485APOS 1 d573633d485apos.htm PIMCO FUNDS PIMCO FUNDS
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As filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission on May 25, 2018

File Nos. 033-12113

811-05028

UNITED STATES

SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION

Washington, D.C. 20549

Form N-1A

 

REGISTRATION STATEMENT UNDER THE SECURITIES ACT OF 1933   

Post-Effective Amendment No. 317   

And   

REGISTRATION STATEMENT UNDER THE INVESTMENT

COMPANY ACT OF 1940

  

Amendment No. 434   

PIMCO Funds

(Exact name of Registrant as Specified in Charter)

650 Newport Center Drive

Newport Beach, California 92660

(Address of Principal Executive Offices) (Zip Code)

Registrant’s Telephone Number, including area code:

(866) 746-2606

 

Robert W. Helm, Esq.

Brendan C. Fox, Esq.

Dechert LLP

1900 K Street, N.W.

Washington, D.C. 20006

  

Brent R. Harris

Pacific Investment Management Company LLC

650 Newport Center Drive

Newport Beach, California 92660

(Name and Address of Agent for Service)

It is proposed that this filing will become effective (check appropriate box):

 

  ☐  immediately upon filing pursuant to paragraph (b)    ☐  on (date) pursuant to paragraph (b)
  ☐  60 days after filing pursuant to paragraph (a)(1)    ☒  on July 30, 2018 pursuant to paragraph (a)(1)
  ☐  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.

 


Table of Contents

EXPLANATORY NOTE

This Post-Effective Amendment No. 317 to the Registration Statement of PIMCO Funds (the “Trust” or the “Registrant”) on Form N-1A (File No. 33-12113) (the “Amendment”) is being filed pursuant to Rule 485(a) under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, to (a) register Class I-3 shares of PIMCO Credit Absolute Return Fund, PIMCO GNMA Fund, PIMCO High Yield Municipal Bond Fund, PIMCO Long-Term U.S. Government Fund, PIMCO Low Duration ESG Fund, PIMCO Municipal Bond Fund, PIMCO New York Municipal Bond Fund, PIMCO Short Duration Municipal Income Fund and PIMCO Total Return ESG Fund, each an existing series of the Registrant, and (b) to make changes to the: (i) Asset Allocation Funds Prospectus; (ii) Bond Funds Prospectus; (iii) Credit Bond Funds Prospectus; (iv) Equity-Related Strategy Funds Prospectus; (v) International Bond Funds Prospectus; (vi) Quantitative Strategies Prospectus; (vii) Real Return Strategy Funds Prospectus; (viii) Short Duration Strategy Funds Prospectus; (ix) Tax-Efficient Strategy Funds Prospectus; and (x) Statement of Additional Information.


Table of Contents




Prospectus

PIMCO Funds

*I-2 was formerly called Class P.




As with other mutual funds, neither the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission nor the U.S. Commodity Futures Trading Commission has approved or disapproved these securities, or determined if this prospectus is truthful or complete. Any representation to the contrary is a criminal offense.

Asset Allocation Funds

[ ]

Inst

I-2*

I-3

Admin

A

C

R

PIMCO All Asset Fund

PAAIX

PALPX

PAANX

PAALX

PASAX

PASCX

PATRX

PIMCO All Asset All Authority Fund

PAUIX

PAUPX

PAUNX

PAUAX

PAUCX

PIMCO Global Multi-Asset Fund

PGAIX

PGAPX

PGMAX

PGMCX

PGMRX

PIMCO Multi-Strategy Alternative Fund

PXAIX

PXAPX

PXAAX

PIMCO REALPATH® Income Fund

PRIEX

PRNAX

PTNAX

PIMCO REALPATH® 2020 Fund

PRWIX

PFNAX

PTYAX

PIMCO REALPATH® 2025 Fund

PENTX

PENMX

PENZX

PIMCO REALPATH® 2030 Fund

PRLIX

PNLAX

PEHAX

PIMCO REALPATH® 2035 Fund

PIVIX

PIVNX

PIVAX

PIMCO REALPATH® 2040 Fund

PROIX

PEOAX

POFAX

PIMCO REALPATH® 2045 Fund

PFZIX

PFZMX

PFZAX

PIMCO REALPATH® 2050 Fund

PRMIX

POTAX

PFYAX

PIMCO REALPATH® 2055 Fund

PRQIX

PQRZX

PQRAX




 

Table of Contents

Page

Fund Summaries

1

PIMCO All Asset Fund

1

PIMCO All Asset All Authority Fund

6

PIMCO Global Multi-Asset Fund

12

PIMCO Multi-Strategy Alternative Fund

17

PIMCO REALPATH® Income Fund

22

PIMCO REALPATH® 2020 Fund

28

PIMCO REALPATH® 2025 Fund

34

PIMCO REALPATH® 2030 Fund

40

PIMCO REALPATH® 2035 Fund

46

PIMCO REALPATH® 2040 Fund

52

PIMCO REALPATH® 2045 Fund

58

PIMCO REALPATH® 2050 Fund

64

PIMCO REALPATH® 2055 Fund

70

Summary of Other Important Information Regarding Fund Shares

76

Description of Principal Risks

77

Disclosure of Portfolio Holdings

91

Management of the Funds

92

Classes of Shares

99

Purchases, Redemptions and Exchanges

104

How Fund Shares are Priced

111

Fund Distributions

113

Tax Consequences

113

Characteristics and Risks of Securities and Investment Techniques

116

Descriptions of the Underlying PIMCO Funds

131

Financial Highlights

132

Appendix A - Description of Securities Ratings

A-1

Appendix B - Financial Firm-Specific Sales Charge Waivers and Discounts

B-1


 

PIMCO All Asset Fund

Investment Objective

The Fund seeks maximum real return, consistent with preservation of real capital and prudent investment management.

Fees and Expenses of the Fund

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 $100,000 in Class A shares of eligible funds offered by PIMCO Equity Series and PIMCO Funds. More information about these and other discounts is available in the "Classes of Shares" section on page [ ] of the Fund's prospectus, Appendix B to the Fund's prospectus (Financial Firm-Specific Sales Charge Waivers and Discounts) or from your financial advisor.

Shareholder Fees (fees paid directly from your investment):

 

Inst
Class

I-2

I-3

Admin
Class

Class A

Class C

Class R

Maximum Sales Charge (Load) Imposed on Purchases (as a percentage of offering price)

None

None

None

None

3.75%

None

None

Maximum Deferred Sales Charge (Load) (as a percentage of the lower of the original purchase price or redemption price)

None

None

None

None

1.00%

1.00%

None

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

 

Inst
Class

I-2

I-3

Admin
Class

Class A

Class C

Class R

Management Fees

0.225%

0.325%

0.425%

0.225%

0.425%

0.425%

0.425%

Distribution and/or Service (12b-1) Fees

N/A

N/A

N/A

0.25%

0.25%

1.00%

0.50%

Acquired Fund Fees and Expenses(1)

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses(2)

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

Fee Waiver and/or Expense Reimbursement(3)(4)

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses After Fee Waiver and/or Expense Reimbursement

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

1 Acquired Fund Fees and Expenses include interest expense of the Underlying PIMCO Funds of [ ]%. Interest expense can result from certain transactions within the Underlying PIMCO Funds and is separate from the management fees paid to PIMCO. Excluding interest expense of the Underlying PIMCO Funds, Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses After Fee Waiver and/or Expense Reimbursement are [ ]%, [ ]%, [ ]%, [ ]%, [ ]%, [ ]% and [ ]% for Institutional Class, I-2, I-3, Administrative Class, Class A, Class C and Class R shares, respectively.

2 Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses do not match the Ratio of Expenses to Average Net Assets Excluding Waivers of the Fund, as set forth in the Financial Highlights table of the Fund's prospectus, because the Ratio of Expenses to Average Net Assets Excluding Waivers reflects the operating expenses of the Fund and does not include Acquired Fund Fees and Expenses.

3 PIMCO has contractually agreed, through July 31, 2019, to reduce its advisory fee to the extent that the Underlying PIMCO Fund Expenses attributable to advisory and supervisory and administrative fees exceed 0.64% of the total assets invested in Underlying PIMCO Funds. PIMCO may recoup these waivers in future periods, not exceeding three years, provided total expenses, including such recoupment, do not exceed the annual expense limit. The fee reduction is implemented based on a calculation of Underlying PIMCO Fund Expenses attributable to advisory and supervisory and administrative fees that is different from the calculation of Acquired Fund Fees and Expenses listed in the table above.

4 PIMCO has contractually agreed, through July 31, 2019, to reduce its supervisory and administrative fee for the Fund's I-3 shares by 0.05% of the average daily net assets attributable to I-3 shares of the Fund. This Fee Waiver Agreement renews annually unless terminated by PIMCO upon at least 30 days' prior notice to the end of the contract term.

Example. The Example is intended to help you compare the cost of investing in Institutional Class, I-2, I-3, Administrative Class, Class A, Class C or Class R shares of the Fund with the costs of investing in other mutual funds. The Example assumes that you invest $10,000 in the noted class of shares for the time periods indicated, and then redeem all 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. Investors may pay brokerage commissions on their purchases and sales of Institutional Class, I-2 or I-3 shares of the Fund, which are not reflected in the Example. Although your actual costs may be higher or lower, based on these assumptions your costs would be:

If you redeem your shares at the end of each period:

 

1 Year

3 Years

5 Years

10 Years

Institutional Class

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

I-2

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

I-3

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

Administrative Class

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

Class A

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

Class C

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

Class R

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

If you do not redeem your shares:

 

1 Year

3 Years

5 Years

10 Years

Class A

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

Class C

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

Portfolio Turnover

The Fund pays transaction costs 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 the Annual Fund Operating Expenses or in the Example tables, affect the Fund's performance. During the most recent fiscal year, the Fund's portfolio turnover rate was [ ]% of the average value of its portfolio.

Principal Investment Strategies

The Fund is a "fund of funds," which is a term used to describe mutual funds that pursue their investment objective by investing in other funds. The Fund seeks to achieve its investment objective by investing under normal circumstances substantially all of its assets in the least expensive class of shares of any actively managed or smart beta funds (including mutual funds or exchange-traded funds) of the Trust, or PIMCO ETF Trust or PIMCO Equity

 



PIMCO FUNDS | PROSPECTUS

1


 

Table of Contents

PIMCO All Asset Fund

Series, each an affiliated open-end investment company, except other funds of funds (collectively, "Underlying PIMCO Funds"). As used in the investment objective, "real return" equals total return less the estimated cost of inflation, which is typically measured by the change in an official inflation measure, and "real capital" equals capital less the estimated cost of inflation measured by the change in an official inflation measure. In addition to investing in Underlying PIMCO Funds, at the discretion of Pacific Investment Management Company LLC ("PIMCO") and without shareholder approval, the Fund may invest in additional Underlying PIMCO Funds created in the future.

The Fund invests its assets in shares of the Underlying PIMCO Funds and does not invest directly in stocks or bonds of other issuers. Research Affiliates, LLC, the Fund's asset allocation sub-adviser, determines how the Fund allocates and reallocates its assets among the Underlying PIMCO Funds. In doing so, the asset allocation sub-adviser seeks concurrent exposure to a broad spectrum of asset classes.

Investments in Underlying PIMCO Funds.The Fund may invest in any or all of the Underlying PIMCO Funds, but will not normally invest in every Underlying PIMCO Fund at any particular time. The Fund's investment in a particular Underlying PIMCO Fund normally will not exceed 50% of its total assets. The Fund will not invest in the Short Strategy Underlying PIMCO Funds, which seek to gain a negative exposure to an asset class such as equities. The Fund's combined investments in the Equity-Related Underlying PIMCO Funds will not exceed 50% of its total assets. In addition, the Fund's combined investments in Inflation-Related Underlying PIMCO Funds, which seek to gain exposure to an asset class such as U.S. Treasury Inflation-Protected Securities ("TIPS"), commodities, or real estate, normally will not exceed 75% of its total assets.

Asset Allocation Investment Process. The Fund's assets are not allocated according to a predetermined blend of shares of the Underlying PIMCO Funds. Instead, when making allocation decisions among the Underlying PIMCO Funds, the Fund's asset allocation sub-adviser considers various quantitative and qualitative data relating to the U.S. and foreign economies and securities markets. Such data includes projected growth trends in the U.S. and foreign economies, forecasts for interest rates and the relationship between short- and long-term interest rates (yield curve), current and projected trends in inflation, relative valuation levels in the equity and fixed income markets and various segments within those markets, the outlook and projected growth of various industrial sectors, information relating to business cycles, borrowing needs and the cost of capital, political trends, data relating to trade balances and labor information. The Fund's asset allocation sub-adviser has the flexibility to reallocate the Fund's assets among any or all of the asset class exposures represented by the Underlying PIMCO Funds based on its ongoing analyses of the equity, fixed income and commodity markets. While these analyses are performed daily, material shifts in asset class exposures typically take place over longer periods of time.

Principal Risks

It is possible to lose money on an investment in the Fund. The principal risks of investing in the Fund, which could adversely affect its net asset value, yield and total return are listed below.

Principal Risks of the Fund

Allocation Risk: the risk that a Fund could lose money as a result of less than optimal or poor asset allocation decisions. The Fund could miss attractive investment opportunities by underweighting markets that subsequently experience significant returns and could lose value by overweighting markets that subsequently experience significant declines

Fund of Funds Risk: the risk that a Fund's performance is closely related to the risks associated with the securities and other investments held by the Underlying PIMCO Funds and that the ability of a Fund to achieve its investment objective will depend upon the ability of the Underlying PIMCO Funds to achieve their investment objectives

Certain principal risks of investing in the Underlying PIMCO Funds, and consequently the Fund, which could adversely affect its net asset value, yield and total return, are listed below.

Certain Principal Risks of Underlying PIMCO Funds

As used in the risk disclosures below, the term "Fund" refers to one or more Underlying PIMCO Funds.

Market Trading Risk: the risk that an active secondary trading market for shares of a Fund that is an exchange-traded fund does not continue once developed, that such Fund may not continue to meet a listing exchange's trading or listing requirements, or that such Fund's shares trade at prices other than the Fund's net asset value

Municipal Project-Specific Risk: the risk that a Fund may be more sensitive to adverse economic, business or political developments if it invests a substantial portion of its assets in the bonds of specific projects (such as those relating to education, health care, housing, transportation, and utilities), industrial development bonds, or in bonds from issuers in a single state

Municipal Bond Risk: the risk that an Underlying PIMCO Fund may be affected significantly by the economic, regulatory or political developments affecting the ability of issuers of debt securities whose interest is, in the opinion of bond counsel for the issuer at the time of issuance, exempt from federal income tax ("Municipal Bonds") to pay interest or repay principal

Interest Rate Risk: the risk that fixed income securities will decline in value because of an increase in interest rates; a fund with a longer average portfolio duration will be more sensitive to changes in interest rates than a fund with a shorter average portfolio duration

Call Risk: the risk that an issuer may exercise its right to redeem a fixed income security earlier than expected (a call). Issuers may call outstanding securities prior to their maturity for a number of reasons (e.g., declining interest rates, changes in credit spreads and improvements in the issuer's credit quality). If an issuer calls a security that the Fund has invested in, the Fund may not recoup the full amount of its initial investment and may be forced to reinvest in lower-yielding securities, securities with greater credit risks or securities with other, less favorable features

Credit Risk: the risk that the Fund could lose money if the issuer or guarantor of a fixed income security, or the counterparty to a derivative contract, is unable or unwilling to meet its financial obligations

 

2     

PROSPECTUS | PIMCO FUNDS     


 

Table of Contents

Prospectus

High Yield Risk: the risk that high yield securities and unrated securities of similar credit quality (commonly known as "junk bonds") are subject to greater levels of credit, call and liquidity risks. High yield securities are considered primarily speculative with respect to the issuer's continuing ability to make principal and interest payments, and may be more volatile than higher-rated securities of similar maturity

Distressed Company Risk: the risk that securities of distressed companies may be subject to greater levels of credit, issuer and liquidity risk than a portfolio that does not invest in such securities. Securities of distressed companies include both debt and equity securities. Debt securities of distressed companies are considered predominantly speculative with respect to the issuers' continuing ability to make principal and interest payments

Market Risk: the risk that the value of securities owned by the Fund may go up or down, sometimes rapidly or unpredictably, due to factors affecting securities markets generally or particular industries

Issuer Risk: the risk that the value of a security may decline for a reason directly related to the issuer, such as management performance, financial leverage and reduced demand for the issuer's goods or services

Liquidity Risk: the risk that a particular investment may be difficult to purchase or sell and that the Fund may be unable to sell illiquid securities at an advantageous time or price or achieve its desired level of exposure to a certain sector. Liquidity risk may result from the lack of an active market, reduced number and capacity of traditional market participants to make a market in fixed income securities, and may be magnified in a rising interest rate environment or other circumstances where investor redemptions from fixed income mutual funds may be higher than normal, causing increased supply in the market due to selling activity

Derivatives Risk: the risk of investing in derivative instruments (such as futures, swaps and structured securities), including leverage, liquidity, interest rate, market, credit and management risks, mispricing or valuation complexity. Changes in the value of the derivative may not correlate perfectly with, and may be more sensitive to market events than, the underlying asset, rate or index, and the Fund could lose more than the initial amount invested. The Fund's use of derivatives may result in losses to the Fund, a reduction in the Fund's returns and/or increased volatility. Over-the-counter ("OTC") derivatives are also subject to the risk that a counterparty to the transaction will not fulfill its contractual obligations to the other party, as many of the protections afforded to centrally-cleared derivative transactions might not be available for OTC derivatives. For derivatives traded on an exchange or through a central counterparty, credit risk resides with the Fund's clearing broker, or the clearinghouse itself, rather than with a counterparty in an OTC derivative transaction. Changes in regulation relating to a mutual fund's use of derivatives and related instruments could potentially limit or impact the Fund's ability to invest in derivatives, limit the Fund's ability to employ certain strategies that use derivatives and/or adversely affect the value of derivatives and the Fund's performance

Futures Contract Risk: the risk that, while the value of a futures contract tends to correlate with the value of the underlying asset that it represents, differences between the futures market and the market for the underlying asset may result in an imperfect correlation. Futures contracts may involve risks different from, and possibly greater than, the risks associated with investing directly in the underlying assets. The purchase or sale of a futures contract may result in losses in excess of the amount invested in the futures contract

Model Risk: the risk that the Underlying PIMCO Fund's investment models used in making investment allocation decisions, and the indexation methodologies used in constructing an underlying index for an Underlying PIMCO Fund that seeks to track the investment results of such underlying index, may not adequately take into account certain factors and may result in a decline in the value of an investment in the Underlying PIMCO Fund

Commodity Risk: the risk that investing in commodity-linked derivative instruments may subject the Fund to greater volatility than investments in traditional securities. The value of commodity-linked derivative instruments may be affected by changes in overall market movements, commodity index volatility, changes in interest rates, or factors affecting a particular industry or commodity, such as drought, floods, weather, livestock disease, embargoes, tariffs and international economic, political and regulatory developments

Equity Risk: the risk that the value of equity securities, such as common stocks and preferred securities, may decline due to general market conditions which are not specifically related to a particular company or to factors affecting a particular industry or industries. Equity securities generally have greater price volatility than fixed income securities

Mortgage-Related and Other Asset-Backed Securities Risk: the risks of investing in mortgage-related and other asset-backed securities, including interest rate risk, extension risk, prepayment risk and credit risk

Foreign (Non-U.S.) Investment Risk: the risk that investing in foreign (non-U.S.) securities may result in the Fund experiencing more rapid and extreme changes in value than a fund that invests exclusively in securities of U.S. companies, due to smaller markets, differing reporting, accounting and auditing standards, increased risk of delayed settlement of portfolio transactions or loss of certificates of portfolio securities, and the risk of unfavorable foreign government actions, including nationalization, expropriation or confiscatory taxation, currency blockage, or political changes or diplomatic developments. Foreign securities may also be less liquid and more difficult to value than securities of U.S. issuers

Real Estate Risk: the risk that the Fund's investments in Real Estate Investment Trusts ("REITs") or real estate-linked derivative instruments will subject the Fund to risks similar to those associated with direct ownership of real estate, including losses from casualty or condemnation, and changes in local and general economic conditions, supply and demand, interest rates, zoning laws, regulatory limitations on rents, property taxes and operating expenses. The Fund's investments in REITs or real estate-linked derivative instruments subject it to management and tax risks. In addition, privately traded REITs subject the Fund to liquidity and valuation risk

Emerging Markets Risk: the risk of investing in emerging market securities, primarily increased foreign (non-U.S.) investment risk

Sovereign Debt Risk: the risk that investments in fixed income instruments issued by sovereign entities may decline in value as a result of default or other adverse credit event resulting from an issuer's inability or unwillingness to make principal or interest payments in a timely fashion

 

[ ] | PROSPECTUS

3


 

Table of Contents

PIMCO All Asset Fund

Currency Risk: the risk that foreign (non-U.S.) currencies will change in value relative to the U.S. dollar and affect the Fund's investments in foreign (non-U.S.) currencies or in securities that trade in, and receive revenues in, or in derivatives that provide exposure to, foreign (non-U.S.) currencies

Leveraging Risk: the risk that certain transactions of the Fund, such as reverse repurchase agreements, loans of portfolio securities, and the use of when-issued, delayed delivery or forward commitment transactions, or derivative instruments, may give rise to leverage, magnifying gains and losses and causing the Fund to be more volatile than if it had not been leveraged. This means that leverage entails a heightened risk of loss

Smaller Company Risk: the risk that the value of securities issued by a smaller company may go up or down, sometimes rapidly and unpredictably as compared to more widely held securities, due to narrow markets and limited resources of smaller companies. A Fund's investments in smaller companies subject it to greater levels of credit, market and issuer risk

Issuer Non-Diversification Risk: the risk of focusing investments in a small number of issuers, including being more susceptible to risks associated with a single economic, political or regulatory occurrence than a more diversified portfolio might be. Funds that are "non-diversified" may invest a greater percentage of their assets in the securities of a single issuer (such as bonds issued by a particular state) than funds that are "diversified"

Management Risk: the risk that the investment techniques and risk analyses applied by PIMCO will not produce the desired results and that legislative, regulatory, or tax restrictions, policies or developments may affect the investment techniques available to PIMCO and the individual portfolio manager in connection with managing the Fund. There is no guarantee that the investment objective of the Fund will be achieved

Short Exposure Risk: the risk of entering into short sales, including the potential loss of more money than the actual cost of the investment, and the risk that the third party to the short sale will not fulfill its contractual obligations, causing a loss to the Fund

Tax Risk: the risk that the tax treatment of swap agreements and other derivative instruments, such as commodity-linked derivative instruments, including commodity index-linked notes, swap agreements, commodity options, futures, and options on futures, may be affected by future regulatory or legislative changes that could affect whether income from such investments is "qualifying income" under Subchapter M of the Internal Revenue Code, or otherwise affect the character, timing and/or amount of the Fund's taxable income or gains and distributions

Subsidiary Risk: the risk that, by investing in certain Underlying PIMCO Funds that invest in a subsidiary (each a "Subsidiary"), the Fund is indirectly exposed to the risks associated with a Subsidiary's investments. The Subsidiaries are not registered under the 1940 Act and may not be subject to all the investor protections of the 1940 Act. There is no guarantee that the investment objective of a Subsidiary will be achieved

Value Investing Risk: a value stock may decrease in price or may not increase in price as anticipated by PIMCO if it continues to be undervalued by the market or the factors that the portfolio manager believes will cause the stock price to increase do not occur

Arbitrage Risk: the risk that securities purchased pursuant to an arbitrage strategy intended to take advantage of a perceived relationship between the value of two securities may not perform as expected

Convertible Securities Risk: as convertible securities share both fixed income and equity characteristics, they are subject to risks to which fixed income and equity investments are subject. These risks include equity risk, interest rate risk and credit risk

Exchange-Traded Fund Risk: the risk that an exchange-traded fund may not track the performance of the index it is designed to track, market prices of shares of an exchange-traded fund may fluctuate rapidly and materially, or shares of an exchange-traded fund may trade significantly above or below net asset value, any of which may cause losses to the Fund invested in the exchange-traded fund

Tracking Error Risk: the risk that the portfolio of a Fund that seeks to track the investment results of an underlying index may not closely track the underlying index for a number of reasons. The Fund incurs operating expenses, which are not applicable to the underlying index, and the costs of buying and selling securities, especially when rebalancing the Fund's portfolio to reflect changes in the composition of the underlying index. Performance of the Fund and the underlying index may vary due to asset valuation differences and differences between the Fund's portfolio and the underlying index due to legal restrictions, cost or liquidity restraints. The risk that performance of the Fund and the underlying index may vary may be heightened during periods of increased market volatility or other unusual market conditions. In addition, a Fund's use of a representative sampling approach may cause the Fund to be less correlated to the return of the underlying index than if the Fund held all of the securities in the underlying index

Indexing Risk: the risk that a Fund that seeks to track the investment results of an underlying index is negatively affected by general declines in the asset classes represented by the underlying index

Please see "Description of Principal Risks" in the Fund's prospectus for a more detailed description of the risks of investing in the Fund. An investment in the Fund is not a deposit of a bank and is not insured or guaranteed by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation or any other government agency.

Performance Information

The performance information shows summary performance information for the Fund in a bar chart and an Average Annual Total Returns table. The information provides some indication of the risks of investing in the Fund by showing changes in its performance from year to year and by showing how the Fund's average annual returns compare with the returns of a primary and a secondary broad-based securities market index and an index of similar funds. Absent any applicable fee waivers and/or expense limitations, performance would have been lower. The bar chart shows performance of the Fund's Institutional Class shares. For periods prior to the inception date of I-2 shares (April 30, 2008), performance information shown in the table for that class is based on the performance of the Fund's Institutional Class shares, adjusted to reflect the actual distribution and/or service (12b-1) fees and other expenses paid by the I-2 shares. Performance in the Average Annual Total Returns table reflects the impact of sales charges. The I-3

 

4     

PROSPECTUS | PIMCO FUNDS     


 

Table of Contents

Prospectus

shares of the Fund have not commenced operations as of the date of this prospectus. The Fund's past performance, before and after taxes, is not necessarily an indication of how the Fund will perform in the future.

The Fund measures its performance against a primary benchmark and a secondary benchmark. The Fund's primary benchmark is the Bloomberg Barclays U.S. TIPS 1-10 Year Index.

The Bloomberg Barclays U.S. TIPS: 1-10 Year Index is an unmanaged market index comprised of U.S. Treasury Inflation Protected securities having a maturity of at least 1 year and less than 10 years. The CPI + 500 Basis Points benchmark is created by adding 5% to the annual percentage change in the Consumer Price Index ("CPI"). The CPI is an unmanaged index representing the rate of inflation of the U.S. consumer prices as determined by the US Bureau of Labor Statistics. Lipper Alternative Global Macro Funds Average is a total return performance average of Funds tracked by Lipper, Inc. that, by prospectus language, invest around the world using economic theory to justify the decision-making process. The strategy is typically based on forecasts and analysis about interest rate trends, the general flow of funds, political changes, government policies, intergovernmental relations, and other broad systemic factors. These funds generally trade a wide range of markets and geographic regions, employing a broad range of trading ideas and instruments.

Performance for the Fund is updated daily and quarterly and may be obtained as follows: daily updates on the net asset value and performance page at http://investments.pimco.com/DailyPerformance and quarterly updates at http://investments.pimco.com/QuarterlyPerformance.

Calendar Year Total Returns — Institutional Class*

 

[To be updated by subsequent amendment]



*The year-to-date return as of June 30, 2018 is [ ]%. For the periods shown in the bar chart, the highest quarterly return was [ ]% in the [ ], and the lowest quarterly return was [ ]% in the [ ].

Average Annual Total Returns (for periods ended 12/31/17)

 

1 Year

5 Years

10 Years

Institutional Class Return Before Taxes

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

Institutional Class Return After Taxes on Distributions‌(1)

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

Institutional Class Return After Taxes on Distributions and Sales of Fund Shares‌(1)

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

I-2 Return Before Taxes

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

Administrative Class Return Before Taxes

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

Class A Return Before Taxes

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

Class C Return Before Taxes

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

Class R Return Before Taxes

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

Bloomberg Barclays U.S. TIPS: 1-10 Year Index (reflects no deductions for fees, expenses or taxes)

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

CPI + 500 Basis Points (reflects no deductions for fees, expenses or taxes)

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

 

Lipper Alternative Global Macro Funds Average (reflects no deductions for taxes)

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

(1) After-tax returns are calculated using the highest historical individual federal marginal income tax rates and do not reflect the impact of state and local taxes. Actual after-tax returns depend on an investor's tax situation and may differ from those shown, and the after-tax returns shown are not relevant to investors who hold their Fund shares through tax-deferred arrangements, such as 401(k) plans or individual retirement accounts. In some cases the return after taxes may exceed the return before taxes due to an assumed tax benefit from any losses on a sale of Fund shares at the end of the measurement period. After-tax returns are for Institutional Class shares only. After-tax returns for other classes will vary.

Investment Adviser/Portfolio Manager

PIMCO serves as the investment adviser for the Fund. Research Affiliates, LLC serves as the asset allocation sub-adviser to the Fund. The Fund's portfolio is jointly managed by Robert D. Arnott and Christopher J. Brightman. Mr. Arnott is the Chairman and Founder of Research Affiliates, LLC and he has managed the Fund since its inception in July 2002. Mr. Brightman is Chief Investment Officer of Research Affiliates, LLC and he has managed the Fund since November 2016.

Other Important Information Regarding Fund Shares

For important information about purchase and sale of Fund shares, tax information, and payments to broker-dealers and other financial intermediaries, please turn to the "Summary of Other Important Information Regarding Fund Shares" section on page [ ] of this prospectus.

 

[ ] | PROSPECTUS

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Table of Contents

PIMCO All Asset All Authority Fund

Investment Objective

The Fund seeks maximum real return, consistent with preservation of real capital and prudent investment management.

Fees and Expenses of the Fund

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 $100,000 in Class A shares of eligible funds offered by PIMCO Equity Series and PIMCO Funds. More information about these and other discounts is available in the "Classes of Shares" section on page [ ] of the Fund's prospectus, Appendix B to the Fund's prospectus (Financial Firm-Specific Sales Charge Waivers and Discounts) or from your financial advisor.

Shareholder Fees (fees paid directly from your investment):

 

Inst
Class

I-2

I-3

Admin
Class

Class A

Class C

Maximum Sales Charge (Load) Imposed on Purchases (as a percentage of offering price)

None

None

None

None

5.50%

None

Maximum Deferred Sales Charge (Load) (as a percentage of the lower of the original purchase price or redemption price)

None

None

None

None

1.00%

1.00%

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

 

Inst
Class

I-2

I-3

Admin
Class

Class A

Class C

Management Fees

0.25%

0.35%

0.45%

0.25%

0.45%

0.45%

Distribution and/or Service (12b-1) Fees

N/A

N/A

N/A

0.25%

0.25%

1.00%

Other Expenses(1)

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

Acquired Fund Fees and Expenses

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses(2)

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

Fee Waiver and/or Expense Reimbursement(3)(4)

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses After Fee Waiver and/or Expense Reimbursement(5)

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

 

1 Interest expense of [ ]% results from the Fund's ability to borrow money for investment purposes from a committed line of credit. Such expense is required to be treated as a Fund expense for accounting purposes and is not payable to PIMCO. Any interest expense amount will vary based on the Fund's use of those investments as an investment strategy best suited to seek the objective of the Fund.

2 Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses do not match the Ratio of Expenses to Average Net Assets Excluding Waivers of the Fund, as set forth in the Financial Highlights table of the Fund's prospectus, because the Ratio of Expenses to Average Net Assets Excluding Waivers reflects the operating expenses of the Fund and does not include Acquired Fund Fees and Expenses.

3 PIMCO has contractually agreed, through July 31, 2019, to reduce its advisory fee to the extent that the Underlying PIMCO Fund Expenses attributable to advisory and supervisory and administrative fees exceed 0.69% of the total assets invested in Underlying PIMCO Funds. PIMCO may recoup these waivers in future periods, not exceeding three years, provided total expenses, including such recoupment, do not exceed the annual expense limit. The fee reduction is implemented based on a calculation of Underlying PIMCO Fund Expenses attributable to advisory and supervisory and administrative fees that is different from the calculation of Acquired Fund Fees and Expenses listed in the table above.

4 PIMCO has contractually agreed, through July 31, 2019, to reduce its supervisory and administrative fee for the Fund's I-3 shares by 0.05% of the average daily net assets attributable to I-3 shares of the Fund. This Fee Waiver Agreement renews annually unless terminated by PIMCO upon at least 30 days' prior notice to the end of the contract term.

5 "Other Expenses" and Acquired Fund Fees and Expenses include interest expense of the Fund and of the Underlying PIMCO Funds of [ ]% and [ ]%, respectively. Interest expense is borne by the Fund and the Underlying PIMCO Funds separately from the management fees paid to PIMCO. Excluding interest expense of the Fund and of the Underlying PIMCO Funds, Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses After Fee Waiver and/or Expense Reimbursement are [ ]%, [ ]%, [ ]%, [ ]%, [ ]% and [ ]% for Institutional Class, I-2, I-3, Administrative Class, Class A and Class C shares, respectively.

Example. The Example is intended to help you compare the cost of investing in Institutional Class, I-2, I-3, Administrative Class, Class A or Class C shares of the Fund with the costs of investing in other mutual funds. The Example assumes that you invest $10,000 in the noted class of shares for the time periods indicated, and then redeem all 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. Investors may pay brokerage commissions on their purchases and sales of Institutional Class, I-2 or I-3 shares of the Fund, which are not reflected in the Example. Although your actual costs may be higher or lower, based on these assumptions your costs would be:

If you redeem your shares at the end of each period:

 

1 Year

3 Years

5 Years

10 Years

Institutional Class

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

I-2

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

I-3

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

Administrative Class

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

Class A

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

Class C

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

If you do not redeem your shares:

 

1 Year

3 Years

5 Years

10 Years

Class A

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

Class C

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

Portfolio Turnover

The Fund pays transaction costs 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 the Annual Fund Operating Expenses or in the Example tables, affect the Fund's performance. During the most recent fiscal year, the Fund's portfolio turnover rate was [ ]% of the average value of its portfolio.

Principal Investment Strategies

The Fund is a "fund of funds," which is a term used to describe mutual funds that pursue their investment objective by investing in other funds. The Fund seeks to achieve its investment objective by investing under normal circumstances substantially all of its assets in the least expensive class of shares of any actively managed or smart beta funds (including mutual funds

 



PIMCO FUNDS | PROSPECTUS

6


 

Table of Contents

Prospectus

or exchange-traded funds) of the Trust, or PIMCO ETF Trust or PIMCO Equity Series, each an affiliated open-end investment company, except other funds of funds (collectively, "Underlying PIMCO Funds"). As used in the investment objective, "real return" equals total return less the estimated cost of inflation, which is typically measured by the change in an official inflation measure, and "real capital" equals capital less the estimated cost of inflation measured by the change in an official inflation measure. In addition to investing in Underlying PIMCO Funds, at the discretion of Pacific Investment Management Company LLC ("PIMCO") and without shareholder approval, the Fund may invest in additional Underlying PIMCO Funds created in the future.

The Fund invests its assets in shares of the Underlying PIMCO Funds and does not invest directly in stocks or bonds of other issuers. Research Affiliates, LLC, the Fund's asset allocation sub-adviser, determines how the Fund allocates and reallocates its assets among the Underlying PIMCO Funds. In doing so, the asset allocation sub-adviser seeks concurrent exposure to a broad spectrum of asset classes.

Investments in Underlying PIMCO Funds. The Fund may invest in any or all of the Underlying PIMCO Funds, but will not normally invest in every Underlying PIMCO Fund at any particular time. The Fund's investment in any particular Underlying PIMCO Fund normally will not exceed 50% of its total assets. The Fund's investments in the Short Strategy Underlying PIMCO Funds, which seek to gain a negative exposure to an asset class such as equities, normally will not exceed 20% of its total assets. The Fund's combined investments in the Domestic Equity-Related Underlying PIMCO Funds normally will not exceed 50% of its total assets. The Fund's combined investments in the International Equity-Related Underlying PIMCO Funds normally will not exceed 50% of its total assets. The Fund's combined investments in the Equity-Related Underlying PIMCO Funds (less any investment in the PIMCO StocksPLUS® Short Fund) normally will not exceed 66⅔% of its total assets. In addition, the Fund's combined investments in Inflation-Related Underlying PIMCO Funds, which seek to gain exposure to an asset class such as U.S. Treasury Inflation-Protected Securities ("TIPS"), commodities, or real estate, normally will not exceed 75% of its total assets.

Asset Allocation Investment Process. The Fund's assets are not allocated according to a predetermined blend of shares of the Underlying PIMCO Funds. Instead, when making allocation decisions among the Underlying PIMCO Funds, the Fund's asset allocation sub-adviser considers various quantitative and qualitative data relating to the U.S. and foreign economies and securities markets. Such data includes projected growth trends in the U.S. and foreign economies, forecasts for interest rates and the relationship between short- and long-term interest rates (yield curve), current and projected trends in inflation, relative valuation levels in the equity and fixed income markets and various segments within those markets, the outlook and projected growth of various industrial sectors, information relating to business cycles, borrowing needs and the cost of capital, political trends, data relating to trade balances and labor information. The Fund's asset allocation sub-adviser has the flexibility to reallocate the Fund's assets among any or all of the asset class exposures represented by the Underlying PIMCO Funds based on its ongoing analyses of the equity, fixed income and commodity markets. While these analyses are performed daily, material shifts in asset class exposures typically take place over longer periods of time.

Borrowing for Investment Purposes. The Fund may use leverage by borrowing for investment purposes to purchase additional shares of Underlying PIMCO Funds. The Fund can borrow from banks up to a maximum of 33⅓% of total assets. If at any time the Fund's borrowings exceed this 33⅓% maximum limitation, the Fund will, within three business days, decrease its borrowings to the extent required. Borrowing requires the payment of interest and other loan costs. To make such payments, the Fund may be forced to sell portfolio securities when it is not otherwise advantageous to do so. At times when the Fund's borrowings are substantial, the interest expense to the Fund may result in the Fund having little or no investment income. The use of leverage by borrowing creates the potential for greater gains to shareholders of the Fund during favorable market conditions and the risk of magnified losses during adverse market conditions. In addition, the Underlying PIMCO Funds may engage in certain transactions that give rise to a form of leverage.

Principal Risks

It is possible to lose money on an investment in the Fund. The principal risks of investing in the Fund, which could adversely affect its net asset value, yield and total return are listed below.

Principal Risks of the Fund

Allocation Risk: the risk that a Fund could lose money as a result of less than optimal or poor asset allocation decisions. The Fund could miss attractive investment opportunities by underweighting markets that subsequently experience significant returns and could lose value by overweighting markets that subsequently experience significant declines

Fund of Funds Risk: the risk that a Fund's performance is closely related to the risks associated with the securities and other investments held by the Underlying PIMCO Funds and that the ability of a Fund to achieve its investment objective will depend upon the ability of the Underlying PIMCO Funds to achieve their investment objectives

Leveraging Risk: the risk that certain transactions of the Fund, such as direct borrowing from banks, reverse repurchase agreements, loans of portfolio securities, and the use of when-issued, delayed delivery or forward commitment transactions, or derivative instruments, may give rise to leverage, magnifying gains and losses and causing the Fund to be more volatile than if it had not been leveraged. This means that leverage entails a heightened risk of loss

Certain principal risks of investing in the Underlying PIMCO Funds, and consequently the Fund, which could adversely affect its net asset value, yield and total return, are listed below.

 

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Table of Contents

PIMCO All Asset All Authority Fund

Certain Principal Risks of Underlying PIMCO Funds

As used in the risk disclosures below, the term "Fund" refers to one or more Underlying PIMCO Funds.

Market Trading Risk: the risk that an active secondary trading market for shares of a Fund that is an exchange-traded fund does not continue once developed, that such Fund may not continue to meet a listing exchange's trading or listing requirements, or that such Fund's shares trade at prices other than the Fund's net asset value

Municipal Project-Specific Risk: the risk that a Fund may be more sensitive to adverse economic, business or political developments if it invests a substantial portion of its assets in the bonds of specific projects (such as those relating to education, health care, housing, transportation, and utilities), industrial development bonds, or in bonds from issuers in a single state

Municipal Bond Risk: the risk that an Underlying PIMCO Fund may be affected significantly by the economic, regulatory or political developments affecting the ability of issuers of debt securities whose interest is, in the opinion of bond counsel for the issuer at the time of issuance, exempt from federal income tax ("Municipal Bonds") to pay interest or repay principal

Interest Rate Risk: the risk that fixed income securities will decline in value because of an increase in interest rates; a fund with a longer average portfolio duration will be more sensitive to changes in interest rates than a fund with a shorter average portfolio duration

Call Risk: the risk that an issuer may exercise its right to redeem a fixed income security earlier than expected (a call). Issuers may call outstanding securities prior to their maturity for a number of reasons (e.g., declining interest rates, changes in credit spreads and improvements in the issuer's credit quality). If an issuer calls a security that the Fund has invested in, the Fund may not recoup the full amount of its initial investment and may be forced to reinvest in lower-yielding securities, securities with greater credit risks or securities with other, less favorable features

Credit Risk: the risk that the Fund could lose money if the issuer or guarantor of a fixed income security, or the counterparty to a derivative contract, is unable or unwilling to meet its financial obligations

High Yield Risk: the risk that high yield securities and unrated securities of similar credit quality (commonly known as "junk bonds") are subject to greater levels of credit, call and liquidity risks. High yield securities are considered primarily speculative with respect to the issuer's continuing ability to make principal and interest payments, and may be more volatile than higher-rated securities of similar maturity

Distressed Company Risk: the risk that securities of distressed companies may be subject to greater levels of credit, issuer and liquidity risk than a portfolio that does not invest in such securities. Securities of distressed companies include both debt and equity securities. Debt securities of distressed companies are considered predominantly speculative with respect to the issuers' continuing ability to make principal and interest payments

Market Risk: the risk that the value of securities owned by the Fund may go up or down, sometimes rapidly or unpredictably, due to factors affecting securities markets generally or particular industries

Issuer Risk: the risk that the value of a security may decline for a reason directly related to the issuer, such as management performance, financial leverage and reduced demand for the issuer's goods or services

Liquidity Risk: the risk that a particular investment may be difficult to purchase or sell and that the Fund may be unable to sell illiquid securities at an advantageous time or price or achieve its desired level of exposure to a certain sector. Liquidity risk may result from the lack of an active market, reduced number and capacity of traditional market participants to make a market in fixed income securities, and may be magnified in a rising interest rate environment or other circumstances where investor redemptions from fixed income mutual funds may be higher than normal, causing increased supply in the market due to selling activity

Derivatives Risk: the risk of investing in derivative instruments (such as futures, swaps and structured securities), including leverage, liquidity, interest rate, market, credit and management risks, mispricing or valuation complexity. Changes in the value of the derivative may not correlate perfectly with, and may be more sensitive to market events than, the underlying asset, rate or index, and the Fund could lose more than the initial amount invested. The Fund's use of derivatives may result in losses to the Fund, a reduction in the Fund's returns and/or increased volatility. Over-the-counter ("OTC") derivatives are also subject to the risk that a counterparty to the transaction will not fulfill its contractual obligations to the other party, as many of the protections afforded to centrally-cleared derivative transactions might not be available for OTC derivatives. For derivatives traded on an exchange or through a central counterparty, credit risk resides with the Fund's clearing broker, or the clearinghouse itself, rather than with a counterparty in an OTC derivative transaction. Changes in regulation relating to a mutual fund's use of derivatives and related instruments could potentially limit or impact the Fund's ability to invest in derivatives, limit the Fund's ability to employ certain strategies that use derivatives and/or adversely affect the value of derivatives and the Fund's performance

Futures Contract Risk: the risk that, while the value of a futures contract tends to correlate with the value of the underlying asset that it represents, differences between the futures market and the market for the underlying asset may result in an imperfect correlation. Futures contracts may involve risks different from, and possibly greater than, the risks associated with investing directly in the underlying assets. The purchase or sale of a futures contract may result in losses in excess of the amount invested in the futures contract

Model Risk: the risk that the Underlying PIMCO Fund's investment models used in making investment allocation decisions, and the indexation methodologies used in constructing an underlying index for an Underlying PIMCO Fund that seeks to track the investment results of such underlying index, may not adequately take into account certain factors and may result in a decline in the value of an investment in the Underlying PIMCO Fund

Commodity Risk: the risk that investing in commodity-linked derivative instruments may subject the Fund to greater volatility than investments in traditional securities. The value of commodity-linked derivative instruments may be affected by changes in overall market movements, commodity index volatility, changes in interest rates, or factors affecting a particular industry

 

8     

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Prospectus

or commodity, such as drought, floods, weather, livestock disease, embargoes, tariffs and international economic, political and regulatory developments

Equity Risk: the risk that the value of equity securities, such as common stocks and preferred securities, may decline due to general market conditions which are not specifically related to a particular company or to factors affecting a particular industry or industries. Equity securities generally have greater price volatility than fixed income securities

Mortgage-Related and Other Asset-Backed Securities Risk: the risks of investing in mortgage-related and other asset-backed securities, including interest rate risk, extension risk, prepayment risk and credit risk

Foreign (Non-U.S.) Investment Risk: the risk that investing in foreign (non-U.S.) securities may result in the Fund experiencing more rapid and extreme changes in value than a fund that invests exclusively in securities of U.S. companies, due to smaller markets, differing reporting, accounting and auditing standards, increased risk of delayed settlement of portfolio transactions or loss of certificates of portfolio securities, and the risk of unfavorable foreign government actions, including nationalization, expropriation or confiscatory taxation, currency blockage, or political changes or diplomatic developments. Foreign securities may also be less liquid and more difficult to value than securities of U.S. issuers

Real Estate Risk: the risk that the Fund's investments in Real Estate Investment Trusts ("REITs") or real estate-linked derivative instruments will subject the Fund to risks similar to those associated with direct ownership of real estate, including losses from casualty or condemnation, and changes in local and general economic conditions, supply and demand, interest rates, zoning laws, regulatory limitations on rents, property taxes and operating expenses. The Fund's investments in REITs or real estate-linked derivative instruments subject it to management and tax risks. In addition, privately traded REITs subject the Fund to liquidity and valuation risk

Emerging Markets Risk: the risk of investing in emerging market securities, primarily increased foreign (non-U.S.) investment risk

Sovereign Debt Risk: the risk that investments in fixed income instruments issued by sovereign entities may decline in value as a result of default or other adverse credit event resulting from an issuer's inability or unwillingness to make principal or interest payments in a timely fashion

Currency Risk: the risk that foreign (non-U.S.) currencies will change in value relative to the U.S. dollar and affect the Fund's investments in foreign (non-U.S.) currencies or in securities that trade in, and receive revenues in, or in derivatives that provide exposure to, foreign (non-U.S.) currencies

Leveraging Risk: the risk that certain transactions of the Fund, such as reverse repurchase agreements, loans of portfolio securities, and the use of when-issued, delayed delivery or forward commitment transactions, or derivative instruments, may give rise to leverage, magnifying gains and losses and causing the Fund to be more volatile than if it had not been leveraged. This means that leverage entails a heightened risk of loss

Smaller Company Risk: the risk that the value of securities issued by a smaller company may go up or down, sometimes rapidly and unpredictably as compared to more widely held securities, due to narrow markets and limited resources of smaller companies. A Fund's investments in smaller companies subject it to greater levels of credit, market and issuer risk

Issuer Non-Diversification Risk: the risk of focusing investments in a small number of issuers, including being more susceptible to risks associated with a single economic, political or regulatory occurrence than a more diversified portfolio might be. Funds that are "non-diversified" may invest a greater percentage of their assets in the securities of a single issuer (such as bonds issued by a particular state) than funds that are "diversified"

Management Risk: the risk that the investment techniques and risk analyses applied by PIMCO will not produce the desired results and that legislative, regulatory, or tax restrictions, policies or developments may affect the investment techniques available to PIMCO and the individual portfolio manager in connection with managing the Fund. There is no guarantee that the investment objective of the Fund will be achieved

Short Exposure Risk: the risk of entering into short sales, including the potential loss of more money than the actual cost of the investment, and the risk that the third party to the short sale will not fulfill its contractual obligations, causing a loss to the Fund. Also, to the extent the Fund seeks to gain negative exposure to an asset class such as equities, such exposure may create the potential for losses should those asset classes deliver positive returns

Tax Risk: the risk that the tax treatment of swap agreements and other derivative instruments, such as commodity-linked derivative instruments, including commodity index-linked notes, swap agreements, commodity options, futures, and options on futures, may be affected by future regulatory or legislative changes that could affect whether income from such investments is "qualifying income" under Subchapter M of the Internal Revenue Code, or otherwise affect the character, timing and/or amount of the Fund's taxable income or gains and distributions

Subsidiary Risk: the risk that, by investing in certain Underlying PIMCO Funds that invest in a subsidiary (each a "Subsidiary"), the Fund is indirectly exposed to the risks associated with a Subsidiary's investments. The Subsidiaries are not registered under the 1940 Act and may not be subject to all the investor protections of the 1940 Act. There is no guarantee that the investment objective of a Subsidiary will be achieved

Value Investing Risk: a value stock may decrease in price or may not increase in price as anticipated by PIMCO if it continues to be undervalued by the market or the factors that the portfolio manager believes will cause the stock price to increase do not occur

Arbitrage Risk: the risk that securities purchased pursuant to an arbitrage strategy intended to take advantage of a perceived relationship between the value of two securities may not perform as expected

Convertible Securities Risk: as convertible securities share both fixed income and equity characteristics, they are subject to risks to which fixed income and equity investments are subject. These risks include equity risk, interest rate risk and credit risk

Exchange-Traded Fund Risk: the risk that an exchange-traded fund may not track the performance of the index it is designed to track, market prices of shares of an exchange-traded fund may fluctuate rapidly and materially, or shares of an exchange-traded fund may trade significantly above or below net asset value, any of which may cause losses to the Fund invested in the exchange-traded fund

 

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Table of Contents

PIMCO All Asset All Authority Fund

Tracking Error Risk: the risk that the portfolio of a Fund that seeks to track the investment results of an underlying index may not closely track the underlying index for a number of reasons. The Fund incurs operating expenses, which are not applicable to the underlying index, and the costs of buying and selling securities, especially when rebalancing the Fund's portfolio to reflect changes in the composition of the underlying index. Performance of the Fund and the underlying index may vary due to asset valuation differences and differences between the Fund's portfolio and the underlying index due to legal restrictions, cost or liquidity restraints. The risk that performance of the Fund and the underlying index may vary may be heightened during periods of increased market volatility or other unusual market conditions. In addition, a Fund's use of a representative sampling approach may cause the Fund to be less correlated to the return of the underlying index than if the Fund held all of the securities in the underlying index

Indexing Risk: the risk that a Fund that seeks to track the investment results of an underlying index is negatively affected by general declines in the asset classes represented by the underlying index

Please see "Description of Principal Risks" in the Fund's prospectus for a more detailed description of the risks of investing in the Fund. An investment in the Fund is not a deposit of a bank and is not insured or guaranteed by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation or any other government agency.

Performance Information

The performance information shows summary performance information for the Fund in a bar chart and an Average Annual Total Returns table. The information provides some indication of the risks of investing in the Fund by showing changes in its performance from year to year and by showing how the Fund's average annual returns compare with the returns of a primary and a secondary broad-based securities market index and an index of similar funds. Absent any applicable fee waivers and/or expense limitations, performance would have been lower. The bar chart shows performance of the Fund's Institutional Class shares. For periods prior to the inception date of I-2 shares (July 10, 2008), performance information shown in the table for that class is based on the performance of the Fund's Institutional Class shares, adjusted to reflect the actual distribution and/or service (12b-1) fees and other expenses paid by I-2 shares. The Administrative Class of the Fund has not commenced operations as of the date of this prospectus. Performance in the Average Annual Total Returns table reflects the impact of sales charges. The I-3 shares of the Fund have not commenced operations as of the date of this prospectus. The Fund's past performance, before and after taxes, is not necessarily an indication of how the Fund will perform in the future.

The Fund measures its performance against a primary benchmark and a secondary benchmark. The Fund's primary benchmark is the Standard & Poor's 500 Composite Stock Price Index ("S&P 500 Index").

The S&P 500 Index is an unmanaged market index generally considered representative of the stock market as a whole. The Index focuses on the large-cap segment of the U.S. equities market. The CPI + 650 Basis Points benchmark is created by adding 6.5% to the annual percentage change in the Consumer Price Index ("CPI"). The CPI is an unmanaged index representing the rate of inflation of the U.S. consumer prices as determined by the US Bureau of Labor Statistics. Lipper Alternative Global Macro Funds Average is a total return performance average of Funds tracked by Lipper, Inc. that, by prospectus language, invest around the world using economic theory to justify the decision-making process. The strategy is typically based on forecasts and analysis about interest rate trends, the general flow of funds, political changes, government policies, intergovernmental relations, and other broad systemic factors. These funds generally trade a wide range of markets and geographic regions, employing a broad range of trading ideas and instruments.

Performance for the Fund is updated daily and quarterly and may be obtained as follows: daily updates on the net asset value and performance page at http://investments.pimco.com/DailyPerformance and quarterly updates at http://investments.pimco.com/QuarterlyPerformance.

Calendar Year Total Returns — Institutional Class*

 

[To be updated by subsequent amendment]



*The year-to-date return as of June 30, 2018 is [ ]%. For the periods shown in the bar chart, the highest quarterly return was [ ]% in the [ ], and the lowest quarterly return was [ ]% in the [ ].

Average Annual Total Returns (for periods ended 12/31/17)

 

1 Year

5 Years

10 Years

Institutional Class Return Before Taxes

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

Institutional Class Return After Taxes on Distributions‌(1)

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

Institutional Class Return After Taxes on Distributions and Sales of Fund Shares‌(1)

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

I-2 Return Before Taxes

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

Class A Return Before Taxes

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

Class C Return Before Taxes

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

S&P 500 Index (reflects no deductions for fees, expenses or taxes)

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

CPI + 650 Basis Points (reflects no deductions for fees, expenses or taxes)

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

 

Lipper Alternative Global Macro Funds Average (reflects no deductions for taxes)

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

(1) After-tax returns are calculated using the highest historical individual federal marginal income tax rates and do not reflect the impact of state and local taxes. Actual after-tax returns depend on an investor's tax situation and may differ from those shown, and the after-tax returns shown are not relevant to investors who hold their Fund shares through tax-deferred arrangements, such as 401(k) plans or individual retirement accounts. In some cases the return after taxes may exceed the return before taxes due to an assumed tax benefit from any losses on a sale of Fund shares at the end of the measurement period.

 

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Prospectus

After-tax returns are for Institutional Class shares only. After-tax returns for other classes will vary.

Investment Adviser/Portfolio Manager

PIMCO serves as the investment adviser for the Fund. Research Affiliates, LLC serves as the asset allocation sub-adviser to the Fund. The Fund's portfolio is jointly managed by Robert D. Arnott and Christopher J. Brightman. Mr. Arnott is the Chairman and Founder of Research Affiliates, LLC and he has managed the Fund since its inception in October 2003. Mr. Brightman is Chief Investment Officer of Research Affiliates, LLC and he has managed the Fund since November 2016.

Other Important Information Regarding Fund Shares

For important information about purchase and sale of Fund shares, tax information, and payments to broker-dealers and other financial intermediaries, please turn to the "Summary of Other Important Information Regarding Fund Shares" section on page [ ] of this prospectus.

 

[ ] | PROSPECTUS

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Table of Contents

PIMCO Global Multi-Asset Fund

Investment Objective

The Fund seeks total return which exceeds that of a blend of 60% MSCI All Country World Index/40% Bloomberg Barclays Global Aggregate Index (USD Hedged).

Fees and Expenses of the Fund

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 $100,000 in Class A shares of eligible funds offered by PIMCO Equity Series and PIMCO Funds. More information about these and other discounts is available in the "Classes of Shares" section on page [ ] of the Fund's prospectus, Appendix B to the Fund's prospectus (Financial Firm-Specific Sales Charge Waivers and Discounts) or from your financial advisor.

Shareholder Fees (fees paid directly from your investment):

 

Inst
Class

I-2

Class A

Class C

Class R

Maximum Sales Charge (Load) Imposed on Purchases (as a percentage of offering price)

None

None

5.50%

None

None

Maximum Deferred Sales Charge (Load) (as a percentage of the lower of the original purchase price or redemption price)

None

None

1.00%

1.00%

None

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

 

Inst
Class

I-2

Class A

Class C

Class R

Management Fees

0.95%

1.05%

1.15%

1.15%

1.15%

Distribution and/or Service (12b-1) Fees

N/A

N/A

0.25%

1.00%

0.50%

Other Expenses

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

Acquired Fund Fees and Expenses

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses(1)

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

Fee Waiver and/or Expense Reimbursement(2)(3)

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses After Fee Waiver and/or Expense Reimbursement(4)

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

1 Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses do not match the Ratio of Expenses to Average Net Assets Excluding Waivers of the Fund, as set forth in the Financial Highlights table of the Fund's prospectus, because the Ratio of Expenses to Average Net Assets Excluding Waivers reflects the operating expenses of the Fund and does not include Acquired Fund Fees and Expenses.

2 PIMCO has contractually agreed to waive the Fund's advisory fee and the supervisory and administrative fee in an amount equal to the management fee and administrative services fee, respectively, paid by the PIMCO Cayman Commodity Fund II Ltd. (the "Subsidiary") to PIMCO. The Subsidiary pays PIMCO a management fee and an administrative services fee at the annual rate of 0.49% and 0.20%, respectively, of its net assets. This waiver may not be terminated by PIMCO and will remain in effect for as long as PIMCO's contract with the Subsidiary is in place.

3 PIMCO has contractually agreed, through July 31, 2019, to waive, first, the advisory fee and, second, the supervisory and administrative fee it receives from the Fund in an amount equal to the expenses attributable to the Management Fees of Underlying PIMCO Funds indirectly incurred by the Fund in connection with its investments in Underlying PIMCO Funds, to the extent the Fund's Management Fees are greater than or equal to the Management Fees of the Underlying PIMCO Funds. This waiver renews annually for a full year unless terminated by PIMCO upon at least 30 days' notice prior to the end of the contract term.

4 "Other Expenses" and Acquired Fund Fees and Expenses include interest expense of the Fund and of the Underlying PIMCO Funds of [ ] and [ ]%, respectively. Interest expense is borne by the Fund and the Underlying PIMCO Funds separately from the management fees paid to PIMCO. Excluding interest expense of the Fund and of the Underlying PIMCO Funds, Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses After Fee Waiver and/or Expense Reimbursement are [ ]%, [ ]%, [ ]%, [ ]% and [ ]% for Institutional Class, I-2, Class A, Class C and Class R shares, respectively.

Example. The Example is intended to help you compare the cost of investing in Institutional Class, I-2, Class A, Class C or Class R shares of the Fund with the costs of investing in other mutual funds. The Example assumes that you invest $10,000 in the noted class of shares for the time periods indicated, and then redeem all 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. Investors may pay brokerage commissions on their purchases and sales of Institutional Class shares or I-2 shares of the Fund, which are not reflected in the Example. Although your actual costs may be higher or lower, based on these assumptions your costs would be:

If you redeem your shares at the end of each period:

 

1 Year

3 Years

5 Years

10 Years

Institutional Class

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

I-2

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

Class A

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

Class C

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

Class R

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

If you do not redeem your shares:

 

1 Year

3 Years

5 Years

10 Years

Class A

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

Class C

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

Portfolio Turnover

The Fund pays transaction costs 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 the Annual Fund Operating Expenses or in the Example tables, affect the Fund's performance. During the most recent fiscal year, the Fund's portfolio turnover rate was [ ]% of the average value of its portfolio.

Principal Investment Strategies

The Fund is intended for investors who prefer to have their asset allocation decisions made by professional investment managers. Pacific Investment Management Company LLC ("PIMCO") uses a three-step approach in seeking to achieve the Fund's investment objective which consists of 1) developing a target asset allocation; 2) developing a series of relative value strategies designed to add value beyond the target allocation; and 3) utilizing hedging techniques to manage risks. PIMCO evaluates these three steps and uses varying combinations of Acquired Funds and/or direct investments to implement them within the Fund. The Fund may invest in

 



PIMCO FUNDS | PROSPECTUS

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Table of Contents

Prospectus

Institutional Class or Class M shares of any funds of the Trust and PIMCO Equity Series, an affiliated open-end investment company, except funds of funds ("Underlying PIMCO Funds"), and may also invest in other affiliated funds, including funds of PIMCO ETF Trust, and unaffiliated funds (collectively, "Acquired Funds").

The Fund seeks to achieve its investment objective by investing under normal circumstances in a combination of affiliated and unaffiliated funds, which may or may not be registered under the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended (the "1940 Act"), Fixed Income Instruments, equity securities, forwards and derivatives. "Fixed Income Instruments" include bonds, debt securities and other similar instruments issued by various U.S. and non-U.S. public- or private sector entities. The Fund will invest in such funds, securities, instruments and other investments to the extent permitted under the 1940 Act, or any exemptive relief therefrom. The Fund may invest, without limitation, in any of the Underlying PIMCO Funds (except the PIMCO CommoditiesPLUS® Strategy Fund and PIMCO CommodityRealReturn Strategy Fund®). The Fund will invest either directly or indirectly (through a fund) in instruments that are economically tied to at least three countries (one of which may be the United States).

Asset Allocations. The Fund seeks concurrent exposure to a broad spectrum of asset classes and other investments. The Fund will typically invest 20% to 80% of its net assets in equity-related investments (including investment in common stock, preferred securities, equity securities of real estate investment trusts and/or investment in the Domestic Equity-Related Underlying PIMCO Funds, the International Equity-Related Underlying PIMCO Funds and the PIMCO RealEstateRealReturn Strategy Fund, an Underlying PIMCO Fund and in other equity-related Acquired Funds). For the purposes of the above limitation, equity positions will be calculated on a net basis, meaning if short equity-related positions are held, they will be netted against long positions. With respect to its direct or indirect (through a fund) investments in equity securities, there is no limitation on the market capitalization range of the issuers in which the Fund may invest. The Fund may invest up to 25% of its total assets in commodity-related investments (including investment in the PIMCO Cayman Commodity Fund II Ltd., a wholly-owned subsidiary of the Fund organized under the laws of the Cayman Islands (the "Subsidiary"), and the PIMCO CommoditiesPLUS® Strategy Fund and PIMCO CommodityRealReturn Strategy Fund®, Underlying PIMCO Funds). The Subsidiary is advised by PIMCO and primarily invests in commodity-linked derivative instruments backed by a portfolio of Fixed Income Instruments. As discussed in greater detail elsewhere in this prospectus, the Subsidiary (unlike the Fund) may invest without limitation in commodity-linked swap agreements and other commodity-linked derivative instruments. The Fund may invest up to 25% of its total assets in the Subsidiary. The Fund may invest, without limitation, in securities denominated in foreign currencies and in U.S. dollar-denominated securities of foreign issuers. The Fund may invest, without limitation, in high yield securities ("junk bonds"). The Fund may invest, without limitation, in securities and instruments that are economically tied to emerging market countries. The Fund may purchase and sell securities on a when-issued, delayed delivery or forward commitment basis and may engage in short sales.

Asset Allocation Investment Process. The Fund's assets are not allocated according to a predetermined blend of shares of the Acquired Funds and/or direct investments in securities, instruments and other investments. Instead, when making allocation decisions among the Acquired Funds, securities, instruments and other investments, PIMCO considers various qualitative and quantitative factors relating to the U.S. and non-U.S. economies, and securities and commodities markets. These factors include projected growth trends in the U.S. and non-U.S. economies, forecasts for interest rates and the relationship between short- and long-term interest rates (yield curve), current and projected trends in inflation, relative valuation levels in the equity, fixed income, commodity and real estate markets and various segments within those markets, the outlook and projected growth of various industrial sectors, information relating to business cycles, borrowing needs and the cost of capital, political trends, data relating to trade balances, and labor information. PIMCO uses these factors to help determine the Fund's target asset allocation and to identify potentially attractive relative value and risk hedging strategies. PIMCO has the flexibility to reallocate the Fund's assets among any or all of the investment exposures represented by affiliated or unaffiliated funds, or invest directly in securities, instruments and other investments, based on its ongoing analyses of the global economy and financial markets. While these analyses are performed daily, material shifts in investment exposures typically take place over longer periods of time.

As part of its investment process, PIMCO will seek to reduce exposure to certain risks by implementing various hedging transactions. These hedging transactions seek to reduce the Fund's exposure to certain severe, unanticipated market events that could significantly detract from returns.

Once the target asset allocation, relative value strategies and risk hedging strategies have been determined, PIMCO then evaluates various combinations of affiliated or unaffiliated funds, securities, instruments and other investments to obtain the desired exposures and invests accordingly. Additional information for these Underlying PIMCO Funds can be found in the Statement of Additional Information and/or the Underlying PIMCO Funds' prospectuses and financial reports. Additional Underlying PIMCO Funds may be added or deleted in the future without shareholder notification.

Principal Risks

It is possible to lose money on an investment in the Fund. The principal risks of investing in the Fund include risks from direct investments and/or indirect exposure through investment in Acquired Funds. The principal risks of investing in the Fund, which could adversely affect its net asset value, yield and total return are listed below.

The following risks are principal risks of investing in the Fund.

Allocation Risk: the risk that a Fund could lose money as a result of less than optimal or poor asset allocation decisions. The Fund could miss attractive investment opportunities by underweighting markets that subsequently experience significant returns and could lose value by overweighting markets that subsequently experience significant declines

Acquired Fund Risk: the risk that a Fund's performance is closely related to the risks associated with the securities and other investments held by the Acquired Funds and that the ability of a Fund to achieve its investment

 

[ ] | PROSPECTUS

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Table of Contents

PIMCO Global Multi-Asset Fund

objective will depend upon the ability of the Acquired Funds to achieve their investment objectives

The following are principal risks of investing in the Fund that include risks from direct investments and/or indirect exposure through investment in Acquired Funds.

New/Small Fund Risk: the risk that a new or smaller Fund's performance may not represent how the Fund is expected to or may perform in the long term. In addition, new Funds have limited operating histories for investors to evaluate and new and smaller Funds may not attract sufficient assets to achieve investment and trading efficiencies

Interest Rate Risk: the risk that fixed income securities will decline in value because of an increase in interest rates; a fund with a longer average portfolio duration will be more sensitive to changes in interest rates than a fund with a shorter average portfolio duration

Call Risk: the risk that an issuer may exercise its right to redeem a fixed income security earlier than expected (a call). Issuers may call outstanding securities prior to their maturity for a number of reasons (e.g., declining interest rates, changes in credit spreads and improvements in the issuer's credit quality). If an issuer calls a security that the Fund has invested in, the Fund may not recoup the full amount of its initial investment and may be forced to reinvest in lower-yielding securities, securities with greater credit risks or securities with other, less favorable features

Credit Risk: the risk that the Fund could lose money if the issuer or guarantor of a fixed income security, or the counterparty to a derivative contract, is unable or unwilling to meet its financial obligations

High Yield Risk: the risk that high yield securities and unrated securities of similar credit quality (commonly known as "junk bonds") are subject to greater levels of credit, call and liquidity risks. High yield securities are considered primarily speculative with respect to the issuer's continuing ability to make principal and interest payments, and may be more volatile than higher-rated securities of similar maturity

Distressed Company Risk: the risk that securities of distressed companies may be subject to greater levels of credit, issuer and liquidity risk than a portfolio that does not invest in such securities. Securities of distressed companies include both debt and equity securities. Debt securities of distressed companies are considered predominantly speculative with respect to the issuers' continuing ability to make principal and interest payments

Market Risk: the risk that the value of securities owned by the Fund may go up or down, sometimes rapidly or unpredictably, due to factors affecting securities markets generally or particular industries

Issuer Risk: the risk that the value of a security may decline for a reason directly related to the issuer, such as management performance, financial leverage and reduced demand for the issuer's goods or services

Liquidity Risk: the risk that a particular investment may be difficult to purchase or sell and that the Fund may be unable to sell illiquid securities at an advantageous time or price or achieve its desired level of exposure to a certain sector. Liquidity risk may result from the lack of an active market, reduced number and capacity of traditional market participants to make a market in fixed income securities, and may be magnified in a rising interest rate environment or other circumstances where investor redemptions from fixed income mutual funds may be higher than normal, causing increased supply in the market due to selling activity

Derivatives Risk: the risk of investing in derivative instruments (such as futures, swaps and structured securities), including leverage, liquidity, interest rate, market, credit and management risks, mispricing or valuation complexity. Changes in the value of the derivative may not correlate perfectly with, and may be more sensitive to market events than, the underlying asset, rate or index, and the Fund could lose more than the initial amount invested. The Fund's use of derivatives may result in losses to the Fund, a reduction in the Fund's returns and/or increased volatility. Over-the-counter ("OTC") derivatives are also subject to the risk that a counterparty to the transaction will not fulfill its contractual obligations to the other party, as many of the protections afforded to centrally-cleared derivative transactions might not be available for OTC derivatives. For derivatives traded on an exchange or through a central counterparty, credit risk resides with the Fund's clearing broker, or the clearinghouse itself, rather than with a counterparty in an OTC derivative transaction. Changes in regulation relating to a mutual fund's use of derivatives and related instruments could potentially limit or impact the Fund's ability to invest in derivatives, limit the Fund's ability to employ certain strategies that use derivatives and/or adversely affect the value of derivatives and the Fund's performance

Commodity Risk: the risk that investing in commodity-linked derivative instruments may subject the Fund to greater volatility than investments in traditional securities. The value of commodity-linked derivative instruments may be affected by changes in overall market movements, commodity index volatility, changes in interest rates, or factors affecting a particular industry or commodity, such as drought, floods, weather, livestock disease, embargoes, tariffs and international economic, political and regulatory developments

Equity Risk: the risk that the value of equity securities, such as common stocks and preferred securities, may decline due to general market conditions which are not specifically related to a particular company or to factors affecting a particular industry or industries. Equity securities generally have greater price volatility than fixed income securities

Mortgage-Related and Other Asset-Backed Securities Risk: the risks of investing in mortgage-related and other asset-backed securities, including interest rate risk, extension risk, prepayment risk and credit risk

Foreign (Non-U.S.) Investment Risk: the risk that investing in foreign (non-U.S.) securities may result in the Fund experiencing more rapid and extreme changes in value than a fund that invests exclusively in securities of U.S. companies, due to smaller markets, differing reporting, accounting and auditing standards, increased risk of delayed settlement of portfolio transactions or loss of certificates of portfolio securities, and the risk of unfavorable foreign government actions, including nationalization, expropriation or confiscatory taxation, currency blockage, or political changes or diplomatic developments. Foreign securities may also be less liquid and more difficult to value than securities of U.S. issuers

Real Estate Risk: the risk that the Fund's investments in Real Estate Investment Trusts ("REITs") or real estate-linked derivative instruments will subject the Fund to risks similar to those associated with direct ownership of real estate, including losses from casualty or condemnation, and changes

 

14     

PROSPECTUS | PIMCO FUNDS     


 

Table of Contents

Prospectus

in local and general economic conditions, supply and demand, interest rates, zoning laws, regulatory limitations on rents, property taxes and operating expenses. The Fund's investments in REITs or real estate-linked derivative instruments subject it to management and tax risks. In addition, privately traded REITs subject the Fund to liquidity and valuation risk

Emerging Markets Risk: the risk of investing in emerging market securities, primarily increased foreign (non-U.S.) investment risk

Sovereign Debt Risk: the risk that investments in fixed income instruments issued by sovereign entities may decline in value as a result of default or other adverse credit event resulting from an issuer's inability or unwillingness to make principal or interest payments in a timely fashion

Currency Risk: the risk that foreign (non-U.S.) currencies will change in value relative to the U.S. dollar and affect the Fund's investments in foreign (non-U.S.) currencies or in securities that trade in, and receive revenues in, or in derivatives that provide exposure to, foreign (non-U.S.) currencies

Smaller Company Risk: the risk that the value of securities issued by a smaller company may go up or down, sometimes rapidly and unpredictably as compared to more widely held securities, due to narrow markets and limited resources of smaller companies. A Fund's investments in smaller companies subject it to greater levels of credit, market and issuer risk

Leveraging Risk: the risk that certain transactions of the Fund, such as reverse repurchase agreements, loans of portfolio securities, and the use of when-issued, delayed delivery or forward commitment transactions, or derivative instruments, may give rise to leverage, magnifying gains and losses and causing the Fund to be more volatile than if it had not been leveraged. This means that leverage entails a heightened risk of loss

Tax Risk: the risk that the tax treatment of swap agreements and other derivative instruments, such as commodity-linked derivative instruments, including commodity index-linked notes, swap agreements, commodity options, futures, and options on futures, may be affected by future regulatory or legislative changes that could affect whether income from such investments is "qualifying income" under Subchapter M of the Internal Revenue Code, or otherwise affect the character, timing and/or amount of the Fund's taxable income or gains and distributions

Subsidiary Risk: the risk that, by investing in the Subsidiary, the Fund is indirectly exposed to the risks associated with the Subsidiary's investments. The Subsidiary is not registered under the 1940 Act and may not be subject to all the investor protections of the 1940 Act. There is no guarantee that the investment objective of the Subsidiary will be achieved

Management Risk: the risk that the investment techniques and risk analyses applied by PIMCO will not produce the desired results and that legislative, regulatory, or tax restrictions, policies or developments may affect the investment techniques available to PIMCO and the individual portfolio manager in connection with managing the Fund. There is no guarantee that the investment objective of the Fund will be achieved

Short Exposure Risk: the risk of entering into short sales, including the potential loss of more money than the actual cost of the investment, and the risk that the third party to the short sale will not fulfill its contractual obligations, causing a loss to the Fund

Value Investing Risk: a value stock may decrease in price or may not increase in price as anticipated by PIMCO if it continues to be undervalued by the market or the factors that the portfolio manager believes will cause the stock price to increase do not occur

Arbitrage Risk: the risk that securities purchased pursuant to an arbitrage strategy intended to take advantage of a perceived relationship between the value of two securities may not perform as expected

Convertible Securities Risk: as convertible securities share both fixed income and equity characteristics, they are subject to risks to which fixed income and equity investments are subject. These risks include equity risk, interest rate risk and credit risk

Exchange-Traded Fund Risk: the risk that an exchange-traded fund may not track the performance of the index it is designed to track, market prices of shares of an exchange-traded fund may fluctuate rapidly and materially, or shares of an exchange-traded fund may trade significantly above or below net asset value, any of which may cause losses to the Fund invested in the exchange-traded fund

Please see "Description of Principal Risks" in the Fund's prospectus for a more detailed description of the risks of investing in the Fund. An investment in the Fund is not a deposit of a bank and is not insured or guaranteed by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation or any other government agency.

Performance Information

The performance information shows summary performance information for the Fund in a bar chart and an Average Annual Total Returns table. The information provides some indication of the risks of investing in the Fund by showing changes in its performance from year to year and by showing how the Fund's average annual returns compare with the returns of a primary and a secondary broad-based securities market index and an index of similar funds. Absent any applicable fee waivers and/or expense limitations, performance would have been lower. The bar chart shows performance of the Fund's Institutional Class shares. Performance in the Average Annual Total Returns table reflects the impact of sales charges. The Fund's past performance, before and after taxes, is not necessarily an indication of how the Fund will perform in the future.

The Fund's primary broad-based securities market index is the 60% MSCI All Country World Index/40% Bloomberg Barclays Global Aggregate Index (USD Hedged). The 60% MSCI All Country World Index/40% Bloomberg Barclays Global Aggregate Index (USD Hedged) is a blended index. The MSCI All Country World Index is a free-float adjusted market capitalization weighted index that is designed to measure the equity market performance of developed and emerging markets. The MSCI All Country World Index consists of 46 country indexes comprising developed and emerging market indexes. The Bloomberg Barclays Global Aggregate Index (USD Hedged) provides a broad-based measure of the global investment-grade fixed income markets.

Lipper Alternative Global Macro Funds Average is a total return performance average of Funds tracked by Lipper, Inc. that, by prospectus language, invest around the world using economic theory to justify the decision-making process. The strategy is typically based on forecasts and analysis about interest rate trends, the general flow of funds, political

 

[ ] | PROSPECTUS

15


 

Table of Contents

PIMCO Global Multi-Asset Fund

changes, government policies, intergovernmental relations, and other broad systemic factors. These funds generally trade a wide range of markets and geographic regions, employing a broad range of trading ideas and instruments.

Performance for the Fund is updated daily and quarterly and may be obtained as follows: daily updates on the net asset value and performance page at http://investments.pimco.com/DailyPerformance and quarterly updates at http://investments.pimco.com/QuarterlyPerformance.

Calendar Year Total Returns — Institutional Class*

 

[To be updated by subsequent amendment]



*The year-to-date return as of June 30, 2018 is [ ]%. For the periods shown in the bar chart, the highest quarterly return was [ ]% in the [ ], and the lowest quarterly return was [ ]% in the [ ].

Average Annual Total Returns (for periods ended 12/31/17)

 

1 Year

5 Years

Since Inception (10/29/2008)

Institutional Class Return Before Taxes

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

Institutional Class Return After Taxes on Distributions‌(1)

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

Institutional Class Return After Taxes on Distributions and Sales of Fund Shares‌(1)

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

I-2 Return Before Taxes

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

Class A Return Before Taxes

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

Class C Return Before Taxes

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

Class R Return Before Taxes

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

60% MSCI All Country World Index/40% Bloomberg Barclays Global Aggregate (USD Hedged) (reflects no deductions for fees, expenses or taxes)

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

MSCI All Country World Index (reflects no deductions for fees, expenses or taxes)

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

 

Lipper Alternative Global Macro Funds Average (reflects no deductions for taxes)

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

(1) After-tax returns are calculated using the highest historical individual federal marginal income tax rates and do not reflect the impact of state and local taxes. Actual after-tax returns depend on an investor's tax situation and may differ from those shown, and the after-tax returns shown are not relevant to investors who hold their Fund shares through tax-deferred arrangements, such as 401(k) plans or individual retirement accounts. In some cases the return after taxes may exceed the return before taxes due to an assumed tax benefit from any losses on a sale of Fund shares at the end of the measurement period. After-tax returns are for Institutional Class shares only. After-tax returns for other classes will vary.

Investment Adviser/Portfolio Manager

PIMCO serves as the investment adviser for the Fund. The Fund's portfolio is jointly managed by Mihir Worah and Geraldine Sundstrom. Mr. Worah is CIO Real Return and Asset Allocation and a Managing Director of PIMCO and has managed the Fund since January 2014. Ms. Sundstrom is a Managing Director of PIMCO and a senior portfolio manager in the Asset Allocation team and has managed the Fund since July 2015.

Other Important Information Regarding Fund Shares

For important information about purchase and sale of Fund shares, tax information, and payments to broker-dealers and other financial intermediaries, please turn to the "Summary of Other Important Information Regarding Fund Shares" section on page [ ] of this prospectus.

 

16     

PROSPECTUS | PIMCO FUNDS     


 

Table of Contents

PIMCO Multi-Strategy Alternative Fund

Investment Objective

The Fund seeks maximum total return, consistent with prudent investment management.

Fees and Expenses of the Fund

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 $100,000 in Class A shares of eligible funds offered by PIMCO Equity Series and PIMCO Funds. More information about these and other discounts is available in the "Classes of Shares" section on page [ ] of the Fund's prospectus, Appendix B to the Fund's prospectus (Financial Firm-Specific Sales Charge Waivers and Discounts) or from your financial advisor.

Shareholder Fees (fees paid directly from your investment):

 

Inst
Class

I-2

Class A

Maximum Sales Charge (Load) Imposed on Purchases (as a percentage of offering price)

None

None

3.75%

Maximum Deferred Sales Charge (Load) (as a percentage of the lower of the original purchase price or redemption price)

None

None

1.00%

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

 

Inst
Class

I-2

Class A

Management Fees

1.15%

1.25%

1.30%

Distribution and/or Service (12b-1) Fees

N/A

N/A

0.25%

Other Expenses

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

Acquired Fund Fees and Expenses

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses(1)

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

Fee Waiver and/or Expense Reimbursement(2)

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses After Fee Waiver and/or Expense Reimbursement(3)

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

 

1 Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses do not match the Ratio of Expenses to Average Net Assets Excluding Waivers of the Fund, as set forth in the Financial Highlights table of the Fund's prospectus, because the Ratio of Expenses to Average Net Assets Excluding Waivers reflects the operating expenses of the Fund and does not include Acquired Fund Fees and Expenses.

2 PIMCO has contractually agreed, through July 31, 2019, to waive, first, the advisory fee and, second, the supervisory and administrative fee it receives from the Fund in an amount equal to the expenses attributable to the Management Fees of Underlying PIMCO Funds indirectly incurred by the Fund in connection with its investments in Underlying PIMCO Funds, to the extent the Fund's Management Fees are greater than or equal to the Management Fees of the Underlying PIMCO Funds. This waiver renews annually for a full year unless terminated by PIMCO upon at least 30 days' notice prior to the end of the contract term.

3 "Other Expenses" and Acquired Fund Fees and Expenses include interest expense of the Fund and of the Underlying PIMCO Funds of [ ]% and [ ]%, respectively. Interest expense is borne by the Fund and the Underlying PIMCO Funds separately from the management fees paid to PIMCO. Excluding interest expense of the Fund and of the Underlying PIMCO Funds, Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses After Fee Waiver and/or Expense Reimbursement are [ ]%, [ ]% and [ ]% for Institutional Class, I-2 and Class A shares, respectively.

Example. The Example is intended to help you compare the cost of investing in Institutional Class, I-2 or Class A shares of the Fund with the costs of investing in other mutual funds. The Example assumes that you invest $10,000 in the noted class of shares for the time periods indicated, and then redeem all 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. Investors may pay brokerage commissions on their purchases and sales of Institutional Class shares or I-2 shares of the Fund, which are not reflected in the Example. Although your actual costs may be higher or lower, based on these assumptions your costs would be:

If you redeem your shares at the end of each period:

 

1 Year

3 Years

5 Years

10 Years

Institutional Class

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

I-2

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

Class A

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

If you do not redeem your shares:

 

1 Year

3 Years

5 Years

10 Years

Class A

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

Portfolio Turnover

The Fund pays transaction costs 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 the Annual Fund Operating Expenses or in the Example tables, affect the Fund's performance. During the most recent fiscal year, the Fund's portfolio turnover rate was [ ]% of the average value of its portfolio.

Principal Investment Strategies

The Fund seeks to achieve its investment objective by investing under normal circumstances in multiple alternative strategies, which may be represented by a combination of affiliated and unaffiliated funds, which may or may not be registered under the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended (the "1940 Act"), Fixed Income Instruments, equity securities, forwards or derivatives, such as options, futures contracts or swap agreements. "Fixed Income Instruments" include bonds, debt securities and other similar instruments issued by various U.S. and non-U.S. public- or private sector entities. The Fund will invest in such funds, securities, instruments and other investments to the extent permitted under the 1940 Act, or any exemptive relief therefrom.

The Fund will invest at least 75% of its net assets in Institutional Class or Class M shares of any funds of the Trust and PIMCO Equity Series, an affiliated open-end investment company, except funds of funds, or shares of any funds of the PIMCO ETF Trust, an affiliated investment company (collectively, "Underlying PIMCO Funds"), and may also invest in other affiliated and unaffiliated funds (collectively, "Acquired Funds"). Alternative strategies may be represented by, but not limited to, the following Underlying PIMCO Funds: PIMCO Dynamic Bond Fund, PIMCO Credit Opportunities Bond Fund, PIMCO Mortgage Opportunities and Bond Fund, PIMCO RAE Fundamental Advantage PLUS Fund, PIMCO EqS® Long/Short Fund, PIMCO RAE Worldwide Long/Short PLUS Fund, and PIMCO TRENDS

 



PIMCO FUNDS | PROSPECTUS

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PIMCO Multi-Strategy Alternative Fund

Managed Futures Strategy Fund. The Fund may invest in any or all of the Underlying PIMCO Funds, but will not normally invest in every Underlying PIMCO Fund at any particular time. The Fund's investment in a particular Underlying PIMCO Fund normally will not exceed 50% of its net assets.

The Fund may obtain exposure to four separate stock portfolios: RAE Fundamental US Large Model Portfolio, RAE Low Volatility US Model Portfolio, RAE Low Volatility Emerging Markets Model Portfolio and RAE Low Volatility International Model Portfolio (each, a "RAE Model Portfolio," and collectively, the "RAE Model Portfolios"). The stocks are selected by the Fund's sub-adviser, Research Affiliates, LLC ("Sub-Adviser"), from a broad universe of companies which satisfy certain liquidity and capacity requirements. Under normal circumstances equity total return swaps are used to obtain exposure to the RAE Model Portfolios.

The Sub-Adviser uses the RAFI® Fundamental Index® ("RAFI") methodology as a starting point for portfolio construction. The RAFI methodology is a non-capitalization method of creating and weighting an index of equity securities, within a defined market, that seeks to eliminate the potential overweighting of overpriced equity securities and underweighting of underpriced equity securities associated with market-capitalization equity indexes. Selections are further refined through the use of additional analytic measures and processes designed to achieve enhanced risk-adjusted returns including measures of financial health and adjustments that take momentum into account, among other factors. Actual stock positions in the RAE Model Portfolios, which drift apart from target weights as market prices change, are rebalanced to target weights periodically.

The Sub-Adviser provides investment advisory services in connection with the Fund's swap-based exposure to the RAE Model Portfolios by, among other things, providing Pacific Investment Management Company LLC ("PIMCO"), or counterparties designated by PIMCO, with the relevant RAE Model Portfolio for purposes of developing equity total return swaps based on that RAE Model Portfolio. In a typical swap agreement, the Fund will receive the total return of the relevant RAE Model Portfolio from the counterparty to the swap agreement in exchange for paying the counterparty an agreed upon short-term interest rate.

Because the RAE Model Portfolios are proprietary portfolios, there may be a limited number of counterparties willing or able to serve as counterparties to a swap agreement. If such swap agreements are not available, or if swap pricing is unattractive or for other reasons, the Fund may invest in other instruments, "baskets" of stocks, or individual securities to replicate the performance of the relevant RAE Model Portfolio.

The Fund may invest up to 25% of its total assets in commodity-related investments (including Underlying PIMCO Funds such as the PIMCO CommoditiesPLUS® Strategy Fund and PIMCO CommodityRealReturn Strategy Fund®). The Fund may invest in securities denominated in foreign currencies and in U.S. dollar-denominated securities of foreign issuers. The Fund may invest in high yield securities ("junk bonds"). The Fund may invest in securities and instruments that are economically tied to emerging market countries. The Fund may invest in derivative instruments, such as options, futures contracts, options on futures and fixed income swap agreements, subject to applicable law and any other restrictions described in the Fund's prospectus or Statement of Additional Information. The Fund may purchase and sell securities on a when-issued, delayed delivery or forward commitment basis and may engage in short sales.

Additional information for the Underlying PIMCO Funds can be found in the Statement of Additional Information and/or the Underlying PIMCO Funds' prospectuses and financial reports. Additional Underlying PIMCO Funds may be added or deleted in the future without shareholder notification.

Principal Risks

It is possible to lose money on an investment in the Fund. The principal risks of investing in the Fund include risks from direct investments and/or indirect exposure through investment in Acquired Funds. The principal risks of investing in the Fund, which could adversely affect its net asset value, yield and total return are listed below.

The following risks are principal risks of investing in the Fund.

Allocation Risk: the risk that a Fund could lose money as a result of less than optimal or poor asset allocation decisions. The Fund could miss attractive investment opportunities by underweighting markets that subsequently experience significant returns and could lose value by overweighting markets that subsequently experience significant declines

Acquired Fund Risk: the risk that a Fund's performance is closely related to the risks associated with the securities and other investments held by the Acquired Funds and that the ability of a Fund to achieve its investment objective will depend upon the ability of the Acquired Funds to achieve their investment objectives

The following risks are principal risks of investing in the Fund that include risks from direct investments and/or indirect exposure through investment in Acquired Funds.

New/Small Fund Risk: the risk that a new or smaller Fund's performance may not represent how the Fund is expected to or may perform in the long term. In addition, new Funds have limited operating histories for investors to evaluate and new and smaller Funds may not attract sufficient assets to achieve investment and trading efficiencies

Interest Rate Risk: the risk that fixed income securities will decline in value because of an increase in interest rates; a fund with a longer average portfolio duration will be more sensitive to changes in interest rates than a fund with a shorter average portfolio duration

Call Risk: the risk that an issuer may exercise its right to redeem a fixed income security earlier than expected (a call). Issuers may call outstanding securities prior to their maturity for a number of reasons (e.g., declining interest rates, changes in credit spreads and improvements in the issuer's credit quality). If an issuer calls a security that the Fund has invested in, the Fund may not recoup the full amount of its initial investment and may be forced to reinvest in lower-yielding securities, securities with greater credit risks or securities with other, less favorable features

Credit Risk: the risk that the Fund could lose money if the issuer or guarantor of a fixed income security, or the counterparty to a derivative contract, is unable or unwilling to meet its financial obligations

High Yield Risk: the risk that high yield securities and unrated securities of similar credit quality (commonly known as "junk bonds") are subject to

 

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Prospectus

greater levels of credit, call and liquidity risks. High yield securities are considered primarily speculative with respect to the issuer's continuing ability to make principal and interest payments, and may be more volatile than higher-rated securities of similar maturity

Distressed Company Risk: the risk that securities of distressed companies may be subject to greater levels of credit, issuer and liquidity risk than a portfolio that does not invest in such securities. Securities of distressed companies include both debt and equity securities. Debt securities of distressed companies are considered predominantly speculative with respect to the issuers' continuing ability to make principal and interest payments

Market Risk: the risk that the value of securities owned by the Fund may go up or down, sometimes rapidly or unpredictably, due to factors affecting securities markets generally or particular industries

Issuer Risk: the risk that the value of a security may decline for a reason directly related to the issuer, such as management performance, financial leverage and reduced demand for the issuer's goods or services

Liquidity Risk: the risk that a particular investment may be difficult to purchase or sell and that the Fund may be unable to sell illiquid securities at an advantageous time or price or achieve its desired level of exposure to a certain sector. Liquidity risk may result from the lack of an active market, reduced number and capacity of traditional market participants to make a market in fixed income securities, and may be magnified in a rising interest rate environment or other circumstances where investor redemptions from fixed income mutual funds may be higher than normal, causing increased supply in the market due to selling activity

Derivatives Risk: the risk of investing in derivative instruments (such as futures, swaps and structured securities), including leverage, liquidity, interest rate, market, credit and management risks, mispricing or valuation complexity. Changes in the value of the derivative may not correlate perfectly with, and may be more sensitive to market events than, the underlying asset, rate or index, and the Fund could lose more than the initial amount invested. The Fund's use of derivatives may result in losses to the Fund, a reduction in the Fund's returns and/or increased volatility. Over-the-counter ("OTC") derivatives are also subject to the risk that a counterparty to the transaction will not fulfill its contractual obligations to the other party, as many of the protections afforded to centrally-cleared derivative transactions might not be available for OTC derivatives. For derivatives traded on an exchange or through a central counterparty, credit risk resides with the Fund's clearing broker, or the clearinghouse itself, rather than with a counterparty in an OTC derivative transaction. Changes in regulation relating to a mutual fund's use of derivatives and related instruments could potentially limit or impact the Fund's ability to invest in derivatives, limit the Fund's ability to employ certain strategies that use derivatives and/or adversely affect the value of derivatives and the Fund's performance

Futures Contract Risk: the risk that, while the value of a futures contract tends to correlate with the value of the underlying asset that it represents, differences between the futures market and the market for the underlying asset may result in an imperfect correlation. Futures contracts may involve risks different from, and possibly greater than, the risks associated with investing directly in the underlying assets. The purchase or sale of a futures contract may result in losses in excess of the amount invested in the futures contract

Volatility Risk: volatility measures the variability in the price of an investment over time. A higher volatility level signifies an investment's value may fluctuate over a larger range within a short period of time, either up or down. Higher volatility levels may indicate heightened risk of losses. Volatility risk is heightened to the extent the Fund invests in volatility-related instruments, such as futures on volatility-related indices

Model Risk: the risk that the Fund's investment models used in making investment allocation decisions may not adequately take into account certain factors and may result in a decline in the value of an investment in the Fund

Commodity Risk: the risk that investing in commodity-linked derivative instruments may subject the Fund to greater volatility than investments in traditional securities. The value of commodity-linked derivative instruments may be affected by changes in overall market movements, commodity index volatility, changes in interest rates, or factors affecting a particular industry or commodity, such as drought, floods, weather, livestock disease, embargoes, tariffs and international economic, political and regulatory developments

Equity Risk: the risk that the value of equity securities, such as common stocks and preferred securities, may decline due to general market conditions which are not specifically related to a particular company or to factors affecting a particular industry or industries. Equity securities generally have greater price volatility than fixed income securities

Mortgage-Related and Other Asset-Backed Securities Risk: the risks of investing in mortgage-related and other asset-backed securities, including interest rate risk, extension risk, prepayment risk and credit risk

Privately Issued Mortgage-Related Securities Risk: the risk of non-payment because there are no direct or indirect government or agency guarantees of payments in the pools created by non-governmental issuers

Extension Risk: the risk that, in periods of rising interest rates, issuers of mortgage-related and other asset-backed securities may pay principal later than expected, which may reduce the value of the Fund's investment in such securities and may prevent the Fund from receiving higher interest rates on proceeds reinvested

Prepayment Risk: the risk that, in periods of declining interest rates, issuers of mortgage-related and other asset-backed securities may pay principal more quickly than expected, which results in the Fund foregoing future interest income on the portion of the principal repaid early and may result in the Fund being forced to reinvest investment proceeds at lower interest rates

Foreign (Non-U.S.) Investment Risk: the risk that investing in foreign (non-U.S.) securities may result in the Fund experiencing more rapid and extreme changes in value than a fund that invests exclusively in securities of U.S. companies, due to smaller markets, differing reporting, accounting and auditing standards, increased risk of delayed settlement of portfolio transactions or loss of certificates of portfolio securities, and the risk of unfavorable foreign government actions, including nationalization, expropriation or confiscatory taxation, currency blockage, or political changes

 

[ ] | PROSPECTUS

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Table of Contents

PIMCO Multi-Strategy Alternative Fund

or diplomatic developments. Foreign securities may also be less liquid and more difficult to value than securities of U.S. issuers

Real Estate Risk: the risk that the Fund's investments in Real Estate Investment Trusts ("REITs") or real estate-linked derivative instruments will subject the Fund to risks similar to those associated with direct ownership of real estate, including losses from casualty or condemnation, and changes in local and general economic conditions, supply and demand, interest rates, zoning laws, regulatory limitations on rents, property taxes and operating expenses. The Fund's investments in REITs or real estate-linked derivative instruments subject it to management and tax risks. In addition, privately traded REITs subject the Fund to liquidity and valuation risk

Senior Loan Risk: the risk that investing in senior loans, including bank loans, exposes the Fund to heightened credit risk, call risk, settlement risk and liquidity risk. If an issuer of a senior loan prepays or redeems the loan prior to maturity, the Fund will have to reinvest the proceeds in other senior loans or instruments that may pay lower interest rates

Emerging Markets Risk: the risk of investing in emerging market securities, primarily increased foreign (non-U.S.) investment risk

Sovereign Debt Risk: the risk that investments in fixed income instruments issued by sovereign entities may decline in value as a result of default or other adverse credit event resulting from an issuer's inability or unwillingness to make principal or interest payments in a timely fashion

Currency Risk: the risk that foreign (non-U.S.) currencies will change in value relative to the U.S. dollar and affect the Fund's investments in foreign (non-U.S.) currencies or in securities that trade in, and receive revenues in, or in derivatives that provide exposure to, foreign (non-U.S.) currencies

Leveraging Risk: the risk that certain transactions of the Fund, such as reverse repurchase agreements, loans of portfolio securities, and the use of when-issued, delayed delivery or forward commitment transactions, or derivative instruments, may give rise to leverage, magnifying gains and losses and causing the Fund to be more volatile than if it had not been leveraged. This means that leverage entails a heightened risk of loss

Small-Cap and Mid-Cap Company Risk: the risk that the value of securities issued by small-capitalization and mid-capitalization companies may go up or down, sometimes rapidly and unpredictably as compared to more widely held securities, due to narrow markets and limited resources of smaller companies.  A Fund's investments in smaller companies subject it to greater levels of credit, market and issuer risk

Management Risk: the risk that the investment techniques and risk analyses applied by PIMCO will not produce the desired results and that legislative, regulatory, or tax restrictions, policies or developments may affect the investment techniques available to PIMCO and the individual portfolio managers in connection with managing the Fund. There is no guarantee that the investment objective of the Fund will be achieved

Short Exposure Risk: the risk of entering into short sales, including the potential loss of more money than the actual cost of the investment, and the risk that the third party to the short sale will not fulfill its contractual obligations, causing a loss to the Fund

Tax Risk: the risk that the tax treatment of swap agreements and other derivative instruments, such as commodity-linked derivative instruments, including commodity index-linked notes, swap agreements, commodity options, futures, and options on futures, may be affected by future regulatory or legislative changes that could affect whether income from such investments is "qualifying income" under Subchapter M of the Internal Revenue Code, or otherwise affect the character, timing and/or amount of the Fund's taxable income or gains and distributions

Subsidiary Risk: the risk that, by investing in certain Underlying PIMCO Funds that invest in a subsidiary (each a "Subsidiary"), the Fund is indirectly exposed to the risks associated with a Subsidiary's investments. The Subsidiaries are not registered under the 1940 Act and may not be subject to all the investor protections of the 1940 Act. There is no guarantee that the investment objective of a Subsidiary will be achieved

Value Investing Risk: a value stock may decrease in price or may not increase in price as anticipated by PIMCO if it continues to be undervalued by the market or the factors that the portfolio manager believes will cause the stock price to increase do not occur

Cash Holdings Risk: the risk of holding large cash positions, including lower returns and potential lost opportunities to participate in market appreciation

Convertible Securities Risk: as convertible securities share both fixed income and equity characteristics, they are subject to risks to which fixed income and equity investments are subject. These risks include equity risk, interest rate risk and credit risk

Exchange-Traded Fund Risk: the risk that an exchange-traded fund may not track the performance of the index it is designed to track, market prices of shares of an exchange-traded fund may fluctuate rapidly and materially, or shares of an exchange-traded fund may trade significantly above or below net asset value, any of which may cause losses to the Fund invested in the exchange-traded fund

Please see "Description of Principal Risks" in the Fund's prospectus for a more detailed description of the risks of investing in the Fund. An investment in the Fund is not a deposit of a bank and is not insured or guaranteed by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation or any other government agency.

Performance Information

The performance information shows summary performance information for the Fund in a bar chart and an Average Annual Total Returns table. The information provides some indication of the risks of investing in the Fund by showing changes in its performance from year to year and by showing how the Fund's average returns compare with the returns of a broad-based securities market index and an index of similar funds. Absent any applicable fee waivers and/or expense limitations, performance would have been lower. The bar chart shows performance of the Fund's Institutional Class shares. Performance in the Average Annual Total Returns table reflects the impact of sales charges. The Fund's past performance, before and after taxes, is not necessarily an indication of how the Fund will perform in the future.

The 3 Month USD LIBOR (London Interbank Offered Rate) Index is an average interest rate, determined by the ICE Benchmark Administration, that banks charge one another for the use of short-term money (3 months) in England's Eurodollar market. The Lipper Alternative Multi-Strategy Funds

 

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Prospectus

Average is a total return performance average of Funds tracked by Lipper, Inc. that seek total returns through the management of several different hedge-like strategies.

Performance for the Fund is updated daily and quarterly and may be obtained as follows: daily updates on the net asset value and performance page at http://investments.pimco.com/DailyPerformance and quarterly updates at http://investments.pimco.com/QuarterlyPerformance.

Calendar Year Total Returns — Institutional Class*

 

[To be updated by subsequent amendment]



*The year-to-date return as of June 30, 2018 is [ ]%. For the periods shown in the bar chart, the highest quarterly return was [ ]% in the [ ], and the lowest quarterly return was [ ]% in the [ ].

Average Annual Total Returns (for periods ended 12/31/17)

 

1 Year

Since Inception (12/30/2014)

Institutional Class Return Before Taxes

[ ]

[ ]

Institutional Class Return After Taxes on Distributions‌(1)

[ ]

[ ]

Institutional Class Return After Taxes on Distributions and Sales of Fund Shares‌(1)

[ ]

[ ]

I-2 Return Before Taxes

[ ]

[ ]

Class A Return Before Taxes

[ ]

[ ]

3 Month USD LIBOR Index (reflects no deductions for fees, expenses or taxes)

[ ]

[ ]

 

Lipper Alternative Multi-Strategy Funds Average (reflects no deductions for taxes)

[ ]

[ ]

(1) After-tax returns are calculated using the highest historical individual federal marginal income tax rates and do not reflect the impact of state and local taxes. Actual after-tax returns depend on an investor's tax situation and may differ from those shown, and the after-tax returns shown are not relevant to investors who hold their Fund shares through tax-deferred arrangements, such as 401(k) plans or individual retirement accounts. In some cases the return after taxes may exceed the return before taxes due to an assumed tax benefit from any losses on a sale of Fund shares at the end of the measurement period. After-tax returns are for Institutional Class shares only. After-tax returns for other classes will vary.

Investment Adviser/Portfolio Manager

PIMCO serves as the investment adviser for the Fund. Research Affiliates, LLC serves as the Fund's sub-adviser with respect to the Fund's use of the RAE Model Portfolios. The Fund's portfolio is jointly managed by Josh Davis, Mihir Worah and Mohsen Fahmi. Dr. Davis and Mr. Fahmi are Managing Directors of PIMCO. Mr. Worah is CIO Real Return and Asset Allocation and a Managing Director of PIMCO. Dr. Davis and Messrs. Worah and Fahmi have jointly managed the Fund since its inception in December 2014.

Other Important Information Regarding Fund Shares

For important information about purchase and sale of Fund shares, tax information, and payments to broker-dealers and other financial intermediaries, please turn to the "Summary of Other Important Information Regarding Fund Shares" section on page [ ] of this prospectus.

 

[ ] | PROSPECTUS

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Table of Contents

PIMCO REALPATH® Income Fund

Investment Objective

The Fund seeks to maximize real return, consistent with preservation of real capital and prudent investment management.

Fees and Expenses of the Fund

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 $100,000 in Class A shares of eligible funds offered by PIMCO Equity Series and PIMCO Funds. More information about these and other discounts is available in the "Classes of Shares" section on page [ ] of the Fund's prospectus, Appendix B to the Fund's prospectus (Financial Firm-Specific Sales Charge Waivers and Discounts) or from your financial advisor.

Shareholder Fees (fees paid directly from your investment):

 

Inst
Class

Admin
Class

Class A

Maximum Sales Charge (Load) Imposed on Purchases (as a percentage of offering price)

None

None

5.50%

Maximum Deferred Sales Charge (Load) (as a percentage of the lower of the original purchase price or redemption price)

None

None

1.00%

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

 

Inst
Class

Admin
Class

Class A

Management Fees

0.55%

0.55%

0.75%

Distribution and/or Service (12b-1) Fees

N/A

0.25%

0.25%

Acquired Fund Fees and Expenses(1)

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses(2)

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

Fee Waiver and/or Expense Reimbursement(3)

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses After Fee Waiver and/or Expense Reimbursement

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

1 Acquired Fund Fees and Expenses include interest expense of the Underlying PIMCO Funds of [ ]%. Interest expense can result from certain transactions within the Underlying PIMCO Funds and is separate from the management fees paid to PIMCO. Excluding interest expense of the Underlying PIMCO Funds, Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses After Fee Waiver and/or Expense Reimbursement are [ ]%, [ ]% and [ ]% for Institutional Class, Administrative Class and Class A shares, respectively.

2 Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses do not match the Ratio of Expenses to Average Net Assets Excluding Waivers of the Fund, as set forth in the Financial Highlights table of the Fund's prospectus, because the Ratio of Expenses to Average Net Assets Excluding Waivers reflects the operating expenses of the Fund and does not include Acquired Fund Fees and Expenses.

3 Pacific Investment Management Company LLC ("PIMCO") has contractually agreed, through July 31, 2019, to waive, first, the advisory fee and, second, the supervisory and administrative fee it receives from the Fund in an amount equal to the expenses attributable to the Management Fees of Underlying PIMCO Funds indirectly incurred by the Fund in connection with its investments in Underlying PIMCO Funds, to the extent the Fund's Management Fees are greater than or equal to the Management Fees of the Underlying PIMCO Funds. This waiver renews annually for a full year unless terminated by PIMCO upon at least 30 days' notice prior to the end of the contract term.

Example. The Example is intended to help you compare the cost of investing in Institutional Class, Administrative Class or Class A shares of the Fund with the costs of investing in other mutual funds. The Example assumes that you invest $10,000 in the noted class of shares for the time periods indicated, and then redeem all 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. Investors may pay brokerage commissions on their purchases and sales of Institutional Class shares of the Fund, which are not reflected in the Example. Although your actual costs may be higher or lower, based on these assumptions your costs would be:

If you redeem your shares at the end of each period:

 

1 Year

3 Years

5 Years

10 Years

Institutional Class

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

Administrative Class

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

Class A

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

If you do not redeem your shares:

 

1 Year

3 Years

5 Years

10 Years

Class A

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

Portfolio Turnover

The Fund pays transaction costs 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 the Annual Fund Operating Expenses or in the Example tables, affect the Fund's performance. During the most recent fiscal year, the Fund's portfolio turnover rate was [ ]% of the average value of its portfolio.

Principal Investment Strategies

The PIMCO REALPATH® Income Fund (the "Fund") is intended for investors seeking professional management of a comprehensive asset allocation strategy for retirement savings. The primary difference between the PIMCO REALPATH® Funds is their asset allocation, which varies depending on the number of years left until the "self-elected" year of retirement indicated in the PIMCO REALPATH® Fund's name. Unlike the other PIMCO REALPATH® Funds, the Fund does not include a "self-elected" year of retirement in its name because the Fund is managed for shareholders who are retired or about to retire soon and are more focused on preservation of capital and withdrawing portions of their investments. The asset allocation of the Fund is based on the asset allocation at zero years left until retirement on the glide path and is intended to be used throughout an investor's retirement. An investment in the Fund is not guaranteed, and you may experience losses. There is no guarantee that the Fund will provide adequate income at and through your retirement.

In managing the Fund, Pacific Investment Management Company LLC ("PIMCO") uses a four-step approach consisting of 1) developing and re-evaluating a long-term asset allocation "glide path"; 2) performing tactical allocation adjustments around the glide path; 3) developing a series of relative value strategies designed to add value beyond the target allocation; and 4) utilizing hedging techniques to manage risks.

The Fund seeks to achieve its investment objective by investing under normal circumstances in a combination of affiliated and unaffiliated funds, which may or may not be registered under the Investment Company Act of

 



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Prospectus

1940 (the "1940 Act"), Fixed Income Instruments of varying maturities, equity securities, forwards and derivatives. "Fixed Income Instruments" include bonds, debt securities and other similar instruments issued by various U.S. and non-U.S. public- or private sector entities. The Fund will invest in such funds, securities, instruments and other investments to the extent permitted under the 1940 Act, or any exemptive relief therefrom. The Fund may invest in Institutional Class or Class M shares of any funds of the Trust and PIMCO Equity Series, an affiliated open-end investment company, except funds of funds ("Underlying PIMCO Funds"), and may also invest in other affiliated funds, including funds of PIMCO ETF Trust, and unaffiliated funds (collectively, "Acquired Funds"). As used in the investment objective, "real return" equals total return less the estimated cost of inflation, which is typically measured by the change in an official inflation measure, and "real capital" equals capital less the estimated cost of inflation measured by the change in an official inflation measure.

The Fund's long-term asset allocations are based on "glide path" developed by PIMCO and are based on quantitative and qualitative data relating to various risk metrics, long-term market trends, correlation of asset types and actuarial assumptions of life expectancy and retirement. The Fund's current asset allocation is based on the asset allocation at zero years left until retirement on the glide path and is intended to be used throughout an investor's retirement. The target date assumes a retirement age of 65, and time horizons based on current longevity of persons reaching retirement in average health. Choosing a PIMCO REALPATH® Fund targeting an earlier date represents a more conservative choice; choosing a PIMCO REALPATH® Fund targeting a later date represents a more aggressive choice. The glide path is designed not only to reduce risk as the target retirement date nears, but is also designed to provide investors diversification across a variety of asset classes, with an emphasis on asset classes that can protect against inflation over time. This is achieved by emphasizing allocations to inflation related assets, such as Treasury-Inflation Protected Securities ("TIPS"), commodities, and real estate, which complement exposures from traditional assets, such as U.S. and international equities, U.S. bonds and short-term instruments. The glide path changes over time, generally becoming more conservative as the Fund approaches the target date.

The chart below shows the glide path and illustrates how the allocation among the asset classes changes before and at the target date. The glide path allocation at the target date remains constant beyond that date. As described in greater detail below, PIMCO may adjust the Fund's actual asset allocation exposures from the long-term targets specified by the glide path based on PIMCO's real-time views of perceived risks and opportunities. PIMCO may also choose to modify the target asset allocations of the glide path itself from time to time.

              REALPATH® Glide Path



PIMCO performs tactical allocation adjustments around the glide path, meaning PIMCO may vary the Fund's actual asset allocation exposures from the glide path's long-term targets based on PIMCO's real-time views of perceived risks and opportunities. PIMCO will generally reduce variation from the glide path's targets as the Fund approaches the target date.

The actual asset allocation at a given time may vary from the target strategic asset allocations based on PIMCO's tactical allocation adjustments and on market movements. These variances will be limited to a certain range relative to the target allocations under normal circumstances. The table below illustrates the permissible range in which the allocations may vary, as measured monthly.

Years to Retirement

Target Allocation

Maximum Underweight

Maximum Overweight

Total Equity Allocation

40

74%

–15%

15%

30

73%

–15%

15%

20

65%

–15%

15%

10

50%

–20%

10%

0

36%

–20%

10%

 

Years to Retirement

Target Allocation

Maximum Underweight

Maximum Overweight

Total Commodity and Real Estate Allocation

40

10%

–10%

10%

30

10%

–10%

10%

20

10%

–10%

10%

10

6%

–6%

6%

0

4%

–4%

4%

 

[ ] | PROSPECTUS

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Table of Contents

PIMCO REALPATH® Income Fund

 

Years to Retirement

Target Allocation

Maximum Underweight

Maximum Overweight

Total Fixed Income Allocation

40

16%

–15%

15%

30

17%

–15%

15%

20

25%

–15%

15%

10

44%

–10%

20%

0

60%

–10%

20%

The tactical allocation adjustments described above are driven by PIMCO's secular and cyclical views, which are formulated by considering various qualitative and quantitative factors relating to the U.S. and non-U.S. economies, and securities and commodities markets. These factors include projected growth trends in the U.S. and non-U.S. economies, forecasts for interest rates and the relationship between short- and long-term interest rates (yield curve), current and projected trends in inflation, relative valuation levels in the equity, fixed income, commodity and real estate markets and various segments within those markets, the outlook and projected growth of various industrial sectors, information relating to business cycles, borrowing needs and the cost of capital, political trends, data relating to trade balances, labor information and relevant legislative or public policy changes. These "top down" macro-economic factors, as well as more micro "bottom up" factors that are unique to narrowly defined market sectors, are used to identify attractive relative value strategies. These strategies seek to modestly enhance the Fund's returns in a manner within the allocation ranges relative to the glide path targets described above. When reallocating the Fund's investment exposures, PIMCO may do so by adjusting the mix of affiliated or unaffiliated funds, or by investing directly in securities, instruments and other investments, based on its ongoing analyses of the global economy, financial markets and the relative valuation and risks presented by the aforementioned vehicles and instruments. In selecting and reallocating the mix of affiliated or unaffiliated funds, PIMCO considers a wide range of factors, including a fund's objective, strategies, risks, performance, fees, and other metrics. In seeking to limit the amount of acquired fund fees and expenses that may be borne by Fund investors, PIMCO may choose to invest in particular affiliated or unaffiliated funds, so long as such investment decisions are consistent with the Fund's investment objective, glide path and tactical asset allocations. While PIMCO can adjust the Fund's investment exposures daily, including the vehicles or instruments used to gain those exposures, material shifts in investment exposures typically take place over longer periods of time.

As part of its investment process, PIMCO will also seek to reduce exposure to certain risks by implementing various hedging transactions. These hedging transactions seek to reduce a Fund's exposure to certain severe, unanticipated market events that could significantly detract from returns. PIMCO intends to utilize these hedging transactions once the Fund is within 10 years of the target retirement date or at such other times as deemed appropriate by PIMCO.

Once the tactical asset allocation adjustments, relative value strategies and risk hedging strategies have been determined, PIMCO then evaluates various combinations of affiliated or unaffiliated funds, securities, instruments and other investments to obtain the desired exposures and invests accordingly. Additional information for these Underlying PIMCO Funds can be found in the Statement of Additional Information and/or the Underlying PIMCO Funds' prospectuses and financial reports. Additional Underlying PIMCO Funds may be added or deleted in the future without shareholder notification.

Principal Risks

It is possible to lose money on an investment in the Fund. The principal risks of investing in the Fund include risks from direct investments and/or indirect exposure through investment in Acquired Funds. The principal risks of investing in the Fund, which could adversely affect its net asset value, yield and total return are listed below.

The following risks are principal risks of investing in the Fund.

New/Small Fund Risk: the risk that a new or smaller Fund's performance may not represent how the Fund is expected to or may perform in the long term. In addition, new Funds have limited operating histories for investors to evaluate and new and smaller Funds may not attract sufficient assets to achieve investment and trading efficiencies

Allocation Risk: the risk that a Fund could lose money as a result of less than optimal or poor asset allocation decisions. The Fund could miss attractive investment opportunities by underweighting markets that subsequently experience significant returns and could lose value by overweighting markets that subsequently experience significant declines

Acquired Fund Risk: the risk that a Fund's performance is closely related to the risks associated with the securities and other investments held by the Acquired Funds and that the ability of a Fund to achieve its investment objective will depend upon the ability of the Acquired Funds to achieve their investment objectives

The following risks are principal risks of investing in the Fund that include risks from direct investments and/or indirect exposure through investment in Acquired Funds.

New/Small Fund Risk: the risk that a new or smaller Fund's performance may not represent how the Fund is expected to or may perform in the long term. In addition, new Funds have limited operating histories for investors to evaluate and new and smaller Funds may not attract sufficient assets to achieve investment and trading efficiencies

Interest Rate Risk: the risk that fixed income securities will decline in value because of an increase in interest rates; a fund with a longer average portfolio duration will be more sensitive to changes in interest rates than a fund with a shorter average portfolio duration

Call Risk: the risk that an issuer may exercise its right to redeem a fixed income security earlier than expected (a call). Issuers may call outstanding securities prior to their maturity for a number of reasons (e.g., declining interest rates, changes in credit spreads and improvements in the issuer's credit quality). If an issuer calls a security that the Fund has invested in, the Fund may not recoup the full amount of its initial investment and may be forced to reinvest in lower-yielding securities, securities with greater credit risks or securities with other, less favorable features

Credit Risk: the risk that the Fund could lose money if the issuer or guarantor of a fixed income security, or the counterparty to a derivative contract, is unable or unwilling to meet its financial obligations

 

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Prospectus

High Yield Risk: the risk that high yield securities and unrated securities of similar credit quality (commonly known as "junk bonds") are subject to greater levels of credit, call and liquidity risks. High yield securities are considered primarily speculative with respect to the issuer's continuing ability to make principal and interest payments, and may be more volatile than higher-rated securities of similar maturity

Market Risk: the risk that the value of securities owned by the Fund may go up or down, sometimes rapidly or unpredictably, due to factors affecting securities markets generally or particular industries

Issuer Risk: the risk that the value of a security may decline for a reason directly related to the issuer, such as management performance, financial leverage and reduced demand for the issuer's goods or services

Liquidity Risk: the risk that a particular investment may be difficult to purchase or sell and that the Fund may be unable to sell illiquid securities at an advantageous time or price or achieve its desired level of exposure to a certain sector. Liquidity risk may result from the lack of an active market, reduced number and capacity of traditional market participants to make a market in fixed income securities, and may be magnified in a rising interest rate environment or other circumstances where investor redemptions from fixed income mutual funds may be higher than normal, causing increased supply in the market due to selling activity

Derivatives Risk: the risk of investing in derivative instruments (such as futures, swaps and structured securities), including leverage, liquidity, interest rate, market, credit and management risks, mispricing or valuation complexity. Changes in the value of the derivative may not correlate perfectly with, and may be more sensitive to market events than, the underlying asset, rate or index, and the Fund could lose more than the initial amount invested. The Fund's use of derivatives may result in losses to the Fund, a reduction in the Fund's returns and/or increased volatility. Over-the-counter ("OTC") derivatives are also subject to the risk that a counterparty to the transaction will not fulfill its contractual obligations to the other party, as many of the protections afforded to centrally-cleared derivative transactions might not be available for OTC derivatives. For derivatives traded on an exchange or through a central counterparty, credit risk resides with the Fund's clearing broker, or the clearinghouse itself, rather than with a counterparty in an OTC derivative transaction. Changes in regulation relating to a mutual fund's use of derivatives and related instruments could potentially limit or impact the Fund's ability to invest in derivatives, limit the Fund's ability to employ certain strategies that use derivatives and/or adversely affect the value of derivatives and the Fund's performance

Commodity Risk: the risk that investing in commodity-linked derivative instruments may subject the Fund to greater volatility than investments in traditional securities. The value of commodity-linked derivative instruments may be affected by changes in overall market movements, commodity index volatility, changes in interest rates, or factors affecting a particular industry or commodity, such as drought, floods, weather, livestock disease, embargoes, tariffs and international economic, political and regulatory developments

Equity Risk: the risk that the value of equity securities, such as common stocks and preferred securities, may decline due to general market conditions which are not specifically related to a particular company or to factors affecting a particular industry or industries. Equity securities generally have greater price volatility than fixed income securities

Mortgage-Related and Other Asset-Backed Securities Risk: the risks of investing in mortgage-related and other asset-backed securities, including interest rate risk, extension risk, prepayment risk and credit risk

Foreign (Non-U.S.) Investment Risk: the risk that investing in foreign (non-U.S.) securities may result in the Fund experiencing more rapid and extreme changes in value than a fund that invests exclusively in securities of U.S. companies, due to smaller markets, differing reporting, accounting and auditing standards, increased risk of delayed settlement of portfolio transactions or loss of certificates of portfolio securities, and the risk of unfavorable foreign government actions, including nationalization, expropriation or confiscatory taxation, currency blockage, or political changes or diplomatic developments. Foreign securities may also be less liquid and more difficult to value than securities of U.S. issuers

Real Estate Risk: the risk that the Fund's investments in Real Estate Investment Trusts ("REITs") or real estate-linked derivative instruments will subject the Fund to risks similar to those associated with direct ownership of real estate, including losses from casualty or condemnation, and changes in local and general economic conditions, supply and demand, interest rates, zoning laws, regulatory limitations on rents, property taxes and operating expenses. The Fund's investments in REITs or real estate-linked derivative instruments subject it to management and tax risks. In addition, privately traded REITs subject the Fund to liquidity and valuation risk

Emerging Markets Risk: the risk of investing in emerging market securities, primarily increased foreign (non-U.S.) investment risk

Sovereign Debt Risk: the risk that investments in fixed income instruments issued by sovereign entities may decline in value as a result of default or other adverse credit event resulting from an issuer's inability or unwillingness to make principal or interest payments in a timely fashion

Currency Risk: the risk that foreign (non-U.S.) currencies will change in value relative to the U.S. dollar and affect the Fund's investments in foreign (non-U.S.) currencies or in securities that trade in, and receive revenues in, or in derivatives that provide exposure to, foreign (non-U.S.) currencies

Leveraging Risk: the risk that certain transactions of the Fund, such as reverse repurchase agreements, loans of portfolio securities, and the use of when-issued, delayed delivery or forward commitment transactions, or derivative instruments, may give rise to leverage, magnifying gains and losses and causing the Fund to be more volatile than if it had not been leveraged. This means that leverage entails a heightened risk of loss

Smaller Company Risk: the risk that the value of securities issued by a smaller company may go up or down, sometimes rapidly and unpredictably as compared to more widely held securities, due to narrow markets and limited resources of smaller companies. A Fund's investments in smaller companies subject it to greater levels of credit, market and issuer risk

Management Risk: the risk that the investment techniques and risk analyses applied by PIMCO will not produce the desired results and that legislative, regulatory, or tax restrictions, policies or developments may affect the investment techniques available to PIMCO and the individual

 

[ ] | PROSPECTUS

25


 

Table of Contents

PIMCO REALPATH® Income Fund

portfolio manager in connection with managing the Fund. There is no guarantee that the investment objective of the Fund will be achieved

Short Exposure Risk: the risk of entering into short sales, including the potential loss of more money than the actual cost of the investment, and the risk that the third party to the short sale will not fulfill its contractual obligations, causing a loss to the Fund

Tax Risk: the risk that the tax treatment of swap agreements and other derivative instruments, such as commodity-linked derivative instruments, including commodity index-linked notes, swap agreements, commodity options, futures, and options on futures, may be affected by future regulatory or legislative changes that could affect whether income from such investments is "qualifying income" under Subchapter M of the Internal Revenue Code, or otherwise affect the character, timing and/or amount of the Fund's taxable income or gains and distributions

Subsidiary Risk: the risk that, by investing in certain Underlying PIMCO Funds that invest in a subsidiary (each a "Subsidiary"), the Fund is indirectly exposed to the risks associated with a Subsidiary's investments. The Subsidiaries are not registered under the 1940 Act and may not be subject to all the investor protections of the 1940 Act. There is no guarantee that the investment objective of a Subsidiary will be achieved

Exchange-Traded Fund Risk: the risk that an exchange-traded fund may not track the performance of the index it is designed to track, market prices of shares of an exchange-traded fund may fluctuate rapidly and materially, or shares of an exchange-traded fund may trade significantly above or below net asset value, any of which may cause losses to the Fund invested in the exchange-traded fund

Please see "Description of Principal Risks" in the Fund's prospectus for a more detailed description of the risks of investing in the Fund. An investment in the Fund is not a deposit of a bank and is not insured or guaranteed by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation or any other government agency.

Performance Information

The performance information shows summary performance information for the Fund in a bar chart and an Average Annual Total Returns table. The information provides some indication of the risks of investing in the Fund by showing changes in its performance from year to year and by showing how the Fund's average annual returns compare with the returns of a broad-based securities market index and an index of similar funds. Absent any applicable fee waivers and/or expense limitations, performance would have been lower. The bar chart shows performance of the Fund's Institutional Class shares. For periods prior to the inception date of Administrative Class shares (June 30, 2008), performance information shown in the table for those shares are based on the performance of the Fund's Institutional Class shares, adjusted to reflect the actual expenses paid by Administrative Class shares. Performance in the Average Annual Total Returns table reflects the impact of sales charges. The Fund's past performance, before and after taxes, is not necessarily an indication of how the Fund will perform in the future.

The Fund's broad-based securities market index is the S&P Target Date Retirement Income Index. The S&P Target Date Retirement Income Index seeks to represent a broadly derived consensus for asset allocations that target a particular investment horizon, with asset class exposures driven by a survey of available target date funds for that horizon. These asset class exposures include U.S. large cap, U.S. mid cap, U.S. small cap, international equities, emerging markets, U.S. and international real estate investment trusts, core fixed income, short term treasuries, TIPS, high yield corporate bonds and commodities and are represented by exchange-traded funds in the Index calculation. The Lipper Mixed-Asset Target Today Funds Average is a total performance average of funds tracked by Lipper, Inc. that, by portfolio practice, maintain a conservative mix of equity, bonds, cash, and cash equivalents designed to provide income to investors who are in or close to retirement.

Performance for the Fund is updated daily and quarterly and may be obtained as follows: daily updates on the net asset value and performance page at http://investments.pimco.com/DailyPerformance and quarterly updates at http://investments.pimco.com/QuarterlyPerformance.

Calendar Year Total Returns — Institutional Class*

 

[To be updated by subsequent amendment]



*The year-to-date return as of June 30, 2018 is [ ]%. For the periods shown in the bar chart, the highest quarterly return was [ ]% in the [ ], and the lowest quarterly return was [ ]% in the [ ].

Average Annual Total Returns (for periods ended 12/31/17)

 

1 Year

5 Years

Since Inception (03/31/2008)

Institutional Class Return Before Taxes

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

Institutional Class Return After Taxes on Distributions‌(1)

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

Institutional Class Return After Taxes on Distributions and Sales of Fund Shares‌(1)

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

Administrative Class Return Before Taxes

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

Class A Return Before Taxes

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

S&P Target Date Retirement Income Index (reflects no deductions for fees, expenses or taxes)

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

 

Lipper Mixed-Asset Target Today Funds Average (reflects no deductions for taxes)

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

(1) After-tax returns are calculated using the highest historical individual federal marginal income tax rates and do not reflect the impact of state and local taxes. Actual after-tax returns depend on an investor's tax situation and may differ from those shown, and the after-tax returns shown are not relevant to investors who hold their Fund shares through tax-deferred arrangements, such as 401(k) plans or individual retirement accounts. In some cases the return after taxes may exceed the return before taxes due to an assumed tax

 

26     

PROSPECTUS | PIMCO FUNDS     


 

Table of Contents

Prospectus

benefit from any losses on a sale of Fund shares at the end of the measurement period. After-tax returns are for Institutional Class shares only. After-tax returns for other classes will vary.

Investment Adviser/Portfolio Manager

PIMCO serves as the investment adviser for the Fund. The Fund's portfolio is managed by Mihir Worah, Rahul Devgon and Graham A. Rennison. Mr. Worah is CIO Real Return and Asset Allocation and a Managing Director of PIMCO, and Messrs. Devgon and Rennison are Senior Vice Presidents of PIMCO. Messrs. Worah, Devgon and Rennison have jointly managed the Fund since December 2015.

Other Important Information Regarding Fund Shares

For important information about purchase and sale of Fund shares, tax information, and payments to broker-dealers and other financial intermediaries, please turn to the "Summary of Other Important Information Regarding Fund Shares" section on page [ ] of this prospectus.

 

[ ] | PROSPECTUS

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Table of Contents

PIMCO REALPATH® 2020 Fund

Investment Objective

The Fund seeks to maximize real return, consistent with preservation of real capital and prudent investment management.

Fees and Expenses of the Fund

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 $100,000 in Class A shares of eligible funds offered by PIMCO Equity Series and PIMCO Funds. More information about these and other discounts is available in the "Classes of Shares" section on page [ ] of the Fund's prospectus, Appendix B to the Fund's prospectus (Financial Firm-Specific Sales Charge Waivers and Discounts) or from your financial advisor.

Shareholder Fees (fees paid directly from your investment):

 

Inst
Class

Admin
Class

Class A

Maximum Sales Charge (Load) Imposed on Purchases (as a percentage of offering price)

None

None

5.50%

Maximum Deferred Sales Charge (Load) (as a percentage of the lower of the original purchase price or redemption price)

None

None

1.00%

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

 

Inst
Class

Admin
Class

Class A

Management Fees

0.58%

0.58%

0.78%

Distribution and/or Service (12b-1) Fees

N/A

0.25%

0.25%

Acquired Fund Fees and Expenses(1)

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses(2)

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

Fee Waiver and/or Expense Reimbursement(3)

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses After Fee Waiver and/or Expense Reimbursement

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

1 Acquired Fund Fees and Expenses include interest expense of the Underlying PIMCO Funds of [ ]%. Interest expense can result from certain transactions within the Underlying PIMCO Funds and is separate from the management fees paid to PIMCO. Excluding interest expense of the Underlying PIMCO Funds, Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses After Fee Waiver and/or Expense Reimbursement are [ ]%, [ ]% and [ ]% for Institutional Class, Administrative Class and Class A shares, respectively.

2 Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses do not match the Ratio of Expenses to Average Net Assets Excluding Waivers of the Fund, as set forth in the Financial Highlights table of the Fund's prospectus, because the Ratio of Expenses to Average Net Assets Excluding Waivers reflects the operating expenses of the Fund and does not include Acquired Fund Fees and Expenses.

3 Pacific Investment Management Company LLC ("PIMCO") has contractually agreed, through July 31, 2019, to waive, first, the advisory fee and, second, the supervisory and administrative fee it receives from the Fund in an amount equal to the expenses attributable to the Management Fees of Underlying PIMCO Funds indirectly incurred by the Fund in connection with its investments in Underlying PIMCO Funds, to the extent the Fund's Management Fees are greater than or equal to the Management Fees of the Underlying PIMCO Funds. This waiver renews annually for a full year unless terminated by PIMCO upon at least 30 days' notice prior to the end of the contract term.

Example. The Example is intended to help you compare the cost of investing in Institutional Class, Administrative Class or Class A shares of the Fund with the costs of investing in other mutual funds. The Example assumes that you invest $10,000 in the noted class of shares for the time periods indicated, and then redeem all 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. Investors may pay brokerage commissions on their purchases and sales of Institutional Class shares of the Fund, which are not reflected in the Example. Although your actual costs may be higher or lower, based on these assumptions your costs would be:

If you redeem your shares at the end of each period:

 

1 Year

3 Years

5 Years

10 Years

Institutional Class

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

Administrative Class

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

Class A

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

If you do not redeem your shares:

 

1 Year

3 Years

5 Years

10 Years

Class A

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

Portfolio Turnover

The Fund pays transaction costs 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 the Annual Fund Operating Expenses or in the Example tables, affect the Fund's performance. During the most recent fiscal year, the Fund's portfolio turnover rate was [ ]% of the average value of its portfolio.

Principal Investment Strategies

The PIMCO REALPATH® 2020 Fund (the "Fund") is intended for investors seeking professional management of a comprehensive asset allocation strategy for retirement savings. The Fund is managed for shareholders that plan to retire or begin withdrawing assets around the year 2020, the Fund's target year. This is the "self-elected" year of retirement for the investors in the Fund. The primary difference between the PIMCO REALPATH® Funds is their asset allocation, which varies depending on the number of years left until the "self-elected" year of retirement indicated in the PIMCO REALPATH® Fund's name. The Fund's allocation is intended to meaningfully reduce risk and increasingly focus on preservation of capital as the target retirement date of the Fund nears. An investment in the Fund is not guaranteed, and you may experience losses, including losses near, at, or after the target year indicated in the Fund's name. There is no guarantee that the Fund will provide adequate income at and through your retirement.

In managing the Fund, Pacific Investment Management Company LLC ("PIMCO") uses a four-step approach consisting of 1) developing and re-evaluating a long-term asset allocation "glide path"; 2) performing tactical allocation adjustments around the glide path; 3) developing a series of relative value strategies designed to add value beyond the target allocation; and 4) utilizing hedging techniques to manage risks.

The Fund seeks to achieve its investment objective by investing under normal circumstances in a combination of affiliated and unaffiliated funds, which may or may not be registered under the Investment Company Act of

 



PIMCO FUNDS | PROSPECTUS

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Table of Contents

Prospectus

1940 (the "1940 Act"), Fixed Income Instruments of varying maturities, equity securities, forwards and derivatives. "Fixed Income Instruments" include bonds, debt securities and other similar instruments issued by various U.S. and non-U.S. public- or private- sector entities. The Fund will invest in such funds, securities, instruments and other investments to the extent permitted under the 1940 Act, or any exemptive relief therefrom. The Fund may invest in Institutional Class or Class M shares of any funds of the Trust and PIMCO Equity Series, an affiliated open-end investment company, except funds of funds ("Underlying PIMCO Funds"), and may also invest in other affiliated funds, including funds of PIMCO ETF Trust, and unaffiliated funds (collectively, "Acquired Funds"). As used in the investment objective, "real return" equals total return less the estimated cost of inflation, which is typically measured by the change in an official inflation measure, and "real capital" equals capital less the estimated cost of inflation measured by the change in an official inflation measure.

The Fund's long-term asset allocations are based on a "glide path" developed by PIMCO and are based on quantitative and qualitative data relating to various risk metrics, long-term market trends, correlation of asset types and actuarial assumptions of life expectancy and retirement. The Fund's current glide path asset allocation is based on its target date, which is the year in the name of the Fund. The target date assumes a retirement age of 65, and time horizons based on current longevity of persons reaching retirement in average health. Choosing a PIMCO REALPATH® Fund targeting an earlier date represents a more conservative choice; choosing a PIMCO REALPATH® Fund targeting a later date represents a more aggressive choice. The glide path is designed not only to reduce risk as the target retirement date nears, but is also designed to provide investors diversification across a variety of asset classes, with an emphasis on asset classes that can protect against inflation over time. This is achieved by emphasizing allocations to inflation related assets, such as Treasury-Inflation Protected Securities ("TIPS"), commodities, and real estate, which complement exposures from traditional assets, such as U.S. and international equities, U.S. bonds and short-term instruments. The glide path changes over time, generally becoming more conservative as the Fund approaches the target date.

The chart below shows the glide path and illustrates how the allocation among the asset classes changes before and at the target date. The glide path allocation at the target date remains constant beyond that date. As described in greater detail below, PIMCO may adjust the Fund's actual asset allocation exposures from the long-term targets specified by the glide path based on PIMCO's real-time views of perceived risks and opportunities. PIMCO may also choose to modify the target asset allocations of the glide path itself from time to time.

              REALPATH® Glide Path



PIMCO performs tactical allocation adjustments around the glide path, meaning PIMCO may vary the Fund's actual asset allocation exposures from the glide path's long-term targets based on PIMCO's real-time views of perceived risks and opportunities. PIMCO will generally reduce variation from the glide path's targets as the Fund approaches the target year in the Fund's name.

The actual asset allocation at a given time may vary from the target strategic asset allocations based on PIMCO's tactical allocation adjustments and on market movements. These variances will be limited to a certain range relative to the target allocations under normal circumstances. The table below illustrates the permissible range in which the allocations may vary, as measured monthly.

Years to Retirement

Target Allocation

Maximum Underweight

Maximum Overweight

Total Equity Allocation

40

74%

–15%

15%

30

73%

–15%

15%

20

65%

–15%

15%

10

50%

–20%

10%

0

36%

–20%

10%

 

Years to Retirement

Target Allocation

Maximum Underweight

Maximum Overweight

Total Commodity and Real Estate Allocation

40

10%

–10%

10%

30

10%

–10%

10%

20

10%

–10%

10%

10

6%

–6%

6%

0

4%

–4%

4%

 

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Table of Contents

PIMCO REALPATH® 2020 Fund

 

Years to Retirement

Target Allocation

Maximum Underweight

Maximum Overweight

Total Fixed Income Allocation

40

16%

–15%

15%

30

17%

–15%

15%

20

25%

–15%

15%

10

44%

–10%

20%

0

60%

–10%

20%

The tactical allocation adjustments described above are driven by PIMCO's secular and cyclical views, which are formulated by considering various qualitative and quantitative factors relating to the U.S. and non-U.S. economies, and securities and commodities markets. These factors include projected growth trends in the U.S. and non-U.S. economies, forecasts for interest rates and the relationship between short- and long-term interest rates (yield curve), current and projected trends in inflation, relative valuation levels in the equity, fixed income, commodity and real estate markets and various segments within those markets, the outlook and projected growth of various industrial sectors, information relating to business cycles, borrowing needs and the cost of capital, political trends, data relating to trade balances, labor information and relevant legislative or public policy changes. These "top down" macro-economic factors, as well as more micro "bottom up" factors that are unique to narrowly defined market sectors, are used to identify attractive relative value strategies. These strategies seek to modestly enhance the Fund's returns in a manner within the allocation ranges relative to the glide path targets described above. When reallocating the Fund's investment exposures, PIMCO may do so by adjusting the mix of affiliated or unaffiliated funds, or by investing directly in securities, instruments and other investments, based on its ongoing analyses of the global economy, financial markets and the relative valuation and risks presented by the aforementioned vehicles and instruments. In selecting and reallocating the mix of affiliated or unaffiliated funds, PIMCO considers a wide range of factors, including a fund's objective, strategies, risks, performance, fees, and other metrics. In seeking to limit the amount of acquired fund fees and expenses that may be borne by Fund investors, PIMCO may choose to invest in particular affiliated or unaffiliated funds, so long as such investment decisions are consistent with the Fund's investment objective, glide path and tactical asset allocations. While PIMCO can adjust the Fund's investment exposures daily, including the vehicles or instruments used to gain those exposures, material shifts in investment exposures typically take place over longer periods of time.

As the Fund reaches the target year indicated in the Fund's name, it may be combined with the PIMCO REALPATH® Income Fund, provided that the Board of Trustees determines that the combination would be in the best interests of the Fund and its shareholders. Prior to any combination, which may occur on or after the target year indicated in the Fund's name, the Fund will provide shareholders with advance notice regarding the combination. If and when such a combination occurs, shareholders of the Fund will become shareholders of the PIMCO REALPATH® Income Fund.

As part of its investment process, PIMCO will also seek to reduce exposure to certain risks by implementing various hedging transactions. These hedging transactions seek to reduce a Fund's exposure to certain severe, unanticipated market events that could significantly detract from returns. PIMCO intends to utilize these hedging transactions once the Fund is within 10 years of the target retirement date or at such other times as deemed appropriate by PIMCO.

Once the tactical asset allocation adjustments, relative value strategies and risk hedging strategies have been determined, PIMCO then evaluates various combinations of affiliated or unaffiliated funds, securities, instruments and other investments to obtain the desired exposures and invests accordingly. Additional information for these Underlying PIMCO Funds can be found in the Statement of Additional Information and/or the Underlying PIMCO Funds' prospectuses and financial reports. Additional Underlying PIMCO Funds may be added or deleted in the future without shareholder notification.

Principal Risks

It is possible to lose money on an investment in the Fund. The principal risks of investing in the Fund include risks from direct investments and/or indirect exposure through investment in Acquired Funds. The principal risks of investing in the Fund, which could adversely affect its net asset value, yield and total return are listed below.

The following risks are principal risks of investing in the Fund.

New/Small Fund Risk: the risk that a new or smaller Fund's performance may not represent how the Fund is expected to or may perform in the long term. In addition, new Funds have limited operating histories for investors to evaluate and new and smaller Funds may not attract sufficient assets to achieve investment and trading efficiencies

Allocation Risk: the risk that a Fund could lose money as a result of less than optimal or poor asset allocation decisions. The Fund could miss attractive investment opportunities by underweighting markets that subsequently experience significant returns and could lose value by overweighting markets that subsequently experience significant declines

Acquired Fund Risk: the risk that a Fund's performance is closely related to the risks associated with the securities and other investments held by the Acquired Funds and that the ability of a Fund to achieve its investment objective will depend upon the ability of the Acquired Funds to achieve their investment objectives

The following risks are principal risks of investing in the Fund that include risks from direct investments and/or indirect exposure through investment in Acquired Funds.

New/Small Fund Risk: the risk that a new or smaller Fund's performance may not represent how the Fund is expected to or may perform in the long term. In addition, new Funds have limited operating histories for investors to evaluate and new and smaller Funds may not attract sufficient assets to achieve investment and trading efficiencies

Interest Rate Risk: the risk that fixed income securities will decline in value because of an increase in interest rates; a fund with a longer average portfolio duration will be more sensitive to changes in interest rates than a fund with a shorter average portfolio duration

Call Risk: the risk that an issuer may exercise its right to redeem a fixed income security earlier than expected (a call). Issuers may call outstanding securities prior to their maturity for a number of reasons (e.g., declining

 

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Prospectus

interest rates, changes in credit spreads and improvements in the issuer's credit quality). If an issuer calls a security that the Fund has invested in, the Fund may not recoup the full amount of its initial investment and may be forced to reinvest in lower-yielding securities, securities with greater credit risks or securities with other, less favorable features

Credit Risk: the risk that the Fund could lose money if the issuer or guarantor of a fixed income security, or the counterparty to a derivative contract, is unable or unwilling to meet its financial obligations

High Yield Risk: the risk that high yield securities and unrated securities of similar credit quality (commonly known as "junk bonds") are subject to greater levels of credit, call and liquidity risks. High yield securities are considered primarily speculative with respect to the issuer's continuing ability to make principal and interest payments, and may be more volatile than higher-rated securities of similar maturity

Market Risk: the risk that the value of securities owned by the Fund may go up or down, sometimes rapidly or unpredictably, due to factors affecting securities markets generally or particular industries

Issuer Risk: the risk that the value of a security may decline for a reason directly related to the issuer, such as management performance, financial leverage and reduced demand for the issuer's goods or services

Liquidity Risk: the risk that a particular investment may be difficult to purchase or sell and that the Fund may be unable to sell illiquid securities at an advantageous time or price or achieve its desired level of exposure to a certain sector. Liquidity risk may result from the lack of an active market, reduced number and capacity of traditional market participants to make a market in fixed income securities, and may be magnified in a rising interest rate environment or other circumstances where investor redemptions from fixed income mutual funds may be higher than normal, causing increased supply in the market due to selling activity

Derivatives Risk: the risk of investing in derivative instruments (such as futures, swaps and structured securities), including leverage, liquidity, interest rate, market, credit and management risks, mispricing or valuation complexity. Changes in the value of the derivative may not correlate perfectly with, and may be more sensitive to market events than, the underlying asset, rate or index, and the Fund could lose more than the initial amount invested. The Fund's use of derivatives may result in losses to the Fund, a reduction in the Fund's returns and/or increased volatility. Over-the-counter ("OTC") derivatives are also subject to the risk that a counterparty to the transaction will not fulfill its contractual obligations to the other party, as many of the protections afforded to centrally-cleared derivative transactions might not be available for OTC derivatives. For derivatives traded on an exchange or through a central counterparty, credit risk resides with the Fund's clearing broker, or the clearinghouse itself, rather than with a counterparty in an OTC derivative transaction. Changes in regulation relating to a mutual fund's use of derivatives and related instruments could potentially limit or impact the Fund's ability to invest in derivatives, limit the Fund's ability to employ certain strategies that use derivatives and/or adversely affect the value of derivatives and the Fund's performance

Commodity Risk: the risk that investing in commodity-linked derivative instruments may subject the Fund to greater volatility than investments in traditional securities. The value of commodity-linked derivative instruments may be affected by changes in overall market movements, commodity index volatility, changes in interest rates, or factors affecting a particular industry or commodity, such as drought, floods, weather, livestock disease, embargoes, tariffs and international economic, political and regulatory developments

Equity Risk: the risk that the value of equity securities, such as common stocks and preferred securities, may decline due to general market conditions which are not specifically related to a particular company or to factors affecting a particular industry or industries. Equity securities generally have greater price volatility than fixed income securities

Mortgage-Related and Other Asset-Backed Securities Risk: the risks of investing in mortgage-related and other asset-backed securities, including interest rate risk, extension risk, prepayment risk and credit risk

Foreign (Non-U.S.) Investment Risk: the risk that investing in foreign (non-U.S.) securities may result in the Fund experiencing more rapid and extreme changes in value than a fund that invests exclusively in securities of U.S. companies, due to smaller markets, differing reporting, accounting and auditing standards, increased risk of delayed settlement of portfolio transactions or loss of certificates of portfolio securities, and the risk of unfavorable foreign government actions, including nationalization, expropriation or confiscatory taxation, currency blockage, or political changes or diplomatic developments. Foreign securities may also be less liquid and more difficult to value than securities of U.S. issuers

Real Estate Risk: the risk that the Fund's investments in Real Estate Investment Trusts ("REITs") or real estate-linked derivative instruments will subject the Fund to risks similar to those associated with direct ownership of real estate, including losses from casualty or condemnation, and changes in local and general economic conditions, supply and demand, interest rates, zoning laws, regulatory limitations on rents, property taxes and operating expenses. The Fund's investments in REITs or real estate-linked derivative instruments subject it to management and tax risks. In addition, privately traded REITs subject the Fund to liquidity and valuation risk

Emerging Markets Risk: the risk of investing in emerging market securities, primarily increased foreign (non-U.S.) investment risk

Sovereign Debt Risk: the risk that investments in fixed income instruments issued by sovereign entities may decline in value as a result of default or other adverse credit event resulting from an issuer's inability or unwillingness to make principal or interest payments in a timely fashion

Currency Risk: the risk that foreign (non-U.S.) currencies will change in value relative to the U.S. dollar and affect the Fund's investments in foreign (non-U.S.) currencies or in securities that trade in, and receive revenues in, or in derivatives that provide exposure to, foreign (non-U.S.) currencies

Leveraging Risk: the risk that certain transactions of the Fund, such as reverse repurchase agreements, loans of portfolio securities, and the use of when-issued, delayed delivery or forward commitment transactions, or derivative instruments, may give rise to leverage, magnifying gains and losses and causing the Fund to be more volatile than if it had not been leveraged. This means that leverage entails a heightened risk of loss

Smaller Company Risk: the risk that the value of securities issued by a smaller company may go up or down, sometimes rapidly and unpredictably

 

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Table of Contents

PIMCO REALPATH® 2020 Fund

as compared to more widely held securities, due to narrow markets and limited resources of smaller companies. A Fund's investments in smaller companies subject it to greater levels of credit, market and issuer risk

Management Risk: the risk that the investment techniques and risk analyses applied by PIMCO will not produce the desired results and that legislative, regulatory, or tax restrictions, policies or developments may affect the investment techniques available to PIMCO and the individual portfolio manager in connection with managing the Fund. There is no guarantee that the investment objective of the Fund will be achieved

Short Exposure Risk: the risk of entering into short sales, including the potential loss of more money than the actual cost of the investment, and the risk that the third party to the short sale will not fulfill its contractual obligations, causing a loss to the Fund

Tax Risk: the risk that the tax treatment of swap agreements and other derivative instruments, such as commodity-linked derivative instruments, including commodity index-linked notes, swap agreements, commodity options, futures, and options on futures, may be affected by future regulatory or legislative changes that could affect whether income from such investments is "qualifying income" under Subchapter M of the Internal Revenue Code, or otherwise affect the character, timing and/or amount of the Fund's taxable income or gains and distributions

Subsidiary Risk: the risk that, by investing in certain Underlying PIMCO Funds that invest in a subsidiary (each a "Subsidiary"), the Fund is indirectly exposed to the risks associated with a Subsidiary's investments. The Subsidiaries are not registered under the 1940 Act and may not be subject to all the investor protections of the 1940 Act. There is no guarantee that the investment objective of a Subsidiary will be achieved

Exchange-Traded Fund Risk: the risk that an exchange-traded fund may not track the performance of the index it is designed to track, market prices of shares of an exchange-traded fund may fluctuate rapidly and materially, or shares of an exchange-traded fund may trade significantly above or below net asset value, any of which may cause losses to the Fund invested in the exchange-traded fund

Please see "Description of Principal Risks" in the Fund's prospectus for a more detailed description of the risks of investing in the Fund. An investment in the Fund is not a deposit of a bank and is not insured or guaranteed by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation or any other government agency.

Performance Information

The performance information shows summary performance information for the Fund in a bar chart and an Average Annual Total Returns table. The information provides some indication of the risks of investing in the Fund by showing changes in its performance from year to year and by showing how the Fund's average annual returns compare with the returns of a broad-based securities market index and an index of similar funds. Absent any applicable fee waivers and/or expense limitations, performance would have been lower. The bar chart shows performance of the Fund's Institutional Class shares. For periods prior to the inception date of Administrative Class shares (June 30, 2008), performance information shown in the table for those shares are based on the performance of the Fund's Institutional Class shares, adjusted to reflect the actual expenses paid by Administrative Class shares. Performance in the Average Annual Total Returns table reflects the impact of sales charges. The Fund's past performance, before and after taxes, is not necessarily an indication of how the Fund will perform in the future.

The Fund's broad-based securities market index is the S&P Target Date 2020 Index. The S&P Target Date 2020 Index seeks to represent a broadly derived consensus for asset allocations that target a particular investment horizon, with asset class exposures driven by a survey of available target date funds for that horizon. These asset class exposures include U.S. large cap, U.S. mid cap, U.S. small cap, international equities, emerging markets, U.S. and international real estate investment trusts, core fixed income, short term treasuries, TIPS, high yield corporate bonds and commodities and are represented by exchange-traded funds in the Index calculation. The Lipper Mixed-Asset Target 2020 Funds Average is a total performance average of funds tracked by Lipper, Inc. that seek to maximize assets for retirement or other purposes with an expected time horizon from January 1, 2016 to December 31, 2020.

Performance for the Fund is updated daily and quarterly and may be obtained as follows: daily updates on the net asset value and performance page at http://investments.pimco.com/DailyPerformance and quarterly updates at http://investments.pimco.com/QuarterlyPerformance.

Calendar Year Total Returns — Institutional Class*

 

[To be updated by subsequent amendment]



*The year-to-date return as of June 30, 2018 is [ ]%. For the periods shown in the bar chart, the highest quarterly return was [ ]% in the [ ], and the lowest quarterly return was [ ]% in the [ ].

Average Annual Total Returns (for periods ended 12/31/17)

 

1 Year

5 Years

Since Inception (03/31/2008)

Institutional Class Return Before Taxes

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

Institutional Class Return After Taxes on Distributions‌(1)

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

Institutional Class Return After Taxes on Distributions and Sales of Fund Shares‌(1)

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

Administrative Class Return Before Taxes

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

Class A Return Before Taxes

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

S&P Target Date 2020 Index (reflects no deductions for fees, expenses or taxes)

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

 

Lipper Mixed-Asset Target 2020 Funds Average (reflects no deductions for taxes)

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

 

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Prospectus

(1) After-tax returns are calculated using the highest historical individual federal marginal income tax rates and do not reflect the impact of state and local taxes. Actual after-tax returns depend on an investor's tax situation and may differ from those shown, and the after-tax returns shown are not relevant to investors who hold their Fund shares through tax-deferred arrangements, such as 401(k) plans or individual retirement accounts. In some cases the return after taxes may exceed the return before taxes due to an assumed tax benefit from any losses on a sale of Fund shares at the end of the measurement period. After-tax returns are for Institutional Class shares only. After-tax returns for other classes will vary.

Investment Adviser/Portfolio Manager

PIMCO serves as the investment adviser for the Fund. The Fund's portfolio is managed by Mihir Worah, Rahul Devgon and Graham A. Rennison. Mr. Worah is CIO Real Return and Asset Allocation and a Managing Director of PIMCO, and Messrs. Devgon and Rennison are Senior Vice Presidents of PIMCO. Messrs. Worah, Devgon and Rennison have jointly managed the Fund since December 2015.

Other Important Information Regarding Fund Shares

For important information about purchase and sale of Fund shares, tax information, and payments to broker-dealers and other financial intermediaries, please turn to the "Summary of Other Important Information Regarding Fund Shares" section on page [ ] of this prospectus.

 

[ ] | PROSPECTUS

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PIMCO REALPATH® 2025 Fund

Investment Objective

The Fund seeks to maximize real return, consistent with preservation of real capital and prudent investment management.

Fees and Expenses of the Fund

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 $100,000 in Class A shares of eligible funds offered by PIMCO Equity Series and PIMCO Funds. More information about these and other discounts is available in the "Classes of Shares" section on page [ ] of the Fund's prospectus, Appendix B to the Fund's prospectus (Financial Firm-Specific Sales Charge Waivers and Discounts) or from your financial advisor.

Shareholder Fees (fees paid directly from your investment):

 

Inst
Class

Admin
Class

Class A

Maximum Sales Charge (Load) Imposed on Purchases (as a percentage of offering price)

None

None

5.50%

Maximum Deferred Sales Charge (Load) (as a percentage of the lower of the original purchase price or redemption price)

None

None

1.00%

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

 

Inst
Class

Admin
Class

Class A

Management Fees

0.60%

0.60%

0.80%

Distribution and/or Service (12b-1) Fees

N/A

0.25%

0.25%

Acquired Fund Fees and Expenses(1)

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses(2)

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

Fee Waiver and/or Expense Reimbursement(3)

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses After Fee Waiver and/or Expense Reimbursement

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

1 Acquired Fund Fees and Expenses include interest expense of the Underlying PIMCO Funds of [ ]%. Interest expense can result from certain transactions within the Underlying PIMCO Funds and is separate from the management fees paid to PIMCO. Excluding interest expense of the Underlying PIMCO Funds, Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses After Fee Waiver and/or Expense Reimbursement are [ ]%, [ ]% and [ ]% for Institutional Class, Administrative Class and Class A shares, respectively.

2 Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses do not match the Ratio of Expenses to Average Net Assets Excluding Waivers of the Fund, as set forth in the Financial Highlights table of the Fund's prospectus, because the Ratio of Expenses to Average Net Assets Excluding Waivers reflects the operating expenses of the Fund and does not include Acquired Fund Fees and Expenses.

3 Pacific Investment Management Company LLC ("PIMCO") has contractually agreed, through July 31, 2019, to waive, first, the advisory fee and, second, the supervisory and administrative fee it receives from the Fund in an amount equal to the expenses attributable to the Management Fees of Underlying PIMCO Funds indirectly incurred by the Fund in connection with its investments in Underlying PIMCO Funds, to the extent the Fund's Management Fees are greater than or equal to the Management Fees of the Underlying PIMCO Funds. This waiver renews annually for a full year unless terminated by PIMCO upon at least 30 days' notice prior to the end of the contract term.

Example. The Example is intended to help you compare the cost of investing in Institutional Class, Administrative Class or Class A shares of the Fund with the costs of investing in other mutual funds. The Example assumes that you invest $10,000 in the noted class of shares for the time periods indicated, and then redeem all 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. Investors may pay brokerage commissions on their purchases and sales of Institutional Class shares of the Fund, which are not reflected in the Example. Although your actual costs may be higher or lower, based on these assumptions your costs would be:

If you redeem your shares at the end of each period:

 

1 Year

3 Years

5 Years

10 Years

Institutional Class

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

Administrative Class

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

Class A

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

If you do not redeem your shares:

 

1 Year

3 Years

5 Years

10 Years

Class A

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

Portfolio Turnover

The Fund pays transaction costs 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 the Annual Fund Operating Expenses or in the Example tables, affect the Fund's performance. During the most recent fiscal year, the Fund's portfolio turnover rate was [ ]% of the average value of its portfolio.

Principal Investment Strategies

The PIMCO REALPATH® 2025 Fund (the "Fund") is intended for investors seeking professional management of a comprehensive asset allocation strategy for retirement savings. The Fund is managed for shareholders that plan to retire or begin withdrawing assets around the year 2025, the Fund's target year. This is the "self-elected" year of retirement for the investors in the Fund. The primary difference between the PIMCO REALPATH® Funds is their asset allocation, which varies depending on the number of years left until the "self-elected" year of retirement indicated in the PIMCO REALPATH® Fund's name. The Fund's allocation is intended to meaningfully reduce risk and increasingly focus on preservation of capital as the target retirement date of the Fund nears. An investment in the Fund is not guaranteed, and you may experience losses, including losses near, at, or after the target year indicated in the Fund's name. There is no guarantee that the Fund will provide adequate income at and through your retirement.

In managing the Fund, Pacific Investment Management Company LLC ("PIMCO") uses a four-step approach consisting of 1) developing and re-evaluating a long-term asset allocation "glide path"; 2) performing tactical allocation adjustments around the glide path; 3) developing a series of relative value strategies designed to add value beyond the target allocation; and 4) utilizing hedging techniques to manage risks.

The Fund seeks to achieve its investment objective by investing under normal circumstances in a combination of affiliated and unaffiliated funds, which may or may not be registered under the Investment Company Act of

 



PIMCO FUNDS | PROSPECTUS

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Prospectus

1940 (the "1940 Act"), Fixed Income Instruments of varying maturities, equity securities, forwards and derivatives. "Fixed Income Instruments" include bonds, debt securities and other similar instruments issued by various U.S. and non-U.S. public- or private-sector entities. The Fund will invest in such funds, securities, instruments and other investments to the extent permitted under the 1940 Act, or any exemptive relief therefrom. The Fund may invest in Institutional Class or Class M shares of any funds of the Trust and PIMCO Equity Series, an affiliated open-end investment company, except funds of funds ("Underlying PIMCO Funds"), and may also invest in other affiliated funds, including funds of PIMCO ETF Trust, and unaffiliated funds (collectively, "Acquired Funds"). As used in the investment objective, "real return" equals total return less the estimated cost of inflation, which is typically measured by the change in an official inflation measure, and "real capital" equals capital less the estimated cost of inflation measured by the change in an official inflation measure.

The Fund's long-term asset allocations are based on a "glide path" developed by PIMCO and are based on quantitative and qualitative data relating to various risk metrics, long-term market trends, correlation of asset types and actuarial assumptions of life expectancy and retirement. The Fund's current glide path asset allocation is based on its target date, which is the year in the name of the Fund. The target date assumes a retirement age of 65, and time horizons based on current longevity of persons reaching retirement in average health. Choosing a PIMCO REALPATH® Fund targeting an earlier date represents a more conservative choice; choosing a PIMCO REALPATH® Fund targeting a later date represents a more aggressive choice. The glide path is designed not only to reduce risk as the target retirement date nears, but is also designed to provide investors diversification across a variety of asset classes, with an emphasis on asset classes that can protect against inflation over time. This is achieved by emphasizing allocations to inflation related assets, such as Treasury-Inflation Protected Securities ("TIPS"), commodities, and real estate, which complement exposures from traditional assets, such as U.S. and international equities, U.S. bonds and short-term instruments. The glide path changes over time, generally becoming more conservative as the Fund approaches the target date.

The chart below shows the glide path and illustrates how the allocation among the asset classes changes before and at the target date. The glide path allocation at the target date remains constant beyond that date. As described in greater detail below, PIMCO may adjust the Fund's actual asset allocation exposures from the long-term targets specified by the glide path based on PIMCO's real-time views of perceived risks and opportunities. PIMCO may also choose to modify the target asset allocations of the glide path itself from time to time.

              REALPATH® Glide Path



PIMCO performs tactical allocation adjustments around the glide path, meaning PIMCO may vary the Fund's actual asset allocation exposures from the glide path's long-term targets based on PIMCO's real-time views of perceived risks and opportunities. PIMCO will generally reduce variation from the glide path's targets as the Fund approaches the target year in the Fund's name.

The actual asset allocation at a given time may vary from the target strategic asset allocations based on PIMCO's tactical allocation adjustments and on market movements. These variances will be limited to a certain range relative to the target allocations under normal circumstances. The table below illustrates the permissible range in which the allocations may vary, as measured monthly.

Years to Retirement

Target Allocation

Maximum Underweight

Maximum Overweight

Total Equity Allocation

40

74%

–15%

15%

30

73%

–15%

15%

20

65%

–15%

15%

10

50%

–20%

10%

0

36%

–20%

10%

 

Years to Retirement

Target Allocation

Maximum Underweight

Maximum Overweight

Total Commodity and Real Estate Allocation

40

10%

–10%

10%

30

10%

–10%

10%

20

10%

–10%

10%

10

6%

–6%

6%

0

4%

–4%

4%

 

[ ] | PROSPECTUS

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Table of Contents

PIMCO REALPATH® 2025 Fund

 

Years to Retirement

Target Allocation

Maximum Underweight

Maximum Overweight

Total Fixed Income Allocation

40

16%

–15%

15%

30

17%

–15%

15%

20

25%

–15%

15%

10

44%

–10%

20%

0

60%

–10%

20%

The tactical allocation adjustments described above are driven by PIMCO's secular and cyclical views, which are formulated by considering various qualitative and quantitative factors relating to the U.S. and non-U.S. economies, and securities and commodities markets. These factors include projected growth trends in the U.S. and non-U.S. economies, forecasts for interest rates and the relationship between short- and long-term interest rates (yield curve), current and projected trends in inflation, relative valuation levels in the equity, fixed income, commodity and real estate markets and various segments within those markets, the outlook and projected growth of various industrial sectors, information relating to business cycles, borrowing needs and the cost of capital, political trends, data relating to trade balances, labor information and relevant legislative or public policy changes. These "top down" macro-economic factors, as well as more micro "bottom up" factors that are unique to narrowly defined market sectors, are used to identify attractive relative value strategies. These strategies seek to modestly enhance the Fund's returns in a manner within the allocation ranges relative to the glide path targets described above. When reallocating the Fund's investment exposures, PIMCO may do so by adjusting the mix of affiliated or unaffiliated funds, or by investing directly in securities, instruments and other investments, based on its ongoing analyses of the global economy, financial markets and the relative valuation and risks presented by the aforementioned vehicles and instruments. In selecting and reallocating the mix of affiliated or unaffiliated funds, PIMCO considers a wide range of factors, including a fund's objective, strategies, risks, performance, fees, and other metrics. In seeking to limit the amount of acquired fund fees and expenses that may be borne by Fund investors, PIMCO may choose to invest in particular affiliated or unaffiliated funds, so long as such investment decisions are consistent with the Fund's investment objective, glide path and tactical asset allocations. While PIMCO can adjust the Fund's investment exposures daily, including the vehicles or instruments used to gain those exposures, material shifts in investment exposures typically take place over longer periods of time.

As the Fund reaches the target year indicated in the Fund's name, it may be combined with the PIMCO REALPATH® Income Fund, provided that the Board of Trustees determines that the combination would be in the best interests of the Fund and its shareholders. Prior to any combination, which may occur on or after the target year indicated in the Fund's name, the Fund will provide shareholders with advance notice regarding the combination. If and when such a combination occurs, shareholders of the Fund will become shareholders of the PIMCO REALPATH® Income Fund.

As part of its investment process, PIMCO will also seek to reduce exposure to certain risks by implementing various hedging transactions. These hedging transactions seek to reduce a Fund's exposure to certain severe, unanticipated market events that could significantly detract from returns. PIMCO intends to utilize these hedging transactions once the Fund is within 10 years of the target retirement date or at such other times as deemed appropriate by PIMCO.

Once the tactical asset allocation adjustments, relative value strategies and risk hedging strategies have been determined, PIMCO then evaluates various combinations of affiliated or unaffiliated funds, securities, instruments and other investments to obtain the desired exposures and invests accordingly. Additional information for these Underlying PIMCO Funds can be found in the Statement of Additional Information and/or the Underlying PIMCO Funds' prospectuses and financial reports. Additional Underlying PIMCO Funds may be added or deleted in the future without shareholder notification.

Principal Risks

It is possible to lose money on an investment in the Fund. The principal risks of investing in the Fund include risks from direct investments and/or indirect exposure through investment in Acquired Funds. The principal risks of investing in the Fund, which could adversely affect its net asset value, yield and total return are listed below.

The following risks are principal risks of investing in the Fund.

New/Small Fund Risk: the risk that a new or smaller Fund's performance may not represent how the Fund is expected to or may perform in the long term. In addition, new Funds have limited operating histories for investors to evaluate and new and smaller Funds may not attract sufficient assets to achieve investment and trading efficiencies

Allocation Risk: the risk that a Fund could lose money as a result of less than optimal or poor asset allocation decisions. The Fund could miss attractive investment opportunities by underweighting markets that subsequently experience significant returns and could lose value by overweighting markets that subsequently experience significant declines

Acquired Fund Risk: the risk that a Fund's performance is closely related to the risks associated with the securities and other investments held by the Acquired Funds and that the ability of a Fund to achieve its investment objective will depend upon the ability of the Acquired Funds to achieve their investment objectives

The following risks are principal risks of investing in the Fund that include risks from direct investments and/or indirect exposure through investment in Acquired Funds.

New/Small Fund Risk: the risk that a new or smaller Fund's performance may not represent how the Fund is expected to or may perform in the long term. In addition, new Funds have limited operating histories for investors to evaluate and new and smaller Funds may not attract sufficient assets to achieve investment and trading efficiencies

Interest Rate Risk: the risk that fixed income securities will decline in value because of an increase in interest rates; a fund with a longer average portfolio duration will be more sensitive to changes in interest rates than a fund with a shorter average portfolio duration

Call Risk: the risk that an issuer may exercise its right to redeem a fixed income security earlier than expected (a call). Issuers may call outstanding securities prior to their maturity for a number of reasons (e.g., declining

 

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Prospectus

interest rates, changes in credit spreads and improvements in the issuer's credit quality). If an issuer calls a security that the Fund has invested in, the Fund may not recoup the full amount of its initial investment and may be forced to reinvest in lower-yielding securities, securities with greater credit risks or securities with other, less favorable features

Credit Risk: the risk that the Fund could lose money if the issuer or guarantor of a fixed income security, or the counterparty to a derivative contract, is unable or unwilling to meet its financial obligations

High Yield Risk: the risk that high yield securities and unrated securities of similar credit quality (commonly known as "junk bonds") are subject to greater levels of credit, call and liquidity risks. High yield securities are considered primarily speculative with respect to the issuer's continuing ability to make principal and interest payments, and may be more volatile than higher-rated securities of similar maturity

Market Risk: the risk that the value of securities owned by the Fund may go up or down, sometimes rapidly or unpredictably, due to factors affecting securities markets generally or particular industries

Issuer Risk: the risk that the value of a security may decline for a reason directly related to the issuer, such as management performance, financial leverage and reduced demand for the issuer's goods or services

Liquidity Risk: the risk that a particular investment may be difficult to purchase or sell and that the Fund may be unable to sell illiquid securities at an advantageous time or price or achieve its desired level of exposure to a certain sector. Liquidity risk may result from the lack of an active market, reduced number and capacity of traditional market participants to make a market in fixed income securities, and may be magnified in a rising interest rate environment or other circumstances where investor redemptions from fixed income mutual funds may be higher than normal, causing increased supply in the market due to selling activity

Derivatives Risk: the risk of investing in derivative instruments (such as futures, swaps and structured securities), including leverage, liquidity, interest rate, market, credit and management risks, mispricing or valuation complexity. Changes in the value of the derivative may not correlate perfectly with, and may be more sensitive to market events than, the underlying asset, rate or index, and the Fund could lose more than the initial amount invested. The Fund's use of derivatives may result in losses to the Fund, a reduction in the Fund's returns and/or increased volatility. Over-the-counter ("OTC") derivatives are also subject to the risk that a counterparty to the transaction will not fulfill its contractual obligations to the other party, as many of the protections afforded to centrally-cleared derivative transactions might not be available for OTC derivatives. For derivatives traded on an exchange or through a central counterparty, credit risk resides with the Fund's clearing broker, or the clearinghouse itself, rather than with a counterparty in an OTC derivative transaction. Changes in regulation relating to a mutual fund's use of derivatives and related instruments could potentially limit or impact the Fund's ability to invest in derivatives, limit the Fund's ability to employ certain strategies that use derivatives and/or adversely affect the value of derivatives and the Fund's performance

Commodity Risk: the risk that investing in commodity-linked derivative instruments may subject the Fund to greater volatility than investments in traditional securities. The value of commodity-linked derivative instruments may be affected by changes in overall market movements, commodity index volatility, changes in interest rates, or factors affecting a particular industry or commodity, such as drought, floods, weather, livestock disease, embargoes, tariffs and international economic, political and regulatory developments

Equity Risk: the risk that the value of equity securities, such as common stocks and preferred securities, may decline due to general market conditions which are not specifically related to a particular company or to factors affecting a particular industry or industries. Equity securities generally have greater price volatility than fixed income securities

Mortgage-Related and Other Asset-Backed Securities Risk: the risks of investing in mortgage-related and other asset-backed securities, including interest rate risk, extension risk, prepayment risk and credit risk

Foreign (Non-U.S.) Investment Risk: the risk that investing in foreign (non-U.S.) securities may result in the Fund experiencing more rapid and extreme changes in value than a fund that invests exclusively in securities of U.S. companies, due to smaller markets, differing reporting, accounting and auditing standards, increased risk of delayed settlement of portfolio transactions or loss of certificates of portfolio securities, and the risk of unfavorable foreign government actions, including nationalization, expropriation or confiscatory taxation, currency blockage, or political changes or diplomatic developments. Foreign securities may also be less liquid and more difficult to value than securities of U.S. issuers

Real Estate Risk: the risk that the Fund's investments in Real Estate Investment Trusts ("REITs") or real estate-linked derivative instruments will subject the Fund to risks similar to those associated with direct ownership of real estate, including losses from casualty or condemnation, and changes in local and general economic conditions, supply and demand, interest rates, zoning laws, regulatory limitations on rents, property taxes and operating expenses. The Fund's investments in REITs or real estate-linked derivative instruments subject it to management and tax risks. In addition, privately traded REITs subject the Fund to liquidity and valuation risk

Emerging Markets Risk: the risk of investing in emerging market securities, primarily increased foreign (non-U.S.) investment risk

Sovereign Debt Risk: the risk that investments in fixed income instruments issued by sovereign entities may decline in value as a result of default or other adverse credit event resulting from an issuer's inability or unwillingness to make principal or interest payments in a timely fashion

Currency Risk: the risk that foreign (non-U.S.) currencies will change in value relative to the U.S. dollar and affect the Fund's investments in foreign (non-U.S.) currencies or in securities that trade in, and receive revenues in, or in derivatives that provide exposure to, foreign (non-U.S.) currencies

Leveraging Risk: the risk that certain transactions of the Fund, such as reverse repurchase agreements, loans of portfolio securities, and the use of when-issued, delayed delivery or forward commitment transactions, or derivative instruments, may give rise to leverage, magnifying gains and losses and causing the Fund to be more volatile than if it had not been leveraged. This means that leverage entails a heightened risk of loss

Smaller Company Risk: the risk that the value of securities issued by a smaller company may go up or down, sometimes rapidly and unpredictably

 

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PIMCO REALPATH® 2025 Fund

as compared to more widely held securities, due to narrow markets and limited resources of smaller companies. A Fund's investments in smaller companies subject it to greater levels of credit, market and issuer risk

Management Risk: the risk that the investment techniques and risk analyses applied by PIMCO will not produce the desired results and that legislative, regulatory, or tax restrictions, policies or developments may affect the investment techniques available to PIMCO and the individual portfolio manager in connection with managing the Fund. There is no guarantee that the investment objective of the Fund will be achieved

Short Exposure Risk: the risk of entering into short sales, including the potential loss of more money than the actual cost of the investment, and the risk that the third party to the short sale will not fulfill its contractual obligations, causing a loss to the Fund

Tax Risk: the risk that the tax treatment of swap agreements and other derivative instruments, such as commodity-linked derivative instruments, including commodity index-linked notes, swap agreements, commodity options, futures, and options on futures, may be affected by future regulatory or legislative changes that could affect whether income from such investments is "qualifying income" under Subchapter M of the Internal Revenue Code, or otherwise affect the character, timing and/or amount of the Fund's taxable income or gains and distributions

Subsidiary Risk: the risk that, by investing in certain Underlying PIMCO Funds that invest in a subsidiary (each a "Subsidiary"), the Fund is indirectly exposed to the risks associated with a Subsidiary's investments. The Subsidiaries are not registered under the 1940 Act and may not be subject to all the investor protections of the 1940 Act. There is no guarantee that the investment objective of a Subsidiary will be achieved

Exchange-Traded Fund Risk: the risk that an exchange-traded fund may not track the performance of the index it is designed to track, market prices of shares of an exchange-traded fund may fluctuate rapidly and materially, or shares of an exchange-traded fund may trade significantly above or below net asset value, any of which may cause losses to the Fund invested in the exchange-traded fund

Please see "Description of Principal Risks" in the Fund's prospectus for a more detailed description of the risks of investing in the Fund. An investment in the Fund is not a deposit of a bank and is not insured or guaranteed by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation or any other government agency.

Performance Information

The performance information shows summary performance information for the Fund in a bar chart and an Average Annual Total Returns table. The information provides some indication of the risks of investing in the Fund by showing changes in its performance from year to year and by showing how the Fund's average annual returns compare with the returns of a broad-based securities market index and an index of similar funds. Absent any applicable fee waivers and/or expense limitations, performance would have been lower. The bar chart shows performance of the Fund's Institutional Class shares. Performance in the Average Annual Total Returns table reflects the impact of sales charges. The Fund's past performance, before and after taxes, is not necessarily an indication of how the Fund will perform in the future.

The Fund's broad-based securities market index is the S&P Target Date 2025 Index. The S&P Target Date 2025 Index seeks to represent a broadly derived consensus for asset allocations that target a particular investment horizon, with asset class exposures driven by a survey of available target date funds for that horizon. These asset class exposures include U.S. large cap, U.S. mid cap, U.S. small cap, international equities, emerging markets, U.S. and international real estate investment trusts, core fixed income, short term treasuries, TIPS, high yield corporate bonds and commodities and are represented by exchange-traded funds in the Index calculation. The Lipper Mixed-Asset Target 2025 Funds Average is a total performance average of funds tracked by Lipper, Inc. that seek to maximize assets for retirement or other purposes with an expected time horizon from January 1, 2021 to December 31, 2025.

Performance for the Fund is updated daily and quarterly and may be obtained as follows: daily updates on the net asset value and performance page at http://investments.pimco.com/DailyPerformance and quarterly updates at http://investments.pimco.com/QuarterlyPerformance.

Calendar Year Total Returns — Institutional Class*

 

[To be updated by subsequent amendment]



*The year-to-date return as of June 30, 2018 is [ ]%. For the periods shown in the bar chart, the highest quarterly return was [ ]% in the [ ], and the lowest quarterly return was [ ]% in the [ ].

Average Annual Total Returns (for periods ended 12/31/17)

 

1 Year

5 Years

Since Inception (06/30/2011)

Institutional Class Return Before Taxes

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

Institutional Class Return After Taxes on Distributions‌(1)

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

Institutional Class Return After Taxes on Distributions and Sales of Fund Shares‌(1)

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

Administrative Class Return Before Taxes

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

Class A Return Before Taxes

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

S&P Target Date 2025 Index (reflects no deductions for fees, expenses or taxes)

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

 

Lipper Mixed-Asset Target 2025 Funds Average (reflects no deductions for taxes)

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

(1) After-tax returns are calculated using the highest historical individual federal marginal income tax rates and do not reflect the impact of state and local taxes. Actual after-tax returns depend on an investor's tax situation and may differ from those shown, and the after-tax returns shown are not relevant to investors who hold their Fund shares through

 

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Prospectus

tax-deferred arrangements, such as 401(k) plans or individual retirement accounts. In some cases the return after taxes may exceed the return before taxes due to an assumed tax benefit from any losses on a sale of Fund shares at the end of the measurement period. After-tax returns are for Institutional Class shares only. After-tax returns for other classes will vary.

Investment Adviser/Portfolio Manager

PIMCO serves as the investment adviser for the Fund. The Fund's portfolio is managed by Mihir Worah, Rahul Devgon and Graham A. Rennison. Mr. Worah is CIO Real Return and Asset Allocation and a Managing Director of PIMCO, and Messrs. Devgon and Rennison are Senior Vice Presidents of PIMCO. Messrs. Worah, Devgon and Rennison have jointly managed the Fund since December 2015.

Other Important Information Regarding Fund Shares

For important information about purchase and sale of Fund shares, tax information, and payments to broker-dealers and other financial intermediaries, please turn to the "Summary of Other Important Information Regarding Fund Shares" section on page [ ] of this prospectus.

 

[ ] | PROSPECTUS

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PIMCO REALPATH® 2030 Fund

Investment Objective

The Fund seeks to maximize real return, consistent with preservation of real capital and prudent investment management.

Fees and Expenses of the Fund

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 $100,000 in Class A shares of eligible funds offered by PIMCO Equity Series and PIMCO Funds. More information about these and other discounts is available in the "Classes of Shares" section on page [ ] of the Fund's prospectus, Appendix B to the Fund's prospectus (Financial Firm-Specific Sales Charge Waivers and Discounts) or from your financial advisor.

Shareholder Fees (fees paid directly from your investment):

 

Inst
Class

Admin
Class

Class A

Maximum Sales Charge (Load) Imposed on Purchases (as a percentage of offering price)

None

None

5.50%

Maximum Deferred Sales Charge (Load) (as a percentage of the lower of the original purchase price or redemption price)

None

None

1.00%

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

 

Inst
Class

Admin
Class

Class A

Management Fees

0.63%

0.63%

0.83%

Distribution and/or Service (12b-1) Fees

N/A

0.25%

0.25%

Acquired Fund Fees and Expenses(1)

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses(2)

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

Fee Waiver and/or Expense Reimbursement(3)

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses After Fee Waiver and/or Expense Reimbursement

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

1 Acquired Fund Fees and Expenses include interest expense of the Underlying PIMCO Funds of [ ]%. Interest expense can result from certain transactions within the Underlying PIMCO Funds and is separate from the management fees paid to PIMCO. Excluding interest expense of the Underlying PIMCO Funds, Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses After Fee Waiver and/or Expense Reimbursement are [ ]%, [ ]% and [ ]% for Institutional Class, Administrative Class and Class A shares, respectively.

2 Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses do not match the Ratio of Expenses to Average Net Assets Excluding Waivers of the Fund, as set forth in the Financial Highlights table of the Fund's prospectus, because the Ratio of Expenses to Average Net Assets Excluding Waivers reflects the operating expenses of the Fund and does not include Acquired Fund Fees and Expenses.

3 Pacific Investment Management Company LLC ("PIMCO") has contractually agreed, through July 31, 2019, to waive, first, the advisory fee and, second, the supervisory and administrative fee it receives from the Fund in an amount equal to the expenses attributable to the Management Fees of Underlying PIMCO Funds indirectly incurred by the Fund in connection with its investments in Underlying PIMCO Funds, to the extent the Fund's Management Fees are greater than or equal to the Management Fees of the Underlying PIMCO Funds. This waiver renews annually for a full year unless terminated by PIMCO upon at least 30 days' notice prior to the end of the contract term.

Example. The Example is intended to help you compare the cost of investing in Institutional Class, Administrative Class or Class A shares of the Fund with the costs of investing in other mutual funds. The Example assumes that you invest $10,000 in the noted class of shares for the time periods indicated, and then redeem all 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. Investors may pay brokerage commissions on their purchases and sales of Institutional Class shares of the Fund, which are not reflected in the Example. Although your actual costs may be higher or lower, based on these assumptions your costs would be:

If you redeem your shares at the end of each period:

 

1 Year

3 Years

5 Years

10 Years

Institutional Class

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

Administrative Class

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

Class A

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

If you do not redeem your shares:

 

1 Year

3 Years

5 Years

10 Years

Class A

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

Portfolio Turnover

The Fund pays transaction costs 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 the Annual Fund Operating Expenses or in the Example tables, affect the Fund's performance. During the most recent fiscal year, the Fund's portfolio turnover rate was [ ]% of the average value of its portfolio.

Principal Investment Strategies

The PIMCO REALPATH® 2030 Fund (the "Fund") is intended for investors seeking professional management of a comprehensive asset allocation strategy for retirement savings. The Fund is managed for shareholders that plan to retire or begin withdrawing assets around the year 2030, the Fund's target year. This is the "self-elected" year of retirement for the investors in the Fund. The primary difference between the PIMCO REALPATH® Funds is their asset allocation, which varies depending on the number of years left until the "self-elected" year of retirement indicated in the PIMCO REALPATH® Fund's name. The Fund's allocation is intended to meaningfully reduce risk and increasingly focus on preservation of capital as the target retirement date of the Fund nears. An investment in the Fund is not guaranteed, and you may experience losses, including losses near, at, or after the target year indicated in the Fund's name. There is no guarantee that the Fund will provide adequate income at and through your retirement.

In managing the Fund, Pacific Investment Management Company LLC ("PIMCO") uses a four-step approach consisting of 1) developing and re-evaluating a long-term asset allocation "glide path"; 2) performing tactical allocation adjustments around the glide path; 3) developing a series of relative value strategies designed to add value beyond the target allocation; and 4) utilizing hedging techniques to manage risks.

The Fund seeks to achieve its investment objective by investing under normal circumstances in a combination of affiliated and unaffiliated funds, which may or may not be registered under the Investment Company Act of

 



PIMCO FUNDS | PROSPECTUS

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Prospectus

1940 (the "1940 Act"), Fixed Income Instruments of varying maturities, equity securities, forwards and derivatives. "Fixed Income Instruments" include bonds, debt securities and other similar instruments issued by various U.S. and non-U.S. public- or private- sector entities. The Fund will invest in such funds, securities, instruments and other investments to the extent permitted under the 1940 Act, or any exemptive relief therefrom. The Fund may invest in Institutional Class or Class M shares of any funds of the Trust and PIMCO Equity Series, an affiliated open-end investment company, except funds of funds ("Underlying PIMCO Funds"), and may also invest in other affiliated funds, including funds of PIMCO ETF Trust, and unaffiliated funds (collectively, "Acquired Funds"). As used in the investment objective, "real return" equals total return less the estimated cost of inflation, which is typically measured by the change in an official inflation measure, and "real capital" equals capital less the estimated cost of inflation measured by the change in an official inflation measure.

The Fund's long-term asset allocations are based on a "glide path" developed by PIMCO and are based on quantitative and qualitative data relating to various risk metrics, long-term market trends, correlation of asset types and actuarial assumptions of life expectancy and retirement. The Fund's current glide path asset allocation is based on its target date, which is the year in the name of the Fund. The target date assumes a retirement age of 65, and time horizons based on current longevity of persons reaching retirement in average health. Choosing a PIMCO REALPATH® Fund targeting an earlier date represents a more conservative choice; choosing a PIMCO REALPATH® Fund targeting a later date represents a more aggressive choice. The glide path is designed not only to reduce risk as the target retirement date nears, but is also designed to provide investors diversification across a variety of asset classes, with an emphasis on asset classes that can protect against inflation over time. This is achieved by emphasizing allocations to inflation related assets, such as Treasury-Inflation Protected Securities ("TIPS"), commodities, and real estate, which complement exposures from traditional assets, such as U.S. and international equities, U.S. bonds and short-term instruments. The glide path changes over time, generally becoming more conservative as the Fund approaches the target date.

The chart below shows the glide path and illustrates how the allocation among the asset classes changes before and at the target date. The glide path allocation at the target date remains constant beyond that date. As described in greater detail below, PIMCO may adjust the Fund's actual asset allocation exposures from the long-term targets specified by the glide path based on PIMCO's real-time views of perceived risks and opportunities. PIMCO may also choose to modify the target asset allocations of the glide path itself from time to time.

              REALPATH® Glide Path



PIMCO performs tactical allocation adjustments around the glide path, meaning PIMCO may vary the Fund's actual asset allocation exposures from the glide path's long-term targets based on PIMCO's real-time views of perceived risks and opportunities. PIMCO will generally reduce variation from the glide path's targets as the Fund approaches the target year in the Fund's name.

The actual asset allocation at a given time may vary from the target strategic asset allocations based on PIMCO's tactical allocation adjustments and on market movements. These variances will be limited to a certain range relative to the target allocations under normal circumstances. The table below illustrates the permissible range in which the allocations may vary, as measured monthly.

Years to Retirement

Target Allocation

Maximum Underweight

Maximum Overweight

Total Equity Allocation

40

74%

–15%

15%

30

73%

–15%

15%

20

65%

–15%

15%

10

50%

–20%

10%

0

36%

–20%

10%

 

Years to Retirement

Target Allocation

Maximum Underweight

Maximum Overweight

Total Commodity and Real Estate Allocation

40

10%

–10%

10%

30

10%

–10%

10%

20

10%

–10%

10%

10

6%

–6%

6%

0

4%

–4%

4%

 

[ ] | PROSPECTUS

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PIMCO REALPATH® 2030 Fund

 

Years to Retirement

Target Allocation

Maximum Underweight

Maximum Overweight

Total Fixed Income Allocation

40

16%

–15%

15%

30

17%

–15%

15%

20

25%

–15%

15%

10

44%

–10%

20%

0

60%

–10%

20%

The tactical allocation adjustments described above are driven by PIMCO's secular and cyclical views, which are formulated by considering various qualitative and quantitative factors relating to the U.S. and non-U.S. economies, and securities and commodities markets. These factors include projected growth trends in the U.S. and non-U.S. economies, forecasts for interest rates and the relationship between short- and long-term interest rates (yield curve), current and projected trends in inflation, relative valuation levels in the equity, fixed income, commodity and real estate markets and various segments within those markets, the outlook and projected growth of various industrial sectors, information relating to business cycles, borrowing needs and the cost of capital, political trends, data relating to trade balances, labor information and relevant legislative or public policy changes. These "top down" macro-economic factors, as well as more micro "bottom up" factors that are unique to narrowly defined market sectors, are used to identify attractive relative value strategies. These strategies seek to modestly enhance the Fund's returns in a manner within the allocation ranges relative to the glide path targets described above. When reallocating the Fund's investment exposures, PIMCO may do so by adjusting the mix of affiliated or unaffiliated funds, or by investing directly in securities, instruments and other investments, based on its ongoing analyses of the global economy, financial markets and the relative valuation and risks presented by the aforementioned vehicles and instruments. In selecting and reallocating the mix of affiliated or unaffiliated funds, PIMCO considers a wide range of factors, including a fund's objective, strategies, risks, performance, fees, and other metrics. In seeking to limit the amount of acquired fund fees and expenses that may be borne by Fund investors, PIMCO may choose to invest in particular affiliated or unaffiliated funds, so long as such investment decisions are consistent with the Fund's investment objective, glide path and tactical asset allocations. While PIMCO can adjust the Fund's investment exposures daily, including the vehicles or instruments used to gain those exposures, material shifts in investment exposures typically take place over longer periods of time.

As the Fund reaches the target year indicated in the Fund's name, it may be combined with the PIMCO REALPATH® Income Fund, provided that the Board of Trustees determines that the combination would be in the best interests of the Fund and its shareholders. Prior to any combination, which may occur on or after the target year indicated in the Fund's name, the Fund will provide shareholders with advance notice regarding the combination. If and when such a combination occurs, shareholders of the Fund will become shareholders of the PIMCO REALPATH® Income Fund.

As part of its investment process, PIMCO will also seek to reduce exposure to certain risks by implementing various hedging transactions. These hedging transactions seek to reduce a Fund's exposure to certain severe, unanticipated market events that could significantly detract from returns. PIMCO intends to utilize these hedging transactions once the Fund is within 10 years of the target retirement date or at such other times as deemed appropriate by PIMCO.

Once the tactical asset allocation adjustments, relative value strategies and risk hedging strategies have been determined, PIMCO then evaluates various combinations of affiliated or unaffiliated funds, securities, instruments and other investments to obtain the desired exposures and invests accordingly. Additional information for these Underlying PIMCO Funds can be found in the Statement of Additional Information and/or the Underlying PIMCO Funds' prospectuses and financial reports. Additional Underlying PIMCO Funds may be added or deleted in the future without shareholder notification.

Principal Risks

It is possible to lose money on an investment in the Fund. The principal risks of investing in the Fund include risks from direct investments and/or indirect exposure through investment in Acquired Funds. The principal risks of investing in the Fund, which could adversely affect its net asset value, yield and total return are listed below.

The following risks are principal risks of investing in the Fund.

New/Small Fund Risk: the risk that a new or smaller Fund's performance may not represent how the Fund is expected to or may perform in the long term. In addition, new Funds have limited operating histories for investors to evaluate and new and smaller Funds may not attract sufficient assets to achieve investment and trading efficiencies

Allocation Risk: the risk that a Fund could lose money as a result of less than optimal or poor asset allocation decisions. The Fund could miss attractive investment opportunities by underweighting markets that subsequently experience significant returns and could lose value by overweighting markets that subsequently experience significant declines

Acquired Fund Risk: the risk that a Fund's performance is closely related to the risks associated with the securities and other investments held by the Acquired Funds and that the ability of a Fund to achieve its investment objective will depend upon the ability of the Acquired Funds to achieve their investment objectives

The following risks are principal risks of investing in the Fund that include risks from direct investments and/or indirect exposure through investment in Acquired Funds.

New/Small Fund Risk: the risk that a new or smaller Fund's performance may not represent how the Fund is expected to or may perform in the long term. In addition, new Funds have limited operating histories for investors to evaluate and new and smaller Funds may not attract sufficient assets to achieve investment and trading efficiencies

Interest Rate Risk: the risk that fixed income securities will decline in value because of an increase in interest rates; a fund with a longer average portfolio duration will be more sensitive to changes in interest rates than a fund with a shorter average portfolio duration

Call Risk: the risk that an issuer may exercise its right to redeem a fixed income security earlier than expected (a call). Issuers may call outstanding securities prior to their maturity for a number of reasons (e.g., declining

 

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Prospectus

interest rates, changes in credit spreads and improvements in the issuer's credit quality). If an issuer calls a security that the Fund has invested in, the Fund may not recoup the full amount of its initial investment and may be forced to reinvest in lower-yielding securities, securities with greater credit risks or securities with other, less favorable features

Credit Risk: the risk that the Fund could lose money if the issuer or guarantor of a fixed income security, or the counterparty to a derivative contract, is unable or unwilling to meet its financial obligations

High Yield Risk: the risk that high yield securities and unrated securities of similar credit quality (commonly known as "junk bonds") are subject to greater levels of credit, call and liquidity risks. High yield securities are considered primarily speculative with respect to the issuer's continuing ability to make principal and interest payments, and may be more volatile than higher-rated securities of similar maturity

Market Risk: the risk that the value of securities owned by the Fund may go up or down, sometimes rapidly or unpredictably, due to factors affecting securities markets generally or particular industries

Issuer Risk: the risk that the value of a security may decline for a reason directly related to the issuer, such as management performance, financial leverage and reduced demand for the issuer's goods or services

Liquidity Risk: the risk that a particular investment may be difficult to purchase or sell and that the Fund may be unable to sell illiquid securities at an advantageous time or price or achieve its desired level of exposure to a certain sector. Liquidity risk may result from the lack of an active market, reduced number and capacity of traditional market participants to make a market in fixed income securities, and may be magnified in a rising interest rate environment or other circumstances where investor redemptions from fixed income mutual funds may be higher than normal, causing increased supply in the market due to selling activity

Derivatives Risk: the risk of investing in derivative instruments (such as futures, swaps and structured securities), including leverage, liquidity, interest rate, market, credit and management risks, mispricing or valuation complexity. Changes in the value of the derivative may not correlate perfectly with, and may be more sensitive to market events than, the underlying asset, rate or index, and the Fund could lose more than the initial amount invested. The Fund's use of derivatives may result in losses to the Fund, a reduction in the Fund's returns and/or increased volatility. Over-the-counter ("OTC") derivatives are also subject to the risk that a counterparty to the transaction will not fulfill its contractual obligations to the other party, as many of the protections afforded to centrally-cleared derivative transactions might not be available for OTC derivatives. For derivatives traded on an exchange or through a central counterparty, credit risk resides with the Fund's clearing broker, or the clearinghouse itself, rather than with a counterparty in an OTC derivative transaction. Changes in regulation relating to a mutual fund's use of derivatives and related instruments could potentially limit or impact the Fund's ability to invest in derivatives, limit the Fund's ability to employ certain strategies that use derivatives and/or adversely affect the value of derivatives and the Fund's performance

Commodity Risk: the risk that investing in commodity-linked derivative instruments may subject the Fund to greater volatility than investments in traditional securities. The value of commodity-linked derivative instruments may be affected by changes in overall market movements, commodity index volatility, changes in interest rates, or factors affecting a particular industry or commodity, such as drought, floods, weather, livestock disease, embargoes, tariffs and international economic, political and regulatory developments

Equity Risk: the risk that the value of equity securities, such as common stocks and preferred securities, may decline due to general market conditions which are not specifically related to a particular company or to factors affecting a particular industry or industries. Equity securities generally have greater price volatility than fixed income securities

Mortgage-Related and Other Asset-Backed Securities Risk: the risks of investing in mortgage-related and other asset-backed securities, including interest rate risk, extension risk, prepayment risk and credit risk

Foreign (Non-U.S.) Investment Risk: the risk that investing in foreign (non-U.S.) securities may result in the Fund experiencing more rapid and extreme changes in value than a fund that invests exclusively in securities of U.S. companies, due to smaller markets, differing reporting, accounting and auditing standards, increased risk of delayed settlement of portfolio transactions or loss of certificates of portfolio securities, and the risk of unfavorable foreign government actions, including nationalization, expropriation or confiscatory taxation, currency blockage, or political changes or diplomatic developments. Foreign securities may also be less liquid and more difficult to value than securities of U.S. issuers

Real Estate Risk: the risk that the Fund's investments in Real Estate Investment Trusts ("REITs") or real estate-linked derivative instruments will subject the Fund to risks similar to those associated with direct ownership of real estate, including losses from casualty or condemnation, and changes in local and general economic conditions, supply and demand, interest rates, zoning laws, regulatory limitations on rents, property taxes and operating expenses. The Fund's investments in REITs or real estate-linked derivative instruments subject it to management and tax risks. In addition, privately traded REITs subject the Fund to liquidity and valuation risk

Emerging Markets Risk: the risk of investing in emerging market securities, primarily increased foreign (non-U.S.) investment risk

Sovereign Debt Risk: the risk that investments in fixed income instruments issued by sovereign entities may decline in value as a result of default or other adverse credit event resulting from an issuer's inability or unwillingness to make principal or interest payments in a timely fashion

Currency Risk: the risk that foreign (non-U.S.) currencies will change in value relative to the U.S. dollar and affect the Fund's investments in foreign (non-U.S.) currencies or in securities that trade in, and receive revenues in, or in derivatives that provide exposure to, foreign (non-U.S.) currencies

Leveraging Risk: the risk that certain transactions of the Fund, such as reverse repurchase agreements, loans of portfolio securities, and the use of when-issued, delayed delivery or forward commitment transactions, or derivative instruments, may give rise to leverage, magnifying gains and losses and causing the Fund to be more volatile than if it had not been leveraged. This means that leverage entails a heightened risk of loss

Smaller Company Risk: the risk that the value of securities issued by a smaller company may go up or down, sometimes rapidly and unpredictably

 

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PIMCO REALPATH® 2030 Fund

as compared to more widely held securities, due to narrow markets and limited resources of smaller companies. A Fund's investments in smaller companies subject it to greater levels of credit, market and issuer risk

Management Risk: the risk that the investment techniques and risk analyses applied by PIMCO will not produce the desired results and that legislative, regulatory, or tax restrictions, policies or developments may affect the investment techniques available to PIMCO and the individual portfolio manager in connection with managing the Fund. There is no guarantee that the investment objective of the Fund will be achieved

Short Exposure Risk: the risk of entering into short sales, including the potential loss of more money than the actual cost of the investment, and the risk that the third party to the short sale will not fulfill its contractual obligations, causing a loss to the Fund

Tax Risk: the risk that the tax treatment of swap agreements and other derivative instruments, such as commodity-linked derivative instruments, including commodity index-linked notes, swap agreements, commodity options, futures, and options on futures, may be affected by future regulatory or legislative changes that could affect whether income from such investments is "qualifying income" under Subchapter M of the Internal Revenue Code, or otherwise affect the character, timing and/or amount of the Fund's taxable income or gains and distributions

Subsidiary Risk: the risk that, by investing in certain Underlying PIMCO Funds that invest in a subsidiary (each a "Subsidiary"), the Fund is indirectly exposed to the risks associated with a Subsidiary's investments. The Subsidiaries are not registered under the 1940 Act and may not be subject to all the investor protections of the 1940 Act. There is no guarantee that the investment objective of a Subsidiary will be achieved

Exchange-Traded Fund Risk: the risk that an exchange-traded fund may not track the performance of the index it is designed to track, market prices of shares of an exchange-traded fund may fluctuate rapidly and materially, or shares of an exchange-traded fund may trade significantly above or below net asset value, any of which may cause losses to the Fund invested in the exchange-traded fund

Please see "Description of Principal Risks" in the Fund's prospectus for a more detailed description of the risks of investing in the Fund. An investment in the Fund is not a deposit of a bank and is not insured or guaranteed by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation or any other government agency.

Performance Information

The performance information shows summary performance information for the Fund in a bar chart and an Average Annual Total Returns table. The information provides some indication of the risks of investing in the Fund by showing changes in its performance from year to year and by showing how the Fund's average annual returns compare with the returns of a broad-based securities market index and an index of similar funds. Absent any applicable fee waivers and/or expense limitations, performance would have been lower. The bar chart shows performance of the Fund's Institutional Class shares. For periods prior to the inception date of Administrative Class shares (June 30, 2008), performance information shown in the table for those shares are based on the performance of the Fund's Institutional Class shares, adjusted to reflect the actual expenses paid by Administrative Class shares. Performance in the Average Annual Total Returns table reflects the impact of sales charges. The Fund's past performance, before and after taxes, is not necessarily an indication of how the Fund will perform in the future.

The Fund's broad-based securities market index is the S&P Target Date 2030 Index. The S&P Target Date 2030 Index seeks to represent a broadly derived consensus for asset allocations that target a particular investment horizon, with asset class exposures driven by a survey of available target date funds for that horizon. These asset class exposures include U.S. large cap, U.S. mid cap, U.S. small cap, international equities, emerging markets, U.S. and international real estate investment trusts, core fixed income, short term treasuries, TIPS, high yield corporate bonds and commodities and are represented by exchange-traded funds in the Index calculation. The Lipper Mixed-Asset Target 2030 Funds Average is a total performance average of funds tracked by Lipper, Inc. that seek to maximize assets for retirement or other purposes with an expected time horizon from January 1, 2026 to December 31, 2030.

Performance for the Fund is updated daily and quarterly and may be obtained as follows: daily updates on the net asset value and performance page at http://investments.pimco.com/DailyPerformance and quarterly updates at http://investments.pimco.com/QuarterlyPerformance.

Calendar Year Total Returns — Institutional Class*

 

[To be updated by subsequent amendment]



*The year-to-date return as of June 30, 2018 is [ ]%. For the periods shown in the bar chart, the highest quarterly return was [ ]% in the [ ], and the lowest quarterly return was [ ]% in the [ ].

Average Annual Total Returns (for periods ended 12/31/17)

 

1 Year

5 Years

Since Inception (03/31/2008)

Institutional Class Return Before Taxes

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

Institutional Class Return After Taxes on Distributions‌(1)

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

Institutional Class Return After Taxes on Distributions and Sales of Fund Shares‌(1)

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

Administrative Class Return Before Taxes

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

Class A Return Before Taxes

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

S&P Target Date 2030 Index (reflects no deductions for fees, expenses or taxes)

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

 

Lipper Mixed-Asset Target 2030 Funds Average (reflects no deductions for taxes)

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

 

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Prospectus

(1) After-tax returns are calculated using the highest historical individual federal marginal income tax rates and do not reflect the impact of state and local taxes. Actual after-tax returns depend on an investor's tax situation and may differ from those shown, and the after-tax returns shown are not relevant to investors who hold their Fund shares through tax-deferred arrangements, such as 401(k) plans or individual retirement accounts. In some cases the return after taxes may exceed the return before taxes due to an assumed tax benefit from any losses on a sale of Fund shares at the end of the measurement period. After-tax returns are for Institutional Class shares only. After-tax returns for other classes will vary.

Investment Adviser/Portfolio Manager

PIMCO serves as the investment adviser for the Fund. The Fund's portfolio is managed by Mihir Worah, Rahul Devgon and Graham A. Rennison. Mr. Worah is CIO Real Return and Asset Allocation and a Managing Director of PIMCO, and Messrs. Devgon and Rennison are Senior Vice Presidents of PIMCO. Messrs. Worah, Devgon and Rennison have jointly managed the Fund since December 2015.

Other Important Information Regarding Fund Shares

For important information about purchase and sale of Fund shares, tax information, and payments to broker-dealers and other financial intermediaries, please turn to the "Summary of Other Important Information Regarding Fund Shares" section on page [ ] of this prospectus.

 

[ ] | PROSPECTUS

45


 

Table of Contents

PIMCO REALPATH® 2035 Fund

Investment Objective

The Fund seeks to maximize real return, consistent with preservation of real capital and prudent investment management.

Fees and Expenses of the Fund

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 $100,000 in Class A shares of eligible funds offered by PIMCO Equity Series and PIMCO Funds. More information about these and other discounts is available in the "Classes of Shares" section on page [ ] of the Fund's prospectus, Appendix B to the Fund's prospectus (Financial Firm-Specific Sales Charge Waivers and Discounts) or from your financial advisor.

Shareholder Fees (fees paid directly from your investment):

 

Inst
Class

Admin
Class

Class A

Maximum Sales Charge (Load) Imposed on Purchases (as a percentage of offering price)

None

None

5.50%

Maximum Deferred Sales Charge (Load) (as a percentage of the lower of the original purchase price or redemption price)

None

None

1.00%

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

 

Inst
Class

Admin
Class

Class A

Management Fees

0.65%

0.65%

0.85%

Distribution and/or Service (12b-1) Fees

N/A

0.25%

0.25%

Acquired Fund Fees and Expenses(1)

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses(2)

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

Fee Waiver and/or Expense Reimbursement(3)

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses After Fee Waiver and/or Expense Reimbursement

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

1 Acquired Fund Fees and Expenses include interest expense of the Underlying PIMCO Funds of [ ]%. Interest expense can result from certain transactions within the Underlying PIMCO Funds and is separate from the management fees paid to PIMCO. Excluding interest expense of the Underlying PIMCO Funds, Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses After Fee Waiver and/or Expense Reimbursement are [ ]%, [ ]% and [ ]% for Institutional Class, Administrative Class and Class A shares, respectively.

2 Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses do not match the Ratio of Expenses to Average Net Assets Excluding Waivers of the Fund, as set forth in the Financial Highlights table of the Fund's prospectus, because the Ratio of Expenses to Average Net Assets Excluding Waivers reflects the operating expenses of the Fund and does not include Acquired Fund Fees and Expenses.

3 Pacific Investment Management Company LLC ("PIMCO") has contractually agreed, through July 31, 2019, to waive, first, the advisory fee and, second, the supervisory and administrative fee it receives from the Fund in an amount equal to the expenses attributable to the Management Fees of Underlying PIMCO Funds indirectly incurred by the Fund in connection with its investments in Underlying PIMCO Funds, to the extent the Fund's Management Fees are greater than or equal to the Management Fees of the Underlying PIMCO Funds. This waiver renews annually for a full year unless terminated by PIMCO upon at least 30 days' notice prior to the end of the contract term.

Example. The Example is intended to help you compare the cost of investing in Institutional Class, Administrative Class or Class A shares of the Fund with the costs of investing in other mutual funds. The Example assumes that you invest $10,000 in the noted class of shares for the time periods indicated, and then redeem all 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. Investors may pay brokerage commissions on their purchases and sales of Institutional Class shares of the Fund, which are not reflected in the Example. Although your actual costs may be higher or lower, based on these assumptions your costs would be:

If you redeem your shares at the end of each period:

 

1 Year

3 Years

5 Years

10 Years

Institutional Class

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

Administrative Class

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

Class A

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

If you do not redeem your shares:

 

1 Year

3 Years

5 Years

10 Years

Class A

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

Portfolio Turnover

The Fund pays transaction costs 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 the Annual Fund Operating Expenses or in the Example tables, affect the Fund's performance. During the most recent fiscal year, the Fund's portfolio turnover rate was [ ]% of the average value of its portfolio.

Principal Investment Strategies

The PIMCO REALPATH® 2035 Fund (the "Fund") is intended for investors seeking professional management of a comprehensive asset allocation strategy for retirement savings. The Fund is managed for shareholders that plan to retire or begin withdrawing assets around the year 2035, the Fund's target year. This is the "self-elected" year of retirement for the investors in the Fund. The primary difference between the PIMCO REALPATH® Funds is their asset allocation, which varies depending on the number of years left until the "self-elected" year of retirement indicated in the PIMCO REALPATH® Fund's name. The Fund's allocation is intended to meaningfully reduce risk and increasingly focus on preservation of capital as the target retirement date of the Fund nears. An investment in the Fund is not guaranteed, and you may experience losses, including losses near, at, or after the target year indicated in the Fund's name. There is no guarantee that the Fund will provide adequate income at and through your retirement.

In managing the Fund, Pacific Investment Management Company LLC ("PIMCO") uses a four-step approach consisting of 1) developing and re-evaluating a long-term asset allocation "glide path"; 2) performing tactical allocation adjustments around the glide path; 3) developing a series of relative value strategies designed to add value beyond the target allocation; and 4) utilizing hedging techniques to manage risks.

The Fund seeks to achieve its investment objective by investing under normal circumstances in a combination of affiliated and unaffiliated funds, which may or may not be registered under the Investment Company Act of

 



PIMCO FUNDS | PROSPECTUS

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Table of Contents

Prospectus

1940 (the "1940 Act"), Fixed Income Instruments of varying maturities, equity securities, forwards and derivatives. "Fixed Income Instruments" include bonds, debt securities and other similar instruments issued by various U.S. and non-U.S. public- or private-sector entities. The Fund will invest in such funds, securities, instruments and other investments to the extent permitted under the 1940 Act, or any exemptive relief therefrom. The Fund may invest in Institutional Class or Class M shares of any funds of the Trust and PIMCO Equity Series, an affiliated open-end investment company, except funds of funds ("Underlying PIMCO Funds"), and may also invest in other affiliated funds, including funds of PIMCO ETF Trust, and unaffiliated funds (collectively, "Acquired Funds"). As used in the investment objective, "real return" equals total return less the estimated cost of inflation, which is typically measured by the change in an official inflation measure, and "real capital" equals capital less the estimated cost of inflation measured by the change in an official inflation measure.

The Fund's long-term asset allocations are based on a "glide path" developed by PIMCO and are based on quantitative and qualitative data relating to various risk metrics, long-term market trends, correlation of asset types and actuarial assumptions of life expectancy and retirement. The Fund's current glide path asset allocation is based on its target date, which is the year in the name of the Fund. The target date assumes a retirement age of 65, and time horizons based on current longevity of persons reaching retirement in average health. Choosing a PIMCO REALPATH® Fund targeting an earlier date represents a more conservative choice; choosing a PIMCO REALPATH® Fund targeting a later date represents a more aggressive choice. The glide path is designed not only to reduce risk as the target retirement date nears, but is also designed to provide investors diversification across a variety of asset classes, with an emphasis on asset classes that can protect against inflation over time. This is achieved by emphasizing allocations to inflation related assets, such as Treasury-Inflation Protected Securities ("TIPS"), commodities, and real estate, which complement exposures from traditional assets, such as U.S. and international equities, U.S. bonds and short-term instruments. The glide path changes over time, generally becoming more conservative as the Fund approaches the target date.

The chart below shows the glide path and illustrates how the allocation among the asset classes changes before and at the target date. The glide path allocation at the target date remains constant beyond that date. As described in greater detail below, PIMCO may adjust the Fund's actual asset allocation exposures from the long-term targets specified by the glide path based on PIMCO's real-time views of perceived risks and opportunities. PIMCO may also choose to modify the target asset allocations of the glide path itself from time to time.

              REALPATH® Glide Path



PIMCO performs tactical allocation adjustments around the glide path, meaning PIMCO may vary the Fund's actual asset allocation exposures from the glide path's long-term targets based on PIMCO's real-time views of perceived risks and opportunities. PIMCO will generally reduce variation from the glide path's targets as the Fund approaches the target year in the Fund's name.

The actual asset allocation at a given time may vary from the target strategic asset allocations based on PIMCO's tactical allocation adjustments and on market movements. These variances will be limited to a certain range relative to the target allocations under normal circumstances. The table below illustrates the permissible range in which the allocations may vary, as measured monthly.

Years to Retirement

Target Allocation

Maximum Underweight

Maximum Overweight

Total Equity Allocation

40

74%

–15%

15%

30

73%

–15%

15%

20

65%

–15%

15%

10

50%

–20%

10%

0

36%

–20%

10%

 

Years to Retirement

Target Allocation

Maximum Underweight

Maximum Overweight

Total Commodity and Real Estate Allocation

40

10%

–10%

10%

30

10%

–10%

10%

20

10%

–10%

10%

10

6%

–6%

6%

0

4%

–4%

4%

 

[ ] | PROSPECTUS

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Table of Contents

PIMCO REALPATH® 2035 Fund

 

Years to Retirement

Target Allocation

Maximum Underweight

Maximum Overweight

Total Fixed Income Allocation

40

16%

–15%

15%

30

17%

–15%

15%

20

25%

–15%

15%

10

44%

–10%

20%

0

60%

–10%

20%

The tactical allocation adjustments described above are driven by PIMCO's secular and cyclical views, which are formulated by considering various qualitative and quantitative factors relating to the U.S. and non-U.S. economies, and securities and commodities markets. These factors include projected growth trends in the U.S. and non-U.S. economies, forecasts for interest rates and the relationship between short- and long-term interest rates (yield curve), current and projected trends in inflation, relative valuation levels in the equity, fixed income, commodity and real estate markets and various segments within those markets, the outlook and projected growth of various industrial sectors, information relating to business cycles, borrowing needs and the cost of capital, political trends, data relating to trade balances, labor information and relevant legislative or public policy changes. These "top down" macro-economic factors, as well as more micro "bottom up" factors that are unique to narrowly defined market sectors, are used to identify attractive relative value strategies. These strategies seek to modestly enhance the Fund's returns in a manner within the allocation ranges relative to the glide path targets described above. When reallocating the Fund's investment exposures, PIMCO may do so by adjusting the mix of affiliated or unaffiliated funds, or by investing directly in securities, instruments and other investments, based on its ongoing analyses of the global economy, financial markets and the relative valuation and risks presented by the aforementioned vehicles and instruments. In selecting and reallocating the mix of affiliated or unaffiliated funds, PIMCO considers a wide range of factors, including a fund's objective, strategies, risks, performance, fees, and other metrics. In seeking to limit the amount of acquired fund fees and expenses that may be borne by Fund investors, PIMCO may choose to invest in particular affiliated or unaffiliated funds, so long as such investment decisions are consistent with the Fund's investment objective, glide path and tactical asset allocations. While PIMCO can adjust the Fund's investment exposures daily, including the vehicles or instruments used to gain those exposures, material shifts in investment exposures typically take place over longer periods of time.

As the Fund reaches the target year indicated in the Fund's name, it may be combined with the PIMCO REALPATH® Income Fund, provided that the Board of Trustees determines that the combination would be in the best interests of the Fund and its shareholders. Prior to any combination, which may occur on or after the target year indicated in the Fund's name, the Fund will provide shareholders with advance notice regarding the combination. If and when such a combination occurs, shareholders of the Fund will become shareholders of the PIMCO REALPATH® Income Fund.

As part of its investment process, PIMCO will also seek to reduce exposure to certain risks by implementing various hedging transactions. These hedging transactions seek to reduce a Fund's exposure to certain severe, unanticipated market events that could significantly detract from returns. PIMCO intends to utilize these hedging transactions once the Fund is within 10 years of the target retirement date or at such other times as deemed appropriate by PIMCO.

Once the tactical asset allocation adjustments, relative value strategies and risk hedging strategies have been determined, PIMCO then evaluates various combinations of affiliated or unaffiliated funds, securities, instruments and other investments to obtain the desired exposures and invests accordingly. Additional information for these Underlying PIMCO Funds can be found in the Statement of Additional Information and/or the Underlying PIMCO Funds' prospectuses and financial reports. Additional Underlying PIMCO Funds may be added or deleted in the future without shareholder notification.

Principal Risks

It is possible to lose money on an investment in the Fund. The principal risks of investing in the Fund include risks from direct investments and/or indirect exposure through investment in Acquired Funds. The principal risks of investing in the Fund, which could adversely affect its net asset value, yield and total return are listed below.

The following risks are principal risks of investing in the Fund.

New/Small Fund Risk: the risk that a new or smaller Fund's performance may not represent how the Fund is expected to or may perform in the long term. In addition, new Funds have limited operating histories for investors to evaluate and new and smaller Funds may not attract sufficient assets to achieve investment and trading efficiencies

Allocation Risk: the risk that a Fund could lose money as a result of less than optimal or poor asset allocation decisions. The Fund could miss attractive investment opportunities by underweighting markets that subsequently experience significant returns and could lose value by overweighting markets that subsequently experience significant declines

Acquired Fund Risk: the risk that a Fund's performance is closely related to the risks associated with the securities and other investments held by the Acquired Funds and that the ability of a Fund to achieve its investment objective will depend upon the ability of the Acquired Funds to achieve their investment objectives

The following risks are principal risks of investing in the Fund that include risks from direct investments and/or indirect exposure through investment in Acquired Funds.

New/Small Fund Risk: the risk that a new or smaller Fund's performance may not represent how the Fund is expected to or may perform in the long term. In addition, new Funds have limited operating histories for investors to evaluate and new and smaller Funds may not attract sufficient assets to achieve investment and trading efficiencies

Interest Rate Risk: the risk that fixed income securities will decline in value because of an increase in interest rates; a fund with a longer average portfolio duration will be more sensitive to changes in interest rates than a fund with a shorter average portfolio duration

Call Risk: the risk that an issuer may exercise its right to redeem a fixed income security earlier than expected (a call). Issuers may call outstanding securities prior to their maturity for a number of reasons (e.g., declining

 

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Table of Contents

Prospectus

interest rates, changes in credit spreads and improvements in the issuer's credit quality). If an issuer calls a security that the Fund has invested in, the Fund may not recoup the full amount of its initial investment and may be forced to reinvest in lower-yielding securities, securities with greater credit risks or securities with other, less favorable features

Credit Risk: the risk that the Fund could lose money if the issuer or guarantor of a fixed income security, or the counterparty to a derivative contract, is unable or unwilling to meet its financial obligations

High Yield Risk: the risk that high yield securities and unrated securities of similar credit quality (commonly known as "junk bonds") are subject to greater levels of credit, call and liquidity risks. High yield securities are considered primarily speculative with respect to the issuer's continuing ability to make principal and interest payments, and may be more volatile than higher-rated securities of similar maturity

Market Risk: the risk that the value of securities owned by the Fund may go up or down, sometimes rapidly or unpredictably, due to factors affecting securities markets generally or particular industries

Issuer Risk: the risk that the value of a security may decline for a reason directly related to the issuer, such as management performance, financial leverage and reduced demand for the issuer's goods or services

Liquidity Risk: the risk that a particular investment may be difficult to purchase or sell and that the Fund may be unable to sell illiquid securities at an advantageous time or price or achieve its desired level of exposure to a certain sector. Liquidity risk may result from the lack of an active market, reduced number and capacity of traditional market participants to make a market in fixed income securities, and may be magnified in a rising interest rate environment or other circumstances where investor redemptions from fixed income mutual funds may be higher than normal, causing increased supply in the market due to selling activity

Derivatives Risk: the risk of investing in derivative instruments (such as futures, swaps and structured securities), including leverage, liquidity, interest rate, market, credit and management risks, mispricing or valuation complexity. Changes in the value of the derivative may not correlate perfectly with, and may be more sensitive to market events than, the underlying asset, rate or index, and the Fund could lose more than the initial amount invested. The Fund's use of derivatives may result in losses to the Fund, a reduction in the Fund's returns and/or increased volatility. Over-the-counter ("OTC") derivatives are also subject to the risk that a counterparty to the transaction will not fulfill its contractual obligations to the other party, as many of the protections afforded to centrally-cleared derivative transactions might not be available for OTC derivatives. For derivatives traded on an exchange or through a central counterparty, credit risk resides with the Fund's clearing broker, or the clearinghouse itself, rather than with a counterparty in an OTC derivative transaction. Changes in regulation relating to a mutual fund's use of derivatives and related instruments could potentially limit or impact the Fund's ability to invest in derivatives, limit the Fund's ability to employ certain strategies that use derivatives and/or adversely affect the value of derivatives and the Fund's performance

Commodity Risk: the risk that investing in commodity-linked derivative instruments may subject the Fund to greater volatility than investments in traditional securities. The value of commodity-linked derivative instruments may be affected by changes in overall market movements, commodity index volatility, changes in interest rates, or factors affecting a particular industry or commodity, such as drought, floods, weather, livestock disease, embargoes, tariffs and international economic, political and regulatory developments

Equity Risk: the risk that the value of equity securities, such as common stocks and preferred securities, may decline due to general market conditions which are not specifically related to a particular company or to factors affecting a particular industry or industries. Equity securities generally have greater price volatility than fixed income securities

Mortgage-Related and Other Asset-Backed Securities Risk: the risks of investing in mortgage-related and other asset-backed securities, including interest rate risk, extension risk, prepayment risk and credit risk

Foreign (Non-U.S.) Investment Risk: the risk that investing in foreign (non-U.S.) securities may result in the Fund experiencing more rapid and extreme changes in value than a fund that invests exclusively in securities of U.S. companies, due to smaller markets, differing reporting, accounting and auditing standards, increased risk of delayed settlement of portfolio transactions or loss of certificates of portfolio securities, and the risk of unfavorable foreign government actions, including nationalization, expropriation or confiscatory taxation, currency blockage, or political changes or diplomatic developments. Foreign securities may also be less liquid and more difficult to value than securities of U.S. issuers

Real Estate Risk: the risk that the Fund's investments in Real Estate Investment Trusts ("REITs") or real estate-linked derivative instruments will subject the Fund to risks similar to those associated with direct ownership of real estate, including losses from casualty or condemnation, and changes in local and general economic conditions, supply and demand, interest rates, zoning laws, regulatory limitations on rents, property taxes and operating expenses. The Fund's investments in REITs or real estate-linked derivative instruments subject it to management and tax risks. In addition, privately traded REITs subject the Fund to liquidity and valuation risk

Emerging Markets Risk: the risk of investing in emerging market securities, primarily increased foreign (non-U.S.) investment risk

Sovereign Debt Risk: the risk that investments in fixed income instruments issued by sovereign entities may decline in value as a result of default or other adverse credit event resulting from an issuer's inability or unwillingness to make principal or interest payments in a timely fashion

Currency Risk: the risk that foreign (non-U.S.) currencies will change in value relative to the U.S. dollar and affect the Fund's investments in foreign (non-U.S.) currencies or in securities that trade in, and receive revenues in, or in derivatives that provide exposure to, foreign (non-U.S.) currencies

Leveraging Risk: the risk that certain transactions of the Fund, such as reverse repurchase agreements, loans of portfolio securities, and the use of when-issued, delayed delivery or forward commitment transactions, or derivative instruments, may give rise to leverage, magnifying gains and losses and causing the Fund to be more volatile than if it had not been leveraged. This means that leverage entails a heightened risk of loss

Smaller Company Risk: the risk that the value of securities issued by a smaller company may go up or down, sometimes rapidly and unpredictably

 

[ ] | PROSPECTUS

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Table of Contents

PIMCO REALPATH® 2035 Fund

as compared to more widely held securities, due to narrow markets and limited resources of smaller companies. A Fund's investments in smaller companies subject it to greater levels of credit, market and issuer risk

Management Risk: the risk that the investment techniques and risk analyses applied by PIMCO will not produce the desired results and that legislative, regulatory, or tax restrictions, policies or developments may affect the investment techniques available to PIMCO and the individual portfolio manager in connection with managing the Fund. There is no guarantee that the investment objective of the Fund will be achieved

Short Exposure Risk: the risk of entering into short sales, including the potential loss of more money than the actual cost of the investment, and the risk that the third party to the short sale will not fulfill its contractual obligations, causing a loss to the Fund

Tax Risk: the risk that the tax treatment of swap agreements and other derivative instruments, such as commodity-linked derivative instruments, including commodity index-linked notes, swap agreements, commodity options, futures, and options on futures, may be affected by future regulatory or legislative changes that could affect whether income from such investments is "qualifying income" under Subchapter M of the Internal Revenue Code, or otherwise affect the character, timing and/or amount of the Fund's taxable income or gains and distributions

Subsidiary Risk: the risk that, by investing in certain Underlying PIMCO Funds that invest in a subsidiary (each a "Subsidiary"), the Fund is indirectly exposed to the risks associated with a Subsidiary's investments. The Subsidiaries are not registered under the 1940 Act and may not be subject to all the investor protections of the 1940 Act. There is no guarantee that the investment objective of a Subsidiary will be achieved

Exchange-Traded Fund Risk: the risk that an exchange-traded fund may not track the performance of the index it is designed to track, market prices of shares of an exchange-traded fund may fluctuate rapidly and materially, or shares of an exchange-traded fund may trade significantly above or below net asset value, any of which may cause losses to the Fund invested in the exchange-traded fund

Please see "Description of Principal Risks" in the Fund's prospectus for a more detailed description of the risks of investing in the Fund. An investment in the Fund is not a deposit of a bank and is not insured or guaranteed by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation or any other government agency.

Performance Information

The performance information shows summary performance information for the Fund in a bar chart and an Average Annual Total Returns table. The information provides some indication of the risks of investing in the Fund by showing changes in its performance from year to year and by showing how the Fund's average annual returns compare with the returns of a broad-based securities market index and an index of similar funds. Absent any applicable fee waivers and/or expense limitations, performance would have been lower. The bar chart shows performance of the Fund's Institutional Class shares. Performance in the Average Annual Total Returns table reflects the impact of sales charges. The Fund's past performance, before and after taxes, is not necessarily an indication of how the Fund will perform in the future.

The Fund's broad-based securities market index is the S&P Target Date 2035 Index. The S&P Target Date 2035 Index seeks to represent a broadly derived consensus for asset allocations that target a particular investment horizon, with asset class exposures driven by a survey of available target date funds for that horizon. These asset class exposures include U.S. large cap, U.S. mid cap, U.S. small cap, international equities, emerging markets, U.S. and international real estate investment trusts, core fixed income, short term treasuries, TIPS, high yield corporate bonds and commodities and are represented by exchange-traded funds in the Index calculation. The Lipper Mixed-Asset Target 2035 Funds Average is a total performance average of funds tracked by Lipper, Inc. that seek to maximize assets for retirement or other purposes with an expected time horizon from January 1, 2031 to December 31, 2035.

Performance for the Fund is updated daily and quarterly and may be obtained as follows: daily updates on the net asset value and performance page at http://investments.pimco.com/DailyPerformance and quarterly updates at http://investments.pimco.com/QuarterlyPerformance.

Calendar Year Total Returns — Institutional Class*

 

[To be updated by subsequent amendment]



*The year-to-date return as of June 30, 2018 is [ ]%. For the periods shown in the bar chart, the highest quarterly return was [ ]% in the [ ], and the lowest quarterly return was [ ]% in the [ ].

Average Annual Total Returns (for periods ended 12/31/17)

 

1 Year

5 Years

Since Inception (06/30/2011)

Institutional Class Return Before Taxes

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

Institutional Class Return After Taxes on Distributions‌(1)

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

Institutional Class Return After Taxes on Distributions and Sales of Fund Shares‌(1)

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

Administrative Class Return Before Taxes

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

Class A Return Before Taxes

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

S&P Target Date 2035 Index (reflects no deductions for fees, expenses or taxes)

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

 

Lipper Mixed-Asset Target 2035 Funds Average (reflects no deductions for taxes)

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

(1) After-tax returns are calculated using the highest historical individual federal marginal income tax rates and do not reflect the impact of state and local taxes. Actual after-tax returns depend on an investor's tax situation and may differ from those shown, and the after-tax returns shown are not relevant to investors who hold their Fund shares through

 

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PROSPECTUS | PIMCO FUNDS     


 

Table of Contents

Prospectus

tax-deferred arrangements, such as 401(k) plans or individual retirement accounts. In some cases the return after taxes may exceed the return before taxes due to an assumed tax benefit from any losses on a sale of Fund shares at the end of the measurement period. After-tax returns are for Institutional Class shares only. After-tax returns for other classes will vary.

Investment Adviser/Portfolio Manager

PIMCO serves as the investment adviser for the Fund. The Fund's portfolio is managed by Mihir Worah, Rahul Devgon and Graham A. Rennison. Mr. Worah is CIO Real Return and Asset Allocation and a Managing Director of PIMCO, and Messrs. Devgon and Rennison are Senior Vice Presidents of PIMCO. Messrs. Worah, Devgon and Rennison have jointly managed the Fund since December 2015.

Other Important Information Regarding Fund Shares

For important information about purchase and sale of Fund shares, tax information, and payments to broker-dealers and other financial intermediaries, please turn to the "Summary of Other Important Information Regarding Fund Shares" section on page [ ] of this prospectus.

 

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PIMCO REALPATH® 2040 Fund

Investment Objective

The Fund seeks to maximize real return, consistent with preservation of real capital and prudent investment management.

Fees and Expenses of the Fund

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 $100,000 in Class A shares of eligible funds offered by PIMCO Equity Series and PIMCO Funds. More information about these and other discounts is available in the "Classes of Shares" section on page [ ] of the Fund's prospectus, Appendix B to the Fund's prospectus (Financial Firm-Specific Sales Charge Waivers and Discounts) or from your financial advisor.

Shareholder Fees (fees paid directly from your investment):

 

Inst
Class

Admin
Class

Class A

Maximum Sales Charge (Load) Imposed on Purchases (as a percentage of offering price)

None

None

5.50%

Maximum Deferred Sales Charge (Load) (as a percentage of the lower of the original purchase price or redemption price)

None

None

1.00%

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

 

Inst
Class

Admin
Class

Class A

Management Fees

0.65%

0.65%

0.85%

Distribution and/or Service (12b-1) Fees

N/A

0.25%

0.25%

Acquired Fund Fees and Expenses(1)

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses(2)

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

Fee Waiver and/or Expense Reimbursement(3)

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses After Fee Waiver and/or Expense Reimbursement

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

1 Acquired Fund Fees and Expenses include interest expense of the Underlying PIMCO Funds of [ ]%. Interest expense can result from certain transactions within the Underlying PIMCO Funds and is separate from the management fees paid to PIMCO. Excluding interest expense of the Underlying PIMCO Funds, Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses After Fee Waiver and/or Expense Reimbursement are [ ]%, [ ]% and [ ]% for Institutional Class, Administrative Class and Class A shares, respectively.

2 Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses do not match the Ratio of Expenses to Average Net Assets Excluding Waivers of the Fund, as set forth in the Financial Highlights table of the Fund's prospectus, because the Ratio of Expenses to Average Net Assets Excluding Waivers reflects the operating expenses of the Fund and does not include Acquired Fund Fees and Expenses.

3 Pacific Investment Management Company LLC ("PIMCO") has contractually agreed, through July 31, 2019, to waive, first, the advisory fee and, second, the supervisory and administrative fee it receives from the Fund in an amount equal to the expenses attributable to the Management Fees of Underlying PIMCO Funds indirectly incurred by the Fund in connection with its investments in Underlying PIMCO Funds, to the extent the Fund's Management Fees are greater than or equal to the Management Fees of the Underlying PIMCO Funds. This waiver renews annually for a full year unless terminated by PIMCO upon at least 30 days' notice prior to the end of the contract term.

Example. The Example is intended to help you compare the cost of investing in Institutional Class, Administrative Class or Class A shares of the Fund with the costs of investing in other mutual funds. The Example assumes that you invest $10,000 in the noted class of shares for the time periods indicated, and then redeem all 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. Investors may pay brokerage commissions on their purchases and sales of Institutional Class shares of the Fund, which are not reflected in the Example. Although your actual costs may be higher or lower, based on these assumptions your costs would be:

If you redeem your shares at the end of each period:

 

1 Year

3 Years

5 Years

10 Years

Institutional Class

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

Administrative Class

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

Class A

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

If you do not redeem your shares:

 

1 Year

3 Years

5 Years

10 Years

Class A

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

Portfolio Turnover

The Fund pays transaction costs 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 the Annual Fund Operating Expenses or in the Example tables, affect the Fund's performance. During the most recent fiscal year, the Fund's portfolio turnover rate was [ ]% of the average value of its portfolio.

Principal Investment Strategies

The PIMCO REALPATH® 2040 Fund (the "Fund") is intended for investors seeking professional management of a comprehensive asset allocation strategy for retirement savings. The Fund is managed for shareholders that plan to retire or begin withdrawing assets around the year 2040, the Fund's target year. This is the "self-elected" year of retirement for the investors in the Fund. The primary difference between the PIMCO REALPATH® Funds is their asset allocation, which varies depending on the number of years left until the "self-elected" year of retirement indicated in the PIMCO REALPATH® Fund's name. The Fund's allocation is intended to meaningfully reduce risk and increasingly focus on preservation of capital as the target retirement date of the Fund nears. An investment in the Fund is not guaranteed, and you may experience losses, including losses near, at, or after the target year indicated in the Fund's name. There is no guarantee that the Fund will provide adequate income at and through your retirement.

In managing the Fund, Pacific Investment Management Company LLC ("PIMCO") uses a four-step approach consisting of 1) developing and re-evaluating a long-term asset allocation "glide path"; 2) performing tactical allocation adjustments around the glide path; 3) developing a series of relative value strategies designed to add value beyond the target allocation; and 4) utilizing hedging techniques to manage risks.

The Fund seeks to achieve its investment objective by investing under normal circumstances in a combination of affiliated and unaffiliated funds, which may or may not be registered under the Investment Company Act of

 



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Prospectus

1940 (the "1940 Act"), Fixed Income Instruments of varying maturities, equity securities, forwards and derivatives. "Fixed Income Instruments" include bonds, debt securities and other similar instruments issued by various U.S. and non-U.S. public- or private- sector entities. The Fund will invest in such funds, securities, instruments and other investments to the extent permitted under the 1940 Act, or any exemptive relief therefrom. The Fund may invest in Institutional Class or Class M shares of any funds of the Trust and PIMCO Equity Series, an affiliated open-end investment company, except funds of funds ("Underlying PIMCO Funds"), and may also invest in other affiliated funds, including funds of PIMCO ETF Trust, and unaffiliated funds (collectively, "Acquired Funds"). As used in the investment objective, "real return" equals total return less the estimated cost of inflation, which is typically measured by the change in an official inflation measure, and "real capital" equals capital less the estimated cost of inflation measured by the change in an official inflation measure.

The Fund's long-term asset allocations are based on a "glide path" developed by PIMCO and are based on quantitative and qualitative data relating to various risk metrics, long-term market trends, correlation of asset types and actuarial assumptions of life expectancy and retirement. The Fund's current glide path asset allocation is based on its target date, which is the year in the name of the Fund. The target date assumes a retirement age of 65, and time horizons based on current longevity of persons reaching retirement in average health. Choosing a PIMCO REALPATH® Fund targeting an earlier date represents a more conservative choice; choosing a PIMCO REALPATH® Fund targeting a later date represents a more aggressive choice. The glide path is designed not only to reduce risk as the target retirement date nears, but is also designed to provide investors diversification across a variety of asset classes, with an emphasis on asset classes that can protect against inflation over time. This is achieved by emphasizing allocations to inflation related assets, such as Treasury-Inflation Protected Securities ("TIPS"), commodities, and real estate, which complement exposures from traditional assets, such as U.S. and international equities, U.S. bonds and short-term instruments. The glide path changes over time, generally becoming more conservative as the Fund approaches the target date.

The chart below shows the glide path and illustrates how the allocation among the asset classes changes before and at the target date. The glide path allocation at the target date remains constant beyond that date. As described in greater detail below, PIMCO may adjust the Fund's actual asset allocation exposures from the long-term targets specified by the glide path based on PIMCO's real-time views of perceived risks and opportunities. PIMCO may also choose to modify the target asset allocations of the glide path itself from time to time.

              REALPATH® Glide Path



PIMCO performs tactical allocation adjustments around the glide path, meaning PIMCO may vary the Fund's actual asset allocation exposures from the glide path's long-term targets based on PIMCO's real-time views of perceived risks and opportunities. PIMCO will generally reduce variation from the glide path's targets as the Fund approaches the target year in the Fund's name.

The actual asset allocation at a given time may vary from the target strategic asset allocations based on PIMCO's tactical allocation adjustments and on market movements. These variances will be limited to a certain range relative to the target allocations under normal circumstances. The table below illustrates the permissible range in which the allocations may vary, as measured monthly.

Years to Retirement

Target Allocation

Maximum Underweight

Maximum Overweight

Total Equity Allocation

40

74%

–15%

15%

30

73%

–15%

15%

20

65%

–15%

15%

10

50%

–20%

10%

0

36%

–20%

10%

 

Years to Retirement

Target Allocation

Maximum Underweight

Maximum Overweight

Total Commodity and Real Estate Allocation

40

10%

–10%

10%

30

10%

–10%

10%

20

10%

–10%

10%

10

6%

–6%

6%

0

4%

–4%

4%

 

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PIMCO REALPATH® 2040 Fund

 

Years to Retirement

Target Allocation

Maximum Underweight

Maximum Overweight

Total Fixed Income Allocation

40

16%

–15%

15%

30

17%

–15%

15%

20

25%

–15%

15%

10

44%

–10%

20%

0

60%

–10%

20%

The tactical allocation adjustments described above are driven by PIMCO's secular and cyclical views, which are formulated by considering various qualitative and quantitative factors relating to the U.S. and non-U.S. economies, and securities and commodities markets. These factors include projected growth trends in the U.S. and non-U.S. economies, forecasts for interest rates and the relationship between short- and long-term interest rates (yield curve), current and projected trends in inflation, relative valuation levels in the equity, fixed income, commodity and real estate markets and various segments within those markets, the outlook and projected growth of various industrial sectors, information relating to business cycles, borrowing needs and the cost of capital, political trends, data relating to trade balances, labor information and relevant legislative or public policy changes. These "top down" macro-economic factors, as well as more micro "bottom up" factors that are unique to narrowly defined market sectors, are used to identify attractive relative value strategies. These strategies seek to modestly enhance the Fund's returns in a manner within the allocation ranges relative to the glide path targets described above. When reallocating the Fund's investment exposures, PIMCO may do so by adjusting the mix of affiliated or unaffiliated funds, or by investing directly in securities, instruments and other investments, based on its ongoing analyses of the global economy, financial markets and the relative valuation and risks presented by the aforementioned vehicles and instruments. In selecting and reallocating the mix of affiliated or unaffiliated funds, PIMCO considers a wide range of factors, including a fund's objective, strategies, risks, performance, fees, and other metrics. In seeking to limit the amount of acquired fund fees and expenses that may be borne by Fund investors, PIMCO may choose to invest in particular affiliated or unaffiliated funds, so long as such investment decisions are consistent with the Fund's investment objective, glide path and tactical asset allocations. While PIMCO can adjust the Fund's investment exposures daily, including the vehicles or instruments used to gain those exposures, material shifts in investment exposures typically take place over longer periods of time.

As the Fund reaches the target year indicated in the Fund's name, it may be combined with the PIMCO REALPATH® Income Fund, provided that the Board of Trustees determines that the combination would be in the best interests of the Fund and its shareholders. Prior to any combination, which may occur on or after the target year indicated in the Fund's name, the Fund will provide shareholders with advance notice regarding the combination. If and when such a combination occurs, shareholders of the Fund will become shareholders of the PIMCO REALPATH® Income Fund.

As part of its investment process, PIMCO will also seek to reduce exposure to certain risks by implementing various hedging transactions. These hedging transactions seek to reduce a Fund's exposure to certain severe, unanticipated market events that could significantly detract from returns. PIMCO intends to utilize these hedging transactions once the Fund is within 10 years of the target retirement date or at such other times as deemed appropriate by PIMCO.

Once the tactical asset allocation adjustments, relative value strategies and risk hedging strategies have been determined, PIMCO then evaluates various combinations of affiliated or unaffiliated funds, securities, instruments and other investments to obtain the desired exposures and invests accordingly. Additional information for these Underlying PIMCO Funds can be found in the Statement of Additional Information and/or the Underlying PIMCO Funds' prospectuses and financial reports. Additional Underlying PIMCO Funds may be added or deleted in the future without shareholder notification.

Principal Risks

It is possible to lose money on an investment in the Fund. The principal risks of investing in the Fund include risks from direct investments and/or indirect exposure through investment in Acquired Funds. The principal risks of investing in the Fund, which could adversely affect its net asset value, yield and total return are listed below.

The following risks are principal risks of investing in the Fund.

New/Small Fund Risk: the risk that a new or smaller Fund's performance may not represent how the Fund is expected to or may perform in the long term. In addition, new Funds have limited operating histories for investors to evaluate and new and smaller Funds may not attract sufficient assets to achieve investment and trading efficiencies

Allocation Risk: the risk that a Fund could lose money as a result of less than optimal or poor asset allocation decisions. The Fund could miss attractive investment opportunities by underweighting markets that subsequently experience significant returns and could lose value by overweighting markets that subsequently experience significant declines

Acquired Fund Risk: the risk that a Fund's performance is closely related to the risks associated with the securities and other investments held by the Acquired Funds and that the ability of a Fund to achieve its investment objective will depend upon the ability of the Acquired Funds to achieve their investment objectives

The following risks are principal risks of investing in the Fund that include risks from direct investments and/or indirect exposure through investment in Acquired Funds.

New/Small Fund Risk: the risk that a new or smaller Fund's performance may not represent how the Fund is expected to or may perform in the long term. In addition, new Funds have limited operating histories for investors to evaluate and new and smaller Funds may not attract sufficient assets to achieve investment and trading efficiencies

Interest Rate Risk: the risk that fixed income securities will decline in value because of an increase in interest rates; a fund with a longer average portfolio duration will be more sensitive to changes in interest rates than a fund with a shorter average portfolio duration

Call Risk: the risk that an issuer may exercise its right to redeem a fixed income security earlier than expected (a call). Issuers may call outstanding securities prior to their maturity for a number of reasons (e.g., declining

 

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Prospectus

interest rates, changes in credit spreads and improvements in the issuer's credit quality). If an issuer calls a security that the Fund has invested in, the Fund may not recoup the full amount of its initial investment and may be forced to reinvest in lower-yielding securities, securities with greater credit risks or securities with other, less favorable features

Credit Risk: the risk that the Fund could lose money if the issuer or guarantor of a fixed income security, or the counterparty to a derivative contract, is unable or unwilling to meet its financial obligations

High Yield Risk: the risk that high yield securities and unrated securities of similar credit quality (commonly known as "junk bonds") are subject to greater levels of credit, call and liquidity risks. High yield securities are considered primarily speculative with respect to the issuer's continuing ability to make principal and interest payments, and may be more volatile than higher-rated securities of similar maturity

Market Risk: the risk that the value of securities owned by the Fund may go up or down, sometimes rapidly or unpredictably, due to factors affecting securities markets generally or particular industries

Issuer Risk: the risk that the value of a security may decline for a reason directly related to the issuer, such as management performance, financial leverage and reduced demand for the issuer's goods or services

Liquidity Risk: the risk that a particular investment may be difficult to purchase or sell and that the Fund may be unable to sell illiquid securities at an advantageous time or price or achieve its desired level of exposure to a certain sector. Liquidity risk may result from the lack of an active market, reduced number and capacity of traditional market participants to make a market in fixed income securities, and may be magnified in a rising interest rate environment or other circumstances where investor redemptions from fixed income mutual funds may be higher than normal, causing increased supply in the market due to selling activity

Derivatives Risk: the risk of investing in derivative instruments (such as futures, swaps and structured securities), including leverage, liquidity, interest rate, market, credit and management risks, mispricing or valuation complexity. Changes in the value of the derivative may not correlate perfectly with, and may be more sensitive to market events than, the underlying asset, rate or index, and the Fund could lose more than the initial amount invested. The Fund's use of derivatives may result in losses to the Fund, a reduction in the Fund's returns and/or increased volatility. Over-the-counter ("OTC") derivatives are also subject to the risk that a counterparty to the transaction will not fulfill its contractual obligations to the other party, as many of the protections afforded to centrally-cleared derivative transactions might not be available for OTC derivatives. For derivatives traded on an exchange or through a central counterparty, credit risk resides with the Fund's clearing broker, or the clearinghouse itself, rather than with a counterparty in an OTC derivative transaction. Changes in regulation relating to a mutual fund's use of derivatives and related instruments could potentially limit or impact the Fund's ability to invest in derivatives, limit the Fund's ability to employ certain strategies that use derivatives and/or adversely affect the value of derivatives and the Fund's performance

Commodity Risk: the risk that investing in commodity-linked derivative instruments may subject the Fund to greater volatility than investments in traditional securities. The value of commodity-linked derivative instruments may be affected by changes in overall market movements, commodity index volatility, changes in interest rates, or factors affecting a particular industry or commodity, such as drought, floods, weather, livestock disease, embargoes, tariffs and international economic, political and regulatory developments

Equity Risk: the risk that the value of equity securities, such as common stocks and preferred securities, may decline due to general market conditions which are not specifically related to a particular company or to factors affecting a particular industry or industries. Equity securities generally have greater price volatility than fixed income securities

Mortgage-Related and Other Asset-Backed Securities Risk: the risks of investing in mortgage-related and other asset-backed securities, including interest rate risk, extension risk, prepayment risk and credit risk

Foreign (Non-U.S.) Investment Risk: the risk that investing in foreign (non-U.S.) securities may result in the Fund experiencing more rapid and extreme changes in value than a fund that invests exclusively in securities of U.S. companies, due to smaller markets, differing reporting, accounting and auditing standards, increased risk of delayed settlement of portfolio transactions or loss of certificates of portfolio securities, and the risk of unfavorable foreign government actions, including nationalization, expropriation or confiscatory taxation, currency blockage, or political changes or diplomatic developments. Foreign securities may also be less liquid and more difficult to value than securities of U.S. issuers

Real Estate Risk: the risk that the Fund's investments in Real Estate Investment Trusts ("REITs") or real estate-linked derivative instruments will subject the Fund to risks similar to those associated with direct ownership of real estate, including losses from casualty or condemnation, and changes in local and general economic conditions, supply and demand, interest rates, zoning laws, regulatory limitations on rents, property taxes and operating expenses. The Fund's investments in REITs or real estate-linked derivative instruments subject it to management and tax risks. In addition, privately traded REITs subject the Fund to liquidity and valuation risk

Emerging Markets Risk: the risk of investing in emerging market securities, primarily increased foreign (non-U.S.) investment risk

Sovereign Debt Risk: the risk that investments in fixed income instruments issued by sovereign entities may decline in value as a result of default or other adverse credit event resulting from an issuer's inability or unwillingness to make principal or interest payments in a timely fashion

Currency Risk: the risk that foreign (non-U.S.) currencies will change in value relative to the U.S. dollar and affect the Fund's investments in foreign (non-U.S.) currencies or in securities that trade in, and receive revenues in, or in derivatives that provide exposure to, foreign (non-U.S.) currencies

Leveraging Risk: the risk that certain transactions of the Fund, such as reverse repurchase agreements, loans of portfolio securities, and the use of when-issued, delayed delivery or forward commitment transactions, or derivative instruments, may give rise to leverage, magnifying gains and losses and causing the Fund to be more volatile than if it had not been leveraged. This means that leverage entails a heightened risk of loss

Smaller Company Risk: the risk that the value of securities issued by a smaller company may go up or down, sometimes rapidly and unpredictably

 

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PIMCO REALPATH® 2040 Fund

as compared to more widely held securities, due to narrow markets and limited resources of smaller companies. A Fund's investments in smaller companies subject it to greater levels of credit, market and issuer risk

Management Risk: the risk that the investment techniques and risk analyses applied by PIMCO will not produce the desired results and that legislative, regulatory, or tax restrictions, policies or developments may affect the investment techniques available to PIMCO and the individual portfolio manager in connection with managing the Fund. There is no guarantee that the investment objective of the Fund will be achieved

Short Exposure Risk: the risk of entering into short sales, including the potential loss of more money than the actual cost of the investment, and the risk that the third party to the short sale will not fulfill its contractual obligations, causing a loss to the Fund

Tax Risk: the risk that the tax treatment of swap agreements and other derivative instruments, such as commodity-linked derivative instruments, including commodity index-linked notes, swap agreements, commodity options, futures, and options on futures, may be affected by future regulatory or legislative changes that could affect whether income from such investments is "qualifying income" under Subchapter M of the Internal Revenue Code, or otherwise affect the character, timing and/or amount of the Fund's taxable income or gains and distributions

Subsidiary Risk: the risk that, by investing in certain Underlying PIMCO Funds that invest in a subsidiary (each a "Subsidiary"), the Fund is indirectly exposed to the risks associated with a Subsidiary's investments. The Subsidiaries are not registered under the 1940 Act and may not be subject to all the investor protections of the 1940 Act. There is no guarantee that the investment objective of a Subsidiary will be achieved

Exchange-Traded Fund Risk: the risk that an exchange-traded fund may not track the performance of the index it is designed to track, market prices of shares of an exchange-traded fund may fluctuate rapidly and materially, or shares of an exchange-traded fund may trade significantly above or below net asset value, any of which may cause losses to the Fund invested in the exchange-traded fund

Please see "Description of Principal Risks" in the Fund's prospectus for a more detailed description of the risks of investing in the Fund. An investment in the Fund is not a deposit of a bank and is not insured or guaranteed by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation or any other government agency.

Performance Information

The performance information shows summary performance information for the Fund in a bar chart and an Average Annual Total Returns table. The information provides some indication of the risks of investing in the Fund by showing changes in its performance from year to year and by showing how the Fund's average annual returns compare with the returns of a broad-based securities market index and an index of similar funds. Absent any applicable fee waivers and/or expense limitations, performance would have been lower. The bar chart shows performance of the Fund's Institutional Class shares. For periods prior to the inception date of Administrative Class shares (June 30, 2008), performance information shown in the table for those shares are based on the performance of the Fund's Institutional Class shares, adjusted to reflect the actual expenses paid by Administrative Class shares. Performance in the Average Annual Total Returns table reflects the impact of sales charges. The Fund's past performance, before and after taxes, is not necessarily an indication of how the Fund will perform in the future.

The Fund's broad-based securities market index is the S&P Target Date 2040 Index. The S&P Target Date 2040 Index seeks to represent a broadly derived consensus for asset allocations that target a particular investment horizon, with asset class exposures driven by a survey of available target date funds for that horizon. These asset class exposures include U.S. large cap, U.S. mid cap, U.S. small cap, international equities, emerging markets, U.S. and international real estate investment trusts, core fixed income, short term treasuries, TIPS, high yield corporate bonds and commodities and are represented by exchange-traded funds in the Index calculation. The Lipper Mixed-Asset Target 2040 Funds Average is a total performance average of funds tracked by Lipper, Inc. that seek to maximize assets for retirement or other purposes with an expected time horizon from January 1, 2036 to December 31, 2040.

Performance for the Fund is updated daily and quarterly and may be obtained as follows: daily updates on the net asset value and performance page at http://investments.pimco.com/DailyPerformance and quarterly updates at http://investments.pimco.com/QuarterlyPerformance.

Calendar Year Total Returns — Institutional Class*

 

[To be updated by subsequent amendment]



*The year-to-date return as of June 30, 2018 is [ ]%. For the periods shown in the bar chart, the highest quarterly return was [ ]% in the [ ], and the lowest quarterly return was [ ]% in the [ ].

Average Annual Total Returns (for periods ended 12/31/17)

 

1 Year

5 Years

Since Inception (03/31/2008)

Institutional Class Return Before Taxes

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

Institutional Class Return After Taxes on Distributions‌(1)

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

Institutional Class Return After Taxes on Distributions and Sales of Fund Shares‌(1)

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

Administrative Class Return Before Taxes

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

Class A Return Before Taxes

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

S&P Target Date 2040 Index (reflects no deductions for fees, expenses or taxes)

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

 

Lipper Mixed-Asset Target 2040 Funds Average (reflects no deductions for taxes)

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

 

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(1) After-tax returns are calculated using the highest historical individual federal marginal income tax rates and do not reflect the impact of state and local taxes. Actual after-tax returns depend on an investor's tax situation and may differ from those shown, and the after-tax returns shown are not relevant to investors who hold their Fund shares through tax-deferred arrangements, such as 401(k) plans or individual retirement accounts. In some cases the return after taxes may exceed the return before taxes due to an assumed tax benefit from any losses on a sale of Fund shares at the end of the measurement period. After-tax returns are for Institutional Class shares only. After-tax returns for other classes will vary.

Investment Adviser/Portfolio Manager

PIMCO serves as the investment adviser for the Fund. The Fund's portfolio is managed by Mihir Worah, Rahul Devgon and Graham A. Rennison. Mr. Worah is CIO Real Return and Asset Allocation and a Managing Director of PIMCO, and Messrs. Devgon and Rennison are Senior Vice Presidents of PIMCO. Messrs. Worah, Devgon and Rennison have jointly managed the Fund since December 2015.

Other Important Information Regarding Fund Shares

For important information about purchase and sale of Fund shares, tax information, and payments to broker-dealers and other financial intermediaries, please turn to the "Summary of Other Important Information Regarding Fund Shares" section on page [ ] of this prospectus.

 

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PIMCO REALPATH® 2045 Fund

Investment Objective

The Fund seeks to maximize real return, consistent with preservation of real capital and prudent investment management.

Fees and Expenses of the Fund

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 $100,000 in Class A shares of eligible funds offered by PIMCO Equity Series and PIMCO Funds. More information about these and other discounts is available in the "Classes of Shares" section on page [ ] of the Fund's prospectus, Appendix B to the Fund's prospectus (Financial Firm-Specific Sales Charge Waivers and Discounts) or from your financial advisor.

Shareholder Fees (fees paid directly from your investment):

 

Inst
Class

Admin
Class

Class A

Maximum Sales Charge (Load) Imposed on Purchases (as a percentage of offering price)

None

None

5.50%

Maximum Deferred Sales Charge (Load) (as a percentage of the lower of the original purchase price or redemption price)

None

None

1.00%

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

 

Inst
Class

Admin
Class

Class A

Management Fees

0.67%

0.67%

0.87%

Distribution and/or Service (12b-1) Fees

N/A

0.25%

0.25%

Acquired Fund Fees and Expenses(1)

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses(2)

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

Fee Waiver and/or Expense Reimbursement(3)

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses After Fee Waiver and/or Expense Reimbursement

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

1 Acquired Fund Fees and Expenses include interest expense of the Underlying PIMCO Funds of [ ]%. Interest expense can result from certain transactions within the Underlying PIMCO Funds and is separate from the management fees paid to PIMCO. Excluding interest expense of the Underlying PIMCO Funds, Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses After Fee Waiver and/or Expense Reimbursement are [ ]%, [ ]% and [ ]% for Institutional Class, Administrative Class and Class A shares, respectively.

2 Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses do not match the Ratio of Expenses to Average Net Assets Excluding Waivers of the Fund, as set forth in the Financial Highlights table of the Fund's prospectus, because the Ratio of Expenses to Average Net Assets Excluding Waivers reflects the operating expenses of the Fund and does not include Acquired Fund Fees and Expenses.

3 Pacific Investment Management Company LLC ("PIMCO") has contractually agreed, through July 31, 2019, to waive, first, the advisory fee and, second, the supervisory and administrative fee it receives from the Fund in an amount equal to the expenses attributable to the Management Fees of Underlying PIMCO Funds indirectly incurred by the Fund in connection with its investments in Underlying PIMCO Funds, to the extent the Fund's Management Fees are greater than or equal to the Management Fees of the Underlying PIMCO Funds. This waiver renews annually for a full year unless terminated by PIMCO upon at least 30 days' notice prior to the end of the contract term.

Example. The Example is intended to help you compare the cost of investing in Institutional Class, Administrative Class or Class A shares of the Fund with the costs of investing in other mutual funds. The Example assumes that you invest $10,000 in the noted class of shares for the time periods indicated, and then redeem all 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. Investors may pay brokerage commissions on their purchases and sales of Institutional Class shares of the Fund, which are not reflected in the Example. Although your actual costs may be higher or lower, based on these assumptions your costs would be:

If you redeem your shares at the end of each period:

 

1 Year

3 Years

5 Years

10 Years

Institutional Class

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

Administrative Class

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

Class A

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

If you do not redeem your shares:

 

1 Year

3 Years

5 Years

10 Years

Class A

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

Portfolio Turnover

The Fund pays transaction costs 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 the Annual Fund Operating Expenses or in the Example tables, affect the Fund's performance. During the most recent fiscal year, the Fund's portfolio turnover rate was [ ]% of the average value of its portfolio.

Principal Investment Strategies

The PIMCO REALPATH® 2045 Fund (the "Fund") is intended for investors seeking professional management of a comprehensive asset allocation strategy for retirement savings. The Fund is managed for shareholders that plan to retire or begin withdrawing assets around the year 2045, the Fund's target year. This is the "self-elected" year of retirement for the investors in the Fund. The primary difference between the PIMCO REALPATH® Funds is their asset allocation, which varies depending on the number of years left until the "self-elected" year of retirement indicated in the PIMCO REALPATH® Fund's name. The Fund's allocation is intended to meaningfully reduce risk and increasingly focus on preservation of capital as the target retirement date of the Fund nears. An investment in the Fund is not guaranteed, and you may experience losses, including losses near, at, or after the target year indicated in the Fund's name. There is no guarantee that the Fund will provide adequate income at and through your retirement.

In managing the Fund, Pacific Investment Management Company LLC ("PIMCO") uses a four-step approach consisting of 1) developing and re-evaluating a long-term asset allocation "glide path"; 2) performing tactical allocation adjustments around the glide path; 3) developing a series of relative value strategies designed to add value beyond the target allocation; and 4) utilizing hedging techniques to manage risks.

The Fund seeks to achieve its investment objective by investing under normal circumstances in a combination of affiliated and unaffiliated funds, which may or may not be registered under the Investment Company Act of

 



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1940 (the "1940 Act"), Fixed Income Instruments of varying maturities, equity securities, forwards and derivatives. "Fixed Income Instruments" include bonds, debt securities and other similar instruments issued by various U.S. and non-U.S. public- or private-sector entities. The Fund will invest in such funds, securities, instruments and other investments to the extent permitted under the 1940 Act, or any exemptive relief therefrom. The Fund may invest in Institutional Class or Class M shares of any funds of the Trust and PIMCO Equity Series, an affiliated open-end investment company, except funds of funds ("Underlying PIMCO Funds"), and may also invest in other affiliated funds, including funds of PIMCO ETF Trust, and unaffiliated funds (collectively, "Acquired Funds"). As used in the investment objective, "real return" equals total return less the estimated cost of inflation, which is typically measured by the change in an official inflation measure, and "real capital" equals capital less the estimated cost of inflation measured by the change in an official inflation measure.

The Fund's long-term asset allocations are based on a "glide path" developed by PIMCO and are based on quantitative and qualitative data relating to various risk metrics, long-term market trends, correlation of asset types and actuarial assumptions of life expectancy and retirement. The Fund's current glide path asset allocation is based on its target date, which is the year in the name of the Fund. The target date assumes a retirement age of 65, and time horizons based on current longevity of persons reaching retirement in average health. Choosing a PIMCO REALPATH® Fund targeting an earlier date represents a more conservative choice; choosing a PIMCO REALPATH® Fund targeting a later date represents a more aggressive choice. The glide path is designed not only to reduce risk as the target retirement date nears, but is also designed to provide investors diversification across a variety of asset classes, with an emphasis on asset classes that can protect against inflation over time. This is achieved by emphasizing allocations to inflation related assets, such as Treasury-Inflation Protected Securities ("TIPS"), commodities, and real estate, which complement exposures from traditional assets, such as U.S. and international equities, U.S. bonds and short-term instruments. The glide path changes over time, generally becoming more conservative as the Fund approaches the target date.

The chart below shows the glide path and illustrates how the allocation among the asset classes changes before and at the target date. The glide path allocation at the target date remains constant beyond that date. As described in greater detail below, PIMCO may adjust the Fund's actual asset allocation exposures from the long-term targets specified by the glide path based on PIMCO's real-time views of perceived risks and opportunities. PIMCO may also choose to modify the target asset allocations of the glide path itself from time to time.

              REALPATH® Glide Path



PIMCO performs tactical allocation adjustments around the glide path, meaning PIMCO may vary the Fund's actual asset allocation exposures from the glide path's long-term targets based on PIMCO's real-time views of perceived risks and opportunities. PIMCO will generally reduce variation from the glide path's targets as the Fund approaches the target year in the Fund's name.

The actual asset allocation at a given time may vary from the target strategic asset allocations based on PIMCO's tactical allocation adjustments and on market movements. These variances will be limited to a certain range relative to the target allocations under normal circumstances. The table below illustrates the permissible range in which the allocations may vary, as measured monthly.

Years to Retirement

Target Allocation

Maximum Underweight

Maximum Overweight

Total Equity Allocation

40

74%

–15%

15%

30

73%

–15%

15%

20

65%

–15%

15%

10

50%

–20%

10%

0

36%

–20%

10%

 

Years to Retirement

Target Allocation

Maximum Underweight

Maximum Overweight

Total Commodity and Real Estate Allocation

40

10%

–10%

10%

30

10%

–10%

10%

20

10%

–10%

10%

10

6%

–6%

6%

0

4%

–4%

4%

 

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PIMCO REALPATH® 2045 Fund

 

Years to Retirement

Target Allocation

Maximum Underweight

Maximum Overweight

Total Fixed Income Allocation

40

16%

–15%

15%

30

17%

–15%

15%

20

25%

–15%

15%

10

44%

–10%

20%

0

60%

–10%

20%

The tactical allocation adjustments described above are driven by PIMCO's secular and cyclical views, which are formulated by considering various qualitative and quantitative factors relating to the U.S. and non-U.S. economies, and securities and commodities markets. These factors include projected growth trends in the U.S. and non-U.S. economies, forecasts for interest rates and the relationship between short- and long-term interest rates (yield curve), current and projected trends in inflation, relative valuation levels in the equity, fixed income, commodity and real estate markets and various segments within those markets, the outlook and projected growth of various industrial sectors, information relating to business cycles, borrowing needs and the cost of capital, political trends, data relating to trade balances, labor information and relevant legislative or public policy changes. These "top down" macro-economic factors, as well as more micro "bottom up" factors that are unique to narrowly defined market sectors, are used to identify attractive relative value strategies. These strategies seek to modestly enhance the Fund's returns in a manner within the allocation ranges relative to the glide path targets described above. When reallocating the Fund's investment exposures, PIMCO may do so by adjusting the mix of affiliated or unaffiliated funds, or by investing directly in securities, instruments and other investments, based on its ongoing analyses of the global economy, financial markets and the relative valuation and risks presented by the aforementioned vehicles and instruments. In selecting and reallocating the mix of affiliated or unaffiliated funds, PIMCO considers a wide range of factors, including a fund's objective, strategies, risks, performance, fees, and other metrics. In seeking to limit the amount of acquired fund fees and expenses that may be borne by Fund investors, PIMCO may choose to invest in particular affiliated or unaffiliated funds, so long as such investment decisions are consistent with the Fund's investment objective, glide path and tactical asset allocations. While PIMCO can adjust the Fund's investment exposures daily, including the vehicles or instruments used to gain those exposures, material shifts in investment exposures typically take place over longer periods of time.

As the Fund reaches the target year indicated in the Fund's name, it may be combined with the PIMCO REALPATH® Income Fund, provided that the Board of Trustees determines that the combination would be in the best interests of the Fund and its shareholders. Prior to any combination, which may occur on or after the target year indicated in the Fund's name, the Fund will provide shareholders with advance notice regarding the combination. If and when such a combination occurs, shareholders of the Fund will become shareholders of the PIMCO REALPATH® Income Fund.

As part of its investment process, PIMCO will also seek to reduce exposure to certain risks by implementing various hedging transactions. These hedging transactions seek to reduce a Fund's exposure to certain severe, unanticipated market events that could significantly detract from returns. PIMCO intends to utilize these hedging transactions once the Fund is within 10 years of the target retirement date or at such other times as deemed appropriate by PIMCO.

Once the tactical asset allocation adjustments, relative value strategies and risk hedging strategies have been determined, PIMCO then evaluates various combinations of affiliated or unaffiliated funds, securities, instruments and other investments to obtain the desired exposures and invests accordingly. Additional information for these Underlying PIMCO Funds can be found in the Statement of Additional Information and/or the Underlying PIMCO Funds' prospectuses and financial reports. Additional Underlying PIMCO Funds may be added or deleted in the future without shareholder notification.

Principal Risks

It is possible to lose money on an investment in the Fund. The principal risks of investing in the Fund include risks from direct investments and/or indirect exposure through investment in Acquired Funds. The principal risks of investing in the Fund, which could adversely affect its net asset value, yield and total return are listed below.

The following risks are principal risks of investing in the Fund.

New/Small Fund Risk: the risk that a new or smaller Fund's performance may not represent how the Fund is expected to or may perform in the long term. In addition, new Funds have limited operating histories for investors to evaluate and new and smaller Funds may not attract sufficient assets to achieve investment and trading efficiencies

Allocation Risk: the risk that a Fund could lose money as a result of less than optimal or poor asset allocation decisions. The Fund could miss attractive investment opportunities by underweighting markets that subsequently experience significant returns and could lose value by overweighting markets that subsequently experience significant declines

Acquired Fund Risk: the risk that a Fund's performance is closely related to the risks associated with the securities and other investments held by the Acquired Funds and that the ability of a Fund to achieve its investment objective will depend upon the ability of the Acquired Funds to achieve their investment objectives

The following risks are principal risks of investing in the Fund that include risks from direct investments and/or indirect exposure through investment in Acquired Funds.

New/Small Fund Risk: the risk that a new or smaller Fund's performance may not represent how the Fund is expected to or may perform in the long term. In addition, new Funds have limited operating histories for investors to evaluate and new and smaller Funds may not attract sufficient assets to achieve investment and trading efficiencies

Interest Rate Risk: the risk that fixed income securities will decline in value because of an increase in interest rates; a fund with a longer average portfolio duration will be more sensitive to changes in interest rates than a fund with a shorter average portfolio duration

Call Risk: the risk that an issuer may exercise its right to redeem a fixed income security earlier than expected (a call). Issuers may call outstanding securities prior to their maturity for a number of reasons (e.g., declining

 

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interest rates, changes in credit spreads and improvements in the issuer's credit quality). If an issuer calls a security that the Fund has invested in, the Fund may not recoup the full amount of its initial investment and may be forced to reinvest in lower-yielding securities, securities with greater credit risks or securities with other, less favorable features

Credit Risk: the risk that the Fund could lose money if the issuer or guarantor of a fixed income security, or the counterparty to a derivative contract, is unable or unwilling to meet its financial obligations

High Yield Risk: the risk that high yield securities and unrated securities of similar credit quality (commonly known as "junk bonds") are subject to greater levels of credit, call and liquidity risks. High yield securities are considered primarily speculative with respect to the issuer's continuing ability to make principal and interest payments, and may be more volatile than higher-rated securities of similar maturity

Market Risk: the risk that the value of securities owned by the Fund may go up or down, sometimes rapidly or unpredictably, due to factors affecting securities markets generally or particular industries

Issuer Risk: the risk that the value of a security may decline for a reason directly related to the issuer, such as management performance, financial leverage and reduced demand for the issuer's goods or services

Liquidity Risk: the risk that a particular investment may be difficult to purchase or sell and that the Fund may be unable to sell illiquid securities at an advantageous time or price or achieve its desired level of exposure to a certain sector. Liquidity risk may result from the lack of an active market, reduced number and capacity of traditional market participants to make a market in fixed income securities, and may be magnified in a rising interest rate environment or other circumstances where investor redemptions from fixed income mutual funds may be higher than normal, causing increased supply in the market due to selling activity

Derivatives Risk: the risk of investing in derivative instruments (such as futures, swaps and structured securities), including leverage, liquidity, interest rate, market, credit and management risks, mispricing or valuation complexity. Changes in the value of the derivative may not correlate perfectly with, and may be more sensitive to market events than, the underlying asset, rate or index, and the Fund could lose more than the initial amount invested. The Fund's use of derivatives may result in losses to the Fund, a reduction in the Fund's returns and/or increased volatility. Over-the-counter ("OTC") derivatives are also subject to the risk that a counterparty to the transaction will not fulfill its contractual obligations to the other party, as many of the protections afforded to centrally-cleared derivative transactions might not be available for OTC derivatives. For derivatives traded on an exchange or through a central counterparty, credit risk resides with the Fund's clearing broker, or the clearinghouse itself, rather than with a counterparty in an OTC derivative transaction. Changes in regulation relating to a mutual fund's use of derivatives and related instruments could potentially limit or impact the Fund's ability to invest in derivatives, limit the Fund's ability to employ certain strategies that use derivatives and/or adversely affect the value of derivatives and the Fund's performance

Commodity Risk: the risk that investing in commodity-linked derivative instruments may subject the Fund to greater volatility than investments in traditional securities. The value of commodity-linked derivative instruments may be affected by changes in overall market movements, commodity index volatility, changes in interest rates, or factors affecting a particular industry or commodity, such as drought, floods, weather, livestock disease, embargoes, tariffs and international economic, political and regulatory developments

Equity Risk: the risk that the value of equity securities, such as common stocks and preferred securities, may decline due to general market conditions which are not specifically related to a particular company or to factors affecting a particular industry or industries. Equity securities generally have greater price volatility than fixed income securities

Mortgage-Related and Other Asset-Backed Securities Risk: the risks of investing in mortgage-related and other asset-backed securities, including interest rate risk, extension risk, prepayment risk and credit risk

Foreign (Non-U.S.) Investment Risk: the risk that investing in foreign (non-U.S.) securities may result in the Fund experiencing more rapid and extreme changes in value than a fund that invests exclusively in securities of U.S. companies, due to smaller markets, differing reporting, accounting and auditing standards, increased risk of delayed settlement of portfolio transactions or loss of certificates of portfolio securities, and the risk of unfavorable foreign government actions, including nationalization, expropriation or confiscatory taxation, currency blockage, or political changes or diplomatic developments. Foreign securities may also be less liquid and more difficult to value than securities of U.S. issuers

Real Estate Risk: the risk that the Fund's investments in Real Estate Investment Trusts ("REITs") or real estate-linked derivative instruments will subject the Fund to risks similar to those associated with direct ownership of real estate, including losses from casualty or condemnation, and changes in local and general economic conditions, supply and demand, interest rates, zoning laws, regulatory limitations on rents, property taxes and operating expenses. The Fund's investments in REITs or real estate-linked derivative instruments subject it to management and tax risks. In addition, privately traded REITs subject the Fund to liquidity and valuation risk

Emerging Markets Risk: the risk of investing in emerging market securities, primarily increased foreign (non-U.S.) investment risk

Sovereign Debt Risk: the risk that investments in fixed income instruments issued by sovereign entities may decline in value as a result of default or other adverse credit event resulting from an issuer's inability or unwillingness to make principal or interest payments in a timely fashion

Currency Risk: the risk that foreign (non-U.S.) currencies will change in value relative to the U.S. dollar and affect the Fund's investments in foreign (non-U.S.) currencies or in securities that trade in, and receive revenues in, or in derivatives that provide exposure to, foreign (non-U.S.) currencies

Leveraging Risk: the risk that certain transactions of the Fund, such as reverse repurchase agreements, loans of portfolio securities, and the use of when-issued, delayed delivery or forward commitment transactions, or derivative instruments, may give rise to leverage, magnifying gains and losses and causing the Fund to be more volatile than if it had not been leveraged. This means that leverage entails a heightened risk of loss

Smaller Company Risk: the risk that the value of securities issued by a smaller company may go up or down, sometimes rapidly and unpredictably

 

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PIMCO REALPATH® 2045 Fund

as compared to more widely held securities, due to narrow markets and limited resources of smaller companies. A Fund's investments in smaller companies subject it to greater levels of credit, market and issuer risk

Management Risk: the risk that the investment techniques and risk analyses applied by PIMCO will not produce the desired results and that legislative, regulatory, or tax restrictions, policies or developments may affect the investment techniques available to PIMCO and the individual portfolio manager in connection with managing the Fund. There is no guarantee that the investment objective of the Fund will be achieved

Short Exposure Risk: the risk of entering into short sales, including the potential loss of more money than the actual cost of the investment, and the risk that the third party to the short sale will not fulfill its contractual obligations, causing a loss to the Fund

Tax Risk: the risk that the tax treatment of swap agreements and other derivative instruments, such as commodity-linked derivative instruments, including commodity index-linked notes, swap agreements, commodity options, futures, and options on futures, may be affected by future regulatory or legislative changes that could affect whether income from such investments is "qualifying income" under Subchapter M of the Internal Revenue Code, or otherwise affect the character, timing and/or amount of the Fund's taxable income or gains and distributions

Subsidiary Risk: the risk that, by investing in certain Underlying PIMCO Funds that invest in a subsidiary (each a "Subsidiary"), the Fund is indirectly exposed to the risks associated with a Subsidiary's investments. The Subsidiaries are not registered under the 1940 Act and may not be subject to all the investor protections of the 1940 Act. There is no guarantee that the investment objective of a Subsidiary will be achieved

Exchange-Traded Fund Risk: the risk that an exchange-traded fund may not track the performance of the index it is designed to track, market prices of shares of an exchange-traded fund may fluctuate rapidly and materially, or shares of an exchange-traded fund may trade significantly above or below net asset value, any of which may cause losses to the Fund invested in the exchange-traded fund

Please see "Description of Principal Risks" in the Fund's prospectus for a more detailed description of the risks of investing in the Fund. An investment in the Fund is not a deposit of a bank and is not insured or guaranteed by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation or any other government agency.

Performance Information

The performance information shows summary performance information for the Fund in a bar chart and an Average Annual Total Returns table. The information provides some indication of the risks of investing in the Fund by showing changes in its performance from year to year and by showing how the Fund's average annual returns compare with the returns of a broad-based securities market index and an index of similar funds. Absent any applicable fee waivers and/or expense limitations, performance would have been lower. The bar chart shows performance of the Fund's Institutional Class shares. Performance for Class A shares in the Average Annual Total Returns table reflects the impact of sales charges. The Fund's past performance, before and after taxes, is not necessarily an indication of how the Fund will perform in the future.

The Fund's broad-based securities market index is the S&P Target Date 2045 Index. The S&P Target Date 2045 Index seeks to represent a broadly derived consensus for asset allocations that target a particular investment horizon, with asset class exposures driven by a survey of available target date funds for that horizon. These asset class exposures include U.S. large cap, U.S. mid cap, U.S. small cap, international equities, emerging markets, U.S. and international real estate investment trusts, core fixed income, short term treasuries, TIPS, high yield corporate bonds and commodities and are represented by exchange-traded funds in the Index calculation. The Lipper Mixed-Asset Target 2045 Funds Average is a total performance average of funds tracked by Lipper, Inc. that seek to maximize assets for retirement or other purposes with an expected time horizon from January 1, 2041 to December 31, 2045.

Performance for the Fund is updated daily and quarterly and may be obtained as follows: daily updates on the net asset value and performance page at http://investments.pimco.com/DailyPerformance and quarterly updates at http://investments.pimco.com/QuarterlyPerformance.

Calendar Year Total Returns — Institutional Class*

 

[To be updated by subsequent amendment]



*The year-to-date return as of June 30, 2018 is [ ]%. For the periods shown in the bar chart, the highest quarterly return was [ ]% in the [ ], and the lowest quarterly return was [ ]% in the [ ].

Average Annual Total Returns (for periods ended 12/31/17)

 

1 Year

5 Years

Since Inception (02/29/2012)

Institutional Class Return Before Taxes

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

Institutional Class Return After Taxes on Distributions‌(1)

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

Institutional Class Return After Taxes on Distributions and Sales of Fund Shares‌(1)

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

Administrative Class Return Before Taxes

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

Class A Return Before Taxes

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

S&P Target Date 2045 Index (reflects no deductions for fees, expenses or taxes)

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

 

Lipper Mixed-Asset Target 2045 Funds Average (reflects no deductions for taxes)

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

(1) After-tax returns are calculated using the highest historical individual federal marginal income tax rates and do not reflect the impact of state and local taxes. Actual after-tax returns depend on an investor's tax situation and may differ from those shown, and the after-tax returns shown are not relevant to investors who hold their Fund shares through

 

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tax-deferred arrangements, such as 401(k) plans or individual retirement accounts. In some cases the return after taxes may exceed the return before taxes due to an assumed tax benefit from any losses on a sale of Fund shares at the end of the measurement period. After-tax returns are for Institutional Class shares only. After-tax returns for other classes will vary.

Investment Adviser/Portfolio Manager

PIMCO serves as the investment adviser for the Fund. The Fund's portfolio is managed by Mihir Worah, Rahul Devgon and Graham A. Rennison. Mr. Worah is CIO Real Return and Asset Allocation and a Managing Director of PIMCO, and Messrs. Devgon and Rennison are Senior Vice Presidents of PIMCO. Messrs. Worah, Devgon and Rennison have jointly managed the Fund since December 2015.

Other Important Information Regarding Fund Shares

For important information about purchase and sale of Fund shares, tax information, and payments to broker-dealers and other financial intermediaries, please turn to the "Summary of Other Important Information Regarding Fund Shares" section on page [ ] of this prospectus.

 

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PIMCO REALPATH® 2050 Fund

Investment Objective

The Fund seeks to maximize real return, consistent with preservation of real capital and prudent investment management.

Fees and Expenses of the Fund

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 $100,000 in Class A shares of eligible funds offered by PIMCO Equity Series and PIMCO Funds. More information about these and other discounts is available in the "Classes of Shares" section on page [ ] of the Fund's prospectus, Appendix B to the Fund's prospectus (Financial Firm-Specific Sales Charge Waivers and Discounts) or from your financial advisor.

Shareholder Fees (fees paid directly from your investment):

 

Inst
Class

Admin
Class

Class A

Maximum Sales Charge (Load) Imposed on Purchases (as a percentage of offering price)

None

None

5.50%

Maximum Deferred Sales Charge (Load) (as a percentage of the lower of the original purchase price or redemption price)

None

None

1.00%

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

 

Inst
Class

Admin
Class

Class A

Management Fees

0.67%

0.67%

0.87%

Distribution and/or Service (12b-1) Fees

N/A

0.25%

0.25%

Acquired Fund Fees and Expenses(1)

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses(2)

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

Fee Waiver and/or Expense Reimbursement(3)

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses After Fee Waiver and/or Expense Reimbursement

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

1 Acquired Fund Fees and Expenses include interest expense of the Underlying PIMCO Funds of [ ]%. Interest expense can result from certain transactions within the Underlying PIMCO Funds and is separate from the management fees paid to PIMCO. Excluding interest expense of the Underlying PIMCO Funds, Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses After Fee Waiver and/or Expense Reimbursement are [ ]%, [ ]% and [ ]% for Institutional Class, Administrative Class and Class A shares, respectively.

2 Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses do not match the Ratio of Expenses to Average Net Assets Excluding Waivers of the Fund, as set forth in the Financial Highlights table of the Fund's prospectus, because the Ratio of Expenses to Average Net Assets Excluding Waivers reflects the operating expenses of the Fund and does not include Acquired Fund Fees and Expenses.

3 PIMCO has contractually agreed, through July 31, 2019, to waive, first, the advisory fee and, second, the supervisory and administrative fee it receives from the Fund in an amount equal to the expenses attributable to the Management Fees of Underlying PIMCO Funds indirectly incurred by the Fund in connection with its investments in Underlying PIMCO Funds, to the extent the Fund's Management Fees are greater than or equal to the Management Fees of the Underlying PIMCO Funds. This waiver renews annually for a full year unless terminated by PIMCO upon at least 30 days' notice prior to the end of the contract term.

Example. The Example is intended to help you compare the cost of investing in Institutional Class, Administrative Class or Class A shares of the Fund with the costs of investing in other mutual funds. The Example assumes that you invest $10,000 in the noted class of shares for the time periods indicated, and then redeem all 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. Investors may pay brokerage commissions on their purchases and sales of Institutional Class shares of the Fund, which are not reflected in the Example. Although your actual costs may be higher or lower, based on these assumptions your costs would be:

If you redeem your shares at the end of each period:

 

1 Year

3 Years

5 Years

10 Years

Institutional Class

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

Administrative Class

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

Class A

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

If you do not redeem your shares:

 

1 Year

3 Years

5 Years

10 Years

Class A

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

Portfolio Turnover

The Fund pays transaction costs 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 the Annual Fund Operating Expenses or in the Example tables, affect the Fund's performance. During the most recent fiscal year, the Fund's portfolio turnover rate was [ ]% of the average value of its portfolio.

Principal Investment Strategies

The PIMCO REALPATH® 2050 Fund (the "Fund") is intended for investors seeking professional management of a comprehensive asset allocation strategy for retirement savings. The Fund is managed for shareholders that plan to retire or begin withdrawing assets around the year 2050, the Fund's target year. This is the "self-elected" year of retirement for the investors in the Fund. The primary difference between the PIMCO REALPATH® Funds is their asset allocation, which varies depending on the number of years left until the "self-elected" year of retirement indicated in the PIMCO REALPATH® Fund's name. The Fund's allocation is intended to meaningfully reduce risk and increasingly focus on preservation of capital as the target retirement date of the Fund nears. An investment in the Fund is not guaranteed, and you may experience losses, including losses near, at, or after the target year indicated in the Fund's name. There is no guarantee that the Fund will provide adequate income at and through your retirement.

In managing the Fund, Pacific Investment Management Company LLC ("PIMCO") uses a four-step approach consisting of 1) developing and re-evaluating a long-term asset allocation "glide path"; 2) performing tactical allocation adjustments around the glide path; 3) developing a series of relative value strategies designed to add value beyond the target allocation; and 4) utilizing hedging techniques to manage risks.

The Fund seeks to achieve its investment objective by investing under normal circumstances in a combination of affiliated and unaffiliated funds, which may or may not be registered under the Investment Company Act of

 



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Prospectus

1940 (the "1940 Act"), Fixed Income Instruments of varying maturities, equity securities, forwards and derivatives. "Fixed Income Instruments" include bonds, debt securities and other similar instruments issued by various U.S. and non-U.S. public- or private-sector entities. The Fund will invest in such funds, securities, instruments and other investments to the extent permitted under the 1940 Act, or any exemptive relief therefrom. The Fund may invest in Institutional Class or Class M shares of any funds of the Trust and PIMCO Equity Series, an affiliated open-end investment company, except funds of funds ("Underlying PIMCO Funds"), and may also invest in other affiliated funds, including funds of PIMCO ETF Trust, and unaffiliated funds (collectively, "Acquired Funds"). As used in the investment objective, "real return" equals total return less the estimated cost of inflation, which is typically measured by the change in an official inflation measure, and "real capital" equals capital less the estimated cost of inflation measured by the change in an official inflation measure.

The Fund's long-term asset allocations are based on a "glide path" developed by PIMCO and are based on quantitative and qualitative data relating to various risk metrics, long-term market trends, correlation of asset types and actuarial assumptions of life expectancy and retirement. The Fund's current glide path asset allocation is based on its target date, which is the year in the name of the Fund. The target date assumes a retirement age of 65, and time horizons based on current longevity of persons reaching retirement in average health. Choosing a PIMCO REALPATH® Fund targeting an earlier date represents a more conservative choice; choosing a PIMCO REALPATH® Fund targeting a later date represents a more aggressive choice. The glide path is designed not only to reduce risk as the target retirement date nears, but is also designed to provide investors diversification across a variety of asset classes, with an emphasis on asset classes that can protect against inflation over time. This is achieved by emphasizing allocations to inflation related assets, such as Treasury-Inflation Protected Securities ("TIPS"), commodities, and real estate, which complement exposures from traditional assets, such as U.S. and international equities, U.S. bonds and short-term instruments. The glide path changes over time, generally becoming more conservative as the Fund approaches the target date.

The chart below shows the glide path and illustrates how the allocation among the asset classes changes before and at the target date. The glide path allocation at the target date remains constant beyond that date. As described in greater detail below, PIMCO may adjust the Fund's actual asset allocation exposures from the long-term targets specified by the glide path based on PIMCO's real-time views of perceived risks and opportunities. PIMCO may also choose to modify the target asset allocations of the glide path itself from time to time.

              REALPATH® Glide Path



PIMCO performs tactical allocation adjustments around the glide path, meaning PIMCO may vary the Fund's actual asset allocation exposures from the glide path's long-term targets based on PIMCO's real-time views of perceived risks and opportunities. PIMCO will generally reduce variation from the glide path's targets as the Fund approaches the target year in the Fund's name.

The actual asset allocation at a given time may vary from the target strategic asset allocations based on PIMCO's tactical allocation adjustments and on market movements. These variances will be limited to a certain range relative to the target allocations under normal circumstances. The table below illustrates the permissible range in which the allocations may vary, as measured monthly.

Years to Retirement

Target Allocation

Maximum Underweight

Maximum Overweight

Total Equity Allocation

40

74%

–15%

15%

30

73%

–15%

15%

20

65%

–15%

15%

10

50%

–20%

10%

0

36%

–20%

10%

 

Years to Retirement

Target Allocation

Maximum Underweight

Maximum Overweight

Total Commodity and Real Estate Allocation

40

10%

–10%

10%

30

10%

–10%

10%

20

10%

–10%

10%

10

6%

–6%

6%

0

4%

–4%

4%

 

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Years to Retirement

Target Allocation

Maximum Underweight

Maximum Overweight

Total Fixed Income Allocation

40

16%

–15%

15%

30

17%

–15%

15%

20

25%

–15%

15%

10

44%

–10%

20%

0

60%

–10%

20%

The tactical allocation adjustments described above are driven by PIMCO's secular and cyclical views, which are formulated by considering various qualitative and quantitative factors relating to the U.S. and non-U.S. economies, and securities and commodities markets. These factors include projected growth trends in the U.S. and non-U.S. economies, forecasts for interest rates and the relationship between short- and long-term interest rates (yield curve), current and projected trends in inflation, relative valuation levels in the equity, fixed income, commodity and real estate markets and various segments within those markets, the outlook and projected growth of various industrial sectors, information relating to business cycles, borrowing needs and the cost of capital, political trends, data relating to trade balances, labor information and relevant legislative or public policy changes. These "top down" macro-economic factors, as well as more micro "bottom up" factors that are unique to narrowly defined market sectors, are used to identify attractive relative value strategies. These strategies seek to modestly enhance the Fund's returns in a manner within the allocation ranges relative to the glide path targets described above. When reallocating the Fund's investment exposures, PIMCO may do so by adjusting the mix of affiliated or unaffiliated funds, or by investing directly in securities, instruments and other investments, based on its ongoing analyses of the global economy, financial markets and the relative valuation and risks presented by the aforementioned vehicles and instruments. In selecting and reallocating the mix of affiliated or unaffiliated funds, PIMCO considers a wide range of factors, including a fund's objective, strategies, risks, performance, fees, and other metrics. In seeking to limit the amount of acquired fund fees and expenses that may be borne by Fund investors, PIMCO may choose to invest in particular affiliated or unaffiliated funds, so long as such investment decisions are consistent with the Fund's investment objective, glide path and tactical asset allocations. While PIMCO can adjust the Fund's investment exposures daily, including the vehicles or instruments used to gain those exposures, material shifts in investment exposures typically take place over longer periods of time.

As the Fund reaches the target year indicated in the Fund's name, it may be combined with the PIMCO REALPATH® Income Fund, provided that the Board of Trustees determines that the combination would be in the best interests of the Fund and its shareholders. Prior to any combination, which may occur on or after the target year indicated in the Fund's name, the Fund will provide shareholders with advance notice regarding the combination. If and when such a combination occurs, shareholders of the Fund will become shareholders of the PIMCO REALPATH® Income Fund.

As part of its investment process, PIMCO will also seek to reduce exposure to certain risks by implementing various hedging transactions. These hedging transactions seek to reduce a Fund's exposure to certain severe, unanticipated market events that could significantly detract from returns. PIMCO intends to utilize these hedging transactions once the Fund is within 10 years of the target retirement date or at such other times as deemed appropriate by PIMCO.

Once the tactical asset allocation adjustments, relative value strategies and risk hedging strategies have been determined, PIMCO then evaluates various combinations of affiliated or unaffiliated funds, securities, instruments and other investments to obtain the desired exposures and invests accordingly. Additional information for these Underlying PIMCO Funds can be found in the Statement of Additional Information and/or the Underlying PIMCO Funds' prospectuses and financial reports. Additional Underlying PIMCO Funds may be added or deleted in the future without shareholder notification.

Principal Risks

It is possible to lose money on an investment in the Fund. The principal risks of investing in the Fund include risks from direct investments and/or indirect exposure through investment in Acquired Funds. The principal risks of investing in the Fund, which could adversely affect its net asset value, yield and total return are listed below.

The following risks are principal risks of investing in the Fund.

New/Small Fund Risk: the risk that a new or smaller Fund's performance may not represent how the Fund is expected to or may perform in the long term. In addition, new Funds have limited operating histories for investors to evaluate and new and smaller Funds may not attract sufficient assets to achieve investment and trading efficiencies

Allocation Risk: the risk that a Fund could lose money as a result of less than optimal or poor asset allocation decisions. The Fund could miss attractive investment opportunities by underweighting markets that subsequently experience significant returns and could lose value by overweighting markets that subsequently experience significant declines

Acquired Fund Risk: the risk that a Fund's performance is closely related to the risks associated with the securities and other investments held by the Acquired Funds and that the ability of a Fund to achieve its investment objective will depend upon the ability of the Acquired Funds to achieve their investment objectives

The following risks are principal risks of investing in the Fund that include risks from direct investments and/or indirect exposure through investment in Acquired Funds.

New/Small Fund Risk: the risk that a new or smaller Fund's performance may not represent how the Fund is expected to or may perform in the long term. In addition, new Funds have limited operating histories for investors to evaluate and new and smaller Funds may not attract sufficient assets to achieve investment and trading efficiencies

Interest Rate Risk: the risk that fixed income securities will decline in value because of an increase in interest rates; a fund with a longer average portfolio duration will be more sensitive to changes in interest rates than a fund with a shorter average portfolio duration

Call Risk: the risk that an issuer may exercise its right to redeem a fixed income security earlier than expected (a call). Issuers may call outstanding securities prior to their maturity for a number of reasons (e.g., declining

 

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interest rates, changes in credit spreads and improvements in the issuer's credit quality). If an issuer calls a security that the Fund has invested in, the Fund may not recoup the full amount of its initial investment and may be forced to reinvest in lower-yielding securities, securities with greater credit risks or securities with other, less favorable features

Credit Risk: the risk that the Fund could lose money if the issuer or guarantor of a fixed income security, or the counterparty to a derivative contract, is unable or unwilling to meet its financial obligations

High Yield Risk: the risk that high yield securities and unrated securities of similar credit quality (commonly known as "junk bonds") are subject to greater levels of credit, call and liquidity risks. High yield securities are considered primarily speculative with respect to the issuer's continuing ability to make principal and interest payments, and may be more volatile than higher-rated securities of similar maturity

Market Risk: the risk that the value of securities owned by the Fund may go up or down, sometimes rapidly or unpredictably, due to factors affecting securities markets generally or particular industries

Issuer Risk: the risk that the value of a security may decline for a reason directly related to the issuer, such as management performance, financial leverage and reduced demand for the issuer's goods or services

Liquidity Risk: the risk that a particular investment may be difficult to purchase or sell and that the Fund may be unable to sell illiquid securities at an advantageous time or price or achieve its desired level of exposure to a certain sector. Liquidity risk may result from the lack of an active market, reduced number and capacity of traditional market participants to make a market in fixed income securities, and may be magnified in a rising interest rate environment or other circumstances where investor redemptions from fixed income mutual funds may be higher than normal, causing increased supply in the market due to selling activity

Derivatives Risk: the risk of investing in derivative instruments (such as futures, swaps and structured securities), including leverage, liquidity, interest rate, market, credit and management risks, mispricing or valuation complexity. Changes in the value of the derivative may not correlate perfectly with, and may be more sensitive to market events than, the underlying asset, rate or index, and the Fund could lose more than the initial amount invested. The Fund's use of derivatives may result in losses to the Fund, a reduction in the Fund's returns and/or increased volatility. Over-the-counter ("OTC") derivatives are also subject to the risk that a counterparty to the transaction will not fulfill its contractual obligations to the other party, as many of the protections afforded to centrally-cleared derivative transactions might not be available for OTC derivatives. For derivatives traded on an exchange or through a central counterparty, credit risk resides with the Fund's clearing broker, or the clearinghouse itself, rather than with a counterparty in an OTC derivative transaction. Changes in regulation relating to a mutual fund's use of derivatives and related instruments could potentially limit or impact the Fund's ability to invest in derivatives, limit the Fund's ability to employ certain strategies that use derivatives and/or adversely affect the value of derivatives and the Fund's performance

Commodity Risk: the risk that investing in commodity-linked derivative instruments may subject the Fund to greater volatility than investments in traditional securities. The value of commodity-linked derivative instruments may be affected by changes in overall market movements, commodity index volatility, changes in interest rates, or factors affecting a particular industry or commodity, such as drought, floods, weather, livestock disease, embargoes, tariffs and international economic, political and regulatory developments

Equity Risk: the risk that the value of equity securities, such as common stocks and preferred securities, may decline due to general market conditions which are not specifically related to a particular company or to factors affecting a particular industry or industries. Equity securities generally have greater price volatility than fixed income securities

Mortgage-Related and Other Asset-Backed Securities Risk: the risks of investing in mortgage-related and other asset-backed securities, including interest rate risk, extension risk, prepayment risk and credit risk

Foreign (Non-U.S.) Investment Risk: the risk that investing in foreign (non-U.S.) securities may result in the Fund experiencing more rapid and extreme changes in value than a fund that invests exclusively in securities of U.S. companies, due to smaller markets, differing reporting, accounting and auditing standards, increased risk of delayed settlement of portfolio transactions or loss of certificates of portfolio securities, and the risk of unfavorable foreign government actions, including nationalization, expropriation or confiscatory taxation, currency blockage, or political changes or diplomatic developments. Foreign securities may also be less liquid and more difficult to value than securities of U.S. issuers

Real Estate Risk: the risk that the Fund's investments in Real Estate Investment Trusts ("REITs") or real estate-linked derivative instruments will subject the Fund to risks similar to those associated with direct ownership of real estate, including losses from casualty or condemnation, and changes in local and general economic conditions, supply and demand, interest rates, zoning laws, regulatory limitations on rents, property taxes and operating expenses. The Fund's investments in REITs or real estate-linked derivative instruments subject it to management and tax risks. In addition, privately traded REITs subject the Fund to liquidity and valuation risk

Emerging Markets Risk: the risk of investing in emerging market securities, primarily increased foreign (non-U.S.) investment risk

Sovereign Debt Risk: the risk that investments in fixed income instruments issued by sovereign entities may decline in value as a result of default or other adverse credit event resulting from an issuer's inability or unwillingness to make principal or interest payments in a timely fashion

Currency Risk: the risk that foreign (non-U.S.) currencies will change in value relative to the U.S. dollar and affect the Fund's investments in foreign (non-U.S.) currencies or in securities that trade in, and receive revenues in, or in derivatives that provide exposure to, foreign (non-U.S.) currencies

Leveraging Risk: the risk that certain transactions of the Fund, such as reverse repurchase agreements, loans of portfolio securities, and the use of when-issued, delayed delivery or forward commitment transactions, or derivative instruments, may give rise to leverage, magnifying gains and losses and causing the Fund to be more volatile than if it had not been leveraged. This means that leverage entails a heightened risk of loss

Smaller Company Risk: the risk that the value of securities issued by a smaller company may go up or down, sometimes rapidly and unpredictably

 

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as compared to more widely held securities, due to narrow markets and limited resources of smaller companies. A Fund's investments in smaller companies subject it to greater levels of credit, market and issuer risk

Management Risk: the risk that the investment techniques and risk analyses applied by PIMCO will not produce the desired results and that legislative, regulatory, or tax restrictions, policies or developments may affect the investment techniques available to PIMCO and the individual portfolio manager in connection with managing the Fund. There is no guarantee that the investment objective of the Fund will be achieved

Short Exposure Risk: the risk of entering into short sales, including the potential loss of more money than the actual cost of the investment, and the risk that the third party to the short sale will not fulfill its contractual obligations, causing a loss to the Fund

Tax Risk: the risk that the tax treatment of swap agreements and other derivative instruments, such as commodity-linked derivative instruments, including commodity index-linked notes, swap agreements, commodity options, futures, and options on futures, may be affected by future regulatory or legislative changes that could affect whether income from such investments is "qualifying income" under Subchapter M of the Internal Revenue Code, or otherwise affect the character, timing and/or amount of the Fund's taxable income or gains and distributions

Subsidiary Risk: the risk that, by investing in certain Underlying PIMCO Funds that invest in a subsidiary (each a "Subsidiary"), the Fund is indirectly exposed to the risks associated with a Subsidiary's investments. The Subsidiaries are not registered under the 1940 Act and may not be subject to all the investor protections of the 1940 Act. There is no guarantee that the investment objective of a Subsidiary will be achieved

Exchange-Traded Fund Risk: the risk that an exchange-traded fund may not track the performance of the index it is designed to track, market prices of shares of an exchange-traded fund may fluctuate rapidly and materially, or shares of an exchange-traded fund may trade significantly above or below net asset value, any of which may cause losses to the Fund invested in the exchange-traded fund

Please see "Description of Principal Risks" in the Fund's prospectus for a more detailed description of the risks of investing in the Fund. An investment in the Fund is not a deposit of a bank and is not insured or guaranteed by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation or any other government agency.

Performance Information

The performance information shows summary performance information for the Fund in a bar chart and an Average Annual Total Returns table. The information provides some indication of the risks of investing in the Fund by showing changes in its performance from year to year and by showing how the Fund's average annual returns compare with the returns of a broad-based securities market index and an index of similar funds. Absent any applicable fee waivers and/or expense limitations, performance would have been lower. The bar chart shows performance of the Fund's Institutional Class shares. For periods prior to the inception date of Administrative Class shares (June 30, 2008), performance information shown in the table for those shares are based on the performance of the Fund's Institutional Class shares, adjusted to reflect the actual expenses paid by Administrative Class shares. Performance in the Average Annual Total Returns table reflects the impact of sales charges. The Fund's past performance, before and after taxes, is not necessarily an indication of how the Fund will perform in the future.

The Fund's broad-based securities market index is the S&P Target Date 2050 Index. The S&P Target Date 2050 Index seeks to represent a broadly derived consensus for asset allocations that target a particular investment horizon, with asset class exposures driven by a survey of available target date funds for that horizon. These asset class exposures include U.S. large cap, U.S. mid cap, U.S. small cap, international equities, emerging markets, U.S. and international real estate investment trusts, core fixed income, short term treasuries, TIPS, high yield corporate bonds and commodities and are represented by exchange-traded funds in the Index calculation. The Lipper Mixed-Asset Target 2050 Funds Average is a total performance average of funds tracked by Lipper, Inc. that seek to maximize assets for retirement or other purposes with an expected time horizon from January 1, 2046 to December 31, 2050.

Performance for the Fund is updated daily and quarterly and may be obtained as follows: daily updates on the net asset value and performance page at http://investments.pimco.com/DailyPerformance and quarterly updates at http://investments.pimco.com/QuarterlyPerformance.

Calendar Year Total Returns — Institutional Class*

 

[To be updated by subsequent amendment]



*The year-to-date return as of June 30, 2018 is [ ]%. For the periods shown in the bar chart, the highest quarterly return was [ ]% in the [ ], and the lowest quarterly return was [ ]% in the [ ].

Average Annual Total Returns (for periods ended 12/31/17)

 

1 Year

5 Years

Since Inception (03/31/2008)

Institutional Class Return Before Taxes

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

Institutional Class Return After Taxes on Distributions‌(1)

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

Institutional Class Return After Taxes on Distributions and Sales of Fund Shares‌(1)

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

Administrative Class Return Before Taxes

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

Class A Return Before Taxes

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

S&P Target Date 2050 Index (reflects no deductions for fees, expenses or taxes)

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

 

Lipper Mixed-Asset Target 2050 Funds Average (reflects no deductions for taxes)

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

 

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(1) After-tax returns are calculated using the highest historical individual federal marginal income tax rates and do not reflect the impact of state and local taxes. Actual after-tax returns depend on an investor's tax situation and may differ from those shown, and the after-tax returns shown are not relevant to investors who hold their Fund shares through tax-deferred arrangements, such as 401(k) plans or individual retirement accounts. In some cases the return after taxes may exceed the return before taxes due to an assumed tax benefit from any losses on a sale of Fund shares at the end of the measurement period. After-tax returns are for Institutional Class shares only. After-tax returns for other classes will vary.

Investment Adviser/Portfolio Manager

PIMCO serves as the investment adviser for the Fund. The Fund's portfolio is managed by Mihir Worah, Rahul Devgon and Graham A. Rennison. Mr. Worah is CIO Real Return and Asset Allocation and a Managing Director of PIMCO, and Messrs. Devgon and Rennison are Senior Vice Presidents of PIMCO. Messrs. Worah, Devgon and Rennison have jointly managed the Fund since December 2015.

Other Important Information Regarding Fund Shares

For important information about purchase and sale of Fund shares, tax information, and payments to broker-dealers and other financial intermediaries, please turn to the "Summary of Other Important Information Regarding Fund Shares" section on page [ ] of this prospectus.

 

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Investment Objective

The Fund seeks to maximize real return, consistent with preservation of real capital and prudent investment management.

Fees and Expenses of the Fund

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 $100,000 in Class A shares of eligible funds offered by PIMCO Equity Series and PIMCO Funds. More information about these and other discounts is available in the "Classes of Shares" section on page [ ] of the Fund's prospectus, Appendix B to the Fund's prospectus (Financial Firm-Specific Sales Charge Waivers and Discounts) or from your financial advisor.

Shareholder Fees (fees paid directly from your investment):

 

Inst
Class

Admin
Class

Class A

Maximum Sales Charge (Load) Imposed on Purchases (as a percentage of offering price)

None

None

5.50%

Maximum Deferred Sales Charge (Load) (as a percentage of the lower of the original purchase price or redemption price)

None

None

1.00%

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

 

Inst
Class

Admin
Class

Class A

Management Fees

0.67%

0.67%

0.87%

Distribution and/or Service (12b-1) Fees

N/A

0.25%

0.25%

Other Expenses

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

Acquired Fund Fees and Expenses

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses(1)

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

Fee Waiver and/or Expense Reimbursement(2)

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses After Fee Waiver and/or Expense Reimbursement(3)

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

1 Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses do not match the Ratio of Expenses to Average Net Assets Excluding Waivers of the Fund, as set forth in the Financial Highlights table of the Fund's prospectus, because the Ratio of Expenses to Average Net Assets Excluding Waivers reflects the operating expenses of the Fund and does not include Acquired Fund Fees and Expenses.

2 PIMCO has contractually agreed, through July 31, 2019, to waive, first, the advisory fee and, second, the supervisory and administrative fee it receives from the Fund in an amount equal to the expenses attributable to the Management Fees of Underlying PIMCO Funds indirectly incurred by the Fund in connection with its investments in Underlying PIMCO Funds, to the extent the Fund's Management Fees are greater than or equal to the Management Fees of the Underlying PIMCO Funds. This waiver renews annually for a full year unless terminated by PIMCO upon at least 30 days' notice prior to the end of the contract term.

3 Acquired Fund Fees and Expenses include interest expense of the Underlying PIMCO Funds of [ ]%. Interest expense can result from certain transactions within the Underlying PIMCO Funds and is separate from the management fees paid to PIMCO. Excluding interest expense of the Underlying PIMCO Funds, Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses After Fee Waiver and/or Expense Reimbursement are [ ]%, [ ]% and [ ]% for Institutional Class, Administrative Class and Class A shares, respectively.

Example. The Example is intended to help you compare the cost of investing in Institutional Class, Administrative Class or Class A shares of the Fund with the costs of investing in other mutual funds. The Example assumes that you invest $10,000 in the noted class of shares for the time periods indicated, and then redeem all 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. Investors may pay brokerage commissions on their purchases and sales of Institutional Class shares of the Fund, which are not reflected in the Example. Although your actual costs may be higher or lower, based on these assumptions your costs would be:

If you redeem your shares at the end of each period:

 

1 Year

3 Years

5 Years

10 Years

Institutional Class

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

Administrative Class

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

Class A

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

If you do not redeem your shares:

 

1 Year

3 Years

5 Years

10 Years

Class A

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

Portfolio Turnover

The Fund pays transaction costs 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 the Annual Fund Operating Expenses or in the Example tables, affect the Fund's performance. During the most recent fiscal year, the Fund's portfolio turnover rate was [ ]% of the average value of its portfolio.

Principal Investment Strategies

The PIMCO REALPATH® 2055 Fund (the "Fund") is intended for investors seeking professional management of a comprehensive asset allocation strategy for retirement savings. The Fund is managed for shareholders that plan to retire or begin withdrawing assets around the year 2055, the Fund's target year. This is the "self-elected" year of retirement for the investors in the Fund. The primary difference between the PIMCO REALPATH® Funds is their asset allocation, which varies depending on the number of years left until the "self-elected" year of retirement indicated in the PIMCO REALPATH® Fund's name. The Fund's allocation is intended to meaningfully reduce risk and increasingly focus on preservation of capital as the target retirement date of the Fund nears. An investment in the Fund is not guaranteed, and you may experience losses, including losses near, at, or after the target year indicated in the Fund's name. There is no guarantee that the Fund will provide adequate income at and through your retirement.

In managing the Fund, Pacific Investment Management Company LLC ("PIMCO") uses a four-step approach consisting of 1) developing and re-evaluating a long-term asset allocation "glide path"; 2) performing tactical allocation adjustments around the glide path; 3) developing a series of relative value strategies designed to add value beyond the target allocation; and 4) utilizing hedging techniques to manage risks.

The Fund seeks to achieve its investment objective by investing under normal circumstances in a combination of affiliated and unaffiliated funds,

 



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which may or may not be registered under the Investment Company Act of 1940 (the "1940 Act"), Fixed Income Instruments of varying maturities, equity securities, forwards and derivatives. "Fixed Income Instruments" include bonds, debt securities and other similar instruments issued by various U.S. and non-U.S. public- or private-sector entities. The Fund will invest in such funds, securities, instruments and other investments to the extent permitted under the 1940 Act, or any exemptive relief therefrom. The Fund may invest in Institutional Class or Class M shares of any funds of the Trust and PIMCO Equity Series, an affiliated open-end investment company, except funds of funds ("Underlying PIMCO Funds"), and may also invest in other affiliated funds, including funds of PIMCO ETF Trust, and unaffiliated funds (collectively, "Acquired Funds"). As used in the investment objective, "real return" equals total return less the estimated cost of inflation, which is typically measured by the change in an official inflation measure, and "real capital" equals capital less the estimated cost of inflation measured by the change in an official inflation measure.

The Fund's long-term asset allocations are based on a "glide path" developed by PIMCO and are based on quantitative and qualitative data relating to various risk metrics, long-term market trends, correlation of asset types and actuarial assumptions of life expectancy and retirement. The Fund's current glide path asset allocation is based on its target date, which is the year in the name of the Fund. The target date assumes a retirement age of 65, and time horizons based on current longevity of persons reaching retirement in average health. Choosing a PIMCO REALPATH® Fund targeting an earlier date represents a more conservative choice; choosing a PIMCO REALPATH® Fund targeting a later date represents a more aggressive choice. The glide path is designed not only to reduce risk as the target retirement date nears, but is also designed to provide investors diversification across a variety of asset classes, with an emphasis on asset classes that can protect against inflation over time. This is achieved by emphasizing allocations to inflation related assets, such as Treasury-Inflation Protected Securities ("TIPS"), commodities, and real estate, which complement exposures from traditional assets, such as U.S. and international equities, U.S. bonds and short-term instruments. The glide path changes over time, generally becoming more conservative as the Fund approaches the target date.

The chart below shows the glide path and illustrates how the allocation among the asset classes changes before and at the target date. The glide path allocation at the target date remains constant beyond that date. As described in greater detail below, PIMCO may adjust the Fund's actual asset allocation exposures from the long-term targets specified by the glide path based on PIMCO's real-time views of perceived risks and opportunities. PIMCO may also choose to modify the target asset allocations of the glide path itself from time to time.

              REALPATH® Glide Path



PIMCO performs tactical allocation adjustments around the glide path, meaning PIMCO may vary the Fund's actual asset allocation exposures from the glide path's long-term targets based on PIMCO's real-time views of perceived risks and opportunities. PIMCO will generally reduce variation from the glide path's targets as the Fund approaches the target year in the Fund's name.

The actual asset allocation at a given time may vary from the target strategic asset allocations based on PIMCO's tactical allocation adjustments and on market movements. These variances will be limited to a certain range relative to the target allocations under normal circumstances. The table below illustrates the permissible range in which the allocations may vary, as measured monthly.

Years to Retirement

Target Allocation

Maximum Underweight

Maximum Overweight

Total Equity Allocation

40

74%

–15%

15%

30

73%

–15%

15%

20

65%

–15%

15%

10

50%

–20%

10%

0

36%

–20%

10%

 

Years to Retirement

Target Allocation

Maximum Underweight

Maximum Overweight

Total Commodity and Real Estate Allocation

40

10%

–10%

10%

30

10%

–10%

10%

20

10%

–10%

10%

10

6%

–6%

6%

0

4%

–4%

4%

 

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Years to Retirement

Target Allocation

Maximum Underweight

Maximum Overweight

Total Fixed Income Allocation

40

16%

–15%

15%

30

17%

–15%

15%

20

25%

–15%

15%

10

44%

–10%

20%

0

60%

–10%

20%

The tactical allocation adjustments described above are driven by PIMCO's secular and cyclical views, which are formulated by considering various qualitative and quantitative factors relating to the U.S. and non-U.S. economies, and securities and commodities markets. These factors include projected growth trends in the U.S. and non-U.S. economies, forecasts for interest rates and the relationship between short- and long-term interest rates (yield curve), current and projected trends in inflation, relative valuation levels in the equity, fixed income, commodity and real estate markets and various segments within those markets, the outlook and projected growth of various industrial sectors, information relating to business cycles, borrowing needs and the cost of capital, political trends, data relating to trade balances, labor information and relevant legislative or public policy changes. These "top down" macro-economic factors, as well as more micro "bottom up" factors that are unique to narrowly defined market sectors, are used to identify attractive relative value strategies. These strategies seek to modestly enhance the Fund's returns in a manner within the allocation ranges relative to the glide path targets described above. When reallocating the Fund's investment exposures, PIMCO may do so by adjusting the mix of affiliated or unaffiliated funds, or by investing directly in securities, instruments and other investments, based on its ongoing analyses of the global economy, financial markets and the relative valuation and risks presented by the aforementioned vehicles and instruments. In selecting and reallocating the mix of affiliated or unaffiliated funds, PIMCO considers a wide range of factors, including a fund's objective, strategies, risks, performance, fees, and other metrics. In seeking to limit the amount of acquired fund fees and expenses that may be borne by Fund investors, PIMCO may choose to invest in particular affiliated or unaffiliated funds, so long as such investment decisions are consistent with the Fund's investment objective, glide path and tactical asset allocations. While PIMCO can adjust the Fund's investment exposures daily, including the vehicles or instruments used to gain those exposures, material shifts in investment exposures typically take place over longer periods of time.

As the Fund reaches the target year indicated in the Fund's name, it may be combined with the PIMCO REALPATH® Income Fund, provided that the Board of Trustees determines that the combination would be in the best interests of the Fund and its shareholders. Prior to any combination, which may occur on or after the target year indicated in the Fund's name, the Fund will provide shareholders with advance notice regarding the combination. If and when such a combination occurs, shareholders of the Fund will become shareholders of the PIMCO REALPATH® Income Fund.

As part of its investment process, PIMCO will also seek to reduce exposure to certain risks by implementing various hedging transactions. These hedging transactions seek to reduce a Fund's exposure to certain severe, unanticipated market events that could significantly detract from returns. PIMCO intends to utilize these hedging transactions once the Fund is within 10 years of the target retirement date or at such other times as deemed appropriate by PIMCO.

Once the tactical asset allocation adjustments, relative value strategies and risk hedging strategies have been determined, PIMCO then evaluates various combinations of affiliated or unaffiliated funds, securities, instruments and other investments to obtain the desired exposures and invests accordingly. Additional information for these Underlying PIMCO Funds can be found in the Statement of Additional Information and/or the Underlying PIMCO Funds' prospectuses and financial reports. Additional Underlying PIMCO Funds may be added or deleted in the future without shareholder notification.

Principal Risks

It is possible to lose money on an investment in the Fund. The principal risks of investing in the Fund include risks from direct investments and/or indirect exposure through investment in Acquired Funds. The principal risks of investing in the Fund, which could adversely affect its net asset value, yield and total return are listed below.

The following risks are principal risks of investing in the Fund.

New/Small Fund Risk: the risk that a new or smaller Fund's performance may not represent how the Fund is expected to or may perform in the long term. In addition, new Funds have limited operating histories for investors to evaluate and new and smaller Funds may not attract sufficient assets to achieve investment and trading efficiencies

Allocation Risk: the risk that a Fund could lose money as a result of less than optimal or poor asset allocation decisions. The Fund could miss attractive investment opportunities by underweighting markets that subsequently experience significant returns and could lose value by overweighting markets that subsequently experience significant declines

Acquired Fund Risk: the risk that a Fund's performance is closely related to the risks associated with the securities and other investments held by the Acquired Funds and that the ability of a Fund to achieve its investment objective will depend upon the ability of the Acquired Funds to achieve their investment objectives

The following risks are principal risks of investing in the Fund that include risks from direct investments and/or indirect exposure through investment in Acquired Funds.

New/Small Fund Risk: the risk that a new or smaller Fund's performance may not represent how the Fund is expected to or may perform in the long term. In addition, new Funds have limited operating histories for investors to evaluate and new and smaller Funds may not attract sufficient assets to achieve investment and trading efficiencies

Interest Rate Risk: the risk that fixed income securities will decline in value because of an increase in interest rates; a fund with a longer average portfolio duration will be more sensitive to changes in interest rates than a fund with a shorter average portfolio duration

Call Risk: the risk that an issuer may exercise its right to redeem a fixed income security earlier than expected (a call). Issuers may call outstanding securities prior to their maturity for a number of reasons (e.g., declining

 

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interest rates, changes in credit spreads and improvements in the issuer's credit quality). If an issuer calls a security that the Fund has invested in, the Fund may not recoup the full amount of its initial investment and may be forced to reinvest in lower-yielding securities, securities with greater credit risks or securities with other, less favorable features

Credit Risk: the risk that the Fund could lose money if the issuer or guarantor of a fixed income security, or the counterparty to a derivative contract, is unable or unwilling to meet its financial obligations

High Yield Risk: the risk that high yield securities and unrated securities of similar credit quality (commonly known as "junk bonds") are subject to greater levels of credit, call and liquidity risks. High yield securities are considered primarily speculative with respect to the issuer's continuing ability to make principal and interest payments, and may be more volatile than higher-rated securities of similar maturity

Market Risk: the risk that the value of securities owned by the Fund may go up or down, sometimes rapidly or unpredictably, due to factors affecting securities markets generally or particular industries

Issuer Risk: the risk that the value of a security may decline for a reason directly related to the issuer, such as management performance, financial leverage and reduced demand for the issuer's goods or services

Liquidity Risk: the risk that a particular investment may be difficult to purchase or sell and that the Fund may be unable to sell illiquid securities at an advantageous time or price or achieve its desired level of exposure to a certain sector. Liquidity risk may result from the lack of an active market, reduced number and capacity of traditional market participants to make a market in fixed income securities, and may be magnified in a rising interest rate environment or other circumstances where investor redemptions from fixed income mutual funds may be higher than normal, causing increased supply in the market due to selling activity

Derivatives Risk: the risk of investing in derivative instruments (such as futures, swaps and structured securities), including leverage, liquidity, interest rate, market, credit and management risks, mispricing or valuation complexity. Changes in the value of the derivative may not correlate perfectly with, and may be more sensitive to market events than, the underlying asset, rate or index, and the Fund could lose more than the initial amount invested. The Fund's use of derivatives may result in losses to the Fund, a reduction in the Fund's returns and/or increased volatility. Over-the-counter ("OTC") derivatives are also subject to the risk that a counterparty to the transaction will not fulfill its contractual obligations to the other party, as many of the protections afforded to centrally-cleared derivative transactions might not be available for OTC derivatives. For derivatives traded on an exchange or through a central counterparty, credit risk resides with the Fund's clearing broker, or the clearinghouse itself, rather than with a counterparty in an OTC derivative transaction. Changes in regulation relating to a mutual fund's use of derivatives and related instruments could potentially limit or impact the Fund's ability to invest in derivatives, limit the Fund's ability to employ certain strategies that use derivatives and/or adversely affect the value of derivatives and the Fund's performance

Commodity Risk: the risk that investing in commodity-linked derivative instruments may subject the Fund to greater volatility than investments in traditional securities. The value of commodity-linked derivative instruments may be affected by changes in overall market movements, commodity index volatility, changes in interest rates, or factors affecting a particular industry or commodity, such as drought, floods, weather, livestock disease, embargoes, tariffs and international economic, political and regulatory developments

Equity Risk: the risk that the value of equity securities, such as common stocks and preferred securities, may decline due to general market conditions which are not specifically related to a particular company or to factors affecting a particular industry or industries. Equity securities generally have greater price volatility than fixed income securities

Mortgage-Related and Other Asset-Backed Securities Risk: the risks of investing in mortgage-related and other asset-backed securities, including interest rate risk, extension risk, prepayment risk and credit risk

Foreign (Non-U.S.) Investment Risk: the risk that investing in foreign (non-U.S.) securities may result in the Fund experiencing more rapid and extreme changes in value than a fund that invests exclusively in securities of U.S. companies, due to smaller markets, differing reporting, accounting and auditing standards, increased risk of delayed settlement of portfolio transactions or loss of certificates of portfolio securities, and the risk of unfavorable foreign government actions, including nationalization, expropriation or confiscatory taxation, currency blockage, or political changes or diplomatic developments. Foreign securities may also be less liquid and more difficult to value than securities of U.S. issuers

Real Estate Risk: the risk that the Fund's investments in Real Estate Investment Trusts ("REITs") or real estate-linked derivative instruments will subject the Fund to risks similar to those associated with direct ownership of real estate, including losses from casualty or condemnation, and changes in local and general economic conditions, supply and demand, interest rates, zoning laws, regulatory limitations on rents, property taxes and operating expenses. The Fund's investments in REITs or real estate-linked derivative instruments subject it to management and tax risks. In addition, privately traded REITs subject the Fund to liquidity and valuation risk

Emerging Markets Risk: the risk of investing in emerging market securities, primarily increased foreign (non-U.S.) investment risk

Sovereign Debt Risk: the risk that investments in fixed income instruments issued by sovereign entities may decline in value as a result of default or other adverse credit event resulting from an issuer's inability or unwillingness to make principal or interest payments in a timely fashion

Currency Risk: the risk that foreign (non-U.S.) currencies will change in value relative to the U.S. dollar and affect the Fund's investments in foreign (non-U.S.) currencies or in securities that trade in, and receive revenues in, or in derivatives that provide exposure to, foreign (non-U.S.) currencies

Leveraging Risk: the risk that certain transactions of the Fund, such as reverse repurchase agreements, loans of portfolio securities, and the use of when-issued, delayed delivery or forward commitment transactions, or derivative instruments, may give rise to leverage, magnifying gains and losses and causing the Fund to be more volatile than if it had not been leveraged. This means that leverage entails a heightened risk of loss

Smaller Company Risk: the risk that the value of securities issued by a smaller company may go up or down, sometimes rapidly and unpredictably

 

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PIMCO REALPATH® 2055 Fund

as compared to more widely held securities, due to narrow markets and limited resources of smaller companies. A Fund's investments in smaller companies subject it to greater levels of credit, market and issuer risk

Management Risk: the risk that the investment techniques and risk analyses applied by PIMCO will not produce the desired results and that legislative, regulatory, or tax restrictions, policies or developments may affect the investment techniques available to PIMCO and the individual portfolio manager in connection with managing the Fund. There is no guarantee that the investment objective of the Fund will be achieved

Short Exposure Risk: the risk of entering into short sales, including the potential loss of more money than the actual cost of the investment, and the risk that the third party to the short sale will not fulfill its contractual obligations, causing a loss to the Fund

Tax Risk: the risk that the tax treatment of swap agreements and other derivative instruments, such as commodity-linked derivative instruments, including commodity index-linked notes, swap agreements, commodity options, futures, and options on futures, may be affected by future regulatory or legislative changes that could affect whether income from such investments is "qualifying income" under Subchapter M of the Internal Revenue Code, or otherwise affect the character, timing and/or amount of the Fund's taxable income or gains and distributions

Subsidiary Risk: the risk that, by investing in certain Underlying PIMCO Funds that invest in a subsidiary (each a "Subsidiary"), the Fund is indirectly exposed to the risks associated with a Subsidiary's investments. The Subsidiaries are not registered under the 1940 Act and may not be subject to all the investor protections of the 1940 Act. There is no guarantee that the investment objective of a Subsidiary will be achieved

Exchange-Traded Fund Risk: the risk that an exchange-traded fund may not track the performance of the index it is designed to track, market prices of shares of an exchange-traded fund may fluctuate rapidly and materially, or shares of an exchange-traded fund may trade significantly above or below net asset value, any of which may cause losses to the Fund invested in the exchange-traded fund

Please see "Description of Principal Risks" in the Fund's prospectus for a more detailed description of the risks of investing in the Fund. An investment in the Fund is not a deposit of a bank and is not insured or guaranteed by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation or any other government agency.

Performance Information

The performance information shows summary performance information for the Fund in a bar chart and an Average Annual Total Returns table. The information provides some indication of the risks of investing in the Fund by showing changes in its performance from year to year and by showing how the Fund's average annual returns compare with the returns of a broad-based securities market index and an index of similar funds. Absent any applicable fee waivers and/or expense limitations, performance would have been lower. The bar chart shows performance of the Fund's Institutional Class shares. Performance in the Average Annual Total Returns table reflects the impact of sales charge. The Fund's past performance, before and after taxes, is not necessarily an indication of how the Fund will perform in the future.

The Fund's broad-based securities market index is the S&P Target Date 2055+ Index. The S&P Target Date 2055+ Index seeks to represent a broadly derived consensus for asset allocations that target a particular investment horizon, with asset class exposures driven by a survey of available target date funds for that horizon. These asset class exposures include U.S. large cap, U.S. mid cap, U.S. small cap, international equities, emerging markets, U.S. and international real estate investment trusts, core fixed income, short term treasuries, TIPS, high yield corporate bonds and commodities and are represented by exchange-traded funds in the Index calculation. The Lipper Mixed-Asset Target 2055+ Funds Average is a total performance average of funds tracked by Lipper, Inc. that seek to maximize assets for retirement or other purposes with an expected time horizon from January 1, 2051 to December 31, 2055.

Performance for the Fund is updated daily and quarterly and may be obtained as follows: daily updates on the net asset value and performance page at http://investments.pimco.com/DailyPerformance and quarterly updates at http://investments.pimco.com/QuarterlyPerformance.

Calendar Year Total Returns — Institutional Class*

 

[To be updated by subsequent amendment]



*The year-to-date return as of June 30, 2018 is [ ]%. For the periods shown in the bar chart, the highest quarterly return was [ ]% in the [ ], and the lowest quarterly return was [ ]% in the [ ].

Average Annual Total Returns (for periods ended 12/31/17)

 

1 Year

Since Inception (12/31/2014)

Institutional Class Return Before Taxes

[ ]

[ ]

Institutional Class Return After Taxes on Distributions‌(1)

[ ]

[ ]

Institutional Class Return After Taxes on Distributions and Sales of Fund Shares‌(1)

[ ]

[ ]

Administrative Class Return Before Taxes

[ ]

[ ]

Class A Return Before Taxes

[ ]

[ ]

S&P Target Date 2055+ Index (reflects no deductions for fees, expenses or taxes)

[ ]

[ ]

 

Lipper Mixed-Asset Target 2055+ Funds Average (reflects no deductions for taxes)

[ ]

[ ]

(1) After-tax returns are calculated using the highest historical individual federal marginal income tax rates and do not reflect the impact of state and local taxes. Actual after-tax returns depend on an investor's tax situation and may differ from those shown, and the after-tax returns shown are not relevant to investors who hold their Fund shares through

 

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tax-deferred arrangements, such as 401(k) plans or individual retirement accounts. In some cases the return after taxes may exceed the return before taxes due to an assumed tax benefit from any losses on a sale of Fund shares at the end of the measurement period. After-tax returns are for Institutional Class shares only. After-tax returns for other classes will vary.

Investment Adviser/Portfolio Manager

PIMCO serves as the investment adviser for the Fund. The Fund's portfolio is managed by Mihir Worah, Rahul Devgon and Graham A. Rennison. Mr. Worah is CIO Real Return and Asset Allocation and a Managing Director of PIMCO, and Messrs. Devgon and Rennison are Senior Vice Presidents of PIMCO. Messrs. Worah, Devgon and Rennison have jointly managed the Fund since December 2015.

Other Important Information Regarding Fund Shares

For important information about purchase and sale of Fund shares, tax information, and payments to broker-dealers and other financial intermediaries, please turn to the "Summary of Other Important Information Regarding Fund Shares" section on page [ ] of this prospectus.

 

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Summary of Other Important Information Regarding Fund Shares

Purchase and Sale of Fund Shares

Fund shares may be purchased or sold (redeemed) on any business day (normally any day when the New York Stock Exchange is open). Generally, purchase and redemption orders for Fund shares are processed at the net asset value next calculated after an order is received by the Fund.

Institutional Class, I-2, I-3 and Administrative Class

The minimum initial investment for Institutional Class, I-2, I-3 and Administrative Class shares of the Fund is $1 million, except that the minimum initial investment may be modified for certain financial firms that submit orders on behalf of their customers.

You may sell (redeem) all or part of your Institutional Class, I-2, I-3 and Administrative Class shares of the Fund on any business day. If you are the registered owner of the shares on the books of the Fund, depending on the elections made on the Account Application, you may sell by:

Sending a written request by mail to:
PIMCO Funds c/o DST Asset Manager Solutions
330 W. 9th Street, Kansas City, MO 64105 

Calling us at 888.87.PIMCO and a Shareholder Services associate will assist you 

Sending a fax to our Shareholder Services department at 816.421.2861 

Sending an e-mail to piprocess@dstsystems.com

Class A, Class C and Class R

The minimum initial investment for Class A and Class C shares of the Fund is $1,000. The minimum subsequent investment for Class A and Class C shares is $50. The minimum initial investment may be modified for certain financial firms that submit orders on behalf of their customers. Class C shares of each Fund will automatically convert into Class A shares of the same Fund after they have been held for ten years, as described in the "Classes of Shares" section of the Fund's prospectus. You may purchase or sell (redeem) all or part of your Class A and Class C shares through a broker-dealer, or other financial firm, or, if you are the registered owner of the shares on the books of the Fund, by regular mail to PIMCO Funds, P.O. Box 55060, Boston, MA 02205-5060 or overnight mail to PIMCO Funds, c/o DST Asset Manager Solutions, Inc., 30 Dan Road, Canton, MA 02021-2809. The Fund reserves the right to require payment by wire or U.S. Bank check in connection with accounts opened directly with the Fund by Account Application.

There is no minimum initial or minimum subsequent investment in Class R shares because Class R shares may only be purchased through omnibus accounts for specified benefit plans. Specified benefit plans that wish to invest directly by mail should send a check payable to the PIMCO Family of Funds, along with a completed Account Application, by regular mail to PIMCO Funds, P.O. Box 55060, Boston, MA 02205-5060 or overnight mail to PIMCO Funds, c/o DST Asset Manager Solutions, Inc., 30 Dan Road, Canton, MA 02021-2809.

Tax Information

The Fund's distributions are generally taxable to you as ordinary income, capital gains, or a combination of the two, unless you are investing through a tax-deferred arrangement, such as a 401(k) plan or an individual retirement account, in which case distributions may be taxable upon withdrawal. Distributions paid by the Fund that are properly designated as "exempt interest dividends" normally will be exempt from federal income taxes, but may not be exempt from the federal alternative minimum tax.

Payments to Broker-Dealers and Other Financial Firms

If you purchase shares of the Fund through a broker-dealer or other financial firm (such as a bank), the Fund and/or its related companies (including PIMCO) may pay the financial firm for the sale of those shares of the Fund and/or related services. These payments may create a conflict of interest by influencing the broker-dealer or other financial firm and your salesperson to recommend the Fund over another investment. Ask your salesperson or visit your financial firm's Web site for more information.

 

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Description of Principal Risks

The value of your investment in a Fund changes with the values of that Fund's investments. Many factors can affect those values. The factors that are most likely to have a material effect on a particular Fund's portfolio as a whole are called "principal risks." The principal risks of each Fund are identified in the Fund Summaries. The principal risks are described in this section. Each Fund may be subject to additional risks other than those identified and described below because the types of investments made by a Fund can change over time. Securities and investment techniques mentioned in this summary that appear in bold type are described in greater detail under "Characteristics and Risks of Securities and Investment Techniques." That section and "Investment Objectives and Policies" in the Statement of Additional Information (the "SAI") also include more information about the Funds, their investments and the related risks. There is no guarantee that a Fund will be able to achieve its investment objective. It is possible to lose money by investing in a Fund.

Principal Risk

PIMCO
All Asset Fund

PIMCO
All Asset All Authority Fund

PIMCO
Global Multi-Asset Fund

PIMCO
Multi-Strategy Alternative Fund

PIMCO
REALPATH®
Income Fund

PIMCO
REALPATH®
2020 Fund

New/Small Fund

x

x

x

x

Allocation

x

x

x

x

x

x

Fund of Funds

x

x

Market Trading

x

x

Municipal Project-Specific

x

x

Municipal Bond

x

x

Acquired Fund

x

x

x

x

Interest Rate

x

x

x

x

x

x

Call

x

x

x

x

x

x

Credit

x

x

x

x

x

x

High Yield

x

x

x

x

x

x

Distressed Company

x

x

x

x

Market

x

x

x

x

x

x

Issuer

x

x

x

x

x

x

Liquidity

x

x

x

x

x

x

Derivatives

x

x

x

x

x

x

Futures Contract

x

x

x

Volatility Risk

x

Model

x

x

x

Commodity

x

x

x

x

x

x

Equity

x

x

x

x

x

x

Mortgage-Related and Other Asset-Backed Securities

x

x

x

x

x

x

Privately Issued Mortgage-Related Securities

x

Extension

x

Prepayment

x

Foreign (Non-U.S.) Investment

x

x

x

x

x

x

Real Estate

x

x

x

x

x

x

Senior Loan

x

Emerging Markets

x

x

x

x

x

x

Sovereign Debt

x

x

x

x

x

x

Currency

x

x

x

x

x

x

Leveraging

x

x

x

x

x

x

Small-Cap and Mid-Cap Company

x

Smaller Company

x

x

x

x

x

Issuer Non-Diversification

x

x

Management

x

x

x

x

x

x

Short Exposure

x

x

x

x

x

x

Tax

x

x

x

x

x

x

Subsidiary

x

x

x

x

x

x

 

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PIMCO Funds

 

Principal Risk

PIMCO
All Asset Fund

PIMCO
All Asset All Authority Fund

PIMCO
Global Multi-Asset Fund

PIMCO
Multi-Strategy Alternative Fund

PIMCO
REALPATH®
Income Fund

PIMCO
REALPATH®
2020 Fund

Value Investing

x

x

x

x

Cash Holdings Risk

x

Arbitrage

x

x

x

Convertible Securities

x

x

x

x

Exchange-Traded Fund

x

x

x

x

x

x

Tracking Error

x

x

Indexing

x

x

 

Principal Risk

PIMCO
REALPATH®
2025 Fund

PIMCO
REALPATH®
2030 Fund

PIMCO
REALPATH®
2035 Fund

PIMCO
REALPATH®
2040 Fund

PIMCO
REALPATH®
2045 Fund

PIMCO
REALPATH®
2050 Fund

PIMCO
REALPATH®
2055 Fund

New/Small Fund

x

x

x

x

x

x

x

Allocation

x

x

x

x

x

x

x

Fund of Funds

Market Trading

Municipal Project-Specific

Municipal Bond

Acquired Fund

x

x

x

x

x

x

x

Interest Rate

x

x

x

x

x

x

x

Call

x

x

x

x

x

x

x

Credit

x

x

x

x

x

x

x

High Yield

x

x

x

x

x

x

x

Distressed Company

Market

x

x

x

x

x

x

x

Issuer

x

x

x

x

x

x

x

Liquidity

x

x

x

x

x

x

x

Derivatives

x

x

x

x

x

x

x

Futures Contract

Volatility

Model

Commodity

x

x

x

x

x

x

x

Equity

x

x

x

x

x

x

x

Mortgage-Related and Other Asset-Backed Securities

x

x

x

x

x

x

x

Privately Issued Mortgage-Related Securities

Extension

Prepayment

Foreign (Non-U.S.) Investment

x

x

x

x

x

x

x

Real Estate

x

x

x

x

x

x

x

Senior Loan

Emerging Markets

x

x

x

x

x

x

x

Sovereign Debt

x

x

x

x

x

x

x

Currency

x

x

x

x

x

x

x

Leveraging

x

x

x

x

x

x

x

Small-Cap and Mid-Cap

Smaller Company

x

x

x

x

x

x

x

Issuer Non-Diversification

Management

x

x

x

x

x

x

x

Short Exposure

x

x

x

x

x

x

x

Tax

x

x

x

x

x

x

x

 

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Principal Risk

PIMCO
REALPATH®
2025 Fund

PIMCO
REALPATH®
2030 Fund

PIMCO
REALPATH®
2035 Fund

PIMCO
REALPATH®
2040 Fund

PIMCO
REALPATH®
2045 Fund

PIMCO
REALPATH®
2050 Fund

PIMCO
REALPATH®
2055 Fund

Subsidiary

x

x

x

x

x

x

x

Value Investing

Cash Holdings

Arbitrage

Convertible Securities

Exchange-Traded Fund

x

x

x

x

x

x

x

Tracking Error

Indexing

As the PIMCO Global Multi-Asset Fund, PIMCO Multi-Strategy Alternative Fund and the PIMCO REALPATH® Funds may invest in shares of Acquired Funds, including the Underlying PIMCO Funds, the risks of investing in the PIMCO Global Multi-Asset Fund, PIMCO Multi-Strategy Alternative Fund and the PIMCO REALPATH® Funds may be closely related to the risks associated with the Acquired Funds, including Underlying PIMCO Funds, and their investments. However, as the PIMCO Global Multi-Asset Fund, PIMCO Multi-Strategy Alternative Fund and the PIMCO REALPATH® Funds may also invest their assets directly in stocks or bonds of other issuers and in other instruments, such as forwards, options, futures contracts or swap agreements, the Funds may be directly exposed to certain risks described below. As such, unless stated otherwise, any reference in this section only to the "Funds" includes the PIMCO Global Multi-Asset Fund, the PIMCO Multi-Strategy Alternative Fund, the PIMCO REALPATH® Funds, Acquired Funds and the Underlying PIMCO Funds.

New/Small Fund Risk

A new or smaller 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 fully 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 a new or smaller 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.

Allocation Risk

The PIMCO All Asset, PIMCO All Asset All Authority, PIMCO Global Multi-Asset, PIMCO Multi-Strategy Alternative and PIMCO REALPATH® Funds' investment performance depends upon how their assets are allocated and reallocated according to each Fund's asset allocation targets and ranges. A principal risk of investing in each Fund is that the asset allocation sub-adviser (in the case of the PIMCO All Asset, PIMCO All Asset All Authority and PIMCO Multi-Strategy Alternative Funds) or PIMCO (in the case of the PIMCO Global Multi-Asset and the PIMCO REALPATH® Funds) will make less than optimal or poor asset allocation decisions. The asset allocation sub-adviser or PIMCO, as applicable, attempts to identify investment allocations that will provide consistent, quality performance for each Fund, but there is no guarantee that such allocation techniques will produce the desired results. It is possible that the asset allocation sub-adviser or PIMCO, as applicable, will focus on an investment that performs poorly or underperforms other investments under various market conditions. You could lose money on your investment in a Fund as a result of these allocation decisions.

Fund of Funds Risk

Because the PIMCO All Asset and PIMCO All Asset All Authority Funds invest substantially all of their assets in Underlying PIMCO Funds, the risks associated with investing in the Funds are closely related to the risks associated with the securities and other investments held by the Underlying PIMCO Funds. The ability of the PIMCO All Asset and PIMCO All Asset All Authority Funds to achieve their investment objectives will depend upon the ability of the Underlying PIMCO Funds to achieve their respective investment objectives. There can be no assurance that the investment objective of any Underlying PIMCO Fund will be achieved.

The PIMCO All Asset and PIMCO All Asset All Authority Funds' net asset values ("NAVs") will fluctuate in response to changes in the NAVs of the Underlying PIMCO Funds in which they invest. The extent to which the investment performance and risks associated with the PIMCO All Asset Fund and PIMCO All Asset All Authority Fund correlate to those of a particular Underlying PIMCO Fund will depend upon the extent to which the PIMCO All Asset Fund's and PIMCO All Asset All Authority Fund's assets are allocated from time to time for investment in the Underlying PIMCO Fund, which will vary.

 

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Market Trading Risk

An Underlying PIMCO Fund that is an exchange-traded fund is subject to secondary market trading risks. Once operational, shares of the Underlying PIMCO Fund are listed for trading on an exchange, however, there can be no guarantee that an active trading market for such shares will develop or continue. Shares of the Underlying PIMCO Fund may be listed or traded on U.S. and foreign (non-U.S.) exchanges other than the Underlying PIMCO Fund's primary U.S. listing exchange. There can be no guarantee that the Underlying PIMCO Fund's shares will continue trading on any exchange or in any market or that the Underlying PIMCO Fund's shares will continue to meet the listing or trading requirements of any exchange or market. The Underlying PIMCO Fund's shares may experience higher trading volumes on one exchange as compared to another and investors are subject to the execution and settlement risks of the market where their broker directs trades.

Secondary market trading in the Underlying PIMCO Fund's shares may be halted by an exchange because of market conditions. Pursuant to exchange or market rules, trading in the Underlying PIMCO Fund's shares on an exchange or in any market may be subject to trading halts caused by extraordinary market volatility. There can be no guarantee that the Underlying PIMCO Fund's exchange listing or ability to trade its shares will continue or remain unchanged. In the event the Underlying PIMCO Fund ceases to be listed on an exchange, the Underlying PIMCO Fund may cease operating as an "exchange-traded" fund and operate as a mutual fund, provided that shareholders are given advance notice.

Buying or selling the Underlying PIMCO Fund's shares on an exchange may require the payment of brokerage commissions. In addition, an investor who buys or sells the Underlying PIMCO Fund's shares may also incur the cost of the spread (the difference between the bid price and the ask price). The commission is frequently a fixed amount and may be a significant cost for investors seeking to buy or sell small amounts of shares. The spread varies over time for shares of the Underlying PIMCO Fund based on their trading volume and market liquidity, and is generally less if the Underlying PIMCO Fund has more trading volume and market liquidity and more if the Underlying PIMCO Fund has less trading volume and market liquidity. Due to the costs inherent in buying or selling the Underlying PIMCO Fund's shares, frequent trading may detract significantly from investment returns. Investment in the Underlying PIMCO Fund's shares may not be advisable for investors who expect to engage in frequent trading.

Shares of the Underlying PIMCO Fund may trade on an exchange at prices at, above or below their most recent NAV. The market prices of an Underlying PIMCO Fund's shares will fluctuate, sometimes rapidly and materially, in response to changes in the Underlying PIMCO Fund's NAV, the value of the Underlying PIMCO Fund's holdings and supply and demand for the Underlying PIMCO Fund's shares. Although the creation/redemption feature of the Underlying PIMCO Funds generally makes it more likely that an Underlying PIMCO Fund's shares will trade close to NAV, market volatility, lack of an active trading market for the Underlying PIMCO Fund's shares, disruptions at market participants (such as authorized participants or market makers) and any disruptions in the ordinary functioning of the creation/redemption process may result in the Underlying PIMCO Fund's shares trading significantly above (at a "premium") or below (at a "discount") NAV. An investor who buys or sells an Underlying PIMCO Fund's shares may incur significant losses if the investor transacts in the Underlying PIMCO Fund's shares in these and other circumstances. Neither PIMCO nor the Trust can predict whether an Underlying PIMCO Fund's shares will trade above, below or at NAV. An Underlying PIMCO Fund's investment results are based on the Underlying PIMCO Fund's daily NAV. Investors transacting in an Underlying PIMCO Fund's shares in the secondary market, where market prices may differ from NAV, may experience investment results that differ from results based on the Underlying PIMCO Fund's daily NAV.

Municipal Project-Specific Risk

An Underlying PIMCO Fund may be more sensitive to adverse economic, business or political developments if it invests a substantial portion of its assets in the bonds of specific projects (such as those relating to education, health care, housing, transportation, and utilities), industrial development bonds, or in general obligation bonds, particularly if there is a large concentration from issuers in a single state.

Municipal Bond Risk

An Underlying PIMCO Fund that invests in Municipal Bonds may be affected significantly by the economic, regulatory or political developments affecting the ability of issuers of Municipal Bonds to pay interest or repay principal. In addition, the ability of an issuer to make payments or repay interest may be affected by litigation or bankruptcy. In the event of bankruptcy of such an issuer, an Underlying PIMCO Fund investing in the issuer's securities could experience delays in collecting principal and interest, and the Underlying PIMCO Fund may not, in all circumstances, be able to collect all principal and interest to which it is entitled. To enforce its rights in the event of a default in the payment of interest or repayment of principal, or both, an Underlying PIMCO Fund may, in some instances, take possession of, and manage, the assets securing the issuer's obligations on such securities, which may increase the Underlying PIMCO Fund's operating expenses. Any income derived from the Underlying PIMCO Fund's ownership or operation of such assets may not be tax-exempt. Municipal Bonds are subject to interest rate, credit and market risk.

Because many Municipal Bonds are issued to finance similar projects (such as those relating to education, health care, housing, transportation, and utilities), conditions in those sectors may affect the overall municipal securities market. In addition, changes in the financial condition of an individual municipal issuer can affect the overall municipal market. Municipal Bonds backed by current or anticipated revenues from a specific project or specific assets can be negatively affected by the discontinuance of the supporting taxation or the inability to collect revenues for the specific project or specific assets. Municipal Bonds are subject to the risk that the Internal Revenue Service (the "IRS") may determine that an issuer has not complied with applicable tax requirements and that interest from the Municipal Bond is taxable, which may result in a significant decline in the value of the security. Municipal Bonds may be less liquid

 

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than taxable bonds and there may be less publicly available information on the financial condition of Municipal Bond issuers than for issuers of other securities, and the investment performance of an Underlying PIMCO Fund investing in Municipal Bonds may therefore be more dependent on the analytical abilities of PIMCO than if the Underlying PIMCO Fund held other types of investments such as stocks or taxable bonds. The secondary market for Municipal Bonds also tends to be less well-developed or liquid than many other securities markets, a by-product of lower capital commitments to the asset class by the dealer community, which may adversely affect an Underlying PIMCO Fund's ability to sell Municipal Bonds it holds at attractive prices or value Municipal Bonds.

Acquired Fund Risk

Because the PIMCO Global Multi-Asset Fund, PIMCO Multi-Strategy Alternative Fund and the PIMCO REALPATH® Funds may invest their assets in Acquired Funds, the risks associated with investing in the PIMCO Global Multi-Asset Fund, PIMCO Multi-Strategy Alternative Fund and the PIMCO REALPATH® Funds may be closely related to the risks associated with the securities and other investments held by the Acquired Funds. The ability of the PIMCO Global Multi-Asset Fund, PIMCO Multi-Strategy Alternative Fund and the PIMCO REALPATH® Funds to achieve their respective investment objectives may depend upon the ability of the Acquired Funds to achieve their respective investment objectives. There can be no assurance that the investment objective of any Acquired Fund will be achieved.

The PIMCO Global Multi-Asset Fund, PIMCO Multi-Strategy Alternative Fund and the PIMCO REALPATH® Funds' NAVs will fluctuate in response to changes in the NAVs of the Acquired Funds in which they invest. The extent to which the investment performance and risks associated with the PIMCO Global Multi-Asset Fund, PIMCO Multi-Strategy Alternative Fund and the PIMCO REALPATH® Funds correlate to those of a particular Acquired Fund will depend upon the extent to which the PIMCO Global Multi-Asset Fund, PIMCO Multi-Strategy Alternative Fund and the PIMCO REALPATH® Funds' assets are allocated from time to time for investment in the Acquired Fund, which will vary.

Interest Rate Risk

Interest rate risk is the risk that fixed income securities and other instruments in a Fund's portfolio will decline in value because of an increase in interest rates. As nominal interest rates rise, the value of certain fixed income securities held by a Fund is likely to decrease. A nominal interest rate can be described as the sum of a real interest rate and an expected inflation rate. Interest rate changes can be sudden and unpredictable, and the Fund may lose money as a result of movements in interest rates. A Fund may not be able to hedge against changes in interest rates or may choose not to do so for cost or other reasons. In addition, any hedges may not work as intended.

Fixed income securities with longer durations tend to be more sensitive to changes in interest rates, usually making them more volatile than securities with shorter durations. The values of equity and other non-fixed income securities may also decline due to fluctuations in interest rates. Inflation-indexed bonds, including Treasury Inflation-Protected Securities ("TIPS"), decline in value when real interest rates rise. In certain interest rate environments, such as when real interest rates are rising faster than nominal interest rates, inflation-indexed bonds may experience greater losses than other fixed income securities with similar durations.

Variable and floating rate securities generally are less sensitive to interest rate changes but may decline in value if their interest rates do not rise as much, or as quickly, as interest rates in general. Conversely, floating rate securities will not generally increase in value if interest rates decline. Inverse floating rate securities may decrease in value if interest rates increase. Inverse floating rate securities may also exhibit greater price volatility than a fixed rate obligation with similar credit quality. When a Fund holds variable or floating rate securities, a decrease (or, in the case of inverse floating rate securities, an increase) in market interest rates will adversely affect the income received from such securities and the NAV of the Fund's shares.

A wide variety of factors can cause interest rates to rise (e.g., central bank monetary policies, inflation rates, general economic conditions, etc.). This is especially true under current economic conditions because interest rates are near historically low levels. Thus, Funds currently face a heightened level of interest rate risk, especially as the Federal Reserve Board ended its quantitative easing program in October 2014 and has begun, and may continue, to raise interest rates. To the extent the Federal Reserve Board continues to raise interest rates, there is a risk that rates across the financial system may rise.

During periods of very low or negative interest rates, a Fund may be unable to maintain positive returns. Interest rates in the U.S. and many parts of the world, including certain European countries, are at or near historically low levels. Certain European countries have recently experienced negative interest rates on certain fixed income instruments. Very low or negative interest rates may magnify interest rate risk. Changing interest rates, including rates that fall below zero, may have unpredictable effects on markets, may result in heightened market volatility and may detract from Fund performance to the extent a Fund is exposed to such interest rates.

Measures such as average duration may not accurately reflect the true interest rate sensitivity of a Fund. This is especially the case if the Fund consists of securities with widely varying durations. Therefore, if a Fund has an average duration that suggests a certain level of interest rate risk, the Fund may in fact be subject to greater interest rate risk than the average would suggest. This risk is greater to the extent the Fund uses leverage or derivatives in connection with the management of the Fund.

Convexity is an additional measure used to understand a security's or Fund's interest rate sensitivity. Convexity measures the rate of change of duration in response to changes in interest rates. With respect to a security's price, a larger convexity (positive or negative) may imply more dramatic price changes in

 

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response to changing interest rates. Convexity may be positive or negative. Negative convexity implies that interest rate increases result in increased duration, meaning increased sensitivity in prices in response to rising interest rates. Thus, securities with negative convexity, which may include bonds with traditional call features and certain mortgage-backed securities, may experience greater losses in periods of rising interest rates. Accordingly, if a Fund holds such securities, the Fund may be subject to a greater risk of losses in periods of rising interest rates.

Call Risk

Call risk refers to the possibility that an issuer may exercise its right to redeem a fixed income security earlier than expected (a call). Issuers may call outstanding securities prior to their maturity for a number of reasons (e.g., declining interest rates, changes in credit spreads and improvements in the issuer's credit quality). If an issuer calls a security in which a Fund has invested, the Fund may not recoup the full amount of its initial investment and may be forced to reinvest in lower-yielding securities, securities with greater credit risks or securities with other, less favorable features.

Credit Risk

A Fund could lose money if the issuer or guarantor of a fixed income security (including a security purchased with securities lending collateral), or the counterparty to a derivatives contract, repurchase agreement or a loan of portfolio securities, is unable or unwilling, or is perceived (whether by market participants, rating agencies, pricing services or otherwise) as unable or unwilling, to make timely principal and/or interest payments, or to otherwise honor its obligations. The downgrade of the credit of a security held by a Fund may decrease its value. Securities are subject to varying degrees of credit risk, which are often reflected in credit ratings. Measures such as average credit quality may not accurately reflect the true credit risk of a Fund. This is especially the case if the Fund consists of securities with widely varying credit ratings. Therefore, if a Fund has an average credit rating that suggests a certain credit quality, the Fund may in fact be subject to greater credit risk than the average would suggest. This risk is greater to the extent the Fund uses leverage or derivatives in connection with the management of the Fund. Municipal bonds are subject to the risk that litigation, legislation or other political events, local business or economic conditions, or the bankruptcy of the issuer could have a significant effect on an issuer's ability to make payments of principal and/or interest.

High Yield Risk

Funds that invest in high yield securities and unrated securities of similar credit quality (commonly known as "high yield securities" or "junk bonds") may be subject to greater levels of credit risk, call risk and liquidity risk than funds that do not invest in such securities. These securities are considered predominantly speculative with respect to an issuer's continuing ability to make principal and interest payments, and may be more volatile than other types of securities. An economic downturn or individual corporate developments could adversely affect the market for these securities and reduce a Fund's ability to sell these securities at an advantageous time or price. An economic downturn would generally lead to a higher non-payment rate and, a high yield security may lose significant market value before a default occurs. High yield securities structured as zero-coupon bonds or pay-in-kind securities tend to be especially volatile as they are particularly sensitive to downward pricing pressures from rising interest rates or widening spreads and may require a Fund to make taxable distributions of imputed income without receiving the actual cash currency. Issuers of high yield securities may have the right to "call" or redeem the issue prior to maturity, which may result in a Fund having to reinvest the proceeds in other high yield securities or similar instruments that may pay lower interest rates. A Fund may also be subject to greater levels of liquidity risk than funds that do not invest in high yield securities. In addition, the high yield securities in which a Fund invests may not be listed on any exchange and a secondary market for such securities may be comparatively illiquid relative to markets for other more liquid fixed income securities. Consequently, transactions in high yield securities may involve greater costs than transactions in more actively traded securities. A lack of publicly-available information, irregular trading activity and wide bid/ask spreads among other factors, may, in certain circumstances, make high yield debt more difficult to sell at an advantageous time or price than other types of securities or instruments. These factors may result in a Fund being unable to realize full value for these securities and/or may result in a Fund not receiving the proceeds from a sale of a high yield security for an extended period after such sale, each of which could result in losses to a Fund. Because of the risks involved in investing in high yield securities, an investment in a Fund that invests in such securities should be considered speculative.

Distressed Company Risk

An Underlying PIMCO Fund that invests in securities of distressed companies may be subject to greater levels of credit, issuer and liquidity risk than a fund that does not invest in such securities. Securities of distressed companies include both debt and equity securities. Debt securities of distressed companies are considered predominantly speculative with respect to the issuers' continuing ability to make principal and interest payments. Issuers of distressed company securities may also be involved in restructurings or bankruptcy proceedings that may not be successful. An economic downturn or period of rising interest rates could adversely affect the market for these securities and reduce the Underlying PIMCO Fund's ability to sell these securities (liquidity risk). If the issuer of a debt security is in default with respect to interest or principal payments, the Underlying PIMCO Fund may lose its entire investment.

Market Risk

The market price of securities owned by a Fund may go up or down, sometimes rapidly or unpredictably. Securities may decline in value due to factors affecting securities markets generally or particular industries represented in the securities markets. The value of a security may decline due to general market conditions which are not specifically related to a particular company, such as real or perceived adverse economic conditions, changes in the general outlook

 

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for corporate earnings, changes in interest or currency rates, adverse changes to credit markets or adverse investor sentiment generally. The value of a security may also decline due to factors which affect a particular industry or industries, such as labor shortages or increased production costs and competitive conditions within an industry. During a general downturn in the securities markets, multiple asset classes may decline in value simultaneously. Equity securities generally have greater price volatility than fixed income securities. Credit ratings downgrades may also negatively affect securities held by the Fund. Even when markets perform well, there is no assurance that the investments held by a Fund will increase in value along with the broader market. In addition, market risk includes the risk that geopolitical events will disrupt the economy on a national or global level. For instance, terrorism, market manipulation, government defaults, government shutdowns, political changes or diplomatic developments and natural/environmental disasters can all negatively impact the securities markets, which could cause the Funds to lose value. Any market disruptions could also prevent a Fund from executing advantageous investment decisions in a timely manner. Funds that have focused their investments in a region enduring geopolitical market disruption will face higher risks of loss. Thus, investors should closely monitor current market conditions to determine whether a specific Fund meets their individual financial needs and tolerance for risk.

Current market conditions may pose heightened risks with respect to Funds that invest in fixed income securities. As discussed more under "Interest Rate Risk," interest rates in the U.S. are near historically low levels. However, continued economic recovery, the end of the Federal Reserve Board's quantitative easing program, and an increased likelihood of a rising interest rate environment increase the risk that interest rates will continue to rise in the near future. Any further interest rate increases in the future could cause the value of any Fund that invests in fixed income securities to decrease. As such, fixed income securities markets may experience heightened levels of interest rate, volatility and liquidity risk. If rising interest rates cause a Fund to lose enough value, the Fund could also face increased shareholder redemptions, which could force the Fund to liquidate investments at disadvantageous times or prices, therefore adversely affecting the Fund and its shareholders.

Exchanges and securities markets may close early, close late or issue trading halts on specific securities, which may result in, among other things, a Fund being unable to buy or sell certain securities or financial instruments at an advantageous time or accurately price its portfolio investments. In addition, a Fund may rely on various third-party sources to calculate its NAV. As a result, a Fund is subject to certain operational risks associated with reliance on service providers and service providers' data sources. In particular, errors or systems failures and other technological issues may adversely impact the Fund's calculations of its NAV, and such NAV calculation issues may result in inaccurately calculated NAVs, delays in NAV calculation and/or the inability to calculate NAVs over extended periods. A Fund may be unable to recover any losses associated with such failures.

Issuer Risk

The value of a security 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 goods or services, as well as the historical and prospective earnings of the issuer and the value of its assets. A change in the financial condition of a single issuer may affect securities markets as a whole.

Liquidity Risk

Liquidity risk exists when particular investments are difficult to purchase or sell. Illiquid securities are securities that cannot be disposed of within seven days in the ordinary course of business at approximately the value at which the Fund has valued the securities. Illiquid securities may become harder to value, especially in changing markets. A Fund's investments in illiquid securities may reduce the returns of the Fund because it may be unable to sell the illiquid securities at an advantageous time or price, which could prevent the Fund from taking advantage of other investment opportunities. Additionally, the market for certain investments may become illiquid under adverse market or economic conditions independent of any specific adverse changes in the conditions of a particular issuer. Bond markets have consistently grown over the past three decades while the capacity for traditional dealer counterparties to engage in fixed income trading has not kept pace and in some cases has decreased. As a result, dealer inventories of corporate bonds, which provide a core indication of the ability of financial intermediaries to "make markets," are at or near historic lows in relation to market size. Because market makers provide stability to a market through their intermediary services, the significant reduction in dealer inventories could potentially lead to decreased liquidity and increased volatility in the fixed income markets. Such issues may be exacerbated during periods of economic uncertainty. 

In such cases, a Fund, due to limitations on investments in illiquid securities and the difficulty in purchasing and selling such securities or instruments, may be unable to achieve its desired level of exposure to a certain sector. To the extent that a Fund's principal investment strategies involve securities of companies with smaller market capitalizations, foreign (non-U.S.) securities, Rule 144A securities, illiquid sectors of fixed income securities, derivatives or securities with substantial market and/or credit risk, the Fund will tend to have the greatest exposure to liquidity risk. Further, fixed income securities with longer durations until maturity face heightened levels of liquidity risk as compared to fixed income securities with shorter durations until maturity. Finally, liquidity risk also refers to the risk of unusually high redemption requests, redemption requests by certain large shareholders such as institutional investors or asset allocators, or other unusual market conditions that may make it difficult for a Fund to sell investments within the allowable time period to meet redemptions. Meeting such redemption requests could require a Fund to sell securities at reduced prices or under unfavorable conditions, which would reduce the value of the Fund. It may also be the case that other market participants may be attempting to liquidate fixed income holdings at the same time as a Fund, causing increased supply in the market and contributing to liquidity risk and downward pricing pressure.

 

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Certain accounts or PIMCO affiliates may from time to time own (beneficially or of record) or control a significant percentage of a Fund's shares. Redemptions by these shareholders of their holdings in a Fund may impact the Fund's liquidity and NAV. These redemptions may also force a Fund to sell securities, which may negatively impact the Fund's brokerage costs.

Derivatives Risk

Derivatives are financial contracts whose value depends on, or is derived from, the value of an underlying asset, reference rate or index. The various derivative instruments that the Funds may use are referenced under "Characteristics and Risks of Securities and Investment Techniques—Derivatives" in this prospectus and described in more detail under "Investment Objectives and Policies" in the SAI. The Funds typically use derivatives as a substitute for taking a position in the underlying asset, as part of strategies designed to gain exposure to, for example, issuers, portions of the yield curve, indexes, sectors, currencies, and/or geographic regions, and/or to reduce exposure to other risks, such as interest rate, credit, or currency risk. The Funds may also use derivatives for leverage, in which case their use would involve leveraging risk, and in some cases, may subject a Fund to the potential for unlimited loss. The use of derivatives may cause the Fund's investment returns to be impacted by the performance of securities the Fund does not own and result in the Fund's total investment exposure exceeding the value of its portfolio.

A Fund's use of derivative instruments involves risks different from, or possibly greater than, the risks associated with investing directly in securities and other traditional investments. Derivatives are subject to a number of risks described elsewhere in this section, such as liquidity risk (which may be heightened for highly-customized derivatives), interest rate risk, market risk, credit risk and management risk, as well as risks arising from changes in applicable requirements. They also involve the risk of mispricing or improper valuation and the risk that changes in the value of the derivative instrument may not correlate perfectly with the underlying asset, rate or index. By investing in a derivative instrument, the Fund could lose more than the initial amount invested and derivatives may increase the volatility of the Fund, especially in unusual or extreme market conditions. Also, suitable derivative transactions may not be available in all circumstances and there can be no assurance that a Fund will engage in these transactions to reduce exposure to other risks when that would be beneficial or that, if used, such strategies will be successful. In addition, a Fund's use of derivatives may increase or accelerate the amount of taxes payable by shareholders. Over-the-counter ("OTC") derivatives are also subject to the risk that a counterparty to the transaction will not fulfill its contractual obligations to the other party, as many of the protections afforded to centrally-cleared derivative transactions might not be available for OTC derivatives. For derivatives traded on an exchange or through a central counterparty, credit risk resides with a Fund's clearing broker, or the clearinghouse itself, rather than with a counterparty in an OTC derivative transaction.

Participation in the markets for derivative instruments involves investment risks and transaction costs to which a Fund may not be subject absent the use of these strategies. The skills needed to successfully execute derivative strategies may be different from those needed for other types of transactions. If the Fund incorrectly forecasts the value and/or creditworthiness of securities, currencies, interest rates, counterparties or other economic factors involved in a derivative transaction, the Fund might have been in a better position if the Fund had not entered into such derivative transaction. In evaluating the risks and contractual obligations associated with particular derivative instruments, it is important to consider that certain derivative transactions may be modified or terminated only by mutual consent of the Fund and its counterparty. Therefore, it may not be possible for a Fund to modify, terminate, or offset the Fund's obligations or the Fund's exposure to the risks associated with a derivative transaction prior to its scheduled termination or maturity date, which may create a possibility of increased volatility and/or decreased liquidity to the Fund. In such case, the Fund may lose money.

Because the markets for certain derivative instruments (including markets located in foreign countries) are relatively new and still developing, appropriate derivative transactions may not be available in all circumstances for risk management or other purposes. Upon the expiration of a particular contract, a Fund may wish to retain a Fund's position in the derivative instrument by entering into a similar contract, but may be unable to do so if the counterparty to the original contract is unwilling to enter into the new contract and no other appropriate counterparty can be found. When such markets are unavailable, a Fund will be subject to increased liquidity and investment risk.

When a derivative is used as a hedge against a position that a Fund holds, any loss generated by the derivative generally should be substantially offset by gains on the hedged investment, and vice versa. Although hedging can reduce or eliminate losses, it can also reduce or eliminate gains. Hedges are sometimes subject to imperfect matching between the derivative and the underlying instrument, and there can be no assurance that a Fund's hedging transactions will be effective.

The regulation of the derivatives markets has increased over the past several years, and additional future regulation of the derivatives markets may make derivatives more costly, may limit the availability or reduce the liquidity of derivatives, or may otherwise adversely affect the value or performance of derivatives. Any such adverse future developments could impair the effectiveness or raise the costs of a Fund's derivative transactions, impede the employment of the Fund's derivatives strategies, or adversely affect the Fund's performance.

