497K 1 dreyfu-10114asrevised1120144.htm SUMMARY PROSPECTUS dreyfu-10114asrevised1120144.htm - Generated by SEC Publisher for SEC Filing

             

 

Dreyfus Emerging
Markets Debt Local
Currency Fund

 

Summary Prospectus

October 1, 2015

       
 

Class  Ticker

A  DDBAX

C  DDBCX

I  DDBIX

Y  DDBYX

Before you invest, you may want to review the fund's prospectus, which contains more information about the fund and its risks. You can find the fund's prospectus and other information about the fund, including the statement of additional information and most recent reports to shareholders, online at www.dreyfus.com/funddocuments. You can also get this information at no cost by calling 1-800-DREYFUS (inside the U.S. only) or by sending an e-mail request to info@dreyfus.com. The fund's prospectus and statement of additional information, dated October 1, 2015 (each as revised or supplemented), are incorporated by reference into this summary prospectus.

 
Investment Objective

The fund seeks to maximize total return.

Fees and Expenses

This table describes the fees and expenses that you may pay if you buy and hold shares of the fund. You may qualify for sales charge discounts if you and your family invest, or agree to invest in the future, at least $50,000 in certain funds in the Dreyfus Family of Funds. More information about these and other discounts is available from your financial professional and in the Shareholder Guide section beginning on page 13 of the prospectus and in the How to Buy Shares section and the Additional Information About How to Buy Shares section beginning on page II-1 and page III-1, respectively, of the fund's Statement of Additional Information.

               

Shareholder Fees (fees paid directly from your investment)

 

Class A

Class C

Class I

Class Y

Maximum sales charge (load) imposed on purchases

(as a percentage of offering price)

4.50

none

none

none

Maximum deferred sales charge (load)

(as a percentage of lower of purchase or sale price)

none*

1.00

none

none

Redemption fee (as a percentage of amount redeemed; charged only when selling shares you have owned for less than 60 days)

2.00

2.00

2.00

2.00

 

 

 

 

 

Annual Fund Operating Expenses (expenses that you pay each year as a percentage of the value of your investment)

 

Class A

Class C

Class I

Class Y

Management fees

.75

.75

.75

.75

Distribution (12b-1) fees

none

.75

none

none

Other expenses (including shareholder services fees)

.50

.50

.19

.13

Total annual fund operating expenses

1.25

2.00

.94

.88

*Class A shares bought without an initial sales charge as part of an investment of $1 million or more may be charged a deferred sales charge of 1.00% if redeemed within one year.

   


6081SP1015

 

Example

The 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 then redeem all of your shares at the end of those periods. The Example also assumes that your investment has a 5% return each year and that the fund's operating expenses remain the same. Although your actual costs may be higher or lower, based on these assumptions your costs would be:

         
 

1 Year

3 Years

5 Years

10 Years

Class A

$572

$829

$1,105

$1,893

Class C

$303

$627

$1,078

$2,327

Class I

$96

$300

$520

$1,155

Class Y

$90

$281

$488

$1,084

You would pay the following expenses if you did not redeem your shares:

         
 

1 Year

3 Years

5 Years

10 Years

Class A

$572

$829

$1,105

$1,893

Class C

$203

$627

$1,078

$2,327

Class I

$96

$300

$520

$1,155

Class Y

$90

$281

$488

$1,084

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 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. During the most recent fiscal year, the fund's portfolio turnover rate was 61.03% of the average value of its portfolio.

Principal Investment Strategy

To pursue its goal, the fund normally invests at least 80% of its net assets, plus any borrowings for investment purposes, in emerging market bonds and other debt instruments denominated in the local currency of issue, and in derivative instruments that provide investment exposure to such securities. These instruments consist primarily of emerging market government bonds and currency forward exchange contracts. The fund's portfolio managers employ an investment process that uses in depth fundamental country and currency analysis disciplined by proprietary quantitative valuation models. A "top down" analysis of macroeconomic, financial and political variables guides country and currency allocation. The portfolio managers also consider other market technicals and the global risk environment. The portfolio managers seek to identify shifts in country fundamentals and consider the risk adjusted attractiveness of currency and duration returns for each emerging market country. The fund is not restricted as to credit quality when making investments in debt securities. Emerging markets generally are those countries defined as having an emerging or developing economy by the World Bank or its related organizations, or the United Nations or its authorities.

Principal Risks

An investment in the fund is not a bank deposit. It is not insured or guaranteed by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC) or any other government agency. It is not a complete investment program. The fund's share price fluctuates, sometimes dramatically, which means you could lose money.

