriter for purposes of the 1933 Act must take into account all the facts and circumstances pertaining to the activities of the broker-dealer or its client in the particular case and the examples mentioned above should not be considered a complete description of all the activities that could lead to a categorization as an underwriter.


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Broker-dealer firms should also note that dealers who are not “underwriters” but are effecting transactions in shares, whether or not participating in the distribution of shares, generally are required to deliver a prospectus. This is because the prospectus delivery exemption in Section 4(a)(3) of the 1933 Act is not available in respect of such transactions as a result of Section 24(d) of the 1940 Act.

PORTFOLIO DEPOSIT. The consideration for a purchase of Creation Units generally consists of a cash deposit but may include the in-kind deposit of a portfolio of securities and other instruments (the “Deposit Instruments”) and an amount of cash computed as described below (the “Cash Amount”). The Cash Amount together with the Deposit Instruments, as applicable, are referred to as the “Portfolio Deposit.”

In the event a Fund requires Deposit Instruments in consideration for purchasing a Creation Unit, the Portfolio Deposit required may, in certain limited circumstances, be different than the portfolio the Fund will deliver upon redemption of Fund shares.

In the event a Fund requires Deposit Instruments and a Cash Amount in consideration for purchasing a Creation Unit, the function of the Cash Amount is to compensate for any differences between the NAV per Creation Unit and the Deposit Amount (as defined below). The Cash Amount would be an amount equal to the difference between the NAV of the shares (per Creation Unit) and the “Deposit Amount,” which is an amount equal to the aggregate market value of the Deposit Instruments. If the Cash Amount is a positive number (the NAV per Creation Unit exceeds the Deposit Amount), the Authorized Participant will deliver the Cash Amount. If the Cash Amount is a negative number (the NAV per Creation Unit is less than the Deposit Amount), the Authorized Participant will receive the Cash Amount. Computation of the Cash Amount excludes any stamp duty or other similar fees and expenses payable upon transfer of beneficial ownership of the Deposit Instruments, which shall be the sole responsibility of the Authorized Participant.

BBH&Co., the Administrative Agent, through the National Securities Clearing Corporation (NSCC), makes available on each Business Day, immediately prior to the opening of business on the Exchange (currently 9:30 a.m. Eastern time), the list of the names and the required number of shares of each Deposit Instrument to be included in the current Portfolio Deposit (based on information at the end of the previous Business Day), as well as information regarding the Cash Amount for the Funds. Such Portfolio Deposit is applicable, subject to any adjustments as described below, in order to effect creations of Creation Units of the Funds until such time as the next-announced Portfolio Deposit composition is made available.

In addition, the Trust reserves the right to accept a basket of securities or cash that differs from Deposit Instruments or to permit the substitution of an amount of cash (i.e., a “cash in lieu” amount) to be added to the Cash Amount to replace any Deposit Instrument which may, among other reasons, not be available in sufficient quantity for delivery, not be permitted to be re-registered in the name of the Trust as a result of an in-kind creation order pursuant to local law or market convention or which may not be eligible for transfer through the Clearing Process (described below), or which may not be eligible for trading by a Participating Party (defined below). In light of the foregoing, in order to seek to replicate the in-kind creation order process, the Trust expects to purchase the Deposit Instruments represented by the cash in lieu amount in the secondary market (“Market Purchases”). In such cases where the Trust makes Market Purchases, the Authorized Participant will reimburse the Trust for, among other things, any difference between the market value at which the securities were purchased by the Trust and the cash in lieu amount (which amount, at the PGIM Investments’ discretion, may be capped), applicable registration fees and taxes. Brokerage commissions incurred in connection with the Trust’s acquisition of Deposit Instruments may be at the expense of the Funds and will affect the value of all shares of the Fund; but the Funds may charge the transaction fee to compensate for brokerage expenses.

