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MFS® Global High Yield Fund
MFS® Global High Yield Fund Summary of Key Information
Investment Objective

The fund’s investment objective is to seek total return with an emphasis on high current income, but also considering capital appreciation.

Fees and Expenses

This table describes the fees and expenses that you may pay when you buy and hold shares of the fund. Investors may also pay commissions or other fees to their financial intermediaries when they buy and hold shares of the fund, which are not reflected below.


You may qualify for sales charge reductions if, with respect to Class A shares, you and certain members of your family invest, or agree to invest in the future, at least $100,000 in MFS Funds, and, with respect to Class T shares, you invest at least $250,000 in the fund. More information about these and other waivers and reductions is available from your financial intermediary and in “Sales Charges and Waivers and Reductions” on page 10 and “Appendix A – Waivers and Reductions of Sales Charges” on page A-1 of the fund’s prospectus.

Shareholder Fees (fees paid directly from your investment):
Shareholder Fees - MFS® Global High Yield Fund
A
T
B
C
I
R1
R2
R3
R4
R6
Maximum Sales Charge (Load) Imposed on Purchases (as a percentage of offering price) 4.25% 2.50% none none none none none none none none
Maximum Deferred Sales Charge (Load) (as a percentage of original purchase price or redemption proceeds, whichever is less) 1.00% [1] none 4.00% 1.00% none none none none none none
[1] This contingent deferred sales charge (CDSC) applies to shares purchased without an initial sales charge and redeemed within 18 months of purchase.
Annual Fund Operating Expenses (expenses that you pay each year as a percentage of the value of your investment):
Annual Fund Operating Expenses - MFS® Global High Yield Fund
A
T
B
C
I
R1
R2
R3
R4
R6
Management Fee 0.65% 0.65% 0.65% 0.65% 0.65% 0.65% 0.65% 0.65% 0.65% 0.65%
Distribution and/or Service (12b-1) Fees 0.25% 0.25% 1.00% 1.00% none 1.00% 0.50% 0.25% none none
Other Expenses 0.24% 0.24% 0.24% 0.24% 0.24% 0.24% 0.24% 0.24% 0.24% 0.14%
Acquired (Underlying) Fund Fees and Expenses 0.01% 0.01% 0.01% 0.01% 0.01% 0.01% 0.01% 0.01% 0.01% 0.01%
Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses 1.15% 1.15% 1.90% 1.90% 0.90% 1.90% 1.40% 1.15% 0.90% 0.80%
Fee Reductions and/or Expense Reimbursements [1] (0.09%) (0.09%) (0.09%) (0.09%) (0.09%) (0.09%) (0.09%) (0.09%) (0.09%) (0.06%)
Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses After Fee Reductions and/or Expense Reimbursements 1.06% 1.06% 1.81% 1.81% 0.81% 1.81% 1.31% 1.06% 0.81% 0.74%
[1] Massachusetts Financial Services Company has agreed in writing to bear the fund's expenses, excluding interest, taxes, extraordinary expenses, brokerage and transaction costs, and investment-related expenses (such as interest and borrowing expenses incurred in connection with the fund's investment activity, and fees and expenses associated with investments in investment companies and other similar investment vehicles), such that "Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses" do not exceed 1.05% of the class' average daily net assets annually for each of Class A, Class T, and Class R3 shares, 1.80% of the class' average daily net assets annually for each of Class B, Class C, and Class R1 shares, 0.80% of the class' average daily net assets annually for each of Class I and Class R4 shares, 1.30% of the class' average daily net assets annually for Class R2 shares, and 0.73% of the class' average daily net assets annually for Class R6 shares. This written agreement will continue until modified by the fund's Board of Trustees, but such agreement will continue until at least May 31, 2020.
Example

This example is intended to help you compare the cost of investing in the fund with the cost of investing in other mutual funds.


The example assumes that: you invest $10,000 in the fund for the time periods indicated and you redeem your shares at the end of the time periods (unless otherwise indicated); your investment has a 5% return each year; and the fund’s operating expenses remain the same.

Although your actual costs will likely be higher or lower, under these assumptions your costs would be:
Expense Example - MFS® Global High Yield Fund - USD ($)
1 YEAR
3 YEARS
5 YEARS
10 YEARS
A 528 766 1,023 1,755
T 355 598 859 1,605
B 584 888 1,218 2,019
C 284 588 1,018 2,215
I 83 278 490 1,100
R1 184 588 1,018 2,215
R2 133 434 757 1,672
R3 108 356 624 1,390
R4 83 278 490 1,100
R6 76 249 438 984
Expense Example No Redemption - MFS® Global High Yield Fund - USD ($)
1 YEAR
3 YEARS
5 YEARS
10 YEARS
B 184 588 1,018 2,019
C 184 588 1,018 2,215
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 shares are held in a taxable account. These transaction costs, which are not reflected in “Annual Fund Operating Expenses” or in the “Example,” affect the fund’s performance.  During the most recent fiscal year, the fund’s portfolio turnover rate was 13% of the average value of its portfolio.