Futures Contract Risk 

A futures contract is an exchange-traded contract to buy or sell an underlying asset, such as a security, currency or commodity, for a set price on a future date. The risks associated with the Fund's use of derivative instruments, including futures contracts, are discussed in more detail under "Characteristics and Risks of Securities and Investment Techniques – Derivatives" in this prospectus and under "Investment Objectives and Policies" in the SAI. The purchase or sale of a futures contract may result in losses in excess of the amount invested in the futures contract. There can be no guarantee that there will be a

 

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correlation between price movements in the futures contract and the underlying asset. In addition, there can be significant differences between the futures market and the markets for underlying assets, which could result in an imperfect correlation between the markets. The degree of imperfect correlation depends on circumstances such as variations in speculative market demand for futures and futures options on underlying assets, including technical influences in futures trading and futures options, and differences between the futures contract and underlying asset due to factors such as interest rate levels, maturities and creditworthiness of issuers.

Futures contracts are traded on exchanges, so that, in most cases, a party can close out its position on the exchange for cash, without delivering the underlying asset. Because the futures utilized by the Fund and certain Underlying PIMCO Funds are exchange-traded, the primary credit risk on futures contracts resides with a Fund's clearing broker or the clearinghouse. Changes in regulation relating to a mutual fund's use of derivatives and related instruments could potentially limit or impact the Fund's ability to invest in derivatives, limit a Fund's ability to employ certain strategies that use derivatives and/or adversely affect the value of derivatives and the Fund's performance. Futures exchanges may limit the amount of fluctuation permitted in certain futures contract prices during a single trading day. There can be no assurance that a liquid market will exist at a time when the Fund or Underlying PIMCO Fund seeks to close out a futures or a futures option position, and the Fund or Underlying PIMCO Fund would remain obligated to meet margin requirements until the position is closed.

In addition, certain futures contracts may be relatively new instruments without a significant trading history. As a result, there can be no assurance that an active secondary market will develop or continue to exist.

Volatility Risk

A Fund may invest in volatility-related instruments, including, but not limited to, futures on volatility-related indices. Volatility measures the variability in the price of an investment over time. A higher volatility level signifies an investment's value may fluctuate over a larger range within a short period of time, either up or down. A lower volatility level means an investment's value is more likely to change within a narrower range, or less frequently, over time. The more volatile the portfolio holdings of a Fund, the less predictable the returns for the Fund. Higher volatility levels may indicate heightened risk of losses.

Model Risk

In making investment allocation decisions for the PIMCO TRENDS Managed Futures Strategy Fund, an Underlying PIMCO Fund, PIMCO may utilize quantitative models that may be proprietary or developed by third-parties. These models are used by PIMCO to help determine the Underlying PIMCO Fund's target asset allocation and to identify potentially attractive relative value and risk hedging strategies. The investment models used in making investment allocation decisions for the Underlying PIMCO Fund may not adequately take into account certain factors and may result in a decline in the value of an investment in the Underlying PIMCO Fund. In addition, in constructing the underlying index of an Underlying PIMCO Fund that seeks to track the investment results of such underlying index, the index provider may utilize quantitative models or methodologies that may be proprietary or developed by third-parties. These models and methodologies are used to help determine the composition of the underlying index and may not adequately take into account certain factors, resulting in a decline in the value of the underlying index and, therefore, the Underlying PIMCO Fund.

Models rely on accurate market data inputs. If inaccurate market data is entered into a model, the resulting information will be incorrect. In addition, the models used may be predictive in nature and such models may result in an incorrect assessment of future events. The models evaluate securities or securities markets based on certain assumptions concerning the interplay of market factors. The markets or the prices of individual securities may be affected by factors not foreseen in developing the models.

Commodity Risk

The Fund's investments in commodity-linked derivative instruments may subject the Fund to greater volatility than investments in traditional securities. The value of commodity-linked derivative instruments may be affected by changes in overall market movements, commodity index volatility, changes in interest rates, or factors affecting a particular industry or commodity, such as drought, floods, weather, livestock disease, embargoes, tariffs and international economic, political and regulatory developments. Certain Underlying PIMCO Funds, including the PIMCO CommoditiesPLUS® Strategy Fund and PIMCO CommodityRealReturn Strategy Fund®, may each concentrate its assets in a particular sector of the commodities market (such as oil, metal or agricultural products). As a result, to the extent the Fund invests in certain Underlying PIMCO Funds, including the PIMCO CommoditiesPLUS® Strategy Fund and PIMCO CommodityRealReturn Strategy Fund®, the Fund may be more susceptible to risks associated with those sectors. The prices for commodities in those sectors may fluctuate widely due to factors such as changes in value, supply and demand and governmental regulatory policies.

Equity Risk

Equity securities represent an ownership interest, or the right to acquire an ownership interest, in an issuer. Equity securities also include, among other things, preferred securities, convertible stocks and warrants. The values of equity securities, such as common stocks and preferred securities, may decline due to general market conditions which are not specifically related to a particular company, such as real or perceived adverse economic conditions, changes in the general outlook for corporate earnings, changes in interest or currency rates or adverse investor sentiment generally. They may also decline due to factors which affect a particular industry or industries, such as labor shortages or increased production costs and competitive conditions within an industry.

 

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Equity securities generally have greater price volatility than fixed income securities. These risks are generally magnified in the case of equity investments in distressed companies.

Mortgage-Related and Other Asset-Backed Securities Risk

Mortgage-related and other asset-backed securities represent interests in "pools" of mortgages or other assets such as consumer loans or receivables held in trust and often involve risks that are different from or possibly more acute than risks associated with other types of debt instruments. Generally, rising interest rates tend to extend the duration of fixed rate mortgage-related securities, making them more sensitive to changes in interest rates. As a result, in a period of rising interest rates, if a Fund holds mortgage-related securities, it may exhibit additional volatility since individual mortgage holders are less likely to exercise prepayment options, thereby putting additional downward pressure on the value of these securities and potentially causing the Fund to lose money. This is known as extension risk. Mortgage-backed securities can be highly sensitive to rising interest rates, such that even small movements can cause an investing Fund to lose value. Mortgage-backed securities, and in particular those not backed by a government guarantee, are subject to credit risk. In addition, adjustable and fixed rate mortgage-related securities are subject to prepayment risk. When interest rates decline, borrowers may pay off their mortgages sooner than expected. This can reduce the returns of a Fund because the Fund may have to reinvest that money at the lower prevailing interest rates. A Fund's investments in other asset-backed securities are subject to risks similar to those associated with mortgage-related securities, as well as additional risks associated with the nature of the assets and the servicing of those assets. Payment of principal and interest on asset-backed securities may be largely dependent upon the cash flows generated by the assets backing the securities, and asset-backed securities may not have the benefit of any security interest in the related assets.

Privately Issued Mortgage-Related Securities Risk

There are no direct or indirect government or agency guarantees of payments in pools created by non-governmental issuers. Privately issued mortgage-related securities are also not subject to the same underwriting requirements for the underlying mortgages that are applicable to those mortgage-related securities that have a government or government-sponsored entity guarantee. Privately issued mortgage-related securities are not traded on an exchange and there may be a limited market for the securities, especially when there is a perceived weakness in the mortgage and real estate market sectors. Without an active trading market, mortgage-related securities held in the portfolio of the PIMCO Mortgage Opportunities Fund, an Underlying PIMCO Fund, may be particularly difficult to value because of the complexities involved in assessing the value of the underlying mortgage loans.

Extension Risk

The issuer of a security held by the PIMCO Mortgage Opportunities Fund, an Underlying PIMCO Fund (such as a mortgage-related or other asset-backed security), may under certain circumstances make principal payments on such security later than expected. This may occur, for example, when interest rates rise. Such later-than-expected principal payments decrease the value of the security held by the Underlying PIMCO Fund. In addition, as payments are received later than expected, the Underlying PIMCO Fund may miss the opportunity to reinvest in higher yielding securities.

Prepayment Risk

The issuer of a security held by the PIMCO Mortgage Opportunities Fund, an Underlying PIMCO Fund (such as a mortgage-related or other asset-backed security), may under certain circumstances make principal payments on such security sooner than expected. This may occur, for example, when interest rates decline. Such sooner-than-expected principal payments may reduce the returns of the Underlying PIMCO Fund because the Fund is forced to forego expected future interest payments on the principal amount paid back early and the Underlying PIMCO Fund may be forced to reinvest the money it receives from such early payments at the lower prevailing interest rates. Additionally, the yield to maturity on an IO class of a stripped MBS ("SMBS") is extremely sensitive to the rate of principal payments (including prepayments) on the underlying mortgage assets, and a rapid rate of principal payments may have a material adverse effect on the Underlying PIMCO Fund's yield to maturity from these securities.

Foreign (Non-U.S.) Investment Risk

Certain Funds may invest in foreign (non-U.S.) securities and may experience more rapid and extreme changes in value than a Fund that invests exclusively in securities of U.S. companies. The securities markets of many foreign countries are relatively small, with a limited number of companies representing a small number of industries. Additionally, issuers of foreign (non-U.S.) securities are usually not subject to the same degree of regulation as U.S. issuers. Reporting, accounting and auditing standards of foreign countries differ, in some cases significantly, from U.S. standards. Global economies and financial markets are becoming increasingly interconnected, and conditions and events in one country, region or financial market may adversely impact issuers in a different country, region or financial market. Also, nationalization, expropriation or confiscatory taxation, currency blockage, political changes or diplomatic developments could adversely affect a Fund's investments in a foreign country. In the event of nationalization, expropriation or other confiscation, a Fund could lose its entire investment in foreign (non-U.S.) securities. Adverse conditions in a certain region can adversely affect securities of other countries whose economies appear to be unrelated. To the extent that a Fund invests a significant portion of its assets in a specific geographic region, the Fund will generally have more exposure to regional economic risks associated with foreign (non-U.S.) investments. Foreign (non-U.S.) securities may also be less liquid and more difficult to value than securities of U.S. issuers.

 

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Real Estate Risk

Investments in real estate investment trusts ("REITs") or real-estate linked derivative instruments are subject to risks similar to those associated with direct ownership of real estate, including losses from casualty or condemnation, and changes in local and general economic conditions, supply and demand, interest rates, zoning laws, regulatory limitations on rents, property taxes and operating expenses. An investment in a REIT or a real estate-linked derivative instrument that is linked to the value of a REIT is subject to additional risks, such as poor performance by the manager of the REIT, adverse changes to the tax laws or failure by the REIT to qualify for tax-free pass-through of income under the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 as amended (the "Code"). In addition, some REITs have limited diversification because they invest in a limited number of properties, a narrow geographic area, or a single type of property. Also, the organizational documents of a REIT may contain provisions that make changes in control of the REIT difficult and time-consuming. Finally, private REITs are not traded on a national securities exchange. As such, these products are generally illiquid. This reduces the ability of a Fund to redeem its investment early. Private REITs are also generally harder to value and may bear higher fees than public REITs.

Senior Loan Risk

To the extent the PIMCO Multi-Strategy Alternative Fund or any Acquired Funds (referred to in this section only as "Fund") invest in senior loans, including bank loans, the Fund may be subject to greater levels of credit risk, call risk, settlement risk and liquidity risk than funds that do not invest in such securities. These instruments are considered predominantly speculative with respect to an issuer's continuing ability to make principal and interest payments and may be more volatile than other types of securities. An economic downturn or individual corporate developments could adversely affect the market for these instruments and reduce the Fund's ability to sell these instruments at an advantageous time or price. An economic downturn would generally lead to a higher non-payment rate, and, a senior loan may lose significant market value before a default occurs. A Fund may also be subject to greater levels of liquidity risk than funds that do not invest in senior loans. In addition, the senior loans in which a Fund invests may not be listed on any exchange and a secondary market for such loans may be comparatively illiquid relative to markets for other more liquid fixed income securities. Consequently, transactions in senior loans may involve greater costs than transactions in more actively traded securities. Restrictions on transfers in loan agreements, a lack of publicly-available information, irregular trading activity and wide bid/ask spreads among other factors, may, in certain circumstances, make senior loans more difficult to sell at an advantageous time or price than other types of securities or instruments. These factors may result in a Fund being unable to realize full value for the senior loans and/or may result in a Fund not receiving the proceeds from a sale of a senior loan for an extended period after such sale, each of which could result in losses to a Fund. Senior loans may have extended trade settlement periods, including settlement periods of greater than 7 days, which may result in cash not being immediately available to a Fund. If an issuer of a senior loan prepays or redeems the loan prior to maturity, a Fund will have to reinvest the proceeds in other senior loans or similar instruments that may pay lower interest rates. Because of the risks involved in investing in senior loans, an investment in a Fund that invests in such instruments should be considered speculative.

Emerging Markets Risk

Foreign (non-U.S.) investment risk may be particularly high to the extent a Fund invests in emerging market securities. Emerging market securities may present market, credit, currency, liquidity, legal, political and other risks different from, and potentially greater than, the risks of investing in securities and instruments economically tied to developed foreign countries. To the extent a Fund invests in emerging market securities that are economically tied to a particular region, country or group of countries, the Fund may be more sensitive to adverse political or social events affecting that region, country or group of countries. Economic, business, political, or social instability may affect emerging market securities differently, and often more severely, than developed market securities. A Fund that focuses its investments in multiple asset classes of emerging market securities may have a limited ability to mitigate losses in an environment that is adverse to emerging market securities in general. Emerging market securities may also be more volatile, less liquid and more difficult to value than securities economically tied to developed foreign countries. The systems and procedures for trading and settlement of securities in emerging markets are less developed and less transparent and transactions may take longer to settle. Rising interest rates, combined with widening credit spreads, could negatively impact the value of emerging market debt and increase funding costs for foreign issuers. In such a scenario, foreign issuers might not be able to service their debt obligations, the market for emerging market debt could suffer from reduced liquidity, and any investing Funds could lose money.

Sovereign Debt Risk

Sovereign debt risk is the risk that fixed income instruments issued by sovereign entities may decline in value as a result of default or other adverse credit event resulting from an issuer's inability or unwillingness to make principal or interest payments in a timely fashion. A sovereign entity's failure to make timely payments on its debt can result from many factors, including, without limitation, insufficient foreign currency reserves or an inability to sufficiently manage fluctuations in relative currency valuations, an inability or unwillingness to satisfy the demands of creditors and/or relevant supranational entities regarding debt service or economic reforms, the size of the debt burden relative to economic output and tax revenues, cash flow difficulties, and other political and social considerations. The risk of loss to the Fund in the event of a sovereign debt default or other adverse credit event is heightened by the unlikelihood of any formal recourse or means to enforce its rights as a holder of the sovereign debt. In addition, sovereign debt restructurings, which may be shaped by entities and factors beyond the Fund's control, may result in a loss in value of the Fund's sovereign debt holdings.

 

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Currency Risk

If a Fund invests directly in foreign (non-U.S.) currencies or in securities that trade in, and receive revenues in, foreign (non-U.S.) currencies, or in derivatives that provide exposure to foreign (non-U.S.) currencies, it will be subject to the risk that those currencies will decline in value relative to the U.S. dollar, or, in the case of hedging positions, that the U.S. dollar will decline in value relative to the currency being hedged.

Currency rates in foreign (non-U.S.) countries may fluctuate significantly over short periods of time for a number of reasons, including changes in interest rates, intervention (or the failure to intervene) by U.S. or foreign (non-U.S.) governments, central banks or supranational entities such as the International Monetary Fund, or by the imposition of currency controls or other political developments in the United States or abroad. As a result, a Fund's investments in foreign currency-denominated securities may reduce the returns of the Fund.

Currency risk may be particularly high to the extent that a Fund invests in foreign (non-U.S.) currencies or engages in foreign currency transactions that are economically tied to emerging market countries. These currency transactions may present market, credit, currency, liquidity, legal, political and other risks different from, or greater than, the risks of investing in developed foreign (non-U.S.) currencies or engaging in foreign currency transactions that are economically tied to developed foreign countries.

Leveraging Risk

Certain transactions may give rise to a form of leverage. Such transactions may include, among others, reverse repurchase agreements, loans of portfolio securities, and the use of when-issued, delayed delivery or forward commitment transactions. The use of derivatives may also create leveraging risk. In accordance with federal securities laws, rules and staff positions, PIMCO will mitigate its leveraging risk by segregating or "earmarking" liquid assets or otherwise covering transactions that may give rise to such risk. Each Subsidiary (as described under "Characteristics and Risks of Securities and Investment Techniques—Investments in the Wholly-Owned Subsidiary") will comply with these asset segregation or "earmarking" requirements to the same extent as the PIMCO Global Multi-Asset Fund. The Funds also may be exposed to leveraging risk by borrowing money for investment purposes. Leveraging may cause a Fund to liquidate portfolio positions to satisfy its obligations or to meet segregation requirements when it may not be advantageous to do so. Leveraging, including borrowing, may cause a Fund to be more volatile than if the Fund had not been leveraged. This is because leveraging tends to exaggerate the effect of any increase or decrease in the value of a Fund's portfolio securities (or the value of the Underlying PIMCO Funds in the case of the PIMCO All Asset and PIMCO All Asset All Authority Funds or the Acquired Funds in the case of the PIMCO Global Multi-Asset Fund, PIMCO Multi-Strategy Alternative Fund and PIMCO REALPATH® Funds). Certain types of leveraging transactions, such as short sales that are not "against the box," could theoretically be subject to unlimited losses in cases where a Fund, for any reason, is unable to close out the transaction. In addition, to the extent a Fund borrows money, interest costs on such borrowings may not be recovered by any appreciation of the securities purchased with the borrowed amounts and could exceed the Fund's investment returns, resulting in greater losses. Moreover, to make payments of interest and other loan costs, a Fund may be forced to sell portfolio securities when it is not otherwise advantageous to do so.

Small-Cap and Mid-Cap Company Risk

Investments in securities issued by small-capitalization and mid-capitalization companies involve greater risk than investments in large-capitalization companies. The general risks associated with fixed income securities and equity securities are particularly pronounced for securities issued by companies with smaller market capitalizations. These companies may have limited product lines, markets or financial resources or they may depend on a few key employees. As a result, they may be subject to greater levels of credit, market and issuer risk. Securities of smaller companies may trade less frequently and in lesser volumes than more widely held securities and their values may fluctuate more sharply than other securities. Companies with medium-sized market capitalizations may have risks similar to those of smaller companies.

Smaller Company Risk

The general risks associated with fixed income securities and equity securities are particularly pronounced for securities issued by companies with smaller market capitalizations. These companies may have limited product lines, markets or financial resources or they may depend on a few key employees. As a result, they may be subject to greater levels of credit, market and issuer risk. Securities of smaller companies may trade less frequently and in lesser volumes than more widely held securities and their values may fluctuate more sharply than other securities. Companies with medium-sized market capitalizations may have risks similar to those of smaller companies.

Management Risk

The Funds, the Subsidiary and certain Acquired Funds are subject to management risk because they are actively managed investment portfolios. PIMCO, or the sub-adviser, as applicable, or in the case of a fund that is not managed by PIMCO, such other fund's investment adviser and sub-adviser, as applicable, and each individual portfolio manager will apply investment techniques and risk analysis in making investment decisions for the Funds, the Subsidiary and certain Acquired Funds, as applicable, but there can be no guarantee that these decisions will produce the desired results. Certain securities or other instruments in which a Fund seeks to invest may not be available in the quantities desired. In addition, regulatory restrictions, actual or potential conflicts of interest or other considerations may cause PIMCO to restrict or prohibit participation in certain investments. In such circumstances, PIMCO or the individual portfolio managers may determine to purchase other securities or instruments as substitutes. Such substitute securities or instruments may not perform as

 

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intended, which could result in losses to the Fund. To the extent a Fund employs strategies targeting perceived pricing inefficiencies, arbitrage strategies or similar strategies, it is subject to the risk that the pricing or valuation of the securities and instruments involved in such strategies may change unexpectedly, which may result in reduced returns or losses to the Fund. Additionally, legislative, regulatory, or tax restrictions, policies or developments may affect the investment techniques available to PIMCO and each individual portfolio manager in connection with managing the Funds and may also adversely affect the ability of the Funds and the Subsidiary, as applicable, to achieve their investment objectives. There also can be no assurance that all of the personnel of PIMCO will continue to be associated with PIMCO for any length of time. The loss of services of one or more key employees of PIMCO could have an adverse impact on the Fund's and the Subsidiary's, as applicable, ability to realize its investment objective. Because a number of Underlying PIMCO Funds obtain exposure to certain proprietary model stock portfolios by investing in equity total return swaps based on such model portfolios, in other securities and instruments to replicate the performance of such model portfolios, or directly in the equity securities held in such model portfolios, such Underlying PIMCO Funds will be subject to the risks associated with the management of these proprietary model stock portfolios by the sub-adviser to such Underlying PIMCO Funds.

Short Exposure Risk

A Fund's short sales, if any, are subject to special risks. A short sale involves the sale by the Fund of a security that it does not own with the hope of purchasing the same security at a later date at a lower price. A Fund may also enter into a short position through a forward commitment or a short derivative position through a futures contract or swap agreement. If the price of the security or derivative has increased during this time, then the Fund will incur a loss equal to the increase in price from the time that the short sale was entered into plus any transaction costs (i.e., premiums and interest) paid to the broker-dealer to borrow securities. Therefore, short sales involve the risk that losses may be exaggerated, potentially losing more money than the actual cost of the investment. By contrast, a loss on a long position arises from decreases in the value of the security and is limited by the fact that a security's value cannot decrease below zero.

By investing the proceeds received from selling securities short, a Fund could be deemed to be employing a form of leverage, which creates special risks. The use of leverage may increase a Fund's exposure to long security positions and make any change in the Fund's NAV greater than it would be without the use of leverage. This could result in increased volatility of returns. There is no guarantee that any leveraging strategy a Fund employs will be successful during any period in which it is employed.

In times of unusual or adverse market, economic, regulatory or political conditions, a Fund may not be able, fully or partially, to implement its short selling strategy. Periods of unusual or adverse market, economic, regulatory or political conditions generally may exist for as long as six months and, in some cases, much longer. Also, there is the risk that the third party to the short sale will not fulfill its contractual obligations, causing a loss to the Fund. Also, to the extent the PIMCO All Asset All Authority Fund holds exposure to Short Strategy Underlying PIMCO Funds, which seek to gain a negative exposure to an asset class such as equities, such exposure may create the potential for losses should those asset classes deliver positive returns.

Tax Risk

The PIMCO Global Multi-Asset Fund gains exposure to the commodities markets through investments in commodity-linked derivative instruments, including commodity index-linked notes, swap agreements, commodity options, futures, and options on futures. Each Fund may also gain exposure indirectly to commodity markets by investing in its respective Subsidiary, which invests primarily in commodity-linked derivative instruments backed by a portfolio of inflation-indexed securities and/or other Fixed Income Instruments. In order for the PIMCO Global Multi-Asset Fund to qualify as a regulated investment company under Subchapter M of the Code, each Fund must derive at least 90 percent of its gross income each taxable year from certain qualifying sources of income.

As more fully described below under "Tax Consequences—A Note on the PIMCO Global Multi-Asset Fund" the Internal Revenue Service (the "IRS") issued a revenue ruling which holds that income derived from commodity-linked swaps is not qualifying income under Subchapter M of the Code. However, the IRS has issued private letter rulings in which the IRS specifically concluded that income from certain commodity index-linked notes is qualifying income (collectively, the "Notes Rulings"). In addition, the IRS has also issued private letter rulings in which the IRS specifically concluded that income derived from an investment in a subsidiary will also constitute qualifying income. The IRS recently issued proposed regulations that, if finalized, would generally treat a fund's income inclusion with respect to a subsidiary as qualifying income only if there is a distribution out of the earnings and profits of a subsidiary that are attributable to such income inclusion. The proposed regulations, if adopted, would apply to taxable years beginning on or after 90 days after the regulations are published as final. The IRS also recently issued a revenue procedure, which states that the IRS will not in the future issue private letter rulings that would require a determination of whether an asset (such as a commodity index-linked note) is a "security" under the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended (the "1940 Act"). In connection with issuing such revenue procedure, the IRS has revoked the Note Rulings.

The PIMCO Global Multi-Asset Fund will seek to gain exposure to the commodity markets primarily through investments in its Subsidiary. If the IRS were to determine that income derived from investments in a Subsidiary does not constitute qualifying income, the PIMCO Global Multi-Asset Fund might be adversely affected and would be required to reduce its exposure to such investments, which might result in difficulty in implementing its investment strategies and increased costs and taxes. Investments in the Subsidiary involves specific risks. See "Characteristics and Risks of Securities and Investment

 

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Techniques—Investments in Wholly-Owned Subsidiary" below for further information regarding the Subsidiary, including the risks associated with investing in the Subsidiary.

To the extent the PIMCO All Asset, PIMCO All Asset All Authority, PIMCO Global Multi-Asset, PIMCO Multi-Strategy Alternative and REALPATH® Funds invest in the PIMCO CommodityRealReturn Strategy Fund® or PIMCO CommoditiesPLUS® Strategy Fund, the use of the above noted investments by the Underlying PIMCO Fund could subject the shareholders of those Funds to risks similar to those described above.

Subsidiary Risk

By investing in its Subsidiary, the Global Multi-Asset Fund is indirectly exposed to the risks associated with the Subsidiary's investments. The investments held by the Subsidiary are generally similar to those that are permitted to be held by the Fund and are subject to the same risks that apply to similar investments if held directly by the Fund. These risks are described elsewhere in this prospectus. There can be no assurance that the investment objective of the Subsidiary will be achieved. The Subsidiary is not registered under the 1940 Act, and, unless otherwise noted in this prospectus, is not subject to all the investor protections of the 1940 Act. In addition, changes in the laws of the United States and/or the Cayman Islands could result in the inability of the PIMCO Global Multi-Asset Fund and/or the Subsidiary to operate as described in this prospectus and SAI and could adversely affect the PIMCO Global Multi-Asset Fund and, to the extent the PIMCO Multi-Strategy Alternative Fund, PIMCO All Asset, PIMCO All Asset All Authority and PIMCO REALPATH® Funds invest in Underlying PIMCO Funds or Acquired Funds with Subsidiaries, the PIMCO Multi-Strategy Alternative, PIMCO All Asset, PIMCO All Asset All Authority and PIMCO REALPATH® Funds. Changes in the laws of the United States and/or the Cayman Islands could adversely affect the performance of a Fund and/or a Subsidiary and result in the Fund underperforming its benchmark index(es).

Value Investing Risk

Value investing attempts to identify companies that a portfolio manager believes to be undervalued. Value stocks typically have prices that are low relative to factors such as the company's earnings, cash flow or dividends. A value stock may decrease in price or may not increase in price as anticipated by PIMCO if it continues to be undervalued by the market or the factors that the portfolio manager believes will cause the stock price to increase do not occur. A value investing style may perform better or worse than equity portfolios that focus on growth stocks or that have a broader investment style.

Cash Holdings Risk

The PIMCO EqS® Long/Short Fund, an Underlying PIMCO Fund, may invest significant amounts in cash and cash equivalents for indefinite periods of time when PIMCO determines the prevailing market environment warrants doing so. When the Underlying PIMCO Fund holds large cash positions, it may lose opportunities to participate in market appreciation, which may result in lower returns than if the Underlying PIMCO Fund had remained fully invested in the market. Furthermore, cash and cash equivalents may generate minimal or no income and could negatively impact the Underlying PIMCO Fund's performance and ability to achieve its investment objective.

Arbitrage Risk

An Underlying PIMCO Fund that invests in securities purchased pursuant to an arbitrage strategy in order to take advantage of a perceived relationship between the value of two securities presents certain risks. Securities purchased or sold short pursuant to an arbitrage strategy may not perform as intended, which may result in a loss to the Underlying PIMCO Fund. Additionally, issuers of a security purchased pursuant to an arbitrage strategy are often engaged in significant corporate events, such as restructurings, acquisitions, mergers, takeovers, tender offers or exchanges, or liquidations. Such corporate events may not be completed as initially planned or may fail.

Convertible Securities Risk

Convertible securities are fixed income securities, preferred securities or other securities that are convertible into or exercisable for common stock of the issuer (or cash or securities of equivalent value) at either a stated price or a stated rate. The market values of convertible securities may decline as interest rates increase and, conversely, may increase as interest rates decline. A convertible security's market value, however, tends to reflect the market price of the common stock of the issuing company when that stock price approaches or is greater than the convertible security's "conversion price." The conversion price is defined as the predetermined price at which the convertible security could be exchanged for the associated stock. As the market price of the underlying common stock declines, the price of the convertible security tends to be influenced more by the yield of the convertible security. Thus, it may not decline in price to the same extent as the underlying common stock. In the event of a liquidation of the issuing company, holders of convertible securities may be paid before the company's common stockholders but after holders of any senior debt obligations of the company. Consequently, the issuer's convertible securities generally entail less risk than its common stock but more risk than its debt obligations.

Synthetic convertible securities involve the combination of separate securities that possess the two principal characteristics of a traditional convertible security (i.e., an income-producing component and a right to acquire an equity security). Synthetic convertible securities are often achieved, in part, through investments in warrants or options to buy common stock (or options on a stock index), and therefore are subject to the risks associated with derivatives. The value of a synthetic convertible security will respond differently to market fluctuations than a traditional convertible security because a synthetic convertible is composed of two or more separate securities or instruments, each with its own market value. Because the convertible component is typically

 

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achieved by investing in warrants or options to buy common stock at a certain exercise price, or options on a stock index, synthetic convertible securities are subject to the risks associated with derivatives. In addition, if the value of the underlying common stock or the level of the index involved in the convertible component falls below the exercise price of the warrant or option, the warrant or option may lose all value.

Exchange-Traded Fund ("ETF") Risk

Investments in ETFs entail certain risks. Investments in ETFs designed to track an index involve the risk that the ETF's performance may not track the performance of the index the ETF is designed to track. This deviation may occur due to cash inflows and outflows from and to investors buying and redeeming shares or due to occasional differences between the composition of the index and the securities held by the ETF. In addition, investments in ETFs involve the risk that the market prices of ETF shares will fluctuate, sometimes rapidly and materially, in response to changes in the ETF's NAV, the value of ETF holdings and supply and demand for ETF shares. Although ETFs will generally trade close to NAV, market volatility, lack of an active trading market for ETF shares, disruptions at market participants (such as Authorized Participants or market makers) and any disruptions in the ordinary functioning of the creation/redemption process may result in ETF shares trading significantly above (at a "premium") or below (at a "discount") NAV. Significant losses may result when transacting in ETF shares in these and other circumstances.

Tracking Error Risk

An Underlying PIMCO Fund that seeks to track the investment results of an index may not invest in every component security of its underlying index. Imperfect correlation between an Underlying PIMCO Fund's portfolio and its underlying index, asset valuation, timing variances, changes to the underlying index and regulatory requirements may cause the Underlying PIMCO Fund's performance to diverge from the performance of its underlying index. Tracking error may also result because an Underlying PIMCO Fund incurs fees and expenses while its underlying index does not incur such fees and expenses. Such expenses include the costs of buying and selling securities, such as when an Underlying PIMCO Fund rebalances its portfolio to reflect changes in the composition of the underlying index. These expenses may be higher for an Underlying PIMCO Fund investing in foreign (non-U.S.) securities. The performance of an Underlying PIMCO Fund and the underlying index may vary due to differences between the Underlying PIMCO Fund's portfolio and the underlying index due to legal restrictions, cost or liquidity restraints. The risk that performance of an Underlying PIMCO Fund and the underlying index may vary may be heightened during periods of market volatility or other unusual market conditions. Because an underlying index is not subject to the tax diversification requirements to which an Underlying PIMCO Fund must adhere, the Underlying PIMCO Fund may be required to deviate its investments from the securities and relative weightings of its underlying index. For tax efficiency purposes, an Underlying PIMCO Fund may sell certain securities to realize losses, which will result in a deviation from its underlying index. An Underlying PIMCO Fund may not be fully invested at times either as a result of cash flows into the Fund or reserves of cash held by the Fund to meet redemptions and to pay expenses. In addition, if an Underlying PIMCO Fund uses a representative sampling approach, this approach may cause the Underlying PIMCO Fund to be less correlated with the return of the underlying index than if the Underlying PIMCO Fund held all of the securities in the underlying index with the same relative weightings as the underlying index.

Indexing Risk

Certain Underlying PIMCO Funds use an indexing approach and may be affected by a general decline in market segments or asset classes relating to their underlying indexes. Those Underlying PIMCO Funds invest in securities and instruments included in, or representative of, their underlying indexes regardless of the investment merits of the underlying indexes. Additionally, errors in the construction or calculation of an Underlying PIMCO Fund's underlying index may occur from time to time, and the index provider may not identify or correct such errors for some period of time. Any such underlying index construction or calculation error may adversely impact the Underlying PIMCO Fund.

Disclosure of Portfolio Holdings

Please see "Disclosure of Portfolio Holdings" in the SAI for information about the availability of the complete schedule of each Fund's holdings.

 

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Management of the Funds

Investment Adviser and Administrator

PIMCO serves as the investment adviser and the administrator (serving in its capacity as investment adviser, the "Investment Adviser," and serving in its capacity as administrator, the "Administrator") for the Funds. Subject to the supervision of the Board of Trustees of PIMCO Funds (the "Trust"), PIMCO is responsible for managing the investment activities of the Funds and the Funds' business affairs and other administrative matters. PIMCO also serves as the investment adviser for the GMA Subsidiary.

PIMCO is located at 650 Newport Center Drive, Newport Beach, CA 92660. Organized in 1971, PIMCO provides investment management and advisory services to private accounts of institutional and individual clients and to mutual funds. As of June 30, 2018, PIMCO had approximately $[ ] in assets under management.

PIMCO has engaged Research Affiliates, LLC, a California limited liability company ("Research Affiliates"), to serve as asset allocation sub-adviser to the PIMCO All Asset and PIMCO All Asset All Authority Funds. Research Affiliates was organized in 2002 and is located at 620 Newport Center Drive, Suite 900, Newport Beach, CA 92660. As asset allocation sub-adviser for these Funds, Research Affiliates is responsible for recommending how the assets of the Funds are allocated and reallocated from time to time among the Underlying PIMCO Funds.

PIMCO has engaged Research Affiliates to serve as sub-adviser to the PIMCO Multi-Strategy Alternative Fund. As sub-adviser to this Fund, Research Affiliates is responsible for providing, subject to the supervision of PIMCO, investment advisory services in connection with the Fund's swap-based exposure to the proprietary model portfolios, as described in the Fund's Fund Summary.

Management Fees

Each Fund pays for the advisory and supervisory and administrative services it requires under what is essentially an all-in fee structure. The Management Fees shown in the Annual Fund Operating Expenses tables reflect both an advisory fee and a supervisory and administrative fee. For the fiscal year ended March 31, 2018, the Funds paid monthly Management Fees to PIMCO at the following annual rates (stated as a percentage of the average daily net assets attributable to each class's shares taken separately):

Management Fees

Fund Name

Inst
Class

I-2

Admin Class

Class A

Class C

Class R

PIMCO All Asset Fund

0.225%

0.325%

0.225%

0.425%

0.425%

0.425%

PIMCO All Asset All Authority Fund‌

0.25%

0.35%

0.25%

0.45%

0.45%

N/A

PIMCO Global Multi-Asset Fund‌

0.95%

1.05%

N/A

1.15%

1.15%

1.15%

PIMCO Multi-Strategy Alternative Fund

1.15%

1.25%

N/A

1.30%

N/A

N/A

PIMCO REALPATH® Income Fund‌

0.55%

N/A

0.55%

0.75%

N/A

N/A

PIMCO REALPATH® 2020 Fund‌

0.58%

N/A

0.58%

0.78%

N/A

N/A

PIMCO REALPATH® 2025 Fund‌

0.60%

N/A

0.60%

0.80%

N/A

N/A

PIMCO REALPATH® 2030 Fund‌

0.63%

N/A

0.63%

0.83%

N/A

N/A

PIMCO REALPATH® 2035 Fund‌

0.65%

N/A

0.65%

0.85%

N/A

N/A

PIMCO REALPATH® 2040 Fund‌

0.65%

N/A

0.65%

0.85%

N/A

N/A

PIMCO REALPATH® 2045 Fund‌

0.67%

N/A

0.67%

0.87%

N/A

N/A

PIMCO REALPATH® 2050 Fund‌

0.67%

N/A

0.67%

0.87%

N/A

N/A

PIMCO REALPATH® 2055 Fund‌

0.67%

N/A

0.67%

0.87%

N/A

N/A

I-3 shares of the PIMCO All Asset Fund and PIMCO All Asset All Authority Fund were not operational during the fiscal year ended March 31, 2018. The management fee for the I-3 shares of the PIMCO All Asset Fund and PIMCO All Asset All Authority Fund is at the following annual rate (stated as a percentage of the average daily net assets attributable to the class's shares taken separately): 0.425% and 0.45%, respectively.

Advisory Fee. Each Fund pays PIMCO fees in return for providing investment advisory services. For the fiscal year ended March 31, 2018, the Funds paid monthly advisory fees to PIMCO at the following annual rates (stated as a percentage of the average daily net assets of each Fund taken separately):


Fund Name

Advisory Fee
All Classes(1)

PIMCO All Asset Fund

0.175%

PIMCO All Asset All Authority Fund

0.20%

PIMCO Global Multi-Asset Fund

0.90%

 

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Prospectus

 


Fund Name

Advisory Fee
All Classes(1)

PIMCO Multi-Strategy Alternative Fund

1.05%

PIMCO REALPATH® Income Fund

0.50%

PIMCO REALPATH® 2020 Fund

0.53%

PIMCO REALPATH® 2025 Fund

0.55%‌

PIMCO REALPATH® 2030 Fund

0.58%

PIMCO REALPATH® 2035 Fund

0.60%

PIMCO REALPATH® 2040 Fund

0.60%

PIMCO REALPATH® 2045 Fund

0.62%

PIMCO REALPATH® 2050 Fund

0.62%

PIMCO REALPATH® 2055 Fund

0.62%

 

1 For details regarding changes to this rate within the last 5 years, please see the footnote disclosures for the Funds in the Financial Highlights section beginning on page [ ].

As the PIMCO REALPATH® Funds approach their target dates and their portfolios become more conservative, the PIMCO REALPATH® Funds' investment advisory contract provides that certain PIMCO REALPATH® Funds' advisory fees will periodically decrease over time according to set intervals. The following table provides information with respect to such advisory fee adjustments.

Advisory Fee Schedule (stated as a percentage of the average daily net assets of each PIMCO REALPATH® Fund taken separately)

Fund Name

April 1, 2015

April 1, 2020

April 1, 2025

April 1, 2030

April 1, 2035

PIMCO REALPATH® Income Fund

0.50%

0.50%

0.50%

0.50%

0.50%

PIMCO REALPATH® 2020 Fund

0.53%

0.50%

0.50%

0.50%

0.50%

PIMCO REALPATH® 2025 Fund

0.55%

0.53%

0.50%

0.50%

0.50%

PIMCO REALPATH® 2030 Fund

0.58%

0.55%

0.53%

0.50%

0.50%

PIMCO REALPATH® 2035 Fund

0.60%

0.58%

0.55%

0.53%

0.50%

PIMCO REALPATH® 2040 Fund

0.60%

0.60%

0.58%

0.55%

0.53%

PIMCO REALPATH® 2045 Fund

0.62%

0.60%

0.60%

0.58%

0.55%

PIMCO REALPATH® 2050 Fund

0.62%

0.62%

0.60%

0.60%

0.58%

PIMCO REALPATH® 2055 Fund

0.62%

0.62%

0.62%

0.60%

0.60%

A discussion of the basis for the Board of Trustees' approval of the Funds' investment advisory contract and asset allocation sub-advisory agreements is available in the Funds' Semi-Annual Report to shareholders for the fiscal half-year ended September 30, 2017.

As discussed in its "Principal Investments and Strategies" section, the PIMCO Global Multi-Asset Fund may pursue its investment objective by investing in its Subsidiary. The Subsidiary has entered into a separate contract with PIMCO whereby PIMCO provides investment advisory and other services to the Subsidiary. In consideration of these services, the Subsidiary pays PIMCO a management fee and an administrative services fee at the annual rates of 0.49% and 0.20%, respectively. PIMCO has contractually agreed to waive the advisory fee and the supervisory and administrative fee it receives from the PIMCO Global Multi-Asset Fund in an amount equal to the management fee and administrative services fee, respectively, paid to PIMCO by the Subsidiary. This waiver may not be terminated by PIMCO and will remain in effect for as long as PIMCO's contract with the Subsidiary is in place.

Supervisory and Administrative Fee. Each Fund pays for the supervisory and administrative services it requires under what is essentially an all-in fee structure. Shareholders of each Fund pay a supervisory and administrative fee to PIMCO, computed as a percentage of the Fund's assets attributable in the aggregate to that class of shares. PIMCO, in turn, provides or procures supervisory and administrative services for shareholders and also bears the costs of various third-party services required by the Funds, including audit, custodial, portfolio accounting, legal, transfer agency and printing costs. The Funds bear other expenses which are not covered under the supervisory and administrative fee which may vary and affect the total level of expenses paid by the shareholders, such as taxes and governmental fees, brokerage fees, commissions and other transaction expenses, organizational expenses, costs of borrowing money, including interest expenses and extraordinary expenses (such as litigation and indemnification expenses). PIMCO generally earns a profit on the supervisory and administrative fee paid by the Funds. Also, under the terms of the supervision and administration agreement, PIMCO, and not Fund shareholders, would benefit from any price decreases in third-party services, including decreases resulting from an increase in net assets.

 

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PIMCO Funds

For the fiscal year ended March 31, 2018, the Funds paid PIMCO monthly supervisory and administrative fees at the following annual rates (stated as a percentage of the average daily net assets attributable in the aggregate to each class's shares taken separately):

Supervisory and Administrative Fees(1)


Fund Name

Inst
Class


I-2

Admin
Class

Class A

Class C

Class R

PIMCO All Asset Fund

0.05%

0.15%

0.05%

0.25%

0.25%

0.25%

PIMCO All Asset All Authority Fund

0.05%

0.15%

0.05%

0.25%

0.25%

N/A

PIMCO Global Multi-Asset Fund

0.05%

0.15%

N/A

0.25%

0.25%

0.25%

PIMCO Multi-Strategy Alternative Fund

0.10%

0.20%

N/A

0.25%

N/A

N/A

PIMCO REALPATH® Income Fund

0.05%

N/A

0.05%

0.25%

N/A

N/A

PIMCO REALPATH® 2020 Fund

0.05%

N/A

0.05%

0.25%

N/A

N/A

PIMCO REALPATH® 2025 Fund

0.05%

N/A

0.05%

0.25%

N/A

N/A

PIMCO REALPATH® 2030 Fund

0.05%

N/A

0.05%

0.25%

N/A

N/A

PIMCO REALPATH® 2035 Fund

0.05%

N/A

0.05%

0.25%

N/A

N/A

PIMCO REALPATH® 2040 Fund

0.05%

N/A

0.05%

0.25%

N/A

N/A

PIMCO REALPATH® 2045 Fund

0.05%

N/A

0.05%

0.25%

N/A

N/A

PIMCO REALPATH® 2050 Fund

0.05%

N/A

0.05%

0.25%

N/A

N/A

PIMCO REALPATH® 2055 Fund

0.05%

N/A

0.05%

0.25%

N/A

N/A

 

1 For details regarding changes to this rate within the last 5 years, please see the footnote disclosures for the Funds in the Financial Highlights section beginning on page [ ].

I-3 shares of the PIMCO All Asset Fund and PIMCO All Asset All Authority Fund were not operational during the fiscal year ended March 31, 2018. The supervisory and administrative fee for the I-3 shares of the PIMCO All Asset Fund and PIMCO All Asset All Authority Fund is at the following annual rate (stated as a percentage of the average daily net assets attributable to the class's shares taken separately): 0.25% and 0.25%, respectively.

Expense Limitation Agreement

Pursuant to the Expense Limitation Agreement, PIMCO has agreed to waive a portion of each Fund's supervisory and administrative fees, or reimburse the Fund, to the extent that the Fund's organizational expenses and pro rata share of Trustee fees exceed 0.0049% (the "Expense Limit") (calculated as a percentage of average daily net assets attributable to each class). The Expense Limitation Agreement will automatically renew for one-year terms unless PIMCO provides written notice to the Trust at least 30 days prior to the end of the then current term. In any month in which the supervision and administration agreement is in effect, PIMCO is entitled to reimbursement by each Fund of any portion of the supervisory and administrative fee waived or reimbursed as set forth above (the "Reimbursement Amount") during the previous thirty-six months, provided that such amount paid to PIMCO will not: 1) together with any organizational expenses and pro rata Trustee fees, exceed, for such month, the Expense Limit; 2) exceed the total Reimbursement Amount; or 3) include any amounts previously reimbursed to PIMCO.

Fee Waiver Agreement

PIMCO has contractually agreed, through July 31, 2019, to waive its supervisory and administrative fee for I-3 shares by 0.05% of the average daily net assets attributable to I-3 shares of each of PIMCO All Asset Fund and PIMCO All Asset All Authority Fund. This Fee Waiver Agreement will automatically renew for one-year terms unless PIMCO provides written notice to the Trust at least 30 days prior to the end of the then current term.

Underlying PIMCO Fund Fees

The PIMCO All Asset and PIMCO All Asset All Authority Funds are permitted to invest in Underlying PIMCO Funds, which, for these two Funds, is defined to include the least expensive class of shares of any actively managed or smart beta funds (including mutual funds or exchange-traded funds) of the Trust, or PIMCO ETF Trust or PIMCO Equity Series, each an affiliated open-end investment company, except other funds of funds. The PIMCO Global Multi-Asset Fund and the PIMCO REALPATH® Funds are permitted to invest in Underlying PIMCO Funds, which, for these Funds, is defined to include Institutional Class or Class M shares of any funds of the Trust and PIMCO Equity Series, an affiliated open-end investment company, except other funds of funds. The PIMCO Multi-Strategy Alternative Fund is permitted to invest in Underlying PIMCO Funds, which, for the Fund, is defined to include Institutional Class or Class M shares of any funds of the Trust and PIMCO Equity Series, an affiliated open-end investment company, except other funds of funds, or shares of any funds of PIMCO ETF Trust, an affiliated investment company. Each of the PIMCO Global Multi-Asset, PIMCO Multi-Strategy Alternative and PIMCO REALPATH® Funds is further permitted to invest in Acquired Funds, which, for these Funds, is defined to include the Underlying PIMCO Funds (as defined for each Fund) and other affiliated funds, including funds of the PIMCO ETF Trust, and unaffiliated funds.

The PIMCO All Asset, PIMCO All Asset All Authority, PIMCO Global Multi-Asset, PIMCO Multi-Strategy Alternative and PIMCO REALPATH® Funds pay advisory and supervisory and administrative fees directly to PIMCO at the annual rates stated above, based on the average daily net assets attributable in the aggregate to each Fund's shares. The Funds also indirectly pay their proportionate share of the advisory fees, supervisory and administrative fees and

 

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Prospectus

management fees charged by PIMCO to the Underlying PIMCO Funds and, to the extent not included among the Underlying PIMCO Funds, funds of PIMCO ETF Trust in which each Fund invests (collectively, "Underlying PIMCO Fund Fees").

PIMCO has contractually agreed, through July 31, 2019, for the PIMCO All Asset Fund, to waive its advisory fee to the extent that the Underlying PIMCO Fund Fees exceed 0.64% of the total assets invested in Underlying PIMCO Funds. Similarly, PIMCO has contractually agreed, through July 31, 2019, for the PIMCO All Asset All Authority Fund, to waive its advisory fee to the extent that the Underlying PIMCO Fund Fees exceed 0.69% of the total assets invested in Underlying PIMCO Funds. These waivers will automatically renew for one-year terms unless PIMCO provides written notice to the Trust at least 30 days prior to the end of the then current term. In any month in which the investment advisory contract is in effect, PIMCO is entitled to reimbursement by the Fund of any portion of the advisory fee waived as set forth above (the "Asset Allocation Reimbursement Amount") during the previous thirty-six months, provided that such amount paid to PIMCO will not: 1) together with any Underlying PIMCO Fund Fees exceed, for such month, the applicable expense limit; 2) exceed the total Asset Allocation Reimbursement Amount; or 3) include any amounts previously reimbursed to PIMCO.

For the PIMCO Global Multi-Asset Fund, PIMCO Multi-Strategy Alternative Fund and PIMCO REALPATH® Funds, PIMCO has contractually agreed, through July 31, 2019, to waive, first, the advisory fee and, second, to the extent necessary, the supervisory and administrative fee it receives from each Fund in an amount equal to Underlying PIMCO Fund Fees indirectly incurred by the Fund in connection with its investments in Underlying PIMCO Funds, to the extent the Fund's advisory fee or advisory fee and supervisory and administrative fee, taken together, are greater than or equal to the Underlying PIMCO Fund Fees. These waivers will automatically renew for one-year terms unless PIMCO provides written notice to the Trust at least 30 days prior to the end of the then current term. For purposes of the expense reduction described above, references to Underlying PIMCO Funds include funds of PIMCO ETF Trust.

The Acquired Fund Fees and Expenses shown in the Annual Fund Operating Expenses table for the PIMCO All Asset, PIMCO All Asset All Authority, PIMCO Global Multi-Asset, PIMCO Multi-Strategy Alternative and PIMCO REALPATH® Funds may be higher than the Underlying PIMCO Fund Expenses used for purposes of the expense reduction described above due to differences in the methods of calculation. The Acquired Fund Fees and Expenses, as required to be shown in the Annual Fund Operating Expenses table, are calculated using the total operating expenses for each Underlying PIMCO Fund over the Fund's average net assets. The Underlying PIMCO Fund Expenses that are used for purposes of implementing the expense reduction described above are calculated using the advisory and supervisory and administrative fees for each Underlying PIMCO Fund over the total assets invested in Underlying PIMCO Funds. Thus, the Acquired Fund Fees and Expenses listed in the Annual Fund Operating Expenses table will typically be higher than the Underlying PIMCO Fund Expenses used to calculate the expense reduction when the PIMCO All Asset, PIMCO All Asset All Authority, PIMCO Global Multi-Asset, PIMCO Multi-Strategy Alternative or PIMCO REALPATH® Funds employ leverage as an investment strategy.

The expenses associated with investing in a fund of funds are generally higher than those for mutual funds that do not invest in other funds. The cost of investing in a Fund that is a fund of funds will generally be higher than the cost of investing in a Fund that invests directly in individual stocks and bonds. By investing in a Fund that is a fund of funds, an investor will indirectly bear fees and expenses charged by non-PIMCO Acquired Funds (and may indirectly bear a portion of the fees and expenses charged by Underlying PIMCO Funds to the extent such fees and expenses are not waived or reimbursed pursuant to applicable waiver and reimbursement agreements) in addition to the Fund's direct fees and expenses. In addition, the use of a fund of funds structure could affect the timing, amount and character of distributions to shareholders and may therefore increase the amount of taxes payable by shareholders. The PIMCO All Asset and PIMCO All Asset All Authority Funds invest in the least expensive class of shares of the Underlying PIMCO Funds, which are not subject to any sales charges or distribution (12b-1) fees. The PIMCO Global Multi-Asset, PIMCO Multi-Strategy Alternative and PIMCO REALPATH® Funds, to the extent they invest in Underlying PIMCO Funds, invest in Institutional Class or Class M shares of the Underlying PIMCO Funds (or, for the PIMCO Multi-Strategy Alternative Fund, the Underlying PIMCO Funds in the case of those operating as exchange-traded funds), which are not subject to any sales charges or distribution (12b-1) fees.

The following table summarizes the annual expenses borne by Institutional Class or Class M shareholders of the Underlying PIMCO Funds (or, in the case of those operating as exchange-traded funds, the Underlying PIMCO Fund shareholders). Because the PIMCO All Asset and PIMCO All Asset All Authority Funds invest in the least expensive class of shares of the Underlying PIMCO Funds, and the PIMCO Global Multi-Asset, PIMCO Multi-Strategy Alternative and PIMCO REALPATH® Funds, to the extent they invest in Underlying PIMCO Funds, invest in Institutional Class or Class M shares of the Underlying PIMCO Funds (or, in the case of those operating as exchange-traded funds, the Underlying PIMCO Fund shares), shareholders of the PIMCO All Asset, PIMCO All Asset All Authority, PIMCO Global Multi-Asset, PIMCO Multi-Strategy Alternative and PIMCO REALPATH® Funds would indirectly bear a proportionate share of these expenses, depending upon how the Funds' assets are allocated from time to time among the Underlying PIMCO Funds.

For a complete description of an Underlying PIMCO Fund, please see the Underlying PIMCO Fund's prospectus. For a summary description of the Underlying PIMCO Funds, please see the "Description of the Underlying PIMCO Funds" section in this prospectus.

 

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PIMCO Funds

Annual Underlying PIMCO Fund Expenses
(Based on the average daily net assets attributable to an Underlying PIMCO Fund's Institutional Class shares (or Class M shares in the case of the PIMCO Government Money Market Fund, or the Fund in the case of exchange-traded funds of the PIMCO ETF Trust or PIMCO Equity Series)).

[To be updated by subsequent amendment]

 

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Table of Contents

Prospectus

Individual Portfolio Managers

The following individuals have primary responsibility for managing each of the noted Funds.

Fund

Portfolio Manager

Since

Recent Professional Experience

PIMCO All Asset
PIMCO All Asset All Authority

Robert D. Arnott

7/02*
10/03*

Chairman, Founder, Research Affiliates, LLC, since July 2002. Previously, Mr. Arnott was Chairman of First Quadrant, L.P. until April 2004. He joined First Quadrant in April 1988.

PIMCO All Asset
PIMCO All Asset All Authority

Christopher J. Brightman

11/16
11/16

Chief Investment Officer, Research Affiliates, LLC, since April 2014. Previously at Research Affiliates, LLC, Mr. Brightman served as a Managing Director and Head of Investment Management. Prior to joining Research Affiliates in 2010, Mr. Brightman was chief executive officer of the University of Virginia Investment Management Company.

PIMCO Multi-Strategy Alternative

Josh Davis

12/14*

Managing Director, PIMCO. Dr. Davis is a member of PIMCO's global quantitative portfolio group and focuses on portfolio solutions and quantitative strategy, including asset allocation, tail risk hedging, foreign exchange and variable annuities. Prior to joining PIMCO in 2008, he was a consulting strategist with Prime International Trading in Chicago.

PIMCO REALPATH® Income
PIMCO REALPATH® 2020
PIMCO REALPATH® 2025
PIMCO REALPATH® 2030
PIMCO REALPATH® 2035
PIMCO REALPATH® 2040
PIMCO REALPATH® 2045
PIMCO REALPATH® 2050
PIMCO REALPATH® 2055

Rahul Devgon

12/15
12/15
12/15
12/15
12/15
12/15
12/15
12/15
12/15

Senior Vice President, PIMCO. Mr. Devgon is a portfolio manager focusing on asset allocation strategies. Prior to joining PIMCO in 2013, Mr. Devgon was associated with Moore Capital where he traded global macro assets.

PIMCO Multi-Strategy Alternative

Mohsen Fahmi

12/14*

Managing Director, PIMCO. Mr. Fahmi joined PIMCO in 2014 and is a generalist portfolio manager focusing on global fixed income assets. Prior to joining PIMCO, Mr. Fahmi was with Moore Capital Management, most recently as a senior portfolio manager and previously as chief operating officer. Mr. Fahmi has also previously served as co-head of bond and currency proprietary trading at Tokai Bank Europe, head of leveraged investment at Salomon Brothers and executive director of proprietary trading at Goldman Sachs. Prior to this, he was a proprietary trader for J.P. Morgan in both New York and London, and he also spent seven years as an investment officer at the World Bank in Washington, DC. He has investment experience since 1985 and holds an MBA from Stanford University.

PIMCO REALPATH® Income
PIMCO REALPATH® 2020
PIMCO REALPATH® 2025
PIMCO REALPATH® 2030
PIMCO REALPATH® 2035
PIMCO REALPATH® 2040
PIMCO REALPATH® 2045
PIMCO REALPATH® 2050
PIMCO REALPATH® 2055

Graham A. Rennison

12/15
12/15
12/15
12/15
12/15
12/15
12/15
12/15
12/15

Senior Vice President, PIMCO. Mr. Rennison is a member of the quantitative portfolio management group, focusing on multi-asset class systematic strategies. Prior to joining PIMCO in 2011, Mr. Rennison was associated with Barclays Capital and Lehman Brothers, researching and publishing widely on quantitative strategies in the credit markets.

PIMCO Global Multi-Asset
PIMCO Multi-Strategy Alternative
PIMCO REALPATH® Income
PIMCO REALPATH® 2020
PIMCO REALPATH® 2025
PIMCO REALPATH® 2030
PIMCO REALPATH® 2035
PIMCO REALPATH® 2040
PIMCO REALPATH® 2045
PIMCO REALPATH® 2050
PIMCO REALPATH® 2055

Mihir Worah

1/14
12/14*
12/15
12/15
12/15
12/15
12/15
12/15
12/15
12/15
12/15

CIO Real Return and Asset Allocation and Managing Director, PIMCO. Mr. Worah is a portfolio manager and head of the real return and multi-asset portfolio management teams. Prior to joining PIMCO in 2001, he was a postdoctoral research associate at the University of California, Berkeley, and the Stanford Linear Accelerator Center, where he built models to explain the difference between matter and anti-matter. In 2012 he co-authored "Intelligent Commodity Indexing," published by McGraw-Hill. He has investment experience since 2003 and holds a Ph.D. in theoretical physics from the University of Chicago.

PIMCO Global Multi-Asset

Geraldine Sundstrom

7/15

Managing Director, PIMCO. Ms. Sundstrom is a portfolio manager in the London office, focusing on asset allocation strategies. Prior to joining PIMCO in 2015, she was a partner and portfolio manager at Brevan Howard, where she led the Emerging Markets Strategies Fund. Previously, she was a portfolio manager at Moore Capital Management. She has investment experience since 1996 and holds a master's degree in finance from Birkbeck College at London University and two degrees from Universite Paris Dauphine.

 

* Inception of the Fund.

 

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PIMCO Funds

Please see the SAI for additional information about other accounts managed by the portfolio managers, the portfolio managers' compensation and the portfolio managers' ownership of shares of the Funds.

The Trustees are responsible generally for overseeing the management of the Trust. The Trustees authorize the Trust to enter into service agreements with the Investment Adviser, the Distributor (as defined below), the Administrator and other service providers in order to provide, and in some cases authorize service providers to procure through other parties, necessary or desirable services on behalf of the Trust and the Funds. Shareholders are not parties to or third-party beneficiaries of such service agreements. Neither this prospectus nor summary prospectus, the Trust's SAI, any contracts filed as exhibits to the Trust's registration statement, nor any other communications, disclosure documents or regulatory filings from or on behalf of the Trust or a Fund creates a contract between or among any shareholder of a Fund, on the one hand, and the Trust, a Fund, a service provider to the Trust or a Fund, and/or the Trustees or officers of the Trust, on the other hand. The Trustees (or the Trust and its officers, service providers or other delegates acting under authority of the Trustees) may amend this, or use a new prospectus, summary prospectus or SAI with respect to a Fund or the Trust, and/or amend, file and/or issue any other communications, disclosure documents or regulatory filings, and may amend or enter into any contracts to which the Trust or a Fund is a party, and interpret the investment objective(s), policies, restrictions and contractual provisions applicable to any Fund, without shareholder input or approval, except in circumstances in which shareholder approval is specifically required by law (such as changes to fundamental investment policies) or where a shareholder approval requirement is specifically disclosed in the Trust's then-current prospectus or SAI.

Distributor

The Trust's Distributor is PIMCO Investments LLC (the "Distributor"). The Distributor, located at 1633 Broadway, New York, NY 10019, is a broker-dealer registered with the Securities and Exchange Commission ("SEC"). Please note all direct account requests or inquiries should be mailed to the Trust's transfer agent at P.O. Box 55060, Boston, MA 02205-5060 and should not be mailed to the Distributor.

 

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Classes of Shares

Class A, Class C, Class R, Institutional Class, I-2, I-3 and Administrative Class shares of the Funds are offered in this prospectus. Each share class represents an investment in the same Fund, but each class has its own expense structure and arrangements for shareholder services or distribution, which allows you to choose the class that best fits your situation and eligibility requirements.

The class of shares that is best for you depends upon a number of factors, including the amount and the intended length of your investment, the expenses borne by each class, which are detailed in the fee table and example at the front of this prospectus, any initial sales charge or contingent deferred sales charge ("CDSC") applicable to a class and whether you qualify for any reduction or waiver of sales charges, and the availability of the share class for purchase by you. Certain classes have higher expenses than other classes, which may lower the return on your investment when compared to a less expensive class. Individual investors can generally invest in Class A and Class C shares. Class C shares of each Fund will automatically convert into Class A shares of the same Fund after they have been held for ten years. This automatic conversion will be executed without any sales charge, fee or other charge. After the conversion takes place, the shares will be subject to all features and expenses of Class A shares. Only certain investors may purchase Institutional Class, I-2, I-3, Administrative Class and Class R shares.

The availability of sales charge waivers and discounts may depend on whether you purchase Fund shares directly from the Distributor or a financial firm. More information regarding sales charge waivers and discounts is summarized below.

The following summarizes key information about each class to help you make your investment decision, including the various expenses associated with each class and the payments made to financial firms for distribution and other services. More information about the Trust's multi-class arrangements is included in the SAI and can be obtained free of charge by visiting pimco.com or by calling 888.87.PIMCO.

Sales Charges

Initial Sales Charges — Class A Shares

This section includes important information about sales charge reduction programs available to investors in Class A shares of the Funds and describes information or records you may need to provide to the Distributor or your financial firm in order to be eligible for sales charge reduction programs.

Unless you are eligible for a waiver, the public offering price you pay when you buy Class A shares of the Funds is the NAV of the shares plus an initial sales charge. The initial sales charge varies depending upon the size of your purchase, as set forth below. No sales charge is imposed where Class A shares are issued to you pursuant to the automatic reinvestment of income dividends or capital gains distributions. For investors investing in Class A shares of the Funds through a financial firm, it is the responsibility of the financial firm to ensure that you obtain the proper "breakpoint" discount.

PIMCO All Asset Fund and PIMCO Multi-Strategy Alternative Fund—Class A Shares

 

Amount of Purchase

Initial Sales Charge as % of Public Offering Price

Initial Sales Charge as % of Net Amount Invested

Under $100,000

3.75%

3.90%

$100,000 but under $250,000

3.25%

3.36%

$250,000 but under $500,000

2.25%

2.30%

$500,000 but under $1,000,000

1.75%

1.78%

$1,000,000 +

0.00%*

0.00%*

 

* As shown, investors that purchase $1,000,000 or more of the Fund's Class A shares will not pay any initial sales charge on the purchase. However, unless eligible for a waiver, certain purchasers of $1,000,000 or more of Class A shares may be subject to a CDSC of 1.00% if the shares are redeemed during the first 12 months after their purchase. See "Contingent Deferred Sales Charges – Class A Shares" below.

PIMCO All Asset All Authority, PIMCO Global Multi-Asset, and PIMCO REALPATH® Funds—Class A Shares

 

Amount of Purchase

Initial Sales Charge as % of Public Offering Price

Initial Sales Charge as % of Net Amount Invested

Under $50,000

5.50%

5.82%

$50,000 but under $100,000

4.50%

4.71%

$100,000 but under $250,000

3.50%

3.63%

$250,000 but under $500,000

2.50%

2.56%

$500,000 but under $1,000,000

2.00%

2.04%

$1,000,000 +

0.00%*

0.00%*

 

* As shown, investors that purchase $1,000,000 or more of the Fund's Class A shares will not pay any initial sales charge on the purchase. However, unless eligible for a waiver, certain purchasers of $1,000,000 or more of Class A shares may be subject to a CDSC of 1.00% if the shares are redeemed during the first 12 months after their purchase. See "Contingent Deferred Sales Charges – Class A Shares" below.

Investors in the Funds may reduce or eliminate sales charges applicable to purchases of Class A shares through utilization of the Combined Purchase Privilege, Right of Accumulation (Cumulative Quantity Discount), Letter of Intent or Reinstatement Privilege. These programs, which apply to purchases of one or more funds that are series of the Trust or PIMCO Equity Series that offer Class A shares (other than the Money Market series of the Trust) (collectively, "Eligible Funds"), are summarized below and are described in greater detail in the SAI.

Combined Purchase Privilege and Right of Accumulation (Breakpoints). A Qualifying Investor (as defined below) may qualify for a reduced sales charge on Class A shares by combining concurrent purchases of the Class A shares of one or more Eligible Funds into a single purchase (the "Combined Purchase Privilege"). In addition, a Qualifying Investor may obtain a reduced sales charge on Class A shares by adding the purchase value of Class A shares of an Eligible Fund with the current aggregate NAV of all Class A and C shares of any Eligible Fund held by accounts for the benefit of such Qualifying Investor (the "Right of Accumulation" or "Cumulative Quantity Discount").

 

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The term "Qualifying Investor" refers to:

1.

an individual, such individual's spouse or domestic partner, as recognized by applicable state law, or such individual's children under the age of 21 years (each a "family member") (including family trust* accounts established by such a family member); or

2.

a trustee or other fiduciary for a single trust (except family trusts* noted above), estate or fiduciary account although more than one beneficiary may be involved; or

3.

an employee benefit plan of a single employer.


* For the purpose of determining whether a purchase would qualify for a reduced sales charge under the Combined Purchase Privilege, Right of Accumulation or Letter of Intent, a "family trust" is one in which a family member, as defined in section (1) above, or a direct lineal descendant(s) of such person is/are the beneficiary(ies), and such person or another family member, direct lineal ancestor or sibling of such person is/are the trustee(s).

Please see the SAI for details and for restrictions applicable to shares held by certain employer-sponsored benefit programs.

Letter of Intent. Investors may also obtain a reduced sales charge on purchases of Class A shares by means of a written Letter of Intent which expresses an intent to invest not less than $50,000 (or $100,000 in the case of those Funds with an initial sales charge breakpoint at $100,000) within a period of 13 months in Class A shares of any Eligible Fund(s). The maximum intended investment allowable in a Letter of Intent is $1,000,000. Each purchase of shares under a Letter of Intent will be made at the public offering price or prices applicable at the time of such purchase to a single purchase of the dollar amount indicated in the Letter of Intent. The value of the investor's account(s) linked to a Letter of Intent will be included at the start date of the Letter of Intent. A Letter of Intent is not a binding obligation to purchase the full amount indicated. Shares purchased with the first 5% of the amount indicated in the Letter of Intent will be held in escrow (while remaining registered in your name) to secure payment of the higher sales charges applicable to the shares actually purchased in the event the full intended amount is not purchased. Redemptions during the LOI period will not count against the shareholder, but a CDSC may be charged LOIs of $1,000,000.

In making computations concerning the amount purchased for purposes of a Letter of Intent, the Right of Accumulation value of eligible accounts will be included in the computation when the Letter of Intent begins in addition to purchases made during the Letter of Intent Period.

Reinstatement Privilege. A Class A shareholder who has caused any or all of his shares to be redeemed may reinvest all or any portion of the redemption proceeds in Class A shares of any Eligible Fund at NAV without any sales charge, provided that such investment is made within 120 calendar days after the redemption date. The limitations and restrictions of this program are fully described in the SAI.

Method of Valuation of Accounts. To determine whether a shareholder qualifies for a reduction in sales charge on a purchase of Class A shares of Eligible Funds, the public offering price of the shares is used for purchases relying on the Combined Purchase Privilege or a Letter of Intent and the amount of the total current purchase (including any sales load) plus the NAV (at the close of business on the day of the current purchase) of shares previously acquired is used for the Right of Accumulation (Cumulative Quantity Discount).

Sales at Net Asset Value. In addition to the programs summarized above, the Funds may sell their Class A shares at NAV without an initial sales charge to certain types of accounts or account holders, including, but not limited to: Trustees of the Funds; employees of PIMCO and the Distributor; employees of participating brokers; certain trustees or other fiduciaries purchasing shares for retirement plans; and persons investing through certain "wrap accounts." Please see the SAI for details.

If you are eligible to buy both Class A shares and Institutional Class shares, you should buy Institutional Class shares because Class A shares may be subject to sales charges and an annual 0.25% service fee.

Required Shareholder Information and Records. In order for investors in Class A shares of the Funds to take advantage of sales charge reductions, an investor or his or her financial firm must notify the Fund that the investor qualifies for such a reduction. If the Fund is not notified that the investor is eligible for these reductions, the Fund will be unable to ensure that the reduction is applied to the investor's account. An investor may have to provide certain information or records to his or her financial firm or the Fund to verify the investor's eligibility for breakpoint discounts or sales charge waivers. An investor may be asked to provide information or records, including account statements, regarding shares of the Funds or other Eligible Funds held in:

all of the investor's accounts held directly with the Trust or through a financial firm; 

any account of the investor at another financial firm; and 

accounts of Qualifying Investors, at any financial firm.

The SAI provides additional information regarding eliminations of and reductions in sales loads associated with Eligible Funds. You can obtain the SAI free of charge from PIMCO by written request, by visiting pimco.com or by calling 888.87.PIMCO.

Contingent Deferred Sales Charges

Class A Shares

Unless you are eligible for a waiver, if you purchase $1,000,000 or more of Class A shares (and, thus, pay no initial sales charge) of a Fund, you will be subject to a 1% CDSC if you sell (redeem) your Class A shares within 12 months of their purchase. The Class A CDSC does not apply if you are otherwise eligible to purchase Class A shares without an initial sales charge or are eligible for a waiver of the CDSC. See "Reductions and Waivers of Initial Sales Charges and CDSCs" below.

Class C Shares

Unless you are eligible for a waiver, if you sell (redeem) your Class C shares within the time periods specified below, you will pay a CDSC according to the following schedules. If you invest in Class C shares of the Funds through a financial firm, it is the responsibility of the financial firm to ensure that you are credited with the proper holding period for the shares redeemed.

 

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Years Since Purchase Payment was Made

Percentage
Contingent Deferred
Sales Charge

First

1%

Thereafter

0%

How CDSCs will be Calculated

A CDSC is imposed on redemptions of Class C shares (and where applicable, Class A shares) on the amount of the redemption which causes the current value of your account for the particular class of shares of the Fund to fall below the total dollar amount of your purchase payments subject to the CDSC.

The following rules apply under the method for calculating CDSCs:

Shares acquired through the reinvestment of dividends or capital gains distributions will be redeemed first and will not be subject to any CDSC.

For the redemption of all other shares, the CDSC will be based on either your original purchase price or the then current NAV of the shares being sold, whichever is lower. To illustrate this point, consider shares purchased at an NAV of $10. If the Fund's NAV per share at the time of redemption is $12, the CDSC will apply to the purchase price of $10. If the NAV per share at the time of redemption is $8, the CDSC will apply to the $8 current NAV per share.

CDSCs will be deducted from the proceeds of your redemption, not from amounts remaining in your account.

In determining whether a CDSC is payable, it is assumed that you will redeem first the lot of shares which will incur the lowest CDSC.

For example, the following illustrates the operation of the Class C CDSC:

Assume that an individual opens an account and makes a purchase payment of $10,000 for 1,000 Class C shares of a Fund (at $10 per share) and that six months later the value of the investor's account for that Fund has grown through investment performance to $11,000 ($11 per share). If the investor should redeem $2,200 (200 shares), a CDSC would be applied against $2,000 of the redemption (the purchase price of the shares redeemed, because the purchase price is lower than the current NAV of such shares ($2,200)). At the rate of 1%, the Class C CDSC would be $20.

Reductions and Waivers of Initial Sales Charges and CDSCs

The initial sales charges on Class A shares and the CDSCs on Class A and Class C shares may be reduced or waived under certain purchase arrangements and for certain categories of investors. Please see the SAI for details.

Shares Purchased or Held Through Financial Firms

The availability of sales charge waivers and discounts may depend on the particular financial firm or type of account through which you purchase or hold Fund shares. The Funds' sales charge waivers and discounts disclosed in this Prospectus are available for qualifying purchases made directly from the Distributor and are generally available through financial firms unless otherwise specified in Appendix B. The sales charge waivers and discounts available through certain other financial firms are set forth in Appendix B to this Prospectus (Financial Firm-Specific Sales Charge Waivers and Discounts), which may differ from those available for purchases made directly from the Distributor or certain other financial firms. Please contact your financial firm for more information regarding sales charge waivers and discounts available to you and the financial firm's related policies and procedures.

No Sales Charges — Class R Shares

The Funds do not impose any sales charges or other fees on purchases, redemptions or exchanges of Class R shares. Class R shares generally are available only to 401(k) plans, 457 plans, employer sponsored 403(b) plans, profit sharing and money purchase pension plans, defined benefit plans, non-qualified deferred compensation plans, health care benefit funding plans and other specified benefit plans and accounts whereby the plan or the plan's financial firm has an agreement with the Distributor or PIMCO Funds to utilize Class R shares in certain investment products or programs (collectively, "specified benefit plans"). In addition, Class R shares also are generally available only to specified benefit plans where Class R shares are held on the books of the Funds through omnibus accounts (either at the benefit plan level or at the level of the plan's financial firm). Class R shares are not available to retail or non-specified benefit plan accounts, traditional and Roth IRAs (except through certain omnibus accounts), Coverdell Education Savings Accounts, SEPs, SAR-SEPs, SIMPLE IRAs, or individual 403(b) plans.

The administrator of a specified benefit plan or employee benefits office can provide participants with detailed information on how to participate in the plan and how to elect a Fund as an investment option. Plan participants may be permitted to elect different investment options, alter the amounts contributed to the plan, or change how contributions are allocated among investment options in accordance with the plan's specific provisions. The plan administrator or employee benefits office should be consulted for details. For questions about participant accounts, participants should contact their employee benefits office, the plan administrator, or the organization that provides recordkeeping services for the plan. In most cases, the Trust's transfer agent will have no information with respect to or control over accounts of specific Class R shareholders, and a shareholder may obtain information about accounts only through the specified benefit plan.

Eligible specified benefit plans generally may open an account and purchase Class R shares by contacting any broker, dealer or other financial firm authorized to sell or process transactions in Class R shares of the Funds. Eligible specified benefit plans may also purchase shares directly from the Distributor. See "Purchasing Shares – Class R" below. Additional shares may be purchased through a benefit plan's administrator or recordkeeper.

Financial firms may provide or arrange for the provision of some or all of the shareholder servicing and account maintenance services required by specified benefit plan accounts and their plan participants, including, without limitation, transfers of registration and dividend payee changes.

Moreover, financial firms and specified benefit plans may have omnibus accounts and similar arrangements with the Trust and may be paid for providing sub-accounting and other shareholder services. A financial firm or specified benefit plan may be paid for its services directly or indirectly by the Funds, the Administrator, another affiliate of the Fund or the Distributor

 

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(normally not to exceed an annual rate of 0.50% of a Fund's average daily net assets attributable to its Class R shares and purchased through such firm or specified benefit plan for its clients although payments with respect to shares in retirement plans are often higher). PIMCO or its affiliates may pay a financial firm or specified benefit plan an additional amount not to exceed 0.25% for sub-accounting or other shareholder services.

These fees and expenses could reduce an investment return in Class R shares. For further information on Class R shares and related items, please refer to the SAI.

No Sales Charges — Institutional Class, I-2, I-3 and Administrative Class Shares

The Funds do not impose any sales charges or other fees on purchases, redemptions or exchanges of Institutional Class, I-2, I-3 or Administrative Class shares. Only certain investors are eligible to purchase these share classes. Your financial advisor or financial firm can help you determine if you are eligible to purchase Institutional Class, I-2, I-3 or Administrative Class shares. You can also call 888.87.PIMCO.

An investor transacting in Institutional Class shares, I-2 shares or I-3 shares may be required to pay a commission to a broker or other financial firm. Other share classes of the Funds that have different fees and expenses are available.

Pension and profit-sharing plans, employee benefit trusts and employee benefit plan alliances, and "wrap account" programs established with broker-dealers or other financial firms may purchase Institutional Class, I-2, I-3 or Administrative Class shares only if the plan or program for which the shares are being acquired will maintain an omnibus or pooled account for each Fund and will not require a Fund to pay any type of administrative payment per participant account to any third party.

Institutional Class shares are offered primarily for direct investment by investors such as pension and profit sharing plans, employee benefit trusts, endowments, foundations, corporations and high net worth individuals. Institutional Class shares may also be offered through certain financial firms that charge their customers transaction or other fees with respect to their customers' investments in the Funds.

I-2 shares are offered primarily through broker-dealers and other financial firms with which the Distributor has an agreement for the use of the share class in investment products, programs or accounts such as certain asset allocation, wrap fee and other similar programs. I-2 shares may also be offered through broker-dealers and other financial firms that charge their customers transaction or other fees with respect to their customers' investments in the Funds. I-2 shares of the Funds will be held in an account at a financial firm and, generally, the firm will hold a shareholder's I-2 shares in nominee or street name as your agent. In most cases, the Trust's transfer agent will have no information with respect to or control over accounts of specific I-2 shareholders, and a shareholder may obtain information about accounts only through the financial firm. Broker-dealers, other financial firms, pension and profit-sharing plans, employee benefit trusts and employee benefit plan alliances also may purchase I-2 shares.

I-3 shares of the Funds are offered primarily through broker-dealers and other financial firms with which the Distributor has an agreement for the use of the share class in investment products, programs or accounts such as mutual fund supermarkets or other no transaction fee platforms. I-3 shares of the Funds will be held in an account at a financial firm and, generally, the firm will hold a shareholder's I-3 shares in nominee or street name as your agent. In most cases, the Trust's transfer agent will have no information with respect to or control over accounts of specific I-3 shareholders, and a shareholder may obtain information about accounts only through the financial firm. Broker-dealers, other financial firms, pension and profit-sharing plans, employee benefit trusts and employee benefit plan alliances also may purchase I-3 shares.

Administrative Class shares are offered primarily through broker-dealers, other financial firms, and employee benefit plan alliances. Each Fund typically pays service and/or distribution fees to these entities for services they provide to Administrative Class shareholders.

Distribution and Servicing (12b-1) Plans

Class A, Class C and Class R shares. The Funds pay fees to the Distributor on an ongoing basis as compensation for the services the Distributor renders and the expenses it bears in connection with the sale and distribution of Fund shares ("distribution fees") and/or in connection with personal services rendered to Fund shareholders and the maintenance of shareholder accounts ("servicing fees"). These payments are made pursuant to Distribution and Servicing Plans ("12b-1 Plans") adopted by each Fund pursuant to Rule 12b-1 under the 1940 Act.

Class A shares pay only servicing fees. Class C and Class R shares pay both distribution and servicing fees. The following lists the maximum annual rates at which the distribution and/or servicing fees may be paid under each 12b-1 Plan (calculated as a percentage of each Fund's average daily net assets attributable to the particular class of shares):

Class A

Servicing Fee

Distribution Fee

All Funds

0.25%

0.00%

 

Class C

Servicing Fee

Distribution Fee

All Funds

0.25%

0.75%

 

Class R

Servicing Fee

Distribution Fee

All Funds

0.25%

0.25%

Because distribution fees are paid out of the Fund's assets on an ongoing basis, over time these fees will increase the cost of your investment and may cost you more than other types of sales charges, such as sales charges that are deducted at the time of investment. Therefore, although Class C and Class R shares do not pay initial sales charges, the distribution fees payable on Class C and Class R shares may, over time, cost you more than the initial sales charge imposed on Class A shares.

Administrative Class Shares. The Trust has adopted, pursuant to Rule 12b-1 under the 1940 Act, a separate Distribution and Servicing Plan for the Administrative Class shares of the Funds. The Distribution and Servicing Plan permits the Funds to compensate the Distributor for providing or procuring through financial firms, distribution, administrative, recordkeeping, shareholder and/or related services with respect to the Administrative Class shares. Most or all of the distribution and service

 

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(12b-1) fees are paid to financial firms through which shareholders may purchase or hold shares. Because these fees are paid out of a Fund's Administrative Class assets on an ongoing basis, over time they will increase the cost of an investment in Administrative Class shares.

The following lists the maximum annual rates at which the distribution and/or servicing fees may be paid under each Distribution and Servicing Plan (calculated as a percentage of each Fund's average daily net assets attributable to the particular class of shares):

Administrative Class

Distribution and/or Servicing Fee

All Funds

0.25%

Servicing Arrangements

Shares of the Funds may be available through broker-dealers, banks, trust companies, insurance companies and other financial firms that have entered into shareholder servicing arrangements with respect to the Funds. A financial firm is one that, in exchange for compensation, sells, among other products, mutual fund shares (including the shares offered in this prospectus) or provides services for mutual fund shareholders. These financial firms provide varying investment products, programs, platforms and accounts, through which investors may purchase, redeem and exchange shares of the Funds. Shareholder servicing arrangements typically include processing orders for shares, generating account and confirmation statements, sub-accounting, account maintenance, tax reporting, collecting and posting distributions to investor accounts and disbursing cash dividends as well as other investment or administrative services required for the particular firm's products, programs, platform and accounts.

PIMCO and/or its affiliates may make payments to financial firms for the shareholder services provided. These payments are made out of PIMCO's resources, including the supervisory and administrative fees paid to PIMCO under the Funds' supervision and administration agreement. The actual services provided by these firms, and the payments made for such services, vary from firm to firm. The payments may be based on a fixed dollar amount for each account and position maintained by the financial firm and/or a percentage of the value of shares held by investors through the firm. Please see the SAI for more information.

These payments may be material to financial firms relative to other compensation paid by the Funds, PIMCO and/or its affiliates and may be in addition to other fees and payments, such as distribution and/or service (12b-1) fees, revenue sharing or "shelf space" fees and event support, other non-cash compensation and charitable contributions paid to or at the request of such firms (described below). Also, the payments may differ depending on the Fund or share class and may vary from amounts paid to the Funds' transfer agent for providing similar services to other accounts. PIMCO and/or its affiliates do not control these financial firms' provision of the services for which they are receiving payments.

These financial firms may impose additional or different conditions than the Funds on purchases, redemptions or exchanges of shares. They may also independently establish and charge their customers or program participants transaction fees, account fees and other amounts in connection with purchases, redemptions and exchanges of shares in addition to any fees imposed by the Funds. These additional fees may vary and over time could increase the cost of an investment in the Funds and lower investment returns. Each financial firm is responsible for transmitting to its customers and program participants a schedule of any such fees and information regarding any additional or different conditions regarding purchases, redemptions and exchanges. Shareholders who are customers of these financial firms or participants in programs serviced by them should contact the financial firm for information regarding these fees and conditions.

Other Payments to Financial Firms

Some or all of the sales charges, distribution fees and servicing fees described above are paid or "reallowed" to the financial firm, including their financial advisors through which you purchase your shares. With respect to Class C shares, the financial firms are also paid at the time of your purchase a commission of up to 1.00% of your investment in such share class. Please see the SAI for more details.

The Distributor or PIMCO (for purposes of this subsection only, collectively, the "Distributor") may from time to time make payments and provide other incentives to selected financial firms as compensation for services such as providing the Funds with "shelf space" or a higher profile for the financial firms' financial advisors and their customers, placing the Funds on the financial firms' preferred or recommended fund list, granting the Distributor access to the firms' financial advisors and furnishing marketing support and other specified services. These payments may be significant to the financial firms.

A number of factors will be considered in determining the amount of these payments to financial firms. On some occasions, such payments may be conditioned upon levels of sales, including the sale of a specified minimum dollar amount of the shares of the Funds, other funds sponsored by the Distributor and/or a particular class of shares, during a specified period of time. The Distributor may also make payments to one or more financial firms based upon factors such as the amount of assets a financial firm's clients have invested in the Funds and the quality of the financial firm's relationship with the Distributor.

The additional payments described above are made from the Distributor's or PIMCO's (or their affiliates') own assets (and sometimes, therefore referred to as "revenue sharing") pursuant to agreements with broker-dealers or other financial firms and do not change the price paid by investors for the purchase of a Fund's shares or the amount a Fund will receive as proceeds from such sales. These payments may be made to financial firms (as selected by the Distributor) that have sold significant amounts of shares of the Funds. With respect to Class A, C and R shares, except as described in the following paragraph, the level of payments made to a financial firm in any future year will vary and generally will not exceed the sum of: (a) 0.10% of such year's sales of Class A, C and R shares of funds of the Trust and PIMCO Equity Series by such financial firm; and (b) 0.03% of the assets attributable to that financial firm invested in Class A, C and R shares of funds of the Trust and PIMCO Equity Series (the "10/3 cap"). In certain cases, the payments described in the preceding sentence are subject to certain minimum payment levels. In lieu of payments pursuant to the foregoing formula, the Distributor, PIMCO or their affiliates may make

 

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payments of an agreed upon amount which generally will not exceed the amount that would have been payable pursuant to the formula.

Financial firms with a combined AUM in excess of $10 Billion in Class A, C and I-2 shares of funds of the Trust and PIMCO Equity Series (for purposes of this paragraph, "Eligible Firms") may be eligible for marketing support payments beyond those described in the preceding paragraph on certain Eligible Assets (as defined below). The total payment to any Eligible Firm generally shall not exceed the greater of: (a) 0.05% of the combined Eligible Assets of Class A, C and I-2 shares of funds of the Trust and PIMCO Equity Series; or (b) the 10/3 cap with respect to Class A and Class C shares only. Should any Eligible Firm choose not to collect marketing support on I-2 shares, the total payment to such Eligible Firm generally shall not exceed the greater of: (x) 0.05% of Eligible Assets of Class A and C shares of funds of the Trust and PIMCO Equity Series; or (y) the 10/3 cap with respect to Class A and Class C shares only. With respect to the Eligible Firms receiving marketing support payments with respect to I-2 Shares pursuant to this paragraph, payments may be lower for particular funds of the Trust or PIMCO Equity Series as compared to other funds of the Trust or PIMCO Equity Series. "Eligible Assets" for purposes of this paragraph shall include all assets of Class A, C and I-2 shares of funds of the Trust and PIMCO Equity Series attributable to such Eligible Firm except advisory account assets held through a corporate retirement plan governed by the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974, Simplified Employee Pension Individual Retirement Accounts and Savings Incentive Match Plans for Individual Retirement Accounts.

Payments for marketing support may also include payments to financial firms in connection with the marketing and sale of model portfolios developed by PIMCO. Such payments may relate to assets under management or sales of any share class of the Funds in such PIMCO-developed models.

In addition to the foregoing payments, the Distributor or its employees and representatives may make payments or reimburse financial firms for sponsorship and/or attendance at conferences, seminars or informational meetings ("event support"), provide financial firms or their personnel with occasional tickets to events or other entertainment, meals, and small gifts ("other non-cash compensation"), make charitable contributions to valid charitable organizations at the request of financial firms ("charitable contributions") and make financial contributions pertaining to sales incentives and contests, each to the extent permitted by applicable law, rules and regulations.

In addition, wholesaler representatives of the Distributor visit financial firms on a regular basis to market and educate financial advisors and other personnel about the Funds. These payments, reimbursements and activities may provide additional access to financial advisors at these financial firms, which may increase purchases and/or reduce redemptions of Fund shares.

The Distributor also may pay financial firms for certain services including technology, operations, tax, or audit consulting services, and may pay such firms for the Distributor's attendance at investment forums sponsored by such firms or for various studies, surveys, or access to databases. Subject to applicable law, PIMCO and its affiliates may also provide investment advisory services to financial firms and may execute brokerage transactions on behalf of the Funds with such financial firms. These financial firms may, in the ordinary course of their business, recommend that their clients utilize PIMCO's investment advisory services or invest in the Funds or in other products sponsored or distributed by the Distributor.

If investment advisers, distributors or affiliates of mutual funds make payments and provide other incentives in differing amounts, financial firms and their financial advisors may have financial incentives for recommending a particular mutual fund over other mutual funds. In addition, depending on the arrangements in place at any particular time, a financial firm and its financial advisors may also have a financial incentive for recommending a particular share class over other share classes. A shareholder who holds Fund shares through a financial firm should consult with the shareholder's financial advisor and review carefully any disclosure by the financial firm as to its compensation received by the financial advisor.

Although the Funds may use financial firms that sell Fund shares to effect transactions for the Funds' portfolios, the Funds and PIMCO will not consider the sale of Fund shares as a factor when choosing financial firms to effect those transactions.

For further details about payments made by the Distributor to financial firms, please see the SAI.

Purchases, Redemptions and Exchanges

The following section provides basic information about how to purchase, redeem and exchange shares of the Funds.

More detailed information about purchase, redemption and exchange arrangements for Fund shares is provided in the SAI, which can be obtained free of charge by written request to the Funds at P.O. Box 55060, Boston, MA 02205-5060, visiting pimco.com or by calling 888.87.PIMCO. The SAI provides technical information about the basic arrangements described below and also describes special purchase, sale and exchange features and programs offered by the Trust, including:

Automated telephone and wire transfer procedures

Automatic purchase, exchange and withdrawal programs

A link from your PIMCO Fund account to your bank account

Special arrangements for tax-qualified retirement plans

Investment programs which allow you to reduce or eliminate the initial sales charges

Categories of investors that are eligible for waivers or reductions of initial sales charges and CDSCs

In addition to the other methods and notwithstanding any limitations described herein, shareholders with eligible Fund direct accounts may purchase Class A and Class C shares, and redeem (sell) and exchange Class A and Class C shares, by accessing their accounts online at pimco.com/MyAccountAccess.  Shareholders with eligible Fund direct accounts in the Institutional class may purchase, redeem (sell) and exchange shares by accessing their accounts online at pimco.com/InstitutionalAccountAccess. Accordingly, an investor must first establish a Fund direct account by completing and mailing the appropriate account application. Online redemptions are not available for all Fund direct accounts because in certain cases, a signature guarantee may be required.

 

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If a shareholder elects to use Account Access to effect transactions for their Fund direct account, the shareholder will be required to establish and use a user ID and password. Shareholders are responsible for keeping their user IDs and passwords private. A Fund will not be liable for relying on any instructions submitted online. Submitting transactions online may be difficult (or impossible) during drastic economic or market changes or during other times when communications may be under unusual stress. Please see the Funds' SAI for additional terms, conditions and considerations.

If a shareholder elects not to use Account Access to view their account or effect transactions, the shareholder should not establish online account access.  If online account access has already been established and the client no longer wants the account accessible online, the client can call 888.87.PIMCO and request to suspend online access.

The Trust typically does not offer or sell its shares to non-U.S. residents. For purposes of this policy, a U.S. resident is defined as an account with (i) a U.S. address of record and (ii) all account owners residing in the U.S. at the time of sale.

The minimum initial investment may be modified for certain financial firms that submit orders on behalf of their customers. The Trust or the Distributor may lower or waive the minimum initial or subsequent investment for certain categories of investors at their discretion. Please see the SAI for details.

Purchasing Shares — Class A and Class C

You can purchase Class A or Class C shares of the Funds in the following ways:

Through your broker-dealer or other financial firm. Your broker-dealer or other financial firm may establish higher minimum investment requirements than the Trust and may also independently charge you transaction fees and additional amounts (which may vary) in return for its services, which will reduce your return. Shares you purchase through your broker-dealer or other financial firm will normally be held in your account with that firm.

Through the Distributor. You should discuss your investment with your financial advisor before you make a purchase to be sure the Fund is appropriate for you. To make direct investments, you must open an account with the Trust and send payment for your shares either by mail or through a variety of other purchase options and plans offered by the Trust. If you do not list a financial advisor and his/her brokerage firm on the Account Application, the Distributor is designated as the broker of record, but solely for purposes of acting as your agent to purchase shares.

Investment Minimums — Class A and Class C Shares. The following investment minimums apply for purchases of Class A and Class C shares.

Purchasing Shares — Class R

Eligible plan investors may purchase Class R shares of the Funds at the relevant NAV of that class without a sales charge. See "No Sales Charges — Class R Shares" above. Plan participants may purchase Class R shares only through their specified benefit plans. In connection with purchases, specified benefit plans are responsible for forwarding all necessary documentation to their financial firm or the Distributor. Specified benefit plans and financial firms may charge for such services.

Specified benefit plans may also purchase Class R shares directly through the Distributor. To make direct investments, a plan administrator must open an account with the Fund and send payment for Class R shares either by mail or through a variety of other purchase options and plans offered by the Trust. Specified benefit plans that purchase their shares directly from the Trust must hold their shares in an omnibus account at the specified benefit plan level.

Investment Minimums — Class R Shares. There is no minimum initial or additional investment in Class R shares.

To invest directly by mail, specified benefit plans should send a check payable to the PIMCO Family of Funds, along with a completed Account Application to the Trust by mail to PIMCO Funds, P.O. Box 55060, Boston, MA 02205-5060 or overnight courier to PIMCO Funds, c/o DST Asset Manager Solutions, Inc., 30 Dan Road, Canton, MA 02021-2809.

The Funds accept all purchases by mail subject to collection of checks at full value and conversion into federal funds. Investors may make subsequent purchases by mailing a check to the address above with a letter describing the investment or with the additional investment portion of a confirmation statement. Checks for subsequent purchases should be payable to the PIMCO Family of Funds and should clearly indicate the relevant account number. Please call the Funds at 888.87.PIMCO if you have any questions regarding purchases by mail.

The Funds reserve the right to require payment by wire, Automatic Clearing House (ACH) or U.S. bank check. The Funds generally do not accept payments made by cash, money order, temporary/starter checks, third-party checks, credit card checks, traveler's check, or checks drawn on non-U.S. banks even if payment may be effected through a U.S. bank.

The SAI describes a number of additional ways you can make direct investments, including through the PIMCO Funds Automatic Investment Plan and ACH Network. You can obtain the SAI free of charge from the Funds by written request to the address above, visiting pimco.com or by calling 888.87.PIMCO.

Purchasing Shares — Institutional Class, I-2, I-3 and Administrative Class

Eligible investors may purchase Institutional Class, I-2, I-3 and Administrative Class shares of the Funds at the relevant NAV of that class without a sales charge. See "No Sales Charges — Institutional Class, I-2, I-3 and Administrative Class Shares" above.

 Investment Minimums — Institutional Class, I-2, I-3 and Administrative Class Shares. The following investment minimums apply for purchases of Institutional Class, I-2, I-3 and Administrative Class shares.

 

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Initial Investment. Investors who wish to invest in Institutional Class and Administrative Class shares may obtain an Account Application online at pimco.com or by calling 888.87.PIMCO. I-2 and I-3 shares are only available through financial firms. See "No Sales Charges — Institutional Class, I-2, I-3 and Administrative Class Shares." The completed Account Application may be submitted using the following methods:

Facsimile: 816.421.2861

Regular Mail:
    PIMCO Funds
    c/o DST Asset Manager Solutions
    330 W. 9th Street
    Kansas City, MO 64105

E-mail: piprocess@dstsystems.com

Except as described below, an investor may purchase Institutional Class and Administrative Class shares only by wiring federal funds to:

PIMCO Funds c/o State Street Bank & Trust Co.
One Lincoln Street, Boston, MA 02111
ABA: 011000028
DDA: 9905-7432
ACCT: Investor PIMCO Account Number
FFC: Name of Investor and Name of Fund(s) in which you wish to invest

Before wiring federal funds, the investor must provide order instructions to the Transfer Agent by facsimile at 816.421.2861, by telephone at 888.87.PIMCO or by e-mail at piprocess@dstsystems.com (if an investor elected this option at account opening or subsequently in writing). In order to receive the current day's NAV, order instructions must be received in good order prior to market close. Instructions must include the name and signature of an authorized person designated on the Account Application ("Authorized Person"), account name, account number, name of Fund and share class and amount being wired. Wires received without order instructions may result in a processing delay or a return of wire. Failure to send the accompanying wire on the same day may result in the cancellation of the order.

An investor may place a purchase order for shares without first wiring federal funds if the purchase amount is to be derived from an advisory account managed by PIMCO or one of its affiliates, or from an account with a broker-dealer or other financial firm that has established a processing relationship with the Trust on behalf of its customers.

Additional Investments. An investor may purchase additional Institutional Class and Administrative Class shares of the Funds at any time by sending a facsimile or e-mail or by calling the Transfer Agent and wiring federal funds as outlined above. Eligible Institutional Class shareholders may also purchase additional shares online at pimco.com/InstitutionalAccountAccess. Contact your financial firm for information on purchasing additional I-2 or I-3 shares. 

Other Purchase Information. Purchases of a Fund's Institutional Class, I-2, I-3 and Administrative Class shares will be made in full and fractional shares.

Purchasing Shares — Additional Information

The Trust and the Distributor each reserves the right, in its sole discretion, to suspend the offering of shares of the Funds or to reject any purchase order, in whole or in part, when, in the judgment of management, such suspension or rejection is in the best interests of the Trust.

Subject to the approval of the Trust, an investor may purchase shares of the Fund with liquid securities that are eligible for purchase by the Fund (consistent with the Fund's investment policies and restrictions) and that have a value that is readily ascertainable in accordance with the Trust's valuation policies. These transactions will be effected only if PIMCO intends to retain the security in the Fund as an investment. Assets purchased by the Fund in such a transaction will be valued in generally the same manner as they would be valued for purposes of pricing the Fund's shares, if such assets were included in the Fund's assets at the time of purchase. The Trust reserves the right to amend or terminate this practice at any time.

In the interest of economy and convenience, certificates for shares will not be issued.

Redeeming Shares — Class A and Class C

You can redeem (sell) Class A or Class C shares of the Funds in the following ways: 

Through your broker-dealer or other financial firm. Your broker-dealer or other financial firm may independently charge you transaction fees and additional amounts in return for its services, which will reduce your return.

Redemptions by Telephone. An investor that elects this option on the Account Application (or subsequently in writing) may request redemptions of Class A and Class C shares by calling the Trust at 888.87.PIMCO. An Authorized Person must state his or her name, account name, account number, name of Fund and share class, and redemption amount (in dollars or shares). Redemption requests of an amount of $10 million or more must be submitted in writing by an Authorized Person.

Directly from the Trust by Written Request. To redeem shares directly from the Trust by written request, you must send the following items to the PIMCO Funds, P.O. Box 55060, Boston, MA 02205-5060:

1.

a written request for redemption signed by all registered owners exactly as the account is registered on the Transfer Agent's records, including fiduciary titles, if any, and specifying the account number and the dollar amount or number of shares to be redeemed;

2.

for certain redemptions described below, a guarantee of all signatures on the written request or on the share certificate or accompanying stock power, if required, as described under "Signature Validation" below;

3.

any share certificates issued for any of the shares to be redeemed (see "Certificated Shares" below); and

4.

any additional documents which may be required by the Transfer Agent for redemption by corporations, partnerships or other organizations, executors, administrators, trustees, custodians or guardians, or if the redemption is requested by anyone other than

 

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the shareholder(s) of record. Transfers of shares are subject to the same requirements.

A signature validation is not required for redemptions requested by and payable to all shareholders of record for the account, and to be sent to the address of record for that account. To avoid delay in redemption or transfer, if you have any questions about these requirements you should contact the Transfer Agent in writing or call 888.87.PIMCO before submitting a request. Written redemption or transfer requests will not be honored until all required documents in the proper form have been received by the Transfer Agent. You cannot redeem your shares by written request if they are held in "street name" accounts—you must redeem through your financial firm.

If the proceeds of your redemption (i) are to be paid to a person other than the record owner, (ii) are to be sent to an address other than the address of the account on the Transfer Agent's records, and/or (iii) are to be paid to a corporation, partnership, trust or fiduciary, the signature(s) on the redemption request and on the certificates, if any, or stock power must be guaranteed as described under "Signature Validation" below.

The SAI describes a number of additional ways you can redeem your shares, including: 

Telephone requests to the Transfer Agent

Online Account Access

Expedited wire transfers 

Automatic Withdrawal Plan 

Automated Clearing House (ACH) Network

Unless you specifically elect otherwise, your initial Account Application permits you to redeem shares by telephone subject to certain requirements. To be eligible for expedited wire transfer, Automatic Withdrawal Plan, and ACH privileges, you must specifically elect the particular option on your Account Application and satisfy certain other requirements. The SAI describes each of these options and provides additional information about selling shares.

Other than an applicable CDSC, you will not pay any special fees or charges to the Trust or the Distributor when you sell your shares. However, if you sell your shares through your broker, dealer or other financial firm, that firm may charge you a commission or other fee for processing your redemption request.

Redeeming Shares — Class R

Class R shares may be redeemed through the investor's plan administrator. Investors do not pay any fees or other charges to the Trust when selling shares, although specified benefit plans and financial firms may charge for their services in processing redemption requests. Please contact the plan or firm for details.

Subject to any restrictions in the applicable specified benefit plan documents, plan administrators are obligated to transmit redemption orders to the Trust's Transfer Agent or their financial service firm promptly and are responsible for ensuring that redemption requests are in proper form. Specified benefit plans and financial firms will be responsible for furnishing all necessary documentation to the Trust's Transfer Agent and may charge for their services.

Redeeming Shares — Institutional Class and Administrative Class

Redemptions in Writing. Investors may redeem (sell) Institutional Class and Administrative Class shares by sending a facsimile, written request or e-mail as follows:

Facsimile: 816.421.2861
Regular Mail:
    PIMCO Funds
    c/o DST Asset Manager Solutions
    330 W. 9th Street
    Kansas City, MO 64105
E-mail: piprocess@dstsystems.com

The redemption request should state the Fund from which the shares are to be redeemed, the class of shares, the number or dollar amount of the shares to be redeemed and the account number. The request must be signed or made by an Authorized Person.

Neither the Trust nor the Transfer Agent may be liable for any loss, cost or expense for acting on instructions (including those by fax or e-mail) believed by the party receiving such instructions to be genuine and in accordance with the procedures described in this prospectus. Shareholders should realize that by utilizing fax or e-mail redemption, they may be giving up a measure of security that they might have if they were to redeem their shares by mail. Furthermore, interruptions in service may mean that a shareholder will be unable to effect a redemption by fax or e-mail when desired. The Transfer Agent also provides written confirmation of transactions as a procedure designed to confirm that instructions are genuine.

All redemptions, whether initiated by mail, fax or e-mail, will be processed in a timely manner, and proceeds will be forwarded by wire in accordance with the redemption policies of the Trust detailed below. See "Redeeming Shares — Additional Information."

Redemptions by Telephone. An investor that elects this option on the Account Application (or subsequently in writing) may request redemptions of Institutional Class and Administrative Class shares by calling the Trust at 888.87.PIMCO. An Authorized Person must state his or her name, account name, account number, name of Fund and share class, and redemption amount (in dollars or shares). Redemption requests of an amount of $10 million or more must be submitted in writing by an Authorized Person. 

In electing a telephone redemption, the investor authorizes PIMCO and the Transfer Agent to act on telephone instructions from any person representing him or herself to be an Authorized Person, and reasonably believed by PIMCO or the Transfer Agent to be genuine. Neither the Trust nor the Transfer Agent may be liable for any loss, cost or expense for acting on instructions (including by telephone) believed by the party receiving such instructions to be genuine and in accordance with the procedures described in this prospectus. Shareholders should realize that by electing the telephone option, they may be giving up a measure of security that they might have if they were to redeem their shares in writing. Furthermore, interruptions in service may mean that shareholders will be unable to redeem their shares by telephone when desired. The Transfer Agent also provides written confirmation of transactions initiated by telephone as a

 

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procedure designed to confirm that telephone instructions are genuine. All telephone transactions are recorded, and PIMCO or the Transfer Agent may request certain information in order to verify that the person giving instructions is authorized to do so. The Trust or Transfer Agent may be liable for any losses due to unauthorized or fraudulent telephone transactions if it fails to employ reasonable procedures to confirm that instructions communicated by telephone are genuine. All redemptions initiated by telephone will be processed in a timely manner, and proceeds will be forwarded by wire in accordance with the redemption policies of the Trust detailed below. See "Redeeming Shares — Additional Information."

An Authorized Person may decline telephone exchange or redemption privileges after an account is opened by providing the Transfer Agent a letter of instruction signed by an Authorized Signer. Shareholders may experience delays in exercising telephone redemption privileges during periods of abnormal market activity. During periods of volatile economic or market conditions, shareholders may wish to consider transmitting redemption orders by facsimile, e-mail or overnight courier. Defined contribution plan participants may request redemptions by contacting the employee benefits office, the plan administrator or the organization that provides recordkeeping services for the plan.

Redemptions Online

An investor may redeem Institutional Class shares through their account online. To access your online account, please log onto pimco.com/InstitutionalAccountAccess and enter your account information and personal identification data.

Redeeming Shares — I-2 and I-3

An investor may redeem (sell) I-2 or I-3 shares through the investor's financial firm.  Investors do not pay any fees or other charges to the Trust when selling I-2 or I-3 shares.  Please contact the financial firm for details.

A financial firm is obligated to transmit an investor's redemption orders to the Transfer Agent promptly and is responsible for ensuring that a redemption request is in proper form. The financial firm will be responsible for furnishing all necessary documentation to the Transfer Agent and may charge for its services.

Redeeming Shares — Additional Information

Redemptions of all Classes of Fund shares may be made on any day the New York Stock Exchange ("NYSE") is open, but may be suspended when trading on the NYSE is restricted or during an emergency which makes it impracticable for the Funds to dispose of their securities or to determine fairly the value of their net assets, or during any other period as permitted by the SEC for the protection of investors. Under these and other unusual circumstances, the Trust may suspend redemptions or postpone payment for more than seven days, as permitted by law.

Following the receipt of a redemption request, redemption proceeds will normally be mailed to the redeeming shareholder within three calendar days or, in the case of wire transfer or ACH redemptions, will normally be sent to the designated bank account within one business day. Institutional Class shareholders may only receive redemption proceeds via wire transfer or ACH redemptions. ACH redemptions may be received by the bank on the second or third business day following a redemption request, but in either case may take up to seven days. In cases where shares have recently been purchased by personal check (Class A, Class C or Class R shareholders only), redemption proceeds may be withheld until the check has been collected, which may take up to 10 calendar days. To avoid such withholding, investors in Class A, Class C or Class R shares should purchase shares by certified or bank check or by wire transfer.

For shareholder protection, a request to change information contained in an account registration (for example, a request to change the bank designated to receive wire redemption proceeds) must be received in writing, signed by the minimum number of Authorized Persons designated on the completed Account Application that are required to effect a redemption, and accompanied by a signature validation, as determined in accordance with the Trust's procedures, as more fully described below.

Retirement plan sponsors, participant recordkeeping organizations and other financial firms may also impose their own restrictions, limitations or fees in connection with transactions in the Funds' shares, which may be stricter than those described in this section. You should contact your plan sponsor, recordkeeper or financial intermediary for more information on any additional restrictions, limitations or fees that are imposed in connection with transactions in Fund shares.

In order to meet redemption requests, the Funds typically expect to use a combination of sales of portfolio assets, holdings of cash and cash equivalents (including cash flows into Funds) and financing transactions (such as reverse repurchase agreements). These methods of meeting redemption requests are expected to be used regularly. The Funds reserve the right to use other types of borrowings and interfund lending. The use of borrowings (such as a line of credit) and interfund lending in order to meet redemption requests is typically expected to be used only during stressed market conditions, if at all. See "Characteristics and Risks of Securities and Investment Techniques—Reverse Repurchase Agreements, Dollar Rolls and Other Borrowings" and the SAI for more information. The Funds' use of redemptions in kind is discussed below.

Redemptions In Kind

The Trust has agreed to redeem shares of each Fund solely in cash up to the lesser of $250,000 or 1% of the Fund's net assets during any 90-day period for any one shareholder. In consideration of the best interests of the remaining shareholders, the Trust may pay any redemption proceeds exceeding this amount in whole or in part by a distribution in kind of securities held by a Fund in lieu of cash. It is highly unlikely that your shares would ever be redeemed in kind. If your shares are redeemed in kind, you should expect to incur transaction costs upon the disposition of the securities received in the distribution.

Certificated Shares

If you are redeeming shares for which certificates have been issued, the certificates must be mailed to or deposited with the Trust, duly endorsed or accompanied by a duly endorsed stock power or by a written request for redemption. Signatures must be guaranteed as described under "Signature Validation" below. The Trust may request further documentation from institutions or fiduciary accounts, such as corporations, custodians (e.g.,

 

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under the Uniform Gifts to Minors Act), executors, administrators, trustees or guardians. Your redemption request and stock power must be signed exactly as the account is registered, including indication of any special capacity of the registered owner.

Signature Validation

When a signature validation is called for, a Medallion signature guarantee or Signature validation program (SVP) stamp may be required. A Medallion signature guarantee is intended to provide signature validation for transactions considered financial in nature, and an SVP stamp is intended to provide signature validation for transactions non-financial in nature. In certain situations, a notarized signature may be used instead of a Medallion signature guarantee or an SVP stamp. A Medallion signature guarantee or SVP stamp may be obtained from a domestic bank or trust company, broker, dealer, clearing agency, savings association or other financial institution which is participating in a Medallion program or Signature validation program recognized by the Securities Transfer Association. When a Medallion signature guarantee or SVP stamp is required, signature validations from financial institutions which are not participating in one of these programs will not be accepted. Please note that financial institutions participating in a recognized Medallion program may still be ineligible to provide a signature validation for transactions of greater than a specified dollar amount. The Trust may change the signature validation requirements from time to time upon notice to shareholders, which may be given by means of a new or supplemented prospectus. Shareholders should contact the Transfer Agent for additional details regarding the Funds' signature validation requirements.

In addition, corporations, trusts, and other institutional organizations are required to furnish evidence of the authority of the persons designated on the Account Application to effect transactions for the organization.

Minimum Account Size

Due to the relatively high cost of maintaining small accounts, the Trust reserves the right to redeem shares in any account that falls below the values listed below.  

Class A, Class C and Class R. Investors should maintain an account balance in the Fund held by an investor of at least the minimum investment necessary to open the particular type of account. If an investor's balance for the Fund remains below the minimum for three months or longer, the Administrator has the right (except in the case of employer-sponsored retirement accounts) to redeem an investor's remaining shares and close the Fund account after giving the investor 60 days to increase the account balance. An investor's account will not be liquidated if the reduction in size is due solely to a decline in market value of Fund shares or if the aggregate value of all the investor's holdings in the Trust and PIMCO Equity Series accounts exceeds $50,000. 

Institutional Class and Administrative Class. The Trust reserves the right to redeem Institutional Class and Administrative Class shares in any account for their then-current value (which will be promptly paid to the investor) if at any time, due to redemption by the investor, the shares in the account do not have a value of at least $100,000. A shareholder will receive advance notice of a mandatory redemption and will be given at least 60 days to bring the value of its account up to at least $100,000.

Request for Multiple Copies of Shareholder Documents

To reduce expenses, it is intended that only one copy of the Funds' prospectus and each annual and semi-annual report, when available, will be mailed to those addresses shared by two or more accounts. If you wish to receive individual copies of these documents and your shares are held directly with the Trust, call the Trust at 888.87.PIMCO. You will receive the additional copy within 30 days after receipt of your request by the Trust. Alternatively, if your shares are held through a financial institution, please contact the financial institution directly.

Exchanging Shares

You may exchange shares of a Fund for the same class of shares of any other fund of the Trust or a fund of PIMCO Equity Series that offers the same class of shares, subject to any restriction on exchanges set forth in the applicable Fund's prospectus. Shareholders interested in such an exchange may request a prospectus for these other funds by contacting the Trust.

Exchanges of Class A and Class C shares are subject to an initial $1,000 minimum (and subsequent $50 minimum) for each Fund, except with respect to tax-qualified programs and exchanges effected through the PIMCO Funds Automatic Exchange Plan. Specified benefit plans or financial service firms may impose various fees and charges, investment minimums and other requirements with respect to exchanges of Class R shares. 

An exchange is generally a taxable event which will generate capital gains or losses, and special rules may apply in computing tax basis when determining gain or loss. See "Tax Consequences" in this prospectus and "Taxation" in the SAI.

Eligible investors who maintain their account directly with the Funds may submit a request to exchange Fund shares by accessing their account online.  Eligible direct investors in Class A and Class C shares may access their online account via pimco.com/MyAccountAccess.  Eligible direct investors in Institutional shares may access their online account via pimco.com/InstitutionalAccountAccess.

If you maintain your Class A, Class C or Class R account with the Trust, you may exchange shares by completing a written exchange request and sending it to PIMCO Funds, P.O. Box 55060, Boston, MA 02205-5060 or by calling the Funds at 888.87.PIMCO. Exchanges of an amount of $10 million or more must be submitted in writing by an Authorized Person. If you maintain your Institutional Class, I-2 or Administrative Class shares with the Trust, you may exchange shares by following the redemption procedures for those classes above. If you maintain Class A, Class C, Class R, Institutional Class, I-2, I-3 or Administrative Class shares through an intermediary, please contact the intermediary to conduct your transactions.

Shares of one class of a Fund may also be exchanged directly for shares of another class of the Fund, subject to any applicable sales charge and other rules, as described in the SAI. 

 

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The Trust reserves the right to refuse exchange purchases (or purchase and redemption and/or redemption and purchase transactions) if, in the judgment of PIMCO, the transaction would adversely affect a Fund and its shareholders. Although the Trust has no current intention of terminating or modifying the exchange privilege, it reserves the right to do so at any time. Except as otherwise permitted by the SEC, the Trust will give you 60 days' advance notice if it exercises its right to terminate or materially modify the exchange privilege with respect to Class A, Class C and Class R shares.

The SAI provides more detailed information about the exchange privilege, including the procedures you must follow and additional exchange options. You can obtain the SAI free of charge from the Funds by written request to the address above, by visiting pimco.com or by calling 888.87.PIMCO.

Acceptance and Timing of Purchase Orders, Redemption Orders and Share Price Calculations

A purchase order received by the Trust or its designee prior to the close of regular trading on the NYSE (normally 4:00 p.m., Eastern time) ("NYSE Close"), on a day the Trust is open for business, together with payment made in one of the ways described above will be effected at that day's NAV plus any applicable sales charge. An order received after the close of regular trading on the NYSE will be effected at the NAV determined on the next business day. However, orders received by certain retirement plans and other financial firms on a business day prior to the close of regular trading on the NYSE and communicated to the Trust or its designee prior to such time as agreed upon by the Trust and financial firm will be effected at the NAV determined on the business day the order was received by the financial firm. The Trust is "open for business" on each day the NYSE is open for trading, which excludes the following holidays: New Year's Day, Martin Luther King, Jr. Day, Presidents' Day, Good Friday, Memorial Day, Independence Day, Labor Day, Thanksgiving Day and Christmas Day. If the NYSE is closed due to weather or other extenuating circumstances on a day it would typically be open for business, the Trust reserves the right to treat such day as a Business Day and accept purchase and redemption orders and calculate a Fund's NAV, in accordance with applicable law. A Fund reserves the right to close if the primary trading markets of the Fund's portfolio instruments are closed and the Fund's management believes that there is not an adequate market to meet purchase, redemption or exchange requests. On any business day when the Securities Industry and Financial Markets Association ("SIFMA") recommends that the securities markets close trading early, each Fund may close trading early. Purchase orders will be accepted only on days which the Trust is open for business.

A redemption order received by the Trust or its designee prior to the NYSE Close on a day the Trust is open for business, is effective on that day (unless a specific subsequent trade date is provided). A redemption order received after that time becomes effective on the next business day. Redemption requests for Fund shares are effected at the NAV per share next determined after receipt of a redemption request by the Trust or its designee, minus any applicable sales charge. However, orders received by certain broker-dealers and other financial firms on a business day prior to the NYSE Close and communicated to the Trust or its designee prior to such time as agreed upon by the Trust and financial firm will be effected on the business day the order was received by the financial firm. The request must properly identify all relevant information such as trade date, account name, account number, redemption amount (in dollars or shares), the Fund name and the class of shares and must be executed by an Authorized Person.

The Trust and the Distributor each reserves the right, in its sole discretion, to accept or reject any order for purchase of Fund shares. The sale of shares may be suspended during any period in which the NYSE is closed other than weekends or holidays, or if permitted by the rules of the SEC, when trading on the NYSE is restricted or during an emergency which makes it impracticable for the Fund to dispose of its securities or to determine fairly the value of its net assets, or during any other period as permitted by the SEC for the protection of investors. Additionally, redemptions of Fund shares may be suspended when trading on the NYSE is restricted or during an emergency which makes it impracticable for the Fund to dispose of its securities or to determine fairly the value of its net assets, or during any other period as permitted by the SEC for the protection of investors. Under these and other unusual circumstances, the Trust may suspend redemptions or postpone payment for more than seven days, as permitted by law.

An investor should invest in the Fund for long-term investment purposes only. The Trust reserves the right to refuse purchases if, in the judgment of PIMCO, the purchases would adversely affect the Fund and its shareholders. In particular, the Trust and PIMCO each reserves the right to restrict purchases of Fund shares (including exchanges) when a pattern of frequent purchases and sales made in response to short-term fluctuations in share price appears evident. Notice of any such restrictions, if any, will vary according to the particular circumstances.

Abusive Trading Practices

The Trust encourages shareholders to invest in the Funds as part of a long-term investment strategy and discourages excessive, short-term trading and other abusive trading practices, sometimes referred to as "market timing." However, because the Trust will not always be able to detect market timing or other abusive trading activity, investors should not assume that the Trust will be able to detect or prevent all market timing or other trading practices that may disadvantage the Funds.

Certain of the Funds' investment strategies may expose the Funds to risks associated with market timing activities. For example, since certain Funds may invest in non-U.S. securities, they may be subject to the risk that an investor may seek to take advantage of a delay between the change in value of the Funds' non-U.S. portfolio securities and the determination of the Funds' NAV as a result of different closing times of U.S. and non-U.S. markets by buying or selling Fund shares at a price that does not reflect their true value. A similar risk exists for a Fund's potential investment in securities of small capitalization companies, securities of issuers located in emerging markets, securities of distressed companies or high yield securities that are thinly traded and therefore may have actual values that differ from their market prices.

Except as identified below, to discourage excessive, short-term trading and other abusive trading strategies, the Board of Trustees of the Trust has adopted policies and procedures reasonably designed to detect and prevent short-term trading activity that may be harmful to a Fund and its shareholders ("Market Timing Policy"). Such activities may have a

 

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detrimental effect on a Fund and its shareholders. For example, depending on various factors such as the size of a Fund and the amount of its assets maintained in cash, short-term or excessive trading by Fund shareholders may interfere with the efficient management of the Trust's investments, increase transaction costs and taxes, and may harm the performance of the Fund and its shareholders. Purchases and sales by the PIMCO All Asset Fund, PIMCO All Asset All Authority Fund, PIMCO Global Multi-Asset Fund, PIMCO Multi-Strategy Alternative Fund, and the PIMCO REALPATH® Funds in certain Underlying PIMCO Funds may be exempt from certain limitations under the Market Timing Policy in order to allow these Funds to manage their cash flows and reallocate portfolio investments in the Underlying PIMCO Funds according to their allocation targets.

The Trust seeks to deter and prevent abusive trading practices, and to reduce these risks, through several methods. First, to the extent that there is a delay between a change in the value of a Fund's portfolio holdings and the time when that change is reflected in the NAV of the Fund's shares, the Fund is exposed to the risk that investors may seek to exploit this delay by purchasing or redeeming shares at NAVs that do not reflect appropriate fair value prices. The Trust seeks to deter and prevent this activity, sometimes referred to as "stale price arbitrage," by the appropriate use of "fair value" pricing of a Fund's portfolio securities. See "How Fund Shares Are Priced" below for more information.

Second, the Trust and PIMCO seek to monitor shareholder account activities in order to detect and prevent excessive and disruptive trading practices. The Trust and PIMCO each reserves the right to restrict or refuse any purchase or exchange transactions if, in the judgment of the Trust or of PIMCO, the transaction may adversely affect the interests of a Fund or its shareholders. Among other things, the Trust may monitor for any patterns of frequent purchases and sales that appear to be made in response to short-term fluctuations in share price and may also monitor for any attempts to improperly avoid the imposition of a redemption fee. Notice of such restrictions, if any, will vary according to the particular circumstances.

Although the Trust and its service providers seek to use these methods to detect and prevent abusive trading activities, and although the Trust will consistently apply such methods, there can be no assurances that such activities can be mitigated or eliminated. By their nature, omnibus accounts, in which purchases and sales of Fund shares by multiple investors are aggregated for presentation to a Fund on a net basis, conceal the identity of the individual investors from the Fund. This makes it more difficult for the Trust and/or PIMCO to identify short-term transactions in the Fund.

Verification of Identity

To help the federal government combat the funding of terrorism and money laundering activities, federal law requires all financial institutions to obtain, verify and record information that identifies each person that opens a new account, and to determine whether such person's name appears on government lists of known or suspected terrorists and terrorist organizations. As a result, a Fund must obtain the following information for each person that opens a new account:

1.

Name;

2.

Date of birth (for individuals);

3.

Residential or business street address; and

4.

Social security number, taxpayer identification number, or other identifying number.

Federal law prohibits the Funds and other financial institutions from opening a new account unless they receive the minimum identifying information listed above.

Individuals may also be asked for a copy of their driver's license, passport or other identifying document in order to verify their identity. In addition, it may be necessary to verify an individual's identity by cross-referencing the identification information with a consumer report or other electronic database. Additional information may be required to open accounts for corporations and other entities.

After an account is opened, a Fund may restrict your ability to purchase additional shares until your identity is verified. A Fund also may close your account and redeem your shares or take other appropriate action if it is unable to verify your identity within a reasonable time.

How Fund Shares Are Priced

The price of a Fund's shares is based on the Fund's NAV. The NAV of a Fund, or each of its share classes, as applicable, is determined by dividing the total value of a Fund's portfolio investments and other assets attributable to that Fund or class, less any liabilities, by the total number of shares outstanding of that Fund or class.

On each day that the NYSE is open, Fund shares are ordinarily valued as of the close of regular trading ("NYSE Close"). Information that becomes known to the Funds or their agents after the time as of which NAV has been calculated on a particular day will not generally be used to retroactively adjust the price of a security or the NAV determined earlier that day. Each Fund reserves the right to change the time its respective NAV is calculated if the Fund closes earlier, or as permitted by the SEC.

For purposes of calculating NAV, portfolio securities and other assets for which market quotes are readily available are valued at market value. Market value is generally determined on the basis of official closing prices or the last reported sales prices, or if no sales are reported, based on quotes obtained from established market makers or prices (including evaluated prices) supplied by the Funds' approved pricing services, quotation reporting systems and other third-party sources (together, "Pricing Services"). The Funds will normally use pricing data for domestic equity securities received shortly after the NYSE Close and do not normally take into account trading, clearances or settlements that take place after the NYSE Close. A foreign (non-U.S.) equity security traded on a foreign exchange or on more than one exchange is typically valued using pricing information from the exchange considered by PIMCO to be the primary exchange. If market value pricing is used, a foreign (non-U.S.) equity security will be valued as of the close of trading on the foreign exchange, or the NYSE Close, if the NYSE Close occurs before the end of trading on the foreign exchange. Domestic and foreign (non-U.S.) fixed income securities, non-exchange-traded derivatives, and equity options are normally valued on the basis of quotes obtained from brokers and dealers or Pricing Services using data reflecting the earlier closing of the principal markets for those securities. Prices obtained from Pricing Services may be based on, among other things, information provided by market makers or estimates of market

 

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values obtained from yield data relating to investments or securities with similar characteristics. Certain fixed income securities purchased on a delayed-delivery basis are marked to market daily until settlement at the forward settlement date. Exchange-traded options, except equity options, futures and options on futures are valued at the settlement price determined by the relevant exchange. Swap agreements are valued on the basis of bid quotes obtained from brokers and dealers or market-based prices supplied by Pricing Services or other pricing sources. With respect to any portion of the Fund's assets that are invested in one or more open-end management investment companies (other than exchange-traded funds), a Fund's NAV will be calculated based upon the NAVs of such investments.

If a foreign (non-U.S.) equity security's value has materially changed after the close of the security's primary exchange or principal market but before the NYSE Close, the security may be valued at fair value based on procedures established and approved by the Board of Trustees. Foreign (non-U.S.) equity securities that do not trade when the NYSE is open are also valued at fair value. With respect to foreign (non-U.S.) equity securities, the Fund may determine the fair value of investments based on information provided by Pricing Services and other third-party vendors, which may recommend fair value or adjustments with reference to other securities, indexes or assets. In considering whether fair valuation is required and in determining fair values, the Fund may, among other things, consider significant events (which may be considered to include changes in the value of U.S. securities or securities indexes) that occur after the close of the relevant market and before the NYSE Close. A Fund may utilize modeling tools provided by third-party vendors to determine fair values of non-U.S. securities. For these purposes, any movement in the applicable reference index or instrument ("zero trigger") between the earlier close of the applicable foreign market and the NYSE Close may be deemed to be a significant event, prompting the application of the pricing model (effectively resulting in daily fair valuations). Foreign (non-U.S.) exchanges may permit trading in foreign (non-U.S.) equity securities on days when the Trust is not open for business, which may result in a Fund's portfolio investments being affected when you are unable to buy or sell shares.

Senior secured floating rate loans for which an active secondary market exists to a reliable degree will be valued at the mean of the last available bid/ask prices in the market for such loans, as provided by a Pricing Service. Senior secured floating rate loans for which an active secondary market does not exist to a reliable degree will be valued at fair value, which is intended to approximate market value. In valuing a senior secured floating rate loan at fair value, the factors considered may include, but are not limited to, the following: (a) the creditworthiness of the borrower and any intermediate participants, (b) the terms of the loan, (c) recent prices in the market for similar loans, if any, and (d) recent prices in the market for instruments of similar quality, rate, period until next interest rate reset and maturity.

Investments valued in currencies other than the U.S. dollar are converted to the U.S. dollar using exchange rates obtained from Pricing Services. As a result, the value of such investments, and in turn, the NAV of the Fund's shares may be affected by changes in the value of currencies in relation to the U.S. dollar. The value of investments traded in markets outside the United States or denominated in currencies other than the U.S. dollar may be affected significantly on a day that the Trust is not open for business. As a result, to the extent that a Fund holds foreign (non-U.S.) investments, the value of those investments may change at times when shareholders are unable to buy or sell shares and the value of such investments will be reflected in the Fund's next calculated NAV.

Investments for which market quotes or market based valuations are not readily available are valued at fair value as determined in good faith by the Board of Trustees or persons acting at their direction. The Board of Trustees has adopted methods for valuing securities and other assets in circumstances where market quotes are not readily available, and has delegated to PIMCO the responsibility for applying the fair valuation methods. In the event that market quotes or market based valuations are not readily available, and the security or asset cannot be valued pursuant to a Board approved valuation method, the value of the security or asset will be determined in good faith by the Valuation Oversight Committee of the Board of Trustees, generally based on recommendations provided by PIMCO. Market quotes are considered not readily available in circumstances where there is an absence of current or reliable market-based data (e.g., trade information, bid/ask information, broker quotes, Pricing Services' prices), including where events occur after the close of the relevant market, but prior to the NYSE Close, that materially affect the values of the Fund's securities or assets. In addition, market quotes are considered not readily available when, due to extraordinary circumstances, the exchanges or markets on which the securities trade do not open for trading for the entire day and no other market prices are available. The Board of Trustees has delegated to PIMCO the responsibility for monitoring significant events that may materially affect the values of the Fund's securities or assets and for determining whether the value of the applicable securities or assets should be reevaluated in light of such significant events.

When the Fund uses fair valuation to determine the value of a portfolio security or other asset for purposes of calculating its NAV, such investments will not be priced on the basis of quotes from the primary market in which they are traded, but rather may be priced by another method that the Board of Trustees or persons acting at their direction believe reflects fair value. Fair valuation may require subjective determinations about the value of a security. While the Trust's policy is intended to result in a calculation of the Fund's NAV that fairly reflects security values as of the time of pricing, the Trust cannot ensure that fair values determined by the Board of Trustees or persons acting at their direction would accurately reflect the price that a Fund could obtain for a security if it were to dispose of that security as of the time of pricing (for instance, in a forced or distressed sale). The prices used by the Fund may differ from the value that would be realized if the securities were sold. The Funds' use of fair valuation may also help to deter "stale price arbitrage" as discussed above under "Abusive Trading Practices."

Under certain circumstances, the per share NAV of a class of the Fund's shares may be different from the per share NAV of another class of shares as a result of the different daily expense accruals applicable to each class of shares.

 

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Fund Distributions

Each Fund distributes substantially all of its net investment income to shareholders in the form of dividends. Dividends paid by each Fund with respect to each class of shares are calculated in the same manner and at the same time, but dividends on different classes of shares may be different as a result of the service and/or distribution fees applicable to certain classes of shares. Each Fund intends to declare income dividends and distribute them quarterly to shareholders of record.

In addition, each Fund distributes any net capital gains it earns from the sale of portfolio securities to shareholders no less frequently than annually. Net short-term capital gains may be paid more frequently.

A Fund's dividend and capital gain distributions with respect to a particular class of shares will automatically be reinvested in additional shares of the same class of the Fund at NAV unless the shareholder elects to have the distributions paid in cash. A shareholder may elect to have distributions paid in cash on the Account Application, by phone, or by submitting a written request, signed by an Authorized Person, indicating the account name, account number, name of Fund and share class. A shareholder may elect to invest all distributions in shares of the same class of any other fund of the Trust or PIMCO Funds which offers that class of shares at NAV. A shareholder must have an account existing in the fund selected for investment with the identical registered name. This option must be elected when the account is set up.

Shares Purchased by Wire:  Dividends will begin to accrue the business day following the day the order is effected or such later date as agreed with the Trust.

Shares Purchased by Check or ACH: The order will be effected at that day's NAV, but dividends will not begin to accrue until the following business day.

If a purchase order is placed through a broker, dealer or other financial firms authorized to settle through the National Securities Clearing Corporation (the "NSCC"), the purchase order will begin accruing dividends the business day following the NSCC settlement date or as agreed upon and as allowed by applicable law.

A Class A, Class C or Class R shareholder may choose from the following distribution options:

Reinvest all distributions in additional shares of the same class of the Fund at NAV. You should contact your financial firm (if shares are held through a financial firm) or the Fund's Transfer Agent (if shares are held through a direct account) for details. You do not pay any sales charges on shares received through the reinvestment of Fund distributions. This will be done unless you elect another option.

Invest all distributions in shares of the same class of any other fund of the Trust or PIMCO Equity Series which offers that class at NAV. You must have an account existing in the fund selected for investment with the identical registered name. You must elect this option on your Account Application or by a telephone request to the Transfer Agent at 888.87.PIMCO.

Receive all distributions in cash (either paid directly to you or credited to your account with your broker or other financial intermediary). If the postal or other delivery service is unable to deliver checks to your address of record, the Trust's Transfer Agent will hold the returned checks for your benefit in a non-interest bearing account. You must elect this option on your Account Application or by a telephone request to the Transfer Agent at 888.87.PIMCO.

The financial service firm may offer additional distribution reinvestment programs or options. Please contact the firm for details.

Tax Consequences

The following information is meant as a general summary for U.S. taxpayers. Please see the SAI for additional information. You should rely on your own tax adviser for advice about the particular federal, state and local tax consequences to you of investing in any Fund.

Each Fund will distribute substantially all of its income and gains to its shareholders every year, and shareholders will be taxed on distributions they receive.

Taxes on Fund Distributions. A shareholder subject to U.S. federal income tax will be subject to tax on taxable Fund distributions of taxable income or capital gains whether they are paid in cash or reinvested in additional shares of the Funds. For federal income tax purposes, taxable Fund distributions will be taxable to the shareholder as either ordinary income or capital gains.

Fund taxable dividends (i.e., distributions of investment income) are generally taxable to shareholders as ordinary income. A portion of distributions may be qualified dividends taxable at lower rates for individual shareholders. However, in light of the investment strategies of the Funds, it is not anticipated that a significant portion of the dividends paid by the Funds will be eligible to be designated as qualified dividends. Federal taxes on Fund distributions of gains are determined by how long a Fund owned the investments that generated the gains, rather than how long a shareholder has owned the shares. Distributions of gains from investments that the Fund owned for more than one year will generally be taxable to shareholders as long-term capital gains. Distributions of gains from investments that the Fund owned for one year or less will generally be taxable as ordinary income.

The tax treatment of income, gains and losses attributable to foreign currencies (and derivatives on such currencies), and various other special tax rules applicable to certain financial transactions and instruments could affect the amount, timing and character of a Fund's distributions. In some cases, these tax rules could also result in a retroactive change in the tax character of prior distributions and may also possibly cause all, or a portion, of prior distributions to be reclassified as returns of capital for tax purposes. See "Returns of Capital" below.

Taxable Fund distributions are taxable to shareholders even if they are paid from income or gains earned by a Fund prior to the shareholder's investment and thus were included in the price paid for the shares. For example, a shareholder who purchases shares on or just before the record date of a Fund distribution will pay full price for the shares and may receive a portion of his or her investment back as a taxable distribution.

Taxes on Redemption or Exchanges of Shares. You will generally have a taxable capital gain or loss if you dispose of your Fund shares by redemption, exchange or sale. The amount of the gain or loss and the rate of tax will depend primarily upon how much you

 

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pay for the shares, how much you sell them for, and how long you hold them. When you exchange shares of a Fund for shares of another Fund, the transaction will be treated as a sale of the Fund shares for these purposes, and any gain on those shares will generally be subject to federal income tax.

Returns of Capital. If a Fund's distributions exceed its taxable income and capital gains realized during a taxable year, all or a portion of the distributions made in the same taxable year may be recharacterized as a return of capital to shareholders. A return of capital distribution will generally not be taxable, but will reduce each shareholder's cost basis in the Fund and result in a higher reported capital gain or lower reported capital loss when those shares on which the distribution was received are sold.

Medicare Tax.  An additional 3.8% Medicare tax is imposed on certain net investment income (including ordinary dividends and capital gain distributions received from a Fund and net gains from redemptions or other taxable dispositions of Fund shares) of U.S. individuals, estates and trusts to the extent that such person's "modified adjusted gross income" (in the case of an individual) or "adjusted gross income" (in the case of an estate or trust) exceeds certain threshold amounts.

Recent Tax Legislation. Under recent tax legislation, individuals (and certain other noncorporate entities) are generally eligible for a 20% deduction with respect to taxable ordinary dividends from REITs and certain taxable income from publicly traded partnerships. Currently, there is not a mechanism for regulated investment companies to pass through the 20% deduction to shareholders although it is possible that a legislative or regulatory approach to do so may be provided in the future. As a result, in comparison, investors investing directly in REITs or publicly traded partnerships would generally be eligible for the 20% deduction for such taxable income from these investments while investors investing in REITs or publicly traded partnerships indirectly through a Fund would not be eligible for the 20% deduction for their share of such taxable income. In addition, under the recent tax legislation, REITs as well as other corporations will be subject to certain leverage limitations regarding the deductibility of interest expense. The recent tax legislation also may, pending further regulatory guidance, require REITs and a Fund to accrue market discount currently, which may affect the taxability of REIT distributions received by a Fund and the amount of taxable distributions paid by a Fund to shareholders. The effects of these and other provisions of the tax legislation on REITs' operations, on master limited partnerships, or on a Fund, is uncertain at this time.

Important Tax Reporting Considerations. Your financial intermediary or the Fund (if you hold your shares in a Fund direct account) will report gains and losses realized on redemptions of shares for shareholders who are individuals and S corporations purchased after January 1, 2012 to the Internal Revenue Service (IRS). This information will also be reported to you on Form 1099-B and the IRS each year. In calculating the gain or loss on redemptions of shares, the average cost method will be used to determine the cost basis of Fund shares purchased after January 1, 2012 unless you instruct the Fund in writing that you want to use another available method for cost basis reporting (for example, First In, First Out (FIFO), Last In, First Out (LIFO), Specific Lot Identification (SLID) or High Cost, First Out (HIFO)). If you designate SLID as your cost basis method, you will also need to designate a secondary cost basis method (Secondary Method). If a Secondary Method is not provided, the Funds will designate FIFO as the Secondary Method and will use the Secondary Method with respect to automatic withdrawals made after January 1, 2012 or conducted via an automatic withdrawal plan.

If a shareholder is a corporation and has not instructed the Fund that it is a C corporation in its account application or by written instruction, the Fund will treat the shareholder as an S corporation and file a Form 1099-B.

A Note on the PIMCO CommodityRealReturn Strategy Fund® and PIMCO CommoditiesPLUS® Strategy Fund, Underlying PIMCO Funds, and the PIMCO Global Multi-Asset Fund. One of the requirements for favorable tax treatment as a regulated investment company under the Code is that a Fund derive at least 90% of its gross income from certain qualifying sources of income. The IRS has issued a revenue ruling which holds that income derived from commodity-linked swaps is not qualifying income under Subchapter M of the Code. As such, a Fund's ability to utilize direct investments in commodity linked swaps, commodities or other commodity-linked derivatives as part of its investment strategy is limited to a maximum of 10 percent of its gross income. However, in a subsequent revenue ruling, the IRS provides that income from alternative investment instruments (such as certain commodity index-linked notes) that creates commodity exposure may be considered qualifying income under the Code. The IRS has also issued private letter rulings in which the IRS specifically concluded that income from certain commodity index-linked notes is qualifying income (collectively, the "Notes Rulings"). In addition, the IRS has also issued private letter rulings in which the IRS specifically concluded that income derived from an investment in a subsidiary will also constitute qualifying income to the Underlying PIMCO Funds and the PIMCO Global Multi-Asset Fund, even if a subsidiary itself owns commodity-linked swaps. Based on the underlying tax principles relating to such rulings, the Underlying PIMCO Funds and the PIMCO Global Multi-Asset Fund will continue to seek to gain exposure to the commodity markets primarily through investments in their respective Subsidiaries.

The IRS recently issued proposed regulations that, if finalized, would generally treat each Portfolio's income inclusion with respect to its respective Subsidiary as qualifying income only if there is a distribution out of the earnings and profits of the Subsidiary that are attributable to such income inclusion. The proposed regulations, if adopted, would apply to taxable years beginning on or after 90 days after the regulations are published as final. The IRS also recently issued a revenue procedure, which states that the IRS will not in the future issue private letter rulings that would require a determination of whether an asset (such as a commodity index-linked note) is a "security" under the 1940 Act. In connection with issuing such revenue procedure, the IRS has revoked the Notes Rulings. There can be no assurance that the IRS will not change its position with respect

 

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to some or all of these issues or that future legislation will not adversely impact the tax treatment of a Fund's commodity-linked investments. If the IRS were to determine that income derived from certain commodity-linked notes or from investments in subsidiaries does not constitute qualifying income and if such positions were upheld or if future legislation were to adversely affect the tax treatment of Fund investments, then certain Funds, including the Underlying PIMCO Funds and the PIMCO Global Multi-Asset Fund, might cease to qualify as regulated investment companies and would be required to reduce their exposure to such investments which might result in difficulty in implementing their investment strategies. If such Funds did not qualify as regulated investment companies for any taxable year, their taxable income would be subject to tax at the Fund level at regular corporate tax rates (without reduction for distributions to shareholders) and to a further tax at the shareholder level when such income is distributed. Furthermore, the tax treatment of the Underlying PIMCO Funds' and the PIMCO Global Multi-Asset Fund's investments in their respective Subsidiaries may otherwise be adversely affected by future legislation, court decisions, Treasury Regulations and/or guidance issued by the IRS. Such developments could affect the character, timing and/or amount of the Underlying PIMCO Funds' or the PIMCO Global Multi-Asset Fund's taxable income or any distributions made by such Funds or result in the inability of such Funds to operate as described in their respective Prospectuses.

A Note on the Fund of Funds Structure. Each Fund's use of a fund of funds structure could affect the amount, timing and character of distributions to shareholders, and may therefore increase the amount of taxes payable by shareholders.

A Note on the PIMCO CommodityRealReturn Strategy Fund®, PIMCO Long-Term Real Return Fund, PIMCO RealEstateRealReturn Strategy Fund, PIMCO Real Return Fund, PIMCO Real Return Limited Duration Fund, Underlying PIMCO Funds.  Periodic adjustments for inflation to the principal amount of an inflation-indexed bond may give rise to original issue discount, which will be includable in each affected Underlying PIMCO Fund's gross income.  Due to original issue discount, each affected Underlying PIMCO Fund may be required to make annual distributions to shareholders that exceed the cash received, which may cause each affected Underlying PIMCO Fund to liquidate certain investments when it is not advantageous to do so.  Also, if the principal value of an inflation-indexed bond is adjusted downward due to deflation, amounts previously distributed in the taxable year may be characterized in some circumstances as a return of capital.

A Note on the PIMCO Strategic Bond Fund, Underlying PIMCO Fund. Dividends paid to shareholders of the Underlying PIMCO Fund are expected to be designated by the Underlying PIMCO Fund as "exempt-interest dividends" to the extent that such dividends are derived from Municipal Bond interest and shareholders may generally exclude such dividends from gross income for federal income tax purposes. The federal tax exemption for "exempt-interest dividends" from Municipal Bonds does not necessarily result in the exemption of such dividends from state and local taxes. The Underlying PIMCO Fund will invest a portion of its assets in securities that generate income that is not exempt from federal or state income tax. Dividends derived from taxable interest or capital gains will be subject to federal income tax and will be subject to state tax in most states. The payment of a portion of the Underlying PIMCO Fund's dividends as dividends exempt from federal income tax will not provide additional tax benefits to investors in tax-sheltered retirement plans or individuals not subject to federal income tax.

Backup Withholding. Each Fund may be required to withhold U.S. federal income tax on all taxable distributions payable to shareholders if they fail to provide the Fund with their correct taxpayer identification number or to make required certifications, or if they have been notified by the IRS that they are subject to backup withholding. Backup withholding is not an additional tax. Any amounts withheld may be credited against U.S. federal income tax liability.

Foreign Withholding Taxes. A Fund may be subject to foreign withholding or other foreign taxes, which in some cases can be significant on any income or gain from investments in foreign securities. In that case, the Fund's total return on those securities would be decreased. Each Fund may generally deduct these taxes in computing its taxable income. Rather than deducting these foreign taxes, if more than 50% of the value of a Fund's total assets at the close of its taxable year consists of stock or securities of foreign corporations or foreign governments, or if at least 50% of the value of a Fund's total assets at the close of each quarter of its taxable year is represented by interests in other regulated investment companies, such Fund may make an election to treat a proportionate amount of eligible foreign taxes as constituting a taxable distribution to each shareholder, which would, subject to certain limitations, generally allow the shareholder to either (i) credit that proportionate amount of taxes against U.S. Federal income tax liability as a foreign tax credit or (ii) take that amount as an itemized deduction. Although in some cases the Fund may be able to apply for a refund of a portion of such taxes, the ability to successfully obtain such a refund may be uncertain.

Foreign shareholders may be subject to U. S. tax withholding of 30% (or lower applicable treaty rate) on distributions from the Funds. Additionally, the Funds are required to withhold U.S. tax (at a 30% rate) on payments of taxable dividends and (effective January 1, 2019) redemption proceeds and certain capital gain dividends made to certain non-U.S. entities that fail to comply (or be deemed compliant) with extensive reporting and withholding requirements designed to inform the U.S. Department of the Treasury of U.S.-owned foreign investment accounts. Shareholders may be requested to provide additional information to enable the Funds to determine whether withholding is required.

This "Tax Consequences" section relates only to federal income tax; the consequences under other tax laws may differ. Shareholders should consult their tax advisors as to the possible application of foreign, state and local income tax laws to Fund dividends and capital distributions. Please see "Taxation" in the SAI for additional information regarding the tax aspects of investing in the Funds.

 

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Characteristics and Risks of Securities and Investment Techniques

This section provides additional information about some of the principal investments and related risks of the Funds and of certain Acquired Funds described under "Fund Summaries" and "Description of Principal Risks" above. It also describes characteristics and risks of additional securities and investment techniques that may be used by the Acquired Funds from time to time. Generally, the characteristics and risks of securities and investment techniques that may be used by the Acquired Funds from time to time are similar to those described below. However, the risks associated with an Acquired Fund's investments are described more fully in each Acquired Fund's prospectus. Accordingly, please see an Acquired Fund's prospectus for a more complete description of the Acquired Fund and the risks associated with its investments.

Most of these securities and investment techniques are discretionary, which means that PIMCO can decide whether to use them or not. This prospectus does not attempt to disclose all of the various types of securities and investment techniques that may be used by the Funds. As with any mutual fund, investors in the Funds rely on the professional investment judgment and skill of PIMCO and the individual portfolio managers. Please see "Investment Objectives and Policies" in the SAI for more detailed information about the securities and investment techniques described in this section and about other strategies and techniques that may be used by the Funds.

Because the PIMCO Global Multi-Asset Fund may invest a portion of its assets in its Subsidiary, which may hold some of the investments described in this prospectus, the PIMCO Global Multi-Asset Fund may be indirectly exposed to the risks associated with those investments. With respect to its investments, the GMA Subsidiary will generally be subject to the same fundamental, nonfundamental and certain other investment restrictions as the PIMCO Global Multi-Asset Fund; however, the GMA Subsidiary (unlike the PIMCO Global Multi-Asset Fund) may invest without limitation in commodity-linked swap agreements and other commodity-linked derivative instruments. The PIMCO Global Multi-Asset Fund and its Subsidiary may test for compliance with certain investment restrictions on a consolidated basis, except that with respect to their investments in certain securities that may involve leverage, the GMA Subsidiary will comply with asset segregation or "earmarking" requirements to the same extent as the PIMCO Global Multi-Asset Fund.

The PIMCO All Asset and PIMCO All Asset All Authority Funds invest substantially all of their assets in shares of the Underlying PIMCO Funds, and as such (unless otherwise indicated) do not invest directly in the securities described below. The Underlying PIMCO Funds, however, may invest in such securities. Because the value of an investment in the PIMCO All Asset and PIMCO All Asset All Authority Funds is directly related to the investment performance of the Underlying PIMCO Funds in which they invest, the risks of investing in the PIMCO All Asset and PIMCO All Asset All Authority Funds are closely related to the risks associated with the Underlying PIMCO Funds and their investments in the securities described below. Please see "Descriptions of the Underlying PIMCO Funds." Similarly, as the PIMCO Global Multi-Asset, PIMCO Multi-Strategy Alternative and PIMCO REALPATH® Funds may invest in shares of the Acquired Funds, the risks of investing in the PIMCO Global Multi-Asset, PIMCO Multi-Strategy Alternative and the PIMCO REALPATH® Funds may be closely related to the risks associated with the Acquired Funds and their investments. However, as the PIMCO Global Multi-Asset, PIMCO Multi-Strategy Alternative and PIMCO REALPATH® Funds may also invest their assets directly in Fixed Income Instruments, equity securities, forwards or derivatives, such as options, futures contracts or swap agreements, other affiliated or unaffiliated funds, and other investments, the PIMCO Global Multi-Asset, PIMCO Multi-Strategy Alternative and PIMCO REALPATH® Funds may be directly exposed to certain risks described below.

Investors should be aware that the investments made by a Fund and the results achieved by a Fund at any given time are not expected to be the same as those made by other funds for which PIMCO acts as investment adviser, including funds with names, investment objectives and policies similar to a Fund. This may be attributable to a wide variety of factors, including, but not limited to, the use of a different portfolio management team or strategy, when a particular fund commenced operations or the size of a particular fund, in each case as compared to other similar funds. Significant shareholder purchases and redemptions may adversely impact a Fund's portfolio management. For example, a Fund may be forced to sell a comparatively large portion of its portfolio to meet significant shareholder redemptions, or hold a comparatively large portion of its portfolio in cash due to significant shareholder purchases, in each case when the Fund otherwise would not seek to do so. Such shareholder transactions may cause Funds to make investment decisions at inopportune times or prices or miss attractive investment opportunities. Such transactions may also increase a Fund's transaction costs, accelerate the realization of taxable income if sales of securities resulted in gains, or otherwise cause a Fund to perform differently than intended. Similarly, significant shareholder purchases may adversely affect a Fund's performance to the extent the Fund is delayed in investing new cash and, as a result, holds a proportionally larger cash position than under ordinary circumstances and such impact may be heightened in funds of funds. While such risks may apply to Funds of any size, such risks are heightened in Funds with fewer assets under management. In addition, new Funds may not be able to fully implement their investment strategy immediately upon commencing investment operations, which could reduce investment performance.

More generally, a Fund may be adversely affected when a large shareholder purchases or redeems large amounts of shares, which can occur at any time and may impact the Fund in the same manner as a high volume of purchase or redemption requests. Such large shareholders include, but are not limited to, other funds, institutional investors, and asset allocators who make investment decisions on behalf of underlying clients. Large shareholder transactions may cause Funds to make investment decisions at inopportune times or prices or miss attractive investment opportunities. In addition, such transactions may also cause the Fund to sell certain assets in order to meet purchase or redemption requests, which could indirectly affect the liquidity of the Fund's portfolio. Such transactions may also increase the Fund's transaction costs, decrease economies of scale, accelerate the realization of taxable income, or otherwise cause the Fund to perform differently than intended. While large shareholder transactions may be more frequent under certain circumstances, the Fund is generally subject

 

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to the risk that a large shareholder can purchase or redeem a significant percentage of Fund shares at any time. Moreover, the Fund is subject to the risk that other shareholders may make investment decisions based on the choices of a large shareholder, which could exacerbate any potential negative effects experienced by the Fund.

Investment Selection

In selecting securities for a Fund, PIMCO develops an outlook for interest rates, currency exchange rates and the economy, analyzes credit and call risks, and uses other security selection techniques. The proportion of a Fund's assets committed to investment in securities with particular characteristics (such as quality, sector, interest rate or maturity) varies based on PIMCO's outlook for the U.S. economy and the economies of other countries in the world, the financial markets and other factors.

With respect to fixed income investing, PIMCO attempts to identify areas of the bond market that are undervalued relative to the rest of the market. PIMCO identifies these areas by grouping Fixed Income Instruments into sectors such as money markets, governments, corporates, mortgages, asset-backed and international. In seeking to identify undervalued currencies, PIMCO may consider many factors, including but not limited to longer-term analysis of relative interest rates, inflation rates, real exchange rates, purchasing power parity, trade account balances and current account balances, as well as other factors that influence exchange rates such as flows, market technical trends and government policies. Sophisticated proprietary software then assists in evaluating sectors and pricing specific investments. Once investment opportunities are identified, PIMCO will shift assets among sectors depending upon changes in relative valuations, credit spreads and other factors. There is no guarantee that PIMCO's investment selection techniques will produce the desired results.

Fixed Income Instruments

"Fixed Income Instruments," as used generally in this prospectus, includes:

securities issued or guaranteed by the U.S. Government, its agencies or government-sponsored enterprises ("U.S. Government Securities");

corporate debt securities of U.S. and non-U.S. issuers, including convertible securities and corporate commercial paper;

mortgage-backed and other asset-backed securities;

inflation-indexed bonds issued both by governments and corporations;

structured notes, including hybrid or "indexed" securities and event-linked bonds;

bank capital and trust preferred securities;

loan participations and assignments;

delayed funding loans and revolving credit facilities;

bank certificates of deposit, fixed time deposits and bankers' acceptances;

repurchase agreements on Fixed Income Instruments and reverse repurchase agreements on Fixed Income Instruments;

debt securities issued by states or local governments and their agencies, authorities and other government-sponsored enterprises;

obligations of non-U.S. governments or their subdivisions, agencies and government-sponsored enterprises; and

obligations of international agencies or supranational entities.

Securities issued by U.S. Government agencies or government-sponsored enterprises may not be guaranteed by the U.S. Treasury.

The Funds (other than the PIMCO All Asset and PIMCO All Asset All Authority Funds), to the extent permitted by the 1940 Act, or exemptive relief therefrom, may invest in derivatives based on Fixed Income Instruments.

Duration

Duration is a measure used to determine the sensitivity of a security's price to changes in interest rates that incorporates a security's yield, coupon, final maturity and call features, among other characteristics. The longer a security's duration, the more sensitive it will be to changes in interest rates. Similarly, a fund with a longer average portfolio duration will be more sensitive to changes in interest rates than a fund with a shorter average portfolio duration. By way of example, the price of a bond fund with an average duration of eight years would be expected to fall approximately 8% if interest rates rose by one percentage point. Similarly, the price of a bond fund with an average duration of fifteen years would be expected to fall approximately 15% if interest rates rose by one percentage point. Conversely, the price of a bond fund with an average duration of negative three years would be expected to rise approximately 3% if interest rates rose by one percentage point. The maturity of a security, another commonly used measure of price sensitivity, measures only the time until final payment is due, whereas duration takes into account the pattern of all payments of interest and principal on a security over time, including how these payments are affected by prepayments and by changes in interest rates, as well as the time until an interest rate is reset (in the case of variable-rate securities). PIMCO uses an internal model for calculating duration, which may result in a different value for the duration of an index compared to the duration calculated by the index provider or another third party.

U.S. Government Securities

U.S. Government Securities are obligations of, or guaranteed by, the U.S. Government, its agencies or government-sponsored enterprises. The U.S. Government does not guarantee the NAV of the Fund's shares. U.S. Government Securities are subject to market and interest rate risk, as well as varying degrees of credit risk. Some U.S. Government Securities are issued or guaranteed by the U.S. Treasury and are supported by the full faith and credit of the United States. Other types of U.S. Government Securities are supported by the full faith and credit of the United States (but not issued by the U.S. Treasury). These securities may have less credit risk than U.S. Government Securities not supported by the full faith and credit of the United States. Such other types of U.S. Government Securities are: (1) supported by the ability of the issuer to borrow from the U.S. Treasury; (2) supported only by the credit of the issuing agency, instrumentality or government-sponsored corporation; or (3) supported by the United States in some other way. These securities may be subject to greater credit risk. U.S. Government Securities include zero coupon securities, which tend to be subject to greater market risk than interest-paying securities of similar maturities.

Securities issued by U.S. Government agencies or government-sponsored enterprises may not be guaranteed by the U.S. Treasury. Government National Mortgage Association ("GNMA"), a wholly owned U.S. Government corporation, is authorized to guarantee, with the full faith and

 

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credit of the U.S. Government, the timely payment of principal and interest on securities issued by institutions approved by GNMA and backed by pools of mortgages insured by the Federal Housing Administration or guaranteed by the Department of Veterans Affairs. Government-related guarantors (i.e., not backed by the full faith and credit of the U.S. Government) include the Federal National Mortgage Association ("FNMA") and the Federal Home Loan Mortgage Corporation ("FHLMC"). Pass-through securities issued by FNMA are guaranteed as to timely payment of principal and interest by FNMA but are not backed by the full faith and credit of the U.S. Government. FHLMC guarantees the timely payment of interest and ultimate collection of principal, but its participation certificates are not backed by the full faith and credit of the U.S. Government.

Municipal Bonds

Municipal Bonds are generally issued by states, territories, possessions and local governments and their agencies, authorities and other instrumentalities. Municipal Bonds are subject to interest rate, credit and market risk, uncertainties related to the tax status of a Municipal Bond or the rights of investors invested in these securities. The ability of an issuer to make payments could be affected by litigation, legislation or other political events or the bankruptcy of the issuer. In addition, imbalances in supply and demand in the municipal market may result in a deterioration of liquidity and a lack of price transparency in the market. At certain times, this may affect pricing, execution and transaction costs associated with a particular trade. The value of certain municipal securities, in particular general obligation debt, may also be adversely affected by rising health care costs, increasing unfunded pension liabilities, changes in accounting standards and by the phasing out of federal programs providing financial support. Lower rated Municipal Bonds are subject to greater credit and market risk than higher quality Municipal Bonds. The types of Municipal Bonds in which the Funds may invest include municipal lease obligations, municipal general obligation bonds, municipal essential service revenue bonds, municipal cash equivalents, and pre-refunded and escrowed to maturity Municipal Bonds. The Funds may also invest in industrial development bonds, which are Municipal Bonds issued by a government agency on behalf of a private sector company and, in most cases, are not backed by the credit of the issuing municipality and may therefore involve more risk. The Funds may also invest in securities issued by entities whose underlying assets are Municipal Bonds.

Pre-refunded Municipal Bonds are tax-exempt bonds that have been refunded to a call date on or before the final maturity of principal and remain outstanding in the municipal market. The payment of principal and interest of the pre-refunded Municipal Bonds held by a Fund is funded from securities in a designated escrow account that holds U.S. Treasury securities or other obligations of the U.S. Government (including its agencies and instrumentalities ("Agency Securities")). As the payment of principal and interest is generated from securities held in a designated escrow account, the pledge of the municipality has been fulfilled and the original pledge of revenue by the municipality is no longer in place. The escrow account securities pledged to pay the principal and interest of the pre-refunded Municipal Bond do not guarantee the price movement of the bond before maturity. Investment in pre-refunded Municipal Bonds held by a Fund may subject the Fund to interest rate risk, market risk and credit risk. In addition, while a secondary market exists for pre-refunded Municipal Bonds, if a Fund sells pre-refunded Municipal Bonds prior to maturity, the price received may be more or less than the original cost, depending on market conditions at the time of sale.

Certain Funds may invest in trust certificates issued in tender option bond programs. In these programs, a trust typically issues two classes of certificates and uses the proceeds to purchase municipal securities having relatively long maturities and bearing interest at a fixed interest rate substantially higher than prevailing short-term tax-exempt rates. There is a risk that a Fund investing in a tender option bond program will not be considered the owner of a tender option bond for federal income tax purposes, and thus will not be entitled to treat such interest as exempt from federal income tax. Certain tender option bonds may be illiquid or may become illiquid as a result of, among other things, a credit rating downgrade, a payment default or a disqualification from tax-exempt status. A Fund's investment in the securities issued by a tender option bond trust may involve greater risk and volatility than an investment in a fixed rate bond, and the value of such securities may decrease significantly when market interest rates increase. Tender option bond trusts could be terminated due to market, credit or other events beyond a Fund's control, which could require the Fund to dispose of portfolio investments at inopportune times and prices. A Fund may use a tender option bond program as a way of achieving leverage in its portfolio, in which case the Fund will be subject to leverage risk.

In December 2013, regulators finalized rules implementing Section 619 (the "Volcker Rule") and Section 941 (the "Risk Retention Rules") of the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act. Both the Volcker Rule and the Risk Retention Rules apply to tender option bond programs and require that such programs be restructured. In particular, these rules preclude banking entities from: (i) sponsoring or acquiring interests in the trusts used to hold a Municipal Bond in the creation of tender option bond trusts; and (ii) continuing to service or maintain relationships with existing programs involving such trusts to the same extent and in the same capacity as existing programs. At this time, the full impact of these rules is not certain; however, in response to these rules, industry participants are continuing to explore various structuring alternatives for tender option bond programs. Because of the important role that tender option bond programs play in the Municipal Bond market, it is possible that implementation of these rules and any resulting impact may adversely impact the Municipal Bond market. For example, as a result of the implementation of these rules, the Municipal Bond market may experience reduced demand or liquidity and increased financing costs.

Mortgage-Related and Other Asset-Backed Securities

Mortgage-related securities include mortgage pass-through securities, collateralized mortgage obligations ("CMOs"), commercial mortgage-backed securities, mortgage dollar rolls, CMO residuals, stripped mortgage-backed securities ("SMBSs") and other securities that directly or indirectly represent a participation in, or are secured by and payable from, mortgage loans on real property.

The value of some mortgage- or asset-backed securities may be particularly sensitive to changes in prevailing interest rates. Early repayment of principal

 

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on some mortgage-related securities may expose a Fund to a lower rate of return upon reinvestment of principal. When interest rates rise, the value of a mortgage-related security generally will decline; however, when interest rates are declining, the value of mortgage-related securities with prepayment features may not increase as much as other fixed income securities. The rate of prepayments on underlying mortgages will affect the price and volatility of a mortgage-related security, and may shorten or extend the effective maturity of the security beyond what was anticipated at the time of purchase. If unanticipated rates of prepayment on underlying mortgages increase the effective maturity of a mortgage-related security, the volatility of the security can be expected to increase. The value of these securities may fluctuate in response to the market's perception of the creditworthiness of the issuers. See "Extension Risk" and "Prepayment Risk" below. The value of these securities may also fluctuate in response to the market's perception of the creditworthiness of the issuers. Additionally, although mortgage and mortgage-related securities are generally supported by some form of government or private guarantee and/or insurance, there is no assurance that guarantors or insurers will meet their obligations.

Extension Risk. Mortgage-related and other asset-backed securities are subject to Extension Risk, which is the risk that the issuer of such a security pays back the principal of such an obligation later than expected. This may occur when interest rates rise. This may negatively affect Fund returns, as the value of the security decreases when principal payments are made later than expected. In addition, because principal payments are made later than expected, the Fund may be prevented from investing proceeds it would otherwise have received at a given time at the higher prevailing interest rates.

Prepayment Risk. Mortgage-related and other asset-backed securities are subject to Prepayment Risk, which is the risk that the issuer of such a security pays back the principal of such an obligation earlier than expected (due to the sale of the underlying property, refinancing, or foreclosure). This may occur when interest rates decline. Prepayment may expose the Fund to a lower rate of return upon reinvestment of principal. Also, if a security subject to prepayment has been purchased at a premium, the value of the premium would be lost in the event of prepayment.

One type of SMBS has one class receiving all of the interest from the mortgage assets (the interest-only, or "IO" class), while the other class will receive all of the principal (the principal-only, or "PO" class). The yield to maturity on an IO class is extremely sensitive to the rate of principal payments (including prepayments) on the underlying mortgage assets, and a rapid rate of principal payments may have a material adverse effect on a Fund's yield to maturity from these securities. Each Fund may invest up to 5% of its total assets in any combination of mortgage-related or other asset backed IO, PO, or inverse floater securities.

Each Fund may invest in each of collateralized bond obligations ("CBOs"), collateralized loan obligations ("CLOs"), other collateralized debt obligations ("CDOs") and other similarly structured securities. CBOs, CLOs and other CDOs are types of asset-backed securities. A CBO is a trust which is backed by a diversified pool of high-risk, below investment grade fixed income securities. 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. Other CDOs are trusts backed by other types of assets representing obligations of various parties. Certain Funds may invest in other asset-backed securities that have been offered to investors.

Privately Issued Mortgage-Related Securities: Pools created by non-governmental issuers generally offer a higher rate of interest than government and government-related pools because there are no direct or indirect government or agency guarantees of payments in such pools. Privately issued mortgage-related securities are not subject to the same underwriting requirements for the underlying mortgages that are applicable to those mortgage-related securities that have a government or government-sponsored entity guarantee. As a result, the mortgage loans underlying privately issued mortgage-related securities may, and frequently do, have less favorable collateral, credit risk or other underwriting characteristics than government or government-sponsored mortgage-related securities and have wider variances in a number of terms including interest rate, term, size, purpose and borrower characteristics. The risk of nonpayment is greater for mortgage-related securities that are backed by loans that were originated under weak underwriting standards, including loans made to borrowers with limited means to make repayment. A level of risk exists for all loans, although, historically, the poorest performing loans have been those classified as subprime.

Privately issued mortgage-related securities are not traded on an exchange and there may be a limited market for the securities, especially when there is a perceived weakness in the mortgage and real estate market sectors. Without an active trading market, mortgage-related securities held in a Fund's portfolio may be particularly difficult to value because of the complexities involved in assessing the value of the underlying mortgage loans. Privately Issued Mortgage-Related Securities include securities that reflect an interest in, and are secured by, mortgage loans on commercial real property. Many of the risks of investing in commercial mortgage-backed securities reflect the risks of investing in the real estate securing the underlying mortgage loans. These risks reflect the effects of local and other economic conditions on real estate markets, the ability of tenants to make loan payments, and the ability of a property to attract and retain tenants.

Loan Participations and Assignments

Each Fund may invest in fixed- and floating-rate loans, which investments generally will be in the form of loan participations and assignments of portions of such loans. Participations and assignments involve special types of risk, including credit risk, interest rate risk, liquidity risk, and the risks of being a lender. If a Fund purchases a participation, it may only be able to enforce its rights through the lender, and may assume the credit risk of the lender in addition to the borrower.

Reinvestment

Each Fund may be subject to the risk that the returns of a Fund will decline during periods of falling interest rates because the Fund may have to reinvest the proceeds from matured, traded or called debt obligations at interest rates

 

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below the Fund's current earnings rate. For instance, when interest rates decline, an issuer of debt obligations may exercise an option to redeem securities prior to maturity, thereby forcing the Fund to invest in lower-yielding securities. A Fund also may choose to sell higher-yielding portfolio securities and to purchase lower-yielding securities to achieve greater portfolio diversification, because the Fund's portfolio manager believes the current holdings are overvalued or for other investment-related reasons. A decline in the returns received by a Fund from its investments is likely to have an adverse effect on the Fund's NAV, yield and total return.

Focused Investment

To the extent that a Fund focuses its investments in a particular sector, the Fund may be susceptible to loss due to adverse developments affecting that sector. These developments include, but are not limited to, governmental regulation; inflation; rising interest rates; cost increases in raw materials, fuel and other operating expenses; technological innovations that may render existing products and equipment obsolete; competition from new entrants; high research and development costs; increased costs associated with compliance with environmental or other governmental regulations; and other economic, business or political developments specific to that sector. Furthermore, a Fund may invest a substantial portion of its assets in companies in related sectors that may share common characteristics, are often subject to similar business risks and regulatory burdens, and whose securities may react similarly to the types of developments described above, which will subject the Fund to greater risk. A Fund also will be subject to focused investment risk to the extent that it invests a substantial portion of its assets in a particular issuer, market, asset class, country or geographic region.

Corporate Debt Securities

Corporate debt securities are subject to the risk of the issuer's inability to meet principal and interest payments on the obligation and may also be subject to price volatility due to such factors as interest rate sensitivity, market perception of the creditworthiness of the issuer and general market liquidity. When interest rates rise, the value of corporate debt securities can be expected to decline. Debt securities with longer maturities tend to be more sensitive to interest rate movements than those with shorter maturities. In addition, certain corporate debt securities may be highly customized and as a result may be subject to, among others, liquidity and pricing transparency risks.

Bank Capital Securities and Trust Preferred Securities

There are two common types of bank capital: Tier I and Tier II. Bank capital is generally, but not always, of investment grade quality. Tier I securities often take the form of trust preferred securities. Tier II securities are commonly thought of as hybrids of debt and preferred securities, are often perpetual (with no maturity date), callable and, under certain conditions, allow for the issuer bank to withhold payment of interest until a later date.

Trust preferred securities have the characteristics of both subordinated debt and preferred securities. The primary advantage of the structure of trust preferred securities is that they are treated by the financial institution as debt securities for tax purposes and as equity for the calculation of capital requirements. Trust preferred securities typically bear a market rate coupon comparable to interest rates available on debt of a similarly rated issuer. Typical characteristics include long-term maturities, early redemption by the issuer, periodic fixed or variable interest payments, and maturities at face value. The market value of trust preferred securities may be more volatile than those of conventional debt securities. There can be no assurance as to the liquidity of trust preferred securities and the ability of holders, such as a Fund, to sell their holdings.

High Yield Securities and Distressed Companies

Securities rated lower than Baa by Moody's, or equivalently rated by S&P or Fitch, are sometimes referred to as "high yield securities" or "junk bonds." Issuers of these securities may be distressed and undergoing restructuring, bankruptcy or other proceedings in an attempt to avoid insolvency. Investing in these securities involves special risks in addition to the risks associated with investments in higher-rated fixed income securities. While offering a greater potential opportunity for capital appreciation and higher yields, high yield and distressed company securities typically entail greater potential price volatility and may be less liquid than higher-rated securities. High yield securities and debt securities of distressed companies may be regarded as predominately speculative with respect to the issuer's continuing ability to meet principal and interest payments. They may also be more susceptible to real or perceived adverse economic and competitive industry conditions than higher-rated securities. Certain Funds may invest in securities that are in default with respect to the payment of interest or repayment of principal or present an imminent risk of default with respect to such payments. Issuers of securities in default may fail to resume principal or interest payments, in which case a Fund may lose its entire investment.

Variable and Floating Rate Securities

Variable and floating rate securities are securities that pay interest at rates that adjust whenever a specified interest rate changes and/or that reset on predetermined dates (such as the last day of a month or a calendar quarter). Each Fund may invest in floating rate debt instruments ("floaters") and engage in credit spread trades. Variable and floating rate securities generally are less sensitive to interest rate changes but may decline in value if their interest rates do not rise as much, or as quickly, as interest rates in general.

Conversely, floating rate securities will not generally increase in value if interest rates decline. Each Fund may also invest in inverse floating rate debt instruments ("inverse floaters"). An inverse floater may exhibit greater price volatility than a fixed rate obligation of similar credit quality. Each Fund may invest up to 5% of its total assets in any combination of mortgage-related or other asset-backed IO, PO or inverse floater securities. Additionally, a Fund may also invest, without limitation, in residual interest bonds. Residual interest bonds are a type of inverse floater. See "Municipal Bonds."

Inflation-Indexed Bonds

Inflation-indexed bonds (other than municipal inflation-indexed bonds and certain corporate inflation-indexed bonds, which are more fully described below) are fixed income securities whose principal value is periodically adjusted according to the rate of inflation. If the index measuring inflation

 

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falls, the principal value of inflation-indexed bonds (other than municipal inflation-indexed bonds and certain corporate inflation-indexed bonds) will be adjusted downward, and consequently the interest payable on these securities (calculated with respect to a smaller principal amount) will be reduced. Repayment of the original bond principal upon maturity (as adjusted for inflation) is guaranteed in the case of TIPS. For bonds that do not provide a similar guarantee, the adjusted principal value of the bond repaid at maturity may be less than the original principal.

TIPS may also be divided into individual zero-coupon instruments for each coupon or principal payment (known as "iSTRIPS"). An iSTRIP of the principal component of a TIPS issue will retain the embedded deflation floor that will allow the holder of the security to receive the greater of the original principal or inflation-adjusted principal value at maturity. iSTRIPS may be less liquid than conventional TIPS because they are a small component of the TIPS market.

Municipal inflation-indexed securities are municipal bonds that pay coupons based on a fixed rate plus CPI. With regard to municipal inflation-indexed bonds and certain corporate inflation-indexed bonds, the inflation adjustment is reflected in the semi-annual coupon payment. As a result, the principal value of municipal inflation-indexed bonds and such corporate inflation-indexed bonds does not adjust according to the rate of inflation. At the same time, the value of municipal inflation-indexed securities and such corporate inflation indexed securities generally will not increase if the rate of inflation decreases. Because municipal inflation-indexed securities and corporate inflation-indexed securities are a small component of the municipal bond and corporate bond markets, respectively, they may be less liquid than conventional municipal and corporate bonds.

The value of inflation-indexed bonds is expected to change in response to changes in real interest rates. Real interest rates are tied to the relationship between nominal interest rates and the rate of inflation. If nominal interest rates increase at a faster rate than inflation, real interest rates may rise, leading to a decrease in value of inflation-indexed bonds. Any increase in the principal amount of an inflation-indexed bond will be considered taxable ordinary income, even though investors do not receive their principal until maturity.

Event-Linked Exposure

Each Fund may obtain event-linked exposure by investing in "event-linked bonds" or "event-linked swaps" or by implementing "event-linked strategies." Event-linked exposure results in gains or losses that typically are contingent, or formulaically related to defined trigger events. Examples of trigger events include hurricanes, earthquakes, weather-related phenomena, or statistics related to such events. Some event-linked bonds are commonly referred to as "catastrophe bonds." If a trigger event occurs, a Fund may lose a portion or its entire principal invested in the bond or notional amount on a swap. Event-linked exposure often provides for an extension of maturity to process and audit loss claims where a trigger event has, or possibly has, occurred. An extension of maturity may increase volatility. Event-linked exposure may also expose a Fund to certain unanticipated risks including counterparty risk, adverse regulatory or jurisdictional interpretations, and adverse tax consequences. Event-linked exposures may also be subject to liquidity risk.

Convertible and Equity Securities

Common stock represents equity ownership in a company and typically provides the common stockholder the power to vote on certain corporate actions, including the election of the company's directors. Common stockholders participate in company profits through dividends and, in the event of bankruptcy, distributions, on a pro-rata basis after other claims are satisfied. Many factors affect the value of common stock, including earnings, earnings forecasts, corporate events and factors impacting the issuer's industry and the market generally. Common stock generally has the greatest appreciation and depreciation potential of all corporate securities.

Each Fund may invest in convertible securities and equity securities, as well as securities related to equities. Equity-related securities include securities having an equity component (e.g., hybrids, bank capital) and equity derivatives. Convertible securities are generally preferred securities and other securities, including fixed income securities and warrants, that are convertible into or exercisable for common stock at a stated price or rate. The price of a convertible security will normally vary in some proportion to changes in the price of the underlying common stock because of this conversion or exercise feature. However, the value of a convertible security may not increase or decrease as rapidly as the underlying common stock. A convertible security will normally also provide income and is subject to interest rate risk. Convertible securities may be lower-rated securities subject to greater levels of credit risk. A Fund may be forced to convert a security before it would otherwise choose, which may have an adverse effect on the Fund's ability to achieve its investment objective.

"Synthetic" convertible securities are selected based on the similarity of their economic characteristics to those of a traditional convertible security due to the combination of separate securities that possess the two principal characteristics of a traditional convertible security, i.e., an income-producing security ("income-producing component") and the right to acquire an equity security ("convertible component"). The income-producing component is achieved by investing in non-convertible, income-producing securities such as bonds, preferred securities and money market instruments, which may be represented by derivative instruments. The convertible component is achieved by investing in securities or instruments such as warrants or options to buy common stock at a certain exercise price, or options on a stock index. A simple example of a synthetic convertible security is the combination of a traditional corporate bond with a warrant to purchase equity securities of the issuer of the bond. A Fund may also purchase synthetic securities created by other parties, typically investment banks, including convertible structured notes. The income-producing and convertible components of a synthetic convertible security may be issued separately by different issuers and at different times.

Preferred and other senior securities generally entitle the holder to receive, in preference to the holders of other securities such as common stocks, dividends and a fixed share of the proceeds resulting from a liquidation of the company. Preferred and other senior securities may pay fixed or adjustable rates of return. Preferred and other senior securities are subject to issuer-specific and market risks applicable generally to equity securities. In addition, a company's preferred and other senior securities generally pay dividends only after the company makes required payments to holders of its

 

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bonds and other debt. For this reason, the value of preferred and other senior securities will usually react more strongly than bonds and other debt to actual or perceived changes in the company's financial condition or prospects. In addition, preferred and other senior securities often have special redemption rights allowing issuers to redeem such securities at par earlier than scheduled. If these rights are exercised, a Fund may have to reinvest proceeds in less attractive securities.

Among other risks described in this Prospectus, the following issues are particularly associated with investments in preferred and other senior securities.

Deferral and Omission of Distributions. Preferred and other senior securities may include features permitting or requiring the issuer to defer or omit distributions. Among other things, such deferral or omission may result in adverse tax consequences for a Fund.

Limited Voting Rights. Preferred and other senior securities generally do not have voting rights with respect to the issuer unless dividends have been in arrears for certain specified periods of time.

In the future, preferred or other senior securities may be offered with features different from those described above, and as such, may entail different risks. Over longer periods of time, certain types of preferred or other senior securities may become more scarce or less liquid as a result of legislative changes. Such events may result in losses to a Fund as the prices of securities it holds may be negatively affected. Revisions to bank capital requirements by international regulatory bodies, to the extent they are adopted in the United States, may also negatively impact the market for certain preferred or senior securities.

While some countries or companies may be regarded as favorable investments, pure fixed income opportunities may be unattractive or limited due to insufficient supply, or legal or technical restrictions. In such cases, subject to its applicable investment restrictions, a Fund may consider convertible securities or equity securities to gain exposure to such investments.

At times, in connection with the restructuring of a preferred security or Fixed Income Instrument either outside of bankruptcy court or in the context of bankruptcy court proceedings, a Fund may determine or be required to accept equity securities, such as common stocks, in exchange for all or a portion of a preferred security or Fixed Income Instrument. Depending upon, among other things, PIMCO's evaluation of the potential value of such securities in relation to the price that could be obtained by a Fund at any given time upon sale thereof, a Fund may determine to hold such securities in its portfolio.

Equity securities generally have greater price volatility than fixed income securities. The market price of equity securities owned by a Fund may go up or down, sometimes rapidly or unpredictably. Equity securities may decline in value due to factors affecting equity securities markets generally or particular industries represented in those markets. The value of an equity security may also 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 goods or services.

Foreign (Non-U.S.) Securities

Each Fund may invest in securities and instruments that are economically tied to foreign (non-U.S.) countries. PIMCO generally considers an instrument to be economically tied to a non-U.S. country if the issuer is a foreign (non-U.S.) government (or any political subdivision, agency, authority or instrumentality of such government), or if the issuer is organized under the laws of a non-U.S. country. A Fund's investments in foreign (non-U.S.) securities may include American Depositary Receipts ("ADRs"), European Depositary Receipts ("EDRs"), Global Depositary Receipts ("GDRs") and similar securities that represent interests in a non-U.S. company's securities that have been deposited with a bank or trust and that trade on a U.S. exchange or over-the-counter. ADRs, EDRs and GDRs may be less liquid or may trade at a different price than the underlying securities of the issuer. In the case of certain money market instruments, such instruments will be considered economically tied to a non-U.S. country if either the issuer or the guarantor of such money market instrument is organized under the laws of a non-U.S. country. For each Fund other than the PIMCO Multi-Strategy Alternative Fund, with respect to derivative instruments, PIMCO generally considers such instruments to be economically tied to non-U.S. countries if the underlying assets are foreign currencies (or baskets or indexes of such currencies), or instruments or securities that are issued by foreign governments or issuers organized under the laws of a non-U.S. country (or if the underlying assets are certain money market instruments, if either the issuer or the guarantor of such money market instruments is organized under the laws of a non-U.S. country). For the PIMCO Multi-Strategy Alternative Fund, with respect to derivative instruments, PIMCO generally considers such instruments to be economically tied to non-U.S. countries if the underlying assets of the derivative instrument, or a substantial portion of the components of the index to which the derivative instrument is exposed, are: (i) foreign currencies (or baskets or indexes of such currencies); (ii) instruments or securities that are issued by foreign governments; or (iii) instruments or securities that are issued by issuers organized under the laws of a non-U.S. country (or if the underlying assets are certain money market instruments, if either the issuer or the guarantor of such money market instruments is organized under the laws of a non-U.S. country). Further, with respect to the PIMCO Multi-Strategy Alternative Fund's derivative instruments, where a derivative instrument is exposed to an index, PIMCO generally considers the derivative to be economically tied to each country represented by the components of the underlying index pursuant to the criteria set forth in the preceding sentence.

Investing in foreign (non-U.S.) securities involves special risks and considerations not typically associated with investing in U.S. securities. Investors should consider carefully the substantial risks involved for Funds that invest in securities issued by foreign companies and governments of foreign countries. These risks include: differences in accounting, auditing and financial reporting standards; generally higher commission rates on foreign portfolio transactions; the possibility of nationalization, expropriation or confiscatory taxation; adverse changes in investment or exchange control regulations; and political instability. Individual foreign economies may differ favorably or unfavorably from the U.S. economy in such respects as growth of gross domestic product, rates of inflation, capital

 

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reinvestment, resources, self-sufficiency and balance of payments position. The securities markets, values of securities, yields and risks associated with foreign (non-U.S.) securities markets may change independently of each other. Also, foreign (non-U.S.) securities and dividends and interest payable on those securities may be subject to foreign taxes, including taxes withheld from payments on those securities. Foreign (non-U.S.) securities often trade with less frequency and volume than domestic securities and therefore may exhibit greater price volatility. Investments in foreign (non-U.S.) securities may also involve higher custodial costs than domestic investments and additional transaction costs with respect to foreign currency conversions. Changes in foreign exchange rates also will affect the value of securities denominated or quoted in foreign currencies.

Certain Funds also may invest in sovereign debt issued by governments, their agencies or instrumentalities, or other government-related entities. Holders of sovereign debt may be requested to participate in the rescheduling of such debt and to extend further loans to governmental entities. In addition, there is no bankruptcy proceeding by which defaulted sovereign debt may be collected.

Emerging Market Securities. Each Fund that may invest in foreign (non-U.S.) securities may invest in securities and instruments that are economically tied to developing (or "emerging market") countries. PIMCO generally considers an instrument to be economically tied to an emerging market country if: the issuer is organized under the laws of an emerging market country; the currency of settlement of the security is a currency of an emerging market country; the security is guaranteed by the government of an emerging market country (or any political subdivision, agency, authority or instrumentality of such government); for an asset-backed or other collateralized security, the country in which the collateral backing the security is located in an emerging market country; or the security's "country of exposure" is an emerging market country, as determined by the criteria set forth below. With respect to derivative instruments, PIMCO generally considers such instruments to be economically tied to emerging market countries if the underlying assets are currencies of emerging market countries (or baskets or indexes of such currencies), or instruments or securities that are issued or guaranteed by governments of emerging market countries or by entities organized under the laws of emerging market countries or if an instrument's "country of exposure" is an emerging market country. A security's "country of exposure" is determined by PIMCO using certain factors provided by a third-party analytical service provider. The factors are applied in order such that the first factor to result in the assignment of a country determines the "country of exposure." The factors, listed in the order in which they are applied, are: (i) if an asset-backed or other collateralized security, the country in which the collateral backing the security is located; (ii) the "country of risk" of the issuer; (iii) if the security is guaranteed by the government of a country (or any political subdivision, agency, authority or instrumentality of such government), the country of the government or instrumentality providing the guarantee; (iv) the "country of risk" of the issuer's ultimate parent; or (v) the country where the issuer is organized or incorporated under the laws thereof. "Country of risk" is a separate four-part test determined by the following factors, listed in order of importance: (i) management location; (ii) country of primary listing; (iii) sales or revenue attributable to the country; and (iv) reporting currency of the issuer. PIMCO has broad discretion to identify countries that it considers to qualify as emerging markets. In making investments in emerging market securities, a Fund emphasizes those countries with relatively low gross national product per capita and with the potential for rapid economic growth. Emerging market countries are generally located in Asia, Africa, the Middle East, Latin America and Eastern Europe. PIMCO will select the country and currency composition based on its evaluation of relative interest rates, inflation rates, exchange rates, monetary and fiscal policies, trade and current account balances, legal and political developments and any other specific factors it believes to be relevant.

Investing in emerging market securities imposes risks different from, or greater than, risks of investing in domestic securities or in foreign, developed countries. These risks include: smaller market capitalization of securities markets, which may suffer periods of relative illiquidity; significant price volatility; restrictions on foreign investment; possible repatriation of investment income and capital. In addition, foreign investors may be required to register the proceeds of sales; future economic or political crises could lead to price controls, forced mergers, expropriation or confiscatory taxation, seizure, nationalization, or creation of government monopolies. The currencies of emerging market countries may experience significant declines against the U.S. dollar, and devaluation may occur subsequent to investments in these currencies by a Fund. Many emerging market countries have experienced substantial, and in some periods extremely high, rates of inflation for many years. Inflation and rapid fluctuations in inflation rates have had, and may continue to have, negative effects on the economies and securities markets of certain emerging market countries.

Additional risks of emerging market securities may include: greater social, economic and political uncertainty and instability; more substantial governmental involvement in the economy; less governmental supervision and regulation; unavailability of currency hedging techniques; companies that are newly organized and small; differences in auditing and financial reporting standards, which may result in unavailability of material information about issuers; and less developed legal systems. In addition, emerging securities markets may have different clearance and settlement procedures, which may be unable to keep pace with the volume of securities transactions or otherwise make it difficult to engage in such transactions. Settlement problems may cause a Fund to miss attractive investment opportunities, hold a portion of its assets in cash pending investment, or be delayed in disposing of a portfolio security. Such a delay could result in possible liability to a purchaser of the security.

Foreign (Non-U.S.) Currencies

Direct investments in foreign (non-U.S.) currencies or in securities that trade in, or receive revenues in, foreign (non-U.S.) currencies will be subject to currency risk. Foreign currency exchange rates may fluctuate significantly over short periods of time. They generally are determined by supply and demand in the foreign exchange markets and the relative merits of investments in different countries, actual or perceived changes in interest

 

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rates and other complex factors. Currency exchange rates also can be affected unpredictably by intervention (or the failure to intervene) by U.S. or foreign governments or central banks, or by currency controls or political developments. Currencies in which the Funds' assets are denominated may be devalued against the U.S. dollar, resulting in a loss to the Funds.

Foreign Currency Transactions. Funds that invest in securities denominated in foreign (non-U.S.) currencies may engage in foreign currency transactions on a spot (cash) basis, enter into forward foreign currency exchange contracts and invest in foreign currency futures contracts and options on foreign currencies and futures. A forward foreign currency exchange contract, which involves an obligation to purchase or sell a specific currency at a future date at a price set at the time of the contract, reduces a Fund's exposure to changes in the value of the currency it will deliver and increases its exposure to changes in the value of the currency it will receive for the duration of the contract. Certain foreign currency transactions may also be settled in cash rather than the actual delivery of the relevant currency. The effect on the value of a Fund is similar to selling securities denominated in one currency and purchasing securities denominated in another currency. Foreign currency transactions, like currency exchange rates, can be affected unpredictably by intervention (or the failure to intervene) by U.S. or foreign governments or central banks, or by currency controls or political developments. Such events may prevent or restrict a Fund's ability to enter into foreign currency transactions, force the Fund to exit a foreign currency transaction at a disadvantageous time or price or result in penalties for the Fund, any of which may result in a loss to the Fund. A contract to sell a foreign currency would limit any potential gain which might be realized if the value of the hedged currency increases. A Fund may enter into these contracts to hedge against foreign exchange risk, to increase exposure to a foreign currency or to shift exposure to foreign currency fluctuations from one currency to another. Suitable hedging transactions may not be available in all circumstances and there can be no assurance that a Fund will engage in such transactions at any given time or from time to time. Also, such transactions may not be successful and may eliminate any chance for a Fund to benefit from favorable fluctuations in relevant foreign currencies. A Fund may use one currency (or a basket of currencies) to hedge against adverse changes in the value of another currency (or a basket of currencies) when exchange rates between the two currencies are positively correlated. A Fund will segregate or "earmark" assets determined to be liquid by PIMCO in accordance with the procedures established by the Board of Trustees (or, as permitted by applicable law, enter into certain offsetting positions) to cover its obligations under forward foreign currency exchange contracts.

Redenomination. Continuing uncertainty as to the status of the euro and the European Monetary Union (the "EMU") has created significant volatility in currency and financial markets generally. Any partial or complete dissolution of the EMU could have significant adverse effects on currency and financial markets and on the values of a Fund's portfolio investments. If one or more EMU countries were to stop using the euro as its primary currency, a Fund's investments in such countries may be redenominated into a different or newly adopted currency. As a result, the value of those investments could decline significantly and unpredictably. In addition, securities or other investments that are redenominated may be subject to currency risk, liquidity risk and risk of improper valuation to a greater extent than similar investments currently denominated in euros. To the extent a currency used for redenomination purposes is not specified in respect of certain EMU-related investments, or should the euro cease to be used entirely, the currency in which such investments are denominated may be unclear, making such investments particularly difficult to value or dispose of. A Fund may incur additional expenses to the extent it is required to seek judicial or other clarification of the denomination or value of such securities.

There can be no assurance that if a Fund earns income or capital gains in a non-U.S. country or PIMCO otherwise seeks to withdraw a Fund's investments from a given country, capital controls imposed by such country will not prevent, or cause significant expense in, doing so.

Repurchase Agreements

Each Fund may enter into repurchase agreements, in which the Fund purchases a security from a bank or broker-dealer, which agrees to repurchase the security at the Fund's cost plus interest within a specified time. If the party agreeing to repurchase should default, the Fund will seek to sell the securities which it holds. This could involve procedural costs or delays in addition to a loss on the securities if their value should fall below their repurchase price. Repurchase agreements maturing in more than seven days and which may not be terminated within seven days at approximately the amount at which a Fund has valued the agreements are considered illiquid securities.  

Reverse Repurchase Agreements, Dollar Rolls and Other Borrowings

Each Fund may enter into reverse repurchase agreements and dollar rolls, subject to the Fund's limitations on borrowings. A reverse repurchase agreement involves the sale of a security by a Fund and its agreement to repurchase the instrument at a specified time and price. A dollar roll is similar except that the counterparty is not obligated to return the same securities as those originally sold by the Fund but only securities that are "substantially identical." Reverse repurchase agreements and dollar rolls may be considered borrowing for some purposes. A Fund will segregate or "earmark" assets determined to be liquid by PIMCO in accordance with procedures established by the Board of Trustees to cover its obligations under reverse repurchase agreements and dollar rolls. Reverse repurchase agreements, dollar rolls and other forms of borrowings may create leveraging risk for a Fund.

Each Fund may borrow money to the extent permitted under the 1940 Act. This means that, in general, a Fund may borrow money from banks for any purpose in an amount up to ⅓ of the Fund's total assets, less all liabilities and indebtedness not represented by senior securities. A Fund may also borrow money for temporary administrative purposes in an amount not to exceed 5% of the Fund's total assets. In addition, a Fund may borrow from certain other PIMCO funds in inter-fund lending transactions to the extent permitted by an exemptive order from the SEC.

 

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Derivatives

Each Fund may, but is not required to, use derivative instruments for risk management purposes or as part of its investment strategies. Generally, derivatives are financial contracts whose value depends upon, or is derived from, the value of an underlying asset, reference rate or index, and may relate to stocks, bonds, interest rates, spreads between different interest rates, currencies or currency exchange rates, commodities, and related indexes. Examples of derivative instruments include options contracts, futures contracts, options on futures contracts and swap agreements (including, but not limited to, credit default swaps and swaps on exchange-traded funds). Each Fund may invest some or all of its assets in derivative instruments, subject to the Fund's objective and policies. A portfolio manager may decide not to employ any of these strategies and there is no assurance that any derivatives strategy used by a Fund will succeed. A description of these and other derivative instruments that the Funds may use are described under "Investment Objectives and Policies" in the SAI.

A Fund's use of derivative instruments involves risks different from, or possibly greater than, the risks associated with investing directly in securities and other more traditional investments. Certain derivative transactions may have a leveraging effect on a Fund. For example, a small investment in a derivative instrument may have a significant impact on a Fund's exposure to interest rates, currency exchange rates or other investments. As a result, a relatively small price movement in a derivative instrument may cause an immediate and substantial loss or gain. A Fund may engage in such transactions regardless of whether the Fund owns the asset, instrument or components of the index underlying the derivative instrument. A Fund may invest a significant portion of its assets in these types of instruments. If it does, the Fund's investment exposure could far exceed the value of its portfolio securities and its investment performance could be primarily dependent upon securities it does not own. A description of various risks associated with particular derivative instruments is included in "Investment Objectives and Policies" in the SAI. The following provides a more general discussion of important risk factors relating to all derivative instruments that may be used by the Funds.

CPI Swap. A CPI swap is a fixed maturity, over-the-counter derivative transaction in which the investor receives the "realized" rate of inflation as measured by the Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers ("CPI") over the life of the swap. The investor in turn pays a fixed annualized rate over the life of the swap. This fixed rate is often referred to as the "breakeven inflation" rate and is generally representative of the difference between treasury yields and TIPS yields of similar maturities at the initiation of the swap. CPI swaps are typically in "bullet" format, where all cash flows are exchanged at maturity. In addition to counterparty risk, CPI swaps are also subject to inflation risk, where the swap can potentially lose value if the realized rate of inflation over the life of the swap is less than the fixed market implied inflation rate (fixed breakeven rate) that the investor agrees to pay at the initiation of the swap.

Management Risk. Derivative products are highly specialized instruments that require investment techniques and risk analyses different from those associated with stocks and bonds. The use of a derivative requires an understanding not only of the underlying instrument but also of the derivative itself, without the benefit of observing the performance of the derivative under all possible market conditions.

Credit Risk. The use of certain derivative instruments involves the risk that a loss may be sustained as a result of the failure of another party to the contract (usually referred to as a "counterparty") to make required payments or otherwise comply with the contract's terms. Additionally, a short position in a credit default swap could result in losses if a Fund does not correctly evaluate the creditworthiness of the company on which the credit default swap is based.

Liquidity Risk. Liquidity risk exists when a particular derivative instrument is difficult to purchase or sell. If a derivative transaction is particularly large or if the relevant market is illiquid (as is the case with many privately negotiated derivatives), it may not be possible to initiate a transaction or liquidate a position at an advantageous time or price.

Leverage Risk. Because many derivatives have a leverage component, adverse changes in the value or level of the underlying asset, reference rate or index could result in a loss substantially greater than the amount invested in the derivative itself. Certain derivatives have the potential for unlimited loss, regardless of the size of the initial investment. When a Fund uses derivatives for leverage, investments in that Fund will tend to be more volatile, resulting in larger gains or losses in response to market changes. To limit leverage risk, each Fund will segregate or "earmark" assets determined to be liquid by PIMCO in accordance with procedures established by the Board of Trustees (or, as permitted by applicable regulation, enter into certain offsetting positions) to cover its obligations under derivative instruments.

Lack of Availability. Because the markets for certain derivative instruments (including markets located in foreign countries) are relatively new and still developing, suitable derivatives transactions may not be available in all circumstances for risk management or other purposes. Upon the expiration of a particular contract, a portfolio manager may wish to retain a Fund's position in the derivative instrument by entering into a similar contract, but may be unable to do so if the counterparty to the original contract is unwilling to enter into the new contract and no other suitable counterparty can be found. There is no assurance that a Fund will engage in derivatives transactions at any time or from time to time. A Fund's ability to use derivatives may also be limited by certain regulatory and tax considerations.

Market and Other Risks. Like most other investments, derivative instruments are subject to the risk that the market value of the instrument will change in a way detrimental to a Fund's interest. If a portfolio manager incorrectly forecasts the values of securities, currencies or interest rates or other economic factors in using derivatives for a Fund, the Fund might have been in a better position if it had not entered into the transaction at all. While some strategies involving derivative instruments can reduce the risk of loss, they can also reduce the opportunity for gain or even result in losses by offsetting favorable price movements in other Fund investments. A Fund may also have to buy or sell a security at a disadvantageous time or price because the Fund is legally required to maintain offsetting positions or asset coverage in connection with certain derivatives transactions. The regulation of the derivatives markets has increased over the past several years, and additional future regulation of the derivatives markets may make derivatives more costly, may limit the availability or reduce the liquidity of derivatives, or may otherwise adversely affect the value or performance of derivatives. Any such adverse future developments could impair the

 

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effectiveness or raise the costs of a Fund's derivative transactions, or impede the employment of a Fund's derivatives strategies, or adversely affect a Fund's performance.

Other risks in using derivatives include the risk of mispricing or improper valuation of derivatives. Many derivatives, in particular privately negotiated derivatives, are complex and often valued subjectively. Improper valuations can result in increased cash payment requirements to counterparties or a loss of value to a Fund. Also, the value of derivatives may not correlate perfectly, or at all, with the value of the assets, reference rates or indexes they are designed to closely track. For example, a swap agreement on an exchange-traded fund would not correlate perfectly with the index upon which the exchange-traded fund is based because the fund's return is net of fees and expenses. In addition, a Fund's use of derivatives may cause the Fund to realize higher amounts of short-term capital gains (generally taxed at ordinary income tax rates) than if the Fund had not used such instruments.

Correlation Risk. In certain cases, the value of derivatives may not correlate perfectly, or at all, with the value of the assets, reference rates or indexes they are designed to closely track. In this regard, many of the Funds offered in this prospectus seek to achieve their investment objectives, in part, by investing in derivatives positions that are designed to closely track the performance (or inverse performance) of an index on a daily basis. However, the overall investment strategies of these Funds are not designed or expected to produce returns which replicate the performance (or inverse performance) of the particular index, and the degree of variation could be substantial, particularly over longer periods. There are a number of factors which may prevent a Fund, or derivatives or other strategies used by a Fund, from achieving a desired correlation (or inverse correlation) with an index. These may include, but are not limited to: (i) the impact of fund fees, expenses and transaction costs, including borrowing and brokerage costs/ bid-ask spreads, which are not reflected in index returns; (ii) differences in the timing of daily calculations of the value of an index and the timing of the valuation of derivatives, securities and other assets held by a fund and the determination of the NAV of Fund shares; (iii) disruptions or illiquidity in the markets for derivative instruments or securities in which a Fund invests; (iv) a Fund having exposure to or holding less than all of the securities in the underlying index and/or having exposure to or holding securities not included in the underlying index; (v) large or unexpected movements of assets into and out of a Fund (due to share purchases or redemptions, for example), potentially resulting in the Fund being over- or under-exposed to the index; (vi) the impact of accounting standards or changes thereto; (vii) changes to the applicable index that are not disseminated in advance; (viii) a possible need to conform a Fund's portfolio holdings to comply with investment restrictions or policies or regulatory or tax law requirements; and (ix) fluctuations in currency exchange rates.

In this regard, a Fund may seek to achieve its investment objective, in part, by investing in derivatives that are designed to closely track the performance of an index on a daily basis. However, the overall investment strategies of the Fund are not generally designed or expected to produce returns which replicate the performance of the particular index, and the degree of variation could be substantial, particularly over longer periods. There are a number of factors which may prevent the Fund, or the derivatives or other strategies used by the Fund, from achieving desired correlation with an index, such as the impact of fees, expenses and transaction costs, the timing of pricing, and disruptions or illiquidity in the markets for derivative instruments or securities in which the Fund invests.

A Note on the PIMCO CommodityRealReturn Strategy Fund® and PIMCO CommoditiesPLUS® Strategy Fund, Underlying PIMCO Funds, and the PIMCO Global Multi-Asset Fund. In light of certain revenue rulings and private letter rulings issued by the IRS, as discussed above under "Tax Consequences—A Note on the PIMCO CommodityRealReturn Strategy Fund® and PIMCO CommoditiesPLUS® Strategy Fund, Underlying PIMCO Funds, and the PIMCO Global Multi-Asset Fund," the Underlying PIMCO Funds and the PIMCO Global Multi-Asset Fund will seek to gain exposure to the commodity markets primarily through investments in leveraged or unleveraged commodity index-linked notes, which are derivative debt instruments with principal and/or coupon payments linked to the performance of commodity indices, and through investments in their respective Subsidiaries (as discussed below). The Underlying PIMCO Funds and the PIMCO Global Multi-Asset Fund may also invest in commodity-linked notes with principal and/or coupon payments linked to the value of particular commodities or commodity futures contracts, or a subset of commodities and commodities futures contracts. These notes are sometimes referred to as "structured notes" because the terms of these notes may be structured by the issuer and the purchaser of the note. The value of these notes will rise or fall in response to changes in the underlying commodity, commodity futures contract, subset of commodities, subset of commodities futures contracts or commodity index.

These notes expose the Underlying PIMCO Funds and the PIMCO Global Multi-Asset Fund economically to movements in commodity prices. These notes also are subject to risks, such as credit, market and interest rate risks, that in general affect the values of debt securities. In addition, these notes are often leveraged, increasing the volatility of each note's market value relative to changes in the underlying commodity, commodity futures contract or commodity index. Therefore, at the maturity of the note, each of the Underlying PIMCO Funds and the PIMCO Global Multi-Asset Fund may receive more or less principal than it originally invested. Each Fund might receive interest payments on the note that are more or less than the stated coupon interest payments.

The Underlying PIMCO Funds and the PIMCO Global Multi-Asset Fund may also invest in other commodity-linked derivative instruments, including swap agreements, commodity options, futures and options on futures. The value of a commodity-linked derivative investment generally is based upon the price movements of a physical commodity (such as energy, mineral, or agricultural products), a commodity futures contract, a subset of commodities, a subset of commodities futures contracts or commodity index, or other economic variable based upon changes in the value of commodities or the commodities markets. Options transactions may be effected on exchanges or in the OTC market. When OTC options are purchased, each Underlying PIMCO Fund's and the PIMCO Global Multi-Asset Fund's portfolio bears the risk that the counterparty that wrote the option will be unable or unwilling to perform its obligations under the

 

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option contract. Options may also be illiquid and, in such cases, the Underlying PIMCO Funds and the PIMCO Global Multi-Asset Fund may have difficulty closing out their respective positions. OTC options also may include options on baskets of specific securities. Many swap transactions are privately negotiated agreements between a Fund and a counterparty to exchange or swap investment cash flows or assets at specified intervals in the future. The obligations may extend beyond one year. There is often no central exchange for swap transactions and therefore they can be less liquid investments than exchange-traded instruments. The Dodd-Frank Act and related regulatory developments require the clearing and exchange-trading of certain standardized OTC derivative instruments that the CFTC and SEC have defined as "swaps." The CFTC has implemented mandatory exchange-trading and clearing requirements under the Dodd-Frank Act and the CFTC continues to approve contracts for central clearing. Uncleared swaps are subject to margin requirements that are being implemented on a phased-in basis. The investment adviser will continue to monitor these developments, particularly to the extent regulatory changes affect a Fund's ability to enter into swap agreements.

As described below under "Characteristics and Risks of Securities and Investment Techniques—Investments in a Wholly-Owned Subsidiary," the Underlying PIMCO Funds and the PIMCO Global Multi-Asset Fund may gain exposure to commodity markets by investing in their respective Subsidiaries. It is expected that each such Fund's Subsidiary will invest primarily in commodity-linked derivative instruments, including swap agreements, commodity options, futures and options on futures, backed by a portfolio of inflation-indexed securities and other Fixed Income Instruments.

The IRS issued a revenue ruling that limits the extent to which a Fund may invest directly in commodity linked swaps or certain other commodity-linked derivatives. The Subsidiaries, on the other hand, may invest in these commodity-linked derivatives generally without limitation. See "Tax Consequences—A Note on the PIMCO CommodityRealReturn Strategy Fund® and PIMCO CommoditiesPLUS® Strategy Fund, Underlying PIMCO Funds, and the PIMCO Global Multi-Asset Fund" above for further information.

Investments in a Wholly Owned Subsidiary

Investments in their respective Subsidiaries are expected to provide the PIMCO CommodityRealReturn Strategy Fund® and PIMCO CommoditiesPLUS® Strategy Fund, Underlying PIMCO Funds, and the PIMCO Global Multi-Asset Fund with exposure to the commodity markets within the limitations of the Subchapter M of the Code and IRS revenue rulings, as discussed above under "Tax Consequences—A Note on the PIMCO CommodityRealReturn Strategy Fund® and PIMCO CommoditiesPLUS® Strategy Fund, Underlying PIMCO Funds, and the PIMCO Global Multi-Asset Fund."

It is expected that each Subsidiary will invest primarily in investment vehicles that invest in physical commodities, commodity-linked derivative instruments, including swap agreements, commodity options, futures and options on futures, backed by a portfolio of Fixed Income Instruments. The Underlying PIMCO Funds and the PIMCO Global Multi-Asset Fund will likely gain exposure to these derivative instruments indirectly by investing in their respective Subsidiaries. To the extent that PIMCO believes that these commodity-linked derivative instruments are better suited to provide exposure to the commodities market than commodity index-linked notes, each Fund's investment in its respective Subsidiary will likely increase. Each Subsidiary will also invest in Fixed Income Instruments, which are intended to serve as margin or collateral for each Subsidiary's derivatives position, common and preferred securities as well as convertible securities of issuers in commodity-related industries, collateralized debt obligations, event-linked bonds and event-linked swaps. To the extent that the Underlying PIMCO Funds and the PIMCO Global Multi-Asset Fund invest in their respective Subsidiaries, each Fund may be subject to the risks associated with those derivative instruments and other securities, which are discussed elsewhere in this prospectus.

While a Subsidiary may be considered similar to an investment company, no Subsidiary is registered under the 1940 Act and, unless otherwise noted in the prospectus, is not subject to all the investor protections of the 1940 Act. In addition, changes in the laws of the United States and/or the Cayman Islands could result in the inability of the Underlying PIMCO Funds, the PIMCO Global Multi-Asset Fund and/or their respective Subsidiaries to operate as described in this prospectus and the SAI and could adversely affect the Underlying PIMCO Funds and/or the PIMCO Global Multi-Asset Fund. Changes in the laws of the United States and/or the Cayman Islands could adversely affect the performance of the Underlying PIMCO Funds, the PIMCO Global Multi-Asset Fund and/or their Subsidiaries and result in a Fund underperforming its benchmark index.

Exchange-Traded Notes (ETNs)

ETNs are senior, unsecured, unsubordinated debt securities whose returns are linked to the performance of a particular market benchmark or strategy minus applicable fees. ETNs are traded on an exchange (e.g., the NYSE) during normal trading hours. However, investors can also hold the ETN until maturity. At maturity, the issuer pays to the investor a cash amount equal to the principal amount, subject to the day's market benchmark or strategy factor.

ETNs do not make periodic coupon payments or provide principal protection. ETNs are subject to credit risk and the value of the ETN may drop due to a downgrade in the issuer's credit rating, despite the underlying market benchmark or strategy remaining unchanged. The value of an ETN may also be influenced by time to maturity, level of supply and demand for the ETN, volatility and lack of liquidity in underlying assets, changes in the applicable interest rates, changes in the issuer's credit rating, and economic, legal, political, or geographic events that affect the referenced underlying asset. When a Fund invests in ETNs, it will bear its proportionate share of any fees and expenses borne by the ETN. A Fund's decision to sell its ETN holdings may be limited by the availability of a secondary market. ETNs are also subject to tax risk. The IRS and Congress are considering proposals that would change the timing and character of income and gains from ETNs. There may be times when an ETN share trades at a premium or discount to its market benchmark or strategy.

Real Estate Investment Trusts (REITs)

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meets certain requirements, including distributing to shareholders substantially all of its taxable income (other than net capital gains), then it is not taxed on the income distributed to shareholders. Therefore, REITs tend to pay higher dividends than other issuers.

REITs can be divided into three basic types: Equity REITs, Mortgage REITs and Hybrid REITs. Equity REITs invest the majority of their assets directly in real property. They derive their income primarily from rents received and any profits on the sale of their properties. Mortgage REITs invest the majority of their assets in real estate mortgages and derive most of their income from mortgage interest payments. As its name suggests, Hybrid REITs combine characteristics of both Equity REITs and Mortgage REITs.

An investment in a REIT, or in a real estate linked derivative instrument linked to the value of a REIT, is subject to the risks that impact the value of the underlying properties of the REIT. These risks include loss to casualty or condemnation, and changes in supply and demand, interest rates, zoning laws, regulatory limitations on rents, property taxes and operating expenses. Other factors that may adversely affect REITs include poor performance by management of the REIT, changes to the tax laws, or failure by the REIT to qualify for tax-free distribution of income. REITs are also subject to default by borrowers and self-liquidation, and are heavily dependent on cash flow. Some REITs lack diversification because they invest in a limited number of properties, a narrow geographic area, or a single type of property. Mortgage REITs may be impacted by the quality of the credit extended.

Delayed Funding Loans and Revolving Credit Facilities

Each Fund may also enter into, or acquire participations in, delayed funding loans and revolving credit facilities, in which a lender agrees to make loans up to a maximum amount upon demand by the borrower during a specified term. These commitments may have the effect of requiring a Fund to increase its investment in a company at a time when it might not otherwise decide to do so (including at a time when the company's financial condition makes it unlikely that such amounts will be repaid). To the extent that a Fund is committed to advance additional funds, it will segregate or "earmark" assets determined to be liquid by PIMCO in accordance with procedures established by the Board of Trustees in an amount sufficient to meet such commitments. Delayed funding loans and revolving credit facilities are subject to credit, interest rate and liquidity risk and the risks of being a lender.

When-Issued, Delayed Delivery and Forward Commitment Transactions

Each Fund may purchase or sell securities which it is eligible to purchase or sell on a when-issued basis, may purchase and sell such securities for delayed delivery and may make contracts to purchase or sell such securities for a fixed price at a future date beyond normal settlement time (forward commitments). When-issued transactions, delayed delivery purchases and forward commitments involve a risk of loss if the value of the securities declines prior to the settlement date. This risk is in addition to the risk that a Fund's other assets will decline in value. Therefore, these transactions may result in a form of leverage and increase a Fund's overall investment exposure. Typically, no income accrues on securities a Fund has committed to purchase prior to the time delivery of the securities is made, although a Fund may earn income on securities it has segregated or "earmarked" to cover these positions. When a Fund has sold a security on a when-issued, delayed delivery, or forward commitment basis, the Fund does not participate in future gains or losses with respect to the security. If the other party to a transaction fails to pay for the securities, a Fund could suffer a loss. Additionally, when selling a security on a when-issued, delayed delivery or forward commitment basis without owning the security, a Fund will incur a loss if the security's price appreciates in value such that the security's price is above the agreed-upon price on the settlement date.

Investment in Other Investment Companies

The PIMCO All Asset and PIMCO All Asset All Authority Funds invest substantially all of their assets in other investment companies. Each of the PIMCO All Asset and PIMCO All Asset All Authority Fund's investments in a particular Underlying PIMCO Fund normally will not exceed 50% of its total assets. The PIMCO Global Multi-Asset Fund, PIMCO Multi-Strategy Alternative Fund and the PIMCO REALPATH® Funds may invest in Underlying PIMCO Funds, and to the extent permitted by the 1940 Act or exemptive relief therefrom, other affiliated and unaffiliated funds, which may or may not be registered under the 1940 Act, such as open-end or closed-end management investment companies, exchange-traded funds and exchange traded vehicles. Other unaffiliated investment companies are not required to make their shares available for purchase by a Fund, and there is no guarantee that such investment will be, or will continue to be, available.

Each Fund may invest in securities of other investment companies, such as open-end or closed-end management investment companies, including exchange-traded funds, or in pooled accounts, or other unregistered accounts or investment vehicles to the extent permitted by the 1940 Act and the rules and regulations thereunder and any exemptive relief therefrom. A Fund may invest in other investment companies to gain broad market or sector exposure, including during periods when it has large amounts of uninvested cash or when PIMCO believes share prices of other investment companies offer attractive values. The limitation described in the foregoing sentence shall not apply to the PIMCO Global Multi-Asset Fund's investment in its Subsidiary. As a shareholder of an investment company or other pooled vehicle, a Fund may indirectly bear investment advisory fees, supervisory and administrative fees, service fees and other fees which are in addition to the fees the Fund pays its service providers.

Each Fund may invest in certain money market funds and/or short-term bond funds ("Central Funds"), to the extent permitted by the 1940 Act, the rules thereunder or exemptive relief therefrom. The Central Funds are registered investment companies created for use solely by the series of the Trust, PIMCO Variable Insurance Trust, PIMCO ETF Trust, PIMCO Equity Series and PIMCO Equity Series VIT, and certain other series of registered investment companies advised by PIMCO, in connection with their cash management activities. The main investments of the Central Funds are money market instruments and short maturity Fixed Income Instruments. The Central Funds may incur expenses related to their investment activities, but do not pay investment advisory or supervisory and administrative fees to PIMCO.

Subject to the restrictions and limitations of the 1940 Act, each Fund may, in the future, elect to pursue its investment objective either by investing

 

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directly in securities, or by investing in one or more underlying investment vehicles or companies that have substantially similar investment objectives and policies as the Fund.

Small-Cap and Mid-Cap Companies

Certain Funds may invest in equity securities of small-capitalization and mid-capitalization companies. The Funds consider a small-cap company to be a company with a market capitalization of up to $1.5 billion and a mid-cap company to be a company with a market capitalization of between $1.5 billion and $10 billion. Investments in small-cap and mid-cap companies involve greater risk than investments in large-capitalization companies. Small- and mid-cap companies may not have an established financial history, which can present valuation challenges. The equity securities of small- and mid-cap companies may be subject to increased market fluctuations, due to less liquid markets and more limited managerial and financial resources. A Fund's investment in small- and mid-cap companies may increase the volatility of the Fund's portfolio.

Short Sales

A Fund may make short sales as part of its overall portfolio management strategies or to offset a potential decline in value of a security. A short sale involves the sale of a security that is borrowed from a broker or other institution to complete the sale. Short sales expose a Fund to the risk that it will be required to acquire, convert or exchange securities to replace the borrowed securities (also known as "covering" the short position) at a time when the securities sold short have appreciated in value, thus resulting in a loss to the Fund. When making a short sale (other than a "short sale against the box"), a Fund must segregate or "earmark" assets determined to be liquid by PIMCO in accordance with procedures established by the Board of Trustees or otherwise cover its position in a permissible manner.  A Fund may engage in short selling to the extent permitted by the 1940 Act and rules and interpretations thereunder and other federal securities laws. To the extent a Fund engages in short selling in foreign (non-U.S.) jurisdictions, the Fund will do so to the extent permitted by the laws and regulations of such jurisdiction.

Illiquid Securities

Each Fund may invest up to 15% of its net assets (taken at the time of investment) in illiquid securities. Certain illiquid securities may require pricing at fair value as determined in good faith under the supervision of the Board of Trustees. A portfolio manager may be subject to significant delays in disposing of illiquid securities, and transactions in illiquid securities may entail registration expenses and other transaction costs that are higher than those for transactions in liquid securities. The term "illiquid securities" for this purpose means securities that cannot be disposed of within seven days in the ordinary course of business at approximately the amount at which a Fund has valued the securities. Restricted securities, i.e., securities subject to legal or contractual restrictions on resale, may be illiquid. However, some restricted securities (such as securities issued pursuant to Rule 144A under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and certain commercial paper) may be treated as liquid, although they may be less liquid than registered securities traded on established secondary markets.

Loans of Portfolio Securities

For the purpose of achieving income, each Fund may lend its portfolio securities to brokers, dealers, and other financial institutions provided a number of conditions are satisfied, including that the loan is fully collateralized. Please see "Investment Objectives and Policies" in the SAI for details. When a Fund lends portfolio securities, its investment performance will continue to reflect changes in the value of the securities loaned, and the Fund will also receive a fee or interest on the collateral. Securities lending involves the risk of loss of rights in the collateral or delay in recovery of the collateral if the borrower fails to return the security loaned or becomes insolvent. A Fund may pay lending fees to a party arranging the loan. Cash collateral received by a Fund in securities lending transactions may be invested in short-term liquid fixed income instruments or in money market or short-term mutual funds, or similar investment vehicles, including affiliated money market or short-term mutual funds. A Fund bears the risk of such investments.

Portfolio Turnover

The length of time a Fund has held a particular security is not generally a consideration in investment decisions. A change in the securities held by a Fund is known as "portfolio turnover." When the portfolio manager deems it appropriate and particularly during periods of volatile market movements, a Fund may engage in frequent and active trading of portfolio securities to achieve its investment objective. Higher portfolio turnover (e.g., an annual rate greater than 100% of the average value of a Fund's portfolio) involves correspondingly greater expenses to a Fund, including brokerage commissions or dealer markups and other transaction costs on the sale of securities and reinvestments in other securities. Such sales may also result in realization of taxable capital gains, including short-term capital gains (which are generally taxed at ordinary income tax rates). The trading costs and tax effects associated with portfolio turnover may adversely affect a Fund's performance. In addition to indirectly bearing the expenses associated with portfolio turnover of the Acquired Funds, the PIMCO Global Multi-Asset Fund, PIMCO Multi-Strategy Alternative Fund and PIMCO REALPATH® Funds will directly bear these expenses to the extent that they invest in other securities and instruments. Please see a Fund's "Fund Summary—Portfolio Turnover" or the "Financial Highlights" in this prospectus for the portfolio turnover rates of the Funds that were operational during the last fiscal year.

Temporary Defensive Positions

For temporary defensive purposes, each Fund may invest without limit in U.S. debt securities, including taxable securities and short-term money market securities, when PIMCO deems it appropriate to do so. When a Fund engages in such strategies, it may not achieve its investment objective.

From time to time, as the prevailing market and interest rate environments warrant, and at the discretion of its portfolio manager, some portion of a Fund's total net assets may be uninvested. In such cases, Fund assets will be held in cash in a Fund's custody account. Cash assets are generally not income-generating and would impact a Fund's performance.

 

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Changes in Investment Objectives and Policies

The investment objective of each of the PIMCO All Asset All Authority, PIMCO Global Multi-Asset, PIMCO Multi-Strategy Alternative and PIMCO REALPATH® Funds is non-fundamental and may be changed by the Board of Trustees without shareholder approval. The investment objective of each other Fund is fundamental and may not be changed without shareholder approval. Unless otherwise stated, all investment policies of the Funds may be changed by the Board of Trustees without shareholder approval.

Percentage Investment Limitations

Unless otherwise stated, all percentage limitations on Fund investments listed in this prospectus will apply at the time of investment. A Fund would not violate these limitations unless an excess or deficiency occurs or exists immediately after and as a result of an investment.

Credit Ratings and Unrated Securities

Rating agencies are private services that provide ratings of the credit quality of fixed income securities, including convertible securities. Appendix A to this prospectus describes the various ratings assigned to fixed income securities by Moody's, S&P and Fitch. Ratings assigned by a rating agency are not absolute standards of credit quality and do not evaluate market risks. Rating agencies may fail to make timely changes in credit ratings and an issuer's current financial condition may be better or worse than a rating indicates. A Fund will not necessarily sell a security when its rating is reduced below its rating at the time of purchase. PIMCO does not rely solely on credit ratings, and develops its own analysis of issuer credit quality.

A Fund may purchase unrated securities (which are not rated by a rating agency) if PIMCO determines, in its sole discretion, that the security is of comparable quality to a rated security that the Fund may purchase. In making ratings determinations, PIMCO may take into account different factors than those taken into account by rating agencies, and PIMCO's rating of a security may differ from the rating that a rating agency may have given the same security. Unrated securities may be less liquid than comparable rated securities and involve the risk that the portfolio manager may not accurately evaluate the security's comparative credit rating. Analysis of the creditworthiness of issuers of high yield securities may be more complex than for issuers of higher-quality fixed income securities. To the extent that a Fund invests in high yield and/or unrated securities, the Fund's success in achieving its investment objective may depend more heavily on the portfolio manager's creditworthiness analysis than if the Fund invested exclusively in higher-quality and rated securities.

Other Investments and Techniques

The Funds may invest in other types of securities and use a variety of investment techniques and strategies which are not described in this prospectus. These securities and techniques may subject the Funds to additional risks. Please see the SAI for additional information about the securities and investment techniques described in this prospectus and about additional securities and techniques that may be used by the Funds.

Cyber Security

As the use of technology has become more prevalent in the course of business, the Funds have become potentially more susceptible to operational and information security risks resulting from breaches in cyber security. A breach in cyber security refers to both intentional and unintentional cyber events that may, among other things, cause a Fund to lose proprietary information, suffer data corruption and/or destruction or lose operational capacity, result in the unauthorized release or other misuse of confidential information, or otherwise disrupt normal business operations. Cyber security breaches may involve unauthorized access to a Fund's digital information systems (e.g., through "hacking" or malicious software coding), but may also result from outside attacks such as denial-of-service attacks (i.e., efforts to make network services unavailable to intended users). In addition, cyber security breaches involving a Fund's third party service providers (including but not limited to advisers, sub-advisers, administrators, transfer agents, custodians, distributors and other third parties), trading counterparties or issuers in which a Fund invests can also subject a Fund to many of the same risks associated with direct cyber security breaches. Moreover, cyber security breaches involving trading counterparties or issuers in which a Fund invests could adversely impact such counterparties or issuers and cause the Fund's investment to lose value.

Cyber security failures or breaches may result in financial losses to a Fund and its shareholders. These failures or breaches may also result in disruptions to business operations, potentially resulting in financial losses; interference with a Fund's ability to calculate its NAV, process shareholder transactions or otherwise transact business with shareholders; impediments to trading; violations of applicable privacy and other laws; regulatory fines; penalties; reputational damage; reimbursement or other compensation costs; additional compliance and cyber security risk management costs and other adverse consequences. In addition, substantial costs may be incurred in order to prevent any cyber incidents in the future.

Like with operational risk in general, the Funds have established business continuity plans and risk management systems designed to reduce the risks associated with cyber security. However, there are inherent limitations in these plans and systems, including that certain risks may not have been identified, in large part because different or unknown threats may emerge in the future. As such, there is no guarantee that such efforts will succeed, especially because the Funds do not directly control the cyber security systems of issuers in which a Fund may invest, trading counterparties or third party service providers to the Funds. There is also a risk that cyber security breaches may not be detected. The Funds and their shareholders could be negatively impacted as a result.

 

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Descriptions of the Underlying PIMCO Funds

The PIMCO All Asset and PIMCO All Asset All Authority Funds invest substantially all of their assets in some or all of the Underlying PIMCO Funds, which, for these two Funds, is defined to include the least expensive class of shares of any actively managed or smart beta funds (including mutual funds or exchange-traded funds) of the Trust, or PIMCO ETF Trust or PIMCO Equity Series, each an affiliated open-end investment company, except other funds of funds. The PIMCO Global Multi-Asset Fund and the PIMCO REALPATH® Funds may invest their assets in some or all of the Underlying PIMCO Funds, which, for these Funds, is defined to include Institutional Class or Class M shares of any funds of the Trust and PIMCO Equity Series, an affiliated open-end investment company, except other funds of funds. The PIMCO Multi-Strategy Alternative Fund may invest its assets in some or all of the Underlying PIMCO Funds, which, for the Fund, is defined to include Institutional Class or Class M shares of any funds of the Trust and PIMCO Equity Series, an affiliated open-end investment company, except other funds of funds, or shares of any funds of PIMCO ETF Trust, an affiliated investment company. Each of the PIMCO Global Multi-Asset, PIMCO Multi-Strategy Alternative and PIMCO REALPATH® Funds is further permitted to invest in Acquired Funds, which, for these Funds, is defined to include the Underlying PIMCO Funds (as defined for each Fund) and other affiliated funds, including funds of the PIMCO ETF Trust, and unaffiliated funds. Because the Underlying PIMCO Funds are not offered in this prospectus, the following provides a general description of the main investments and other information about the Underlying PIMCO Funds. At the discretion of PIMCO and without shareholder approval, the PIMCO All Asset, PIMCO All Asset All Authority, PIMCO Global Multi-Asset, PIMCO Multi-Strategy Alternative and PIMCO REALPATH® Funds may invest in additional Underlying PIMCO Funds created in the future. For a complete description of an Underlying PIMCO Fund, please see that Fund's Institutional Class or Class M prospectus (or Fund prospectus in the case of any exchange-traded fund of the PIMCO ETF Trust or PIMCO Equity Series), which is incorporated herein by reference and is available free of charge by telephoning the Trust at 888.87.PIMCO.

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Financial Highlights

The financial highlights table is intended to help a shareholder understand the financial performance of Institutional Class, I-2, I-3, Administrative Class, Class A, Class C and Class R shares of each Fund for the last five fiscal years or, if shorter, the period since a Fund or a class commenced operations. Certain information reflects financial results for a single Fund share. Because I-3 shares of the PIMCO All Asset Fund and PIMCO All Asset All Authority Fund had not commenced operations during the periods shown, financial performance information is not provided for the share class. The total returns in the table represent the rate that an investor would have earned or lost on an investment in a particular class of shares of a Fund (assuming reinvestment of all dividends and distributions). This information has been audited by PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP, whose report, along with each Fund's financial statements, are included in the Trust's annual report to shareholders. The annual report is available free of charge by calling the Trust at the phone number on the back of this prospectus. The annual report is also available for download free of charge on the Trust's Web site at pimco.com. Note: All footnotes to the financial highlights table appear at the end of the tables.

[To be updated by subsequent amendment]

 

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Appendix A
Description of Securities Ratings

The Fund's investments may range in quality from securities rated in the lowest category in which the Fund is permitted to invest to securities rated in the highest category (as rated by Moody's, Standard & Poor's or Fitch, or, if unrated, determined by PIMCO to be of comparable quality). The percentage of the Fund's assets invested in securities in a particular rating category will vary. The following terms are generally used to describe the credit quality of fixed income securities:

High Quality Debt Securities are those rated in one of the two highest rating categories (the highest category for commercial paper) or, if unrated, deemed comparable by PIMCO.

Investment Grade Debt Securities are those rated in one of the four highest rating categories, or if unrated deemed comparable by PIMCO.

Below Investment Grade High Yield Securities ("Junk Bonds"), are those rated lower than Baa by Moody's, BBB by Standard & Poor's or Fitch, and comparable securities. They are deemed predominantly speculative with respect to the issuer's ability to repay principal and interest.

The following is a description of Moody's, Standard & Poor's and Fitch's rating categories applicable to fixed income securities.

Moody's Investors Service, Inc.

Long-Term Corporate Obligation Ratings
Moody's long-term obligation ratings are opinions of the relative credit risk of fixed income obligations with an original maturity of one year or more. They address the possibility that a financial obligation will not be honored as promised. Such ratings use Moody's Global Scale and reflect both the likelihood of default and any financial loss suffered in the event of default.

Aaa: Obligations rated Aaa are judged to be of the highest quality, subject to the lowest level of credit risk.

Aa: Obligations rated Aa are judged to be of high quality and are subject to very low credit risk.

A: Obligations rated A are judged to be upper-medium grade and are subject to low credit risk.

Baa: Obligations rated Baa are judged to be medium-grade and subject to moderate credit risk and as such may possess certain speculative characteristics.

Ba: Obligations rated Ba are judged to be speculative and are subject to substantial credit risk.

B: Obligations rated B are considered speculative and are subject to high credit risk.

Caa: Obligations rated Caa are judged to be speculative of poor standing and are subject to very high credit risk.

Ca: Obligations rated Ca are highly speculative and are likely in, or very near, default, with some prospect of recovery of principal and interest.

C: Obligations rated C are the lowest rated and are typically in default, with little prospect for recovery of principal or interest.

Moody's appends numerical modifiers 1, 2, and 3 to each generic rating classification from Aa through Caa. The modifier 1 indicates that the obligation ranks in the higher end of its generic rating category; the modifier 2 indicates a mid-range ranking; and the modifier 3 indicates a ranking in the lower end of that generic rating category. Additionally, a "(hyb)" indicator is appended to all ratings of hybrid securities issued by banks, insurers, finance companies, and securities firms.*

* By their terms, hybrid securities allow for the omission of scheduled dividends, interest, or principal payments, which can potentially result in impairment if such an omission occurs. Hybrid securities may also be subject to contractually allowable write-downs of principal that could result in impairment. Together with the hybrid indicator, the long-term obligation rating assigned to a hybrid security is an expression of the relative credit risk associated with that security.

Medium-Term Note Program Ratings

Moody's assigns provisional ratings to medium-term note (MTN) programs and definitive ratings to the individual debt securities issued from them (referred to as drawdowns or notes).

MTN program ratings are intended to reflect the ratings likely to be assigned to drawdowns issued from the program with the specified priority of claim (e.g. senior or subordinated). To capture the contingent nature of a program rating, Moody's assigns provisional ratings to MTN programs. A provisional rating is denoted by a (P) in front of the rating.

The rating assigned to a drawdown from a rated MTN or bank/deposit note program is definitive in nature, and may differ from the program rating if the drawdown is exposed to additional credit risks besides the issuer's default, such as links to the defaults of other issuers, or has other structural features that warrant a different rating. In some circumstances, no rating may be assigned to a drawdown.

Moody's encourages market participants to contact Moody's Ratings Desks or visit www.moodys.com directly if they have questions regarding ratings for specific notes issued under a medium-term note program. Unrated notes issued under an MTN program may be assigned an NR (not rated) symbol.

Short-Term Ratings
Ratings assigned on Moody's global short-term rating scales are forward-looking opinions of the relative credit risks of financial obligations issued by non-financial corporates, financial institutions, structured finance vehicles, project finance vehicles, and public sector entitities. Short-term ratings are opinions of the ability of issuers to honor short-term financial obligations. Ratings may be assigned to issuers, short-term programs or to individual short-term debt instruments. Such obligations generally have an original maturity not exceeding thirteen months, unless explicitly noted.

Moody's employs the following designations to indicate the relative repayment ability of rated issuers:

P-1: Issuers (or supporting institutions) rated Prime-1 have a superior ability to repay short-term debt obligations.

P-2: Issuers (or supporting institutions) rated Prime-2 have a strong ability to repay short-term debt obligations.

 

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P-3: Issuers (or supporting institutions) rated Prime-3 have an acceptable ability to repay short-term obligations.

NP: Issuers (or supporting institutions) rated Not Prime do not fall within any of the Prime rating categories.

National Scale Long-Term Ratings

Moody's long-term National Scale Ratings (NSRs) are opinions of the relative creditworthiness of issuers and financial obligations within a particular country. NSRs are not designed to be compared among countries; rather, they address relative credit risk within a given country. Moody's assigns national scale ratings in certain local capital markets in which investors have found the global rating scale provides inadequate differentiation among credits or is inconsistent with a rating scale already in common use in the country. In each specific country, the last two characters of the rating indicate the country in which the issuer is located (e.g., Aaa.br for Brazil).

Aaa.n: Issuers or issues rated Aaa.n demonstrate the strongest creditworthiness relative to other domestic issuers.

Aa.n: Issuers or issues rated Aa.n demonstrate very strong creditworthiness relative to other domestic issuers.

A.n: Issuers or issues rated A.n present above-average creditworthiness relative to other domestic issuers.

Baa.n: Issuers or issues rated Baa.n represent average creditworthiness relative to other domestic issuers.

Ba.n: Issuers or issues rated Ba.n demonstrate below-average creditworthiness relative to other domestic issuers.

B.n: Issuers or issues rated B.n demonstrate weak creditworthiness relative to other domestic issuers.

Caa.n: Issuers or issues rated Caa.n demonstrate very weak creditworthiness relative to other domestic issuers.

Ca.n: Issuers or issues rated Ca.n demonstrate extremely weak creditworthiness relative to other domestic issuers.

C.n: Issuers or issues rated C.n demonstrate the weakest creditworthiness relative to other domestic issuers.

Moody's appends numerical modifiers 1, 2, and 3 to each generic rating classification from Aa through Caa. The modifier 1 indicates that the obligation ranks in the higher end of its generic rating category; the modifier 2 indicates a mid-range ranking; and the modifier 3 indicates a ranking in the lower end of that generic rating category. National scale long-term ratings of D.ar and E.ar may also be applied to Argentine obligations.

National Scale Short-Term Ratings
Moody's short-term NSRs are opinions of the ability of issuers in a given country, relative to other domestic issuers, to repay debt obligations that have an original maturity not exceeding thirteen months. Short-term NSRs in one country should not be compared with short-term NSRs in another country, or with Moody's global ratings.

There are four categories of short-term national scale ratings, generically denoted N-1 through N-4 as defined below.

In each specific country, the first two letters indicate the country in which the issuer is located (e.g., BR-1 through BR-4 for Brazil).

N-1: Issuers rated N-1 have the strongest ability to repay short-term senior unsecured debt obligations relative to other domestic issuers.

N-2: Issuers rated N-2 have an above average ability to repay short-term senior unsecured debt obligations relative to other domestic issuers.

N-3: Issuers rated N-3 have an average ability to repay short-term senior unsecured debt obligations relative to other domestic issuers.

N-4: Issuers rated N-4 have a below average ability to repay short-term senior unsecured debt obligations relative to other domestic issuers.

The short-term rating symbols P-1.za, P-2.za, P-3.za and NP.za are used in South Africa. National scale short-term ratings of AR-5 and AR-6 may also be applied to Argentine obligations.

Short-Term Obligation Ratings
There are three rating categories for short-term municipal obligations that are considered investment grade. These ratings are designated as Municipal Investment Grade (MIG) and are divided into three levels—MIG 1 through MIG 3. In addition, those short-term obligations that are of speculative quality are designated SG, or speculative grade. MIG ratings expire at the maturity of the obligation.

MIG 1: This designation denotes superior credit quality. Excellent protection is afforded by established cash flows, highly reliable liquidity support, or demonstrated broad-based access to the market for refinancing.

MIG 2: This designation denotes strong credit quality. Margins of protection are ample, although not as large as in the preceding group.

MIG 3: This designation denotes acceptable credit quality. Liquidity and cash-flow protection may be narrow, and market access for refinancing is likely to be less well-established.

SG: This designation denotes speculative-grade credit quality. Debt instruments in this category may lack sufficient margins of protection.

Demand Obligation Ratings
In the case of variable rate demand obligations (VRDOs), a two-component rating is assigned: a long- or short-term debt rating and a demand obligation rating. The first element represents Moody's evaluation of risk associated with scheduled principal and interest payments. The second element represents Moody's evaluation of risk associated with the ability to receive purchase price upon demand ("demand feature"). The second element uses a rating from a variation of the MIG scale called the Variable Municipal Investment Grade (VMIG) scale.

VMIG 1: This designation denotes superior credit quality. Excellent protection is afforded by the superior short-term credit strength of the liquidity provider and structural and legal protections that ensure the timely payment of purchase price upon demand.

VMIG 2: This designation denotes strong credit quality. Good protection is afforded by the strong short-term credit strength of the liquidity provider and structural and legal protections that ensure the timely payment of purchase price upon demand.

 

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VMIG 3: This designation denotes acceptable credit quality. Adequate protection is afforded by the satisfactory short-term credit strength of the liquidity provider and structural and legal protections that ensure the timely payment of purchase price upon demand.

SG: This designation denotes speculative-grade credit quality. Demand features rated in this category may be supported by a liquidity provider that does not have an investment grade short-term rating or may lack the structural and/or legal protections necessary to ensure the timely payment of purchase price upon demand.

Standard & Poor's Ratings Services

Long-Term Issue Credit Ratings
Issue credit ratings are based, in varying degrees, on S&P Global Ratings' ("S&P") analysis of the following considerations:

Likelihood of payment—capacity and willingness of the obligor to meet its financial commitment on a financial obligation in accordance with the terms of the obligation;

Nature and provisions of the obligation and the promise S&P imputes; and

Protection afforded by, and relative position of, the financial obligation in the event of a bankruptcy, reorganization, or other arrangement under the laws of bankruptcy and other laws affecting creditors' rights.

Issue ratings are an assessment of default risk, but may incorporate an assessment of relative seniority or ultimate recovery in the event of default. Junior obligations are typically rated lower than senior obligations, to reflect the lower priority in bankruptcy, as noted above. (Such differentiation may apply when an entity has both senior and subordinated obligations, secured and unsecured obligations, or operating company and holding company obligations.)

Investment Grade
AAA: An obligation rated 'AAA' has the highest rating assigned by S&P. The obligor's capacity to meet its financial commitment on the obligation is extremely strong.

AA: An obligation rated 'AA' differs from the highest-rated obligations only to a small degree. The obligor's capacity to meet its financial commitment on the obligation is very strong.

A: An obligation rated 'A' is somewhat more susceptible to the adverse effects of changes in circumstances and economic conditions than obligations in higher-rated categories. However, the obligor's capacity to meet its financial commitment on the obligation is still strong.

BBB: An obligation rated ‘BBB' exhibits adequate protection parameters. However, adverse economic conditions or changing circumstances are more likely to lead to a weakened capacity of the obligor to meet its financial commitment on the obligation.

Speculative Grade
Obligations rated 'BB', 'B', 'CCC', 'CC', and 'C' are regarded as having significant speculative characteristics. 'BB' indicates the least degree of speculation and 'C' the highest. While such obligations will likely have some quality and protective characteristics, these may be outweighed by large uncertainties or major exposures to adverse conditions.

BB: An obligation rated 'BB' is less vulnerable to nonpayment than other speculative issues. However, it faces major ongoing uncertainties or exposure to adverse business, financial, or economic conditions which could lead to the obligor's inadequate capacity to meet its financial commitment on the obligation.

B: An obligation rated 'B' is more vulnerable to nonpayment than obligations rated ‘BB', but the obligor currently has the capacity to meet its financial commitment on the obligation. Adverse business, financial, or economic conditions will likely impair the obligor's capacity or willingness to meet its financial commitment on the obligation.

CCC: An obligation rated 'CCC' is currently vulnerable to nonpayment, and is dependent upon favorable business, financial, and economic conditions for the obligor to meet its financial commitment on the obligation. In the event of adverse business, financial, or economic conditions, the obligor is not likely to have the capacity to meet its financial commitment on the obligation.

CC: An obligation rated 'CC' is currently highly vulnerable to nonpayment. The ‘CC' rating is used when a default has not yet occurred, but S&P expects default to be a virtual certainty, regardless of the anticipated time to default.

C: An obligation rated ‘C' is currently highly vulnerable to nonpayment, and the obligation is expected to have lower relative seniority or lower ultimate recovery compared to obligations that are rated higher.

D: An obligation rated ‘D' is in default or in breach of an imputed promise. For non-hybrid capital instruments, the ‘D' rating category is used when payments on an obligation are not made on the date due, unless S&P believes that such payments will be made within five business days in the absence of a stated grace period or within the earlier of the stated grace period or 30 calendar days. The ‘D' rating also will be used upon the filing of a bankruptcy petition or the taking of similar action and where default on an obligation is a virtual certainty, for example due to automatic stay provisions. An obligation's rating is lowered to ‘D' if it is subject to a distressed exchange offer.

NR: This indicates that no rating has been requested, that there is insufficient information on which to base a rating, or that S&P does not rate a particular obligation as a matter of policy.

Plus (+) or minus (-): The ratings from ‘AA' to 'CCC' may be modified by the addition of a plus (+) or minus (-) sign to show relative standing within the major rating categories.

Short-Term Issue Credit Ratings
A-1: A short-term obligation rated 'A-1' is rated in the highest category by S&P. The obligor's capacity to meet its financial commitment on the obligation is strong. Within this category, certain obligations are designated with a plus sign (+). This indicates that the obligor's capacity to meet its financial commitment on these obligations is extremely strong.

A-2: A short-term obligation rated 'A-2' is somewhat more susceptible to the adverse effects of changes in circumstances and economic conditions

 

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than obligations in higher rating categories. However, the obligor's capacity to meet its financial commitment on the obligation is satisfactory.

A-3: A short-term obligation rated 'A-3' exhibits adequate protection parameters. However, adverse economic conditions or changing circumstances are more likely to lead to a weakened capacity of the obligor to meet its financial commitment on the obligation.

B: A short-term obligation rated 'B' is regarded as vulnerable and has significant speculative characteristics. The obligor currently has the capacity to meet its financial commitments; however, it faces major ongoing uncertainties which could lead to the obligor's inadequate capacity to meet its financial commitments.

C: A short-term obligation rated 'C' is currently vulnerable to nonpayment and is dependent upon favorable business, financial, and economic conditions for the obligor to meet its financial commitment on the obligation.

D: A short-term obligation rated ‘D' is in default or in breach of an imputed promise. For non-hybrid capital instruments, the ‘D' rating category is used when payments on an obligation are not made on the date due, unless S&P believes that such payments will be made within any stated grace period. However, any stated grace period longer than five business days will be treated as five business days. The ‘D' rating also will be used upon the filing of a bankruptcy petition or the taking of a similar action and where default on an obligation is a virtual certainty, for example due to automatic stay provisions. An obligation's rating is lowered to ‘D' if it is subject to a distressed exchange offer.

Dual Ratings: Dual ratings may be assigned to debt issues that have a put option or demand feature. The first component of the rating addresses the likelihood of repayment of principal and interest as due, and the second component of the rating addresses only the demand feature. The first component of the rating can relate to either a short-term or long-term transaction and accordingly use either short-term or long-term rating symbols. The second component of the rating relates to the put option and is assigned a short-term rating symbol (for example, ‘AAA/A-1+' or ‘A-1+/A-1'). With U.S. municipal short-term demand debt, the U.S. municipal short-term note rating symbols are used for the first component of the rating (for example, ‘SP-1+/A-1+').

Active Qualifiers
S&P uses the following qualifiers that limit the scope of a rating. The structure of the transaction can require the use of a qualifier such as a 'p' qualifier, which indicates the rating addressed the principal portion of the obligation only. A qualifier appears as a suffix and is part of the rating.

L: Ratings qualified with ‘L' apply only to amounts invested up to federal deposit insurance limits.

p: This suffix is used for issues in which the credit factors, the terms, or both, that determine the likelihood of receipt of payment of principal are different from the credit factors, terms or both that determine the likelihood of receipt of interest on the obligation. The ‘p' suffix indicates that the rating addresses the principal portion of the obligation only and that the interest is not rated.

prelim: Preliminary ratings, with the ‘prelim' suffix, may be assigned to obligors or obligations, including financial programs, in the circumstances described below. Assignment of a final rating is conditional on the receipt by S&P of appropriate documentation. S&P reserves the right not to issue a final rating. Moreover, if a final rating is issued, it may differ from the preliminary rating.

Preliminary ratings may be assigned to obligations, most commonly structured and project finance issues, pending receipt of final documentation and legal opinions.

Preliminary ratings may be assigned to obligations that will likely be issued upon the obligor's emergence from bankruptcy or similar reorganization, based on late-stage reorganization plans, documentation and discussions with the obligor. Preliminary ratings may also be assigned to the obligors. These ratings consider the anticipated general credit quality of the reorganized or post-bankruptcy issuer as well as attributes of the anticipated obligation(s).

Preliminary ratings may be assigned to entities that are being formed or that are in the process of being independently established when, in S&P opinion, documentation is close to final. Preliminary ratings may also be assigned to the obligations of these entities.

Preliminary ratings may be assigned when a previously unrated entity is undergoing a well-formulated restructuring, recapitalization, significant financing or other transformative event, generally at the point that investor or lender commitments are invited. The preliminary rating may be assigned to the entity and to its proposed obligation(s). These preliminary ratings consider the anticipated general credit quality of the obligor, as well as attributes of the anticipated obligation(s), assuming successful completion of the transformative event. Should the transformative event not occur, S&P would likely withdraw these preliminary ratings.

A preliminary recovery rating may be assigned to an obligation that has a preliminary issue credit rating.

t: This symbol indicates termination structures that are designed to honor their contracts to full maturity or, should certain events occur, to terminate and cash settle all their contracts before their final maturity date.

cir: This symbol indicates a Counterparty Instrument Rating (CIR), which is a forward-looking opinion about the creditworthiness of an issuer in a securitization structure with respect to a specific financial obligation to a counterparty (including interest rate swaps, currency swaps, and liquidity facilities). The CIR is determined on an ultimate payment basis; these opinions do not take into account timeliness of payment.

Inactive Qualifiers (no longer applied or outstanding)

*:This symbol that indicated that the rating was contingent upon S&P receipt of an executed copy of the escrow agreement or closing documentation confirming investments and cash flows. Discontinued use in August 1998.

c: This qualifier was used to provide additional information to investors that the bank may terminate its obligation to purchase tendered bonds if the long-term credit rating of the issuer was lowered to below an investment-grade level and/or the issuer's bonds were deemed taxable. Discontinued use in January 2001.

 

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G: The letter 'G' followed the rating symbol when a fund's portfolio consisted primarily of direct U.S. government securities.

pi: This qualifier was used to indicate ratings that were based on an analysis of an issuer's published financial information, as well as additional information in the public domain. Such ratings did not, however, reflect in-depth meetings with an issuer's management and therefore, could have been based on less comprehensive information than ratings without a 'pi' suffix. Discontinued use as of December 2014 and as of August 2015 for Lloyd's Syndicate Assessments.

pr: The letters ‘pr' indicate that the rating was provisional. A provisional rating assumed the successful completion of a project financed by the debt being rated and indicates that payment of debt service requirements was largely or entirely dependent upon the successful, timely completion of the project. This rating, however, while addressing credit quality subsequent to completion of the project, made no comment on the likelihood of or the risk of default upon failure of such completion.

q: A ‘q' subscript indicates that the rating is based solely on quantitative analysis of publicly available information. Discontinued use in April 2001.

r: The ‘r' modifier was assigned to securities containing extraordinary risks, particularly market risks, which are not covered in the credit rating. The absence of an ‘r' modifier should not be taken as an indication that an obligation would not exhibit extraordinary non-credit related risks. S&P discontinued the use of the ‘r' modifier for most obligations in June 2000 and for the balance of obligations (mainly structured finance transactions) in November 2002.

Fitch Ratings

Long-Term Credit Ratings
Investment Grade
Rated entities in a number of sectors, including financial and non-financial corporations, sovereigns, insurance companies and certain sectors within public finance, are generally assigned Issuer Default Ratings (IDRs). IDRs are also assigned to certain entities in global infrastructure and project finance. IDRs opine on an entity's relative vulnerability to default on financial obligations. The threshold default risk addressed by the IDR is generally that of the financial obligations whose non-payment would best reflect the uncured failure of that entity. As such, IDRs also address relative vulnerability to bankruptcy, administrative receivership or similar concepts.

In aggregate, IDRs provide an ordinal ranking of issuers based on the agency's view of their relative vulnerability to default, rather than a prediction of a specific percentage likelihood of default.

AAA: Highest credit quality. ‘AAA' ratings denote the lowest expectation of credit risk. They are assigned only in cases of exceptionally strong capacity for payment of financial commitments. This capacity is highly unlikely to be adversely affected by foreseeable events.

AA: Very high credit quality. 'AA' ratings denote expectations of very low credit risk. They indicate very strong capacity for payment of financial commitments. This capacity is not significantly vulnerable to foreseeable events.

A: High credit quality. 'A' ratings denote expectations of low credit risk. The capacity for payment of financial commitments is considered strong. This capacity may, nevertheless, be more vulnerable to adverse business or economic conditions than is the case for higher ratings.

BBB: Good credit quality. 'BBB' ratings indicate that expectations of credit risk are currently low. The capacity for payment of financial commitments is considered adequate, but adverse business or economic conditions are more likely to impair this capacity.

Speculative Grade
BB: Speculative. ‘BB' ratings indicate an elevated vulnerability to credit risk, particularly in the event of adverse changes in business or economic conditions over time; however, business or financial alternatives may be available to allow financial commitments to be met.

B: Highly speculative. ‘B' ratings indicate that material credit risk is present.

CCC: Substantial credit risk.

CC: Very high levels of credit risk.

C: Exceptionally high levels of credit risk.

Defaulted obligations typically are not assigned 'RD' or ‘D' ratings, but are instead rated in the ‘B' to ‘C' rating categories, depending on their recovery prospects and other relevant characteristics. This approach better aligns obligations that have comparable overall expected loss but varying vulnerability to default and loss.

The modifiers "+" or "-" may be appended to a rating to denote relative status within major rating categories. For example, the rating category 'AA' has three notch-specific rating levels ('AA+'; 'AA'; 'AA-'; each a rating level). Such suffixes are not added to the ‘AAA' obligation rating category, or to corporate finance obligation ratings in the categories below ‘CCC.'

The subscript ‘emr' is appended to a rating to denote embedded market risk that is beyond the scope of the rating. The designation is intended to make clear that the rating solely addresses the counterparty risk of the issuing bank. It is not meant to indicate any limitation in the analysis of the counterparty risk, which in all other respects follows published Fitch criteria for analyzing the issuing financial institution. Fitch does not rate these instruments where the principal is to any degree subject to market risk. 

Recovery Ratings
Recovery Ratings are assigned to selected individual securities and obligations, most frequently for individual obligations of corporate finance issuers with Issuer Default Ratings (IDRs) in speculative grade categories.

Among the factors that affect recovery rates for securities are the collateral, the seniority relative to other obligations in the capital structure (where appropriate), and the expected value of the company or underlying collateral in distress.

The Recovery Rating scale is based on the expected relative recovery characteristics of an obligation upon the curing of a default, emergence from insolvency or following the liquidation or termination of the obligor or its associated collateral.

Recovery Ratings are an ordinal scale and do not attempt to precisely predict a given level of recovery. As a guideline in developing the rating assessments, the agency employs broad theoretical recovery bands in its

 

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ratings approach based on historical averages and analytical judgment, but actual recoveries for a given security may deviate materially from historical averages.

RR1: Outstanding recovery prospects given default. ‘RR1' rated securities have characteristics consistent with securities historically recovering 91%-100% of current principal and related interest.

RR2: Superior recovery prospects given default. ‘RR2' rated securities have characteristics consistent with securities historically recovering 71%-90% of current principal and related interest.

RR3: Good recovery prospects given default. ‘RR3' rated securities have characteristics consistent with securities historically recovering 51%-70% of current principal and related interest.

RR4: Average recovery prospects given default. ‘RR4' rated securities have characteristics consistent with securities historically recovering 31%-50% of current principal and related interest.

RR5: Below average recovery prospects given default. ‘RR5' rated securities have characteristics consistent with securities historically recovering 11%-30% of current principal and related interest.

RR6: Poor recovery prospects given default. ‘RR6' rated securities have characteristics consistent with securities historically recovering 0%-10% of current principal and related interest.

Short-Term Credit Ratings
A short-term issuer or obligation rating is based in all cases on the short-term vulnerability to default of the rated entity and relates to the capacity to meet financial obligations in accordance with the documentation governing the relevant obligation. Short-term deposit ratings may be adjusted for loss severity. Short-Term Ratings are assigned to obligations whose initial maturity is viewed as "short term" based on market convention. Typically, this means up to 13 months for corporate, sovereign, and structured obligations, and up to 36 months for obligations in U.S. public finance markets.

F1: Highest short-term credit quality. Indicates the strongest intrinsic capacity for timely payment of financial commitments; may have an added "+" to denote any exceptionally strong credit feature.

F2: Good short-term credit quality. Good intrinsic capacity for timely payment of financial commitments.

F3: Fair short-term credit quality. The intrinsic capacity for timely payment of financial commitments is adequate.

B: Speculative short-term credit quality. Minimal capacity for timely payment of financial commitments, plus heightened vulnerability to near term adverse changes in financial and economic conditions.

C: High short-term default risk. Default is a real possibility.

RD: Restricted default. Indicates an entity that has defaulted on one or more of its financial commitments, although it continues to meet other financial obligations. Typically applicable to entity ratings only.

D: Default. Indicates a broad-based default event for an entity, or the default of a short-term obligation.

 

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Appendix B
Financial Firm-Specific Sales Charge Waivers and Discounts

The availability of initial and contingent deferred sales charge waivers and discounts may depend on the particular financial firm or type of account through which you purchase or hold Fund shares. For waivers or discounts not available through a particular financial firm, investors will have to purchase shares directly from the Funds (or the Distributor) or through another financial firm to receive such waivers or discounts.

The following descriptions of sales charge waivers and discounts for a particular financial firm and class(es) of shares set forth information provided by the financial firm that the firm has represented is current as of the date of this Prospectus. These waivers or discounts, which may vary from those disclosed elsewhere in the Prospectus, are subject to change. The Funds will update this Appendix periodically based on information provided by the applicable financial firm. Neither the Funds, the Investment Adviser nor PIMCO Investments LLC supervises the implementation of these waivers or discounts or verifies the firms' administration of these waivers or discounts.

In all instances, it is an investor's responsibility to notify the financial firm of any facts that may qualify the investor for sales charge waivers or discounts. Please contact your financial firm for more information regarding the sales charge waivers and discounts available to you and the firm's related policies and procedures.

Effective April 10, 2017, shareholders purchasing Fund shares through a Merrill Lynch platform or account will be eligible only for the following load waivers (front-end sales charge waivers and contingent deferred, or back-end, sales charge waivers) and discounts, which may differ from those disclosed elsewhere in the Funds' prospectus or SAI.

Front-end Sales Load Waivers on Class A Shares available at Merrill Lynch

Employer-sponsored retirement, deferred compensation and employee benefit plans (including health savings accounts) and trusts used to fund those plans, provided that the shares are not held in a commission-based brokerage account and shares are held for the benefit of the plan

Shares purchased by or through a 529 Plan

Shares purchased through a Merrill Lynch affiliated investment advisory program

Shares purchased by third party investment advisors on behalf of their advisory clients through Merrill Lynch's platform

Shares purchased through reinvestment of capital gains distributions and dividend reinvestment when purchasing shares of the same fund (but not any other fund within the fund family)

Shares exchanged from Class C (i.e. level-load) shares of the same fund in the month of or following the 10-year anniversary of the purchase date

Employees and registered representatives of Merrill Lynch or its affiliates and their family members

Directors or Trustees of the Fund, and employees of the Fund's investment adviser or any of its affiliates, as described in the this prospectus

Shares purchased from the proceeds of redemptions within the same fund family, provided (1) the repurchase occurs within 90 days following the redemption, (2) the redemption and purchase occur in the same account, and (3) redeemed shares were subject to a front-end or deferred sales load (known as Rights of Reinstatement)

CDSC Waivers on A and C Shares available at Merrill Lynch

Death or disability of the shareholder

Shares sold as part of a systematic withdrawal plan as described in the Fund's prospectus

Return of excess contributions from an IRA Account

Shares sold as part of a required minimum distribution for IRA and retirement accounts due to the shareholder reaching age 70½

Shares sold to pay Merrill Lynch fees but only if the transaction is initiated by Merrill Lynch

Shares held in retirement brokerage accounts, that are exchanged for a lower cost share class due to transfer to a certain fee based account or platform (applicable to A and C shares only)

Front-end load Discounts Available at Merrill Lynch: Breakpoints, Rights of Accumulation & Letters of Intent

Breakpoints as described in this prospectus.

Rights of Accumulation (ROA) which entitle shareholders to breakpoint discounts will be automatically calculated based on the aggregated holding of fund family assets held by accounts within the purchaser's household at Merrill Lynch. Eligible fund family assets not held at Merrill Lynch may be included in the ROA calculation only if the shareholder notifies his or her financial advisor about such assets

Letters of Intent (LOI) which allow for breakpoint discounts based on anticipated purchases within a fund family, through Merrill Lynch, over a 13-month period of time

 

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INVESTMENT ADVISER AND ADMINISTRATOR

PIMCO, 650 Newport Center Drive, Newport Beach, CA 92660

DISTRIBUTOR

PIMCO Investments LLC, 1633 Broadway, New York, NY 10019

CUSTODIAN

State Street Bank & Trust Co., 801 Pennsylvania Avenue, Kansas City, MO 64105

TRANSFER AGENT

DST Asset Manager Solutions, Inc.
Institutional Class, I-2, I-3, Administrative Class — 330 W. 9th Street, 5th Floor, Kansas City, MO 64105
Class A, Class C, Class R — P.O. Box 55060, Boston, MA 02205-5060

INDEPENDENT REGISTERED PUBLIC ACCOUNTING FIRM

PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP, 1100 Walnut Street, Suite 1300, Kansas City, MO 64106-2197

LEGAL COUNSEL

Dechert LLP, 1900 K Street N.W., Washington, D.C. 20006 

 

For further information about the PIMCO Funds, call 888.87.PIMCO or visit our Web site at pimco.com.


 

Table of Contents





PIMCO FUNDS
650 Newport Center Drive
Newport Beach, CA 92660

The Trust's SAI and annual and semi-annual reports to shareholders include additional information about the Funds. The SAI and the financial statements included in the Funds' most recent annual report to shareholders are incorporated by reference into this Prospectus, which means they are part of this Prospectus for legal purposes. The Funds' annual report discusses the market conditions and investment strategies that significantly affected each Fund's performance during its last fiscal year.

The SAI contains detailed information about Fund purchase, redemption and exchange options and procedures and other information about the Funds. You can get a free copy of the SAI.

You may get free copies of any of these materials or request other information about a Fund by calling the Trust at 888.87.PIMCO (888.877.4626) or by writing to:

PIMCO Funds
650 Newport Center Drive
Newport Beach, CA 92660

Daily updates on the NAV of a Fund may be obtained by calling 1-888-87-PIMCO.

You may review and copy information about the Trust, including its SAI, at the Securities and Exchange Commission's public reference room in Washington, D.C. You may call the Commission at 202.551.8090 for information about the operation of the public reference room. You may also access reports and other information about the Trust on the EDGAR Database on the Commission's Web site at www.sec.gov. You may get copies of this information, with payment of a duplication fee, by writing the Public Reference Section of the Commission, 100 F Street N.E., Washington, D.C. 20549-1520, or by e-mailing your request to publicinfo@sec.gov.

You can also visit our web site at pimco.com for additional information about the Funds, including the SAI and the annual and semi-annual reports, which are available for download free of charge.

Reference the Trust's Investment Company Act file number in your correspondence.

Investment Company Act File Number: 811-05028

PF0001_[ ]


Table of Contents




Prospectus

PIMCO Funds

*I-2 was formerly called Class P.




As with other mutual funds, neither the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission nor the U.S. Commodity Futures Trading Commission has approved or disapproved these securities, or determined if this prospectus is truthful or complete. Any representation to the contrary is a criminal offense.

Bond Funds

[ ]

Inst

I-2*

I-3

Admin

A

C

R

PIMCO Dynamic Bond Fund

PFIUX

PUCPX

PFNUX

PUBAX

PUBCX

PUBRX

PIMCO Extended Duration Fund

PEDIX

PEDPX

PIMCO GNMA and Government Securities Fund

PDMIX

PPGNX

[ ]

PAGNX

PCGNX

PIMCO Investment Grade Credit Bond Fund

PIGIX

PBDPX

PCNNX

PGCAX

PBDAX

PBDCX

PIMCO Long Duration Total Return Fund

PLRIX

PLRPX

PLRAX

PLRCX

PIMCO Long-Term U.S. Government Fund

PGOVX

PLTPX

[ ]

PLGBX

PFGAX

PFGCX

PIMCO Moderate Duration Fund

PMDRX

PMOPX

PIMCO Mortgage-Backed Securities Fund

PTRIX

PMRPX

PSANX

PMTAX

PMRAX

PMRCX

PIMCO Mortgage Opportunities and Bond Fund

PMZIX

PMZPX

PMZNX

PMZAX

PMZCX

PIMCO Total Return Fund

PTTRX

PTTPX

PTTNX

PTRAX

PTTAX

PTTCX

PTRRX

PIMCO Total Return Fund II

PMBIX

PMTPX

PRADX

PIMCO Total Return Fund IV

PTUIX

__

PTUZX

PTUCX

PIMCO Total Return ESG Fund

PTSAX

PRAPX

[ ]

PRFAX




 

Table of Contents

Page

Fund Summaries

1

PIMCO Dynamic Bond Fund

1

PIMCO Extended Duration Fund

2

PIMCO GNMA and Government Securities Fund

6

PIMCO Investment Grade Credit Bond Fund

10

PIMCO Long Duration Total Return Fund

14

PIMCO Long-Term U.S. Government Fund

18

PIMCO Moderate Duration Fund

21

PIMCO Mortgage-Backed Securities Fund

24

PIMCO Mortgage Opportunities and Bond Fund

28

PIMCO Total Return Fund

32

PIMCO Total Return Fund II

36

PIMCO Total Return Fund IV

39

PIMCO Total Return ESG Fund

43

Summary of Other Important Information Regarding Fund Shares

47

Description of Principal Risks

48

Disclosure of Portfolio Holdings

56

Management of the Funds

57

Classes of Shares

63

Purchases, Redemptions and Exchanges

68

How Fund Shares are Priced

75

Fund Distributions

76

Tax Consequences

77

Characteristics and Risks of Securities and Investment Techniques

78

Financial Highlights

93

Appendix A - Description of Securities Ratings

A-1

Appendix B - Financial Firm-Specific Sales Charge Waivers and Discounts

B-1


 

PIMCO Dynamic Bond Fund

Investment Objective

The Fund seeks maximum long-term return, consistent with preservation of capital and prudent investment management.

Fees and Expenses of the Fund

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 $100,000 in Class A shares of eligible funds offered by PIMCO Equity Series and PIMCO Funds. More information about these and other discounts is available in the "Classes of Shares" section on page [ ] of the Fund's prospectus, Appendix B to the Fund's prospectus (Financial Firm-Specific Sales Charge Waivers and Discounts) or from your financial advisor.

Shareholder Fees (fees paid directly from your investment):

 

Inst
Class

I-2

I-3

Class A

Class C

Class R

Maximum Sales Charge (Load) Imposed on Purchases (as a percentage of offering price)

None

None

None

3.75%

None

None

Maximum Deferred Sales Charge (Load) (as a percentage of the lower of the original purchase price or redemption price)

None

None

None

1.00%

1.00%

None

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

 

Inst
Class

I-2

I-3

Class A

Class C

Class R

Management Fees(1)

0.80%

0.90%

1.00%

0.95%

0.95%

0.95%

Distribution and/or Service (12b-1) Fees

N/A

N/A

N/A

0.25%

1.00%

0.50%

Other Expenses(2)

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

Fee Waiver and/or Expense Reimbursement(3)(4)

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses After Fee Waiver and/or Expense Reimbursement

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

 

1 Expense information in the table has been restated to reflect current Management Fees.

2 "Other Expenses" include interest expense of 0.19%. Interest expense is borne by the Fund separately from the management fees paid to Pacific Investment Management Company LLC ("PIMCO"). Excluding interest expense, Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses After Fee Waiver and/or Expense Reimbursement are [ ]%, [ ]%, [ ]%, [ ]%, [ ]% and [ ]% for Institutional Class, I-2, I-3, Class A, Class C and Class R shares, respectively.

3 PIMCO has contractually agreed, through July 31, 2019, to reduce its advisory fee by 0.01% of the average daily net assets of the Fund. This Fee Waiver Agreement renews annually unless terminated by PIMCO upon at least 30 days' prior notice to the end of the contract term. Under certain conditions, PIMCO may recoup amounts reduced in future periods, not exceeding three years.

4 PIMCO has contractually agreed, through July 31, 2019, to reduce its supervisory and administrative fee for the Fund's I-3 shares by 0.05% of the average daily net assets attributable to I-3 shares of the Fund. This Fee Waiver Agreement renews annually unless terminated by PIMCO upon at least 30 days' prior notice to the end of the contract term.

Example. The Example is intended to help you compare the cost of investing in Institutional Class, I-2, I-3, Class A, Class C or Class R shares of the Fund with the costs of investing in other mutual funds. The Example assumes that you invest $10,000 in the noted class of shares for the time periods indicated, and then redeem all 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. Investors may pay brokerage commissions on their purchases and sales of Institutional Class, I-2 or I-3 shares of the Fund, which are not reflected in the Example. Although your actual costs may be higher or lower, based on these assumptions your costs would be:

If you redeem your shares at the end of each period:

 

1 Year

3 Years

5 Years

10 Years

Institutional Class

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

I-2

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

I-3

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

Class A

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

Class C

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

Class R

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

If you do not redeem your shares:

 

1 Year

3 Years

5 Years

10 Years

Class A

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

Class C

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

Portfolio Turnover

The Fund pays transaction costs 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 the Annual Fund Operating Expenses or in the Example tables, affect the Fund's performance. During the most recent fiscal year, the Fund's portfolio turnover rate was [ ]% of the average value of its portfolio.

Principal Investment Strategies

The Fund seeks to achieve its investment objective by investing under normal circumstances at least 80% of its assets in a diversified portfolio of Fixed Income Instruments of varying maturities, which may be represented by forwards or derivatives such as options, futures contracts, or swap agreements. "Fixed Income Instruments" include bonds, debt securities and other similar instruments issued by various U.S. and non-U.S. public- or private-sector entities. The Fund intends to utilize various investment strategies in a broad array of fixed income sectors to achieve its investment objective. The Fund will not be constrained by management against an index. The average portfolio duration of this Fund will normally vary from (negative) 3 years to positive 8 years based on Pacific Investment Management Company LLC's ("PIMCO") market forecasts. Duration is a measure used to determine the sensitivity of a security's price to changes in interest rates. The longer a security's duration, the more sensitive it will be to changes in interest rates.

The Fund may invest in both investment-grade securities and high yield securities ("junk bonds") subject to a maximum of 40% of its total assets in securities rated below Baa by Moody's Investors Service, Inc.

 



PIMCO FUNDS | PROSPECTUS

1


 

Table of Contents

PIMCO Dynamic Bond Fund

("Moody's"), or equivalently rated by Standard & Poor's Ratings Services ("S&P") or Fitch, Inc. ("Fitch"), or, if unrated, determined by PIMCO to be of comparable quality. The Fund may also invest without limitation in securities denominated in foreign currencies and in U.S. dollar-denominated securities of foreign issuers. In addition, the Fund may invest up to 50% of its total assets in securities and instruments that are economically tied to emerging market countries (this limitation does not apply to investment grade sovereign debt denominated in the local currency with less than 1 year remaining to maturity, which means the Fund may invest in such instruments without limitation subject to any applicable legal or regulatory limitation). The Fund will normally limit its foreign currency exposure (from non-U.S. dollar-denominated securities or currencies) to 35% of its total assets. The Fund may also invest up to 10% of its total assets in preferred securities.

The Fund may invest, without limitation, in derivative instruments, such as options, futures contracts or swap agreements, or in mortgage- or asset-backed securities, subject to applicable law and any other restrictions described in the Fund's prospectus or Statement of Additional Information. The Fund may purchase or sell securities on a when-issued, delayed delivery or forward commitment basis and may engage in short sales. The Fund may, without limitation, seek to obtain market exposure to the securities in which it primarily invests by entering into a series of purchase and sale contracts or by using other investment techniques (such as buy backs or dollar rolls).

Principal Risks

It is possible to lose money on an investment in the Fund. The principal risks of investing in the Fund, which could adversely affect its net asset value, yield and total return are listed below.

Interest Rate Risk: the risk that fixed income securities will decline in value because of an increase in interest rates; a fund with a longer average portfolio duration will be more sensitive to changes in interest rates than a fund with a shorter average portfolio duration

Call Risk: the risk that an issuer may exercise its right to redeem a fixed income security earlier than expected (a call). Issuers may call outstanding securities prior to their maturity for a number of reasons (e.g., declining interest rates, changes in credit spreads and improvements in the issuer's credit quality). If an issuer calls a security that the Fund has invested in, the Fund may not recoup the full amount of its initial investment and may be forced to reinvest in lower-yielding securities, securities with greater credit risks or securities with other, less favorable features

Credit Risk: the risk that the Fund could lose money if the issuer or guarantor of a fixed income security, or the counterparty to a derivative contract, is unable or unwilling to meet its financial obligations

High Yield Risk: the risk that high yield securities and unrated securities of similar credit quality (commonly known as "junk bonds") are subject to greater levels of credit, call and liquidity risks. High yield securities are considered primarily speculative with respect to the issuer's continuing ability to make principal and interest payments, and may be more volatile than higher-rated securities of similar maturity

Market Risk: the risk that the value of securities owned by the Fund may go up or down, sometimes rapidly or unpredictably, due to factors affecting securities markets generally or particular industries

Issuer Risk: the risk that the value of a security may decline for a reason directly related to the issuer, such as management performance, financial leverage and reduced demand for the issuer's goods or services

Liquidity Risk: the risk that a particular investment may be difficult to purchase or sell and that the Fund may be unable to sell illiquid securities at an advantageous time or price or achieve its desired level of exposure to a certain sector. Liquidity risk may result from the lack of an active market, reduced number and capacity of traditional market participants to make a market in fixed income securities, and may be magnified in a rising interest rate environment or other circumstances where investor redemptions from fixed income mutual funds may be higher than normal, causing increased supply in the market due to selling activity

Derivatives Risk: the risk of investing in derivative instruments (such as futures, swaps and structured securities), including leverage, liquidity, interest rate, market, credit and management risks, mispricing or valuation complexity. Changes in the value of the derivative may not correlate perfectly with, and may be more sensitive to market events than, the underlying asset, rate or index, and the Fund could lose more than the initial amount invested. The Fund's use of derivatives may result in losses to the Fund, a reduction in the Fund's returns and/or increased volatility. Over-the-counter ("OTC") derivatives are also subject to the risk that a counterparty to the transaction will not fulfill its contractual obligations to the other party, as many of the protections afforded to centrally-cleared derivative transactions might not be available for OTC derivatives. For derivatives traded on an exchange or through a central counterparty, credit risk resides with the Fund's clearing broker, or the clearinghouse itself, rather than with a counterparty in an OTC derivative transaction. Changes in regulation relating to a mutual fund's use of derivatives and related instruments could potentially limit or impact the Fund's ability to invest in derivatives, limit the Fund's ability to employ certain strategies that use derivatives and/or adversely affect the value of derivatives and the Fund's performance

Equity Risk: the risk that the value of equity securities, such as common stocks and preferred securities, may decline due to general market conditions which are not specifically related to a particular company or to factors affecting a particular industry or industries. Equity securities generally have greater price volatility than fixed income securities

Mortgage-Related and Other Asset-Backed Securities Risk: the risks of investing in mortgage-related and other asset-backed securities, including interest rate risk, extension risk, prepayment risk and credit risk

Foreign (Non-U.S.) Investment Risk: the risk that investing in foreign (non-U.S.) securities may result in the Fund experiencing more rapid and extreme changes in value than a fund that invests exclusively in securities of U.S. companies, due to smaller markets, differing reporting, accounting and auditing standards, increased risk of delayed settlement of portfolio transactions or loss of certificates of portfolio securities, and the risk of unfavorable foreign government actions, including nationalization, expropriation or confiscatory taxation, currency blockage, or political changes

 

2     

PROSPECTUS | PIMCO FUNDS     


 

Table of Contents

Prospectus

or diplomatic developments. Foreign securities may also be less liquid and more difficult to value than securities of U.S. issuers

Emerging Markets Risk: the risk of investing in emerging market securities, primarily increased foreign (non-U.S.) investment risk

Sovereign Debt Risk: the risk that investments in fixed income instruments issued by sovereign entities may decline in value as a result of default or other adverse credit event resulting from an issuer's inability or unwillingness to make principal or interest payments in a timely fashion

Currency Risk: the risk that foreign (non-U.S.) currencies will change in value relative to the U.S. dollar and affect the Fund's investments in foreign (non-U.S.) currencies or in securities that trade in, and receive revenues in, or in derivatives that provide exposure to, foreign (non-U.S.) currencies

Leveraging Risk: the risk that certain transactions of the Fund, such as reverse repurchase agreements, loans of portfolio securities, and the use of when-issued, delayed delivery or forward commitment transactions, or derivative instruments, may give rise to leverage, magnifying gains and losses and causing the Fund to be more volatile than if it had not been leveraged. This means that leverage entails a heightened risk of loss

Management Risk: the risk that the investment techniques and risk analyses applied by PIMCO will not produce the desired results and that legislative, regulatory, or tax restrictions, policies or developments may affect the investment techniques available to PIMCO and the individual portfolio manager in connection with managing the Fund. There is no guarantee that the investment objective of the Fund will be achieved

Short Exposure Risk: the risk of entering into short sales, including the potential loss of more money than the actual cost of the investment, and the risk that the third party to the short sale will not fulfill its contractual obligations, causing a loss to the Fund

Please see "Description of Principal Risks" in the Fund's prospectus for a more detailed description of the risks of investing in the Fund. An investment in the Fund is not a deposit of a bank and is not insured or guaranteed by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation or any other government agency.

Performance Information

The performance information shows summary performance information for the Fund in a bar chart and an Average Annual Total Returns table. The information provides some indication of the risks of investing in the Fund by showing changes in its performance from year to year and by showing how the Fund's average annual returns compare with the returns of a broad-based securities market index and an index of similar funds. Absent any applicable fee waivers and/or expense limitations, performance would have been lower. The bar chart shows performance of the Fund's Institutional Class shares. For periods prior to the inception date of Class C and Class R shares (July 31, 2008), performance information shown in the table for these classes is based on the performance of the Fund's Institutional Class shares, adjusted to reflect the actual distribution and/or service (12b-1) fees and other expenses paid by these classes of shares. Performance for Class A and Class C shares in the Average Annual Total Returns table reflects the impact of sales charges. The I-3 shares of the Fund have not commenced operations as of the date of this prospectus. The Fund's past performance, before and after taxes, is not necessarily an indication of how the Fund will perform in the future.

The Fund's benchmark index is the 3 Month USD LIBOR (London Interbank Offered Rate) Index. LIBOR is an average interest rate, determined by the ICE Benchmark Administration, that banks charge one another for the use of short-term money (3 months) in England's Eurodollar market.  Lipper Alternative Global Macro Funds Average is a total return performance average of Funds tracked by Lipper, Inc. that, by prospectus language, invest around the world using economic theory to justify the decision-making process. The strategy is typically based on forecasts and analysis about interest rate trends, the general flow of funds, political changes, government policies, intergovernmental relations, and other broad systemic factors. These funds generally trade a wide range of markets and geographic regions, employing a broad range of trading ideas and instruments.

Performance for the Fund is updated daily and quarterly and may be obtained as follows: daily updates on the net asset value and performance page at http://investments.pimco.com/DailyPerformance and quarterly updates at http://investments.pimco.com/QuarterlyPerformance.

Calendar Year Total Returns — Institutional Class*

 

[To be updated by subsequent amendment]



*The year-to-date return as of June 30, 2018 is [ ]%. For the periods shown in the bar chart, the highest quarterly return was [ ]% in the [ ], and the lowest quarterly return was [ ]% in the [ ].

Average Annual Total Returns (for periods ended 12/31/17)

 

1 Year

5 Years

Since Inception (06/30/2008)

Institutional Class Return Before Taxes

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

Institutional Class Return After Taxes on Distributions‌(1)

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

Institutional Class Return After Taxes on Distributions and Sales of Fund Shares‌(1)

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

I-2 Return Before Taxes

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

Class A Return Before Taxes

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

Class C Return Before Taxes

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

Class R Return Before Taxes

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

3 Month USD LIBOR Index (reflects no deductions for fees, expenses or taxes)

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

 

Lipper Alternative Global Macro Funds Average (reflects no deductions for taxes)

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

 

[ ] | PROSPECTUS

3


 

Table of Contents

PIMCO Dynamic Bond Fund

(1) After-tax returns are calculated using the highest historical individual federal marginal income tax rates and do not reflect the impact of state and local taxes. Actual after-tax returns depend on an investor's tax situation and may differ from those shown, and the after-tax returns shown are not relevant to investors who hold their Fund shares through tax-deferred arrangements, such as 401(k) plans or individual retirement accounts. In some cases the return after taxes may exceed the return before taxes due to an assumed tax benefit from any losses on a sale of Fund shares at the end of the measurement period. After-tax returns are for Institutional Class shares only. After-tax returns for other classes will vary.

Investment Adviser/Portfolio Manager

PIMCO serves as the investment adviser for the Fund. The Fund's portfolio is jointly managed by Marc P. Seidner, Mohsen Fahmi and Daniel J. Ivascyn. Each of Messrs. Seidner, Fahmi and Ivascyn is a Managing Director of PIMCO. Mr. Ivascyn is Group Chief Investment Officer, and Mr. Seidner is CIO Non-traditional Strategies. Messrs. Fahmi and Ivascyn have jointly managed the Fund since September 2014, and Mr. Seidner has jointly managed the Fund since January 2015.

Other Important Information Regarding Fund Shares

For important information about purchase and sale of Fund shares, tax information, and payments to broker-dealers and other financial intermediaries, please turn to the "Summary of Other Important Information Regarding Fund Shares" section on page [ ] of this prospectus.

 

4     

PROSPECTUS | PIMCO FUNDS     


 

Table of Contents

PIMCO Extended Duration Fund

Investment Objective

The Fund seeks maximum total return, consistent with prudent investment management.

Fees and Expenses of the Fund

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 $100,000 in Class A shares of eligible funds offered by PIMCO Equity Series and PIMCO Funds. More information about these and other discounts is available in the "Classes of Shares" section on page [ ] of the Fund's prospectus, Appendix B to the Fund's prospectus (Financial Firm-Specific Sales Charge Waivers and Discounts) or from your financial advisor.

Shareholder Fees (fees paid directly from your investment):

 

Inst
Class

I-2

Class A

Maximum Sales Charge (Load) Imposed on Purchases (as a percentage of offering price)

None

None

3.75%

Maximum Deferred Sales Charge (Load) (as a percentage of the lower of the original purchase price or redemption price)

None

None

1.00%

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

 

Inst
Class

I-2

Class A

Management Fees

0.50%

0.60%

0.65%

Distribution and/or Service (12b-1) Fees

N/A

N/A

0.25%

Other Expenses(1)

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

 

1 "Other Expenses" include interest expense of [ ]%. Interest expense is borne by the Fund separately from the management fees paid to Pacific Investment Management Company LLC ("PIMCO"). Excluding interest expense, Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses are [ ]%,  [ ]% and [ ]% for Institutional Class, I-2 and Class A shares, respectively.

Example. The Example is intended to help you compare the cost of investing in Institutional Class, I-2 or Class A shares of the Fund with the costs of investing in other mutual funds. The Example assumes that you invest $10,000 in the noted class of shares for the time periods indicated, and then redeem all 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. Investors may pay brokerage commissions on their purchases and sales of Institutional Class shares or I-2 shares of the Fund, which are not reflected in the Example. Although your actual costs may be higher or lower, based on these assumptions your costs would be:

If you redeem your shares at the end of each period:

 

1 Year

3 Years

5 Years

10 Years

Institutional Class

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

I-2

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

Class A

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

If you do not redeem your shares:

 

1 Year

3 Years

5 Years

10 Years

Class A

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

Portfolio Turnover

The Fund pays transaction costs 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 the Annual Fund Operating Expenses or in the Example tables, affect the Fund's performance. During the most recent fiscal year, the Fund's portfolio turnover rate was [ ]% of the average value of its portfolio.

Principal Investment Strategies

The Fund seeks to achieve its investment objective by investing under normal circumstances at least 65% of its total assets in a diversified portfolio of Fixed Income Instruments of varying maturities, which may be represented by forwards or derivatives such as options, futures contracts or swap agreements. "Fixed Income Instruments" include bonds, debt securities and other similar instruments issued by various U.S. and non-U.S. public- or private-sector entities. The average portfolio duration of this Fund normally varies within three years (plus or minus) of the portfolio duration of the securities comprising the FTSE U.S. Treasury STRIPS Index, 20+ Year Sub-Index, as calculated by PIMCO, which as of [ ] was [ ] years. Duration is a measure used to determine the sensitivity of a security's price to changes in interest rates. The longer a security's duration, the more sensitive it will be to changes in interest rates.

The Fund invests primarily in investment grade debt securities, but may invest up to 10% of its total assets in high yield securities ("junk bonds") that are rated B or higher by Moody's Investors Service, Inc. ("Moody's"), or equivalently rated by Standard & Poor's Ratings Services ("S&P") or Fitch, Inc. ("Fitch"), or, if unrated, determined by PIMCO to be of comparable quality. The Fund may invest up to 30% of its total assets in securities denominated in foreign currencies, and may invest beyond this limit in U.S. dollar-denominated securities of foreign issuers. The Fund may invest up to 15% of its total assets in securities and instruments that are economically tied to emerging market countries (this limitation does not apply to investment grade sovereign debt denominated in the local currency with less than 1 year remaining to maturity, which means the Fund may invest, together with any other investments denominated in foreign currencies, up to 30% of its total assets in such instruments). The Fund will normally limit its foreign currency exposure (from non-U.S. dollar-denominated securities or currencies) to 20% of its total assets.

The Fund may invest, without limitation, in derivative instruments, such as options, futures contracts or swap agreements, or in mortgage- or asset-backed securities, subject to applicable law and any other restrictions described in the Fund's prospectus or Statement of Additional Information. The Fund may purchase or sell securities on a when-issued, delayed delivery or forward commitment basis and may engage in short sales. The Fund may, without limitation, seek to obtain market exposure to the securities in which it primarily invests by entering into a series of purchase and sale contracts or by using other investment techniques (such as buy backs or

 



PIMCO FUNDS | PROSPECTUS

2


 

Table of Contents

PIMCO Extended Duration Fund

dollar rolls). The "total return" sought by the Fund consists of income earned on the Fund's investments, plus capital appreciation, if any, which generally arises from decreases in interest rates, foreign currency appreciation, or improving credit fundamentals for a particular sector or security. The Fund may also invest up to 10% of its total assets in preferred securities.

Principal Risks

It is possible to lose money on an investment in the Fund. The principal risks of investing in the Fund, which could adversely affect its net asset value, yield and total return are listed below.

Interest Rate Risk: the risk that fixed income securities will decline in value because of an increase in interest rates; a fund with a longer average portfolio duration will be more sensitive to changes in interest rates than a fund with a shorter average portfolio duration

Call Risk: the risk that an issuer may exercise its right to redeem a fixed income security earlier than expected (a call). Issuers may call outstanding securities prior to their maturity for a number of reasons (e.g., declining interest rates, changes in credit spreads and improvements in the issuer's credit quality). If an issuer calls a security that the Fund has invested in, the Fund may not recoup the full amount of its initial investment and may be forced to reinvest in lower-yielding securities, securities with greater credit risks or securities with other, less favorable features

Credit Risk: the risk that the Fund could lose money if the issuer or guarantor of a fixed income security, or the counterparty to a derivative contract, is unable or unwilling to meet its financial obligations

High Yield Risk: the risk that high yield securities and unrated securities of similar credit quality (commonly known as "junk bonds") are subject to greater levels of credit, call and liquidity risks. High yield securities are considered primarily speculative with respect to the issuer's continuing ability to make principal and interest payments, and may be more volatile than higher-rated securities of similar maturity

Market Risk: the risk that the value of securities owned by the Fund may go up or down, sometimes rapidly or unpredictably, due to factors affecting securities markets generally or particular industries

Issuer Risk: the risk that the value of a security may decline for a reason directly related to the issuer, such as management performance, financial leverage and reduced demand for the issuer's goods or services

Liquidity Risk: the risk that a particular investment may be difficult to purchase or sell and that the Fund may be unable to sell illiquid securities at an advantageous time or price or achieve its desired level of exposure to a certain sector. Liquidity risk may result from the lack of an active market, reduced number and capacity of traditional market participants to make a market in fixed income securities, and may be magnified in a rising interest rate environment or other circumstances where investor redemptions from fixed income mutual funds may be higher than normal, causing increased supply in the market due to selling activity

Derivatives Risk: the risk of investing in derivative instruments (such as futures, swaps and structured securities), including leverage, liquidity, interest rate, market, credit and management risks, mispricing or valuation complexity. Changes in the value of the derivative may not correlate perfectly with, and may be more sensitive to market events than, the underlying asset, rate or index, and the Fund could lose more than the initial amount invested. The Fund's use of derivatives may result in losses to the Fund, a reduction in the Fund's returns and/or increased volatility. Over-the-counter ("OTC") derivatives are also subject to the risk that a counterparty to the transaction will not fulfill its contractual obligations to the other party, as many of the protections afforded to centrally-cleared derivative transactions might not be available for OTC derivatives. For derivatives traded on an exchange or through a central counterparty, credit risk resides with the Fund's clearing broker, or the clearinghouse itself, rather than with a counterparty in an OTC derivative transaction. Changes in regulation relating to a mutual fund's use of derivatives and related instruments could potentially limit or impact the Fund's ability to invest in derivatives, limit the Fund's ability to employ certain strategies that use derivatives and/or adversely affect the value of derivatives and the Fund's performance

Equity Risk: the risk that the value of equity securities, such as common stocks and preferred securities, may decline due to general market conditions which are not specifically related to a particular company or to factors affecting a particular industry or industries. Equity securities generally have greater price volatility than fixed income securities

Mortgage-Related and Other Asset-Backed Securities Risk: the risks of investing in mortgage-related and other asset-backed securities, including interest rate risk, extension risk, prepayment risk and credit risk

Foreign (Non-U.S.) Investment Risk: the risk that investing in foreign (non-U.S.) securities may result in the Fund experiencing more rapid and extreme changes in value than a fund that invests exclusively in securities of U.S. companies, due to smaller markets, differing reporting, accounting and auditing standards, increased risk of delayed settlement of portfolio transactions or loss of certificates of portfolio securities, and the risk of unfavorable foreign government actions, including nationalization, expropriation or confiscatory taxation, currency blockage, or political changes or diplomatic developments. Foreign securities may also be less liquid and more difficult to value than securities of U.S. issuers

Emerging Markets Risk: the risk of investing in emerging market securities, primarily increased foreign (non-U.S.) investment risk

Sovereign Debt Risk: the risk that investments in fixed income instruments issued by sovereign entities may decline in value as a result of default or other adverse credit event resulting from an issuer's inability or unwillingness to make principal or interest payments in a timely fashion

Currency Risk: the risk that foreign (non-U.S.) currencies will change in value relative to the U.S. dollar and affect the Fund's investments in foreign (non-U.S.) currencies or in securities that trade in, and receive revenues in, or in derivatives that provide exposure to, foreign (non-U.S.) currencies

Leveraging Risk: the risk that certain transactions of the Fund, such as reverse repurchase agreements, loans of portfolio securities, and the use of when-issued, delayed delivery or forward commitment transactions, or derivative instruments, may give rise to leverage, magnifying gains and losses and causing the Fund to be more volatile than if it had not been leveraged. This means that leverage entails a heightened risk of loss

 

3     

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Table of Contents

Prospectus

Management Risk: the risk that the investment techniques and risk analyses applied by PIMCO will not produce the desired results and that legislative, regulatory, or tax restrictions, policies or developments may affect the investment techniques available to PIMCO and the individual portfolio manager in connection with managing the Fund. There is no guarantee that the investment objective of the Fund will be achieved

Short Exposure Risk: the risk of entering into short sales, including the potential loss of more money than the actual cost of the investment, and the risk that the third party to the short sale will not fulfill its contractual obligations, causing a loss to the Fund

Please see "Description of Principal Risks" in the Fund's prospectus for a more detailed description of the risks of investing in the Fund. An investment in the Fund is not a deposit of a bank and is not insured or guaranteed by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation or any other government agency.

Performance Information

The performance information shows summary performance information for the Fund in a bar chart and an Average Annual Total Returns table. The information provides some indication of the risks of investing in the Fund by showing changes in its performance from year to year and by showing how the Fund's average annual returns compare with the returns of a broad-based securities market index and an index of similar funds. Absent any applicable fee waivers and/or expense limitations, performance would have been lower. The bar chart shows performance of the Fund's Institutional Class shares. For periods prior to the inception date of I-2 shares (September 11, 2008), performance information shown in the table for that class is based on the performance of the Fund's Institutional Class shares, adjusted to reflect the actual distribution and/or service (12b-1) fees and other expenses paid by that class of shares. The Class A shares of the Fund have not commenced operations as of the date of this prospectus. The Fund's past performance, before and after taxes, is not necessarily an indication of how the Fund will perform in the future.

The FTSE U.S. Treasury STRIPS Index, 20+ Year Sub-Index represents a composition of outstanding Treasury Bonds and Notes with a maturity of at least twenty years. The index is rebalanced each month in accordance with underlying Treasury figures and profiles provided as of the previous month-end. The included STRIPS are derived only from bonds in the FTSE U.S. Treasury Bond Index, which include coupon strips with less than one year remaining to maturity. The Lipper Corporate Debt Funds BBB-Rated Funds Average consists of funds that invest at least 65% of their assets in corporate and government debt issues rated in the top four grades.

Performance for the Fund is updated daily and quarterly and may be obtained as follows: daily updates on the net asset value and performance page at http://investments.pimco.com/DailyPerformance and quarterly updates at http://investments.pimco.com/QuarterlyPerformance.

Calendar Year Total Returns — Institutional Class*

 

[To be updated by subsequent amendment]



*The year-to-date return as of June 30, 2018 is [ ]%. For the periods shown in the bar chart, the highest quarterly return was [ ]% in the [ ], and the lowest quarterly return was [ ]% in the [ ].

Average Annual Total Returns (for periods ended 12/31/17)

 

1 Year

5 Years

10 Years

Institutional Class Return Before Taxes

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

Institutional Class Return After Taxes on Distributions‌(1)

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

Institutional Class Return After Taxes on Distributions and Sales of Fund Shares‌(1)

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

I-2 Return Before Taxes

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

FTSE U.S. Treasury STRIPS Index, 20+ Year Sub-Index (reflects no deductions for fees, expenses or taxes)

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

 

Lipper Corporate Debt Funds BBB-Rated Funds Average (reflects no deductions for taxes)

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

(1) After-tax returns are calculated using the highest historical individual federal marginal income tax rates and do not reflect the impact of state and local taxes. Actual after-tax returns depend on an investor's tax situation and may differ from those shown, and the after-tax returns shown are not relevant to investors who hold their Fund shares through tax-deferred arrangements, such as 401(k) plans or individual retirement accounts. In some cases the return after taxes may exceed the return before taxes due to an assumed tax benefit from any losses on a sale of Fund shares at the end of the measurement period. After-tax returns are for Institutional Class shares only. After-tax returns for other classes will vary.

Investment Adviser/Portfolio Manager

PIMCO serves as the investment adviser for the Fund. The Fund's portfolio is jointly managed by Michael Cudzil, Stephen Rodosky and Josh Thimons. Messrs. Cudzil, Rodosky and Thimons are Managing Directors of PIMCO. Mr. Rodosky has managed the Fund since July 2007. Messrs. Cudzil and Thimons have managed the Fund since February 2016.  

 

[ ] | PROSPECTUS

4


 

Table of Contents

PIMCO Extended Duration Fund

Other Important Information Regarding Fund Shares

For important information about purchase and sale of Fund shares, tax information, and payments to broker-dealers and other financial intermediaries, please turn to the "Summary of Other Important Information Regarding Fund Shares" section on page [ ] of this prospectus.

 

5     

PROSPECTUS | PIMCO FUNDS     


 

Table of Contents

PIMCO GNMA and Government Securities Fund

Investment Objective

The Fund seeks maximum total return, consistent with preservation of capital and prudent investment management.

Fees and Expenses of the Fund

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 $100,000 in Class A shares of eligible funds offered by PIMCO Equity Series and PIMCO Funds. More information about these and other discounts is available in the "Classes of Shares" section on page [ ] of the Fund's prospectus, Appendix B to the Fund's prospectus (Financial Firm-Specific Sales Charge Waivers and Discounts) or from your financial advisor.

Shareholder Fees (fees paid directly from your investment):

 

Inst
Class

I-2

I-3

Class A

Class C

Maximum Sales Charge (Load) Imposed on Purchases (as a percentage of offering price)

None

None

[None]

3.75%

None

Maximum Deferred Sales Charge (Load) (as a percentage of the lower of the original purchase price or redemption price)

None

None

[None]

1.00%

1.00%

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

 

Inst
Class

I-2

I-3

Class A

Class C

Management Fees

0.50%

0.60%

[ ]

0.65%

0.65%

Distribution and/or Service (12b-1) Fees

N/A

N/A

[ ]

0.25%

1.00%

Other Expenses(1)

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

Fee Waiver and/or Expense Reimbursement(2)

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses After Fee Waiver and/or Expense Reimbursement

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

 

1 "Other Expenses" include interest expense of [ ]%. Interest expense is borne by the Fund separately from the management fees paid to Pacific Investment Management Company LLC ("PIMCO"). Excluding interest expense, Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses After Fee Waiver and/or Expense Reimbursement are [ ]%, [ ]%, [ ]%, [ ]% and [ ]% for Institutional Class, I-2, I-3, Class A and Class C shares, respectively.

2 PIMCO has contractually agreed, through July 31, 2019, to reduce its supervisory and administrative fee for the Fund's I-3 shares by [ ]% of the average daily net assets attributable to I-3 shares of the Fund. This Fee Waiver Agreement renews annually unless terminated by PIMCO upon at least 30 days' prior notice to the end of the contract term.

Example. The Example is intended to help you compare the cost of investing in Institutional Class, I-2, I-3, Class A or Class C shares of the Fund with the costs of investing in other mutual funds. The Example assumes that you invest $10,000 in the noted class of shares for the time periods indicated, and then redeem all 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. Investors may pay brokerage commissions on their purchases and sales of Institutional Class, I-2 or I-3 shares of the Fund, which are not reflected in the Example. Although your actual costs may be higher or lower, based on these assumptions your costs would be:

If you redeem your shares at the end of each period:

 

1 Year

3 Years

5 Years

10 Years

Institutional Class

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

I-2

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

I-3

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

Class A

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

Class C

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

If you do not redeem your shares:

 

1 Year

3 Years

5 Years

10 Years

Class A

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

Class C

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

Portfolio Turnover

The Fund pays transaction costs 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 the Annual Fund Operating Expenses or in the Example tables, affect the Fund's performance. During the most recent fiscal year, the Fund's portfolio turnover rate was [ ]% of the average value of its portfolio.

Principal Investment Strategies

The Fund seeks to achieve its investment objective by investing under normal circumstances at least 80% of its assets in a diversified portfolio of securities of varying maturities issued by the Government National Mortgage Association ("GNMA") and of securities issued or guaranteed by the U.S. Government, its agencies or government-sponsored enterprises, which may be represented by forwards or derivatives such as options, futures contracts or swap agreements. The Fund is neither sponsored by nor affiliated with GNMA. The average portfolio duration of this Fund normally varies from one to seven years based on Pacific Investment Management Company LLC's ("PIMCO") market forecasts. Duration is a measure used to determine the sensitivity of a security's price to changes in interest rates. The longer a security's duration, the more sensitive it will be to changes in interest rates. The Fund may invest without limit in securities issued or guaranteed by the U.S. Government, its agencies or government-sponsored enterprises. In addition, the Fund may invest up to 10% of its total assets in investment grade securities rated below Aaa by Moody's Investors Service, Inc. ("Moody's"), or equivalently rated by Standard & Poor's Ratings Services ("S&P") or Fitch, Inc. ("Fitch"), subject to a minimum rating of Baa by Moody's, or equivalently rated by S&P or Fitch, or, if unrated, determined by PIMCO to be of comparable quality. The Fund may not invest in securities denominated in foreign currencies, but may invest without limit in U.S. dollar-denominated securities of foreign issuers. The Fund may invest up to 10% of its total assets in U.S. dollar-denominated securities and instruments that are economically tied to emerging market countries.

The Fund may invest, without limitation, in derivative instruments, such as options, futures contracts or swap agreements, or in mortgage- or asset-backed securities, subject to applicable law and any other restrictions described in the Fund's prospectus or Statement of Additional Information. The Fund may purchase or sell securities on a when-issued, delayed delivery

 



PIMCO FUNDS | PROSPECTUS

6


 

Table of Contents

PIMCO GNMA and Government Securities Fund

or forward commitment basis and may engage in short sales. The Fund may, without limitation, seek to obtain market exposure to the securities in which it primarily invests by entering into a series of purchase and sale contracts or by using other investment techniques (such as buy backs or dollar rolls). The "total return" sought by the Fund consists of income earned on the Fund's investments, plus capital appreciation, if any, which generally arises from decreases in interest rates or improving credit fundamentals for a particular sector or security.

GNMA, a wholly-owned U.S. Government corporation, is authorized to guarantee, with the full faith and credit of the U.S. Government, the timely payment of principal and interest on securities issued by institutions approved by GNMA and backed by pools of mortgages insured by the Federal Housing Administration, or guaranteed by the Department of Veterans Affairs. The Fund may also invest up to 10% of its total assets in preferred securities.

Principal Risks

It is possible to lose money on an investment in the Fund. The principal risks of investing in the Fund, which could adversely affect its net asset value, yield and total return are listed below.

Interest Rate Risk: the risk that fixed income securities will decline in value because of an increase in interest rates; a fund with a longer average portfolio duration will be more sensitive to changes in interest rates than a fund with a shorter average portfolio duration

Call Risk: the risk that an issuer may exercise its right to redeem a fixed income security earlier than expected (a call). Issuers may call outstanding securities prior to their maturity for a number of reasons (e.g., declining interest rates, changes in credit spreads and improvements in the issuer's credit quality). If an issuer calls a security that the Fund has invested in, the Fund may not recoup the full amount of its initial investment and may be forced to reinvest in lower-yielding securities, securities with greater credit risks or securities with other, less favorable features

Credit Risk: the risk that the Fund could lose money if the issuer or guarantor of a fixed income security, or the counterparty to a derivative contract, is unable or unwilling to meet its financial obligations

Market Risk: the risk that the value of securities owned by the Fund may go up or down, sometimes rapidly or unpredictably, due to factors affecting securities markets generally or particular industries

Issuer Risk: the risk that the value of a security may decline for a reason directly related to the issuer, such as management performance, financial leverage and reduced demand for the issuer's goods or services

Liquidity Risk: the risk that a particular investment may be difficult to purchase or sell and that the Fund may be unable to sell illiquid securities at an advantageous time or price or achieve its desired level of exposure to a certain sector. Liquidity risk may result from the lack of an active market, reduced number and capacity of traditional market participants to make a market in fixed income securities, and may be magnified in a rising interest rate environment or other circumstances where investor redemptions from fixed income mutual funds may be higher than normal, causing increased supply in the market due to selling activity

Derivatives Risk: the risk of investing in derivative instruments (such as futures, swaps and structured securities), including leverage, liquidity, interest rate, market, credit and management risks, mispricing or valuation complexity. Changes in the value of the derivative may not correlate perfectly with, and may be more sensitive to market events than, the underlying asset, rate or index, and the Fund could lose more than the initial amount invested. The Fund's use of derivatives may result in losses to the Fund, a reduction in the Fund's returns and/or increased volatility. Over-the-counter ("OTC") derivatives are also subject to the risk that a counterparty to the transaction will not fulfill its contractual obligations to the other party, as many of the protections afforded to centrally-cleared derivative transactions might not be available for OTC derivatives. For derivatives traded on an exchange or through a central counterparty, credit risk resides with the Fund's clearing broker, or the clearinghouse itself, rather than with a counterparty in an OTC derivative transaction. Changes in regulation relating to a mutual fund's use of derivatives and related instruments could potentially limit or impact the Fund's ability to invest in derivatives, limit the Fund's ability to employ certain strategies that use derivatives and/or adversely affect the value of derivatives and the Fund's performance

Equity Risk: the risk that the value of equity securities, such as common stocks and preferred securities, may decline due to general market conditions which are not specifically related to a particular company or to factors affecting a particular industry or industries. Equity securities generally have greater price volatility than fixed income securities

Mortgage-Related and Other Asset-Backed Securities Risk: the risks of investing in mortgage-related and other asset-backed securities, including interest rate risk, extension risk, prepayment risk and credit risk

Foreign (Non-U.S.) Investment Risk: the risk that investing in foreign (non-U.S.) securities may result in the Fund experiencing more rapid and extreme changes in value than a fund that invests exclusively in securities of U.S. companies, due to smaller markets, differing reporting, accounting and auditing standards, increased risk of delayed settlement of portfolio transactions or loss of certificates of portfolio securities, and the risk of unfavorable foreign government actions, including nationalization, expropriation or confiscatory taxation, currency blockage, or political changes or diplomatic developments. Foreign securities may also be less liquid and more difficult to value than securities of U.S. issuers

Emerging Markets Risk: the risk of investing in emerging market securities, primarily increased foreign (non-U.S.) investment risk

Leveraging Risk: the risk that certain transactions of the Fund, such as reverse repurchase agreements, loans of portfolio securities, and the use of when-issued, delayed delivery or forward commitment transactions, or derivative instruments, may give rise to leverage, magnifying gains and losses and causing the Fund to be more volatile than if it had not been leveraged. This means that leverage entails a heightened risk of loss

Management Risk: the risk that the investment techniques and risk analyses applied by PIMCO will not produce the desired results and that legislative, regulatory, or tax restrictions, policies or developments may affect the investment techniques available to PIMCO and the individual

 

7     

PROSPECTUS | PIMCO FUNDS     


 

Table of Contents

Prospectus

portfolio manager in connection with managing the Fund. There is no guarantee that the investment objective of the Fund will be achieved

Short Exposure Risk: the risk of entering into short sales, including the potential loss of more money than the actual cost of the investment, and the risk that the third party to the short sale will not fulfill its contractual obligations, causing a loss to the Fund

Please see "Description of Principal Risks" in the Fund's prospectus for a more detailed description of the risks of investing in the Fund. An investment in the Fund is not a deposit of a bank and is not insured or guaranteed by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation or any other government agency.

Performance Information

The performance information shows summary performance information for the Fund in a bar chart and an Average Annual Total Returns table. The information provides some indication of the risks of investing in the Fund by showing changes in its performance from year to year and by showing how the Fund's average annual returns compare with the returns of a broad-based securities market index and an index of similar funds. Absent any applicable fee waivers and/or expense limitations, performance would have been lower. The bar chart shows performance of the Fund's Institutional Class shares. For periods prior to the inception date of I-2 shares (April 30, 2008), performance information shown in the table for that class is based on the performance of the Fund's Institutional Class shares, adjusted to reflect the actual distribution and/or service (12b-1) fees and other expenses paid by that class of shares. Performance for Class A and Class C shares in the Average Annual Total Returns table reflects the impact of sales charges. The I-3 shares of the Fund have not commenced operations as of the date of this prospectus. The Fund's past performance, before and after taxes, is not necessarily an indication of how the Fund will perform in the future.

The Bloomberg Barclays GNMA Index is an unmanaged index covering mortgage-backed pass-through securities of the GNMA. The Lipper GNMA Funds Average is a total return performance average of funds tracked by Lipper, Inc. that invest at least 65% of their assets in mortgages/securities issued or guaranteed as to principal and interest by the U.S. government and certain federal agencies.

Performance for the Fund is updated daily and quarterly and may be obtained as follows: daily updates on the net asset value and performance page at http://investments.pimco.com/DailyPerformance and quarterly updates at http://investments.pimco.com/QuarterlyPerformance.

Calendar Year Total Returns — Institutional Class*

 

[To be updated by subsequent amendment]



*The year-to-date return as of June 30, 2018 is [ ]%. For the periods shown in the bar chart, the highest quarterly return was [ ]% in the [ ], and the lowest quarterly return was [ ]% in the [ ].

Average Annual Total Returns (for periods ended 12/31/17)

 

1 Year

5 Years

10 Years

Institutional Class Return Before Taxes

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

Institutional Class Return After Taxes on Distributions‌(1)

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

Institutional Class Return After Taxes on Distributions and Sales of Fund Shares‌(1)

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

I-2 Return Before Taxes

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

Class A Return Before Taxes

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

Class C Return Before Taxes

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

Bloomberg Barclays GNMA Index (reflects no deductions for fees, expenses or taxes)

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

 

Lipper GNMA Funds Average (reflects no deductions for taxes)

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

(1) After-tax returns are calculated using the highest historical individual federal marginal income tax rates and do not reflect the impact of state and local taxes. Actual after-tax returns depend on an investor's tax situation and may differ from those shown, and the after-tax returns shown are not relevant to investors who hold their Fund shares through tax-deferred arrangements, such as 401(k) plans or individual retirement accounts. In some cases the return after taxes may exceed the return before taxes due to an assumed tax benefit from any losses on a sale of Fund shares at the end of the measurement period. After-tax returns are for Institutional Class shares only. After-tax returns for other classes will vary.

Investment Adviser/Portfolio Manager

PIMCO serves as the investment adviser for the Fund. The Fund's portfolio is jointly managed by Michael Cudzil and Daniel Hyman. Messrs. Cudzil and Hyman are Managing Directors of PIMCO. Mr. Hyman has managed the Fund since July 2012, and Mr. Cudzil has managed the Fund since January 2013.

 

[ ] | PROSPECTUS

8


 

Table of Contents

PIMCO GNMA and Government Securities Fund

Other Important Information Regarding Fund Shares

For important information about purchase and sale of Fund shares, tax information, and payments to broker-dealers and other financial intermediaries, please turn to the "Summary of Other Important Information Regarding Fund Shares" section on page [ ] of this prospectus.

 

9     

PROSPECTUS | PIMCO FUNDS     


 

Table of Contents

PIMCO Investment Grade Credit Bond Fund

Investment Objective

The Fund seeks maximum total return, consistent with preservation of capital and prudent investment management.

Fees and Expenses of the Fund

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 $100,000 in Class A shares of eligible funds offered by PIMCO Equity Series and PIMCO Funds. More information about these and other discounts is available in the "Classes of Shares" section on page [ ] of the Fund's prospectus, Appendix B to the Fund's prospectus (Financial Firm-Specific Sales Charge Waivers and Discounts) or from your financial advisor.

Shareholder Fees (fees paid directly from your investment):

 

Inst
Class

I-2


I-3

Admin
Class

Class A

Class C

Maximum Sales Charge (Load) Imposed on Purchases (as a percentage of offering price)

None

None

None

None

3.75%

None

Maximum Deferred Sales Charge (Load) (as a percentage of the lower of the original purchase price or redemption price)

None

None

None

None

1.00%

1.00%

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

 

Inst
Class

I-2

I-3

Admin
Class

Class A

Class C

Management Fees

0.50%

0.60%

0.70%

0.50%

0.65%

0.65%

Distribution and/or Service (12b-1) Fees

N/A

N/A

N/A

0.25%

0.25%

1.00%

Other Expenses(1)

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

Fee Waiver and/or Expense Reimbursement(2)

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses After Fee Waiver and/orExpense Reimbursement

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

 

1 "Other Expenses" include interest expense of [ ]%. Interest expense is borne by the Fund separately from the management fees paid to Pacific Investment Management Company LLC ("PIMCO"). Excluding interest expense, Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses After Fee Waiver and/or Expense Reimbursement are [ ]%, [ ]%, [ ]%, [ ]%, [ ]% and [ ]% for Institutional Class, I-2, I-3, Administrative Class, Class A and Class C shares, respectively.

2 PIMCO has contractually agreed, through July 31, 2019, to reduce its supervisory and administrative fee for the Fund's I-3 shares by 0.05% of the average daily net assets attributable to I-3 shares of the Fund. This Fee Waiver Agreement renews annually unless terminated by PIMCO upon at least 30 days' prior notice to the end of the contract term.

Example. The Example is intended to help you compare the cost of investing in Institutional Class, I-2, I-3, Administrative Class, Class A or Class C shares of the Fund with the costs of investing in other mutual funds. The Example assumes that you invest $10,000 in the noted class of shares for the time periods indicated, and then redeem all 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. Investors may pay brokerage commissions on their purchases and sales of Institutional Class, I-2 or I-3 shares of the Fund, which are not reflected in the Example. Although your actual costs may be higher or lower, based on these assumptions your costs would be:

If you redeem your shares at the end of each period:

 

1 Year

3 Years

5 Years

10 Years

Institutional Class

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

I-2

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

I-3

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

Administrative Class

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

Class A

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

Class C

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

If you do not redeem your shares:

 

1 Year

3 Years

5 Years

10 Years

Class A

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

Class C

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

Portfolio Turnover

The Fund pays transaction costs 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 the Annual Fund Operating Expenses or in the Example tables, affect the Fund's performance. During the most recent fiscal year, the Fund's portfolio turnover rate was [ ]% of the average value of its portfolio.

Principal Investment Strategies

The Fund seeks to achieve its investment objective by investing under normal circumstances at least 80% of its assets in a diversified portfolio of investment grade fixed income securities of varying maturities, which may be represented by forwards or derivatives such as options, futures contracts or swap agreements. Assets not invested in investment grade fixed income securities may be invested in other types of Fixed Income Instruments. "Fixed Income Instruments" include bonds, debt securities and other similar instruments issued by various U.S. and non-U.S. public- or private-sector entities. The average portfolio duration of this Fund normally varies within two years (plus or minus) of the portfolio duration of the securities comprising the Bloomberg Barclays U.S. Credit Index, as calculated by PIMCO, which as of [ ] was [ ] years. Duration is a measure used to determine the sensitivity of a security's price to changes in interest rates. The longer a security's duration, the more sensitive it will be to changes in interest rates.

The Fund invests primarily in investment grade debt securities, but may invest up to 15% of its total assets in high yield securities ("junk bonds"), as rated by Moody's Investors Service, Inc. ("Moody's"), Standard & Poor's Ratings Services ("S&P") or Fitch, Inc. ("Fitch"), or, if unrated, as determined by PIMCO. Investment grade debt securities are rated Baa or higher by Moody's, or equivalently rated by S&P or Fitch, or, if unrated, determined by PIMCO to be of comparable quality. The Fund may invest up to 30% of its total assets in securities denominated in foreign currencies,

 



PIMCO FUNDS | PROSPECTUS

10


 

Table of Contents

PIMCO Investment Grade Credit Bond Fund

and may invest beyond this limit in U.S. dollar-denominated securities of foreign issuers. The Fund may invest up to 25% of its total assets in securities and instruments that are economically tied to emerging market countries (this limitation does not apply to investment grade sovereign debt denominated in the local currency with less than 1 year remaining to maturity, which means the Fund may invest, together with any other investments denominated in foreign currencies, up to 30% of its total assets in such instruments). The Fund will normally limit its foreign currency exposure (from non-U.S. dollar-denominated securities or currencies) to 20% of its total assets.

The Fund may invest, without limitation, in derivative instruments, such as options, futures contracts or swap agreements, or in mortgage- or asset-backed securities, subject to applicable law and any other restrictions described in the Fund's prospectus or Statement of Additional Information. The Fund may purchase or sell securities on a when-issued, delayed delivery or forward commitment basis and may engage in short sales. The Fund may, without limitation, seek to obtain market exposure to the securities in which it primarily invests by entering into a series of purchase and sale contracts or by using other investment techniques (such as buy backs or dollar rolls). The "total return" sought by the Fund consists of income earned on the Fund's investments, plus capital appreciation, if any, which generally arises from decreases in interest rates, foreign currency appreciation, or improving credit fundamentals for a particular sector or security. The Fund may also invest up to 10% of its total assets in preferred securities.

Principal Risks

It is possible to lose money on an investment in the Fund. The principal risks of investing in the Fund, which could adversely affect its net asset value, yield and total return are listed below.

Interest Rate Risk: the risk that fixed income securities will decline in value because of an increase in interest rates; a fund with a longer average portfolio duration will be more sensitive to changes in interest rates than a fund with a shorter average portfolio duration

Call Risk: the risk that an issuer may exercise its right to redeem a fixed income security earlier than expected (a call). Issuers may call outstanding securities prior to their maturity for a number of reasons (e.g., declining interest rates, changes in credit spreads and improvements in the issuer's credit quality). If an issuer calls a security that the Fund has invested in, the Fund may not recoup the full amount of its initial investment and may be forced to reinvest in lower-yielding securities, securities with greater credit risks or securities with other, less favorable features

Credit Risk: the risk that the Fund could lose money if the issuer or guarantor of a fixed income security, or the counterparty to a derivative contract, is unable or unwilling to meet its financial obligations

High Yield Risk: the risk that high yield securities and unrated securities of similar credit quality (commonly known as "junk bonds") are subject to greater levels of credit, call and liquidity risks. High yield securities are considered primarily speculative with respect to the issuer's continuing ability to make principal and interest payments, and may be more volatile than higher-rated securities of similar maturity

Market Risk: the risk that the value of securities owned by the Fund may go up or down, sometimes rapidly or unpredictably, due to factors affecting securities markets generally or particular industries

Issuer Risk: the risk that the value of a security may decline for a reason directly related to the issuer, such as management performance, financial leverage and reduced demand for the issuer's goods or services

Liquidity Risk: the risk that a particular investment may be difficult to purchase or sell and that the Fund may be unable to sell illiquid securities at an advantageous time or price or achieve its desired level of exposure to a certain sector. Liquidity risk may result from the lack of an active market, reduced number and capacity of traditional market participants to make a market in fixed income securities, and may be magnified in a rising interest rate environment or other circumstances where investor redemptions from fixed income mutual funds may be higher than normal, causing increased supply in the market due to selling activity

Derivatives Risk: the risk of investing in derivative instruments (such as futures, swaps and structured securities), including leverage, liquidity, interest rate, market, credit and management risks, mispricing or valuation complexity. Changes in the value of the derivative may not correlate perfectly with, and may be more sensitive to market events than, the underlying asset, rate or index, and the Fund could lose more than the initial amount invested. The Fund's use of derivatives may result in losses to the Fund, a reduction in the Fund's returns and/or increased volatility. Over-the-counter ("OTC") derivatives are also subject to the risk that a counterparty to the transaction will not fulfill its contractual obligations to the other party, as many of the protections afforded to centrally-cleared derivative transactions might not be available for OTC derivatives. For derivatives traded on an exchange or through a central counterparty, credit risk resides with the Fund's clearing broker, or the clearinghouse itself, rather than with a counterparty in an OTC derivative transaction. Changes in regulation relating to a mutual fund's use of derivatives and related instruments could potentially limit or impact the Fund's ability to invest in derivatives, limit the Fund's ability to employ certain strategies that use derivatives and/or adversely affect the value of derivatives and the Fund's performance

Equity Risk: the risk that the value of equity securities, such as common stocks and preferred securities, may decline due to general market conditions which are not specifically related to a particular company or to factors affecting a particular industry or industries. Equity securities generally have greater price volatility than fixed income securities

Mortgage-Related and Other Asset-Backed Securities Risk: the risks of investing in mortgage-related and other asset-backed securities, including interest rate risk, extension risk, prepayment risk and credit risk

Foreign (Non-U.S.) Investment Risk: the risk that investing in foreign (non-U.S.) securities may result in the Fund experiencing more rapid and extreme changes in value than a fund that invests exclusively in securities of U.S. companies, due to smaller markets, differing reporting, accounting and auditing standards, increased risk of delayed settlement of portfolio transactions or loss of certificates of portfolio securities, and the risk of unfavorable foreign government actions, including nationalization, expropriation or confiscatory taxation, currency blockage, or political changes

 

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Prospectus

or diplomatic developments. Foreign securities may also be less liquid and more difficult to value than securities of U.S. issuers

Emerging Markets Risk: the risk of investing in emerging market securities, primarily increased foreign (non-U.S.) investment risk

Sovereign Debt Risk: the risk that investments in fixed income instruments issued by sovereign entities may decline in value as a result of default or other adverse credit event resulting from an issuer's inability or unwillingness to make principal or interest payments in a timely fashion

Currency Risk: the risk that foreign (non-U.S.) currencies will change in value relative to the U.S. dollar and affect the Fund's investments in foreign (non-U.S.) currencies or in securities that trade in, and receive revenues in, or in derivatives that provide exposure to, foreign (non-U.S.) currencies

Leveraging Risk: the risk that certain transactions of the Fund, such as reverse repurchase agreements, loans of portfolio securities, and the use of when-issued, delayed delivery or forward commitment transactions, or derivative instruments, may give rise to leverage, magnifying gains and losses and causing the Fund to be more volatile than if it had not been leveraged. This means that leverage entails a heightened risk of loss

Management Risk: the risk that the investment techniques and risk analyses applied by PIMCO will not produce the desired results and that legislative, regulatory, or tax restrictions, policies or developments may affect the investment techniques available to PIMCO and the individual portfolio manager in connection with managing the Fund. There is no guarantee that the investment objective of the Fund will be achieved

Short Exposure Risk: the risk of entering into short sales, including the potential loss of more money than the actual cost of the investment, and the risk that the third party to the short sale will not fulfill its contractual obligations, causing a loss to the Fund

Please see "Description of Principal Risks" in the Fund's prospectus for a more detailed description of the risks of investing in the Fund. An investment in the Fund is not a deposit of a bank and is not insured or guaranteed by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation or any other government agency.

Performance Information

The performance information shows summary performance information for the Fund in a bar chart and an Average Annual Total Returns table. The information provides some indication of the risks of investing in the Fund by showing changes in its performance from year to year and by showing how the Fund's average annual returns compare with the returns of a broad-based securities market index and an index of similar funds. Absent any applicable fee waivers and/or expense limitations, performance would have been lower. The bar chart shows performance of the Fund's Institutional Class shares. For periods prior to the inception date of I-2 shares (April 30, 2008), performance information shown in the table for that class is based on the performance of the Fund's Institutional Class shares, adjusted to reflect the actual distribution and/or service (12b-1) fees and other expenses paid by that class of shares. Performance for Class A and Class C shares in the Average Annual Total Returns table reflects the impact of sales charges. The I-3 shares of the Fund have not commenced operations as of the date of this prospectus. The Fund's past performance, before and after taxes, is not necessarily an indication of how the Fund will perform in the future.

The Bloomberg Barclays U.S. Credit Index is an unmanaged index comprised of publicly issued U.S. corporate and specified non-U.S. debentures and secured notes that meet the specified maturity, liquidity, and quality requirements. To qualify, bonds must be SEC-registered. The Lipper Corporate Debt Funds BBB-Rated Funds Average is a total return performance average of funds tracked by Lipper, Inc. that invest at least 65% of their assets in investment-grade debt issues (rated in the top four grades) with dollar-weighted average maturities of five to ten years.

Performance for the Fund is updated daily and quarterly and may be obtained as follows: daily updates on the net asset value and performance page at http://investments.pimco.com/DailyPerformance and quarterly updates at http://investments.pimco.com/QuarterlyPerformance.

Calendar Year Total Returns — Institutional Class*

 

[To be updated by subsequent amendment]



*The year-to-date return as of June 30, 2018 is 5.17%. For the periods shown in the bar chart, the highest quarterly return was 9.18% in the Q2 2009, and the lowest quarterly return was -5.26% in the Q3 2008.

Average Annual Total Returns (for periods ended 12/31/17)

 

1 Year

5 Years

10 Years

Institutional Class Return Before Taxes

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

Institutional Class Return After Taxes on Distributions‌(1)

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

Institutional Class Return After Taxes on Distributions and Sales of Fund Shares‌(1)

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

I-2 Return Before Taxes

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

Administrative Class Return Before Taxes

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

Class A Return Before Taxes

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

Class C Return Before Taxes

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

Bloomberg Barclays U.S. Credit Index (reflects no deductions for fees, expenses or taxes)

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

 

Lipper Corporate Debt Funds BBB-Rated Funds Average (reflects no deductions for taxes)

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

(1) After-tax returns are calculated using the highest historical individual federal marginal income tax rates and do not reflect the impact of state and local taxes. Actual after-tax returns depend on an investor's tax situation and may differ from those shown, and the after-tax returns shown are not relevant to investors who hold their Fund shares through tax-deferred arrangements, such as 401(k) plans or individual retirement accounts. In some cases the return after taxes may exceed the return before taxes due to an assumed tax

 

[ ] | PROSPECTUS

12


 

Table of Contents

PIMCO Investment Grade Credit Bond Fund

benefit from any losses on a sale of Fund shares at the end of the measurement period. After-tax returns are for Institutional Class shares only. After-tax returns for other classes will vary.

Investment Adviser/Portfolio Manager

PIMCO serves as the investment adviser for the Fund. The Fund's portfolio is jointly managed by Mark Kiesel, Mohit Mittal and Amit Arora. Mr. Kiesel is CIO Global Credit and a Managing Director of PIMCO. Mr. Mittal is a Managing Director of PIMCO. Mr. Arora is a Senior Vice President of PIMCO. Mr. Kiesel has managed the Fund since November 2002, and Messrs. Mittal and Arora have managed the Fund since October 2016.

Other Important Information Regarding Fund Shares

For important information about purchase and sale of Fund shares, tax information, and payments to broker-dealers and other financial intermediaries, please turn to the "Summary of Other Important Information Regarding Fund Shares" section on page [ ] of this prospectus.

 

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Table of Contents

PIMCO Long Duration Total Return Fund

Investment Objective

The Fund seeks maximum total return, consistent with prudent investment management.

Fees and Expenses of the Fund

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 $100,000 in Class A shares of eligible funds offered by PIMCO Equity Series and PIMCO Funds. More information about these and other discounts is available in the "Classes of Shares" section on page [ ] of the Fund's prospectus, Appendix B to the Fund's prospectus (Financial Firm-Specific Sales Charge Waivers and Discounts) or from your financial advisor.

Shareholder Fees (fees paid directly from your investment):

 

Inst
Class

I-2

Class A

Class C

Maximum Sales Charge (Load) Imposed on Purchases (as a percentage of offering price)

None

None

3.75%

None

Maximum Deferred Sales Charge (Load) (as a percentage of the lower of the original purchase price or redemption price)

None

None

1.00%

1.00%

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

 

Inst
Class

I-2

Class A

Class C

Management Fees

0.50%

0.60%

0.65%

0.65%

Distribution and/or Service (12b-1) Fees

N/A

N/A

0.25%

1.00%

Other Expenses(1)

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

 

1 "Other Expenses" include interest expense of [ ]%. Interest expense is borne by the Fund separately from the management fees paid to Pacific Investment Management Company LLC ("PIMCO"). Excluding interest expense, Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses are [ ]%, [ ]%, [ ]% and [ ]% for Institutional Class, I-2, Class A and Class C shares, respectively.

Example. The Example is intended to help you compare the cost of investing in Institutional Class, I-2, Class A or Class C shares of the Fund with the costs of investing in other mutual funds. The Example assumes that you invest $10,000 in the noted class of shares for the time periods indicated, and then redeem all 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. Investors may pay brokerage commissions on their purchases and sales of Institutional Class shares or I-2 shares of the Fund, which are not reflected in the Example. Although your actual costs may be higher or lower, based on these assumptions your costs would be:

If you redeem your shares at the end of each period:

 

1 Year

3 Years

5 Years

10 Years

Institutional Class

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

I-2

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

Class A

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

Class C

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

If you do not redeem your shares:

 

1 Year

3 Years

5 Years

10 Years

Class A

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

Class C

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

Portfolio Turnover

The Fund pays transaction costs 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 the Annual Fund Operating Expenses or in the Example tables, affect the Fund's performance. During the most recent fiscal year, the Fund's portfolio turnover rate was [ ]% of the average value of its portfolio.

Principal Investment Strategies

The Fund seeks to achieve its investment objective by investing under normal circumstances at least 65% of its total assets in a diversified portfolio of Fixed Income Instruments of varying maturities, which may be represented by forwards or derivatives such as options, futures contracts or swap agreements. "Fixed Income Instruments" include bonds, debt securities and other similar instruments issued by various U.S. and non-U.S. public- or private-sector entities. The average portfolio duration of this Fund normally varies within two years (plus or minus) of the portfolio duration of the securities comprising the Bloomberg Barclays Long Term Government/Credit Index, as calculated by PIMCO, which as of [ ] was [ ] years. Duration is a measure used to determine the sensitivity of a security's price to changes in interest rates. The longer a security's duration, the more sensitive it will be to changes in interest rates.

The Fund invests primarily in investment grade debt securities, but may invest up to 10% of its total assets in high yield securities ("junk bonds"), as rated by Moody's Investors Service, Inc. ("Moody's"), Standard & Poor's Ratings Services ("S&P") or Fitch, Inc. ("Fitch"), or, if unrated, as determined by PIMCO. The Fund may invest up to 30% of its total assets in securities denominated in foreign currencies, and may invest beyond this limit in U.S. dollar-denominated securities of foreign issuers. The Fund may invest up to 15% of its total assets in securities and instruments that are economically tied to emerging market countries (this limitation does not apply to investment grade sovereign debt denominated in the local currency with less than 1 year remaining to maturity, which means the Fund may invest, together with any other investments denominated in foreign currencies, up to 30% of its total assets in such instruments). The Fund will normally limit its foreign currency exposure (from non-U.S. dollar-denominated securities or currencies) to 20% of its total assets.

 



PIMCO FUNDS | PROSPECTUS

14


 

Table of Contents

PIMCO Long Duration Total Return Fund

The Fund may invest, without limitation, in derivative instruments, such as options, futures contracts or swap agreements, or in mortgage- or asset-backed securities, subject to applicable law and any other restrictions described in the Fund's prospectus or Statement of Additional Information. The Fund may purchase or sell securities on a when-issued, delayed delivery or forward commitment basis and may engage in short sales. The Fund may, without limitation, seek to obtain market exposure to the securities in which it primarily invests by entering into a series of purchase and sale contracts or by using other investment techniques (such as buy backs or dollar rolls). The "total return" sought by the Fund consists of income earned on the Fund's investments, plus capital appreciation, if any, which generally arises from decreases in interest rates, foreign currency appreciation, or improving credit fundamentals for a particular sector or security. The Fund may also invest up to 10% of its total assets in preferred securities.

Principal Risks

It is possible to lose money on an investment in the Fund. The principal risks of investing in the Fund, which could adversely affect its net asset value, yield and total return are listed below.

Interest Rate Risk: the risk that fixed income securities will decline in value because of an increase in interest rates; a fund with a longer average portfolio duration will be more sensitive to changes in interest rates than a fund with a shorter average portfolio duration

Call Risk: the risk that an issuer may exercise its right to redeem a fixed income security earlier than expected (a call). Issuers may call outstanding securities prior to their maturity for a number of reasons (e.g., declining interest rates, changes in credit spreads and improvements in the issuer's credit quality). If an issuer calls a security that the Fund has invested in, the Fund may not recoup the full amount of its initial investment and may be forced to reinvest in lower-yielding securities, securities with greater credit risks or securities with other, less favorable features

Credit Risk: the risk that the Fund could lose money if the issuer or guarantor of a fixed income security, or the counterparty to a derivative contract, is unable or unwilling to meet its financial obligations

High Yield Risk: the risk that high yield securities and unrated securities of similar credit quality (commonly known as "junk bonds") are subject to greater levels of credit, call and liquidity risks. High yield securities are considered primarily speculative with respect to the issuer's continuing ability to make principal and interest payments, and may be more volatile than higher-rated securities of similar maturity

Market Risk: the risk that the value of securities owned by the Fund may go up or down, sometimes rapidly or unpredictably, due to factors affecting securities markets generally or particular industries

Issuer Risk: the risk that the value of a security may decline for a reason directly related to the issuer, such as management performance, financial leverage and reduced demand for the issuer's goods or services

Liquidity Risk: the risk that a particular investment may be difficult to purchase or sell and that the Fund may be unable to sell illiquid securities at an advantageous time or price or achieve its desired level of exposure to a certain sector. Liquidity risk may result from the lack of an active market, reduced number and capacity of traditional market participants to make a market in fixed income securities, and may be magnified in a rising interest rate environment or other circumstances where investor redemptions from fixed income mutual funds may be higher than normal, causing increased supply in the market due to selling activity

Derivatives Risk: the risk of investing in derivative instruments (such as futures, swaps and structured securities), including leverage, liquidity, interest rate, market, credit and management risks, mispricing or valuation complexity. Changes in the value of the derivative may not correlate perfectly with, and may be more sensitive to market events than, the underlying asset, rate or index, and the Fund could lose more than the initial amount invested. The Fund's use of derivatives may result in losses to the Fund, a reduction in the Fund's returns and/or increased volatility. Over-the-counter ("OTC") derivatives are also subject to the risk that a counterparty to the transaction will not fulfill its contractual obligations to the other party, as many of the protections afforded to centrally-cleared derivative transactions might not be available for OTC derivatives. For derivatives traded on an exchange or through a central counterparty, credit risk resides with the Fund's clearing broker, or the clearinghouse itself, rather than with a counterparty in an OTC derivative transaction. Changes in regulation relating to a mutual fund's use of derivatives and related instruments could potentially limit or impact the Fund's ability to invest in derivatives, limit the Fund's ability to employ certain strategies that use derivatives and/or adversely affect the value of derivatives and the Fund's performance

Equity Risk: the risk that the value of equity securities, such as common stocks and preferred securities, may decline due to general market conditions which are not specifically related to a particular company or to factors affecting a particular industry or industries. Equity securities generally have greater price volatility than fixed income securities

Mortgage-Related and Other Asset-Backed Securities Risk: the risks of investing in mortgage-related and other asset-backed securities, including interest rate risk, extension risk, prepayment risk and credit risk

Foreign (Non-U.S.) Investment Risk: the risk that investing in foreign (non-U.S.) securities may result in the Fund experiencing more rapid and extreme changes in value than a fund that invests exclusively in securities of U.S. companies, due to smaller markets, differing reporting, accounting and auditing standards, increased risk of delayed settlement of portfolio transactions or loss of certificates of portfolio securities, and the risk of unfavorable foreign government actions, including nationalization, expropriation or confiscatory taxation, currency blockage, or political changes or diplomatic developments. Foreign securities may also be less liquid and more difficult to value than securities of U.S. issuers

Emerging Markets Risk: the risk of investing in emerging market securities, primarily increased foreign (non-U.S.) investment risk

Sovereign Debt Risk: the risk that investments in fixed income instruments issued by sovereign entities may decline in value as a result of default or other adverse credit event resulting from an issuer's inability or unwillingness to make principal or interest payments in a timely fashion

Currency Risk: the risk that foreign (non-U.S.) currencies will change in value relative to the U.S. dollar and affect the Fund's investments in foreign

 

15     

PROSPECTUS | PIMCO FUNDS     


 

Table of Contents

Prospectus

(non-U.S.) currencies or in securities that trade in, and receive revenues in, or in derivatives that provide exposure to, foreign (non-U.S.) currencies

Leveraging Risk: the risk that certain transactions of the Fund, such as reverse repurchase agreements, loans of portfolio securities, and the use of when-issued, delayed delivery or forward commitment transactions, or derivative instruments, may give rise to leverage, magnifying gains and losses and causing the Fund to be more volatile than if it had not been leveraged. This means that leverage entails a heightened risk of loss

Management Risk: the risk that the investment techniques and risk analyses applied by PIMCO will not produce the desired results and that legislative, regulatory, or tax restrictions, policies or developments may affect the investment techniques available to PIMCO and the individual portfolio manager in connection with managing the Fund. There is no guarantee that the investment objective of the Fund will be achieved

Short Exposure Risk: the risk of entering into short sales, including the potential loss of more money than the actual cost of the investment, and the risk that the third party to the short sale will not fulfill its contractual obligations, causing a loss to the Fund

Please see "Description of Principal Risks" in the Fund's prospectus for a more detailed description of the risks of investing in the Fund. An investment in the Fund is not a deposit of a bank and is not insured or guaranteed by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation or any other government agency.

Performance Information

The performance information shows summary performance information for the Fund in a bar chart and an Average Annual Total Returns table. The information provides some indication of the risks of investing in the Fund by showing changes in its performance from year to year and by showing how the Fund's average annual returns compare with the returns of a broad-based securities market index and an index of similar funds. Absent any applicable fee waivers and/or expense limitations, performance would have been lower. The bar chart shows performance of the Fund's Institutional Class shares. For periods prior to the inception date of I-2 shares (September 11, 2008), Class A shares (September 8, 2017) and Class C shares (January 5, 2018) performance information shown in the table for these classes is based on the performance of the Fund's Institutional Class shares, adjusted to reflect the actual distribution and/or service (12b-1) fees and other expenses paid by these classes of shares. Performance for Class A and Class C shares in the Average Annual Total Returns table reflects the impact of sales charges. The Fund's past performance, before and after taxes, is not necessarily an indication of how the Fund will perform in the future.

The Bloomberg Barclays Long-Term Government/Credit Index is an unmanaged index of U.S. Government or Investment Grade Credit Securities having a maturity of 10 years or more. The Lipper Corporate Debt Funds BBB-Rated Funds Average consists of funds that invest at least 65% of their assets in corporate and government debt issues rated in the top four grades.

Performance for the Fund is updated daily and quarterly and may be obtained as follows: daily updates on the net asset value and performance page at http://investments.pimco.com/DailyPerformance and quarterly updates at http://investments.pimco.com/QuarterlyPerformance.

Calendar Year Total Returns — Institutional Class*

 

[To be updated by subsequent amendment]



*The year-to-date return as of June 30, 2018 is [ ]%. For the periods shown in the bar chart, the highest quarterly return was [ ]% in the [ ], and the lowest quarterly return was [ ]% in the [ ].

Average Annual Total Returns (for periods ended 12/31/17)

 

1 Year

5 Years

10 Years

Institutional Class Return Before Taxes

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

Institutional Class Return After Taxes on Distributions‌(1)

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

Institutional Class Return After Taxes on Distributions and Sales of Fund Shares‌(1)

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

Class A Return Before Taxes

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

Class C Return Before Taxes

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

I-2 Return Before Taxes

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

Bloomberg Barclays Long-Term Government/Credit Index (reflects no deductions for fees, expenses or taxes)

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

 

Lipper Corporate Debt Funds BBB-Rated Funds Average (reflects no deductions for taxes)

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

(1) After-tax returns are calculated using the highest historical individual federal marginal income tax rates and do not reflect the impact of state and local taxes. Actual after-tax returns depend on an investor's tax situation and may differ from those shown, and the after-tax returns shown are not relevant to investors who hold their Fund shares through tax-deferred arrangements, such as 401(k) plans or individual retirement accounts. In some cases the return after taxes may exceed the return before taxes due to an assumed tax benefit from any losses on a sale of Fund shares at the end of the measurement period. After-tax returns are for Institutional Class shares only. After-tax returns for other classes will vary.

Investment Adviser/Portfolio Manager

PIMCO serves as the investment adviser for the Fund. The Fund's portfolio is jointly managed by Michael Cudzil, Mohit Mittal and Stephen Rodosky. Messrs. Cudzil, Mittal and Rodosky are Managing Directors of PIMCO. Mr. Rodosky has managed the Fund since July 2007. Messrs. Cudzil and Mittal have managed the Fund since February 2016.

 

[ ] | PROSPECTUS

16


 

Table of Contents

PIMCO Long Duration Total Return Fund

Other Important Information Regarding Fund Shares

For important information about purchase and sale of Fund shares, tax information, and payments to broker-dealers and other financial intermediaries, please turn to the "Summary of Other Important Information Regarding Fund Shares" section on page [ ] of this prospectus.

 

17     

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Table of Contents

PIMCO Long-Term U.S. Government Fund

Investment Objective

The Fund seeks maximum total return, consistent with preservation of capital and prudent investment management.

Fees and Expenses of the Fund

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 $100,000 in Class A shares of eligible funds offered by PIMCO Equity Series and PIMCO Funds. More information about these and other discounts is available in the "Classes of Shares" section on page [ ] of the Fund's prospectus, Appendix B to the Fund's prospectus (Financial Firm-Specific Sales Charge Waivers and Discounts) or from your financial advisor.

Shareholder Fees (fees paid directly from your investment):

 

Inst
Class

I-2

I-3

Admin Class

Class A

Class C

Maximum Sales Charge (Load) Imposed on Purchases (as a percentage of offering price)

None

None

[None]

None

3.75%

None

Maximum Deferred Sales Charge (Load) (as a percentage of the lower of the original purchase price or redemption price)

None

None

[None]

None

1.00%

1.00%

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

 

Inst
Class

I-2

I-3

Admin
Class

Class A

Class C

Management Fees

0.475%

0.575%

[ ]

0.475%

0.575%

0.575%

Distribution and/or Service (12b-1) Fees

N/A

N/A

[ ]

0.25%

0.25%

1.00%

Other Expenses(1)

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

Fee Waiver and/or Expense Reimbursement(2)

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses After Fee Waiver and/or Expense Reimbursement

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

1 "Other Expenses" include interest expense of [ ]%. Interest expense is borne by the Fund separately from the management fees paid to Pacific Investment Management Company LLC ("PIMCO"). Excluding interest expense, Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses After Fee Waiver and/or Expense Reimbursement are [ ]%, [ ]%, [ ]%, [ ]%, [ ]% and [ ]% for Institutional Class, I-2, I-3, Administrative Class, Class A and Class C shares, respectively.

2 PIMCO has contractually agreed, through July 31, 2019, to reduce its supervisory and administrative fee for the Fund's I-3 shares by [ ]% of the average daily net assets attributable to I-3 shares of the Fund. This Fee Waiver Agreement renews annually unless terminated by PIMCO upon at least 30 days' prior notice to the end of the contract term.

Example. The Example is intended to help you compare the cost of investing in Institutional Class, I-2, I-3, Administrative Class, Class A or Class C shares of the Fund with the costs of investing in other mutual funds. The Example assumes that you invest $10,000 in the noted class of shares for the time periods indicated, and then redeem all 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. Investors may pay brokerage commissions on their purchases and sales of Institutional Class, I-2 or I-3 shares of the Fund, which are not reflected in the Example. Although your actual costs may be higher or lower, based on these assumptions your costs would be:

If you redeem your shares at the end of each period:

 

1 Year

3 Years

5 Years

10 Years

Institutional Class

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

I-2

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

Administrative Class

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

Class A

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

Class C

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

If you do not redeem your shares:

 

1 Year

3 Years

5 Years

10 Years

Class A

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

Class C

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

Portfolio Turnover

The Fund pays transaction costs 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 the Annual Fund Operating Expenses or in the Example tables, affect the Fund's performance. During the most recent fiscal year, the Fund's portfolio turnover rate was [ ]% of the average value of its portfolio.

Principal Investment Strategies

The Fund seeks to achieve its investment objective by investing under normal circumstances at least 80% of its assets in a diversified portfolio of fixed income securities that are issued or guaranteed by the U.S. Government, its agencies or government-sponsored enterprises ("U.S. Government Securities"), which may be represented by forwards or derivatives such as options, futures contracts or swap agreements. Assets not invested in U.S. Government Securities may be invested in other types of Fixed Income Instruments. "Fixed Income Instruments" include bonds, debt securities and other similar instruments issued by various U.S. and non-U.S. public- or private-sector entities. While PIMCO may invest in derivatives at any time it deems appropriate, it will generally do so when it believes that U.S. Government Securities are overvalued relative to derivative instruments. This Fund will normally have a minimum average portfolio duration of eight years. Duration is a measure used to determine the sensitivity of a security's price to changes in interest rates. The longer a security's duration, the more sensitive it will be to changes in interest rates. In addition, the dollar-weighted average portfolio maturity of the Fund, under normal circumstances, is expected to be more than ten years.

The Fund's investments in Fixed Income Instruments are limited to those of investment grade U.S. dollar-denominated securities of U.S. issuers that are rated at least A by Moody's Investors Service, Inc. ("Moody's"), or equivalently rated by Standard & Poor's Ratings Services ("S&P") or Fitch, Inc. ("Fitch"), or, if unrated, determined by PIMCO to be of comparable quality. In addition, the Fund may only invest up to 10% of its total assets

 



PIMCO FUNDS | PROSPECTUS

18


 

Table of Contents

PIMCO Long-Term U.S. Government Fund

in securities rated A by Moody's, or equivalently rated by S&P or Fitch, or, if unrated, determined by PIMCO to be of comparable quality and may only invest up to 25% of its total assets in securities rated Aa by Moody's, or equivalently rated by S&P or Fitch or, if unrated, determined by PIMCO to be of comparable quality.

The Fund may invest, without limitation, in derivative instruments, such as options, futures contracts or swap agreements, or in mortgage- or asset-backed securities, subject to applicable law and any other restrictions described in the Fund's prospectus or Statement of Additional Information. The Fund may purchase or sell securities on a when-issued, delayed delivery or forward commitment basis and may engage in short sales. The Fund may, without limitation, seek to obtain market exposure to the securities in which it primarily invests by entering into a series of purchase and sale contracts or by using other investment techniques (such as buy backs or dollar rolls). The "total return" sought by the Fund consists of income earned on the Fund's investments, plus capital appreciation, if any, which generally arises from decreases in interest rates or improving credit fundamentals for a particular sector or security. The Fund may also invest up to 10% of its total assets in preferred securities.

Principal Risks

It is possible to lose money on an investment in the Fund. The principal risks of investing in the Fund, which could adversely affect its net asset value, yield and total return are listed below.

Interest Rate Risk: the risk that fixed income securities will decline in value because of an increase in interest rates; a fund with a longer average portfolio duration will be more sensitive to changes in interest rates than a fund with a shorter average portfolio duration

Call Risk: the risk that an issuer may exercise its right to redeem a fixed income security earlier than expected (a call). Issuers may call outstanding securities prior to their maturity for a number of reasons (e.g., declining interest rates, changes in credit spreads and improvements in the issuer's credit quality). If an issuer calls a security that the Fund has invested in, the Fund may not recoup the full amount of its initial investment and may be forced to reinvest in lower-yielding securities, securities with greater credit risks or securities with other, less favorable features

Credit Risk: the risk that the Fund could lose money if the issuer or guarantor of a fixed income security, or the counterparty to a derivative contract, is unable or unwilling to meet its financial obligations

Market Risk: the risk that the value of securities owned by the Fund may go up or down, sometimes rapidly or unpredictably, due to factors affecting securities markets generally or particular industries

Issuer Risk: the risk that the value of a security may decline for a reason directly related to the issuer, such as management performance, financial leverage and reduced demand for the issuer's goods or services

Derivatives Risk: the risk of investing in derivative instruments (such as futures, swaps and structured securities), including leverage, liquidity, interest rate, market, credit and management risks, mispricing or valuation complexity. Changes in the value of the derivative may not correlate perfectly with, and may be more sensitive to market events than, the underlying asset, rate or index, and the Fund could lose more than the initial amount invested. The Fund's use of derivatives may result in losses to the Fund, a reduction in the Fund's returns and/or increased volatility. Over-the-counter ("OTC") derivatives are also subject to the risk that a counterparty to the transaction will not fulfill its contractual obligations to the other party, as many of the protections afforded to centrally-cleared derivative transactions might not be available for OTC derivatives. For derivatives traded on an exchange or through a central counterparty, credit risk resides with the Fund's clearing broker, or the clearinghouse itself, rather than with a counterparty in an OTC derivative transaction. Changes in regulation relating to a mutual fund's use of derivatives and related instruments could potentially limit or impact the Fund's ability to invest in derivatives, limit the Fund's ability to employ certain strategies that use derivatives and/or adversely affect the value of derivatives and the Fund's performance

Equity Risk: the risk that the value of equity securities, such as common stocks and preferred securities, may decline due to general market conditions which are not specifically related to a particular company or to factors affecting a particular industry or industries. Equity securities generally have greater price volatility than fixed income securities

Mortgage-Related and Other Asset-Backed Securities Risk: the risks of investing in mortgage-related and other asset-backed securities, including interest rate risk, extension risk, prepayment risk and credit risk

Leveraging Risk: the risk that certain transactions of the Fund, such as reverse repurchase agreements, loans of portfolio securities, and the use of when-issued, delayed delivery or forward commitment transactions, or derivative instruments, may give rise to leverage, magnifying gains and losses and causing the Fund to be more volatile than if it had not been leveraged. This means that leverage entails a heightened risk of loss

Management Risk: the risk that the investment techniques and risk analyses applied by PIMCO will not produce the desired results and that legislative, regulatory, or tax restrictions, policies or developments may affect the investment techniques available to PIMCO and the individual portfolio manager in connection with managing the Fund. There is no guarantee that the investment objective of the Fund will be achieved

Short Exposure Risk: the risk of entering into short sales, including the potential loss of more money than the actual cost of the investment, and the risk that the third party to the short sale will not fulfill its contractual obligations, causing a loss to the Fund

Please see "Description of Principal Risks" in the Fund's prospectus for a more detailed description of the risks of investing in the Fund. An investment in the Fund is not a deposit of a bank and is not insured or guaranteed by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation or any other government agency.

Performance Information

The performance information shows summary performance information for the Fund in a bar chart and an Average Annual Total Returns table. The information provides some indication of the risks of investing in the Fund by showing changes in its performance from year to year and by showing how the Fund's average annual returns compare with the returns of a broad-based securities market index and an index of similar funds. Absent any applicable fee waivers and/or expense limitations if any, performance would

 

19     

PROSPECTUS | PIMCO FUNDS     


 

Table of Contents

Prospectus

have been lower. The bar chart shows performance of the Fund's Institutional Class shares. For periods prior to the inception date of I-2 shares (April 30, 2008), performance information shown in the table for that class is based on the performance of the Fund's Institutional Class shares, adjusted to reflect the actual distribution and/or service (12b-1) fees and other expenses paid by that class of shares. Performance for Class A and Class C shares in the Average Annual Total Returns table reflects the impact of sales charges. The I-3 shares of the Fund have not commenced operations as of the date of this prospectus. The Fund's past performance, before and after taxes, is not necessarily an indication of how the Fund will perform in the future.

The Bloomberg Barclays Long-Term Treasury Index consists of U.S. Treasury issues with maturities of 10 or more years. The Lipper General U.S. Government Funds Average is a total return performance average of funds tracked by Lipper, Inc. that invest at least 65% of their assets in U.S. government and agency issues.

Performance for the Fund is updated daily and quarterly and may be obtained as follows: daily updates on the net asset value and performance page at http://investments.pimco.com/DailyPerformance and quarterly updates at http://investments.pimco.com/QuarterlyPerformance.

Calendar Year Total Returns — Institutional Class*

 

[To be updated by subsequent amendment]



*The year-to-date return as of June 30, 2018 is [ ]%. For the periods shown in the bar chart, the highest quarterly return was [ ]% in the [ ], and the lowest quarterly return was [ ]% in the [ ].

Average Annual Total Returns (for periods ended 12/31/17)

 

1 Year

5 Years

10 Years

Institutional Class Return Before Taxes

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

Institutional Class Return After Taxes on Distributions‌(1)

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

Institutional Class Return After Taxes on Distributions and Sales of Fund Shares‌(1)

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

I-2 Return Before Taxes

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

Administrative Class Return Before Taxes

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

Class A Return Before Taxes

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

Class C Return Before Taxes

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

Bloomberg Barclays Long-Term Treasury Index (reflects no deductions for fees, expenses or taxes)

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

 

Lipper General U.S. Government Funds Average (reflects no deductions for taxes)

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

(1) After-tax returns are calculated using the highest historical individual federal marginal income tax rates and do not reflect the impact of state and local taxes. Actual after-tax returns depend on an investor's tax situation and may differ from those shown, and the after-tax returns shown are not relevant to investors who hold their Fund shares through tax-deferred arrangements, such as 401(k) plans or individual retirement accounts. In some cases the return after taxes may exceed the return before taxes due to an assumed tax benefit from any losses on a sale of Fund shares at the end of the measurement period. After-tax returns are for Institutional Class shares only. After-tax returns for other classes will vary.

Investment Adviser/Portfolio Manager

PIMCO serves as the investment adviser for the Fund. The Fund's portfolio is jointly managed by Michael Cudzil, Stephen Rodosky and Josh Thimons. Messrs. Cudzil, Rodosky and Thimons are Managing Directors of PIMCO. Mr. Rodosky has managed the Fund since July 2007. Messrs. Cudzil and Thimons have managed the Fund since February 2016.  

Other Important Information Regarding Fund Shares

For important information about purchase and sale of Fund shares, tax information, and payments to broker-dealers and other financial intermediaries, please turn to the "Summary of Other Important Information Regarding Fund Shares" section on page [ ] of this prospectus.

 

[ ] | PROSPECTUS

20


 

Table of Contents

PIMCO Moderate Duration Fund

Investment Objective

The Fund seeks maximum total return, consistent with preservation of capital and prudent investment management.

Fees and Expenses of the Fund

This table describes the fees and expenses that you may pay if you buy and hold shares of the Fund:

Shareholder Fees (fees paid directly from your investment):
None

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

 

Inst
Class

I-2

Management Fees

0.46%

0.56%

Distribution and/or Service (12b-1) Fees

N/A

N/A

Other Expenses(1)

[ ]

[ ]

Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses

[ ]

[ ]

 

1 "Other Expenses" include interest expense of [ ]%. Interest expense is borne by the Fund separately from the management fees paid to Pacific Investment Management Company LLC ("PIMCO"). Excluding interest expense, Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses are [ ]% and [ ]% for Institutional Class and I-2 Class shares, respectively.

Example. The Example is intended to help you compare the cost of investing in Institutional Class or I-2 shares of the Fund with the costs of investing in other mutual funds. The Example assumes that you invest $10,000 in the noted class of shares for the time periods indicated, and then redeem all 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. Investors may pay brokerage commissions on their purchases and sales of Institutional Class shares or I-2 shares of the Fund, which are not reflected in the Example. 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

Institutional Class

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

I-2

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

Portfolio Turnover

The Fund pays transaction costs 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 the Annual Fund Operating Expenses or in the Example tables, affect the Fund's performance. During the most recent fiscal year, the Fund's portfolio turnover rate was [ ]% of the average value of its portfolio.

Principal Investment Strategies

The Fund seeks to achieve its investment objective by investing under normal circumstances at least 65% of its total assets in a diversified portfolio of Fixed Income Instruments of varying maturities, which may be represented by forwards or derivatives such as options, futures contracts, or swap agreements. "Fixed Income Instruments" include bonds, debt securities and other similar instruments issued by various U.S. and non-U.S. public- or private-sector entities. The average portfolio duration of this Fund normally varies within two years (plus or minus) of the portfolio duration of the securities comprising the Bloomberg Barclays Intermediate Government/Credit Index, as calculated by Pacific Investment Management Company LLC ("PIMCO"), which as of [ ] was [ ] years. Duration is a measure used to determine the sensitivity of a security's price to changes in interest rates. The longer a security's duration, the more sensitive it will be to changes in interest rates.

The Fund invests primarily in investment grade debt securities, but may invest up to 10% of its total assets in high yield securities ("junk bonds"), as rated by Moody's Investors Service, Inc. ("Moody's"), Standard & Poor's Ratings Services ("S&P") or Fitch, Inc. ("Fitch"), or, if unrated, as determined by PIMCO. The Fund may invest up to 30% of its total assets in securities denominated in foreign currencies, and may invest beyond this limit in U.S. dollar-denominated securities of foreign issuers. The Fund may invest up to 15% of its total assets in securities and instruments that are economically tied to emerging market countries (this limitation does not apply to investment grade sovereign debt denominated in the local currency with less than 1 year remaining to maturity, which means the Fund may invest, together with any other investments denominated in foreign currencies, up to 30% of its total assets in such instruments). The Fund will normally limit its foreign currency exposure (from non-U.S. dollar-denominated securities or currencies) to 20% of its total assets.

The Fund may invest, without limitation, in derivative instruments, such as options, futures contracts or swap agreements, or in mortgage- or asset-backed securities, subject to applicable law and any other restrictions described in the Fund's prospectus or Statement of Additional Information. The Fund may purchase or sell securities on a when-issued, delayed delivery or forward commitment basis and may engage in short sales. The Fund may, without limitation, seek to obtain market exposure to the securities in which it primarily invests by entering into a series of purchase and sale contracts or by using other investment techniques (such as buy backs or dollar rolls). The "total return" sought by the Fund consists of income earned on the Fund's investments, plus capital appreciation, if any, which generally arises from decreases in interest rates, foreign currency appreciation, or improving credit fundamentals for a particular sector or security. The Fund may also invest up to 10% of its total assets in preferred securities.

Principal Risks

It is possible to lose money on an investment in the Fund. The principal risks of investing in the Fund, which could adversely affect its net asset value, yield and total return are listed below.

Interest Rate Risk: the risk that fixed income securities will decline in value because of an increase in interest rates; a fund with a longer average portfolio duration will be more sensitive to changes in interest rates than a fund with a shorter average portfolio duration

Call Risk: the risk that an issuer may exercise its right to redeem a fixed income security earlier than expected (a call). Issuers may call outstanding securities prior to their maturity for a number of reasons (e.g., declining interest rates, changes in credit spreads and improvements in the issuer's

 



PIMCO FUNDS | PROSPECTUS

21


 

Table of Contents

Prospectus

credit quality). If an issuer calls a security that the Fund has invested in, the Fund may not recoup the full amount of its initial investment and may be forced to reinvest in lower-yielding securities, securities with greater credit risks or securities with other, less favorable features

Credit Risk: the risk that the Fund could lose money if the issuer or guarantor of a fixed income security, or the counterparty to a derivative contract, is unable or unwilling to meet its financial obligations

High Yield Risk: the risk that high yield securities and unrated securities of similar credit quality (commonly known as "junk bonds") are subject to greater levels of credit, call and liquidity risks. High yield securities are considered primarily speculative with respect to the issuer's continuing ability to make principal and interest payments, and may be more volatile than higher-rated securities of similar maturity

Market Risk: the risk that the value of securities owned by the Fund may go up or down, sometimes rapidly or unpredictably, due to factors affecting securities markets generally or particular industries

Issuer Risk: the risk that the value of a security may decline for a reason directly related to the issuer, such as management performance, financial leverage and reduced demand for the issuer's goods or services

Liquidity Risk: the risk that a particular investment may be difficult to purchase or sell and that the Fund may be unable to sell illiquid securities at an advantageous time or price or achieve its desired level of exposure to a certain sector. Liquidity risk may result from the lack of an active market, reduced number and capacity of traditional market participants to make a market in fixed income securities, and may be magnified in a rising interest rate environment or other circumstances where investor redemptions from fixed income mutual funds may be higher than normal, causing increased supply in the market due to selling activity

Derivatives Risk: the risk of investing in derivative instruments (such as futures, swaps and structured securities), including leverage, liquidity, interest rate, market, credit and management risks, mispricing or valuation complexity. Changes in the value of the derivative may not correlate perfectly with, and may be more sensitive to market events than, the underlying asset, rate or index, and the Fund could lose more than the initial amount invested. The Fund's use of derivatives may result in losses to the Fund, a reduction in the Fund's returns and/or increased volatility. Over-the-counter ("OTC") derivatives are also subject to the risk that a counterparty to the transaction will not fulfill its contractual obligations to the other party, as many of the protections afforded to centrally-cleared derivative transactions might not be available for OTC derivatives. For derivatives traded on an exchange or through a central counterparty, credit risk resides with the Fund's clearing broker, or the clearinghouse itself, rather than with a counterparty in an OTC derivative transaction. Changes in regulation relating to a mutual fund's use of derivatives and related instruments could potentially limit or impact the Fund's ability to invest in derivatives, limit the Fund's ability to employ certain strategies that use derivatives and/or adversely affect the value of derivatives and the Fund's performance

Equity Risk: the risk that the value of equity securities, such as common stocks and preferred securities, may decline due to general market conditions which are not specifically related to a particular company or to factors affecting a particular industry or industries. Equity securities generally have greater price volatility than fixed income securities

Mortgage-Related and Other Asset-Backed Securities Risk: the risks of investing in mortgage-related and other asset-backed securities, including interest rate risk, extension risk, prepayment risk and credit risk

Foreign (Non-U.S.) Investment Risk: the risk that investing in foreign (non-U.S.) securities may result in the Fund experiencing more rapid and extreme changes in value than a fund that invests exclusively in securities of U.S. companies, due to smaller markets, differing reporting, accounting and auditing standards, increased risk of delayed settlement of portfolio transactions or loss of certificates of portfolio securities, and the risk of unfavorable foreign government actions, including nationalization, expropriation or confiscatory taxation, currency blockage, or political changes or diplomatic developments. Foreign securities may also be less liquid and more difficult to value than securities of U.S. issuers

Emerging Markets Risk: the risk of investing in emerging market securities, primarily increased foreign (non-U.S.) investment risk

Sovereign Debt Risk: the risk that investments in fixed income instruments issued by sovereign entities may decline in value as a result of default or other adverse credit event resulting from an issuer's inability or unwillingness to make principal or interest payments in a timely fashion

Currency Risk: the risk that foreign (non-U.S.) currencies will change in value relative to the U.S. dollar and affect the Fund's investments in foreign (non-U.S.) currencies or in securities that trade in, and receive revenues in, or in derivatives that provide exposure to, foreign (non-U.S.) currencies

Leveraging Risk: the risk that certain transactions of the Fund, such as reverse repurchase agreements, loans of portfolio securities, and the use of when-issued, delayed delivery or forward commitment transactions, or derivative instruments, may give rise to leverage, magnifying gains and losses and causing the Fund to be more volatile than if it had not been leveraged. This means that leverage entails a heightened risk of loss

Management Risk: the risk that the investment techniques and risk analyses applied by PIMCO will not produce the desired results and that legislative, regulatory, or tax restrictions, policies or developments may affect the investment techniques available to PIMCO and the individual portfolio manager in connection with managing the Fund. There is no guarantee that the investment objective of the Fund will be achieved

Short Exposure Risk: the risk of entering into short sales, including the potential loss of more money than the actual cost of the investment, and the risk that the third party to the short sale will not fulfill its contractual obligations, causing a loss to the Fund

Please see "Description of Principal Risks" in the Fund's prospectus for a more detailed description of the risks of investing in the Fund. An investment in the Fund is not a deposit of a bank and is not insured or guaranteed by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation or any other government agency.

Performance Information

The performance information shows summary performance information for the Fund in a bar chart and an Average Annual Total Returns table. The information provides some indication of the risks of investing in the Fund by

 

[ ] | PROSPECTUS

22


 

Table of Contents

PIMCO Moderate Duration Fund

showing changes in its performance from year to year and by showing how the Fund's average annual returns compare with the returns of a broad-based securities market index and an index of similar funds. Absent any applicable fee waivers and/or expense limitations, performance would have been lower. The bar chart shows performance of the Fund's Institutional Class shares. For periods prior to the inception date of I-2 shares (December 31, 2009) and the Administrative Class shares (July 24, 2015), performance information shown in the table for these classes is based on the performance of the Fund's Institutional Class shares, adjusted to reflect the actual distribution and/or service (12b-1) fees and other expenses paid by these classes of shares. The Fund's past performance, before and after taxes, is not necessarily an indication of how the Fund will perform in the future.

The Bloomberg Barclays Intermediate Government/Credit Index is an unmanaged index of U.S. Government or Investment Grade Credit Securities having a maturity of at least 1 year and less than 10 years. The Lipper Short-Intermediate Investment Grade Debt Funds Average is a total return performance average of funds tracked by Lipper, Inc. that invest at least 65% of their assets in investment-grade debt issues (rated in the top four grades) with dollar-weighted average maturities of one to five years.

Performance for the Fund is updated daily and quarterly and may be obtained as follows: daily updates on the net asset value and performance page at http://investments.pimco.com/DailyPerformance and quarterly updates at http://investments.pimco.com/QuarterlyPerformance.

Calendar Year Total Returns — Institutional Class*

 

[To be updated by subsequent amendment]



*The year-to-date return as of June 30, 2018 is [ ]%. For the periods shown in the bar chart, the highest quarterly return was [ ]% in the [ ], and the lowest quarterly return was [ ]% in the [ ].