PROCEDURES FOR CREATION OF CREATION UNITS. To be eligible to place orders with the Distributor to create Creation Units of a Fund, an entity or person either must be (1) a “Participating Party,” i.e., a broker-dealer or other participant in the clearing process through the Continuous Net Settlement System of the NSCC; or (2) a Depository Trust Company (DTC) participant (a “DTC Participant”); which, in either case, must have executed an agreement with the Distributor (as it may be amended from time to time in accordance with its terms) (“Participant Agreement”) (discussed below). A Participating Party and DTC Participant are collectively referred to as an “Authorized Participant.” All Creation Units of a Fund, however created, will be entered on the records of DTC in the name of Cede & Co. for the account of a DTC Participant.

All orders to create Creation Units must be placed in multiples of a certain number of shares of each Fund. Except as described below, and in all cases subject to the terms of the applicable Participant Agreement, all orders to create Creation Units, whether through the NSCC Clearing Process or outside the NSCC Clearing Process through DTC or otherwise, must be received by the Distributor no later than the closing time of the regular trading session on the Exchange (“Closing Time”) (ordinarily 4:00 p.m. Eastern time or, for Custom Orders (discussed below), such earlier time set forth in the Participant Agreement), in each case on the date such order is placed in order for creation of Creation Units to be effected based on the NAV of each Fund as determined on such date. A “Custom Order” may be placed by an Authorized Participant in the event that the Trust permits or requires the substitution of an amount of cash to be added to the Cash Amount to replace a portion or all of a Deposit Instrument or the Deposit Instruments which may not be available in sufficient quantity for delivery or which may not be eligible for trading by such Authorized Participant or the investor for which it is acting,


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or other relevant reason. The Business Day on which a creation order (or order to redeem as discussed below) is placed is herein referred to as the “Transmittal Date.” Orders must be transmitted by telephone or other transmission method acceptable to the Distributor pursuant to procedures set forth in the Participant Agreement or any associated document. Economic or market disruptions or changes, or telephone or other communication failure, may impede the ability to reach the Distributor, a Participating Party or a DTC Participant. Creation Units may be issued, in the sole discretion of the Trust, notwithstanding the receipt by the Trust of all or a portion of the Portfolio Deposit on the settlement date. In such cases, the Authorized Participant will remain liable for the full deposit of the missing portion(s) of the Portfolio Deposit and will be required to post collateral with the Trust consisting of cash at least equal to a percentage of the marked-to-market value of such missing portion(s) that is specified in the Participant Agreement. The Trust may use such collateral to buy the missing portion(s) of the Portfolio Deposit at any time and will subject such Authorized Participant to liability for any shortfall between the cost to the Trust of purchasing such securities and the value of such collateral. The Trust will have no liability for any such shortfall. The Trust will return any unused portion of the collateral to the Authorized Participant once the entire Fund Deposit has been properly received by the Distributor and deposited into the Trust.

Investors seeking to purchase Creation Units of a Fund through an Authorized Participant must place such orders in the form required by such Participating Party or DTC Participant. Investors should be aware that their particular broker may not have executed a Participant Agreement, and that, therefore, orders to create Creation Units of a Fund may have to be placed by the investor’s broker through a Participating Party or a DTC Participant who has executed a Participant Agreement. At any given time there may be only a limited number of broker-dealers that have executed a Participant Agreement. Those placing orders to create Creation Units of a Fund through the NSCC Clearing Process should afford sufficient time to permit proper submission of the order to the Distributor prior to the Closing Time on the Transmittal Date.

Orders for creation that are effected outside the NSCC Clearing Process are likely to require transmittal by the DTC Participant earlier on the Transmittal Date than orders effected using the NSCC Clearing Process. Those persons placing orders outside the NSCC Clearing Process should ascertain the deadlines applicable to DTC and the Federal Reserve Bank wire system by contacting the operations department of the broker or depository institution effectuating such transfer of Deposit Instruments and Cash Amount.

PLACEMENT OF CREATION ORDERS USING NSCC CLEARING PROCESS. Portfolio Deposits created through the NSCC Clearing Process, if available, must be delivered through a Participating Party that has executed a Participant Agreement.