Principal Investment Strategies

MFS (Massachusetts Financial Services Company, the fund’s investment adviser) normally invests directly and/or indirectly through investment in mutual funds advised by MFS at least 80% of the fund’s net assets in high income debt instruments.


MFS may invest the fund’s assets in other types of debt instruments.


Debt instruments include corporate bonds, foreign government securities, floating rate loans, and other obligations to repay money borrowed.


MFS may invest up to 100% of the fund’s assets in below investment grade quality debt instruments.


MFS invests the fund’s assets in U.S. and foreign securities, including emerging market securities.


MFS normally invests the fund’s assets across different industries, sectors, countries, and regions, but MFS may invest a significant percentage of the fund’s assets in issuers in a single industry, sector, country, or region.  MFS generally invests the fund’s assets in at least three different countries and invests a percentage of the fund’s net assets in securities of foreign issuers equal to at least the lesser of 40% or the percentage of foreign issuers in the BofA Merrill Lynch Global High Yield - Constrained Index (USD Hedged) (the Index) less 15%.


While MFS may use derivatives for any investment purpose, to the extent MFS uses derivatives, MFS expects to use derivatives primarily to increase or decrease exposure to a particular market, segment of the market, or security, to increase or decrease interest rate or currency exposure, or as alternatives to direct investments. Derivatives include futures, forward contracts, options, swaps, and certain complex structured securities.


MFS uses an active bottom-up investment approach to buying and selling investments for the fund. Investments are selected primarily based on fundamental analysis of individual instruments and their issuers. Quantitative screening tools that systematically evaluate instruments may also be considered. In structuring the fund, MFS also considers top-down factors.


MFS may invest the fund’s assets in other mutual funds advised by MFS that invest in particular investment types rather than invest directly in such investments.


For purposes of the fund’s 80% policy, net assets include the amount of any borrowings for investment purposes.

Principal Risks

As with any mutual fund, the fund may not achieve its objective and/or you could lose money on your investment in the fund. An investment in the fund is not a bank deposit and is not insured or guaranteed by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation or any other governmental agency.


The principal risks of investing in the fund are:


Debt Market Risk:  Debt markets can be volatile and can decline significantly in response to, or investor perceptions of, issuer, market, economic, industry, political, regulatory, geopolitical, and other conditions.  These conditions can affect a single instrument, issuer, or borrower, a particular type of instrument, issuer, or borrower, a segment of the debt markets or the debt markets generally. Certain events can have a dramatic adverse effect on debt markets and may lead to periods of high volatility and reduced liquidity in a debt market or segment of a debt market.


Interest Rate Risk:  In general, the price of a debt instrument falls when interest rates rise and rises when interest rates fall. Interest rate risk is generally greater for instruments with longer maturities, or that do not pay current interest.


Credit Risk:  The price of a debt instrument depends, in part, on the credit quality of the issuer, borrower, counterparty, or other entity responsible for payment, or underlying collateral or assets and the terms of the instrument. The price of a debt instrument can decline in response to changes in, or perceptions of, the financial condition of the issuer, borrower, counterparty, or other entity, or underlying collateral or assets, or changes in, or perceptions of, specific or general market, economic, industry, political, regulatory, geopolitical, and other conditions.


Below investment grade quality debt instruments (commonly referred to as “high yield securities” or “junk bonds”) can involve a substantially greater risk of default or can already be in default, and their values can decline significantly. Below investment grade quality debt instruments are regarded as having predominantly speculative characteristics. Below investment grade quality debt instruments tend to be more sensitive to adverse news about the issuer, or the market or economy in general, than higher quality debt instruments.


Foreign Risk:  Exposure to foreign markets through issuers or currencies can involve additional risks relating to market, economic, industry, political, regulatory, geopolitical, and other conditions. These factors can make foreign investments, especially those in emerging markets, more volatile and less liquid than U.S. investments. In addition, foreign markets can react differently to these conditions than the U.S. market.


Emerging Markets Risk:  Investments in emerging markets, especially frontier markets, can involve additional and greater risks than the risks associated with investments in developed foreign markets.  Emerging markets can have less developed markets, greater custody and operational risk, less developed legal, regulatory, and accounting systems, and greater political, social, geopolitical, and economic instability than developed markets.