Average Annual Total Returns (for periods ended 12/31/17)

 

1 Year

5 Years

10 Years

Institutional Class Return Before Taxes

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

Institutional Class Return After Taxes on Distributions‌(1)

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

Institutional Class Return After Taxes on Distributions and Sales of Fund Shares‌(1)

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

I-2 Return Before Taxes

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

Bloomberg Barclays Intermediate Government/Credit Index (reflects no deductions for fees, expenses or taxes)

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

 

Lipper Short-Intermediate Investment Grade Debt Funds Average (reflects no deductions for taxes)

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

(1) After-tax returns are calculated using the highest historical individual federal marginal income tax rates and do not reflect the impact of state and local taxes. Actual after-tax returns depend on an investor's tax situation and may differ from those shown, and the after-tax returns shown are not relevant to investors who hold their Fund shares through tax-deferred arrangements, such as 401(k) plans or individual retirement accounts. In some cases the return after taxes may exceed the return before taxes due to an assumed tax benefit from any losses on a sale of Fund shares at the end of the measurement period. After-tax returns are for Institutional Class shares only. After-tax returns for other classes will vary.

Investment Adviser/Portfolio Manager

PIMCO serves as the investment adviser for the Fund. The Fund's portfolio is jointly managed by Scott A. Mather and Sudi Mariappa. Mr. Mather is CIO U.S. Core Strategies and a Managing Director of PIMCO. Mr. Mariappa is a Managing Director of PIMCO. Messrs. Mather and Mariappa have jointly managed the Fund since September 2014.

Other Important Information Regarding Fund Shares

For important information about purchase and sale of Fund shares, tax information, and payments to broker-dealers and other financial intermediaries, please turn to the "Summary of Other Important Information Regarding Fund Shares" section on page [ ] of this prospectus.

 

23     

PROSPECTUS | PIMCO FUNDS     


 

Table of Contents

PIMCO Mortgage-Backed Securities Fund

Investment Objective

The Fund seeks maximum total return, consistent with preservation of capital and prudent investment management.

Fees and Expenses of the Fund

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 $100,000 in Class A shares of eligible funds offered by PIMCO Equity Series and PIMCO Funds. More information about these and other discounts is available in the "Classes of Shares" section on page [ ] of the Fund's prospectus, Appendix B to the Fund's prospectus (Financial Firm-Specific Sales Charge Waivers and Discounts) or from your financial advisor.

Shareholder Fees (fees paid directly from your investment):

 

Inst
Class

I-2

I-3

Admin
Class

Class A

Class C

Maximum Sales Charge (Load) Imposed on Purchases (as a percentage of offering price)

None

None

None

None

3.75%

None

Maximum Deferred Sales Charge (Load) (as a percentage of the lower of the original purchase price or redemption price)

None

None

None

None

1.00%

1.00%

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

 

Inst
Class

I-2

I-3

Admin
Class

Class A

Class C

Management Fees

0.50%

0.60%

0.70%

0.50%

0.65%

0.65%

Distribution and/or Service (12b-1) Fees

N/A

N/A

N/A

0.25%

0.25%

1.00%

Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

Fee Waiver and/or Expense Reimbursement(1)

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses After Fee Waiver and/or Expense Reimbursement

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

 

1 Pacific Investment Management Company LLC ("PIMCO") has contractually agreed, through July 31, 2019, to reduce its supervisory and administrative fee for the Fund's I-3 shares by 0.05% of the average daily net assets attributable to I-3 shares of the Fund. This Fee Waiver Agreement renews annually unless terminated by PIMCO upon at least 30 days' prior notice to the end of the contract term.

Example. The Example is intended to help you compare the cost of investing in Institutional Class, I-2, I-3, Administrative Class, Class A or Class C shares of the Fund with the costs of investing in other mutual funds. The Example assumes that you invest $10,000 in the noted class of shares for the time periods indicated, and then redeem all 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. Investors may pay brokerage commissions on their purchases and sales of Institutional Class, I-2 or I-3 shares of the Fund, which are not reflected in the Example. Although your actual costs may be higher or lower, based on these assumptions your costs would be:

If you redeem your shares at the end of each period:

 

1 Year

3 Years

5 Years

10 Years

Institutional Class

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

I-2

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

I-3

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

Administrative Class

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

Class A

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

Class C

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

If you do not redeem your shares:

 

1 Year

3 Years

5 Years

10 Years

Class A

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

Class C

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

Portfolio Turnover

The Fund pays transaction costs 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 the Annual Fund Operating Expenses or in the Example tables, affect the Fund's performance. During the most recent fiscal year, the Fund's portfolio turnover rate was [ ]% of the average value of its portfolio.

Principal Investment Strategies

The Fund seeks to achieve its investment objective by investing under normal circumstances at least 80% of its assets in a diversified portfolio of mortgage-related Fixed Income Instruments of varying maturities (such as mortgage pass-through securities, collateralized mortgage obligations, commercial mortgage-backed securities and mortgage dollar rolls), which may be represented by forwards or derivatives such as options, futures contracts or swap agreements. "Fixed Income Instruments" include bonds, debt securities and other similar instruments issued by various U.S. and non-U.S. public- or private-sector entities. The average portfolio duration of this Fund normally varies from one to seven years based on Pacific Investment Management Company LLC's ("PIMCO") market forecasts. Duration is a measure used to determine the sensitivity of a security's price to changes in interest rates. The longer a security's duration, the more sensitive it will be to changes in interest rates. The Fund may invest without limit in securities issued or guaranteed by the U.S. Government, its agencies or government-sponsored enterprises. In addition, the Fund may invest up to 10% of its total assets in investment grade securities rated below Aaa by Moody's Investors Service, Inc. ("Moody's"), or equivalently rated by Standard & Poor's Ratings Services ("S&P") or Fitch, Inc. ("Fitch"), or, if unrated, determined by PIMCO to be of comparable quality, subject to a minimum rating of Baa by Moody's, or equivalently rated by S&P or Fitch, or, if unrated, determined by PIMCO to be of comparable quality. The Fund may also invest up to an additional 5% of its total assets in mortgage-related high yield instruments ("junk bonds") rated below Baa by Moody's, or equivalently rated by S&P or Fitch, or, if unrated, determined by PIMCO to be of comparable quality. The Fund may not invest in securities denominated in foreign currencies, but may invest without limit in U.S. dollar-denominated securities of foreign issuers. The Fund may invest up to

 



PIMCO FUNDS | PROSPECTUS

24


 

Table of Contents

PIMCO Mortgage-Backed Securities Fund

10% of its total assets in U.S. dollar-denominated securities and instruments that are economically tied to emerging market countries.

The Fund may invest, without limitation, in derivative instruments, such as options, futures contracts or swap agreements, or in mortgage- or asset-backed securities, subject to applicable law and any other restrictions described in the Fund's prospectus or Statement of Additional Information. The Fund may purchase or sell securities on a when-issued, delayed delivery or forward commitment basis and may engage in short sales. The Fund may, without limitation, seek to obtain market exposure to the securities in which it primarily invests by entering into a series of purchase and sale contracts or by using other investment techniques (such as buy backs or dollar rolls). The "total return" sought by the Fund consists of income earned on the Fund's investments, plus capital appreciation, if any, which generally arises from decreases in interest rates or improving credit fundamentals for a particular sector or security. The Fund may also invest up to 10% of its total assets in preferred securities.

Principal Risks

It is possible to lose money on an investment in the Fund. The principal risks of investing in the Fund, which could adversely affect its net asset value, yield and total return are listed below.

Interest Rate Risk: the risk that fixed income securities will decline in value because of an increase in interest rates; a fund with a longer average portfolio duration will be more sensitive to changes in interest rates than a fund with a shorter average portfolio duration

Call Risk: the risk that an issuer may exercise its right to redeem a fixed income security earlier than expected (a call). Issuers may call outstanding securities prior to their maturity for a number of reasons (e.g., declining interest rates, changes in credit spreads and improvements in the issuer's credit quality). If an issuer calls a security that the Fund has invested in, the Fund may not recoup the full amount of its initial investment and may be forced to reinvest in lower-yielding securities, securities with greater credit risks or securities with other, less favorable features

Credit Risk: the risk that the Fund could lose money if the issuer or guarantor of a fixed income security, or the counterparty to a derivative contract, is unable or unwilling to meet its financial obligations

Market Risk: the risk that the value of securities owned by the Fund may go up or down, sometimes rapidly or unpredictably, due to factors affecting securities markets generally or particular industries

Issuer Risk: the risk that the value of a security may decline for a reason directly related to the issuer, such as management performance, financial leverage and reduced demand for the issuer's goods or services

Liquidity Risk: the risk that a particular investment may be difficult to purchase or sell and that the Fund may be unable to sell illiquid securities at an advantageous time or price or achieve its desired level of exposure to a certain sector. Liquidity risk may result from the lack of an active market, reduced number and capacity of traditional market participants to make a market in fixed income securities, and may be magnified in a rising interest rate environment or other circumstances where investor redemptions from fixed income mutual funds may be higher than normal, causing increased supply in the market due to selling activity

Derivatives Risk: the risk of investing in derivative instruments (such as futures, swaps and structured securities), including leverage, liquidity, interest rate, market, credit and management risks, mispricing or valuation complexity. Changes in the value of the derivative may not correlate perfectly with, and may be more sensitive to market events than, the underlying asset, rate or index, and the Fund could lose more than the initial amount invested. The Fund's use of derivatives may result in losses to the Fund, a reduction in the Fund's returns and/or increased volatility. Over-the-counter ("OTC") derivatives are also subject to the risk that a counterparty to the transaction will not fulfill its contractual obligations to the other party, as many of the protections afforded to centrally-cleared derivative transactions might not be available for OTC derivatives. For derivatives traded on an exchange or through a central counterparty, credit risk resides with the Fund's clearing broker, or the clearinghouse itself, rather than with a counterparty in an OTC derivative transaction. Changes in regulation relating to a mutual fund's use of derivatives and related instruments could potentially limit or impact the Fund's ability to invest in derivatives, limit the Fund's ability to employ certain strategies that use derivatives and/or adversely affect the value of derivatives and the Fund's performance

Equity Risk: the risk that the value of equity securities, such as common stocks and preferred securities, may decline due to general market conditions which are not specifically related to a particular company or to factors affecting a particular industry or industries. Equity securities generally have greater price volatility than fixed income securities

Mortgage-Related and Other Asset-Backed Securities Risk: the risks of investing in mortgage-related and other asset-backed securities, including interest rate risk, extension risk, prepayment risk and credit risk

Foreign (Non-U.S.) Investment Risk: the risk that investing in foreign (non-U.S.) securities may result in the Fund experiencing more rapid and extreme changes in value than a fund that invests exclusively in securities of U.S. companies, due to smaller markets, differing reporting, accounting and auditing standards, increased risk of delayed settlement of portfolio transactions or loss of certificates of portfolio securities, and the risk of unfavorable foreign government actions, including nationalization, expropriation or confiscatory taxation, currency blockage, or political changes or diplomatic developments. Foreign securities may also be less liquid and more difficult to value than securities of U.S. issuers

Emerging Markets Risk: the risk of investing in emerging market securities, primarily increased foreign (non-U.S.) investment risk

Leveraging Risk: the risk that certain transactions of the Fund, such as reverse repurchase agreements, loans of portfolio securities, and the use of when-issued, delayed delivery or forward commitment transactions, or derivative instruments, may give rise to leverage, magnifying gains and losses and causing the Fund to be more volatile than if it had not been leveraged. This means that leverage entails a heightened risk of loss

Management Risk: the risk that the investment techniques and risk analyses applied by PIMCO will not produce the desired results and that legislative, regulatory, or tax restrictions, policies or developments may affect the investment techniques available to PIMCO and the individual

 

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Prospectus

portfolio manager in connection with managing the Fund. There is no guarantee that the investment objective of the Fund will be achieved

Short Exposure Risk: the risk of entering into short sales, including the potential loss of more money than the actual cost of the investment, and the risk that the third party to the short sale will not fulfill its contractual obligations, causing a loss to the Fund

Please see "Description of Principal Risks" in the Fund's prospectus for a more detailed description of the risks of investing in the Fund. An investment in the Fund is not a deposit of a bank and is not insured or guaranteed by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation or any other government agency.

Performance Information

The performance information shows summary performance information for the Fund in a bar chart and an Average Annual Total Returns table. The information provides some indication of the risks of investing in the Fund by showing changes in its performance from year to year and by showing how the Fund's average annual returns compare with the returns of a broad-based securities market index and an index of similar funds. Absent any applicable fee waivers and/or expense limitations, performance would have been lower. The bar chart shows performance of the Fund's Institutional Class shares. For periods prior to the inception date of I-2 shares (April 30, 2008), performance information shown in the table for that class is based on the performance of the Fund's Institutional Class shares, adjusted to reflect the actual distribution and/or service (12b-1) fees and other expenses paid by that class of shares. Performance for Class A and Class C shares in the Average Annual Total Returns table reflects the impact of sales charges. The I-3 shares of the Fund have not commenced operations as of the date of this prospectus. The Fund's past performance, before and after taxes, is not necessarily an indication of how the Fund will perform in the future.

The Bloomberg Barclays U.S. MBS Fixed Rate Index covers the mortgage-backed pass-through securities of Ginnie Mae (GNMA), Fannie Mae (FNMA), and Freddie Mac (FHLMC). The MBS Index is formed by grouping the universe of over 600,000 individual fixed rate MBS pools into approximately 3,500 generic aggregates. The Lipper U.S. Mortgage Funds Average is a total return performance average of funds tracked by Lipper, Inc. that invest at least 65% of their assets in mortgages/securities issued or guaranteed as to principal and interest by the U.S. government and certain federal agencies.

Performance for the Fund is updated daily and quarterly and may be obtained as follows: daily updates on the net asset value and performance page at http://investments.pimco.com/DailyPerformance and quarterly updates at http://investments.pimco.com/QuarterlyPerformance.

Calendar Year Total Returns — Institutional Class*

 

[To be updated by subsequent amendment]



*The year-to-date return as of June 30, 2018 is [ ]%. For the periods shown in the bar chart, the highest quarterly return was [ ]% in the [ ], and the lowest quarterly return was [ ]% in the [ ].

Average Annual Total Returns (for periods ended 12/31/17)

 

1 Year

5 Years

10 Years

Institutional Class Return Before Taxes

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

Institutional Class Return After Taxes on Distributions‌(1)

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

Institutional Class Return After Taxes on Distributions and Sales of Fund Shares‌(1)

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

I-2 Return Before Taxes

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

Administrative Class Return Before Taxes

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

Class A Return Before Taxes

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

Class C Return Before Taxes

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

Bloomberg Barclays U.S. MBS Fixed Rate Index (reflects no deductions for fees, expenses or taxes)

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

 

Lipper U.S. Mortgage Funds Average (reflects no deductions for taxes)

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

(1) After-tax returns are calculated using the highest historical individual federal marginal income tax rates and do not reflect the impact of state and local taxes. Actual after-tax returns depend on an investor's tax situation and may differ from those shown, and the after-tax returns shown are not relevant to investors who hold their Fund shares through tax-deferred arrangements, such as 401(k) plans or individual retirement accounts. In some cases the return after taxes may exceed the return before taxes due to an assumed tax benefit from any losses on a sale of Fund shares at the end of the measurement period. After-tax returns are for Institutional Class shares only. After-tax returns for other classes will vary.

Investment Adviser/Portfolio Manager

PIMCO serves as the investment adviser for the Fund. The Fund's portfolio is jointly managed by Michael Cudzil and Daniel Hyman. Messrs. Cudzil and Hyman are Managing Directors of PIMCO. Mr. Hyman has managed the Fund since July 2012, and Mr. Cudzil has managed the Fund since January 2013.

 

[ ] | PROSPECTUS

26


 

Table of Contents

PIMCO Mortgage-Backed Securities Fund

Other Important Information Regarding Fund Shares

For important information about purchase and sale of Fund shares, tax information, and payments to broker-dealers and other financial intermediaries, please turn to the "Summary of Other Important Information Regarding Fund Shares" section on page [ ] of this prospectus.

 

27     

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Table of Contents

PIMCO Mortgage Opportunities and Bond Fund

Investment Objective

The Fund seeks maximum long-term return, consistent with prudent investment management.

Fees and Expenses of the Fund

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 $100,000 in Class A shares of eligible funds offered by PIMCO Equity Series and PIMCO Funds. More information about these and other discounts is available in the "Classes of Shares" section on page [ ] of the Fund's prospectus, Appendix B to the Fund's prospectus (Financial Firm-Specific Sales Charge Waivers and Discounts) or from your financial advisor.

Shareholder Fees (fees paid directly from your investment):

 

Inst
Class

I-2

I-3

Class A

Class C

Maximum Sales Charge (Load) Imposed on Purchases (as a percentage of offering price)

None

None

None

3.75%

None

Maximum Deferred Sales Charge (Load) (as a percentage of the lower of the original purchase price or redemption price)

None

None

None

1.00%

1.00%

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

 

Inst
Class

I-2

I-3

Class A

Class C

Management Fees

0.60%

0.70%

0.80%

0.75%

0.75%

Distribution and/or Service (12b-1) Fees

N/A

N/A

N/A

0.25%

1.00%

Other Expenses(1)

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

Fee Waiver and/or Expense Reimbursement(2)

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses After Fee Waiver and/or Expense Reimbursemen

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

 

1 "Other Expenses" include interest expense of [ ]%. Interest expense is borne by the Fund separately from the management fees paid to Pacific Investment Management Company LLC ("PIMCO"). Excluding interest expense, Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses After Fee Waiver and/or Expense Reimbursement are [ ]%, [ ]%, [ ]%, [ ]% and [ ]% for Institutional Class, I-2, I-3, Class A and Class C shares, respectively.

2 PIMCO has contractually agreed, through July 31, 2019, to reduce its supervisory and administrative fee for the Fund's I-3 shares by 0.05% of the average daily net assets attributable to I-3 shares of the Fund. This Fee Waiver Agreement renews annually unless terminated by PIMCO upon at least 30 days' prior notice to the end of the contract term.

Example. The Example is intended to help you compare the cost of investing in Institutional Class, I-2, I-3, Class A or Class C shares of the Fund with the costs of investing in other mutual funds. The Example assumes that you invest $10,000 in the noted class of shares for the time periods indicated, and then redeem all 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. Investors may pay brokerage commissions on their purchases and sales of Institutional Class, I-2 or I-3 shares of the Fund, which are not reflected in the Example. Although your actual costs may be higher or lower, based on these assumptions your costs would be:

If you redeem your shares at the end of each period:

 

1 Year

3 Years

5 Years

10 Years

Institutional Class

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

I-2

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

I-3

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

Class A

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

Class C

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

If you do not redeem your shares:

 

1 Year

3 Years

5 Years

10 Years

Class A

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

Class C

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

Portfolio Turnover

The Fund pays transaction costs 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 the Annual Fund Operating Expenses or in the Example tables, affect the Fund's performance. During the most recent fiscal year, the Fund's portfolio turnover rate was [ ]% of the average value of its portfolio.

Principal Investment Strategies

The Fund seeks to achieve its investment objective by investing under normal circumstances at least 80% of its assets in a portfolio of mortgage-related assets, including, but not limited to Agency residential and commercial mortgage-backed securities ("MBS") and private label residential and commercial MBS, and of Fixed Income Instruments, which may be represented by forwards or derivatives such as options, futures contracts or swap agreements. Agency MBS refers to MBS issued by government-sponsored enterprises, such as the Government National Mortgage Association ("GNMA" or "Ginnie Mae"), the Federal National Mortgage Association ("FNMA" or "Fannie Mae") or the Federal Home Loan Mortgage Corporation ("FHLMC" or "Freddie Mac"). "Fixed Income Instruments" include bonds, debt securities and other similar instruments issued by various U.S. and non-U.S. public- or private-sector entities. The Fund will invest in a broad array of mortgage-related securities in seeking to generate consistent, absolute returns across full market cycles. The average portfolio duration of this Fund normally varies from (negative) 1 year to positive 8 years based on PIMCO's market forecasts. Duration is a measure used to determine the sensitivity of a security's price to changes in interest rates. The longer a security's duration, the more sensitive it will be to changes in interest rates.

The Fund may invest up to 50% of its total assets in high yield securities ("junk bonds"), as rated by Moody's Investors Service, Inc. ("Moody's"), Standard & Poor's Rating Services ("S&P") or Fitch, Inc. ("Fitch"), or, if unrated, as determined by PIMCO (except such limitation shall not apply to the Fund's investments in mortgage-related securities).

The Fund may invest, without limitation, in derivative instruments, such as options, futures contracts, options on futures, fixed income swap agreements, credit default swap agreements and other synthetic mortgage-related swap

 



PIMCO FUNDS | PROSPECTUS

28


 

Table of Contents

PIMCO Mortgage Opportunities and Bond Fund

indices, or in mortgage- or asset-backed securities, subject to applicable law and any other restrictions described in the Fund's prospectus or Statement of Additional Information. The Fund may invest up to 10% of its total assets in any combination of mortgage-related or other asset-backed interest-only ("IO"), principal-only ("PO"), or inverse floating rate debt ("inverse floater") securities. The Fund may invest up to 10% of its total assets in mortgage- or real estate-related equity instruments, including preferred securities, common stock, convertible securities and other equity-related instruments. The Fund may purchase or sell securities on a when-issued, delayed delivery or forward commitment basis and may engage in short sales. The Fund may, without limitation, seek to obtain market exposure to the securities in which it primarily invests by entering into a series of purchase and sale contracts or by using other investment techniques (such as buy backs or dollar rolls). The "total return" sought by the Fund consists of income earned on the Fund's investments, plus capital appreciation, if any, which generally arises from decreases in interest rates or improving credit fundamentals for a particular sector or security.

Principal Risks

It is possible to lose money on an investment in the Fund. The principal risks of investing in the Fund, which could adversely affect its net asset value, yield and total return are listed below.

Interest Rate Risk: the risk that fixed income securities will decline in value because of an increase in interest rates; a fund with a longer average portfolio duration will be more sensitive to changes in interest rates than a fund with a shorter average portfolio duration

Call Risk: the risk that an issuer may exercise its right to redeem a fixed income security earlier than expected (a call). Issuers may call outstanding securities prior to their maturity for a number of reasons (e.g., declining interest rates, changes in credit spreads and improvements in the issuer's credit quality). If an issuer calls a security that the Fund has invested in, the Fund may not recoup the full amount of its initial investment and may be forced to reinvest in lower-yielding securities, securities with greater credit risks or securities with other, less favorable features

Credit Risk: the risk that the Fund could lose money if the issuer or guarantor of a fixed income security, or the counterparty to a derivative contract, is unable or unwilling to meet its financial obligations

High Yield Risk: the risk that high yield securities and unrated securities of similar credit quality (commonly known as "junk bonds") are subject to greater levels of credit, call and liquidity risks. High yield securities are considered primarily speculative with respect to the issuer's continuing ability to make principal and interest payments, and may be more volatile than higher-rated securities of similar maturity

Market Risk: the risk that the value of securities owned by the Fund may go up or down, sometimes rapidly or unpredictably, due to factors affecting securities markets generally or particular industries

Issuer Risk: the risk that the value of a security may decline for a reason directly related to the issuer, such as management performance, financial leverage and reduced demand for the issuer's goods or services

Liquidity Risk: the risk that a particular investment may be difficult to purchase or sell and that the Fund may be unable to sell illiquid securities at an advantageous time or price or achieve its desired level of exposure to a certain sector. Liquidity risk may result from the lack of an active market, reduced number and capacity of traditional market participants to make a market in fixed income securities, and may be magnified in a rising interest rate environment or other circumstances where investor redemptions from fixed income mutual funds may be higher than normal, causing increased supply in the market due to selling activity

Derivatives Risk: the risk of investing in derivative instruments (such as futures, swaps and structured securities), including leverage, liquidity, interest rate, market, credit and management risks, mispricing or valuation complexity. Changes in the value of the derivative may not correlate perfectly with, and may be more sensitive to market events than, the underlying asset, rate or index, and the Fund could lose more than the initial amount invested. The Fund's use of derivatives may result in losses to the Fund, a reduction in the Fund's returns and/or increased volatility. Over-the-counter ("OTC") derivatives are also subject to the risk that a counterparty to the transaction will not fulfill its contractual obligations to the other party, as many of the protections afforded to centrally-cleared derivative transactions might not be available for OTC derivatives. For derivatives traded on an exchange or through a central counterparty, credit risk resides with the Fund's clearing broker, or the clearinghouse itself, rather than with a counterparty in an OTC derivative transaction. Changes in regulation relating to a mutual fund's use of derivatives and related instruments could potentially limit or impact the Fund's ability to invest in derivatives, limit the Fund's ability to employ certain strategies that use derivatives and/or adversely affect the value of derivatives and the Fund's performance

Equity Risk: the risk that the value of equity securities, such as common stocks and preferred securities, may decline due to general market conditions which are not specifically related to a particular company or to factors affecting a particular industry or industries. Equity securities generally have greater price volatility than fixed income securities

Mortgage-Related and Other Asset-Backed Securities Risk: the risks of investing in mortgage-related and other asset-backed securities, including interest rate risk, extension risk, prepayment risk and credit risk

Extension Risk: the risk that, in periods of rising interest rates, issuers of mortgage-related and other asset-backed securities may pay principal later than expected, which may reduce the value of the Fund's investment in such securities and may prevent the Fund from receiving higher interest rates on proceeds reinvested

Prepayment Risk: the risk that, in periods of declining interest rates, issuers of mortgage-related and other asset-backed securities may pay principal more quickly than expected, which results in the Fund foregoing future interest income on the portion of the principal repaid early and may result in the Fund being forced to reinvest investment proceeds at lower interest rates

Privately Issued Mortgage-Related Securities Risk: the risk of non-payment because there are no direct or indirect government or agency guarantees of payments in the pools created by non-governmental issuers

Real Estate Risk: the risk that the Fund's investments in Real Estate Investment Trusts ("REITs") or real estate-linked derivative instruments will

 

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Table of Contents

Prospectus

subject the Fund to risks similar to those associated with direct ownership of real estate, including losses from casualty or condemnation, and changes in local and general economic conditions, supply and demand, interest rates, zoning laws, regulatory limitations on rents, property taxes and operating expenses. The Fund's investments in REITs or real estate-linked derivative instruments subject it to management and tax risks. In addition, privately traded REITs subject the Fund to liquidity and valuation risk

Leveraging Risk: the risk that certain transactions of the Fund, such as reverse repurchase agreements, loans of portfolio securities, and the use of when-issued, delayed delivery or forward commitment transactions, or derivative instruments, may give rise to leverage, magnifying gains and losses and causing the Fund to be more volatile than if it had not been leveraged. This means that leverage entails a heightened risk of loss

Management Risk: the risk that the investment techniques and risk analyses applied by PIMCO will not produce the desired results and that legislative, regulatory, or tax restrictions, policies or developments may affect the investment techniques available to PIMCO and the individual portfolio manager in connection with managing the Fund. There is no guarantee that the investment objective of the Fund will be achieved

Short Exposure Risk: the risk of entering into short sales, including the potential loss of more money than the actual cost of the investment, and the risk that the third party to the short sale will not fulfill its contractual obligations, causing a loss to the Fund

Convertible Securities Risk: as convertible securities share both fixed income and equity characteristics, they are subject to risks to which fixed income and equity investments are subject. These risks include equity risk, interest rate risk and credit risk

Distribution Rate Risk: the risk that the Fund's distribution rate may change unexpectedly as a result of numerous factors, including changes in realized and projected market returns, fluctuations in market interest rates, Fund performance and other factors

Please see "Description of Principal Risks" in the Fund's prospectus for a more detailed description of the risks of investing in the Fund. An investment in the Fund is not a deposit of a bank and is not insured or guaranteed by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation or any other government agency.

Performance Information

The performance information shows summary performance information for the Fund in a bar chart and an Average Annual Total Returns table. The information provides some indication of the risks of investing in the Fund by showing changes in its performance from year to year and by showing how the Fund's average annual returns compare with the returns of a broad-based securities market index and an index of similar funds. Absent any applicable fee waivers and/or expense limitations, if any, performance would have been lower. The bar chart shows performance of the Fund's Institutional Class shares. Performance for Class A and Class C shares in the Average Annual Total Returns table reflects the impact of sales charges. The I-3 shares of the Fund have not commenced operations as of the date of this prospectus. The Fund's past performance, before and after taxes, is not necessarily an indication of how the Fund will perform in the future.

The Fund's benchmark index is the 3 Month USD LIBOR (London Interbank Offered Rate) Index. LIBOR is an average interest rate, determined by the ICE Benchmark Administration, that banks charge one another for the use of short-term money (3 months) in England's Eurodollar market.

Lipper Absolute Return Funds Average is a total return performance average of Funds tracked by Lipper, Inc. that aim for positive returns in all market conditions. The funds are not benchmarked against a traditional long-only market index but rather have the aim of outperforming a cash or risk-free benchmark.

Performance for the Fund is updated daily and quarterly and may be obtained as follows: daily updates on the net asset value and performance page at http://investments.pimco.com/DailyPerformance and quarterly updates at http://investments.pimco.com/QuarterlyPerformance.

Calendar Year Total Returns — Institutional Class*

 

[To be updated by subsequent amendment]



*The year-to-date return as of June 30, 2018 is [ ]%. For the periods shown in the bar chart, the highest quarterly return was [ ]% in the [ ], and the lowest quarterly return was [ ]% in the [ ].

Average Annual Total Returns (for periods ended 12/31/17)

 

1 Year

5 Years

Since Inception (10/22/2012)

Institutional Class Return Before Taxes

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

Institutional Class Return After Taxes on Distributions‌(1)

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

Institutional Class Return After Taxes on Distributions and Sales of Fund Shares‌(1)

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

I-2 Return Before Taxes

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

Class A Return Before Taxes

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

Class C Return Before Taxes

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

3 Month USD LIBOR Index (reflects no deductions for fees, expenses or taxes)

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

 

Lipper Absolute Return Funds Average (reflects no deductions for taxes)

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

(1) After-tax returns are calculated using the highest historical individual federal marginal income tax rates and do not reflect the impact of state and local taxes. Actual after-tax returns depend on an investor's tax situation and may differ from those shown, and the after-tax returns shown are not relevant to investors who hold their Fund shares through tax-deferred arrangements, such as 401(k) plans or individual retirement accounts. In some cases the return after taxes may exceed the return before taxes due to an assumed tax benefit from any losses on a sale of Fund shares at the end of the measurement period.

 

[ ] | PROSPECTUS

30


 

Table of Contents

PIMCO Mortgage Opportunities and Bond Fund

After-tax returns are for Institutional Class shares only. After-tax returns for other classes will vary.

Investment Adviser/Portfolio Manager

PIMCO serves as the investment adviser for the Fund. The Fund's portfolio is jointly managed by Joshua Anderson, Daniel Hyman and Alfred T. Murata. Messrs. Anderson, Hyman and Murata are Managing Directors of PIMCO. They have managed the Fund since its inception in October 2012.

Other Important Information Regarding Fund Shares

For important information about purchase and sale of Fund shares, tax information, and payments to broker-dealers and other financial intermediaries, please turn to the "Summary of Other Important Information Regarding Fund Shares" section on page [ ] of this prospectus.

 

31     

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PIMCO Total Return Fund

Investment Objective

The Fund seeks maximum total return, consistent with preservation of capital and prudent investment management.

Fees and Expenses of the Fund

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 $100,000 in Class A shares of eligible funds offered by PIMCO Equity Series and PIMCO Funds. More information about these and other discounts is available in the "Classes of Shares" section on page [ ] of the Fund's prospectus, Appendix B to the Fund's prospectus (Financial Firm-Specific Sales Charge Waivers and Discounts) or from your financial advisor.

Shareholder Fees (fees paid directly from your investment):

 

Inst
Class

I-2

I-3

Admin
Class

Class A

Class C

Class R

Maximum Sales Charge (Load) Imposed on Purchases (as a percentage of offering price)

None

None

None

None

3.75%

None

None

Maximum Deferred Sales Charge (Load)
(as a percentage
of the lower of
the original
purchase price or redemption price)

None

None

None

None

1.00%

1.00%

None

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

 

Inst
Class

I-2

I-3

Admin
Class

Class A

Class C

Class R

Management Fees(1)

0.46%

0.56%

0.66%

0.46%

0.55%

0.60%

0.60%

Distribution and/or Service (12b-1) Fees

N/A

N/A

N/A

0.25%

0.25%

1.00%

0.50%

Other Expenses(2)

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

Fee Waiver and/or Expense Reimbursement(3)

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses After Fee Waiver and/or Expense Reimbursement

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

 

1 Expense information in the table has been restated to reflect current Management Fees.

2 "Other Expenses" include interest expense of [ ]%. Interest expense is borne by the Fund separately from the management fees paid to Pacific Investment Management Company LLC ("PIMCO"). Excluding interest expense, Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses After Fee Waiver and/or Expense Reimbursement are [ ]%, [ ]%, [ ]%, [ ]%, [ ]%, [ ]% and [ ]% for Institutional Class, I-2, I-3, Administrative Class, Class A, Class C and Class R shares, respectively.

3 PIMCO has contractually agreed, through July 31, 2019, to reduce its supervisory and administrative fee for the Fund's I-3 shares by 0.05% of the average daily net assets attributable to I-3 shares of the Fund. This Fee Waiver Agreement renews annually unless terminated by PIMCO upon at least 30 days' prior notice to the end of the contract term.

Example. The Example is intended to help you compare the cost of investing in Institutional Class, I-2, I-3, Administrative Class, Class A, Class C or Class R shares of the Fund with the costs of investing in other mutual funds. The Example assumes that you invest $10,000 in the noted class of shares for the time periods indicated, and then redeem all 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. Investors may pay brokerage commissions on their purchases and sales of Institutional Class, I-2 or I-3 shares of the Fund, which are not reflected in the Example. Although your actual costs may be higher or lower, based on these assumptions your costs would be:

If you redeem your shares at the end of each period:

 

1 Year

3 Years

5 Years

10 Years

Institutional Class

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

I-2

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

I-3

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

Administrative Class

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

Class A

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

Class C

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

Class R

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

If you do not redeem your shares:

 

1 Year

3 Years

5 Years

10 Years

Class A

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

Class C

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

Portfolio Turnover

The Fund pays transaction costs 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 the Annual Fund Operating Expenses or in the Example tables, affect the Fund's performance. During the most recent fiscal year, the Fund's portfolio turnover rate was [ ]% of the average value of its portfolio.

Principal Investment Strategies

The Fund seeks to achieve its investment objective by investing under normal circumstances at least 65% of its total assets in a diversified portfolio of Fixed Income Instruments of varying maturities, which may be represented by forwards or derivatives such as options, futures contracts, or swap agreements. "Fixed Income Instruments" include bonds, debt securities and other similar instruments issued by various U.S. and non-U.S. public- or private-sector entities. The average portfolio duration of this Fund normally varies within two years (plus or minus) of the portfolio duration of the securities comprising the Bloomberg Barclays U.S. Aggregate Index, as calculated by PIMCO, which as of [ ] was [ ] years. Duration is a measure used to determine the sensitivity of a security's price to changes in interest rates. The longer a security's duration, the more sensitive it will be to changes in interest rates.

The Fund invests primarily in investment-grade debt securities, but may invest up to 20% of its total assets in high yield securities ("junk bonds"), as rated by Moody's Investors Service, Inc. ("Moody's"), Standard & Poor's Ratings Services ("S&P") or Fitch, Inc. ("Fitch"), or, if unrated, as

 



PIMCO FUNDS | PROSPECTUS

32


 

Table of Contents

PIMCO Total Return Fund

determined by PIMCO. The Fund may invest up to 30% of its total assets in securities denominated in foreign currencies, and may invest beyond this limit in U.S. dollar-denominated securities of foreign issuers. The Fund may invest up to 15% of its total assets in securities and instruments that are economically tied to emerging market countries (this limitation does not apply to investment grade sovereign debt denominated in the local currency with less than 1 year remaining to maturity, which means the Fund may invest, together with any other investments denominated in foreign currencies, up to 30% of its total assets in such instruments). The Fund will normally limit its foreign currency exposure (from non-U.S. dollar-denominated securities or currencies) to 20% of its total assets.

The Fund may invest, without limitation, in derivative instruments, such as options, futures contracts or swap agreements, or in mortgage- or asset-backed securities, subject to applicable law and any other restrictions described in the Fund's prospectus or Statement of Additional Information. The Fund may purchase or sell securities on a when-issued, delayed delivery or forward commitment basis and may engage in short sales. The Fund may invest up to 10% of its total assets in preferred securities, convertible securities and other equity-related securities.

The Fund may, without limitation, seek to obtain market exposure to the securities in which it primarily invests by entering into a series of purchase and sale contracts or by using other investment techniques (such as buy backs or dollar rolls). The "total return" sought by the Fund consists of income earned on the Fund's investments, plus capital appreciation, if any, which generally arises from decreases in interest rates, foreign currency appreciation, or improving credit fundamentals for a particular sector or security.

Principal Risks

It is possible to lose money on an investment in the Fund. The principal risks of investing in the Fund, which could adversely affect its net asset value, yield and total return are listed below.

Interest Rate Risk: the risk that fixed income securities will decline in value because of an increase in interest rates; a fund with a longer average portfolio duration will be more sensitive to changes in interest rates than a fund with a shorter average portfolio duration

Call Risk: the risk that an issuer may exercise its right to redeem a fixed income security earlier than expected (a call). Issuers may call outstanding securities prior to their maturity for a number of reasons (e.g., declining interest rates, changes in credit spreads and improvements in the issuer's credit quality). If an issuer calls a security that the Fund has invested in, the Fund may not recoup the full amount of its initial investment and may be forced to reinvest in lower-yielding securities, securities with greater credit risks or securities with other, less favorable features

Credit Risk: the risk that the Fund could lose money if the issuer or guarantor of a fixed income security, or the counterparty to a derivative contract, is unable or unwilling to meet its financial obligations

High Yield Risk: the risk that high yield securities and unrated securities of similar credit quality (commonly known as "junk bonds") are subject to greater levels of credit, call and liquidity risks. High yield securities are considered primarily speculative with respect to the issuer's continuing ability to make principal and interest payments, and may be more volatile than higher-rated securities of similar maturity

Market Risk: the risk that the value of securities owned by the Fund may go up or down, sometimes rapidly or unpredictably, due to factors affecting securities markets generally or particular industries

Issuer Risk: the risk that the value of a security may decline for a reason directly related to the issuer, such as management performance, financial leverage and reduced demand for the issuer's goods or services

Liquidity Risk: the risk that a particular investment may be difficult to purchase or sell and that the Fund may be unable to sell illiquid securities at an advantageous time or price or achieve its desired level of exposure to a certain sector. Liquidity risk may result from the lack of an active market, reduced number and capacity of traditional market participants to make a market in fixed income securities, and may be magnified in a rising interest rate environment or other circumstances where investor redemptions from fixed income mutual funds may be higher than normal, causing increased supply in the market due to selling activity

Derivatives Risk: the risk of investing in derivative instruments (such as futures, swaps and structured securities), including leverage, liquidity, interest rate, market, credit and management risks, mispricing or valuation complexity. Changes in the value of the derivative may not correlate perfectly with, and may be more sensitive to market events than, the underlying asset, rate or index, and the Fund could lose more than the initial amount invested. The Fund's use of derivatives may result in losses to the Fund, a reduction in the Fund's returns and/or increased volatility. Over-the-counter ("OTC") derivatives are also subject to the risk that a counterparty to the transaction will not fulfill its contractual obligations to the other party, as many of the protections afforded to centrally-cleared derivative transactions might not be available for OTC derivatives. For derivatives traded on an exchange or through a central counterparty, credit risk resides with the Fund's clearing broker, or the clearinghouse itself, rather than with a counterparty in an OTC derivative transaction. Changes in regulation relating to a mutual fund's use of derivatives and related instruments could potentially limit or impact the Fund's ability to invest in derivatives, limit the Fund's ability to employ certain strategies that use derivatives and/or adversely affect the value of derivatives and the Fund's performance

Equity Risk: the risk that the value of equity or equity-related securities may decline due to general market conditions which are not specifically related to a particular company or to factors affecting a particular industry or industries. Equity or equity-related securities generally have greater price volatility than fixed income securities

Mortgage-Related and Other Asset-Backed Securities Risk: the risks of investing in mortgage-related and other asset-backed securities, including interest rate risk, extension risk, prepayment risk and credit risk

Foreign (Non-U.S.) Investment Risk: the risk that investing in foreign (non-U.S.) securities may result in the Fund experiencing more rapid and extreme changes in value than a fund that invests exclusively in securities of U.S. companies, due to smaller markets, differing reporting, accounting and auditing standards, increased risk of delayed settlement of portfolio transactions or loss of certificates of portfolio securities, and the risk of

 

33     

PROSPECTUS | PIMCO FUNDS     


 

Table of Contents

Prospectus

unfavorable foreign government actions, including nationalization, expropriation or confiscatory taxation, currency blockage, or political changes or diplomatic developments. Foreign securities may also be less liquid and more difficult to value than securities of U.S. issuers

Emerging Markets Risk: the risk of investing in emerging market securities, primarily increased foreign (non-U.S.) investment risk

Sovereign Debt Risk: the risk that investments in fixed income instruments issued by sovereign entities may decline in value as a result of default or other adverse credit event resulting from an issuer's inability or unwillingness to make principal or interest payments in a timely fashion

Currency Risk: the risk that foreign (non-U.S.) currencies will change in value relative to the U.S. dollar and affect the Fund's investments in foreign (non-U.S.) currencies or in securities that trade in, and receive revenues in, or in derivatives that provide exposure to, foreign (non-U.S.) currencies

Leveraging Risk: the risk that certain transactions of the Fund, such as reverse repurchase agreements, loans of portfolio securities, and the use of when-issued, delayed delivery or forward commitment transactions, or derivative instruments, may give rise to leverage, magnifying gains and losses and causing the Fund to be more volatile than if it had not been leveraged. This means that leverage entails a heightened risk of loss

Management Risk: the risk that the investment techniques and risk analyses applied by PIMCO will not produce the desired results and that legislative, regulatory, or tax restrictions, policies or developments may affect the investment techniques available to PIMCO and the individual portfolio manager in connection with managing the Fund. There is no guarantee that the investment objective of the Fund will be achieved

Short Exposure Risk: the risk of entering into short sales, including the potential loss of more money than the actual cost of the investment, and the risk that the third party to the short sale will not fulfill its contractual obligations, causing a loss to the Fund

Convertible Securities Risk: as convertible securities share both fixed income and equity characteristics, they are subject to risks to which fixed income and equity investments are subject. These risks include equity risk, interest rate risk and credit risk

Please see "Description of Principal Risks" in the Fund's prospectus for a more detailed description of the risks of investing in the Fund. An investment in the Fund is not a deposit of a bank and is not insured or guaranteed by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation or any other government agency.

Performance Information

The performance information shows summary performance information for the Fund in a bar chart and an Average Annual Total Returns table. The information provides some indication of the risks of investing in the Fund by showing changes in its performance from year to year and by showing how the Fund's average annual returns compare with the returns of a broad-based securities market index and an index of similar funds. Absent any applicable fee waivers and/or expense limitations, if any, performance would have been lower. The bar chart shows performance of the Fund's Institutional Class shares. For periods prior to the inception date of I-2 shares (April 30, 2008), performance information shown in the table for that class is based on the performance of the Fund's Institutional Class shares, adjusted to reflect the actual distribution and/or service (12b-1) fees and other expenses paid by that class of shares. Performance for Class A and Class C shares in the Average Annual Total Returns table reflects the impact of sales charges. The I-3 shares of the Fund have not commenced operations as of the date of this prospectus. The Fund's past performance, before and after taxes, is not necessarily an indication of how the Fund will perform in the future.

The Bloomberg Barclays U.S. Aggregate Index represents securities that are SEC-registered, taxable, and dollar denominated. The index covers the U.S. investment grade fixed rate bond market, with index components for government and corporate securities, mortgage pass-through securities, and asset-backed securities. These major sectors are subdivided into more specific indices that are calculated and reported on a regular basis. Lipper Core Plus Bond Funds Average is a total return performance average of Funds tracked by Lipper, Inc. that invest at least 65% in domestic investment-grade debt issues (rated in the top four grades) with any remaining investment in non-benchmark sectors such as high-yield, global and emerging market debt. These funds maintain dollar-weighted average maturities of five to ten years.

Performance for the Fund is updated daily and quarterly and may be obtained as follows: daily updates on the net asset value and performance page at http://investments.pimco.com/DailyPerformance and quarterly updates at http://investments.pimco.com/QuarterlyPerformance.

Calendar Year Total Returns — Institutional Class*

 

[To be updated by subsequent amendment]



*The year-to-date return as of June 30, 2018 is [ ]%. For the periods shown in the bar chart, the highest quarterly return was [ ]% in the [ ], and the lowest quarterly return was [ ]% in the [ ].

 

[ ] | PROSPECTUS

34


 

Table of Contents

PIMCO Total Return Fund

Average Annual Total Returns (for periods ended 12/31/17)

 

1 Year

5 Years

10 Years

Institutional Class Return Before Taxes

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

Institutional Class Return After Taxes on Distributions‌(1)

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

Institutional Class Return After Taxes on Distributions and Sales of Fund Shares‌(1)

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

I-2 Return Before Taxes

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

Administrative Class Return Before Taxes

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

Class A Return Before Taxes

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

Class C Return Before Taxes

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

Class R Return Before Taxes

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

Bloomberg Barclays U.S. Aggregate Index (reflects no deductions for fees, expenses or taxes)

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

 

Lipper Core Plus Bond Funds Average (reflects no deductions for taxes)

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

(1) After-tax returns are calculated using the highest historical individual federal marginal income tax rates and do not reflect the impact of state and local taxes. Actual after-tax returns depend on an investor's tax situation and may differ from those shown, and the after-tax returns shown are not relevant to investors who hold their Fund shares through tax-deferred arrangements, such as 401(k) plans or individual retirement accounts. In some cases the return after taxes may exceed the return before taxes due to an assumed tax benefit from any losses on a sale of Fund shares at the end of the measurement period. After-tax returns are for Institutional Class shares only. After-tax returns for other classes will vary.

Investment Adviser/Portfolio Manager

PIMCO serves as the investment adviser for the Fund. The Fund's portfolio is jointly managed by Scott A. Mather, Mark Kiesel and Mihir Worah. Mr. Mather is CIO U.S. Core Strategies. Mr. Kiesel is CIO Global Credit. Mr. Worah is CIO Real Return and Asset Allocation. Each is a Managing Director of PIMCO.  Messrs. Mather, Kiesel and Worah have jointly managed the Fund since September 2014.

Other Important Information Regarding Fund Shares

For important information about purchase and sale of Fund shares, tax information, and payments to broker-dealers and other financial intermediaries, please turn to the "Summary of Other Important Information Regarding Fund Shares" section on page [ ] of this prospectus.

 

35     

PROSPECTUS | PIMCO FUNDS     


 

Table of Contents

PIMCO Total Return Fund II

Investment Objective

The Fund seeks maximum total return, consistent with preservation of capital and prudent investment management.

Fees and Expenses of the Fund

This table describes the fees and expenses that you may pay if you buy and hold shares of the Fund:

Shareholder Fees (fees paid directly from your investment): None

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

 

Inst
Class

I-2

Admin
Class

Management Fees

0.50%

0.60%

0.50%

Distribution and/or Service (12b-1) Fees

N/A

N/A

0.25%

Other Expenses(1)

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

 

1 "Other Expenses" include interest expense of [ ]%. Interest expense is borne by the Fund separately from the management fees paid to Pacific Investment Management Company LLC ("PIMCO"). Excluding interest expense, Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses are [ ]%, [ ]% and [ ]% for Institutional Class, I-2 and Administrative Class shares, respectively.

Example. The Example is intended to help you compare the cost of investing in Institutional Class, I-2 or Administrative Class shares of the Fund with the costs of investing in other mutual funds. The Example assumes that you invest $10,000 in the noted class of shares for the time periods indicated, and then redeem all 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. Investors may pay brokerage commissions on their purchases and sales of Institutional Class shares or I-2 shares of the Fund, which are not reflected in the Example. 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

Institutional Class

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

I-2

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

Administrative Class

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

Portfolio Turnover

The Fund pays transaction costs 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 the Annual Fund Operating Expenses or in the Example tables, affect the Fund's performance. During the most recent fiscal year, the Fund's portfolio turnover rate was [ ]% of the average value of its portfolio.

Principal Investment Strategies

The Fund seeks to achieve its investment objective by investing under normal circumstances at least 65% of its total assets in a diversified portfolio of Fixed Income Instruments of varying maturities, which may be represented by forwards or derivatives such as options, futures contracts, or swap agreements. "Fixed Income Instruments" include bonds, debt securities and other similar instruments issued by various U.S. public- or private-sector entities. The average portfolio duration of this Fund normally varies within two years (plus or minus) of the portfolio duration of the securities comprising the Bloomberg Barclays U.S. Aggregate Index, as calculated by Pacific Investment Management Company LLC ("PIMCO"), which as of [ ] was [ ] years. Duration is a measure used to determine the sensitivity of a security's price to changes in interest rates. The longer a security's duration, the more sensitive it will be to changes in interest rates. The Fund may invest only in investment grade U.S. dollar denominated securities of U.S. issuers that are rated at least Baa by Moody's Investors Service, Inc. ("Moody's"), or equivalently rated by Standard & Poor's Ratings Services ("S&P") or Fitch, Inc. ("Fitch"), or, if unrated, determined by PIMCO to be of comparable quality.

The Fund may invest, without limitation, in derivative instruments, such as options, futures contracts or swap agreements, or in mortgage- or asset-backed securities, subject to applicable law and any other restrictions described in the Fund's prospectus or Statement of Additional Information. The Fund may purchase or sell securities on a when-issued, delayed delivery or forward commitment basis and may engage in short sales. The Fund may, without limitation, seek to obtain market exposure to the securities in which it primarily invests by entering into a series of purchase and sale contracts or by using other investment techniques (such as buy backs or dollar rolls). The "total return" sought by the Fund consists of income earned on the Fund's investments, plus capital appreciation, if any, which generally arises from decreases in interest rates or improving credit fundamentals for a particular sector or security. The Fund may also invest up to 10% of its total assets in preferred securities.

Principal Risks

It is possible to lose money on an investment in the Fund. The principal risks of investing in the Fund, which could adversely affect its net asset value, yield and total return are listed below.

Interest Rate Risk: the risk that fixed income securities will decline in value because of an increase in interest rates; a fund with a longer average portfolio duration will be more sensitive to changes in interest rates than a fund with a shorter average portfolio duration

Call Risk: the risk that an issuer may exercise its right to redeem a fixed income security earlier than expected (a call). Issuers may call outstanding securities prior to their maturity for a number of reasons (e.g., declining interest rates, changes in credit spreads and improvements in the issuer's credit quality). If an issuer calls a security that the Fund has invested in, the Fund may not recoup the full amount of its initial investment and may be forced to reinvest in lower-yielding securities, securities with greater credit risks or securities with other, less favorable features

Credit Risk: the risk that the Fund could lose money if the issuer or guarantor of a fixed income security, or the counterparty to a derivative contract, is unable or unwilling to meet its financial obligations

 



PIMCO FUNDS | PROSPECTUS

36


 

Table of Contents

PIMCO Total Return Fund II

Market Risk: the risk that the value of securities owned by the Fund may go up or down, sometimes rapidly or unpredictably, due to factors affecting securities markets generally or particular industries

Issuer Risk: the risk that the value of a security may decline for a reason directly related to the issuer, such as management performance, financial leverage and reduced demand for the issuer's goods or services

Liquidity Risk: the risk that a particular investment may be difficult to purchase or sell and that the Fund may be unable to sell illiquid securities at an advantageous time or price or achieve its desired level of exposure to a certain sector. Liquidity risk may result from the lack of an active market, reduced number and capacity of traditional market participants to make a market in fixed income securities, and may be magnified in a rising interest rate environment or other circumstances where investor redemptions from fixed income mutual funds may be higher than normal, causing increased supply in the market due to selling activity

Derivatives Risk: the risk of investing in derivative instruments (such as futures, swaps and structured securities), including leverage, liquidity, interest rate, market, credit and management risks, mispricing or valuation complexity. Changes in the value of the derivative may not correlate perfectly with, and may be more sensitive to market events than, the underlying asset, rate or index, and the Fund could lose more than the initial amount invested. The Fund's use of derivatives may result in losses to the Fund, a reduction in the Fund's returns and/or increased volatility. Over-the-counter ("OTC") derivatives are also subject to the risk that a counterparty to the transaction will not fulfill its contractual obligations to the other party, as many of the protections afforded to centrally-cleared derivative transactions might not be available for OTC derivatives. For derivatives traded on an exchange or through a central counterparty, credit risk resides with the Fund's clearing broker, or the clearinghouse itself, rather than with a counterparty in an OTC derivative transaction. Changes in regulation relating to a mutual fund's use of derivatives and related instruments could potentially limit or impact the Fund's ability to invest in derivatives, limit the Fund's ability to employ certain strategies that use derivatives and/or adversely affect the value of derivatives and the Fund's performance

Equity Risk: the risk that the value of equity securities, such as common stocks and preferred securities, may decline due to general market conditions which are not specifically related to a particular company or to factors affecting a particular industry or industries. Equity securities generally have greater price volatility than fixed income securities

Mortgage-Related and Other Asset-Backed Securities Risk: the risks of investing in mortgage-related and other asset-backed securities, including interest rate risk, extension risk, prepayment risk and credit risk

Leveraging Risk: the risk that certain transactions of the Fund, such as reverse repurchase agreements, loans of portfolio securities, and the use of when-issued, delayed delivery or forward commitment transactions, or derivative instruments, may give rise to leverage, magnifying gains and losses and causing the Fund to be more volatile than if it had not been leveraged. This means that leverage entails a heightened risk of loss

Management Risk: the risk that the investment techniques and risk analyses applied by PIMCO will not produce the desired results and that legislative, regulatory, or tax restrictions, policies or developments may affect the investment techniques available to PIMCO and the individual portfolio manager in connection with managing the Fund. There is no guarantee that the investment objective of the Fund will be achieved

Short Exposure Risk: the risk of entering into short sales, including the potential loss of more money than the actual cost of the investment, and the risk that the third party to the short sale will not fulfill its contractual obligations, causing a loss to the Fund

Please see "Description of Principal Risks" in the Fund's prospectus for a more detailed description of the risks of investing in the Fund. An investment in the Fund is not a deposit of a bank and is not insured or guaranteed by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation or any other government agency.

Performance Information

The performance information shows summary performance information for the Fund in a bar chart and an Average Annual Total Returns table. The information provides some indication of the risks of investing in the Fund by showing changes in its performance from year to year and by showing how the Fund's average annual returns compare with the returns of a broad-based securities market index and an index of similar funds. Absent any applicable fee waivers and/or expense limitation, performance would have been lower. The bar chart shows performance of the Fund's Institutional Class shares. For periods prior to the inception date of I-2 shares (December 31, 2009), performance information shown in the table for that class is based on the performance of the Fund's Institutional Class shares, adjusted to reflect the actual distribution and/or service (12b-1) fees and other expenses paid by that class of shares. The Fund's past performance, before and after taxes, is not necessarily an indication of how the Fund will perform in the future.

The Bloomberg Barclays U.S. Aggregate Index represents securities that are SEC-registered, taxable, and dollar denominated. The index covers the U.S. investment grade fixed rate bond market, with index components for government and corporate securities, mortgage pass-through securities, and asset-backed securities. These major sectors are subdivided into more specific indices that are calculated and reported on a regular basis. Lipper Core Plus Bond Funds Average is a total return performance average of Funds tracked by Lipper, Inc. that invest at least 65% in domestic investment-grade debt issues (rated in the top four grades) with any remaining investment in non-benchmark sectors such as high-yield, global and emerging market debt. These funds maintain dollar-weighted average maturities of five to ten years.

Performance for the Fund is updated daily and quarterly and may be obtained as follows: daily updates on the net asset value and performance page at http://investments.pimco.com/DailyPerformance and quarterly updates at http://investments.pimco.com/QuarterlyPerformance.

 

37     

PROSPECTUS | PIMCO FUNDS     


 

Table of Contents

Prospectus

Calendar Year Total Returns — Institutional Class*

 

[To be updated by subsequent amendment]



*The year-to-date return as of June 30, 2018 is [ ]%. For the periods shown in the bar chart, the highest quarterly return was [ ]% in the [ ], and the lowest quarterly return was [ ]% in the [ ].

Average Annual Total Returns (for periods ended 12/31/17)

 

1 Year

5 Years

10 Years

Institutional Class Return Before Taxes

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

Institutional Class Return After Taxes on Distributions‌(1)

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

Institutional Class Return After Taxes on Distributions and Sales of Fund Shares‌(1)

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

I-2 Return Before Taxes

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

Administrative Class Return Before Taxes

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

Bloomberg Barclays U.S. Aggregate Index (reflects no deductions for fees, expenses or taxes)

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

 

Lipper Core Plus Bond Funds Average (reflects no deductions for taxes)

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

(1) After-tax returns are calculated using the highest historical individual federal marginal income tax rates and do not reflect the impact of state and local taxes. Actual after-tax returns depend on an investor's tax situation and may differ from those shown, and the after-tax returns shown are not relevant to investors who hold their Fund shares through tax-deferred arrangements, such as 401(k) plans or individual retirement accounts. In some cases the return after taxes may exceed the return before taxes due to an assumed tax benefit from any losses on a sale of Fund shares at the end of the measurement period. After-tax returns are for Institutional Class shares only. After-tax returns for other classes will vary.

Investment Adviser/Portfolio Manager

PIMCO serves as the investment adviser for the Fund. The Fund's portfolio is jointly managed by Scott A. Mather, Mark Kiesel and Mihir Worah. Mr. Mather is CIO U.S. Core Strategies. Mr. Kiesel is CIO Global Credit. Mr. Worah is CIO Real Return and Asset Allocation. Each is a Managing Director of PIMCO.  Messrs. Mather, Kiesel and Worah have jointly managed the Fund since September 2014.

Other Important Information Regarding Fund Shares

For important information about purchase and sale of Fund shares, tax information, and payments to broker-dealers and other financial intermediaries, please turn to the "Summary of Other Important Information Regarding Fund Shares" section on page [ ] of this prospectus.

 

[ ] | PROSPECTUS

38


 

Table of Contents

PIMCO Total Return Fund IV

Investment Objective

The Fund seeks maximum total return, consistent with preservation of capital and prudent investment management.

Fees and Expenses of the Fund

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 $100,000 in Class A shares of eligible funds offered by PIMCO Equity Series and PIMCO Funds. More information about these and other discounts is available in the "Classes of Shares" section on page [ ] of the Fund's prospectus, Appendix B to the Fund's prospectus (Financial Firm-Specific Sales Charge Waivers and Discounts) or from your financial advisor.

Shareholder Fees (fees paid directly from your investment):

 

Inst
Class

Class A

Class C

Maximum Sales Charge (Load) Imposed on Purchases (as a percentage of offering price)

None

3.75%

None

Maximum Deferred Sales Charge (Load) (as a percentage of the lower of the original purchase price or redemption price)

None

1.00%

1.00%

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

 

Inst
Class

Class A

Class C

Management Fees

0.50%

0.60%

0.60%

Distribution and/or Service (12b-1) Fees

N/A

0.25%

1.00%

Other Expenses(1)

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

 

1 "Other Expenses" include interest expense of [ ]%. Interest expense is borne by the Fund separately from the management fees paid to Pacific Investment Management Company LLC ("PIMCO"). Excluding interest expense, Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses are [ ]%, [ ]% and [ ]% for Institutional Class, Class A and Class C shares, respectively.

Example. The Example is intended to help you compare the cost of investing in Institutional Class, Class A or Class C shares of the Fund with the costs of investing in other mutual funds. The Example assumes that you invest $10,000 in the noted class of shares for the time periods indicated, and then redeem all 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. Investors may pay brokerage commissions on their purchases and sales of Institutional Class shares of the Fund, which are not reflected in the Example. Although your actual costs may be higher or lower, based on these assumptions your costs would be:

If you redeem your shares at the end of each period:

 

1 Year

3 Years

5 Years

10 Years

Institutional Class

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

Class A

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

Class C

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

If you do not redeem your shares:

 

1 Year

3 Years

5 Years

10 Years

Class A

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

Class C

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

Portfolio Turnover

The Fund pays transaction costs 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 the Annual Fund Operating Expenses or in the Example tables, affect the Fund's performance. During the most recent fiscal year, the Fund's portfolio turnover rate was [ ]% of the average value of its portfolio.

Principal Investment Strategies

 The Fund seeks to achieve its investment objective by investing under normal circumstances at least 80% of its net assets in a diversified portfolio of Fixed Income Instruments of varying maturities. "Fixed Income Instruments" include bonds, debt securities and other similar instruments issued by various U.S. and non-U.S. public- or private-sector entities.  The average portfolio duration of this Fund normally varies within one and a half years (plus or minus) of the portfolio duration of the securities comprising the Bloomberg Barclays U.S. Aggregate Index, as calculated by Pacific Investment Management Company LLC ("PIMCO"), which as of [ ] was [ ] years. Duration is a measure used to determine the sensitivity of a security's price to changes in interest rates.  The longer a security's duration, the more sensitive it will be to changes in interest rates.

The Fund may invest without limitation in the core sectors of the bond market including government bonds, mortgage bonds and corporate bonds and will generally seek to maintain positive exposure to these sectors. The Fund may invest only in investment grade securities of issuers that are rated at least Baa by Moody's Investors Service, Inc., ("Moody's"), or equivalently rated by Standard & Poor's Ratings Services ("S&P") or Fitch, Inc. ("Fitch"), or if unrated, determined by PIMCO to be of comparable quality. The Fund may invest up to 15% of its total assets in securities denominated in foreign currencies, and may invest beyond this limit in U.S. dollar-denominated securities of foreign issuers, although the Fund will normally limit its foreign currency exposure (from non-U.S. dollar-denominated securities or currencies) to 5% of its total assets. The Fund may invest up to 10% of its total assets in securities and instruments that are economically tied to emerging market countries (this limitation does not apply to investment grade sovereign debt denominated in the local currency with less than 1 year remaining to maturity, which means the Fund may invest, together with any other investments denominated in foreign currencies, up to 15% of its total assets in such instruments).

The Fund may invest in certain derivative instruments, such as futures contracts or swap agreements, or in mortgage- or asset-backed securities, subject to applicable law and any other restrictions described in the Fund's prospectus or Statement of Additional Information. The Fund may purchase or sell securities on a when-issued, delayed delivery or forward commitment basis and may engage in short sales, including short exposures obtained using derivative instruments, up to 10% of its total assets. The Fund may,

 



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without limitation, seek to obtain market exposure to the securities in which it primarily invests by entering into a series of purchase and sale contracts or by using other investment techniques (such as buy backs or dollar rolls). The "total return" sought by the Fund consists of income earned on the Fund's investments, plus capital appreciation, if any, which generally arises from decreases in interest rates, foreign currency appreciation, or improving credit fundamentals for a particular sector or security. The Fund may invest up to 10% of its total assets in preferred securities, convertible securities and other equity-related securities, although the Fund will not invest in common stock.

Principal Risks

It is possible to lose money on an investment in the Fund. The principal risks of investing in the Fund, which could adversely affect its net asset value, yield and total return are listed below.

Interest Rate Risk: the risk that fixed income securities will decline in value because of an increase in interest rates; a fund with a longer average portfolio duration will be more sensitive to changes in interest rates than a fund with a shorter average portfolio duration

Call Risk: the risk that an issuer may exercise its right to redeem a fixed income security earlier than expected (a call). Issuers may call outstanding securities prior to their maturity for a number of reasons (e.g., declining interest rates, changes in credit spreads and improvements in the issuer's credit quality). If an issuer calls a security that the Fund has invested in, the Fund may not recoup the full amount of its initial investment and may be forced to reinvest in lower-yielding securities, securities with greater credit risks or securities with other, less favorable features

Credit Risk: the risk that the Fund could lose money if the issuer or guarantor of a fixed income security, or the counterparty to a derivative contract, is unable or unwilling to meet its financial obligations

Market Risk: the risk that the value of securities owned by the Fund may go up or down, sometimes rapidly or unpredictably, due to factors affecting securities markets generally or particular industries

Issuer Risk: the risk that the value of a security may decline for a reason directly related to the issuer, such as management performance, financial leverage and reduced demand for the issuer's goods or services

Liquidity Risk: the risk that a particular investment may be difficult to purchase or sell and that the Fund may be unable to sell illiquid securities at an advantageous time or price or achieve its desired level of exposure to a certain sector. Liquidity risk may result from the lack of an active market, reduced number and capacity of traditional market participants to make a market in fixed income securities, and may be magnified in a rising interest rate environment or other circumstances where investor redemptions from fixed income mutual funds may be higher than normal, causing increased supply in the market due to selling activity

Derivatives Risk: the risk of investing in derivative instruments (such as futures, swaps and structured securities), including leverage, liquidity, interest rate, market, credit and management risks, mispricing or valuation complexity. Changes in the value of the derivative may not correlate perfectly with, and may be more sensitive to market events than, the underlying asset, rate or index, and the Fund could lose more than the initial amount invested. The Fund's use of derivatives may result in losses to the Fund, a reduction in the Fund's returns and/or increased volatility. Over-the-counter ("OTC") derivatives are also subject to the risk that a counterparty to the transaction will not fulfill its contractual obligations to the other party, as many of the protections afforded to centrally-cleared derivative transactions might not be available for OTC derivatives. For derivatives traded on an exchange or through a central counterparty, credit risk resides with the Fund's clearing broker, or the clearinghouse itself, rather than with a counterparty in an OTC derivative transaction. Changes in regulation relating to a mutual fund's use of derivatives and related instruments could potentially limit or impact the Fund's ability to invest in derivatives, limit the Fund's ability to employ certain strategies that use derivatives and/or adversely affect the value of derivatives and the Fund's performance

Equity Risk: the risk that the value of equity or equity-related securities may decline due to general market conditions which are not specifically related to a particular company or to factors affecting a particular industry or industries. Equity or equity-related securities generally have greater price volatility than fixed income securities

Mortgage-Related and Other Asset-Backed Securities Risk: the risks of investing in mortgage-related and other asset-backed securities, including interest rate risk, extension risk, prepayment risk and credit risk

Foreign (Non-U.S.) Investment Risk: the risk that investing in foreign (non-U.S.) securities may result in the Fund experiencing more rapid and extreme changes in value than a fund that invests exclusively in securities of U.S. companies, due to smaller markets, differing reporting, accounting and auditing standards, increased risk of delayed settlement of portfolio transactions or loss of certificates of portfolio securities, and the risk of unfavorable foreign government actions, including nationalization, expropriation or confiscatory taxation, currency blockage, or political changes or diplomatic developments. Foreign securities may also be less liquid and more difficult to value than securities of U.S. issuers

Emerging Markets Risk: the risk of investing in emerging market securities, primarily increased foreign (non-U.S.) investment risk

Sovereign Debt Risk: the risk that investments in fixed income instruments issued by sovereign entities may decline in value as a result of default or other adverse credit event resulting from an issuer's inability or unwillingness to make principal or interest payments in a timely fashion

Leveraging Risk: the risk that certain transactions of the Fund, such as reverse repurchase agreements, loans of portfolio securities, and the use of when-issued, delayed delivery or forward commitment transactions, or derivative instruments, may give rise to leverage, magnifying gains and losses and causing the Fund to be more volatile than if it had not been leveraged. This means that leverage entails a heightened risk of loss

Management Risk: the risk that the investment techniques and risk analyses applied by PIMCO will not produce the desired results and that legislative, regulatory, or tax restrictions, policies or developments may affect the investment techniques available to PIMCO and the individual portfolio manager in connection with managing the Fund. There is no guarantee that the investment objective of the Fund will be achieved

 

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PIMCO Total Return Fund IV

Short Exposure Risk: the risk of entering into short sales, including the potential loss of more money than the actual cost of the investment, and the risk that the third party to the short sale will not fulfill its contractual obligations, causing a loss to the Fund

Convertible Securities Risk: as convertible securities share both fixed income and equity characteristics, they are subject to risks to which fixed income and equity investments are subject. These risks include equity risk, interest rate risk and credit risk

Please see "Description of Principal Risks" in the Fund's prospectus for a more detailed description of the risks of investing in the Fund. An investment in the Fund is not a deposit of a bank and is not insured or guaranteed by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation or any other government agency.

Performance Information

The performance information shows summary performance information for the Fund in a bar chart and an Average Annual Total Returns table. The information provides some indication of the risks of investing in the Fund by showing changes in its performance from year to year and by showing how the Fund's average annual returns compare with the returns of a broad-based securities market index and an index of similar funds. Absent any applicable fee waivers and/or expense limitations, performance would have been lower. The bar chart shows performance of the Fund's Institutional Class shares. For periods prior to the inception date of Class C shares (June 1, 2012), performance information shown in the table for that class is based on the performance of the Fund's Institutional Class shares, adjusted to reflect the actual distribution and/or service (12b-1) fees and other expenses paid by that class of shares. Performance for Class A and Class C shares in the Average Annual Total Returns table reflects the impact of sales charges. The Fund's past performance, before and after taxes, is not necessarily an indication of how the Fund will perform in the future.

The Bloomberg Barclays U.S. Aggregate Index represents securities that are SEC-registered, taxable, and dollar denominated. The index covers the U.S. investment grade fixed rate bond market, with index components for government and corporate securities, mortgage pass-through securities, and asset-backed securities. These major sectors are subdivided into more specific indices that are calculated and reported on a regular basis. Lipper Core Plus Bond Funds Average is a total return performance average of Funds tracked by Lipper, Inc. that invest at least 65% in domestic investment-grade debt issues (rated in the top four grades) with any remaining investment in non-benchmark sectors such as high-yield, global and emerging market debt. These funds maintain dollar-weighted average maturities of five to ten years.

Performance for the Fund is updated daily and quarterly and may be obtained as follows: daily updates on the net asset value and performance page at http://investments.pimco.com/DailyPerformance and quarterly updates at http://investments.pimco.com/QuarterlyPerformance.

Calendar Year Total Returns — Institutional Class*

 

[To be updated by subsequent amendment]



*The year-to-date return as of June 30, 2018 is [ ]%. For the periods shown in the bar chart, the highest quarterly return was [ ]% in the [ ], and the lowest quarterly return was [ ]% in the [ ].

Average Annual Total Returns (for periods ended 12/31/17)

 

1 Year

5 Years

Since Inception (05/26/2011)

Institutional Class Return Before Taxes

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

Institutional Class Return After Taxes on Distributions‌(1)

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

Institutional Class Return After Taxes on Distributions and Sales of Fund Shares‌(1)

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

Class A Return Before Taxes

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

Class C Return Before Taxes

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

Bloomberg Barclays U.S. Aggregate Index (reflects no deductions for fees, expenses or taxes)

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

 

Lipper Core Plus Bond Funds Average (reflects no deductions for taxes)

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

(1) After-tax returns are calculated using the highest historical individual federal marginal income tax rates and do not reflect the impact of state and local taxes. Actual after-tax returns depend on an investor's tax situation and may differ from those shown, and the after-tax returns shown are not relevant to investors who hold their Fund shares through tax-deferred arrangements, such as 401(k) plans or individual retirement accounts. In some cases the return after taxes may exceed the return before taxes due to an assumed tax benefit from any losses on a sale of Fund shares at the end of the measurement period. After-tax returns are for Institutional Class shares only. After-tax returns for other classes will vary.

Investment Adviser/Portfolio Manager

PIMCO serves as the investment adviser for the Fund. The Fund's portfolio is jointly managed by Scott A. Mather, Mark Kiesel and Mihir Worah. Mr. Mather is CIO U.S. Core Strategies. Mr. Kiesel is CIO Global Credit. Mr. Worah is CIO Real Return and Asset Allocation. Each is a Managing Director of PIMCO.  Messrs. Mather, Kiesel and Worah have jointly managed the Fund since September 2014.

 

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Other Important Information Regarding Fund Shares

For important information about purchase and sale of Fund shares, tax information, and payments to broker-dealers and other financial intermediaries, please turn to the "Summary of Other Important Information Regarding Fund Shares" section on page [ ] of this prospectus.

 

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PIMCO Total Return ESG Fund

Investment Objective

The Fund seeks maximum total return, consistent with preservation of capital and prudent investment management.

Fees and Expenses of the Fund

This table describes the fees and expenses that you may pay if you buy and hold shares of the Fund:

Shareholder Fees (fees paid directly from your investment): None

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

 

Inst
Class

I-2

I-3

Admin
Class

Management Fees

0.50%

[ ]

[ ]

0.50%

Distribution and/or Service (12b-1) Fees

N/A

[ ]

[ ]

0.25%

Other Expenses(1)

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

Fee Waiver and/or Expense Reimbursement(2)

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses After Fee Waiver and/or Expense Reimbursement

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

 

1 "Other Expenses" include interest expense of 0.09%. Interest expense is borne by the Fund separately from the management fees paid to Pacific Investment Management Company LLC ("PIMCO"). Excluding interest expense, Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses are [ ]%, [ ]%, [ ]% and [ ]% for Institutional Class, I-2, I-3 and Administrative Class shares, respectively.

2 PIMCO has contractually agreed, through July 31, 2019, to reduce its supervisory and administrative fee for the Fund's I-3 shares by [ ]% of the average daily net assets attributable to I-3 shares of the Fund. This Fee Waiver Agreement renews annually unless terminated by PIMCO upon at least 30 days' prior notice to the end of the contract term.

Example. The Example is intended to help you compare the cost of investing in Institutional Class, I-2, I-3 or Administrative Class shares of the Fund with the costs of investing in other mutual funds. The Example assumes that you invest $10,000 in the noted class of shares for the time periods indicated, and then redeem all 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. Investors may pay brokerage commissions on their purchases and sales of Institutional Class, I-2 or I-3 shares of the Fund, which are not reflected in the Example. 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

Institutional Class

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

I-2

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

I-3

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

Administrative Class

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

Portfolio Turnover

The Fund pays transaction costs 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 the Annual Fund Operating Expenses or in the Example tables, affect the Fund's performance. During the most recent fiscal year, the Fund's portfolio turnover rate was [ ]% of the average value of its portfolio.

Principal Investment Strategies

The Fund seeks to achieve its investment objective by investing under normal circumstances at least 65% of its total assets in a diversified portfolio of Fixed Income Instruments of varying maturities, which may be represented by forwards or derivatives such as options, futures contracts, or swap agreements. "Fixed Income Instruments" include bonds, debt securities and other similar instruments issued by various U.S. and non-U.S. public- or private-sector entities. The average portfolio duration of this Fund normally varies within two years (plus or minus) of the portfolio duration of the securities comprising the Bloomberg Barclays U.S. Aggregate Index, as calculated by PIMCO, which as of [ ] was [ ] years. Duration is a measure used to determine the sensitivity of a security's price to changes in interest rates. The longer a security's duration, the more sensitive it will be to changes in interest rates. The Fund will not invest in the securities of any issuer determined by PIMCO to be engaged principally in the manufacture of alcoholic beverages, tobacco products or military equipment, the operation of gambling casinos, the production of coal, or in the production or trade of pornographic materials. In addition, the Fund will not invest in the securities of any issuer determined by PIMCO to be engaged principally in the provision of healthcare services or the manufacture of pharmaceuticals, unless the issuer derives 100% of its gross revenues from products or services designed to protect and improve the quality of human life, as determined on the basis of information available to PIMCO. To the extent possible on the basis of information available to PIMCO, an issuer will be deemed to be principally engaged in an activity if it derives more than 10% of its gross revenues from such activities. In addition, the Fund will not invest directly in securities of issuers that are engaged in certain business activities in or with the Republic of the Sudan.

In analyzing whether an issuer meets any of the criteria described above, PIMCO may rely upon, among other things, information provided by an independent third party.

The Fund may avoid investment in the securities of issuers whose business practices with respect to the environment, social responsibility, and governance ("ESG practices") are not to PIMCO's satisfaction. In determining the efficacy of an issuer's ESG practices, PIMCO will use its own proprietary assessments of material ESG issues and may also reference standards as set forth by recognized global organizations such as entities sponsored by the United Nations. Additionally, PIMCO may engage proactively with issuers to encourage them to improve their ESG practices. PIMCO's activities in this respect may include, but are not limited to, direct dialogue with company management, such as through in-person meetings, phone calls, electronic communications, and letters. Through these engagement activities, PIMCO seeks to identify opportunities for a company to improve its ESG practices, and will endeavor to work collaboratively with company management to establish concrete objectives and to develop a plan for meeting these objectives. The Fund may invest in securities of issuers whose ESG practices are currently suboptimal, with the expectation that these practices may improve over time either as a result of PIMCO's engagement efforts or through the company's own initiatives. It may also

 



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exclude those issuers that are not receptive to PIMCO's engagement efforts, as determined in PIMCO's sole discretion.

The Fund invests primarily in investment grade securities, but may invest up to 20% of its total assets in high yield securities ("junk bonds"), as rated by Moody's Investors Service, Inc. ("Moody's"), Standard & Poor's Ratings Services ("S&P") or Fitch, Inc. ("Fitch"), or, if unrated, as determined by PIMCO. The Fund may invest up to 30% of its total assets in securities denominated in foreign currencies, and may invest beyond this limit in U.S. dollar-denominated securities of foreign issuers. The Fund may invest up to 15% of its total assets in securities and instruments that are economically tied to emerging market countries (this limitation does not apply to investment grade sovereign debt denominated in the local currency with less than 1 year remaining to maturity, which means the Fund may invest, together with any other investments denominated in foreign currencies, up to 30% of its total assets in such instruments). The Fund will normally limit its foreign currency exposure (from non-U.S. dollar-denominated securities or currencies) to 20% of its total assets.

The Fund may invest, without limitation, in derivative instruments, such as options, futures contracts or swap agreements, or in mortgage- or asset-backed securities, subject to applicable law and any other restrictions described in the Fund's prospectus or Statement of Additional Information. The Fund may purchase or sell securities on a when-issued, delayed delivery or forward commitment basis and may engage in short sales. The Fund may, without limitation, seek to obtain market exposure to the securities in which it primarily invests by entering into a series of purchase and sale contracts or by using other investment techniques (such as buy backs or dollar rolls). The "total return" sought by the Fund consists of income earned on the Fund's investments, plus capital appreciation, if any, which generally arises from decreases in interest rates, foreign currency appreciation, or improving credit fundamentals for a particular sector or security. The Fund may also invest up to 10% of its total assets in preferred securities.

Principal Risks

It is possible to lose money on an investment in the Fund. The principal risks of investing in the Fund, which could adversely affect its net asset value, yield and total return are listed below.

Interest Rate Risk: the risk that fixed income securities will decline in value because of an increase in interest rates; a fund with a longer average portfolio duration will be more sensitive to changes in interest rates than a fund with a shorter average portfolio duration

Call Risk: the risk that an issuer may exercise its right to redeem a fixed income security earlier than expected (a call). Issuers may call outstanding securities prior to their maturity for a number of reasons (e.g., declining interest rates, changes in credit spreads and improvements in the issuer's credit quality). If an issuer calls a security that the Fund has invested in, the Fund may not recoup the full amount of its initial investment and may be forced to reinvest in lower-yielding securities, securities with greater credit risks or securities with other, less favorable features

Credit Risk: the risk that the Fund could lose money if the issuer or guarantor of a fixed income security, or the counterparty to a derivative contract, is unable or unwilling to meet its financial obligations

High Yield Risk: the risk that high yield securities and unrated securities of similar credit quality (commonly known as "junk bonds") are subject to greater levels of credit, call and liquidity risks. High yield securities are considered primarily speculative with respect to the issuer's continuing ability to make principal and interest payments, and may be more volatile than higher-rated securities of similar maturity

Market Risk: the risk that the value of securities owned by the Fund may go up or down, sometimes rapidly or unpredictably, due to factors affecting securities markets generally or particular industries

Issuer Risk: the risk that the value of a security may decline for a reason directly related to the issuer, such as management performance, financial leverage and reduced demand for the issuer's goods or services

Liquidity Risk: the risk that a particular investment may be difficult to purchase or sell and that the Fund may be unable to sell illiquid securities at an advantageous time or price or achieve its desired level of exposure to a certain sector. Liquidity risk may result from the lack of an active market, reduced number and capacity of traditional market participants to make a market in fixed income securities, and may be magnified in a rising interest rate environment or other circumstances where investor redemptions from fixed income mutual funds may be higher than normal, causing increased supply in the market due to selling activity

Derivatives Risk: the risk of investing in derivative instruments (such as futures, swaps and structured securities), including leverage, liquidity, interest rate, market, credit and management risks, mispricing or valuation complexity. Changes in the value of the derivative may not correlate perfectly with, and may be more sensitive to market events than, the underlying asset, rate or index, and the Fund could lose more than the initial amount invested. The Fund's use of derivatives may result in losses to the Fund, a reduction in the Fund's returns and/or increased volatility. Over-the-counter ("OTC") derivatives are also subject to the risk that a counterparty to the transaction will not fulfill its contractual obligations to the other party, as many of the protections afforded to centrally-cleared derivative transactions might not be available for OTC derivatives. For derivatives traded on an exchange or through a central counterparty, credit risk resides with the Fund's clearing broker, or the clearinghouse itself, rather than with a counterparty in an OTC derivative transaction. Changes in regulation relating to a mutual fund's use of derivatives and related instruments could potentially limit or impact the Fund's ability to invest in derivatives, limit the Fund's ability to employ certain strategies that use derivatives and/or adversely affect the value of derivatives and the Fund's performance

Equity Risk: the risk that the value of equity securities, such as common stocks and preferred securities, may decline due to general market conditions which are not specifically related to a particular company or to factors affecting a particular industry or industries. Equity securities generally have greater price volatility than fixed income securities

Mortgage-Related and Other Asset-Backed Securities Risk: the risks of investing in mortgage-related and other asset-backed securities, including interest rate risk, extension risk, prepayment risk and credit risk

Foreign (Non-U.S.) Investment Risk: the risk that investing in foreign (non-U.S.) securities may result in the Fund experiencing more rapid and

 

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extreme changes in value than a fund that invests exclusively in securities of U.S. companies, due to smaller markets, differing reporting, accounting and auditing standards, increased risk of delayed settlement of portfolio transactions or loss of certificates of portfolio securities, and the risk of unfavorable foreign government actions, including nationalization, expropriation or confiscatory taxation, currency blockage, or political changes or diplomatic developments. Foreign securities may also be less liquid and more difficult to value than securities of U.S. issuers

Emerging Markets Risk: the risk of investing in emerging market securities, primarily increased foreign (non-U.S.) investment risk

Sovereign Debt Risk: the risk that investments in fixed income instruments issued by sovereign entities may decline in value as a result of default or other adverse credit event resulting from an issuer's inability or unwillingness to make principal or interest payments in a timely fashion

Currency Risk: the risk that foreign (non-U.S.) currencies will change in value relative to the U.S. dollar and affect the Fund's investments in foreign (non-U.S.) currencies or in securities that trade in, and receive revenues in, or in derivatives that provide exposure to, foreign (non-U.S.) currencies

Leveraging Risk: the risk that certain transactions of the Fund, such as reverse repurchase agreements, loans of portfolio securities, and the use of when-issued, delayed delivery or forward commitment transactions, or derivative instruments, may give rise to leverage, magnifying gains and losses and causing the Fund to be more volatile than if it had not been leveraged. This means that leverage entails a heightened risk of loss

Management Risk: the risk that the investment techniques and risk analyses applied by PIMCO will not produce the desired results and that legislative, regulatory, or tax restrictions, policies or developments may affect the investment techniques available to PIMCO and the individual portfolio manager in connection with managing the Fund. There is no guarantee that the investment objective of the Fund will be achieved

Short Exposure Risk: the risk of entering into short sales, including the potential loss of more money than the actual cost of the investment, and the risk that the third party to the short sale will not fulfill its contractual obligations, causing a loss to the Fund

Responsible Investing Risk: the risk that, because the Fund's responsible investment strategy may select or exclude securities of certain issuers for reasons other than performance, the Fund may underperform funds that do not utilize a responsible investment strategy. Responsible investing is qualitative and subjective by nature, and there is no guarantee that the criteria utilized by PIMCO or any judgment exercised by PIMCO will reflect the beliefs or values of any particular investor

Please see "Description of Principal Risks" in the Fund's prospectus for a more detailed description of the risks of investing in the Fund. An investment in the Fund is not a deposit of a bank and is not insured or guaranteed by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation or any other government agency.

Performance Information

The performance information shows summary performance information for the Fund in a bar chart and an Average Annual Total Returns table. The information provides some indication of the risks of investing in the Fund by showing changes in its performance from year to year and by showing how the Fund's average annual returns compare with the returns of a broad-based securities market index and an index of similar funds. Absent any applicable fee waivers and/or expense limitations, performance would have been lower. The bar chart shows performance of the Fund's Institutional Class shares. For periods prior to the inception date of I-2 shares (March 31, 2009), performance information shown in the table for that class is based on the performance of the Fund's Institutional Class shares, adjusted to reflect the actual distribution and/or service (12b-1) fees and other expenses paid by that class of shares. The I-3 shares of the Fund have not commenced operations as of the date of this prospectus. The Fund's past performance, before and after taxes, is not necessarily an indication of how the Fund will perform in the future.

The Bloomberg Barclays U.S. Aggregate Index represents securities that are SEC-registered, taxable, and dollar denominated. The index covers the U.S. investment grade fixed rate bond market, with index components for government and corporate securities, mortgage pass-through securities, and asset-backed securities. These major sectors are subdivided into more specific indices that are calculated and reported on a regular basis. Lipper Core Plus Bond Funds Average is a total return performance average of Funds tracked by Lipper, Inc. that invest at least 65% in domestic investment-grade debt issues (rated in the top four grades) with any remaining investment in non-benchmark sectors such as high-yield, global and emerging market debt. These funds maintain dollar-weighted average maturities of five to ten years.

Performance for the Fund is updated daily and quarterly and may be obtained as follows: daily updates on the net asset value and performance page at http://investments.pimco.com/DailyPerformance and quarterly updates at http://investments.pimco.com/QuarterlyPerformance.

Calendar Year Total Returns — Institutional Class*

 

[To be updated by subsequent amendment]



*The year-to-date return as of June 30, 2018 is [ ]%. For the periods shown in the bar chart, the highest quarterly return was [ ]% in the [ ], and the lowest quarterly return was [ ]% in the [ ].

 

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Average Annual Total Returns (for periods ended 12/31/17)

 

1 Year

5 Years

10 Years

Institutional Class Return Before Taxes

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

Institutional Class Return After Taxes on Distributions‌(1)

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

Institutional Class Return After Taxes on Distributions and Sales of Fund Shares‌(1)

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

I-2 Return Before Taxes

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

Administrative Class Return Before Taxes

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

Bloomberg Barclays U.S. Aggregate Index (reflects no deductions for fees, expenses or taxes)

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

 

Lipper Core Plus Bond Funds Average (reflects no deductions for taxes)

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

(1) After-tax returns are calculated using the highest historical individual federal marginal income tax rates and do not reflect the impact of state and local taxes. Actual after-tax returns depend on an investor's tax situation and may differ from those shown, and the after-tax returns shown are not relevant to investors who hold their Fund shares through tax-deferred arrangements, such as 401(k) plans or individual retirement accounts. In some cases the return after taxes may exceed the return before taxes due to an assumed tax benefit from any losses on a sale of Fund shares at the end of the measurement period. After-tax returns are for Institutional Class shares only. After-tax returns for other classes will vary.

Investment Adviser/Portfolio Manager

PIMCO serves as the investment adviser for the Fund. The Fund's portfolio is jointly managed by Scott A. Mather, Mike Amey, Mark Kiesel and Mihir Worah. Mr. Mather is CIO U.S. Core Strategies. Mr. Amey is head of PIMCO's ESG strategies. Mr. Kiesel is CIO Global Credit. Mr. Worah is CIO Real Return and Asset Allocation. Messrs. Mather, Amey, Kiesel and Worah are Managing Directors of PIMCO. Messrs. Mather, Kiesel and Worah have jointly managed the Fund since September 2014, and Mr. Amey has jointly managed the Fund since October 2017.

Other Important Information Regarding Fund Shares

For important information about purchase and sale of Fund shares, tax information, and payments to broker-dealers and other financial intermediaries, please turn to the "Summary of Other Important Information Regarding Fund Shares" section on page [ ] of this prospectus.

 

[ ] | PROSPECTUS

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Summary of Other Important Information Regarding Fund Shares

Purchase and Sale of Fund Shares

Fund shares may be purchased or sold (redeemed) on any business day (normally any day when the New York Stock Exchange is open). Generally, purchase and redemption orders for Fund shares are processed at the net asset value next calculated after an order is received by the Fund.

Institutional Class, I-2, I-3 and Administrative Class

The minimum initial investment for Institutional Class, I-2, I-3 and Administrative Class shares of the Fund is $1 million, except that the minimum initial investment may be modified for certain financial firms that submit orders on behalf of their customers.

You may sell (redeem) all or part of your Institutional Class, I-2, I-3 and Administrative Class shares of the Fund on any business day. If you are the registered owner of the shares on the books of the Fund, depending on the elections made on the Account Application, you may sell by:

Sending a written request by mail to:
PIMCO Funds c/o DST Asset Manager Solutions
330 W. 9th Street, Kansas City, MO 64105 

Calling us at 888.87.PIMCO and a Shareholder Services associate will assist you 

Sending a fax to our Shareholder Services department at 816.421.2861 

Sending an e-mail to piprocess@dstsystems.com

Class A, Class C and Class R

The minimum initial investment for Class A and Class C shares of the Fund is $1,000. The minimum subsequent investment for Class A and Class C shares is $50. The minimum initial investment may be modified for certain financial firms that submit orders on behalf of their customers. Class C shares of each Fund will automatically convert into Class A shares of the same Fund after they have been held for ten years, as described in the "Classes of Shares" section of the Fund's prospectus. You may purchase or sell (redeem) all or part of your Class A and Class C shares through a broker-dealer, or other financial firm, or, if you are the registered owner of the shares on the books of the Fund, by regular mail to PIMCO Funds, P.O. Box 55060, Boston, MA 02205-5060 or overnight mail to PIMCO Funds, c/o DST Asset Manager Solutions, Inc., 30 Dan Road, Canton, MA 02021-2809. The Fund reserves the right to require payment by wire or U.S. Bank check in connection with accounts opened directly with the Fund by Account Application.

There is no minimum initial or minimum subsequent investment in Class R shares because Class R shares may only be purchased through omnibus accounts for specified benefit plans. Specified benefit plans that wish to invest directly by mail should send a check payable to the PIMCO Family of Funds, along with a completed Account Application, by regular mail to PIMCO Funds, P.O. Box 55060, Boston, MA 02205-5060 or overnight mail to PIMCO Funds, c/o DST Asset Manager Solutions, Inc., 30 Dan Road, Canton, MA 02021-2809.

Tax Information

The Fund's distributions are generally taxable to you as ordinary income, capital gains, or a combination of the two, unless you are investing through a tax-deferred arrangement, such as a 401(k) plan or an individual retirement account, in which case distributions may be taxable upon withdrawal.

Payments to Broker-Dealers and Other Financial Firms

If you purchase shares of the Fund through a broker-dealer or other financial firm (such as a bank), the Fund and/or its related companies (including PIMCO) may pay the financial firm for the sale of those shares of the Fund and/or related services. These payments may create a conflict of interest by influencing the broker-dealer or other financial firm and your salesperson to recommend the Fund over another investment. Ask your salesperson or visit your financial firm's Web site for more information.

 

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Description of Principal Risks

The value of your investment in a Fund changes with the values of that Fund's investments. Many factors can affect those values. The factors that are most likely to have a material effect on a particular Fund's portfolio as a whole are called "principal risks." The principal risks of each Fund are identified in the Fund Summaries. The principal risks are described in this section. Each Fund may be subject to additional risks other than those identified and described below because the types of investments made by a Fund can change over time. Securities and investment techniques mentioned in this summary that appear in bold type are described in greater detail under "Characteristics and Risks of Securities and Investment Techniques." That section and "Investment Objectives and Policies" in the Statement of Additional Information (the "SAI") also include more information about the Funds, their investments and the related risks. There is no guarantee that a Fund will be able to achieve its investment objective. It is possible to lose money by investing in a Fund.

Principal Risk

PIMCO
Dynamic Bond Fund

PIMCO
Extended Duration Fund

PIMCO
GNMA and
Government Securities Fund

PIMCO
Investment Grade Credit Bond Fund

PIMCO
Long Duration Total Return
Fund

PIMCO
Long-Term U.S. Government
Fund

PIMCO
Moderate Duration Fund

Interest Rate

x

x

x

x

x

x

x

Call

x

x

x

x

x

x

x

Credit

x

x

x

x

x

x

x

High Yield

x

x

x

x

x

Market

x

x

x

x

x

x

x

Issuer

x

x

x

x

x

x

x

Liquidity

x

x

x

x

x

x

Derivatives

x

x

x

x

x

x

x

Equity

x

x

x

x

x

x

x

Mortgage-Related and Other Asset-Backed Securities

x

x

x

x

x

x

x

Extension

Prepayment

Privately Issued Mortgage-Related Securities

Real Estate

Foreign (Non-U.S.) Investment

x

x

x

x

x

x

Emerging Markets

x

x

x

x

x

x

Sovereign Debt

x

x

x

x

x

Currency

x

x

x

x

x

Leveraging

x

x

x

x

x

x

x

Management

x

x

x

x

x

x

x

Short Exposure

x

x

x

x

x

x

Convertible Securities

Responsible Investing

Distribution Rate

 

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PIMCO Funds

 

Principal Risk

PIMCO
Mortgage-Backed
Securities Fund

PIMCO
Mortgage Opportunities and Bond Fund

PIMCO
Total Return
Fund

PIMCO
Total Return
Fund II

PIMCO
Total Return
Fund IV

PIMCO
Total Return
ESG Fund

Interest Rate

x

x

x

x

x

x

Call

x

x

x

x

x

x

Credit

x

x

x

x

x

x

High Yield

x

x

x

Market

x

x

x

x

x

x

Issuer

x

x

x

x

x

x

Liquidity

x

x

x

x

x

x

Derivatives

x

x

x

x

x

x

Equity

x

x

x

x

x

x

Mortgage-Related and Other Asset-Backed Securities

x

x

x

x

x

x

Extension

x

Prepayment

x

Privately Issued Mortgage-Related Securities

x

Real Estate

x

Foreign (Non-U.S.) Investment

x

x

x

x

Emerging Markets

x

x

x

x

Sovereign Debt

x

x

x

Currency

x

x

Leveraging

x

x

x

x

x

x

Management

x

x

x

x

x

x

Short Exposure

x

x

x

x

x

x

Convertible Securities

x

x

x

Responsible Investing

x

Distribution Rate

x

Interest Rate Risk

Interest rate risk is the risk that fixed income securities and other instruments in a Fund's portfolio will decline in value because of an increase in interest rates. As nominal interest rates rise, the value of certain fixed income securities held by a Fund is likely to decrease. A nominal interest rate can be described as the sum of a real interest rate and an expected inflation rate. Interest rate changes can be sudden and unpredictable, and the Fund may lose money as a result of movements in interest rates. A Fund may not be able to hedge against changes in interest rates or may choose not to do so for cost or other reasons. In addition, any hedges may not work as intended.

Fixed income securities with longer durations tend to be more sensitive to changes in interest rates, usually making them more volatile than securities with shorter durations. The values of equity and other non-fixed income securities may also decline due to fluctuations in interest rates. Inflation-indexed bonds, including Treasury Inflation-Protected Securities ("TIPS"), decline in value when real interest rates rise. In certain interest rate environments, such as when real interest rates are rising faster than nominal interest rates, inflation-indexed bonds may experience greater losses than other fixed income securities with similar durations.

Variable and floating rate securities generally are less sensitive to interest rate changes but may decline in value if their interest rates do not rise as much, or as quickly, as interest rates in general. Conversely, floating rate securities will not generally increase in value if interest rates decline. Inverse floating rate securities may decrease in value if interest rates increase. Inverse floating rate securities may also exhibit greater price volatility than a fixed rate obligation with similar credit quality. When a Fund holds variable or floating rate securities, a decrease (or, in the case of inverse floating rate securities, an increase) in market interest rates will adversely affect the income received from such securities and the net asset value ("NAV") of the Fund's shares.

A wide variety of factors can cause interest rates to rise (e.g., central bank monetary policies, inflation rates, general economic conditions, etc.). This is especially true under current economic conditions because interest rates are near historically low levels. Thus, Funds currently face a heightened level of interest rate risk, especially as the Federal Reserve Board ended its quantitative easing program in October 2014 and has begun, and may continue, to raise interest rates. To the extent the Federal Reserve Board continues to raise interest rates, there is a risk that rates across the financial system may rise.

During periods of very low or negative interest rates, a Fund may be unable to maintain positive returns. Interest rates in the U.S. and many parts of the world, including certain European countries, are at or near historically low levels. Certain European countries have recently experienced negative interest

 

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rates on certain fixed income instruments. Very low or negative interest rates may magnify interest rate risk. Changing interest rates, including rates that fall below zero, may have unpredictable effects on markets, may result in heightened market volatility and may detract from Fund performance to the extent a Fund is exposed to such interest rates.

Measures such as average duration may not accurately reflect the true interest rate sensitivity of a Fund. This is especially the case if the Fund consists of securities with widely varying durations. Therefore, if a Fund has an average duration that suggests a certain level of interest rate risk, the Fund may in fact be subject to greater interest rate risk than the average would suggest. This risk is greater to the extent the Fund uses leverage or derivatives in connection with the management of the Fund.

Convexity is an additional measure used to understand a security's or Fund's interest rate sensitivity. Convexity measures the rate of change of duration in response to changes in interest rates. With respect to a security's price, a larger convexity (positive or negative) may imply more dramatic price changes in response to changing interest rates. Convexity may be positive or negative. Negative convexity implies that interest rate increases result in increased duration, meaning increased sensitivity in prices in response to rising interest rates. Thus, securities with negative convexity, which may include bonds with traditional call features and certain mortgage-backed securities, may experience greater losses in periods of rising interest rates. Accordingly, if a Fund holds such securities, the Fund may be subject to a greater risk of losses in periods of rising interest rates.

Call Risk

Call risk refers to the possibility that an issuer may exercise its right to redeem a fixed income security earlier than expected (a call). Issuers may call outstanding securities prior to their maturity for a number of reasons (e.g., declining interest rates, changes in credit spreads and improvements in the issuer's credit quality). If an issuer calls a security in which a Fund has invested, the Fund may not recoup the full amount of its initial investment and may be forced to reinvest in lower-yielding securities, securities with greater credit risks or securities with other, less favorable features.

Credit Risk

A Fund could lose money if the issuer or guarantor of a fixed income security (including a security purchased with securities lending collateral), or the counterparty to a derivatives contract, repurchase agreement or a loan of portfolio securities, is unable or unwilling, or is perceived (whether by market participants, rating agencies, pricing services or otherwise) as unable or unwilling, to make timely principal and/or interest payments, or to otherwise honor its obligations. The downgrade of the credit of a security held by a Fund may decrease its value. Securities are subject to varying degrees of credit risk, which are often reflected in credit ratings. Measures such as average credit quality may not accurately reflect the true credit risk of a Fund. This is especially the case if the Fund consists of securities with widely varying credit ratings. Therefore, if a Fund has an average credit rating that suggests a certain credit quality, the Fund may in fact be subject to greater credit risk than the average would suggest. This risk is greater to the extent the Fund uses leverage or derivatives in connection with the management of the Fund. Municipal bonds are subject to the risk that litigation, legislation or other political events, local business or economic conditions, or the bankruptcy of the issuer could have a significant effect on an issuer's ability to make payments of principal and/or interest.

High Yield Risk

Funds that invest in high yield securities and unrated securities of similar credit quality (commonly known as "high yield securities" or "junk bonds") may be subject to greater levels of credit risk, call risk and liquidity risk than funds that do not invest in such securities. These securities are considered predominantly speculative with respect to an issuer's continuing ability to make principal and interest payments, and may be more volatile than other types of securities. An economic downturn or individual corporate developments could adversely affect the market for these securities and reduce a Fund's ability to sell these securities at an advantageous time or price. An economic downturn would generally lead to a higher non-payment rate and, a high yield security may lose significant market value before a default occurs. High yield securities structured as zero-coupon bonds or pay-in-kind securities tend to be especially volatile as they are particularly sensitive to downward pricing pressures from rising interest rates or widening spreads and may require a Fund to make taxable distributions of imputed income without receiving the actual cash currency. Issuers of high yield securities may have the right to "call" or redeem the issue prior to maturity, which may result in a Fund having to reinvest the proceeds in other high yield securities or similar instruments that may pay lower interest rates. A Fund may also be subject to greater levels of liquidity risk than funds that do not invest in high yield securities. In addition, the high yield securities in which a Fund invests may not be listed on any exchange and a secondary market for such securities may be comparatively illiquid relative to markets for other more liquid fixed income securities. Consequently, transactions in high yield securities may involve greater costs than transactions in more actively traded securities. A lack of publicly-available information, irregular trading activity and wide bid/ask spreads among other factors, may, in certain circumstances, make high yield debt more difficult to sell at an advantageous time or price than other types of securities or instruments. These factors may result in a Fund being unable to realize full value for these securities and/or may result in a Fund not receiving the proceeds from a sale of a high yield security for an extended period after such sale, each of which could result in losses to a Fund. Because of the risks involved in investing in high yield securities, an investment in a Fund that invests in such securities should be considered speculative.

 

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PIMCO Funds

Market Risk

The market price of securities owned by a Fund may go up or down, sometimes rapidly or unpredictably. Securities may decline in value due to factors affecting securities markets generally or particular industries represented in the securities markets. The value of a security may decline due to general market conditions which are not specifically related to a particular company, such as real or perceived adverse economic conditions, changes in the general outlook for corporate earnings, changes in interest or currency rates, adverse changes to credit markets or adverse investor sentiment generally. The value of a security may also decline due to factors which affect a particular industry or industries, such as labor shortages or increased production costs and competitive conditions within an industry. During a general downturn in the securities markets, multiple asset classes may decline in value simultaneously. Equity securities generally have greater price volatility than fixed income securities. Credit ratings downgrades may also negatively affect securities held by the Fund. Even when markets perform well, there is no assurance that the investments held by a Fund will increase in value along with the broader market. In addition, market risk includes the risk that geopolitical events will disrupt the economy on a national or global level.  For instance, terrorism, market manipulation, government defaults, government shutdowns, political changes or diplomatic developments, and natural/environmental disasters can all negatively impact the securities markets, which could cause the Funds to lose value. Any market disruptions could also prevent a Fund from executing advantageous investment decisions in a timely manner. Funds that have focused their investments in a region enduring geopolitical market disruption will face higher risks of loss. Thus, investors should closely monitor current market conditions to determine whether a specific Fund meets their individual financial needs and tolerance for risk.

Current market conditions may pose heightened risks with respect to Funds that invest in fixed income securities. As discussed more under "Interest Rate Risk," interest rates in the U.S. are near historically low levels. However, continued economic recovery, the end of the Federal Reserve Board's quantitative easing program, and an increased likelihood of a rising interest rate environment increase the risk that interest rates will continue to rise in the near future. Any further interest rate increases in the future could cause the value of any Fund that invests in fixed income securities to decrease. As such, fixed income securities markets may experience heightened levels of interest rate, volatility and liquidity risk. If rising interest rates cause a Fund to lose enough value, the Fund could also face increased shareholder redemptions, which could force the Fund to liquidate investments at disadvantageous times or prices, therefore adversely affecting the Fund and its shareholders.

Exchanges and securities markets may close early, close late or issue trading halts on specific securities, which may result in, among other things, a Fund being unable to buy or sell certain securities or financial instruments at an advantageous time or accurately price its portfolio investments. In addition, a Fund may rely on various third-party sources to calculate its NAV. As a result, a Fund is subject to certain operational risks associated with reliance on service providers and service providers‘ data sources. In particular, errors or systems failures and other technological issues may adversely impact the Fund's calculations of its NAV, and such NAV calculation issues may result in inaccurately calculated NAVs, delays in NAV calculation and/or the inability to calculate NAVs over extended periods. A Fund may be unable to recover any losses associated with such failures.

Issuer Risk

The value of a security 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 goods or services, as well as the historical and prospective earnings of the issuer and the value of its assets. A change in the financial condition of a single issuer may affect securities markets as a whole.

Liquidity Risk

Liquidity risk exists when particular investments are difficult to purchase or sell. Illiquid securities are securities that cannot be disposed of within seven days in the ordinary course of business at approximately the value at which the Fund has valued the securities. Illiquid securities may become harder to value, especially in changing markets. A Fund's investments in illiquid securities may reduce the returns of the Fund because it may be unable to sell the illiquid securities at an advantageous time or price, which could prevent the Fund from taking advantage of other investment opportunities. Additionally, the market for certain investments may become illiquid under adverse market or economic conditions independent of any specific adverse changes in the conditions of a particular issuer. Bond markets have consistently grown over the past three decades while the capacity for traditional dealer counterparties to engage in fixed income trading has not kept pace and in some cases has decreased. As a result, dealer inventories of corporate bonds, which provide a core indication of the ability of financial intermediaries to "make markets," are at or near historic lows in relation to market size. Because market makers provide stability to a market through their intermediary services, the significant reduction in dealer inventories could potentially lead to decreased liquidity and increased volatility in the fixed income markets. Such issues may be exacerbated during periods of economic uncertainty. 

In such cases, a Fund, due to limitations on investments in illiquid securities and the difficulty in purchasing and selling such securities or instruments, may be unable to achieve its desired level of exposure to a certain sector. To the extent that a Fund's principal investment strategies involve securities of companies with smaller market capitalizations, foreign (non-U.S.) securities, Rule 144A securities, illiquid sectors of fixed income securities, derivatives or securities with substantial market and/or credit risk, the Fund will tend to have the greatest exposure to liquidity risk. Further, fixed income securities with longer durations until maturity face heightened levels of liquidity risk as compared to fixed income securities with shorter durations until maturity. Finally, liquidity risk also refers to the risk of unusually high redemption requests, redemption requests by certain large shareholders such as institutional investors or asset allocators, or other unusual market conditions that may make it difficult for a Fund to sell investments within the allowable

 

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time period to meet redemptions. Meeting such redemption requests could require a Fund to sell securities at reduced prices or under unfavorable conditions, which would reduce the value of the Fund. It may also be the case that other market participants may be attempting to liquidate fixed income holdings at the same time as a Fund, causing increased supply in the market and contributing to liquidity risk and downward pricing pressure.

Certain accounts or PIMCO affiliates may from time to time own (beneficially or of record) or control a significant percentage of a Fund's shares. Redemptions by these shareholders of their holdings in a Fund may impact the Fund's liquidity and NAV. These redemptions may also force a Fund to sell securities, which may negatively impact the Fund's brokerage costs.

Derivatives Risk

Derivatives are financial contracts whose value depends on, or is derived from, the value of an underlying asset, reference rate or index. The various derivative instruments that the Funds may use are referenced under "Characteristics and Risks of Securities and Investment Techniques—Derivatives" in this prospectus and described in more detail under "Investment Objectives and Policies" in the SAI. The Funds typically use derivatives as a substitute for taking a position in the underlying asset, as part of strategies designed to gain exposure to, for example, issuers, portions of the yield curve, indexes, sectors, currencies, and/or geographic regions, and/or to reduce exposure to other risks, such as interest rate, credit, or currency risk. The Funds may also use derivatives for leverage, in which case their use would involve leveraging risk, and in some cases, may subject a Fund to the potential for unlimited loss. The use of derivatives may cause the Fund's investment returns to be impacted by the performance of securities the Fund does not own and result in the Fund's total investment exposure exceeding the value of its portfolio.

A Fund's use of derivative instruments involves risks different from, or possibly greater than, the risks associated with investing directly in securities and other traditional investments. Derivatives are subject to a number of risks described elsewhere in this section, such as liquidity risk (which may be heightened for highly-customized derivatives), interest rate risk, market risk, credit risk and management risk, as well as risks arising from changes in applicable requirements. They also involve the risk of mispricing or improper valuation and the risk that changes in the value of the derivative instrument may not correlate perfectly with the underlying asset, rate or index. By investing in a derivative instrument, the Fund could lose more than the initial amount invested and derivatives may increase the volatility of the Fund, especially in unusual or extreme market conditions. Also, suitable derivative transactions may not be available in all circumstances and there can be no assurance that a Fund will engage in these transactions to reduce exposure to other risks when that would be beneficial or that, if used, such strategies will be successful. In addition, a Fund's use of derivatives may increase or accelerate the amount of taxes payable by shareholders. Over-the-counter ("OTC") derivatives are also subject to the risk that a counterparty to the transaction will not fulfill its contractual obligations to the other party, as many of the protections afforded to centrally-cleared derivative transactions might not be available for OTC derivatives. For derivatives traded on an exchange or through a central counterparty, credit risk resides with a Fund's clearing broker, or the clearinghouse itself, rather than with a counterparty in an OTC derivative transaction.

Participation in the markets for derivative instruments involves investment risks and transaction costs to which a Fund may not be subject absent the use of these strategies. The skills needed to successfully execute derivative strategies may be different from those needed for other types of transactions. If the Fund incorrectly forecasts the value and/or creditworthiness of securities, currencies, interest rates, counterparties or other economic factors involved in a derivative transaction, the Fund might have been in a better position if the Fund had not entered into such derivative transaction. In evaluating the risks and contractual obligations associated with particular derivative instruments, it is important to consider that certain derivative transactions may be modified or terminated only by mutual consent of the Fund and its counterparty. Therefore, it may not be possible for a Fund to modify, terminate, or offset the Fund's obligations or the Fund's exposure to the risks associated with a derivative transaction prior to its scheduled termination or maturity date, which may create a possibility of increased volatility and/or decreased liquidity to the Fund. In such case, the Fund may lose money.

Because the markets for certain derivative instruments (including markets located in foreign countries) are relatively new and still developing, appropriate derivative transactions may not be available in all circumstances for risk management or other purposes. Upon the expiration of a particular contract, a Fund may wish to retain a Fund's position in the derivative instrument by entering into a similar contract, but may be unable to do so if the counterparty to the original contract is unwilling to enter into the new contract and no other appropriate counterparty can be found. When such markets are unavailable, a Fund will be subject to increased liquidity and investment risk.

When a derivative is used as a hedge against a position that a Fund holds, any loss generated by the derivative generally should be substantially offset by gains on the hedged investment, and vice versa. Although hedging can reduce or eliminate losses, it can also reduce or eliminate gains. Hedges are sometimes subject to imperfect matching between the derivative and the underlying instrument, and there can be no assurance that a Fund's hedging transactions will be effective.

The regulation of the derivatives markets has increased over the past several years, and additional future regulation of the derivatives markets may make derivatives more costly, may limit the availability or reduce the liquidity of derivatives, or may otherwise adversely affect the value or performance of derivatives. Any such adverse future developments could impair the effectiveness or raise the costs of a Fund's derivative transactions, impede the employment of the Fund's derivatives strategies, or adversely affect the Fund's performance.

 

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PIMCO Funds

Equity Risk

Equity securities represent an ownership interest, or the right to acquire an ownership interest, in an issuer. Equity securities also include, among other things, preferred securities, convertible stocks and warrants. The values of equity securities, such as common stocks and preferred securities, may decline due to general market conditions which are not specifically related to a particular company, such as real or perceived adverse economic conditions, changes in the general outlook for corporate earnings, changes in interest or currency rates or adverse investor sentiment generally. They may also decline due to factors which affect a particular industry or industries, such as labor shortages or increased production costs and competitive conditions within an industry. Equity securities generally have greater price volatility than fixed income securities. These risks are generally magnified in the case of equity investments in distressed companies.

Mortgage-Related and Other Asset-Backed Securities Risk

Mortgage-related and other asset-backed securities represent interests in "pools" of mortgages or other assets such as consumer loans or receivables held in trust and often involve risks that are different from or possibly more acute than risks associated with other types of debt instruments. Generally, rising interest rates tend to extend the duration of fixed rate mortgage-related securities, making them more sensitive to changes in interest rates. As a result, in a period of rising interest rates, if a Fund holds mortgage-related securities, it may exhibit additional volatility since individual mortgage holders are less likely to exercise prepayment options, thereby putting additional downward pressure on the value of these securities and potentially causing the Fund to lose money. This is known as extension risk. Mortgage-backed securities can be highly sensitive to rising interest rates, such that even small movements can cause an investing Fund to lose value. Mortgage-backed securities, and in particular those not backed by a government guarantee, are subject to credit risk. In addition, adjustable and fixed rate mortgage-related securities are subject to prepayment risk. When interest rates decline, borrowers may pay off their mortgages sooner than expected. This can reduce the returns of a Fund because the Fund may have to reinvest that money at the lower prevailing interest rates. A Fund's investments in other asset-backed securities are subject to risks similar to those associated with mortgage-related securities, as well as additional risks associated with the nature of the assets and the servicing of those assets. Payment of principal and interest on asset-backed securities may be largely dependent upon the cash flows generated by the assets backing the securities, and asset-backed securities may not have the benefit of any security interest in the related assets.

Extension Risk

The issuer of a security held by a Fund (such as a mortgage-related or other asset-backed security) may under certain circumstances make principal payments on such security later than expected. This may occur, for example, when interest rates rise. Such later-than-expected principal payments decrease the value of the security held by a Fund. In addition, as payments are received later than expected, a Fund may miss the opportunity to reinvest in higher yielding securities.

Prepayment Risk

The issuer of a security held by a Fund (such as a mortgage-related or other asset-backed security) may under certain circumstances make principal payments on such security sooner than expected. This may occur, for example, when interest rates decline. Such sooner-than-expected principal payments may reduce the returns of a Fund because the Fund is forced to forego expected future interest payments on the principal amount paid back early and the Fund may be forced to reinvest the money it receives from such early payments at the lower prevailing interest rates. Additionally, the yield to maturity on an IO class of a stripped MBS ("SMBS") is extremely sensitive to the rate of principal payments (including prepayments) on the underlying mortgage assets, and a rapid rate of principal payments may have a material adverse effect on a Fund's yield to maturity from these securities.

Privately Issued Mortgage-Related Securities Risk

There are no direct or indirect government or agency guarantees of payments in pools created by non-governmental issuers. Privately issued mortgage-related securities are also not subject to the same underwriting requirements for the underlying mortgages that are applicable to those mortgage-related securities that have a government or government-sponsored entity guarantee.

Privately issued mortgage-related securities are not traded on an exchange and there may be a limited market for the securities, especially when there is a perceived weakness in the mortgage and real estate market sectors. Without an active trading market, mortgage-related securities held in a Fund's portfolio may be particularly difficult to value because of the complexities involved in assessing the value of the underlying mortgage loans.

Real Estate Risk

Investments in real estate investment trusts ("REITs") or real-estate linked derivative instruments are subject to risks similar to those associated with direct ownership of real estate, including losses from casualty or condemnation, and changes in local and general economic conditions, supply and demand, interest rates, zoning laws, regulatory limitations on rents, property taxes and operating expenses. An investment in a REIT or a real estate-linked derivative instrument that is linked to the value of a REIT is subject to additional risks, such as poor performance by the manager of the REIT, adverse changes to the tax laws or failure by the REIT to qualify for tax-free pass-through of income under the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 as amended (the "Code"). In addition, some REITs have limited diversification because they invest in a limited number of properties, a narrow geographic area, or a single type of

 

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property. Also, the organizational documents of a REIT may contain provisions that make changes in control of the REIT difficult and time-consuming. Finally, private REITs are not traded on a national securities exchange. As such, these products are generally illiquid. This reduces the ability of a Fund to redeem its investment early. Private REITs are also generally harder to value and may bear higher fees than public REITs.

Foreign (Non-U.S.) Investment Risk

Certain Funds may invest in foreign (non-U.S.) securities and may experience more rapid and extreme changes in value than a Fund that invests exclusively in securities of U.S. companies. The securities markets of many foreign countries are relatively small, with a limited number of companies representing a small number of industries. Additionally, issuers of foreign (non-U.S.) securities are usually not subject to the same degree of regulation as U.S. issuers. Reporting, accounting and auditing standards of foreign countries differ, in some cases significantly, from U.S. standards. Global economies and financial markets are becoming increasingly interconnected, and conditions and events in one country, region or financial market may adversely impact issuers in a different country, region or financial market. Also, nationalization, expropriation or confiscatory taxation, currency blockage, political changes or diplomatic developments could adversely affect a Fund's investments in a foreign country. In the event of nationalization, expropriation or other confiscation, a Fund could lose its entire investment in foreign (non-U.S.) securities. Adverse conditions in a certain region can adversely affect securities of other countries whose economies appear to be unrelated. To the extent that a Fund invests a significant portion of its assets in a specific geographic region, the Fund will generally have more exposure to regional economic risks associated with foreign (non-U.S.) investments. Foreign (non-U.S.) securities may also be less liquid and more difficult to value than securities of U.S. issuers.

Emerging Markets Risk

Foreign (non-U.S.) investment risk may be particularly high to the extent a Fund invests in emerging market securities. Emerging market securities may present market, credit, currency, liquidity, legal, political and other risks different from, and potentially greater than, the risks of investing in securities and instruments economically tied to developed foreign countries. To the extent a Fund invests in emerging market securities that are economically tied to a particular region, country or group of countries, the Fund may be more sensitive to adverse political or social events affecting that region, country or group of countries. Economic, business, political, or social instability may affect emerging market securities differently, and often more severely, than developed market securities. A Fund that focuses its investments in multiple asset classes of emerging market securities may have a limited ability to mitigate losses in an environment that is adverse to emerging market securities in general. Emerging market securities may also be more volatile, less liquid and more difficult to value than securities economically tied to developed foreign countries. The systems and procedures for trading and settlement of securities in emerging markets are less developed and less transparent and transactions may take longer to settle. Rising interest rates, combined with widening credit spreads, could negatively impact the value of emerging market debt and increase funding costs for foreign issuers. In such a scenario, foreign issuers might not be able to service their debt obligations, the market for emerging market debt could suffer from reduced liquidity, and any investing Funds could lose money.

Sovereign Debt Risk

Sovereign debt risk is the risk that fixed income instruments issued by sovereign entities may decline in value as a result of default or other adverse credit event resulting from an issuer's inability or unwillingness to make principal or interest payments in a timely fashion. A sovereign entity's failure to make timely payments on its debt can result from many factors, including, without limitation, insufficient foreign currency reserves or an inability to sufficiently manage fluctuations in relative currency valuations, an inability or unwillingness to satisfy the demands of creditors and/or relevant supranational entities regarding debt service or economic reforms, the size of the debt burden relative to economic output and tax revenues, cash flow difficulties, and other political and social considerations. The risk of loss to the Fund in the event of a sovereign debt default or other adverse credit event is heightened by the unlikelihood of any formal recourse or means to enforce its rights as a holder of the sovereign debt. In addition, sovereign debt restructurings, which may be shaped by entities and factors beyond the Fund's control, may result in a loss in value of the Fund's sovereign debt holdings.

Currency Risk

If a Fund invests directly in foreign (non-U.S.) currencies or in securities that trade in, and receive revenues in, foreign (non-U.S.) currencies, or in derivatives that provide exposure to foreign (non-U.S.) currencies, it will be subject to the risk that those currencies will decline in value relative to the U.S. dollar, or, in the case of hedging positions, that the U.S. dollar will decline in value relative to the currency being hedged.

Currency rates in foreign (non-U.S.) countries may fluctuate significantly over short periods of time for a number of reasons, including changes in interest rates, intervention (or the failure to intervene) by U.S. or foreign (non-U.S.) governments, central banks or supranational entities such as the International Monetary Fund, or by the imposition of currency controls or other political developments in the United States or abroad. As a result, a Fund's investments in foreign currency-denominated securities may reduce the returns of the Fund.

Currency risk may be particularly high to the extent that a Fund invests in foreign (non-U.S.) currencies or engages in foreign currency transactions that are economically tied to emerging market countries. These currency transactions may present market, credit, currency, liquidity, legal, political and other risks different from, or greater than, the risks of investing in developed foreign (non-U.S.) currencies or engaging in foreign currency transactions that are economically tied to developed foreign countries.

 

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Leveraging Risk

Certain transactions may give rise to a form of leverage. Such transactions may include, among others, reverse repurchase agreements, loans of portfolio securities, and the use of when-issued, delayed delivery or forward commitment transactions. The use of derivatives may also create leveraging risk. In accordance with federal securities laws, rules, and staff positions, PIMCO will mitigate its leveraging risk by segregating or "earmarking" liquid assets or otherwise covering transactions that may give rise to such risk. The Funds also may be exposed to leveraging risk by borrowing money for investment purposes. Leveraging may cause a Fund to liquidate portfolio positions to satisfy its obligations or to meet segregation requirements when it may not be advantageous to do so. Leveraging, including borrowing, may cause a Fund to be more volatile than if the Fund had not been leveraged. This is because leveraging tends to exaggerate the effect of any increase or decrease in the value of a Fund's portfolio securities. Certain types of leveraging transactions, such as short sales that are not "against the box," could theoretically be subject to unlimited losses in cases where a Fund, for any reason, is unable to close out the transaction. In addition, to the extent a Fund borrows money, interest costs on such borrowings may not be recovered by any appreciation of the securities purchased with the borrowed amounts and could exceed the Fund's investment returns, resulting in greater losses. Moreover, to make payments of interest and other loan costs, a Fund may be forced to sell portfolio securities when it is not otherwise advantageous to do so.

Management Risk

Each Fund is subject to management risk because it is an actively managed investment portfolio. PIMCO and each individual portfolio manager will apply investment techniques and risk analysis in making investment decisions for the Funds, but there can be no guarantee that these decisions will produce the desired results. Certain securities or other instruments in which a Fund seeks to invest may not be available in the quantities desired. In addition, regulatory restrictions, actual or potential conflicts of interest or other considerations may cause PIMCO to restrict or prohibit participation in certain investments. In such circumstances, PIMCO or the individual portfolio managers may determine to purchase other securities or instruments as substitutes. Such substitute securities or instruments may not perform as intended, which could result in losses to the Fund. To the extent a Fund employs strategies targeting perceived pricing inefficiencies, arbitrage strategies or similar strategies, it is subject to the risk that the pricing or valuation of the securities and instruments involved in such strategies may change unexpectedly, which may result in reduced returns or losses to the Fund. Additionally, legislative, regulatory, or tax restrictions, policies or developments may affect the investment techniques available to PIMCO and each individual portfolio manager in connection with managing the Funds and may also adversely affect the ability of the Funds to achieve their investment objectives. There also can be no assurance that all of the personnel of PIMCO will continue to be associated with PIMCO for any length of time.  The loss of the services of one or more key employees of PIMCO could have an adverse impact on the Fund's ability to realize its investment objective.

Short Exposure Risk

A Fund's short sales, if any, are subject to special risks. A short sale involves the sale by the Fund of a security that it does not own with the hope of purchasing the same security at a later date at a lower price. A Fund may also enter into a short position through a forward commitment or a short derivative position through a futures contract or swap agreement. If the price of the security or derivative has increased during this time, then the Fund will incur a loss equal to the increase in price from the time that the short sale was entered into plus any transaction costs (i.e., premiums and interest) paid to the broker-dealer to borrow securities. Therefore, short sales involve the risk that losses may be exaggerated, potentially losing more money than the actual cost of the investment. By contrast, a loss on a long position arises from decreases in the value of the security and is limited by the fact that a security's value cannot decrease below zero.

By investing the proceeds received from selling securities short, a Fund could be deemed to be employing a form of leverage, which creates special risks. The use of leverage may increase a Fund's exposure to long security positions and make any change in the Fund's NAV greater than it would be without the use of leverage. This could result in increased volatility of returns. There is no guarantee that any leveraging strategy a Fund employs will be successful during any period in which it is employed.

In times of unusual or adverse market, economic, regulatory or political conditions, a Fund may not be able, fully or partially, to implement its short selling strategy. Periods of unusual or adverse market, economic, regulatory or political conditions generally may exist for as long as six months and, in some cases, much longer. Also, there is the risk that the third party to the short sale will not fulfill its contractual obligations, causing a loss to the Fund.  The PIMCO Total Return Fund IV plans to limit short sales, including short exposures obtained using derivative instruments, to 10% of its total assets.

Convertible Securities Risk

Convertible securities are fixed income securities, preferred securities or other securities that are convertible into or exercisable for common stock of the issuer (or cash or securities of equivalent value) at either a stated price or a stated rate. The market values of convertible securities may decline as interest rates increase and, conversely, may increase as interest rates decline. A convertible security's market value, however, tends to reflect the market price of the common stock of the issuing company when that stock price approaches or is greater than the convertible security's "conversion price." The conversion price is defined as the predetermined price at which the convertible security could be exchanged for the associated stock. As the market price of the underlying common stock declines, the price of the convertible security tends to be influenced more by the yield of the convertible security. Thus, it may not decline in price to the same extent as the underlying common stock. In the event of a liquidation of the issuing company, holders of

 

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convertible securities may be paid before the company's common stockholders but after holders of any senior debt obligations of the company. Consequently, the issuer's convertible securities generally entail less risk than its common stock but more risk than its debt obligations.

Synthetic convertible securities involve the combination of separate securities that possess the two principal characteristics of a traditional convertible security (i.e., an income-producing component and a right to acquire an equity security). Synthetic convertible securities are often achieved, in part, through investments in warrants or options to buy common stock (or options on a stock index), and therefore are subject to the risks associated with derivatives. The value of a synthetic convertible security will respond differently to market fluctuations than a traditional convertible security because a synthetic convertible is composed of two or more separate securities or instruments, each with its own market value. Because the convertible component is typically achieved by investing in warrants or options to buy common stock at a certain exercise price, or options on a stock index, synthetic convertible securities are subject to the risks associated with derivatives. In addition, if the value of the underlying common stock or the level of the index involved in the convertible component falls below the exercise price of the warrant or option, the warrant or option may lose all value.

Responsible Investing Risk

A Fund's responsible investment strategy, which may select or exclude securities of certain issuers for reasons other than performance, carries the risk that the Fund may underperform funds that do not utilize a responsible investment strategy. The application of this strategy may affect the Fund's exposure to certain sectors or types of investments, which could negatively impact the Fund's performance. Responsible investing is qualitative and subjective by nature, and there is no guarantee that the criteria utilized by PIMCO or any judgment exercised by PIMCO will reflect the beliefs or values of any particular investor. In evaluating a company, PIMCO is dependent upon information and data obtained through voluntary or third-party reporting that may be incomplete, inaccurate or unavailable, which could cause PIMCO to incorrectly assess a company's business practices with respect to the environment, social responsibility and corporate governance ("ESG practices"). Socially responsible norms differ by region, and a company's ESG practices or PIMCO's assessment of a company's ESG practices may change over time. In addition, as a result of PIMCO's engagement activities, a Fund may purchase securities that do not currently engage in ESG practices to PIMCO's satisfaction, in an effort to improve an issuer's ESG practices. Successful application of a Fund's responsible investment strategy and PIMCO's engagement efforts will depend on PIMCO's skill in properly identifying and analyzing material ESG issues, and there can be no assurance that the strategy or techniques employed will be successful. Past performance is not a guarantee or reliable indicator of future results.

Distribution Rate Risk

Although a Fund may seek to maintain a stable distribution rate, the Fund's distribution rate may be affected by numerous factors, including but not limited to changes in realized and projected market returns, fluctuations in market interest rates, Fund performance, and other factors. For instance, during periods of low or declining interest rates, the Fund's distributable income and dividend levels may decline for many reasons. There can be no assurance that a change in market conditions or other factors will not result in a change in the Fund's distribution rate or that the rate will be sustainable in the future.

Disclosure of Portfolio Holdings

Please see "Disclosure of Portfolio Holdings" in the SAI for information about the availability of the complete schedule of each Fund's holdings.

 

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Management of the Funds

Investment Adviser and Administrator

PIMCO serves as the investment adviser and the administrator (serving in its capacity as investment adviser, the "Investment Adviser," and serving in its capacity as administrator, the "Administrator") for the Funds. Subject to the supervision of the Board of Trustees of PIMCO Funds (the "Trust"), PIMCO is responsible for managing the investment activities of the Funds and the Funds' business affairs and other administrative matters.

PIMCO is located at 650 Newport Center Drive, Newport Beach, CA 92660. Organized in 1971, PIMCO provides investment management and advisory services to private accounts of institutional and individual clients and to mutual funds. As of June 30, 2018, PIMCO had approximately $[ ] in assets under management.

Management Fees

Each Fund pays for the advisory and supervisory and administrative services it requires under what is essentially an all-in fee structure. The Management Fees shown in the Annual Fund Operating Expenses tables reflect both an advisory fee and a supervisory and administrative fee. For the fiscal year ended March 31, 2018, the Funds paid monthly Management Fees to PIMCO at the following annual rates (stated as a percentage of the average daily net assets attributable to each class's shares taken separately):

Management Fees


Fund Name

Inst
Class


I-2

Admin
Class

Class A

Class C

Class R

PIMCO Dynamic Bond Fund(1)

0.80%

0.90%

N/A

0.95%

0.95%

0.95%

PIMCO Extended Duration Fund

0.50%

0.60%

N/A

0.65%

N/A

N/A

PIMCO GNMA and Government Securities Fund

0.50%

0.60%

N/A

0.65%

0.65%

N/A

PIMCO Investment Grade Credit Bond Fund

0.50%

0.60%

0.50%

0.65%

0.65%

N/A

PIMCO Long Duration Total Return Fund

0.50%

0.60%

N/A

0.65%

0.65%

N/A

PIMCO Long-Term U.S. Government Fund

0.475%

0.575%

0.475%

0.575%

0.575%

N/A

PIMCO Moderate Duration Fund

0.46%

0.56%

N/A

N/A

N/A

N/A

PIMCO Mortgage-Backed Securities Fund

0.50%

0.60%

0.50%

0.65%

0.65%

N/A

PIMCO Mortgage Opportunities and Bond Fund

0.60%

0.70%

N/A

0.75%

0.75%

N/A

PIMCO Total Return Fund(1)

0.46%

0.56%

0.46%

0.55%

0.60%

0.60%

PIMCO Total Return Fund II

0.50%

0.60%

0.50%

N/A

N/A

N/A

PIMCO Total Return Fund IV

0.50%

N/A

N/A

0.60%

0.60%

N/A

PIMCO Total Return ESG Fund

0.50%

0.60%

0.50%

N/A

N/A

N/A

 

1 Expense information in the table has been restated to reflect current Management Fees.

I-3 shares of the PIMCO GNMA and Government Securities Fund, PIMCO Investment Grade Credit Bond Fund, PIMCO Mortgage-Backed Securities Fund, PIMCO Mortgage Opportunities and Bond Fund, PIMCO Total Return Fund, PIMCO Total Return ESG Fund and PIMCO Dynamic Bond Fund were not operational during the fiscal year ended March 31, 2018. The management fee for the I-3 shares of the PIMCO GNMA and Government Securities Fund, PIMCO Investment Grade Credit Bond Fund, PIMCO Long-Term U.S. Government Fund, PIMCO Mortgage-Backed Securities Fund, PIMCO Mortgage Opportunities and Bond Fund, PIMCO Total Return Fund, PIMCO Total Return ESG Fund and PIMCO Dynamic Bond Fund is at the following annual rate (stated as a percentage of the average daily net assets attributable to the class's shares taken separately): [     ]%, 0.70%, [     ]%, 0.70%, 0.80%, 0.66%, [     ]% and 1.00%, respectively.

Advisory Fee. Each Fund pays PIMCO fees in return for providing investment advisory services. For the fiscal year ended March 31, 2018, the Funds paid monthly advisory fees to PIMCO at the following annual rates (stated as a percentage of the average daily net assets of each Fund taken separately):


Fund

Advisory Fees(1)
All Classes

PIMCO Dynamic Bond Fund

0.55%(2)(3)

PIMCO Extended Duration Fund

0.25%

PIMCO GNMA and Government Securities Fund

0.25%

PIMCO Investment Grade Credit Bond Fund

0.25%

PIMCO Long Duration Total Return Fund

0.25%

PIMCO Long-Term U.S. Government Fund

0.225%

PIMCO Moderate Duration Fund

0.25%

 

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Fund

Advisory Fees(1)
All Classes

PIMCO Mortgage-Backed Securities Fund

0.25%

PIMCO Mortgage Opportunities and Bond Fund

0.35%

PIMCO Total Return Fund

0.25%

PIMCO Total Return Fund II

0.25%

PIMCO Total Return Fund IV

0.25%

PIMCO Total Return ESG Fund

0.25%

 

1 For details regarding changes to this rate within the last 5 years, please see the footnote disclosures for the Funds in the Financial Highlights section beginning on page [ ].

2 Effective October 2, 2017, the Fund's advisory fee was reduced by 0.05% to 0.55% per annum.

3 PIMCO has contractually agreed, through July 31, 2019, to waive its advisory fee by 0.01% of the average daily net assets of the PIMCO Dynamic Bond Fund. This Fee Waiver Agreement will automatically renew for one-year terms unless PIMCO provides written notice to the Trust at least 30 days prior to the end of the then current term. Under certain conditions, PIMCO may be entitled to reimbursement of amounts waived in future periods, not exceeding three years. See "Fee Waiver Agreement" below.

A discussion of the basis for the Board of Trustees' approval of the Funds' investment advisory contract is available in the Funds' Semi-Annual Report to shareholders for the fiscal half-year ended September 30, 2017.

Supervisory and Administrative Fee. Each Fund pays for the supervisory and administrative services it requires under what is essentially an all-in fee structure. Shareholders of each Fund pay a supervisory and administrative fee to PIMCO, computed as a percentage of the Fund's assets attributable in the aggregate to that class of shares. PIMCO, in turn, provides or procures supervisory and administrative services for shareholders and also bears the costs of various third-party services required by the Funds, including audit, custodial, portfolio accounting, legal, transfer agency and printing costs. The Funds bear other expenses which are not covered under the supervisory and administrative fee which may vary and affect the total level of expenses paid by the shareholders, such as taxes and governmental fees, brokerage fees, commissions and other transaction expenses, organizational expenses, costs of borrowing money, including interest expenses, extraordinary expenses (such as litigation and indemnification expenses) and fees and expenses of the Trust's Independent Trustees and their counsel. PIMCO generally earns a profit on the supervisory and administrative fee paid by the Funds. Also, under the terms of the supervision and administration agreement, PIMCO, and not Fund shareholders, would benefit from any price decreases in third-party services, including decreases resulting from an increase in net assets.

For the fiscal year ended March 31, 2018, the Funds paid PIMCO monthly supervisory and administrative fees at the following annual rates (stated as a percentage of the average daily net assets attributable in the aggregate to each class's shares taken separately):

Supervisory and Administrative Fee(1)


Fund

Inst
Class

I-2

Admin
Class

Class A

Class C

Class R

PIMCO Dynamic Bond Fund(2)

0.25%

0.35%

N/A

0.40%

0.40%

0.40%

PIMCO Extended Duration Fund

0.25%

0.35%

N/A

0.40%

N/A

N/A

PIMCO GNMA and Government Securities Fund

0.25%

0.35%

N/A

0.40%

0.40%

N/A

PIMCO Investment Grade Credit Bond Fund

0.25%

0.35%

0.25%

0.40%

0.40%

N/A

PIMCO Long Duration Total Return Fund

0.25%

0.35%

N/A

0.40%

0.40%

N/A

PIMCO Long-Term U.S. Government Fund

0.25%

0.35%

0.25%

0.35%

0.35%

N/A

PIMCO Moderate Duration Fund

0.21%

0.31%

N/A

N/A

N/A

N/A

PIMCO Mortgage-Backed Securities Fund

0.25%

0.35%

0.25%

0.40%

0.40%

N/A

PIMCO Mortgage Opportunities and Bond Fund

0.25%

0.35%

N/A

0.40%

0.40%

N/A

PIMCO Total Return Fund(3)

0.21%

0.31%

0.21%

0.30%

0.35%

0.35%

PIMCO Total Return Fund II

0.25%

0.35%

0.25%

N/A

N/A

N/A

PIMCO Total Return Fund IV

0.25%

N/A

N/A

0.35%

0.35%

N/A

PIMCO Total Return ESG Fund

0.25%

0.35%

0.25%

N/A

N/A

N/A

 

1 For details regarding changes to this rate within the last 5 years, please see the footnote disclosures for the Funds in the Financial Highlights section beginning on page [ ].

2 Effective October 2, 2017, the Fund's supervisory and administrative fee for the Institutional Class, I-2, Class A, Class C and Class R was reduced by 0.05% to 0.25%, 0.35%, 0.40%, 0.40% and 0.40% per annum, respectively.

3 Effective October 2, 2017, the Fund's supervisory and administrative fee for Class A was reduced by 0.05% to 0.30% per annum.

I-3 shares of the PIMCO GNMA and Government Securities Fund, PIMCO Investment Grade Credit Bond Fund, PIMCO Mortgage-Backed Securities Fund, PIMCO Mortgage Opportunities and Bond Fund, PIMCO Total Return Fund, PIMCO Total Return ESG Fund and PIMCO Dynamic Bond Fund were not operational during the fiscal year ended March 31, 2018. The supervisory and administrative fee for the I-3 shares of the PIMCO Investment Grade Credit Bond Fund, PIMCO Mortgage-Backed Securities Fund, PIMCO Mortgage Opportunities and Bond Fund, PIMCO Total Return Fund, PIMCO Total Return ESG

 

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Fund and PIMCO Dynamic Bond Fund is at the following annual rate (stated as a percentage of the average daily net assets attributable to the class's shares taken separately): [ ]%, 0.45%, [ ]%, 0.45%, 0.45%, 0.41%, [ ]%, 0.45%, respectively.

Expense Limitation Agreement

Pursuant to the Expense Limitation Agreement, PIMCO has agreed to waive a portion of each Fund's supervisory and administrative fees, or reimburse the Fund, to the extent that the Fund's organizational expenses and pro rata share of Trustee fees exceed 0.0049% (the "Expense Limit") (calculated as a percentage of average daily net assets attributable to each class). The Expense Limitation Agreement will automatically renew for one-year terms unless PIMCO provides written notice to the Trust at least 30 days prior to the end of the then current term. In any month in which the supervision and administration agreement is in effect, PIMCO is entitled to reimbursement by each Fund of any portion of the supervisory and administrative fee waived or reimbursed as set forth above (the "Reimbursement Amount") during the previous thirty-six months, provided that such amount paid to PIMCO will not: 1) together with any organizational expenses and pro rata Trustee fees, exceed, for such month, the Expense Limit; 2) exceed the total Reimbursement Amount; or 3) include any amounts previously reimbursed to PIMCO.

Fee Waiver Agreement

PIMCO has contractually agreed, through July 31, 2019, to waive its advisory fee by 0.01% of the average daily net assets of the PIMCO Dynamic Bond Fund. This Fee Waiver Agreement will automatically renew for one-year terms unless PIMCO provides written notice to the Trust at least 30 days prior to the end of the then current term. In any month in which the investment advisory contract is in effect, PIMCO is entitled to reimbursement by the Fund of any portion of the advisory fee waived as set forth above (the "UB Reimbursement Amount") during the previous thirty-six months, provided that such amount paid to PIMCO will not: 1) together with any recoupment of organizational expenses and pro rata Trustee fees or supervisory and administrative fees pursuant to the Expense Limitation Agreement, exceed, for such month, the Expense Limit; 2) exceed the total UB Reimbursement Amount; or 3) include any amounts previously reimbursed to PIMCO.

PIMCO has contractually agreed, through July 31, 2019, to waive its supervisory and administrative fee for I-3 shares by 0.05% of the average daily net assets attributable to I-3 shares of each of PIMCO Investment Grade Credit Bond Fund, PIMCO Mortgage-Backed Securities Fund, PIMCO Mortgage Opportunities and Bond Fund, PIMCO Total Return Fund and PIMCO Dynamic Bond Fund. This Fee Waiver Agreement will automatically renew for one-year terms unless PIMCO provides written notice to the Trust at least 30 days prior to the end of the then current term.

PIMCO has contractually agreed, through July 31, 2019, to waive its supervisory and administrative fee for I-3 shares by [ ]% of the average daily net assets attributable to I-3 shares of each of PIMCO GNMA and Government Securities Fund, PIMCO Long-Term U.S. Government Fund and PIMCO Total Return ESG Fund. This Fee Waiver Agreement will automatically renew for one-year terms unless PIMCO provides written notice to the Trust at least 30 days prior to the end of the then current term.

Individual Portfolio Managers

The following individuals have primary responsibility for managing each of the noted Funds.

Fund

Portfolio Manager

Since

Recent Professional Experience

PIMCO Total Return ESG

Mike Amey

10/17

Managing Director, PIMCO. Mr. Amey is a portfolio manager in the London office. He is responsible for sterling portfolios and is head of PIMCO's ESG (environmental, social and governance) strategies. He is also responsible for the European insurance (ex: Germany) and the European LDI (liability-driven investing) portfolio management groups. Prior to joining PIMCO in 2003, he was head of U.K. fixed income at Rothschild Asset Management and after their merger, at Insight Investment. He has 24 years of investment experience and holds undergraduate and master's degrees in corporate and international finance from the University of Durham. Mr. Amey is also a member of the U.K. Society of Investment Professionals.

PIMCO Mortgage Opportunities and Bond

Joshua Anderson

10/12*

Managing Director, PIMCO. Mr. Anderson is a portfolio manager focusing on global structured credit investments. Prior to joining PIMCO in 2003, he was an analyst at Merrill Lynch covering both the residential ABS and collateralized debt obligation sectors and was ranked as one of the top analysts by Institutional investor magazine. He was previously a portfolio manager at Merrill Lynch Investment Managers.

PIMCO Investment Grade Credit Bond

Amit Arora

10/16

Senior Vice President, PIMCO. He is a portfolio manager on the global corporate bond team. He was previously a senior member of PIMCO's global risk management team. Prior to joining PIMCO in 2009, he was an executive director, responsible for credit hybrids and exotics trading, at J.P. Morgan. Mr. Arora was previously with Bear Stearns as a managing director on the structured credit derivatives trading desk, responsible for pricing, trading and hedging of all non-single name credit derivative products in investment grade and high yield credits. Before joining Bear Stearns, he worked on the foreign exchange Treasury desk at Citibank. He has investment experience since 1997 and holds an MBA from NYU Stern School of Business and a bachelor's degree in mechanical engineering from the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT Bombay). He is a Certified Financial Risk Manager (FRM).

 

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Fund

Portfolio Manager

Since

Recent Professional Experience

PIMCO Extended Duration
PIMCO GNMA and Government Securities
PIMCO Long Duration Total Return
PIMCO Long-Term U.S. Government Fund
PIMCO Mortgage-Backed Securities

Michael Cudzil

2/16
1/13
2/16
2/16
1/13

Managing Director, PIMCO. Mr. Cudzil is a portfolio manager and mortgage specialist. Prior to joining PIMCO in 2012, he worked as a managing director and head of pass-through trading at Nomura.

PIMCO Dynamic Bond

Mohsen Fahmi

9/14

Managing Director, PIMCO. Mr. Fahmi joined PIMCO in 2014 and is a generalist portfolio manager focusing on global fixed income assets. Prior to joining PIMCO, Mr. Fahmi was with Moore Capital Management, most recently as a senior portfolio manager and previously as chief operating officer. Mr. Fahmi has also previously served as co-head of bond and currency proprietary trading at Tokai Bank Europe, head of leveraged investment at Salomon Brothers and executive director of proprietary trading at Goldman Sachs. Prior to this, he was a proprietary trader for J.P. Morgan in both New York and London, and he also spent seven years as an investment officer at the World Bank in Washington, DC. He has investment experience since 1985 and holds an MBA from Stanford University.

PIMCO GNMA and Government Securities
PIMCO Mortgage-Backed Securities
PIMCO Mortgage Opportunities and Bond

Daniel Hyman

7/12
7/12
10/12*

Managing Director, PIMCO. Mr. Hyman is a portfolio manager focusing on mortgage-backed securities and derivatives. Prior to joining PIMCO in 2008, he was a vice president at Credit Suisse where he traded Agency pass-throughs.

PIMCO Dynamic Bond

Daniel J. Ivascyn

9/14

Group Chief Investment Officer and Managing Director, PIMCO. Mr. Ivascyn joined PIMCO in 1998, previously having been associated with Bear Stearns in the asset backed securities group, as well as T. Rowe Price and Fidelity Investments. He has investment experience since 1992 and holds an MBA in analytic finance from the University of Chicago Graduate School of Business and a bachelor's degree in economics from Occidental College.

PIMCO Investment Grade Credit Bond
PIMCO Total Return
PIMCO Total Return II
PIMCO Total Return IV
PIMCO Total Return ESG

Mark Kiesel

11/02
9/14
9/14
9/14
9/14

CIO Global Credit and Managing Director, PIMCO. He is a member of the PIMCO Investment Committee, a generalist portfolio manager and the global head of corporate bond portfolio management. He has served as a portfolio manager, head of equity derivatives and as a senior Credit Analyst since joining PIMCO in 1996.

PIMCO Moderate Duration

Sudi Mariappa

9/14

Managing Director, PIMCO. Mr. Mariappa rejoined PIMCO in 2014 from GLG, a London-based hedge fund, where he was a managing director, developing and managing fixed income funds. Previously at PIMCO, Mr. Mariappa was a Managing Director and head of global portfolio management. He also served as senior advisor to PIMCO's portfolio management group from 2009 – 2011. Prior to joining PIMCO in 2000, he was a managing director for Merrill Lynch in Tokyo, overseeing Japanese government bond and swap derivative trading. He has investment experience since 1987 and holds an MBA, as well as a bachelor's degree in chemical engineering, from Cornell University.

PIMCO Moderate Duration
PIMCO Total Return
PIMCO Total Return II
PIMCO Total Return IV
PIMCO Total Return ESG

Scott A. Mather

9/14
9/14
9/14
9/14
9/14

CIO U.S. Core Strategies and Managing Director, PIMCO. Previously he was head of global portfolio management. He joined PIMCO in 1998.

PIMCO Investment Grade Credit Bond
PIMCO Long Duration Total Return

Mohit Mittal

10/16
2/16

Managing Director, PIMCO. He manages investment grade credit, total return and unconstrained bond portfolios and is a member of the Americas Portfolio Committee. Previously, he was a specialist on PIMCO's interest rates and derivatives desk. Mr. Mittal joined PIMCO in 2007 and holds an MBA in finance from the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania and an undergraduate degree in computer science from Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) in Delhi, India.

PIMCO Mortgage Opportunities and Bond

Alfred T. Murata

10/12*

Managing Director, PIMCO. Mr. Murata is a portfolio manager focusing on mortgage- and asset-backed securities. Prior to joining PIMCO in 2001, he researched and implemented exotic equity and interest-rate derivatives at Nikko Financial Technologies.

PIMCO Extended Duration
PIMCO Long Duration Total Return
PIMCO Long-Term U.S. Government

Stephen Rodosky

7/07

Managing Director, PIMCO. Mr. Rodosky joined PIMCO in 2001 and specializes in portfolio management of treasuries, agencies and futures.

 

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Fund

Portfolio Manager

Since

Recent Professional Experience

PIMCO Dynamic Bond

Marc P. Seidner

1/15

CIO Non-traditional Strategies and Managing Director, PIMCO. Mr. Seidner is head of portfolio management in the New York office. He is also a generalist portfolio manager and a member of the Investment Committee. He rejoined PIMCO in November 2014 after serving as head of fixed income at GMO LLC, and previously he was a PIMCO Managing Director, generalist portfolio manager and member of the Investment Committee until January 2014. Prior to joining PIMCO in 2009, he was a managing director and domestic fixed income portfolio manager at Harvard Management Company. Previously, he was director of active core strategies at Standish Mellon Asset Management and a senior portfolio manager at Fidelity Management and Research. He has investment experience since 1988 and holds an undergraduate degree in economics from Boston College.

PIMCO Extended Duration
PIMCO Long-Term U.S. Government

Josh Thimons

2/16
2/16

Managing Director, PIMCO. Mr. Thimons focuses on interest rate derivatives. Prior to joining PIMCO in 2010, he was a managing director for the Royal Bank of Scotland, where he managed an interest rate proprietary trading group in Chicago. Previously, he was a senior vice president in portfolio management for Citadel Investment Group, focusing on interest rate and volatility trading. Prior to this, he was a director for Merrill Lynch Capital Services, managing an over-the-counter interest rate options market making desk. He has investment experience since 1998 and holds an undergraduate degree and an MBA from the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania.

PIMCO Total Return
PIMCO Total Return II
PIMCO Total Return IV
PIMCO Total Return ESG

Mihir Worah

9/14
9/14
9/14
9/14

CIO Real Return and Asset Allocation and Managing Director, PIMCO. Mr. Worah is a portfolio manager and head of the real return and multi-asset portfolio management teams. Prior to joining PIMCO in 2001, he was a postdoctoral research associate at the University of California, Berkeley, and the Stanford Linear Accelerator Center, where he built models to explain the difference between matter and anti-matter. In 2012 he co-authored "Intelligent Commodity Indexing," published by McGraw-Hill. He has investment experience since 2003 and holds a Ph.D. in theoretical physics from the University of Chicago.

 

* Inception of the Fund.

Please see the SAI for additional information about other accounts managed by the portfolio managers, the portfolio managers' compensation and the portfolio managers' ownership of shares of the Funds.

The Trustees are responsible generally for overseeing the management of the Trust. The Trustees authorize the Trust to enter into service agreements with the Investment Adviser, the Distributor (as defined below), the Administrator and other service providers in order to provide, and in some cases authorize service providers to procure through other parties, necessary or desirable services on behalf of the Trust and the Funds. Shareholders are not parties to or third-party beneficiaries of such service agreements. Neither this prospectus nor summary prospectus, the Trust's SAI, any contracts filed as exhibits to the Trust's registration statement, nor any other communications, disclosure documents or regulatory filings from or on behalf of the Trust or a Fund creates a contract between or among any shareholder of a Fund, on the one hand, and the Trust, a Fund, a service provider to the Trust or a Fund, and/or the Trustees or officers of the Trust, on the other hand. The Trustees (or the Trust and its officers, service providers or other delegates acting under authority of the Trustees) may amend this, or use a new prospectus, summary prospectus or SAI with respect to a Fund or the Trust, and/or amend, file and/or issue any other communications, disclosure documents or regulatory filings, and may amend or enter into any contracts to which the Trust or a Fund is a party, and interpret the investment objective(s), policies, restrictions and contractual provisions applicable to any Fund, without shareholder input or approval, except in circumstances in which shareholder approval is specifically required by law (such as changes to fundamental investment policies) or where a shareholder approval requirement is specifically disclosed in the Trust's then-current prospectus or SAI.

Distributor

The Trust's Distributor is PIMCO Investments LLC (the "Distributor"). The Distributor, located at 1633 Broadway, New York, NY 10019, is a broker-dealer registered with the Securities and Exchange Commission ("SEC"). Please note all direct account requests or inquiries should be mailed to the Trust's transfer agent at P.O. Box 55060, Boston, MA 02205-5060 and should not be mailed to the Distributor.

Legal Proceedings

On December 31, 2014, a lawsuit was filed in the United States District Court for the Western District of Washington by Robert Kenny, an investor in the PIMCO Total Return Fund, against PIMCO and the Distributor (collectively in this paragraph, the "PIMCO 36(b) Parties"). The complaint purports to be brought derivatively on behalf of the PIMCO Total Return Fund, and alleges that the PIMCO 36(b) Parties violated Section 36(b) of the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended (the "1940 Act"), by receiving excessive compensation from the PIMCO Total Return Fund. The plaintiff seeks injunctive and declaratory relief; rescission of the investment advisory, supervisory and administrative and distribution agreements; recovery of fees paid to the PIMCO 36(b) Parties by the PIMCO Total Return Fund for the period beginning one year prior to the filing of the complaint through trial; and reduced fees going forward. The PIMCO 36(b) Parties believe the claims are without merit and intend to vigorously defend the action. In addition, the PIMCO 36(b) Parties believe that the matter is unlikely to have a

 

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material adverse effect on the PIMCO Total Return Fund or on PIMCO's or the Distributor's ability to perform their respective services relating to the PIMCO Total Return Fund.

On January 28, 2015, a purported class action lawsuit was filed in the United States District Court for the Central District of California by William Hampton, an investor in the PIMCO Total Return Fund, against PIMCO, the Distributor and the PIMCO Total Return Fund. As originally filed, the complaint alleged that the named defendants violated Section 10(b) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 and Rule 10b-5 thereunder due to alleged misrepresentations in connection with the management of the PIMCO Total Return Fund and sought compensatory damages, pre-judgment and post-judgment interest, and extraordinary, equitable and/or injunctive relief as permitted by law. On July 6, 2015, the plaintiff filed an amended complaint, which superseded the original filing and principally alleged that the PIMCO Total Return Fund improperly invested in emerging markets in excess of its prospectus guidelines, and added as additional parties the Trust and those persons who served as trustees (in this paragraph, the "Named Trustees") to the Trust during the relevant period (PIMCO, the Trust and the Named Trustees are collectively referred to in this paragraph as the "PIMCO Class Action Parties"). The Distributor and the PIMCO Total Return Fund were no longer named as defendants. The amended complaint asserted claims for breach of contract against the Trust, breach of trust and breach of the covenant of good faith and fair dealing against the Named Trustees, and aiding and abetting breaches of trust and/or fiduciary duty against PIMCO, and principally sought in relief unspecified damages, interest, a reduction and/or denial of compensation to the Named Trustees, suspension and/or removal of the Named Trustees, and other equitable and/or injunctive relief. On November 2, 2015, the United States District Court for the Central District of California granted the PIMCO Class Action Parties' motion to dismiss, and each of the causes of action was dismissed with prejudice. On November 30, 2015, the plaintiff filed a notice of appeal of the order granting the PIMCO Class Action Parties' motion to dismiss with the United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit. On August 24, 2017, the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals affirmed the District Court's decision to dismiss the plaintiff's complaint, but vacated the District Court's decision to dismiss with prejudice.

On June 29, 2017, a purported class action lawsuit was filed in the Superior Court of the State of California, County of Orange, by William Hampton, an investor in the PIMCO Total Return Fund, against PIMCO, the Trust and certain current and former Trustees of the Trust (in this paragraph, the "Named Trustees"). The complaint principally alleged that the PIMCO Total Return Fund improperly invested in emerging markets in excess of its prospectus guidelines, and asserted claims for breach of contract against the Trust, breach of trust against the Named Trustees, breach of the covenant of good faith and fair dealing against the Trust and the Named Trustees, and aiding and abetting breaches of trust and/or fiduciary duty against PIMCO. The complaint principally sought in relief unspecified damages, interest, a reduction and/or denial of compensation to the Named Trustees, suspension and/or removal of the Named Trustees, and other equitable and/or injunctive relief. On August 16, 2017, PIMCO filed a notice of removal and the case was assigned to the same judge on the United States District Court for the Central District of California (the "Court") who heard the substantively identical action described above. On August 29, 2017, the judge issued an order for the plaintiff to show cause why his action should not be dismissed in light of the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals' decision to affirm the dismissal of the claims described above. The parties responded and the Court heard argument on October 4, 2017. On that same day, the Court dismissed the complaint without prejudice on the same grounds as the complaint discussed above.

The foregoing speaks only as of the date of this prospectus. While there may be additional litigation developments in connection with these matters, the foregoing disclosure will be updated only if those developments are material.

 

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Classes of Shares

Class A, Class C, Class R, Institutional Class, I-2, I-3 and Administrative Class shares of the Funds are offered in this prospectus. Each share class represents an investment in the same Fund, but each class has its own expense structure and arrangements for shareholder services or distribution, which allows you to choose the class that best fits your situation and eligibility requirements.

The class of shares that is best for you depends upon a number of factors, including the amount and the intended length of your investment, the expenses borne by each class, which are detailed in the fee table and example at the front of this prospectus, any initial sales charge or contingent deferred sales charge ("CDSC") applicable to a class and whether you qualify for any reduction or waiver of sales charges, and the availability of the share class for purchase by you. Certain classes have higher expenses than other classes, which may lower the return on your investment when compared to a less expensive class. Individual investors can generally invest in Class A and Class C shares. Class C shares of each Fund will automatically convert into Class A shares of the same Fund after they have been held for ten years. This automatic conversion will be executed without any sales charge, fee or other charge. After the conversion takes place, the shares will be subject to all features and expenses of Class A shares. Only certain investors may purchase Institutional Class, I-2, I-3, Administrative Class and Class R shares.

The availability of sales charge waivers and discounts may depend on whether you purchase Fund shares directly from the Distributor or a financial firm. More information regarding sales charge waivers and discounts is summarized below.

The following summarizes key information about each class to help you make your investment decision, including the various expenses associated with each class and the payments made to financial firms for distribution and other services. More information about the Trust's multi-class arrangements is included in the SAI and can be obtained free of charge by visiting pimco.com or by calling 888.87.PIMCO.

Sales Charges

Initial Sales Charges — Class A Shares

This section includes important information about sales charge reduction programs available to investors in Class A shares of the Funds and describes information or records you may need to provide to the Distributor or your financial firm in order to be eligible for sales charge reduction programs.

Unless you are eligible for a waiver, the public offering price you pay when you buy Class A shares of the Funds is the NAV of the shares plus an initial sales charge. The initial sales charge varies depending upon the size of your purchase, as set forth below. No sales charge is imposed where Class A shares are issued to you pursuant to the automatic reinvestment of income dividends or capital gains distributions. For investors investing in Class A shares of the Funds through a financial firm, it is the responsibility of the financial firm to ensure that you obtain the proper "breakpoint" discount.

Amount of Purchase

Initial Sales Charge as % of Public Offering Price

Initial Sales Charge as % of Net Amount Invested

Under $100,000

3.75%

3.90%

$100,000 but under $250,000

3.25%

3.36%

$250,000 but under $500,000

2.25%

2.30%

$500,000 but under $1,000,000

1.75%

1.78%

$1,000,000 +

0.00%*

0.00%*

 

* As shown, investors that purchase $1,000,000 or more of the Fund's Class A shares will not pay any initial sales charge on the purchase. However, unless eligible for a waiver, certain purchasers of $1,000,000 or more of Class A shares may be subject to a CDSC of 1.00% if the shares are redeemed during the first 12 months after their purchase. See "Contingent Deferred Sales Charges – Class A Shares" below.

Investors in the Funds may reduce or eliminate sales charges applicable to purchases of Class A shares through utilization of the Combined Purchase Privilege, Right of Accumulation (Cumulative Quantity Discount), Letter of Intent or Reinstatement Privilege. These programs, which apply to purchases of one or more funds that are series of the Trust or PIMCO Equity Series that offer Class A shares (other than the Money Market series of the Trust) (collectively, "Eligible Funds"), are summarized below and are described in greater detail in the SAI.

Combined Purchase Privilege and Right of Accumulation (Breakpoints). A Qualifying Investor (as defined below) may qualify for a reduced sales charge on Class A shares by combining concurrent purchases of the Class A shares of one or more Eligible Funds into a single purchase (the "Combined Purchase Privilege"). In addition, a Qualifying Investor may obtain a reduced sales charge on Class A shares by adding the purchase value of Class A shares of an Eligible Fund with the current aggregate NAV of all Class A and C shares of any Eligible Fund held by accounts for the benefit of such Qualifying Investor (the "Right of Accumulation" or "Cumulative Quantity Discount").

The term "Qualifying Investor" refers to:

1.

an individual, such individual's spouse or domestic partner, as recognized by applicable state law, or such individual's children under the age of 21 years (each a "family member") (including family trust* accounts established by such a family member); or

2.

a trustee or other fiduciary for a single trust (except family trusts* noted above), estate or fiduciary account although more than one beneficiary may be involved; or

3.

an employee benefit plan of a single employer.


* For the purpose of determining whether a purchase would qualify for a reduced sales charge under the Combined Purchase Privilege, Right of Accumulation or Letter of Intent, a "family trust" is one in which a family member, as defined in section (1) above, or a direct lineal descendant(s) of such person is/are the beneficiary(ies), and such person or another family member, direct lineal ancestor or sibling of such person is/are the trustee(s).

Please see the SAI for details and for restrictions applicable to shares held by certain employer-sponsored benefit programs.

Letter of Intent. Investors may also obtain a reduced sales charge on purchases of Class A shares by means of a written Letter of Intent which expresses an intent to invest not less than $50,000 (or $100,000 in the case of those Funds with an initial sales charge breakpoint at $100,000)

 

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within a period of 13 months in Class A shares of any Eligible Fund(s). The maximum intended investment allowable in a Letter of Intent is $1,000,000. Each purchase of shares under a Letter of Intent will be made at the public offering price or prices applicable at the time of such purchase to a single purchase of the dollar amount indicated in the Letter of Intent. The value of the investor's account(s) linked to a Letter of Intent will be included at the start date of the Letter of Intent. A Letter of Intent is not a binding obligation to purchase the full amount indicated. Shares purchased with the first 5% of the amount indicated in the Letter of Intent will be held in escrow (while remaining registered in your name) to secure payment of the higher sales charges applicable to the shares actually purchased in the event the full intended amount is not purchased. Redemptions during the LOI period will not count against the shareholder, but a CDSC may be charged LOIs of $1,000,000.

In making computations concerning the amount purchased for purposes of a Letter of Intent, the Right of Accumulation value of eligible accounts will be included in the computation when the Letter of Intent begins in addition to purchases made during the Letter of Intent Period.

Reinstatement Privilege. A Class A shareholder who has caused any or all of his shares to be redeemed may reinvest all or any portion of the redemption proceeds in Class A shares of any Eligible Fund at NAV without any sales charge, provided that such investment is made within 120 calendar days after the redemption date. The limitations and restrictions of this program are fully described in the SAI.

Method of Valuation of Accounts. To determine whether a shareholder qualifies for a reduction in sales charge on a purchase of Class A shares of Eligible Funds, the public offering price of the shares is used for purchases relying on the Combined Purchase Privilege or a Letter of Intent and the amount of the total current purchase (including any sales load) plus the NAV (at the close of business on the day of the current purchase) of shares previously acquired is used for the Right of Accumulation (Cumulative Quantity Discount).

Sales at Net Asset Value. In addition to the programs summarized above, the Funds may sell their Class A shares at NAV without an initial sales charge to certain types of accounts or account holders, including, but not limited to: Trustees of the Funds; employees of PIMCO and the Distributor; employees of participating brokers; certain trustees or other fiduciaries purchasing shares for retirement plans; and persons investing through certain "wrap accounts." Please see the SAI for details.

If you are eligible to buy both Class A shares and Institutional Class shares, you should buy Institutional Class shares because Class A shares may be subject to sales charges and an annual 0.25% service fee.

Required Shareholder Information and Records. In order for investors in Class A shares of the Funds to take advantage of sales charge reductions, an investor or his or her financial firm must notify the Fund that the investor qualifies for such a reduction. If the Fund is not notified that the investor is eligible for these reductions, the Fund will be unable to ensure that the reduction is applied to the investor's account. An investor may have to provide certain information or records to his or her financial firm or the Fund to verify the investor's eligibility for breakpoint discounts or sales charge waivers. An investor may be asked to provide information or records, including account statements, regarding shares of the Funds or other Eligible Funds held in:

all of the investor's accounts held directly with the Trust or through a financial firm; 

any account of the investor at another financial firm; and 

accounts of Qualifying Investors, at any financial firm.

The SAI provides additional information regarding eliminations of and reductions in sales loads associated with Eligible Funds. You can obtain the SAI free of charge from PIMCO by written request, by visiting pimco.com or by calling 888.87.PIMCO.

Contingent Deferred Sales Charges

Class A Shares

Unless you are eligible for a waiver, if you purchase $1,000,000 or more of Class A shares (and, thus, pay no initial sales charge) of a Fund, you will be subject to a 1% CDSC if you sell (redeem) your Class A shares within 12 months of their purchase. The Class A CDSC does not apply if you are otherwise eligible to purchase Class A shares without an initial sales charge or are eligible for a waiver of the CDSC. See "Reductions and Waivers of Initial Sales Charges and CDSCs" below.

Class C Shares

Unless you are eligible for a waiver, if you sell (redeem) your Class C shares within the time periods specified below, you will pay a CDSC according to the following schedules. If you invest in Class C shares of the Funds through a financial firm, it is the responsibility of the financial firm to ensure that you are credited with the proper holding period for the shares redeemed.

Class C Shares*


Years Since Purchase Payment was Made

Percentage Contingent
Deferred Sales Charge

First

1%

Thereafter

0%

 

* Except shares of the PIMCO Government Money Market Fund that were not acquired by exchanging Class C shares of another Fund.

How CDSCs will be Calculated

A CDSC is imposed on redemptions of Class C shares (and where applicable, Class A shares) on the amount of the redemption which causes the current value of your account for the particular class of shares of the Fund to fall below the total dollar amount of your purchase payments subject to the CDSC.

The following rules apply under the method for calculating CDSCs:

Shares acquired through the reinvestment of dividends or capital gains distributions will be redeemed first and will not be subject to any CDSC.

For the redemption of all other shares, the CDSC will be based on either your original purchase price or the then current NAV of the shares being sold, whichever is lower. To illustrate this point, consider shares purchased at an NAV of $10. If the Fund's NAV per share at the time of redemption is $12, the CDSC will apply to the purchase

 

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price of $10. If the NAV per share at the time of redemption is $8, the CDSC will apply to the $8 current NAV per share.

CDSCs will be deducted from the proceeds of your redemption, not from amounts remaining in your account.

In determining whether a CDSC is payable, it is assumed that you will redeem first the lot of shares which will incur the lowest CDSC.

For example, the following illustrates the operation of the Class C CDSC:

Assume that an individual opens an account and makes a purchase payment of $10,000 for 1,000 Class C shares of a Fund (at $10 per share) and that six months later the value of the investor's account for that Fund has grown through investment performance to $11,000 ($11 per share). If the investor should redeem $2,200 (200 shares), a CDSC would be applied against $2,000 of the redemption (the purchase price of the shares redeemed, because the purchase price is lower than the current NAV of such shares ($2,200)). At the rate of 1%, the Class C CDSC would be $20.

Reductions and Waivers of Initial Sales Charges and CDSCs

The initial sales charges on Class A shares and the CDSCs on Class A and Class C shares may be reduced or waived under certain purchase arrangements and for certain categories of investors. Please see the SAI for details.

Shares Purchased or Held Through Financial Firms

The availability of sales charge waivers and discounts may depend on the particular financial firm or type of account through which you purchase or hold Fund shares. The Funds' sales charge waivers and discounts disclosed in this Prospectus are available for qualifying purchases made directly from the Distributor and are generally available through financial firms unless otherwise specified in Appendix B. The sales charge waivers and discounts available through certain other financial firms are set forth in Appendix B to this Prospectus (Financial Firm-Specific Sales Charge Waivers and Discounts), which may differ from those available for purchases made directly from the Distributor or certain other financial firms. Please contact your financial firm for more information regarding sales charge waivers and discounts available to you and the financial firm's related policies and procedures.

No Sales Charges — Class R Shares

The Funds do not impose any sales charges or other fees on purchases, redemptions or exchanges of Class R shares. Class R shares generally are available only to 401(k) plans, 457 plans, employer sponsored 403(b) plans, profit sharing and money purchase pension plans, defined benefit plans, non-qualified deferred compensation plans, health care benefit funding plans and other specified benefit plans and accounts whereby the plan or the plan's financial firm has an agreement with the Distributor or PIMCO Funds to utilize Class R shares in certain investment products or programs (collectively, "specified benefit plans"). In addition, Class R shares also are generally available only to specified benefit plans where Class R shares are held on the books of the Funds through omnibus accounts (either at the benefit plan level or at the level of the plan's financial firm). Class R shares are not available to retail or non-specified benefit plan accounts, traditional and Roth IRAs (except through certain omnibus accounts), Coverdell Education Savings Accounts, SEPs, SAR-SEPs, SIMPLE IRAs, or individual 403(b) plans.

The administrator of a specified benefit plan or employee benefits office can provide participants with detailed information on how to participate in the plan and how to elect a Fund as an investment option. Plan participants may be permitted to elect different investment options, alter the amounts contributed to the plan, or change how contributions are allocated among investment options in accordance with the plan's specific provisions. The plan administrator or employee benefits office should be consulted for details. For questions about participant accounts, participants should contact their employee benefits office, the plan administrator, or the organization that provides recordkeeping services for the plan. In most cases, the Trust's transfer agent will have no information with respect to or control over accounts of specific Class R shareholders, and a shareholder may obtain information about accounts only through the specified benefit plan.

Eligible specified benefit plans generally may open an account and purchase Class R shares by contacting any broker, dealer or other financial firm authorized to sell or process transactions in Class R shares of the Funds. Eligible specified benefit plans may also purchase shares directly from the Distributor. See "Purchasing Shares – Class R" below. Additional shares may be purchased through a benefit plan's administrator or recordkeeper.

Financial firms may provide or arrange for the provision of some or all of the shareholder servicing and account maintenance services required by specified benefit plan accounts and their plan participants, including, without limitation, transfers of registration and dividend payee changes.

Moreover, financial firms and specified benefit plans may have omnibus accounts and similar arrangements with the Trust and may be paid for providing sub-accounting and other shareholder services. A financial firm or specified benefit plan may be paid for its services directly or indirectly by the Funds, the Administrator, another affiliate of the Fund or the Distributor (normally not to exceed an annual rate of 0.50% of a Fund's average daily net assets attributable to its Class R shares and purchased through such firm or specified benefit plan for its clients although payments with respect to shares in retirement plans are often higher). PIMCO or its affiliates may pay a financial firm or specified benefit plan an additional amount not to exceed 0.25% for sub-accounting or other shareholder services.

These fees and expenses could reduce an investment return in Class R shares. For further information on Class R shares and related items, please refer to the SAI.

No Sales Charges — Institutional Class, I-2, I-3 and Administrative Class Shares

The Funds do not impose any sales charges or other fees on purchases, redemptions or exchanges of Institutional Class, I-2, I-3 or Administrative Class shares. Only certain investors are eligible to purchase these share classes. Your financial advisor or financial firm can help you determine if you are eligible to purchase Institutional Class, I-2, I-3 or Administrative Class shares. You can also call 888.87.PIMCO.

An investor transacting in Institutional Class, I-2 or I-3 shares may be required to pay a commission to a broker or other financial firm. Other

 

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share classes of the Funds that have different fees and expenses are available.

Pension and profit-sharing plans, employee benefit trusts and employee benefit plan alliances, and "wrap account" programs established with broker-dealers or other financial firms may purchase Institutional Class, I-2, I-3 or Administrative Class shares only if the plan or program for which the shares are being acquired will maintain an omnibus or pooled account for each Fund and will not require a Fund to pay any type of administrative payment per participant account to any third party.

Institutional Class shares are offered primarily for direct investment by investors such as pension and profit sharing plans, employee benefit trusts, endowments, foundations, corporations and high net worth individuals. Institutional Class shares may also be offered through certain financial firms that charge their customers transaction or other fees with respect to their customers' investments in the Funds.

I-2 shares are offered primarily through broker-dealers and other financial firms with which the Distributor has an agreement for the use of the share class in investment products, programs or accounts such as certain asset allocation, wrap fee and other similar programs. I-2 shares may also be offered through broker-dealers and other financial firms that charge their customers transaction or other fees with respect to their customers' investments in the Funds. I-2 shares of the Funds will be held in an account at a financial firm and, generally, the firm will hold a shareholder's I-2 shares in nominee or street name as your agent. In most cases, the Trust's transfer agent will have no information with respect to or control over accounts of specific I-2 shareholders, and a shareholder may obtain information about accounts only through the financial firm. Broker-dealers, other financial firms, pension and profit-sharing plans, employee benefit trusts and employee benefit plan alliances also may purchase I-2 shares.

I-3 shares of the Funds are offered primarily through broker-dealers and other financial firms with which the Distributor has an agreement for the use of the share class in investment products, programs or accounts such as mutual fund supermarkets or other no transaction fee platforms. I-3 shares of the Funds will be held in an account at a financial firm and, generally, the firm will hold a shareholder's I-3 shares in nominee or street name as your agent. In most cases, the Trust's transfer agent will have no information with respect to or control over accounts of specific I-3 shareholders, and a shareholder may obtain information about accounts only through the financial firm. Broker-dealers, other financial firms, pension and profit-sharing plans, employee benefit trusts and employee benefit plan alliances also may purchase I-3 shares.

Administrative Class shares are offered primarily through broker-dealers, other financial firms, and employee benefit plan alliances. Each Fund typically pays service and/or distribution fees to these entities for services they provide to Administrative Class shareholders.

Distribution and Servicing (12b-1) Plans

Class A, Class C and Class R Shares. The Funds pay fees to the Distributor on an ongoing basis as compensation for the services the Distributor renders and the expenses it bears in connection with the sale and distribution of Fund shares ("distribution fees") and/or in connection with personal services rendered to Fund shareholders and the maintenance of shareholder accounts ("servicing fees"). These payments are made pursuant to Distribution and Servicing Plans ("12b-1 Plans") adopted by each Fund pursuant to Rule 12b-1 under the 1940 Act.

Class A shares pay only servicing fees. Class C and Class R shares pay both distribution and servicing fees. The following lists the maximum annual rates at which the distribution and/or servicing fees may be paid under each 12b-1 Plan (calculated as a percentage of each Fund's average daily net assets attributable to the particular class of shares):

Class A

Servicing Fee

Distribution Fee

All Funds

0.25%

0.00%

 

Class C

Servicing Fee

Distribution Fee

All Funds

0.25%

0.75%

 

Class R

Servicing Fee

Distribution Fee

All Funds

0.25%

0.25%

Because distribution fees are paid out of the Fund's assets on an ongoing basis, over time these fees will increase the cost of your investment and may cost you more than other types of sales charges, such as sales charges that are deducted at the time of investment. Therefore, although Class C and Class R shares do not pay initial sales charges, the distribution fees payable on Class C and Class R shares may, over time, cost you more than the initial sales charge imposed on Class A shares.

Administrative Class Shares. The Trust has adopted, pursuant to Rule 12b-1 under the 1940 Act, a separate Distribution and Servicing Plan for the Administrative Class shares of the Funds. The Distribution and Servicing Plan permits the Funds to compensate the Distributor for providing or procuring through financial firms, distribution, administrative, recordkeeping, shareholder and/or related services with respect to the Administrative Class shares. Most or all of the distribution and service (12b-1) fees are paid to financial firms through which shareholders may purchase or hold shares. Because these fees are paid out of a Fund's Administrative Class assets on an ongoing basis, over time they will increase the cost of an investment in Administrative Class shares.

The following lists the maximum annual rates at which the distribution and/or servicing fees may be paid under each Distribution and Servicing Plan (calculated as a percentage of each Fund's average daily net assets attributable to the particular class of shares):

Administrative Class

Distribution and/or Servicing Fee

All Funds

0.25%

Servicing Arrangements

Shares of the Funds may be available through broker-dealers, banks, trust companies, insurance companies and other financial firms that have entered into shareholder servicing arrangements with respect to the Funds. A financial firm is one that, in exchange for compensation, sells, among other products, mutual fund shares (including the shares offered in this prospectus) or provides services for mutual fund shareholders. These financial firms provide varying investment products, programs, platforms

 

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and accounts, through which investors may purchase, redeem and exchange shares of the Funds. Shareholder servicing arrangements typically include processing orders for shares, generating account and confirmation statements, sub-accounting, account maintenance, tax reporting, collecting and posting distributions to investor accounts and disbursing cash dividends as well as other investment or administrative services required for the particular firm's products, programs, platform and accounts.

PIMCO and/or its affiliates may make payments to financial firms for the shareholder services provided. These payments are made out of PIMCO's resources, including the supervisory and administrative fees paid to PIMCO under the Funds' supervision and administration agreement. The actual services provided by these firms, and the payments made for such services, vary from firm to firm. The payments may be based on a fixed dollar amount for each account and position maintained by the financial firm and/or a percentage of the value of shares held by investors through the firm. Please see the SAI for more information.

These payments may be material to financial firms relative to other compensation paid by the Funds, PIMCO and/or its affiliates and may be in addition to other fees and payments, such as distribution and/or service (12b-1) fees, revenue sharing or "shelf space" fees and event support, other non-cash compensation and charitable contributions paid to or at the request of such firms (described below). Also, the payments may differ depending on the Fund or share class and may vary from amounts paid to the Funds' transfer agent for providing similar services to other accounts. PIMCO and/or its affiliates do not control these financial firms' provision of the services for which they are receiving payments.

These financial firms may impose additional or different conditions than the Funds on purchases, redemptions or exchanges of shares. They may also independently establish and charge their customers or program participants transaction fees, account fees and other amounts in connection with purchases, redemptions and exchanges of shares in addition to any fees imposed by the Funds. These additional fees may vary and over time could increase the cost of an investment in the Funds and lower investment returns. Each financial firm is responsible for transmitting to its customers and program participants a schedule of any such fees and information regarding any additional or different conditions regarding purchases, redemptions and exchanges. Shareholders who are customers of these financial firms or participants in programs serviced by them should contact the financial firm for information regarding these fees and conditions.

Other Payments to Financial Firms

Some or all of the sales charges, distribution fees and servicing fees described above are paid or "reallowed" to the financial firm, including their financial advisors through which you purchase your shares. With respect to Class C shares, the financial firms are also paid at the time of your purchase a commission of up to 1.00% of your investment in such share class. Please see the SAI for more details.

The Distributor or PIMCO (for purposes of this subsection only, collectively, the "Distributor") may from time to time make payments and provide other incentives to selected financial firms as compensation for services such as providing the Funds with "shelf space" or a higher profile for the financial firms' financial advisors and their customers, placing the Funds on the financial firms' preferred or recommended fund list, granting the Distributor access to the firms' financial advisors and furnishing marketing support and other specified services. These payments may be significant to the financial firms.

A number of factors will be considered in determining the amount of these payments to financial firms. On some occasions, such payments may be conditioned upon levels of sales, including the sale of a specified minimum dollar amount of the shares of the Funds, other funds sponsored by the Distributor and/or a particular class of shares, during a specified period of time. The Distributor may also make payments to one or more financial firms based upon factors such as the amount of assets a financial firm's clients have invested in the Funds and the quality of the financial firm's relationship with the Distributor.

The additional payments described above are made from the Distributor's or PIMCO's (or their affiliates') own assets (and sometimes, therefore referred to as "revenue sharing") pursuant to agreements with broker-dealers or other financial firms and do not change the price paid by investors for the purchase of a Fund's shares or the amount a Fund will receive as proceeds from such sales. These payments may be made to financial firms (as selected by the Distributor) that have sold significant amounts of shares of the Funds. With respect to Class A, C and R shares, except as described in the following paragraph, the level of payments made to a financial firm in any future year will vary and generally will not exceed the sum of: (a) 0.10% of such year's sales of Class A, C and R shares of funds of the Trust and PIMCO Equity Series by such financial firm; and (b) 0.03% of the assets attributable to that financial firm invested in Class A, C and R shares of funds of the Trust and PIMCO Equity Series (the "10/3 cap"). In certain cases, the payments described in the preceding sentence are subject to certain minimum payment levels. In lieu of payments pursuant to the foregoing formula, the Distributor, PIMCO or their affiliates may make payments of an agreed upon amount which generally will not exceed the amount that would have been payable pursuant to the formula.

Financial firms with a combined AUM in excess of $10 Billion in Class A, C and I-2 shares of funds of the Trust and PIMCO Equity Series (for purposes of this paragraph, "Eligible Firms") may be eligible for marketing support payments beyond those described in the preceding paragraph on certain Eligible Assets (as defined below). The total payment to any Eligible Firm generally shall not exceed the greater of: (a) 0.05% of the combined Eligible Assets of Class A, C and I-2 shares of funds of the Trust and PIMCO Equity Series; or (b) the 10/3 cap with respect to Class A and Class C shares only. Should any Eligible Firm choose not to collect marketing support on I-2 shares, the total payment to such Eligible Firm generally shall not exceed the greater of: (x) 0.05% of Eligible Assets of Class A and C shares of funds of the Trust and PIMCO Equity Series; or (y) the 10/3 cap with respect to Class A and Class C shares only. With respect to the Eligible Firms receiving marketing support payments with respect to I-2 Shares pursuant to this paragraph, payments may be lower for particular funds of the Trust or PIMCO Equity Series as compared to other funds of the Trust or PIMCO Equity Series. "Eligible Assets" for purposes of this paragraph shall include all assets of Class A, C and I-2 shares of funds of the Trust and PIMCO Equity Series attributable to such Eligible Firm except advisory account assets held through a corporate retirement plan governed by the Employee

 

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Retirement Income Security Act of 1974, Simplified Employee Pension Individual Retirement Accounts and Savings Incentive Match Plans for Individual Retirement Accounts.

Payments for marketing support may also include payments to financial firms in connection with the marketing and sale of model portfolios developed by PIMCO. Such payments may relate to assets under management or sales of any share class of the Funds in such PIMCO-developed models.

In addition to the foregoing payments, the Distributor or its employees and representatives may make payments or reimburse financial firms for sponsorship and/or attendance at conferences, seminars or informational meetings ("event support"), provide financial firms or their personnel with occasional tickets to events or other entertainment, meals, and small gifts ("other non-cash compensation"), make charitable contributions to valid charitable organizations at the request of financial firms ("charitable contributions") and make financial contributions pertaining to sales incentives and contests, each to the extent permitted by applicable law, rules and regulations. 

In addition, wholesaler representatives of the Distributor visit financial firms on a regular basis to market and educate financial advisors and other personnel about the Funds.  These payments, reimbursements and activities may provide additional access to financial advisors at these financial firms, which may increase purchases and/or reduce redemptions of Fund shares.

The Distributor also may pay financial firms for certain services including technology, operations, tax, or audit consulting services, and may pay such firms for the Distributor's attendance at investment forums sponsored by such firms or for various studies, surveys, or access to databases. Subject to applicable law, PIMCO and its affiliates may also provide investment advisory services to financial firms and may execute brokerage transactions on behalf of the Funds with such financial firms. These financial firms may, in the ordinary course of their business, recommend that their clients utilize PIMCO's investment advisory services or invest in the Funds or in other products sponsored or distributed by the Distributor.

If investment advisers, distributors or affiliates of mutual funds make payments and provide other incentives in differing amounts, financial firms and their financial advisors may have financial incentives for recommending a particular mutual fund over other mutual funds. In addition, depending on the arrangements in place at any particular time, a financial firm and its financial advisors may also have a financial incentive for recommending a particular share class over other share classes. A shareholder who holds Fund shares through a financial firm should consult with the shareholder's financial advisor and review carefully any disclosure by the financial firm as to its compensation received by the financial advisor.

Although the Funds may use financial firms that sell Fund shares to effect transactions for the Funds' portfolios, the Funds and PIMCO will not consider the sale of Fund shares as a factor when choosing financial firms to effect those transactions.

For further details about payments made by the Distributor to financial firms, please see the SAI.

Purchases, Redemptions and Exchanges

The following section provides basic information about how to purchase, redeem and exchange shares of the Funds.

More detailed information about purchase, redemption and exchange arrangements for Fund shares is provided in the SAI, which can be obtained free of charge by written request to the Funds at P.O. Box 55060, Boston, MA 02205-5060, visiting pimco.com or by calling 888.87.PIMCO. The SAI provides technical information about the basic arrangements described below and also describes special purchase, sale and exchange features and programs offered by the Trust, including:

Automated telephone and wire transfer procedures

Automatic purchase, exchange and withdrawal programs

A link from your PIMCO Fund account to your bank account

Special arrangements for tax-qualified retirement plans

Investment programs which allow you to reduce or eliminate the initial sales charges

Categories of investors that are eligible for waivers or reductions of initial sales charges and CDSCs

In addition to the other methods and notwithstanding any limitations described herein, shareholders with eligible Fund direct accounts may purchase Class A and Class C shares, and redeem (sell) and exchange Class A and Class C shares, by accessing their accounts online at pimco.com/MyAccountAccess.  Shareholders with eligible Fund direct accounts in the Institutional class may purchase, redeem (sell) and exchange shares by accessing their accounts online at pimco.com/InstitutionalAccountAccess. Accordingly, an investor must first establish a Fund direct account by completing and mailing the appropriate account application. Online redemptions are not available for all Fund direct accounts because in certain cases, a signature guarantee may be required.

If a shareholder elects to use Account Access to effect transactions for their Fund direct account, the shareholder will be required to establish and use a user ID and password. Shareholders are responsible for keeping their user IDs and passwords private. A Fund will not be liable for relying on any instructions submitted online. Submitting transactions online may be difficult (or impossible) during drastic economic or market changes or during other times when communications may be under unusual stress. Please see the Funds' SAI for additional terms, conditions and considerations.

If a shareholder elects not to use Account Access to view their account or effect transactions, the shareholder should not establish online account access.  If online account access has already been established and the client no longer wants the account accessible online, the client can call 888.87.PIMCO and request to suspend online access.

The Trust typically does not offer or sell its shares to non-U.S. residents. For purposes of this policy, a U.S. resident is defined as an account with (i) a U.S. address of record and (ii) all account owners residing in the U.S. at the time of sale.

The minimum initial investment may be modified for certain financial firms that submit orders on behalf of their customers. The Trust or the Distributor may lower or waive the minimum initial or subsequent investment for

 

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certain categories of investors at their discretion. Please see the SAI for details.

Purchasing Shares — Class A and Class C

You can purchase Class A or Class C shares of the Funds in the following ways:

Through your broker-dealer or other financial firm. Your broker-dealer or other financial firm may establish higher minimum investment requirements than the Trust and may also independently charge you transaction fees and additional amounts (which may vary) in return for its services, which will reduce your return. Shares you purchase through your broker-dealer or other financial firm will normally be held in your account with that firm.

Through the Distributor. You should discuss your investment with your financial advisor before you make a purchase to be sure the Fund is appropriate for you. To make direct investments, you must open an account with the Trust and send payment for your shares either by mail or through a variety of other purchase options and plans offered by the Trust. If you do not list a financial advisor and his/her brokerage firm on the Account Application, the Distributor is designated as the broker of record, but solely for purposes of acting as your agent to purchase shares.

Investment Minimums — Class A and Class C Shares. The following investment minimums apply for purchases of Class A and Class C shares.

Purchasing Shares — Class R

Eligible plan investors may purchase Class R shares of the Funds at the relevant NAV of that class without a sales charge. See "No Sales Charges — Class R Shares" above. Plan participants may purchase Class R shares only through their specified benefit plans. In connection with purchases, specified benefit plans are responsible for forwarding all necessary documentation to their financial firm or the Distributor. Specified benefit plans and financial firms may charge for such services.

Specified benefit plans may also purchase Class R shares directly through the Distributor. To make direct investments, a plan administrator must open an account with the Fund and send payment for Class R shares either by mail or through a variety of other purchase options and plans offered by the Trust. Specified benefit plans that purchase their shares directly from the Trust must hold their shares in an omnibus account at the specified benefit plan level.

Investment Minimums — Class R Shares. There is no minimum initial or additional investment in Class R shares.

To invest directly by mail, specified benefit plans should send a check payable to the PIMCO Family of Funds, along with a completed Account Application to the Trust by mail to PIMCO Funds, P.O. Box 55060, Boston, MA 02205-5060 or overnight courier to PIMCO Funds, c/o DST Asset Manager Solutions, Inc., 30 Dan Road, Canton, MA 02021-2809.

The Funds accept all purchases by mail subject to collection of checks at full value and conversion into federal funds. Investors may make subsequent purchases by mailing a check to the address above with a letter describing the investment or with the additional investment portion of a confirmation statement. Checks for subsequent purchases should be payable to the PIMCO Family of Funds and should clearly indicate the relevant account number. Please call the Funds at 888.87.PIMCO if you have any questions regarding purchases by mail.

The Funds reserve the right to require payment by wire, Automatic Clearing House (ACH) or U.S. bank check. The Funds generally do not accept payments made by cash, money order, temporary/starter checks, third-party checks, credit card checks, traveler's check, or checks drawn on non-U.S. banks even if payment may be effected through a U.S. bank.

The SAI describes a number of additional ways you can make direct investments, including through the PIMCO Funds Automatic Investment Plan and ACH Network. You can obtain the SAI free of charge from the Funds by written request to the address above, visiting pimco.com or by calling 888.87.PIMCO.

Purchasing Shares — Institutional Class, I-2, I-3 and Administrative Class

Eligible investors may purchase Institutional Class, I-2, I-3 and Administrative Class shares of the Funds at the relevant NAV of that class without a sales charge. See "No Sales Charges — Institutional Class, I-2, I-3 and Administrative Class Shares" above.

 Investment Minimums — Institutional Class, I-2, I-3 and Administrative Class Shares. The following investment minimums apply for purchases of Institutional Class, I-2, I-3 and Administrative Class shares.

Initial Investment. Investors who wish to invest in Institutional Class and Administrative Class shares may obtain an Account Application online at pimco.com or by calling 888.87.PIMCO. I-2 and I-3 shares are only available through financial firms. See "No Sales Charges — Institutional Class, I-2, I-3 and Administrative Class Shares." The completed Account Application may be submitted using the following methods:

Facsimile: 816.421.2861

Regular Mail:
    PIMCO Funds
    c/o DST Asset Manager Solutions
    330 W. 9th Street
    Kansas City, MO 64105

E-mail: piprocess@dstsystems.com

Except as described below, an investor may purchase Institutional Class and Administrative Class shares only by wiring federal funds to:

PIMCO Funds c/o State Street Bank & Trust Co.
One Lincoln Street, Boston, MA 02111

 

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ABA: 011000028
DDA: 9905-7432
ACCT: Investor PIMCO Account Number
FFC: Name of Investor and Name of Fund(s) in which you wish to invest

Before wiring federal funds, the investor must provide order instructions to the Transfer Agent by facsimile at 816.421.2861, by telephone at 888.87.PIMCO or by e-mail at piprocess@dstsystems.com (if an investor elected this option at account opening or subsequently in writing). In order to receive the current day's NAV, order instructions must be received in good order prior to market close. Instructions must include the name and signature of an authorized person designated on the Account Application ("Authorized Person"), account name, account number, name of Fund and share class and amount being wired. Wires received without order instructions may result in a processing delay or a return of wire. Failure to send the accompanying wire on the same day may result in the cancellation of the order.

An investor may place a purchase order for shares without first wiring federal funds if the purchase amount is to be derived from an advisory account managed by PIMCO or one of its affiliates, or from an account with a broker-dealer or other financial firm that has established a processing relationship with the Trust on behalf of its customers.

Additional Investments. An investor may purchase additional Institutional Class and Administrative Class shares of the Funds at any time by sending a facsimile or e-mail or by calling the Transfer Agent and wiring federal funds as outlined above. Eligible Institutional Class shareholders may also purchase additional shares online at pimco.com/InstitutionalAccountAccess. Contact your financial firm for information on purchasing additional I-2 or I-3 shares. 

Other Purchase Information. Purchases of a Fund's Institutional Class, I-2, I-3 and Administrative Class shares will be made in full and fractional shares.

Purchasing Shares — Additional Information

The Trust and the Distributor each reserves the right, in its sole discretion, to suspend the offering of shares of the Funds or to reject any purchase order, in whole or in part, when, in the judgment of management, such suspension or rejection is in the best interests of the Trust.

Subject to the approval of the Trust, an investor may purchase shares of the Fund with liquid securities that are eligible for purchase by the Fund (consistent with the Fund's investment policies and restrictions) and that have a value that is readily ascertainable in accordance with the Trust's valuation policies. These transactions will be effected only if PIMCO intends to retain the security in the Fund as an investment. Assets purchased by the Fund in such a transaction will be valued in generally the same manner as they would be valued for purposes of pricing the Fund's shares, if such assets were included in the Fund's assets at the time of purchase. The Trust reserves the right to amend or terminate this practice at any time.

In the interest of economy and convenience, certificates for shares will not be issued.

Redeeming Shares — Class A and Class C

You can redeem (sell) Class A or Class C shares of the Funds in the following ways: 

Through your broker-dealer or other financial firm. Your broker-dealer or other financial firm may independently charge you transaction fees and additional amounts in return for its services, which will reduce your return.

Redemptions by Telephone. An investor that elects this option on the Account Application (or subsequently in writing) may request redemptions of Class A and Class C shares by calling the Trust at 888.87.PIMCO. An Authorized Person must state his or her name, account name, account number, name of Fund and share class, and redemption amount (in dollars or shares). Redemption requests of an amount of $10 million or more must be submitted in writing by an Authorized Person.

Directly from the Trust by Written Request. To redeem shares directly from the Trust by written request, you must send the following items to the PIMCO Funds, P.O. Box 55060, Boston, MA 02205-5060:

1.

a written request for redemption signed by all registered owners exactly as the account is registered on the Transfer Agent's records, including fiduciary titles, if any, and specifying the account number and the dollar amount or number of shares to be redeemed;

2.

for certain redemptions described below, a guarantee of all signatures on the written request or on the share certificate or accompanying stock power, if required, as described under "Signature Validation" below;

3.

any share certificates issued for any of the shares to be redeemed (see "Certificated Shares" below); and

4.

any additional documents which may be required by the Transfer Agent for redemption by corporations, partnerships or other organizations, executors, administrators, trustees, custodians or guardians, or if the redemption is requested by anyone other than the shareholder(s) of record. Transfers of shares are subject to the same requirements.

A signature validation is not required for redemptions requested by and payable to all shareholders of record for the account, and to be sent to the address of record for that account. To avoid delay in redemption or transfer, if you have any questions about these requirements you should contact the Transfer Agent in writing or call 888.87.PIMCO before submitting a request. Written redemption or transfer requests will not be honored until all required documents in the proper form have been received by the Transfer Agent. You cannot redeem your shares by written request if they are held in "street name" accounts—you must redeem through your financial firm.

If the proceeds of your redemption (i) are to be paid to a person other than the record owner, (ii) are to be sent to an address other than the address of the account on the Transfer Agent's records, and/or (iii) are to be paid to a corporation, partnership, trust or fiduciary, the signature(s) on the redemption request and on the certificates, if any, or stock power must be guaranteed as described under "Signature Validation" below.

The SAI describes a number of additional ways you can redeem your shares, including: 

 

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Telephone requests to the Transfer Agent

Online Account Access

Expedited wire transfers 

Automatic Withdrawal Plan 

Automated Clearing House (ACH) Network

Unless you specifically elect otherwise, your initial Account Application permits you to redeem shares by telephone subject to certain requirements. To be eligible for expedited wire transfer, Automatic Withdrawal Plan, and ACH privileges, you must specifically elect the particular option on your Account Application and satisfy certain other requirements. The SAI describes each of these options and provides additional information about selling shares.

Other than an applicable CDSC, you will not pay any special fees or charges to the Trust or the Distributor when you sell your shares. However, if you sell your shares through your broker, dealer or other financial firm, that firm may charge you a commission or other fee for processing your redemption request.

Redeeming Shares — Class R

Class R shares may be redeemed through the investor's plan administrator. Investors do not pay any fees or other charges to the Trust when selling shares, although specified benefit plans and financial firms may charge for their services in processing redemption requests. Please contact the plan or firm for details.

Subject to any restrictions in the applicable specified benefit plan documents, plan administrators are obligated to transmit redemption orders to the Trust's Transfer Agent or their financial service firm promptly and are responsible for ensuring that redemption requests are in proper form. Specified benefit plans and financial firms will be responsible for furnishing all necessary documentation to the Trust's Transfer Agent and may charge for their services.

Redeeming Shares — Institutional Class and Administrative Class

Redemptions in Writing. Investors may redeem (sell) Institutional Class and Administrative Class shares by sending a facsimile, written request or e-mail as follows:

Facsimile: 816.421.2861
Regular Mail:
    PIMCO Funds
    c/o DST Asset Manager Solutions
    330 W. 9th Street
    Kansas City, MO 64105
E-mail: piprocess@dstsystems.com

The redemption request should state the Fund from which the shares are to be redeemed, the class of shares, the number or dollar amount of the shares to be redeemed and the account number. The request must be signed or made by an Authorized Person.

Neither the Trust nor the Transfer Agent may be liable for any loss, cost or expense for acting on instructions (including those by fax or e-mail) believed by the party receiving such instructions to be genuine and in accordance with the procedures described in this prospectus. Shareholders should realize that by utilizing fax or e-mail redemption, they may be giving up a measure of security that they might have if they were to redeem their shares by mail. Furthermore, interruptions in service may mean that a shareholder will be unable to effect a redemption by fax or e-mail when desired. The Transfer Agent also provides written confirmation of transactions as a procedure designed to confirm that instructions are genuine.

All redemptions, whether initiated by mail, fax or e-mail, will be processed in a timely manner, and proceeds will be forwarded by wire in accordance with the redemption policies of the Trust detailed below. See "Redeeming Shares — Additional Information."

Redemptions by Telephone. An investor that elects this option on the Account Application (or subsequently in writing) may request redemptions of Institutional Class and Administrative Class shares by calling the Trust at 888.87.PIMCO. An Authorized Person must state his or her name, account name, account number, name of Fund and share class, and redemption amount (in dollars or shares). Redemption requests of an amount of $10 million or more must be submitted in writing by an Authorized Person. 

In electing a telephone redemption, the investor authorizes PIMCO and the Transfer Agent to act on telephone instructions from any person representing him or herself to be an Authorized Person, and reasonably believed by PIMCO or the Transfer Agent to be genuine. Neither the Trust nor the Transfer Agent may be liable for any loss, cost or expense for acting on instructions (including by telephone) believed by the party receiving such instructions to be genuine and in accordance with the procedures described in this prospectus. Shareholders should realize that by electing the telephone option, they may be giving up a measure of security that they might have if they were to redeem their shares in writing. Furthermore, interruptions in service may mean that shareholders will be unable to redeem their shares by telephone when desired. The Transfer Agent also provides written confirmation of transactions initiated by telephone as a procedure designed to confirm that telephone instructions are genuine. All telephone transactions are recorded, and PIMCO or the Transfer Agent may request certain information in order to verify that the person giving instructions is authorized to do so. The Trust or Transfer Agent may be liable for any losses due to unauthorized or fraudulent telephone transactions if it fails to employ reasonable procedures to confirm that instructions communicated by telephone are genuine. All redemptions initiated by telephone will be processed in a timely manner, and proceeds will be forwarded by wire in accordance with the redemption policies of the Trust detailed below. See "Redeeming Shares — Additional Information."

An Authorized Person may decline telephone exchange or redemption privileges after an account is opened by providing the Transfer Agent a letter of instruction signed by an Authorized Signer. Shareholders may experience delays in exercising telephone redemption privileges during periods of abnormal market activity. During periods of volatile economic or market conditions, shareholders may wish to consider transmitting redemption orders by facsimile, e-mail or overnight courier. Defined contribution plan participants may request redemptions by contacting the employee benefits office, the plan administrator or the organization that provides recordkeeping services for the plan.

 

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Redemptions Online

An investor may redeem Institutional Class shares through their account online. To access your online account, please log onto pimco.com/InstitutionalAccountAccess and enter your account information and personal identification data.

Redeeming Shares — I-2 and I-3

An investor may redeem (sell) I-2 or I-3 shares through the investor's financial firm.  Investors do not pay any fees or other charges to the Trust when selling I-2 or I-3 shares.  Please contact the financial firm for details.

A financial firm is obligated to transmit an investor's redemption orders to the Transfer Agent promptly and is responsible for ensuring that a redemption request is in proper form. The financial firm will be responsible for furnishing all necessary documentation to the Transfer Agent and may charge for its services.

Redeeming Shares — Additional Information

Redemptions of all Classes of Fund shares may be made on any day the New York Stock Exchange ("NYSE") is open, but may be suspended when trading on the NYSE is restricted or during an emergency which makes it impracticable for the Funds to dispose of their securities or to determine fairly the value of their net assets, or during any other period as permitted by the SEC for the protection of investors. Under these and other unusual circumstances, the Trust may suspend redemptions or postpone payment for more than seven days, as permitted by law.

Following the receipt of a redemption request, redemption proceeds will normally be mailed to the redeeming shareholder within three calendar days or, in the case of wire transfer or ACH redemptions, will normally be sent to the designated bank account within one business day. Institutional Class shareholders may only receive redemption proceeds via wire transfer or ACH redemptions. ACH redemptions may be received by the bank on the second or third business day following a redemption request, but in either case may take up to seven days. In cases where shares have recently been purchased by personal check (Class A, Class C or Class R shareholders only), redemption proceeds may be withheld until the check has been collected, which may take up to 10 calendar days. To avoid such withholding, investors in Class A, Class C or Class R shares should purchase shares by certified or bank check or by wire transfer.

For shareholder protection, a request to change information contained in an account registration (for example, a request to change the bank designated to receive wire redemption proceeds) must be received in writing, signed by the minimum number of Authorized Persons designated on the completed Account Application that are required to effect a redemption, and accompanied by a signature validation, as determined in accordance with the Trust's procedures, as more fully described below.

Retirement plan sponsors, participant recordkeeping organizations and other financial firms may also impose their own restrictions, limitations or fees in connection with transactions in the Funds' shares, which may be stricter than those described in this section. You should contact your plan sponsor, recordkeeper or financial intermediary for more information on any additional restrictions, limitations or fees that are imposed in connection with transactions in Fund shares.

In order to meet redemption requests, the Funds typically expect to use a combination of sales of portfolio assets, holdings of cash and cash equivalents (including cash flows into Funds) and financing transactions (such as reverse repurchase agreements). These methods of meeting redemption requests are expected to be used regularly. The Funds reserve the right to use other types of borrowings and interfund lending. The use of borrowings (such as a line of credit) and interfund lending in order to meet redemption requests is typically expected to be used only during stressed market conditions, if at all. See "Characteristics and Risks of Securities and Investment Techniques—Reverse Repurchase Agreements, Dollar Rolls and Other Borrowings" and the SAI for more information. The Funds' use of redemptions in kind is discussed below.

Redemptions In Kind

The Trust has agreed to redeem shares of each Fund solely in cash up to the lesser of $250,000 or 1% of the Fund's net assets during any 90-day period for any one shareholder. In consideration of the best interests of the remaining shareholders, the Trust may pay any redemption proceeds exceeding this amount in whole or in part by a distribution in kind of securities held by a Fund in lieu of cash. It is highly unlikely that your shares would ever be redeemed in kind. If your shares are redeemed in kind, you should expect to incur transaction costs upon the disposition of the securities received in the distribution.

Certificated Shares

If you are redeeming shares for which certificates have been issued, the certificates must be mailed to or deposited with the Trust, duly endorsed or accompanied by a duly endorsed stock power or by a written request for redemption. Signatures must be guaranteed as described under "Signature Validation" below. The Trust may request further documentation from institutions or fiduciary accounts, such as corporations, custodians (e.g., under the Uniform Gifts to Minors Act), executors, administrators, trustees or guardians. Your redemption request and stock power must be signed exactly as the account is registered, including indication of any special capacity of the registered owner.

Signature Validation

When a signature validation is called for, a Medallion signature guarantee or Signature validation program (SVP) stamp may be required. A Medallion signature guarantee is intended to provide signature validation for transactions considered financial in nature, and an SVP stamp is intended to provide signature validation for transactions non-financial in nature. In certain situations, a notarized signature may be used instead of a Medallion signature guarantee or an SVP stamp. A Medallion signature guarantee or SVP stamp may be obtained from a domestic bank or trust company, broker, dealer, clearing agency, savings association or other financial institution which is participating in a Medallion program or Signature validation program recognized by the Securities Transfer Association. When a Medallion signature guarantee or SVP stamp is required, signature validations from financial institutions which are not participating in one of these programs will not be accepted. Please note that financial institutions participating in a recognized Medallion program may still be ineligible to provide a signature validation for transactions of greater than a specified

 

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dollar amount. The Trust may change the signature validation requirements from time to time upon notice to shareholders, which may be given by means of a new or supplemented prospectus. Shareholders should contact the Transfer Agent for additional details regarding the Funds' signature validation requirements.

In addition, corporations, trusts, and other institutional organizations are required to furnish evidence of the authority of the persons designated on the Account Application to effect transactions for the organization.

Minimum Account Size

Due to the relatively high cost of maintaining small accounts, the Trust reserves the right to redeem shares in any account that falls below the values listed below.  

Class A, Class C and Class R. Investors should maintain an account balance in the Fund held by an investor of at least the minimum investment necessary to open the particular type of account. If an investor's balance for the Fund remains below the minimum for three months or longer, the Administrator has the right (except in the case of employer-sponsored retirement accounts) to redeem an investor's remaining shares and close the Fund account after giving the investor 60 days to increase the account balance. An investor's account will not be liquidated if the reduction in size is due solely to a decline in market value of Fund shares or if the aggregate value of all the investor's holdings in the Trust and PIMCO Equity Series accounts exceeds $50,000. 

Institutional Class and Administrative Class. The Trust reserves the right to redeem Institutional Class and Administrative Class shares in any account for their then-current value (which will be promptly paid to the investor) if at any time, due to redemption by the investor, the shares in the account do not have a value of at least $100,000. A shareholder will receive advance notice of a mandatory redemption and will be given at least 60 days to bring the value of its account up to at least $100,000.

Request for Multiple Copies of Shareholder Documents

To reduce expenses, it is intended that only one copy of the Funds' prospectus and each annual and semi-annual report, when available, will be mailed to those addresses shared by two or more accounts. If you wish to receive individual copies of these documents and your shares are held directly with the Trust, call the Trust at 888.87.PIMCO. You will receive the additional copy within 30 days after receipt of your request by the Trust. Alternatively, if your shares are held through a financial institution, please contact the financial institution directly.

Exchanging Shares

You may exchange shares of a Fund for the same class of shares of any other fund of the Trust or a fund of PIMCO Equity Series that offers the same class of shares, subject to any restriction on exchanges set forth in the applicable Fund's prospectus. Shareholders interested in such an exchange may request a prospectus for these other funds by contacting the Trust.

Exchanges of Class A and Class C shares are subject to an initial $1,000 minimum (and subsequent $50 minimum) for each Fund, except with respect to tax-qualified programs and exchanges effected through the PIMCO Funds Automatic Exchange Plan. Specified benefit plans or financial service firms may impose various fees and charges, investment minimums and other requirements with respect to exchanges of Class R shares.

An exchange is generally a taxable event which will generate capital gains or losses, and special rules may apply in computing tax basis when determining gain or loss. See "Tax Consequences" in this prospectus and "Taxation" in the SAI.

Eligible investors who maintain their account directly with the Funds may submit a request to exchange Fund shares by accessing their account online.  Eligible direct investors in Class A and Class C shares may access their online account via pimco.com/MyAccountAccess.  Eligible direct investors in Institutional shares may access their online account via pimco.com/InstitutionalAccountAccess.

If you maintain your Class A, Class C or Class R account with the Trust, you may exchange shares by completing a written exchange request and sending it to PIMCO Funds, P.O. Box 55060, Boston, MA 02205-5060 or by calling the Funds at 888.87.PIMCO. Exchanges of an amount of $10 million or more must be submitted in writing by an Authorized Person. If you maintain your Institutional Class, I-2 or Administrative Class shares with the Trust, you may exchange shares by following the redemption procedures for those classes above. If you maintain Class A, Class C, Class R, Institutional Class, I-2, I-3 or Administrative Class shares through an intermediary, please contact the intermediary to conduct your transactions.

Shares of one class of a Fund may also be exchanged directly for shares of another class of the Fund, subject to any applicable sales charge and other rules, as described in the SAI.

The Trust reserves the right to refuse exchange purchases (or purchase and redemption and/or redemption and purchase transactions) if, in the judgment of PIMCO, the transaction would adversely affect a Fund and its shareholders. Although the Trust has no current intention of terminating or modifying the exchange privilege, it reserves the right to do so at any time. Except as otherwise permitted by the SEC, the Trust will give you 60 days' advance notice if it exercises its right to terminate or materially modify the exchange privilege with respect to Class A, Class C and Class R shares.

The SAI provides more detailed information about the exchange privilege, including the procedures you must follow and additional exchange options. You can obtain the SAI free of charge from the Funds by written request to the address above, by visiting pimco.com or by calling 888.87.PIMCO.

Acceptance and Timing of Purchase Orders, Redemption Orders and Share Price Calculations

A purchase order received by the Trust or its designee prior to the close of regular trading on the NYSE (normally 4:00 p.m., Eastern time) ("NYSE Close"), on a day the Trust is open for business, together with payment made in one of the ways described above will be effected at that day's NAV plus any applicable sales charge. An order received after the close of regular

 

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trading on the NYSE will be effected at the NAV determined on the next business day. However, orders received by certain retirement plans and other financial firms on a business day prior to the close of regular trading on the NYSE and communicated to the Trust or its designee prior to such time as agreed upon by the Trust and financial firm will be effected at the NAV determined on the business day the order was received by the financial firm. The Trust is "open for business" on each day the NYSE is open for trading, which excludes the following holidays: New Year's Day, Martin Luther King, Jr. Day, Presidents' Day, Good Friday, Memorial Day, Independence Day, Labor Day, Thanksgiving Day and Christmas Day. If the NYSE is closed due to weather or other extenuating circumstances on a day it would typically be open for business, the Trust reserves the right to treat such day as a Business Day and accept purchase and redemption orders and calculate a Fund's NAV, in accordance with applicable law. A Fund reserves the right to close if the primary trading markets of the Fund's portfolio instruments are closed and the Fund's management believes that there is not an adequate market to meet purchase, redemption or exchange requests. On any business day when the Securities Industry and Financial Markets Association ("SIFMA") recommends that the securities markets close trading early, each Fund may close trading early. Purchase orders will be accepted only on days which the Trust is open for business.

A redemption order received by the Trust or its designee prior to the NYSE Close on a day the Trust is open for business, is effective on that day (unless a specific subsequent trade date is provided). A redemption order received after that time becomes effective on the next business day. Redemption requests for Fund shares are effected at the NAV per share next determined after receipt of a redemption request by the Trust or its designee, minus any applicable sales charge. However, orders received by certain broker-dealers and other financial firms on a business day prior to the NYSE Close and communicated to the Trust or its designee prior to such time as agreed upon by the Trust and financial firm will be effected on the business day the order was received by the financial firm. The request must properly identify all relevant information such as trade date, account name, account number, redemption amount (in dollars or shares), the Fund name and the class of shares and must be executed by an Authorized Person.

The Trust and the Distributor each reserves the right, in its sole discretion, to accept or reject any order for purchase of Fund shares. The sale of shares may be suspended during any period in which the NYSE is closed other than weekends or holidays, or if permitted by the rules of the SEC, when trading on the NYSE is restricted or during an emergency which makes it impracticable for the Fund to dispose of its securities or to determine fairly the value of its net assets, or during any other period as permitted by the SEC for the protection of investors. Additionally, redemptions of Fund shares may be suspended when trading on the NYSE is restricted or during an emergency which makes it impracticable for the Fund to dispose of its securities or to determine fairly the value of its net assets, or during any other period as permitted by the SEC for the protection of investors. Under these and other unusual circumstances, the Trust may suspend redemptions or postpone payment for more than seven days, as permitted by law.

An investor should invest in the Fund for long-term investment purposes only. The Trust reserves the right to refuse purchases if, in the judgment of PIMCO, the purchases would adversely affect the Fund and its shareholders. In particular, the Trust and PIMCO each reserves the right to restrict purchases of Fund shares (including exchanges) when a pattern of frequent purchases and sales made in response to short-term fluctuations in share price appears evident. Notice of any such restrictions, if any, will vary according to the particular circumstances.

Abusive Trading Practices

The Trust encourages shareholders to invest in the Funds as part of a long-term investment strategy and discourages excessive, short-term trading and other abusive trading practices, sometimes referred to as "market timing." However, because the Trust will not always be able to detect market timing or other abusive trading activity, investors should not assume that the Trust will be able to detect or prevent all market timing or other trading practices that may disadvantage the Funds.

Certain of the Funds' investment strategies may expose the Funds to risks associated with market timing activities. For example, since certain Funds may invest in non-U.S. securities, they may be subject to the risk that an investor may seek to take advantage of a delay between the change in value of the Funds' non-U.S. portfolio securities and the determination of the Funds' NAV as a result of different closing times of U.S. and non-U.S. markets by buying or selling Fund shares at a price that does not reflect their true value. A similar risk exists for a Fund's potential investment in securities of small capitalization companies, securities of issuers located in emerging markets, securities of distressed companies or high yield securities that are thinly traded and therefore may have actual values that differ from their market prices.

Except as identified below, to discourage excessive, short-term trading and other abusive trading practices, the Board of Trustees of the Trust has adopted policies and procedures reasonably designed to detect and prevent short-term trading activity that may be harmful to a Fund and its shareholders. Such activities may have a detrimental effect on a Fund and its shareholders. For example, depending upon various factors such as the size of a Fund and the amount of its assets maintained in cash, short-term or excessive trading by Fund shareholders may interfere with the efficient management of the Fund's investments, increase transaction costs and taxes, and may harm the performance of the Fund and its shareholders.

The Trust seeks to deter and prevent abusive trading practices, and to reduce these risks, through several methods. First, to the extent that there is a delay between a change in the value of a Fund's portfolio holdings and the time when that change is reflected in the NAV of the Fund's shares, the Fund is exposed to the risk that investors may seek to exploit this delay by purchasing or redeeming shares at NAVs that do not reflect appropriate fair value prices. The Trust seeks to deter and prevent this activity, sometimes referred to as "stale price arbitrage," by the appropriate use of "fair value" pricing of a Fund's portfolio securities. See "How Fund Shares Are Priced" below for more information.

Second, the Trust and PIMCO seek to monitor shareholder account activities in order to detect and prevent excessive and disruptive trading practices. The Trust and PIMCO each reserves the right to restrict or refuse any purchase or exchange transactions if, in the judgment of the Trust or of PIMCO, the transaction may adversely affect the interests of a Fund or its shareholders. Among other things, the Trust may monitor for any patterns of frequent

 

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purchases and sales that appear to be made in response to short-term fluctuations in share price and may also monitor for any attempts to improperly avoid the imposition of a redemption fee. Notice of such restrictions, if any, will vary according to the particular circumstances. The Trust does not monitor the PIMCO Funds of Funds (as defined below) for purposes of detecting frequent or short-term trading practices with respect to shares of the Funds.

Although the Trust and its service providers seek to use these methods to detect and prevent abusive trading activities, and although the Trust will consistently apply such methods, there can be no assurances that such activities can be mitigated or eliminated. By their nature, omnibus accounts, in which purchases and sales of Fund shares by multiple investors are aggregated for presentation to a Fund on a net basis, conceal the identity of the individual investors from the Fund. This makes it more difficult for the Trust and/or PIMCO to identify short-term transactions in the Fund.

Verification of Identity

To help the federal government combat the funding of terrorism and money laundering activities, federal law requires all financial institutions to obtain, verify and record information that identifies each person that opens a new account, and to determine whether such person's name appears on government lists of known or suspected terrorists and terrorist organizations. As a result, a Fund must obtain the following information for each person that opens a new account:

1.

Name;

2.

Date of birth (for individuals);

3.

Residential or business street address; and

4.

Social security number, taxpayer identification number, or other identifying number.

Federal law prohibits the Funds and other financial institutions from opening a new account unless they receive the minimum identifying information listed above.

Individuals may also be asked for a copy of their driver's license, passport or other identifying document in order to verify their identity. In addition, it may be necessary to verify an individual's identity by cross-referencing the identification information with a consumer report or other electronic database. Additional information may be required to open accounts for corporations and other entities.

After an account is opened, a Fund may restrict your ability to purchase additional shares until your identity is verified. A Fund also may close your account and redeem your shares or take other appropriate action if it is unable to verify your identity within a reasonable time.

How Fund Shares Are Priced

The price of a Fund's shares is based on the Fund's NAV. The NAV of a Fund, or each of its share classes, as applicable, is determined by dividing the total value of a Fund's portfolio investments and other assets attributable to that Fund or class, less any liabilities, by the total number of shares outstanding of that Fund or class.

On each day that the NYSE is open, Fund shares are ordinarily valued as of the close of regular trading ("NYSE Close"). Information that becomes known to the Funds or their agents after the time as of which NAV has been calculated on a particular day will not generally be used to retroactively adjust the price of a security or the NAV determined earlier that day. Each Fund reserves the right to change the time its respective NAV is calculated if the Fund closes earlier, or as permitted by the SEC.

For purposes of calculating NAV, portfolio securities and other assets for which market quotes are readily available are valued at market value. Market value is generally determined on the basis of official closing prices or the last reported sales prices, or if no sales are reported, based on quotes obtained from established market makers or prices (including evaluated prices) supplied by the Funds' approved pricing services, quotation reporting systems and other third-party sources (together, "Pricing Services"). The Funds will normally use pricing data for domestic equity securities received shortly after the NYSE Close and do not normally take into account trading, clearances or settlements that take place after the NYSE Close. A foreign (non-U.S.) equity security traded on a foreign exchange or on more than one exchange is typically valued using pricing information from the exchange considered by PIMCO to be the primary exchange. If market value pricing is used, a foreign (non-U.S.) equity security will be valued as of the close of trading on the foreign exchange, or the NYSE Close, if the NYSE Close occurs before the end of trading on the foreign exchange. Domestic and foreign (non-U.S.) fixed income securities, non-exchange-traded derivatives, and equity options are normally valued on the basis of quotes obtained from brokers and dealers or Pricing Services using data reflecting the earlier closing of the principal markets for those securities. Prices obtained from Pricing Services may be based on, among other things, information provided by market makers or estimates of market values obtained from yield data relating to investments or securities with similar characteristics. Certain fixed income securities purchased on a delayed-delivery basis are marked to market daily until settlement at the forward settlement date. Exchange-traded options, except equity options, futures and options on futures are valued at the settlement price determined by the relevant exchange. Swap agreements are valued on the basis of bid quotes obtained from brokers and dealers or market-based prices supplied by Pricing Services or other pricing sources. With respect to any portion of the Fund's assets that are invested in one or more open-end management investment companies (other than exchange-traded funds), a Fund's NAV will be calculated based upon the NAVs of such investments.

If a foreign (non-U.S.) equity security's value has materially changed after the close of the security's primary exchange or principal market but before the NYSE Close, the security may be valued at fair value based on procedures established and approved by the Board of Trustees. Foreign (non-U.S.) equity securities that do not trade when the NYSE is open are also valued at fair value. With respect to foreign (non-U.S.) equity securities, the Fund may determine the fair value of investments based on information provided by Pricing Services and other third-party vendors, which may recommend fair value or adjustments with reference to other securities, indexes or assets. In considering whether fair valuation is required and in determining fair values, the Fund may, among other things, consider significant events (which may be considered to include changes in the value of U.S. securities or securities indexes) that occur after the close of the relevant market and before the NYSE Close. A Fund may utilize modeling

 

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tools provided by third-party vendors to determine fair values of non-U.S. securities. For these purposes, any movement in the applicable reference index or instrument ("zero trigger") between the earlier close of the applicable foreign market and the NYSE Close may be deemed to be a significant event, prompting the application of the pricing model (effectively resulting in daily fair valuations). Foreign (non-U.S.) exchanges may permit trading in foreign (non-U.S.) equity securities on days when the Trust is not open for business, which may result in a Fund's portfolio investments being affected when you are unable to buy or sell shares.

Senior secured floating rate loans for which an active secondary market exists to a reliable degree will be valued at the mean of the last available bid/ask prices in the market for such loans, as provided by a Pricing Service. Senior secured floating rate loans for which an active secondary market does not exist to a reliable degree will be valued at fair value, which is intended to approximate market value. In valuing a senior secured floating rate loan at fair value, the factors considered may include, but are not limited to, the following: (a) the creditworthiness of the borrower and any intermediate participants, (b) the terms of the loan, (c) recent prices in the market for similar loans, if any, and (d) recent prices in the market for instruments of similar quality, rate, period until next interest rate reset and maturity.

Investments valued in currencies other than the U.S. dollar are converted to the U.S. dollar using exchange rates obtained from Pricing Services. As a result, the value of such investments, and in turn, the NAV of the Fund's shares may be affected by changes in the value of currencies in relation to the U.S. dollar. The value of investments traded in markets outside the United States or denominated in currencies other than the U.S. dollar may be affected significantly on a day that the Trust is not open for business. As a result, to the extent that a Fund holds foreign (non-U.S.) investments, the value of those investments may change at times when shareholders are unable to buy or sell shares and the value of such investments will be reflected in the Fund's next calculated NAV.

Investments for which market quotes or market based valuations are not readily available are valued at fair value as determined in good faith by the Board of Trustees or persons acting at their direction. The Board of Trustees has adopted methods for valuing securities and other assets in circumstances where market quotes are not readily available, and has delegated to PIMCO the responsibility for applying the fair valuation methods. In the event that market quotes or market based valuations are not readily available, and the security or asset cannot be valued pursuant to a Board approved valuation method, the value of the security or asset will be determined in good faith by the Valuation Oversight Committee of the Board of Trustees, generally based on recommendations provided by PIMCO. Market quotes are considered not readily available in circumstances where there is an absence of current or reliable market-based data (e.g., trade information, bid/ask information, broker quotes, Pricing Services' prices), including where events occur after the close of the relevant market, but prior to the NYSE Close, that materially affect the values of the Fund's securities or assets. In addition, market quotes are considered not readily available when, due to extraordinary circumstances, the exchanges or markets on which the securities trade do not open for trading for the entire day and no other market prices are available. The Board of Trustees has delegated to PIMCO the responsibility for monitoring significant events that may materially affect the values of the Fund's securities or assets and for determining whether the value of the applicable securities or assets should be reevaluated in light of such significant events.

When the Fund uses fair valuation to determine the value of a portfolio security or other asset for purposes of calculating its NAV, such investments will not be priced on the basis of quotes from the primary market in which they are traded, but rather may be priced by another method that the Board of Trustees or persons acting at their direction believe reflects fair value. Fair valuation may require subjective determinations about the value of a security. While the Trust's policy is intended to result in a calculation of the Fund's NAV that fairly reflects security values as of the time of pricing, the Trust cannot ensure that fair values determined by the Board of Trustees or persons acting at their direction would accurately reflect the price that a Fund could obtain for a security if it were to dispose of that security as of the time of pricing (for instance, in a forced or distressed sale). The prices used by the Fund may differ from the value that would be realized if the securities were sold. The Funds' use of fair valuation may also help to deter "stale price arbitrage" as discussed above under "Abusive Trading Practices."

Under certain circumstances, the per share NAV of a class of the Fund's shares may be different from the per share NAV of another class of shares as a result of the different daily expense accruals applicable to each class of shares.

Fund Distributions

Each Fund distributes substantially all of its net investment income to shareholders in the form of dividends. Dividends paid by each Fund with respect to each class of shares are calculated in the same manner and at the same time, but dividends on different classes of shares may be different as a result of the service and/or distribution fees applicable to certain classes of shares. Each Fund intends to declare income dividends daily and distribute them monthly to shareholders of record.

In addition, each Fund distributes any net capital gains it earns from the sale of portfolio securities to shareholders no less frequently than annually. Net short-term capital gains may be paid more frequently.

A Fund's dividend and capital gain distributions with respect to a particular class of shares will automatically be reinvested in additional shares of the same class of the Fund at NAV unless the shareholder elects to have the distributions paid in cash. A shareholder may elect to have distributions paid in cash on the Account Application, by phone, or by submitting a written request, signed by an Authorized Person, indicating the account name, account number, name of Fund and share class. A shareholder may elect to invest all distributions in shares of the same class of any other fund of the Trust or PIMCO Funds which offers that class of shares at NAV. A shareholder must have an account existing in the fund selected for investment with the identical registered name. This option must be elected when the account is set up.

Shares Purchased by Wire: Dividends will begin to accrue the business day following the day the order is effected or such later date as agreed with the Trust.

 

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Shares Purchased by Check or ACH: The order will be effected at that day's NAV, but dividends will not begin to accrue until the following business day.

If a purchase order is placed through a broker, dealer or other financial firms authorized to settle through the National Securities Clearing Corporation (the "NSCC"), the purchase order will begin accruing dividends the business day following the NSCC settlement date or as agreed upon and as allowed by applicable law.

A Class A, Class C or Class R shareholder may choose from the following distribution options:

Reinvest all distributions in additional shares of the same class of the Fund at NAV. You should contact your financial firm (if shares are held through a financial firm) or the Fund's Transfer Agent (if shares are held through a direct account) for details. You do not pay any sales charges on shares received through the reinvestment of Fund distributions. This will be done unless you elect another option.

Invest all distributions in shares of the same class of any other fund of the Trust or PIMCO Equity Series which offers that class at NAV. You must have an account existing in the fund selected for investment with the identical registered name. You must elect this option on your Account Application or by a telephone request to the Transfer Agent at 888.87.PIMCO.

Receive all distributions in cash (either paid directly to you or credited to your account with your broker or other financial intermediary). If the postal or other delivery service is unable to deliver checks to your address of record, the Trust's Transfer Agent will hold the returned checks for your benefit in a non-interest bearing account. You must elect this option on your Account Application or by a telephone request to the Transfer Agent at 888.87.PIMCO.

The financial service firm may offer additional distribution reinvestment programs or options. Please contact the firm for details.

Tax Consequences

The following information is meant as a general summary for U.S. taxpayers. Please see the SAI for additional information. You should rely on your own tax adviser for advice about the particular federal, state and local tax consequences to you of investing in any Fund.

Each Fund will distribute substantially all of its income and gains to its shareholders every year, and shareholders will be taxed on distributions they receive.

Taxes on Fund Distributions. A shareholder subject to U.S. federal income tax will be subject to tax on taxable Fund distributions of taxable income or capital gains whether they are paid in cash or reinvested in additional shares of the Funds. However, in light of the investment strategies of the Funds, it is not anticipated that a significant portion of the dividends paid by the Funds will be eligible to be designated as qualified dividends. For federal income tax purposes, taxable Fund distributions will be taxable to the shareholder as either ordinary income or capital gains.

Fund taxable dividends (i.e., distributions of investment income) are generally taxable to shareholders as ordinary income. A portion of distributions may be qualified dividends taxable at lower rates for individual shareholders. However, based on the investment strategies of the Funds, it is not anticipated that a significant portion of dividends paid by the Funds to shareholders will be eligible to be designated as qualified dividends. Federal taxes on Fund distributions of gains are determined by how long a Fund owned the investments that generated the gains, rather than how long a shareholder has owned the shares. Distributions of gains from investments that the Fund owned for more than one year will generally be taxable to shareholders as long-term capital gains. Distributions of gains from investments that the Fund owned for one year or less will generally be taxable as ordinary income.

The tax treatment of income, gains and losses attributable to foreign currencies (and derivatives on such currencies), and various other special tax rules applicable to certain financial transactions and instruments could affect the amount, timing and character of a Fund's distributions.  In some cases, these tax rules could also result in a retroactive change in the tax character of prior distributions and may also possibly cause all, or a portion, of prior distributions to be reclassified as returns of capital for tax purposes.  See "Returns of Capital" below.

Taxable Fund distributions are taxable to shareholders even if they are paid from income or gains earned by a Fund prior to the shareholder's investment and thus were included in the price paid for the shares. For example, a shareholder who purchases shares on or just before the record date of a Fund distribution will pay full price for the shares and may receive a portion of his or her investment back as a taxable distribution.

Taxes on Redemption or Exchanges of Shares. You will generally have a taxable capital gain or loss if you dispose of your Fund shares by redemption, exchange or sale. The amount of the gain or loss and the rate of tax will depend primarily upon how much you pay for the shares, how much you sell them for, and how long you hold them. When you exchange shares of a Fund for shares of another Fund, the transaction will be treated as a sale of the Fund shares for these purposes, and any gain on those shares will generally be subject to federal income tax.

Returns of Capital. If a Fund's distributions exceed its taxable income and capital gains realized during a taxable year, all or a portion of the distributions made in the same taxable year may be recharacterized as a return of capital to shareholders. A return of capital distribution will generally not be taxable, but will reduce each shareholder's cost basis in the Fund and result in a higher reported capital gain or lower reported capital loss when those shares on which the distribution was received are sold.

Medicare Tax.  An additional 3.8% Medicare tax is imposed on certain net investment income (including ordinary dividends and capital gain distributions received from a Fund and net gains from redemptions or other taxable dispositions of Fund shares) of U.S. individuals, estates and trusts to the extent that such person's "modified adjusted gross income" (in the case of an individual) or "adjusted gross income" (in the case of an estate or trust) exceeds certain threshold amounts.

Recent Tax Legislation. Under recent tax legislation, individuals (and certain other noncorporate entities) are generally eligible for a 20% deduction with respect to taxable ordinary dividends from REITs

 

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and certain taxable income from publicly traded partnerships. Currently, there is not a mechanism for regulated investment companies to pass through the 20% deduction to shareholders although it is possible that a legislative or regulatory approach to do so may be provided in the future. As a result, in comparison, investors investing directly in REITs or publicly traded partnerships would generally be eligible for the 20% deduction for such taxable income from these investments while investors investing in REITs or publicly traded partnerships indirectly through a Fund would not be eligible for the 20% deduction for their share of such taxable income. In addition, under the recent tax legislation, REITs as well as other corporations will be subject to certain leverage limitations regarding the deductibility of interest expense. The recent tax legislation also may, pending further regulatory guidance, require REITs and a Fund to accrue market discount currently, which may affect the taxability of REIT distributions received by a Fund and the amount of taxable distributions paid by a Fund to shareholders. The effects of these and other provisions of the tax legislation on REITs' operations, on master limited partnerships, or on a Fund, is uncertain at this time.

Important Tax Reporting Considerations. Your financial intermediary or the Fund (if you hold your shares in a Fund direct account) will report gains and losses realized on redemptions of shares for shareholders who are individuals and S corporations purchased after January 1, 2012 to the Internal Revenue Service (IRS). This information will also be reported to you on Form 1099-B and the IRS each year. In calculating the gain or loss on redemptions of shares, the average cost method will be used to determine the cost basis of Fund shares purchased after January 1, 2012 unless you instruct the Fund in writing that you want to use another available method for cost basis reporting (for example, First In, First Out (FIFO), Last In, First Out (LIFO), Specific Lot Identification (SLID) or High Cost, First Out (HIFO)). If you designate SLID as your cost basis method, you will also need to designate a secondary cost basis method (Secondary Method). If a Secondary Method is not provided, the Funds will designate FIFO as the Secondary Method and will use the Secondary Method with respect to automatic withdrawals made after January 1, 2012 or conducted via an automatic withdrawal plan.

If a shareholder is a corporation and has not instructed the Fund that it is a C corporation in its Account Application or by written instruction, the Fund will treat the shareholder as an S corporation and file a Form 1099-B.

Backup Withholding. Each Fund may be required to withhold U.S. federal income tax on all taxable distributions payable to shareholders if they fail to provide the Fund with their correct taxpayer identification number or to make required certifications, or if they have been notified by the IRS that they are subject to backup withholding. Backup withholding is not an additional tax. Any amounts withheld may be credited against U.S. federal income tax liability.

Foreign Withholding Taxes. A Fund may be subject to foreign withholding or other foreign taxes, which in some cases can be significant on any income or gain from investments in foreign securities. In that case, the Fund's total return on those securities would be decreased. Although in some cases the Fund may be able to apply for a refund of a portion of such taxes, the ability to successfully obtain such a refund may be uncertain. Each Fund may generally deduct these taxes in computing its taxable income. Rather than deducting these foreign taxes if more than 50% of the value of a Fund's total assets at the close of its taxable year consists of stock or securities of foreign corporations or foreign governments, or if at least 50% of the value of a Fund's total assets at the close of each quarter of its taxable year is represented by interests in other regulated investment companies, such Fund may make an election to treat a proportionate amount of eligible foreign taxes as constituting a taxable distribution to each shareholder, which would, subject to certain limitations, generally allow the shareholder to either (i) credit that proportionate amount of taxes against U.S. Federal income tax liability as a foreign tax credit or (ii) take that amount as an itemized deduction.

Foreign shareholders may be subject to U. S. tax withholding of 30% (or lower applicable treaty rate) on distributions from the Funds. Additionally, the Funds are required to withhold U.S. tax (at a 30% rate) on payments of taxable dividends, and (effective January 1, 2019) redemption proceeds and certain capital gain dividends made to certain non-U.S. entities that fail to comply (or be deemed compliant) with extensive reporting and withholding requirements designed to inform the U.S. Department of the Treasury of U.S.-owned foreign investment accounts. Shareholders may be requested to provide additional information to enable the Funds to determine whether withholding is required.

This "Tax Consequences" section relates only to federal income tax; the consequences under other tax laws may differ. Shareholders should consult their tax advisors as to the possible application of foreign, state and local income tax laws to Fund dividends and capital distributions. Please see "Taxation" in the SAI for additional information regarding the tax aspects of investing in the Funds.

Characteristics and Risks of Securities and Investment Techniques

This section provides additional information about some of the principal investments and related risks of the Funds described under "Fund Summaries" and "Description of Principal Risks" above. It also describes characteristics and risks of additional securities and investment techniques that may be used by the Funds from time to time. Most of these securities and investment techniques described herein are discretionary, which means that PIMCO can decide whether to use them or not. This prospectus does not attempt to disclose all of the various types of securities and investment techniques that may be used by the Funds. As with any mutual fund, investors in the Funds rely on the professional investment judgment and skill of PIMCO and the individual portfolio managers. Please see "Investment Objectives and Policies" in the SAI for more detailed information about the securities and investment techniques described in this section and about other strategies and techniques that may be used by the Funds.

 

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Investors should be aware that the investments made by a Fund and the results achieved by a Fund at any given time are not expected to be the same as those made by other funds for which PIMCO acts as investment adviser, including funds with names, investment objectives and policies similar to a Fund. This may be attributable to a wide variety of factors, including, but not limited to, the use of a different portfolio management team or strategy, when a particular fund commenced operations or the size of a particular fund, in each case as compared to other similar funds. Significant shareholder purchases and redemptions may adversely impact a Fund's portfolio management. For example, a Fund may be forced to sell a comparatively large portion of its portfolio to meet significant shareholder redemptions, or hold a comparatively large portion of its portfolio in cash due to significant shareholder purchases, in each case when the Fund otherwise would not seek to do so. Such shareholder transactions may cause Funds to make investment decisions at inopportune times or prices or miss attractive investment opportunities. Such transactions may also increase a Fund's transaction costs, accelerate the realization of taxable income if sales of securities resulted in gains, or otherwise cause a Fund to perform differently than intended. Similarly, significant shareholder purchases may adversely affect a Fund's performance to the extent the Fund is delayed in investing new cash and, as a result, holds a proportionally larger cash position than under ordinary circumstances and such impact may be heightened in funds of funds. While such risks may apply to Funds of any size, such risks are heightened in Funds with fewer assets under management. In addition, new Funds may not be able to fully implement their investment strategy immediately upon commencing investment operations, which could reduce investment performance.

More generally, a Fund may be adversely affected when a large shareholder purchases or redeems large amounts of shares, which can occur at any time and may impact the Fund in the same manner as a high volume of purchase or redemption requests. Such large shareholders include, but are not limited to, other funds, institutional investors, and asset allocators who make investment decisions on behalf of underlying clients. Large shareholder transactions may cause Funds to make investment decisions at inopportune times or prices or miss attractive investment opportunities. In addition, such transactions may also cause the Fund to sell certain assets in order to meet purchase or redemption requests, which could indirectly affect the liquidity of the Fund's portfolio. Such transactions may also increase the Fund's transaction costs, decrease economies of scale, accelerate the realization of taxable income, or otherwise cause the Fund to perform differently than intended. While large shareholder transactions may be more frequent under certain circumstances, the Fund is generally subject to the risk that a large shareholder can purchase or redeem a significant percentage of Fund shares at any time. Moreover, the Fund is subject to the risk that other shareholders may make investment decisions based on the choices of a large shareholder, which could exacerbate any potential negative effects experienced by the Fund.

Certain PIMCO Funds (the "PIMCO Funds of Funds") invest substantially all or a significant portion of their assets in Underlying PIMCO Funds, which is defined to include the Funds. In some cases, the PIMCO Funds of Funds and certain funds managed by investment advisers affiliated with PIMCO ("Affiliated Funds of Funds") may be the predominant or sole shareholders of a particular Underlying PIMCO Fund, including a Fund. Investment decisions made with respect to the PIMCO Funds of Funds and Affiliated Funds of Funds could, under certain circumstances, negatively impact the Underlying PIMCO Funds, including the Funds, with respect to the expenses and investment performance of the Underlying PIMCO Funds. For instance, large purchases or redemptions of shares of an Underlying PIMCO Fund by the PIMCO Funds of Funds and Affiliated Funds of Funds, whether as part of a reallocation or rebalancing strategy or otherwise, may result in the Underlying PIMCO Fund having to sell securities or invest cash when it otherwise would not do so. Such transactions could increase an Underlying PIMCO Fund's transaction costs and accelerate the realization of taxable income if sales of securities resulted in gains. Additionally, as the PIMCO Funds of Funds and Affiliated Funds of Funds may invest substantially all or a significant portion of their assets in Underlying PIMCO Funds, the Underlying PIMCO Funds may not acquire securities of other registered open-end investment companies in reliance on Section 12(d)(1)(F) or Section 12(d)(1)(G) of the 1940 Act, thus limiting the Underlying PIMCO Funds investment flexibility.

Investment Selection

Certain Funds seek maximum total return. The total return sought by a Fund consists of both income earned on a Fund's investments and capital appreciation, if any, arising from increases in the market value of a Fund's holdings. Capital appreciation of fixed income securities generally results from decreases in market interest rates, foreign currency appreciation, or improving credit fundamentals for a particular market sector or security.

In selecting securities for a Fund, PIMCO develops an outlook for interest rates, currency exchange rates and the economy, analyzes credit and call risks, and uses other security selection techniques. The proportion of a Fund's assets committed to investment in securities with particular characteristics (such as quality, sector, interest rate or maturity) varies based on PIMCO's outlook for the U.S. economy and the economies of other countries in the world, the financial markets and other factors.

With respect to fixed income investing, PIMCO attempts to identify areas of the bond market that are undervalued relative to the rest of the market. PIMCO identifies these areas by grouping Fixed Income Instruments into sectors such as money markets, governments, corporates, mortgages, asset-backed and international. In seeking to identify undervalued currencies, PIMCO may consider many factors, including but not limited to longer-term analysis of relative interest rates, inflation rates, real exchange rates, purchasing power parity, trade account balances and current account balances, as well as other factors that influence exchange rates such as flows, market technical trends and government policies. Sophisticated proprietary software then assists in evaluating sectors and pricing specific investments. Once investment opportunities are identified, PIMCO will shift assets among sectors depending upon changes in relative valuations, credit spreads and other factors. There is no guarantee that PIMCO's investment selection techniques will produce the desired results.

Fixed Income Instruments

"Fixed Income Instruments," as used generally in this prospectus, includes:

 

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securities issued or guaranteed by the U.S. Government, its agencies or government-sponsored enterprises ("U.S. Government Securities");

corporate debt securities of U.S. and non-U.S. issuers, including convertible securities and corporate commercial paper;

mortgage-backed and other asset-backed securities;

inflation-indexed bonds issued both by governments and corporations;

structured notes, including hybrid or "indexed" securities and event-linked bonds;

bank capital and trust preferred securities;

loan participations and assignments;

delayed funding loans and revolving credit facilities;

bank certificates of deposit, fixed time deposits and bankers' acceptances;

repurchase agreements on Fixed Income Instruments and reverse repurchase agreements on Fixed Income Instruments;

debt securities issued by states or local governments and their agencies, authorities and other government-sponsored enterprises;

obligations of non-U.S. governments or their subdivisions, agencies and government-sponsored enterprises; and

obligations of international agencies or supranational entities.

Securities issued by U.S. Government agencies or government-sponsored enterprises may not be guaranteed by the U.S. Treasury.

The Funds, to the extent permitted by the 1940 Act, or exemptive relief therefrom, may invest in derivatives based on Fixed Income Instruments.

Duration

Duration is a measure used to determine the sensitivity of a security's price to changes in interest rates that incorporates a security's yield, coupon, final maturity and call features, among other characteristics. The longer a security's duration, the more sensitive it will be to changes in interest rates. Similarly, a fund with a longer average portfolio duration will be more sensitive to changes in interest rates than a fund with a shorter average portfolio duration. By way of example, the price of a bond fund with an average duration of eight years would be expected to fall approximately 8% if interest rates rose by one percentage point. Similarly, the price of a bond fund with an average duration of thirty years would be expected to fall approximately 30% if interest rates rose by one percentage point. Conversely, the price of a bond fund with an average duration of negative three years would be expected to rise approximately 3% if interest rates rose by one percentage point. The maturity of a security, another commonly used measure of price sensitivity, measures only the time until final payment is due, whereas duration takes into account the pattern of all payments of interest and principal on a security over time, including how these payments are affected by prepayments and by changes in interest rates, as well as the time until an interest rate is reset (in the case of variable-rate securities). PIMCO uses an internal model for calculating duration, which may result in a different value for the duration of an index compared to the duration calculated by the index provider or another third party.

U.S. Government Securities

U.S. Government Securities are obligations of, or guaranteed by, the U.S. Government, its agencies or government-sponsored enterprises. The U.S. Government does not guarantee the NAV of the Fund's shares. U.S. Government Securities are subject to market and interest rate risk, as well as varying degrees of credit risk. Some U.S. Government Securities are issued or guaranteed by the U.S. Treasury and are supported by the full faith and credit of the United States. Other types of U.S. Government Securities are supported by the full faith and credit of the United States (but not issued by the U.S. Treasury). These securities may have less credit risk than U.S. Government Securities not supported by the full faith and credit of the United States. Such other types of U.S. Government Securities are: (1) supported by the ability of the issuer to borrow from the U.S. Treasury; (2) supported only by the credit of the issuing agency, instrumentality or government-sponsored corporation; or (3) supported by the United States in some other way. These securities may be subject to greater credit risk. U.S. Government Securities include zero coupon securities, which tend to be subject to greater market risk than interest-paying securities of similar maturities.

Securities issued by U.S. Government agencies or government-sponsored enterprises may not be guaranteed by the U.S. Treasury. Government National Mortgage Association ("GNMA"), a wholly owned U.S. Government corporation, is authorized to guarantee, with the full faith and credit of the U.S. Government, the timely payment of principal and interest on securities issued by institutions approved by GNMA and backed by pools of mortgages insured by the Federal Housing Administration or guaranteed by the Department of Veterans Affairs.  Government-related guarantors (i.e., not backed by the full faith and credit of the U.S. Government) include the Federal National Mortgage Association ("FNMA") and the Federal Home Loan Mortgage Corporation ("FHLMC"). Pass-through securities issued by FNMA are guaranteed as to timely payment of principal and interest by FNMA but are not backed by the full faith and credit of the U.S. Government. FHLMC guarantees the timely payment of interest and ultimate collection of principal, but its participation certificates are not backed by the full faith and credit of the U.S. Government.

Municipal Bonds

Municipal Bonds are generally issued by states, territories, possessions and local governments and their agencies, authorities and other instrumentalities. Municipal Bonds are subject to interest rate, credit and market risk, uncertainties related to the tax status of a Municipal Bond or the rights of investors invested in these securities. The ability of an issuer to make payments could be affected by litigation, legislation or other political events or the bankruptcy of the issuer. In addition, imbalances in supply and demand in the municipal market may result in a deterioration of liquidity and a lack of price transparency in the market. At certain times, this may affect pricing, execution and transaction costs associated with a particular trade. The value of certain municipal securities, in particular general obligation debt, may also be adversely affected by rising health care costs, increasing unfunded pension liabilities, changes in accounting standards and by the phasing out of federal programs providing financial support. Lower rated Municipal Bonds are subject to greater credit and market risk than higher quality Municipal Bonds. The types of Municipal Bonds in which the Funds may invest include municipal lease obligations, municipal general obligation bonds, municipal essential service revenue bonds, municipal cash equivalents, and pre-refunded and escrowed to maturity Municipal Bonds. The Funds may also invest in industrial development bonds, which are Municipal Bonds issued by a government

 

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agency on behalf of a private sector company and, in most cases, are not backed by the credit of the issuing municipality and may therefore involve more risk. The Funds may also invest in securities issued by entities whose underlying assets are Municipal Bonds.

Pre-refunded Municipal Bonds are tax-exempt bonds that have been refunded to a call date on or before the final maturity of principal and remain outstanding in the municipal market. The payment of principal and interest of the pre-refunded Municipal Bonds held by a Fund is funded from securities in a designated escrow account that holds U.S. Treasury securities or other obligations of the U.S. Government (including its agencies and instrumentalities ("Agency Securities")). As the payment of principal and interest is generated from securities held in a designated escrow account, the pledge of the municipality has been fulfilled and the original pledge of revenue by the municipality is no longer in place. The escrow account securities pledged to pay the principal and interest of the pre-refunded Municipal Bond do not guarantee the price movement of the bond before maturity. Investment in pre-refunded Municipal Bonds held by a Fund may subject the Fund to interest rate risk, market risk and credit risk. In addition, while a secondary market exists for pre-refunded Municipal Bonds, if a Fund sells pre-refunded Municipal Bonds prior to maturity, the price received may be more or less than the original cost, depending on market conditions at the time of sale.

Certain Funds may invest in trust certificates issued in tender option bond programs. In these programs, a trust typically issues two classes of certificates and uses the proceeds to purchase municipal securities having relatively long maturities and bearing interest at a fixed interest rate substantially higher than prevailing short-term tax-exempt rates. There is a risk that a Fund investing in a tender option bond program will not be considered the owner of a tender option bond for federal income tax purposes, and thus will not be entitled to treat such interest as exempt from federal income tax. Certain tender option bonds may be illiquid or may become illiquid as a result of, among other things, a credit rating downgrade, a payment default or a disqualification from tax-exempt status. A Fund's investment in the securities issued by a tender option bond trust may involve greater risk and volatility than an investment in a fixed rate bond, and the value of such securities may decrease significantly when market interest rates increase. Tender option bond trusts could be terminated due to market, credit or other events beyond a Fund's control, which could require the Fund to dispose of portfolio investments at inopportune times and prices. A Fund may use a tender option bond program as a way of achieving leverage in its portfolio, in which case the Fund will be subject to leverage risk.

In December 2013, regulators finalized rules implementing Section 619 (the "Volcker Rule") and Section 941 (the "Risk Retention Rules") of the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act. Both the Volcker Rule and the Risk Retention Rules apply to tender option bond programs and require that such programs be restructured. In particular, these rules preclude banking entities from: (i) sponsoring or acquiring interests in the trusts used to hold a Municipal Bond in the creation of tender option bond trusts; and (ii) continuing to service or maintain relationships with existing programs involving such trusts to the same extent and in the same capacity as existing programs. At this time, the full impact of these rules is not certain; however, in response to these rules, industry participants are continuing to explore various structuring alternatives for tender option bond programs. Because of the important role that tender option bond programs play in the Municipal Bond market, it is possible that implementation of these rules and any resulting impact may adversely impact the Municipal Bond market. For example, as a result of the implementation of these rules, the Municipal Bond market may experience reduced demand or liquidity and increased financing costs.

Mortgage-Related and Other Asset-Backed Securities

Mortgage-related securities include mortgage pass-through securities, collateralized mortgage obligations ("CMOs"), commercial mortgage-backed securities, mortgage dollar rolls, CMO residuals, stripped mortgage-backed securities ("SMBSs") and other securities that directly or indirectly represent a participation in, or are secured by and payable from, mortgage loans on real property.

The value of some mortgage- or asset-backed securities may be particularly sensitive to changes in prevailing interest rates. Early repayment of principal on some mortgage-related securities may expose a Fund to a lower rate of return upon reinvestment of principal. When interest rates rise, the value of a mortgage-related security generally will decline; however, when interest rates are declining, the value of mortgage-related securities with prepayment features may not increase as much as other fixed income securities. The rate of prepayments on underlying mortgages will affect the price and volatility of a mortgage-related security, and may shorten or extend the effective maturity of the security beyond what was anticipated at the time of purchase. If unanticipated rates of prepayment on underlying mortgages increase the effective maturity of a mortgage-related security, the volatility of the security can be expected to increase. The value of these securities may fluctuate in response to the market's perception of the creditworthiness of the issuers. See "Extension Risk" and "Prepayment Risk" below. Additionally, although mortgages and mortgage-related securities are generally supported by some form of government or private guarantee and/or insurance, there is no assurance that guarantors or insurers will meet their obligations.

Extension Risk. Mortgage-related and other asset-backed securities are subject to Extension Risk, which is the risk that the issuer of such a security pays back the principal of such an obligation later than expected. This may occur when interest rates rise. This may negatively affect Fund returns, as the value of the security decreases when principal payments are made later than expected. In addition, because principal payments are made later than expected, the Fund may be prevented from investing proceeds it would otherwise have received at a given time at the higher prevailing interest rates.

Prepayment Risk. Mortgage-related and other asset-backed securities are subject to Prepayment Risk, which is the risk that the issuer of such a security pays back the principal of such an obligation earlier than expected (due to the sale of the underlying property, refinancing, or foreclosure). This may occur when interest rates decline. Prepayment may expose the Fund to a lower rate of return upon reinvestment of principal. Also, if a security subject to prepayment has been purchased at a premium, the value of the premium would be lost in the event of prepayment.

 

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One type of SMBS has one class receiving all of the interest from the mortgage assets (the interest-only, or "IO" class), while the other class will receive all of the principal (the principal-only, or "PO" class). The yield to maturity on an IO class is extremely sensitive to the rate of principal payments (including prepayments) on the underlying mortgage assets, and a rapid rate of principal payments may have a material adverse effect on a Fund's yield to maturity from these securities. Each Fund (except the PIMCO Total Return IV and PIMCO Mortgage Opportunities and Bond Funds) may invest up to 5% of its total assets in any combination of mortgage-related or other asset backed IO, PO, or inverse floater securities. The PIMCO Mortgage Opportunities and Bond Fund may invest up to 10% of its total assets in any combination of mortgage-related or other asset backed IO, PO or inverse floater securities.

Certain Funds may invest in mortgage-related securities that reflect an interest in reverse mortgages. Due to the unique nature of the underlying loans, reverse mortgage-related securities may be subject to risks different than other types of mortgage-related securities. The date of repayment for such loans is uncertain and may occur sooner or later than anticipated. The timing of payments for the corresponding mortgage-related security may be uncertain.

Each Fund (except the PIMCO Total Return IV Fund) may invest in each of collateralized bond obligations ("CBOs"), collateralized loan obligations ("CLOs"), other collateralized debt obligations ("CDOs") and other similarly structured securities. CBOs, CLOs and other CDOs are types of asset-backed securities. A CBO is a trust which is backed by a diversified pool of high-risk, below investment grade fixed income securities. 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. Other CDOs are trusts backed by other types of assets representing obligations of various parties. Certain Funds may invest in other asset-backed securities that have been offered to investors.

Privately Issued Mortgage-Related Securities. Pools created by non-governmental issuers generally offer a higher rate of interest than government and government-related pools because there are no direct or indirect government or agency guarantees of payments in such pools. Privately issued mortgage-related securities are not subject to the same underwriting requirements for the underlying mortgages that are applicable to those mortgage-related securities that have a government or government-sponsored entity guarantee. As a result, the mortgage loans underlying privately issued mortgage-related securities may, and frequently do, have less favorable collateral, credit risk or other underwriting characteristics than government or government-sponsored mortgage-related securities and have wider variances in a number of terms including interest rate, term, size, purpose and borrower characteristics. The risk of nonpayment is greater for mortgage-related securities that are backed by loans that were originated under weak underwriting standards, including loans made to borrowers with limited means to make repayment. A level of risk exists for all loans, although, historically, the poorest performing loans have been those classified as subprime. Privately issued mortgage-related securities are not traded on an exchange and there may be a limited market for the securities, especially when there is a perceived weakness in the mortgage and real estate market sectors. Without an active trading market, mortgage-related securities held in a Fund's portfolio may be particularly difficult to value because of the complexities involved in assessing the value of the underlying mortgage loans.

Privately Issued Mortgage-Related Securities include securities that reflect an interest in, and are secured by, mortgage loans on commercial real property. Many of the risks of investing in commercial mortgage-backed securities reflect the risks of investing in the real estate securing the underlying mortgage loans. These risks reflect the effects of local and other economic conditions on real estate markets, the ability of tenants to make loan payments, and the ability of a property to attract and retain tenants.

Loan Participations and Assignments

Each Fund may invest in fixed- and floating-rate loans, which investments generally will be in the form of loan participations and assignments of portions of such loans. Participations and assignments involve special types of risk, including credit risk, interest rate risk, liquidity risk, and the risks of being a lender. If a Fund purchases a participation, it may only be able to enforce its rights through the lender, and may assume the credit risk of the lender in addition to the borrower.

Reinvestment

Each Fund may be subject to the risk that the returns of a Fund will decline during periods of falling interest rates because the Fund may have to reinvest the proceeds from matured, traded or called debt obligations at interest rates below the Fund's current earnings rate. For instance, when interest rates decline, an issuer of debt obligations may exercise an option to redeem securities prior to maturity, thereby forcing the Fund to invest in lower-yielding securities. A Fund also may choose to sell higher-yielding portfolio securities and to purchase lower-yielding securities to achieve greater portfolio diversification, because the Fund's portfolio manager believes the current holdings are overvalued or for other investment-related reasons. A decline in the returns received by a Fund from its investments is likely to have an adverse effect on the Fund's NAV, yield and total return.

Focused Investment

To the extent that a Fund focuses its investments in a particular sector, the Fund may be susceptible to loss due to adverse developments affecting that sector. These developments include, but are not limited to, governmental regulation; inflation; rising interest rates; cost increases in raw materials, fuel and other operating expenses; technological innovations that may render existing products and equipment obsolete; competition from new entrants; high research and development costs; increased costs associated with compliance with environmental or other governmental regulations; and other economic, business or political developments specific to that sector. Furthermore, a Fund may invest a substantial portion of its assets in companies in related sectors that may share common characteristics, are often subject to similar business risks and regulatory burdens, and whose securities may react similarly to the

 

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types of developments described above, which will subject the Fund to greater risk. A Fund also will be subject to focused investment risk to the extent that it invests a substantial portion of its assets in a particular issuer, market, asset class, country or geographic region.

Corporate Debt Securities

Corporate debt securities are subject to the risk of the issuer's inability to meet principal and interest payments on the obligation and may also be subject to price volatility due to such factors as interest rate sensitivity, market perception of the creditworthiness of the issuer and general market liquidity. When interest rates rise, the value of corporate debt securities can be expected to decline. Debt securities with longer maturities tend to be more sensitive to interest rate movements than those with shorter maturities. In addition, certain corporate debt securities may be highly customized and as a result may be subject to, among others, liquidity and pricing transparency risks.

Bank Capital Securities and Trust Preferred Securities

There are two common types of bank capital: Tier I and Tier II. Bank capital is generally, but not always, of investment grade quality. Tier I securities often take the form of trust preferred securities. Tier II securities are commonly thought of as hybrids of debt and preferred securities, are often perpetual (with no maturity date), callable and, under certain conditions, allow for the issuer bank to withhold payment of interest until a later date.

Trust preferred securities have the characteristics of both subordinated debt and preferred securities. The primary advantage of the structure of trust preferred securities is that they are treated by the financial institution as debt securities for tax purposes and as equity for the calculation of capital requirements. Trust preferred securities typically bear a market rate coupon comparable to interest rates available on debt of a similarly rated issuer. Typical characteristics include long-term maturities, early redemption by the issuer, periodic fixed or variable interest payments, and maturities at face value. The market value of trust preferred securities may be more volatile than those of conventional debt securities. There can be no assurance as to the liquidity of trust preferred securities and the ability of holders, such as a Fund, to sell their holdings.

High Yield Securities and Distressed Companies

Securities rated lower than Baa by Moody's, or equivalently rated by S&P or Fitch, are sometimes referred to as "high yield securities" or "junk bonds." Issuers of these securities may be distressed and undergoing restructuring, bankruptcy or other proceedings in an attempt to avoid insolvency. Investing in these securities involves special risks in addition to the risks associated with investments in higher-rated fixed income securities. While offering a greater potential opportunity for capital appreciation and higher yields, high yield and distressed company securities typically entail greater potential price volatility and may be less liquid than higher-rated securities. High yield securities and debt securities of distressed companies may be regarded as predominately speculative with respect to the issuer's continuing ability to meet principal and interest payments. They may also be more susceptible to real or perceived adverse economic and competitive industry conditions than higher-rated securities. Certain Funds may invest in securities that are in default with respect to the payment of interest or repayment of principal, or present an imminent risk of default with respect to such payments. Issuers of securities in default may fail to resume principal or interest payments, in which case the Fund may lose its entire investment.

Variable and Floating Rate Securities

Variable and floating rate securities are securities that pay interest at rates that adjust whenever a specified interest rate changes and/or that reset on predetermined dates (such as the last day of a month or a calendar quarter). Each Fund may invest in floating rate debt instruments ("floaters") and engage in credit spread trades. Variable and floating rate securities generally are less sensitive to interest rate changes but may decline in value if their interest rates do not rise as much, or as quickly, as interest rates in general. Conversely, floating rate securities will not generally increase in value if interest rates decline. Each Fund may also invest in inverse floating rate debt instruments ("inverse floaters"). An inverse floater may exhibit greater price volatility than a fixed rate obligation of similar credit quality. Each Fund (except the PIMCO Mortgage Opportunities and Bond Fund) may invest up to 5% of its total assets in any combination of mortgage-related or other asset-backed IO, PO or inverse floater securities. The PIMCO Mortgage Opportunities and Bond Fund many invest up to 10% of its total assets in any combination of mortgage-related or other asset backed IO, PO, or inverse floater securities. Except with respect to the PIMCO Total Return IV Fund, a Fund may also invest, without limitation, in residual interest bonds. Residual interest bonds are a type of inverse floater. See "Municipal Bonds."

Inflation-Indexed Bonds

Inflation-indexed bonds (other than municipal inflation-indexed bonds and certain corporate inflation-indexed bonds, which are more fully described below) are fixed income securities whose principal value is periodically adjusted according to the rate of inflation. If the index measuring inflation falls, the principal value of inflation-indexed bonds (other than municipal inflation-indexed bonds and certain corporate inflation-indexed bonds) will be adjusted downward, and consequently the interest payable on these securities (calculated with respect to a smaller principal amount) will be reduced. Repayment of the original bond principal upon maturity (as adjusted for inflation) is guaranteed in the case of TIPS. For bonds that do not provide a similar guarantee, the adjusted principal value of the bond repaid at maturity may be less than the original principal.

TIPS may also be divided into individual zero-coupon instruments for each coupon or principal payment (known as "iSTRIPS"). An iSTRIP of the principal component of a TIPS issue will retain the embedded deflation floor that will allow the holder of the security to receive the greater of the original principal or inflation-adjusted principal value at maturity. iSTRIPS may be less liquid than conventional TIPS because they are a small component of the TIPS market.

Municipal inflation-indexed securities are municipal bonds that pay coupons based on a fixed rate plus CPI. With regard to municipal inflation-indexed bonds and certain corporate inflation-indexed bonds, the inflation adjustment is reflected in the semi-annual coupon payment. As a result, the principal value of municipal inflation-indexed bonds and such corporate inflation-indexed bonds does not adjust according to the rate of inflation.

 

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At the same time, the value of municipal inflation-indexed securities and such corporate inflation-indexed securities generally will not increase if the rate of inflation decreases. Because municipal inflation-indexed securities and corporate inflation-indexed securities are a small component of the municipal bond and corporate bond markets, respectively, they may be less liquid than conventional municipal and corporate bonds.

The value of inflation-indexed bonds is expected to change in response to changes in real interest rates. Real interest rates are tied to the relationship between nominal interest rates and the rate of inflation. If nominal interest rates increase at a faster rate than inflation, real interest rates may rise, leading to a decrease in value of inflation-indexed bonds. Any increase in the principal amount of an inflation-indexed bond will be considered taxable ordinary income, even though investors do not receive their principal until maturity.

Event-Linked Exposure

Each Fund may obtain event-linked exposure by investing in "event-linked bonds" or "event-linked swaps" or by implementing "event-linked strategies." Event-linked exposure results in gains or losses that typically are contingent, or formulaically related to defined trigger events. Examples of trigger events include hurricanes, earthquakes, weather-related phenomena, or statistics related to such events. Some event-linked bonds are commonly referred to as "catastrophe bonds." If a trigger event occurs, a Fund may lose a portion or its entire principal invested in the bond or notional amount on a swap. Event-linked exposure often provides for an extension of maturity to process and audit loss claims where a trigger event has, or possibly has, occurred. An extension of maturity may increase volatility. Event-linked exposure may also expose a Fund to certain unanticipated risks including counterparty risk, adverse regulatory or jurisdictional interpretations, and adverse tax consequences. Event-linked exposures may also be subject to liquidity risk.

Convertible and Equity Securities

Common stock represents equity ownership in a company and typically provides the common stockholder the power to vote on certain corporate actions, including the election of the company's directors. Common stockholders participate in company profits through dividends and, in the event of bankruptcy, distributions, on a pro-rata basis after other claims are satisfied. Many factors affect the value of common stock, including earnings, earnings forecasts, corporate events and factors impacting the issuer's industry and the market generally. Common stock generally has the greatest appreciation and depreciation potential of all corporate securities.

Each Fund may invest in convertible securities and equity securities, as well as securities related to equities. Equity-related securities include securities having an equity component (e.g., hybrids, bank capital) and equity derivatives. The PIMCO Total Return Fund and the PIMCO Total Return Fund IV may not purchase common stock, but this limitation does not prevent the Funds from holding common stock obtained through the conversion of convertible securities or common stock that is received as part of a corporate reorganization or debt restructuring (for example, as may occur during bankruptcies or distressed situations). Convertible securities are generally preferred securities and other securities, including fixed income securities and warrants, that are convertible into or exercisable for common stock at a stated price or rate. The price of a convertible security will normally vary in some proportion to changes in the price of the underlying common stock because of this conversion or exercise feature. However, the value of a convertible security may not increase or decrease as rapidly as the underlying common stock. A convertible security will normally also provide income and is subject to interest rate risk. Convertible securities may be lower-rated securities subject to greater levels of credit risk. A Fund may be forced to convert a security before it would otherwise choose, which may have an adverse effect on the Fund's ability to achieve its investment objective.

"Synthetic" convertible securities are selected based on the similarity of their economic characteristics to those of a traditional convertible security due to the combination of separate securities that possess the two principal characteristics of a traditional convertible security, i.e., an income-producing security ("income-producing component") and the right to acquire an equity security ("convertible component"). The income-producing component is achieved by investing in non-convertible, income-producing securities such as bonds, preferred securities and money market instruments, which may be represented by derivative instruments. The convertible component is achieved by investing in securities or instruments such as warrants or options to buy common stock at a certain exercise price, or options on a stock index. A simple example of a synthetic convertible security is the combination of a traditional corporate bond with a warrant to purchase equity securities of the issuer of the bond. A Fund may also purchase synthetic securities created by other parties, typically investment banks, including convertible structured notes. The income-producing and convertible components of a synthetic convertible security may be issued separately by different issuers and at different times.

Preferred and other senior securities generally entitle the holder to receive, in preference to the holders of other securities such as common stocks, dividends and a fixed share of the proceeds resulting from a liquidation of the company. Preferred and other senior securities may pay fixed or adjustable rates of return. Preferred and other senior securities are subject to issuer-specific and market risks applicable generally to equity securities. In addition, a company's preferred and other senior securities generally pay dividends only after the company makes required payments to holders of its bonds and other debt. For this reason, the value of preferred and other senior securities will usually react more strongly than bonds and other debt to actual or perceived changes in the company's financial condition or prospects. In addition, preferred and other senior securities often have special redemption rights allowing issuers to redeem such securities at par earlier than scheduled. If these rights are exercised, a Fund may have to reinvest proceeds in less attractive securities.

Among other risks described in this Prospectus, the following issues are particularly associated with investments in preferred and other senior securities.

Deferral and Omission of Distributions. Preferred and other senior securities may include features permitting or requiring the issuer to defer or omit distributions. Among other things, such deferral or omission may result in adverse tax consequences for a Fund.

Limited Voting Rights. Preferred and other senior securities generally do not have voting rights with respect to the issuer unless dividends have been in arrears for certain specified periods of time.

 

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In the future, preferred or other senior securities may be offered with features different from those described above, and as such, may entail different risks. Over longer periods of time, certain types of preferred or other senior securities may become more scarce or less liquid as a result of legislative changes. Such events may result in losses to a Fund as the prices of securities it holds may be negatively affected. Revisions to bank capital requirements by international regulatory bodies, to the extent they are adopted in the United States, may also negatively impact the market for certain preferred or senior securities.

While some countries or companies may be regarded as favorable investments, pure fixed income opportunities may be unattractive or limited due to insufficient supply, or legal or technical restrictions. In such cases, subject to its applicable investment restrictions, a Fund may consider convertible securities or equity securities to gain exposure to such investments.

At times, in connection with the restructuring of a preferred security or Fixed Income Instrument either outside of bankruptcy court or in the context of bankruptcy court proceedings, a Fund may determine or be required to accept equity securities, such as common stocks, in exchange for all or a portion of a preferred security or Fixed Income Instrument. Depending upon, among other things, PIMCO's evaluation of the potential value of such securities in relation to the price that could be obtained by a Fund at any given time upon sale thereof, a Fund may determine to hold such securities in its portfolio.

Equity securities generally have greater price volatility than fixed income securities. The market price of equity securities owned by a Fund may go up or down, sometimes rapidly or unpredictably. Equity securities may decline in value due to factors affecting equity securities markets generally or particular industries represented in those markets. The value of an equity security may also 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 goods or services.

Foreign (Non-U.S.) Securities

Each Fund (except the PIMCO Long-Term U.S. Government and PIMCO Total Return II Funds) may invest in securities and instruments that are economically tied to foreign (non-U.S.) countries. PIMCO generally considers an instrument to be economically tied to a non-U.S. country if the issuer is a foreign (non-U.S.) government (or any political subdivision, agency, authority or instrumentality of such government), or if the issuer is organized under the laws of a non-U.S. country. A Fund's investments in foreign (non-U.S.) securities may include American Depositary Receipts ("ADRs"), European Depositary Receipts ("EDRs"), Global Depositary Receipts ("GDRs") and similar securities that represent interests in a non-U.S. company's securities that have been deposited with a bank or trust and that trade on a U.S. exchange or over-the-counter. ADRs, EDRs and GDRs may be less liquid or may trade at a different price than the underlying securities of the issuer. In the case of certain money market instruments, such instruments will be considered economically tied to a non-U.S. country if either the issuer or the guarantor of such money market instrument is organized under the laws of a non-U.S. country. With respect to derivative instruments, PIMCO generally considers such instruments to be economically tied to non-U.S. countries if the underlying assets are foreign currencies (or baskets or indexes of such currencies), or instruments or securities that are issued by foreign governments or issuers organized under the laws of a non-U.S. country (or if the underlying assets are certain money market instruments, if either the issuer or the guarantor of such money market instruments is organized under the laws of a non-U.S. country).

Investing in foreign (non-U.S.) securities involves special risks and considerations not typically associated with investing in U.S. securities. Investors should consider carefully the substantial risks involved for Funds that invest in securities issued by foreign companies and governments of foreign countries. These risks include: differences in accounting, auditing and financial reporting standards; generally higher commission rates on foreign portfolio transactions; the possibility of nationalization, expropriation or confiscatory taxation; adverse changes in investment or exchange control regulations; and political instability. Individual foreign economies may differ favorably or unfavorably from the U.S. economy in such respects as growth of gross domestic product, rates of inflation, capital reinvestment, resources, self-sufficiency and balance of payments position. The securities markets, values of securities, yields and risks associated with foreign (non-U.S.) securities markets may change independently of each other. Also, foreign (non-U.S.) securities and dividends and interest payable on those securities may be subject to foreign taxes, including taxes withheld from payments on those securities. Foreign (non-U.S.) securities often trade with less frequency and volume than domestic securities and therefore may exhibit greater price volatility. Investments in foreign (non-U.S.) securities may also involve higher custodial costs than domestic investments and additional transaction costs with respect to foreign currency conversions. Changes in foreign exchange rates also will affect the value of securities denominated or quoted in foreign currencies.

Certain Funds also may invest in sovereign debt issued by governments, their agencies or instrumentalities, or other government-related entities. Holders of sovereign debt may be requested to participate in the rescheduling of such debt and to extend further loans to governmental entities. In addition, there is no bankruptcy proceeding by which defaulted sovereign debt may be collected.

Emerging Market Securities. Each Fund that may invest in foreign (non-U.S.) securities may invest in securities and instruments that are economically tied to developing (or "emerging market") countries. PIMCO generally considers an instrument to be economically tied to an emerging market country if: the issuer is organized under the laws of an emerging market country; the currency of settlement of the security is a currency of an emerging market country; the security is guaranteed by the government of an emerging market country (or any political subdivision, agency, authority or instrumentality of such government); for an asset-backed or other collateralized security, the country in which the collateral backing the security is located is an emerging market country; or the security's "country of exposure" is an emerging market country, as determined by the criteria set forth below. With respect to derivative instruments, PIMCO generally considers such instruments to be economically tied to emerging market countries if the underlying assets are currencies of emerging market countries (or baskets or

 

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indexes of such currencies), or instruments or securities that are issued or guaranteed by governments of emerging market countries or by entities organized under the laws of emerging market countries or if an instrument's "country of exposure" is an emerging market country. A security's "country of exposure" is determined by PIMCO using certain factors provided by a third-party analytical service provider. The factors are applied in order such that the first factor to result in the assignment of a country determines the "country of exposure." The factors, listed in the order in which they are applied, are: (i) if an asset-backed or other collateralized security, the country in which the collateral backing the security is located; (ii) the "country of risk" of the issuer; (iii) if the security is guaranteed by the government of a country (or any political subdivision, agency, authority or instrumentality of such government), the country of the government or instrumentality providing the guarantee; (iv) the "country of risk" of the issuer's ultimate parent; or (v) the country where the issuer is organized or incorporated under the laws thereof. "Country of risk" is a separate four-part test determined by the following factors, listed in order of importance: (i) management location; (ii) country of primary listing; (iii) sales or revenue attributable to the country; and (iv) reporting currency of the issuer. PIMCO has broad discretion to identify countries that it considers to qualify as emerging markets. In making investments in emerging market securities, a Fund emphasizes those countries with relatively low gross national product per capita and with the potential for rapid economic growth. Emerging market countries are generally located in Asia, Africa, the Middle East, Latin America and Eastern Europe. PIMCO will select the country and currency composition based on its evaluation of relative interest rates, inflation rates, exchange rates, monetary and fiscal policies, trade and current account balances, legal and political developments and any other specific factors it believes to be relevant.

Investing in emerging market securities imposes risks different from, or greater than, risks of investing in domestic securities or in foreign, developed countries. These risks include: smaller market capitalization of securities markets, which may suffer periods of relative illiquidity; significant price volatility; restrictions on foreign investment; possible repatriation of investment income and capital. In addition, foreign investors may be required to register the proceeds of sales; future economic or political crises could lead to price controls, forced mergers, expropriation or confiscatory taxation, seizure, nationalization, or creation of government monopolies. The currencies of emerging market countries may experience significant declines against the U.S. dollar, and devaluation may occur subsequent to investments in these currencies by a Fund. Many emerging market countries have experienced substantial, and in some periods extremely high, rates of inflation for many years. Inflation and rapid fluctuations in inflation rates have had, and may continue to have, negative effects on the economies and securities markets of certain emerging market countries.

Additional risks of emerging market securities may include: greater social, economic and political uncertainty and instability; more substantial governmental involvement in the economy; less governmental supervision and regulation; unavailability of currency hedging techniques; companies that are newly organized and small; differences in auditing and financial reporting standards, which may result in unavailability of material information about issuers; and less developed legal systems. In addition, emerging securities markets may have different clearance and settlement procedures, which may be unable to keep pace with the volume of securities transactions or otherwise make it difficult to engage in such transactions. Settlement problems may cause a Fund to miss attractive investment opportunities, hold a portion of its assets in cash pending investment, or be delayed in disposing of a portfolio security. Such a delay could result in possible liability to a purchaser of the security.

Foreign (Non-U.S.) Currencies

Direct investments in foreign (non-U.S.) currencies or in securities that trade in, or receive revenues in, foreign (non-U.S.) currencies will be subject to currency risk. Foreign currency exchange rates may fluctuate significantly over short periods of time. They generally are determined by supply and demand in the foreign exchange markets and the relative merits of investments in different countries, actual or perceived changes in interest rates and other complex factors. Currency exchange rates also can be affected unpredictably by intervention (or the failure to intervene) by U.S. or foreign governments or central banks, or by currency controls or political developments. Currencies in which the Funds' assets are denominated may be devalued against the U.S. dollar, resulting in a loss to the Funds.

Foreign Currency Transactions. Funds that invest in securities denominated in foreign (non-U.S.) currencies may engage in foreign currency transactions on a spot (cash) basis, enter into forward foreign currency exchange contracts and invest in foreign currency futures contracts and options on foreign currencies and futures. The PIMCO Total Return Fund IV may not engage in options on foreign currencies and futures. A forward foreign currency exchange contract, which involves an obligation to purchase or sell a specific currency at a future date at a price set at the time of the contract, reduces a Fund's exposure to changes in the value of the currency it will deliver and increases its exposure to changes in the value of the currency it will receive for the duration of the contract. Certain foreign currency transactions may also be settled in cash rather than the actual delivery of the relevant currency. The effect on the value of a Fund is similar to selling securities denominated in one currency and purchasing securities denominated in another currency. Foreign currency transactions, like currency exchange rates, can be affected unpredictably by intervention (or the failure to intervene) by U.S. or foreign governments or central banks, or by currency controls or political developments. Such events may prevent or restrict a Fund's ability to enter into foreign currency transactions, force the Fund to exit a foreign currency transaction at a disadvantageous time or price or result in penalties for the Fund, any of which may result in a loss to the Fund. A contract to sell a foreign currency would limit any potential gain which might be realized if the value of the hedged currency increases. A Fund may enter into these contracts to hedge against foreign exchange risk, to increase exposure to a foreign currency or to shift exposure to foreign currency fluctuations from one currency to another. Suitable hedging transactions may not be available in all circumstances and there can be no assurance that a Fund will engage in such transactions at any given time or from time

 

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to time. Also, such transactions may not be successful and may eliminate any chance for a Fund to benefit from favorable fluctuations in relevant foreign currencies. A Fund may use one currency (or a basket of currencies) to hedge against adverse changes in the value of another currency (or a basket of currencies) when exchange rates between the two currencies are positively correlated. A Fund will segregate or "earmark" assets (or cash equivalent securities in the case of the PIMCO Total Return Fund IV) determined to be liquid by PIMCO in accordance with the procedures established by the Board of Trustees (or, as permitted by applicable law, enter into certain offsetting positions) to cover its obligations under forward foreign currency exchange contracts.

Redenomination. Continuing uncertainty as to the status of the euro and the European Monetary Union (the "EMU") has created significant volatility in currency and financial markets generally. Any partial or complete dissolution of the EMU could have significant adverse effects on currency and financial markets and on the values of a Fund's portfolio investments. If one or more EMU countries were to stop using the euro as its primary currency, a Fund's investments in such countries may be redenominated into a different or newly adopted currency. As a result, the value of those investments could decline significantly and unpredictably. In addition, securities or other investments that are redenominated may be subject to currency risk, liquidity risk and risk of improper valuation to a greater extent than similar investments currently denominated in euros. To the extent a currency used for redenomination purposes is not specified in respect of certain EMU-related investments, or should the euro cease to be used entirely, the currency in which such investments are denominated may be unclear, making such investments particularly difficult to value or dispose of. A Fund may incur additional expenses to the extent it is required to seek judicial or other clarification of the denomination or value of such securities.

There can be no assurance that if a Fund earns income or capital gains in a non-U.S. country or PIMCO otherwise seeks to withdraw a Fund's investments from a given country, capital controls imposed by such country will not prevent, or cause significant expense in, doing so.

Repurchase Agreements

Each Fund may enter into repurchase agreements, in which the Fund purchases a security from a bank or broker-dealer, which agrees to repurchase the security at the Fund's cost plus interest within a specified time. If the party agreeing to repurchase should default, the Fund will seek to sell the securities which it holds. This could involve procedural costs or delays in addition to a loss on the securities if their value should fall below their repurchase price. Repurchase agreements maturing in more than seven days and which may not be terminated within seven days at approximately the amount at which a Fund has valued the agreements are considered illiquid securities. The PIMCO Total Return Fund IV will limit investments in repurchase agreements to 50% of the total assets of the Fund.

Reverse Repurchase Agreements, Dollar Rolls and Other Borrowings

Each Fund (except the PIMCO Total Return IV Fund) may enter into reverse repurchase agreements and dollar rolls, subject to the Fund's limitations on borrowings. The PIMCO Total Return Fund IV may enter into dollar rolls, subject to the Fund's limitations on borrowings. A reverse repurchase agreement involves the sale of a security by a Fund and its agreement to repurchase the instrument at a specified time and price. A dollar roll is similar except that the counterparty is not obligated to return the same securities as those originally sold by the Fund but only securities that are "substantially identical." Reverse repurchase agreements and dollar rolls may be considered borrowing for some purposes. A Fund will segregate or "earmark" assets (or cash equivalent securities in the case of the PIMCO Total Return Fund IV) determined to be liquid by PIMCO in accordance with procedures established by the Board of Trustees to cover its obligations under reverse repurchase agreements and dollar rolls. Reverse repurchase agreements, dollar rolls and other forms of borrowings may create leveraging risk for a Fund.

Each Fund (except the PIMCO Total Return Fund IV) may borrow money to the extent permitted under the 1940 Act. This means that, in general, a Fund may borrow money from banks for any purpose in an amount up to ⅓ of the Fund's total assets, less all liabilities and indebtedness not represented by senior securities. A Fund may also borrow money for temporary administrative purposes in an amount not to exceed 5% of the Fund's total assets. In addition, a Fund may borrow from certain other PIMCO funds in inter-fund lending transactions to the extent permitted by an exemptive order from the SEC. The PIMCO Total Return Fund IV may not borrow in excess of 10% of the value of its respective total assets and then only as a temporary measure to facilitate the meeting of redemption requests (not for leverage) or for extraordinary or emergency purposes.

Derivatives

Each Fund may, but is not required to, use derivative instruments for risk management purposes or as part of its investment strategies. Generally, derivatives are financial contracts whose value depends upon, or is derived from, the value of an underlying asset, reference rate or index, and may relate to stocks, bonds, interest rates, spreads between different interest rates, currencies or currency exchange rates, commodities, and related indexes. Examples of derivative instruments include options contracts, futures contracts, options on futures contracts and swap agreements (including, but not limited to, credit default swaps and swaps on exchange-traded funds). Each Fund may invest some or all of its assets in derivative instruments, subject to the Fund's objective and policies. The PIMCO Total Return Fund IV will seek to limit exposure to interest rate swaps to 10% of its total assets and will limit exposure to credit default swaps to 5% of its total assets. The PIMCO Total Return Fund IV will not invest in options. A portfolio manager may decide not to employ any of these strategies and there is no assurance that any derivatives strategy used by a Fund will succeed. A description of these and other derivative instruments that the Funds may use are described under "Investment Objectives and Policies" in the SAI.

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more traditional investments. Certain derivative transactions may have a leveraging effect on a Fund. For example, a small investment in a derivative instrument may have a significant impact on a Fund's exposure to interest rates, currency exchange rates or other investments. As a result, a relatively small price movement in a derivative instrument may cause an immediate and substantial loss or gain. A Fund may engage in such transactions regardless of whether the Fund owns the asset, instrument or components of the index underlying the derivative instrument. A Fund may invest a significant portion of its assets in these types of instruments. If it does, the Fund's investment exposure could far exceed the value of its portfolio securities and its investment performance could be primarily dependent upon securities it does not own. A description of various risks associated with particular derivative instruments is included in "Investment Objectives and Policies" in the SAI. The following provides a more general discussion of important risk factors relating to all derivative instruments that may be used by the Funds.

Management Risk. Derivative products are highly specialized instruments that require investment techniques and risk analyses different from those associated with stocks and bonds. The use of a derivative requires an understanding not only of the underlying instrument but also of the derivative itself, without the benefit of observing the performance of the derivative under all possible market conditions.

Credit Risk. The use of certain derivative instruments involves the risk that a loss may be sustained as a result of the failure of another party to the contract (usually referred to as a "counterparty") to make required payments or otherwise comply with the contract's terms. Additionally, a short position in a credit default swap could result in losses if a Fund does not correctly evaluate the creditworthiness of the company on which the credit default swap is based.

Liquidity Risk. Liquidity risk exists when a particular derivative instrument is difficult to purchase or sell. If a derivative transaction is particularly large or if the relevant market is illiquid (as is the case with many privately negotiated derivatives), it may not be possible to initiate a transaction or liquidate a position at an advantageous time or price.

Leverage Risk. Because many derivatives have a leverage component, adverse changes in the value or level of the underlying asset, reference rate or index could result in a loss substantially greater than the amount invested in the derivative itself. Certain derivatives have the potential for unlimited loss, regardless of the size of the initial investment. When a Fund uses derivatives for leverage, investments in that Fund will tend to be more volatile, resulting in larger gains or losses in response to market changes. To limit leverage risk, each Fund will segregate or "earmark" assets (or cash equivalent securities in the case of the PIMCO Total Return Fund IV) determined to be liquid by PIMCO in accordance with procedures established by the Board of Trustees (or, as permitted by applicable regulation, enter into certain offsetting positions) to cover its obligations under derivative instruments.

Lack of Availability. Because the markets for certain derivative instruments (including markets located in foreign countries) are relatively new and still developing, suitable derivatives transactions may not be available in all circumstances for risk management or other purposes. Upon the expiration of a particular contract, a portfolio manager may wish to retain a Fund's position in the derivative instrument by entering into a similar contract, but may be unable to do so if the counterparty to the original contract is unwilling to enter into the new contract and no other suitable counterparty can be found. There is no assurance that a Fund will engage in derivatives transactions at any time or from time to time. A Fund's ability to use derivatives may also be limited by certain regulatory and tax considerations.

Market and Other Risks. Like most other investments, derivative instruments are subject to the risk that the market value of the instrument will change in a way detrimental to a Fund's interest. If a portfolio manager incorrectly forecasts the values of securities, currencies or interest rates or other economic factors in using derivatives for a Fund, the Fund might have been in a better position if it had not entered into the transaction at all. While some strategies involving derivative instruments can reduce the risk of loss, they can also reduce the opportunity for gain or even result in losses by offsetting favorable price movements in other Fund investments. A Fund may also have to buy or sell a security at a disadvantageous time or price because the Fund is legally required to maintain offsetting positions or asset coverage in connection with certain derivatives transactions. The regulation of the derivatives markets has increased over the past several years, and additional future regulation of the derivatives markets may make derivatives more costly, may limit the availability or reduce the liquidity of derivatives, or may otherwise adversely affect the value or performance of derivatives. Any such adverse future developments could impair the effectiveness or raise the costs of the Fund's derivative transactions, or impede the employment of the Fund's derivatives strategies, or adversely affect the Fund's performance.

Other risks in using derivatives include the risk of mispricing or improper valuation of derivatives. Many derivatives, in particular privately negotiated derivatives, are complex and often valued subjectively. Improper valuations can result in increased cash payment requirements to counterparties or a loss of value to a Fund. Also, the value of derivatives may not correlate perfectly, or at all, with the value of the assets, reference rates or indexes they are designed to closely track. For example, a swap agreement on an exchange-traded fund would not correlate perfectly with the index upon which the exchange-traded fund is based because the fund's return is net of fees and expenses. In addition, a Fund's use of derivatives may cause the Fund to realize higher amounts of short-term capital gains (generally taxed at ordinary income tax rates) than if the Fund had not used such instruments.

Correlation Risk. In certain cases, the value of derivatives may not correlate perfectly, or at all, with the value of the assets, reference rates or indexes they are designed to closely track. In this regard, many of the Funds offered in this prospectus seek to achieve their investment objectives, in part, by investing in derivatives positions that are designed to closely track the performance (or inverse performance) of an index on a daily basis. However, the overall investment strategies of these Funds are not designed or expected to produce returns which replicate the performance (or inverse performance) of the particular index, and the degree of variation could be substantial, particularly over longer periods. There are a number of factors which may prevent a Fund, or derivatives or other strategies used by a Fund, from achieving a desired correlation (or inverse correlation) with an index. These may include, but are not limited to: (i) the impact of fund fees,

 

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expenses and transaction costs, including borrowing and brokerage costs/ bid-ask spreads, which are not reflected in index returns; (ii) differences in the timing of daily calculations of the value of an index and the timing of the valuation of derivatives, securities and other assets held by a fund and the determination of the NAV of Fund shares; (iii) disruptions or illiquidity in the markets for derivative instruments or securities in which a Fund invests; (iv) a Fund having exposure to or holding less than all of the securities in the underlying index and/or having exposure to or holding securities not included in the underlying index; (v) large or unexpected movements of assets into and out of a Fund (due to share purchases or redemptions, for example), potentially resulting in the Fund being over- or under-exposed to the index; (vi) the impact of accounting standards or changes thereto; (vii) changes to the applicable index that are not disseminated in advance; (viii) a possible need to conform a Fund's portfolio holdings to comply with investment restrictions or policies or regulatory or tax law requirements; and (ix) fluctuations in currency exchange rates.

Real Estate Investment Trusts (REITs)

REITs are pooled investment vehicles that own, and usually operate, income-producing real estate. Some REITs also finance real estate. If a REIT meets certain requirements, including distributing to shareholders substantially all of its taxable income (other than net capital gains), then it is not taxed on the income distributed to shareholders. Therefore, REITs tend to pay higher dividends than other issuers.

REITs can be divided into three basic types: Equity REITs, Mortgage REITs and Hybrid REITs. Equity REITs invest the majority of their assets directly in real property. They derive their income primarily from rents received and any profits on the sale of their properties. Mortgage REITs invest the majority of their assets in real estate mortgages and derive most of their income from mortgage interest payments. As its name suggests, Hybrid REITs combine characteristics of both Equity REITs and Mortgage REITs.

An investment in a REIT, or in a real estate linked derivative instrument linked to the value of a REIT, is subject to the risks that impact the value of the underlying properties of the REIT. These risks include loss to casualty or condemnation, and changes in supply and demand, interest rates, zoning laws, regulatory limitations on rents, property taxes and operating expenses. Other factors that may adversely affect REITs include poor performance by management of the REIT, changes to the tax laws, or failure by the REIT to qualify for tax-free distribution of income. REITs are also subject to default by borrowers and self-liquidation, and are heavily dependent on cash flow. Some REITs lack diversification because they invest in a limited number of properties, a narrow geographic area, or a single type of property. Mortgage REITs may be impacted by the quality of the credit extended.

Exchange-Traded Notes (ETNs)

ETNs are senior, unsecured, unsubordinated debt securities whose returns are linked to the performance of a particular market benchmark or strategy minus applicable fees. ETNs are traded on an exchange (e.g., the NYSE) during normal trading hours. However, investors can also hold the ETN until maturity. At maturity, the issuer pays to the investor a cash amount equal to the principal amount, subject to the day's market benchmark or strategy factor.

ETNs do not make periodic coupon payments or provide principal protection. ETNs are subject to credit risk and the value of the ETN may drop due to a downgrade in the issuer's credit rating, despite the underlying market benchmark or strategy remaining unchanged. The value of an ETN may also be influenced by time to maturity, level of supply and demand for the ETN, volatility and lack of liquidity in underlying assets, changes in the applicable interest rates, changes in the issuer's credit rating, and economic, legal, political, or geographic events that affect the referenced underlying asset. When a Fund invests in ETNs, it will bear its proportionate share of any fees and expenses borne by the ETN. A Fund's decision to sell its ETN holdings may be limited by the availability of a secondary market. ETNs are also subject to tax risk. The IRS and Congress are considering proposals that would change the timing and character of income and gains from ETNs. There may be times when an ETN share trades at a premium or discount to its market benchmark or strategy.

Delayed Funding Loans and Revolving Credit Facilities

Each Fund may also enter into, or acquire participations in, delayed funding loans and revolving credit facilities, in which a lender agrees to make loans up to a maximum amount upon demand by the borrower during a specified term. These commitments may have the effect of requiring a Fund to increase its investment in a company at a time when it might not otherwise decide to do so (including at a time when the company's financial condition makes it unlikely that such amounts will be repaid). To the extent that a Fund is committed to advance additional funds, it will segregate or "earmark" assets (or cash equivalent securities in the case of the PIMCO Total Return Fund IV) determined to be liquid by PIMCO in accordance with procedures established by the Board of Trustees in an amount sufficient to meet such commitments. Delayed funding loans and revolving credit facilities are subject to credit, interest rate and liquidity risk and the risks of being a lender.

When-Issued, Delayed Delivery and Forward Commitment Transactions

Each Fund may purchase or sell securities which it is eligible to purchase or sell on a when-issued basis, may purchase and sell such securities for delayed delivery and may make contracts to purchase or sell such securities for a fixed price at a future date beyond normal settlement time (forward commitments). When-issued transactions, delayed delivery purchases and forward commitments involve a risk of loss if the value of the securities declines prior to the settlement date. This risk is in addition to the risk that a Fund's other assets will decline in value. Therefore, these transactions may result in a form of leverage and increase a Fund's overall investment exposure. Typically, no income accrues on securities a Fund has committed to purchase prior to the time delivery of the securities is made, although a Fund may earn income on securities it has segregated or "earmarked" to cover these positions. When a Fund has sold a security on a when-issued, delayed delivery, or forward commitment basis, the Fund does not participate in future gains or losses with respect to the security. If the other party to a transaction fails to pay for the securities, a Fund could suffer a loss. Additionally, when selling a security on a when-issued, delayed delivery or forward commitment basis without owning the security, a Fund will incur a loss if the security's price appreciates in value such that the security's price is above the agreed-upon price on the settlement date. The PIMCO Total

 

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Return Fund IV will segregate or "earmark" cash equivalent securities to cover obligations associated with forward commitments, including to be announced mortgage-backed securities.

Investment in Other Investment Companies

Each Fund may invest in securities of other investment companies, such as open-end or closed-end management investment companies, including exchange-traded funds, or in pooled accounts, or other unregistered accounts or investment vehicles to the extent permitted by the 1940 Act and the rules and regulations thereunder and any exemptive relief therefrom. A Fund may invest in other investment companies to gain broad market or sector exposure, including during periods when it has large amounts of uninvested cash or when PIMCO believes share prices of other investment companies offer attractive values. As a shareholder of an investment company or other pooled vehicle, a Fund may indirectly bear investment advisory fees, supervisory and administrative fees, service fees and other fees which are in addition to the fees the Fund pays its service providers.

Each Fund may invest in certain money market funds and/or short-term bond funds ("Central Funds"), to the extent permitted by the 1940 Act, the rules thereunder or exemptive relief therefrom. The Central Funds are registered investment companies created for use solely by the series of the Trust, PIMCO Variable Insurance Trust, PIMCO ETF Trust, PIMCO Equity Series and PIMCO Equity Series VIT, and certain other series of registered investment companies advised by PIMCO, in connection with their cash management activities. The main investments of the Central Funds are money market instruments and short maturity Fixed Income Instruments. The Central Funds may incur expenses related to their investment activities, but do not pay investment advisory or supervisory and administrative fees to PIMCO.

Subject to the restrictions and limitations of the 1940 Act, each Fund may, in the future, elect to pursue its investment objective either by investing directly in securities, or by investing in one or more underlying investment vehicles or companies that have substantially similar investment objectives and policies as the Fund.

Small-Cap and Mid-Cap Companies

Certain Funds may invest in equity securities of small-capitalization and mid-capitalization companies. The Funds consider a small-cap company to be a company with a market capitalization of up to $1.5 billion and a mid-cap company to be a company with a market capitalization of between $1.5 billion and $10 billion. Investments in small-cap and mid-cap companies involve greater risk than investments in large-capitalization companies. Small- and mid-cap companies may not have an established financial history, which can present valuation challenges. The equity securities of small- and mid-cap companies may be subject to increased market fluctuations, due to less liquid markets and more limited managerial and financial resources. A Fund's investment in small- and mid-cap companies may increase the volatility of the Fund's portfolio.

Short Sales

A Fund may make short sales as part of its overall portfolio management strategies or to offset a potential decline in value of a security. A short sale involves the sale of a security that is borrowed from a broker or other institution to complete the sale. Short sales expose a Fund to the risk that it will be required to acquire, convert or exchange securities to replace the borrowed securities (also known as "covering" the short position) at a time when the securities sold short have appreciated in value, thus resulting in a loss to the Fund. When making a short sale (other than a "short sale against the box"), a Fund must segregate or "earmark" assets determined to be liquid by PIMCO in accordance with procedures established by the Board of Trustees or otherwise cover its position in a permissible manner. A Fund (except the PIMCO Total Return Fund IV) may engage in short selling to the extent permitted by the 1940 Act and rules and interpretations thereunder and other federal securities laws. The PIMCO Total Return Fund IV will limit short sales, including short exposures obtained using derivative instruments, to 10% of its total assets. To the extent a Fund engages in short selling in foreign (non-U.S.) jurisdictions, the Fund will do so to the extent permitted by the laws and regulations of such jurisdiction.

Illiquid Securities

Each Fund may invest up to 15% of its net assets (taken at the time of investment) in illiquid securities. Certain illiquid securities may require pricing at fair value as determined in good faith under the supervision of the Board of Trustees. A portfolio manager may be subject to significant delays in disposing of illiquid securities, and transactions in illiquid securities may entail registration expenses and other transaction costs that are higher than those for transactions in liquid securities. The term "illiquid securities" for this purpose means securities that cannot be disposed of within seven days in the ordinary course of business at approximately the amount at which a Fund has valued the securities. Restricted securities, i.e., securities subject to legal or contractual restrictions on resale, may be illiquid. However, some restricted securities (such as securities issued pursuant to Rule 144A under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and certain commercial paper) may be treated as liquid, although they may be less liquid than registered securities traded on established secondary markets.

Fund Distribution Rates

Although certain Funds may seek to maintain stable distributions, such Funds' distribution rates may be affected by numerous factors, including but not limited to changes in realized and projected market returns, fluctuations in market interest rates, Fund performance, and other factors. There can be no assurance that a change in market conditions or other factors will not result in a change in a Fund's distribution rate or that the rate will be sustainable in the future.

For instance, during periods of low or declining interest rates, a Fund's distributable income and dividend levels may decline for many reasons. For example, the Fund may have to deploy uninvested assets (whether from purchases of Fund shares, proceeds from matured, traded or called debt obligations or other sources) in new, lower yielding instruments. Additionally, payments from certain instruments that may be held by a Fund (such as variable and floating rate securities) may be negatively impacted by declining interest rates, which may also lead to a decline in the Fund's distributable income and dividend levels.

 

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Loans of Portfolio Securities

For the purpose of achieving income, each Fund (except the PIMCO Total Return Fund IV) may lend its portfolio securities to brokers, dealers, and other financial institutions provided a number of conditions are satisfied, including that the loan is fully collateralized. Please see "Investment Objectives and Policies" in the SAI for details. When a Fund lends portfolio securities, its investment performance will continue to reflect changes in the value of the securities loaned, and the Fund will also receive a fee or interest on the collateral. Securities lending involves the risk of loss of rights in the collateral or delay in recovery of the collateral if the borrower fails to return the security loaned or becomes insolvent. A Fund may pay lending fees to a party arranging the loan. Cash collateral received by a Fund in securities lending transactions may be invested in short-term liquid fixed income instruments or in money market or short-term mutual funds, or similar investment vehicles, including affiliated money market or short-term mutual funds. A Fund bears the risk of such investments.

Portfolio Turnover

The length of time a Fund has held a particular security is not generally a consideration in investment decisions. A change in the securities held by a Fund is known as "portfolio turnover." When the portfolio manager deems it appropriate and particularly during periods of volatile market movements, a Fund may engage in frequent and active trading of portfolio securities to achieve its investment objective. Higher portfolio turnover (e.g., an annual rate greater than 100% of the average value of the Fund's portfolio) involves correspondingly greater expenses to a Fund, including brokerage commissions or dealer markups and other transaction costs on the sale of securities and reinvestments in other securities. Such sales may also result in realization of taxable capital gains, including short-term capital gains (which are generally taxed at ordinary income tax rates). The trading costs and tax effects associated with portfolio turnover may adversely affect a Fund's performance. Please see a Fund's "Fund Summary—Portfolio Turnover" or the "Financial Highlights" in this prospectus for the portfolio turnover rates of the Funds that were operational during the last fiscal year.

Temporary Defensive Positions

For temporary defensive purposes, each Fund may invest without limit in U.S. debt securities, including taxable securities and short-term money market securities, when PIMCO deems it appropriate to do so. When a Fund engages in such strategies, it may not achieve its investment objective.

From time to time, as the prevailing market and interest rate environments warrant, and at the discretion of its portfolio manager, some portion of a Fund's total net assets may be uninvested. In such cases, Fund assets will be held in cash in a Fund's custody account. Cash assets are generally not income-generating and would impact a Fund's performance.

Changes in Investment Objectives and Policies

The investment objectives of each of the PIMCO Extended Duration, PIMCO Long Duration Total Return, PIMCO Mortgage Opportunities and Bond, PIMCO Total Return IV and PIMCO Dynamic Bond Funds are non-fundamental and may be changed by the Board of Trustees without shareholder approval. The investment objectives of each other Fund are fundamental and may not be changed without shareholder approval. Unless otherwise stated, all other investment policies of the Funds may be changed by the Board of Trustees without shareholder approval.

Percentage Investment Limitations

Unless otherwise stated, all percentage limitations on Fund investments listed in this prospectus will apply at the time of investment. A Fund would not violate these limitations unless an excess or deficiency occurs or exists immediately after and as a result of an investment. Each of the PIMCO GNMA and Government Securities, PIMCO Investment Grade Credit Bond, PIMCO Long-Term U.S. Government Bond, PIMCO Mortgage-Backed Securities and PIMCO Dynamic Bond Funds has adopted a non-fundamental investment policy to invest at least 80% of its assets in investments suggested by its name. For purposes of this policy, the term "assets" means net assets plus the amount of any borrowings for investment purposes.

Credit Ratings and Unrated Securities

Rating agencies are private services that provide ratings of the credit quality of fixed income securities, including convertible securities. Appendix A to this prospectus describes the various ratings assigned to fixed income securities by Moody's, S&P and Fitch. Ratings assigned by a rating agency are not absolute standards of credit quality and do not evaluate market risks. Rating agencies may fail to make timely changes in credit ratings and an issuer's current financial condition may be better or worse than a rating indicates. A Fund will not necessarily sell a security when its rating is reduced below its rating at the time of purchase. PIMCO does not rely solely on credit ratings, and develops its own analysis of issuer credit quality.

A Fund may purchase unrated securities (which are not rated by a rating agency) if PIMCO determines, in its sole discretion, that the security is of comparable quality to a rated security that the Fund may purchase. In making ratings determinations, PIMCO may take into account different factors than those taken into account by rating agencies, and PIMCO's rating of a security may differ from the rating that a rating agency may have given the same security. Unrated securities may be less liquid than comparable rated securities and involve the risk that the portfolio manager may not accurately evaluate the security's comparative credit rating. Analysis of the creditworthiness of issuers of high yield securities may be more complex than for issuers of higher-quality fixed income securities. To the extent that a Fund invests in high yield and/or unrated securities, the Fund's success in achieving its investment objective may depend more heavily on the portfolio manager's creditworthiness analysis than if the Fund invested exclusively in higher-quality and rated securities.

Responsible Investment

As the investment adviser to the PIMCO Total Return ESG Fund, PIMCO may engage proactively with issuers to encourage them to improve their business practices with respect to the environment, social responsibility, and corporate governance ("ESG practices"). In determining the efficacy of an issuer's ESG practices, PIMCO will use its own proprietary assessments of critical ESG issues and may also reference standards as set forth by recognized global organizations such as the United Nations. PIMCO's activities in this respect may include, but are not limited to, direct dialogue with company management, such as through in-person meetings, phone

 

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calls, electronic communications, and letters. Through these engagement activities, PIMCO seeks to identify opportunities for a company to improve its ESG practices, and works collaboratively with company management to establish concrete objectives and to develop a plan for meeting these objectives. The Fund may invest in securities of issuers whose ESG practices are currently suboptimal, with the expectation that these practices may improve over time either as a result of PIMCO's engagement efforts or through the company's own initiatives. There can be no assurance that these engagement efforts will be successful. PIMCO may exclude from the Fund issuers that are not receptive to its engagement efforts. In addition, because the Fund invests primarily in Fixed Income Instruments, the Fund does not generally have standing to engage companies in all the ways that an investor in a company's equity securities does.

Other Investments and Techniques

The Funds may invest in other types of securities and use a variety of investment techniques and strategies which are not described in this prospectus. These securities and techniques may subject the Funds to additional risks. Please see the SAI for additional information about the securities and investment techniques described in this prospectus and about additional securities and techniques that may be used by the Funds.

Cyber Security

As the use of technology has become more prevalent in the course of business, the Funds have become potentially more susceptible to operational and information security risks resulting from breaches in cyber security. A breach in cyber security refers to both intentional and unintentional cyber events that may, among other things, cause a Fund to lose proprietary information, suffer data corruption and/or destruction or lose operational capacity, result in the unauthorized release or other misuse of confidential information, or otherwise disrupt normal business operations. Cyber security breaches may involve unauthorized access to a Fund's digital information systems (e.g., through "hacking" or malicious software coding), but may also result from outside attacks such as denial-of-service attacks (i.e., efforts to make network services unavailable to intended users). In addition, cyber security breaches involving a Fund's third party service providers (including but not limited to advisers, sub-advisers, administrators, transfer agents, custodians, distributors and other third parties), trading counterparties or issuers in which a Fund invests can also subject a Fund to many of the same risks associated with direct cyber security breaches. Moreover, cyber security breaches involving trading counterparties or issuers in which a Fund invests could adversely impact such counterparties or issuers and cause the Fund's investment to lose value.

Cyber security failures or breaches may result in financial losses to a Fund and its shareholders. These failures or breaches may also result in disruptions to business operations, potentially resulting in financial losses; interference with a Fund's ability to calculate its NAV, process shareholder transactions or otherwise transact business with shareholders; impediments to trading; violations of applicable privacy and other laws; regulatory fines; penalties; reputational damage; reimbursement or other compensation costs; additional compliance and cyber security risk management costs and other adverse consequences. In addition, substantial costs may be incurred in order to prevent any cyber incidents in the future.

Like with operational risk in general, the Funds have established business continuity plans and risk management systems designed to reduce the risks associated with cyber security. However, there are inherent limitations in these plans and systems, including that certain risks may not have been identified, in large part because different or unknown threats may emerge in the future. As such, there is no guarantee that such efforts will succeed, especially because the Funds do not directly control the cyber security systems of issuers in which a Fund may invest, trading counterparties or third party service providers to the Funds. There is also a risk that cyber security breaches may not be detected. The Funds and their shareholders could be negatively impacted as a result.

 

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Financial Highlights

The financial highlights table is intended to help a shareholder understand the financial performance of Institutional Class, I-2, I-3, Administrative Class, Class A, Class C and Class R shares of each Fund for the last five fiscal years or, if shorter, the period since a Fund or a class commenced operations. Certain information reflects financial results for a single Fund share. Because I-3 shares of the PIMCO GNMA and Government Securities Fund, PIMCO Investment Grade Credit Bond Fund, PIMCO Long-Term U.S. Government Fund, PIMCO Mortgage Opportunities and Bond Fund, PIMCO Mortgage-Backed Securities Fund, PIMCO Total Return Fund and PIMCO Dynamic Bond Fund had not commenced operations during the periods shown, financial performance information is not provided for the share classes. The total returns in the table represent the rate that an investor would have earned or lost on an investment in a particular class of shares of a Fund (assuming reinvestment of all dividends and distributions). This information has been audited by PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP, whose report, along with each Fund's financial statements, are included in the Trust's annual report to shareholders. The annual report is available free of charge by calling the Trust at the phone number on the back of this prospectus. The annual report is also available for download free of charge on the Trust's Web site at pimco.com. Note: All footnotes to the financial highlights table appear at the end of the tables.

[To be updated by subsequent amendment]

 

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Appendix A
Description of Securities Ratings

The Fund's investments may range in quality from securities rated in the lowest category in which the Fund is permitted to invest to securities rated in the highest category (as rated by Moody's, Standard & Poor's or Fitch, or, if unrated, determined by PIMCO to be of comparable quality). The percentage of the Fund's assets invested in securities in a particular rating category will vary. The following terms are generally used to describe the credit quality of fixed income securities:

High Quality Debt Securities are those rated in one of the two highest rating categories (the highest category for commercial paper) or, if unrated, deemed comparable by PIMCO.

Investment Grade Debt Securities are those rated in one of the four highest rating categories, or if unrated deemed comparable by PIMCO.

Below Investment Grade High Yield Securities ("Junk Bonds"), are those rated lower than Baa by Moody's, BBB by Standard & Poor's or Fitch, and comparable securities. They are deemed predominantly speculative with respect to the issuer's ability to repay principal and interest.

The following is a description of Moody's, Standard & Poor's and Fitch's rating categories applicable to fixed income securities.

Moody's Investors Service, Inc.

Long-Term Corporate Obligation Ratings
Moody's long-term obligation ratings are opinions of the relative credit risk of fixed income obligations with an original maturity of one year or more. They address the possibility that a financial obligation will not be honored as promised. Such ratings use Moody's Global Scale and reflect both the likelihood of default and any financial loss suffered in the event of default.

Aaa: Obligations rated Aaa are judged to be of the highest quality, subject to the lowest level of credit risk.

Aa: Obligations rated Aa are judged to be of high quality and are subject to very low credit risk.

A: Obligations rated A are judged to be upper-medium grade and are subject to low credit risk.

Baa: Obligations rated Baa are judged to be medium-grade and subject to moderate credit risk and as such may possess certain speculative characteristics.

Ba: Obligations rated Ba are judged to be speculative and are subject to substantial credit risk.

B: Obligations rated B are considered speculative and are subject to high credit risk.

Caa: Obligations rated Caa are judged to be speculative of poor standing and are subject to very high credit risk.

Ca: Obligations rated Ca are highly speculative and are likely in, or very near, default, with some prospect of recovery of principal and interest.

C: Obligations rated C are the lowest rated and are typically in default, with little prospect for recovery of principal or interest.

Moody's appends numerical modifiers 1, 2, and 3 to each generic rating classification from Aa through Caa. The modifier 1 indicates that the obligation ranks in the higher end of its generic rating category; the modifier 2 indicates a mid-range ranking; and the modifier 3 indicates a ranking in the lower end of that generic rating category. Additionally, a "(hyb)" indicator is appended to all ratings of hybrid securities issued by banks, insurers, finance companies, and securities firms.*

* By their terms, hybrid securities allow for the omission of scheduled dividends, interest, or principal payments, which can potentially result in impairment if such an omission occurs. Hybrid securities may also be subject to contractually allowable write-downs of principal that could result in impairment. Together with the hybrid indicator, the long-term obligation rating assigned to a hybrid security is an expression of the relative credit risk associated with that security.

Medium-Term Note Program Ratings

Moody's assigns provisional ratings to medium-term note (MTN) programs and definitive ratings to the individual debt securities issued from them (referred to as drawdowns or notes).

MTN program ratings are intended to reflect the ratings likely to be assigned to drawdowns issued from the program with the specified priority of claim (e.g. senior or subordinated). To capture the contingent nature of a program rating, Moody's assigns provisional ratings to MTN programs. A provisional rating is denoted by a (P) in front of the rating.

The rating assigned to a drawdown from a rated MTN or bank/deposit note program is definitive in nature, and may differ from the program rating if the drawdown is exposed to additional credit risks besides the issuer's default, such as links to the defaults of other issuers, or has other structural features that warrant a different rating. In some circumstances, no rating may be assigned to a drawdown.

Moody's encourages market participants to contact Moody's Ratings Desks or visit www.moodys.com directly if they have questions regarding ratings for specific notes issued under a medium-term note program. Unrated notes issued under an MTN program may be assigned an NR (not rated) symbol.

Short-Term Ratings
Ratings assigned on Moody's global short-term rating scales are forward-looking opinions of the relative credit risks of financial obligations issued by non-financial corporates, financial institutions, structured finance vehicles, project finance vehicles, and public sector entitities. Short-term ratings are opinions of the ability of issuers to honor short-term financial obligations. Ratings may be assigned to issuers, short-term programs or to individual short-term debt instruments. Such obligations generally have an original maturity not exceeding thirteen months, unless explicitly noted.

Moody's employs the following designations to indicate the relative repayment ability of rated issuers:

P-1: Issuers (or supporting institutions) rated Prime-1 have a superior ability to repay short-term debt obligations.

P-2: Issuers (or supporting institutions) rated Prime-2 have a strong ability to repay short-term debt obligations.

 

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P-3: Issuers (or supporting institutions) rated Prime-3 have an acceptable ability to repay short-term obligations.

NP: Issuers (or supporting institutions) rated Not Prime do not fall within any of the Prime rating categories.

National Scale Long-Term Ratings

Moody's long-term National Scale Ratings (NSRs) are opinions of the relative creditworthiness of issuers and financial obligations within a particular country. NSRs are not designed to be compared among countries; rather, they address relative credit risk within a given country. Moody's assigns national scale ratings in certain local capital markets in which investors have found the global rating scale provides inadequate differentiation among credits or is inconsistent with a rating scale already in common use in the country. In each specific country, the last two characters of the rating indicate the country in which the issuer is located (e.g., Aaa.br for Brazil).

Aaa.n: Issuers or issues rated Aaa.n demonstrate the strongest creditworthiness relative to other domestic issuers.

Aa.n: Issuers or issues rated Aa.n demonstrate very strong creditworthiness relative to other domestic issuers.

A.n: Issuers or issues rated A.n present above-average creditworthiness relative to other domestic issuers.

Baa.n: Issuers or issues rated Baa.n represent average creditworthiness relative to other domestic issuers.

Ba.n: Issuers or issues rated Ba.n demonstrate below-average creditworthiness relative to other domestic issuers.

B.n: Issuers or issues rated B.n demonstrate weak creditworthiness relative to other domestic issuers.

Caa.n: Issuers or issues rated Caa.n demonstrate very weak creditworthiness relative to other domestic issuers.

Ca.n: Issuers or issues rated Ca.n demonstrate extremely weak creditworthiness relative to other domestic issuers.

C.n: Issuers or issues rated C.n demonstrate the weakest creditworthiness relative to other domestic issuers.

Moody's appends numerical modifiers 1, 2, and 3 to each generic rating classification from Aa through Caa. The modifier 1 indicates that the obligation ranks in the higher end of its generic rating category; the modifier 2 indicates a mid-range ranking; and the modifier 3 indicates a ranking in the lower end of that generic rating category. National scale long-term ratings of D.ar and E.ar may also be applied to Argentine obligations.

National Scale Short-Term Ratings
Moody's short-term NSRs are opinions of the ability of issuers in a given country, relative to other domestic issuers, to repay debt obligations that have an original maturity not exceeding thirteen months. Short-term NSRs in one country should not be compared with short-term NSRs in another country, or with Moody's global ratings.

There are four categories of short-term national scale ratings, generically denoted N-1 through N-4 as defined below.

In each specific country, the first two letters indicate the country in which the issuer is located (e.g., BR-1 through BR-4 for Brazil).

N-1: Issuers rated N-1 have the strongest ability to repay short-term senior unsecured debt obligations relative to other domestic issuers.

N-2: Issuers rated N-2 have an above average ability to repay short-term senior unsecured debt obligations relative to other domestic issuers.

N-3: Issuers rated N-3 have an average ability to repay short-term senior unsecured debt obligations relative to other domestic issuers.

N-4: Issuers rated N-4 have a below average ability to repay short-term senior unsecured debt obligations relative to other domestic issuers.

The short-term rating symbols P-1.za, P-2.za, P-3.za and NP.za are used in South Africa. National scale short-term ratings of AR-5 and AR-6 may also be applied to Argentine obligations.

Short-Term Obligation Ratings
There are three rating categories for short-term municipal obligations that are considered investment grade. These ratings are designated as Municipal Investment Grade (MIG) and are divided into three levels—MIG 1 through MIG 3. In addition, those short-term obligations that are of speculative quality are designated SG, or speculative grade. MIG ratings expire at the maturity of the obligation.

MIG 1: This designation denotes superior credit quality. Excellent protection is afforded by established cash flows, highly reliable liquidity support, or demonstrated broad-based access to the market for refinancing.

MIG 2: This designation denotes strong credit quality. Margins of protection are ample, although not as large as in the preceding group.

MIG 3: This designation denotes acceptable credit quality. Liquidity and cash-flow protection may be narrow, and market access for refinancing is likely to be less well-established.

SG: This designation denotes speculative-grade credit quality. Debt instruments in this category may lack sufficient margins of protection.

Demand Obligation Ratings
In the case of variable rate demand obligations (VRDOs), a two-component rating is assigned: a long- or short-term debt rating and a demand obligation rating. The first element represents Moody's evaluation of risk associated with scheduled principal and interest payments. The second element represents Moody's evaluation of risk associated with the ability to receive purchase price upon demand ("demand feature"). The second element uses a rating from a variation of the MIG scale called the Variable Municipal Investment Grade (VMIG) scale.

VMIG 1: This designation denotes superior credit quality. Excellent protection is afforded by the superior short-term credit strength of the liquidity provider and structural and legal protections that ensure the timely payment of purchase price upon demand.

VMIG 2: This designation denotes strong credit quality. Good protection is afforded by the strong short-term credit strength of the liquidity provider and structural and legal protections that ensure the timely payment of purchase price upon demand.

 

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VMIG 3: This designation denotes acceptable credit quality. Adequate protection is afforded by the satisfactory short-term credit strength of the liquidity provider and structural and legal protections that ensure the timely payment of purchase price upon demand.

SG: This designation denotes speculative-grade credit quality. Demand features rated in this category may be supported by a liquidity provider that does not have an investment grade short-term rating or may lack the structural and/or legal protections necessary to ensure the timely payment of purchase price upon demand.

Standard & Poor's Ratings Services

Long-Term Issue Credit Ratings
Issue credit ratings are based, in varying degrees, on S&P Global Ratings' ("S&P") analysis of the following considerations:

Likelihood of payment—capacity and willingness of the obligor to meet its financial commitment on a financial obligation in accordance with the terms of the obligation;

Nature and provisions of the obligation and the promise S&P imputes; and

Protection afforded by, and relative position of, the financial obligation in the event of a bankruptcy, reorganization, or other arrangement under the laws of bankruptcy and other laws affecting creditors' rights.

Issue ratings are an assessment of default risk, but may incorporate an assessment of relative seniority or ultimate recovery in the event of default. Junior obligations are typically rated lower than senior obligations, to reflect the lower priority in bankruptcy, as noted above. (Such differentiation may apply when an entity has both senior and subordinated obligations, secured and unsecured obligations, or operating company and holding company obligations.)

Investment Grade
AAA: An obligation rated 'AAA' has the highest rating assigned by S&P. The obligor's capacity to meet its financial commitment on the obligation is extremely strong.

AA: An obligation rated 'AA' differs from the highest-rated obligations only to a small degree. The obligor's capacity to meet its financial commitment on the obligation is very strong.

A: An obligation rated 'A' is somewhat more susceptible to the adverse effects of changes in circumstances and economic conditions than obligations in higher-rated categories. However, the obligor's capacity to meet its financial commitment on the obligation is still strong.

BBB: An obligation rated ‘BBB' exhibits adequate protection parameters. However, adverse economic conditions or changing circumstances are more likely to lead to a weakened capacity of the obligor to meet its financial commitment on the obligation.

Speculative Grade
Obligations rated 'BB', 'B', 'CCC', 'CC', and 'C' are regarded as having significant speculative characteristics. 'BB' indicates the least degree of speculation and 'C' the highest. While such obligations will likely have some quality and protective characteristics, these may be outweighed by large uncertainties or major exposures to adverse conditions.

BB: An obligation rated 'BB' is less vulnerable to nonpayment than other speculative issues. However, it faces major ongoing uncertainties or exposure to adverse business, financial, or economic conditions which could lead to the obligor's inadequate capacity to meet its financial commitment on the obligation.

B: An obligation rated 'B' is more vulnerable to nonpayment than obligations rated ‘BB', but the obligor currently has the capacity to meet its financial commitment on the obligation. Adverse business, financial, or economic conditions will likely impair the obligor's capacity or willingness to meet its financial commitment on the obligation.

CCC: An obligation rated 'CCC' is currently vulnerable to nonpayment, and is dependent upon favorable business, financial, and economic conditions for the obligor to meet its financial commitment on the obligation. In the event of adverse business, financial, or economic conditions, the obligor is not likely to have the capacity to meet its financial commitment on the obligation.

CC: An obligation rated 'CC' is currently highly vulnerable to nonpayment. The ‘CC' rating is used when a default has not yet occurred, but S&P expects default to be a virtual certainty, regardless of the anticipated time to default.

C: An obligation rated ‘C' is currently highly vulnerable to nonpayment, and the obligation is expected to have lower relative seniority or lower ultimate recovery compared to obligations that are rated higher.

D: An obligation rated ‘D' is in default or in breach of an imputed promise. For non-hybrid capital instruments, the ‘D' rating category is used when payments on an obligation are not made on the date due, unless S&P believes that such payments will be made within five business days in the absence of a stated grace period or within the earlier of the stated grace period or 30 calendar days. The ‘D' rating also will be used upon the filing of a bankruptcy petition or the taking of similar action and where default on an obligation is a virtual certainty, for example due to automatic stay provisions. An obligation's rating is lowered to ‘D' if it is subject to a distressed exchange offer.

NR: This indicates that no rating has been requested, that there is insufficient information on which to base a rating, or that S&P does not rate a particular obligation as a matter of policy.

Plus (+) or minus (-): The ratings from ‘AA' to 'CCC' may be modified by the addition of a plus (+) or minus (-) sign to show relative standing within the major rating categories.

Short-Term Issue Credit Ratings
A-1: A short-term obligation rated 'A-1' is rated in the highest category by S&P. The obligor's capacity to meet its financial commitment on the obligation is strong. Within this category, certain obligations are designated with a plus sign (+). This indicates that the obligor's capacity to meet its financial commitment on these obligations is extremely strong.

A-2: A short-term obligation rated 'A-2' is somewhat more susceptible to the adverse effects of changes in circumstances and economic conditions

 

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PIMCO Funds

than obligations in higher rating categories. However, the obligor's capacity to meet its financial commitment on the obligation is satisfactory.

A-3: A short-term obligation rated 'A-3' exhibits adequate protection parameters. However, adverse economic conditions or changing circumstances are more likely to lead to a weakened capacity of the obligor to meet its financial commitment on the obligation.

B: A short-term obligation rated 'B' is regarded as vulnerable and has significant speculative characteristics. The obligor currently has the capacity to meet its financial commitments; however, it faces major ongoing uncertainties which could lead to the obligor's inadequate capacity to meet its financial commitments.

C: A short-term obligation rated 'C' is currently vulnerable to nonpayment and is dependent upon favorable business, financial, and economic conditions for the obligor to meet its financial commitment on the obligation.

D: A short-term obligation rated ‘D' is in default or in breach of an imputed promise. For non-hybrid capital instruments, the ‘D' rating category is used when payments on an obligation are not made on the date due, unless S&P believes that such payments will be made within any stated grace period. However, any stated grace period longer than five business days will be treated as five business days. The ‘D' rating also will be used upon the filing of a bankruptcy petition or the taking of a similar action and where default on an obligation is a virtual certainty, for example due to automatic stay provisions. An obligation's rating is lowered to ‘D' if it is subject to a distressed exchange offer.

Dual Ratings: Dual ratings may be assigned to debt issues that have a put option or demand feature. The first component of the rating addresses the likelihood of repayment of principal and interest as due, and the second component of the rating addresses only the demand feature. The first component of the rating can relate to either a short-term or long-term transaction and accordingly use either short-term or long-term rating symbols. The second component of the rating relates to the put option and is assigned a short-term rating symbol (for example, ‘AAA/A-1+' or ‘A-1+/A-1'). With U.S. municipal short-term demand debt, the U.S. municipal short-term note rating symbols are used for the first component of the rating (for example, ‘SP-1+/A-1+').

Active Qualifiers
S&P uses the following qualifiers that limit the scope of a rating. The structure of the transaction can require the use of a qualifier such as a 'p' qualifier, which indicates the rating addressed the principal portion of the obligation only. A qualifier appears as a suffix and is part of the rating.

L: Ratings qualified with ‘L' apply only to amounts invested up to federal deposit insurance limits.

p: This suffix is used for issues in which the credit factors, the terms, or both, that determine the likelihood of receipt of payment of principal are different from the credit factors, terms or both that determine the likelihood of receipt of interest on the obligation. The ‘p' suffix indicates that the rating addresses the principal portion of the obligation only and that the interest is not rated.

prelim: Preliminary ratings, with the ‘prelim' suffix, may be assigned to obligors or obligations, including financial programs, in the circumstances described below. Assignment of a final rating is conditional on the receipt by S&P of appropriate documentation. S&P reserves the right not to issue a final rating. Moreover, if a final rating is issued, it may differ from the preliminary rating.

Preliminary ratings may be assigned to obligations, most commonly structured and project finance issues, pending receipt of final documentation and legal opinions.

Preliminary ratings may be assigned to obligations that will likely be issued upon the obligor's emergence from bankruptcy or similar reorganization, based on late-stage reorganization plans, documentation and discussions with the obligor. Preliminary ratings may also be assigned to the obligors. These ratings consider the anticipated general credit quality of the reorganized or post-bankruptcy issuer as well as attributes of the anticipated obligation(s).

Preliminary ratings may be assigned to entities that are being formed or that are in the process of being independently established when, in S&P opinion, documentation is close to final. Preliminary ratings may also be assigned to the obligations of these entities.

Preliminary ratings may be assigned when a previously unrated entity is undergoing a well-formulated restructuring, recapitalization, significant financing or other transformative event, generally at the point that investor or lender commitments are invited. The preliminary rating may be assigned to the entity and to its proposed obligation(s). These preliminary ratings consider the anticipated general credit quality of the obligor, as well as attributes of the anticipated obligation(s), assuming successful completion of the transformative event. Should the transformative event not occur, S&P would likely withdraw these preliminary ratings.

A preliminary recovery rating may be assigned to an obligation that has a preliminary issue credit rating.

t: This symbol indicates termination structures that are designed to honor their contracts to full maturity or, should certain events occur, to terminate and cash settle all their contracts before their final maturity date.

cir: This symbol indicates a Counterparty Instrument Rating (CIR), which is a forward-looking opinion about the creditworthiness of an issuer in a securitization structure with respect to a specific financial obligation to a counterparty (including interest rate swaps, currency swaps, and liquidity facilities). The CIR is determined on an ultimate payment basis; these opinions do not take into account timeliness of payment.

Inactive Qualifiers (no longer applied or outstanding)

*:This symbol that indicated that the rating was contingent upon S&P receipt of an executed copy of the escrow agreement or closing documentation confirming investments and cash flows. Discontinued use in August 1998.

c: This qualifier was used to provide additional information to investors that the bank may terminate its obligation to purchase tendered bonds if the long-term credit rating of the issuer was lowered to below an investment-grade level and/or the issuer's bonds were deemed taxable. Discontinued use in January 2001.

 

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G: The letter 'G' followed the rating symbol when a fund's portfolio consisted primarily of direct U.S. government securities.

pi: This qualifier was used to indicate ratings that were based on an analysis of an issuer's published financial information, as well as additional information in the public domain. Such ratings did not, however, reflect in-depth meetings with an issuer's management and therefore, could have been based on less comprehensive information than ratings without a 'pi' suffix. Discontinued use as of December 2014 and as of August 2015 for Lloyd's Syndicate Assessments.

pr: The letters ‘pr' indicate that the rating was provisional. A provisional rating assumed the successful completion of a project financed by the debt being rated and indicates that payment of debt service requirements was largely or entirely dependent upon the successful, timely completion of the project. This rating, however, while addressing credit quality subsequent to completion of the project, made no comment on the likelihood of or the risk of default upon failure of such completion.

q: A ‘q' subscript indicates that the rating is based solely on quantitative analysis of publicly available information. Discontinued use in April 2001.

r: The ‘r' modifier was assigned to securities containing extraordinary risks, particularly market risks, which are not covered in the credit rating. The absence of an ‘r' modifier should not be taken as an indication that an obligation would not exhibit extraordinary non-credit related risks. S&P discontinued the use of the ‘r' modifier for most obligations in June 2000 and for the balance of obligations (mainly structured finance transactions) in November 2002.

Fitch Ratings

Long-Term Credit Ratings
Investment Grade
Rated entities in a number of sectors, including financial and non-financial corporations, sovereigns, insurance companies and certain sectors within public finance, are generally assigned Issuer Default Ratings (IDRs). IDRs are also assigned to certain entities in global infrastructure and project finance. IDRs opine on an entity's relative vulnerability to default on financial obligations. The threshold default risk addressed by the IDR is generally that of the financial obligations whose non-payment would best reflect the uncured failure of that entity. As such, IDRs also address relative vulnerability to bankruptcy, administrative receivership or similar concepts.

In aggregate, IDRs provide an ordinal ranking of issuers based on the agency's view of their relative vulnerability to default, rather than a prediction of a specific percentage likelihood of default.

AAA: Highest credit quality. ‘AAA' ratings denote the lowest expectation of credit risk. They are assigned only in cases of exceptionally strong capacity for payment of financial commitments. This capacity is highly unlikely to be adversely affected by foreseeable events.

AA: Very high credit quality. 'AA' ratings denote expectations of very low credit risk. They indicate very strong capacity for payment of financial commitments. This capacity is not significantly vulnerable to foreseeable events.

A: High credit quality. 'A' ratings denote expectations of low credit risk. The capacity for payment of financial commitments is considered strong. This capacity may, nevertheless, be more vulnerable to adverse business or economic conditions than is the case for higher ratings.

BBB: Good credit quality. 'BBB' ratings indicate that expectations of credit risk are currently low. The capacity for payment of financial commitments is considered adequate, but adverse business or economic conditions are more likely to impair this capacity.

Speculative Grade
BB: Speculative. ‘BB' ratings indicate an elevated vulnerability to credit risk, particularly in the event of adverse changes in business or economic conditions over time; however, business or financial alternatives may be available to allow financial commitments to be met.

B: Highly speculative. ‘B' ratings indicate that material credit risk is present.

CCC: Substantial credit risk.

CC: Very high levels of credit risk.

C: Exceptionally high levels of credit risk.

Defaulted obligations typically are not assigned 'RD' or ‘D' ratings, but are instead rated in the ‘B' to ‘C' rating categories, depending on their recovery prospects and other relevant characteristics. This approach better aligns obligations that have comparable overall expected loss but varying vulnerability to default and loss.

The modifiers "+" or "-" may be appended to a rating to denote relative status within major rating categories. For example, the rating category 'AA' has three notch-specific rating levels ('AA+'; 'AA'; 'AA-'; each a rating level). Such suffixes are not added to the ‘AAA' obligation rating category, or to corporate finance obligation ratings in the categories below ‘CCC.'

The subscript ‘emr' is appended to a rating to denote embedded market risk that is beyond the scope of the rating. The designation is intended to make clear that the rating solely addresses the counterparty risk of the issuing bank. It is not meant to indicate any limitation in the analysis of the counterparty risk, which in all other respects follows published Fitch criteria for analyzing the issuing financial institution. Fitch does not rate these instruments where the principal is to any degree subject to market risk. 

Recovery Ratings
Recovery Ratings are assigned to selected individual securities and obligations, most frequently for individual obligations of corporate finance issuers with Issuer Default Ratings (IDRs) in speculative grade categories.

Among the factors that affect recovery rates for securities are the collateral, the seniority relative to other obligations in the capital structure (where appropriate), and the expected value of the company or underlying collateral in distress.

The Recovery Rating scale is based on the expected relative recovery characteristics of an obligation upon the curing of a default, emergence from insolvency or following the liquidation or termination of the obligor or its associated collateral.

Recovery Ratings are an ordinal scale and do not attempt to precisely predict a given level of recovery. As a guideline in developing the rating assessments, the agency employs broad theoretical recovery bands in its

 

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PIMCO Funds

ratings approach based on historical averages and analytical judgment, but actual recoveries for a given security may deviate materially from historical averages.

RR1: Outstanding recovery prospects given default. ‘RR1' rated securities have characteristics consistent with securities historically recovering 91%-100% of current principal and related interest.

RR2: Superior recovery prospects given default. ‘RR2' rated securities have characteristics consistent with securities historically recovering 71%-90% of current principal and related interest.

RR3: Good recovery prospects given default. ‘RR3' rated securities have characteristics consistent with securities historically recovering 51%-70% of current principal and related interest.

RR4: Average recovery prospects given default. ‘RR4' rated securities have characteristics consistent with securities historically recovering 31%-50% of current principal and related interest.

RR5: Below average recovery prospects given default. ‘RR5' rated securities have characteristics consistent with securities historically recovering 11%-30% of current principal and related interest.

RR6: Poor recovery prospects given default. ‘RR6' rated securities have characteristics consistent with securities historically recovering 0%-10% of current principal and related interest.

Short-Term Credit Ratings
A short-term issuer or obligation rating is based in all cases on the short-term vulnerability to default of the rated entity and relates to the capacity to meet financial obligations in accordance with the documentation governing the relevant obligation. Short-term deposit ratings may be adjusted for loss severity. Short-Term Ratings are assigned to obligations whose initial maturity is viewed as "short term" based on market convention. Typically, this means up to 13 months for corporate, sovereign, and structured obligations, and up to 36 months for obligations in U.S. public finance markets.

F1: Highest short-term credit quality. Indicates the strongest intrinsic capacity for timely payment of financial commitments; may have an added "+" to denote any exceptionally strong credit feature.

F2: Good short-term credit quality. Good intrinsic capacity for timely payment of financial commitments.

F3: Fair short-term credit quality. The intrinsic capacity for timely payment of financial commitments is adequate.

B: Speculative short-term credit quality. Minimal capacity for timely payment of financial commitments, plus heightened vulnerability to near term adverse changes in financial and economic conditions.

C: High short-term default risk. Default is a real possibility.

RD: Restricted default. Indicates an entity that has defaulted on one or more of its financial commitments, although it continues to meet other financial obligations. Typically applicable to entity ratings only.

D: Default. Indicates a broad-based default event for an entity, or the default of a short-term obligation.

 

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Prospectus

Appendix B
Financial Firm-Specific Sales Charge Waivers and Discounts

The availability of initial and contingent deferred sales charge waivers and discounts may depend on the particular financial firm or type of account through which you purchase or hold Fund shares. For waivers or discounts not available through a particular financial firm, investors will have to purchase shares directly from the Funds (or the Distributor) or through another financial firm to receive such waivers or discounts.

The following descriptions of sales charge waivers and discounts for a particular financial firm and class(es) of shares set forth information provided by the financial firm that the firm has represented is current as of the date of this Prospectus. These waivers or discounts, which may vary from those disclosed elsewhere in the Prospectus, are subject to change. The Funds will update this Appendix periodically based on information provided by the applicable financial firm. Neither the Funds, the Investment Adviser nor PIMCO Investments LLC supervises the implementation of these waivers or discounts or verifies the firms' administration of these waivers or discounts.

In all instances, it is an investor's responsibility to notify the financial firm of any facts that may qualify the investor for sales charge waivers or discounts. Please contact your financial firm for more information regarding the sales charge waivers and discounts available to you and the firm's related policies and procedures.

Effective April 10, 2017, shareholders purchasing Fund shares through a Merrill Lynch platform or account will be eligible only for the following load waivers (front-end sales charge waivers and contingent deferred, or back-end, sales charge waivers) and discounts, which may differ from those disclosed elsewhere in the Funds' prospectus or SAI.

Front-end Sales Load Waivers on Class A Shares available at Merrill Lynch

Employer-sponsored retirement, deferred compensation and employee benefit plans (including health savings accounts) and trusts used to fund those plans, provided that the shares are not held in a commission-based brokerage account and shares are held for the benefit of the plan

Shares purchased by or through a 529 Plan

Shares purchased through a Merrill Lynch affiliated investment advisory program

Shares purchased by third party investment advisors on behalf of their advisory clients through Merrill Lynch's platform

Shares purchased through reinvestment of capital gains distributions and dividend reinvestment when purchasing shares of the same fund (but not any other fund within the fund family)

Shares exchanged from Class C (i.e. level-load) shares of the same fund in the month of or following the 10-year anniversary of the purchase date

Employees and registered representatives of Merrill Lynch or its affiliates and their family members

Directors or Trustees of the Fund, and employees of the Fund's investment adviser or any of its affiliates, as described in the this prospectus

Shares purchased from the proceeds of redemptions within the same fund family, provided (1) the repurchase occurs within 90 days following the redemption, (2) the redemption and purchase occur in the same account, and (3) redeemed shares were subject to a front-end or deferred sales load (known as Rights of Reinstatement)

CDSC Waivers on A and C Shares available at Merrill Lynch

Death or disability of the shareholder

Shares sold as part of a systematic withdrawal plan as described in the Fund's prospectus

Return of excess contributions from an IRA Account

Shares sold as part of a required minimum distribution for IRA and retirement accounts due to the shareholder reaching age 70½

Shares sold to pay Merrill Lynch fees but only if the transaction is initiated by Merrill Lynch

Shares held in retirement brokerage accounts, that are exchanged for a lower cost share class due to transfer to a certain fee based account or platform (applicable to A and C shares only)

Front-end load Discounts Available at Merrill Lynch: Breakpoints, Rights of Accumulation & Letters of Intent

Breakpoints as described in this prospectus.

Rights of Accumulation (ROA) which entitle shareholders to breakpoint discounts will be automatically calculated based on the aggregated holding of fund family assets held by accounts within the purchaser's household at Merrill Lynch. Eligible fund family assets not held at Merrill Lynch may be included in the ROA calculation only if the shareholder notifies his or her financial advisor about such assets

Letters of Intent (LOI) which allow for breakpoint discounts based on anticipated purchases within a fund family, through Merrill Lynch, over a 13-month period of time

 

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INVESTMENT ADVISER AND ADMINISTRATOR

PIMCO, 650 Newport Center Drive, Newport Beach, CA 92660

DISTRIBUTOR

PIMCO Investments LLC, 1633 Broadway, New York, NY 10019

CUSTODIAN

State Street Bank & Trust Co., 801 Pennsylvania Avenue, Kansas City, MO 64105

TRANSFER AGENT

DST Asset Manager Solutions, Inc.
Institutional Class, I-2, I-3, Administrative Class — 330 W. 9th Street, 5th Floor, Kansas City, MO 64105
Class A, Class C, Class R — P.O. Box 55060, Boston, MA 02205-5060

INDEPENDENT REGISTERED PUBLIC ACCOUNTING FIRM

PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP, 1100 Walnut Street, Suite 1300, Kansas City, MO 64106-2197

LEGAL COUNSEL

Dechert LLP, 1900 K Street N.W., Washington, D.C. 20006 

 

For further information about the PIMCO Funds, call 888.87.PIMCO or visit our Web site at pimco.com.


 

Table of Contents





PIMCO FUNDS
650 Newport Center Drive
Newport Beach, CA 92660

The Trust's SAI and annual and semi-annual reports to shareholders include additional information about the Funds. The SAI and the financial statements included in the Funds' most recent annual report to shareholders are incorporated by reference into this Prospectus, which means they are part of this Prospectus for legal purposes. The Funds' annual report discusses the market conditions and investment strategies that significantly affected each Fund's performance during its last fiscal year.

The SAI contains detailed information about Fund purchase, redemption and exchange options and procedures and other information about the Funds. You can get a free copy of the SAI.

You may get free copies of any of these materials or request other information about a Fund by calling the Trust at 888.87.PIMCO (888.877.4626) or by writing to:

PIMCO Funds
650 Newport Center Drive
Newport Beach, CA 92660

Daily updates on the NAV of a Fund may be obtained by calling 1-888-87-PIMCO.

You may review and copy information about the Trust, including its SAI, at the Securities and Exchange Commission's public reference room in Washington, D.C. You may call the Commission at 202.551.8090 for information about the operation of the public reference room. You may also access reports and other information about the Trust on the EDGAR Database on the Commission's Web site at www.sec.gov. You may get copies of this information, with payment of a duplication fee, by writing the Public Reference Section of the Commission, 100 F Street N.E., Washington, D.C. 20549-1520, or by e-mailing your request to publicinfo@sec.gov.

You can also visit our web site at pimco.com for additional information about the Funds, including the SAI and the annual and semi-annual reports, which are available for download free of charge.

Reference the Trust's Investment Company Act file number in your correspondence.

Investment Company Act File Number: 811-05028

PF0002_[ ]


Table of Contents




Prospectus

PIMCO Funds

*I-2 was formerly called Class P.




As with other mutual funds, neither the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission nor the U.S. Commodity Futures Trading Commission has approved or disapproved these securities, or determined if this prospectus is truthful or complete. Any representation to the contrary is a criminal offense.

Credit Bond Funds

[ ]

Inst

I-2*

I-3

Admin

A

C

R

PIMCO Credit Opportunities Bond Fund

PCARX

PPCRX

[ ]

PZCRX

PCCRX

PIMCO Diversified Income Fund

PDIIX

PDVPX

PDNIX

PDAAX

PDVAX

PDICX

PIMCO High Yield Fund

PHIYX

PHLPX

PHNNX

PHYAX

PHDAX

PHDCX

PHYRX

PIMCO High Yield Spectrum Fund

PHSIX

PHSPX

PHFNX

PHSAX

PHSCX

PIMCO Income Fund

PIMIX

PONPX

PIPNX

PIINX

PONAX

PONCX

PONRX

PIMCO Long-Term Credit Bond Fund

PTCIX

PLCPX

PIMCO Low Duration Income Fund

PFIIX

PFTPX

PFNIX

PFIAX

PFNCX

PIMCO Preferred and Capital Securities Fund

PFINX

PFPNX

PFNNX

PFANX

PIMCO Senior Floating Rate Fund

PSRIX

PSRPX

PSRZX

PSRWX




 

Table of Contents

Page

Fund Summaries

1

PIMCO Credit Opportunities Bond Fund

1

PIMCO Diversified Income Fund

5

PIMCO High Yield Fund

9

PIMCO High Yield Spectrum Fund

13

PIMCO Income Fund

17

PIMCO Long-Term Credit Bond Fund

21

PIMCO Low Duration Income Fund

25

PIMCO Preferred and Capital Securities Fund

29

PIMCO Senior Floating Rate Fund

33

Summary of Other Important Information Regarding Fund Shares

37

Description of Principal Risks

38

Disclosure of Portfolio Holdings

47

Management of the Funds

48

Classes of Shares

52

Purchases, Redemptions and Exchanges

57

How Fund Shares are Priced

65

Fund Distributions

67

Tax Consequences

67

Characteristics and Risks of Securities and Investment Techniques

69

Financial Highlights

84

Appendix A - Description of Securities Ratings

A-1

Appendix B - Financial Firm-Specific Sales Charge Waivers and Discounts

B-1


 

PIMCO Credit Opportunities Bond Fund

Investment Objective

The Fund seeks maximum total return, consistent with preservation of capital and prudent investment management.

Fees and Expenses of the Fund

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 $100,000 in Class A shares of eligible funds offered by PIMCO Equity Series and PIMCO Funds. More information about these and other discounts is available in the "Classes of Shares" section on page [ ] of the Fund's prospectus, Appendix B to the Fund's prospectus (Financial Firm-Specific Sales Charge Waivers and Discounts) or from your financial advisor.

Shareholder Fees (fees paid directly from your investment):

 

Inst
Class


I-2

I-3


Class A


Class C

Maximum Sales Charge (Load) Imposed on Purchases (as a percentage of offering price)

None

None

[None]

3.75%

None

Maximum Deferred Sales Charge (Load) (as a percentage of the lower of the original purchase price or redemption price)

None

None

[None]

1.00%

1.00%

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

 

Inst
Class

I-3

I-2

Class A

Class C

Management Fees

0.90%

[ ]

1.00%

1.05%

1.05%

Distribution and/or Service (12b-1) Fees

N/A

[ ]

N/A

0.25%

1.00%

Other Expenses(1)

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

Fee Waiver and/or Expense Reimbursement(2)

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses After Fee Waiver and/or Expense Reimbursement

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

 

1 "Other Expenses" include interest expense of [ ]%. Interest expense is borne by the Fund separately from the management fees paid to Pacific Investment Management Company LLC ("PIMCO"). Excluding interest expense, Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses are [ ]%, [ ]%, [ ]%, [ ]% and [ ]% for Institutional Class, I-2, I-3, Class A and Class C shares, respectively.

2 PIMCO has contractually agreed, through July 31, 2019, to reduce its supervisory and administrative fee for the Fund's I-3 shares by [ ]% of the average daily net assets attributable to I-3 shares of the Fund. This Fee Waiver Agreement renews annually unless terminated by PIMCO upon at least 30 days' prior notice to the end of the contract term.

Example. The Example is intended to help you compare the cost of investing in Institutional Class, I-2, I-3, Class A or Class C shares of the Fund with the costs of investing in other mutual funds. The Example assumes that you invest $10,000 in the noted class of shares for the time periods indicated, and then redeem all 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. Investors may pay brokerage commissions on their purchases and sales of Institutional Class, I-2 or I-3 shares of the Fund, which are not reflected in the Example. Although your actual costs may be higher or lower, based on these assumptions your costs would be:

If you redeem your shares at the end of each period:

 

1 Year

3 Years

5 Years

10 Years

Institutional Class

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

I-2

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

I-3

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

Class A

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

Class C

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

If you do not redeem your shares:

 

1 Year

3 Years

5 Years

10 Years

Class A

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

Class C

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

Portfolio Turnover

The Fund pays transaction costs 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 the Annual Fund Operating Expenses or in the Example tables, affect the Fund's performance. During the most recent fiscal year, the Fund's portfolio turnover rate was [ ]% of the average value of its portfolio.

Principal Investment Strategies

The Fund invests under normal circumstances at least 80% of its assets in a diversified portfolio of Fixed Income Instruments of varying maturities, which may be represented by forwards or derivatives such as options, futures contracts or swap agreements. Security selection, industry and sector allocation, and management of market risk within and across credit and corporate markets are expected to be the main drivers of returns over time. "Fixed Income Instruments" include bonds, debt securities, bank loans and other similar instruments issued by various U.S. and non-U.S. public- or private-sector entities. The average portfolio duration of this Fund normally varies within zero to six years. Duration is a measure used to determine the sensitivity of a security's price to changes in interest rates. The longer a security's duration, the more sensitive it will be to changes in interest rates.

The Fund may invest in both investment grade and high yield securities ("junk bonds") subject to a maximum of 50% of its total assets in securities rated below B- by Moody's Investors Service, Inc. ("Moody's"), or equivalently rated by Standard & Poor's Ratings Services ("S&P") or Fitch, Inc. ("Fitch"), or, if unrated, determined by PIMCO to be of comparable quality. The Fund may invest, without limitation, in securities of foreign issuers and may also invest in securities and instruments that are economically tied to emerging market countries. The Fund will normally limit its foreign currency exposure (from non-U.S. dollar denominated securities or currencies) to 20% of its total assets. The Fund may invest up to 15% of its total assets in preferred securities, convertible securities and other equity-related instruments, including up to 10% of its total assets in common stock.

The Fund may invest, without limitation, in derivative instruments, such as options, futures contracts or swap agreements, or in mortgage- or asset-backed securities, subject to applicable law and any other restrictions

 



PIMCO FUNDS | PROSPECTUS

1


 

Table of Contents

PIMCO Credit Opportunities Bond Fund

described in the Fund's prospectus or Statement of Additional Information. The Fund may purchase or sell securities on a when-issued, delayed delivery or forward commitment basis and may engage in short sales. The Fund may, without limitation, seek to obtain market exposure to the securities in which it primarily invests by entering into a series of purchase and sale contracts or by using other investment techniques (such as buy backs or dollar rolls). The "total return" sought by the Fund consists of income earned on the Fund's investments, plus capital appreciation, if any, which generally arises from decreases in interest rates, foreign currency appreciation, or improving credit fundamentals for a particular sector or security.

Principal Risks

It is possible to lose money on an investment in the Fund. The principal risks of investing in the Fund, which could adversely affect its net asset value, yield and total return are listed below.

Interest Rate Risk: the risk that fixed income securities will decline in value because of an increase in interest rates; a fund with a longer average portfolio duration will be more sensitive to changes in interest rates than a fund with a shorter average portfolio duration

Call Risk: the risk that an issuer may exercise its right to redeem a fixed income security earlier than expected (a call). Issuers may call outstanding securities prior to their maturity for a number of reasons (e.g., declining interest rates, changes in credit spreads and improvements in the issuer's credit quality). If an issuer calls a security that the Fund has invested in, the Fund may not recoup the full amount of its initial investment and may be forced to reinvest in lower-yielding securities, securities with greater credit risks or securities with other, less favorable features

Credit Risk: the risk that the Fund could lose money if the issuer or guarantor of a fixed income security, or the counterparty to a derivative contract, is unable or unwilling to meet its financial obligations

High Yield Risk: the risk that high yield securities and unrated securities of similar credit quality (commonly known as "junk bonds") are subject to greater levels of credit, call and liquidity risks. High yield securities are considered primarily speculative with respect to the issuer's continuing ability to make principal and interest payments, and may be more volatile than higher-rated securities of similar maturity

Market Risk: the risk that the value of securities owned by the Fund may go up or down, sometimes rapidly or unpredictably, due to factors affecting securities markets generally or particular industries

Issuer Risk: the risk that the value of a security may decline for a reason directly related to the issuer, such as management performance, financial leverage and reduced demand for the issuer's goods or services

Liquidity Risk: the risk that a particular investment may be difficult to purchase or sell and that the Fund may be unable to sell illiquid securities at an advantageous time or price or achieve its desired level of exposure to a certain sector. Liquidity risk may result from the lack of an active market, reduced number and capacity of traditional market participants to make a market in fixed income securities, and may be magnified in a rising interest rate environment or other circumstances where investor redemptions from fixed income mutual funds may be higher than normal, causing increased supply in the market due to selling activity

Derivatives Risk: the risk of investing in derivative instruments (such as futures, swaps and structured securities), including leverage, liquidity, interest rate, market, credit and management risks, mispricing or valuation complexity. Changes in the value of the derivative may not correlate perfectly with, and may be more sensitive to market events than, the underlying asset, rate or index, and the Fund could lose more than the initial amount invested. The Fund's use of derivatives may result in losses to the Fund, a reduction in the Fund's returns and/or increased volatility. Over-the-counter ("OTC") derivatives are also subject to the risk that a counterparty to the transaction will not fulfill its contractual obligations to the other party, as many of the protections afforded to centrally-cleared derivative transactions might not be available for OTC derivatives. For derivatives traded on an exchange or through a central counterparty, credit risk resides with the Fund's clearing broker, or the clearinghouse itself, rather than with a counterparty in an OTC derivative transaction. Changes in regulation relating to a mutual fund's use of derivatives and related instruments could potentially limit or impact the Fund's ability to invest in derivatives, limit the Fund's ability to employ certain strategies that use derivatives and/or adversely affect the value of derivatives and the Fund's performance

Mortgage-Related and Other Asset-Backed Securities Risk: the risks of investing in mortgage-related and other asset-backed securities, including interest rate risk, extension risk, prepayment risk and credit risk

Foreign (Non-U.S.) Investment Risk: the risk that investing in foreign (non-U.S.) securities may result in the Fund experiencing more rapid and extreme changes in value than a fund that invests exclusively in securities of U.S. companies, due to smaller markets, differing reporting, accounting and auditing standards, increased risk of delayed settlement of portfolio transactions or loss of certificates of portfolio securities, and the risk of unfavorable foreign government actions, including nationalization, expropriation or confiscatory taxation, currency blockage, or political changes or diplomatic developments. Foreign securities may also be less liquid and more difficult to value than securities of U.S. issuers

Senior Loan Risk: the risk that investing in senior loans, including bank loans, exposes the Fund to heightened credit risk, call risk, settlement risk and liquidity risk. If an issuer of a senior loan prepays or redeems the loan prior to maturity, the Fund will have to reinvest the proceeds in other senior loans or instruments that may pay lower interest rates

Emerging Markets Risk: the risk of investing in emerging market securities, primarily increased foreign (non-U.S.) investment risk

Sovereign Debt Risk: the risk that investments in fixed income instruments issued by sovereign entities may decline in value as a result of default or other adverse credit event resulting from an issuer's inability or unwillingness to make principal or interest payments in a timely fashion

Currency Risk: the risk that foreign (non-U.S.) currencies will change in value relative to the U.S. dollar and affect the Fund's investments in foreign (non-U.S.) currencies or in securities that trade in, and receive revenues in, or in derivatives that provide exposure to, foreign (non-U.S.) currencies

Equity Risk: the risk that the value of equity or equity-related securities may decline due to general market conditions which are not specifically related to a particular company or to factors affecting a particular industry

 

2     

PROSPECTUS | PIMCO FUNDS     


 

Table of Contents

Prospectus

or industries. Equity or equity-related securities generally have greater price volatility than fixed income securities

Convertible Securities Risk: as convertible securities share both fixed income and equity characteristics, they are subject to risks to which fixed income and equity investments are subject. These risks include equity risk, interest rate risk and credit risk

Leveraging Risk: the risk that certain transactions of the Fund, such as reverse repurchase agreements, loans of portfolio securities, and the use of when-issued, delayed delivery or forward commitment transactions, or derivative instruments, may give rise to leverage, magnifying gains and losses and causing the Fund to be more volatile than if it had not been leveraged. This means that leverage entails a heightened risk of loss

Management Risk: the risk that the investment techniques and risk analyses applied by PIMCO will not produce the desired results and that legislative, regulatory, or tax restrictions, policies or developments may affect the investment techniques available to PIMCO and the individual portfolio manager in connection with managing the Fund. There is no guarantee that the investment objective of the Fund will be achieved

Short Exposure Risk: the risk of entering into short sales, including the potential loss of more money than the actual cost of the investment, and the risk that the third party to the short sale will not fulfill its contractual obligations, causing a loss to the Fund

Please see "Description of Principal Risks" in the Fund's prospectus for a more detailed description of the risks of investing in the Fund. An investment in the Fund is not a deposit of a bank and is not insured or guaranteed by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation or any other government agency.

Performance Information

The performance information shows summary performance information for the Fund in a bar chart and an Average Annual Total Returns table. The information provides some indication of the risks of investing in the Fund by showing changes in its performance from year to year and by showing how the Fund's average annual returns compare with the returns of a broad-based securities market index and an index of similar funds. Absent any applicable fee waivers and/or expense limitations performance would have been lower. The bar chart shows performance of the Fund's Institutional Class shares. Performance for Class A and Class C shares in the Average Annual Total Returns table reflects the impact of sales charges. The I-3 shares of the Fund have not commenced operations as of the date of this prospectus. The Fund's past performance, before and after taxes, is not necessarily an indication of how the Fund will perform in the future. 

The 3 Month USD LIBOR (London Interbank Offered Rate) Index is an average interest rate, determined by the ICE Benchmark Administration, that banks charge one another for the use of short-term money (3 months) in England's Eurodollar market. The Lipper Alternative Credit Focus Funds Average is a total return performance average of funds tracked by Lipper, Inc. that, by prospectus language, invest in a wide-range of credit-structured vehicles by using either fundamental credit research analysis or quantitative credit portfolio modeling trying to benefit from any changes in credit quality, credit spreads, and market liquidity.

Performance for the Fund is updated daily and quarterly and may be obtained as follows: daily updates on the net asset value and performance page at http://investments.pimco.com/DailyPerformance and quarterly updates at http://investments.pimco.com/QuarterlyPerformance.

Calendar Year Total Returns — Institutional Class*

 

[To be updated by subsequent amendment]



*The year-to-date return as of June 30, 2018 is [ ]%. For the periods shown in the bar chart, the highest quarterly return was [ ]% in the [ ], and the lowest quarterly return was [ ]% in the [ ].

Average Annual Total Returns (for periods ended 12/31/17)

 

1 Year

5 Years

Since Inception (08/31/2011)

Institutional Class Return Before Taxes

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

Institutional Class Return After Taxes on Distributions‌(1)

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

Institutional Class Return After Taxes on Distributions and Sales of Fund Shares‌(1)

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

I-2 Return Before Taxes

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

Class A Return Before Taxes

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

Class C Return Before Taxes

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

3 Month USD LIBOR Index (reflects no deductions for fees, expenses or taxes)

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

 

Lipper Alternative Credit Focus Funds Average (reflects no deductions for taxes)

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

(1) After-tax returns are calculated using the highest historical individual federal marginal income tax rates and do not reflect the impact of state and local taxes. Actual after-tax returns depend on an investor's tax situation and may differ from those shown, and the after-tax returns shown are not relevant to investors who hold their Fund shares through tax-deferred arrangements, such as 401(k) plans or individual retirement accounts. In some cases the return after taxes may exceed the return before taxes due to an assumed tax benefit from any losses on a sale of Fund shares at the end of the measurement period. After-tax returns are for Institutional Class shares only. After-tax returns for other classes will vary.

Investment Adviser/Portfolio Manager

PIMCO serves as the investment adviser for the Fund. The Fund's portfolio is jointly managed by Mark Kiesel and Christian Stracke. Mr. Kiesel is CIO Global Credit and a Managing Director of PIMCO and has managed the Fund since

 

[ ] | PROSPECTUS

3


 

Table of Contents

PIMCO Credit Opportunities Bond Fund

its inception in August 2011. Mr. Stracke is a Managing Director of PIMCO and has managed the Fund since October 2016.

Other Important Information Regarding Fund Shares

For important information about purchase and sale of Fund shares, tax information, and payments to broker-dealers and other financial intermediaries, please turn to the "Summary of Other Important Information Regarding Fund Shares" section on page [ ] of this prospectus.

 

4     

PROSPECTUS | PIMCO FUNDS     


 

Table of Contents

PIMCO Diversified Income Fund

Investment Objective

The Fund seeks maximum total return, consistent with preservation of capital and prudent investment management.

Fees and Expenses of the Fund

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 $100,000 in Class A shares of eligible funds offered by PIMCO Equity Series and PIMCO Funds. More information about these and other discounts is available in the "Classes of Shares" section on page [ ] of the Fund's prospectus, Appendix B to the Fund's prospectus (Financial Firm-Specific Sales Charge Waivers and Discounts) or from your financial advisor.

Shareholder Fees (fees paid directly from your investment):

 

Inst
Class

I-2

I-3

Admin
Class

Class A

Class C

Maximum Sales Charge (Load) Imposed on Purchases (as a percentage of offering price)

None

None

None

None

3.75%

None

Maximum Deferred Sales Charge (Load) (as a percentage of the lower of the original purchase price or redemption price)

None

None

None

None

1.00%

1.00%

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

 

Inst
Class

I-2

I-3

Admin
Class

Class A

Class C

Management Fees

0.75%

0.85%

0.95%

0.75%

0.90%

0.90%

Distribution and/or Service (12b-1) Fees

N/A

N/A

N/A

0.25%

0.25%

1.00%

Other Expenses(1)

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

Fee Waiver and/or Expense Reimbursement(2)

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses After Fee Waiver and/or Expense Reimbursement

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

 

1 "Other Expenses" include interest expense of [ ]%. Interest expense is borne by the Fund separately from the management fees paid to Pacific Investment Management Company LLC ("PIMCO"). Excluding interest expense, Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses After Fee Waiver and/or Expense Reimbursement are [ ]%, [ ]%, [ ]%, [ ]%, [ ]% and [ ]% for Institutional Class, I-2, I-3, Administrative Class, Class A and Class C shares, respectively.

2 PIMCO has contractually agreed, through July 31, 2019, to reduce its supervisory and administrative fee for the Fund's I-3 shares by 0.05% of the average daily net assets attributable to I-3 shares of the Fund. This Fee Waiver Agreement renews annually unless terminated by PIMCO upon at least 30 days' prior notice to the end of the contract term.

Example. The Example is intended to help you compare the cost of investing in Institutional Class, I-2, I-3, Administrative Class, Class A or Class C shares of the Fund with the costs of investing in other mutual funds. The Example assumes that you invest $10,000 in the noted class of shares for the time periods indicated, and then redeem all 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. Investors may pay brokerage commissions on their purchases and sales of Institutional Class, I-2 or I-3 shares of the Fund, which are not reflected in the Example. Although your actual costs may be higher or lower, based on these assumptions your costs would be:

If you redeem your shares at the end of each period:

 

1 Year

3 Years

5 Years

10 Years

Institutional Class

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

I-2

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

I-3

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

Administrative Class

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

Class A

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

Class C

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

If you do not redeem your shares:

 

1 Year

3 Years

5 Years

10 Years

Class A

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

Class C

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

Portfolio Turnover

The Fund pays transaction costs 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 the Annual Fund Operating Expenses or in the Example tables, affect the Fund's performance. During the most recent fiscal year, the Fund's portfolio turnover rate was [ ]% of the average value of its portfolio.