The Participant Agreement authorizes the Distributor to transmit to the NSCC on behalf of the Participating Party such trade instructions as are necessary to effect the Participating Party’s creation order. Pursuant to such trade instructions from the Distributor to the NSCC, the Participating Party agrees to transfer the requisite Deposit Instruments (or contracts to purchase such Deposit Instruments that are expected to be delivered in a “regular way” manner by the second (2nd) Business Day) and the Cash Amount to the Trust, together with such additional information as may be required by the Distributor. For each Fund, Creation Units typically are issued and redeemed on a “T+1 basis” (i.e., one Business Day after trade date). The Funds reserve the right to settle Creation Unit transactions on a basis other than T+1 if necessary or appropriate under the circumstances and compliant with applicable law. An order to create Creation Units of a Fund through the NSCC Clearing Process is deemed received by the Distributor on the Transmittal Date if (i) such order is received by the Distributor not later than the Closing Time on such Transmittal Date and (ii) all other procedures set forth in the Participant Agreement and any ancillary documents are properly followed.

Portfolio Deposits created outside the NSCC Clearing Process must be delivered through a DTC Participant that has executed a Participant Agreement. A DTC Participant who wishes to place an order creating Creation Units of a Fund to be effected outside the NSCC Clearing Process need not be a Participating Party, but such orders must state that the DTC Participant is not using the NSCC Clearing Process and that the creation of Creation Units will instead be effected through a transfer of securities and cash. The Portfolio Deposit transfer must be ordered by the DTC Participant in a timely fashion so as to ensure the delivery of the requisite number of Deposit Instruments through DTC to the account of the Trust by no later than 11:00 a.m. Eastern time, of the next Business Day immediately following the Transmittal Date. All questions as to the number of Deposit Instruments to be delivered, and the validity, form and eligibility (including time of receipt) for the deposit of any tendered securities, will be determined by the Trust, whose determination shall be final and binding. The cash equal to the Cash Component must be transferred directly to the Custodian through the Federal Reserve wire system in a timely manner so as to be received by the Custodian no later than 2:00 p.m. Eastern time, on the next Business Day immediately following the Transmittal Date. An order to create Creation Units of a Fund outside the NSCC Clearing Process is deemed received by the Distributor on the Transmittal Date if (i) such order is received by the Distributor not later than the Closing Time on such Transmittal Date; and (ii) all other procedures set forth in the Participant Agreement and any ancillary documents are properly followed. However, if the Distributor does not receive both the requisite Deposit Instruments and the Cash Amount in a timely fashion on the next Business Day immediately following the Transmittal Date, such order may be cancelled. Upon written notice to the Distributor, such cancelled order may be resubmitted the following Business Day using the Portfolio Deposit as newly constituted to reflect the current NAV of each Fund. The delivery of Creation Units so created will occur no later than the second (2nd) Business Day


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following the day on which the creation order is deemed received by the Distributor. For each Fund, Creation Units typically are issued and redeemed on a “T+1 basis” (i.e., one Business Day after trade date). The Funds reserve the right to settle Creation Unit transactions on a basis other than T+1 if necessary or appropriate under the circumstances and compliant with applicable law.

Additional transaction fees may be imposed with respect to transactions effected outside the NSCC Clearing Process (through a DTC Participant) and in circumstances in which any cash can be used in lieu of Deposit Instruments to create Creation Units. (See “Creation Transaction Fee” section below.)

The Distributor will inform the Transfer Agent, the Manager and the Custodian upon receipt of a Creation Order that includes securities or other instruments custodied outside of the United States. The Custodian will then provide such information to the appropriate subcustodian. The Custodian will cause the subcustodian of the Funds to maintain an account into which the Deposit Instruments (or the cash value of all or part of such securities, in the case of a permitted or required cash purchase or “cash in lieu” amount) will be delivered. Deposit Instruments must be delivered to an account maintained at the applicable local custodian. The Trust must also receive, on or before the contractual settlement date, immediately available or same day funds estimated by the Custodian to be sufficient to pay the Cash Amount next determined after receipt in proper form of the purchase order, together with applicable transaction fees.

Once the Transfer Agent has accepted a creation order, the Transfer Agent will confirm the issuance of a Creation Unit of the Fund against receipt of payment, at such NAV as will have been calculated after receipt in proper form of such order. The Transfer Agent will then transmit a confirmation of acceptance of such order.