· Fixed-income market risk. The market value of a fixed-income security may decline due to general market conditions that are not specifically related to a particular company, such as real or perceived adverse economic conditions, changes in the outlook for corporate earnings, changes in interest or currency rates or adverse investor sentiment generally. The fixed-income securities market can be susceptible to increases in volatility and decreases in liquidity. Liquidity can decline unpredictably in response to overall economic conditions or credit tightening. Increases in volatility and decreases in liquidity may be caused by a rise in interest rates (or the expectation of a rise in interest rates), which are at or near historic lows in the United States and in other countries. An unexpected increase in fund redemption requests, including requests from shareholders who may own a significant percentage of the fund's shares, which may be triggered by market turmoil or an increase in interest rates, could cause the fund to sell its holdings at a loss or at undesirable prices and adversely affect the fund's share price and increase the fund's liquidity risk, fund expenses and/or taxable distributions.

· Interest rate risk. Prices of bonds and other fixed-income securities tend to move inversely with changes in interest rates. Typically, a rise in rates will adversely affect fixed-income securities and, accordingly, will cause the value of the fund's

   

Dreyfus Emerging Markets Debt Local Currency Fund Summary

2

 

investments in these securities to decline. During periods of very low interest rates, which occur from time to time due to market forces or actions of governments and/or their central banks, including the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System in the U.S., the fund may be subject to a greater risk of principal decline from rising interest rates. When interest rates fall, the values of already-issued fixed-income securities generally rise. However, when interest rates fall, the fund's investments in new securities may be at lower yields and may reduce the fund's income. The magnitude of these fluctuations in the market price of fixed-income securities is generally greater for securities with longer effective maturities and durations because such instruments do not mature, reset interest rates or become callable for longer periods of time. The change in the value of a fixed-income security or portfolio can be approximated by multiplying its duration by a change in interest rates. For example, the market price of a fixed-income security with a duration of three years would be expected to decline 3% if interest rates rose 1%. Conversely, the market price of the same security would be expected to increase 3% if interest rates fell 1%. Risks associated with rising interest rates are heightened given that interest rates in the United States and other countries are at or near historic lows. Unlike investment grade bonds, however, the prices of high yield bonds may fluctuate unpredictably and not necessarily inversely with changes in interest rates.

· Credit risk. Failure of an issuer of a security to make timely interest or principal payments, or a decline or perception of a decline in the credit quality of the security, can cause the security's price to fall, lowering the value of the fund's investment in such security. The lower a security's credit rating, the greater the chance that the issuer of the security will default or fail to meet its payment obligations.

· High yield securities risk. High yield ("junk") securities involve greater credit risk, including the risk of default, than investment grade securities, and are considered predominantly speculative with respect to the issuer's ability to make principal and interest payments. The prices of high yield securities can fall in response to bad news about the issuer or its industry, or the economy in general, to a greater extent than those of higher rated securities.

· Foreign investment risk. To the extent the fund invests in foreign securities, the fund's performance will be influenced by political, social and economic factors affecting investments in foreign issuers. Special risks associated with investments in foreign issuers include exposure to currency fluctuations, less liquidity, less developed or less efficient trading markets, lack of comprehensive company information, political and economic instability and differing auditing and legal standards. Investments denominated in foreign currencies are subject to the risk that such currencies will decline in value relative to the U.S. dollar and affect the value of these investments held by the fund. To the extent the fund's investments are focused in a limited number of foreign countries, the fund's performance could be more volatile than that of more geographically diversified funds.

· Liquidity risk. When there is little or no active trading market for specific types of securities, it can become more difficult to sell the securities in a timely manner at or near their perceived value. In such a market, the value of such securities and the fund's share price may fall dramatically, even during periods of declining interest rates. Investments that are illiquid or that trade in lower volumes may be more difficult to value. The market for below investment grade securities may be less liquid and therefore these securities may be harder to value or sell at an acceptable price, especially during times of market volatility or decline. Investments in foreign securities, particularly those of issuers located in emerging markets, tend to have greater exposure to liquidity risk than domestic securities.

· Derivatives risk. A small investment in derivatives could have a potentially large impact on the fund's performance. The use of derivatives involves risks different from, or possibly greater than, the risks associated with investing directly in the underlying assets. Derivatives can be highly volatile, illiquid and difficult to value. Certain types of derivatives, including swap agreements, forward contracts and other over-the-counter transactions, involve greater risks than the underlying obligations because, in addition to general market risks, they are subject to illiquidity risk, counterparty risk, credit risk and pricing risk.