Principal Investment Strategies

The Fund seeks to achieve its investment objective by investing under normal circumstances at least 65% of its total assets in a diversified portfolio of Fixed Income Instruments of varying maturities, which may be represented by forwards or derivatives such as options, futures contracts or swap agreements. "Fixed Income Instruments" include bonds, debt securities and other similar instruments issued by various U.S. and non-U.S. public- or private-sector entities. The average portfolio duration of this Fund normally varies from three to eight years, based on PIMCO's market forecasts. Duration is a measure used to determine the sensitivity of a security's price to changes in interest rates. The longer a security's duration, the more sensitive it will be to changes in interest rates.

The Fund may invest in a diversified pool of corporate fixed income securities of varying maturities. The Fund may invest in both investment-grade securities and high yield securities ("junk bonds") subject to a maximum of 10% of its total assets in securities rated below B by Moody's Investors Service, Inc. ("Moody's"), or equivalently rated by Standard & Poor's Ratings Services ("S&P") or Fitch, Inc. ("Fitch"), or, if unrated, determined by PIMCO to be of comparable quality. In addition, the Fund may invest, without limitation, in fixed income securities and instruments that are economically tied to emerging market countries. The Fund may invest, without limitation, in securities denominated in foreign currencies and in U.S. dollar-denominated securities of foreign issuers.

 



PIMCO FUNDS | PROSPECTUS

5


 

Table of Contents

PIMCO Diversified Income Fund

The Fund may invest, without limitation, in derivative instruments, such as options, futures contracts or swap agreements, or in mortgage- or asset-backed securities, subject to applicable law and any other restrictions described in the Fund's prospectus or Statement of Additional Information. The Fund may purchase or sell securities on a when-issued, delayed delivery or forward commitment basis and may engage in short sales. The Fund may, without limitation, seek to obtain market exposure to the securities in which it primarily invests by entering into a series of purchase and sale contracts or by using other investment techniques (such as buy backs or dollar rolls). The "total return" sought by the Fund consists of income earned on the Fund's investments, plus capital appreciation, if any, which generally arises from decreases in interest rates, foreign currency appreciation, or improving credit fundamentals for a particular sector or security. The Fund may also invest up to 10% of its total assets in preferred securities.

Principal Risks

It is possible to lose money on an investment in the Fund. The principal risks of investing in the Fund, which could adversely affect its net asset value, yield and total return are listed below.

Interest Rate Risk: the risk that fixed income securities will decline in value because of an increase in interest rates; a fund with a longer average portfolio duration will be more sensitive to changes in interest rates than a fund with a shorter average portfolio duration

Call Risk: the risk that an issuer may exercise its right to redeem a fixed income security earlier than expected (a call). Issuers may call outstanding securities prior to their maturity for a number of reasons (e.g., declining interest rates, changes in credit spreads and improvements in the issuer's credit quality). If an issuer calls a security that the Fund has invested in, the Fund may not recoup the full amount of its initial investment and may be forced to reinvest in lower-yielding securities, securities with greater credit risks or securities with other, less favorable features

Credit Risk: the risk that the Fund could lose money if the issuer or guarantor of a fixed income security, or the counterparty to a derivative contract, is unable or unwilling to meet its financial obligations

High Yield Risk: the risk that high yield securities and unrated securities of similar credit quality (commonly known as "junk bonds") are subject to greater levels of credit, call and liquidity risks. High yield securities are considered primarily speculative with respect to the issuer's continuing ability to make principal and interest payments, and may be more volatile than higher-rated securities of similar maturity

Market Risk: the risk that the value of securities owned by the Fund may go up or down, sometimes rapidly or unpredictably, due to factors affecting securities markets generally or particular industries

Issuer Risk: the risk that the value of a security may decline for a reason directly related to the issuer, such as management performance, financial leverage and reduced demand for the issuer's goods or services

Liquidity Risk: the risk that a particular investment may be difficult to purchase or sell and that the Fund may be unable to sell illiquid securities at an advantageous time or price or achieve its desired level of exposure to a certain sector. Liquidity risk may result from the lack of an active market, reduced number and capacity of traditional market participants to make a market in fixed income securities, and may be magnified in a rising interest rate environment or other circumstances where investor redemptions from fixed income mutual funds may be higher than normal, causing increased supply in the market due to selling activity

Derivatives Risk: the risk of investing in derivative instruments (such as futures, swaps and structured securities), including leverage, liquidity, interest rate, market, credit and management risks, mispricing or valuation complexity. Changes in the value of the derivative may not correlate perfectly with, and may be more sensitive to market events than, the underlying asset, rate or index, and the Fund could lose more than the initial amount invested. The Fund's use of derivatives may result in losses to the Fund, a reduction in the Fund's returns and/or increased volatility. Over-the-counter ("OTC") derivatives are also subject to the risk that a counterparty to the transaction will not fulfill its contractual obligations to the other party, as many of the protections afforded to centrally-cleared derivative transactions might not be available for OTC derivatives. For derivatives traded on an exchange or through a central counterparty, credit risk resides with the Fund's clearing broker, or the clearinghouse itself, rather than with a counterparty in an OTC derivative transaction. Changes in regulation relating to a mutual fund's use of derivatives and related instruments could potentially limit or impact the Fund's ability to invest in derivatives, limit the Fund's ability to employ certain strategies that use derivatives and/or adversely affect the value of derivatives and the Fund's performance

Equity Risk: the risk that the value of equity securities, such as common stocks and preferred securities, may decline due to general market conditions which are not specifically related to a particular company or to factors affecting a particular industry or industries. Equity securities generally have greater price volatility than fixed income securities

Mortgage-Related and Other Asset-Backed Securities Risk: the risks of investing in mortgage-related and other asset-backed securities, including interest rate risk, extension risk, prepayment risk and credit risk

Foreign (Non-U.S.) Investment Risk: the risk that investing in foreign (non-U.S.) securities may result in the Fund experiencing more rapid and extreme changes in value than a fund that invests exclusively in securities of U.S. companies, due to smaller markets, differing reporting, accounting and auditing standards, increased risk of delayed settlement of portfolio transactions or loss of certificates of portfolio securities, and the risk of unfavorable foreign government actions, including nationalization, expropriation or confiscatory taxation, currency blockage, or political changes or diplomatic developments. Foreign securities may also be less liquid and more difficult to value than securities of U.S. issuers

Emerging Markets Risk: the risk of investing in emerging market securities, primarily increased foreign (non-U.S.) investment risk

Sovereign Debt Risk: the risk that investments in fixed income instruments issued by sovereign entities may decline in value as a result of default or other adverse credit event resulting from an issuer's inability or unwillingness to make principal or interest payments in a timely fashion

Currency Risk: the risk that foreign (non-U.S.) currencies will change in value relative to the U.S. dollar and affect the Fund's investments in foreign

 

6     

PROSPECTUS | PIMCO FUNDS     


 

Table of Contents

Prospectus

(non-U.S.) currencies or in securities that trade in, and receive revenues in, or in derivatives that provide exposure to, foreign (non-U.S.) currencies

Leveraging Risk: the risk that certain transactions of the Fund, such as reverse repurchase agreements, loans of portfolio securities, and the use of when-issued, delayed delivery or forward commitment transactions, or derivative instruments, may give rise to leverage, magnifying gains and losses and causing the Fund to be more volatile than if it had not been leveraged. This means that leverage entails a heightened risk of loss

Management Risk: the risk that the investment techniques and risk analyses applied by PIMCO will not produce the desired results and that legislative, regulatory, or tax restrictions, policies or developments may affect the investment techniques available to PIMCO and the individual portfolio manager in connection with managing the Fund. There is no guarantee that the investment objective of the Fund will be achieved

Short Exposure Risk: the risk of entering into short sales, including the potential loss of more money than the actual cost of the investment, and the risk that the third party to the short sale will not fulfill its contractual obligations, causing a loss to the Fund

Please see "Description of Principal Risks" in the Fund's prospectus for a more detailed description of the risks of investing in the Fund. An investment in the Fund is not a deposit of a bank and is not insured or guaranteed by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation or any other government agency.

Performance Information

The Fund measures its performance against a primary benchmark and a secondary benchmark. The Fund's primary benchmark is the Bloomberg Barclays Global Credit Hedged USD Index. The Fund's secondary benchmark is an equally weighted blend of the following three indices: Bloomberg Barclays Global Aggregate Credit ex Emerging Markets, USD Hedged; ICE BofAML BB-B Rated Developed Markets High Yield Constrained Index, USD Hedged; and JPMorgan EMBI Global, USD Hedged. The Fund believes the secondary benchmark reflects the Fund's investment strategy more accurately than the Bloomberg Barclays Global Credit Hedged USD Index.

The performance information shows summary performance information for the Fund in a bar chart and an Average Annual Total Returns table. The information provides some indication of the risks of investing in the Fund by showing changes in its performance from year to year and by showing how the Fund's average annual returns compare with the returns of a broad-based securities market index, the Fund's secondary benchmark and an index of similar funds. Absent any applicable fee waivers and/or expense limitations, performance would have been lower. The bar chart shows performance of the Fund's Institutional Class shares. For periods prior to the inception date of I-2 shares (April 30, 2008), performance information shown in the table for that class is based on the performance of the Fund's Institutional Class shares, adjusted to reflect the actual distribution and/or service (12b-1) fees and other expenses paid by I-2 shares. Performance for Class A and Class C shares in the Average Annual Total Returns table reflects the impact of sales charges. The I-3 shares of the Fund have not commenced operations as of the date of this prospectus. The Fund's past performance, before and after taxes, is not necessarily an indication of how the Fund will perform in the future.

The Bloomberg Barclays Global Credit Hedged USD Index contains investment grade and high yield credit securities from the Multiverse represented in US Dollars on a hedged basis (Multiverse is the merger of two groups: the Global Aggregate and the Global High Yield). It is not possible to invest directly in an unmanaged index. The Bloomberg Barclays Global Aggregate Credit ex Emerging Markets (USD Hedged) provides a broad-based measure of the global developed markets investment-grade fixed income markets. The ICE BofAML BB-B Rated Developed Markets High Yield Constrained Index, USD Hedged tracks the performance of below investment grade bonds of corporate issuers domiciled in developed market countries rated BB1 through B3, based on an average of Moody's, S&P and Fitch. Qualifying bonds are capitalization-weighted provided the total allocation to an individual issuer (defined by Bloomberg tickers) does not exceed 2%. Issuers that exceed the limit are reduced to 2% and the face value of each of their bonds is adjusted on a pro-rata basis. Similarly, the face value of bonds of all other issuers that fall below the 2% cap are increased on a pro-rata basis. The index is rebalanced on the last calendar day of the month. The JPMorgan EMBI Global (USD Hedged) tracks total returns for U.S. dollar-denominated debt instruments issued by emerging market sovereign and quasi-sovereign entities, Brady bonds, loans, Eurobonds and local market instruments. The Lipper Multi-Sector Income Funds Average is a total return performance average of funds tracked by Lipper, Inc. that seek current income by allocating assets among several different fixed income securities sectors (with no more than 65% in any one sector except for defensive purposes), including U.S. government and foreign governments, with a significant portion of assets in securities rated below investment grade.

Performance for the Fund is updated daily and quarterly and may be obtained as follows: daily updates on the net asset value and performance page at http://investments.pimco.com/DailyPerformance and quarterly updates at http://investments.pimco.com/QuarterlyPerformance.

Calendar Year Total Returns — Institutional Class*

 

[To be updated by subsequent amendment]



*The year-to-date return as of June 30, 2018 is [ ]%. For the periods shown in the bar chart, the highest quarterly return was [ ]% in the [ ], and the lowest quarterly return was [ ]% in the [ ].

 

[ ] | PROSPECTUS

7


 

Table of Contents

PIMCO Diversified Income Fund

Average Annual Total Returns (for periods ended 12/31/17)

 

1 Year

5 Years

10 Years

Institutional Class Return Before Taxes

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

Institutional Class Return After Taxes on Distributions‌(1)

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

Institutional Class Return After Taxes on Distributions and Sales of Fund Shares‌(1)

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

I-2 Return Before Taxes

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

Administrative Class Return Before Taxes

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

Class A Return Before Taxes

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

Class C Return Before Taxes

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

Bloomberg Barclays Global Credit Hedged USD Index (reflects no deductions for fees, expenses or taxes)

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

Equally weighted blend of the following three indices: Bloomberg Barclays Global Aggregate Credit ex Emerging Markets, USD Hedged; ICE BofAML BB-B Rated Developed Markets High Yield Constrained Index, USD Hedged; and JPMorgan EMBI Global, USD Hedged (reflects no deductions for fees, expenses or taxes)

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

 

Lipper Multi-Sector Income Funds Average (reflects no deductions for taxes)

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

(1) After-tax returns are calculated using the highest historical individual federal marginal income tax rates and do not reflect the impact of state and local taxes. Actual after-tax returns depend on an investor's tax situation and may differ from those shown, and the after-tax returns shown are not relevant to investors who hold their Fund shares through tax-deferred arrangements, such as 401(k) plans or individual retirement accounts. In some cases the return after taxes may exceed the return before taxes due to an assumed tax benefit from any losses on a sale of Fund shares at the end of the measurement period. After-tax returns are for Institutional Class shares only. After-tax returns for other classes will vary.

Investment Adviser/Portfolio Manager

PIMCO serves as the investment adviser for the Fund. The Fund's portfolio is jointly managed by Daniel J. Ivascyn, Alfred T. Murata, Eve Tournier and Sonali Pier. Mr. Ivascyn is Group Chief Investment Officer and a Managing Director of PIMCO. Mr. Murata and Ms. Tournier are Managing Directors of PIMCO. Ms. Pier is an Executive Vice President of PIMCO. Ms. Tournier has managed the Fund since March 2016. Messrs. Ivascyn and Murata have managed the Fund since May 2016. Ms. Pier has managed the Fund since February 2017.

Other Important Information Regarding Fund Shares

For important information about purchase and sale of Fund shares, tax information, and payments to broker-dealers and other financial intermediaries, please turn to the "Summary of Other Important Information Regarding Fund Shares" section on page [ ] of this prospectus.

 

8     

PROSPECTUS | PIMCO FUNDS     


 

Table of Contents

PIMCO High Yield Fund

Investment Objective

The Fund seeks maximum total return, consistent with preservation of capital and prudent investment management.

Fees and Expenses of the Fund

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 $100,000 in Class A shares of eligible funds offered by PIMCO Equity Series and PIMCO Funds. More information about these and other discounts is available in the "Classes of Shares" section on page [ ] of the Fund's prospectus, Appendix B to the Fund's prospectus (Financial Firm-Specific Sales Charge Waivers and Discounts) or from your financial advisor.

Shareholder Fees (fees paid directly from your investment):

 

Inst
Class

I-2

I-3

Admin
Class

Class A

Class C

Class R

Maximum Sales Charge (Load) Imposed on Purchases (as a percentage of offering price)

None

None

None

None

3.75%

None

None

Maximum Deferred Sales Charge (Load) (as a percentage of the lower of the original purchase price or redemption price)

None

None

None

None

1.00%

1.00%

None

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

 

Inst
Class

I-2

I-3

Admin
Class

Class A

Class C

Class R

Management Fees

0.55%

0.65%

0.75%

0.55%

0.65%

0.65%

0.65%

Distribution and/or Service (12b-1) Fees

N/A

N/A

N/A

0.25%

0.25%

1.00%

0.50%

Other Expenses(1)

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

Fee Waiver and/or Expense Reimbursement(2)

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses After Fee Waiver and/or Expense Reimbursement

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

 

1 "Other Expenses" include interest expense of [ ]%.  Interest expense is borne by the Fund separately from the management fees paid to Pacific Investment Management Company LLC ("PIMCO").  Excluding interest expense, Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses After Fee Waiver and/or Expense Reimbursement are [ ]%, [ ]%, [ ]%, [ ]%, [ ]%, [ ]% and [ ]% for Institutional Class, I-2, I-3, Administrative Class, Class A, Class C and Class R shares, respectively.

2 PIMCO has contractually agreed, through July 31, 2019, to reduce its supervisory and administrative fee for the Fund's I-3 shares by 0.05% of the average daily net assets attributable to I-3 shares of the Fund. This Fee Waiver Agreement renews annually unless terminated by PIMCO upon at least 30 days' prior notice to the end of the contract term.

Example. The Example is intended to help you compare the cost of investing in Institutional Class, I-2, I-3, Administrative Class, Class A, Class C or Class R shares of the Fund with the costs of investing in other mutual funds. The Example assumes that you invest $10,000 in the noted class of shares for the time periods indicated, and then redeem all 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. Investors may pay brokerage commissions on their purchases and sales of Institutional Class, I-2 or I-3 shares of the Fund, which are not reflected in the Example. Although your actual costs may be higher or lower, based on these assumptions your costs would be:

If you redeem your shares at the end of each period:

 

1 Year

3 Years

5 Years

10 Years

Institutional Class

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

I-2

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

I-3

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

Administrative Class

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

Class A

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

Class C

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

Class R

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

If you do not redeem your shares:

 

1 Year

3 Years

5 Years

10 Years

Class A

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

Class C

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

Portfolio Turnover

The Fund pays transaction costs 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 the Annual Fund Operating Expenses or in the Example tables, affect the Fund's performance. During the most recent fiscal year, the Fund's portfolio turnover rate was [ ]% of the average value of its portfolio.

Principal Investment Strategies

The Fund seeks to achieve its investment objective by investing under normal circumstances at least 80% of its assets in a diversified portfolio of high yield securities ("junk bonds"), which may be represented by forwards or derivatives such as options, futures contracts or swap agreements, rated below investment grade by Moody's Investors Services, Inc. ("Moody's"), or equivalently rated by Standard & Poor's Ratings Services ("S&P") or Fitch, Inc. ("Fitch") or, if unrated, determined by PIMCO to be of comparable quality. The Fund may invest up to 20% of its total assets in securities rated Caa or below by Moody's, or equivalently rated by S&P or Fitch, or, if unrated, determined by PIMCO to be of comparable quality. The remainder of the Fund's assets may be invested in investment grade Fixed Income Instruments. "Fixed Income Instruments" include bonds, debt securities and other similar instruments issued by various U.S. and non-U.S. public- or private-sector entities. The average portfolio duration of this Fund normally varies within one year (plus or minus) of the portfolio duration of the securities comprising the ICE BofAML U.S. High Yield BB-B Rated Constrained Index, as calculated by PIMCO, which as of [ ] was [ ] years. Duration is a measure used to determine the sensitivity of a security's price to changes in interest rates. The longer a security's duration, the more

 



PIMCO FUNDS | PROSPECTUS

9


 

Table of Contents

PIMCO High Yield Fund

sensitive it will be to changes in interest rates. The Fund may invest up to 20% of its total assets in securities denominated in foreign currencies and may invest without limit in U.S. dollar-denominated securities of foreign issuers. The Fund will normally limit its foreign currency exposure (from non-U.S. dollar-denominated securities or currencies) to 20% of its total assets. The Fund may invest up to 15% of its total assets in securities and instruments that are economically tied to emerging market countries (this limitation does not apply to investment grade sovereign debt denominated in the local currency with less than 1 year remaining to maturity, which means the Fund may invest, together with any other investments denominated in foreign currencies, up to 20% of its total assets in such instruments).

The Fund may invest, without limitation, in derivative instruments, such as options, futures contracts or swap agreements, or in mortgage- or asset-backed securities, subject to applicable law and any other restrictions described in the Fund's prospectus or Statement of Additional Information. The Fund may purchase or sell securities on a when-issued, delayed delivery or forward commitment basis and may engage in short sales. The Fund may, without limitation, seek to obtain market exposure to the securities in which it primarily invests by entering into a series of purchase and sale contracts or by using other investment techniques (such as buy backs or dollar rolls). The "total return" sought by the Fund consists of income earned on the Fund's investments, plus capital appreciation, if any, which generally arises from decreases in interest rates, foreign currency appreciation, or improving credit fundamentals for a particular sector or security. The Fund may also invest up to 10% of its total assets in preferred securities.

Principal Risks

It is possible to lose money on an investment in the Fund. The principal risks of investing in the Fund, which could adversely affect its net asset value, yield and total return are listed below.

Interest Rate Risk: the risk that fixed income securities will decline in value because of an increase in interest rates; a fund with a longer average portfolio duration will be more sensitive to changes in interest rates than a fund with a shorter average portfolio duration

Call Risk: the risk that an issuer may exercise its right to redeem a fixed income security earlier than expected (a call). Issuers may call outstanding securities prior to their maturity for a number of reasons (e.g., declining interest rates, changes in credit spreads and improvements in the issuer's credit quality). If an issuer calls a security that the Fund has invested in, the Fund may not recoup the full amount of its initial investment and may be forced to reinvest in lower-yielding securities, securities with greater credit risks or securities with other, less favorable features

Credit Risk: the risk that the Fund could lose money if the issuer or guarantor of a fixed income security, or the counterparty to a derivative contract, is unable or unwilling to meet its financial obligations

High Yield Risk: the risk that high yield securities and unrated securities of similar credit quality (commonly known as "junk bonds") are subject to greater levels of credit, call and liquidity risks. High yield securities are considered primarily speculative with respect to the issuer's continuing ability to make principal and interest payments, and may be more volatile than higher-rated securities of similar maturity

Market Risk: the risk that the value of securities owned by the Fund may go up or down, sometimes rapidly or unpredictably, due to factors affecting securities markets generally or particular industries

Issuer Risk: the risk that the value of a security may decline for a reason directly related to the issuer, such as management performance, financial leverage and reduced demand for the issuer's goods or services

Liquidity Risk: the risk that a particular investment may be difficult to purchase or sell and that the Fund may be unable to sell illiquid securities at an advantageous time or price or achieve its desired level of exposure to a certain sector. Liquidity risk may result from the lack of an active market, reduced number and capacity of traditional market participants to make a market in fixed income securities, and may be magnified in a rising interest rate environment or other circumstances where investor redemptions from fixed income mutual funds may be higher than normal, causing increased supply in the market due to selling activity

Derivatives Risk: the risk of investing in derivative instruments (such as futures, swaps and structured securities), including leverage, liquidity, interest rate, market, credit and management risks, mispricing or valuation complexity. Changes in the value of the derivative may not correlate perfectly with, and may be more sensitive to market events than, the underlying asset, rate or index, and the Fund could lose more than the initial amount invested. The Fund's use of derivatives may result in losses to the Fund, a reduction in the Fund's returns and/or increased volatility. Over-the-counter ("OTC") derivatives are also subject to the risk that a counterparty to the transaction will not fulfill its contractual obligations to the other party, as many of the protections afforded to centrally-cleared derivative transactions might not be available for OTC derivatives. For derivatives traded on an exchange or through a central counterparty, credit risk resides with the Fund's clearing broker, or the clearinghouse itself, rather than with a counterparty in an OTC derivative transaction. Changes in regulation relating to a mutual fund's use of derivatives and related instruments could potentially limit or impact the Fund's ability to invest in derivatives, limit the Fund's ability to employ certain strategies that use derivatives and/or adversely affect the value of derivatives and the Fund's performance

Equity Risk: the risk that the value of equity securities, such as common stocks and preferred securities, may decline due to general market conditions which are not specifically related to a particular company or to factors affecting a particular industry or industries. Equity securities generally have greater price volatility than fixed income securities

Mortgage-Related and Other Asset-Backed Securities Risk: the risks of investing in mortgage-related and other asset-backed securities, including interest rate risk, extension risk, prepayment risk and credit risk

Foreign (Non-U.S.) Investment Risk: the risk that investing in foreign (non-U.S.) securities may result in the Fund experiencing more rapid and extreme changes in value than a fund that invests exclusively in securities of U.S. companies, due to smaller markets, differing reporting, accounting and auditing standards, increased risk of delayed settlement of portfolio transactions or loss of certificates of portfolio securities, and the risk of

 

10     

PROSPECTUS | PIMCO FUNDS     


 

Table of Contents

Prospectus

unfavorable foreign government actions, including nationalization, expropriation or confiscatory taxation, currency blockage, or political changes or diplomatic developments. Foreign securities may also be less liquid and more difficult to value than securities of U.S. issuers

Emerging Markets Risk: the risk of investing in emerging market securities, primarily increased foreign (non-U.S.) investment risk

Sovereign Debt Risk: the risk that investments in fixed income instruments issued by sovereign entities may decline in value as a result of default or other adverse credit event resulting from an issuer's inability or unwillingness to make principal or interest payments in a timely fashion

Currency Risk: the risk that foreign (non-U.S.) currencies will change in value relative to the U.S. dollar and affect the Fund's investments in foreign (non-U.S.) currencies or in securities that trade in, and receive revenues in, or in derivatives that provide exposure to, foreign (non-U.S.) currencies

Leveraging Risk: the risk that certain transactions of the Fund, such as reverse repurchase agreements, loans of portfolio securities, and the use of when-issued, delayed delivery or forward commitment transactions, or derivative instruments, may give rise to leverage, magnifying gains and losses and causing the Fund to be more volatile than if it had not been leveraged. This means that leverage entails a heightened risk of loss

Management Risk: the risk that the investment techniques and risk analyses applied by PIMCO will not produce the desired results and that legislative, regulatory, or tax restrictions, policies or developments may affect the investment techniques available to PIMCO and the individual portfolio manager in connection with managing the Fund. There is no guarantee that the investment objective of the Fund will be achieved

Short Exposure Risk: the risk of entering into short sales, including the potential loss of more money than the actual cost of the investment, and the risk that the third party to the short sale will not fulfill its contractual obligations, causing a loss to the Fund

Please see "Description of Principal Risks" in the Fund's prospectus for a more detailed description of the risks of investing in the Fund. An investment in the Fund is not a deposit of a bank and is not insured or guaranteed by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation or any other government agency.

Performance Information

The performance information shows summary performance information for the Fund in a bar chart and an Average Annual Total Returns table. The information provides some indication of the risks of investing in the Fund by showing changes in its performance from year to year and by showing how the Fund's average annual returns compare with the returns of a broad-based securities market index and an index of similar funds. Absent any applicable fee waivers and/or expense limitations, performance would have been lower. The bar chart shows performance of the Fund's Institutional Class shares. For periods prior to the inception date of I-2 shares (April 30, 2008), performance information shown in the table for I-2 shares is based on the performance of the Fund's Institutional Class shares, adjusted to reflect the actual distribution and/or service (12b-1) fees and other expenses paid by the I-2 shares. Performance for Class A and Class C shares in the Average Annual Total Returns table reflects the impact of sales charges. The I-3 shares of the Fund have not commenced operations as of the date of this prospectus. The Fund's past performance, before and after taxes, is not necessarily an indication of how the Fund will perform in the future.

The ICE BofAML U.S. High Yield, BB-B Rated, Constrained Index tracks the performance of BB-B Rated U.S. Dollar-denominated corporate bonds publicly issued in the U.S. domestic market. Qualifying bonds are capitalization-weighted provided the total allocation to an individual issuer (defined by Bloomberg tickers) does not exceed 2%. Issuers that exceed the limit are reduced to 2% and the face value of each of their bonds is adjusted on a pro-rata basis. Similarly, the face value of bonds of all other issuers that fall below the 2% cap are increased on a pro-rata basis. The Lipper High Yield Funds Average is a total return performance average of funds tracked by Lipper, Inc. that aim at high (relative) current yield from fixed income securities, have no quality or maturity restrictions, and tend to invest in lower grade debt issues.

Performance for the Fund is updated daily and quarterly and may be obtained as follows: daily updates on the net asset value and performance page at http://investments.pimco.com/DailyPerformance and quarterly updates at http://investments.pimco.com/QuarterlyPerformance.

Calendar Year Total Returns — Institutional Class*

 

[To be updated by subsequent amendment]



*The year-to-date return as of June 30, 2018 is [ ]%. For the periods shown in the bar chart, the highest quarterly return was [ ]% in the [ ], and the lowest quarterly return was [ ]% in the [ ].

 

[ ] | PROSPECTUS

11


 

Table of Contents

PIMCO High Yield Fund

Average Annual Total Returns (for periods ended 12/31/17)

 

1 Year

5 Years

10 Years

Institutional Class Return Before Taxes

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

Institutional Class Return After Taxes on Distributions‌(1)

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

Institutional Class Return After Taxes on Distributions and Sales of Fund Shares‌(1)

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

I-2 Return Before Taxes

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

Administrative Class Return Before Taxes

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

Class A Return Before Taxes

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

Class C Return Before Taxes

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

Class R Return Before Taxes

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

ICE BofAML U.S. High Yield, BB-B Rated, Constrained Index (reflects no deductions for fees, expenses or taxes)

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

 

Lipper High Yield Funds Average (reflects no deductions for taxes)

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

(1) After-tax returns are calculated using the highest historical individual federal marginal income tax rates and do not reflect the impact of state and local taxes. Actual after-tax returns depend on an investor's tax situation and may differ from those shown, and the after-tax returns shown are not relevant to investors who hold their Fund shares through tax-deferred arrangements, such as 401(k) plans or individual retirement accounts. In some cases the return after taxes may exceed the return before taxes due to an assumed tax benefit from any losses on a sale of Fund shares at the end of the measurement period. After-tax returns are for Institutional Class shares only. After-tax returns for other classes will vary.

Investment Adviser/Portfolio Manager

PIMCO serves as the investment adviser for the Fund. The Fund's portfolio is jointly managed by Andrew Jessop and Hozef Arif. Mr. Jessop is a Managing Director of PIMCO and has managed the Fund since January 2010. Mr. Arif is an Executive Vice President of PIMCO and has managed the Fund since July 2016.

Other Important Information Regarding Fund Shares

For important information about purchase and sale of Fund shares, tax information, and payments to broker-dealers and other financial intermediaries, please turn to the "Summary of Other Important Information Regarding Fund Shares" section on page [ ] of this prospectus.

 

12     

PROSPECTUS | PIMCO FUNDS     


 

Table of Contents

PIMCO High Yield Spectrum Fund

Investment Objective

The Fund seeks maximum total return, consistent with prudent investment management.

Fees and Expenses of the Fund

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 $100,000 in Class A shares of eligible funds offered by PIMCO Equity Series and PIMCO Funds. More information about these and other discounts is available in the "Classes of Shares" section on page [ ] of the Fund's prospectus, Appendix B to the Fund's prospectus (Financial Firm-Specific Sales Charge Waivers and Discounts) or from your financial advisor.

Shareholder Fees (fees paid directly from your investment):

 

Inst
Class

I-2

I-3

Class A

Class C

Maximum Sales Charge (Load) Imposed on Purchases (as a percentage of offering price)

None

None

None

3.75%

None

Maximum Deferred Sales Charge (Load) (as a percentage of the lower of the original purchase price or redemption price)

None

None

None

1.00%

1.00%

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

 

Inst
Class

I-2

I-3

Class A

Class C

Management Fees

0.60%

0.70%

0.80%

0.70%

0.70%

Distribution and/or Service (12b-1) Fees

N/A

N/A

N/A

0.25%

1.00%

Other Expenses(1)

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

Fee Waiver and/or Expense Reimbursement(2)

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses After Fee Waiver and/or Expense Reimbursement

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

 

1 "Other Expenses" include interest expense of [ ]%. Interest expense is borne by the Fund separately from the management fees paid to Pacific Investment Management Company LLC ("PIMCO"). Excluding interest expense, Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses After Fee Waiver and/or Expense Reimbursement are [ ]%, [ ]%, [ ]%, [ ]% and [ ]% for Institutional Class, I-2, I-3, Class A and Class C shares, respectively.

2 PIMCO has contractually agreed, through July 31, 2019, to reduce its supervisory and administrative fee for the Fund's I-3 shares by 0.05% of the average daily net assets attributable to I-3 shares of the Fund. This Fee Waiver Agreement renews annually unless terminated by PIMCO upon at least 30 days' prior notice to the end of the contract term.

Example. The Example is intended to help you compare the cost of investing in Institutional Class, I-2, I-3, Class A or Class C shares of the Fund with the costs of investing in other mutual funds. The Example assumes that you invest $10,000 in the noted class of shares for the time periods indicated, and then redeem all 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. Investors may pay brokerage commissions on their purchases and sales of Institutional Class, I-2 or I-3 shares of the Fund, which are not reflected in the Example. Although your actual costs may be higher or lower, based on these assumptions your costs would be:

If you redeem your shares at the end of each period:

 

1 Year

3 Years

5 Years

10 Years

Institutional Class

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

I-2

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

I-3

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

Class A

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

Class C

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

If you do not redeem your shares:

 

1 Year

3 Years

5 Years

10 Years

Class A

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

Class C

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

Portfolio Turnover

The Fund pays transaction costs 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 the Annual Fund Operating Expenses or in the Example tables, affect the Fund's performance. During the most recent fiscal year, the Fund's portfolio turnover rate was [ ]% of the average value of its portfolio.

Principal Investment Strategies

The Fund seeks to achieve its investment objective by investing under normal circumstances at least 80% of its assets in a diversified portfolio of high yield securities ("junk bonds"), which may be represented by convertibles, warrants, forwards or derivatives such as swap agreements, rated below investment grade by Moody's Investors Service, Inc. ("Moody's"), or equivalently rated by Standard & Poor's Ratings Services ("S&P") or Fitch, Inc. ("Fitch"), or, if unrated, determined by PIMCO to be of comparable quality. The Fund may invest, without limitation, in Fixed Income Instruments and other securities of any rating below investment grade as rated by Moody's, or equivalently rated by S&P or Fitch, or, if unrated, determined by PIMCO to be of comparable quality. "Fixed Income Instruments" include bonds, debt securities and other similar instruments issued by various U.S. and non-U.S. public- or private-sector entities. The average portfolio duration of the Fund normally varies within one year (plus or minus) of the portfolio duration of the securities comprising the ICE BofAML Developed Markets High Yield Constrained (USD Hedged) Index (the "Benchmark"), as calculated by PIMCO, which as of [ ] was [ ] years. Duration is a measure used to determine the sensitivity of a security's price to changes in interest rates. The longer a security's duration, the more sensitive it will be to changes in interest rates. The Fund may invest without limit in securities of foreign issuers or securities denominated in foreign currencies. The Fund may invest, without limit, in securities and instruments of corporate issuers economically tied to emerging market countries and may invest up to 10% of its total assets in sovereign debt issued by governments, their agencies or instrumentalities, or other government-related entities, that are economically tied to emerging market countries. The Fund will normally limit its foreign currency exposure (from non-U.S. dollar-denominated securities or currencies) to within 10% (plus or minus) of the Benchmark's foreign currency exposure, which as of [ ] was [  ]%.

 



PIMCO FUNDS | PROSPECTUS

13


 

Table of Contents

PIMCO High Yield Spectrum Fund

The Fund may invest, without limitation, in derivative instruments, such as credit default swap agreements and total return swap agreements. The Fund may purchase or sell securities on a when issued, delayed delivery or forward commitment basis and may engage in short sales. The Fund may, without limitation, seek to obtain market exposure to the securities in which it primarily invests by entering into a series of purchase and sale contracts or by using other investment techniques (such as buy backs or dollar rolls). The "total return" sought by the Fund consists of income earned on the Fund's investments, plus capital appreciation, if any, which generally arises from decreases in interest rates, foreign currency appreciation, or improving credit fundamentals for a particular sector or security. The Fund may also invest up to 15% of its total assets in preferred securities.

Principal Risks

It is possible to lose money on an investment in the Fund. The principal risks of investing in the Fund, which could adversely affect its net asset value, yield and total return are listed below.

Interest Rate Risk: the risk that fixed income securities will decline in value because of an increase in interest rates; a fund with a longer average portfolio duration will be more sensitive to changes in interest rates than a fund with a shorter average portfolio duration

Call Risk: the risk that an issuer may exercise its right to redeem a fixed income security earlier than expected (a call). Issuers may call outstanding securities prior to their maturity for a number of reasons (e.g., declining interest rates, changes in credit spreads and improvements in the issuer's credit quality). If an issuer calls a security that the Fund has invested in, the Fund may not recoup the full amount of its initial investment and may be forced to reinvest in lower-yielding securities, securities with greater credit risks or securities with other, less favorable features

Credit Risk: the risk that the Fund could lose money if the issuer or guarantor of a fixed income security, or the counterparty to a derivative contract, is unable or unwilling to meet its financial obligations

High Yield Risk: the risk that high yield securities and unrated securities of similar credit quality (commonly known as "junk bonds") are subject to greater levels of credit, call and liquidity risks. High yield securities are considered primarily speculative with respect to the issuer's continuing ability to make principal and interest payments, and may be more volatile than higher-rated securities of similar maturity

Market Risk: the risk that the value of securities owned by the Fund may go up or down, sometimes rapidly or unpredictably, due to factors affecting securities markets generally or particular industries

Issuer Risk: the risk that the value of a security may decline for a reason directly related to the issuer, such as management performance, financial leverage and reduced demand for the issuer's goods or services

Liquidity Risk: the risk that a particular investment may be difficult to purchase or sell and that the Fund may be unable to sell illiquid securities at an advantageous time or price or achieve its desired level of exposure to a certain sector. Liquidity risk may result from the lack of an active market, reduced number and capacity of traditional market participants to make a market in fixed income securities, and may be magnified in a rising interest rate environment or other circumstances where investor redemptions from fixed income mutual funds may be higher than normal, causing increased supply in the market due to selling activity

Derivatives Risk: the risk of investing in derivative instruments (such as futures, swaps and structured securities), including leverage, liquidity, interest rate, market, credit and management risks, mispricing or valuation complexity. Changes in the value of the derivative may not correlate perfectly with, and may be more sensitive to market events than, the underlying asset, rate or index, and the Fund could lose more than the initial amount invested. The Fund's use of derivatives may result in losses to the Fund, a reduction in the Fund's returns and/or increased volatility. Over-the-counter ("OTC") derivatives are also subject to the risk that a counterparty to the transaction will not fulfill its contractual obligations to the other party, as many of the protections afforded to centrally-cleared derivative transactions might not be available for OTC derivatives. For derivatives traded on an exchange or through a central counterparty, credit risk resides with the Fund's clearing broker, or the clearinghouse itself, rather than with a counterparty in an OTC derivative transaction. Changes in regulation relating to a mutual fund's use of derivatives and related instruments could potentially limit or impact the Fund's ability to invest in derivatives, limit the Fund's ability to employ certain strategies that use derivatives and/or adversely affect the value of derivatives and the Fund's performance

Equity Risk: the risk that the value of equity securities, such as common stocks and preferred securities, may decline due to general market conditions which are not specifically related to a particular company or to factors affecting a particular industry or industries. Equity securities generally have greater price volatility than fixed income securities

Foreign (Non-U.S.) Investment Risk: the risk that investing in foreign (non-U.S.) securities may result in the Fund experiencing more rapid and extreme changes in value than a fund that invests exclusively in securities of U.S. companies, due to smaller markets, differing reporting, accounting and auditing standards, increased risk of delayed settlement of portfolio transactions or loss of certificates of portfolio securities, and the risk of unfavorable foreign government actions, including nationalization, expropriation or confiscatory taxation, currency blockage, or political changes or diplomatic developments. Foreign securities may also be less liquid and more difficult to value than securities of U.S. issuers

Emerging Markets Risk: the risk of investing in emerging market securities, primarily increased foreign (non-U.S.) investment risk

Sovereign Debt Risk: the risk that investments in fixed income instruments issued by sovereign entities may decline in value as a result of default or other adverse credit event resulting from an issuer's inability or unwillingness to make principal or interest payments in a timely fashion

Currency Risk: the risk that foreign (non-U.S.) currencies will change in value relative to the U.S. dollar and affect the Fund's investments in foreign (non-U.S.) currencies or in securities that trade in, and receive revenues in, or in derivatives that provide exposure to, foreign (non-U.S.) currencies

Leveraging Risk: the risk that certain transactions of the Fund, such as reverse repurchase agreements, loans of portfolio securities, and the use of when-issued, delayed delivery or forward commitment transactions, or derivative instruments, may give rise to leverage, magnifying gains and

 

14     

PROSPECTUS | PIMCO FUNDS     


 

Table of Contents

Prospectus

losses and causing the Fund to be more volatile than if it had not been leveraged. This means that leverage entails a heightened risk of loss

Management Risk: the risk that the investment techniques and risk analyses applied by PIMCO will not produce the desired results and that legislative, regulatory, or tax restrictions, policies or developments may affect the investment techniques available to PIMCO and the individual portfolio manager in connection with managing the Fund. There is no guarantee that the investment objective of the Fund will be achieved

Short Exposure Risk: the risk of entering into short sales, including the potential loss of more money than the actual cost of the investment, and the risk that the third party to the short sale will not fulfill its contractual obligations, causing a loss to the Fund

Please see "Description of Principal Risks" in the Fund's prospectus for a more detailed description of the risks of investing in the Fund. An investment in the Fund is not a deposit of a bank and is not insured or guaranteed by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation or any other government agency.

Performance Information

The performance information shows summary performance information for the Fund in a bar chart and an Average Annual Total Returns table. The information provides some indication of the risks of investing in the Fund by showing changes in its performance from year to year and by showing how the Fund's average annual returns compare with the returns of a broad-based securities market index and an index of similar funds. Absent any applicable fee waivers and/or expense limitations performance would have been lower. The bar chart shows performance of the Fund's Institutional Class shares. Performance for Class A and Class C shares in the Average Annual Total Returns table reflects the impact of sales charges. The I-3 shares of the Fund have not commenced operations as of the date of this prospectus. The Fund's past performance, before and after taxes, is not necessarily an indication of how the Fund will perform in the future.

The ICE BofAML Developed Markets High Yield Constrained (USD Hedged) Index is a subcomponent of the ICE BofAML Global High Yield Constrained (USD Hedged) Index that excludes all non-developed countries. The Lipper High Yield Funds Average is a total return performance average of funds tracked by Lipper, Inc. that aim at high (relative) current yield from fixed income securities, have no quality or maturity restrictions, and tend to invest in lower grade debt issues.

Performance for the Fund is updated daily and quarterly and may be obtained as follows: daily updates on the net asset value and performance page at http://investments.pimco.com/DailyPerformance and quarterly updates at http://investments.pimco.com/QuarterlyPerformance.

Calendar Year Total Returns — Institutional Class*

 

[To be updated by subsequent amendment]



*The year-to-date return as of June 30, 2018 is [ ]%. For the periods shown in the bar chart, the highest quarterly return was [ ]% in the [ ], and the lowest quarterly return was [ ]% in the [ ].

Average Annual Total Returns (for periods ended 12/31/17)

 

1 Year

5 Years

Since Inception (09/15/2010)

Institutional Class Return Before Taxes

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

Institutional Class Return After Taxes on Distributions‌(1)

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

Institutional Class Return After Taxes on Distributions and Sales of Fund Shares‌(1)

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

I-2 Return Before Taxes

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

Class A Return Before Taxes

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

Class C Return Before Taxes

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

ICE BofAML Developed Markets High Yield Constrained (USD Hedged) Index (reflects no deductions for fees, expenses or taxes)

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

 

Lipper High Yield Funds Average (reflects no deductions for taxes)

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

(1) After-tax returns are calculated using the highest historical individual federal marginal income tax rates and do not reflect the impact of state and local taxes. Actual after-tax returns depend on an investor's tax situation and may differ from those shown, and the after-tax returns shown are not relevant to investors who hold their Fund shares through tax-deferred arrangements, such as 401(k) plans or individual retirement accounts. In some cases the return after taxes may exceed the return before taxes due to an assumed tax benefit from any losses on a sale of Fund shares at the end of the measurement period. After-tax returns are for Institutional Class shares only. After-tax returns for other classes will vary.

Investment Adviser/Portfolio Manager

PIMCO serves as the investment adviser for the Fund. The Fund's portfolio is jointly managed by Andrew Jessop and Hozef Arif. Mr. Jessop is a Managing Director of PIMCO and has managed the Fund since its inception in September 2010. Mr. Arif is an Executive Vice President of PIMCO and has managed the Fund since July 2016.

 

[ ] | PROSPECTUS

15


 

Table of Contents

PIMCO High Yield Spectrum Fund

Other Important Information Regarding Fund Shares

For important information about purchase and sale of Fund shares, tax information, and payments to broker-dealers and other financial intermediaries, please turn to the "Summary of Other Important Information Regarding Fund Shares" section on page [ ] of this prospectus.

 

16     

PROSPECTUS | PIMCO FUNDS     


 

Table of Contents

PIMCO Income Fund

Investment Objective

The Fund's primary investment objective is to maximize current income. Long-term capital appreciation is a secondary objective.

Fees and Expenses of the Fund

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 $100,000 in Class A shares of eligible funds offered by PIMCO Equity Series and PIMCO Funds. More information about these and other discounts is available in the "Classes of Shares" section on page [ ] of the Fund's prospectus, Appendix B to the Fund's prospectus (Financial Firm-Specific Sales Charge Waivers and Discounts) or from your financial advisor.

Shareholder Fees (fees paid directly from your investment):

 

Inst
Class

I-2

I-3

Admin Class

Class A

Class C

Class R

Maximum Sales Charge (Load) Imposed on Purchases (as a percentage of offering price)

None

None

None

None

3.75%

None

None

Maximum Deferred Sales Charge (Load) (as a percentage of the lower of the original purchase price or redemption price)

None

None

None

None

1.00%

1.00%

None

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

 

Inst
Class

I-2

I-3

Admin
Class

Class A

Class C

Class R

Management Fees(1)

0.50%

0.60%

0.70%

0.50%

0.65%

0.65%

0.65%

Distribution and/or Service (12b-1) Fees

N/A

N/A

N/A

0.25%

0.25%

1.00%

0.50%

Other Expenses(2)

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

Fee Waiver and/or Expense Reimbursement(3)

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses After Fee Waiver and/or Expense Reimbursement

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

 

1 Expense information in the table has been restated to reflect current Management Fees.

2 "Other Expenses" include interest expense of [ ]%.  Interest expense is borne by the Fund separately from the management fees paid to Pacific Investment Management Company LLC ("PIMCO").  Excluding interest expense, Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses After Fee Waiver and/or Expense Reimbursement are [ ]%, [ ]%, [ ]%, [ ]%, [ ]%, [ ]% and [ ]% for Institutional Class, I-2, I-3, Administrative Class, Class A, Class C and Class R shares, respectively.

3 PIMCO has contractually agreed, through July 31, 2019, to reduce its supervisory and administrative fee for the Fund's I-3 shares by 0.05% of the average daily net assets attributable to I-3 shares of the Fund. This Fee Waiver Agreement renews annually unless terminated by PIMCO upon at least 30 days' prior notice to the end of the contract term.

Example. The Example is intended to help you compare the cost of investing in Institutional Class, I-2, I-3, Administrative Class, Class A, Class C or Class R shares of the Fund with the costs of investing in other mutual funds. The Example assumes that you invest $10,000 in the noted class of shares for the time periods indicated, and then redeem all 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. Investors may pay brokerage commissions on their purchases and sales of Institutional Class, I-2 or I-3 shares of the Fund, which are not reflected in the Example. Although your actual costs may be higher or lower, based on these assumptions your costs would be:

If you redeem your shares at the end of each period:

 

1 Year

3 Years

5 Years

10 Years

Institutional Class

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

I-2

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

I-3

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

Administrative Class

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

Class A

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

Class C

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

Class R

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

If you do not redeem your shares:

 

1 Year

3 Years

5 Years

10 Years

Class A

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

Class C

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

Portfolio Turnover

The Fund pays transaction costs 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 the Annual Fund Operating Expenses or in the Example tables, affect the Fund's performance. During the most recent fiscal year, the Fund's portfolio turnover rate was [ ]% of the average value of its portfolio.

Principal Investment Strategies

The Fund seeks to achieve its investment objectives by investing under normal circumstances at least 65% of its total assets in a multi-sector portfolio of Fixed Income Instruments of varying maturities, which may be represented by forwards or derivatives such as options, futures contracts or swap agreements. "Fixed Income Instruments" include bonds, debt securities and other similar instruments issued by various U.S. and non-U.S. public- or private-sector entities. The Fund will seek to maintain a high and consistent level of dividend income by investing in a broad array of fixed income sectors and utilizing income efficient implementation strategies. The capital appreciation sought by the Fund generally arises from decreases in interest rates or improving credit fundamentals for a particular sector or security.

The Fund will generally allocate its assets among several investment sectors, without limitation, which may include: (i) high yield securities ("junk bonds") and investment grade corporate bonds of issuers located in the United States and non-U.S. countries, including emerging market countries; (ii) fixed income securities issued by U.S. and non-U.S. governments (including emerging market governments), their agencies and

 



PIMCO FUNDS | PROSPECTUS

17


 

Table of Contents

PIMCO Income Fund

instrumentalities; (iii) mortgage-related and other asset backed securities; and (iv) foreign currencies, including those of emerging market countries. However, the Fund is not required to gain exposure to any one investment sector, and the Fund's exposure to any one investment sector will vary over time. The average portfolio duration of this Fund normally varies from zero to eight years based on Pacific Investment Management Company LLC's ("PIMCO") market forecasts. Duration is a measure used to determine the sensitivity of a security's price to changes in interest rates. The longer a security's duration, the more sensitive it will be to changes in interest rates.

The Fund may invest up to 50% of its total assets in high yield securities rated below investment grade by Moody's Investors Service, Inc. ("Moody's"), Standard & Poor's Ratings Services ("S&P") or Fitch, Inc. ("Fitch"), or if unrated, as determined by PIMCO (except such 50% limitation shall not apply to the Fund's investments in mortgage- and asset-backed securities). In addition, the Fund may invest, without limitation, in securities denominated in foreign currencies. The Fund may invest up to 20% of its total assets in securities and instruments that are economically tied to emerging market countries (this limitation does not apply to investment grade sovereign debt denominated in the local currency with less than 1 year remaining to maturity, which means the Fund may invest in such instruments without limitation subject to any applicable legal or regulatory limitation). The Fund will normally limit its foreign currency exposure (from non-U.S. dollar-denominated securities or currencies) to 10% of its total assets.

The Fund may invest, without limitation, in derivative instruments, such as options, futures contracts or swap agreements, or in mortgage- or asset-backed securities, subject to applicable law and any other restrictions described in the Fund's prospectus or Statement of Additional Information. The Fund may purchase or sell securities on a when-issued, delayed delivery or forward commitment basis and may engage in short sales. The Fund may, without limitation, seek to obtain market exposure to the securities in which it primarily invests by entering into a series of purchase and sale contracts or by using other investment techniques (such as buy backs or dollar rolls). The Fund may also invest up to 10% of its total assets in preferred securities.

Principal Risks

It is possible to lose money on an investment in the Fund. The principal risks of investing in the Fund, which could adversely affect its net asset value, yield and total return are listed below.

Interest Rate Risk: the risk that fixed income securities will decline in value because of an increase in interest rates; a fund with a longer average portfolio duration will be more sensitive to changes in interest rates than a fund with a shorter average portfolio duration

Call Risk: the risk that an issuer may exercise its right to redeem a fixed income security earlier than expected (a call). Issuers may call outstanding securities prior to their maturity for a number of reasons (e.g., declining interest rates, changes in credit spreads and improvements in the issuer's credit quality). If an issuer calls a security that the Fund has invested in, the Fund may not recoup the full amount of its initial investment and may be forced to reinvest in lower-yielding securities, securities with greater credit risks or securities with other, less favorable features

Credit Risk: the risk that the Fund could lose money if the issuer or guarantor of a fixed income security, or the counterparty to a derivative contract, is unable or unwilling to meet its financial obligations

High Yield Risk: the risk that high yield securities and unrated securities of similar credit quality (commonly known as "junk bonds") are subject to greater levels of credit, call and liquidity risks. High yield securities are considered primarily speculative with respect to the issuer's continuing ability to make principal and interest payments, and may be more volatile than higher-rated securities of similar maturity

Market Risk: the risk that the value of securities owned by the Fund may go up or down, sometimes rapidly or unpredictably, due to factors affecting securities markets generally or particular industries

Issuer Risk: the risk that the value of a security may decline for a reason directly related to the issuer, such as management performance, financial leverage and reduced demand for the issuer's goods or services

Liquidity Risk: the risk that a particular investment may be difficult to purchase or sell and that the Fund may be unable to sell illiquid securities at an advantageous time or price or achieve its desired level of exposure to a certain sector. Liquidity risk may result from the lack of an active market, reduced number and capacity of traditional market participants to make a market in fixed income securities, and may be magnified in a rising interest rate environment or other circumstances where investor redemptions from fixed income mutual funds may be higher than normal, causing increased supply in the market due to selling activity

Derivatives Risk: the risk of investing in derivative instruments (such as futures, swaps and structured securities), including leverage, liquidity, interest rate, market, credit and management risks, mispricing or valuation complexity. Changes in the value of the derivative may not correlate perfectly with, and may be more sensitive to market events than, the underlying asset, rate or index, and the Fund could lose more than the initial amount invested. The Fund's use of derivatives may result in losses to the Fund, a reduction in the Fund's returns and/or increased volatility. Over-the-counter ("OTC") derivatives are also subject to the risk that a counterparty to the transaction will not fulfill its contractual obligations to the other party, as many of the protections afforded to centrally-cleared derivative transactions might not be available for OTC derivatives. For derivatives traded on an exchange or through a central counterparty, credit risk resides with the Fund's clearing broker, or the clearinghouse itself, rather than with a counterparty in an OTC derivative transaction. Changes in regulation relating to a mutual fund's use of derivatives and related instruments could potentially limit or impact the Fund's ability to invest in derivatives, limit the Fund's ability to employ certain strategies that use derivatives and/or adversely affect the value of derivatives and the Fund's performance

Equity Risk: the risk that the value of equity securities, such as common stocks and preferred securities, may decline due to general market conditions which are not specifically related to a particular company or to factors affecting a particular industry or industries. Equity securities generally have greater price volatility than fixed income securities

 

18     

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Table of Contents

Prospectus

Mortgage-Related and Other Asset-Backed Securities Risk: the risks of investing in mortgage-related and other asset-backed securities, including interest rate risk, extension risk, prepayment risk and credit risk

Foreign (Non-U.S.) Investment Risk: the risk that investing in foreign (non-U.S.) securities may result in the Fund experiencing more rapid and extreme changes in value than a fund that invests exclusively in securities of U.S. companies, due to smaller markets, differing reporting, accounting and auditing standards, increased risk of delayed settlement of portfolio transactions or loss of certificates of portfolio securities, and the risk of unfavorable foreign government actions, including nationalization, expropriation or confiscatory taxation, currency blockage, or political changes or diplomatic developments. Foreign securities may also be less liquid and more difficult to value than securities of U.S. issuers

Emerging Markets Risk: the risk of investing in emerging market securities, primarily increased foreign (non-U.S.) investment risk

Sovereign Debt Risk: the risk that investments in fixed income instruments issued by sovereign entities may decline in value as a result of default or other adverse credit event resulting from an issuer's inability or unwillingness to make principal or interest payments in a timely fashion

Currency Risk: the risk that foreign (non-U.S.) currencies will change in value relative to the U.S. dollar and affect the Fund's investments in foreign (non-U.S.) currencies or in securities that trade in, and receive revenues in, or in derivatives that provide exposure to, foreign (non-U.S.) currencies

Leveraging Risk: the risk that certain transactions of the Fund, such as reverse repurchase agreements, loans of portfolio securities, and the use of when-issued, delayed delivery or forward commitment transactions, or derivative instruments, may give rise to leverage, magnifying gains and losses and causing the Fund to be more volatile than if it had not been leveraged. This means that leverage entails a heightened risk of loss

Management Risk: the risk that the investment techniques and risk analyses applied by PIMCO will not produce the desired results and that legislative, regulatory, or tax restrictions, policies or developments may affect the investment techniques available to PIMCO and the individual portfolio manager in connection with managing the Fund. There is no guarantee that the investment objective of the Fund will be achieved

Short Exposure Risk: the risk of entering into short sales, including the potential loss of more money than the actual cost of the investment, and the risk that the third party to the short sale will not fulfill its contractual obligations, causing a loss to the Fund

Distribution Rate Risk: the risk that the Fund's distribution rate may change unexpectedly as a result of numerous factors, including changes in realized and projected market returns, fluctuations in market interest rates, Fund performance and other factors

Please see "Description of Principal Risks" in the Fund's prospectus for a more detailed description of the risks of investing in the Fund. An investment in the Fund is not a deposit of a bank and is not insured or guaranteed by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation or any other government agency.

Performance Information

The performance information shows summary performance information for the Fund in a bar chart and an Average Annual Total Returns table. The information provides some indication of the risks of investing in the Fund by showing changes in its performance from year to year and by showing how the Fund's average annual returns compare with the returns of a broad-based securities market index and an index of similar funds. Absent any applicable fee waivers and/or expense limitations, performance would have been lower.  The bar chart shows the performance of the Fund's Institutional Class shares. For periods prior to the inception date of I-2 shares (April 30, 2008), performance information shown in the table for that class is based on the performance of the Fund's Institutional Class shares, adjusted to reflect the actual distribution and/or service (12b-1) fees and other expenses paid by I-2 shares. Performance for Class A and Class C shares in the Average Annual Total Returns table reflects the impact of sales charges. The I-3 shares of the Fund have not commenced operations as of the date of this prospectus. The Fund's past performance, before and after taxes, is not necessarily an indication of how the Fund will perform in the future.

The Bloomberg Barclays U.S. Aggregate Index represents securities that are SEC-registered, taxable, and dollar denominated. The index covers the U.S. investment grade fixed rate bond market, with index components for government and corporate securities, mortgage pass-through securities, and asset-backed securities. These major sectors are subdivided into more specific indices that are calculated and reported on a regular basis. The Lipper Multi-Sector Income Funds Average is a total return performance average of funds tracked by Lipper, Inc. that seek current income by allocating assets among several different fixed income securities sectors (with no more than 65% in any one sector except for defensive purposes), including U.S. government and foreign governments, with a significant portion of assets in securities rated below investment grade.

Performance for the Fund is updated daily and quarterly and may be obtained as follows: daily updates on the net asset value and performance page at http://investments.pimco.com/DailyPerformance and quarterly updates at http://investments.pimco.com/QuarterlyPerformance.

Calendar Year Total Returns — Institutional Class*

 

[To be updated by subsequent amendment]



*The year-to-date return as of June 30, 2018 is [ ]%. For the periods shown in the bar chart, the highest quarterly return was [ ]% in the [ ], and the lowest quarterly return was [ ]% in the [ ].

 

[ ] | PROSPECTUS

19


 

Table of Contents

PIMCO Income Fund

Average Annual Total Returns (for periods ended 12/31/17)

 

1 Year

5 Years

10 Years

Institutional Class Return Before Taxes

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

Institutional Class Return After Taxes on Distributions‌(1)

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

Institutional Class Return After Taxes on Distributions and Sales of Fund Shares‌(1)

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

I-2 Return Before Taxes

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

Administrative Class Return Before Taxes

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

Class A Return Before Taxes

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

Class C Return Before Taxes

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

Class R Return Before Taxes

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

Bloomberg Barclays U.S. Aggregate Index (reflects no deductions for fees, expenses or taxes)

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

 

Lipper Multi-Sector Income Funds Average (reflects no deductions for taxes)

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

(1) After-tax returns are calculated using the highest historical individual federal marginal income tax rates and do not reflect the impact of state and local taxes. Actual after-tax returns depend on an investor's tax situation and may differ from those shown, and the after-tax returns shown are not relevant to investors who hold their Fund shares through tax-deferred arrangements, such as 401(k) plans or individual retirement accounts. In some cases the return after taxes may exceed the return before taxes due to an assumed tax benefit from any losses on a sale of Fund shares at the end of the measurement period. After-tax returns are for Institutional Class shares only. After-tax returns for other classes will vary.

Investment Adviser/Portfolio Manager

PIMCO serves as the investment adviser for the Fund. The Fund's portfolio is jointly managed by Daniel J. Ivascyn and Alfred T. Murata. Mr. Ivascyn is Group Chief Investment Officer and Managing Director of PIMCO. Mr. Murata is a Managing Director of PIMCO. Mr. Ivascyn has managed the Fund since its inception in March 2007. Mr. Murata has managed the Fund since March 2013.

Other Important Information Regarding Fund Shares

For important information about purchase and sale of Fund shares, tax information, and payments to broker-dealers and other financial intermediaries, please turn to the "Summary of Other Important Information Regarding Fund Shares" section on page [ ] of this prospectus.

 

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Table of Contents

PIMCO Long-Term Credit Bond Fund

Investment Objective

The Fund seeks total return which exceeds that of its benchmark, consistent with preservation of capital and prudent investment management.

Fees and Expenses of the Fund

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 $100,000 in Class A shares of eligible funds offered by PIMCO Equity Series and PIMCO Funds. More information about these and other discounts is available in the "Classes of Shares" section on page [ ] of the Fund's prospectus, Appendix B to the Fund's prospectus (Financial Firm-Specific Sales Charge Waivers and Discounts) or from your financial advisor.

Shareholder Fees (fees paid directly from your investment):

 

Inst
Class

I-2

Class A

Maximum Sales Charge (Load) Imposed on Purchases (as a percentage of offering price)

None

None

3.75%

Maximum Deferred Sales Charge (Load) (as a percentage of the lower of the original purchase price or redemption price)

None

None

1.00%

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

 

Inst
Class

I-2

Class A

Management Fees

0.55%

0.65%

0.70%

Distribution and/or Service (12b-1) Fees

N/A

N/A

0.25%

Other Expenses(1)

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

 

1 "Other Expenses" include interest expense of [ ]%. Interest expense is borne by the Fund separately from the management fees paid to Pacific Investment Management Company LLC ("PIMCO"). Excluding interest expense, Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses are [ ]%,  [ ]% and [ ]% for Institutional Class, I-2 and Class A shares, respectively.

Example. The Example is intended to help you compare the cost of investing in Institutional Class, I-2 or Class A shares of the Fund with the costs of investing in other mutual funds. The Example assumes that you invest $10,000 in the noted class of shares for the time periods indicated, and then redeem all 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. Investors may pay brokerage commissions on their purchases and sales of Institutional Class shares or I-2 shares of the Fund, which are not reflected in the Example. Although your actual costs may be higher or lower, based on these assumptions your costs would be:

If you redeem your shares at the end of each period:

 

1 Year

3 Years

5 Years

10 Years

Institutional Class

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

I-2

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

Class A

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

If you do not redeem your shares:

 

1 Year

3 Years

5 Years

10 Years

Class A

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

Portfolio Turnover

The Fund pays transaction costs 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 the Annual Fund Operating Expenses or in the Example tables, affect the Fund's performance. During the most recent fiscal year, the Fund's portfolio turnover rate was [ ]% of the average value of its portfolio.

Principal Investment Strategies

The Fund seeks to achieve its investment objective by investing under normal circumstances at least 80% of its assets in a diversified portfolio of Fixed Income Instruments of varying maturities, which may be represented by forwards or derivatives such as options, futures contracts or swap agreements. "Fixed Income Instruments" include bonds, debt securities and other similar instruments issued by various U.S. and non-U.S. public- or private-sector entities. The average portfolio duration of this Fund normally varies within two years (plus or minus) of the portfolio duration of the securities comprising the Fund's benchmark, the Bloomberg Barclays U.S. Long Credit Index, as calculated by PIMCO, which as of [ ] was [ ] years. Duration is a measure used to determine the sensitivity of a security's price to changes in interest rates. The longer a security's duration, the more sensitive it will be to changes in interest rates. In addition, the dollar-weighted average portfolio maturity of the Fund, under normal circumstances, is expected to be more than ten years.

The Fund invests primarily in investment grade debt securities, but may invest up to 20% of its total assets in high yield securities ("junk bonds") that are rated B or higher by Moody's Investors Service, Inc. ("Moody's"), or equivalently rated by Standard & Poor's Ratings Services ("S&P") or Fitch, Inc. ("Fitch"), or, if unrated, determined by Pacific Investment Management Company LLC ("PIMCO") to be of comparable quality. The Fund may invest up to 30% of its total assets in securities denominated in foreign currencies, and may invest beyond this limit in U.S. dollar-denominated securities of foreign issuers. The Fund may invest up to 25% of its total assets in securities and instruments that are economically tied to emerging market countries (this limitation does not apply to investment grade sovereign debt denominated in the local currency with less than 1 year remaining to maturity, which means the Fund may invest, together with any other investments denominated in foreign currencies, up to 30% of its total assets in such instruments). The Fund will normally limit its foreign currency exposure (from non-U.S. dollar-denominated securities or currencies) to 20% of its total assets.

The Fund may invest, without limitation, in derivative instruments, such as options, futures contracts or swap agreements, or in mortgage- or asset-backed securities, subject to applicable law and any other restrictions described in the Fund's prospectus or Statement of Additional Information. The Fund may purchase or sell securities on a when-issued, delayed delivery or forward commitment basis and may engage in short sales. The Fund

 



PIMCO FUNDS | PROSPECTUS

21


 

Table of Contents

PIMCO Long-Term Credit Bond Fund

may, without limitation, seek to obtain market exposure to the securities in which it primarily invests by entering into a series of purchase and sale contracts or by using other investment techniques (such as buy backs or dollar rolls). The "total return" sought by the Fund consists of income earned on the Fund's investments, plus capital appreciation, if any, which generally arises from decreases in interest rates, foreign currency appreciation, or improving credit fundamentals for a particular sector or security. Consistent with other investment limitations, the Fund may invest, without limitation, in preferred securities.

Principal Risks

It is possible to lose money on an investment in the Fund. The principal risks of investing in the Fund, which could adversely affect its net asset value, yield and total return are listed below.

Interest Rate Risk: the risk that fixed income securities will decline in value because of an increase in interest rates; a fund with a longer average portfolio duration will be more sensitive to changes in interest rates than a fund with a shorter average portfolio duration

Call Risk: the risk that an issuer may exercise its right to redeem a fixed income security earlier than expected (a call). Issuers may call outstanding securities prior to their maturity for a number of reasons (e.g., declining interest rates, changes in credit spreads and improvements in the issuer's credit quality). If an issuer calls a security that the Fund has invested in, the Fund may not recoup the full amount of its initial investment and may be forced to reinvest in lower-yielding securities, securities with greater credit risks or securities with other, less favorable features

Credit Risk: the risk that the Fund could lose money if the issuer or guarantor of a fixed income security, or the counterparty to a derivative contract, is unable or unwilling to meet its financial obligations

High Yield Risk: the risk that high yield securities and unrated securities of similar credit quality (commonly known as "junk bonds") are subject to greater levels of credit, call and liquidity risks. High yield securities are considered primarily speculative with respect to the issuer's continuing ability to make principal and interest payments, and may be more volatile than higher-rated securities of similar maturity

Market Risk: the risk that the value of securities owned by the Fund may go up or down, sometimes rapidly or unpredictably, due to factors affecting securities markets generally or particular industries

Issuer Risk: the risk that the value of a security may decline for a reason directly related to the issuer, such as management performance, financial leverage and reduced demand for the issuer's goods or services

Liquidity Risk: the risk that a particular investment may be difficult to purchase or sell and that the Fund may be unable to sell illiquid securities at an advantageous time or price or achieve its desired level of exposure to a certain sector. Liquidity risk may result from the lack of an active market, reduced number and capacity of traditional market participants to make a market in fixed income securities, and may be magnified in a rising interest rate environment or other circumstances where investor redemptions from fixed income mutual funds may be higher than normal, causing increased supply in the market due to selling activity

Derivatives Risk: the risk of investing in derivative instruments (such as futures, swaps and structured securities), including leverage, liquidity, interest rate, market, credit and management risks, mispricing or valuation complexity. Changes in the value of the derivative may not correlate perfectly with, and may be more sensitive to market events than, the underlying asset, rate or index, and the Fund could lose more than the initial amount invested. The Fund's use of derivatives may result in losses to the Fund, a reduction in the Fund's returns and/or increased volatility. Over-the-counter ("OTC") derivatives are also subject to the risk that a counterparty to the transaction will not fulfill its contractual obligations to the other party, as many of the protections afforded to centrally-cleared derivative transactions might not be available for OTC derivatives. For derivatives traded on an exchange or through a central counterparty, credit risk resides with the Fund's clearing broker, or the clearinghouse itself, rather than with a counterparty in an OTC derivative transaction. Changes in regulation relating to a mutual fund's use of derivatives and related instruments could potentially limit or impact the Fund's ability to invest in derivatives, limit the Fund's ability to employ certain strategies that use derivatives and/or adversely affect the value of derivatives and the Fund's performance

Equity Risk: the risk that the value of equity securities, such as common stocks and preferred securities, may decline due to general market conditions which are not specifically related to a particular company or to factors affecting a particular industry or industries. Equity securities generally have greater price volatility than fixed income securities

Mortgage-Related and Other Asset-Backed Securities Risk: the risks of investing in mortgage-related and other asset-backed securities, including interest rate risk, extension risk, prepayment risk and credit risk

Foreign (Non-U.S.) Investment Risk: the risk that investing in foreign (non-U.S.) securities may result in the Fund experiencing more rapid and extreme changes in value than a fund that invests exclusively in securities of U.S. companies, due to smaller markets, differing reporting, accounting and auditing standards, increased risk of delayed settlement of portfolio transactions or loss of certificates of portfolio securities, and the risk of unfavorable foreign government actions, including nationalization, expropriation or confiscatory taxation, currency blockage, or political changes or diplomatic developments. Foreign securities may also be less liquid and more difficult to value than securities of U.S. issuers

Emerging Markets Risk: the risk of investing in emerging market securities, primarily increased foreign (non-U.S.) investment risk

Sovereign Debt Risk: the risk that investments in fixed income instruments issued by sovereign entities may decline in value as a result of default or other adverse credit event resulting from an issuer's inability or unwillingness to make principal or interest payments in a timely fashion

Currency Risk: the risk that foreign (non-U.S.) currencies will change in value relative to the U.S. dollar and affect the Fund's investments in foreign (non-U.S.) currencies or in securities that trade in, and receive revenues in, or in derivatives that provide exposure to, foreign (non-U.S.) currencies

Leveraging Risk: the risk that certain transactions of the Fund, such as reverse repurchase agreements, loans of portfolio securities, and the use of when-issued, delayed delivery or forward commitment transactions, or

 

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Table of Contents

Prospectus

derivative instruments, may give rise to leverage, magnifying gains and losses and causing the Fund to be more volatile than if it had not been leveraged. This means that leverage entails a heightened risk of loss

Management Risk: the risk that the investment techniques and risk analyses applied by PIMCO will not produce the desired results and that legislative, regulatory, or tax restrictions, policies or developments may affect the investment techniques available to PIMCO and the individual portfolio manager in connection with managing the Fund. There is no guarantee that the investment objective of the Fund will be achieved

Short Exposure Risk: the risk of entering into short sales, including the potential loss of more money than the actual cost of the investment, and the risk that the third party to the short sale will not fulfill its contractual obligations, causing a loss to the Fund

Please see "Description of Principal Risks" in the Fund's prospectus for a more detailed description of the risks of investing in the Fund. An investment in the Fund is not a deposit of a bank and is not insured or guaranteed by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation or any other government agency.

Performance Information

The performance information shows summary performance information for the Fund in a bar chart and an Average Annual Total Returns table. The information provides some indication of the risks of investing in the Fund by showing changes in its performance from year to year and by showing how the Fund's average annual returns compare with the returns of a broad-based securities market index and an index of similar funds. Absent any applicable fee waivers and/or expense limitations, performance would have been lower. The bar chart shows performance of the Fund's Institutional Class shares. For periods prior to the inception date of I-2 shares (February 29, 2012), performance information shown in the table for these shares is based on the performance of the Fund's Institutional Class shares, adjusted to reflect actual distribution and/or (12b-1) fees and other expenses paid by these classes of shares. The Class A shares of the Fund have not commenced operations as of the date of this prospectus. The Fund's past performance, before and after taxes, is not necessarily an indication of how the Fund will perform in the future.

The Fund's benchmark index is the Bloomberg Barclays U.S. Long Credit Index. The index includes both corporate and non-corporate sectors with maturities equal to or greater than 10 years. The corporate sectors are Industrial, Utility, and Finance, which include both U.S. and non-U.S. corporations. The non-corporate sectors are Sovereign, Supranational, Foreign Agency, and Foreign Local Government. The Lipper General Bond Funds Average is a total return performance average of funds tracked by Lipper, Inc. that do not have any quality or maturity restrictions. These funds intend to keep the bulk of their assets in corporate and government debt issues.

Performance for the Fund is updated daily and quarterly and may be obtained as follows: daily updates on the net asset value and performance page at http://investments.pimco.com/DailyPerformance and quarterly updates at http://investments.pimco.com/QuarterlyPerformance.

Calendar Year Total Returns — Institutional Class*

 

[To be updated by subsequent amendment]



*The year-to-date return as of June 30, 2018 is [ ]%. For the periods shown in the bar chart, the highest quarterly return was [ ]% in the [ ], and the lowest quarterly return was [ ]% in the [ ].

Average Annual Total Returns (for periods ended 12/31/17)

 

1 Year

5 Years

Since Inception (03/31/2009)

Institutional Class Return Before Taxes

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

Institutional Class Return After Taxes on Distributions‌(1)

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

Institutional Class Return After Taxes on Distributions and Sales of Fund Shares‌(1)

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

I-2 Return Before Taxes

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

Bloomberg Barclays U.S. Long Credit Index (reflects no deductions for fees, expenses or taxes)

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

 

Lipper General Bond Funds Average (reflects no deductions for taxes)

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

(1) After-tax returns are calculated using the highest historical individual federal marginal income tax rates and do not reflect the impact of state and local taxes. Actual after-tax returns depend on an investor's tax situation and may differ from those shown, and the after-tax returns shown are not relevant to investors who hold their Fund shares through tax-deferred arrangements, such as 401(k) plans or individual retirement accounts. In some cases the return after taxes may exceed the return before taxes due to an assumed tax benefit from any losses on a sale of Fund shares at the end of the measurement period. After-tax returns are for Institutional Class shares only. After-tax returns for other classes will vary.

Investment Adviser/Portfolio Manager

PIMCO serves as the investment adviser for the Fund. The Fund's portfolio is jointly managed by Mark Kiesel and Mohit Mittal. Mr. Kiesel is CIO Global Credit and a Managing Director of PIMCO and has managed the Fund since its inception in March 2009. Mr. Mittal is a Managing Director of PIMCO and has managed the Fund since October 2016.

Other Important Information Regarding Fund Shares

For important information about purchase and sale of Fund shares, tax information, and payments to broker-dealers and other financial

 

[ ] | PROSPECTUS

23


 

Table of Contents

PIMCO Long-Term Credit Bond Fund

intermediaries, please turn to the "Summary of Other Important Information Regarding Fund Shares" section on page [ ] of this prospectus.

 

24     

PROSPECTUS | PIMCO FUNDS     


 

Table of Contents

PIMCO Low Duration Income Fund

Investment Objective

The Fund's primary investment objective is to maximize current income. Long-term capital appreciation is a secondary objective.

Fees and Expenses of the Fund

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 $100,000 in Class A shares of eligible funds offered by PIMCO Equity Series and PIMCO Funds. More information about these and other discounts is available in the "Classes of Shares" section on page [ ] of the Fund's prospectus, Appendix B to the Fund's prospectus (Financial Firm-Specific Sales Charge Waivers and Discounts) or from your financial advisor.

Shareholder Fees (fees paid directly from your investment):

 

Inst
Class

I-2

I-3

Class A

Class C

Maximum Sales Charge (Load) Imposed on Purchases (as a percentage of offering price)

None

None

None

2.25%

None

Maximum Deferred Sales Charge (Load) (as a percentage of the lower of the original purchase price or redemption price)

None

None

None

1.00%

1.00%

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

 

Inst
Class

I-2

I-3

Class A

Class C

Management Fees

0.50%

0.60%

0.70%

0.65%

0.65%

Distribution and/or Service (12b-1) Fees

N/A

N/A

N/A

0.25%

0.55%

Other Expenses(1)

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

Fee Waiver and/or Expense Reimbursement(2)(3)

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses After Fee Waiver and/or Expense Reimbursement

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

1 "Other Expenses" include interest expense of [ ]%. Interest expense is borne by the Fund separately from the management fees paid to Pacific Investment Management Company LLC ("PIMCO"). Excluding interest expense, Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses After Fee Waiver and/or Expense Reimbursement are [ ]%, [ ]%, [ ]%, [ ]% and [ ]% for Institutional Class, I-2, I-3, Class A and Class C shares, respectively.

2 PIMCO has contractually agreed, through July 31, 2019, to reduce its advisory fee by 0.05% of the average daily net assets of the Fund. This Fee Waiver Agreement renews annually unless terminated by PIMCO upon at least 30 days' prior notice to the end of the contract term. Under certain conditions, PIMCO may recoup amounts reduced in future periods, not exceeding three years.

3 PIMCO has contractually agreed, through July 31, 2019, to reduce its supervisory and administrative fee for the Fund's I-3 shares by 0.05% of the average daily net assets attributable to I-3 shares of the Fund. This Fee Waiver Agreement renews annually unless terminated by PIMCO upon at least 30 days' prior notice to the end of the contract term.

Example. The Example is intended to help you compare the cost of investing in Institutional Class, I-2, I-3, Class A or Class C shares of the Fund with the costs of investing in other mutual funds. The Example assumes that you invest $10,000 in the noted class of shares for the time periods indicated, and then redeem all 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. Investors may pay brokerage commissions on their purchases and sales of Institutional Class, I-2 or I-3 shares of the Fund, which are not reflected in the Example. Although your actual costs may be higher or lower, based on these assumptions your costs would be:

If you redeem your shares at the end of each period:

 

1 Year

3 Years

5 Years

10 Years

Institutional Class

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

I-2

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

I-3

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

Class A

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

Class C

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

If you do not redeem your shares:

 

1 Year

3 Years

5 Years

10 Years

Class A

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

Class C

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

Portfolio Turnover

The Fund pays transaction costs 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 the Annual Fund Operating Expenses or in the Example tables, affect the Fund's performance. During the most recent fiscal year, the Fund's portfolio turnover rate was [ ]% of the average value of its portfolio.

Principal Investment Strategies

The Fund seeks to achieve its investment objective by investing under normal circumstances at least 65% of its total assets in a multi-sector portfolio of Fixed Income Securities of varying maturities, which may be represented by forwards or derivatives such as options, futures contracts or swap agreements. "Fixed Income Instruments" include bonds, debt securities and other similar instruments issued by various U.S. and non-U.S. public- or private-sector entities. The Fund will seek to maintain a high and consistent level of dividend income by investing in a broad array of fixed income sectors and utilizing income efficient implementation strategies. The capital appreciation sought by the Fund generally arises from decreases in interest rates or improving credit fundamentals for a particular sector or security.

The Fund will generally allocate its assets among several investment sectors, without limitation, which may include: (i) high yield securities ("junk bonds") and investment grade corporate bonds of issuers located in the United States and non-U.S. countries, including emerging market countries; (ii) fixed income securities issued by U.S. and non-U.S. governments (including emerging market governments), their agencies and instrumentalities; (iii) mortgage-related and other asset backed securities; and (iv) foreign currencies, including those of emerging market countries. However, the Fund is not required to gain exposure to any one investment sector, and the Fund's exposure to any one investment sector will vary over time. The average portfolio duration of this Fund normally varies from zero

 



PIMCO FUNDS | PROSPECTUS

25


 

Table of Contents

PIMCO Low Duration Income Fund

to three years based on Pacific Investment Management Company LLC's ("PIMCO") market forecasts. Duration is a measure used to determine the sensitivity of a security's price to changes in interest rates. The longer a security's duration, the more sensitive it will be to changes in interest rates.

The Fund may invest up to 30% of its total assets in high yield securities rated below investment grade by Moody's Investors Service, Inc. ("Moody's"), Standard & Poor's Ratings Services ("S&P") or Fitch, Inc. ("Fitch"), or if unrated, as determined by PIMCO (except such 30% limitation shall not apply to the Fund's investments in mortgage- and asset-backed securities). In addition, the Fund may invest, without limitation, in securities of foreign issuers and may invest up to 15% of its total assets in securities and instruments that are economically tied to emerging market countries (this limitation does not apply to investment grade sovereign debt denominated in the local currency with less than 1 year remaining to maturity, which means the Fund may invest in such instruments without limitation subject to any applicable legal or regulatory limitation). The Fund will normally limit its foreign currency exposure (from non-U.S. dollar-denominated securities or currencies) to 10% of its total assets.

The Fund may invest, without limitation, in derivative instruments, such as options, futures contracts or swap agreements, or in mortgage- or asset-backed securities, subject to applicable law and any other restrictions described in the Fund's prospectus or Statement of Additional Information. The Fund may purchase or sell securities on a when-issued, delayed delivery or forward commitment basis and may engage in short sales. The Fund may, without limitation, seek to obtain market exposure to the securities in which it primarily invests by entering into a series of purchase and sale contracts or by using other investment techniques (such as buy backs or dollar rolls). The Fund may also invest up to 10% of its total assets in preferred securities.

Principal Risks

It is possible to lose money on an investment in the Fund. The principal risks of investing in the Fund, which could adversely affect its net asset value, yield and total return are listed below.

Interest Rate Risk: the risk that fixed income securities will decline in value because of an increase in interest rates; a fund with a longer average portfolio duration will be more sensitive to changes in interest rates than a fund with a shorter average portfolio duration

Call Risk: the risk that an issuer may exercise its right to redeem a fixed income security earlier than expected (a call). Issuers may call outstanding securities prior to their maturity for a number of reasons (e.g., declining interest rates, changes in credit spreads and improvements in the issuer's credit quality). If an issuer calls a security that the Fund has invested in, the Fund may not recoup the full amount of its initial investment and may be forced to reinvest in lower-yielding securities, securities with greater credit risks or securities with other, less favorable features

Credit Risk: the risk that the Fund could lose money if the issuer or guarantor of a fixed income security, or the counterparty to a derivative contract, is unable or unwilling to meet its financial obligations

High Yield Risk: the risk that high yield securities and unrated securities of similar credit quality (commonly known as "junk bonds") are subject to greater levels of credit, call and liquidity risks. High yield securities are considered primarily speculative with respect to the issuer's continuing ability to make principal and interest payments, and may be more volatile than higher-rated securities of similar maturity

Market Risk: the risk that the value of securities owned by the Fund may go up or down, sometimes rapidly or unpredictably, due to factors affecting securities markets generally or particular industries

Issuer Risk: the risk that the value of a security may decline for a reason directly related to the issuer, such as management performance, financial leverage and reduced demand for the issuer's goods or services

Liquidity Risk: the risk that a particular investment may be difficult to purchase or sell and that the Fund may be unable to sell illiquid securities at an advantageous time or price or achieve its desired level of exposure to a certain sector. Liquidity risk may result from the lack of an active market, reduced number and capacity of traditional market participants to make a market in fixed income securities, and may be magnified in a rising interest rate environment or other circumstances where investor redemptions from fixed income mutual funds may be higher than normal, causing increased supply in the market due to selling activity

Derivatives Risk: the risk of investing in derivative instruments (such as futures, swaps and structured securities), including leverage, liquidity, interest rate, market, credit and management risks, mispricing or valuation complexity. Changes in the value of the derivative may not correlate perfectly with, and may be more sensitive to market events than, the underlying asset, rate or index, and the Fund could lose more than the initial amount invested. The Fund's use of derivatives may result in losses to the Fund, a reduction in the Fund's returns and/or increased volatility. Over-the-counter ("OTC") derivatives are also subject to the risk that a counterparty to the transaction will not fulfill its contractual obligations to the other party, as many of the protections afforded to centrally-cleared derivative transactions might not be available for OTC derivatives. For derivatives traded on an exchange or through a central counterparty, credit risk resides with the Fund's clearing broker, or the clearinghouse itself, rather than with a counterparty in an OTC derivative transaction. Changes in regulation relating to a mutual fund's use of derivatives and related instruments could potentially limit or impact the Fund's ability to invest in derivatives, limit the Fund's ability to employ certain strategies that use derivatives and/or adversely affect the value of derivatives and the Fund's performance

Equity Risk: the risk that the value of equity securities, such as common stocks and preferred securities, may decline due to general market conditions which are not specifically related to a particular company or to factors affecting a particular industry or industries. Equity securities generally have greater price volatility than fixed income securities

Mortgage-Related and Other Asset-Backed Securities Risk: the risks of investing in mortgage-related and other asset-backed securities, including interest rate risk, extension risk, prepayment risk and credit risk

Foreign (Non-U.S.) Investment Risk: the risk that investing in foreign (non-U.S.) securities may result in the Fund experiencing more rapid and extreme changes in value than a fund that invests exclusively in securities of U.S. companies, due to smaller markets, differing reporting, accounting and

 

26     

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Table of Contents

Prospectus

auditing standards, increased risk of delayed settlement of portfolio transactions or loss of certificates of portfolio securities, and the risk of unfavorable foreign government actions, including nationalization, expropriation or confiscatory taxation, currency blockage, or political changes or diplomatic developments. Foreign securities may also be less liquid and more difficult to value than securities of U.S. issuers

Emerging Markets Risk: the risk of investing in emerging market securities, primarily increased foreign (non-U.S.) investment risk

Sovereign Debt Risk: the risk that investments in fixed income instruments issued by sovereign entities may decline in value as a result of default or other adverse credit event resulting from an issuer's inability or unwillingness to make principal or interest payments in a timely fashion

Currency Risk: the risk that foreign (non-U.S.) currencies will change in value relative to the U.S. dollar and affect the Fund's investments in foreign (non-U.S.) currencies or in securities that trade in, and receive revenues in, or in derivatives that provide exposure to, foreign (non-U.S.) currencies

Leveraging Risk: the risk that certain transactions of the Fund, such as reverse repurchase agreements, loans of portfolio securities, and the use of when-issued, delayed delivery or forward commitment transactions, or derivative instruments, may give rise to leverage, magnifying gains and losses and causing the Fund to be more volatile than if it had not been leveraged. This means that leverage entails a heightened risk of loss

Management Risk: the risk that the investment techniques and risk analyses applied by PIMCO will not produce the desired results and that legislative, regulatory, or tax restrictions, policies or developments may affect the investment techniques available to PIMCO and the individual portfolio manager in connection with managing the Fund. There is no guarantee that the investment objective of the Fund will be achieved

Short Exposure Risk: the risk of entering into short sales, including the potential loss of more money than the actual cost of the investment, and the risk that the third party to the short sale will not fulfill its contractual obligations, causing a loss to the Fund

Distribution Rate Risk: the risk that the Fund's distribution rate may change unexpectedly as a result of numerous factors, including changes in realized and projected market returns, fluctuations in market interest rates, Fund performance and other factors

Please see "Description of Principal Risks" in the Fund's prospectus for a more detailed description of the risks of investing in the Fund. An investment in the Fund is not a deposit of a bank and is not insured or guaranteed by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation or any other government agency.

Performance Information

The performance information shows summary performance information for the Fund in a bar chart and an Average Annual Total Returns table. The information provides some indication of the risks of investing in the Fund by showing changes in its performance from year to year and by showing how the Fund's average annual returns compare with the returns of a broad-based securities market index and an index of similar funds. Absent any applicable fee waivers and/or expense limitations, performance would have been lower. The bar chart shows performance of the Fund's Institutional Class shares. For periods prior to the inception date of I-2 shares (April 30, 2008), performance information shown in the table for that class is based on the performance of the Fund's Institutional Class shares, adjusted to reflect the actual distribution and/or service (12b-1) fees and other expenses paid by I-2 shares. Performance for Class A and Class C shares in the Average Annual Total Returns table reflects the impact of sales charges. The I-3 shares of the Fund have not commenced operations as of the date of this prospectus. The Fund's past performance, before and after taxes, is not necessarily an indication of how the Fund will perform in the future.

The Fund's primary broad-based securities market index is the Bloomberg Barclays U.S. Aggregate 1-3 Years Index. The Bloomberg Barclays U.S. Aggregate 1-3 Years Index is the 1-3 Year component of the Bloomberg Barclays U.S. Aggregate Index. The Bloomberg Barclays U.S. Aggregate Index represents securities that are SEC-registered, taxable and dollar denominated. The index covers the U.S. investment grade fixed rate bond market, with index components for government and corporate securities, mortgage pass-through securities and asset-backed securities. These major sectors are subdivided into more specific indices that are calculated and reported on a regular basis.

The Lipper Short Investment Grade Debt Funds Average is a total return performance average of funds tracked by Lipper, Inc. that invest at least 65% of their assets in investment-grade debt issues (rated in the top four grades) with dollar-weighted average maturities of less than three years.

Performance for the Fund is updated daily and quarterly and may be obtained as follows: daily updates on the net asset value and performance page at http://investments.pimco.com/DailyPerformance and quarterly updates at http://investments.pimco.com/QuarterlyPerformance.

Calendar Year Total Returns — Institutional Class*

 

[To be updated by subsequent amendment]



*The year-to-date return as of June 30, 2018 is [ ]%. For the periods shown in the bar chart, the highest quarterly return was [ ]% in the [ ], and the lowest quarterly return was [ ]% in the [ ].

Average Annual Total Returns (for periods ended 12/31/17)

 

1 Year

5 Years

10 Years

Institutional Class Return Before Taxes

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

Institutional Class Return After Taxes on Distributions‌(1)

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

 

[ ] | PROSPECTUS

27


 

Table of Contents

PIMCO Low Duration Income Fund

 

1 Year

5 Years

10 Years

Institutional Class Return After Taxes on Distributions and Sales of Fund Shares‌(1)

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

I-2 Return Before Taxes

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

Class A Return Before Taxes

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

Class C Return Before Taxes

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

Bloomberg Barclays U.S. Aggregate 1-3 Years Index (reflects no deductions for fees, expenses or taxes)

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

 

Lipper Short Investment Grade Debt Funds Average (reflects no deductions for taxes)

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

(1) After-tax returns are calculated using the highest historical individual federal marginal income tax rates and do not reflect the impact of state and local taxes. Actual after-tax returns depend on an investor's tax situation and may differ from those shown, and the after-tax returns shown are not relevant to investors who hold their Fund shares through tax-deferred arrangements, such as 401(k) plans or individual retirement accounts. In some cases the return after taxes may exceed the return before taxes due to an assumed tax benefit from any losses on a sale of Fund shares at the end of the measurement period. After-tax returns are for Institutional Class shares only. After-tax returns for other classes will vary.

Investment Adviser/Portfolio Manager

PIMCO serves as the investment adviser for the Fund. The Fund's portfolio is jointly managed by Daniel J. Ivascyn, Alfred T. Murata and Eve Tournier. Mr. Ivascyn is Group Chief Investment Officer and a Managing Director of PIMCO. Mr. Murata and Ms. Tournier are Managing Directors of PIMCO. Ms. Tournier has managed the Fund since March 2016. Messrs. Ivascyn and Murata have managed the Fund since May 2016.

Other Important Information Regarding Fund Shares

For important information about purchase and sale of Fund shares, tax information, and payments to broker-dealers and other financial intermediaries, please turn to the "Summary of Other Important Information Regarding Fund Shares" section on page [ ] of this prospectus.

 

28     

PROSPECTUS | PIMCO FUNDS     


 

Table of Contents

PIMCO Preferred and Capital Securities Fund

Investment Objective

The Fund seeks maximum total return, consistent with prudent investment management.

Fees and Expenses of the Fund

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 $100,000 in Class A shares of eligible funds offered by PIMCO Equity Series and PIMCO Funds. More information about these and other discounts is available in the "Classes of Shares" section on page [ ] of the Fund's prospectus, Appendix B to the Fund's prospectus (Financial Firm-Specific Sales Charge Waivers and Discounts) or from your financial advisor.

Shareholder Fees (fees paid directly from your investment):

 

Inst
Class

I-2

I-3

Class A

Maximum Sales Charge (Load) Imposed on Purchases (as a percentage of offering price)

None

None

None

3.75%

Maximum Deferred Sales Charge (Load) (as a percentage of the lower of the original purchase price or redemption price)

None

None

None

1.00%

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

 

Inst
Class

I-2

I-3

Class A

Management Fees

0.79%

0.89%

0.99%

0.89%

Distribution and/or Service (12b-1) Fees

N/A

N/A

N/A

0.25%

Other Expenses

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

Acquired Fund Fees and Expenses

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

Fee Waiver and/or Expense Reimbursement(1)(2)

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses After Fee Waiver and/or Expense Reimbursement

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

 

1 Pacific Investment Management Company LLC ("PIMCO") has contractually agreed to waive the Fund's advisory fee and the supervisory and administrative fee in an amount equal to the management fee and administrative services fee, respectively, paid by the PIMCO Capital Securities Fund (Cayman) Ltd. (the "Subsidiary") to PIMCO. The Subsidiary pays PIMCO a management fee and an administrative services fee at the annual rates of 0.49% and 0.20%, respectively, of its net assets. This waiver may not be terminated by PIMCO and will remain in effect for as long as PIMCO's contract with the Subsidiary is in place.

2 PIMCO has contractually agreed, through July 31, 2019, to reduce its supervisory and administrative fee for the Fund's I-3 shares by 0.05% of the average daily net assets attributable to I-3 shares of the Fund. This Fee Waiver Agreement renews annually unless terminated by PIMCO upon at least 30 days' prior notice to the end of the contract term.

Example. The Example is intended to help you compare the cost of investing in Institutional Class, I-2, I-3 or Class A shares of the Fund with the costs of investing in other mutual funds. The Example assumes that you invest $10,000 in the noted class of shares for the time periods indicated, and then redeem all 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. Investors may pay brokerage commissions on their purchases and sales of Institutional Class, I-2 or I-3 shares of the Fund, which are not reflected in the Example. Although your actual costs may be higher or lower, based on these assumptions your costs would be:

If you redeem your shares at the end of each period:

 

1 Year

3 Years

5 Years

10 Years

Institutional Class

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

I-2

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

I-3

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

Class A

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

If you do not redeem your shares:

 

1 Year

3 Years

5 Years

10 Years

Class A

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

Portfolio Turnover

The Fund pays transaction costs 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 the Annual Fund Operating Expenses or in the Example tables, affect the Fund's performance. During the most recent fiscal year, the Fund's portfolio turnover rate was [ ]% of the average value of its portfolio. 

Principal Investment Strategies

The Fund seeks to achieve its investment objective by investing under normal circumstances at least 80% of its assets in a diversified portfolio of preferred securities and Capital Securities. "Capital Securities" include securities issued by U.S. and non-U.S. financial institutions (including, but not limited to, banks and insurance companies) that can be used to satisfy their regulatory capital requirements. Capital Securities may be represented by forwards or derivatives such as options, futures contracts or swap agreements. The Fund will invest under normal circumstances at least 25% of its net assets in preferred securities. Assets not invested in preferred securities or Capital Securities may be invested in other types of Fixed Income Instruments, including derivative Fixed Income Instruments. "Fixed Income Instruments" include bonds, debt securities and other similar instruments issued by various U.S. and non-U.S. public- or private-sector entities. By concentrating its investments in preferred securities and Capital Securities, the Fund will be subject to Preferred Securities Risk and Capital Securities Risk. The average portfolio duration of the Fund normally varies within two years (plus or minus) of the portfolio duration of the securities comprising the ICE BofAML 70% Constrained Preferred & Jr Subordinated Securities and 30% Contingent Capital Index, as calculated by Pacific Investment Management Company LLC ("PIMCO"), which as of [ ] was [ ] years. Duration is a measure used to determine the sensitivity of a security's price to changes in interest rates. The longer a security's duration, the more sensitive it will be to changes in interest rates.

The Fund will seek to gain exposure to certain newly-issued Regulation S securities through investments in the PIMCO Capital Securities Fund (Cayman) Ltd., a wholly-owned subsidiary of the Fund organized under the laws of the Cayman Islands (the "Subsidiary"). Regulation S securities are

 



PIMCO FUNDS | PROSPECTUS

29


 

Table of Contents

PIMCO Preferred and Capital Securities Fund

securities of U.S. and non-U.S. issuers that are issued through private offerings without registration with the SEC pursuant to Regulation S under the Securities Act of 1933. The Subsidiary is advised by PIMCO, and has the same investment objective as the Fund. As discussed in greater detail elsewhere in the prospectus, the Subsidiary (unlike the Fund) may invest without limitation in Regulation S securities.

The Fund may invest, without limitation, in derivative instruments, such as options, futures contracts or swap agreements, subject to applicable law and any other restrictions described in the Fund's prospectus or Statement of Additional Information. The Fund may purchase or sell securities on a when-issued, delayed delivery or forward commitment basis and may engage in short sales. The Fund may invest, without limitation, in high yield securities ("junk bonds") rated below investment grade by Moody's Investors Services, Inc. ("Moody's"), or equivalently rated by Standard & Poor's Rating Services ("S&P") or Fitch, Inc. ("Fitch"), or if, unrated, determined by PIMCO to be of comparable quality. The Fund may invest, without limitation, in securities denominated in foreign (non-U.S.) currencies and in U.S. dollar-denominated securities of foreign (non-U.S.) issuers. The Fund will normally limit its foreign currency exposure (from non-U.S. dollar-denominated securities or currencies) to 10% of its total assets. The Fund may invest, without limitation, in securities and instruments that are economically tied to emerging market countries. The Fund may invest up to 20% of its total assets in common stock. The Fund may also invest in contingent convertible securities.

Principal Risks

It is possible to lose money on an investment in the Fund. The principal risks of investing in the Fund, which could adversely affect its net asset value, yield and total return are listed below.

New/Small Fund Risk: the risk that a new or smaller Fund's performance may not represent how the Fund is expected to or may perform in the long term. In addition, new Funds have limited operating histories for investors to evaluate and new and smaller Funds may not attract sufficient assets to achieve investment and trading efficiencies

Interest Rate Risk: the risk that fixed income securities will decline in value because of an increase in interest rates; a fund with a longer average portfolio duration will be more sensitive to changes in interest rates than a fund with a shorter average portfolio duration

Call Risk: the risk that an issuer may exercise its right to redeem a fixed income security earlier than expected (a call). Issuers may call outstanding securities prior to their maturity for a number of reasons (e.g., declining interest rates, changes in credit spreads and improvements in the issuer's credit quality). If an issuer calls a security that the Fund has invested in, the Fund may not recoup the full amount of its initial investment and may be forced to reinvest in lower-yielding securities, securities with greater credit risks or securities with other, less favorable features

Credit Risk: the risk that the Fund could lose money if the issuer or guarantor of a fixed income security, or the counterparty to a derivative contract, is unable or unwilling to meet its financial obligations

Capital Securities Risk: the risk that the value of securities issued by U.S. and non-U.S. financial institutions that can be used to satisfy their regulatory capital requirements may decline in response to changes in legislation and regulations applicable to financial institutions and financial markets, increased competition, adverse changes in general or industry-specific economic conditions, or unfavorable interest rates. By investing under normal circumstances at least 80% of its assets in a combination of preferred securities and Capital Securities, the Fund will be more susceptible to these risks than a fund that does not invest in Capital Securities to the same extent as the Fund.

Preferred Securities Risk: the risk that preferred securities may be subject to greater credit or other risks than senior debt instruments. In addition, preferred securities are subject to other risks, such as risks related to deferred and omitted distributions, limited voting rights, liquidity, interest rate, regulatory changes and special redemption rights

Concentration in Banking Industries Risk: the risk of concentrating in industries related to banking, including interest rate risk, market risk, the risk of heightened competition and the risk that legislation and other government actions could adversely affect such industries

Contingent Convertible Securities Risk: the risks of investing in contingent convertible securities, including the risk that interest payments will be cancelled by the issuer or a regulatory authority, the risk of ranking junior to other creditors in the event of a liquidation or other bankruptcy-related event as a result of holding subordinated debt, the risk of the Fund's investment becoming further subordinated as a result of conversion from debt to equity, the risk that principal amount due can be written down to a lesser amount, and the general risks applicable to fixed income investments, including interest rate risk, credit risk, market risk and liquidity risk, any of which could result in losses to the Fund

High Yield Risk: the risk that high yield securities and unrated securities of similar credit quality (commonly known as "junk bonds") are subject to greater levels of credit, call and liquidity risks. High yield securities are considered primarily speculative with respect to the issuer's continuing ability to make principal and interest payments, and may be more volatile than higher-rated securities of similar maturity

Market Risk: the risk that the value of securities owned by the Fund may go up or down, sometimes rapidly or unpredictably, due to factors affecting securities markets generally or particular industries

Issuer Risk: the risk that the value of a security may decline for a reason directly related to the issuer, such as management performance, financial leverage and reduced demand for the issuer's goods or services

Liquidity Risk: the risk that a particular investment may be difficult to purchase or sell and that the Fund may be unable to sell illiquid securities at an advantageous time or price or achieve its desired level of exposure to a certain sector. Liquidity risk may result from the lack of an active market, reduced number and capacity of traditional market participants to make a market in fixed income securities, and may be magnified in a rising interest rate environment or other circumstances where investor redemptions from fixed income mutual funds may be higher than normal, causing increased supply in the market due to selling activity

Derivatives Risk: the risk of investing in derivative instruments (such as futures, swaps and structured securities), including leverage, liquidity,

 

30     

PROSPECTUS | PIMCO FUNDS     


 

Table of Contents

Prospectus

interest rate, market, credit and management risks, mispricing or valuation complexity. Changes in the value of the derivative may not correlate perfectly with, and may be more sensitive to market events than, the underlying asset, rate or index, and the Fund could lose more than the initial amount invested. The Fund's use of derivatives may result in losses to the Fund, a reduction in the Fund's returns and/or increased volatility. Over-the-counter ("OTC") derivatives are also subject to the risk that a counterparty to the transaction will not fulfill its contractual obligations to the other party, as many of the protections afforded to centrally-cleared derivative transactions might not be available for OTC derivatives. For derivatives traded on an exchange or through a central counterparty, credit risk resides with the Fund's clearing broker, or the clearinghouse itself, rather than with a counterparty in an OTC derivative transaction. Changes in regulation relating to a mutual fund's use of derivatives and related instruments could potentially limit or impact the Fund's ability to invest in derivatives, limit the Fund's ability to employ certain strategies that use derivatives and/or adversely affect the value of derivatives and the Fund's performance

Equity Risk: the risk that the value of equity securities, such as common stocks and preferred securities, may decline due to general market conditions which are not specifically related to a particular company or to factors affecting a particular industry or industries. Equity securities generally have greater price volatility than fixed income securities

Foreign (Non-U.S.) Investment Risk: the risk that investing in foreign (non-U.S.) securities may result in the Fund experiencing more rapid and extreme changes in value than a fund that invests exclusively in securities of U.S. companies, due to smaller markets, differing reporting, accounting and auditing standards, increased risk of delayed settlement of portfolio transactions or loss of certificates of portfolio securities, and the risk of unfavorable foreign government actions, including nationalization, expropriation or confiscatory taxation, currency blockage, or political changes or diplomatic developments. Foreign securities may also be less liquid and more difficult to value than securities of U.S. issuers

Emerging Markets Risk: the risk of investing in emerging market securities, primarily increased foreign (non-U.S.) investment risk

Sovereign Debt Risk: the risk that investments in fixed income instruments issued by sovereign entities may decline in value as a result of default or other adverse credit event resulting from an issuer's inability or unwillingness to make principal or interest payments in a timely fashion

Currency Risk: the risk that foreign (non-U.S.) currencies will change in value relative to the U.S. dollar and affect the Fund's investments in foreign (non-U.S.) currencies or in securities that trade in, and receive revenues in, or in derivatives that provide exposure to, foreign (non-U.S.) currencies

Leveraging Risk: the risk that certain transactions of the Fund, such as reverse repurchase agreements, loans of portfolio securities, and the use of when-issued, delayed delivery or forward commitment transactions, or derivative instruments, may give rise to leverage, magnifying gains and losses and causing the Fund to be more volatile than if it had not been leveraged. This means that leverage entails a heightened risk of loss

Management Risk: the risk that the investment techniques and risk analyses applied by PIMCO will not produce the desired results and that legislative, regulatory, or tax restrictions, policies or developments may affect the investment techniques available to PIMCO and the individual portfolio managers in connection with managing the Fund. There is no guarantee that the investment objective of the Fund will be achieved

Subsidiary Risk: the risk that, by investing in the Subsidiary, the Fund is indirectly exposed to the risks associated with the Subsidiary's investments. The Subsidiary is not registered under the 1940 Act and may not be subject to all the investor protections of the 1940 Act. There is no guarantee that the investment objective of the Subsidiary will be achieved

Regulation S Securities Risk: the risk that Regulation S securities may be less liquid than publicly traded securities and may not be subject to the disclosure and other investor protection requirements that would be applicable if they were publicly traded. Accordingly, Regulation S Securities may involve a high degree of business and financial risk and may result in substantial losses

Short Exposure Risk: the risk of entering into short sales, including the potential loss of more money than the actual cost of the investment, and the risk that the third party to the short sale will not fulfill its contractual obligations, causing a loss to the Fund

Please see "Description of Principal Risks" in the Fund's prospectus for a more detailed description of the risks of investing in the Fund. An investment in the Fund is not a deposit of a bank and is not insured or guaranteed by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation or any other government agency.

Performance Information

The performance information shows summary performance information for the Fund in a bar chart and an Average Annual Total Returns table. The information provides some indication of the risks of investing in the Fund by showing changes in its performance from year to year and by showing how the Fund's average annual returns compare with the returns of a broad-based securities market index and an index of similar funds. Absent any applicable fee waivers and/or expense limitations, performance would have been lower. The bar chart shows performance of the Fund's Institutional Class shares. Performance for Class A shares in the Average Annual Total Returns table reflects the impact of sales charges. The I-3 shares of the Fund have not commenced operations as of the date of this prospectus. The Fund's past performance, before and after taxes, is not necessarily an indication of how the Fund will perform in the future.

The Fund's benchmark index is a blend of 70% ICE BofAML 8% Constrained Core West Preferred & Jr Subordinated Securities Index and 30% ICE BofAML Contingent Capital Index. The ICE BofAML 8% Constrained Core West Preferred & Jr Subordinated Securities Index tracks the performance of US dollar denominated high grade and high yield preferred securities and deeply subordinated corporate debt issued in the US domestic market. Qualifying securities must be rated at least B3, based on an average of Moody's, S&P and Fitch and have a country of risk of either the U.S. or a Western European country. Qualifying preferred securities must be issued as public securities or through a Rule 144A filing, must have a fixed or floating dividend schedule and must have a minimum amount outstanding of $100 million. The ICE BofAML Contingent Capital Index tracks the performance of investment grade and below investment

 

[ ] | PROSPECTUS

31


 

Table of Contents

PIMCO Preferred and Capital Securities Fund

grade contingent capital debt publicly issued in the major domestic and eurobond markets. Qualifying securities must have a capital-dependent conversion feature and must be rated by either Moody's, S&P or Fitch. In addition, qualifying securities must have at least one month remaining term to final maturity and at least 18 months to maturity at point of issuance. For investment grade debt, qualifying currencies and their respective minimum size requirements (in local currency terms) are: AUD 100 million; CAD 100 million; EUR 250 million; JPY 20 billion; GBP 100 million; and USD 250 million. For below investment grade debt, minimum size requirements are CAD 100 million, EUR 100 million, GBP 50 million, or USD 100 million.

The Lipper Financial Services Funds Average is a total return performance average of funds tracked by Lipper, Inc. that invest primarily in equity securities of domestic companies engaged in providing financial services, including but not limited to banks, finance companies, insurance companies and securities/brokerage firms.

Performance for the Fund is updated daily and quarterly and may be obtained as follows: daily updates on the net asset value and performance page at http://investments.pimco.com/DailyPerformance and quarterly updates at http://investments.pimco.com/QuarterlyPerformance.

Calendar Year Total Returns — Institutional Class*

 

[To be updated by subsequent amendment]



*The year-to-date return as of June 30, 2018 is [ ]%. For the periods shown in the bar chart, the highest quarterly return was [ ]% in the [ ], and the lowest quarterly return was [ ]% in the [ ].

Average Annual Total Returns (for periods ended 12/31/17)

 

1 Year

Since Inception (04/13/2015)

Institutional Class Return Before Taxes

[ ]

[ ]

Institutional Class Return After Taxes on Distributions‌(1)

[ ]

[ ]

Institutional Class Return After Taxes on Distributions and Sales of Fund Shares‌(1)

[ ]

[ ]

I-2 Return Before Taxes

[ ]

[ ]

Class A Return Before Taxes

[ ]

[ ]

70% ICE BofAML 8% Constrained Core West Preferred & Jr Subordinated Securities Index and 30% ICE BofAML Contingent Capital Index (reflects no deductions for fees, expenses or taxes)

[ ]

[ ]

 

Lipper Financial Services Funds Average (reflects no deductions for taxes)

[ ]

[ ]

(1) After-tax returns are calculated using the highest historical individual federal marginal income tax rates and do not reflect the impact of state and local taxes. Actual after-tax returns depend on an investor's tax situation and may differ from those shown, and the after-tax returns shown are not relevant to investors who hold their Fund shares through tax-deferred arrangements, such as 401(k) plans or individual retirement accounts. In some cases the return after taxes may exceed the return before taxes due to an assumed tax benefit from any losses on a sale of Fund shares at the end of the measurement period. After-tax returns are for Institutional Class shares only. After-tax returns for other classes will vary.

Investment Adviser/Portfolio Managers

PIMCO serves as the investment adviser for the Fund. The Fund's portfolio is jointly managed by Philippe Bodereau and Yuri Garbuzov. Mr. Bodereau is a Managing Director of PIMCO. Mr. Garbuzov is an Executive Vice President of PIMCO. Messrs. Bodereau and Garbuzov will jointly manage the Fund as of its inception.

Other Important Information Regarding Fund Shares

For important information about purchase and sale of Fund shares, tax information, and payments to broker-dealers and other financial intermediaries, please turn to the "Summary of Other Important Information Regarding Fund Shares" section on page [ ] of this prospectus.

 

32     

PROSPECTUS | PIMCO FUNDS     


 

Table of Contents

PIMCO Senior Floating Rate Fund

Investment Objective

The Fund seeks a high level of current income, consistent with prudent investment management.

Fees and Expenses of the Fund

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 $100,000 in Class A shares of eligible funds offered by PIMCO Equity Series and PIMCO Funds. More information about these and other discounts is available in the "Classes of Shares" section on page [ ] of the Fund's prospectus, Appendix B to the Fund's prospectus (Financial Firm-Specific Sales Charge Waivers and Discounts) or from your financial advisor.

Shareholder Fees (fees paid directly from your investment):

 

Inst
Class

I-2

Class A

Class C

Maximum Sales Charge (Load) Imposed on Purchases (as a percentage of offering price)

None

None

2.25%

None

Maximum Deferred Sales Charge (Load) (as a percentage of the lower of the original purchase price or redemption price)

None

None

1.00%

1.00%

Redemption Fees(1)

1.00%

1.00%

1.00%

1.00%

 

1 Shares that are held 30 or fewer calendar days are subject to a redemption fee.  The Trust may waive this fee under certain circumstances.

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

 

Inst
Class

I-2

Class A

Class C

Management Fees

0.70%

0.80%

0.75%

0.75%

Distribution and/or Service (12b-1) Fees

N/A

N/A

0.25%

1.00%

Other Expenses(1)

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

 

1 "Other Expenses" include interest expense of [ ]%. Interest expense is borne by the Fund separately from the management fees paid to Pacific Investment Management Company LLC ("PIMCO"). Excluding interest expense, Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses are [ ]%, [ ]%, [ ]% and [ ]% for Institutional Class, I-2, Class A and Class C shares, respectively.

Example. The Example is intended to help you compare the cost of investing in Institutional Class, I-2, Class A or Class C shares of the Fund with the costs of investing in other mutual funds. The Example assumes that you invest $10,000 in the noted class of shares for the time periods indicated, and then redeem all 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. Investors may pay brokerage commissions on their purchases and sales of Institutional Class shares or I-2 shares of the Fund, which are not reflected in the Example. Although your actual costs may be higher or lower, based on these assumptions your costs would be:

If you redeem your shares at the end of each period:

 

1 Year

3 Years

5 Years

10 Years

Institutional Class

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

I-2

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

Class A

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

Class C

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

If you do not redeem your shares:

 

1 Year

3 Years

5 Years

10 Years

Class A

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

Class C

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

Portfolio Turnover

The Fund pays transaction costs 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 the Annual Fund Operating Expenses or in the Example tables, affect the Fund's performance. During the most recent fiscal year, the Fund's portfolio turnover rate was [ ]% of the average value of its portfolio.

Principal Investment Strategies

The Fund seeks to achieve its investment objective by investing under normal circumstances at least 80% of its assets in a diversified portfolio of floating or adjustable rate senior secured loans, senior corporate debt and other senior Fixed Income Instruments that effectively enable the Fund to achieve a floating rate of income. "Fixed Income Instruments" include bank loans, bonds, debt securities and other similar instruments issued by various U.S. and non-U.S. entities.

A senior secured debt security holds a senior position in the issuer's capital structure and is typically secured by collateral such that, under normal circumstances, holders (such as the Fund) enjoy a priority claim to some or all of the issuer's assets in the event of default as compared to other creditors of the issuer. Variable and floating-rate Fixed Income Instruments generally pay interest at rates that adjust whenever a specified interest rate changes and/or reset on predetermined dates (such as the last day of a month or calendar quarter). The Fund may also invest in fixed-rate Fixed Income Instruments, including those with respect to which the Fund has entered into derivative instruments to effectively convert the fixed-rate interest payments into floating-rate interest payments.

The Fund may invest in both investment grade securities and high yield securities ("junk bonds") and may primarily invest its assets in below investment grade securities subject to a maximum of 5% of its total assets in securities rated below Caa by Moody's Investors Service, Inc. ("Moody's"), or equivalently rated by Standard & Poor's Ratings Services ("S&P") or Fitch, Inc. ("Fitch"), or, if unrated, determined by PIMCO to be of comparable quality. The Fund may also invest up to 20% of its total assets in securities denominated in foreign currencies and in U.S. dollar-denominated securities of foreign issuers. The Fund may invest up to 10% of its total assets in securities and instruments of issuers economically tied to emerging market countries (this limitation does not apply to investment

 



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grade sovereign debt denominated in the local currency with less than 1 year remaining to maturity, which means the Fund may invest, together with any other investments denominated in foreign currencies, up to 20% of its total assets in such instruments). The Fund will normally limit its foreign currency exposure (from non-U.S. dollar-denominated securities or currencies) to 5% of its total assets.

The Fund may invest in derivative instruments, such as credit default swap and total return swap agreements, interest rate swaps, futures and options, subject to applicable law and any other restrictions described in the prospectus or Statement of Additional Information. The Fund may purchase or sell securities on a when-issued, delayed delivery or forward commitment basis, including currency forwards, and may engage in short sales.

The average portfolio duration of the Fund will normally vary within one year (plus or minus) of the portfolio duration of the securities comprising the J.P. Morgan BB/B Leveraged Loan Index, as calculated by PIMCO, which as of [ ] was [ ]. Duration is a measure used to determine the sensitivity of a security's price to changes in interest rates. The longer a security's duration, the more sensitive it will be to changes in interest rates.

Principal Risks

It is possible to lose money on an investment in the Fund. The principal risks of investing in the Fund, which could adversely affect its net asset value, yield and total return are listed below.

Senior Loan Risk: the risk that investing in senior loans, including bank loans, exposes the Fund to heightened credit risk, call risk, settlement risk and liquidity risk. If an issuer of a senior loan prepays or redeems the loan prior to maturity, the Fund will have to reinvest the proceeds in other senior loans or instruments that may pay lower interest rates

Interest Rate Risk: the risk that fixed income securities will decline in value because of an increase in interest rates; a fund with a longer average portfolio duration will be more sensitive to changes in interest rates than a fund with a shorter average portfolio duration

Call Risk: the risk that an issuer may exercise its right to redeem a fixed income security earlier than expected (a call). Issuers may call outstanding securities prior to their maturity for a number of reasons (e.g., declining interest rates, changes in credit spreads and improvements in the issuer's credit quality). If an issuer calls a security that the Fund has invested in, the Fund may not recoup the full amount of its initial investment and may be forced to reinvest in lower-yielding securities, securities with greater credit risks or securities with other, less favorable features

Credit Risk: the risk that the Fund could lose money if the issuer or guarantor of a fixed income security, or the counterparty to a derivative contract, is unable or unwilling to meet its financial obligations

High Yield Risk: the risk that high yield securities and unrated securities of similar credit quality (commonly known as "junk bonds") are subject to greater levels of credit, call and liquidity risks, including the risk that a court will subordinate high yield senior debt to other debt of the issuer or take other actions detrimental to holders of the senior debt. High yield securities are considered primarily speculative with respect to the issuer's continuing ability to make principal and interest payments, and may be more volatile than higher-rated securities of similar maturity

Market Risk: the risk that the value of securities owned by the Fund may go up or down, sometimes rapidly or unpredictably, due to factors affecting securities markets generally or particular industries

Issuer Risk: the risk that the value of a security may decline for a reason directly related to the issuer, such as management performance, financial leverage and reduced demand for the issuer's goods or services

Liquidity Risk: the risk that a particular investment may be difficult to purchase or sell and that the Fund may be unable to sell illiquid securities at an advantageous time or price or achieve its desired level of exposure to a certain sector. Liquidity risk may result from the lack of an active market, reduced number and capacity of traditional market participants to make a market in fixed income securities, and may be magnified in a rising interest rate environment or other circumstances where investor redemptions from fixed income mutual funds may be higher than normal, causing increased supply in the market due to selling activity

Derivatives Risk: the risk of investing in derivative instruments (such as futures, swaps and structured securities), including leverage, liquidity, interest rate, market, credit and management risks, mispricing or valuation complexity. Changes in the value of the derivative may not correlate perfectly with, and may be more sensitive to market events than, the underlying asset, rate or index, and the Fund could lose more than the initial amount invested. The Fund's use of derivatives may result in losses to the Fund, a reduction in the Fund's returns and/or increased volatility. Over-the-counter ("OTC") derivatives are also subject to the risk that a counterparty to the transaction will not fulfill its contractual obligations to the other party, as many of the protections afforded to centrally-cleared derivative transactions might not be available for OTC derivatives. For derivatives traded on an exchange or through a central counterparty, credit risk resides with the Fund's clearing broker, or the clearinghouse itself, rather than with a counterparty in an OTC derivative transaction. Changes in regulation relating to a mutual fund's use of derivatives and related instruments could potentially limit or impact the Fund's ability to invest in derivatives, limit the Fund's ability to employ certain strategies that use derivatives and/or adversely affect the value of derivatives and the Fund's performance

Foreign (Non-U.S.) Investment Risk: the risk that investing in foreign (non-U.S.) securities may result in the Fund experiencing more rapid and extreme changes in value than a fund that invests exclusively in securities of U.S. companies, due to smaller markets, differing reporting, accounting and auditing standards, increased risk of delayed settlement of portfolio transactions or loss of certificates of portfolio securities, and the risk of unfavorable foreign government actions, including nationalization, expropriation or confiscatory taxation, currency blockage, or political changes or diplomatic developments. Foreign securities may also be less liquid and more difficult to value than securities of U.S. issuers

Emerging Markets Risk: the risk of investing in emerging market securities, primarily increased foreign (non-U.S.) investment risk

Sovereign Debt Risk: the risk that investments in fixed income instruments issued by sovereign entities may decline in value as a result of default or other adverse credit event resulting from an issuer's inability or unwillingness to make principal or interest payments in a timely fashion

 

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Leveraging Risk: the risk that certain transactions of the Fund, such as reverse repurchase agreements, loans of portfolio securities, and the use of when-issued, delayed delivery or forward commitment transactions, or derivative instruments, may give rise to leverage, magnifying gains and losses and causing the Fund to be more volatile than if it had not been leveraged. This means that leverage entails a heightened risk of loss

Management Risk: the risk that the investment techniques and risk analyses applied by PIMCO will not produce the desired results and that legislative, regulatory, or tax restrictions, policies or developments may affect the investment techniques available to PIMCO and the individual portfolio manager in connection with managing the Fund. There is no guarantee that the investment objective of the Fund will be achieved

Short Exposure Risk: the risk of entering into short sales, including the potential loss of more money than the actual cost of the investment, and the risk that the third party to the short sale will not fulfill its contractual obligations, causing a loss to the Fund

Please see "Description of Principal Risks" in the Fund's prospectus for a more detailed description of the risks of investing in the Fund. An investment in the Fund is not a deposit of a bank and is not insured or guaranteed by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation or any other government agency.

Performance Information

The performance information shows summary performance information for the Fund in a bar chart and an Average Annual Total Returns table. The information provides some indication of the risks of investing in the Fund by showing changes in its performance from year to year and by showing how the Fund's average annual returns compare with the returns of a broad-based securities market index and an index of similar funds. Absent any applicable fee waivers and/or expense limitations performance would have been lower. The bar chart shows performance of the Fund's Institutional Class shares. Performance for Class A and Class C shares in the Average Annual Total Returns table reflects the impact of sales charges. The Fund's past performance, before and after taxes, is not necessarily an indication of how the Fund will perform in the future.

The J.P. Morgan BB/B Leveraged Loan Index is designed to mirror the investable universe of USD institutional leveraged loans, excluding the most aggressively rated loans and non-rated loans. The J.P. Morgan BB/B Leveraged Loan Index is a subset of the broader Leveraged Loan Index, and as such follows all of the same inclusion rules, loan selection methodology and the rebalance process, with the sole exception being the tranche rating criteria. Lipper Loan Participation Funds Average is a total performance average of funds tracked by Lipper, Inc. that invest primarily in participation interests in collateralized senior corporate loans that have floating or variable rates.

Performance for the Fund is updated daily and quarterly and may be obtained as follows: daily updates on the net asset value and performance page at http://investments.pimco.com/DailyPerformance and quarterly updates at http://investments.pimco.com/QuarterlyPerformance.

Calendar Year Total Returns — Institutional Class*

 

[To be updated by subsequent amendment]



*The year-to-date return as of June 30, 2018 is [ ]%. For the periods shown in the bar chart, the highest quarterly return was [ ]% in the [ ], and the lowest quarterly return was [ ]% in the [ ].

Average Annual Total Returns (for periods ended 12/31/17)

 

1 Year

5 Years

Since Inception (04/29/2011)

Institutional Class Return Before Taxes

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

Institutional Class Return After Taxes on Distributions‌(1)

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

Institutional Class Return After Taxes on Distributions and Sales of Fund Shares‌(1)

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

I-2 Return Before Taxes

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

Class A Return Before Taxes

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

Class C Return Before Taxes

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

J.P. Morgan BB/B Leveraged Loan Index (reflects no deductions for fees, expenses or taxes)

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

 

Lipper Loan Participation Funds Average (reflects no deductions for taxes)

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

(1) After-tax returns are calculated using the highest historical individual federal marginal income tax rates and do not reflect the impact of state and local taxes. Actual after-tax returns depend on an investor's tax situation and may differ from those shown, and the after-tax returns shown are not relevant to investors who hold their Fund shares through tax-deferred arrangements, such as 401(k) plans or individual retirement accounts. In some cases the return after taxes may exceed the return before taxes due to an assumed tax benefit from any losses on a sale of Fund shares at the end of the measurement period. After-tax returns are for Institutional Class shares only. After-tax returns for other classes will vary.

Investment Adviser/Portfolio Manager

PIMCO serves as the investment adviser for the Fund. The Fund's portfolio is managed by Elizabeth O. MacLean. Ms. MacLean is an Executive Vice President of PIMCO, and she has managed the Fund since its inception in April 2011.

Other Important Information Regarding Fund Shares

For important information about purchase and sale of Fund shares, tax information, and payments to broker-dealers and other financial

 

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PIMCO Senior Floating Rate Fund

intermediaries, please turn to the "Summary of Other Important Information Regarding Fund Shares" section on page [ ] of this prospectus.

 

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Summary of Other Important Information Regarding Fund Shares

Purchase and Sale of Fund Shares

Fund shares may be purchased or sold (redeemed) on any business day (normally any day when the New York Stock Exchange is open). Generally, purchase and redemption orders for Fund shares are processed at the net asset value next calculated after an order is received by the Fund.

Institutional Class, I-2, I-3 and Administrative Class

The minimum initial investment for Institutional Class, I-2, I-3 and Administrative Class shares of the Fund is $1 million, except that the minimum initial investment may be modified for certain financial firms that submit orders on behalf of their customers.

You may sell (redeem) all or part of your Institutional Class, I-2, I-3 and Administrative Class shares of the Fund on any business day. If you are the registered owner of the shares on the books of the Fund, depending on the elections made on the Account Application, you may sell by:

Sending a written request by mail to:
PIMCO Funds c/o DST Asset Manager Solutions
330 W. 9th Street, Kansas City, MO 64105 

Calling us at 888.87.PIMCO and a Shareholder Services associate will assist you 

Sending a fax to our Shareholder Services department at 816.421.2861 

Sending an e-mail to piprocess@dstsystems.com

Class A, Class C and Class R

The minimum initial investment for Class A and Class C shares of the Fund is $1,000. The minimum subsequent investment for Class A and Class C shares is $50. The minimum initial investment may be modified for certain financial firms that submit orders on behalf of their customers. Class C shares of each Fund will automatically convert into Class A shares of the same Fund after they have been held for ten years, as described in the "Classes of Shares" section of the Fund's prospectus. You may purchase or sell (redeem) all or part of your Class A and Class C shares through a broker-dealer, or other financial firm, or, if you are the registered owner of the shares on the books of the Fund, by regular mail to PIMCO Funds, P.O. Box 55060, Boston, MA 02205-5060 or overnight mail to PIMCO Funds, c/o DST Asset Manager Solutions, Inc., 30 Dan Road, Canton, MA 02021-2809. The Fund reserves the right to require payment by wire or U.S. Bank check in connection with accounts opened directly with the Fund by Account Application.

There is no minimum initial or minimum subsequent investment in Class R shares because Class R shares may only be purchased through omnibus accounts for specified benefit plans. Specified benefit plans that wish to invest directly by mail should send a check payable to the PIMCO Family of Funds, along with a completed Account Application, by regular mail to PIMCO Funds, P.O. Box 55060, Boston, MA 02205-5060 or overnight mail to PIMCO Funds, c/o DST Asset Manager Solutions, Inc., 30 Dan Road, Canton, MA 02021-2809.

Tax Information

The Fund's distributions are generally taxable to you as ordinary income, capital gains, or a combination of the two, unless you are investing through a tax-deferred arrangement, such as a 401(k) plan or an individual retirement account, in which case distributions may be taxable upon withdrawal.

Payments to Broker-Dealers and Other Financial Firms

If you purchase shares of the Fund through a broker-dealer or other financial firm (such as a bank), the Fund and/or its related companies (including PIMCO) may pay the financial firm for the sale of those shares of the Fund and/or related services. These payments may create a conflict of interest by influencing the broker-dealer or other financial firm and your salesperson to recommend the Fund over another investment. Ask your salesperson or visit your financial firm's Web site for more information.

 

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PIMCO Funds

Description of Principal Risks

The value of your investment in a Fund changes with the values of that Fund's investments. Many factors can affect those values. The factors that are most likely to have a material effect on a particular Fund's portfolio as a whole are called "principal risks." The principal risks of each Fund are identified in the Fund Summaries. The principal risks are described in this section. Each Fund may be subject to additional risks other than those identified and described below because the types of investments made by a Fund can change over time. Securities and investment techniques mentioned in this summary that appear in bold type are described in greater detail under "Characteristics and Risks of Securities and Investment Techniques." That section and "Investment Objectives and Policies" in the Statement of Additional Information (the "SAI") also include more information about the Funds, their investments and the related risks. There is no guarantee that a Fund will be able to achieve its investment objective. It is possible to lose money by investing in a Fund.

Principal Risk

PIMCO
Credit Opportunities Bond Fund

PIMCO
Diversified Income Fund

PIMCO
High Yield Fund

PIMCO
High Yield Spectrum Fund

New/Small Fund

Interest Rate

x

x

x

x

Call

x

x

x

x

Credit

x

x

x

x

Capital Securities

Preferred Securities

Concentration in Banking Industries

Contingent Convertible Securities

High Yield

x

x

x

x

Market

x

x

x

x

Issuer

x

x

x

x

Liquidity

x

x

x

x

Derivatives

x

x

x

x

Equity

x

x

x

x

Mortgage-Related and Other Asset-Backed Securities

x

x

x

Foreign (Non-U.S.) Investment

x

x

x

x

Emerging Markets

x

x

x

x

Sovereign Debt

x

x

x

x

Currency

x

x

x

x

Leveraging

x

x

x

x

Management

x

x

x

x

Subsidiary

Regulation S Securities

Short Exposure

x

x

x

x

Convertible Securities

x

Senior Loan

x

Distribution Rate

 

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Principal Risk

PIMCO
Income Fund

PIMCO
Long-Term Credit Bond Fund

PIMCO Low Duration Income Fund

PIMCO Preferred and Capital Securities Fund

PIMCO
Senior Floating Rate Fund

New/Small Fund

x

Interest Rate

x

x

x

x

x

Call

x

x

x

x

x

Credit

x

x

x

x

x

Capital Securities

x

Preferred Securities

x

Concentration in Banking Industries

x

Contingent Convertible Securities

x

High Yield

x

x

x

x

x

Market

x

x

x

x

x

Issuer

x

x

x

x

x

Liquidity

x

x

x

x

x

Derivatives

x

x

x

x

x

Equity

x

x

x

x

Mortgage-Related and Other Asset-Backed Securities

x

x

x

Foreign (Non-U.S.) Investment

x

x

x

x

x

Emerging Markets

x

x

x

x

x

Sovereign Debt

x

x

x

x

x

Currency

x

x

x

x

Leveraging

x

x

x

x

x

Management

x

x

x

x

x

Subsidiary

x

Regulation S Securities

x

Short Exposure

x

x

x

x

x

Convertible Securities

Senior Loan

x

Distribution Rate

x

x

New/Small Fund Risk

A new or smaller 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 fully 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 a new or smaller 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.

Interest Rate Risk

Interest rate risk is the risk that fixed income securities and other instruments in a Fund's portfolio will decline in value because of an increase in interest rates. As nominal interest rates rise, the value of certain fixed income securities held by a Fund is likely to decrease. A nominal interest rate can be described as the sum of a real interest rate and an expected inflation rate. Interest rate changes can be sudden and unpredictable, and the Fund may lose money as a result of movements in interest rates. A Fund may not be able to hedge against changes in interest rates or may choose not to do so for cost or other reasons. In addition, any hedges may not work as intended.

Fixed income securities with longer durations tend to be more sensitive to changes in interest rates, usually making them more volatile than securities with shorter durations. The values of equity and other non-fixed income securities may also decline due to fluctuations in interest rates. Inflation-indexed bonds, including Treasury Inflation-Protected Securities ("TIPS"), decline in value when real interest rates rise. In certain interest rate environments, such as when real interest rates are rising faster than nominal interest rates, inflation-indexed bonds may experience greater losses than other fixed income securities with similar durations.

 

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Variable and floating rate securities generally are less sensitive to interest rate changes but may decline in value if their interest rates do not rise as much, or as quickly, as interest rates in general. Conversely, floating rate securities will not generally increase in value if interest rates decline. Inverse floating rate securities may decrease in value if interest rates increase. Inverse floating rate securities may also exhibit greater price volatility than a fixed rate obligation with similar credit quality. When a Fund holds variable or floating rate securities, a decrease (or, in the case of inverse floating rate securities, an increase) in market interest rates will adversely affect the income received from such securities and the net asset value ("NAV") of the Fund's shares.

A wide variety of factors can cause interest rates to rise (e.g., central bank monetary policies, inflation rates, general economic conditions, etc.). This is especially true under current economic conditions because interest rates are near historically low levels. Thus, Funds currently face a heightened level of interest rate risk, especially as the Federal Reserve Board ended its quantitative easing program in October 2014 and has begun, and may continue, to raise interest rates. To the extent the Federal Reserve Board continues to raise interest rates, there is a risk that rates across the financial system may rise.

During periods of very low or negative interest rates, a Fund may be unable to maintain positive returns. Interest rates in the U.S. and many parts of the world, including certain European countries, are at or near historically low levels. Certain European countries have recently experienced negative interest rates on certain fixed income instruments. Very low or negative interest rates may magnify interest rate risk. Changing interest rates, including rates that fall below zero, may have unpredictable effects on markets, may result in heightened market volatility and may detract from Fund performance to the extent a Fund is exposed to such interest rates.

Measures such as average duration may not accurately reflect the true interest rate sensitivity of a Fund. This is especially the case if the Fund consists of securities with widely varying durations. Therefore, if a Fund has an average duration that suggests a certain level of interest rate risk, the Fund may in fact be subject to greater interest rate risk than the average would suggest. This risk is greater to the extent the Fund uses leverage or derivatives in connection with the management of the Fund.

Convexity is an additional measure used to understand a security's or Fund's interest rate sensitivity. Convexity measures the rate of change of duration in response to changes in interest rates. With respect to a security's price, a larger convexity (positive or negative) may imply more dramatic price changes in response to changing interest rates. Convexity may be positive or negative. Negative convexity implies that interest rate increases result in increased duration, meaning increased sensitivity in prices in response to rising interest rates. Thus, securities with negative convexity, which may include bonds with traditional call features and certain mortgage-backed securities, may experience greater losses in periods of rising interest rates. Accordingly, if a Fund holds such securities, the Fund may be subject to a greater risk of losses in periods of rising interest rates.

Call Risk

Call risk refers to the possibility that an issuer may exercise its right to redeem a fixed income security earlier than expected (a call). Issuers may call outstanding securities prior to their maturity for a number of reasons (e.g., declining interest rates, changes in credit spreads and improvements in the issuer's credit quality). If an issuer calls a security in which a Fund has invested, the Fund may not recoup the full amount of its initial investment and may be forced to reinvest in lower-yielding securities, securities with greater credit risks or securities with other, less favorable features.

Credit Risk

A Fund could lose money if the issuer or guarantor of a fixed income security (including a security purchased with securities lending collateral), or the counterparty to a derivatives contract, repurchase agreement or a loan of portfolio securities, is unable or unwilling, or is perceived (whether by market participants, rating agencies, pricing services or otherwise) as unable or unwilling, to make timely principal and/or interest payments, or to otherwise honor its obligations. The downgrade of the credit of a security held by a Fund may decrease its value. Securities are subject to varying degrees of credit risk, which are often reflected in credit ratings. Measures such as average credit quality may not accurately reflect the true credit risk of a Fund. This is especially the case if the Fund consists of securities with widely varying credit ratings. Therefore, if a Fund has an average credit rating that suggests a certain credit quality, the Fund may in fact be subject to greater credit risk than the average would suggest. This risk is greater to the extent the Fund uses leverage or derivatives in connection with the management of the Fund. Municipal bonds are subject to the risk that litigation, legislation or other political events, local business or economic conditions, or the bankruptcy of the issuer could have a significant effect on an issuer's ability to make payments of principal and/or interest.

Capital Securities Risk

Capital Securities risk is the risk that the Fund's investments in Capital Securities may decline in value in response to developments affecting financial institutions. Financial Institutions can be significantly affected by changes in legislation and regulations applicable to the financial markets. In addition, the Fund may lose money if issuers of Capital Securities become subject to increased competition, adverse changes in general or industry-specific economic conditions, or unfavorable interest rates. Issuers of Capital Securities may be particularly affected by factors such as the availability and cost of capital, rates of corporate and consumer debt defaults, and price competition. The financial sector (both domestic and foreign) has experienced a high degree of volatility in the past. This has resulted in significant regulatory change. These events and the possibility of future market volatility may have an adverse effect on the Fund. While many issuers of Capital Securities are subject to extensive federal and state regulations, and in certain cases federal insurance of deposits, such

 

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measures do not provide any guarantees against losses in the securities issued by such companies. By investing under normal circumstances at least 80% of its assets in a combination of preferred securities and Capital Securities, the Fund will be more susceptible to these risks than a fund that does not invest in Capital Securities to the same extent as the Fund.

 Preferred Securities Risk

Preferred securities represent an equity interest in a company that generally entitles the holder to receive, in preference to the holders of other securities such as common stocks, dividends and a fixed share of the proceeds resulting from a liquidation of the company. Some preferred securities also entitle their holders to receive additional liquidation proceeds on the same basis as holders of a company's common stock, and thus also represent an ownership interest in that company. Preferred securities may pay fixed or adjustable rates of return.

Preferred and other senior securities may pay fixed or adjustable rates of return. Preferred and other senior securities are subject to issuer-specific and market risks applicable generally to equity securities. In addition, a company's preferred and other senior securities generally pay dividends only after the company makes required payments to holders of its bonds and other debt. For this reason, the value of preferred and other senior securities will usually react more strongly than bonds and other debt to actual or perceived changes in the company's financial condition or prospects.

Preferred securities of smaller companies may be more vulnerable to adverse developments than preferred securities of larger companies.

Preferred securities include certain hybrid securities and other types of preferred securities with different features from those of traditional preferred securities described above. Preferred securities that are hybrid securities possess various features of both debt and traditional preferred securities and as such, they may constitute senior debt, junior debt or preferred shares in an issuer's capital structure. Therefore, unlike traditional preferred securities, hybrid securities may not be subordinate to a company's debt securities.

Preferred securities also include trust preferred securities, which have the characteristics of both subordinated debt and preferred securities. The primary advantage of the structure of trust preferred securities is that they are treated by the financial institution as debt securities for tax purposes and as equity for the calculation of capital requirements. Trust preferred securities typically bear a market rate coupon comparable to interest rates available on debt of a similarly rated issuer. Typical characteristics include long-term maturities, early redemption by the issuer, periodic fixed or variable interest payments, and maturities at face value. The market value of trust preferred securities may be more volatile than those of conventional debt securities. There can be no assurance as to the liquidity of trust preferred securities and the ability of holders, such as a Fund, to sell their holdings.

Concentration in Banking Industries Risk

Industries related to banking are particularly susceptible to interest rate risk, market risk, increased competition and governmental actions (such as legislation and regulation). In addition, financial market volatility and borrowers' financial difficulties may significantly affect the values of the Fund's investments related to issuers in industries related to banking. More generally, market events and conditions, monetary policy and a number of related factors can affect issuers in industries related to banking in similar ways, resulting in relatively correlated price movements in instruments economically tied to such issuers. This can result in increased volatility in the value of the Fund's holdings, and there is the possibility that many of the Fund's holdings may lose value simultaneously.

Contingent Convertible Securities Risk

Contingent convertible securities ("CoCos") have no stated maturity, have fully discretionary coupons and are typically issued in the form of subordinated debt instruments. CoCos generally either convert into equity or have their principal written down upon the occurrence of certain triggering events ("triggers") linked to regulatory capital thresholds or regulatory actions relating to the issuer's continued viability. As a result, an investment by the Fund in CoCos is subject to the risk that coupon (i.e., interest) payments may be cancelled by the issuer or a regulatory authority in order to help the issuer absorb losses. An investment by the Fund in CoCos is also subject to the risk that, in the event of the liquidation, dissolution or winding-up of an issuer prior to a trigger event, the Fund's rights and claims will generally rank junior to the claims of holders of the issuer's other debt obligations. In addition, if CoCos held by the Fund are converted into the issuer's underlying equity securities following a trigger event, the Fund's holding may be further subordinated due to the conversion from a debt to equity instrument. Further, the value of an investment in CoCos is unpredictable and will be influenced by many factors and risks, including interest rate risk, credit risk, market risk and liquidity risk. An investment by the Fund in CoCos may result in losses to the Fund.

High Yield Risk

Funds that invest in high yield securities and unrated securities of similar credit quality (commonly known as "high yield securities" or "junk bonds") may be subject to greater levels of credit risk, call risk and liquidity risk than funds that do not invest in such securities. These securities are considered predominantly speculative with respect to an issuer's continuing ability to make principal and interest payments, and may be more volatile than other types of securities. An economic downturn or individual corporate developments could adversely affect the market for these securities and reduce a Fund's ability to sell these securities at an advantageous time or price. An economic downturn would generally lead to a higher non-payment rate and, a high yield security may lose significant market value before a default occurs. High yield securities structured as zero-coupon bonds or pay-in-kind securities tend to be especially volatile as they are particularly sensitive to downward pricing pressures from rising interest rates or widening spreads and may require a Fund

 

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to make taxable distributions of imputed income without receiving the actual cash currency. Issuers of high yield securities may have the right to "call" or redeem the issue prior to maturity, which may result in a Fund having to reinvest the proceeds in other high yield securities or similar instruments that may pay lower interest rates. A Fund may also be subject to greater levels of liquidity risk than funds that do not invest in high yield securities. In addition, the high yield securities in which a Fund invests may not be listed on any exchange and a secondary market for such securities may be comparatively illiquid relative to markets for other more liquid fixed income securities. Consequently, transactions in high yield securities may involve greater costs than transactions in more actively traded securities. A lack of publicly-available information, irregular trading activity and wide bid/ask spreads among other factors, may, in certain circumstances, make high yield debt more difficult to sell at an advantageous time or price than other types of securities or instruments. These factors may result in a Fund being unable to realize full value for these securities and/or may result in a Fund not receiving the proceeds from a sale of a high yield security for an extended period after such sale, each of which could result in losses to a Fund. Because of the risks involved in investing in high yield securities, an investment in a Fund that invests in such securities should be considered speculative.

Market Risk

The market price of securities owned by a Fund may go up or down, sometimes rapidly or unpredictably. Securities may decline in value due to factors affecting securities markets generally or particular industries represented in the securities markets. The value of a security may decline due to general market conditions which are not specifically related to a particular company, such as real or perceived adverse economic conditions, changes in the general outlook for corporate earnings, changes in interest or currency rates, adverse changes to credit markets or adverse investor sentiment generally. The value of a security may also decline due to factors which affect a particular industry or industries, such as labor shortages or increased production costs and competitive conditions within an industry. During a general downturn in the securities markets, multiple asset classes may decline in value simultaneously. Equity securities generally have greater price volatility than fixed income securities. Credit ratings downgrades may also negatively affect securities held by the Fund. Even when markets perform well, there is no assurance that the investments held by a Fund will increase in value along with the broader market. In addition, market risk includes the risk that geopolitical events will disrupt the economy on a national or global level.  For instance, terrorism, market manipulation, government defaults, government shutdowns, political changes or diplomatic developments and natural/environmental disasters can all negatively impact the securities markets, which could cause the Funds to lose value. Any market disruptions could also prevent a Fund from executing advantageous investment decisions in a timely manner. Funds that have focused their investments in a region enduring geopolitical market disruption will face higher risks of loss. Thus, investors should closely monitor current market conditions to determine whether a specific Fund meets their individual financial needs and tolerance for risk.

Current market conditions may pose heightened risks with respect to Funds that invest in fixed income securities. As discussed more under "Interest Rate Risk," interest rates in the U.S. are near historically low levels. However, continued economic recovery, the end of the Federal Reserve Board's quantitative easing program, and an increased likelihood of a rising interest rate environment increase the risk that interest rates will continue to rise in the near future. Any further interest rate increases in the future could cause the value of any Fund that invests in fixed income securities to decrease. As such, fixed income securities markets may experience heightened levels of interest rate, volatility and liquidity risk. If rising interest rates cause a Fund to lose enough value, the Fund could also face increased shareholder redemptions, which could force the Fund to liquidate investments at disadvantageous times or prices, therefore adversely affecting the Fund and its shareholders.

Exchanges and securities markets may close early, close late or issue trading halts on specific securities, which may result in, among other things, a Fund being unable to buy or sell certain securities or financial instruments at an advantageous time or accurately price its portfolio investments. In addition, a Fund may rely on various third-party sources to calculate its NAV. As a result, a Fund is subject to certain operational risks associated with reliance on service providers and service providers' data sources. In particular, errors or systems failures and other technological issues may adversely impact the Fund's calculations of its NAV, and such NAV calculation issues may result in inaccurately calculated NAVs, delays in NAV calculation and/or the inability to calculate NAVs over extended periods. A Fund may be unable to recover any losses associated with such failures.

Issuer Risk

The value of a security 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 goods or services, as well as the historical and prospective earnings of the issuer and the value of its assets. A change in the financial condition of a single issuer may affect securities markets as a whole.

Liquidity Risk

Liquidity risk exists when particular investments are difficult to purchase or sell. Illiquid securities are securities that cannot be disposed of within seven days in the ordinary course of business at approximately the value at which the Fund has valued the securities. Illiquid securities may become harder to value, especially in changing markets. A Fund's investments in illiquid securities may reduce the returns of the Fund because it may be unable to sell the illiquid securities at an advantageous time or price, which could prevent the Fund from taking advantage of other investment opportunities. Additionally, the market for certain investments may become illiquid under adverse market or economic conditions independent of any specific adverse changes in the conditions of a particular issuer. Bond markets have consistently grown over the past three decades while the capacity for traditional dealer counterparties to engage in fixed income trading has not kept pace and in some cases has decreased. As a result, dealer inventories of corporate bonds, which provide a core

 

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indication of the ability of financial intermediaries to "make markets," are at or near historic lows in relation to market size. Because market makers provide stability to a market through their intermediary services, the significant reduction in dealer inventories could potentially lead to decreased liquidity and increased volatility in the fixed income markets. Such issues may be exacerbated during periods of economic uncertainty.

In such cases, a Fund, due to limitations on investments in illiquid securities and the difficulty in purchasing and selling such securities or instruments, may be unable to achieve its desired level of exposure to a certain sector. To the extent that a Fund's principal investment strategies involve securities of companies with smaller market capitalizations, foreign (non-U.S.) securities, Rule 144A securities, Regulation S securities, illiquid sectors of fixed income securities, derivatives or securities with substantial market and/or credit risk, the Fund will tend to have the greatest exposure to liquidity risk. Further, fixed income securities with longer durations until maturity face heightened levels of liquidity risk as compared to fixed income securities with shorter durations until maturity. Finally, liquidity risk also refers to the risk of unusually high redemption requests, redemption requests by certain large shareholders such as institutional investors or asset allocators, or other unusual market conditions that may make it difficult for a Fund to sell investments within the allowable time period to meet redemptions. Meeting such redemption requests could require a Fund to sell securities at reduced prices or under unfavorable conditions, which would reduce the value of the Fund. It may also be the case that other market participants may be attempting to liquidate fixed income holdings at the same time as a Fund, causing increased supply in the market and contributing to liquidity risk and downward pricing pressure.

Certain accounts or PIMCO affiliates may from time to time own (beneficially or of record) or control a significant percentage of a Fund's shares. Redemptions by these shareholders of their holdings in a Fund may impact the Fund's liquidity and NAV. These redemptions may also force a Fund to sell securities, which may negatively impact the Fund's brokerage costs.

Derivatives Risk

Derivatives are financial contracts whose value depends on, or is derived from, the value of an underlying asset, reference rate or index. The various derivative instruments that the Funds may use are referenced under "Characteristics and Risks of Securities and Investment Techniques—Derivatives" in this prospectus and described in more detail under "Investment Objectives and Policies" in the SAI. The Funds typically use derivatives as a substitute for taking a position in the underlying asset, as part of strategies designed to gain exposure to, for example, issuers, portions of the yield curve, indexes, sectors, currencies, and/or geographic regions, and/or to reduce exposure to other risks, such as interest rate, credit, or currency risk. The Funds may also use derivatives for leverage, in which case their use would involve leveraging risk, and in some cases, may subject a Fund to the potential for unlimited loss. The use of derivatives may cause the Fund's investment returns to be impacted by the performance of securities the Fund does not own and result in the Fund's total investment exposure exceeding the value of its portfolio.

A Fund's use of derivative instruments involves risks different from, or possibly greater than, the risks associated with investing directly in securities and other traditional investments. Derivatives are subject to a number of risks described elsewhere in this section, such as liquidity risk (which may be heightened for highly-customized derivatives), interest rate risk, market risk, credit risk and management risk, as well as risks arising from changes in applicable requirements. They also involve the risk of mispricing or improper valuation and the risk that changes in the value of the derivative instrument may not correlate perfectly with the underlying asset, rate or index. By investing in a derivative instrument, the Fund could lose more than the initial amount invested and derivatives may increase the volatility of the Fund, especially in unusual or extreme market conditions. Also, suitable derivative transactions may not be available in all circumstances and there can be no assurance that a Fund will engage in these transactions to reduce exposure to other risks when that would be beneficial or that, if used, such strategies will be successful. In addition, a Fund's use of derivatives may increase or accelerate the amount of taxes payable by shareholders. Over-the-counter ("OTC") derivatives are also subject to the risk that a counterparty to the transaction will not fulfill its contractual obligations to the other party, as many of the protections afforded to centrally-cleared derivative transactions might not be available for OTC derivatives. For derivatives traded on an exchange or through a central counterparty, credit risk resides with a Fund's clearing broker, or the clearinghouse itself, rather than with a counterparty in an OTC derivative transaction.

Participation in the markets for derivative instruments involves investment risks and transaction costs to which a Fund may not be subject absent the use of these strategies. The skills needed to successfully execute derivative strategies may be different from those needed for other types of transactions. If the Fund incorrectly forecasts the value and/or creditworthiness of securities, currencies, interest rates, counterparties or other economic factors involved in a derivative transaction, the Fund might have been in a better position if the Fund had not entered into such derivative transaction. In evaluating the risks and contractual obligations associated with particular derivative instruments, it is important to consider that certain derivative transactions may be modified or terminated only by mutual consent of the Fund and its counterparty. Therefore, it may not be possible for a Fund to modify, terminate, or offset the Fund's obligations or the Fund's exposure to the risks associated with a derivative transaction prior to its scheduled termination or maturity date, which may create a possibility of increased volatility and/or decreased liquidity to the Fund. In such case, the Fund may lose money.

Because the markets for certain derivative instruments (including markets located in foreign countries) are relatively new and still developing, appropriate derivative transactions may not be available in all circumstances for risk management or other purposes. Upon the expiration of a particular contract, a Fund may wish to retain a Fund's position in the derivative instrument by entering into a similar contract, but may be unable to do so if the counterparty to the original contract is unwilling to enter into the new contract and no other appropriate counterparty can be found. When such markets are unavailable, a Fund will be subject to increased liquidity and investment risk.

 

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When a derivative is used as a hedge against a position that a Fund holds, any loss generated by the derivative generally should be substantially offset by gains on the hedged investment, and vice versa. Although hedging can reduce or eliminate losses, it can also reduce or eliminate gains. Hedges are sometimes subject to imperfect matching between the derivative and the underlying instrument, and there can be no assurance that a Fund's hedging transactions will be effective.

The regulation of the derivatives markets has increased over the past several years, and additional future regulation of the derivatives markets may make derivatives more costly, may limit the availability or reduce the liquidity of derivatives, or may otherwise adversely affect the value or performance of derivatives. Any such adverse future developments could impair the effectiveness or raise the costs of a Fund's derivative transactions, impede the employment of the Fund's derivatives strategies, or adversely affect the Fund's performance.

Equity Risk

Equity securities represent an ownership interest, or the right to acquire an ownership interest, in an issuer. Equity securities also include, among other things, preferred securities, convertible stocks and warrants. The values of equity securities, such as common stocks and preferred securities, may decline due to general market conditions which are not specifically related to a particular company, such as real or perceived adverse economic conditions, changes in the general outlook for corporate earnings, changes in interest or currency rates or adverse investor sentiment generally. They may also decline due to factors which affect a particular industry or industries, such as labor shortages or increased production costs and competitive conditions within an industry. Equity securities generally have greater price volatility than fixed income securities. These risks are generally magnified in the case of equity investments in distressed companies.

Mortgage-Related and Other Asset-Backed Securities Risk

Mortgage-related and other asset-backed securities represent interests in "pools" of mortgages or other assets such as consumer loans or receivables held in trust and often involve risks that are different from or possibly more acute than risks associated with other types of debt instruments. Generally, rising interest rates tend to extend the duration of fixed rate mortgage-related securities, making them more sensitive to changes in interest rates. As a result, in a period of rising interest rates, if a Fund holds mortgage-related securities, it may exhibit additional volatility since individual mortgage holders are less likely to exercise prepayment options, thereby putting additional downward pressure on the value of these securities and potentially causing the Fund to lose money. This is known as extension risk. Mortgage-backed securities can be highly sensitive to rising interest rates, such that even small movements can cause an investing Fund to lose value. Mortgage-backed securities, and in particular those not backed by a government guarantee, are subject to credit risk. In addition, adjustable and fixed rate mortgage-related securities are subject to prepayment risk. When interest rates decline, borrowers may pay off their mortgages sooner than expected. This can reduce the returns of a Fund because the Fund may have to reinvest that money at the lower prevailing interest rates. A Fund's investments in other asset-backed securities are subject to risks similar to those associated with mortgage-related securities, as well as additional risks associated with the nature of the assets and the servicing of those assets. Payment of principal and interest on asset-backed securities may be largely dependent upon the cash flows generated by the assets backing the securities, and asset-backed securities may not have the benefit of any security interest in the related assets.

Foreign (Non-U.S.) Investment Risk

Certain Funds may invest in foreign (non-U.S.) securities and may experience more rapid and extreme changes in value than a Fund that invests exclusively in securities of U.S. companies. The securities markets of many foreign countries are relatively small, with a limited number of companies representing a small number of industries. Additionally, issuers of foreign (non-U.S.) securities are usually not subject to the same degree of regulation as U.S. issuers. Reporting, accounting and auditing standards of foreign countries differ, in some cases significantly, from U.S. standards. Global economies and financial markets are becoming increasingly interconnected, and conditions and events in one country, region or financial market may adversely impact issuers in a different country, region or financial market. Also, nationalization, expropriation or confiscatory taxation, currency blockage, political changes or diplomatic developments could adversely affect a Fund's investments in a foreign country. In the event of nationalization, expropriation or other confiscation, a Fund could lose its entire investment in foreign (non-U.S.) securities. Adverse conditions in a certain region can adversely affect securities of other countries whose economies appear to be unrelated. To the extent that a Fund invests a significant portion of its assets in a specific geographic region, the Fund will generally have more exposure to regional economic risks associated with foreign (non-U.S.) investments. Foreign (non-U.S.) securities may also be less liquid and more difficult to value than securities of U.S. issuers.

Emerging Markets Risk

Foreign (non-U.S.) investment risk may be particularly high to the extent a Fund invests in emerging market securities. Emerging market securities may present market, credit, currency, liquidity, legal, political and other risks different from, and potentially greater than, the risks of investing in securities and instruments economically tied to developed foreign countries. To the extent a Fund invests in emerging market securities that are economically tied to a particular region, country or group of countries, the Fund may be more sensitive to adverse political or social events affecting that region, country or group of countries. Economic, business, political, or social instability may affect emerging market securities differently, and often more severely, than developed market securities. A Fund that focuses its investments in multiple asset classes of emerging market securities may have a limited ability to

 

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mitigate losses in an environment that is adverse to emerging market securities in general. Emerging market securities may also be more volatile, less liquid and more difficult to value than securities economically tied to developed foreign countries. The systems and procedures for trading and settlement of securities in emerging markets are less developed and less transparent and transactions may take longer to settle. Rising interest rates, combined with widening credit spreads, could negatively impact the value of emerging market debt and increase funding costs for foreign issuers. In such a scenario, foreign issuers might not be able to service their debt obligations, the market for emerging market debt could suffer from reduced liquidity, and any investing Funds could lose money.

Sovereign Debt Risk

Sovereign debt risk is the risk that fixed income instruments issued by sovereign entities may decline in value as a result of default or other adverse credit event resulting from an issuer's inability or unwillingness to make principal or interest payments in a timely fashion. A sovereign entity's failure to make timely payments on its debt can result from many factors, including, without limitation, insufficient foreign currency reserves or an inability to sufficiently manage fluctuations in relative currency valuations, an inability or unwillingness to satisfy the demands of creditors and/or relevant supranational entities regarding debt service or economic reforms, the size of the debt burden relative to economic output and tax revenues, cash flow difficulties, and other political and social considerations. The risk of loss to the Fund in the event of a sovereign debt default or other adverse credit event is heightened by the unlikelihood of any formal recourse or means to enforce its rights as a holder of the sovereign debt. In addition, sovereign debt restructurings, which may be shaped by entities and factors beyond the Fund's control, may result in a loss in value of the Fund's sovereign debt holdings.

Currency Risk

If a Fund invests directly in foreign (non-U.S.) currencies or in securities that trade in, and receive revenues in, foreign (non-U.S.) currencies, or in derivatives that provide exposure to foreign (non-U.S.) currencies, it will be subject to the risk that those currencies will decline in value relative to the U.S. dollar, or, in the case of hedging positions, that the U.S. dollar will decline in value relative to the currency being hedged.

Currency rates in foreign (non-U.S.) countries may fluctuate significantly over short periods of time for a number of reasons, including changes in interest rates, intervention (or the failure to intervene) by U.S. or foreign (non-U.S.) governments, central banks or supranational entities such as the International Monetary Fund, or by the imposition of currency controls or other political developments in the United States or abroad. As a result, a Fund's investments in foreign currency-denominated securities may reduce the returns of the Fund.

Currency risk may be particularly high to the extent that a Fund invests in foreign (non-U.S.) currencies or engages in foreign currency transactions that are economically tied to emerging market countries. These currency transactions may present market, credit, currency, liquidity, legal, political and other risks different from, or greater than, the risks of investing in developed foreign (non-U.S.) currencies or engaging in foreign currency transactions that are economically tied to developed foreign countries.

Leveraging Risk

Certain transactions may give rise to a form of leverage. Such transactions may include, among others, reverse repurchase agreements, loans of portfolio securities, and the use of when-issued, delayed delivery or forward commitment transactions. The use of derivatives may also create leveraging risk. In accordance with federal securities laws, rules, and staff positions, PIMCO will mitigate its leveraging risk by segregating or "earmarking" liquid assets or otherwise covering transactions that may give rise to such risk. The Funds also may be exposed to leveraging risk by borrowing money for investment purposes. Leveraging may cause a Fund to liquidate portfolio positions to satisfy its obligations or to meet segregation requirements when it may not be advantageous to do so. Leveraging, including borrowing, may cause a Fund to be more volatile than if the Fund had not been leveraged. This is because leveraging tends to exaggerate the effect of any increase or decrease in the value of a Fund's portfolio securities. Certain types of leveraging transactions, such as short sales that are not "against the box," could theoretically be subject to unlimited losses in cases where a Fund, for any reason, is unable to close out the transaction. In addition, to the extent a Fund borrows money, interest costs on such borrowings may not be recovered by any appreciation of the securities purchased with the borrowed amounts and could exceed the Fund's investment returns, resulting in greater losses. Moreover, to make payments of interest and other loan costs, a Fund may be forced to sell portfolio securities when it is not otherwise advantageous to do so.

Management Risk

Each Fund and the Subsidiary are subject to management risk because they are actively managed investment portfolios. PIMCO and each individual portfolio manager will apply investment techniques and risk analysis in making investment decisions for the Funds and the Subsidiary, but there can be no guarantee that these decisions will produce the desired results. Certain securities or other instruments in which a Fund or the Subsidiary seeks to invest may not be available in the quantities desired. In addition, regulatory restrictions, actual or potential conflicts of interest or other considerations may cause PIMCO to restrict or prohibit participation in certain investments. In such circumstances, PIMCO or the individual portfolio managers may determine to purchase other securities or instruments as substitutes. Such substitute securities or instruments may not perform as intended, which could result in losses to the Fund or the Subsidiary. To the extent a Fund employs strategies targeting perceived pricing inefficiencies, arbitrage strategies or similar strategies, it is subject to the risk that the pricing or valuation of the securities and instruments involved in such strategies may change unexpectedly, which may result in reduced returns or

 

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losses to the Fund. Additionally, legislative, regulatory, or tax restrictions, policies or developments may affect the investment techniques available to PIMCO and each individual portfolio manager in connection with managing the Funds and may also adversely affect the ability of the Funds to achieve their investment objectives. There also can be no assurance that all of the personnel of PIMCO will continue to be associated with PIMCO for any length of time. The loss of the services of one or more key employees of PIMCO could have an adverse impact on the Fund's and the Subsidiary's, as applicable, ability to realize its investment objective.

Subsidiary Risk

By investing in the Subsidiary, the PIMCO Preferred and Capital Securities Fund is indirectly exposed to the risks associated with the Subsidiary's investments. These risks are described elsewhere in this prospectus. There can be no assurance that the investment objective of the Fund or the Subsidiary will be achieved. The Subsidiary is not registered under the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended (the "1940 Act"), and, unless otherwise noted in this prospectus, is not subject to all the investor protections of the 1940 Act. In addition, changes in the laws of the United States and/or the Cayman Islands could result in the inability of the Fund and/or the Subsidiary to operate as described in this prospectus and SAI and could adversely affect the Fund. Changes in the laws of the United States and/or the Cayman Islands could adversely affect the performance of the Fund and/or the Subsidiary and result in the Fund underperforming its benchmark index.

Regulation S Securities Risk

Regulation S Securities are offered through private offerings without registration with the SEC pursuant to Regulation S of the Securities Act of 1933. Regulation S Securities may be relatively less liquid as a result of legal or contractual restrictions on resale. Although Regulation S Securities may be resold in privately negotiated transactions, the price realized from these sales could be less than those originally paid by the PIMCO Preferred and Capital Securities Fund. Further, companies whose securities are not publicly traded may not be subject to the disclosure and other investor protection requirements that would be applicable if their securities were publicly traded. Accordingly, Regulation S Securities may involve a high degree of business and financial risk and may result in substantial losses.

Short Exposure Risk

A Fund's short sales, if any, are subject to special risks. A short sale involves the sale by the Fund of a security that it does not own with the hope of purchasing the same security at a later date at a lower price. A Fund may also enter into a short position through a forward commitment or a short derivative position through a futures contract or swap agreement. If the price of the security or derivative has increased during this time, then the Fund will incur a loss equal to the increase in price from the time that the short sale was entered into plus any transaction costs (i.e., premiums and interest) paid to the broker-dealer to borrow securities. Therefore, short sales involve the risk that losses may be exaggerated, potentially losing more money than the actual cost of the investment. By contrast, a loss on a long position arises from decreases in the value of the security and is limited by the fact that a security's value cannot decrease below zero.

By investing the proceeds received from selling securities short, a Fund could be deemed to be employing a form of leverage, which creates special risks. The use of leverage may increase a Fund's exposure to long security positions and make any change in the Fund's NAV greater than it would be without the use of leverage. This could result in increased volatility of returns. There is no guarantee that any leveraging strategy a Fund employs will be successful during any period in which it is employed.

In times of unusual or adverse market, economic, regulatory or political conditions, a Fund may not be able, fully or partially, to implement its short selling strategy. Periods of unusual or adverse market, economic, regulatory or political conditions generally may exist for as long as six months and, in some cases, much longer. Also, there is the risk that the third party to the short sale will not fulfill its contractual obligations, causing a loss to the Fund.

Convertible Securities Risk

Convertible securities are fixed income securities, preferred securities or other securities that are convertible into or exercisable for common stock of the issuer (or cash or securities of equivalent value) at either a stated price or a stated rate. The market values of convertible securities may decline as interest rates increase and, conversely, may increase as interest rates decline. A convertible security's market value, however, tends to reflect the market price of the common stock of the issuing company when that stock price approaches or is greater than the convertible security's "conversion price." The conversion price is defined as the predetermined price at which the convertible security could be exchanged for the associated stock. As the market price of the underlying common stock declines, the price of the convertible security tends to be influenced more by the yield of the convertible security. Thus, it may not decline in price to the same extent as the underlying common stock. In the event of a liquidation of the issuing company, holders of convertible securities may be paid before the company's common stockholders but after holders of any senior debt obligations of the company. Consequently, the issuer's convertible securities generally entail less risk than its common stock but more risk than its debt obligations.

Synthetic convertible securities involve the combination of separate securities that possess the two principal characteristics of a traditional convertible security (i.e., an income-producing component and a right to acquire an equity security). Synthetic convertible securities are often achieved, in part, through investments in warrants or options to buy common stock (or options on a stock index), and therefore are subject to the risks associated with derivatives. The value of a synthetic convertible security will respond differently to market fluctuations than a traditional convertible security because a synthetic

 

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convertible is composed of two or more separate securities or instruments, each with its own market value. Because the convertible component is typically achieved by investing in warrants or options to buy common stock at a certain exercise price, or options on a stock index, synthetic convertible securities are subject to the risks associated with derivatives. In addition, if the value of the underlying common stock or the level of the index involved in the convertible component falls below the exercise price of the warrant or option, the warrant or option may lose all value.

Senior Loan Risk

To the extent a Fund invests in senior loans, including bank loans, the Fund may be subject to greater levels of credit risk, call risk, settlement risk and liquidity risk than funds that do not invest in such securities. These instruments are considered predominantly speculative with respect to an issuer's continuing ability to make principal and interest payments and may be more volatile than other types of securities. An economic downturn or individual corporate developments could adversely affect the market for these instruments and reduce the Fund's ability to sell these instruments at an advantageous time or price. An economic downturn would generally lead to a higher non-payment rate, and a senior loan may lose significant market value before a default occurs. A Fund may also be subject to greater levels of liquidity risk than funds that do not invest in senior loans. In addition, the senior loans in which a Fund invests may not be listed on any exchange and a secondary market for such loans may be comparatively illiquid relative to markets for other more liquid fixed income securities. Consequently, transactions in senior loans may involve greater costs than transactions in more actively traded securities. Restrictions on transfers in loan agreements, a lack of publicly-available information, irregular trading activity and wide bid/ask spreads, among other factors, may, in certain circumstances, make senior loans more difficult to sell at an advantageous time or price than other types of securities or instruments. These factors may result in a Fund being unable to realize full value for the senior loans and/or may result in a Fund not receiving the proceeds from a sale of a senior loan for an extended period after such sale, each of which could result in losses to a Fund. Senior loans may have extended trade settlement periods, including settlement periods of greater than 7 days, which may result in cash not being immediately available to a Fund. If an issuer of a senior loan prepays or redeems the loan prior to maturity, a Fund will have to reinvest the proceeds in other senior loans or similar instruments that may pay lower interest rates. Because of the risks involved in investing in senior loans, an investment in a Fund that invests in such instruments should be considered speculative.

Distribution Rate Risk

Although a Fund may seek to maintain a stable distribution rate, the Fund's distribution rate may be affected by numerous factors, including but not limited to changes in realized and projected market returns, fluctuations in market interest rates, Fund performance, and other factors. For instance, during periods of low or declining interest rates, the Fund's distributable income and dividend levels may decline for many reasons. There can be no assurance that a change in market conditions or other factors will not result in a change in the Fund's distribution rate or that the rate will be sustainable in the future.

Disclosure of Portfolio Holdings

Please see "Disclosure of Portfolio Holdings" in the SAI for information about the availability of the complete schedule of each Fund's holdings.

 

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Management of the Funds

Investment Adviser and Administrator

PIMCO serves as the investment adviser and the administrator (serving in its capacity as investment adviser, the "Investment Adviser," and serving in its capacity as administrator, the "Administrator") for the Funds. Subject to the supervision of the Board of Trustees of PIMCO Funds (the "Trust"), PIMCO is responsible for managing the investment activities of the Funds and the Funds' business affairs and other administrative matters. PIMCO also serves as the investment adviser for the Subsidiary.

PIMCO is located at 650 Newport Center Drive, Newport Beach, CA 92660. Organized in 1971, PIMCO provides investment management and advisory services to private accounts of institutional and individual clients and to mutual funds. As of June 30, 2018, PIMCO had approximately $[ ] in assets under management.

Management Fees

Each Fund pays for the advisory and supervisory and administrative services it requires under what is essentially an all-in fee structure. The Management Fees shown in the Annual Fund Operating Expenses tables reflect both an advisory fee and a supervisory and administrative fee. For the fiscal year ended March 31, 2018, the Funds paid monthly Management Fees to PIMCO at the following annual rates (stated as a percentage of the average daily net assets attributable to each class's shares taken separately):

Management Fees


Fund Name

Inst
Class

I-2

Admin
Class

Class A

Class C

Class R

PIMCO Credit Opportunities Bond Fund

0.90%

1.00%

N/A

1.05%

1.05%

N/A

PIMCO Diversified Income Fund

0.75%

0.85%

0.75%

0.90%

0.90%

N/A

PIMCO High Yield Fund

0.55%

0.65%

0.55%

0.65%

0.65%

0.65%

PIMCO High Yield Spectrum Fund

0.60%

0.70%

N/A

0.70%

0.70%

N/A

PIMCO Income Fund(1)

0.50%

0.60%

0.50%

0.65%

0.65%

0.65%

PIMCO Long-Term Credit Bond Fund

0.55%

0.65%

N/A

0.70%

N/A

N/A

PIMCO Low Duration Income Fund

0.50%

0.60%

N/A

0.65%

0.65%

N/A

PIMCO Preferred and Capital Securities Fund

0.79%

0.89%

N/A

0.89%

N/A

N/A

PIMCO Senior Floating Rate Fund

0.70%

0.80%

N/A

0.75%

0.75%

N/A

 

1 Expense information in the table has been restated to reflect current Management Fees.

I-3 shares of the PIMCO Credit Opportunities Bond Fund, PIMCO Diversified Income Fund, PIMCO High Yield Fund, PIMCO High Yield Spectrum Fund, PIMCO Income Fund, PIMCO Low Duration Income Fund and PIMCO Preferred and Capital Securities Fund were not operational during the fiscal year ended March 31, 2018. The management fee for the I-3 shares of the PIMCO Credit Opportunities Bond Fund, PIMCO Diversified Income Fund, PIMCO High Yield Fund, PIMCO High Yield Spectrum Fund, PIMCO Income Fund, PIMCO Low Duration Income Fund and PIMCO Preferred and Capital Securities Fund is at the following annual rate (stated as a percentage of the average daily net assets attributable to the class's shares taken separately): [ ]%, 0.95%, 0.75%, 0.80%, 0.70%, 0.70% and 0.99%, respectively.

Advisory Fee. Each Fund pays PIMCO fees in return for providing investment advisory services. For the fiscal year ended March 31, 2018, the Funds paid monthly advisory fees to PIMCO at the following annual rates (stated as a percentage of the average daily net assets of each Fund taken separately):


Fund Name

Advisory Fees
All Classes(1)

PIMCO Credit Opportunities Bond Fund

0.60%

PIMCO Diversified Income Fund

0.45%

PIMCO High Yield Fund

0.25%

PIMCO High Yield Spectrum Fund

0.30%

PIMCO Income Fund

0.25%

PIMCO Long-Term Credit Bond Fund

0.30%

PIMCO Low Duration Income Fund

0.30%(2)

PIMCO Preferred and Capital Securities Fund

0.44%

PIMCO Senior Floating Rate Fund

0.40%

 

1 For details regarding changes to this rate within the last 5 years, please see the footnote disclosures for the Funds in the Financial Highlights section beginning on page [ ].

 

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2 PIMCO has contractually agreed, through July 31, 2019, to waive its advisory fee by 0.05% of the average daily net assets of the PIMCO Low Duration Income Fund. This Fee Waiver Agreement will automatically renew for one-year terms unless PIMCO provides written notice to the Trust at least 30 days prior to the end of the then current term. Under certain conditions, PIMCO may be entitled to reimbursement of amounts waived in future periods, not exceeding three years. See "Fee Waiver Agreement" below.

A discussion of the basis for the Board of Trustees' approval of the Funds' investment advisory contract is available in the Funds' Semi-Annual Report to shareholders for the fiscal half-year ended September 30, 2017.

As discussed in its "Principal Investments and Strategies" section, the PIMCO Preferred and Capital Securities Fund may pursue its investment objective by investing in its Subsidiary. The Subsidiary has entered into a separate contract with PIMCO whereby PIMCO provides investment advisory and other services to the Subsidiary. In consideration of these services, the Subsidiary pays PIMCO a management fee and an administrative services fee at the annual rates of 0.49% and 0.20%, respectively. PIMCO has contractually agreed to waive the advisory fee and the supervisory and administrative fee it receives from the PIMCO Preferred and Capital Securities Fund in an amount equal to the management fee and administrative services fee, respectively, paid to PIMCO by the Subsidiary. This waiver may not be terminated by PIMCO and will remain in effect for as long as PIMCO's contract with the Subsidiary is in place.

Supervisory and Administrative Fee. Each Fund pays for the supervisory and administrative services it requires under what is essentially an all-in fee structure. Shareholders of each Fund pay a supervisory and administrative fee to PIMCO, computed as a percentage of the Fund's assets attributable in the aggregate to that class of shares. PIMCO, in turn, provides or procures supervisory and administrative services for shareholders and also bears the costs of various third-party services required by the Funds, including audit, custodial, portfolio accounting, legal, transfer agency and printing costs. The Funds bear other expenses which are not covered under the supervisory and administrative fee which may vary and affect the total level of expenses paid by the shareholders, such as taxes and governmental fees, brokerage fees, commissions and other transaction expenses, organizational expenses, costs of borrowing money, including interest expenses, extraordinary expenses (such as litigation and indemnification expenses) and fees and expenses of the Trust's Independent Trustees and their counsel. PIMCO generally earns a profit on the supervisory and administrative fee paid by the Funds. Also, under the terms of the supervision and administration agreement, PIMCO, and not Fund shareholders, would benefit from any price decreases in third-party services, including decreases resulting from an increase in net assets.

For the fiscal year ended March 31, 2018, the Funds paid PIMCO monthly supervisory and administrative fees at the following annual rates (stated as a percentage of the average daily net assets attributable in the aggregate to each class's shares taken separately):

Supervisory and Administrative Fees(1)


Fund Name

Inst
Class

I-2

Admin
Class

Class A

Class C

Class R

PIMCO Credit Opportunities Bond Fund

0.30%

0.40%

N/A

0.45%

0.45%

N/A

PIMCO Diversified Income Fund

0.30%

0.40%

0.30%

0.45%

0.45%

N/A

PIMCO High Yield Fund

0.30%

0.40%

0.30%

0.40%

0.40%

0.40%

PIMCO High Yield Spectrum Fund

0.30%

0.40%

N/A

0.40%

0.40%

N/A

PIMCO Income Fund(2)

0.25%

0.35%

0.25%

0.40%

0.40%

0.40%

PIMCO Long-Term Credit Bond Fund

0.25%

0.35%

N/A

0.40%

N/A

N/A

PIMCO Low Duration Income Fund

0.20%

0.30%

N/A

0.35%

0.35%

N/A

PIMCO Preferred and Capital Securities Fund

0.35%

0.45%

N/A

0.45%

N/A

N/A

PIMCO Senior Floating Rate Fund

0.30%

0.40%

N/A

0.35%

0.35%

N/A

 

1 For details regarding changes to this rate within the last 5 years, please see the footnote disclosures for the Funds in the Financial Highlights section beginning on page [ ].

2 Effective October 2, 2017, the Fund's supervisory and administrative fee was increased by 0.05% for each of Institutional Class, I-2, Administrative Class, Class A, Class C and Class R shares per annum.

I-3 shares of the PIMCO Credit Opportunities Bond Fund, PIMCO Diversified Income Fund, PIMCO High Yield Fund, PIMCO High Yield Spectrum Fund, PIMCO Income Fund, PIMCO Low Duration Income Fund and PIMCO Preferred and Capital Securities Fund were not operational during the fiscal year ended March 31, 2018. The supervisory and administrative fee for the I-3 shares of the PIMCO Credit Opportunities Bond Fund, PIMCO Diversified Income Fund, PIMCO High Yield Fund, PIMCO High Yield Spectrum Fund, PIMCO Income Fund, PIMCO Low Duration Income Fund and PIMCO Preferred and Capital Securities Fund is at the following annual rate (stated as a percentage of the average daily net assets attributable to the class's shares taken separately): [ ]%, 0.50%, 0.50%, 0.50%, 0.45%, 0.40% and 0.55%, respectively.

Expense Limitation Agreement

Pursuant to the Expense Limitation Agreement, PIMCO has agreed to waive a portion of each Fund's supervisory and administrative fees, or reimburse the Fund, to the extent that the Fund's organizational expenses and pro rata share of Trustee fees exceed 0.0049% (the "Expense Limit") (calculated as a percentage of average daily net assets attributable to each class). The Expense Limitation Agreement will automatically renew for one-year terms unless PIMCO provides written notice to the Trust at least 30 days prior to the end of the then current term. In any month in which the supervision and administration agreement is in effect, PIMCO is entitled to reimbursement by each Fund of any portion of the supervisory and administrative fee waived or reimbursed as set forth above (the "Reimbursement Amount") during the previous thirty-six months, provided that such amount paid to PIMCO will not: 1)

 

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together with any organizational expenses and pro rata Trustee fees, exceed, for such month, the Expense Limit; 2) exceed the total Reimbursement Amount; or 3) include any amounts previously reimbursed to PIMCO.

Fee Waiver Agreement

PIMCO has contractually agreed, through July 31, 2019, to waive its advisory fee by 0.05% of the average daily net assets of the PIMCO Low Duration Income Fund. This Fee Waiver Agreement will automatically renew for one-year terms unless PIMCO provides written notice to the Trust at least 30 days prior to the end of the then current term. In any month in which the investment advisory contract is in effect, PIMCO is entitled to reimbursement by the Fund of any portion of the advisory fee waived as set forth above (the "LD Reimbursement Amount") during the previous thirty-six months, provided that such amount paid to PIMCO will not: 1) together with any recoupment of organizational expenses and pro rata Trustee fees or supervisory and administrative fees pursuant to the Expense Limitation Agreement, exceed, for such month, the Expense Limit; 2) exceed the total LD Reimbursement Amount; or 3) include any amounts previously reimbursed to PIMCO.

PIMCO has contractually agreed, through July 31, 2019, to waive its supervisory and administrative fee for I-3 shares by 0.05% of the average daily net assets attributable to I-3 shares of each of PIMCO Diversified Income Fund, PIMCO High Yield Fund, PIMCO High Yield Spectrum Fund, PIMCO Income Fund, PIMCO Low Duration Income Fund and PIMCO Preferred and Capital Securities Fund. This Fee Waiver Agreement will automatically renew for one-year terms unless PIMCO provides written notice to the Trust at least 30 days prior to the end of the then current term.

PIMCO has contractually agreed, through July 31, 2019, to waive its supervisory and administrative fee for I-3 shares by [ ]% of the average daily net assets attributable to I-3 shares of PIMCO Credit Opportunities Bond Fund. This Fee Waiver Agreement will automatically renew for one-year terms unless PIMCO provides written notice to the Trust at least 30 days prior to the end of the then current term.

Individual Portfolio Managers

The following individuals have primary responsibility for managing each of the noted Funds.

Fund Name

Portfolio Manager

Since

Recent Professional Experience

PIMCO Preferred and Capital Securities

Philippe Bodereau

4/15*

Managing Director and global head of financial research. Mr. Bodereau is also the lead analyst for global financial institutions. Prior to joining PIMCO in 2004, he was a senior banking analyst at Société Générale in London and Paris. Mr. Bodereau started his career at J.P. Morgan in 1996, where he held various positions in the private banking and global markets divisions in Brussels and London. Mr. Bodereau has investment experience since 1996 and holds a master's degree in finance from French business school EDHEC.

PIMCO Preferred and Capital Securities

Yuri Garbuzov

4/15*

Executive Vice President. Mr. Garbuzov joined PIMCO in 1997 and focuses on structured credit products. He has also managed credit portfolios, including bank loans, convertibles and structured bank paper, and developed quantitative analytics for PIMCO. Before coming to PIMCO, he was with the Institute of Physics of the Russian Academy of Sciences and the Harvard Project on Economic Reform in Moscow. He has investment experience since 1997 and holds an MBA from the University of Chicago Graduate School of Business. He also holds a master's degree in physics from the Moscow Institute of Physics and Technology.

PIMCO Diversified Income
PIMCO Low Duration Income

Eve Tournier

3/16
3/16

Managing Director, PIMCO. Ms. Tournier joined PIMCO in 2008 and is a portfolio manager focusing on corporate bonds and loans. Prior to joining PIMCO, she was a managing director and European head of high yield credit trading with Deutsche Bank, where she spent eight years.

PIMCO High Yield
PIMCO High Yield Spectrum

Andrew Jessop

1/10
9/10*

Managing Director, PIMCO. Mr. Jessop joined PIMCO in 2009, as a senior portfolio manager and head of the high yield team. Prior to joining PIMCO, he was a managing director, portfolio manager and co-head of the high yield group at Goldman Sachs Asset Management, where he spent twelve years.

PIMCO High Yield
PIMCO High Yield Spectrum

Hozef Arif

7/16
7/16

Executive Vice President, PIMCO. Mr. Arif focuses on global high yield and crossover corporate credit portfolios. Prior to joining PIMCO in 2008, he was a leveraged finance investment banker at Credit Suisse in Los Angeles.

PIMCO Diversified Income
PIMCO Income
PIMCO Low Duration Income

Daniel J. Ivascyn

5/16
3/07*
5/16

Group Chief Investment Officer and Managing Director, PIMCO. Mr. Ivascyn joined PIMCO in 1998, previously having been associated with Bear Stearns in the asset backed securities group as well as T. Rowe Price and Fidelity Investments.

PIMCO Diversified Income
PIMCO Income
PIMCO Low Duration Income

Alfred T. Murata

5/16
3/13
5/16

Managing Director, PIMCO. Mr. Murata is a portfolio manager on the mortgage credit team. Prior to joining PIMCO in 2001, he researched and implemented exotic equity and interest rate derivatives at Nikko Financial Technologies.

PIMCO Credit Opportunities Bond
PIMCO Long-Term Credit Bond

Mark Kiesel

8/11*
3/09*

CIO Global Credit and Managing Director, PIMCO. Mr. Kiesel is a portfolio manager and a senior member of PIMCO's investment strategy group. He has served as a portfolio manager, head of equity derivatives and as a senior Credit Analyst since joining PIMCO in 1996.

 

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Fund Name

Portfolio Manager

Since

Recent Professional Experience

PIMCO Credit Opportunities Bond

Christian Stracke

10/16

Managing Director, PIMCO, Mr. Stracke is a member of the Investment Committee and global head of the credit research group. The group covers all levels of the debt capital structure for targeted industries, including investment grade and high yield bonds, bank debt and convertibles. He also contributes to the analysis, portfolio construction and management of the firm's opportunistic corporate credit and mortgage and real estate-related strategies. Prior to joining PIMCO in 2008, he was a senior credit strategist at CreditSights and also held positions as head of Latin America fixed income strategy with Commerzbank Securities and head of Latin America local markets strategy with Deutsche Bank. He has investment experience since 1997 and holds an undergraduate degree from the University of Chicago.

PIMCO Long-Term Credit Bond

Mohit Mittal

10/16

Managing Director, PIMCO. He manages investment grade credit, total return and unconstrained bond portfolios and is a member of the Americas Portfolio Committee.
Previously, he was a specialist on PIMCO's interest rates and derivatives desk. Mr. Mittal joined PIMCO in 2007 and holds an MBA in finance from the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania and an undergraduate degree in computer science from Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) in Delhi, India.

PIMCO Senior Floating Rate

Elizabeth O. MacLean

4/11*

Executive Vice President, PIMCO. Ms. MacLean is a portfolio manager focusing on bank loans. Prior to joining PIMCO in 2011, she was a Partner and a portfolio manager at Lord Abbett & Co., LLC. Previously, she worked as a Managing Director and a portfolio manager at Nomura Corporate Research and Asset Management and a Vice President and a portfolio manager at Pilgrim Investments (now ING Pilgrim). Ms. MacLean has experience in the financial services industry since 1989.

PIMCO Diversified Income

Sonali Pier

2/17

Executive Vice President, PIMCO. Ms. Pier is a portfolio manager focusing on multi-sector credit opportunities. Prior to joining PIMCO in 2013, she was a senior credit trader at J.P. Morgan, trading cash, recovery and credit default swaps across various sectors. She has investment experience since 2003 and holds an undergraduate degree in economics from Princeton University.

 

* Inception of the Fund.

Please see the SAI for additional information about other accounts managed by the portfolio managers, the portfolio managers' compensation and the portfolio managers' ownership of shares of the Funds.

The Trustees are responsible generally for overseeing the management of the Trust. The Trustees authorize the Trust to enter into service agreements with the Investment Adviser, the Distributor (as defined below), the Administrator and other service providers in order to provide, and in some cases authorize service providers to procure through other parties, necessary or desirable services on behalf of the Trust and the Funds. Shareholders are not parties to or third-party beneficiaries of such service agreements. Neither this prospectus nor summary prospectus, the Trust's SAI, any contracts filed as exhibits to the Trust's registration statement, nor any other communications, disclosure documents or regulatory filings from or on behalf of the Trust or a Fund creates a contract between or among any shareholder of a Fund, on the one hand, and the Trust, a Fund, a service provider to the Trust or a Fund, and/or the Trustees or officers of the Trust, on the other hand. The Trustees (or the Trust and its officers, service providers or other delegates acting under authority of the Trustees) may amend this, or use a new prospectus, summary prospectus or SAI with respect to a Fund or the Trust, and/or amend, file and/or issue any other communications, disclosure documents or regulatory filings, and may amend or enter into any contracts to which the Trust or a Fund is a party, and interpret the investment objective(s), policies, restrictions and contractual provisions applicable to any Fund, without shareholder input or approval, except in circumstances in which shareholder approval is specifically required by law (such as changes to fundamental investment policies) or where a shareholder approval requirement is specifically disclosed in the Trust's then-current prospectus or SAI.

Distributor

The Trust's Distributor is PIMCO Investments LLC (the "Distributor"). The Distributor, located at 1633 Broadway, New York, NY 10019, is a broker-dealer registered with the Securities and Exchange Commission ("SEC"). Please note all direct account requests or inquiries should be mailed to the Trust's transfer agent at P.O. Box 55060, Boston, MA 02205-5060 and should not be mailed to the Distributor.

 

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Classes of Shares

Class A, Class C, Class R, Institutional Class, I-2, I-3 and Administrative Class shares of the Funds are offered in this prospectus. Each share class represents an investment in the same Fund, but each class has its own expense structure and arrangements for shareholder services or distribution, which allows you to choose the class that best fits your situation and eligibility requirements.

The class of shares that is best for you depends upon a number of factors, including the amount and the intended length of your investment, the expenses borne by each class, which are detailed in the fee table and example at the front of this prospectus, any initial sales charge or contingent deferred sales charge ("CDSC") applicable to a class and whether you qualify for any reduction or waiver of sales charges, and the availability of the share class for purchase by you. Certain classes have higher expenses than other classes, which may lower the return on your investment when compared to a less expensive class. Individual investors can generally invest in Class A and Class C shares. Class C shares of each Fund will automatically convert into Class A shares of the same Fund after they have been held for ten years. This automatic conversion will be executed without any sales charge, fee or other charge. After the conversion takes place, the shares will be subject to all features and expenses of Class A shares. Only certain investors may purchase Institutional Class, I-2, I-3, Administrative Class and Class R shares.

The availability of sales charge waivers and discounts may depend on whether you purchase Fund shares directly from the Distributor or a financial firm. More information regarding sales charge waivers and discounts is summarized below.

The following summarizes key information about each class to help you make your investment decision, including the various expenses associated with each class and the payments made to financial firms for distribution and other services. More information about the Trust's multi-class arrangements is included in the SAI and can be obtained free of charge by visiting pimco.com or by calling 888.87.PIMCO.

Sales Charges

Initial Sales Charges — Class A Shares

This section includes important information about sales charge reduction programs available to investors in Class A shares of the Funds and describes information or records you may need to provide to the Distributor or your financial firm in order to be eligible for sales charge reduction programs.

Unless you are eligible for a waiver, the public offering price you pay when you buy Class A shares of the Funds is the NAV of the shares plus an initial sales charge. The initial sales charge varies depending upon the size of your purchase, as set forth below. No sales charge is imposed where Class A shares are issued to you pursuant to the automatic reinvestment of income dividends or capital gains distributions. For investors investing in Class A shares of the Funds through a financial firm, it is the responsibility of the financial firm to ensure that you obtain the proper "breakpoint" discount.

PIMCO Low Duration Income and PIMCO Senior Floating Rate Funds — Class A shares

 

Amount of Purchase

Initial Sales Charge as % of Public Offering Price

Initial Sales Charge as % of Net Amount Invested

Under $100,000

2.25%

2.30%

$100,000 but under $250,000

1.25%

1.27%

$250,000 +

0.00%*

0.00%*

 

* As shown, investors that purchase $250,000 or more of the Fund's Class A shares will not pay any initial sales charge on the purchase. However, unless eligible for a waiver, certain purchasers of $250,000 or more of Class A shares may be subject to a contingent deferred sales charge of 1.00% if the shares are redeemed during the first 12 months after their purchase. See "Contingent Deferred Sales Charges - Class A Shares" below.

All other Funds — Class A Shares

 

Amount of Purchase

Initial Sales Charge as % of Public Offering Price

Initial Sales Charge as % of Net Amount Invested

Under $100,000

3.75%

3.90%

$100,000 but under $250,000

3.25%

3.36%

$250,000 but under $500,000

2.25%

2.30%

$500,000 but under $1,000,000

1.75%

1.78%

$1,000,000 +

0.00%*

0.00%*

 

* As shown, investors that purchase $1,000,000 or more of the Fund's Class A shares will not pay any initial sales charge on the purchase. However, unless eligible for a waiver, certain purchasers of $1,000,000 or more of Class A shares may be subject to a CDSC of 1.00% if the shares are redeemed during the first 12 months after their purchase. See "Contingent Deferred Sales Charges – Class A Shares" below.

Investors in the Funds may reduce or eliminate sales charges applicable to purchases of Class A shares through utilization of the Combined Purchase Privilege, Right of Accumulation (Cumulative Quantity Discount), Letter of Intent or Reinstatement Privilege. These programs, which apply to purchases of one or more funds that are series of the Trust or PIMCO Equity Series that offer Class A shares (other than the Money Market series of the Trust) (collectively, "Eligible Funds"), are summarized below and are described in greater detail in the SAI.

Combined Purchase Privilege and Right of Accumulation (Breakpoints). A Qualifying Investor (as defined below) may qualify for a reduced sales charge on Class A shares by combining concurrent purchases of the Class A shares of one or more Eligible Funds into a single purchase (the "Combined Purchase Privilege"). In addition, a Qualifying Investor may obtain a reduced sales charge on Class A shares by adding the purchase value of Class A shares of an Eligible Fund with the current aggregate NAV of all Class A and C shares of any Eligible Fund held by accounts for the benefit of such Qualifying Investor (the "Right of Accumulation" or "Cumulative Quantity Discount").

The term "Qualifying Investor" refers to:

1.

an individual, such individual's spouse or domestic partner, as recognized by applicable state law, or such individual's children under the age of 21 years (each a "family member") (including family trust* accounts established by such a family member); or

 

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2.

a trustee or other fiduciary for a single trust (except family trusts* noted above), estate or fiduciary account although more than one beneficiary may be involved; or

3.

an employee benefit plan of a single employer.


* For the purpose of determining whether a purchase would qualify for a reduced sales charge under the Combined Purchase Privilege, Right of Accumulation or Letter of Intent, a "family trust" is one in which a family member, as defined in section (1) above, or a direct lineal descendant(s) of such person is/are the beneficiary(ies), and such person or another family member, direct lineal ancestor or sibling of such person is/are the trustee(s).

Please see the SAI for details and for restrictions applicable to shares held by certain employer-sponsored benefit programs.

Letter of Intent. Investors may also obtain a reduced sales charge on purchases of Class A shares by means of a written Letter of Intent which expresses an intent to invest not less than $50,000 (or $100,000 in the case of those Funds with an initial sales charge breakpoint of $100,000) within a period of 13 months in Class A shares of any Eligible Fund(s). The maximum intended investment allowable in a Letter of Intent is $1,000,000 (except for Class A shares of the PIMCO Low Duration Income and PIMCO Senior Floating Rate Funds for which the maximum intended investment amount is $250,000). Each purchase of shares under a Letter of Intent will be made at the public offering price or prices applicable at the time of such purchase to a single purchase of the dollar amount indicated in the Letter of Intent. The value of the investor's account(s) linked to a Letter of Intent will be included at the start date of the Letter of Intent. A Letter of Intent is not a binding obligation to purchase the full amount indicated. Shares purchased with the first 5% of the amount indicated in the Letter of Intent will be held in escrow (while remaining registered in your name) to secure payment of the higher sales charges applicable to the shares actually purchased in the event the full intended amount is not purchased. Redemptions during the LOI period will not count against the shareholder, but a CDSC may be charged for LOIs of $1,000,000.

In making computations concerning the amount purchased for purposes of a Letter of Intent, the Right of Accumulation value of eligible accounts will be included in the computation when the Letter of Intent begins in addition to purchases made during the Letter of Intent Period.

Reinstatement Privilege. A Class A shareholder who has caused any or all of his shares to be redeemed may reinvest all or any portion of the redemption proceeds in Class A shares of any Eligible Fund at NAV without any sales charge, provided that such investment is made within 120 calendar days after the redemption date. The limitations and restrictions of this program are fully described in the SAI.

Method of Valuation of Accounts. To determine whether a shareholder qualifies for a reduction in sales charge on a purchase of Class A shares of Eligible Funds, the public offering price of the shares is used for purchases relying on the Combined Purchase Privilege or a Letter of Intent and the amount of the total current purchase (including any sales load) plus the NAV (at the close of business on the day of the current purchase) of shares previously acquired is used for the Right of Accumulation (Cumulative Quantity Discount).

Sales at Net Asset Value. In addition to the programs summarized above, the Funds may sell their Class A shares at NAV without an initial sales charge to certain types of accounts or account holders, including, but not limited to: Trustees of the Funds; employees of PIMCO and the Distributor; employees of participating brokers; certain trustees or other fiduciaries purchasing shares for retirement plans; and persons investing through certain "wrap accounts." Please see the SAI for details.

If you are eligible to buy both Class A shares and Institutional Class shares, you should buy Institutional Class shares because Class A shares may be subject to sales charges and an annual 0.25% service fee.

Required Shareholder Information and Records. In order for investors in Class A shares of the Funds to take advantage of sales charge reductions, an investor or his or her financial firm must notify the Fund that the investor qualifies for such a reduction. If the Fund is not notified that the investor is eligible for these reductions, the Fund will be unable to ensure that the reduction is applied to the investor's account. An investor may have to provide certain information or records to his or her financial firm or the Fund to verify the investor's eligibility for breakpoint discounts or sales charge waivers. An investor may be asked to provide information or records, including account statements, regarding shares of the Funds or other Eligible Funds held in:

all of the investor's accounts held directly with the Trust or through a financial firm; 

any account of the investor at another financial firm; and 

accounts of Qualifying Investors, at any financial firm.

The SAI provides additional information regarding eliminations of and reductions in sales loads associated with Eligible Funds. You can obtain the SAI free of charge from PIMCO by written request, by visiting pimco.com or by calling 888.87.PIMCO.

Contingent Deferred Sales Charges

Class A Shares

Unless you are eligible for a waiver, if you purchase $1,000,000 ($250,000 in the case of the PIMCO Low Duration Income and PIMCO Senior Floating Rate Funds) or more of Class A shares (and, thus, pay no initial sales charge) of a Fund, you will be subject to a 1% CDSC if you sell (redeem) your Class A shares within 12 months of their purchase. The Class A CDSC does not apply if you are otherwise eligible to purchase Class A shares without an initial sales charge or are eligible for a waiver of the CDSC. See "Reductions and Waivers of Initial Sales Charges and CDSCs" below.

Class C Shares

Unless you are eligible for a waiver, if you sell (redeem) your Class C shares within the time periods specified below, you will pay a CDSC according to the following schedules. If you invest in Class C shares of the Funds through a financial firm, it is the responsibility of the financial firm to ensure that you are credited with the proper holding period for the shares redeemed.

Class C Shares

 


Years Since Purchase Payment was Made

Percentage
Contingent Deferred
Sales Charge

First

1%

Thereafter

0%

 

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How CDSCs will be Calculated

A CDSC is imposed on redemptions of Class C shares (and where applicable, Class A shares) on the amount of the redemption which causes the current value of your account for the particular class of shares of the Fund to fall below the total dollar amount of your purchase payments subject to the CDSC.

The following rules apply under the method for calculating CDSCs:

Shares acquired through the reinvestment of dividends or capital gains distributions will be redeemed first and will not be subject to any CDSC.

For the redemption of all other shares, the CDSC will be based on either your original purchase price or the then current NAV of the shares being sold, whichever is lower. To illustrate this point, consider shares purchased at an NAV of $10. If the Fund's NAV per share at the time of redemption is $12, the CDSC will apply to the purchase price of $10. If the NAV per share at the time of redemption is $8, the CDSC will apply to the $8 current NAV per share.

CDSCs will be deducted from the proceeds of your redemption, not from amounts remaining in your account.

In determining whether a CDSC is payable, it is assumed that you will redeem first the lot of shares which will incur the lowest CDSC.

For example, the following illustrates the operation of the Class C CDSC:

Assume that an individual opens an account and makes a purchase payment of $10,000 for 1,000 Class C shares of a Fund (at $10 per share) and that six months later the value of the investor's account for that Fund has grown through investment performance to $11,000 ($11 per share). If the investor should redeem $2,200 (200 shares), a CDSC would be applied against $2,000 of the redemption (the purchase price of the shares redeemed, because the purchase price is lower than the current NAV of such shares ($2,200)). At the rate of 1%, the Class C CDSC would be $20.

Reductions and Waivers of Initial Sales Charges and CDSCs

The initial sales charges on Class A shares and the CDSCs on Class A and Class C shares may be reduced or waived under certain purchase arrangements and for certain categories of investors. Please see the SAI for details.

Shares Purchased or Held Through Financial Firms

The availability of sales charge waivers and discounts may depend on the particular financial firm or type of account through which you purchase or hold Fund shares. The Funds' sales charge waivers and discounts disclosed in this Prospectus are available for qualifying purchases made directly from the Distributor and are generally available through financial firms unless otherwise specified in Appendix B. The sales charge waivers and discounts available through certain other financial firms are set forth in Appendix B to this Prospectus (Financial Firm-Specific Sales Charge Waivers and Discounts), which may differ from those available for purchases made directly from the Distributor or certain other financial firms. Please contact your financial firm for more information regarding sales charge waivers and discounts available to you and the financial firm's related policies and procedures.

No Sales Charges — Class R Shares

The Funds do not impose any sales charges or other fees on purchases, redemptions or exchanges of Class R shares. Class R shares generally are available only to 401(k) plans, 457 plans, employer sponsored 403(b) plans, profit sharing and money purchase pension plans, defined benefit plans, non-qualified deferred compensation plans, health care benefit funding plans and other specified benefit plans and accounts whereby the plan or the plan's financial firm has an agreement with the Distributor or PIMCO Funds to utilize Class R shares in certain investment products or programs (collectively, "specified benefit plans"). In addition, Class R shares also are generally available only to specified benefit plans where Class R shares are held on the books of the Funds through omnibus accounts (either at the benefit plan level or at the level of the plan's financial firm). Class R shares are not available to retail or non-specified benefit plan accounts, traditional and Roth IRAs (except through certain omnibus accounts), Coverdell Education Savings Accounts, SEPs, SAR-SEPs, SIMPLE IRAs, or individual 403(b) plans.

The administrator of a specified benefit plan or employee benefits office can provide participants with detailed information on how to participate in the plan and how to elect a Fund as an investment option. Plan participants may be permitted to elect different investment options, alter the amounts contributed to the plan, or change how contributions are allocated among investment options in accordance with the plan's specific provisions. The plan administrator or employee benefits office should be consulted for details. For questions about participant accounts, participants should contact their employee benefits office, the plan administrator, or the organization that provides recordkeeping services for the plan. In most cases, the Trust's transfer agent will have no information with respect to or control over accounts of specific Class R shareholders, and a shareholder may obtain information about accounts only through the specified benefit plan.

Eligible specified benefit plans generally may open an account and purchase Class R shares by contacting any broker, dealer or other financial firm authorized to sell or process transactions in Class R shares of the Funds. Eligible specified benefit plans may also purchase shares directly from the Distributor. See "Purchasing Shares – Class R" below. Additional shares may be purchased through a benefit plan's administrator or recordkeeper.

Financial firms may provide or arrange for the provision of some or all of the shareholder servicing and account maintenance services required by specified benefit plan accounts and their plan participants, including, without limitation, transfers of registration and dividend payee changes.

Moreover, financial firms and specified benefit plans may have omnibus accounts and similar arrangements with the Trust and may be paid for providing sub-accounting and other shareholder services. A financial firm or specified benefit plan may be paid for its services directly or indirectly by the Funds, the Administrator, another affiliate of the Fund or the Distributor (normally not to exceed an annual rate of 0.50% of a Fund's average daily net assets attributable to its Class R shares and purchased through such firm or specified benefit plan for its clients although payments with respect to shares in retirement plans are often higher). PIMCO or its affiliates may

 

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pay a financial firm or specified benefit plan an additional amount not to exceed 0.25% for sub-accounting or other shareholder services.

These fees and expenses could reduce an investment return in Class R shares. For further information on Class R shares and related items, please refer to the SAI.

No Sales Charges — Institutional Class, I-2, I-3 and Administrative Class Shares

With the exception of redemption fees imposed in connection with redemptions or exchanges of shares of the PIMCO Senior Floating Rate Fund within 30 days after acquisition, the Funds do not impose any sales charges or other fees on purchases, redemptions or exchanges of Institutional Class, I-2, I-3 or Administrative Class shares. Only certain investors are eligible to purchase these share classes. Your financial advisor or financial firm can help you determine if you are eligible to purchase Institutional Class, I-2, I-3 or Administrative Class shares. You can also call 888.87.PIMCO.

An investor transacting in Institutional Class shares, I-2 shares or I-3 shares may be required to pay a commission to a broker or other financial firm. Other share classes of the Funds that have different fees and expenses are available.

Pension and profit-sharing plans, employee benefit trusts and employee benefit plan alliances, and "wrap account" programs established with broker-dealers or other financial firms may purchase Institutional Class, I-2, I-3 or Administrative Class shares only if the plan or program for which the shares are being acquired will maintain an omnibus or pooled account for each Fund and will not require a Fund to pay any type of administrative payment per participant account to any third party.

Institutional Class shares are offered primarily for direct investment by investors such as pension and profit sharing plans, employee benefit trusts, endowments, foundations, corporations and high net worth individuals. Institutional Class shares may also be offered through certain financial firms that charge their customers transaction or other fees with respect to their customers' investments in the Funds.

I-2 shares are offered primarily through broker-dealers and other financial firms with which the Distributor has an agreement for the use of the share class in investment products, programs or accounts such as certain asset allocation, wrap fee and other similar programs. I-2 shares may also be offered through broker-dealers and other financial firms that charge their customers transaction or other fees with respect to their customers' investments in the Funds. I-2 shares of the Funds will be held in an account at a financial firm and, generally, the firm will hold a shareholder's I-2 shares in nominee or street name as your agent. In most cases, the Trust's transfer agent will have no information with respect to or control over accounts of specific I-2 shareholders, and a shareholder may obtain information about accounts only through the financial firm. Broker-dealers, other financial firms, pension and profit-sharing plans, employee benefit trusts and employee benefit plan alliances also may purchase I-2 shares.

I-3 shares of the Funds are offered primarily through broker-dealers and other financial firms with which the Distributor has an agreement for the use of the share class in investment products, programs or accounts such as mutual fund supermarkets or other no transaction fee platforms. I-3 shares of the Funds will be held in an account at a financial firm and, generally, the firm will hold a shareholder's I-3 shares in nominee or street name as your agent. In most cases, the Trust's transfer agent will have no information with respect to or control over accounts of specific I-3 shareholders, and a shareholder may obtain information about accounts only through the financial firm. Broker-dealers, other financial firms, pension and profit-sharing plans, employee benefit trusts and employee benefit plan alliances also may purchase I-3 shares.

Administrative Class shares are offered primarily through broker-dealers, other financial firms, and employee benefit plan alliances. Each Fund typically pays service and/or distribution fees to these entities for services they provide to Administrative Class shareholders.

Distribution and Servicing (12b-1) Plans

Class A, Class C and Class R Shares. The Funds pay fees to the Distributor on an ongoing basis as compensation for the services the Distributor renders and the expenses it bears in connection with the sale and distribution of Fund shares ("distribution fees") and/or in connection with personal services rendered to Fund shareholders and the maintenance of shareholder accounts ("servicing fees"). These payments are made pursuant to Distribution and Servicing Plans ("12b-1 Plans") adopted by each Fund pursuant to Rule 12b-1 under the 1940 Act.

Class A shares pay only servicing fees. Class C and Class R shares pay both distribution and servicing fees. The following lists the maximum annual rates at which the distribution and/or servicing fees may be paid under each 12b-1 Plan (calculated as a percentage of each Fund's average daily net assets attributable to the particular class of shares):

Class A

Servicing Fee

Distribution Fee

All Funds

0.25%

0.00%

 

Class C

Servicing Fee

Distribution Fee

PIMCO Low Duration Income Fund

0.25%

0.30%

All other Funds

0.25%

0.75%

 

Class R

Servicing Fee

Distribution Fee

All Funds

0.25%

0.25%

Because distribution fees are paid out of the Fund's assets on an ongoing basis, over time these fees will increase the cost of your investment and may cost you more than other types of sales charges, such as sales charges that are deducted at the time of investment. Therefore, although Class C and Class R shares do not pay initial sales charges, the distribution fees payable on Class C and Class R shares may, over time, cost you more than the initial sales charge imposed on Class A shares.

Administrative Class Shares. The Trust has adopted, pursuant to Rule 12b-1 under the 1940 Act, a separate Distribution and Servicing Plan for the Administrative Class shares of the Funds. The Distribution and Servicing Plan permits the Funds to compensate the Distributor for providing or procuring through financial firms, distribution, administrative, recordkeeping, shareholder and/or related services with respect to the Administrative Class shares. Most or all of the distribution and service

 

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(12b-1) fees are paid to financial firms through which shareholders may purchase or hold shares. Because these fees are paid out of a Fund's Administrative Class assets on an ongoing basis, over time they will increase the cost of an investment in Administrative Class shares.

The following lists the maximum annual rates at which the distribution and/or servicing fees may be paid under each Distribution and Servicing Plan (calculated as a percentage of each Fund's average daily net assets attributable to the particular class of shares):

Administrative Class

Distribution and/or Servicing Fee

All Funds

0.25%

Servicing Arrangements

Shares of the Funds may be available through broker-dealers, banks, trust companies, insurance companies and other financial firms that have entered into shareholder servicing arrangements with respect to the Funds. A financial firm is one that, in exchange for compensation, sells, among other products, mutual fund shares (including the shares offered in this prospectus) or provides services for mutual fund shareholders. These financial firms provide varying investment products, programs, platforms and accounts, through which investors may purchase, redeem and exchange shares of the Funds. Shareholder servicing arrangements typically include processing orders for shares, generating account and confirmation statements, sub-accounting, account maintenance, tax reporting, collecting and posting distributions to investor accounts and disbursing cash dividends as well as other investment or administrative services required for the particular firm's products, programs, platform and accounts.

PIMCO and/or its affiliates may make payments to financial firms for the shareholder services provided. These payments are made out of PIMCO's resources, including the supervisory and administrative fees paid to PIMCO under the Funds' supervision and administration agreement. The actual services provided by these firms, and the payments made for such services, vary from firm to firm. The payments may be based on a fixed dollar amount for each account and position maintained by the financial firm and/or a percentage of the value of shares held by investors through the firm. Please see the SAI for more information.

These payments may be material to financial firms relative to other compensation paid by the Funds, PIMCO and/or its affiliates and may be in addition to other fees and payments, such as distribution and/or service (12b-1) fees, revenue sharing or "shelf space" fees and event support, other non-cash compensation and charitable contributions paid to or at the request of such firms (described below). Also, the payments may differ depending on the Fund or share class and may vary from amounts paid to the Funds' transfer agent for providing similar services to other accounts. PIMCO and/or its affiliates do not control these financial firms' provision of the services for which they are receiving payments.

These financial firms may impose additional or different conditions than the Funds on purchases, redemptions or exchanges of shares. They may also independently establish and charge their customers or program participants transaction fees, account fees and other amounts in connection with purchases, redemptions and exchanges of shares in addition to any fees imposed by the Funds. These additional fees may vary and over time could increase the cost of an investment in the Funds and lower investment returns. Each financial firm is responsible for transmitting to its customers and program participants a schedule of any such fees and information regarding any additional or different conditions regarding purchases, redemptions and exchanges. Shareholders who are customers of these financial firms or participants in programs serviced by them should contact the financial firm for information regarding these fees and conditions.

Other Payments to Financial Firms

Some or all of the sales charges, distribution fees and servicing fees described above are paid or "reallowed" to the financial firm, including their financial advisors through which you purchase your shares. With respect to Class C shares, the financial firms are also paid at the time of your purchase a commission of up to 1.00% of your investment in such share class. Please see the SAI for more details.

The Distributor or PIMCO (for purposes of this subsection only, collectively, the "Distributor") may from time to time make payments and provide other incentives to selected financial firms as compensation for services such as providing the Funds with "shelf space" or a higher profile for the financial firms' financial advisors and their customers, placing the Funds on the financial firms' preferred or recommended fund list, granting the Distributor access to the firms' financial advisors and furnishing marketing support and other specified services. These payments may be significant to the financial firms.

A number of factors will be considered in determining the amount of these payments to financial firms. On some occasions, such payments may be conditioned upon levels of sales, including the sale of a specified minimum dollar amount of the shares of the Funds, other funds sponsored by the Distributor and/or a particular class of shares, during a specified period of time. The Distributor may also make payments to one or more financial firms based upon factors such as the amount of assets a financial firm's clients have invested in the Funds and the quality of the financial firm's relationship with the Distributor.

The additional payments described above are made from the Distributor's or PIMCO's (or their affiliates') own assets (and sometimes, therefore referred to as "revenue sharing") pursuant to agreements with broker-dealers or other financial firms and do not change the price paid by investors for the purchase of a Fund's shares or the amount a Fund will receive as proceeds from such sales. These payments may be made to financial firms (as selected by the Distributor) that have sold significant amounts of shares of the Funds. With respect to Class A, C and R shares, except as described in the following paragraph, the level of payments made to a financial firm in any future year will vary and generally will not exceed the sum of: (a) 0.10% of such year's sales of Class A, C and R shares of funds of the Trust and PIMCO Equity Series by such financial firm; and (b) 0.03% of the assets attributable to that financial firm invested in Class A, C and R shares of funds of the Trust and PIMCO Equity Series (the "10/3 cap"). In certain cases, the payments described in the preceding sentence are subject to certain minimum payment levels. In lieu of payments pursuant to the foregoing formula, the Distributor, PIMCO or their affiliates may make

 

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payments of an agreed upon amount which generally will not exceed the amount that would have been payable pursuant to the formula.

Financial firms with a combined AUM in excess of $10 Billion in Class A, C and I-2 shares of funds of the Trust and PIMCO Equity Series (for purposes of this paragraph, "Eligible Firms") may be eligible for marketing support payments beyond those described in the preceding paragraph on certain Eligible Assets (as defined below). The total payment to any Eligible Firm generally shall not exceed the greater of: (a) 0.05% of the combined Eligible Assets of Class A, C and I-2 shares of funds of the Trust and PIMCO Equity Series; or (b) the 10/3 cap with respect to Class A and Class C shares only. Should any Eligible Firm choose not to collect marketing support on I-2 shares, the total payment to such Eligible Firm generally shall not exceed the greater of: (x) 0.05% of Eligible Assets of Class A and C shares of funds of the Trust and PIMCO Equity Series; or (y) the 10/3 cap with respect to Class A and Class C shares only. With respect to the Eligible Firms receiving marketing support payments with respect to I-2 Shares pursuant to this paragraph, payments may be lower for particular funds of the Trust or PIMCO Equity Series as compared to other funds of the Trust or PIMCO Equity Series. "Eligible Assets" for purposes of this paragraph shall include all assets of Class A, C and I-2 shares of funds of the Trust and PIMCO Equity Series attributable to such Eligible Firm except advisory account assets held through a corporate retirement plan governed by the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974, Simplified Employee Pension Individual Retirement Accounts and Savings Incentive Match Plans for Individual Retirement Accounts.

Payments for marketing support may also include payments to financial firms in connection with the marketing and sale of model portfolios developed by PIMCO. Such payments may relate to assets under management or sales of any share class of the Funds in such PIMCO-developed models.

In addition to the foregoing payments, the Distributor or its employees and representatives may make payments or reimburse financial firms for sponsorship and/or attendance at conferences, seminars or informational meetings ("event support"), provide financial firms or their personnel with occasional tickets to events or other entertainment, meals, and small gifts ("other non-cash compensation"), make charitable contributions to valid charitable organizations at the request of financial firms ("charitable contributions") and make financial contributions pertaining to sales incentives and contests, each to the extent permitted by applicable law, rules and regulations.

In addition, wholesaler representatives of the Distributor visit financial firms on a regular basis to market and educate financial advisors and other personnel about the Funds. These payments, reimbursements and activities may provide additional access to financial advisors at these financial firms, which may increase purchases and/or reduce redemptions of Fund shares.

The Distributor also may pay financial firms for certain services including technology, operations, tax, or audit consulting services, and may pay such firms for the Distributor's attendance at investment forums sponsored by such firms or for various studies, surveys, or access to databases. Subject to applicable law, PIMCO and its affiliates may also provide investment advisory services to financial firms and may execute brokerage transactions on behalf of the Funds with such financial firms. These financial firms may, in the ordinary course of their business, recommend that their clients utilize PIMCO's investment advisory services or invest in the Funds or in other products sponsored or distributed by the Distributor.

If investment advisers, distributors or affiliates of mutual funds make payments and provide other incentives in differing amounts, financial firms and their financial advisors may have financial incentives for recommending a particular mutual fund over other mutual funds. In addition, depending on the arrangements in place at any particular time, a financial firm and its financial advisors may also have a financial incentive for recommending a particular share class over other share classes. A shareholder who holds Fund shares through a financial firm should consult with the shareholder's financial advisor and review carefully any disclosure by the financial firm as to its compensation received by the financial advisor.

Although the Funds may use financial firms that sell Fund shares to effect transactions for the Funds' portfolios, the Funds and PIMCO will not consider the sale of Fund shares as a factor when choosing financial firms to effect those transactions.

For further details about payments made by the Distributor to financial firms, please see the SAI.

Purchases, Redemptions and Exchanges

The following section provides basic information about how to purchase, redeem and exchange shares of the Funds.

More detailed information about purchase, redemption and exchange arrangements for Fund shares is provided in the SAI, which can be obtained free of charge by written request to the Funds at P.O. Box 55060, Boston, MA 02205-5060, visiting pimco.com or by calling 888.87.PIMCO. The SAI provides technical information about the basic arrangements described below and also describes special purchase, sale and exchange features and programs offered by the Trust, including:

Automated telephone and wire transfer procedures

Automatic purchase, exchange and withdrawal programs

A link from your PIMCO Fund account to your bank account

Special arrangements for tax-qualified retirement plans

Investment programs which allow you to reduce or eliminate the initial sales charges

Categories of investors that are eligible for waivers or reductions of initial sales charges and CDSCs

In addition to the other methods and notwithstanding any limitations described herein, shareholders with eligible Fund direct accounts may purchase Class A and Class C shares, and redeem (sell) and exchange Class A and Class C shares, by accessing their accounts online at pimco.com/MyAccountAccess.  Shareholders with eligible Fund direct accounts in the Institutional class may purchase, redeem (sell) and exchange shares by accessing their accounts online at pimco.com/InstitutionalAccountAccess. Accordingly, an investor must first establish a Fund direct account by completing and mailing the appropriate account application. Online redemptions are not available for all Fund direct accounts because in certain cases, a signature guarantee may be required.

 

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If a shareholder elects to use Account Access to effect transactions for their Fund direct account, the shareholder will be required to establish and use a user ID and password. Shareholders are responsible for keeping their user IDs and passwords private. A Fund will not be liable for relying on any instructions submitted online. Submitting transactions online may be difficult (or impossible) during drastic economic or market changes or during other times when communications may be under unusual stress. Please see the Funds' SAI for additional terms, conditions and considerations.

If a shareholder elects not to use Account Access to view their account or effect transactions, the shareholder should not establish online account access.  If online account access has already been established and the client no longer wants the account accessible online, the client can call 888.87.PIMCO and request to suspend online access.

The Trust typically does not offer or sell its shares to non-U.S. residents. For purposes of this policy, a U.S. resident is defined as an account with (i) a U.S. address of record and (ii) all account owners residing in the U.S. at the time of sale.

The minimum initial investment may be modified for certain financial firms that submit orders on behalf of their customers. The Trust or the Distributor may lower or waive the minimum initial or subsequent investment for certain categories of investors at their discretion. Please see the SAI for details.

Purchasing Shares — Class A and Class C

You can purchase Class A or Class C shares of the Funds in the following ways:

Through your broker-dealer or other financial firm. Your broker-dealer or other financial firm may establish higher minimum investment requirements than the Trust and may also independently charge you transaction fees and additional amounts (which may vary) in return for its services, which will reduce your return. Shares you purchase through your broker-dealer or other financial firm will normally be held in your account with that firm.

Through the Distributor. You should discuss your investment with your financial advisor before you make a purchase to be sure the Fund is appropriate for you. To make direct investments, you must open an account with the Trust and send payment for your shares either by mail or through a variety of other purchase options and plans offered by the Trust. If you do not list a financial advisor and his/her brokerage firm on the Account Application, the Distributor is designated as the broker of record, but solely for purposes of acting as your agent to purchase shares.

Investment Minimums — Class A and Class C Shares. The following investment minimums apply for purchases of Class A and Class C shares.

Purchasing Shares — Class R

Eligible plan investors may purchase Class R shares of the Funds at the relevant NAV of that class without a sales charge. See "No Sales Charges — Class R Shares" above. Plan participants may purchase Class R shares only through their specified benefit plans. In connection with purchases, specified benefit plans are responsible for forwarding all necessary documentation to their financial firm or the Distributor. Specified benefit plans and financial firms may charge for such services.

Specified benefit plans may also purchase Class R shares directly through the Distributor. To make direct investments, a plan administrator must open an account with the Fund and send payment for Class R shares either by mail or through a variety of other purchase options and plans offered by the Trust. Specified benefit plans that purchase their shares directly from the Trust must hold their shares in an omnibus account at the specified benefit plan level.

Investment Minimums — Class R Shares. There is no minimum initial or additional investment in Class R shares.

To invest directly by mail, specified benefit plans should send a check payable to the PIMCO Family of Funds, along with a completed Account Application to the Trust by mail to PIMCO Funds, P.O. Box 55060, Boston, MA 02205-5060 or overnight courier to PIMCO Funds, c/o DST Asset Manager Solutions, Inc., 30 Dan Road, Canton, MA 02021-2809.

The Funds accept all purchases by mail subject to collection of checks at full value and conversion into federal funds. Investors may make subsequent purchases by mailing a check to the address above with a letter describing the investment or with the additional investment portion of a confirmation statement. Checks for subsequent purchases should be payable to the PIMCO Family of Funds and should clearly indicate the relevant account number. Please call the Funds at 888.87.PIMCO if you have any questions regarding purchases by mail.

The Funds reserve the right to require payment by wire, Automatic Clearing House (ACH) or U.S. bank check. The Funds generally do not accept payments made by cash, money order, temporary/starter checks, third-party checks, credit card checks, traveler's check, or checks drawn on non-U.S. banks even if payment may be effected through a U.S. bank.

The SAI describes a number of additional ways you can make direct investments, including through the PIMCO Funds Automatic Investment Plan and ACH Network. You can obtain the SAI free of charge from the Funds by written request to the address above, visiting pimco.com or by calling 888.87.PIMCO.

Purchasing Shares — Institutional Class, I-2, I-3 and Administrative Class

Eligible investors may purchase Institutional Class, I-2, I-3 and Administrative Class shares of the Funds at the relevant NAV of that class without a sales charge. See "No Sales Charges — Institutional Class, I-2, I-3 and Administrative Class Shares" above.

Investment Minimums — Institutional Class, I-2, I-3 and Administrative Class Shares. The following investment minimums apply for purchases of Institutional Class, I-2, I-3 and Administrative Class shares.

 

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Initial Investment. Investors who wish to invest in Institutional Class and Administrative Class shares may obtain an Account Application online at pimco.com or by calling 888.87.PIMCO. I-2 and I-3 shares are only available through financial firms. See "No Sales Charges — Institutional Class, I-2, I-3 and Administrative Class Shares." The completed Account Application may be submitted using the following methods:

Facsimile: 816.421.2861

Regular Mail:
    PIMCO Funds
    c/o DST Asset Manager Solutions
    330 W. 9th Street
    Kansas City, MO 64105

E-mail: piprocess@dstsystems.com

Except as described below, an investor may purchase Institutional Class and Administrative Class shares only by wiring federal funds to:

PIMCO Funds c/o State Street Bank & Trust Co.
One Lincoln Street, Boston, MA 02111
ABA: 011000028
DDA: 9905-7432
ACCT: Investor PIMCO Account Number
FFC: Name of Investor and Name of Fund(s) in which you wish to invest

Before wiring federal funds, the investor must provide order instructions to the Transfer Agent by facsimile at 816.421.2861, by telephone at 888.87.PIMCO or by e-mail at piprocess@dstsystems.com (if an investor elected this option at account opening or subsequently in writing). In order to receive the current day's NAV, order instructions must be received in good order prior to market close. Instructions must include the name and signature of an authorized person designated on the Account Application ("Authorized Person"), account name, account number, name of Fund and share class and amount being wired. Wires received without order instructions may result in a processing delay or a return of wire. Failure to send the accompanying wire on the same day may result in the cancellation of the order.

An investor may place a purchase order for shares without first wiring federal funds if the purchase amount is to be derived from an advisory account managed by PIMCO or one of its affiliates, or from an account with a broker-dealer or other financial firm that has established a processing relationship with the Trust on behalf of its customers.

Additional Investments. An investor may purchase additional Institutional Class and Administrative Class shares of the Funds at any time by sending a facsimile or e-mail or by calling the Transfer Agent and wiring federal funds as outlined above.  Eligible Institutional Class shareholders may also purchase additional shares online at pimco.com/InstitutionalAccountAccess. Contact your financial firm for information on purchasing additional I-2 or I-3 shares. 

Other Purchase Information. Purchases of a Fund's Institutional Class, I-2, I-3 and Administrative Class shares will be made in full and fractional shares.

Purchasing Shares — Additional Information

The Trust and the Distributor each reserves the right, in its sole discretion, to suspend the offering of shares of the Funds or to reject any purchase order, in whole or in part, when, in the judgment of management, such suspension or rejection is in the best interests of the Trust.

Subject to the approval of the Trust, an investor may purchase shares of the Fund with liquid securities that are eligible for purchase by the Fund (consistent with the Fund's investment policies and restrictions) and that have a value that is readily ascertainable in accordance with the Trust's valuation policies. These transactions will be effected only if PIMCO intends to retain the security in the Fund as an investment. Assets purchased by the Fund in such a transaction will be valued in generally the same manner as they would be valued for purposes of pricing the Fund's shares, if such assets were included in the Fund's assets at the time of purchase. The Trust reserves the right to amend or terminate this practice at any time.

In the interest of economy and convenience, certificates for shares will not be issued.

Redeeming Shares — Class A and Class C

You can redeem (sell) Class A or Class C shares of the Funds in the following ways: 

Through your broker-dealer or other financial firm. Your broker-dealer or other financial firm may independently charge you transaction fees and additional amounts in return for its services, which will reduce your return.

Redemptions by Telephone. An investor that elects this option on the Account Application (or subsequently in writing) may request redemptions of Class A and Class C shares by calling the Trust at 888.87.PIMCO. An Authorized Person must state his or her name, account name, account number, name of Fund and share class, and redemption amount (in dollars or shares). Redemption requests of an amount of $10 million or more must be submitted in writing by an Authorized Person.

Directly from the Trust by Written Request. To redeem shares directly from the Trust by written request, you must send the following items to the PIMCO Funds, P.O. Box 55060, Boston, MA 02205-5060:

i.

a written request for redemption signed by all registered owners exactly as the account is registered on the Transfer Agent's records, including fiduciary titles, if any, and specifying the account number and the dollar amount or number of shares to be redeemed;

ii.

for certain redemptions described below, a guarantee of all signatures on the written request or on the share certificate or accompanying stock power, if required, as described under "Signature Validation" below;

iii.

any share certificates issued for any of the shares to be redeemed (see "Certificated Shares" below); and

 

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iv.

any additional documents which may be required by the Transfer Agent for redemption by corporations, partnerships or other organizations, executors, administrators, trustees, custodians or guardians, or if the redemption is requested by anyone other than the shareholder(s) of record. Transfers of shares are subject to the same requirements.

A signature validation is not required for redemptions requested by and payable to all shareholders of record for the account, and to be sent to the address of record for that account. To avoid delay in redemption or transfer, if you have any questions about these requirements you should contact the Transfer Agent in writing or call 888.87.PIMCO before submitting a request. Written redemption or transfer requests will not be honored until all required documents in the proper form have been received by the Transfer Agent. You cannot redeem your shares by written request if they are held in "street name" accounts—you must redeem through your financial firm.

If the proceeds of your redemption (i) are to be paid to a person other than the record owner, (ii) are to be sent to an address other than the address of the account on the Transfer Agent's records, and/or (iii) are to be paid to a corporation, partnership, trust or fiduciary, the signature(s) on the redemption request and on the certificates, if any, or stock power must be guaranteed as described under "Signature Validation" below.

The SAI describes a number of additional ways you can redeem your shares, including: 

Telephone requests to the Transfer Agent

Online Account Access

Expedited wire transfers 

Automatic Withdrawal Plan 

Automated Clearing House (ACH) Network

Unless you specifically elect otherwise, your initial Account Application permits you to redeem shares by telephone subject to certain requirements. To be eligible for expedited wire transfer, Automatic Withdrawal Plan, and ACH privileges, you must specifically elect the particular option on your Account Application and satisfy certain other requirements. The SAI describes each of these options and provides additional information about selling shares.

Other than an applicable CDSC, you will not pay any special fees or charges to the Trust or the Distributor when you sell your shares. However, if you sell your shares through your broker, dealer or other financial firm, that firm may charge you a commission or other fee for processing your redemption request.

Redeeming Shares — Class R

Class R shares may be redeemed through the investor's plan administrator. Investors do not pay any fees or other charges to the Trust when selling shares, although specified benefit plans and financial firms may charge for their services in processing redemption requests. Please contact the plan or firm for details.

Subject to any restrictions in the applicable specified benefit plan documents, plan administrators are obligated to transmit redemption orders to the Trust's Transfer Agent or their financial service firm promptly and are responsible for ensuring that redemption requests are in proper form. Specified benefit plans and financial firms will be responsible for furnishing all necessary documentation to the Trust's Transfer Agent and may charge for their services.

Redeeming Shares — Institutional Class and Administrative Class

Redemptions in Writing. Investors may redeem (sell) Institutional Class and Administrative Class shares by sending a facsimile, written request or e-mail as follows:

Facsimile: 816.421.2861 

Regular Mail:
    PIMCO Funds
    c/o DST Asset Manager Solutions
    330 W. 9th Street
    Kansas City, MO 64105

E-mail: piprocess@dstsystems.com

The redemption request should state the Fund from which the shares are to be redeemed, the class of shares, the number or dollar amount of the shares to be redeemed and the account number. The request must be signed or made by an Authorized Person.

Neither the Trust nor the Transfer Agent may be liable for any loss, cost or expense for acting on instructions (including those by fax or e-mail) believed by the party receiving such instructions to be genuine and in accordance with the procedures described in this prospectus. Shareholders should realize that by utilizing fax or e-mail redemption, they may be giving up a measure of security that they might have if they were to redeem their shares by mail. Furthermore, interruptions in service may mean that a shareholder will be unable to effect a redemption by fax or e-mail when desired. The Transfer Agent also provides written confirmation of transactions as a procedure designed to confirm that instructions are genuine.

All redemptions, whether initiated by mail, fax or e-mail, will be processed in a timely manner, and proceeds will be forwarded by wire in accordance with the redemption policies of the Trust detailed below. See "Redeeming Shares—Additional Information."

Redemptions by Telephone. An investor that elects this option on the Account Application (or subsequently in writing) may request redemptions of Institutional Class and Administrative Class shares by calling the Trust at 888.87.PIMCO. An Authorized Person must state his or her name, account name, account number, name of Fund and share class, and redemption amount (in dollars or shares). Redemption requests of an amount of $10 million or more must be submitted in writing by an Authorized Person.

In electing a telephone redemption, the investor authorizes PIMCO and the Transfer Agent to act on telephone instructions from any person representing him or herself to be an Authorized Person, and reasonably believed by PIMCO or the Transfer Agent to be genuine. Neither the Trust nor the Transfer Agent may be liable for any loss, cost or expense for acting on instructions (including by telephone) believed by the party receiving such instructions to be genuine and in accordance with the procedures described in this prospectus. Shareholders should realize that by electing the telephone option, they may be giving up a measure of security that they might have if they were to redeem their shares in writing. Furthermore,

 

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interruptions in service may mean that shareholders will be unable to redeem their shares by telephone when desired. The Transfer Agent also provides written confirmation of transactions initiated by telephone as a procedure designed to confirm that telephone instructions are genuine. All telephone transactions are recorded, and PIMCO or the Transfer Agent may request certain information in order to verify that the person giving instructions is authorized to do so. The Trust or Transfer Agent may be liable for any losses due to unauthorized or fraudulent telephone transactions if it fails to employ reasonable procedures to confirm that instructions communicated by telephone are genuine. All redemptions initiated by telephone will be processed in a timely manner, and proceeds will be forwarded by wire in accordance with the redemption policies of the Trust detailed below. See "Redeeming Shares - Additional Information."

An Authorized Person may decline telephone exchange or redemption privileges after an account is opened by providing the Transfer Agent a letter of instruction signed by an Authorized Signer. Shareholders may experience delays in exercising telephone redemption privileges during periods of abnormal market activity. During periods of volatile economic or market conditions, shareholders may wish to consider transmitting redemption orders by facsimile, e-mail or overnight courier.

Defined contribution plan participants may request redemptions by contacting the employee benefits office, the plan administrator or the organization that provides recordkeeping services for the plan. 

Redemptions of shares of the PIMCO Senior Floating Rate Fund held less than 30 days may be subject to a redemption fee. See "Redemption Fees" below.

Redemptions Online

An investor may redeem Institutional Class shares through their account online. To access your online account, please log onto pimco.com/InstitutionalAccountAccess and enter your account information and personal identification data.

Redeeming Shares — I-2 and I-3

An investor may redeem (sell) I-2 or I-3 shares through the investor's financial firm.  Investors do not pay any fees or other charges to the Trust when selling I-2 or I-3 shares.  Please contact the financial firm for details.

Redemptions of shares of the PIMCO Senior Floating Rate Fund held less than 30 days may be subject to a redemption fee. See "Redemption Fees" below.

A financial firm is obligated to transmit an investor's redemption orders to the Transfer Agent promptly and is responsible for ensuring that a redemption request is in proper form. The financial firm will be responsible for furnishing all necessary documentation to the Transfer Agent and may charge for its services.

Redemption Fees

Investors in shares of the PIMCO Senior Floating Rate Fund will be subject to a "redemption fee" on redemptions and exchanges of 1.00% of the NAV of the shares redeemed or exchanged. Redemption fees will only be charged on shares redeemed or exchanged within 30 calendar days (the "Holding Period") after their acquisition, including shares acquired through exchanges.

When calculating the redemption fee, shares that are not subject to a redemption fee ("Free Shares"), including, but not limited to, shares acquired through the reinvestment of dividends and distributions, will be considered redeemed first. If Free Shares are not sufficient to fulfill the redemption order, and in cases where a shareholder holds shares acquired on different dates, the first-in/first-out ("FIFO") method will be used to determine which additional shares are being redeemed, and therefore whether a redemption fee is payable. As a result, Free Shares will be redeemed prior to PIMCO Senior Floating Rate Fund shares that are subject to the fee. In cases where redemptions are processed through financial intermediaries, there may be a delay between the time the shareholder redeems his or her shares and the payment of the redemption fee to the Fund, depending upon such financial intermediaries' trade processing procedures and systems.

A new Holding Period begins the day following each acquisition of shares through a purchase or exchange (other than a Share Class Conversion (as defined below)). With respect to a Share Class Conversion (as defined below), a shareholder's Holding Period for the class of shares purchased will include the Holding Period of the other class of shares redeemed.

The purpose of redemption fees is to deter excessive, short term trading and other abusive trading practices as described above under "Abusive Trading Practices" and to help offset the costs associated with the sale of portfolio securities to satisfy redemption and exchange requests made by "market timers" and other short-term shareholders, thereby insulating longer-term shareholders from such costs. Redemption fees are not paid separately, but are deducted from the amount to be received in connection with a redemption or exchange. The purpose of redemption fees is also to eliminate or reduce so far as practicable any dilution of the value of the outstanding securities issued by the PIMCO Senior Floating Rate Fund. Redemption fees are paid to and retained by the PIMCO Senior Floating Rate Fund to defray certain costs described above and are not paid to or retained by PIMCO or the Distributor. Redemption fees are not sales loads or contingent deferred sales charges.

Waivers of Redemption Fees. In the following situations, the PIMCO Senior Floating Rate Fund has elected not to impose the redemption fee:

redemptions and exchanges of Fund shares acquired through the reinvestment of dividends and distributions;

redemptions or exchanges in connection with a systematic withdrawal plan (including an automatic exchange plan);

certain types of redemptions and exchanges of Fund shares owned through participant-directed retirement plans (see below for details);

redemptions or exchanges that are initiated by the sponsor of a program as part of a periodic rebalancing, provided that such rebalancing occurs no more frequently than monthly;

redemptions or exchanges in a discretionary asset allocation or wrap program ("wrap programs") that are made as a result of a full withdrawal from the wrap program;

redemptions or exchanges by "Lifestyle Funds" (funds that have a predetermined asset mix tailored to the level of risk and return desired by particular investors) or participant accounts in defined contribution plans utilizing a similar model;

 

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redemptions or exchanges in connection with required minimum distributions from a wrap program, an IRA, a participant directed retirement plan, or any other employee benefit plan or account qualified under Section 401 of the Code;

redemptions or exchanges in connection with distributions from a 529 plan;

involuntary redemptions, such as those resulting from a shareholder's failure to maintain a minimum investment in the Fund, or to pay shareholder fees;

redemptions and exchanges effected by other mutual funds that are sponsored by PIMCO or its affiliates; and

otherwise as PIMCO or the Trust may determine in their sole discretion.

Additionally, no redemption fee applies to a redemption of shares of any class of the PIMCO Senior Floating Rate Fund where the entirety of the proceeds of such redemption are immediately invested in another share class of the Fund (a "Share Class Conversion").

Applicability of Redemption Fees in Certain Participant- Directed Retirement Plans. Redemption fees will not apply to the following transactions in participant-directed retirement plans (such as 401(k), 403(b), 457 and Keogh plans): 1) where the shares being redeemed were purchased with new contributions to the plan (e.g., payroll contributions, employer contributions, loan repayments); 2) redemptions made in connection with taking out a loan from the plan; 3) redemptions in connection with death, disability, forfeiture, hardship withdrawals, or Qualified Domestic Relations Orders; 4) redemptions made by a defined contribution plan in connection with the restructuring of the plan; 5) redemptions made in connection with a participant's termination of employment; or 6) redemptions or exchanges where the application of a redemption fee would cause the Fund, or an asset allocation program of which the Fund is a part, to fail to be considered a "qualified default investment alternative" under the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974, as amended, and the rules and regulations thereunder. Redemption fees generally will apply to other participant-directed redemptions and exchanges.

Retirement plan sponsors, participant recordkeeping organizations and other financial intermediaries may also impose their own restrictions, limitations or fees in connection with transactions in the PIMCO Senior Floating Rate Fund's shares, which may be stricter than those described in this section. You should contact your plan sponsor, recordkeeper or financial intermediary for more information on any differences in how the redemption fee is applied to your investments in the PIMCO Senior Floating Rate Fund, and whether any additional restrictions, limitations or fees are imposed in connection with transactions in Fund shares.

The Trust may eliminate or modify the waivers enumerated above at any time, in its sole discretion. Shareholders will receive 30 days' notice of any material changes to the redemption fee, unless otherwise permitted by law.

Redeeming Shares — Additional Information

Redemptions of all Classes of Fund shares may be made on any day the New York Stock Exchange ("NYSE") is open, but may be suspended when trading on the NYSE is restricted or during an emergency which makes it impracticable for the Funds to dispose of their securities or to determine fairly the value of their net assets, or during any other period as permitted by the SEC for the protection of investors. Under these and other unusual circumstances, the Trust may suspend redemptions or postpone payment for more than seven days, as permitted by law.

Following the receipt of a redemption request, redemption proceeds will normally be mailed to the redeeming shareholder within three calendar days or, in the case of wire transfer or ACH redemptions, will normally be sent to the designated bank account within one business day. Institutional Class shareholders may only receive redemption proceeds via wire transfer or ACH redemptions. ACH redemptions may be received by the bank on the second or third business day following a redemption request, but in either case may take up to seven days. In cases where shares have recently been purchased by personal check (Class A, Class C or Class R shareholders only), redemption proceeds may be withheld until the check has been collected, which may take up to 10 calendar days. To avoid such withholding, investors in Class A, Class C or Class R shares should purchase shares by certified or bank check or by wire transfer.

For shareholder protection, a request to change information contained in an account registration (for example, a request to change the bank designated to receive wire redemption proceeds) must be received in writing, signed by the minimum number of Authorized Persons designated on the completed Account Application that are required to effect a redemption, and accompanied by a signature validation, as determined in accordance with the Trust's procedures, as more fully described below.

Retirement plan sponsors, participant recordkeeping organizations and other financial firms may also impose their own restrictions, limitations or fees in connection with transactions in the Funds' shares, which may be stricter than those described in this section. You should contact your plan sponsor, recordkeeper or financial intermediary for more information on any additional restrictions, limitations or fees that are imposed in connection with transactions in Fund shares.

In order to meet redemption requests, the Funds typically expect to use a combination of sales of portfolio assets, holdings of cash and cash equivalents (including cash flows into Funds) and financing transactions (such as reverse repurchase agreements). These methods of meeting redemption requests are expected to be used regularly. The Funds reserve the right to use other types of borrowings and interfund lending. The use of borrowings (such as a line of credit) and interfund lending in order to meet redemption requests is typically expected to be used only during stressed market conditions, if at all. See "Characteristics and Risks of Securities and Investment Techniques—Reverse Repurchase Agreements, Dollar Rolls and Other Borrowings" and the SAI for more information. The Funds' use of redemptions in kind is discussed below.

Redemptions In Kind

The Trust has agreed to redeem shares of each Fund solely in cash up to the lesser of $250,000 or 1% of the Fund's net assets during any 90-day period for any one shareholder. In consideration of the best interests of the remaining shareholders, the Trust may pay any redemption proceeds exceeding this amount in whole or in part by a distribution in kind of securities held by a Fund in lieu of cash. It is highly unlikely that your shares would ever be redeemed in kind. If your shares are redeemed in kind, you

 

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should expect to incur transaction costs upon the disposition of the securities received in the distribution.

Certificated Shares

If you are redeeming shares for which certificates have been issued, the certificates must be mailed to or deposited with the Trust, duly endorsed or accompanied by a duly endorsed stock power or by a written request for redemption. Signatures must be guaranteed as described under "Signature Validation" below. The Trust may request further documentation from institutions or fiduciary accounts, such as corporations, custodians (e.g., under the Uniform Gifts to Minors Act), executors, administrators, trustees or guardians. Your redemption request and stock power must be signed exactly as the account is registered, including indication of any special capacity of the registered owner.

Signature Validation

When a signature validation is called for, a Medallion signature guarantee or Signature validation program (SVP) stamp may be required. A Medallion signature guarantee is intended to provide signature validation for transactions considered financial in nature, and an SVP stamp is intended to provide signature validation for transactions non-financial in nature. In certain situations, a notarized signature may be used instead of a Medallion signature guarantee or an SVP stamp. A Medallion signature guarantee or SVP stamp may be obtained from a domestic bank or trust company, broker, dealer, clearing agency, savings association or other financial institution which is participating in a Medallion program or Signature validation program recognized by the Securities Transfer Association. When a Medallion signature guarantee or SVP stamp is required, signature validations from financial institutions which are not participating in one of these programs will not be accepted. Please note that financial institutions participating in a recognized Medallion program may still be ineligible to provide a signature validation for transactions of greater than a specified dollar amount. The Trust may change the signature validation requirements from time to time upon notice to shareholders, which may be given by means of a new or supplemented prospectus. Shareholders should contact the Transfer Agent for additional details regarding the Funds' signature validation requirements.

In addition, corporations, trusts, and other institutional organizations are required to furnish evidence of the authority of the persons designated on the Account Application to effect transactions for the organization.

Minimum Account Size

Due to the relatively high cost of maintaining small accounts, the Trust reserves the right to redeem shares in any account that falls below the values listed below.  

Class A, Class C and Class R. Investors should maintain an account balance in the Fund held by an investor of at least the minimum investment necessary to open the particular type of account. If an investor's balance for the Fund remains below the minimum for three months or longer, the Administrator has the right (except in the case of employer-sponsored retirement accounts) to redeem an investor's remaining shares and close the Fund account after giving the investor 60 days to increase the account balance. An investor's account will not be liquidated if the reduction in size is due solely to a decline in market value of Fund shares or if the aggregate value of all the investor's holdings in the Trust and PIMCO Equity Series accounts exceeds $50,000.

Institutional Class and Administrative Class. The Trust reserves the right to redeem Institutional Class and Administrative Class shares in any account for their then-current value (which will be promptly paid to the investor) if at any time, due to redemption by the investor, the shares in the account do not have a value of at least $100,000. A shareholder will receive advance notice of a mandatory redemption and will be given at least 60 days to bring the value of its account up to at least $100,000.

Request for Multiple Copies of Shareholder Documents

To reduce expenses, it is intended that only one copy of the Funds' prospectus and each annual and semi-annual report, when available, will be mailed to those addresses shared by two or more accounts. If you wish to receive individual copies of these documents and your shares are held directly with the Trust, call the Trust at 888.87.PIMCO. You will receive the additional copy within 30 days after receipt of your request by the Trust. Alternatively, if your shares are held through a financial institution, please contact the financial institution directly.

Exchanging Shares

You may exchange shares of a Fund for the same class of shares of any other fund of the Trust or a fund of PIMCO Equity Series that offers the same class of shares, subject to any restriction on exchanges set forth in the applicable Fund's prospectus. Shareholders interested in such an exchange may request a prospectus for these other funds by contacting the Trust.

Unless eligible for a waiver, shareholders who exchange (or redeem) shares of the PIMCO Senior Floating Rate Fund held less than 30 days may be subject to a redemption fee. See "Redemption Fees" above. Shares are exchanged on the basis of their respective NAVs, minus the redemption fee, next calculated after your exchange order is received by the Distributor.

Exchanges of Class A and Class C shares are subject to an initial $1,000 minimum (and subsequent $50 minimum) for each Fund, except with respect to tax-qualified programs and exchanges effected through the PIMCO Funds Automatic Exchange Plan. Specified benefit plans or financial service firms may impose various fees and charges, investment minimums and other requirements with respect to exchanges of Class R shares. 

An exchange is generally a taxable event which will generate capital gains or losses, and special rules may apply in computing tax basis when determining gain or loss. See "Tax Consequences" in this prospectus and "Taxation" in the SAI.

Eligible investors who maintain their account directly with the Funds may submit a request to exchange Fund shares by accessing their account online. Eligible direct investors in Class A and Class C shares may access their online account via pimco.com/MyAccountAccess. Eligible direct

 

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investors in Institutional shares may access their online account via pimco.com/InstitutionalAccountAccess.

If you maintain your Class A, Class C or Class R account with the Trust, you may exchange shares by completing a written exchange request and sending it to PIMCO Funds, P.O. Box 55060, Boston, MA 02205-5060 or by calling the Funds at 888.87.PIMCO. Exchanges of an amount of $10 million or more must be submitted in writing by an Authorized Person. If you maintain your Institutional Class, I-2 or Administrative Class shares with the Trust, you may exchange shares by following the redemption procedures for those classes above. If you maintain Class A, Class C, Class R, Institutional Class, I-2, I-3 or Administrative Class shares through an intermediary, please contact the intermediary to conduct your transactions.

Shares of one class of a Fund may also be exchanged directly for shares of another class of the Fund, subject to any applicable sales charge and other rules, as described in the SAI. 

The Trust reserves the right to refuse exchange purchases (or purchase and redemption and/or redemption and purchase transactions) if, in the judgment of PIMCO, the transaction would adversely affect a Fund and its shareholders. Although the Trust has no current intention of terminating or modifying the exchange privilege, it reserves the right to do so at any time. Except as otherwise permitted by the SEC, the Trust will give you 60 days' advance notice if it exercises its right to terminate or materially modify the exchange privilege with respect to Class A, Class C and Class R shares.

The SAI provides more detailed information about the exchange privilege, including the procedures you must follow and additional exchange options. You can obtain the SAI free of charge from the Funds by written request to the address above, by visiting pimco.com or by calling 888.87.PIMCO.

Acceptance and Timing of Purchase Orders, Redemption Orders and Share Price Calculations

A purchase order received by the Trust or its designee prior to the close of regular trading on the NYSE (normally 4:00 p.m., Eastern time) ("NYSE Close"), on a day the Trust is open for business, together with payment made in one of the ways described above will be effected at that day's NAV plus any applicable sales charge. An order received after the close of regular trading on the NYSE will be effected at the NAV determined on the next business day. However, orders received by certain retirement plans and other financial firms on a business day prior to the close of regular trading on the NYSE and communicated to the Trust or its designee prior to such time as agreed upon by the Trust and financial firm will be effected at the NAV determined on the business day the order was received by the financial firm. The Trust is "open for business" on each day the NYSE is open for trading, which excludes the following holidays: New Year's Day, Martin Luther King, Jr. Day, Presidents' Day, Good Friday, Memorial Day, Independence Day, Labor Day, Thanksgiving Day and Christmas Day. If the NYSE is closed due to weather or other extenuating circumstances on a day it would typically be open for business, the Trust reserves the right to treat such day as a Business Day and accept purchase and redemption orders and calculate a Fund's NAV, in accordance with applicable law. A Fund reserves the right to close if the primary trading markets of the Fund's portfolio instruments are closed and the Fund's management believes that there is not an adequate market to meet purchase, redemption or exchange requests. On any business day when the Securities Industry and Financial Markets Association ("SIFMA") recommends that the securities markets close trading early, each Fund may close trading early. Purchase orders will be accepted only on days which the Trust is open for business.

A redemption order received by the Trust or its designee prior to the NYSE Close on a day the Trust is open for business, is effective on that day (unless a specific subsequent trade date is provided). A redemption order received after that time becomes effective on the next business day. Redemption requests for Fund shares are effected at the NAV per share next determined after receipt of a redemption request by the Trust or its designee, minus any applicable sales charge. However, orders received by certain broker-dealers and other financial firms on a business day prior to the NYSE Close and communicated to the Trust or its designee prior to such time as agreed upon by the Trust and financial firm will be effected on the business day the order was received by the financial firm. The request must properly identify all relevant information such as trade date, account name, account number, redemption amount (in dollars or shares), the Fund name and the class of shares and must be executed by an Authorized Person.

The Trust and the Distributor each reserves the right, in its sole discretion, to accept or reject any order for purchase of Fund shares. The sale of shares may be suspended during any period in which the NYSE is closed other than weekends or holidays, or if permitted by the rules of the SEC, when trading on the NYSE is restricted or during an emergency which makes it impracticable for the Fund to dispose of its securities or to determine fairly the value of its net assets, or during any other period as permitted by the SEC for the protection of investors. Additionally, redemptions of Fund shares may be suspended when trading on the NYSE is restricted or during an emergency which makes it impracticable for the Fund to dispose of its securities or to determine fairly the value of its net assets, or during any other period as permitted by the SEC for the protection of investors. Under these and other unusual circumstances, the Trust may suspend redemptions or postpone payment for more than seven days, as permitted by law.

An investor should invest in the Fund for long-term investment purposes only. The Trust reserves the right to refuse purchases if, in the judgment of PIMCO, the purchases would adversely affect the Fund and its shareholders. In particular, the Trust and PIMCO each reserves the right to restrict purchases of Fund shares (including exchanges) when a pattern of frequent purchases and sales made in response to short-term fluctuations in share price appears evident. Notice of any such restrictions, if any, will vary according to the particular circumstances.

Abusive Trading Practices

The Trust encourages shareholders to invest in the Funds as part of a long-term investment strategy and discourages excessive, short-term trading and other abusive trading practices, sometimes referred to as "market timing." However, because the Trust will not always be able to detect market timing or other abusive trading activity, investors should not assume that the Trust will be able to detect or prevent all market timing or other trading practices that may disadvantage the Funds.

Certain of the Funds' investment strategies may expose the Funds to risks associated with market timing activities. For example, since certain Funds

 

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may invest in non-U.S. securities, they may be subject to the risk that an investor may seek to take advantage of a delay between the change in value of the Funds' non-U.S. portfolio securities and the determination of the Funds' NAV as a result of different closing times of U.S. and non-U.S. markets by buying or selling Fund shares at a price that does not reflect their true value. A similar risk exists for a Fund's potential investment in securities of small capitalization companies, securities of issuers located in emerging markets, securities of distressed companies or high yield securities that are thinly traded and therefore may have actual values that differ from their market prices.

Except as identified below, to discourage excessive, short-term trading and other abusive trading practices, the Board of Trustees of the Trust has adopted policies and procedures reasonably designed to detect and prevent short-term trading activity that may be harmful to a Fund and its shareholders. Such activities may have a detrimental effect on a Fund and its shareholders. For example, depending upon various factors such as the size of a Fund and the amount of its assets maintained in cash, short-term or excessive trading by Fund shareholders may interfere with the efficient management of the Fund's investments, increase transaction costs and taxes, and may harm the performance of the Fund and its shareholders.

The Trust seeks to deter and prevent abusive trading practices, and to reduce these risks, through several methods. First, the Trust imposes a redemption fee on shares of the PIMCO Senior Floating Rate Fund redeemed or exchanged within 30 days after their purchase. The purpose of redemption fees is to deter excessive, short-term trading and other abusive trading practices and to help offset the costs associated with the sale of portfolio securities to satisfy redemption and exchange requests. See "Redemption Fees" above for further information. In certain situations, the PIMCO Senior Floating Rate Fund has elected not to impose redemption fees. See "Waiver of Redemption Fees" above for a discussion on the specific situations in which the PIMCO Senior Floating Rate Fund will not impose redemption fees.

Second, to the extent that there is a delay between a change in the value of a Fund's portfolio holdings and the time when that change is reflected in the NAV of the Fund's shares, the Fund is exposed to the risk that investors may seek to exploit this delay by purchasing or redeeming shares at NAVs that do not reflect appropriate fair value prices. The Trust seeks to deter and prevent this activity, sometimes referred to as "stale price arbitrage," by the appropriate use of "fair value" pricing of a Fund's portfolio securities. See "How Fund Shares Are Priced" below for more information.

Third, the Trust and PIMCO seek to monitor shareholder account activities in order to detect and prevent excessive and disruptive trading practices. The Trust and PIMCO each reserves the right to restrict or refuse any purchase or exchange transactions if, in the judgment of the Trust or of PIMCO, the transaction may adversely affect the interests of a Fund or its shareholders. Among other things, the Trust may monitor for any patterns of frequent purchases and sales that appear to be made in response to short-term fluctuations in share price and may also monitor for any attempts to improperly avoid the imposition of a redemption fee. Notice of such restrictions, if any, will vary according to the particular circumstances. The Trust does not monitor the PIMCO Funds of Funds (as defined below) for purposes of detecting frequent or short-term trading practices with respect to shares of the Funds.

Although the Trust and its service providers seek to use these methods to detect and prevent abusive trading activities, and although the Trust will consistently apply such methods, there can be no assurances that such activities can be mitigated or eliminated. By their nature, omnibus accounts, in which purchases and sales of Fund shares by multiple investors are aggregated for presentation to a Fund on a net basis, conceal the identity of the individual investors from the Fund. This makes it more difficult for the Trust and/or PIMCO to identify short-term transactions in the Fund.

Verification of Identity

To help the federal government combat the funding of terrorism and money laundering activities, federal law requires all financial institutions to obtain, verify and record information that identifies each person that opens a new account, and to determine whether such person's name appears on government lists of known or suspected terrorists and terrorist organizations. As a result, a Fund must obtain the following information for each person that opens a new account:

1.

Name;

2.

Date of birth (for individuals);

3.

Residential or business street address; and

4.

Social security number, taxpayer identification number, or other identifying number.

Federal law prohibits the Funds and other financial institutions from opening a new account unless they receive the minimum identifying information listed above.

Individuals may also be asked for a copy of their driver's license, passport or other identifying document in order to verify their identity. In addition, it may be necessary to verify an individual's identity by cross-referencing the identification information with a consumer report or other electronic database. Additional information may be required to open accounts for corporations and other entities.

After an account is opened, a Fund may restrict your ability to purchase additional shares until your identity is verified. A Fund also may close your account and redeem your shares or take other appropriate action if it is unable to verify your identity within a reasonable time.

How Fund Shares Are Priced

The price of a Fund's shares is based on the Fund's NAV. The NAV of a Fund, or each of its share classes, as applicable, is determined by dividing the total value of a Fund's portfolio investments and other assets attributable to that Fund or class, less any liabilities, by the total number of shares outstanding of that Fund or class.

On each day that the NYSE is open, Fund shares are ordinarily valued as of the close of regular trading ("NYSE Close"). Information that becomes known to the Funds or their agents after the time as of which NAV has been calculated on a particular day will not generally be used to retroactively adjust the price of a security or the NAV determined earlier that day. Each Fund reserves the right to change the time its respective NAV is calculated if the Fund closes earlier, or as permitted by the SEC.

 

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For purposes of calculating NAV, portfolio securities and other assets for which market quotes are readily available are valued at market value. Market value is generally determined on the basis of official closing prices or the last reported sales prices, or if no sales are reported, based on quotes obtained from established market makers or prices (including evaluated prices) supplied by the Funds' approved pricing services, quotation reporting systems and other third-party sources (together, "Pricing Services"). The Funds will normally use pricing data for domestic equity securities received shortly after the NYSE Close and do not normally take into account trading, clearances or settlements that take place after the NYSE Close. A foreign (non-U.S.) equity security traded on a foreign exchange or on more than one exchange is typically valued using pricing information from the exchange considered by PIMCO to be the primary exchange. If market value pricing is used, a foreign (non-U.S.) equity security will be valued as of the close of trading on the foreign exchange, or the NYSE Close, if the NYSE Close occurs before the end of trading on the foreign exchange. Domestic and foreign (non-U.S.) fixed income securities, non-exchange-traded derivatives, and equity options are normally valued on the basis of quotes obtained from brokers and dealers or Pricing Services using data reflecting the earlier closing of the principal markets for those securities. Prices obtained from Pricing Services may be based on, among other things, information provided by market makers or estimates of market values obtained from yield data relating to investments or securities with similar characteristics. Certain fixed income securities purchased on a delayed-delivery basis are marked to market daily until settlement at the forward settlement date. Exchange-traded options, except equity options, futures and options on futures are valued at the settlement price determined by the relevant exchange. Swap agreements are valued on the basis of bid quotes obtained from brokers and dealers or market-based prices supplied by Pricing Services or other pricing sources. With respect to any portion of the Fund's assets that are invested in one or more open-end management investment companies (other than exchange-traded funds), a Fund's NAV will be calculated based upon the NAVs of such investments.

If a foreign (non-U.S.) equity security's value has materially changed after the close of the security's primary exchange or principal market but before the NYSE Close, the security may be valued at fair value based on procedures established and approved by the Board of Trustees. Foreign (non-U.S.) equity securities that do not trade when the NYSE is open are also valued at fair value. With respect to foreign (non-U.S.) equity securities, the Fund may determine the fair value of investments based on information provided by Pricing Services and other third-party vendors, which may recommend fair value or adjustments with reference to other securities, indexes or assets. In considering whether fair valuation is required and in determining fair values, the Fund may, among other things, consider significant events (which may be considered to include changes in the value of U.S. securities or securities indexes) that occur after the close of the relevant market and before the NYSE Close. A Fund may utilize modeling tools provided by third-party vendors to determine fair values of non-U.S. securities. For these purposes, any movement in the applicable reference index or instrument ("zero trigger") between the earlier close of the applicable foreign market and the NYSE Close may be deemed to be a significant event, prompting the application of the pricing model (effectively resulting in daily fair valuations). Foreign (non-U.S.) exchanges may permit trading in foreign (non-U.S.) equity securities on days when the Trust is not open for business, which may result in a Fund's portfolio investments being affected when you are unable to buy or sell shares.

Senior secured floating rate loans for which an active secondary market exists to a reliable degree will be valued at the mean of the last available bid/ask prices in the market for such loans, as provided by a Pricing Service. Senior secured floating rate loans for which an active secondary market does not exist to a reliable degree will be valued at fair value, which is intended to approximate market value. In valuing a senior secured floating rate loan at fair value, the factors considered may include, but are not limited to, the following: (a) the creditworthiness of the borrower and any intermediate participants, (b) the terms of the loan, (c) recent prices in the market for similar loans, if any, and (d) recent prices in the market for instruments of similar quality, rate, period until next interest rate reset and maturity.

Investments valued in currencies other than the U.S. dollar are converted to the U.S. dollar using exchange rates obtained from Pricing Services. As a result, the value of such investments, and in turn, the NAV of the Fund's shares may be affected by changes in the value of currencies in relation to the U.S. dollar. The value of investments traded in markets outside the United States or denominated in currencies other than the U.S. dollar may be affected significantly on a day that the Trust is not open for business. As a result, to the extent that a Fund holds foreign (non-U.S.) investments, the value of those investments may change at times when shareholders are unable to buy or sell shares and the value of such investments will be reflected in the Fund's next calculated NAV.

Investments for which market quotes or market based valuations are not readily available are valued at fair value as determined in good faith by the Board of Trustees or persons acting at their direction. The Board of Trustees has adopted methods for valuing securities and other assets in circumstances where market quotes are not readily available, and has delegated to PIMCO the responsibility for applying the fair valuation methods. In the event that market quotes or market based valuations are not readily available, and the security or asset cannot be valued pursuant to a Board approved valuation method, the value of the security or asset will be determined in good faith by the Valuation Oversight Committee of the Board of Trustees, generally based on recommendations provided by PIMCO. Market quotes are considered not readily available in circumstances where there is an absence of current or reliable market-based data (e.g., trade information, bid/ask information, broker quotes, Pricing Services' prices), including where events occur after the close of the relevant market, but prior to the NYSE Close, that materially affect the values of the Fund's securities or assets. In addition, market quotes are considered not readily available when, due to extraordinary circumstances, the exchanges or markets on which the securities trade do not open for trading for the entire day and no other market prices are available. The Board of Trustees has delegated to PIMCO the responsibility for monitoring significant events that may materially affect the values of the Fund's securities or assets and for determining whether the value of the applicable securities or assets should be reevaluated in light of such significant events.

When the Fund uses fair valuation to determine the value of a portfolio security or other asset for purposes of calculating its NAV, such investments

 

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will not be priced on the basis of quotes from the primary market in which they are traded, but rather may be priced by another method that the Board of Trustees or persons acting at their direction believe reflects fair value. Fair valuation may require subjective determinations about the value of a security. While the Trust's policy is intended to result in a calculation of the Fund's NAV that fairly reflects security values as of the time of pricing, the Trust cannot ensure that fair values determined by the Board of Trustees or persons acting at their direction would accurately reflect the price that a Fund could obtain for a security if it were to dispose of that security as of the time of pricing (for instance, in a forced or distressed sale). The prices used by the Fund may differ from the value that would be realized if the securities were sold. The Funds' use of fair valuation may also help to deter "stale price arbitrage" as discussed above under "Abusive Trading Practices."

Under certain circumstances, the per share NAV of a class of the Fund's shares may be different from the per share NAV of another class of shares as a result of the different daily expense accruals applicable to each class of shares.

Fund Distributions

Each Fund distributes substantially all of its net investment income to shareholders in the form of dividends. Dividends paid by each Fund with respect to each class of shares are calculated in the same manner and at the same time, but dividends on different classes of shares may be different as a result of the service and/or distribution fees applicable to certain classes of shares. The following table shows when each Fund intends to declare and distribute income dividends to shareholders of record.



Fund

Declared
Daily and
Paid Monthly

Declared and
Paid Quarterly

All Funds other than the PIMCO Preferred and Capital Securities Fund and PIMCO Credit Opportunities Bond Fund

PIMCO Preferred and Capital Securities Fund and
PIMCO Credit Opportunities Bond Fund

In addition, each Fund distributes any net capital gains it earns from the sale of portfolio securities to shareholders no less frequently than annually. Net short-term capital gains may be paid more frequently.

A Fund's dividend and capital gain distributions with respect to a particular class of shares will automatically be reinvested in additional shares of the same class of the Fund at NAV unless the shareholder elects to have the distributions paid in cash. A shareholder may elect to have distributions paid in cash on the Account Application, by phone, or by submitting a written request, signed by an Authorized Person, indicating the account name, account number, name of Fund and share class. A shareholder may elect to invest all distributions in shares of the same class of any other fund of the Trust or PIMCO Funds which offers that class of shares at NAV. A shareholder must have an account existing in the fund selected for investment with the identical registered name. This option must be elected when the account is set up.

Shares Purchased by Wire: With respect to the Funds whose policy it is to declare dividends daily, dividends will begin to accrue the business day following the day the order is effected or such later date as agreed with the Trust.

Shares Purchased by Check or ACH: With respect to each Fund (except the PIMCO Preferred and Capital Securities Fund and PIMCO Credit Opportunities Bond Fund), the order will be effected at that day's NAV, but dividends will not begin to accrue until the following business day.

With respect to each Fund (except the PIMCO Preferred and Capital Securities Fund and PIMCO Credit Opportunities Bond Fund), if a purchase order is placed through a broker, dealer or other financial firms authorized to settle through the National Securities Clearing Corporation (the "NSCC"), the purchase order will begin accruing dividends the business day following the NSCC settlement date or as agreed upon and as allowed by applicable law.

A Class A, Class C or Class R shareholder may choose from the following distribution options:

Reinvest all distributions in additional shares of the same class of the Fund at NAV. You should contact your financial firm (if shares are held through a financial firm) or the Fund's Transfer Agent (if shares are held through a direct account) for details. You do not pay any sales charges on shares received through the reinvestment of Fund distributions. This will be done unless you elect another option.

Invest all distributions in shares of the same class of any other fund of the Trust or PIMCO Equity Series which offers that class at NAV. You must have an account existing in the fund selected for investment with the identical registered name. You must elect this option on your Account Application or by a telephone request to the Transfer Agent at 888.87.PIMCO.

Receive all distributions in cash (either paid directly to you or credited to your account with your broker or other financial intermediary). If the postal or other delivery service is unable to deliver checks to your address of record, the Trust's Transfer Agent will hold the returned checks for your benefit in a non-interest bearing account. You must elect this option on your Account Application or by a telephone request to the Transfer Agent at 888.87.PIMCO.

The financial service firm may offer additional distribution reinvestment programs or options. Please contact the firm for details.

Tax Consequences

The following information is meant as a general summary for U.S. taxpayers. Please see the SAI for additional information. You should rely on your own tax adviser for advice about the particular federal, state and local tax consequences to you of investing in any Fund.

Each Fund will distribute substantially all of its income and gains to its shareholders every year, and shareholders will be taxed on distributions they receive.

Taxes on Fund Distributions. A shareholder subject to U.S. federal income tax will be subject to tax on taxable Fund distributions of taxable income or capital gains whether they are paid in cash or reinvested in additional shares of the Funds. For federal income tax purposes, taxable Fund distributions will be taxable to the shareholder as either ordinary income or capital gains.

 

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Fund taxable dividends (i.e., distributions of investment income) are generally taxable to shareholders as ordinary income. A portion of distributions may be qualified dividends taxable at lower rates for individual shareholders. However, in light of the investment strategies of the Funds, it is not anticipated that a significant portion of the dividends paid by the Funds will be eligible to be designated as qualified dividends. Federal taxes on Fund distributions of gains are determined by how long a Fund owned the investments that generated the gains, rather than how long a shareholder has owned the shares. Distributions of gains from investments that the Fund owned for more than one year will generally be taxable to shareholders as long-term capital gains. Distributions of gains from investments that the Fund owned for one year or less will generally be taxable as ordinary income.

The tax treatment of income, gains and losses attributable to foreign currencies (and derivatives on such currencies), and various other special tax rules applicable to certain financial transactions and instruments could affect the amount, timing and character of a Fund's distributions. In some cases, these tax rules could also result in a retroactive change in the tax character of prior distributions and may also possibly cause all, or a portion, of prior distributions to be reclassified as returns of capital for tax purposes. See "Returns of Capital" below.

Taxable Fund distributions are taxable to shareholders even if they are paid from income or gains earned by a Fund prior to the shareholder's investment and thus were included in the price paid for the shares. For example, a shareholder who purchases shares on or just before the record date of a Fund distribution will pay full price for the shares and may receive a portion of his or her investment back as a taxable distribution.

Taxes on Redemption or Exchanges of Shares. You will generally have a taxable capital gain or loss if you dispose of your Fund shares by redemption, exchange or sale. The amount of the gain or loss and the rate of tax will depend primarily upon how much you pay for the shares, how much you sell them for, and how long you hold them. When you exchange shares of a Fund for shares of another Fund, the transaction will be treated as a sale of the Fund shares for these purposes, and any gain on those shares will generally be subject to federal income tax.

Medicare Tax.  An additional 3.8% Medicare tax is imposed on certain net investment income (including ordinary dividends and capital gain distributions received from a Fund and net gains from redemptions or other taxable dispositions of Fund shares) of U.S. individuals, estates and trusts to the extent that such person's "modified adjusted gross income" (in the case of an individual) or "adjusted gross income" (in the case of an estate or trust) exceeds certain threshold amounts.

Returns of Capital. If a Fund's distributions exceed its taxable income and capital gains realized during a taxable year, all or a portion of the distributions made in the same taxable year may be recharacterized as a return of capital to shareholders. A return of capital distribution will generally not be taxable, but will reduce each shareholder's cost basis in the Fund and result in a higher reported capital gain or lower reported capital loss when those shares on which the distribution was received are sold.

Recent Tax Legislation. Under recent tax legislation, individuals (and certain other noncorporate entities) are generally eligible for a 20% deduction with respect to taxable ordinary dividends from REITs and certain taxable income from publicly traded partnerships. Currently, there is not a mechanism for regulated investment companies to pass through the 20% deduction to shareholders although it is possible that a legislative or regulatory approach to do so may be provided in the future. As a result, in comparison, investors investing directly in REITs or publicly traded partnerships would generally be eligible for the 20% deduction for such taxable income from these investments while investors investing in REITs or publicly traded partnerships indirectly through a Fund would not be eligible for the 20% deduction for their share of such taxable income. In addition, under the recent tax legislation, REITs as well as other corporations will be subject to certain leverage limitations regarding the deductibility of interest expense. The recent tax legislation also may, pending further regulatory guidance, require REITs and a Fund to accrue market discount currently, which may affect the taxability of REIT distributions received by a Fund and the amount of taxable distributions paid by a Fund to shareholders. The effects of these and other provisions of the tax legislation on REITs' operations, on master limited partnerships, or on a Fund, is uncertain at this time.

Important Tax Reporting Considerations. Your financial intermediary or the Fund (if you hold your shares in a Fund direct account) will report gains and losses realized on redemptions of shares for shareholders who are individuals and S corporations purchased after January 1, 2012 to the Internal Revenue Service (IRS). This information will also be reported to you on Form 1099-B and the IRS each year. In calculating the gain or loss on redemptions of shares, the average cost method will be used to determine the cost basis of Fund shares purchased after January 1, 2012 unless you instruct the Fund in writing that you want to use another available method for cost basis reporting (for example, First In, First Out (FIFO), Last In, First Out (LIFO), Specific Lot Identification (SLID) or High Cost, First Out (HIFO)). If you designate SLID as your cost basis method, you will also need to designate a secondary cost basis method (Secondary Method). If a Secondary Method is not provided, the Funds will designate FIFO as the Secondary Method and will use the Secondary Method with respect to automatic withdrawals made after January 1, 2012 or conducted via an automatic withdrawal plan.

If a shareholder is a corporation and has not instructed the Fund that it is a C corporation in its Account Application or by written instruction, the Fund will treat the shareholder as an S corporation and file a Form 1099-B.

Backup Withholding. Each Fund may be required to withhold U.S. federal income tax on all taxable distributions payable to shareholders if they fail to provide the Fund with their correct taxpayer identification number or to make required certifications, or if they have been notified by the IRS that they are subject to backup withholding. Backup withholding is not an additional tax. Any amounts withheld may be credited against U.S. federal income tax liability.

 

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Foreign Withholding Taxes. A Fund may be subject to foreign withholding or other foreign taxes, which in some cases can be significant on any income or gain from investments in foreign securities. In that case, the Fund's total return on those securities would be decreased. Each Fund may generally deduct these taxes in computing its taxable income. Rather than deducting these foreign taxes, if more than 50% of the value of a Fund's total assets at the close of its taxable year consists of stock or securities of foreign corporations or foreign governments, or if at least 50% of the value of a Fund's total assets at the close of each quarter of its taxable year is represented by interests in other regulated investment companies, such Fund may make an election to treat a proportionate amount of eligible foreign taxes as constituting a taxable distribution to each shareholder, which would, subject to certain limitations, generally allow the shareholder to either (i) credit that proportionate amount of taxes against U.S. Federal income tax liability as a foreign tax credit or (ii) take that amount as an itemized deduction. Although in some cases the Fund may be able to apply for a refund of a portion of such taxes, the ability to successfully obtain such a refund may be uncertain.

Foreign shareholders may be subject to U.S. tax withholding of 30% (or lower applicable treaty rate) on distributions from the Funds. Additionally, the Funds are required to withhold U.S. tax (at a 30% rate) on payments of taxable dividends, and (effective January 1, 2019) redemption proceeds and certain capital gain dividends made to certain non-U.S. entities that fail to comply (or be deemed compliant) with extensive reporting and withholding requirements designed to inform the U.S. Department of the Treasury of U.S.-owned foreign investment accounts. Shareholders may be requested to provide additional information to enable the Funds to determine whether withholding is required.

This "Tax Consequences" section relates only to federal income tax; the consequences under other tax laws may differ. Shareholders should consult their tax advisors as to the possible application of foreign, state and local income tax laws to Fund dividends and capital distributions. Please see "Taxation" in the SAI for additional information regarding the tax aspects of investing in the Funds.

Characteristics and Risks of Securities and Investment Techniques

This section provides additional information about some of the principal investments and related risks of the Funds described under "Fund Summaries" and "Description of Principal Risks" above. It also describes characteristics and risks of additional securities and investment techniques that may be used by the Funds from time to time. Most of these securities and investment techniques described herein are discretionary, which means that PIMCO can decide whether to use them or not. This prospectus does not attempt to disclose all of the various types of securities and investment techniques that may be used by the Funds. As with any mutual fund, investors in the Funds rely on the professional investment judgment and skill of PIMCO and the individual portfolio managers. Please see "Investment Objectives and Policies" in the SAI for more detailed information about the securities and investment techniques described in this section and about other strategies and techniques that may be used by the Funds.

Investors should be aware that the investments made by a Fund and the results achieved by a Fund at any given time are not expected to be the same as those made by other funds for which PIMCO acts as investment adviser, including funds with names, investment objectives and policies similar to a Fund. This may be attributable to a wide variety of factors, including, but not limited to, the use of a different portfolio management team or strategy, when a particular fund commenced operations or the size of a particular fund, in each case as compared to other similar funds. Significant shareholder purchases and redemptions may adversely impact a Fund's portfolio management. For example, a Fund may be forced to sell a comparatively large portion of its portfolio to meet significant shareholder redemptions, or hold a comparatively large portion of its portfolio in cash due to significant shareholder purchases, in each case when the Fund otherwise would not seek to do so. Such shareholder transactions may cause Funds to make investment decisions at inopportune times or prices or miss attractive investment opportunities. Such transactions may also increase a Fund's transaction costs, accelerate the realization of taxable income if sales of securities resulted in gains, or otherwise cause a Fund to perform differently than intended. Similarly, significant shareholder purchases may adversely affect a Fund's performance to the extent the Fund is delayed in investing new cash and, as a result, holds a proportionally larger cash position than under ordinary circumstances and such impact may be heightened in funds of funds. While such risks may apply to Funds of any size, such risks are heightened in Funds with fewer assets under management. In addition, new Funds may not be able to fully implement their investment strategy immediately upon commencing investment operations, which could reduce investment performance.

More generally, a Fund may be adversely affected when a large shareholder purchases or redeems large amounts of shares, which can occur at any time and may impact the Fund in the same manner as a high volume of purchase or redemption requests. Such large shareholders include, but are not limited to, other funds, institutional investors, and asset allocators who make investment decisions on behalf of underlying clients. Large shareholder transactions may cause Funds to make investment decisions at inopportune times or prices or miss attractive investment opportunities. In addition, such transactions may also cause the Fund to sell certain assets in order to meet purchase or redemption requests, which could indirectly affect the liquidity of the Fund's portfolio. Such transactions may also increase the Fund's transaction costs, decrease economies of scale, accelerate the realization of taxable income, or otherwise cause the Fund to perform differently than intended. While large shareholder transactions may be more frequent under certain circumstances, the Fund is generally subject to the risk that a large shareholder can purchase or redeem a significant percentage of Fund shares at any time. Moreover, the Fund is subject to the risk that other shareholders may make investment decisions based on the choices of a large shareholder, which could exacerbate any potential negative effects experienced by the Fund.

Certain PIMCO Funds (the "PIMCO Funds of Funds") invest substantially all or a significant portion of their assets in Underlying PIMCO Funds, which is defined to include the Funds. In some cases, the PIMCO Funds of Funds and

 

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certain funds managed by investment advisers affiliated with PIMCO ("Affiliated Funds of Funds") may be the predominant or sole shareholders of a particular Underlying PIMCO Fund, including a Fund. Investment decisions made with respect to the PIMCO Funds of Funds and Affiliated Funds of Funds could, under certain circumstances, negatively impact the Underlying PIMCO Funds, including the Funds, with respect to the expenses and investment performance of the Underlying PIMCO Funds. For instance, large purchases or redemptions of shares of an Underlying PIMCO Fund by the PIMCO Funds of Funds and Affiliated Funds of Funds, whether as part of a reallocation or rebalancing strategy or otherwise, may result in the Underlying PIMCO Fund having to sell securities or invest cash when it otherwise would not do so. Such transactions could increase an Underlying PIMCO Fund's transaction costs and accelerate the realization of taxable income if sales of securities resulted in gains. Additionally, as the PIMCO Funds of Funds and Affiliated Funds of Funds may invest substantially all or a significant portion of their assets in Underlying PIMCO Funds, the Underlying PIMCO Funds may not acquire securities of other registered open-end investment companies in reliance on Section 12(d)(1)(F) or Section 12(d)(1)(G) of the 1940 Act, thus limiting the Underlying PIMCO Funds investment flexibility.

Investment Selection

Certain Funds seek maximum total return. The total return sought by a Fund consists of both income earned on a Fund's investments and capital appreciation, if any, arising from increases in the market value of a Fund's holdings. Capital appreciation of fixed income securities generally results from decreases in market interest rates, foreign currency appreciation, or improving credit fundamentals for a particular market sector or security.

In selecting securities for a Fund, PIMCO develops an outlook for interest rates, currency exchange rates and the economy, analyzes credit and call risks, and uses other security selection techniques. The proportion of a Fund's assets committed to investment in securities with particular characteristics (such as quality, sector, interest rate or maturity) varies based on PIMCO's outlook for the U.S. economy and the economies of other countries in the world, the financial markets and other factors.

With respect to fixed income investing, PIMCO attempts to identify areas of the bond market that are undervalued relative to the rest of the market. PIMCO identifies these areas by grouping Fixed Income Instruments into sectors such as money markets, governments, corporates, mortgages, asset-backed and international. In seeking to identify undervalued currencies, PIMCO may consider many factors, including but not limited to longer-term analysis of relative interest rates, inflation rates, real exchange rates, purchasing power parity, trade account balances and current account balances, as well as other factors that influence exchange rates such as flows, market technical trends and government policies. Sophisticated proprietary software then assists in evaluating sectors and pricing specific investments. Once investment opportunities are identified, PIMCO will shift assets among sectors depending upon changes in relative valuations, credit spreads and other factors. There is no guarantee that PIMCO's investment selection techniques will produce the desired results.

Fixed Income Instruments

"Fixed Income Instruments," as used generally in this prospectus, includes:

securities issued or guaranteed by the U.S. Government, its agencies or government-sponsored enterprises ("U.S. Government Securities");

corporate debt securities of U.S. and non-U.S. issuers, including convertible securities and corporate commercial paper;

mortgage-backed and other asset-backed securities;

inflation-indexed bonds issued both by governments and corporations;

structured notes, including hybrid or "indexed" securities and event-linked bonds;

bank capital and trust preferred securities;

loan participations and assignments;

delayed funding loans and revolving credit facilities;

bank certificates of deposit, fixed time deposits and bankers' acceptances;

repurchase agreements on Fixed Income Instruments and reverse repurchase agreements on Fixed Income Instruments;

debt securities issued by states or local governments and their agencies, authorities and other government-sponsored enterprises;

obligations of non-U.S. governments or their subdivisions, agencies and government-sponsored enterprises; and

obligations of international agencies or supranational entities.

Securities issued by U.S. Government agencies or government-sponsored enterprises may not be guaranteed by the U.S. Treasury.

The Funds, to the extent permitted by the 1940 Act, or exemptive relief therefrom, may invest in derivatives based on Fixed Income Instruments.

Duration

Duration is a measure used to determine the sensitivity of a security's price to changes in interest rates that incorporates a security's yield, coupon, final maturity and call features, among other characteristics. The longer a security's duration, the more sensitive it will be to changes in interest rates. Similarly, a fund with a longer average portfolio duration will be more sensitive to changes in interest rates than a fund with a shorter average portfolio duration. By way of example, the price of a bond fund with an average duration of eight years would be expected to fall approximately 8% if interest rates rose by one percentage point. Similarly, the price of a bond fund with an average duration of fifteen years would be expected to fall approximately 15% if interest rates rose by one percentage point. Conversely, the price of a bond fund with an average duration of negative three years would be expected to rise approximately 3% if interest rates rose by one percentage point. The maturity of a security, another commonly used measure of price sensitivity, measures only the time until final payment is due, whereas duration takes into account the pattern of all payments of interest and principal on a security over time, including how these payments are affected by prepayments and by changes in interest rates, as well as the time until an interest rate is reset (in the case of variable-rate securities). PIMCO uses an internal model for calculating duration, which may result in a different value for the duration of an index compared to the duration calculated by the index provider or another third party.

U.S. Government Securities

U.S. Government Securities are obligations of, or guaranteed by, the U.S. Government, its agencies or government-sponsored enterprises. The U.S. Government does not guarantee the NAV of the Fund's shares. U.S.

 

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Government Securities are subject to market and interest rate risk, as well as varying degrees of credit risk. Some U.S. Government Securities are issued or guaranteed by the U.S. Treasury and are supported by the full faith and credit of the United States. Other types of U.S. Government Securities are supported by the full faith and credit of the United States (but not issued by the U.S. Treasury). These securities may have less credit risk than U.S. Government Securities not supported by the full faith and credit of the United States. Such other types of U.S. Government Securities are: (1) supported by the ability of the issuer to borrow from the U.S. Treasury; (2) supported only by the credit of the issuing agency, instrumentality or government-sponsored corporation; or (3) supported by the United States in some other way. These securities may be subject to greater credit risk. U.S. Government Securities include zero coupon securities, which tend to be subject to greater market risk than interest-paying securities of similar maturities.

Securities issued by U.S. Government agencies or government-sponsored enterprises may not be guaranteed by the U.S. Treasury. Government National Mortgage Association ("GNMA"), a wholly owned U.S. Government corporation, is authorized to guarantee, with the full faith and credit of the U.S. Government, the timely payment of principal and interest on securities issued by institutions approved by GNMA and backed by pools of mortgages insured by the Federal Housing Administration or guaranteed by the Department of Veterans Affairs.  Government-related guarantors (i.e., not backed by the full faith and credit of the U.S. Government) include the Federal National Mortgage Association ("FNMA") and the Federal Home Loan Mortgage Corporation ("FHLMC"). Pass-through securities issued by FNMA are guaranteed as to timely payment of principal and interest by FNMA but are not backed by the full faith and credit of the U.S. Government. FHLMC guarantees the timely payment of interest and ultimate collection of principal, but its participation certificates are not backed by the full faith and credit of the U.S. Government.

Municipal Bonds

Municipal Bonds are generally issued by states, territories, possessions and local governments and their agencies, authorities and other instrumentalities. Municipal Bonds are subject to interest rate, credit and market risk, uncertainties related to the tax status of a Municipal Bond or the rights of investors invested in these securities. The ability of an issuer to make payments could be affected by litigation, legislation or other political events or the bankruptcy of the issuer. In addition, imbalances in supply and demand in the municipal market may result in a deterioration of liquidity and a lack of price transparency in the market. At certain times, this may affect pricing, execution and transaction costs associated with a particular trade. The value of certain municipal securities, in particular general obligation debt, may also be adversely affected by rising health care costs, increasing unfunded pension liabilities, changes in accounting standards and by the phasing out of federal programs providing financial support. Lower rated Municipal Bonds are subject to greater credit and market risk than higher quality Municipal Bonds. The types of Municipal Bonds in which the Funds may invest include municipal lease obligations, municipal general obligation bonds, municipal essential service revenue bonds, municipal cash equivalents, and pre-refunded and escrowed to maturity Municipal Bonds. The Funds may also invest in industrial development bonds, which are Municipal Bonds issued by a government agency on behalf of a private sector company and, in most cases, are not backed by the credit of the issuing municipality and may therefore involve more risk. The Funds may also invest in securities issued by entities whose underlying assets are Municipal Bonds.

Pre-refunded Municipal Bonds are tax-exempt bonds that have been refunded to a call date on or before the final maturity of principal and remain outstanding in the municipal market. The payment of principal and interest of the pre-refunded Municipal Bonds held by a Fund is funded from securities in a designated escrow account that holds U.S. Treasury securities or other obligations of the U.S. Government (including its agencies and instrumentalities ("Agency Securities")). As the payment of principal and interest is generated from securities held in a designated escrow account, the pledge of the municipality has been fulfilled and the original pledge of revenue by the municipality is no longer in place. The escrow account securities pledged to pay the principal and interest of the pre-refunded Municipal Bond do not guarantee the price movement of the bond before maturity. Investment in pre-refunded Municipal Bonds held by a Fund may subject the Fund to interest rate risk, market risk and credit risk. In addition, while a secondary market exists for pre-refunded Municipal Bonds, if a Fund sells pre-refunded Municipal Bonds prior to maturity, the price received may be more or less than the original cost, depending on market conditions at the time of sale.

Certain Funds may invest in trust certificates issued in tender option bond programs. In these programs, a trust typically issues two classes of certificates and uses the proceeds to purchase municipal securities having relatively long maturities and bearing interest at a fixed interest rate substantially higher than prevailing short-term tax-exempt rates. There is a risk that a Fund investing in a tender option bond program will not be considered the owner of a tender option bond for federal income tax purposes, and thus will not be entitled to treat such interest as exempt from federal income tax. Certain tender option bonds may be illiquid or may become illiquid as a result of, among other things, a credit rating downgrade, a payment default or a disqualification from tax-exempt status. A Fund's investment in the securities issued by a tender option bond trust may involve greater risk and volatility than an investment in a fixed rate bond, and the value of such securities may decrease significantly when market interest rates increase. Tender option bond trusts could be terminated due to market, credit or other events beyond a Fund's control, which could require the Fund to dispose of portfolio investments at inopportune times and prices. A Fund may use a tender option bond program as a way of achieving leverage in its portfolio, in which case the Fund will be subject to leverage risk.

In December 2013, regulators finalized rules implementing Section 619 (the "Volcker Rule") and Section 941 (the "Risk Retention Rules") of the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act. Both the Volcker Rule and the Risk Retention Rules apply to tender option bond programs and require that such programs be restructured. In particular, these rules preclude banking entities from: (i) sponsoring or acquiring interests in the trusts used to hold a Municipal Bond in the creation of tender option bond trusts; and (ii) continuing to service or maintain relationships with existing programs involving such trusts to the same extent and in the same capacity as existing programs. At this time, the full impact of these rules is not

 

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certain; however, in response to these rules, industry participants are continuing to explore various structuring alternatives for tender option bond programs. Because of the important role that tender option bond programs play in the Municipal Bond market, it is possible that implementation of these rules and any resulting impact may adversely impact the Municipal Bond market. For example, as a result of the implementation of these rules, the Municipal Bond market may experience reduced demand or liquidity and increased financing costs.

Mortgage-Related and Other Asset-Backed Securities

Mortgage-related securities include mortgage pass-through securities, collateralized mortgage obligations ("CMOs"), commercial mortgage-backed securities, mortgage dollar rolls, CMO residuals, stripped mortgage-backed securities ("SMBSs") and other securities that directly or indirectly represent a participation in, or are secured by and payable from, mortgage loans on real property. The PIMCO Senior Floating Rate Fund may invest up to 5% of its total assets in mortgage- or asset-backed securities.

The value of some mortgage- or asset-backed securities may be particularly sensitive to changes in prevailing interest rates. Early repayment of principal on some mortgage-related securities may expose a Fund to a lower rate of return upon reinvestment of principal. When interest rates rise, the value of a mortgage-related security generally will decline; however, when interest rates are declining, the value of mortgage-related securities with prepayment features may not increase as much as other fixed income securities. The rate of prepayments on underlying mortgages will affect the price and volatility of a mortgage-related security, and may shorten or extend the effective maturity of the security beyond what was anticipated at the time of purchase. If unanticipated rates of prepayment on underlying mortgages increase the effective maturity of a mortgage-related security, the volatility of the security can be expected to increase. The value of these securities may fluctuate in response to the market's perception of the creditworthiness of the issuers. See "Extension Risk" and "Prepayment Risk" below. Additionally, although mortgages and mortgage-related securities are generally supported by some form of government or private guarantee and/or insurance, there is no assurance that guarantors or insurers will meet their obligations.

Extension Risk. Mortgage-related and other asset-backed securities are subject to Extension Risk, which is the risk that the issuer of such a security pays back the principal of such an obligation later than expected. This may occur when interest rates rise. This may negatively affect Fund returns, as the value of the security decreases when principal payments are made later than expected. In addition, because principal payments are made later than expected, the Fund may be prevented from investing proceeds it would otherwise have received at a given time at the higher prevailing interest rates.

Prepayment Risk. Mortgage-related and other asset-backed securities are subject to Prepayment Risk, which is the risk that the issuer of such a security pays back the principal of such an obligation earlier than expected (due to the sale of the underlying property, refinancing, or foreclosure). This may occur when interest rates decline. Prepayment may expose the Fund to a lower rate of return upon reinvestment of principal. Also, if a security subject to prepayment has been purchased at a premium, the value of the premium would be lost in the event of prepayment.

One type of SMBS has one class receiving all of the interest from the mortgage assets (the interest-only, or "IO" class), while the other class will receive all of the principal (the principal-only, or "PO" class). The yield to maturity on an IO class is extremely sensitive to the rate of principal payments (including prepayments) on the underlying mortgage assets, and a rapid rate of principal payments may have a material adverse effect on a Fund's yield to maturity from these securities. Each Fund may invest up to 5% of its total assets in any combination of mortgage-related or other asset backed IO, PO, or inverse floater securities.

Each Fund may invest in each of collateralized bond obligations ("CBOs"), collateralized loan obligations ("CLOs"), other collateralized debt obligations ("CDOs") and other similarly structured securities. CBOs, CLOs and other CDOs are types of asset-backed securities. A CBO is a trust which is backed by a diversified pool of high-risk, below investment grade fixed income securities. 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. Other CDOs are trusts backed by other types of assets representing obligations of various parties. Certain Funds may invest in other asset-backed securities that have been offered to investors.

Privately Issued Mortgage-Related Securities. Pools created by non-governmental issuers generally offer a higher rate of interest than government and government-related pools because there are no direct or indirect government or agency guarantees of payments in such pools. Privately issued mortgage-related securities are not subject to the same underwriting requirements for the underlying mortgages that are applicable to those mortgage-related securities that have a government or government-sponsored entity guarantee. As a result, the mortgage loans underlying privately issued mortgage-related securities may, and frequently do, have less favorable collateral, credit risk or other underwriting characteristics than government or government-sponsored mortgage-related securities and have wider variances in a number of terms including interest rate, term, size, purpose and borrower characteristics. The risk of nonpayment is greater for mortgage-related securities that are backed by loans that were originated under weak underwriting standards, including loans made to borrowers with limited means to make repayment. A level of risk exists for all loans, although, historically, the poorest performing loans have been those classified as subprime. Privately issued mortgage-related securities are not traded on an exchange and there may be a limited market for the securities, especially when there is a perceived weakness in the mortgage and real estate market sectors. Without an active trading market, mortgage-related securities held in a Fund's portfolio may be particularly difficult to value because of the complexities involved in assessing the value of the underlying mortgage loans.

Privately Issued Mortgage-Related Securities include securities that reflect an interest in, and are secured by, mortgage loans on commercial real property. Many of the risks of investing in commercial

 

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mortgage-backed securities reflect the risks of investing in the real estate securing the underlying mortgage loans. These risks reflect the effects of local and other economic conditions on real estate markets, the ability of tenants to make loan payments, and the ability of a property to attract and retain tenants.

Loan Participations and Assignments

Each Fund may invest in fixed- and floating-rate loans, which investments generally will be in the form of loan participations and assignments of portions of such loans. Participations and assignments involve special types of risk, including credit risk, interest rate risk, liquidity risk, and the risks of being a lender. If a Fund purchases a participation, it may only be able to enforce its rights through the lender, and may assume the credit risk of the lender in addition to the borrower.

Reinvestment

Each Fund may be subject to the risk that the returns of a Fund will decline during periods of falling interest rates because the Fund may have to reinvest the proceeds from matured, traded or called debt obligations at interest rates below the Fund's current earnings rate. For instance, when interest rates decline, an issuer of debt obligations may exercise an option to redeem securities prior to maturity, thereby forcing the Fund to invest in lower-yielding securities. A Fund also may choose to sell higher-yielding portfolio securities and to purchase lower-yielding securities to achieve greater portfolio diversification, because the Fund's portfolio manager believes the current holdings are overvalued or for other investment-related reasons. A decline in the returns received by a Fund from its investments is likely to have an adverse effect on the Fund's NAV, yield and total return.

Focused Investment

To the extent that a Fund focuses its investments in a particular sector, the Fund may be susceptible to loss due to adverse developments affecting that sector. These developments include, but are not limited to, governmental regulation; inflation; rising interest rates; cost increases in raw materials, fuel and other operating expenses; technological innovations that may render existing products and equipment obsolete; competition from new entrants; high research and development costs; increased costs associated with compliance with environmental or other governmental regulations; and other economic, business or political developments specific to that sector. Furthermore, a Fund may invest a substantial portion of its assets in companies in related sectors that may share common characteristics, are often subject to similar business risks and regulatory burdens, and whose securities may react similarly to the types of developments described above, which will subject the Fund to greater risk. A Fund also will be subject to focused investment risk to the extent that it invests a substantial portion of its assets in a particular issuer, market, asset class, country or geographic region.

Corporate Debt Securities

Corporate debt securities are subject to the risk of the issuer's inability to meet principal and interest payments on the obligation and may also be subject to price volatility due to such factors as interest rate sensitivity, market perception of the creditworthiness of the issuer and general market liquidity. When interest rates rise, the value of corporate debt securities can be expected to decline. Debt securities with longer maturities tend to be more sensitive to interest rate movements than those with shorter maturities. In addition, certain corporate debt securities may be highly customized and as a result may be subject to, among others, liquidity and pricing transparency risks.

Bank Capital Securities

There are two common types of bank capital: Tier I and Tier II. Bank capital is generally, but not always, of investment grade quality. Tier I securities often take the form of trust preferred securities. Tier II securities are commonly thought of as hybrids of debt and preferred securities, are often perpetual (with no maturity date), callable and, under certain conditions, allow for the issuer bank to withhold payment of interest until a later date.

Volatility

Volatility measures the variability in the price of an investment over time. A higher volatility level signifies an investment's value may fluctuate over a larger range within a short period of time, either up or down. A lower volatility level means an investment's value is more likely to change within a narrower range, or less frequently, over time. The more volatile the portfolio holdings of a Fund, the less predictable the returns for a Fund. Higher volatility levels may indicate heightened risk of losses.

High Yield Securities and Distressed Companies

Securities rated lower than Baa by Moody's, or equivalently rated by S&P or Fitch, are sometimes referred to as "high yield securities" or "junk bonds." Issuers of these securities may be distressed and undergoing restructuring, bankruptcy or other proceedings in an attempt to avoid insolvency. Investing in these securities involves special risks in addition to the risks associated with investments in higher-rated fixed income securities. While offering a greater potential opportunity for capital appreciation and higher yields, high yield and distressed company securities typically entail greater potential price volatility and may be less liquid than higher-rated securities. High yield securities and debt securities of distressed companies may be regarded as predominately speculative with respect to the issuer's continuing ability to meet principal and interest payments. They may also be more susceptible to real or perceived adverse economic and competitive industry conditions than higher-rated securities. Certain Funds may invest in securities that are in default with respect to the payment of interest or repayment of principal, or present an imminent risk of default with respect to such payments. Issuers of securities in default may fail to resume principal or interest payments, in which case the Fund may lose its entire investment.

Variable and Floating Rate Securities

Variable and floating rate securities are securities that pay interest at rates that adjust whenever a specified interest rate changes and/or that reset on predetermined dates (such as the last day of a month or a calendar quarter). Each Fund may invest in floating rate debt instruments ("floaters") and engage in credit spread trades. Variable and floating rate securities generally are less sensitive to interest rate changes but may decline in value if their interest rates do not rise as much, or as quickly, as interest rates in general.

 

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Conversely, floating rate securities will not generally increase in value if interest rates decline. Each Fund may also invest in inverse floating rate debt instruments ("inverse floaters"). An inverse floater may exhibit greater price volatility than a fixed rate obligation of similar credit quality. Each Fund may invest up to 5% of its total assets in any combination of mortgage-related or other asset-backed IO, PO or inverse floater securities. Additionally, a Fund may also invest, without limitation, in residual interest bonds. Residual interest bonds are a type of inverse floater. See "Municipal Bonds."

Inflation-Indexed Bonds

Inflation-indexed bonds (other than municipal inflation-indexed bonds and certain corporate inflation-indexed bonds, which are more fully described below) are fixed income securities whose principal value is periodically adjusted according to the rate of inflation. If the index measuring inflation falls, the principal value of inflation-indexed bonds (other than municipal inflation-indexed bonds and certain corporate inflation-indexed bonds) will be adjusted downward, and consequently the interest payable on these securities (calculated with respect to a smaller principal amount) will be reduced. Repayment of the original bond principal upon maturity (as adjusted for inflation) is guaranteed in the case of TIPS. For bonds that do not provide a similar guarantee, the adjusted principal value of the bond repaid at maturity may be less than the original principal.

TIPS may also be divided into individual zero-coupon instruments for each coupon or principal payment (known as "iSTRIPS"). An iSTRIP of the principal component of a TIPS issue will retain the embedded deflation floor that will allow the holder of the security to receive the greater of the original principal or inflation-adjusted principal value at maturity. iSTRIPS may be less liquid than conventional TIPS because they are a small component of the TIPS market.

Municipal inflation-indexed securities are municipal bonds that pay coupons based on a fixed rate plus CPI. With regard to municipal inflation-indexed bonds and certain corporate inflation-indexed bonds, the inflation adjustment is reflected in the semi-annual coupon payment. As a result, the principal value of municipal inflation-indexed bonds and such corporate inflation-indexed bonds does not adjust according to the rate of inflation. At the same time, the value of municipal inflation-indexed securities and such corporate inflation indexed securities generally will not increase if the rate of inflation decreases. Because municipal inflation-indexed securities and corporate inflation-indexed securities are a small component of the municipal bond and corporate bond markets, respectively, they may be less liquid than conventional municipal and corporate bonds.

The value of inflation-indexed bonds is expected to change in response to changes in real interest rates. Real interest rates are tied to the relationship between nominal interest rates and the rate of inflation. If nominal interest rates increase at a faster rate than inflation, real interest rates may rise, leading to a decrease in value of inflation-indexed bonds. Any increase in the principal amount of an inflation-indexed bond will be considered taxable ordinary income, even though investors do not receive their principal until maturity.

Event-Linked Exposure

Each Fund may obtain event-linked exposure by investing in "event-linked bonds" or "event-linked swaps" or by implementing "event-linked strategies." Event-linked exposure results in gains or losses that typically are contingent, or formulaically related to defined trigger events. Examples of trigger events include hurricanes, earthquakes, weather-related phenomena, or statistics related to such events. Some event-linked bonds are commonly referred to as "catastrophe bonds." If a trigger event occurs, a Fund may lose a portion or its entire principal invested in the bond or notional amount on a swap. Event-linked exposure often provides for an extension of maturity to process and audit loss claims where a trigger event has, or possibly has, occurred. An extension of maturity may increase volatility. Event-linked exposure may also expose a Fund to certain unanticipated risks including counterparty risk, adverse regulatory or jurisdictional interpretations, and adverse tax consequences. Event-linked exposures may also be subject to liquidity risk.

Convertible and Equity Securities

Common stock represents equity ownership in a company and typically provides the common stockholder the power to vote on certain corporate actions, including the election of the company's directors. Common stockholders participate in company profits through dividends and, in the event of bankruptcy, distributions, on a pro-rata basis after other claims are satisfied. Many factors affect the value of common stock, including earnings, earnings forecasts, corporate events and factors impacting the issuer's industry and the market generally. Common stock generally has the greatest appreciation and depreciation potential of all corporate securities.

Each Fund may invest in convertible securities and equity securities, as well as securities related to equities. Equity-related securities include securities having an equity component (e.g., hybrids, bank capital) and equity derivatives. The PIMCO High Yield Spectrum Fund may invest in convertible securities and equity securities, including up to 5% of its total assets in common stock and 15% of its total assets in preferred securities. Convertible securities are generally preferred securities and other securities, including fixed income securities and warrants, that are convertible into or exercisable for common stock at a stated price or rate. The price of a convertible security will normally vary in some proportion to changes in the price of the underlying common stock because of this conversion or exercise feature. However, the value of a convertible security may not increase or decrease as rapidly as the underlying common stock. A convertible security will normally also provide income and is subject to interest rate risk. Convertible securities may be lower-rated securities subject to greater levels of credit risk. A Fund may be forced to convert a security before it would otherwise choose, which may have an adverse effect on the Fund's ability to achieve its investment objective.

"Synthetic" convertible securities are selected based on the similarity of their economic characteristics to those of a traditional convertible security due to the combination of separate securities that possess the two principal characteristics of a traditional convertible security, i.e., an income-producing security ("income-producing component") and the right to acquire an equity security ("convertible component"). The income-producing component is achieved by investing in non-convertible, income-producing securities such as bonds, preferred securities and money market

 

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instruments, which may be represented by derivative instruments. The convertible component is achieved by investing in securities or instruments such as warrants or options to buy common stock at a certain exercise price, or options on a stock index. A simple example of a synthetic convertible security is the combination of a traditional corporate bond with a warrant to purchase equity securities of the issuer of the bond. A Fund may also purchase synthetic securities created by other parties, typically investment banks, including convertible structured notes. The income-producing and convertible components of a synthetic convertible security may be issued separately by different issuers and at different times.

While the PIMCO Preferred and Capital Securities Fund will generally invest in equity derivatives, the Fund may invest directly in equity securities, including common stocks, preferred securities, and convertible securities. When investing directly in equity securities, the Fund will not be limited to only those equity securities with any particular weighting in the Fund's benchmark index, if any. Generally, the Fund may consider investing directly in equity securities when derivatives on the underlying securities appear to be overvalued.

While some countries or companies may be regarded as favorable investments, pure fixed income opportunities may be unattractive or limited due to insufficient supply, or legal or technical restrictions. In such cases, subject to its applicable investment restrictions, a Fund may consider convertible securities or equity securities to gain exposure to such investments.

At times, in connection with the restructuring of a preferred security or Fixed Income Instrument either outside of bankruptcy court or in the context of bankruptcy court proceedings, a Fund may determine or be required to accept equity securities, such as common stocks, in exchange for all or a portion of a preferred security or Fixed Income Instrument. Depending upon, among other things, PIMCO's evaluation of the potential value of such securities in relation to the price that could be obtained by a Fund at any given time upon sale thereof, a Fund may determine to hold such securities in its portfolio.

Equity securities generally have greater price volatility than fixed income securities. The market price of equity securities owned by a Fund may go up or down, sometimes rapidly or unpredictably. Equity securities may decline in value due to factors affecting equity securities markets generally or particular industries represented in those markets. The value of an equity security may also 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 goods or services.

Preferred Securities


Preferred securities represent an equity interest in a company that generally entitles the holder to receive, in preference to the holders of other securities such as common stocks, dividends and a fixed share of the proceeds resulting from a liquidation of the company. Some preferred securities also entitle their holders to receive additional liquidation proceeds on the same basis as holders of a company's common stock, and thus also represent an ownership interest in that company. Preferred securities may pay fixed or adjustable rates of return.

Preferred and other senior securities may pay fixed or adjustable rates of return. Preferred and other senior securities are subject to issuer-specific and market risks applicable generally to equity securities. In addition, a company's preferred and other senior securities generally pay dividends only after the company makes required payments to holders of its bonds and other debt. For this reason, the value of preferred and other senior securities will usually react more strongly than bonds and other debt to actual or perceived changes in the company's financial condition or prospects. Preferred securities of smaller companies may be more vulnerable to adverse developments than preferred securities of larger companies.

Among other risks described in this Prospectus, the following issues are particularly associated with investments in preferred and other senior securities.

Deferral and Omission of Distributions. Preferred and other senior securities may include features permitting or requiring the issuer to defer or omit distributions. Among other things, such deferral or omission may result in adverse tax consequences for a Fund.

Limited Voting Rights. Preferred and other senior securities generally do not have voting rights with respect to the issuer unless dividends have been in arrears for certain specified periods of time.

Liquidity. Preferred and other senior securities may be less liquid than other securities, including common stock and U.S. government securities. As a result, these securities are subject to the risk that they may be unable to be sold at the time desired by a Fund or at prices approximating the values at which the Fund is carrying the securities on its books. In addition, over longer periods of time, certain types of preferred or other senior securities may become more scarce or less liquid as a result of legislative changes. Such events may negatively affect the prices of securities held by a Fund, which may result in losses to the Fund.

Regulatory Changes. Revisions to bank capital requirements by international regulatory bodies, to the extent they are adopted in the United States, may also negatively impact the market for certain preferred or senior securities.

Special Redemption Rights. An issuer of preferred or other senior securities may redeem the securities prior to a specified date, which may occur due to changes in tax or securities laws or corporate actions. A redemption by the issuer may negatively impact the return of the preferred security.

In the future, preferred or other senior securities may be offered with features different from those described above, and as such, may entail different risks.

Contingent Convertible Securities

Contingent convertible securities ("CoCos") are a form of hybrid debt security that are intended to either convert into equity or have their principal written down upon the occurrence of certain "triggers." The triggers are generally linked to regulatory capital thresholds or regulatory actions calling into question the issuing banking institution's continued viability as a going-concern. CoCos' unique equity conversion or principal write-down features are tailored to the issuing banking institution and its

 

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regulatory requirements. Some additional risks associated with CoCos include, but are not limited to:

Loss absorption risk. CoCos have fully discretionary coupons. This means coupons can potentially be cancelled at the banking institution's discretion or at the request of the relevant regulatory authority in order to help the bank absorb losses.

Subordinated instruments. CoCos will, in the majority of circumstances, be issued in the form of subordinated debt instruments in order to provide the appropriate regulatory capital treatment prior to a conversion. Accordingly, in the event of liquidation, dissolution or winding-up of an issuer prior to a conversion having occurred, the rights and claims of the holders of the CoCos, such as the Funds, against the issuer in respect of or arising under the terms of the CoCos shall generally rank junior to the claims of all holders of unsubordinated obligations of the issuer. In addition, if the CoCos are converted into the issuer's underlying equity securities following a conversion event (i.e., a "trigger"), each holder will be subordinated due to their conversion from being the holder of a debt instrument to being the holder of an equity instrument.

Market value will fluctuate based on unpredictable factors. The value of CoCos is unpredictable and will be influenced by many factors including, without limitation: (i) the creditworthiness of the issuer and/or fluctuations in such issuer's applicable capital ratios; (ii) supply and demand for the CoCos; (iii) general market conditions and available liquidity; and (iv) economic, financial and political events that affect the issuer, its particular market or the financial markets in general.

Surplus Notes

Surplus notes are debt securities typically issued by mutual insurers that count as statutory capital under insurance regulations. Surplus notes are subordinated to policyholder claims. Coupon payments on surplus notes are contractual and typically cumulative, but each coupon and principal payment requires regulatory approval to ensure that the payment does not deplete resources available for paying policyholder claims.

Foreign (Non-U.S.) Securities

Each Fund may invest in securities and instruments that are economically tied to foreign (non-U.S.) countries. PIMCO generally considers an instrument to be economically tied to a non-U.S. country if the issuer is a foreign (non-U.S.) government (or any political subdivision, agency, authority or instrumentality of such government), or if the issuer is organized under the laws of a non-U.S. country. A Fund's investments in foreign (non-U.S.) securities may include American Depositary Receipts ("ADRs"), European Depositary Receipts ("EDRs"), Global Depositary Receipts ("GDRs") and similar securities that represent interests in a non-U.S. company's securities that have been deposited with a bank or trust and that trade on a U.S. exchange or over-the-counter. ADRs, EDRs and GDRs may be less liquid or may trade at a different price than the underlying securities of the issuer. In the case of certain money market instruments, such instruments will be considered economically tied to a non-U.S. country if either the issuer or the guarantor of such money market instrument is organized under the laws of a non-U.S. country. With respect to derivative instruments, PIMCO generally considers such instruments to be economically tied to non-U.S. countries if the underlying assets are foreign currencies (or baskets or indexes of such currencies) or instruments or securities that are issued by foreign governments or issuers organized under the laws of a non-U.S. country (or if the underlying assets are certain money market instruments, if either the issuer or the guarantor of such money market instruments is organized under the laws of a non-U.S. country).

Investing in foreign (non-U.S.) securities involves special risks and considerations not typically associated with investing in U.S. securities. Investors should consider carefully the substantial risks involved for Funds that invest in securities issued by foreign companies and governments of foreign countries. These risks include: differences in accounting, auditing and financial reporting standards; generally higher commission rates on foreign portfolio transactions; the possibility of nationalization, expropriation or confiscatory taxation; adverse changes in investment or exchange control regulations; and political instability. Individual foreign economies may differ favorably or unfavorably from the U.S. economy in such respects as growth of gross domestic product, rates of inflation, capital reinvestment, resources, self-sufficiency and balance of payments position. The securities markets, values of securities, yields and risks associated with foreign (non-U.S.) securities markets may change independently of each other. Also, foreign (non-U.S.) securities and dividends and interest payable on those securities may be subject to foreign taxes, including taxes withheld from payments on those securities. Foreign (non-U.S.) securities often trade with less frequency and volume than domestic securities and therefore may exhibit greater price volatility. Investments in foreign (non-U.S.) securities may also involve higher custodial costs than domestic investments and additional transaction costs with respect to foreign currency conversions. Changes in foreign exchange rates also will affect the value of securities denominated or quoted in foreign currencies.

Certain Funds also may invest in sovereign debt issued by governments, their agencies or instrumentalities, or other government-related entities. Holders of sovereign debt may be requested to participate in the rescheduling of such debt and to extend further loans to governmental entities. In addition, there is no bankruptcy proceeding by which defaulted sovereign debt may be collected.

Emerging Market Securities. Each Fund that may invest in foreign (non-U.S.) securities may invest in securities and instruments that are economically tied to developing (or "emerging market") countries. PIMCO generally considers an instrument to be economically tied to an emerging market country if: the issuer is organized under the laws of an emerging market country; the currency of settlement of the security is a currency of an emerging market country; the security is guaranteed by the government of an emerging market country (or any political subdivision, agency, authority or instrumentality of such government); for an asset-backed or other collateralized security, the country in which the collateral backing the security is located is an emerging market country; or the security's "country of exposure" is an emerging market country, as determined by the criteria set forth below. With respect to derivative instruments, PIMCO generally considers such instruments to be economically tied to emerging market countries if the underlying assets are currencies of emerging market countries (or baskets or

 

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indexes of such currencies), or instruments or securities that are issued or guaranteed by governments of emerging market countries or by entities organized under the laws of emerging market countries or if an instrument's "country of exposure" is an emerging market country. A security's "country of exposure" is determined by PIMCO using certain factors provided by a third-party analytical service provider. The factors are applied in order such that the first factor to result in the assignment of a country determines the "country of exposure." The factors, listed in the order in which they are applied, are: (i) if an asset-backed or other collateralized security, the country in which the collateral backing the security is located; (ii) the "country of risk" of the issuer; (iii) if the security is guaranteed by the government of a country (or any political subdivision, agency, authority or instrumentality of such government), the country of the government or instrumentality providing the guarantee; (iv) the "country of risk" of the issuer's ultimate parent; or (v) the country where the issuer is organized or incorporated under the laws thereof. "Country of risk" is a separate four-part test determined by the following factors, listed in order of importance: (i) management location; (ii) country of primary listing; (iii) sales or revenue attributable to the country; and (iv) reporting currency of the issuer. PIMCO has broad discretion to identify countries that it considers to qualify as emerging markets. In making investments in emerging market securities, a Fund emphasizes those countries with relatively low gross national product per capita and with the potential for rapid economic growth. Emerging market countries are generally located in Asia, Africa, the Middle East, Latin America and Eastern Europe. PIMCO will select the country and currency composition based on its evaluation of relative interest rates, inflation rates, exchange rates, monetary and fiscal policies, trade and current account balances, legal and political developments and any other specific factors it believes to be relevant.

Investing in emerging market securities imposes risks different from, or greater than, risks of investing in domestic securities or in foreign, developed countries. These risks include: smaller market capitalization of securities markets, which may suffer periods of relative illiquidity; significant price volatility; restrictions on foreign investment; possible repatriation of investment income and capital. In addition, foreign investors may be required to register the proceeds of sales; future economic or political crises could lead to price controls, forced mergers, expropriation or confiscatory taxation, seizure, nationalization, or creation of government monopolies. The currencies of emerging market countries may experience significant declines against the U.S. dollar, and devaluation may occur subsequent to investments in these currencies by a Fund. Many emerging market countries have experienced substantial, and in some periods extremely high, rates of inflation for many years. Inflation and rapid fluctuations in inflation rates have had, and may continue to have, negative effects on the economies and securities markets of certain emerging market countries.

Additional risks of emerging market securities may include: greater social, economic and political uncertainty and instability; more substantial governmental involvement in the economy; less governmental supervision and regulation; unavailability of currency hedging techniques; companies that are newly organized and small; differences in auditing and financial reporting standards, which may result in unavailability of material information about issuers; and less developed legal systems. In addition, emerging securities markets may have different clearance and settlement procedures, which may be unable to keep pace with the volume of securities transactions or otherwise make it difficult to engage in such transactions. Settlement problems may cause a Fund to miss attractive investment opportunities, hold a portion of its assets in cash pending investment, or be delayed in disposing of a portfolio security. Such a delay could result in possible liability to a purchaser of the security.

Foreign (Non-U.S.) Currencies

Direct investments in foreign (non-U.S.) currencies or in securities that trade in, or receive revenues in, foreign (non-U.S.) currencies will be subject to currency risk. Foreign currency exchange rates may fluctuate significantly over short periods of time. They generally are determined by supply and demand in the foreign exchange markets and the relative merits of investments in different countries, actual or perceived changes in interest rates and other complex factors. Currency exchange rates also can be affected unpredictably by intervention (or the failure to intervene) by U.S. or foreign governments or central banks, or by currency controls or political developments. Currencies in which the Funds' assets are denominated may be devalued against the U.S. dollar, resulting in a loss to the Funds.

Foreign Currency Transactions. Funds that invest in securities denominated in foreign (non-U.S.) currencies may engage in foreign currency transactions on a spot (cash) basis, enter into forward foreign currency exchange contracts and invest in foreign currency futures contracts and options on foreign currencies and futures. A forward foreign currency exchange contract, which involves an obligation to purchase or sell a specific currency at a future date at a price set at the time of the contract, reduces a Fund's exposure to changes in the value of the currency it will deliver and increases its exposure to changes in the value of the currency it will receive for the duration of the contract. Certain foreign currency transactions may also be settled in cash rather than the actual delivery of the relevant currency. The effect on the value of a Fund is similar to selling securities denominated in one currency and purchasing securities denominated in another currency. Foreign currency transactions, like currency exchange rates, can be affected unpredictably by intervention (or the failure to intervene) by U.S. or foreign governments or central banks, or by currency controls or political developments. Such events may prevent or restrict a Fund's ability to enter into foreign currency transactions, force the Fund to exit a foreign currency transaction at a disadvantageous time or price or result in penalties for the Fund, any of which may result in a loss to the Fund. A contract to sell a foreign currency would limit any potential gain which might be realized if the value of the hedged currency increases. A Fund may enter into these contracts to hedge against foreign exchange risk, to increase exposure to a foreign currency or to shift exposure to foreign currency fluctuations from one currency to another. Suitable hedging transactions may not be available in all circumstances and there can be no assurance that a Fund will engage in such transactions at any given time or from time to time. Also, such transactions may not be successful and may eliminate any chance for a Fund to benefit from

 

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favorable fluctuations in relevant foreign currencies. A Fund may use one currency (or a basket of currencies) to hedge against adverse changes in the value of another currency (or a basket of currencies) when exchange rates between the two currencies are positively correlated. A Fund will segregate or "earmark" assets determined to be liquid by PIMCO in accordance with the procedures established by the Board of Trustees (or, as permitted by applicable law, enter into certain offsetting positions) to cover its obligations under forward foreign currency exchange contracts.

Redenomination. Continuing uncertainty as to the status of the euro and the European Monetary Union (the "EMU") has created significant volatility in currency and financial markets generally. Any partial or complete dissolution of the EMU could have significant adverse effects on currency and financial markets and on the values of a Fund's portfolio investments. If one or more EMU countries were to stop using the euro as its primary currency, a Fund's investments in such countries may be redenominated into a different or newly adopted currency. As a result, the value of those investments could decline significantly and unpredictably. In addition, securities or other investments that are redenominated may be subject to currency risk, liquidity risk and risk of improper valuation to a greater extent than similar investments currently denominated in euros. To the extent a currency used for redenomination purposes is not specified in respect of certain EMU-related investments, or should the euro cease to be used entirely, the currency in which such investments are denominated may be unclear, making such investments particularly difficult to value or dispose of. A Fund may incur additional expenses to the extent it is required to seek judicial or other clarification of the denomination or value of such securities.

There can be no assurance that if a Fund earns income or capital gains in a non-U.S. country or PIMCO otherwise seeks to withdraw a Fund's investments from a given country, capital controls imposed by such country will not prevent, or cause significant expense in, doing so.

Repurchase Agreements

Each Fund may enter into repurchase agreements, in which the Fund purchases a security from a bank or broker-dealer, which agrees to repurchase the security at the Fund's cost plus interest within a specified time. If the party agreeing to repurchase should default, the Fund will seek to sell the securities which it holds. This could involve procedural costs or delays in addition to a loss on the securities if their value should fall below their repurchase price. Repurchase agreements maturing in more than seven days and which may not be terminated within seven days at approximately the amount at which a Fund has valued the agreements are considered illiquid securities.  

Reverse Repurchase Agreements, Dollar Rolls and Other Borrowings

Each Fund may enter into reverse repurchase agreements and dollar rolls, subject to the Fund's limitations on borrowings. A reverse repurchase agreement involves the sale of a security by a Fund and its agreement to repurchase the instrument at a specified time and price. A dollar roll is similar except that the counterparty is not obligated to return the same securities as those originally sold by the Fund but only securities that are "substantially identical." Reverse repurchase agreements and dollar rolls may be considered borrowing for some purposes. A Fund will segregate or "earmark" assets determined to be liquid by PIMCO in accordance with procedures established by the Board of Trustees to cover its obligations under reverse repurchase agreements and dollar rolls. Reverse repurchase agreements, dollar rolls and other forms of borrowings may create leveraging risk for a Fund.

Each Fund may borrow money to the extent permitted under the 1940 Act. This means that, in general, a Fund may borrow money from banks for any purpose in an amount up to ⅓ of the Fund's total assets, less all liabilities and indebtedness not represented by senior securities. A Fund may also borrow money for temporary administrative purposes in an amount not to exceed 5% of the Fund's total assets. In addition, a Fund may borrow from certain other PIMCO funds in inter-fund lending transactions to the extent permitted by an exemptive order from the SEC.

Derivatives

Each Fund may, but is not required to, use derivative instruments for risk management purposes or as part of its investment strategies. Generally, derivatives are financial contracts whose value depends upon, or is derived from, the value of an underlying asset, reference rate or index, and may relate to stocks, bonds, interest rates, spreads between different interest rates, currencies or currency exchange rates, commodities, and related indexes. Examples of derivative instruments include options contracts, futures contracts, options on futures contracts and swap agreements (including, but not limited to, credit default swaps and swaps on exchange-traded funds). Each Fund may invest some or all of its assets in derivative instruments, subject to the Fund's objective and policies. A portfolio manager may decide not to employ any of these strategies and there is no assurance that any derivatives strategy used by a Fund will succeed. A description of these and other derivative instruments that the Funds may use are described under "Investment Objectives and Policies" in the SAI.

A Fund's use of derivative instruments involves risks different from, or possibly greater than, the risks associated with investing directly in securities and other more traditional investments. Certain derivative transactions may have a leveraging effect on a Fund. For example, a small investment in a derivative instrument may have a significant impact on a Fund's exposure to interest rates, currency exchange rates or other investments. As a result, a relatively small price movement in a derivative instrument may cause an immediate and substantial loss or gain. A Fund may engage in such transactions regardless of whether the Fund owns the asset, instrument or components of the index underlying the derivative instrument. A Fund may invest a significant portion of its assets in these types of instruments. If it does, the Fund's investment exposure could far exceed the value of its portfolio securities and its investment performance could be primarily dependent upon securities it does not own. A description of various risks associated with particular derivative instruments is included in "Investment Objectives and Policies" in the SAI. The following provides a more general discussion of important risk factors relating to all derivative instruments that may be used by the Funds.

 

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CPI Swap. A CPI swap is a fixed maturity, over-the-counter derivative transaction in which the investor receives the "realized" rate of inflation as measured by the Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers ("CPI") over the life of the swap. The investor in turn pays a fixed annualized rate over the life of the swap. This fixed rate is often referred to as the "breakeven inflation" rate and is generally representative of the difference between treasury yields and TIPS yields of similar maturities at the initiation of the swap. CPI swaps are typically in "bullet" format, where all cash flows are exchanged at maturity. In addition to counterparty risk, CPI swaps are also subject to inflation risk, where the swap can potentially lose value if the realized rate of inflation over the life of the swap is less than the fixed market implied inflation rate (fixed breakeven rate) that the investor agrees to pay at the initiation of the swap.

Management Risk. Derivative products are highly specialized instruments that require investment techniques and risk analyses different from those associated with stocks and bonds. The use of a derivative requires an understanding not only of the underlying instrument but also of the derivative itself, without the benefit of observing the performance of the derivative under all possible market conditions.

Credit Risk. The use of certain derivative instruments involves the risk that a loss may be sustained as a result of the failure of another party to the contract (usually referred to as a "counterparty") to make required payments or otherwise comply with the contract's terms. Additionally, a short position in a credit default swap could result in losses if a Fund does not correctly evaluate the creditworthiness of the company on which the credit default swap is based.

Liquidity Risk. Liquidity risk exists when a particular derivative instrument is difficult to purchase or sell. If a derivative transaction is particularly large or if the relevant market is illiquid (as is the case with many privately negotiated derivatives), it may not be possible to initiate a transaction or liquidate a position at an advantageous time or price.

Leverage Risk. Because many derivatives have a leverage component, adverse changes in the value or level of the underlying asset, reference rate or index could result in a loss substantially greater than the amount invested in the derivative itself. Certain derivatives have the potential for unlimited loss, regardless of the size of the initial investment. When a Fund uses derivatives for leverage, investments in that Fund will tend to be more volatile, resulting in larger gains or losses in response to market changes. To limit leverage risk, each Fund will segregate or "earmark" assets determined to be liquid by PIMCO in accordance with procedures established by the Board of Trustees (or, as permitted by applicable regulation, enter into certain offsetting positions) to cover its obligations under derivative instruments.

Lack of Availability. Because the markets for certain derivative instruments (including markets located in foreign countries) are relatively new and still developing, suitable derivatives transactions may not be available in all circumstances for risk management or other purposes. Upon the expiration of a particular contract, a portfolio manager may wish to retain a Fund's position in the derivative instrument by entering into a similar contract, but may be unable to do so if the counterparty to the original contract is unwilling to enter into the new contract and no other suitable counterparty can be found. There is no assurance that a Fund will engage in derivatives transactions at any time or from time to time. A Fund's ability to use derivatives may also be limited by certain regulatory and tax considerations.

Market and Other Risks. Like most other investments, derivative instruments are subject to the risk that the market value of the instrument will change in a way detrimental to a Fund's interest. If a portfolio manager incorrectly forecasts the values of securities, currencies or interest rates or other economic factors in using derivatives for a Fund, the Fund might have been in a better position if it had not entered into the transaction at all. While some strategies involving derivative instruments can reduce the risk of loss, they can also reduce the opportunity for gain or even result in losses by offsetting favorable price movements in other Fund investments. A Fund may also have to buy or sell a security at a disadvantageous time or price because the Fund is legally required to maintain offsetting positions or asset coverage in connection with certain derivatives transactions. The regulation of the derivatives markets has increased over the past several years, and additional future regulation of the derivatives markets may make derivatives more costly, may limit the availability or reduce the liquidity of derivatives, or may otherwise adversely affect the value or performance of derivatives. Any such adverse future developments could impair the effectiveness or raise the costs of the Fund's derivative transactions, or impede the employment of the Fund's derivatives strategies, or adversely affect the Fund's performance.

Other risks in using derivatives include the risk of mispricing or improper valuation of derivatives. Many derivatives, in particular privately negotiated derivatives, are complex and often valued subjectively. Improper valuations can result in increased cash payment requirements to counterparties or a loss of value to a Fund. Also, the value of derivatives may not correlate perfectly, or at all, with the value of the assets, reference rates or indexes they are designed to closely track. For example, a swap agreement on an exchange-traded fund would not correlate perfectly with the index upon which the exchange-traded fund is based because the fund's return is net of fees and expenses. In addition, a Fund's use of derivatives may cause the Fund to realize higher amounts of short-term capital gains (generally taxed at ordinary income tax rates) than if the Fund had not used such instruments.

Correlation Risk. In certain cases, the value of derivatives may not correlate perfectly, or at all, with the value of the assets, reference rates or indexes they are designed to closely track. In this regard, many of the Funds offered in this prospectus seek to achieve their investment objectives, in part, by investing in derivatives positions that are designed to closely track the performance (or inverse performance) of an index on a daily basis. However, the overall investment strategies of these Funds are not designed or expected to produce returns which replicate the performance (or inverse performance) of the particular index, and the degree of variation could be substantial, particularly over longer periods. There are a number of factors which may prevent a Fund, or derivatives or other strategies used by a Fund, from achieving a desired correlation (or inverse correlation) with an index. These may include, but are not limited to: (i) the impact of fund fees, expenses and transaction costs, including borrowing and brokerage costs/ bid-ask spreads, which are not reflected in index returns; (ii) differences in the timing of daily calculations of the value of an index and the timing of

 

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the valuation of derivatives, securities and other assets held by a fund and the determination of the NAV of Fund shares; (iii) disruptions or illiquidity in the markets for derivative instruments or securities in which a Fund invests; (iv) a Fund having exposure to or holding less than all of the securities in the underlying index and/or having exposure to or holding securities not included in the underlying index; (v) large or unexpected movements of assets into and out of a Fund (due to share purchases or redemptions, for example), potentially resulting in the Fund being over- or under-exposed to the index; (vi) the impact of accounting standards or changes thereto; (vii) changes to the applicable index that are not disseminated in advance; (viii) a possible need to conform a Fund's portfolio holdings to comply with investment restrictions or policies or regulatory or tax law requirements; and (ix) fluctuations in currency exchange rates.

Investments in a Wholly Owned Subsidiary

Investments in the Subsidiary are expected to provide the PIMCO Preferred and Capital Securities Fund with exposure to newly-issued Regulation S securities. Regulation S securities are securities of U.S. and non-U.S. issuers that are issued through private offerings without registration with the SEC pursuant to Regulation S under the Securities Act of 1933. The Subsidiary is advised by PIMCO, and has the same investment objective as the PIMCO Preferred and Capital Securities Fund. While the Subsidiary may be considered similar to an investment company, it is not registered under the 1940 Act and, unless otherwise noted in the prospectus, is not subject to all of the investor protections of the 1940 Act.

In addition, changes in the laws of the United States and/or the Cayman Islands could result in the inability of the PIMCO Preferred and Capital Securities Fund and/or the Subsidiary to operate as described in this prospectus and the SAI and could adversely affect the PIMCO Preferred and Capital Securities Fund. Changes in the laws of the United States and/or the Cayman Islands could adversely affect the performance of the PIMCO Preferred and Capital Securities Fund and/or the Subsidiary and result in the PIMCO Preferred and Capital Securities Fund underperforming its benchmark index.

Regulation S Securities

The PIMCO Preferred and Capital Securities Fund may invest in the securities of U.S. and non-U.S. issuers that are issued through private offerings without registration with the SEC pursuant to Regulation S under the Securities Act of 1933. Offerings of Regulation S Securities may be conducted outside of the United States. Because Regulation S Securities are subject to legal or contractual restrictions on resale, certain Regulation S Securities may be considered illiquid. Although Regulation S Securities may be resold in privately negotiated transactions, the price realized from these sales could be less than those originally paid by the PIMCO Preferred and Capital Securities Fund. Further, companies whose securities are not publicly traded may not be subject to the disclosure and other investor protection requirements that would be applicable if their securities were publicly traded. Accordingly, Regulation S Securities may involve a high degree of business and financial risk and may result in substantial losses.

Real Estate Investment Trusts (REITs)

REITs are pooled investment vehicles that own, and usually operate, income-producing real estate. Some REITs also finance real estate. If a REIT meets certain requirements, including distributing to shareholders substantially all of its taxable income (other than net capital gains), then it is not taxed on the income distributed to shareholders. Therefore, REITs tend to pay higher dividends than other issuers.

REITs can be divided into three basic types: Equity REITs, Mortgage REITs and Hybrid REITs. Equity REITs invest the majority of their assets directly in real property. They derive their income primarily from rents received and any profits on the sale of their properties. Mortgage REITs invest the majority of their assets in real estate mortgages and derive most of their income from mortgage interest payments. As its name suggests, Hybrid REITs combine characteristics of both Equity REITs and Mortgage REITs.

An investment in a REIT, or in a real estate linked derivative instrument linked to the value of a REIT, is subject to the risks that impact the value of the underlying properties of the REIT. These risks include loss to casualty or condemnation, and changes in supply and demand, interest rates, zoning laws, regulatory limitations on rents, property taxes and operating expenses. Other factors that may adversely affect REITs include poor performance by management of the REIT, changes to the tax laws, or failure by the REIT to qualify for tax-free distribution of income. REITs are also subject to default by borrowers and self-liquidation, and are heavily dependent on cash flow. Some REITs lack diversification because they invest in a limited number of properties, a narrow geographic area, or a single type of property. Mortgage REITs may be impacted by the quality of the credit extended.

Exchange-Traded Notes (ETNs)

ETNs are senior, unsecured, unsubordinated debt securities whose returns are linked to the performance of a particular market benchmark or strategy minus applicable fees. ETNs are traded on an exchange (e.g., the NYSE) during normal trading hours. However, investors can also hold the ETN until maturity. At maturity, the issuer pays to the investor a cash amount equal to the principal amount, subject to the day's market benchmark or strategy factor.

ETNs do not make periodic coupon payments or provide principal protection. ETNs are subject to credit risk and the value of the ETN may drop due to a downgrade in the issuer's credit rating, despite the underlying market benchmark or strategy remaining unchanged. The value of an ETN may also be influenced by time to maturity, level of supply and demand for the ETN, volatility and lack of liquidity in underlying assets, changes in the applicable interest rates, changes in the issuer's credit rating, and economic, legal, political, or geographic events that affect the referenced underlying asset. When a Fund invests in ETNs, it will bear its proportionate share of any fees and expenses borne by the ETN. A Fund's decision to sell its ETN holdings may be limited by the availability of a secondary market. ETNs are also subject to tax risk. The IRS and Congress are considering proposals that would change the timing and character of income and gains from ETNs. There may be times when an ETN share trades at a premium or discount to its market benchmark or strategy.

 

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Delayed Funding Loans and Revolving Credit Facilities

Each Fund may also enter into, or acquire participations in, delayed funding loans and revolving credit facilities, in which a lender agrees to make loans up to a maximum amount upon demand by the borrower during a specified term. These commitments may have the effect of requiring a Fund to increase its investment in a company at a time when it might not otherwise decide to do so (including at a time when the company's financial condition makes it unlikely that such amounts will be repaid). To the extent that a Fund is committed to advance additional funds, it will segregate or "earmark" assets determined to be liquid by PIMCO in accordance with procedures established by the Board of Trustees in an amount sufficient to meet such commitments. Delayed funding loans and revolving credit facilities are subject to credit, interest rate and liquidity risk and the risks of being a lender.

When-Issued, Delayed Delivery and Forward Commitment Transactions

Each Fund may purchase or sell securities which it is eligible to purchase or sell on a when-issued basis, may purchase and sell such securities for delayed delivery and may make contracts to purchase or sell such securities for a fixed price at a future date beyond normal settlement time (forward commitments). When-issued transactions, delayed delivery purchases and forward commitments involve a risk of loss if the value of the securities declines prior to the settlement date. This risk is in addition to the risk that a Fund's other assets will decline in value. Therefore, these transactions may result in a form of leverage and increase a Fund's overall investment exposure. Typically, no income accrues on securities a Fund has committed to purchase prior to the time delivery of the securities is made, although a Fund may earn income on securities it has segregated or "earmarked" to cover these positions. When a Fund has sold a security on a when-issued, delayed delivery, or forward commitment basis, the Fund does not participate in future gains or losses with respect to the security. If the other party to a transaction fails to pay for the securities, a Fund could suffer a loss. Additionally, when selling a security on a when-issued, delayed delivery or forward commitment basis without owning the security, a Fund will incur a loss if the security's price appreciates in value such that the security's price is above the agreed-upon price on the settlement date.

Investment in Other Investment Companies

Each Fund may invest in securities of other investment companies, such as open-end or closed-end management investment companies, including exchange-traded funds, or in pooled accounts, or other unregistered accounts or investment vehicles to the extent permitted by the 1940 Act and the rules and regulations thereunder and any exemptive relief therefrom. A Fund may invest in other investment companies to gain broad market or sector exposure, including during periods when it has large amounts of uninvested cash or when PIMCO believes share prices of other investment companies offer attractive values. As a shareholder of an investment company or other pooled vehicle, a Fund may indirectly bear investment advisory fees, supervisory and administrative fees, service fees and other fees which are in addition to the fees the Fund pays its service providers.

Each Fund may invest in certain money market funds and/or short-term bond funds ("Central Funds"), to the extent permitted by the 1940 Act, the rules thereunder or exemptive relief therefrom. The Central Funds are registered investment companies created for use solely by the series of the Trust, PIMCO Variable Insurance Trust, PIMCO ETF Trust, PIMCO Equity Series and PIMCO Equity Series VIT, and certain other series of registered investment companies advised by PIMCO, in connection with their cash management activities. The main investments of the Central Funds are money market instruments and short maturity Fixed Income Instruments. The Central Funds may incur expenses related to their investment activities, but do not pay investment advisory or supervisory and administrative fees to PIMCO.

Subject to the restrictions and limitations of the 1940 Act, each Fund may, in the future, elect to pursue its investment objective either by investing directly in securities, or by investing in one or more underlying investment vehicles or companies that have substantially similar investment objectives and policies as the Fund.

Small-Cap and Mid-Cap Companies

Certain Funds may invest in equity securities of small-capitalization and mid-capitalization companies. The Funds consider a small-cap company to be a company with a market capitalization of up to $1.5 billion and a mid-cap company to be a company with a market capitalization of between $1.5 billion and $10 billion. Investments in small-cap and mid-cap companies involve greater risk than investments in large-capitalization companies. Small- and mid-cap companies may not have an established financial history, which can present valuation challenges. The equity securities of small- and mid-cap companies may be subject to increased market fluctuations, due to less liquid markets and more limited managerial and financial resources. A Fund's investment in small- and mid-cap companies may increase the volatility of the Fund's portfolio.

Short Sales

A Fund may make short sales as part of its overall portfolio management strategies or to offset a potential decline in value of a security. A short sale involves the sale of a security that is borrowed from a broker or other institution to complete the sale. Short sales expose a Fund to the risk that it will be required to acquire, convert or exchange securities to replace the borrowed securities (also known as "covering" the short position) at a time when the securities sold short have appreciated in value, thus resulting in a loss to the Fund. When making a short sale (other than a "short sale against the box"), a Fund must segregate or "earmark" assets determined to be liquid by PIMCO in accordance with procedures established by the Board of Trustees or otherwise cover its position in a permissible manner.  A Fund may engage in short selling to the extent permitted by the 1940 Act and rules and interpretations thereunder and other federal securities laws. To the extent a Fund engages in short selling in foreign (non-U.S.) jurisdictions, the Fund will do so to the extent permitted by the laws and regulations of such jurisdiction.

Illiquid Securities

Each Fund may invest up to 15% of its net assets (taken at the time of investment) in illiquid securities. Certain illiquid securities may require pricing at fair value as determined in good faith under the supervision of the Board of Trustees. A portfolio manager may be subject to significant

 

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delays in disposing of illiquid securities, and transactions in illiquid securities may entail registration expenses and other transaction costs that are higher than those for transactions in liquid securities. The term "illiquid securities" for this purpose means securities that cannot be disposed of within seven days in the ordinary course of business at approximately the amount at which a Fund has valued the securities. Restricted securities, i.e., securities subject to legal or contractual restrictions on resale, may be illiquid. However, some restricted securities (such as securities issued pursuant to Rule 144A under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and certain commercial paper) may be treated as liquid, although they may be less liquid than registered securities traded on established secondary markets.

Fund Distribution Rates

Although certain Funds may seek to maintain stable distributions, such Funds' distribution rates may be affected by numerous factors, including but not limited to changes in realized and projected market returns, fluctuations in market interest rates, Fund performance, and other factors. There can be no assurance that a change in market conditions or other factors will not result in a change in a Fund's distribution rate or that the rate will be sustainable in the future.

For instance, during periods of low or declining interest rates, a Fund's distributable income and dividend levels may decline for many reasons. For example, the Fund may have to deploy uninvested assets (whether from purchases of Fund shares, proceeds from matured, traded or called debt obligations or other sources) in new, lower yielding instruments. Additionally, payments from certain instruments that may be held by a Fund (such as variable and floating rate securities) may be negatively impacted by declining interest rates, which may also lead to a decline in the Fund's distributable income and dividend levels.

Loans of Portfolio Securities

For the purpose of achieving income, each Fund may lend its portfolio securities to brokers, dealers, and other financial institutions provided a number of conditions are satisfied, including that the loan is fully collateralized. Please see "Investment Objectives and Policies" in the SAI for details. When a Fund lends portfolio securities, its investment performance will continue to reflect changes in the value of the securities loaned, and the Fund will also receive a fee or interest on the collateral. Securities lending involves the risk of loss of rights in the collateral or delay in recovery of the collateral if the borrower fails to return the security loaned or becomes insolvent. A Fund may pay lending fees to a party arranging the loan. Cash collateral received by a Fund in securities lending transactions may be invested in short-term liquid fixed income instruments or in money market or short-term mutual funds, or similar investment vehicles, including affiliated money market or short-term mutual funds. A Fund bears the risk of such investments.

Portfolio Turnover

The length of time a Fund has held a particular security is not generally a consideration in investment decisions. A change in the securities held by a Fund is known as "portfolio turnover." When the portfolio manager deems it appropriate and particularly during periods of volatile market movements, a Fund may engage in frequent and active trading of portfolio securities to achieve its investment objective. Higher portfolio turnover (e.g., an annual rate greater than 100% of the average value of the Fund's portfolio) involves correspondingly greater expenses to a Fund, including brokerage commissions or dealer markups and other transaction costs on the sale of securities and reinvestments in other securities. Such sales may also result in realization of taxable capital gains, including short-term capital gains (which are generally taxed at ordinary income tax rates). The trading costs and tax effects associated with portfolio turnover may adversely affect a Fund's performance. Please see a Fund's "Fund Summary—Portfolio Turnover" or the "Financial Highlights" in this prospectus for the portfolio turnover rates of the Funds that were operational during the last fiscal year.

Temporary Defensive Positions

For temporary defensive purposes, each Fund may invest without limit in U.S. debt securities, including taxable securities and short-term money market securities, when PIMCO deems it appropriate to do so. When a Fund engages in such strategies, it may not achieve its investment objective.

From time to time, as the prevailing market and interest rate environments warrant, and at the discretion of its portfolio manager, some portion of a Fund's total net assets may be uninvested. In such cases, Fund assets will be held in cash in a Fund's custody account. Cash assets are generally not income-generating and would impact a Fund's performance.

Changes in Investment Objectives and Policies

The investment objectives of each of the PIMCO Preferred and Capital Securities, PIMCO Credit Opportunities Bond, PIMCO Low Duration Income, PIMCO High Yield Spectrum, PIMCO Income, PIMCO Long-Term Credit Bond and PIMCO Senior Floating Rate Funds are non-fundamental and may be changed by the Board of Trustees without shareholder approval. The investment objectives of each other Fund are fundamental and may not be changed without shareholder approval. Unless otherwise stated, all other investment policies of the Funds may be changed by the Board of Trustees without shareholder approval.

Percentage Investment Limitations

Unless otherwise stated, all percentage limitations on Fund investments listed in this prospectus will apply at the time of investment. A Fund would not violate these limitations unless an excess or deficiency occurs or exists immediately after and as a result of an investment. Each of the PIMCO Preferred and Capital Securities, PIMCO High Yield Spectrum, PIMCO Long-Term Credit Bond and PIMCO Senior Floating Rate Funds has adopted a non-fundamental investment policy, and the PIMCO High Yield Fund has adopted a fundamental investment policy, to invest at least 80% of its assets in investments suggested by its name. For purposes of this policy, the term "assets" means net assets plus the amount of any borrowings for investment purposes.

Credit Ratings and Unrated Securities

Rating agencies are private services that provide ratings of the credit quality of fixed income securities, including convertible securities. Appendix A to this prospectus describes the various ratings assigned to fixed income securities by Moody's, S&P and Fitch. Ratings assigned by a rating agency are not absolute standards of credit quality and do not evaluate market

 

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risks. Rating agencies may fail to make timely changes in credit ratings and an issuer's current financial condition may be better or worse than a rating indicates. A Fund will not necessarily sell a security when its rating is reduced below its rating at the time of purchase. PIMCO does not rely solely on credit ratings, and develops its own analysis of issuer credit quality.

A Fund may purchase unrated securities (which are not rated by a rating agency) if PIMCO determines, in its sole discretion, that the security is of comparable quality to a rated security that the Fund may purchase. In making ratings determinations, PIMCO may take into account different factors than those taken into account by rating agencies, and PIMCO's rating of a security may differ from the rating that a rating agency may have given the same security. Unrated securities may be less liquid than comparable rated securities and involve the risk that the portfolio manager may not accurately evaluate the security's comparative credit rating. Analysis of the creditworthiness of issuers of high yield securities may be more complex than for issuers of higher-quality fixed income securities. To the extent that a Fund invests in high yield and/or unrated securities, the Fund's success in achieving its investment objective may depend more heavily on the portfolio manager's creditworthiness analysis than if the Fund invested exclusively in higher-quality and rated securities.

Other Investments and Techniques

The Funds may invest in other types of securities and use a variety of investment techniques and strategies which are not described in this prospectus. These securities and techniques may subject the Funds to additional risks. Please see the SAI for additional information about the securities and investment techniques described in this prospectus and about additional securities and techniques that may be used by the Funds.

Cyber Security

As the use of technology has become more prevalent in the course of business, the Funds have become potentially more susceptible to operational and information security risks resulting from breaches in cyber security. A breach in cyber security refers to both intentional and unintentional cyber events that may, among other things, cause a Fund to lose proprietary information, suffer data corruption and/or destruction or lose operational capacity, result in the unauthorized release or other misuse of confidential information, or otherwise disrupt normal business operations. Cyber security breaches may involve unauthorized access to a Fund's digital information systems (e.g., through "hacking" or malicious software coding), but may also result from outside attacks such as denial-of-service attacks (i.e., efforts to make network services unavailable to intended users). In addition, cyber security breaches involving a Fund's third party service providers (including but not limited to advisers, sub-advisers, administrators, transfer agents, custodians, distributors and other third parties), trading counterparties or issuers in which a Fund invests can also subject a Fund to many of the same risks associated with direct cyber security breaches. Moreover, cyber security breaches involving trading counterparties or issuers in which a Fund invests could adversely impact such counterparties or issuers and cause the Fund's investment to lose value.

Cyber security failures or breaches may result in financial losses to a Fund and its shareholders. These failures or breaches may also result in disruptions to business operations, potentially resulting in financial losses; interference with a Fund's ability to calculate its NAV, process shareholder transactions or otherwise transact business with shareholders; impediments to trading; violations of applicable privacy and other laws; regulatory fines; penalties; reputational damage; reimbursement or other compensation costs; additional compliance and cyber security risk management costs and other adverse consequences. In addition, substantial costs may be incurred in order to prevent any cyber incidents in the future.

Like with operational risk in general, the Funds have established business continuity plans and risk management systems designed to reduce the risks associated with cyber security. However, there are inherent limitations in these plans and systems, including that certain risks may not have been identified, in large part because different or unknown threats may emerge in the future. As such, there is no guarantee that such efforts will succeed, especially because the Funds do not directly control the cyber security systems of issuers in which a Fund may invest, trading counterparties or third party service providers to the Funds. There is also a risk that cyber security breaches may not be detected. The Funds and their shareholders could be negatively impacted as a result.

 

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Financial Highlights

The financial highlights table is intended to help a shareholder understand the financial performance of Institutional Class, I-2, I-3, Administrative Class, Class A, Class C and Class R shares of each Fund for the last five fiscal years or, if shorter, the period since a Fund or a class commenced operations. Certain information reflects financial results for a single Fund share. Because I-3 shares of the PIMCO Credit Opportunities Bond Fund, PIMCO Diversified Income Fund, PIMCO High Yield Fund, PIMCO High Yield Spectrum Fund, PIMCO Income Fund, PIMCO Low Duration Income Fund and PIMCO Preferred and Capital Securities Fund had not commenced operations during the periods shown, financial performance information is not provided for the share class. The total returns in the table represent the rate that an investor would have earned or lost on an investment in a particular class of shares of a Fund (assuming reinvestment of all dividends and distributions). This information has been audited by PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP, whose report, along with each Fund's financial statements, are included in the Trust's annual report to shareholders. The annual report is available free of charge by calling the Trust at the phone number on the back of this prospectus. The annual report is also available for download free of charge on the Trust's Web site at pimco.com. Note: All footnotes to the financial highlights table appear at the end of the tables.

[To be updated by subsequent amendment]

 

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Appendix A
Description of Securities Ratings

The Fund's investments may range in quality from securities rated in the lowest category in which the Fund is permitted to invest to securities rated in the highest category (as rated by Moody's, Standard & Poor's or Fitch, or, if unrated, determined by PIMCO to be of comparable quality). The percentage of the Fund's assets invested in securities in a particular rating category will vary. The following terms are generally used to describe the credit quality of fixed income securities:

High Quality Debt Securities are those rated in one of the two highest rating categories (the highest category for commercial paper) or, if unrated, deemed comparable by PIMCO.

Investment Grade Debt Securities are those rated in one of the four highest rating categories, or if unrated deemed comparable by PIMCO.

Below Investment Grade High Yield Securities ("Junk Bonds"), are those rated lower than Baa by Moody's, BBB by Standard & Poor's or Fitch, and comparable securities. They are deemed predominantly speculative with respect to the issuer's ability to repay principal and interest.

The following is a description of Moody's, Standard & Poor's and Fitch's rating categories applicable to fixed income securities.

Moody's Investors Service, Inc.

Long-Term Corporate Obligation Ratings
Moody's long-term obligation ratings are opinions of the relative credit risk of fixed income obligations with an original maturity of one year or more. They address the possibility that a financial obligation will not be honored as promised. Such ratings use Moody's Global Scale and reflect both the likelihood of default and any financial loss suffered in the event of default.

Aaa: Obligations rated Aaa are judged to be of the highest quality, subject to the lowest level of credit risk.

Aa: Obligations rated Aa are judged to be of high quality and are subject to very low credit risk.

A: Obligations rated A are judged to be upper-medium grade and are subject to low credit risk.

Baa: Obligations rated Baa are judged to be medium-grade and subject to moderate credit risk and as such may possess certain speculative characteristics.

Ba: Obligations rated Ba are judged to be speculative and are subject to substantial credit risk.

B: Obligations rated B are considered speculative and are subject to high credit risk.

Caa: Obligations rated Caa are judged to be speculative of poor standing and are subject to very high credit risk.

Ca: Obligations rated Ca are highly speculative and are likely in, or very near, default, with some prospect of recovery of principal and interest.

C: Obligations rated C are the lowest rated and are typically in default, with little prospect for recovery of principal or interest.

Moody's appends numerical modifiers 1, 2, and 3 to each generic rating classification from Aa through Caa. The modifier 1 indicates that the obligation ranks in the higher end of its generic rating category; the modifier 2 indicates a mid-range ranking; and the modifier 3 indicates a ranking in the lower end of that generic rating category. Additionally, a "(hyb)" indicator is appended to all ratings of hybrid securities issued by banks, insurers, finance companies, and securities firms.*

* By their terms, hybrid securities allow for the omission of scheduled dividends, interest, or principal payments, which can potentially result in impairment if such an omission occurs. Hybrid securities may also be subject to contractually allowable write-downs of principal that could result in impairment. Together with the hybrid indicator, the long-term obligation rating assigned to a hybrid security is an expression of the relative credit risk associated with that security.

Medium-Term Note Program Ratings

Moody's assigns provisional ratings to medium-term note (MTN) programs and definitive ratings to the individual debt securities issued from them (referred to as drawdowns or notes).

MTN program ratings are intended to reflect the ratings likely to be assigned to drawdowns issued from the program with the specified priority of claim (e.g. senior or subordinated). To capture the contingent nature of a program rating, Moody's assigns provisional ratings to MTN programs. A provisional rating is denoted by a (P) in front of the rating.

The rating assigned to a drawdown from a rated MTN or bank/deposit note program is definitive in nature, and may differ from the program rating if the drawdown is exposed to additional credit risks besides the issuer's default, such as links to the defaults of other issuers, or has other structural features that warrant a different rating. In some circumstances, no rating may be assigned to a drawdown.

Moody's encourages market participants to contact Moody's Ratings Desks or visit www.moodys.com directly if they have questions regarding ratings for specific notes issued under a medium-term note program. Unrated notes issued under an MTN program may be assigned an NR (not rated) symbol.

Short-Term Ratings
Ratings assigned on Moody's global short-term rating scales are forward-looking opinions of the relative credit risks of financial obligations issued by non-financial corporates, financial institutions, structured finance vehicles, project finance vehicles, and public sector entitities. Short-term ratings are opinions of the ability of issuers to honor short-term financial obligations. Ratings may be assigned to issuers, short-term programs or to individual short-term debt instruments. Such obligations generally have an original maturity not exceeding thirteen months, unless explicitly noted.

Moody's employs the following designations to indicate the relative repayment ability of rated issuers:

P-1: Issuers (or supporting institutions) rated Prime-1 have a superior ability to repay short-term debt obligations.

P-2: Issuers (or supporting institutions) rated Prime-2 have a strong ability to repay short-term debt obligations.

 

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P-3: Issuers (or supporting institutions) rated Prime-3 have an acceptable ability to repay short-term obligations.

NP: Issuers (or supporting institutions) rated Not Prime do not fall within any of the Prime rating categories.

National Scale Long-Term Ratings

Moody's long-term National Scale Ratings (NSRs) are opinions of the relative creditworthiness of issuers and financial obligations within a particular country. NSRs are not designed to be compared among countries; rather, they address relative credit risk within a given country. Moody's assigns national scale ratings in certain local capital markets in which investors have found the global rating scale provides inadequate differentiation among credits or is inconsistent with a rating scale already in common use in the country. In each specific country, the last two characters of the rating indicate the country in which the issuer is located (e.g., Aaa.br for Brazil).

Aaa.n: Issuers or issues rated Aaa.n demonstrate the strongest creditworthiness relative to other domestic issuers.

Aa.n: Issuers or issues rated Aa.n demonstrate very strong creditworthiness relative to other domestic issuers.

A.n: Issuers or issues rated A.n present above-average creditworthiness relative to other domestic issuers.

Baa.n: Issuers or issues rated Baa.n represent average creditworthiness relative to other domestic issuers.

Ba.n: Issuers or issues rated Ba.n demonstrate below-average creditworthiness relative to other domestic issuers.

B.n: Issuers or issues rated B.n demonstrate weak creditworthiness relative to other domestic issuers.

Caa.n: Issuers or issues rated Caa.n demonstrate very weak creditworthiness relative to other domestic issuers.

Ca.n: Issuers or issues rated Ca.n demonstrate extremely weak creditworthiness relative to other domestic issuers.

C.n: Issuers or issues rated C.n demonstrate the weakest creditworthiness relative to other domestic issuers.

Moody's appends numerical modifiers 1, 2, and 3 to each generic rating classification from Aa through Caa. The modifier 1 indicates that the obligation ranks in the higher end of its generic rating category; the modifier 2 indicates a mid-range ranking; and the modifier 3 indicates a ranking in the lower end of that generic rating category. National scale long-term ratings of D.ar and E.ar may also be applied to Argentine obligations.

National Scale Short-Term Ratings
Moody's short-term NSRs are opinions of the ability of issuers in a given country, relative to other domestic issuers, to repay debt obligations that have an original maturity not exceeding thirteen months. Short-term NSRs in one country should not be compared with short-term NSRs in another country, or with Moody's global ratings.

There are four categories of short-term national scale ratings, generically denoted N-1 through N-4 as defined below.

In each specific country, the first two letters indicate the country in which the issuer is located (e.g., BR-1 through BR-4 for Brazil).

N-1: Issuers rated N-1 have the strongest ability to repay short-term senior unsecured debt obligations relative to other domestic issuers.

N-2: Issuers rated N-2 have an above average ability to repay short-term senior unsecured debt obligations relative to other domestic issuers.

N-3: Issuers rated N-3 have an average ability to repay short-term senior unsecured debt obligations relative to other domestic issuers.

N-4: Issuers rated N-4 have a below average ability to repay short-term senior unsecured debt obligations relative to other domestic issuers.

The short-term rating symbols P-1.za, P-2.za, P-3.za and NP.za are used in South Africa. National scale short-term ratings of AR-5 and AR-6 may also be applied to Argentine obligations.

Short-Term Obligation Ratings
There are three rating categories for short-term municipal obligations that are considered investment grade. These ratings are designated as Municipal Investment Grade (MIG) and are divided into three levels—MIG 1 through MIG 3. In addition, those short-term obligations that are of speculative quality are designated SG, or speculative grade. MIG ratings expire at the maturity of the obligation.

MIG 1: This designation denotes superior credit quality. Excellent protection is afforded by established cash flows, highly reliable liquidity support, or demonstrated broad-based access to the market for refinancing.

MIG 2: This designation denotes strong credit quality. Margins of protection are ample, although not as large as in the preceding group.

MIG 3: This designation denotes acceptable credit quality. Liquidity and cash-flow protection may be narrow, and market access for refinancing is likely to be less well-established.

SG: This designation denotes speculative-grade credit quality. Debt instruments in this category may lack sufficient margins of protection.

Demand Obligation Ratings
In the case of variable rate demand obligations (VRDOs), a two-component rating is assigned: a long- or short-term debt rating and a demand obligation rating. The first element represents Moody's evaluation of risk associated with scheduled principal and interest payments. The second element represents Moody's evaluation of risk associated with the ability to receive purchase price upon demand ("demand feature"). The second element uses a rating from a variation of the MIG scale called the Variable Municipal Investment Grade (VMIG) scale.

VMIG 1: This designation denotes superior credit quality. Excellent protection is afforded by the superior short-term credit strength of the liquidity provider and structural and legal protections that ensure the timely payment of purchase price upon demand.

VMIG 2: This designation denotes strong credit quality. Good protection is afforded by the strong short-term credit strength of the liquidity provider and structural and legal protections that ensure the timely payment of purchase price upon demand.

 

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VMIG 3: This designation denotes acceptable credit quality. Adequate protection is afforded by the satisfactory short-term credit strength of the liquidity provider and structural and legal protections that ensure the timely payment of purchase price upon demand.

SG: This designation denotes speculative-grade credit quality. Demand features rated in this category may be supported by a liquidity provider that does not have an investment grade short-term rating or may lack the structural and/or legal protections necessary to ensure the timely payment of purchase price upon demand.

Standard & Poor's Ratings Services

Long-Term Issue Credit Ratings
Issue credit ratings are based, in varying degrees, on S&P Global Ratings' ("S&P") analysis of the following considerations:

Likelihood of payment—capacity and willingness of the obligor to meet its financial commitment on a financial obligation in accordance with the terms of the obligation;

Nature and provisions of the obligation and the promise S&P imputes; and

Protection afforded by, and relative position of, the financial obligation in the event of a bankruptcy, reorganization, or other arrangement under the laws of bankruptcy and other laws affecting creditors' rights.

Issue ratings are an assessment of default risk, but may incorporate an assessment of relative seniority or ultimate recovery in the event of default. Junior obligations are typically rated lower than senior obligations, to reflect the lower priority in bankruptcy, as noted above. (Such differentiation may apply when an entity has both senior and subordinated obligations, secured and unsecured obligations, or operating company and holding company obligations.)

Investment Grade
AAA: An obligation rated 'AAA' has the highest rating assigned by S&P. The obligor's capacity to meet its financial commitment on the obligation is extremely strong.

AA: An obligation rated 'AA' differs from the highest-rated obligations only to a small degree. The obligor's capacity to meet its financial commitment on the obligation is very strong.

A: An obligation rated 'A' is somewhat more susceptible to the adverse effects of changes in circumstances and economic conditions than obligations in higher-rated categories. However, the obligor's capacity to meet its financial commitment on the obligation is still strong.

BBB: An obligation rated ‘BBB' exhibits adequate protection parameters. However, adverse economic conditions or changing circumstances are more likely to lead to a weakened capacity of the obligor to meet its financial commitment on the obligation.

Speculative Grade
Obligations rated 'BB', 'B', 'CCC', 'CC', and 'C' are regarded as having significant speculative characteristics. 'BB' indicates the least degree of speculation and 'C' the highest. While such obligations will likely have some quality and protective characteristics, these may be outweighed by large uncertainties or major exposures to adverse conditions.

BB: An obligation rated 'BB' is less vulnerable to nonpayment than other speculative issues. However, it faces major ongoing uncertainties or exposure to adverse business, financial, or economic conditions which could lead to the obligor's inadequate capacity to meet its financial commitment on the obligation.

B: An obligation rated 'B' is more vulnerable to nonpayment than obligations rated ‘BB', but the obligor currently has the capacity to meet its financial commitment on the obligation. Adverse business, financial, or economic conditions will likely impair the obligor's capacity or willingness to meet its financial commitment on the obligation.

CCC: An obligation rated 'CCC' is currently vulnerable to nonpayment, and is dependent upon favorable business, financial, and economic conditions for the obligor to meet its financial commitment on the obligation. In the event of adverse business, financial, or economic conditions, the obligor is not likely to have the capacity to meet its financial commitment on the obligation.