ACCEPTANCE OF CREATION ORDERS. The Trust and the Distributor reserve the absolute right to reject or revoke acceptance of a creation order transmitted to it in respect of a Fund, for example, if (a) the order is not in proper form; (b) the purchaser or group of related purchasers, upon obtaining the Creation Units of shares, would own 80% or more of the outstanding shares of the Fund; (c) the acceptance of the Portfolio Deposit would have certain adverse tax consequences, such as causing the Fund no longer to meet RIC status under the Code for federal tax purposes; (d) the acceptance of the Portfolio Deposit would, in the opinion of the Fund, be unlawful, as in the case of a purchaser who was banned from trading in securities; (e) the acceptance of the Portfolio Deposit would otherwise, in the discretion of the Fund, PGIM Investments and/or the sub-advisers, have an adverse effect on the Fund or on the rights of the Fund’s beneficial owners; or; or (f) there exist circumstances outside the control of the Fund that make it impossible to process purchases of Creation Units of shares for all practical purposes. The Transfer Agent will notify a prospective purchaser of its rejection of the order of such person. The Trust, the Custodian, any subcustodian and the Distributor are under no duty, however, to give notification of any defects or irregularities in the delivery of Fund Deposits to Authorized Participants nor shall either of them incur any liability to Authorized Participants for the failure to give any such notification. All questions as to the number of shares of each security in the Deposit Instruments and the validity, form, eligibility and acceptance for deposit of any securities to be delivered shall be determined by the Trust, and the Trust’s determination shall be final and binding.

Creation Units may be issued, in the sole discretion of the Trust, notwithstanding the failure to deliver certain Deposit Instruments at settlement as described below. In these circumstances, in addition to available Deposit Instruments, cash must be deposited in an amount equal to the sum of (i) the Cash Amount, plus (ii) at least 105%, which the Trust may change from time to time, of the market value of the undelivered Deposit Instruments (the “Additional Cash Deposit”) with the Fund pending delivery of any missing Deposit Instruments.

If the Trust permits, and an Authorized Participant determines to post, an Additional Cash Deposit as collateral for any undelivered Deposit Instruments, such Authorized Participant must deposit with the Custodian the appropriate amount of federal funds by 10:00 a.m. New York (or such other time as specified by the Trust) on the date of requested settlement. If the Custodian does not receive the Additional Cash Deposit in the appropriate amount by such time, then the order may be deemed to be rejected and the Authorized Participant shall be liable to the Fund for losses, if any, resulting therefrom. An additional amount of cash shall be required to be deposited with the Custodian, pending delivery of the missing Deposit Instruments to the extent necessary to maintain the Additional Cash Deposit with the Trust in an amount at least equal to 105% as required, which the Trust may change from time to time, of the daily marked to market value of the missing Deposit Instruments. At any time, at the discretion of the Trust, the Trust may use the cash on deposit to purchase the missing Deposit Instruments. The Authorized Participant will be liable to the Trust for the costs incurred by the Trust in connection with any such purchases. These costs will be deemed to include the amount by which the actual purchase price of the Deposit Instruments exceeds the market value of such Deposit Instruments on the transmittal date plus the brokerage and related transaction costs associated with such purchases. The Trust will return any unused portion of the Additional Cash Deposit once all of the missing Deposit Instruments have been properly received by the Custodian or purchased by the Trust and deposited into the Trust. In addition, a transaction fee will be charged.


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CREATION TRANSACTION FEE. A fixed creation transaction fee is imposed on each creation transaction regardless of the number of Creation Units purchased in the transaction. The amount of the creation transaction fee as well as any applicable variable charge for cash creations for the Funds are disclosed above. In the case of cash creations or where the Trust permits a purchaser to substitute cash in lieu of depositing a portion of the Deposit Instruments, the purchaser may be assessed an additional variable charge to compensate the Fund for the costs associated with purchasing the applicable securities. The Trust expects to purchase, in the secondary market or otherwise gain exposure to, the portfolio securities that could have been delivered as a result of an in-kind creation order (“Market Purchases”). In such cases where the Trust makes Market Purchases, the Authorized Participant will reimburse the Trust for, among other things, any difference between the market value at which the securities and/or financial instruments were purchased by the Trust and the cash in lieu amount (which amount, at the Manager’s discretion, may be capped), applicable registration fees, brokerage commissions and certain taxes (in each case which may, in certain instances, be based on a good faith estimate of transaction costs). The Manager may adjust the transaction fee to the extent the composition of the creation securities changes or cash in lieu is added to the Cash Amount to protect remaining shareholders. Purchasers of Creation Units are responsible for the costs of transferring the securities constituting the Deposit Instruments to the account of the Trust.