· Issuer risk. A security's market value may decline for a number of reasons which directly relate to the issuer, such as management performance, financial leverage and reduced demand for the issuer's products or services, or factors that affect the issuer's industry, such as labor shortages or increased production costs and competitive conditions within an industry.

· Foreign government obligations and securities of supranational entities risk. Investing in foreign government obligations and the sovereign debt of emerging market countries creates exposure to the direct or indirect consequences of political, social or economic changes in the countries that issue the securities or in which the issuers are located. Factors which may influence the ability or willingness of a foreign government or country to service debt include a country's cash flow situation, the availability of sufficient foreign exchange on the date a payment is due, the relative size of its debt service burden to the economy as a whole and its government's policy towards the International Monetary Fund, the International Bank for Reconstruction and Development and other international agencies. Other factors include the obligor's balance of payments, including export performance, its access to international credit and investments, fluctuations in interest rates and the extent of its foreign reserves. A governmental obligor may default on its obligations. These risks are heightened with respect to emerging market countries.

· Emerging market risk. The securities of issuers located or doing substantial business in emerging market countries tend to be more volatile and less liquid than the securities of issuers located in countries with more mature economies. Emerging markets

   

Dreyfus Emerging Markets Debt Local Currency Fund Summary

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generally have less diverse and less mature economic structures and less stable political systems than those of developed countries. Investments in these countries may be subject to political, economic, legal, market and currency risks. The risks may include less protection of property rights and uncertain political and economic policies, the imposition of capital controls and/or foreign investment limitations by a country, nationalization of businesses and the imposition of sanctions by other countries, such as the United States. For example, in response to recent political and military actions undertaken by Russia, the United States and certain other countries, as well as the European Union, have instituted economic sanctions against certain Russian individuals and companies. The political and economic situation in Russia, and the current and any future sanctions or other government actions against Russia may result in the decline in the value and liquidity of Russian securities, devaluation of Russian currency, a downgrade in Russia's credit rating, the inability to freely trade the securities of sanctioned companies (either due to the sanctions imposed or related operational issues) and/or other adverse consequences to the Russian economy, any of which could negatively impact a fund's investments in Russian securities.

· Foreign currency risk. Investments in foreign currencies are subject to the risk that those currencies will decline in value relative to the U.S. dollar or, in the case of hedged positions, that the U.S. dollar will decline relative to the currency being hedged. Currency exchange rates may fluctuate significantly over short periods of time. Foreign currencies are also subject to risks caused by inflation, interest rates, budget deficits and low savings rates, political factors and government intervention and controls.

· Issuer concentration risk. Because the availability of local currency emerging market securities, including from sovereign issuers, may be more limited than other asset classes, the fund may have increased issuer concentration and, in order to comply with Internal Revenue Service diversification requirements for registered investment companies, may experience higher portfolio turnover. Higher portfolio turnover may cause the realization of gains and losses, which may impact the taxable income available for distribution to shareholders as ordinary income.

· Non-diversification risk. The fund is non-diversified, which means that the fund may invest a relatively high percentage of its assets in a limited number of issuers. Therefore, the fund's performance may be more vulnerable to changes in the market value of a single issuer or group of issuers and more susceptible to risks associated with a single economic, political or regulatory occurrence than a diversified fund.

Performance

The following bar chart and table provide some indication of the risks of investing in the fund. The bar chart shows changes in the performance of the fund's Class A shares from year to year. The table compares the average annual total returns of the fund's shares to those of a broad measure of market performance. The fund's past performance (before and after taxes) is not necessarily an indication of how the fund will perform in the future. Sales charges, if any, are not reflected in the bar chart, and if those charges were included, returns would have been less than those shown. More recent performance information may be available at www.dreyfus.com.

   

Year-by-Year Total Returns as of 12/31 each year (%)

Class A

Best Quarter
Q2, 2009: 14.82%

Worst Quarter
Q3, 2011: -10.42%

The year-to-date total return of the fund's Class A shares as of June 30, 2015 was -4.00%.

After-tax performance is shown only for Class A shares. After-tax performance of the fund's other share classes will vary. 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. Actual after-tax returns depend on the investor's tax situation and may differ from those shown, and the after-tax returns shown are not relevant to investors who hold their shares through tax-deferred arrangements such as 401(k) plans or individual retirement accounts.