CC: An obligation rated 'CC' is currently highly vulnerable to nonpayment. The ‘CC' rating is used when a default has not yet occurred, but S&P expects default to be a virtual certainty, regardless of the anticipated time to default.

C: An obligation rated ‘C' is currently highly vulnerable to nonpayment, and the obligation is expected to have lower relative seniority or lower ultimate recovery compared to obligations that are rated higher.

D: An obligation rated ‘D' is in default or in breach of an imputed promise. For non-hybrid capital instruments, the ‘D' rating category is used when payments on an obligation are not made on the date due, unless S&P believes that such payments will be made within five business days in the absence of a stated grace period or within the earlier of the stated grace period or 30 calendar days. The ‘D' rating also will be used upon the filing of a bankruptcy petition or the taking of similar action and where default on an obligation is a virtual certainty, for example due to automatic stay provisions. An obligation's rating is lowered to ‘D' if it is subject to a distressed exchange offer.

NR: This indicates that no rating has been requested, that there is insufficient information on which to base a rating, or that S&P does not rate a particular obligation as a matter of policy.

Plus (+) or minus (-): The ratings from ‘AA' to 'CCC' may be modified by the addition of a plus (+) or minus (-) sign to show relative standing within the major rating categories.

Short-Term Issue Credit Ratings
A-1: A short-term obligation rated 'A-1' is rated in the highest category by S&P. The obligor's capacity to meet its financial commitment on the obligation is strong. Within this category, certain obligations are designated with a plus sign (+). This indicates that the obligor's capacity to meet its financial commitment on these obligations is extremely strong.

A-2: A short-term obligation rated 'A-2' is somewhat more susceptible to the adverse effects of changes in circumstances and economic conditions

 

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than obligations in higher rating categories. However, the obligor's capacity to meet its financial commitment on the obligation is satisfactory.

A-3: A short-term obligation rated 'A-3' exhibits adequate protection parameters. However, adverse economic conditions or changing circumstances are more likely to lead to a weakened capacity of the obligor to meet its financial commitment on the obligation.

B: A short-term obligation rated 'B' is regarded as vulnerable and has significant speculative characteristics. The obligor currently has the capacity to meet its financial commitments; however, it faces major ongoing uncertainties which could lead to the obligor's inadequate capacity to meet its financial commitments.

C: A short-term obligation rated 'C' is currently vulnerable to nonpayment and is dependent upon favorable business, financial, and economic conditions for the obligor to meet its financial commitment on the obligation.

D: A short-term obligation rated ‘D' is in default or in breach of an imputed promise. For non-hybrid capital instruments, the ‘D' rating category is used when payments on an obligation are not made on the date due, unless S&P believes that such payments will be made within any stated grace period. However, any stated grace period longer than five business days will be treated as five business days. The ‘D' rating also will be used upon the filing of a bankruptcy petition or the taking of a similar action and where default on an obligation is a virtual certainty, for example due to automatic stay provisions. An obligation's rating is lowered to ‘D' if it is subject to a distressed exchange offer.

Dual Ratings: Dual ratings may be assigned to debt issues that have a put option or demand feature. The first component of the rating addresses the likelihood of repayment of principal and interest as due, and the second component of the rating addresses only the demand feature. The first component of the rating can relate to either a short-term or long-term transaction and accordingly use either short-term or long-term rating symbols. The second component of the rating relates to the put option and is assigned a short-term rating symbol (for example, ‘AAA/A-1+' or ‘A-1+/A-1'). With U.S. municipal short-term demand debt, the U.S. municipal short-term note rating symbols are used for the first component of the rating (for example, ‘SP-1+/A-1+').

Active Qualifiers
S&P uses the following qualifiers that limit the scope of a rating. The structure of the transaction can require the use of a qualifier such as a 'p' qualifier, which indicates the rating addressed the principal portion of the obligation only. A qualifier appears as a suffix and is part of the rating.

L: Ratings qualified with ‘L' apply only to amounts invested up to federal deposit insurance limits.

p: This suffix is used for issues in which the credit factors, the terms, or both, that determine the likelihood of receipt of payment of principal are different from the credit factors, terms or both that determine the likelihood of receipt of interest on the obligation. The ‘p' suffix indicates that the rating addresses the principal portion of the obligation only and that the interest is not rated.

prelim: Preliminary ratings, with the ‘prelim' suffix, may be assigned to obligors or obligations, including financial programs, in the circumstances described below. Assignment of a final rating is conditional on the receipt by S&P of appropriate documentation. S&P reserves the right not to issue a final rating. Moreover, if a final rating is issued, it may differ from the preliminary rating.

Preliminary ratings may be assigned to obligations, most commonly structured and project finance issues, pending receipt of final documentation and legal opinions.

Preliminary ratings may be assigned to obligations that will likely be issued upon the obligor's emergence from bankruptcy or similar reorganization, based on late-stage reorganization plans, documentation and discussions with the obligor. Preliminary ratings may also be assigned to the obligors. These ratings consider the anticipated general credit quality of the reorganized or post-bankruptcy issuer as well as attributes of the anticipated obligation(s).

Preliminary ratings may be assigned to entities that are being formed or that are in the process of being independently established when, in S&P opinion, documentation is close to final. Preliminary ratings may also be assigned to the obligations of these entities.

Preliminary ratings may be assigned when a previously unrated entity is undergoing a well-formulated restructuring, recapitalization, significant financing or other transformative event, generally at the point that investor or lender commitments are invited. The preliminary rating may be assigned to the entity and to its proposed obligation(s). These preliminary ratings consider the anticipated general credit quality of the obligor, as well as attributes of the anticipated obligation(s), assuming successful completion of the transformative event. Should the transformative event not occur, S&P would likely withdraw these preliminary ratings.

A preliminary recovery rating may be assigned to an obligation that has a preliminary issue credit rating.

t: This symbol indicates termination structures that are designed to honor their contracts to full maturity or, should certain events occur, to terminate and cash settle all their contracts before their final maturity date.

cir: This symbol indicates a Counterparty Instrument Rating (CIR), which is a forward-looking opinion about the creditworthiness of an issuer in a securitization structure with respect to a specific financial obligation to a counterparty (including interest rate swaps, currency swaps, and liquidity facilities). The CIR is determined on an ultimate payment basis; these opinions do not take into account timeliness of payment.

Inactive Qualifiers (no longer applied or outstanding)

*:This symbol that indicated that the rating was contingent upon S&P receipt of an executed copy of the escrow agreement or closing documentation confirming investments and cash flows. Discontinued use in August 1998.

c: This qualifier was used to provide additional information to investors that the bank may terminate its obligation to purchase tendered bonds if the long-term credit rating of the issuer was lowered to below an investment-grade level and/or the issuer's bonds were deemed taxable. Discontinued use in January 2001.

 

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G: The letter 'G' followed the rating symbol when a fund's portfolio consisted primarily of direct U.S. government securities.

pi: This qualifier was used to indicate ratings that were based on an analysis of an issuer's published financial information, as well as additional information in the public domain. Such ratings did not, however, reflect in-depth meetings with an issuer's management and therefore, could have been based on less comprehensive information than ratings without a 'pi' suffix. Discontinued use as of December 2014 and as of August 2015 for Lloyd's Syndicate Assessments.

pr: The letters ‘pr' indicate that the rating was provisional. A provisional rating assumed the successful completion of a project financed by the debt being rated and indicates that payment of debt service requirements was largely or entirely dependent upon the successful, timely completion of the project. This rating, however, while addressing credit quality subsequent to completion of the project, made no comment on the likelihood of or the risk of default upon failure of such completion.

q: A ‘q' subscript indicates that the rating is based solely on quantitative analysis of publicly available information. Discontinued use in April 2001.

r: The ‘r' modifier was assigned to securities containing extraordinary risks, particularly market risks, which are not covered in the credit rating. The absence of an ‘r' modifier should not be taken as an indication that an obligation would not exhibit extraordinary non-credit related risks. S&P discontinued the use of the ‘r' modifier for most obligations in June 2000 and for the balance of obligations (mainly structured finance transactions) in November 2002.

Fitch Ratings

Long-Term Credit Ratings
Investment Grade
Rated entities in a number of sectors, including financial and non-financial corporations, sovereigns, insurance companies and certain sectors within public finance, are generally assigned Issuer Default Ratings (IDRs). IDRs are also assigned to certain entities in global infrastructure and project finance. IDRs opine on an entity's relative vulnerability to default on financial obligations. The threshold default risk addressed by the IDR is generally that of the financial obligations whose non-payment would best reflect the uncured failure of that entity. As such, IDRs also address relative vulnerability to bankruptcy, administrative receivership or similar concepts.

In aggregate, IDRs provide an ordinal ranking of issuers based on the agency's view of their relative vulnerability to default, rather than a prediction of a specific percentage likelihood of default.

AAA: Highest credit quality. ‘AAA' ratings denote the lowest expectation of credit risk. They are assigned only in cases of exceptionally strong capacity for payment of financial commitments. This capacity is highly unlikely to be adversely affected by foreseeable events.

AA: Very high credit quality. 'AA' ratings denote expectations of very low credit risk. They indicate very strong capacity for payment of financial commitments. This capacity is not significantly vulnerable to foreseeable events.

A: High credit quality. 'A' ratings denote expectations of low credit risk. The capacity for payment of financial commitments is considered strong. This capacity may, nevertheless, be more vulnerable to adverse business or economic conditions than is the case for higher ratings.

BBB: Good credit quality. 'BBB' ratings indicate that expectations of credit risk are currently low. The capacity for payment of financial commitments is considered adequate, but adverse business or economic conditions are more likely to impair this capacity.

Speculative Grade
BB: Speculative. ‘BB' ratings indicate an elevated vulnerability to credit risk, particularly in the event of adverse changes in business or economic conditions over time; however, business or financial alternatives may be available to allow financial commitments to be met.

B: Highly speculative. ‘B' ratings indicate that material credit risk is present.

CCC: Substantial credit risk.

CC: Very high levels of credit risk.

C: Exceptionally high levels of credit risk.

Defaulted obligations typically are not assigned 'RD' or ‘D' ratings, but are instead rated in the ‘B' to ‘C' rating categories, depending on their recovery prospects and other relevant characteristics. This approach better aligns obligations that have comparable overall expected loss but varying vulnerability to default and loss.

The modifiers "+" or "-" may be appended to a rating to denote relative status within major rating categories. For example, the rating category 'AA' has three notch-specific rating levels ('AA+'; 'AA'; 'AA-'; each a rating level). Such suffixes are not added to the ‘AAA' obligation rating category, or to corporate finance obligation ratings in the categories below ‘CCC.'

The subscript ‘emr' is appended to a rating to denote embedded market risk that is beyond the scope of the rating. The designation is intended to make clear that the rating solely addresses the counterparty risk of the issuing bank. It is not meant to indicate any limitation in the analysis of the counterparty risk, which in all other respects follows published Fitch criteria for analyzing the issuing financial institution. Fitch does not rate these instruments where the principal is to any degree subject to market risk. 

Recovery Ratings
Recovery Ratings are assigned to selected individual securities and obligations, most frequently for individual obligations of corporate finance issuers with Issuer Default Ratings (IDRs) in speculative grade categories.

Among the factors that affect recovery rates for securities are the collateral, the seniority relative to other obligations in the capital structure (where appropriate), and the expected value of the company or underlying collateral in distress.

The Recovery Rating scale is based on the expected relative recovery characteristics of an obligation upon the curing of a default, emergence from insolvency or following the liquidation or termination of the obligor or its associated collateral.

Recovery Ratings are an ordinal scale and do not attempt to precisely predict a given level of recovery. As a guideline in developing the rating assessments, the agency employs broad theoretical recovery bands in its

 

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PROSPECTUS | PIMCO FUNDS     


 

Table of Contents

Prospectus

ratings approach based on historical averages and analytical judgment, but actual recoveries for a given security may deviate materially from historical averages.

RR1: Outstanding recovery prospects given default. ‘RR1' rated securities have characteristics consistent with securities historically recovering 91%-100% of current principal and related interest.

RR2: Superior recovery prospects given default. ‘RR2' rated securities have characteristics consistent with securities historically recovering 71%-90% of current principal and related interest.

RR3: Good recovery prospects given default. ‘RR3' rated securities have characteristics consistent with securities historically recovering 51%-70% of current principal and related interest.

RR4: Average recovery prospects given default. ‘RR4' rated securities have characteristics consistent with securities historically recovering 31%-50% of current principal and related interest.

RR5: Below average recovery prospects given default. ‘RR5' rated securities have characteristics consistent with securities historically recovering 11%-30% of current principal and related interest.

RR6: Poor recovery prospects given default. ‘RR6' rated securities have characteristics consistent with securities historically recovering 0%-10% of current principal and related interest.

Short-Term Credit Ratings
A short-term issuer or obligation rating is based in all cases on the short-term vulnerability to default of the rated entity and relates to the capacity to meet financial obligations in accordance with the documentation governing the relevant obligation. Short-term deposit ratings may be adjusted for loss severity. Short-Term Ratings are assigned to obligations whose initial maturity is viewed as "short term" based on market convention. Typically, this means up to 13 months for corporate, sovereign, and structured obligations, and up to 36 months for obligations in U.S. public finance markets.

F1: Highest short-term credit quality. Indicates the strongest intrinsic capacity for timely payment of financial commitments; may have an added "+" to denote any exceptionally strong credit feature.

F2: Good short-term credit quality. Good intrinsic capacity for timely payment of financial commitments.

F3: Fair short-term credit quality. The intrinsic capacity for timely payment of financial commitments is adequate.

B: Speculative short-term credit quality. Minimal capacity for timely payment of financial commitments, plus heightened vulnerability to near term adverse changes in financial and economic conditions.

C: High short-term default risk. Default is a real possibility.

RD: Restricted default. Indicates an entity that has defaulted on one or more of its financial commitments, although it continues to meet other financial obligations. Typically applicable to entity ratings only.

D: Default. Indicates a broad-based default event for an entity, or the default of a short-term obligation.

 

[ ] | PROSPECTUS

A-6


 

Table of Contents

PIMCO Funds

Appendix B
Financial Firm-Specific Sales Charge Waivers and Discounts

The availability of initial and contingent deferred sales charge waivers and discounts may depend on the particular financial firm or type of account through which you purchase or hold Fund shares. For waivers or discounts not available through a particular financial firm, investors will have to purchase shares directly from the Funds (or the Distributor) or through another financial firm to receive such waivers or discounts.

The following descriptions of sales charge waivers and discounts for a particular financial firm and class(es) of shares set forth information provided by the financial firm that the firm has represented is current as of the date of this Prospectus. These waivers or discounts, which may vary from those disclosed elsewhere in the Prospectus, are subject to change. The Funds will update this Appendix periodically based on information provided by the applicable financial firm. Neither the Funds, the Investment Adviser nor PIMCO Investments LLC supervises the implementation of these waivers or discounts or verifies the firms' administration of these waivers or discounts.

In all instances, it is an investor's responsibility to notify the financial firm of any facts that may qualify the investor for sales charge waivers or discounts. Please contact your financial firm for more information regarding the sales charge waivers and discounts available to you and the firm's related policies and procedures.

Effective April 10, 2017, shareholders purchasing Fund shares through a Merrill Lynch platform or account will be eligible only for the following load waivers (front-end sales charge waivers and contingent deferred, or back-end, sales charge waivers) and discounts, which may differ from those disclosed elsewhere in the Funds' prospectus or SAI.

Front-end Sales Load Waivers on Class A Shares available at Merrill Lynch

Employer-sponsored retirement, deferred compensation and employee benefit plans (including health savings accounts) and trusts used to fund those plans, provided that the shares are not held in a commission-based brokerage account and shares are held for the benefit of the plan

Shares purchased by or through a 529 Plan

Shares purchased through a Merrill Lynch affiliated investment advisory program

Shares purchased by third party investment advisors on behalf of their advisory clients through Merrill Lynch's platform

Shares purchased through reinvestment of capital gains distributions and dividend reinvestment when purchasing shares of the same fund (but not any other fund within the fund family)

Shares exchanged from Class C (i.e. level-load) shares of the same fund in the month of or following the 10-year anniversary of the purchase date

Employees and registered representatives of Merrill Lynch or its affiliates and their family members

Directors or Trustees of the Fund, and employees of the Fund's investment adviser or any of its affiliates, as described in the this prospectus

Shares purchased from the proceeds of redemptions within the same fund family, provided (1) the repurchase occurs within 90 days following the redemption, (2) the redemption and purchase occur in the same account, and (3) redeemed shares were subject to a front-end or deferred sales load (known as Rights of Reinstatement)

CDSC Waivers on A and C Shares available at Merrill Lynch

Death or disability of the shareholder

Shares sold as part of a systematic withdrawal plan as described in the Fund's prospectus

Return of excess contributions from an IRA Account

Shares sold as part of a required minimum distribution for IRA and retirement accounts due to the shareholder reaching age 70½

Shares sold to pay Merrill Lynch fees but only if the transaction is initiated by Merrill Lynch

Shares held in retirement brokerage accounts, that are exchanged for a lower cost share class due to transfer to a certain fee based account or platform (applicable to A and C shares only)

Front-end load Discounts Available at Merrill Lynch: Breakpoints, Rights of Accumulation & Letters of Intent

Breakpoints as described in this prospectus.

Rights of Accumulation (ROA) which entitle shareholders to breakpoint discounts will be automatically calculated based on the aggregated holding of fund family assets held by accounts within the purchaser's household at Merrill Lynch. Eligible fund family assets not held at Merrill Lynch may be included in the ROA calculation only if the shareholder notifies his or her financial advisor about such assets

Letters of Intent (LOI) which allow for breakpoint discounts based on anticipated purchases within a fund family, through Merrill Lynch, over a 13-month period of time

 

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PROSPECTUS | PIMCO FUNDS     


 

Table of Contents

INVESTMENT ADVISER AND ADMINISTRATOR

PIMCO, 650 Newport Center Drive, Newport Beach, CA 92660

DISTRIBUTOR

PIMCO Investments LLC, 1633 Broadway, New York, NY 10019

CUSTODIAN

State Street Bank & Trust Co., 801 Pennsylvania Avenue, Kansas City, MO 64105

TRANSFER AGENT

DST Asset Manager Solutions, Inc.
Institutional Class, I-2, I-3, Administrative Class — 330 W. 9th Street, 5th Floor, Kansas City, MO 64105
Class A, Class C, Class R — P.O. Box 55060, Boston, MA 02205-5060

INDEPENDENT REGISTERED PUBLIC ACCOUNTING FIRM

PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP, 1100 Walnut Street, Suite 1300, Kansas City, MO 64106-2197

LEGAL COUNSEL

Dechert LLP, 1900 K Street N.W., Washington, D.C. 20006 

 

For further information about the PIMCO Funds, call 888.87.PIMCO or visit our Web site at pimco.com.


 

Table of Contents





PIMCO FUNDS
650 Newport Center Drive
Newport Beach, CA 92660

The Trust's SAI and annual and semi-annual reports to shareholders include additional information about the Funds. The SAI and the financial statements included in the Funds' most recent annual report to shareholders are incorporated by reference into this Prospectus, which means they are part of this Prospectus for legal purposes. The Funds' annual report discusses the market conditions and investment strategies that significantly affected each Fund's performance during its last fiscal year.

The SAI contains detailed information about Fund purchase, redemption and exchange options and procedures and other information about the Funds. You can get a free copy of the SAI.

You may get free copies of any of these materials or request other information about a Fund by calling the Trust at 888.87.PIMCO (888.877.4626) or by writing to:

PIMCO Funds
650 Newport Center Drive
Newport Beach, CA 92660

Daily updates on the NAV of a Fund may be obtained by calling 1-888-87-PIMCO.

You may review and copy information about the Trust, including its SAI, at the Securities and Exchange Commission's public reference room in Washington, D.C. You may call the Commission at 202.551.8090 for information about the operation of the public reference room. You may also access reports and other information about the Trust on the EDGAR Database on the Commission's Web site at www.sec.gov. You may get copies of this information, with payment of a duplication fee, by writing the Public Reference Section of the Commission, 100 F Street N.E., Washington, D.C. 20549-1520, or by e-mailing your request to publicinfo@sec.gov.

You can also visit our web site at pimco.com for additional information about the Funds, including the SAI and the annual and semi-annual reports, which are available for download free of charge.

Reference the Trust's Investment Company Act file number in your correspondence.

Investment Company Act File Number: 811-05028

PF0003_[ ]


Table of Contents




Prospectus

PIMCO Funds

*I-2 was formerly called Class P.




As with other mutual funds, neither the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission nor the U.S. Commodity Futures Trading Commission has approved or disapproved these securities, or determined if this prospectus is truthful or complete. Any representation to the contrary is a criminal offense.

Equity-Related Strategy Funds

[ ]

Inst

I-2*

I-3

Admin

A

C

R

PIMCO RAE Fundamental Advantage PLUS Fund

PFATX

PFAPX

PTFAX

PTRCX

PIMCO RAE Low Volatility PLUS EMG Fund

PLVLX

PIMCO RAE Low Volatility PLUS Fund

PILVX

PXLVX

POLVX

PIMCO RAE Low Volatility PLUS International Fund

PLVTX

PLVZX

PIMCO RAE PLUS EMG Fund

PEFIX

PEFPX

PEFFX

PEFCX

PIMCO RAE PLUS Fund

PXTIX

PIXPX

PXTNX

PXTAX

PIXAX

PIXCX

PIMCO RAE PLUS International Fund

PTSIX

PTIPX

PTSOX

PIMCO RAE PLUS Small Fund

PCFIX

PCCPX

PCFAX

PCFEX

PIMCO RAE Worldwide Long/Short PLUS Fund

PWLIX

PIMCO StocksPLUS® Absolute Return Fund

PSPTX

PTOPX

PSPNX

PTOAX

PSOCX

PIMCO StocksPLUS® Fund

PSTKX

PSKPX

PSTNX

PPLAX

PSPAX

PSPCX

PSPRX

PIMCO StocksPLUS® International Fund (U.S. Dollar-Hedged)

PISIX

PIUHX

PISNX

PIPAX

PIPCX

PIMCO StocksPLUS® International Fund (Unhedged)

PSKIX

PPLPX

PSKNX

PPUAX

PPUCX

PIMCO StocksPLUS® Long Duration Fund

PSLDX

PIMCO StocksPLUS® Short Fund

PSTIX

PSPLX

PSNNX

PSSAX

PSSCX

PIMCO StocksPLUS® Small Fund

PSCSX

PCKPX

PSNSX

PCKTX

PCKAX

PCKCX




 

Table of Contents

Page

PIMCO RAE Fundamental Advantage PLUS Fund

1

PIMCO RAE Low Volatility PLUS EMG Fund

5

PIMCO RAE Low Volatility PLUS Fund

9

PIMCO RAE Low Volatility PLUS International Fund

13

PIMCO RAE PLUS EMG Fund

17

PIMCO RAE PLUS Fund

21

PIMCO RAE PLUS International Fund

25

PIMCO RAE PLUS Small Fund

29

PIMCO RAE Worldwide Long/Short PLUS Fund

33

PIMCO StocksPLUS® Absolute Return Fund

37

PIMCO StocksPLUS® Fund

41

PIMCO StocksPLUS® International Fund (Unhedged)

45

PIMCO StocksPLUS® International Fund (U.S. Dollar-Hedged)

49

PIMCO StocksPLUS® Long Duration Fund

53

PIMCO StocksPLUS® Short Fund

57

PIMCO StocksPLUS® Small Fund

61

Summary of Other Important Information Regarding Fund Shares

65

Description of Principal Risks

66

Disclosure of Portfolio Holdings

74

Management of the Funds

75

Classes of Shares

80

Purchases, Redemptions and Exchanges

85

How Fund Shares are Priced

92

Fund Distributions

93

Tax Consequences

94

Characteristics and Risks of Securities and Investment Techniques

96

Financial Highlights

112

Appendix A - Description of Securities Ratings

A-1

Appendix B - Financial Firm-Specific Sales Charge Waivers and Discounts

B-1


 

PIMCO RAE Fundamental Advantage PLUS Fund

Investment Objective

The Fund seeks maximum total return, consistent with prudent investment management.

Fees and Expenses of the Fund

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 $100,000 in Class A shares of eligible funds offered by PIMCO Equity Series and PIMCO Funds. More information about these and other discounts is available in the "Classes of Shares" section on page [ ] of the Fund's prospectus, Appendix B to the Fund's prospectus (Financial Firm-Specific Sales Charge Waivers and Discounts) or from your financial advisor.

Shareholder Fees (fees paid directly from your investment):

 

Inst
Class

I-2

Class A

Class C

Maximum Sales Charge (Load) Imposed on Purchases (as a percentage of offering price)

None

None

3.75%

None

Maximum Deferred Sales Charge (Load) (as a percentage of the lower of the original purchase price or redemption price)

None

None

1.00%

1.00%

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

 

Inst
Class

I-2

Class A

Class C

Management Fees

0.89%

0.99%

1.04%

1.04%

Distribution and/or Service (12b-1) Fees

N/A

N/A

0.25%

1.00%

Other Expenses(1)

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

 

1 "Other Expenses" include interest expense of [ ]%. Interest expense is borne by the Fund separately from the management fees paid to Pacific Investment Management Company LLC ("PIMCO"). Excluding interest expense, Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses are [ ]%, [ ]%, [ ]% and [ ]% for Institutional Class, I-2, Class A and Class C shares, respectively.

Example. The Example is intended to help you compare the cost of investing in Institutional Class, I-2, Class A or Class C shares of the Fund with the costs of investing in other mutual funds. The Example assumes that you invest $10,000 in the noted class of shares for the time periods indicated, and then redeem all 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. Investors may pay brokerage commissions on their purchases and sales of Institutional Class shares or I-2 shares of the Fund, which are not reflected in the Example. Although your actual costs may be higher or lower, based on these assumptions your costs would be:

If you redeem your shares at the end of each period:

 

1 Year

3 Years

5 Years

10 Years

Institutional Class

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

I-2

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

Class A

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

Class C

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

If you do not redeem your shares:

 

1 Year

3 Years

5 Years

10 Years

Class A

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

Class C

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

Portfolio Turnover

The Fund pays transaction costs 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 the Annual Fund Operating Expenses or in the Example tables, affect the Fund's performance. During the most recent fiscal year, the Fund's portfolio turnover rate was [ ]% of the average value of its portfolio.

Principal Investment Strategies

The Fund seeks to achieve its investment objective under normal circumstances by obtaining long exposure to a portfolio of stocks ("RAE Fundamental US Large Model Portfolio") and short exposure to the S&P 500 Index ("S&P 500"), and complementing this equity market neutral exposure with absolute return bond alpha strategy ("AR Bond Alpha Strategy"). The RAE Fundamental US Large Model Portfolio stocks are selected by the Fund's sub-adviser, Research Affiliates, LLC ("Sub-Adviser"), from a broad universe of companies which satisfy certain liquidity and capacity requirements. Under normal circumstances equity total return swaps are used to obtain exposure to the RAE Fundamental US Large Model Portfolio and short positions in swaps and futures are used to obtain exposure to the S&P 500. The Fund's strategy of maintaining long exposure to the RAE Fundamental US Large Model Portfolio and short exposure to the S&P 500 can be characterized as "market neutral" because the long and the short exposures are intended to offset one another producing a net equity exposure that is approximately zero. At the same time, the Fund is designed to deliver the relative appreciation (or depreciation) of the RAE Fundamental US Large Model Portfolio over the S&P 500.

The Sub-Adviser uses the RAFI® Fundamental Index® ("RAFI") methodology as a starting point for portfolio construction. The RAFI methodology is a non-capitalization method of creating and weighting an index of equity securities, within a defined market, that seeks to eliminate the potential overweighting of overpriced equity securities and underweighting of underpriced equity securities associated with market-capitalization equity indexes. Selections are further refined through the use of additional analytic measures and processes designed to achieve enhanced risk-adjusted returns including measures of financial health and adjustments that take momentum into account, among other factors. Actual stock positions in the RAE Fundamental US Large Model Portfolio, which

 



PIMCO FUNDS | PROSPECTUS

1


 

Table of Contents

PIMCO RAE Fundamental Advantage PLUS Fund

drift apart from target weights as market prices change, are rebalanced to target weights periodically.

The Fund typically will seek to simultaneously gain long exposure to RAE Fundamental US Large Model Portfolio and short exposure to the S&P 500, each in an amount, under normal circumstances, approximately equal to the Fund's net assets. The Sub-Adviser provides investment advisory services in connection with the Fund's swap-based exposure to the RAE Fundamental US Large Model Portfolio by, among other things, providing PIMCO, or counterparties designated by PIMCO, with the RAE Fundamental US Large Model Portfolio for purposes of developing equity total return swaps based on the RAE Fundamental US Large Model Portfolio. In a typical swap agreement, the Fund will receive the total return of the RAE Fundamental US Large Model Portfolio from the counterparty to the swap agreement in exchange for paying the counterparty an agreed upon short term interest rate. The Fund will typically invest in short S&P 500 futures and/or total return swaps that provide the inverse of the total return of the S&P 500 index plus a short term interest rate.

Because the RAE Fundamental US Large Model Portfolio is a proprietary portfolio, there may be a limited number of counterparties willing or able to serve as counterparties to a swap agreement. If such swap agreements are not available, or if swap pricing is unattractive or for other reasons, the Fund may invest in other instruments, "baskets" of stocks, or individual securities to replicate the performance of the RAE Fundamental US Large Model Portfolio relative to the S&P 500. 

The Fund seeks to maintain long exposure to the RAE Fundamental US Large Model Portfolio and short exposure to the S&P 500 even when the value of the RAE Fundamental US Large Model Portfolio is underperforming relative to the S&P 500.

In managing the Fund's investments in the AR Bond Alpha Strategy, PIMCO seeks to outperform any residual net cost of obtaining long exposure to the RAE Fundamental US Large Model Portfolio and short exposure to the S&P 500, thereby enhancing the Fund's total return and return versus the benchmark (sometimes referred to as "alpha"). The AR Bond Alpha Strategy invests in a diversified portfolio of Fixed Income Instruments, which may be represented by forwards or derivatives such as options, futures contracts or swap agreements. "Fixed Income Instruments" include bonds, debt securities and other similar instruments issued by various U.S. and non-U.S. public or private-sector entities. The AR Bond Alpha Strategy is not designed to systematically provide bond market exposure, although the returns may (or may not) be positively correlated with the returns of the bond market.

The AR Bond Alpha Strategy seeks to maintain an overall portfolio duration which normally varies from (negative) 3 years to positive 8 years based on PIMCO's market forecasts among other factors. Duration is a measure used to determine the sensitivity of a security's price to changes in interest rates. The longer a security's duration, the more sensitive it will be to changes in interest rates. In addition to duration, the AR Bond Alpha Strategy has flexibility with respect to overall sector exposures, non-U.S. exposures and credit quality, both as a function of the strategy's investment guidelines and lack of a bond market index benchmark.

The Fund may invest, without limitation, in derivative instruments, such as options, futures contracts or swap agreements, or in mortgage- or asset-backed securities subject to applicable law and any other restrictions described in the Fund's prospectus or Statement of Additional Information. The Fund may purchase or sell securities on a when-issued, delayed delivery or forward commitment basis and may engage in short sales. The Fund may invest up to 20% of its total assets in high yield securities ("junk bonds"), as rated by Moody's Investors Service, Inc. ("Moody's"), Standard & Poor's Ratings Services ("S&P") or Fitch, Inc. ("Fitch"), or, if unrated, as determined by PIMCO. The Fund may also invest, without limitation, in securities denominated in foreign currencies and in U.S. dollar-denominated securities of foreign issuers. With respect to the AR Bond Alpha Strategy, the Fund may invest up to 25% of its total assets in securities and instruments that are economically tied to emerging market countries (this limitation does not apply to investment grade sovereign debt denominated in the local currency with less than 1 year remaining to maturity, which means the Fund may invest in such instruments without limitation subject to any applicable legal or regulatory limitation). The Fund will normally limit its foreign currency exposure (from non-U.S. dollar-denominated securities or currencies) to 35% of its total assets. The Fund will normally limit its exposure (from non-U.S. dollar-denominated securities or currencies) to each non-U.S. currency to 10% of its total assets. The Fund will normally limit its aggregate U.S. dollar exposure from transactions or instruments that reference the relative return of a non-U.S. currency or currencies as compared to the U.S. dollar to 20% of its total assets. The Fund may also invest up to 10% of its total assets in preferred securities.

Principal Risks

It is possible to lose money on an investment in the Fund. In addition, under certain conditions, generally in a market where RAE Fundamental US Large Model Portfolio underperforms relative to the S&P 500 and/or where the AR Bond Alpha Strategy underperforms short-term interest rates, the Fund may experience greater losses or lesser gains than would be the case if it invested directly in securities designed to replicate the benchmark. The principal risks of investing in the Fund, which could adversely affect its net asset value, yield and total return, are:

Interest Rate Risk: the risk that fixed income securities will decline in value because of an increase in interest rates; a fund with a longer average portfolio duration will be more sensitive to changes in interest rates than a fund with a shorter average portfolio duration

Call Risk: the risk that an issuer may exercise its right to redeem a fixed income security earlier than expected (a call). Issuers may call outstanding securities prior to their maturity for a number of reasons (e.g., declining interest rates, changes in credit spreads and improvements in the issuer's credit quality). If an issuer calls a security that the Fund has invested in, the Fund may not recoup the full amount of its initial investment and may be forced to reinvest in lower-yielding securities, securities with greater credit risks or securities with other, less favorable features

Credit Risk: the risk that the Fund could lose money if the issuer or guarantor of a fixed income security, or the counterparty to a derivative contract, is unable or unwilling to meet its financial obligations

High Yield Risk: the risk that high yield securities and unrated securities of similar credit quality (commonly known as "junk bonds") are subject to greater levels of credit, call and liquidity risks. High yield securities are

 

2     

PROSPECTUS | PIMCO FUNDS     


 

Table of Contents

Prospectus

considered primarily speculative with respect to the issuer's continuing ability to make principal and interest payments, and may be more volatile than higher-rated securities of similar maturity

Market Risk: the risk that the value of securities owned by the Fund may go up or down, sometimes rapidly or unpredictably, due to factors affecting securities markets generally or particular industries

Issuer Risk: the risk that the value of a security may decline for a reason directly related to the issuer, such as management performance, financial leverage and reduced demand for the issuer's goods or services

Liquidity Risk: the risk that a particular investment may be difficult to purchase or sell and that the Fund may be unable to sell illiquid securities at an advantageous time or price or achieve its desired level of exposure to a certain sector. Liquidity risk may result from the lack of an active market, reduced number and capacity of traditional market participants to make a market in fixed income securities, and may be magnified in a rising interest rate environment or other circumstances where investor redemptions from fixed income mutual funds may be higher than normal, causing increased supply in the market due to selling activity

Derivatives Risk: the risk of investing in derivative instruments (such as futures, swaps and structured securities), including leverage, liquidity, interest rate, market, credit and management risks, mispricing or valuation complexity. Changes in the value of the derivative may not correlate perfectly with, and may be more sensitive to market events than, the underlying asset, rate or index, and the Fund could lose more than the initial amount invested. The Fund's use of derivatives may result in losses to the Fund, a reduction in the Fund's returns and/or increased volatility. Over-the-counter ("OTC") derivatives are also subject to the risk that a counterparty to the transaction will not fulfill its contractual obligations to the other party, as many of the protections afforded to centrally-cleared derivative transactions might not be available for OTC derivatives. For derivatives traded on an exchange or through a central counterparty, credit risk resides with the Fund's clearing broker, or the clearinghouse itself, rather than with a counterparty in an OTC derivative transaction. Changes in regulation relating to a mutual fund's use of derivatives and related instruments could potentially limit or impact the Fund's ability to invest in derivatives, limit the Fund's ability to employ certain strategies that use derivatives and/or adversely affect the value of derivatives and the Fund's performance

Equity Risk: the risk that the value of equity securities, such as common stocks and preferred securities, may decline due to general market conditions which are not specifically related to a particular company or to factors affecting a particular industry or industries. Equity securities generally have greater price volatility than fixed income securities

Mortgage-Related and Other Asset-Backed Securities Risk: the risks of investing in mortgage-related and other asset-backed securities, including interest rate risk, extension risk, prepayment risk and credit risk

Foreign (Non-U.S.) Investment Risk: the risk that investing in foreign (non-U.S.) securities may result in the Fund experiencing more rapid and extreme changes in value than a fund that invests exclusively in securities of U.S. companies, due to smaller markets, differing reporting, accounting and auditing standards, increased risk of delayed settlement of portfolio transactions or loss of certificates of portfolio securities, and the risk of unfavorable foreign government actions, including nationalization, expropriation or confiscatory taxation, currency blockage, or political changes or diplomatic developments. Foreign securities may also be less liquid and more difficult to value than securities of U.S. issuers

Emerging Markets Risk: the risk of investing in emerging market securities, primarily increased foreign (non-U.S.) investment risk

Sovereign Debt Risk: the risk that investments in fixed income instruments issued by sovereign entities may decline in value as a result of default or other adverse credit event resulting from an issuer's inability or unwillingness to make principal or interest payments in a timely fashion

Currency Risk: the risk that foreign (non-U.S.) currencies will change in value relative to the U.S. dollar and affect the Fund's investments in foreign (non-U.S.) currencies or in securities that trade in, and receive revenues in, or in derivatives that provide exposure to, foreign (non-U.S.) currencies

Leveraging Risk: the risk that certain transactions of the Fund, such as reverse repurchase agreements, loans of portfolio securities, and the use of when-issued, delayed delivery or forward commitment transactions, or derivative instruments, may give rise to leverage, magnifying gains and losses and causing the Fund to be more volatile than if it had not been leveraged. This means that leverage entails a heightened risk of loss

Management Risk: the risk that the investment techniques and risk analyses applied by PIMCO and Research Affiliates will not produce the desired results and that legislative, regulatory, or tax restrictions, policies or developments may affect the investment techniques available to PIMCO, Research Affiliates and the individual portfolio manager in connection with managing the Fund. There is no guarantee that the investment objective of the Fund will be achieved

Short Exposure Risk: the risk of entering into short sales, including the potential loss of more money than the actual cost of the investment, and the risk that the third party to the short sale will not fulfill its contractual obligations, causing a loss to the Fund

Please see "Description of Principal Risks" in the Fund's prospectus for a more detailed description of the risks of investing in the Fund. An investment in the Fund is not a deposit of a bank and is not insured or guaranteed by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation or any other government agency.

Performance Information

The performance information shows summary performance information for the Fund in a bar chart and an Average Annual Total Returns table. The information provides some indication of the risks of investing in the Fund by showing changes in its performance from year to year and by showing how the Fund's average annual returns compare with the returns of a broad-based securities market index and an index of similar funds. Absent any applicable fee waivers and/or expense limitations, performance would have been lower. The bar chart shows performance of the Fund's Institutional Class shares. For periods prior to the inception date of I-2 shares (June 30, 2010) and Class A and Class C shares (July 31, 2008), performance information shown in the table for these classes is based on the performance of the Fund's Institutional Class shares, adjusted to reflect the actual distribution and/or service (12b-1) fees and other expenses paid by

 

[ ] | PROSPECTUS

3


 

Table of Contents

PIMCO RAE Fundamental Advantage PLUS Fund

these classes of shares. Performance in the Average Annual Total Returns table reflects the impact of sales charges. The Fund's past performance, before and after taxes, is not necessarily an indication of how the Fund will perform in the future.

The 3 Month USD LIBOR (London Interbank Offered Rate) Index is an average interest rate, determined by the ICE Benchmark Administration, that banks charge one another for the use of short-term money (3 months) in England's Eurodollar market. The Lipper Alternative Equity Market Neutral Funds Average is a total return performance average of funds tracked by Lipper, Inc. that employ portfolio strategies generating consistent returns in both up and down markets by selecting positions with a total net market exposure of zero.

Performance for the Fund is updated daily and quarterly and may be obtained as follows: daily updates on the net asset value and performance page at http://investments.pimco.com/DailyPerformance and quarterly updates at http://investments.pimco.com/QuarterlyPerformance.

Calendar Year Total Returns — Institutional Class*

 

[To be updated by subsequent amendment]



*The year-to-date return as of June 30, 2018 is [ ]%. For the periods shown in the bar chart, the highest quarterly return was [ ]% in the [ ], and the lowest quarterly return was [ ]% in the [ ].

Average Annual Total Returns (for periods ended 12/31/17)

 

1 Year

5 Years

Since Inception (02/29/2008)

Institutional Class Return Before Taxes

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

Institutional Class Return After Taxes on Distributions‌(1)

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

Institutional Class Return After Taxes on Distributions and Sales of Fund Shares‌(1)

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

I-2 Return Before Taxes

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

Class A Return Before Taxes

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

Class C Return Before Taxes

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

3 Month USD LIBOR Index (reflects no deductions for fees, expenses or taxes)

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

 

Lipper Alternative Equity Market Neutral Funds Average (reflects no deductions for taxes)

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

(1) After-tax returns are calculated using the highest historical individual federal marginal income tax rates and do not reflect the impact of state and local taxes. Actual after-tax returns depend on an investor's tax situation and may differ from those shown, and the after-tax returns shown are not relevant to investors who hold their Fund shares through tax-deferred arrangements, such as 401(k) plans or individual retirement accounts. In some cases the return after taxes may exceed the return before taxes due to an assumed tax benefit from any losses on a sale of Fund shares at the end of the measurement period. After-tax returns are for Institutional Class shares only. After-tax returns for other classes will vary.

Investment Adviser/Portfolio Manager

PIMCO serves as the investment adviser for the Fund. Research Affiliates, LLC serves as the Fund's sub-adviser. The Fund's portfolio is jointly managed by Mohsen Fahmi, Sudi Mariappa, Robert D. Arnott and Christopher J. Brightman. Each of Messrs. Fahmi and Mariappa is a Managing Director of PIMCO. Mr. Arnott is the Chairman and Founder of Research Affiliates, LLC. Mr. Brightman is the Chief Investment Officer of Research Affiliates, LLC. Messrs. Fahmi and Arnott have jointly managed the Fund since September 2014, Mr. Mariappa has jointly managed the Fund since January 2015 and Mr. Brightman has jointly managed the Fund since July 2017. Messrs. Fahmi and Mariappa are jointly responsible for the absolute return strategy and the equity portfolio replication process. Messrs. Arnott and Brightman are jointly responsible for the selection of stocks within the underlying equity portfolio.

Other Important Information Regarding Fund Shares

For important information about purchase and sale of Fund shares, tax information, and payments to broker-dealers and other financial intermediaries, please turn to the "Summary of Other Important Information Regarding Fund Shares" section on page [ ] of this prospectus.

 

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PIMCO RAE Low Volatility PLUS EMG Fund

Investment Objective

The Fund seeks total return which exceeds that of its benchmark.

Fees and Expenses of the Fund

This table describes the fees and expenses that you may pay if you buy and hold shares of the Fund.

Shareholder Fees (fees paid directly from your investment):
None

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

 

Inst
Class

Management Fees

1.15%

Distribution and/or Service (12b-1) Fees

N/A

Other Expenses(1)

[ ]

Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses

[ ]

Fee Waiver and/or Expense Reimbursement(2)

[ ]

Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses After Fee Waiver and/or Expenses Reimbursement

[ ]

 

1 "Other Expenses" include interest expense of [ ]%. Interest expense is borne by the Fund separately from the management fees paid to Pacific Investment Management Company LLC ("PIMCO"). Excluding interest expense, Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses are [ ]% for Institutional Class shares.

2 PIMCO has contractually agreed, through July 31, 2019, to reduce its advisory fee by 0.15% of the average daily net assets of the Fund. This Fee Limitation Agreement renews annually unless terminated by PIMCO upon at least 30 days' notice prior to the end of the contract term. Under certain conditions, PIMCO may recoup amounts reduced in future periods, not exceeding three years.

Example. The Example is intended to help you compare the cost of investing in Institutional Class shares of the Fund with the costs of investing in other mutual funds. The Example assumes that you invest $10,000 in the noted class of shares for the time periods indicated, and then redeem all 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. Investors may pay brokerage commissions on their purchases and sales of Institutional Class shares of the Fund, which are not reflected in the Example. 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

Institutional Class

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

Portfolio Turnover

The Fund pays transaction costs 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 the Annual Fund Operating Expenses or in the Example tables, affect the Fund's performance. During the most recent fiscal year, the Fund's portfolio turnover rate was [ ]% of the average value of its portfolio.

Principal Investment Strategies

The Fund seeks to exceed the total return of the MSCI Emerging Markets Index (Net Dividends in USD) (the "Benchmark Index") under normal circumstances by obtaining exposure to a portfolio of stocks economically tied to emerging market countries ("RAE Low Volatility Emerging Markets Model Portfolio"), and complementing this equity exposure with absolute return bond alpha strategy ("AR Bond Alpha Strategy"). The stocks are selected by the Fund's sub-adviser, Research Affiliates, LLC ("Sub-Adviser"), from a broad universe of companies which satisfy certain liquidity and capacity requirements. Under normal circumstances equity total return swaps are used to obtain exposure to the RAE Low Volatility Emerging Markets Model Portfolio.

The Sub-Adviser uses the RAFI® Fundamental Index® ("RAFI") methodology as a starting point for portfolio construction. The RAFI methodology is a non-capitalization method of creating and weighting an index of equity securities, within a defined market, that seeks to eliminate the potential overweighting of overpriced equity securities and underweighting of underpriced equity securities associated with market-capitalization equity indexes. Selections are further refined based upon volatility and financial health, among other factors, in an effort to enhance returns and reduce portfolio volatility attributable to equity market downside risk. Actual stock positions in the RAE Low Volatility Emerging Markets Model Portfolio, which drift apart from target weights as market prices change, are rebalanced to target weights periodically.

The Sub-Adviser provides investment advisory services in connection with the Fund's swap-based exposure to the RAE Low Volatility Emerging Markets Model Portfolio by, among other things, providing PIMCO, or counterparties designated by PIMCO, with the RAE Low Volatility Emerging Markets Model Portfolio for purposes of developing equity total return swaps based on the RAE Low Volatility Emerging Markets Model Portfolio. In a typical swap agreement, the Fund will receive the total return of the RAE Low Volatility Emerging Markets Model Portfolio from the counterparty to the swap agreement in exchange for paying the counterparty an agreed upon short-term interest rate.

Because the RAE Low Volatility Emerging Markets Model Portfolio is a proprietary portfolio, there may be a limited number of counterparties willing or able to serve as counterparties to a swap agreement. If such swap agreements are not available, or if swap pricing is unattractive or for other reasons, the Fund may invest in other instruments, "baskets" of stocks, or individual securities to replicate the performance of the RAE Low Volatility Emerging Markets Model Portfolio. 

The Fund seeks to remain exposed to the RAE Low Volatility Emerging Markets Model Portfolio even when the value of the RAE Low Volatility Emerging Markets Model Portfolio is declining.

In managing the Fund's investments in the AR Bond Alpha Strategy, PIMCO seeks to outperform the short-term interest rate cost of obtaining equity exposure, thereby enhancing the Fund's total return and return versus the benchmark (sometimes referred to as "alpha"). The AR Bond Alpha Strategy invests in a diversified portfolio of Fixed Income Instruments, which may be represented by forwards or derivatives such as options, futures contracts or swap agreements. "Fixed Income Instruments" include bonds, debt

 



PIMCO FUNDS | PROSPECTUS

5


 

Table of Contents

PIMCO RAE Low Volatility PLUS EMG Fund

securities and other similar instruments issued by various U.S. and non-U.S. public or private-sector entities. The AR Bond Alpha Strategy is not designed to systematically provide bond market exposure, although the returns may (or may not) be positively correlated with the returns of the bond market.

The AR Bond Alpha Strategy seeks to maintain an overall portfolio duration which normally varies from (negative) 3 years to positive 8 years based on PIMCO's market forecasts among other factors. Duration is a measure used to determine the sensitivity of a security's price to changes in interest rates. The longer a security's duration, the more sensitive it will be to changes in interest rates. In addition to duration, the AR Bond Alpha Strategy has flexibility with respect to overall sector exposures, non-U.S. exposures and credit quality, both as a function of the strategy's investment guidelines and lack of a bond market index benchmark.

The Fund may invest, without limitation, in derivative instruments, such as options, futures contracts or swap agreements, or in mortgage or asset-backed securities, subject to applicable law and any other restrictions described in the Fund's prospectus or Statement of Additional Information. The Fund may purchase or sell securities on a when-issued, delayed delivery or forward commitment basis and may engage in short sales. The Fund may invest up to 20% of its total assets in high yield securities ("junk bonds"), as rated by Moody's Investors Service, Inc. ("Moody's"), Standard & Poor's Ratings Services ("S&P") or Fitch, Inc. ("Fitch"), or, if unrated, as determined by PIMCO. The Fund may invest, without limitation, in securities denominated in foreign currencies and in U.S. dollar-denominated securities of foreign issuers. With respect to the AR Bond Alpha Strategy, the Fund may invest up to 25% of its total assets in securities and instruments that are economically tied to emerging market countries (this limitation does not apply to investment grade sovereign debt denominated in the local currency with less than 1 year remaining to maturity, which means the Fund may invest in such instruments without limitation subject to any applicable legal or regulatory limitation). With respect to the AR Bond Alpha Strategy, the Fund will normally limit its foreign currency exposure (from non-U.S. dollar-denominated securities or currencies) to 35% of its total assets. With respect to the AR Bond Alpha Strategy, the Fund will normally limit its exposure (from non-U.S. dollar-denominated securities or currencies) to each non-U.S. currency to 10% of its total assets. With respect to the AR Bond Alpha Strategy, the Fund will normally limit its aggregate U.S. dollar exposure from transactions or instruments that reference the relative return of a non-U.S. currency or currencies as compared to the U.S. dollar to 20% of its total assets. The Fund may also invest up to 10% of its total assets in preferred securities. The Fund will invest in instruments that are economically tied to at least three countries (one of which may be the United States). The Fund may invest in common stocks, options, futures, options on futures and swaps.

The Benchmark Index is a free float-adjusted market capitalization index that is designed to measure the equity market performance in the global emerging markets. The MSCI Emerging Markets Index (Net Dividends in USD) consists of the following 23 emerging market country indices: Brazil, Chile, China, Colombia, Czech Republic, Egypt, Greece, Hungary, India, Indonesia, Korea, Malaysia, Mexico, Peru, Philippines, Poland, Russia, Qatar, South Africa, Taiwan, Thailand, Turkey and United Arab Emirates.

Principal Risks

It is possible to lose money on an investment in the Fund. Under certain conditions, generally in a market where the value of the RAE Low Volatility Emerging Markets Model Portfolio underperforms the Benchmark Index and/or the AR Bond Alpha Strategy underperforms short term interest rates, the Fund may experience greater losses or lesser gains than would be the case if it invested in the Benchmark Index. The principal risks of investing in the Fund, which could adversely affect its net asset value, yield and total return, are:

Interest Rate Risk: the risk that fixed income securities will decline in value because of an increase in interest rates; a fund with a longer average portfolio duration will be more sensitive to changes in interest rates than a fund with a shorter average portfolio duration

Call Risk: the risk that an issuer may exercise its right to redeem a fixed income security earlier than expected (a call). Issuers may call outstanding securities prior to their maturity for a number of reasons (e.g., declining interest rates, changes in credit spreads and improvements in the issuer's credit quality). If an issuer calls a security that the Fund has invested in, the Fund may not recoup the full amount of its initial investment and may be forced to reinvest in lower-yielding securities, securities with greater credit risks or securities with other, less favorable features

Credit Risk: the risk that the Fund could lose money if the issuer or guarantor of a fixed income security, or the counterparty to a derivative contract, is unable or unwilling to meet its financial obligations

High Yield Risk: the risk that high yield securities and unrated securities of similar credit quality (commonly known as "junk bonds") are subject to greater levels of credit, call and liquidity risks. High yield securities are considered primarily speculative with respect to the issuer's continuing ability to make principal and interest payments, and may be more volatile than higher-rated securities of similar maturity

Market Risk: the risk that the value of securities owned by the Fund may go up or down, sometimes rapidly or unpredictably, due to factors affecting securities markets generally or particular industries

Issuer Risk: the risk that the value of a security may decline for a reason directly related to the issuer, such as management performance, financial leverage and reduced demand for the issuer's goods or services

Liquidity Risk: the risk that a particular investment may be difficult to purchase or sell and that the Fund may be unable to sell illiquid securities at an advantageous time or price or achieve its desired level of exposure to a certain sector. Liquidity risk may result from the lack of an active market, reduced number and capacity of traditional market participants to make a market in fixed income securities, and may be magnified in a rising interest rate environment or other circumstances where investor redemptions from fixed income mutual funds may be higher than normal, causing increased supply in the market due to selling activity

Derivatives Risk: the risk of investing in derivative instruments (such as futures, swaps and structured securities), including leverage, liquidity, interest rate, market, credit and management risks, mispricing or valuation complexity. Changes in the value of the derivative may not correlate perfectly with, and may be more sensitive to market events than, the

 

6     

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Table of Contents

Prospectus

underlying asset, rate or index, and the Fund could lose more than the initial amount invested. The Fund's use of derivatives may result in losses to the Fund, a reduction in the Fund's returns and/or increased volatility. Over-the-counter ("OTC") derivatives are also subject to the risk that a counterparty to the transaction will not fulfill its contractual obligations to the other party, as many of the protections afforded to centrally-cleared derivative transactions might not be available for OTC derivatives. For derivatives traded on an exchange or through a central counterparty, credit risk resides with the Fund's clearing broker, or the clearinghouse itself, rather than with a counterparty in an OTC derivative transaction. Changes in regulation relating to a mutual fund's use of derivatives and related instruments could potentially limit or impact the Fund's ability to invest in derivatives, limit the Fund's ability to employ certain strategies that use derivatives and/or adversely affect the value of derivatives and the Fund's performance

Equity Risk: the risk that the value of equity securities, such as common stocks and preferred securities, may decline due to general market conditions which are not specifically related to a particular company or to factors affecting a particular industry or industries. Equity securities generally have greater price volatility than fixed income securities

Mortgage-Related and Other Asset-Backed Securities Risk: the risks of investing in mortgage-related and other asset-backed securities, including interest rate risk, extension risk, prepayment risk and credit risk

Foreign (Non-U.S.) Investment Risk: the risk that investing in foreign (non-U.S.) securities may result in the Fund experiencing more rapid and extreme changes in value than a fund that invests exclusively in securities of U.S. companies, due to smaller markets, differing reporting, accounting and auditing standards, increased risk of delayed settlement of portfolio transactions or loss of certificates of portfolio securities, and the risk of unfavorable foreign government actions, including nationalization, expropriation or confiscatory taxation, currency blockage, or political changes or diplomatic developments. Foreign securities may also be less liquid and more difficult to value than securities of U.S. issuers

Emerging Markets Risk: the risk of investing in emerging market securities, primarily increased foreign (non-U.S.) investment risk

Sovereign Debt Risk: the risk that investments in fixed income instruments issued by sovereign entities may decline in value as a result of default or other adverse credit event resulting from an issuer's inability or unwillingness to make principal or interest payments in a timely fashion

Currency Risk: the risk that foreign (non-U.S.) currencies will change in value relative to the U.S. dollar and affect the Fund's investments in foreign (non-U.S.) currencies or in securities that trade in, and receive revenues in, or in derivatives that provide exposure to, foreign (non-U.S.) currencies

Leveraging Risk: the risk that certain transactions of the Fund, such as reverse repurchase agreements, loans of portfolio securities, and the use of when-issued, delayed delivery or forward commitment transactions, or derivative instruments, may give rise to leverage, magnifying gains and losses and causing the Fund to be more volatile than if it had not been leveraged. This means that leverage entails a heightened risk of loss

Management Risk: the risk that the investment techniques and risk analyses applied by PIMCO and Research Affiliates will not produce the desired results and that legislative, regulatory, or tax restrictions, policies or developments may affect the investment techniques available to PIMCO, Research Affiliates and the individual portfolio manager in connection with managing the Fund. There is no guarantee that the investment objective of the Fund will be achieved

Short Exposure Risk: the risk of entering into short sales, including the potential loss of more money than the actual cost of the investment, and the risk that the third party to the short sale will not fulfill its contractual obligations, causing a loss to the Fund

Please see "Description of Principal Risks" in the Fund's prospectus for a more detailed description of the risks of investing in the Fund. An investment in the Fund is not a deposit of a bank and is not insured or guaranteed by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation or any other government agency.

Performance Information

The performance information shows summary performance information for the Fund in a bar chart and an Average Annual Total Returns table. The information provides some indication of the risks of investing in the Fund by showing changes in its performance from year to year and by showing how the Fund's average annual returns compare with the returns of a broad-based securities market index and an index of similar funds. Absent any applicable fee waivers and/or expense limitations, performance would have been lower. The bar chart shows performance of the Fund's Institutional Class shares. Performance in the Average Annual Total Returns table reflects the impact of sales charges. The Fund's past performance, before and after taxes, is not necessarily an indication of how the Fund will perform in the future.

The MSCI Emerging Markets Index (Net Dividends in USD) is a free float-adjusted market capitalization index that is designed to measure the equity market performance of emerging markets. The MSCI Emerging Markets Index (Net Dividends in USD) consists of 23 emerging market country indices. The Lipper Emerging Market Funds Average is a total return performance average of funds tracked by Lipper, Inc. that seek long-term capital appreciation by investing primarily in emerging market equity securities, where "emerging market" is defined by a country's per-capita GNP or other economic measures.

Performance for the Fund is updated daily and quarterly and may be obtained as follows: daily updates on the net asset value and performance page at http://investments.pimco.com/DailyPerformance and quarterly updates at http://investments.pimco.com/QuarterlyPerformance.

 

[ ] | PROSPECTUS

7


 

Table of Contents

PIMCO RAE Low Volatility PLUS EMG Fund

Calendar Year Total Returns — Institutional Class*

 

[To be updated by subsequent amendment]



*The year-to-date return as of June 30, 2018 is [ ]%. For the periods shown in the bar chart, the highest quarterly return was [ ]% in the [ ], and the lowest quarterly return was [ ]% in the [ ].

Average Annual Total Returns (for periods ended 12/31/17)

 

1 Year

Since Inception (12/30/2013)

Institutional Class Return Before Taxes

[ ]

[ ]

Institutional Class Return After Taxes on Distributions‌(1)

[ ]

[ ]

Institutional Class Return After Taxes on Distributions and Sales of Fund Shares‌(1)

[ ]

[ ]

MSCI Emerging Markets Index (reflects no deductions for fees, expenses or taxes)

[ ]

[ ]

 

Lipper Emerging Market Funds Average (reflects no deductions for taxes)

[ ]

[ ]

(1) After-tax returns are calculated using the highest historical individual federal marginal income tax rates and do not reflect the impact of state and local taxes. Actual after-tax returns depend on an investor's tax situation and may differ from those shown, and the after-tax returns shown are not relevant to investors who hold their Fund shares through tax-deferred arrangements, such as 401(k) plans or individual retirement accounts. In some cases the return after taxes may exceed the return before taxes due to an assumed tax benefit from any losses on a sale of Fund shares at the end of the measurement period. After-tax returns are for Institutional Class shares only. After-tax returns for other classes will vary.

Investment Adviser/Portfolio Manager

PIMCO serves as the investment adviser for the Fund. Research Affiliates, LLC serves as the Fund's sub-adviser. The Fund's portfolio is jointly managed by Mohsen Fahmi, Sudi Mariappa, Robert D. Arnott and Christopher J. Brightman. Each of Messrs. Fahmi and Mariappa is a Managing Director of PIMCO. Mr. Arnott is the Chairman and Founder of Research Affiliates, LLC. Mr. Brightman is the Chief Investment Officer of Research Affiliates, LLC. Mr. Mariappa has managed the Fund since August 2014. Mr. Arnott has jointly managed the Fund since September 2014. Mr. Fahmi has jointly managed the Fund since January 2015. Mr. Brightman has jointly managed the Fund since July 2017. Messrs. Mariappa and Fahmi are jointly responsible for the absolute return strategy and the equity portfolio replication process. Messrs. Arnott and Brightman are jointly responsible for the selection of stocks within the underlying equity portfolio.

Other Important Information Regarding Fund Shares

For important information about purchase and sale of Fund shares, tax information, and payments to broker-dealers and other financial intermediaries, please turn to the "Summary of Other Important Information Regarding Fund Shares" section on page [ ] of this prospectus.

 

8     

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Table of Contents

PIMCO RAE Low Volatility PLUS Fund

Investment Objective

The Fund seeks total return which exceeds that of its benchmark.

Fees and Expenses of the Fund

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 $100,000 in Class A shares of eligible funds offered by PIMCO Equity Series and PIMCO Funds. More information about these and other discounts is available in the "Classes of Shares" section on page [ ] of the Fund's prospectus, Appendix B to the Fund's prospectus (Financial Firm-Specific Sales Charge Waivers and Discounts) or from your financial advisor.

Shareholder Fees (fees paid directly from your investment):

 

Inst
Class

Class A

Class C

Maximum Sales Charge (Load) Imposed on Purchases (as a percentage of offering price)

None

3.75%

None

Maximum Deferred Sales Charge (Load) (as a percentage of the lower of the original purchase price or redemption price)

None

1.00%

1.00%

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

 

Inst
Class

Class A

Class C

Management Fees

0.79%

0.94%

0.94%

Distribution and/or Service (12b-1) Fees

N/A

0.25%

1.00%

Other Expenses(1)

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

 

1 "Other Expenses" include interest expense of [ ]%. Interest expense is borne by the Fund separately from the management fees paid to Pacific Investment Management Company LLC ("PIMCO"). Excluding interest expense, Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses are [ ]%, [ ]% and [ ]% for Institutional Class, Class A and Class C shares, respectively.

Example. The Example is intended to help you compare the cost of investing in Institutional Class, Class A or Class C shares of the Fund with the costs of investing in other mutual funds. The Example assumes that you invest $10,000 in the noted class of shares for the time periods indicated, and then redeem all 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. Investors may pay brokerage commissions on their purchases and sales of Institutional Class shares of the Fund, which are not reflected in the Example. Although your actual costs may be higher or lower, based on these assumptions your costs would be:

If you redeem your shares at the end of each period:

 

1 Year

3 Years

5 Years

10 Years

Institutional Class

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

Class A

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

Class C

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

If you do not redeem your shares:

 

1 Year

3 Years

5 Years

10 Years

Class A

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

Class C

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

Portfolio Turnover

The Fund pays transaction costs 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 the Annual Fund Operating Expenses or in the Example tables, affect the Fund's performance. During the most recent fiscal year, the Fund's portfolio turnover rate was [ ]% of the average value of its portfolio.

Principal Investment Strategies

The Fund seeks to exceed the total return of the S&P 500 (the "Benchmark Index") under normal circumstances by obtaining exposure to a portfolio of stocks ("RAE Low Volatility US Model Portfolio"), and complementing this equity exposure with absolute return bond alpha strategy ("AR Bond Alpha Strategy"). The stocks are selected by the Fund's sub-adviser, Research Affiliates, LLC ("Sub-Adviser"), from a broad universe of companies which satisfy certain liquidity and capacity requirements. Under normal circumstances equity total return swaps are used to obtain exposure to the RAE Low Volatility US Model Portfolio.

The Sub-Adviser uses the RAFI® Fundamental Index® ("RAFI") methodology as a starting point for portfolio construction. The RAFI methodology is a non-capitalization method of creating and weighting an index of equity securities, within a defined market, that seeks to eliminate the potential overweighting of overpriced equity securities and underweighting of underpriced equity securities associated with market-capitalization equity indexes. Selections are further refined based upon volatility and financial health, among other factors, in an effort to enhance returns and reduce portfolio volatility attributable to equity market downside risk. Actual stock positions in the RAE Low Volatility US Model Portfolio, which drift apart from target weights as market prices change, are rebalanced to target weights periodically.

The Sub-Adviser provides investment advisory services in connection with the Fund's swap-based exposure to the RAE Low Volatility US Model Portfolio by, among other things, providing PIMCO, or counterparties designated by PIMCO, with the RAE Low Volatility US Model Portfolio for purposes of developing equity total return swaps based on the RAE Low Volatility US Model Portfolio. In a typical swap agreement, the Fund will receive the total return of the RAE Low Volatility US Model Portfolio from the counterparty to the swap agreement in exchange for paying the counterparty an agreed upon short-term interest rate.

Because the RAE Low Volatility US Model Portfolio is a proprietary portfolio, there may be a limited number of counterparties willing or able to serve as counterparties to a swap agreement. If such swap agreements are not available, or if swap pricing is unattractive or for other reasons, the Fund may invest in other instruments, "baskets" of stocks, or individual securities to replicate the performance of the RAE Low Volatility US Model Portfolio.

 



PIMCO FUNDS | PROSPECTUS

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PIMCO RAE Low Volatility PLUS Fund

The Fund seeks to remain exposed to the RAE Low Volatility US Model Portfolio even when the value of the RAE Low Volatility US Model Portfolio is declining.

In managing the Fund's investments in the AR Bond Alpha Strategy, PIMCO seeks to outperform the short-term interest rate cost of obtaining equity exposure, thereby enhancing the Fund's total return and return versus the benchmark (sometimes referred to as "alpha"). The AR Bond Alpha Strategy invests in a diversified portfolio of Fixed Income Instruments, which may be represented by forwards or derivatives such as options, futures contracts or swap agreements. "Fixed Income Instruments" include bonds, debt securities and other similar instruments issued by various U.S. and non-U.S. public or private-sector entities. The AR Bond Alpha Strategy is not designed to systematically provide bond market exposure, although the returns may (or may not) be positively correlated with the returns of the bond market.

The AR Bond Alpha Strategy seeks to maintain an overall portfolio duration which normally varies from (negative) 3 years to positive 8 years based on PIMCO's market forecasts among other factors. Duration is a measure used to determine the sensitivity of a security's price to changes in interest rates. The longer a security's duration, the more sensitive it will be to changes in interest rates. In addition to duration, the AR Bond Alpha Strategy has flexibility with respect to overall sector exposures, non-U.S. exposures and credit quality, both as a function of the strategy's investment guidelines and lack of a bond market index benchmark.

The Fund may invest, without limitation, in derivative instruments, such as options, futures contracts or swap agreements, or in mortgage or asset-backed securities, subject to applicable law and any other restrictions described in the Fund's prospectus or Statement of Additional Information. The Fund may purchase or sell securities on a when-issued, delayed delivery or forward commitment basis and may engage in short sales. The Fund may invest up to 20% of its total assets in high yield securities ("junk bonds"), as rated by Moody's Investors Service, Inc. ("Moody's"), Standard & Poor's Ratings Services ("S&P") or Fitch, Inc. ("Fitch"), or, if unrated, as determined by PIMCO. The Fund may invest, without limitation, in securities denominated in foreign (non-U.S.) currencies and in U.S. dollar-denominated securities of foreign (non-U.S.) issuers. With respect to the AR Bond Alpha Strategy, the Fund may invest up to 25% of its total assets in securities and instruments that are economically tied to emerging market countries (this limitation does not apply to investment grade sovereign debt denominated in the local currency with less than 1 year remaining to maturity, which means the Fund may invest in such instruments without limitation subject to any applicable legal or regulatory limitation). With respect to the AR Bond Alpha Strategy, the Fund will normally limit its foreign currency exposure (from non-U.S. dollar-denominated securities or currencies) to 35% of its total assets. With respect to the AR Bond Alpha Strategy, the Fund will normally limit its exposure (from non-U.S. dollar-denominated securities or currencies) to each non-U.S. currency to 10% of its total assets. With respect to the AR Bond Alpha Strategy, the Fund will normally limit its aggregate U.S. dollar exposure from transactions or instruments that reference the relative return of a non-U.S. currency or currencies as compared to the U.S. dollar to 20% of its total assets. The Fund may also invest up to 10% of its total assets in preferred securities. The Fund may invest in common stocks, options, futures, options on futures and swaps.

The Benchmark Index is an unmanaged index composed of 500 selected common stocks that represent approximately two-thirds of the total market value of all U.S. common stocks.

Principal Risks

It is possible to lose money on an investment in the Fund. Under certain conditions, generally in a market where the value of the RAE Low Volatility US Model Portfolio underperforms the Benchmark Index and/or the AR Bond Alpha Strategy underperforms short term interest rates, the Fund may experience greater losses or lesser gains than would be the case if it invested in the Benchmark Index. The principal risks of investing in the Fund, which could adversely affect its net asset value, yield and total return, are:

Interest Rate Risk: the risk that fixed income securities will decline in value because of an increase in interest rates; a fund with a longer average portfolio duration will be more sensitive to changes in interest rates than a fund with a shorter average portfolio duration

Call Risk: the risk that an issuer may exercise its right to redeem a fixed income security earlier than expected (a call). Issuers may call outstanding securities prior to their maturity for a number of reasons (e.g., declining interest rates, changes in credit spreads and improvements in the issuer's credit quality). If an issuer calls a security that the Fund has invested in, the Fund may not recoup the full amount of its initial investment and may be forced to reinvest in lower-yielding securities, securities with greater credit risks or securities with other, less favorable features

Credit Risk: the risk that the Fund could lose money if the issuer or guarantor of a fixed income security, or the counterparty to a derivative contract, is unable or unwilling to meet its financial obligations

High Yield Risk: the risk that high yield securities and unrated securities of similar credit quality (commonly known as "junk bonds") are subject to greater levels of credit, call and liquidity risks. High yield securities are considered primarily speculative with respect to the issuer's continuing ability to make principal and interest payments, and may be more volatile than higher-rated securities of similar maturity

Market Risk: the risk that the value of securities owned by the Fund may go up or down, sometimes rapidly or unpredictably, due to factors affecting securities markets generally or particular industries

Issuer Risk: the risk that the value of a security may decline for a reason directly related to the issuer, such as management performance, financial leverage and reduced demand for the issuer's goods or services

Liquidity Risk: the risk that a particular investment may be difficult to purchase or sell and that the Fund may be unable to sell illiquid securities at an advantageous time or price or achieve its desired level of exposure to a certain sector. Liquidity risk may result from the lack of an active market, reduced number and capacity of traditional market participants to make a market in fixed income securities, and may be magnified in a rising interest rate environment or other circumstances where investor redemptions from

 

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Prospectus

fixed income mutual funds may be higher than normal, causing increased supply in the market due to selling activity

Derivatives Risk: the risk of investing in derivative instruments (such as futures, swaps and structured securities), including leverage, liquidity, interest rate, market, credit and management risks, mispricing or valuation complexity. Changes in the value of the derivative may not correlate perfectly with, and may be more sensitive to market events than, the underlying asset, rate or index, and the Fund could lose more than the initial amount invested. The Fund's use of derivatives may result in losses to the Fund, a reduction in the Fund's returns and/or increased volatility. Over-the-counter ("OTC") derivatives are also subject to the risk that a counterparty to the transaction will not fulfill its contractual obligations to the other party, as many of the protections afforded to centrally-cleared derivative transactions might not be available for OTC derivatives. For derivatives traded on an exchange or through a central counterparty, credit risk resides with the Fund's clearing broker, or the clearinghouse itself, rather than with a counterparty in an OTC derivative transaction. Changes in regulation relating to a mutual fund's use of derivatives and related instruments could potentially limit or impact the Fund's ability to invest in derivatives, limit the Fund's ability to employ certain strategies that use derivatives and/or adversely affect the value of derivatives and the Fund's performance

Equity Risk: the risk that the value of equity securities, such as common stocks and preferred securities, may decline due to general market conditions which are not specifically related to a particular company or to factors affecting a particular industry or industries. Equity securities generally have greater price volatility than fixed income securities

Mortgage-Related and Other Asset-Backed Securities Risk: the risks of investing in mortgage-related and other asset-backed securities, including interest rate risk, extension risk, prepayment risk and credit risk

Foreign (Non-U.S.) Investment Risk: the risk that investing in foreign (non-U.S.) securities may result in the Fund experiencing more rapid and extreme changes in value than a fund that invests exclusively in securities of U.S. companies, due to smaller markets, differing reporting, accounting and auditing standards, increased risk of delayed settlement of portfolio transactions or loss of certificates of portfolio securities, and the risk of unfavorable foreign government actions, including nationalization, expropriation or confiscatory taxation, currency blockage, or political changes or diplomatic developments. Foreign securities may also be less liquid and more difficult to value than securities of U.S. issuers

Emerging Markets Risk: the risk of investing in emerging market securities, primarily increased foreign (non-U.S.) investment risk

Sovereign Debt Risk: the risk that investments in fixed income instruments issued by sovereign entities may decline in value as a result of default or other adverse credit event resulting from an issuer's inability or unwillingness to make principal or interest payments in a timely fashion

Currency Risk: the risk that foreign (non-U.S.) currencies will change in value relative to the U.S. dollar and affect the Fund's investments in foreign (non-U.S.) currencies or in securities that trade in, and receive revenues in, or in derivatives that provide exposure to, foreign (non-U.S.) currencies

Leveraging Risk: the risk that certain transactions of the Fund, such as reverse repurchase agreements, loans of portfolio securities, and the use of when-issued, delayed delivery or forward commitment transactions, or derivative instruments, may give rise to leverage, magnifying gains and losses and causing the Fund to be more volatile than if it had not been leveraged. This means that leverage entails a heightened risk of loss

Management Risk: the risk that the investment techniques and risk analyses applied by PIMCO and Research Affiliates will not produce the desired results and that legislative, regulatory, or tax restrictions, policies or developments may affect the investment techniques available to PIMCO, Research Affiliates and the individual portfolio manager in connection with managing the Fund. There is no guarantee that the investment objective of the Fund will be achieved

Short Exposure Risk: the risk of entering into short sales, including the potential loss of more money than the actual cost of the investment, and the risk that the third party to the short sale will not fulfill its contractual obligations, causing a loss to the Fund

Please see "Description of Principal Risks" in the Fund's prospectus for a more detailed description of the risks of investing in the Fund. An investment in the Fund is not a deposit of a bank and is not insured or guaranteed by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation or any other government agency.

Performance Information

The performance information shows summary performance information for the Fund in a bar chart and an Average Annual Total Returns table. The information provides some indication of the risks of investing in the Fund by showing changes in its performance from year to year and by showing how the Fund's average annual returns compare with the returns of a broad-based securities market index and an index of similar funds. Absent any applicable fee waivers and/or expense limitations, performance would have been lower. The bar chart shows performance of the Fund's Institutional Class shares. Performance in the Average Annual Total Returns table reflects the impact of sales charges. The Fund's past performance, before and after taxes, is not necessarily an indication of how the Fund will perform in the future.

The S&P 500 Index is an unmanaged market index generally considered representative of the stock market as a whole. The S&P 500 Index focuses on the large-cap segment of the U.S. equities market. The Lipper Large-Cap Core Funds Average is a total return performance average of funds tracked by Lipper, Inc. that invest at least 75% of their equity assets in companies with market capitalizations (on a three-year weighted basis) greater than 300% of the dollar-weighted median market capitalization of the middle 1,000 securities of the S&P SuperComposite 1500 Index.

Performance for the Fund is updated daily and quarterly and may be obtained as follows: daily updates on the net asset value and performance page at http://investments.pimco.com/DailyPerformance and quarterly updates at http://investments.pimco.com/QuarterlyPerformance.

 

[ ] | PROSPECTUS

11


 

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PIMCO RAE Low Volatility PLUS Fund

Calendar Year Total Returns — Institutional Class*

 

[To be updated by subsequent amendment]



*The year-to-date return as of June 30, 2018 is [ ]%. For the periods shown in the bar chart, the highest quarterly return was [ ]% in the [ ], and the lowest quarterly return was [ ]% in the [ ].

Average Annual Total Returns (for periods ended 12/31/17)

 

1 Year

Since Inception (12/30/2013)

Institutional Class Return Before Taxes

[ ]

[ ]

Institutional Class Return After Taxes on Distributions‌(1)

[ ]

[ ]

Institutional Class Return After Taxes on Distributions and Sales of Fund Shares‌(1)

[ ]

[ ]

Class A Return Before Taxes

[ ]

[ ]

Class C Return Before Taxes

[ ]

[ ]

S&P 500 Index (reflects no deductions for fees, expenses or taxes)

[ ]

[ ]

 

Lipper Large-Cap Core Funds Average (reflects no deductions for taxes)

[ ]

[ ]

(1) After-tax returns are calculated using the highest historical individual federal marginal income tax rates and do not reflect the impact of state and local taxes. Actual after-tax returns depend on an investor's tax situation and may differ from those shown, and the after-tax returns shown are not relevant to investors who hold their Fund shares through tax-deferred arrangements, such as 401(k) plans or individual retirement accounts. In some cases the return after taxes may exceed the return before taxes due to an assumed tax benefit from any losses on a sale of Fund shares at the end of the measurement period. After-tax returns are for Institutional Class shares only. After-tax returns for other classes will vary.

Investment Adviser/Portfolio Manager

PIMCO serves as the investment adviser for the Fund. Research Affiliates, LLC serves as the Fund's sub-adviser. The Fund's portfolio is jointly managed by Mohsen Fahmi, Sudi Mariappa, Robert D. Arnott and Christopher J. Brightman. Each of Messrs. Fahmi and Mariappa is a Managing Director of PIMCO. Mr. Arnott is the Chairman and Founder of Research Affiliates, LLC. Mr. Brightman is the Chief Investment Officer of Research Affiliates, LLC. Mr. Mariappa has managed the Fund since August 2014. Mr. Arnott has jointly managed the Fund since September 2014. Mr. Fahmi has jointly managed the Fund since January 2015. Mr. Brightman has jointly managed the Fund since July 2017. Messrs. Mariappa and Fahmi are jointly responsible for the absolute return strategy and the equity portfolio replication process. Messrs. Arnott and Brightman are jointly responsible for the selection of stocks within the underlying equity portfolio.

Other Important Information Regarding Fund Shares

For important information about purchase and sale of Fund shares, tax information, and payments to broker-dealers and other financial intermediaries, please turn to the "Summary of Other Important Information Regarding Fund Shares" section on page [ ] of this prospectus.

 

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PIMCO RAE Low Volatility PLUS International Fund

Investment Objective

The Fund seeks total return which exceeds that of its benchmark.

Fees and Expenses of the Fund

This table describes the fees and expenses that you may pay if you buy and hold shares of the Fund.

Shareholder Fees (fees paid directly from your investment):
None

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

 

Inst
Class

I-2

Management Fees

0.82%

0.92%

Distribution and/or Service (12b-1) Fees

N/A

N/A

Other Expenses(1)

[ ]

[ ]

Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses

[ ]

[ ]

 

1 "Other Expenses" include interest expense of [ ]%. Interest expense is borne by the Fund separately from the management fees paid to Pacific Investment Management Company LLC ("PIMCO"). Excluding interest expense, Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses are [ ]% and [ ]% for Institutional Class and I-2 shares, respectively.

Example. The Example is intended to help you compare the cost of investing in Institutional Class or I-2 shares of the Fund with the costs of investing in other mutual funds. The Example assumes that you invest $10,000 in the noted class of shares for the time periods indicated, and then redeem all 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. Investors may pay brokerage commissions on their purchases and sales of Institutional Class shares or I-2 shares of the Fund, which are not reflected in the Example. Although your actual costs may be higher or lower, based on these assumptions your costs would be:

If you redeem your shares at the end of each period:

 

1 Year

3 Years

5 Years

10 Years

Institutional Class

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

I-2

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

Portfolio Turnover

The Fund pays transaction costs 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 the Annual Fund Operating Expenses or in the Example tables, affect the Fund's performance. During the most recent fiscal year, the Fund's portfolio turnover rate was [ ]% of the average value of its portfolio.

Principal Investment Strategies

The Fund seeks to exceed the total return of the MSCI EAFE Net Dividend Index (USD Unhedged) (the "Benchmark Index") under normal circumstances by obtaining exposure to a portfolio of stocks economically tied to foreign (non-U.S.) countries ("RAE Low Volatility International Model Portfolio"), and complementing this equity exposure with absolute return bond alpha strategy ("AR Bond Alpha Strategy"). The stocks are selected by the Fund's sub-adviser, Research Affiliates, LLC ("Sub-Adviser"), from a broad universe of companies which satisfy certain liquidity and capacity requirements. Under normal circumstances equity total return swaps are used to obtain exposure to the RAE Low Volatility International Model Portfolio.

The Sub-Adviser uses the RAFI® Fundamental Index® ("RAFI") methodology as a starting point for portfolio construction. The RAFI methodology is a non-capitalization method of creating and weighting an index of equity securities, within a defined market, that seeks to eliminate the potential overweighting of overpriced equity securities and underweighting of underpriced equity securities associated with market-capitalization equity indexes. Selections are further refined based upon volatility and financial health, among other factors, in an effort to enhance returns and reduce portfolio volatility attributable to equity market downside risk. Actual stock positions in the RAE Low Volatility International Model Portfolio, which drift apart from target weights as market prices change, are rebalanced to target weights periodically.

The Sub-Adviser provides investment advisory services in connection with the Fund's swap-based exposure to the RAE Low Volatility International Model Portfolio by, among other things, providing PIMCO, or counterparties designated by PIMCO, with the RAE Low Volatility International Model Portfolio for purposes of developing equity total return swaps based on the RAE Low Volatility International Model Portfolio. In a typical swap agreement, the Fund will receive the total return of the RAE Low Volatility International Model Portfolio from the counterparty to the swap agreement in exchange for paying the counterparty an agreed upon short-term interest rate.

Because the RAE Low Volatility International Model Portfolio is a proprietary portfolio, there may be a limited number of counterparties willing or able to serve as counterparties to a swap agreement. If such swap agreements are not available, or if swap pricing is unattractive or for other reasons, the Fund may invest in other instruments, "baskets" of stocks, or individual securities to replicate the performance of the RAE Low Volatility International Model Portfolio.

The Fund seeks to remain exposed to the RAE Low Volatility International Model Portfolio even when the value of the RAE Low Volatility International Model Portfolio is declining.

In managing the Fund's investments in the AR Bond Alpha Strategy, PIMCO seeks to outperform the short-term interest rate cost of obtaining equity exposure, thereby enhancing the Fund's total return and return versus the benchmark (sometimes referred to as "alpha"). The AR Bond Alpha Strategy invests in a diversified portfolio of Fixed Income Instruments, which may be represented by forwards or derivatives such as options, futures contracts or swap agreements. "Fixed Income Instruments" include bonds, debt securities and other similar instruments issued by various U.S. and non-U.S. public or private-sector entities. The AR Bond Alpha Strategy is not designed to systematically provide bond market exposure, although the returns may (or may not) be positively correlated with the returns of the bond market.

 



PIMCO FUNDS | PROSPECTUS

13


 

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PIMCO RAE Low Volatility PLUS International Fund

The AR Bond Alpha Strategy seeks to maintain an overall portfolio duration which normally varies from (negative) 3 years to positive 8 years based on PIMCO's market forecasts among other factors. Duration is a measure used to determine the sensitivity of a security's price to changes in interest rates. The longer a security's duration, the more sensitive it will be to changes in interest rates. In addition to duration, the AR Bond Alpha Strategy has flexibility with respect to overall sector exposures, non-U.S. exposures and credit quality, both as a function of the strategy's investment guidelines and lack of a bond market index benchmark.

The Fund may invest, without limitation, in derivative instruments, such as options, futures contracts or swap agreements, or in mortgage or asset-backed securities, subject to applicable law and any other restrictions described in the Fund's prospectus or Statement of Additional Information. The Fund may purchase or sell securities on a when-issued, delayed delivery or forward commitment basis and may engage in short sales. The Fund may invest up to 20% of its total assets in high yield securities ("junk bonds"), as rated by Moody's Investors Service, Inc. ("Moody's"), Standard & Poor's Ratings Services ("S&P") or Fitch, Inc. ("Fitch"), or, if unrated, as determined by PIMCO. The Fund may invest, without limitation, in securities denominated in foreign (non-U.S.) currencies and in U.S. dollar-denominated securities of foreign (non-U.S.) issuers. With respect to the AR Bond Alpha Strategy, the Fund may invest up to 25% of its total assets in securities and instruments that are economically tied to emerging market countries (this limitation does not apply to investment grade sovereign debt denominated in the local currency with less than 1 year remaining to maturity, which means the Fund may invest in such instruments without limitation subject to any applicable legal or regulatory limitation). With respect to the AR Bond Alpha Strategy, the Fund will normally limit its foreign currency exposure (from non-U.S. dollar-denominated securities or currencies) to 35% of its total assets. With respect to the AR Bond Alpha Strategy, the Fund will normally limit its exposure (from non-U.S. dollar-denominated securities or currencies) to each non-U.S. currency to 10% of its total assets. With respect to the AR Bond Alpha Strategy, the Fund will normally limit its aggregate U.S. dollar exposure from transactions or instruments that reference the relative return of a non-U.S. currency or currencies as compared to the U.S. dollar to 20% of its total assets. The Fund may also invest up to 10% of its total assets in preferred securities. The Fund will invest in instruments that are economically tied to at least three countries (one of which may be the United States).

The Benchmark Index is an unmanaged index of issuers in countries of Europe, Australia, and the Far East represented in U.S. Dollars on an unhedged basis.

Principal Risks

It is possible to lose money on an investment in the Fund. Under certain conditions, generally in a market where the value of the RAE Low Volatility International Model Portfolio underperforms the Benchmark Index and/or the AR Bond Alpha Strategy underperforms short term interest rates, the Fund may experience greater losses or lesser gains than would be the case if it invested in the Benchmark Index. The principal risks of investing in the Fund, which could adversely affect its net asset value, yield and total return, are:

Interest Rate Risk: the risk that fixed income securities will decline in value because of an increase in interest rates; a fund with a longer average portfolio duration will be more sensitive to changes in interest rates than a fund with a shorter average portfolio duration

Call Risk: the risk that an issuer may exercise its right to redeem a fixed income security earlier than expected (a call). Issuers may call outstanding securities prior to their maturity for a number of reasons (e.g., declining interest rates, changes in credit spreads and improvements in the issuer's credit quality). If an issuer calls a security that the Fund has invested in, the Fund may not recoup the full amount of its initial investment and may be forced to reinvest in lower-yielding securities, securities with greater credit risks or securities with other, less favorable features

Credit Risk: the risk that the Fund could lose money if the issuer or guarantor of a fixed income security, or the counterparty to a derivative contract, is unable or unwilling to meet its financial obligations

High Yield Risk: the risk that high yield securities and unrated securities of similar credit quality (commonly known as "junk bonds") are subject to greater levels of credit, call and liquidity risks. High yield securities are considered primarily speculative with respect to the issuer's continuing ability to make principal and interest payments, and may be more volatile than higher-rated securities of similar maturity

Market Risk: the risk that the value of securities owned by the Fund may go up or down, sometimes rapidly or unpredictably, due to factors affecting securities markets generally or particular industries

Issuer Risk: the risk that the value of a security may decline for a reason directly related to the issuer, such as management performance, financial leverage and reduced demand for the issuer's goods or services

Liquidity Risk: the risk that a particular investment may be difficult to purchase or sell and that the Fund may be unable to sell illiquid securities at an advantageous time or price or achieve its desired level of exposure to a certain sector. Liquidity risk may result from the lack of an active market, reduced number and capacity of traditional market participants to make a market in fixed income securities, and may be magnified in a rising interest rate environment or other circumstances where investor redemptions from fixed income mutual funds may be higher than normal, causing increased supply in the market due to selling activity

Derivatives Risk: the risk of investing in derivative instruments (such as futures, swaps and structured securities), including leverage, liquidity, interest rate, market, credit and management risks, mispricing or valuation complexity. Changes in the value of the derivative may not correlate perfectly with, and may be more sensitive to market events than, the underlying asset, rate or index, and the Fund could lose more than the initial amount invested. The Fund's use of derivatives may result in losses to the Fund, a reduction in the Fund's returns and/or increased volatility. Over-the-counter ("OTC") derivatives are also subject to the risk that a counterparty to the transaction will not fulfill its contractual obligations to the other party, as many of the protections afforded to centrally-cleared derivative transactions might not be available for OTC derivatives. For derivatives traded on an exchange or through a central counterparty, credit risk resides with the Fund's clearing broker, or the clearinghouse itself, rather than with a counterparty in an OTC derivative transaction. Changes

 

14     

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Table of Contents

Prospectus

in regulation relating to a mutual fund's use of derivatives and related instruments could potentially limit or impact the Fund's ability to invest in derivatives, limit the Fund's ability to employ certain strategies that use derivatives and/or adversely affect the value of derivatives and the Fund's performance

Equity Risk: the risk that the value of equity securities, such as common stocks and preferred securities, may decline due to general market conditions which are not specifically related to a particular company or to factors affecting a particular industry or industries. Equity securities generally have greater price volatility than fixed income securities

Mortgage-Related and Other Asset-Backed Securities Risk: the risks of investing in mortgage-related and other asset-backed securities, including interest rate risk, extension risk, prepayment risk and credit risk

Foreign (Non-U.S.) Investment Risk: the risk that investing in foreign (non-U.S.) securities may result in the Fund experiencing more rapid and extreme changes in value than a fund that invests exclusively in securities of U.S. companies, due to smaller markets, differing reporting, accounting and auditing standards, increased risk of delayed settlement of portfolio transactions or loss of certificates of portfolio securities, and the risk of unfavorable foreign government actions, including nationalization, expropriation or confiscatory taxation, currency blockage, or political changes or diplomatic developments. Foreign securities may also be less liquid and more difficult to value than securities of U.S. issuers

Emerging Markets Risk: the risk of investing in emerging market securities, primarily increased foreign (non-U.S.) investment risk

Sovereign Debt Risk: the risk that investments in fixed income instruments issued by sovereign entities may decline in value as a result of default or other adverse credit event resulting from an issuer's inability or unwillingness to make principal or interest payments in a timely fashion

Currency Risk: the risk that foreign (non-U.S.) currencies will change in value relative to the U.S. dollar and affect the Fund's investments in foreign (non-U.S.) currencies or in securities that trade in, and receive revenues in, or in derivatives that provide exposure to, foreign (non-U.S.) currencies

Leveraging Risk: the risk that certain transactions of the Fund, such as reverse repurchase agreements, loans of portfolio securities, and the use of when-issued, delayed delivery or forward commitment transactions, or derivative instruments, may give rise to leverage, magnifying gains and losses and causing the Fund to be more volatile than if it had not been leveraged. This means that leverage entails a heightened risk of loss

Management Risk: the risk that the investment techniques and risk analyses applied by PIMCO and Research Affiliates will not produce the desired results and that legislative, regulatory, or tax restrictions, policies or developments may affect the investment techniques available to PIMCO, Research Affiliates and the individual portfolio manager in connection with managing the Fund. There is no guarantee that the investment objective of the Fund will be achieved

Short Exposure Risk: the risk of entering into short sales, including the potential loss of more money than the actual cost of the investment, and the risk that the third party to the short sale will not fulfill its contractual obligations, causing a loss to the Fund

Please see "Description of Principal Risks" in the Fund's prospectus for a more detailed description of the risks of investing in the Fund. An investment in the Fund is not a deposit of a bank and is not insured or guaranteed by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation or any other government agency.

Performance Information

The performance information shows summary performance information for the Fund in a bar chart and an Average Annual Total Returns table. The information provides some indication of the risks of investing in the Fund by showing changes in its performance from year to year and by showing how the Fund's average annual returns compare with the returns of a broad-based securities market index and an index of similar funds. Absent any applicable fee waivers and/or expense limitations, performance would have been lower. The bar chart shows performance of the Fund's Institutional Class shares. Performance in the Average Annual Total Returns table reflects the impact of sales charges. The Fund's past performance, before and after taxes, is not necessarily an indication of how the Fund will perform in the future.

MSCI EAFE Net Dividend Index (USD Unhedged) is an unmanaged index of issuers in countries of Europe, Australia, and the Far East represented in U.S. Dollars on an unhedged basis. The Lipper International Multi-Cap Core Funds Average is a total return performance average of funds tracked by Lipper, Inc. that invest in a variety of market capitalization ranges without concentrating 75% of their equity assets in any one market capitalization range over an extended period of time and typically have 25% to 75% of their assets invested in companies strictly outside of the U.S. with market capitalizations (on a three-year weighted basis) greater than the 250th- largest company in the S&P/Citigroup World ex-U.S. Broad Market Index.

Performance for the Fund is updated daily and quarterly and may be obtained as follows: daily updates on the net asset value and performance page at http://investments.pimco.com/DailyPerformance and quarterly updates at http://investments.pimco.com/QuarterlyPerformance.

Calendar Year Total Returns — Institutional Class*

 

[To be updated by subsequent amendment]



*The year-to-date return as of June 30, 2018 is [ ]%. For the periods shown in the bar chart, the highest quarterly return was [ ]% in the [ ], and the lowest quarterly return was [ ]% in the [ ].

 

[ ] | PROSPECTUS

15


 

Table of Contents

PIMCO RAE Low Volatility PLUS International Fund

Average Annual Total Returns (for periods ended 12/31/17)

 

1 Year

Since Inception (12/30/2013)

Institutional Class Return Before Taxes

[ ]

[ ]

Institutional Class Return After Taxes on Distributions‌(1)

[ ]

[ ]

Institutional Class Return After Taxes on Distributions and Sales of Fund Shares‌(1)

[ ]

[ ]

I-2 Return Before Taxes

[ ]

[ ]

MSCI EAFE Net Dividend Index (USD Unhedged) (reflects no deductions for fees, expenses or taxes)

[ ]

[ ]

 

Lipper International Multi-Cap Core Funds Average (reflects no deductions for taxes)

[ ]

[ ]

(1) After-tax returns are calculated using the highest historical individual federal marginal income tax rates and do not reflect the impact of state and local taxes. Actual after-tax returns depend on an investor's tax situation and may differ from those shown, and the after-tax returns shown are not relevant to investors who hold their Fund shares through tax-deferred arrangements, such as 401(k) plans or individual retirement accounts. In some cases the return after taxes may exceed the return before taxes due to an assumed tax benefit from any losses on a sale of Fund shares at the end of the measurement period. After-tax returns are for Institutional Class shares only. After-tax returns for other classes will vary.

Investment Adviser/Portfolio Manager

PIMCO serves as the investment adviser for the Fund. Research Affiliates, LLC serves as the Fund's sub-adviser. The Fund's portfolio is jointly managed by Mohsen Fahmi, Sudi Mariappa, Robert D. Arnott and Christopher J. Brightman. Each of Messrs. Fahmi and Mariappa is a Managing Director of PIMCO. Mr. Arnott is the Chairman and Founder of Research Affiliates, LLC. Mr. Brightman is the Chief Investment Officer of Research Affiliates, LLC. Mr. Mariappa has managed the Fund since August 2014. Mr. Arnott has jointly managed the Fund since September 2014. Mr. Fahmi has jointly managed the Fund since January 2015. Mr. Brightman has jointly managed the Fund since July 2017. Messrs. Mariappa and Fahmi are jointly responsible for the absolute return strategy and the equity portfolio replication process. Messrs. Arnott and Brightman are jointly responsible for the selection of stocks within the underlying equity portfolio.

Other Important Information Regarding Fund Shares

For important information about purchase and sale of Fund shares, tax information, and payments to broker-dealers and other financial intermediaries, please turn to the "Summary of Other Important Information Regarding Fund Shares" section on page [ ] of this prospectus.

 

16     

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Table of Contents

PIMCO RAE PLUS EMG Fund

Investment Objective

The Fund seeks total return which exceeds that of its benchmark.

Fees and Expenses of the Fund

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 $100,000 in Class A shares of eligible funds offered by PIMCO Equity Series and PIMCO Funds. More information about these and other discounts is available in the "Classes of Shares" section on page [ ] of the Fund's prospectus, Appendix B to the Fund's prospectus (Financial Firm-Specific Sales Charge Waivers and Discounts) or from your financial advisor.

Shareholder Fees (fees paid directly from your investment):

 

Inst
Class

I-2

Class A

Class C

Maximum Sales Charge (Load) Imposed on Purchases (as a percentage of offering price)

None

None

3.75%

None

Maximum Deferred Sales Charge (Load) (as a percentage of the lower of the original purchase price or redemption price)

None

None

1.00%

1.00%

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

 

Inst
Class

I-2

Class A

Class C

Management Fees

1.15%

1.25%

1.30%

1.30%

Distribution and/or Service (12b-1) Fees

N/A

N/A

0.25%

1.00%

Other Expenses(1)

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

 

1 "Other Expenses" include interest expense of [ ]%. Interest expense is borne by the Fund separately from the management fees paid to Pacific Investment Management Company LLC ("PIMCO"). Excluding interest expense, Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses are [ ]%, [ ]%, [ ]% and [ ]% for Institutional Class, I-2, Class A and Class C shares, respectively.

Example. The Example is intended to help you compare the cost of investing in Institutional Class, Class A or Class C shares of the Fund with the costs of investing in other mutual funds. The Example assumes that you invest $10,000 in the noted class of shares for the time periods indicated, and then redeem all 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. Investors may pay brokerage commissions on their purchases and sales of Institutional Class shares of the Fund, which are not reflected in the Example. Although your actual costs may be higher or lower, based on these assumptions your costs would be:

If you redeem your shares at the end of each period:

 

1 Year

3 Years

5 Years

10 Years

Institutional Class

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

I-2

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

Class A

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

Class C

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

If you do not redeem your shares:

 

1 Year

3 Years

5 Years

10 Years

Class A

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

Class C

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

Portfolio Turnover

The Fund pays transaction costs 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 the Annual Fund Operating Expenses or in the Example tables, affect the Fund's performance. During the most recent fiscal year, the Fund's portfolio turnover rate was [ ]% of the average value of its portfolio.

Principal Investment Strategies

The Fund seeks to exceed the total return of the MSCI Emerging Markets Index (Net Dividends in USD) (the "Benchmark") under normal circumstances by obtaining exposure to a portfolio of stocks economically tied to emerging market countries ("RAE Fundamental Emerging Markets Model Portfolio"), and complementing this equity exposure with absolute return bond alpha strategy ("AR Bond Alpha Strategy"). The stocks are selected by the Fund's sub-adviser, Research Affiliates, LLC ("Sub-Adviser"), from a broad universe of companies which satisfy certain liquidity and capacity requirements. Under normal circumstances equity total return swaps are used to obtain exposure to the RAE Fundamental Emerging Markets Model Portfolio.

The Sub-Adviser uses the RAFI® Fundamental Index® ("RAFI") methodology as a starting point for portfolio construction. The RAFI methodology is a non-capitalization method of creating and weighting an index of equity securities, within a defined market, that seeks to eliminate the potential overweighting of overpriced equity securities and underweighting of underpriced equity securities associated with market-capitalization equity indexes. Selections are further refined through the use of additional analytic measures and processes designed to achieve enhanced risk-adjusted returns including measures of financial health and adjustments that take momentum into account, among other factors. Actual stock positions in the RAE Fundamental Emerging Markets Model Portfolio, which drift apart from target weights as market prices change, are rebalanced to target weights periodically.

The Sub-Adviser provides investment advisory services in connection with the Fund's swap-based exposure to the RAE Fundamental Emerging Markets Model Portfolio by, among other things, providing PIMCO, or counterparties designated by PIMCO, with the RAE Fundamental Emerging Markets Model Portfolio for purposes of developing equity total return swaps based on the RAE Fundamental Emerging Markets Model Portfolio. In a typical swap agreement, the Fund will receive the total return of the RAE Fundamental Emerging Markets Model Portfolio from the counterparty to the swap agreement in exchange for paying the counterparty an agreed upon short-term interest rate.

Because the RAE Fundamental Emerging Markets Model Portfolio is a proprietary portfolio, there may be a limited number of counterparties

 



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Table of Contents

PIMCO RAE PLUS EMG Fund

willing or able to serve as counterparties to a swap agreement. If such swap agreements are not available, or if swap pricing is unattractive or for other reasons, the Fund may invest in other instruments, "baskets" of stocks, or individual securities to replicate the performance of the RAE Fundamental Emerging Markets Model Portfolio.

The Fund seeks to remain exposed to the RAE Fundamental Emerging Markets Model Portfolio even when the value of the RAE Fundamental Emerging Markets Model Portfolio is declining.

In managing the Fund's investments in the AR Bond Alpha Strategy, PIMCO seeks to outperform the short-term interest rate cost of obtaining equity exposure, thereby enhancing the Fund's total return and return versus the benchmark (sometimes referred to as "alpha"). The AR Bond Alpha Strategy invests in a diversified portfolio of Fixed Income Instruments, which may be represented by forwards or derivatives such as options, futures contracts or swap agreements. "Fixed Income Instruments" include bonds, debt securities and other similar instruments issued by various U.S. and non-U.S. public or private-sector entities. The AR Bond Alpha Strategy is not designed to systematically provide bond market exposure, although the returns may (or may not) be positively correlated with the returns of the bond market.

The AR Bond Alpha Strategy seeks to maintain an overall portfolio duration which normally varies from (negative) 3 years to positive 8 years based on PIMCO's market forecasts among other factors. Duration is a measure used to determine the sensitivity of a security's price to changes in interest rates. The longer a security's duration, the more sensitive it will be to changes in interest rates. In addition to duration, the AR Bond Alpha Strategy has flexibility with respect to overall sector exposures, non-U.S. exposures and credit quality, both as a function of the strategy's investment guidelines and lack of a bond market index benchmark.

The Fund may invest, without limitation, in derivative instruments, such as options, futures contracts or swap agreements, or in mortgage- or asset-backed securities, subject to applicable law and any other restrictions described in the Fund's prospectus or Statement of Additional Information. The Fund may purchase or sell securities on a when-issued, delayed delivery or forward commitment basis and may engage in short sales. The Fund may invest up to 20% of its total assets in high yield securities ("junk bonds"), as rated by Moody's Investors Service, Inc. ("Moody's"), Standard & Poor's Ratings Services ("S&P") or Fitch, Inc. ("Fitch"), or, if unrated, as determined by PIMCO. With respect to the AR Bond Alpha Strategy, the Fund may invest, without limitation, in securities denominated in foreign currencies and in U.S. dollar-denominated securities of foreign issuers. With respect to the AR Bond Alpha Strategy, the Fund may invest up to 25% of its total assets in securities and instruments that are economically tied to emerging market countries (this limitation does not apply to investment grade sovereign debt denominated in the local currency with less than 1 year remaining to maturity, which means with respect to the AR Bond Alpha Strategy, the Fund may invest in such instruments without limitation subject to any applicable legal or regulatory limitation). With respect to the AR Bond Alpha Strategy, the Fund will normally limit its foreign currency exposure (from non-U.S. dollar-denominated securities or currencies) to 35% of its total assets. With respect to the AR Bond Alpha Strategy, the Fund will normally limit its exposure (from non-U.S. dollar-denominated securities or currencies) to each non-U.S. currency to 10% of its total assets. With respect to the AR Bond Alpha Strategy, the Fund will normally limit its aggregate U.S. dollar exposure from transactions or instruments that reference the relative return of a non-U.S. currency or currencies as compared to the U.S. dollar to 20% of its total assets. The Fund may also invest up to 10% of its total assets in preferred securities. The Fund may invest in common stocks, options, futures, options on futures and swaps.

The Benchmark is a market capitalization weighted index that is designed to measure equity market performance of emerging markets.

Principal Risks

It is possible to lose money on an investment in the Fund. Under certain conditions, generally in a market where the value of the RAE Fundamental Emerging Markets Model Portfolio underperforms the Benchmark and/or the AR Bond Alpha Strategy underperforms short term interest rates, the Fund may experience greater losses or lesser gains than would be the case if it invested in the Benchmark. The principal risks of investing in the Fund, which could adversely affect its net asset value, yield and total return, are:

Interest Rate Risk: the risk that fixed income securities will decline in value because of an increase in interest rates; a fund with a longer average portfolio duration will be more sensitive to changes in interest rates than a fund with a shorter average portfolio duration

Call Risk: the risk that an issuer may exercise its right to redeem a fixed income security earlier than expected (a call). Issuers may call outstanding securities prior to their maturity for a number of reasons (e.g., declining interest rates, changes in credit spreads and improvements in the issuer's credit quality). If an issuer calls a security that the Fund has invested in, the Fund may not recoup the full amount of its initial investment and may be forced to reinvest in lower-yielding securities, securities with greater credit risks or securities with other, less favorable features

Credit Risk: the risk that the Fund could lose money if the issuer or guarantor of a fixed income security, or the counterparty to a derivative contract, is unable or unwilling to meet its financial obligations

High Yield Risk: the risk that high yield securities and unrated securities of similar credit quality (commonly known as "junk bonds") are subject to greater levels of credit, call and liquidity risks. High yield securities are considered primarily speculative with respect to the issuer's continuing ability to make principal and interest payments, and may be more volatile than higher-rated securities of similar maturity

Market Risk: the risk that the value of securities owned by the Fund may go up or down, sometimes rapidly or unpredictably, due to factors affecting securities markets generally or particular industries

Issuer Risk: the risk that the value of a security may decline for a reason directly related to the issuer, such as management performance, financial leverage and reduced demand for the issuer's goods or services

Liquidity Risk: the risk that a particular investment may be difficult to purchase or sell and that the Fund may be unable to sell illiquid securities at an advantageous time or price or achieve its desired level of exposure to a certain sector. Liquidity risk may result from the lack of an active market, reduced number and capacity of traditional market participants to make a market in fixed income securities, and may be magnified in a rising interest

 

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Prospectus

rate environment or other circumstances where investor redemptions from fixed income mutual funds may be higher than normal, causing increased supply in the market due to selling activity

Derivatives Risk: the risk of investing in derivative instruments (such as futures, swaps and structured securities), including leverage, liquidity, interest rate, market, credit and management risks, mispricing or valuation complexity. Changes in the value of the derivative may not correlate perfectly with, and may be more sensitive to market events than, the underlying asset, rate or index, and the Fund could lose more than the initial amount invested. The Fund's use of derivatives may result in losses to the Fund, a reduction in the Fund's returns and/or increased volatility. Over-the-counter ("OTC") derivatives are also subject to the risk that a counterparty to the transaction will not fulfill its contractual obligations to the other party, as many of the protections afforded to centrally-cleared derivative transactions might not be available for OTC derivatives. For derivatives traded on an exchange or through a central counterparty, credit risk resides with the Fund's clearing broker, or the clearinghouse itself, rather than with a counterparty in an OTC derivative transaction. Changes in regulation relating to a mutual fund's use of derivatives and related instruments could potentially limit or impact the Fund's ability to invest in derivatives, limit the Fund's ability to employ certain strategies that use derivatives and/or adversely affect the value of derivatives and the Fund's performance

Equity Risk: the risk that the value of equity securities, such as common stocks and preferred securities, may decline due to general market conditions which are not specifically related to a particular company or to factors affecting a particular industry or industries. Equity securities generally have greater price volatility than fixed income securities

Mortgage-Related and Other Asset-Backed Securities Risk: the risks of investing in mortgage-related and other asset-backed securities, including interest rate risk, extension risk, prepayment risk and credit risk

Foreign (Non-U.S.) Investment Risk: the risk that investing in foreign (non-U.S.) securities may result in the Fund experiencing more rapid and extreme changes in value than a fund that invests exclusively in securities of U.S. companies, due to smaller markets, differing reporting, accounting and auditing standards, increased risk of delayed settlement of portfolio transactions or loss of certificates of portfolio securities, and the risk of unfavorable foreign government actions, including nationalization, expropriation or confiscatory taxation, currency blockage, or political changes or diplomatic developments. Foreign securities may also be less liquid and more difficult to value than securities of U.S. issuers

Emerging Markets Risk: the risk of investing in emerging market securities, primarily increased foreign (non-U.S.) investment risk

Sovereign Debt Risk: the risk that investments in fixed income instruments issued by sovereign entities may decline in value as a result of default or other adverse credit event resulting from an issuer's inability or unwillingness to make principal or interest payments in a timely fashion

Currency Risk: the risk that foreign (non-U.S.) currencies will change in value relative to the U.S. dollar and affect the Fund's investments in foreign (non-U.S.) currencies or in securities that trade in, and receive revenues in, or in derivatives that provide exposure to, foreign (non-U.S.) currencies

Leveraging Risk: the risk that certain transactions of the Fund, such as reverse repurchase agreements, loans of portfolio securities, and the use of when-issued, delayed delivery or forward commitment transactions, or derivative instruments, may give rise to leverage, magnifying gains and losses and causing the Fund to be more volatile than if it had not been leveraged. This means that leverage entails a heightened risk of loss

Management Risk: the risk that the investment techniques and risk analyses applied by PIMCO and Research Affiliates will not produce the desired results and that legislative, regulatory, or tax restrictions, policies or developments may affect the investment techniques available to PIMCO, Research Affiliates and the individual portfolio manager in connection with managing the Fund. There is no guarantee that the investment objective of the Fund will be achieved

Short Exposure Risk: the risk of entering into short sales, including the potential loss of more money than the actual cost of the investment, and the risk that the third party to the short sale will not fulfill its contractual obligations, causing a loss to the Fund

Please see "Description of Principal Risks" in the Fund's prospectus for a more detailed description of the risks of investing in the Fund. An investment in the Fund is not a deposit of a bank and is not insured or guaranteed by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation or any other government agency.

Performance Information

The performance information shows summary performance information for the Fund in a bar chart and an Average Annual Total Returns table. The information provides some indication of the risks of investing in the Fund by showing changes in its performance from year to year and by showing how the Fund's average annual returns compare with the returns of a broad-based securities market index and an index of similar funds. Absent any applicable fee waivers and/or expense limitations, performance would have been lower. The bar chart shows performance of the Fund's Institutional Class shares. For periods prior to the inception date of I-2 shares (January 7, 2011) and Class A and Class C shares (May 31, 2013), performance information shown in the table for these classes is based on the performance of the Fund's Institutional Class shares, adjusted to reflect the actual distribution and/or service (12b-1) fees and other expenses paid by these classes of shares. Performance in the Average Annual Total Returns table reflects the impact of sales charges. The Fund's past performance, before and after taxes, is not necessarily an indication of how the Fund will perform in the future.

The MSCI Emerging Markets Index is a free float-adjusted market capitalization index that is designed to measure the equity market performance of emerging markets. The MSCI Emerging Markets Index consists of 23 emerging market country indices. The Lipper Emerging Market Funds Average is a total return performance average of funds tracked by Lipper, Inc. that seek long-term capital appreciation by investing primarily in emerging market equity securities, where "emerging market" is defined by a country's per-capita GNP or other economic measures.

Performance for the Fund is updated daily and quarterly and may be obtained as follows: daily updates on the net asset value and performance

 

[ ] | PROSPECTUS

19


 

Table of Contents

PIMCO RAE PLUS EMG Fund

page at http://investments.pimco.com/DailyPerformance and quarterly updates at http://investments.pimco.com/QuarterlyPerformance.

Calendar Year Total Returns — Institutional Class*

 

[To be updated by subsequent amendment]



*The year-to-date return as of June 30, 2018 is [ ]%. For the periods shown in the bar chart, the highest quarterly return was [ ]% in the [ ], and the lowest quarterly return was [ ]% in the [ ].

Average Annual Total Returns (for periods ended 12/31/17)

 

1 Year

5 Years

Since Inception (11/28/2008)

Institutional Class Return Before Taxes

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

Institutional Class Return After Taxes on Distributions‌(1)

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

Institutional Class Return After Taxes on Distributions and Sales of Fund Shares‌(1)

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

I-2 Return Before Taxes

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

Class A Return Before Taxes

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

Class C Return Before Taxes

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

MSCI Emerging Markets Index (reflects no deductions for fees, expenses or taxes)

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

 

Lipper Emerging Market Funds Average (reflects no deductions for taxes)

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

(1) After-tax returns are calculated using the highest historical individual federal marginal income tax rates and do not reflect the impact of state and local taxes. Actual after-tax returns depend on an investor's tax situation and may differ from those shown, and the after-tax returns shown are not relevant to investors who hold their Fund shares through tax-deferred arrangements, such as 401(k) plans or individual retirement accounts. In some cases the return after taxes may exceed the return before taxes due to an assumed tax benefit from any losses on a sale of Fund shares at the end of the measurement period. After-tax returns are for Institutional Class shares only. After-tax returns for other classes will vary.

Investment Adviser/Portfolio Manager

PIMCO serves as the investment adviser for the Fund. Research Affiliates, LLC serves as the Fund's sub-adviser. The Fund's portfolio is jointly managed by Mohsen Fahmi, Sudi Mariappa, Robert D. Arnott and Christopher J. Brightman. Each of Messrs. Fahmi and Mariappa is a Managing Director of PIMCO. Mr. Arnott is the Chairman and Founder of Research Affiliates, LLC. Mr. Brightman is the Chief Investment Officer of Research Affiliates, LLC. Messrs. Fahmi and Arnott have jointly managed the Fund since September 2014, Mr. Mariappa has jointly managed the Fund since January 2015 and Mr. Brightman has jointly managed the Fund since July 2017. Messrs. Fahmi and Mariappa are jointly responsible for the absolute return strategy and the equity portfolio replication process. Messrs. Arnott and Brightman are jointly responsible for the selection of stocks within the underlying equity portfolio.

Other Important Information Regarding Fund Shares

For important information about purchase and sale of Fund shares, tax information, and payments to broker-dealers and other financial intermediaries, please turn to the "Summary of Other Important Information Regarding Fund Shares" section on page [ ] of this prospectus.

 

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Table of Contents

PIMCO RAE PLUS Fund

Investment Objective

The Fund seeks total return which exceeds that of its benchmark.

Fees and Expenses of the Fund

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 $100,000 in Class A shares of eligible funds offered by PIMCO Equity Series and PIMCO Funds. More information about these and other discounts is available in the "Classes of Shares" section on page [ ] of the Fund's prospectus, Appendix B to the Fund's prospectus (Financial Firm-Specific Sales Charge Waivers and Discounts) or from your financial advisor.

Shareholder Fees (fees paid directly from your investment):

 

Inst
Class

I-2

I-3

Admin
Class

Class A

Class C

Maximum Sales Charge (Load) Imposed on Purchases (as a percentage of offering price)

None

None

None

None

3.75%

None

Maximum Deferred Sales Charge (Load) (as a percentage of the lower of the original purchase price or redemption price)

None

None

None

None

1.00%

1.00%

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

 

Inst
Class

I-2

I-3

Admin
Class

Class A

Class C

Management Fees

0.79%

0.89%

0.99%

0.79%

0.94%

0.94%

Distribution and/or Service (12b-1) Fees

N/A

N/A

N/A

0.25%

0.25%

1.00%

Other Expenses(1)

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

Fee Waiver and/or Expense Reimbursement(2)

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses After Fee Waiver and/or Expense Reimbursement

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

 

1 "Other Expenses" include interest expense of [ ]%. Interest expense is borne by the Fund separately from the management fees paid to Pacific Investment Management Company LLC ("PIMCO"). Excluding interest expense, Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses After Fee Waiver and/or Expense Reimbursement are [ ]%, [ ]%, [ ]%, [ ]%, [ ]% and [ ]% for Institutional Class, I-2, I-3, Administrative Class, Class A and Class C shares, respectively.

2 PIMCO has contractually agreed, through July 31, 2019, to reduce its supervisory and administrative fee for the Fund's I-3 shares by 0.05% of the average daily net assets attributable to I-3 shares of the Fund. This Fee Waiver Agreement renews annually unless terminated by PIMCO upon at least 30 days' prior notice to the end of the contract term.

Example. The Example is intended to help you compare the cost of investing in Institutional Class, I-2, I-3, Administrative Class, Class A or Class C shares of the Fund with the costs of investing in other mutual funds. The Example assumes that you invest $10,000 in the noted class of shares for the time periods indicated, and then redeem all 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. Investors may pay brokerage commissions on their purchases and sales of Institutional Class, I-2 or I-3 shares of the Fund, which are not reflected in the Example. Although your actual costs may be higher or lower, based on these assumptions your costs would be:

If you redeem your shares at the end of each period:

 

1 Year

3 Years

5 Years

10 Years

Institutional Class

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

I-2

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

I-3

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

Administrative Class

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

Class A

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

Class C

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

If you do not redeem your shares:

 

1 Year

3 Years

5 Years

10 Years

Class A

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

Class C

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

Portfolio Turnover

The Fund pays transaction costs 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 the Annual Fund Operating Expenses or in the Example tables, affect the Fund's performance. During the most recent fiscal year, the Fund's portfolio turnover rate was [ ]% of the average value of its portfolio.

Principal Investment Strategies

The Fund seeks to exceed the total return of the S&P 500 Index (the "S&P 500") under normal circumstances by obtaining exposure to a portfolio of stocks of U.S. companies ("RAE Fundamental US Large Model Portfolio"), and complementing this equity exposure with absolute return bond alpha strategy ("AR Bond Alpha Strategy"). The stocks are selected by the Fund's sub-adviser, Research Affiliates, LLC ("Sub-Adviser"), from a broad universe of companies which satisfy certain liquidity and capacity requirements. Under normal circumstances equity total return swaps are used to obtain exposure to the RAE Fundamental US Large Model Portfolio.

The Sub-Adviser uses the RAFI® Fundamental Index® ("RAFI") methodology as a starting point for portfolio construction. The RAFI methodology is a non-capitalization method of creating and weighting an index of equity securities, within a defined market, that seeks to eliminate the potential overweighting of overpriced equity securities and underweighting of underpriced equity securities associated with market-capitalization equity indexes. The Sub-Adviser applies the RAFI methodology to the 1,000 largest U.S. companies by fundamental size. Selections are further refined through the use of additional analytic measures and processes designed to achieve enhanced risk-adjusted returns including measures of financial health and adjustments that take momentum into account, among other factors. Actual stock positions in the RAE Fundamental US Large Model Portfolio, which drift apart from target weights as market prices change, are rebalanced to target weights periodically.

 



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PIMCO RAE PLUS Fund

The Sub-Adviser provides investment advisory services in connection with the Fund's swap-based exposure to the RAE Fundamental US Large Model Portfolio by, among other things, providing PIMCO, or counterparties designated by PIMCO, with the RAE Fundamental US Large Model Portfolio for purposes of developing equity total return swaps based on the RAE Fundamental US Large Model Portfolio. In a typical swap agreement, the Fund will receive the total return of the RAE Fundamental US Large Model Portfolio from the counterparty to the swap agreement in exchange for paying the counterparty an agreed upon short-term interest rate.

Because the RAE Fundamental US Large Model Portfolio is a proprietary portfolio, there may be a limited number of counterparties willing or able to serve as counterparties to a swap agreement. If such swap agreements are not available, or if swap pricing is unattractive or for other reasons, the Fund may invest in other instruments, "baskets" of stocks, or individual securities to replicate the performance of the RAE Fundamental US Large Model Portfolio.

The Fund seeks to remain exposed to the RAE Fundamental US Large Model Portfolio even when the value of the RAE Fundamental US Large Model Portfolio is declining.

In managing the Fund's investments in the AR Bond Alpha Strategy, PIMCO seeks to outperform the short-term interest rate cost of obtaining equity exposure, thereby enhancing the Fund's total return and return versus the benchmark (sometimes referred to as "alpha"). The AR Bond Alpha Strategy invests in a diversified portfolio of Fixed Income Instruments, which may be represented by forwards or derivatives such as options, futures contracts or swap agreements. "Fixed Income Instruments" include bonds, debt securities and other similar instruments issued by various U.S. and non-U.S. public or private-sector entities. The AR Bond Alpha Strategy is not designed to systematically provide bond market exposure, although the returns may (or may not) be positively correlated with the returns of the bond market.

The AR Bond Alpha Strategy seeks to maintain an overall portfolio duration which normally varies from (negative) 3 years to positive 8 years based on PIMCO's market forecasts among other factors. Duration is a measure used to determine the sensitivity of a security's price to changes in interest rates. The longer a security's duration, the more sensitive it will be to changes in interest rates. In addition to duration, the AR Bond Alpha Strategy has flexibility with respect to overall sector exposures, non-U.S. exposures and credit quality, both as a function of the strategy's investment guidelines and lack of a bond market index benchmark.

The Fund may invest, without limitation, in derivative instruments, such as options, futures contracts or swap agreements, or in mortgage- or asset-backed securities, subject to applicable law and any other restrictions described in the Fund's prospectus or Statement of Additional Information. The Fund may purchase or sell securities on a when-issued, delayed delivery or forward commitment basis and may engage in short sales. The Fund may invest up to 20% of its total assets in high yield securities ("junk bonds"), as rated by Moody's Investors Service, Inc. ("Moody's"), Standard & Poor's Ratings Services ("S&P") or Fitch, Inc. ("Fitch"), or, if unrated, as determined by PIMCO. The Fund may invest, without limitation, in securities denominated in foreign currencies and in U.S. dollar-denominated securities of foreign issuers. The Fund may invest up to 25% of its total assets in securities and instruments that are economically tied to emerging market countries (this limitation does not apply to investment grade sovereign debt denominated in the local currency with less than 1 year remaining to maturity, which means the Fund may invest in such instruments without limitation subject to any applicable legal or regulatory limitation). The Fund will normally limit its foreign currency exposure (from non-U.S. dollar-denominated securities or currencies) to 35% of its total assets. The Fund will normally limit its exposure (from non-U.S. dollar-denominated securities or currencies) to each non-U.S. currency to 10% of its total assets. The Fund will normally limit its aggregate U.S. dollar exposure from transactions or instruments that reference the relative return of a non-U.S. currency or currencies as compared to the U.S. dollar to 20% of its total assets. The Fund may also invest up to 10% of its total assets in preferred securities.

The S&P 500 is an unmanaged index composed of 500 selected common stocks that represent approximately two-thirds of the total market value of all U.S. common stocks. The Fund may invest in common stocks, options, futures, options on futures and swaps.

Principal Risks

It is possible to lose money on an investment in the Fund. Under certain conditions, generally in a market where the value of the RAE Fundamental US Large Model Portfolio underperforms the benchmark and/or the AR Bond Alpha Strategy underperforms short term interest rates, the Fund may experience greater losses or lesser gains than would be the case if it invested in the benchmark. The principal risks of investing in the Fund, which could adversely affect its net asset value, yield and total return, are:

Interest Rate Risk: the risk that fixed income securities will decline in value because of an increase in interest rates; a fund with a longer average portfolio duration will be more sensitive to changes in interest rates than a fund with a shorter average portfolio duration

Call Risk: the risk that an issuer may exercise its right to redeem a fixed income security earlier than expected (a call). Issuers may call outstanding securities prior to their maturity for a number of reasons (e.g., declining interest rates, changes in credit spreads and improvements in the issuer's credit quality). If an issuer calls a security that the Fund has invested in, the Fund may not recoup the full amount of its initial investment and may be forced to reinvest in lower-yielding securities, securities with greater credit risks or securities with other, less favorable features

Credit Risk: the risk that the Fund could lose money if the issuer or guarantor of a fixed income security, or the counterparty to a derivative contract, is unable or unwilling to meet its financial obligations

High Yield Risk: the risk that high yield securities and unrated securities of similar credit quality (commonly known as "junk bonds") are subject to greater levels of credit, call and liquidity risks. High yield securities are considered primarily speculative with respect to the issuer's continuing ability to make principal and interest payments, and may be more volatile than higher-rated securities of similar maturity

Market Risk: the risk that the value of securities owned by the Fund may go up or down, sometimes rapidly or unpredictably, due to factors affecting securities markets generally or particular industries

 

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Table of Contents

Prospectus

Issuer Risk: the risk that the value of a security may decline for a reason directly related to the issuer, such as management performance, financial leverage and reduced demand for the issuer's goods or services

Liquidity Risk: the risk that a particular investment may be difficult to purchase or sell and that the Fund may be unable to sell illiquid securities at an advantageous time or price or achieve its desired level of exposure to a certain sector. Liquidity risk may result from the lack of an active market, reduced number and capacity of traditional market participants to make a market in fixed income securities, and may be magnified in a rising interest rate environment or other circumstances where investor redemptions from fixed income mutual funds may be higher than normal, causing increased supply in the market due to selling activity

Derivatives Risk: the risk of investing in derivative instruments (such as futures, swaps and structured securities), including leverage, liquidity, interest rate, market, credit and management risks, mispricing or valuation complexity. Changes in the value of the derivative may not correlate perfectly with, and may be more sensitive to market events than, the underlying asset, rate or index, and the Fund could lose more than the initial amount invested. The Fund's use of derivatives may result in losses to the Fund, a reduction in the Fund's returns and/or increased volatility. Over-the-counter ("OTC") derivatives are also subject to the risk that a counterparty to the transaction will not fulfill its contractual obligations to the other party, as many of the protections afforded to centrally-cleared derivative transactions might not be available for OTC derivatives. For derivatives traded on an exchange or through a central counterparty, credit risk resides with the Fund's clearing broker, or the clearinghouse itself, rather than with a counterparty in an OTC derivative transaction. Changes in regulation relating to a mutual fund's use of derivatives and related instruments could potentially limit or impact the Fund's ability to invest in derivatives, limit the Fund's ability to employ certain strategies that use derivatives and/or adversely affect the value of derivatives and the Fund's performance

Equity Risk: the risk that the value of equity securities, such as common stocks and preferred securities, may decline due to general market conditions which are not specifically related to a particular company or to factors affecting a particular industry or industries. Equity securities generally have greater price volatility than fixed income securities

Mortgage-Related and Other Asset-Backed Securities Risk: the risks of investing in mortgage-related and other asset-backed securities, including interest rate risk, extension risk, prepayment risk and credit risk

Foreign (Non-U.S.) Investment Risk: the risk that investing in foreign (non-U.S.) securities may result in the Fund experiencing more rapid and extreme changes in value than a fund that invests exclusively in securities of U.S. companies, due to smaller markets, differing reporting, accounting and auditing standards, increased risk of delayed settlement of portfolio transactions or loss of certificates of portfolio securities, and the risk of unfavorable foreign government actions, including nationalization, expropriation or confiscatory taxation, currency blockage, or political changes or diplomatic developments. Foreign securities may also be less liquid and more difficult to value than securities of U.S. issuers

Emerging Markets Risk: the risk of investing in emerging market securities, primarily increased foreign (non-U.S.) investment risk

Sovereign Debt Risk: the risk that investments in fixed income instruments issued by sovereign entities may decline in value as a result of default or other adverse credit event resulting from an issuer's inability or unwillingness to make principal or interest payments in a timely fashion

Currency Risk: the risk that foreign (non-U.S.) currencies will change in value relative to the U.S. dollar and affect the Fund's investments in foreign (non-U.S.) currencies or in securities that trade in, and receive revenues in, or in derivatives that provide exposure to, foreign (non-U.S.) currencies

Leveraging Risk: the risk that certain transactions of the Fund, such as reverse repurchase agreements, loans of portfolio securities, and the use of when-issued, delayed delivery or forward commitment transactions, or derivative instruments, may give rise to leverage, magnifying gains and losses and causing the Fund to be more volatile than if it had not been leveraged. This means that leverage entails a heightened risk of loss

Management Risk: the risk that the investment techniques and risk analyses applied by PIMCO and Research Affiliates will not produce the desired results and that legislative, regulatory, or tax restrictions, policies or developments may affect the investment techniques available to PIMCO, Research Affiliates and the individual portfolio manager in connection with managing the Fund. There is no guarantee that the investment objective of the Fund will be achieved

Short Exposure Risk: the risk of entering into short sales, including the potential loss of more money than the actual cost of the investment, and the risk that the third party to the short sale will not fulfill its contractual obligations, causing a loss to the Fund

Please see "Description of Principal Risks" in the Fund's prospectus for a more detailed description of the risks of investing in the Fund. An investment in the Fund is not a deposit of a bank and is not insured or guaranteed by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation or any other government agency.

Performance Information

The performance information shows summary performance information for the Fund in a bar chart and an Average Annual Total Returns table. The information provides some indication of the risks of investing in the Fund by showing changes in its performance from year to year and by showing how the Fund's average annual returns compare with the returns of a broad-based securities market index and an index of similar funds. Absent any applicable fee waivers and/or expense limitations, performance would have been lower. The bar chart shows performance of the Fund's Institutional Class shares. For periods prior to the inception date of I-2 shares (April 30, 2008), performance information shown in the table for that class is based on the performance of the Fund's Institutional Class shares, adjusted to reflect the actual distribution and/or service (12b-1) fees and other expenses paid by I-2 shares. The I-3 shares of the Fund have not commenced operations as of the date of this prospectus. Performance in the Average Annual Total Returns table reflects the impact of sales charges. The Fund's past performance, before and after taxes, is not necessarily an indication of how the Fund will perform in the future.

 

[ ] | PROSPECTUS

23


 

Table of Contents

PIMCO RAE PLUS Fund

The S&P 500 Index is an unmanaged market index generally considered representative of the stock market as a whole. The S&P 500 Index focuses on the large-cap segment of the U.S. equities market. The Lipper Large-Cap Core Funds Average is a total return performance average of funds tracked by Lipper, Inc. that invest at least 75% of their equity assets in companies with market capitalizations (on a three-year weighted basis) greater than 300% of the dollar-weighted median market capitalization of the middle 1,000 securities of the S&P SuperComposite 1500 Index.

Performance for the Fund is updated daily and quarterly and may be obtained as follows: daily updates on the net asset value and performance page at http://investments.pimco.com/DailyPerformance and quarterly updates at http://investments.pimco.com/QuarterlyPerformance.

Calendar Year Total Returns — Institutional Class*

 

[To be updated by subsequent amendment]



*The year-to-date return as of June 30, 2018 is [ ]%. For the periods shown in the bar chart, the highest quarterly return was [ ]% in the [ ], and the lowest quarterly return was [ ]% in the [ ].

Average Annual Total Returns (for periods ended 12/31/17)

 

1 Year

5 Years

10 Years

Institutional Class Return Before Taxes

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

Institutional Class Return After Taxes on Distributions‌(1)

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

Institutional Class Return After Taxes on Distributions and Sales of Fund Shares‌(1)

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

I-2 Return Before Taxes

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

Administrative Class Return Before Taxes

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

Class A Return Before Taxes

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

Class C Return Before Taxes

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

S&P 500 Index (reflects no deductions for fees, expenses or taxes)

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

 

Lipper Large-Cap Core Funds Average (reflects no deductions for taxes)

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

(1) After-tax returns are calculated using the highest historical individual federal marginal income tax rates and do not reflect the impact of state and local taxes. Actual after-tax returns depend on an investor's tax situation and may differ from those shown, and the after-tax returns shown are not relevant to investors who hold their Fund shares through tax-deferred arrangements, such as 401(k) plans or individual retirement accounts. In some cases the return after taxes may exceed the return before taxes due to an assumed tax benefit from any losses on a sale of Fund shares at the end of the measurement period. After-tax returns are for Institutional Class shares only. After-tax returns for other classes will vary.

Investment Adviser/Portfolio Manager

PIMCO serves as the investment adviser for the Fund. Research Affiliates, LLC serves as the Fund's sub-adviser. The Fund's portfolio is jointly managed by Mohsen Fahmi, Sudi Mariappa, Robert D. Arnott and Christopher J. Brightman. Each of Messrs. Fahmi and Mariappa is a Managing Director of PIMCO. Mr. Arnott is the Chairman and Founder of Research Affiliates, LLC. Mr. Brightman is the Chief Investment Officer of Research Affiliates, LLC. Messrs. Fahmi and Arnott have jointly managed the Fund since September 2014, Mr. Mariappa has jointly managed the Fund since January 2015 and Mr. Brightman has jointly managed the Fund since July 2017. Messrs. Fahmi and Mariappa are jointly responsible for the absolute return strategy and the equity portfolio replication process. Messrs. Arnott and Brightman are jointly responsible for the selection of stocks within the underlying equity portfolio.

Other Important Information Regarding Fund Shares

For important information about purchase and sale of Fund shares, tax information, and payments to broker-dealers and other financial intermediaries, please turn to the "Summary of Other Important Information Regarding Fund Shares" section on page [ ] of this prospectus.

 

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Table of Contents

PIMCO RAE PLUS International Fund

Investment Objective

The Fund seeks total return which exceeds that of its benchmark.

Fees and Expenses of the Fund

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 $100,000 in Class A shares of eligible funds offered by PIMCO Equity Series and PIMCO Funds. More information about these and other discounts is available in the "Classes of Shares" section on page [ ] of the Fund's prospectus, Appendix B to the Fund's prospectus (Financial Firm-Specific Sales Charge Waivers and Discounts) or from your financial advisor.

Shareholder Fees (fees paid directly from your investment):

 

Inst
Class

I-2

Class A

Class R

Maximum Sales Charge (Load) Imposed on Purchases (as a percentage of offering price)

None

None

3.75%

None

Maximum Deferred Sales Charge (Load) (as a percentage of the lower of the original purchase price or redemption price)

None

None

1.00%

None

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

 

Inst
Class

I-2

Class A

Class R

Management Fees

0.82%

0.92%

0.92%

0.92%

Distribution and/or Service (12b-1) Fees

N/A

N/A

0.25%

0.50%

Other Expenses(1)

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

 

1 "Other Expenses" include interest expense of [ ]%. Interest expense is borne by the Fund separately from the management fees paid to Pacific Investment Management Company LLC ("PIMCO"). Excluding interest expense, Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses are [ ]%, [ ]%, [ ]% and [ ]% for Institutional Class, I-2, Class A and Class R shares, respectively.

Example. The Example is intended to help you compare the cost of investing in Institutional Class, I-2, Class A or Class R shares of the Fund with the costs of investing in other mutual funds. The Example assumes that you invest $10,000 in the noted class of shares for the time periods indicated, and then redeem all 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. Investors may pay brokerage commissions on their purchases and sales of Institutional Class shares or I-2 shares of the Fund, which are not reflected in the Example. Although your actual costs may be higher or lower, based on these assumptions your costs would be:

If you redeem your shares at the end of each period:

 

1 Year

3 Years

5 Years

10 Years

Institutional Class

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

I-2

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

Class A

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

Class R

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

If you do not redeem your shares:

 

1 Year

3 Years

5 Years

10 Years

Class A

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

Portfolio Turnover

The Fund pays transaction costs 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 the Annual Fund Operating Expenses or in the Example tables, affect the Fund's performance. During the most recent fiscal year, the Fund's portfolio turnover rate was [ ]% of the average value of its portfolio.

Principal Investment Strategies

The Fund seeks to exceed the total return of the MSCI EAFE Index under normal circumstances by obtaining exposure to a portfolio of stocks economically tied to foreign (non-U.S.) countries ("RAE Fundamental International Large Model Portfolio"), and complementing this equity exposure with absolute return bond alpha strategy ("AR Bond Alpha Strategy"). The stocks are selected by the Fund's sub-adviser, Research Affiliates, LLC ("Sub-Adviser"), from a broad universe of companies which satisfy certain liquidity and capacity requirements. Under normal circumstances equity total return swaps are used to obtain exposure to the RAE Fundamental International Large Model Portfolio.

The Sub-Adviser uses the RAFI® Fundamental Index® ("RAFI") methodology as a starting point for portfolio construction. The RAFI methodology is a non-capitalization method of creating and weighting an index of equity securities, within a defined market, that seeks to eliminate the potential overweighting of overpriced equity securities and underweighting of underpriced equity securities associated with market-capitalization equity indexes. Selections are further refined through the use of additional analytic measures and processes designed to achieve enhanced risk-adjusted returns including measures of financial health and adjustments that take momentum into account, among other factors. Actual stock positions in the RAE Fundamental International Large Model Portfolio, which drift apart from target weights as market prices change, are rebalanced to target weights periodically.

The Sub-Adviser provides investment advisory services in connection with the Fund's swap-based exposure to the RAE Fundamental International Large Model Portfolio by, among other things, providing PIMCO, or counterparties designated by PIMCO, with the RAE Fundamental International Large Model Portfolio for purposes of developing equity total return swaps based on the RAE Fundamental International Large Model Portfolio. In a typical swap agreement, the Fund will receive the total return

 



PIMCO FUNDS | PROSPECTUS

25


 

Table of Contents

PIMCO RAE PLUS International Fund

of the RAE Fundamental International Large Model Portfolio from the counterparty to the swap agreement in exchange for paying the counterparty an agreed upon short-term interest rate.

Because the RAE Fundamental International Large Model Portfolio is a proprietary portfolio, there may be a limited number of counterparties willing or able to serve as counterparties to a swap agreement. If such swap agreements are not available, or if swap pricing is unattractive or for other reasons, the Fund may invest in other instruments, "baskets" of stocks, or individual securities to replicate the performance of the RAE Fundamental International Large Model Portfolio. 

The Fund seeks to remain exposed to the RAE Fundamental International Large Model Portfolio even when the value of the RAE Fundamental International Large Model Portfolio is declining.

In managing the Fund's investments in the AR Bond Alpha Strategy, PIMCO seeks to outperform the short-term interest rate cost of obtaining equity exposure, thereby enhancing the Fund's total return and return versus the benchmark (sometimes referred to as "alpha"). The AR Bond Alpha Strategy invests in a diversified portfolio of Fixed Income Instruments, which may be represented by forwards or derivatives such as options, futures contracts or swap agreements. "Fixed Income Instruments" include bonds, debt securities and other similar instruments issued by various U.S. and non-U.S. public or private-sector entities. The AR Bond Alpha Strategy is not designed to systematically provide bond market exposure, although the returns may (or may not) be positively correlated with the returns of the bond market.

The AR Bond Alpha Strategy seeks to maintain an overall portfolio duration which normally varies from (negative) 3 years to positive 8 years based on PIMCO's market forecasts among other factors. Duration is a measure used to determine the sensitivity of a security's price to changes in interest rates. The longer a security's duration, the more sensitive it will be to changes in interest rates. In addition to duration, the AR Bond Alpha Strategy has flexibility with respect to overall sector exposures, non-U.S. exposures and credit quality, both as a function of the strategy's investment guidelines and lack of a bond market index benchmark.

The Fund may invest, without limitation, in derivative instruments, such as options, futures contracts or swap agreements, or in mortgage- or asset-backed securities, subject to applicable law and any other restrictions described in the Fund's prospectus or Statement of Additional Information. The Fund may purchase or sell securities on a when-issued, delayed delivery or forward commitment basis and may engage in short sales. The Fund may invest up to 20% of its total assets in high yield securities ("junk bonds"), as rated by Moody's Investors Service, Inc. ("Moody's"), Standard & Poor's Ratings Services ("S&P") or Fitch, Inc. ("Fitch"), or, if unrated, as determined by PIMCO. The Fund may invest, without limitation, in securities denominated in foreign (non-U.S.) currencies and in U.S. dollar-denominated securities of foreign (non-U.S.) issuers. With respect to the AR Bond Alpha Strategy, the Fund may invest up to 25% of its total assets in securities and instruments that are economically tied to emerging market countries (this limitation does not apply to investment grade sovereign debt denominated in the local currency with less than 1 year remaining to maturity, which means the Fund may invest in such instruments without limitation subject to any applicable legal or regulatory limitation). With respect to the AR Bond Alpha Strategy, the Fund will normally limit its foreign currency exposure (from non-U.S. dollar-denominated securities or currencies) to 35% of its total assets. With respect to the AR Bond Alpha Strategy, the Fund will normally limit its exposure (from non-U.S. dollar-denominated securities or currencies) to each non-U.S. currency to 10% of its total assets. With respect to the AR Bond Alpha Strategy, the Fund will normally limit its aggregate U.S. dollar exposure from transactions or instruments that reference the relative return of a non-U.S. currency or currencies as compared to the U.S. dollar to 20% of its total assets. The Fund may also invest up to 10% of its total assets in preferred securities.

Principal Risks

It is possible to lose money on an investment in the Fund. Under certain conditions, generally in a market where the value of the RAE Fundamental International Large Model Portfolio underperforms the benchmark and/or the AR Bond Alpha Strategy underperforms short term interest rates, the Fund may experience greater losses or lesser gains than would be the case if it invested in the benchmark. The principal risks of investing in the Fund, which could adversely affect its net asset value, yield and total return, are:

Interest Rate Risk: the risk that fixed income securities will decline in value because of an increase in interest rates; a fund with a longer average portfolio duration will be more sensitive to changes in interest rates than a fund with a shorter average portfolio duration

Call Risk: the risk that an issuer may exercise its right to redeem a fixed income security earlier than expected (a call). Issuers may call outstanding securities prior to their maturity for a number of reasons (e.g., declining interest rates, changes in credit spreads and improvements in the issuer's credit quality). If an issuer calls a security that the Fund has invested in, the Fund may not recoup the full amount of its initial investment and may be forced to reinvest in lower-yielding securities, securities with greater credit risks or securities with other, less favorable features

Credit Risk: the risk that the Fund could lose money if the issuer or guarantor of a fixed income security, or the counterparty to a derivative contract, is unable or unwilling to meet its financial obligations

High Yield Risk: the risk that high yield securities and unrated securities of similar credit quality (commonly known as "junk bonds") are subject to greater levels of credit, call and liquidity risks. High yield securities are considered primarily speculative with respect to the issuer's continuing ability to make principal and interest payments, and may be more volatile than higher-rated securities of similar maturity

Market Risk: the risk that the value of securities owned by the Fund may go up or down, sometimes rapidly or unpredictably, due to factors affecting securities markets generally or particular industries

Issuer Risk: the risk that the value of a security may decline for a reason directly related to the issuer, such as management performance, financial leverage and reduced demand for the issuer's goods or services

Liquidity Risk: the risk that a particular investment may be difficult to purchase or sell and that the Fund may be unable to sell illiquid securities at an advantageous time or price or achieve its desired level of exposure to a certain sector. Liquidity risk may result from the lack of an active market, reduced number and capacity of traditional market participants to make a

 

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Table of Contents

Prospectus

market in fixed income securities, and may be magnified in a rising interest rate environment or other circumstances where investor redemptions from fixed income mutual funds may be higher than normal, causing increased supply in the market due to selling activity

Derivatives Risk: the risk of investing in derivative instruments (such as futures, swaps and structured securities), including leverage, liquidity, interest rate, market, credit and management risks, mispricing or valuation complexity. Changes in the value of the derivative may not correlate perfectly with, and may be more sensitive to market events than, the underlying asset, rate or index, and the Fund could lose more than the initial amount invested. The Fund's use of derivatives may result in losses to the Fund, a reduction in the Fund's returns and/or increased volatility. Over-the-counter ("OTC") derivatives are also subject to the risk that a counterparty to the transaction will not fulfill its contractual obligations to the other party, as many of the protections afforded to centrally-cleared derivative transactions might not be available for OTC derivatives. For derivatives traded on an exchange or through a central counterparty, credit risk resides with the Fund's clearing broker, or the clearinghouse itself, rather than with a counterparty in an OTC derivative transaction. Changes in regulation relating to a mutual fund's use of derivatives and related instruments could potentially limit or impact the Fund's ability to invest in derivatives, limit the Fund's ability to employ certain strategies that use derivatives and/or adversely affect the value of derivatives and the Fund's performance

Equity Risk: the risk that the value of equity securities, such as common stocks and preferred securities, may decline due to general market conditions which are not specifically related to a particular company or to factors affecting a particular industry or industries. Equity securities generally have greater price volatility than fixed income securities

Mortgage-Related and Other Asset-Backed Securities Risk: the risks of investing in mortgage-related and other asset-backed securities, including interest rate risk, extension risk, prepayment risk and credit risk

Foreign (Non-U.S.) Investment Risk: the risk that investing in foreign (non-U.S.) securities may result in the Fund experiencing more rapid and extreme changes in value than a fund that invests exclusively in securities of U.S. companies, due to smaller markets, differing reporting, accounting and auditing standards, increased risk of delayed settlement of portfolio transactions or loss of certificates of portfolio securities, and the risk of unfavorable foreign government actions, including nationalization, expropriation or confiscatory taxation, currency blockage, or political changes or diplomatic developments. Foreign securities may also be less liquid and more difficult to value than securities of U.S. issuers

Emerging Markets Risk: the risk of investing in emerging market securities, primarily increased foreign (non-U.S.) investment risk

Sovereign Debt Risk: the risk that investments in fixed income instruments issued by sovereign entities may decline in value as a result of default or other adverse credit event resulting from an issuer's inability or unwillingness to make principal or interest payments in a timely fashion

Currency Risk: the risk that foreign (non-U.S.) currencies will change in value relative to the U.S. dollar and affect the Fund's investments in foreign (non-U.S.) currencies or in securities that trade in, and receive revenues in, or in derivatives that provide exposure to, foreign (non-U.S.) currencies

Leveraging Risk: the risk that certain transactions of the Fund, such as reverse repurchase agreements, loans of portfolio securities, and the use of when-issued, delayed delivery or forward commitment transactions, or derivative instruments, may give rise to leverage, magnifying gains and losses and causing the Fund to be more volatile than if it had not been leveraged. This means that leverage entails a heightened risk of loss

Management Risk: the risk that the investment techniques and risk analyses applied by PIMCO and Research Affiliates will not produce the desired results and that legislative, regulatory, or tax restrictions, policies or developments may affect the investment techniques available to PIMCO, Research Affiliates and the individual portfolio manager in connection with managing the Fund. There is no guarantee that the investment objective of the Fund will be achieved

Short Exposure Risk: the risk of entering into short sales, including the potential loss of more money than the actual cost of the investment, and the risk that the third party to the short sale will not fulfill its contractual obligations, causing a loss to the Fund

Please see "Description of Principal Risks" in the Fund's prospectus for a more detailed description of the risks of investing in the Fund. An investment in the Fund is not a deposit of a bank and is not insured or guaranteed by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation or any other government agency.

Performance Information

The performance information shows summary performance information for the Fund in a bar chart and an Average Annual Total Returns table. The information provides some indication of the risks of investing in the Fund by showing changes in its performance from year to year and by showing how the Fund's average annual returns compare with the returns of a broad-based securities market index and an index of similar funds. Absent any applicable fee waivers and/or expense limitations, performance would have been lower. The bar chart shows performance of the Fund's Institutional Class shares. For periods prior to the inception date of I-2 shares (May 30, 2014) and Class A shares (February 28, 2014), performance information shown in the table for these classes is based on the performance of the Fund's Institutional Class shares, adjusted to reflect the actual distribution and/or service (12b-1) fees and other expenses paid by these classes of shares. Performance in the Average Annual Total Returns table reflects the impact of sales charges. The Fund's Class R shares have not commenced operations as of the date of this prospectus. The Fund's past performance, before and after taxes, is not necessarily an indication of how the Fund will perform in the future.

MSCI EAFE Index is an unmanaged index of issuers in countries of Europe, Australia, and the Far East represented in U.S. Dollars on an unhedged basis. The Lipper International Multi-Cap Core Funds Average is a total return performance average of funds tracked by Lipper, Inc. that invest in a variety of market capitalization ranges without concentrating 75% of their equity assets in any one market capitalization range over an extended period of time and typically have 25% to 75% of their assets invested in companies strictly outside of the U.S. with market capitalizations (on a

 

[ ] | PROSPECTUS

27


 

Table of Contents

PIMCO RAE PLUS International Fund

three-year weighted basis) greater than the 250th-largest company in the S&P/Citigroup World ex-U.S. Broad Market Index.

Performance for the Fund is updated daily and quarterly and may be obtained as follows: daily updates on the net asset value and performance page at http://investments.pimco.com/DailyPerformance and quarterly updates at http://investments.pimco.com/QuarterlyPerformance.

Calendar Year Total Returns — Institutional Class*

 

[To be updated by subsequent amendment]



*The year-to-date return as of June 30, 2018 is [ ]%. For the periods shown in the bar chart, the highest quarterly return was [ ]% in the [ ], and the lowest quarterly return was [ ]% in the [ ].

Average Annual Total Returns (for periods ended 12/31/17)

 

1 Year

5 Years

Since Inception (09/30/2011)

Institutional Class Return Before Taxes

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

Institutional Class Return After Taxes on Distributions‌(1)

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

Institutional Class Return After Taxes on Distributions and Sales of Fund Shares‌(1)

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

I-2 Return Before Taxes

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

Class A Return Before Taxes

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

MSCI EAFE Index (reflects no deductions for fees, expenses or taxes)

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

 

Lipper International Multi-Cap Core Funds Average (reflects no deductions for taxes)

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

(1) After-tax returns are calculated using the highest historical individual federal marginal income tax rates and do not reflect the impact of state and local taxes. Actual after-tax returns depend on an investor's tax situation and may differ from those shown, and the after-tax returns shown are not relevant to investors who hold their Fund shares through tax-deferred arrangements, such as 401(k) plans or individual retirement accounts. In some cases the return after taxes may exceed the return before taxes due to an assumed tax benefit from any losses on a sale of Fund shares at the end of the measurement period. After-tax returns are for Institutional Class shares only. After-tax returns for other classes will vary.

Investment Adviser/Portfolio Manager

PIMCO serves as the investment adviser for the Fund. Research Affiliates, LLC serves as the Fund's sub-adviser. The Fund's portfolio is jointly managed by Mohsen Fahmi, Sudi Mariappa, Robert D. Arnott and Christopher J. Brightman. Each of Messrs. Fahmi and Mariappa is a Managing Director of PIMCO. Mr. Arnott is the Chairman and Founder of Research Affiliates, LLC. Mr. Brightman is the Chief Investment Officer of Research Affiliates, LLC. Messrs. Fahmi and Arnott have jointly managed the Fund since September 2014, Mr. Mariappa has jointly managed the Fund since January 2015 and Mr. Brightman has jointly managed the Fund since July 2017. Messrs. Fahmi and Mariappa are jointly responsible for the absolute return strategy and the equity portfolio replication process. Messrs. Arnott and Brightman are jointly responsible for the selection of stocks within the underlying equity portfolio.

Other Important Information Regarding Fund Shares

For important information about purchase and sale of Fund shares, tax information, and payments to broker-dealers and other financial intermediaries, please turn to the "Summary of Other Important Information Regarding Fund Shares" section on page [ ] of this prospectus.

 

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Table of Contents

PIMCO RAE PLUS Small Fund

Investment Objective

The Fund seeks total return which exceeds that of its benchmark.

Fees and Expenses of the Fund

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 $100,000 in Class A shares of eligible funds offered by PIMCO Equity Series and PIMCO Funds. More information about these and other discounts is available in the "Classes of Shares" section on page [ ] of the Fund's prospectus, Appendix B to the Fund's prospectus (Financial Firm-Specific Sales Charge Waivers and Discounts) or from your financial advisor.

Shareholder Fees (fees paid directly from your investment):

 

Inst
Class

I-2

Class A

Class C

Class R

Maximum Sales Charge (Load) Imposed on Purchases (as a percentage of offering price)

None

None

3.75%

None

None

Maximum Deferred Sales Charge (Load) (as a percentage of the lower of the original purchase price or redemption price)

None

None

1.00%

1.00%

None

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

 

Inst
Class

I-2

Class A

Class C

Class R

Management Fees

0.84%

0.94%

0.94%

0.94%

0.94%

Distribution and/or Service (12b-1) Fees

N/A

N/A

0.25%

1.00%

0.50%

Other Expenses(1)

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

 

1 "Other Expenses" include interest expense of [ ]%. Interest expense is borne by the Fund separately from the management fees paid to Pacific Investment Management Company LLC ("PIMCO"). Excluding interest expense, Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses are [ ]%, [ ]%, [ ]%,  [ ]% and [ ]% for Institutional Class, I-2, Class A, Class C and Class R shares, respectively.

Example. The Example is intended to help you compare the cost of investing in Institutional Class, I-2, Class A, Class C or Class R shares of the Fund with the costs of investing in other mutual funds. The Example assumes that you invest $10,000 in the noted class of shares for the time periods indicated, and then redeem all 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. Investors may pay brokerage commissions on their purchases and sales of Institutional Class shares or I-2 shares of the Fund, which are not reflected in the Example. Although your actual costs may be higher or lower, based on these assumptions your costs would be:

If you redeem your shares at the end of each period:

 

1 Year

3 Years

5 Years

10 Years

Institutional Class

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

I-2

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

Class A

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

Class C

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

Class R

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

If you do not redeem your shares:

 

1 Year

3 Years

5 Years

10 Years

Class A

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

Class C

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

Portfolio Turnover

The Fund pays transaction costs 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 the Annual Fund Operating Expenses or in the Example tables, affect the Fund's performance. During the most recent fiscal year, the Fund's portfolio turnover rate was [ ]% of the average value of its portfolio.

Principal Investment Strategies

The Fund seeks to exceed the total return of the Russell 2000® Index under normal circumstances by obtaining exposure to a portfolio of stocks of U.S. small companies ("RAE Fundamental US Small Model Portfolio"), and complementing this equity exposure with absolute return bond alpha strategy ("AR Bond Alpha Strategy"). The stocks are selected by the Fund's sub-adviser, Research Affiliates, LLC ("Sub-Adviser"), from a broad universe of companies which satisfy certain liquidity and capacity requirements. Under normal circumstances equity total return swaps are used to obtain exposure to the RAE Fundamental US Small Model Portfolio.

The Sub-Adviser uses the RAFI® Fundamental Index® ("RAFI") methodology as a starting point for portfolio construction. The RAFI methodology is a non-capitalization method of creating and weighting an index of equity securities, within a defined market, that seeks to eliminate the potential overweighting of overpriced equity securities and underweighting of underpriced equity securities associated with market-capitalization equity indexes. The Sub-Adviser applies the RAFI methodology to U.S. companies outside the 1,000 largest U.S. companies by fundamental size. Selections are further refined through the use of additional analytic measures and processes designed to achieve enhanced risk-adjusted returns including measures of financial health and adjustments that take momentum into account, among other factors. Actual stock positions in the RAE Fundamental US Small Model Portfolio, which drift apart from target weights as market prices change, are rebalanced to target weights periodically.

The Sub-Adviser provides investment advisory services in connection with the Fund's swap-based exposure to the RAE Fundamental US Small Model Portfolio by, among other things, providing PIMCO, or counterparties designated by PIMCO, with the RAE Fundamental US Small Model Portfolio

 



PIMCO FUNDS | PROSPECTUS

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Table of Contents

PIMCO RAE PLUS Small Fund

for purposes of developing equity total return swaps based on the RAE Fundamental US Small Model Portfolio. In a typical swap agreement, the Fund will receive the total return of the RAE Fundamental US Small Model Portfolio from the counterparty to the swap agreement in exchange for paying the counterparty an agreed upon short-term interest rate.

Because the RAE Fundamental US Small Model Portfolio is a proprietary portfolio, there may be a limited number of counterparties willing or able to serve as counterparties to a swap agreement. If such swap agreements are not available, or if swap pricing is unattractive or for other reasons, the Fund may invest in other instruments, "baskets" of stocks, or individual securities to replicate the performance of the RAE Fundamental US Small Model Portfolio. 

The Fund seeks to remain exposed to the RAE Fundamental US Small Model Portfolio even when the value of the RAE Fundamental US Small Model Portfolio is declining.

In managing the Fund's investments in the AR Bond Alpha Strategy, PIMCO seeks to outperform the short-term interest rate cost of obtaining equity exposure, thereby enhancing the Fund's total return and return versus the benchmark (sometimes referred to as "alpha"). The AR Bond Alpha Strategy invests in a diversified portfolio of Fixed Income Instruments, which may be represented by forwards or derivatives such as options, futures contracts or swap agreements. "Fixed Income Instruments" include bonds, debt securities and other similar instruments issued by various U.S. and non-U.S. public or private-sector entities. The AR Bond Alpha Strategy is not designed to systematically provide bond market exposure, although the returns may (or may not) be positively correlated with the returns of the bond market.

The AR Bond Alpha Strategy seeks to maintain an overall portfolio duration which normally varies from (negative) 3 years to positive 8 years based on PIMCO's market forecasts among other factors. Duration is a measure used to determine the sensitivity of a security's price to changes in interest rates. The longer a security's duration, the more sensitive it will be to changes in interest rates. In addition to duration, the AR Bond Alpha Strategy has flexibility with respect to overall sector exposures, non-U.S. exposures and credit quality, both as a function of the strategy's investment guidelines and lack of a bond market index benchmark.

The Fund may invest, without limitation, in derivative instruments, such as options, futures contracts or swap agreements, or in mortgage- or asset-backed securities, subject to applicable law and any other restrictions described in the Fund's prospectus or Statement of Additional Information. The Fund may purchase or sell securities on a when-issued, delayed delivery or forward commitment basis and may engage in short sales. The Fund may invest up to 20% of its total assets in high yield securities ("junk bonds"), as rated by Moody's Investors Service, Inc. ("Moody's"), Standard & Poor's Ratings Services ("S&P") or Fitch, Inc. ("Fitch"), or, if unrated, as determined by PIMCO. The Fund may invest, without limitation, in securities denominated in foreign (non-U.S.) currencies and in U.S. dollar-denominated securities of foreign (non-U.S.) issuers. The Fund may invest up to 25% of its total assets in securities and instruments that are economically tied to emerging market countries (this limitation does not apply to investment grade sovereign debt denominated in the local currency with less than 1 year remaining to maturity, which means the Fund may invest in such instruments without limitation subject to any applicable legal or regulatory limitation). The Fund will normally limit its foreign currency exposure (from non-U.S. dollar-denominated securities or currencies) to 35% of its total assets. The Fund will normally limit its exposure (from non-U.S. dollar-denominated securities or currencies) to each non-U.S. currency to 10% of its total assets. The Fund will normally limit its aggregate U.S. dollar exposure from transactions or instruments that reference the relative return of a non-U.S. currency or currencies as compared to the U.S. dollar to 20% of its total assets. The Fund may also invest up to 10% of its total assets in preferred securities.

Principal Risks

It is possible to lose money on an investment in the Fund. Under certain conditions, generally in a market where the value of the RAE Fundamental US Small Model Portfolio underperforms the benchmark and/or the AR Bond Alpha Strategy underperforms short term interest rates, the Fund may experience greater losses or lesser gains than would be the case if it invested in the benchmark. The principal risks of investing in the Fund, which could adversely affect its net asset value, yield and total return, are:

New/Small Fund Risk: the risk that a new or smaller Fund's performance may not represent how the Fund is expected to or may perform in the long term. In addition, new Funds have limited operating histories for investors to evaluate and new and smaller Funds may not attract sufficient assets to achieve investment and trading efficiencies

Interest Rate Risk: the risk that fixed income securities will decline in value because of an increase in interest rates; a fund with a longer average portfolio duration will be more sensitive to changes in interest rates than a fund with a shorter average portfolio duration

Call Risk: the risk that an issuer may exercise its right to redeem a fixed income security earlier than expected (a call). Issuers may call outstanding securities prior to their maturity for a number of reasons (e.g., declining interest rates, changes in credit spreads and improvements in the issuer's credit quality). If an issuer calls a security that the Fund has invested in, the Fund may not recoup the full amount of its initial investment and may be forced to reinvest in lower-yielding securities, securities with greater credit risks or securities with other, less favorable features

Credit Risk: the risk that the Fund could lose money if the issuer or guarantor of a fixed income security, or the counterparty to a derivative contract, is unable or unwilling to meet its financial obligations

High Yield Risk: the risk that high yield securities and unrated securities of similar credit quality (commonly known as "junk bonds") are subject to greater levels of credit, call and liquidity risks. High yield securities are considered primarily speculative with respect to the issuer's continuing ability to make principal and interest payments, and may be more volatile than higher-rated securities of similar maturity

Market Risk: the risk that the value of securities owned by the Fund may go up or down, sometimes rapidly or unpredictably, due to factors affecting securities markets generally or particular industries

Issuer Risk: the risk that the value of a security may decline for a reason directly related to the issuer, such as management performance, financial leverage and reduced demand for the issuer's goods or services

 

30     

PROSPECTUS | PIMCO FUNDS     


 

Table of Contents

Prospectus

Liquidity Risk: the risk that a particular investment may be difficult to purchase or sell and that the Fund may be unable to sell illiquid securities at an advantageous time or price or achieve its desired level of exposure to a certain sector. Liquidity risk may result from the lack of an active market, reduced number and capacity of traditional market participants to make a market in fixed income securities, and may be magnified in a rising interest rate environment or other circumstances where investor redemptions from fixed income mutual funds may be higher than normal, causing increased supply in the market due to selling activity

Derivatives Risk: the risk of investing in derivative instruments (such as futures, swaps and structured securities), including leverage, liquidity, interest rate, market, credit and management risks, mispricing or valuation complexity. Changes in the value of the derivative may not correlate perfectly with, and may be more sensitive to market events than, the underlying asset, rate or index, and the Fund could lose more than the initial amount invested. The Fund's use of derivatives may result in losses to the Fund, a reduction in the Fund's returns and/or increased volatility. Over-the-counter ("OTC") derivatives are also subject to the risk that a counterparty to the transaction will not fulfill its contractual obligations to the other party, as many of the protections afforded to centrally-cleared derivative transactions might not be available for OTC derivatives. For derivatives traded on an exchange or through a central counterparty, credit risk resides with the Fund's clearing broker, or the clearinghouse itself, rather than with a counterparty in an OTC derivative transaction. Changes in regulation relating to a mutual fund's use of derivatives and related instruments could potentially limit or impact the Fund's ability to invest in derivatives, limit the Fund's ability to employ certain strategies that use derivatives and/or adversely affect the value of derivatives and the Fund's performance

Equity Risk: the risk that the value of equity securities, such as common stocks and preferred securities, may decline due to general market conditions which are not specifically related to a particular company or to factors affecting a particular industry or industries. Equity securities generally have greater price volatility than fixed income securities

Mortgage-Related and Other Asset-Backed Securities Risk: the risks of investing in mortgage-related and other asset-backed securities, including interest rate risk, extension risk, prepayment risk and credit risk

Foreign (Non-U.S.) Investment Risk: the risk that investing in foreign (non-U.S.) securities may result in the Fund experiencing more rapid and extreme changes in value than a fund that invests exclusively in securities of U.S. companies, due to smaller markets, differing reporting, accounting and auditing standards, increased risk of delayed settlement of portfolio transactions or loss of certificates of portfolio securities, and the risk of unfavorable foreign government actions, including nationalization, expropriation or confiscatory taxation, currency blockage, or political changes or diplomatic developments. Foreign securities may also be less liquid and more difficult to value than securities of U.S. issuers

Emerging Markets Risk: the risk of investing in emerging market securities, primarily increased foreign (non-U.S.) investment risk

Sovereign Debt Risk: the risk that investments in fixed income instruments issued by sovereign entities may decline in value as a result of default or other adverse credit event resulting from an issuer's inability or unwillingness to make principal or interest payments in a timely fashion

Currency Risk: the risk that foreign (non-U.S.) currencies will change in value relative to the U.S. dollar and affect the Fund's investments in foreign (non-U.S.) currencies or in securities that trade in, and receive revenues in, or in derivatives that provide exposure to, foreign (non-U.S.) currencies

Leveraging Risk: the risk that certain transactions of the Fund, such as reverse repurchase agreements, loans of portfolio securities, and the use of when-issued, delayed delivery or forward commitment transactions, or derivative instruments, may give rise to leverage, magnifying gains and losses and causing the Fund to be more volatile than if it had not been leveraged. This means that leverage entails a heightened risk of loss

Smaller Company Risk: the risk that the value of securities issued by a smaller company may go up or down, sometimes rapidly and unpredictably as compared to more widely held securities, due to narrow markets and limited resources of smaller companies. A Fund's investments in smaller companies subject it to greater levels of credit, market and issuer risk

Management Risk: the risk that the investment techniques and risk analyses applied by PIMCO and Research Affiliates will not produce the desired results and that legislative, regulatory, or tax restrictions, policies or developments may affect the investment techniques available to PIMCO, Research Affiliates and the individual portfolio manager in connection with managing the Fund. There is no guarantee that the investment objective of the Fund will be achieved

Short Exposure Risk: the risk of entering into short sales, including the potential loss of more money than the actual cost of the investment, and the risk that the third party to the short sale will not fulfill its contractual obligations, causing a loss to the Fund

Please see "Description of Principal Risks" in the Fund's prospectus for a more detailed description of the risks of investing in the Fund. An investment in the Fund is not a deposit of a bank and is not insured or guaranteed by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation or any other government agency.

Performance Information

The performance information shows summary performance information for the Fund in a bar chart and an Average Annual Total Returns table. The information provides some indication of the risks of investing in the Fund by showing changes in its performance from year to year and by showing how the Fund's average annual returns compare with the returns of a broad-based securities market index and an index of similar funds. Absent any applicable fee waivers and/or expense limitations, performance would have been lower. The bar chart shows performance of the Fund's Institutional Class shares. For periods prior to the inception date of I-2 shares (May 30, 2014) and Class A and Class C shares (February 28, 2014), performance information shown in the table for these classes is based on the performance of the Fund's Institutional Class shares, adjusted to reflect the actual distribution and/or service (12b-1) fees and other expenses paid by these classes of shares. Performance in the Average Annual Total Returns table reflects the impact of sales charges. The Fund's Class R shares have not commenced operations as of the date of this prospectus. The Fund's

 

[ ] | PROSPECTUS

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Table of Contents

PIMCO RAE PLUS Small Fund

past performance, before and after taxes, is not necessarily an indication of how the Fund will perform in the future.

The Russell 2000® Index is composed of 2,000 of the smallest companies in the Russell 3000 Index and is considered to be representative of the small cap market in general. The Lipper Small-Cap Core Funds Average is a total performance average of funds tracked by Lipper, Inc. that, by portfolio practice, invest at least 75% of their equity assets in companies with market capitalizations (on a three-year weighted basis) below Lipper's USDE small-cap ceiling. Small-cap core funds have more latitude in the companies in which they invest. These funds typically have an average price-to-earnings ratio, price-to-book ratio, and three-year sales-per-share growth value, compared to the S&P SmallCap 600 Index.

Performance for the Fund is updated daily and quarterly and may be obtained as follows: daily updates on the net asset value and performance page at http://investments.pimco.com/DailyPerformance and quarterly updates at http://investments.pimco.com/QuarterlyPerformance.

Calendar Year Total Returns — Institutional Class*

 

[To be updated by subsequent amendment]



*The year-to-date return as of June 30, 2018 is [ ]%. For the periods shown in the bar chart, the highest quarterly return was [ ]% in the [ ], and the lowest quarterly return was [ ]% in the [ ].

Average Annual Total Returns (for periods ended 12/31/17)

 

1 Year

5 Years

Since Inception (09/30/2011)

Institutional Class Return Before Taxes

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

Institutional Class Return After Taxes on Distributions‌(1)

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

Institutional Class Return After Taxes on Distributions and Sales of Fund Shares‌(1)

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

I-2 Return Before Taxes

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

Class A Return Before Taxes

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

Class C Return Before Taxes

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

Russell 2000® Index (reflects no deductions for fees, expenses or taxes)

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

 

Lipper Small-Cap Core Funds Average (reflects no deductions for taxes)

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

(1) After-tax returns are calculated using the highest historical individual federal marginal income tax rates and do not reflect the impact of state and local taxes. Actual after-tax returns depend on an investor's tax situation and may differ from those shown, and the after-tax returns shown are not relevant to investors who hold their Fund shares through tax-deferred arrangements, such as 401(k) plans or individual retirement accounts. In some cases the return after taxes may exceed the return before taxes due to an assumed tax benefit from any losses on a sale of Fund shares at the end of the measurement period. After-tax returns are for Institutional Class shares only. After-tax returns for other classes will vary.

Investment Adviser/Portfolio Manager

PIMCO serves as the investment adviser for the Fund. Research Affiliates, LLC serves as the Fund's sub-adviser. The Fund's portfolio is jointly managed by Mohsen Fahmi, Sudi Mariappa, Robert D. Arnott and Christopher J. Brightman. Each of Messrs. Fahmi and Mariappa is a Managing Director of PIMCO. Mr. Arnott is the Chairman and Founder of Research Affiliates, LLC. Mr. Brightman is the Chief Investment Officer of Research Affiliates, LLC. Messrs. Fahmi and Arnott have jointly managed the Fund since September 2014, Mr. Mariappa has jointly managed the Fund since January 2015 and Mr. Brightman has jointly managed the Fund since July 2017. Messrs. Fahmi and Mariappa are jointly responsible for the absolute return strategy and the equity portfolio replication process. Messrs. Arnott and Brightman are jointly responsible for the selection of stocks within the underlying equity portfolio.

Other Important Information Regarding Fund Shares

For important information about purchase and sale of Fund shares, tax information, and payments to broker-dealers and other financial intermediaries, please turn to the "Summary of Other Important Information Regarding Fund Shares" section on page [ ] of this prospectus.

 

32     

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Table of Contents

PIMCO RAE Worldwide Long/Short PLUS Fund

Investment Objective

The Fund seeks long-term capital appreciation, consistent with prudent investment management.

Fees and Expenses of the Fund

This table describes the fees and expenses that you may pay if you buy and hold shares of the Fund.

Shareholder Fees (fees paid directly from your investment):
None

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

 

Inst
Class

Management Fees

1.19%

Distribution and/or Service (12b-1) Fees

N/A

Other Expenses(1)

[ ]

Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses

[ ]

 

1 "Other Expenses" include interest expense of [ ]%. Interest expense is borne by the Fund separately from the management fees paid to Pacific Investment Management Company LLC ("PIMCO"). Excluding interest expense, Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses are [ ]% for Institutional Class shares.

Example. The Example is intended to help you compare the cost of investing in Institutional Class shares of the Fund with the costs of investing in other mutual funds. The Example assumes that you invest $10,000 in the noted class of shares for the time periods indicated, and then redeem all 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. Investors may pay brokerage commissions on their purchases and sales of Institutional Class shares of the Fund, which are not reflected in the Example. 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

Institutional Class

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

Portfolio Turnover

The Fund pays transaction costs 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 the Annual Fund Operating Expenses or in the Example tables, affect the Fund's performance. During the most recent fiscal year, the Fund's portfolio turnover rate was [ ]% of the average value of its portfolio.

Principal Investment Strategies

The Fund seeks to achieve its investment objective under normal circumstances by obtaining long exposure to three separate stock portfolios representing developed and developing markets, short exposure to corresponding capitalization-weighted equity indexes, and complimenting this equity exposure with absolute return bond alpha strategy ("AR Bond Alpha Strategy"). The Fund normally will obtain long exposure to the RAE Low Volatility US Model Portfolio, RAE Low Volatility International Model Portfolio and the RAE Low Volatility Emerging Markets Model Portfolio (each, a "RAE Model Portfolio," and collectively, the "RAE Model Portfolios"). The stocks comprising the RAE Model Portfolios are selected by the Fund's sub-adviser, Research Affiliates, LLC ("Sub-Adviser"), from a broad universe of companies which satisfy certain liquidity and capacity requirements. Under normal circumstances equity total return swaps are used to obtain exposure to the RAE Model Portfolios and short positions in swaps and futures are used to obtain exposure to capitalization-weighted indexes.

The Sub-Adviser uses the RAFI® Fundamental Index® ("RAFI") methodology as a starting point for portfolio construction. The RAFI methodology is a non-capitalization method of creating and weighting an index of equity securities, within a defined market, that seeks to eliminate the potential overweighting of overpriced equity securities and underweighting of underpriced equity securities associated with market-capitalization equity indexes. Selections are further refined based upon volatility and financial health, among other factors, in an effort to enhance returns and reduce portfolio volatility attributable to equity market downside risk. Actual stock positions in the RAE Model Portfolios, which drift apart from target weights as market prices change, are rebalanced to target weights periodically.

The Sub-Adviser provides investment advisory services in connection with the Fund's swap-based exposure to the RAE Model Portfolios by, among other things, providing PIMCO, or counterparties designated by PIMCO, with the relevant RAE Model Portfolio for purposes of developing equity total return swaps based on that RAE Model Portfolio. In a typical swap agreement, the Fund will receive the total return of the relevant RAE Model Portfolio from the counterparty to the swap agreement in exchange for paying the counterparty an agreed upon short-term interest rate.

Because the RAE Model Portfolios are proprietary portfolios, there may be a limited number of counterparties willing or able to serve as counterparties to a swap agreement. If such swap agreements are not available, or if swap pricing is unattractive or for other reasons, the Fund may invest in other instruments, "baskets" of stocks, or individual securities to replicate the performance of the relevant RAE Model Portfolio. 

The Fund seeks to remain exposed to the RAE Model Portfolios even when the values of the RAE Model Portfolios are declining.

The Fund will generally obtain short exposure to corresponding U.S., international and emerging market capitalization-weighted equity indexes through derivatives, such as futures contracts and total return swaps. This "long/short" approach is intended to hedge a portion to all of the equity risk exposures and to seek to capitalize on differences in performance of the RAE Model Portfolios compared with the corresponding capitalization-weighted equity indexes. The Fund generally will be long-biased, but will normally take such long and short positions simultaneously in a proportion determined by PIMCO.

In managing the Fund's investments in the AR Bond Alpha Strategy, PIMCO seeks to outperform the cost of obtaining equity exposures, thereby enhancing the Fund's total return and return versus the benchmark (sometimes referred to as "alpha"). The AR Bond Alpha Strategy invests in a

 



PIMCO FUNDS | PROSPECTUS

33


 

Table of Contents

PIMCO RAE Worldwide Long/Short PLUS Fund

diversified portfolio of Fixed Income Instruments, which may be represented by forwards or derivatives such as options, futures contracts or swap agreements. "Fixed Income Instruments" include bonds, debt securities and other similar instruments issued by various U.S. and non-U.S. public or private-sector entities. The AR Bond Alpha Strategy is not designed to systematically provide bond market exposure, although the returns may (or may not) be positively correlated with the returns of the bond market.

The AR Bond Alpha Strategy seeks to maintain an overall portfolio duration which normally varies from (negative) 3 years to positive 8 years based on PIMCO's market forecasts among other factors. Duration is a measure used to determine the sensitivity of a security's price to changes in interest rates. The longer a security's duration, the more sensitive it will be to changes in interest rates. In addition to duration, the AR Bond Alpha Strategy has flexibility with respect to overall sector exposures, non-U.S. exposures and credit quality, both as a function of the strategy's investment guidelines and lack of a bond market index benchmark.

The Fund may invest, without limitation, in derivative instruments, such as options, futures contracts or swap agreements, or in mortgage- or asset-backed securities, subject to applicable law and any other restrictions described in the Fund's prospectus or Statement of Additional Information. The Fund may purchase or sell securities on a when-issued, delayed delivery or forward commitment basis and may engage in short sales. The Fund may invest up to 20% of its total assets in high yield securities ("junk bonds"), as rated by Moody's Investors Service, Inc. ("Moody's"), Standard & Poor's Ratings Services ("S&P") or Fitch, Inc. ("Fitch"), or, if unrated, as determined by PIMCO. The Fund may invest, without limitation, in securities denominated in foreign (non-U.S.) currencies and in U.S. dollar-denominated securities of foreign (non-U.S.) issuers. With respect to the AR Bond Alpha Strategy, the Fund may invest up to 25% of its total assets in securities and instruments that are economically tied to emerging market countries (this limitation does not apply to investment grade sovereign debt denominated in the local currency with less than 1 year remaining to maturity, which means the Fund may invest in such instruments without limitation subject to any applicable legal or regulatory limitation). With respect to the AR Bond Alpha Strategy, the Fund will normally limit its foreign currency exposure (from non-U.S. dollar-denominated securities or currencies) to 35% of its total assets. With respect to the AR Bond Alpha Strategy, the Fund will normally limit its exposure (from non-U.S. dollar-denominated securities or currencies) to each non-U.S. currency to 10% of its total assets. With respect to the AR Bond Alpha Strategy, the Fund will normally limit its aggregate U.S. dollar exposure from transactions or instruments that reference the relative return of a non-U.S. currency or currencies as compared to the U.S. dollar to 20% of its total assets. The Fund may also invest up to 10% of its total assets in preferred securities. The Fund will invest in instruments that are economically tied to at least three countries (one of which may be the United States).

Principal Risks

It is possible to lose money on an investment in the Fund. Under certain conditions, generally in a market where the RAE Model Portfolios underperform the corresponding capitalization weighted indexes and/or where the AR Bond Alpha Strategy underperforms short-term interest rates, the Fund may experience greater losses or lesser gains than would be the case if it invested directly in securities designed to replicate the benchmark. The principal risks of investing in the Fund, which could adversely affect its net asset value, yield and total return, are:

Interest Rate Risk: the risk that fixed income securities will decline in value because of an increase in interest rates; a fund with a longer average portfolio duration will be more sensitive to changes in interest rates than a fund with a shorter average portfolio duration

Call Risk: the risk that an issuer may exercise its right to redeem a fixed income security earlier than expected (a call). Issuers may call outstanding securities prior to their maturity for a number of reasons (e.g., declining interest rates, changes in credit spreads and improvements in the issuer's credit quality). If an issuer calls a security that the Fund has invested in, the Fund may not recoup the full amount of its initial investment and may be forced to reinvest in lower-yielding securities, securities with greater credit risks or securities with other, less favorable features

Credit Risk: the risk that the Fund could lose money if the issuer or guarantor of a fixed income security, or the counterparty to a derivative contract, is unable or unwilling to meet its financial obligations

High Yield Risk: the risk that high yield securities and unrated securities of similar credit quality (commonly known as "junk bonds") are subject to greater levels of credit, call and liquidity risks. High yield securities are considered primarily speculative with respect to the issuer's continuing ability to make principal and interest payments, and may be more volatile than higher-rated securities of similar maturity

Market Risk: the risk that the value of securities owned by the Fund may go up or down, sometimes rapidly or unpredictably, due to factors affecting securities markets generally or particular industries

Issuer Risk: the risk that the value of a security may decline for a reason directly related to the issuer, such as management performance, financial leverage and reduced demand for the issuer's goods or services

Liquidity Risk: the risk that a particular investment may be difficult to purchase or sell and that the Fund may be unable to sell illiquid securities at an advantageous time or price or achieve its desired level of exposure to a certain sector. Liquidity risk may result from the lack of an active market, reduced number and capacity of traditional market participants to make a market in fixed income securities, and may be magnified in a rising interest rate environment or other circumstances where investor redemptions from fixed income mutual funds may be higher than normal, causing increased supply in the market due to selling activity

Derivatives Risk: the risk of investing in derivative instruments (such as futures, swaps and structured securities), including leverage, liquidity, interest rate, market, credit and management risks, mispricing or valuation complexity. Changes in the value of the derivative may not correlate perfectly with, and may be more sensitive to market events than, the underlying asset, rate or index, and the Fund could lose more than the initial amount invested. The Fund's use of derivatives may result in losses to the Fund, a reduction in the Fund's returns and/or increased volatility. Over-the-counter ("OTC") derivatives are also subject to the risk that a counterparty to the transaction will not fulfill its contractual obligations to

 

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Table of Contents

Prospectus

the other party, as many of the protections afforded to centrally-cleared derivative transactions might not be available for OTC derivatives. For derivatives traded on an exchange or through a central counterparty, credit risk resides with the Fund's clearing broker, or the clearinghouse itself, rather than with a counterparty in an OTC derivative transaction. Changes in regulation relating to a mutual fund's use of derivatives and related instruments could potentially limit or impact the Fund's ability to invest in derivatives, limit the Fund's ability to employ certain strategies that use derivatives and/or adversely affect the value of derivatives and the Fund's performance

Equity Risk: the risk that the value of equity securities, such as common stocks and preferred securities, may decline due to general market conditions which are not specifically related to a particular company or to factors affecting a particular industry or industries. Equity securities generally have greater price volatility than fixed income securities

Mortgage-Related and Other Asset-Backed Securities Risk: the risks of investing in mortgage-related and other asset-backed securities, including interest rate risk, extension risk, prepayment risk and credit risk

Foreign (Non-U.S.) Investment Risk: the risk that investing in foreign (non-U.S.) securities may result in the Fund experiencing more rapid and extreme changes in value than a fund that invests exclusively in securities of U.S. companies, due to smaller markets, differing reporting, accounting and auditing standards, increased risk of delayed settlement of portfolio transactions or loss of certificates of portfolio securities, and the risk of unfavorable foreign government actions, including nationalization, expropriation or confiscatory taxation, currency blockage, or political changes or diplomatic developments. Foreign securities may also be less liquid and more difficult to value than securities of U.S. issuers

Emerging Markets Risk: the risk of investing in emerging market securities, primarily increased foreign (non-U.S.) investment risk

Sovereign Debt Risk: the risk that investments in fixed income instruments issued by sovereign entities may decline in value as a result of default or other adverse credit event resulting from an issuer's inability or unwillingness to make principal or interest payments in a timely fashion

Currency Risk: the risk that foreign (non-U.S.) currencies will change in value relative to the U.S. dollar and affect the Fund's investments in foreign (non-U.S.) currencies or in securities that trade in, and receive revenues in, or in derivatives that provide exposure to, foreign (non-U.S.) currencies

Leveraging Risk: the risk that certain transactions of the Fund, such as reverse repurchase agreements, loans of portfolio securities, and the use of when-issued, delayed delivery or forward commitment transactions, or derivative instruments, may give rise to leverage, magnifying gains and losses and causing the Fund to be more volatile than if it had not been leveraged. This means that leverage entails a heightened risk of loss

Management Risk: the risk that the investment techniques and risk analyses applied by PIMCO and Research Affiliates will not produce the desired results and that legislative, regulatory, or tax restrictions, policies or developments may affect the investment techniques available to PIMCO, Research Affiliates and the individual portfolio managers in connection with managing the Fund. There is no guarantee that the investment objective of the Fund will be achieved

Short Exposure Risk: the risk of entering into short sales, including the potential loss of more money than the actual cost of the investment, and the risk that the third party to the short sale will not fulfill its contractual obligations, causing a loss to the Fund

Please see "Description of Principal Risks" in the Fund's prospectus for a more detailed description of the risks of investing in the Fund. An investment in the Fund is not a deposit of a bank and is not insured or guaranteed by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation or any other government agency.

Performance Information

The performance information shows summary performance information for the Fund in a bar chart and an Average Annual Total Returns table. The information provides some indication of the risks of investing in the Fund by showing changes in its performance from year to year and by showing how the Fund's average returns compare with the returns of a broad-based securities market index and an index of similar funds. Absent any applicable fee waivers and/or expense limitations, performance would have been lower. The bar chart shows performance of the Fund's Institutional Class shares. Performance in the Average Annual Total Returns table reflects the impact of sales charges. The Fund's past performance before and after taxes is not necessarily an indication of how the Fund will perform in the future.

The 3 Month USD LIBOR (London Interbank Offered Rate) Index is an average interest rate, determined by the ICE Benchmark Administration, that banks charge one another for the use of short-term money (3 months) in England's Eurodollar market. The Lipper Alternative Long/Short Equity Funds Average is a total return performance average of funds tracked by Lipper, Inc. that employ portfolio strategies combining long holdings of equities with short sales of equity, equity options, or equity index options.

Performance for the Fund is updated daily and quarterly and may be obtained as follows: daily updates on the net asset value and performance page at http://investments.pimco.com/DailyPerformance and quarterly updates at http://investments.pimco.com/QuarterlyPerformance.

Calendar Year Total Returns — Institutional Class*(1)

 

[To be updated by subsequent amendment]



*The year-to-date return as of June 30, 2018 is [ ]%. For the periods shown in the bar chart, the highest quarterly return was [ ]% in the [ ], and the lowest quarterly return was [ ]% in the [ ].

 

[ ] | PROSPECTUS

35


 

Table of Contents

PIMCO RAE Worldwide Long/Short PLUS Fund

Average Annual Total Returns (for periods ended 12/31/17)

 

1 Year

Since Inception (12/04/2014)

Institutional Class Return Before Taxes

[ ]

[ ]

Institutional Class Return After Taxes on Distributions‌(1)

[ ]

[ ]

Institutional Class Return After Taxes on Distributions and Sales of Fund Shares‌(1)

[ ]

[ ]

3 Month USD LIBOR Index (reflects no deductions for fees, expenses or taxes)

[ ]

[ ]

 

Lipper Alternative Long/Short Equity Funds Average (reflects no deductions for taxes)

[ ]

[ ]

(1) After-tax returns are calculated using the highest historical individual federal marginal income tax rates and do not reflect the impact of state and local taxes. Actual after-tax returns depend on an investor's tax situation and may differ from those shown, and the after-tax returns shown are not relevant to investors who hold their Fund shares through tax-deferred arrangements, such as 401(k) plans or individual retirement accounts. In some cases the return after taxes may exceed the return before taxes due to an assumed tax benefit from any losses on a sale of Fund shares at the end of the measurement period. After-tax returns are for Institutional Class shares only. After-tax returns for other classes will vary.

Investment Adviser/Portfolio Managers

 PIMCO serves as the investment adviser for the Fund. Research Affiliates, LLC serves as the Fund's sub-adviser. The Fund's portfolio is jointly managed by Mohsen Fahmi, Sudi Mariappa, Josh Davis, Robert D. Arnott and Christopher J. Brightman. Each of Messrs. Mr. Fahmi, Mr. Mariappa and Dr. Davis is a Managing Director of PIMCO. Mr. Arnott is the Chairman and Founder of Research Affiliates, LLC. Mr. Brightman is the Chief Investment Officer of Research Affiliates, LLC. Mr. Fahmi, Dr. Davis and Mr. Arnott have jointly managed the Fund since its inception in December 2014, and Mr. Mariappa has jointly managed the Fund since January 2015. Mr. Brightman has jointly managed the Fund since July 2017. Messrs. Fahmi and Mariappa and Dr. Davis are jointly responsible for the absolute return strategy and the equity portfolio replication process. Messrs. Arnott and Brightman are jointly responsible for the selection of stocks within the underlying equity portfolios. 

Other Important Information Regarding Fund Shares

For important information about purchase and sale of Fund shares, tax information, and payments to broker-dealers and other financial intermediaries, please turn to the "Summary of Other Important Information Regarding Fund Shares" section on page [ ] of this prospectus.

 

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Table of Contents

PIMCO StocksPLUS® Absolute Return Fund

Investment Objective

The Fund seeks total return which exceeds that of the S&P 500 Index.

Fees and Expenses of the Fund

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 $100,000 in Class A shares of eligible funds offered by PIMCO Equity Series and PIMCO Funds. More information about these and other discounts is available in the "Classes of Shares" section on page [ ] of the Fund's prospectus, Appendix B to the Fund's prospectus (Financial Firm-Specific Sales Charge Waivers and Discounts) or from your financial advisor.

Shareholder Fees (fees paid directly from your investment):

 

Inst
Class

I-2

I-3

Class A

Class C

Maximum Sales Charge (Load) Imposed on Purchases (as a percentage of offering price)

None

None

None

3.75%

None

Maximum Deferred Sales Charge (Load) (as a percentage of the lower of the original purchase price or redemption price)

None

None

None

1.00%

1.00%

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

 

Inst
Class

I-2

I-3

Class A

Class C

Management Fees

0.64%

0.74%

0.84%

0.79%

0.79%

Distribution and/or Service (12b-1) Fees

N/A

N/A

N/A

0.25%

1.00%

Other Expenses(1)

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

Fee Waiver and/or Expense Reimbursement(2)

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses After Fee Waiver and/or Expense Reimbursement

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

 

1 "Other Expenses" include interest expense of [ ]%. Interest expense is borne by the Fund separately from the management fees paid to Pacific Investment Management Company LLC ("PIMCO"). Excluding interest expense, Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses After Fee Waiver and/or Expense Reimbursement are [ ]%, [ ]%, [ ]%, [ ]% and [ ]% for Institutional Class, I-2, I-3, Class A and Class C shares, respectively.

2 PIMCO has contractually agreed, through July 31, 2019, to reduce its supervisory and administrative fee for the Fund's I-3 shares by 0.05% of the average daily net assets attributable to I-3 shares of the Fund. This Fee Waiver Agreement renews annually unless terminated by PIMCO upon at least 30 days' prior notice to the end of the contract term.

Example. The Example is intended to help you compare the cost of investing in Institutional Class, I-2, I-3, Class A or Class C shares of the Fund with the costs of investing in other mutual funds. The Example assumes that you invest $10,000 in the noted class of shares for the time periods indicated, and then redeem all 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. Investors may pay brokerage commissions on their purchases and sales of Institutional Class, I-2 or I-3 shares of the Fund, which are not reflected in the Example. Although your actual costs may be higher or lower, based on these assumptions your costs would be:

If you redeem your shares at the end of each period:

 

1 Year

3 Years

5 Years

10 Years

Institutional Class

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

I-2

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

I-3

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

Class A

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

Class C

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

If you do not redeem your shares:

 

1 Year

3 Years

5 Years

10 Years

Class A

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

Class C

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

Portfolio Turnover

The Fund pays transaction costs 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 the Annual Fund Operating Expenses or in the Example tables, affect the Fund's performance. During the most recent fiscal year, the Fund's portfolio turnover rate was [ ]% of the average value of its portfolio.

Principal Investment Strategies

The Fund seeks to exceed the total return of the S&P 500 Index by investing under normal circumstances in S&P 500 Index derivatives, backed by a portfolio of Fixed Income Instruments. In managing the Fund's investments in Fixed Income Instruments, PIMCO utilizes an absolute return approach, which is designed to have flexibility with respect to duration, overall sector exposures, non-U.S. exposures and credit quality, both as a function of the strategy's investment guidelines and lack of a fixed income index benchmark. The absolute return approach seeks positive investment returns regardless of market environment and does not apply to the equity index replicating component of the Fund. "Fixed Income Instruments" include bonds, debt securities and other similar instruments issued by various U.S. and non-U.S. public- or private-sector entities. The Fund may invest in common stocks, options, futures, options on futures and swaps. The Fund normally uses S&P 500 Index derivatives instead of S&P 500 Index stocks to attempt to equal or exceed the daily performance of the S&P 500 Index. The Fund typically will seek to gain long exposure to its benchmark index in an amount, under normal circumstances, approximately equal to the Fund's net assets. The value of S&P 500 Index derivatives should closely track changes in the value of the S&P 500 Index. However, S&P 500 Index derivatives may be purchased with a small fraction of the assets that would be needed to purchase the equity securities directly, so that the remainder of the assets may be invested in Fixed Income Instruments. PIMCO actively manages the Fixed Income Instruments held by the Fund with a view toward enhancing the Fund's total return, subject to an overall portfolio duration which normally varies from (negative) 3 years to positive 8 years based on PIMCO's market forecasts. Duration is a measure used to determine the sensitivity of a security's price to changes in interest rates. The longer a security's duration, the more sensitive it will be to changes in interest rates.

 



PIMCO FUNDS | PROSPECTUS

37


 

Table of Contents

PIMCO StocksPLUS® Absolute Return Fund

The S&P 500 Index is composed of 500 selected common stocks that represent approximately two-thirds of the total market value of all U.S. common stocks. The Fund seeks to remain invested in S&P 500 Index derivatives or S&P 500 Index stocks even when the S&P 500 Index is declining.

Though the Fund does not normally invest directly in S&P 500 Index securities, when S&P 500 Index derivatives appear to be overvalued relative to the S&P 500 Index, the Fund may invest all of its assets in a "basket" of S&P 500 Index stocks.

The Fund may invest, without limitation, in derivative instruments, such as options, futures contracts or swap agreements, or in mortgage- or asset-backed securities, subject to applicable law and any other restrictions described in the Fund's prospectus or Statement of Additional Information. The Fund may purchase or sell securities on a when-issued, delayed delivery or forward commitment basis and may engage in short sales. Assets not invested in equity securities or derivatives may be invested in Fixed Income Instruments. The Fund may invest up to 20% of its total assets in high yield securities ("junk bonds") rated B or higher by Moody's Investors Service, Inc. ("Moody's"), or equivalently rated by Standard & Poor's Ratings Services ("S&P") or Fitch, Inc. ("Fitch"), or, if unrated, determined by PIMCO to be of comparable quality (except that within such 20% limitation, the Fund may invest in mortgage-related securities rated below B). The Fund may invest, without limitation, in securities denominated in foreign currencies and in U.S. dollar-denominated securities of foreign issuers. The Fund may invest up to 25% of its total assets in securities and instruments that are economically tied to emerging market countries (this limitation does not apply to investment grade sovereign debt denominated in the local currency with less than 1 year remaining to maturity, which means the Fund may invest in such instruments without limitation subject to any applicable legal or regulatory limitation). The Fund will normally limit its foreign currency exposure (from non-U.S. dollar-denominated securities or currencies) to 35% of its total assets. The Fund will normally limit its exposure (from non-U.S. dollar-denominated securities or currencies) to each non-U.S. currency to 10% of its total assets. The Fund will normally limit its aggregate U.S. dollar exposure from transactions or instruments that reference the relative return of a non-U.S. currency or currencies as compared to the U.S. dollar to 20% of its total assets. The Fund may also invest up to 10% of its total assets in preferred securities.

Principal Risks

It is possible to lose money on an investment in the Fund. Under certain conditions, generally in a market where the value of both S&P 500 Index derivatives and Fixed Income Instruments are declining or in periods of heightened market volatility, the Fund may experience greater losses or lesser gains than would be the case if it invested directly in a portfolio of S&P 500 Index stocks. The principal risks of investing in the Fund, which could adversely affect its net asset value, yield and total return, are:

Interest Rate Risk: the risk that fixed income securities will decline in value because of an increase in interest rates; a fund with a longer average portfolio duration will be more sensitive to changes in interest rates than a fund with a shorter average portfolio duration

Call Risk: the risk that an issuer may exercise its right to redeem a fixed income security earlier than expected (a call). Issuers may call outstanding securities prior to their maturity for a number of reasons (e.g., declining interest rates, changes in credit spreads and improvements in the issuer's credit quality). If an issuer calls a security that the Fund has invested in, the Fund may not recoup the full amount of its initial investment and may be forced to reinvest in lower-yielding securities, securities with greater credit risks or securities with other, less favorable features

Credit Risk: the risk that the Fund could lose money if the issuer or guarantor of a fixed income security, or the counterparty to a derivative contract, is unable or unwilling to meet its financial obligations

High Yield Risk: the risk that high yield securities and unrated securities of similar credit quality (commonly known as "junk bonds") are subject to greater levels of credit, call and liquidity risks. High yield securities are considered primarily speculative with respect to the issuer's continuing ability to make principal and interest payments, and may be more volatile than higher-rated securities of similar maturity

Market Risk: the risk that the value of securities owned by the Fund may go up or down, sometimes rapidly or unpredictably, due to factors affecting securities markets generally or particular industries

Issuer Risk: the risk that the value of a security may decline for a reason directly related to the issuer, such as management performance, financial leverage and reduced demand for the issuer's goods or services

Liquidity Risk: the risk that a particular investment may be difficult to purchase or sell and that the Fund may be unable to sell illiquid securities at an advantageous time or price or achieve its desired level of exposure to a certain sector. Liquidity risk may result from the lack of an active market, reduced number and capacity of traditional market participants to make a market in fixed income securities, and may be magnified in a rising interest rate environment or other circumstances where investor redemptions from fixed income mutual funds may be higher than normal, causing increased supply in the market due to selling activity

Derivatives Risk: the risk of investing in derivative instruments (such as futures, swaps and structured securities), including leverage, liquidity, interest rate, market, credit and management risks, mispricing or valuation complexity. Changes in the value of the derivative may not correlate perfectly with, and may be more sensitive to market events than, the underlying asset, rate or index, and the Fund could lose more than the initial amount invested. The Fund's use of derivatives may result in losses to the Fund, a reduction in the Fund's returns and/or increased volatility. Over-the-counter ("OTC") derivatives are also subject to the risk that a counterparty to the transaction will not fulfill its contractual obligations to the other party, as many of the protections afforded to centrally-cleared derivative transactions might not be available for OTC derivatives. For derivatives traded on an exchange or through a central counterparty, credit risk resides with the Fund's clearing broker, or the clearinghouse itself, rather than with a counterparty in an OTC derivative transaction. Changes in regulation relating to a mutual fund's use of derivatives and related instruments could potentially limit or impact the Fund's ability to invest in derivatives, limit the Fund's ability to employ certain strategies that use

 

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Table of Contents

Prospectus

derivatives and/or adversely affect the value of derivatives and the Fund's performance

Equity Risk: the risk that the value of equity securities, such as common stocks and preferred securities, may decline due to general market conditions which are not specifically related to a particular company or to factors affecting a particular industry or industries. Equity securities generally have greater price volatility than fixed income securities

Mortgage-Related and Other Asset-Backed Securities Risk: the risks of investing in mortgage-related and other asset-backed securities, including interest rate risk, extension risk, prepayment risk and credit risk

Foreign (Non-U.S.) Investment Risk: the risk that investing in foreign (non-U.S.) securities may result in the Fund experiencing more rapid and extreme changes in value than a fund that invests exclusively in securities of U.S. companies, due to smaller markets, differing reporting, accounting and auditing standards, increased risk of delayed settlement of portfolio transactions or loss of certificates of portfolio securities, and the risk of unfavorable foreign government actions, including nationalization, expropriation or confiscatory taxation, currency blockage, or political changes or diplomatic developments. Foreign securities may also be less liquid and more difficult to value than securities of U.S. issuers

Emerging Markets Risk: the risk of investing in emerging market securities, primarily increased foreign (non-U.S.) investment risk

Sovereign Debt Risk: the risk that investments in fixed income instruments issued by sovereign entities may decline in value as a result of default or other adverse credit event resulting from an issuer's inability or unwillingness to make principal or interest payments in a timely fashion

Currency Risk: the risk that foreign (non-U.S.) currencies will change in value relative to the U.S. dollar and affect the Fund's investments in foreign (non-U.S.) currencies or in securities that trade in, and receive revenues in, or in derivatives that provide exposure to, foreign (non-U.S.) currencies

Leveraging Risk: the risk that certain transactions of the Fund, such as reverse repurchase agreements, loans of portfolio securities, and the use of when-issued, delayed delivery or forward commitment transactions, or derivative instruments, may give rise to leverage, magnifying gains and losses and causing the Fund to be more volatile than if it had not been leveraged. This means that leverage entails a heightened risk of loss

Management Risk: the risk that the investment techniques and risk analyses applied by PIMCO will not produce the desired results and that legislative, regulatory, or tax restrictions, policies or developments may affect the investment techniques available to PIMCO and the individual portfolio manager in connection with managing the Fund. There is no guarantee that the investment objective of the Fund will be achieved

Short Exposure Risk: the risk of entering into short sales, including the potential loss of more money than the actual cost of the investment, and the risk that the third party to the short sale will not fulfill its contractual obligations, causing a loss to the Fund

Please see "Description of Principal Risks" in the Fund's prospectus for a more detailed description of the risks of investing in the Fund. An investment in the Fund is not a deposit of a bank and is not insured or guaranteed by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation or any other government agency.

Performance Information

The performance information shows summary performance information for the Fund in a bar chart and an Average Annual Total Returns table. The information provides some indication of the risks of investing in the Fund by showing changes in its performance from year to year and by showing how the Fund's average annual returns compare with the returns of a broad-based securities market index and an index of similar funds. Absent any applicable fee waivers and/or expense limitations, performance would have been lower. The bar chart shows performance of the Fund's Institutional Class shares. For periods prior to the inception date of I-2 shares (April 30, 2008), performance information shown in the table for that class is based on the performance of the Fund's Institutional Class shares, adjusted to reflect the actual distribution and/or service (12b-1) fees and other expenses paid by that class of shares. Performance in the Average Annual Total Returns table reflects the impact of sales charges. The I-3 shares of the Fund have not commenced as of the date of this prospectus. The Fund's past performance, before and after taxes, is not necessarily an indication of how the Fund will perform in the future.

The S&P 500 Index is an unmanaged market index generally considered representative of the stock market as a whole. The Index focuses on the large-cap segment of the U.S. equities market. The Lipper Large-Cap Core Funds Average is a total return performance average of funds tracked by Lipper, Inc. that invest at least 75% of their equity assets in companies with market capitalizations (on a three-year weighted basis) greater than 300% of the dollar-weighted median market capitalization of the middle 1,000 securities of the S&P Super-Composite 1500 Index. 

Performance for the Fund is updated daily and quarterly and may be obtained as follows: daily updates on the net asset value and performance page at http://investments.pimco.com/DailyPerformance and quarterly updates at http://investments.pimco.com/QuarterlyPerformance.

Calendar Year Total Returns — Institutional Class*

 

[To be updated by subsequent amendment]



*The year-to-date return as of June 30, 2018 is [ ]%. For the periods shown in the bar chart, the highest quarterly return was [ ]% in the [ ], and the lowest quarterly return was [ ]% in the [ ].

 

[ ] | PROSPECTUS

39


 

Table of Contents

PIMCO StocksPLUS® Absolute Return Fund

Average Annual Total Returns (for periods ended 12/31/17)

 

1 Year

5 Years

10 Years

Institutional Class Return Before Taxes

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

Institutional Class Return After Taxes on Distributions‌(1)

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

Institutional Class Return After Taxes on Distributions and Sales of Fund Shares‌(1)

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

I-2 Return Before Taxes

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

Class A Return Before Taxes

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

Class C Return Before Taxes

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

S&P 500 Index (reflects no deductions for fees, expenses or taxes)

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

 

Lipper Large-Cap Core Funds Average (reflects no deductions for taxes)

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

(1) After-tax returns are calculated using the highest historical individual federal marginal income tax rates and do not reflect the impact of state and local taxes. Actual after-tax returns depend on an investor's tax situation and may differ from those shown, and the after-tax returns shown are not relevant to investors who hold their Fund shares through tax-deferred arrangements, such as 401(k) plans or individual retirement accounts. In some cases the return after taxes may exceed the return before taxes due to an assumed tax benefit from any losses on a sale of Fund shares at the end of the measurement period. After-tax returns are for Institutional Class shares only. After-tax returns for other classes will vary.

Investment Adviser/Portfolio Manager

PIMCO serves as the investment adviser for the Fund. The Fund's portfolio is jointly managed by Mohsen Fahmi and Sudi Mariappa. Each of Messrs. Fahmi and Mariappa is a Managing Director of PIMCO. Mr. Fahmi has jointly managed the Fund since September 2014, and Mr. Mariappa has jointly managed the Fund since January 2015.

Other Important Information Regarding Fund Shares

For important information about purchase and sale of Fund shares, tax information, and payments to broker-dealers and other financial intermediaries, please turn to the "Summary of Other Important Information Regarding Fund Shares" section on page [ ] of this prospectus.

 

40     

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Table of Contents

PIMCO StocksPLUS® Fund

Investment Objective

The Fund seeks total return which exceeds that of the S&P 500 Index.

Fees and Expenses of the Fund

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 $100,000 in Class A shares of eligible funds offered by PIMCO Equity Series and PIMCO Funds. More information about these and other discounts is available in the "Classes of Shares" section on page [ ] of the Fund's prospectus, Appendix B to the Fund's prospectus (Financial Firm-Specific Sales Charge Waivers and Discounts) or from your financial advisor.

Shareholder Fees (fees paid directly from your investment):

 

Inst
Class

I-2

I-3

Admin
Class

Class A

Class C

Class R

Maximum Sales Charge (Load) Imposed on Purchases (as a percentage of offering price)

None

None

None

None

3.75%

None

None

Maximum Deferred Sales Charge (Load) (as a percentage of the lower of the original purchase price or redemption price)

None

None

None

None

1.00%

1.00%

None

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

 

Inst
Class

I-2

I-3

Admin
Class

Class A

Class C

Class R

Management Fees

0.50%

0.60%

0.70%

0.50%

0.65%

0.65%

0.65%

Distribution and/or Service (12b-1) Fees

N/A

N/A

N/A

0.25%

0.25%

0.75%

0.50%

Other Expenses(1)

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

Fee Waiver and/or Expense Reimbursement(2)

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses After Fee Waiver and/or Expense Reimbursement

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

 

1 "Other Expenses" include interest expense of [ ]%. Interest expense is borne by the Fund separately from the management fees paid to Pacific Investment Management Company LLC ("PIMCO"). Excluding interest expense, Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses After Fee Waiver and/or Expense Reimbursement are [ ]%, [ ]%, [ ]%, [ ]%, [ ]%, [ ]% and [ ]% for Institutional Class, I-2, I-3, Administrative Class, Class A, Class C and Class R shares, respectively.

2 PIMCO has contractually agreed, through July 31, 2019, to reduce its supervisory and administrative fee for the Fund's I-3 shares by 0.05% of the average daily net assets attributable to I-3 shares of the Fund. This Fee Waiver Agreement renews annually unless terminated by PIMCO upon at least 30 days' prior notice to the end of the contract term.

Example. The Example is intended to help you compare the cost of investing in Institutional Class, I-2, I-3, Administrative Class, Class A, Class C or Class R shares of the Fund with the costs of investing in other mutual funds. The Example assumes that you invest $10,000 in the noted class of shares for the time periods indicated, and then redeem all 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. Investors may pay brokerage commissions on their purchases and sales of Institutional Class, I-2 or I-3 shares of the Fund, which are not reflected in the Example. Although your actual costs may be higher or lower, based on these assumptions your costs would be:

If you redeem your shares at the end of each period:

 

1 Year

3 Years

5 Years

10 Years

Institutional Class

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

I-2

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

I-3

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

Administrative Class

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

Class A

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

Class C

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

Class R

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

If you do not redeem your shares:

 

1 Year

3 Years

5 Years

10 Years

Class A

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

Class C

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

Portfolio Turnover

The Fund pays transaction costs 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 the Annual Fund Operating Expenses or in the Example tables, affect the Fund's performance. During the most recent fiscal year, the Fund's portfolio turnover rate was [ ]% of the average value of its portfolio.

Principal Investment Strategies

The Fund seeks to exceed the total return of the S&P 500 Index by investing under normal circumstances in S&P 500 Index derivatives, backed by a portfolio of Fixed Income Instruments. "Fixed Income Instruments" include bonds, debt securities and other similar instruments issued by various U.S. and non-U.S. public- or private-sector entities. The Fund may invest in common stocks, options, futures, options on futures and swaps. The Fund normally uses S&P 500 Index derivatives in addition to or in place of S&P 500 Index stocks to attempt to equal or exceed the daily performance of the S&P 500 Index. The value of S&P 500 Index derivatives should closely track changes in the value of the S&P 500 Index. The Fund typically will seek to gain long exposure to its benchmark index in an amount, under normal circumstances, approximately equal to the Fund's net assets. However, S&P 500 Index derivatives may be purchased with a fraction of the assets that would be needed to purchase the equity securities directly, so that the remainder of the assets may be invested in Fixed Income Instruments. PIMCO actively manages the Fixed Income Instruments held by the Fund with a view toward enhancing the Fund's total return, subject to an overall portfolio duration which is normally not expected to exceed one year. Duration is a measure used to determine the sensitivity of a security's

 



PIMCO FUNDS | PROSPECTUS

41


 

Table of Contents

PIMCO StocksPLUS® Fund

price to changes in interest rates. The longer a security's duration, the more sensitive it will be to changes in interest rates.

The S&P 500 Index is composed of 500 selected common stocks that represent approximately two-thirds of the total market value of all U.S. common stocks. The Fund seeks to remain invested in S&P 500 Index derivatives or S&P 500 Index stocks even when the S&P 500 Index is declining.

Though the Fund does not normally invest directly in S&P 500 Index securities, when S&P 500 Index derivatives appear to be overvalued relative to the S&P 500 Index, the Fund may invest all of its assets in a "basket" of S&P 500 Index stocks.

The Fund may invest, without limitation, in derivative instruments, such as options, futures contracts or swap agreements, or in mortgage- or asset-backed securities, subject to applicable law and any other restrictions described in the Fund's prospectus or Statement of Additional Information. The Fund may purchase or sell securities on a when-issued, delayed delivery or forward commitment basis and may engage in short sales. Assets not invested in equity securities or derivatives may be invested in Fixed Income Instruments. The Fund may invest up to 10% of its total assets in high yield securities ("junk bonds") rated B or higher by Moody's Investors Service, Inc. ("Moody's"), or equivalently rated by Standard & Poor's Ratings Services ("S&P") or Fitch, Inc. ("Fitch"), or, if unrated, determined by PIMCO to be of comparable quality (except that within such 10% limitation, the Fund may invest in mortgage-related securities rated below B). The Fund may invest up to 30% of its total assets in securities denominated in foreign currencies and may invest beyond this limit in U.S. dollar-denominated securities of foreign issuers. The Fund may invest up to 10% of its total assets in securities and instruments that are economically tied to emerging market countries (this limitation does not apply to investment grade sovereign debt denominated in the local currency with less than 1 year remaining to maturity, which means the Fund may invest, together with any other investments denominated in foreign currencies, up to 30% of its total assets in such instruments). The Fund will normally limit its foreign currency exposure (from non-U.S. dollar-denominated securities or currencies) to 20% of its total assets. The Fund may also invest up to 10% of its total assets in preferred securities.

Principal Risks

It is possible to lose money on an investment in the Fund. Under certain conditions, generally in a market where the value of both S&P 500 Index derivatives and Fixed Income Instruments are declining or in periods of heightened market volatility, the Fund may experience greater losses or lesser gains than would be the case if it invested directly in a portfolio of S&P 500 Index stocks. The principal risks of investing in the Fund, which could adversely affect its net asset value, yield and total return, are:

Interest Rate Risk: the risk that fixed income securities will decline in value because of an increase in interest rates; a fund with a longer average portfolio duration will be more sensitive to changes in interest rates than a fund with a shorter average portfolio duration

Call Risk: the risk that an issuer may exercise its right to redeem a fixed income security earlier than expected (a call). Issuers may call outstanding securities prior to their maturity for a number of reasons (e.g., declining interest rates, changes in credit spreads and improvements in the issuer's credit quality). If an issuer calls a security that the Fund has invested in, the Fund may not recoup the full amount of its initial investment and may be forced to reinvest in lower-yielding securities, securities with greater credit risks or securities with other, less favorable features

Credit Risk: the risk that the Fund could lose money if the issuer or guarantor of a fixed income security, or the counterparty to a derivative contract, is unable or unwilling to meet its financial obligations

High Yield Risk: the risk that high yield securities and unrated securities of similar credit quality (commonly known as "junk bonds") are subject to greater levels of credit, call and liquidity risks. High yield securities are considered primarily speculative with respect to the issuer's continuing ability to make principal and interest payments, and may be more volatile than higher-rated securities of similar maturity

Market Risk: the risk that the value of securities owned by the Fund may go up or down, sometimes rapidly or unpredictably, due to factors affecting securities markets generally or particular industries

Issuer Risk: the risk that the value of a security may decline for a reason directly related to the issuer, such as management performance, financial leverage and reduced demand for the issuer's goods or services

Liquidity Risk: the risk that a particular investment may be difficult to purchase or sell and that the Fund may be unable to sell illiquid securities at an advantageous time or price or achieve its desired level of exposure to a certain sector. Liquidity risk may result from the lack of an active market, reduced number and capacity of traditional market participants to make a market in fixed income securities, and may be magnified in a rising interest rate environment or other circumstances where investor redemptions from fixed income mutual funds may be higher than normal, causing increased supply in the market due to selling activity

Derivatives Risk: the risk of investing in derivative instruments (such as futures, swaps and structured securities), including leverage, liquidity, interest rate, market, credit and management risks, mispricing or valuation complexity. Changes in the value of the derivative may not correlate perfectly with, and may be more sensitive to market events than, the underlying asset, rate or index, and the Fund could lose more than the initial amount invested. The Fund's use of derivatives may result in losses to the Fund, a reduction in the Fund's returns and/or increased volatility. Over-the-counter ("OTC") derivatives are also subject to the risk that a counterparty to the transaction will not fulfill its contractual obligations to the other party, as many of the protections afforded to centrally-cleared derivative transactions might not be available for OTC derivatives. For derivatives traded on an exchange or through a central counterparty, credit risk resides with the Fund's clearing broker, or the clearinghouse itself, rather than with a counterparty in an OTC derivative transaction. Changes in regulation relating to a mutual fund's use of derivatives and related instruments could potentially limit or impact the Fund's ability to invest in derivatives, limit the Fund's ability to employ certain strategies that use derivatives and/or adversely affect the value of derivatives and the Fund's performance

 

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Table of Contents

Prospectus

Equity Risk: the risk that the value of equity securities, such as common stocks and preferred securities, may decline due to general market conditions which are not specifically related to a particular company or to factors affecting a particular industry or industries. Equity securities generally have greater price volatility than fixed income securities

Mortgage-Related and Other Asset-Backed Securities Risk: the risks of investing in mortgage-related and other asset-backed securities, including interest rate risk, extension risk, prepayment risk and credit risk

Foreign (Non-U.S.) Investment Risk: the risk that investing in foreign (non-U.S.) securities may result in the Fund experiencing more rapid and extreme changes in value than a fund that invests exclusively in securities of U.S. companies, due to smaller markets, differing reporting, accounting and auditing standards, increased risk of delayed settlement of portfolio transactions or loss of certificates of portfolio securities, and the risk of unfavorable foreign government actions, including nationalization, expropriation or confiscatory taxation, currency blockage, or political changes or diplomatic developments. Foreign securities may also be less liquid and more difficult to value than securities of U.S. issuers

Emerging Markets Risk: the risk of investing in emerging market securities, primarily increased foreign (non-U.S.) investment risk

Sovereign Debt Risk: the risk that investments in fixed income instruments issued by sovereign entities may decline in value as a result of default or other adverse credit event resulting from an issuer's inability or unwillingness to make principal or interest payments in a timely fashion

Currency Risk: the risk that foreign (non-U.S.) currencies will change in value relative to the U.S. dollar and affect the Fund's investments in foreign (non-U.S.) currencies or in securities that trade in, and receive revenues in, or in derivatives that provide exposure to, foreign (non-U.S.) currencies

Leveraging Risk: the risk that certain transactions of the Fund, such as reverse repurchase agreements, loans of portfolio securities, and the use of when-issued, delayed delivery or forward commitment transactions, or derivative instruments, may give rise to leverage, magnifying gains and losses and causing the Fund to be more volatile than if it had not been leveraged. This means that leverage entails a heightened risk of loss

Management Risk: the risk that the investment techniques and risk analyses applied by PIMCO will not produce the desired results and that legislative, regulatory, or tax restrictions, policies or developments may affect the investment techniques available to PIMCO and the individual portfolio manager in connection with managing the Fund. There is no guarantee that the investment objective of the Fund will be achieved

Short Exposure Risk: the risk of entering into short sales, including the potential loss of more money than the actual cost of the investment, and the risk that the third party to the short sale will not fulfill its contractual obligations, causing a loss to the Fund

Please see "Description of Principal Risks" in the Fund's prospectus for a more detailed description of the risks of investing in the Fund. An investment in the Fund is not a deposit of a bank and is not insured or guaranteed by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation or any other government agency.

Performance Information

The performance information shows summary performance information for the Fund in a bar chart and an Average Annual Total Returns table. The information provides some indication of the risks of investing in the Fund by showing changes in its performance from year to year and by showing how the Fund's average annual returns compare with the returns of a broad-based securities market index and an index of similar funds. Absent any applicable fee waivers and/or expense limitations, performance would have been lower. The bar chart shows performance of the Fund's Institutional Class shares. For the period prior to the inception date of the I-2 shares (April 30, 2008), performance information shown in the table for that class is based on the performance of the Fund's Institutional Class shares, adjusted to reflect the actual distribution and/or service (12b-1) fees and other expenses paid by I-2 shares. Performance in the Average Annual Total Returns table reflects the impact of sales charges. The I-3 shares of the Fund have not commenced operations as of the date of this prospectus. The Fund's past performance, before and after taxes, is not necessarily an indication of how the Fund will perform in the future.

The S&P 500 Index is an unmanaged market index generally considered representative of the stock market as a whole. The Index focuses on the large-cap segment of the U.S. equities market. The Lipper Large-Cap Core Funds Average is a total return performance average of funds tracked by Lipper, Inc. that invest at least 75% of their equity assets in companies with market capitalizations (on a three-year weighted basis) greater than 300% of the dollar-weighted median market capitalization of the middle 1,000 securities of the S&P SuperComposite 1500 Index.

Performance for the Fund is updated daily and quarterly and may be obtained as follows: daily updates on the net asset value and performance page at http://investments.pimco.com/DailyPerformance and quarterly updates at http://investments.pimco.com/QuarterlyPerformance.

Calendar Year Total Returns — Institutional Class*

 

[To be updated by subsequent amendment]



*The year-to-date return as of June 30, 2018 is [ ]%. For the periods shown in the bar chart, the highest quarterly return was [ ]% in the [ ], and the lowest quarterly return was [ ]% in the [ ].

 

[ ] | PROSPECTUS

43


 

Table of Contents

PIMCO StocksPLUS® Fund

Average Annual Total Returns (for periods ended 12/31/17)

 

1 Year

5 Years

10 Years

Institutional Class Return Before Taxes

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

Institutional Class Return After Taxes on Distributions‌(1)

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

Institutional Class Return After Taxes on Distributions and Sales of Fund Shares‌(1)

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

I-2 Return Before Taxes

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

Administrative Class Return Before Taxes

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

Class A Return Before Taxes

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

Class C Return Before Taxes

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

Class R Return Before Taxes

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

S&P 500 Index (reflects no deductions for fees, expenses or taxes)

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

 

Lipper Large-Cap Core Funds Average (reflects no deductions for taxes)

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

(1) After-tax returns are calculated using the highest historical individual federal marginal income tax rates and do not reflect the impact of state and local taxes. Actual after-tax returns depend on an investor's tax situation and may differ from those shown, and the after-tax returns shown are not relevant to investors who hold their Fund shares through tax-deferred arrangements, such as 401(k) plans or individual retirement accounts. In some cases the return after taxes may exceed the return before taxes due to an assumed tax benefit from any losses on a sale of Fund shares at the end of the measurement period. After-tax returns are for Institutional Class shares only. After-tax returns for other classes will vary.

Investment Adviser/Portfolio Manager

PIMCO serves as the investment adviser for the Fund.  The Fund's portfolio is managed by Sudi Mariappa. Mr. Mariappa is a Managing Director of PIMCO, and he has managed the Fund since September 2014.

Other Important Information Regarding Fund Shares

For important information about purchase and sale of Fund shares, tax information, and payments to broker-dealers and other financial intermediaries, please turn to the "Summary of Other Important Information Regarding Fund Shares" section on page [ ] of this prospectus.

 

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Table of Contents

PIMCO StocksPLUS® International Fund (Unhedged)

Investment Objective

The Fund seeks total return which exceeds that of its benchmark index consistent with prudent investment management.

Fees and Expenses of the Fund

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 $100,000 in Class A shares of eligible funds offered by PIMCO Equity Series and PIMCO Funds. More information about these and other discounts is available in the "Classes of Shares" section on page [ ] of the Fund's prospectus, Appendix B to the Fund's prospectus (Financial Firm-Specific Sales Charge Waivers and Discounts) or from your financial advisor.

Shareholder Fees (fees paid directly from your investment):

 

Inst
Class

I-2

I-3

Class A

Class C

Maximum Sales Charge (Load) Imposed on Purchases (as a percentage of offering price)

None

None

None

3.75%

None

Maximum Deferred Sales Charge (Load) (as a percentage of the lower of the original purchase price or redemption price)

None

None

None

1.00%

1.00%

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

 

Inst
Class

I-2

I-3

Class A

Class C

Management Fees

0.64%

0.74%

0.84%

0.79%

0.79%

Distribution and/or Service (12b-1) Fees

N/A

N/A

N/A

0.25%

1.00%

Other Expenses(1)

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

Fee Waiver and/or Expense Reimbursement(2)

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses After Fee Waiver and/or Expense Reimbursement

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

 

1 "Other Expenses" include interest expense of [ ]%. Interest expense is borne by the Fund separately from the management fees paid to Pacific Investment Management Company LLC ("PIMCO"). Excluding interest expense, Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses After Fee Waiver and/or Expense Reimbursement are [ ]%, [ ]%, [ ]%, [ ]% and [ ]% for Institutional Class, I-2, I-3, Class A and Class C shares, respectively.

2 PIMCO has contractually agreed, through July 31, 2019, to reduce its supervisory and administrative fee for the Fund's I-3 shares by 0.05% of the average daily net assets attributable to I-3 shares of the Fund. This Fee Waiver Agreement renews annually unless terminated by PIMCO upon at least 30 days' prior notice to the end of the contract term.

Example. The Example is intended to help you compare the cost of investing in Institutional Class, I-2, I-3, Class A or Class C shares of the Fund with the costs of investing in other mutual funds. The Example assumes that you invest $10,000 in the noted class of shares for the time periods indicated, and then redeem all 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. Investors may pay brokerage commissions on their purchases and sales of Institutional Class, I-2 or I-3 shares of the Fund, which are not reflected in the Example. Although your actual costs may be higher or lower, based on these assumptions your costs would be:

If you redeem your shares at the end of each period:

 

1 Year

3 Years

5 Years

10 Years

Institutional Class

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

I-2

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

I-3

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

Class A

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

Class C

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

If you do not redeem your shares:

 

1 Year

3 Years

5 Years

10 Years

Class A

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

Class C

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

Portfolio Turnover

The Fund pays transaction costs 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 the Annual Fund Operating Expenses or in the Example tables, affect the Fund's performance. During the most recent fiscal year, the Fund's portfolio turnover rate was [ ]% of the average value of its portfolio.

Principal Investment Strategies

The Fund seeks to exceed the total return of its benchmark index by investing under normal circumstances in non-U.S. equity derivatives, backed by a portfolio of Fixed Income Instruments. In managing the Fund's investments in Fixed Income Instruments, PIMCO utilizes an absolute return approach, which is designed to have flexibility with respect to duration, overall sector exposures, non-U.S. exposures and credit quality, both as a function of the strategy's investment guidelines and lack of a fixed income index benchmark. The absolute return approach seeks positive investment returns regardless of market environment and does not apply to the equity index replicating component of the Fund. "Fixed Income Instruments" include bonds, debt securities and other similar instruments issued by various U.S. and non-U.S. public- or private-sector entities. The Fund may invest in common stocks, options, futures, options on futures and swaps. The Fund's benchmark index is the Morgan Stanley Capital International Europe Australasia Far East ("EAFE") Index (the "Index"). The Fund normally uses equity derivatives instead of stocks to attempt to equal or exceed the daily performance of the Index. The Fund typically will seek to gain long exposure to its benchmark index in an amount, under normal circumstances, approximately equal to the Fund's net assets. The value of equity derivatives should closely track changes in the value of underlying securities or indices. However, derivatives may be purchased with a small fraction of the assets that would be needed to purchase the equity securities directly, so that the remainder of the assets may be invested in Fixed Income Instruments. PIMCO actively manages the Fixed Income Instruments held by the Fund with a view toward enhancing the Fund's total return, subject to an overall portfolio duration which normally varies from (negative) 3 years to positive 8 years based on PIMCO's market forecasts. Duration is a measure used to determine the sensitivity of a

 



PIMCO FUNDS | PROSPECTUS

45


 

Table of Contents

PIMCO StocksPLUS® International Fund (Unhedged)

security's price to changes in interest rates. The longer a security's duration, the more sensitive it will be to changes in interest rates.

The Index is an unmanaged index of issuers in countries of Europe, Australia and the Far East represented in U.S. dollars on an unhedged basis. The Fund seeks to remain invested in equity derivatives and/or stocks even when the Index is declining. The Fund may invest in non-U.S. equities or non-U.S. equity derivatives that do not comprise the Index.

The Fund does not normally invest directly in stocks. However, when equity derivatives appear to be overvalued, the Fund may invest some or all of its assets in stocks. The Fund's equity exposure will not be hedged into U.S. dollars.

The Fund may invest, without limitation, in derivative instruments, such as options, futures contracts or swap agreements, or in mortgage- or asset-backed securities, subject to applicable law and any other restrictions described in the Fund's prospectus or Statement of Additional Information. The Fund may purchase or sell securities on a when-issued, delayed delivery or forward commitment basis and may engage in short sales. Assets not invested in equity securities or derivatives may be invested in Fixed Income Instruments. The Fund may invest up to 20% of its total assets in high yield securities ("junk bonds") rated B or higher by Moody's Investors Service, Inc. ("Moody's"), or equivalently rated by Standard & Poor's Ratings Services ("S&P") or Fitch, Inc. ("Fitch"), or, if unrated, determined by PIMCO to be of comparable quality (except that within such 20% limitation, the Fund may invest in mortgage-related securities rated below B). With respect to the Fund's fixed income investments, the Fund may invest, without limitation, in securities denominated in foreign currencies and in U.S. dollar-denominated securities of foreign issuers. With respect to the Fund's fixed income investments, the Fund may invest up to 25% of its total assets in securities and instruments that are economically tied to emerging market countries (this limitation does not apply to investment grade sovereign debt denominated in the local currency with less than 1 year remaining to maturity, which means with respect to the Fund's fixed income investments, the Fund may invest in such instruments without limitation subject to any applicable legal or regulatory limitation). With respect to the Fund's fixed income investments, the Fund will normally limit its foreign currency exposure (from non-U.S. dollar-denominated securities or currencies) to 35% of its total assets. With respect to the Fund's fixed income investments, the Fund will normally limit its exposure (from non-U.S. dollar-denominated securities or currencies) to each non-U.S. currency to 10% of its total assets. With respect to the Fund's fixed income investments, the Fund will normally limit its aggregate U.S. dollar exposure from transactions or instruments that reference the relative return of a non-U.S. currency or currencies as compared to the U.S. dollar to 20% of its total assets. The Fund may also invest up to 10% of its total assets in preferred securities.

Principal Risks

It is possible to lose money on an investment in the Fund. Under certain conditions, generally in a market where the value of both Index derivatives and Fixed Income Instruments are declining or in periods of heightened market volatility, the Fund may experience greater losses or lesser gains than would be the case if it invested directly in a portfolio of stocks comprising the Index. The principal risks of investing in the Fund, which could adversely affect its net asset value, yield and total return, are:

Interest Rate Risk: the risk that fixed income securities will decline in value because of an increase in interest rates; a fund with a longer average portfolio duration will be more sensitive to changes in interest rates than a fund with a shorter average portfolio duration

Call Risk: the risk that an issuer may exercise its right to redeem a fixed income security earlier than expected (a call). Issuers may call outstanding securities prior to their maturity for a number of reasons (e.g., declining interest rates, changes in credit spreads and improvements in the issuer's credit quality). If an issuer calls a security that the Fund has invested in, the Fund may not recoup the full amount of its initial investment and may be forced to reinvest in lower-yielding securities, securities with greater credit risks or securities with other, less favorable features

Credit Risk: the risk that the Fund could lose money if the issuer or guarantor of a fixed income security, or the counterparty to a derivative contract, is unable or unwilling to meet its financial obligations

High Yield Risk: the risk that high yield securities and unrated securities of similar credit quality (commonly known as "junk bonds") are subject to greater levels of credit, call and liquidity risks. High yield securities are considered primarily speculative with respect to the issuer's continuing ability to make principal and interest payments, and may be more volatile than higher-rated securities of similar maturity

Market Risk: the risk that the value of securities owned by the Fund may go up or down, sometimes rapidly or unpredictably, due to factors affecting securities markets generally or particular industries

Issuer Risk: the risk that the value of a security may decline for a reason directly related to the issuer, such as management performance, financial leverage and reduced demand for the issuer's goods or services

Liquidity Risk: the risk that a particular investment may be difficult to purchase or sell and that the Fund may be unable to sell illiquid securities at an advantageous time or price or achieve its desired level of exposure to a certain sector. Liquidity risk may result from the lack of an active market, reduced number and capacity of traditional market participants to make a market in fixed income securities, and may be magnified in a rising interest rate environment or other circumstances where investor redemptions from fixed income mutual funds may be higher than normal, causing increased supply in the market due to selling activity

Derivatives Risk: the risk of investing in derivative instruments (such as futures, swaps and structured securities), including leverage, liquidity, interest rate, market, credit and management risks, mispricing or valuation complexity. Changes in the value of the derivative may not correlate perfectly with, and may be more sensitive to market events than, the underlying asset, rate or index, and the Fund could lose more than the initial amount invested. The Fund's use of derivatives may result in losses to the Fund, a reduction in the Fund's returns and/or increased volatility. Over-the-counter ("OTC") derivatives are also subject to the risk that a counterparty to the transaction will not fulfill its contractual obligations to the other party, as many of the protections afforded to centrally-cleared derivative transactions might not be available for OTC derivatives. For

 

46     

PROSPECTUS | PIMCO FUNDS     


 

Table of Contents

Prospectus

derivatives traded on an exchange or through a central counterparty, credit risk resides with the Fund's clearing broker, or the clearinghouse itself, rather than with a counterparty in an OTC derivative transaction. Changes in regulation relating to a mutual fund's use of derivatives and related instruments could potentially limit or impact the Fund's ability to invest in derivatives, limit the Fund's ability to employ certain strategies that use derivatives and/or adversely affect the value of derivatives and the Fund's performance

Equity Risk: the risk that the value of equity securities, such as common stocks and preferred securities, may decline due to general market conditions which are not specifically related to a particular company or to factors affecting a particular industry or industries. Equity securities generally have greater price volatility than fixed income securities

Mortgage-Related and Other Asset-Backed Securities Risk: the risks of investing in mortgage-related and other asset-backed securities, including interest rate risk, extension risk, prepayment risk and credit risk

Foreign (Non-U.S.) Investment Risk: the risk that investing in foreign (non-U.S.) securities may result in the Fund experiencing more rapid and extreme changes in value than a fund that invests exclusively in securities of U.S. companies, due to smaller markets, differing reporting, accounting and auditing standards, increased risk of delayed settlement of portfolio transactions or loss of certificates of portfolio securities, and the risk of unfavorable foreign government actions, including nationalization, expropriation or confiscatory taxation, currency blockage, or political changes or diplomatic developments. Foreign securities may also be less liquid and more difficult to value than securities of U.S. issuers

Emerging Markets Risk: the risk of investing in emerging market securities, primarily increased foreign (non-U.S.) investment risk

Sovereign Debt Risk: the risk that investments in fixed income instruments issued by sovereign entities may decline in value as a result of default or other adverse credit event resulting from an issuer's inability or unwillingness to make principal or interest payments in a timely fashion

Currency Risk: the risk that foreign (non-U.S.) currencies will change in value relative to the U.S. dollar and affect the Fund's investments in foreign (non-U.S.) currencies or in securities that trade in, and receive revenues in, or in derivatives that provide exposure to, foreign (non-U.S.) currencies

Leveraging Risk: the risk that certain transactions of the Fund, such as reverse repurchase agreements, loans of portfolio securities, and the use of when-issued, delayed delivery or forward commitment transactions, or derivative instruments, may give rise to leverage, magnifying gains and losses and causing the Fund to be more volatile than if it had not been leveraged. This means that leverage entails a heightened risk of loss

Management Risk: the risk that the investment techniques and risk analyses applied by PIMCO will not produce the desired results and that legislative, regulatory, or tax restrictions, policies or developments may affect the investment techniques available to PIMCO and the individual portfolio manager in connection with managing the Fund. There is no guarantee that the investment objective of the Fund will be achieved

Short Exposure Risk: the risk of entering into short sales, including the potential loss of more money than the actual cost of the investment, and the risk that the third party to the short sale will not fulfill its contractual obligations, causing a loss to the Fund

Please see "Description of Principal Risks" in the Fund's prospectus for a more detailed description of the risks of investing in the Fund. An investment in the Fund is not a deposit of a bank and is not insured or guaranteed by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation or any other government agency.

Performance Information

The performance information shows summary performance information for the Fund in a bar chart and an Average Annual Total Returns table. The information provides some indication of the risks of investing in the Fund by showing changes in its performance from year to year and by showing how the Fund's average annual returns compare with the returns of a broad-based securities market index and an index of similar funds. Absent any applicable fee waivers and/or expense limitations, performance would have been lower. The bar chart shows performance of the Fund's Institutional Class shares. For periods prior to the inception date of I-2 shares (April 30, 2008), performance information shown in the table for that class is based on the performance of the Fund's Institutional Class shares, adjusted to reflect the actual distribution and/or service (12b-1) fees and other expenses paid by I-2 shares. Performance in the Average Annual Total Returns table reflects the impact of sales charges. The I-3 shares of the Fund have not commenced operations as of the date of this prospectus. The Fund's past performance, before and after taxes, is not necessarily an indication of how the Fund will perform in the future.

The MSCI EAFE Index is an unmanaged index of issuers in countries of Europe, Australia, and the Far East represented in U.S. Dollars on a unhedged basis. The Lipper International Multi-Cap Core Funds Average is a total return performance average of funds tracked by Lipper, Inc. that invest in a variety of market capitalization ranges without concentrating 75% of their equity assets in any one market capitalization range over an extended period of time and typically have 25% to 75% of their assets invested in companies strictly outside of the U.S. with market capitalizations (on a three-year weighted basis) greater than the 250th-largest company in the S&P/Citigroup World ex-U.S. Broad Market Index.

Performance for the Fund is updated daily and quarterly and may be obtained as follows: daily updates on the net asset value and performance page at http://investments.pimco.com/DailyPerformance and quarterly updates at http://investments.pimco.com/QuarterlyPerformance.

 

[ ] | PROSPECTUS

47


 

Table of Contents

PIMCO StocksPLUS® International Fund (Unhedged)

Calendar Year Total Returns — Institutional Class*

 

[To be updated by subsequent amendment]



*The year-to-date return as of June 30, 2018 is [ ]%. For the periods shown in the bar chart, the highest quarterly return was [ ]% in the [ ], and the lowest quarterly return was [ ]% in the [ ].

Average Annual Total Returns (for periods ended 12/31/17)

 

1 Year

5 Years

10 Years

Institutional Class Return Before Taxes

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

Institutional Class Return After Taxes on Distributions‌(1)

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

Institutional Class Return After Taxes on Distributions and Sales of Fund Shares‌(1)

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

I-2 Return Before Taxes

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

Class A Return Before Taxes

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

Class C Return Before Taxes

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

MSCI EAFE Index (reflects no deductions for fees, expenses or taxes)

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

 

Lipper International Multi-Cap Core Funds Average (reflects no deductions for taxes)

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

(1) After-tax returns are calculated using the highest historical individual federal marginal income tax rates and do not reflect the impact of state and local taxes. Actual after-tax returns depend on an investor's tax situation and may differ from those shown, and the after-tax returns shown are not relevant to investors who hold their Fund shares through tax-deferred arrangements, such as 401(k) plans or individual retirement accounts. In some cases the return after taxes may exceed the return before taxes due to an assumed tax benefit from any losses on a sale of Fund shares at the end of the measurement period. After-tax returns are for Institutional Class shares only. After-tax returns for other classes will vary.

Investment Adviser/Portfolio Manager

PIMCO serves as the investment adviser for the Fund. The Fund's portfolio is jointly managed by Mohsen Fahmi and Sudi Mariappa. Each of Messrs. Fahmi and Mariappa is a Managing Director of PIMCO. Mr. Fahmi has jointly managed the Fund since September 2014, and Mr. Mariappa has jointly managed the Fund since January 2015.

Other Important Information Regarding Fund Shares

For important information about purchase and sale of Fund shares, tax information, and payments to broker-dealers and other financial intermediaries, please turn to the "Summary of Other Important Information Regarding Fund Shares" section on page [ ] of this prospectus.

 

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Table of Contents

PIMCO StocksPLUS® International Fund (U.S. Dollar-Hedged)

Investment Objective

The Fund seeks total return which exceeds that of its benchmark index consistent with prudent investment management.

Fees and Expenses of the Fund

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 $100,000 in Class A shares of eligible funds offered by PIMCO Equity Series and PIMCO Funds. More information about these and other discounts is available in the "Classes of Shares" section on page [ ] of the Fund's prospectus, Appendix B to the Fund's prospectus (Financial Firm-Specific Sales Charge Waivers and Discounts) or from your financial advisor.

Shareholder Fees (fees paid directly from your investment):

 

Inst
Class

I-2

I-3

Class A

Class C

Maximum Sales Charge (Load) Imposed on Purchases (as a percentage of offering price)

None

None

None

3.75%

None

Maximum Deferred Sales Charge (Load) (as a percentage of the lower of the original purchase price or redemption price)

None

None

None

1.00%

1.00%

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

 

Inst
Class

I-2

I-3

Class A

Class C

Management Fees

0.75%

0.85%

0.95%

0.90%

0.90%

Distribution and/or Service (12b-1) Fees

N/A

N/A

N/A

0.25%

1.00%

Other Expenses(1)

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

Fee Waiver and/or Expense Reimbursement(2)

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses After Fee Waiver and/or Expense Reimbursement

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

 

1 "Other Expenses" include interest expense of [ ]%. Interest expense is borne by the Fund separately from the management fees paid to Pacific Investment Management Company LLC ("PIMCO"). Excluding interest expense, Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses After Fee Waiver and/or Expense Reimbursement are [ ]%, [ ]%, [ ]%, [ ]% and [ ]% for Institutional Class, I-2, I-3, Class A and Class C shares, respectively.

2 PIMCO has contractually agreed, through July 31, 2019, to reduce its supervisory and administrative fee for the Fund's I-3 shares by 0.05% of the average daily net assets attributable to I-3 shares of the Fund. This Fee Waiver Agreement renews annually unless terminated by PIMCO upon at least 30 days' prior notice to the end of the contract term.

Example. The Example is intended to help you compare the cost of investing in Institutional Class, I-2, I-3, Class A or Class C shares of the Fund with the costs of investing in other mutual funds. The Example assumes that you invest $10,000 in the noted class of shares for the time periods indicated, and then redeem all 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. Investors may pay brokerage commissions on their purchases and sales of Institutional Class, I-2 or I-3 shares of the Fund, which are not reflected in the Example. Although your actual costs may be higher or lower, based on these assumptions your costs would be:

If you redeem your shares at the end of each period:

 

1 Year

3 Years

5 Years

10 Years

Institutional Class

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

I-2

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

I-3

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

Class A

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

Class C

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

If you do not redeem your shares:

 

1 Year

3 Years

5 Years

10 Years

Class A

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

Class C

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

Portfolio Turnover

The Fund pays transaction costs 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 the Annual Fund Operating Expenses or in the Example tables, affect the Fund's performance. During the most recent fiscal year, the Fund's portfolio turnover rate was [ ]% of the average value of its portfolio.

Principal Investment Strategies

The Fund seeks to exceed the total return of its benchmark index by investing under normal circumstances in non-U.S. equity derivatives, backed by a portfolio of Fixed Income Instruments. In managing the Fund's investments in Fixed Income Instruments, PIMCO utilizes an absolute return approach, which is designed to have flexibility with respect to duration, overall sector exposures, non-U.S. exposures and credit quality, both as a function of the strategy's investment guidelines and lack of a fixed income index benchmark. The absolute return approach seeks positive investment returns regardless of market environment and does not apply to the equity index replicating component of the Fund. "Fixed Income Instruments" include bonds, debt securities and other similar instruments issued by various U.S. and non-U.S. public- or private-sector entities. The Fund will normally limit its foreign currency exposure (from non-U.S. dollar-denominated securities or currencies) to 20% of its total assets. The Fund may invest in common stocks, options, futures, options on futures and swaps. The Fund's benchmark index is the Morgan Stanley Capital International Europe, Australasia and Far East ("EAFE") Index, hedged to U.S. dollars (the "Index"). The Fund normally uses equity derivatives instead of stocks to attempt to equal or exceed the daily performance of the Index. The Fund typically will seek to gain long exposure to its benchmark index in an amount, under normal circumstances, approximately equal to the Fund's net assets. The value of equity derivatives should closely track changes in the value of underlying securities or indices. However, derivatives may be purchased with a small fraction of the assets that would be needed to purchase the equity securities directly, so that the remainder of the assets may be invested in Fixed Income Instruments. PIMCO actively manages the Fixed Income Instruments held by the Fund with a view toward enhancing the Fund's total return, subject to an overall portfolio duration which normally varies from (negative) 3 years to positive 8 years based on

 



PIMCO FUNDS | PROSPECTUS

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Table of Contents

PIMCO StocksPLUS® International Fund (U.S. Dollar-Hedged)

PIMCO's market forecasts. Duration is a measure used to determine the sensitivity of a security's price to changes in interest rates. The longer a security's duration, the more sensitive it will be to changes in interest rates.

The Index is an unmanaged index of issuers in countries of Europe, Australia and the Far East represented in U.S. dollars on a hedged basis. The Fund seeks to remain invested in equity derivatives and/or stocks even when the Index is declining. The Fund may invest in non-U.S. equities or non-U.S. equity derivatives that do not comprise the Index.

The Fund does not normally invest directly in stocks. However, when equity derivatives appear to be overvalued, the Fund may invest some or all of its assets in stocks.

The Fund may invest, without limitation, in derivative instruments, such as options, futures contracts or swap agreements, or in mortgage- or asset-backed securities, subject to applicable law and any other restrictions described in the Fund's prospectus or Statement of Additional Information. The Fund may purchase or sell securities on a when-issued, delayed delivery or forward commitment basis and may engage in short sales. Assets not invested in equity securities or derivatives may be invested in Fixed Income Instruments. The Fund may invest up to 20% of its total assets in high yield securities ("junk bonds") rated B or higher by Moody's Investors Service, Inc. ("Moody's"), or equivalently rated by Standard & Poor's Ratings Services ("S&P") or Fitch, Inc. ("Fitch"), or, if unrated, determined by PIMCO to be of comparable quality (except that within such 20% limitation, the Fund may invest in mortgage-related securities rated below B). With respect to the Fund's fixed income investments, the Fund may invest, without limitation, in securities denominated in foreign currencies and in U.S. dollar-denominated securities of foreign issuers. With respect to the Fund's fixed income investments, the Fund may invest up to 25% of its total assets in securities and instruments that are economically tied to emerging market countries (this limitation does not apply to investment grade sovereign debt denominated in the local currency with less than 1 year remaining to maturity, which means with respect to the Fund's fixed income investments, the Fund may invest in such instruments without limitation subject to any applicable legal or regulatory limitation). With respect to the Fund's fixed income investments, the Fund will normally limit its foreign currency exposure (from non-U.S. dollar-denominated securities or currencies) to 35% of its total assets. With respect to the Fund's fixed income investments, the Fund will normally limit its exposure (from non-U.S. dollar-denominated securities or currencies) to each non-U.S. currency to 10% of its total assets. With respect to the Fund's fixed income investments, the Fund will normally limit its aggregate U.S. dollar exposure from transactions or instruments that reference the relative return of a non-U.S. currency or currencies as compared to the U.S. dollar to 20% of its total assets. The Fund may also invest up to 10% of its total assets in preferred securities.

Principal Risks

It is possible to lose money on an investment in the Fund. Under certain conditions, generally in a market where the value of both Index derivatives and Fixed Income Instruments are declining or in periods of heightened market volatility, the Fund may experience greater losses or lesser gains than would be the case if it invested directly in a portfolio of stocks comprising the Index. The principal risks of investing in the Fund, which could adversely affect its net asset value, yield and total return, are:

Interest Rate Risk: the risk that fixed income securities will decline in value because of an increase in interest rates; a fund with a longer average portfolio duration will be more sensitive to changes in interest rates than a fund with a shorter average portfolio duration

Call Risk: the risk that an issuer may exercise its right to redeem a fixed income security earlier than expected (a call). Issuers may call outstanding securities prior to their maturity for a number of reasons (e.g., declining interest rates, changes in credit spreads and improvements in the issuer's credit quality). If an issuer calls a security that the Fund has invested in, the Fund may not recoup the full amount of its initial investment and may be forced to reinvest in lower-yielding securities, securities with greater credit risks or securities with other, less favorable features

Credit Risk: the risk that the Fund could lose money if the issuer or guarantor of a fixed income security, or the counterparty to a derivative contract, is unable or unwilling to meet its financial obligations

High Yield Risk: the risk that high yield securities and unrated securities of similar credit quality (commonly known as "junk bonds") are subject to greater levels of credit, call and liquidity risks. High yield securities are considered primarily speculative with respect to the issuer's continuing ability to make principal and interest payments, and may be more volatile than higher-rated securities of similar maturity

Market Risk: the risk that the value of securities owned by the Fund may go up or down, sometimes rapidly or unpredictably, due to factors affecting securities markets generally or particular industries

Issuer Risk: the risk that the value of a security may decline for a reason directly related to the issuer, such as management performance, financial leverage and reduced demand for the issuer's goods or services

Liquidity Risk: the risk that a particular investment may be difficult to purchase or sell and that the Fund may be unable to sell illiquid securities at an advantageous time or price or achieve its desired level of exposure to a certain sector. Liquidity risk may result from the lack of an active market, reduced number and capacity of traditional market participants to make a market in fixed income securities, and may be magnified in a rising interest rate environment or other circumstances where investor redemptions from fixed income mutual funds may be higher than normal, causing increased supply in the market due to selling activity

Derivatives Risk: the risk of investing in derivative instruments (such as futures, swaps and structured securities), including leverage, liquidity, interest rate, market, credit and management risks, mispricing or valuation complexity. Changes in the value of the derivative may not correlate perfectly with, and may be more sensitive to market events than, the underlying asset, rate or index, and the Fund could lose more than the initial amount invested. The Fund's use of derivatives may result in losses to the Fund, a reduction in the Fund's returns and/or increased volatility. Over-the-counter ("OTC") derivatives are also subject to the risk that a counterparty to the transaction will not fulfill its contractual obligations to the other party, as many of the protections afforded to centrally-cleared derivative transactions might not be available for OTC derivatives. For

 

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Table of Contents

Prospectus

derivatives traded on an exchange or through a central counterparty, credit risk resides with the Fund's clearing broker, or the clearinghouse itself, rather than with a counterparty in an OTC derivative transaction. Changes in regulation relating to a mutual fund's use of derivatives and related instruments could potentially limit or impact the Fund's ability to invest in derivatives, limit the Fund's ability to employ certain strategies that use derivatives and/or adversely affect the value of derivatives and the Fund's performance

Equity Risk: the risk that the value of equity securities, such as common stocks and preferred securities, may decline due to general market conditions which are not specifically related to a particular company or to factors affecting a particular industry or industries. Equity securities generally have greater price volatility than fixed income securities

Mortgage-Related and Other Asset-Backed Securities Risk: the risks of investing in mortgage-related and other asset-backed securities, including interest rate risk, extension risk, prepayment risk and credit risk

Foreign (Non-U.S.) Investment Risk: the risk that investing in foreign (non-U.S.) securities may result in the Fund experiencing more rapid and extreme changes in value than a fund that invests exclusively in securities of U.S. companies, due to smaller markets, differing reporting, accounting and auditing standards, increased risk of delayed settlement of portfolio transactions or loss of certificates of portfolio securities, and the risk of unfavorable foreign government actions, including nationalization, expropriation or confiscatory taxation, currency blockage, or political changes or diplomatic developments. Foreign securities may also be less liquid and more difficult to value than securities of U.S. issuers

Emerging Markets Risk: the risk of investing in emerging market securities, primarily increased foreign (non-U.S.) investment risk

Sovereign Debt Risk: the risk that investments in fixed income instruments issued by sovereign entities may decline in value as a result of default or other adverse credit event resulting from an issuer's inability or unwillingness to make principal or interest payments in a timely fashion

Currency Risk: the risk that foreign (non-U.S.) currencies will change in value relative to the U.S. dollar and affect the Fund's investments in foreign (non-U.S.) currencies or in securities that trade in, and receive revenues in, or in derivatives that provide exposure to, foreign (non-U.S.) currencies

Leveraging Risk: the risk that certain transactions of the Fund, such as reverse repurchase agreements, loans of portfolio securities, and the use of when-issued, delayed delivery or forward commitment transactions, or derivative instruments, may give rise to leverage, magnifying gains and losses and causing the Fund to be more volatile than if it had not been leveraged. This means that leverage entails a heightened risk of loss

Management Risk: the risk that the investment techniques and risk analyses applied by PIMCO will not produce the desired results and that legislative, regulatory, or tax restrictions, policies or developments may affect the investment techniques available to PIMCO and the individual portfolio manager in connection with managing the Fund. There is no guarantee that the investment objective of the Fund will be achieved

Short Exposure Risk: the risk of entering into short sales, including the potential loss of more money than the actual cost of the investment, and the risk that the third party to the short sale will not fulfill its contractual obligations, causing a loss to the Fund

Please see "Description of Principal Risks" in the Fund's prospectus for a more detailed description of the risks of investing in the Fund. An investment in the Fund is not a deposit of a bank and is not insured or guaranteed by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation or any other government agency.

Performance Information

The performance information shows summary performance information for the Fund in a bar chart and an Average Annual Total Returns table. The information provides some indication of the risks of investing in the Fund by showing changes in its performance from year to year and by showing how the Fund's average annual returns compare with the returns of a broad-based securities market index and an index of similar funds. Absent any applicable fee waivers and/or expense limitations, performance would have been lower. The bar chart shows performance of the Fund's Institutional Class shares. For periods prior to the inception date of I-2 shares (March 9, 2012), performance information shown in the table for that class is based on the performance of the Fund's Institutional Class shares, adjusted to reflect the actual distribution and/or service (12b-1) fees and other expenses paid by that class of shares. Performance in the Average Annual Total Returns table reflects the impact of sales charges. The I-3 shares of the Fund have not commenced operations as of the date of this prospectus. The Fund's past performance, before and after taxes, is not necessarily an indication of how the Fund will perform in the future.

The MSCI EAFE Hedged USD Index is an unmanaged index of issuers in countries of Europe, Australia, and the Far East represented in U.S. Dollars on a hedged basis. The Lipper International Multi-Cap Core Funds Average is a total return performance average of funds tracked by Lipper, Inc. that invest in a variety of market capitalization ranges without concentrating 75% of their equity assets in any one market capitalization range over an extended period of time and typically have 25% to 75% of their assets invested in companies strictly outside of the U.S. with market capitalizations (on a three-year weighted basis) greater than the 250th-largest company in the S&P/Citigroup World ex-U.S. Broad Market Index.

Performance for the Fund is updated daily and quarterly and may be obtained as follows: daily updates on the net asset value and performance page at http://investments.pimco.com/DailyPerformance and quarterly updates at http://investments.pimco.com/QuarterlyPerformance.

 

[ ] | PROSPECTUS

51


 

Table of Contents

PIMCO StocksPLUS® International Fund (U.S. Dollar-Hedged)

Calendar Year Total Returns — Institutional Class*

 

[To be updated by subsequent amendment]



*The year-to-date return as of June 30, 2018 is [ ]%. For the periods shown in the bar chart, the highest quarterly return was [ ]% in the [ ], and the lowest quarterly return was [ ]% in the [ ].

Average Annual Total Returns (for periods ended 12/31/17)

 

1 Year

5 Years

10 Years

Institutional Class Return Before Taxes

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

Institutional Class Return After Taxes on Distributions‌(1)

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

Institutional Class Return After Taxes on Distributions and Sales of Fund Shares‌(1)

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

I-2 Return Before Taxes

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

Class A Return Before Taxes

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

Class C Return Before Taxes

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

MSCI EAFE Hedged USD Index (reflects no deductions for fees, expenses or taxes)

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

 

Lipper International Multi-Cap Core Funds Average (reflects no deductions for taxes)

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

(1) After-tax returns are calculated using the highest historical individual federal marginal income tax rates and do not reflect the impact of state and local taxes. Actual after-tax returns depend on an investor's tax situation and may differ from those shown, and the after-tax returns shown are not relevant to investors who hold their Fund shares through tax-deferred arrangements, such as 401(k) plans or individual retirement accounts. In some cases the return after taxes may exceed the return before taxes due to an assumed tax benefit from any losses on a sale of Fund shares at the end of the measurement period. After-tax returns are for Institutional Class shares only. After-tax returns for other classes will vary.

Investment Adviser/Portfolio Manager

PIMCO serves as the investment adviser for the Fund. The Fund's portfolio is jointly managed by Mohsen Fahmi and Sudi Mariappa. Each of Messrs. Fahmi and Mariappa is a Managing Director of PIMCO, and Messrs. Fahmi and Mariappa have jointly managed the Fund since January 2015.

Other Important Information Regarding Fund Shares

For important information about purchase and sale of Fund shares, tax information, and payments to broker-dealers and other financial intermediaries, please turn to the "Summary of Other Important Information Regarding Fund Shares" section on page [ ] of this prospectus.

 

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Table of Contents

PIMCO StocksPLUS® Long Duration Fund

Investment Objective

The Fund seeks total return which exceeds that of its benchmarks, consistent with prudent investment management.

Fees and Expenses of the Fund

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 $100,000 in Class A shares of eligible funds offered by PIMCO Equity Series and PIMCO Funds. More information about these and other discounts is available in the "Classes of Shares" section on page [ ] of the Fund's prospectus, Appendix B to the Fund's prospectus (Financial Firm-Specific Sales Charge Waivers and Discounts) or from your financial advisor.

Shareholder Fees (fees paid directly from your investment):

 

Inst
Class

I-2

Class A

Maximum Sales Charge (Load) Imposed on Purchases (as a percentage of offering price)

None

None

3.75%

Maximum Deferred Sales Charge (Load) (as a percentage of the lower of the original purchase price or redemption price)

None

None

1.00%

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

 

Inst
Class

I-2

Class A

Management Fees

0.59%

0.69%

0.74%

Distribution and/or Service (12b-1) Fees

N/A

N/A

0.25%

Other Expenses(1)

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

 

1 "Other Expenses" include interest expense of [ ]%. Interest expense is borne by the Fund separately from the management fees paid to Pacific Investment Management Company LLC ("PIMCO"). Excluding interest expense, Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses are [ ]%,  [ ]% and [ ]% for Institutional Class, I-2 and Class A shares, respectively.

Example. The Example is intended to help you compare the cost of investing in Institutional Class, I-2 or Class A shares of the Fund with the costs of investing in other mutual funds. The Example assumes that you invest $10,000 in the noted class of shares for the time periods indicated, and then redeem all 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. Investors may pay brokerage commissions on their purchases and sales of Institutional Class shares or I-2 shares of the Fund, which are not reflected in the Example. Although your actual costs may be higher or lower, based on these assumptions your costs would be:

If you redeem your shares at the end of each period:

 

1 Year

3 Years

5 Years

10 Years

Institutional Class

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

I-2

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

Class A

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

If you do not redeem your shares:

 

1 Year

3 Years

5 Years

10 Years

Class A

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

Portfolio Turnover

The Fund pays transaction costs 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 the Annual Fund Operating Expenses or in the Example tables, affect the Fund's performance. During the most recent fiscal year, the Fund's portfolio turnover rate was [ ]% of the average value of its portfolio.

Principal Investment Strategies

The Fund seeks to exceed the total return of its benchmark indexes, the S&P 500 Index and a secondary blended index (as described below, and together with the S&P 500 Index, the "Indexes"), by investing under normal circumstances in S&P 500 Index derivatives, backed by a diversified portfolio of long-term Fixed Income Instruments. "Fixed Income Instruments" include bonds, debt securities and other similar instruments issued by various U.S. and non-U.S. public- or private-sector entities. The Fund may invest in common stocks, options, futures, options on futures and swaps. The Fund normally uses S&P 500 Index derivatives instead of S&P 500 Index stocks to attempt to equal or exceed the daily performance of the Indexes. The Fund typically will seek to gain long exposure to the S&P 500 Index in an amount, under normal circumstances, approximately equal to the Fund's net assets. The value of S&P 500 Index derivatives should closely track changes in the value of the S&P 500 Index. However, S&P 500 Index derivatives may be purchased with a small fraction of the assets that would be needed to purchase the equity securities directly, so that the remainder of the assets may be invested in Fixed Income Instruments. PIMCO actively manages the Fixed Income Instruments held by the Fund with a view toward enhancing the Fund's total return, subject to an overall portfolio duration which normally varies within two years (plus or minus) of the portfolio duration of the securities comprising the Bloomberg Barclays Long-Term Government/Credit Index, as calculated by PIMCO, which as of [ ] was [ ] years. Duration is a measure used to determine the sensitivity of a security's price to changes in interest rates. The longer a security's duration, the more sensitive it will be to changes in interest rates.

The S&P 500 Index is composed of 500 selected common stocks that represent approximately two-thirds of the total market value of all U.S. common stocks. The Fund seeks to remain invested in S&P 500 Index derivatives and/or S&P 500 Index stocks even when the S&P 500 Index is declining.

 



PIMCO FUNDS | PROSPECTUS

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Table of Contents

PIMCO StocksPLUS® Long Duration Fund

Though the Fund does not normally invest directly in S&P 500 Index securities, when S&P 500 Index derivatives appear to be overvalued relative to the S&P 500 Index, the Fund may invest all of its assets in a "basket" of S&P 500 Index stocks.

The Fund may invest, without limitation, in derivative instruments, such as options, futures contracts or swap agreements, or in mortgage- or asset-backed securities, subject to applicable law and any other restrictions described in the Fund's prospectus or Statement of Additional Information. The Fund may purchase or sell securities on a when-issued, delayed delivery or forward commitment basis and may engage in short sales. Assets not invested in equity securities or derivatives may be invested in Fixed Income Instruments. The Fund may invest up to 10% of its total assets in high yield securities ("junk bonds") rated B or higher by Moody's Investors Service, Inc. ("Moody's"), or equivalently rated by Standard & Poor's Ratings Services ("S&P") or Fitch, Inc. ("Fitch"), or if unrated, determined by PIMCO to be of comparable quality. The Fund may invest up to 30% of its total assets in securities denominated in foreign currencies and may invest beyond this limit in U.S. dollar-denominated securities of foreign issuers. The Fund may invest up to 15% of its total assets in securities and instruments that are economically tied to emerging market countries (this limitation does not apply to investment grade sovereign debt denominated in the local currency with less than 1 year remaining to maturity, which means the Fund may invest, together with any other investments denominated in foreign currencies, up to 30% of its total assets in such instruments). The Fund will normally limit its foreign currency exposure (from non-U.S. dollar-denominated securities or currencies) to 20% of its total assets. The Fund may also invest up to 10% of its total assets in preferred securities.

Principal Risks

It is possible to lose money on an investment in the Fund. Under certain conditions, generally in a market where the value of both S&P 500 Index derivatives and Fixed Income Instruments are declining or in periods of heightened market volatility, the Fund may experience greater losses or lesser gains than would be the case if it invested directly in a portfolio of S&P 500 Index stocks. The principal risks of investing in the Fund, which could adversely affect its net asset value, yield and total return, are:

Interest Rate Risk: the risk that fixed income securities will decline in value because of an increase in interest rates; a fund with a longer average portfolio duration will be more sensitive to changes in interest rates than a fund with a shorter average portfolio duration

Call Risk: the risk that an issuer may exercise its right to redeem a fixed income security earlier than expected (a call). Issuers may call outstanding securities prior to their maturity for a number of reasons (e.g., declining interest rates, changes in credit spreads and improvements in the issuer's credit quality). If an issuer calls a security that the Fund has invested in, the Fund may not recoup the full amount of its initial investment and may be forced to reinvest in lower-yielding securities, securities with greater credit risks or securities with other, less favorable features

Credit Risk: the risk that the Fund could lose money if the issuer or guarantor of a fixed income security, or the counterparty to a derivative contract, is unable or unwilling to meet its financial obligations

High Yield Risk: the risk that high yield securities and unrated securities of similar credit quality (commonly known as "junk bonds") are subject to greater levels of credit, call and liquidity risks. High yield securities are considered primarily speculative with respect to the issuer's continuing ability to make principal and interest payments, and may be more volatile than higher-rated securities of similar maturity

Market Risk: the risk that the value of securities owned by the Fund may go up or down, sometimes rapidly or unpredictably, due to factors affecting securities markets generally or particular industries

Issuer Risk: the risk that the value of a security may decline for a reason directly related to the issuer, such as management performance, financial leverage and reduced demand for the issuer's goods or services

Liquidity Risk: the risk that a particular investment may be difficult to purchase or sell and that the Fund may be unable to sell illiquid securities at an advantageous time or price or achieve its desired level of exposure to a certain sector. Liquidity risk may result from the lack of an active market, reduced number and capacity of traditional market participants to make a market in fixed income securities, and may be magnified in a rising interest rate environment or other circumstances where investor redemptions from fixed income mutual funds may be higher than normal, causing increased supply in the market due to selling activity

Derivatives Risk: the risk of investing in derivative instruments (such as futures, swaps and structured securities), including leverage, liquidity, interest rate, market, credit and management risks, mispricing or valuation complexity. Changes in the value of the derivative may not correlate perfectly with, and may be more sensitive to market events than, the underlying asset, rate or index, and the Fund could lose more than the initial amount invested. The Fund's use of derivatives may result in losses to the Fund, a reduction in the Fund's returns and/or increased volatility. Over-the-counter ("OTC") derivatives are also subject to the risk that a counterparty to the transaction will not fulfill its contractual obligations to the other party, as many of the protections afforded to centrally-cleared derivative transactions might not be available for OTC derivatives. For derivatives traded on an exchange or through a central counterparty, credit risk resides with the Fund's clearing broker, or the clearinghouse itself, rather than with a counterparty in an OTC derivative transaction. Changes in regulation relating to a mutual fund's use of derivatives and related instruments could potentially limit or impact the Fund's ability to invest in derivatives, limit the Fund's ability to employ certain strategies that use derivatives and/or adversely affect the value of derivatives and the Fund's performance

Equity Risk: the risk that the value of equity securities, such as common stocks and preferred securities, may decline due to general market conditions which are not specifically related to a particular company or to factors affecting a particular industry or industries. Equity securities generally have greater price volatility than fixed income securities

Mortgage-Related and Other Asset-Backed Securities Risk: the risks of investing in mortgage-related and other asset-backed securities, including interest rate risk, extension risk, prepayment risk and credit risk

Foreign (Non-U.S.) Investment Risk: the risk that investing in foreign (non-U.S.) securities may result in the Fund experiencing more rapid and

 

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Prospectus

extreme changes in value than a fund that invests exclusively in securities of U.S. companies, due to smaller markets, differing reporting, accounting and auditing standards, increased risk of delayed settlement of portfolio transactions or loss of certificates of portfolio securities, and the risk of unfavorable foreign government actions, including nationalization, expropriation or confiscatory taxation, currency blockage, or political changes or diplomatic developments. Foreign securities may also be less liquid and more difficult to value than securities of U.S. issuers

Emerging Markets Risk: the risk of investing in emerging market securities, primarily increased foreign (non-U.S.) investment risk

Sovereign Debt Risk: the risk that investments in fixed income instruments issued by sovereign entities may decline in value as a result of default or other adverse credit event resulting from an issuer's inability or unwillingness to make principal or interest payments in a timely fashion

Currency Risk: the risk that foreign (non-U.S.) currencies will change in value relative to the U.S. dollar and affect the Fund's investments in foreign (non-U.S.) currencies or in securities that trade in, and receive revenues in, or in derivatives that provide exposure to, foreign (non-U.S.) currencies

Leveraging Risk: the risk that certain transactions of the Fund, such as reverse repurchase agreements, loans of portfolio securities, and the use of when-issued, delayed delivery or forward commitment transactions, or derivative instruments, may give rise to leverage, magnifying gains and losses and causing the Fund to be more volatile than if it had not been leveraged. This means that leverage entails a heightened risk of loss

Management Risk: the risk that the investment techniques and risk analyses applied by PIMCO will not produce the desired results and that legislative, regulatory, or tax restrictions, policies or developments may affect the investment techniques available to PIMCO and the individual portfolio manager in connection with managing the Fund. There is no guarantee that the investment objective of the Fund will be achieved

Short Exposure Risk: the risk of entering into short sales, including the potential loss of more money than the actual cost of the investment, and the risk that the third party to the short sale will not fulfill its contractual obligations, causing a loss to the Fund

Please see "Description of Principal Risks" in the Fund's prospectus for a more detailed description of the risks of investing in the Fund. An investment in the Fund is not a deposit of a bank and is not insured or guaranteed by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation or any other government agency.

Performance Information

The Fund measures its performance against a primary benchmark and a secondary benchmark. The Fund's primary benchmark is the S&P 500 Index. The Fund's secondary benchmark is a blend constructed by adding the returns of the S&P 500 Index to the Bloomberg Barclays Long-Term Government/Credit Index and subtracting 3-Month LIBOR (London Interbank Offered Rate). This blend is intended to represent a portfolio which obtains 100% exposure to the S&P 500 Index via derivatives in exchange for the payment of 3-Month LIBOR, and invests the capital in a long duration bond portfolio. The portfolio manager believes that this self-blended benchmark reflects the Fund's investment strategy more accurately than the S&P 500 Index.

The performance information shows summary performance information for the Fund in a bar chart and an Average Annual Total Returns table. The information provides some indication of the risks of investing in the Fund by showing changes in its performance from year to year and by showing how the Fund's average annual returns compare with the returns of a broad-based securities market index and an index of similar funds. Absent any applicable fee waivers and/or expense limitations, performance would have been lower. The bar chart shows performance of the Fund's Institutional Class shares. The Fund's I-2 and Class A shares have not commenced operations as of the date of this prospectus. The Fund's past performance, before and after taxes, is not necessarily an indication of how the Fund will perform in the future.

The S&P 500 Index is an unmanaged market index generally considered representative of the stock market as a whole. The Index focuses on the large-cap segment of the U.S. equities market. The secondary benchmark is a blend constructed by adding the returns of the S&P 500 Index to the Bloomberg Barclays Long-Term Government/Credit Index and subtracting 3-month LIBOR. The Bloomberg Barclays Long-Term Government/Credit Index is an unmanaged index of U.S. Government or Investment Grade Credit Securities having a maturity of 10 years or more. The 3 Month LIBOR (London Interbank Offered Rate) is an average interest rate, determined by the ICE Benchmark Administration, that banks charge one another for the use of short-term money (3 months) in England's Eurodollar market. The Lipper Specialty Diversified Equity Funds Average is a total return performance average of funds tracked by Lipper, Inc., that, by portfolio practice, invest in all market capitalization ranges without restriction. These funds typically have distinctly different strategies and performance, resulting in a low coefficient of determination (r-squared) compared to other U.S. diversified equity funds.

Performance for the Fund is updated daily and quarterly and may be obtained as follows: daily updates on the net asset value and performance page at http://investments.pimco.com/DailyPerformance and quarterly updates at http://investments.pimco.com/QuarterlyPerformance.

Calendar Year Total Returns — Institutional Class*

 

[To be updated by subsequent amendment]



*The year-to-date return as of June 30, 2018 is [ ]%. For the periods shown in the bar chart, the highest quarterly return was [ ]% in the [ ], and the lowest quarterly return was [ ]% in the [ ].

 

[ ] | PROSPECTUS

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PIMCO StocksPLUS® Long Duration Fund

Average Annual Total Returns (for periods ended 12/31/17)

 

1 Year

5 Years

10 Years

Institutional Class Return Before Taxes

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

Institutional Class Return After Taxes on Distributions‌(1)

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

Institutional Class Return After Taxes on Distributions and Sales of Fund Shares‌(1)

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

S&P 500 Index (reflects no deductions for fees, expenses or taxes)

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

S&P 500 Index + Bloomberg Barclays Long-Term Government/Credit Index - 3 Month LIBOR (reflects no deductions for fees, expenses or taxes)

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

 

Lipper Specialty Diversified Equity Funds Average (reflects no deductions for taxes)

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

(1) After-tax returns are calculated using the highest historical individual federal marginal income tax rates and do not reflect the impact of state and local taxes. Actual after-tax returns depend on an investor's tax situation and may differ from those shown, and the after-tax returns shown are not relevant to investors who hold their Fund shares through tax-deferred arrangements, such as 401(k) plans or individual retirement accounts. In some cases the return after taxes may exceed the return before taxes due to an assumed tax benefit from any losses on a sale of Fund shares at the end of the measurement period. After-tax returns are for Institutional Class shares only. After-tax returns for other classes will vary.

Investment Adviser/Portfolio Manager

PIMCO serves as the investment adviser for the Fund. The Fund's portfolio is jointly managed by Michael Cudzil, Mohit Mittal and Stephen Rodosky. Messrs. Cudzil, Mittal and Rodosky are Managing Directors of PIMCO. Mr. Rodosky has managed the Fund since its inception in August 2007. Messrs. Cudzil and Mittal have managed the Fund since February 2016.

Other Important Information Regarding Fund Shares

For important information about purchase and sale of Fund shares, tax information, and payments to broker-dealers and other financial intermediaries, please turn to the "Summary of Other Important Information Regarding Fund Shares" section on page [ ] of this prospectus.

 

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PIMCO StocksPLUS® Short Fund

Investment Objective

The Fund seeks total return through the implementation of short investment positions on the S&P 500 Index.

Fees and Expenses of the Fund

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 $100,000 in Class A shares of eligible funds offered by PIMCO Equity Series and PIMCO Funds. More information about these and other discounts is available in the "Classes of Shares" section on page [ ] of the Fund's prospectus, Appendix B to the Fund's prospectus (Financial Firm-Specific Sales Charge Waivers and Discounts) or from your financial advisor.

Shareholder Fees (fees paid directly from your investment):

 

Inst
Class

I-2

I-3

Class A

Class C

Maximum Sales Charge (Load) Imposed on Purchases (as a percentage of offering price)

None

None

None

3.75%

None

Maximum Deferred Sales Charge (Load) (as a percentage of the lower of the original purchase price or redemption price)

None

None

None

1.00%

1.00%

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

 

Inst
Class

I-2

I-3

Class A

Class C

Management Fees

0.64%

0.74%

0.84%

0.79%

0.79%

Distribution and/or Service (12b-1) Fees

N/A

N/A

N/A

0.25%

1.00%

Other Expenses(1)

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

Fee Waiver and/or Expense Reimbursement(2)

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses After Fee Waiver and/or Expense Reimbursement

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

 

1 "Other Expenses" include interest expense of [ ]%. Interest expense is borne by the Fund separately from the management fees paid to Pacific Investment Management Company LLC ("PIMCO"). Excluding interest expense, Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses After Fee Waiver and/or Expense Reimbursement are [ ]%, [ ]%, [ ]%, [ ]% and [ ]% for Institutional Class, I-2, I-3, Class A and Class C shares, respectively.

2 PIMCO has contractually agreed, through July 31, 2019, to reduce its supervisory and administrative fee for the Fund's I-3 shares by 0.05% of the average daily net assets attributable to I-3 shares of the Fund. This Fee Waiver Agreement renews annually unless terminated by PIMCO upon at least 30 days' prior notice to the end of the contract term.

Example. The Example is intended to help you compare the cost of investing in Institutional Class, I-2, I-3, Class A or Class C shares of the Fund with the costs of investing in other mutual funds. The Example assumes that you invest $10,000 in the noted class of shares for the time periods indicated, and then redeem all 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. Investors may pay brokerage commissions on their purchases and sales of Institutional Class, I-2 or I-3 shares of the Fund, which are not reflected in the Example. Although your actual costs may be higher or lower, based on these assumptions your costs would be:

If you redeem your shares at the end of each period:

 

1 Year

3 Years

5 Years

10 Years

Institutional Class

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

I-2

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

I-3

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

Class A

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

Class C

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

If you do not redeem your shares:

 

1 Year

3 Years

5 Years

10 Years

Class A

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

Class C

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

Portfolio Turnover

The Fund pays transaction costs 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 the Annual Fund Operating Expenses or in the Example tables, affect the Fund's performance. During the most recent fiscal year, the Fund's portfolio turnover rate was [ ]% of the average value of its portfolio.

Principal Investment Strategies

The Fund seeks to achieve its investment objective by investing primarily in short positions with respect to the S&P 500 Index (the "Index") or specific Index securities, backed by a portfolio of Fixed Income Instruments, such that the Fund's net asset value may vary inversely with the value of the Index on a daily basis, subject to certain limitations summarized below. In managing the Fund's investments in Fixed Income Instruments, PIMCO utilizes an absolute return approach, which is designed to have flexibility with respect to duration, overall sector exposures, non-U.S. exposures and credit quality, both as a function of the strategy's investment guidelines and lack of a fixed income index benchmark. The absolute return approach seeks positive investment returns regardless of market environment and does not apply to the equity index replicating component of the Fund. "Fixed Income Instruments" include bonds, debt securities and other similar instruments issued by various U.S. and non-U.S. public- or private-sector entities. The Fund will generally benefit when the price of the Index is declining. When the Index is rising, the Fund will generally not perform as well. Fixed Income Instruments owned by the Fund may also benefit or detract from the Fund's net asset value. The Fund is designed for investors seeking to take advantage of declines in the value of the Index, or investors wishing to hedge existing long equity positions. However, the Fund is not designed or expected to produce returns which replicate the inverse of the performance of the Index due to compounding, PIMCO active management, Fund fees and expenses and other factors discussed below.

The Fund will maintain short positions through the use of a combination of derivatives, including options, futures, options on futures, and swaps. The Fund may invest, without limitation, in such instruments. While the Fund will, under normal circumstances, invest primarily in Index short positions backed by a portfolio of Fixed Income Instruments, PIMCO may reduce the

 



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PIMCO StocksPLUS® Short Fund

Fund's exposure to Index short positions when PIMCO deems it appropriate to do so. Additionally, the Fund may purchase call options on Index futures contracts or on other similar Index derivatives in an effort to limit the total potential decline in the Fund's net asset value during a market in which prices of securities are rising or expected to rise.

Assets not invested in equity securities or derivatives may be invested in Fixed Income Instruments. PIMCO actively manages the fixed income assets held by the Fund with a view toward enhancing the Fund's total return, subject to an overall portfolio duration which normally varies from (negative) 3 years to positive 8 years based on PIMCO's market forecasts. Duration is a measure used to determine the sensitivity of a security's price to changes in interest rates.  The longer a security's duration, the more sensitive it will be to changes in interest rates. The Fund may invest up to 20% of its total assets in high yield securities ("junk bonds") rated B or higher by Moody's Investors Service, Inc. ("Moody's"), or equivalently rated by Standard & Poor's Ratings Services ("S&P") or Fitch, Inc. ("Fitch"), or, if unrated, determined by PIMCO to be of comparable quality (except that within such 20% limitation, the Fund may invest in mortgage-related securities rated below B). The Fund may invest, without limitation, in securities denominated in foreign currencies and in U.S. dollar-denominated securities of foreign issuers. The Fund may invest up to 25% of its total assets in securities and instruments that are economically tied to emerging market countries (this limitation does not apply to investment grade sovereign debt denominated in the local currency with less than 1 year remaining to maturity, which means the Fund may invest in such instruments without limitation subject to any applicable legal or regulatory limitation). The Fund will normally limit its foreign currency exposure (from non-U.S. dollar-denominated securities or currencies) to 35% of its total assets. The Fund will normally limit its exposure (from non-U.S. dollar-denominated securities or currencies) to each non-U.S. currency to 10% of its total assets. The Fund will normally limit its aggregate U.S. dollar exposure from transactions or instruments that reference the relative return of a non-U.S. currency or currencies as compared to the U.S. dollar to 20% of its total assets. The Fund may also invest up to 10% of its total assets in preferred securities.

Although the Fund uses derivatives and other short positions to gain exposures that may vary inversely with the performance of the Index on a daily basis, the Fund as a whole is not designed or expected to produce returns which replicate the inverse of the performance of the Index, and the degree of variation could be substantial, particularly over longer periods.

Principal Risks

It is possible to lose money on an investment in the Fund. Under certain conditions, even if the value of the Index is declining (which could be beneficial to the Fund's short strategy), this could be offset by declining values of Fixed Income Instruments held by the Fund. Conversely, it is possible that rising fixed income securities prices could be offset by a rising Index (which could lead to losses in a short strategy). In either scenario the Fund may experience losses. In a market where the value of the Index is rising and the Fund's Fixed Income Instrument holdings are declining, the Fund may experience substantial losses. The principal risks of investing in the Fund, which could adversely affect its net asset value, yield and total return, are:

Interest Rate Risk: the risk that fixed income securities will decline in value because of an increase in interest rates; a fund with a longer average portfolio duration will be more sensitive to changes in interest rates than a fund with a shorter average portfolio duration

Call Risk: the risk that an issuer may exercise its right to redeem a fixed income security earlier than expected (a call). Issuers may call outstanding securities prior to their maturity for a number of reasons (e.g., declining interest rates, changes in credit spreads and improvements in the issuer's credit quality). If an issuer calls a security that the Fund has invested in, the Fund may not recoup the full amount of its initial investment and may be forced to reinvest in lower-yielding securities, securities with greater credit risks or securities with other, less favorable features

Credit Risk: the risk that the Fund could lose money if the issuer or guarantor of a fixed income security, or the counterparty to a derivative contract, is unable or unwilling to meet its financial obligations

High Yield Risk: the risk that high yield securities and unrated securities of similar credit quality (commonly known as "junk bonds") are subject to greater levels of credit, call and liquidity risks. High yield securities are considered primarily speculative with respect to the issuer's continuing ability to make principal and interest payments, and may be more volatile than higher-rated securities of similar maturity

Market Risk: the risk that the value of securities owned by the Fund may go up or down, sometimes rapidly or unpredictably, due to factors affecting securities markets generally or particular industries

Issuer Risk: the risk that the value of a security may decline for a reason directly related to the issuer, such as management performance, financial leverage and reduced demand for the issuer's goods or services

Inverse Correlation and Compounding Risk: the risk that the Fund's performance may vary substantially from the inverse performance of the Index for a number of reasons, including the effects of compounding on the performance of the Fund's derivatives short positions for periods greater than one day, the results of PIMCO's active management of the Fund (including income and gains or losses from Fixed Income Instruments and variations in the Fund's level of short exposure) and that derivatives positions in general may not correlate exactly with an index

Liquidity Risk: the risk that a particular investment may be difficult to purchase or sell and that the Fund may be unable to sell illiquid securities at an advantageous time or price or achieve its desired level of exposure to a certain sector. Liquidity risk may result from the lack of an active market, reduced number and capacity of traditional market participants to make a market in fixed income securities, and may be magnified in a rising interest rate environment or other circumstances where investor redemptions from fixed income mutual funds may be higher than normal, causing increased supply in the market due to selling activity

Derivatives Risk: the risk of investing in derivative instruments (such as futures, swaps and structured securities), including leverage, liquidity, interest rate, market, credit and management risks, mispricing or valuation complexity. Changes in the value of the derivative may not correlate

 

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Prospectus

perfectly with, and may be more sensitive to market events than, the underlying asset, rate or index, and the Fund could lose more than the initial amount invested. The Fund's use of derivatives may result in losses to the Fund, a reduction in the Fund's returns and/or increased volatility. Over-the-counter ("OTC") derivatives are also subject to the risk that a counterparty to the transaction will not fulfill its contractual obligations to the other party, as many of the protections afforded to centrally-cleared derivative transactions might not be available for OTC derivatives. For derivatives traded on an exchange or through a central counterparty, credit risk resides with the Fund's clearing broker, or the clearinghouse itself, rather than with a counterparty in an OTC derivative transaction. Changes in regulation relating to a mutual fund's use of derivatives and related instruments could potentially limit or impact the Fund's ability to invest in derivatives, limit the Fund's ability to employ certain strategies that use derivatives and/or adversely affect the value of derivatives and the Fund's performance

Equity Risk: the risk that the value of equity securities, such as common stocks and preferred securities, may decline due to general market conditions which are not specifically related to a particular company or to factors affecting a particular industry or industries. Equity securities generally have greater price volatility than fixed income securities

Mortgage-Related and Other Asset-Backed Securities Risk: the risks of investing in mortgage-related and other asset-backed securities, including interest rate risk, extension risk, prepayment risk and credit risk

Foreign (Non-U.S.) Investment Risk: the risk that investing in foreign (non-U.S.) securities may result in the Fund experiencing more rapid and extreme changes in value than a fund that invests exclusively in securities of U.S. companies, due to smaller markets, differing reporting, accounting and auditing standards, increased risk of delayed settlement of portfolio transactions or loss of certificates of portfolio securities, and the risk of unfavorable foreign government actions, including nationalization, expropriation or confiscatory taxation, currency blockage, or political changes or diplomatic developments. Foreign securities may also be less liquid and more difficult to value than securities of U.S. issuers

Emerging Markets Risk: the risk of investing in emerging market securities, primarily increased foreign (non-U.S.) investment risk

Sovereign Debt Risk: the risk that investments in fixed income instruments issued by sovereign entities may decline in value as a result of default or other adverse credit event resulting from an issuer's inability or unwillingness to make principal or interest payments in a timely fashion

Currency Risk: the risk that foreign (non-U.S.) currencies will change in value relative to the U.S. dollar and affect the Fund's investments in foreign (non-U.S.) currencies or in securities that trade in, and receive revenues in, or in derivatives that provide exposure to, foreign (non-U.S.) currencies

Leveraging Risk: the risk that certain transactions of the Fund, such as reverse repurchase agreements, loans of portfolio securities, and the use of when-issued, delayed delivery or forward commitment transactions, or derivative instruments, may give rise to leverage, magnifying gains and losses and causing the Fund to be more volatile than if it had not been leveraged. This means that leverage entails a heightened risk of loss

Management Risk: the risk that the investment techniques and risk analyses applied by PIMCO will not produce the desired results and that legislative, regulatory, or tax restrictions, policies or developments may affect the investment techniques available to PIMCO and the individual portfolio manager in connection with managing the Fund. There is no guarantee that the investment objective of the Fund will be achieved

Short Exposure Risk: the risk of entering into short sales, including the potential loss of more money than the actual cost of the investment, and the risk that the third party to the short sale will not fulfill its contractual obligations, causing a loss to the Fund

Please see "Description of Principal Risks" in the Fund's prospectus for a more detailed description of the risks of investing in the Fund. An investment in the Fund is not a deposit of a bank and is not insured or guaranteed by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation or any other government agency.

Performance Information

The Fund measures its performance against a primary benchmark and a secondary benchmark. The Fund's primary benchmark is the S&P 500 Index. The Fund's performance may vary inversely with the value of the S&P 500 Index on a daily basis, subject to certain limitations. The Fund's secondary benchmark is the Inverse of S&P 500 Index. The Fund believes that the secondary benchmark reflects the Fund's investment strategy more accurately than the S&P 500 Index. It may be reasonable to expect significant differences between the Fund's performance and that of the secondary benchmark, as well as potentially significant differences between the Fund's primary and secondary benchmarks due to compounding and other considerations.

The performance information shows summary performance information for the Fund in a bar chart and an Average Annual Total Returns table. The information provides some indication of the risks of investing in the Fund by showing changes in its performance from year to year and by showing how the Fund's average annual returns compare with the returns of a broad-based securities market index and an index of similar funds. Absent any applicable fee waivers and/or expense limitations, performance would have been lower. The bar chart shows performance of the Fund's Institutional Class shares. For periods prior to the inception date of I-2 shares (January 29, 2010), performance information shown in the table for that class is based on the performance of the Fund's Institutional Class shares, adjusted to reflect the actual distribution and/or service (12b-1) fees and other expenses paid by that class of shares. Performance in the Average Annual Total Returns table reflects the impact of sales charges. The I-3 shares of the Fund have not commenced operations as of the date of this prospectus. The Fund's past performance, before and after taxes, is not necessarily an indication of how the Fund will perform in the future.

The S&P 500 Index is an unmanaged market index generally considered representative of the stock market as a whole. The Index focuses on the large-cap segment of the U.S. equities market. The Fund's performance may vary inversely with the value of the index on a daily basis, subject to certain limitations. Effective July 31, 2009, the Fund selected the S&P 500 Index as its primary benchmark in replacement of the Inverse of the S&P 500 Index, which the Fund retains as its secondary benchmark. The Fund added the S&P 500 Index to facilitate a comparison of the Fund's performance to the

 

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PIMCO StocksPLUS® Short Fund

S&P 500 Index. The Inverse of the S&P 500 Index is the negative equivalent of the return of the S&P 500 Index. The Lipper Dedicated Short-Bias Fund Average is a total return performance average of funds tracked by Lipper, Inc. that employ portfolio strategies consistently creating a "net short" exposure to the market. This classification also includes short-only funds, i.e., funds that pursue short sales of stock or stock index options.

Performance for the Fund is updated daily and quarterly and may be obtained as follows: daily updates on the net asset value and performance page at http://investments.pimco.com/DailyPerformance and quarterly updates at http://investments.pimco.com/QuarterlyPerformance.

Calendar Year Total Returns — Institutional Class*

 

[To be updated by subsequent amendment]



*The year-to-date return as of June 30, 2018 is [ ]%. For the periods shown in the bar chart, the highest quarterly return was [ ]% in the [ ], and the lowest quarterly return was [ ]% in the [ ].

Average Annual Total Returns (for periods ended 12/31/17)

 

1 Year

5 Years

10 Years

Institutional Class Return Before Taxes

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

Institutional Class Return After Taxes on Distributions‌(1)

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

Institutional Class Return After Taxes on Distributions and Sales of Fund Shares‌(1)

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

I-2 Return Before Taxes

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

Class A Return Before Taxes

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

Class C Return Before Taxes

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

S&P 500 Index (reflects no deductions for fees, expenses or taxes)

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

Inverse of S&P 500 Index (reflects no deductions for fees, expenses or taxes)

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

 

Lipper Dedicated Short-Bias Fund Average (reflects no deductions for taxes)

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

(1) After-tax returns are calculated using the highest historical individual federal marginal income tax rates and do not reflect the impact of state and local taxes. Actual after-tax returns depend on an investor's tax situation and may differ from those shown, and the after-tax returns shown are not relevant to investors who hold their Fund shares through tax-deferred arrangements, such as 401(k) plans or individual retirement accounts. In some cases the return after taxes may exceed the return before taxes due to an assumed tax benefit from any losses on a sale of Fund shares at the end of the measurement period. After-tax returns are for Institutional Class shares only. After-tax returns for other classes will vary.

Investment Adviser/Portfolio Manager

PIMCO serves as the investment adviser for the Fund. The Fund's portfolio is jointly managed by Mohsen Fahmi and Sudi Mariappa. Each of Messrs. Fahmi and Mariappa is a Managing Director of PIMCO. Mr. Fahmi has jointly managed the Fund since September 2014, and Mr. Mariappa has jointly managed the Fund since January 2015.

Other Important Information Regarding Fund Shares

For important information about purchase and sale of Fund shares, tax information, and payments to broker-dealers and other financial intermediaries, please turn to the "Summary of Other Important Information Regarding Fund Shares" section on page [ ] of this prospectus.

 

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PIMCO StocksPLUS® Small Fund

Investment Objective

The Fund seeks total return which exceeds that of the Russell 2000® Index.

Fees and Expenses of the Fund

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 $100,000 in Class A shares of eligible funds offered by PIMCO Equity Series and PIMCO Funds. More information about these and other discounts is available in the "Classes of Shares" section on page [ ] of the Fund's prospectus, Appendix B to the Fund's prospectus (Financial Firm-Specific Sales Charge Waivers and Discounts) or from your financial advisor.

Shareholder Fees (fees paid directly from your investment):

 

Inst
Class

I-2

I-3

Admin
Class

Class A

Class C

Maximum Sales Charge (Load) Imposed on Purchases (as a percentage of offering price)

None

None

None

None

3.75%

None

Maximum Deferred Sales Charge (Load) (as a percentage of the lower of the original purchase price or redemption price)

None

None

None

None

1.00%

1.00%

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

 

Inst
Class

I-2

I-3

Admin
Class

Class A

Class C

Management Fees

0.69%

0.79%

0.89%

0.69%

0.84%

0.84%

Distribution and/or Service (12b-1) Fees

N/A

N/A

N/A

0.25%

0.25%

1.00%

Other Expenses(1)

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

Fee Waiver and/or Expense Reimbursement(2)

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

Total Annual Fund Operating Expense Reimbursement

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

 

1 "Other Expenses" include interest expense of [ ]%. Interest expense is borne by the Fund separately from the management fees paid to Pacific Investment Management Company LLC ("PIMCO"). Excluding interest expense, Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses After Fee Waiver and/or Expense Reimbursement are [ ]%, [ ]%, [ ]%, [ ]%, [ ]% and [ ];% for Institutional Class, I-2, I-3, Administrative Class, Class A and Class C shares, respectively.

2 PIMCO has contractually agreed, through July 31, 2019, to reduce its supervisory and administrative fee for the Fund's I-3 shares by 0.05% of the average daily net assets attributable to I-3 shares of the Fund. This Fee Waiver Agreement renews annually unless terminated by PIMCO upon at least 30 days' prior notice to the end of the contract term.

Example. The Example is intended to help you compare the cost of investing in Institutional Class, I-2, I-3, Administrative Class, Class A or Class C shares of the Fund with the costs of investing in other mutual funds. The Example assumes that you invest $10,000 in the noted class of shares for the time periods indicated, and then redeem all 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. Investors may pay brokerage commissions on their purchases and sales of Institutional Class, I-2 or I-3 shares of the Fund, which are not reflected in the Example. Although your actual costs may be higher or lower, based on these assumptions your costs would be:

If you redeem your shares at the end of each period:

 

1 Year

3 Years

5 Years

10 Years

Institutional Class

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

I-2

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

I-3

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

Administrative Class

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

Class A

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

Class C

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

If you do not redeem your shares:

 

1 Year

3 Years

5 Years

10 Years

Class A

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

Class C

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

Portfolio Turnover

The Fund pays transaction costs 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 the Annual Fund Operating Expenses or in the Example tables, affect the Fund's performance. During the most recent fiscal year, the Fund's portfolio turnover rate was [ ]% of the average value of its portfolio.

Principal Investment Strategies

The Fund seeks to exceed the total return of the Russell 2000® Index by investing under normal circumstances in Russell 2000® Index derivatives, backed by a diversified portfolio of Fixed Income Instruments actively managed by PIMCO. In managing the Fund's investments in Fixed Income Instruments, PIMCO utilizes an absolute return approach, which is designed to have flexibility with respect to duration, overall sector exposures, non-U.S. exposures and credit quality, both as a function of the strategy's investment guidelines and lack of a fixed income index benchmark. The absolute return approach seeks positive investment returns regardless of market environment and does not apply to the equity index replicating component of the Fund. "Fixed Income Instruments" include bonds, debt securities and other similar instruments issued by various U.S. and non-U.S. public- or private-sector entities. The Fund may invest in common stocks, options, futures, options on futures and swaps. The Fund normally uses Russell 2000® Index derivatives instead of Russell 2000® Index stocks to attempt to equal or exceed the performance of the Russell 2000® Index. The Fund typically will seek to gain long exposure to its benchmark index in an amount, under normal circumstances, approximately equal to the Fund's net assets. The value of Russell 2000® Index derivatives should closely track changes in the value of the index. However, Russell 2000® Index derivatives may be purchased with a small fraction of the assets that would be needed to purchase the equity securities directly, so that the remainder of the assets may be invested in Fixed Income Instruments. PIMCO actively manages the Fixed Income Instruments held by the Fund with a view toward enhancing the Fund's total return, subject to an overall portfolio duration which

 



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PIMCO StocksPLUS® Small Fund

normally varies from (negative) 3 years to positive 8 years based on PIMCO's market forecasts. Duration is a measure used to determine the sensitivity of a security's price to changes in interest rates. The longer a security's duration, the more sensitive it will be to changes in interest rates.

The Russell 2000® Index is composed of 2,000 of the smallest companies in the Russell 3000® Index, which represents approximately 10% of the total market capitalization of the Russell 3000® Index. As of [ ], the Russell 2000® Index's average market capitalization (dollar-weighted) was [ ]. The Fund seeks to remain invested in Russell 2000® Index derivatives or Russell 2000® Index stocks even when the Russell 2000® Index is declining.

Though the Fund does not normally invest directly in Russell 2000® Index securities, when Russell 2000® Index derivatives appear to be overvalued relative to the Russell 2000® Index, the Fund may invest all of its assets in a "basket" of Russell 2000® Index stocks.

The Fund may invest, without limitation, in derivative instruments, such as options, futures contracts or swap agreements, or in mortgage- or asset-backed securities, subject to applicable law and any other restrictions described in the Fund's prospectus or Statement of Additional Information. The Fund may purchase or sell securities on a when-issued, delayed delivery or forward commitment basis and may engage in short sales. Assets not invested in equity securities or derivatives may be invested in Fixed Income Instruments. The Fund may invest up to 20% of its total assets in high yield securities ("junk bonds") rated B or higher by Moody's Investors Service, Inc. ("Moody's"), or equivalently rated by Standard & Poor's Ratings Services ("S&P") or Fitch, Inc. ("Fitch"), or, if unrated, determined by PIMCO to be of comparable quality (except that within such 20% limitation, the Fund may invest in mortgage-related securities rated below B). The Fund may invest, without limitation, in securities denominated in foreign currencies and in U.S. dollar-denominated securities of foreign issuers. With respect to the Fund's fixed income investments, the Fund may invest up to 25% of its total assets in securities and instruments that are economically tied to emerging market countries (this limitation does not apply to investment grade sovereign debt denominated in the local currency with less than 1 year remaining to maturity, which means the Fund may invest in such instruments without limitation subject to any applicable legal or regulatory limitation). With respect to the Fund's fixed income investments, the Fund will normally limit its foreign currency exposure (from non-U.S. dollar-denominated securities or currencies) to 35% of its total assets. With respect to the Fund's fixed income investments, the Fund will normally limit its exposure (from non-U.S. dollar-denominated securities or currencies) to each non-U.S. currency to 10% of its total assets. With respect to the Fund's fixed income investments, the Fund will normally limit its aggregate U.S. dollar exposure from transactions or instruments that reference the relative return of a non-U.S. currency or currencies as compared to the U.S. dollar to 20% of its total assets. The Fund may also invest up to 10% of its total assets in preferred securities.

Principal Risks

It is possible to lose money on an investment in the Fund. Under certain conditions, generally in a market where the value of both Russell 2000® Index derivatives and Fixed Income Instruments are declining or in periods of heightened market volatility, the Fund may experience greater losses or lesser gains than would be the case if it invested directly in a portfolio of Russell 2000® Index stocks. The principal risks of investing in the Fund, which could adversely affect its net asset value, yield and total return, are:

Interest Rate Risk: the risk that fixed income securities will decline in value because of an increase in interest rates; a fund with a longer average portfolio duration will be more sensitive to changes in interest rates than a fund with a shorter average portfolio duration

Call Risk: the risk that an issuer may exercise its right to redeem a fixed income security earlier than expected (a call). Issuers may call outstanding securities prior to their maturity for a number of reasons (e.g., declining interest rates, changes in credit spreads and improvements in the issuer's credit quality). If an issuer calls a security that the Fund has invested in, the Fund may not recoup the full amount of its initial investment and may be forced to reinvest in lower-yielding securities, securities with greater credit risks or securities with other, less favorable features

Credit Risk: the risk that the Fund could lose money if the issuer or guarantor of a fixed income security, or the counterparty to a derivative contract, is unable or unwilling to meet its financial obligations

High Yield Risk: the risk that high yield securities and unrated securities of similar credit quality (commonly known as "junk bonds") are subject to greater levels of credit, call and liquidity risks. High yield securities are considered primarily speculative with respect to the issuer's continuing ability to make principal and interest payments, and may be more volatile than higher-rated securities of similar maturity

Market Risk: the risk that the value of securities owned by the Fund may go up or down, sometimes rapidly or unpredictably, due to factors affecting securities markets generally or particular industries

Issuer Risk: the risk that the value of a security may decline for a reason directly related to the issuer, such as management performance, financial leverage and reduced demand for the issuer's goods or services

Liquidity Risk: the risk that a particular investment may be difficult to purchase or sell and that the Fund may be unable to sell illiquid securities at an advantageous time or price or achieve its desired level of exposure to a certain sector. Liquidity risk may result from the lack of an active market, reduced number and capacity of traditional market participants to make a market in fixed income securities, and may be magnified in a rising interest rate environment or other circumstances where investor redemptions from fixed income mutual funds may be higher than normal, causing increased supply in the market due to selling activity

Derivatives Risk: the risk of investing in derivative instruments (such as futures, swaps and structured securities), including leverage, liquidity, interest rate, market, credit and management risks, mispricing or valuation complexity. Changes in the value of the derivative may not correlate perfectly with, and may be more sensitive to market events than, the underlying asset, rate or index, and the Fund could lose more than the initial amount invested. The Fund's use of derivatives may result in losses to the Fund, a reduction in the Fund's returns and/or increased volatility. Over-the-counter ("OTC") derivatives are also subject to the risk that a counterparty to the transaction will not fulfill its contractual obligations to the other party, as many of the protections afforded to centrally-cleared

 

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Prospectus

derivative transactions might not be available for OTC derivatives. For derivatives traded on an exchange or through a central counterparty, credit risk resides with the Fund's clearing broker, or the clearinghouse itself, rather than with a counterparty in an OTC derivative transaction. Changes in regulation relating to a mutual fund's use of derivatives and related instruments could potentially limit or impact the Fund's ability to invest in derivatives, limit the Fund's ability to employ certain strategies that use derivatives and/or adversely affect the value of derivatives and the Fund's performance

Equity Risk: the risk that the value of equity securities, such as common stocks and preferred securities, may decline due to general market conditions which are not specifically related to a particular company or to factors affecting a particular industry or industries. Equity securities generally have greater price volatility than fixed income securities

Mortgage-Related and Other Asset-Backed Securities Risk: the risks of investing in mortgage-related and other asset-backed securities, including interest rate risk, extension risk, prepayment risk and credit risk

Foreign (Non-U.S.) Investment Risk: the risk that investing in foreign (non-U.S.) securities may result in the Fund experiencing more rapid and extreme changes in value than a fund that invests exclusively in securities of U.S. companies, due to smaller markets, differing reporting, accounting and auditing standards, increased risk of delayed settlement of portfolio transactions or loss of certificates of portfolio securities, and the risk of unfavorable foreign government actions, including nationalization, expropriation or confiscatory taxation, currency blockage, or political changes or diplomatic developments. Foreign securities may also be less liquid and more difficult to value than securities of U.S. issuers

Emerging Markets Risk: the risk of investing in emerging market securities, primarily increased foreign (non-U.S.) investment risk

Sovereign Debt Risk: the risk that investments in fixed income instruments issued by sovereign entities may decline in value as a result of default or other adverse credit event resulting from an issuer's inability or unwillingness to make principal or interest payments in a timely fashion

Currency Risk: the risk that foreign (non-U.S.) currencies will change in value relative to the U.S. dollar and affect the Fund's investments in foreign (non-U.S.) currencies or in securities that trade in, and receive revenues in, or in derivatives that provide exposure to, foreign (non-U.S.) currencies

Leveraging Risk: the risk that certain transactions of the Fund, such as reverse repurchase agreements, loans of portfolio securities, and the use of when-issued, delayed delivery or forward commitment transactions, or derivative instruments, may give rise to leverage, magnifying gains and losses and causing the Fund to be more volatile than if it had not been leveraged. This means that leverage entails a heightened risk of loss

Smaller Company Risk: the risk that the value of securities issued by a smaller company may go up or down, sometimes rapidly and unpredictably as compared to more widely held securities, due to narrow markets and limited resources of smaller companies. A Fund's investments in smaller companies subject it to greater levels of credit, market and issuer risk

Management Risk: the risk that the investment techniques and risk analyses applied by PIMCO will not produce the desired results and that legislative, regulatory, or tax restrictions, policies or developments may affect the investment techniques available to PIMCO and the individual portfolio manager in connection with managing the Fund. There is no guarantee that the investment objective of the Fund will be achieved

Short Exposure Risk: the risk of entering into short sales, including the potential loss of more money than the actual cost of the investment, and the risk that the third party to the short sale will not fulfill its contractual obligations, causing a loss to the Fund

Please see "Description of Principal Risks" in the Fund's prospectus for a more detailed description of the risks of investing in the Fund. An investment in the Fund is not a deposit of a bank and is not insured or guaranteed by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation or any other government agency.

Performance Information

The performance information shows summary performance information for the Fund in a bar chart and an Average Annual Total Returns table. The information provides some indication of the risks of investing in the Fund by showing changes in its performance from year to year and by showing how the Fund's average annual returns compare with the returns of a broad-based securities market index and an index of similar funds. Absent any applicable fee waivers and/or expense limitations, performance would have been lower. The bar chart shows performance of the Fund's Institutional Class shares. For periods prior to the inception date of I-2 shares (April 30, 2008) and Administrative Class shares (June 30, 2014), performance information shown in the table for these classes is based on the performance of the Fund's Institutional Class shares, adjusted to reflect the actual distribution and/or service (12b-1) fees and other expenses paid by these classes of shares. Performance in the Average Annual Total Returns table reflects the impact of sales charges. The I-3 shares of the Fund have not commenced operations as of the date of this prospectus. The Fund's past performance, before and after taxes, is not necessarily an indication of how the Fund will perform in the future.

The Russell 2000® Index is composed of 2,000 of the smallest companies in the Russell 3000 Index and is considered to be representative of the small cap market in general. The Lipper Small-Cap Core Funds Average is a total performance average of funds tracked by Lipper, Inc. that, by portfolio practice, invest at least 75% of their equity assets in companies with market capitalizations (on a three-year weighted basis) below Lipper's USDE small-cap ceiling. Small-cap core funds have more latitude in the companies in which they invest. These funds typically have an average price-to-earnings ratio, price-to-book ratio, and three-year sales-per-share growth value, compared to the S&P SmallCap 600 Index.

Performance for the Fund is updated daily and quarterly and may be obtained as follows: daily updates on the net asset value and performance page at http://investments.pimco.com/DailyPerformance and quarterly updates at http://investments.pimco.com/QuarterlyPerformance.

 

[ ] | PROSPECTUS

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PIMCO StocksPLUS® Small Fund

Calendar Year Total Returns — Institutional Class*

 

[To be updated by subsequent amendment]



*The year-to-date return as of June 30, 2018 is [ ]%. For the periods shown in the bar chart, the highest quarterly return was [ ]% in the [ ], and the lowest quarterly return was [ ]% in the [ ].

Average Annual Total Returns (for periods ended 12/31/17)

 

1 Year

5 Years

10 Years

Institutional Class Return Before Taxes

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

Institutional Class Return After Taxes on Distributions‌(1)

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

Institutional Class Return After Taxes on Distributions and Sales of Fund Shares‌(1)

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

I-2 Return Before Taxes

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

Administrative Class Return Before Taxes

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

Class A Return Before Taxes

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

Class C Return Before Taxes

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

Russell 2000® Index (reflects no deductions for fees, expenses or taxes)

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

 

Lipper Small-Cap Core Funds Average (reflects no deductions for taxes)

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

(1) After-tax returns are calculated using the highest historical individual federal marginal income tax rates and do not reflect the impact of state and local taxes. Actual after-tax returns depend on an investor's tax situation and may differ from those shown, and the after-tax returns shown are not relevant to investors who hold their Fund shares through tax-deferred arrangements, such as 401(k) plans or individual retirement accounts. In some cases the return after taxes may exceed the return before taxes due to an assumed tax benefit from any losses on a sale of Fund shares at the end of the measurement period. After-tax returns are for Institutional Class shares only. After-tax returns for other classes will vary.

Investment Adviser/Portfolio Manager

PIMCO serves as the investment adviser for the Fund. The Fund's portfolio is jointly managed by Mohsen Fahmi and Sudi Mariappa. Each of Messrs. Fahmi and Mariappa is a Managing Director of PIMCO. Mr. Fahmi has jointly managed the Fund since September 2014, and Mr. Mariappa has jointly managed the Fund since January 2015.

Other Important Information Regarding Fund Shares

For important information about purchase and sale of Fund shares, tax information, and payments to broker-dealers and other financial intermediaries, please turn to the "Summary of Other Important Information Regarding Fund Shares" section on page [ ] of this prospectus.

 

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Summary of Other Important Information Regarding Fund Shares

Purchase and Sale of Fund Shares

Fund shares may be purchased or sold (redeemed) on any business day (normally any day when the New York Stock Exchange is open). Generally, purchase and redemption orders for Fund shares are processed at the net asset value next calculated after an order is received by the Fund.

Institutional Class, I-2, I-3 and Administrative Class

The minimum initial investment for Institutional Class, I-2, I-3 and Administrative Class shares of the Fund is $1 million, except that the minimum initial investment may be modified for certain financial firms that submit orders on behalf of their customers.

You may sell (redeem) all or part of your Institutional Class, I-2, I-3 and Administrative Class shares of the Fund on any business day. If you are the registered owner of the shares on the books of the Fund, depending on the elections made on the Account Application, you may sell by:

Sending a written request by mail to:
PIMCO Funds c/o DST Asset Manager Solutions
330 W. 9th Street, Kansas City, MO 64105 

Calling us at 888.87.PIMCO and a Shareholder Services associate will assist you 

Sending a fax to our Shareholder Services department at 816.421.2861 

Sending an e-mail to piprocess@dstsystems.com

Class A, Class C and Class R

The minimum initial investment for Class A and Class C shares of the Fund is $1,000. The minimum subsequent investment for Class A and Class C shares is $50. The minimum initial investment may be modified for certain financial firms that submit orders on behalf of their customers. Class C shares of each Fund will automatically convert into Class A shares of the same Fund after they have been held for ten years, as described in the "Classes of Shares" section of the Fund's prospectus. You may purchase or sell (redeem) all or part of your Class A and Class C shares through a broker-dealer, or other financial firm, or, if you are the registered owner of the shares on the books of the Fund, by regular mail to PIMCO Funds, P.O. Box 55060, Boston, MA 02205-5060 or overnight mail to PIMCO Funds, c/o DST Asset Manager Solutions, Inc., 30 Dan Road, Canton, MA 02021-2809. The Fund reserves the right to require payment by wire or U.S. Bank check in connection with accounts opened directly with the Fund by Account Application.

There is no minimum initial or minimum subsequent investment in Class R shares because Class R shares may only be purchased through omnibus accounts for specified benefit plans. Specified benefit plans that wish to invest directly by mail should send a check payable to the PIMCO Family of Funds, along with a completed Account Application, by regular mail to PIMCO Funds, P.O. Box 55060, Boston, MA 02205-5060 or overnight mail to PIMCO Funds, c/o DST Asset Manager Solutions, Inc., 30 Dan Road, Canton, MA 02021-2809.

Tax Information

The Fund's distributions are generally taxable to you as ordinary income, capital gains, or a combination of the two, unless you are investing through a tax-deferred arrangement, such as a 401(k) plan or an individual retirement account, in which case distributions may be taxable upon withdrawal.

Payments to Broker-Dealers and Other Financial Firms

If you purchase shares of the Fund through a broker-dealer or other financial firm (such as a bank), the Fund and/or its related companies (including PIMCO) may pay the financial firm for the sale of those shares of the Fund and/or related services. These payments may create a conflict of interest by influencing the broker-dealer or other financial firm and your salesperson to recommend the Fund over another investment. Ask your salesperson or visit your financial firm's Web site for more information.

 

[ ] | PROSPECTUS

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Table of Contents

PIMCO Funds

Description of Principal Risks

The value of your investment in a Fund changes with the values of that Fund's investments. Many factors can affect those values. The factors that are most likely to have a material effect on a particular Fund's portfolio as a whole are called "principal risks." The principal risks of each Fund are identified in the Fund Summaries. The principal risks are described in this section. Each Fund may be subject to additional risks other than those identified and described below because the types of investments made by a Fund can change over time. Securities and investment techniques mentioned in this summary that appear in bold type are described in greater detail under "Characteristics and Risks of Securities and Investment Techniques." That section and "Investment Objectives and Policies" in the Statement of Additional Information (the "SAI") also include more information about the Funds, their investments and the related risks. There is no guarantee that a Fund will be able to achieve its investment objective. It is possible to lose money by investing in a Fund.

Principal Risk

PIMCO
RAE Fundamental Advantage PLUS Fund

PIMCO
RAE PLUS EMG Fund

PIMCO
RAE PLUS Fund

PIMCO
RAE PLUS International Fund

PIMCO
RAE PLUS Small Fund

PIMCO
RAE Low Volatility PLUS EMG Fund

New/Small Fund

x

Interest Rate

x

x

x

x

x

x

Call

x

x

x

x

x

x

Credit

x

x

x

x

x

x

High Yield

x

x

x

x

x

x

Market

x

x

x

x

x

x

Issuer

x

x

x

x

x

x

Liquidity

x

x

x

x

x

x

Derivatives

x

x

x

x

x

x

Equity

x

x

x

x

x

x

Mortgage-Related and Other Asset-Backed Securities

x

x

x

x

x

x

Foreign (Non-U.S.) Investment

x

x

x

x

x

x

Emerging Markets

x

x

x

x

x

x

Sovereign Debt

x

x

x

x

x

x

Currency

x

x

x

x

x

x

Leveraging

x

x

x

x

x

x

Smaller Company

x

Management

x

x

x

x

x

x

Small-Cap and Mid-Cap Company

Short Exposure

x

x

x

x

x

x

Inverse Correlation and Compounding

 

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Prospectus

 

Principal Risk

PIMCO
RAE Low Volatility PLUS Fund

PIMCO
RAE Low Volatility PLUS International Fund

PIMCO
RAE Worldwide
Long/Short PLUS
Fund

PIMCO
StocksPLUS®
Absolute
Return Fund

PIMCO
StocksPLUS® Fund

New/Small Fund

Interest Rate

x

x

x

x

x

Call

x

x

x

x

x

Credit

x

x

x

x

x

High Yield

x

x

x

x

x

Market

x

x

x

x

x

Issuer

x

x

x

x

x

Liquidity

x

x

x

x

x

Derivatives

x

x

x

x

x

Equity

x

x

x

x

x

Mortgage-Related and Other Asset-Backed Securities

x

x

x

x

x

Foreign (Non-U.S.) Investment

x

x

x

x

x

Emerging Markets

x

x

x

x

x

Sovereign Debt

x

x

x

x

x

Currency

x

x

x

x

x

Leveraging

x

x

x

x

x

Smaller Company

Management

x

x

x

x

x

Small-Cap and Mid-Cap Company

Short Exposure

x

x

x

x

x

Inverse Correlation and Compounding

 

Principal Risk

PIMCO
StocksPLUS®
International
Fund (U.S.
Dollar-Hedged)

PIMCO
StocksPLUS®
International
Fund (Unhedged)

PIMCO
StocksPLUS® Long Duration Fund

PIMCO
StocksPLUS® Short Fund

PIMCO
StocksPLUS® Small Fund

New/Small Fund

Interest Rate

x

x

x

x

x

Call

x

x

x

x

x

Credit

x

x

x

x

x

High Yield

x

x

x

x

x

Market

x

x

x

x

x

Issuer

x

x

x

x

x

Liquidity

x

x

x

x

x

Derivatives

x

x

x

x

x

Equity

x

x

x

x

x

Mortgage-Related and Other Asset-Backed Securities

x

x

x

x

x

Foreign (Non-U.S.) Investment

x

x

x

x

x

Emerging Markets

x

x

x

x

x

Sovereign Debt

x

x

x

x

x

Currency

x

x

x

x

x

Leveraging

x

x

x

x

x

Smaller Company

x

Management

x

x

x

x

x

Small-Cap and Mid-Cap Company

Short Exposure

x

x

x

x

x

Inverse Correlation and Compounding

x

 

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New/Small Fund Risk

A new or smaller 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 fully 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 a new or smaller 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.

Interest Rate Risk

Interest rate risk is the risk that fixed income securities and other instruments in a Fund's portfolio will decline in value because of an increase in interest rates. As nominal interest rates rise, the value of certain fixed income securities held by a Fund is likely to decrease. A nominal interest rate can be described as the sum of a real interest rate and an expected inflation rate. Interest rate changes can be sudden and unpredictable, and the Fund may lose money as a result of movements in interest rates. A Fund may not be able to hedge against changes in interest rates or may choose not to do so for cost or other reasons. In addition, any hedges may not work as intended.

Fixed income securities with longer durations tend to be more sensitive to changes in interest rates, usually making them more volatile than securities with shorter durations. The values of equity and other non-fixed income securities may also decline due to fluctuations in interest rates. Inflation-indexed bonds, including Treasury Inflation-Protected Securities ("TIPS"), decline in value when real interest rates rise. In certain interest rate environments, such as when real interest rates are rising faster than nominal interest rates, inflation-indexed bonds may experience greater losses than other fixed income securities with similar durations.

Variable and floating rate securities generally are less sensitive to interest rate changes but may decline in value if their interest rates do not rise as much, or as quickly, as interest rates in general. Conversely, floating rate securities will not generally increase in value if interest rates decline. Inverse floating rate securities may decrease in value if interest rates increase. Inverse floating rate securities may also exhibit greater price volatility than a fixed rate obligation with similar credit quality. When a Fund holds variable or floating rate securities, a decrease (or, in the case of inverse floating rate securities, an increase) in market interest rates will adversely affect the income received from such securities and the net asset value ("NAV") of the Fund's shares.

A wide variety of factors can cause interest rates to rise (e.g., central bank monetary policies, inflation rates, general economic conditions, etc.). This is especially true under current economic conditions because interest rates are near historically low levels. Thus, Funds currently face a heightened level of interest rate risk, especially as the Federal Reserve Board ended its quantitative easing program in October 2014 and has begun, and may continue, to raise interest rates. To the extent the Federal Reserve Board continues to raise interest rates, there is a risk that rates across the financial system may rise.

During periods of very low or negative interest rates, a Fund may be unable to maintain positive returns. Interest rates in the U.S. and many parts of the world, including certain European countries, are at or near historically low levels. Certain European countries have recently experienced negative interest rates on certain fixed income instruments. Very low or negative interest rates may magnify interest rate risk. Changing interest rates, including rates that fall below zero, may have unpredictable effects on markets, may result in heightened market volatility and may detract from Fund performance to the extent a Fund is exposed to such interest rates.

Measures such as average duration may not accurately reflect the true interest rate sensitivity of a Fund. This is especially the case if the Fund consists of securities with widely varying durations. Therefore, if a Fund has an average duration that suggests a certain level of interest rate risk, the Fund may in fact be subject to greater interest rate risk than the average would suggest. This risk is greater to the extent the Fund uses leverage or derivatives in connection with the management of the Fund.

Convexity is an additional measure used to understand a security's or Fund's interest rate sensitivity. Convexity measures the rate of change of duration in response to changes in interest rates. With respect to a security's price, a larger convexity (positive or negative) may imply more dramatic price changes in response to changing interest rates. Convexity may be positive or negative. Negative convexity implies that interest rate increases result in increased duration, meaning increased sensitivity in prices in response to rising interest rates. Thus, securities with negative convexity, which may include bonds with traditional call features and certain mortgage-backed securities, may experience greater losses in periods of rising interest rates. Accordingly, if a Fund holds such securities, the Fund may be subject to a greater risk of losses in periods of rising interest rates.

Call Risk

Call risk refers to the possibility that an issuer may exercise its right to redeem a fixed income security earlier than expected (a call). Issuers may call outstanding securities prior to their maturity for a number of reasons (e.g., declining interest rates, changes in credit spreads and improvements in the

 

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issuer's credit quality). If an issuer calls a security in which a Fund has invested, the Fund may not recoup the full amount of its initial investment and may be forced to reinvest in lower-yielding securities, securities with greater credit risks or securities with other, less favorable features.

Credit Risk

A Fund could lose money if the issuer or guarantor of a fixed income security (including a security purchased with securities lending collateral), or the counterparty to a derivatives contract, repurchase agreement or a loan of portfolio securities, is unable or unwilling, or is perceived (whether by market participants, rating agencies, pricing services or otherwise) as unable or unwilling, to make timely principal and/or interest payments, or to otherwise honor its obligations. The downgrade of the credit of a security held by a Fund may decrease its value. Securities are subject to varying degrees of credit risk, which are often reflected in credit ratings. Measures such as average credit quality may not accurately reflect the true credit risk of a Fund. This is especially the case if the Fund consists of securities with widely varying credit ratings. Therefore, if a Fund has an average credit rating that suggests a certain credit quality, the Fund may in fact be subject to greater credit risk than the average would suggest. This risk is greater to the extent the Fund uses leverage or derivatives in connection with the management of the Fund. Municipal bonds are subject to the risk that litigation, legislation or other political events, local business or economic conditions, or the bankruptcy of the issuer could have a significant effect on an issuer's ability to make payments of principal and/or interest.

High Yield Risk

Funds that invest in high yield securities and unrated securities of similar credit quality (commonly known as "high yield securities" or "junk bonds") may be subject to greater levels of credit risk, call risk and liquidity risk than funds that do not invest in such securities. These securities are considered predominantly speculative with respect to an issuer's continuing ability to make principal and interest payments, and may be more volatile than other types of securities. An economic downturn or individual corporate developments could adversely affect the market for these securities and reduce a Fund's ability to sell these securities at an advantageous time or price. An economic downturn would generally lead to a higher non-payment rate and, a high yield security may lose significant market value before a default occurs. High yield securities structured as zero-coupon bonds or pay-in-kind securities tend to be especially volatile as they are particularly sensitive to downward pricing pressures from rising interest rates or widening spreads and may require a Fund to make taxable distributions of imputed income without receiving the actual cash currency. Issuers of high yield securities may have the right to "call" or redeem the issue prior to maturity, which may result in a Fund having to reinvest the proceeds in other high yield securities or similar instruments that may pay lower interest rates. A Fund may also be subject to greater levels of liquidity risk than funds that do not invest in high yield securities. In addition, the high yield securities in which a Fund invests may not be listed on any exchange and a secondary market for such securities may be comparatively illiquid relative to markets for other more liquid fixed income securities. Consequently, transactions in high yield securities may involve greater costs than transactions in more actively traded securities. A lack of publicly-available information, irregular trading activity and wide bid/ask spreads among other factors, may, in certain circumstances, make high yield debt more difficult to sell at an advantageous time or price than other types of securities or instruments. These factors may result in a Fund being unable to realize full value for these securities and/or may result in a Fund not receiving the proceeds from a sale of a high yield security for an extended period after such sale, each of which could result in losses to a Fund. Because of the risks involved in investing in high yield securities, an investment in a Fund that invests in such securities should be considered speculative.

Market Risk

The market price of securities owned by a Fund may go up or down, sometimes rapidly or unpredictably. Securities may decline in value due to factors affecting securities markets generally or particular industries represented in the securities markets. The value of a security may decline due to general market conditions which are not specifically related to a particular company, such as real or perceived adverse economic conditions, changes in the general outlook for corporate earnings, changes in interest or currency rates, adverse changes to credit markets or adverse investor sentiment generally. The value of a security may also decline due to factors which affect a particular industry or industries, such as labor shortages or increased production costs and competitive conditions within an industry. During a general downturn in the securities markets, multiple asset classes may decline in value simultaneously. Equity securities generally have greater price volatility than fixed income securities. Credit ratings downgrades may also negatively affect securities held by the Fund. Even when markets perform well, there is no assurance that the investments held by a Fund will increase in value along with the broader market. In addition, market risk includes the risk that geopolitical events will disrupt the economy on a national or global level.  For instance, terrorism, market manipulation, government defaults, government shutdowns, political changes or diplomatic developments and natural/environmental disasters can all negatively impact the securities markets, which could cause the Funds to lose value. Any market disruptions could also prevent a Fund from executing advantageous investment decisions in a timely manner. Funds that have focused their investments in a region enduring geopolitical market disruption will face higher risks of loss. Thus, investors should closely monitor current market conditions to determine whether a specific Fund meets their individual financial needs and tolerance for risk.

Current market conditions may pose heightened risks with respect to Funds that invest in fixed income securities. As discussed more under "Interest Rate Risk," interest rates in the U.S. are near historically low levels. However, continued economic recovery, the end of the Federal Reserve Board's quantitative easing program, and an increased likelihood of a rising interest rate environment increase the risk that interest rates will continue to rise in the near future. Any further interest rate increases in the future could cause the value of any Fund that invests in fixed income securities to decrease. As such,

 

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fixed income securities markets may experience heightened levels of interest rate, volatility and liquidity risk. If rising interest rates cause a Fund to lose enough value, the Fund could also face increased shareholder redemptions, which could force the Fund to liquidate investments at disadvantageous times or prices, therefore adversely affecting the Fund and its shareholders.

Exchanges and securities markets may close early, close late or issue trading halts on specific securities, which may result in, among other things, a Fund being unable to buy or sell certain securities or financial instruments at an advantageous time or accurately price its portfolio investments. In addition, a Fund may rely on various third-party sources to calculate its NAV. As a result, a Fund is subject to certain operational risks associated with reliance on service providers and service providers' data sources. In particular, errors or systems failures and other technological issues may adversely impact the Fund's calculations of its NAV, and such NAV calculation issues may result in inaccurately calculated NAVs, delays in NAV calculation and/or the inability to calculate NAVs over extended periods. A Fund may be unable to recover any losses associated with such failures.

Issuer Risk

The value of a security 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 goods or services, as well as the historical and prospective earnings of the issuer and the value of its assets. A change in the financial condition of a single issuer may affect securities markets as a whole.

Liquidity Risk

Liquidity risk exists when particular investments are difficult to purchase or sell. Illiquid securities are securities that cannot be disposed of within seven days in the ordinary course of business at approximately the value at which the Fund has valued the securities. Illiquid securities may become harder to value, especially in changing markets. A Fund's investments in illiquid securities may reduce the returns of the Fund because it may be unable to sell the illiquid securities at an advantageous time or price, which could prevent the Fund from taking advantage of other investment opportunities. Additionally, the market for certain investments may become illiquid under adverse market or economic conditions independent of any specific adverse changes in the conditions of a particular issuer. Bond markets have consistently grown over the past three decades while the capacity for traditional dealer counterparties to engage in fixed income trading has not kept pace and in some cases has decreased. As a result, dealer inventories of corporate bonds, which provide a core indication of the ability of financial intermediaries to "make markets," are at or near historic lows in relation to market size. Because market makers provide stability to a market through their intermediary services, the significant reduction in dealer inventories could potentially lead to decreased liquidity and increased volatility in the fixed income markets. Such issues may be exacerbated during periods of economic uncertainty. 

In such cases, a Fund, due to limitations on investments in illiquid securities and the difficulty in purchasing and selling such securities or instruments, may be unable to achieve its desired level of exposure to a certain sector. To the extent that a Fund's principal investment strategies involve securities of companies with smaller market capitalizations, foreign (non-U.S.) securities, Rule 144A securities, illiquid sectors of fixed income securities, derivatives or securities with substantial market and/or credit risk, the Fund will tend to have the greatest exposure to liquidity risk. Further, fixed income securities with longer durations until maturity face heightened levels of liquidity risk as compared to fixed income securities with shorter durations until maturity. Finally, liquidity risk also refers to the risk of unusually high redemption requests, redemption requests by certain large shareholders such as institutional investors or asset allocators, or other unusual market conditions that may make it difficult for a Fund to sell investments within the allowable time period to meet redemptions. Meeting such redemption requests could require a Fund to sell securities at reduced prices or under unfavorable conditions, which would reduce the value of the Fund. It may also be the case that other market participants may be attempting to liquidate fixed income holdings at the same time as a Fund, causing increased supply in the market and contributing to liquidity risk and downward pricing pressure.

Certain accounts or PIMCO affiliates may from time to time own (beneficially or of record) or control a significant percentage of a Fund's shares. Redemptions by these shareholders of their holdings in a Fund may impact the Fund's liquidity and NAV. These redemptions may also force a Fund to sell securities, which may negatively impact the Fund's brokerage costs.

Derivatives Risk

Derivatives are financial contracts whose value depends on, or is derived from, the value of an underlying asset, reference rate or index. The various derivative instruments that the Funds may use are referenced under "Characteristics and Risks of Securities and Investment Techniques—Derivatives" in this prospectus and described in more detail under "Investment Objectives and Policies" in the SAI. The Funds typically use derivatives as a substitute for taking a position in the underlying asset, as part of strategies designed to gain exposure to, for example, issuers, portions of the yield curve, indexes, sectors, currencies, and/or geographic regions, and/or to reduce exposure to other risks, such as interest rate, credit or currency risk. The Funds may also use derivatives for leverage, in which case their use would involve leveraging risk, and in some cases, may subject a Fund to the potential for unlimited loss. The use of derivatives may cause the Fund's investment returns to be impacted by the performance of securities the Fund does not own and result in the Fund's total investment exposure exceeding the value of its portfolio.

A Fund's use of derivative instruments involves risks different from, or possibly greater than, the risks associated with investing directly in securities and other traditional investments. Derivatives are subject to a number of risks described elsewhere in this section, such as liquidity risk (which may be heightened for highly-customized derivatives), interest rate risk, market risk, credit risk and management risk, as well as risks arising from changes in

 

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applicable requirements. They also involve the risk of mispricing or improper valuation and the risk that changes in the value of the derivative instrument may not correlate perfectly with the underlying asset, rate or index. In this regard, many of the Funds offered in this prospectus seek to achieve their investment objectives, in part, by investing in derivatives positions that are designed to closely track the performance (or inverse performance) of an index on a daily basis. However, the overall investment strategies of these Funds are not designed or expected to produce returns which replicate the performance (or inverse performance) of the particular index, and the degree of variation could be substantial, particularly over longer periods. There are a number of factors which may prevent a mutual fund, or the derivatives or other strategies used by a fund, from achieving desired correlation (or inverse correlation) with an index, such as the impact of fees, expenses and transaction costs, the timing of pricing, and disruptions or illiquidity in the markets for derivative instruments or securities in which a Fund invests. Further, in the case of Funds that attempt to produce returns from short derivatives positions which correlate inversely with the performance of an index on a daily basis, such as the PIMCO StocksPLUS® Short Fund, for periods greater than one day, the effect of compounding may result in the performance of the derivatives, and the Fund's performance attributable to those positions, to be either greater than or less than the inverse of the index performance, and the extent of the variation could be substantial due to market volatility and other factors. See "Characteristics and Risks of Securities and Investment Techniques—Derivatives— Correlation Risk." For further discussion of risks associated with the PIMCO StocksPLUS® Short Fund, please see "Inverse Correlation and Compounding Risk."

A Fund investing in a derivative instrument could lose more than the initial amount invested and derivatives may increase the volatility of the Fund, especially in unusual or extreme market conditions. Also, suitable derivative transactions may not be available in all circumstances and there can be no assurance that a Fund will engage in these transactions to reduce exposure to other risks when that would be beneficial or that, if used, such strategies will be successful. In addition, a Fund's use of derivatives may increase or accelerate the amount of taxes payable by shareholders. Over-the-counter ("OTC") derivatives are also subject to the risk that a counterparty to the transaction will not fulfill its contractual obligations to the other party, as many of the protections afforded to centrally-cleared derivative transactions might not be available for OTC derivatives. For derivatives traded on an exchange or through a central counterparty, credit risk resides with Fund's clearing broker, or the clearinghouse itself, rather than with a counterparty in an OTC derivative transaction.

Participation in the markets for derivative instruments involves investment risks and transaction costs to which a Fund may not be subject absent the use of these strategies. The skills needed to successfully execute derivative strategies may be different from those needed for other types of transactions. If the Fund incorrectly forecasts the value and/or creditworthiness of securities, currencies, interest rates, counterparties or other economic factors involved in a derivative transaction, the Fund might have been in a better position if the Fund had not entered into such derivative transaction. In evaluating the risks and contractual obligations associated with particular derivative instruments, it is important to consider that certain derivative transactions may be modified or terminated only by mutual consent of the Fund and its counterparty. Therefore, it may not be possible for a Fund to modify, terminate, or offset the Fund's obligations or the Fund's exposure to the risks associated with a derivative transaction prior to its scheduled termination or maturity date, which may create a possibility of increased volatility and/or decreased liquidity to the Fund. In such case, the Fund may lose money.

Because the markets for certain derivative instruments (including markets located in foreign countries) are relatively new and still developing, appropriate derivative transactions may not be available in all circumstances for risk management or other purposes. Upon the expiration of a particular contract, a Fund may wish to retain a Fund's position in the derivative instrument by entering into a similar contract, but may be unable to do so if the counterparty to the original contract is unwilling to enter into the new contract and no other appropriate counterparty can be found. When such markets are unavailable, a Fund will be subject to increased liquidity and investment risk.

When a derivative is used as a hedge against a position that a Fund holds, any loss generated by the derivative generally should be substantially offset by gains on the hedged investment, and vice versa. Although hedging can reduce or eliminate losses, it can also reduce or eliminate gains. Hedges are sometimes subject to imperfect matching between the derivative and the underlying instrument, and there can be no assurance that a Fund's hedging transactions will be effective.

The regulation of the derivatives markets has increased over the past several years, and additional future regulation of the derivatives markets may make derivatives more costly, may limit the availability or reduce the liquidity of derivatives, or may otherwise adversely affect the value or performance of derivatives. Any such adverse future developments could impair the effectiveness or raise the costs of a Fund's derivative transactions, impede the employment of the Fund's derivatives strategies, or adversely affect the Fund's performance.

Equity Risk

Equity securities represent an ownership interest, or the right to acquire an ownership interest, in an issuer. Equity securities also include, among other things, preferred securities, convertible stocks and warrants. The values of equity securities, such as common stocks and preferred securities, may decline due to general market conditions which are not specifically related to a particular company, such as real or perceived adverse economic conditions, changes in the general outlook for corporate earnings, changes in interest or currency rates or adverse investor sentiment generally. They may also decline due to factors which affect a particular industry or industries, such as labor shortages or increased production costs and competitive conditions within an industry. Equity securities generally have greater price volatility than fixed income securities. These risks are generally magnified in the case of equity investments in distressed companies.

 

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Mortgage-Related and Other Asset-Backed Securities Risk

Mortgage-related and other asset-backed securities represent interests in "pools" of mortgages or other assets such as consumer loans or receivables held in trust and often involve risks that are different from or possibly more acute than risks associated with other types of debt instruments. Generally, rising interest rates tend to extend the duration of fixed rate mortgage-related securities, making them more sensitive to changes in interest rates. As a result, in a period of rising interest rates, if a Fund holds mortgage-related securities, it may exhibit additional volatility since individual mortgage holders are less likely to exercise prepayment options, thereby putting additional downward pressure on the value of these securities and potentially causing the Fund to lose money. This is known as extension risk. Mortgage-backed securities can be highly sensitive to rising interest rates, such that even small movements can cause an investing Fund to lose value. Mortgage-backed securities, and in particular those not backed by a government guarantee, are subject to credit risk. In addition, adjustable and fixed rate mortgage-related securities are subject to prepayment risk. When interest rates decline, borrowers may pay off their mortgages sooner than expected. This can reduce the returns of a Fund because the Fund may have to reinvest that money at the lower prevailing interest rates. A Fund's investments in other asset-backed securities are subject to risks similar to those associated with mortgage-related securities, as well as additional risks associated with the nature of the assets and the servicing of those assets. Payment of principal and interest on asset-backed securities may be largely dependent upon the cash flows generated by the assets backing the securities, and asset-backed securities may not have the benefit of any security interest in the related assets.

Foreign (Non-U.S.) Investment Risk

Certain Funds may invest in foreign (non-U.S.) securities and may experience more rapid and extreme changes in value than a Fund that invests exclusively in securities of U.S. companies. The securities markets of many foreign countries are relatively small, with a limited number of companies representing a small number of industries. Additionally, issuers of foreign (non-U.S.) securities are usually not subject to the same degree of regulation as U.S. issuers. Reporting, accounting and auditing standards of foreign countries differ, in some cases significantly, from U.S. standards. Global economies and financial markets are becoming increasingly interconnected, and conditions and events in one country, region or financial market may adversely impact issuers in a different country, region or financial market. Also, nationalization, expropriation or confiscatory taxation, currency blockage, political changes or diplomatic developments could adversely affect a Fund's investments in a foreign country. In the event of nationalization, expropriation or other confiscation, a Fund could lose its entire investment in foreign (non-U.S.) securities. Adverse conditions in a certain region can adversely affect securities of other countries whose economies appear to be unrelated. To the extent that a Fund invests a significant portion of its assets in a specific geographic region, the Fund will generally have more exposure to regional economic risks associated with foreign (non-U.S.) investments. Foreign (non-U.S.) securities may also be less liquid and more difficult to value than securities of U.S. issuers.

Emerging Markets Risk

Foreign (non-U.S.) investment risk may be particularly high to the extent a Fund invests in emerging market securities. Emerging market securities may present market, credit, currency, liquidity, legal, political and other risks different from, and potentially greater than, the risks of investing in securities and instruments economically tied to developed foreign countries. To the extent a Fund invests in emerging market securities that are economically tied to a particular region, country or group of countries, the Fund may be more sensitive to adverse political or social events affecting that region, country or group of countries. Economic, business, political, or social instability may affect emerging market securities differently, and often more severely, than developed market securities. A Fund that focuses its investments in multiple asset classes of emerging market securities may have a limited ability to mitigate losses in an environment that is adverse to emerging market securities in general. Emerging market securities may also be more volatile, less liquid and more difficult to value than securities economically tied to developed foreign countries. The systems and procedures for trading and settlement of securities in emerging markets are less developed and less transparent and transactions may take longer to settle. Rising interest rates, combined with widening credit spreads, could negatively impact the value of emerging market debt and increase funding costs for foreign issuers. In such a scenario, foreign issuers might not be able to service their debt obligations, the market for emerging market debt could suffer from reduced liquidity, and any investing Funds could lose money.

Sovereign Debt Risk

Sovereign debt risk is the risk that fixed income instruments issued by sovereign entities may decline in value as a result of default or other adverse credit event resulting from an issuer's inability or unwillingness to make principal or interest payments in a timely fashion. A sovereign entity's failure to make timely payments on its debt can result from many factors, including, without limitation, insufficient foreign currency reserves or an inability to sufficiently manage fluctuations in relative currency valuations, an inability or unwillingness to satisfy the demands of creditors and/or relevant supranational entities regarding debt service or economic reforms, the size of the debt burden relative to economic output and tax revenues, cash flow difficulties, and other political and social considerations. The risk of loss to a Fund in the event of a sovereign debt default or other adverse credit event is heightened by the unlikelihood of any formal recourse or means to enforce its rights as a holder of the sovereign debt. In addition, sovereign debt restructurings, which may be shaped by entities and factors beyond a Fund's control, may result in a loss in value of the Fund's sovereign debt holdings.

 

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Currency Risk

If a Fund invests directly in foreign (non-U.S.) currencies or in securities that trade in, and receive revenues in, foreign (non-U.S.) currencies, or in derivatives that provide exposure to foreign (non-U.S.) currencies, it will be subject to the risk that those currencies will decline in value relative to the U.S. dollar, or, in the case of hedging positions, that the U.S. dollar will decline in value relative to the currency being hedged.

Currency rates in foreign (non-U.S.) countries may fluctuate significantly over short periods of time for a number of reasons, including changes in interest rates, intervention (or the failure to intervene) by U.S. or foreign (non-U.S.) governments, central banks or supranational entities such as the International Monetary Fund, or by the imposition of currency controls or other political developments in the United States or abroad. As a result, a Fund's investments in foreign currency-denominated securities may reduce the returns of the Fund.

Currency risk may be particularly high to the extent that a Fund invests in foreign (non-U.S.) currencies or engages in foreign currency transactions that are economically tied to emerging market countries. These currency transactions may present market, credit, currency, liquidity, legal, political and other risks different from, or greater than, the risks of investing in developed foreign (non-U.S.) currencies or engaging in foreign currency transactions that are economically tied to developed foreign countries.

Leveraging Risk

Certain transactions may give rise to a form of leverage. Such transactions may include, among others, reverse repurchase agreements, loans of portfolio securities, and the use of when-issued, delayed delivery or forward commitment transactions. The use of derivatives may also create leveraging risk. In accordance with federal securities laws, rules, and staff positions, PIMCO will mitigate its leveraging risk by segregating or "earmarking" liquid assets or otherwise covering transactions that may give rise to such risk. The Funds also may be exposed to leveraging risk by borrowing money for investment purposes. Leveraging may cause a Fund to liquidate portfolio positions to satisfy its obligations or to meet segregation requirements when it may not be advantageous to do so. Leveraging, including borrowing, may cause a Fund to be more volatile than if the Fund had not been leveraged. This is because leveraging tends to exaggerate the effect of any increase or decrease in the value of a Fund's portfolio securities. Certain types of leveraging transactions, such as short sales that are not "against the box," could theoretically be subject to unlimited losses in cases where a Fund, for any reason, is unable to close out the transaction. In addition, to the extent a Fund borrows money, interest costs on such borrowings may not be recovered by any appreciation of the securities purchased with the borrowed amounts and could exceed the Fund's investment returns, resulting in greater losses. Moreover, to make payments of interest and other loan costs, a Fund may be forced to sell portfolio securities when it is not otherwise advantageous to do so.

Smaller Company Risk

The general risks associated with fixed income securities and equity securities are particularly pronounced for securities issued by companies with smaller market capitalizations. These companies may have limited product lines, markets or financial resources or they may depend on a few key employees. As a result, they may be subject to greater levels of credit, market and issuer risk. Securities of smaller companies may trade less frequently and in lesser volumes than more widely held securities and their values may fluctuate more sharply than other securities. Companies with medium-sized market capitalizations may have risks similar to those of smaller companies.

Management Risk

The Funds are subject to management risk because they are actively managed investment portfolios. PIMCO or the sub-adviser, as applicable, and each individual portfolio manager will apply investment techniques and risk analysis in making investment decisions for the Funds, but there can be no guarantee that these decisions will produce the desired results. Certain securities or other instruments in which a Fund seeks to invest may not be available in the quantities desired. In addition, regulatory restrictions, actual or potential conflicts of interest or other considerations may cause PIMCO to restrict or prohibit participation in certain investments. In such circumstances, PIMCO or the individual portfolio managers may determine to purchase other securities or instruments as substitutes. Such substitute securities or instruments may not perform as intended, which could result in losses to the Fund. To the extent a Fund employs strategies targeting perceived pricing inefficiencies, arbitrage strategies or similar strategies, it is subject to the risk that the pricing or valuation of the securities and instruments involved in such strategies may change unexpectedly, which may result in reduced returns or losses to the Fund. Additionally, legislative, regulatory, or tax restrictions, policies or developments may affect the investment techniques available to PIMCO and each individual portfolio manager in connection with managing the Funds and may also adversely affect the ability of the Funds to achieve their investment objectives. There also can be no assurance that all of the personnel of PIMCO will continue to be associated with PIMCO for any length of time. The loss of the services of one or more key employees of PIMCO could have an adverse impact on the Fund's ability to realize its investment objective.

Because certain Funds obtain exposure to certain proprietary model stock portfolios by investing in equity total return swaps based on such model portfolios, in other securities and instruments to replicate the performance of such model portfolios, or directly in the equity securities held in such model portfolios, such Funds will be subject to the risks associated with the management of these proprietary model stock portfolios by the sub-adviser to such Funds.

 

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Small-Cap and Mid-Cap Company Risk

Investments in securities issued by small-capitalization and mid-capitalization companies involve greater risk than investments in large-capitalization companies. The value of securities issued by small- and mid-cap companies may go up or down, sometimes rapidly and unpredictably, due to narrower markets and more limited managerial and financial resources than large-cap companies. 

Short Exposure Risk

A Fund's short sales, if any, are subject to special risks. A short sale involves the sale by the Fund of a security that it does not own with the hope of purchasing the same security at a later date at a lower price. A Fund may also enter into a short position through a forward commitment or a short derivative position through a futures contract or swap agreement. If the price of the security or derivative has increased during this time, then the Fund will incur a loss equal to the increase in price from the time that the short sale was entered into plus any transaction costs (i.e. premiums and interest) paid to the broker-dealer to borrow securities. Therefore, short sales involve the risk that losses may be exaggerated, potentially losing more money than the actual cost of the investment. By contrast, a loss on a long position arises from decreases in the value of the security and is limited by the fact that a security's value cannot decrease below zero.

By investing the proceeds received from selling securities short, a Fund could be deemed to be employing a form of leverage, which creates special risks. The use of leverage may increase a Fund's exposure to long security positions and make any change in the Fund's NAV greater than it would be without the use of leverage. This could result in increased volatility of returns. There is no guarantee that any leveraging strategy a Fund employs will be successful during any period in which it is employed.

In times of unusual or adverse market, economic, regulatory or political conditions, a Fund may not be able, fully or partially, to implement its short selling strategy. Periods of unusual or adverse market, economic, regulatory or political conditions generally may exist for as long as six months and, in some cases, much longer. Also, there is the risk that the third party to the short sale will not fulfill its contractual obligations, causing a loss to the Fund.

With regard to the PIMCO StocksPLUS® Short Fund, because the Fund invests primarily in short positions, gains and losses in the Fund will primarily be taxable as short-term gains or losses. However, a portion of the gains or losses from certain types of derivatives, including futures contracts on broad-based stock indexes in which the Fund may choose to invest, will be taxable as long-term gains or losses.

Inverse Correlation and Compounding Risk

The PIMCO StocksPLUS® Short Fund will generally benefit when the value of the Fund's associated index is declining and will generally not perform well when the index is rising, a result that is different from traditional mutual funds. However, the Fund is neither designed nor expected to produce returns which replicate the inverse of the performance of its associated index, and the degree of variation could be substantial, particularly over longer periods. Because the value of each Fund's derivatives short positions move in the opposite direction from the value of the Fund's associated index every day, for periods greater than one day, the effect of compounding may result in the performance of these derivatives positions, and the Fund's performance attributable to those positions, to be either greater than or less than the inverse of the index performance for such periods, and the extent of the variation could be substantial due to market volatility and other factors. In addition, the results of PIMCO's active management of the Funds, including the combination of income and capital gains or losses derived from the Fixed Income Instruments held by the Fund and the ability of the Fund to reduce or limit short exposure, may result in an imperfect inverse correlation between the performance of the Fund's associated index and the performance of the Fund. Further, there are a number of other reasons why changes in the value of derivatives positions may not correlate exactly (either positively or inversely) with an index or which may otherwise prevent a mutual fund or its positions from achieving such correlation. See "Derivatives Risk." For PIMCO StocksPLUS® Short Fund, this is due, in part, to the possibility that its commodity derivatives positions may have different roll dates, reset dates or contract months than those specified in a particular commodity index.

Disclosure of Portfolio Holdings

Please see "Disclosure of Portfolio Holdings" in the SAI for information about the availability of the complete schedule of each Fund's holdings.

 

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Prospectus

Management of the Funds

Investment Adviser and Administrator

PIMCO serves as the investment adviser and the administrator (serving in its capacity as investment adviser, the "Investment Adviser," and serving in its capacity as administrator, the "Administrator") for the Funds. Subject to the supervision of the Board of Trustees of PIMCO Funds (the "Trust"), PIMCO is responsible for managing the investment activities of the Funds and the Funds' business affairs and other administrative matters.

PIMCO is located at 650 Newport Center Drive, Newport Beach, CA 92660. Organized in 1971, PIMCO provides investment management and advisory services to private accounts of institutional and individual clients and to mutual funds. As of June 30, 2018, PIMCO had approximately $[ ] in assets under management.

PIMCO has engaged Research Affiliates, LLC, a California limited liability company ("Research Affiliates"), to serve as the sub-adviser to the PIMCO RAE Fundamental Advantage PLUS Fund, PIMCO RAE PLUS EMG Fund, PIMCO RAE PLUS Fund, PIMCO RAE PLUS International Fund, PIMCO RAE PLUS Small Fund, PIMCO RAE Low Volatility PLUS EMG Fund, PIMCO RAE Low Volatility PLUS Fund, PIMCO RAE Low Volatility PLUS International Fund and PIMCO RAE Worldwide Long/Short PLUS Fund. Research Affiliates was organized in 2002 and is located at 620 Newport Center Drive, Suite 900, Newport Beach, CA 92660. As sub-adviser to these Funds, Research Affiliates is responsible for providing, subject to the supervision of PIMCO, investment advisory services in connection with each Fund's swap-based exposure to the proprietary model portfolio or portfolios, as described in the Fund's Fund Summary.

Management Fees

Each Fund pays for the advisory and supervisory and administrative services it requires under what is essentially an all-in fee structure. The Management Fees shown in the Annual Fund Operating Expenses tables reflect both an advisory fee and a supervisory and administrative fee. For the fiscal year ended March 31, 2018, the Funds paid monthly Management Fees to PIMCO at the following annual rates (stated as a percentage of the average daily net assets attributable to each class's shares taken separately):

Management Fees


Fund Name

Inst
Class


I-2

Admin
Class

Class A

Class C

Class R

PIMCO RAE Fundamental Advantage PLUS Fund

0.89%

0.99%

N/A

1.04%

1.04%

N/A

PIMCO RAE PLUS EMG Fund

1.15%

1.25%

N/A

1.30%

1.30%

N/A

PIMCO RAE PLUS Fund

0.79%

0.89%

0.79%

0.94%

0.94%

N/A

PIMCO RAE PLUS International Fund

0.82%

0.92%

N/A

0.92%

N/A

0.92%

PIMCO RAE PLUS Small Fund

0.84%

0.94%

N/A

0.94%

0.94%

0.94%

PIMCO RAE Low Volatility PLUS EMG Fund

1.15%

N/A

N/A

N/A

N/A

N/A

PIMCO RAE Low Volatility PLUS Fund

0.79%

N/A

N/A

0.94%

0.94%

N/A

PIMCO RAE Low Volatility PLUS International Fund

0.82%

0.92%

N/A

N/A

N/A

N/A

PIMCO RAE Worldwide Long/Short PLUS Fund

1.19%

N/A

N/A

N/A

N/A

N/A

PIMCO StocksPLUS® Absolute Return Fund

0.64%

0.74%

N/A

0.79%

0.79%

N/A

PIMCO StocksPLUS® Fund

0.50%

0.60%

0.50%

0.65%

0.65%

0.65%

PIMCO StocksPLUS® International Fund (U.S. Dollar-Hedged)

0.75%

0.85%

N/A

0.90%

0.90%

N/A

PIMCO StocksPLUS® International Fund (Unhedged)

0.64%

0.74%

N/A

0.79%

0.79%

N/A

PIMCO StocksPLUS® Long Duration Fund

0.59%

0.69%

N/A

0.74%

N/A

N/A

PIMCO StocksPLUS® Short Fund

0.64%

0.74%

N/A

0.79%

0.79%

N/A

PIMCO StocksPLUS® Small Fund

0.69%

0.79%

0.69%

0.84%

0.84%

N/A

I-3 shares of the PIMCO RAE PLUS Fund, PIMCO StocksPLUS® Absolute Return Fund, PIMCO StocksPLUS® Fund, PIMCO StocksPLUS® International Fund (U.S. Dollar-Hedged), PIMCO StocksPLUS® International Fund (Unhedged), PIMCO StocksPLUS® Short Fund and PIMCO StocksPLUS® Small Fund were not operational during the fiscal year ended March 31, 2018. The management fee for the I-3 shares of the PIMCO RAE PLUS Fund, PIMCO StocksPLUS® Absolute Return Fund, PIMCO StocksPLUS® Fund, PIMCO StocksPLUS® International Fund (U.S. Dollar-Hedged), PIMCO StocksPLUS® International Fund (Unhedged), PIMCO StocksPLUS® Short Fund and PIMCO StocksPLUS® Small Fund is at the following annual rate (stated as a percentage of the average daily net assets attributable to the class's shares taken separately): 0.99%, 0.84%, 0.70%, 0.95%, 0.84%, 0.84% and 0.89%, respectively.

Advisory Fee. Each Fund pays PIMCO fees in return for providing investment advisory services. For the fiscal year ended March 31, 2018, the Funds paid monthly advisory fees to PIMCO at the following annual rates (stated as a percentage of the average daily net assets of each Fund taken separately):

 

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PIMCO Funds

 


Fund Name

Advisory Fee
All Classes(1)

PIMCO RAE Fundamental Advantage PLUS Fund

0.64%

PIMCO RAE PLUS EMG Fund

0.85%

PIMCO RAE PLUS Fund

0.54%

PIMCO RAE PLUS International Fund

0.57%

PIMCO RAE PLUS Small Fund

0.59%

PIMCO RAE Low Volatility PLUS EMG Fund

0.85%(2)

PIMCO RAE Low Volatility PLUS Fund

0.54%

PIMCO RAE Low Volatility PLUS International Fund

0.57%

PIMCO RAE Worldwide Long/Short PLUS Fund

0.94%

PIMCO StocksPLUS® Absolute Return Fund

0.39%

PIMCO StocksPLUS® Fund

0.25%

PIMCO StocksPLUS® International Fund (U.S. Dollar-Hedged)

0.45%

PIMCO StocksPLUS® International Fund (Unhedged)

0.39%

PIMCO StocksPLUS® Long Duration Fund

0.35%

PIMCO StocksPLUS® Short Fund

0.39%

PIMCO StocksPLUS® Small Fund

0.44%

 

1 For details regarding changes to this rate within the last 5 years, please see the footnote disclosures for the Funds in the Financial Highlights section beginning on page [ ].

2 PIMCO has contractually agreed, through July 31, 2019, to reduce its advisory fee by 0.15% of the average daily net assets of the PIMCO RAE Low Volatility PLUS EMG Fund. This Fee Waiver Agreement will automatically renew for one-year terms unless PIMCO provides written notice to the Trust at least 30 days prior to the end of the then current term. Under certain conditions, PIMCO may be entitled to reimbursement of amounts waived in future periods, not exceeding three years. See "Fee Waiver Agreement" below.

A discussion of the basis for the Board of Trustees' approval of the Funds' investment advisory contract is available in the Funds' Semi-Annual Report to shareholders for the fiscal half-year ended September 30, 2017.

Supervisory and Administrative Fee. Each Fund pays for the supervisory and administrative services it requires under what is essentially an all-in fee structure. Shareholders of each Fund pay a supervisory and administrative fee to PIMCO, computed as a percentage of the Fund's assets attributable in the aggregate to that class of shares. PIMCO, in turn, provides or procures supervisory and administrative services for shareholders and also bears the costs of various third-party services required by the Funds, including audit, custodial, portfolio accounting, legal, transfer agency and printing costs. The Funds bear other expenses which are not covered under the supervisory and administrative fee which may vary and affect the total level of expenses paid by the shareholders, such as taxes and governmental fees, brokerage fees, commissions and other transaction expenses, organizational expenses, costs of borrowing money, including interest expenses, extraordinary expenses (such as litigation and indemnification expenses) and fees and expenses of the Trust's Independent Trustees and their counsel. PIMCO generally earns a profit on the supervisory and administrative fee paid by the Funds. Also, under the terms of the supervision and administration agreement, PIMCO, and not Fund shareholders, would benefit from any price decreases in third-party services, including decreases resulting from an increase in net assets.

For the fiscal year ended March 31, 2018, the Funds paid PIMCO monthly supervisory and administrative fees at the following annual rates (stated as a percentage of the average daily net assets attributable in the aggregate to each class's shares taken separately):

Supervisory and Administrative Fees(1)


Fund Name

Inst
Class


I-2

Admin
Class

Class A

Class C

Class R

PIMCO RAE Fundamental Advantage PLUS Fund

0.25%

0.35%

N/A

0.40%

0.40%

N/A

PIMCO RAE PLUS EMG Fund

0.30%

0.40%

N/A

0.45%

0.45%

N/A

PIMCO RAE PLUS Fund

0.25%

0.35%

0.25%

0.40%

0.40%

N/A

PIMCO RAE PLUS International Fund

0.25%

0.35%

N/A

0.35%

N/A

0.35%

PIMCO RAE PLUS Small Fund

0.25%

0.35%

N/A

0.35%

0.35%

0.35%

PIMCO RAE Low Volatility PLUS EMG Fund

0.30%

N/A

N/A

N/A

N/A

N/A

PIMCO RAE Low Volatility PLUS Fund

0.25%

N/A

N/A

0.40%

0.40%

N/A

PIMCO RAE Low Volatility PLUS International Fund

0.25%

0.35%

N/A

N/A

N/A

N/A

PIMCO RAE Worldwide Long/Short PLUS Fund

0.25%

N/A

N/A

N/A

N/A

N/A

PIMCO StocksPLUS® Absolute Return Fund

0.25%

0.35%

N/A

0.40%

0.40%

N/A

PIMCO StocksPLUS® Fund

0.25%

0.35%

0.25%

0.40%

0.40%

0.40%

PIMCO StocksPLUS® International Fund (U.S. Dollar-Hedged)

0.30%

0.40%

N/A

0.45%

0.45%

N/A

PIMCO StocksPLUS® International Fund (Unhedged)

0.25%

0.35%

N/A

0.40%

0.40%

N/A

 

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Prospectus

 

Supervisory and Administrative Fees(1)


Fund Name

Inst
Class


I-2

Admin
Class

Class A

Class C

Class R

PIMCO StocksPLUS® Long Duration Fund

0.24%

0.34%

N/A

0.39%

N/A

N/A

PIMCO StocksPLUS® Short Fund

0.25%

0.35%

N/A

0.40%

0.40%

N/A

PIMCO StocksPLUS® Small Fund

0.25%

0.35%

0.25%

0.40%

0.40%

N/A

 

1 For details regarding changes to this rate within the last 5 years, please see the footnote disclosures for the Funds in the Financial Highlights section beginning on page [ ].

I-3 shares of the PIMCO RAE PLUS Fund, PIMCO StocksPLUS® Absolute Return Fund, PIMCO StocksPLUS® Fund, PIMCO StocksPLUS® International Fund (U.S. Dollar-Hedged), PIMCO StocksPLUS® International Fund (Unhedged), PIMCO StocksPLUS® Short Fund and PIMCO StocksPLUS® Small Fund were not operational during the fiscal year ended March 31, 2018. The supervisory and administrative fee for the I-3 shares of the PIMCO RAE PLUS Fund, PIMCO StocksPLUS® Absolute Return Fund, PIMCO StocksPLUS® Fund, PIMCO StocksPLUS® International Fund (U.S. Dollar-Hedged), PIMCO StocksPLUS® International Fund (Unhedged), PIMCO StocksPLUS® Short Fund and PIMCO StocksPLUS® Small Fund is at the following annual rate (stated as a percentage of the average daily net assets attributable to the class's shares taken separately): 0.45%, 0.45%, 0.45%, 0.50%, 0.45%, 0.45% and 0.45%, respectively.

Expense Limitation Agreement

Pursuant to the Expense Limitation Agreement, PIMCO has agreed to waive a portion of each Fund's supervisory and administrative fees, or reimburse the Fund, to the extent that the Fund's organizational expenses and pro rata share of Trustee fees exceed 0.0049% (the "Expense Limit") (calculated as a percentage of average daily net assets attributable to each class). The Expense Limitation Agreement will automatically renew for one-year terms unless PIMCO provides written notice to the Trust at least 30 days prior to the end of the then current term. In any month in which the supervision and administration agreement is in effect, PIMCO is entitled to reimbursement by each Fund of any portion of the supervisory and administrative fee waived or reimbursed as set forth above (the "Reimbursement Amount") during the previous thirty-six months, provided that such amount paid to PIMCO will not: 1) together with any organizational expenses and pro rata Trustee fees, exceed, for such month, the Expense Limit; 2) exceed the total Reimbursement Amount; or 3) include any amounts previously reimbursed to PIMCO.

Fee Waiver Agreement

PIMCO has contractually agreed, through July 31, 2019, to waive its advisory fee by 0.15% of the average daily net assets of the PIMCO RAE Low Volatility PLUS EMG Fund. This Fee Waiver Agreement will automatically renew for one-year terms unless PIMCO provides written notice to the Trust at least 30 days prior to the end of the then current term. In any month in which the investment advisory contract is in effect, PIMCO is entitled to reimbursement by the Fund of any portion of the advisory fee waived as set forth above (the "RAE Reimbursement Amount") during the previous thirty-six months, provided that such amount paid to PIMCO will not: 1) together with any recoupment of organizational expenses and pro rata Trustee fees or supervisory and administrative fees pursuant to the Expense Limitation Agreement, exceed, for such month, the Expense Limit; 2) exceed the total RAE Reimbursement Amount; or 3) include any amounts previously reimbursed to PIMCO.

PIMCO has contractually agreed, through July 31, 2019, to waive its supervisory and administrative fee for I-3 shares by 0.05% of the average daily net assets attributable to I-3 shares of each of PIMCO RAE PLUS Fund, PIMCO StocksPLUS® Absolute Return Fund, PIMCO StocksPLUS® Fund, PIMCO StocksPLUS® International Fund (U.S. Dollar-Hedged), PIMCO StocksPLUS® International Fund (Unhedged), PIMCO StocksPLUS® Short Fund and PIMCO StocksPLUS® Small Fund. This Fee Waiver Agreement will automatically renew for one-year terms unless PIMCO provides written notice to the Trust at least 30 days prior to the end of the then current term.

Individual Portfolio Managers

The following individuals have primary responsibility for managing each of the noted Funds.

Fund

Portfolio Manager

Since

Recent Professional Experience

PIMCO RAE Fundamental Advantage PLUS Fund*
PIMCO RAE PLUS EMG Fund*
PIMCO RAE PLUS Fund*
PIMCO RAE PLUS International Fund*
PIMCO RAE PLUS Small Fund*
PIMCO RAE Low Volatility PLUS EMG Fund**

PIMCO RAE Low Volatility PLUS Fund**
PIMCO RAE Low Volatility PLUS International Fund**
PIMCO RAE Worldwide Long/Short PLUS Fund***

Robert D. Arnott

9/14
9/14
9/14
9/14
9/14
9/14
9/14
9/14
12/14

Chairman, Founder, Research Affiliates, LLC, since July 2002. Previously, Mr. Arnott was Chairman of First Quadrant, L.P. until April 2004. He joined First Quadrant in April 1988.