REDEMPTION OF CREATION UNITS. Shares may be redeemed only in Creation Units at their NAV next determined after receipt of a redemption request in proper form by the Distributor, only on a Business Day and only through a Participating Party or DTC Participant who has executed a Participant Agreement. The Trust will not redeem shares in amounts less than Creation Units. Beneficial owners also may sell shares in the secondary market, but must accumulate enough shares to constitute a Creation Unit in order to have such shares redeemed by the Trust. There can be no assurance, however, that there will be sufficient liquidity in the public trading market at any time to permit assembly of a Creation Unit. Investors should expect to incur brokerage and other costs in connection with assembling a sufficient number of shares to constitute a redeemable Creation Unit.

The Administrative Agent, through NSCC, makes available immediately prior to the opening of business on the Exchange (currently 9:30 a.m. Eastern time) on each day that the Exchange is open for business, the identity of each Fund’s securities and/or an amount of cash that will be applicable (subject to possible amendment or correction) to redemption requests received in proper form on that day. Each Fund’s securities received on redemption (“Redemption Instruments”) may not be identical to Deposit Instruments that are applicable to creations of Creation Units. All orders are subject to acceptance by the Distributor.

The Trust will typically require verification with respect to a redemption request from a Fund in connection with higher levels of redemption activity and/or short interest in the Fund. If the Authorized Participant, upon receipt of a verification request, does not provide sufficient verification of its representations as determined by the Trust, the redemption request will not be considered to have been received in proper form and may be rejected by the Trust. Unless cash redemptions are permitted or required for a Fund, the redemption proceeds for a Creation Unit generally consist of Redemption Instruments as announced by the Administrative Agent on the Business Day of the request for redemption, plus cash in an amount equal to the difference between the NAV of the shares being redeemed, as next determined after a receipt of a request in proper form, and the value of the Redemption Instruments, less the fixed transaction fee and any variable transaction fees. Should the Redemption Instruments have a value greater than the NAV of the shares being redeemed, a compensating cash payment to the Trust equal to the differential plus the applicable redemption transaction fee will be required to be arranged for by or on behalf of the redeeming shareholder.

REDEMPTION TRANSACTION FEE. The basic fixed redemption transaction fee is the same no matter how many Creation Units are being redeemed pursuant to any one redemption request. An additional charge will be charged with respect to cash redemptions or redemptions outside of the NSCC Clearing Process. An additional variable transaction charge for cash redemptions or partial cash redemptions (when cash redemptions are permitted or required for a Fund) may also be imposed to compensate the Fund for the costs associated with selling the applicable securities. The Trust expects to sell, in the secondary market, the portfolio securities or settle any financial instruments not transferred in-kind (“Market Sales”). In such cases where the Trust makes Market Sales, the Authorized Participant will reimburse the Trust for, among other things, any difference between the market value at which the securities and/or financial instruments were sold or settled by the Trust and the cash in lieu amount (which amount, at PGIM Investments’ discretion, may be capped), applicable registration fees, brokerage commissions and certain taxes (“Transaction Costs”). PGIM Investments may adjust the transaction fee to the extent the composition of the redemption securities changes or cash in lieu is added to the Cash Amount to protect remaining shareholders. In no event will transaction fees charged by a Fund in connection with a redemption exceed 2% of the value of each Creation Unit. Investors who use the services of a broker or other such intermediary may be charged a fee for such services. To the extent a Fund cannot recoup the amount of Transaction Costs incurred in connection with a redemption from the redeeming shareholder because of the 2% cap or otherwise, those Transaction Costs will be borne by the Fund’s remaining shareholders and negatively affect Fund performance.