   

Dreyfus Emerging Markets Debt Local Currency Fund Summary

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For the fund's Class Y shares, periods prior to the inception date reflect the performance of the fund's Class A shares, not reflecting the applicable sales charges for Class A shares.  Such performance figures have not been adjusted to reflect applicable class fees and expenses.

       

Average Annual Total Returns (as of 12/31/14)

Class (Inception Date)

1 Year

5 Years

Since Inception

Class A returns before taxes (9/12/08)

-14.66%

0.08%

1.68%

Class A returns after taxes on distributions

-14.91%

-0.83%

0.73%

Class A returns after taxes on distributions and sale of fund shares

-8.28%

-0.43%

0.90%

Class C returns before taxes (9/12/08)

-12.19%

0.24%

1.65%

Class I returns before taxes (9/12/08)

-10.30%

1.30%

2.71%

Class Y returns before taxes (7/1/13)

-10.29%

1.15%

2.55%

JPMorgan Government Bond Index – Emerging Markets Global Diversified*
reflects no deduction for fees, expenses or taxes

-5.72%

2.63%

3.56%**

JPMorgan Government Bond Index – Emerging Markets Diversified*
reflects no deduction for fees, expenses or taxes

-8.50%

2.74%

3.49%**

*The JPMorgan Government Bond Index – Emerging Markets Global Diversified (GBI-EM Global Diversified) is an unmanaged index that tracks local currency bonds issued by emerging market governments and consists of regularly traded, liquid fixed-rate, local currency government bonds and includes only those countries that give access to their capital markets to global investors. GBI-EM Global Diversified is being used as the fund’s primary benchmark because it more accurately reflects the portfolio’s investments. Performance of the JPMorgan Government Bond Index – Emerging Markets Diversified, the fund’s former primary benchmark, will not be shown in the future.
** For comparative purposes, the value of the JPMorgan Government Bond Index – Emerging Markets Global Diversified and the JPMorgan Government Bond Index – Emerging Markets Diversified on August 31, 2008 are used as the beginning value on September 12, 2008.

Portfolio Management

The fund's investment adviser is The Dreyfus Corporation (Dreyfus).

Federico Garcia Zamora, Alexander Kozhemiakin and Javier Murcio are the fund's primary portfolio managers. Mr. Garcia Zamora has been a primary portfolio manager for the fund since May 2015, and Messrs. Kozhemiakin and Murcio have been primary portfolio managers for the fund since the fund's inception in September 2008. Messrs. Garcia Zamora, Kozhemiakin and Murcio are employees of Dreyfus and Standish Mellon Asset Management Company LLC (Standish), an affiliate of Dreyfus. Mr. Garcia Zamora is a director of emerging markets strategies and portfolio manager for emerging market local currency debt at Standish, Mr. Kozhemiakin is the managing director of emerging market strategies and senior portfolio manager responsible for managing all emerging market debt portfolios at Standish and Mr. Murcio is a senior sovereign analyst and portfolio manager for emerging markets at Standish.

Purchase and Sale of Fund Shares

In general, for each share class, other than Class Y, the fund's minimum initial investment is $1,000 and the minimum subsequent investment is $100. For Class Y shares, the minimum initial investment generally is $1,000,000, with no minimum subsequent investment. You may sell (redeem) your shares on any business day by calling 1-800-DREYFUS (inside the U.S. only) or by visiting www.dreyfus.com. If you invested in the fund through a third party, such as a bank, broker-dealer or financial adviser, or in a 401(k) or other retirement plan, you may mail your request to sell shares to Dreyfus Institutional Department, P.O. Box 9882, Providence, Rhode Island 02940-8082. If you invested directly through the fund, you may mail your request to sell shares to Dreyfus Shareholder Services, P.O. Box 9879, Providence, Rhode Island 02940-8079. If you are an Institutional Direct accountholder, please contact your BNY Mellon relationship manager for instructions.

Tax Information

The fund's distributions are taxable as ordinary income or capital gains, except when your investment is through an IRA, 401(k) plan or other tax-advantaged investment plan (in which case you may be taxed upon withdrawal of your investment from such account).

   

Dreyfus Emerging Markets Debt Local Currency Fund Summary

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Payments to Broker-Dealers and Other Financial Intermediaries

If you purchase shares (other than Class Y shares) through a broker-dealer or other financial intermediary (such as a bank), the fund and its related companies may pay the intermediary for the sale of fund shares and related services. 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.

This prospectus does not constitute an offer or solicitation in any state or jurisdiction in which, or to any person to whom, such offering or solicitation may not lawfully be made.

   

Dreyfus Emerging Markets Debt Local Currency Fund Summary

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