 

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PIMCO Funds

 

Fund

Portfolio Manager

Since

Recent Professional Experience

PIMCO RAE Fundamental Advantage PLUS Fund*
PIMCO RAE PLUS EMG Fund*
PIMCO RAE PLUS Fund*
PIMCO RAE PLUS International Fund*
PIMCO RAE PLUS Small Fund*
PIMCO RAE Low Volatility PLUS EMG Fund**
PIMCO RAE Low Volatility PLUS Fund**
PIMCO RAE Low Volatility PLUS International Fund**
PIMCO RAE Worldwide Long/Short PLUS Fund***

Christopher J. Brightman

7/17
7/17
7/17
7/17
7/17
7/17
7/17
7/17
7/17

Chief Investment Officer, Research Affiliates, LLC, since April 2014. Previously at Research Affiliates, LLC, Mr. Brightman served as a Managing Director and Head of Investment Management. Prior to joining Research Affiliates in 2010, Mr. Brightman was chief executive officer of the University of Virginia Investment Management Company.

PIMCO StocksPLUS® Long Duration Fund

Michael Cudzil

2/16

Managing Director, PIMCO. Mr. Cudzil is a portfolio manager and mortgage specialist. Prior to joining PIMCO in 2012, he worked as a managing director and head of pass-through trading at Nomura.

PIMCO RAE Worldwide Long/Short PLUS Fund***

Josh Davis

12/14†

Managing Director, PIMCO. He is a member of PIMCO's global quantitative portfolio group and focuses on portfolio solutions and quantitative strategy, including asset allocation, tail risk hedging, foreign exchange and variable annuities. Prior to joining PIMCO in 2008, he was a consulting strategist with Prime International Trading in Chicago.

PIMCO RAE Fundamental Advantage PLUS Fund*
PIMCO RAE PLUS EMG Fund*
PIMCO RAE PLUS Fund*
PIMCO RAE PLUS International Fund*
PIMCO RAE PLUS Small Fund*
PIMCO RAE Low Volatility PLUS EMG Fund**
PIMCO RAE Low Volatility PLUS Fund**
PIMCO RAE Low Volatility PLUS International Fund**
PIMCO RAE Worldwide Long/Short PLUS Fund***
PIMCO StocksPLUS® Absolute Return Fund
PIMCO StocksPLUS® International Fund (U.S. Dollar-Hedged)
PIMCO StocksPLUS® International Fund (Unhedged)
PIMCO StocksPLUS® Short Fund
PIMCO StocksPLUS® Small Fund

Mohsen Fahmi

9/14
9/14
9/14
1/15
1/15
1/15
1/15
1/15
12/14†
9/14
1/15
9/14
9/14
9/14

Managing Director, PIMCO. Mr. Fahmi joined PIMCO in 2014 and is a generalist portfolio manager focusing on global fixed income assets. Prior to joining PIMCO, Mr. Fahmi was with Moore Capital Management, most recently as a senior portfolio manager and previously as chief operating officer. Mr. Fahmi has also previously served as co-head of bond and currency proprietary trading at Tokai Bank Europe, head of leveraged investment at Salomon Brothers and executive director of proprietary trading at Goldman Sachs. Prior to this, he was a proprietary trader for J.P. Morgan in both New York and London, and he also spent seven years as an investment officer at the World Bank in Washington, DC. He has investment experience since 1984 and holds an MBA from Stanford University.

PIMCO RAE Fundamental Advantage PLUS Fund*
PIMCO RAE PLUS EMG Fund*
PIMCO RAE PLUS Fund*
PIMCO RAE PLUS International Fund*
PIMCO RAE PLUS Small Fund*
PIMCO RAE Low Volatility PLUS EMG Fund**
PIMCO RAE Low Volatility PLUS Fund**
PIMCO RAE Low Volatility PLUS International Fund**
PIMCO RAE Worldwide Long/Short PLUS Fund***
PIMCO StocksPLUS® Absolute Return Fund
PIMCO StocksPLUS® Fund
PIMCO StocksPLUS® International Fund (Unhedged)
PIMCO StocksPLUS® International Fund (U.S. Dollar-Hedged)
PIMCO StocksPLUS® Short Fund
PIMCO StocksPLUS® Small Fund

Sudi Mariappa

1/15
1/15
1/15
1/15
1/15
8/14
8/14
8/14
1/15
1/15
9/14
1/15
1/15
1/15
1/15

Managing Director, PIMCO. Mr. Mariappa rejoined PIMCO in 2014 from GLG, a London-based hedge fund, where he was a managing director, developing and managing fixed income funds. Previously at PIMCO, Mr. Mariappa was a Managing Director and head of global portfolio management. He also served as senior advisor to PIMCO's portfolio management group from 2009 – 2011. Prior to joining PIMCO in 2000, he was a managing director for Merrill Lynch in Tokyo, overseeing Japanese government bond and swap derivative trading. He has investment experience since 1987 and holds an MBA, as well as a bachelor's degree in chemical engineering, from Cornell University.

PIMCO StocksPLUS® Long Duration Fund

Mohit Mittal

2/16

Managing Director, PIMCO. He manages investment grade credit, total return and unconstrained bond portfolios and is a member of the Americas Portfolio Committee. Previously, he was a specialist on PIMCO's interest rates and derivatives desk. Mr. Mittal joined PIMCO in 2007 and holds an MBA in finance from the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania and an undergraduate degree in computer science from Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) in Delhi, India.

PIMCO StocksPLUS® Long Duration Fund

Stephen Rodosky

8/07†

Managing Director, PIMCO. Mr. Rodosky joined PIMCO in 2001 and specializes in portfolio management of treasuries, agencies and futures.

 

* Messrs. Fahmi and Mariappa are jointly responsible for the absolute return strategy and the equity portfolio replication process. Messrs. Arnott and Brightman are jointly responsible for the selection of stocks within the underlying equity portfolio.

** Messrs. Mariappa and Fahmi are jointly responsible for the absolute return strategy and the equity portfolio replication process. Messrs. Arnott and Brightman are jointly responsible for the selection of stocks within the underlying equity portfolio.

*** Messrs. Fahmi and Mariappa and Dr. Davis are jointly responsible for the absolute return strategy and the equity portfolio replication process. Messrs. Arnott and Brightman are jointly responsible for the selection of stocks within the underlying equity portfolios.

 Inception of the Fund.

Please see the SAI for additional information about other accounts managed by the portfolio managers, the portfolio managers' compensation and the portfolio managers' ownership of shares of the Funds.

 

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Prospectus

The Trustees are responsible generally for overseeing the management of the Trust. The Trustees authorize the Trust to enter into service agreements with the Investment Adviser, the Distributor (as defined below), the Administrator and other service providers in order to provide, and in some cases authorize service providers to procure through other parties, necessary or desirable services on behalf of the Trust and the Funds. Shareholders are not parties to or third-party beneficiaries of such service agreements. Neither this prospectus nor summary prospectus, the Trust's SAI, any contracts filed as exhibits to the Trust's registration statement, nor any other communications, disclosure documents or regulatory filings from or on behalf of the Trust or a Fund creates a contract between or among any shareholder of a Fund, on the one hand, and the Trust, a Fund, a service provider to the Trust or a Fund, and/or the Trustees or officers of the Trust, on the other hand. The Trustees (or the Trust and its officers, service providers or other delegates acting under authority of the Trustees) may amend this, or use a new prospectus, summary prospectus or SAI with respect to a Fund or the Trust, and/or amend, file and/or issue any other communications, disclosure documents or regulatory filings, and may amend or enter into any contracts to which the Trust or a Fund is a party, and interpret the investment objective(s), policies, restrictions and contractual provisions applicable to any Fund, without shareholder input or approval, except in circumstances in which shareholder approval is specifically required by law (such as changes to fundamental investment policies) or where a shareholder approval requirement is specifically disclosed in the Trust's then-current prospectus or SAI.

Distributor

The Trust's Distributor is PIMCO Investments LLC (the "Distributor"). The Distributor, located at 1633 Broadway, New York, NY 10019, is a broker-dealer registered with the Securities and Exchange Commission ("SEC"). Please note all direct account requests or inquiries should be mailed to the Trust's transfer agent at P.O. Box 55060, Boston, MA 02205-5060 and should not be mailed to the Distributor.

 

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PIMCO Funds

Classes of Shares

Class A, Class C, Class R, Institutional Class, I-2, I-3 and Administrative Class shares of the Funds are offered in this prospectus. Each share class represents an investment in the same Fund, but each class has its own expense structure and arrangements for shareholder services or distribution, which allows you to choose the class that best fits your situation and eligibility requirements.

The class of shares that is best for you depends upon a number of factors, including the amount and the intended length of your investment, the expenses borne by each class, which are detailed in the fee table and example at the front of this prospectus, any initial sales charge or contingent deferred sales charge (CDSC) applicable to a class and whether you qualify for any reduction or waiver of sales charges, and the availability of the share class for purchase by you. Certain classes have higher expenses than other classes, which may lower the return on your investment when compared to a less expensive class. Individual investors can generally invest in Class A and Class C shares. Class C shares of each Fund will automatically convert into Class A shares of the same Fund after they have been held for ten years. This automatic conversion will be executed without any sales charge, fee or other charge. After the conversion takes place, the shares will be subject to all features and expenses of Class A shares. Only certain investors may purchase Institutional Class, I-2, I-3, Administrative Class and Class R shares.

The availability of sales charge waivers and discounts may depend on whether you purchase Fund shares directly from the Distributor or a financial firm. More information regarding sales charge waivers and discounts is summarized below.

The following summarizes key information about each class to help you make your investment decision, including the various expenses associated with each class and the payments made to financial firms for distribution and other services. More information about the Trust's multi-class arrangements is included in the SAI and can be obtained free of charge by visiting pimco.com or by calling 888.87.PIMCO.

Sales Charges

Initial Sales Charges — Class A Shares

This section includes important information about sales charge reduction programs available to investors in Class A shares of the Funds and describes information or records you may need to provide to the Distributor or your financial firm in order to be eligible for sales charge reduction programs.

Unless you are eligible for a waiver, the public offering price you pay when you buy Class A shares of the Funds is the NAV of the shares plus an initial sales charge. The initial sales charge varies depending upon the size of your purchase, as set forth below. No sales charge is imposed where Class A shares are issued to you pursuant to the automatic reinvestment of income dividends or capital gains distributions. For investors investing in Class A shares of the Funds through a financial firm, it is the responsibility of the financial firm to ensure that you obtain the proper "breakpoint" discount.

PIMCO RAE Worldwide Long/Short PLUS Fund – Class A Shares

 

Amount of Purchase

Initial Sales Charge as % of Public Offering Price

Initial Sales Charge as % of Net Amount Invested

Under $50,000

5.50%

5.82%

$50,000 but under $100,000

4.50%

4.71%

$100,000 but under $250,000

3.50%

3.63%

$250,000 but under $500,000

2.50%

2.56%

$500,000 but under $1,000,000

2.00%

2.04%

$1,000,000 +

0.00%*

0.00%*

 

* As shown, investors that purchase $1,000,000 or more of the Fund's Class A shares will not pay any initial sales charge on the purchase. However, unless eligible for a waiver, certain purchasers of $1,000,000 or more of Class A shares may be subject to a CDSC of 1.00% if the shares are redeemed during the first 12 months after their purchase. See "Contingent Deferred Sales Charges – Class A Shares" below.

All other Funds — Class A Shares

 

Amount of Purchase

Initial Sales Charge as % of Public Offering Price

Initial Sales Charge as % of Net Amount Invested

Under $100,000

3.75%

3.90%

$100,000 but under $250,000

3.25%

3.36%

$250,000 but under $500,000

2.25%

2.30%

$500,000 but under $1,000,000

1.75%

1.78%

$1,000,000 +

0.00%*

0.00%*

 

* As shown, investors that purchase $1,000,000 or more of the Fund's Class A shares will not pay any initial sales charge on the purchase. However, unless eligible for a waiver, certain purchasers of $1,000,000 or more of Class A shares may be subject to a CDSC of 1.00% if the shares are redeemed during the first 12 months after their purchase. See "Contingent Deferred Sales Charges – Class A Shares" below.

Investors in the Funds may reduce or eliminate sales charges applicable to purchases of Class A shares through utilization of the Combined Purchase Privilege, Right of Accumulation (Cumulative Quantity Discount), Letter of Intent or Reinstatement Privilege. These programs, which apply to purchases of one or more funds that are series of the Trust or PIMCO Equity Series that offer Class A shares (other than the Money Market series of the Trust) (collectively, "Eligible Funds"), are summarized below and are described in greater detail in the SAI.

Combined Purchase Privilege and Right of Accumulation (Breakpoints). A Qualifying Investor (as defined below) may qualify for a reduced sales charge on Class A shares by combining concurrent purchases of the Class A shares of one or more Eligible Funds into a single purchase (the "Combined Purchase Privilege"). In addition, a Qualifying Investor may obtain a reduced sales charge on Class A shares by adding the purchase value of Class A shares of an Eligible Fund with the current aggregate NAV of all Class A and C shares of any Eligible Fund held by accounts for the benefit of such Qualifying Investor (the "Right of Accumulation" or "Cumulative Quantity Discount").

The term "Qualifying Investor" refers to:

1.

an individual, such individual's spouse or domestic partner, as recognized by applicable state law, or such individual's children

 

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under the age of 21 years (each a "family member") (including family trust* accounts established by such a family member); or

2.

a trustee or other fiduciary for a single trust (except family trusts* noted above), estate or fiduciary account although more than one beneficiary may be involved; or

3.

an employee benefit plan of a single employer.


* For the purpose of determining whether a purchase would qualify for a reduced sales charge under the Combined Purchase Privilege, Right of Accumulation or Letter of Intent, a "family trust" is one in which a family member, as defined in section (1) above, or a direct lineal descendant(s) of such person is/are the beneficiary(ies), and such person or another family member, direct lineal ancestor or sibling of such person is/are the trustee(s).

Please see the SAI for details and for restrictions applicable to shares held by certain employer-sponsored benefit programs.

Letter of Intent. Investors may also obtain a reduced sales charge on purchases of Class A shares by means of a written Letter of Intent which expresses an intent to invest not less than $50,000 (or $100,000 in the case of those Funds with an initial sales charge breakpoint at $100,000) within a period of 13 months in Class A shares of any Eligible Fund(s). The maximum intended investment allowable in a Letter of Intent is $1,000,000. Each purchase of shares under a Letter of Intent will be made at the public offering price or prices applicable at the time of such purchase to a single purchase of the dollar amount indicated in the Letter of Intent. The value of the investor's account(s) linked to a Letter of Intent will be included at the start date of the Letter of Intent. A Letter of Intent is not a binding obligation to purchase the full amount indicated. Shares purchased with the first 5% of the amount indicated in the Letter of Intent will be held in escrow (while remaining registered in your name) to secure payment of the higher sales charges applicable to the shares actually purchased in the event the full intended amount is not purchased. Redemptions during the LOI period will not count against the shareholder, but a CDSC may be charged LOIs of $1,000,000.

In making computations concerning the amount purchased for purposes of a Letter of Intent, the Right of Accumulation value of eligible accounts will be included in the computation when the Letter of Intent begins in addition to purchases made during the Letter of Intent Period.

Reinstatement Privilege. A Class A shareholder who has caused any or all of his shares to be redeemed may reinvest all or any portion of the redemption proceeds in Class A shares of any Eligible Fund at NAV without any sales charge, provided that such investment is made within 120 calendar days after the redemption date. The limitations and restrictions of this program are fully described in the SAI.

Method of Valuation of Accounts. To determine whether a shareholder qualifies for a reduction in sales charge on a purchase of Class A shares of Eligible Funds, the public offering price of the shares is used for purchases relying on the Combined Purchase Privilege or a Letter of Intent and the amount of the total current purchase (including any sales load) plus the NAV (at the close of business on the day of the current purchase) of shares previously acquired is used for the Right of Accumulation (Cumulative Quantity Discount).

Sales at Net Asset Value. In addition to the programs summarized above, the Funds may sell their Class A shares at NAV without an initial sales charge to certain types of accounts or account holders, including, but not limited to: Trustees of the Funds; employees of PIMCO and the Distributor; employees of participating brokers; certain trustees or other fiduciaries purchasing shares for retirement plans; and persons investing through certain "wrap accounts." Please see the SAI for details.

If you are eligible to buy both Class A shares and Institutional Class shares, you should buy Institutional Class shares because Class A shares may be subject to sales charges and an annual 0.25% service fee.

Required Shareholder Information and Records. In order for investors in Class A shares of the Funds to take advantage of sales charge reductions, an investor or his or her financial firm must notify the Fund that the investor qualifies for such a reduction. If the Fund is not notified that the investor is eligible for these reductions, the Fund will be unable to ensure that the reduction is applied to the investor's account. An investor may have to provide certain information or records to his or her financial firm or the Fund to verify the investor's eligibility for breakpoint discounts or sales charge waivers. An investor may be asked to provide information or records, including account statements, regarding shares of the Funds or other Eligible Funds held in:

all of the investor's accounts held directly with the Trust or through a financial firm; 

any account of the investor at another financial firm; and 

accounts of Qualifying Investors, at any financial firm.

The SAI provides additional information regarding eliminations of and reductions in sales loads associated with Eligible Funds. You can obtain the SAI free of charge from PIMCO by written request, by visiting pimco.com or by calling 888.87.PIMCO.

Contingent Deferred Sales Charges

Class A Shares

Unless you are eligible for a waiver, if you purchase $1,000,000 or more of Class A shares (and, thus, pay no initial sales charge) of a Fund, you will be subject to a 1% CDSC if you sell (redeem) your Class A shares within 12 months of their purchase. The Class A CDSC does not apply if you are otherwise eligible to purchase Class A shares without an initial sales charge or are eligible for a waiver of the CDSC. See "Reductions and Waivers of Initial Sales Charges and CDSCs" below.

Class C Shares

Unless you are eligible for a waiver, if you sell (redeem) your Class C shares within the time periods specified below, you will pay a CDSC according to the following schedules. If you invest in Class C shares of the Funds through a financial firm, it is the responsibility of the financial firm to ensure that you are credited with the proper holding period for the shares redeemed.


Years Since Purchase Payment was Made

Percentage Contingent
Deferred Sales Charge

First

1%

Thereafter

0%

 

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How CDSCs will be Calculated

A CDSC is imposed on redemptions of Class C shares (and where applicable, Class A shares) on the amount of the redemption which causes the current value of your account for the particular class of shares of the Fund to fall below the total dollar amount of your purchase payments subject to the CDSC.

The following rules apply under the method for calculating CDSCs:

Shares acquired through the reinvestment of dividends or capital gains distributions will be redeemed first and will not be subject to any CDSC.

For the redemption of all other shares, the CDSC will be based on either your original purchase price or the then current NAV of the shares being sold, whichever is lower. To illustrate this point, consider shares purchased at an NAV of $10. If the Fund's NAV per share at the time of redemption is $12, the CDSC will apply to the purchase price of $10. If the NAV per share at the time of redemption is $8, the CDSC will apply to the $8 current NAV per share.

CDSCs will be deducted from the proceeds of your redemption, not from amounts remaining in your account.

In determining whether a CDSC is payable, it is assumed that you will redeem first the lot of shares which will incur the lowest CDSC.

For example, the following illustrates the operation of the Class C CDSC:

Assume that an individual opens an account and makes a purchase payment of $10,000 for 1,000 Class C shares of a Fund (at $10 per share) and that six months later the value of the investor's account for that Fund has grown through investment performance to $11,000 ($11 per share). If the investor should redeem $2,200 (200 shares), a CDSC would be applied against $2,000 of the redemption (the purchase price of the shares redeemed, because the purchase price is lower than the current NAV of such shares ($2,200)). At the rate of 1%, the Class C CDSC would be $20.

Reductions and Waivers of Initial Sales Charges and CDSCs

The initial sales charges on Class A shares and the CDSCs on Class A and Class C shares may be reduced or waived under certain purchase arrangements and for certain categories of investors. Please see the SAI for details.

Shares Purchased or Held Through Financial Firms

The availability of sales charge waivers and discounts may depend on the particular financial firm or type of account through which you purchase or hold Fund shares. The Funds' sales charge waivers and discounts disclosed in this Prospectus are available for qualifying purchases made directly from the Distributor and are generally available through financial firms unless otherwise specified in Appendix B. The sales charge waivers and discounts available through certain other financial firms are set forth in Appendix B to this Prospectus (Financial Firm-Specific Sales Charge Waivers and Discounts), which may differ from those available for purchases made directly from the Distributor or certain other financial firms. Please contact your financial firm for more information regarding sales charge waivers and discounts available to you and the financial firm's related policies and procedures.

No Sales Charges — Class R Shares

The Funds do not impose any sales charges or other fees on purchases, redemptions or exchanges of Class R shares. Class R shares generally are available only to 401(k) plans, 457 plans, employer sponsored 403(b) plans, profit sharing and money purchase pension plans, defined benefit plans, non-qualified deferred compensation plans, health care benefit funding plans and other specified benefit plans and accounts whereby the plan or the plan's financial firm has an agreement with the Distributor or PIMCO Funds to utilize Class R shares in certain investment products or programs (collectively, "specified benefit plans"). In addition, Class R shares also are generally available only to specified benefit plans where Class R shares are held on the books of the Funds through omnibus accounts (either at the benefit plan level or at the level of the plan's financial firm). Class R shares are not available to retail or non-specified benefit plan accounts, traditional and Roth IRAs (except through certain omnibus accounts), Coverdell Education Savings Accounts, SEPs, SAR-SEPs, SIMPLE IRAs, or individual 403(b) plans.

The administrator of a specified benefit plan or employee benefits office can provide participants with detailed information on how to participate in the plan and how to elect a Fund as an investment option. Plan participants may be permitted to elect different investment options, alter the amounts contributed to the plan, or change how contributions are allocated among investment options in accordance with the plan's specific provisions. The plan administrator or employee benefits office should be consulted for details. For questions about participant accounts, participants should contact their employee benefits office, the plan administrator, or the organization that provides recordkeeping services for the plan. In most cases, the Trust's transfer agent will have no information with respect to or control over accounts of specific Class R shareholders, and a shareholder may obtain information about accounts only through the specified benefit plan.

Eligible specified benefit plans generally may open an account and purchase Class R shares by contacting any broker, dealer or other financial firm authorized to sell or process transactions in Class R shares of the Funds. Eligible specified benefit plans may also purchase shares directly from the Distributor. See "Purchasing Shares – Class R" below. Additional shares may be purchased through a benefit plan's administrator or recordkeeper.

Financial firms may provide or arrange for the provision of some or all of the shareholder servicing and account maintenance services required by specified benefit plan accounts and their plan participants, including, without limitation, transfers of registration and dividend payee changes.

Moreover, financial firms and specified benefit plans may have omnibus accounts and similar arrangements with the Trust and may be paid for providing sub-accounting and other shareholder services. A financial firm or specified benefit plan may be paid for its services directly or indirectly by the Funds, the Administrator, another affiliate of the Fund or the Distributor (normally not to exceed an annual rate of 0.50% of a Fund's average daily net assets attributable to its Class R shares and purchased through such firm or specified benefit plan for its clients although payments with respect to shares in retirement plans are often higher). PIMCO or its affiliates may pay a financial firm or specified benefit plan an additional amount not to exceed 0.25% for sub-accounting or other shareholder services.

 

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These fees and expenses could reduce an investment return in Class R shares. For further information on Class R shares and related items, please refer to the SAI.

No Sales Charges — Institutional Class, I-2, I-3 and Administrative Class Shares

The Funds do not impose any sales charges or other fees on purchases, redemptions or exchanges of Institutional Class, I-2, I-3 or Administrative Class shares. Only certain investors are eligible to purchase these share classes. Your financial advisor or financial firm can help you determine if you are eligible to purchase Institutional Class, I-2, I-3 or Administrative Class shares. You can also call 888.87.PIMCO.

An investor transacting in Institutional Class shares, I-2 shares or I-3 shares may be required to pay a commission to a broker or other financial firm. Other share classes of the Funds that have different fees and expenses are available.

Pension and profit-sharing plans, employee benefit trusts and employee benefit plan alliances, and "wrap account" programs established with broker-dealers or other financial firms may purchase Institutional Class, I-2, I-3 or Administrative Class shares only if the plan or program for which the shares are being acquired will maintain an omnibus or pooled account for each Fund and will not require a Fund to pay any type of administrative payment per participant account to any third party.

Institutional Class shares are offered primarily for direct investment by investors such as pension and profit sharing plans, employee benefit trusts, endowments, foundations, corporations and high net worth individuals. Institutional Class shares may also be offered through certain financial firms that charge their customers transaction or other fees with respect to their customers' investments in the Funds.

I-2 shares are offered primarily through broker-dealers and other financial firms with which the Distributor has an agreement for the use of the share class in investment products, programs or accounts such as certain asset allocation, wrap fee and other similar programs. I-2 shares may also be offered through broker-dealers and other financial firms that charge their customers transaction or other fees with respect to their customers' investments in the Funds. I-2 shares of the Funds will be held in an account at a financial firm and, generally, the firm will hold a shareholder's I-2 shares in nominee or street name as your agent. In most cases, the Trust's transfer agent will have no information with respect to or control over accounts of specific I-2 shareholders, and a shareholder may obtain information about accounts only through the financial firm. Broker-dealers, other financial firms, pension and profit-sharing plans, employee benefit trusts and employee benefit plan alliances also may purchase I-2 shares.

I-3 shares of the Funds are offered primarily through broker-dealers and other financial firms with which the Distributor has an agreement for the use of the share class in investment products, programs or accounts such as mutual fund supermarkets or other no transaction fee platforms. I-3 shares of the Funds will be held in an account at a financial firm and, generally, the firm will hold a shareholder's I-3 shares in nominee or street name as your agent. In most cases, the Trust's transfer agent will have no information with respect to or control over accounts of specific I-3 shareholders, and a shareholder may obtain information about accounts only through the financial firm. Broker-dealers, other financial firms, pension and profit-sharing plans, employee benefit trusts and employee benefit plan alliances also may purchase I-3 shares.

Administrative Class shares are offered primarily through broker-dealers, other financial firms, and employee benefit plan alliances. Each Fund typically pays service and/or distribution fees to these entities for services they provide to Administrative Class shareholders.

Distribution and Servicing (12b-1) Plans

Class A, Class C and Class R Shares. The Funds pay fees to the Distributor on an ongoing basis as compensation for the services the Distributor renders and the expenses it bears in connection with the sale and distribution of Fund shares ("distribution fees") and/or in connection with personal services rendered to Fund shareholders and the maintenance of shareholder accounts ("servicing fees"). These payments are made pursuant to Distribution and Servicing Plans ("12b-1 Plans") adopted by each Fund pursuant to Rule 12b-1 under the 1940 Act.

Class A shares pay only servicing fees. Class C and Class R shares pay both distribution and servicing fees. The following lists the maximum annual rates at which the distribution and/or servicing fees may be paid under each 12b-1 Plan (calculated as a percentage of each Fund's average daily net assets attributable to the particular class of shares):

Class A

Servicing Fee

Distribution Fee

All Funds

0.25%

0.00%

 

Class C

Servicing Fee

Distribution Fee

PIMCO StocksPLUS® Fund

0.25%

0.50%

All other Funds

0.25%

0.75%

 

Class R

Servicing Fee

Distribution Fee

All Funds

0.25%

0.25%

Because distribution fees are paid out of the Fund's assets on an ongoing basis, over time these fees will increase the cost of your investment and may cost you more than other types of sales charges, such as sales charges that are deducted at the time of investment. Therefore, although Class C and Class R shares do not pay initial sales charges, the distribution fees payable on Class C and Class R shares may, over time, cost you more than the initial sales charge imposed on Class A shares.

Administrative Class Shares. The Trust has adopted, pursuant to Rule 12b-1 under the 1940 Act, a separate Distribution and Servicing Plan for the Administrative Class shares of the Funds. The Distribution and Servicing Plan permits the Funds to compensate the Distributor for providing or procuring through financial firms, distribution, administrative, recordkeeping, shareholder and/or related services with respect to the Administrative Class shares. Most or all of the distribution and service (12b-1) fees are paid to financial firms through which shareholders may purchase or hold shares. Because these fees are paid out of a Fund's Administrative Class assets on an ongoing basis, over time they will increase the cost of an investment in Administrative Class shares.

 

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The following lists the maximum annual rates at which the distribution and/or servicing fees may be paid under each Distribution and Servicing Plan (calculated as a percentage of each Fund's average daily net assets attributable to the particular class of shares):

Administrative Class

Distribution and/or Servicing Fee

All Funds

0.25%

Servicing Arrangements

Shares of the Funds may be available through broker-dealers, banks, trust companies, insurance companies and other financial firms that have entered into shareholder servicing arrangements with respect to the Funds. A financial firm is one that, in exchange for compensation, sells, among other products, mutual fund shares (including the shares offered in this prospectus) or provides services for mutual fund shareholders. These financial firms provide varying investment products, programs, platforms and accounts, through which investors may purchase, redeem and exchange shares of the Funds. Shareholder servicing arrangements typically include processing orders for shares, generating account and confirmation statements, sub-accounting, account maintenance, tax reporting, collecting and posting distributions to investor accounts and disbursing cash dividends as well as other investment or administrative services required for the particular firm's products, programs, platform and accounts.

PIMCO and/or its affiliates may make payments to financial firms for the shareholder services provided. These payments are made out of PIMCO's resources, including the supervisory and administrative fees paid to PIMCO under the Funds' supervision and administration agreement. The actual services provided by these firms, and the payments made for such services, vary from firm to firm. The payments may be based on a fixed dollar amount for each account and position maintained by the financial firm and/or a percentage of the value of shares held by investors through the firm. Please see the SAI for more information.

These payments may be material to financial firms relative to other compensation paid by the Funds, PIMCO and/or its affiliates and may be in addition to other fees and payments, such as distribution and/or service (12b-1) fees, revenue sharing or "shelf space" fees and event support, other non-cash compensation and charitable contributions paid to or at the request of such firms (described below). Also, the payments may differ depending on the Fund or share class and may vary from amounts paid to the Funds' transfer agent for providing similar services to other accounts. PIMCO and/or its affiliates do not control these financial firms' provision of the services for which they are receiving payments.

These financial firms may impose additional or different conditions than the Funds on purchases, redemptions or exchanges of shares. They may also independently establish and charge their customers or program participants transaction fees, account fees and other amounts in connection with purchases, redemptions and exchanges of shares in addition to any fees imposed by the Funds. These additional fees may vary and over time could increase the cost of an investment in the Funds and lower investment returns. Each financial firm is responsible for transmitting to its customers and program participants a schedule of any such fees and information regarding any additional or different conditions regarding purchases, redemptions and exchanges. Shareholders who are customers of these financial firms or participants in programs serviced by them should contact the financial firm for information regarding these fees and conditions.

Other Payments to Financial Firms

Some or all of the sales charges, distribution fees and servicing fees described above are paid or "reallowed" to the financial firm, including their financial advisors through which you purchase your shares. With respect to Class C shares, the financial firms are also paid at the time of your purchase a commission of up to 1.00% of your investment in such share class. Please see the SAI for more details.

The Distributor or PIMCO (for purposes of this subsection only, collectively, the "Distributor") may from time to time make payments and provide other incentives to selected financial firms as compensation for services such as providing the Funds with "shelf space" or a higher profile for the financial firms' financial advisors and their customers, placing the Funds on the financial firms' preferred or recommended fund list, granting the Distributor access to the firms' financial advisors and furnishing marketing support and other specified services. These payments may be significant to the financial firms.

A number of factors will be considered in determining the amount of these payments to financial firms. On some occasions, such payments may be conditioned upon levels of sales, including the sale of a specified minimum dollar amount of the shares of the Funds, other funds sponsored by the Distributor and/or a particular class of shares, during a specified period of time. The Distributor may also make payments to one or more financial firms based upon factors such as the amount of assets a financial firm's clients have invested in the Funds and the quality of the financial firm's relationship with the Distributor.

The additional payments described above are made from the Distributor's or PIMCO's (or their affiliates') own assets (and sometimes, therefore referred to as "revenue sharing") pursuant to agreements with broker-dealers or other financial firms and do not change the price paid by investors for the purchase of a Fund's shares or the amount a Fund will receive as proceeds from such sales. These payments may be made to financial firms (as selected by the Distributor) that have sold significant amounts of shares of the Funds. With respect to Class A, C and R shares, except as described in the following paragraph, the level of payments made to a financial firm in any future year will vary and generally will not exceed the sum of: (a) 0.10% of such year's sales of Class A, C and R shares of funds of the Trust and PIMCO Equity Series by such financial firm; and (b) 0.03% of the assets attributable to that financial firm invested in Class A, C and R shares of funds of the Trust and PIMCO Equity Series (the "10/3 cap"). In certain cases, the payments described in the preceding sentence are subject to certain minimum payment levels. In lieu of payments pursuant to the foregoing formula, the Distributor, PIMCO or their affiliates may make payments of an agreed upon amount which generally will not exceed the amount that would have been payable pursuant to the formula.

Financial firms with a combined AUM in excess of $10 Billion in Class A, C and I-2 shares of funds of the Trust and PIMCO Equity Series (for purposes of this paragraph, "Eligible Firms") may be eligible for marketing support payments beyond those described in the preceding paragraph on certain

 

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Eligible Assets (as defined below). The total payment to any Eligible Firm generally shall not exceed the greater of: (a) 0.05% of the combined Eligible Assets of Class A, C and I-2 shares of funds of the Trust and PIMCO Equity Series; or (b) the 10/3 cap with respect to Class A and Class C shares only. Should any Eligible Firm choose not to collect marketing support on I-2 shares, the total payment to such Eligible Firm generally shall not exceed the greater of: (x) 0.05% of Eligible Assets of Class A and C shares of funds of the Trust and PIMCO Equity Series; or (y) the 10/3 cap with respect to Class A and Class C shares only. With respect to the Eligible Firms receiving marketing support payments with respect to I-2 Shares pursuant to this paragraph, payments may be lower for particular funds of the Trust or PIMCO Equity Series as compared to other funds of the Trust or PIMCO Equity Series. "Eligible Assets" for purposes of this paragraph shall include all assets of Class A, C and I-2 shares of funds of the Trust and PIMCO Equity Series attributable to such Eligible Firm except advisory account assets held through a corporate retirement plan governed by the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974, Simplified Employee Pension Individual Retirement Accounts and Savings Incentive Match Plans for Individual Retirement Accounts.

Payments for marketing support may also include payments to financial firms in connection with the marketing and sale of model portfolios developed by PIMCO. Such payments may relate to assets under management or sales of any share class of the Funds in such PIMCO developed models.

In addition to the foregoing payments, the Distributor or its employees and representatives may make payments or reimburse financial firms for sponsorship and/or attendance at conferences, seminars or informational meetings ("event support"), provide financial firms or their personnel with occasional tickets to events or other entertainment, meals, and small gifts ("other non-cash compensation"), make charitable contributions to valid charitable organizations at the request of financial firms ("charitable contributions") and make financial contributions pertaining to sales incentives and contests, each to the extent permitted by applicable law, rules and regulations.

In addition, wholesaler representatives of the Distributor visit financial firms on a regular basis to market and educate financial advisors and other personnel about the Funds. These payments, reimbursements and activities may provide additional access to financial advisors at these financial firms, which may increase purchases and/or reduce redemptions of Fund shares.

The Distributor also may pay financial firms for certain services including technology, operations, tax, or audit consulting services, and may pay such firms for the Distributor's attendance at investment forums sponsored by such firms or for various studies, surveys, or access to databases. Subject to applicable law, PIMCO and its affiliates may also provide investment advisory services to financial firms and may execute brokerage transactions on behalf of the Funds with such financial firms. These financial firms may, in the ordinary course of their business, recommend that their clients utilize PIMCO's investment advisory services or invest in the Funds or in other products sponsored or distributed by the Distributor.

If investment advisers, distributors or affiliates of mutual funds make payments and provide other incentives in differing amounts, financial firms and their financial advisors may have financial incentives for recommending a particular mutual fund over other mutual funds. In addition, depending on the arrangements in place at any particular time, a financial firm and its financial advisors may also have a financial incentive for recommending a particular share class over other share classes. A shareholder who holds Fund shares through a financial firm should consult with the shareholder's financial advisor and review carefully any disclosure by the financial firm as to its compensation received by the financial advisor.

Although the Funds may use financial firms that sell Fund shares to effect transactions for the Funds' portfolios, the Funds and PIMCO will not consider the sale of Fund shares as a factor when choosing financial firms to effect those transactions.

For further details about payments made by the Distributor to financial firms, please see the SAI.

Purchases, Redemptions and Exchanges

The following section provides basic information about how to purchase, redeem and exchange shares of the Funds.

More detailed information about purchase, redemption and exchange arrangements for Fund shares is provided in the Statement of Additional Information, which can be obtained free of charge by written request to the Funds at P.O. Box 55060, Boston, MA 02205-5060, visiting pimco.com or by calling 888.87.PIMCO. The Statement of Additional Information provides technical information about the basic arrangements described below and also describes special purchase, sale and exchange features and programs offered by the Trust, including:

Automated telephone and wire transfer procedures

Automatic purchase, exchange and withdrawal programs

A link from your PIMCO Fund account to your bank account

Special arrangements for tax-qualified retirement plans

Investment programs which allow you to reduce or eliminate the initial sales charges

Categories of investors that are eligible for waivers or reductions of initial sales charges and CDSCs

In addition to the other methods and notwithstanding any limitations described herein, shareholders with eligible Fund direct accounts may purchase, redeem (sell) and exchange Class A and Class C shares, by accessing their accounts online at pimco.com/MyAccountAccess.  Shareholders with eligible Fund direct accounts in the Institutional class may purchase, redeem (sell) and exchange shares by accessing their accounts online at pimco.com/InstitutionalAccountAccess. Accordingly, an investor must first establish a Fund direct account by completing and mailing the appropriate account application. Online redemptions are not available for all Fund direct accounts because in certain cases, a signature guarantee may be required.

If a shareholder elects to use Account Access to effect transactions for their Fund direct account, the shareholder will be required to establish and use a user ID and password. Shareholders are responsible for keeping their user IDs and passwords private. A Fund will not be liable for relying on any instructions submitted online. Submitting transactions online may be

 

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difficult (or impossible) during drastic economic or market changes or during other times when communications may be under unusual stress. Please see the Funds' Statement of Additional Information for additional terms, conditions and considerations.

If a shareholder elects not to use Account Access to view their account or effect transactions, the shareholder should not establish online account access.  If online account access has already been established and the client no longer wants the account accessible online, the client can call 888.87.PIMCO and request to suspend online access.

The Trust typically does not offer or sell its shares to non-U.S. residents. For purposes of this policy, a U.S. resident is defined as an account with (i) a U.S. address of record and (ii) all account owners residing in the U.S. at the time of sale.

The minimum initial investment may be modified for certain financial firms that submit orders on behalf of their customers. The Trust or the Distributor may lower or waive the minimum initial or subsequent investment for certain categories of investors at their discretion. Please see the SAI for details.

Purchasing Shares — Class A and Class C

You can purchase Class A or Class C shares of the Funds in the following ways:

Through your broker-dealer or other financial firm. Your broker-dealer or other financial firm may establish higher minimum investment requirements than the Trust and may also independently charge you transaction fees and additional amounts (which may vary) in return for its services, which will reduce your return. Shares you purchase through your broker-dealer or other financial firm will normally be held in your account with that firm.

Through the Distributor. You should discuss your investment with your financial advisor before you make a purchase to be sure the Fund is appropriate for you. To make direct investments, you must open an account with the Trust and send payment for your shares either by mail or through a variety of other purchase options and plans offered by the Trust. If you do not list a financial advisor and his/her brokerage firm on the Account Application, the Distributor is designated as the broker of record, but solely for purposes of acting as your agent to purchase shares.

Investment Minimums — Class A and Class C Shares. The following investment minimums apply for purchases of Class A and Class C shares.

Purchasing Shares — Class R

Eligible plan investors may purchase Class R shares of the Funds at the relevant NAV of that class without a sales charge. See "No Sales Charges — Class R Shares" above. Plan participants may purchase Class R shares only through their specified benefit plans. In connection with purchases, specified benefit plans are responsible for forwarding all necessary documentation to their financial firm or the Distributor. Specified benefit plans and financial firms may charge for such services.

Specified benefit plans may also purchase Class R shares directly through the Distributor. To make direct investments, a plan administrator must open an account with the Fund and send payment for Class R shares either by mail or through a variety of other purchase options and plans offered by the Trust. Specified benefit plans that purchase their shares directly from the Trust must hold their shares in an omnibus account at the specified benefit plan level.

Investment Minimums — Class R Shares. There is no minimum initial or additional investment in Class R shares.

To invest directly by mail, specified benefit plans should send a check payable to the PIMCO Family of Funds, along with a completed Account Application to the Trust by mail to PIMCO Funds, P.O. Box 55060, Boston, MA 02205-5060 or overnight courier to PIMCO Funds, c/o DST Asset Manager Solutions, Inc., 30 Dan Road, Canton, MA 02021-2809.

The Funds accept all purchases by mail subject to collection of checks at full value and conversion into federal funds. Investors may make subsequent purchases by mailing a check to the address above with a letter describing the investment or with the additional investment portion of a confirmation statement. Checks for subsequent purchases should be payable to the PIMCO Family of Funds and should clearly indicate the relevant account number. Please call the Funds at 888.87.PIMCO if you have any questions regarding purchases by mail.

The Funds reserve the right to require payment by wire, Automatic Clearing House (ACH) or U.S. bank check. The Funds generally do not accept payments made by cash, money order, temporary/starter checks, third-party checks, credit card checks, traveler's check, or checks drawn on non-U.S. banks even if payment may be effected through a U.S. bank.

The SAI describes a number of additional ways you can make direct investments, including through the PIMCO Funds Automatic Investment Plan and ACH Network. You can obtain the SAI free of charge from the Funds by written request to the address above, visiting pimco.com or by calling 888.87.PIMCO.

Purchasing Shares — Institutional Class, I-2, I-3 and Administrative Class

Eligible investors may purchase Institutional Class, I-2, I-3 and Administrative Class shares of the Funds at the relevant NAV of that class without a sales charge. See "No Sales Charges — Institutional Class, I-2, I-3 and Administrative Class Shares" above.

 Investment Minimums — Institutional Class, I-2, I-3 and Administrative Class Shares. The following investment minimums apply for purchases of Institutional Class, I-2, I-3 and Administrative Class shares.

Initial Investment. Investors who wish to invest in Institutional Class and Administrative Class shares may obtain an Account Application online at pimco.com or by calling 888.87.PIMCO. I-2 and I-3 shares are only available through financial firms. See "No Sales Charges — Institutional Class, I-2, I-3 and Administrative Class

 

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Shares." The completed Account Application may be submitted using the following methods:

Facsimile: 816.421.2861

Regular Mail:
    PIMCO Funds
    c/o DST Asset Manager Solutions
    330 W. 9th Street
    Kansas City, MO 64105

E-mail: piprocess@dstsystems.com

Except as described below, an investor may purchase Institutional Class and Administrative Class shares only by wiring federal funds to:

PIMCO Funds c/o State Street Bank & Trust Co.
One Lincoln Street, Boston, MA 02111
ABA: 011000028
DDA: 9905-7432
ACCT: Investor PIMCO Account Number
FFC: Name of Investor and Name of Fund(s) in which you wish to invest

Before wiring federal funds, the investor must provide order instructions to the Transfer Agent by facsimile at 816.421.2861, by telephone at 888.87.PIMCO or by e-mail at piprocess@dstsystems.com (if an investor elected this option at account opening or subsequently in writing). In order to receive the current day's NAV, order instructions must be received in good order prior to market close. Instructions must include the name and signature of an authorized person designated on the Account Application ("Authorized Person"), account name, account number, name of Fund and share class and amount being wired. Wires received without order instructions may result in a processing delay or a return of wire. Failure to send the accompanying wire on the same day may result in the cancellation of the order.

An investor may place a purchase order for shares without first wiring federal funds if the purchase amount is to be derived from an advisory account managed by PIMCO or one of its affiliates, or from an account with a broker-dealer or other financial firm that has established a processing relationship with the Trust on behalf of its customers.

Additional Investments. An investor may purchase additional Institutional Class and Administrative Class shares of the Funds at any time by sending a facsimile or e-mail or by calling the Transfer Agent and wiring federal funds as outlined above. Eligible Institutional Class shareholders may also purchase additional shares online at pimco.com/InstitutionalAccountAccess. Contact your financial firm for information on purchasing additional I-2 or I-3 shares. 

Other Purchase Information. Purchases of a Fund's Institutional Class, I-2, I-3 and Administrative Class shares will be made in full and fractional shares.

Purchasing Shares — Additional Information

The Trust and the Distributor each reserves the right, in its sole discretion, to suspend the offering of shares of the Funds or to reject any purchase order, in whole or in part, when, in the judgment of management, such suspension or rejection is in the best interests of the Trust.

Subject to the approval of the Trust, an investor may purchase shares of the Fund with liquid securities that are eligible for purchase by the Fund (consistent with the Fund's investment policies and restrictions) and that have a value that is readily ascertainable in accordance with the Trust's valuation policies. These transactions will be effected only if PIMCO intends to retain the security in the Fund as an investment. Assets purchased by the Fund in such a transaction will be valued in generally the same manner as they would be valued for purposes of pricing the Fund's shares, if such assets were included in the Fund's assets at the time of purchase. The Trust reserves the right to amend or terminate this practice at any time.

In the interest of economy and convenience, certificates for shares will not be issued.

Redeeming Shares — Class A and Class C

You can redeem (sell) Class A or Class C shares of the Funds in the following ways: 

Through your broker-dealer or other financial firm. Your broker-dealer or other financial firm may independently charge you transaction fees and additional amounts in return for its services, which will reduce your return.

Redemptions by Telephone. An investor that elects this option on the Account Application (or subsequently in writing) may request redemptions of Class A and Class C shares by calling the Trust at 888.87.PIMCO. An Authorized Person must state his or her name, account name, account number, name of Fund and share class, and redemption amount (in dollars or shares). Redemption requests of an amount of $10 million or more must be submitted in writing by an Authorized Person.

Directly from the Trust by Written Request. To redeem shares directly from the Trust by written request, you must send the following items to the PIMCO Funds, P.O. Box 55060, Boston, MA 02205-5060:

1.

a written request for redemption signed by all registered owners exactly as the account is registered on the Transfer Agent's records, including fiduciary titles, if any, and specifying the account number and the dollar amount or number of shares to be redeemed;

2.

for certain redemptions described below, a guarantee of all signatures on the written request or on the share certificate or accompanying stock power, if required, as described under "Signature Validation" below;

3.

any share certificates issued for any of the shares to be redeemed (see "Certificated Shares" below); and

4.

any additional documents which may be required by the Transfer Agent for redemption by corporations, partnerships or other organizations, executors, administrators, trustees, custodians or guardians, or if the redemption is requested by anyone other than the shareholder(s) of record. Transfers of shares are subject to the same requirements.

 

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A signature validation is not required for redemptions requested by and payable to all shareholders of record for the account, and to be sent to the address of record for that account. To avoid delay in redemption or transfer, if you have any questions about these requirements you should contact the Transfer Agent in writing or call 888.87.PIMCO before submitting a request. Written redemption or transfer requests will not be honored until all required documents in the proper form have been received by the Transfer Agent. You cannot redeem your shares by written request if they are held in "street name" accounts—you must redeem through your financial firm.

If the proceeds of your redemption (i) are to be paid to a person other than the record owner, (ii) are to be sent to an address other than the address of the account on the Transfer Agent's records, and/or (iii) are to be paid to a corporation, partnership, trust or fiduciary, the signature(s) on the redemption request and on the certificates, if any, or stock power must be guaranteed as described under "Signature Validation" below.

The SAI describes a number of additional ways you can redeem your shares, including: 

Telephone requests to the Transfer Agent

Online Account Access

Expedited wire transfers 

Automatic Withdrawal Plan 

Automated Clearing House (ACH) Network

Unless you specifically elect otherwise, your initial Account Application permits you to redeem shares by telephone subject to certain requirements. To be eligible for expedited wire transfer, Automatic Withdrawal Plan, and ACH privileges, you must specifically elect the particular option on your Account Application and satisfy certain other requirements. The SAI describes each of these options and provides additional information about selling shares.

Other than an applicable CDSC, you will not pay any special fees or charges to the Trust or the Distributor when you sell your shares. However, if you sell your shares through your broker, dealer or other financial firm, that firm may charge you a commission or other fee for processing your redemption request.

Redeeming Shares — Class R

Class R shares may be redeemed through the investor's plan administrator. Investors do not pay any fees or other charges to the Trust when selling shares, although specified benefit plans and financial firms may charge for their services in processing redemption requests. Please contact the plan or firm for details.

Subject to any restrictions in the applicable specified benefit plan documents, plan administrators are obligated to transmit redemption orders to the Trust's Transfer Agent or their financial service firm promptly and are responsible for ensuring that redemption requests are in proper form. Specified benefit plans and financial firms will be responsible for furnishing all necessary documentation to the Trust's Transfer Agent and may charge for their services.

Redeeming Shares — Institutional Class and Administrative Class

Redemptions in Writing. Investors may redeem (sell) Institutional Class and Administrative Class shares by sending a facsimile, written request or e-mail as follows:

Facsimile: 816.421.2861
Regular Mail:
    PIMCO Funds
    c/o DST Asset Manager Solutions
    330 W. 9th Street
    Kansas City, MO 64105
E-mail: piprocess@dstsystems.com

The redemption request should state the Fund from which the shares are to be redeemed, the class of shares, the number or dollar amount of the shares to be redeemed and the account number. The request must be signed or made by an Authorized Person.

Neither the Trust nor the Transfer Agent may be liable for any loss, cost or expense for acting on instructions (including those by fax or e-mail) believed by the party receiving such instructions to be genuine and in accordance with the procedures described in this prospectus. Shareholders should realize that by utilizing fax or e-mail redemption, they may be giving up a measure of security that they might have if they were to redeem their shares by mail. Furthermore, interruptions in service may mean that a shareholder will be unable to effect a redemption by fax or e-mail when desired. The Transfer Agent also provides written confirmation of transactions as a procedure designed to confirm that instructions are genuine.

All redemptions, whether initiated by mail, fax or e-mail, will be processed in a timely manner, and proceeds will be forwarded by wire in accordance with the redemption policies of the Trust detailed below. See "Redeeming Shares — Additional Information."

Redemptions by Telephone. An investor that elects this option on the Account Application (or subsequently in writing) may request redemptions of Institutional Class and Administrative Class shares by calling the Trust at 888.87.PIMCO. An Authorized Person must state his or her name, account name, account number, name of Fund and share class, and redemption amount (in dollars or shares). Redemption requests of an amount of $10 million or more must be submitted in writing by an Authorized Person. 

In electing a telephone redemption, the investor authorizes PIMCO and the Transfer Agent to act on telephone instructions from any person representing him or herself to be an Authorized Person, and reasonably believed by PIMCO or the Transfer Agent to be genuine. Neither the Trust nor the Transfer Agent may be liable for any loss, cost or expense for acting on instructions (including by telephone) believed by the party receiving such instructions to be genuine and in accordance with the procedures described in this prospectus. Shareholders should realize that by electing the telephone option, they may be giving up a measure of security that they might have if they were to redeem their shares in writing. Furthermore, interruptions in service may mean that shareholders will be unable to redeem their shares by telephone when desired. The Transfer Agent also provides written confirmation of transactions initiated by telephone as a procedure designed to confirm that telephone instructions are genuine. All telephone transactions are recorded, and PIMCO or the Transfer Agent may request certain information in order to verify that the person giving instructions is authorized to do so. The Trust or Transfer Agent may be liable for any losses due to unauthorized or fraudulent telephone transactions if it

 

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fails to employ reasonable procedures to confirm that instructions communicated by telephone are genuine. All redemptions initiated by telephone will be processed in a timely manner, and proceeds will be forwarded by wire in accordance with the redemption policies of the Trust detailed below. See "Redeeming Shares — Additional Information."

An Authorized Person may decline telephone exchange or redemption privileges after an account is opened by providing the Transfer Agent a letter of instruction signed by an Authorized Signer. Shareholders may experience delays in exercising telephone redemption privileges during periods of abnormal market activity. During periods of volatile economic or market conditions, shareholders may wish to consider transmitting redemption orders by facsimile, e-mail or overnight courier. Defined contribution plan participants may request redemptions by contacting the employee benefits office, the plan administrator or the organization that provides recordkeeping services for the plan.

Redemptions Online

An investor may redeem Institutional Class shares through their account online. To access your online account, please log onto pimco.com/InstitutionalAccountAccess and enter your account information and personal identification data.

Redeeming Shares — I-2 and I-3

An investor may redeem (sell) I-2 or I-3 shares through the investor's financial firm.  Investors do not pay any fees or other charges to the Trust when selling I-2 or I-3 shares.  Please contact the financial firm for details.

A financial firm is obligated to transmit an investor's redemption orders to the Transfer Agent promptly and is responsible for ensuring that a redemption request is in proper form. The financial firm will be responsible for furnishing all necessary documentation to the Transfer Agent and may charge for its services.

Redeeming Shares — Additional Information

Redemptions of all Classes of Fund shares may be made on any day the New York Stock Exchange ("NYSE") is open, but may be suspended when trading on the NYSE is restricted or during an emergency which makes it impracticable for the Funds to dispose of their securities or to determine fairly the value of their net assets, or during any other period as permitted by the SEC for the protection of investors. Under these and other unusual circumstances, the Trust may suspend redemptions or postpone payment for more than seven days, as permitted by law.

Following the receipt of a redemption request, redemption proceeds will normally be mailed to the redeeming shareholder within three calendar days or, in the case of wire transfer or ACH redemptions, will normally be sent to the designated bank account within one business day. Institutional Class shareholders may only receive redemption proceeds via wire transfer or ACH redemptions. ACH redemptions may be received by the bank on the second or third business day following a redemption request, but in either case may take up to seven days. In cases where shares have recently been purchased by personal check (Class A, Class C or Class R shareholders only), redemption proceeds may be withheld until the check has been collected, which may take up to 10 calendar days. To avoid such withholding, investors in Class A, Class C or Class R shares should purchase shares by certified or bank check or by wire transfer.

For shareholder protection, a request to change information contained in an account registration (for example, a request to change the bank designated to receive wire redemption proceeds) must be received in writing, signed by the minimum number of Authorized Persons designated on the completed Account Application that are required to effect a redemption, and accompanied by a signature validation, as determined in accordance with the Trust's procedures, as more fully described below.

Retirement plan sponsors, participant recordkeeping organizations and other financial firms may also impose their own restrictions, limitations or fees in connection with transactions in the Funds' shares, which may be stricter than those described in this section. You should contact your plan sponsor, recordkeeper or financial intermediary for more information on any additional restrictions, limitations or fees that are imposed in connection with transactions in Fund shares.

In order to meet redemption requests, the Funds typically expect to use a combination of sales of portfolio assets, holdings of cash and cash equivalents (including cash flows into Funds) and financing transactions (such as reverse repurchase agreements).These methods of meeting redemption requests are expected to be used regularly. The Funds reserve the right to use other types of borrowings and interfund lending.The use of borrowings (such as a line of credit) and interfund lending in order to meet redemption requests is typically expected to be used only during stressed market conditions, if at all. See "Characteristics and Risks of Securities and Investment Techniques—Reverse Repurchase Agreements, Dollar Rolls and Other Borrowings" and the SAI for more information. The Funds' use of redemptions in kind is discussed below.

Redemptions In Kind

The Trust has agreed to redeem shares of each Fund solely in cash up to the lesser of $250,000 or 1% of the Fund's net assets during any 90-day period for any one shareholder. In consideration of the best interests of the remaining shareholders, the Trust may pay any redemption proceeds exceeding this amount in whole or in part by a distribution in kind of securities held by a Fund in lieu of cash. It is highly unlikely that your shares would ever be redeemed in kind. If your shares are redeemed in kind, you should expect to incur transaction costs upon the disposition of the securities received in the distribution.

Certificated Shares

If you are redeeming shares for which certificates have been issued, the certificates must be mailed to or deposited with the Trust, duly endorsed or accompanied by a duly endorsed stock power or by a written request for redemption. Signatures must be guaranteed as described under "Signature Validation" below. The Trust may request further documentation from institutions or fiduciary accounts, such as corporations, custodians (e.g., under the Uniform Gifts to Minors Act), executors, administrators, trustees or guardians. Your redemption request and stock power must be signed exactly as the account is registered, including indication of any special capacity of the registered owner.

 

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Signature Validation

When a signature validation is called for, a Medallion signature guarantee or Signature validation program (SVP) stamp may be required. A Medallion signature guarantee is intended to provide signature validation for transactions considered financial in nature, and an SVP stamp is intended to provide signature validation for transactions non-financial in nature. In certain situations, a notarized signature may be used instead of a Medallion signature guarantee or an SVP stamp. A Medallion signature guarantee or SVP stamp may be obtained from a domestic bank or trust company, broker, dealer, clearing agency, savings association or other financial institution which is participating in a Medallion program or Signature validation program recognized by the Securities Transfer Association. When a Medallion signature guarantee or SVP stamp is required, signature validations from financial institutions which are not participating in one of these programs will not be accepted. Please note that financial institutions participating in a recognized Medallion program may still be ineligible to provide a signature validation for transactions of greater than a specified dollar amount. The Trust may change the signature validation requirements from time to time upon notice to shareholders, which may be given by means of a new or supplemented prospectus. Shareholders should contact the Transfer Agent for additional details regarding the Funds' signature validation requirements.

In addition, corporations, trusts, and other institutional organizations are required to furnish evidence of the authority of the persons designated on the Account Application to effect transactions for the organization.

Minimum Account Size

Due to the relatively high cost of maintaining small accounts, the Trust reserves the right to redeem shares in any account that falls below the values listed below.  

Class A, Class C and Class R. Investors should maintain an account balance in the Fund held by an investor of at least the minimum investment necessary to open the particular type of account. If an investor's balance for the Fund remains below the minimum for three months or longer, the Administrator has the right (except in the case of employer-sponsored retirement accounts) to redeem an investor's remaining shares and close the Fund account after giving the investor 60 days to increase the account balance. An investor's account will not be liquidated if the reduction in size is due solely to a decline in market value of Fund shares or if the aggregate value of all the investor's holdings in the Trust and PIMCO Equity Series accounts exceeds $50,000. 

Institutional Class and Administrative Class. The Trust reserves the right to redeem Institutional Class and Administrative Class shares in any account for their then-current value (which will be promptly paid to the investor) if at any time, due to redemption by the investor, the shares in the account do not have a value of at least $100,000. A shareholder will receive advance notice of a mandatory redemption and will be given at least 60 days to bring the value of its account up to at least $100,000.

Request for Multiple Copies of Shareholder Documents

To reduce expenses, it is intended that only one copy of the Funds' prospectus and each annual and semi-annual report, when available, will be mailed to those addresses shared by two or more accounts. If you wish to receive individual copies of these documents and your shares are held directly with the Trust, call the Trust at 888.87.PIMCO. You will receive the additional copy within 30 days after receipt of your request by the Trust. Alternatively, if your shares are held through a financial institution, please contact the financial institution directly.

Exchanging Shares

You may exchange shares of a Fund for the same class of shares of any other fund of the Trust or a fund of PIMCO Equity Series that offers the same class of shares, subject to any restriction on exchanges set forth in the applicable Fund's prospectus. Shareholders interested in such an exchange may request a prospectus for these other funds by contacting the Trust.

Exchanges of Class A and Class C shares are subject to an initial $1,000 minimum (and subsequent $50 minimum) for each Fund, except with respect to tax-qualified programs and exchanges effected through the PIMCO Funds Automatic Exchange Plan. Specified benefit plans or financial service firms may impose various fees and charges, investment minimums and other requirements with respect to exchanges of Class R shares.

An exchange is generally a taxable event which will generate capital gains or losses, and special rules may apply in computing tax basis when determining gain or loss. See "Tax Consequences" in this prospectus and "Taxation" in the SAI.

Eligible investors who maintain their account directly with the Funds may submit a request to exchange Fund shares by accessing their account online.  Eligible direct investors in Class A and Class C shares may access their online account via pimco.com/MyAccountAccess.  Eligible direct investors in Institutional shares may access their online account via pimco.com/InstitutionalAccountAccess.

If you maintain your Class A, Class C or Class R account with the Trust, you may exchange shares by completing a written exchange request and sending it to PIMCO Funds, P.O. Box 55060, Boston, MA 02205-5060 or by calling the Funds at 888.87.PIMCO. Exchanges of an amount of $10 million or more must be submitted in writing by an Authorized Person. If you maintain your Institutional Class, I-2, or Administrative Class shares with the Trust, you may exchange shares by following the redemption procedures for those classes above. If you maintain Class A, Class C, Class R, Institutional Class, I-2, I-3 or Administrative Class shares through an intermediary, please contact the intermediary to conduct your transactions.

Shares of one class of a Fund may also be exchanged directly for shares of another class of the Fund, subject to any applicable sales charge and other rules, as described in the SAI. 

The Trust reserves the right to refuse exchange purchases (or purchase and redemption and/or redemption and purchase transactions) if, in the judgment of PIMCO, the transaction would adversely affect a Fund and its shareholders. Although the Trust has no current intention of

 

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terminating or modifying the exchange privilege, it reserves the right to do so at any time. Except as otherwise permitted by the SEC, the Trust will give you 60 days' advance notice if it exercises its right to terminate or materially modify the exchange privilege with respect to Class A, Class C and Class R shares.

The SAI provides more detailed information about the exchange privilege, including the procedures you must follow and additional exchange options. You can obtain the SAI free of charge from the Funds by written request to the address above, by visiting pimco.com or by calling 888.87.PIMCO.

Acceptance and Timing of Purchase Orders, Redemption Orders and Share Price Calculations

A purchase order received by the Trust or its designee prior to the close of regular trading on the NYSE (normally 4:00 p.m., Eastern time) ("NYSE Close"), on a day the Trust is open for business, together with payment made in one of the ways described above will be effected at that day's NAV plus any applicable sales charge. An order received after the close of regular trading on the NYSE will be effected at the NAV determined on the next business day. However, orders received by certain retirement plans and other financial firms on a business day prior to the close of regular trading on the NYSE and communicated to the Trust or its designee prior to such time as agreed upon by the Trust and financial firm will be effected at the NAV determined on the business day the order was received by the financial firm. The Trust is "open for business" on each day the NYSE is open for trading, which excludes the following holidays: New Year's Day, Martin Luther King, Jr. Day, Presidents' Day, Good Friday, Memorial Day, Independence Day, Labor Day, Thanksgiving Day and Christmas Day. If the NYSE is closed due to weather or other extenuating circumstances on a day it would typically be open for business, the Trust reserves the right to treat such day as a Business Day and accept purchase and redemption orders and calculate a Fund's NAV, in accordance with applicable law. A Fund reserves the right to close if the primary trading markets of the Fund's portfolio instruments are closed and the Fund's management believes that there is not an adequate market to meet purchase, redemption or exchange requests. On any business day when the Securities Industry and Financial Markets Association ("SIFMA") recommends that the securities markets close trading early, each Fund may close trading early. Purchase orders will be accepted only on days which the Trust is open for business.

A redemption order received by the Trust or its designee prior to the NYSE Close on a day the Trust is open for business, is effective on that day (unless a specific subsequent trade date is provided). A redemption order received after that time becomes effective on the next business day. Redemption requests for Fund shares are effected at the NAV per share next determined after receipt of a redemption request by the Trust or its designee, minus any applicable sales charge. However, orders received by certain broker-dealers and other financial firms on a business day prior to the NYSE Close and communicated to the Trust or its designee prior to such time as agreed upon by the Trust and financial firm will be effected on the business day the order was received by the financial firm. The request must properly identify all relevant information such as trade date, account name, account number, redemption amount (in dollars or shares), the Fund name and the class of shares and must be executed by an Authorized Person.

The Trust and the Distributor each reserves the right, in its sole discretion, to accept or reject any order for purchase of Fund shares. The sale of shares may be suspended during any period in which the NYSE is closed other than weekends or holidays, or if permitted by the rules of the SEC, when trading on the NYSE is restricted or during an emergency which makes it impracticable for the Fund to dispose of its securities or to determine fairly the value of its net assets, or during any other period as permitted by the SEC for the protection of investors. Additionally, redemptions of Fund shares may be suspended when trading on the NYSE is restricted or during an emergency which makes it impracticable for the Fund to dispose of its securities or to determine fairly the value of its net assets, or during any other period as permitted by the SEC for the protection of investors. Under these and other unusual circumstances, the Trust may suspend redemptions or postpone payment for more than seven days, as permitted by law.

An investor should invest in the Fund for long-term investment purposes only. The Trust reserves the right to refuse purchases if, in the judgment of PIMCO, the purchases would adversely affect the Fund and its shareholders. In particular, the Trust and PIMCO each reserves the right to restrict purchases of Fund shares (including exchanges) when a pattern of frequent purchases and sales made in response to short-term fluctuations in share price appears evident. Notice of any such restrictions, if any, will vary according to the particular circumstances.

Abusive Trading Practices

The Trust encourages shareholders to invest in the Funds as part of a long-term investment strategy and discourages excessive, short-term trading and other abusive trading practices, sometimes referred to as "market timing." However, because the Trust will not always be able to detect market timing or other abusive trading activity, investors should not assume that the Trust will be able to detect or prevent all market timing or other trading practices that may disadvantage the Funds.

Certain of the Funds' investment strategies may expose the Funds to risks associated with market timing activities. For example, since certain Funds may invest in non-U.S. securities, they may be subject to the risk that an investor may seek to take advantage of a delay between the change in value of the Funds' non-U.S. portfolio securities and the determination of the Funds' NAV as a result of different closing times of U.S. and non-U.S. markets by buying or selling Fund shares at a price that does not reflect their true value. A similar risk exists for a Fund's potential investment in securities of small capitalization companies, securities of issuers located in emerging markets, securities of distressed companies or high yield securities that are thinly traded and therefore may have actual values that differ from their market prices.

To discourage excessive, short-term trading and other abusive trading strategies, the Board of Trustees of the Trust has adopted policies and procedures reasonably designed to detect and prevent short-term trading activity that may be harmful to a Fund and its shareholders. Such activities may have a detrimental effect on a Fund and its shareholders. For example, depending on various factors such as the size of a Fund and the amount of its assets maintained in cash, short-term or excessive trading by Fund shareholders may interfere with the efficient management of the Trust's

 

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investments, increase transaction costs and taxes, and may harm the performance of the Fund and its shareholders.

The Trust seeks to deter and prevent abusive trading practices, and to reduce these risks, through several methods. First, to the extent that there is a delay between a change in the value of a Fund's portfolio holdings and the time when that change is reflected in the NAV of the Fund's shares, the Fund is exposed to the risk that investors may seek to exploit this delay by purchasing or redeeming shares at NAVs that do not reflect appropriate fair value prices. The Trust seeks to deter and prevent this activity, sometimes referred to as "stale price arbitrage," by the appropriate use of "fair value" pricing of a Fund's portfolio securities. See "How Fund Shares Are Priced" below for more information.

Second, the Trust and PIMCO seek to monitor shareholder account activities in order to detect and prevent excessive and disruptive trading practices. The Trust and PIMCO each reserves the right to restrict or refuse any purchase or exchange transactions if, in the judgment of the Trust or of PIMCO, the transaction may adversely affect the interests of a Fund or its shareholders. Among other things, the Trust may monitor for any patterns of frequent purchases and sales that appear to be made in response to short-term fluctuations in share price and may also monitor for any attempts to improperly avoid the imposition of a redemption fee. Notice of such restrictions, if any, will vary according to the particular circumstances. The Trust does not monitor the PIMCO Funds of Funds (as defined below) for purposes of detecting frequent or short-term trading practices with respect to shares of the Funds.

Although the Trust and its service providers seek to use these methods to detect and prevent abusive trading activities, and although the Trust will consistently apply such methods, there can be no assurances that such activities can be mitigated or eliminated. By their nature, omnibus accounts, in which purchases and sales of Fund shares by multiple investors are aggregated for presentation to a Fund on a net basis, conceal the identity of the individual investors from the Fund. This makes it more difficult for The Trust and/or PIMCO to identify short-term transactions in the Fund.

Verification of Identity

To help the federal government combat the funding of terrorism and money laundering activities, federal law requires all financial institutions to obtain, verify and record information that identifies each person that opens a new account, and to determine whether such person's name appears on government lists of known or suspected terrorists and terrorist organizations. As a result, a Fund must obtain the following information for each person that opens a new account:

1.

Name;

2.

Date of birth (for individuals);

3.

Residential or business street address; and

4.

Social security number, taxpayer identification number, or other identifying number.

Federal law prohibits the Funds and other financial institutions from opening a new account unless they receive the minimum identifying information listed above.

Individuals may also be asked for a copy of their driver's license, passport or other identifying document in order to verify their identity. In addition, it may be necessary to verify an individual's identity by cross-referencing the identification information with a consumer report or other electronic database. Additional information may be required to open accounts for corporations and other entities.

After an account is opened, a Fund may restrict your ability to purchase additional shares until your identity is verified. A Fund also may close your account and redeem your shares or take other appropriate action if it is unable to verify your identity within a reasonable time.

How Fund Shares Are Priced

The price of a Fund's shares is based on the Fund's NAV. The NAV of a Fund, or each of its share classes, as applicable, is determined by dividing the total value of a Fund's portfolio investments and other assets attributable to that Fund or class, less any liabilities, by the total number of shares outstanding of that Fund or class.

On each day that the NYSE is open, Fund shares are ordinarily valued as of the close of regular trading ("NYSE Close"). Information that becomes known to the Funds or their agents after the time as of which NAV has been calculated on a particular day will not generally be used to retroactively adjust the price of a security or the NAV determined earlier that day. Each Fund reserves the right to change the time its respective NAV is calculated if the Fund closes earlier, or as permitted by the SEC.

For purposes of calculating NAV, portfolio securities and other assets for which market quotes are readily available are valued at market value. Market value is generally determined on the basis of official closing prices or the last reported sales prices, or if no sales are reported, based on quotes obtained from established market makers or prices (including evaluated prices) supplied by the Funds' approved pricing services, quotation reporting systems and other third-party sources (together, "Pricing Services"). The Funds will normally use pricing data for domestic equity securities received shortly after the NYSE Close and do not normally take into account trading, clearances or settlements that take place after the NYSE Close. A foreign (non-U.S.) equity security traded on a foreign exchange or on more than one exchange is typically valued using pricing information from the exchange considered by PIMCO to be the primary exchange. If market value pricing is used, a foreign (non-U.S.) equity security will be valued as of the close of trading on the foreign exchange, or the NYSE Close, if the NYSE Close occurs before the end of trading on the foreign exchange. Domestic and foreign (non-U.S.) fixed income securities, non-exchange traded derivatives, and equity options are normally valued on the basis of quotes obtained from brokers and dealers or Pricing Services using data reflecting the earlier closing of the principal markets for those securities. Prices obtained from Pricing Services may be based on, among other things, information provided by market makers or estimates of market values obtained from yield data relating to investments or securities with similar characteristics. Certain fixed income securities purchased on a delayed-delivery basis are marked to market daily until settlement at the forward settlement date. Exchange-traded options, except equity options, futures and options on futures are valued at the settlement price determined by the relevant exchange. Swap agreements are valued on the basis of bid quotes

 

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obtained from brokers and dealers or market-based prices supplied by Pricing Services or other pricing sources. With respect to any portion of the Fund's assets that are invested in one or more open-end management investment companies (other than exchange-traded funds), a Fund's NAV will be calculated based upon the NAVs of such investments.

If a foreign (non-U.S.) equity security's value has materially changed after the close of the security's primary exchange or principal market but before the NYSE Close, the security may be valued at fair value based on procedures established and approved by the Board of Trustees. Foreign (non-U.S.) equity securities that do not trade when the NYSE is open are also valued at fair value. With respect to foreign (non-U.S.) equity securities, the Fund may determine the fair value of investments based on information provided by Pricing Services and other third-party vendors, which may recommend fair value or adjustments with reference to other securities, indexes or assets. In considering whether fair valuation is required and in determining fair values, the Fund may, among other things, consider significant events (which may be considered to include changes in the value of U.S. securities or securities indexes) that occur after the close of the relevant market and before the NYSE Close. A Fund may utilize modeling tools provided by third-party vendors to determine fair values of non-U.S. securities. For these purposes, any movement in the applicable reference index or instrument ("zero trigger") between the earlier close of the applicable foreign market and the NYSE Close may be deemed to be a significant event, prompting the application of the pricing model (effectively resulting in daily fair valuations). Foreign (non-U.S.) exchanges may permit trading in foreign (non-U.S.) equity securities on days when the Trust is not open for business, which may result in a Fund's portfolio investments being affected when you are unable to buy or sell shares.

Senior secured floating rate loans for which an active secondary market exists to a reliable degree will be valued at the mean of the last available bid/ask prices in the market for such loans, as provided by a Pricing Service. Senior secured floating rate loans for which an active secondary market does not exist to a reliable degree will be valued at fair value, which is intended to approximate market value. In valuing a senior secured floating rate loan at fair value, the factors considered may include, but are not limited to, the following: (a) the creditworthiness of the borrower and any intermediate participants, (b) the terms of the loan, (c) recent prices in the market for similar loans, if any, and (d) recent prices in the market for instruments of similar quality, rate, period until next interest rate reset and maturity.

Investments valued in currencies other than the U.S. dollar are converted to the U.S. dollar using exchange rates obtained from Pricing Services. As a result, the value of such inestments and, in turn, the NAV of the Fund's shares may be affected by changes in the value of currencies in relation to the U.S. dollar. The value of investments traded in markets outside the United States or denominated in currencies other than the U.S. dollar may be affected significantly on a day that the Trust is not open for business. As a result, to the extent that a Fund holds foreign (non-U.S.) investments, the value of those investments may change at times when shareholders are unable to buy or sell shares and the value of such investments will be reflected in the Fund's next calculated NAV.

Investments for which market quotes or market based valuations are not readily available are valued at fair value as determined in good faith by the Board of Trustees or persons acting at their direction. The Board of Trustees has adopted methods for valuing securities and other assets in circumstances where market quotes are not readily available, and has delegated to PIMCO the responsibility for applying the fair valuation methods. In the event that market quotes or market based valuations are not readily available, and the security or asset cannot be valued pursuant to a Board approved valuation method, the value of the security or asset will be determined in good faith by the Valuation Oversight Committee of the Board of Trustees, generally based on recommendations provided by PIMCO.

Market quotes are considered not readily available in circumstances where there is an absence of current or reliable market-based data (e.g., trade information, bid/ask information, broker quotes, Pricing Services' prices), including where events occur after the close of the relevant market, but prior to the NYSE Close, that materially affect the values of the Fund's securities or assets. In addition, market quotes are considered not readily available when, due to extraordinary circumstances, the exchanges or markets on which the securities trade do not open for trading for the entire day and no other market prices are available. The Board has delegated to PIMCO the responsibility for monitoring significant events that may materially affect the values of the Fund's securities or assets and for determining whether the value of the applicable securities or assets should be reevaluated in light of such significant events.

When the Fund uses fair valuation to determine the value of a portfolio security or other asset for purposes of calculating its NAV, such investments will not be priced on the basis of quotes from the primary market in which they are traded, but rather may be priced by another method that the Board of Trustees or persons acting at their direction believe reflects fair value. Fair valuation may require subjective determinations about the value of a security. While the Trust's policy is intended to result in a calculation of the Fund's NAV that fairly reflects security values as of the time of pricing, the Trust cannot ensure that fair values determined by the Board of Trustees or persons acting at their direction would accurately reflect the price that a Fund could obtain for a security if it were to dispose of that security as of the time of pricing (for instance, in a forced or distressed sale). The prices used by the Fund may differ from the value that would be realized if the securities were sold. The Funds' use of fair valuation may also help to deter "stale price arbitrage" as discussed above under "Abusive Trading Practices."

Under certain circumstances, the per share NAV of a class of the Fund's shares may be different from the per share NAV of another class of shares as a result of the different daily expense accruals applicable to each class of shares.

Fund Distributions

Each Fund distributes substantially all of its net investment income to shareholders in the form of dividends. Dividends paid by each Fund with respect to each class of shares are calculated in the same manner and at the same time, but dividends on different classes of shares may be different as a result of the service and/or distribution fees applicable to certain

 

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classes of shares. Each Fund intends to declare income dividends and distribute them quarterly to shareholders of record.

In addition, each Fund distributes any net capital gains it earns from the sale of portfolio securities to shareholders no less frequently than annually. Net short-term capital gains may be paid more frequently.

A Fund's dividend and capital gain distributions with respect to a particular class of shares will automatically be reinvested in additional shares of the same class of the Fund at NAV unless the shareholder elects to have the distributions paid in cash. A shareholder may elect to have distributions paid in cash on the Account Application, by phone, or by submitting a written request, signed by an Authorized Person, indicating the account name, account number, name of Fund and share class. A shareholder may elect to invest all distributions in shares of the same class of any other fund of the Trust or PIMCO Funds which offers that class of shares at NAV. A shareholder must have an account existing in the fund selected for investment with the identical registered name. This option must be elected when the account is set up.

Shares Purchased by Wire: Dividends will begin to accrue the business day following the day the order is effected or such later date as agreed with the Trust.

Shares Purchased by Check or ACH: The order will be effected at that day's NAV, but dividends will not begin to accrue until the following business day.

If a purchase order is placed through a broker, dealer or other financial firms authorized to settle through the National Securities Clearing Corporation (the "NSCC"), the purchase order will begin accruing dividends the business day following the NSCC settlement date or as agreed upon and as allowed by applicable law.

A Class A, Class C or Class R shareholder may choose from the following distribution options:

Reinvest all distributions in additional shares of the same class of the Fund at NAV. You should contact your financial firm (if shares are held through a financial firm) or the Fund's Transfer Agent (if shares are held through a direct account) for details. You do not pay any sales charges on shares received through the reinvestment of Fund distributions. This will be done unless you elect another option.

Invest all distributions in shares of the same class of any other fund of the Trust or PIMCO Equity Series which offers that class at NAV. You must have an account existing in the fund selected for investment with the identical registered name. You must elect this option on your Account Application or by a telephone request to the Transfer Agent at 888.87.PIMCO.

Receive all distributions in cash (either paid directly to you or credited to your account with your broker or other financial intermediary). If the postal or other delivery service is unable to deliver checks to your address of record, the Trust's Transfer Agent will hold the returned checks for your benefit in a non-interest bearing account. You must elect this option on your Account Application or by a telephone request to the Transfer Agent at 888.87.PIMCO.

The financial service firm may offer additional distribution reinvestment programs or options. Please contact the firm for details.

Tax Consequences

The following information is meant as a general summary for U.S. taxpayers. Please see the SAI for additional information. You should rely on your own tax adviser for advice about the particular federal, state and local tax consequences to you of investing in any Fund.

Each Fund will distribute substantially all of its income and gains to its shareholders every year, and shareholders will be taxed on distributions they receive.

Taxes on Fund Distributions. A shareholder subject to U.S. federal income tax will be subject to tax on taxable Fund distributions of taxable income or capital gains whether they are paid in cash or reinvested in additional shares of the Funds. For federal income tax purposes, taxable Fund distributions will be taxable to the shareholder as either ordinary income or capital gains.

Fund taxable dividends (i.e., distributions of investment income) are generally taxable to shareholders as ordinary income. A portion of distributions may be qualified dividends taxable at lower rates for individual shareholders. However, in light of the investment strategies of the Funds, it is not anticipated that a significant portion of the dividends paid by the Funds will be eligible to be designated as qualified dividends. Federal taxes on Fund distributions of gains are determined by how long a Fund owned the investments that generated the gains, rather than how long a shareholder has owned the shares. Distributions of gains from investments that the Fund owned for more than one year will generally be taxable to shareholders as long-term capital gains. Distributions of gains from investments that the Fund owned for one year or less will generally be taxable as ordinary income.

The tax treatment of income, gains and losses attributable to foreign currencies (and derivatives on such currencies), and various other special tax rules applicable to certain financial transactions and instruments could affect the amount, timing and character of a Fund's distributions. In some cases, these tax rules could also result in a retroactive change in the tax character of prior distributions and may also possibly cause all, or a portion, of prior distributions to be reclassified as returns of capital for tax purposes. See "Returns of Capital" below.

Taxable Fund distributions are taxable to shareholders even if they are paid from income or gains earned by a Fund prior to the shareholder's investment and thus were included in the price paid for the shares. For example, a shareholder who purchases shares on or just before the record date of a Fund distribution will pay full price for the shares and may receive a portion of his or her investment back as a taxable distribution.

Taxes on Redemption or Exchanges of Shares. You will generally have a taxable capital gain or loss if you dispose of your Fund shares by redemption, exchange or sale. The amount of the gain or loss and the rate of tax will depend primarily upon how much you pay for the shares, how much you sell them for, and how long you hold them. When you exchange shares of a Fund for shares of another Fund, the transaction will be treated as a sale of the Fund shares for these purposes, and any gain on those shares will generally be subject to federal income tax.

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portion of the distributions made in the same taxable year may be recharacterized as a return of capital to shareholders. A return of capital distribution will generally not be taxable, but will reduce each shareholder's cost basis in the Fund and result in a higher reported capital gain or lower reported capital loss when those shares on which the distribution was received are sold.

Medicare Tax. An additional 3.8% Medicare tax is imposed on certain net investment income (including ordinary dividends and capital gain distributions received from a Fund and net gains from redemptions or other taxable dispositions of Fund shares) of U.S. individuals, estates and trusts to the extent that such person's "modified adjusted gross income" (in the case of an individual) or "adjusted gross income" (in the case of an estate or trust) exceeds certain threshold amounts.

Recent Tax Legislation. Under recent tax legislation, individuals (and certain other noncorporate entities) are generally eligible for a 20% deduction with respect to taxable ordinary dividends from REITs and certain taxable income from publicly traded partnerships. Currently, there is not a mechanism for regulated investment companies to pass through the 20% deduction to shareholders although it is possible that a legislative or regulatory approach to do so may be provided in the future. As a result, in comparison, investors investing directly in REITs or publicly traded partnerships would generally be eligible for the 20% deduction for such taxable income from these investments while investors investing in REITs or publicly traded partnerships indirectly through a Fund would not be eligible for the 20% deduction for their share of such taxable income. In addition, under the recent tax legislation, REITs as well as other corporations will be subject to certain leverage limitations regarding the deductibility of interest expense. The recent tax legislation also may, pending further regulatory guidance, require REITs and a Fund to accrue market discount currently, which may affect the taxability of REIT distributions received by a Fund and the amount of taxable distributions paid by a Fund to shareholders. The effects of these and other provisions of the tax legislation on REITs' operations, on master limited partnerships, or on a Fund, is uncertain at this time.

Important Tax Reporting Considerations. Your financial intermediary or the Fund (if you hold your shares in a Fund direct account) will report gains and losses realized on redemptions of shares for shareholders who are individuals and S corporations purchased after January 1, 2012 to the Internal Revenue Service (IRS). This information will also be reported to you on Form 1099-B and the IRS each year. In calculating the gain or loss on redemptions of shares, the average cost method will be used to determine the cost basis of Fund shares purchased after January 1, 2012 unless you instruct the Fund in writing that you want to use another available method for cost basis reporting (for example, First In, First Out (FIFO), Last In, First Out (LIFO), Specific Lot Identification (SLID) or High Cost, First Out (HIFO)). If you designate SLID as your cost basis method, you will also need to designate a secondary cost basis method (Secondary Method). If a Secondary Method is not provided, the Funds will designate FIFO as the Secondary Method and will use the Secondary Method with respect to automatic withdrawals made after January 1, 2012 or conducted via an automatic withdrawal plan. If a shareholder is a corporation and has not instructed the Fund that it is a C corporation in its Account Application or by written instruction, the Fund will treat the shareholder as an S corporation and file a Form 1099-B.

Backup Withholding. Each Fund may be required to withhold U.S. federal income tax on all taxable distributions payable to shareholders if they fail to provide the Fund with their correct taxpayer identification number or to make required certifications, or if they have been notified by the IRS that they are subject to backup withholding. Backup withholding is not an additional tax. Any amounts withheld may be credited against U.S. federal income tax liability.

Foreign Withholding Taxes. A Fund may be subject to foreign withholding or other foreign taxes, which in some cases can be significant on any income or gain from investments in foreign securities. In that case, the Fund's total return on those securities would be decreased. Each Fund may generally deduct these taxes in computing its taxable income. Rather than deducting these foreign taxes if more than 50% of the value of a Fund's total assets at the close of its taxable year consists of stock or securities of foreign corporations or foreign governments, or if at least 50% of the value of a Fund's total assets at the close of each quarter of its taxable year is represented by interests in other regulated investment companies, such Fund may make an election to treat a proportionate amount of eligible foreign taxes as constituting a taxable distribution to each shareholder, which would, subject to certain limitations, generally allow the shareholder to either (i) credit that proportionate amount of taxes against U.S. Federal income tax liability as a foreign tax credit or (ii) take that amount as an itemized deduction. Although in some cases the Fund may be able to apply for a refund of a portion of such taxes, the ability to successfully obtain such a refund may be uncertain.

Foreign shareholders may be subject to U. S. tax withholding of 30% (or lower applicable treaty rate) on distributions from the Funds. Additionally, the Funds are required to withhold U.S. tax (at a 30% rate) on payments of taxable dividends, and (effective January 1, 2019) redemption proceeds and certain capital gain dividends made to certain non-U.S. entities that fail to comply (or be deemed compliant) with extensive reporting and withholding requirements designed to inform the U.S. Department of the Treasury of U.S.-owned foreign investment accounts. Shareholders may be requested to provide additional information to enable the Funds to determine whether withholding is required.

This "Tax Consequences" section relates only to federal income tax; the consequences under other tax laws may differ. Shareholders should consult their tax advisors as to the possible application of foreign, state and local income tax laws to Fund dividends and capital distributions. Please see "Taxation" in the SAI for additional information regarding the tax aspects of investing in the Funds.

 

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Characteristics and Risks of Securities and Investment Techniques

This section provides additional information about some of the principal investments and related risks of the Funds described under "Fund Summaries" and "Description of Principal Risks" above. It also describes characteristics and risks of additional securities and investment techniques that may be used by the Funds from time to time. Most of these securities and investment techniques described herein are discretionary, which means that PIMCO can decide whether to use them or not. This prospectus does not attempt to disclose all of the various types of securities and investment techniques that may be used by the Funds. As with any mutual fund, investors in the Funds rely on the professional investment judgment and skill of PIMCO and the individual portfolio managers. Please see "Investment Objectives and Policies" in the SAI for more detailed information about the securities and investment techniques described in this section and about other strategies and techniques that may be used by the Funds.

Investors should be aware that the investments made by a Fund and the results achieved by a Fund at any given time are not expected to be the same as those made by other funds for which PIMCO acts as investment adviser, including funds with names, investment objectives and policies similar to a Fund. This may be attributable to a wide variety of factors, including, but not limited to, the use of a different portfolio management team or strategy, when a particular fund commenced operations or the size of a particular fund, in each case as compared to other similar funds. Significant shareholder purchases and redemptions may adversely impact a Fund's portfolio management. For example, a Fund may be forced to sell a comparatively large portion of its portfolio to meet significant shareholder redemptions, or hold a comparatively large portion of its portfolio in cash due to significant shareholder purchases, in each case when the Fund otherwise would not seek to do so. Such shareholder transactions may cause Funds to make investment decisions at inopportune times or prices or miss attractive investment opportunities. Such transactions may also increase a Fund's transaction costs, accelerate the realization of taxable income if sales of securities resulted in gains, or otherwise cause a Fund to perform differently than intended. Similarly, significant shareholder purchases may adversely affect a Fund's performance to the extent the Fund is delayed in investing new cash and, as a result, holds a proportionally larger cash position than under ordinary circumstances and such impact may be heightened in funds of funds. While such risks may apply to Funds of any size, such risks are heightened in Funds with fewer assets under management. In addition, new Funds may not be able to fully implement their investment strategy immediately upon commencing investment operations, which could reduce investment performance.

More generally, a Fund may be adversely affected when a large shareholder purchases or redeems large amounts of shares, which can occur at any time and may impact the Fund in the same manner as a high volume of purchase or redemption requests. Such large shareholders include, but are not limited to, other funds, institutional investors, and asset allocators who make investment decisions on behalf of underlying clients. Large shareholder transactions may cause Funds to make investment decisions at inopportune times or prices or miss attractive investment opportunities. In addition, such transactions may also cause the Fund to sell certain assets in order to meet purchase or redemption requests, which could indirectly affect the liquidity of the Fund's portfolio. Such transactions may also increase the Fund's transaction costs, decrease economies of scale, accelerate the realization of taxable income, or otherwise cause the Fund to perform differently than intended. While large shareholder transactions may be more frequent under certain circumstances, the Fund is generally subject to the risk that a large shareholder can purchase or redeem a significant percentage of Fund shares at any time. Moreover, the Fund is subject to the risk that other shareholders may make investment decisions based on the choices of a large shareholder, which could exacerbate any potential negative effects experienced by the Fund.

Certain PIMCO Funds (the "PIMCO Funds of Funds") invest substantially all or a significant portion of their assets in Underlying PIMCO Funds, which is defined to include the Funds. In some cases, the PIMCO Funds of Funds and certain funds managed by investment advisers affiliated with PIMCO ("Affiliated Funds of Funds") may be the predominant or sole shareholders of a particular Underlying PIMCO Fund, including a Fund. Investment decisions made with respect to the PIMCO Funds of Funds and Affiliated Funds of Funds could, under certain circumstances, negatively impact the Underlying PIMCO Funds, including the Funds, with respect to the expenses and investment performance of the Underlying PIMCO Funds. For instance, large purchases or redemptions of shares of an Underlying PIMCO Fund by the PIMCO Funds of Funds and Affiliated Funds of Funds, whether as part of a reallocation or rebalancing strategy or otherwise, may result in the Underlying PIMCO Fund having to sell securities or invest cash when it otherwise would not do so. Such transactions could increase an Underlying PIMCO Fund's transaction costs and accelerate the realization of taxable income if sales of securities resulted in gains. Additionally, as the PIMCO Funds of Funds and Affiliated Funds of Funds may invest substantially all or a significant portion of their assets in Underlying PIMCO Funds, the Underlying PIMCO Funds may not acquire securities of other registered open-end investment companies in reliance on Section 12(d)(1)(F) or Section 12(d)(1)(G) of the 1940 Act, thus limiting the Underlying PIMCO Funds investment flexibility.

Investment Selection

Certain Funds seek maximum total return. The total return sought by a Fund consists of both income earned on a Fund's investments and capital appreciation, if any, arising from increases in the market value of a Fund's holdings. Capital appreciation of fixed income securities generally results from decreases in market interest rates, foreign currency appreciation, or improving credit fundamentals for a particular market sector or security.

In selecting securities for a Fund, PIMCO develops an outlook for interest rates, currency exchange rates and the economy, analyzes credit and call risks, and uses other security selection techniques. The proportion of a Fund's assets committed to investment in securities with particular characteristics (such as quality, sector, interest rate or maturity) varies based on PIMCO's outlook for the U.S. economy and the economies of other countries in the world, the financial markets and other factors.

With respect to fixed income investing, PIMCO attempts to identify areas of the bond market that are undervalued relative to the rest of the market.

 

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PIMCO identifies these areas by grouping Fixed Income Instruments into sectors such as money markets, governments, corporates, mortgages, asset-backed and international. In seeking to identify undervalued currencies, PIMCO may consider many factors, including but not limited to longer-term analysis of relative interest rates, inflation rates, real exchange rates, purchasing power parity, trade account balances and current account balances, as well as other factors that influence exchange rates such as flows, market technical trends and government policies. Sophisticated proprietary software then assists in evaluating sectors and pricing specific investments. Once investment opportunities are identified, PIMCO will shift assets among sectors depending upon changes in relative valuations, credit spreads and other factors. There is no guarantee that PIMCO's investment selection techniques will produce the desired results.

Fixed Income Instruments

"Fixed Income Instruments," as used generally in this prospectus, includes:

securities issued or guaranteed by the U.S. Government, its agencies or government-sponsored enterprises ("U.S. Government Securities");

corporate debt securities of U.S. and non-U.S. issuers, including convertible securities and corporate commercial paper;

mortgage-backed and other asset-backed securities;

inflation-indexed bonds issued both by governments and corporations;

structured notes, including hybrid or "indexed" securities and event-linked bonds;

bank capital and trust preferred securities;

loan participations and assignments;

delayed funding loans and revolving credit facilities;

bank certificates of deposit, fixed time deposits and bankers' acceptances;

repurchase agreements on Fixed Income Instruments and reverse repurchase agreements on Fixed Income Instruments;

debt securities issued by states or local governments and their agencies, authorities and other government-sponsored enterprises;

obligations of non-U.S. governments or their subdivisions, agencies and government-sponsored enterprises; and

obligations of international agencies or supranational entities.

Securities issued by U.S. Government agencies or government-sponsored enterprises may not be guaranteed by the U.S. Treasury.

The Funds, to the extent permitted by the 1940 Act, or exemptive relief therefrom, may invest in derivatives based on Fixed Income Instruments.

Duration

Duration is a measure used to determine the sensitivity of a security's price to changes in interest rates that incorporates a security's yield, coupon, final maturity and call features, among other characteristics. The longer a security's duration, the more sensitive it will be to changes in interest rates. Similarly, a fund with a longer average portfolio duration will be more sensitive to changes in interest rates than a fund with a shorter average portfolio duration. By way of example, the price of a bond fund with an average duration of eight years would be expected to fall approximately 8% if interest rates rose by one percentage point. Similarly, the price of a bond fund with an average duration of fifteen years would be expected to fall approximately 15% if interest rates rose by one percentage point. Conversely, the price of a bond fund with an average duration of negative three years would be expected to rise approximately 3% if interest rates rose by one percentage point. The maturity of a security, another commonly used measure of price sensitivity, measures only the time until final payment is due, whereas duration takes into account the pattern of all payments of interest and principal on a security over time, including how these payments are affected by prepayments and by changes in interest rates, as well as the time until an interest rate is reset (in the case of variable-rate securities). PIMCO uses an internal model for calculating duration, which may result in a different value for the duration of an index compared to the duration calculated by the index provider or another third party.

U.S. Government Securities

U.S. Government Securities are obligations of, or guaranteed by, the U.S. Government, its agencies or government-sponsored enterprises. The U.S. Government does not guarantee the NAV of the Fund's shares. U.S. Government Securities are subject to market and interest rate risk, as well as varying degrees of credit risk. Some U.S. Government Securities are issued or guaranteed by the U.S. Treasury and are supported by the full faith and credit of the United States. Other types of U.S. Government Securities are supported by the full faith and credit of the United States (but not issued by the U.S. Treasury). These securities may have less credit risk than U.S. Government Securities not supported by the full faith and credit of the United States. Such other types of U.S. Government Securities are: (1) supported by the ability of the issuer to borrow from the U.S. Treasury; (2) supported only by the credit of the issuing agency, instrumentality or government-sponsored corporation; or (3) supported by the United States in some other way. These securities may be subject to greater credit risk. U.S. Government Securities include zero coupon securities, which tend to be subject to greater market risk than interest-paying securities of similar maturities.

Securities issued by U.S. Government agencies or government-sponsored enterprises may not be guaranteed by the U.S. Treasury. Government National Mortgage Association ("GNMA"), a wholly owned U.S. Government corporation, is authorized to guarantee, with the full faith and credit of the U.S. Government, the timely payment of principal and interest on securities issued by institutions approved by GNMA and backed by pools of mortgages insured by the Federal Housing Administration or guaranteed by the Department of Veterans Affairs.  Government-related guarantors (i.e., not backed by the full faith and credit of the U.S. Government) include the Federal National Mortgage Association ("FNMA") and the Federal Home Loan Mortgage Corporation ("FHLMC"). Pass-through securities issued by FNMA are guaranteed as to timely payment of principal and interest by FNMA but are not backed by the full faith and credit of the U.S. Government. FHLMC guarantees the timely payment of interest and ultimate collection of principal, but its participation certificates are not backed by the full faith and credit of the U.S. Government.

Municipal Bonds

Municipal Bonds are generally issued by states, territories, possessions and local governments and their agencies, authorities and other instrumentalities. Municipal Bonds are subject to interest rate, credit and market risk, uncertainties related to the tax status of a Municipal Bond or

 

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the rights of investors invested in these securities. The ability of an issuer to make payments could be affected by litigation, legislation or other political events or the bankruptcy of the issuer. In addition, imbalances in supply and demand in the municipal market may result in a deterioration of liquidity and a lack of price transparency in the market. At certain times, this may affect pricing, execution and transaction costs associated with a particular trade. The value of certain municipal securities, in particular general obligation debt, may also be adversely affected by rising health care costs, increasing unfunded pension liabilities, changes in accounting standards and by the phasing out of federal programs providing financial support. Lower rated Municipal Bonds are subject to greater credit and market risk than higher quality Municipal Bonds. The types of Municipal Bonds in which the Funds may invest include municipal lease obligations, municipal general obligation bonds, municipal essential service revenue bonds, municipal cash equivalents, and pre-refunded and escrowed to maturity Municipal Bonds. The Funds may also invest in industrial development bonds, which are Municipal Bonds issued by a government agency on behalf of a private sector company and, in most cases, are not backed by the credit of the issuing municipality and may therefore involve more risk. The Funds may also invest in securities issued by entities whose underlying assets are Municipal Bonds.

Pre-refunded Municipal Bonds are tax-exempt bonds that have been refunded to a call date on or before the final maturity of principal and remain outstanding in the municipal market. The payment of principal and interest of the pre-refunded Municipal Bonds held by a Fund is funded from securities in a designated escrow account that holds U.S. Treasury securities or other obligations of the U.S. Government (including its agencies and instrumentalities ("Agency Securities")). As the payment of principal and interest is generated from securities held in a designated escrow account, the pledge of the municipality has been fulfilled and the original pledge of revenue by the municipality is no longer in place. The escrow account securities pledged to pay the principal and interest of the pre-refunded Municipal Bond do not guarantee the price movement of the bond before maturity. Investment in pre-refunded Municipal Bonds held by a Fund may subject the Fund to interest rate risk, market risk and credit risk. In addition, while a secondary market exists for pre-refunded Municipal Bonds, if a Fund sells pre-refunded Municipal Bonds prior to maturity, the price received may be more or less than the original cost, depending on market conditions at the time of sale.

Certain Funds may invest in trust certificates issued in tender option bond programs. In these programs, a trust typically issues two classes of certificates and uses the proceeds to purchase municipal securities having relatively long maturities and bearing interest at a fixed interest rate substantially higher than prevailing short-term tax-exempt rates. There is a risk that a Fund investing in a tender option bond program will not be considered the owner of a tender option bond for federal income tax purposes, and thus will not be entitled to treat such interest as exempt from federal income tax. Certain tender option bonds may be illiquid or may become illiquid as a result of, among other things, a credit rating downgrade, a payment default or a disqualification from tax-exempt status. A Fund's investment in the securities issued by a tender option bond trust may involve greater risk and volatility than an investment in a fixed rate bond, and the value of such securities may decrease significantly when market interest rates increase. Tender option bond trusts could be terminated due to market, credit or other events beyond a Fund's control, which could require the Fund to dispose of portfolio investments at inopportune times and prices. A Fund may use a tender option bond program as a way of achieving leverage in its portfolio, in which case the Fund will be subject to leverage risk.

In December 2013, regulators finalized rules implementing Section 619 (the "Volcker Rule") and Section 941 (the "Risk Retention Rules") of the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act. Both the Volcker Rule and the Risk Retention Rules apply to tender option bond programs and require that such programs be restructured. In particular, these rules preclude banking entities from: (i) sponsoring or acquiring interests in the trusts used to hold a Municipal Bond in the creation of tender option bond trusts; and (ii) continuing to service or maintain relationships with existing programs involving such trusts to the same extent and in the same capacity as existing programs. At this time, the full impact of these rules is not certain; however, in response to these rules, industry participants are continuing to explore various structuring alternatives for tender option bond programs. Because of the important role that tender option bond programs play in the Municipal Bond market, it is possible that implementation of these rules and any resulting impact may adversely impact the Municipal Bond market. For example, as a result of the implementation of these rules, the Municipal Bond market may experience reduced demand or liquidity and increased financing costs.

Mortgage-Related and Other Asset-Backed Securities

Mortgage-related securities include mortgage pass-through securities, collateralized mortgage obligations ("CMOs"), commercial mortgage-backed securities, mortgage dollar rolls, CMO residuals, stripped mortgage-backed securities ("SMBSs") and other securities that directly or indirectly represent a participation in, or are secured by and payable from, mortgage loans on real property.

The value of some mortgage- or asset-backed securities may be particularly sensitive to changes in prevailing interest rates. Early repayment of principal on some mortgage-related securities may expose a Fund to a lower rate of return upon reinvestment of principal. When interest rates rise, the value of a mortgage-related security generally will decline; however, when interest rates are declining, the value of mortgage-related securities with prepayment features may not increase as much as other fixed income securities. The rate of prepayments on underlying mortgages will affect the price and volatility of a mortgage-related security, and may shorten or extend the effective maturity of the security beyond what was anticipated at the time of purchase. If unanticipated rates of prepayment on underlying mortgages increase the effective maturity of a mortgage-related security, the volatility of the security can be expected to increase. The value of these securities may fluctuate in response to the market's perception of the creditworthiness of the issuers. See "Extension Risk" and "Prepayment Risk" below. Additionally, although mortgages and mortgage-related securities are generally supported by some form of government or private guarantee and/or insurance, there is no assurance that guarantors or insurers will meet their obligations.

 

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Extension Risk. Mortgage-related and other asset-backed securities are subject to Extension Risk, which is the risk that the issuer of such a security pays back the principal of such an obligation later than expected. This may occur when interest rates rise. This may negatively affect Fund returns, as the value of the security decreases when principal payments are made later than expected. In addition, because principal payments are made later than expected, the Fund may be prevented from investing proceeds it would otherwise have received at a given time at the higher prevailing interest rates.

Prepayment Risk. Mortgage-related and other asset-backed securities are subject to Prepayment Risk, which is the risk that the issuer of such a security pays back the principal of such an obligation earlier than expected (due to the sale of the underlying property, refinancing, or foreclosure). This may occur when interest rates decline. Prepayment may expose the Fund to a lower rate of return upon reinvestment of principal. Also, if a security subject to prepayment has been purchased at a premium, the value of the premium would be lost in the event of prepayment.

One type of SMBS has one class receiving all of the interest from the mortgage assets (the interest-only, or "IO" class), while the other class will receive all of the principal (the principal-only, or "PO" class). The yield to maturity on an IO class is extremely sensitive to the rate of principal payments (including prepayments) on the underlying mortgage assets, and a rapid rate of principal payments may have a material adverse effect on a Fund's yield to maturity from these securities. Each Fund may invest up to 5% of its total assets in any combination of mortgage-related or other asset backed IO, PO, or inverse floater securities.

Each Fund may invest in each of collateralized bond obligations ("CBOs"), collateralized loan obligations ("CLOs"), other collateralized debt obligations ("CDOs") and other similarly structured securities. CBOs, CLOs and other CDOs are types of asset-backed securities. A CBO is a trust which is backed by a diversified pool of high-risk, below investment grade fixed income securities. 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. Other CDOs are trusts backed by other types of assets representing obligations of various parties. Certain Funds may invest in other asset-backed securities that have been offered to investors.

Privately Issued Mortgage-Related Securities: Pools created by non-governmental issuers generally offer a higher rate of interest than government and government-related pools because there are no direct or indirect government or agency guarantees of payments in such pools. Privately issued mortgage-related securities are not subject to the same underwriting requirements for the underlying mortgages that are applicable to those mortgage-related securities that have a government or government-sponsored entity guarantee. As a result, the mortgage loans underlying privately issued mortgage-related securities may, and frequently do, have less favorable collateral, credit risk or other underwriting characteristics than government or government-sponsored mortgage-related securities and have wider variances in a number of terms including interest rate, term, size, purpose and borrower characteristics. The risk of nonpayment is greater for mortgage-related securities that are backed by loans that were originated under weak underwriting standards, including loans made to borrowers with limited means to make repayment. A level of risk exists for all loans, although, historically, the poorest performing loans have been those classified as subprime.

Privately issued mortgage-related securities are not traded on an exchange and there may be a limited market for the securities, especially when there is a perceived weakness in the mortgage and real estate market sectors. Without an active trading market, mortgage-related securities held in a Fund's portfolio may be particularly difficult to value because of the complexities involved in assessing the value of the underlying mortgage loans. Privately Issued Mortgage-Related Securities include securities that reflect an interest in, and are secured by, mortgage loans on commercial real property. Many of the risks of investing in commercial mortgage-backed securities reflect the risks of investing in the real estate securing the underlying mortgage loans. These risks reflect the effects of local and other economic conditions on real estate markets, the ability of tenants to make loan payments, and the ability of a property to attract and retain tenants.

Loan Participations and Assignments

Each Fund may invest in fixed- and floating-rate loans, which investments generally will be in the form of loan participations and assignments of portions of such loans. Participations and assignments involve special types of risk, including credit risk, interest rate risk, liquidity risk, and the risks of being a lender. If a Fund purchases a participation, it may only be able to enforce its rights through the lender, and may assume the credit risk of the lender in addition to the borrower.

Reinvestment

Each Fund may be subject to the risk that the returns of a Fund will decline during periods of falling interest rates because the Fund may have to reinvest the proceeds from matured, traded or called debt obligations at interest rates below the Fund's current earnings rate. For instance, when interest rates decline, an issuer of debt obligations may exercise an option to redeem securities prior to maturity, thereby forcing the Fund to invest in lower-yielding securities. A Fund also may choose to sell higher-yielding portfolio securities and to purchase lower-yielding securities to achieve greater portfolio diversification, because the Fund's portfolio manager believes the current holdings are overvalued or for other investment-related reasons. A decline in the returns received by a Fund from its investments is likely to have an adverse effect on the Fund's NAV, yield and total return.

Focused Investment

To the extent that a Fund focuses its investments in a particular sector, the Fund may be susceptible to loss due to adverse developments affecting that sector. These developments include, but are not limited to, governmental regulation; inflation; rising interest rates; cost increases in raw materials, fuel and other operating expenses; technological innovations that may render existing products and equipment obsolete;

 

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competition from new entrants; high research and development costs; increased costs associated with compliance with environmental or other governmental regulations; and other economic, business or political developments specific to that sector. Furthermore, a Fund may invest a substantial portion of its assets in companies in related sectors that may share common characteristics, are often subject to similar business risks and regulatory burdens, and whose securities may react similarly to the types of developments described above, which will subject the Fund to greater risk. A Fund also will be subject to focused investment risk to the extent that it invests a substantial portion of its assets in a particular issuer, market, asset class, country or geographic region.

Corporate Debt Securities

Corporate debt securities are subject to the risk of the issuer's inability to meet principal and interest payments on the obligation and may also be subject to price volatility due to such factors as interest rate sensitivity, market perception of the creditworthiness of the issuer and general market liquidity. When interest rates rise, the value of corporate debt securities can be expected to decline. Debt securities with longer maturities tend to be more sensitive to interest rate movements than those with shorter maturities. In addition, certain corporate debt securities may be highly customized and as a result may be subject to, among others, liquidity and pricing transparency risks.

Bank Capital Securities and Trust Preferred Securities

There are two common types of bank capital: Tier I and Tier II. Bank capital is generally, but not always, of investment grade quality. Tier I securities often take the form of trust preferred securities. Tier II securities are commonly thought of as hybrids of debt and preferred securities, are often perpetual (with no maturity date), callable and, under certain conditions, allow for the issuer bank to withhold payment of interest until a later date.

Trust preferred securities have the characteristics of both subordinated debt and preferred securities. The primary advantage of the structure of trust preferred securities is that they are treated by the financial institution as debt securities for tax purposes and as equity for the calculation of capital requirements. Trust preferred securities typically bear a market rate coupon comparable to interest rates available on debt of a similarly rated issuer. Typical characteristics include long-term maturities, early redemption by the issuer, periodic fixed or variable interest payments, and maturities at face value. The market value of trust preferred securities may be more volatile than those of conventional debt securities. There can be no assurance as to the liquidity of trust preferred securities and the ability of holders, such as a Fund, to sell their holdings.

Volatility

Volatility measures the variability in the price of an investment over time. A higher volatility level signifies an investment's value may fluctuate over a larger range within a short period of time, either up or down. A lower volatility level means an investment's value is more likely to change within a narrower range, or less frequently, over time. The more volatile the portfolio holdings of a Fund, the less predictable the returns for the Fund. Higher volatility levels may indicate heightened risk of losses.

PIMCO's use of investments in seeking to manage a Fund's volatility will be consistent with the Fund's asset allocation guidelines. Although asset allocation cannot eliminate investment risk or losses, it may provide opportunities to manage a Fund's volatility relative to the Fund's target annualized volatility level.

High Yield Securities and Distressed Companies

Securities rated lower than Baa by Moody's, or equivalently rated by S&P or Fitch, are sometimes referred to as "high yield securities" or "junk bonds." Issuers of these securities may be distressed and undergoing restructuring, bankruptcy or other proceedings in an attempt to avoid insolvency. Investing in these securities involves special risks in addition to the risks associated with investments in higher-rated fixed income securities. While offering a greater potential opportunity for capital appreciation and higher yields, high yield and distressed company securities typically entail greater potential price volatility and may be less liquid than higher-rated securities. High yield securities and debt securities of distressed companies may be regarded as predominately speculative with respect to the issuer's continuing ability to meet principal and interest payments. They may also be more susceptible to real or perceived adverse economic and competitive industry conditions than higher-rated securities. Certain Funds may invest in securities that are in default with respect to the payment of interest or repayment of principal, or present an imminent risk of default with respect to such payments. Issuers of securities in default may fail to resume principal or interest payments, in which case a Fund may lose its entire investment.

Variable and Floating Rate Securities

Variable and floating rate securities are securities that pay interest at rates that adjust whenever a specified interest rate changes and/or that reset on predetermined dates (such as the last day of a month or a calendar quarter). Each Fund may invest in floating rate debt instruments ("floaters") and engage in credit spread trades. Variable and floating rate securities generally are less sensitive to interest rate changes but may decline in value if their interest rates do not rise as much, or as quickly, as interest rates in general.

Conversely, floating rate securities will not generally increase in value if interest rates decline. Each Fund may also invest in inverse floating rate debt instruments ("inverse floaters"). An inverse floater may exhibit greater price volatility than a fixed rate obligation of similar credit quality. Each Fund may invest up to 5% of its total assets in any combination of mortgage-related or other asset-backed IO, PO or inverse floater securities. Additionally, a Fund may also invest, without limitation, in residual interest bonds. Residual interest bonds are a type of inverse floater. See "Municipal Bonds."

Inflation-Indexed Bonds

Inflation-indexed bonds (other than municipal inflation-indexed bonds and certain corporate inflation-indexed bonds, which are more fully described below) are fixed income securities whose principal value is periodically adjusted according to the rate of inflation. If the index measuring inflation falls, the principal value of inflation-indexed bonds (other than municipal inflation-indexed bonds and certain corporate inflation-indexed bonds) will

 

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be adjusted downward, and consequently the interest payable on these securities (calculated with respect to a smaller principal amount) will be reduced. Repayment of the original bond principal upon maturity (as adjusted for inflation) is guaranteed in the case of TIPS. For bonds that do not provide a similar guarantee, the adjusted principal value of the bond repaid at maturity may be less than the original principal.

TIPS may also be divided into individual zero-coupon instruments for each coupon or principal payment (known as "iSTRIPS"). An iSTRIP of the principal component of a TIPS issue will retain the embedded deflation floor that will allow the holder of the security to receive the greater of the original principal or inflation-adjusted principal value at maturity. iSTRIPS may be less liquid than conventional TIPS because they are a small component of the TIPS market.

Municipal inflation-indexed securities are municipal bonds that pay coupons based on a fixed rate plus CPI. With regard to municipal inflation-indexed bonds and certain corporate inflation-indexed bonds, the inflation adjustment is reflected in the semi-annual coupon payment. As a result, the principal value of municipal inflation-indexed bonds and such corporate inflation-indexed bonds does not adjust according to the rate of inflation. At the same time, the value of municipal inflation-indexed securities and such corporate inflation-indexed securities generally will not increase if the rate of inflation decreases. Because municipal inflation-indexed securities and corporate inflation-indexed securities are a small component of the municipal bond and corporate bond markets, respectively, they may be less liquid than conventional municipal and corporate bonds.

The value of inflation-indexed bonds is expected to change in response to changes in real interest rates. Real interest rates are tied to the relationship between nominal interest rates and the rate of inflation. If nominal interest rates increase at a faster rate than inflation, real interest rates may rise, leading to a decrease in value of inflation-indexed bonds. Any increase in the principal amount of an inflation-indexed bond will be considered taxable ordinary income, even though investors do not receive their principal until maturity.

Event-Linked Exposure

Each Fund may obtain event-linked exposure by investing in "event-linked bonds" or "event-linked swaps" or by implementing "event-linked strategies." Event-linked exposure results in gains or losses that typically are contingent, or formulaically related to defined trigger events. Examples of trigger events include hurricanes, earthquakes, weather-related phenomena, or statistics related to such events. Some event-linked bonds are commonly referred to as "catastrophe bonds." If a trigger event occurs, a Fund may lose a portion or its entire principal invested in the bond or notional amount on a swap. Event-linked exposure often provides for an extension of maturity to process and audit loss claims where a trigger event has, or possibly has, occurred. An extension of maturity may increase volatility. Event-linked exposure may also expose a Fund to certain unanticipated risks including counterparty risk, adverse regulatory or jurisdictional interpretations, and adverse tax consequences. Event-linked exposures may also be subject to liquidity risk.

Convertible and Equity Securities

Common stock represents equity ownership in a company and typically provides the common stockholder the power to vote on certain corporate actions, including the election of the company's directors. Common stockholders participate in company profits through dividends and, in the event of bankruptcy, distributions, on a pro-rata basis after other claims are satisfied. Many factors affect the value of common stock, including earnings, earnings forecasts, corporate events and factors impacting the issuer's industry and the market generally. Common stock generally has the greatest appreciation and depreciation potential of all corporate securities.

Each Fund may invest in convertible securities and equity securities, as well as securities related to equities. Equity-related securities include securities having an equity component (e.g., hybrids, bank capital) and equity derivatives. Convertible securities are generally preferred securities and other securities, including fixed income securities and warrants, that are convertible into or exercisable for common stock at a stated price or rate. The price of a convertible security will normally vary in some proportion to changes in the price of the underlying common stock because of this conversion or exercise feature. However, the value of a convertible security may not increase or decrease as rapidly as the underlying common stock. A convertible security will normally also provide income and is subject to interest rate risk. Convertible securities may be lower-rated securities subject to greater levels of credit risk. A Fund may be forced to convert a security before it would otherwise choose, which may have an adverse effect on the Fund's ability to achieve its investment objective.

"Synthetic" convertible securities are selected based on the similarity of their economic characteristics to those of a traditional convertible security due to the combination of separate securities that possess the two principal characteristics of a traditional convertible security, i.e., an income-producing security ("income-producing component") and the right to acquire an equity security ("convertible component"). The income-producing component is achieved by investing in non-convertible, income-producing securities such as bonds, preferred securities and money market instruments, which may be represented by derivative instruments. The convertible component is achieved by investing in securities or instruments such as warrants or options to buy common stock at a certain exercise price, or options on a stock index. A simple example of a synthetic convertible security is the combination of a traditional corporate bond with a warrant to purchase equity securities of the issuer of the bond. A Fund may also purchase synthetic securities created by other parties, typically investment banks, including convertible structured notes. The income-producing and convertible components of a synthetic convertible security may be issued separately by different issuers and at different times.

Preferred and other senior securities generally entitle the holder to receive, in preference to the holders of other securities such as common stocks, dividends and a fixed share of the proceeds resulting from a liquidation of the company. Preferred and other senior securities may pay fixed or adjustable rates of return. Preferred and other senior securities are subject to issuer-specific and market risks applicable generally to equity securities. In addition, a company's preferred and other senior securities generally pay dividends only after the company makes required payments to holders of its bonds and other debt. For this reason, the value of preferred and other

 

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senior securities will usually react more strongly than bonds and other debt to actual or perceived changes in the company's financial condition or prospects. In addition, preferred and other senior securities often have special redemption rights allowing issuers to redeem such securities at par earlier than scheduled. If these rights are exercised, a Fund may have to reinvest proceeds in less attractive securities.

Among other risks described in this Prospectus, the following issues are particularly associated with investments in preferred and other senior securities.

Deferral and Omission of Distributions. Preferred and other senior securities may include features permitting or requiring the issuer to defer or omit distributions. Among other things, such deferral or omission may result in adverse tax consequences for a Fund.

Limited Voting Rights. Preferred and other senior securities generally do not have voting rights with respect to the issuer unless dividends have been in arrears for certain specified periods of time.

In the future, preferred or other senior securities may be offered with features different from those described above, and as such, may entail different risks. Over longer periods of time, certain types of preferred or other senior securities may become more scarce or less liquid as a result of legislative changes. Such events may result in losses to a Fund as the prices of securities it holds may be negatively affected. Revisions to bank capital requirements by international regulatory bodies, to the extent they are adopted in the United States, may also negatively impact the market for certain preferred or senior securities.

While some countries or companies may be regarded as favorable investments, pure fixed income opportunities may be unattractive or limited due to insufficient supply, or legal or technical restrictions. In such cases, certain Funds may consider convertible securities or equity securities to gain exposure to such investments.

While certain Funds may generally invest in equity derivatives, such Funds may invest without limitation directly in equity securities, including common stocks, preferred securities, and convertible securities.When investing directly in equity securities, a Fund will not be limited to only those equity securities with any particular weighting in such Fund's respective benchmark index, if any. Generally, the Funds may consider investing directly in equity securities when derivatives on the underlying securities appear to be overvalued.

At times, in connection with the restructuring of a preferred security or Fixed Income Instrument either outside of bankruptcy court or in the context of bankruptcy court proceedings, a Fund may determine or be required to accept equity securities, such as common stocks, in exchange for all or a portion of a preferred security or Fixed Income Instrument. Depending upon, among other things, PIMCO's evaluation of the potential value of such securities in relation to the price that could be obtained by a Fund at any given time upon sale thereof, a Fund may determine to hold such securities in its portfolio.

Equity securities generally have greater price volatility than fixed income securities. The market price of equity securities owned by a Fund may go up or down, sometimes rapidly or unpredictably. Equity securities may decline in value due to factors affecting equity securities markets generally or particular industries represented in those markets. The value of an equity security may also 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 goods or services.

Foreign (Non-U.S.) Securities

Each Fund may invest in securities and instruments that are economically tied to foreign (non-U.S.) countries. PIMCO generally considers an instrument to be economically tied to a non-U.S. country if the issuer is a foreign government (or any political subdivision, agency, authority or instrumentality of such government), or if the issuer is organized under the laws of a non-U.S. country. A Fund's investments in foreign (non-U.S.) securities may include American Depositary Receipts ("ADRs"), European Depositary Receipts ("EDRs"), Global Depositary Receipts ("GDRs") and similar securities that represent interests in a non-U.S. company's securities that have been deposited with a bank or trust and that trade on a U.S. exchange or over-the-counter. ADRs, EDRs and GDRs may be less liquid or may trade at a different price than the underlying securities of the issuer. In the case of certain money market instruments, such instruments will be considered economically tied to a non-U.S. country if either the issuer or the guarantor of such money market instrument is organized under the laws of a non-U.S. country. With respect to derivative instruments, PIMCO generally considers such instruments to be economically tied to non-U.S. countries if the underlying assets of the derivative instrument, or a substantial portion of the components of the index to which the derivative instrument is exposed, are: (i) foreign currencies (or baskets or indexes of such currencies); (ii) instruments or securities that are issued by foreign governments; or (iii) instruments or securities that are issued by issuers organized under the laws of a non-U.S. country (or if the underlying assets are certain money market instruments, if either the issuer or the guarantor of such money market instruments is organized under the laws of a non-U.S. country). Further, where a derivative instrument is exposed to an index, PIMCO generally considers the derivative to be economically tied to each country represented by the components of the underlying index pursuant to the criteria set forth in the preceding sentence.

Investing in foreign (non-U.S.) securities involves special risks and considerations not typically associated with investing in U.S. securities. Investors should consider carefully the substantial risks involved for Funds that invest in securities issued by foreign companies and governments of foreign countries. These risks include: differences in accounting, auditing and financial reporting standards; generally higher commission rates on foreign portfolio transactions; the possibility of nationalization, expropriation or confiscatory taxation; adverse changes in investment or exchange control regulations; and political instability. Individual foreign economies may differ favorably or unfavorably from the U.S. economy in such respects as growth of gross domestic product, rates of inflation, capital reinvestment, resources, self-sufficiency and balance of payments position. The securities markets, values of securities, yields and risks associated with foreign (non-U.S.) securities markets may change independently of each other. Also, foreign (non-U.S.) securities and dividends and interest payable on those securities may be subject to foreign taxes, including taxes withheld from payments on those securities. Foreign (non-U.S.) securities often trade with less frequency and volume than domestic securities and therefore may

 

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exhibit greater price volatility. Investments in foreign (non-U.S.) securities may also involve higher custodial costs than domestic investments and additional transaction costs with respect to foreign currency conversions. Changes in foreign exchange rates also will affect the value of securities denominated or quoted in foreign currencies.

Certain Funds also may invest in sovereign debt issued by governments, their agencies or instrumentalities, or other government-related entities. Holders of sovereign debt may be requested to participate in the rescheduling of such debt and to extend further loans to governmental entities. In addition, there is no bankruptcy proceeding by which defaulted sovereign debt may be collected.

Emerging Market Securities. Each Fund may invest in securities and instruments that are economically tied to developing (or "emerging market") countries. PIMCO generally considers an instrument to be economically tied to an emerging market country if: the issuer is organized under the laws of an emerging market country; the currency of settlement of the security is a currency of an emerging market country; the security is guaranteed by the government of an emerging market country (or any political subdivision, agency, authority or instrumentality of such government); for an asset-backed or other collateralized security, the country in which the collateral backing the security is located in an emerging market country; or the security's "country of exposure" is an emerging market country, as determined by the criteria set forth below. With respect to derivative instruments, PIMCO generally considers such instruments to be economically tied to emerging market countries if the underlying assets are currencies of emerging market countries (or baskets or indexes of such currencies), or instruments or securities that are issued or guaranteed by governments of emerging market countries or by entities organized under the laws of emerging market countries or if an instrument's "country of exposure" is an emerging market country. A security's "country of exposure" is determined by PIMCO using certain factors provided by a third-party analytical service provider. The factors are applied in order such that the first factor to result in the assignment of a country determines the "country of exposure." The factors, listed in the order in which they are applied, are: (i) if an asset-backed or other collateralized security, the country in which the collateral backing the security is located; (ii) the "country of risk" of the issuer; (iii) if the security is guaranteed by the government of a country (or any political subdivision, agency, authority or instrumentality of such government), the country of the government or instrumentality providing the guarantee; (iv) the "country of risk" of the issuer's ultimate parent; or (v) the country where the issuer is organized or incorporated under the laws thereof. "Country of risk" is a separate four-part test determined by the following factors, listed in order of importance: (i) management location; (ii) country of primary listing; (iii) sales or revenue attributable to the country; and (iv) reporting currency of the issuer. PIMCO has broad discretion to identify countries that it considers to qualify as emerging markets. In making investments in emerging market securities, a Fund emphasizes those countries with relatively low gross national product per capita and with the potential for rapid economic growth. Emerging market countries are generally located in Asia, Africa, the Middle East, Latin America and Eastern Europe. PIMCO will select the country and currency composition based on its evaluation of relative interest rates, inflation rates, exchange rates, monetary and fiscal policies, trade and current account balances, legal and political developments and any other specific factors it believes to be relevant.

Investing in emerging market securities imposes risks different from, or greater than, risks of investing in domestic securities or in foreign, developed countries. These risks include: smaller market capitalization of securities markets, which may suffer periods of relative illiquidity; significant price volatility; restrictions on foreign investment; possible repatriation of investment income and capital. In addition, foreign investors may be required to register the proceeds of sales; future economic or political crises could lead to price controls, forced mergers, expropriation or confiscatory taxation, seizure, nationalization, or creation of government monopolies. The currencies of emerging market countries may experience significant declines against the U.S. dollar, and devaluation may occur subsequent to investments in these currencies by a Fund. Many emerging market countries have experienced substantial, and in some periods extremely high, rates of inflation for many years. Inflation and rapid fluctuations in inflation rates have had, and may continue to have, negative effects on the economies and securities markets of certain emerging market countries.

Additional risks of emerging market securities may include: greater social, economic and political uncertainty and instability; more substantial governmental involvement in the economy; less governmental supervision and regulation; unavailability of currency hedging techniques; companies that are newly organized and small; differences in auditing and financial reporting standards, which may result in unavailability of material information about issuers; and less developed legal systems. In addition, emerging securities markets may have different clearance and settlement procedures, which may be unable to keep pace with the volume of securities transactions or otherwise make it difficult to engage in such transactions. Settlement problems may cause a Fund to miss attractive investment opportunities, hold a portion of its assets in cash pending investment, or be delayed in disposing of a portfolio security. Such a delay could result in possible liability to a purchaser of the security.

Foreign (Non-U.S.) Currencies

Direct investments in foreign (non-U.S.) currencies or in securities that trade in, or receive revenues in, foreign (non-U.S.) currencies will be subject to currency risk. Foreign currency exchange rates may fluctuate significantly over short periods of time. They generally are determined by supply and demand in the foreign exchange markets and the relative merits of investments in different countries, actual or perceived changes in interest rates and other complex factors. Currency exchange rates also can be affected unpredictably by intervention (or the failure to intervene) by U.S. or foreign governments or central banks, or by currency controls or political developments. Currencies in which the Funds' assets are denominated may be devalued against the U.S. dollar, resulting in a loss to the Funds.

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currency exchange contracts and invest in foreign currency futures contracts and options on foreign currencies and futures. A forward foreign currency exchange contract, which involves an obligation to purchase or sell a specific currency at a future date at a price set at the time of the contract, reduces a Fund's exposure to changes in the value of the currency it will deliver and increases its exposure to changes in the value of the currency it will receive for the duration of the contract. Certain foreign currency transactions may also be settled in cash rather than the actual delivery of the relevant currency. The effect on the value of a Fund is similar to selling securities denominated in one currency and purchasing securities denominated in another currency. Foreign currency transactions, like currency exchange rates, can be affected unpredictably by intervention (or the failure to intervene) by U.S. or foreign governments or central banks, or by currency controls or political developments. Such events may prevent or restrict a Fund's ability to enter into foreign currency transactions, force the Fund to exit a foreign currency transaction at a disadvantageous time or price or result in penalties for the Fund, any of which may result in a loss to the Fund. A contract to sell a foreign currency would limit any potential gain which might be realized if the value of the hedged currency increases. A Fund may enter into these contracts to hedge against foreign exchange risk, to increase exposure to a foreign currency or to shift exposure to foreign currency fluctuations from one currency to another. Suitable hedging transactions may not be available in all circumstances and there can be no assurance that a Fund will engage in such transactions at any given time or from time to time. Also, such transactions may not be successful and may eliminate any chance for a Fund to benefit from favorable fluctuations in relevant foreign currencies. A Fund may use one currency (or a basket of currencies) to hedge against adverse changes in the value of another currency (or a basket of currencies) when exchange rates between the two currencies are positively correlated. A Fund will segregate or "earmark" assets determined to be liquid by PIMCO in accordance with the procedures established by the Board of Trustees (or, as permitted by applicable law, enter into certain offsetting positions) to cover its obligations under forward foreign currency exchange contracts.

Redenomination. Continuing uncertainty as to the status of the euro and the European Monetary Union (the "EMU") has created significant volatility in currency and financial markets generally. Any partial or complete dissolution of the EMU could have significant adverse effects on currency and financial markets and on the values of a Fund's portfolio investments. If one or more EMU countries were to stop using the euro as its primary currency, a Fund's investments in such countries may be redenominated into a different or newly adopted currency. As a result, the value of those investments could decline significantly and unpredictably. In addition, securities or other investments that are redenominated may be subject to currency risk, liquidity risk and risk of improper valuation to a greater extent than similar investments currently denominated in euros. To the extent a currency used for redenomination purposes is not specified in respect of certain EMU-related investments, or should the euro cease to be used entirely, the currency in which such investments are denominated may be unclear, making such investments particularly difficult to value or dispose of. A Fund may incur additional expenses to the extent it is required to seek judicial or other clarification of the denomination or value of such securities.

There can be no assurance that if a Fund earns income or capital gains in a non-U.S. country or PIMCO otherwise seeks to withdraw a Fund's investments from a given country, capital controls imposed by such country will not prevent, or cause significant expense in, doing so.

Repurchase Agreements

Each Fund may enter into repurchase agreements, in which the Fund purchases a security from a bank or broker-dealer, which agrees to repurchase the security at the Fund's cost plus interest within a specified time. If the party agreeing to repurchase should default, the Fund will seek to sell the securities which it holds. This could involve procedural costs or delays in addition to a loss on the securities if their value should fall below their repurchase price. Repurchase agreements maturing in more than seven days and which may not be terminated within seven days at approximately the amount at which a Fund has valued the agreements are considered illiquid securities.  

Reverse Repurchase Agreements, Dollar Rolls and Other Borrowings

Each Fund may enter into reverse repurchase agreements and dollar rolls, subject to the Fund's limitations on borrowings. A reverse repurchase agreement involves the sale of a security by a Fund and its agreement to repurchase the instrument at a specified time and price. A dollar roll is similar except that the counterparty is not obligated to return the same securities as those originally sold by the Fund but only securities that are "substantially identical." Reverse repurchase agreements and dollar rolls may be considered borrowing for some purposes. A Fund will segregate or "earmark" assets determined to be liquid by PIMCO in accordance with procedures established by the Board of Trustees to cover its obligations under reverse repurchase agreements and dollar rolls. Reverse repurchase agreements, dollar rolls and other forms of borrowings may create leveraging risk for a Fund.

Each Fund may borrow money to the extent permitted under the 1940 Act. This means that, in general, a Fund may borrow money from banks for any purpose in an amount up to ⅓ of the Fund's total assets, less all liabilities and indebtedness not represented by senior securities. A Fund may also borrow money for temporary administrative purposes in an amount not to exceed 5% of the Fund's total assets. In addition, a Fund may borrow from certain other PIMCO funds in inter-fund lending transactions to the extent permitted by an exemptive order from the SEC.

Derivatives

Each Fund may, but is not required to, use derivative instruments for risk management purposes or as part of its investment strategies. Generally, derivatives are financial contracts whose value depends upon, or is derived from, the value of an underlying asset, reference rate or index, and may relate to stocks, bonds, interest rates, spreads between different interest rates, currencies or currency exchange rates, commodities, and related indexes. Examples of derivative instruments include options contracts,

 

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futures contracts, options on futures contracts and swap agreements (including, but not limited to, credit default swaps and swaps on exchange-traded funds). Each Fund may invest some or all of its assets in derivative instruments, subject to the Fund's objective and policies. A portfolio manager may decide not to employ any of these strategies and there is no assurance that any derivatives strategy used by a Fund will succeed. A description of these and other derivative instruments that the Funds may use are described under "Investment Objectives and Policies" in the SAI.

A Fund's use of derivative instruments involves risks different from, or possibly greater than, the risks associated with investing directly in securities and other more traditional investments. Certain derivative transactions may have a leveraging effect on a Fund. For example, a small investment in a derivative instrument may have a significant impact on a Fund's exposure to interest rates, currency exchange rates or other investments. As a result, a relatively small price movement in a derivative instrument may cause an immediate and substantial loss or gain. A Fund may engage in such transactions regardless of whether the Fund owns the asset, instrument or components of the index underlying the derivative instrument. A Fund may invest a significant portion of its assets in these types of instruments. If it does, the Fund's investment exposure could far exceed the value of its portfolio securities and its investment performance could be primarily dependent upon securities it does not own. A description of various risks associated with particular derivative instruments is included in "Investment Objectives and Policies" in the SAI. The following provides a more general discussion of important risk factors relating to all derivative instruments that may be used by the Funds.

CPI Swap. A CPI swap is a fixed maturity, over-the-counter derivative transaction in which the investor receives the "realized" rate of inflation as measured by the Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers ("CPI") over the life of the swap. The investor in turn pays a fixed annualized rate over the life of the swap. This fixed rate is often referred to as the "breakeven inflation" rate and is generally representative of the difference between treasury yields and TIPS yields of similar maturities at the initiation of the swap. CPI swaps are typically in "bullet" format, where all cash flows are exchanged at maturity. In addition to counterparty risk, CPI swaps are also subject to inflation risk, where the swap can potentially lose value if the realized rate of inflation over the life of the swap is less than the fixed market implied inflation rate (fixed breakeven rate) that the investor agrees to pay at the initiation of the swap.

Management Risk. Derivative products are highly specialized instruments that require investment techniques and risk analyses different from those associated with stocks and bonds. The use of a derivative requires an understanding not only of the underlying instrument but also of the derivative itself, without the benefit of observing the performance of the derivative under all possible market conditions.

Credit Risk. The use of certain derivative instruments involves the risk that a loss may be sustained as a result of the failure of another party to the contract (usually referred to as a "counterparty") to make required payments or otherwise comply with the contract's terms. Additionally, a short position in a credit default swap could result in losses if a Fund does not correctly evaluate the creditworthiness of the company on which the credit default swap is based.

Liquidity Risk. Liquidity risk exists when a particular derivative instrument is difficult to purchase or sell. If a derivative transaction is particularly large or if the relevant market is illiquid (as is the case with many privately negotiated derivatives), it may not be possible to initiate a transaction or liquidate a position at an advantageous time or price.

Leverage Risk. Because many derivatives have a leverage component, adverse changes in the value or level of the underlying asset, reference rate or index could result in a loss substantially greater than the amount invested in the derivative itself. Certain derivatives have the potential for unlimited loss, regardless of the size of the initial investment. When a Fund uses derivatives for leverage, investments in that Fund will tend to be more volatile, resulting in larger gains or losses in response to market changes. To limit leverage risk, each Fund will segregate or "earmark" assets determined to be liquid by PIMCO in accordance with procedures established by the Board of Trustees (or, as permitted by applicable regulation, enter into certain offsetting positions) to cover its obligations under derivative instruments.

Lack of Availability. Because the markets for certain derivative instruments (including markets located in foreign countries) are relatively new and still developing, suitable derivatives transactions may not be available in all circumstances for risk management or other purposes. Upon the expiration of a particular contract, a portfolio manager may wish to retain a Fund's position in the derivative instrument by entering into a similar contract, but may be unable to do so if the counterparty to the original contract is unwilling to enter into the new contract and no other suitable counterparty can be found. There is no assurance that a Fund will engage in derivatives transactions at any time or from time to time. A Fund's ability to use derivatives may also be limited by certain regulatory and tax considerations.

Market and Other Risks. Like most other investments, derivative instruments are subject to the risk that the market value of the instrument will change in a way detrimental to a Fund's interest. If a portfolio manager incorrectly forecasts the values of securities, currencies or interest rates or other economic factors in using derivatives for a Fund, the Fund might have been in a better position if it had not entered into the transaction at all. While some strategies involving derivative instruments can reduce the risk of loss, they can also reduce the opportunity for gain or even result in losses by offsetting favorable price movements in other Fund investments. A Fund may also have to buy or sell a security at a disadvantageous time or price because the Fund is legally required to maintain offsetting positions or asset coverage in connection with certain derivatives transactions.

Other risks in using derivatives include the risk of mispricing or improper valuation of derivatives The regulation of the derivatives markets has increased over the past several years, and additional future regulation of the derivatives markets may make derivatives more costly, may limit the availability or reduce the liquidity of derivatives, or may otherwise adversely affect the value or performance of derivatives. Any such adverse future developments could impair the effectiveness or raise the costs of the Fund's derivative transactions, or impede the employment of the Fund's derivatives strategies, or adversely affect the Fund's performance. Many derivatives, in particular privately negotiated derivatives, are complex and often valued subjectively. Improper valuations can result in increased cash payment requirements to counterparties or a loss of value to a Fund. Also, the value

 

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of derivatives may not correlate perfectly, or at all, with the value of the assets, reference rates or indexes they are designed to closely track. For example, a swap agreement on an exchange-traded fund would not correlate perfectly with the index upon which the exchange-traded fund is based because the fund's return is net of fees and expenses. In addition, a Fund's use of derivatives may cause the Fund to realize higher amounts of short-term capital gains (generally taxed at ordinary income tax rates) than if the Fund had not used such instruments.

Correlation Risk. In certain cases, the value of derivatives may not correlate perfectly, or at all, with the value of the assets, reference rates or indexes they are designed to closely track. In this regard, many of the Funds offered in this prospectus seek to achieve their investment objectives, in part, by investing in derivatives positions that are designed to closely track the performance (or inverse performance) of an index on a daily basis. However, the overall investment strategies of these Funds are not designed or expected to produce returns which replicate the performance (or inverse performance) of the particular index, and the degree of variation could be substantial, particularly over longer periods. There are a number of factors which may prevent a Fund, or derivatives or other strategies used by a fund, from achieving a desired correlation (or inverse correlation) with an index. These may include, but are not limited to: (i) the impact of fund fees, expenses and transaction costs, including borrowing and brokerage costs/ bid-ask spreads, which are not reflected in index returns; (ii) differences in the timing of daily calculations of the value of an index and the timing of the valuation of derivatives, securities and other assets held by a fund and the determination of the NAV of fund shares; (iii) disruptions or illiquidity in the markets for derivative instruments or securities in which a fund invests; (iv) a fund having exposure to or holding less than all of the securities in the underlying index and/or having exposure to or holding securities not included in the underlying index; (v) large or unexpected movements of assets into and out of a fund (due to share purchases or redemptions, for example), potentially resulting in the fund being over- or under-exposed to the index; (vi) the impact of accounting standards or changes thereto; (vii) changes to the applicable index that are not disseminated in advance; (viii) a possible need to conform a fund's portfolio holdings to comply with investment restrictions or policies or regulatory or tax law requirements; and (ix) fluctuations in currency exchange rates.

In this regard, a Fund may seek to achieve its investment objective, in part, by investing in derivatives that are designed to closely track the performance of an index on a daily basis. However, the overall investment strategies of the Fund are not generally designed or expected to produce returns which replicate the performance of the particular index, and the degree of variation could be substantial, particularly over longer periods. There are a number of factors which may prevent the Fund, or the derivatives or other strategies used by the Fund, from achieving desired correlation with an index, such as the impact of fees, expenses and transaction costs, the timing of pricing, and disruptions or illiquidity in the markets for derivative instruments or securities in which the Fund invests.

A Note on the PIMCO StocksPLUS® Short Fund. The PIMCO StocksPLUS® Short Fund will generally benefit when the value of the Fund's associated index is declining and will generally not perform well when the index is rising, a result that is different from traditional mutual funds. Under certain conditions, even if the value of the Fund's associated index is declining (which could be beneficial to a short strategy), this could be offset by declining values of the Fund's holdings of Fixed Income Instruments. Conversely, it is possible that rising fixed income securities prices could be offset by a rising index (which could lead to losses in a short strategy). In either scenario, the Fund may experience losses. In a market where the value of the Fund's associated index is rising and its Fixed Income Instrument holdings are declining, the Fund may experience substantial losses. However, although the Fund uses derivatives and other short positions to gain exposures that may vary inversely with the performance of its associated index, the Fund as a whole is neither designed nor expected to produce returns which replicate the inverse of the performance of its associated index, and the degree of variation could be substantial, particularly over longer periods. Because the value of the Fund's derivatives short positions move in the opposite direction from the value of the Fund's associated index every day, for periods greater than one day, the effect of compounding may result in the performance of these derivatives positions, and the Fund's performance attributable to those positions, to be either greater than or less than the inverse of the index performance for such periods, and the extent of the variation could be substantial due to market volatility and other factors. In addition, the results of PIMCO's active management of the Fund, including the combination of income and capital gains or losses derived from the Fixed Income Instruments held by the Fund and the ability of the Fund to reduce or limit short exposure, may result in an imperfect inverse correlation between the performance of the Fund's associated index and the performance of the Fund. As noted above, there are a number of other reasons why changes in the value of derivatives positions may not correlate exactly (either positively or inversely) with an index or which may otherwise prevent a mutual fund or its positions from achieving such correlation. See "Correlation Risk" above.

A Fund may also invest in other commodity-linked derivative instruments, including swap agreements, commodity options, futures and options on futures. The value of a commodity-linked derivative investment generally is based upon the price movements of a physical commodity (such as energy, mineral, or agricultural products), a commodity futures contract, a subset of commodities, a subset of commodities futures contracts or commodity index, or other economic variable based upon changes in the value of commodities or the commodities markets. Options transactions may be effected on securities or in the OTC market. When OTC options are purchased, the Fund's portfolio bears the risk that the counterparty that wrote the option will be unable or unwilling to perform its obligations under the option contract. Options may also be illiquid and, in such cases, the Fund may have difficulty closing out its position. OTC options also may include options on baskets of specific securities. Many swap transactions are privately negotiated agreements between the Fund and a counterparty to exchange or swap investment cash flows or assets at specified intervals in the future. The obligations may extend beyond one year. There is often no central exchange for swap transactions and therefore they can be less liquid investments than

 

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exchange-traded instruments. The Dodd-Frank Act and related regulatory developments require the clearing and exchange-trading of certain standardized OTC derivative instruments that the CFTC and SEC have defined as "swaps." The CFTC has implemented mandatory exchange-trading and clearing requirements under the Dodd-Frank Act and the CFTC continues to approve contracts for central clearing. Uncleared swaps are subject to margin requirements that are being implemented on a phased-in basis. The investment adviser will continue to monitor these developments, particularly to the extent regulatory changes affect the Fund's ability to enter into swap agreements.

Exchange-Traded Notes (ETNs)

ETNs are senior, unsecured, unsubordinated debt securities whose returns are linked to the performance of a particular market benchmark or strategy minus applicable fees. ETNs are traded on an exchange (e.g., the NYSE) during normal trading hours. However, investors can also hold the ETN until maturity. At maturity, the issuer pays to the investor a cash amount equal to the principal amount, subject to the day's market benchmark or strategy factor.

ETNs do not make periodic coupon payments or provide principal protection. ETNs are subject to credit risk and the value of the ETN may drop due to a downgrade in the issuer's credit rating, despite the underlying market benchmark or strategy remaining unchanged. The value of an ETN may also be influenced by time to maturity, level of supply and demand for the ETN, volatility and lack of liquidity in underlying assets, changes in the applicable interest rates, changes in the issuer's credit rating, and economic, legal, political, or geographic events that affect the referenced underlying asset. When a Fund invests in ETNs, it will bear its proportionate share of any fees and expenses borne by the ETN. A Fund's decision to sell its ETN holdings may be limited by the availability of a secondary market. ETNs are also subject to tax risk. The IRS and Congress are considering proposals that would change the timing and character of income and gains from ETNs. There may be times when an ETN share trades at a premium or discount to its market benchmark or strategy.

Real Estate Investment Trusts (REITs)

REITs are pooled investment vehicles that own, and usually operate, income-producing real estate. Some REITs also finance real estate. If a REIT meets certain requirements, including distributing to shareholders substantially all of its taxable income (other than net capital gains), then it is not taxed on the income distributed to shareholders. Therefore, REITs tend to pay higher dividends than other issuers.

REITs can be divided into three basic types: Equity REITs, Mortgage REITs and Hybrid REITs. Equity REITs invest the majority of their assets directly in real property. They derive their income primarily from rents received and any profits on the sale of their properties. Mortgage REITs invest the majority of their assets in real estate mortgages and derive most of their income from mortgage interest payments. As its name suggests, Hybrid REITs combine characteristics of both Equity REITs and Mortgage REITs.

An investment in a REIT, or in a real estate linked derivative instrument linked to the value of a REIT, is subject to the risks that impact the value of the underlying properties of the REIT. These risks include loss to casualty or condemnation, and changes in supply and demand, interest rates, zoning laws, regulatory limitations on rents, property taxes and operating expenses. Other factors that may adversely affect REITs include poor performance by management of the REIT, changes to the tax laws, or failure by the REIT to qualify for tax-free distribution of income. REITs are also subject to default by borrowers and self-liquidation, and are heavily dependent on cash flow. Some REITs lack diversification because they invest in a limited number of properties, a narrow geographic area, or a single type of property. Mortgage REITs may be impacted by the quality of the credit extended.

Delayed Funding Loans and Revolving Credit Facilities

Each Fund may also enter into, or acquire participations in, delayed funding loans and revolving credit facilities, in which a lender agrees to make loans up to a maximum amount upon demand by the borrower during a specified term. These commitments may have the effect of requiring a Fund to increase its investment in a company at a time when it might not otherwise decide to do so (including at a time when the company's financial condition makes it unlikely that such amounts will be repaid). To the extent that a Fund is committed to advance additional funds, it will segregate or "earmark" assets determined to be liquid by PIMCO in accordance with procedures established by the Board of Trustees in an amount sufficient to meet such commitments. Delayed funding loans and revolving credit facilities are subject to credit, interest rate and liquidity risk and the risks of being a lender.

When-Issued, Delayed Delivery and Forward Commitment Transactions

Each Fund may purchase or sell securities which it is eligible to purchase or sell on a when-issued basis, may purchase and sell such securities for delayed delivery and may make contracts to purchase or sell such securities for a fixed price at a future date beyond normal settlement time (forward commitments). When-issued transactions, delayed delivery purchases and forward commitments involve a risk of loss if the value of the securities declines prior to the settlement date. This risk is in addition to the risk that a Fund's other assets will decline in value. Therefore, these transactions may result in a form of leverage and increase a Fund's overall investment exposure. Typically, no income accrues on securities a Fund has committed to purchase prior to the time delivery of the securities is made, although a Fund may earn income on securities it has segregated or "earmarked" to cover these positions. When a Fund has sold a security on a when-issued, delayed delivery, or forward commitment basis, the Fund does not participate in future gains or losses with respect to the security. If the other party to a transaction fails to pay for the securities, a Fund could suffer a loss. Additionally, when selling a security on a when-issued, delayed delivery or forward commitment basis without owning the security, a Fund will incur a loss if the security's price appreciates in value such that the security's price is above the agreed-upon price on the settlement date.

Investment in Other Investment Companies

Each Fund may invest in securities of other investment companies, such as open-end or closed-end management investment companies, including exchange-traded funds, or in pooled accounts, or other unregistered accounts

 

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or investment vehicles to the extent permitted by the 1940 Act and the rules and regulations thereunder and any exemptive relief therefrom. A Fund may invest in other investment companies to gain broad market or sector exposure, including during periods when it has large amounts of uninvested cash or when PIMCO believes share prices of other investment companies offer attractive values. As a shareholder of an investment company or other pooled vehicle, a Fund may indirectly bear investment advisory fees, supervisory and administrative fees, service fees and other fees which are in addition to the fees the Fund pays its service providers.

Each Fund may invest in certain money market funds and/or short-term bond funds ("Central Funds"), to the extent permitted by the 1940 Act, the rules thereunder or exemptive relief therefrom. The Central Funds are registered investment companies created for use solely by the series of the Trust, PIMCO Variable Insurance Trust, PIMCO ETF Trust, PIMCO Equity Series and PIMCO Equity Series VIT, and certain other series of registered investment companies advised by PIMCO, in connection with their cash management activities. The main investments of the Central Funds are money market instruments and short maturity Fixed Income Instruments. The Central Funds may incur expenses related to their investment activities, but do not pay investment advisory or supervisory and administrative fees to PIMCO.

Subject to the restrictions and limitations of the 1940 Act, each Fund may, in the future, elect to pursue its investment objective either by investing directly in securities, or by investing in one or more underlying investment vehicles or companies that have substantially similar investment objectives and policies as the Fund.

Small-Cap and Mid-Cap Companies

Certain Funds may invest in equity securities of small-capitalization and mid-capitalization companies. The Funds consider a small-cap company to be a company with a market capitalization of up to $1.5 billion and a mid-cap company to be a company with a market capitalization of between $1.5 billion and $10 billion. Investments in small-cap and mid-cap companies involve greater risk than investments in large-capitalization companies. Small- and mid-cap companies may not have an established financial history, which can present valuation challenges. The equity securities of small- and mid-cap companies may be subject to increased market fluctuations, due to less liquid markets and more limited managerial and financial resources. A Fund's investment in small- and mid-cap companies may increase the volatility of the Fund's portfolio.

Short Sales

A Fund may make short sales as part of its overall portfolio management strategies or to offset a potential decline in value of a security. A short sale involves the sale of a security that is borrowed from a broker or other institution to complete the sale. Short sales expose a Fund to the risk that it will be required to acquire, convert or exchange securities to replace the borrowed securities (also known as "covering" the short position) at a time when the securities sold short have appreciated in value, thus resulting in a loss to the Fund. When making a short sale (other than a "short sale against the box"), a Fund must segregate or "earmark" assets determined to be liquid by PIMCO in accordance with procedures established by the Board of Trustees or otherwise cover its position in a permissible manner. A Fund may engage in short selling to the extent permitted by the 1940 Act and rules and interpretations thereunder and other federal securities laws. To the extent a Fund engages in short selling in foreign (non-U.S.) jurisdictions, the Fund will do so to the extent permitted by the laws and regulations of such jurisdiction.

Illiquid Securities

Each Fund may invest up to 15% of its net assets (taken at the time of investment) in illiquid securities. Certain illiquid securities may require pricing at fair value as determined in good faith under the supervision of the Board of Trustees. A portfolio manager may be subject to significant delays in disposing of illiquid securities, and transactions in illiquid securities may entail registration expenses and other transaction costs that are higher than those for transactions in liquid securities. The term "illiquid securities" for this purpose means securities that cannot be disposed of within seven days in the ordinary course of business at approximately the amount at which a Fund has valued the securities. Restricted securities, i.e., securities subject to legal or contractual restrictions on resale, may be illiquid. However, some restricted securities (such as securities issued pursuant to Rule 144A under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and certain commercial paper) may be treated as liquid, although they may be less liquid than registered securities traded on established secondary markets.

Loans of Portfolio Securities

For the purpose of achieving income, each Fund may lend its portfolio securities to brokers, dealers, and other financial institutions provided a number of conditions are satisfied, including that the loan is fully collateralized. Please see "Investment Objectives and Policies" in the SAI for details. When a Fund lends portfolio securities, its investment performance will continue to reflect changes in the value of the securities loaned, and the Fund will also receive a fee or interest on the collateral. Securities lending involves the risk of loss of rights in the collateral or delay in recovery of the collateral if the borrower fails to return the security loaned or becomes insolvent. A Fund may pay lending fees to a party arranging the loan. Cash collateral received by a Fund in securities lending transactions may be invested in short-term liquid fixed income instruments or in money market or short-term mutual funds, or similar investment vehicles, including affiliated money market or short-term mutual funds. A Fund bears the risk of such investments.

Portfolio Turnover

The length of time a Fund has held a particular security is not generally a consideration in investment decisions. A change in the securities held by a Fund is known as "portfolio turnover." When the portfolio manager deems it appropriate and particularly during periods of volatile market movements, a Fund may engage in frequent and active trading of portfolio securities to achieve its investment objective. Higher portfolio turnover (e.g., an annual rate greater than 100% of the average value of the Fund's portfolio) involves correspondingly greater expenses to a Fund, including brokerage commissions or dealer markups and other transaction costs on the sale of securities and reinvestments in other securities. Such sales may also result in realization of taxable capital gains, including short-term capital gains (which are generally taxed at ordinary income tax rates). The trading

 

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costs and tax effects associated with portfolio turnover may adversely affect a Fund's performance. Please see a Fund's "Fund Summary—Portfolio Turnover" or the "Financial Highlights" in this prospectus for the portfolio turnover rates of the Funds that were operational during the last fiscal year.

Temporary Defensive Positions

For temporary defensive purposes, each Fund may invest without limit in U.S. debt securities, including taxable securities and short-term money market securities, when PIMCO deems it appropriate to do so. When a Fund engages in such strategies, it may not achieve its investment objective.

From time to time, as the prevailing market and interest rate environments warrant, and at the discretion of its portfolio manager, some portion of a Fund's total net assets may be uninvested. In such cases, Fund assets will be held in cash in a Fund's custody account. Cash assets are generally not income-generating and would impact a Fund's performance.

Changes in Investment Objectives and Policies

The investment objective of each of the PIMCO RAE Fundamental Advantage PLUS Fund, PIMCO RAE PLUS EMG Fund, PIMCO RAE PLUS Fund, PIMCO RAE PLUS International Fund, PIMCO RAE PLUS Small Fund, PIMCO RAE Low Volatility PLUS EMG Fund, PIMCO RAE Low Volatility PLUS Fund, PIMCO RAE Low Volatility PLUS International Fund, PIMCO RAE Worldwide Long/Short PLUS Fund, PIMCO StocksPLUS® International Fund (U.S. Dollar-Hedged), PIMCO StocksPLUS® International Fund (Unhedged), PIMCO StocksPLUS® Long Duration Fund, PIMCO StocksPLUS® Short Fund and PIMCO StocksPLUS® Small Fund is non-fundamental and may be changed by the Board of Trustees without shareholder approval. The investment objective of each other Fund is fundamental and may not be changed without shareholder approval. Unless otherwise stated, all other investment policies of the Funds may be changed by the Board of Trustees without shareholder approval.

Percentage Investment Limitations

Unless otherwise stated, all percentage limitations on Fund investments listed in this prospectus will apply at the time of investment. A Fund would not violate these limitations unless an excess or deficiency occurs or exists immediately after and as a result of an investment.

Credit Ratings and Unrated Securities

Rating agencies are private services that provide ratings of the credit quality of fixed income securities, including convertible securities. Appendix A to this prospectus describes the various ratings assigned to fixed income securities by Moody's, S&P and Fitch. Ratings assigned by a rating agency are not absolute standards of credit quality and do not evaluate market risks. Rating agencies may fail to make timely changes in credit ratings and an issuer's current financial condition may be better or worse than a rating indicates. A Fund will not necessarily sell a security when its rating is reduced below its rating at the time of purchase. PIMCO does not rely solely on credit ratings, and develops its own analysis of issuer credit quality.

A Fund may purchase unrated securities (which are not rated by a rating agency) if PIMCO determines, in its sole discretion, that the security is of comparable quality to a rated security that the Fund may purchase. In making ratings determinations, PIMCO may take into account different factors than those taken into account by rating agencies, and PIMCO's rating of a security may differ from the rating that a rating agency may have given the same security. Unrated securities may be less liquid than comparable rated securities and involve the risk that the portfolio manager may not accurately evaluate the security's comparative credit rating. Analysis of the creditworthiness of issuers of high yield securities may be more complex than for issuers of higher-quality fixed income securities. To the extent that a Fund invests in high yield and/or unrated securities, the Fund's success in achieving its investment objective may depend more heavily on the portfolio manager's creditworthiness analysis than if the Fund invested exclusively in higher-quality and rated securities.

Other Investments and Techniques

The Funds may invest in other types of securities and use a variety of investment techniques and strategies which are not described in this prospectus. These securities and techniques may subject the Funds to additional risks. Please see the SAI for additional information about the securities and investment techniques described in this prospectus and about additional securities and techniques that may be used by the Funds.

Cyber Security

As the use of technology has become more prevalent in the course of business, the Funds have become potentially more susceptible to operational and information security risks resulting from breaches in cyber security. A breach in cyber security refers to both intentional and unintentional cyber events that may, among other things, cause a Fund to lose proprietary information, suffer data corruption and/or destruction or lose operational capacity, result in the unauthorized release or other misuse of confidential information, or otherwise disrupt normal business operations. Cyber security breaches may involve unauthorized access to a Fund's digital information systems (e.g., through "hacking" or malicious software coding), but may also result from outside attacks such as denial-of-service attacks (i.e., efforts to make network services unavailable to intended users). In addition, cyber security breaches involving a Fund's third party service providers (including but not limited to advisers, sub-advisers, administrators, transfer agents, custodians, distributors and other third parties), trading counterparties or issuers in which a Fund invests can also subject a Fund to many of the same risks associated with direct cyber security breaches. Moreover, cyber security breaches involving trading counterparties or issuers in which a Fund invests could adversely impact such counterparties or issuers and cause the Fund's investment to lose value.

Cyber security failures or breaches may result in financial losses to a Fund and its shareholders. These failures or breaches may also result in disruptions to business operations, potentially resulting in financial losses; interference with a Fund's ability to calculate its NAV, process shareholder transactions or otherwise transact business with shareholders; impediments to trading; violations of applicable privacy and other laws; regulatory fines; penalties; reputational damage; reimbursement or other compensation costs; additional compliance and cyber security risk management costs and other adverse consequences. In addition, substantial costs may be incurred in order to prevent any cyber incidents in the future.

 

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Like with operational risk in general, the Funds have established business continuity plans and risk management systems designed to reduce the risks associated with cyber security. However, there are inherent limitations in these plans and systems, including that certain risks may not have been identified, in large part because different or unknown threats may emerge in the future. As such, there is no guarantee that such efforts will succeed, especially because the Funds do not directly control the cyber security systems of issuers in which a Fund may invest, trading counterparties or third party service providers to the Funds. There is also a risk that cyber security breaches may not be detected. The Funds and their shareholders could be negatively impacted as a result.

 

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Financial Highlights

The financial highlights table is intended to help a shareholder understand the financial performance of Institutional Class, I-2, I-3, Administrative Class, Class A, Class C and Class R shares of each Fund for the last five fiscal years or, if shorter, the period since a Fund or a class commenced operations. Certain information reflects financial results for a single Fund share. Because I-3 shares of the PIMCO RAE PLUS Fund, PIMCO StocksPLUS® Absolute Return Fund, PIMCO StocksPLUS® Fund, PIMCO StocksPLUS® International Fund (U.S. Dollar-Hedged), PIMCO StocksPLUS® International Fund (Unhedged), PIMCO StocksPLUS® Short Fund and PIMCO StocksPLUS® Small Fund had not commenced operations during the periods shown, financial performance information is not provided for the share class. The total returns in the table represent the rate that an investor would have earned or lost on an investment in a particular class of shares of a Fund (assuming reinvestment of all dividends and distributions). This information has been audited by PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP, whose report, along with each Fund's financial statements, are included in the Trust's annual report to shareholders. The annual report is available free of charge by calling the Trust at the phone number on the back of this prospectus. The annual report is also available for download free of charge on the Trust's Web site at pimco.com. Note: All footnotes to the financial highlights table appear at the end of the tables.

[To be updated by subsequent amendment]

 

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Appendix A
Description of Securities Ratings

The Fund's investments may range in quality from securities rated in the lowest category in which the Fund is permitted to invest to securities rated in the highest category (as rated by Moody's, Standard & Poor's or Fitch, or, if unrated, determined by PIMCO to be of comparable quality). The percentage of the Fund's assets invested in securities in a particular rating category will vary. The following terms are generally used to describe the credit quality of fixed income securities:

High Quality Debt Securities are those rated in one of the two highest rating categories (the highest category for commercial paper) or, if unrated, deemed comparable by PIMCO.

Investment Grade Debt Securities are those rated in one of the four highest rating categories, or if unrated deemed comparable by PIMCO.

Below Investment Grade High Yield Securities ("Junk Bonds"), are those rated lower than Baa by Moody's, BBB by Standard & Poor's or Fitch, and comparable securities. They are deemed predominantly speculative with respect to the issuer's ability to repay principal and interest.

The following is a description of Moody's, Standard & Poor's and Fitch's rating categories applicable to fixed income securities.

Moody's Investors Service, Inc.

Long-Term Corporate Obligation Ratings
Moody's long-term obligation ratings are opinions of the relative credit risk of fixed income obligations with an original maturity of one year or more. They address the possibility that a financial obligation will not be honored as promised. Such ratings use Moody's Global Scale and reflect both the likelihood of default and any financial loss suffered in the event of default.

Aaa: Obligations rated Aaa are judged to be of the highest quality, subject to the lowest level of credit risk.

Aa: Obligations rated Aa are judged to be of high quality and are subject to very low credit risk.

A: Obligations rated A are judged to be upper-medium grade and are subject to low credit risk.

Baa: Obligations rated Baa are judged to be medium-grade and subject to moderate credit risk and as such may possess certain speculative characteristics.

Ba: Obligations rated Ba are judged to be speculative and are subject to substantial credit risk.

B: Obligations rated B are considered speculative and are subject to high credit risk.

Caa: Obligations rated Caa are judged to be speculative of poor standing and are subject to very high credit risk.

Ca: Obligations rated Ca are highly speculative and are likely in, or very near, default, with some prospect of recovery of principal and interest.

C: Obligations rated C are the lowest rated and are typically in default, with little prospect for recovery of principal or interest.

Moody's appends numerical modifiers 1, 2, and 3 to each generic rating classification from Aa through Caa. The modifier 1 indicates that the obligation ranks in the higher end of its generic rating category; the modifier 2 indicates a mid-range ranking; and the modifier 3 indicates a ranking in the lower end of that generic rating category. Additionally, a "(hyb)" indicator is appended to all ratings of hybrid securities issued by banks, insurers, finance companies, and securities firms.*

* By their terms, hybrid securities allow for the omission of scheduled dividends, interest, or principal payments, which can potentially result in impairment if such an omission occurs. Hybrid securities may also be subject to contractually allowable write-downs of principal that could result in impairment. Together with the hybrid indicator, the long-term obligation rating assigned to a hybrid security is an expression of the relative credit risk associated with that security.

Medium-Term Note Program Ratings

Moody's assigns provisional ratings to medium-term note (MTN) programs and definitive ratings to the individual debt securities issued from them (referred to as drawdowns or notes).

MTN program ratings are intended to reflect the ratings likely to be assigned to drawdowns issued from the program with the specified priority of claim (e.g. senior or subordinated). To capture the contingent nature of a program rating, Moody's assigns provisional ratings to MTN programs. A provisional rating is denoted by a (P) in front of the rating.

The rating assigned to a drawdown from a rated MTN or bank/deposit note program is definitive in nature, and may differ from the program rating if the drawdown is exposed to additional credit risks besides the issuer's default, such as links to the defaults of other issuers, or has other structural features that warrant a different rating. In some circumstances, no rating may be assigned to a drawdown.

Moody's encourages market participants to contact Moody's Ratings Desks or visit www.moodys.com directly if they have questions regarding ratings for specific notes issued under a medium-term note program. Unrated notes issued under an MTN program may be assigned an NR (not rated) symbol.

Short-Term Ratings
Ratings assigned on Moody's global short-term rating scales are forward-looking opinions of the relative credit risks of financial obligations issued by non-financial corporates, financial institutions, structured finance vehicles, project finance vehicles, and public sector entitities. Short-term ratings are opinions of the ability of issuers to honor short-term financial obligations. Ratings may be assigned to issuers, short-term programs or to individual short-term debt instruments. Such obligations generally have an original maturity not exceeding thirteen months, unless explicitly noted.

Moody's employs the following designations to indicate the relative repayment ability of rated issuers:

P-1: Issuers (or supporting institutions) rated Prime-1 have a superior ability to repay short-term debt obligations.

P-2: Issuers (or supporting institutions) rated Prime-2 have a strong ability to repay short-term debt obligations.

 

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P-3: Issuers (or supporting institutions) rated Prime-3 have an acceptable ability to repay short-term obligations.

NP: Issuers (or supporting institutions) rated Not Prime do not fall within any of the Prime rating categories.

National Scale Long-Term Ratings

Moody's long-term National Scale Ratings (NSRs) are opinions of the relative creditworthiness of issuers and financial obligations within a particular country. NSRs are not designed to be compared among countries; rather, they address relative credit risk within a given country. Moody's assigns national scale ratings in certain local capital markets in which investors have found the global rating scale provides inadequate differentiation among credits or is inconsistent with a rating scale already in common use in the country. In each specific country, the last two characters of the rating indicate the country in which the issuer is located (e.g., Aaa.br for Brazil).

Aaa.n: Issuers or issues rated Aaa.n demonstrate the strongest creditworthiness relative to other domestic issuers.

Aa.n: Issuers or issues rated Aa.n demonstrate very strong creditworthiness relative to other domestic issuers.

A.n: Issuers or issues rated A.n present above-average creditworthiness relative to other domestic issuers.

Baa.n: Issuers or issues rated Baa.n represent average creditworthiness relative to other domestic issuers.

Ba.n: Issuers or issues rated Ba.n demonstrate below-average creditworthiness relative to other domestic issuers.

B.n: Issuers or issues rated B.n demonstrate weak creditworthiness relative to other domestic issuers.

Caa.n: Issuers or issues rated Caa.n demonstrate very weak creditworthiness relative to other domestic issuers.

Ca.n: Issuers or issues rated Ca.n demonstrate extremely weak creditworthiness relative to other domestic issuers.

C.n: Issuers or issues rated C.n demonstrate the weakest creditworthiness relative to other domestic issuers.

Moody's appends numerical modifiers 1, 2, and 3 to each generic rating classification from Aa through Caa. The modifier 1 indicates that the obligation ranks in the higher end of its generic rating category; the modifier 2 indicates a mid-range ranking; and the modifier 3 indicates a ranking in the lower end of that generic rating category. National scale long-term ratings of D.ar and E.ar may also be applied to Argentine obligations.

National Scale Short-Term Ratings
Moody's short-term NSRs are opinions of the ability of issuers in a given country, relative to other domestic issuers, to repay debt obligations that have an original maturity not exceeding thirteen months. Short-term NSRs in one country should not be compared with short-term NSRs in another country, or with Moody's global ratings.

There are four categories of short-term national scale ratings, generically denoted N-1 through N-4 as defined below.

In each specific country, the first two letters indicate the country in which the issuer is located (e.g., BR-1 through BR-4 for Brazil).

N-1: Issuers rated N-1 have the strongest ability to repay short-term senior unsecured debt obligations relative to other domestic issuers.

N-2: Issuers rated N-2 have an above average ability to repay short-term senior unsecured debt obligations relative to other domestic issuers.

N-3: Issuers rated N-3 have an average ability to repay short-term senior unsecured debt obligations relative to other domestic issuers.

N-4: Issuers rated N-4 have a below average ability to repay short-term senior unsecured debt obligations relative to other domestic issuers.

The short-term rating symbols P-1.za, P-2.za, P-3.za and NP.za are used in South Africa. National scale short-term ratings of AR-5 and AR-6 may also be applied to Argentine obligations.

US Municipal Short-Term Debt and Demand Obligation Ratings

Short-Term Obligation Ratings
There are three rating categories for short-term municipal obligations that are considered investment grade. These ratings are designated as Municipal Investment Grade (MIG) and are divided into three levels—MIG 1 through MIG 3. In addition, those short-term obligations that are of speculative quality are designated SG, or speculative grade. MIG ratings expire at the maturity of the obligation.

MIG 1: This designation denotes superior credit quality. Excellent protection is afforded by established cash flows, highly reliable liquidity support, or demonstrated broad-based access to the market for refinancing.

MIG 2: This designation denotes strong credit quality. Margins of protection are ample, although not as large as in the preceding group.

MIG 3: This designation denotes acceptable credit quality. Liquidity and cash-flow protection may be narrow, and market access for refinancing is likely to be less well-established.

SG: This designation denotes speculative-grade credit quality. Debt instruments in this category may lack sufficient margins of protection.

Demand Obligation Ratings
In the case of variable rate demand obligations (VRDOs), a two-component rating is assigned: a long- or short-term debt rating and a demand obligation rating. The first element represents Moody's evaluation of risk associated with scheduled principal and interest payments. The second element represents Moody's evaluation of risk associated with the ability to receive purchase price upon demand ("demand feature"). The second element uses a rating from a variation of the MIG scale called the Variable Municipal Investment Grade (VMIG) scale.

VMIG 1: This designation denotes superior credit quality. Excellent protection is afforded by the superior short-term credit strength of the liquidity provider and structural and legal protections that ensure the timely payment of purchase price upon demand.

VMIG 2: This designation denotes strong credit quality. Good protection is afforded by the strong short-term credit strength of the liquidity provider and structural and legal protections that ensure the timely payment of purchase price upon demand.

 

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VMIG 3: This designation denotes acceptable credit quality. Adequate protection is afforded by the satisfactory short-term credit strength of the liquidity provider and structural and legal protections that ensure the timely payment of purchase price upon demand.

SG: This designation denotes speculative-grade credit quality. Demand features rated in this category may be supported by a liquidity provider that does not have an investment grade short-term rating or may lack the structural and/or legal protections necessary to ensure the timely payment of purchase price upon demand.

Standard & Poor's Ratings Services

Long-Term Issue Credit Ratings
Issue credit ratings are based, in varying degrees, on S&P Global Ratings' ("S&P") analysis of the following considerations:

Likelihood of payment—capacity and willingness of the obligor to meet its financial commitment on a financial obligation in accordance with the terms of the obligation;

Nature and provisions of the obligation and the promise S&P imputes; and

Protection afforded by, and relative position of, the financial obligation in the event of a bankruptcy, reorganization, or other arrangement under the laws of bankruptcy and other laws affecting creditors' rights.

Issue ratings are an assessment of default risk, but may incorporate an assessment of relative seniority or ultimate recovery in the event of default. Junior obligations are typically rated lower than senior obligations, to reflect the lower priority in bankruptcy, as noted above. (Such differentiation may apply when an entity has both senior and subordinated obligations, secured and unsecured obligations, or operating company and holding company obligations.)

Investment Grade
AAA: An obligation rated 'AAA' has the highest rating assigned by S&P. The obligor's capacity to meet its financial commitment on the obligation is extremely strong.

AA: An obligation rated 'AA' differs from the highest-rated obligations only to a small degree. The obligor's capacity to meet its financial commitment on the obligation is very strong.

A: An obligation rated 'A' is somewhat more susceptible to the adverse effects of changes in circumstances and economic conditions than obligations in higher-rated categories. However, the obligor's capacity to meet its financial commitment on the obligation is still strong.

BBB: An obligation rated ‘BBB' exhibits adequate protection parameters. However, adverse economic conditions or changing circumstances are more likely to lead to a weakened capacity of the obligor to meet its financial commitment on the obligation.

Speculative Grade
Obligations rated 'BB', 'B', 'CCC', 'CC', and 'C' are regarded as having significant speculative characteristics. 'BB' indicates the least degree of speculation and 'C' the highest. While such obligations will likely have some quality and protective characteristics, these may be outweighed by large uncertainties or major exposures to adverse conditions.

BB: An obligation rated 'BB' is less vulnerable to nonpayment than other speculative issues. However, it faces major ongoing uncertainties or exposure to adverse business, financial, or economic conditions which could lead to the obligor's inadequate capacity to meet its financial commitment on the obligation.

B: An obligation rated 'B' is more vulnerable to nonpayment than obligations rated ‘BB', but the obligor currently has the capacity to meet its financial commitment on the obligation. Adverse business, financial, or economic conditions will likely impair the obligor's capacity or willingness to meet its financial commitment on the obligation.

CCC: An obligation rated 'CCC' is currently vulnerable to nonpayment, and is dependent upon favorable business, financial, and economic conditions for the obligor to meet its financial commitment on the obligation. In the event of adverse business, financial, or economic conditions, the obligor is not likely to have the capacity to meet its financial commitment on the obligation.

CC: An obligation rated 'CC' is currently highly vulnerable to nonpayment. The ‘CC' rating is used when a default has not yet occurred, but S&P expects default to be a virtual certainty, regardless of the anticipated time to default.

C: An obligation rated ‘C' is currently highly vulnerable to nonpayment, and the obligation is expected to have lower relative seniority or lower ultimate recovery compared to obligations that are rated higher.

D: An obligation rated ‘D' is in default or in breach of an imputed promise. For non-hybrid capital instruments, the ‘D' rating category is used when payments on an obligation are not made on the date due, unless S&P believes that such payments will be made within five business days in the absence of a stated grace period or within the earlier of the stated grace period or 30 calendar days. The ‘D' rating also will be used upon the filing of a bankruptcy petition or the taking of similar action and where default on an obligation is a virtual certainty, for example due to automatic stay provisions. An obligation's rating is lowered to ‘D' if it is subject to a distressed exchange offer.

NR: This indicates that no rating has been requested, that there is insufficient information on which to base a rating, or that S&P does not rate a particular obligation as a matter of policy.

Plus (+) or minus (-): The ratings from ‘AA' to 'CCC' may be modified by the addition of a plus (+) or minus (-) sign to show relative standing within the major rating categories.

Short-Term Issue Credit Ratings
A-1: A short-term obligation rated 'A-1' is rated in the highest category by S&P. The obligor's capacity to meet its financial commitment on the obligation is strong. Within this category, certain obligations are designated with a plus sign (+). This indicates that the obligor's capacity to meet its financial commitment on these obligations is extremely strong.

A-2: A short-term obligation rated 'A-2' is somewhat more susceptible to the adverse effects of changes in circumstances and economic conditions

 

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than obligations in higher rating categories. However, the obligor's capacity to meet its financial commitment on the obligation is satisfactory.

A-3: A short-term obligation rated 'A-3' exhibits adequate protection parameters. However, adverse economic conditions or changing circumstances are more likely to lead to a weakened capacity of the obligor to meet its financial commitment on the obligation.

B: A short-term obligation rated 'B' is regarded as vulnerable and has significant speculative characteristics. The obligor currently has the capacity to meet its financial commitments; however, it faces major ongoing uncertainties which could lead to the obligor's inadequate capacity to meet its financial commitments.

C: A short-term obligation rated 'C' is currently vulnerable to nonpayment and is dependent upon favorable business, financial, and economic conditions for the obligor to meet its financial commitment on the obligation.

D: A short-term obligation rated ‘D' is in default or in breach of an imputed promise. For non-hybrid capital instruments, the ‘D' rating category is used when payments on an obligation are not made on the date due, unless S&P believes that such payments will be made within any stated grace period. However, any stated grace period longer than five business days will be treated as five business days. The ‘D' rating also will be used upon the filing of a bankruptcy petition or the taking of a similar action and where default on an obligation is a virtual certainty, for example due to automatic stay provisions. An obligation's rating is lowered to ‘D' if it is subject to a distressed exchange offer.

Dual Ratings: Dual ratings may be assigned to debt issues that have a put option or demand feature. The first component of the rating addresses the likelihood of repayment of principal and interest as due, and the second component of the rating addresses only the demand feature. The first component of the rating can relate to either a short-term or long-term transaction and accordingly use either short-term or long-term rating symbols. The second component of the rating relates to the put option and is assigned a short-term rating symbol (for example, ‘AAA/A-1+' or ‘A-1+/A-1'). With U.S. municipal short-term demand debt, the U.S. municipal short-term note rating symbols are used for the first component of the rating (for example, ‘SP-1+/A-1+').

Active Qualifiers
S&P uses the following qualifiers that limit the scope of a rating. The structure of the transaction can require the use of a qualifier such as a 'p' qualifier, which indicates the rating addressed the principal portion of the obligation only. A qualifier appears as a suffix and is part of the rating.

L: Ratings qualified with ‘L' apply only to amounts invested up to federal deposit insurance limits.

p: This suffix is used for issues in which the credit factors, the terms, or both, that determine the likelihood of receipt of payment of principal are different from the credit factors, terms or both that determine the likelihood of receipt of interest on the obligation. The ‘p' suffix indicates that the rating addresses the principal portion of the obligation only and that the interest is not rated.

prelim: Preliminary ratings, with the ‘prelim' suffix, may be assigned to obligors or obligations, including financial programs, in the circumstances described below. Assignment of a final rating is conditional on the receipt by S&P of appropriate documentation. S&P reserves the right not to issue a final rating. Moreover, if a final rating is issued, it may differ from the preliminary rating.

Preliminary ratings may be assigned to obligations, most commonly structured and project finance issues, pending receipt of final documentation and legal opinions.

Preliminary ratings may be assigned to obligations that will likely be issued upon the obligor's emergence from bankruptcy or similar reorganization, based on late-stage reorganization plans, documentation and discussions with the obligor. Preliminary ratings may also be assigned to the obligors. These ratings consider the anticipated general credit quality of the reorganized or post-bankruptcy issuer as well as attributes of the anticipated obligation(s).

Preliminary ratings may be assigned to entities that are being formed or that are in the process of being independently established when, in S&P opinion, documentation is close to final. Preliminary ratings may also be assigned to the obligations of these entities.

Preliminary ratings may be assigned when a previously unrated entity is undergoing a well-formulated restructuring, recapitalization, significant financing or other transformative event, generally at the point that investor or lender commitments are invited. The preliminary rating may be assigned to the entity and to its proposed obligation(s). These preliminary ratings consider the anticipated general credit quality of the obligor, as well as attributes of the anticipated obligation(s), assuming successful completion of the transformative event. Should the transformative event not occur, S&P would likely withdraw these preliminary ratings.

A preliminary recovery rating may be assigned to an obligation that has a preliminary issue credit rating.

t: This symbol indicates termination structures that are designed to honor their contracts to full maturity or, should certain events occur, to terminate and cash settle all their contracts before their final maturity date.

cir: This symbol indicates a Counterparty Instrument Rating (CIR), which is a forward-looking opinion about the creditworthiness of an issuer in a securitization structure with respect to a specific financial obligation to a counterparty (including interest rate swaps, currency swaps, and liquidity facilities). The CIR is determined on an ultimate payment basis; these opinions do not take into account timeliness of payment.

Inactive Qualifiers (no longer applied or outstanding)

*:This symbol that indicated that the rating was contingent upon S&P receipt of an executed copy of the escrow agreement or closing documentation confirming investments and cash flows. Discontinued use in August 1998.

c: This qualifier was used to provide additional information to investors that the bank may terminate its obligation to purchase tendered bonds if the long-term credit rating of the issuer was lowered to below an investment-grade level and/or the issuer's bonds were deemed taxable. Discontinued use in January 2001.

 

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G: The letter 'G' followed the rating symbol when a fund's portfolio consisted primarily of direct U.S. government securities.

pi: This qualifier was used to indicate ratings that were based on an analysis of an issuer's published financial information, as well as additional information in the public domain. Such ratings did not, however, reflect in-depth meetings with an issuer's management and therefore, could have been based on less comprehensive information than ratings without a 'pi' suffix. Discontinued use as of December 2014 and as of August 2015 for Lloyd's Syndicate Assessments.

pr: The letters ‘pr' indicate that the rating was provisional. A provisional rating assumed the successful completion of a project financed by the debt being rated and indicates that payment of debt service requirements was largely or entirely dependent upon the successful, timely completion of the project. This rating, however, while addressing credit quality subsequent to completion of the project, made no comment on the likelihood of or the risk of default upon failure of such completion.

q: A ‘q' subscript indicates that the rating is based solely on quantitative analysis of publicly available information. Discontinued use in April 2001.

r: The ‘r' modifier was assigned to securities containing extraordinary risks, particularly market risks, which are not covered in the credit rating. The absence of an ‘r' modifier should not be taken as an indication that an obligation would not exhibit extraordinary non-credit related risks. S&P discontinued the use of the ‘r' modifier for most obligations in June 2000 and for the balance of obligations (mainly structured finance transactions) in November 2002.

Fitch Ratings

Long-Term Credit Ratings
Investment Grade
Rated entities in a number of sectors, including financial and non-financial corporations, sovereigns, insurance companies and certain sectors within public finance, are generally assigned Issuer Default Ratings (IDRs). IDRs are also assigned to certain entities in global infrastructure and project finance. IDRs opine on an entity's relative vulnerability to default on financial obligations. The threshold default risk addressed by the IDR is generally that of the financial obligations whose non-payment would best reflect the uncured failure of that entity. As such, IDRs also address relative vulnerability to bankruptcy, administrative receivership or similar concepts.

In aggregate, IDRs provide an ordinal ranking of issuers based on the agency's view of their relative vulnerability to default, rather than a prediction of a specific percentage likelihood of default.

AAA: Highest credit quality. ‘AAA' ratings denote the lowest expectation of credit risk. They are assigned only in cases of exceptionally strong capacity for payment of financial commitments. This capacity is highly unlikely to be adversely affected by foreseeable events.

AA: Very high credit quality. 'AA' ratings denote expectations of very low credit risk. They indicate very strong capacity for payment of financial commitments. This capacity is not significantly vulnerable to foreseeable events.

A: High credit quality. 'A' ratings denote expectations of low credit risk. The capacity for payment of financial commitments is considered strong. This capacity may, nevertheless, be more vulnerable to adverse business or economic conditions than is the case for higher ratings.

BBB: Good credit quality. 'BBB' ratings indicate that expectations of credit risk are currently low. The capacity for payment of financial commitments is considered adequate, but adverse business or economic conditions are more likely to impair this capacity.

Speculative Grade
BB: Speculative. ‘BB' ratings indicate an elevated vulnerability to credit risk, particularly in the event of adverse changes in business or economic conditions over time; however, business or financial alternatives may be available to allow financial commitments to be met.

B: Highly speculative. ‘B' ratings indicate that material credit risk is present.

CCC: Substantial credit risk.

CC: Very high levels of credit risk.

C: Exceptionally high levels of credit risk.

Defaulted obligations typically are not assigned 'RD' or ‘D' ratings, but are instead rated in the ‘B' to ‘C' rating categories, depending on their recovery prospects and other relevant characteristics. This approach better aligns obligations that have comparable overall expected loss but varying vulnerability to default and loss.

The modifiers "+" or "-" may be appended to a rating to denote relative status within major rating categories. For example, the rating category 'AA' has three notch-specific rating levels ('AA+'; 'AA'; 'AA-'; each a rating level). Such suffixes are not added to the ‘AAA' obligation rating category, or to corporate finance obligation ratings in the categories below ‘CCC.'

The subscript ‘emr' is appended to a rating to denote embedded market risk that is beyond the scope of the rating. The designation is intended to make clear that the rating solely addresses the counterparty risk of the issuing bank. It is not meant to indicate any limitation in the analysis of the counterparty risk, which in all other respects follows published Fitch criteria for analyzing the issuing financial institution. Fitch does not rate these instruments where the principal is to any degree subject to market risk. 

Recovery Ratings
Recovery Ratings are assigned to selected individual securities and obligations, most frequently for individual obligations of corporate finance issuers with Issuer Default Ratings (IDRs) in speculative grade categories.

Among the factors that affect recovery rates for securities are the collateral, the seniority relative to other obligations in the capital structure (where appropriate), and the expected value of the company or underlying collateral in distress.

The Recovery Rating scale is based on the expected relative recovery characteristics of an obligation upon the curing of a default, emergence from insolvency or following the liquidation or termination of the obligor or its associated collateral.

Recovery Ratings are an ordinal scale and do not attempt to precisely predict a given level of recovery. As a guideline in developing the rating assessments, the agency employs broad theoretical recovery bands in its

 

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PROSPECTUS | PIMCO FUNDS     


 

Table of Contents

Prospectus

ratings approach based on historical averages and analytical judgment, but actual recoveries for a given security may deviate materially from historical averages.

RR1: Outstanding recovery prospects given default. ‘RR1' rated securities have characteristics consistent with securities historically recovering 91%-100% of current principal and related interest.

RR2: Superior recovery prospects given default. ‘RR2' rated securities have characteristics consistent with securities historically recovering 71%-90% of current principal and related interest.

RR3: Good recovery prospects given default. ‘RR3' rated securities have characteristics consistent with securities historically recovering 51%-70% of current principal and related interest.

RR4: Average recovery prospects given default. ‘RR4' rated securities have characteristics consistent with securities historically recovering 31%-50% of current principal and related interest.

RR5: Below average recovery prospects given default. ‘RR5' rated securities have characteristics consistent with securities historically recovering 11%-30% of current principal and related interest.

RR6: Poor recovery prospects given default. ‘RR6' rated securities have characteristics consistent with securities historically recovering 0%-10% of current principal and related interest.

Short-Term Credit Ratings
A short-term issuer or obligation rating is based in all cases on the short-term vulnerability to default of the rated entity and relates to the capacity to meet financial obligations in accordance with the documentation governing the relevant obligation. Short-term deposit ratings may be adjusted for loss severity. Short-Term Ratings are assigned to obligations whose initial maturity is viewed as "short term" based on market convention. Typically, this means up to 13 months for corporate, sovereign, and structured obligations, and up to 36 months for obligations in U.S. public finance markets.

F1: Highest short-term credit quality. Indicates the strongest intrinsic capacity for timely payment of financial commitments; may have an added "+" to denote any exceptionally strong credit feature.

F2: Good short-term credit quality. Good intrinsic capacity for timely payment of financial commitments.

F3: Fair short-term credit quality. The intrinsic capacity for timely payment of financial commitments is adequate.

B: Speculative short-term credit quality. Minimal capacity for timely payment of financial commitments, plus heightened vulnerability to near term adverse changes in financial and economic conditions.

C: High short-term default risk. Default is a real possibility.

RD: Restricted default. Indicates an entity that has defaulted on one or more of its financial commitments, although it continues to meet other financial obligations. Typically applicable to entity ratings only.

D: Default. Indicates a broad-based default event for an entity, or the default of a short-term obligation.

 

[ ] | PROSPECTUS

A-6


 

Table of Contents

PIMCO Funds

Appendix B
Financial Firm-Specific Sales Charge Waivers and Discounts

The availability of initial and contingent deferred sales charge waivers and discounts may depend on the particular financial firm or type of account through which you purchase or hold Fund shares. For waivers or discounts not available through a particular financial firm, investors will have to purchase shares directly from the Funds (or the Distributor) or through another financial firm to receive such waivers or discounts.

The following descriptions of sales charge waivers and discounts for a particular financial firm and class(es) of shares set forth information provided by the financial firm that the firm has represented is current as of the date of this Prospectus. These waivers or discounts, which may vary from those disclosed elsewhere in the Prospectus, are subject to change. The Funds will update this Appendix periodically based on information provided by the applicable financial firm. Neither the Funds, the Investment Adviser nor PIMCO Investments LLC supervises the implementation of these waivers or discounts or verifies the firms' administration of these waivers or discounts.

In all instances, it is an investor's responsibility to notify the financial firm of any facts that may qualify the investor for sales charge waivers or discounts. Please contact your financial firm for more information regarding the sales charge waivers and discounts available to you and the firm's related policies and procedures.

Effective April 10, 2017, shareholders purchasing Fund shares through a Merrill Lynch platform or account will be eligible only for the following load waivers (front-end sales charge waivers and contingent deferred, or back-end, sales charge waivers) and discounts, which may differ from those disclosed elsewhere in the Funds' prospectus or SAI.

Front-end Sales Load Waivers on Class A Shares available at Merrill Lynch

Employer-sponsored retirement, deferred compensation and employee benefit plans (including health savings accounts) and trusts used to fund those plans, provided that the shares are not held in a commission-based brokerage account and shares are held for the benefit of the plan

Shares purchased by or through a 529 Plan

Shares purchased through a Merrill Lynch affiliated investment advisory program

Shares purchased by third party investment advisors on behalf of their advisory clients through Merrill Lynch's platform

Shares purchased through reinvestment of capital gains distributions and dividend reinvestment when purchasing shares of the same fund (but not any other fund within the fund family)

Shares exchanged from Class C (i.e. level-load) shares of the same fund in the month of or following the 10-year anniversary of the purchase date

Employees and registered representatives of Merrill Lynch or its affiliates and their family members

Directors or Trustees of the Fund, and employees of the Fund's investment adviser or any of its affiliates, as described in the this prospectus

Shares purchased from the proceeds of redemptions within the same fund family, provided (1) the repurchase occurs within 90 days following the redemption, (2) the redemption and purchase occur in the same account, and (3) redeemed shares were subject to a front-end or deferred sales load (known as Rights of Reinstatement)

CDSC Waivers on A and C Shares available at Merrill Lynch

Death or disability of the shareholder

Shares sold as part of a systematic withdrawal plan as described in the Fund's prospectus

Return of excess contributions from an IRA Account

Shares sold as part of a required minimum distribution for IRA and retirement accounts due to the shareholder reaching age 70½

Shares sold to pay Merrill Lynch fees but only if the transaction is initiated by Merrill Lynch

Shares held in retirement brokerage accounts, that are exchanged for a lower cost share class due to transfer to a certain fee based account or platform (applicable to A and C shares only)

Front-end load Discounts Available at Merrill Lynch: Breakpoints, Rights of Accumulation & Letters of Intent

Breakpoints as described in this prospectus.

Rights of Accumulation (ROA) which entitle shareholders to breakpoint discounts will be automatically calculated based on the aggregated holding of fund family assets held by accounts within the purchaser's household at Merrill Lynch. Eligible fund family assets not held at Merrill Lynch may be included in the ROA calculation only if the shareholder notifies his or her financial advisor about such assets

Letters of Intent (LOI) which allow for breakpoint discounts based on anticipated purchases within a fund family, through Merrill Lynch, over a 13-month period of time

 

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PROSPECTUS | PIMCO FUNDS     


 

Table of Contents

INVESTMENT ADVISER AND ADMINISTRATOR

PIMCO, 650 Newport Center Drive, Newport Beach, CA 92660

DISTRIBUTOR

PIMCO Investments LLC, 1633 Broadway, New York, NY 10019

CUSTODIAN

State Street Bank & Trust Co., 801 Pennsylvania Avenue, Kansas City, MO 64105

TRANSFER AGENT

DST Asset Manager Solutions, Inc.
Institutional Class, I-2, I-3, Administrative Class — 330 W. 9th Street, 5th Floor, Kansas City, MO 64105
Class A, Class C, Class R — P.O. Box 55060, Boston, MA 02205-5060

INDEPENDENT REGISTERED PUBLIC ACCOUNTING FIRM

PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP, 1100 Walnut Street, Suite 1300, Kansas City, MO 64106-2197

LEGAL COUNSEL

Dechert LLP, 1900 K Street N.W., Washington, D.C. 20006 

 

For further information about the PIMCO Funds, call 888.87.PIMCO or visit our Web site at pimco.com.


 

Table of Contents





PIMCO FUNDS
650 Newport Center Drive
Newport Beach, CA 92660

The Trust's SAI and annual and semi-annual reports to shareholders include additional information about the Funds. The SAI and the financial statements included in the Funds' most recent annual report to shareholders are incorporated by reference into this Prospectus, which means they are part of this Prospectus for legal purposes. The Funds' annual report discusses the market conditions and investment strategies that significantly affected each Fund's performance during its last fiscal year.

The SAI contains detailed information about Fund purchase, redemption and exchange options and procedures and other information about the Funds. You can get a free copy of the SAI.

You may get free copies of any of these materials or request other information about a Fund by calling the Trust at 888.87.PIMCO (888.877.4626) or by writing to:

PIMCO Funds
650 Newport Center Drive
Newport Beach, CA 92660

Daily updates on the NAV of a Fund may be obtained by calling 1-888-87-PIMCO.

You may review and copy information about the Trust, including its SAI, at the Securities and Exchange Commission's public reference room in Washington, D.C. You may call the Commission at 202.551.8090 for information about the operation of the public reference room. You may also access reports and other information about the Trust on the EDGAR Database on the Commission's Web site at www.sec.gov. You may get copies of this information, with payment of a duplication fee, by writing the Public Reference Section of the Commission, 100 F Street N.E., Washington, D.C. 20549-1520, or by e-mailing your request to publicinfo@sec.gov.

You can also visit our web site at pimco.com for additional information about the Funds, including the SAI and the annual and semi-annual reports, which are available for download free of charge.

Reference the Trust's Investment Company Act file number in your correspondence.

Investment Company Act File Number: 811-05028

PF0004_[ ]


Table of Contents




Prospectus

PIMCO Funds

*I-2 was formerly called Class P.




As with other mutual funds, neither the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission nor the U.S. Commodity Futures Trading Commission has approved or disapproved these securities, or determined if this prospectus is truthful or complete. Any representation to the contrary is a criminal offense.

International Bond Funds

[ ]

Inst

I-2*

I-3

Admin

A

C

R

PIMCO Emerging Local Bond Fund

PELBX

PELPX

PELNX

PEBLX

PELAX

PELCX

PIMCO Emerging Markets Bond Fund

PEBIX

PEMPX

PEBNX

PEBAX

PAEMX

PEBCX

PIMCO Emerging Markets Corporate Bond Fund

PEMIX

PIMCO Emerging Markets Currency and Short-Term Investments Fund

PLMIX

PLMPX

PLMAX

PLMCX

PIMCO Emerging Markets Full Spectrum Bond Fund

PFSIX

PIMCO Global Advantage® Strategy Bond Fund

PSAIX

PGBPX

PGSAX

PAFCX

PIMCO Global Bond Opportunities Fund (Unhedged)

PIGLX

PADMX

PAGPX

PIMCO Global Bond Opportunities Fund (U.S. Dollar-Hedged)

PGBIX

PGNPX

PGDAX

PAIIX

PCIIX

PIMCO International Bond Fund (Unhedged)

PFUIX

PFUPX

PFUNX

PFUUX

PFUAX

PFRCX

PIMCO International Bond Fund (U.S. Dollar-Hedged)

PFORX

PFBPX

PFONX

PFRAX

PFOAX

PFOCX

PFRRX




 

Table of Contents

Page

Fund Summaries

1

PIMCO Emerging Local Bond Fund

1

PIMCO Emerging Markets Bond Fund

5

PIMCO Emerging Markets Corporate Bond Fund

9

PIMCO Emerging Markets Currency and Short-Term Investments Fund

12

PIMCO Emerging Markets Full Spectrum Bond Fund

16

PIMCO Global Advantage® Strategy Bond Fund

21

PIMCO Global Bond Opportunities Fund (Unhedged)

25

PIMCO Global Bond Opportunities Fund (U.S. Dollar-Hedged)

29

PIMCO International Bond Fund (Unhedged)

33

PIMCO International Bond Fund (U.S. Dollar-Hedged)

37

Summary of Other Important Information Regarding Fund Shares

41

Description of Principal Risks

42

Disclosure of Portfolio Holdings

52

Management of the Funds

53

Classes of Shares

58

Purchases, Redemptions and Exchanges

63

How Fund Shares are Priced

70

Fund Distributions

71

Tax Consequences

72

Characteristics and Risks of Securities and Investment Techniques

74

Descriptions of the Underlying PIMCO Funds

90

Financial Highlights

90

Appendix A - Description of Securities Ratings

A-1

Appendix B - Financial Firm-Specific Sales Charge Waivers and Discounts

B-1


 

PIMCO Emerging Local Bond Fund

Investment Objective

The Fund seeks maximum total return, consistent with preservation of capital and prudent investment management.

Fees and Expenses of the Fund

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 $100,000 in Class A shares of eligible funds offered by PIMCO Equity Series and PIMCO Funds. More information about these and other discounts is available in the "Classes of Shares" section on page [ ] of the Fund's prospectus, Appendix B to the Fund's prospectus (Financial Firm-Specific Sales Charge Waivers and Discounts) or from your financial advisor.

Shareholder Fees (fees paid directly from your investment):

 

Inst
Class

I-2

I-3

Admin
Class

Class A

Class C

Maximum Sales Charge (Load) Imposed on Purchases (as a percentage of offering price)

None

None

None

None

3.75%

None

Maximum Deferred Sales Charge (Load) (as a percentage of the lower of the original purchase price or redemption price)

None

None

None

None

1.00%

1.00%

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

 

Inst
Class

I-2

I-3

Admin
Class

Class A

Class C

Management Fees

0.90%

1.00%

1.10%

0.90%

1.05%

1.05%

Distribution and/or Service (12b-1) Fees

N/A

N/A

N/A

0.25%

0.25%

1.00%

Other Expenses(1)

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

Fee Waiver and/or Expense Reimbursement(2)

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses After Fee Waiver and/or Expense Reimbursement

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

1 "Other Expenses" include interest expense of [ ]%. Interest expense is borne by the Fund separately from the management fees paid to Pacific Investment Management Company LLC ("PIMCO"). Excluding interest expense, Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses After Fee Waiver and/or Expense Reimbursement are [ ]%, [ ]%, [ ]%, [ ]%, [ ]% and [ ]% for Institutional Class, I-2, I-3, Administrative Class, Class A and Class C shares, respectively.

2 PIMCO has contractually agreed, through July 31, 2019, to reduce its supervisory and administrative fee for the Fund's I-3 shares by 0.05% of the average daily net assets attributable to I-3 shares of the Fund. This Fee Waiver Agreement renews annually unless terminated by PIMCO upon at least 30 days' prior notice to the end of the contract term.

Example. The Example is intended to help you compare the cost of investing in Institutional Class, I-2, I-3, Administrative Class, Class A or Class C shares of the Fund with the costs of investing in other mutual funds. The Example assumes that you invest $10,000 in the noted class of shares for the time periods indicated, and then redeem all 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. Investors may pay brokerage commissions on their purchases and sales of Institutional Class, I-2 or I-3 shares of the Fund, which are not reflected in the Example. Although your actual costs may be higher or lower, based on these assumptions your costs would be:

If you redeem your shares at the end of each period:

 

1 Year

3 Years

5 Years

10 Years

Institutional Class

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

I-2

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

I-3

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

Administrative Class

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

Class A

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

Class C

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

If you do not redeem your shares:

 

1 Year

3 Years

5 Years

10 Years

Class A

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

Class C

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

Portfolio Turnover

The Fund pays transaction costs 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 the Annual Fund Operating Expenses or in the Example tables, affect the Fund's performance. During the most recent fiscal year, the Fund's portfolio turnover rate was [ ]% of the average value of its portfolio.

Principal Investment Strategies

The Fund's investment objective is maximum total return, consistent with preservation of capital and prudent investment management. The Fund seeks to achieve its investment objective by investing under normal circumstances at least 80% of its assets in Fixed Income Instruments denominated in currencies of countries with emerging securities markets, which may be represented by forwards or derivatives such as options, futures contracts or swap agreements. "Fixed Income Instruments" include bonds, debt securities and other similar instruments issued by various U.S. and non-U.S. public- or private-sector entities. The Fund may invest in forwards or derivatives denominated in any currency, and forwards or derivatives denominated in any currency will be included under the 80% of assets policy noted in the prior sentence so long as the underlying asset of such forwards or derivatives is a Fixed Income Instrument denominated in the currency of an emerging market country. The Fund may, but is not required to, hedge its exposure to non-U.S. currencies. Assets not invested in instruments denominated in currencies of non-U.S. countries described above may be invested in other types of Fixed Income Instruments.

The Fund may invest without limitation in Fixed Income Instruments that are economically tied to emerging market countries. Pacific Investment Management Company LLC ("PIMCO") has broad discretion to identify countries that it considers to qualify as emerging markets. PIMCO will select the Fund's country and currency composition based on its evaluation of relative interest rates, inflation rates, exchange rates, monetary and fiscal

 



PIMCO FUNDS | PROSPECTUS

1


 

Table of Contents

PIMCO Emerging Local Bond Fund

policies, trade and current account balances, legal and political developments and other specific factors PIMCO believes to be relevant. The Fund likely will concentrate its investments in Asia, Africa, the Middle East, Latin America and the developing countries of Europe. The Fund may invest in instruments whose return is based on the return of an emerging market security such as a derivative instrument, rather than investing directly in emerging market securities.

The average portfolio duration of this Fund normally varies within two years (plus or minus) of the portfolio duration of the securities comprising the JPMorgan Government Bond Index-Emerging Markets Global Diversified Index (Unhedged), as calculated by PIMCO, which as of [ ] was [ ] years.  Duration is a measure used to determine the sensitivity of a security's price to changes in interest rates.  The longer a security's duration, the more sensitive it will be to changes in interest rates.

The Fund may invest in both investment-grade securities and high yield securities ("junk bonds") subject to a maximum of 15% of its total assets in securities rated below B by Moody's Investors Service, Inc. ("Moody's"), or equivalently rated by Standard & Poor's Ratings Services ("S&P") or Fitch, Inc. ("Fitch"), or, if unrated, determined by PIMCO to be of comparable quality. The Fund is non-diversified, which means that it may invest its assets in a smaller number of issuers than a diversified fund.

The Fund may invest, without limitation, in derivative instruments, such as options, futures contracts or swap agreements, or in mortgage- or asset-backed securities, subject to applicable law and any other restrictions described in the Fund's prospectus or Statement of Additional Information. The Fund may purchase or sell securities on a when-issued, delayed delivery or forward commitment basis and may engage in short sales. The Fund may also invest directly in real estate investment trusts ("REITs"). The Fund may, without limitation, seek to obtain market exposure to the securities in which it primarily invests by entering into a series of purchase and sale contracts or by using other investment techniques (such as buy backs or dollar rolls). The "total return" sought by the Fund consists of income and capital appreciation, if any, which generally arises from decreases in interest rates, foreign currency appreciation, or improving credit fundamentals for a particular sector or security. The Fund may also invest up to 10% of its total assets in preferred securities.

Principal Risks

It is possible to lose money on an investment in the Fund. The principal risks of investing in the Fund, which could adversely affect its net asset value, yield and total return are listed below.

Interest Rate Risk: the risk that fixed income securities will decline in value because of an increase in interest rates; a fund with a longer average portfolio duration will be more sensitive to changes in interest rates than a fund with a shorter average portfolio duration

Call Risk: the risk that an issuer may exercise its right to redeem a fixed income security earlier than expected (a call). Issuers may call outstanding securities prior to their maturity for a number of reasons (e.g., declining interest rates, changes in credit spreads and improvements in the issuer's credit quality). If an issuer calls a security that the Fund has invested in, the Fund may not recoup the full amount of its initial investment and may be forced to reinvest in lower-yielding securities, securities with greater credit risks or securities with other, less favorable features

Credit Risk: the risk that the Fund could lose money if the issuer or guarantor of a fixed income security, or the counterparty to a derivative contract, is unable or unwilling to meet its financial obligations

High Yield Risk: the risk that high yield securities and unrated securities of similar credit quality (commonly known as "junk bonds") are subject to greater levels of credit, call and liquidity risks. High yield securities are considered primarily speculative with respect to the issuer's continuing ability to make principal and interest payments, and may be more volatile than higher-rated securities of similar maturity

Market Risk: the risk that the value of securities owned by the Fund may go up or down, sometimes rapidly or unpredictably, due to factors affecting securities markets generally or particular industries

Issuer Risk: the risk that the value of a security may decline for a reason directly related to the issuer, such as management performance, financial leverage and reduced demand for the issuer's goods or services

Liquidity Risk: the risk that a particular investment may be difficult to purchase or sell and that the Fund may be unable to sell illiquid securities at an advantageous time or price or achieve its desired level of exposure to a certain sector. Liquidity risk may result from the lack of an active market, reduced number and capacity of traditional market participants to make a market in fixed income securities, and may be magnified in a rising interest rate environment or other circumstances where investor redemptions from fixed income mutual funds may be higher than normal, causing increased supply in the market due to selling activity

Derivatives Risk: the risk of investing in derivative instruments (such as futures, swaps and structured securities), including leverage, liquidity, interest rate, market, credit and management risks, mispricing or valuation complexity. Changes in the value of the derivative may not correlate perfectly with, and may be more sensitive to market events than, the underlying asset, rate or index, and the Fund could lose more than the initial amount invested. The Fund's use of derivatives may result in losses to the Fund, a reduction in the Fund's returns and/or increased volatility. Over-the-counter ("OTC") derivatives are also subject to the risk that a counterparty to the transaction will not fulfill its contractual obligations to the other party, as many of the protections afforded to centrally-cleared derivative transactions might not be available for OTC derivatives. For derivatives traded on an exchange or through a central counterparty, credit risk resides with the Fund's clearing broker, or the clearinghouse itself, rather than with a counterparty in an OTC derivative transaction. Changes in regulation relating to a mutual fund's use of derivatives and related instruments could potentially limit or impact the Fund's ability to invest in derivatives, limit the Fund's ability to employ certain strategies that use derivatives and/or adversely affect the value of derivatives and the Fund's performance

Equity Risk: the risk that the value of equity securities, such as common stocks and preferred securities, may decline due to general market conditions which are not specifically related to a particular company or to factors affecting a particular industry or industries. Equity securities generally have greater price volatility than fixed income securities

 

2     

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Table of Contents

Prospectus

Mortgage-Related and Other Asset-Backed Securities Risk: the risks of investing in mortgage-related and other asset-backed securities, including interest rate risk, extension risk, prepayment risk and credit risk

Foreign (Non-U.S.) Investment Risk: the risk that investing in foreign (non-U.S.) securities may result in the Fund experiencing more rapid and extreme changes in value than a fund that invests exclusively in securities of U.S. companies, due to smaller markets, differing reporting, accounting and auditing standards, increased risk of delayed settlement of portfolio transactions or loss of certificates of portfolio securities, and the risk of unfavorable foreign government actions, including nationalization, expropriation or confiscatory taxation, currency blockage, or political changes or diplomatic developments. Foreign securities may also be less liquid and more difficult to value than securities of U.S. issuers

Real Estate Risk: the risk that the Fund's investments in Real Estate Investment Trusts ("REITs") or real estate-linked derivative instruments will subject the Fund to risks similar to those associated with direct ownership of real estate, including losses from casualty or condemnation, and changes in local and general economic conditions, supply and demand, interest rates, zoning laws, regulatory limitations on rents, property taxes and operating expenses. The Fund's investments in REITs or real estate-linked derivative instruments subject it to management and tax risks. In addition, privately traded REITs subject the Fund to liquidity and valuation risk

Emerging Markets Risk: the risk of investing in emerging market securities, primarily increased foreign (non-U.S.) investment risk

Sovereign Debt Risk: the risk that investments in fixed income instruments issued by sovereign entities may decline in value as a result of default or other adverse credit event resulting from an issuer's inability or unwillingness to make principal or interest payments in a timely fashion

Currency Risk: the risk that foreign (non-U.S.) currencies will change in value relative to the U.S. dollar and affect the Fund's investments in foreign (non-U.S.) currencies or in securities that trade in, and receive revenues in, or in derivatives that provide exposure to, foreign (non-U.S.) currencies

Issuer Non-Diversification Risk: the risk of focusing investments in a small number of issuers, including being more susceptible to risks associated with a single economic, political or regulatory occurrence than a more diversified portfolio might be. Funds that are "non-diversified" may invest a greater percentage of their assets in the securities of a single issuer (such as bonds issued by a particular state) than funds that are "diversified"

Leveraging Risk: the risk that certain transactions of the Fund, such as reverse repurchase agreements, loans of portfolio securities, and the use of when-issued, delayed delivery or forward commitment transactions, or derivative instruments, may give rise to leverage, magnifying gains and losses and causing the Fund to be more volatile than if it had not been leveraged. This means that leverage entails a heightened risk of loss

Management Risk: the risk that the investment techniques and risk analyses applied by PIMCO will not produce the desired results and that legislative, regulatory, or tax restrictions, policies or developments may affect the investment techniques available to PIMCO and the individual portfolio manager in connection with managing the Fund. There is no guarantee that the investment objective of the Fund will be achieved

Short Exposure Risk: the risk of entering into short sales, including the potential loss of more money than the actual cost of the investment, and the risk that the third party to the short sale will not fulfill its contractual obligations, causing a loss to the Fund

Please see "Description of Principal Risks" in the Fund's prospectus for a more detailed description of the risks of investing in the Fund. An investment in the Fund is not a deposit of a bank and is not insured or guaranteed by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation or any other government agency.

Performance Information

The performance information shows summary performance information for the Fund in a bar chart and an Average Annual Total Returns table. The information provides some indication of the risks of investing in the Fund by showing changes in its performance from year to year and by showing how the Fund's average annual returns compare with the returns of a broad-based securities market index. Absent any applicable fee waivers and/ or expense limitations, performance would have been lower. The bar chart shows performance of the Fund's Institutional Class shares. For periods prior to the inception date of the I-2 shares (May 30, 2008), Administrative Class shares (October 16, 2007), and Class A and Class C shares (July 31, 2007), performance information shown in the table for these classes is based on the performance of the Fund's Institutional Class shares, adjusted to reflect the actual distribution and/ or service (12b-1) fees and other expenses paid by these classes of shares. Performance for Class A and Class C shares in the Average Annual Total Returns table reflects the impact of sales charges. The I-3 shares of the Fund have not commenced operations as of the date of this prospectus. The Fund's past performance, before and after taxes, is not necessarily an indication of how the Fund will perform in the future.

The JPMorgan Government Bond Index-Emerging Markets Global Diversified Index (Unhedged) is a comprehensive global local emerging markets index, and consists of regularly traded, liquid fixed-rate, domestic currency government bonds to which international investors can gain exposure. The Lipper Emerging Markets Local Currency Debt Funds Average is a total return performance average of funds tracked by Lipper, Inc. that seek either current income or total return by investing at least 65% of total assets in debt issues denominated in the currency of their market of issuance. "Emerging market" is defined by a country's GNP per capita or other economic measures.

Performance for the Fund is updated daily and quarterly and may be obtained as follows: daily updates on the net asset value and performance page at http://investments.pimco.com/DailyPerformance and quarterly updates at http://investments.pimco.com/QuarterlyPerformance.

 

[ ] | PROSPECTUS

3


 

Table of Contents

PIMCO Emerging Local Bond Fund

Calendar Year Total Returns — Institutional Class*
   [To be updated by subsequent amendment]



*The year-to-date return as of June 30, 2018 is [ ]%. For the periods shown in the bar chart, the highest quarterly return was [ ]% in the [ ], and the lowest quarterly return was [ ]% in the [ ].

Average Annual Total Returns (for periods ended 12/31/17)

 

1 Year

5 Years

10 Years

Institutional Class Return Before Taxes

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

Institutional Class Return After Taxes on Distributions‌(1)

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

Institutional Class Return After Taxes on Distributions and Sales of Fund Shares‌(1)

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

I-2 Return Before Taxes

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

Administrative Class Return Before Taxes

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

Class A Return Before Taxes

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

Class C Return Before Taxes

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

JPMorgan Government Bond Index-Emerging Markets Global Diversified Index (Unhedged) (reflects no deductions for fees, expenses or taxes)

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

 

Lipper Emerging Markets Local Currency Debt Funds Average (reflects no deductions for taxes)

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

(1) After-tax returns are calculated using the highest historical individual federal marginal income tax rates and do not reflect the impact of state and local taxes. Actual after-tax returns depend on an investor's tax situation and may differ from those shown, and the after-tax returns shown are not relevant to investors who hold their Fund shares through tax-deferred arrangements, such as 401(k) plans or individual retirement accounts. In some cases the return after taxes may exceed the return before taxes due to an assumed tax benefit from any losses on a sale of Fund shares at the end of the measurement period. After-tax returns are for Institutional Class shares only. After-tax returns for other classes will vary.

Investment Adviser/Portfolio Manager

PIMCO serves as the investment adviser for the Fund. The Fund's portfolio is jointly managed by Michael Gomez, Pramol Dhawan and Francesc Balcells. Mr. Gomez is a Managing Director of PIMCO. Messrs. Dhawan and Balcells are Executive Vice Presidents of PIMCO. Mr. Gomez has managed the Fund since its inception in December 2006. Messrs. Dhawan and Balcells have managed the Fund since October 2016.

Other Important Information Regarding Fund Shares

For important information about purchase and sale of Fund shares, tax information, and payments to broker-dealers and other financial intermediaries, please turn to the "Summary of Other Important Information Regarding Fund Shares" section on page [ ] of this prospectus.

 

4     

PROSPECTUS | PIMCO FUNDS     


 

Table of Contents

PIMCO Emerging Markets Bond Fund

Investment Objective

The Fund seeks maximum total return, consistent with preservation of capital and prudent investment management.

Fees and Expenses of the Fund

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 $100,000 in Class A shares of eligible funds offered by PIMCO Equity Series and PIMCO Funds. More information about these and other discounts is available in the "Classes of Shares" section on page [ ] of the Fund's prospectus, Appendix B to the Fund's prospectus (Financial Firm-Specific Sales Charge Waivers and Discounts) or from your financial advisor.

Shareholder Fees (fees paid directly from your investment):

 

Inst
Class

I-2

I-3

Admin
Class

Class A

Class C

Maximum Sales Charge (Load) Imposed on Purchases (as a percentage of offering price)

None

None

None

None

3.75%

None

Maximum Deferred Sales Charge (Load) (as a percentage of the lower of the original purchase price or redemption price)

None

None

None

None

1.00%

1.00%

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

 

Inst
Class

I-2

I-3

Admin
Class

Class A

Class C

Management Fees

0.83%

0.93%

1.03%

0.83%

0.95%

0.95%

Distribution and/or Service (12b-1) Fees

N/A

N/A

N/A

0.25%

0.25%

1.00%

Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

Fee Waiver and/or Expense Reimbursement(1)

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses After Fee Waiver and/or Expense Reimbursement

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

 

1 PIMCO has contractually agreed, through July 31, 2019, to reduce its supervisory and administrative fee for the Fund's I-3 shares by 0.05% of the average daily net assets attributable to I-3 shares of the Fund. This Fee Waiver Agreement renews annually unless terminated by PIMCO upon at least 30 days' prior notice to the end of the contract term.

Example. The Example is intended to help you compare the cost of investing in Institutional Class, I-2, I-3, Administrative Class, Class A or Class C shares of the Fund with the costs of investing in other mutual funds. The Example assumes that you invest $10,000 in the noted class of shares for the time periods indicated, and then redeem all 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. Investors may pay brokerage commissions on their purchases and sales of Institutional Class, I-2 or I-3 shares of the Fund, which are not reflected in the Example. Although your actual costs may be higher or lower, based on these assumptions your costs would be:

If you redeem your shares at the end of each period:

 

1 Year

3 Years

5 Years

10 Years

Institutional Class

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

I-2

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

I-3

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

Administrative Class

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

Class A

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

Class C

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

If you do not redeem your shares:

 

1 Year

3 Years

5 Years

10 Years

Class A

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

Class C

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

Portfolio Turnover

The Fund pays transaction costs 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 the Annual Fund Operating Expenses or in the Example tables, affect the Fund's performance. During the most recent fiscal year, the Fund's portfolio turnover rate was [ ]% of the average value of its portfolio.

Principal Investment Strategies

The Fund seeks to achieve its investment objective by investing under normal circumstances at least 80% of its assets in Fixed Income Instruments that are economically tied to emerging market countries, which may be represented by forwards or derivatives such as options, futures contracts or swap agreements. "Fixed Income Instruments" include bonds, debt securities and other similar instruments issued by various U.S. and non-U.S. public- or private-sector entities. Such instruments may be denominated in non-U.S. currencies and the U.S. dollar. The average portfolio duration of this Fund normally varies within two years (plus or minus) of the portfolio duration of the securities comprising the JPMorgan Emerging Markets Bond Index (EMBI) Global, as calculated by Pacific Investment Management Company LLC ("PIMCO"), which as of [ ] was [ ] years. Duration is a measure used to determine the sensitivity of a security's price to changes in interest rates. The longer a security's duration, the more sensitive it will be to changes in interest rates.

PIMCO has broad discretion to identify countries that it considers to qualify as emerging markets. The Fund emphasizes countries with relatively low gross national product per capita and with the potential for rapid economic growth. PIMCO will select the Fund's country and currency composition based on its evaluation of relative interest rates, inflation rates, exchange rates, monetary and fiscal policies, trade and current account balances, legal and political developments and any other specific factors PIMCO believes to be relevant. The Fund likely will concentrate its investments in Asia, Africa, the Middle East, Latin America and the developing countries of Europe. The Fund may invest in instruments whose return is based on the return of an emerging market security or a currency of an emerging market country, such as a derivative instrument, rather than investing directly in emerging market securities or currencies.

 



PIMCO FUNDS | PROSPECTUS

5


 

Table of Contents

PIMCO Emerging Markets Bond Fund

The Fund may invest in both investment-grade securities and high yield securities ("junk bonds") subject to a maximum of 15% of its total assets in securities rated below B by Moody's Investors Service, Inc. ("Moody's"), or equivalently rated by Standard & Poor's Ratings Services ("S&P") or Fitch, Inc. ("Fitch"), or, if unrated, determined by PIMCO to be of comparable quality.

The Fund may invest, without limitation, in derivative instruments, such as options, futures contracts or swap agreements, or in mortgage- or asset-backed securities, subject to applicable law and any other restrictions described in the Fund's prospectus or Statement of Additional Information. The Fund may purchase or sell securities on a when-issued, delayed delivery or forward commitment basis and may engage in short sales. The Fund may also invest directly in real estate investment trusts ("REITs"). The Fund may, without limitation, seek to obtain market exposure to the securities in which it primarily invests by entering into a series of purchase and sale contracts or by using other investment techniques (such as buy backs or dollar rolls). The "total return" sought by the Fund consists of income earned on the Fund's investments, plus capital appreciation, if any, which generally arises from decreases in interest rates, foreign currency appreciation, or improving credit fundamentals for a particular sector or security. The Fund may also invest up to 10% of its total assets in preferred securities.

Principal Risks

It is possible to lose money on an investment in the Fund. The principal risks of investing in the Fund, which could adversely affect its net asset value, yield and total return are listed below.

Interest Rate Risk: the risk that fixed income securities will decline in value because of an increase in interest rates; a fund with a longer average portfolio duration will be more sensitive to changes in interest rates than a fund with a shorter average portfolio duration

Call Risk: the risk that an issuer may exercise its right to redeem a fixed income security earlier than expected (a call). Issuers may call outstanding securities prior to their maturity for a number of reasons (e.g., declining interest rates, changes in credit spreads and improvements in the issuer's credit quality). If an issuer calls a security that the Fund has invested in, the Fund may not recoup the full amount of its initial investment and may be forced to reinvest in lower-yielding securities, securities with greater credit risks or securities with other, less favorable features

Credit Risk: the risk that the Fund could lose money if the issuer or guarantor of a fixed income security, or the counterparty to a derivative contract, is unable or unwilling to meet its financial obligations

High Yield Risk: the risk that high yield securities and unrated securities of similar credit quality (commonly known as "junk bonds") are subject to greater levels of credit, call and liquidity risks. High yield securities are considered primarily speculative with respect to the issuer's continuing ability to make principal and interest payments, and may be more volatile than higher-rated securities of similar maturity

Market Risk: the risk that the value of securities owned by the Fund may go up or down, sometimes rapidly or unpredictably, due to factors affecting securities markets generally or particular industries

Issuer Risk: the risk that the value of a security may decline for a reason directly related to the issuer, such as management performance, financial leverage and reduced demand for the issuer's goods or services

Liquidity Risk: the risk that a particular investment may be difficult to purchase or sell and that the Fund may be unable to sell illiquid securities at an advantageous time or price or achieve its desired level of exposure to a certain sector. Liquidity risk may result from the lack of an active market, reduced number and capacity of traditional market participants to make a market in fixed income securities, and may be magnified in a rising interest rate environment or other circumstances where investor redemptions from fixed income mutual funds may be higher than normal, causing increased supply in the market due to selling activity

Derivatives Risk: the risk of investing in derivative instruments (such as futures, swaps and structured securities), including leverage, liquidity, interest rate, market, credit and management risks, mispricing or valuation complexity. Changes in the value of the derivative may not correlate perfectly with, and may be more sensitive to market events than, the underlying asset, rate or index, and the Fund could lose more than the initial amount invested. The Fund's use of derivatives may result in losses to the Fund, a reduction in the Fund's returns and/or increased volatility. Over-the-counter ("OTC") derivatives are also subject to the risk that a counterparty to the transaction will not fulfill its contractual obligations to the other party, as many of the protections afforded to centrally-cleared derivative transactions might not be available for OTC derivatives. For derivatives traded on an exchange or through a central counterparty, credit risk resides with the Fund's clearing broker, or the clearinghouse itself, rather than with a counterparty in an OTC derivative transaction. Changes in regulation relating to a mutual fund's use of derivatives and related instruments could potentially limit or impact the Fund's ability to invest in derivatives, limit the Fund's ability to employ certain strategies that use derivatives and/or adversely affect the value of derivatives and the Fund's performance

Equity Risk: the risk that the value of equity securities, such as common stocks and preferred securities, may decline due to general market conditions which are not specifically related to a particular company or to factors affecting a particular industry or industries. Equity securities generally have greater price volatility than fixed income securities

Mortgage-Related and Other Asset-Backed Securities Risk: the risks of investing in mortgage-related and other asset-backed securities, including interest rate risk, extension risk, prepayment risk and credit risk

Foreign (Non-U.S.) Investment Risk: the risk that investing in foreign (non-U.S.) securities may result in the Fund experiencing more rapid and extreme changes in value than a fund that invests exclusively in securities of U.S. companies, due to smaller markets, differing reporting, accounting and auditing standards, increased risk of delayed settlement of portfolio transactions or loss of certificates of portfolio securities, and the risk of unfavorable foreign government actions, including nationalization, expropriation or confiscatory taxation, currency blockage, or political changes or diplomatic developments. Foreign securities may also be less liquid and more difficult to value than securities of U.S. issuers

 

6     

PROSPECTUS | PIMCO FUNDS     


 

Table of Contents

Prospectus

Real Estate Risk: the risk that the Fund's investments in Real Estate Investment Trusts ("REITs") or real estate-linked derivative instruments will subject the Fund to risks similar to those associated with direct ownership of real estate, including losses from casualty or condemnation, and changes in local and general economic conditions, supply and demand, interest rates, zoning laws, regulatory limitations on rents, property taxes and operating expenses. The Fund's investments in REITs or real estate-linked derivative instruments subject it to management and tax risks. In addition, privately traded REITs subject the Fund to liquidity and valuation risk

Emerging Markets Risk: the risk of investing in emerging market securities, primarily increased foreign (non-U.S.) investment risk

Sovereign Debt Risk: the risk that investments in fixed income instruments issued by sovereign entities may decline in value as a result of default or other adverse credit event resulting from an issuer's inability or unwillingness to make principal or interest payments in a timely fashion

Currency Risk: the risk that foreign (non-U.S.) currencies will change in value relative to the U.S. dollar and affect the Fund's investments in foreign (non-U.S.) currencies or in securities that trade in, and receive revenues in, or in derivatives that provide exposure to, foreign (non-U.S.) currencies

Leveraging Risk: the risk that certain transactions of the Fund, such as reverse repurchase agreements, loans of portfolio securities, and the use of when-issued, delayed delivery or forward commitment transactions, or derivative instruments, may give rise to leverage, magnifying gains and losses and causing the Fund to be more volatile than if it had not been leveraged. This means that leverage entails a heightened risk of loss

Management Risk: the risk that the investment techniques and risk analyses applied by PIMCO will not produce the desired results and that legislative, regulatory, or tax restrictions, policies or developments may affect the investment techniques available to PIMCO and the individual portfolio manager in connection with managing the Fund. There is no guarantee that the investment objective of the Fund will be achieved

Short Exposure Risk: the risk of entering into short sales, including the potential loss of more money than the actual cost of the investment, and the risk that the third party to the short sale will not fulfill its contractual obligations, causing a loss to the Fund

Please see "Description of Principal Risks" in the Fund's prospectus for a more detailed description of the risks of investing in the Fund. An investment in the Fund is not a deposit of a bank and is not insured or guaranteed by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation or any other government agency.

Performance Information

The performance information shows summary performance information for the Fund in a bar chart and an Average Annual Total Returns table. The information provides some indication of the risks of investing in the Fund by showing changes in its performance from year to year and by showing how the Fund's average annual returns compare with the returns of a broad-based securities market index. Absent any applicable fee waivers and/or expense limitations, performance would have been lower. The bar chart shows performance of the Fund's Institutional Class shares. For periods prior to the inception date of I-2 shares (April 30, 2008), performance information shown in the table for that class is based on the performance of the Fund's Institutional Class shares, adjusted to reflect the actual distribution and/or service (12b-1) fees and other expenses paid by that class of shares. Performance for Class A and Class C shares in the Average Annual Total Returns table reflects the impact of sales charges. The I-3 shares of the Fund have not commenced operations as of the date of this prospectus. The Fund's past performance, before and after taxes, is not necessarily an indication of how the Fund will perform in the future.

The JPMorgan Emerging Markets Bond Index (EMBI) Global tracks total returns for United States Dollar denominated debt instruments issued by emerging market sovereign and quasi-sovereign entities: Brady bonds, loans, and Eurobonds. The Lipper Emerging Market Hard Currency Debt Funds Average is a total return performance average of funds tracked by Lipper, Inc. that seeks either current income or total return by investing at least 65% of total assets in emerging market debt securities, where "emerging market" is defined by a country's GNP per capita or other economic measures.

Performance for the Fund is updated daily and quarterly and may be obtained as follows: daily updates on the net asset value and performance page at http://investments.pimco.com/DailyPerformance and quarterly updates at http://investments.pimco.com/QuarterlyPerformance.

Calendar Year Total Returns — Institutional Class*
   [To be updated by subsequent amendment]



*The year-to-date return as of June 30, 2018 is [ ]%. For the periods shown in the bar chart, the highest quarterly return was [ ]% in the [ ], and the lowest quarterly return was [ ]% in the [ ].

Average Annual Total Returns (for periods ended 12/31/17)

 

1 Year

5 Years

10 Years

Institutional Class Return Before Taxes

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

Institutional Class Return After Taxes on Distributions‌(1)

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

Institutional Class Return After Taxes on Distributions and Sales of Fund Shares‌(1)

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

I-2 Return Before Taxes

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

Administrative Class Return Before Taxes

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

Class A Return Before Taxes

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

Class C Return Before Taxes

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

JPMorgan Emerging Markets Bond Index (EMBI) Global (reflects no deductions for fees, expenses or taxes)

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

 

Lipper Emerging Market Hard Currency Debt Funds Average (reflects no deductions for taxes)

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

 

[ ] | PROSPECTUS

7


 

Table of Contents

PIMCO Emerging Markets Bond Fund

(1) After-tax returns are calculated using the highest historical individual federal marginal income tax rates and do not reflect the impact of state and local taxes. Actual after-tax returns depend on an investor's tax situation and may differ from those shown, and the after-tax returns shown are not relevant to investors who hold their Fund shares through tax-deferred arrangements, such as 401(k) plans or individual retirement accounts. In some cases the return after taxes may exceed the return before taxes due to an assumed tax benefit from any losses on a sale of Fund shares at the end of the measurement period. After-tax returns are for Institutional Class shares only. After-tax returns for other classes will vary.

Investment Adviser/Portfolio Manager

PIMCO serves as the investment adviser for the Fund. The Fund's portfolio is jointly managed by Michael Gomez, Yacov Arnopolin and Francesc Balcells. Mr. Gomez is a Managing Director of PIMCO, and he has managed the Fund since January 2012. Messrs. Arnopolin and Balcells are Executive Vice Presidents of PIMCO, and they have managed the Fund since May 2017.

Other Important Information Regarding Fund Shares

For important information about purchase and sale of Fund shares, tax information, and payments to broker-dealers and other financial intermediaries, please turn to the "Summary of Other Important Information Regarding Fund Shares" section on page [ ] of this prospectus.

 

8     

PROSPECTUS | PIMCO FUNDS     


 

Table of Contents

PIMCO Emerging Markets Corporate Bond Fund

Investment Objective

The Fund seeks maximum total return, consistent with preservation of capital and prudent investment management.

Fees and Expenses of the Fund

This table describes the fees and expenses that you may pay if you buy and hold shares of the Fund:

Shareholder Fees (fees paid directly from your investment):
None

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

 

Inst
Class

Management Fees

0.90%

Distribution and/or Service (12b-1) Fees

N/A

Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses

0.90%

Example. The Example is intended to help you compare the cost of investing in Institutional Class shares of the Fund with the costs of investing in other mutual funds. The Example assumes that you invest $10,000 in the noted class of shares for the time periods indicated, and then redeem all 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. Investors may pay brokerage commissions on their purchases and sales of Institutional Class shares of the Fund, which are not reflected in the Example. 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

Institutional Class

$92

$287

$498

$1,108

Portfolio Turnover

The Fund pays transaction costs 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 the Annual Fund Operating Expenses or in the Example tables, affect the Fund's performance. During the most recent fiscal year, the Fund's portfolio turnover rate was [ ]% of the average value of its portfolio.

Principal Investment Strategies

The Fund seeks to achieve its investment objective by investing under normal circumstances at least 80% of its assets in a diversified portfolio of corporate Fixed Income Instruments that are economically tied to emerging market countries, which may be represented by forwards or derivatives such as options, futures contracts or swap agreements. "Fixed Income Instruments" include bonds, debt securities and other similar instruments issued by various U.S. and non-U.S. public- or private-sector entities. Such instruments may be denominated in non-U.S. currencies and the U.S. dollar. The average portfolio duration of this Fund normally varies within two years (plus or minus) of the portfolio duration of the securities comprising the JPMorgan Corporate Emerging Markets Bond Index Diversified, as calculated by Pacific Investment Management Company LLC ("PIMCO"), which as of [ ] was [ ] years. Duration is a measure used to determine the sensitivity of a security's price to changes in interest rates. The longer a security's duration, the more sensitive it will be to changes in interest rates.

PIMCO has broad discretion to identify countries that it considers to qualify as emerging markets. The Fund emphasizes countries with relatively low gross national product per capita and with the potential for rapid economic growth. PIMCO will select the Fund's country and currency composition based on its evaluation of relative interest rates, inflation rates, exchange rates, monetary and fiscal policies, trade and current account balances, legal and political developments, and any other specific factors PIMCO believes to be relevant. The Fund likely will concentrate its investments in Asia, Africa, the Middle East, Latin America and the developing countries of Europe. The Fund may invest in instruments whose return is based on the return of an emerging market security or a currency of an emerging market country, such as a derivative instrument, rather than investing directly in emerging market securities or currencies.

The Fund may invest in both investment-grade securities and high yield securities ("junk bonds") subject to a maximum of 15% of its total assets in securities rated below B by Moody's Investors Service, Inc. ("Moody's"), or equivalently rated by Standard & Poor's Ratings Services ("S&P") or Fitch, Inc. ("Fitch"), or, if unrated, determined by PIMCO to be of comparable quality.

The Fund may invest, without limitation, in derivative instruments, such as options, futures contracts or swap agreements, or in mortgage- or asset-backed securities, subject to applicable law and any other restrictions described in the Fund's prospectus or Statement of Additional Information. The Fund may purchase or sell securities on a when-issued, delayed delivery or forward commitment basis and may engage in short sales. The Fund may also invest directly in real estate investment trusts ("REITs"). The Fund may, without limitation, seek to obtain market exposure to the securities in which it primarily invests by entering into a series of purchase and sale contracts or by using other investment techniques (such as buy backs or dollar rolls). The "total return" sought by the Fund consists of income earned on the Fund's investments, plus capital appreciation, if any, which generally arises from decreases in interest rates, foreign currency appreciation, or improving credit fundamentals for a particular sector or security.

Principal Risks

It is possible to lose money on an investment in the Fund. The principal risks of investing in the Fund, which could adversely affect its net asset value, yield and total return are listed below.

Interest Rate Risk: the risk that fixed income securities will decline in value because of an increase in interest rates; a fund with a longer average portfolio duration will be more sensitive to changes in interest rates than a fund with a shorter average portfolio duration

Call Risk: the risk that an issuer may exercise its right to redeem a fixed income security earlier than expected (a call). Issuers may call outstanding securities prior to their maturity for a number of reasons (e.g., declining

 



PIMCO FUNDS | PROSPECTUS

9


 

Table of Contents

PIMCO Emerging Markets Corporate Bond Fund

interest rates, changes in credit spreads and improvements in the issuer's credit quality). If an issuer calls a security that the Fund has invested in, the Fund may not recoup the full amount of its initial investment and may be forced to reinvest in lower-yielding securities, securities with greater credit risks or securities with other, less favorable features

Credit Risk: the risk that the Fund could lose money if the issuer or guarantor of a fixed income security, or the counterparty to a derivative contract, is unable or unwilling to meet its financial obligations

High Yield Risk: the risk that high yield securities and unrated securities of similar credit quality (commonly known as "junk bonds") are subject to greater levels of credit, call and liquidity risks. High yield securities are considered primarily speculative with respect to the issuer's continuing ability to make principal and interest payments, and may be more volatile than higher-rated securities of similar maturity

Market Risk: the risk that the value of securities owned by the Fund may go up or down, sometimes rapidly or unpredictably, due to factors affecting securities markets generally or particular industries

Issuer Risk: the risk that the value of a security may decline for a reason directly related to the issuer, such as management performance, financial leverage and reduced demand for the issuer's goods or services

Liquidity Risk: the risk that a particular investment may be difficult to purchase or sell and that the Fund may be unable to sell illiquid securities at an advantageous time or price or achieve its desired level of exposure to a certain sector. Liquidity risk may result from the lack of an active market, reduced number and capacity of traditional market participants to make a market in fixed income securities, and may be magnified in a rising interest rate environment or other circumstances where investor redemptions from fixed income mutual funds may be higher than normal, causing increased supply in the market due to selling activity

Derivatives Risk: the risk of investing in derivative instruments (such as futures, swaps and structured securities), including leverage, liquidity, interest rate, market, credit and management risks, mispricing or valuation complexity. Changes in the value of the derivative may not correlate perfectly with, and may be more sensitive to market events than, the underlying asset, rate or index, and the Fund could lose more than the initial amount invested. The Fund's use of derivatives may result in losses to the Fund, a reduction in the Fund's returns and/or increased volatility. Over-the-counter ("OTC") derivatives are also subject to the risk that a counterparty to the transaction will not fulfill its contractual obligations to the other party, as many of the protections afforded to centrally-cleared derivative transactions might not be available for OTC derivatives. For derivatives traded on an exchange or through a central counterparty, credit risk resides with the Fund's clearing broker, or the clearinghouse itself, rather than with a counterparty in an OTC derivative transaction. Changes in regulation relating to a mutual fund's use of derivatives and related instruments could potentially limit or impact the Fund's ability to invest in derivatives, limit the Fund's ability to employ certain strategies that use derivatives and/or adversely affect the value of derivatives and the Fund's performance

Mortgage-Related and Other Asset-Backed Securities Risk: the risks of investing in mortgage-related and other asset-backed securities, including interest rate risk, extension risk, prepayment risk and credit risk

Foreign (Non-U.S.) Investment Risk: the risk that investing in foreign (non-U.S.) securities may result in the Fund experiencing more rapid and extreme changes in value than a fund that invests exclusively in securities of U.S. companies, due to smaller markets, differing reporting, accounting and auditing standards, increased risk of delayed settlement of portfolio transactions or loss of certificates of portfolio securities, and the risk of unfavorable foreign government actions, including nationalization, expropriation or confiscatory taxation, currency blockage, or political changes or diplomatic developments. Foreign securities may also be less liquid and more difficult to value than securities of U.S. issuers

Real Estate Risk: the risk that the Fund's investments in Real Estate Investment Trusts ("REITs") or real estate-linked derivative instruments will subject the Fund to risks similar to those associated with direct ownership of real estate, including losses from casualty or condemnation, and changes in local and general economic conditions, supply and demand, interest rates, zoning laws, regulatory limitations on rents, property taxes and operating expenses. The Fund's investments in REITs or real estate-linked derivative instruments subject it to management and tax risks. In addition, privately traded REITs subject the Fund to liquidity and valuation risk

Emerging Markets Risk: the risk of investing in emerging market securities, primarily increased foreign (non-U.S.) investment risk

Sovereign Debt Risk: the risk that investments in fixed income instruments issued by sovereign entities may decline in value as a result of default or other adverse credit event resulting from an issuer's inability or unwillingness to make principal or interest payments in a timely fashion

Currency Risk: the risk that foreign (non-U.S.) currencies will change in value relative to the U.S. dollar and affect the Fund's investments in foreign (non-U.S.) currencies or in securities that trade in, and receive revenues in, or in derivatives that provide exposure to, foreign (non-U.S.) currencies

Leveraging Risk: the risk that certain transactions of the Fund, such as reverse repurchase agreements, loans of portfolio securities, and the use of when-issued, delayed delivery or forward commitment transactions, or derivative instruments, may give rise to leverage, magnifying gains and losses and causing the Fund to be more volatile than if it had not been leveraged. This means that leverage entails a heightened risk of loss

Management Risk: the risk that the investment techniques and risk analyses applied by PIMCO will not produce the desired results and that legislative, regulatory, or tax restrictions, policies or developments may affect the investment techniques available to PIMCO and the individual portfolio manager in connection with managing the Fund. There is no guarantee that the investment objective of the Fund will be achieved

Short Exposure Risk: the risk of entering into short sales, including the potential loss of more money than the actual cost of the investment, and the risk that the third party to the short sale will not fulfill its contractual obligations, causing a loss to the Fund

Please see "Description of Principal Risks" in the Fund's prospectus for a more detailed description of the risks of investing in the Fund. An investment in the

 

10     

PROSPECTUS | PIMCO FUNDS     


 

Table of Contents

Prospectus

Fund is not a deposit of a bank and is not insured or guaranteed by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation or any other government agency.

Performance Information

The performance information shows summary performance information for the Fund in a bar chart and an Average Annual Total Returns table. The information provides some indication of the risks of investing in the Fund by showing changes in performance from year to year and by showing how the Fund's average annual returns compare with the returns of a broad-based securities market index. Absent any applicable fee waivers and/or expense limitations, performance would have been lower. The bar chart shows performance of the Fund's Institutional Class shares. The Fund's past performance, before and after taxes, is not necessarily an indication of how the Fund will perform in the future.

The Fund's benchmark index is the JPMorgan Corporate Emerging Markets Bond Index Diversified (CEMBI). The index is a uniquely weighted version of the CEMBI index. It limits the weights of those index countries with larger corporate debt stocks by only including a specified portion of these countries' eligible current face amounts of debt outstanding. The CEMBI Diversified results in well-distributed, more balanced weightings for countries included in the index. The countries covered in the CEMBI Diversified are identical to those covered by the CEMBI. The Lipper Emerging Market Hard Currency Debt Funds Average is a total return performance average of funds tracked by Lipper, Inc. that seeks either current income or total return by investing at least 65% of total assets in emerging market debt securities, where "emerging market" is defined by a country's GNP per capita or other economic measures.

Performance for the Fund is updated daily and quarterly and may be obtained as follows: daily updates on the net asset value and performance page at http://investments.pimco.com/DailyPerformance and quarterly updates at http://investments.pimco.com/QuarterlyPerformance. 

Calendar Year Total Returns — Institutional Class*
   [To be updated by subsequent amendment]



*The year-to-date return as of June 30, 2018 is [ ]%. For the periods shown in the bar chart, the highest quarterly return was [ ]% in the [ ], and the lowest quarterly return was [ ]% in the [ ].

Average Annual Total Returns (for periods ended 12/31/17)

 

1 Year

5 Years

Since Inception (07/01/2009)

Institutional Class Return Before Taxes

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

Institutional Class Return After Taxes on Distributions‌(1)

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

Institutional Class Return After Taxes on Distributions and Sales of Fund Shares‌(1)

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

JPMorgan Corporate Emerging Markets Bond Index Diversified (CEMBI) (reflects no deductions for fees, expenses or taxes)

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

 

Lipper Emerging Market Hard Currency Debt Funds Average (reflects no deductions for taxes)

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

(1) After-tax returns are calculated using the highest historical individual federal marginal income tax rates and do not reflect the impact of state and local taxes. Actual after-tax returns depend on an investor's tax situation and may differ from those shown, and the after-tax returns shown are not relevant to investors who hold their Fund shares through tax-deferred arrangements, such as 401(k) plans or individual retirement accounts. In some cases the return after taxes may exceed the return before taxes due to an assumed tax benefit from any losses on a sale of Fund shares at the end of the measurement period. After-tax returns are for Institutional Class shares only. After-tax returns for other classes will vary.

Investment Adviser/Portfolio Manager

PIMCO serves as the investment adviser for the Fund. The Fund's portfolio is jointly managed by Kofi Bentsi, Mohit Mittal and Yacov Arnopolin. Mr. Bentsi is a Senior Vice President of PIMCO, Mr. Mittal is a Managing Director of PIMCO, and Mr. Arnopolin is an Executive Vice President of PIMCO. Messrs. Bentsi, Mittal and Arnopolin have managed the Fund since December 2016.

Other Important Information Regarding Fund Shares

For important information about purchase and sale of Fund shares, tax information, and payments to broker-dealers and other financial intermediaries, please turn to the "Summary of Other Important Information Regarding Fund Shares" section on page [ ] of this prospectus.

 

[ ] | PROSPECTUS

11


 

Table of Contents

PIMCO Emerging Markets Currency and Short-Term Investments Fund

Investment Objective

The Fund seeks maximum total return, consistent with preservation of capital and prudent investment management.

Fees and Expenses of the Fund

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 $100,000 in Class A shares of eligible funds offered by PIMCO Equity Series and PIMCO Funds. More information about these and other discounts is available in the "Classes of Shares" section on page [ ] of the Fund's prospectus, Appendix B to the Fund's prospectus (Financial Firm-Specific Sales Charge Waivers and Discounts) or from your financial advisor.

Shareholder Fees (fees paid directly from your investment):

 

Inst
Class

I-2

Class A

Class C

Maximum Sales Charge (Load) Imposed on Purchases (as a percentage of offering price)

None

None

3.75%

None

Maximum Deferred Sales Charge (Load) (as a percentage of the lower of the original purchase price or redemption price)

None

None

1.00%

1.00%

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

 

Inst
Class

I-2

Class A

Class C

Management Fees

0.85%

0.95%

1.00%

1.00%

Distribution and/or Service (12b-1) Fees

N/A

N/A

0.25%

1.00%

Other Expenses(1)

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

 

1 "Other Expenses" include interest expense of [ ]%. Interest expense is borne by the Fund separately from the management fees paid to PIMCO. Excluding interest expense, Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses are [ ]%, [ ]%, [ ]% and [ ]% for Institutional Class, I-2, Class A and Class C shares, respectively.

Example. The Example is intended to help you compare the cost of investing in Institutional Class, I-2, Class A or Class C shares of the Fund with the costs of investing in other mutual funds. The Example assumes that you invest $10,000 in the noted class of shares for the time periods indicated, and then redeem all 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. Investors may pay brokerage commissions on their purchases and sales of Institutional Class shares or I-2 shares of the Fund, which are not reflected in the Example. Although your actual costs may be higher or lower, based on these assumptions your costs would be:

If you redeem your shares at the end of each period:

 

1 Year

3 Years

5 Years

10 Years

Institutional Class

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

I-2

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

Class A

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

Class C

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

If you do not redeem your shares:

 

1 Year

3 Years

5 Years

10 Years

Class A

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

Class C

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

Portfolio Turnover

The Fund pays transaction costs 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 the Annual Fund Operating Expenses or in the Example tables, affect the Fund's performance. During the most recent fiscal year, the Fund's portfolio turnover rate was [ ]% of the average value of its portfolio.

Principal Investment Strategies

The Fund seeks to achieve its investment objective by investing under normal circumstances at least 80% of its assets in currencies of, or in Fixed Income Instruments denominated in the currencies of, emerging market countries, and in short-term investments. The Fund's investments in currencies or Fixed Income Instruments, including short-term investments, may be represented by forwards or derivatives such as options, futures contracts or swap agreements. The Fund may, but is not required to, hedge its exposure to non-U.S. currencies. Assets not invested in currencies or instruments denominated in currencies of emerging market countries or in short-term investments may be invested in other types of Fixed Income Instruments. "Fixed Income Instruments" include bonds, debt securities and other similar instruments issued by various U.S. and non-U.S. public- or private-sector entities.

The Fund may invest in the currencies and Fixed Income Instruments of emerging market countries. Pacific Investment Management Company LLC ("PIMCO") has broad discretion to identify countries that it considers to qualify as emerging markets. PIMCO will select the Fund's country and currency composition based on its evaluation of relative interest rates, inflation rates, exchange rates, monetary and fiscal policies, trade and current account balances, legal and political developments and other specific factors PIMCO believes to be relevant. The Fund likely will concentrate its investments in Asia, Africa, the Middle East, Latin America and the developing countries of Europe. The Fund may invest in instruments whose return is based on the return of an emerging market security or a currency of an emerging market, such as a derivative instrument, rather than investing directly in emerging market securities or currencies.

The average portfolio duration of this Fund varies based on PIMCO's market forecasts and, under normal market conditions, is not expected to exceed two years. Duration is a measure used to determine the sensitivity of a

 



PIMCO FUNDS | PROSPECTUS

12


 

Table of Contents

Prospectus

security's price to changes in interest rates. The longer a security's duration, the more sensitive it will be to changes in interest rates. In addition, the dollar-weighted average maturity of the portion of the Fund's portfolio comprised of short-term investments, under normal circumstances, is expected not to exceed three years.

The Fund may invest in both investment-grade securities and high yield securities ("junk bonds") subject to a maximum of 15% of its total assets in securities rated below B by Moody's Investors Service, Inc. ("Moody's"), or equivalently rated by Standard & Poor's Ratings Services ("S&P") or Fitch, Inc. ("Fitch"), or, if unrated, determined by PIMCO to be of comparable quality.

The Fund may invest, without limitation, in derivative instruments, such as options, futures contracts or swap agreements, or in mortgage- or asset-backed securities, subject to applicable law and any other restrictions described in the Fund's prospectus or Statement of Additional Information. The Fund may purchase or sell securities on a when-issued, delayed delivery or forward commitment basis and may engage in short sales. The Fund may also invest directly in real estate investment trusts ("REITs"). The Fund may, without limitation, seek to obtain market exposure to the securities in which it primarily invests by entering into a series of purchase and sale contracts or by using other investment techniques (such as buy backs or dollar rolls). The "total return" sought by the Fund consists of income and capital appreciation, if any, which generally arises from decreases in interest rates, foreign currency appreciation, or improving credit fundamentals for a particular sector or security. The Fund may also invest up to 10% of its total assets in preferred securities.

Principal Risks

It is possible to lose money on an investment in the Fund. The principal risks of investing in the Fund, which could adversely affect its net asset value, yield and total return are listed below.

Interest Rate Risk: the risk that fixed income securities will decline in value because of an increase in interest rates; a fund with a longer average portfolio duration will be more sensitive to changes in interest rates than a fund with a shorter average portfolio duration

Call Risk: the risk that an issuer may exercise its right to redeem a fixed income security earlier than expected (a call). Issuers may call outstanding securities prior to their maturity for a number of reasons (e.g., declining interest rates, changes in credit spreads and improvements in the issuer's credit quality). If an issuer calls a security that the Fund has invested in, the Fund may not recoup the full amount of its initial investment and may be forced to reinvest in lower-yielding securities, securities with greater credit risks or securities with other, less favorable features

Credit Risk: the risk that the Fund could lose money if the issuer or guarantor of a fixed income security, or the counterparty to a derivative contract, is unable or unwilling to meet its financial obligations

High Yield Risk: the risk that high yield securities and unrated securities of similar credit quality (commonly known as "junk bonds") are subject to greater levels of credit, call and liquidity risks. High yield securities are considered primarily speculative with respect to the issuer's continuing ability to make principal and interest payments, and may be more volatile than higher-rated securities of similar maturity

Market Risk: the risk that the value of securities owned by the Fund may go up or down, sometimes rapidly or unpredictably, due to factors affecting securities markets generally or particular industries

Issuer Risk: the risk that the value of a security may decline for a reason directly related to the issuer, such as management performance, financial leverage and reduced demand for the issuer's goods or services

Liquidity Risk: the risk that a particular investment may be difficult to purchase or sell and that the Fund may be unable to sell illiquid securities at an advantageous time or price or achieve its desired level of exposure to a certain sector. Liquidity risk may result from the lack of an active market, reduced number and capacity of traditional market participants to make a market in fixed income securities, and may be magnified in a rising interest rate environment or other circumstances where investor redemptions from fixed income mutual funds may be higher than normal, causing increased supply in the market due to selling activity

Derivatives Risk: the risk of investing in derivative instruments (such as futures, swaps and structured securities), including leverage, liquidity, interest rate, market, credit and management risks, mispricing or valuation complexity. Changes in the value of the derivative may not correlate perfectly with, and may be more sensitive to market events than, the underlying asset, rate or index, and the Fund could lose more than the initial amount invested. The Fund's use of derivatives may result in losses to the Fund, a reduction in the Fund's returns and/or increased volatility. Over-the-counter ("OTC") derivatives are also subject to the risk that a counterparty to the transaction will not fulfill its contractual obligations to the other party, as many of the protections afforded to centrally-cleared derivative transactions might not be available for OTC derivatives. For derivatives traded on an exchange or through a central counterparty, credit risk resides with the Fund's clearing broker, or the clearinghouse itself, rather than with a counterparty in an OTC derivative transaction. Changes in regulation relating to a mutual fund's use of derivatives and related instruments could potentially limit or impact the Fund's ability to invest in derivatives, limit the Fund's ability to employ certain strategies that use derivatives and/or adversely affect the value of derivatives and the Fund's performance

Equity Risk: the risk that the value of equity securities, such as common stocks and preferred securities, may decline due to general market conditions which are not specifically related to a particular company or to factors affecting a particular industry or industries. Equity securities generally have greater price volatility than fixed income securities

Mortgage-Related and Other Asset-Backed Securities Risk: the risks of investing in mortgage-related and other asset-backed securities, including interest rate risk, extension risk, prepayment risk and credit risk

Foreign (Non-U.S.) Investment Risk: the risk that investing in foreign (non-U.S.) securities may result in the Fund experiencing more rapid and extreme changes in value than a fund that invests exclusively in securities of U.S. companies, due to smaller markets, differing reporting, accounting and auditing standards, increased risk of delayed settlement of portfolio transactions or loss of certificates of portfolio securities, and the risk of

 

[ ] | PROSPECTUS

13


 

Table of Contents

PIMCO Emerging Markets Currency and Short-Term Investments Fund

unfavorable foreign government actions, including nationalization, expropriation or confiscatory taxation, currency blockage, or political changes or diplomatic developments. Foreign securities may also be less liquid and more difficult to value than securities of U.S. issuers

Real Estate Risk: the risk that the Fund's investments in Real Estate Investment Trusts ("REITs") or real estate-linked derivative instruments will subject the Fund to risks similar to those associated with direct ownership of real estate, including losses from casualty or condemnation, and changes in local and general economic conditions, supply and demand, interest rates, zoning laws, regulatory limitations on rents, property taxes and operating expenses. The Fund's investments in REITs or real estate-linked derivative instruments subject it to management and tax risks. In addition, privately traded REITs subject the Fund to liquidity and valuation risk

Emerging Markets Risk: the risk of investing in emerging market securities, primarily increased foreign (non-U.S.) investment risk

Sovereign Debt Risk: the risk that investments in fixed income instruments issued by sovereign entities may decline in value as a result of default or other adverse credit event resulting from an issuer's inability or unwillingness to make principal or interest payments in a timely fashion

Currency Risk: the risk that foreign (non-U.S.) currencies will change in value relative to the U.S. dollar and affect the Fund's investments in foreign (non-U.S.) currencies or in securities that trade in, and receive revenues in, or in derivatives that provide exposure to, foreign (non-U.S.) currencies

Leveraging Risk: the risk that certain transactions of the Fund, such as reverse repurchase agreements, loans of portfolio securities, and the use of when-issued, delayed delivery or forward commitment transactions, or derivative instruments, may give rise to leverage, magnifying gains and losses and causing the Fund to be more volatile than if it had not been leveraged. This means that leverage entails a heightened risk of loss

Management Risk: the risk that the investment techniques and risk analyses applied by PIMCO will not produce the desired results and that legislative, regulatory, or tax restrictions, policies or developments may affect the investment techniques available to PIMCO and the individual portfolio manager in connection with managing the Fund. There is no guarantee that the investment objective of the Fund will be achieved

Short Exposure Risk: the risk of entering into short sales, including the potential loss of more money than the actual cost of the investment, and the risk that the third party to the short sale will not fulfill its contractual obligations, causing a loss to the Fund

Please see "Description of Principal Risks" in the Fund's prospectus for a more detailed description of the risks of investing in the Fund. An investment in the Fund is not a deposit of a bank and is not insured or guaranteed by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation or any other government agency.

Performance Information

The performance information shows summary performance information for the Fund in a bar chart and an Average Annual Total Returns table. The information provides some indication of the risk of investing in the Fund by showing changes in its performance from year to year and by showing how the Fund's average annual returns compare with the returns of a broad-based securities market index. Absent any applicable fee waivers and/or expense limitations, performance would have been lower. The bar chart shows performance of the Fund's Institutional Class shares. For periods prior to the inception date of I-2 shares (April 30, 2008), performance information shown in the table for that class is based on the performance of the Fund's Institutional Class shares, adjusted to reflect the actual distribution and/or service (12b-1) fees and other expenses paid by that class of shares. Performance for Class A and Class C shares in the Average Annual Total Returns table reflects the impact of sales charges. The Fund's past performance, before and after taxes, is not necessarily an indication of how the Fund will perform in the future.

The JPMorgan Emerging Local Markets Index Plus (Unhedged) tracks total returns for local-currency-denominated money market instruments in 22 emerging markets countries with at least US$10 billion of external trade. The JPMorgan Emerging Local Markets Index Plus +Bid (Unhedged) tracks total returns for local-currency-denominated money market instruments in 22 emerging markets countries with at least US$10 billion of external trade. For periods prior to May 2010, the JPMorgan Emerging Local Markets Index Plus +Bid (Unhedged) contains back-tested index data which recalculates the index return using bid-side FX Spot, Forwards, and LIBOR rates. The Lipper Alternative Currency Strategies Average is a total return performance average of funds tracked by Lipper, Inc. that invest in global currencies through the use of short-term money market instruments, derivatives (forwards, options, swaps), and cash deposits.

Performance for the Fund is updated daily and quarterly and may be obtained as follows: daily updates on the net asset value and performance page at http://investments.pimco.com/DailyPerformance and quarterly updates at http://investments.pimco.com/QuarterlyPerformance.

Calendar Year Total Returns — Institutional Class*
   [To be updated by subsequent amendment]



*The year-to-date return as of June 30, 2018 is [ ]%. For the periods shown in the bar chart, the highest quarterly return was [ ]% in the [ ], and the lowest quarterly return was [ ]% in the [ ].

 

14     

PROSPECTUS | PIMCO FUNDS     


 

Table of Contents

Prospectus

Average Annual Total Returns (for periods ended 12/31/17)

 

1 Year

5 Years

10 Years

Institutional Class Return Before Taxes

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

Institutional Class Return After Taxes on Distributions‌(1)

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

Institutional Class Return After Taxes on Distributions and Sales of Fund Shares‌(1)

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

I-2 Return Before Taxes

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

Class A Return Before Taxes

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

Class C Return Before Taxes

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

JPMorgan Emerging Local Markets Index Plus (Unhedged) (reflects no deductions for fees, expenses or taxes)

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

JPMorgan Emerging Local Markets Index Plus +Bid (Unhedged) (reflects no deductions for fees, expenses or taxes)

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

 

Lipper Alternative Currency Strategies Average (reflects no deductions for taxes)

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

(1) After-tax returns are calculated using the highest historical individual federal marginal income tax rates and do not reflect the impact of state and local taxes. Actual after-tax returns depend on an investor's tax situation and may differ from those shown, and the after-tax returns shown are not relevant to investors who hold their Fund shares through tax-deferred arrangements, such as 401(k) plans or individual retirement accounts. In some cases the return after taxes may exceed the return before taxes due to an assumed tax benefit from any losses on a sale of Fund shares at the end of the measurement period. After-tax returns are for Institutional Class shares only. After-tax returns for other classes will vary.

Investment Adviser/Portfolio Manager

PIMCO serves as the investment adviser for the Fund. The Fund's portfolio is jointly managed by Michael Gomez, Pramol Dhawan and Francesc Balcells. Mr. Gomez is a Managing Director of PIMCO. Messrs. Dhawan and Balcells are Executive Vice Presidents of PIMCO. Mr. Gomez has managed the Fund since its inception in May 2005. Messrs. Dhawan and Balcells have managed the Fund since October 2016.

Other Important Information Regarding Fund Shares

For important information about purchase and sale of Fund shares, tax information, and payments to broker-dealers and other financial intermediaries, please turn to the "Summary of Other Important Information Regarding Fund Shares" section on page [ ] of this prospectus.

 

[ ] | PROSPECTUS

15


 

Table of Contents

PIMCO Emerging Markets Full Spectrum Bond Fund

Investment Objective

The Fund seeks maximum total return, consistent with prudent investment management.

Fees and Expenses of the Fund

This table describes the fees and expenses that you may pay if you buy and hold shares of the Fund:

Shareholder Fees (fees paid directly from your investment):
None

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

 

Inst
Class

Management Fees

0.94%

Distribution and/or Service (12b-1) Fees

N/A

Acquired Fund Fees and Expenses

[ ]

Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses(1)

[ ]

Fee Waiver and/or Expense Reimbursement(2)

[ ]

Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses After Fee Waiver and/or Expense Reimbursement

[ ]

1 Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses do not match the Ratio of Expenses to Average Net Assets Excluding Waivers of the Fund, as set forth in the Financial Highlights table of the Fund's prospectus, because the Ratio of Expenses to Average Net Assets Excluding Waivers reflects the operating expenses of the Fund and does not include Acquired Fund Fees and Expenses.

2 PIMCO has contractually agreed, through July 31, 2019, to waive, first, the advisory fee and, second, the supervisory and administrative fee it receives from the Fund in an amount equal to the expenses attributable to the Management Fees of Underlying PIMCO Funds indirectly incurred by the Fund in connection with its investments in Underlying PIMCO Funds, to the extent the Fund's Management Fees are greater than or equal to the Management Fees of the Underlying PIMCO Funds. This waiver renews annually for a full year unless terminated by PIMCO upon at least 30 days' notice prior to the end of the contract term.

Example. The Example is intended to help you compare the cost of investing in Institutional Class shares of the Fund with the costs of investing in other mutual funds. The Example assumes that you invest $10,000 in the noted class of shares for the time periods indicated, and then redeem all 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. Investors may pay brokerage commissions on their purchases and sales of Institutional Class shares of the Fund, which are not reflected in the Example. 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

Institutional Class

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

Portfolio Turnover

The Fund pays transaction costs 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 the Annual Fund Operating Expenses or in the Example tables, affect the Fund's performance. During the most recent fiscal year, the Fund's portfolio turnover rate was [ ]% of the average value of its portfolio.

Principal Investment Strategies

The Fund is designed to provide dynamic exposure to a broad range of emerging market fixed income asset classes, such as external debt obligations of sovereign, quasi-sovereign, and corporate entities; currencies, and local currency-denominated obligations of sovereigns, quasi-sovereigns, and corporate issuers. PIMCO uses a three-step active management approach in seeking to achieve the Fund's investment objective: 1) develop a target asset allocation to implement across the eligible investments; 2) identify additional opportunities for country and security selection designed to add value beyond the target asset allocation within each of the eligible investments; and 3) employ additional investment strategies designed to either mitigate or emphasize risks resulting from the implementation of the target asset allocation. This active management approach is driven by PIMCO's global macroeconomic views, emerging markets expertise and experience across a wide range of investment instruments. The Fund's assets are allocated in a manner that reflects PIMCO's views regarding the attractiveness of key investment risk factors, considering both return potential and volatility, and includes an assessment of aggregate country, issuer and currency exposures.

PIMCO evaluates these three steps daily and uses varying combinations of Acquired Funds (defined below) and/or direct investments in efforts to achieve the most efficient execution of PIMCO's investment views. Specifically, "Acquired Funds" refers to the following: funds of the Trust and funds of PIMCO Equity Series and PIMCO ETF Trust, affiliated open-end investment companies, except funds of funds ("Underlying PIMCO Funds") and other affiliated and unaffiliated funds in which the Fund may invest. Acquired Funds may or may not be registered under the Investment Company Act of 1940 (the "1940 Act"). To the extent Underlying PIMCO Funds of the Trust or PIMCO Equity Series are held, Institutional Class or Class M shares will be held. The Fund's investments may also include Fixed Income Instruments of varying maturities, forwards or derivatives, such as options, futures contracts or swap agreements. "Fixed Income Instruments" include bonds, debt securities and other similar instruments issued by various U.S. and non-U.S. public or private-sector entities. The Fund will invest in such funds, securities, instruments and other investments to the extent permitted under the 1940 Act, or any exemptive relief therefrom.

The Fund invests under normal circumstances at least 80% of its assets in investments economically tied to emerging market countries and 80% of its assets in Fixed Income Instruments, which may be represented by direct or indirect (through an Acquired Fund) investments. The Fund may invest, without limitation, in securities denominated in foreign currencies and in U.S. dollar-denominated securities of foreign issuers. In addition, the Fund may invest in both investment-grade securities and high yield securities ("junk bonds") rated at least Caa by Moody's Investors Service, Inc. ("Moody's"), or equivalently rated by Standard & Poor's Rating Services ("S&P") or Fitch, Inc. ("Fitch"), or, if unrated, determined by PIMCO to be of comparable quality. The Fund's benchmark index is a blend of 50% JPMorgan Global Bond Index Emerging Markets- Global Diversified, 25% JPMorgan Emerging Markets Bond Index Global and 25% JPMorgan

 



PIMCO FUNDS | PROSPECTUS

16


 

Table of Contents

Prospectus

Corporate Emerging Markets Bond Index Diversified (the "Benchmark"). The Fund will normally limit its foreign currency exposure (from non-U.S. dollar-denominated securities or currencies) to between 20% and 80% of its assets. The average portfolio duration of this Fund normally varies within two years (plus or minus) of the portfolio duration of the securities comprising the Benchmark, as calculated by PIMCO, which as of [ ] was [ ] years. The Fund may purchase and sell securities on a when-issued, delayed delivery or forward commitment basis and may engage in short sales.

The Fund's assets are not allocated according to a predetermined blend of investment exposures or mix of instruments. PIMCO has the flexibility to reallocate the Fund's assets among any or all of the investment exposures represented by affiliated or unaffiliated funds, or invest directly in securities, instruments and other investments, based on its ongoing analyses of the global economy and financial markets. While these analyses are performed daily, material shifts in investment exposures typically take place over longer periods of time, unless in response to a perceived short-term opportunity or market dislocation. The "total return" sought by the Fund consists of income earned on the Fund's investments, plus capital appreciation, if any, which generally arises from decreases in interest rates, foreign currency appreciation, or improving credit fundamentals for a particular sector or security.

Additional information for the Underlying PIMCO Funds can be found in the Statement of Additional Information and/ or the Underlying PIMCO Funds' prospectuses and financial reports. Additional Underlying PIMCO Funds may be added or deleted in the future without shareholder notification.

Principal Risks

It is possible to lose money on an investment in the Fund. The principal risks of investing in the Fund include risks from direct investments and/or indirect exposure through investment in Acquired Funds. The principal risks of investing in the Fund, which could adversely affect its net asset value, yield and total return are listed below.

The following risks are principal risks of investing in the Fund.

Allocation Risk: the risk that a Fund could lose money as a result of less than optimal or poor asset allocation decisions. The Fund could miss attractive investment opportunities by underweighting markets that subsequently experience significant returns and could lose value by overweighting markets that subsequently experience significant declines

Acquired Fund Risk: the risk that a Fund's performance is closely related to the risks associated with the securities and other investments held by the Acquired Funds and that the ability of a Fund to achieve its investment objective will depend upon the ability of the Acquired Funds to achieve their investment objectives

The following are principal risks of investing in the Fund that include risks from direct investments and/or indirect exposure through investment in Acquired Funds.

New/Small Fund Risk: the risk that a new or smaller Fund's performance may not represent how the Fund is expected to or may perform in the long term. In addition, new Funds have limited operating histories for investors to evaluate and new and smaller Funds may not attract sufficient assets to achieve investment and trading efficiencies

Interest Rate Risk: the risk that fixed income securities will decline in value because of an increase in interest rates; a fund with a longer average portfolio duration will be more sensitive to changes in interest rates than a fund with a shorter average portfolio duration

Call Risk: the risk that an issuer may exercise its right to redeem a fixed income security earlier than expected (a call). Issuers may call outstanding securities prior to their maturity for a number of reasons (e.g., declining interest rates, changes in credit spreads and improvements in the issuer's credit quality). If an issuer calls a security that the Fund has invested in, the Fund may not recoup the full amount of its initial investment and may be forced to reinvest in lower-yielding securities, securities with greater credit risks or securities with other, less favorable features

Credit Risk: the risk that the Fund could lose money if the issuer or guarantor of a fixed income security, or the counterparty to a derivative contract, is unable or unwilling to meet its financial obligations

High Yield Risk: the risk that high yield securities and unrated securities of similar credit quality (commonly known as "junk bonds") are subject to greater levels of credit, call and liquidity risks. High yield securities are considered primarily speculative with respect to the issuer's continuing ability to make principal and interest payments, and may be more volatile than higher-rated securities of similar maturity

Distressed Company Risk: the risk that securities of distressed companies may be subject to greater levels of credit, issuer and liquidity risk than a portfolio that does not invest in such securities. Securities of distressed companies include both debt and equity securities. Debt securities of distressed companies are considered predominantly speculative with respect to the issuers' continuing ability to make principal and interest payments

Market Risk: the risk that the value of securities owned by the Fund may go up or down, sometimes rapidly or unpredictably, due to factors affecting securities markets generally or particular industries

Issuer Risk: the risk that the value of a security may decline for a reason directly related to the issuer, such as management performance, financial leverage and reduced demand for the issuer's goods or services

Liquidity Risk: the risk that a particular investment may be difficult to purchase or sell and that the Fund may be unable to sell illiquid securities at an advantageous time or price or achieve its desired level of exposure to a certain sector. Liquidity risk may result from the lack of an active market, reduced number and capacity of traditional market participants to make a market in fixed income securities, and may be magnified in a rising interest rate environment or other circumstances where investor redemptions from fixed income mutual funds may be higher than normal, causing increased supply in the market due to selling activity

Derivatives Risk: the risk of investing in derivative instruments (such as futures, swaps and structured securities), including leverage, liquidity, interest rate, market, credit and management risks, mispricing or valuation complexity. Changes in the value of the derivative may not correlate perfectly with, and may be more sensitive to market events than, the underlying asset, rate or index, and the Fund could lose more than the initial amount invested. The Fund's use of derivatives may result in losses to the Fund, a reduction in the Fund's returns and/or increased volatility. Over-

 

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PIMCO Emerging Markets Full Spectrum Bond Fund

the-counter ("OTC") derivatives are also subject to the risk that a counterparty to the transaction will not fulfill its contractual obligations to the other party, as many of the protections afforded to centrally-cleared derivative transactions might not be available for OTC derivatives. For derivatives traded on an exchange or through a central counterparty, credit risk resides with the Fund's clearing broker, or the clearinghouse itself, rather than with a counterparty in an OTC derivative transaction. Changes in regulation relating to a mutual fund's use of derivatives and related instruments could potentially limit or impact the Fund's ability to invest in derivatives, limit the Fund's ability to employ certain strategies that use derivatives and/or adversely affect the value of derivatives and the Fund's performance

Commodity Risk: the risk that investing in commodity-linked derivative instruments may subject the Fund to greater volatility than investments in traditional securities. The value of commodity-linked derivative instruments may be affected by changes in overall market movements, commodity index volatility, changes in interest rates, or factors affecting a particular industry or commodity, such as drought, floods, weather, livestock disease, embargoes, tariffs and international economic, political and regulatory developments

Equity Risk: the risk that the value of equity securities, such as common stocks and preferred securities, may decline due to general market conditions which are not specifically related to a particular company or to factors affecting a particular industry or industries. Equity securities generally have greater price volatility than fixed income securities

Mortgage-Related and Other Asset-Backed Securities Risk: the risks of investing in mortgage-related and other asset-backed securities, including interest rate risk, extension risk, prepayment risk and credit risk

Foreign (Non-U.S.) Investment Risk: the risk that investing in foreign (non-U.S.) securities may result in the Fund experiencing more rapid and extreme changes in value than a fund that invests exclusively in securities of U.S. companies, due to smaller markets, differing reporting, accounting and auditing standards, increased risk of delayed settlement of portfolio transactions or loss of certificates of portfolio securities, and the risk of unfavorable foreign government actions, including nationalization, expropriation or confiscatory taxation, currency blockage, or political changes or diplomatic developments. Foreign securities may also be less liquid and more difficult to value than securities of U.S. issuers

Real Estate Risk: the risk that the Fund's investments in Real Estate Investment Trusts ("REITs") or real estate-linked derivative instruments will subject the Fund to risks similar to those associated with direct ownership of real estate, including losses from casualty or condemnation, and changes in local and general economic conditions, supply and demand, interest rates, zoning laws, regulatory limitations on rents, property taxes and operating expenses. The Fund's investments in REITs or real estate-linked derivative instruments subject it to management and tax risks. In addition, privately traded REITs subject the Fund to liquidity and valuation risk

Emerging Markets Risk: the risk of investing in emerging market securities, primarily increased foreign (non-U.S.) investment risk

Sovereign Debt Risk: the risk that investments in fixed income instruments issued by sovereign entities may decline in value as a result of default or other adverse credit event resulting from an issuer's inability or unwillingness to make principal or interest payments in a timely fashion

Currency Risk: the risk that foreign (non-U.S.) currencies will change in value relative to the U.S. dollar and affect the Fund's investments in foreign (non-U.S.) currencies or in securities that trade in, and receive revenues in, or in derivatives that provide exposure to, foreign (non-U.S.) currencies

Smaller Company Risk: the risk that the value of securities issued by a smaller company may go up or down, sometimes rapidly and unpredictably as compared to more widely held securities, due to narrow markets and limited resources of smaller companies. A Fund's investments in smaller companies subject it to greater levels of credit, market and issuer risk

Leveraging Risk: the risk that certain transactions of the Fund, such as reverse repurchase agreements, loans of portfolio securities, and the use of when-issued, delayed delivery or forward commitment transactions, or derivative instruments, may give rise to leverage, magnifying gains and losses and causing the Fund to be more volatile than if it had not been leveraged. This means that leverage entails a heightened risk of loss

Management Risk: the risk that the investment techniques and risk analyses applied by PIMCO will not produce the desired results and that legislative, regulatory, or tax restrictions, policies or developments may affect the investment techniques available to PIMCO and the individual portfolio manager in connection with managing the Fund. There is no guarantee that the investment objective of the Fund will be achieved

Short Exposure Risk: the risk of entering into short sales, including the potential loss of more money than the actual cost of the investment, and the risk that the third party to the short sale will not fulfill its contractual obligations, causing a loss to the Fund

Tax Risk: the risk that the tax treatment of swap agreements and other derivative instruments, such as commodity-linked derivative instruments, including commodity index-linked notes, swap agreements, commodity options, futures, and options on futures, may be affected by future regulatory or legislative changes that could affect whether income from such investments is "qualifying income" under Subchapter M of the Internal Revenue Code, or otherwise affect the character, timing and/or amount of the Fund's taxable income or gains and distributions

Subsidiary Risk: the risk that, by investing in certain Underlying PIMCO Funds that invest in a subsidiary (each a "Subsidiary"), the Fund is indirectly exposed to the risks associated with a Subsidiary's investments. The Subsidiaries are not registered under the 1940 Act and may not be subject to all the investor protections of the 1940 Act. There is no guarantee that the investment objective of a Subsidiary will be achieved

Value Investing Risk: a value stock may decrease in price or may not increase in price as anticipated by PIMCO if it continues to be undervalued by the market or the factors that the portfolio manager believes will cause the stock price to increase do not occur

Arbitrage Risk: the risk that securities purchased pursuant to an arbitrage strategy intended to take advantage of a perceived relationship between the value of two securities may not perform as expected

Convertible Securities Risk: as convertible securities share both fixed income and equity characteristics, they are subject to risks to which fixed

 

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Prospectus

income and equity investments are subject. These risks include equity risk, interest rate risk and credit risk

Exchange-Traded Fund Risk: the risk that an exchange-traded fund may not track the performance of the index it is designed to track, market prices of shares of an exchange-traded fund may fluctuate rapidly and materially, or shares of an exchange-traded fund may trade significantly above or below net asset value, any of which may cause losses to the Fund invested in the exchange-traded fund

Please see "Description of Principal Risks" in the Fund's prospectus for a more detailed description of the risks of investing in the Fund. An investment in the Fund is not a deposit of a bank and is not insured or guaranteed by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation or any other government agency.

Performance Information

The performance information shows summary performance information for the Fund in a bar chart and an Average Annual Total Returns table. The information provides some indication of the risks of investing in the Fund by showing changes in its performance from year to year and by showing how the Fund's average annual returns compare with the returns of a broad-based securities market index. Absent any applicable fee waivers and/or expense limitations, performance would have been lower. The Fund's past performance, before and after taxes, is not necessarily an indication of how the Fund will perform in the future.

The Fund's benchmark index is a blend of 50% JPMorgan Global Bond Index Emerging Markets- Global Diversified, 25% JPMorgan Emerging Markets Bond Index Global and 25% JPMorgan Corporate Emerging Market Bond Index Diversified. The JPMorgan Global Bond Index Emerging Markets - Global Diversified is a uniquely-weighted version of the Emerging Markets Bond Index Global. It limits the weights of those index countries with larger debt stocks by only including specified portions of these countries' eligible current face amounts of debt outstanding. The JPMorgan Emerging Markets Bond Index (EMBI) Global tracks total returns for U.S. dollar-denominated debt instruments issued by emerging market sovereign and quasi-sovereign entities: Brady bonds, loans, and Eurobonds. JPMorgan Corporate Emerging Market Bond Index Diversified tracks total returns of U.S. dollar-denominated debt instruments issued by corporate entities in Emerging Markets countries. The Lipper Emerging Market Hard Currency Debt Funds Average is a total return performance average of funds tracked by Lipper, Inc. that seeks either current income or total return by investing at least 65% of total assets in emerging market debt securities, where "emerging market" is defined by a country's GNP per capita or other economic measures.

Performance for the Fund is updated daily and quarterly and may be obtained as follows: daily updates on the net asset value and performance page at http://investments.pimco.com/DailyPerformance and quarterly updates at http://investments.pimco.com/QuarterlyPerformance.

Calendar Year Total Returns — Institutional Class*
   [To be updated by subsequent amendment]



*The year-to-date return as of June 30, 2018 is [ ]%. For the periods shown in the bar chart, the highest quarterly return was [ ]% in the [ ], and the lowest quarterly return was [ ]% in the [ ].

Average Annual Total Returns (for periods ended 12/31/17)

 

1 Year

Since Inception (02/25/2013)

Institutional Class Return Before Taxes

[ ]

[ ]

Institutional Class Return After Taxes on Distributions‌(1)

[ ]

[ ]

Institutional Class Return After Taxes on Distributions and Sales of Fund Shares‌(1)

[ ]

[ ]

50% JPMorgan Global Bond Index Emerging Markets-Global Diversified, 25% JPMorgan Emerging Markets Bond Index Global and 25% JPMorgan Corporate Emerging Market Bond Index Diversified (reflects no deductions for fees, expenses or taxes)

[ ]

[ ]

 

Lipper Emerging Market Hard Currency Debt Funds Average (reflects no deductions for taxes)

[ ]

[ ]

(1) After-tax returns are calculated using the highest historical individual federal marginal income tax rates and do not reflect the impact of state and local taxes. Actual after-tax returns depend on an investor's tax situation and may differ from those shown, and the after-tax returns shown are not relevant to investors who hold their Fund shares through tax-deferred arrangements, such as 401(k) plans or individual retirement accounts. In some cases the return after taxes may exceed the return before taxes due to an assumed tax benefit from any losses on a sale of Fund shares at the end of the measurement period. After-tax returns are for Institutional Class shares only. After-tax returns for other classes will vary.

Investment Adviser/Portfolio Manager

PIMCO serves as the investment adviser for the Fund. The Fund's portfolio is jointly managed by Michael Gomez, Pramol Dhawan, Yacov Arnopolin and Francesc Balcells. Mr. Gomez is a Managing Director of PIMCO, and he has managed the Fund since its inception in February 2013. Messrs. Dhawan, Arnopolin and Balcells are Executive Vice Presidents of PIMCO, and they have managed the Fund since May 2017.

 

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Other Important Information Regarding Fund Shares

For important information about purchase and sale of Fund shares, tax information, and payments to broker-dealers and other financial intermediaries, please turn to the "Summary of Other Important Information Regarding Fund Shares" section on page [ ] of this prospectus.

 

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PIMCO Global Advantage® Strategy Bond Fund

Investment Objective

The Fund seeks total return which exceeds that of its benchmarks, consistent with prudent investment management.

Fees and Expenses of the Fund

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 $100,000 in Class A shares of eligible funds offered by PIMCO Equity Series and PIMCO Funds. More information about these and other discounts is available in the "Classes of Shares" section on page [ ] of the Fund's prospectus, Appendix B to the Fund's prospectus (Financial Firm-Specific Sales Charge Waivers and Discounts) or from your financial advisor.

Shareholder Fees (fees paid directly from your investment):

 

Inst
Class

I-2

Class A

Class C

Maximum Sales Charge (Load) Imposed on Purchases (as a percentage of offering price)

None

None

3.75%

None

Maximum Deferred Sales Charge (Load) (as a percentage of the lower of the original purchase price or redemption price)

None

None

1.00%

1.00%

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

 

Inst
Class

I-2

Class A

Class C

Management Fees

0.65%

0.75%

0.80%

0.80%

Distribution and/or Service (12b-1) Fees

N/A

N/A

0.25%

1.00%

Other Expenses(1)

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

 

1 "Other Expenses" include interest expense of [ ]%. Interest expense is borne by the Fund separately from the management fees paid to PIMCO. Excluding interest expense, Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses are [ ]%, [ ]%, [ ]% and [ ]% for Institutional Class, I-2, Class A and Class C shares, respectively.

Example. The Example is intended to help you compare the cost of investing in Institutional Class, I-2, Class A or Class C shares of the Fund with the costs of investing in other mutual funds. The Example assumes that you invest $10,000 in the noted class of shares for the time periods indicated, and then redeem all 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. Investors may pay brokerage commissions on their purchases and sales of Institutional Class shares or I-2 shares of the Fund, which are not reflected in the Example. Although your actual costs may be higher or lower, based on these assumptions your costs would be:

If you redeem your shares at the end of each period:

 

1 Year

3 Years

5 Years

10 Years

Institutional Class

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

I-2

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

Class A

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

Class C

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

If you do not redeem your shares:

 

1 Year

3 Years

5 Years

10 Years

Class A

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

Class C

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

Portfolio Turnover

The Fund pays transaction costs 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 the Annual Fund Operating Expenses or in the Example tables, affect the Fund's performance. During the most recent fiscal year, the Fund's portfolio turnover rate was [ ]% of the average value of its portfolio.

Principal Investment Strategies

The Fund seeks to achieve its investment objective by investing under normal circumstances at least 80% of its assets in Fixed Income Instruments that are economically tied to at least three countries (one of which may be the United States), which may be represented by forwards or derivatives such as options, futures contracts, or swap agreements. "Fixed Income Instruments" include bonds, debt securities and other similar instruments issued by various U.S. and non-U.S. public- or private-sector entities.

PIMCO selects the Fund's foreign country and currency compositions based on an evaluation of various factors, including, but not limited to, relative interest rates, exchange rates, monetary and fiscal policies, and trade and current account balances. The Fund may invest without limitation in securities denominated in foreign currencies and in U.S. dollar-denominated securities of foreign issuers. The Fund may invest, without limitation, in securities and instruments that are economically tied to emerging market countries. The Fund may also invest up to 10% of its total assets in preferred securities. In addition, the Fund may invest in both investment-grade securities and high yield securities ("junk bonds") subject to a maximum of 15% its total assets in securities rated below B by Moody's Investors Service, Inc. ("Moody's"), or equivalently rated by Standard & Poor's Ratings Services ("S&P") or Fitch, Inc. ("Fitch"), or, if unrated, determined by PIMCO to be of comparable quality. The average portfolio duration of this Fund varies based on PIMCO's market forecasts and, under normal market conditions, is not expected to exceed eight years. Duration is a measure used to determine the sensitivity of a security's price to changes in interest rates. The longer a security's duration, the more sensitive it will be to changes in interest rates.

The Fund may invest, without limitation, in derivative instruments, such as options, futures contracts or swap agreements, or in mortgage- or asset-

 



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backed securities, subject to applicable law and any other restrictions described in the Fund's prospectus or Statement of Additional Information. The Fund may purchase or sell securities on a when-issued, delayed delivery or forward commitment basis and may engage in short sales. The Fund may, without limitation, seek to obtain market exposure to the securities in which it primarily invests by entering into a series of purchase and sale contracts or by using other investment techniques (such as buy backs or dollar rolls). The "total return" sought by the Fund consists of income earned on the Fund's investments, plus capital appreciation, if any, which generally arises from decreases in interest rates, foreign currency appreciation or improving credit fundamentals for a particular sector or security.

Principal Risks

It is possible to lose money on an investment in the Fund. The principal risks of investing in the Fund, which could adversely affect its net asset value, yield and total return are listed below.

Interest Rate Risk: the risk that fixed income securities will decline in value because of an increase in interest rates; a fund with a longer average portfolio duration will be more sensitive to changes in interest rates than a fund with a shorter average portfolio duration

Call Risk: the risk that an issuer may exercise its right to redeem a fixed income security earlier than expected (a call). Issuers may call outstanding securities prior to their maturity for a number of reasons (e.g., declining interest rates, changes in credit spreads and improvements in the issuer's credit quality). If an issuer calls a security that the Fund has invested in, the Fund may not recoup the full amount of its initial investment and may be forced to reinvest in lower-yielding securities, securities with greater credit risks or securities with other, less favorable features

Credit Risk: the risk that the Fund could lose money if the issuer or guarantor of a fixed income security, or the counterparty to a derivative contract, is unable or unwilling to meet its financial obligations

High Yield Risk: the risk that high yield securities and unrated securities of similar credit quality (commonly known as "junk bonds") are subject to greater levels of credit, call and liquidity risks. High yield securities are considered primarily speculative with respect to the issuer's continuing ability to make principal and interest payments, and may be more volatile than higher-rated securities of similar maturity

Market Risk: the risk that the value of securities owned by the Fund may go up or down, sometimes rapidly or unpredictably, due to factors affecting securities markets generally or particular industries

Issuer Risk: the risk that the value of a security may decline for a reason directly related to the issuer, such as management performance, financial leverage and reduced demand for the issuer's goods or services

Liquidity Risk: the risk that a particular investment may be difficult to purchase or sell and that the Fund may be unable to sell illiquid securities at an advantageous time or price or achieve its desired level of exposure to a certain sector. Liquidity risk may result from the lack of an active market, reduced number and capacity of traditional market participants to make a market in fixed income securities, and may be magnified in a rising interest rate environment or other circumstances where investor redemptions from fixed income mutual funds may be higher than normal, causing increased supply in the market due to selling activity

Derivatives Risk: the risk of investing in derivative instruments (such as futures, swaps and structured securities), including leverage, liquidity, interest rate, market, credit and management risks, mispricing or valuation complexity. Changes in the value of the derivative may not correlate perfectly with, and may be more sensitive to market events than, the underlying asset, rate or index, and the Fund could lose more than the initial amount invested. The Fund's use of derivatives may result in losses to the Fund, a reduction in the Fund's returns and/or increased volatility. Over-the-counter ("OTC") derivatives are also subject to the risk that a counterparty to the transaction will not fulfill its contractual obligations to the other party, as many of the protections afforded to centrally-cleared derivative transactions might not be available for OTC derivatives. For derivatives traded on an exchange or through a central counterparty, credit risk resides with the Fund's clearing broker, or the clearinghouse itself, rather than with a counterparty in an OTC derivative transaction. Changes in regulation relating to a mutual fund's use of derivatives and related instruments could potentially limit or impact the Fund's ability to invest in derivatives, limit the Fund's ability to employ certain strategies that use derivatives and/or adversely affect the value of derivatives and the Fund's performance

Equity Risk: the risk that the value of equity securities, such as common stocks and preferred securities, may decline due to general market conditions which are not specifically related to a particular company or to factors affecting a particular industry or industries. Equity securities generally have greater price volatility than fixed income securities

Mortgage-Related and Other Asset-Backed Securities Risk: the risks of investing in mortgage-related and other asset-backed securities, including interest rate risk, extension risk, prepayment risk and credit risk

Foreign (Non-U.S.) Investment Risk: the risk that investing in foreign (non-U.S.) securities may result in the Fund experiencing more rapid and extreme changes in value than a fund that invests exclusively in securities of U.S. companies, due to smaller markets, differing reporting, accounting and auditing standards, increased risk of delayed settlement of portfolio transactions or loss of certificates of portfolio securities, and the risk of unfavorable foreign government actions, including nationalization, expropriation or confiscatory taxation, currency blockage, or political changes or diplomatic developments. Foreign securities may also be less liquid and more difficult to value than securities of U.S. issuers

Emerging Markets Risk: the risk of investing in emerging market securities, primarily increased foreign (non-U.S.) investment risk

Sovereign Debt Risk: the risk that investments in fixed income instruments issued by sovereign entities may decline in value as a result of default or other adverse credit event resulting from an issuer's inability or unwillingness to make principal or interest payments in a timely fashion

Currency Risk: the risk that foreign (non-U.S.) currencies will change in value relative to the U.S. dollar and affect the Fund's investments in foreign (non-U.S.) currencies or in securities that trade in, and receive revenues in, or in derivatives that provide exposure to, foreign (non-U.S.) currencies

 

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Leveraging Risk: the risk that certain transactions of the Fund, such as reverse repurchase agreements, loans of portfolio securities, and the use of when-issued, delayed delivery or forward commitment transactions, or derivative instruments, may give rise to leverage, magnifying gains and losses and causing the Fund to be more volatile than if it had not been leveraged. This means that leverage entails a heightened risk of loss

Management Risk: the risk that the investment techniques and risk analyses applied by PIMCO will not produce the desired results and that legislative, regulatory, or tax restrictions, policies or developments may affect the investment techniques available to PIMCO and the individual portfolio manager in connection with managing the Fund. There is no guarantee that the investment objective of the Fund will be achieved

Short Exposure Risk: the risk of entering into short sales, including the potential loss of more money than the actual cost of the investment, and the risk that the third party to the short sale will not fulfill its contractual obligations, causing a loss to the Fund

Please see "Description of Principal Risks" in the Fund's prospectus for a more detailed description of the risks of investing in the Fund. An investment in the Fund is not a deposit of a bank and is not insured or guaranteed by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation or any other government agency.

Performance Information

The performance information shows summary performance information for the Fund in a bar chart and an Average Annual Total Returns table. The information provides some indication of the risks of investing in the Fund by showing changes in its performance from year to year and by showing how the Fund's average annual returns compare with the returns of a primary and a secondary broad-based securities market index and an index of similar funds. Absent any applicable fee waivers and/or expense limitations, performance would have been lower. The bar chart shows performance of the Fund's Institutional Class shares. Performance for Class A and Class C shares in the Average Annual Total Returns table reflects the impact of sales charges. The Fund's past performance, before and after taxes, is not necessarily an indication of how the Fund will perform in the future.

The Fund measures its performance against a primary benchmark and a secondary benchmark. Effective September 29, 2017, the Fund's primary benchmark is the Bloomberg Barclays Global Aggregate (USD Unhedged) Index, which provides a broad-based measure of the global investment-grade fixed income markets. The three major components of this index are the U.S. Aggregate, the Pan-European Aggregate, and the Asian-Pacific Aggregate Indices. The index also includes Eurodollar and Euro-Yen corporate bonds, Canadian Government securities, and USD investment grade 144A securities. It is not possible to invest directly in an unmanaged index. Prior to September 29, 2017, the Fund's primary benchmark was the Bloomberg Barclays U.S. Aggregate Index, which represents securities that are SEC-registered, taxable and dollar denominated. The index covers the U.S. investment-grade fixed rate bond market, with index components for government and corporate securities, mortgage pass-through securities, and asset-backed securities. These major sectors are subdivided into more specific indices that are calculated and reported on a regular basis. The Fund believes that the new primary benchmark better aligns with the Fund's investment strategy. The Fund's secondary benchmark index, PIMCO Global Advantage Bond Index® ("GLADI") (USD Partially Hedged), is a diversified global index that covers a wide spectrum of global fixed income opportunities and sectors, from developed to emerging markets, nominal to real asset, and cash to derivative instruments. Unlike traditional indices, which are frequently comprised of bonds weighted according to their market capitalization, GLADI uses GDP weighting which puts an emphasis on faster-growing areas of the world and thus makes the index forward-looking in nature. This contrasts with traditional market capitalization-weighted indices, which emphasize past debt issuance and are therefore backward-looking. GDP weighting also tends to lead to counter-cyclical rebalancing—as bond prices tend to be inversely related to GDP growth rates—and avoids some of the disadvantages of traditional market-cap weighted indices, such as allocating too heavily toward overpriced securities, government debt, and large debt issuers. The Fund believes that the secondary benchmark reflects the Fund's investment strategy more accurately than the Bloomberg Barclays Global Aggregate (USD Unhedged) Index. The Lipper Global Income Funds Average is a total return performance average of funds tracked by Lipper, Inc. that invest primarily in U.S. dollar and non-U.S. dollar debt securities of issuers located in at least three countries, one of which may be the United States.

Performance for the Fund is updated daily and quarterly and may be obtained as follows: daily updates on the net asset value and performance page at http://investments.pimco.com/DailyPerformance and quarterly updates at http://investments.pimco.com/QuarterlyPerformance.

Calendar Year Total Returns — Institutional Class*
   [To be updated by subsequent amendment]



*The year-to-date return as of June 30, 2018 is [ ]%. For the periods shown in the bar chart, the highest quarterly return was [ ]% in the [ ], and the lowest quarterly return was [ ]% in the [ ].

 

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PIMCO Global Advantage® Strategy Bond Fund

Average Annual Total Returns (for periods ended 12/31/17)

 

1 Year

5 Years

Since Inception (02/05/2009)

Institutional Class Return Before Taxes

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

Institutional Class Return After Taxes on Distributions‌(1)

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

Institutional Class Return After Taxes on Distributions and Sales of Fund Shares‌(1)

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

I-2 Return Before Taxes

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

Class A Return Before Taxes

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

Class C Return Before Taxes

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

Bloomberg Barclays Global Aggregate (USD Unhedged) Index (reflects no deductions for fees, expenses or taxes)

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

Bloomberg Barclays U.S. Aggregate Index (reflects no deductions for fees, expenses or taxes)

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

PIMCO Global Advantage Bond Index® (GLADI) (USD, Partially Hedged) (reflects no deductions for fees, expenses or taxes)

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

 

Lipper Global Income Funds Average (reflects no deductions for taxes)

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

(1) After-tax returns are calculated using the highest historical individual federal marginal income tax rates and do not reflect the impact of state and local taxes. Actual after-tax returns depend on an investor's tax situation and may differ from those shown, and the after-tax returns shown are not relevant to investors who hold their Fund shares through tax-deferred arrangements, such as 401(k) plans or individual retirement accounts. In some cases the return after taxes may exceed the return before taxes due to an assumed tax benefit from any losses on a sale of Fund shares at the end of the measurement period. After-tax returns are for Institutional Class shares only. After-tax returns for other classes will vary.

Investment Adviser/Portfolio Manager

PIMCO serves as the investment adviser for the Fund. The Fund's portfolio is jointly managed by Andrew Balls, Sachin Gupta and Pramol Dhawan. Mr. Balls is CIO Global and a Managing Director of PIMCO and he has managed the Fund since October 2011. Mr. Gupta is a Managing Director of PIMCO and he has managed the Fund since September 2014. Mr. Dhawan is an Executive Vice President of PIMCO and he has managed the Fund since August 2017.

Other Important Information Regarding Fund Shares

For important information about purchase and sale of Fund shares, tax information, and payments to broker-dealers and other financial intermediaries, please turn to the "Summary of Other Important Information Regarding Fund Shares" section on page [ ] of this prospectus.

 

24     

PROSPECTUS | PIMCO FUNDS     


 

Table of Contents

PIMCO Global Bond Opportunities Fund (Unhedged)

Investment Objective

The Fund seeks maximum total return, consistent with preservation of capital and prudent investment management.

Fees and Expenses of the Fund

This table describes the fees and expenses that you may pay if you buy and hold shares of the Fund:

Shareholder Fees (fees paid directly from your investment):

 

Inst
Class

Admin
Class

Class A

Maximum Sales Charge (Load) Imposed on Purchases (as a percentage of offering price)

None

None

3.75%

Maximum Deferred Sales Charge (Load) (as a percentage of the lower of the original purchase price or redemption price)

None

None

1.00%

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

 

Inst
Class

Admin
Class

Class A

Management Fees

0.55%

0.55%

0.70%

Distribution and/or Service (12b-1) Fees

N/A

0.25%

0.25%

Other Expenses(1)

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

 

1 1"Other Expenses" include interest expense of [ ]%. Interest expense is borne by the Fund separately from the management fees paid to PIMCO. Excluding interest expense, Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses are [ ]%, [ ]% and [ ]% for Institutional Class, Administrative Class and Class A shares, respectively.

Example. The Example is intended to help you compare the cost of investing in Institutional Class, Administrative Class or Class A shares of the Fund with the costs of investing in other mutual funds. The Example assumes that you invest $10,000 in the noted class of shares for the time periods indicated, and then redeem all 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. Investors may pay brokerage commissions on their purchases and sales of Institutional Class shares of the Fund, which are not reflected in the Example. Although your actual costs may be higher or lower, based on these assumptions your costs would be:

If you redeem your shares at the end of each period:

 

1 Year

3 Years

5 Years

10 Years

Institutional Class

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

Administrative Class

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

Class A

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

If you do not redeem your shares:

 

1 Year

3 Years

5 Years

10 Years

Class A

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

Portfolio Turnover

The Fund pays transaction costs 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 the Annual Fund Operating Expenses or in the Example tables, affect the Fund's performance. During the most recent fiscal year, the Fund's portfolio turnover rate was [ ]% of the average value of its portfolio.

Principal Investment Strategies

The Fund seeks to achieve its investment objective by investing under normal circumstances at least 80% of its assets in Fixed Income Instruments that are economically tied to at least three countries (one of which may be the United States), which may be represented by forwards or derivatives such as options, future contracts or swap agreements. "Fixed Income Instruments" include bonds, debt securities and other similar instruments issued by various U.S. and non-U.S. public- or private-sector entities. Securities may be denominated in major foreign currencies or the U.S. dollar.

PIMCO selects the Fund's foreign country and currency compositions based on an evaluation of various factors, including, but not limited to, relative interest rates, exchange rates, monetary and fiscal policies, trade and current account balances. The Fund may invest, without limitation, in securities and instruments that are economically tied to emerging market countries. The Fund normally invests at least 25% of its net assets in instruments that are economically tied to foreign (non-U.S.) countries. The average portfolio duration of this Fund normally varies between two and eight years. Duration is a measure used to determine the sensitivity of a security's price to changes in interest rates. The longer a security's duration, the more sensitive it will be to changes in interest rates. The Fund invests primarily in investment grade securities, but may invest up to 20% of its total assets in high yield securities ("junk bonds"), as rated by Moody's Investors Service, Inc. ("Moody's"), Standard & Poor's Ratings Services ("S&P") or Fitch, Inc. ("Fitch"), or, if unrated, as determined by PIMCO. The Fund is non-diversified, which means that it may invest its assets in a smaller number of issuers than a diversified fund.

The Fund may invest, without limitation, in derivative instruments, such as options, futures contracts or swap agreements, or in mortgage- or asset-backed securities, subject to applicable law and any other restrictions described in the Fund's prospectus or Statement of Additional Information. The Fund may purchase or sell securities on a when-issued, delayed delivery or forward commitment basis and may engage in short sales. The Fund may, without limitation, seek to obtain market exposure to the securities in which it primarily invests by entering into a series of purchase and sale contracts or by using other investment techniques (such as buy backs or dollar rolls). The "total return" sought by the Fund consists of income earned on the Fund's investments, plus capital appreciation, if any, which generally arises from decreases in interest rates, foreign currency appreciation, or improving credit fundamentals for a particular sector or security. The Fund may also invest up to 10% of its total assets in preferred securities.

Principal Risks

It is possible to lose money on an investment in the Fund. The principal risks of investing in the Fund, which could adversely affect its net asset value, yield and total return are listed below.

 



PIMCO FUNDS | PROSPECTUS

25


 

Table of Contents

PIMCO Global Bond Opportunities Fund (Unhedged)

Interest Rate Risk: the risk that fixed income securities will decline in value because of an increase in interest rates; a fund with a longer average portfolio duration will be more sensitive to changes in interest rates than a fund with a shorter average portfolio duration

Call Risk: the risk that an issuer may exercise its right to redeem a fixed income security earlier than expected (a call). Issuers may call outstanding securities prior to their maturity for a number of reasons (e.g., declining interest rates, changes in credit spreads and improvements in the issuer's credit quality). If an issuer calls a security that the Fund has invested in, the Fund may not recoup the full amount of its initial investment and may be forced to reinvest in lower-yielding securities, securities with greater credit risks or securities with other, less favorable features

Credit Risk: the risk that the Fund could lose money if the issuer or guarantor of a fixed income security, or the counterparty to a derivative contract, is unable or unwilling to meet its financial obligations

High Yield Risk: the risk that high yield securities and unrated securities of similar credit quality (commonly known as "junk bonds") are subject to greater levels of credit, call and liquidity risks. High yield securities are considered primarily speculative with respect to the issuer's continuing ability to make principal and interest payments, and may be more volatile than higher-rated securities of similar maturity

Market Risk: the risk that the value of securities owned by the Fund may go up or down, sometimes rapidly or unpredictably, due to factors affecting securities markets generally or particular industries

Issuer Risk: the risk that the value of a security may decline for a reason directly related to the issuer, such as management performance, financial leverage and reduced demand for the issuer's goods or services

Liquidity Risk: the risk that a particular investment may be difficult to purchase or sell and that the Fund may be unable to sell illiquid securities at an advantageous time or price or achieve its desired level of exposure to a certain sector. Liquidity risk may result from the lack of an active market, reduced number and capacity of traditional market participants to make a market in fixed income securities, and may be magnified in a rising interest rate environment or other circumstances where investor redemptions from fixed income mutual funds may be higher than normal, causing increased supply in the market due to selling activity

Derivatives Risk: the risk of investing in derivative instruments (such as futures, swaps and structured securities), including leverage, liquidity, interest rate, market, credit and management risks, mispricing or valuation complexity. Changes in the value of the derivative may not correlate perfectly with, and may be more sensitive to market events than, the underlying asset, rate or index, and the Fund could lose more than the initial amount invested. The Fund's use of derivatives may result in losses to the Fund, a reduction in the Fund's returns and/or increased volatility. Over-the-counter ("OTC") derivatives are also subject to the risk that a counterparty to the transaction will not fulfill its contractual obligations to the other party, as many of the protections afforded to centrally-cleared derivative transactions might not be available for OTC derivatives. For derivatives traded on an exchange or through a central counterparty, credit risk resides with the Fund's clearing broker, or the clearinghouse itself, rather than with a counterparty in an OTC derivative transaction. Changes in regulation relating to a mutual fund's use of derivatives and related instruments could potentially limit or impact the Fund's ability to invest in derivatives, limit the Fund's ability to employ certain strategies that use derivatives and/or adversely affect the value of derivatives and the Fund's performance

Equity Risk: the risk that the value of equity securities, such as common stocks and preferred securities, may decline due to general market conditions which are not specifically related to a particular company or to factors affecting a particular industry or industries. Equity securities generally have greater price volatility than fixed income securities

Mortgage-Related and Other Asset-Backed Securities Risk: the risks of investing in mortgage-related and other asset-backed securities, including interest rate risk, extension risk, prepayment risk and credit risk

Foreign (Non-U.S.) Investment Risk: the risk that investing in foreign (non-U.S.) securities may result in the Fund experiencing more rapid and extreme changes in value than a fund that invests exclusively in securities of U.S. companies, due to smaller markets, differing reporting, accounting and auditing standards, increased risk of delayed settlement of portfolio transactions or loss of certificates of portfolio securities, and the risk of unfavorable foreign government actions, including nationalization, expropriation or confiscatory taxation, currency blockage, or political changes or diplomatic developments. Foreign securities may also be less liquid and more difficult to value than securities of U.S. issuers

Emerging Markets Risk: the risk of investing in emerging market securities, primarily increased foreign (non-U.S.) investment risk

Sovereign Debt Risk: the risk that investments in fixed income instruments issued by sovereign entities may decline in value as a result of default or other adverse credit event resulting from an issuer's inability or unwillingness to make principal or interest payments in a timely fashion

Currency Risk: the risk that foreign (non-U.S.) currencies will change in value relative to the U.S. dollar and affect the Fund's investments in foreign (non-U.S.) currencies or in securities that trade in, and receive revenues in, or in derivatives that provide exposure to, foreign (non-U.S.) currencies

Issuer Non-Diversification Risk: the risk of focusing investments in a small number of issuers, including being more susceptible to risks associated with a single economic, political or regulatory occurrence than a more diversified portfolio might be. Funds that are "non-diversified" may invest a greater percentage of their assets in the securities of a single issuer (such as bonds issued by a particular state) than funds that are "diversified"

Leveraging Risk: the risk that certain transactions of the Fund, such as reverse repurchase agreements, loans of portfolio securities, and the use of when-issued, delayed delivery or forward commitment transactions, or derivative instruments, may give rise to leverage, magnifying gains and losses and causing the Fund to be more volatile than if it had not been leveraged. This means that leverage entails a heightened risk of loss

Management Risk: the risk that the investment techniques and risk analyses applied by PIMCO will not produce the desired results and that legislative, regulatory, or tax restrictions, policies or developments may affect the investment techniques available to PIMCO and the individual

 

26     

PROSPECTUS | PIMCO FUNDS     


 

Table of Contents

Prospectus

portfolio manager in connection with managing the Fund. There is no guarantee that the investment objective of the Fund will be achieved

Short Exposure Risk: the risk of entering into short sales, including the potential loss of more money than the actual cost of the investment, and the risk that the third party to the short sale will not fulfill its contractual obligations, causing a loss to the Fund

Please see "Description of Principal Risks" in the Fund's prospectus for a more detailed description of the risks of investing in the Fund. An investment in the Fund is not a deposit of a bank and is not insured or guaranteed by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation or any other government agency.

Performance Information

The performance information shows summary performance information for the Fund in a bar chart and an Average Annual Total Returns table. The information provides some indication of the risks of investing in the Fund by showing changes in its performance from year to year and by showing how the Fund's average annual returns compare with the returns of a broad-based securities market index and an index of similar funds. Absent any applicable fee waivers and/or expense limitations, performance would have been lower. The bar chart shows performance of the Fund's Institutional Class shares. The Class A shares of the Fund have not commenced operations as of the date of this prospectus. The Fund's past performance, before and after taxes, is not necessarily an indication of how the Fund will perform in the future.

The Fund's broad-based securities market index is the Bloomberg Barclays Global Aggregate (USD Unhedged) Index. The Bloomberg Barclays Global Aggregate (USD Unhedged) Index provides a broad-based measure of the global investment-grade fixed income markets. The three major components of this index are the U.S. Aggregate, the Pan-European Aggregate, and the Asian-Pacific Aggregate Indices. The index also includes Eurodollar and Euro-Yen corporate bonds, Canadian Government securities, and USD investment grade 144A securities. It is not possible to invest directly in an unmanaged index. The Fund's new broad-based securities market index was selected as its use is more closely aligned with the Fund's principal investment strategies. The Lipper Global Income Funds Average is a total return performance average of funds tracked by Lipper, Inc. that invest primarily in U.S. dollar and non-U.S. dollar debt securities of issuers located in at least three countries, one of which may be the United States.

Performance for the Fund is updated daily and quarterly and may be obtained as follows: daily updates on the net asset value and performance page at http://investments.pimco.com/DailyPerformance and quarterly updates at http://investments.pimco.com/QuarterlyPerformance.

Calendar Year Total Returns — Institutional Class*
   [To be updated by subsequent amendment]



*The year-to-date return as of June 30, 2018 is [ ]%. For the periods shown in the bar chart, the highest quarterly return was [ ]% in the [ ], and the lowest quarterly return was [ ]% in the [ ].

Average Annual Total Returns (for periods ended 12/31/17)

 

1 Year

5 Years

10 Years

Institutional Class Return Before Taxes

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

Institutional Class Return After Taxes on Distributions‌(1)

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

Institutional Class Return After Taxes on Distributions and Sales of Fund Shares‌(1)

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

Administrative Class Return Before Taxes

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

Bloomberg Barclays Global Aggregate (USD Unhedged) Index (reflects no deductions for fees, expenses or taxes)

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

 

Lipper Global Income Funds Average (reflects no deductions for taxes)

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

(1) After-tax returns are calculated using the highest historical individual federal marginal income tax rates and do not reflect the impact of state and local taxes. Actual after-tax returns depend on an investor's tax situation and may differ from those shown, and the after-tax returns shown are not relevant to investors who hold their Fund shares through tax-deferred arrangements, such as 401(k) plans or individual retirement accounts. In some cases the return after taxes may exceed the return before taxes due to an assumed tax benefit from any losses on a sale of Fund shares at the end of the measurement period. After-tax returns are for Institutional Class shares only. After-tax returns for other classes will vary.

Investment Adviser/Portfolio Manager

PIMCO serves as the investment adviser for the Fund. The Fund's portfolio is jointly managed by Andrew Balls, Sachin Gupta and Lorenzo Pagani. Mr. Balls is CIO Global and a Managing Director of PIMCO. Mr. Gupta and Dr. Pagani are Managing Directors of PIMCO. Messrs. Balls and Gupta and Dr. Pagani have jointly managed the Fund since September 2014.

 

[ ] | PROSPECTUS

27


 

Table of Contents

PIMCO Global Bond Opportunities Fund (Unhedged)

Other Important Information Regarding Fund Shares

For important information about purchase and sale of Fund shares, tax information, and payments to broker-dealers and other financial intermediaries, please turn to the "Summary of Other Important Information Regarding Fund Shares" section on page [ ] of this prospectus.

 

28     

PROSPECTUS | PIMCO FUNDS     


 

Table of Contents

PIMCO Global Bond Opportunities Fund (U.S. Dollar-Hedged)

Investment Objective

The Fund seeks maximum total return, consistent with preservation of capital.

Fees and Expenses of the Fund

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 $100,000 in Class A shares of eligible funds offered by PIMCO Equity Series and PIMCO Funds. More information about these and other discounts is available in the "Classes of Shares" section on page [ ] of the Fund's prospectus, Appendix B to the Fund's prospectus (Financial Firm-Specific Sales Charge Waivers and Discounts) or from your financial advisor.

Shareholder Fees (fees paid directly from your investment):

 

Inst
Class

I-2

Admin
Class

Class A

Class C

Maximum Sales Charge (Load) Imposed on Purchases (as a percentage of offering price)

None

None

None

3.75%

None

Maximum Deferred Sales Charge (Load) (as a percentage of the lower of the original purchase price or redemption price)

None

None

None

1.00%

1.00%

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

 

Inst
Class

I-2

Admin
Class

Class A

Class C

Management Fees

0.55%

0.65%

0.55%

0.65%

0.65%

Distribution and/or Service (12b-1) Fees

N/A

N/A

0.25%

0.25%

1.00%

Other Expenses(1)

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

1 "Other Expenses" include interest expense of [ ]%. Interest expense is borne by the Fund separately from the management fees paid to PIMCO. Excluding interest expense, Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses are [ ]%, [ ]%, [ ]%, [ ]% and [ ]% for Institutional Class, I-2, Administrative Class, Class A and Class C shares, respectively.

Example. The Example is intended to help you compare the cost of investing in Institutional Class, I-2, Administrative Class, Class A or Class C shares of the Fund with the costs of investing in other mutual funds. The Example assumes that you invest $10,000 in the noted class of shares for the time periods indicated, and then redeem all 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. Investors may pay brokerage commissions on their purchases and sales of Institutional Class shares or I-2 shares of the Fund, which are not reflected in the Example. Although your actual costs may be higher or lower, based on these assumptions your costs would be:

If you redeem your shares at the end of each period:

 

1 Year

3 Years

5 Years

10 Years

Institutional Class

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

I-2

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

Administrative Class

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

Class A

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

Class C

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

If you do not redeem your shares:

 

1 Year

3 Years

5 Years

10 Years

Class A

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

Class C

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

Portfolio Turnover

The Fund pays transaction costs 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 the Annual Fund Operating Expenses or in the Example tables, affect the Fund's performance. During the most recent fiscal year, the Fund's portfolio turnover rate was [ ]% of the average value of its portfolio.

Principal Investment Strategies

The Fund seeks to achieve its investment objective by investing under normal circumstances at least 80% of its assets in Fixed Income Instruments that are economically tied to at least three countries (one of which may be the United States), which may be represented by forwards or derivatives such as options, futures contracts or swap agreements. Securities may be denominated in major foreign currencies or the U.S. dollar. "Fixed Income Instruments" include bonds, debt securities and other similar instruments issued by various U.S. and non-U.S. public- or private-sector entities. The Fund will normally limit its foreign currency exposure (from non-U.S. dollar-denominated securities or currencies) to 20% of its total assets.

PIMCO selects the Fund's foreign country and currency compositions based on an evaluation of various factors, including, but not limited to, relative interest rates, exchange rates, monetary and fiscal policies, trade and current account balances. The Fund may invest, without limitation, in securities and instruments that are economically tied to emerging market countries. The Fund normally invests at least 25% of its net assets in instruments that are economically tied to foreign (non-U.S.) countries. The average portfolio duration of this Fund normally varies between two and eight years. Duration is a measure used to determine the sensitivity of a security's price to changes in interest rates. The longer a security's duration, the more sensitive it will be to changes in interest rates. The Fund invests primarily in investment grade debt securities, but may invest up to 20% of its total assets in high yield securities ("junk bonds"), as rated by Moody's Investors Service, Inc. ("Moody's"), Standard & Poor's Ratings Services ("S&P") or Fitch, Inc. ("Fitch"), or, if unrated, as determined by PIMCO. The Fund is non-diversified, which means that it may invest its assets in a smaller number of issuers than a diversified fund.

 



PIMCO FUNDS | PROSPECTUS

29


 

Table of Contents

PIMCO Global Bond Opportunities Fund (U.S. Dollar-Hedged)

The Fund may invest, without limitation, in derivative instruments, such as options, futures contracts or swap agreements, or in mortgage- or asset-backed securities, subject to applicable law and any other restrictions described in the Fund's prospectus or Statement of Additional Information. The Fund may purchase or sell securities on a when-issued, delayed delivery or forward commitment basis and may engage in short sales. The Fund may, without limitation, seek to obtain market exposure to the securities in which it primarily invests by entering into a series of purchase and sale contracts or by using other investment techniques (such as buy backs or dollar rolls). The "total return" sought by the Fund consists of income earned on the Fund's investments, plus capital appreciation, if any, which generally arises from decreases in interest rates, foreign currency appreciation, or improving credit fundamentals for a particular sector or security. The Fund may also invest up to 10% of its total assets in preferred securities.

Principal Risks

It is possible to lose money on an investment in the Fund. The principal risks of investing in the Fund, which could adversely affect its net asset value, yield and total return are listed below.

Interest Rate Risk: the risk that fixed income securities will decline in value because of an increase in interest rates; a fund with a longer average portfolio duration will be more sensitive to changes in interest rates than a fund with a shorter average portfolio duration

Call Risk: the risk that an issuer may exercise its right to redeem a fixed income security earlier than expected (a call). Issuers may call outstanding securities prior to their maturity for a number of reasons (e.g., declining interest rates, changes in credit spreads and improvements in the issuer's credit quality). If an issuer calls a security that the Fund has invested in, the Fund may not recoup the full amount of its initial investment and may be forced to reinvest in lower-yielding securities, securities with greater credit risks or securities with other, less favorable features

Credit Risk: the risk that the Fund could lose money if the issuer or guarantor of a fixed income security, or the counterparty to a derivative contract, is unable or unwilling to meet its financial obligations

High Yield Risk: the risk that high yield securities and unrated securities of similar credit quality (commonly known as "junk bonds") are subject to greater levels of credit, call and liquidity risks. High yield securities are considered primarily speculative with respect to the issuer's continuing ability to make principal and interest payments, and may be more volatile than higher-rated securities of similar maturity

Market Risk: the risk that the value of securities owned by the Fund may go up or down, sometimes rapidly or unpredictably, due to factors affecting securities markets generally or particular industries

Issuer Risk: the risk that the value of a security may decline for a reason directly related to the issuer, such as management performance, financial leverage and reduced demand for the issuer's goods or services

Liquidity Risk: the risk that a particular investment may be difficult to purchase or sell and that the Fund may be unable to sell illiquid securities at an advantageous time or price or achieve its desired level of exposure to a certain sector. Liquidity risk may result from the lack of an active market, reduced number and capacity of traditional market participants to make a market in fixed income securities, and may be magnified in a rising interest rate environment or other circumstances where investor redemptions from fixed income mutual funds may be higher than normal, causing increased supply in the market due to selling activity

Derivatives Risk: the risk of investing in derivative instruments (such as futures, swaps and structured securities), including leverage, liquidity, interest rate, market, credit and management risks, mispricing or valuation complexity. Changes in the value of the derivative may not correlate perfectly with, and may be more sensitive to market events than, the underlying asset, rate or index, and the Fund could lose more than the initial amount invested. The Fund's use of derivatives may result in losses to the Fund, a reduction in the Fund's returns and/or increased volatility. Over-the-counter ("OTC") derivatives are also subject to the risk that a counterparty to the transaction will not fulfill its contractual obligations to the other party, as many of the protections afforded to centrally-cleared derivative transactions might not be available for OTC derivatives. For derivatives traded on an exchange or through a central counterparty, credit risk resides with the Fund's clearing broker, or the clearinghouse itself, rather than with a counterparty in an OTC derivative transaction. Changes in regulation relating to a mutual fund's use of derivatives and related instruments could potentially limit or impact the Fund's ability to invest in derivatives, limit the Fund's ability to employ certain strategies that use derivatives and/or adversely affect the value of derivatives and the Fund's performance

Equity Risk: the risk that the value of equity securities, such as common stocks and preferred securities, may decline due to general market conditions which are not specifically related to a particular company or to factors affecting a particular industry or industries. Equity securities generally have greater price volatility than fixed income securities

Mortgage-Related and Other Asset-Backed Securities Risk: the risks of investing in mortgage-related and other asset-backed securities, including interest rate risk, extension risk, prepayment risk and credit risk

Foreign (Non-U.S.) Investment Risk: the risk that investing in foreign (non-U.S.) securities may result in the Fund experiencing more rapid and extreme changes in value than a fund that invests exclusively in securities of U.S. companies, due to smaller markets, differing reporting, accounting and auditing standards, increased risk of delayed settlement of portfolio transactions or loss of certificates of portfolio securities, and the risk of unfavorable foreign government actions, including nationalization, expropriation or confiscatory taxation, currency blockage, or political changes or diplomatic developments. Foreign securities may also be less liquid and more difficult to value than securities of U.S. issuers

Emerging Markets Risk: the risk of investing in emerging market securities, primarily increased foreign (non-U.S.) investment risk

Sovereign Debt Risk: the risk that investments in fixed income instruments issued by sovereign entities may decline in value as a result of default or other adverse credit event resulting from an issuer's inability or unwillingness to make principal or interest payments in a timely fashion

Currency Risk: the risk that foreign (non-U.S.) currencies will change in value relative to the U.S. dollar and affect the Fund's investments in foreign

 

30     

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Table of Contents

Prospectus

(non-U.S.) currencies or in securities that trade in, and receive revenues in, or in derivatives that provide exposure to, foreign (non-U.S.) currencies

Issuer Non-Diversification Risk: the risk of focusing investments in a small number of issuers, including being more susceptible to risks associated with a single economic, political or regulatory occurrence than a more diversified portfolio might be. Funds that are "non-diversified" may invest a greater percentage of their assets in the securities of a single issuer (such as bonds issued by a particular state) than funds that are "diversified"

Leveraging Risk: the risk that certain transactions of the Fund, such as reverse repurchase agreements, loans of portfolio securities, and the use of when-issued, delayed delivery or forward commitment transactions, or derivative instruments, may give rise to leverage, magnifying gains and losses and causing the Fund to be more volatile than if it had not been leveraged. This means that leverage entails a heightened risk of loss

Management Risk: the risk that the investment techniques and risk analyses applied by PIMCO will not produce the desired results and that legislative, regulatory, or tax restrictions, policies or developments may affect the investment techniques available to PIMCO and the individual portfolio manager in connection with managing the Fund. There is no guarantee that the investment objective of the Fund will be achieved

Short Exposure Risk: the risk of entering into short sales, including the potential loss of more money than the actual cost of the investment, and the risk that the third party to the short sale will not fulfill its contractual obligations, causing a loss to the Fund

Please see "Description of Principal Risks" in the Fund's prospectus for a more detailed description of the risks of investing in the Fund. An investment in the Fund is not a deposit of a bank and is not insured or guaranteed by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation or any other government agency.

Performance Information

The performance information shows summary performance information for the Fund in a bar chart and an Average Annual Total Returns table. The information provides some indication of the risks of investing in the Fund by showing changes in its performance from year to year and by showing how the Fund's average annual returns compare with the returns of a broad-based securities market index and an index of similar funds. Absent any applicable fee waivers and/or expense limitations, performance would have been lower. The bar chart shows performance of the Fund's Institutional Class shares. For periods prior to the inception date of I-2 shares (April 30, 2008), performance information shown in the table for these classes is based on the performance of the Fund's Institutional Class shares, adjusted to reflect the actual distribution and/or service (12b-1) fees and other expenses paid by these classes of shares. Performance for Class A and Class C shares in the Average Annual Total Returns table reflects the impact of sales charges. The Fund's past performance, before and after taxes, is not necessarily an indication of how the Fund will perform in the future.

The Fund's broad-based securities market index is the Bloomberg Barclays Global Aggregate (USD Hedged) Index. The Bloomberg Barclays Global Aggregate (USD Hedged) Index provides a broad-based measure of the global investment-grade fixed income markets. The three major components of this index are the U.S. Aggregate, the Pan-European Aggregate, and the Asian-Pacific Aggregate Indices. The index also includes Eurodollar and Euro-Yen corporate bonds, Canadian Government securities, and USD investment grade 144A securities. It is not possible to invest directly in an unmanaged index. The Fund's new broad-based securities market index was selected as its use is more closely aligned with the Fund's principal investment strategies. The Lipper Global Income Funds Average is a total return performance average of funds tracked by Lipper, Inc. that invest primarily in U.S. dollar and non-U.S. dollar debt securities of issuers located in at least three countries, one of which may be the United States.

Performance for the Fund is updated daily and quarterly and may be obtained as follows: daily updates on the net asset value and performance page at http://investments.pimco.com/DailyPerformance and quarterly updates at http://investments.pimco.com/QuarterlyPerformance.

Calendar Year Total Returns — Institutional Class*
   [To be updated by subsequent amendment]



*The year-to-date return as of June 30, 2018 is [ ]%. For the periods shown in the bar chart, the highest quarterly return was [ ]% in the [ ], and the lowest quarterly return was [ ]% in the [ ].

Average Annual Total Returns (for periods ended 12/31/17)

 

1 Year

5 Years

10 Years

Institutional Class Return Before Taxes

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

Institutional Class Return After Taxes on Distributions‌(1)

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

Institutional Class Return After Taxes on Distributions and Sales of Fund Shares‌(1)

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

I-2 Return Before Taxes

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

Administrative Class Return Before Taxes

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

Class A Return Before Taxes

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

Class C Return Before Taxes

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

Bloomberg Barclays Global Aggregate (USD Hedged) Index (reflects no deductions for fees, expenses or taxes)

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

 

Lipper Global Income Funds Average (reflects no deductions for taxes)

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

(1) After-tax returns are calculated using the highest historical individual federal marginal income tax rates and do not reflect the impact of state and local taxes. Actual after-tax returns depend on an investor's tax situation and may differ from those shown, and the after-tax returns shown are not relevant to investors who hold their Fund shares through tax-deferred arrangements, such as 401(k) plans or individual retirement accounts. In some cases the return after taxes may exceed the return before taxes due to an assumed tax benefit from any losses on a sale of Fund shares at the end of the measurement period. After-tax returns are for Institutional Class shares only. After-tax returns for other classes will vary.

 

[ ] | PROSPECTUS

31


 

Table of Contents

PIMCO Global Bond Opportunities Fund (U.S. Dollar-Hedged)

Investment Adviser/Portfolio Manager

PIMCO serves as the investment adviser for the Fund. The Fund's portfolio is jointly managed by Andrew Balls, Sachin Gupta and Lorenzo Pagani. Mr. Balls is CIO Global and a Managing Director of PIMCO. Mr. Gupta and Dr. Pagani are Managing Directors of PIMCO. Messrs. Balls and Gupta and Dr. Pagani have jointly managed the Fund since September 2014.

Other Important Information Regarding Fund Shares

For important information about purchase and sale of Fund shares, tax information, and payments to broker-dealers and other financial intermediaries, please turn to the "Summary of Other Important Information Regarding Fund Shares" section on page [ ] of this prospectus.

 

32     

PROSPECTUS | PIMCO FUNDS     


 

Table of Contents

PIMCO International Bond Fund (Unhedged)

Investment Objective

The Fund seeks maximum total return, consistent with preservation of capital and prudent investment management.

Fees and Expenses of the Fund

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 $100,000 in Class A shares of eligible funds offered by PIMCO Equity Series and PIMCO Funds. More information about these and other discounts is available in the "Classes of Shares" section on page [ ] of the Fund's prospectus, Appendix B to the Fund's prospectus (Financial Firm-Specific Sales Charge Waivers and Discounts) or from your financial advisor.

Shareholder Fees (fees paid directly from your investment):

 

Inst
Class

I-2

I-3

Admin
Class

Class A

Class C

Maximum Sales Charge (Load) Imposed on Purchases (as a percentage of offering price)

None

None

None

None

3.75%

None

Maximum Deferred Sales Charge (Load) (as a percentage of the lower of the original purchase price or redemption price)

None

None

None

None

1.00%

1.00%

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

 

Inst
Class

I-2

I-3

Admin
Class

Class A

Class C

Management Fees

0.50%

0.60%

0.70%

0.50%

0.65%

0.65%

Distribution and/or Service (12b-1) Fees

N/A

N/A

N/A

0.25%

0.25%

1.00%

Other Expenses(1)

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

Fee Waiver and/or Expense Reimbursement(2)

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses After Fee Waiver and/or Expense Reimbursement

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

 

1 "Other Expenses" include interest expense of [ ]%. Interest expense is borne by the Fund separately from the management fees paid to Pacific Investment Management Company LLC ("PIMCO"). Excluding interest expense, Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses After Fee Waiver and/or Expense Reimbursement are [ ]%, [ ]%, [ ]%, [ ]%, [ ]% and [ ]% for Institutional Class, I-2, I-3, Administrative Class, Class A and Class C shares, respectively.

2 PIMCO has contractually agreed, through July 31, 2019, to reduce its supervisory and administrative fee for the Fund's I-3 shares by 0.05% of the average daily net assets attributable to I-3 shares of the Fund. This Fee Waiver Agreement renews annually unless terminated by PIMCO upon at least 30 days' prior notice to the end of the contract term.

Example. The Example is intended to help you compare the cost of investing in Institutional Class, I-2, I-3, Administrative Class, Class A or Class C shares of the Fund with the costs of investing in other mutual funds. The Example assumes that you invest $10,000 in the noted class of shares for the time periods indicated, and then redeem all 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. Investors may pay brokerage commissions on their purchases and sales of Institutional Class, I-2 or I-3 shares of the Fund, which are not reflected in the Example. Although your actual costs may be higher or lower, based on these assumptions your costs would be:

If you redeem your shares at the end of each period:

 

1 Year

3 Years

5 Years

10 Years

Institutional Class

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

I-2

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

I-3

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

Administrative Class

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

Class A

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

Class C

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

If you do not redeem your shares:

 

1 Year

3 Years

5 Years

10 Years

Class A

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

Class C

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

Portfolio Turnover

The Fund pays transaction costs 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 the Annual Fund Operating Expenses or in the Example tables, affect the Fund's performance. During the most recent fiscal year, the Fund's portfolio turnover rate was [ ]% of the average value of its portfolio.

Principal Investment Strategies

The Fund seeks to achieve its investment objective by investing under normal circumstances at least 80% of its assets in Fixed Income Instruments. The Fund will invest under normal circumstances in Fixed Income Instruments that are economically tied to at least three non-U.S. countries. The Fund's investments in Fixed Income Instruments may be represented by forwards or derivatives such as options, futures contracts or swap agreements. "Fixed Income Instruments" include bonds, debt securities and other similar instruments issued by various U.S. and non-U.S. public- or private-sector entities.

PIMCO selects the Fund's foreign country and currency compositions based on an evaluation of various factors, including, but not limited to relative interest rates, exchange rates, monetary and fiscal policies, trade and current account balances. The average portfolio duration of this Fund normally varies within three years (plus or minus) of the portfolio duration of the securities comprising the Bloomberg Barclays Global Aggregate ex-USD (USD Unhedged) Index, as calculated by PIMCO, which as of [ ] was [ ] years. Duration is a measure used to determine the sensitivity of a security's price to changes in interest rates. The longer a security's duration, the more sensitive it will be to changes in interest rates. The Fund invests primarily in investment grade debt securities, but may invest up to 10% of its total assets in high yield securities ("junk bonds"), as rated by Moody's Investors Service, Inc. ("Moody's"), Standard & Poor's Ratings Services ("S&P") or Fitch, Inc. ("Fitch"), or, if unrated, as determined by PIMCO. The Fund may

 



PIMCO FUNDS | PROSPECTUS

33


 

Table of Contents

PIMCO International Bond Fund (Unhedged)

invest, without limitation, in securities and instruments that are economically tied to emerging market countries.

The Fund may invest, without limitation, in derivative instruments, such as options, futures contracts or swap agreements, or in mortgage- or asset-backed securities, subject to applicable law and any other restrictions described in the Fund's prospectus or Statement of Additional Information. The Fund may purchase or sell securities on a when-issued, delayed delivery or forward commitment basis and may engage in short sales. The Fund may, without limitation, seek to obtain market exposure to the securities in which it primarily invests by entering into a series of purchase and sale contracts or by using other investment techniques (such as buy backs or dollar rolls). The "total return" sought by the Fund consists of income earned on the Fund's investments, plus capital appreciation, if any, which generally arises from decreases in interest rates, foreign currency appreciation, or improving credit fundamentals for a particular sector or security. The Fund may also invest up to 10% of its total assets in preferred securities.

Principal Risks

It is possible to lose money on an investment in the Fund. The principal risks of investing in the Fund, which could adversely affect its net asset value, yield and total return are listed below.

Interest Rate Risk: the risk that fixed income securities will decline in value because of an increase in interest rates; a fund with a longer average portfolio duration will be more sensitive to changes in interest rates than a fund with a shorter average portfolio duration

Call Risk: the risk that an issuer may exercise its right to redeem a fixed income security earlier than expected (a call). Issuers may call outstanding securities prior to their maturity for a number of reasons (e.g., declining interest rates, changes in credit spreads and improvements in the issuer's credit quality). If an issuer calls a security that the Fund has invested in, the Fund may not recoup the full amount of its initial investment and may be forced to reinvest in lower-yielding securities, securities with greater credit risks or securities with other, less favorable features

Credit Risk: the risk that the Fund could lose money if the issuer or guarantor of a fixed income security, or the counterparty to a derivative contract, is unable or unwilling to meet its financial obligations

High Yield Risk: the risk that high yield securities and unrated securities of similar credit quality (commonly known as "junk bonds") are subject to greater levels of credit, call and liquidity risks. High yield securities are considered primarily speculative with respect to the issuer's continuing ability to make principal and interest payments, and may be more volatile than higher-rated securities of similar maturity

Market Risk: the risk that the value of securities owned by the Fund may go up or down, sometimes rapidly or unpredictably, due to factors affecting securities markets generally or particular industries

Issuer Risk: the risk that the value of a security may decline for a reason directly related to the issuer, such as management performance, financial leverage and reduced demand for the issuer's goods or services

Liquidity Risk: the risk that a particular investment may be difficult to purchase or sell and that the Fund may be unable to sell illiquid securities at an advantageous time or price or achieve its desired level of exposure to a certain sector. Liquidity risk may result from the lack of an active market, reduced number and capacity of traditional market participants to make a market in fixed income securities, and may be magnified in a rising interest rate environment or other circumstances where investor redemptions from fixed income mutual funds may be higher than normal, causing increased supply in the market due to selling activity

Derivatives Risk: the risk of investing in derivative instruments (such as futures, swaps and structured securities), including leverage, liquidity, interest rate, market, credit and management risks, mispricing or valuation complexity. Changes in the value of the derivative may not correlate perfectly with, and may be more sensitive to market events than, the underlying asset, rate or index, and the Fund could lose more than the initial amount invested. The Fund's use of derivatives may result in losses to the Fund, a reduction in the Fund's returns and/or increased volatility. Over-the-counter ("OTC") derivatives are also subject to the risk that a counterparty to the transaction will not fulfill its contractual obligations to the other party, as many of the protections afforded to centrally-cleared derivative transactions might not be available for OTC derivatives. For derivatives traded on an exchange or through a central counterparty, credit risk resides with the Fund's clearing broker, or the clearinghouse itself, rather than with a counterparty in an OTC derivative transaction. Changes in regulation relating to a mutual fund's use of derivatives and related instruments could potentially limit or impact the Fund's ability to invest in derivatives, limit the Fund's ability to employ certain strategies that use derivatives and/or adversely affect the value of derivatives and the Fund's performance

Equity Risk: the risk that the value of equity securities, such as common stocks and preferred securities, may decline due to general market conditions which are not specifically related to a particular company or to factors affecting a particular industry or industries. Equity securities generally have greater price volatility than fixed income securities

Mortgage-Related and Other Asset-Backed Securities Risk: the risks of investing in mortgage-related and other asset-backed securities, including interest rate risk, extension risk, prepayment risk and credit risk

Foreign (Non-U.S.) Investment Risk: the risk that investing in foreign (non-U.S.) securities may result in the Fund experiencing more rapid and extreme changes in value than a fund that invests exclusively in securities of U.S. companies, due to smaller markets, differing reporting, accounting and auditing standards, increased risk of delayed settlement of portfolio transactions or loss of certificates of portfolio securities, and the risk of unfavorable foreign government actions, including nationalization, expropriation or confiscatory taxation, currency blockage, or political changes or diplomatic developments. Foreign securities may also be less liquid and more difficult to value than securities of U.S. issuers

Emerging Markets Risk: the risk of investing in emerging market securities, primarily increased foreign (non-U.S.) investment risk

Sovereign Debt Risk: the risk that investments in fixed income instruments issued by sovereign entities may decline in value as a result of

 

34     

PROSPECTUS | PIMCO FUNDS     


 

Table of Contents

Prospectus

default or other adverse credit event resulting from an issuer's inability or unwillingness to make principal or interest payments in a timely fashion

Currency Risk: the risk that foreign (non-U.S.) currencies will change in value relative to the U.S. dollar and affect the Fund's investments in foreign (non-U.S.) currencies or in securities that trade in, and receive revenues in, or in derivatives that provide exposure to, foreign (non-U.S.) currencies

Leveraging Risk: the risk that certain transactions of the Fund, such as reverse repurchase agreements, loans of portfolio securities, and the use of when-issued, delayed delivery or forward commitment transactions, or derivative instruments, may give rise to leverage, magnifying gains and losses and causing the Fund to be more volatile than if it had not been leveraged. This means that leverage entails a heightened risk of loss

Management Risk: the risk that the investment techniques and risk analyses applied by PIMCO will not produce the desired results and that legislative, regulatory, or tax restrictions, policies or developments may affect the investment techniques available to PIMCO and the individual portfolio manager in connection with managing the Fund. There is no guarantee that the investment objective of the Fund will be achieved

Short Exposure Risk: the risk of entering into short sales, including the potential loss of more money than the actual cost of the investment, and the risk that the third party to the short sale will not fulfill its contractual obligations, causing a loss to the Fund

Please see "Description of Principal Risks" in the Fund's prospectus for a more detailed description of the risks of investing in the Fund. An investment in the Fund is not a deposit of a bank and is not insured or guaranteed by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation or any other government agency.

Performance Information

The performance information shows summary performance information for the Fund in a bar chart and an Average Annual Total Returns table. The information provides some indication of the risk of investing in the Fund by showing changes in its performance from year to year and by showing how the Fund's average annual returns compare with the returns of a broad-based securities market index and an index of similar funds. Absent any applicable fee waivers and/or expense limitations, performance would have been lower. The bar chart shows performance of the Fund's Institutional Class shares. For periods prior to the inception date of I-2 shares (April 30, 2008), performance information shown in the table for that class is based on the performance of the Fund's Institutional Class shares, adjusted to reflect the actual distribution and/or service (12b-1) fees and other expenses paid by I-2 shares. Performance for Class A and Class C shares in the Average Annual Total Returns table reflects the impact of sales charges. The I-3 shares of the Fund have not commenced operations as of the date of this prospectus. The Fund's past performance, before and after taxes, is not necessarily an indication of how the Fund will perform in the future.

The Fund's broad-based securities market index is the Bloomberg Barclays Global Aggregate ex-USD (USD Unhedged) Index. The Bloomberg Barclays Global Aggregate ex-USD (USD Unhedged) Index provides a broad-based measure of the global investment-grade fixed income markets, excluding USD. The two major components of this index are the Pan-European Aggregate and the Asian-Pacific Aggregate Indices. The index also includes Euro-Yen corporate bonds and Canadian Government securities. It is not possible to invest directly in an unmanaged index. The Fund's new broad-based securities market index was selected as its use is more closely aligned with the Fund's principal investment strategies. The Lipper International Income Funds Average is a total return performance average of funds tracked by Lipper, Inc. that invest primarily in U.S. dollar and non-U.S. dollar debt securities of issuers located in at least three countries, excluding the United States, except in periods of market weakness.

Performance for the Fund is updated daily and quarterly and may be obtained as follows: daily updates on the net asset value and performance page at http://investments.pimco.com/DailyPerformance and quarterly updates at http://investments.pimco.com/QuarterlyPerformance.

Calendar Year Total Returns — Institutional Class*
   [To be updated by subsequent amendment]



*The year-to-date return as of June 30, 2018 is [ ]%. For the periods shown in the bar chart, the highest quarterly return was [ ]% in the [ ], and the lowest quarterly return was [ ]% in the [ ].

Average Annual Total Returns (for periods ended 12/31/17)

 

1 Year

5 Years

10 Years

Institutional Class Return Before Taxes

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

Institutional Class Return After Taxes on Distributions‌(1)

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

Institutional Class Return After Taxes on Distributions and Sales of Fund Shares‌(1)

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

I-2 Return Before Taxes

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

Administrative Class Return Before Taxes

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

Class A Return Before Taxes

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

Class C Return Before Taxes

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

Bloomberg Barclays Global Aggregate ex-USD (USD Unhedged) Index (reflects no deductions for fees, expenses or taxes)

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

 

Lipper International Income Funds Average (reflects no deductions for taxes)

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

(1) After-tax returns are calculated using the highest historical individual federal marginal income tax rates and do not reflect the impact of state and local taxes. Actual after-tax returns depend on an investor's tax situation and may differ from those shown, and the after-tax returns shown are not relevant to investors who hold their Fund shares through tax-deferred arrangements, such as 401(k) plans or individual retirement accounts. In some cases the return after taxes may exceed the return before taxes due to an assumed tax benefit from any losses on a sale of Fund shares at the end of the measurement period. After-tax returns are for Institutional Class shares only. After-tax returns for other classes will vary.

 

[ ] | PROSPECTUS

35


 

Table of Contents

PIMCO International Bond Fund (Unhedged)

Investment Adviser/Portfolio Manager

PIMCO serves as the investment adviser for the Fund. The Fund's portfolio is jointly managed by Andrew Balls, Sachin Gupta and Lorenzo Pagani. Mr. Balls is CIO Global and a Managing Director of PIMCO. Mr. Gupta and Dr. Pagani are Managing Directors of PIMCO. Messrs. Balls and Gupta and Dr. Pagani have jointly managed the Fund since September 2014.

Other Important Information Regarding Fund Shares

For important information about purchase and sale of Fund shares, tax information, and payments to broker-dealers and other financial intermediaries, please turn to the "Summary of Other Important Information Regarding Fund Shares" section on page [ ] of this prospectus.

 

36     

PROSPECTUS | PIMCO FUNDS     


 

Table of Contents

PIMCO International Bond Fund (U.S. Dollar-Hedged)

Investment Objective

The Fund seeks maximum total return, consistent with preservation of capital and prudent investment management.

Fees and Expenses of the Fund

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 $100,000 in Class A shares of eligible funds offered by PIMCO Equity Series and PIMCO Funds. More information about these and other discounts is available in the "Classes of Shares" section on page [ ] of the Fund's prospectus, Appendix B to the Fund's prospectus (Financial Firm-Specific Sales Charge Waivers and Discounts) or from your financial advisor.

Shareholder Fees (fees paid directly from your investment):

 

Inst
Class

I-2

I-3

Admin
Class

Class A

Class C

Class R

Maximum Sales Charge (Load) Imposed on Purchases (as a percentage of offering price)

None

None

None

None

3.75%

None

None

Maximum Deferred Sales Charge (Load) (as a percentage of the lower of the original purchase price or redemption price)

None

None

None

None

1.00%

1.00%

None

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

 

Inst
Class

I-2

I-3

Admin
Class

Class A

Class C

Class R

Management Fees

0.50%

0.60%

0.70%

0.50%

0.65%

0.65%

0.65%

Distribution and/or Service (12b-1) Fees

N/A

N/A

N/A

0.25%

0.25%

1.00%

0.50%

Other Expenses(1)

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

Fee Waiver and/or Expense Reimbursement(2)

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses After Fee Waiver and /or Expense Reimbursement

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

 

1 "Other Expenses" include interest expense of [ ]%. Interest expense is borne by the Fund separately from the management fees paid to Pacific Investment Management Company LLC ("PIMCO"). Excluding interest expense, Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses After Fee Waiver and/or Expense Reimbursement are [ ]%, [ ]%, [ ]%, [ ]%, [ ]%, [ ]% and [ ]% for Institutional Class, I-2, I-3, Administrative Class, Class A, Class C and Class R shares, respectively.

2 PIMCO has contractually agreed, through July 31, 2019, to reduce its supervisory and administrative fee for the Fund's I-3 shares by 0.05% of the average daily net assets attributable to I-3 shares of the Fund. This Fee Waiver Agreement renews annually unless terminated by PIMCO upon at least 30 days' prior notice to the end of the contract term.

Example. The Example is intended to help you compare the cost of investing in Institutional Class, I-2, I-3, Administrative Class, Class A, Class C or Class R shares of the Fund with the costs of investing in other mutual funds. The Example assumes that you invest $10,000 in the noted class of shares for the time periods indicated, and then redeem all 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. Investors may pay brokerage commissions on their purchases and sales of Institutional Class, I-2 or I-3 shares of the Fund, which are not reflected in the Example. Although your actual costs may be higher or lower, based on these assumptions your costs would be:

If you redeem your shares at the end of each period:

 

1 Year

3 Years

5 Years

10 Years

Institutional Class

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

I-2

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

I-3

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

Administrative Class

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

Class A

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

Class C

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

Class R

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

If you do not redeem your shares:

 

1 Year

3 Years

5 Years

10 Years

Class A

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

Class C

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

Portfolio Turnover

The Fund pays transaction costs 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 the Annual Fund Operating Expenses or in the Example tables, affect the Fund's performance. During the most recent fiscal year, the Fund's portfolio turnover rate was [ ]% of the average value of its portfolio.

Principal Investment Strategies

The Fund seeks to achieve its investment objective by investing under normal circumstances at least 80% of its assets in Fixed Income Instruments. The Fund will invest under normal circumstances in Fixed Income Instruments that are economically tied to at least three non-U.S. countries. The Fund's investments in Fixed Income Instruments may be represented by forwards or derivatives such as options, futures contracts or swap agreements. "Fixed Income Instruments" include bonds, debt securities and other similar instruments issued by various U.S. and non-U.S. public- or private-sector entities. The Fund will normally limit its foreign currency exposure (from non-U.S. dollar-denominated securities or currencies) to 20% of its total assets.

PIMCO selects the Fund's foreign country and currency compositions based on an evaluation of various factors, including, but not limited to relative interest rates, exchange rates, monetary and fiscal policies, trade and current account balances. The Fund may invest, without limitation, in securities and instruments that are economically tied to emerging market countries. The average portfolio duration of this Fund normally varies within three years (plus or minus) of the portfolio duration of the securities comprising the Bloomberg Barclays Global Aggregate ex-USD (USD

 



PIMCO FUNDS | PROSPECTUS

37


 

Table of Contents

PIMCO International Bond Fund (U.S. Dollar-Hedged)

Hedged) Index, as calculated by PIMCO, which as of [ ] was [ ] years. Duration is a measure used to determine the sensitivity of a security's price to changes in interest rates. The longer a security's duration, the more sensitive it will be to changes in interest rates. The Fund invests primarily in investment grade debt securities, but may invest up to 10% of its total assets in high yield securities ("junk bonds"), as rated by Moody's Investors Service, Inc. ("Moody's"), Standard & Poor's Ratings Services ("S&P") or Fitch, Inc. ("Fitch"), or, if unrated, as determined by PIMCO. The Fund is non-diversified, which means that it may invest its assets in a smaller number of issuers than a diversified fund.

The Fund may invest, without limitation, in derivative instruments, such as options, futures contracts or swap agreements, or in mortgage- or asset-backed securities, subject to applicable law and any other restrictions described in the Fund's prospectus or Statement of Additional Information. The Fund may purchase or sell securities on a when-issued, delayed delivery or forward commitment basis and may engage in short sales. The Fund may, without limitation, seek to obtain market exposure to the securities in which it primarily invests by entering into a series of purchase and sale contracts or by using other investment techniques (such as buy backs or dollar rolls). The "total return" sought by the Fund consists of income earned on the Fund's investments, plus capital appreciation, if any, which generally arises from decreases in interest rates, foreign currency appreciation, or improving credit fundamentals for a particular sector or security. The Fund may also invest up to 10% of its total assets in preferred securities.

Principal Risks

It is possible to lose money on an investment in the Fund. The principal risks of investing in the Fund, which could adversely affect its net asset value, yield and total return are listed below.

Interest Rate Risk: the risk that fixed income securities will decline in value because of an increase in interest rates; a fund with a longer average portfolio duration will be more sensitive to changes in interest rates than a fund with a shorter average portfolio duration

Call Risk: the risk that an issuer may exercise its right to redeem a fixed income security earlier than expected (a call). Issuers may call outstanding securities prior to their maturity for a number of reasons (e.g., declining interest rates, changes in credit spreads and improvements in the issuer's credit quality). If an issuer calls a security that the Fund has invested in, the Fund may not recoup the full amount of its initial investment and may be forced to reinvest in lower-yielding securities, securities with greater credit risks or securities with other, less favorable features

Credit Risk: the risk that the Fund could lose money if the issuer or guarantor of a fixed income security, or the counterparty to a derivative contract, is unable or unwilling to meet its financial obligations

High Yield Risk: the risk that high yield securities and unrated securities of similar credit quality (commonly known as "junk bonds") are subject to greater levels of credit, call and liquidity risks. High yield securities are considered primarily speculative with respect to the issuer's continuing ability to make principal and interest payments, and may be more volatile than higher-rated securities of similar maturity

Market Risk: the risk that the value of securities owned by the Fund may go up or down, sometimes rapidly or unpredictably, due to factors affecting securities markets generally or particular industries

Issuer Risk: the risk that the value of a security may decline for a reason directly related to the issuer, such as management performance, financial leverage and reduced demand for the issuer's goods or services

Liquidity Risk: the risk that a particular investment may be difficult to purchase or sell and that the Fund may be unable to sell illiquid securities at an advantageous time or price or achieve its desired level of exposure to a certain sector. Liquidity risk may result from the lack of an active market, reduced number and capacity of traditional market participants to make a market in fixed income securities, and may be magnified in a rising interest rate environment or other circumstances where investor redemptions from fixed income mutual funds may be higher than normal, causing increased supply in the market due to selling activity

Derivatives Risk: the risk of investing in derivative instruments (such as futures, swaps and structured securities), including leverage, liquidity, interest rate, market, credit and management risks, mispricing or valuation complexity. Changes in the value of the derivative may not correlate perfectly with, and may be more sensitive to market events than, the underlying asset, rate or index, and the Fund could lose more than the initial amount invested. The Fund's use of derivatives may result in losses to the Fund, a reduction in the Fund's returns and/or increased volatility. Over-the-counter ("OTC") derivatives are also subject to the risk that a counterparty to the transaction will not fulfill its contractual obligations to the other party, as many of the protections afforded to centrally-cleared derivative transactions might not be available for OTC derivatives. For derivatives traded on an exchange or through a central counterparty, credit risk resides with the Fund's clearing broker, or the clearinghouse itself, rather than with a counterparty in an OTC derivative transaction. Changes in regulation relating to a mutual fund's use of derivatives and related instruments could potentially limit or impact the Fund's ability to invest in derivatives, limit the Fund's ability to employ certain strategies that use derivatives and/or adversely affect the value of derivatives and the Fund's performance

Equity Risk: the risk that the value of equity securities, such as common stocks and preferred securities, may decline due to general market conditions which are not specifically related to a particular company or to factors affecting a particular industry or industries. Equity securities generally have greater price volatility than fixed income securities

Mortgage-Related and Other Asset-Backed Securities Risk: the risks of investing in mortgage-related and other asset-backed securities, including interest rate risk, extension risk, prepayment risk and credit risk

Foreign (Non-U.S.) Investment Risk: the risk that investing in foreign (non-U.S.) securities may result in the Fund experiencing more rapid and extreme changes in value than a fund that invests exclusively in securities of U.S. companies, due to smaller markets, differing reporting, accounting and auditing standards, increased risk of delayed settlement of portfolio transactions or loss of certificates of portfolio securities, and the risk of unfavorable foreign government actions, including nationalization, expropriation or confiscatory taxation, currency blockage, or political changes

 

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or diplomatic developments. Foreign securities may also be less liquid and more difficult to value than securities of U.S. issuers

Emerging Markets Risk: the risk of investing in emerging market securities, primarily increased foreign (non-U.S.) investment risk

Sovereign Debt Risk: the risk that investments in fixed income instruments issued by sovereign entities may decline in value as a result of default or other adverse credit event resulting from an issuer's inability or unwillingness to make principal or interest payments in a timely fashion

Currency Risk: the risk that foreign (non-U.S.) currencies will change in value relative to the U.S. dollar and affect the Fund's investments in foreign (non-U.S.) currencies or in securities that trade in, and receive revenues in, or in derivatives that provide exposure to, foreign (non-U.S.) currencies

Issuer Non-Diversification Risk: the risk of focusing investments in a small number of issuers, including being more susceptible to risks associated with a single economic, political or regulatory occurrence than a more diversified portfolio might be. Funds that are "non-diversified" may invest a greater percentage of their assets in the securities of a single issuer (such as bonds issued by a particular state) than funds that are "diversified"

Leveraging Risk: the risk that certain transactions of the Fund, such as reverse repurchase agreements, loans of portfolio securities, and the use of when-issued, delayed delivery or forward commitment transactions, or derivative instruments, may give rise to leverage, magnifying gains and losses and causing the Fund to be more volatile than if it had not been leveraged. This means that leverage entails a heightened risk of loss

Management Risk: the risk that the investment techniques and risk analyses applied by PIMCO will not produce the desired results and that legislative, regulatory, or tax restrictions, policies or developments may affect the investment techniques available to PIMCO and the individual portfolio manager in connection with managing the Fund. There is no guarantee that the investment objective of the Fund will be achieved

Short Exposure Risk: the risk of entering into short sales, including the potential loss of more money than the actual cost of the investment, and the risk that the third party to the short sale will not fulfill its contractual obligations, causing a loss to the Fund

Please see "Description of Principal Risks" in the Fund's prospectus for a more detailed description of the risks of investing in the Fund. An investment in the Fund is not a deposit of a bank and is not insured or guaranteed by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation or any other government agency.

Performance Information

The performance information shows summary performance information for the Fund in a bar chart and an Average Annual Total Returns table. The information provides some indication of the risks of investing in the Fund by showing changes in its performance from year to year and by showing how the Fund's average annual returns compare with the returns of a broad-based securities market index and an index of similar funds. Absent any applicable fee waivers and/or expense limitations, performance would have been lower. The bar chart shows performance of the Fund's Institutional Class shares. For periods prior to the inception date of I-2 shares (April 30, 2008), performance information shown in the table for that class is based on the performance of the Fund's Institutional Class shares, adjusted to reflect the actual distribution and/or service (12b-1) fees and other expenses paid by I-2 shares. Performance for Class A and Class C shares in the Average Annual Total Returns table reflects the impact of sales charges. The I-3 shares of the Fund have not commenced operations as of the date of this prospectus. The Fund's past performance, before and after taxes, is not necessarily an indication of how the Fund will perform in the future.

The Fund's broad-based securities market index is the Bloomberg Barclays Global Aggregate ex-USD (USD Hedged) Index. The Bloomberg Barclays Global Aggregate ex-USD (USD Hedged) Index provides a broad-based measure of the global investment-grade fixed income markets, excluding USD. The two major components of this index are the Pan-European Aggregate and the Asian-Pacific Aggregate Indices. The index also includes Euro-Yen corporate bonds and Canadian Government securities. It is not possible to invest directly in an unmanaged index. The Fund's new broad-based securities market index was selected as its use is more closely aligned with the Fund's principal investment strategies. The Lipper International Income Funds Average is a total return performance average of funds tracked by Lipper, Inc. that invest primarily in U.S. dollar and non-U.S. dollar debt securities of issuers located in at least three countries, excluding the United States, except in periods of market weakness.

Performance for the Fund is updated daily and quarterly and may be obtained as follows: daily updates on the net asset value and performance page at http://investments.pimco.com/DailyPerformance and quarterly updates at http://investments.pimco.com/QuarterlyPerformance.

Calendar Year Total Returns — Institutional Class*
   [To be updated by subsequent amendment]



*The year-to-date return as of June 30, 2018 is [ ]%. For the periods shown in the bar chart, the highest quarterly return was [ ]% in the [ ], and the lowest quarterly return was [ ]% in the [ ].

 

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PIMCO International Bond Fund (U.S. Dollar-Hedged)

Average Annual Total Returns (for periods ended 12/31/17)

 

1 Year

5 Years

10 Years

Institutional Class Return Before Taxes

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

Institutional Class Return After Taxes on Distributions‌(1)

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

Institutional Class Return After Taxes on Distributions and Sales of Fund Shares‌(1)

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

I-2 Return Before Taxes

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

Administrative Class Return Before Taxes

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

Class A Return Before Taxes

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

Class C Return Before Taxes

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

Class R Return Before Taxes

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

Bloomberg Barclays Global Aggregate ex-USD (USD Hedged) Index (reflects no deductions for fees, expenses or taxes)

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

 

Lipper International Income Funds Average (reflects no deductions for taxes)

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

(1) After-tax returns are calculated using the highest historical individual federal marginal income tax rates and do not reflect the impact of state and local taxes. Actual after-tax returns depend on an investor's tax situation and may differ from those shown, and the after-tax returns shown are not relevant to investors who hold their Fund shares through tax-deferred arrangements, such as 401(k) plans or individual retirement accounts. In some cases the return after taxes may exceed the return before taxes due to an assumed tax benefit from any losses on a sale of Fund shares at the end of the measurement period. After-tax returns are for Institutional Class shares only. After-tax returns for other classes will vary.

Investment Adviser/Portfolio Manager

PIMCO serves as the investment adviser for the Fund. The Fund's portfolio is jointly managed by Andrew Balls, Sachin Gupta and Lorenzo Pagani. Mr. Balls is CIO Global and a Managing Director of PIMCO. Mr. Gupta and Dr. Pagani are Managing Directors of PIMCO. Messrs. Balls and Gupta and Dr. Pagani have jointly managed the Fund since September 2014.

Other Important Information Regarding Fund Shares

For important information about purchase and sale of Fund shares, tax information, and payments to broker-dealers and other financial intermediaries, please turn to the "Summary of Other Important Information Regarding Fund Shares" section on page [ ] of this prospectus.

 

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Summary of Other Important Information Regarding Fund Shares

Purchase and Sale of Fund Shares

Fund shares may be purchased or sold (redeemed) on any business day (normally any day when the New York Stock Exchange is open). Generally, purchase and redemption orders for Fund shares are processed at the net asset value next calculated after an order is received by the Fund.

Institutional Class, I-2, I-3 and Administrative Class

The minimum initial investment for Institutional Class, I-2, I-3 and Administrative Class shares of the Fund is $1 million, except that the minimum initial investment may be modified for certain financial firms that submit orders on behalf of their customers.

You may sell (redeem) all or part of your Institutional Class, I-2, I-3 and Administrative Class shares of the Fund on any business day. If you are the registered owner of the shares on the books of the Fund, depending on the elections made on the Account Application, you may sell by:

Sending a written request by mail to:
PIMCO Funds c/o DST Asset Manager Solutions
330 W. 9th Street, Kansas City, MO 64105 

Calling us at 888.87.PIMCO and a Shareholder Services associate will assist you 

Sending a fax to our Shareholder Services department at 816.421.2861 

Sending an e-mail to piprocess@dstsystems.com

Class A, Class C and Class R

The minimum initial investment for Class A and Class C shares of the Fund is $1,000. The minimum subsequent investment for Class A and Class C shares is $50. The minimum initial investment may be modified for certain financial firms that submit orders on behalf of their customers. Class C shares of each Fund will automatically convert into Class A shares of the same Fund after they have been held for ten years, as described in the "Classes of Shares" section of the Fund's prospectus. You may purchase or sell (redeem) all or part of your Class A and Class C shares through a broker-dealer, or other financial firm, or, if you are the registered owner of the shares on the books of the Fund, by regular mail to PIMCO Funds, P.O. Box 55060, Boston, MA 02205-5060 or overnight mail to PIMCO Funds, c/o DST Asset Manager Solutions, Inc., 30 Dan Road, Canton, MA 02021-2809. The Fund reserves the right to require payment by wire or U.S. Bank check in connection with accounts opened directly with the Fund by Account Application.

There is no minimum initial or minimum subsequent investment in Class R shares because Class R shares may only be purchased through omnibus accounts for specified benefit plans. Specified benefit plans that wish to invest directly by mail should send a check payable to the PIMCO Family of Funds, along with a completed Account Application, by regular mail to PIMCO Funds, P.O. Box 55060, Boston, MA 02205-5060 or overnight mail to PIMCO Funds, c/o DST Asset Manager Solutions, Inc., 30 Dan Road, Canton, MA 02021-2809.

Tax Information

The Fund's distributions are generally taxable to you as ordinary income, capital gains, or a combination of the two, unless you are investing through a tax-deferred arrangement, such as a 401(k) plan or an individual retirement account, in which case distributions may be taxable upon withdrawal.

Payments to Broker-Dealers and Other Financial Firms

If you purchase shares of the Fund through a broker-dealer or other financial firm (such as a bank), the Fund and/or its related companies (including PIMCO) may pay the financial firm for the sale of those shares of the Fund and/or related services. These payments may create a conflict of interest by influencing the broker-dealer or other financial firm and your salesperson to recommend the Fund over another investment. Ask your salesperson or visit your financial firm's Web site for more information.

 

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PIMCO Funds

Description of Principal Risks

The value of your investment in a Fund changes with the values of that Fund's investments. Many factors can affect those values. The factors that are most likely to have a material effect on a particular Fund's investments as a whole are called "principal risks." The principal risks of each Fund are identified in the Fund Summaries and are described in this section. Each Fund may be subject to additional risks other than those identified and described below because the types of investments made by a Fund can change over time. Securities and investment techniques mentioned in this summary that appear in bold type are described in greater detail under "Characteristics and Risks of Securities and Investment Techniques." That section and "Investment Objectives and Policies" in the Statement of Additional Information  (the "SAI") also include more information about the Funds, their investments and the related risks. There is no guarantee that a Fund will be able to achieve its investment objective. It is possible to lose money by investing in a Fund.