PLACEMENT OF REDEMPTION ORDERS USING NSCC CLEARING PROCESS. Orders to redeem Creation Units of a Fund through the NSCC Clearing Process, if available, must be delivered through a Participating Party that has executed the Participant Agreement. An order to redeem Creation Units of a Fund using the Clearing Process is deemed received on the Transmittal Date if (i) such order is received by


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the Distributor not later than 4:00 p.m. Eastern time on such Transmittal Date (or, for custom orders where cash replaces any Redemption Instrument, such earlier time set forth in the Participant Agreement or any ancillary documents); and (ii) all other procedures set forth in the Participant Agreement or any ancillary documents are properly followed; such order will be effected based on the NAV of the Fund as next determined. An order to redeem Creation Units of a Fund using the NSCC Clearing Process made in proper form but received by the Fund after 4:00 p.m. Eastern time, will be deemed received on the next Business Day immediately following the Transmittal Date. The requisite Fund securities (or contracts to purchase such Fund securities which are expected to be delivered in a “regular way” manner) and the applicable cash payment will be transferred by the second (2nd) Business Day following the date on which such request for redemption is deemed received. For each Fund, Creation Units typically are issued and redeemed on a “T+1 basis” (i.e., one Business Day after trade date). The Funds reserve the right to settle Creation Unit transactions on a basis other than T+1 if necessary or appropriate under the circumstances and compliant with applicable law.

PLACEMENT OF REDEMPTION ORDERS OUTSIDE NSCC CLEARING PROCESS. Orders to redeem Creation Units of a Fund outside the NSCC Clearing Process must be delivered through a DTC Participant that has executed the Participant Agreement. A DTC Participant who wishes to place an order for redemption of Creation Units of a Fund to be effected outside the NSCC Clearing Process need not be a Participating Party, but such orders must state that the DTC Participant is not using the Clearing Process and that redemption of Creation Units of the Fund will instead be effected through transfer of Creation Units of the Fund directly through DTC. An order to redeem Creation Units of a Fund outside the Clearing Process is deemed received by the Distributor on the Transmittal Date if (i) such order is received by the Distributor not later than 4:00 p.m. Eastern time on such Transmittal Date; (ii) such order is preceded or accompanied by the requisite number of shares of Creation Units specified in such order, which delivery must be made through DTC to the Custodian no later than 11:00 a.m. Eastern time, on such Transmittal Date (the “DTC Cut-Off-Time”); and (iii) all other procedures set forth in the Participant Agreement or any ancillary document are properly followed.

After the Distributor has deemed an order for redemption outside the NSCC Clearing Process received, the Custodian will initiate procedures to transfer the requisite Redemption Instruments (or contracts to purchase such Redemption Instruments) which are expected to be delivered within two Business Days and the cash redemption payment to the redeeming Beneficial Owner by the second Business Day following the Transmittal Date on which such redemption order is deemed received by the Custodian. For each Fund, Creation Units typically are issued and redeemed on a “T+1 basis” (i.e., one Business Day after trade date). The Funds reserve the right to settle Creation Unit transactions on a basis other than T+1 if necessary or appropriate under the circumstances and compliant with applicable law. An additional variable redemption transaction fee is applicable to redemptions outside the NSCC Clearing Process.

To the extent contemplated by an Authorized Participant’s agreement, in the event the Authorized Participant has submitted a redemption request in proper form but is unable to transfer all or part of the Creation Unit to be redeemed to the Funds’ Transfer Agent on the settlement date, the Trust, in its sole discretion, may nonetheless accept the redemption request in reliance on the undertaking by the Authorized Participant to deliver the missing shares as soon as possible. Such undertaking shall be secured by the Authorized Participant’s delivery and maintenance of collateral consisting of cash having a value (marked to market daily) of at least 105%, which the Trust may change from time to time, of the value of the missing shares.

The current procedures for collateralization of missing shares require, among other things, that any cash collateral shall be in the form of U.S. dollars in immediately available funds and shall be held by the Custodian and marked to market daily, and that the fees of the Custodian and any sub-custodians in respect of the delivery, maintenance and redelivery of the cash collateral shall be payable by the Authorized Participant. The Authorized Participant’s agreement will permit the Trust, on behalf of a Fund, to purchase the missing shares or acquire the Deposit Instruments and the Cash Amount underlying such shares at any time and will subject the Authorized Participant to liability for any shortfall between the cost to the Trust of purchasing such shares, Deposit Instruments or Cash Amount and the value of the collateral.