Currency Risk:  The value of foreign currencies relative to the U.S. dollar fluctuates in response to market, economic, industry, political, regulatory, geopolitical, and other conditions, and changes in currency exchange rates impact the financial condition of companies or other issuers and may change the value in U.S. dollars of investments denominated in foreign currencies.


Focus Risk:  Issuers in a single industry, sector, country, or region can react similarly to market, currency, political, economic, regulatory, geopolitical, and other conditions, and the fund’s performance will be affected by the conditions in the industries, sectors, countries and regions to which the fund is exposed.


Derivatives Risk:  Derivatives can be highly volatile and involve risks in addition to the risks of the underlying indicator(s) on which the derivative is based. Gains or losses from derivatives can be substantially greater than the derivatives’ original cost.  Derivatives can involve leverage.


Leveraging Risk:  Leverage involves investment exposure in an amount exceeding the initial investment. Leverage can cause increased volatility by magnifying gains or losses.


Counterparty and Third Party Risk:  Transactions involving a counterparty or third party other than the issuer of the instrument are subject to the credit risk of the counterparty or third party, and to the counterparty’s or third party’s ability or willingness to perform in accordance with the terms of the transaction.


Liquidity Risk:  It may be difficult to value, and it may not be possible to sell, certain investments, types of investments, and/or investments in certain segments of the market, and the fund may have to sell certain of these investments at prices or times that are not advantageous in order to meet redemptions or other cash needs.


Investment Selection Risk:  MFS’ investment analysis and its selection of investments may not produce the intended results and/or can lead to an investment focus that results in the fund underperforming other funds with similar investment strategies and/or underperforming the markets in which the fund invests.

Performance Information

The bar chart and performance table below are intended to provide some indication of the risks of investing in the fund by showing changes in the fund’s performance over time and how the fund’s performance over time compares with that of a broad measure of market performance.


The fund’s past performance (before and after taxes) does not necessarily indicate how the fund will perform in the future. Updated performance is available online at mfs.com or by calling 1-800-225-2606.

The bar chart does not take into account any sales charges (loads) that you may be required to pay upon purchase or redemption of the fund’s shares. If these sales charges were included, they would reduce the returns shown.

Class A Bar Chart.
Bar Chart

The total return for the three-month period ended March 31, 2019, was 6.49%. During the period(s) shown in the bar chart, the highest quarterly return was 21.88% (for the calendar quarter ended June 30, 2009) and the lowest quarterly return was (6.69)% (for the calendar quarter ended September 30, 2011).

Performance Table.
Average Annual Total Returns (For the Periods Ended December 31, 2018)
Average Annual Returns - MFS® Global High Yield Fund
Label
Average Annual Returns, 1 Year
Average Annual Returns, 5 Years
Average Annual Returns, 10 Years
T T Shares Returns Before Taxes (5.52%) 2.33% 9.60%
B B Shares Returns Before Taxes (7.52%) 1.79% 9.25%
C C Shares Returns Before Taxes (4.92%) 2.11% 9.10%
I I Shares Returns Before Taxes (2.85%) 3.10% 10.15%
R1 R1 Shares Returns Before Taxes (3.98%) 2.08% 9.07%
R2 R2 Shares Returns Before Taxes (3.33%) 2.63% 9.63%
R3 R3 Shares Returns Before Taxes (3.10%) 2.88% 9.91%
R4 R4 Shares Returns Before Taxes (2.98%) 3.08% 10.22%
R6 R6 Shares Returns Before Taxes (2.76%) 3.20% 10.19%
A A Shares Returns Before Taxes (7.22%) 1.99% 9.43%
After Taxes on Distributions | A A Shares Returns After Taxes on Distributions (8.90%) (0.27%) 6.72%
After Taxes on Distributions and Sale of Fund Shares | A A Shares Returns After Taxes on Distributions and Sale of Fund Shares (4.25%) 0.49% 6.36%
BofA Merrill Lynch Global High Yield - Constrained Index (USD Hedged) Index Comparison (Reflects no deduction for fees, expenses, or taxes) BofA Merrill Lynch Global High Yield - Constrained Index (USD Hedged) (1.90%) 4.34% 11.66%

After-tax returns are calculated using the historical highest individual federal marginal income tax rates and do not reflect the impact of state and local taxes. Your actual after-tax returns will depend on your own tax situation, and may differ from those shown. The after-tax returns shown are not relevant to investors who hold their shares through tax-advantaged arrangements, such as 401(k) plans or individual retirement accounts. The after-tax returns are shown for only one of the fund’s classes of shares, and after-tax returns for the fund’s other classes of shares will vary from the returns shown.