Principal Risk

PIMCO
Emerging Local Bond Fund

PIMCO
Emerging Markets Bond Fund

PIMCO
Emerging Markets Corporate Bond Fund

PIMCO
Emerging Markets Currency and Short-Term Investments Fund

PIMCO
Emerging Markets Full Spectrum Bond Fund

New/Small Fund

x

Allocation

x

Acquired Fund

x

Interest Rate

x

x

x

x

x

Call

x

x

x

x

x

Credit

x

x

x

x

x

High Yield

x

x

x

x

x

Distressed Company

x

Market

x

x

x

x

x

Issuer

x

x

x

x

x

Liquidity

x

x

x

x

x

Derivatives

x

x

x

x

x

Commodity

x

Equity

x

x

x

x

Mortgage-Related and Other Asset-Backed Securities

x

x

x

x

x

Foreign (Non-U.S.) Investment

x

x

x

x

x

Real Estate

x

x

x

x

x

Emerging Markets

x

x

x

x

x

Sovereign Debt

x

x

x

x

x

Currency

x

x

x

x

x

Issuer Non-Diversification

x

Smaller Company

x

Leveraging

x

x

x

x

x

Management

x

x

x

x

x

Short Exposure

x

x

x

x

x

Tax

x

Subsidiary

x

Value Investing

x

Arbitrage

x

Convertible Securities

x

Exchange-Traded Fund

x

 

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Principal Risk

PIMCO
International Bond Fund (Unhedged)

PIMCO
International Bond Fund (U.S. Dollar-Hedged)

PIMCO
Global Advantage® Strategy Bond Fund

PIMCO
Global Bond Opportunities Fund (Unhedged)

PIMCO
Global Bond Opportunities Fund (U.S. Dollar-Hedged)

New/Small Risk

Allocation

Acquired Fund

Interest Rate

x

x

x

x

x

Call

x

x

x

x

x

Credit

x

x

x

x

x

High Yield

x

x

x

x

x

Distressed Company

Market

x

x

x

x

x

Issuer

x

x

x

x

x

Liquidity

x

x

x

x

x

Derivatives

x

x

x

x

x

Commodity

Equity

x

x

x

x

x

Mortgage-Related and Other Asset-Backed Securities

x

x

x

x

x

Foreign (Non-U.S.) Investment

x

x

x

x

x

Real Estate

Emerging Markets

x

x

x

x

x

Sovereign Debt

x

x

x

x

x

Currency

x

x

x

x

x

Issuer Non-Diversification

x

x

x

Smaller Company

Leveraging

x

x

x

x

x

Management

x

x

x

x

x

Short Exposure

x

x

x

x

x

Tax

Subsidiary

Value Investing

Arbitrage

Convertible Securities

Exchange-Traded Fund

As the PIMCO Emerging Markets Full Spectrum Bond Fund may invest in shares of Acquired Funds including the Underlying PIMCO Funds, the risks of investing in the Fund may be closely related to the risks associated with the Acquired Funds, including Underlying PIMCO Funds, and their investments. However, as the Fund may also invest its assets directly in stocks or bonds of other issuers and in other instruments, such as forwards, options, futures contracts or swap agreements, the Fund may be directly exposed to certain risks described below. As such, unless stated otherwise, any reference in this section only to "Fund" includes the PIMCO Emerging Markets Full Spectrum Bond Fund, Acquired Funds and the Underlying PIMCO Funds.

New/Small Fund Risk

A new or smaller 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 fully 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 a new or smaller 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.

 

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Allocation Risk

The PIMCO Emerging Markets Full Spectrum Bond Fund's investment performance depends upon how its assets are allocated and reallocated according to the Fund's asset allocation targets and ranges. A principal risk of investing in the PIMCO Emerging Markets Full Spectrum Bond Fund is that PIMCO will make less than optimal or poor asset allocation decisions. PIMCO attempts to identify investment allocations that will provide consistent, quality performance for the PIMCO Emerging Markets Full Spectrum Bond Fund, but there is no guarantee that such allocation techniques will produce the desired results. It is possible that the PIMCO will focus on an investment that performs poorly or underperforms other investments under various market conditions. You could lose money on your investment in the PIMCO Emerging Markets Full Spectrum Bond Fund as a result of these allocation decisions.

Acquired Fund Risk

Because the PIMCO Emerging Markets Full Spectrum Bond Fund may invest its assets in Acquired Funds, the risks associated with investing in the Fund may be closely related to the risks associated with the securities and other investments held by the Acquired Funds. The ability of the PIMCO Emerging Markets Full Spectrum Bond Fund to achieve its investment objective may depend upon the ability of the Acquired Funds to achieve their respective investment objectives. There can be no assurance that the investment objective of any Acquired Fund will be achieved.

The PIMCO Emerging Markets Full Spectrum Bond Fund's net asset value ("NAV") will fluctuate in response to changes in the NAVs of the Acquired Funds in which it invests. The extent to which the investment performance and risks associated with the PIMCO Emerging Markets Full Spectrum Bond Fund correlates to those of a particular Acquired Fund will depend upon the extent to which the Fund's assets are allocated from time to time for investment in the Acquired Fund, which will vary.

Interest Rate Risk

Interest rate risk is the risk that fixed income securities and other instruments in a Fund's portfolio will decline in value because of an increase in interest rates. As nominal interest rates rise, the value of certain fixed income securities held by a Fund is likely to decrease. A nominal interest rate can be described as the sum of a real interest rate and an expected inflation rate. Interest rate changes can be sudden and unpredictable, and the Fund may lose money as a result of movements in interest rates. A Fund may not be able to hedge against changes in interest rates or may choose not to do so for cost or other reasons. In addition, any hedges may not work as intended.

Fixed income securities with longer durations tend to be more sensitive to changes in interest rates, usually making them more volatile than securities with shorter durations. The values of equity and other non-fixed income securities may also decline due to fluctuations in interest rates. Inflation-indexed bonds, including Treasury Inflation-Protected Securities ("TIPS"), decline in value when real interest rates rise. In certain interest rate environments, such as when real interest rates are rising faster than nominal interest rates, inflation-indexed bonds may experience greater losses than other fixed income securities with similar durations.

Variable and floating rate securities generally are less sensitive to interest rate changes but may decline in value if their interest rates do not rise as much, or as quickly, as interest rates in general. Conversely, floating rate securities will not generally increase in value if interest rates decline. Inverse floating rate securities may decrease in value if interest rates increase. Inverse floating rate securities may also exhibit greater price volatility than a fixed rate obligation with similar credit quality. When a Fund holds variable or floating rate securities, a decrease (or, in the case of inverse floating rate securities, an increase) in market interest rates will adversely affect the income received from such securities and the NAV of the Fund's shares.

A wide variety of factors can cause interest rates to rise (e.g., central bank monetary policies, inflation rates, general economic conditions, etc.). This is especially true under current economic conditions because interest rates are near historically low levels. Thus, Funds currently face a heightened level of interest rate risk, especially as the Federal Reserve Board ended its quantitative easing program in October 2014 and has begun, and may continue, to raise interest rates. To the extent the Federal Reserve Board continues to raise interest rates, there is a risk that rates across the financial system may rise.

During periods of very low or negative interest rates, a Fund may be unable to maintain positive returns. Interest rates in the U.S. and many parts of the world, including certain European countries, are at or near historically low levels. Certain European countries have recently experienced negative interest rates on certain fixed income instruments. Very low or negative interest rates may magnify interest rate risk. Changing interest rates, including rates that fall below zero, may have unpredictable effects on markets, may result in heightened market volatility and may detract from Fund performance to the extent a Fund is exposed to such interest rates.

Measures such as average duration may not accurately reflect the true interest rate sensitivity of a Fund. This is especially the case if the Fund consists of securities with widely varying durations. Therefore, if a Fund has an average duration that suggests a certain level of interest rate risk, the Fund may in fact be subject to greater interest rate risk than the average would suggest. This risk is greater to the extent the Fund uses leverage or derivatives in connection with the management of the Fund.

Convexity is an additional measure used to understand a security's or Fund's interest rate sensitivity. Convexity measures the rate of change of duration in response to changes in interest rates. With respect to a security's price, a larger convexity (positive or negative) may imply more dramatic price changes in response to changing interest rates. Convexity may be positive or negative. Negative convexity implies that interest rate increases result in increased duration, meaning increased sensitivity in prices in response to rising interest rates. Thus, securities with negative convexity, which may include bonds with

 

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traditional call features and certain mortgage-backed securities, may experience greater losses in periods of rising interest rates. Accordingly, if a Fund holds such securities, the Fund may be subject to a greater risk of losses in periods of rising interest rates.

Call Risk

Call risk refers to the possibility that an issuer may exercise its right to redeem a fixed income security earlier than expected (a call). Issuers may call outstanding securities prior to their maturity for a number of reasons (e.g., declining interest rates, changes in credit spreads and improvements in the issuer's credit quality). If an issuer calls a security in which a Fund has invested, the Fund may not recoup the full amount of its initial investment and may be forced to reinvest in lower-yielding securities, securities with greater credit risks or securities with other, less favorable features.

Credit Risk

A Fund could lose money if the issuer or guarantor of a fixed income security (including a security purchased with securities lending collateral), or the counterparty to a derivatives contract, repurchase agreement or a loan of portfolio securities, is unable or unwilling, or is perceived (whether by market participants, rating agencies, pricing services or otherwise) as unable or unwilling, to make timely principal and/or interest payments, or to otherwise honor its obligations. The downgrade of the credit of a security held by a Fund may decrease its value. Securities are subject to varying degrees of credit risk, which are often reflected in credit ratings. Measures such as average credit quality may not accurately reflect the true credit risk of a Fund. This is especially the case if the Fund consists of securities with widely varying credit ratings. Therefore, if a Fund has an average credit rating that suggests a certain credit quality, the Fund may in fact be subject to greater credit risk than the average would suggest. This risk is greater to the extent the Fund uses leverage or derivatives in connection with the management of the Fund. Municipal bonds are subject to the risk that litigation, legislation or other political events, local business or economic conditions, or the bankruptcy of the issuer could have a significant effect on an issuer's ability to make payments of principal and/or interest.

High Yield Risk

Funds that invest in high yield securities and unrated securities of similar credit quality (commonly known as "high yield securities" or "junk bonds") may be subject to greater levels of credit risk, call risk and liquidity risk than funds that do not invest in such securities. These securities are considered predominantly speculative with respect to an issuer's continuing ability to make principal and interest payments, and may be more volatile than other types of securities. An economic downturn or individual corporate developments could adversely affect the market for these securities and reduce a Fund's ability to sell these securities at an advantageous time or price. An economic downturn would generally lead to a higher non-payment rate and, a high yield security may lose significant market value before a default occurs. High yield securities structured as zero-coupon bonds or pay-in-kind securities tend to be especially volatile as they are particularly sensitive to downward pricing pressures from rising interest rates or widening spreads and may require a Fund to make taxable distributions of imputed income without receiving the actual cash currency. Issuers of high yield securities may have the right to "call" or redeem the issue prior to maturity, which may result in a Fund having to reinvest the proceeds in other high yield securities or similar instruments that may pay lower interest rates. A Fund may also be subject to greater levels of liquidity risk than funds that do not invest in high yield securities. In addition, the high yield securities in which a Fund invests may not be listed on any exchange and a secondary market for such securities may be comparatively illiquid relative to markets for other more liquid fixed income securities. Consequently, transactions in high yield securities may involve greater costs than transactions in more actively traded securities. A lack of publicly-available information, irregular trading activity and wide bid/ask spreads among other factors, may, in certain circumstances, make high yield debt more difficult to sell at an advantageous time or price than other types of securities or instruments. These factors may result in a Fund being unable to realize full value for these securities and/or may result in a Fund not receiving the proceeds from a sale of a high yield security for an extended period after such sale, each of which could result in losses to a Fund. Because of the risks involved in investing in high yield securities, an investment in a Fund that invests in such securities should be considered speculative.

Distressed Company Risk

An Underlying PIMCO Fund that invests in securities of distressed companies may be subject to greater levels of credit, issuer and liquidity risk than a fund that does not invest in such securities. Securities of distressed companies include both debt and equity securities. Debt securities of distressed companies are considered predominantly speculative with respect to the issuers' continuing ability to make principal and interest payments. Issuers of distressed company securities may also be involved in restructurings or bankruptcy proceedings that may not be successful. An economic downturn or period of rising interest rates could adversely affect the market for these securities and reduce the Underlying PIMCO Fund's ability to sell these securities (liquidity risk). If the issuer of a debt security is in default with respect to interest or principal payments, the Underlying PIMCO Fund may lose its entire investment.

Market Risk

The market price of securities owned by a Fund may go up or down, sometimes rapidly or unpredictably. Securities may decline in value due to factors affecting securities markets generally or particular industries represented in the securities markets. The value of a security may decline due to general market conditions which are not specifically related to a particular company, such as real or perceived adverse economic conditions, changes in the general outlook for corporate earnings, changes in interest or currency rates, adverse changes to credit markets or adverse investor sentiment generally. The value of a security may also decline due to factors which affect a particular industry or industries, such as labor shortages or increased production costs and competitive

 

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conditions within an industry. During a general downturn in the securities markets, multiple asset classes may decline in value simultaneously. Equity securities generally have greater price volatility than fixed income securities. Credit ratings downgrades may also negatively affect securities held by the Fund. Even when markets perform well, there is no assurance that the investments held by a Fund will increase in value along with the broader market. In addition, market risk includes the risk that geopolitical events will disrupt the economy on a national or global level. For instance, terrorism, market manipulation, government defaults, government shutdowns, political changes or diplomatic developments and natural/environmental disasters can all negatively impact the securities markets, which could cause the Funds to lose value. Any market disruptions could also prevent a Fund from executing advantageous investment decisions in a timely manner. Funds that have focused their investments in a region enduring geopolitical market disruption will face higher risks of loss. Thus, investors should closely monitor current market conditions to determine whether a specific Fund meets their individual financial needs and tolerance for risk.

Current market conditions may pose heightened risks with respect to Funds that invest in fixed income securities. As discussed more under "Interest Rate Risk," interest rates in the U.S. are near historically low levels. However, continued economic recovery, the end of the Federal Reserve Board's quantitative easing program, and an increased likelihood of a rising interest rate environment increase the risk that interest rates will continue to rise in the near future. Any further interest rate increases in the future could cause the value of any Fund that invests in fixed income securities to decrease. As such, fixed income securities markets may experience heightened levels of interest rate, volatility and liquidity risk. If rising interest rates cause a Fund to lose enough value, the Fund could also face increased shareholder redemptions, which could force the Fund to liquidate investments at disadvantageous times or prices, therefore adversely affecting the Fund and its shareholders.

Exchanges and securities markets may close early, close late or issue trading halts on specific securities, which may result in, among other things, a Fund being unable to buy or sell certain securities or financial instruments at an advantageous time or accurately price its portfolio investments. In addition, a Fund may rely on various third-party sources to calculate its NAV. As a result, a Fund is subject to certain operational risks associated with reliance on service providers and service providers' data sources. In particular, errors or systems failures and other technological issues may adversely impact the Fund's calculations of its NAV, and such NAV calculation issues may result in inaccurately calculated NAVs, delays in NAV calculation and/or the inability to calculate NAVs over extended periods. A Fund may be unable to recover any losses associated with such failures.

Issuer Risk

The value of a security 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 goods or services, as well as the historical and prospective earnings of the issuer and the value of its assets. A change in the financial condition of a single issuer may affect securities markets as a whole.

Liquidity Risk

Liquidity risk exists when particular investments are difficult to purchase or sell. Illiquid securities are securities that cannot be disposed of within seven days in the ordinary course of business at approximately the value at which the Fund has valued the securities. Illiquid securities may become harder to value, especially in changing markets. A Fund's investments in illiquid securities may reduce the returns of the Fund because it may be unable to sell the illiquid securities at an advantageous time or price, which could prevent the Fund from taking advantage of other investment opportunities. Additionally, the market for certain investments may become illiquid under adverse market or economic conditions independent of any specific adverse changes in the conditions of a particular issuer. Bond markets have consistently grown over the past three decades while the capacity for traditional dealer counterparties to engage in fixed income trading has not kept pace and in some cases has decreased. As a result, dealer inventories of corporate bonds, which provide a core indication of the ability of financial intermediaries to "make markets," are at or near historic lows in relation to market size. Because market makers provide stability to a market through their intermediary services, the significant reduction in dealer inventories could potentially lead to decreased liquidity and increased volatility in the fixed income markets. Such issues may be exacerbated during periods of economic uncertainty. 

In such cases, a Fund, due to limitations on investments in illiquid securities and the difficulty in purchasing and selling such securities or instruments, may be unable to achieve its desired level of exposure to a certain sector. To the extent that a Fund's principal investment strategies involve securities of companies with smaller market capitalizations, foreign (non-U.S.) securities, Rule 144A securities, illiquid sectors of fixed income securities, derivatives or securities with substantial market and/or credit risk, the Fund will tend to have the greatest exposure to liquidity risk. Further, fixed income securities with longer durations until maturity face heightened levels of liquidity risk as compared to fixed income securities with shorter durations until maturity. Finally, liquidity risk also refers to the risk of unusually high redemption requests, redemption requests by certain large shareholders such as institutional investors or asset allocators, or other unusual market conditions that may make it difficult for a Fund to sell investments within the allowable time period to meet redemptions. Meeting such redemption requests could require a Fund to sell securities at reduced prices or under unfavorable conditions, which would reduce the value of the Fund. It may also be the case that other market participants may be attempting to liquidate fixed income holdings at the same time as a Fund, causing increased supply in the market and contributing to liquidity risk and downward pricing pressure.

Certain accounts or PIMCO affiliates may from time to time own (beneficially or of record) or control a significant percentage of a Fund's shares. Redemptions by these shareholders of their holdings in a Fund may impact the Fund's liquidity and NAV. These redemptions may also force a Fund to sell securities, which may negatively impact the Fund's brokerage costs.

 

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Derivatives Risk

Derivatives are financial contracts whose value depends on, or is derived from, the value of an underlying asset, reference rate or index. The various derivative instruments that the Funds may use are referenced under "Characteristics and Risks of Securities and Investment Techniques—Derivatives" in this prospectus and described in more detail under "Investment Objectives and Policies" in the SAI. The Funds typically use derivatives as a substitute for taking a position in the underlying asset, as part of strategies designed to gain exposure to, for example, issuers, portions of the yield curve, indexes, sectors, currencies, and/or geographic regions, and/or to reduce exposure to other risks, such as interest rate, credit, or currency risk. The Funds may also use derivatives for leverage, in which case their use would involve leveraging risk, and in some cases, may subject a Fund to the potential for unlimited loss. The use of derivatives may cause the Fund's investment returns to be impacted by the performance of securities the Fund does not own and result in the Fund's total investment exposure exceeding the value of its portfolio.

A Fund's use of derivative instruments involves risks different from, or possibly greater than, the risks associated with investing directly in securities and other traditional investments. Derivatives are subject to a number of risks described elsewhere in this section, such as liquidity risk (which may be heightened for highly-customized derivatives), interest rate risk, market risk, credit risk and management risk, as well as risks arising from changes in applicable requirements. They also involve the risk of mispricing or improper valuation and the risk that changes in the value of the derivative instrument may not correlate perfectly with the underlying asset, rate or index. A Fund investing in a derivative instrument could lose more than the initial amount invested and derivatives may increase the volatility of the Fund, especially in unusual or extreme market conditions. Also, suitable derivative transactions may not be available in all circumstances and there can be no assurance that a Fund will engage in these transactions to reduce exposure to other risks when that would be beneficial or that, if used, such strategies will be successful. In addition, a Fund's use of derivatives may increase or accelerate the amount of taxes payable by shareholders. Over-the-counter ("OTC") derivatives are also subject to the risk that a counterparty to the transaction will not fulfill its contractual obligations to the other party, as many of the protections afforded to centrally-cleared derivative transactions might not be available for OTC derivatives. For derivatives traded on an exchange or through a central counterparty, credit risk resides with a Fund's clearing broker, or the clearinghouse itself, rather than with a counterparty in an OTC derivative transaction.

Participation in the markets for derivative instruments involves investment risks and transaction costs to which a Fund may not be subject absent the use of these strategies. The skills needed to successfully execute derivative strategies may be different from those needed for other types of transactions. If the Fund incorrectly forecasts the value and/or creditworthiness of securities, currencies, interest rates, counterparties or other economic factors involved in a derivative transaction, the Fund might have been in a better position if the Fund had not entered into such derivative transaction. In evaluating the risks and contractual obligations associated with particular derivative instruments, it is important to consider that certain derivative transactions may be modified or terminated only by mutual consent of the Fund and its counterparty. Therefore, it may not be possible for a Fund to modify, terminate, or offset the Fund's obligations or the Fund's exposure to the risks associated with a derivative transaction prior to its scheduled termination or maturity date, which may create a possibility of increased volatility and/or decreased liquidity to the Fund. In such case, the Fund may lose money.

Because the markets for certain derivative instruments (including markets located in foreign countries) are relatively new and still developing, appropriate derivative transactions may not be available in all circumstances for risk management or other purposes. Upon the expiration of a particular contract, a Fund may wish to retain a Fund's position in the derivative instrument by entering into a similar contract, but may be unable to do so if the counterparty to the original contract is unwilling to enter into the new contract and no other appropriate counterparty can be found. When such markets are unavailable, a Fund will be subject to increased liquidity and investment risk.

When a derivative is used as a hedge against a position that a Fund holds, any loss generated by the derivative generally should be substantially offset by gains on the hedged investment, and vice versa. Although hedging can reduce or eliminate losses, it can also reduce or eliminate gains. Hedges are sometimes subject to imperfect matching between the derivative and the underlying instrument, and there can be no assurance that a Fund's hedging transactions will be effective.

The regulation of the derivatives markets has increased over the past several years, and additional future regulation of the derivatives markets may make derivatives more costly, may limit the availability or reduce the liquidity of derivatives, or may otherwise adversely affect the value or performance of derivatives. Any such adverse future developments could impair the effectiveness or raise the costs of a Fund's derivative transactions, impede the employment of the Fund's derivatives strategies, or adversely affect the Fund's performance.

Commodity Risk

A Fund's investments in commodity-linked derivative instruments may subject the Fund to greater volatility than investments in traditional securities. The value of commodity-linked derivative instruments may be affected by changes in overall market movements, commodity index volatility, changes in interest rates, or factors affecting a particular industry or commodity, such as drought, floods, weather, livestock disease, embargoes, tariffs and international economic, political and regulatory developments. Certain Underlying PIMCO Funds, including the PIMCO CommoditiesPLUS® Strategy Fund and PIMCO CommodityRealReturn Strategy Fund®, may each concentrate its assets in a particular sector of the commodities market (such as oil, metal or agricultural products). As a result, certain Underlying PIMCO Funds, including the PIMCO CommoditiesPLUS® Strategy Fund and PIMCO CommodityRealReturn Strategy Fund®, and, to the extent the PIMCO Emerging Markets Full Spectrum Bond Fund invests in certain Underlying PIMCO Funds, including the PIMCO

 

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CommoditiesPLUS® Strategy Fund and PIMCO CommodityRealReturn Strategy Fund®, the PIMCO Emerging Markets Full Spectrum Bond Fund may be more susceptible to risks associated with those sectors. The prices for commodities in those sectors may fluctuate widely due to factors such as changes in value, supply and demand and governmental regulatory policies.

Equity Risk

Equity securities represent an ownership interest, or the right to acquire an ownership interest, in an issuer. Equity securities also include, among other things, preferred securities, convertible stocks and warrants. The values of equity securities, such as common stocks and preferred securities, may decline due to general market conditions which are not specifically related to a particular company, such as real or perceived adverse economic conditions, changes in the general outlook for corporate earnings, changes in interest or currency rates or adverse investor sentiment generally. They may also decline due to factors which affect a particular industry or industries, such as labor shortages or increased production costs and competitive conditions within an industry. Equity securities generally have greater price volatility than fixed income securities. These risks are generally magnified in the case of equity investments in distressed companies.

Mortgage-Related and Other Asset-Backed Securities Risk

Mortgage-related and other asset-backed securities represent interests in "pools" of mortgages or other assets such as consumer loans or receivables held in trust and often involve risks that are different from or possibly more acute than risks associated with other types of debt instruments. Generally, rising interest rates tend to extend the duration of fixed rate mortgage-related securities, making them more sensitive to changes in interest rates. As a result, in a period of rising interest rates, if a Fund holds mortgage-related securities, it may exhibit additional volatility since individual mortgage holders are less likely to exercise prepayment options, thereby putting additional downward pressure on the value of these securities and potentially causing the Fund to lose money. This is known as extension risk. Mortgage-backed securities can be highly sensitive to rising interest rates, such that even small movements can cause an investing Fund to lose value. Mortgage-backed securities, and in particular those not backed by a government guarantee, are subject to credit risk. In addition, adjustable and fixed rate mortgage-related securities are subject to prepayment risk. When interest rates decline, borrowers may pay off their mortgages sooner than expected. This can reduce the returns of a Fund because the Fund may have to reinvest that money at the lower prevailing interest rates. A Fund's investments in other asset-backed securities are subject to risks similar to those associated with mortgage-related securities, as well as additional risks associated with the nature of the assets and the servicing of those assets. Payment of principal and interest on asset-backed securities may be largely dependent upon the cash flows generated by the assets backing the securities, and asset-backed securities may not have the benefit of any security interest in the related assets.

Foreign (Non-U.S.) Investment Risk

Certain Funds may invest in foreign (non-U.S.) securities and may experience more rapid and extreme changes in value than a Fund that invests exclusively in securities of U.S. companies. The securities markets of many foreign countries are relatively small, with a limited number of companies representing a small number of industries. Additionally, issuers of foreign (non-U.S.) securities are usually not subject to the same degree of regulation as U.S. issuers. Reporting, accounting and auditing standards of foreign countries differ, in some cases significantly, from U.S. standards. Global economies and financial markets are becoming increasingly interconnected, and conditions and events in one country, region or financial market may adversely impact issuers in a different country, region or financial market. Also, nationalization, expropriation or confiscatory taxation, currency blockage, political changes or diplomatic developments could adversely affect a Fund's investments in a foreign country. In the event of nationalization, expropriation or other confiscation, a Fund could lose its entire investment in foreign (non-U.S.) securities. Adverse conditions in a certain region can adversely affect securities of other countries whose economies appear to be unrelated. To the extent that a Fund invests a significant portion of its assets in a specific geographic region, the Fund will generally have more exposure to regional economic risks associated with foreign (non-U.S.) investments. Foreign (non-U.S.) securities may also be less liquid and more difficult to value than securities of U.S. issuers.

Real Estate Risk

Investments in real estate investment trusts ("REITs") or real-estate linked derivative instruments are subject to risks similar to those associated with direct ownership of real estate, including losses from casualty or condemnation, and changes in local and general economic conditions, supply and demand, interest rates, zoning laws, regulatory limitations on rents, property taxes and operating expenses. An investment in a REIT or a real estate-linked derivative instrument that is linked to the value of a REIT is subject to additional risks, such as poor performance by the manager of the REIT, adverse changes to the tax laws or failure by the REIT to qualify for tax-free pass-through of income under the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 as amended (the "Code"). In addition, some REITs have limited diversification because they invest in a limited number of properties, a narrow geographic area, or a single type of property. Also, the organizational documents of a REIT may contain provisions that make changes in control of the REIT difficult and time-consuming. Finally, private REITs are not traded on a national securities exchange. As such, these products are generally illiquid. This reduces the ability of a Fund to redeem its investment early. Private REITs are also generally harder to value and may bear higher fees than public REITs.

 

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Emerging Markets Risk

Foreign (non-U.S.) investment risk may be particularly high to the extent a Fund invests in emerging market securities. Emerging market securities may present market, credit, currency, liquidity, legal, political and other risks different from, and potentially greater than, the risks of investing in securities and instruments economically tied to developed foreign countries. To the extent a Fund invests in emerging market securities that are economically tied to a particular region, country or group of countries, the Fund may be more sensitive to adverse political or social events affecting that region, country or group of countries. Economic, business, political, or social instability may affect emerging market securities differently, and often more severely, than developed market securities. A Fund that focuses its investments in multiple asset classes of emerging market securities may have a limited ability to mitigate losses in an environment that is adverse to emerging market securities in general. Emerging market securities may also be more volatile, less liquid and more difficult to value than securities economically tied to developed foreign countries. The systems and procedures for trading and settlement of securities in emerging markets are less developed and less transparent and transactions may take longer to settle. Rising interest rates, combined with widening credit spreads, could negatively impact the value of emerging market debt and increase funding costs for foreign issuers. In such a scenario, foreign issuers might not be able to service their debt obligations, the market for emerging market debt could suffer from reduced liquidity, and any investing Funds could lose money.

Sovereign Debt Risk

Sovereign debt risk is the risk that fixed income instruments issued by sovereign entities may decline in value as a result of default or other adverse credit event resulting from an issuer's inability or unwillingness to make principal or interest payments in a timely fashion. A sovereign entity's failure to make timely payments on its debt can result from many factors, including, without limitation, insufficient foreign currency reserves or an inability to sufficiently manage fluctuations in relative currency valuations, an inability or unwillingness to satisfy the demands of creditors and/or relevant supranational entities regarding debt service or economic reforms, the size of the debt burden relative to economic output and tax revenues, cash flow difficulties, and other political and social considerations. The risk of loss to the Fund in the event of a sovereign debt default or other adverse credit event is heightened by the unlikelihood of any formal recourse or means to enforce its rights as a holder of the sovereign debt. In addition, sovereign debt restructurings, which may be shaped by entities and factors beyond the Fund's control, may result in a loss in value of the Fund's sovereign debt holdings.

Currency Risk

If a Fund invests directly in foreign (non-U.S.) currencies or in securities that trade in, and receive revenues in, foreign (non-U.S.) currencies, or in derivatives that provide exposure to foreign (non-U.S.) currencies, it will be subject to the risk that those currencies will decline in value relative to the U.S. dollar, or, in the case of hedging positions, that the U.S. dollar will decline in value relative to the currency being hedged.

Currency rates in foreign (non-U.S.) countries may fluctuate significantly over short periods of time for a number of reasons, including changes in interest rates, intervention (or the failure to intervene) by U.S. or foreign (non-U.S.) governments, central banks or supranational entities such as the International Monetary Fund, or by the imposition of currency controls or other political developments in the United States or abroad. As a result, a Fund's investments in foreign currency-denominated securities may reduce the returns of the Fund.

Currency risk may be particularly high to the extent that a Fund invests in foreign (non-U.S.) currencies or engages in foreign currency transactions that are economically tied to emerging market countries. These currency transactions may present market, credit, currency, liquidity, legal, political and other risks different from, or greater than, the risks of investing in developed foreign (non-U.S.) currencies or engaging in foreign currency transactions that are economically tied to developed foreign countries.

Issuer Non-Diversification Risk

Focusing investments in a small number of issuers increases risk. Funds that are "non-diversified" may invest a greater percentage of their assets in the securities of a single issuer (such as bonds issued by a particular state) than funds that are "diversified." Funds that invest in a relatively small number of issuers are more susceptible to risks associated with a single economic, political or regulatory occurrence than a more diversified portfolio might be. Some of those issuers also may present substantial credit or other risks.

Smaller Company Risk

The general risks associated with fixed income securities and equity securities are particularly pronounced for securities issued by companies with smaller market capitalizations. These companies may have limited product lines, markets or financial resources or they may depend on a few key employees. As a result, they may be subject to greater levels of credit, market and issuer risk. Securities of smaller companies may trade less frequently and in lesser volumes than more widely held securities and their values may fluctuate more sharply than other securities. Companies with medium-sized market capitalizations may have risks similar to those of smaller companies.

Leveraging Risk

Certain transactions may give rise to a form of leverage. Such transactions may include, among others, reverse repurchase agreements, loans of portfolio securities, and the use of when-issued, delayed delivery or forward commitment transactions. The use of derivatives may also

 

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create leveraging risk. In accordance with federal securities laws, rules, and staff positions, PIMCO will mitigate its leveraging risk by segregating or "earmarking" liquid assets or otherwise covering transactions that may give rise to such risk. The Funds also may be exposed to leveraging risk by borrowing money for investment purposes. Leveraging may cause a Fund to liquidate portfolio positions to satisfy its obligations or to meet segregation requirements when it may not be advantageous to do so. Leveraging, including borrowing, may cause a Fund to be more volatile than if the Fund had not been leveraged. This is because leveraging tends to exaggerate the effect of any increase or decrease in the value of a Fund's portfolio securities. Certain types of leveraging transactions, such as short sales that are not "against the box," could theoretically be subject to unlimited losses in cases where a Fund, for any reason, is unable to close out the transaction. In addition, to the extent a Fund borrows money, interest costs on such borrowings may not be recovered by any appreciation of the securities purchased with the borrowed amounts and could exceed the Fund's investment returns, resulting in greater losses. Moreover, to make payments of interest and other loan costs, a Fund may be forced to sell portfolio securities when it is not otherwise advantageous to do so.

Management Risk

Each Fund is subject to management risk because it is an actively managed investment portfolio. PIMCO and each individual portfolio manager will apply investment techniques and risk analysis in making investment decisions for the Funds, but there can be no guarantee that these decisions will produce the desired results. Certain securities or other instruments in which a Fund seeks to invest may not be available in the quantities desired. In addition, regulatory restrictions, actual or potential conflicts of interest or other considerations may cause PIMCO to restrict or prohibit participation in certain investments. In such circumstances, PIMCO or the individual portfolio managers may determine to purchase other securities or instruments as substitutes. Such substitute securities or instruments may not perform as intended, which could result in losses to the Fund. To the extent a Fund employs strategies targeting perceived pricing inefficiencies, arbitrage strategies or similar strategies, it is subject to the risk that the pricing or valuation of the securities and instruments involved in such strategies may change unexpectedly, which may result in reduced returns or losses to the Fund. Additionally, legislative, regulatory, or tax restrictions, policies or developments may affect the investment techniques available to PIMCO and each individual portfolio manager in connection with managing the Funds and may also adversely affect the ability of the Funds to achieve their investment objectives. There also can be no assurance that all of the personnel of PIMCO will continue to be associated with PIMCO for any length of time. The loss of the services of one or more key employees of PIMCO could have an adverse impact on the Fund's ability to realize its investment objective. Because a number of Underlying PIMCO Funds obtain exposure to certain proprietary model stock portfolios by investing in equity total return swaps based on such model portfolios, in other securities and instruments to replicate the performance of such model portfolios, or directly in the equity securities held in such model portfolios, such Underlying PIMCO Funds will be subject to the risks associated with the management of these proprietary model stock portfolios by the sub-adviser to such Underlying PIMCO Funds.

Short Exposure Risk

A Fund's short sales, if any, are subject to special risks. A short sale involves the sale by the Fund of a security that it does not own with the hope of purchasing the same security at a later date at a lower price. A Fund may also enter into a short position through a forward commitment or a short derivative position through a futures contract or swap agreement. If the price of the security or derivative has increased during this time, then the Fund will incur a loss equal to the increase in price from the time that the short sale was entered into plus any transaction costs (i.e., premiums and interest) paid to the broker-dealer to borrow securities. Therefore, short sales involve the risk that losses may be exaggerated, potentially losing more money than the actual cost of the investment. By contrast, a loss on a long position arises from decreases in the value of the security and is limited by the fact that a security's value cannot decrease below zero.

By investing the proceeds received from selling securities short, a Fund could be deemed to be employing a form of leverage, which creates special risks. The use of leverage may increase a Fund's exposure to long security positions and make any change in the Fund's NAV greater than it would be without the use of leverage. This could result in increased volatility of returns. There is no guarantee that any leveraging strategy a Fund employs will be successful during any period in which it is employed.

In times of unusual or adverse market, economic, regulatory or political conditions, a Fund may not be able, fully or partially, to implement its short selling strategy. Periods of unusual or adverse market, economic, regulatory or political conditions generally may exist for as long as six months and, in some cases, much longer. Also, there is the risk that the third party to the short sale will not fulfill its contractual obligations, causing a loss to the Fund.

Tax Risk

Certain Underlying PIMCO Funds, including the PIMCO CommodityRealReturn Strategy Fund® and PIMCO CommoditiesPLUS® Strategy Fund, gain exposure to the commodities markets through investments in commodity-linked derivative instruments, including commodity index-linked notes, swap agreements, commodity options, futures, and options on futures. Both the PIMCO CommodityRealReturn Strategy Fund® and PIMCO CommoditiesPLUS® Strategy Fund may also gain exposure indirectly to commodity markets by investing in its respective Subsidiary, which invests primarily in commodity-linked derivative instruments backed by a portfolio of inflation-indexed securities and other Fixed Income Instruments. In order for the PIMCO CommodityRealReturn Strategy Fund® and PIMCO CommoditiesPLUS® Strategy Fund to qualify as a regulated investment company under Subchapter M of the Code, the Fund and each Underlying PIMCO Fund must derive at least 90 percent of its gross income each taxable year from certain qualifying sources of income.

 

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As more fully described below under "Tax Consequences — A Note on the PIMCO CommodityRealReturn Strategy Fund® and PIMCO CommoditiesPLUS® Strategy Fund, Underlying PIMCO Funds", the Internal Revenue Service (the "IRS") issued a revenue ruling which holds that income derived from commodity-linked swaps is not qualifying income under Subchapter M of the Code. However, the IRS has issued private letter rulings in which the IRS specifically concluded that income from certain commodity index-linked notes is qualifying income (collectively, the "Notes Rulings"). In addition, the IRS has also issued private letter rulings in which the IRS specifically concluded that income derived from an investment in a subsidiary will also constitute qualifying income to each Fund. The IRS recently issued proposed regulations that, if finalized, would generally treat a fund's income inclusion with respect to a subsidiary as qualifying income only if there is a distribution out of the earnings and profits of a subsidiary that are attributable to such income inclusion. The proposed regulations, if adopted, would apply to taxable years beginning on or after 90 days after the regulations are published as final. The IRS also recently issued a revenue procedure, which states that the IRS will not in the future issue private letter rulings that would require a determination of whether an asset (such as a commodity index-linked note) is a "security" under the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended (the "1940 Act"). In connection with issuing such revenue procedure, the IRS has revoked the Note Rulings.

The PIMCO CommodityRealReturn Strategy Fund® and PIMCO CommoditiesPLUS® Strategy Fund will seek to gain exposure to the commodity markets primarily through investments in their respective Subsidiaries. If the IRS were to determine that income derived from investments in a Subsidiary does not constitute qualifying income, certain Underlying PIMCO Funds, including the PIMCO CommodityRealReturn Strategy Fund® and PIMCO CommoditiesPLUS® Strategy Fund, might be adversely affected and would be required to reduce their exposure to such investments, which might result in difficulty in implementing their investment strategies and increased costs and taxes. Investments in a Subsidiary involve specific risks. See "Characteristics and Risks of Securities and Investment Techniques — Investments in Wholly-Owned Subsidiary" below for further information regarding the Subsidiaries, including the risks associated with investing in the Subsidiaries.

To the extent the Fund invests in the PIMCO CommoditiesPLUS® Strategy Fund or PIMCO CommodityRealReturn Strategy Fund®, the use of the above noted investments by the Underlying PIMCO Fund could subject the shareholders of the Fund to risks similar to those described above.

Subsidiary Risk

The PIMCO Emerging Markets Full Spectrum Bond Fund may invest in Underlying PIMCO Funds with Subsidiaries. By investing in each of their respective Subsidiaries, each of the PIMCO CommodityRealReturn Strategy Fund® and PIMCO CommoditiesPLUS® Strategy Fund, Underlying PIMCO Funds, is indirectly exposed to the risks associated with the respective Subsidiary's investments. The investments held by the Subsidiaries are generally similar to those that are permitted to be held by the Underlying PIMCO Funds and are subject to the same risks that apply to similar investments if held directly by the Underlying PIMCO Funds. These risks are described elsewhere in this prospectus. There can be no assurance that the investment objective of the Underlying PIMCO Funds or the Subsidiaries will be achieved.

The Subsidiaries are not registered under the 1940 Act, and, unless otherwise noted in this prospectus, are not subject to all the investor protections of the 1940 Act. In addition, changes in the laws of the United States and/or the Cayman Islands could result in the inability of the Underlying PIMCO Funds and/or the Subsidiaries to operate as described in this prospectus and SAI and could adversely affect the Underlying PIMCO Funds and, to the extent the PIMCO Emerging Markets Full Spectrum Bond Fund invests in the Underlying PIMCO Funds, the PIMCO Emerging Markets Full Spectrum Bond Fund. Changes in the laws of the United States and/or the Cayman Islands could adversely affect the performance of an Underlying PIMCO Fund and/or a Subsidiary and result in the Underlying PIMCO Fund underperforming its benchmark index(es).

Value Investing Risk

Value investing attempts to identify companies that a portfolio manager believes to be undervalued. Value stocks typically have prices that are low relative to factors such as the company's earnings, cash flow or dividends. A value stock may decrease in price or may not increase in price as anticipated by PIMCO if it continues to be undervalued by the market or the factors that the portfolio manager believes will cause the stock price to increase do not occur. A value investing style may perform better or worse than equity portfolios that focus on growth stocks or that have a broader investment style.

Arbitrage Risk

An Underlying PIMCO Fund that invests in securities purchased pursuant to an arbitrage strategy in order to take advantage of a perceived relationship between the value of two securities presents certain risks. Securities purchased or sold short pursuant to an arbitrage strategy may not perform as intended, which may result in a loss to the Underlying PIMCO Fund. Additionally, issuers of a security purchased pursuant to an arbitrage strategy are often engaged in significant corporate events, such as restructurings, acquisitions, mergers, takeovers, tender offers or exchanges, or liquidations. Such corporate events may not be completed as initially planned or may fail.

Convertible Securities Risk

Convertible securities are fixed income securities, preferred securities or other securities that are convertible into or exercisable for common stock of the issuer (or cash or securities of equivalent value) at either a stated price or a stated rate. The market values of convertible securities may decline as interest rates increase and, conversely, may increase as interest rates decline. A convertible security's market value, however, tends to reflect the market price of the common stock of the issuing company when that stock price approaches or is greater than the convertible security's "conversion price." The

 

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conversion price is defined as the predetermined price at which the convertible security could be exchanged for the associated stock. As the market price of the underlying common stock declines, the price of the convertible security tends to be influenced more by the yield of the convertible security. Thus, it may not decline in price to the same extent as the underlying common stock. In the event of a liquidation of the issuing company, holders of convertible securities may be paid before the company's common stockholders but after holders of any senior debt obligations of the company. Consequently, the issuer's convertible securities generally entail less risk than its common stock but more risk than its debt obligations.

Synthetic convertible securities involve the combination of separate securities that possess the two principal characteristics of a traditional convertible security (i.e., an income-producing component and a right to acquire an equity security). Synthetic convertible securities are often achieved, in part, through investments in warrants or options to buy common stock (or options on a stock index), and therefore are subject to the risks associated with derivatives. The value of a synthetic convertible security will respond differently to market fluctuations than a traditional convertible security because a synthetic convertible is composed of two or more separate securities or instruments, each with its own market value. Because the convertible component is typically achieved by investing in warrants or options to buy common stock at a certain exercise price, or options on a stock index, synthetic convertible securities are subject to the risks associated with derivatives. In addition, if the value of the underlying common stock or the level of the index involved in the convertible component falls below the exercise price of the warrant or option, the warrant or option may lose all value.

Exchange-Traded Fund ("ETF") Risk

Investments in ETFs entail certain risks. Investments in ETFs designed to track an index involve the risk that the ETF's performance may not track the performance of the index the ETF is designed to track. This deviation may occur due to cash inflows and outflows from and to investors buying and redeeming shares or due to occasional differences between the composition of the index and the securities held by the ETF. In addition, investments in ETFs involve the risk that the market prices of ETF shares will fluctuate, sometimes rapidly and materially, in response to changes in the ETF's NAV, the value of ETF holdings and supply and demand for ETF shares. Although ETFs will generally trade close to NAV, market volatility, lack of an active trading market for ETF shares, disruptions at market participants (such as Authorized Participants or market makers) and any disruptions in the ordinary functioning of the creation/redemption process may result in ETF shares trading significantly above (at a "premium") or below (at a "discount") NAV. Significant losses may result when transacting in ETF shares in these and other circumstances.

Disclosure of Portfolio Holdings

Please see "Disclosure of Portfolio Holdings" in the SAI for information about the availability of the complete schedule of each Fund's holdings.

 

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Prospectus

Management of the Funds

Investment Adviser and Administrator

PIMCO serves as the investment adviser and the administrator (serving in its capacity as investment adviser, the "Investment Adviser," and serving in its capacity as administrator, the "Administrator") for the Funds. Subject to the supervision of the Board of Trustees of PIMCO Funds (the "Trust"), PIMCO is responsible for managing the investment activities of the Funds and the Funds' business affairs and other administrative matters.

PIMCO is located at 650 Newport Center Drive, Newport Beach, CA 92660. Organized in 1971, PIMCO provides investment management and advisory services to private accounts of institutional and individual clients and to mutual funds. As of June 30, 2018, PIMCO had approximately $[ ] in assets under management.

Management Fees

Each Fund pays for the advisory and supervisory and administrative services it requires under what is essentially an all-in fee structure. The Management Fees shown in the Annual Fund Operating Expenses tables reflect both an advisory fee and a supervisory and administrative fee. For the fiscal year ended March 31, 2018, the Funds paid monthly Management Fees to PIMCO at the following annual rates (stated as a percentage of the average daily net assets attributable to each class's shares taken separately):

Management Fees


Fund Name

Inst
Class


I-2

Admin
Class

Class A

Class C

Class R

PIMCO Emerging Local Bond Fund

0.90%

1.00%

0.90%

1.05%

1.05%

N/A

PIMCO Emerging Markets Bond Fund

0.83%

0.93%

0.83%

0.95%

0.95%

N/A

PIMCO Emerging Markets Corporate Bond Fund

0.90%

N/A

N/A

N/A

N/A

N/A

PIMCO Emerging Markets Currency and Short-Term Investments Fund

0.85%

0.95%

N/A

1.00%

1.00%

N/A

PIMCO Emerging Markets Full Spectrum Bond Fund‌

0.94%

N/A

N/A

N/A

N/A

N/A

PIMCO International Bond Fund (Unhedged)

0.50%

0.60%

0.50%

0.65%

0.65%

N/A

PIMCO International Bond Fund (U.S. Dollar-Hedged)

0.50%

0.60%

0.50%

0.65%

0.65%

0.65%

PIMCO Global Advantage® Strategy Bond Fund‌

0.65%

0.75%

N/A

0.80%

0.80%

N/A

PIMCO Global Bond Opportunities Fund (Unhedged)

0.55%

N/A

0.55%

N/A

N/A

N/A

PIMCO Global Bond Opportunities Fund (U.S. Dollar-Hedged)

0.55%

0.65%

0.55%

0.65%

0.65%

N/A

I-3 shares of the PIMCO Emerging Local Bond Fund, PIMCO Emerging Markets Bond Fund, PIMCO International Bond Fund (Unhedged) and PIMCO International Bond Fund (U.S. Dollar-Hedged) were not operational during the fiscal year ended March 31, 2018. The management fee for the I-3 shares of the PIMCO Emerging Local Bond Fund, PIMCO Emerging Markets Bond Fund, PIMCO International Bond Fund (Unhedged) and PIMCO International Bond Fund (U.S. Dollar-Hedged) is at the following annual rate (stated as a percentage of the average daily net assets attributable to the class's shares taken separately): 1.10%, 1.03%, 0.70% and 0.70%, respectively.

Class A shares of the PIMCO Global Bond Opportunities Fund (Unhedged) were not operational during the fiscal year ended March 31, 2018. The management fee for the Class A shares of the PIMCO Global Bond Opportunities Fund (Unhedged) is at the following annual rate (stated as a percentage of the average daily net assets attributable to the class's shares taken separately): 0.70%.

Advisory Fee. Each Fund pays PIMCO fees in return for providing investment advisory services. For the fiscal year ended March 31, 2018, the Funds paid monthly advisory fees to PIMCO at the following annual rates (stated as a percentage of the average daily net assets of each Fund taken separately):


Fund Name

Advisory Fees All Classes(1)

PIMCO Emerging Local Bond Fund

0.45%

PIMCO Emerging Markets Bond Fund

0.45%

PIMCO Emerging Markets Corporate Bond Fund

0.50%

PIMCO Emerging Markets Currency and Short-Term Investments Fund

0.45%

PIMCO Emerging Markets Full Spectrum Bond Fund

0.54%

PIMCO International Bond Fund (Unhedged)

0.25%

PIMCO International Bond Fund (U.S. Dollar-Hedged)

0.25%

PIMCO Global Advantage® Strategy Bond Fund

0.35%

PIMCO Global Bond Opportunities Fund (Unhedged)

0.25%

PIMCO Global Bond Opportunities Fund (U.S. Dollar-Hedged)

0.25%

 

1 For details regarding changes to this rate within the last 5 years, please see the footnote disclosures for the Funds in the Financial Highlights section beginning on page [ ].

 

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PIMCO Funds

A discussion of the basis for the Board of Trustees' approval of the Funds' investment advisory contract is available in the Funds' Semi-Annual Report to shareholders for the fiscal half-year ended September 30, 2017.

Supervisory and Administrative Fee. Each Fund pays for the supervisory and administrative services it requires under what is essentially an all-in fee structure. Shareholders of each Fund pay a supervisory and administrative fee to PIMCO, computed as a percentage of the Fund's assets attributable in the aggregate to that class of shares. PIMCO, in turn, provides or procures supervisory and administrative services for shareholders and also bears the costs of various third-party services required by the Funds, including audit, custodial, portfolio accounting, legal, transfer agency and printing costs. The Funds bear other expenses which are not covered under the supervisory and administrative fee which may vary and affect the total level of expenses paid by the shareholders, such as taxes and governmental fees, brokerage fees, commissions and other transaction expenses, organizational expenses, costs of borrowing money, including interest expenses, extraordinary expenses (such as litigation and indemnification expenses) and fees and expenses of the Trust's Independent Trustees and their counsel. PIMCO generally earns a profit on the supervisory and administrative fee paid by the Funds. Also, under the terms of the supervision and administration agreement, PIMCO, and not Fund shareholders, would benefit from any price decreases in third-party services, including decreases resulting from an increase in net assets.

For the fiscal year ended March 31, 2018, the Funds paid PIMCO monthly supervisory and administrative fees at the following annual rates (stated as a percentage of the average daily net assets attributable in the aggregate to each class's shares taken separately):

Supervisory and Administrative Fees(1)


Fund Name

Inst
Class

I-2

Admin
Class

Class A

Class C

Class R

PIMCO Emerging Local Bond Fund

0.45%

0.55%

0.45%

0.60%

0.60%

N/A

PIMCO Emerging Markets Bond Fund‌

0.38%

0.48%

0.38%

0.50%

0.50%

N/A

PIMCO Emerging Markets Corporate Bond Fund

0.40%

N/A

N/A

N/A

N/A

N/A

PIMCO Emerging Markets Currency and Short-Term Investments Fund

0.40%

0.50%

N/A

0.55%

0.55%

N/A

PIMCO Emerging Markets Full Spectrum Bond Fund

0.40%

N/A

N/A

N/A

N/A

N/A

PIMCO International Bond Fund (Unhedged)‌

0.25%

0.35%

0.25%

0.40%

0.40%

N/A

PIMCO International Bond Fund (U.S. Dollar-Hedged)‌

0.25%

0.35%

0.25%

0.40%

0.40%

0.40%

PIMCO Global Advantage® Strategy Bond Fund

0.30%

0.40%

N/A

0.45%

0.45%

N/A

PIMCO Global Bond Opportunities Fund (Unhedged)

0.30%

N/A

0.30%

N/A

N/A

N/A

PIMCO Global Bond Opportunities Fund (U.S. Dollar-Hedged)

0.30%

0.40%

0.30%

0.40%

0.40%

N/A

 

1 For details regarding changes to this rate within the last 5 years, please see the footnote disclosures for the Funds in the Financial Highlights section beginning on page [ ].

I-3 shares of the PIMCO Emerging Local Bond Fund, PIMCO Emerging Markets Bond Fund, PIMCO International Bond Fund (Unhedged) and PIMCO International Bond Fund (U.S. Dollar-Hedged) were not operational during the fiscal year ended March 31, 2018. The supervisory and administrative fee for the I-3 shares of the PIMCO Emerging Local Bond Fund, PIMCO Emerging Markets Bond Fund, PIMCO International Bond Fund (Unhedged) and PIMCO International Bond Fund (U.S. Dollar-Hedged) is at the following annual rate (stated as a percentage of the average daily net assets attributable to the class's shares taken separately): 0.65%, 0.58%, 0.45% and 0.45%, respectively.

Class A shares of the PIMCO Global Bond Opportunities Fund (Unhedged) were not operational during the fiscal year ended March 31, 2018. The supervisory and administrative fee for the Class A shares of the PIMCO Global Bond Opportunities Fund (Unhedged) is at the following annual rate (stated as a percentage of the average daily net assets attributable to the class's shares taken separately): 0.45%.

Expense Limitation Agreement

Pursuant to the Expense Limitation Agreement, PIMCO has agreed to waive a portion of each Fund's supervisory and administrative fees, or reimburse the Fund, to the extent that the Fund's organizational expenses and pro rata share of Trustee fees exceed 0.0049% (the "Expense Limit") (calculated as a percentage of average daily net assets attributable to each class). The Expense Limitation Agreement will automatically renew for one-year terms unless PIMCO provides written notice to the Trust at least 30 days prior to the end of the then current term. In any month in which the supervision and administration agreement is in effect, PIMCO is entitled to reimbursement by each Fund of any portion of the supervisory and administrative fee waived or reimbursed as set forth above (the "Reimbursement Amount") during the previous thirty-six months, provided that such amount paid to PIMCO will not: 1) together with any organizational expenses and pro rata Trustee fees, exceed, for such month, the Expense Limit; 2) exceed the total Reimbursement Amount; or 3) include any amounts previously reimbursed to PIMCO.

Fee Waiver Agreement

PIMCO has contractually agreed, through July 31, 2019, to waive its supervisory and administrative fee for I-3 shares by 0.05% of the average daily net assets attributable to I-3 shares of each of PIMCO Emerging Local Bond Fund, PIMCO Emerging Markets Bond Fund, PIMCO International Bond Fund (Unhedged) and PIMCO International Bond Fund (U.S. Dollar-Hedged). This Fee Waiver Agreement will automatically renew for one-year terms unless PIMCO provides written notice to the Trust at least 30 days prior to the end of the then current term.

 

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Prospectus

Underlying PIMCO Fund Fees

The PIMCO Emerging Markets Full Spectrum Bond Fund is permitted to invest in Underlying PIMCO Funds, which, for this Fund, is defined to include funds of the Trust and funds of PIMCO Equity Series and PIMCO ETF Trust, affiliated open-end investment companies, except funds of funds.

The PIMCO Emerging Markets Full Spectrum Bond Fund pays advisory and supervisory and administrative fees directly to PIMCO at the annual rates stated above, based on the average daily net assets attributable in the aggregate to the Fund's shares. The Fund also indirectly pays its proportionate share of the advisory fees, supervisory and administrative fees and management fees charged by PIMCO to the Underlying PIMCO Funds in which the Fund invests (collectively, the "Underlying PIMCO Fund Fees").

PIMCO has contractually agreed, through July 31, 2019, to waive, first, the advisory fee and, second, to the extent necessary, the supervisory and administrative fee it receives from the PIMCO Emerging Markets Full Spectrum Bond Fund in an amount equal to the Underlying PIMCO Fund Fees indirectly incurred by the Fund in connection with its investments in Underlying PIMCO Funds, to the extent the Fund's advisory fee or advisory fee and supervisory and administrative fee, taken together, are greater than or equal to the Underlying PIMCO Fund Fees. This waiver will automatically renew for one-year terms unless PIMCO provides written notice to the Trust at least 30 days prior to the end of the then current term.

The Acquired Fund Fees and Expenses shown in the Annual Fund Operating Expenses table for the PIMCO Emerging Markets Full Spectrum Bond Fund may be higher than the Underlying PIMCO Fund Expenses used for purposes of the expense reduction described above due to differences in the methods of calculation. The Acquired Fund Fees and Expenses, as required to be shown in the Annual Fund Operating Expenses table, are calculated using the total operating expenses for each Underlying PIMCO Fund over the Fund's average net assets. The Underlying PIMCO Fund Expenses that are used for purposes of implementing the expense reduction described above are calculated using the advisory and supervisory and administrative fees for each Underlying PIMCO Fund over the total assets invested in Underlying PIMCO Funds. Thus, the Acquired Fund Fees and Expenses listed in the Annual Fund Operating Expenses table will typically be higher than the Underlying PIMCO Fund Expenses used to calculate the expense reduction when the PIMCO Emerging Markets Full Spectrum Bond Fund employs leverage as an investment strategy.

The expenses associated with investing in a "fund of funds" are generally higher than those for mutual funds that do not invest in other mutual funds. The cost of investing in a fund of funds Fund will generally be higher than the cost of investing in a mutual fund that invests directly in individual stocks and bonds. By investing in a fund of funds Fund, an investor will indirectly bear fees and expenses charged by non-PIMCO Acquired Funds (and may indirectly bear a portion of the fees and expenses charged by Underlying PIMCO Funds to the extent such fees and expenses are not waived or reimbursed pursuant to applicable waiver and reimbursement agreements) in addition to the Fund's direct fees and expenses. In addition, the use of a fund of funds structure could affect the timing, amount and character of distributions to the shareholders and may therefore increase the amount of taxes payable by shareholders. The PIMCO Emerging Markets Full Spectrum Bond Fund invests in Institutional Class or Class M shares of the Underlying PIMCO Funds, which are not subject to any sales charges or distribution (12b-1) fees.

The following table summarizes the annual expenses borne by Institutional Class or Class M shareholders of the Underlying PIMCO Funds. Because the PIMCO Emerging Markets Full Spectrum Bond Fund invests in Institutional Class or Class M shares of the Underlying PIMCO Funds, shareholders of the Fund indirectly bear a proportionate share of these expenses, depending upon how the Fund's assets are allocated from time to time among the Underlying PIMCO Funds.

For a complete description of an Underlying PIMCO Fund, please see the Underlying PIMCO Fund's Institutional Class or Class M prospectus. For a summary description of the Underlying PIMCO Funds, please see the "Description of the Underlying PIMCO Funds" section in this prospectus.

Annual Underlying PIMCO Fund Expenses

(Based on the average daily net assets attributable to an Underlying PIMCO Fund's Institutional Class shares (or Class M shares in the case of the PIMCO Government Money Market Fund, or the Fund in the case of actively-managed funds of the PIMCO ETF Trust)).

[To be updated by subsequent amendment]

Individual Portfolio Managers

The following individuals have primary responsibility for managing each of the noted Funds.

Fund

Portfolio Manager

Since

Recent Professional Experience

PIMCO Emerging Local Bond
PIMCO Emerging Markets Bond
PIMCO Emerging Markets Currency and Short-Term Investments
PIMCO Emerging Markets Full Spectrum Bond

Michael Gomez

12/06*
1/12
5/05*
2/13*

Managing Director, PIMCO. He has been a member of the emerging markets team since joining PIMCO in 2003. Prior to joining PIMCO, he was associated with Goldman Sachs where he was responsible for proprietary trading of bonds issued by Latin American countries. Mr. Gomez joined Goldman Sachs in July 1999.

PIMCO Emerging Local Bond
PIMCO Emerging Markets Currency and Short-Term Investments
PIMCO Emerging Markets Full Spectrum Bond
PIMCO Global Advantage® Strategy Bond

Pramol Dhawan

10/16
10/16
5/17
8/17

Executive Vice President, PIMCO. Mr. Dhawan is an executive vice president and portfolio manager in the Newport Beach office. Prior to joining PIMCO in 2013, he was a managing director and head of emerging markets trading for Americas at Société Générale in New York. He was previously based in London where he headed the Central and Eastern Europe emerging markets team for the firm. Additionally, he was a management consultant at Accenture. He has investment experience since 2004 and holds an undergraduate degree in computer science and management studies from the University of Nottingham.

 

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PIMCO Funds

 

Fund

Portfolio Manager

Since

Recent Professional Experience

PIMCO Emerging Local Bond
PIMCO Emerging Markets Bond
PIMCO Emerging Markets Currency and Short-Term Investments
PIMCO Emerging Markets Full Spectrum Bond

Francesc Balcells

10/16
5/17
10/16
5/17

Executive Vice President, PIMCO. Mr. Balcells is an executive vice president and portfolio manager in the London office. Prior to joining PIMCO in 2012, he was employed at Rogge Capital Partners where he was the head of emerging markets and worked at Harvard Management Company focusing on emerging markets local rate and currency investments. Mr. Balcells also worked at the International Monetary Fund between 2002 and 2006, during which time he spent a year at PIMCO on secondment from the Fund. He has investment experience since 1996 and holds a master's degree in international economics and European studies from the Paul H. Nitze School of Advanced International Studies (SAIS) at Johns Hopkins University. He received his undergraduate degree from the Autonomous University of Barcelona.

PIMCO Emerging Markets Corporate Bond

Kofi Bentsi

12/16

Senior Vice President, PIMCO. Mr. Bentsi is a portfolio manager in the London office, focusing on emerging market corporate bond portfolios. Prior to joining PIMCO in 2012, he was a director and senior trader at Credit Suisse, focusing on Latin American corporate credit. Previously, he was a vice president and senior trader with J.P. Morgan, and an executive director and senior trader with Morgan Stanley. He has investment experience since 1996 and holds an undergraduate degree in economics from Bowdoin College.

PIMCO Emerging Markets Corporate Bond

Mohit Mittal

12/16

Managing Director, PIMCO. He manages investment grade credit, total return and unconstrained bond portfolios and is a member of the Americas Portfolio Committee. Previously, he was a specialist on PIMCO's interest rates and derivatives desk. Mr. Mittal joined PIMCO in 2007 and holds an MBA in finance from the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania and an undergraduate degree in computer science from Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) in Delhi, India.

PIMCO Emerging Markets Bond
PIMCO Emerging Markets Corporate Bond
PIMCO Emerging Markets Full Spectrum Bond

Yacov Arnopolin

5/17
12/16
5/17

Executive Vice President, PIMCO. Mr. Arnopolin is an emerging markets portfolio manager in the London office. Prior to joining PIMCO in 2016, he served as a managing director overseeing emerging market fixed income portfolios at Goldman Sachs Asset Management. Previously, Mr. Arnopolin worked as a portfolio manager at Fortress Investment Group. He has investment experience since 2000 and holds a bachelor's degree in economics from Carnegie Mellon University.

PIMCO International Bond (Unhedged)
PIMCO International Bond (U.S. Dollar-Hedged)
PIMCO Global Advantage® Strategy Bond
PIMCO Global Bond Opportunities (Unhedged)
PIMCO Global Bond Opportunities (U.S. Dollar-Hedged)

Andrew Balls

9/14
9/14
10/11
9/14
9/14

CIO Global and Managing Director, PIMCO. He joined PIMCO in 2006 and is a member of the Investment Committee and head of European portfolio management. Prior to joining PIMCO, he spent eight years at the Financial Times, most recently as editor of the U.S. Lex column and as chief economics correspondent in Washington, D.C.

PIMCO International Bond (Unhedged)
PIMCO International Bond (U.S. Dollar-Hedged)
PIMCO Global Advantage® Strategy Bond
PIMCO Global Bond Opportunities (Unhedged)
PIMCO Global Bond Opportunities (U.S. Dollar-Hedged)

Sachin Gupta

9/14
9/14
9/14
9/14
9/14

Managing Director, PIMCO. Mr. Gupta joined PIMCO in 2003. He has previously managed European LDI portfolios and served on the global portfolio management team in PIMCO's Singapore office. Mr. Gupta has focused on investments in government bonds, sovereign credit derivatives and interest rate derivatives across developed markets. Prior to joining PIMCO, Mr. Gupta was in the fixed income and currency derivatives group at ABN AMRO Bank. He has investment experience since 1997 and holds an MBA from XLRI, India.

PIMCO International Bond (Unhedged)
PIMCO International Bond (U.S. Dollar-Hedged)
PIMCO Global Bond Opportunities (Unhedged)
PIMCO Global Bond Opportunities (U.S. Dollar-Hedged)

Lorenzo Pagani

9/14
9/14
9/14
9/14

Managing Director, PIMCO. Dr. Pagani joined PIMCO in 2004 and is a portfolio manager in PIMCO's Munich office and head of the European government bond and European rates desk. Prior to joining PIMCO, he was with the nuclear engineering department at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and with Procter & Gamble in Italy.

PIMCO Global Advantage® Strategy Bond

Lupin Rahman

1/14

Executive Vice President, PIMCO. Ms. Rahman joined PIMCO in 2008 and is an emerging markets portfolio manager specializing in sovereign credit, monetary and foreign exchange policy analysis.

 

* Inception of the Fund.

Please see the SAI for additional information about other accounts managed by the portfolio managers, the portfolio managers' compensation and the portfolio managers' ownership of shares of the Funds.

The Trustees are responsible generally for overseeing the management of the Trust. The Trustees authorize the Trust to enter into service agreements with the Investment Adviser, the Distributor (as defined below), the Administrator and other service providers in order to provide, and in some cases authorize service providers to procure through other parties, necessary or desirable services on behalf of the Trust and the Funds. Shareholders are not parties to or third-party beneficiaries of such service agreements. Neither this prospectus nor summary prospectus, the Trust's SAI, any contracts filed as exhibits to the Trust's registration statement, nor any other communications, disclosure documents or regulatory filings from or on behalf of the Trust or a Fund creates a contract between or among any shareholder of a Fund, on the one hand, and the Trust, a Fund, a service provider to the Trust or a Fund, and/or the Trustees or officers of the Trust, on the other hand. The Trustees (or the Trust and its officers, service providers or other delegates acting under authority of the Trustees) may amend this, or use a new prospectus, summary prospectus or SAI with respect to a Fund or the Trust, and/or amend, file and/or issue any other communications, disclosure documents or regulatory filings, and may amend or enter into any contracts to which the Trust or a Fund is a party, and interpret

 

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Prospectus

the investment objective(s), policies, restrictions and contractual provisions applicable to any Fund, without shareholder input or approval, except in circumstances in which shareholder approval is specifically required by law (such as changes to fundamental investment policies) or where a shareholder approval requirement is specifically disclosed in the Trust's then-current prospectus or SAI.

Distributor

The Trust's Distributor is PIMCO Investments LLC (the "Distributor"). The Distributor, located at 1633 Broadway, New York, NY 10019, is a broker-dealer registered with the Securities and Exchange Commission ("SEC"). Please note all direct account requests or inquiries should be mailed to the Trust's transfer agent at P.O. Box 55060, Boston, MA 02205-5060 and should not be mailed to the Distributor.

 

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PIMCO Funds

Classes of Shares

Class A, Class C, Class R, Institutional Class, I-2 and Administrative Class shares of the Funds are offered in this prospectus. Each share class represents an investment in the same Fund, but each class has its own expense structure and arrangements for shareholder services or distribution, which allows you to choose the class that best fits your situation and eligibility requirements.

The class of shares that is best for you depends upon a number of factors, including the amount and the intended length of your investment, the expenses borne by each class, which are detailed in the fee table and example at the front of this prospectus, any initial sales charge or contingent deferred sales charge (CDSC) applicable to a class and whether you qualify for any reduction or waiver of sales charges, and the availability of the share class for purchase by you. Certain classes have higher expenses than other classes, which may lower the return on your investment when compared to a less expensive class. Individual investors can generally invest in Class A and Class C shares. Class C shares of each Fund will automatically convert into Class A shares of the same Fund after they have been held for ten years. This automatic conversion will be executed without any sales charge, fee or other charge. After the conversion takes place, the shares will be subject to all features and expenses of Class A shares. Only certain investors may purchase Institutional Class, I-2, Administrative Class and Class R shares.

The availability of sales charge waivers and discounts may depend on whether you purchase Fund shares directly from the Distributor or a financial firm. More information regarding sales charge waivers and discounts is summarized below.

The following summarizes key information about each class to help you make your investment decision, including the various expenses associated with each class and the payments made to financial firms for distribution and other services. More information about the Trust's multi-class arrangements is included in the SAI and can be obtained free of charge by visiting pimco.com or by calling 888.87.PIMCO.

Sales Charges

Initial Sales Charges — Class A Shares

This section includes important information about sales charge reduction programs available to investors in Class A shares of the Funds and describes information or records you may need to provide to the Distributor or your financial firm in order to be eligible for sales charge reduction programs.

Unless you are eligible for a waiver, the public offering price you pay when you buy Class A shares of the Funds is the NAV of the shares plus an initial sales charge. The initial sales charge varies depending upon the size of your purchase, as set forth below. No sales charge is imposed where Class A shares are issued to you pursuant to the automatic reinvestment of income dividends or capital gains distributions. For investors investing in Class A shares of the Funds through a financial firm, it is the responsibility of the financial firm to ensure that you obtain the proper "breakpoint" discount.

Amount of Purchase

Initial Sales Charge as % of Public Offering Price

Initial Sales Charge as % of Net Amount Invested

Under $100,000

3.75%

3.90%

$100,000 but under $250,000

3.25%

3.36%

$250,000 but under $500,000

2.25%

2.30%

$500,000 but under $1,000,000

1.75%

1.78%

$1,000,000 +

0.00%*

0.00%*

 

* As shown, investors that purchase $1,000,000 or more of the Fund's Class A shares will not pay any initial sales charge on the purchase. However, unless eligible for a waiver, certain purchasers of $1,000,000 or more of Class A shares may be subject to a CDSC of 1.00% if the shares are redeemed during the first 12 months after their purchase. See "Contingent Deferred Sales Charges – Class A Shares" below.

Investors in the Funds may reduce or eliminate sales charges applicable to purchases of Class A shares through utilization of the Combined Purchase Privilege, Right of Accumulation (Cumulative Quantity Discount), Letter of Intent or Reinstatement Privilege. These programs, which apply to purchases of one or more funds that are series of the Trust or PIMCO Equity Series that offer Class A shares (other than the Money Market series of the Trust) (collectively, "Eligible Funds"), are summarized below and are described in greater detail in the SAI.

Combined Purchase Privilege and Right of Accumulation (Breakpoints). A Qualifying Investor (as defined below) may qualify for a reduced sales charge on Class A shares by combining concurrent purchases of the Class A shares of one or more Eligible Funds into a single purchase (the "Combined Purchase Privilege"). In addition, a Qualifying Investor may obtain a reduced sales charge on Class A shares by adding the purchase value of Class A shares of an Eligible Fund with the current aggregate NAV of all Class A and C shares of any Eligible Fund held by accounts for the benefit of such Qualifying Investor (the "Right of Accumulation" or "Cumulative Quantity Discount").

The term "Qualifying Investor" refers to:

1.

an individual, such individual's spouse or domestic partner, as recognized by applicable state law, or such individual's children under the age of 21 years (each a "family member") (including family trust* accounts established by such a family member); or

2.

a trustee or other fiduciary for a single trust (except family trusts* noted above), estate or fiduciary account although more than one beneficiary may be involved; or

3.

an employee benefit plan of a single employer.


* For the purpose of determining whether a purchase would qualify for a reduced sales charge under the Combined Purchase Privilege, Right of Accumulation or Letter of Intent, a "family trust" is one in which a family member, as defined in section (1) above, or a direct lineal descendant(s) of such person is/are the beneficiary(ies), and such person or another family member, direct lineal ancestor or sibling of such person is/are the trustee(s).

Please see the SAI for details and for restrictions applicable to shares held by certain employer-sponsored benefit programs.

Letter of Intent. Investors may also obtain a reduced sales charge on purchases of Class A shares by means of a written Letter of Intent which expresses an intent to invest not less than $50,000 (or $100,000 in the case of those Funds with an initial sales charge breakpoint at $100,000)

 

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within a period of 13 months in Class A shares of any Eligible Fund(s). The maximum intended investment allowable in a Letter of Intent is $1,000,000. Each purchase of shares under a Letter of Intent will be made at the public offering price or prices applicable at the time of such purchase to a single purchase of the dollar amount indicated in the Letter of Intent. The value of the investor's account(s) linked to a Letter of Intent will be included at the start date of the Letter of Intent. A Letter of Intent is not a binding obligation to purchase the full amount indicated. Shares purchased with the first 5% of the amount indicated in the Letter of Intent will be held in escrow (while remaining registered in your name) to secure payment of the higher sales charges applicable to the shares actually purchased in the event the full intended amount is not purchased. Redemptions during the LOI period will not count against the shareholder, but a CDSC may be charged LOIs of $1,000,000.

In making computations concerning the amount purchased for purposes of a Letter of Intent, the Right of Accumulation value of eligible accounts will be included in the computation when the Letter of Intent begins in addition to purchases made during the Letter of Intent Period.

Reinstatement Privilege. A Class A shareholder who has caused any or all of his shares to be redeemed may reinvest all or any portion of the redemption proceeds in Class A shares of any Eligible Fund at NAV without any sales charge, provided that such investment is made within 120 calendar days after the redemption date. The limitations and restrictions of this program are fully described in the SAI.

Method of Valuation of Accounts. To determine whether a shareholder qualifies for a reduction in sales charge on a purchase of Class A shares of Eligible Funds, the public offering price of the shares is used for purchases relying on the Combined Purchase Privilege or a Letter of Intent and the amount of the total current purchase (including any sales load) plus the NAV (at the close of business on the day of the current purchase) of shares previously acquired is used for the Right of Accumulation (Cumulative Quantity Discount).

Sales at Net Asset Value. In addition to the programs summarized above, the Funds may sell their Class A shares at NAV without an initial sales charge to certain types of accounts or account holders, including, but not limited to: Trustees of the Funds; employees of PIMCO and the Distributor; employees of participating brokers; certain trustees or other fiduciaries purchasing shares for retirement plans; and persons investing through certain "wrap accounts." Please see the SAI for details.

If you are eligible to buy both Class A shares and Institutional Class shares, you should buy Institutional Class shares because Class A shares may be subject to sales charges and an annual 0.25% service fee.

Required Shareholder Information and Records. In order for investors in Class A shares of the Funds to take advantage of sales charge reductions, an investor or his or her financial firm must notify the Fund that the investor qualifies for such a reduction. If the Fund is not notified that the investor is eligible for these reductions, the Fund will be unable to ensure that the reduction is applied to the investor's account. An investor may have to provide certain information or records to his or her financial firm or the Fund to verify the investor's eligibility for breakpoint discounts or sales charge waivers. An investor may be asked to provide information or records, including account statements, regarding shares of the Funds or other Eligible Funds held in:

all of the investor's accounts held directly with the Trust or through a financial firm; 

any account of the investor at another financial firm; and 

accounts of Qualifying Investors, at any financial firm.

The SAI provides additional information regarding eliminations of and reductions in sales loads associated with Eligible Funds. You can obtain the SAI free of charge from PIMCO by written request, by visiting pimco.com or by calling 888.87.PIMCO.

Contingent Deferred Sales Charges

Class A Shares

Unless you are eligible for a waiver, if you purchase $1,000,000 or more of Class A shares (and, thus, pay no initial sales charge) of a Fund, you will be subject to a 1% CDSC if you sell (redeem) your Class A shares within 12 months of their purchase. The Class A CDSC does not apply if you are otherwise eligible to purchase Class A shares without an initial sales charge or are eligible for a waiver of the CDSC. See "Reductions and Waivers of Initial Sales Charges and CDSCs" below.

Class C Shares

Unless you are eligible for a waiver, if you sell (redeem) your Class C shares within the time periods specified below, you will pay a CDSC according to the following schedules. If you invest in Class C shares of the Funds through a financial firm, it is the responsibility of the financial firm to ensure that you are credited with the proper holding period for the shares redeemed.

Class C Shares

 


Years Since Purchase Payment was Made

Percentage
Contingent Deferred
Sales Charge

First

1%

Thereafter

0%

How CDSCs will be Calculated

A CDSC is imposed on redemptions of Class C shares (and where applicable, Class A shares) on the amount of the redemption which causes the current value of your account for the particular class of shares of the Fund to fall below the total dollar amount of your purchase payments subject to the CDSC.

The following rules apply under the method for calculating CDSCs:

Shares acquired through the reinvestment of dividends or capital gains distributions will be redeemed first and will not be subject to any CDSC.

For the redemption of all other shares, the CDSC will be based on either your original purchase price or the then current NAV of the shares being sold, whichever is lower. To illustrate this point, consider shares purchased at an NAV of $10. If the Fund's NAV per share at the time of redemption is $12, the CDSC will apply to the purchase price of $10. If the NAV per share at the time of redemption is $8, the CDSC will apply to the $8 current NAV per share.

 

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CDSCs will be deducted from the proceeds of your redemption, not from amounts remaining in your account.

In determining whether a CDSC is payable, it is assumed that you will redeem first the lot of shares which will incur the lowest CDSC.

For example, the following illustrates the operation of the Class C CDSC:

Assume that an individual opens an account and makes a purchase payment of $10,000 for 1,000 Class C shares of a Fund (at $10 per share) and that six months later the value of the investor's account for that Fund has grown through investment performance to $11,000 ($11 per share). If the investor should redeem $2,200 (200 shares), a CDSC would be applied against $2,000 of the redemption (the purchase price of the shares redeemed, because the purchase price is lower than the current NAV of such shares ($2,200)). At the rate of 1%, the Class C CDSC would be $20.

Reductions and Waivers of Initial Sales Charges and CDSCs

The initial sales charges on Class A shares and the CDSCs on Class A and Class C shares may be reduced or waived under certain purchase arrangements and for certain categories of investors. Please see the SAI for details.

Shares Purchased or Held Through Financial Firms

The availability of sales charge waivers and discounts may depend on the particular financial firm or type of account through which you purchase or hold Fund shares. The Funds' sales charge waivers and discounts disclosed in this Prospectus are available for qualifying purchases made directly from the Distributor and are generally available through financial firms unless otherwise specified in Appendix B. The sales charge waivers and discounts available through certain other financial firms are set forth in Appendix B to this Prospectus (Financial Firm-Specific Sales Charge Waivers and Discounts), which may differ from those available for purchases made directly from the Distributor or certain other financial firms. Please contact your financial firm for more information regarding sales charge waivers and discounts available to you and the financial firm's related policies and procedures.

No Sales Charges — Class R Shares

The Funds do not impose any sales charges or other fees on purchases, redemptions or exchanges of Class R shares. Class R shares generally are available only to 401(k) plans, 457 plans, employer sponsored 403(b) plans, profit sharing and money purchase pension plans, defined benefit plans, non-qualified deferred compensation plans, health care benefit funding plans and other specified benefit plans and accounts whereby the plan or the plan's financial firm has an agreement with the Distributor or PIMCO Funds to utilize Class R shares in certain investment products or programs (collectively, "specified benefit plans"). In addition, Class R shares also are generally available only to specified benefit plans where Class R shares are held on the books of the Funds through omnibus accounts (either at the benefit plan level or at the level of the plan's financial firm). Class R shares are not available to retail or non-specified benefit plan accounts, traditional and Roth IRAs (except through certain omnibus accounts), Coverdell Education Savings Accounts, SEPs, SAR-SEPs, SIMPLE IRAs, or individual 403(b) plans.

The administrator of a specified benefit plan or employee benefits office can provide participants with detailed information on how to participate in the plan and how to elect a Fund as an investment option. Plan participants may be permitted to elect different investment options, alter the amounts contributed to the plan, or change how contributions are allocated among investment options in accordance with the plan's specific provisions. The plan administrator or employee benefits office should be consulted for details. For questions about participant accounts, participants should contact their employee benefits office, the plan administrator, or the organization that provides recordkeeping services for the plan. In most cases, the Trust's transfer agent will have no information with respect to or control over accounts of specific Class R shareholders, and a shareholder may obtain information about accounts only through the specified benefit plan.

Eligible specified benefit plans generally may open an account and purchase Class R shares by contacting any broker, dealer or other financial firm authorized to sell or process transactions in Class R shares of the Funds. Eligible specified benefit plans may also purchase shares directly from the Distributor. See "Purchasing Shares – Class R" below. Additional shares may be purchased through a benefit plan's administrator or recordkeeper.

Financial firms may provide or arrange for the provision of some or all of the shareholder servicing and account maintenance services required by specified benefit plan accounts and their plan participants, including, without limitation, transfers of registration and dividend payee changes.

Moreover, financial firms and specified benefit plans may have omnibus accounts and similar arrangements with the Trust and may be paid for providing sub-accounting and other shareholder services. A financial firm or specified benefit plan may be paid for its services directly or indirectly by the Funds, the Administrator, another affiliate of the Fund or the Distributor (normally not to exceed an annual rate of 0.50% of a Fund's average daily net assets attributable to its Class R shares and purchased through such firm or specified benefit plan for its clients although payments with respect to shares in retirement plans are often higher). PIMCO or its affiliates may pay a financial firm or specified benefit plan an additional amount not to exceed 0.25% for sub-accounting or other shareholder services.

These fees and expenses could reduce an investment return in Class R shares. For further information on Class R shares and related items, please refer to the SAI.

No Sales Charges — Institutional Class, I-2, I-3 and Administrative Class Shares

The Funds do not impose any sales charges or other fees on purchases, redemptions or exchanges of Institutional Class, I-2, I-3 or Administrative Class shares. Only certain investors are eligible to purchase these share classes. Your financial advisor or financial firm can help you determine if you are eligible to purchase Institutional Class, I-2, I-3 or Administrative Class shares. You can also call 888.87.PIMCO.

An investor transacting in Institutional Class shares, I-2 shares or I-3 shares may be required to pay a commission to a broker or other financial firm.

 

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Other share classes of the Funds that have different fees and expenses are available.

Pension and profit-sharing plans, employee benefit trusts and employee benefit plan alliances, and "wrap account" programs established with broker-dealers or other financial firms may purchase Institutional Class, I-2, I-3 or Administrative Class shares only if the plan or program for which the shares are being acquired will maintain an omnibus or pooled account for each Fund and will not require a Fund to pay any type of administrative payment per participant account to any third party.

Institutional Class shares are offered primarily for direct investment by investors such as pension and profit sharing plans, employee benefit trusts, endowments, foundations, corporations and high net worth individuals. Institutional Class shares may also be offered through certain financial firms that charge their customers transaction or other fees with respect to their customers' investments in the Funds.

I-2 shares are offered primarily through broker-dealers and other financial firms with which the Distributor has an agreement for the use of the share class in investment products, programs or accounts such as certain asset allocation, wrap fee and other similar programs. I-2 shares may also be offered through broker-dealers and other financial firms that charge their customers transaction or other fees with respect to their customers' investments in the Funds. I-2 shares of the Funds will be held in an account at a financial firm and, generally, the firm will hold a shareholder's I-2 shares in nominee or street name as your agent. In most cases, the Trust's transfer agent will have no information with respect to or control over accounts of specific I-2 shareholders, and a shareholder may obtain information about accounts only through the financial firm. Broker-dealers, other financial firms, pension and profit-sharing plans, employee benefit trusts and employee benefit plan alliances also may purchase I-2 shares.

I-3 shares of the Funds are offered primarily through broker-dealers and other financial firms with which the Distributor has an agreement for the use of the share class in investment products, programs or accounts such as mutual fund supermarkets or other no transaction fee platforms. I-3 shares of the Funds will be held in an account at a financial firm and, generally, the firm will hold a shareholder's I-3 shares in nominee or street name as your agent. In most cases, the Trust's transfer agent will have no information with respect to or control over accounts of specific I-3 shareholders, and a shareholder may obtain information about accounts only through the financial firm. Broker-dealers, other financial firms, pension and profit-sharing plans, employee benefit trusts and employee benefit plan alliances also may purchase I-3 shares.

Administrative Class shares are offered primarily through broker-dealers, other financial firms, and employee benefit plan alliances. Each Fund typically pays service and/or distribution fees to these entities for services they provide to Administrative Class shareholders.

Distribution and Servicing (12b-1) Plans

Class A, Class C and Class R Shares. The Funds pay fees to the Distributor on an ongoing basis as compensation for the services the Distributor renders and the expenses it bears in connection with the sale and distribution of Fund shares ("distribution fees") and/or in connection with personal services rendered to Fund shareholders and the maintenance of shareholder accounts ("servicing fees"). These payments are made pursuant to Distribution and Servicing Plans ("12b-1 Plans") adopted by each Fund pursuant to Rule 12b-1 under the 1940 Act.

Class A shares pay only servicing fees. Class C and Class R shares pay both distribution and servicing fees. The following lists the maximum annual rates at which the distribution and/or servicing fees may be paid under each 12b-1 Plan (calculated as a percentage of each Fund's average daily net assets attributable to the particular class of shares):

Class A

Servicing Fee

Distribution Fee

All Funds

0.25%

0.00%

 

Class C

Servicing Fee

Distribution Fee

All Funds

0.25%

0.75%

 

Class R

Servicing Fee

Distribution Fee

All Funds

0.25%

0.25%

Because distribution fees are paid out of the Fund's assets on an ongoing basis, over time these fees will increase the cost of your investment and may cost you more than other types of sales charges, such as sales charges that are deducted at the time of investment. Therefore, although Class C and Class R shares do not pay initial sales charges, the distribution fees payable on Class C and Class R shares may, over time, cost you more than the initial sales charge imposed on Class A shares.

Administrative Class Shares. The Trust has adopted, pursuant to Rule 12b-1 under the 1940 Act, a separate Distribution and Servicing Plan for the Administrative Class shares of the Funds. The Distribution and Servicing Plan permits the Funds to compensate the Distributor for providing or procuring through financial firms, distribution, administrative, recordkeeping, shareholder and/or related services with respect to the Administrative Class shares. Most or all of the distribution and service (12b-1) fees are paid to financial firms through which shareholders may purchase or hold shares. Because these fees are paid out of a Fund's Administrative Class assets on an ongoing basis, over time they will increase the cost of an investment in Administrative Class shares.

The following lists the maximum annual rates at which the distribution and/or servicing fees may be paid under each Distribution and Servicing Plan (calculated as a percentage of each Fund's average daily net assets attributable to the particular class of shares):

Administrative Class

Distribution and/or Servicing Fee

All Funds

0.25%

Servicing Arrangements

Shares of the Funds may be available through broker-dealers, banks, trust companies, insurance companies and other financial firms that have entered into shareholder servicing arrangements with respect to the Funds. A financial firm is one that, in exchange for compensation, sells, among other products, mutual fund shares (including the shares offered in this prospectus) or provides services for mutual fund shareholders. These financial firms provide varying investment products, programs, platforms

 

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and accounts, through which investors may purchase, redeem and exchange shares of the Funds. Shareholder servicing arrangements typically include processing orders for shares, generating account and confirmation statements, sub-accounting, account maintenance, tax reporting, collecting and posting distributions to investor accounts and disbursing cash dividends as well as other investment or administrative services required for the particular firm's products, programs, platform and accounts.

PIMCO and/or its affiliates may make payments to financial firms for the shareholder services provided. These payments are made out of PIMCO's resources, including the supervisory and administrative fees paid to PIMCO under the Funds' supervision and administration agreement. The actual services provided by these firms, and the payments made for such services, vary from firm to firm. The payments may be based on a fixed dollar amount for each account and position maintained by the financial firm and/or a percentage of the value of shares held by investors through the firm. Please see the SAI for more information.

These payments may be material to financial firms relative to other compensation paid by the Funds, PIMCO and/or its affiliates and may be in addition to other fees and payments, such as distribution and/or service (12b-1) fees, revenue sharing or "shelf space" fees and event support, other non-cash compensation and charitable contributions paid to or at the request of such firms (described below). Also, the payments may differ depending on the Fund or share class and may vary from amounts paid to the Funds' transfer agent for providing similar services to other accounts. PIMCO and/or its affiliates do not control these financial firms' provision of the services for which they are receiving payments.

These financial firms may impose additional or different conditions than the Funds on purchases, redemptions or exchanges of shares. They may also independently establish and charge their customers or program participants transaction fees, account fees and other amounts in connection with purchases, redemptions and exchanges of shares in addition to any fees imposed by the Funds. These additional fees may vary and over time could increase the cost of an investment in the Funds and lower investment returns. Each financial firm is responsible for transmitting to its customers and program participants a schedule of any such fees and information regarding any additional or different conditions regarding purchases, redemptions and exchanges. Shareholders who are customers of these financial firms or participants in programs serviced by them should contact the financial firm for information regarding these fees and conditions.

Other Payments to Financial Firms

Some or all of the sales charges, distribution fees and servicing fees described above are paid or "reallowed" to the financial firm, including their financial advisors through which you purchase your shares. With respect to Class C shares, the financial firms are also paid at the time of your purchase a commission of up to 1.00% of your investment in such share class. Please see the SAI for more details.

The Distributor or PIMCO (for purposes of this subsection only, collectively, the "Distributor") may from time to time make payments and provide other incentives to selected financial firms as compensation for services such as providing the Funds with "shelf space" or a higher profile for the financial firms' financial advisors and their customers, placing the Funds on the financial firms' preferred or recommended fund list, granting the Distributor access to the firms' financial advisors and furnishing marketing support and other specified services. These payments may be significant to the financial firms.

A number of factors will be considered in determining the amount of these payments to financial firms. On some occasions, such payments may be conditioned upon levels of sales, including the sale of a specified minimum dollar amount of the shares of the Funds, other funds sponsored by the Distributor and/or a particular class of shares, during a specified period of time. The Distributor may also make payments to one or more financial firms based upon factors such as the amount of assets a financial firm's clients have invested in the Funds and the quality of the financial firm's relationship with the Distributor.

The additional payments described above are made from the Distributor's or PIMCO's (or their affiliates') own assets (and sometimes, therefore referred to as "revenue sharing") pursuant to agreements with broker-dealers or other financial firms and do not change the price paid by investors for the purchase of a Fund's shares or the amount a Fund will receive as proceeds from such sales. These payments may be made to financial firms (as selected by the Distributor) that have sold significant amounts of shares of the Funds. With respect to Class A, C and R shares, except as described in the following paragraph, the level of payments made to a financial firm in any future year will vary and generally will not exceed the sum of: (a) 0.10% of such year's sales of Class A, C and R shares of funds of the Trust and PIMCO Equity Series by such financial firm; and (b) 0.03% of the assets attributable to that financial firm invested in Class A, C and R shares of funds of the Trust and PIMCO Equity Series (the "10/3 cap"). In certain cases, the payments described in the preceding sentence are subject to certain minimum payment levels. In lieu of payments pursuant to the foregoing formula, the Distributor, PIMCO or their affiliates may make payments of an agreed upon amount which generally will not exceed the amount that would have been payable pursuant to the formula.

Financial firms with a combined AUM in excess of $10 Billion in Class A, C and I-2 shares of funds of the Trust and PIMCO Equity Series (for purposes of this paragraph, "Eligible Firms") may be eligible for marketing support payments beyond those described in the preceding paragraph on certain Eligible Assets (as defined below). The total payment to any Eligible Firm generally shall not exceed the greater of: (a) 0.05% of the combined Eligible Assets of Class A, C and I-2 shares of funds of the Trust and PIMCO Equity Series; or (b) the 10/3 cap with respect to Class A and Class C shares only. Should any Eligible Firm choose not to collect marketing support on I-2 shares, the total payment to such Eligible Firm generally shall not exceed the greater of: (x) 0.05% of Eligible Assets of Class A and C shares of funds of the Trust and PIMCO Equity Series; or (y) the 10/3 cap with respect to Class A and Class C shares only. With respect to the Eligible Firms receiving marketing support payments with respect to I-2 Shares pursuant to this paragraph, payments may be lower for particular funds of the Trust or PIMCO Equity Series as compared to other funds of the Trust or PIMCO Equity Series. "Eligible Assets" for purposes of this paragraph shall include all assets of Class A, C and I-2 shares of funds of the Trust and PIMCO Equity Series attributable to such Eligible Firm except advisory account assets held through a corporate retirement plan governed by the Employee

 

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Retirement Income Security Act of 1974, Simplified Employee Pension Individual Retirement Accounts and Savings Incentive Match Plans for Individual Retirement Accounts.

Payments for marketing support may also include payments to financial firms in connection with the marketing and sale of model portfolios developed by PIMCO. Such payments may relate to assets under management or sales of any share class of the Funds in such PIMCO developed models.

In addition to the foregoing payments, the Distributor or its employees and representatives may make payments or reimburse financial firms for sponsorship and/or attendance at conferences, seminars or informational meetings ("event support"), provide financial firms or their personnel with occasional tickets to events or other entertainment, meals, and small gifts ("other non-cash compensation"), make charitable contributions to valid charitable organizations at the request of financial firms ("charitable contributions") and make financial contributions pertaining to sales incentives and contests, each to the extent permitted by applicable law, rules and regulations.

In addition, wholesaler representatives of the Distributor visit financial firms on a regular basis to market and educate financial advisors and other personnel about the Funds. These payments, reimbursements and activities may provide additional access to financial advisors at these financial firms, which may increase purchases and/or reduce redemptions of Fund shares.

The Distributor also may pay financial firms for certain services including technology, operations, tax, or audit consulting services, and may pay such firms for the Distributor's attendance at investment forums sponsored by such firms or for various studies, surveys, or access to databases. Subject to applicable law, PIMCO and its affiliates may also provide investment advisory services to financial firms and may execute brokerage transactions on behalf of the Funds with such financial firms. These financial firms may, in the ordinary course of their business, recommend that their clients utilize PIMCO's investment advisory services or invest in the Funds or in other products sponsored or distributed by the Distributor.

If investment  advisers, distributors or affiliates of mutual funds make payments and provide other incentives in differing amounts, financial firms and their financial advisors may have financial incentives for recommending a particular mutual fund over other mutual funds. In addition, depending on the arrangements in place at any particular time, a financial firm and its financial advisors may also have a financial incentive for recommending a particular share class over other share classes. A shareholder who holds Fund shares through a financial firm should consult with the shareholder's financial advisor and review carefully any disclosure by the financial firm as to its compensation received by the financial advisor.

Although the Funds may use financial firms that sell Fund shares to effect transactions for the Funds' portfolios, the Funds and PIMCO will not consider the sale of Fund shares as a factor when choosing financial firms to effect those transactions.

For further details about payments made by the Distributor to financial firms, please see the SAI.

Purchases, Redemptions and Exchanges

The following section provides basic information about how to purchase, redeem and exchange shares of the Funds.

More detailed information about purchase, redemption and exchange arrangements for Fund shares is provided in the SAI, which can be obtained free of charge by written request to the Funds at P.O. Box 55060, Boston, MA 02205-5060, visiting pimco.com or by calling 888.87.PIMCO. The SAI provides technical information about the basic arrangements described below and also describes special purchase, sale and exchange features and programs offered by the Trust, including:

Automated telephone and wire transfer procedures

Automatic purchase, exchange and withdrawal programs

A link from your PIMCO Fund account to your bank account

Special arrangements for tax-qualified retirement plans

Investment programs which allow you to reduce or eliminate the initial sales charges

Categories of investors that are eligible for waivers or reductions of initial sales charges and CDSCs

In addition to the other methods and notwithstanding any limitations described herein, shareholders with eligible Fund direct accounts may purchase Class A and Class C shares, and redeem (sell) and exchange Class A and Class C shares, by accessing their accounts online at pimco.com/MyAccountAccess.  Shareholders with eligible Fund direct accounts in the Institutional class may purchase, redeem (sell) and exchange shares by accessing their accounts online at pimco.com/InstitutionalAccountAccess. Accordingly, an investor must first establish a Fund direct account by completing and mailing the appropriate account application. Online redemptions are not available for all Fund direct accounts because in certain cases, a signature guarantee may be required.

If a shareholder elects to use Account Access to effect transactions for their Fund direct account, the shareholder will be required to establish and use a user ID and password. Shareholders are responsible for keeping their user IDs and passwords private. A Fund will not be liable for relying on any instructions submitted online. Submitting transactions online may be difficult (or impossible) during drastic economic or market changes or during other times when communications may be under unusual stress. Please see the Funds' SAI for additional terms, conditions and considerations.

If a shareholder elects not to use Account Access to view their account or effect transactions, the shareholder should not establish online account access.  If online account access has already been established and the client no longer wants the account accessible online, the client can call 888.87.PIMCO and request to suspend online access.

The Trust typically does not offer or sell its shares to non-U.S. residents. For purposes of this policy, a U.S. resident is defined as an account with (i) a U.S. address of record and (ii) all account owners residing in the U.S. at the time of sale.

The minimum initial investment may be modified for certain financial firms that submit orders on behalf of their customers. The Trust or the Distributor may lower or waive the minimum initial or subsequent investment for

 

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certain categories of investors at their discretion. Please see the SAI for details.

Purchasing Shares — Class A and Class C

You can purchase Class A or Class C shares of the Funds in the following ways:

Through your broker-dealer or other financial firm. Your broker-dealer or other financial firm may establish higher minimum investment requirements than the Trust and may also independently charge you transaction fees and additional amounts (which may vary) in return for its services, which will reduce your return. Shares you purchase through your broker-dealer or other financial firm will normally be held in your account with that firm.

Through the Distributor. You should discuss your investment with your financial advisor before you make a purchase to be sure the Fund is appropriate for you. To make direct investments, you must open an account with the Trust and send payment for your shares either by mail or through a variety of other purchase options and plans offered by the Trust. If you do not list a financial advisor and his/her brokerage firm on the Account Application, the Distributor is designated as the broker of record, but solely for purposes of acting as your agent to purchase shares.

Investment Minimums — Class A and Class C Shares. The following investment minimums apply for purchases of Class A and Class C shares.

Purchasing Shares — Class R

Eligible plan investors may purchase Class R shares of the Funds at the relevant NAV of that class without a sales charge. See "No Sales Charges — Class R Shares" above. Plan participants may purchase Class R shares only through their specified benefit plans. In connection with purchases, specified benefit plans are responsible for forwarding all necessary documentation to their financial firm or the Distributor. Specified benefit plans and financial firms may charge for such services.

Specified benefit plans may also purchase Class R shares directly through the Distributor. To make direct investments, a plan administrator must open an account with the Fund and send payment for Class R shares either by mail or through a variety of other purchase options and plans offered by the Trust. Specified benefit plans that purchase their shares directly from the Trust must hold their shares in an omnibus account at the specified benefit plan level.

Investment Minimums — Class R Shares. There is no minimum initial or additional investment in Class R shares.

To invest directly by mail, specified benefit plans should send a check payable to the PIMCO Family of Funds, along with a completed Account Application to the Trust by mail to PIMCO Funds, P.O. Box 55060, Boston, MA 02205-5060 or overnight courier to PIMCO Funds, c/o DST Asset Manager Solutions, Inc., 30 Dan Road, Canton, MA 02021-2809.

The Funds accept all purchases by mail subject to collection of checks at full value and conversion into federal funds. Investors may make subsequent purchases by mailing a check to the address above with a letter describing the investment or with the additional investment portion of a confirmation statement. Checks for subsequent purchases should be payable to the PIMCO Family of Funds and should clearly indicate the relevant account number. Please call the Funds at 888.87.PIMCO if you have any questions regarding purchases by mail.

The Funds reserve the right to require payment by wire, Automatic Clearing House (ACH) or U.S. bank check. The Funds generally do not accept payments made by cash, money order, temporary/starter checks, third-party checks, credit card checks, traveler's check, or checks drawn on non-U.S. banks even if payment may be effected through a U.S. bank.

The SAI describes a number of additional ways you can make direct investments, including through the PIMCO Funds Automatic Investment Plan and ACH Network. You can obtain the SAI free of charge from the Funds by written request to the address above, visiting pimco.com or by calling 888.87.PIMCO.

Purchasing Shares — Institutional Class, I-2, I-3 and Administrative Class

Eligible investors may purchase Institutional Class, I-2, I-3 and Administrative Class shares of the Funds at the relevant NAV of that class without a sales charge. See "No Sales Charges — Institutional Class, I-2, I-3 and Administrative Class Shares" above.

 Investment Minimums — Institutional Class, I-2, I-3 and Administrative Class Shares. The following investment minimums apply for purchases of Institutional Class, I-2, I-3 and Administrative Class shares.

Initial Investment. Investors who wish to invest in Institutional Class and Administrative Class shares may obtain an Account Application online at pimco.com or by calling 888.87.PIMCO. I-2 and I-3 shares are only available through financial firms. See "No Sales Charges — Institutional Class, I-2, I-3 and Administrative Class Shares." The completed Account Application may be submitted using the following methods:

Facsimile: 816.421.2861

Regular Mail:
    PIMCO Funds
    c/o DST Asset Manager Solutions
    330 W. 9th Street
    Kansas City, MO 64105

E-mail: piprocess@dstsystems.com

Except as described below, an investor may purchase Institutional Class and Administrative Class shares only by wiring federal funds to:

PIMCO Funds c/o State Street Bank & Trust Co.
One Lincoln Street, Boston, MA 02111

 

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ABA: 011000028
DDA: 9905-7432
ACCT: Investor PIMCO Account Number
FFC: Name of Investor and Name of Fund(s) in which you wish to invest

Before wiring federal funds, the investor must provide order instructions to the Transfer Agent by facsimile at 816.421.2861, by telephone at 888.87.PIMCO or by e-mail at piprocess@dstsystems.com (if an investor elected this option at account opening or subsequently in writing). In order to receive the current day's NAV, order instructions must be received in good order prior to market close. Instructions must include the name and signature of an authorized person designated on the Account Application ("Authorized Person"), account name, account number, name of Fund and share class and amount being wired. Wires received without order instructions may result in a processing delay or a return of wire. Failure to send the accompanying wire on the same day may result in the cancellation of the order.

An investor may place a purchase order for shares without first wiring federal funds if the purchase amount is to be derived from an advisory account managed by PIMCO or one of its affiliates, or from an account with a broker-dealer or other financial firm that has established a processing relationship with the Trust on behalf of its customers.

Additional Investments. An investor may purchase additional Institutional Class and Administrative Class shares of the Funds at any time by sending a facsimile or e-mail or by calling the Transfer Agent and wiring federal funds as outlined above. Eligible Institutional Class shareholders may also purchase additional shares online at pimco.com/InstitutionalAccountAccess. Contact your financial firm for information on purchasing additional I-2 or I-3 shares. 

Other Purchase Information. Purchases of a Fund's Institutional Class, I-2, I-3 and Administrative Class shares will be made in full and fractional shares.

Purchasing Shares — Additional Information

The Trust and the Distributor each reserves the right, in its sole discretion, to suspend the offering of shares of the Funds or to reject any purchase order, in whole or in part, when, in the judgment of management, such suspension or rejection is in the best interests of the Trust.

Subject to the approval of the Trust, an investor may purchase shares of the Fund with liquid securities that are eligible for purchase by the Fund (consistent with the Fund's investment policies and restrictions) and that have a value that is readily ascertainable in accordance with the Trust's valuation policies. These transactions will be effected only if PIMCO intends to retain the security in the Fund as an investment. Assets purchased by the Fund in such a transaction will be valued in generally the same manner as they would be valued for purposes of pricing the Fund's shares, if such assets were included in the Fund's assets at the time of purchase. The Trust reserves the right to amend or terminate this practice at any time.

In the interest of economy and convenience, certificates for shares will not be issued.

Redeeming Shares — Class A and Class C

You can redeem (sell) Class A or Class C shares of the Funds in the following ways: 

Through your broker-dealer or other financial firm. Your broker-dealer or other financial firm may independently charge you transaction fees and additional amounts in return for its services, which will reduce your return.

Redemptions by Telephone. An investor that elects this option on the Account Application (or subsequently in writing) may request redemptions of Class A and Class C shares by calling the Trust at 888.87.PIMCO. An Authorized Person must state his or her name, account name, account number, name of Fund and share class, and redemption amount (in dollars or shares). Redemption requests of an amount of $10 million or more must be submitted in writing by an Authorized Person.

Directly from the Trust by Written Request. To redeem shares directly from the Trust by written request, you must send the following items to the PIMCO Funds, P.O. Box 55060, Boston, MA 02205-5060:

1.

a written request for redemption signed by all registered owners exactly as the account is registered on the Transfer Agent's records, including fiduciary titles, if any, and specifying the account number and the dollar amount or number of shares to be redeemed;

2.

for certain redemptions described below, a guarantee of all signatures on the written request or on the share certificate or accompanying stock power, if required, as described under "Signature Validation" below;

3.

any share certificates issued for any of the shares to be redeemed (see "Certificated Shares" below); and

4.

any additional documents which may be required by the Transfer Agent for redemption by corporations, partnerships or other organizations, executors, administrators, trustees, custodians or guardians, or if the redemption is requested by anyone other than the shareholder(s) of record. Transfers of shares are subject to the same requirements.

A signature validation is not required for redemptions requested by and payable to all shareholders of record for the account, and to be sent to the address of record for that account. To avoid delay in redemption or transfer, if you have any questions about these requirements you should contact the Transfer Agent in writing or call 888.87.PIMCO before submitting a request. Written redemption or transfer requests will not be honored until all required documents in the proper form have been received by the Transfer Agent. You cannot redeem your shares by written request if they are held in "street name" accounts—you must redeem through your financial firm.

If the proceeds of your redemption (i) are to be paid to a person other than the record owner, (ii) are to be sent to an address other than the address of the account on the Transfer Agent's records, and/or (iii) are to be paid to a corporation, partnership, trust or fiduciary, the signature(s) on the redemption request and on the certificates, if any, or stock power must be guaranteed as described under "Signature Validation" below.

The SAI describes a number of additional ways you can redeem your shares, including: 

 

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Telephone requests to the Transfer Agent

Online Account Access

Expedited wire transfers 

Automatic Withdrawal Plan 

Automated Clearing House (ACH) Network

Unless you specifically elect otherwise, your initial Account Application permits you to redeem shares by telephone subject to certain requirements. To be eligible for expedited wire transfer, Automatic Withdrawal Plan, and ACH privileges, you must specifically elect the particular option on your Account Application and satisfy certain other requirements. The SAI describes each of these options and provides additional information about selling shares.

Other than an applicable CDSC, you will not pay any special fees or charges to the Trust or the Distributor when you sell your shares. However, if you sell your shares through your broker, dealer or other financial firm, that firm may charge you a commission or other fee for processing your redemption request.

Redeeming Shares — Class R

Class R shares may be redeemed through the investor's plan administrator. Investors do not pay any fees or other charges to the Trust when selling shares, although specified benefit plans and financial firms may charge for their services in processing redemption requests. Please contact the plan or firm for details.

Subject to any restrictions in the applicable specified benefit plan documents, plan administrators are obligated to transmit redemption orders to the Trust's Transfer Agent or their financial service firm promptly and are responsible for ensuring that redemption requests are in proper form. Specified benefit plans and financial firms will be responsible for furnishing all necessary documentation to the Trust's Transfer Agent and may charge for their services.

Redeeming Shares — Institutional Class and Administrative Class

Redemptions in Writing. Investors may redeem (sell) Institutional Class and Administrative Class shares by sending a facsimile, written request or e-mail as follows:

Facsimile: 816.421.2861
Regular Mail:
    PIMCO Funds
    c/o DST Asset Manager Solutions
    330 W. 9th Street
    Kansas City, MO 64105
E-mail: piprocess@dstsystems.com

The redemption request should state the Fund from which the shares are to be redeemed, the class of shares, the number or dollar amount of the shares to be redeemed and the account number. The request must be signed or made by an Authorized Person.

Neither the Trust nor the Transfer Agent may be liable for any loss, cost or expense for acting on instructions (including those by fax or e-mail) believed by the party receiving such instructions to be genuine and in accordance with the procedures described in this prospectus. Shareholders should realize that by utilizing fax or e-mail redemption, they may be giving up a measure of security that they might have if they were to redeem their shares by mail. Furthermore, interruptions in service may mean that a shareholder will be unable to effect a redemption by fax or e-mail when desired. The Transfer Agent also provides written confirmation of transactions as a procedure designed to confirm that instructions are genuine.

All redemptions, whether initiated by mail, fax or e-mail, will be processed in a timely manner, and proceeds will be forwarded by wire in accordance with the redemption policies of the Trust detailed below. See "Redeeming Shares — Additional Information."

Redemptions by Telephone. An investor that elects this option on the Account Application (or subsequently in writing) may request redemptions of Institutional Class and Administrative Class shares by calling the Trust at 888.87.PIMCO. An Authorized Person must state his or her name, account name, account number, name of Fund and share class, and redemption amount (in dollars or shares). Redemption requests of an amount of $10 million or more must be submitted in writing by an Authorized Person. 

In electing a telephone redemption, the investor authorizes PIMCO and the Transfer Agent to act on telephone instructions from any person representing him or herself to be an Authorized Person, and reasonably believed by PIMCO or the Transfer Agent to be genuine. Neither the Trust nor the Transfer Agent may be liable for any loss, cost or expense for acting on instructions (including by telephone) believed by the party receiving such instructions to be genuine and in accordance with the procedures described in this prospectus. Shareholders should realize that by electing the telephone option, they may be giving up a measure of security that they might have if they were to redeem their shares in writing. Furthermore, interruptions in service may mean that shareholders will be unable to redeem their shares by telephone when desired. The Transfer Agent also provides written confirmation of transactions initiated by telephone as a procedure designed to confirm that telephone instructions are genuine. All telephone transactions are recorded, and PIMCO or the Transfer Agent may request certain information in order to verify that the person giving instructions is authorized to do so. The Trust or Transfer Agent may be liable for any losses due to unauthorized or fraudulent telephone transactions if it fails to employ reasonable procedures to confirm that instructions communicated by telephone are genuine. All redemptions initiated by telephone will be processed in a timely manner, and proceeds will be forwarded by wire in accordance with the redemption policies of the Trust detailed below. See "Redeeming Shares — Additional Information."

An Authorized Person may decline telephone exchange or redemption privileges after an account is opened by providing the Transfer Agent a letter of instruction signed by an Authorized Signer. Shareholders may experience delays in exercising telephone redemption privileges during periods of abnormal market activity. During periods of volatile economic or market conditions, shareholders may wish to consider transmitting redemption orders by facsimile, e-mail or overnight courier. Defined contribution plan participants may request redemptions by contacting the employee benefits office, the plan administrator or the organization that provides recordkeeping services for the plan.

 

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Redemptions Online

An investor may redeem Institutional Class shares through their account online. To access your online account, please log onto pimco.com/InstitutionalAccountAccess and enter your account information and personal identification data.

Redeeming Shares — I-2 and I-3

An investor may redeem (sell) I-2 or I-3 shares through the investor's financial firm.  Investors do not pay any fees or other charges to the Trust when selling I-2 or I-3 shares.  Please contact the financial firm for details.

A financial firm is obligated to transmit an investor's redemption orders to the Transfer Agent promptly and is responsible for ensuring that a redemption request is in proper form. The financial firm will be responsible  for furnishing all necessary documentation to the Transfer Agent and may charge for its services.

Redeeming Shares — Additional Information

Redemptions of all Classes of Fund shares may be made on any day the New York Stock Exchange ("NYSE") is open, but may be suspended when trading on the NYSE is restricted or during an emergency which makes it impracticable for the Funds to dispose of their securities or to determine fairly the value of their net assets, or during any other period as permitted by the SEC for the protection of investors. Under these and other unusual circumstances, the Trust may suspend redemptions or postpone payment for more than seven days, as permitted by law.

Following the receipt of a redemption request, redemption proceeds will normally be mailed to the redeeming shareholder within three calendar days or, in the case of wire transfer or ACH redemptions, will normally be sent to the designated bank account within one business day. Institutional Class shareholders may only receive redemption proceeds via wire transfer or ACH redemptions. ACH redemptions may be received by the bank on the second or third business day following a redemption request, but in either case may take up to seven days. In cases where shares have recently been purchased by personal check (Class A, Class C or Class R shareholders only), redemption proceeds may be withheld until the check has been collected, which may take up to 10 calendar days. To avoid such withholding, investors in Class A, Class C or Class R shares should purchase shares by certified or bank check or by wire transfer.

For shareholder protection, a request to change information contained in an account registration (for example, a request to change the bank designated to receive wire redemption proceeds) must be received in writing, signed by the minimum number of Authorized Persons designated on the completed Account Application that are required to effect a redemption, and accompanied by a signature validation, as determined in accordance with the Trust's procedures, as more fully described below.

Retirement plan sponsors, participant recordkeeping organizations and other financial firms may also impose their own restrictions, limitations or fees in connection with transactions in the Funds' shares, which may be stricter than those described in this section. You should contact your plan sponsor, recordkeeper or financial intermediary for more information on any additional restrictions, limitations or fees that are imposed in connection with transactions in Fund shares.

In order to meet redemption requests, the Funds typically expect to use a combination of sales of portfolio assets, holdings of cash and cash equivalents (including cash flows into Funds) and financing transactions (such as reverse repurchase agreements). These methods of meeting redemption requests are expected to be used regularly. The Funds reserve the right to use other types of borrowings and interfund lending. The use of borrowings (such as a line of credit) and interfund lending in order to meet redemption requests is typically expected to be used only during stressed market conditions, if at all. See "Characteristics and Risks of Securities and Investment Techniques—Reverse Repurchase Agreements, Dollar Rolls and Other Borrowings" and the SAI for more information. The Funds' use of redemptions in kind is discussed below.

Redemptions In Kind

The Trust has agreed to redeem shares of each Fund solely in cash up to the lesser of $250,000 or 1% of the Fund's net assets during any 90-day period for any one shareholder. In consideration of the best interests of the remaining shareholders, the Trust may pay any redemption proceeds exceeding this amount in whole or in part by a distribution in kind of securities held by a Fund in lieu of cash. It is highly unlikely that your shares would ever be redeemed in kind. If your shares are redeemed in kind, you should expect to incur transaction costs upon the disposition of the securities received in the distribution.

Certificated Shares

If you are redeeming shares for which certificates have been issued, the certificates must be mailed to or deposited with the Trust, duly endorsed or accompanied by a duly endorsed stock power or by a written request for redemption. Signatures must be guaranteed as described under "Signature Validation" below. The Trust may request further documentation from institutions or fiduciary accounts, such as corporations, custodians (e.g., under the Uniform Gifts to Minors Act), executors, administrators, trustees or guardians. Your redemption request and stock power must be signed exactly as the account is registered, including indication of any special capacity of the registered owner.

Signature Validation

When a signature validation is called for, a Medallion signature guarantee or Signature validation program (SVP) stamp may be required. A Medallion signature guarantee is intended to provide signature validation for transactions considered financial in nature, and an SVP stamp is intended to provide signature validation for transactions non-financial in nature. In certain situations, a notarized signature may be used instead of a Medallion signature guarantee or an SVP stamp. A Medallion signature guarantee or SVP stamp may be obtained from a domestic bank or trust company, broker, dealer, clearing agency, savings association or other financial institution which is participating in a Medallion program or Signature validation program recognized by the Securities Transfer Association. When a Medallion signature guarantee or SVP stamp is required, signature validations from financial institutions which are not participating in one of these programs will not be accepted. Please note that financial institutions participating in a recognized Medallion program may still be ineligible to provide a signature validation for transactions of greater than a specified

 

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dollar amount. The Trust may change the signature validation requirements from time to time upon notice to shareholders, which may be given by means of a new or supplemented prospectus. Shareholders should contact the Transfer Agent for additional details regarding the Funds' signature validation requirements.

In addition, corporations, trusts, and other institutional organizations are required to furnish evidence of the authority of the persons designated on the Account Application to effect transactions for the organization.

Minimum Account Size

Due to the relatively high cost of maintaining small accounts, the Trust reserves the right to redeem shares in any account that falls below the values listed below.  

Class A, Class C and Class R. Investors should maintain an account balance in the Fund held by an investor of at least the minimum investment necessary to open the particular type of account. If an investor's balance for the Fund remains below the minimum for three months or longer, the Administrator has the right (except in the case of employer-sponsored retirement accounts) to redeem an investor's remaining shares and close the Fund account after giving the investor 60 days to increase the account balance. An investor's account will not be liquidated if the reduction in size is due solely to a decline in market value of Fund shares or if the aggregate value of all the investor's holdings in the Trust and PIMCO Equity Series accounts exceeds $50,000. 

Institutional Class and Administrative Class. The Trust reserves the right to redeem Institutional Class and Administrative Class shares in any account for their then-current value (which will be promptly paid to the investor) if at any time, due to redemption by the investor, the shares in the account do not have a value of at least $100,000. A shareholder will receive advance notice of a mandatory redemption and will be given at least 60 days to bring the value of its account up to at least $100,000.

Request for Multiple Copies of Shareholder Documents

To reduce expenses, it is intended that only one copy of the Funds' prospectus and each annual and semi-annual report, when available, will be mailed to those addresses shared by two or more accounts. If you wish to receive individual copies of these documents and your shares are held directly with the Trust, call the Trust at 888.87.PIMCO. You will receive the additional copy within 30 days after receipt of your request by the Trust. Alternatively, if your shares are held through a financial institution, please contact the financial institution directly.

Exchanging Shares

You may exchange shares of a Fund for the same class of shares of any other fund of the Trust or a fund of PIMCO Equity Series that offers the same class of shares, subject to any restriction on exchanges set forth in the applicable Fund's prospectus. Shareholders interested in such an exchange may request a prospectus for these other funds by contacting the Trust.

Exchanges of Class A and Class C shares are subject to an initial $1,000 minimum (and subsequent $50 minimum) for each Fund, except with respect to tax-qualified programs and exchanges effected through the PIMCO Funds Automatic Exchange Plan. Specified benefit plans or financial service firms may impose various fees and charges, investment minimums and other requirements with respect to exchanges of Class R shares. 

An exchange is generally a taxable event which will generate capital gains or losses, and special rules may apply in computing tax basis when determining gain or loss. See "Tax Consequences" in this prospectus and "Taxation" in the SAI.

Eligible investors who maintain their account directly with the Funds may submit a request to exchange Fund shares by accessing their account online.  Eligible direct investors in Class A and Class C shares may access their online account via pimco.com/MyAccountAccess.  Eligible direct investors in Institutional shares may access their online account via pimco.com/InstitutionalAccountAccess.

If you maintain your Class A, Class C or Class R account with the Trust, you may exchange shares by completing a written exchange request and sending it to PIMCO Funds, P.O. Box 55060, Boston, MA 02205-5060 or by calling the Funds at 888.87.PIMCO. Exchanges of an amount of $10 million or more must be submitted in writing by an Authorized Person. If you maintain your Institutional Class, I-2 or Administrative Class shares with the Trust, you may exchange shares by following the redemption procedures for those classes above. If you maintain Class A, Class C, Class R, Institutional Class, I-2, I-3 or Administrative Class shares through an intermediary, please contact the intermediary to conduct your transactions.

Shares of one class of a Fund may also be exchanged directly for shares of another class of the Fund, subject to any applicable sales charge and other rules, as described in the SAI. 

The Trust reserves the right to refuse exchange purchases (or purchase and redemption and/or redemption and purchase transactions) if, in the judgment of PIMCO, the transaction would adversely affect a Fund and its shareholders. Although the Trust has no current intention of terminating or modifying the exchange privilege, it reserves the right to do so at any time. Except as otherwise permitted by the SEC, the Trust will give you 60 days' advance notice if it exercises its right to terminate or materially modify the exchange privilege with respect to Class A, Class C and Class R shares.

The SAI provides more detailed information about the exchange privilege, including the procedures you must follow and additional exchange options. You can obtain the SAI free of charge from the Funds by written request to the address above, by visiting pimco.com or by calling 888.87.PIMCO.

Acceptance and Timing of Purchase Orders, Redemption Orders and Share Price Calculations

A purchase order received by the Trust or its designee prior to the close of regular trading on the NYSE (normally 4:00 p.m., Eastern time) ("NYSE Close"), on a day the Trust is open for business, together with payment made in one of the ways described above will be effected at that day's NAV plus any applicable sales charge. An order received after the close of regular

 

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trading on the NYSE will be effected at the NAV determined on the next business day. However, orders received by certain retirement plans and other financial firms on a business day prior to the close of regular trading on the NYSE and communicated to the Trust or its designee prior to such time as agreed upon by the Trust and financial firm will be effected at the NAV determined on the business day the order was received by the financial firm. The Trust is "open for business" on each day the NYSE is open for trading, which excludes the following holidays: New Year's Day, Martin Luther King, Jr. Day, Presidents' Day, Good Friday, Memorial Day, Independence Day, Labor Day, Thanksgiving Day and Christmas Day. If the NYSE is closed due to weather or other extenuating circumstances on a day it would typically be open for business, the Trust reserves the right to treat such day as a Business Day and accept purchase and redemption orders and calculate a Fund's NAV, in accordance with applicable law. A Fund reserves the right to close if the primary trading markets of the Fund's portfolio instruments are closed and the Fund's management believes that there is not an adequate market to meet purchase, redemption or exchange requests. On any business day when the Securities Industry and Financial Markets Association ("SIFMA") recommends that the securities markets close trading early, each Fund may close trading early. Purchase orders will be accepted only on days which the Trust is open for business.

A redemption order received by the Trust or its designee prior to the NYSE Close on a day the Trust is open for business, is effective on that day (unless a specific subsequent trade date is provided). A redemption order received after that time becomes effective on the next business day. Redemption requests for Fund shares are effected at the NAV per share next determined after receipt of a redemption request by the Trust or its designee, minus any applicable sales charge. However, orders received by certain broker-dealers and other financial firms on a business day prior to the NYSE Close and communicated to the Trust or its designee prior to such time as agreed upon by the Trust and financial firm will be effected on the business day the order was received by the financial firm. The request must properly identify all relevant information such as trade date, account name, account number, redemption amount (in dollars or shares), the Fund name and the class of shares and must be executed by an Authorized Person.

The Trust and the Distributor each reserves the right, in its sole discretion, to accept or reject any order for purchase of Fund shares. The sale of shares may be suspended during any period in which the NYSE is closed other than weekends or holidays, or if permitted by the rules of the SEC, when trading on the NYSE is restricted or during an emergency which makes it impracticable for the Fund to dispose of its securities or to determine fairly the value of its net assets, or during any other period as permitted by the SEC for the protection of investors. Additionally, redemptions of Fund shares may be suspended when trading on the NYSE is restricted or during an emergency which makes it impracticable for the Fund to dispose of its securities or to determine fairly the value of its net assets, or during any other period as permitted by the SEC for the protection of investors. Under these and other unusual circumstances, the Trust may suspend redemptions or postpone payment for more than seven days, as permitted by law.

An investor should invest in the Fund for long-term investment purposes only. The Trust reserves the right to refuse purchases if, in the judgment of PIMCO, the purchases would adversely affect the Fund and its shareholders. In particular, the Trust and PIMCO each reserves the right to restrict purchases of Fund shares (including exchanges) when a pattern of frequent purchases and sales made in response to short-term fluctuations in share price appears evident. Notice of any such restrictions, if any, will vary according to the particular circumstances.

Abusive Trading Practices

The Trust encourages shareholders to invest in the Funds as part of a long-term investment strategy and discourages excessive, short-term trading and other abusive trading practices, sometimes referred to as "market timing." However, because the Trust will not always be able to detect market timing or other abusive trading activity, investors should not assume that the Trust will be able to detect or prevent all market timing or other trading practices that may disadvantage the Funds.

Certain of the Funds' investment strategies may expose the Funds to risks associated with market timing activities. For example, since the Funds may invest in non-U.S. securities, the Funds may be subject to the risk that an investor may seek to take advantage of a delay between the change in value of the Funds' non-U.S. portfolio securities and the determination of the Funds' NAV as a result of different closing times of U.S. and non-U.S. markets by buying or selling Fund shares at a price that does not reflect their true value. A similar risk exists for a Fund's potential investment in securities of small capitalization companies, securities of issuers located in emerging markets, securities of distressed companies or high yield securities that are thinly traded and therefore may have actual values that differ from their market prices.

Except as identified below, to discourage excessive, short-term trading and other abusive trading practices, the Board of Trustees of the Trust has adopted policies and procedures reasonably designed to detect and prevent short-term trading activity that may be harmful to a Fund and its shareholders ("Market Timing Policy"). Such activities may have a detrimental effect on a Fund and its shareholders. For example, depending upon various factors such as the size of a Fund and the amount of its assets maintained in cash, short-term or excessive trading by Fund shareholders may interfere with the efficient management of the Trust's investments, increase transaction costs and taxes, and may harm the performance of the Fund and its shareholders. Purchases and sales by the PIMCO Emerging Markets Full Spectrum Bond Fund in certain Underlying PIMCO Funds may be exempt from certain limitations under the Market Timing Policy in order to allow these Funds to manage their cash flows and reallocate portfolio investments in the Underlying PIMCO Funds according to their allocation targets.

The Trust seeks to deter and prevent abusive trading practices, and to reduce these risks, through several methods. First, to the extent that there is a delay between a change in the value of the Fund's portfolio holdings and the time when that change is reflected in the NAV of the Fund's shares, the Fund is exposed to the risk that investors may seek to exploit this delay by purchasing or redeeming shares at NAVs that do not reflect appropriate fair value prices. The Trust seeks to deter and prevent this activity, sometimes referred to as "stale price arbitrage," by the appropriate use of "fair value" pricing of a Fund's portfolio securities. See "How Fund Shares Are Priced" below for more information.

 

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Second, the Trust seeks to monitor shareholder account activities in order to detect and prevent excessive and disruptive trading practices. The Trust and PIMCO each reserves the right to restrict or refuse any purchase or exchange transactions if, in the judgment of the Trust or of PIMCO, the transaction may adversely affect the interests of a Fund or its shareholders. Among other things, the Trust may monitor for any patterns of frequent purchases and sales that appear to be made in response to short-term fluctuations in share price and may also monitor for any attempts to improperly avoid the imposition of a redemption fee. Notice of such restrictions, if any, will vary according to the particular circumstances. The Trust does not monitor the PIMCO Funds of Funds (as defined below) for purposes of detecting frequent or short-term trading practices with respect to shares of the Funds.

Although the Trust and its service providers seek to use these methods to detect and prevent abusive trading activities, and although the Trust will consistently apply such methods, there can be no assurances that such activities can be mitigated or eliminated. By their nature, omnibus accounts, in which purchases and sales of Fund shares by multiple investors are aggregated for presentation to a Fund on a net basis, conceal the identity of the individual investors from the Fund. This makes it more difficult for the Trust and/or PIMCO to identify short-term transactions in the Fund.

Verification of Identity

To help the federal government combat the funding of terrorism and money laundering activities, federal law requires all financial institutions to obtain, verify and record information that identifies each person that opens a new account, and to determine whether such person's name appears on government lists of known or suspected terrorists and terrorist organizations. As a result, a Fund must obtain the following information for each person that opens a new account:

1.

Name;

2.

Date of birth (for individuals);

3.

Residential or business street address; and

4.

Social security number, taxpayer identification number, or other identifying number.

Federal law prohibits the Funds and other financial institutions from opening a new account unless they receive the minimum identifying information listed above.

Individuals may also be asked for a copy of their driver's license, passport or other identifying document in order to verify their identity. In addition, it may be necessary to verify an individual's identity by cross-referencing the identification information with a consumer report or other electronic database. Additional information may be required to open accounts for corporations and other entities.

After an account is opened, a Fund may restrict your ability to purchase additional shares until your identity is verified. A Fund also may close your account and redeem your shares or take other appropriate action if it is unable to verify your identity within a reasonable time.

How Fund Shares Are Priced

The price of a Fund's shares is based on the Fund's NAV. The NAV of a Fund's, or each of its share classes, as applicable, is determined by dividing the total value of a Fund's portfolio investments and other assets attributable to that Fund or class, less any liabilities, by the total number of shares outstanding of that Fund or class.

On each day that the NYSE is open, Fund shares are ordinarily valued as of the close of regular trading ("NYSE Close"). Information that becomes known to the Funds or their agents after the time as of which NAV has been calculated on a particular day will not generally be used to retroactively adjust the price of a security or the NAV determined earlier that day. Each Fund reserves the right to change the time its respective NAV is calculated if the Fund closes earlier, or as permitted by the SEC.

For purposes of calculating NAV, portfolio securities and other assets for which market quotes are readily available are valued at market value. Market value is generally determined on the basis of official closing prices or the last reported sales prices, or if no sales are reported, based on quotes obtained from established market makers or prices (including evaluated prices) supplied by the Funds' approved pricing services, quotation reporting systems and other third-party sources (together, "Pricing Services"). The Funds will normally use pricing data for domestic equity securities received shortly after the NYSE Close and do not normally take into account trading, clearances or settlements that take place after the NYSE Close. A foreign (non-U.S.) equity security traded on a foreign exchange or on more than one exchange is typically valued using pricing information from the exchange considered by PIMCO to be the primary exchange. If market value pricing is used, a foreign (non-U.S.) equity security will be valued as of the close of trading on the foreign exchange, or the NYSE Close, if the NYSE Close occurs before the end of trading on the foreign exchange. Domestic and foreign (non-U.S.) fixed income securities, non-exchange traded derivatives and equity options are normally valued on the basis of quotes obtained from brokers and dealers or Pricing Services using data reflecting the earlier closing of the principal markets for those securities. Prices obtained from Pricing Services may be based on, among other things, information provided by market makers or estimates of market values obtained from yield data relating to investments or securities with similar characteristics. Certain fixed income securities purchased on a delayed-delivery basis are marked to market daily until settlement at the forward settlement date. Exchange-traded options, except equity options, futures and options on futures are valued at the settlement price determined by the relevant exchange. Swap agreements are valued on the basis of bid quotes obtained from brokers and dealers or market-based prices supplied by Pricing Services or other pricing sources. With respect to any portion of the Fund's assets that are invested in one or more open-end management investment companies (other than exchange-traded funds), a Fund's NAV will be calculated based upon the NAVs of such investments.

If a foreign (non-U.S.) equity security's value has materially changed after the close of the security's primary exchange or principal market but before the NYSE Close, the security may be valued at fair value based on procedures established and approved by the Board of Trustees. Foreign (non-U.S.) equity securities that do not trade when the NYSE is open are also valued at fair value. With respect to foreign (non-U.S.) equity securities, the Fund may determine the fair value of investments based on information provided by Pricing Services and other third-party vendors, which may recommend fair value or adjustments with reference to other securities,

 

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indexes or assets. In considering whether fair valuation is required and in determining fair values, the Fund may, among other things, consider significant events (which may be considered to include changes in the value of U.S. securities or securities indexes) that occur after the close of the relevant market and before the NYSE Close. A Fund may utilize modeling tools provided by third-party vendors to determine fair values of non-U.S. securities. For these purposes, any movement in the applicable reference index or instrument ("zero trigger") between the earlier close of the applicable foreign market and the NYSE Close may be deemed to be a significant event, prompting the application of the pricing model (effectively resulting in daily fair valuations). Foreign (non-U.S.) exchanges may permit trading in foreign (non-U.S.) equity securities on days when the Trust is not open for business, which may result in a Fund's portfolio investments being affected when you are unable to buy or sell shares.

Senior secured floating rate loans for which an active secondary market exists to a reliable degree will be valued at the mean of the last available bid/ask prices in the market for such loans, as provided by a Pricing Service. Senior secured floating rate loans for which an active secondary market does not exist to a reliable degree will be valued at fair value, which is intended to approximate market value. In valuing a senior secured floating rate loan at fair value, the factors considered may include, but are not limited to, the following: (a) the creditworthiness of the borrower and any intermediate participants, (b) the terms of the loan, (c) recent prices in the market for similar loans, if any, and (d) recent prices in the market for instruments of similar quality, rate, period until next interest rate reset and maturity.

Investments valued in currencies other than the U.S. dollar are converted to the U.S. dollar using exchange rates obtained from Pricing Services. As a result, the value of such investments and, in turn, the NAV of a Fund's shares may be affected by changes in the value of currencies in relation to the U.S. dollar. The value of investments traded in markets outside the United States or denominated in currencies other than the U.S. dollar may be affected significantly on a day that the Trust is not open for business. As a result, to the extent that a Fund holds foreign (non-U.S.) investments, the value of those investments may change at times when shareholders are unable to buy or sell shares and the value of such investments will be reflected in the Fund's next calculated NAV.

Investments for which market quotes or market based valuations are not readily available are valued at fair value as determined in good faith by the Board of Trustees or persons acting at their direction. The Board of Trustees has adopted methods for valuing securities and other assets in circumstances where market quotes are not readily available, and has delegated to PIMCO the responsibility for applying the fair valuation methods. In the event that market quotes or market based valuations are not readily available, and the security or asset cannot be valued pursuant to a Board approved valuation method, the value of the security or asset will be determined in good faith by the Valuation Oversight Committee of the Board of Trustees, generally based on recommendations provided by PIMCO. Market quotes are considered not readily available in circumstances where there is an absence of current or reliable market-based data (e.g., trade information, bid/ask information, broker quotes, Pricing Services' prices), including where events occur after the close of the relevant market, but prior to the NYSE Close, that materially affect the values of the Fund's securities or assets. In addition, market quotes are considered not readily available when, due to extraordinary circumstances, the exchanges or markets on which the securities trade do not open for trading for the entire day and no other market prices are available. The Board of Trustees has delegated to PIMCO the responsibility for monitoring significant events that may materially affect the values of the Fund's securities or assets and for determining whether the value of the applicable securities or assets should be reevaluated in light of such significant events.

When the Fund uses fair valuation to determine the value of a portfolio security or other asset for purposes of calculating its NAV, such investments will not be priced on the basis of quotes from the primary market in which they are traded, but rather may be priced by another method that the Board of Trustees or persons acting at their direction believe reflects fair value. Fair valuation may require subjective determinations about the value of a security. While the Trust's policy is intended to result in a calculation of the Fund's NAV that fairly reflects security values as of the time of pricing, the Trust cannot ensure that fair values determined by the Board of Trustees or persons acting at their direction would accurately reflect the price that a Fund could obtain for a security if it were to dispose of that security as of the time of pricing (for instance, in a forced or distressed sale). The prices used by the Fund may differ from the value that would be realized if the securities were sold. The Funds' use of fair valuation may also help to deter "stale price arbitrage" as discussed above under "Abusive Trading Practices."

Under certain circumstances, the per share NAV of a class of the Fund's shares may be different from the per share NAV of another class of shares as a result of the different daily expense accruals applicable to each class of shares.

Fund Distributions

Each Fund distributes substantially all of its net investment income to shareholders in the form of dividends. Dividends paid by each Fund with respect to each class of shares are calculated in the same manner and at the same time, but dividends on different classes of shares may be different as a result of the service and/or distribution fees applicable to certain classes of shares. Each Fund intends to declare income dividends daily and distribute them monthly to shareholders of record.

In addition, each Fund distributes any net capital gains it earns from the sale of portfolio securities to shareholders no less frequently than annually. Net short-term capital gains may be paid more frequently.

A Fund's dividend and capital gain distributions with respect to a particular class of shares will automatically be reinvested in additional shares of the same class of the Fund at NAV unless the shareholder elects to have the distributions paid in cash. A shareholder may elect to have distributions paid in cash on the Account Application, by phone, or by submitting a written request, signed by an Authorized Person, indicating the account name, account number, name of Fund and share class. A shareholder may elect to invest all distributions in shares of the same class of any other fund of the Trust or PIMCO Funds which offers that class of shares at NAV. A shareholder must have an account existing in the fund selected for

 

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investment with the identical registered name. This option must be elected when the account is set up.

Shares Purchased by Wire: Dividends will begin to accrue the business day following the day the order is effected or such later date as agreed with the Trust.

Shares Purchased by Check or ACH: The order will be effected at that day's NAV, but dividends will not begin to accrue until the following business day.

If a purchase order is placed through a broker, dealer or other financial firms authorized to settle through the National Securities Clearing Corporation (the "NSCC"), the purchase order will begin accruing dividends the business day following the NSCC settlement date or as agreed upon and as allowed by applicable law.

A Class A, Class C or Class R shareholder may choose from the following distribution options:

Reinvest all distributions in additional shares of the same class of the Fund at NAV. You should contact your financial firm (if shares are held through a financial firm) or the Fund's Transfer Agent (if shares are held through a direct account) for details. You do not pay any sales charges on shares received through the reinvestment of Fund distributions. This will be done unless you elect another option.

Invest all distributions in shares of the same class of any other fund of the Trust or PIMCO Equity Series which offers that class at NAV. You must have an account existing in the fund selected for investment with the identical registered name. You must elect this option on your Account Application or by a telephone request to the Transfer Agent at 888.87.PIMCO.

Receive all distributions in cash (either paid directly to you or credited to your account with your broker or other financial intermediary). If the postal or other delivery service is unable to deliver checks to your address of record, the Trust's Transfer Agent will hold the returned checks for your benefit in a non-interest bearing account. You must elect this option on your Account Application or by a telephone request to the Transfer Agent at 888.87.PIMCO.

The financial service firm may offer additional distribution reinvestment programs or options. Please contact the firm for details.

Tax Consequences

The following information is meant as a general summary for U.S. taxpayers. Please see the SAI for additional information. You should rely on your own tax adviser for advice about the particular federal, state and local tax consequences to you of investing in any Fund.

Each Fund will distribute substantially all of its income and gains to its shareholders every year, and shareholders will be taxed on distributions they receive.

Taxes on Fund Distributions. A shareholder subject to U.S. federal income tax will be subject to tax on taxable Fund distributions of taxable income or capital gains whether they are paid in cash or reinvested in additional shares of the Funds. For federal income tax purposes, taxable Fund distributions will be taxable to the shareholder as either ordinary income or capital gains.

Fund taxable dividends (i.e., distributions of investment income) are generally taxable to shareholders as ordinary income. A portion of distributions may be qualified dividends taxable at lower rates for individual shareholders. However, in light of the investment strategies of the Funds, it is not anticipated that a significant portion of the dividends paid by the Funds will be eligible to be designated as qualified dividends. Federal taxes on Fund distributions of gains are determined by how long a Fund owned the investments that generated the gains, rather than how long a shareholder has owned the shares. Distributions of gains from investments that the Fund owned for more than one year will generally be taxable to shareholders as long-term capital gains. Distributions of gains from investments that the Fund owned for one year or less will generally be taxable as ordinary income.

The tax treatment of income, gains and losses attributable to foreign currencies (and derivatives on such currencies), and various other special tax rules applicable to certain financial transactions and instruments could affect the amount, timing and character of a Fund's distributions.  In some cases, these tax rules could also result in a retroactive change in the tax character of prior distributions and may also possibly cause all, or a portion, of prior distributions to be reclassified as returns of capital for tax purposes.  See "Returns of Capital" below.

Taxable Fund distributions are taxable to shareholders even if they are paid from income or gains earned by a Fund prior to the shareholder's investment and thus were included in the price paid for the shares. For example, a shareholder who purchases shares on or just before the record date of a Fund distribution will pay full price for the shares and may receive a portion of his or her investment back as a taxable distribution.

Taxes on Redemption or Exchanges of Shares. You will generally have a taxable capital gain or loss if you dispose of your Fund shares by redemption, exchange or sale. The amount of the gain or loss and the rate of tax will depend primarily upon how much you pay for the shares, how much you sell them for, and how long you hold them. When you exchange shares of a Fund for shares of another Fund, the transaction will be treated as a sale of the Fund shares for these purposes, and any gain on those shares will generally be subject to federal income tax.

Returns of Capital. If a Fund's distributions exceed its taxable income and capital gains realized during a taxable year, all or a portion of the distributions made in the same taxable year may be recharacterized as a return of capital to shareholders. A return of capital distribution will generally not be taxable, but will reduce each shareholder's cost basis in the Fund and result in a higher reported capital gain or lower reported capital loss when those shares on which the distribution was received are sold.

Medicare Tax.  An additional 3.8% Medicare tax is imposed on certain net investment income (including ordinary dividends and capital gain distributions received from a Fund and net gains from redemptions or other taxable dispositions of Fund shares) of U.S. individuals, estates and trusts to the extent that such person's "modified adjusted gross income" (in the case of an individual) or "adjusted gross income" (in the case of an estate or trust) exceeds certain threshold amounts.

 

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Recent Tax Legislation. Under recent tax legislation, individuals (and certain other noncorporate entities) are generally eligible for a 20% deduction with respect to taxable ordinary dividends from REITs and certain taxable income from publicly traded partnerships. Currently, there is not a mechanism for regulated investment companies to pass through the 20% deduction to shareholders although it is possible that a legislative or regulatory approach to do so may be provided in the future. As a result, in comparison, investors investing directly in REITs or publicly traded partnerships would generally be eligible for the 20% deduction for such taxable income from these investments while investors investing in REITs or publicly traded partnerships indirectly through a Fund would not be eligible for the 20% deduction for their share of such taxable income. In addition, under the recent tax legislation, REITs as well as other corporations will be subject to certain leverage limitations regarding the deductibility of interest expense. The recent tax legislation also may, pending further regulatory guidance, require REITs and a Fund to accrue market discount currently, which may affect the taxability of REIT distributions received by a Fund and the amount of taxable distributions paid by a Fund to shareholders. The effects of these and other provisions of the tax legislation on REITs' operations, on master limited partnerships, or on a Fund, is uncertain at this time.

A Note on the PIMCO Emerging Markets Full Spectrum Bond Fund. The PIMCO Emerging Markets Full Spectrum Bond Fund's use of a fund of funds structure could affect the amount, timing and character of distributions to shareholders, and may therefore increase the amount of taxes payable by shareholders.

A Note on the PIMCO CommodityRealReturn Strategy Fund® and PIMCO CommoditiesPLUS® Strategy Fund, Underlying PIMCO Funds. One of the requirements for favorable tax treatment as a regulated investment company under the Code is that each Underlying PIMCO Fund derive at least 90% of its gross income from certain qualifying sources of income. The IRS has issued a revenue ruling which holds that income derived from commodity-linked swaps is not qualifying income under Subchapter M of the Code. As such, each Underlying PIMCO Fund's ability to utilize commodity-linked swaps as part of its investment strategy is limited to a maximum of 10 percent of its gross income.

However, in a subsequent revenue ruling, the IRS provides that income from alternative investment instruments (such as certain commodity index-linked notes) that create commodity exposure may be considered qualifying income under the Code. The IRS has also issued private letter rulings in which the IRS specifically concluded that income from certain commodity index-linked notes is qualifying income (collectively, the "Notes Rulings"). In addition, the IRS has also issued private letter rulings in which the IRS specifically concluded that income derived from an investment in a subsidiary will also constitute qualifying income even if that subsidiary itself owns commodity-linked swaps. The Underlying PIMCO Funds will continue to seek to gain exposure to the commodity markets primarily through investments in their respective Subsidiary.

The IRS recently issued proposed regulations that, if finalized, would generally treat each Portfolio's income inclusion with respect to its respective Subsidiary as qualifying income only if there is a distribution out of the earnings and profits of the Subsidiary that are attributable to such income inclusion. The proposed regulations, if adopted, would apply to taxable years beginning on or after 90 days after the regulations are published as final. The IRS also recently issued a revenue procedure, which states that the IRS will not in the future issue private letter rulings that would require a determination of whether an asset (such as a commodity index-linked note) is a "security" under the 1940 Act. In connection with issuing such revenue procedure, the IRS has revoked the Notes Rulings. There can be no assurance that the IRS will not change its position with respect to some or all of these conclusions or that future legislation will not adversely impact the tax treatment of an Underlying PIMCO Fund's commodity-linked investments. If the IRS were to change or reverse its position, or if future legislation adversely affected the tax treatment of an Underlying PIMCO Fund's commodity-linked investments, there would likely be a significant adverse impact on the Underlying PIMCO Fund, including the possibility of failing to qualify as a regulated investment company. If an Underlying PIMCO Fund did not qualify as a regulated investment company for any taxable year, its taxable income would be subject to tax at the Fund level at regular corporate tax rates (without reduction for distributions to shareholders) and to a further tax at the shareholder level when such income is distributed.

Furthermore, the tax treatment of an Underlying PIMCO Fund's investments in its Subsidiary may otherwise be adversely affected by future legislation, court decisions, Treasury Regulations and/or guidance issued by the IRS. Such developments could affect the character, timing and/or amount of the Underlying PIMCO Fund's taxable income or any distributions made by the Underlying PIMCO Fund or result in the inability of the Underlying PIMCO Fund to operate as described in its Prospectus.

A Note on the PIMCO CommodityRealReturn Strategy Fund®, PIMCO Long-Term Real Return Fund, PIMCO RealEstateRealReturn Strategy Fund, and PIMCO Real Return Fund, Underlying PIMCO Funds. Periodic adjustments for inflation to the principal amount of an inflation-indexed bond may give rise to original issue discount, which will be includable in each affected Underlying PIMCO Fund's gross income. Due to original issue discount, each affected Underlying PIMCO Fund may be required to make annual distributions to shareholders that exceed the cash received, which may cause each affected Underlying PIMCO Fund to liquidate certain investments when it is not advantageous to do so. Also, if the principal value of an inflation-indexed bond is adjusted downward due to deflation, amounts previously distributed in the taxable year may be characterized in some circumstances as a return of capital.

A Note on the PIMCO Strategic Bond Fund, Underlying PIMCO Fund. Dividends paid to shareholders of the Underlying PIMCO Fund are expected to be designated by the Underlying PIMCO Fund as "exempt-interest dividends" to the extent that such dividends

 

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are derived from Municipal Bond interest and shareholders may generally exclude such dividends from gross income for federal income tax purposes. The federal tax exemption for "exempt-interest dividends" from Municipal Bonds does not necessarily result in the exemption of such dividends from state and local taxes. The Underlying PIMCO Fund will invest a portion of its assets in securities that generate income that is not exempt from federal or state income tax. Dividends derived from taxable interest or capital gains will be subject to federal income tax and will be subject to state tax in most states. The payment of a portion of the Underlying PIMCO Fund's dividends as dividends exempt from federal income tax will not provide additional tax benefits to investors in tax-sheltered retirement plans or individuals not subject to federal income tax.

Important Tax Reporting Considerations. Your financial intermediary or the Fund (if you hold your shares in a Fund direct account) will report gains and losses realized on redemptions of shares for shareholders who are individuals and S corporations purchased after January 1, 2012 to the Internal Revenue Service (IRS). This information will also be reported to you on Form 1099-B and the IRS each year. In calculating the gain or loss on redemptions of shares, the average cost method will be used to determine the cost basis of Fund shares purchased after January 1, 2012 unless you instruct the Fund in writing that you want to use another available method for cost basis reporting (for example, First In, First Out (FIFO), Last In, First Out (LIFO), Specific Lot Identification (SLID) or High Cost, First Out (HIFO)). If you designate SLID as your cost basis method, you will also need to designate a secondary cost basis method (Secondary Method). If a Secondary Method is not provided, the Funds will designate FIFO as the Secondary Method and will use the Secondary Method with respect to automatic withdrawals made after January 1, 2012 or conducted via an automatic withdrawal plan.

If a shareholder is a corporation and has not instructed the Fund that it is a C corporation in its Account Application or by written instruction, the Fund will treat the shareholder as an S corporation and file a Form 1099-B.

Backup Withholding. Each Fund may be required to withhold U.S. federal income tax on all taxable distributions payable to shareholders if they fail to provide the Fund with their correct taxpayer identification number or to make required certifications, or if they have been notified by the IRS that they are subject to backup withholding. Backup withholding is not an additional tax. Any amounts withheld may be credited against U.S. federal income tax liability.

Foreign Withholding Taxes. A Fund may be subject to foreign withholding or other foreign taxes, which in some cases can be significant on any income or gain from investments in foreign securities. In that case, the Fund's total return on those securities would be decreased. Each Fund may generally deduct these taxes in computing its taxable income. Rather than deducting these foreign taxes, if more than 50% of the value of a Fund's total assets at the close of its taxable year consists of stock or securities of foreign corporations or foreign governments, or if at least 50% of the value of a Fund's total assets at the close of each quarter of its taxable year is represented by interests in other regulated investment companies, such Fund may make an election to treat a proportionate amount of eligible foreign taxes as constituting a taxable distribution to each shareholder, which would, subject to certain limitations, generally allow the shareholder to either (i) credit that proportionate amount of taxes against U.S. Federal income tax liability as a foreign tax credit or (ii) take that amount as an itemized deduction. Although in some cases the Fund may be able to apply for a refund of a portion of such taxes, the ability to successfully obtain such a refund may be uncertain.

Foreign shareholders may be subject to U. S. tax withholding of 30% (or lower applicable treaty rate) on distributions from the Funds. Additionally, the Funds are required to withhold U.S. tax (at a 30% rate) on payments of taxable dividends and (effective January 1, 2019) redemption proceeds and certain capital gain dividends made to certain non-U.S. entities that fail to comply (or be deemed compliant) with extensive reporting and withholding requirements designed to inform the U.S. Department of the Treasury of U.S.-owned foreign investment accounts. Shareholders may be requested to provide additional information to enable the Funds to determine whether withholding is required.

This "Tax Consequences" section relates only to federal income tax; the consequences under other tax laws may differ. Shareholders should consult their tax advisors as to the possible application of foreign, state and local income tax laws to Fund dividends and capital distributions. Please see "Taxation" in the SAI for additional information regarding the tax aspects of investing in the Funds.

Characteristics and Risks of Securities and Investment Techniques

This section provides additional information about some of the principal investments and related risks of the Funds and of certain Acquired Funds described under "Fund Summaries" and "Description of Principal Risks" above. It also describes characteristics and risks of additional securities and investment techniques that may be used by the Funds and certain Acquired Funds from time to time. Generally, the characteristics and risks of securities and investment techniques that may be used by the Acquired Funds from time to time are similar to those described below. However, the risks associated with an Acquired Fund's investments are described more fully in each Acquired Fund's prospectus. Accordingly, please see an Acquired Fund's prospectus for a more complete description of the Acquired Fund and the risks associated with its investments. Most of these securities and investment techniques described herein are discretionary, which means that PIMCO can decide whether to use them or not. This prospectus does not attempt to disclose all of the various types of securities and investment techniques that may be used by the Funds. As with any mutual fund, investors in the Funds rely on the professional investment judgment and skill of PIMCO and the individual portfolio managers. Please see "Investment Objectives and Policies" in the SAI for more detailed information about the securities and investment techniques described in this section and about other strategies and techniques that may be used by the Funds.

 

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As the PIMCO Emerging Markets Full Spectrum Bond Fund may invest in shares of the Acquired Funds, the risks of investing in the PIMCO Emerging Markets Full Spectrum Bond Fund may be closely related to the risks associated with the Acquired Funds and their investments. However, as the PIMCO Emerging Markets Full Spectrum Bond Fund may also invest its assets directly in Fixed Income Instruments, equity securities, forwards or derivatives, such as options, futures contracts or swap agreements, other affiliated or unaffiliated funds, and other investments, the Fund may be directly exposed to certain risks described below.

Investors should be aware that the investments made by a Fund and the results achieved by a Fund at any given time are not expected to be the same as those made by other funds for which PIMCO acts as investment adviser, including funds with names, investment objectives and policies similar to a Fund. This may be attributable to a wide variety of factors, including, but not limited to, the use of a different portfolio management team or strategy, when a particular fund commenced operations or the size of a particular fund, in each case as compared to other similar funds. Significant shareholder purchases and redemptions may adversely impact a Fund's portfolio management. For example, a Fund may be forced to sell a comparatively large portion of its portfolio to meet significant shareholder redemptions, or hold a comparatively large portion of its portfolio in cash due to significant shareholder purchases, in each case when the Fund otherwise would not seek to do so. Such shareholder transactions may cause Funds to make investment decisions at inopportune times or prices or miss attractive investment opportunities. Such transactions may also increase a Fund's transaction costs, accelerate the realization of taxable income if sales of securities resulted in gains, or otherwise cause a Fund to perform differently than intended. Similarly, significant shareholder purchases may adversely affect a Fund's performance to the extent the Fund is delayed in investing new cash and, as a result, holds a proportionally larger cash position than under ordinary circumstances and such impact may be heightened in funds of funds. While such risks may apply to Funds of any size, such risks are heightened in Funds with fewer assets under management. In addition, new Funds may not be able to fully implement their investment strategy immediately upon commencing investment operations, which could reduce investment performance.

More generally, a Fund may be adversely affected when a large shareholder purchases or redeems large amounts of shares, which can occur at any time and may impact the Fund in the same manner as a high volume of purchase or redemption requests. Such large shareholders include, but are not limited to, other funds, institutional investors, and asset allocators who make investment decisions on behalf of underlying clients. Large shareholder transactions may cause Funds to make investment decisions at inopportune times or prices or miss attractive investment opportunities. In addition, such transactions may also cause the Fund to sell certain assets in order to meet purchase or redemption requests, which could indirectly affect the liquidity of the Fund's portfolio. Such transactions may also increase the Fund's transaction costs, decrease economies of scale, accelerate the realization of taxable income, or otherwise cause the Fund to perform differently than intended. While large shareholder transactions may be more frequent under certain circumstances, the Fund is generally subject to the risk that a large shareholder can purchase or redeem a significant percentage of Fund shares at any time. Moreover, the Fund is subject to the risk that other shareholders may make investment decisions based on the choices of a large shareholder, which could exacerbate any potential negative effects experienced by the Fund.

Certain PIMCO Funds (the "PIMCO Funds of Funds") invest substantially all or a significant portion of their assets in Underlying PIMCO Funds, which is defined to include the Funds (except the PIMCO Emerging Markets Full Spectrum Bond Fund).  In some cases, the PIMCO Funds of Funds and certain funds managed by investment advisers affiliated with PIMCO ("Affiliated Funds of Funds") may be the predominant or sole shareholders of a particular Underlying PIMCO Fund, including a Fund.  Investment decisions made with respect to the PIMCO Funds of Funds and Affiliated Funds of Funds could, under certain circumstances, negatively impact the Underlying PIMCO Funds, including the Funds, with respect to the expenses and investment performance of the Underlying PIMCO Funds.  For instance, large purchases or redemptions of shares of an Underlying PIMCO Fund by the PIMCO Funds of Funds and Affiliated Funds of Funds, whether as part of a reallocation or rebalancing strategy or otherwise, may result in the Underlying PIMCO Fund having to sell securities or invest cash when it otherwise would not do so. Such transactions could increase an Underlying PIMCO Fund's transaction costs and accelerate the realization of taxable income if sales of securities resulted in gains. Additionally, as the PIMCO Funds of Funds and Affiliated Funds of Funds may invest substantially all or a significant portion of their assets in Underlying PIMCO Funds, the Underlying PIMCO Funds may not acquire securities of other registered open-end investment companies in reliance on Section 12(d)(1)(F) or Section 12(d)(1)(G) of the 1940 Act, thus limiting the Underlying PIMCO Funds investment flexibility.

Investment Selection

Certain Funds seek maximum total return. The total return sought by a Fund consists of both income earned on a Fund's investments and capital appreciation, if any, arising from increases in the market value of a Fund's holdings. Capital appreciation of fixed income securities generally results from decreases in market interest rates, foreign currency appreciation, or improving credit fundamentals for a particular market sector or security.

In selecting securities for a Fund, PIMCO develops an outlook for interest rates, currency exchange rates and the economy, analyzes credit and call risks, and uses other security selection techniques. The proportion of a Fund's assets committed to investment in securities with particular characteristics (such as quality, sector, interest rate or maturity) varies based on PIMCO's outlook for the U.S. economy and the economies of other countries in the world, the financial markets and other factors.

With respect to fixed income investing, PIMCO attempts to identify areas of the bond market that are undervalued relative to the rest of the market. PIMCO identifies these areas by grouping Fixed Income Instruments into sectors such as money markets, governments, corporates, mortgages, asset-backed and international. In seeking to identify undervalued currencies, PIMCO may consider many factors, including but not limited to longer-term analysis of relative interest rates, inflation rates, real exchange rates, purchasing power parity, trade account balances and current account balances, as well as other factors that influence exchange rates such as

 

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flows, market technical trends and government policies. Sophisticated proprietary software then assists in evaluating sectors and pricing specific investments. Once investment opportunities are identified, PIMCO will shift assets among sectors depending upon changes in relative valuations, credit spreads and other factors. There is no guarantee that PIMCO's investment selection techniques will produce the desired results.

Fixed Income Instruments

"Fixed Income Instruments," as used generally in this prospectus, includes:

securities issued or guaranteed by the U.S. Government, its agencies or government-sponsored enterprises ("U.S. Government Securities");

corporate debt securities of U.S. and non-U.S. issuers, including convertible securities and corporate commercial paper;

mortgage-backed and other asset-backed securities;

inflation-indexed bonds issued both by governments and corporations;

structured notes, including hybrid or "indexed" securities and event-linked bonds;

bank capital and trust preferred securities;

loan participations and assignments;

delayed funding loans and revolving credit facilities;

bank certificates of deposit, fixed time deposits and bankers' acceptances;

repurchase agreements on Fixed Income Instruments and reverse repurchase agreements on Fixed Income Instruments;

debt securities issued by states or local governments and their agencies, authorities and other government-sponsored enterprises;

obligations of non-U.S. governments or their subdivisions, agencies and government-sponsored enterprises; and

obligations of international agencies or supranational entities.

Securities issued by U.S. Government agencies or government-sponsored enterprises may not be guaranteed by the U.S. Treasury.

The Funds, to the extent permitted by the 1940 Act, or exemptive relief therefrom, may invest in derivatives based on Fixed Income Instruments.

Duration

Duration is a measure used to determine the sensitivity of a security's price to changes in interest rates that incorporates a security's yield, coupon, final maturity and call features, among other characteristics. The longer a security's duration, the more sensitive it will be to changes in interest rates. Similarly, a fund with a longer average portfolio duration will be more sensitive to changes in interest rates than a fund with a shorter average portfolio duration. By way of example, the price of a bond fund with an average duration of eight years would be expected to fall approximately 8% if interest rates rose by one percentage point. Conversely, the price of a bond fund with an average duration of negative three years would be expected to rise approximately 3% if interest rates rose by one percentage point. The maturity of a security, another commonly used measure of price sensitivity, measures only the time until final payment is due, whereas duration takes into account the pattern of all payments of interest and principal on a security over time, including how these payments are affected by prepayments and by changes in interest rates, as well as the time until an interest rate is reset (in the case of variable-rate securities). PIMCO uses an internal model for calculating duration, which may result in a different value for the duration of an index compared to the duration calculated by the index provider or another third party.

U.S. Government Securities

U.S. Government Securities are obligations of, or guaranteed by, the U.S. Government, its agencies or government-sponsored enterprises. The U.S. Government does not guarantee the NAV of the Fund's shares. U.S. Government Securities are subject to market and interest rate risk, as well as varying degrees of credit risk. Some U.S. Government Securities are issued or guaranteed by the U.S. Treasury and are supported by the full faith and credit of the United States. Other types of U.S. Government Securities are supported by the full faith and credit of the United States (but not issued by the U.S. Treasury). These securities may have less credit risk than U.S. Government Securities not supported by the full faith and credit of the United States. Such other types of U.S. Government Securities are: (1) supported by the ability of the issuer to borrow from the U.S. Treasury; (2) supported only by the credit of the issuing agency, instrumentality or government-sponsored corporation; or (3) supported by the United States in some other way. These securities may be subject to greater credit risk. U.S. Government Securities include zero coupon securities, which tend to be subject to greater market risk than interest-paying securities of similar maturities.

Securities issued by U.S. Government agencies or government-sponsored enterprises may not be guaranteed by the U.S. Treasury. Government National Mortgage Association ("GNMA"), a wholly owned U.S. Government corporation, is authorized to guarantee, with the full faith and credit of the U.S. Government, the timely payment of principal and interest on securities issued by institutions approved by GNMA and backed by pools of mortgages insured by the Federal Housing Administration or guaranteed by the Department of Veterans Affairs.  Government-related guarantors (i.e., not backed by the full faith and credit of the U.S. Government) include the Federal National Mortgage Association ("FNMA") and the Federal Home Loan Mortgage Corporation ("FHLMC"). Pass-through securities issued by FNMA are guaranteed as to timely payment of principal and interest by FNMA but are not backed by the full faith and credit of the U.S. Government. FHLMC guarantees the timely payment of interest and ultimate collection of principal, but its participation certificates are not backed by the full faith and credit of the U.S. Government.

Municipal Bonds

Municipal Bonds are generally issued by states, territories, possessions and local governments and their agencies, authorities and other instrumentalities. Municipal Bonds are subject to interest rate, credit and market risk, uncertainties related to the tax status of a Municipal Bond or the rights of investors invested in these securities. The ability of an issuer to make payments could be affected by litigation, legislation or other political events or the bankruptcy of the issuer. In addition, imbalances in supply and demand in the municipal market may result in a deterioration of liquidity and a lack of price transparency in the market. At certain times, this may affect pricing, execution and transaction costs associated with a particular trade. The value of certain municipal securities, in particular general obligation debt, may also be adversely affected by rising health care costs, increasing unfunded pension liabilities, changes in accounting standards

 

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and by the phasing out of federal programs providing financial support. Lower rated Municipal Bonds are subject to greater credit and market risk than higher quality Municipal Bonds. The types of Municipal Bonds in which the Funds may invest include municipal lease obligations, municipal general obligation bonds, municipal essential service revenue bonds, municipal cash equivalents, and pre-refunded and escrowed to maturity Municipal Bonds. The Funds may also invest in industrial development bonds, which are Municipal Bonds issued by a government agency on behalf of a private sector company and, in most cases, are not backed by the credit of the issuing municipality and may therefore involve more risk. The Funds may also invest in securities issued by entities whose underlying assets are Municipal Bonds.

Pre-refunded Municipal Bonds are tax-exempt bonds that have been refunded to a call date on or before the final maturity of principal and remain outstanding in the municipal market. The payment of principal and interest of the pre-refunded Municipal Bonds held by a Fund is funded from securities in a designated escrow account that holds U.S. Treasury securities or other obligations of the U.S. Government (including its agencies and instrumentalities ("Agency Securities")). As the payment of principal and interest is generated from securities held in a designated escrow account, the pledge of the municipality has been fulfilled and the original pledge of revenue by the municipality is no longer in place. The escrow account securities pledged to pay the principal and interest of the pre-refunded Municipal Bond do not guarantee the price movement of the bond before maturity. Investment in pre-refunded Municipal Bonds held by a Fund may subject the Fund to interest rate risk, market risk and credit risk. In addition, while a secondary market exists for pre-refunded Municipal Bonds, if a Fund sells pre-refunded Municipal Bonds prior to maturity, the price received may be more or less than the original cost, depending on market conditions at the time of sale.

Certain Funds may invest in trust certificates issued in tender option bond programs. In these programs, a trust typically issues two classes of certificates and uses the proceeds to purchase municipal securities having relatively long maturities and bearing interest at a fixed interest rate substantially higher than prevailing short-term tax-exempt rates. There is a risk that a Fund investing in a tender option bond program will not be considered the owner of a tender option bond for federal income tax purposes, and thus will not be entitled to treat such interest as exempt from federal income tax. Certain tender option bonds may be illiquid or may become illiquid as a result of, among other things, a credit rating downgrade, a payment default or a disqualification from tax-exempt status. A Fund's investment in the securities issued by a tender option bond trust may involve greater risk and volatility than an investment in a fixed rate bond, and the value of such securities may decrease significantly when market interest rates increase. Tender option bond trusts could be terminated due to market, credit or other events beyond a Fund's control, which could require the Fund to dispose of portfolio investments at inopportune times and prices. A Fund may use a tender option bond program as a way of achieving leverage in its portfolio, in which case the Fund will be subject to leverage risk.

In December 2013, regulators finalized rules implementing Section 619 (the "Volcker Rule") and Section 941 (the "Risk Retention Rules") of the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act. Both the Volcker Rule and the Risk Retention Rules apply to tender option bond programs and require that such programs be restructured. In particular, these rules preclude banking entities from: (i) sponsoring or acquiring interests in the trusts used to hold a Municipal Bond in the creation of tender option bond trusts; and (ii) continuing to service or maintain relationships with existing programs involving such trusts to the same extent and in the same capacity as existing programs. At this time, the full impact of these rules is not certain; however, in response to these rules, industry participants are continuing to explore various structuring alternatives for tender option bond programs. Because of the important role that tender option bond programs play in the Municipal Bond market, it is possible that implementation of these rules and any resulting impact may adversely impact the Municipal Bond market. For example, as a result of the implementation of these rules, the Municipal Bond market may experience reduced demand or liquidity and increased financing costs.

Mortgage-Related and Other Asset-Backed Securities

Mortgage-related securities include mortgage pass-through securities, collateralized mortgage obligations ("CMOs"), commercial mortgage-backed securities, mortgage dollar rolls, CMO residuals, stripped mortgage-backed securities ("SMBSs") and other securities that directly or indirectly represent a participation in, or are secured by and payable from, mortgage loans on real property.

The value of some mortgage- or asset-backed securities may be particularly sensitive to changes in prevailing interest rates. Early repayment of principal on some mortgage-related securities may expose a Fund to a lower rate of return upon reinvestment of principal. When interest rates rise, the value of a mortgage-related security generally will decline; however, when interest rates are declining, the value of mortgage-related securities with prepayment features may not increase as much as other fixed income securities. The rate of prepayments on underlying mortgages will affect the price and volatility of a mortgage-related security, and may shorten or extend the effective maturity of the security beyond what was anticipated at the time of purchase. If unanticipated rates of prepayment on underlying mortgages increase the effective maturity of a mortgage-related security, the volatility of the security can be expected to increase. The value of these securities may fluctuate in response to the market's perception of the creditworthiness of the issuers. See "Extension Risk" and "Prepayment Risk" below. Additionally, although mortgages and mortgage-related securities are generally supported by some form of government or private guarantee and/or insurance, there is no assurance that guarantors or insurers will meet their obligations.

Extension Risk. Mortgage-related and other asset-backed securities are subject to Extension Risk, which is the risk that the issuer of such a security pays back the principal of such an obligation later than expected. This may occur when interest rates rise. This may negatively affect Fund returns, as the value of the security decreases when principal payments are made later than expected. In addition, because principal payments are made later than expected, the Fund may be prevented from investing proceeds it would otherwise have received at a given time at the higher prevailing interest rates.

 

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Prepayment Risk. Mortgage-related and other asset-backed securities are subject to Prepayment Risk, which is the risk that the issuer of such a security pays back the principal of such an obligation earlier than expected (due to the sale of the underlying property, refinancing, or foreclosure). This may occur when interest rates decline. Prepayment may expose the Fund to a lower rate of return upon reinvestment of principal. Also, if a security subject to prepayment has been purchased at a premium, the value of the premium would be lost in the event of prepayment.

One type of SMBS has one class receiving all of the interest from the mortgage assets (the interest-only, or "IO" class), while the other class will receive all of the principal (the principal-only, or "PO" class). The yield to maturity on an IO class is extremely sensitive to the rate of principal payments (including prepayments) on the underlying mortgage assets, and a rapid rate of principal payments may have a material adverse effect on a Fund's yield to maturity from these securities. Each Fund may invest up to 5% of its total assets in any combination of mortgage-related or other asset backed IO, PO, or inverse floater securities.

Each Fund may invest in each of collateralized bond obligations ("CBOs"), collateralized loan obligations ("CLOs"), other collateralized debt obligations ("CDOs") and other similarly structured securities. CBOs, CLOs and other CDOs are types of asset-backed securities. A CBO is a trust which is backed by a diversified pool of high-risk, below investment grade fixed income securities. 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. Other CDOs are trusts backed by other types of assets representing obligations of various parties. Certain Funds may invest in other asset-backed securities that have been offered to investors.

Privately Issued Mortgage-Related Securities: Pools created by non-governmental issuers generally offer a higher rate of interest than government and government-related pools because there are no direct or indirect government or agency guarantees of payments in such pools. Privately issued mortgage-related securities are not subject to the same underwriting requirements for the underlying mortgages that are applicable to those mortgage-related securities that have a government or government-sponsored entity guarantee. As a result, the mortgage loans underlying privately issued mortgage-related securities may, and frequently do, have less favorable collateral, credit risk or other underwriting characteristics than government or government-sponsored mortgage-related securities and have wider variances in a number of terms including interest rate, term, size, purpose and borrower characteristics. The risk of nonpayment is greater for mortgage-related securities that are backed by loans that were originated under weak underwriting standards, including loans made to borrowers with limited means to make repayment. A level of risk exists for all loans, although, historically, the poorest performing loans have been those classified as subprime.

Privately issued mortgage-related securities are not traded on an exchange and there may be a limited market for the securities, especially when there is a perceived weakness in the mortgage and real estate market sectors. Without an active trading market, mortgage-related securities held in a Fund's portfolio may be particularly difficult to value because of the complexities involved in assessing the value of the underlying mortgage loans. Privately Issued Mortgage-Related Securities include securities that reflect an interest in, and are secured by, mortgage loans on commercial real property. Many of the risks of investing in commercial mortgage-backed securities reflect the risks of investing in the real estate securing the underlying mortgage loans. These risks reflect the effects of local and other economic conditions on real estate markets, the ability of tenants to make loan payments, and the ability of a property to attract and retain tenants.

Loan Participations and Assignments

Each Fund may invest in fixed- and floating-rate loans, which investments generally will be in the form of loan participations and assignments of portions of such loans. Participations and assignments involve special types of risk, including credit risk, interest rate risk, liquidity risk, and the risks of being a lender. If a Fund purchases a participation, it may only be able to enforce its rights through the lender, and may assume the credit risk of the lender in addition to the borrower.

Reinvestment

Each Fund may be subject to the risk that the returns of a Fund will decline during periods of falling interest rates because the Fund may have to reinvest the proceeds from matured, traded or called debt obligations at interest rates below the Fund's current earnings rate. For instance, when interest rates decline, an issuer of debt obligations may exercise an option to redeem securities prior to maturity, thereby forcing the Fund to invest in lower-yielding securities. A Fund also may choose to sell higher-yielding portfolio securities and to purchase lower-yielding securities to achieve greater portfolio diversification, because the Fund's portfolio manager believes the current holdings are overvalued or for other investment-related reasons. A decline in the returns received by a Fund from its investments is likely to have an adverse effect on the Fund's NAV, yield and total return.

Focused Investment

To the extent that a Fund focuses its investments in a particular sector, the Fund may be susceptible to loss due to adverse developments affecting that sector. These developments include, but are not limited to, governmental regulation; inflation; rising interest rates; cost increases in raw materials, fuel and other operating expenses; technological innovations that may render existing products and equipment obsolete; competition from new entrants; high research and development costs; increased costs associated with compliance with environmental or other governmental regulations; and other economic, business or political developments specific to that sector. Furthermore, a Fund may invest a substantial portion of its assets in companies in related sectors that may share common characteristics, are often subject to similar business risks and regulatory burdens, and whose securities may react similarly to the types of developments described above, which will subject the Fund to greater risk. A Fund also will be subject to focused investment risk to the

 

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extent that it invests a substantial portion of its assets in a particular issuer, market, asset class, country or geographic region.

Corporate Debt Securities

Corporate debt securities are subject to the risk of the issuer's inability to meet principal and interest payments on the obligation and may also be subject to price volatility due to such factors as interest rate sensitivity, market perception of the creditworthiness of the issuer and general market liquidity. When interest rates rise, the value of corporate debt securities can be expected to decline. Debt securities with longer maturities tend to be more sensitive to interest rate movements than those with shorter maturities. In addition, certain corporate debt securities may be highly customized and as a result may be subject to, among others, liquidity and pricing transparency risks.

Bank Capital Securities and Trust Preferred Securities

There are two common types of bank capital: Tier I and Tier II. Bank capital is generally, but not always, of investment grade quality. Tier I securities often take the form of trust preferred securities. Tier II securities are commonly thought of as hybrids of debt and preferred securities, are often perpetual (with no maturity date), callable and, under certain conditions, allow for the issuer bank to withhold payment of interest until a later date.

Trust preferred securities have the characteristics of both subordinated debt and preferred securities. The primary advantage of the structure of trust preferred securities is that they are treated by the financial institution as debt securities for tax purposes and as equity for the calculation of capital requirements. Trust preferred securities typically bear a market rate coupon comparable to interest rates available on debt of a similarly rated issuer. Typical characteristics include long-term maturities, early redemption by the issuer, periodic fixed or variable interest payments, and maturities at face value. The market value of trust preferred securities may be more volatile than those of conventional debt securities. There can be no assurance as to the liquidity of trust preferred securities and the ability of holders, such as a Fund, to sell their holdings.

High Yield Securities and Distressed Companies

Securities rated lower than Baa by Moody's, or equivalently rated by S&P or Fitch, are sometimes referred to as "high yield securities" or "junk bonds." Issuers of these securities may be distressed and undergoing restructuring, bankruptcy or other proceedings in an attempt to avoid insolvency. Investing in these securities involves special risks in addition to the risks associated with investments in higher-rated fixed income securities. While offering a greater potential opportunity for capital appreciation and higher yields, high yield and distressed company securities typically entail greater potential price volatility and may be less liquid than higher-rated securities. High yield securities and debt securities of distressed companies may be regarded as predominately speculative with respect to the issuer's continuing ability to meet principal and interest payments. They may also be more susceptible to real or perceived adverse economic and competitive industry conditions than higher-rated securities. Certain Funds may invest in securities that are in default with respect to the payment of interest or repayment of principal, or present an imminent risk of default with respect to such payments. Issuers of securities in default may fail to resume principal or interest payments, in which case the Fund may lose its entire investment.

Variable and Floating Rate Securities

Variable and floating rate securities are securities that pay interest at rates that adjust whenever a specified interest rate changes and/or that reset on predetermined dates (such as the last day of a month or a calendar quarter). Each Fund may invest in floating rate debt instruments ("floaters") and engage in credit spread trades. Variable and floating rate securities generally are less sensitive to interest rate changes but may decline in value if their interest rates do not rise as much, or as quickly, as interest rates in general.

Conversely, floating rate securities will not generally increase in value if interest rates decline. Each Fund may also invest in inverse floating rate debt instruments ("inverse floaters"). An inverse floater may exhibit greater price volatility than a fixed rate obligation of similar credit quality. Each Fund may invest up to 5% of its total assets in any combination of mortgage-related or other asset-backed IO, PO or inverse floater securities. Additionally, a Fund may also invest, without limitation, in residual interest bonds. Residual interest bonds are a type of inverse floater. See "Municipal Bonds."

Inflation-Indexed Bonds

Inflation-indexed bonds (other than municipal inflation-indexed bonds and certain corporate inflation-indexed bonds, which are more fully described below) are fixed income securities whose principal value is periodically adjusted according to the rate of inflation. If the index measuring inflation falls, the principal value of inflation-indexed bonds (other than municipal inflation-indexed bonds and certain corporate inflation-indexed bonds) will be adjusted downward, and consequently the interest payable on these securities (calculated with respect to a smaller principal amount) will be reduced. Repayment of the original bond principal upon maturity (as adjusted for inflation) is guaranteed in the case of TIPS. For bonds that do not provide a similar guarantee, the adjusted principal value of the bond repaid at maturity may be less than the original principal.

With regard to municipal inflation-indexed bonds and certain corporate inflation-indexed bonds, the inflation adjustment is reflected in the semi-annual coupon payment. As a result, the principal value of municipal inflation-indexed bonds and such corporate inflation-indexed bonds does not adjust according to the rate of inflation. At the same time, the value of municipal inflation-indexed securities and such corporate inflation-indexed securities generally will not increase if the rate of inflation decreases. Because municipal inflation-indexed securities and corporate inflation indexed securities are a small component of the municipal bond and corporate bond markets, respectively, they may be less liquid than conventional municipal and corporate bonds.

The value of inflation-indexed bonds is expected to change in response to changes in real interest rates. Real interest rates are tied to the relationship between nominal interest rates and the rate of inflation. If nominal interest rates increase at a faster rate than inflation, real interest rates may rise, leading to a decrease in value of inflation-indexed bonds. Any increase in the principal amount of an inflation-indexed bond will be considered

 

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taxable ordinary income, even though investors do not receive their principal until maturity.

Event-Linked Exposure

Each Fund may obtain event-linked exposure by investing in "event-linked bonds" or "event-linked swaps" or by implementing "event-linked strategies." Event-linked exposure results in gains or losses that typically are contingent, or formulaically related to defined trigger events. Examples of trigger events include hurricanes, earthquakes, weather-related phenomena, or statistics related to such events. Some event-linked bonds are commonly referred to as "catastrophe bonds." If a trigger event occurs, a Fund may lose a portion or its entire principal invested in the bond or notional amount on a swap. Event-linked exposure often provides for an extension of maturity to process and audit loss claims where a trigger event has, or possibly has, occurred. An extension of maturity may increase volatility. Event-linked exposure may also expose a Fund to certain unanticipated risks including counterparty risk, adverse regulatory or jurisdictional interpretations, and adverse tax consequences. Event-linked exposures may also be subject to liquidity risk.

Convertible and Equity Securities

Common stock represents equity ownership in a company and typically provides the common stockholder the power to vote on certain corporate actions, including the election of the company's directors. Common stockholders participate in company profits through dividends and, in the event of bankruptcy, distributions, on a pro-rata basis after other claims are satisfied. Many factors affect the value of common stock, including earnings, earnings forecasts, corporate events and factors impacting the issuer's industry and the market generally. Common stock generally has the greatest appreciation and depreciation potential of all corporate securities.

Each Fund may invest in convertible securities and equity securities, as well as securities related to equities. Equity-related securities include securities having an equity component (e.g., hybrids, bank capital) and equity derivatives. Convertible securities are generally preferred securities and other securities, including fixed income securities and warrants, that are convertible into or exercisable for common stock at a stated price or rate. The price of a convertible security will normally vary in some proportion to changes in the price of the underlying common stock because of this conversion or exercise feature. However, the value of a convertible security may not increase or decrease as rapidly as the underlying common stock. A convertible security will normally also provide income and is subject to interest rate risk. Convertible securities may be lower-rated securities subject to greater levels of credit risk. A Fund may be forced to convert a security before it would otherwise choose, which may have an adverse effect on the Fund's ability to achieve its investment objective.

"Synthetic" convertible securities are selected based on the similarity of their economic characteristics to those of a traditional convertible security due to the combination of separate securities that possess the two principal characteristics of a traditional convertible security, i.e., an income-producing security ("income-producing component") and the right to acquire an equity security ("convertible component"). The income-producing component is achieved by investing in non-convertible, income-producing securities such as bonds, preferred securities and money market instruments, which may be represented by derivative instruments. The convertible component is achieved by investing in securities or instruments such as warrants or options to buy common stock at a certain exercise price, or options on a stock index. A simple example of a synthetic convertible security is the combination of a traditional corporate bond with a warrant to purchase equity securities of the issuer of the bond. A Fund may also purchase synthetic securities created by other parties, typically investment banks, including convertible structured notes. The income-producing and convertible components of a synthetic convertible security may be issued separately by different issuers and at different times.

Preferred and other senior securities generally entitle the holder to receive, in preference to the holders of other securities such as common stocks, dividends and a fixed share of the proceeds resulting from a liquidation of the company. Preferred and other senior securities may pay fixed or adjustable rates of return. Preferred and other senior securities are subject to issuer-specific and market risks applicable generally to equity securities. In addition, a company's preferred and other senior securities generally pay dividends only after the company makes required payments to holders of its bonds and other debt. For this reason, the value of preferred and other senior securities will usually react more strongly than bonds and other debt to actual or perceived changes in the company's financial condition or prospects. In addition, preferred and other senior securities often have special redemption rights allowing issuers to redeem such securities at par earlier than scheduled. If these rights are exercised, a Fund may have to reinvest proceeds in less attractive securities.

Among other risks described in this Prospectus, the following issues are particularly associated with investments in preferred and other senior securities.

Deferral and Omission of Distributions. Preferred and other senior securities may include features permitting or requiring the issuer to defer or omit distributions. Among other things, such deferral or omission may result in adverse tax consequences for a Fund.

Limited Voting Rights. Preferred and other senior securities generally do not have voting rights with respect to the issuer unless dividends have been in arrears for certain specified periods of time.

In the future, preferred or other senior securities may be offered with features different from those described above, and as such, may entail different risks. Over longer periods of time, certain types of preferred or other senior securities may become more scarce or less liquid as a result of legislative changes. Such events may result in losses to a Fund as the prices of securities it holds may be negatively affected. Revisions to bank capital requirements by international regulatory bodies, to the extent they are adopted in the United States, may also negatively impact the market for certain preferred or senior securities.

While some countries or companies may be regarded as favorable investments, pure fixed income opportunities may be unattractive or limited due to insufficient supply, or legal or technical restrictions. In such cases, subject to its applicable investment restrictions, a Fund may consider convertible securities or equity securities to gain exposure to such investments.

 

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At times, in connection with the restructuring of a preferred security or Fixed Income Instrument either outside of bankruptcy court or in the context of bankruptcy court proceedings, a Fund may determine or be required to accept equity securities, such as common stocks, in exchange for all or a portion of a preferred security or Fixed Income Instrument. Depending upon, among other things, PIMCO's evaluation of the potential value of such securities in relation to the price that could be obtained by a Fund at any given time upon sale thereof, a Fund may determine to hold such securities in its portfolio.

Equity securities generally have greater price volatility than fixed income securities. The market price of equity securities owned by a Fund may go up or down, sometimes rapidly or unpredictably. Equity securities may decline in value due to factors affecting equity securities markets generally or particular industries represented in those markets. The value of an equity security may also 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 goods or services.

Foreign (Non-U.S.) Securities

Each Fund may invest in securities and instruments that are economically tied to foreign (non-U.S.) countries. PIMCO generally considers an instrument to be economically tied to a non-U.S. country if the issuer is a foreign government (or any political subdivision, agency, authority or instrumentality of such government), or if the issuer is organized under the laws of a non-U.S. country. A Fund's investments in foreign (non-U.S.) securities may include American Depositary Receipts ("ADRs"), European Depositary Receipts ("EDRs"), Global Depositary Receipts ("GDRs") and similar securities that represent interests in a non-U.S. company's securities that have been deposited with a bank or trust and that trade on a U.S. exchange or over-the-counter. ADRs, EDRs and GDRs may be less liquid or may trade at a different price than the underlying securities of the issuer. In the case of certain money market instruments, such instruments will be considered economically tied to a non-U.S. country if either the issuer or the guarantor of such money market instrument is organized under the laws of a non-U.S. country. With respect to derivative instruments, PIMCO generally considers such instruments to be economically tied to non-U.S. countries if the underlying assets are foreign currencies (or baskets or indexes of such currencies), or instruments or securities that are issued by foreign governments or issuers organized under the laws of a non-U.S. country (or if the underlying assets are certain money market instruments, if either the issuer or the guarantor of such money market instruments is organized under the laws of a non-U.S. country).

Investing in foreign (non-U.S.) securities involves special risks and considerations not typically associated with investing in U.S. securities. Investors should consider carefully the substantial risks involved for Funds that invest in securities issued by foreign companies and governments of foreign countries. These risks include: differences in accounting, auditing and financial reporting standards; generally higher commission rates on foreign portfolio transactions; the possibility of nationalization, expropriation or confiscatory taxation; adverse changes in investment or exchange control regulations; and political instability. Individual foreign economies may differ favorably or unfavorably from the U.S. economy in such respects as growth of gross domestic product, rates of inflation, capital reinvestment, resources, self-sufficiency and balance of payments position. The securities markets, values of securities, yields and risks associated with foreign (non-U.S.) securities markets may change independently of each other. Also, foreign (non-U.S.) securities and dividends and interest payable on those securities may be subject to foreign taxes, including taxes withheld from payments on those securities. Foreign (non-U.S.) securities often trade with less frequency and volume than domestic securities and therefore may exhibit greater price volatility. Investments in foreign (non-U.S.) securities may also involve higher custodial costs than domestic investments and additional transaction costs with respect to foreign currency conversions. Changes in foreign exchange rates also will affect the value of securities denominated or quoted in foreign currencies.

Certain Funds also may invest in sovereign debt issued by governments, their agencies or instrumentalities, or other government-related entities. Holders of sovereign debt may be requested to participate in the rescheduling of such debt and to extend further loans to governmental entities. In addition, there is no bankruptcy proceeding by which defaulted sovereign debt may be collected.

Emerging Market Securities. Each Fund that may invest in foreign (non-U.S.) securities may invest in securities and instruments that are economically tied to developing (or "emerging market") countries. PIMCO generally considers an instrument to be economically tied to an emerging market country if: the issuer is organized under the laws of an emerging market country; the currency of settlement of the security is a currency of an emerging market country; the security is guaranteed by the government of an emerging market country (or any political subdivision, agency, authority or instrumentality of such government); for an asset-backed or other collateralized security, the country in which the collateral backing the security is located in an emerging market country; or the security's "country of exposure" is an emerging market country, as determined by the criteria set forth below. With respect to derivative instruments, PIMCO generally considers such instruments to be economically tied to emerging market countries if the underlying assets are currencies of emerging market countries (or baskets or indexes of such currencies), or instruments or securities that are issued or guaranteed by governments of emerging market countries or by entities organized under the laws of emerging market countries or if an instrument's "country of exposure" is an emerging market country. A security's "country of exposure" is determined by PIMCO using certain factors provided by a third-party analytical service provider. The factors are applied in order such that the first factor to result in the assignment of a country determines the "country of exposure." The factors, listed in the order in which they are applied, are: (i) if an asset-backed or other collateralized security, the country in which the collateral backing the security is located; (ii) the "country of risk" of the issuer; (iii) if the security is guaranteed by the government of a country (or any political subdivision, agency, authority or instrumentality of such government), the country of the government or instrumentality providing the guarantee; (iv) the "country of risk" of the issuer's ultimate parent; or (v) the country where the issuer is

 

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organized or incorporated under the laws thereof. "Country of risk" is a separate four-part test determined by the following factors, listed in order of importance: (i) management location; (ii) country of primary listing; (iii) sales or revenue attributable to the country; and (iv) reporting currency of the issuer. PIMCO has broad discretion to identify countries that it considers to qualify as emerging markets. In making investments in emerging market securities, a Fund emphasizes those countries with relatively low gross national product per capita and with the potential for rapid economic growth. Emerging market countries are generally located in Asia, Africa, the Middle East, Latin America and Eastern Europe. PIMCO will select the country and currency composition based on its evaluation of relative interest rates, inflation rates, exchange rates, monetary and fiscal policies, trade and current account balances, legal and political developments and any other specific factors it believes to be relevant.

Investing in emerging market securities imposes risks different from, or greater than, risks of investing in domestic securities or in foreign, developed countries. These risks include: smaller market capitalization of securities markets, which may suffer periods of relative illiquidity; significant price volatility; restrictions on foreign investment; possible repatriation of investment income and capital. In addition, foreign investors may be required to register the proceeds of sales; future economic or political crises could lead to price controls, forced mergers, expropriation or confiscatory taxation, seizure, nationalization, or creation of government monopolies. The currencies of emerging market countries may experience significant declines against the U.S. dollar, and devaluation may occur subsequent to investments in these currencies by a Fund. Many emerging market countries have experienced substantial, and in some periods extremely high, rates of inflation for many years. Inflation and rapid fluctuations in inflation rates have had, and may continue to have, negative effects on the economies and securities markets of certain emerging market countries.

Additional risks of emerging market securities may include: greater social, economic and political uncertainty and instability; more substantial governmental involvement in the economy; less governmental supervision and regulation; unavailability of currency hedging techniques; companies that are newly organized and small; differences in auditing and financial reporting standards, which may result in unavailability of material information about issuers; and less developed legal systems. In addition, emerging securities markets may have different clearance and settlement procedures, which may be unable to keep pace with the volume of securities transactions or otherwise make it difficult to engage in such transactions. Settlement problems may cause a Fund to miss attractive investment opportunities, hold a portion of the assets in cash pending investment, or be delayed in disposing of a portfolio security. Such a delay could result in possible liability to a purchaser of the security.

Investments in Russia. Certain Funds may invest in securities and instruments that are economically tied to Russia. Investments in Russia are subject to various risks, such as, but not limited to, political, economic, legal, market and currency risks, as discussed in the preceding "Emerging Market Securities" sub-section and in the "Investments in Russia" sub-section in the SAI. The risks include uncertain political and economic policies, short-term market volatility, poor accounting standards, corruption and crime, an inadequate regulatory system, and unpredictable taxation. Investments in Russia are particularly subject to the risk that further economic sanctions may be imposed by the United States and/or other countries. Such sanctions – which may impact companies in many sectors, including energy, financial services and defense, among others – may negatively impact the Fund's performance and/or ability to achieve its investment objective. For example, certain investments may be prohibited and/or existing investments may become illiquid (e.g., in the event that transacting in certain existing investments is prohibited), which could cause the Fund to sell other portfolio holdings at a disadvantageous time or price in order to meet shareholder redemptions. The Russian securities market is characterized by limited volume of trading, resulting in difficulty in obtaining accurate prices and trading. The Russian securities market, as compared to U.S. markets, has significant price volatility, less liquidity, a smaller market capitalization and a smaller number of traded securities. There may be little publicly available information about issuers. Settlement, clearing and registration of securities transactions are subject to risks because of registration systems that may not be subject to effective government supervision. This may result in significant delays or problems in registering the transfer of securities. Russian securities laws may not recognize foreign nominee accounts held with a custodian bank, and therefore the custodian may be considered the ultimate owner of securities they hold for their clients. Ownership of securities issued by Russian companies is recorded by companies themselves and by registrars instead of through a central registration system. It is possible that the ownership rights of a Fund could be lost through fraud or negligence. While applicable Russian regulations impose liability on registrars for losses resulting from their errors, it may be difficult for a Fund to enforce any rights it may have against the registrar or issuer of the securities in the event of loss of share registration. Adverse currency exchange rates are a risk and there may be a lack of available currency hedging instruments. Investments in Russia may be subject to the risk of nationalization or expropriation of assets. Oil, natural gas, metals, and timber account for a significant portion of Russia's exports, leaving the country vulnerable to swings in world prices.

Foreign (Non-U.S.) Currencies

Direct investments in foreign (non-U.S.) currencies or in securities that trade in, or receive revenues in, foreign (non-U.S.) currencies will be subject to currency risk. Foreign currency exchange rates may fluctuate significantly over short periods of time. They generally are determined by supply and demand in the foreign exchange markets and the relative merits of investments in different countries, actual or perceived changes in interest rates and other complex factors. Currency exchange rates also can be affected unpredictably by intervention (or the failure to intervene) by U.S. or foreign governments or central banks, or by currency controls or political developments. Currencies in which the Funds' assets are denominated may be devalued against the U.S. dollar, resulting in a loss to the Funds.

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currency transactions on a spot (cash) basis, enter into forward foreign currency exchange contracts and invest in foreign currency futures contracts and options on foreign currencies and futures. A forward foreign currency exchange contract, which involves an obligation to purchase or sell a specific currency at a future date at a price set at the time of the contract, reduces a Fund's exposure to changes in the value of the currency it will deliver and increases its exposure to changes in the value of the currency it will receive for the duration of the contract. Certain foreign currency transactions may also be settled in cash rather than the actual delivery of the relevant currency. The effect on the value of a Fund is similar to selling securities denominated in one currency and purchasing securities denominated in another currency. Foreign currency transactions, like currency exchange rates, can be affected unpredictably by intervention (or the failure to intervene) by U.S. or foreign governments or central banks, or by currency controls or political developments. Such events may prevent or restrict a Fund's ability to enter into foreign currency transactions, force the Fund to exit a foreign currency transaction at a disadvantageous time or price or result in penalties for the Fund, any of which may result in a loss to the Fund. A contract to sell a foreign currency would limit any potential gain which might be realized if the value of the hedged currency increases. A Fund may enter into these contracts to hedge against foreign exchange risk, to increase exposure to a foreign currency or to shift exposure to foreign currency fluctuations from one currency to another. Suitable hedging transactions may not be available in all circumstances and there can be no assurance that a Fund will engage in such transactions at any given time or from time to time. Also, such transactions may not be successful and may eliminate any chance for a Fund to benefit from favorable fluctuations in relevant foreign currencies. A Fund may use one currency (or a basket of currencies) to hedge against adverse changes in the value of another currency (or a basket of currencies) when exchange rates between the two currencies are positively correlated. A Fund will segregate or "earmark" assets determined to be liquid by PIMCO in accordance with the procedures established by the Board of Trustees (or, as permitted by applicable law, enter into certain offsetting positions) to cover its obligations under forward foreign currency exchange contracts.

Redenomination. Continuing uncertainty as to the status of the euro and the European Monetary Union (the "EMU") has created significant volatility in currency and financial markets generally. Any partial or complete dissolution of the EMU could have significant adverse effects on currency and financial markets and on the values of a Fund's portfolio investments. If one or more EMU countries were to stop using the euro as its primary currency, a Fund's investments in such countries may be redenominated into a different or newly adopted currency. As a result, the value of those investments could decline significantly and unpredictably. In addition, securities or other investments that are redenominated may be subject to currency risk, liquidity risk and risk of improper valuation to a greater extent than similar investments currently denominated in euros. To the extent a currency used for redenomination purposes is not specified in respect of certain EMU-related investments, or should the euro cease to be used entirely, the currency in which such investments are denominated may be unclear, making such investments particularly difficult to value or dispose of. A Fund may incur additional expenses to the extent it is required to seek judicial or other clarification of the denomination or value of such securities.

There can be no assurance that if a Fund earns income or capital gains in a non-U.S. country or PIMCO otherwise seeks to withdraw a Fund's investments from a given country, capital controls imposed by such country will not prevent, or cause significant expense in, doing so.

Repurchase Agreements

Each Fund may enter into repurchase agreements, in which the Fund purchases a security from a bank or broker-dealer, which agrees to repurchase the security at the Fund's cost plus interest within a specified time. If the party agreeing to repurchase should default, the Fund will seek to sell the securities which it holds. This could involve procedural costs or delays in addition to a loss on the securities if their value should fall below their repurchase price. Repurchase agreements maturing in more than seven days and which may not be terminated within seven days at approximately the amount at which a Fund has valued the agreements are considered illiquid securities.  

Reverse Repurchase Agreements, Dollar Rolls and Other Borrowings

Each Fund may enter into reverse repurchase agreements and dollar rolls, subject to the Fund's limitations on borrowings. A reverse repurchase agreement involves the sale of a security by a Fund and its agreement to repurchase the instrument at a specified time and price. A dollar roll is similar except that the counterparty is not obligated to return the same securities as those originally sold by the Fund but only securities that are "substantially identical." Reverse repurchase agreements and dollar rolls may be considered borrowing for some purposes. A Fund will segregate or "earmark" assets determined to be liquid by PIMCO in accordance with procedures established by the Board of Trustees to cover its obligations under reverse repurchase agreements and dollar rolls. Reverse repurchase agreements, dollar rolls and other forms of borrowings may create leveraging risk for a Fund.

Each Fund (except the PIMCO Global Bond Opportunities Fund (U.S. Dollar-Hedged)) may borrow money to the extent permitted under the 1940 Act. This means that, in general, a Fund may borrow money from banks for any purpose in an amount up to ⅓ of the Fund's total assets, less all liabilities and indebtedness not represented by senior securities. A Fund may also borrow money for temporary administrative purposes in an amount not to exceed 5% of the Fund's total assets. The PIMCO Global Bond Opportunities Fund (U.S. Dollar-Hedged) may not borrow in excess of 10% of the value of its total assets and then only as a temporary measure to facilitate the meeting of redemption requests (not for leverage) or for extraordinary or emergency purposes. In addition, a Fund may borrow from certain other PIMCO funds in inter-fund lending transactions to the extent permitted by an exemptive order from the SEC.

 

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Derivatives

Each Fund may, but is not required to, use derivative instruments for risk management purposes or as part of its investment strategies. Generally, derivatives are financial contracts whose value depends upon, or is derived from, the value of an underlying asset, reference rate or index, and may relate to stocks, bonds, interest rates, spreads between different interest rates, currencies or currency exchange rates, commodities, and related indexes. Examples of derivative instruments include options contracts, futures contracts, options on futures contracts and swap agreements (including, but not limited to, credit default swaps and swaps on exchange-traded funds). Each Fund may invest some or all of its assets in derivative instruments, subject to the Fund's objective and policies. A portfolio manager may decide not to employ any of these strategies and there is no assurance that any derivatives strategy used by a Fund will succeed. A description of these and other derivative instruments that the Funds may use are described under "Investment Objectives and Policies" in the SAI.

A Fund's use of derivative instruments involves risks different from, or possibly greater than, the risks associated with investing directly in securities and other more traditional investments. Certain derivative transactions may have a leveraging effect on a Fund. For example, a small investment in a derivative instrument may have a significant impact on a Fund's exposure to interest rates, currency exchange rates or other investments. As a result, a relatively small price movement in a derivative instrument may cause an immediate and substantial loss or gain. A Fund may engage in such transactions regardless of whether the Fund owns the asset, instrument or components of the index underlying the derivative instrument. A Fund may invest a significant portion of its assets in these types of instruments. If it does, the Fund's investment exposure could far exceed the value of its portfolio securities and its investment performance could be primarily dependent upon securities it does not own. A description of various risks associated with particular derivative instruments is included in "Investment Objectives and Policies" in the SAI. The following provides a more general discussion of important risk factors relating to all derivative instruments that may be used by the Funds.

Management Risk. Derivative products are highly specialized instruments that require investment techniques and risk analyses different from those associated with stocks and bonds. The use of a derivative requires an understanding not only of the underlying instrument but also of the derivative itself, without the benefit of observing the performance of the derivative under all possible market conditions.

Credit Risk. The use of certain derivative instruments involves the risk that a loss may be sustained as a result of the failure of another party to the contract (usually referred to as a "counterparty") to make required payments or otherwise comply with the contract's terms. Additionally, a short position in a credit default swap could result in losses if a Fund does not correctly evaluate the creditworthiness of the company on which the credit default swap is based.

Liquidity Risk. Liquidity risk exists when a particular derivative instrument is difficult to purchase or sell. If a derivative transaction is particularly large or if the relevant market is illiquid (as is the case with many privately negotiated derivatives), it may not be possible to initiate a transaction or liquidate a position at an advantageous time or price.

Leverage Risk. Because many derivatives have a leverage component, adverse changes in the value or level of the underlying asset, reference rate or index could result in a loss substantially greater than the amount invested in the derivative itself. Certain derivatives have the potential for unlimited loss, regardless of the size of the initial investment. When a Fund uses derivatives for leverage, investments in that Fund will tend to be more volatile, resulting in larger gains or losses in response to market changes. To limit leverage risk, each Fund will segregate or "earmark" assets determined to be liquid by PIMCO in accordance with procedures established by the Board of Trustees (or, as permitted by applicable regulation, enter into certain offsetting positions) to cover its obligations under derivative instruments.

Lack of Availability. Because the markets for certain derivative instruments (including markets located in foreign countries) are relatively new and still developing, suitable derivatives transactions may not be available in all circumstances for risk management or other purposes. Upon the expiration of a particular contract, a portfolio manager may wish to retain a Fund's position in the derivative instrument by entering into a similar contract, but may be unable to do so if the counterparty to the original contract is unwilling to enter into the new contract and no other suitable counterparty can be found. There is no assurance that a Fund will engage in derivatives transactions at any time or from time to time. A Fund's ability to use derivatives may also be limited by certain regulatory and tax considerations.

Market and Other Risks. Like most other investments, derivative instruments are subject to the risk that the market value of the instrument will change in a way detrimental to a Fund's interest. If a portfolio manager incorrectly forecasts the values of securities, currencies or interest rates or other economic factors in using derivatives for a Fund, the Fund might have been in a better position if it had not entered into the transaction at all. While some strategies involving derivative instruments can reduce the risk of loss, they can also reduce the opportunity for gain or even result in losses by offsetting favorable price movements in other Fund investments. A Fund may also have to buy or sell a security at a disadvantageous time or price because the Fund is legally required to maintain offsetting positions or asset coverage in connection with certain derivatives transactions. The regulation of the derivatives markets has increased over the past several years, and additional future regulation of the derivatives markets may make derivatives more costly, may limit the availability or reduce the liquidity of derivatives, or may otherwise adversely affect the value or performance of derivatives. Any such adverse future developments could impair the effectiveness or raise the costs of a Fund's derivative transactions, or impede the employment of a Fund's derivatives strategies, or adversely affect a Fund's performance.

Other risks in using derivatives include the risk of mispricing or improper valuation of derivatives. Many derivatives, in particular privately negotiated derivatives, are complex and often valued subjectively. Improper valuations can result in increased cash payment requirements to counterparties or a loss of value to a Fund. Also, the value of derivatives may not correlate perfectly, or at all, with the value of the assets, reference rates or indexes they are designed to closely track. For example, a swap agreement on an exchange-traded fund would not correlate perfectly with the index upon which the exchange-traded fund is based because the fund's return is net of

 

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fees and expenses. In addition, a Fund's use of derivatives may cause the Fund to realize higher amounts of short-term capital gains (generally taxed at ordinary income tax rates) than if the Fund had not used such instruments.

Correlation Risk. In certain cases, the value of derivatives may not correlate perfectly, or at all, with the value of the assets, reference rates or indexes they are designed to closely track. In this regard, many of the Funds offered in this prospectus seek to achieve their investment objectives, in part, by investing in derivatives positions that are designed to closely track the performance (or inverse performance) of an index on a daily basis. However, the overall investment strategies of these Funds are not designed or expected to produce returns which replicate the performance (or inverse performance) of the particular index, and the degree of variation could be substantial, particularly over longer periods. There are a number of factors which may prevent a Fund, or derivatives or other strategies used by a Fund, from achieving a desired correlation (or inverse correlation) with an index. These may include, but are not limited to: (i) the impact of fund fees, expenses and transaction costs, including borrowing and brokerage costs/bid-ask spreads, which are not reflected in index returns; (ii) differences in the timing of daily calculations of the value of an index and the timing of the valuation of derivatives, securities and other assets held by a fund and the determination of the NAV of Fund shares; (iii) disruptions or illiquidity in the markets for derivative instruments or securities in which a Fund invests; (iv) a Fund having exposure to or holding less than all of the securities in the underlying index and/or having exposure to or holding securities not included in the underlying index; (v) large or unexpected movements of assets into and out of a Fund (due to share purchases or redemptions, for example), potentially resulting in the fund being over- or under-exposed to the index; (vi) the impact of accounting standards or changes thereto; (vii) changes to the applicable index that are not disseminated in advance; (viii) a possible need to conform a Fund's portfolio holdings to comply with investment restrictions or policies or regulatory or tax law requirements; and (ix) fluctuations in currency exchange rates.

A Note on the PIMCO CommodityRealReturn Strategy Fund® and PIMCO CommoditiesPLUS® Strategy Fund, Underlying PIMCO Funds. In light of certain revenue rulings and private letter rulings issued by the IRS, as discussed above under "Tax Consequences-A Note on the PIMCO CommodityRealReturn Strategy Fund® and PIMCO CommoditiesPLUS® Strategy Fund, Underlying PIMCO Funds," the Underlying PIMCO Funds will seek to gain exposure to the commodity markets primarily through investments in leveraged or unleveraged commodity index-linked notes, which are derivative debt instruments with principal and/or coupon payments linked to the performance of commodity indices, and through investments in their respective Subsidiary (as discussed below). The Underlying PIMCO Funds may also invest in commodity-linked notes with principal and/or coupon payments linked to the value of particular commodities or commodity futures contracts, or a subset of commodities and commodities futures contracts. These notes are sometimes referred to as "structured notes" because the terms of these notes may be structured by the issuer and the purchaser of the note. The value of these notes will rise or fall in response to changes in the underlying commodity, commodity futures contract, subset of commodities, subset of commodities futures contracts or commodity index.

These notes expose the Underlying PIMCO Funds economically to movements in commodity prices. These notes also are subject to risks, such as credit, market and interest rate risks, that in general affect the values of debt securities. In addition, these notes are often leveraged, increasing the volatility of each note's market value relative to changes in the underlying commodity, commodity futures contract or commodity index. Therefore, at the maturity of the note, the Underlying PIMCO Fund may receive more or less principal than it originally invested. The Underlying PIMCO Funds might receive interest payments on the note that are more or less than the stated coupon interest payments.

The Underlying PIMCO Funds may also invest in other commodity-linked derivative instruments, including swap agreements, commodity options, futures and options on futures. The value of a commodity-linked derivative investment generally is based upon the price movements of a physical commodity (such as energy, mineral, or agricultural products), a commodity futures contract, a subset of commodities, a subset of commodities futures contracts or commodity index, or other economic variable based upon changes in the value of commodities or the commodities markets. Options transactions may be effected on exchanges or in the OTC market. When OTC options are purchased, the Underlying PIMCO Fund's portfolio bears the risk that the counterparty that wrote the option will be unable or unwilling to perform its obligations under the option contract. Options may also be illiquid and, in such cases, the Underlying PIMCO Fund may have difficulty closing out its position. OTC options also may include options on baskets of specific securities. Many swap transactions are privately negotiated agreements between an Underlying PIMCO Fund and a counterparty to exchange or swap investment cash flows or assets at specified intervals in the future. The obligations may extend beyond one year. There is often no central exchange for swap transactions and therefore they can be less liquid investments than exchange-traded instruments. The Dodd-Frank Act and related regulatory developments require the clearing and exchange-trading of certain standardized OTC derivative instruments that the CFTC and SEC have defined as "swaps." Mandatory exchange-trading and clearing is occurring on a phased-in basis based on the type of market participant and CFTC approval of contracts for central clearing. Uncleared swaps are subject to margin requirements that are being implemented on a phased-in basis. The investment adviser will continue to monitor these developments, particularly to the extent regulatory changes affect the Underlying PIMCO Funds' ability to enter into swap agreements.

As described below under "Characteristics and Risks of Securities and Investment Techniques-Investments in a Wholly-Owned Subsidiary," each Underlying PIMCO Fund may gain exposure to commodity markets by investing in its respective Subsidiary. It is expected that the Subsidiary will invest primarily in commodity-linked derivative instruments, including swap agreements, commodity options, futures and options on futures, backed by a portfolio of inflation-indexed securities and other Fixed Income Instruments.

 

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The IRS issued a revenue ruling that limits the extent to which the Underlying PIMCO Funds may invest directly in commodity-linked swaps or certain other commodity-linked derivatives. Each Subsidiary, on the other hand, may invest in these commodity-linked derivatives without limitation. See "Tax Consequences-A Note on the PIMCO CommodityRealReturn Strategy Fund® and PIMCO CommoditiesPLUS® Strategy Fund, Underlying PIMCO Funds" above for further information.

Investments in a Wholly Owned Subsidiary

Investments in its respective Subsidiary are expected to provide the PIMCO CommodityRealReturn Strategy Fund® and PIMCO CommoditiesPLUS® Strategy Fund with exposure to the commodity markets within the limitations of the Subchapter M of the Code and recent IRS revenue rulings, as discussed above under "Tax Consequences-A Note on the PIMCO CommodityRealReturn Strategy Fund® and PIMCO CommoditiesPLUS® Strategy Fund, Underlying PIMCO Funds."

It is expected that each Subsidiary will invest primarily in commodity-linked derivative instruments, including swap agreements, commodity options, futures and options on futures, backed by a portfolio of inflation-indexed securities and other Fixed Income Instruments. Although the Underlying PIMCO Funds may enter into these commodity-linked derivative instruments directly, each Underlying PIMCO Fund will likely gain exposure to these derivative instruments indirectly by investing in its respective Subsidiary. To the extent that PIMCO believes that these commodity-linked derivative instruments are better suited to provide exposure to the commodities market than commodity index-linked notes, each Underlying PIMCO Fund's investment in its Subsidiary will likely increase. Each Subsidiary will also invest in inflation-indexed securities and other Fixed Income Instruments, which are intended to serve as margin or collateral for the Subsidiary's derivatives position, common and preferred securities as well as convertible securities of issuers in commodity-related industries, collateralized debt obligations, event-linked bonds and event-linked swaps. To the extent that an Underlying PIMCO Fund invests in its respective Subsidiary, it may be subject to the risks associated with those derivative instruments and other securities, which are discussed elsewhere in this prospectus.

While each Subsidiary may be considered similar to an investment company, they are not registered under the 1940 Act and, unless otherwise noted in the prospectus, are not subject to all of the investor protections of the 1940 Act. In addition, changes in the laws of the United States and/or the Cayman Islands could result in the inability of the Underlying PIMCO Funds and/or each Subsidiary to operate as described in this prospectus and the SAI and could adversely affect the Underlying PIMCO Funds. Changes in the laws of the United States and/or the Cayman Islands could adversely affect the performance of an Underlying PIMCO Fund and/or a Subsidiary and result in the Underlying PIMCO Fund underperforming its benchmark index(es).

Real Estate Investment Trusts (REITs)

REITs are pooled investment vehicles that own, and usually operate, income-producing real estate. Some REITs also finance real estate. If a REIT meets certain requirements, including distributing to shareholders substantially all of its taxable income (other than net capital gains), then it is not taxed on the income distributed to shareholders. Therefore, REITs tend to pay higher dividends than other issuers.

REITs can be divided into three basic types: Equity REITs, Mortgage REITs and Hybrid REITs. Equity REITs invest the majority of their assets directly in real property. They derive their income primarily from rents received and any profits on the sale of their properties. Mortgage REITs invest the majority of their assets in real estate mortgages and derive most of their income from mortgage interest payments. As its name suggests, Hybrid REITs combine characteristics of both Equity REITs and Mortgage REITs.

An investment in a REIT, or in a real estate linked derivative instrument linked to the value of a REIT, is subject to the risks that impact the value of the underlying properties of the REIT. These risks include loss to casualty or condemnation, and changes in supply and demand, interest rates, zoning laws, regulatory limitations on rents, property taxes and operating expenses. Other factors that may adversely affect REITs include poor performance by management of the REIT, changes to the tax laws, or failure by the REIT to qualify for tax-free distribution of income. REITs are also subject to default by borrowers and self-liquidation, and are heavily dependent on cash flow. Some REITs lack diversification because they invest in a limited number of properties, a narrow geographic area, or a single type of property. Mortgage REITs may be impacted by the quality of the credit extended.

Exchange-Traded Notes (ETNs)

ETNs are senior, unsecured, unsubordinated debt securities whose returns are linked to the performance of a particular market benchmark or strategy minus applicable fees. ETNs are traded on an exchange (e.g., the NYSE) during normal trading hours. However, investors can also hold the ETN until maturity. At maturity, the issuer pays to the investor a cash amount equal to the principal amount, subject to the day's market benchmark or strategy factor.

ETNs do not make periodic coupon payments or provide principal protection. ETNs are subject to credit risk and the value of the ETN may drop due to a downgrade in the issuer's credit rating, despite the underlying market benchmark or strategy remaining unchanged. The value of an ETN may also be influenced by time to maturity, level of supply and demand for the ETN, volatility and lack of liquidity in underlying assets, changes in the applicable interest rates, changes in the issuer's credit rating, and economic, legal, political, or geographic events that affect the referenced underlying asset. When a Fund invests in ETNs, it will bear its proportionate share of any fees and expenses borne by the ETN. A Fund's decision to sell its ETN holdings may be limited by the availability of a secondary market. ETNs are also subject to tax risk. The IRS and Congress are considering proposals that would change the timing and character of income and gains from ETNs. There may be times when an ETN share trades at a premium or discount to its market benchmark or strategy.

Delayed Funding Loans and Revolving Credit Facilities

Each Fund may also enter into, or acquire participations in, delayed funding loans and revolving credit facilities, in which a lender agrees to make loans up to a maximum amount upon demand by the borrower during a specified term. These commitments may have the effect of requiring a Fund to increase its investment in a company at a time

 

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when it might not otherwise decide to do so (including at a time when the company's financial condition makes it unlikely that such amounts will be repaid). To the extent that a Fund is committed to advance additional funds, it will segregate or "earmark" assets determined to be liquid by PIMCO in accordance with procedures established by the Board of Trustees in an amount sufficient to meet such commitments. Delayed funding loans and revolving credit facilities are subject to credit, interest rate and liquidity risk and the risks of being a lender.

When-Issued, Delayed Delivery and Forward Commitment Transactions

Each Fund may purchase or sell securities which it is eligible to purchase or sell on a when-issued basis, may purchase and sell such securities for delayed delivery and may make contracts to purchase or sell such securities for a fixed price at a future date beyond normal settlement time (forward commitments). When-issued transactions, delayed delivery purchases and forward commitments involve a risk of loss if the value of the securities declines prior to the settlement date. This risk is in addition to the risk that a Fund's other assets will decline in value. Therefore, these transactions may result in a form of leverage and increase a Fund's overall investment exposure. Typically, no income accrues on securities a Fund has committed to purchase prior to the time delivery of the securities is made, although a Fund may earn income on securities it has segregated or "earmarked" to cover these positions. When a Fund has sold a security on a when-issued, delayed delivery, or forward commitment basis, the Fund does not participate in future gains or losses with respect to the security. If the other party to a transaction fails to pay for the securities, a Fund could suffer a loss. Additionally, when selling a security on a when-issued, delayed delivery or forward commitment basis without owning the security, a Fund will incur a loss if the security's price appreciates in value such that the security's price is above the agreed-upon price on the settlement date.

Investment in Other Investment Companies

Each Fund may invest in securities of other investment companies, such as open-end or closed-end management investment companies, including exchange-traded funds, or in pooled accounts, or other unregistered accounts or investment vehicles to the extent permitted by the 1940 Act and the rules and regulations thereunder and any exemptive relief therefrom. A Fund may invest in other investment companies to gain broad market or sector exposure, including during periods when it has large amounts of uninvested cash or when PIMCO believes share prices of other investment companies offer attractive values. As a shareholder of an investment company or other pooled vehicle, a Fund may indirectly bear investment advisory fees, supervisory and administrative fees, service fees and other fees which are in addition to the fees the Fund pays its service providers.

Each Fund may invest in certain money market funds and/or short-term bond funds ("Central Funds"), to the extent permitted by the 1940 Act, the rules thereunder or exemptive relief therefrom. The Central Funds are registered investment companies created for use solely by the series of the Trust, PIMCO Variable Insurance Trust, PIMCO ETF Trust, PIMCO Equity Series and PIMCO Equity Series VIT, and certain other series of registered investment companies advised by PIMCO, in connection with their cash management activities. The main investments of the Central Funds are money market instruments and short maturity Fixed Income Instruments. The Central Funds may incur expenses related to their investment activities, but do not pay investment advisory or supervisory and administrative fees to PIMCO.

Subject to the restrictions and limitations of the 1940 Act, each Fund may, in the future, elect to pursue its investment objective either by investing directly in securities, or by investing in one or more underlying investment vehicles or companies that have substantially similar investment objectives and policies as the Fund.

Small-Cap and Mid-Cap Companies

Certain Funds may invest in equity securities of small-capitalization and mid-capitalization companies. The Funds consider a small-cap company to be a company with a market capitalization of up to $1.5 billion and a mid-cap company to be a company with a market capitalization of between $1.5 billion and $10 billion. Investments in small-cap and mid-cap companies involve greater risk than investments in large-capitalization companies. Small- and mid-cap companies may not have an established financial history, which can present valuation challenges. The equity securities of small- and mid-cap companies may be subject to increased market fluctuations, due to less liquid markets and more limited managerial and financial resources. A Fund's investment in small- and mid-cap companies may increase the volatility of the Fund's portfolio.

Short Sales

A Fund may make short sales as part of its overall portfolio management strategies or to offset a potential decline in value of a security. A short sale involves the sale of a security that is borrowed from a broker or other institution to complete the sale. Short sales expose a Fund to the risk that it will be required to acquire, convert or exchange securities to replace the borrowed securities (also known as "covering" the short position) at a time when the securities sold short have appreciated in value, thus resulting in a loss to the Fund. When making a short sale (other than a "short sale against the box"), a Fund must segregate or "earmark" assets determined to be liquid by PIMCO in accordance with procedures established by the Board of Trustees or otherwise cover its position in a permissible manner.  A Fund may engage in short selling to the extent permitted by the 1940 Act and rules and interpretations thereunder and other federal securities laws. To the extent a Fund engages in short selling in foreign (non-U.S.) jurisdictions, the Fund will do so to the extent permitted by the laws and regulations of such jurisdiction.

Illiquid Securities

Each Fund may invest up to 15% of its net assets (taken at the time of investment) in illiquid securities. Certain illiquid securities may require pricing at fair value as determined in good faith under the supervision of the Board of Trustees. A portfolio manager may be subject to significant delays in disposing of illiquid securities, and transactions in illiquid securities may entail registration expenses and other transaction costs that are higher than those for transactions in liquid securities. The term "illiquid securities" for this purpose means securities that cannot be disposed of within seven days in the ordinary course of business at approximately the amount at which a Fund has valued the securities. Restricted securities, i.e., securities

 

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subject to legal or contractual restrictions on resale, may be illiquid. However, some restricted securities (such as securities issued pursuant to Rule 144A under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and certain commercial paper) may be treated as liquid, although they may be less liquid than registered securities traded on established secondary markets.

Loans of Portfolio Securities

For the purpose of achieving income, each Fund may lend its portfolio securities to brokers, dealers, and other financial institutions provided a number of conditions are satisfied, including that the loan is fully collateralized. Please see "Investment Objectives and Policies" in the SAI for details. When a Fund lends portfolio securities, its investment performance will continue to reflect changes in the value of the securities loaned, and the Fund will also receive a fee or interest on the collateral. Securities lending involves the risk of loss of rights in the collateral or delay in recovery of the collateral if the borrower fails to return the security loaned or becomes insolvent. A Fund may pay lending fees to a party arranging the loan. Cash collateral received by a Fund in securities lending transactions may be invested in short-term liquid fixed income instruments or in money market or short-term mutual funds, or similar investment vehicles, including affiliated money market or short-term mutual funds. A Fund bears the risk of such investments.

Portfolio Turnover

The length of time a Fund has held a particular security is not generally a consideration in investment decisions. A change in the securities held by a Fund is known as "portfolio turnover." When the portfolio manager deems it appropriate and particularly during periods of volatile market movements, a Fund may engage in frequent and active trading of portfolio securities to achieve its investment objective. Higher portfolio turnover (e.g., an annual rate greater than 100% of the average value of a Fund's portfolio) involves correspondingly greater expenses to a Fund, including brokerage commissions or dealer mark ups and other transaction costs on the sale of securities and reinvestments in other securities. Such sales may also result in realization of taxable capital gains, including short-term capital gains (which are generally taxed at ordinary income tax rates). The trading costs and tax effects associated with portfolio turnover may adversely affect a Fund's performance. Please see a Fund's "Fund Summary—Portfolio Turnover" or the "Financial Highlights" in this prospectus for the portfolio turnover rates of the Funds that were operational during the last fiscal year. In addition to indirectly bearing the expenses associated with portfolio turnover of the Acquired Funds, the PIMCO Emerging Markets Full Spectrum Bond Fund will directly bear these expenses to the extent that it invests in other securities and instruments.

Temporary Defensive Positions

For temporary defensive purposes, each Fund may invest without limit in U.S. debt securities, including taxable securities and short-term money market securities, when PIMCO deems it appropriate to do so. When a Fund engages in such strategies, it may not achieve its investment objective.

From time to time, as the prevailing market and interest rate environments warrant, and at the discretion of its portfolio manager, some portion of a Fund's total net assets may be uninvested. In such cases, Fund assets will be held in cash in a Fund's custody account. Cash assets are generally not income-generating and would impact a Fund's performance.

Changes in Investment Objectives and Policies

The investment objectives of each of the PIMCO Emerging Local Bond, PIMCO Emerging Markets Corporate Bond, PIMCO Emerging Markets Currency and Short-Term Investments, PIMCO Emerging Markets Full Spectrum Bond, PIMCO International Bond (Unhedged), PIMCO Global Advantage® Strategy Bond and PIMCO Global Bond Opportunities (U.S. Dollar-Hedged) Funds are non-fundamental and may be changed by the Board of Trustees without shareholder approval. The investment objectives of each other Fund are fundamental and may not be changed without shareholder approval. Unless otherwise stated, all other investment policies of the Funds may be changed by the Board of Trustees without shareholder approval.

Percentage Investment Limitations

Unless otherwise stated, all percentage limitations on Fund investments listed in this prospectus will apply at the time of investment. A Fund would not violate these limitations unless an excess or deficiency occurs or exists immediately after and as a result of an investment. Each Fund has adopted a non-fundamental investment policy to invest at least 80% of its assets in investments suggested by its name. For purposes of this policy, the term "assets" means net assets plus the amount of any borrowings for investment purposes.

Credit Ratings and Unrated Securities

Rating agencies are private services that provide ratings of the credit quality of fixed income securities, including convertible securities. Appendix A to this prospectus describes the various ratings assigned to fixed income securities by Moody's, S&P and Fitch. Ratings assigned by a rating agency are not absolute standards of credit quality and do not evaluate market risks. Rating agencies may fail to make timely changes in credit ratings and an issuer's current financial condition may be better or worse than a rating indicates. A Fund will not necessarily sell a security when its rating is reduced below its rating at the time of purchase. PIMCO does not rely solely on credit ratings, and develops its own analysis of issuer credit quality.

A Fund may purchase unrated securities (which are not rated by a rating agency) if PIMCO determines, in its sole discretion, that the security is of comparable quality to a rated security that the Fund may purchase. In making ratings determinations, PIMCO may take into account different factors than those taken into account by rating agencies, and PIMCO's rating of a security may differ from the rating that a rating agency may have given the same security. Unrated securities may be less liquid than comparable rated securities and involve the risk that the portfolio manager may not accurately evaluate the security's comparative credit rating. Analysis of the creditworthiness of issuers of high yield securities may be more complex than for issuers of higher-quality fixed income securities. To the extent that a Fund invests in high yield and/or unrated securities, the Fund's success in achieving its investment objective may depend more heavily on the portfolio manager's creditworthiness analysis than if the Fund invested exclusively in higher-quality and rated securities.

 

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Other Investments and Techniques

The Funds may invest in other types of securities and use a variety of investment techniques and strategies which are not described in this prospectus. These securities and techniques may subject the Funds to additional risks. Please see the SAI for additional information about the securities and investment techniques described in this prospectus and about additional securities and techniques that may be used by the Funds.

Cyber Security

As the use of technology has become more prevalent in the course of business, the Funds have become potentially more susceptible to operational and information security risks resulting from breaches in cyber security. A breach in cyber security refers to both intentional and unintentional cyber events that may, among other things, cause a Fund to lose proprietary information, suffer data corruption and/or destruction or lose operational capacity, result in the unauthorized release or other misuse of confidential information, or otherwise disrupt normal business operations. Cyber security breaches may involve unauthorized access to a Fund's digital information systems (e.g., through "hacking" or malicious software coding), but may also result from outside attacks such as denial-of-service attacks (i.e., efforts to make network services unavailable to intended users). In addition, cyber security breaches involving a Fund's third party service providers (including but not limited to advisers, sub-advisers, administrators, transfer agents, custodians, distributors and other third parties), trading counterparties or issuers in which a Fund invests can also subject a Fund to many of the same risks associated with direct cyber security breaches. Moreover, cyber security breaches involving trading counterparties or issuers in which a Fund invests could adversely impact such counterparties or issuers and cause the Fund's investment to lose value.

Cyber security failures or breaches may result in financial losses to a Fund and its shareholders. These failures or breaches may also result in disruptions to business operations, potentially resulting in financial losses; interference with a Fund's ability to calculate its NAV, process shareholder transactions or otherwise transact business with shareholders; impediments to trading; violations of applicable privacy and other laws; regulatory fines; penalties; reputational damage; reimbursement or other compensation costs; additional compliance and cyber security risk management costs and other adverse consequences. In addition, substantial costs may be incurred in order to prevent any cyber incidents in the future.

Like with operational risk in general, the Funds have established business continuity plans and risk management systems designed to reduce the risks associated with cyber security. However, there are inherent limitations in these plans and systems, including that certain risks may not have been identified, in large part because different or unknown threats may emerge in the future. As such, there is no guarantee that such efforts will succeed, especially because the Funds do not directly control the cyber security systems of issuers in which a Fund may invest, trading counterparties or third party service providers to the Funds. There is also a risk that cyber security breaches may not be detected. The Funds and their shareholders could be negatively impacted as a result.

 

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Descriptions of the Underlying PIMCO Funds

Because the PIMCO Emerging Markets Full Spectrum Bond Fund may invest its assets in some or all of the Underlying PIMCO Funds as discussed above and the Underlying PIMCO Funds are offered in a separate prospectus, the following provides a general description of the main investments and other information about the Underlying PIMCO Funds. At the discretion of PIMCO and without shareholder approval, the Fund may invest in additional Underlying PIMCO Funds created in the future. For a complete description of an Underlying PIMCO Fund, please see that Fund's Institutional Class or Class M prospectus (or Fund prospectus in the case of any actively-managed fund of the PIMCO ETF Trust), which is incorporated herein by reference and is available free of charge by telephoning the Trust at 888.87.PIMCO.

[To be updated by subsequent amendment]

 

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Financial Highlights

The financial highlights table is intended to help a shareholder understand the financial performance of Institutional Class, I-2, I-3, Administrative Class, Class A, Class C and Class R shares of each Fund for the last five fiscal years or, if shorter, the period since a Fund or a class commenced operations. Certain information reflects financial results for a single Fund share. Because Class A shares of the PIMCO Global Bond Opportunities Fund (Unhedged) and I-3 shares of the PIMCO Emerging Local Bond Fund, PIMCO Emerging Markets Bond Fund, PIMCO International Bond Fund (Unhedged) and PIMCO International Bond Fund (U.S. Dollar-Hedged) had not commenced operations during the periods shown, financial performance information is not provided for the share classes. The total returns in the table represent the rate that an investor would have earned or lost on an investment in a particular class of shares of a Fund (assuming reinvestment of all dividends and distributions). This information has been audited by PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP, whose report, along with each Fund's financial statements, are included in the Trust's annual report to shareholders. The annual report is available free of charge by calling the Trust at the phone number on the back of this prospectus. The annual report is also available for download free of charge on the Trust's Web site at pimco.com. Note: All footnotes to the financial highlights table appear at the end of the tables.

[To be updated by subsequent amendment]

 

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Appendix A
Description of Securities Ratings

The Fund's investments may range in quality from securities rated in the lowest category in which the Fund is permitted to invest to securities rated in the highest category (as rated by Moody's, Standard & Poor's or Fitch, or, if unrated, determined by PIMCO to be of comparable quality). The percentage of the Fund's assets invested in securities in a particular rating category will vary. The following terms are generally used to describe the credit quality of fixed income securities:

High Quality Debt Securities are those rated in one of the two highest rating categories (the highest category for commercial paper) or, if unrated, deemed comparable by PIMCO.

Investment Grade Debt Securities are those rated in one of the four highest rating categories, or if unrated deemed comparable by PIMCO.

Below Investment Grade High Yield Securities ("Junk Bonds"), are those rated lower than Baa by Moody's, BBB by Standard & Poor's or Fitch, and comparable securities. They are deemed predominantly speculative with respect to the issuer's ability to repay principal and interest.

The following is a description of Moody's, Standard & Poor's and Fitch's rating categories applicable to fixed income securities.

Moody's Investors Service, Inc.

Long-Term Corporate Obligation Ratings
Moody's long-term obligation ratings are opinions of the relative credit risk of fixed income obligations with an original maturity of one year or more. They address the possibility that a financial obligation will not be honored as promised. Such ratings use Moody's Global Scale and reflect both the likelihood of default and any financial loss suffered in the event of default.

Aaa: Obligations rated Aaa are judged to be of the highest quality, subject to the lowest level of credit risk.

Aa: Obligations rated Aa are judged to be of high quality and are subject to very low credit risk.

A: Obligations rated A are judged to be upper-medium grade and are subject to low credit risk.

Baa: Obligations rated Baa are judged to be medium-grade and subject to moderate credit risk and as such may possess certain speculative characteristics.

Ba: Obligations rated Ba are judged to be speculative and are subject to substantial credit risk.

B: Obligations rated B are considered speculative and are subject to high credit risk.

Caa: Obligations rated Caa are judged to be speculative of poor standing and are subject to very high credit risk.

Ca: Obligations rated Ca are highly speculative and are likely in, or very near, default, with some prospect of recovery of principal and interest.

C: Obligations rated C are the lowest rated and are typically in default, with little prospect for recovery of principal or interest.

Moody's appends numerical modifiers 1, 2, and 3 to each generic rating classification from Aa through Caa. The modifier 1 indicates that the obligation ranks in the higher end of its generic rating category; the modifier 2 indicates a mid-range ranking; and the modifier 3 indicates a ranking in the lower end of that generic rating category. Additionally, a "(hyb)" indicator is appended to all ratings of hybrid securities issued by banks, insurers, finance companies, and securities firms.*

* By their terms, hybrid securities allow for the omission of scheduled dividends, interest, or principal payments, which can potentially result in impairment if such an omission occurs. Hybrid securities may also be subject to contractually allowable write-downs of principal that could result in impairment. Together with the hybrid indicator, the long-term obligation rating assigned to a hybrid security is an expression of the relative credit risk associated with that security.

Medium-Term Note Program Ratings

Moody's assigns provisional ratings to medium-term note (MTN) programs and definitive ratings to the individual debt securities issued from them (referred to as drawdowns or notes).

MTN program ratings are intended to reflect the ratings likely to be assigned to drawdowns issued from the program with the specified priority of claim (e.g. senior or subordinated). To capture the contingent nature of a program rating, Moody's assigns provisional ratings to MTN programs. A provisional rating is denoted by a (P) in front of the rating.

The rating assigned to a drawdown from a rated MTN or bank/deposit note program is definitive in nature, and may differ from the program rating if the drawdown is exposed to additional credit risks besides the issuer's default, such as links to the defaults of other issuers, or has other structural features that warrant a different rating. In some circumstances, no rating may be assigned to a drawdown.

Moody's encourages market participants to contact Moody's Ratings Desks or visit www.moodys.com directly if they have questions regarding ratings for specific notes issued under a medium-term note program. Unrated notes issued under an MTN program may be assigned an NR (not rated) symbol.

Short-Term Ratings
Ratings assigned on Moody's global short-term rating scales are forward-looking opinions of the relative credit risks of financial obligations issued by non-financial corporates, financial institutions, structured finance vehicles, project finance vehicles, and public sector entitities. Short-term ratings are opinions of the ability of issuers to honor short-term financial obligations. Ratings may be assigned to issuers, short-term programs or to individual short-term debt instruments. Such obligations generally have an original maturity not exceeding thirteen months, unless explicitly noted.

Moody's employs the following designations to indicate the relative repayment ability of rated issuers:

P-1: Issuers (or supporting institutions) rated Prime-1 have a superior ability to repay short-term debt obligations.

P-2: Issuers (or supporting institutions) rated Prime-2 have a strong ability to repay short-term debt obligations.

 

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P-3: Issuers (or supporting institutions) rated Prime-3 have an acceptable ability to repay short-term obligations.

NP: Issuers (or supporting institutions) rated Not Prime do not fall within any of the Prime rating categories.

National Scale Long-Term Ratings

Moody's long-term National Scale Ratings (NSRs) are opinions of the relative creditworthiness of issuers and financial obligations within a particular country. NSRs are not designed to be compared among countries; rather, they address relative credit risk within a given country. Moody's assigns national scale ratings in certain local capital markets in which investors have found the global rating scale provides inadequate differentiation among credits or is inconsistent with a rating scale already in common use in the country. In each specific country, the last two characters of the rating indicate the country in which the issuer is located (e.g., Aaa.br for Brazil).

Aaa.n: Issuers or issues rated Aaa.n demonstrate the strongest creditworthiness relative to other domestic issuers.

Aa.n: Issuers or issues rated Aa.n demonstrate very strong creditworthiness relative to other domestic issuers.

A.n: Issuers or issues rated A.n present above-average creditworthiness relative to other domestic issuers.

Baa.n: Issuers or issues rated Baa.n represent average creditworthiness relative to other domestic issuers.

Ba.n: Issuers or issues rated Ba.n demonstrate below-average creditworthiness relative to other domestic issuers.

B.n: Issuers or issues rated B.n demonstrate weak creditworthiness relative to other domestic issuers.

Caa.n: Issuers or issues rated Caa.n demonstrate very weak creditworthiness relative to other domestic issuers.

Ca.n: Issuers or issues rated Ca.n demonstrate extremely weak creditworthiness relative to other domestic issuers.

C.n: Issuers or issues rated C.n demonstrate the weakest creditworthiness relative to other domestic issuers.

Moody's appends numerical modifiers 1, 2, and 3 to each generic rating classification from Aa through Caa. The modifier 1 indicates that the obligation ranks in the higher end of its generic rating category; the modifier 2 indicates a mid-range ranking; and the modifier 3 indicates a ranking in the lower end of that generic rating category. National scale long-term ratings of D.ar and E.ar may also be applied to Argentine obligations.

National Scale Short-Term Ratings
Moody's short-term NSRs are opinions of the ability of issuers in a given country, relative to other domestic issuers, to repay debt obligations that have an original maturity not exceeding thirteen months. Short-term NSRs in one country should not be compared with short-term NSRs in another country, or with Moody's global ratings.

There are four categories of short-term national scale ratings, generically denoted N-1 through N-4 as defined below.

In each specific country, the first two letters indicate the country in which the issuer is located (e.g., BR-1 through BR-4 for Brazil).

N-1: Issuers rated N-1 have the strongest ability to repay short-term senior unsecured debt obligations relative to other domestic issuers.

N-2: Issuers rated N-2 have an above average ability to repay short-term senior unsecured debt obligations relative to other domestic issuers.

N-3: Issuers rated N-3 have an average ability to repay short-term senior unsecured debt obligations relative to other domestic issuers.

N-4: Issuers rated N-4 have a below average ability to repay short-term senior unsecured debt obligations relative to other domestic issuers.

The short-term rating symbols P-1.za, P-2.za, P-3.za and NP.za are used in South Africa. National scale short-term ratings of AR-5 and AR-6 may also be applied to Argentine obligations.

US Municipal Short-Term Debt and Demand Obligation Ratings

Short-Term Obligation Ratings
There are three rating categories for short-term municipal obligations that are considered investment grade. These ratings are designated as Municipal Investment Grade (MIG) and are divided into three levels—MIG 1 through MIG 3. In addition, those short-term obligations that are of speculative quality are designated SG, or speculative grade. MIG ratings expire at the maturity of the obligation.

MIG 1: This designation denotes superior credit quality. Excellent protection is afforded by established cash flows, highly reliable liquidity support, or demonstrated broad-based access to the market for refinancing.

MIG 2: This designation denotes strong credit quality. Margins of protection are ample, although not as large as in the preceding group.

MIG 3: This designation denotes acceptable credit quality. Liquidity and cash-flow protection may be narrow, and market access for refinancing is likely to be less well-established.

SG: This designation denotes speculative-grade credit quality. Debt instruments in this category may lack sufficient margins of protection.

Demand Obligation Ratings
In the case of variable rate demand obligations (VRDOs), a two-component rating is assigned: a long- or short-term debt rating and a demand obligation rating. The first element represents Moody's evaluation of risk associated with scheduled principal and interest payments. The second element represents Moody's evaluation of risk associated with the ability to receive purchase price upon demand ("demand feature"). The second element uses a rating from a variation of the MIG scale called the Variable Municipal Investment Grade (VMIG) scale.

VMIG 1: This designation denotes superior credit quality. Excellent protection is afforded by the superior short-term credit strength of the liquidity provider and structural and legal protections that ensure the timely payment of purchase price upon demand.

VMIG 2: This designation denotes strong credit quality. Good protection is afforded by the strong short-term credit strength of the liquidity provider and structural and legal protections that ensure the timely payment of purchase price upon demand.

 

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VMIG 3: This designation denotes acceptable credit quality. Adequate protection is afforded by the satisfactory short-term credit strength of the liquidity provider and structural and legal protections that ensure the timely payment of purchase price upon demand.

SG: This designation denotes speculative-grade credit quality. Demand features rated in this category may be supported by a liquidity provider that does not have an investment grade short-term rating or may lack the structural and/or legal protections necessary to ensure the timely payment of purchase price upon demand.

Standard & Poor's Ratings Services

Long-Term Issue Credit Ratings
Issue credit ratings are based, in varying degrees, on S&P Global Ratings' ("S&P") analysis of the following considerations:

Likelihood of payment—capacity and willingness of the obligor to meet its financial commitment on a financial obligation in accordance with the terms of the obligation;

Nature and provisions of the obligation and the promise S&P imputes; and

Protection afforded by, and relative position of, the financial obligation in the event of a bankruptcy, reorganization, or other arrangement under the laws of bankruptcy and other laws affecting creditors' rights.

Issue ratings are an assessment of default risk, but may incorporate an assessment of relative seniority or ultimate recovery in the event of default. Junior obligations are typically rated lower than senior obligations, to reflect the lower priority in bankruptcy, as noted above. (Such differentiation may apply when an entity has both senior and subordinated obligations, secured and unsecured obligations, or operating company and holding company obligations.)

Investment Grade
AAA: An obligation rated 'AAA' has the highest rating assigned by S&P. The obligor's capacity to meet its financial commitment on the obligation is extremely strong.

AA: An obligation rated 'AA' differs from the highest-rated obligations only to a small degree. The obligor's capacity to meet its financial commitment on the obligation is very strong.

A: An obligation rated 'A' is somewhat more susceptible to the adverse effects of changes in circumstances and economic conditions than obligations in higher-rated categories. However, the obligor's capacity to meet its financial commitment on the obligation is still strong.

BBB: An obligation rated ‘BBB' exhibits adequate protection parameters. However, adverse economic conditions or changing circumstances are more likely to lead to a weakened capacity of the obligor to meet its financial commitment on the obligation.

Speculative Grade
Obligations rated 'BB', 'B', 'CCC', 'CC', and 'C' are regarded as having significant speculative characteristics. 'BB' indicates the least degree of speculation and 'C' the highest. While such obligations will likely have some quality and protective characteristics, these may be outweighed by large uncertainties or major exposures to adverse conditions.

BB: An obligation rated 'BB' is less vulnerable to nonpayment than other speculative issues. However, it faces major ongoing uncertainties or exposure to adverse business, financial, or economic conditions which could lead to the obligor's inadequate capacity to meet its financial commitment on the obligation.

B: An obligation rated 'B' is more vulnerable to nonpayment than obligations rated ‘BB', but the obligor currently has the capacity to meet its financial commitment on the obligation. Adverse business, financial, or economic conditions will likely impair the obligor's capacity or willingness to meet its financial commitment on the obligation.

CCC: An obligation rated 'CCC' is currently vulnerable to nonpayment, and is dependent upon favorable business, financial, and economic conditions for the obligor to meet its financial commitment on the obligation. In the event of adverse business, financial, or economic conditions, the obligor is not likely to have the capacity to meet its financial commitment on the obligation.

CC: An obligation rated 'CC' is currently highly vulnerable to nonpayment. The ‘CC' rating is used when a default has not yet occurred, but S&P expects default to be a virtual certainty, regardless of the anticipated time to default.

C: An obligation rated ‘C' is currently highly vulnerable to nonpayment, and the obligation is expected to have lower relative seniority or lower ultimate recovery compared to obligations that are rated higher.

D: An obligation rated ‘D' is in default or in breach of an imputed promise. For non-hybrid capital instruments, the ‘D' rating category is used when payments on an obligation are not made on the date due, unless S&P believes that such payments will be made within five business days in the absence of a stated grace period or within the earlier of the stated grace period or 30 calendar days. The ‘D' rating also will be used upon the filing of a bankruptcy petition or the taking of similar action and where default on an obligation is a virtual certainty, for example due to automatic stay provisions. An obligation's rating is lowered to ‘D' if it is subject to a distressed exchange offer.

NR: This indicates that no rating has been requested, that there is insufficient information on which to base a rating, or that S&P does not rate a particular obligation as a matter of policy.

Plus (+) or minus (-): The ratings from ‘AA' to 'CCC' may be modified by the addition of a plus (+) or minus (-) sign to show relative standing within the major rating categories.

Short-Term Issue Credit Ratings
A-1: A short-term obligation rated 'A-1' is rated in the highest category by S&P. The obligor's capacity to meet its financial commitment on the obligation is strong. Within this category, certain obligations are designated with a plus sign (+). This indicates that the obligor's capacity to meet its financial commitment on these obligations is extremely strong.

A-2: A short-term obligation rated 'A-2' is somewhat more susceptible to the adverse effects of changes in circumstances and economic conditions

 

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than obligations in higher rating categories. However, the obligor's capacity to meet its financial commitment on the obligation is satisfactory.

A-3: A short-term obligation rated 'A-3' exhibits adequate protection parameters. However, adverse economic conditions or changing circumstances are more likely to lead to a weakened capacity of the obligor to meet its financial commitment on the obligation.

B: A short-term obligation rated 'B' is regarded as vulnerable and has significant speculative characteristics. The obligor currently has the capacity to meet its financial commitments; however, it faces major ongoing uncertainties which could lead to the obligor's inadequate capacity to meet its financial commitments.

C: A short-term obligation rated 'C' is currently vulnerable to nonpayment and is dependent upon favorable business, financial, and economic conditions for the obligor to meet its financial commitment on the obligation.

D: A short-term obligation rated ‘D' is in default or in breach of an imputed promise. For non-hybrid capital instruments, the ‘D' rating category is used when payments on an obligation are not made on the date due, unless S&P believes that such payments will be made within any stated grace period. However, any stated grace period longer than five business days will be treated as five business days. The ‘D' rating also will be used upon the filing of a bankruptcy petition or the taking of a similar action and where default on an obligation is a virtual certainty, for example due to automatic stay provisions. An obligation's rating is lowered to ‘D' if it is subject to a distressed exchange offer.

Dual Ratings: Dual ratings may be assigned to debt issues that have a put option or demand feature. The first component of the rating addresses the likelihood of repayment of principal and interest as due, and the second component of the rating addresses only the demand feature. The first component of the rating can relate to either a short-term or long-term transaction and accordingly use either short-term or long-term rating symbols. The second component of the rating relates to the put option and is assigned a short-term rating symbol (for example, ‘AAA/A-1+' or ‘A-1+/A-1'). With U.S. municipal short-term demand debt, the U.S. municipal short-term note rating symbols are used for the first component of the rating (for example, ‘SP-1+/A-1+').

Active Qualifiers
S&P uses the following qualifiers that limit the scope of a rating. The structure of the transaction can require the use of a qualifier such as a 'p' qualifier, which indicates the rating addressed the principal portion of the obligation only. A qualifier appears as a suffix and is part of the rating.

L: Ratings qualified with ‘L' apply only to amounts invested up to federal deposit insurance limits.

p: This suffix is used for issues in which the credit factors, the terms, or both, that determine the likelihood of receipt of payment of principal are different from the credit factors, terms or both that determine the likelihood of receipt of interest on the obligation. The ‘p' suffix indicates that the rating addresses the principal portion of the obligation only and that the interest is not rated.

prelim: Preliminary ratings, with the ‘prelim' suffix, may be assigned to obligors or obligations, including financial programs, in the circumstances described below. Assignment of a final rating is conditional on the receipt by S&P of appropriate documentation. S&P reserves the right not to issue a final rating. Moreover, if a final rating is issued, it may differ from the preliminary rating.

Preliminary ratings may be assigned to obligations, most commonly structured and project finance issues, pending receipt of final documentation and legal opinions.

Preliminary ratings may be assigned to obligations that will likely be issued upon the obligor's emergence from bankruptcy or similar reorganization, based on late-stage reorganization plans, documentation and discussions with the obligor. Preliminary ratings may also be assigned to the obligors. These ratings consider the anticipated general credit quality of the reorganized or post-bankruptcy issuer as well as attributes of the anticipated obligation(s).

Preliminary ratings may be assigned to entities that are being formed or that are in the process of being independently established when, in S&P opinion, documentation is close to final. Preliminary ratings may also be assigned to the obligations of these entities.

Preliminary ratings may be assigned when a previously unrated entity is undergoing a well-formulated restructuring, recapitalization, significant financing or other transformative event, generally at the point that investor or lender commitments are invited. The preliminary rating may be assigned to the entity and to its proposed obligation(s). These preliminary ratings consider the anticipated general credit quality of the obligor, as well as attributes of the anticipated obligation(s), assuming successful completion of the transformative event. Should the transformative event not occur, S&P would likely withdraw these preliminary ratings.

A preliminary recovery rating may be assigned to an obligation that has a preliminary issue credit rating.

t: This symbol indicates termination structures that are designed to honor their contracts to full maturity or, should certain events occur, to terminate and cash settle all their contracts before their final maturity date.

cir: This symbol indicates a Counterparty Instrument Rating (CIR), which is a forward-looking opinion about the creditworthiness of an issuer in a securitization structure with respect to a specific financial obligation to a counterparty (including interest rate swaps, currency swaps, and liquidity facilities). The CIR is determined on an ultimate payment basis; these opinions do not take into account timeliness of payment.

Inactive Qualifiers (no longer applied or outstanding)

*:This symbol that indicated that the rating was contingent upon S&P receipt of an executed copy of the escrow agreement or closing documentation confirming investments and cash flows. Discontinued use in August 1998.

c: This qualifier was used to provide additional information to investors that the bank may terminate its obligation to purchase tendered bonds if the long-term credit rating of the issuer was lowered to below an investment-grade level and/or the issuer's bonds were deemed taxable. Discontinued use in January 2001.

 

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Table of Contents

PIMCO Funds

G: The letter 'G' followed the rating symbol when a fund's portfolio consisted primarily of direct U.S. government securities.

pi: This qualifier was used to indicate ratings that were based on an analysis of an issuer's published financial information, as well as additional information in the public domain. Such ratings did not, however, reflect in-depth meetings with an issuer's management and therefore, could have been based on less comprehensive information than ratings without a 'pi' suffix. Discontinued use as of December 2014 and as of August 2015 for Lloyd's Syndicate Assessments.

pr: The letters ‘pr' indicate that the rating was provisional. A provisional rating assumed the successful completion of a project financed by the debt being rated and indicates that payment of debt service requirements was largely or entirely dependent upon the successful, timely completion of the project. This rating, however, while addressing credit quality subsequent to completion of the project, made no comment on the likelihood of or the risk of default upon failure of such completion.

q: A ‘q' subscript indicates that the rating is based solely on quantitative analysis of publicly available information. Discontinued use in April 2001.

r: The ‘r' modifier was assigned to securities containing extraordinary risks, particularly market risks, which are not covered in the credit rating. The absence of an ‘r' modifier should not be taken as an indication that an obligation would not exhibit extraordinary non-credit related risks. S&P discontinued the use of the ‘r' modifier for most obligations in June 2000 and for the balance of obligations (mainly structured finance transactions) in November 2002.

Fitch Ratings

Long-Term Credit Ratings
Investment Grade
Rated entities in a number of sectors, including financial and non-financial corporations, sovereigns, insurance companies and certain sectors within public finance, are generally assigned Issuer Default Ratings (IDRs). IDRs are also assigned to certain entities in global infrastructure and project finance. IDRs opine on an entity's relative vulnerability to default on financial obligations. The threshold default risk addressed by the IDR is generally that of the financial obligations whose non-payment would best reflect the uncured failure of that entity. As such, IDRs also address relative vulnerability to bankruptcy, administrative receivership or similar concepts.

In aggregate, IDRs provide an ordinal ranking of issuers based on the agency's view of their relative vulnerability to default, rather than a prediction of a specific percentage likelihood of default.

AAA: Highest credit quality. ‘AAA' ratings denote the lowest expectation of credit risk. They are assigned only in cases of exceptionally strong capacity for payment of financial commitments. This capacity is highly unlikely to be adversely affected by foreseeable events.

AA: Very high credit quality. 'AA' ratings denote expectations of very low credit risk. They indicate very strong capacity for payment of financial commitments. This capacity is not significantly vulnerable to foreseeable events.

A: High credit quality. 'A' ratings denote expectations of low credit risk. The capacity for payment of financial commitments is considered strong. This capacity may, nevertheless, be more vulnerable to adverse business or economic conditions than is the case for higher ratings.

BBB: Good credit quality. 'BBB' ratings indicate that expectations of credit risk are currently low. The capacity for payment of financial commitments is considered adequate, but adverse business or economic conditions are more likely to impair this capacity.

Speculative Grade
BB: Speculative. ‘BB' ratings indicate an elevated vulnerability to credit risk, particularly in the event of adverse changes in business or economic conditions over time; however, business or financial alternatives may be available to allow financial commitments to be met.

B: Highly speculative. ‘B' ratings indicate that material credit risk is present.

CCC: Substantial credit risk.

CC: Very high levels of credit risk.

C: Exceptionally high levels of credit risk.

Defaulted obligations typically are not assigned 'RD' or ‘D' ratings, but are instead rated in the ‘B' to ‘C' rating categories, depending on their recovery prospects and other relevant characteristics. This approach better aligns obligations that have comparable overall expected loss but varying vulnerability to default and loss.

The modifiers "+" or "-" may be appended to a rating to denote relative status within major rating categories. For example, the rating category 'AA' has three notch-specific rating levels ('AA+'; 'AA'; 'AA-'; each a rating level). Such suffixes are not added to the ‘AAA' obligation rating category, or to corporate finance obligation ratings in the categories below ‘CCC.'

The subscript ‘emr' is appended to a rating to denote embedded market risk that is beyond the scope of the rating. The designation is intended to make clear that the rating solely addresses the counterparty risk of the issuing bank. It is not meant to indicate any limitation in the analysis of the counterparty risk, which in all other respects follows published Fitch criteria for analyzing the issuing financial institution. Fitch does not rate these instruments where the principal is to any degree subject to market risk. 

Recovery Ratings
Recovery Ratings are assigned to selected individual securities and obligations, most frequently for individual obligations of corporate finance issuers with Issuer Default Ratings (IDRs) in speculative grade categories.

Among the factors that affect recovery rates for securities are the collateral, the seniority relative to other obligations in the capital structure (where appropriate), and the expected value of the company or underlying collateral in distress.

The Recovery Rating scale is based on the expected relative recovery characteristics of an obligation upon the curing of a default, emergence from insolvency or following the liquidation or termination of the obligor or its associated collateral.

Recovery Ratings are an ordinal scale and do not attempt to precisely predict a given level of recovery. As a guideline in developing the rating assessments, the agency employs broad theoretical recovery bands in its

 

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Prospectus

ratings approach based on historical averages and analytical judgment, but actual recoveries for a given security may deviate materially from historical averages.

RR1: Outstanding recovery prospects given default. ‘RR1' rated securities have characteristics consistent with securities historically recovering 91%-100% of current principal and related interest.

RR2: Superior recovery prospects given default. ‘RR2' rated securities have characteristics consistent with securities historically recovering 71%-90% of current principal and related interest.

RR3: Good recovery prospects given default. ‘RR3' rated securities have characteristics consistent with securities historically recovering 51%-70% of current principal and related interest.

RR4: Average recovery prospects given default. ‘RR4' rated securities have characteristics consistent with securities historically recovering 31%-50% of current principal and related interest.

RR5: Below average recovery prospects given default. ‘RR5' rated securities have characteristics consistent with securities historically recovering 11%-30% of current principal and related interest.

RR6: Poor recovery prospects given default. ‘RR6' rated securities have characteristics consistent with securities historically recovering 0%-10% of current principal and related interest.

Short-Term Credit Ratings
A short-term issuer or obligation rating is based in all cases on the short-term vulnerability to default of the rated entity and relates to the capacity to meet financial obligations in accordance with the documentation governing the relevant obligation. Short-term deposit ratings may be adjusted for loss severity. Short-Term Ratings are assigned to obligations whose initial maturity is viewed as "short term" based on market convention. Typically, this means up to 13 months for corporate, sovereign, and structured obligations, and up to 36 months for obligations in U.S. public finance markets.

F1: Highest short-term credit quality. Indicates the strongest intrinsic capacity for timely payment of financial commitments; may have an added "+" to denote any exceptionally strong credit feature.

F2: Good short-term credit quality. Good intrinsic capacity for timely payment of financial commitments.

F3: Fair short-term credit quality. The intrinsic capacity for timely payment of financial commitments is adequate.

B: Speculative short-term credit quality. Minimal capacity for timely payment of financial commitments, plus heightened vulnerability to near term adverse changes in financial and economic conditions.

C: High short-term default risk. Default is a real possibility.

RD: Restricted default. Indicates an entity that has defaulted on one or more of its financial commitments, although it continues to meet other financial obligations. Typically applicable to entity ratings only.

D: Default. Indicates a broad-based default event for an entity, or the default of a short-term obligation.

 

[ ] | PROSPECTUS

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Table of Contents

PIMCO Funds

Appendix B
Financial Firm-Specific Sales Charge Waivers and Discounts

The availability of initial and contingent deferred sales charge waivers and discounts may depend on the particular financial firm or type of account through which you purchase or hold Fund shares. For waivers or discounts not available through a particular financial firm, investors will have to purchase shares directly from the Funds (or the Distributor) or through another financial firm to receive such waivers or discounts.

The following descriptions of sales charge waivers and discounts for a particular financial firm and class(es) of shares set forth information provided by the financial firm that the firm has represented is current as of the date of this Prospectus. These waivers or discounts, which may vary from those disclosed elsewhere in the Prospectus, are subject to change. The Funds will update this Appendix periodically based on information provided by the applicable financial firm. Neither the Funds, the Investment Adviser nor PIMCO Investments LLC supervises the implementation of these waivers or discounts or verifies the firms' administration of these waivers or discounts.

In all instances, it is an investor's responsibility to notify the financial firm of any facts that may qualify the investor for sales charge waivers or discounts. Please contact your financial firm for more information regarding the sales charge waivers and discounts available to you and the firm's related policies and procedures.

Effective April 10, 2017, shareholders purchasing Fund shares through a Merrill Lynch platform or account will be eligible only for the following load waivers (front-end sales charge waivers and contingent deferred, or back-end, sales charge waivers) and discounts, which may differ from those disclosed elsewhere in the Funds' prospectus or SAI.

Front-end Sales Load Waivers on Class A Shares available at Merrill Lynch

Employer-sponsored retirement, deferred compensation and employee benefit plans (including health savings accounts) and trusts used to fund those plans, provided that the shares are not held in a commission-based brokerage account and shares are held for the benefit of the plan

Shares purchased by or through a 529 Plan

Shares purchased through a Merrill Lynch affiliated investment advisory program

Shares purchased by third party investment advisors on behalf of their advisory clients through Merrill Lynch's platform

Shares purchased through reinvestment of capital gains distributions and dividend reinvestment when purchasing shares of the same fund (but not any other fund within the fund family)

Shares exchanged from Class C (i.e. level-load) shares of the same fund in the month of or following the 10-year anniversary of the purchase date

Employees and registered representatives of Merrill Lynch or its affiliates and their family members

Directors or Trustees of the Fund, and employees of the Fund's investment adviser or any of its affiliates, as described in the this prospectus

Shares purchased from the proceeds of redemptions within the same fund family, provided (1) the repurchase occurs within 90 days following the redemption, (2) the redemption and purchase occur in the same account, and (3) redeemed shares were subject to a front-end or deferred sales load (known as Rights of Reinstatement)

CDSC Waivers on A and C Shares available at Merrill Lynch

Death or disability of the shareholder

Shares sold as part of a systematic withdrawal plan as described in the Fund's prospectus

Return of excess contributions from an IRA Account

Shares sold as part of a required minimum distribution for IRA and retirement accounts due to the shareholder reaching age 70½

Shares sold to pay Merrill Lynch fees but only if the transaction is initiated by Merrill Lynch

Shares held in retirement brokerage accounts, that are exchanged for a lower cost share class due to transfer to a certain fee based account or platform (applicable to A and C shares only)

Front-end load Discounts Available at Merrill Lynch: Breakpoints, Rights of Accumulation & Letters of Intent

Breakpoints as described in this prospectus.

Rights of Accumulation (ROA) which entitle shareholders to breakpoint discounts will be automatically calculated based on the aggregated holding of fund family assets held by accounts within the purchaser's household at Merrill Lynch. Eligible fund family assets not held at Merrill Lynch may be included in the ROA calculation only if the shareholder notifies his or her financial advisor about such assets

Letters of Intent (LOI) which allow for breakpoint discounts based on anticipated purchases within a fund family, through Merrill Lynch, over a 13-month period of time

 

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Table of Contents

INVESTMENT ADVISER AND ADMINISTRATOR

PIMCO, 650 Newport Center Drive, Newport Beach, CA 92660

DISTRIBUTOR

PIMCO Investments LLC, 1633 Broadway, New York, NY 10019

CUSTODIAN

State Street Bank & Trust Co., 801 Pennsylvania Avenue, Kansas City, MO 64105

TRANSFER AGENT

DST Asset Manager Solutions, Inc.
Institutional Class, I-2, I-3, Administrative Class — 330 W. 9th Street, 5th Floor, Kansas City, MO 64105
Class A, Class C, Class R — P.O. Box 55060, Boston, MA 02205-5060

INDEPENDENT REGISTERED PUBLIC ACCOUNTING FIRM

PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP, 1100 Walnut Street, Suite 1300, Kansas City, MO 64106-2197

LEGAL COUNSEL

Dechert LLP, 1900 K Street N.W., Washington, D.C. 20006 

 

For further information about the PIMCO Funds, call 888.87.PIMCO or visit our Web site at pimco.com.


 

Table of Contents





PIMCO FUNDS
650 Newport Center Drive
Newport Beach, CA 92660

The Trust's SAI and annual and semi-annual reports to shareholders include additional information about the Funds. The SAI and the financial statements included in the Funds' most recent annual report to shareholders are incorporated by reference into this Prospectus, which means they are part of this Prospectus for legal purposes. The Funds' annual report discusses the market conditions and investment strategies that significantly affected each Fund's performance during its last fiscal year.

The SAI contains detailed information about Fund purchase, redemption and exchange options and procedures and other information about the Funds. You can get a free copy of the SAI.

You may get free copies of any of these materials or request other information about a Fund by calling the Trust at 888.87.PIMCO (888.877.4626) or by writing to:

PIMCO Funds
650 Newport Center Drive
Newport Beach, CA 92660

Daily updates on the NAV of a Fund may be obtained by calling 1-888-87-PIMCO.

You may review and copy information about the Trust, including its SAI, at the Securities and Exchange Commission's public reference room in Washington, D.C. You may call the Commission at 202.551.8090 for information about the operation of the public reference room. You may also access reports and other information about the Trust on the EDGAR Database on the Commission's Web site at www.sec.gov. You may get copies of this information, with payment of a duplication fee, by writing the Public Reference Section of the Commission, 100 F Street N.E., Washington, D.C. 20549-1520, or by e-mailing your request to publicinfo@sec.gov.

You can also visit our web site at pimco.com for additional information about the Funds, including the SAI and the annual and semi-annual reports, which are available for download free of charge.

Reference the Trust's Investment Company Act file number in your correspondence.

Investment Company Act File Number: 811-05028

PF0005_[ ]


Table of Contents




Prospectus

PIMCO Funds

*I-2 was formerly called Class P.




As with other mutual funds, neither the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission nor the U.S. Commodity Futures Trading Commission has approved or disapproved these securities, or determined if this prospectus is truthful or complete. Any representation to the contrary is a criminal offense.

Real Return Strategy Funds

[ ]

Inst

I-2*

I-3

Admin

A

C

R

PIMCO CommoditiesPLUS® Strategy Fund

PCLIX

PCLPX

PCLNX

PCPSX

PCLAX

PCPCX

PIMCO CommodityRealReturn Strategy Fund®

PCRIX

PCRPX

PCRNX

PCRRX

PCRAX

PCRCX

PCSRX

PIMCO Inflation Response Multi-Asset Fund

PIRMX

PPRMX

PZRMX

PIMCO Long-Term Real Return Fund

PRAIX

PRTPX

PIMCO Real Return Fund

PRRIX

PRLPX

PRNPX

PARRX

PRTNX

PRTCX

PRRRX

PIMCO Real Return Limited Duration Fund

PPIRX

PPPRX

PIMCO RealEstateRealReturn Strategy Fund

PRRSX

PETPX

PNRNX

PETAX

PETCX




 

Table of Contents

Page

Fund Summaries

1

PIMCO CommoditiesPLUS® Strategy Fund

1

PIMCO CommodityRealReturn Strategy Fund®

5

PIMCO Inflation Response Multi-Asset Fund

9

PIMCO Long-Term Real Return Fund

14

PIMCO Real Return Fund

18

PIMCO Real Return Limited Duration Fund

22

PIMCO RealEstateRealReturn Strategy Fund

26

Summary of Other Important Information Regarding Fund Shares

30

Description of Principal Risks

31

Disclosure of Portfolio Holdings

42

Management of the Funds

43

Classes of Shares

47

Purchases, Redemptions and Exchanges

53

How Fund Shares are Priced

59

Fund Distributions

61

Tax Consequences

63

Characteristics and Risks of Securities and Investment Techniques

65

Descriptions of the Underlying PIMCO Funds

80

Financial Highlights

82

Appendix A - Description of Securities Ratings

A-1

Appendix B - Financial Firm-Specific Sales Charge Waivers and Discounts

B-1


 

PIMCO CommoditiesPLUS® Strategy Fund

Investment Objective

The Fund seeks total return which exceeds that of its benchmark consistent with prudent investment management.

Fees and Expenses of the Fund

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 $100,000 in Class A shares of eligible funds offered by PIMCO Equity Series and PIMCO Funds. More information about these and other discounts is available in the "Classes of Shares" section on page [ ] of the Fund's prospectus, Appendix B to the Fund's prospectus (Financial Firm-Specific Sales Charge Waivers and Discounts) or from your financial advisor.

Shareholder Fees (fees paid directly from your investment):

 

Inst
Class

I-2

I-3

Admin
Class

Class A

Class C

Maximum Sales Charge (Load) Imposed on Purchases (as a percentage of offering price)

None

None

None

None

5.50%

None

Maximum Deferred Sales Charge (Load) (as a percentage of the lower of the original purchase price or redemption price)

None

None

None

None

1.00%

1.00%

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

 

Inst
Class

I-2

I-3

Admin
Class

Class A

Class C

Management Fees(1)

0.74%

0.84%

0.94%

0.74%

0.94%

0.94%

Distribution and/or Service (12b-1) Fees

N/A

N/A

N/A

0.25%

0.25%

1.00%

Other Expenses(2)

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

Acquired Fund Fees and Expenses

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses(3)

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

Fee Waiver and/or Expense Reimbursement(4)(5)

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses After Fee Waiver and/or Expense Reimbursement

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

 

1 Expense information in the table has been restated to reflect current Management Fees.

2 "Other Expenses" include interest expense of [ ]%. Interest expense is borne by the Fund separately from the management fees paid to Pacific Investment Management Company LLC ("PIMCO"). Excluding interest expense, Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses After Fee Waiver and/or Expense Reimbursement are [ ]%, [ ]%, [ ]%, [ ]%, [ ]% and [ ]% for Institutional Class, I-2, I-3, Administrative Class, Class A and Class C shares, respectively.

3 Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses do not match the Ratio of Expenses to Average Net Assets Excluding Waivers of the Fund, as set forth in the Financial Highlights table of the Fund's prospectus, because the Ratio of Expenses to Average Net Assets Excluding Waivers reflects the operating expenses of the Fund and does not include Acquired Fund Fees and Expenses.

4 PIMCO has contractually agreed to waive the Fund's advisory fee and the supervisory and administrative fee in an amount equal to the management fee and administrative services fee, respectively, paid by the PIMCO Cayman Commodity Fund III Ltd. (the "Subsidiary") to PIMCO. The Subsidiary pays PIMCO a management fee and an administrative services fee at the annual rates of 0.49% and 0.20%, respectively, of its net assets. This waiver may not be terminated by PIMCO and will remain in effect for as long as PIMCO's contract with the Subsidiary is in place.

5 PIMCO has contractually agreed, through July 31, 2019, to reduce its supervisory and administrative fee for the Fund's I-3 shares by 0.05% of the average daily net assets attributable to I-3 shares of the Fund. This Fee Waiver Agreement renews annually unless terminated by PIMCO upon at least 30 days' prior notice to the end of the contract term.

Example. The Example is intended to help you compare the cost of investing in Institutional Class, I-2, I-3, Administrative Class, Class A or Class C shares of the Fund with the costs of investing in other mutual funds. The Example assumes that you invest $10,000 in the noted class of shares for the time periods indicated, and then redeem all 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. Investors may pay brokerage commissions on their purchases and sales of Institutional Class, I-2 or I-3 shares of the Fund, which are not reflected in the Example. Although your actual costs may be higher or lower, based on these assumptions your costs would be:

If you redeem your shares at the end of each period:

 

1 Year

3 Years

5 Years

10 Years

Institutional Class

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

I-2

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

I-3

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

Administrative Class

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

Class A

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

Class C

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

If you do not redeem your shares:

 

1 Year

3 Years

5 Years

10 Years

Class A

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

Class C

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

Portfolio Turnover

The Fund pays transaction costs 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 the Annual Fund Operating Expenses or in the Example tables, affect the Fund's performance. During the most recent fiscal year, the Fund's portfolio turnover rate was [ ]% of the average value of its portfolio.

Principal Investment Strategies

The Fund seeks to achieve its investment objective by investing under normal circumstances in commodity-linked derivative instruments backed by an actively managed, low volatility portfolio of Fixed Income Instruments. "Fixed Income Instruments" include bonds, debt securities and other similar instruments issued by various U.S. and non-U.S. public- or private-sector entities. The Fund invests in commodity-linked derivative instruments, including swap agreements, futures, options on futures, commodity index-linked notes and commodity options that provide exposure to the investment returns of the commodities futures markets. Commodities are assets that have tangible properties, such as oil, metals, and agricultural products. The value of commodity-linked derivative instruments may be affected by overall market

 



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PIMCO CommoditiesPLUS® Strategy Fund

movements and other factors affecting the value of a particular industry or commodity, such as weather, disease, embargoes, or political and regulatory developments.

The Fund will seek to gain exposure to the commodity futures markets primarily through investments in swap agreements and futures, and through investments in the PIMCO Cayman Commodity Fund III Ltd., a wholly-owned subsidiary of the Fund organized under the laws of the Cayman Islands (the "Subsidiary"). The Subsidiary is advised by PIMCO, and has the same investment objective as the Fund. As discussed in greater detail elsewhere in the prospectus, the Subsidiary (unlike the Fund) may invest without limitation in commodity-linked swap agreements and other commodity-linked derivative instruments. The derivative instruments in which the Fund and the Subsidiary primarily intend to invest are instruments linked to certain commodity indices and instruments linked to the value of a particular commodity or commodity futures contract, or a subset of commodities or commodity futures contracts. These instruments may specify exposure to commodity futures with different roll dates, reset dates or contract months than those specified by a particular commodity index. As a result, the commodity-linked derivatives component of the Fund's portfolio may deviate from the returns of any particular commodity index. The Fund or the Subsidiary may over-weight or under-weight its exposure to a particular commodity index, or a subset of commodities, such that the Fund has greater or lesser exposure to that index than the value of the Fund's net assets, or greater or lesser exposure to a subset of commodities than is represented by a particular commodity index. Such deviations will frequently be the result of temporary market fluctuations, and under normal circumstances the Fund will seek to maintain notional exposure to one or more commodity indices within 5% (plus or minus) of the value of the Fund's net assets.

The Fund may also invest in leveraged or unleveraged commodity index-linked notes, which are derivative debt instruments with principal and/or coupon payments linked to the performance of commodity indices. These commodity index-linked notes are sometimes referred to as "structured notes" because the terms of these notes may be structured by the issuer and the purchaser of the note. The value of these notes will rise or fall in response to changes in the underlying commodity or related index of investment.

Assets not invested in commodity-linked derivative instruments or the Subsidiary may be invested in Fixed Income Instruments, including derivative Fixed Income Instruments. The Fund is non-diversified, which means that it may invest its assets in a smaller number of issuers than a diversified fund. In addition, the Fund may invest its assets in particular sectors of the commodities futures market.

The average portfolio duration of the fixed income portion of this Fund will vary based on PIMCO's market forecasts and under normal market conditions is not expected to exceed one year. Duration is a measure used to determine the sensitivity of a security's price to changes in interest rates. The longer a security's duration, the more sensitive it will be to changes in interest rates. The Fund may invest up to 10% of its total assets in high yield securities ("junk bonds"), as rated by Moody's Investors Service, Inc. ("Moody's"), Standard & Poor's Ratings Services ("S&P") or Fitch, Inc. ("Fitch"), or, if unrated, as determined by PIMCO. The Fund may invest up to 20% of its total assets in securities denominated in foreign currencies and may invest without limit in U.S. dollar-denominated securities of foreign issuers. The Fund may invest up to 10% of its total assets in securities and instruments that are economically tied to emerging market countries (this limitation does not apply to investment grade sovereign debt denominated in the local currency with less than 1 year remaining to maturity, which means the Fund may invest, together with any other investments denominated in foreign currencies, up to 20% of its total assets in such instruments). The Fund will normally limit its foreign currency exposure (from non-U.S. dollar-denominated securities or currencies) to 10% of its total assets. The Fund may, without limitation, seek to obtain market exposure to the securities in which it primarily invests by entering into a series of purchase and sale contracts or by using other investment techniques (such as buy backs or dollar rolls). The Fund may purchase and sell securities on a when-issued, delayed delivery or forward commitment basis and may engage in short sales.

Principal Risks

It is possible to lose money on an investment in the Fund. Under certain conditions, generally in a market where the value of both commodity-linked derivative instruments and fixed income securities are declining, the Fund may experience substantial losses. The principal risks of investing in the Fund, which could adversely affect its net asset value, yield and total return are listed below.

Interest Rate Risk: the risk that fixed income securities will decline in value because of an increase in interest rates; a fund with a longer average portfolio duration will be more sensitive to changes in interest rates than a fund with a shorter average portfolio duration

Call Risk: the risk that an issuer may exercise its right to redeem a fixed income security earlier than expected (a call). Issuers may call outstanding securities prior to their maturity for a number of reasons (e.g., declining interest rates, changes in credit spreads and improvements in the issuer's credit quality). If an issuer calls a security that the Fund has invested in, the Fund may not recoup the full amount of its initial investment and may be forced to reinvest in lower-yielding securities, securities with greater credit risks or securities with other, less favorable features

Credit Risk: the risk that the Fund could lose money if the issuer or guarantor of a fixed income security, or the counterparty to a derivative contract, is unable or unwilling to meet its financial obligations

High Yield Risk: the risk that high yield securities and unrated securities of similar credit quality (commonly known as "junk bonds") are subject to greater levels of credit, call and liquidity risks. High yield securities are considered primarily speculative with respect to the issuer's continuing ability to make principal and interest payments, and may be more volatile than higher-rated securities of similar maturity

Market Risk: the risk that the value of securities owned by the Fund may go up or down, sometimes rapidly or unpredictably, due to factors affecting securities markets generally or particular industries

Issuer Risk: the risk that the value of a security may decline for a reason directly related to the issuer, such as management performance, financial leverage and reduced demand for the issuer's goods or services

Liquidity Risk: the risk that a particular investment may be difficult to purchase or sell and that the Fund may be unable to sell illiquid securities at

 

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Table of Contents

Prospectus

an advantageous time or price or achieve its desired level of exposure to a certain sector. Liquidity risk may result from the lack of an active market, reduced number and capacity of traditional market participants to make a market in fixed income securities, and may be magnified in a rising interest rate environment or other circumstances where investor redemptions from fixed income mutual funds may be higher than normal, causing increased supply in the market due to selling activity

Derivatives Risk: the risk of investing in derivative instruments (such as futures, swaps and structured securities), including leverage, liquidity, interest rate, market, credit and management risks, mispricing or valuation complexity. Changes in the value of the derivative may not correlate perfectly with, and may be more sensitive to market events than, the underlying asset, rate or index, and the Fund could lose more than the initial amount invested. The Fund's use of derivatives may result in losses to the Fund, a reduction in the Fund's returns and/or increased volatility. Over-the-counter ("OTC") derivatives are also subject to the risk that a counterparty to the transaction will not fulfill its contractual obligations to the other party, as many of the protections afforded to centrally-cleared derivative transactions might not be available for OTC derivatives. For derivatives traded on an exchange or through a central counterparty, credit risk resides with the Fund's clearing broker, or the clearinghouse itself, rather than with a counterparty in an OTC derivative transaction. Changes in regulation relating to a mutual fund's use of derivatives and related instruments could potentially limit or impact the Fund's ability to invest in derivatives, limit the Fund's ability to employ certain strategies that use derivatives and/or adversely affect the value of derivatives and the Fund's performance

Issuer Non-Diversification Risk: the risk of focusing investments in a small number of issuers, including being more susceptible to risks associated with a single economic, political or regulatory occurrence than a more diversified portfolio might be. Funds that are "non-diversified" may invest a greater percentage of their assets in the securities of a single issuer (such as bonds issued by a particular state) than funds that are "diversified"

Commodity Risk: the risk that investing in commodity-linked derivative instruments may subject the Fund to greater volatility than investments in traditional securities. The value of commodity-linked derivative instruments may be affected by changes in overall market movements, commodity index volatility, changes in interest rates, or factors affecting a particular industry or commodity, such as drought, floods, weather, livestock disease, embargoes, tariffs and international economic, political and regulatory developments

Mortgage-Related and Other Asset-Backed Securities Risk: the risks of investing in mortgage-related and other asset-backed securities, including interest rate risk, extension risk, prepayment risk and credit risk

Foreign (Non-U.S.) Investment Risk: the risk that investing in foreign (non-U.S.) securities may result in the Fund experiencing more rapid and extreme changes in value than a fund that invests exclusively in securities of U.S. companies, due to smaller markets, differing reporting, accounting and auditing standards, increased risk of delayed settlement of portfolio transactions or loss of certificates of portfolio securities, and the risk of unfavorable foreign government actions, including nationalization, expropriation or confiscatory taxation, currency blockage, or political changes or diplomatic developments. Foreign securities may also be less liquid and more difficult to value than securities of U.S. issuers

Emerging Markets Risk: the risk of investing in emerging market securities, primarily increased foreign (non-U.S.) investment risk

Sovereign Debt Risk: the risk that investments in fixed income instruments issued by sovereign entities may decline in value as a result of default or other adverse credit event resulting from an issuer's inability or unwillingness to make principal or interest payments in a timely fashion

Currency Risk: the risk that foreign (non-U.S.) currencies will change in value relative to the U.S. dollar and affect the Fund's investments in foreign (non-U.S.) currencies or in securities that trade in, and receive revenues in, or in derivatives that provide exposure to, foreign (non-U.S.) currencies

Leveraging Risk: the risk that certain transactions of the Fund, such as reverse repurchase agreements, loans of portfolio securities, and the use of when-issued, delayed delivery or forward commitment transactions, or derivative instruments, may give rise to leverage, magnifying gains and losses and causing the Fund to be more volatile than if it had not been leveraged. This means that leverage entails a heightened risk of loss

Management Risk: the risk that the investment techniques and risk analyses applied by PIMCO will not produce the desired results and that legislative, regulatory, or tax restrictions, policies or developments may affect the investment techniques available to PIMCO and the individual portfolio manager in connection with managing the Fund. There is no guarantee that the investment objective of the Fund will be achieved

Short Exposure Risk: the risk of entering into short sales, including the potential loss of more money than the actual cost of the investment, and the risk that the third party to the short sale will not fulfill its contractual obligations, causing a loss to the Fund

Tax Risk: the risk that the tax treatment of swap agreements and other derivative instruments, such as commodity-linked derivative instruments, including commodity index-linked notes, swap agreements, commodity options, futures, and options on futures, may be affected by future regulatory or legislative changes that could affect whether income from such investments is "qualifying income" under Subchapter M of the Internal Revenue Code, or otherwise affect the character, timing and/or amount of the Fund's taxable income or gains and distributions

Subsidiary Risk: the risk that, by investing in the Subsidiary, the Fund is indirectly exposed to the risks associated with the Subsidiary's investments. The Subsidiary is not registered under the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended (the "1940 Act") and may not be subject to all the investor protections of the 1940 Act. There is no guarantee that the investment objective of the Subsidiary will be achieved

Please see "Description of Principal Risks" in the Fund's prospectus for a more detailed description of the risks of investing in the Fund. An investment in the Fund is not a deposit of a bank and is not insured or guaranteed by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation or any other government agency.

Performance Information

The performance information shows summary performance information for the Fund in a bar chart and an Average Annual Total Returns table. The

 

[ ] | PROSPECTUS

3


 

Table of Contents

PIMCO CommoditiesPLUS® Strategy Fund

information provides some indication of the risks of investing in the Fund by showing changes in its performance from year to year and by showing how the Fund's average annual returns compare with the returns of a broad-based securities market index and an index of similar funds. Absent any applicable fee waivers and/or expense limitations performance would have been lower. The bar chart shows performance of the Fund's Institutional Class shares. For periods prior to the inception date of the Administrative Class shares (July 31, 2014), performance information shown in the table for this class is based on the performance of the Fund's Institutional Class shares, adjusted to reflect the actual distribution and/or service (12b-1) fees and other expenses paid by that class of shares. Performance for Class A and Class C shares in the Average Annual Total Returns table reflects the impact of sales charges. The I-3 shares of the Fund have not commenced operations as of the date of this prospectus. The Fund's past performance, before and after taxes, is not necessarily an indication of how the Fund will perform in the future.

The Fund's benchmark index is the Credit Suisse Commodity Benchmark Index. The Credit Suisse Commodity Benchmark Index is an unmanaged index composed of futures contracts on 30 physical commodities. The objective of the benchmark is to gain exposure to the broad commodity universe while maintaining sufficient liquidity. Commodities were chosen based on world production levels, sufficient open interest, and volume of trading. The index is designed to be a highly liquid and diversified benchmark for commodities as an asset class. The Lipper Commodities General Funds Average is a total return performance average of funds that invest primarily in a blended basket of commodity-linked derivative instruments or physicals.

Performance for the Fund is updated daily and quarterly and may be obtained as follows: daily updates on the net asset value and performance page at http://investments.pimco.com/DailyPerformance and quarterly updates at http://investments.pimco.com/QuarterlyPerformance.

Calendar Year Total Returns — Institutional Class*

 

[To be updated by subsequent amendment]



*The year-to-date return as of June 30, 2018 is [ ]%. For the periods shown in the bar chart, the highest quarterly return was [ ]% in the [ ], and the lowest quarterly return was [ ]% in the [ ].

Average Annual Total Returns (for periods ended 12/31/17)

 

1 Year

5 Years

Since Inception (05/28/2010)

Institutional Class Return Before Taxes

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

Institutional Class Return After Taxes on Distributions‌(1)

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

Institutional Class Return After Taxes on Distributions and Sales of Fund Shares‌(1)

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

I-2 Return Before Taxes

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

Administrative Class Return Before Taxes

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

Class A Return Before Taxes

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

Class C Return Before Taxes

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

Credit Suisse Commodity Benchmark Index (reflects no deductions for fees, expenses or taxes)

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

 

Lipper Commodities General Funds Average (reflects no deductions for taxes)

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

(1) After-tax returns are calculated using the highest historical individual federal marginal income tax rates and do not reflect the impact of state and local taxes. Actual after-tax returns depend on an investor's tax situation and may differ from those shown, and the after-tax returns shown are not relevant to investors who hold their Fund shares through tax-deferred arrangements, such as 401(k) plans or individual retirement accounts. In some cases the return after taxes may exceed the return before taxes due to an assumed tax benefit from any losses on a sale of Fund shares at the end of the measurement period. After-tax returns are for Institutional Class shares only. After-tax returns for other classes will vary.

Investment Adviser/Portfolio Manager

PIMCO serves as the investment adviser for the Fund. The Fund's portfolio is jointly managed by Nicholas J. Johnson and Greg E. Sharenow. Mr. Johnson is a Managing Director of PIMCO. Mr. Sharenow is an Executive Vice President of PIMCO. Mr. Johnson has managed the Fund since its inception in May 2010. Mr. Sharenow has managed the Fund since January 2015.

Other Important Information Regarding Fund Shares

For important information about purchase and sale of Fund shares, tax information, and payments to broker-dealers and other financial intermediaries, please turn to the "Summary of Other Important Information Regarding Fund Shares" section on page [ ] of this prospectus.

 

4     

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Table of Contents

PIMCO CommodityRealReturn Strategy Fund®

Investment Objective

The Fund seeks maximum real return, consistent with prudent investment management.

Fees and Expenses of the Fund

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 $100,000 in Class A shares of eligible funds offered by PIMCO Equity Series and PIMCO Funds. More information about these and other discounts is available in the "Classes of Shares" section on page [ ] of the Fund's prospectus, Appendix B to the Fund's prospectus (Financial Firm-Specific Sales Charge Waivers and Discounts) or from your financial advisor.

Shareholder Fees (fees paid directly from your investment):

 

Inst
Class

I-2

I-3

Admin
Class

Class A

Class C

Class R

Maximum Sales Charge (Load) Imposed on Purchases (as a percentage of offering price)

None

None

None

None

5.50%

None

None

Maximum Deferred Sales Charge (Load) (as a percentage of the lower of the original purchase price or redemption price)

None

None

None

None

1.00%

1.00%

None

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

 

Inst
Class

I-2

I-3

Admin
Class

Class A

Class C

Class R

Management Fees

0.74%

0.84%

0.94%

0.74%

0.94%

0.94%

0.94%

Distribution and/or Service (12b-1) Fees

N/A

N/A

N/A

0.25%

0.25%

1.00%

0.50%

Other Expenses(1)

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

Acquired Fund Fees and Expenses

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses(2)

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

Fee Waiver and/or Expense Reimbursement(3)(4)

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses After Fee Waiver and/or Expense Reimbursement

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

 

1 "Other Expenses" include interest expense of [ ]%. Interest expense is borne by the Fund separately from the management fees paid to Pacific Investment Management Company LLC ("PIMCO"). Excluding interest expense, Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses After Fee Waiver and/or Expense Reimbursement are [ ]%, [ ]%, [ ]%, [ ]%, [ ]%, [ ]% and [ ]% for Institutional Class, I-2, I-3, Administrative Class, Class A, Class C and Class R shares, respectively.

2 Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses do not match the Ratio of Expenses to Average Net Assets Excluding Waivers of the Fund, as set forth in the Financial Highlights table of the Fund's prospectus, because the Ratio of Expenses to Average Net Assets Excluding Waivers reflects the operating expenses of the Fund and does not include Acquired Fund Fees and Expenses.

3 PIMCO has contractually agreed to waive the Fund's advisory fee and the supervisory and administrative fee in an amount equal to the management fee and administrative services fee, respectively, paid by the PIMCO Cayman Commodity Fund I Ltd. (the "Subsidiary") to PIMCO. The Subsidiary pays PIMCO a management fee and an administrative services fee at the annual rates of 0.49% and 0.20%, respectively, of its net assets. This waiver may not be terminated by PIMCO and will remain in effect for as long as PIMCO's contract with the Subsidiary is in place.

4 PIMCO has contractually agreed, through July 31, 2019, to reduce its supervisory and administrative fee for the Fund's I-3 shares by 0.05% of the average daily net assets attributable to I-3 shares of the Fund. This Fee Waiver Agreement renews annually unless terminated by PIMCO upon at least 30 days' prior notice to the end of the contract term.

Example. The Example is intended to help you compare the cost of investing in Institutional Class, I-2, I-3, Administrative Class, Class A, Class C or Class R shares of the Fund with the costs of investing in other mutual funds. The Example assumes that you invest $10,000 in the noted class of shares for the time periods indicated, and then redeem all 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. Investors may pay brokerage commissions on their purchases and sales of Institutional Class, I-2 or I-3 shares of the Fund, which are not reflected in the Example. Although your actual costs may be higher or lower, based on these assumptions your costs would be:

If you redeem your shares at the end of each period:

 

1 Year

3 Years

5 Years

10 Years

Institutional Class

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

I-2

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

I-3

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

Administrative Class

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

Class A

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

Class C

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

Class R

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

If you do not redeem your shares:

 

1 Year

3 Years

5 Years

10 Years

Class A

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

Class C

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

Portfolio Turnover

The Fund pays transaction costs 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 the Annual Fund Operating Expenses or in the Example tables, affect the Fund's performance. During the most recent fiscal year, the Fund's portfolio turnover rate was [ ]% of the average value of its portfolio.

Principal Investment Strategies

The Fund seeks to achieve its investment objective by investing under normal circumstances in commodity-linked derivative instruments backed by a portfolio of inflation-indexed securities and other Fixed Income Instruments. "Fixed Income Instruments" include bonds, debt securities and other similar instruments issued by various U.S. and non-U.S. public- or private-sector entities. "Real Return" equals total return less the estimated cost of inflation, which is typically measured by the change in an official

 



PIMCO FUNDS | PROSPECTUS

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Table of Contents

PIMCO CommodityRealReturn Strategy Fund®

inflation measure. The Fund invests in commodity-linked derivative instruments, including commodity index-linked notes, swap agreements, commodity options, futures and options on futures, that provide exposure to the investment returns of the commodities markets, without investing directly in physical commodities. Commodities are assets that have tangible properties, such as oil, metals, and agricultural products. The value of commodity-linked derivative instruments may be affected by overall market movements and other factors affecting the value of a particular industry or commodity, such as weather, disease, embargoes, or political and regulatory developments. The Fund may also invest in common and preferred securities as well as convertible securities of issuers in commodity-related industries.

The Fund will seek to gain exposure to the commodity markets primarily through investments in leveraged or unleveraged commodity index-linked notes, which are derivative debt instruments with principal and/or coupon payments linked to the performance of commodity indices, and through investments in the PIMCO Cayman Commodity Fund I Ltd., a wholly-owned subsidiary of the Fund organized under the laws of the Cayman Islands (the "Subsidiary"). These commodity index-linked notes are sometimes referred to as "structured notes" because the terms of these notes may be structured by the issuer and the purchaser of the note. The value of these notes will rise or fall in response to changes in the underlying commodity or related index of investment. The Fund may also gain exposure to commodity markets by investing in the Subsidiary. The Subsidiary is advised by PIMCO, and has the same investment objective as the Fund. As discussed in greater detail elsewhere in this prospectus, the Subsidiary (unlike the Fund) may invest without limitation in commodity-linked swap agreements and other commodity-linked derivative instruments.

The derivative instruments in which the Fund and the Subsidiary primarily intend to invest are instruments linked to certain commodity indices and instruments linked to the value of a particular commodity or commodity futures contract, or a subset of commodities or commodity futures contracts. These instruments may specify exposure to commodity futures with different roll dates, reset dates or contract months than those specified by a particular commodity index. As a result, the commodity-linked derivatives component of the Fund's portfolio may deviate from the returns of any particular commodity index. The Fund or the Subsidiary may over-weight or under-weight its exposure to a particular commodity index, or a subset of commodities, such that the Fund has greater or lesser exposure to that index than the value of the Fund's net assets, or greater or lesser exposure to a subset of commodities than is represented by a particular commodity index. Such deviations will frequently be the result of temporary market fluctuations, and under normal circumstances the Fund will seek to maintain notional exposure to one or more commodity indices within 5% (plus or minus) of the value of the Fund's net assets.

Assets not invested in commodity-linked derivative instruments or the Subsidiary may be invested in inflation-indexed securities and other Fixed Income Instruments, including derivative Fixed Income Instruments. In addition, the Fund may invest its assets in particular sectors of the commodities market.

The average portfolio duration of the fixed income portion of this Fund will vary based on PIMCO's market forecasts and under normal market conditions is not expected to exceed ten years. Duration is a measure used to determine the sensitivity of a security's price to changes in interest rates. The longer a security's duration, the more sensitive it will be to changes in interest rates. The Fund may invest up to 10% of its total assets in high yield securities ("junk bonds"), as rated by Moody's Investors Service, Inc. ("Moody's"), Standard & Poor's Ratings Services ("S&P") or Fitch, Inc. ("Fitch"), or, if unrated, as determined by PIMCO. The Fund may invest up to 30% of its total assets in securities denominated in foreign currencies and may invest beyond this limit in U.S. dollar-denominated securities of foreign issuers. The Fund may invest up to 10% of its total assets in securities and instruments that are economically tied to emerging market countries (this limitation does not apply to investment grade sovereign debt denominated in the local currency with less than 1 year remaining to maturity, which means the Fund may invest, together with any other investments denominated in foreign currencies, up to 30% of its total assets in such instruments). The Fund will normally limit its foreign currency exposure (from non-U.S. dollar-denominated securities or currencies) to 20% of its total assets. The Fund may, without limitation, seek to obtain market exposure to the securities in which it primarily invests by entering into a series of purchase and sale contracts or by using other investment techniques (such as buy backs or dollar rolls). The Fund may also invest up to 10% of its total assets in preferred securities. The Fund may purchase and sell securities on a when-issued, delayed delivery or forward commitment basis and may engage in short sales.

Principal Risks

It is possible to lose money on an investment in the Fund. Under certain conditions, generally in a market where the value of both commodity-linked derivative instruments and fixed income securities are declining, the Fund may experience substantial losses. The principal risks of investing in the Fund, which could adversely affect its net asset value, yield and total return are listed below.

Interest Rate Risk: the risk that fixed income securities will decline in value because of an increase in interest rates; a fund with a longer average portfolio duration will be more sensitive to changes in interest rates than a fund with a shorter average portfolio duration

Call Risk: the risk that an issuer may exercise its right to redeem a fixed income security earlier than expected (a call). Issuers may call outstanding securities prior to their maturity for a number of reasons (e.g., declining interest rates, changes in credit spreads and improvements in the issuer's credit quality). If an issuer calls a security that the Fund has invested in, the Fund may not recoup the full amount of its initial investment and may be forced to reinvest in lower-yielding securities, securities with greater credit risks or securities with other, less favorable features

Credit Risk: the risk that the Fund could lose money if the issuer or guarantor of a fixed income security, or the counterparty to a derivative contract, is unable or unwilling to meet its financial obligations

High Yield Risk: the risk that high yield securities and unrated securities of similar credit quality (commonly known as "junk bonds") are subject to greater levels of credit, call and liquidity risks. High yield securities are considered primarily speculative with respect to the issuer's continuing ability to make principal and interest payments, and may be more volatile than higher-rated securities of similar maturity

 

6     

PROSPECTUS | PIMCO FUNDS     


 

Table of Contents

Prospectus

Market Risk: the risk that the value of securities owned by the Fund may go up or down, sometimes rapidly or unpredictably, due to factors affecting securities markets generally or particular industries

Issuer Risk: the risk that the value of a security may decline for a reason directly related to the issuer, such as management performance, financial leverage and reduced demand for the issuer's goods or services

Liquidity Risk: the risk that a particular investment may be difficult to purchase or sell and that the Fund may be unable to sell illiquid securities at an advantageous time or price or achieve its desired level of exposure to a certain sector. Liquidity risk may result from the lack of an active market, reduced number and capacity of traditional market participants to make a market in fixed income securities, and may be magnified in a rising interest rate environment or other circumstances where investor redemptions from fixed income mutual funds may be higher than normal, causing increased supply in the market due to selling activity

Derivatives Risk: the risk of investing in derivative instruments (such as futures, swaps and structured securities), including leverage, liquidity, interest rate, market, credit and management risks, mispricing or valuation complexity. Changes in the value of the derivative may not correlate perfectly with, and may be more sensitive to market events than, the underlying asset, rate or index, and the Fund could lose more than the initial amount invested. The Fund's use of derivatives may result in losses to the Fund, a reduction in the Fund's returns and/or increased volatility. Over-the-counter ("OTC") derivatives are also subject to the risk that a counterparty to the transaction will not fulfill its contractual obligations to the other party, as many of the protections afforded to centrally-cleared derivative transactions might not be available for OTC derivatives. For derivatives traded on an exchange or through a central counterparty, credit risk resides with the Fund's clearing broker, or the clearinghouse itself, rather than with a counterparty in an OTC derivative transaction. Changes in regulation relating to a mutual fund's use of derivatives and related instruments could potentially limit or impact the Fund's ability to invest in derivatives, limit the Fund's ability to employ certain strategies that use derivatives and/or adversely affect the value of derivatives and the Fund's performance

Commodity Risk: the risk that investing in commodity-linked derivative instruments may subject the Fund to greater volatility than investments in traditional securities. The value of commodity-linked derivative instruments may be affected by changes in overall market movements, commodity index volatility, changes in interest rates, or factors affecting a particular industry or commodity, such as drought, floods, weather, livestock disease, embargoes, tariffs and international economic, political and regulatory developments

Equity Risk: the risk that the value of equity securities, such as common stocks and preferred securities, may decline due to general market conditions which are not specifically related to a particular company or to factors affecting a particular industry or industries. Equity securities generally have greater price volatility than fixed income securities

Mortgage-Related and Other Asset-Backed Securities Risk: the risks of investing in mortgage-related and other asset-backed securities, including interest rate risk, extension risk, prepayment risk and credit risk

Foreign (Non-U.S.) Investment Risk: the risk that investing in foreign (non-U.S.) securities may result in the Fund experiencing more rapid and extreme changes in value than a fund that invests exclusively in securities of U.S. companies, due to smaller markets, differing reporting, accounting and auditing standards, increased risk of delayed settlement of portfolio transactions or loss of certificates of portfolio securities, and the risk of unfavorable foreign government actions, including nationalization, expropriation or confiscatory taxation, currency blockage, or political changes or diplomatic developments. Foreign securities may also be less liquid and more difficult to value than securities of U.S. issuers

Emerging Markets Risk: the risk of investing in emerging market securities, primarily increased foreign (non-U.S.) investment risk

Sovereign Debt Risk: the risk that investments in fixed income instruments issued by sovereign entities may decline in value as a result of default or other adverse credit event resulting from an issuer's inability or unwillingness to make principal or interest payments in a timely fashion

Currency Risk: the risk that foreign (non-U.S.) currencies will change in value relative to the U.S. dollar and affect the Fund's investments in foreign (non-U.S.) currencies or in securities that trade in, and receive revenues in, or in derivatives that provide exposure to, foreign (non-U.S.) currencies

Leveraging Risk: the risk that certain transactions of the Fund, such as reverse repurchase agreements, loans of portfolio securities, and the use of when-issued, delayed delivery or forward commitment transactions, or derivative instruments, may give rise to leverage, magnifying gains and losses and causing the Fund to be more volatile than if it had not been leveraged. This means that leverage entails a heightened risk of loss

Management Risk: the risk that the investment techniques and risk analyses applied by PIMCO will not produce the desired results and that legislative, regulatory, or tax restrictions, policies or developments may affect the investment techniques available to PIMCO and the individual portfolio manager in connection with managing the Fund. There is no guarantee that the investment objective of the Fund will be achieved

Short Exposure Risk: the risk of entering into short sales, including the potential loss of more money than the actual cost of the investment, and the risk that the third party to the short sale will not fulfill its contractual obligations, causing a loss to the Fund

Tax Risk: the risk that the tax treatment of swap agreements and other derivative instruments, such as commodity-linked derivative instruments, including commodity index-linked notes, swap agreements, commodity options, futures, and options on futures, may be affected by future regulatory or legislative changes that could affect whether income from such investments is "qualifying income" under Subchapter M of the Internal Revenue Code, or otherwise affect the character, timing and/or amount of the Fund's taxable income or gains and distributions

Subsidiary Risk: the risk that, by investing in the Subsidiary, the Fund is indirectly exposed to the risks associated with the Subsidiary's investments. The Subsidiary is not registered under the 1940 Act and may not be subject to all the investor protections of the 1940 Act. There is no guarantee that the investment objective of the Subsidiary will be achieved

 

[ ] | PROSPECTUS

7


 

Table of Contents

PIMCO CommodityRealReturn Strategy Fund®

Please see "Description of Principal Risks" in the Fund's prospectus for a more detailed description of the risks of investing in the Fund. An investment in the Fund is not a deposit of a bank and is not insured or guaranteed by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation or any other government agency.

Performance Information

The performance information shows summary performance information for the Fund in a bar chart and an Average Annual Total Returns table. The information provides some indication of the risks of investing in the Fund by showing changes in its performance from year to year and by showing how the Fund's average annual returns compare with the returns of a broad-based securities market index and an index of similar funds. Absent any applicable fee waivers and/or expense limitations, performance would have been lower. The bar chart shows performance of the Fund's Institutional Class shares. For periods prior to the inception date of I-2 shares (April 30, 2008) and Class R shares (March 12, 2010), performance information shown in the table for these classes is based on the performance of the Fund's Institutional Class shares, adjusted to reflect the actual distribution and/or service (12b-1) fees and other expenses paid by these classes of shares. Performance for Class A and Class C shares in the Average Annual Total Returns table reflects the impact of sales charges. The I-3 shares of the Fund have not commenced operations as of the date of this prospectus. The Fund's past performance, before and after taxes, is not necessarily an indication of how the Fund will perform in the future.

The Bloomberg Commodity Index Total Return is an unmanaged index composed of futures contracts on 20 physical commodities. The index is designed to be a highly liquid and diversified benchmark for commodities as an asset class. The Lipper Commodities General Funds Average is a total return performance average of funds that invest primarily in a blended basket of commodity-linked derivative instruments or physicals. 

Performance for the Fund is updated daily and quarterly and may be obtained as follows: daily updates on the net asset value and performance page at http://investments.pimco.com/DailyPerformance and quarterly updates at http://investments.pimco.com/QuarterlyPerformance.

Calendar Year Total Returns — Institutional Class*

 

[To be updated by subsequent amendment]



*The year-to-date return as of June 30, 2018 is [ ]%. For the periods shown in the bar chart, the highest quarterly return was [ ]% in the [ ], and the lowest quarterly return was [ ]% in the [ ].

Average Annual Total Returns (for periods ended 12/31/17)

 

1 Year

5 Years

10 Years

Institutional Class Return Before Taxes

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

Institutional Class Return After Taxes on Distributions‌(1)

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

Institutional Class Return After Taxes on Distributions and Sales of Fund Shares‌(1)

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

I-2 Return Before Taxes

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

Administrative Class Return Before Taxes

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

Class A Return Before Taxes

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

Class C Return Before Taxes

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

Class R Return Before Taxes

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

Bloomberg Commodity Index Total Return (reflects no deductions for fees, expenses or taxes)

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

 

Lipper Commodities General Funds Average (reflects no deductions for taxes)

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

(1) After-tax returns are calculated using the highest historical individual federal marginal income tax rates and do not reflect the impact of state and local taxes. Actual after-tax returns depend on an investor's tax situation and may differ from those shown, and the after-tax returns shown are not relevant to investors who hold their Fund shares through tax-deferred arrangements, such as 401(k) plans or individual retirement accounts. In some cases the return after taxes may exceed the return before taxes due to an assumed tax benefit from any losses on a sale of Fund shares at the end of the measurement period. After-tax returns are for Institutional Class shares only. After-tax returns for other classes will vary.

Investment Adviser/Portfolio Manager

PIMCO serves as the investment adviser for the Fund. The Fund's portfolio is jointly managed by Mihir Worah, Nicholas J. Johnson and Jeremie Banet. Mr. Worah is CIO Real Return and Asset Allocation and Managing Director of PIMCO, and he has managed the Fund since December 2007. Mr. Johnson is a Managing Director of PIMCO. Mr. Banet is an Executive Vice President of PIMCO. Messrs. Johnson and Banet have each managed the Fund since January 2015.

Other Important Information Regarding Fund Shares

For important information about purchase and sale of Fund shares, tax information, and payments to broker-dealers and other financial intermediaries, please turn to the "Summary of Other Important Information Regarding Fund Shares" section on page [ ] of this prospectus.

 

8     

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PIMCO Inflation Response Multi-Asset Fund

Investment Objective

The Fund seeks total return which exceeds that of its benchmark.

Fees and Expenses of the Fund

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 $100,000 in Class A shares of eligible funds offered by PIMCO Equity Series and PIMCO Funds. More information about these and other discounts is available in the "Classes of Shares" section on page [ ] of the Fund's prospectus, Appendix B to the Fund's prospectus (Financial Firm-Specific Sales Charge Waivers and Discounts) or from your financial advisor.

Shareholder Fees (fees paid directly from your investment):

 

Inst
Class

I-2

Admin
Class

Class A

Maximum Sales Charge (Load) Imposed on Purchases (as a percentage of offering price)

None

None

None

5.50%

Maximum Deferred Sales Charge (Load) (as a percentage of the lower of the original purchase price or redemption price)

None

None

None

1.00%

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

 

Inst
Class

I-2

Admin
Class

Class A

Management Fees(1)

0.69%

0.79%

0.69%

0.89%

Distribution and/or Service (12b-1) Fees

N/A

N/A

0.25%

0.25%

Other Expenses(2)

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

Acquired Fund Fees and Expenses

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses(3)

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

Fee Waiver and/or Expense Reimbursement(4)(5)

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses After Fee Waiver and/or Expense Reimbursement

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

 

1 Expense information in the table has been restated to reflect current Management Fees.

2 "Other Expenses" include interest expense of [ ]%. Interest expense is borne by the Fund separately from the management fees paid to Pacific Investment Management Company LLC ("PIMCO"). Excluding interest expense, Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses After Fee Waiver and/or Expense Reimbursement are [ ]%, [ ]%, [ ]% and [ ]% for Institutional Class, I-2, Administrative Class and Class A shares, respectively.

3 Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses do not match the Ratio of Expenses to Average Net Assets Excluding Waivers of the Fund, as set forth in the Financial Highlights table of the Fund's prospectus, because the Ratio of Expenses to Average Net Assets Excluding Waivers reflects the operating expenses of the Fund and does not include Acquired Fund Fees and Expenses.

4 PIMCO has contractually agreed, through July 31, 2019, to waive, first, the advisory fee and, second, the supervisory and administrative fee it receives from the Fund in an amount equal to the expenses attributable to the Management Fees of Underlying PIMCO Funds indirectly incurred by the Fund in connection with its investments in Underlying PIMCO Funds, to the extent the Fund's Management Fees are greater than or equal to the Management Fees of the Underlying PIMCO Funds. This waiver renews annually for a full year unless terminated by PIMCO upon at least 30 days' notice prior to the end of the contract term.

5 PIMCO has contractually agreed to waive the Fund's advisory fee and the supervisory and administrative fee in an amount equal to the management fee and administrative services fee, respectively, paid by the PIMCO Cayman Commodity Fund VII Ltd. (the "Subsidiary") to PIMCO. The Subsidiary pays PIMCO a management fee and an administrative services fee at the annual rates of 0.49% and 0.20%, respectively, of its net assets. This waiver may not be terminated by PIMCO and will remain in effect for as long as PIMCO's contract with the Subsidiary is in place.

Example. The Example is intended to help you compare the cost of investing in Institutional Class, I-2, Administrative Class or Class A shares of the Fund with the costs of investing in other mutual funds. The Example assumes that you invest $10,000 in the noted class of shares for the time periods indicated, and then redeem all 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. Investors may pay brokerage commissions on their purchases and sales of Institutional Class shares or I-2 shares of the Fund, which are not reflected in the Example. Although your actual costs may be higher or lower, based on these assumptions your costs would be:

If you redeem your shares at the end of each period:

 

1 Year

3 Years

5 Years

10 Years

Institutional Class

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

I-2

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

Administrative Class

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

Class A

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

If you do not redeem your shares:

 

1 Year

3 Years

5 Years

10 Years

Class A

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

Portfolio Turnover

The Fund pays transaction costs 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 the Annual Fund Operating Expenses or in the Example tables, affect the Fund's performance. During the most recent fiscal year, the Fund's portfolio turnover rate was [ ]% of the average value of its portfolio.

Principal Investment Strategies

The Fund is intended for investors who prefer to have their asset allocation decisions made by professional investment managers. PIMCO uses a three-step approach in seeking to achieve the Fund's investment objective which consists of 1) developing a target asset allocation; 2) developing a series of relative value strategies designed to add value beyond the target allocation; and 3) utilizing hedging techniques to manage risks. PIMCO evaluates these three steps and uses varying combinations of Acquired Funds and/or direct investments to implement them within the Fund.

The Fund may invest in Institutional Class or Class M shares of any funds of the Trust and PIMCO Equity Series, an affiliated open-end investment company, except funds of funds ("Underlying PIMCO Funds"), and may also invest in other affiliated funds, including funds of PIMCO ETF Trust, and unaffiliated funds (collectively, "Acquired Funds").

The Fund seeks to achieve its investment objective by investing under normal circumstances in a combination of Fixed Income Instruments of varying

 



PIMCO FUNDS | PROSPECTUS

9


 

Table of Contents

PIMCO Inflation Response Multi-Asset Fund

maturities, equity securities, affiliated and unaffiliated investment companies, which may or may not be registered under the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended (the "1940 Act"), forwards and derivatives, such as options, futures contracts or swap agreements, of various asset classes in seeking to mitigate the negative effects of inflation. Such asset classes include, but are not limited to, inflation-linked bonds, commodities, emerging market currencies and real estate-related instruments. "Fixed Income Instruments" include bonds, debt securities and other similar instruments issued by various U.S. and non-U.S. public- or private-sector entities. The Fund will invest in such funds, securities, instruments and other investments to the extent permitted under the 1940 Act, or any exemptive relief therefrom. The Fund may invest, without limitation, in any of the Underlying PIMCO Funds (except as described below).

The Fund may invest in inflation-indexed bonds of varying maturities issued by the U.S. and non-U.S. governments, their agencies or instrumentalities and corporations. Inflation-indexed bonds are fixed income securities that are structured to provide protection against inflation. The value of the bond's principal or the interest income paid on the bond is adjusted to track changes in an official inflation measure. The U.S. Treasury uses the Consumer Price Index for Urban Consumers as the inflation measure. Inflation-indexed bonds issued by a foreign government are generally adjusted to reflect a comparable inflation index, calculated by that government. To mitigate the negative effects of inflation, the Fund seeks concurrent exposure to a broad spectrum of asset classes and other investments.

The Fund may invest up to 25% of its total assets in equity-related investments (including investment in common stock, preferred securities, equity securities of Real Estate Investment Trusts ("REITs") and/or investment in the Domestic Equity-Related Underlying PIMCO Funds, the International Equity-Related Underlying PIMCO Funds and the PIMCO RealEstateRealReturn Strategy Fund, an Underlying PIMCO Fund, and in other equity-related Acquired Funds). With respect to its direct or indirect (through a fund) investments in equity securities, there is no limitation on the market capitalization range of the issuers in which the Fund may invest. The Fund may invest up to 50% of its total assets in commodity-related investments (including investment in the PIMCO Cayman Commodity Fund VII, Ltd., a wholly-owned subsidiary of the Fund organized under the laws of the Cayman Islands (the "Subsidiary"), and the PIMCO CommoditiesPLUS® Strategy Fund and PIMCO Commodity RealReturn Strategy Fund®, each an Underlying PIMCO Fund). The Subsidiary is advised by PIMCO and primarily invests in commodity-linked derivative instruments backed by a portfolio of Fixed Income Instruments. As discussed in greater detail elsewhere in the prospectus, the Subsidiary (unlike the Fund) may invest without limitation in commodity-linked swap agreements and other commodity-linked derivative instruments. The Fund may invest up to 25% of its total assets in the Subsidiary. The Fund will normally limit its exposure to gold to 25% of its total assets. The Fund may invest, without limitation, in securities denominated in foreign currencies and in U.S. dollar-denominated securities of foreign issuers. The Fund will normally limit its foreign currency exposure (from non-U.S. dollar-denominated securities or currencies) to 25% of its total assets. The Fund may invest, without limitation, in high yield securities ("junk bonds"). The Fund may invest, without limitation, in securities and instruments that are economically tied to emerging market countries. The Fund may purchase and sell securities on a when-issued, delayed delivery or forward commitment basis and may engage in short sales.

The Fund's assets are not allocated according to a predetermined blend of shares of the Acquired Funds and/or direct investments in securities, instruments and other investments. Instead, when making allocation decisions among the Acquired Funds, securities, instruments and other investments, PIMCO considers various qualitative and quantitative factors relating to the U.S. and non-U.S. economies, and securities and commodities markets. These factors include projected growth trends in the U.S. and non-U.S. economies, forecasts for interest rates and the relationship between short- and long-term interest rates (yield curve), current and projected trends in inflation, relative valuation levels in the equity, fixed income, commodity and real estate markets and various segments within those markets, the outlook and projected growth of various industrial sectors, information relating to business cycles, borrowing needs and the cost of capital, political trends, data relating to trade balances, and labor information. PIMCO uses these factors to help determine the Fund's target asset allocation and to identify potentially attractive relative value and risk hedging strategies. PIMCO has the flexibility to reallocate the Fund's assets among any or all of the investment exposures represented by affiliated or unaffiliated funds, or invest directly in securities, instruments and other investments, based on its ongoing analyses of the global economy and financial markets. While these analyses are performed daily, material shifts in investment exposures typically take place over longer periods of time.

Once the target asset allocation, relative value strategies and risk hedging strategies have been determined, PIMCO then evaluates various combinations of affiliated or unaffiliated funds, securities, instruments and other investments to obtain the desired exposures and invests accordingly. 

Principal Risks

It is possible to lose money on an investment in the Fund. The principal risks of investing in the Fund include risks from direct investments and/or indirect exposure through investment in Acquired Funds. The principal risks of investing in the Fund, which could adversely affect its net asset value, yield and total return are listed below.

The following risks are principal risks of investing in the Fund.

Allocation Risk: the risk that a Fund could lose money as a result of less than optimal or poor asset allocation decisions. The Fund could miss attractive investment opportunities by underweighting markets that subsequently experience significant returns and could lose value by overweighting markets that subsequently experience significant declines

Acquired Fund Risk: the risk that a Fund's performance is closely related to the risks associated with the securities and other investments held by the Acquired Funds and that the ability of a Fund to achieve its investment objective will depend upon the ability of the Acquired Funds to achieve their investment objectives

The following are principal risks of investing in the Fund that include risks from direct investments and/or indirect exposure through investment in Acquired Funds.

 

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PROSPECTUS | PIMCO FUNDS     


 

Table of Contents

Prospectus

New/Small Fund Risk: the risk that a new or smaller Fund's performance may not represent how the Fund is expected to or may perform in the long term. In addition, new Funds have limited operating histories for investors to evaluate and new and smaller Funds may not attract sufficient assets to achieve investment and trading efficiencies

Interest Rate Risk: the risk that fixed income securities will decline in value because of an increase in interest rates; a fund with a longer average portfolio duration will be more sensitive to changes in interest rates than a fund with a shorter average portfolio duration

Call Risk: the risk that an issuer may exercise its right to redeem a fixed income security earlier than expected (a call). Issuers may call outstanding securities prior to their maturity for a number of reasons (e.g., declining interest rates, changes in credit spreads and improvements in the issuer's credit quality). If an issuer calls a security that the Fund has invested in, the Fund may not recoup the full amount of its initial investment and may be forced to reinvest in lower-yielding securities, securities with greater credit risks or securities with other, less favorable features

Credit Risk: the risk that the Fund could lose money if the issuer or guarantor of a fixed income security, or the counterparty to a derivative contract, is unable or unwilling to meet its financial obligations

High Yield and Distressed Company Risk: the risk that high yield securities and unrated securities of similar credit quality (commonly known as "junk bonds") and securities of distressed companies may be subject to greater levels of credit, issuer and liquidity risks. Securities of distressed companies include both debt and equity securities. High yield securities and debt securities of distressed companies are considered primarily speculative with respect to the issuer's continuing ability to make principal and interest payments. Distressed companies may be engaged in restructurings or bankruptcy proceedings

Market Risk: the risk that the value of securities owned by the Fund may go up or down, sometimes rapidly or unpredictably, due to factors affecting securities markets generally or particular industries

Issuer Risk: the risk that the value of a security may decline for a reason directly related to the issuer, such as management performance, financial leverage and reduced demand for the issuer's goods or services

Liquidity Risk: the risk that a particular investment may be difficult to purchase or sell and that the Fund may be unable to sell illiquid securities at an advantageous time or price or achieve its desired level of exposure to a certain sector. Liquidity risk may result from the lack of an active market, reduced number and capacity of traditional market participants to make a market in fixed income securities, and may be magnified in a rising interest rate environment or other circumstances where investor redemptions from fixed income mutual funds may be higher than normal, causing increased supply in the market due to selling activity

Derivatives Risk: the risk of investing in derivative instruments (such as futures, swaps and structured securities), including leverage, liquidity, interest rate, market, credit and management risks, mispricing or valuation complexity. Changes in the value of the derivative may not correlate perfectly with, and may be more sensitive to market events than, the underlying asset, rate or index, and the Fund could lose more than the initial amount invested. The Fund's use of derivatives may result in losses to the Fund, a reduction in the Fund's returns and/or increased volatility. Over-the-counter ("OTC") derivatives are also subject to the risk that a counterparty to the transaction will not fulfill its contractual obligations to the other party, as many of the protections afforded to centrally-cleared derivative transactions might not be available for OTC derivatives. For derivatives traded on an exchange or through a central counterparty, credit risk resides with the Fund's clearing broker, or the clearinghouse itself, rather than with a counterparty in an OTC derivative transaction. Changes in regulation relating to a mutual fund's use of derivatives and related instruments could potentially limit or impact the Fund's ability to invest in derivatives, limit the Fund's ability to employ certain strategies that use derivatives and/or adversely affect the value of derivatives and the Fund's performance

Commodity Risk: the risk that investing in commodity-linked derivative instruments may subject the Fund to greater volatility than investments in traditional securities. The value of commodity-linked derivative instruments may be affected by changes in overall market movements, commodity index volatility, changes in interest rates, or factors affecting a particular industry or commodity, such as drought, floods, weather, livestock disease, embargoes, tariffs and international economic, political and regulatory developments

Equity Risk: the risk that the value of equity or equity-related securities may decline due to general market conditions which are not specifically related to a particular company or to factors affecting a particular industry or industries. Equity or equity-related securities generally have greater price volatility than fixed income securities

Mortgage-Related and Other Asset-Backed Securities Risk: the risks of investing in mortgage-related and other asset-backed securities, including interest rate risk, extension risk, prepayment risk and credit risk

Foreign (Non-U.S.) Investment Risk: the risk that investing in foreign (non-U.S.) securities may result in the Fund experiencing more rapid and extreme changes in value than a fund that invests exclusively in securities of U.S. companies, due to smaller markets, differing reporting, accounting and auditing standards, increased risk of delayed settlement of portfolio transactions or loss of certificates of portfolio securities, and the risk of unfavorable foreign government actions, including nationalization, expropriation or confiscatory taxation, currency blockage, or political changes or diplomatic developments. Foreign securities may also be less liquid and more difficult to value than securities of U.S. issuers

Real Estate Risk: the risk that the Fund's investments in Real Estate Investment Trusts ("REITs") or real estate-linked derivative instruments will subject the Fund to risks similar to those associated with direct ownership of real estate, including losses from casualty or condemnation, and changes in local and general economic conditions, supply and demand, interest rates, zoning laws, regulatory limitations on rents, property taxes and operating expenses. The Fund's investments in REITs or real estate-linked derivative instruments subject it to management and tax risks. In addition, privately traded REITs subject the Fund to liquidity and valuation risk

Emerging Markets Risk: the risk of investing in emerging market securities, primarily increased foreign (non-U.S.) investment risk

 

[ ] | PROSPECTUS

11


 

Table of Contents

PIMCO Inflation Response Multi-Asset Fund

Sovereign Debt Risk: the risk that investments in fixed income instruments issued by sovereign entities may decline in value as a result of default or other adverse credit event resulting from an issuer's inability or unwillingness to make principal or interest payments in a timely fashion

Currency Risk: the risk that foreign (non-U.S.) currencies will change in value relative to the U.S. dollar and affect the Fund's investments in foreign (non-U.S.) currencies or in securities that trade in, and receive revenues in, or in derivatives that provide exposure to, foreign (non-U.S.) currencies

Leveraging Risk: the risk that certain transactions of the Fund, such as reverse repurchase agreements, loans of portfolio securities, and the use of when-issued, delayed delivery or forward commitment transactions, or derivative instruments, may give rise to leverage, magnifying gains and losses and causing the Fund to be more volatile than if it had not been leveraged. This means that leverage entails a heightened risk of loss

Management Risk: the risk that the investment techniques and risk analyses applied by PIMCO will not produce the desired results and that legislative, regulatory, or tax restrictions, policies or developments may affect the investment techniques available to PIMCO and the individual portfolio manager in connection with managing the Fund. There is no guarantee that the investment objective of the Fund will be achieved

Short Exposure Risk: the risk of entering into short sales, including the potential loss of more money than the actual cost of the investment, and the risk that the third party to the short sale will not fulfill its contractual obligations, causing a loss to the Fund

Tax Risk: the risk that the tax treatment of swap agreements and other derivative instruments, such as commodity-linked derivative instruments, including commodity index-linked notes, swap agreements, commodity options, futures, and options on futures, may be affected by future regulatory or legislative changes that could affect whether income from such investments is "qualifying income" under Subchapter M of the Internal Revenue Code, or otherwise affect the character, timing and/or amount of the Fund's taxable income or gains and distributions

Subsidiary Risk: the risk that, by investing in the Subsidiary, the Fund is indirectly exposed to the risks associated with the Subsidiary's investments. The Subsidiary is not registered under the 1940 Act and may not be subject to all the investor protections of the 1940 Act. There is no guarantee that the investment objective of the Subsidiary will be achieved

Value Investing Risk: a value stock may decrease in price or may not increase in price as anticipated by PIMCO if it continues to be undervalued by the market or the factors that the portfolio manager believes will cause the stock price to increase do not occur

Arbitrage Risk: the risk that securities purchased pursuant to an arbitrage strategy intended to take advantage of a perceived relationship between the value of two securities may not perform as expected

Convertible Securities Risk: as convertible securities share both fixed income and equity characteristics, they are subject to risks to which fixed income and equity investments are subject. These risks include equity risk, interest rate risk and credit risk

Small-Cap and Mid-Cap Company Risk: the risk that the value of securities issued by small-capitalization and mid-capitalization companies may go up or down, sometimes rapidly and unpredictably, due to narrow markets and limited managerial and financial resources

Gold-Related Risk: the risk that investments tied to the price of gold may fluctuate substantially over short periods of time or be more volatile than other types of investments due to changes in inflation or inflation expectations or other economic, financial and political factors in the U.S. and foreign (non-U.S.) countries

Exchange-Traded Fund Risk: the risk that an exchange-traded fund may not track the performance of the index it is designed to track, market prices of shares of an exchange-traded fund may fluctuate rapidly and materially, or shares of an exchange-traded fund may trade significantly above or below net asset value, any of which may cause losses to the Fund invested in the exchange-traded fund

Please see "Description of Principal Risks" in the Fund's prospectus for a more detailed description of the risks of investing in the Fund. An investment in the Fund is not a deposit of a bank and is not insured or guaranteed by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation or any other government agency.

Performance Information

The performance information shows summary performance information for the Fund in a bar chart and an Average Annual Total Returns table. The information provides some indication of the risks of investing in the Fund by showing changes in its performance from year to year and by showing how the Fund's average annual returns compare with the returns of a broad-based securities market index and an index of similar funds. Absent any applicable fee waivers and/or expense limitations, performance would have been lower. The bar chart shows performance of the Fund's Institutional Class shares. The Administrative Class of the Fund has not commenced operations as of the date of this prospectus. Performance for Class A shares in the Average Annual Total Returns table reflects the impact of sales charges. The Fund's past performance, before and after taxes, is not necessarily an indication of how the Fund will perform in the future.

The Fund measures its performance against its benchmark, the Inflation Response Index (the "Index"). The Index represents a diversified basket of asset classes that serve either as an explicit or as an implicit hedge against inflation. The Index is a blend of 45% Bloomberg Barclays U.S. TIPS Index, 20% Bloomberg Commodity Index Total Return, 15% JPMorgan Emerging Local Markets Index Plus (Unhedged), 10% Dow Jones U.S. Select REIT Total Return Index, and 10% Bloomberg Gold Subindex Total Return Index. The Bloomberg Barclays U.S. TIPS Index is an unmanaged market index comprised of all U.S. Treasury Inflation Protected Securities ("TIPS") rated investment grade (Baa3 or better), have at least one year to final maturity, and at least $250 million par amount outstanding. The Bloomberg Commodity Index Total Return is an unmanaged index composed of futures contracts on 20 physical commodities, which is designed to be a highly liquid and diversified benchmark for commodities as an asset class. The JPMorgan Emerging Local Markets Index Plus (Unhedged) tracks total returns for local-currency-denominated money market instruments in 22 emerging market countries with at least US$10 billion of external trade. The Dow Jones U.S. Select Real Estate Investment Trust (REIT) Total Return Index, a subset of the Dow Jones Americas Select Real Estate Securities Index (RESI) that includes only REITs and REIT-like securities, seeks to

 

12     

PROSPECTUS | PIMCO FUNDS     


 

Table of Contents

Prospectus

measure the performance of publicly-traded real estate securities. The Dow Jones U.S. Select REIT Total Return Index is designed to serve as a proxy for direct real estate investment. The Bloomberg Gold Subindex Total Return Index reflects the return on fully-collateralized positions in the underlying commodity futures.

The Lipper Flexible Portfolio Funds Average is a total return performance average of Funds tracked by Lipper, Inc. that allocate their investments across various asset classes, including domestic common stocks, bond and money market instruments with a focus on total return.

Performance for the Fund is updated daily and quarterly and may be obtained as follows: daily updates on the net asset value and performance page at http://investments.pimco.com/DailyPerformance and quarterly updates at http://investments.pimco.com/QuarterlyPerformance.

Calendar Year Total Returns — Institutional Class*

 

[To be updated by subsequent amendment]



*The year-to-date return as of June 30, 2018 is [ ]%. For the periods shown in the bar chart, the highest quarterly return was [ ]% in the [ ], and the lowest quarterly return was [ ]% in the [ ].

Average Annual Total Returns (for periods ended 12/31/17)

 

1 Year

5 Years

Since Inception (08/31/2011)

Institutional Class Return Before Taxes

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

Institutional Class Return After Taxes on Distributions‌(1)

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

Institutional Class Return After Taxes on Distributions and Sales of Fund Shares‌(1)

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

I-2 Return Before Taxes

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

Class A Return Before Taxes

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

45% Bloomberg Barclays U.S. TIPS Index, 20% Bloomberg Commodity Index Total Return, 15% JPMorgan Emerging Local Markets Index Plus (Unhedged), 10% Dow Jones U.S. Select REIT Total Return Index, 10% Bloomberg Gold Subindex Total Return Index (reflects no deductions for fees, expenses or taxes)

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

 

Lipper Flexible Portfolio Funds Average (reflects no deductions for taxes)

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

(1) After-tax returns are calculated using the highest historical individual federal marginal income tax rates and do not reflect the impact of state and local taxes. Actual after-tax returns depend on an investor's tax situation and may differ from those shown, and the after-tax returns shown are not relevant to investors who hold their Fund shares through tax-deferred arrangements, such as 401(k) plans or individual retirement accounts. In some cases the return after taxes may exceed the return before taxes due to an assumed tax benefit from any losses on a sale of Fund shares at the end of the measurement period. After-tax returns are for Institutional Class shares only. After-tax returns for other classes will vary.

Investment Adviser/Portfolio Manager

PIMCO serves as the investment adviser for the Fund. The Fund's portfolio is jointly managed by Mihir Worah and Nicholas J. Johnson. Mr. Worah is CIO Real Return and Asset Allocation and Managing Director of PIMCO, and he has managed the Fund since its inception in August 2011. Mr. Johnson is a Managing Director of PIMCO, and he has managed the Fund since January 2015.

Other Important Information Regarding Fund Shares

For important information about purchase and sale of Fund shares, tax information, and payments to broker-dealers and other financial intermediaries, please turn to the "Summary of Other Important Information Regarding Fund Shares" section on page [ ] of this prospectus.

 

[ ] | PROSPECTUS

13


 

Table of Contents

PIMCO Long-Term Real Return Fund

Investment Objective

The Fund seeks maximum real return, consistent with prudent investment management.

Fees and Expenses of the Fund

This table describes the fees and expenses that you may pay if you buy and hold shares of the Fund:

Shareholder Fees (fees paid directly from your investment): None

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

 

Inst
Class

I-2

Admin
Class

Management Fees

0.55%

0.65%

0.55%

Distribution and/or Service (12b-1) Fees

N/A

N/A

0.25%

Other Expenses(1)

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

 

1 "Other Expenses" include interest expense of [ ]%. Interest expense is borne by the Fund separately from the management fees paid to Pacific Investment Management Company LLC ("PIMCO"). Excluding interest expense, Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses are [ ]%, [ ]% and [ ]% for Institutional Class, I-2 and Administrative Class shares, respectively.

Example. The Example is intended to help you compare the cost of investing in Institutional Class, I-2 or Administrative Class shares of the Fund with the costs of investing in other mutual funds. The Example assumes that you invest $10,000 in the noted class of shares for the time periods indicated, and then redeem all 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. Investors may pay brokerage commissions on their purchases and sales of Institutional Class shares or I-2 shares of the Fund, which are not reflected in the Example. 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

Institutional Class

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

I-2

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

Administrative Class

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

Portfolio Turnover

The Fund pays transaction costs 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 the Annual Fund Operating Expenses or in the Example tables, affect the Fund's performance. During the most recent fiscal year, the Fund's portfolio turnover rate was [ ]% of the average value of its portfolio.

Principal Investment Strategies

The Fund seeks its investment objective by investing under normal circumstances at least 80% of its net assets in inflation-indexed bonds of varying maturities issued by the U.S. and non-U.S. governments, their agencies or instrumentalities, and corporations. Assets not invested in inflation-indexed bonds may be invested in other types of Fixed Income Instruments. "Fixed Income Instruments" include bonds, debt securities and other similar instruments issued by various U.S. and non-U.S. public- or private-sector entities. Inflation-indexed bonds are fixed income securities that are structured to provide protection against inflation. The value of the bond's principal or the interest income paid on the bond is adjusted to track changes in an official inflation measure. The U.S. Treasury uses the Consumer Price Index for Urban Consumers as the inflation measure. Inflation-indexed bonds issued by a foreign government are generally adjusted to reflect a comparable inflation index, calculated by that government. "Real return" equals total return less the estimated cost of inflation, which is typically measured by the change in an official inflation measure. Additionally, "real yield" equals "nominal yield" less the market implied rate of inflation. Duration is a measure used to determine the sensitivity of a security's price to changes in interest rates. The longer a security's duration, the more sensitive it will be to changes in interest rates. Effective duration, the most common method of calculating duration, takes into account that for certain bonds expected cash flows will fluctuate as interest rates change and is defined in nominal yield terms, which is market convention for most bond investors and managers. Because market convention for bonds is to use nominal yields to measure effective duration, effective duration for real return bonds, which are based on real yields, are converted through a conversion factor. The resulting nominal effective duration typically can range from 20% and 90% of the respective real effective duration. All security holdings will be measured in nominal effective duration terms. Similarly, the effective duration of the Bloomberg Barclays U.S. Treasury Inflation Notes 10+ Years Index will be calculated using the same conversion factors. The effective duration of this Fund normally varies within four years (plus or minus) of the effective duration of the securities comprising the Bloomberg Barclays U.S. Treasury Inflation Notes 10+ Years Index, as calculated by PIMCO, which as of [ ], as converted, was [ ] years. In addition, the dollar-weighted average portfolio maturity of the Fund, under normal circumstances, is expected to be more than ten years.

The Fund invests primarily in investment grade securities, but may invest up to 20% of its total assets in high yield securities ("junk bonds") rated B or higher by Moody's Investors Service, Inc. ("Moody's"), or equivalently rated by Standard & Poor's Ratings Services ("S&P") or Fitch, Inc. ("Fitch"), or, if unrated, determined by PIMCO to be of comparable quality (except that within such 20% limitation, the Fund may invest in mortgage-related securities rated below B). The Fund also may invest up to 30% of its total assets in securities denominated in foreign currencies, and may invest beyond this limit in U.S. dollar denominated securities of foreign issuers. The Fund may invest up to 10% of its total assets in securities and instruments that are economically tied to emerging market countries (this limitation does not apply to investment grade sovereign debt denominated in the local currency with less than 1 year remaining to maturity, which means the Fund may invest, together with any other investments denominated in foreign currencies, up to 30% of its total assets in such instruments).

The Fund will normally limit its foreign currency exposure (from non-U.S. dollar-denominated securities or currencies) to 20% of its total assets.

 



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Prospectus

The Fund may invest, without limitation, in derivative instruments, such as options, futures contracts or swap agreements, or in mortgage- or asset-backed securities, subject to applicable law and any other restrictions described in the Fund's prospectus or Statement of Additional Information. The Fund may purchase and sell securities on a when-issued, delayed delivery or forward commitment basis and may engage in short sales. The Fund may gain exposure to the commodity markets by investing in commodity-linked derivatives. The Fund may, without limitation, seek to obtain market exposure to the securities in which it primarily invests by entering into a series of purchase and sale contracts or by using other investment techniques (such as buy backs or dollar rolls). The Fund may also invest up to 10% of its total assets in preferred securities.

Principal Risks

It is possible to lose money on an investment in the Fund. The principal risks of investing in the Fund, which could adversely affect its net asset value, yield and total return are listed below.

Interest Rate Risk: the risk that fixed income securities will decline in value because of an increase in interest rates; a fund with a longer average portfolio duration will be more sensitive to changes in interest rates than a fund with a shorter average portfolio duration

Call Risk: the risk that an issuer may exercise its right to redeem a fixed income security earlier than expected (a call). Issuers may call outstanding securities prior to their maturity for a number of reasons (e.g., declining interest rates, changes in credit spreads and improvements in the issuer's credit quality). If an issuer calls a security that the Fund has invested in, the Fund may not recoup the full amount of its initial investment and may be forced to reinvest in lower-yielding securities, securities with greater credit risks or securities with other, less favorable features

Credit Risk: the risk that the Fund could lose money if the issuer or guarantor of a fixed income security, or the counterparty to a derivative contract, is unable or unwilling to meet its financial obligations

High Yield Risk: the risk that high yield securities and unrated securities of similar credit quality (commonly known as "junk bonds") are subject to greater levels of credit, call and liquidity risks. High yield securities are considered primarily speculative with respect to the issuer's continuing ability to make principal and interest payments, and may be more volatile than higher-rated securities of similar maturity

Market Risk: the risk that the value of securities owned by the Fund may go up or down, sometimes rapidly or unpredictably, due to factors affecting securities markets generally or particular industries

Issuer Risk: the risk that the value of a security may decline for a reason directly related to the issuer, such as management performance, financial leverage and reduced demand for the issuer's goods or services

Liquidity Risk: the risk that a particular investment may be difficult to purchase or sell and that the Fund may be unable to sell illiquid securities at an advantageous time or price or achieve its desired level of exposure to a certain sector. Liquidity risk may result from the lack of an active market, reduced number and capacity of traditional market participants to make a market in fixed income securities, and may be magnified in a rising interest rate environment or other circumstances where investor redemptions from fixed income mutual funds may be higher than normal, causing increased supply in the market due to selling activity

Derivatives Risk: the risk of investing in derivative instruments (such as futures, swaps and structured securities), including leverage, liquidity, interest rate, market, credit and management risks, mispricing or valuation complexity. Changes in the value of the derivative may not correlate perfectly with, and may be more sensitive to market events than, the underlying asset, rate or index, and the Fund could lose more than the initial amount invested. The Fund's use of derivatives may result in losses to the Fund, a reduction in the Fund's returns and/or increased volatility. Over-the-counter ("OTC") derivatives are also subject to the risk that a counterparty to the transaction will not fulfill its contractual obligations to the other party, as many of the protections afforded to centrally-cleared derivative transactions might not be available for OTC derivatives. For derivatives traded on an exchange or through a central counterparty, credit risk resides with the Fund's clearing broker, or the clearinghouse itself, rather than with a counterparty in an OTC derivative transaction. Changes in regulation relating to a mutual fund's use of derivatives and related instruments could potentially limit or impact the Fund's ability to invest in derivatives, limit the Fund's ability to employ certain strategies that use derivatives and/or adversely affect the value of derivatives and the Fund's performance

Commodity Risk: the risk that investing in commodity-linked derivative instruments may subject the Fund to greater volatility than investments in traditional securities. The value of commodity-linked derivative instruments may be affected by changes in overall market movements, commodity index volatility, changes in interest rates, or factors affecting a particular industry or commodity, such as drought, floods, weather, livestock disease, embargoes, tariffs and international economic, political and regulatory developments

Equity Risk: the risk that the value of equity securities, such as common stocks and preferred securities, may decline due to general market conditions which are not specifically related to a particular company or to factors affecting a particular industry or industries. Equity securities generally have greater price volatility than fixed income securities

Mortgage-Related and Other Asset-Backed Securities Risk: the risks of investing in mortgage-related and other asset-backed securities, including interest rate risk, extension risk, prepayment risk and credit risk

Foreign (Non-U.S.) Investment Risk: the risk that investing in foreign (non-U.S.) securities may result in the Fund experiencing more rapid and extreme changes in value than a fund that invests exclusively in securities of U.S. companies, due to smaller markets, differing reporting, accounting and auditing standards, increased risk of delayed settlement of portfolio transactions or loss of certificates of portfolio securities, and the risk of unfavorable foreign government actions, including nationalization, expropriation or confiscatory taxation, currency blockage, or political changes or diplomatic developments. Foreign securities may also be less liquid and more difficult to value than securities of U.S. issuers

Emerging Markets Risk: the risk of investing in emerging market securities, primarily increased foreign (non-U.S.) investment risk

Sovereign Debt Risk: the risk that investments in fixed income instruments issued by sovereign entities may decline in value as a result of

 

[ ] | PROSPECTUS

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PIMCO Long-Term Real Return Fund

default or other adverse credit event resulting from an issuer's inability or unwillingness to make principal or interest payments in a timely fashion

Currency Risk: the risk that foreign (non-U.S.) currencies will change in value relative to the U.S. dollar and affect the Fund's investments in foreign (non-U.S.) currencies or in securities that trade in, and receive revenues in, or in derivatives that provide exposure to, foreign (non-U.S.) currencies

Leveraging Risk: the risk that certain transactions of the Fund, such as reverse repurchase agreements, loans of portfolio securities, and the use of when-issued, delayed delivery or forward commitment transactions, or derivative instruments, may give rise to leverage, magnifying gains and losses and causing the Fund to be more volatile than if it had not been leveraged. This means that leverage entails a heightened risk of loss

Management Risk: the risk that the investment techniques and risk analyses applied by PIMCO will not produce the desired results and that legislative, regulatory, or tax restrictions, policies or developments may affect the investment techniques available to PIMCO and the individual portfolio manager in connection with managing the Fund. There is no guarantee that the investment objective of the Fund will be achieved

Inflation-Indexed Security Risk: the risk that inflation-indexed debt securities are subject to the effects of changes in market interest rates caused by factors other than inflation (real interest rates). In general, the value of an inflation-indexed security, including TIPS, tends to decrease when real interest rates increase and can increase when real interest rates decrease. Interest payments on inflation-indexed securities are unpredictable and will fluctuate as the principal and interest are adjusted for inflation. There can be no assurance that the inflation index used will accurately measure the real rate of inflation in the prices of goods and services. Any increase in the principal amount of an inflation-indexed debt security will be considered taxable ordinary income, even though the Fund will not receive the principal until maturity

Short Exposure Risk: the risk of entering into short sales, including the potential loss of more money than the actual cost of the investment, and the risk that the third party to the short sale will not fulfill its contractual obligations, causing a loss to the Fund

Please see "Description of Principal Risks" in the Fund's prospectus for a more detailed description of the risks of investing in the Fund. An investment in the Fund is not a deposit of a bank and is not insured or guaranteed by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation or any other government agency.

Performance Information

The performance information shows summary performance information for the Fund in a bar chart and an Average Annual Total Returns table. The information provides some indication of the risks of investing in the Fund by showing changes in its performance from year to year and by showing how the Fund's average annual returns compare with the returns of a broad-based securities market index and an index of similar funds. Absent any applicable fee waivers and/or expense limitations, performance would have been lower. The bar chart shows performance of the Fund's Institutional Class shares. For periods prior to the inception date of I-2 shares (November 19, 2010), performance information shown in the table for that class is based on the performance of the Fund's Institutional Class shares, adjusted to reflect the actual expenses paid by that class of shares. The Administrative Class of the Fund has not commenced operations as of the date of this prospectus. The Fund's past performance, before and after taxes, is not necessarily an indication of how the Fund will perform in the future.

The Bloomberg Barclays U.S. Treasury Inflation Notes 10+ Year Index is an unmanaged market index comprised of U.S. Treasury Inflation Protected securities with maturities of over 10 years. The Lipper Inflation-Protected Bond Funds Average is a total return performance average of funds tracked by Lipper, Inc. that invest primarily in inflation-indexed fixed income securities. Inflation-linked bonds are fixed income securities structured to provide protection against inflation.

Performance for the Fund is updated daily and quarterly and may be obtained as follows: daily updates on the net asset value and performance page at http://investments.pimco.com/DailyPerformance and quarterly updates at http://investments.pimco.com/QuarterlyPerformance.

Calendar Year Total Returns — Institutional Class*

 

[To be updated by subsequent amendment]



*The year-to-date return as of June 30, 2018 is [ ]%. For the periods shown in the bar chart, the highest quarterly return was [ ]% in the [ ], and the lowest quarterly return was [ ]% in the [ ].

Average Annual Total Returns (for periods ended 12/31/17)

 

1 Year

5 Years

10 Years

Institutional Class Return Before Taxes

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

Institutional Class Return After Taxes on Distributions‌(1)

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

Institutional Class Return After Taxes on Distributions and Sales of Fund Shares‌(1)

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

I-2 Return Before Taxes

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

Bloomberg Barclays U.S. Treasury Inflation Notes: 10+ Year Index (reflects no deductions for fees, expenses or taxes)

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

 

Lipper Inflation-Protected Bond Funds Average (reflects no deductions for taxes)

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

(1) After-tax returns are calculated using the highest historical individual federal marginal income tax rates and do not reflect the impact of state and local taxes. Actual after-tax returns depend on an investor's tax situation and may differ from those shown, and the after-tax returns shown are not relevant to investors who hold their Fund shares through tax-deferred arrangements, such as 401(k) plans or individual retirement accounts. In some cases the return after taxes may exceed the return before taxes due to an assumed tax benefit from any losses on a sale of Fund shares at the end of the measurement period.

 

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PROSPECTUS | PIMCO FUNDS     


 

Table of Contents

Prospectus

After-tax returns are for Institutional Class shares only. After-tax returns for other classes will vary.

Investment Adviser/Portfolio Manager

PIMCO serves as the investment adviser for the Fund. The Fund's portfolio is jointly managed by Mihir Worah and Jeremie Banet. Mr. Worah is CIO Real Return and Asset Allocation and Managing Director of PIMCO, and he has managed the Fund since December 2007. Mr. Banet is an Executive Vice President of PIMCO, and he has managed the Fund since January 2015.

Other Important Information Regarding Fund Shares

For important information about purchase and sale of Fund shares, tax information, and payments to broker-dealers and other financial intermediaries, please turn to the "Summary of Other Important Information Regarding Fund Shares" section on page [ ] of this prospectus.

 

[ ] | PROSPECTUS

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PIMCO Real Return Fund

Investment Objective

The Fund seeks maximum real return, consistent with preservation of capital and prudent investment management.

Fees and Expenses of the Fund

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 $100,000 in Class A shares of eligible funds offered by PIMCO Equity Series and PIMCO Funds. More information about these and other discounts is available in the "Classes of Shares" section on page [ ] of the Fund's prospectus, Appendix B to the Fund's prospectus (Financial Firm-Specific Sales Charge Waivers and Discounts) or from your financial advisor.

Shareholder Fees (fees paid directly from your investment):

 

Inst
Class

I-2

I-3

Admin
Class

Class A

Class C

Class R

Maximum Sales Charge (Load) Imposed on Purchases (as a percentage of offering price)

None

None

None

None

3.75%

None

None

Maximum Deferred Sales Charge (Load) (as a percentage of the lower of the original purchase price or redemption price)

None

None

None

None

1.00%

1.00%

None

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

 

Inst
Class

I-2

I-3

Admin
Class

Class A

Class C

Class R

Management Fees

0.45%

0.55%

0.65%

0.45%

0.60%

0.60%

0.60%

Distribution and/or Service (12b-1) Fees

N/A

N/A

N/A

0.25%

0.25%

0.75%

0.50%

Other Expenses(1)

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

Fee Waiver and/or Expense Reimbursement(2)

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses After Fee Waiver and/or Expense Reimbursement

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

 

1 "Other Expenses" include interest expense of [ ]%. Interest expense is borne by the Fund separately from the management fees paid to Pacific Investment Management Company LLC ("PIMCO"). Excluding interest expense, Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses After Fee Waiver and/or Expense Reimbursement are [ ]%, [ ]%, [ ]%, [ ]%, [ ]%, [ ]% and [ ]% for Institutional Class, I-2, I-3, Administrative Class, Class A, Class C and Class R shares, respectively.

2 PIMCO has contractually agreed, through July 31, 2019, to reduce its supervisory and administrative fee for the Fund's I-3 shares by 0.05% of the average daily net assets attributable to I-3 shares of the Fund. This Fee Waiver Agreement renews annually unless terminated by PIMCO upon at least 30 days' prior notice to the end of the contract term.

Example. The Example is intended to help you compare the cost of investing in Institutional Class, I-2, I-3, Administrative Class, Class A, Class C or Class R shares of the Fund with the costs of investing in other mutual funds. The Example assumes that you invest $10,000 in the noted class of shares for the time periods indicated, and then redeem all 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. Investors may pay brokerage commissions on their purchases and sales of Institutional Class, I-2 or I-3 shares of the Fund, which are not reflected in the Example. Although your actual costs may be higher or lower, based on these assumptions your costs would be:

If you redeem your shares at the end of each period:

 

1 Year

3 Years

5 Years

10 Years

Institutional Class

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

I-2

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

I-3

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

Administrative Class

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

Class A

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

Class C

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

Class R

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

If you do not redeem your shares:

 

1 Year

3 Years

5 Years

10 Years

Class A

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

Class C

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

Portfolio Turnover

The Fund pays transaction costs 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 the Annual Fund Operating Expenses or in the Example tables, affect the Fund's performance. During the most recent fiscal year, the Fund's portfolio turnover rate was [ ]% of the average value of its portfolio.

Principal Investment Strategies

The Fund seeks its investment objective by investing under normal circumstances at least 80% of its net assets in inflation-indexed bonds of varying maturities issued by the U.S. and non-U.S. governments, their agencies or instrumentalities, and corporations, which may be represented by forwards or derivatives such as options, futures contracts or swap agreements. Assets not invested in inflation-indexed bonds may be invested in other types of Fixed Income Instruments. "Fixed Income Instruments" include bonds, debt securities and other similar instruments issued by various U.S. and non-U.S. public- or private-sector entities. Inflation-indexed bonds are fixed income securities that are structured to provide protection against inflation. The value of the bond's principal or the interest income paid on the bond is adjusted to track changes in an official inflation measure. The U.S. Treasury uses the Consumer Price Index for Urban Consumers as the inflation measure. Inflation-indexed bonds issued by a foreign government are generally adjusted to reflect a comparable inflation index, calculated by that government. "Real return" equals total return less the estimated cost of inflation, which is typically measured by the change in an official inflation measure. Additionally, "real yield" equals "nominal yield" less the market implied rate of inflation.

 



PIMCO FUNDS | PROSPECTUS

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Prospectus

Duration is a measure used to determine the sensitivity of a security's price to changes in interest rates. The longer a security's duration, the more sensitive it will be to changes in interest rates. Effective duration, the most common method of calculating duration, takes into account that for certain bonds expected cash flows will fluctuate as interest rates change and is defined in nominal yield terms, which is market convention for most bond investors and managers. Because market convention for bonds is to use nominal yields to measure effective duration, effective duration for real return bonds, which are based on real yields, are converted through a conversion factor. The resulting nominal effective duration typically can range from 20% and 90% of the respective real effective duration. All security holdings will be measured in nominal effective duration terms. Similarly, the effective duration of the Bloomberg Barclays U.S. TIPS Index will be calculated using the same conversion factors. The effective duration of this Fund normally varies within three years (plus or minus) of the effective duration of the securities comprising the Bloomberg Barclays U.S. TIPS Index, as calculated by PIMCO, which as of [ ] was [ ] years.

The Fund invests primarily in investment grade securities, but may invest up to 10% of its total assets in high yield securities ("junk bonds") rated B or higher by Moody's Investors Service, Inc. ("Moody's"), or equivalently rated by Standard & Poor's Ratings Services ("S&P") or Fitch, Inc. ("Fitch"), or, if unrated, determined by PIMCO to be of comparable quality (except that within such 10% limitation, the Fund may invest in mortgage-related securities rated below B).

The Fund also may invest up to 30% of its total assets in securities denominated in foreign currencies, and may invest beyond this limit in U.S. dollar denominated securities of foreign issuers. The Fund may invest up to 10% of its total assets in securities and instruments that are economically tied to emerging market countries (this limitation does not apply to investment grade sovereign debt denominated in the local currency with less than 1 year remaining to maturity, which means the Fund may invest, together with any other investments denominated in foreign currencies, up to 30% of its total assets in such instruments).The Fund will normally limit its foreign currency exposure (from non-U.S. dollar-denominated securities or currencies) to 20% of its total assets.

The Fund may invest, without limitation, in derivative instruments, such as options, futures contracts or swap agreements, or in mortgage- or asset-backed securities, subject to applicable law and any other restrictions described in the Fund's prospectus or Statement of Additional Information (the "SAI"). The Fund may purchase or sell securities on a when-issued, delayed delivery or forward commitment basis and may engage in short sales. The Fund may, without limitation, seek to obtain market exposure to the securities in which it primarily invests by entering into a series of purchase and sale contracts or by using other investment techniques (such as buy backs or dollar rolls). The Fund may also invest up to 10% of its total assets in preferred securities.

Principal Risks

It is possible to lose money on an investment in the Fund. The principal risks of investing in the Fund, which could adversely affect its net asset value, yield and total return are listed below.

Interest Rate Risk: the risk that fixed income securities will decline in value because of an increase in interest rates; a fund with a longer average portfolio duration will be more sensitive to changes in interest rates than a fund with a shorter average portfolio duration

Call Risk: the risk that an issuer may exercise its right to redeem a fixed income security earlier than expected (a call). Issuers may call outstanding securities prior to their maturity for a number of reasons (e.g., declining interest rates, changes in credit spreads and improvements in the issuer's credit quality). If an issuer calls a security that the Fund has invested in, the Fund may not recoup the full amount of its initial investment and may be forced to reinvest in lower-yielding securities, securities with greater credit risks or securities with other, less favorable features

Credit Risk: the risk that the Fund could lose money if the issuer or guarantor of a fixed income security, or the counterparty to a derivative contract, is unable or unwilling to meet its financial obligations

High Yield Risk: the risk that high yield securities and unrated securities of similar credit quality (commonly known as "junk bonds") are subject to greater levels of credit, call and liquidity risks. High yield securities are considered primarily speculative with respect to the issuer's continuing ability to make principal and interest payments, and may be more volatile than higher-rated securities of similar maturity

Market Risk: the risk that the value of securities owned by the Fund may go up or down, sometimes rapidly or unpredictably, due to factors affecting securities markets generally or particular industries

Issuer Risk: the risk that the value of a security may decline for a reason directly related to the issuer, such as management performance, financial leverage and reduced demand for the issuer's goods or services

Liquidity Risk: the risk that a particular investment may be difficult to purchase or sell and that the Fund may be unable to sell illiquid securities at an advantageous time or price or achieve its desired level of exposure to a certain sector. Liquidity risk may result from the lack of an active market, reduced number and capacity of traditional market participants to make a market in fixed income securities, and may be magnified in a rising interest rate environment or other circumstances where investor redemptions from fixed income mutual funds may be higher than normal, causing increased supply in the market due to selling activity

Derivatives Risk: the risk of investing in derivative instruments (such as futures, swaps and structured securities), including leverage, liquidity, interest rate, market, credit and management risks, mispricing or valuation complexity. Changes in the value of the derivative may not correlate perfectly with, and may be more sensitive to market events than, the underlying asset, rate or index, and the Fund could lose more than the initial amount invested. The Fund's use of derivatives may result in losses to the Fund, a reduction in the Fund's returns and/or increased volatility. Over-the-counter ("OTC") derivatives are also subject to the risk that a counterparty to the transaction will not fulfill its contractual obligations to the other party, as many of the protections afforded to centrally-cleared derivative transactions might not be available for OTC derivatives. For derivatives traded on an exchange or through a central counterparty, credit risk resides with the Fund's clearing broker, or the clearinghouse itself, rather than with a counterparty in an OTC derivative transaction. Changes

 

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Table of Contents

PIMCO Real Return Fund

in regulation relating to a mutual fund's use of derivatives and related instruments could potentially limit or impact the Fund's ability to invest in derivatives, limit the Fund's ability to employ certain strategies that use derivatives and/or adversely affect the value of derivatives and the Fund's performance

Equity Risk: the risk that the value of equity securities, such as common stocks and preferred securities, may decline due to general market conditions which are not specifically related to a particular company or to factors affecting a particular industry or industries. Equity securities generally have greater price volatility than fixed income securities

Mortgage-Related and Other Asset-Backed Securities Risk: the risks of investing in mortgage-related and other asset-backed securities, including interest rate risk, extension risk, prepayment risk and credit risk

Foreign (Non-U.S.) Investment Risk: the risk that investing in foreign (non-U.S.) securities may result in the Fund experiencing more rapid and extreme changes in value than a fund that invests exclusively in securities of U.S. companies, due to smaller markets, differing reporting, accounting and auditing standards, increased risk of delayed settlement of portfolio transactions or loss of certificates of portfolio securities, and the risk of unfavorable foreign government actions, including nationalization, expropriation or confiscatory taxation, currency blockage, or political changes or diplomatic developments. Foreign securities may also be less liquid and more difficult to value than securities of U.S. issuers

Emerging Markets Risk: the risk of investing in emerging market securities, primarily increased foreign (non-U.S.) investment risk

Sovereign Debt Risk: the risk that investments in fixed income instruments issued by sovereign entities may decline in value as a result of default or other adverse credit event resulting from an issuer's inability or unwillingness to make principal or interest payments in a timely fashion

Currency Risk: the risk that foreign (non-U.S.) currencies will change in value relative to the U.S. dollar and affect the Fund's investments in foreign (non-U.S.) currencies or in securities that trade in, and receive revenues in, or in derivatives that provide exposure to, foreign (non-U.S.) currencies

Leveraging Risk: the risk that certain transactions of the Fund, such as reverse repurchase agreements, loans of portfolio securities, and the use of when-issued, delayed delivery or forward commitment transactions, or derivative instruments, may give rise to leverage, magnifying gains and losses and causing the Fund to be more volatile than if it had not been leveraged. This means that leverage entails a heightened risk of loss

Management Risk: the risk that the investment techniques and risk analyses applied by PIMCO will not produce the desired results and that legislative, regulatory, or tax restrictions, policies or developments may affect the investment techniques available to PIMCO and the individual portfolio manager in connection with managing the Fund. There is no guarantee that the investment objective of the Fund will be achieved

Short Exposure Risk: the risk of entering into short sales, including the potential loss of more money than the actual cost of the investment, and the risk that the third party to the short sale will not fulfill its contractual obligations, causing a loss to the Fund

Please see "Description of Principal Risks" in the Fund's prospectus for a more detailed description of the risks of investing in the Fund. An investment in the Fund is not a deposit of a bank and is not insured or guaranteed by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation or any other government agency.

Performance Information

The performance information shows summary performance information for the Fund in a bar chart and an Average Annual Total Returns table. The information provides some indication of the risks of investing in the Fund by showing changes in its performance from year to year and by showing how the Fund's average annual returns compare with the returns of a broad-based securities market index and an index of similar funds. Absent any applicable fee waivers and/or expense limitations, performance would have been lower. The bar chart shows performance of the Fund's Institutional Class shares. For periods prior to the inception date of I-2 shares (April 30, 2008), performance information shown in the table for I-2 shares is based on the performance of the Fund's Institutional Class shares, adjusted to reflect the actual expenses paid by the I-2 shares. Performance for Class A and Class C shares in the Average Annual Total Returns table reflects the impact of sales charges. The I-3 shares of the Fund have not commenced operations as of the date of this prospectus. The Fund's past performance, before and after taxes, is not necessarily an indication of how the Fund will perform in the future.

The Bloomberg Barclays U.S. TIPS Index is an unmanaged market index comprised of all U.S. Treasury Inflation Protected Securities rated investment grade (Baa3 or better), have at least one year to final maturity, and at least $250 million par amount outstanding. The Lipper Inflation-Protected Bond Funds Average is a total return performance average of funds tracked by Lipper, Inc. that invest primarily in inflation-indexed fixed income securities. Inflation-linked bonds are fixed income securities structured to provide protection against inflation.

Performance for the Fund is updated daily and quarterly and may be obtained as follows: daily updates on the net asset value and performance page at http://investments.pimco.com/DailyPerformance, and quarterly updates at http://investments.pimco.com/QuarterlyPerformance.

Calendar Year Total Returns — Institutional Class*

 

[To be updated by subsequent amendment]



 

20     

PROSPECTUS | PIMCO FUNDS     


 

Table of Contents

Prospectus

*The year-to-date return as of June 30, 2018 is [ ]%. For the periods shown in the bar chart, the highest quarterly return was [ ]% in the [ ], and the lowest quarterly return was [ ]% in the [ ].

Average Annual Total Returns (for periods ended 12/31/17)

 

1 Year

5 Years

10 Years

Institutional Class Return Before Taxes

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

Institutional Class Return After Taxes on Distributions‌(1)

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

Institutional Class Return After Taxes on Distributions and Sales of Fund Shares‌(1)

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

I-2 Return Before Taxes

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

Administrative Class Return Before Taxes

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

Class A Return Before Taxes

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

Class C Return Before Taxes

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

Class R Return Before Taxes

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

Bloomberg Barclays U.S. TIPS Index (reflects no deductions for fees, expenses or taxes)

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

 

Lipper Inflation-Protected Bond Funds Average (reflects no deductions for taxes)

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

(1) After-tax returns are calculated using the highest historical individual federal marginal income tax rates and do not reflect the impact of state and local taxes. Actual after-tax returns depend on an investor's tax situation and may differ from those shown, and the after-tax returns shown are not relevant to investors who hold their Fund shares through tax-deferred arrangements, such as 401(k) plans or individual retirement accounts. In some cases the return after taxes may exceed the return before taxes due to an assumed tax benefit from any losses on a sale of Fund shares at the end of the measurement period. After-tax returns are for Institutional Class shares only. After-tax returns for other classes will vary.

Investment Adviser/Portfolio Manager

PIMCO serves as the investment adviser for the Fund. The Fund's portfolio is jointly managed by Mihir Worah and Jeremie Banet. Mr. Worah is CIO Real Return and Asset Allocation and Managing Director of PIMCO, and he has managed the Fund since December 2007. Mr. Banet is an Executive Vice President of PIMCO, and he has managed the Fund since January 2015.

Other Important Information Regarding Fund Shares

For important information about purchase and sale of Fund shares, tax information, and payments to broker-dealers and other financial intermediaries, please turn to the "Summary of Other Important Information Regarding Fund Shares" section on page [ ] of this prospectus.

 

[ ] | PROSPECTUS

21


 

Table of Contents

PIMCO Real Return Limited Duration Fund

Investment Objective

The Fund seeks maximum real return, consistent with preservation of capital and prudent investment management.

Fees and Expenses of the Fund

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 $100,000 in Class A shares of eligible funds offered by PIMCO Equity Series and PIMCO Funds. More information about these and other discounts is available in the "Classes of Shares" section on page [ ] of the Fund's prospectus, Appendix B to the Fund's prospectus (Financial Firm-Specific Sales Charge Waivers and Discounts) or from your financial advisor.

Shareholder Fees (fees paid directly from your investment):

 

Inst
Class

I-2

Admin
Class

Class A

Class C

Maximum Sales Charge (Load) Imposed on Purchases (as a percentage of offering price)

None

None

None

2.25%

None

Maximum Deferred Sales Charge (Load) (as a percentage of the lower of the original purchase price or redemption price)

None

None

None

1.00%

1.00%

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

 

Inst
Class

I-2

Admin
Class

Class A

Class C

Management Fees

0.40%

0.50%

0.40%

0.55%

0.55%

Distribution and/or Service (12b-1) Fees

N/A

N/A

0.25%

0.25%

0.55%

Other Expenses(1)

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

Fee Waiver and/or Expense Reimbursement(2)

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses After Fee Waiver and/or Expense Reimbursement

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

 

1 "Other Expenses" include interest expense of [ ]%. Interest expense is borne by the Fund separately from the management fees paid to Pacific Investment Management Company LLC ("PIMCO"). Excluding interest expense, Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses After Fee Waiver and/or Expense Reimbursement are [ ]%, [ ]%, [ ]%, [ ]% and [ ]% for Institutional Class, I-2, Administrative Class, Class A and Class C shares, respectively.

2 PIMCO has contractually agreed, through July 31, 2019, to reduce its advisory fee by 0.01% of the average daily net assets of the Fund. This Fee Waiver Agreement renews annually unless terminated by PIMCO upon at least 30 days' prior notice to the end of the contract term. Under certain conditions, PIMCO may recoup amounts reduced in future periods, not exceeding three years.

Example. The Example is intended to help you compare the cost of investing in Institutional Class, I-2, Administrative Class, Class A or Class C shares of the Fund with the costs of investing in other mutual funds. The Example assumes that you invest $10,000 in the noted class of shares for the time periods indicated, and then redeem all 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. Investors may pay brokerage commissions on their purchases and sales of Institutional Class shares or I-2 shares of the Fund, which are not reflected in the Example. Although your actual costs may be higher or lower, based on these assumptions your costs would be:

If you redeem your shares at the end of each period:

 

1 Year

3 Years

5 Years

10 Years

Institutional Class

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

I-2

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

Administrative Class

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

Class A

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

Class C

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

If you do not redeem your shares:

 

1 Year

3 Years

5 Years

10 Years

Class A

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

Class C

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

Portfolio Turnover

The Fund pays transaction costs 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 the Annual Fund Operating Expenses or in the Example tables, affect the Fund's performance. During the most recent fiscal year, the Fund's portfolio turnover rate was [ ]% of the average value of its portfolio.