PLACEMENT OF REDEMPTION ORDERS OUTSIDE NSCC CLEARING PROCESS. Arrangements satisfactory to the Trust must be in place for the Participating Party to transfer the Creation Units through DTC on or before the settlement date. Redemptions of shares for Redemption Instruments that include securities or other instruments custodied outside of the United States will be subject to compliance with applicable U.S. federal and state securities laws and a Fund (whether or not it otherwise permits or requires cash redemptions) reserves the right to redeem Creation Units for cash to the extent that the Fund could not lawfully deliver specific Redemption Instruments upon redemptions or could not do so without first registering the securities under such laws.

In connection with taking delivery of Redemption Instruments upon redemption of Creation Units that include securities or other instruments custodied outside of the United States, a redeeming shareholder or entity acting on behalf of a redeeming shareholder must maintain appropriate custody arrangements with a qualified broker-dealer, bank or other custody providers in each jurisdiction in which any of the Redemption Instruments are customarily traded, to which account such Redemption Instruments will be delivered. If neither the redeeming shareholder nor the entity acting on behalf of a redeeming shareholder has appropriate arrangements to take delivery of


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the Redemption Instruments in the applicable foreign jurisdiction and it is not possible to make other such arrangements, or if it is not possible to effect deliveries of the Redemption Instruments in such jurisdictions, the Trust may, in its discretion, exercise its option to redeem such shares in cash, and the redeeming shareholder will be required to receive its redemption proceeds in cash.

Deliveries of redemption proceeds generally will be made within two business days. Due to the schedule of holidays in certain countries or for other reasons, however, the delivery of redemption proceeds may take longer than two business days after the day on which the redemption request is received in proper form. In such cases, the local market settlement procedures will not commence until the end of the local holiday periods.

The holidays applicable are listed below. The proclamation of new holidays, the treatment by market participants of certain days as “informal holidays” (e.g., days on which no or limited securities transactions occur, as a result of substantially shortened trading hours), the elimination of existing holidays or changes in local securities delivery practices, could affect the information set forth herein at some time in the future.

In calendar year 2018, the dates of regular holidays affecting the relevant securities markets in which the Funds invest are as follows (please note these holiday schedules are subject to potential changes in the relevant securities markets):

2018

 

ARGENTINA      
January 1 March 30 June 20 November 19
February 12 April 2 July 9 December 8
February 13 May 1 August 20 December 25
March 24 May 25 October 15  
March 29 June 17 November 6  
AUSTRALIA      
January 1 April 2 December 24 December 26
January 26 April 25 December 25 December 31
March 30 June 11    
AUSTRIA      
January 1 May 21 December 8 December 26
March 30 May 31 December 24 December 31
April 2 August 15 December 25  
May 1 October 26    
May 10 November 1    
BAHRAIN      
January 1 June 17 September 11 November 20
May 1 August 22 September 19 December 16
June 15 August 23 September 20 December 17
June 16 August 24    
BANGLADESH      
February 21 June 12 August 22 December 16
March 26 June 17 August 23 December 25
April 29 July 1 September 2 December 31
May 1 August 15 November 21  
May 2 August 21    
BELGIUM      
January 1 April 2 May 10 December 25
March 30 May 1 May 21 December 26
BERMUDA      
January 1 June 18 September 3 December 25


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March 30 August 2 November 12 December 26
May 24 August 3    
BOSNIA-HERZEGOVINA      
January 9 May 1 June 14 November 21
April 6 May 2 August 21 December 25
April 9 May 9    
BOTSWANA      
January 1 May 1 July 16 October 2
January 2 May 10 July 17 December 25
March 30 July 2 October 1 December 26
April 2      
BRAZIL      
January 1 February 14 July 9 November 15
January 25 March 30 September 7 November 20
February 12 May 1 October 12 December 25
February 13 May 31 November 2  
BULGARIA      
January 1 April 6 May 24 December 24
March 5 April 9 September 6 December 25
March 30 May 1 September 24 December 26
April 2 May 7    
CANADA      
January 1 May 21 September 3 December 25
February 19 July 2 October 8 December 26
March 30 August 6 November 12  
CHILE      
January 1 July 2 September 18 November 12
March 30 July 16 September 19 December 25
May 1 August 15 October 15  
May 21 September 17 November 1  
CHINA      
January 1 February 21 June 18 October 3
February 15 April 5 September 24 October 4
February 16 April 6 October 1 October 5
February 19 April 30 October 2  
February 20 May 1    
CLEARSTREAM      
January 1 December 25    


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COLOMBIA      
January 1 May 1 July 20 November 5
January 8 May 14 August 7 November 12
March 19 June 4 August 20 December 8
March 29 June 11 October 15 December 25
March 30 July 2    
COSTA RICA      
January 1 February 8 August 15 November 4
January 5 July 25 October 15 December 25
CROATIA      
January 1 May 31 October 8 December 25
March 30 June 22 November 1 December 26
April 2 June 25 December 24 December 31
May 1 August 15    
CYPRUS      
January 1 April 6 May 28 December 24
February 19 April 9 August 15 December 25
March 30 April 10 October 1 December 26
April 2 May 1    
CZECH REPUBLIC      
January 1 May 8 December 24 December 26
March 30 July 5 December 25 December 31
April 2 July 6    
May 1 September 28    
DENMARK      
January 1 April 27 May 21 December 25
March 29 May 1 June 5 December 26
March 30 May 10 December 24 December 31
April 2 May 11    
ECUADOR      
January 1 March 30 August 10 December 25
February 12 April 30 October 12 December 31
February 13 May 25 November 2  
EGYPT      
January 1 April 25 July 23 September 11
January 7 May 1 August 20 September 12
January 25 June 15 August 21 November 20
April 8 June 17 August 22 November 21
April 9 July 1 August 23 December 25
* The Egyptian market is closed every Friday.
ESTONIA      
January 1 May 1 December 24 December 26
March 30 May 10 December 25 December 31
April 2 August 20    
EUROCLEAR      
January 1 December 25    
FINLAND      


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January 1 May 10 December 24 December 26
March 3 June 22 December 25 December 31
April 2 December 6 December 26  
May 1      
FRANCE      
January 1 May 8 May 21 November 11
April 2 May 10 July 14 December 25
May 1 May 18 November 1 December 26
GERMANY      
January 1 May 1 May 31 December 25
March 30 May 10 October 3 December 26
April 2 May 21 December 24  
GHANA      
June 14 August 21 December 7 December 26
Jul 2 September 21 December 25  
GREECE      
January 1 April 2 May 1 December 24
February 19 April 6 May 28 December 25
March 30 April 9 August 15 December 26
HONG KONG      
January 1 April 2 July 2 December 24
February 15 April 5 September 25 December 25
February 16 May 1 October 1 December 26
February 19 May 22 October 17 December 31
March 30 June 18    
HUNGARY      
January 1 April 21 October 22 December 15
March 10 April 30 October 23 December 24
March 15 May 1 November 1 December 25
March 16 May 21 November 2 December 26
March 30 August 20 November 10 December 31
April 2 October 13 December 1  
ICELAND      
January 1 April 19 August 6 December 31
March 29 May 1 December 24  
March 30 May 10 December 25  
April 2 May 21 December 26  
INDIA      
January 26 March 30 August 22 November 7
February 13 April 30 September 13 November 8
February 19 May 1 September 20 November 21
March 2 August 15 October 2 November 23
March 29 August 17 October 18 December 25
INDONESIA      
January 1 May 29 June 18 November 20
February 16 June 1 June 19 December 24
March 30 June 13 August 17 December 25


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May 1 June 14 August 22 December 31
May 10 June 15 September 11  
IRELAND      
January 1 May 7 October 29 December 26
March 19 June 4 December 25  
April 2 August 6    
ISRAEL      
March 1 April 6 September 11 September 26
March 30 April 18 September 18 September 27
April 1 April 19 September 19 September 28
April 2 May 20 September 23 September 30
April 3 July 22 September 24 October 1
April 4 September 9 September 25  
April 5 September 10    
* The Israeli market is closed every Friday.
ITALY