Principal Investment Strategies

The Fund seeks its investment objective by investing under normal circumstances at least 80% of its net assets in a portfolio of inflation-indexed securities of varying maturities issued by the U.S. and non-U.S. governments, their agencies or instrumentalities, and corporations, which may be represented by forwards or derivatives such as options, futures contracts or swap agreements. Assets not invested in inflation-indexed securities may be invested in other types of Fixed Income Instruments. "Fixed Income Instruments" include bonds, debt securities and other similar instruments issued by various U.S. and non-U.S. public- or private-sector entities. Inflation-indexed bonds are fixed income securities that are structured to provide protection against inflation. The value of the bond's principal or the interest income paid on the bond is adjusted to track changes in an official inflation measure. The U.S. Treasury uses the Consumer Price Index for Urban Consumers as the inflation measure. Inflation-indexed bonds issued by a foreign government are generally adjusted to reflect a comparable inflation index, calculated by that government. "Real return" equals total return less the estimated cost of inflation, which is typically measured by the change in an official inflation measure. Additionally, "real yield" equals "nominal yield" less the market implied rate of inflation.

Duration is a measure used to determine the sensitivity of a security's price to changes in interest rates. The longer a security's duration, the more sensitive it will be to changes in interest rates. Effective duration, the most common method of calculating duration, takes into account that for certain bonds expected cash flows will fluctuate as interest rates change and is defined in nominal yield terms, which is market convention for most bond

 



PIMCO FUNDS | PROSPECTUS

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Table of Contents

Prospectus

investors and managers. Because market convention for bonds is to use nominal yields to measure effective duration, effective duration for real return bonds, which are based on real yields, are converted through a conversion factor. The resulting nominal effective duration typically can range from 20% and 90% of the respective real effective duration. All security holdings will be measured in nominal effective duration terms. Similarly, the effective duration of the Bloomberg Barclays U.S. Inflation Linked Bonds 1-5 Years Index will be calculated using the same conversion factors. The effective duration of this Fund normally varies within two years (plus or minus) of the effective duration of the securities comprising the Bloomberg Barclays U.S. Inflation Linked Bonds 1-5 Years Index, as calculated by PIMCO, which as of [ ], was [ ] years. The Fund's effective duration may not be negative.

The Fund invests primarily in investment grade securities, but may invest up to 10% of its total assets in high yield securities ("junk bonds") rated B or higher by Moody's Investors Service, Inc. ("Moody's"), or equivalently rated by Standard & Poor's Ratings Services ("S&P") or Fitch, Inc. ("Fitch"), or, if unrated, determined by PIMCO to be of comparable quality (except that within such 10% limitation, the Fund may invest in mortgage-related securities rated below B).

The Fund also may invest up to 30% of its total assets in securities denominated in foreign currencies, and may invest beyond this limit in U.S. dollar denominated securities of foreign issuers. The Fund may invest up to 10% of its total assets in securities and instruments that are economically tied to emerging market countries (this limitation does not apply to investment grade sovereign debt denominated in the local currency with less than 1 year remaining to maturity, which means the Fund may invest, together with any other investments denominated in foreign currencies, up to 30% of its total assets in such instruments). The Fund will normally limit its foreign currency exposure (from non-U.S. dollar-denominated securities or currencies) to 20% of its total assets.

The Fund may invest, without limitation, in derivative instruments, such as options, futures contracts or swap agreements, or in mortgage- or asset-backed securities, subject to applicable law and any other restrictions described in the Fund's prospectus or Statement of Additional Information. The Fund may purchase or sell securities on a when-issued, delayed delivery or forward commitment basis and may engage in short sales. The Fund may, without limitation, seek to obtain market exposure to the securities in which it primarily invests by entering into a series of purchase and sale contracts or by using other investment techniques (such as buy backs or dollar rolls). The Fund may also invest up to 10% of its total assets in preferred securities.

Principal Risks

It is possible to lose money on an investment in the Fund. The principal risks of investing in the Fund, which could adversely affect its net asset value, yield and total return are listed below.

New/Small Fund Risk: the risk that a new or smaller Fund's performance may not represent how the Fund is expected to or may perform in the long term. In addition, new Funds have limited operating histories for investors to evaluate and new and smaller Funds may not attract sufficient assets to achieve investment and trading efficiencies

Interest Rate Risk: the risk that fixed income securities will decline in value because of an increase in interest rates; a fund with a longer average portfolio duration will be more sensitive to changes in interest rates than a fund with a shorter average portfolio duration

Call Risk: the risk that an issuer may exercise its right to redeem a fixed income security earlier than expected (a call). Issuers may call outstanding securities prior to their maturity for a number of reasons (e.g., declining interest rates, changes in credit spreads and improvements in the issuer's credit quality). If an issuer calls a security that the Fund has invested in, the Fund may not recoup the full amount of its initial investment and may be forced to reinvest in lower-yielding securities, securities with greater credit risks or securities with other, less favorable features

Credit Risk: the risk that the Fund could lose money if the issuer or guarantor of a fixed income security, or the counterparty to a derivative contract, is unable or unwilling to meet its financial obligations

High Yield Risk: the risk that high yield securities and unrated securities of similar credit quality (commonly known as "junk bonds") are subject to greater levels of credit, call and liquidity risks. High yield securities are considered primarily speculative with respect to the issuer's continuing ability to make principal and interest payments, and may be more volatile than higher-rated securities of similar maturity

Market Risk: the risk that the value of securities owned by the Fund may go up or down, sometimes rapidly or unpredictably, due to factors affecting securities markets generally or particular industries

Issuer Risk: the risk that the value of a security may decline for a reason directly related to the issuer, such as management performance, financial leverage and reduced demand for the issuer's goods or services

Liquidity Risk: the risk that a particular investment may be difficult to purchase or sell and that the Fund may be unable to sell illiquid securities at an advantageous time or price or achieve its desired level of exposure to a certain sector. Liquidity risk may result from the lack of an active market, reduced number and capacity of traditional market participants to make a market in fixed income securities, and may be magnified in a rising interest rate environment or other circumstances where investor redemptions from fixed income mutual funds may be higher than normal, causing increased supply in the market due to selling activity

Derivatives Risk: the risk of investing in derivative instruments (such as futures, swaps and structured securities), including leverage, liquidity, interest rate, market, credit and management risks, mispricing or valuation complexity. Changes in the value of the derivative may not correlate perfectly with, and may be more sensitive to market events than, the underlying asset, rate or index, and the Fund could lose more than the initial amount invested. The Fund's use of derivatives may result in losses to the Fund, a reduction in the Fund's returns and/or increased volatility. Over-the-counter ("OTC") derivatives are also subject to the risk that a counterparty to the transaction will not fulfill its contractual obligations to the other party, as many of the protections afforded to centrally-cleared derivative transactions might not be available for OTC derivatives. For derivatives traded on an exchange or through a central counterparty, credit risk resides with the Fund's clearing broker, or the clearinghouse itself, rather than with a counterparty in an OTC derivative

 

[ ] | PROSPECTUS

23


 

Table of Contents

PIMCO Real Return Limited Duration Fund

transaction. Changes in regulation relating to a mutual fund's use of derivatives and related instruments could potentially limit or impact the Fund's ability to invest in derivatives, limit the Fund's ability to employ certain strategies that use derivatives and/or adversely affect the value of derivatives and the Fund's performance

Equity Risk: the risk that the value of equity or equity-related securities may decline due to general market conditions which are not specifically related to a particular company or to factors affecting a particular industry or industries. Equity or equity-related securities generally have greater price volatility than fixed income securities

Mortgage-Related and Other Asset-Backed Securities Risk: the risks of investing in mortgage-related and other asset-backed securities, including interest rate risk, extension risk, prepayment risk and credit risk

Foreign (Non-U.S.) Investment Risk: the risk that investing in foreign (non-U.S.) securities may result in the Fund experiencing more rapid and extreme changes in value than a fund that invests exclusively in securities of U.S. companies, due to smaller markets, differing reporting, accounting and auditing standards, increased risk of delayed settlement of portfolio transactions or loss of certificates of portfolio securities, and the risk of unfavorable foreign government actions, including nationalization, expropriation or confiscatory taxation, currency blockage, or political changes or diplomatic developments. Foreign securities may also be less liquid and more difficult to value than securities of U.S. issuers

Emerging Markets Risk: the risk of investing in emerging market securities, primarily increased foreign (non-U.S.) investment risk

Sovereign Debt Risk: the risk that investments in fixed income instruments issued by sovereign entities may decline in value as a result of default or other adverse credit event resulting from an issuer's inability or unwillingness to make principal or interest payments in a timely fashion

Currency Risk: the risk that foreign (non-U.S.) currencies will change in value relative to the U.S. dollar and affect the Fund's investments in foreign (non-U.S.) currencies or in securities that trade in, and receive revenues in, or in derivatives that provide exposure to, foreign (non-U.S.) currencies

Leveraging Risk: the risk that certain transactions of the Fund, such as reverse repurchase agreements, loans of portfolio securities, and the use of when-issued, delayed delivery or forward commitment transactions, or derivative instruments, may give rise to leverage, magnifying gains and losses and causing the Fund to be more volatile than if it had not been leveraged. This means that leverage entails a heightened risk of loss

Management Risk: the risk that the investment techniques and risk analyses applied by PIMCO will not produce the desired results and that legislative, regulatory, or tax restrictions, policies or developments may affect the investment techniques available to PIMCO and the individual portfolio managers in connection with managing the Fund. There is no guarantee that the investment objective of the Fund will be achieved

Short Exposure Risk: the risk of entering into short sales, including the potential loss of more money than the actual cost of the investment, and the risk that the third party to the short sale will not fulfill its contractual obligations, causing a loss to the Fund

Please see "Description of Principal Risks" in the Fund's prospectus for a more detailed description of the risks of investing in the Fund. An investment in the Fund is not a deposit of a bank and is not insured or guaranteed by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation or any other government agency.

Performance Information

The performance information shows summary performance information for the Fund in a bar chart and an Average Annual Total Returns table. The information provides some indication of the risks of investing in the Fund by showing changes in its performance from year to year and by showing how the Fund's average annual returns compare with the returns of a broad-based securities market index and an index of similar funds. Absent any applicable fee waivers and/or expense limitations, performance would have been lower. The bar chart shows performance of the Fund's Institutional Class shares. The Administrative Class, Class A and Class C shares of the Fund have not commenced operations as of the date of this prospectus. Performance for Class A and Class C shares in the Average Annual Total Returns table reflects the impact of sales charges. The Fund's past performance, before and after taxes, is not necessarily an indication of how the Fund will perform in the future.

The Bloomberg Barclays U.S. TIPS: 1-5 Year Index is an unmanaged market index comprised of U.S. Treasury Inflation-Protected Securities having a maturity of at least 1 year and less than 5 years. It is not possible to invest directly in an unmanaged index. The Lipper Short Investment Grade Debt Funds Average is a total return performance average of funds tracked by Lipper, Inc. that invest at least 65% of their assets in investment-grade debt issues (rated in the top four grades) with dollar-weighted average maturities of less than three years.

Performance for the Fund is updated daily and quarterly and may be obtained as follows: daily updates on the net asset value and performance page at http://investments.pimco.com/DailyPerformance and quarterly updates at http://investments.pimco.com/QuarterlyPerformance.

Calendar Year Total Returns — Institutional Class*

 

[To be updated by subsequent amendment]



*The year-to-date return as of June 30, 2018 is [ ]%. For the periods shown in the bar chart, the highest quarterly return was [ ]% in the [ ], and the lowest quarterly return was [ ]% in the [ ].

 

24     

PROSPECTUS | PIMCO FUNDS     


 

Table of Contents

Prospectus

Average Annual Total Returns (for periods ended 12/31/17)

 

1 Year

Since Inception (06/30/2015)

Institutional Class Return Before Taxes

[ ]

[ ]

Institutional Class Return After Taxes on Distributions‌(1)

[ ]

[ ]

Institutional Class Return After Taxes on Distributions and Sales of Fund Shares‌(1)

[ ]

[ ]

I-2 Return Before Taxes

[ ]

[ ]

Bloomberg Barclays U.S. TIPS: 1-5 Year Index (reflects no deductions for fees, expenses or taxes)

[ ]

[ ]

 

Lipper Short Investment Grade Debt Funds Average (reflects no deductions for taxes)

[ ]

[ ]

(1) After-tax returns are calculated using the highest historical individual federal marginal income tax rates and do not reflect the impact of state and local taxes. Actual after-tax returns depend on an investor's tax situation and may differ from those shown, and the after-tax returns shown are not relevant to investors who hold their Fund shares through tax-deferred arrangements, such as 401(k) plans or individual retirement accounts. In some cases the return after taxes may exceed the return before taxes due to an assumed tax benefit from any losses on a sale of Fund shares at the end of the measurement period. After-tax returns are for Institutional Class shares only. After-tax returns for other classes will vary.

Investment Adviser/Portfolio Managers

PIMCO serves as the investment adviser for the Fund. The Fund's portfolio is jointly managed by Mihir Worah and Jeremie Banet. Mr. Worah is CIO Real Return and Asset Allocation and Managing Director of PIMCO. Mr. Banet is an Executive Vice President of PIMCO. Messrs. Worah and Banet have jointly managed the Fund since its inception in June 2015.

Other Important Information Regarding Fund Shares

For important information about purchase and sale of Fund shares, tax information, and payments to broker-dealers and other financial intermediaries, please turn to the "Summary of Other Important Information Regarding Fund Shares" section on page [ ] of this prospectus.

 

[ ] | PROSPECTUS

25


 

Table of Contents

PIMCO RealEstateRealReturn Strategy Fund

Investment Objective

The Fund seeks maximum real return, consistent with prudent investment management.

Fees and Expenses of the Fund

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 $100,000 in Class A shares of eligible funds offered by PIMCO Equity Series and PIMCO Funds. More information about these and other discounts is available in the "Classes of Shares" section on page [ ] of the Fund's prospectus, Appendix B to the Fund's prospectus (Financial Firm-Specific Sales Charge Waivers and Discounts) or from your financial advisor.

Shareholder Fees (fees paid directly from your investment):

 

Inst
Class

I-2

I-3

Admin
Class

Class A

Class C

Maximum Sales Charge (Load) Imposed on Purchases (as a percentage of offering price)

None

None

None

None

5.50%

None

Maximum Deferred Sales Charge (Load) (as a percentage of the lower of the original purchase price or redemption price)

None

None

None

None

1.00%

1.00%

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

 

Inst
Class

I-2

I-3

Admin
Class

Class A

Class C

Management Fees

0.74%

0.84%

0.94%

0.74%

0.89%

0.89%

Distribution and/or Service (12b-1) Fees

N/A

N/A

N/A

0.25%

0.25%

1.00%

Other Expenses(1)

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

Fee Waiver and/or Expense Reimbursement(2)

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses After Fee Waiver and/or Expense Reimbursement

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

 

1 "Other Expenses" include interest expense of [ ]%. Interest expense is borne by the Fund separately from the management fees paid to Pacific Investment Management Company LLC ("PIMCO"). Excluding interest expense, Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses After Fee Waiver and/or Expense Reimbursement are [ ]%, [ ]%, [ ]%, [ ]%, [ ]% and [ ]% for Institutional Class, I-2, I-3, Administrative Class, Class A and Class C shares, respectively.

2 PIMCO has contractually agreed, through July 31, 2019, to reduce its supervisory and administrative fee for the Fund's I-3 shares by 0.05% of the average daily net assets attributable to I-3 shares of the Fund. This Fee Waiver Agreement renews annually unless terminated by PIMCO upon at least 30 days' prior notice to the end of the contract term.

Example. The Example is intended to help you compare the cost of investing in Institutional Class, I-2, I-3, Administrative Class, Class A or Class C shares of the Fund with the costs of investing in other mutual funds. The Example assumes that you invest $10,000 in the noted class of shares for the time periods indicated, and then redeem all 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. Investors may pay brokerage commissions on their purchases and sales of Institutional Class, I-2 or I-3 shares of the Fund, which are not reflected in the Example. Although your actual costs may be higher or lower, based on these assumptions your costs would be:

If you redeem your shares at the end of each period:

 

1 Year

3 Years

5 Years

10 Years

Institutional Class

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

I-2

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

I-3

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

Administrative Class

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

Class A

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

Class C

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

If you do not redeem your shares:

 

1 Year

3 Years

5 Years

10 Years

Class A

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

Class C

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

Portfolio Turnover

The Fund pays transaction costs 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 the Annual Fund Operating Expenses or in the Example tables, affect the Fund's performance. During the most recent fiscal year, the Fund's portfolio turnover rate was [ ]% of the average value of its portfolio.

Principal Investment Strategies

The Fund seeks to achieve its investment objective by investing under normal circumstances in real estate-linked derivative instruments backed by a portfolio of inflation-indexed securities and other Fixed Income Instruments. "Fixed Income Instruments" include bonds, debt securities and other similar instruments issued by various U.S. and non-U.S. public- or private-sector entities. The Fund may invest in real estate-linked derivative instruments, including swap agreements, options, futures, options on futures and structured notes. The value of real estate-linked derivative instruments may be affected by risks similar to those associated with direct ownership of real estate. Real estate values can fluctuate due to losses from casualty or condemnation, and changes in local and general economic conditions, supply and demand, interest rates, property tax rates, regulatory limitations on rents, zoning laws and operating expenses. The Fund may also invest directly in real estate investment trusts ("REIT") and in common and preferred securities as well as convertible securities of issuers in real estate-related industries.

The Fund typically will seek to gain exposure to the real estate market by investing in REIT total return swap agreements. In a typical REIT swap agreement, the Fund will receive the price appreciation (or depreciation) of a REIT index or portion of an index, from the counterparty to the swap agreement in exchange for paying the counterparty an agreed-upon fee. Investments in REIT swap agreements may be susceptible to additional risks, similar to those associated with direct investment in REITs, including changes in the value of underlying properties, defaults by borrowers or

 



PIMCO FUNDS | PROSPECTUS

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Prospectus

tenants, revisions to the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended (the "Code"), changes in interest rates and poor performance by those managing the REITs. Assets not invested in real estate-linked derivative instruments may be invested in inflation-indexed securities and other Fixed Income Instruments, including derivative Fixed Income Instruments. In addition, Index derivatives may be purchased with a fraction of the assets that would be needed to purchase the securities directly, so that the remainder of the assets may be invested in Fixed Income Instruments.

The average portfolio duration of the fixed income portion of this Fund will vary based on PIMCO's market forecasts and under normal market conditions is not expected to exceed ten years. Duration is a measure used to determine the sensitivity of a security's price to changes in interest rates. The longer a security's duration, the more sensitive it will be to changes in interest rates. The Fund may invest up to 10% of its total assets in high yield securities ("junk bonds"), as rated by Moody's Investors Service, Inc. ("Moody's"), Standard & Poor's Ratings Services ("S&P") or Fitch, Inc. ("Fitch"), or, if unrated, as determined by PIMCO. The Fund may invest up to 30% of its total assets in securities denominated in foreign currencies and may invest beyond this limit in U.S. dollar denominated securities of foreign issuers. The Fund may invest up to 10% of its total assets in securities and instruments that are economically tied to emerging market countries (this limitation does not apply to investment grade sovereign debt denominated in the local currency with less than 1 year remaining to maturity, which means the Fund may invest, together with any other investments denominated in foreign currencies, up to 30% of its total assets in such instruments).

The Fund will normally limit its foreign currency exposure (from non-U.S. dollar-denominated securities or currencies) to 20% of its total assets. The Fund may, without limitation, seek to obtain market exposure to the securities in which it primarily invests by entering into a series of purchase and sale contracts or by using other investment techniques (such as buybacks or dollar rolls). The Fund may also invest up to 10% of its total assets in preferred securities. The Fund may invest, without limitation, in derivative instruments, such as options, futures contracts or swap agreements, or in mortgage- or asset-backed securities, subject to applicable law and any other restrictions described in the Fund's prospectus or Statement of Additional Information. The Fund may purchase or sell securities on a when-issued, delayed delivery or forward commitment basis and may engage in short sales.

Principal Risks

It is possible to lose money on an investment in the Fund. Under certain conditions, generally in a market where the value of both real estate derivatives and fixed income securities are declining, the Fund may experience substantial losses. The principal risks of investing in the Fund, which could adversely affect its net asset value, yield and total return are:

Interest Rate Risk: the risk that fixed income securities will decline in value because of an increase in interest rates; a fund with a longer average portfolio duration will be more sensitive to changes in interest rates than a fund with a shorter average portfolio duration

Call Risk: the risk that an issuer may exercise its right to redeem a fixed income security earlier than expected (a call). Issuers may call outstanding securities prior to their maturity for a number of reasons (e.g., declining interest rates, changes in credit spreads and improvements in the issuer's credit quality). If an issuer calls a security that the Fund has invested in, the Fund may not recoup the full amount of its initial investment and may be forced to reinvest in lower-yielding securities, securities with greater credit risks or securities with other, less favorable features

Credit Risk: the risk that the Fund could lose money if the issuer or guarantor of a fixed income security, or the counterparty to a derivative contract, is unable or unwilling to meet its financial obligations

High Yield Risk: the risk that high yield securities and unrated securities of similar credit quality (commonly known as "junk bonds") are subject to greater levels of credit, call and liquidity risks. High yield securities are considered primarily speculative with respect to the issuer's continuing ability to make principal and interest payments, and may be more volatile than higher-rated securities of similar maturity

Market Risk: the risk that the value of securities owned by the Fund may go up or down, sometimes rapidly or unpredictably, due to factors affecting securities markets generally or particular industries

Issuer Risk: the risk that the value of a security may decline for a reason directly related to the issuer, such as management performance, financial leverage and reduced demand for the issuer's goods or services

Liquidity Risk: the risk that a particular investment may be difficult to purchase or sell and that the Fund may be unable to sell illiquid securities at an advantageous time or price or achieve its desired level of exposure to a certain sector. Liquidity risk may result from the lack of an active market, reduced number and capacity of traditional market participants to make a market in fixed income securities, and may be magnified in a rising interest rate environment or other circumstances where investor redemptions from fixed income mutual funds may be higher than normal, causing increased supply in the market due to selling activity

Derivatives Risk: the risk of investing in derivative instruments (such as futures, swaps and structured securities), including leverage, liquidity, interest rate, market, credit and management risks, mispricing or valuation complexity. Changes in the value of the derivative may not correlate perfectly with, and may be more sensitive to market events than, the underlying asset, rate or index, and the Fund could lose more than the initial amount invested. The Fund's use of derivatives may result in losses to the Fund, a reduction in the Fund's returns and/or increased volatility. Over-the-counter ("OTC") derivatives are also subject to the risk that a counterparty to the transaction will not fulfill its contractual obligations to the other party, as many of the protections afforded to centrally-cleared derivative transactions might not be available for OTC derivatives. For derivatives traded on an exchange or through a central counterparty, credit risk resides with the Fund's clearing broker, or the clearinghouse itself, rather than with a counterparty in an OTC derivative transaction. Changes in regulation relating to a mutual fund's use of derivatives and related instruments could potentially limit or impact the Fund's ability to invest in derivatives, limit the Fund's ability to employ certain strategies that use derivatives and/or adversely affect the value of derivatives and the Fund's performance

Equity Risk: the risk that the value of equity securities, such as common stocks and preferred securities, may decline due to general market

 

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PIMCO RealEstateRealReturn Strategy Fund

conditions which are not specifically related to a particular company or to factors affecting a particular industry or industries. Equity securities generally have greater price volatility than fixed income securities

Mortgage-Related and Other Asset-Backed Securities Risk: the risks of investing in mortgage-related and other asset-backed securities, including interest rate risk, extension risk, prepayment risk and credit risk

Foreign (Non-U.S.) Investment Risk: the risk that investing in foreign (non-U.S.) securities may result in the Fund experiencing more rapid and extreme changes in value than a fund that invests exclusively in securities of U.S. companies, due to smaller markets, differing reporting, accounting and auditing standards, increased risk of delayed settlement of portfolio transactions or loss of certificates of portfolio securities, and the risk of unfavorable foreign government actions, including nationalization, expropriation or confiscatory taxation, currency blockage, or political changes or diplomatic developments. Foreign securities may also be less liquid and more difficult to value than securities of U.S. issuers

Real Estate Risk: the risk that the Fund's investments in Real Estate Investment Trusts ("REITs") or real estate-linked derivative instruments will subject the Fund to risks similar to those associated with direct ownership of real estate, including losses from casualty or condemnation, and changes in local and general economic conditions, supply and demand, interest rates, zoning laws, regulatory limitations on rents, property taxes and operating expenses. The Fund's investments in REITs or real estate-linked derivative instruments subject it to management and tax risks. In addition, privately traded REITs subject the Fund to liquidity and valuation risk

Emerging Markets Risk: the risk of investing in emerging market securities, primarily increased foreign (non-U.S.) investment risk

Sovereign Debt Risk: the risk that investments in fixed income instruments issued by sovereign entities may decline in value as a result of default or other adverse credit event resulting from an issuer's inability or unwillingness to make principal or interest payments in a timely fashion

Currency Risk: the risk that foreign (non-U.S.) currencies will change in value relative to the U.S. dollar and affect the Fund's investments in foreign (non-U.S.) currencies or in securities that trade in, and receive revenues in, or in derivatives that provide exposure to, foreign (non-U.S.) currencies

Leveraging Risk: the risk that certain transactions of the Fund, such as reverse repurchase agreements, loans of portfolio securities, and the use of when-issued, delayed delivery or forward commitment transactions, or derivative instruments, may give rise to leverage, magnifying gains and losses and causing the Fund to be more volatile than if it had not been leveraged. This means that leverage entails a heightened risk of loss

Management Risk: the risk that the investment techniques and risk analyses applied by PIMCO will not produce the desired results and that legislative, regulatory, or tax restrictions, policies or developments may affect the investment techniques available to PIMCO and the individual portfolio manager in connection with managing the Fund. There is no guarantee that the investment objective of the Fund will be achieved

Short Exposure Risk: the risk of entering into short sales, including the potential loss of more money than the actual cost of the investment, and the risk that the third party to the short sale will not fulfill its contractual obligations, causing a loss to the Fund

Please see "Description of Principal Risks" in the Fund's prospectus for a more detailed description of the risks of investing in the Fund. An investment in the Fund is not a deposit of a bank and is not insured or guaranteed by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation or any other government agency.

Performance Information

The performance information shows summary performance information for the Fund in a bar chart and an Average Annual Total Returns table. The information provides some indication of the risks of investing in the Fund by showing changes in its performance from year to year and by showing how the Fund's average annual returns compare with the returns of a broad-based securities market index and an index of similar funds. Absent any applicable fee waivers and/or expense limitations, performance would have been lower. The bar chart shows performance of the Fund's Institutional Class shares. For periods prior to the inception date of I-2 shares (April 30, 2008), performance information shown in the table for I-2 is based on the performance of the Fund's Institutional Class shares, adjusted to reflect the actual expenses paid by I-2 shares. The Administrative Class of the Fund has not commenced operations as of the date of this prospectus. Performance in the Average Annual Total Returns table for Class A and Class C shares reflects the impact of sales charges. The I-3 shares of the Fund have not commenced operations as of the date of this prospectus. The Fund's past performance, before and after taxes, is not necessarily an indication of how the Fund will perform in the future.

The Dow Jones U.S. Select Real Estate Investment Trust (REIT) Total Return Index is a subset of the Dow Jones Americas Select Real Estate Securities Index (RESI) and includes only REITs and REIT-like securities. The objective of the index is to measure the performance of publicly traded real estate securities. The indexes are designed to serve as proxies for direct real estate investment, in part by excluding companies whose performance may be driven by factors other than the value of real estate. The Lipper Real Estate Funds Average is a total return performance average of funds tracked by Lipper, Inc. that invests at least 65% of its portfolio in equity securities of domestic and foreign companies engaged in the real estate industry.

Performance for the Fund is updated daily and quarterly and may be obtained as follows: daily updates on the net asset value and performance page at http://investments.pimco.com/DailyPerformance and quarterly updates at http://investments.pimco.com/QuarterlyPerformance.

 

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Table of Contents

Prospectus

Calendar Year Total Returns — Institutional Class*

 

[To be updated by subsequent amendment]



*The year-to-date return as of June 30, 2018 is [ ]%. For the periods shown in the bar chart, the highest quarterly return was [ ]% in the [ ], and the lowest quarterly return was [ ]% in the [ ].

Average Annual Total Returns (for periods ended 12/31/17)

 

1 Year

5 Years

10 Years

Institutional Class Return Before Taxes

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

Institutional Class Return After Taxes on Distributions‌(1)

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

Institutional Class Return After Taxes on Distributions and Sales of Fund Shares‌(1)

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

I-2 Return Before Taxes

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

Class A Return Before Taxes

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

Class C Return Before Taxes

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

Dow Jones U.S. Select REIT Total Return Index (reflects no deductions for fees, expenses or taxes)

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

 

Lipper Real Estate Funds Average (reflects no deductions for taxes)

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

(1) After-tax returns are calculated using the highest historical individual federal marginal income tax rates and do not reflect the impact of state and local taxes. Actual after-tax returns depend on an investor's tax situation and may differ from those shown, and the after-tax returns shown are not relevant to investors who hold their Fund shares through tax-deferred arrangements, such as 401(k) plans or individual retirement accounts. In some cases the return after taxes may exceed the return before taxes due to an assumed tax benefit from any losses on a sale of Fund shares at the end of the measurement period. After-tax returns are for Institutional Class shares only. After-tax returns for other classes will vary.

Investment Adviser/Portfolio Manager

PIMCO serves as the investment adviser for the Fund. The Fund's portfolio is jointly managed by Mihir Worah, Nicholas J. Johnson and Jeremie Banet. Mr. Worah is CIO Real Return and Asset Allocation and Managing Director of PIMCO, and he has managed the Fund since December 2007. Mr. Johnson is a Managing Director of PIMCO. Mr. Banet is an Executive Vice President of PIMCO. Messrs. Johnson and Banet have each managed the Fund since January 2015.

Other Important Information Regarding Fund Shares

For important information about purchase and sale of Fund shares, tax information, and payments to broker-dealers and other financial intermediaries, please turn to the "Summary of Other Important Information Regarding Fund Shares" section on page [ ] of this prospectus.

 

[ ] | PROSPECTUS

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Table of Contents

Summary of Other Important Information Regarding Fund Shares

Purchase and Sale of Fund Shares

Fund shares may be purchased or sold (redeemed) on any business day (normally any day when the New York Stock Exchange is open). Generally, purchase and redemption orders for Fund shares are processed at the net asset value next calculated after an order is received by the Fund.

Institutional Class, I-2, I-3 and Administrative Class

The minimum initial investment for Institutional Class, I-2, I-3 and Administrative Class shares of the Fund is $1 million, except that the minimum initial investment may be modified for certain financial firms that submit orders on behalf of their customers.

You may sell (redeem) all or part of your Institutional Class, I-2, I-3 and Administrative Class shares of the Fund on any business day. If you are the registered owner of the shares on the books of the Fund, depending on the elections made on the Account Application, you may sell by:

Sending a written request by mail to:
PIMCO Funds c/o DST Asset Manager Solutions
330 W. 9th Street, Kansas City, MO 64105 

Calling us at 888.87.PIMCO and a Shareholder Services associate will assist you 

Sending a fax to our Shareholder Services department at 816.421.2861 

Sending an e-mail to piprocess@dstsystems.com

Class A, Class C and Class R

The minimum initial investment for Class A and Class C shares of the Fund is $1,000. The minimum subsequent investment for Class A and Class C shares is $50. The minimum initial investment may be modified for certain financial firms that submit orders on behalf of their customers. Class C shares of each Fund will automatically convert into Class A shares of the same Fund after they have been held for ten years, as described in the "Classes of Shares" section of the Fund's prospectus. You may purchase or sell (redeem) all or part of your Class A and Class C shares through a broker-dealer, or other financial firm, or, if you are the registered owner of the shares on the books of the Fund, by regular mail to PIMCO Funds, P.O. Box 55060, Boston, MA 02205-5060 or overnight mail to PIMCO Funds, c/o DST Asset Manager Solutions, Inc., 30 Dan Road, Canton, MA 02021-2809. The Fund reserves the right to require payment by wire or U.S. Bank check in connection with accounts opened directly with the Fund by Account Application.

There is no minimum initial or minimum subsequent investment in Class R shares because Class R shares may only be purchased through omnibus accounts for specified benefit plans. Specified benefit plans that wish to invest directly by mail should send a check payable to the PIMCO Family of Funds, along with a completed Account Application, by regular mail to PIMCO Funds, P.O. Box 55060, Boston, MA 02205-5060 or overnight mail to PIMCO Funds, c/o DST Asset Manager Solutions, Inc., 30 Dan Road, Canton, MA 02021-2809.

Tax Information

The Fund's distributions are generally taxable to you as ordinary income, capital gains, or a combination of the two, unless you are investing through a tax-deferred arrangement, such as a 401(k) plan or an individual retirement account, in which case distributions may be taxable upon withdrawal.

Payments to Broker-Dealers and Other Financial Firms

If you purchase shares of the Fund through a broker-dealer or other financial firm (such as a bank), the Fund and/or its related companies (including PIMCO) may pay the financial firm for the sale of those shares of the Fund and/or related services. These payments may create a conflict of interest by influencing the broker-dealer or other financial firm and your salesperson to recommend the Fund over another investment. Ask your salesperson or visit your financial firm's Web site for more information.

 

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Prospectus

Description of Principal Risks

The value of your investment in a Fund changes with the values of that Fund's investments. Many factors can affect those values. The factors that are most likely to have a material effect on a particular Fund's portfolio as a whole are called "principal risks." The principal risks of each Fund are identified in the Fund Summaries. The principal risks are described in this section. Each Fund may be subject to additional risks other than those identified and described below because the types of investments made by a Fund can change over time. Securities and investment techniques mentioned in this summary that appear in bold type are described in greater detail under "Characteristics and Risks of Securities and Investment Techniques." That section and "Investment Objectives and Policies" in the Statement of Additional Information (the "SAI") also include more information about the Funds, their investments and the related risks. There is no guarantee that a Fund will be able to achieve its investment objective. It is possible to lose money by investing in a Fund.

Principal Risk

PIMCO
Commodities-
PLUS® Strategy Fund

PIMCO
CommodityReal-
Return Strategy Fund

PIMCO
Inflation Response Multi-Asset Fund

New/Small Fund

x

Allocation

x

Acquired Fund

x

Interest Rate

x

x

x

Call

x

x

x

Credit

x

x

x

High Yield

x

x

x

Distressed Company

x

Market

x

x

x

Issuer

x

x

x

Liquidity

x

x

x

Derivatives

x

x

x

Issuer Non-Diversification

x

Commodity

x

x

x

Equity

x

x

Mortgage-Related and Other Asset-Backed Securities

x

x

x

Foreign (Non-U.S.) Investment

x

x

x

Real Estate

x

Emerging Markets

x

x

x

Sovereign Debt

x

x

x

Currency

x

x

x

Leveraging

x

x

x

Management

x

x

x

Inflation-Indexed Security

Short Exposure

x

x

x

Tax

x

x

x

Subsidiary

x

x

x

Value Investing

x

Arbitrage

x

Convertible Securities

x

Small-Cap and Mid-Cap Company

x

Gold-Related

x

Exchange-Traded Fund

x

 

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PIMCO Funds

 

Principal Risk

PIMCO
Long-Term Return Fund

PIMCO
Real Return Fund

PIMCO Real Return Limited Duration Fund

PIMCO
RealEstate-
RealReturn Strategy Fund

New/Small Fund

x

Allocation

Acquired Fund

Interest Rate

x

x

x

x

Call

x

x

x

x

Credit

x

x

x

x

High Yield

x

x

x

x

Distressed Company

Market

x

x

x

x

Issuer

x

x

x

x

Liquidity

x

x

x

x

Derivatives

x

x

x

x

Issuer Non-Diversification

Commodity

x

Equity

x

x

x

x

Mortgage-Related and Other Asset-Backed Securities

x

x

x

x

Foreign (Non-U.S.) Investment

x

x

x

x

Real Estate

x

Emerging Markets

x

x

x

x

Sovereign Debt

x

x

x

x

Currency

x

x

x

x

Leveraging

x

x

x

x

Management

x

x

x

x

Inflation-Indexed Security

x

Short Exposure

x

x

x

x

Tax

Subsidiary

Value Investing

Arbitrage

Convertible Securities

Small-Cap and Mid-Cap Company

Gold-Related

Exchange-Traded Fund

As the PIMCO Inflation Response Multi-Asset Fund may invest in shares of Acquired Funds including the Underlying PIMCO Funds, the risks of investing in the PIMCO Inflation Response Multi-Asset Fund may be closely related to the risks associated with the Acquired Funds, including Underlying PIMCO Funds, and their investments. However, as the PIMCO Inflation Response Multi-Asset Fund may also invest its assets directly in stocks or bonds of other issuers and in other instruments, such as forwards, options, futures contracts or swap agreements, the Fund may be directly exposed to certain risks described below. As such, unless stated otherwise, any reference in this section only to the "Fund" includes the PIMCO Inflation Response Multi-Asset Fund, Acquired Funds and the Underlying PIMCO Funds.

New/Small Fund Risk

A new or smaller 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 fully 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 a new or smaller Fund were to fail to successfully implement its investment

 

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Prospectus

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.

Allocation Risk

The PIMCO Inflation Response Multi-Asset Fund's investment performance depends upon how its assets are allocated and reallocated according to the Fund's asset allocation targets and ranges. A principal risk of investing in the PIMCO Inflation Response Multi-Asset Fund is that PIMCO will make less than optimal or poor asset allocation decisions. PIMCO attempts to identify investment allocations that will provide consistent, quality performance for the PIMCO Inflation Response Multi-Asset Fund, but there is no guarantee that such allocation techniques will produce the desired results. It is possible that PIMCO will focus on an investment that performs poorly or underperforms other investments under various market conditions. You could lose money on your investment in the PIMCO Inflation Response Multi-Asset Fund as a result of these allocation decisions.

Acquired Fund Risk

Because the PIMCO Inflation Response Multi-Asset Fund may invest its assets in Acquired Funds, the risks associated with investing in the Fund may be closely related to the risks associated with the securities and other investments held by the Acquired Funds. The ability of the PIMCO Inflation Response Multi-Asset Fund to achieve its investment objective may depend upon the ability of the Acquired Funds to achieve their respective investment objectives. There can be no assurance that the investment objective of any Acquired Fund will be achieved.

The PIMCO Inflation Response Multi-Asset Fund's net asset value ("NAV") will fluctuate in response to changes in the NAVs of the Acquired Funds in which it invests. The extent to which the investment performance and risks associated with the PIMCO Inflation Response Multi-Asset Fund correlates to those of a particular Acquired Fund will depend upon the extent to which the Fund's assets are allocated from time to time for investment in the Acquired Fund, which will vary.

Interest Rate Risk

Interest rate risk is the risk that fixed income securities and other instruments in a Fund's portfolio will decline in value because of an increase in interest rates. As nominal interest rates rise, the value of certain fixed income securities held by a Fund is likely to decrease. A nominal interest rate can be described as the sum of a real interest rate and an expected inflation rate. Interest rate changes can be sudden and unpredictable, and the Fund may lose money as a result of movements in interest rates. A Fund may not be able to hedge against changes in interest rates or may choose not to do so for cost or other reasons. In addition, any hedges may not work as intended.

Fixed income securities with longer durations tend to be more sensitive to changes in interest rates, usually making them more volatile than securities with shorter durations. The values of equity and other non-fixed income securities may also decline due to fluctuations in interest rates. Inflation-indexed bonds, including Treasury Inflation-Protected Securities ("TIPS"), decline in value when real interest rates rise. In certain interest rate environments, such as when real interest rates are rising faster than nominal interest rates, inflation-indexed bonds may experience greater losses than other fixed income securities with similar durations.

Variable and floating rate securities generally are less sensitive to interest rate changes but may decline in value if their interest rates do not rise as much, or as quickly, as interest rates in general. Conversely, floating rate securities will not generally increase in value if interest rates decline. Inverse floating rate securities may decrease in value if interest rates increase. Inverse floating rate securities may also exhibit greater price volatility than a fixed rate obligation with similar credit quality. When a Fund holds variable or floating rate securities, a decrease (or, in the case of inverse floating rate securities, an increase) in market interest rates will adversely affect the income received from such securities and the NAV of the Fund's shares.

A wide variety of factors can cause interest rates to rise (e.g., central bank monetary policies, inflation rates, general economic conditions, etc.). This is especially true under current economic conditions because interest rates are near historically low levels. Thus, Funds currently face a heightened level of interest rate risk, especially as the Federal Reserve Board ended its quantitative easing program in October 2014 and has begun, and may continue, to raise interest rates. To the extent the Federal Reserve Board continues to raise interest rates, there is a risk that rates across the financial system may rise.

During periods of very low or negative interest rates, a Fund may be unable to maintain positive returns. Interest rates in the U.S. and many parts of the world, including certain European countries, are at or near historically low levels. Certain European countries have recently experienced negative interest rates on certain fixed income instruments. Very low or negative interest rates may magnify interest rate risk. Changing interest rates, including rates that fall below zero, may have unpredictable effects on markets, may result in heightened market volatility and may detract from Fund performance to the extent a Fund is exposed to such interest rates.

Measures such as average duration may not accurately reflect the true interest rate sensitivity of a Fund. This is especially the case if the Fund consists of securities with widely varying durations. Therefore, if a Fund has an average duration that suggests a certain level of interest rate risk, the Fund may in fact be subject to greater interest rate risk than the average would suggest. This risk is greater to the extent the Fund uses leverage or derivatives in connection with the management of the Fund.

 

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PIMCO Funds

Convexity is an additional measure used to understand a security's or Fund's interest rate sensitivity. Convexity measures the rate of change of duration in response to changes in interest rates. With respect to a security's price, a larger convexity (positive or negative) may imply more dramatic price changes in response to changing interest rates. Convexity may be positive or negative. Negative convexity implies that interest rate increases result in increased duration, meaning increased sensitivity in prices in response to rising interest rates. Thus, securities with negative convexity, which may include bonds with traditional call features and certain mortgage-backed securities, may experience greater losses in periods of rising interest rates. Accordingly, if a Fund holds such securities, the Fund may be subject to a greater risk of losses in periods of rising interest rates.

Call Risk

Call risk refers to the possibility that an issuer may exercise its right to redeem a fixed income security earlier than expected (a call). Issuers may call outstanding securities prior to their maturity for a number of reasons (e.g., declining interest rates, changes in credit spreads and improvements in the issuer's credit quality). If an issuer calls a security in which a Fund has invested, the Fund may not recoup the full amount of its initial investment and may be forced to reinvest in lower-yielding securities, securities with greater credit risks or securities with other, less favorable features.

Credit Risk

A Fund could lose money if the issuer or guarantor of a fixed income security (including a security purchased with securities lending collateral), or the counterparty to a derivatives contract, repurchase agreement or a loan of portfolio securities, is unable or unwilling, or is perceived (whether by market participants, rating agencies, pricing services or otherwise) as unable or unwilling, to make timely principal and/or interest payments, or to otherwise honor its obligations. The downgrade of the credit of a security held by a Fund may decrease its value. Securities are subject to varying degrees of credit risk, which are often reflected in credit ratings. Measures such as average credit quality may not accurately reflect the true credit risk of a Fund. This is especially the case if the Fund consists of securities with widely varying credit ratings. Therefore, if a Fund has an average credit rating that suggests a certain credit quality, the Fund may in fact be subject to greater credit risk than the average would suggest. This risk is greater to the extent the Fund uses leverage or derivatives in connection with the management of the Fund. Municipal bonds are subject to the risk that litigation, legislation or other political events, local business or economic conditions, or the bankruptcy of the issuer could have a significant effect on an issuer's ability to make payments of principal and/or interest.

High Yield Risk

Funds that invest in high yield securities and unrated securities of similar credit quality (commonly known as "high yield securities" or "junk bonds") may be subject to greater levels of credit risk, call risk and liquidity risk than funds that do not invest in such securities. These securities are considered predominantly speculative with respect to an issuer's continuing ability to make principal and interest payments, and may be more volatile than other types of securities. An economic downturn or individual corporate developments could adversely affect the market for these securities and reduce a Fund's ability to sell these securities at an advantageous time or price. An economic downturn would generally lead to a higher non-payment rate and, a high yield security may lose significant market value before a default occurs. High yield securities structured as zero-coupon bonds or pay-in-kind securities tend to be especially volatile as they are particularly sensitive to downward pricing pressures from rising interest rates or widening spreads and may require a Fund to make taxable distributions of imputed income without receiving the actual cash currency. Issuers of high yield securities may have the right to "call" or redeem the issue prior to maturity, which may result in a Fund having to reinvest the proceeds in other high yield securities or similar instruments that may pay lower interest rates. A Fund may also be subject to greater levels of liquidity risk than funds that do not invest in high yield securities. In addition, the high yield securities in which a Fund invests may not be listed on any exchange and a secondary market for such securities may be comparatively illiquid relative to markets for other more liquid fixed income securities. Consequently, transactions in high yield securities may involve greater costs than transactions in more actively traded securities. A lack of publicly-available information, irregular trading activity and wide bid/ask spreads among other factors, may, in certain circumstances, make high yield debt more difficult to sell at an advantageous time or price than other types of securities or instruments. These factors may result in a Fund being unable to realize full value for these securities and/or may result in a Fund not receiving the proceeds from a sale of a high yield security for an extended period after such sale, each of which could result in losses to a Fund. Because of the risks involved in investing in high yield securities, an investment in a Fund that invests in such securities should be considered speculative.

Distressed Company Risk

An Underlying PIMCO Fund that invests in securities of distressed companies may be subject to greater levels of credit, issuer and liquidity risk than a fund that does not invest in such securities. Securities of distressed companies include both debt and equity securities. Debt securities of distressed companies are considered predominantly speculative with respect to the issuers' continuing ability to make principal and interest payments. Issuers of distressed company securities may also be involved in restructurings or bankruptcy proceedings that may not be successful. An economic downturn or period of rising interest rates could adversely affect the market for these securities and reduce the Underlying PIMCO Fund's ability to sell these securities (liquidity risk). If the issuer of a debt security is in default with respect to interest or principal payments, the Underlying PIMCO Fund may lose its entire investment.

 

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Market Risk

The market price of securities owned by a Fund may go up or down, sometimes rapidly or unpredictably. Securities may decline in value due to factors affecting securities markets generally or particular industries represented in the securities markets. The value of a security may decline due to general market conditions which are not specifically related to a particular company, such as real or perceived adverse economic conditions, changes in the general outlook for corporate earnings, changes in interest or currency rates, adverse changes to credit markets or adverse investor sentiment generally. The value of a security may also decline due to factors which affect a particular industry or industries, such as labor shortages or increased production costs and competitive conditions within an industry. During a general downturn in the securities markets, multiple asset classes may decline in value simultaneously. Equity securities generally have greater price volatility than fixed income securities. Credit ratings downgrades may also negatively affect securities held by the Fund. Even when markets perform well, there is no assurance that the investments held by a Fund will increase in value along with the broader market. In addition, market risk includes the risk that geopolitical events will disrupt the economy on a national or global level.  For instance, terrorism, market manipulation, government defaults, government shutdowns, political changes or diplomatic developments and natural/environmental disasters can all negatively impact the securities markets, which could cause the Funds to lose value. Any market disruptions could also prevent a Fund from executing advantageous investment decisions in a timely manner. Funds that have focused their investments in a region enduring geopolitical market disruption will face higher risks of loss. Thus, investors should closely monitor current market conditions to determine whether a specific Fund meets their individual financial needs and tolerance for risk.

Current market conditions may pose heightened risks with respect to Funds that invest in fixed income securities. As discussed more under "Interest Rate Risk," interest rates in the U.S. are near historically low levels. However, continued economic recovery, the end of the Federal Reserve Board's quantitative easing program, and an increased likelihood of a rising interest rate environment increase the risk that interest rates will continue to rise in the near future. Any further interest rate increases in the future could cause the value of any Fund that invests in fixed income securities to decrease. As such, fixed income securities markets may experience heightened levels of interest rate, volatility and liquidity risk. If rising interest rates cause a Fund to lose enough value, the Fund could also face increased shareholder redemptions, which could force the Fund to liquidate investments at disadvantageous times or prices, therefore adversely affecting the Fund and its shareholders.

Exchanges and securities markets may close early, close late or issue trading halts on specific securities, which may result in, among other things, a Fund being unable to buy or sell certain securities or financial instruments at an advantageous time or accurately price its portfolio investments. In addition, a Fund may rely on various third-party sources to calculate its NAV. As a result, a Fund is subject to certain operational risks associated with reliance on service providers and service providers' data sources. In particular, errors or systems failures and other technological issues may adversely impact the Fund's calculations of its NAV, and such NAV calculation issues may result in inaccurately calculated NAVs, delays in NAV calculation and/or the inability to calculate NAVs over extended periods. A Fund may be unable to recover any losses associated with such failures.

Issuer Risk

The value of a security 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 goods or services, as well as the historical and prospective earnings of the issuer and the value of its assets. A change in the financial condition of a single issuer may affect securities markets as a whole.

Liquidity Risk

Liquidity risk exists when particular investments are difficult to purchase or sell. Illiquid securities are securities that cannot be disposed of within seven days in the ordinary course of business at approximately the value at which the Fund has valued the securities. Illiquid securities may become harder to value, especially in changing markets. A Fund's investments in illiquid securities may reduce the returns of the Fund because it may be unable to sell the illiquid securities at an advantageous time or price, which could prevent the Fund from taking advantage of other investment opportunities. Additionally, the market for certain investments may become illiquid under adverse market or economic conditions independent of any specific adverse changes in the conditions of a particular issuer. Bond markets have consistently grown over the past three decades while the capacity for traditional dealer counterparties to engage in fixed income trading has not kept pace and in some cases has decreased. As a result, dealer inventories of corporate bonds, which provide a core indication of the ability of financial intermediaries to "make markets," are at or near historic lows in relation to market size. Because market makers provide stability to a market through their intermediary services, the significant reduction in dealer inventories could potentially lead to decreased liquidity and increased volatility in the fixed income markets. Such issues may be exacerbated during periods of economic uncertainty. 

In such cases, a Fund, due to limitations on investments in illiquid securities and the difficulty in purchasing and selling such securities or instruments, may be unable to achieve its desired level of exposure to a certain sector. To the extent that a Fund's principal investment strategies involve securities of companies with smaller market capitalizations, foreign (non-U.S.) securities, Rule 144A securities, illiquid sectors of fixed income securities, derivatives or securities with substantial market and/or credit risk, the Fund will tend to have the greatest exposure to liquidity risk. Further, fixed income securities with longer durations until maturity face heightened levels of liquidity risk as compared to fixed income securities with shorter durations until maturity. Finally, liquidity risk also refers to the risk of unusually high redemption requests, redemption requests by certain large shareholders such as institutional investors or asset allocators, or other unusual market conditions that may make it difficult for a Fund to sell investments within the allowable

 

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time period to meet redemptions. Meeting such redemption requests could require a Fund to sell securities at reduced prices or under unfavorable conditions, which would reduce the value of the Fund. It may also be the case that other market participants may be attempting to liquidate fixed income holdings at the same time as a Fund, causing increased supply in the market and contributing to liquidity risk and downward pricing pressure.

Certain accounts or PIMCO affiliates may from time to time own (beneficially or of record) or control a significant percentage of a Fund's shares. Redemptions by these shareholders of their holdings in a Fund may impact the Fund's liquidity and NAV. These redemptions may also force a Fund to sell securities, which may negatively impact the Fund's brokerage costs.

Derivatives Risk

Derivatives are financial contracts whose value depends on, or is derived from, the value of an underlying asset, reference rate or index. The various derivative instruments that the Funds may use are referenced under "Characteristics and Risks of Securities and Investment Techniques—Derivatives" in this prospectus and described in more detail under "Investment Objectives and Policies" in the SAI. The Funds typically use derivatives as a substitute for taking a position in the underlying asset, as part of strategies designed to gain exposure to, for example, issuers, portions of the yield curve, indexes, sectors, currencies, and/or geographic regions, and/or to reduce exposure to other risks, such as interest rate, credit, or currency risk. The Funds may also use derivatives for leverage, in which case their use would involve leveraging risk, and in some cases, may subject a Fund to the potential for unlimited loss. The use of derivatives may cause the Fund's investment returns to be impacted by the performance of securities the Fund does not own and result in the Fund's total investment exposure exceeding the value of its portfolio.

A Fund's use of derivative instruments involves risks different from, or possibly greater than, the risks associated with investing directly in securities and other traditional investments. Derivatives are subject to a number of risks described elsewhere in this section, such as liquidity risk (which may be heightened for highly-customized derivatives), interest rate risk, market risk, credit risk and management risk, as well as risks arising from changes in applicable requirements. They also involve the risk of mispricing or improper valuation and the risk that changes in the value of the derivative instrument may not correlate perfectly with the underlying asset, rate or index. In this regard, many of the Funds offered in this prospectus may seek to achieve their investment objectives, in part, by investing in derivatives positions that are designed to closely track the performance of an index on a daily basis. However, the overall investment strategies of these Funds are generally not designed or expected to produce returns which replicate the performance of the particular index, and the degree of variation could be substantial, particularly over longer periods. There are a number of factors which may prevent a mutual fund, or the derivatives or other strategies used by a fund, from achieving desired correlation with an index, such as the impact of fees, expenses and transaction costs, the timing of pricing, and disruptions or illiquidity in the markets for derivative instruments or securities in which a Fund invests. For the PIMCO CommoditiesPLUS® Strategy Fund and PIMCO CommodityRealReturn Strategy Fund®, these factors include the possibility that the Fund's commodity derivatives positions may have different roll dates, reset dates or contract months than those specified in a particular commodity index.

A Fund investing in a derivative instrument could lose more than the initial amount invested and derivatives may increase the volatility of the Fund, especially in unusual or extreme market conditions. Also, suitable derivative transactions may not be available in all circumstances and there can be no assurance that a Fund will engage in these transactions to reduce exposure to other risks when that would be beneficial or that, if used, such strategies will be successful. In addition, a Fund's use of derivatives may increase or accelerate the amount of taxes payable by shareholders. Over-the-counter ("OTC") derivatives are also subject to the risk that a counterparty to the transaction will not fulfill its contractual obligations to the other party, as many of the protections afforded to centrally-cleared derivative transactions might not be available for OTC derivatives. For derivatives traded on an exchange or through a central counterparty, credit risk resides with a Fund's clearing broker, or the clearinghouse itself, rather than with a counterparty in an OTC derivative transaction.

Participation in the markets for derivative instruments involves investment risks and transaction costs to which a Fund may not be subject absent the use of these strategies. The skills needed to successfully execute derivative strategies may be different from those needed for other types of transactions. If the Fund incorrectly forecasts the value and/or creditworthiness of securities, currencies, interest rates, counterparties or other economic factors involved in a derivative transaction, the Fund might have been in a better position if the Fund had not entered into such derivative transaction. In evaluating the risks and contractual obligations associated with particular derivative instruments, it is important to consider that certain derivative transactions may be modified or terminated only by mutual consent of the Fund and its counterparty. Therefore, it may not be possible for a Fund to modify, terminate, or offset the Fund's obligations or the Fund's exposure to the risks associated with a derivative transaction prior to its scheduled termination or maturity date, which may create a possibility of increased volatility and/or decreased liquidity to the Fund. In such case, the Fund may lose money.

Because the markets for certain derivative instruments (including markets located in foreign countries) are relatively new and still developing, appropriate derivative transactions may not be available in all circumstances for risk management or other purposes. Upon the expiration of a particular contract, a Fund may wish to retain a Fund's position in the derivative instrument by entering into a similar contract, but may be unable to do so if the counterparty to the original contract is unwilling to enter into the new contract and no other appropriate counterparty can be found. When such markets are unavailable, a Fund will be subject to increased liquidity and investment risk.

When a derivative is used as a hedge against a position that a Fund holds, any loss generated by the derivative generally should be substantially offset by gains on the hedged investment, and vice versa. Although hedging can reduce or eliminate losses, it can also reduce or eliminate gains. Hedges are

 

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sometimes subject to imperfect matching between the derivative and the underlying instrument, and there can be no assurance that a Fund's hedging transactions will be effective.

The regulation of the derivatives markets has increased over the past several years, and additional future regulation of the derivatives markets may make derivatives more costly, may limit the availability or reduce the liquidity of derivatives, or may otherwise adversely affect the value or performance of derivatives. Any such adverse future developments could impair the effectiveness or raise the costs of a Fund's derivative transactions, impede the employment of the Fund's derivatives strategies, or adversely affect the Fund's performance.

Issuer Non-Diversification Risk

Focusing investments in a small number of issuers increases risk. Funds that are "non-diversified" may invest a greater percentage of their assets in the securities of a single issuer (such as bonds issued by a particular state) than funds that are "diversified." Funds that invest in a relatively small number of issuers are more susceptible to risks associated with a single economic, political or regulatory occurrence than a more diversified portfolio might be. Some of those issuers also may present substantial credit or other risks.

Commodity Risk

A Fund's investments in commodity-linked derivative instruments may subject the Fund to greater volatility than investments in traditional securities. The value of commodity-linked derivative instruments may be affected by changes in overall market movements, commodity index volatility, changes in interest rates, or factors affecting a particular industry or commodity, such as drought, floods, weather, livestock disease, embargoes, tariffs and international economic, political and regulatory developments. The PIMCO CommodityRealReturn Strategy Fund® and its Subsidiary (the "CRRS Subsidiary"), the PIMCO Inflation Response Multi-Asset Fund and its Subsidiary (the "IRMA Subsidiary"), the PIMCO CommoditiesPLUS® Strategy Fund and its Subsidiary (the "CPS Subsidiary"), and together with the CRRS Subsidiary, IRMA Subsidiary and CPS Subsidiary, the "Subsidiaries") each may concentrate its assets in a particular sector of the commodities market (such as oil, metal or agricultural products). As a result, the PIMCO CommodityRealReturn Strategy Fund®, the PIMCO CommoditiesPLUS® Strategy Fund, the PIMCO Inflation Response Multi-Asset Fund, the Subsidiaries and, to the extent the PIMCO Inflation Response Multi-Asset Fund invests in the PIMCO CommodityRealReturn Strategy Fund® and the PIMCO CommoditiesPLUS® Strategy Fund, each an Underlying PIMCO Fund, the PIMCO Inflation Response Multi-Asset Fund may be more susceptible to risks associated with those sectors. The prices for commodities in those sectors may fluctuate widely due to factors such as changes in value, supply and demand and governmental regulatory policies.

Equity Risk

Equity securities represent an ownership interest, or the right to acquire an ownership interest, in an issuer. Equity securities also include, among other things, preferred securities, convertible stocks and warrants. The values of equity securities, such as common stocks and preferred securities, may decline due to general market conditions which are not specifically related to a particular company, such as real or perceived adverse economic conditions, changes in the general outlook for corporate earnings, changes in interest or currency rates or adverse investor sentiment generally. They may also decline due to factors which affect a particular industry or industries, such as labor shortages or increased production costs and competitive conditions within an industry. Equity securities generally have greater price volatility than fixed income securities. These risks are generally magnified in the case of equity investments in distressed companies.

Mortgage-Related and Other Asset-Backed Securities Risk

Mortgage-related and other asset-backed securities represent interests in "pools" of mortgages or other assets such as consumer loans or receivables held in trust and often involve risks that are different from or possibly more acute than risks associated with other types of debt instruments. Generally, rising interest rates tend to extend the duration of fixed rate mortgage-related securities, making them more sensitive to changes in interest rates. As a result, in a period of rising interest rates, if a Fund holds mortgage-related securities, it may exhibit additional volatility since individual mortgage holders are less likely to exercise prepayment options, thereby putting additional downward pressure on the value of these securities and potentially causing the Fund to lose money. This is known as extension risk. Mortgage-backed securities can be highly sensitive to rising interest rates, such that even small movements can cause an investing Fund to lose value. Mortgage-backed securities, and in particular those not backed by a government guarantee, are subject to credit risk. In addition, adjustable and fixed rate mortgage-related securities are subject to prepayment risk. When interest rates decline, borrowers may pay off their mortgages sooner than expected. This can reduce the returns of a Fund because the Fund may have to reinvest that money at the lower prevailing interest rates. A Fund's investments in other asset-backed securities are subject to risks similar to those associated with mortgage-related securities, as well as additional risks associated with the nature of the assets and the servicing of those assets. Payment of principal and interest on asset-backed securities may be largely dependent upon the cash flows generated by the assets backing the securities, and asset-backed securities may not have the benefit of any security interest in the related assets.

 

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Foreign (Non-U.S.) Investment Risk

Certain Funds may invest in foreign (non-U.S.) securities and may experience more rapid and extreme changes in value than a Fund that invests exclusively in securities of U.S. companies. The securities markets of many foreign countries are relatively small, with a limited number of companies representing a small number of industries. Additionally, issuers of foreign (non-U.S.) securities are usually not subject to the same degree of regulation as U.S. issuers. Reporting, accounting and auditing standards of foreign countries differ, in some cases significantly, from U.S. standards. Global economies and financial markets are becoming increasingly interconnected, and conditions and events in one country, region or financial market may adversely impact issuers in a different country, region or financial market. Also, nationalization, expropriation or confiscatory taxation, currency blockage, political changes or diplomatic developments could adversely affect a Fund's investments in a foreign country. In the event of nationalization, expropriation or other confiscation, a Fund could lose its entire investment in foreign (non-U.S.) securities. Adverse conditions in a certain region can adversely affect securities of other countries whose economies appear to be unrelated. To the extent that a Fund invests a significant portion of its assets in a specific geographic region, the Fund will generally have more exposure to regional economic risks associated with foreign (non-U.S.) investments. Foreign (non-U.S.) securities may also be less liquid and more difficult to value than securities of U.S. issuers.

Real Estate Risk

Investments in real estate investment trusts ("REITs") or real-estate linked derivative instruments are subject to risks similar to those associated with direct ownership of real estate, including losses from casualty or condemnation, and changes in local and general economic conditions, supply and demand, interest rates, zoning laws, regulatory limitations on rents, property taxes and operating expenses. An investment in a REIT or a real estate-linked derivative instrument that is linked to the value of a REIT is subject to additional risks, such as poor performance by the manager of the REIT, adverse changes to the tax laws or failure by the REIT to qualify for tax-free pass-through of income under the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 as amended (the "Code"). In addition, some REITs have limited diversification because they invest in a limited number of properties, a narrow geographic area, or a single type of property. Also, the organizational documents of a REIT may contain provisions that make changes in control of the REIT difficult and time-consuming. Finally, private REITs are not traded on a national securities exchange. As such, these products are generally illiquid. This reduces the ability of a Fund to redeem its investment early. Private REITs are also generally harder to value and may bear higher fees than public REITs.

Emerging Markets Risk

Foreign (non-U.S.) investment risk may be particularly high to the extent a Fund invests in emerging market securities. Emerging market securities may present market, credit, currency, liquidity, legal, political and other risks different from, and potentially greater than, the risks of investing in securities and instruments economically tied to developed foreign countries. To the extent a Fund invests in emerging market securities that are economically tied to a particular region, country or group of countries, the Fund may be more sensitive to adverse political or social events affecting that region, country or group of countries. Economic, business, political, or social instability may affect emerging market securities differently, and often more severely, than developed market securities. A Fund that focuses its investments in multiple asset classes of emerging market securities may have a limited ability to mitigate losses in an environment that is adverse to emerging market securities in general. Emerging market securities may also be more volatile, less liquid and more difficult to value than securities economically tied to developed foreign countries. The systems and procedures for trading and settlement of securities in emerging markets are less developed and less transparent and transactions may take longer to settle. Rising interest rates, combined with widening credit spreads, could negatively impact the value of emerging market debt and increase funding costs for foreign issuers. In such a scenario, foreign issuers might not be able to service their debt obligations, the market for emerging market debt could suffer from reduced liquidity, and any investing Funds could lose money.

Sovereign Debt Risk

Sovereign debt risk is the risk that fixed income instruments issued by sovereign entities may decline in value as a result of default or other adverse credit event resulting from an issuer's inability or unwillingness to make principal or interest payments in a timely fashion. A sovereign entity's failure to make timely payments on its debt can result from many factors, including, without limitation, insufficient foreign currency reserves or an inability to sufficiently manage fluctuations in relative currency valuations, an inability or unwillingness to satisfy the demands of creditors and/or relevant supranational entities regarding debt service or economic reforms, the size of the debt burden relative to economic output and tax revenues, cash flow difficulties, and other political and social considerations. The risk of loss to the Fund in the event of a sovereign debt default or other adverse credit event is heightened by the unlikelihood of any formal recourse or means to enforce its rights as a holder of the sovereign debt. In addition, sovereign debt restructurings, which may be shaped by entities and factors beyond the Fund's control, may result in a loss in value of the Fund's sovereign debt holdings.

Currency Risk

If a Fund invests directly in foreign (non-U.S.) currencies or in securities that trade in, and receive revenues in, foreign (non-U.S.) currencies, or in derivatives that provide exposure to foreign (non-U.S.) currencies, it will be subject to the risk that those currencies will decline in value relative to the U.S. dollar, or, in the case of hedging positions, that the U.S. dollar will decline in value relative to the currency being hedged.

 

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Currency rates in foreign (non-U.S.) countries may fluctuate significantly over short periods of time for a number of reasons, including changes in interest rates, intervention (or the failure to intervene) by U.S. or foreign (non-U.S.) governments, central banks or supranational entities such as the International Monetary Fund, or by the imposition of currency controls or other political developments in the United States or abroad. As a result, a Fund's investments in foreign currency-denominated securities may reduce the returns of the Fund.

Currency risk may be particularly high to the extent that a Fund invests in foreign (non-U.S.) currencies or engages in foreign currency transactions that are economically tied to emerging market countries. These currency transactions may present market, credit, currency, liquidity, legal, political and other risks different from, or greater than, the risks of investing in developed foreign (non-U.S.) currencies or engaging in foreign currency transactions that are economically tied to developed foreign countries.

Leveraging Risk

Certain transactions may give rise to a form of leverage. Such transactions may include, among others, reverse repurchase agreements, loans of portfolio securities, and the use of when-issued, delayed delivery or forward commitment transactions. The use of derivatives may also create leveraging risk. In accordance with federal securities laws, rules, and staff positions, PIMCO will mitigate its leveraging risk by segregating or "earmarking" liquid assets or otherwise covering transactions that may give rise to such risk. Each Subsidiary (as described under "Characteristics and Risks of Securities and Investment Techniques—Investments in the Wholly-Owned Subsidiary") will comply with these asset segregation or "earmarking" requirements to the same extent as the PIMCO CommodityRealReturn Strategy Fund® or PIMCO CommoditiesPLUS® Strategy Fund, Underlying PIMCO Funds, respectively. The Funds also may be exposed to leveraging risk by borrowing money for investment purposes. Leveraging may cause a Fund to liquidate portfolio positions to satisfy its obligations or to meet segregation requirements when it may not be advantageous to do so. Leveraging, including borrowing, may cause a Fund to be more volatile than if the Fund had not been leveraged. This is because leveraging tends to exaggerate the effect of any increase or decrease in the value of the Fund's portfolio securities (or the Acquired Funds, in the case of the PIMCO Inflation Response Multi-Asset Fund). Certain types of leveraging transactions, such as short sales that are not "against the box," could theoretically be subject to unlimited losses in cases where the Fund, for any reason, is unable to close out the transaction. In addition, to the extent the Fund borrows money, interest costs on such borrowings may not be recovered by any appreciation of the securities purchased with the borrowed amounts and could exceed the Fund's investment returns, resulting in greater losses. Moreover, to make payments of interest and other loan costs, a Fund may be forced to sell portfolio securities when it is not otherwise advantageous to do so.

Management Risk

The Funds, the Subsidiaries and certain Acquired Funds are subject to management risk because they are actively managed investment portfolios. PIMCO and each individual portfolio manager will apply investment techniques and risk analysis in making investment decisions for the Funds, the Subsidiaries and Acquired Funds, as applicable, but there can be no guarantee that these decisions will produce the desired results. Certain securities or other instruments in which a Fund seeks to invest may not be available in the quantities desired. In addition, regulatory restrictions, actual or potential conflicts of interest or other considerations may cause PIMCO to restrict or prohibit participation in certain investments. In such circumstances, PIMCO or the individual portfolio managers may determine to purchase other securities or instruments as substitutes. Such substitute securities or instruments may not perform as intended, which could result in losses to the Fund. To the extent a Fund employs strategies targeting perceived pricing inefficiencies, arbitrage strategies or similar strategies, it is subject to the risk that the pricing or valuation of the securities and instruments involved in such strategies may change unexpectedly, which may result in reduced returns or losses to the Fund. Additionally, legislative, regulatory, or tax restrictions, policies or developments may affect the investment techniques available to PIMCO and each individual portfolio manager in connection with managing the Funds and may also adversely affect the ability of the Funds to achieve their investment objectives. There also can be no assurance that all of the personnel of PIMCO will continue to be associated with PIMCO for any length of time. The loss of the services of one or more key employees of PIMCO could have an adverse impact on the Fund's ability to realize its investment objective. Because a number of Underlying PIMCO Funds obtain exposure to certain proprietary model stock portfolios by investing in equity total return swaps based on such model portfolios, in other securities and instruments to replicate the performance of such model portfolios, or directly in the equity securities held in such model portfolios, such Underlying PIMCO Funds will be subject to the risks associated with the management of these proprietary model stock portfolios by the sub-adviser to such Underlying PIMCO Funds.

Inflation-Indexed Security Risk

Inflation-indexed debt securities are subject to the effects of changes in market interest rates caused by factors other than inflation (real interest rates). In general, the value of an inflation-indexed security, including TIPS, tends to decrease when real interest rates increase and can increase when real interest rates decrease. Thus generally, during periods of rising inflation, the value of inflation-indexed securities will tend to increase and during periods of deflation, their value will tend to decrease. Interest payments on inflation-indexed securities are unpredictable and will fluctuate as the principal and interest are adjusted for inflation. There can be no assurance that the inflation index used (i.e., the CPI) will accurately measure the real rate of inflation in the prices of goods and services. Increases in the principal value of TIPS due to inflation are considered taxable ordinary income for the amount of the increase in the calendar year. Any increase in the principal amount of an inflation-indexed debt security will be considered taxable ordinary income, even though the Fund will not receive the principal until maturity. Additionally, a CPI swap can potentially lose value if the realized rate of inflation over the life of the swap is less

 

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than the fixed market implied inflation rate (fixed breakeven rate) that the investor agrees to pay at the initiation of the swap. With municipal inflation-indexed securities, the inflation adjustment is integrated into the coupon payment, which is federally tax exempt (and may be state tax exempt). For municipal inflation-indexed securities, there is no adjustment to the principal value. Because municipal inflation-indexed securities are a small component of the municipal bond market, they may be less liquid than conventional municipal bonds.

Short Exposure Risk

A Fund's short sales, if any, are subject to special risks. A short sale involves the sale by the Fund of a security that it does not own with the hope of purchasing the same security at a later date at a lower price. A Fund may also enter into a short position through a forward commitment or a short derivative position through a futures contract or swap agreement. If the price of the security or derivative has increased during this time, then the Fund will incur a loss equal to the increase in price from the time that the short sale was entered into plus any transaction costs (i.e., premiums and interest) paid to the broker-dealer to borrow securities. Therefore, short sales involve the risk that losses may be exaggerated, potentially losing more money than the actual cost of the investment. By contrast, a loss on a long position arises from decreases in the value of the security and is limited by the fact that a security's value cannot decrease below zero.

By investing the proceeds received from selling securities short, a Fund could be deemed to be employing a form of leverage, which creates special risks. The use of leverage may increase a Fund's exposure to long security positions and make any change in the Fund's NAV greater than it would be without the use of leverage. This could result in increased volatility of returns. There is no guarantee that any leveraging strategy a Fund employs will be successful during any period in which it is employed.

In times of unusual or adverse market, economic, regulatory or political conditions, a Fund may not be able, fully or partially, to implement its short selling strategy. Periods of unusual or adverse market, economic, regulatory or political conditions generally may exist for as long as six months and, in some cases, much longer. Also, there is the risk that the third party to the short sale will not fulfill its contractual obligations, causing a loss to the Fund.

Tax Risk

The PIMCO CommodityRealReturn Strategy Fund®, PIMCO CommoditiesPLUS® Strategy Fund and the PIMCO Inflation Response Multi-Asset Fund gain exposure to the commodities markets through investments in commodity-linked derivative instruments, including commodity index-linked notes, swap agreements, commodity options, futures, and options on futures. Each Fund may also gain exposure indirectly to commodity markets by investing in its respective Subsidiary, which invests primarily in commodity-linked derivative instruments backed by a portfolio of inflation-indexed securities and/or other Fixed Income Instruments. In order for the PIMCO CommodityRealReturn Strategy Fund®, PIMCO CommoditiesPLUS® Strategy Fund and PIMCO Inflation Response Multi-Asset Fund to qualify as a regulated investment company under Subchapter M of the Code, each Fund must derive at least 90 percent of its gross income each taxable year from certain qualifying sources of income.

As more fully described below under "Tax Consequences—A Note on the PIMCO CommodityRealReturn Strategy Fund®, PIMCO CommoditiesPLUS® Strategy Fund and PIMCO Inflation Response Multi-Asset Fund" the Internal Revenue Service (the "IRS") issued a revenue ruling which holds that income derived from commodity-linked swaps is not qualifying income under Subchapter M of the Code. However, the IRS has issued private letter rulings in which the IRS specifically concluded that income from certain commodity index-linked notes is qualifying income (collectively, the "Notes Rulings"). In addition, the IRS has also issued private letter rulings in which the IRS specifically concluded that income derived from an investment in a subsidiary will also constitute qualifying income. The IRS recently issued proposed regulations that, if finalized, would generally treat a fund's income inclusion with respect to a subsidiary as qualifying income only if there is a distribution out of the earnings and profits of a subsidiary that are attributable to such income inclusion. The proposed regulations, if adopted, would apply to taxable years beginning on or after 90 days after the regulations are published as final. The IRS also recently issued a revenue procedure, which states that the IRS will not in the future issue private letter rulings that would require a determination of whether an asset (such as a commodity index-linked note) is a "security" under the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended (the "1940 Act"). In connection with issuing such revenue procedure, the IRS has revoked the Note Rulings.

The PIMCO CommodityRealReturn Strategy Fund®, PIMCO CommoditiesPLUS® Strategy Fund and PIMCO Inflation Response Multi-Asset Fund will seek to gain exposure to the commodity markets primarily through investments in their respective Subsidiaries. If the IRS were to determine that income derived from certain commodity-linked notes or from investments in a Subsidiary does not constitute qualifying income, the PIMCO CommodityRealReturn Strategy Fund®, PIMCO CommoditiesPLUS® Strategy Fund, and PIMCO Inflation Response Multi-Asset Fund might be adversely affected and would be required to reduce their exposure to such investments, which might result in difficulty in implementing their investment strategies and increased costs and taxes. Investment in a Subsidiary involves specific risks. See "Characteristics and Risks of Securities and Investment Techniques—Investments in Wholly-Owned Subsidiary" below for further information regarding the Subsidiaries, including the risks associated with investing in the Subsidiaries.

To the extent the PIMCO Inflation Multi-Asset Fund invests in the PIMCO CommodityRealReturn Strategy Fund® or PIMCO CommoditiesPLUS® Strategy Fund, the use of the above noted investments by the Underlying PIMCO Fund could subject the shareholders of the Fund to risks similar to those described above.

 

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Prospectus

Subsidiary Risk

By investing in each of their respective Subsidiaries, each of the PIMCO CommodityRealReturn Strategy Fund®, PIMCO CommoditiesPLUS® Strategy Fund and PIMCO Inflation Response Multi-Asset Fund is indirectly exposed to the risks associated with the respective Subsidiary's investments. The investments held by the Subsidiaries are generally similar to those that are permitted to be held by the Fund and are subject to the same risks that apply to similar investments if held directly by the respective Fund. These risks are described elsewhere in this prospectus. There can be no assurance that the investment objective of the Funds or the Subsidiaries will be achieved.

The Subsidiaries are not registered under the 1940 Act, and, unless otherwise noted in this prospectus, are not subject to all the investor protections of the 1940 Act. In addition, changes in the laws of the United States and/or the Cayman Islands could result in the inability of the PIMCO CommodityRealReturn Strategy Fund®, PIMCO CommoditiesPLUS® Strategy Fund and PIMCO Inflation Response Multi-Asset Fund and/or the Subsidiaries to operate as described in this prospectus and SAI and could adversely affect the PIMCO CommodityRealReturn Strategy Fund®, PIMCO CommoditiesPLUS® Strategy Fund and PIMCO Inflation Response Multi-Asset Fund and, to the extent the PIMCO Inflation Response Multi-Asset Fund invests in Underlying PIMCO Funds with Subsidiaries, the PIMCO Inflation Response Multi-Asset Fund. Changes in the laws of the United States and/or the Cayman Islands could adversely affect the performance of a Fund and/or a Subsidiary and result in the Fund underperforming its benchmark index(es).

Value Investing Risk

Value investing attempts to identify companies that a portfolio manager believes to be undervalued. Value stocks typically have prices that are low relative to factors such as the company's earnings, cash flow or dividends. A value stock may decrease in price or may not increase in price as anticipated by PIMCO if it continues to be undervalued by the market or the factors that the portfolio manager believes will cause the stock price to increase do not occur. A value investing style may perform better or worse than equity portfolios that focus on growth stocks or that have a broader investment style.

Arbitrage Risk

An Underlying PIMCO Fund that invests in securities purchased pursuant to an arbitrage strategy in order to take advantage of a perceived relationship between the value of two securities presents certain risks. Securities purchased or sold short pursuant to an arbitrage strategy may not perform as intended, which may result in a loss to the Underlying PIMCO Fund. Additionally, issuers of a security purchased pursuant to an arbitrage strategy are often engaged in significant corporate events, such as restructurings, acquisitions, mergers, takeovers, tender offers or exchanges, or liquidations. Such corporate events may not be completed as initially planned or may fail.

Convertible Securities Risk

Convertible securities are fixed income securities, preferred securities or other securities that are convertible into or exercisable for common stock of the issuer (or cash or securities of equivalent value) at either a stated price or a stated rate. The market values of convertible securities may decline as interest rates increase and, conversely, may increase as interest rates decline. A convertible security's market value, however, tends to reflect the market price of the common stock of the issuing company when that stock price approaches or is greater than the convertible security's "conversion price." The conversion price is defined as the predetermined price at which the convertible security could be exchanged for the associated stock. As the market price of the underlying common stock declines, the price of the convertible security tends to be influenced more by the yield of the convertible security. Thus, it may not decline in price to the same extent as the underlying common stock. In the event of a liquidation of the issuing company, holders of convertible securities may be paid before the company's common stockholders but after holders of any senior debt obligations of the company. Consequently, the issuer's convertible securities generally entail less risk than its common stock but more risk than its debt obligations.

Synthetic convertible securities involve the combination of separate securities that possess the two principal characteristics of a traditional convertible security (i.e., an income-producing component and a right to acquire an equity security). Synthetic convertible securities are often achieved, in part, through investments in warrants or options to buy common stock (or options on a stock index), and therefore are subject to the risks associated with derivatives. The value of a synthetic convertible security will respond differently to market fluctuations than a traditional convertible security because a synthetic convertible is composed of two or more separate securities or instruments, each with its own market value. Because the convertible component is typically achieved by investing in warrants or options to buy common stock at a certain exercise price, or options on a stock index, synthetic convertible securities are subject to the risks associated with derivatives. In addition, if the value of the underlying common stock or the level of the index involved in the convertible component falls below the exercise price of the warrant or option, the warrant or option may lose all value.

Small-Cap and Mid-Cap Company Risk

Investments in securities issued by small-capitalization and mid-capitalization companies involve greater risk than investments in large-capitalization companies. The value of securities issued by small- and mid-cap companies may go up or down, sometimes rapidly and unpredictably, due to narrower markets and more limited managerial and financial resources than large-cap companies. The PIMCO Inflation Response Multi-Asset Fund's investments in small- and mid-cap companies may increase the volatility of the Fund's portfolio.

 

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PIMCO Funds

Gold-Related Risk

Investments in instruments tied to the price of gold are considered speculative. A Fund's investments in instruments tied to the price of gold may fluctuate substantially over short periods of time or subject the Fund to greater volatility than other types of investments due to many factors, such as changes in inflation or inflation expectations, the supply of gold, commercial and industrial demand for gold, purchases or sales of gold by entities such as governments or central banks, other actions by governments such as monetary policy changes or restrictions on ownership, investment speculation, or other economic, financial or political factors. Moreover, the majority of gold producers are located in a limited number of countries, and economic, political or other factors affecting one or more major sources of gold may have substantial effects on gold prices. A Fund's gold-related investments will primarily consist of derivative instruments tied to the price of gold, such as options, futures and swaps, or gold-related Acquired Funds, as opposed to direct investments in gold bullion. For a discussion of the risks associated with investments in derivatives and Acquired Funds, see "Derivatives Risk" and "Acquired Funds Risk," respectively.

Exchange-Traded Fund ("ETF") Risk

Investments in ETFs entail certain risks. Investments in ETFs designed to track an index involve the risk that the ETF's performance may not track the performance of the index the ETF is designed to track. This deviation may occur due to cash inflows and outflows from and to investors buying and redeeming shares or due to occasional differences between the composition of the index and the securities held by the ETF. In addition, investments in ETFs involve the risk that the market prices of ETF shares will fluctuate, sometimes rapidly and materially, in response to changes in the ETF's NAV, the value of ETF holdings and supply and demand for ETF shares. Although ETFs will generally trade close to NAV, market volatility, lack of an active trading market for ETF shares, disruptions at market participants (such as Authorized Participants or market makers) and any disruptions in the ordinary functioning of the creation/redemption process may result in ETF shares trading significantly above (at a "premium") or below (at a "discount") NAV. Significant losses may result when transacting in ETF shares in these and other circumstances.

Disclosure of Portfolio Holdings

Please see "Disclosure of Portfolio Holdings" in the SAI for information about the availability of the complete schedule of each Fund's holdings.

 

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Prospectus

Management of the Funds

Investment Adviser and Administrator

PIMCO serves as the investment adviser and the administrator (serving in its capacity as investment adviser, the "Investment Adviser," and serving in its capacity as administrator, the "Administrator") for the Funds. Subject to the supervision of the Board of Trustees of PIMCO Funds (the "Trust"), PIMCO is responsible for managing the investment activities of the Funds and the Funds' business affairs and other administrative matters. PIMCO also serves as the investment adviser for the CRRS, CPS and IRMA Subsidiaries.

PIMCO is located at 650 Newport Center Drive, Newport Beach, CA 92660. Organized in 1971, PIMCO provides investment management and advisory services to private accounts of institutional and individual clients and to mutual funds. As of June 30, 2018, PIMCO had approximately $[ ] in assets under management.

Management Fees

Each Fund pays for the advisory and supervisory and administrative services it requires under what is essentially an all-in fee structure. The Management Fees shown in the Annual Fund Operating Expenses tables reflect both an advisory fee and a supervisory and administrative fee. For the fiscal year ended March 31, 2018, the Funds paid monthly Management Fees to PIMCO at the following annual rates (stated as a percentage of the average daily net assets attributable to each class's shares taken separately):

Management Fees

Fund Name

Inst
Class

I-2

Admin Class

Class A

Class C

Class R

PIMCO CommoditiesPLUS® Strategy Fund(1)

0.74%

0.84%

0.74%

0.94%

0.94%

N/A

PIMCO CommodityRealReturn Strategy Fund®

0.74%

0.84%

0.74%

0.94%

0.94%

0.94%

PIMCO Inflation Response Multi-Asset Fund

0.69%

0.79%

0.69%

0.89%

N/A

N/A

PIMCO Long-Term Return Fund

0.55%

0.65%

0.55%

N/A

N/A

N/A

PIMCO Real Return Fund

0.45%

0.55%

0.45%

0.60%

0.60%

0.60%

PIMCO Real Return Limited Duration Fund

0.40%

0.50%

0.40%

0.55%

0.55%

N/A

PIMCO RealEstateRealReturn Strategy Fund

0.74%

0.84%

0.74%

0.89%

0.89%

N/A

 

1 Expense information in the table has been restated to reflect current Management Fees.

I-3 shares of the PIMCO CommoditiesPLUS® Strategy Fund, PIMCO CommodityRealReturn Strategy Fund®, PIMCO Real Return Fund and PIMCO RealEstateRealReturn Strategy Fund were not operational during the fiscal year ended March 31, 2018. The management fee for the I-3 shares of the PIMCO CommoditiesPLUS® Strategy Fund®, PIMCO CommodityRealReturn Strategy Fund®, PIMCO Real Return Fund and PIMCO RealEstateRealReturn Strategy Fund is at the following annual rate (stated as a percentage of the average daily net assets attributable to the class's shares taken separately): 0.94%, 0.94%, 0.65% and 0.94%, respectively.

Advisory Fee. Each Fund pays PIMCO fees in return for providing investment advisory services. For the fiscal year ended March 31, 2018, the Funds paid monthly advisory fees to PIMCO at the following annual rates (stated as a percentage of the average daily net assets of each Fund taken separately):


Fund Name

Advisory Fee
All Classes(1)

PIMCO CommoditiesPLUS® Strategy Fund

0.49%

PIMCO CommodityRealReturn Strategy Fund®

0.49%

PIMCO Inflation Response Multi-Asset Fund

0.44%

PIMCO Long-Term Return Fund

0.30%

PIMCO Real Return Fund

0.25%

PIMCO Real Return Limited Duration Fund

0.20%(2)

PIMCO RealEstateRealReturn Strategy Fund

0.49%

 

1 For details regarding changes to this rate within the last 5 years, please see the footnote disclosures for the Funds in the Financial Highlights section beginning on page [ ].

2 PIMCO has contractually agreed, through July 31, 2019, to waive its advisory fee by 0.01% of the average daily net assets of the PIMCO Real Return Limited Duration Fund. This Fee Waiver Agreement will automatically renew for one-year terms unless PIMCO provides written notice to the Trust at least 30 days prior to the end of the then current term. Under certain conditions, PIMCO may be entitled to reimbursement of amounts waived in future periods, not exceeding three years. See "Fee Waiver Agreement" below.

A discussion of the basis for the Board of Trustees' approval of the Funds' investment advisory contract is available in the Funds' Semi-Annual Report to shareholders for the fiscal half-year ended September 30, 2017.

 

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PIMCO Funds

As discussed in its "Principal Investments and Strategies" section, each of the PIMCO CommodityRealReturn Strategy Fund®, PIMCO CommoditiesPLUS® Strategy Fund and PIMCO Inflation Response Multi-Asset Fund may pursue its investment objective by investing in its respective Subsidiary. Each Subsidiary has entered into a separate contract with PIMCO whereby PIMCO provides investment advisory and other services to the Subsidiary. In consideration of these services, each Subsidiary pays PIMCO a management fee and an administrative services fee at the annual rates of 0.49% and 0.20%, respectively. PIMCO has contractually agreed to waive the advisory fee and the supervisory and administrative fee it receives from the PIMCO CommodityRealReturn Strategy Fund® in an amount equal to the management fee and administrative services fee, respectively, paid to PIMCO by the CRRS Subsidiary. PIMCO has contractually agreed to waive the advisory fee and the supervisory and administrative fee it receives from the PIMCO CommoditiesPLUS® Strategy Fund in an amount equal to the management fee and administrative services fee, respectively, paid to PIMCO by the CPS Subsidiary. PIMCO has contractually agreed to waive the advisory fee and supervisory and administrative fee it receives from the PIMCO Inflation Response Multi-Asset Fund in an amount equal to the management fee and administrative services fee, respectively, paid to PIMCO by the IRMA Subsidiary. These waivers may not be terminated by PIMCO and will remain in effect for as long as PIMCO's contract with the respective Subsidiary is in place.

Supervisory and Administrative Fee. Each Fund pays for the supervisory and administrative services it requires under what is essentially an all-in fee structure. Shareholders of each Fund pay a supervisory and administrative fee to PIMCO, computed as a percentage of the Fund's assets attributable in the aggregate to that class of shares. PIMCO, in turn, provides or procures supervisory and administrative services for shareholders and also bears the costs of various third-party services required by the Funds, including audit, custodial, portfolio accounting, legal, transfer agency and printing costs. The Funds bear other expenses which are not covered under the supervisory and administrative fee which may vary and affect the total level of expenses paid by the shareholders, such as taxes and governmental fees, brokerage fees, commissions and other transaction expenses, organizational expenses, costs of borrowing money, including interest expense, extraordinary expenses (such as litigation and indemnification expenses) and fees and expenses of the Trust's Independent Trustees and their counsel. PIMCO generally earns a profit on the supervisory and administrative fee paid by the Funds. Also, under the terms of the supervision and administration agreement, PIMCO, and not Fund shareholders, would benefit from any price decreases in third-party services, including decreases resulting from an increase in net assets.

For the fiscal year ended March 31, 2018, the Funds paid PIMCO monthly supervisory and administrative fees at the following annual rates (stated as a percentage of the average daily net assets attributable in the aggregate to each class's shares taken separately):

Supervisory and Administrative Fees(1)


Fund Name

Inst
Class


I-2

Admin
Class

Class A

Class C

Class R

PIMCO CommoditiesPLUS® Strategy Fund

0.25%

0.35%

0.25%

0.45%

0.45%

N/A

PIMCO CommodityRealReturn Strategy Fund®

0.25%

0.35%

0.25%

0.45%

0.45%

0.45%

PIMCO Inflation Response Multi-Asset Fund

0.25%

0.35%

0.25%

0.45%

N/A

N/A

PIMCO Long-Term Return Fund

0.25%

0.35%

0.25%

N/A

N/A

N/A

PIMCO Real Return Fund

0.20%

0.30%

0.20%

0.35%

0.35%

0.35%

PIMCO Real Return Limited Duration Fund

0.20%

0.30%

0.20%

0.35%

0.35%

N/A

PIMCO RealEstateRealReturn Strategy Fund

0.25%

0.35%

0.25%

0.40%

0.40%

N/A

 

1 For details regarding changes to this rate within the last 5 years, please see the footnote disclosures for the Funds in the Financial Highlights section beginning on page [ ].

I-3 shares of the PIMCO CommoditiesPLUS® Strategy Fund, PIMCO CommodityRealReturn Strategy Fund®, PIMCO Real Return Fund and PIMCO RealEstateRealReturn Strategy Fund were not operational during the fiscal year ended March 31, 2018. The supervisory and administrative fee for the I-3 shares of the PIMCO CommoditiesPLUS® Strategy Fund, PIMCO CommodityRealReturn Strategy Fund®, PIMCO Real Return Fund and PIMCO RealEstateRealReturn Strategy Fund is at the following annual rate (stated as a percentage of the average daily net assets attributable to the class's shares taken separately): 0.45%, 0.45%, 0.40% and 0.45%, respectively.

Expense Limitation Agreement

Pursuant to the Expense Limitation Agreement, PIMCO has agreed to waive a portion of each Fund's supervisory and administrative fees, or reimburse the Fund, to the extent that the Fund's organizational expenses and pro rata share of Trustee fees exceed 0.0049% (the "Expense Limit") (calculated as a percentage of average daily net assets attributable to each class). The Expense Limitation Agreement will automatically renew for one-year terms unless PIMCO provides written notice to the Trust at least 30 days prior to the end of the then current term. In any month in which the supervision and administration agreement is in effect, PIMCO is entitled to reimbursement by each Fund of any portion of the supervisory and administrative fee waived or reimbursed as set forth above (the "Reimbursement Amount") during the previous thirty-six months, provided that such amount paid to PIMCO will not: 1) together with any organizational expenses and pro rata Trustee fees, exceed, for such month, the Expense Limit; 2) exceed the total Reimbursement Amount; or 3) include any amounts previously reimbursed to PIMCO.

 

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Prospectus

Fee Waiver Agreement

PIMCO has contractually agreed, through July 31, 2019, to waive its advisory fee by 0.01% of the average daily net assets of the PIMCO Real Return Limited Duration Fund. This Fee Waiver Agreement will automatically renew for one-year terms unless PIMCO provides written notice to the Trust at least 30 days prior to the end of the then current term. In any month in which the investment advisory contract is in effect, PIMCO is entitled to reimbursement by the Fund of any portion of the advisory fee waived as set forth above (the "RR Reimbursement Amount") during the previous thirty-six months, provided that such amount paid to PIMCO will not: 1) together with any recoupment of organizational expenses and pro rata Trustee fees or supervisory and administrative fees pursuant to the Expense Limitation Agreement, exceed, for such month, the Expense Limit; 2) exceed the total RR Reimbursement Amount; or 3) include any amounts previously reimbursed to PIMCO.

PIMCO has contractually agreed, through July 31, 2019, to waive its supervisory and administrative fee for I-3 shares by 0.05% of the average daily net assets attributable to I-3 shares of each of PIMCO CommoditiesPLUS® Strategy Fund, PIMCO CommodityRealReturn Strategy Fund®, PIMCO Real Return Fund and PIMCO RealEstateRealReturn Strategy Fund. This Fee Waiver Agreement will automatically renew for one-year terms unless PIMCO provides written notice to the Trust at least 30 days prior to the end of the then current term.

Underlying PIMCO Fund Fees

The PIMCO Inflation Response Multi-Asset Fund is permitted to invest in Underlying PIMCO Funds, which, for this Fund, is defined to include Institutional Class or Class M shares of any funds of the Trust and PIMCO Equity Series, an affiliated open-end investment company, except funds of funds. The PIMCO Inflation Response Multi-Asset Fund is further permitted to invest in Acquired Funds, which, for this Fund, is defined to include the Underlying PIMCO Funds and other affiliated funds, including funds of the PIMCO ETF Trust, and unaffiliated funds.

The PIMCO Inflation Response Multi-Asset Fund pays advisory and supervisory and administrative fees directly to PIMCO at the annual rates stated above, based on the average daily net assets attributable in the aggregate to the Fund's shares. The Fund also indirectly pays its proportionate share of the advisory and supervisory and administrative fees and management fees charged by PIMCO to the Underlying PIMCO Funds and funds of PIMCO ETF Trust in which the Fund invests (collectively, the "Underlying PIMCO Fund Fees").

PIMCO has contractually agreed, through July 31, 2019, to waive, first, the advisory fee and, second, to the extent necessary, the supervisory and administrative fee it receives from the PIMCO Inflation Response Multi-Asset Fund in an amount equal to the Underlying PIMCO Fund Fees indirectly incurred by the Fund in connection with its investments in Underlying PIMCO Funds, to the extent the Fund's advisory fee or advisory fee and supervisory and administrative fee taken together are greater than or equal to the Underlying PIMCO Fund Fees. These waivers renew annually for a full year unless terminated by PIMCO upon at least 30 days' notice prior to the end of the contract term. This waiver will automatically renew for one-year terms unless PIMCO provides written notice to the Trust at least 30 days prior to the end of the then current term. For purposes of the expense reduction described above, references to Underlying PIMCO Funds include funds of PIMCO ETF Trust.

The Acquired Fund Fees and Expenses shown in the Annual Fund Operating Expenses table for the PIMCO Inflation Response Multi-Asset Fund may be higher than the Underlying PIMCO Fund Expenses used for purposes of the expense reduction described above due to differences in the methods of calculation.  The Acquired Fund Fees and Expenses, as required to be shown in the Annual Fund Operating Expenses table, are calculated using the total operating expenses for each Underlying PIMCO Fund over the Fund's average net assets. The Underlying PIMCO Fund Expenses that are used for purposes of implementing the expense reduction described above are calculated using the advisory and supervisory and administrative fees for each Underlying PIMCO Fund over the total assets invested in Underlying PIMCO Funds. Thus, the Acquired Fund Fees and Expenses listed in the Annual Fund Operating Expenses table will typically be higher than the Underlying PIMCO Fund Expenses used to calculate the expense reduction when the PIMCO Inflation Response Multi-Asset Fund employs leverage as an investment strategy.

The expenses associated with investing in a "fund of funds" are generally higher than those for mutual funds that do not invest in other mutual funds. The cost of investing in a fund of funds Fund will generally be higher than the cost of investing in a mutual fund that invests directly in individual stocks and bonds. By investing in a fund of funds Fund, an investor will indirectly bear fees and expenses charged by the non-PIMCO Acquired Funds (and may indirectly bear a portion of the fees and expenses charged by Underlying PIMCO Funds to the extent such fees and expenses are not waived or reimbursed pursuant to applicable waiver and reimbursement agreements) in addition to the Fund's direct fees and expenses. In addition, the use of a fund of funds structure could affect the timing, amount and character of distributions to the shareholders and may therefore increase the amount of taxes payable by shareholders. The PIMCO Inflation Response Multi-Asset Fund invests in Institutional Class or Class M shares of the Underlying PIMCO Funds, which are not subject to any sales charges or distribution (12b-1) fees.

The following table summarizes the annual expenses borne by Institutional Class or Class M shareholders of the Underlying PIMCO Funds. Because the PIMCO Inflation Response Multi-Asset Fund invests in Institutional Class or Class M shares of the Underlying PIMCO Funds, shareholders of the PIMCO Inflation Response Multi-Asset Fund indirectly bear a proportionate share of these expenses, depending upon how the Fund's assets are allocated from time to time among the Underlying PIMCO Funds.

For a complete description of an Underlying PIMCO Fund, please see the Underlying PIMCO Fund's Institutional Class or Class M prospectus. For a summary description of the Underlying PIMCO Funds, please see the "Description of the Underlying PIMCO Funds" section in this prospectus.

 

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PIMCO Funds

Annual Underlying PIMCO Fund Expenses
(Based on the average daily net assets attributable to an Underlying PIMCO Fund's Institutional Class shares (or Class M shares in the case of the PIMCO Government Money Market Fund)).

[To be updated by subsequent amendment]

Individual Portfolio Managers

The following individuals have primary responsibility for managing each of the noted Funds.

Fund

Portfolio Manager

Since

Recent Professional Experience

PIMCO CommodityRealReturn Strategy®
PIMCO Long-Term Real Return
PIMCO Real Return
PIMCO Real Return Limited Duration
PIMCO RealEstateRealReturn Strategy

Jeremie Banet

1/15
1/15
1/15
5/15*
1/15

Executive Vice President, PIMCO. Mr. Banet first joined PIMCO in 2011 and rejoined the firm in 2014. He is a portfolio manager on the real return team. Prior to joining PIMCO, he worked on U.S. inflation trading at Nomura. Previously he was with BNP Paribas, most recently as head of U.S. inflation trading. Mr. Banet holds a Masters in applied economics and an undergraduate degree from Paris IX Dauphine University.

PIMCO CommoditiesPLUS® Strategy
PIMCO CommodityRealReturn Strategy®
PIMCO Inflation Response Multi-Asset
PIMCO RealEstateRealReturn Strategy

Nicholas J. Johnson

5/10*
1/15
1/15
1/15

Managing Director, PIMCO. He joined PIMCO in 2004 and previously managed the portfolio analyst group. Prior to joining PIMCO, he worked at NASA's Jet
Propulsion Laboratory, developing Mars missions and new methods of autonomous navigation.

PIMCO CommoditiesPLUS® Strategy

Greg E. Sharenow

1/15

Executive Vice President, PIMCO. Mr. Sharenow joined PIMCO in 2011 and is a portfolio manager focusing on real assets. Prior to joining PIMCO, he was an energy trader at Hess Energy Trading, Goldman Sachs and DE Shaw. He was also previously senior energy economist at Goldman Sachs. He has investment and financial services experience since 2000 and holds bachelor's degrees in mathematical methods in the social sciences and in economics from Northwestern University.

PIMCO CommodityRealReturn Strategy®
PIMCO Inflation Response Multi-Asset
PIMCO Long-Term Real Return
PIMCO Real Return
PIMCO Real Return Limited Duration
PIMCO RealEstateRealReturn Strategy

Mihir Worah

12/07
8/11*
12/07
12/07
5/15*
12/07

CIO Real Return and Asset Allocation and Managing Director, PIMCO. Mr. Worah is a portfolio manager and head of the real return and multi-asset portfolio management teams. Prior to joining PIMCO in 2001, he was a postdoctoral research associate at the University of California, Berkeley, and the Stanford Linear Accelerator Center, where he built models to explain the difference between matter and anti-matter. In 2012 he co-authored "Intelligent Commodity Indexing," published by McGraw-Hill. He has investment experience since 2003 and holds a Ph.D. in theoretical physics from the University of Chicago.

 

* Inception of the Fund.

Please see the SAI for additional information about other accounts managed by the portfolio managers, the portfolio managers' compensation and the portfolio managers' ownership of shares of the Funds.

The Trustees are responsible generally for overseeing the management of the Trust. The Trustees authorize the Trust to enter into service agreements with the Investment Adviser, the Distributor (as defined below), the Administrator and other service providers in order to provide, and in some cases authorize service providers to procure through other parties, necessary or desirable services on behalf of the Trust and the Funds. Shareholders are not parties to or third-party beneficiaries of such service agreements. Neither this prospectus nor summary prospectus, the Trust's SAI, any contracts filed as exhibits to the Trust's registration statement, nor any other communications, disclosure documents or regulatory filings from or on behalf of the Trust or a Fund creates a contract between or among any shareholder of a Fund, on the one hand, and the Trust, a Fund, a service provider to the Trust or a Fund, and/or the Trustees or officers of the Trust, on the other hand. The Trustees (or the Trust and its officers, service providers or other delegates acting under authority of the Trustees) may amend this, or use a new prospectus, summary prospectus or SAI with respect to a Fund or the Trust, and/or amend, file and/or issue any other communications, disclosure documents or regulatory filings, and may amend or enter into any contracts to which the Trust or a Fund is a party, and interpret the investment objective(s), policies, restrictions and contractual provisions applicable to any Fund, without shareholder input or approval, except in circumstances in which shareholder approval is specifically required by law (such as changes to fundamental investment policies) or where a shareholder approval requirement is specifically disclosed in the Trust's then-current prospectus or SAI.

Distributor

The Trust's Distributor is PIMCO Investments LLC (the "Distributor"). The Distributor, located at 1633 Broadway, New York, NY 10019, is a broker-dealer registered with the Securities and Exchange Commission ("SEC"). Please note all direct account requests or inquiries should be mailed to the Trust's transfer agent at P.O. Box 55060, Boston, MA 02205-5060 and should not be mailed to the Distributor.

 

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Classes of Shares

Class A, Class C, Class R, Institutional Class, I-2, I-3 and Administrative Class shares of the Funds are offered in this prospectus. Each share class represents an investment in the same Fund, but each class has its own expense structure and arrangements for shareholder services or distribution, which allows you to choose the class that best fits your situation and eligibility requirements.

The class of shares that is best for you depends upon a number of factors, including the amount and the intended length of your investment, the expenses borne by each class, which are detailed in the fee table and example at the front of this prospectus, any initial sales charge or contingent deferred sales charge (CDSC) applicable to a class and whether you qualify for any reduction or waiver of sales charges, and the availability of the share class for purchase by you. Certain classes have higher expenses than other classes, which may lower the return on your investment when compared to a less expensive class. Individual investors can generally invest in Class A and Class C shares. Class C shares of each Fund will automatically convert into Class A shares of the same Fund after they have been held for ten years. This automatic conversion will be executed without any sales charge, fee or other charge. After the conversion takes place, the shares will be subject to all features and expenses of Class A shares. Only certain investors may purchase Institutional Class, I-2, I-3, Administrative Class and Class R shares.

The availability of sales charge waivers and discounts may depend on whether you purchase Fund shares directly from the Distributor or a financial firm. More information regarding sales charge waivers and discounts is summarized below.

The following summarizes key information about each class to help you make your investment decision, including the various expenses associated with each class and the payments made to financial firms for distribution and other services. More information about the Trust's multi-class arrangements is included in the SAI and can be obtained free of charge by visiting pimco.com or by calling 888.87.PIMCO.

Sales Charges

Initial Sales Charges — Class A Shares

This section includes important information about sales charge reduction programs available to investors in Class A shares of the Funds and describes information or records you may need to provide to the Distributor or your financial firm in order to be eligible for sales charge reduction programs.

Unless you are eligible for a waiver, the public offering price you pay when you buy Class A shares of the Funds is the NAV of the shares plus an initial sales charge. The initial sales charge varies depending upon the size of your purchase, as set forth below. No sales charge is imposed where Class A shares are issued to you pursuant to the automatic reinvestment of income dividends or capital gains distributions. For investors investing in Class A shares of the Funds through a financial firm, it is the responsibility of the financial firm to ensure that you obtain the proper "breakpoint" discount.

PIMCO Real Return—Class A Shares

 

Amount of Purchase

Initial Sales Charge as % of Public Offering Price

Initial Sales Charge as % of Net Amount Invested

Under $100,000

3.75%

3.90%

$100,000 but under $250,000

3.25%

3.36%

$250,000 but under $500,000

2.25%

2.30%

$500,000 but under $1,000,000

1.75%

1.78%

$1,000,000 +

0.00%*

0.00%*

 

* As shown, investors that purchase $1,000,000 or more of the Fund's Class A shares will not pay any initial sales charge on the purchase. However, unless eligible for a waiver, certain purchasers of $1,000,000 or more of Class A shares may be subject to a CDSC of 1.00% if the shares are redeemed during the first 12 months after their purchase. See "Contingent Deferred Sales Charges – Class A Shares" below.

PIMCO Real Return Limited Duration Fund—Class A Shares

 

Amount of Purchase

Initial Sales Charge as % of Public Offering Price

Initial Sales Charge as % of Net Amount Invested

Under $100,000

2.25%

2.30%

$100,000 but under $250,000

1.25%

1.27%

$250,00 +

0.00%*

0.00%*

 

* As shown, investors that purchase $250,000 or more of the Fund's Class A shares will not pay any initial sales charge on the purchase. However, unless eligible for a waiver, certain purchasers of $250,000 or more of Class A shares may be subject to a CDSC of 1.00% if the shares are redeemed during the first 12 months after their purchase. If the financial firm through which such investors purchased their shares does not receive any upfront commission from the Distributor at the time of purchase, such investors will not be subject to a contingent deferred sales charge upon redemption. See "Contingent Deferred Sales Charges – Class A Shares" below.

PIMCO CommoditiesPLUS® Strategy, PIMCO CommodityRealReturn Strategy, PIMCO Inflation Response Multi-Asset, and PIMCO RealEstateRealReturn Strategy Funds—Class A Shares

 

Amount of Purchase

Initial Sales Charge as % of Public Offering Price

Initial Sales Charge as % of Net Amount Invested

Under $50,000

5.50%

5.82%

$50,000 but under $100,000

4.50%

4.71%

$100,000 but under $250,000

3.50%

3.63%

$250,000 but under $500,000

2.50%

2.56%

$500,000 but under $1,000,000

2.00%

2.04%

$1,000,000 +

0.00%*

0.00%*

 

* As shown, investors that purchase $1,000,000 or more of the Fund's Class A shares will not pay any initial sales charge on the purchase. However, unless eligible for a waiver, certain purchasers of $1,000,000 or more of Class A shares may be subject to a CDSC of 1.00% if the shares are redeemed during the first 12 months after their purchase. See "Contingent Deferred Sales Charges – Class A Shares" below.

Investors in the Funds may reduce or eliminate sales charges applicable to purchases of Class A shares through utilization of the Combined Purchase Privilege, Right of Accumulation (Cumulative Quantity Discount), Letter of Intent or Reinstatement Privilege. These programs, which apply to purchases of one or more funds that are series of the Trust or PIMCO Equity Series that

 

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offer Class A shares (other than the Money Market series of the Trust) (collectively, "Eligible Funds"), are summarized below and are described in greater detail in the SAI.

Combined Purchase Privilege and Right of Accumulation (Breakpoints). A Qualifying Investor (as defined below) may qualify for a reduced sales charge on Class A shares by combining concurrent purchases of the Class A shares of one or more Eligible Funds into a single purchase (the "Combined Purchase Privilege"). In addition, a Qualifying Investor may obtain a reduced sales charge on Class A shares by adding the purchase value of Class A shares of an Eligible Fund with the current aggregate NAV of all Class A and C shares of any Eligible Fund held by accounts for the benefit of such Qualifying Investor (the "Right of Accumulation" or "Cumulative Quantity Discount").

The term "Qualifying Investor" refers to:

1.

an individual, such individual's spouse or domestic partner, as recognized by applicable state law, or such individual's children under the age of 21 years (each a "family member") (including family trust* accounts established by such a family member); or

2.

a trustee or other fiduciary for a single trust (except family trusts* noted above), estate or fiduciary account although more than one beneficiary may be involved; or

3.

an employee benefit plan of a single employer.


* For the purpose of determining whether a purchase would qualify for a reduced sales charge under the Combined Purchase Privilege, Right of Accumulation or Letter of Intent, a "family trust" is one in which a family member, as defined in section (1) above, or a direct lineal descendant(s) of such person is/are the beneficiary(ies), and such person or another family member, direct lineal ancestor or sibling of such person is/are the trustee(s).

Please see the SAI for details and for restrictions applicable to shares held by certain employer-sponsored benefit programs.

Letter of Intent. Investors may also obtain a reduced sales charge on purchases of Class A shares by means of a written Letter of Intent which expresses an intent to invest not less than $50,000 (or $100,000 in the case of those funds with an initial sales charge breakpoint at $100,000) within a period of 13 months in Class A shares of any Eligible Fund(s). The maximum intended investment allowable in a Letter of Intent is $1,000,000 (or $250,000 for the PIMCO Real Return Limited Duration Fund). Each purchase of shares under a Letter of Intent will be made at the public offering price or prices applicable at the time of such purchase to a single purchase of the dollar amount indicated in the Letter of Intent. The value of the investor's account(s) linked to a Letter of Intent will be included at the start date of the Letter of Intent.  A Letter of Intent is not a binding obligation to purchase the full amount indicated. Shares purchased with the first 5% of the amount indicated in the Letter of Intent will be held in escrow (while remaining registered in your name) to secure payment of the higher sales charges applicable to the shares actually purchased in the event the full intended amount is not purchased. Redemptions during the LOI period will not count against the shareholder, but a CDSC may be charged for LOIs of $1,000,000.

In making computations concerning the amount purchased for purposes of a Letter of Intent, the Right of Accumulation value of eligible accounts will be included in the computation when the Letter of Intent begins in addition to purchases made during the Letter of Intent Period.

Reinstatement Privilege. A Class A shareholder who has caused any or all of his shares to be redeemed may reinvest all or any portion of the redemption proceeds in Class A shares of any Eligible Fund at NAV without any sales charge, provided that such investment is made within 120 calendar days after the redemption date. The limitations and restrictions of this program are fully described in the SAI.

Method of Valuation of Accounts. To determine whether a shareholder qualifies for a reduction in sales charge on a purchase of Class A shares of Eligible Funds, the public offering price of the shares is used for purchases relying on the Combined Purchase Privilege or a Letter of Intent and the amount of the total current purchase (including any sales load) plus the NAV (at the close of business on the day of the current purchase) of shares previously acquired is used for the Right of Accumulation (Cumulative Quantity Discount).

Sales at Net Asset Value. In addition to the programs summarized above, the Funds may sell their Class A shares at NAV without an initial sales charge to certain types of accounts or account holders, including, but not limited to: Trustees of the Funds; employees of PIMCO and the Distributor; employees of participating brokers; certain trustees or other fiduciaries purchasing shares for retirement plans; and persons investing through certain "wrap accounts." Please see the SAI for details.

If you are eligible to buy both Class A shares and Institutional Class shares, you should buy Institutional Class shares because Class A shares may be subject to sales charges and an annual 0.25% service fee.

Required Shareholder Information and Records. In order for investors in Class A shares of the Funds to take advantage of sales charge reductions, an investor or his or her financial firm must notify the Fund that the investor qualifies for such a reduction. If the Fund is not notified that the investor is eligible for these reductions, the Fund will be unable to ensure that the reduction is applied to the investor's account. An investor may have to provide certain information or records to his or her financial firm or the Fund to verify the investor's eligibility for breakpoint discounts or sales charge waivers. An investor may be asked to provide information or records, including account statements, regarding shares of the Funds or other Eligible Funds held in:

all of the investor's accounts held directly with the Trust or through a financial firm; 

any account of the investor at another financial firm; and 

accounts of Qualifying Investors, at any financial firm.

The SAI provides additional information regarding eliminations of and reductions in sales loads associated with Eligible Funds. You can obtain the SAI free of charge from PIMCO by written request, by visiting pimco.com or by calling 888.87.PIMCO.

Contingent Deferred Sales Charges

Class A Shares

Unless you are eligible for a waiver, if you purchase $1,000,000 or more of Class A shares (and, thus, pay no initial sales charge) of a Fund other than

 

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the PIMCO Real Return Limited Duration Fund, you will be subject to a 1% CDSC if you sell (redeem) your Class A shares within 12 months of their purchase. Unless you are eligible for a waiver, if you purchase $250,000 or more of Class A shares (and, thus, pay no initial sales charge) of the PIMCO Real Return Limited Duration Fund, you will be subject to a 1% CDSC if you sell (redeem) your Class A shares within 12 months of their purchase. If the financial firm through which you purchased your shares does not receive any upfront commission from the Distributor at the time of purchase, you will not be subject to a CDSC upon redemption. The Class A CDSC does not apply if you are otherwise eligible to purchase Class A shares without an initial sales charge or are eligible for a waiver of the CDSC. See "Reductions and Waivers of Initial Sales Charges and CDSCs" below.

Class C Shares

Unless you are eligible for a waiver, if you sell (redeem) your Class C shares within the time periods specified below, you will pay a CDSC according to the following schedules. If you invest in Class C shares of the Funds through a financial firm, it is the responsibility of the financial firm to ensure that you are credited with the proper holding period for the shares redeemed.

Class C Shares

 


Years Since Purchase Payment was Made

Percentage
Contingent Deferred
Sales Charge

First

1%

Thereafter

0%

How CDSCs will be Calculated

A CDSC is imposed on redemptions of Class C shares (and where applicable, Class A shares) on the amount of the redemption which causes the current value of your account for the particular class of shares of the Fund to fall below the total dollar amount of your purchase payments subject to the CDSC.

The following rules apply under the method for calculating CDSCs:

Shares acquired through the reinvestment of dividends or capital gains distributions will be redeemed first and will not be subject to any CDSC.

For the redemption of all other shares, the CDSC will be based on either your original purchase price or the then current NAV of the shares being sold, whichever is lower. To illustrate this point, consider shares purchased at an NAV of $10. If the Fund's NAV per share at the time of redemption is $12, the CDSC will apply to the purchase price of $10. If the NAV per share at the time of redemption is $8, the CDSC will apply to the $8 current NAV per share.

CDSCs will be deducted from the proceeds of your redemption, not from amounts remaining in your account.

In determining whether a CDSC is payable, it is assumed that you will redeem first the lot of shares which will incur the lowest CDSC.

For example, the following illustrates the operation of the Class C CDSC:

Assume that an individual opens an account and makes a purchase payment of $10,000 for 1,000 Class C shares of a Fund (at $10 per share) and that six months later the value of the investor's account for that Fund has grown through investment performance to $11,000 ($11 per share). If the investor should redeem $2,200 (200 shares), a CDSC would be applied against $2,000 of the redemption (the purchase price of the shares redeemed, because the purchase price is lower than the current NAV of such shares ($2,200)). At the rate of 1%, the Class C CDSC would be $20.

Reductions and Waivers of Initial Sales Charges and CDSCs

The initial sales charges on Class A shares and the CDSCs on Class A and Class C shares may be reduced or waived under certain purchase arrangements and for certain categories of investors. Please see the SAI for details.

A redemption by a Class A shareholder who purchased, through a financial firm, $250,000 or more of Class A shares of the PIMCO Real Return Limited Duration Fund (and, thus, did not pay an initial sales charge) will not be subject to a CDSC where the Distributor did not pay at the time of purchase an upfront commission to the financial firm but began paying distribution and/or shareholder services fees immediately.

Shares Purchased or Held Through Financial Firms

The availability of sales charge waivers and discounts may depend on the particular financial firm or type of account through which you purchase or hold Fund shares. The Funds' sales charge waivers and discounts disclosed in this Prospectus are available for qualifying purchases made directly from the Distributor and are generally available through financial firms unless otherwise specified in Appendix B. The sales charge waivers and discounts available through certain other financial firms are set forth in Appendix B to this Prospectus (Financial Firm-Specific Sales Charge Waivers and Discounts), which may differ from those available for purchases made directly from the Distributor or certain other financial firms. Please contact your financial firm for more information regarding sales charge waivers and discounts available to you and the financial firm's related policies and procedures.

No Sales Charges — Class R Shares

The Funds do not impose any sales charges or other fees on purchases, redemptions or exchanges of Class R shares. Class R shares generally are available only to 401(k) plans, 457 plans, employer sponsored 403(b) plans, profit sharing and money purchase pension plans, defined benefit plans, non-qualified deferred compensation plans, health care benefit funding plans and other specified benefit plans and accounts whereby the plan or the plan's financial firm has an agreement with the Distributor or PIMCO Funds to utilize Class R shares in certain investment products or programs (collectively, "specified benefit plans"). In addition, Class R shares also are generally available only to specified benefit plans where Class R shares are held on the books of the Funds through omnibus accounts (either at the benefit plan level or at the level of the plan's financial firm). Class R shares are not available to retail or non-specified benefit plan accounts, traditional and Roth IRAs (except through certain omnibus accounts), Coverdell Education Savings Accounts, SEPs, SAR-SEPs, SIMPLE IRAs, or individual 403(b) plans.

The administrator of a specified benefit plan or employee benefits office can provide participants with detailed information on how to participate in the

 

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plan and how to elect a Fund as an investment option. Plan participants may be permitted to elect different investment options, alter the amounts contributed to the plan, or change how contributions are allocated among investment options in accordance with the plan's specific provisions. The plan administrator or employee benefits office should be consulted for details. For questions about participant accounts, participants should contact their employee benefits office, the plan administrator, or the organization that provides recordkeeping services for the plan. In most cases, the Trust's transfer agent will have no information with respect to or control over accounts of specific Class R shareholders, and a shareholder may obtain information about accounts only through the specified benefit plan.

Eligible specified benefit plans generally may open an account and purchase Class R shares by contacting any broker, dealer or other financial firm authorized to sell or process transactions in Class R shares of the Funds. Eligible specified benefit plans may also purchase shares directly from the Distributor. See "Purchasing Shares – Class R" below. Additional shares may be purchased through a benefit plan's administrator or recordkeeper.

Financial firms may provide or arrange for the provision of some or all of the shareholder servicing and account maintenance services required by specified benefit plan accounts and their plan participants, including, without limitation, transfers of registration and dividend payee changes.

Moreover, financial firms and specified benefit plans may have omnibus accounts and similar arrangements with the Trust and may be paid for providing sub-accounting and other shareholder services. A financial firm or specified benefit plan may be paid for its services directly or indirectly by the Funds, the Administrator, another affiliate of the Fund or the Distributor (normally not to exceed an annual rate of 0.50% of a Fund's average daily net assets attributable to its Class R shares and purchased through such firm or specified benefit plan for its clients although payments with respect to shares in retirement plans are often higher). PIMCO or its affiliates may pay a financial firm or specified benefit plan an additional amount not to exceed 0.25% for sub-accounting or other shareholder services.

These fees and expenses could reduce an investment return in Class R shares. For further information on Class R shares and related items, please refer to the SAI.

No Sales Charges — Institutional Class, I-2, I-3 and Administrative Class Shares

The Funds do not impose any sales charges or other fees on purchases, redemptions or exchanges of Institutional Class, I-2, I-3 or Administrative Class shares. Only certain investors are eligible to purchase these share classes. Your financial advisor or financial firm can help you determine if you are eligible to purchase Institutional Class, I-2, I-3 or Administrative Class shares. You can also call 888.87.PIMCO.

An investor transacting in Institutional Class shares, I-2 shares or I-3 shares may be required to pay a commission to a broker or other financial firm. Other share classes of the Funds that have different fees and expenses are available.

Pension and profit-sharing plans, employee benefit trusts and employee benefit plan alliances, and "wrap account" programs established with broker-dealers or other financial firms may purchase Institutional Class, I-2, I-3 or Administrative Class shares only if the plan or program for which the shares are being acquired will maintain an omnibus or pooled account for each Fund and will not require a Fund to pay any type of administrative payment per participant account to any third party.

Institutional Class shares are offered primarily for direct investment by investors such as pension and profit sharing plans, employee benefit trusts, endowments, foundations, corporations and high net worth individuals. Institutional Class shares may also be offered through certain financial firms that charge their customers transaction or other fees with respect to their customers' investments in the Funds.

I-2 shares are offered primarily through broker-dealers and other financial firms with which the Distributor has an agreement for the use of the share class in investment products, programs or accounts such as certain asset allocation, wrap fee and other similar programs. I-2 shares may also be offered through broker-dealers and other financial firms that charge their customers transaction or other fees with respect to their customers' investments in the Funds. I-2 shares of the Funds will be held in an account at a financial firm and, generally, the firm will hold a shareholder's I-2 shares in nominee or street name as your agent. In most cases, the Trust's transfer agent will have no information with respect to or control over accounts of specific I-2 shareholders, and a shareholder may obtain information about accounts only through the financial firm. Broker-dealers, other financial firms, pension and profit-sharing plans, employee benefit trusts and employee benefit plan alliances also may purchase I-2 shares.

I-3 shares of the Funds are offered primarily through broker-dealers and other financial firms with which the Distributor has an agreement for the use of the share class in investment products, programs or accounts such as mutual fund supermarkets or other no transaction fee platforms. I-3 shares of the Funds will be held in an account at a financial firm and, generally, the firm will hold a shareholder's I-3 shares in nominee or street name as your agent. In most cases, the Trust's transfer agent will have no information with respect to or control over accounts of specific I-3 shareholders, and a shareholder may obtain information about accounts only through the financial firm. Broker-dealers, other financial firms, pension and profit-sharing plans, employee benefit trusts and employee benefit plan alliances also may purchase I-3 shares.

Administrative Class shares are offered primarily through broker-dealers, other financial firms, and employee benefit plan alliances. Each Fund typically pays service and/or distribution fees to these entities for services they provide to Administrative Class shareholders.

Distribution and Servicing (12b-1) Plans

Class A, Class C and Class R shares. The Funds pay fees to the Distributor on an ongoing basis as compensation for the services the Distributor renders and the expenses it bears in connection with the sale and distribution of Fund shares ("distribution fees") and/or in connection with personal services rendered to Fund shareholders and the maintenance of shareholder accounts ("servicing fees"). These payments are made pursuant to Distribution and Servicing Plans ("12b-1 Plans") adopted by each Fund pursuant to Rule 12b-1 under the 1940 Act.

 

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Class A shares pay only servicing fees. Class C and Class R shares pay both distribution and servicing fees. The following lists the maximum annual rates at which the distribution and/or servicing fees may be paid under each 12b-1 Plan (calculated as a percentage of each Fund's average daily net assets attributable to the particular class of shares):

Class A

Servicing Fee

Distribution Fee

All Funds

0.25%

0.00%

 

Class C

Servicing Fee

Distribution Fee

PIMCO Real Return Fund

0.25%

0.50%

PIMCO Real Return Limited Duration Fund

0.25%

0.30%

All other Funds

0.25%

0.75%

 

Class R

Servicing Fee

Distribution Fee

All Funds

0.25%

0.25%

Because distribution fees are paid out of the Fund's assets on an ongoing basis, over time these fees will increase the cost of your investment and may cost you more than other types of sales charges, such as sales charges that are deducted at the time of investment. Therefore, although Class C and Class R shares do not pay initial sales charges, the distribution fees payable on Class C and Class R shares may, over time, cost you more than the initial sales charge imposed on Class A shares.

Administrative Class Shares. The Trust has adopted, pursuant to Rule 12b-1 under the 1940 Act, a separate Distribution and Servicing Plan for the Administrative Class shares of the Funds. The Distribution and Servicing Plan permits the Funds to compensate the Distributor for providing or procuring through financial firms, distribution, administrative, recordkeeping, shareholder and/or related services with respect to the Administrative Class shares. Most or all of the distribution and service (12b-1) fees are paid to financial firms through which shareholders may purchase or hold shares. Because these fees are paid out of a Fund's Administrative Class assets on an ongoing basis, over time they will increase the cost of an investment in Administrative Class shares.

The following lists the maximum annual rates at which the distribution and/or servicing fees may be paid under each Distribution and Servicing Plan (calculated as a percentage of each Fund's average daily net assets attributable to the particular class of shares):

Administrative Class

Distribution and/or Servicing Fee

All Funds

0.25%

Servicing Arrangements

Shares of the Funds may be available through broker-dealers, banks, trust companies, insurance companies and other financial firms that have entered into shareholder servicing arrangements with respect to the Funds. A financial firm is one that, in exchange for compensation, sells, among other products, mutual fund shares (including the shares offered in this prospectus) or provides services for mutual fund shareholders. These financial firms provide varying investment products, programs, platforms and accounts, through which investors may purchase, redeem and exchange shares of the Funds. Shareholder servicing arrangements typically include processing orders for shares, generating account and confirmation statements, sub-accounting, account maintenance, tax reporting, collecting and posting distributions to investor accounts and disbursing cash dividends as well as other investment or administrative services required for the particular firm's products, programs, platform and accounts.

PIMCO and/or its affiliates may make payments to financial firms for the shareholder services provided. These payments are made out of PIMCO's resources, including the supervisory and administrative fees paid to PIMCO under the Funds' supervision and administration agreement. The actual services provided by these firms, and the payments made for such services, vary from firm to firm. The payments may be based on a fixed dollar amount for each account and position maintained by the financial firm and/or a percentage of the value of shares held by investors through the firm. Please see the SAI for more information.

These payments may be material to financial firms relative to other compensation paid by the Funds, PIMCO and/or its affiliates and may be in addition to other fees and payments, such as distribution and/or service (12b-1) fees, revenue sharing or "shelf space" fees and event support, other non-cash compensation and charitable contributions paid to or at the request of such firms (described below). Also, the payments may differ depending on the Fund or share class and may vary from amounts paid to the Funds' transfer agent for providing similar services to other accounts. PIMCO and/or its affiliates do not control these financial firms' provision of the services for which they are receiving payments.

These financial firms may impose additional or different conditions than the Funds on purchases, redemptions or exchanges of shares. They may also independently establish and charge their customers or program participants transaction fees, account fees and other amounts in connection with purchases, redemptions and exchanges of shares in addition to any fees imposed by the Funds. These additional fees may vary and over time could increase the cost of an investment in the Funds and lower investment returns. Each financial firm is responsible for transmitting to its customers and program participants a schedule of any such fees and information regarding any additional or different conditions regarding purchases, redemptions and exchanges. Shareholders who are customers of these financial firms or participants in programs serviced by them should contact the financial firm for information regarding these fees and conditions.

Other Payments to Financial Firms

Some or all of the sales charges, distribution fees and servicing fees described above are paid or "reallowed" to the financial firm, including their financial advisors through which you purchase your shares. With respect to Class C shares, the financial firms are also paid at the time of your purchase a commission of up to 1.00% of your investment in such share class. Please see the SAI for more details.

The Distributor or PIMCO (for purposes of this subsection only, collectively, the "Distributor") may from time to time make payments and provide other incentives to selected financial firms as compensation for services such as providing the Funds with "shelf space" or a higher profile for the financial firms' financial advisors and their customers, placing the Funds on the financial firms' preferred or recommended fund list, granting the Distributor access to the firms' financial advisors and furnishing marketing support and

 

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other specified services. These payments may be significant to the financial firms.

A number of factors will be considered in determining the amount of these payments to financial firms. On some occasions, such payments may be conditioned upon levels of sales, including the sale of a specified minimum dollar amount of the shares of the Funds, other funds sponsored by the Distributor and/or a particular class of shares, during a specified period of time. The Distributor may also make payments to one or more financial firms based upon factors such as the amount of assets a financial firm's clients have invested in the Funds and the quality of the financial firm's relationship with the Distributor.

The additional payments described above are made from the Distributor's or PIMCO's (or their affiliates') own assets (and sometimes, therefore referred to as "revenue sharing") pursuant to agreements with broker-dealers or other financial firms and do not change the price paid by investors for the purchase of a Fund's shares or the amount a Fund will receive as proceeds from such sales. These payments may be made to financial firms (as selected by the Distributor) that have sold significant amounts of shares of the Funds. With respect to Class A, C and R shares, except as described in the following paragraph, the level of payments made to a financial firm in any future year will vary and generally will not exceed the sum of: (a) 0.10% of such year's sales of Class A, C and R shares of funds of the Trust and PIMCO Equity Series by such financial firm; and (b) 0.03% of the assets attributable to that financial firm invested in Class A, C and R shares of funds of the Trust and PIMCO Equity Series (the "10/3 cap"). In certain cases, the payments described in the preceding sentence are subject to certain minimum payment levels. In lieu of payments pursuant to the foregoing formula, the Distributor, PIMCO or their affiliates may make payments of an agreed upon amount which generally will not exceed the amount that would have been payable pursuant to the formula.

Financial firms with a combined AUM in excess of $10 Billion in Class A, C and I-2 shares of funds of the Trust and PIMCO Equity Series (for purposes of this paragraph, "Eligible Firms") may be eligible for marketing support payments beyond those described in the preceding paragraph on certain Eligible Assets (as defined below). The total payment to any Eligible Firm generally shall not exceed the greater of: (a) 0.05% of the combined Eligible Assets of Class A, C and I-2 shares of funds of the Trust and PIMCO Equity Series; or (b) the 10/3 cap with respect to Class A and Class C shares only. Should any Eligible Firm choose not to collect marketing support on I-2 shares, the total payment to such Eligible Firm generally shall not exceed the greater of: (x) 0.05% of Eligible Assets of Class A and C shares of funds of the Trust and PIMCO Equity Series; or (y) the 10/3 cap with respect to Class A and Class C shares only. With respect to the Eligible Firms receiving marketing support payments with respect to I-2 Shares pursuant to this paragraph, payments may be lower for particular funds of the Trust or PIMCO Equity Series as compared to other funds of the Trust or PIMCO Equity Series. "Eligible Assets" for purposes of this paragraph shall include all assets of Class A, C and I-2 shares of funds of the Trust and PIMCO Equity Series attributable to such Eligible Firm except advisory account assets held through a corporate retirement plan governed by the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974, Simplified Employee Pension Individual Retirement Accounts and Savings Incentive Match Plans for Individual Retirement Accounts.

Payments for marketing support may also include payments to financial firms in connection with the marketing and sale of model portfolios developed by PIMCO. Such payments may relate to assets under management or sales of any share class of the Funds in such PIMCO developed models.

In addition to the foregoing payments, the Distributor or its employees and representatives may make payments or reimburse financial firms for sponsorship and/or attendance at conferences, seminars or informational meetings ("event support"), provide financial firms or their personnel with occasional tickets to events or other entertainment, meals, and small gifts ("other non-cash compensation"), make charitable contributions to valid charitable organizations at the request of financial firms ("charitable contributions") and make financial contributions pertaining to sales incentives and contests, each to the extent permitted by applicable law, rules and regulations.

In addition, wholesaler representatives of the Distributor visit financial firms on a regular basis to market and educate financial advisors and other personnel about the Funds. These payments, reimbursements and activities may provide additional access to financial advisors at these financial firms, which may increase purchases and/or reduce redemptions of Fund shares.

The Distributor also may pay financial firms for certain services including technology, operations, tax, or audit consulting services, and may pay such firms for the Distributor's attendance at investment forums sponsored by such firms or for various studies, surveys, or access to databases. Subject to applicable law, PIMCO and its affiliates may also provide investment advisory services to financial firms and may execute brokerage transactions on behalf of the Funds with such financial firms. These financial firms may, in the ordinary course of their business, recommend that their clients utilize PIMCO's investment advisory services or invest in the Funds or in other products sponsored or distributed by the Distributor.

If investment  advisers, distributors or affiliates of mutual funds make payments and provide other incentives in differing amounts, financial firms and their financial advisors may have financial incentives for recommending a particular mutual fund over other mutual funds. In addition, depending on the arrangements in place at any particular time, a financial firm and its financial advisors may also have a financial incentive for recommending a particular share class over other share classes. A shareholder who holds Fund shares through a financial firm should consult with the shareholder's financial advisor and review carefully any disclosure by the financial firm as to its compensation received by the financial advisor.

Although the Funds may use financial firms that sell Fund shares to effect transactions for the Funds' portfolios, the Funds and PIMCO will not consider the sale of Fund shares as a factor when choosing financial firms to effect those transactions.

For further details about payments made by the Distributor to financial firms, please see the SAI.

 

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Purchases, Redemptions and Exchanges

The following section provides basic information about how to purchase, redeem and exchange shares of the Funds.

More detailed information about purchase, redemption and exchange arrangements for Fund shares is provided in the SAI, which can be obtained free of charge by written request to the Funds at P.O. Box 55060, Boston, MA 02205-5060, visiting pimco.com or by calling 888.87.PIMCO. The SAI provides technical information about the basic arrangements described below and also describes special purchase, sale and exchange features and programs offered by the Trust, including:

Automated telephone and wire transfer procedures

Automatic purchase, exchange and withdrawal programs

A link from your PIMCO Fund account to your bank account

Special arrangements for tax-qualified retirement plans

Investment programs which allow you to reduce or eliminate the initial sales charges

Categories of investors that are eligible for waivers or reductions of initial sales charges and CDSCs

In addition to the other methods and notwithstanding any limitations described herein, shareholders with eligible Fund direct accounts may purchase Class A and Class C shares, and redeem (sell) and exchange Class A and Class C shares, by accessing their accounts online at pimco.com/MyAccountAccess.  Shareholders with eligible Fund direct accounts in the Institutional class may purchase, redeem (sell) and exchange shares by accessing their accounts online at pimco.com/InstitutionalAccountAccess. Accordingly, an investor must first establish a Fund direct account by completing and mailing the appropriate account application. Online redemptions are not available for all Fund direct accounts because in certain cases, a signature guarantee may be required.

If a shareholder elects to use Account Access to effect transactions for their Fund direct account, the shareholder will be required to establish and use a user ID and password. Shareholders are responsible for keeping their user IDs and passwords private. A Fund will not be liable for relying on any instructions submitted online. Submitting transactions online may be difficult (or impossible) during drastic economic or market changes or during other times when communications may be under unusual stress. Please see the Funds' SAI for additional terms, conditions and considerations.

If a shareholder elects not to use Account Access to view their account or effect transactions, the shareholder should not establish online account access.  If online account access has already been established and the client no longer wants the account accessible online, the client can call 888.87.PIMCO and request to suspend online access.

The Trust typically does not offer or sell its shares to non-U.S. residents. For purposes of this policy, a U.S. resident is defined as an account with (i) a U.S. address of record and (ii) all account owners residing in the U.S. at the time of sale.

The minimum initial investment may be modified for certain financial firms that submit orders on behalf of their customers. The Trust or the Distributor may lower or waive the minimum initial or subsequent investment for certain categories of investors at their discretion. Please see the SAI for details.

Purchasing Shares — Class A and Class C

You can purchase Class A or Class C shares of the Funds in the following ways:

Through your broker-dealer or other financial firm. Your broker-dealer or other financial firm may establish higher minimum investment requirements than the Trust and may also independently charge you transaction fees and additional amounts (which may vary) in return for its services, which will reduce your return. Shares you purchase through your broker-dealer or other financial firm will normally be held in your account with that firm.

Through the Distributor. You should discuss your investment with your financial advisor before you make a purchase to be sure the Fund is appropriate for you. To make direct investments, you must open an account with the Trust and send payment for your shares either by mail or through a variety of other purchase options and plans offered by the Trust. If you do not list a financial advisor and his/her brokerage firm on the Account Application, the Distributor is designated as the broker of record, but solely for purposes of acting as your agent to purchase shares.

Investment Minimums — Class A and Class C Shares. The following investment minimums apply for purchases of Class A and Class C shares.

Purchasing Shares — Class R

Eligible plan investors may purchase Class R shares of the Funds at the relevant NAV of that class without a sales charge. See "No Sales Charges — Class R Shares" above. Plan participants may purchase Class R shares only through their specified benefit plans. In connection with purchases, specified benefit plans are responsible for forwarding all necessary documentation to their financial firm or the Distributor. Specified benefit plans and financial firms may charge for such services.

Specified benefit plans may also purchase Class R shares directly through the Distributor. To make direct investments, a plan administrator must open an account with the Fund and send payment for Class R shares either by mail or through a variety of other purchase options and plans offered by the Trust. Specified benefit plans that purchase their shares directly from the Trust must hold their shares in an omnibus account at the specified benefit plan level.

Investment Minimums — Class R Shares. There is no minimum initial or additional investment in Class R shares.

To invest directly by mail, specified benefit plans should send a check payable to the PIMCO Family of Funds, along with a completed Account Application to the Trust by mail to PIMCO Funds, P.O. Box 55060, Boston, MA 02205-5060 or overnight courier to PIMCO Funds, c/o DST Asset Manager Solutions, Inc., 30 Dan Road, Canton, MA 02021-2809.

 

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The Funds accept all purchases by mail subject to collection of checks at full value and conversion into federal funds. Investors may make subsequent purchases by mailing a check to the address above with a letter describing the investment or with the additional investment portion of a confirmation statement. Checks for subsequent purchases should be payable to the PIMCO Family of Funds and should clearly indicate the relevant account number. Please call the Funds at 888.87.PIMCO if you have any questions regarding purchases by mail.

The Funds reserve the right to require payment by wire, Automatic Clearing House (ACH) or U.S. bank check. The Funds generally do not accept payments made by cash, money order, temporary/starter checks, third-party checks, credit card checks, traveler's check, or checks drawn on non-U.S. banks even if payment may be effected through a U.S. bank.

The SAI describes a number of additional ways you can make direct investments, including through the PIMCO Funds Automatic Investment Plan and ACH Network. You can obtain the SAI free of charge from the Funds by written request to the address above, visiting pimco.com or by calling 888.87.PIMCO.

Purchasing Shares — Institutional Class, I-2, I-3 and Administrative Class

Eligible investors may purchase Institutional Class, I-2, I-3 and Administrative Class shares of the Funds at the relevant NAV of that class without a sales charge. See "No Sales Charges — Institutional Class, I-2, I-3 and Administrative Class Shares" above.

 Investment Minimums — Institutional Class, I-2, I-3 and Administrative Class Shares. The following investment minimums apply for purchases of Institutional Class, I-2, I-3 and Administrative Class shares.

Initial Investment. Investors who wish to invest in Institutional Class and Administrative Class shares may obtain an Account Application online at pimco.com or by calling 888.87.PIMCO. I-2 and I-3 shares are only available through financial firms. See "No Sales Charges — Institutional Class, I-2, I-3 and Administrative Class Shares." The completed Account Application may be submitted using the following methods:

Facsimile: 816.421.2861

Regular Mail:
    PIMCO Funds
    c/o DST Asset Manager Solutions
    330 W. 9th Street
    Kansas City, MO 64105

E-mail: piprocess@dstsystems.com

Except as described below, an investor may purchase Institutional Class and Administrative Class shares only by wiring federal funds to:

PIMCO Funds c/o State Street Bank & Trust Co.
One Lincoln Street, Boston, MA 02111
ABA: 011000028
DDA: 9905-7432
ACCT: Investor PIMCO Account Number
FFC: Name of Investor and Name of Fund(s) in which you wish to invest

Before wiring federal funds, the investor must provide order instructions to the Transfer Agent by facsimile at 816.421.2861, by telephone at 888.87.PIMCO or by e-mail at piprocess@dstsystems.com (if an investor elected this option at account opening or subsequently in writing). In order to receive the current day's NAV, order instructions must be received in good order prior to market close. Instructions must include the name and signature of an authorized person designated on the Account Application ("Authorized Person"), account name, account number, name of Fund and share class and amount being wired. Wires received without order instructions may result in a processing delay or a return of wire. Failure to send the accompanying wire on the same day may result in the cancellation of the order.

An investor may place a purchase order for shares without first wiring federal funds if the purchase amount is to be derived from an advisory account managed by PIMCO or one of its affiliates, or from an account with a broker-dealer or other financial firm that has established a processing relationship with the Trust on behalf of its customers.

Additional Investments. An investor may purchase additional Institutional Class and Administrative Class shares of the Funds at any time by sending a facsimile or e-mail or by calling the Transfer Agent and wiring federal funds as outlined above. Eligible Institutional Class shareholders may also purchase additional shares online at pimco.com/InstitutionalAccountAccess. Contact your financial firm for information on purchasing additional I-2 or I-3 shares. 

Other Purchase Information. Purchases of a Fund's Institutional Class, I-2, I-3 and Administrative Class shares will be made in full and fractional shares.

Purchasing Shares — Additional Information

The Trust and the Distributor each reserves the right, in its sole discretion, to suspend the offering of shares of the Funds or to reject any purchase order, in whole or in part, when, in the judgment of management, such suspension or rejection is in the best interests of the Trust.

Subject to the approval of the Trust, an investor may purchase shares of the Fund with liquid securities that are eligible for purchase by the Fund (consistent with the Fund's investment policies and restrictions) and that have a value that is readily ascertainable in accordance with the Trust's valuation policies. These transactions will be effected only if PIMCO intends to retain the security in the Fund as an investment. Assets purchased by the Fund in such a transaction will be valued in generally the same manner as they would be valued for purposes of pricing the Fund's shares, if such assets were included in the Fund's assets at the time of purchase. The Trust reserves the right to amend or terminate this practice at any time.

In the interest of economy and convenience, certificates for shares will not be issued.

 

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Redeeming Shares — Class A and Class C

You can redeem (sell) Class A or Class C shares of the Funds in the following ways: 

Through your broker-dealer or other financial firm. Your broker-dealer or other financial firm may independently charge you transaction fees and additional amounts in return for its services, which will reduce your return.

Redemptions by Telephone. An investor that elects this option on the Account Application (or subsequently in writing) may request redemptions of Class A and Class C shares by calling the Trust at 888.87.PIMCO. An Authorized Person must state his or her name, account name, account number, name of Fund and share class, and redemption amount (in dollars or shares). Redemption requests of an amount of $10 million or more must be submitted in writing by an Authorized Person.

Directly from the Trust by Written Request. To redeem shares directly from the Trust by written request, you must send the following items to the PIMCO Funds, P.O. Box 55060, Boston, MA 02205-5060:

1.

a written request for redemption signed by all registered owners exactly as the account is registered on the Transfer Agent's records, including fiduciary titles, if any, and specifying the account number and the dollar amount or number of shares to be redeemed;

2.

for certain redemptions described below, a guarantee of all signatures on the written request or on the share certificate or accompanying stock power, if required, as described under "Signature Validation" below;

3.

any share certificates issued for any of the shares to be redeemed (see "Certificated Shares" below); and

4.

any additional documents which may be required by the Transfer Agent for redemption by corporations, partnerships or other organizations, executors, administrators, trustees, custodians or guardians, or if the redemption is requested by anyone other than the shareholder(s) of record. Transfers of shares are subject to the same requirements.

A signature validation is not required for redemptions requested by and payable to all shareholders of record for the account, and to be sent to the address of record for that account. To avoid delay in redemption or transfer, if you have any questions about these requirements you should contact the Transfer Agent in writing or call 888.87.PIMCO before submitting a request. Written redemption or transfer requests will not be honored until all required documents in the proper form have been received by the Transfer Agent. You cannot redeem your shares by written request if they are held in "street name" accounts—you must redeem through your financial firm.

If the proceeds of your redemption (i) are to be paid to a person other than the record owner, (ii) are to be sent to an address other than the address of the account on the Transfer Agent's records, and/or (iii) are to be paid to a corporation, partnership, trust or fiduciary, the signature(s) on the redemption request and on the certificates, if any, or stock power must be guaranteed as described under "Signature Validation" below.

The SAI describes a number of additional ways you can redeem your shares, including: 

Telephone requests to the Transfer Agent

Online Account Access

Expedited wire transfers 

Automatic Withdrawal Plan 

Automated Clearing House (ACH) Network

Unless you specifically elect otherwise, your initial Account Application permits you to redeem shares by telephone subject to certain requirements. To be eligible for expedited wire transfer, Automatic Withdrawal Plan, and ACH privileges, you must specifically elect the particular option on your Account Application and satisfy certain other requirements. The SAI describes each of these options and provides additional information about selling shares.

Other than an applicable CDSC, you will not pay any special fees or charges to the Trust or the Distributor when you sell your shares. However, if you sell your shares through your broker, dealer or other financial firm, that firm may charge you a commission or other fee for processing your redemption request.

Redeeming Shares — Class R

Class R shares may be redeemed through the investor's plan administrator. Investors do not pay any fees or other charges to the Trust when selling shares, although specified benefit plans and financial firms may charge for their services in processing redemption requests. Please contact the plan or firm for details.

Subject to any restrictions in the applicable specified benefit plan documents, plan administrators are obligated to transmit redemption orders to the Trust's Transfer Agent or their financial service firm promptly and are responsible for ensuring that redemption requests are in proper form. Specified benefit plans and financial firms will be responsible for furnishing all necessary documentation to the Trust's Transfer Agent and may charge for their services.

Redeeming Shares — Institutional Class and Administrative Class

Redemptions in Writing. Investors may redeem (sell) Institutional Class and Administrative Class shares by sending a facsimile, written request or e-mail as follows:

Facsimile: 816.421.2861
Regular Mail:
    PIMCO Funds
    c/o DST Asset Manager Solutions
    330 W. 9th Street
    Kansas City, MO 64105
E-mail: piprocess@dstsystems.com

The redemption request should state the Fund from which the shares are to be redeemed, the class of shares, the number or dollar amount of the shares to be redeemed and the account number. The request must be signed or made by an Authorized Person.

Neither the Trust nor the Transfer Agent may be liable for any loss, cost or expense for acting on instructions (including those by fax or e-mail) believed by the party receiving such instructions to be genuine and in accordance with the procedures described in this prospectus. Shareholders should realize that by utilizing fax or e-mail redemption, they may be giving up a measure of security that they might have if they were to redeem their

 

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shares by mail. Furthermore, interruptions in service may mean that a shareholder will be unable to effect a redemption by fax or e-mail when desired. The Transfer Agent also provides written confirmation of transactions as a procedure designed to confirm that instructions are genuine.

All redemptions, whether initiated by mail, fax or e-mail, will be processed in a timely manner, and proceeds will be forwarded by wire in accordance with the redemption policies of the Trust detailed below. See "Redeeming Shares — Additional Information."

Redemptions by Telephone. An investor that elects this option on the Account Application (or subsequently in writing) may request redemptions of Institutional Class and Administrative Class shares by calling the Trust at 888.87.PIMCO. An Authorized Person must state his or her name, account name, account number, name of Fund and share class, and redemption amount (in dollars or shares). Redemption requests of an amount of $10 million or more must be submitted in writing by an Authorized Person. 

In electing a telephone redemption, the investor authorizes PIMCO and the Transfer Agent to act on telephone instructions from any person representing him or herself to be an Authorized Person, and reasonably believed by PIMCO or the Transfer Agent to be genuine. Neither the Trust nor the Transfer Agent may be liable for any loss, cost or expense for acting on instructions (including by telephone) believed by the party receiving such instructions to be genuine and in accordance with the procedures described in this prospectus. Shareholders should realize that by electing the telephone option, they may be giving up a measure of security that they might have if they were to redeem their shares in writing. Furthermore, interruptions in service may mean that shareholders will be unable to redeem their shares by telephone when desired. The Transfer Agent also provides written confirmation of transactions initiated by telephone as a procedure designed to confirm that telephone instructions are genuine. All telephone transactions are recorded, and PIMCO or the Transfer Agent may request certain information in order to verify that the person giving instructions is authorized to do so. The Trust or Transfer Agent may be liable for any losses due to unauthorized or fraudulent telephone transactions if it fails to employ reasonable procedures to confirm that instructions communicated by telephone are genuine. All redemptions initiated by telephone will be processed in a timely manner, and proceeds will be forwarded by wire in accordance with the redemption policies of the Trust detailed below. See "Redeeming Shares — Additional Information."

An Authorized Person may decline telephone exchange or redemption privileges after an account is opened by providing the Transfer Agent a letter of instruction signed by an Authorized Signer. Shareholders may experience delays in exercising telephone redemption privileges during periods of abnormal market activity. During periods of volatile economic or market conditions, shareholders may wish to consider transmitting redemption orders by facsimile, e-mail or overnight courier. Defined contribution plan participants may request redemptions by contacting the employee benefits office, the plan administrator or the organization that provides recordkeeping services for the plan.

Redemptions Online

An investor may redeem Institutional Class shares through their account online. To access your online account, please log onto pimco.com/InstitutionalAccountAccess and enter your account information and personal identification data.

Redeeming Shares — I-2 and I-3

An investor may redeem (sell) I-2 or I-3 shares through the investor's financial firm.  Investors do not pay any fees or other charges to the Trust when selling I-2 or I-3 shares.  Please contact the financial firm for details.

A financial firm is obligated to transmit an investor's redemption orders to the Transfer Agent promptly and is responsible for ensuring that a redemption request is in proper form. The financial firm will be responsible for furnishing all necessary documentation to the Transfer Agent and may charge for its services.

Redeeming Shares — Additional Information

Redemptions of all Classes of Fund shares may be made on any day the New York Stock Exchange ("NYSE") is open, but may be suspended when trading on the NYSE is restricted or during an emergency which makes it impracticable for the Funds to dispose of their securities or to determine fairly the value of their net assets, or during any other period as permitted by the SEC for the protection of investors. Under these and other unusual circumstances, the Trust may suspend redemptions or postpone payment for more than seven days, as permitted by law.

Following the receipt of a redemption request, redemption proceeds will normally be mailed to the redeeming shareholder within three calendar days or, in the case of wire transfer or ACH redemptions, will normally be sent to the designated bank account within one business day. Institutional Class shareholders may only receive redemption proceeds via wire transfer or ACH redemptions. ACH redemptions may be received by the bank on the second or third business day following a redemption request, but in either case may take up to seven days. In cases where shares have recently been purchased by personal check (Class A, Class C or Class R shareholders only), redemption proceeds may be withheld until the check has been collected, which may take up to 10 calendar days. To avoid such withholding, investors in Class A, Class C or Class R shares should purchase shares by certified or bank check or by wire transfer.

For shareholder protection, a request to change information contained in an account registration (for example, a request to change the bank designated to receive wire redemption proceeds) must be received in writing, signed by the minimum number of Authorized Persons designated on the completed Account Application that are required to effect a redemption, and accompanied by a signature validation, as determined in accordance with the Trust's procedures, as more fully described below.

Retirement plan sponsors, participant recordkeeping organizations and other financial firms may also impose their own restrictions, limitations or fees in connection with transactions in the Funds' shares, which may be stricter than those described in this section. You should contact your plan sponsor, recordkeeper or financial intermediary for more information on any additional restrictions, limitations or fees that are imposed in connection with transactions in Fund shares.

 

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In order to meet redemption requests, the Funds typically expect to use a combination of sales of portfolio assets, holdings of cash and cash equivalents (including cash flows into Funds) and financing transactions (such as reverse repurchase agreements). These methods of meeting redemption requests are expected to be used regularly. The Funds reserve the right to use other types of borrowings and interfund lending. The use of borrowings (such as a line of credit) and interfund lending in order to meet redemption requests is typically expected to be used only during stressed market conditions, if at all. See "Characteristics and Risks of Securities and Investment Techniques—Reverse Repurchase Agreements, Dollar Rolls and Other Borrowings" and the SAI for more information. The Funds' use of redemptions in kind is discussed below.

Redemptions In Kind

The Trust has agreed to redeem shares of each Fund solely in cash up to the lesser of $250,000 or 1% of the Fund's net assets during any 90-day period for any one shareholder. In consideration of the best interests of the remaining shareholders, the Trust may pay any redemption proceeds exceeding this amount in whole or in part by a distribution in kind of securities held by a Fund in lieu of cash. It is highly unlikely that your shares would ever be redeemed in kind. If your shares are redeemed in kind, you should expect to incur transaction costs upon the disposition of the securities received in the distribution.

Certificated Shares

If you are redeeming shares for which certificates have been issued, the certificates must be mailed to or deposited with the Trust, duly endorsed or accompanied by a duly endorsed stock power or by a written request for redemption. Signatures must be guaranteed as described under "Signature Validation" below. The Trust may request further documentation from institutions or fiduciary accounts, such as corporations, custodians (e.g., under the Uniform Gifts to Minors Act), executors, administrators, trustees or guardians. Your redemption request and stock power must be signed exactly as the account is registered, including indication of any special capacity of the registered owner.

Signature Validation

When a signature validation is called for, a Medallion signature guarantee or Signature validation program (SVP) stamp may be required. A Medallion signature guarantee is intended to provide signature validation for transactions considered financial in nature, and an SVP stamp is intended to provide signature validation for transactions non-financial in nature. In certain situations, a notarized signature may be used instead of a Medallion signature guarantee or an SVP stamp. A Medallion signature guarantee or SVP stamp may be obtained from a domestic bank or trust company, broker, dealer, clearing agency, savings association or other financial institution which is participating in a Medallion program or Signature validation program recognized by the Securities Transfer Association. When a Medallion signature guarantee or SVP stamp is required, signature validations from financial institutions which are not participating in one of these programs will not be accepted. Please note that financial institutions participating in a recognized Medallion program may still be ineligible to provide a signature validation for transactions of greater than a specified dollar amount. The Trust may change the signature validation requirements from time to time upon notice to shareholders, which may be given by means of a new or supplemented prospectus. Shareholders should contact the Transfer Agent for additional details regarding the Funds' signature validation requirements.

In addition, corporations, trusts, and other institutional organizations are required to furnish evidence of the authority of the persons designated on the Account Application to effect transactions for the organization.

Minimum Account Size

Due to the relatively high cost of maintaining small accounts, the Trust reserves the right to redeem shares in any account that falls below the values listed below.  

Class A, Class C and Class R. Investors should maintain an account balance in the Fund held by an investor of at least the minimum investment necessary to open the particular type of account. If an investor's balance for the Fund remains below the minimum for three months or longer, the Administrator has the right (except in the case of employer-sponsored retirement accounts) to redeem an investor's remaining shares and close the Fund account after giving the investor 60 days to increase the account balance. An investor's account will not be liquidated if the reduction in size is due solely to a decline in market value of Fund shares or if the aggregate value of all the investor's holdings in the Trust and PIMCO Equity Series accounts exceeds $50,000. 

Institutional Class and Administrative Class. The Trust reserves the right to redeem Institutional Class and Administrative Class shares in any account for their then-current value (which will be promptly paid to the investor) if at any time, due to redemption by the investor, the shares in the account do not have a value of at least $100,000. A shareholder will receive advance notice of a mandatory redemption and will be given at least 60 days to bring the value of its account up to at least $100,000.

Request for Multiple Copies of Shareholder Documents

To reduce expenses, it is intended that only one copy of the Funds' prospectus and each annual and semi-annual report, when available, will be mailed to those addresses shared by two or more accounts. If you wish to receive individual copies of these documents and your shares are held directly with the Trust, call the Trust at 888.87.PIMCO. You will receive the additional copy within 30 days after receipt of your request by the Trust. Alternatively, if your shares are held through a financial institution, please contact the financial institution directly.

Exchanging Shares

You may exchange shares of a Fund for the same class of shares of any other fund of the Trust or a fund of PIMCO Equity Series that offers the same class of shares, subject to any restriction on exchanges set forth in the applicable Fund's prospectus. Shareholders interested in such an exchange may request a prospectus for these other funds by contacting the Trust.

 

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Exchanges of Class A and Class C shares are subject to an initial $1,000 minimum (and subsequent $50 minimum) for each Fund, except with respect to tax-qualified programs and exchanges effected through the PIMCO Funds Automatic Exchange Plan. Specified benefit plans or financial service firms may impose various fees and charges, investment minimums and other requirements with respect to exchanges of Class R shares.

An exchange is generally a taxable event which will generate capital gains or losses, and special rules may apply in computing tax basis when determining gain or loss. See "Tax Consequences" in this prospectus and "Taxation" in the SAI.

Eligible investors who maintain their account directly with the Funds may submit a request to exchange Fund shares by accessing their account online.  Eligible direct investors in Class A and Class C shares may access their online account via pimco.com/MyAccountAccess.  Eligible direct investors in Institutional shares may access their online account via pimco.com/InstitutionalAccountAccess.

If you maintain your Class A, Class C or Class R account with the Trust, you may exchange shares by completing a written exchange request and sending it to PIMCO Funds, P.O. Box 55060, Boston, MA 02205-5060 or by calling the Funds at 888.87.PIMCO. Exchanges of an amount of $10 million or more must be submitted in writing by an Authorized Person. If you maintain your Institutional Class, I-2, or Administrative Class shares with the Trust, you may exchange shares by following the redemption procedures for those classes above. If you maintain Class A, Class C, Class R, Institutional Class, I-2, I-3 or Administrative Class shares through an intermediary, please contact the intermediary to conduct your transactions.

Shares of one class of a Fund may also be exchanged directly for shares of another class of the Fund, subject to any applicable sales charge and other rules, as described in the SAI. 

The Trust reserves the right to refuse exchange purchases (or purchase and redemption and/or redemption and purchase transactions) if, in the judgment of PIMCO, the transaction would adversely affect a Fund and its shareholders. Although the Trust has no current intention of terminating or modifying the exchange privilege, it reserves the right to do so at any time. Except as otherwise permitted by the SEC, the Trust will give you 60 days' advance notice if it exercises its right to terminate or materially modify the exchange privilege with respect to Class A, Class C and Class R shares.

The SAI provides more detailed information about the exchange privilege, including the procedures you must follow and additional exchange options. You can obtain the SAI free of charge from the Funds by written request to the address above, by visiting pimco.com or by calling 888.87.PIMCO.

Acceptance and Timing of Purchase Orders, Redemption Orders and Share Price Calculations

A purchase order received by the Trust or its designee prior to the close of regular trading on the NYSE (normally 4:00 p.m., Eastern time) ("NYSE Close"), on a day the Trust is open for business, together with payment made in one of the ways described above will be effected at that day's NAV plus any applicable sales charge. An order received after the close of regular trading on the NYSE will be effected at the NAV determined on the next business day. However, orders received by certain retirement plans and other financial firms on a business day prior to the close of regular trading on the NYSE and communicated to the Trust or its designee prior to such time as agreed upon by the Trust and financial firm will be effected at the NAV determined on the business day the order was received by the financial firm. The Trust is "open for business" on each day the NYSE is open for trading, which excludes the following holidays: New Year's Day, Martin Luther King, Jr. Day, Presidents' Day, Good Friday, Memorial Day, Independence Day, Labor Day, Thanksgiving Day and Christmas Day. If the NYSE is closed due to weather or other extenuating circumstances on a day it would typically be open for business, the Trust reserves the right to treat such day as a Business Day and accept purchase and redemption orders and calculate a Fund's NAV, in accordance with applicable law. A Fund reserves the right to close if the primary trading markets of the Fund's portfolio instruments are closed and the Fund's management believes that there is not an adequate market to meet purchase, redemption or exchange requests. On any business day when the Securities Industry and Financial Markets Association ("SIFMA") recommends that the securities markets close trading early, each Fund may close trading early. Purchase orders will be accepted only on days which the Trust is open for business.

A redemption order received by the Trust or its designee prior to the NYSE Close on a day the Trust is open for business, is effective on that day (unless a specific subsequent trade date is provided). A redemption order received after that time becomes effective on the next business day. Redemption requests for Fund shares are effected at the NAV per share next determined after receipt of a redemption request by the Trust or its designee, minus any applicable sales charge. However, orders received by certain broker-dealers and other financial firms on a business day prior to the NYSE Close and communicated to the Trust or its designee prior to such time as agreed upon by the Trust and financial firm will be effected on the business day the order was received by the financial firm. The request must properly identify all relevant information such as trade date, account name, account number, redemption amount (in dollars or shares), the Fund name and the class of shares and must be executed by an Authorized Person.

The Trust and the Distributor each reserves the right, in its sole discretion, to accept or reject any order for purchase of Fund shares. The sale of shares may be suspended during any period in which the NYSE is closed other than weekends or holidays, or if permitted by the rules of the SEC, when trading on the NYSE is restricted or during an emergency which makes it impracticable for the Fund to dispose of its securities or to determine fairly the value of its net assets, or during any other period as permitted by the SEC for the protection of investors. Additionally, redemptions of Fund shares may be suspended when trading on the NYSE is restricted or during an emergency which makes it impracticable for the Fund to dispose of its securities or to determine fairly the value of its net assets, or during any other period as permitted by the SEC for the protection of investors. Under these and other unusual circumstances, the Trust may suspend redemptions or postpone payment for more than seven days, as permitted by law.

An investor should invest in the Fund for long-term investment purposes only. The Trust reserves the right to refuse purchases if, in the judgment of PIMCO, the purchases would adversely affect the Fund and its shareholders.

 

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In particular, the Trust and PIMCO each reserves the right to restrict purchases of Fund shares (including exchanges) when a pattern of frequent purchases and sales made in response to short-term fluctuations in share price appears evident. Notice of any such restrictions, if any, will vary according to the particular circumstances.

Abusive Trading Practices

The Trust encourages shareholders to invest in the Funds as part of a long-term investment strategy and discourages excessive, short-term trading and other abusive trading practices, sometimes referred to as "market timing." However, because the Trust will not always be able to detect market timing or other abusive trading activity, investors should not assume that the Trust will be able to detect or prevent all market timing or other trading practices that may disadvantage the Funds.

Certain of the Funds' investment strategies may expose the Funds to risks associated with market timing activities. For example, since certain Funds may invest in non-U.S. securities, they may be subject to the risk that an investor may seek to take advantage of a delay between the change in value of the Funds' non-U.S. portfolio securities and the determination of the Funds' NAV as a result of different closing times of U.S. and non-U.S. markets by buying or selling Fund shares at a price that does not reflect their true value. A similar risk exists for a Fund's potential investment in securities of small capitalization companies, securities of issuers located in emerging markets, securities of distressed companies or high yield securities that are thinly traded and therefore may have actual values that differ from their market prices.

Except as identified below, to discourage excessive, short-term trading and other abusive trading strategies, the Board of Trustees of the Trust has adopted policies and procedures reasonably designed to detect and prevent short-term trading activity that may be harmful to a Fund and its shareholders ("Market Timing Policy"). Such activities may have a detrimental effect on a Fund and its shareholders. For example, depending on various factors such as the size of a Fund and the amount of its assets maintained in cash, short-term or excessive trading by Fund shareholders may interfere with the efficient management of the Trust's investments, increase transaction costs and taxes, and may harm the performance of the Fund and its shareholders. Purchases and sales by the PIMCO Inflation Response Multi-Asset Fund in certain Underlying PIMCO Funds may be exempt from certain limitations under the Market Timing Policy in order to allow these Funds to manage their cash flows and reallocate portfolio investments in the Underlying PIMCO Funds according to their allocation targets.

The Trust seeks to deter and prevent abusive trading practices, and to reduce these risks, through several methods. First, to the extent that there is a delay between a change in the value of a Fund's portfolio holdings and the time when that change is reflected in the NAV of the Fund's shares, the Fund is exposed to the risk that investors may seek to exploit this delay by purchasing or redeeming shares at NAVs that do not reflect appropriate fair value prices. The Trust seeks to deter and prevent this activity, sometimes referred to as "stale price arbitrage," by the appropriate use of "fair value" pricing of a Fund's portfolio securities. See "How Fund Shares Are Priced" below for more information.

Second, the Trust seeks to monitor shareholder account activities in order to detect and prevent excessive and disruptive trading practices. The Trust and PIMCO each reserves the right to restrict or refuse any purchase or exchange transaction if, in the judgment of the Trust or of PIMCO, the transaction may adversely affect the interests of a Fund or its shareholders. Among other things, the Trust may monitor for any patterns of frequent purchases and sales that appear to be made in response to short-term fluctuations in share price and may also monitor for any attempts to improperly avoid the imposition of a redemption fee. Notice of any restrictions or rejections of transactions may vary according to the particular circumstances. The Trust does not monitor the PIMCO Funds of Funds (as defined below) for purposes of detecting frequent or short-term trading practices with respect to shares of the Funds.

Although the Trust and its service providers seek to use these methods to detect and prevent abusive trading activities, and although the Trust will consistently apply such methods, there can be no assurances that such activities can be mitigated or eliminated. By their nature, omnibus accounts, in which purchases and sales of Fund shares by multiple investors are aggregated for presentation to a Fund on a net basis, conceal the identity of the individual investors from the Fund. This makes it more difficult for the Trust and/or PIMCO to identify short-term transactions in the Fund.

Verification of Identity

To help the federal government combat the funding of terrorism and money laundering activities, federal law requires all financial institutions to obtain, verify and record information that identifies each person that opens a new account, and to determine whether such person's name appears on government lists of known or suspected terrorists and terrorist organizations. As a result, a Fund must obtain the following information for each person that opens a new account:

1.

Name;

2.

Date of birth (for individuals);

3.

Residential or business street address; and

4.

Social security number, taxpayer identification number, or other identifying number.

Federal law prohibits the Funds and other financial institutions from opening a new account unless they receive the minimum identifying information listed above.

Individuals may also be asked for a copy of their driver's license, passport or other identifying document in order to verify their identity. In addition, it may be necessary to verify an individual's identity by cross-referencing the identification information with a consumer report or other electronic database. Additional information may be required to open accounts for corporations and other entities.

After an account is opened, a Fund may restrict your ability to purchase additional shares until your identity is verified. A Fund also may close your account and redeem your shares or take other appropriate action if it is unable to verify your identity within a reasonable time.

How Fund Shares Are Priced

The price of a Fund's shares is based on the Fund's NAV. The NAV of a Fund, or each of its share classes, as applicable, is determined by dividing the total

 

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value of a Fund's portfolio investments and other assets attributable to that Fund or class, less any liabilities, by the total number of shares outstanding of that Fund or class.

On each day that the NYSE is open, Fund shares are ordinarily valued as of the close of regular trading ("NYSE Close"). Information that becomes known to the Funds or their agents after the time as of which NAV has been calculated on a particular day will not generally be used to retroactively adjust the price of a security or the NAV determined earlier that day. Each Fund reserves the right to change the time its respective NAV is calculated if the Fund closes earlier, or as permitted by the SEC.

For purposes of calculating NAV, portfolio securities and other assets for which market quotes are readily available are valued at market value. Market value is generally determined on the basis of official closing prices or the last reported sales prices, or if no sales are reported, based on quotes obtained from established market makers or prices (including evaluated prices) supplied by the Funds' approved pricing services, quotation reporting systems and other third-party sources (together, "Pricing Services"). The Funds will normally use pricing data for domestic equity securities received shortly after the NYSE Close and do not normally take into account trading, clearances or settlements that take place after the NYSE Close. A foreign (non-U.S.) equity security traded on a foreign exchange or on more than one exchange is typically valued using pricing information from the exchange considered by PIMCO to be the primary exchange. If market value pricing is used, a foreign (non-U.S.) equity security will be valued as of the close of trading on the foreign exchange, or the NYSE Close, if the NYSE Close occurs before the end of trading on the foreign exchange. Domestic and foreign (non-U.S.) fixed income securities, non-exchange-traded derivatives, and equity options are normally valued on the basis of quotes obtained from brokers and dealers or Pricing Services using data reflecting the earlier closing of the principal markets for those securities. Prices obtained from Pricing Services may be based on, among other things, information provided by market makers or estimates of market values obtained from yield data relating to investments or securities with similar characteristics. Certain fixed income securities purchased on a delayed-delivery basis are marked to market daily until settlement at the forward settlement date. Exchange-traded options, except equity options, futures and options on futures are valued at the settlement price determined by the relevant exchange. Swap agreements are valued on the basis of bid quotes obtained from brokers and dealers or market-based prices supplied by Pricing Services or other pricing sources. With respect to any portion of the Fund's assets that are invested in one or more open-end management investment companies (other than exchange-traded funds), a Fund's NAV will be calculated based upon the NAVs of such investments.

If a foreign (non-U.S.) equity security's value has materially changed after the close of the security's primary exchange or principal market but before the NYSE Close, the security may be valued at fair value based on procedures established and approved by the Board of Trustees. Foreign (non-U.S.) equity securities that do not trade when the NYSE is open are also valued at fair value. With respect to foreign (non-U.S.) equity securities, the Fund may determine the fair value of investments based on information provided by Pricing Services and other third-party vendors, which may recommend fair value or adjustments with reference to other securities, indexes or assets. In considering whether fair valuation is required and in determining fair values, the Fund may, among other things, consider significant events (which may be considered to include changes in the value of U.S. securities or securities indexes) that occur after the close of the relevant market and before the NYSE Close. A Fund may utilize modeling tools provided by third-party vendors to determine fair values of non-U.S. securities. For these purposes, any movement in the applicable reference index or instrument ("zero trigger") between the earlier close of the applicable foreign market and the NYSE Close may be deemed to be a significant event, prompting the application of the pricing model (effectively resulting in daily fair valuations). Foreign (non-U.S.) exchanges may permit trading in foreign (non-U.S.) equity securities on days when the Trust is not open for business, which may result in a Fund's portfolio investments being affected when you are unable to buy or sell shares.

Senior secured floating rate loans for which an active secondary market exists to a reliable degree will be valued at the mean of the last available bid/ask prices in the market for such loans, as provided by a Pricing Service. Senior secured floating rate loans for which an active secondary market does not exist to a reliable degree will be valued at fair value, which is intended to approximate market value. In valuing a senior secured floating rate loan at fair value, the factors considered may include, but are not limited to, the following: (a) the creditworthiness of the borrower and any intermediate participants, (b) the terms of the loan, (c) recent prices in the market for similar loans, if any, and (d) recent prices in the market for instruments of similar quality, rate, period until next interest rate reset and maturity.

Investments valued in currencies other than the U.S. dollar are converted to the U.S. dollar using exchange rates obtained from Pricing Services. As a result, the value of such investments, and in turn, the NAV of the Fund's shares may be affected by changes in the value of currencies in relation to the U.S. dollar. The value of investments traded in markets outside the United States or denominated in currencies other than the U.S. dollar may be affected significantly on a day that the Trust is not open for business. As a result, to the extent that a Fund holds foreign (non-U.S.) investments, the value of those investments may change at times when shareholders are unable to buy or sell shares and the value of such investments will be reflected in the Fund's next calculated NAV.

Investments for which market quotes or market based valuations are not readily available are valued at fair value as determined in good faith by the Board of Trustees or persons acting at their direction. The Board of Trustees has adopted methods for valuing securities and other assets in circumstances where market quotes are not readily available, and has delegated to PIMCO the responsibility for applying the fair valuation methods. In the event that market quotes or market based valuations are not readily available, and the security or asset cannot be valued pursuant to a Board approved valuation method, the value of the security or asset will be determined in good faith by the Valuation Oversight Committee of the Board of Trustees, generally based on recommendations provided by PIMCO. Market quotes are considered not readily available in circumstances where there is an absence of current or reliable market-based data (e.g., trade information, bid/ask information, broker quotes, Pricing Services' prices), including where events occur after the close of the relevant market,

 

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but prior to the NYSE Close, that materially affect the values of the Fund's securities or assets. In addition, market quotes are considered not readily available when, due to extraordinary circumstances, the exchanges or markets on which the securities trade do not open for trading for the entire day and no other market prices are available. The Board of Trustees has delegated to PIMCO the responsibility for monitoring significant events that may materially affect the values of the Fund's securities or assets and for determining whether the value of the applicable securities or assets should be reevaluated in light of such significant events.

When the Fund uses fair valuation to determine the value of a portfolio security or other asset for purposes of calculating its NAV, such investments will not be priced on the basis of quotes from the primary market in which they are traded, but rather may be priced by another method that the Board of Trustees or persons acting at their direction believe reflects fair value. Fair valuation may require subjective determinations about the value of a security. While the Trust's policy is intended to result in a calculation of the Fund's NAV that fairly reflects security values as of the time of pricing, the Trust cannot ensure that fair values determined by the Board of Trustees or persons acting at their direction would accurately reflect the price that a Fund could obtain for a security if it were to dispose of that security as of the time of pricing (for instance, in a forced or distressed sale). The prices used by the Fund may differ from the value that would be realized if the securities were sold. The Funds' use of fair valuation may also help to deter "stale price arbitrage" as discussed above under "Abusive Trading Practices."

Under certain circumstances, the per share NAV of a class of the Fund's shares may be different from the per share NAV of another class of shares as a result of the different daily expense accruals applicable to each class of shares.

Fund Distributions

Each Fund distributes substantially all of its net investment income to shareholders in the form of dividends. Dividends paid by each Fund with respect to each class of shares are calculated in the same manner and at the same time, but dividends on different classes of shares may be different as a result of the service and/or distribution fees applicable to certain classes of shares. The following table shows when each Fund intends to declare and distribute income dividends to shareholders of record.



Fund

Declared
and Paid
Quarterly

Declared
Daily and Paid
Monthly

All Funds (other than PIMCO Long-Term Real Return, PIMCO Real Return and PIMCO Real Return Limited Duration Funds)

PIMCO Long-Term Real Return, PIMCO Real Return and PIMCO Real Return Limited Duration Funds

In addition, each Fund distributes any net capital gains it earns from the sale of portfolio securities to shareholders no less frequently than annually. Net short-term capital gains may be paid more frequently.

A Fund's dividend and capital gain distributions with respect to a particular class of shares will automatically be reinvested in additional shares of the same class of the Fund at NAV unless the shareholder elects to have the distributions paid in cash. A shareholder may elect to have distributions paid in cash on the Account Application, by phone, or by submitting a written request, signed by an Authorized Person, indicating the account name, account number, name of Fund and share class. A shareholder may elect to invest all distributions in shares of the same class of any other fund of the Trust or PIMCO Funds which offers that class of shares at NAV. A shareholder must have an account existing in the fund selected for investment with the identical registered name. This option must be elected when the account is set up.

Shares Purchased by Wire: With respect to the Funds whose policy it is to declare dividends daily, dividends will begin to accrue the business day following the day the order is effected or such later date as agreed with the Trust.

Shares Purchased by Check or ACH: With respect to the PIMCO Long-Term Real Return Fund, PIMCO Real Return Fund and PIMCO Real Return Limited Duration Fund, the order will be effected at that day's NAV, but dividends will not begin to accrue until the following business day.

With respect to the PIMCO Long-Term Real Return Fund, PIMCO Real Return Fund and PIMCO Real Return Limited Duration Fund, if a purchase order is placed through a broker, dealer or other financial firms authorized to settle through the National Securities Clearing Corporation (the "NSCC"), the purchase order will begin accruing dividends on the business day following the NSCC settlement date or as agreed upon and as allowed by applicable law.

A Class A, Class C or Class R shareholder may choose from the following distribution options:

Reinvest all distributions in additional shares of the same class of the Fund at NAV. You should contact your financial firm (if shares are held through a financial firm) or the Fund's Transfer Agent (if shares are held through a direct account) for details. You do not pay any sales charges on shares received through the reinvestment of Fund distributions. This will be done unless you elect another option.

Invest all distributions in shares of the same class of any other fund of the Trust or PIMCO Equity Series which offers that class at NAV. You must have an account existing in the fund selected for investment with the identical registered name. You must elect this option on your Account Application or by a telephone request to the Transfer Agent at 888.87.PIMCO.

Receive all distributions in cash (either paid directly to you or credited to your account with your broker or other financial intermediary). If the postal or other delivery service is unable to deliver checks to your address of record, the Trust's Transfer Agent will hold the returned checks for your benefit in a non-interest bearing account. You must elect this option on your Account Application or by a telephone request to the Transfer Agent at 888.87.PIMCO.

The financial service firm may offer additional distribution reinvestment programs or options. Please contact the firm for details.

The formula below is used to calculate the monthly distribution amount per Fund share as adjusted for inflation according to changes in the CPI. The amount actually distributed by the Fund may vary as described in the first footnote to the formula.

 

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Inflation-Adjusted Monthly Distribution



Example of Monthly Distributions

The following is a hypothetical example of how an investor's monthly distributions over a three-month period would be calculated, including the adjustment for inflation. The example uses historical measures of inflation (as measured by the actual figures for the CPI), but is provided only as a hypothetical illustration of how an investor's distributions would vary over periods of inflation and deflation. It does not reflect any actual distributions. The example assumes that:

The shareholder held 100,000 shares in a Fund during the three-month period.

April 2009 CPI = 213.240

May 2009 CPI = 213.856

June 2009 CPI = 215.693

July 2009 CPI = 215.351

1. Calculate July distribution per share.



2. Calculate July total distribution amount for the shareholder.



3. Calculate August distribution per share.



4. Calculate August total distribution amount for the shareholder.



5. Calculate September distribution per share.



6. Calculate September total distribution amount for the shareholder.



During periods of rising inflation the amount of the monthly distribution is expected to increase and during periods of deflation the amount of the monthly distribution is expected to decrease. The monthly distribution amount may be adjusted during the term of a Fund to better enable the Fund to provide regular monthly distributions through the final maturity date. The Funds' distribution policies may be modified by the Board at any time and a Fund may not be successful in achieving its distribution strategy. These distributions are not guaranteed.

In addition, each Fund distributes any net capital gains it earns from the sale of portfolio securities to shareholders no less frequently than annually. Net short-term capital gains may be paid more frequently and will be included in the monthly distribution. The Funds are expected to be managed to minimize capital gains. However, if a Fund incurs capital gains, the regular monthly distribution may be reduced by the amount of the capital gain distribution so that the total amount distributed, including both the capital gain distribution and the monthly distribution, do not exceed the intended monthly distribution. If the total capital gain distribution in a

 

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month is higher than the intended regular monthly distribution, future monthly distributions may be reduced.

Tax Consequences

The following information is meant as a general summary for U.S. taxpayers. Please see the SAI for additional information. You should rely on your own tax adviser for advice about the particular federal, state and local tax consequences to you of investing in any Fund.

Each Fund will distribute substantially all of its income and gains to its shareholders every year, and shareholders will be taxed on distributions they receive.

Taxes on Fund Distributions. A shareholder subject to U.S. federal income tax will be subject to tax on taxable Fund distributions of taxable income or capital gains whether they are paid in cash or reinvested in additional shares of the Funds. For federal income tax purposes, taxable Fund distributions will be taxable to the shareholder as either ordinary income or capital gains.

Fund taxable dividends (i.e., distributions of investment income) are generally taxable to shareholders as ordinary income. A portion of distributions may be qualified dividends taxable at lower rates for individual shareholders. However, in light of the investment strategies of the Funds, it is not anticipated that a significant portion of the dividends paid by the Funds will be eligible to be designated as qualified dividends. Federal taxes on Fund distributions of gains are determined by how long a Fund owned the investments that generated the gains, rather than how long a shareholder has owned the shares. Distributions of gains from investments that the Fund owned for more than one year will generally be taxable to shareholders as long-term capital gains. Distributions of gains from investments that the Fund owned for one year or less will generally be taxable as ordinary income.

The tax treatment of income, gains and losses attributable to foreign currencies (and derivatives on such currencies), and various other special tax rules applicable to certain financial transactions and instruments could affect the amount, timing and character of a Fund's distributions. In some cases, these tax rules could also result in a retroactive change in the tax character of prior distributions and may also possibly cause all, or a portion, of prior distributions to be reclassified as returns of capital for tax purposes. See "Returns of Capital" below.

Taxable Fund distributions are taxable to shareholders even if they are paid from income or gains earned by a Fund prior to the shareholder's investment and thus were included in the price paid for the shares. For example, a shareholder who purchases shares on or just before the record date of a Fund distribution will pay full price for the shares and may receive a portion of his or her investment back as a taxable distribution.

Taxes on Redemption or Exchanges of Shares. You will generally have a taxable capital gain or loss if you dispose of your Fund shares by redemption, exchange or sale. The amount of the gain or loss and the rate of tax will depend primarily upon how much you pay for the shares, how much you sell them for, and how long you hold them. When you exchange shares of a Fund for shares of another Fund, the transaction will be treated as a sale of the Fund shares for these purposes, and any gain on those shares will generally be subject to federal income tax.

Returns of Capital. If the Fund's distributions exceed its taxable income and capital gains realized during a taxable year, all or a portion of the distributions made in the same taxable year may be recharacterized as a return of capital to shareholders. A return of capital distribution will generally not be taxable, but will reduce each shareholder's cost basis in the Fund and result in a higher reported capital gain or lower reported capital loss when those shares on which the distribution was received are sold.

Medicare Tax. An additional 3.8% Medicare tax is imposed on certain net investment income (including ordinary dividends and capital gain distributions received from a Fund and net gains from redemptions or other taxable dispositions of Fund shares) of U.S. individuals, estates and trusts to the extent that such person's "modified adjusted gross income" (in the case of an individual) or "adjusted gross income" (in the case of an estate or trust) exceeds certain threshold amounts.

Recent Tax Legislation. Under recent tax legislation, individuals (and certain other noncorporate entities) are generally eligible for a 20% deduction with respect to taxable ordinary dividends from REITs and certain taxable income from publicly traded partnerships. Currently, there is not a mechanism for regulated investment companies to pass through the 20% deduction to shareholders although it is possible that a legislative or regulatory approach to do so may be provided in the future. As a result, in comparison, investors investing directly in REITs or publicly traded partnerships would generally be eligible for the 20% deduction for such taxable income from these investments while investors investing in REITs or publicly traded partnerships indirectly through a Fund would not be eligible for the 20% deduction for their share of such taxable income. In addition, under the recent tax legislation, REITs as well as other corporations will be subject to certain leverage limitations regarding the deductibility of interest expense. The recent tax legislation also may, pending further regulatory guidance, require REITs and a Fund to accrue market discount currently, which may affect the taxability of REIT distributions received by a Fund and the amount of taxable distributions paid by a Fund to shareholders. The effects of these and other provisions of the tax legislation on REITs' operations, on master limited partnerships, or on a Fund, is uncertain at this time.

Important Tax Reporting Considerations. Your financial intermediary or the Fund (if you hold your shares in a Fund direct account) will report gains and losses realized on redemptions of shares for shareholders who are individuals and S corporations purchased after January 1, 2012 to the Internal Revenue Service (IRS). This information will also be reported to you on Form 1099-B and the IRS each year. In calculating the gain or loss on redemptions of shares, the average cost method will be used to determine the cost basis of Fund shares purchased after January 1, 2012 unless you instruct the Fund in writing that you want to use another available method for cost basis reporting (for example, First In, First Out (FIFO), Last In, First Out (LIFO), Specific Lot Identification (SLID) or High Cost, First Out (HIFO)). If you designate SLID as your cost basis method, you will also

 

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need to designate a secondary cost basis method (Secondary Method). If a Secondary Method is not provided, the Funds will designate FIFO as the Secondary Method and will use the Secondary Method with respect to automatic withdrawals made after January 1, 2012 or conducted via an automatic withdrawal plan.

A Note on the PIMCO CommodityRealReturn Strategy Fund®, PIMCO CommoditiesPLUS® Strategy Fund and PIMCO Inflation Response Multi-Asset Fund. One of the requirements for favorable tax treatment as a regulated investment company under the Code is that each Fund derive at least 90% of its gross income from certain qualifying sources of income. The IRS has issued a revenue ruling which holds that income derived from commodity-linked swaps is not qualifying income under Subchapter M of the Code. As such, each Fund's ability to utilize direct investments in commodity-linked swaps as part of its investment strategy is limited to a maximum of 10 percent of its gross income.
However, in a subsequent revenue ruling, the IRS provides that income from alternative investment instruments (such as certain commodity index-linked notes) that create commodity exposure may be considered qualifying income under the Code. The IRS has also issued private letter rulings in which the IRS specifically concluded that income from certain commodity index-linked notes is qualifying income (collectively, the "Notes Rulings"). In addition, the IRS has also issued private letter rulings in which the IRS specifically concluded that income derived from an investment in a subsidiary will also constitute qualifying income, even if that subsidiary itself owns commodity-linked swaps. Each of the Funds will continue to seek to gain exposure to the commodity markets primarily through investments in their respective Subsidiary.
The IRS recently issued proposed regulations that, if finalized, would generally treat each Portfolio's income inclusion with respect to its respective Subsidiary as qualifying income only if there is a distribution out of the earnings and profits of the Subsidiary that are attributable to such income inclusion. The proposed regulations, if adopted, would apply to taxable years beginning on or after 90 days after the regulations are published as final. The IRS also recently issued a revenue procedure, which states that the IRS will not in the future issue private letter rulings that would require a determination of whether an asset (such as a commodity index-linked note) is a "security" under the 1940 Act. In connection with issuing such revenue procedure, the IRS has revoked the Notes Rulings. There can be no assurance that the IRS will not change its position with respect to some or all of these conclusions or that future legislation will not adversely impact the tax treatment of a Fund's commodity-linked investments. If the IRS were to change or reverse its position, or if future legislation adversely affected the tax treatment of a Fund's commodity-linked investments, there would likely be a significant adverse impact on the Fund, including the possibility of failing to qualify as a regulated investment company. If the Fund did not qualify as a regulated investment company for any taxable year, its taxable income would be subject to tax at the Fund level at regular corporate tax rates (without reduction for distributions to shareholders) and to a further tax at the shareholder level when such income is distributed.
Furthermore, the tax treatment of PIMCO CommodityRealReturn Strategy®, PIMCO CommoditiesPLUS® Strategy and PIMCO Inflation Response Multi-Asset Funds' investments in their Subsidiaries may otherwise be adversely affected by future legislation, court decisions, Treasury Regulations and/or guidance issued by the IRS. Such developments could affect the character, timing and/or amount of the PIMCO CommodityRealReturn Strategy®, PIMCO CommoditiesPLUS® Strategy and PIMCO Inflation Response Multi-Asset Funds' taxable income or any distributions made by the Funds or result in the inability of the Funds to operate as described in this Prospectus.

A Note on the PIMCO CommodityRealReturn Strategy Fund®, PIMCO Inflation Response Multi-Asset Fund, PIMCO Long-Term Real Return Fund, PIMCO RealEstateRealReturn Strategy Fund and PIMCO Real Return Fund. Periodic adjustments for inflation to the principal amount of an inflation-indexed bond may give rise to original issue discount, which will be includable in the Fund's gross income. Due to original issue discount, the Fund may be required to make annual distributions to shareholders that exceed the cash received, which may cause the Fund to liquidate certain investments when it is not advantageous to do so. Also, if the principal value of an inflation-indexed bond is adjusted downward due to deflation, amounts previously distributed in the taxable year may be characterized in some circumstances as a return of capital.

If a shareholder is a corporation and has not instructed the Fund that it is a C corporation in its Account Application or by written instruction, the Fund will treat the shareholder as an S corporation and file a Form 1099-B.

A Note on the PIMCO Unconstrained Tax Managed Bond Fund, Underlying PIMCO Fund. Dividends paid to shareholders of the Underlying PIMCO Fund are expected to be designated by the Underlying PIMCO Fund as "exempt-interest dividends" to the extent that such dividends are derived from Municipal Bond interest and shareholders may generally exclude such dividends from gross income for federal income tax purposes.  The federal tax exemption for "exempt-interest dividends" from Municipal Bonds does not necessarily result in the exemption of such dividends from state and local taxes.  The Underlying PIMCO Fund will invest a portion of its assets in securities that generate income that is not exempt from federal or state income tax. Dividends derived from taxable interest or capital gains will be subject to federal income tax and will be subject to state tax in most states.  The payment of a portion of the Underlying PIMCO Fund's dividends as dividends exempt from federal income tax will not provide additional tax benefits to investors in tax-sheltered retirement plans or individuals not subject to federal income tax.

Backup Withholding. Each Fund may be required to withhold U.S. federal income tax on all taxable distributions payable to shareholders if they fail to provide the Fund with their correct taxpayer identification number or to make required certifications, or if they have been notified by the IRS that they are subject to backup withholding.

 

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Backup withholding is not an additional tax. Any amounts withheld may be credited against U.S. federal income tax liability

Foreign Withholding Taxes. A Fund may be subject to foreign withholding or other foreign taxes, which in some cases can be significant on any income or gain from investments in foreign securities. In that case, the Fund's total return on those securities would be decreased. Each Fund may generally deduct these taxes in computing its taxable income. Rather than deducting these foreign taxes, if more than 50% of the value of a Fund's total assets at the close of its taxable year consists of stock or securities of foreign corporations or foreign governments, or if at least 50% of the value of a Fund's total assets at the close of each quarter of its taxable year is represented by interests in other regulated investment companies, such Fund may make an election to treat a proportionate amount of eligible foreign taxes as constituting a taxable distribution to each shareholder, which would, subject to certain limitations, generally allow the shareholder to either (i) credit that proportionate amount of taxes against U.S. Federal income tax liability as a foreign tax credit or (ii) take that amount as an itemized deduction. Although in some cases the Fund may be able to apply for a refund of a portion of such taxes, the ability to successfully obtain such a refund may be uncertain.

Foreign shareholders may be subject to U. S. tax withholding of 30% (or lower applicable treaty rate) on distributions from the Funds. Additionally, the Funds are required to withhold U.S. tax (at a 30% rate) on payments of taxable dividends and (effective January 1, 2019) redemption proceeds and certain capital gain dividends made to certain non-U.S. entities that fail to comply (or be deemed compliant) with extensive reporting and withholding requirements designed to inform the U.S. Department of the Treasury of U.S.-owned foreign investment accounts. Shareholders may be requested to provide additional information to enable the Funds to determine whether withholding is required.

This "Tax Consequences" section relates only to federal income tax; the consequences under other tax laws may differ. Shareholders should consult their tax advisors as to the possible application of foreign, state and local income tax laws to Fund dividends and capital distributions. Please see "Taxation" in the SAI for additional information regarding the tax aspects of investing in the Funds.

Characteristics and Risks of Securities and Investment Techniques

This section provides additional information about some of the principal investments and related risks of the Funds and of certain Acquired Funds described under "Fund Summaries" and "Description of Principal Risks" above. It also describes characteristics and risks of additional securities and investment techniques that may be used by the Funds and certain Acquired Funds from time to time. Generally, the characteristics and risks of securities and investment techniques described herein that may be used by the Acquired Funds from time to time are similar to those described below. However, the risks associated with an Acquired Fund's investments are described more fully in each Acquired Fund's prospectus. Accordingly, please see an Acquired Fund's prospectus for a more complete description of the Acquired Fund and the risks associated with its investments. Most of these securities and investment techniques are discretionary, which means that PIMCO, or in the case of a fund that is not managed by PIMCO, such fund's investment adviser and subadviser, as applicable, can decide whether to use them or not. This prospectus does not attempt to disclose all of the various types of securities and investment techniques that may be used by the Funds or Acquired Funds. As with any mutual fund, investors in the Funds rely on the professional investment judgment and skill of PIMCO and the individual portfolio managers. Please see "Investment Objectives and Policies" in the SAI for more detailed information about the securities and investment techniques described in this section and about other strategies and techniques that may be used by the Funds.

Because the PIMCO CommoditiesPLUS® Strategy Fund, PIMCO CommodityRealReturn Strategy Fund® and PIMCO Inflation Response Multi-Asset Fund may each invest a portion of its assets in its respective Subsidiary, each of which may hold some of the investments described in this prospectus, these Funds may be indirectly exposed to the risks associated with those investments. With respect to its investments, each Subsidiary will generally be subject to the same fundamental, non-fundamental and certain other investment restrictions as the Funds; however, each Subsidiary (unlike the Fund) may invest without limitation in commodity-linked swap agreements and other commodity-linked derivative instruments. The PIMCO CommoditiesPLUS® Strategy Fund, the PIMCO CommodityRealReturn Strategy Fund® and the PIMCO Inflation Response Multi-Asset Fund and their respective Subsidiaries may test for compliance with certain investment restrictions on a consolidated basis, except that with respect to their investments in certain securities that may involve leverage, a Subsidiary will comply with asset segregation or "earmarking" requirements to the same extent as the Fund.

As the PIMCO Inflation Response Multi-Asset Fund may invest in shares of the Acquired Funds, the risks of investing in the PIMCO Inflation Response Multi-Asset Fund may be closely related to the risks associated with the Acquired Funds and their investments. However, as the PIMCO Inflation Response Multi-Asset Fund may also invest their assets directly in Fixed Income Instruments, equity securities, forwards or derivatives, such as options, futures contracts or swap agreements, other affiliated or unaffiliated funds, and other investments, the PIMCO Inflation Response Multi-Asset Fund may be directly exposed to certain risks described below.

Investors should be aware that the investments made by a Fund and the results achieved by a Fund at any given time are not expected to be the same as those made by other funds for which PIMCO acts as investment adviser, including funds with names, investment objectives and policies similar to a Fund. This may be attributable to a wide variety of factors, including, but not limited to, the use of a different portfolio management team or strategy, when a particular fund commenced operations or the size of a particular fund, in each case as compared to other similar funds. Significant shareholder purchases and redemptions may adversely impact a Fund's portfolio management. For example, a Fund may be forced to sell a comparatively large portion of its portfolio to meet significant shareholder redemptions, or hold a comparatively large portion of its portfolio in cash due to significant shareholder purchases, in each case when the Fund otherwise would not seek to do so. Such shareholder transactions may

 

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cause Funds to make investment decisions at inopportune times or prices or miss attractive investment opportunities. Such transactions may also increase a Fund's transaction costs, accelerate the realization of taxable income if sales of securities resulted in gains, or otherwise cause a Fund to perform differently than intended. Similarly, significant shareholder purchases may adversely affect a Fund's performance to the extent the Fund is delayed in investing new cash and, as a result, holds a proportionally larger cash position than under ordinary circumstances and such impact may be heightened in funds of funds. While such risks may apply to Funds of any size, such risks are heightened in Funds with fewer assets under management. In addition, new Funds may not be able to fully implement their investment strategy immediately upon commencing investment operations, which could reduce investment performance.

More generally, a Fund may be adversely affected when a large shareholder purchases or redeems large amounts of shares, which can occur at any time and may impact the Fund in the same manner as a high volume of purchase or redemption requests. Such large shareholders include, but are not limited to, other funds, institutional investors, and asset allocators who make investment decisions on behalf of underlying clients. Large shareholder transactions may cause Funds to make investment decisions at inopportune times or prices or miss attractive investment opportunities. In addition, such transactions may also cause the Fund to sell certain assets in order to meet purchase or redemption requests, which could indirectly affect the liquidity of the Fund's portfolio. Such transactions may also increase the Fund's transaction costs, decrease economies of scale, accelerate the realization of taxable income, or otherwise cause the Fund to perform differently than intended. While large shareholder transactions may be more frequent under certain circumstances, the Fund is generally subject to the risk that a large shareholder can purchase or redeem a significant percentage of Fund shares at any time. Moreover, the Fund is subject to the risk that other shareholders may make investment decisions based on the choices of a large shareholder, which could exacerbate any potential negative effects experienced by the Fund.

Certain PIMCO Funds (the "PIMCO Funds of Funds") invest substantially all or a significant portion of their assets in Underlying PIMCO Funds, which is defined to include the Funds (except the PIMCO Inflation Response Multi-Asset Fund). In some cases, the PIMCO Funds of Funds and certain funds managed by investment advisers affiliated with PIMCO ("Affiliated Funds of Funds") may be the predominant or sole shareholders of a particular Underlying PIMCO Fund, including a Fund. Investment decisions made with respect to the PIMCO Funds of Funds and Affiliated Funds of Funds could, under certain circumstances, negatively impact the Underlying PIMCO Funds, including the Funds, with respect to the expenses and investment performance of the Underlying PIMCO Funds. For instance, large purchases or redemptions of shares of an Underlying PIMCO Fund by the PIMCO Funds of Funds and Affiliated Funds of Funds, whether as part of a reallocation or rebalancing strategy or otherwise, may result in the Underlying PIMCO Fund having to sell securities or invest cash when it otherwise would not do so. Such transactions could increase an Underlying PIMCO Fund's transaction costs and accelerate the realization of taxable income if sales of securities resulted in gains. Additionally, as the PIMCO Funds of Funds and Affiliated Funds of Funds may invest substantially all or a significant portion of their assets in Underlying PIMCO Funds, the Underlying PIMCO Funds may not acquire securities of other registered open-end investment companies in reliance on Section 12(d)(1)(F) or Section 12(d)(1)(G) of the 1940 Act, thus limiting the Underlying PIMCO Funds investment flexibility.

Investment Selection

Certain Funds seek maximum total return. The total return sought by a Fund consists of both income earned on a Fund's investments and capital appreciation, if any, arising from increases in the market value of a Fund's holdings. Capital appreciation of fixed income securities generally results from decreases in market interest rates, foreign currency appreciation, or improving credit fundamentals for a particular market sector or security.

In selecting securities for a Fund, PIMCO develops an outlook for interest rates, currency exchange rates and the economy, analyzes credit and call risks, and uses other security selection techniques. The proportion of a Fund's assets committed to investment in securities with particular characteristics (such as quality, sector, interest rate or maturity) varies based on PIMCO's outlook for the U.S. economy and the economies of other countries in the world, the financial markets and other factors.

With respect to fixed income investing, PIMCO attempts to identify areas of the bond market that are undervalued relative to the rest of the market. PIMCO identifies these areas by grouping Fixed Income Instruments into sectors such as money markets, governments, corporates, mortgages, asset-backed and international. In seeking to identify undervalued currencies, PIMCO may consider many factors, including but not limited to longer-term analysis of relative interest rates, inflation rates, real exchange rates, purchasing power parity, trade account balances and current account balances, as well as other factors that influence exchange rates such as flows, market technical trends and government policies. Sophisticated proprietary software then assists in evaluating sectors and pricing specific investments. Once investment opportunities are identified, PIMCO will shift assets among sectors depending upon changes in relative valuations, credit spreads and other factors. There is no guarantee that PIMCO's investment selection techniques will produce the desired results.

Fixed Income Instruments

"Fixed Income Instruments," as used generally in this prospectus, includes:

securities issued or guaranteed by the U.S. Government, its agencies or government-sponsored enterprises ("U.S. Government Securities");

corporate debt securities of U.S. and non-U.S. issuers, including convertible securities and corporate commercial paper;

mortgage-backed and other asset-backed securities;

inflation-indexed bonds issued both by governments and corporations;

structured notes, including hybrid or "indexed" securities and event-linked bonds;

bank capital and trust preferred securities;

loan participations and assignments;

delayed funding loans and revolving credit facilities;

bank certificates of deposit, fixed time deposits and bankers' acceptances;

 

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repurchase agreements on Fixed Income Instruments and reverse repurchase agreements on Fixed Income Instruments;

debt securities issued by states or local governments and their agencies, authorities and other government-sponsored enterprises;

obligations of non-U.S. governments or their subdivisions, agencies and government-sponsored enterprises; and

obligations of international agencies or supranational entities.

Securities issued by U.S. Government agencies or government-sponsored enterprises may not be guaranteed by the U.S. Treasury.

The Funds, to the extent permitted by the 1940 Act, or exemptive relief therefrom, may invest in derivatives based on Fixed Income Instruments.

Duration

Duration is a measure used to determine the sensitivity of a security's price to changes in interest rates that incorporates a security's yield, coupon, final maturity and call features, among other characteristics. The longer a security's duration, the more sensitive it will be to changes in interest rates. Similarly, a fund with a longer average portfolio duration will be more sensitive to changes in interest rates than a fund with a shorter average portfolio duration. By way of example, the price of a bond fund with an average duration of eight years would be expected to fall approximately 8% if interest rates rose by one percentage point. Similarly, the price of a bond fund with an average duration of seventeen years would be expected to fall approximately 17% if interest rates rose by one percentage point. Conversely, the price of a bond fund with an average duration of negative three years would be expected to rise approximately 3% if interest rates rose by one percentage point. The maturity of a security, another commonly used measure of price sensitivity, measures only the time until final payment is due, whereas duration takes into account the pattern of all payments of interest and principal on a security over time, including how these payments are affected by prepayments and by changes in interest rates, as well as the time until an interest rate is reset (in the case of variable-rate securities). PIMCO uses an internal model for calculating duration, which may result in a different value for the duration of an index compared to the duration calculated by the index provider or another third party.

U.S. Government Securities

U.S. Government Securities are obligations of, or guaranteed by, the U.S. Government, its agencies or government-sponsored enterprises. The U.S. Government does not guarantee the NAV of the Fund's shares. U.S. Government Securities are subject to market and interest rate risk, as well as varying degrees of credit risk. Some U.S. Government Securities are issued or guaranteed by the U.S. Treasury and are supported by the full faith and credit of the United States. Other types of U.S. Government Securities are supported by the full faith and credit of the United States (but not issued by the U.S. Treasury). These securities may have less credit risk than U.S. Government Securities not supported by the full faith and credit of the United States. Such other types of U.S. Government Securities are: (1) supported by the ability of the issuer to borrow from the U.S. Treasury; (2) supported only by the credit of the issuing agency, instrumentality or government-sponsored corporation; or (3) supported by the United States in some other way. These securities may be subject to greater credit risk. U.S. Government Securities include zero coupon securities, which tend to be subject to greater market risk than interest-paying securities of similar maturities.

Securities issued by U.S. Government agencies or government-sponsored enterprises may not be guaranteed by the U.S. Treasury. Government National Mortgage Association ("GNMA"), a wholly owned U.S. Government corporation, is authorized to guarantee, with the full faith and credit of the U.S. Government, the timely payment of principal and interest on securities issued by institutions approved by GNMA and backed by pools of mortgages insured by the Federal Housing Administration or guaranteed by the Department of Veterans Affairs.  Government-related guarantors (i.e., not backed by the full faith and credit of the U.S. Government) include the Federal National Mortgage Association ("FNMA") and the Federal Home Loan Mortgage Corporation ("FHLMC"). Pass-through securities issued by FNMA are guaranteed as to timely payment of principal and interest by FNMA but are not backed by the full faith and credit of the U.S. Government. FHLMC guarantees the timely payment of interest and ultimate collection of principal, but its participation certificates are not backed by the full faith and credit of the U.S. Government.

Municipal Bonds

Municipal Bonds are generally issued by states, territories, possessions and local governments and their agencies, authorities and other instrumentalities. Municipal Bonds are subject to interest rate, credit and market risk, uncertainties related to the tax status of a Municipal Bond or the rights of investors invested in these securities. The ability of an issuer to make payments could be affected by litigation, legislation or other political events or the bankruptcy of the issuer. In addition, imbalances in supply and demand in the municipal market may result in a deterioration of liquidity and a lack of price transparency in the market. At certain times, this may affect pricing, execution and transaction costs associated with a particular trade. The value of certain municipal securities, in particular general obligation debt, may also be adversely affected by rising health care costs, increasing unfunded pension liabilities, changes in accounting standards and by the phasing out of federal programs providing financial support. Lower rated Municipal Bonds are subject to greater credit and market risk than higher quality Municipal Bonds. The types of Municipal Bonds in which the Funds may invest include municipal lease obligations, municipal general obligation bonds, municipal essential service revenue bonds, municipal cash equivalents, and pre-refunded and escrowed to maturity Municipal Bonds. The Funds may also invest in industrial development bonds, which are Municipal Bonds issued by a government agency on behalf of a private sector company and, in most cases, are not backed by the credit of the issuing municipality and may therefore involve more risk. The Funds may also invest in securities issued by entities whose underlying assets are Municipal Bonds.

Pre-refunded Municipal Bonds are tax-exempt bonds that have been refunded to a call date on or before the final maturity of principal and remain outstanding in the municipal market. The payment of principal and interest of the pre-refunded Municipal Bonds held by a Fund is funded from securities in a designated escrow account that holds U.S. Treasury securities or other obligations of the U.S. Government (including its agencies and instrumentalities ("Agency Securities")). As the payment of principal and

 

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interest is generated from securities held in a designated escrow account, the pledge of the municipality has been fulfilled and the original pledge of revenue by the municipality is no longer in place. The escrow account securities pledged to pay the principal and interest of the pre-refunded Municipal Bond do not guarantee the price movement of the bond before maturity. Investment in pre-refunded Municipal Bonds held by a Fund may subject the Fund to interest rate risk, market risk and credit risk. In addition, while a secondary market exists for pre-refunded Municipal Bonds, if a Fund sells pre-refunded Municipal Bonds prior to maturity, the price received may be more or less than the original cost, depending on market conditions at the time of sale.

Certain Funds may invest in trust certificates issued in tender option bond programs. In these programs, a trust typically issues two classes of certificates and uses the proceeds to purchase municipal securities having relatively long maturities and bearing interest at a fixed interest rate substantially higher than prevailing short-term tax-exempt rates. There is a risk that a Fund investing in a tender option bond program will not be considered the owner of a tender option bond for federal income tax purposes, and thus will not be entitled to treat such interest as exempt from federal income tax. Certain tender option bonds may be illiquid or may become illiquid as a result of, among other things, a credit rating downgrade, a payment default or a disqualification from tax-exempt status. A Fund's investment in the securities issued by a tender option bond trust may involve greater risk and volatility than an investment in a fixed rate bond, and the value of such securities may decrease significantly when market interest rates increase. Tender option bond trusts could be terminated due to market, credit or other events beyond a Fund's control, which could require the Fund to dispose of portfolio investments at inopportune times and prices. A Fund may use a tender option bond program as a way of achieving leverage in its portfolio, in which case the Fund will be subject to leverage risk.

In December 2013, regulators finalized rules implementing Section 619 (the "Volcker Rule") and Section 941 (the "Risk Retention Rules") of the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act. Both the Volcker Rule and the Risk Retention Rules apply to tender option bond programs and require that such programs be restructured. In particular, these rules preclude banking entities from: (i) sponsoring or acquiring interests in the trusts used to hold a Municipal Bond in the creation of tender option bond trusts; and (ii) continuing to service or maintain relationships with existing programs involving such trusts to the same extent and in the same capacity as existing programs. At this time, the full impact of these rules is not certain; however, in response to these rules, industry participants are continuing to explore various structuring alternatives for tender option bond programs. Because of the important role that tender option bond programs play in the Municipal Bond market, it is possible that implementation of these rules and any resulting impact may adversely impact the Municipal Bond market. For example, as a result of the implementation of these rules, the Municipal Bond market may experience reduced demand or liquidity and increased financing costs.

Mortgage-Related and Other Asset-Backed Securities

Mortgage-related securities include mortgage pass-through securities, collateralized mortgage obligations ("CMOs"), commercial mortgage-backed securities, mortgage dollar rolls, CMO residuals, stripped mortgage-backed securities ("SMBSs") and other securities that directly or indirectly represent a participation in, or are secured by and payable from, mortgage loans on real property.

The value of some mortgage- or asset-backed securities may be particularly sensitive to changes in prevailing interest rates. Early repayment of principal on some mortgage-related securities may expose a Fund to a lower rate of return upon reinvestment of principal. When interest rates rise, the value of a mortgage-related security generally will decline; however, when interest rates are declining, the value of mortgage-related securities with prepayment features may not increase as much as other fixed income securities. The rate of prepayments on underlying mortgages will affect the price and volatility of a mortgage-related security, and may shorten or extend the effective maturity of the security beyond what was anticipated at the time of purchase. If unanticipated rates of prepayment on underlying mortgages increase the effective maturity of a mortgage-related security, the volatility of the security can be expected to increase. The value of these securities may fluctuate in response to the market's perception of the creditworthiness of the issuers. Additionally, although mortgages and mortgage-related securities are generally supported by some form of government or private guarantee and/or insurance, there is no assurance that guarantors or insurers will meet their obligations.

One type of SMBS has one class receiving all of the interest from the mortgage assets (the interest-only, or "IO" class), while the other class will receive all of the principal (the principal-only, or "PO" class). The yield to maturity on an IO class is extremely sensitive to the rate of principal payments (including prepayments) on the underlying mortgage assets, and a rapid rate of principal payments may have a material adverse effect on a Fund's yield to maturity from these securities. Each Fund may invest up to 5% of its total assets in any combination of mortgage-related or other asset-backed IO, PO, or inverse floater securities.

Each Fund may invest in each of collateralized bond obligations ("CBOs"), collateralized loan obligations ("CLOs"), other collateralized debt obligations ("CDOs") and other similarly structured securities. CBOs, CLOs and other CDOs are types of asset-backed securities. A CBO is a trust which is backed by a diversified pool of high-risk, below investment grade fixed income securities. 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. Other CDOs are trusts backed by other types of assets representing obligations of various parties. Certain Funds may invest in other asset-backed securities that have been offered to investors.

Loan Participations and Assignments

Each Fund may invest in fixed- and floating-rate loans, which investments generally will be in the form of loan participations and assignments of portions of such loans. Participations and assignments involve special types of risk, including credit risk, interest rate risk, liquidity risk, and the risks of

 

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being a lender. If a Fund purchases a participation, it may only be able to enforce its rights through the lender, and may assume the credit risk of the lender in addition to the borrower.

Reinvestment

Each Fund may be subject to the risk that the returns of a Fund will decline during periods of falling interest rates because the Fund may have to reinvest the proceeds from matured, traded or called debt obligations at interest rates below the Fund's current earnings rate. For instance, when interest rates decline, an issuer of debt obligations may exercise an option to redeem securities prior to maturity, thereby forcing the Fund to invest in lower-yielding securities. A Fund also may choose to sell higher-yielding portfolio securities and to purchase lower-yielding securities to achieve greater portfolio diversification, because the Fund's portfolio manager believes the current holdings are overvalued or for other investment-related reasons. A decline in the returns received by a Fund from its investments is likely to have an adverse effect on the Fund's NAV, yield and total return.

Focused Investment

To the extent that a Fund focuses its investments in a particular sector, the Fund may be susceptible to loss due to adverse developments affecting that sector. These developments include, but are not limited to, governmental regulation; inflation; rising interest rates; cost increases in raw materials, fuel and other operating expenses; technological innovations that may render existing products and equipment obsolete; competition from new entrants; high research and development costs; increased costs associated with compliance with environmental or other governmental regulations; and other economic, business or political developments specific to that sector. Furthermore, a Fund may invest a substantial portion of its assets in companies in related sectors that may share common characteristics, are often subject to similar business risks and regulatory burdens, and whose securities may react similarly to the types of developments described above, which will subject the Fund to greater risk. A Fund also will be subject to focused investment risk to the extent that it invests a substantial portion of its assets in a particular issuer, market, asset class, country or geographic region.

Corporate Debt Securities

Corporate debt securities are subject to the risk of the issuer's inability to meet principal and interest payments on the obligation and may also be subject to price volatility due to such factors as interest rate sensitivity, market perception of the creditworthiness of the issuer and general market liquidity. When interest rates rise, the value of corporate debt securities can be expected to decline. Debt securities with longer maturities tend to be more sensitive to interest rate movements than those with shorter maturities. In addition, certain corporate debt securities may be highly customized and as a result may be subject to, among others, liquidity and pricing transparency risks.

High Yield Securities and Distressed Companies

Securities rated lower than Baa by Moody's, or equivalently rated by S&P or Fitch, are sometimes referred to as "high yield securities" or "junk bonds." Issuers of these securities may be distressed and undergoing restructuring, bankruptcy or other proceedings in an attempt to avoid insolvency. Investing in these securities involves special risks in addition to the risks associated with investments in higher-rated fixed income securities. While offering a greater potential opportunity for capital appreciation and higher yields, high yield and distressed company securities typically entail greater potential price volatility and may be less liquid than higher-rated securities. High yield securities and debt securities of distressed companies may be regarded as predominately speculative with respect to the issuer's continuing ability to meet principal and interest payments. They may also be more susceptible to real or perceived adverse economic and competitive industry conditions than higher-rated securities. Certain Funds may invest in securities that are in default with respect to the payment of interest or repayment of principal, or present an imminent risk of default with respect to such payments. Issuers of securities in default may fail to resume principal or interest payments, in which case the Fund may lose its entire investment.

Variable and Floating Rate Securities

Variable and floating rate securities are securities that pay interest at rates that adjust whenever a specified interest rate changes and/or that reset on predetermined dates (such as the last day of a month or a calendar quarter). Each Fund may invest in floating rate debt instruments ("floaters") and engage in credit spread trades. Variable and floating rate securities generally are less sensitive to interest rate changes but may decline in value if their interest rates do not rise as much, or as quickly, as interest rates in general.

Conversely, floating rate securities will not generally increase in value if interest rates decline. Each Fund may also invest in inverse floating rate debt instruments ("inverse floaters"). An inverse floater may exhibit greater price volatility than a fixed rate obligation of similar credit quality. Each Fund may invest up to 5% of its total assets in any combination of mortgage-related or other asset-backed IO, PO, or inverse floater securities. Additionally, a Fund may also invest, without limitation, in residual interest bonds. Residual interest bonds are a type of inverse floater. See "Municipal Bonds".

Inflation-Indexed Bonds

Inflation-indexed bonds (other than municipal inflation-indexed bonds and certain corporate inflation-indexed bonds, which are more fully described below) are fixed income securities whose principal value is periodically adjusted according to the rate of inflation. If the index measuring inflation falls, the principal value of inflation-indexed bonds (other than municipal inflation-indexed bonds and certain corporate inflation-indexed bonds) will be adjusted downward, and consequently the interest payable on these securities (calculated with respect to a smaller principal amount) will be reduced. Repayment of the original bond principal upon maturity (as adjusted for inflation) is guaranteed in the case of TIPS. For bonds that do not provide a similar guarantee, the adjusted principal value of the bond repaid at maturity may be less than the original principal.

TIPS may also be divided into individual zero-coupon instruments for each coupon or principal payment (known as "iSTRIPS"). An iSTRIP of the principal component of a TIPS issue will retain the embedded deflation floor that will allow the holder of the security to receive the greater of the original principal or inflation-adjusted principal value at maturity. iSTRIPS may be less liquid than conventional TIPS because they are a small component of the TIPS market.

 

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Municipal inflation-indexed securities are municipal bonds that pay coupons based on a fixed rate plus CPI. With regard to municipal inflation-indexed bonds and certain corporate inflation-indexed bonds, the inflation adjustment is reflected in the semi-annual coupon payment. As a result, the principal value of municipal inflation-indexed bonds and such corporate inflation-indexed bonds does not adjust according to the rate of inflation. At the same time, the value of municipal inflation-indexed securities and such corporate inflation-indexed securities generally will not increase if the rate of inflation decreases. Because municipal inflation-indexed securities and corporate inflation-indexed securities are a small component of the municipal bond and corporate bond markets, respectively, they may be less liquid than conventional municipal and corporate bonds.

The value of inflation-indexed bonds is expected to change in response to changes in real interest rates. Real interest rates are tied to the relationship between nominal interest rates and the rate of inflation. If nominal interest rates increase at a faster rate than inflation, real interest rates may rise, leading to a decrease in value of inflation-indexed bonds. Any increase in the principal amount of an inflation-indexed bond will be considered taxable ordinary income, even though investors do not receive their principal until maturity.

Event-Linked Exposure

Each Fund may obtain event-linked exposure by investing in "event-linked bonds" or "event-linked swaps" or by implementing "event-linked strategies." Event-linked exposure results in gains or losses that typically are contingent, or formulaically related to defined trigger events. Examples of trigger events include hurricanes, earthquakes, weather-related phenomena, or statistics related to such events. Some event-linked bonds are commonly referred to as "catastrophe bonds." If a trigger event occurs, a Fund may lose a portion or its entire principal invested in the bond or notional amount on a swap. Event-linked exposure often provides for an extension of maturity to process and audit loss claims where a trigger event has, or possibly has, occurred. An extension of maturity may increase volatility. Event-linked exposure may also expose a Fund to certain unanticipated risks including counterparty risk, adverse regulatory or jurisdictional interpretations, and adverse tax consequences. Event-linked exposures may also be subject to liquidity risk.

Convertible and Equity Securities

Common stock represents equity ownership in a company and typically provides the common stockholder the power to vote on certain corporate actions, including the election of the company's directors. Common stockholders participate in company profits through dividends and, in the event of bankruptcy, distributions, on a pro-rata basis after other claims are satisfied. Many factors affect the value of common stock, including earnings, earnings forecasts, corporate events and factors impacting the issuer's industry and the market generally. Common stock generally has the greatest appreciation and depreciation potential of all corporate securities.

Each Fund may invest in convertible securities and equity securities, as well as securities related to equities. Equity-related securities include securities having an equity component (e.g., hybrids, bank capital) and equity derivatives. Convertible securities are generally preferred securities and other securities, including fixed income securities and warrants, that are convertible into or exercisable for common stock at a stated price or rate. The price of a convertible security will normally vary in some proportion to changes in the price of the underlying common stock because of this conversion or exercise feature. However, the value of a convertible security may not increase or decrease as rapidly as the underlying common stock. A convertible security will normally also provide income and is subject to interest rate risk. Convertible securities may be lower-rated securities subject to greater levels of credit risk. A Fund may be forced to convert a security before it would otherwise choose, which may have an adverse effect on the Fund's ability to achieve its investment objective.

"Synthetic" convertible securities are selected based on the similarity of their economic characteristics to those of a traditional convertible security due to the combination of separate securities that possess the two principal characteristics of a traditional convertible security, i.e., an income-producing security ("income-producing component") and the right to acquire an equity security ("convertible component"). The income-producing component is achieved by investing in non-convertible, income-producing securities such as bonds, preferred securities and money market instruments, which may be represented by derivative instruments. The convertible component is achieved by investing in securities or instruments such as warrants or options to buy common stock at a certain exercise price, or options on a stock index. A simple example of a synthetic convertible security is the combination of a traditional corporate bond with a warrant to purchase equity securities of the issuer of the bond. A Fund may also purchase synthetic securities created by other parties, typically investment banks, including convertible structured notes. The income-producing and convertible components of a synthetic convertible security may be issued separately by different issuers and at different times.

Preferred and other senior securities generally entitle the holder to receive, in preference to the holders of other securities such as common stocks, dividends and a fixed share of the proceeds resulting from a liquidation of the company. Preferred and other senior securities may pay fixed or adjustable rates of return. Preferred and other senior securities are subject to issuer-specific and market risks applicable generally to equity securities. In addition, a company's preferred and other senior securities generally pay dividends only after the company makes required payments to holders of its bonds and other debt. For this reason, the value of preferred and other senior securities will usually react more strongly than bonds and other debt to actual or perceived changes in the company's financial condition or prospects. In addition, preferred and other senior securities often have special redemption rights allowing issuers to redeem such securities at par earlier than scheduled. If these rights are exercised, the Fund may have to reinvest proceeds in less attractive securities.

Among other risks described in this Prospectus, the following issues are particularly associated with investments in preferred and other senior securities.

Deferral and Omission of Distributions. Preferred and other senior securities may include features permitting or requiring the issuer to defer or omit distributions. Among other things, such deferral or omission may result in adverse tax consequences for the Fund.

 

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Limited Voting Rights. Preferred and other senior securities generally do not have voting rights with respect to the issuer unless dividends have been in arrears for certain specified periods of time.

In the future, preferred or other senior securities may be offered with features different from those described above, and as such, may entail different risks. Over longer periods of time, certain types of preferred or other senior securities may become more scarce or less liquid as a result of legislative changes. Such events may result in losses to the Fund as the prices of securities it holds may be negatively affected. Revisions to bank capital requirements by international regulatory bodies, to the extent they are adopted in the United States, may also negatively impact the market for certain preferred or senior securities.

While the securities in which the PIMCO Long-Term Real Return Fund intends to invest are expected to consist primarily of fixed income securities, the Fund may invest in convertible securities or equity securities. While some countries or companies may be regarded as favorable investments, pure fixed income opportunities may be unattractive or limited due to insufficient supply, or legal or technical restrictions. In such cases, the PIMCO Inflation Response Multi-Asset Fund and PIMCO Long-Term Real Return Fund may consider convertible securities or equity securities to gain exposure to such investments.

The PIMCO RealEstateRealReturn Strategy Fund may invest in REITs and equity securities of issuers in real estate related industries. When investing directly in equity securities, a Fund will not be limited to only those equity securities with any particular weighting in such Fund's respective benchmark index, if any. Generally, the Funds may consider investing directly in equity securities when derivatives on the underlying securities appear to be overvalued.

The PIMCO CommoditiesPLUS® Strategy Fund and PIMCO CommodityRealReturn Strategy Fund® may invest in equity securities of issuers in commodity related industries. When investing directly in equity securities, a Fund will not be limited to only those equity securities with any particular weighting in such Fund's respective benchmark index, if any. Generally, the Funds may consider investing directly in equity securities when derivatives on the underlying securities appear to be overvalued.

At times, in connection with the restructuring of a preferred security or Fixed Income Instrument either outside of bankruptcy court or in the context of bankruptcy court proceedings, a Fund may determine or be required to accept equity securities, such as common stocks, in exchange for all or a portion of a preferred security or Fixed Income Instrument. Depending upon, among other things, PIMCO's evaluation of the potential value of such securities in relation to the price that could be obtained by a Fund at any given time upon sale thereof, a Fund may determine to hold such securities in its portfolio.

Equity securities generally have greater price volatility than fixed income securities. The market price of equity securities owned by a Fund may go up or down, sometimes rapidly or unpredictably. Equity securities may decline in value due to factors affecting equity securities markets generally or particular industries represented in those markets. The value of an equity security may also 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 goods or services.

Foreign (Non-U.S.) Securities

Each Fund may invest in securities and instruments that are economically tied to foreign (non-U.S.) countries. PIMCO generally considers an instrument to be economically tied to a non-U.S. country if the issuer is a foreign (non-U.S.) government (or any political subdivision, agency, authority or instrumentality of such government), or if the issuer is organized under the laws of a non-U.S. country. A Fund's investments in foreign (non-U.S.) securities may include American Depositary Receipts ("ADRs"), European Depositary Receipts ("EDRs"), Global Depositary Receipts ("GDRs") and similar securities that represent interests in a non-U.S. company's securities that have been deposited with a bank or trust and that trade on a U.S. exchange or over-the-counter. ADRs, EDRs and GDRs may be less liquid or may trade at a different price than the underlying securities of the issuer. In the case of certain money market instruments, such instruments will be considered economically tied to a non-U.S. country if either the issuer or the guarantor of such money market instrument is organized under the laws of a non-U.S. country. With respect to derivative instruments, PIMCO generally considers such instruments to be economically tied to non-U.S. countries if the underlying assets are foreign currencies (or baskets or indexes of such currencies), or instruments or securities that are issued by foreign governments or issuers organized under the laws of a non-U.S. country (or if the underlying assets are certain money market instruments, if either the issuer or the guarantor of such money market instruments is organized under the laws of a non-U.S. country).

Investing in foreign (non-U.S.) securities involves special risks and considerations not typically associated with investing in U.S. securities. Investors should consider carefully the substantial risks involved for Funds that invest in securities issued by foreign companies and governments of foreign countries. These risks include: differences in accounting, auditing and financial reporting standards; generally higher commission rates on foreign portfolio transactions; the possibility of nationalization, expropriation or confiscatory taxation; adverse changes in investment or exchange control regulations; and political instability. Individual foreign economies may differ favorably or unfavorably from the U.S. economy in such respects as growth of gross domestic product, rates of inflation, capital reinvestment, resources, self-sufficiency and balance of payments position. The securities markets, values of securities, yields and risks associated with foreign (non-U.S.) securities markets may change independently of each other. Also, foreign (non-U.S.) securities and dividends and interest payable on those securities may be subject to foreign taxes, including taxes withheld from payments on those securities. Foreign (non-U.S.) securities often trade with less frequency and volume than domestic securities and therefore may exhibit greater price volatility. Investments in foreign (non-U.S.) securities may also involve higher custodial costs than domestic investments and additional transaction costs with respect to foreign currency conversions. Changes in foreign exchange rates also will affect the value of securities denominated or quoted in foreign currencies.

Each Fund also may invest in sovereign debt issued by governments, their agencies or instrumentalities, or other government-related entities. Holders

 

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of sovereign debt may be requested to participate in the rescheduling of such debt and to extend further loans to governmental entities. In addition, there is no bankruptcy proceeding by which defaulted sovereign debt may be collected.

Emerging Market Securities. Each Fund may invest in securities and instruments that are economically tied to developing (or "emerging market") countries. PIMCO generally considers an instrument to be economically tied to an emerging market country if: the issuer is organized under the laws of an emerging market country; the currency of settlement of the security is a currency of an emerging market country; the security is guaranteed by the government of an emerging market country (or any political subdivision, agency, authority or instrumentality of such government); for an asset-backed or other collateralized security, the country in which the collateral backing the security is located in an emerging market country; or the security's "country of exposure" is an emerging market country, as determined by the criteria set forth below. With respect to derivative instruments, PIMCO generally considers such instruments to be economically tied to emerging market countries if the underlying assets are currencies of emerging market countries (or baskets or indexes of such currencies), or instruments or securities that are issued or guaranteed by governments of emerging market countries or by entities organized under the laws of emerging market countries or if an instrument's "country of exposure" is an emerging market country. A security's "country of exposure" is determined by PIMCO using certain factors provided by a third-party analytical service provider. The factors are applied in order such that the first factor to result in the assignment of a country determines the "country of exposure." The factors, listed in the order in which they are applied, are: (i) if an asset-backed or other collateralized security, the country in which the collateral backing the security is located; (ii) the "country of risk" of the issuer; (iii) if the security is guaranteed by the government of a country (or any political subdivision, agency, authority or instrumentality of such government), the country of the government or instrumentality providing the guarantee; (iv) the "country of risk" of the issuer's ultimate parent; or (v) the country where the issuer is organized or incorporated under the laws thereof. "Country of risk" is a separate four-part test determined by the following factors, listed in order of importance: (i) management location; (ii) country of primary listing; (iii) sales or revenue attributable to the country; and (iv) reporting currency of the issuer.  PIMCO has broad discretion to identify countries that it considers to qualify as emerging markets. In making investments in emerging market securities, a Fund emphasizes those countries with relatively low gross national product per capita and with the potential for rapid economic growth. Emerging market countries are generally located in Asia, Africa, the Middle East, Latin America and Eastern Europe. PIMCO will select the country and currency composition based on its evaluation of relative interest rates, inflation rates, exchange rates, monetary and fiscal policies, trade and current account balances, legal and political developments and any other specific factors it believes to be relevant.

Investing in emerging market securities imposes risks different from, or greater than, risks of investing in domestic securities or in foreign, developed countries. These risks include: smaller market capitalization of securities markets, which may suffer periods of relative illiquidity; significant price volatility; restrictions on foreign investment; possible repatriation of investment income and capital. In addition, foreign investors may be required to register the proceeds of sales; future economic or political crises could lead to price controls, forced mergers, expropriation or confiscatory taxation, seizure, nationalization, or creation of government monopolies. The currencies of emerging market countries may experience significant declines against the U.S. dollar, and devaluation may occur subsequent to investments in these currencies by a Fund. Many emerging market countries have experienced substantial, and in some periods extremely high, rates of inflation for many years. Inflation and rapid fluctuations in inflation rates have had, and may continue to have, negative effects on the economies and securities markets of certain emerging market countries.

Additional risks of emerging market securities may include: greater social, economic and political uncertainty and instability; more substantial governmental involvement in the economy; less governmental supervision and regulation; unavailability of currency hedging techniques; companies that are newly organized and small; differences in auditing and financial reporting standards, which may result in unavailability of material information about issuers; and less developed legal systems. In addition, emerging securities markets may have different clearance and settlement procedures, which may be unable to keep pace with the volume of securities transactions or otherwise make it difficult to engage in such transactions. Settlement problems may cause a Fund to miss attractive investment opportunities, hold a portion of its assets in cash pending investment, or be delayed in disposing of a portfolio security. Such a delay could result in possible liability to a purchaser of the security.

Foreign (Non-U.S.) Currencies

Direct investments in foreign (non-U.S.) currencies or in securities that trade in, or receive revenues in, foreign (non-U.S.) currencies will be subject to currency risk. Foreign currency exchange rates may fluctuate significantly over short periods of time. They generally are determined by supply and demand in the foreign exchange markets and the relative merits of investments in different countries, actual or perceived changes in interest rates and other complex factors. Currency exchange rates also can be affected unpredictably by intervention (or the failure to intervene) by U.S. or foreign governments or central banks, or by currency controls or political developments. Currencies in which the Funds' assets are denominated may be devalued against the U.S. dollar, resulting in a loss to the Funds.

Foreign Currency Transactions. The Funds may invest in securities denominated in foreign (non-U.S.) currencies, engage in foreign currency transactions on a spot (cash) basis, enter into forward foreign currency exchange contracts and invest in foreign currency futures contracts and options on foreign currencies and futures. A forward foreign currency exchange contract, which involves an obligation to purchase or sell a specific currency at a future date at a price set at the time of the contract, reduces a Fund's exposure to changes in the value of the currency it will deliver and increases its exposure to

 

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changes in the value of the currency it will receive for the duration of the contract. Certain foreign (non-U.S.) currency transactions may also be settled in cash rather than the actual delivery of the relevant currency. The effect on the value of a Fund is similar to selling securities denominated in one currency and purchasing securities denominated in another currency. Foreign currency transactions, like currency exchange rates, can be affected unpredictably by intervention (or the failure to intervene) by U.S. or foreign governments or central banks, or by currency controls or political developments. Such events may prevent or restrict a Fund's ability to enter into foreign currency transactions, force the Fund to exit a foreign currency transaction at a disadvantageous time or price or result in penalties for the Fund, any of which may result in a loss to the Fund. A contract to sell a foreign currency would limit any potential gain which might be realized if the value of the hedged currency increases. A Fund may enter into these contracts to hedge against foreign exchange risk, to increase exposure to a foreign currency or to shift exposure to foreign currency fluctuations from one currency to another. Suitable hedging transactions may not be available in all circumstances and there can be no assurance that a Fund will engage in such transactions at any given time or from time to time. Also, such transactions may not be successful and may eliminate any chance for a Fund to benefit from favorable fluctuations in relevant foreign currencies. A Fund may use one currency (or a basket of currencies) to hedge against adverse changes in the value of another currency (or a basket of currencies) when exchange rates between the two currencies are positively correlated. A Fund will segregate or "earmark" assets determined to be liquid by PIMCO in accordance with the procedures established by the Board of Trustees (or, as permitted by applicable law, enter into certain offsetting positions) to cover its obligations under forward foreign currency exchange contracts.

Redenomination. Continuing uncertainty as to the status of the euro and the European Monetary Union (the "EMU") has created significant volatility in currency and financial markets generally. Any partial or complete dissolution of the EMU could have significant adverse effects on currency and financial markets and on the values of a Fund's portfolio investments. If one or more EMU countries were to stop using the euro as its primary currency, a Fund's investments in such countries may be redenominated into a different or newly adopted currency. As a result, the value of those investments could decline significantly and unpredictably. In addition, securities or other investments that are redenominated may be subject to currency risk, liquidity risk and risk of improper valuation to a greater extent than similar investments currently denominated in euros. To the extent a currency used for redenomination purposes is not specified in respect of certain EMU-related investments, or should the euro cease to be used entirely, the currency in which such investments are denominated may be unclear, making such investments particularly difficult to value or dispose of. A Fund may incur additional expenses to the extent it is required to seek judicial or other clarification of the denomination or value of such securities.

There can be no assurance that if a Fund earns income or capital gains in a non-U.S. country or PIMCO otherwise seeks to withdraw a Fund's investments from a given country, capital controls imposed by such country will not prevent, or cause significant expense in, doing so.

Repurchase Agreements

Each Fund may enter into repurchase agreements, in which the Fund purchases a security from a bank or broker-dealer, which agrees to repurchase the security at the Fund's cost plus interest within a specified time. If the party agreeing to repurchase should default, the Fund will seek to sell the securities which it holds. This could involve procedural costs or delays in addition to a loss on the securities if their value should fall below their repurchase price. Repurchase agreements maturing in more than seven days and which may not be terminated within seven days at approximately the amount at which a Fund has valued the agreements are considered illiquid securities.  

Reverse Repurchase Agreements, Dollar Rolls and Other Borrowings

Each Fund may enter into reverse repurchase agreements and dollar rolls, subject to the Fund's limitations on borrowings. A reverse repurchase agreement involves the sale of a security by a Fund and its agreement to repurchase the instrument at a specified time and price. A dollar roll is similar except that the counterparty is not obligated to return the same securities as those originally sold by the Fund but only securities that are "substantially identical." Reverse repurchase agreements and dollar rolls may be considered borrowing for some purposes. A Fund will segregate or "earmark" assets determined to be liquid by PIMCO in accordance with procedures established by the Board of Trustees to cover its obligations under reverse repurchase agreements and dollar rolls. Reverse repurchase agreements, dollar rolls and other forms of borrowings may create leveraging risk for a Fund.

Each Fund may borrow money to the extent permitted under the 1940 Act. This means that, in general, a Fund may borrow money from banks for any purpose in an amount up to ⅓ of the Fund's total assets, less all liabilities and indebtedness not represented by senior securities. A Fund may also borrow money for temporary administrative purposes in an amount not to exceed 5% of the Fund's total assets. In addition, a Fund may borrow from certain other PIMCO funds in inter-fund lending transactions to the extent permitted by an exemptive order from the SEC.

Derivatives

Each Fund may, but is not required to, use derivative instruments for risk management purposes or as part of its investment strategies. Generally, derivatives are financial contracts whose value depends upon, or is derived from, the value of an underlying asset, reference rate or index, and may relate to stocks, bonds, interest rates, spreads between different interest rates, currencies or currency exchange rates, commodities, and related indexes. Examples of derivative instruments include options contracts, futures contracts, options on futures contracts and swap agreements (including, but not limited to, credit default swaps and swaps on exchange-traded funds). Each Fund may invest some or all of its assets in derivative instruments, subject to the Fund's objective and policies. A portfolio manager may decide not to employ any of these strategies and there is no assurance that any derivatives strategy used by a Fund will succeed. A

 

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description of these and other derivative instruments that the Funds may use are described under "Investment Objectives and Policies" in the SAI.

CPI Swap. A CPI swap is a fixed maturity, over-the-counter derivative in which the investor receives the "realized" rate of inflation as measured by the Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers ("CPI") over the life of the swap. The investor in turn pays a fixed annualized rate over the life of the swap. This fixed rate is often referred to as the "breakeven inflation" rate and is generally representative of the difference between treasury yields and TIPS yields of similar maturities at the initiation of the swap. CPI swaps are typically in "bullet" format, where all cash flows are exchanged at maturity. In addition to counterparty risk, CPI swaps are also subject to inflation risk, where the swap can potentially lose value if the realized rate of inflation over the life of the swap is less than the fixed market implied inflation rate (fixed breakeven rate) that the investor agrees to pay at the initiation of the swap.

A Fund's use of derivative instruments involves risks different from, or possibly greater than, the risks associated with investing directly in securities and other more traditional investments. Certain derivative transactions may have a leveraging effect on a Fund. For example, a small investment in a derivative instrument may have a significant impact on a Fund's exposure to interest rates, currency exchange rates or other investments. As a result, a relatively small price movement in a derivative instrument may cause an immediate and substantial loss or gain. A Fund may engage in such transactions regardless of whether the Fund owns the asset, instrument or components of the index underlying the derivative instrument. A Fund may invest a significant portion of its assets in these types of instruments. If it does, the Fund's investment exposure could far exceed the value of its portfolio securities and its investment performance could be primarily dependent upon securities it does not own. A description of various risks associated with particular derivative instruments is included in "Investment Objectives and Policies" in the SAI. The following provides a more general discussion of important risk factors relating to all derivative instruments that may be used by the Funds.

Management Risk. Derivative products are highly specialized instruments that require investment techniques and risk analyses different from those associated with stocks and bonds. The use of a derivative requires an understanding not only of the underlying instrument but also of the derivative itself, without the benefit of observing the performance of the derivative under all possible market conditions.

Credit Risk. The use of certain derivative instruments involves the risk that a loss may be sustained as a result of the failure of another party to the contract (usually referred to as a "counterparty") to make required payments or otherwise comply with the contract's terms. Additionally, a short position in a credit default swap could result in losses if a Fund does not correctly evaluate the creditworthiness of the company on which the credit default swap is based.

Liquidity Risk. Liquidity risk exists when a particular derivative instrument is difficult to purchase or sell. If a derivative transaction is particularly large or if the relevant market is illiquid (as is the case with many privately negotiated derivatives), it may not be possible to initiate a transaction or liquidate a position at an advantageous time or price.

Leverage Risk. Because many derivatives have a leverage component, adverse changes in the value or level of the underlying asset, reference rate or index could result in a loss substantially greater than the amount invested in the derivative itself. Certain derivatives have the potential for unlimited loss, regardless of the size of the initial investment. When a Fund uses derivatives for leverage, investments in that Fund will tend to be more volatile, resulting in larger gains or losses in response to market changes. To limit leverage risk, each Fund will segregate or "earmark" assets determined to be liquid by PIMCO in accordance with procedures established by the Board of Trustees (or, as permitted by applicable regulation, enter into certain offsetting positions) to cover its obligations under derivative instruments.

Lack of Availability. Because the markets for certain derivative instruments (including markets located in foreign countries) are relatively new and still developing, suitable derivatives transactions may not be available in all circumstances for risk management or other purposes. Upon the expiration of a particular contract, a portfolio manager may wish to retain a Fund's position in the derivative instrument by entering into a similar contract, but may be unable to do so if the counterparty to the original contract is unwilling to enter into the new contract and no other suitable counterparty can be found. There is no assurance that a Fund will engage in derivatives transactions at any time or from time to time. A Fund's ability to use derivatives may also be limited by certain regulatory and tax considerations.

Market and Other Risks. Like most other investments, derivative instruments are subject to the risk that the market value of the instrument will change in a way detrimental to a Fund's interest. If a portfolio manager incorrectly forecasts the values of securities, currencies or interest rates or other economic factors in using derivatives for a Fund, the Fund might have been in a better position if it had not entered into the transaction at all. While some strategies involving derivative instruments can reduce the risk of loss, they can also reduce the opportunity for gain or even result in losses by offsetting favorable price movements in other Fund investments. A Fund may also have to buy or sell a security at a disadvantageous time or price because the Fund is legally required to maintain offsetting positions or asset coverage in connection with certain derivatives transactions. The regulation of the derivatives markets has increased over the past several years, and additional future regulation of the derivatives markets may make derivatives more costly, may limit the availability or reduce the liquidity of derivatives, or may otherwise adversely affect the value or performance of derivatives. Any such adverse future developments could impair the effectiveness or raise the costs of the Fund's derivative transactions, or impede the employment of the Fund's derivatives strategies, or adversely affect the Fund's performance.

Other risks in using derivatives include the risk of mispricing or improper valuation of derivatives. Many derivatives, in particular privately negotiated derivatives, are complex and often valued subjectively. Improper valuations can result in increased cash payment requirements to counterparties or a loss of value to a Fund. Also, the value of derivatives may not correlate perfectly, or at all, with the value of the assets, reference rates or indexes they are designed to closely track. For example, a swap agreement on an exchange-traded fund would not correlate perfectly with the index upon which the exchange-traded fund is based because the fund's return is net of

 

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fees and expenses. In addition, a Fund's use of derivatives may cause the Fund to realize higher amounts of short-term capital gains (generally taxed at ordinary income tax rates) than if the Fund had not used such instruments.

Correlation Risk. In certain cases, the value of derivatives may not correlate perfectly, or at all, with the value of the assets, reference rates or indexes they are designed to closely track. In this regard, many of the Funds offered in this prospectus seek to achieve their investment objectives, in part, by investing in derivatives positions that are designed to closely track the performance of an index on a daily basis. However, the overall investment strategies of these Funds are not designed or expected to produce returns which replicate the performance of the particular index, and the degree of variation could be substantial, particularly over longer periods. There are a number of factors which may prevent a Fund, or derivatives or other strategies used by a Fund, from achieving a desired correlation with an index. These may include, but are not limited to: (i) the impact of fund fees, expenses and transaction costs, including borrowing and brokerage costs/ bid-ask spreads, which are not reflected in index returns; (ii) differences in the timing of daily calculations of the value of an index and the timing of the valuation of derivatives, securities and other assets held by a fund and the determination of the NAV of Fund shares; (iii) disruptions or illiquidity in the markets for derivative instruments or securities in which a Fund invests; (iv) a Fund having exposure to or holding less than all of the securities in the underlying index and/or having exposure to or holding securities not included in the underlying index; (v) large or unexpected movements of assets into and out of a Fund (due to share purchases or redemptions, for example), potentially resulting in the Fund being over- or under-exposed to the index; (vi) the impact of accounting standards or changes thereto; (vii) changes to the applicable index that are not disseminated in advance; (viii) a possible need to conform a Fund's portfolio holdings to comply with investment restrictions or policies or regulatory or tax law requirements; and (ix) fluctuations in currency exchange rates. For the PIMCO CommoditiesPLUS® Strategy Fund and PIMCO CommodityRealReturn Strategy Fund®, these factors include the possibility that the Fund's commodity derivatives positions may have different roll dates, reset dates or contract months than those specified in a particular commodity index.

A Note on the PIMCO CommodityRealReturn Strategy Fund®, PIMCO CommoditiesPLUS® Strategy Fund and PIMCO Inflation Response Multi-Asset Fund. In light of certain revenue rulings and private letter rulings issued by the IRS, as discussed above under "Tax Consequences—A Note on the PIMCO CommodityRealReturn Strategy Fund®, PIMCO CommoditiesPLUS® Strategy Fund and PIMCO Inflation Response Multi-Asset Fund," the Funds will seek to gain exposure to the commodity markets primarily through investments in leveraged or unleveraged commodity index-linked notes, which are derivative debt instruments with principal and/ or coupon payments linked to the performance of commodity indices, and through investments in their respective Subsidiary (as discussed below). The Funds may also invest in commodity-linked notes with principal and/or coupon payments linked to the value of particular commodities or commodity futures contracts, or a subset of commodities and commodities futures contracts. These notes are sometimes referred to as "structured notes" because the terms of these notes may be structured by the issuer and the purchaser of the note. The value of these notes will rise or fall in response to changes in the underlying commodity, commodity futures contract, subset of commodities, subset of commodities futures contracts or commodity index. These notes expose the Funds economically to movements in commodity prices.

These notes also are subject to risks, such as credit, market and interest rate risks, that in general affect the values of debt securities. In addition, these notes are often leveraged, increasing the volatility of each note's market value relative to changes in the underlying commodity, commodity futures contract or commodity index. Therefore, at the maturity of the note, the Fund may receive more or less principal than it originally invested. The Funds might receive interest payments on the note that are more or less than the stated coupon interest payments.

The Funds may also invest in other commodity-linked derivative instruments, including swap agreements, commodity options, futures and options on futures. The value of a commodity-linked derivative investment generally is based upon the price movements of a physical commodity (such as energy, mineral, or agricultural products), a commodity futures contract, a subset of commodities, a subset of commodities futures contracts or commodity index, or other economic variable based upon changes in the value of commodities or the commodities markets. Options transactions may be effected on exchanges or in the OTC market. When OTC options are purchased, the Fund's portfolio bears the risk that the counterparty that wrote the option will be unable or unwilling to perform its obligations under the option contract. Options may also be illiquid and, in such cases, the Fund may have difficulty closing out its position. OTC options also may include options on baskets of specific securities.

Many swap transactions are privately negotiated agreements between a Fund and a counterparty to exchange or swap investment cash flows or assets at specified intervals in the future. The obligations may extend beyond one year. There is often no central exchange for swap transactions and therefore they can be less liquid investments than exchange-traded instruments. The Dodd-Frank Act and related regulatory developments require the clearing and exchange-trading of certain standardized OTC derivative instruments that the CFTC and SEC have defined as "swaps." The CFTC has implemented mandatory exchange-trading and clearing requirements under the Dodd-Frank Act and the CFTC continues to approve contracts for central clearing. Uncleared swaps are subject to margin requirements that are being implemented on a phased-in basis. The investment adviser will continue to monitor these developments, particularly to the extent regulatory changes affect a Fund's ability to enter into swap agreements.

As described below under "Characteristics and Risks of Securities and Investment Techniques—Investments in a Wholly-Owned Subsidiary," certain Funds may gain exposure to commodity markets by investing in its respective Subsidiary. It is expected that the Subsidiary will invest primarily in commodity-linked derivative instruments, including

 

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swap agreements, commodity options, futures and options on futures, backed by a portfolio of inflation-indexed securities and other Fixed Income Instruments.

The IRS issued a revenue ruling that limits the extent to which the Funds may invest directly in commodity-linked swaps or certain other commodity-linked derivatives. Each Subsidiary, on the other hand, may invest in these commodity-linked derivatives generally without limitation. See "Tax Consequences—A Note on the PIMCO CommodityRealReturn Strategy Fund®, PIMCO CommoditiesPLUS® Strategy Fund and PIMCO Inflation Response Multi-Asset Fund" above for further information.

Investments in a Wholly Owned Subsidiary

Investments in its respective Subsidiary are expected to provide the PIMCO CommodityRealReturn Strategy Fund®, PIMCO CommoditiesPLUS® Strategy Fund and PIMCO Inflation Response Multi-Asset Fund with exposure to the commodity markets within the limitations of the Subchapter M of the Code and IRS revenue rulings, as discussed above under "Tax Consequences—A Note on the PIMCO CommodityRealReturn Strategy Fund®, PIMCO CommoditiesPLUS® Strategy Fund and PIMCO Inflation Response Multi-Asset Fund."

It is expected that each Subsidiary will invest primarily in commodity-linked derivative instruments, including swap agreements, commodity options, futures and options on futures, backed by a portfolio of inflation-indexed securities and/or other Fixed Income Instruments. Although the Funds may enter into these commodity-linked derivative instruments directly, each Fund will likely gain exposure to these derivative instruments indirectly by investing in its respective Subsidiary. To the extent that PIMCO believes that these commodity-linked derivative instruments are better suited to provide exposure to the commodities market than commodity index-linked notes, each Fund's investment in its Subsidiary will likely increase. Each Subsidiary will also invest in inflation-indexed securities and/or other Fixed Income Instruments, which are intended to serve as margin or collateral for the Subsidiary's derivatives position, common and preferred securities as well as convertible securities of issuers in commodity-related industries, collateralized debt obligations, event-linked bonds and event-linked swaps.

To the extent that a Fund invests in its Subsidiary, it may be subject to the risks associated with those derivative instruments and other securities, which are discussed elsewhere in this prospectus. While each Subsidiary may be considered similar to an investment company, it is not registered under the 1940 Act and, unless otherwise noted in the prospectus, is not subject to all of the investor protections of the 1940 Act.

In addition, changes in the laws of the United States and/or the Cayman Islands could result in the inability of the Funds and/or each Subsidiary to operate as described in this prospectus and the SAI and could adversely affect the Funds. Changes in the laws of the United States and/or the Cayman Islands could adversely affect the performance of a Fund and/or a Subsidiary and result in the Fund underperforming its benchmark index(es).

Exchange-Traded Notes (ETNs)

ETNs are senior, unsecured, unsubordinated debt securities whose returns are linked to the performance of a particular market benchmark or strategy minus applicable fees. ETNs are traded on an exchange (e.g., the NYSE) during normal trading hours. However, investors can also hold the ETN until maturity. At maturity, the issuer pays to the investor a cash amount equal to the principal amount, subject to the day's market benchmark or strategy factor.

ETNs do not make periodic coupon payments or provide principal protection. ETNs are subject to credit risk and the value of the ETN may drop due to a downgrade in the issuer's credit rating, despite the underlying market benchmark or strategy remaining unchanged. The value of an ETN may also be influenced by time to maturity, level of supply and demand for the ETN, volatility and lack of liquidity in underlying assets, changes in the applicable interest rates, changes in the issuer's credit rating, and economic, legal, political, or geographic events that affect the referenced underlying asset. When a Fund invests in ETNs, it will bear its proportionate share of any fees and expenses borne by the ETN. A Fund's decision to sell its ETN holdings may be limited by the availability of a secondary market. ETNs are also subject to tax risk. The IRS and Congress are considering proposals that would change the timing and character of income and gains from ETNs. There may be times when an ETN share trades at a premium or discount to its market benchmark or strategy.

Real Estate Investment Trusts (REITs)

REITs are pooled investment vehicles that own, and usually operate, income-producing real estate. Some REITs also finance real estate. If a REIT meets certain requirements, including distributing to shareholders substantially all of its taxable income (other than net capital gains), then it is not taxed on the income distributed to shareholders. Therefore, REITs tend to pay higher dividends than other issuers.

REITs can be divided into three basic types: Equity REITs, Mortgage REITs and Hybrid REITs. Equity REITs invest the majority of their assets directly in real property. They derive their income primarily from rents received and any profits on the sale of their properties. Mortgage REITs invest the majority of their assets in real estate mortgages and derive most of their income from mortgage interest payments. As its name suggests, Hybrid REITs combine characteristics of both Equity REITs and Mortgage REITs.

An investment in a REIT, or in a real estate linked derivative instrument linked to the value of a REIT, is subject to the risks that impact the value of the underlying properties of the REIT. These risks include loss to casualty or condemnation, and changes in supply and demand, interest rates, zoning laws, regulatory limitations on rents, property taxes and operating expenses. Other factors that may adversely affect REITs include poor performance by management of the REIT, changes to the tax laws, or failure by the REIT to qualify for tax-free distribution of income. REITs are also subject to default by borrowers and self-liquidation, and are heavily dependent on cash flow. Some REITs lack diversification because they invest in a limited number of properties, a narrow geographic area, or a single type of property. Mortgage REITs may be impacted by the quality of the credit extended.

Delayed Funding Loans and Revolving Credit Facilities

Each Fund may also enter into, or acquire participations in, delayed funding loans and revolving credit facilities, in which a lender agrees to make loans up to a maximum amount upon demand by the borrower during a specified

 

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term. These commitments may have the effect of requiring a Fund to increase its investment in a company at a time when it might not otherwise decide to do so (including at a time when the company's financial condition makes it unlikely that such amounts will be repaid). To the extent that a Fund is committed to advance additional funds, it will segregate or "earmark" assets determined to be liquid by PIMCO in accordance with procedures established by the Board of Trustees in an amount sufficient to meet such commitments. Delayed funding loans and revolving credit facilities are subject to credit, interest rate and liquidity risk and the risks of being a lender.

When-Issued, Delayed Delivery and Forward Commitment Transactions

Each Fund may purchase or sell securities which it is eligible to purchase or sell on a when-issued basis, may purchase and sell such securities for delayed delivery and may make contracts to purchase or sell such securities for a fixed price at a future date beyond normal settlement time (forward commitments). When-issued transactions, delayed delivery purchases and forward commitments involve a risk of loss if the value of the securities declines prior to the settlement date. This risk is in addition to the risk that a Fund's other assets will decline in value. Therefore, these transactions may result in a form of leverage and increase a Fund's overall investment exposure. Typically, no income accrues on securities a Fund has committed to purchase prior to the time delivery of the securities is made, although a Fund may earn income on securities it has segregated or "earmarked" to cover these positions. When a Fund has sold a security on a when-issued, delayed delivery, or forward commitment basis, the Fund does not participate in future gains or losses with respect to the security. If the other party to a transaction fails to pay for the securities, a Fund could suffer a loss. Additionally, when selling a security on a when-issued, delayed delivery or forward commitment basis without owning the security, a Fund will incur a loss if the security's price appreciates in value such that the security's price is above the agreed-upon price on the settlement date.

Investment in Other Investment Companies

The PIMCO Inflation Response Multi-Asset Fund may invest in Underlying PIMCO Funds, and to the extent permitted by the 1940 Act or exemptive relief therefrom, other affiliated and unaffiliated funds, which may or may not be registered under the 1940 Act, such as open-end or closed-end management investment companies, exchange-traded funds and exchange traded vehicles. Other unaffiliated investment companies are not required to make their shares available for purchase by a Fund, and there is no guarantee that such investment will be, or will continue to be, available.

Each Fund may invest in securities of other investment companies, such as open-end or closed-end management investment companies, including exchange-traded funds, or in pooled accounts, or other unregistered accounts or investment vehicles to the extent permitted by the 1940 Act and the rules and regulations thereunder and any exemptive relief therefrom. A Fund may invest in other investment companies to gain broad market or sector exposure, including during periods when it has large amounts of uninvested cash or when PIMCO believes share prices of other investment companies offer attractive values. The limitation described in the foregoing sentence shall not apply to the PIMCO CommodityRealReturn Strategy Fund® or PIMCO Inflation Response Multi-Asset Fund's investment in their respective Subsidiaries. As a shareholder of an investment company or other pooled vehicle, a Fund may indirectly bear investment advisory fees, supervisory and administrative fees, service fees and other fees which are in addition to the fees the Fund pays its service providers.

Each Fund may invest in certain money market funds and/or short-term bond funds ("Central Funds"), to the extent permitted by the 1940 Act, the rules thereunder or exemptive relief therefrom. The Central Funds are registered investment companies created for use solely by the series of the Trust, PIMCO Variable Insurance Trust, PIMCO ETF Trust, PIMCO Equity Series and PIMCO Equity Series VIT, and certain other series of registered investment companies advised by PIMCO, in connection with their cash management activities. The main investments of the Central Funds are money market instruments and short maturity Fixed Income Instruments. The Central Funds may incur expenses related to their investment activities, but do not pay investment advisory or supervisory and administrative fees to PIMCO.

Subject to the restrictions and limitations of the 1940 Act, each Fund may, in the future, elect to pursue its investment objective by either investing directly in securities, or by investing in one or more underlying investment vehicles or companies that have substantially similar investment objectives and policies as the Fund.

Small-Cap and Mid-Cap Companies

Certain Funds may invest in equity securities of small-capitalization and mid-capitalization companies. The Funds consider a small-cap company to be a company with a market capitalization of up to $1.5 billion and a mid-cap company to be a company with a market capitalization of between $1.5 billion and $10 billion. Investments in small-cap and mid-cap companies involve greater risk than investments in large-capitalization companies. Small- and mid-cap companies may not have an established financial history, which can present valuation challenges. The equity securities of small- and mid-cap companies may be subject to increased market fluctuations, due to less liquid markets and more limited managerial and financial resources. A Fund's investment in small- and mid-cap companies may increase the volatility of the Fund's portfolio.

Short Sales

A Fund may make short sales as part of its overall portfolio management strategies or to offset a potential decline in value of a security. A short sale involves the sale of a security that is borrowed from a broker or other institution to complete the sale. Short sales expose a Fund to the risk that it will be required to acquire, convert or exchange securities to replace the borrowed securities (also known as "covering" the short position) at a time when the securities sold short have appreciated in value, thus resulting in a loss to the Fund. When making a short sale (other than a "short sale against the box"), a Fund must segregate or "earmark" assets determined to be liquid by PIMCO in accordance with procedures established by the Board of Trustees or otherwise cover its position in a permissible manner. A Fund may engage in short selling to the extent permitted by the 1940 Act and rules and interpretations thereunder and other federal securities laws. To the extent a Fund engages in short selling in foreign (non-U.S.)

 

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jurisdictions, the Fund will do so to the extent permitted by the laws and regulations of such jurisdiction.

Illiquid Securities

Each Fund may invest up to 15% of its net assets (taken at the time of investment) in illiquid securities. Certain illiquid securities may require pricing at fair value as determined in good faith under the supervision of the Board of Trustees. A portfolio manager may be subject to significant delays in disposing of illiquid securities, and transactions in illiquid securities may entail registration expenses and other transaction costs that are higher than those for transactions in liquid securities. The term "illiquid securities" for this purpose means securities that cannot be disposed of within seven days in the ordinary course of business at approximately the amount at which a Fund has valued the securities. Restricted securities, i.e., securities subject to legal or contractual restrictions on resale, may be illiquid. However, some restricted securities (such as securities issued pursuant to Rule 144A under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and certain commercial paper) may be treated as liquid, although they may be less liquid than registered securities traded on established secondary markets.

Loans of Portfolio Securities

For the purpose of achieving income, each Fund may lend its portfolio securities to brokers, dealers, and other financial institutions provided a number of conditions are satisfied, including that the loan is fully collateralized. Please see "Investment Objectives and Policies" in the SAI for details. When a Fund lends portfolio securities, its investment performance will continue to reflect changes in the value of the securities loaned, and the Fund will also receive a fee or interest on the collateral. Securities lending involves the risk of loss of rights in the collateral or delay in recovery of the collateral if the borrower fails to return the security loaned or becomes insolvent. A Fund may pay lending fees to a party arranging the loan. Cash collateral received by a Fund in securities lending transactions may be invested in short-term liquid fixed income instruments or in money market or short-term mutual funds, or similar investment vehicles, including affiliated money market or short-term mutual funds. A Fund bears the risk of such investments.

Portfolio Turnover

The length of time a Fund has held a particular security is not generally a consideration in investment decisions. A change in the securities held by a Fund is known as "portfolio turnover." When the portfolio manager deems it appropriate and particularly during periods of volatile market movements, a Fund may engage in frequent and active trading of portfolio securities to achieve its investment objective. Higher portfolio turnover (e.g., an annual rate greater than 100% of the average value of a Fund's portfolio) involves correspondingly greater expenses to a Fund, including brokerage commissions or dealer mark-ups and other transaction costs on the sale of securities and reinvestments in other securities. Such sales may also result in realization of taxable capital gains, including short-term capital gains (which are generally taxed at ordinary income tax rates). The trading costs and tax effects associated with portfolio turnover may adversely affect a Fund's performance. In addition to indirectly bearing the expenses associated with portfolio turnover of the Acquired Funds, the PIMCO Inflation Response Multi-Asset Fund will directly bear these expenses to the extent that it invests in other securities and instruments. Please see a Fund's "Fund Summary—Portfolio Turnover" or the "Financial Highlights" in this prospectus for the portfolio turnover rates of the Funds that were operational during the last fiscal year.

Temporary Defensive Positions

For temporary defensive purposes, each Fund may invest without limit in U.S. debt securities, including taxable securities and short-term money market securities, when PIMCO deems it appropriate to do so. When a Fund engages in such strategies, it may not achieve its investment objective.

From time to time, as the prevailing market and interest rate environments warrant, and at the discretion of its portfolio manager, some portion of a Fund's total net assets may be uninvested. In such cases, Fund assets will be held in cash in a Fund's custody account. Cash assets are generally not income-generating and would impact a Fund's performance.

Changes in Investment Objectives and Policies

The investment objective of each of the PIMCO CommoditiesPLUS® Strategy, PIMCO Inflation Response Multi-Asset, PIMCO Real Return Limited Duration and PIMCO RealEstateRealReturn Strategy Funds is non-fundamental and may be changed by the Board of Trustees without shareholder approval. The investment objectives of each other Fund are fundamental and may not be changed without shareholder approval. Unless otherwise stated, all investment policies of the Funds may be changed by the Board of Trustees without shareholder approval.

Percentage Investment Limitations

Unless otherwise stated, all percentage limitations on Fund investments listed in this prospectus will apply at the time of investment. A Fund would not violate these limitations unless an excess or deficiency occurs or exists immediately after and as a result of an investment.

Credit Ratings and Unrated Securities

Rating agencies are private services that provide ratings of the credit quality of fixed income securities, including convertible securities. Appendix A to this prospectus describes the various ratings assigned to fixed income securities by Moody's, S&P and Fitch. Ratings assigned by a rating agency are not absolute standards of credit quality and do not evaluate market risks. Rating agencies may fail to make timely changes in credit ratings and an issuer's current financial condition may be better or worse than a rating indicates. A Fund will not necessarily sell a security when its rating is reduced below its rating at the time of purchase. PIMCO does not rely solely on credit ratings, and develops its own analysis of issuer credit quality.

A Fund may purchase unrated securities (which are not rated by a rating agency) if PIMCO determines, in its sole discretion, that the security is of comparable quality to a rated security that the Fund may purchase. In making ratings determinations, PIMCO may take into account different factors than those taken into account by rating agencies, and PIMCO's rating of a security may differ from the rating that a rating agency may have given the same security. Unrated securities may be less liquid than comparable rated securities and involve the risk that the portfolio manager may not accurately evaluate the security's comparative credit rating. Analysis

 

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of the creditworthiness of issuers of high yield securities may be more complex than for issuers of higher-quality fixed income securities. To the extent that a Fund invests in high yield and/or unrated securities, the Fund's success in achieving its investment objective may depend more heavily on the portfolio manager's creditworthiness analysis than if the Fund invested exclusively in higher-quality and rated securities.

Other Investments and Techniques

The Funds may invest in other types of securities and use a variety of investment techniques and strategies which are not described in this prospectus. These securities and techniques may subject the Funds to additional risks. Please see the SAI for additional information about the securities and investment techniques described in this prospectus and about additional securities and techniques that may be used by the Funds.

Cyber Security

As the use of technology has become more prevalent in the course of business, the Funds have become potentially more susceptible to operational and information security risks resulting from breaches in cyber security. A breach in cyber security refers to both intentional and unintentional cyber events that may, among other things, cause a Fund to lose proprietary information, suffer data corruption and/or destruction or lose operational capacity, result in the unauthorized release or other misuse of confidential information, or otherwise disrupt normal business operations. Cyber security breaches may involve unauthorized access to a Fund's digital information systems (e.g., through "hacking" or malicious software coding), but may also result from outside attacks such as denial-of-service attacks (i.e., efforts to make network services unavailable to intended users). In addition, cyber security breaches involving a Fund's third party service providers (including but not limited to advisers, sub-advisers, administrators, transfer agents, custodians, distributors and other third parties), trading counterparties or issuers in which a Fund invests can also subject a Fund to many of the same risks associated with direct cyber security breaches. Moreover, cyber security breaches involving trading counterparties or issuers in which a Fund invests could adversely impact such counterparties or issuers and cause the Fund's investment to lose value.

Cyber security failures or breaches may result in financial losses to a Fund and its shareholders. These failures or breaches may also result in disruptions to business operations, potentially resulting in financial losses; interference with a Fund's ability to calculate its NAV, process shareholder transactions or otherwise transact business with shareholders; impediments to trading; violations of applicable privacy and other laws; regulatory fines; penalties; reputational damage; reimbursement or other compensation costs; additional compliance and cyber security risk management costs and other adverse consequences. In addition, substantial costs may be incurred in order to prevent any cyber incidents in the future.

Like with operational risk in general, the Funds have established business continuity plans and risk management systems designed to reduce the risks associated with cyber security. However, there are inherent limitations in these plans and systems, including that certain risks may not have been identified, in large part because different or unknown threats may emerge in the future. As such, there is no guarantee that such efforts will succeed, especially because the Funds do not directly control the cyber security systems of issuers in which a Fund may invest, trading counterparties or third party service providers to the Funds. There is also a risk that cyber security breaches may not be detected. The Funds and their shareholders could be negatively impacted as a result.

 

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Descriptions of the Underlying PIMCO Funds

The PIMCO Inflation Response Multi-Asset Fund is permitted to invest in Underlying PIMCO Funds, which, for this Fund, is defined to include Institutional Class or Class M shares of any funds of the Trust and PIMCO Equity Series, an affiliated open-end investment company, except funds of funds. The PIMCO Inflation Response Multi-Asset Fund is further permitted to invest in Acquired Funds, which, for this Fund, is defined to include the Underlying PIMCO Funds and other affiliated funds, including funds of the PIMCO ETF Trust, and unaffiliated funds.

Because not all of the Underlying PIMCO Funds are offered in this prospectus, the following provides a general description of the main investments and other information about the Underlying PIMCO Funds. At the discretion of PIMCO and without shareholder approval, the PIMCO Inflation Response Multi-Asset Fund may invest in additional Underlying PIMCO Funds created in the future. For a complete description of an Underlying PIMCO Fund, please see that Fund's Institutional Class or Class M prospectus, which is incorporated herein by reference and is available free of charge by telephoning the Trust at 888.87.PIMCO.

[To be updated by subsequent amendment]

 

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Financial Highlights

The financial highlights table is intended to help a shareholder understand the financial performance of Institutional Class, I-2, I-3, Administrative Class, Class A, Class C and Class R shares of each Fund for the last five fiscal years or, if shorter, the period since a Fund or a class commenced operations. Certain information reflects financial results for a single Fund share. Because I-3 shares of the PIMCO Commodities PLUS® Strategy Fund, PIMCO CommodityRealReturn Strategy Fund®, PIMCO Real Return Fund and PIMCO RealEstateRealReturn Strategy Fund had not commenced operations during the periods shown, financial performance information is not provided for the share class. The total returns in the table represent the rate that an investor would have earned or lost on an investment in a particular class of shares of a Fund (assuming reinvestment of all dividends and distributions). This information has been audited by PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP, whose report, along with each Fund's financial statements, are included in the Trust's annual report to shareholders. The annual report is available free of charge by calling the Trust at the phone number on the back of this prospectus. The annual report is also available for download free of charge on the Trust's Web site at pimco.com. Note: All footnotes to the financial highlights table appear at the end of the tables.

[To be updated by subsequent amendment]

 

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Appendix A
Description of Securities Ratings

The Fund's investments may range in quality from securities rated in the lowest category in which the Fund is permitted to invest to securities rated in the highest category (as rated by Moody's, Standard & Poor's or Fitch, or, if unrated, determined by PIMCO to be of comparable quality). The percentage of the Fund's assets invested in securities in a particular rating category will vary. The following terms are generally used to describe the credit quality of fixed income securities:

High Quality Debt Securities are those rated in one of the two highest rating categories (the highest category for commercial paper) or, if unrated, deemed comparable by PIMCO.

Investment Grade Debt Securities are those rated in one of the four highest rating categories, or if unrated deemed comparable by PIMCO.

Below Investment Grade High Yield Securities ("Junk Bonds"), are those rated lower than Baa by Moody's, BBB by Standard & Poor's or Fitch, and comparable securities. They are deemed predominantly speculative with respect to the issuer's ability to repay principal and interest.

The following is a description of Moody's, Standard & Poor's and Fitch's rating categories applicable to fixed income securities.

Moody's Investors Service, Inc.

Long-Term Corporate Obligation Ratings
Moody's long-term obligation ratings are opinions of the relative credit risk of fixed income obligations with an original maturity of one year or more. They address the possibility that a financial obligation will not be honored as promised. Such ratings use Moody's Global Scale and reflect both the likelihood of default and any financial loss suffered in the event of default.

Aaa: Obligations rated Aaa are judged to be of the highest quality, subject to the lowest level of credit risk.

Aa: Obligations rated Aa are judged to be of high quality and are subject to very low credit risk.

A: Obligations rated A are judged to be upper-medium grade and are subject to low credit risk.

Baa: Obligations rated Baa are judged to be medium-grade and subject to moderate credit risk and as such may possess certain speculative characteristics.

Ba: Obligations rated Ba are judged to be speculative and are subject to substantial credit risk.

B: Obligations rated B are considered speculative and are subject to high credit risk.

Caa: Obligations rated Caa are judged to be speculative of poor standing and are subject to very high credit risk.

Ca: Obligations rated Ca are highly speculative and are likely in, or very near, default, with some prospect of recovery of principal and interest.

C: Obligations rated C are the lowest rated and are typically in default, with little prospect for recovery of principal or interest.

Moody's appends numerical modifiers 1, 2, and 3 to each generic rating classification from Aa through Caa. The modifier 1 indicates that the obligation ranks in the higher end of its generic rating category; the modifier 2 indicates a mid-range ranking; and the modifier 3 indicates a ranking in the lower end of that generic rating category. Additionally, a "(hyb)" indicator is appended to all ratings of hybrid securities issued by banks, insurers, finance companies, and securities firms.*

* By their terms, hybrid securities allow for the omission of scheduled dividends, interest, or principal payments, which can potentially result in impairment if such an omission occurs. Hybrid securities may also be subject to contractually allowable write-downs of principal that could result in impairment. Together with the hybrid indicator, the long-term obligation rating assigned to a hybrid security is an expression of the relative credit risk associated with that security.

Medium-Term Note Program Ratings

Moody's assigns provisional ratings to medium-term note (MTN) programs and definitive ratings to the individual debt securities issued from them (referred to as drawdowns or notes).

MTN program ratings are intended to reflect the ratings likely to be assigned to drawdowns issued from the program with the specified priority of claim (e.g. senior or subordinated). To capture the contingent nature of a program rating, Moody's assigns provisional ratings to MTN programs. A provisional rating is denoted by a (P) in front of the rating.

The rating assigned to a drawdown from a rated MTN or bank/deposit note program is definitive in nature, and may differ from the program rating if the drawdown is exposed to additional credit risks besides the issuer's default, such as links to the defaults of other issuers, or has other structural features that warrant a different rating. In some circumstances, no rating may be assigned to a drawdown.

Moody's encourages market participants to contact Moody's Ratings Desks or visit www.moodys.com directly if they have questions regarding ratings for specific notes issued under a medium-term note program. Unrated notes issued under an MTN program may be assigned an NR (not rated) symbol.

Short-Term Ratings
Ratings assigned on Moody's global short-term rating scales are forward-looking opinions of the relative credit risks of financial obligations issued by non-financial corporates, financial institutions, structured finance vehicles, project finance vehicles, and public sector entitities. Short-term ratings are opinions of the ability of issuers to honor short-term financial obligations. Ratings may be assigned to issuers, short-term programs or to individual short-term debt instruments. Such obligations generally have an original maturity not exceeding thirteen months, unless explicitly noted.

Moody's employs the following designations to indicate the relative repayment ability of rated issuers:

P-1: Issuers (or supporting institutions) rated Prime-1 have a superior ability to repay short-term debt obligations.

P-2: Issuers (or supporting institutions) rated Prime-2 have a strong ability to repay short-term debt obligations.

 

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P-3: Issuers (or supporting institutions) rated Prime-3 have an acceptable ability to repay short-term obligations.

NP: Issuers (or supporting institutions) rated Not Prime do not fall within any of the Prime rating categories.

National Scale Long-Term Ratings

Moody's long-term National Scale Ratings (NSRs) are opinions of the relative creditworthiness of issuers and financial obligations within a particular country. NSRs are not designed to be compared among countries; rather, they address relative credit risk within a given country. Moody's assigns national scale ratings in certain local capital markets in which investors have found the global rating scale provides inadequate differentiation among credits or is inconsistent with a rating scale already in common use in the country. In each specific country, the last two characters of the rating indicate the country in which the issuer is located (e.g., Aaa.br for Brazil).

Aaa.n: Issuers or issues rated Aaa.n demonstrate the strongest creditworthiness relative to other domestic issuers.

Aa.n: Issuers or issues rated Aa.n demonstrate very strong creditworthiness relative to other domestic issuers.

A.n: Issuers or issues rated A.n present above-average creditworthiness relative to other domestic issuers.

Baa.n: Issuers or issues rated Baa.n represent average creditworthiness relative to other domestic issuers.

Ba.n: Issuers or issues rated Ba.n demonstrate below-average creditworthiness relative to other domestic issuers.

B.n: Issuers or issues rated B.n demonstrate weak creditworthiness relative to other domestic issuers.

Caa.n: Issuers or issues rated Caa.n demonstrate very weak creditworthiness relative to other domestic issuers.

Ca.n: Issuers or issues rated Ca.n demonstrate extremely weak creditworthiness relative to other domestic issuers.

C.n: Issuers or issues rated C.n demonstrate the weakest creditworthiness relative to other domestic issuers.

Moody's appends numerical modifiers 1, 2, and 3 to each generic rating classification from Aa through Caa. The modifier 1 indicates that the obligation ranks in the higher end of its generic rating category; the modifier 2 indicates a mid-range ranking; and the modifier 3 indicates a ranking in the lower end of that generic rating category. National scale long-term ratings of D.ar and E.ar may also be applied to Argentine obligations.

National Scale Short-Term Ratings
Moody's short-term NSRs are opinions of the ability of issuers in a given country, relative to other domestic issuers, to repay debt obligations that have an original maturity not exceeding thirteen months. Short-term NSRs in one country should not be compared with short-term NSRs in another country, or with Moody's global ratings.

There are four categories of short-term national scale ratings, generically denoted N-1 through N-4 as defined below.

In each specific country, the first two letters indicate the country in which the issuer is located (e.g., BR-1 through BR-4 for Brazil).

N-1: Issuers rated N-1 have the strongest ability to repay short-term senior unsecured debt obligations relative to other domestic issuers.

N-2: Issuers rated N-2 have an above average ability to repay short-term senior unsecured debt obligations relative to other domestic issuers.

N-3: Issuers rated N-3 have an average ability to repay short-term senior unsecured debt obligations relative to other domestic issuers.

N-4: Issuers rated N-4 have a below average ability to repay short-term senior unsecured debt obligations relative to other domestic issuers.

The short-term rating symbols P-1.za, P-2.za, P-3.za and NP.za are used in South Africa. National scale short-term ratings of AR-5 and AR-6 may also be applied to Argentine obligations.

Short-Term Obligation Ratings
There are three rating categories for short-term municipal obligations that are considered investment grade. These ratings are designated as Municipal Investment Grade (MIG) and are divided into three levels—MIG 1 through MIG 3. In addition, those short-term obligations that are of speculative quality are designated SG, or speculative grade. MIG ratings expire at the maturity of the obligation.

MIG 1: This designation denotes superior credit quality. Excellent protection is afforded by established cash flows, highly reliable liquidity support, or demonstrated broad-based access to the market for refinancing.

MIG 2: This designation denotes strong credit quality. Margins of protection are ample, although not as large as in the preceding group.

MIG 3: This designation denotes acceptable credit quality. Liquidity and cash-flow protection may be narrow, and market access for refinancing is likely to be less well-established.

SG: This designation denotes speculative-grade credit quality. Debt instruments in this category may lack sufficient margins of protection.

Demand Obligation Ratings
In the case of variable rate demand obligations (VRDOs), a two-component rating is assigned: a long- or short-term debt rating and a demand obligation rating. The first element represents Moody's evaluation of risk associated with scheduled principal and interest payments. The second element represents Moody's evaluation of risk associated with the ability to receive purchase price upon demand ("demand feature"). The second element uses a rating from a variation of the MIG scale called the Variable Municipal Investment Grade (VMIG) scale.

VMIG 1: This designation denotes superior credit quality. Excellent protection is afforded by the superior short-term credit strength of the liquidity provider and structural and legal protections that ensure the timely payment of purchase price upon demand.

VMIG 2: This designation denotes strong credit quality. Good protection is afforded by the strong short-term credit strength of the liquidity provider and structural and legal protections that ensure the timely payment of purchase price upon demand.

 

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VMIG 3: This designation denotes acceptable credit quality. Adequate protection is afforded by the satisfactory short-term credit strength of the liquidity provider and structural and legal protections that ensure the timely payment of purchase price upon demand.

SG: This designation denotes speculative-grade credit quality. Demand features rated in this category may be supported by a liquidity provider that does not have an investment grade short-term rating or may lack the structural and/or legal protections necessary to ensure the timely payment of purchase price upon demand.

Standard & Poor's Ratings Services

Long-Term Issue Credit Ratings
Issue credit ratings are based, in varying degrees, on S&P Global Ratings' ("S&P") analysis of the following considerations:

Likelihood of payment—capacity and willingness of the obligor to meet its financial commitment on a financial obligation in accordance with the terms of the obligation;

Nature and provisions of the obligation and the promise S&P imputes; and

Protection afforded by, and relative position of, the financial obligation in the event of a bankruptcy, reorganization, or other arrangement under the laws of bankruptcy and other laws affecting creditors' rights.

Issue ratings are an assessment of default risk, but may incorporate an assessment of relative seniority or ultimate recovery in the event of default. Junior obligations are typically rated lower than senior obligations, to reflect the lower priority in bankruptcy, as noted above. (Such differentiation may apply when an entity has both senior and subordinated obligations, secured and unsecured obligations, or operating company and holding company obligations.)

Investment Grade
AAA: An obligation rated 'AAA' has the highest rating assigned by S&P. The obligor's capacity to meet its financial commitment on the obligation is extremely strong.

AA: An obligation rated 'AA' differs from the highest-rated obligations only to a small degree. The obligor's capacity to meet its financial commitment on the obligation is very strong.

A: An obligation rated 'A' is somewhat more susceptible to the adverse effects of changes in circumstances and economic conditions than obligations in higher-rated categories. However, the obligor's capacity to meet its financial commitment on the obligation is still strong.

BBB: An obligation rated ‘BBB' exhibits adequate protection parameters. However, adverse economic conditions or changing circumstances are more likely to lead to a weakened capacity of the obligor to meet its financial commitment on the obligation.

Speculative Grade
Obligations rated 'BB', 'B', 'CCC', 'CC', and 'C' are regarded as having significant speculative characteristics. 'BB' indicates the least degree of speculation and 'C' the highest. While such obligations will likely have some quality and protective characteristics, these may be outweighed by large uncertainties or major exposures to adverse conditions.

BB: An obligation rated 'BB' is less vulnerable to nonpayment than other speculative issues. However, it faces major ongoing uncertainties or exposure to adverse business, financial, or economic conditions which could lead to the obligor's inadequate capacity to meet its financial commitment on the obligation.

B: An obligation rated 'B' is more vulnerable to nonpayment than obligations rated ‘BB', but the obligor currently has the capacity to meet its financial commitment on the obligation. Adverse business, financial, or economic conditions will likely impair the obligor's capacity or willingness to meet its financial commitment on the obligation.

CCC: An obligation rated 'CCC' is currently vulnerable to nonpayment, and is dependent upon favorable business, financial, and economic conditions for the obligor to meet its financial commitment on the obligation. In the event of adverse business, financial, or economic conditions, the obligor is not likely to have the capacity to meet its financial commitment on the obligation.

CC: An obligation rated 'CC' is currently highly vulnerable to nonpayment. The ‘CC' rating is used when a default has not yet occurred, but S&P expects default to be a virtual certainty, regardless of the anticipated time to default.

C: An obligation rated ‘C' is currently highly vulnerable to nonpayment, and the obligation is expected to have lower relative seniority or lower ultimate recovery compared to obligations that are rated higher.

D: An obligation rated ‘D' is in default or in breach of an imputed promise. For non-hybrid capital instruments, the ‘D' rating category is used when payments on an obligation are not made on the date due, unless S&P believes that such payments will be made within five business days in the absence of a stated grace period or within the earlier of the stated grace period or 30 calendar days. The ‘D' rating also will be used upon the filing of a bankruptcy petition or the taking of similar action and where default on an obligation is a virtual certainty, for example due to automatic stay provisions. An obligation's rating is lowered to ‘D' if it is subject to a distressed exchange offer.

NR: This indicates that no rating has been requested, that there is insufficient information on which to base a rating, or that S&P does not rate a particular obligation as a matter of policy.

Plus (+) or minus (-): The ratings from ‘AA' to 'CCC' may be modified by the addition of a plus (+) or minus (-) sign to show relative standing within the major rating categories.

Short-Term Issue Credit Ratings
A-1: A short-term obligation rated 'A-1' is rated in the highest category by S&P. The obligor's capacity to meet its financial commitment on the obligation is strong. Within this category, certain obligations are designated with a plus sign (+). This indicates that the obligor's capacity to meet its financial commitment on these obligations is extremely strong.

A-2: A short-term obligation rated 'A-2' is somewhat more susceptible to the adverse effects of changes in circumstances and economic conditions

 

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than obligations in higher rating categories. However, the obligor's capacity to meet its financial commitment on the obligation is satisfactory.

A-3: A short-term obligation rated 'A-3' exhibits adequate protection parameters. However, adverse economic conditions or changing circumstances are more likely to lead to a weakened capacity of the obligor to meet its financial commitment on the obligation.

B: A short-term obligation rated 'B' is regarded as vulnerable and has significant speculative characteristics. The obligor currently has the capacity to meet its financial commitments; however, it faces major ongoing uncertainties which could lead to the obligor's inadequate capacity to meet its financial commitments.

C: A short-term obligation rated 'C' is currently vulnerable to nonpayment and is dependent upon favorable business, financial, and economic conditions for the obligor to meet its financial commitment on the obligation.

D: A short-term obligation rated ‘D' is in default or in breach of an imputed promise. For non-hybrid capital instruments, the ‘D' rating category is used when payments on an obligation are not made on the date due, unless S&P believes that such payments will be made within any stated grace period. However, any stated grace period longer than five business days will be treated as five business days. The ‘D' rating also will be used upon the filing of a bankruptcy petition or the taking of a similar action and where default on an obligation is a virtual certainty, for example due to automatic stay provisions. An obligation's rating is lowered to ‘D' if it is subject to a distressed exchange offer.

Dual Ratings: Dual ratings may be assigned to debt issues that have a put option or demand feature. The first component of the rating addresses the likelihood of repayment of principal and interest as due, and the second component of the rating addresses only the demand feature. The first component of the rating can relate to either a short-term or long-term transaction and accordingly use either short-term or long-term rating symbols. The second component of the rating relates to the put option and is assigned a short-term rating symbol (for example, ‘AAA/A-1+' or ‘A-1+/A-1'). With U.S. municipal short-term demand debt, the U.S. municipal short-term note rating symbols are used for the first component of the rating (for example, ‘SP-1+/A-1+').

Active Qualifiers
S&P uses the following qualifiers that limit the scope of a rating. The structure of the transaction can require the use of a qualifier such as a 'p' qualifier, which indicates the rating addressed the principal portion of the obligation only. A qualifier appears as a suffix and is part of the rating.

L: Ratings qualified with ‘L' apply only to amounts invested up to federal deposit insurance limits.

p: This suffix is used for issues in which the credit factors, the terms, or both, that determine the likelihood of receipt of payment of principal are different from the credit factors, terms or both that determine the likelihood of receipt of interest on the obligation. The ‘p' suffix indicates that the rating addresses the principal portion of the obligation only and that the interest is not rated.

prelim: Preliminary ratings, with the ‘prelim' suffix, may be assigned to obligors or obligations, including financial programs, in the circumstances described below. Assignment of a final rating is conditional on the receipt by S&P of appropriate documentation. S&P reserves the right not to issue a final rating. Moreover, if a final rating is issued, it may differ from the preliminary rating.

Preliminary ratings may be assigned to obligations, most commonly structured and project finance issues, pending receipt of final documentation and legal opinions.

Preliminary ratings may be assigned to obligations that will likely be issued upon the obligor's emergence from bankruptcy or similar reorganization, based on late-stage reorganization plans, documentation and discussions with the obligor. Preliminary ratings may also be assigned to the obligors. These ratings consider the anticipated general credit quality of the reorganized or post-bankruptcy issuer as well as attributes of the anticipated obligation(s).

Preliminary ratings may be assigned to entities that are being formed or that are in the process of being independently established when, in S&P opinion, documentation is close to final. Preliminary ratings may also be assigned to the obligations of these entities.

Preliminary ratings may be assigned when a previously unrated entity is undergoing a well-formulated restructuring, recapitalization, significant financing or other transformative event, generally at the point that investor or lender commitments are invited. The preliminary rating may be assigned to the entity and to its proposed obligation(s). These preliminary ratings consider the anticipated general credit quality of the obligor, as well as attributes of the anticipated obligation(s), assuming successful completion of the transformative event. Should the transformative event not occur, S&P would likely withdraw these preliminary ratings.

A preliminary recovery rating may be assigned to an obligation that has a preliminary issue credit rating.

t: This symbol indicates termination structures that are designed to honor their contracts to full maturity or, should certain events occur, to terminate and cash settle all their contracts before their final maturity date.

cir: This symbol indicates a Counterparty Instrument Rating (CIR), which is a forward-looking opinion about the creditworthiness of an issuer in a securitization structure with respect to a specific financial obligation to a counterparty (including interest rate swaps, currency swaps, and liquidity facilities). The CIR is determined on an ultimate payment basis; these opinions do not take into account timeliness of payment.

Inactive Qualifiers (no longer applied or outstanding)

*:This symbol that indicated that the rating was contingent upon S&P receipt of an executed copy of the escrow agreement or closing documentation confirming investments and cash flows. Discontinued use in August 1998.

c: This qualifier was used to provide additional information to investors that the bank may terminate its obligation to purchase tendered bonds if the long-term credit rating of the issuer was lowered to below an investment-grade level and/or the issuer's bonds were deemed taxable. Discontinued use in January 2001.

 

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PIMCO Funds

G: The letter 'G' followed the rating symbol when a fund's portfolio consisted primarily of direct U.S. government securities.

pi: This qualifier was used to indicate ratings that were based on an analysis of an issuer's published financial information, as well as additional information in the public domain. Such ratings did not, however, reflect in-depth meetings with an issuer's management and therefore, could have been based on less comprehensive information than ratings without a 'pi' suffix. Discontinued use as of December 2014 and as of August 2015 for Lloyd's Syndicate Assessments.

pr: The letters ‘pr' indicate that the rating was provisional. A provisional rating assumed the successful completion of a project financed by the debt being rated and indicates that payment of debt service requirements was largely or entirely dependent upon the successful, timely completion of the project. This rating, however, while addressing credit quality subsequent to completion of the project, made no comment on the likelihood of or the risk of default upon failure of such completion.

q: A ‘q' subscript indicates that the rating is based solely on quantitative analysis of publicly available information. Discontinued use in April 2001.

r: The ‘r' modifier was assigned to securities containing extraordinary risks, particularly market risks, which are not covered in the credit rating. The absence of an ‘r' modifier should not be taken as an indication that an obligation would not exhibit extraordinary non-credit related risks. S&P discontinued the use of the ‘r' modifier for most obligations in June 2000 and for the balance of obligations (mainly structured finance transactions) in November 2002.

Fitch Ratings

Long-Term Credit Ratings
Investment Grade
Rated entities in a number of sectors, including financial and non-financial corporations, sovereigns, insurance companies and certain sectors within public finance, are generally assigned Issuer Default Ratings (IDRs). IDRs are also assigned to certain entities in global infrastructure and project finance. IDRs opine on an entity's relative vulnerability to default on financial obligations. The threshold default risk addressed by the IDR is generally that of the financial obligations whose non-payment would best reflect the uncured failure of that entity. As such, IDRs also address relative vulnerability to bankruptcy, administrative receivership or similar concepts.

In aggregate, IDRs provide an ordinal ranking of issuers based on the agency's view of their relative vulnerability to default, rather than a prediction of a specific percentage likelihood of default.

AAA: Highest credit quality. ‘AAA' ratings denote the lowest expectation of credit risk. They are assigned only in cases of exceptionally strong capacity for payment of financial commitments. This capacity is highly unlikely to be adversely affected by foreseeable events.

AA: Very high credit quality. 'AA' ratings denote expectations of very low credit risk. They indicate very strong capacity for payment of financial commitments. This capacity is not significantly vulnerable to foreseeable events.

A: High credit quality. 'A' ratings denote expectations of low credit risk. The capacity for payment of financial commitments is considered strong. This capacity may, nevertheless, be more vulnerable to adverse business or economic conditions than is the case for higher ratings.

BBB: Good credit quality. 'BBB' ratings indicate that expectations of credit risk are currently low. The capacity for payment of financial commitments is considered adequate, but adverse business or economic conditions are more likely to impair this capacity.

Speculative Grade
BB: Speculative. ‘BB' ratings indicate an elevated vulnerability to credit risk, particularly in the event of adverse changes in business or economic conditions over time; however, business or financial alternatives may be available to allow financial commitments to be met.

B: Highly speculative. ‘B' ratings indicate that material credit risk is present.

CCC: Substantial credit risk.

CC: Very high levels of credit risk.

C: Exceptionally high levels of credit risk.

Defaulted obligations typically are not assigned 'RD' or ‘D' ratings, but are instead rated in the ‘B' to ‘C' rating categories, depending on their recovery prospects and other relevant characteristics. This approach better aligns obligations that have comparable overall expected loss but varying vulnerability to default and loss.

The modifiers "+" or "-" may be appended to a rating to denote relative status within major rating categories. For example, the rating category 'AA' has three notch-specific rating levels ('AA+'; 'AA'; 'AA-'; each a rating level). Such suffixes are not added to the ‘AAA' obligation rating category, or to corporate finance obligation ratings in the categories below ‘CCC.'

The subscript ‘emr' is appended to a rating to denote embedded market risk that is beyond the scope of the rating. The designation is intended to make clear that the rating solely addresses the counterparty risk of the issuing bank. It is not meant to indicate any limitation in the analysis of the counterparty risk, which in all other respects follows published Fitch criteria for analyzing the issuing financial institution. Fitch does not rate these instruments where the principal is to any degree subject to market risk. 

Recovery Ratings
Recovery Ratings are assigned to selected individual securities and obligations, most frequently for individual obligations of corporate finance issuers with Issuer Default Ratings (IDRs) in speculative grade categories.

Among the factors that affect recovery rates for securities are the collateral, the seniority relative to other obligations in the capital structure (where appropriate), and the expected value of the company or underlying collateral in distress.

The Recovery Rating scale is based on the expected relative recovery characteristics of an obligation upon the curing of a default, emergence from insolvency or following the liquidation or termination of the obligor or its associated collateral.

Recovery Ratings are an ordinal scale and do not attempt to precisely predict a given level of recovery. As a guideline in developing the rating assessments, the agency employs broad theoretical recovery bands in its

 

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Prospectus

ratings approach based on historical averages and analytical judgment, but actual recoveries for a given security may deviate materially from historical averages.

RR1: Outstanding recovery prospects given default. ‘RR1' rated securities have characteristics consistent with securities historically recovering 91%-100% of current principal and related interest.

RR2: Superior recovery prospects given default. ‘RR2' rated securities have characteristics consistent with securities historically recovering 71%-90% of current principal and related interest.

RR3: Good recovery prospects given default. ‘RR3' rated securities have characteristics consistent with securities historically recovering 51%-70% of current principal and related interest.

RR4: Average recovery prospects given default. ‘RR4' rated securities have characteristics consistent with securities historically recovering 31%-50% of current principal and related interest.

RR5: Below average recovery prospects given default. ‘RR5' rated securities have characteristics consistent with securities historically recovering 11%-30% of current principal and related interest.

RR6: Poor recovery prospects given default. ‘RR6' rated securities have characteristics consistent with securities historically recovering 0%-10% of current principal and related interest.

Short-Term Credit Ratings
A short-term issuer or obligation rating is based in all cases on the short-term vulnerability to default of the rated entity and relates to the capacity to meet financial obligations in accordance with the documentation governing the relevant obligation. Short-term deposit ratings may be adjusted for loss severity. Short-Term Ratings are assigned to obligations whose initial maturity is viewed as "short term" based on market convention. Typically, this means up to 13 months for corporate, sovereign, and structured obligations, and up to 36 months for obligations in U.S. public finance markets.

F1: Highest short-term credit quality. Indicates the strongest intrinsic capacity for timely payment of financial commitments; may have an added "+" to denote any exceptionally strong credit feature.

F2: Good short-term credit quality. Good intrinsic capacity for timely payment of financial commitments.

F3: Fair short-term credit quality. The intrinsic capacity for timely payment of financial commitments is adequate.

B: Speculative short-term credit quality. Minimal capacity for timely payment of financial commitments, plus heightened vulnerability to near term adverse changes in financial and economic conditions.

C: High short-term default risk. Default is a real possibility.

RD: Restricted default. Indicates an entity that has defaulted on one or more of its financial commitments, although it continues to meet other financial obligations. Typically applicable to entity ratings only.

D: Default. Indicates a broad-based default event for an entity, or the default of a short-term obligation.

 

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PIMCO Funds

Appendix B
Financial Firm-Specific Sales Charge Waivers and Discounts

The availability of initial and contingent deferred sales charge waivers and discounts may depend on the particular financial firm or type of account through which you purchase or hold Fund shares. For waivers or discounts not available through a particular financial firm, investors will have to purchase shares directly from the Funds (or the Distributor) or through another financial firm to receive such waivers or discounts.

The following descriptions of sales charge waivers and discounts for a particular financial firm and class(es) of shares set forth information provided by the financial firm that the firm has represented is current as of the date of this Prospectus. These waivers or discounts, which may vary from those disclosed elsewhere in the Prospectus, are subject to change. The Funds will update this Appendix periodically based on information provided by the applicable financial firm. Neither the Funds, the Investment Adviser nor PIMCO Investments LLC supervises the implementation of these waivers or discounts or verifies the firms' administration of these waivers or discounts.

In all instances, it is an investor's responsibility to notify the financial firm of any facts that may qualify the investor for sales charge waivers or discounts. Please contact your financial firm for more information regarding the sales charge waivers and discounts available to you and the firm's related policies and procedures.

Effective April 10, 2017, shareholders purchasing Fund shares through a Merrill Lynch platform or account will be eligible only for the following load waivers (front-end sales charge waivers and contingent deferred, or back-end, sales charge waivers) and discounts, which may differ from those disclosed elsewhere in the Funds' prospectus or SAI.

Front-end Sales Load Waivers on Class A Shares available at Merrill Lynch

Employer-sponsored retirement, deferred compensation and employee benefit plans (including health savings accounts) and trusts used to fund those plans, provided that the shares are not held in a commission-based brokerage account and shares are held for the benefit of the plan

Shares purchased by or through a 529 Plan

Shares purchased through a Merrill Lynch affiliated investment advisory program

Shares purchased by third party investment advisors on behalf of their advisory clients through Merrill Lynch's platform

Shares purchased through reinvestment of capital gains distributions and dividend reinvestment when purchasing shares of the same fund (but not any other fund within the fund family)

Shares exchanged from Class C (i.e. level-load) shares of the same fund in the month of or following the 10-year anniversary of the purchase date

Employees and registered representatives of Merrill Lynch or its affiliates and their family members

Directors or Trustees of the Fund, and employees of the Fund's investment adviser or any of its affiliates, as described in the this prospectus

Shares purchased from the proceeds of redemptions within the same fund family, provided (1) the repurchase occurs within 90 days following the redemption, (2) the redemption and purchase occur in the same account, and (3) redeemed shares were subject to a front-end or deferred sales load (known as Rights of Reinstatement)

CDSC Waivers on A and C Shares available at Merrill Lynch

Death or disability of the shareholder

Shares sold as part of a systematic withdrawal plan as described in the Fund's prospectus

Return of excess contributions from an IRA Account

Shares sold as part of a required minimum distribution for IRA and retirement accounts due to the shareholder reaching age 70½

Shares sold to pay Merrill Lynch fees but only if the transaction is initiated by Merrill Lynch

Shares held in retirement brokerage accounts, that are exchanged for a lower cost share class due to transfer to a certain fee based account or platform (applicable to A and C shares only)

Front-end load Discounts Available at Merrill Lynch: Breakpoints, Rights of Accumulation & Letters of Intent

Breakpoints as described in this prospectus.

Rights of Accumulation (ROA) which entitle shareholders to breakpoint discounts will be automatically calculated based on the aggregated holding of fund family assets held by accounts within the purchaser's household at Merrill Lynch. Eligible fund family assets not held at Merrill Lynch may be included in the ROA calculation only if the shareholder notifies his or her financial advisor about such assets

Letters of Intent (LOI) which allow for breakpoint discounts based on anticipated purchases within a fund family, through Merrill Lynch, over a 13-month period of time

 

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INVESTMENT ADVISER AND ADMINISTRATOR

PIMCO, 650 Newport Center Drive, Newport Beach, CA 92660

DISTRIBUTOR

PIMCO Investments LLC, 1633 Broadway, New York, NY 10019

CUSTODIAN

State Street Bank & Trust Co., 801 Pennsylvania Avenue, Kansas City, MO 64105

TRANSFER AGENT

DST Asset Manager Solutions, Inc.
Institutional Class, I-2, I-3, Administrative Class — 330 W. 9th Street, 5th Floor, Kansas City, MO 64105
Class A, Class C, Class R — P.O. Box 55060, Boston, MA 02205-5060

INDEPENDENT REGISTERED PUBLIC ACCOUNTING FIRM

PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP, 1100 Walnut Street, Suite 1300, Kansas City, MO 64106-2197

LEGAL COUNSEL

Dechert LLP, 1900 K Street N.W., Washington, D.C. 20006 

 

For further information about the PIMCO Funds, call 888.87.PIMCO or visit our Web site at pimco.com.


 

Table of Contents





PIMCO FUNDS
650 Newport Center Drive
Newport Beach, CA 92660

The Trust's SAI and annual and semi-annual reports to shareholders include additional information about the Funds. The SAI and the financial statements included in the Funds' most recent annual report to shareholders are incorporated by reference into this Prospectus, which means they are part of this Prospectus for legal purposes. The Funds' annual report discusses the market conditions and investment strategies that significantly affected each Fund's performance during its last fiscal year.

The SAI contains detailed information about Fund purchase, redemption and exchange options and procedures and other information about the Funds. You can get a free copy of the SAI.

You may get free copies of any of these materials or request other information about a Fund by calling the Trust at 888.87.PIMCO (888.877.4626) or by writing to:

PIMCO Funds
650 Newport Center Drive
Newport Beach, CA 92660

Daily updates on the NAV of a Fund may be obtained by calling 1-888-87-PIMCO.

You may review and copy information about the Trust, including its SAI, at the Securities and Exchange Commission's public reference room in Washington, D.C. You may call the Commission at 202.551.8090 for information about the operation of the public reference room. You may also access reports and other information about the Trust on the EDGAR Database on the Commission's Web site at www.sec.gov. You may get copies of this information, with payment of a duplication fee, by writing the Public Reference Section of the Commission, 100 F Street N.E., Washington, D.C. 20549-1520, or by e-mailing your request to publicinfo@sec.gov.

You can also visit our web site at pimco.com for additional information about the Funds, including the SAI and the annual and semi-annual reports, which are available for download free of charge.

Reference the Trust's Investment Company Act file number in your correspondence.

Investment Company Act File Number: 811-05028

PF0006_[ ]


Table of Contents




Prospectus

PIMCO Funds

*I-2 was formerly called Class P.




As with other mutual funds, neither the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission nor the U.S. Commodity Futures Trading Commission has approved or disapproved these securities, or determined if this prospectus is truthful or complete. Any representation to the contrary is a criminal offense.

Short Duration Strategy Funds

[ ]


Inst


M

I-2*

I-3


Admin


A


C


R

PIMCO Government Money Market Fund

PGYXX

PGFXX

PGPXX

PGOXX

AMAXX

AMGXX

PIMCO Low Duration Fund

PTLDX

PLDPX

PTLNX

PLDAX

PTLAX

PTLCX

PLDRX

PIMCO Low Duration Fund II

PLDTX

PDFAX

PIMCO Low Duration ESG Fund

PLDIX

PLUPX

[ ]

PDRAX

PIMCO Short Asset Investment Fund

PAIDX

PAMSX

PAIPX

PANDX

PAIQX

PAIAX

PIMCO Short-Term Fund

PTSHX

PTSPX

PTSNX

PSFAX

PSHAX

PFTCX

PTSRX




 

Table of Contents

Page

Fund Summaries

1

PIMCO Government Money Market Fund

1

PIMCO Low Duration Fund

3

PIMCO Low Duration Fund II

7

PIMCO Low Duration ESG Fund

10

PIMCO Short Asset Investment Fund

14

PIMCO Short-Term Fund

17

Summary of Other Important Information Regarding Fund Shares

21

Description of Principal Risks

22

Disclosure of Portfolio Holdings

29

Management of the Funds

30

Classes of Shares

34

Purchases, Redemptions and Exchanges

40

How Fund Shares are Priced

47

Fund Distributions

49

Tax Consequences

49

Characteristics and Risks of Securities and Investment Techniques

51

Financial Highlights

66

Appendix A - Description of Securities Ratings

A-1

Appendix B - Financial Firm-Specific Sales Charge Waivers and Discounts

B-1


 

PIMCO Government Money Market Fund

Investment Objective

The Fund seeks maximum current income, consistent with preservation of capital and daily liquidity.

Fees and Expenses of the Fund

This table describes the fees and expenses that you may pay if you buy and hold shares of the Fund:

Shareholder Fees (fees paid directly from your investment):
None(1)

1 Regular sales charges may apply when Class A shares of the Fund (on which no sales charge was paid at the time of purchase) are exchanged for shares of other funds offered by the Trust.

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

 

Inst
Class

Class M

I-2

Admin
Class

Class A

Class C

Management Fees

0.18%

0.18%

0.28%

0.18%

0.33%

0.33%

Distribution and/or Service (12b-1) Fees

N/A

N/A

N/A

N/A

N/A

N/A

Other Expenses

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses(1)

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

 

1 To maintain certain net yields for the Fund, Pacific Investment Management Company LLC ("PIMCO") or its affiliates may temporarily and voluntarily waive, reduce or reimburse all or any portion of the Fund's fees and expenses. Such waivers, if any, are not reflected in this table. See "Management of the Funds—Temporary Fee Waivers, Reductions and Reimbursements" in the Fund's prospectus for additional information.

Example. The Example is intended to help you compare the cost of investing in Institutional Class, Class M, I-2, Administrative Class, Class A or Class C shares of the Fund with the costs of investing in other mutual funds. The Example assumes that you invest $10,000 in the noted class of shares for the time periods indicated, and then redeem all 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. Investors may pay brokerage commissions on their purchases and sales of Institutional Class shares or I-2 shares of the Fund, which are not reflected in the Example. 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

Institutional Class

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

Class M

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

I-2

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

Administrative Class

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

Class A

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

Class C

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

Principal Investment Strategies

The Fund seeks to achieve its investment objective by investing under normal circumstances at least 80% of its assets in a portfolio of U.S. government securities. The Fund invests 100% of its total assets in (i) cash, (ii) U.S. government securities, such as U.S. Treasury bills, notes, and other obligations issued by, or guaranteed as to principal and interest by, the U.S. government (including its agencies and instrumentalities), and (iii) repurchase agreements that are collateralized fully by such U.S. government securities or cash. The Fund may only invest in U.S. dollar-denominated securities that mature in 397 days or fewer from the date of purchase. The dollar-weighted average portfolio maturity of the Fund may not exceed 60 days and the dollar-weighted average life to maturity of the Fund may not exceed 120 days. The Fund attempts to maintain a stable net asset value of $1.00 per share, although there is no assurance that it will be successful in doing so.

The Fund's investments will comply with applicable rules governing the quality, maturity and diversification of securities held by money market funds.

The Fund may enter into reverse repurchase agreements and sale buy back transactions to satisfy redemption requests or for other temporary or emergency purposes.

Principal Risks

You could lose money by investing in the Fund. Although the Fund seeks to preserve the value of your investment at $1.00 per share, it cannot guarantee it will do so. An investment in the Fund is not insured or guaranteed by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation or any other government agency. The Fund's sponsor has no legal obligation to provide financial support to the Fund, and you should not expect that the sponsor will provide financial support to the Fund at any time. The principal risks of investing in the Fund, which could adversely affect its net asset value, yield and total return are listed below.

Interest Rate Risk: the risk that fixed income securities will decline in value because of an increase in interest rates; a fund with a longer average portfolio duration will be more sensitive to changes in interest rates than a fund with a shorter average portfolio duration

Call Risk: the risk that an issuer may exercise its right to redeem a fixed income security earlier than expected (a call). Issuers may call outstanding securities prior to their maturity for a number of reasons (e.g., declining interest rates, changes in credit spreads and improvements in the issuer's credit quality). If an issuer calls a security that the Fund has invested in, the Fund may not recoup the full amount of its initial investment and may be forced to reinvest in lower-yielding securities, securities with greater credit risks or securities with other, less favorable features

Credit Risk: the risk that the Fund could lose money if the issuer or guarantor of a fixed income security, or the counterparty to a derivative contract, is unable or unwilling to meet its financial obligations

Market Risk: the risk that the value of securities owned by the Fund may go up or down, sometimes rapidly or unpredictably, due to factors affecting securities markets generally or particular industries

Management Risk: the risk that the investment techniques and risk analyses applied by PIMCO will not produce the desired results and that legislative, regulatory, or tax restrictions, policies or developments may affect the investment techniques available to PIMCO and the individual portfolio manager in connection with managing the Fund. There is no guarantee that the investment objective of the Fund will be achieved

 



PIMCO FUNDS | PROSPECTUS

1


 

Table of Contents

PIMCO Government Money Market Fund

Reverse Repurchase Agreements and Other Borrowings Risk: the risk that reverse repurchase agreements or other borrowings may increase the Fund's overall investment exposure and that the related transaction costs may detract from Fund performance

Please see "Description of Principal Risks" in the Fund's prospectus for a more detailed description of the risks of investing in the Fund.

Performance Information

The performance information shows summary performance information for the Fund in a bar chart and an Average Annual Total Returns table. The information provides some indication of the risks of investing in the Fund by showing changes in its performance from year to year and by showing how the Fund's average annual returns compare with the returns of a broad-based securities market index and an index of similar funds. Absent any applicable fee waivers and/or expense limitations, performance would have been lower. The bar chart shows performance of the Fund's Class M shares. For periods prior to the inception date of Class A, Class C and I-2 shares (May 14, 2009) and Institutional Class and Administrative Class shares (May 13, 2016), performance information shown in the table for that class is based on the performance of the Fund's Class M shares, adjusted to reflect the actual distribution and/or service (12b-1) fees and other expenses paid by these classes of shares. Performance for Class A and Class C shares in the Average Annual Total Returns table reflects the impact of sales charges. To obtain the Fund's current yield, call 888.87.PIMCO. The Fund's past performance, before and after taxes, is not necessarily an indication of how the Fund will perform in the future.

The Fund's benchmark index is the FTSE 3-Month Treasury Bill Index. The index is an unmanaged index representing monthly return equivalents of yield averages of the last 3-month Treasury Bill issues. The Fund began operations on 01/27/09. Index comparisons began on 01/31/09. The Lipper Institutional U.S. Government Money Market Funds Average is a total return performance average of funds tracked by Lipper, Inc. that invest principally in financial instruments issued or guaranteed by the U.S. government, its agencies, or its instrumentalities with dollar-weighted average maturities of less than 90 days. These funds are commonly limited to 401(k) and pension participants and often require high minimum investments and have lower total expense ratios relative to other money market funds. They intend to keep constant net asset value.

Performance for the Fund is updated daily and quarterly and may be obtained as follows: daily updates on the net asset value and performance page at http://investments.pimco.com/DailyPerformance and quarterly updates at http://investments.pimco.com/QuarterlyPerformance.

Calendar Year Total Returns — Class M*

 

[To be updated by subsequent amendment]



*The year-to-date return as of June 30, 2018 is [ ]%. For the periods shown in the bar chart, the highest quarterly return was [ ]% in the [ ], and the lowest quarterly return was [ ]% in the [ ].

Average Annual Total Returns (for periods ended 12/31/17)

 

1 Year

5 Years

Since Inception (01/27/2009)

Class M Return Before Taxes

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

Institutional Class Return Before Taxes

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

I-2 Return Before Taxes

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

Administrative Class Return Before Taxes

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

Class A Return Before Taxes

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

Class C Return Before Taxes

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

FTSE 3-Month Treasury Bill Index (reflects no deductions for fees, expenses or taxes)

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

 

Lipper Institutional U.S. Government Money Market Funds Average (reflects no deductions for taxes)

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

Investment Adviser/Portfolio Manager

PIMCO serves as the investment adviser for the Fund. The Fund's portfolio is managed by Jerome Schneider. Mr. Schneider is a Managing Director of PIMCO, and he has managed the Fund since January 2011.

Other Important Information Regarding Fund Shares

For important information about purchase and sale of Fund shares, tax information, and payments to broker-dealers and other financial intermediaries, please turn to the "Summary of Other Important Information Regarding Fund Shares" section on page [ ] of this prospectus.

 

2     

PROSPECTUS | PIMCO FUNDS     


 

Table of Contents

PIMCO Low Duration Fund

Investment Objective

The Fund seeks maximum total return, consistent with preservation of capital and prudent investment management.

Fees and Expenses of the Fund

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 $100,000 in Class A shares of eligible funds offered by PIMCO Equity Series and PIMCO Funds. More information about these and other discounts is available in the "Classes of Shares" section on page [ ] of the Fund's prospectus, Appendix B to the Fund's prospectus (Financial Firm-Specific Sales Charge Waivers and Discounts) or from your financial advisor.

Shareholder Fees (fees paid directly from your investment):

 

Inst
Class


I-2

I-3

Admin
Class


Class A


Class C


Class R

Maximum Sales Charge (Load) Imposed on Purchases (as a percentage of offering price)

None

None

None

None

2.25%

None

None

Maximum Deferred Sales Charge (Load) (as a percentage of the lower of the original purchase price or redemption price)

None

None

None

None

1.00%

1.00%

None

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

 

Inst
Class

I-2

I-3

Admin
Class

Class A

Class C

Class R

Management Fees(1)

0.46%

0.56%

0.66%

0.46%

0.50%

0.55%

0.55%

Distribution and/or Service (12b-1) Fees

N/A

N/A

N/A

0.25%

0.25%

0.55%

0.50%

Other Expenses(2)

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

Fee Waiver and/or Expense Reimbursement(3)

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses After Fee Waiver and/or Expense Reimbursement

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

 

1 Expense information in the table has been restated to reflect current Management Fees.

2 "Other Expenses" include interest expense of [ ]%.  Interest expense is borne by the Fund separately from the management fees paid to Pacific Investment Management Company LLC ("PIMCO").  Excluding interest expense, Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses After Fee Waiver and/or Expense Reimbursement are [ ]%, [ ]%, [ ]%, [ ]%, [ ]%, [ ]% and [ ]% for Institutional Class, I-2, I-3, Administrative Class, Class A, Class C and Class R shares, respectively.

3 PIMCO has contractually agreed, through July 31, 2019, to reduce its supervisory and administrative fee for the Fund's I-3 shares by 0.05% of the average daily net assets attributable to I-3 shares of the Fund. This Fee Waiver Agreement renews annually unless terminated by PIMCO upon at least 30 days' prior notice to the end of the contract term.

Example. The Example is intended to help you compare the cost of investing in Institutional Class, I-2, I-3, Administrative Class, Class A, Class C or Class R shares of the Fund with the costs of investing in other mutual funds. The Example assumes that you invest $10,000 in the noted class of shares for the time periods indicated, and then redeem all 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. Investors may pay brokerage commissions on their purchases and sales of Institutional Class, I-2 or I-3 shares of the Fund, which are not reflected in the Example. Although your actual costs may be higher or lower, based on these assumptions your costs would be:

If you redeem your shares at the end of each period:

 

1 Year

3 Years

5 Years

10 Years

Institutional Class

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

I-2

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

I-3

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

Administrative Class

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

Class A

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

Class C

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

Class R

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

If you do not redeem your shares:

 

1 Year

3 Years

5 Years

10 Years

Class A

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

Class C

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

Portfolio Turnover

The Fund pays transaction costs 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 the Annual Fund Operating Expenses or in the Example tables, affect the Fund's performance. During the most recent fiscal year, the Fund's portfolio turnover rate was [ ]% of the average value of its portfolio.

Principal Investment Strategies

The Fund seeks to achieve its investment objective by investing under normal circumstances at least 65% of its total assets in a diversified portfolio of Fixed Income Instruments of varying maturities, which may be represented by forwards or derivatives such as options, futures contracts, or swap agreements. "Fixed Income Instruments" include bonds, debt securities and other similar instruments issued by various U.S. and non-U.S. public- or private-sector entities. The average portfolio duration of this Fund normally varies from one to three years based on Pacific Investment Management Company LLC's ("PIMCO") market forecasts. Duration is a measure used to determine the sensitivity of a security's price to changes in interest rates. The longer a security's duration, the more sensitive it will be to changes in interest rates.

The Fund invests primarily in investment grade debt securities, but may invest up to 10% of its total assets in high yield securities ("junk bonds"), as rated by Moody's Investors Service, Inc. ("Moody's"), Standard & Poor's Ratings Services ("S&P") or Fitch, Inc. ("Fitch"), or, if unrated, as determined by PIMCO. The Fund may invest up to 30% of its total assets in securities denominated in foreign currencies, and may invest beyond this

 



PIMCO FUNDS | PROSPECTUS

3


 

Table of Contents

PIMCO Low Duration Fund

limit in U.S. dollar-denominated securities of foreign issuers. The Fund will normally limit its foreign currency exposure (from non-U.S. dollar-denominated securities or currencies) to 20% of its total assets. The Fund may invest up to 10% of its total assets in securities and instruments that are economically tied to emerging market countries (this limitation does not apply to investment grade sovereign debt denominated in the local currency with less than 1 year remaining to maturity, which means the Fund may invest, together with any other investments denominated in foreign currencies, up to 30% of its total assets in such instruments).

The Fund may invest, without limitation, in derivative instruments, such as options, futures contracts or swap agreements, or in mortgage- or asset-backed securities, subject to applicable law and any other restrictions described in the Fund's prospectus or Statement of Additional Information. The Fund may purchase or sell securities on a when-issued, delayed delivery or forward commitment basis and may engage in short sales. The Fund may, without limitation, seek to obtain market exposure to the securities in which it primarily invests by entering into a series of purchase and sale contracts or by using other investment techniques (such as buy backs or dollar rolls). The "total return" sought by the Fund consists of income earned on the Fund's investments, plus capital appreciation, if any, which generally arises from decreases in interest rates, foreign currency appreciation, or improving credit fundamentals for a particular sector or security. The Fund may also invest up to 10% of its total assets in preferred securities.

Principal Risks

It is possible to lose money on an investment in the Fund. The principal risks of investing in the Fund, which could adversely affect its net asset value, yield and total return are listed below.

Interest Rate Risk: the risk that fixed income securities will decline in value because of an increase in interest rates; a fund with a longer average portfolio duration will be more sensitive to changes in interest rates than a fund with a shorter average portfolio duration

Call Risk: the risk that an issuer may exercise its right to redeem a fixed income security earlier than expected (a call). Issuers may call outstanding securities prior to their maturity for a number of reasons (e.g., declining interest rates, changes in credit spreads and improvements in the issuer's credit quality). If an issuer calls a security that the Fund has invested in, the Fund may not recoup the full amount of its initial investment and may be forced to reinvest in lower-yielding securities, securities with greater credit risks or securities with other, less favorable features

Credit Risk: the risk that the Fund could lose money if the issuer or guarantor of a fixed income security, or the counterparty to a derivative contract, is unable or unwilling to meet its financial obligations

High Yield Risk: the risk that high yield securities and unrated securities of similar credit quality (commonly known as "junk bonds") are subject to greater levels of credit, call and liquidity risks. High yield securities are considered primarily speculative with respect to the issuer's continuing ability to make principal and interest payments, and may be more volatile than higher-rated securities of similar maturity

Market Risk: the risk that the value of securities owned by the Fund may go up or down, sometimes rapidly or unpredictably, due to factors affecting securities markets generally or particular industries

Issuer Risk: the risk that the value of a security may decline for a reason directly related to the issuer, such as management performance, financial leverage and reduced demand for the issuer's goods or services

Liquidity Risk: the risk that a particular investment may be difficult to purchase or sell and that the Fund may be unable to sell illiquid securities at an advantageous time or price or achieve its desired level of exposure to a certain sector. Liquidity risk may result from the lack of an active market, reduced number and capacity of traditional market participants to make a market in fixed income securities, and may be magnified in a rising interest rate environment or other circumstances where investor redemptions from fixed income mutual funds may be higher than normal, causing increased supply in the market due to selling activity

Derivatives Risk: the risk of investing in derivative instruments (such as futures, swaps and structured securities), including leverage, liquidity, interest rate, market, credit and management risks, mispricing or valuation complexity. Changes in the value of the derivative may not correlate perfectly with, and may be more sensitive to market events than, the underlying asset, rate or index, and the Fund could lose more than the initial amount invested. The Fund's use of derivatives may result in losses to the Fund, a reduction in the Fund's returns and/or increased volatility. Over-the-counter ("OTC") derivatives are also subject to the risk that a counterparty to the transaction will not fulfill its contractual obligations to the other party, as many of the protections afforded to centrally-cleared derivative transactions might not be available for OTC derivatives. For derivatives traded on an exchange or through a central counterparty, credit risk resides with the Fund's clearing broker, or the clearinghouse itself, rather than with a counterparty in an OTC derivative transaction. Changes in regulation relating to a mutual fund's use of derivatives and related instruments could potentially limit or impact the Fund's ability to invest in derivatives, limit the Fund's ability to employ certain strategies that use derivatives and/or adversely affect the value of derivatives and the Fund's performance

Equity Risk: the risk that the value of equity securities, such as common stocks and preferred securities, may decline due to general market conditions which are not specifically related to a particular company or to factors affecting a particular industry or industries. Equity securities generally have greater price volatility than fixed income securities

Mortgage-Related and Other Asset-Backed Securities Risk: the risks of investing in mortgage-related and other asset-backed securities, including interest rate risk, extension risk, prepayment risk and credit risk

Foreign (Non-U.S.) Investment Risk: the risk that investing in foreign (non-U.S.) securities may result in the Fund experiencing more rapid and extreme changes in value than a fund that invests exclusively in securities of U.S. companies, due to smaller markets, differing reporting, accounting and auditing standards, increased risk of delayed settlement of portfolio transactions or loss of certificates of portfolio securities, and the risk of unfavorable foreign government actions, including nationalization, expropriation or confiscatory taxation, currency blockage, or political changes

 

4     

PROSPECTUS | PIMCO FUNDS     


 

Table of Contents

Prospectus

or diplomatic developments. Foreign securities may also be less liquid and more difficult to value than securities of U.S. issuers

Emerging Markets Risk: the risk of investing in emerging market securities, primarily increased foreign (non-U.S.) investment risk

Sovereign Debt Risk: the risk that investments in fixed income instruments issued by sovereign entities may decline in value as a result of default or other adverse credit event resulting from an issuer's inability or unwillingness to make principal or interest payments in a timely fashion

Currency Risk: the risk that foreign (non-U.S.) currencies will change in value relative to the U.S. dollar and affect the Fund's investments in foreign (non-U.S.) currencies or in securities that trade in, and receive revenues in, or in derivatives that provide exposure to, foreign (non-U.S.) currencies

Leveraging Risk: the risk that certain transactions of the Fund, such as reverse repurchase agreements, loans of portfolio securities, and the use of when-issued, delayed delivery or forward commitment transactions, or derivative instruments, may give rise to leverage, magnifying gains and losses and causing the Fund to be more volatile than if it had not been leveraged. This means that leverage entails a heightened risk of loss

Management Risk: the risk that the investment techniques and risk analyses applied by PIMCO will not produce the desired results and that legislative, regulatory, or tax restrictions, policies or developments may affect the investment techniques available to PIMCO and the individual portfolio manager in connection with managing the Fund. There is no guarantee that the investment objective of the Fund will be achieved

Short Exposure Risk: the risk of entering into short sales, including the potential loss of more money than the actual cost of the investment, and the risk that the third party to the short sale will not fulfill its contractual obligations, causing a loss to the Fund

Please see "Description of Principal Risks" in the Fund's prospectus for a more detailed description of the risks of investing in the Fund. An investment in the Fund is not a deposit of a bank and is not insured or guaranteed by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation or any other government agency.

Performance Information

The performance information shows summary performance information for the Fund in a bar chart and an Average Annual Total Returns table. The information provides some indication of the risks of investing in the Fund by showing changes in its performance from year to year and by showing how the Fund's average annual returns compare with the returns of a broad-based securities market index and an index of similar funds. Absent any applicable fee waivers and/or expense limitations, performance would have been lower. The bar chart shows performance of the Fund's Institutional Class shares. For periods prior to the inception date of I-2 shares (April 30, 2008), performance information shown in the table for that class is based on the performance of the Fund's Institutional Class shares, adjusted to reflect the actual distribution and/or service (12b-1) fees and other expenses paid by that class of shares. Performance for Class A and Class C shares in the Average Annual Total Returns table reflects the impact of sales charges. The I-3 shares of the Fund have not commenced operations as of the date of this prospectus. The Fund's past performance, before and after taxes, is not necessarily an indication of how the Fund will perform in the future.

The ICE BofAML 1-3 Year U.S. Treasury Index is an unmanaged index comprised of U.S. Treasury securities, other than inflation protection securities and STRIPS, with at least $1 billion in outstanding face value and a remaining term to final maturity of at least one year and less than three years. The Lipper Short Investment Grade Debt Funds Average is a total return performance average of funds tracked by Lipper, Inc. that invest at least 65% of their assets in investment-grade debt issues (rated in the top four grades) with dollar-weighted average maturities of less than three years.

Performance for the Fund is updated daily and quarterly and may be obtained as follows: daily updates on the net asset value and performance page at http://investments.pimco.com/DailyPerformance and quarterly updates at http://investments.pimco.com/QuarterlyPerformance.

Calendar Year Total Returns — Institutional Class*

 

[To be updated by subsequent amendment]



*The year-to-date return as of June 30, 2018 is [ ]%. For the periods shown in the bar chart, the highest quarterly return was [ ]% in the [ ], and the lowest quarterly return was [ ]% in the [ ].

Average Annual Total Returns (for periods ended 12/31/17)

 

1 Year

5 Years

10 Years

Institutional Class Return Before Taxes

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

Institutional Class Return After Taxes on Distributions‌(1)

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

Institutional Class Return After Taxes on Distributions and Sales of Fund Shares‌(1)

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

I-2 Return Before Taxes

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

Administrative Class Return Before Taxes

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

Class A Return Before Taxes

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

Class C Return Before Taxes

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

Class R Return Before Taxes

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

ICE BofAML 1-3 Year U.S. Treasury Index (reflects no deductions for fees, expenses or taxes)

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

 

Lipper Short Investment Grade Debt Funds Average (reflects no deductions for taxes)

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

(1) After-tax returns are calculated using the highest historical individual federal marginal income tax rates and do not reflect the impact of state and local taxes. Actual after-tax returns depend on an investor's tax situation and may differ from those shown, and the after-tax returns shown are not relevant to investors who hold their Fund shares through

 

[ ] | PROSPECTUS

5


 

Table of Contents

PIMCO Low Duration Fund

tax-deferred arrangements, such as 401(k) plans or individual retirement accounts. In some cases the return after taxes may exceed the return before taxes due to an assumed tax benefit from any losses on a sale of Fund shares at the end of the measurement period. After-tax returns are for Institutional Class shares only. After-tax returns for other classes will vary.

Investment Adviser/Portfolio Manager

PIMCO serves as the investment adviser for the Fund. The Fund's portfolio is jointly managed by Scott A. Mather and Jerome Schneider. Mr. Mather is CIO U.S. Core Strategies and a Managing Director of PIMCO.  Mr. Schneider is a Managing Director of PIMCO. Messrs. Mather and Schneider have jointly managed the Fund since September 2014.

Other Important Information Regarding Fund Shares

For important information about purchase and sale of Fund shares, tax information, and payments to broker-dealers and other financial intermediaries, please turn to the "Summary of Other Important Information Regarding Fund Shares" section on page [ ] of this prospectus.

 

6     

PROSPECTUS | PIMCO FUNDS     


 

Table of Contents

PIMCO Low Duration Fund II

Investment Objective

The Fund seeks maximum total return, consistent with preservation of capital and prudent investment management.

Fees and Expenses of the Fund

This table describes the fees and expenses that you may pay if you buy and hold shares of the Fund:

Shareholder Fees (fees paid directly from your investment): None

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

 

Inst
Class

Admin
Class

Management Fees

0.50%

0.50%

Distribution and/or Service (12b-1) Fees

N/A

0.25%

Other Expenses(1)

[ ]

[ ]

Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses

[ ]

[ ]

 

1 "Other Expenses" include interest expense of [ ]%. Interest expense is borne by the Fund separately from the management fees paid to PIMCO. Excluding interest expense, Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses are [ ]% and [ ]% for Institutional Class and Administrative Class shares, respectively.

Example. The Example is intended to help you compare the cost of investing in Institutional Class or Administrative Class shares of the Fund with the costs of investing in other mutual funds. The Example assumes that you invest $10,000 in the noted class of shares for the time periods indicated, and then redeem all 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. Investors may pay brokerage commissions on their purchases and sales of Institutional Class shares of the Fund, which are not reflected in the Example. 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

Institutional Class

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

Administrative Class

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

Portfolio Turnover

The Fund pays transaction costs 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 the Annual Fund Operating Expenses or in the Example tables, affect the Fund's performance. During the most recent fiscal year, the Fund's portfolio turnover rate was [ ]% of the average value of its portfolio.

Principal Investment Strategies

The Fund seeks to achieve its investment objective by investing under normal circumstances at least 65% of its total assets in a diversified portfolio of Fixed Income Instruments of varying maturities, which may be represented by forwards or derivatives such as options, futures contracts, or swap agreements. "Fixed Income Instruments" include bonds, debt securities and other similar instruments issued by various U.S. and non-U.S. public- or private-sector entities. The average portfolio duration of this Fund normally varies from one to three years based on Pacific Investment Management Company LLC's ("PIMCO") market forecasts. Duration is a measure used to determine the sensitivity of a security's price to changes in interest rates. The longer a security's duration, the more sensitive it will be to changes in interest rates. The Fund may invest only in investment grade U.S. dollar denominated securities of U.S. issuers that are rated A or higher by Moody's Investors Service, Inc. ("Moody's"), or equivalently rated by Standard & Poor's Ratings Services ("S&P") or Fitch, Inc. ("Fitch"), or, if unrated, determined by PIMCO to be of comparable quality.

The Fund may invest, without limitation, in derivative instruments, such as options, futures contracts or swap agreements, or in mortgage- or asset-backed securities, subject to applicable law and any other restrictions described in the Fund's prospectus or Statement of Additional Information. The Fund may purchase or sell securities on a when-issued, delayed delivery or forward commitment basis and may engage in short sales. The Fund may, without limitation, seek to obtain market exposure to the securities in which it primarily invests by entering into a series of purchase and sale contracts or by using other investment techniques (such as buy backs or dollar rolls). The "total return" sought by the Fund consists of income earned on the Fund's investments, plus capital appreciation, if any, which generally arises from decreases in interest rates or improving credit fundamentals for a particular sector or security. The Fund may also invest up to 10% of its total assets in preferred securities.

Principal Risks

It is possible to lose money on an investment in the Fund. The principal risks of investing in the Fund, which could adversely affect its net asset value, yield and total return are listed below.

Interest Rate Risk: the risk that fixed income securities will decline in value because of an increase in interest rates; a fund with a longer average portfolio duration will be more sensitive to changes in interest rates than a fund with a shorter average portfolio duration

Call Risk: the risk that an issuer may exercise its right to redeem a fixed income security earlier than expected (a call). Issuers may call outstanding securities prior to their maturity for a number of reasons (e.g., declining interest rates, changes in credit spreads and improvements in the issuer's credit quality). If an issuer calls a security that the Fund has invested in, the Fund may not recoup the full amount of its initial investment and may be forced to reinvest in lower-yielding securities, securities with greater credit risks or securities with other, less favorable features

Credit Risk: the risk that the Fund could lose money if the issuer or guarantor of a fixed income security, or the counterparty to a derivative contract, is unable or unwilling to meet its financial obligations

Market Risk: the risk that the value of securities owned by the Fund may go up or down, sometimes rapidly or unpredictably, due to factors affecting securities markets generally or particular industries

Issuer Risk: the risk that the value of a security may decline for a reason directly related to the issuer, such as management performance, financial leverage and reduced demand for the issuer's goods or services

 



PIMCO FUNDS | PROSPECTUS

7


 

Table of Contents

PIMCO Low Duration Fund II

Liquidity Risk: the risk that a particular investment may be difficult to purchase or sell and that the Fund may be unable to sell illiquid securities at an advantageous time or price or achieve its desired level of exposure to a certain sector. Liquidity risk may result from the lack of an active market, reduced number and capacity of traditional market participants to make a market in fixed income securities, and may be magnified in a rising interest rate environment or other circumstances where investor redemptions from fixed income mutual funds may be higher than normal, causing increased supply in the market due to selling activity

Derivatives Risk: the risk of investing in derivative instruments (such as futures, swaps and structured securities), including leverage, liquidity, interest rate, market, credit and management risks, mispricing or valuation complexity. Changes in the value of the derivative may not correlate perfectly with, and may be more sensitive to market events than, the underlying asset, rate or index, and the Fund could lose more than the initial amount invested. The Fund's use of derivatives may result in losses to the Fund, a reduction in the Fund's returns and/or increased volatility. Over-the-counter ("OTC") derivatives are also subject to the risk that a counterparty to the transaction will not fulfill its contractual obligations to the other party, as many of the protections afforded to centrally-cleared derivative transactions might not be available for OTC derivatives. For derivatives traded on an exchange or through a central counterparty, credit risk resides with the Fund's clearing broker, or the clearinghouse itself, rather than with a counterparty in an OTC derivative transaction. Changes in regulation relating to a mutual fund's use of derivatives and related instruments could potentially limit or impact the Fund's ability to invest in derivatives, limit the Fund's ability to employ certain strategies that use derivatives and/or adversely affect the value of derivatives and the Fund's performance

Equity Risk: the risk that the value of equity securities, such as common stocks and preferred securities, may decline due to general market conditions which are not specifically related to a particular company or to factors affecting a particular industry or industries. Equity securities generally have greater price volatility than fixed income securities

Mortgage-Related and Other Asset-Backed Securities Risk: the risks of investing in mortgage-related and other asset-backed securities, including interest rate risk, extension risk, prepayment risk and credit risk

Leveraging Risk: the risk that certain transactions of the Fund, such as reverse repurchase agreements, loans of portfolio securities, and the use of when-issued, delayed delivery or forward commitment transactions, or derivative instruments, may give rise to leverage, magnifying gains and losses and causing the Fund to be more volatile than if it had not been leveraged. This means that leverage entails a heightened risk of loss

Management Risk: the risk that the investment techniques and risk analyses applied by PIMCO will not produce the desired results and that legislative, regulatory, or tax restrictions, policies or developments may affect the investment techniques available to PIMCO and the individual portfolio manager in connection with managing the Fund. There is no guarantee that the investment objective of the Fund will be achieved

Short Exposure Risk: the risk of entering into short sales, including the potential loss of more money than the actual cost of the investment, and the risk that the third party to the short sale will not fulfill its contractual obligations, causing a loss to the Fund

Please see "Description of Principal Risks" in the Fund's prospectus for a more detailed description of the risks of investing in the Fund. An investment in the Fund is not a deposit of a bank and is not insured or guaranteed by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation or any other government agency.

Performance Information

The performance information shows summary performance information for the Fund in a bar chart and an Average Annual Total Returns table. The information provides some indication of the risks of investing in the Fund by showing changes in its performance from year to year and by showing how the Fund's average annual returns compare with the returns of a broad-based securities market index and an index of similar funds. Absent any applicable fee waivers and/or expense limitations, performance would have been lower. The bar chart shows performance of the Fund's Institutional Class shares. The Fund's past performance, before and after taxes, is not necessarily an indication of how the Fund will perform in the future.

The ICE BofAML 1-3 Year U.S. Treasury Index is an unmanaged index comprised of U.S. Treasury securities, other than inflation protection securities and STRIPS, with at least $1 billion in outstanding face value and a remaining term to final maturity of at least one year and less than three years. The Lipper Short Investment Grade Debt Funds Average is a total return performance average of funds tracked by Lipper, Inc. that invest at least 65% of their assets in investment-grade debt issues (rated in the top four grades) with dollar-weighted average maturities of less than three years.

Performance for the Fund is updated daily and quarterly and may be obtained as follows: daily updates on the net asset value and performance page at http://investments.pimco.com/DailyPerformance and quarterly updates at http://investments.pimco.com/QuarterlyPerformance.

Calendar Year Total Returns — Institutional Class*

 

[To be updated by subsequent amendment]



*The year-to-date return as of June 30, 2018 is [ ]%. For the periods shown in the bar chart, the highest quarterly return was [ ]% in the [ ], and the lowest quarterly return was [ ]% in the [ ].

 

8     

PROSPECTUS | PIMCO FUNDS     


 

Table of Contents

Prospectus

Average Annual Total Returns (for periods ended 12/31/17)

 

1 Year

5 Years

10 Years

Institutional Class Return Before Taxes

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

Institutional Class Return After Taxes on Distributions‌(1)

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

Institutional Class Return After Taxes on Distributions and Sales of Fund Shares‌(1)

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

Administrative Class Return Before Taxes

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

ICE BofAML 1-3 Year U.S. Treasury Index (reflects no deductions for fees, expenses or taxes)

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

 

Lipper Short Investment Grade Debt Funds Average (reflects no deductions for taxes)

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

(1) After-tax returns are calculated using the highest historical individual federal marginal income tax rates and do not reflect the impact of state and local taxes. Actual after-tax returns depend on an investor's tax situation and may differ from those shown, and the after-tax returns shown are not relevant to investors who hold their Fund shares through tax-deferred arrangements, such as 401(k) plans or individual retirement accounts. In some cases the return after taxes may exceed the return before taxes due to an assumed tax benefit from any losses on a sale of Fund shares at the end of the measurement period. After-tax returns are for Institutional Class shares only. After-tax returns for other classes will vary.

Investment Adviser/Portfolio Manager

PIMCO serves as the investment adviser for the Fund. The Fund's portfolio is jointly managed by Scott A. Mather and Jerome Schneider. Mr. Mather is CIO U.S. Core Strategies and a Managing Director of PIMCO.  Mr. Schneider is a Managing Director of PIMCO. Messrs. Mather and Schneider have jointly managed the Fund since September 2014.

Other Important Information Regarding Fund Shares

For important information about purchase and sale of Fund shares, tax information, and payments to broker-dealers and other financial intermediaries, please turn to the "Summary of Other Important Information Regarding Fund Shares" section on page [ ] of this prospectus.

 

[ ] | PROSPECTUS

9


 

Table of Contents

PIMCO Low Duration ESG Fund

Investment Objective

The Fund seeks maximum total return, consistent with preservation of capital and prudent investment management.

Fees and Expenses of the Fund

This table describes the fees and expenses that you may pay if you buy and hold shares of the Fund:

Shareholder Fees (fees paid directly from your investment): None

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

 

Inst
Class

I-2

I-3

Admin
Class

Management Fees

0.50%

0.60%

[ ]

0.50%

Distribution and/or Service (12b-1) Fees

N/A

N/A

[ ]

0.25%

Other Expenses(1)

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

Fee Waiver and/or Expense Reimbursement(2)

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses After Fee Waiver and/or Expense Reimbursement

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

 

1 "Other Expenses" include interest expense of [ ]%. Interest expense is borne by the Fund separately from the management fees paid to Pacific Investment Management Company LLC ("PIMCO"). Excluding interest expense, Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses are [ ]%, [ ]%, [ ]% and [ ]% for Institutional Class, I-2, I-3 and Administrative Class shares, respectively.

2 PIMCO has contractually agreed, through July 31, 2019, to reduce its supervisory and administrative fee for the Fund's I-3 shares by [ ]% of the average daily net assets attributable to I-3 shares of the Fund. This Fee Waiver Agreement renews annually unless terminated by PIMCO upon at least 30 days' prior notice to the end of the contract term.

Example. The Example is intended to help you compare the cost of investing in Institutional Class, I-2, I-3 or Administrative Class shares of the Fund with the costs of investing in other mutual funds. The Example assumes that you invest $10,000 in the noted class of shares for the time periods indicated, and then redeem all 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. Investors may pay brokerage commissions on their purchases and sales of Institutional Class, I-2 or I-3 shares of the Fund, which are not reflected in the Example. 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

Institutional Class

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

I-2

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

I-3

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

Administrative Class

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

Portfolio Turnover

The Fund pays transaction costs 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 the Annual Fund Operating Expenses or in the Example tables, affect the Fund's performance. During the most recent fiscal year, the Fund's portfolio turnover rate was [ ]% of the average value of its portfolio.

Principal Investment Strategies

The Fund seeks to achieve its investment objective by investing under normal circumstances at least 65% of its total assets in a diversified portfolio of Fixed Income Instruments of varying maturities, which may be represented by forwards or derivatives such as options, futures contracts, or swap agreements. "Fixed Income Instruments" include bonds, debt securities and other similar instruments issued by various U.S. and non-U.S. public- or private-sector entities. The average portfolio duration of this Fund normally varies from one to three years based on Pacific Investment Management Company LLC's ("PIMCO") market forecasts. Duration is a measure used to determine the sensitivity of a security's price to changes in interest rates. The longer a security's duration, the more sensitive it will be to changes in interest rates. The Fund will not invest in the securities of any issuer determined by PIMCO to be engaged principally in the manufacture of alcoholic beverages, tobacco products or military equipment, the operation of gambling casinos, the production of coal, or in the production or trade of pornographic materials. In addition, the Fund will not invest in the securities of any issuer determined by PIMCO to be engaged principally in the provision of healthcare services or the manufacture of pharmaceuticals, unless the issuer derives 100% of its gross revenues from products or services designed to protect and improve the quality of human life, as determined on the basis of information available to PIMCO. To the extent possible on the basis of information available to PIMCO, an issuer will be deemed to be principally engaged in an activity if it derives more than 10% of its gross revenues from such activities. In addition, the Fund will not invest directly in securities of issuers that are engaged in certain business activities in or with the Republic of the Sudan.

In analyzing whether an issuer meets any of the criteria described above, PIMCO may rely upon, among other things, information provided by an independent third party.

The Fund may avoid investment in the securities of issuers whose business practices with respect to the environment, social responsibility, and governance ("ESG practices") are not to PIMCO's satisfaction. In determining the efficacy of an issuer's ESG practices, PIMCO will use its own proprietary assessments of material ESG issues and may also reference standards as set forth by recognized global organizations such as entities sponsored by the United Nations. Additionally, PIMCO may engage proactively with issuers to encourage them to improve their ESG practices. PIMCO's activities in this respect may include, but are not limited to, direct dialogue with company management, such as through in-person meetings, phone calls, electronic communications, and letters. Through these engagement activities, PIMCO seeks to identify opportunities for a company to improve its ESG practices, and will endeavor to work collaboratively with company management to establish concrete objectives and to develop a plan for meeting these objectives. The Fund may invest in securities of issuers whose ESG practices are currently suboptimal, with the expectation that these practices may improve over time either as a result of PIMCO's engagement efforts or through the company's own initiatives. It may also

 



PIMCO FUNDS | PROSPECTUS

10


 

Table of Contents

Prospectus

exclude those issuers that are not receptive to PIMCO's engagement efforts, as determined in PIMCO's sole discretion.

The Fund invests primarily in investment grade securities, but may invest up to 10% of its total assets in high yield securities ("junk bonds"), as rated by Moody's Investors Service, Inc. ("Moody's"), Standard & Poor's Ratings Services ("S&P") or Fitch, Inc. ("Fitch"), or, if unrated, as determined by PIMCO. The Fund may invest up to 30% of its total assets in securities denominated in foreign currencies, and may invest beyond this limit in U.S. dollar-denominated securities of foreign issuers. The Fund will normally limit its foreign currency exposure (from non-U.S. dollar-denominated securities or currencies) to 20% of its total assets. The Fund may invest up to 10% of its total assets in securities and instruments that are economically tied to emerging market countries (this limitation does not apply to investment grade sovereign debt denominated in the local currency with less than 1 year remaining to maturity, which means the Fund may invest, together with any other investments denominated in foreign currencies, up to 30% of its total assets in such instruments).

The Fund may invest, without limitation, in derivative instruments, such as options, futures contracts or swap agreements, or in mortgage- or asset-backed securities, subject to applicable law and any other restrictions described in the Fund's prospectus or Statement of Additional Information. The Fund may purchase or sell securities on a when-issued, delayed delivery or forward commitment basis and  may engage in short sales. The Fund may, without limitation, seek to obtain market exposure to the securities in which it primarily invests by entering into a series of purchase and sale contracts or by using other investment techniques (such as buy backs or dollar rolls). The "total return" sought by the Fund consists of income earned on the Fund's investments, plus capital appreciation, if any, which generally arises from decreases in interest rates, foreign currency appreciation, or improving credit fundamentals for a particular sector or security. The Fund may also invest up to 10% of its total assets in preferred securities.

Principal Risks

It is possible to lose money on an investment in the Fund. The principal risks of investing in the Fund, which could adversely affect its net asset value, yield and total return are listed below.

Interest Rate Risk: the risk that fixed income securities will decline in value because of an increase in interest rates; a fund with a longer average portfolio duration will be more sensitive to changes in interest rates than a fund with a shorter average portfolio duration

Call Risk: the risk that an issuer may exercise its right to redeem a fixed income security earlier than expected (a call). Issuers may call outstanding securities prior to their maturity for a number of reasons (e.g., declining interest rates, changes in credit spreads and improvements in the issuer's credit quality). If an issuer calls a security that the Fund has invested in, the Fund may not recoup the full amount of its initial investment and may be forced to reinvest in lower-yielding securities, securities with greater credit risks or securities with other, less favorable features

Credit Risk: the risk that the Fund could lose money if the issuer or guarantor of a fixed income security, or the counterparty to a derivative contract, is unable or unwilling to meet its financial obligations

High Yield Risk: the risk that high yield securities and unrated securities of similar credit quality (commonly known as "junk bonds") are subject to greater levels of credit, call and liquidity risks. High yield securities are considered primarily speculative with respect to the issuer's continuing ability to make principal and interest payments, and may be more volatile than higher-rated securities of similar maturity

Market Risk: the risk that the value of securities owned by the Fund may go up or down, sometimes rapidly or unpredictably, due to factors affecting securities markets generally or particular industries

Issuer Risk: the risk that the value of a security may decline for a reason directly related to the issuer, such as management performance, financial leverage and reduced demand for the issuer's goods or services

Liquidity Risk: the risk that a particular investment may be difficult to purchase or sell and that the Fund may be unable to sell illiquid securities at an advantageous time or price or achieve its desired level of exposure to a certain sector. Liquidity risk may result from the lack of an active market, reduced number and capacity of traditional market participants to make a market in fixed income securities, and may be magnified in a rising interest rate environment or other circumstances where investor redemptions from fixed income mutual funds may be higher than normal, causing increased supply in the market due to selling activity

Derivatives Risk: the risk of investing in derivative instruments (such as futures, swaps and structured securities), including leverage, liquidity, interest rate, market, credit and management risks, mispricing or valuation complexity. Changes in the value of the derivative may not correlate perfectly with, and may be more sensitive to market events than, the underlying asset, rate or index, and the Fund could lose more than the initial amount invested. The Fund's use of derivatives may result in losses to the Fund, a reduction in the Fund's returns and/or increased volatility. Over-the-counter ("OTC") derivatives are also subject to the risk that a counterparty to the transaction will not fulfill its contractual obligations to the other party, as many of the protections afforded to centrally-cleared derivative transactions might not be available for OTC derivatives. For derivatives traded on an exchange or through a central counterparty, credit risk resides with the Fund's clearing broker, or the clearinghouse itself, rather than with a counterparty in an OTC derivative transaction. Changes in regulation relating to a mutual fund's use of derivatives and related instruments could potentially limit or impact the Fund's ability to invest in derivatives, limit the Fund's ability to employ certain strategies that use derivatives and/or adversely affect the value of derivatives and the Fund's performance

Equity Risk: the risk that the value of equity securities, such as common stocks and preferred securities, may decline due to general market conditions which are not specifically related to a particular company or to factors affecting a particular industry or industries. Equity securities generally have greater price volatility than fixed income securities

Mortgage-Related and Other Asset-Backed Securities Risk: the risks of investing in mortgage-related and other asset-backed securities, including interest rate risk, extension risk, prepayment risk and credit risk

Foreign (Non-U.S.) Investment Risk: the risk that investing in foreign (non-U.S.) securities may result in the Fund experiencing more rapid and

 

[ ] | PROSPECTUS

11


 

Table of Contents

PIMCO Low Duration ESG Fund

extreme changes in value than a fund that invests exclusively in securities of U.S. companies, due to smaller markets, differing reporting, accounting and auditing standards, increased risk of delayed settlement of portfolio transactions or loss of certificates of portfolio securities, and the risk of unfavorable foreign government actions, including nationalization, expropriation or confiscatory taxation, currency blockage, or political changes or diplomatic developments. Foreign securities may also be less liquid and more difficult to value than securities of U.S. issuers

Emerging Markets Risk: the risk of investing in emerging market securities, primarily increased foreign (non-U.S.) investment risk

Sovereign Debt Risk: the risk that investments in fixed income instruments issued by sovereign entities may decline in value as a result of default or other adverse credit event resulting from an issuer's inability or unwillingness to make principal or interest payments in a timely fashion

Currency Risk: the risk that foreign (non-U.S.) currencies will change in value relative to the U.S. dollar and affect the Fund's investments in foreign (non-U.S.) currencies or in securities that trade in, and receive revenues in, or in derivatives that provide exposure to, foreign (non-U.S.) currencies

Leveraging Risk: the risk that certain transactions of the Fund, such as reverse repurchase agreements, loans of portfolio securities, and the use of when-issued, delayed delivery or forward commitment transactions, or derivative instruments, may give rise to leverage, magnifying gains and losses and causing the Fund to be more volatile than if it had not been leveraged. This means that leverage entails a heightened risk of loss

Management Risk: the risk that the investment techniques and risk analyses applied by PIMCO will not produce the desired results and that legislative, regulatory, or tax restrictions, policies or developments may affect the investment techniques available to PIMCO and the individual portfolio manager in connection with managing the Fund. There is no guarantee that the investment objective of the Fund will be achieved

Short Exposure Risk: the risk of entering into short sales, including the potential loss of more money than the actual cost of the investment, and the risk that the third party to the short sale will not fulfill its contractual obligations, causing a loss to the Fund

Responsible Investing Risk: the risk that, because the Fund's responsible investment strategy may select or exclude securities of certain issuers for reasons other than performance, the Fund may underperform funds that do not utilize a responsible investment strategy. Responsible investing is qualitative and subjective by nature, and there is no guarantee that the criteria utilized by PIMCO or any judgment exercised by PIMCO will reflect the beliefs or values of any particular investor

Please see "Description of Principal Risks" in the Fund's prospectus for a more detailed description of the risks of investing in the Fund. An investment in the Fund is not a deposit of a bank and is not insured or guaranteed by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation or any other government agency.

Performance Information

The performance information shows summary performance information for the Fund in a bar chart and an Average Annual Total Returns table. The information provides some indication of the risks of investing in the Fund by showing changes in its performance from year to year and by showing how the Fund's average annual returns compare with the returns of a broad-based securities market index and an index of similar funds. Absent any applicable fee waivers and/or expense limitations, performance would have been lower. The bar chart shows performance of the Fund's Institutional Class shares. For periods prior to the inception date of I-2 shares (November 19, 2010), performance information shown in the table for that class is based on the performance of the Fund's Institutional Class shares, adjusted to reflect the actual distribution and/or service (12b-1) fees and other expenses paid by that class of shares. The I-3 shares of the Fund have not commenced operations as of the date of this prospectus. The Fund's past performance, before and after taxes, is not necessarily an indication of how the Fund will perform in the future.

The ICE BofAML 1-3 Year U.S. Treasury Index is an unmanaged index comprised of U.S. Treasury securities, other than inflation-protection securities and STRIPS, with at least $1 billion in outstanding face value and a remaining term to final maturity of at least one year and less than three years. The Lipper Short Investment Grade Debt Funds Average is a total return performance average of funds tracked by Lipper, Inc. that invest at least 65% of their assets in investment-grade debt issues (rated in the top four grades) with dollar-weighted average maturities of less than three years.

Performance for the Fund is updated daily and quarterly and may be obtained as follows: daily updates on the net asset value and performance page at http://investments.pimco.com/DailyPerformance and quarterly updates at http://investments.pimco.com/QuarterlyPerformance.

Calendar Year Total Returns — Institutional Class*

 

[To be updated by subsequent amendment]



*The year-to-date return as of June 30, 2018 is [ ]%. For the periods shown in the bar chart, the highest quarterly return was [ ]% in the [ ], and the lowest quarterly return was [ ]% in the [ ].

 

12     

PROSPECTUS | PIMCO FUNDS     


 

Table of Contents

Prospectus

Average Annual Total Returns (for periods ended 12/31/17)

 

1 Year

5 Years

10 Years

Institutional Class Return Before Taxes

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

Institutional Class Return After Taxes on Distributions‌(1)

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

Institutional Class Return After Taxes on Distributions and Sales of Fund Shares‌(1)

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

I-2 Return Before Taxes

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

Administrative Class Return Before Taxes

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

ICE BofAML 1-3 Year U.S. Treasury Index (reflects no deductions for fees, expenses or taxes)

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

 

Lipper Short Investment Grade Debt Funds Average (reflects no deductions for taxes)

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

(1) After-tax returns are calculated using the highest historical individual federal marginal income tax rates and do not reflect the impact of state and local taxes. Actual after-tax returns depend on an investor's tax situation and may differ from those shown, and the after-tax returns shown are not relevant to investors who hold their Fund shares through tax-deferred arrangements, such as 401(k) plans or individual retirement accounts. In some cases the return after taxes may exceed the return before taxes due to an assumed tax benefit from any losses on a sale of Fund shares at the end of the measurement period. After-tax returns are for Institutional Class shares only. After-tax returns for other classes will vary.

Investment Adviser/Portfolio Manager

PIMCO serves as the investment adviser for the Fund. The Fund's portfolio is jointly managed by Scott A. Mather, Mike Amey and Jerome Schneider. Mr. Mather is CIO U.S. Core Strategies. Mr. Amey is head of PIMCO's ESG strategies. Messrs. Mather, Amey and Schneider are Managing Directors of PIMCO. Messrs. Mather and Schneider have jointly managed the Fund since September 2014, and Mr. Amey has jointly managed the Fund since October 2017.

Other Important Information Regarding Fund Shares

For important information about purchase and sale of Fund shares, tax information, and payments to broker-dealers and other financial intermediaries, please turn to the "Summary of Other Important Information Regarding Fund Shares" section on page [ ] of this prospectus.

 

[ ] | PROSPECTUS

13


 

Table of Contents

PIMCO Short Asset Investment Fund

Investment Objective

The Fund seeks maximum current income, consistent with daily liquidity.

Fees and Expenses of the Fund

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 $100,000 in Class A shares of eligible funds offered by PIMCO Equity Series and PIMCO Funds. More information about these and other discounts is available in the "Classes of Shares" section on page [ ] of the Fund's prospectus, Appendix B to the Fund's prospectus (Financial Firm-Specific Sales Charge Waivers and Discounts) or from your financial advisor.

Shareholder Fees (fees paid directly from your investment):

 

Inst
Class

Class M

I-2

I-3

Admin
Class


Class A

Maximum Sales Charge (Load) Imposed on Purchases (as a percentage of offering price)

None

None

None

None

None

2.25%

Maximum Deferred Sales Charge (Load) (as a percentage of the lower of the original purchase price or redemption price)

None

None

None

None

None

1.00%

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

 

Inst
Class

Class M

I-2

I-3

Admin
Class

Class A

Management Fees

0.34%

0.34%

0.44%

0.54%

0.34%

0.44%

Distribution and/or Service (12b-1) Fees

N/A

N/A

N/A

N/A

0.25%

0.25%

Other Expenses(1)

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

Fee Waiver and/or Expense Reimbursement(2)(3)

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses After Fee Waiver and/or Expenses Reimbursement

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

 

1 "Other Expenses" include interest expense of [ ]%. Interest expense is borne by the Fund separately from the management fees paid to PIMCO. Excluding interest expense, Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses After Fee Waiver and/or Expense Reimbursement are [ ]%, [ ]%, [ ]%, [ ]%, [ ]% and [ ]% for Institutional Class, Class M, I-2, I-3, Administrative Class and Class A shares, respectively.

2 PIMCO has contractually agreed, through July 31, 2019, to reduce its advisory fee by 0.05% of the average daily net assets of the Fund. This Fee Limitation Agreement renews annually unless terminated by PIMCO upon at least 30 days' notice prior to the end of the contract term. Under certain conditions, PIMCO may recoup amounts reduced in future periods, not exceeding three years.

3 PIMCO has contractually agreed, through July 31, 2019, to reduce its supervisory and administrative fee for the Fund's I-3 shares by 0.05% of the average daily net assets attributable to I-3 shares of the Fund. This Fee Waiver Agreement renews annually unless terminated by PIMCO upon at least 30 days' prior notice to the end of the contract term.

Example. The Example is intended to help you compare the cost of investing in Institutional Class, Class M, I-2, I-3, Administrative Class or Class A shares of the Fund with the costs of investing in other mutual funds. The Example assumes that you invest $10,000 in the noted class of shares for the time periods indicated, and then redeem all 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. Investors may pay brokerage commissions on their purchases and sales of Institutional Class, I-2 or I-3 shares of the Fund, which are not reflected in the Example. Although your actual costs may be higher or lower, based on these assumptions your costs would be:

If you redeem your shares at the end of each period:

 

1 Year

3 Years

5 Years

10 Years

Institutional Class

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

Class M

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

I-2

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

I-3

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

Administrative Class

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

Class A

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

If you do not redeem your shares:

 

1 Year

3 Years

5 Years

10 Years

Class A

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

Portfolio Turnover

The Fund pays transaction costs 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 the Annual Fund Operating Expenses or in the Example tables, affect the Fund's performance. During the most recent fiscal year, the Fund's portfolio turnover rate was [ ]% of the average value of its portfolio.

Principal Investment Strategies

The Fund seeks to achieve its investment objective by investing under normal circumstances at least 65% of its total assets in a diversified portfolio of Fixed Income Instruments of varying maturities, which may be represented by forwards or derivatives such as options, futures contracts or swap agreements. "Fixed Income Instruments" include bonds, debt securities and other similar instruments issued by various U.S. and non-U.S. public- or private-sector entities. The average portfolio duration of this Fund will vary based on Pacific Investment Management Company LLC's ("PIMCO") market forecasts and will normally not exceed one and one-half years. Duration is a measure used to determine the sensitivity of a security's price to changes in interest rates. The longer a security's duration, the more sensitive it will be to changes in interest rates.

The Fund invests primarily in investment grade debt securities rated Baa or higher by Moody's Investors Service, Inc. ("Moody's"), or equivalently rated by Standard & Poor's Ratings Services ("S&P") or Fitch, Inc. ("Fitch"), or, if unrated, determined by PIMCO to be of comparable quality. The Fund may not invest in securities denominated in foreign currencies, but may invest without limit in U.S. dollar-denominated securities of foreign issuers. In addition, the Fund may invest up to 10% of its total assets in U.S. dollar-denominated securities and instruments that are economically tied to

 



PIMCO FUNDS | PROSPECTUS

14


 

Table of Contents

Prospectus

emerging market countries. The Fund may invest up to 60% of its total assets in corporate issuers.

The Fund may invest, without limitation, in derivative instruments, such as options, futures contracts or swap agreements, subject to applicable law and any other restrictions described in the Fund's prospectus or Statement of Additional Information. The Fund may invest up to 20% of its total assets in asset-backed securities and up to 10% of its total assets in privately issued mortgage-backed securities. The Fund may invest up to 10% of its total assets in interest rate swaps and up to 5% of its total assets in credit default swaps. The Fund may purchase or sell securities on a when-issued, delayed delivery or forward commitment basis and may engage in short sales. The Fund may, without limitation, seek to obtain market exposure to the securities in which it primarily invests by entering into a series of purchase and sale contracts or by using other investment techniques (such as buy backs or dollar rolls).  

Principal Risks

It is possible to lose money on an investment in the Fund. The principal risks of investing in the Fund, which could adversely affect its net asset value, yield and total return are listed below.

Interest Rate Risk: the risk that fixed income securities will decline in value because of an increase in interest rates; a fund with a longer average portfolio duration will be more sensitive to changes in interest rates than a fund with a shorter average portfolio duration

Call Risk: the risk that an issuer may exercise its right to redeem a fixed income security earlier than expected (a call). Issuers may call outstanding securities prior to their maturity for a number of reasons (e.g., declining interest rates, changes in credit spreads and improvements in the issuer's credit quality). If an issuer calls a security that the Fund has invested in, the Fund may not recoup the full amount of its initial investment and may be forced to reinvest in lower-yielding securities, securities with greater credit risks or securities with other, less favorable features

Credit Risk: the risk that the Fund could lose money if the issuer or guarantor of a fixed income security, or the counterparty to a derivative contract, is unable or unwilling to meet its financial obligations

Market Risk: the risk that the value of securities owned by the Fund may go up or down, sometimes rapidly or unpredictably, due to factors affecting securities markets generally or particular industries

Issuer Risk: the risk that the value of a security may decline for a reason directly related to the issuer, such as management performance, financial leverage and reduced demand for the issuer's goods or services

Liquidity Risk: the risk that a particular investment may be difficult to purchase or sell and that the Fund may be unable to sell illiquid securities at an advantageous time or price or achieve its desired level of exposure to a certain sector. Liquidity risk may result from the lack of an active market, reduced number and capacity of traditional market participants to make a market in fixed income securities, and may be magnified in a rising interest rate environment or other circumstances where investor redemptions from fixed income mutual funds may be higher than normal, causing increased supply in the market due to selling activity

Derivatives Risk: the risk of investing in derivative instruments (such as futures, swaps and structured securities), including leverage, liquidity, interest rate, market, credit and management risks, mispricing or valuation complexity. Changes in the value of the derivative may not correlate perfectly with, and may be more sensitive to market events than, the underlying asset, rate or index, and the Fund could lose more than the initial amount invested. The Fund's use of derivatives may result in losses to the Fund, a reduction in the Fund's returns and/or increased volatility. Over-the-counter ("OTC") derivatives are also subject to the risk that a counterparty to the transaction will not fulfill its contractual obligations to the other party, as many of the protections afforded to centrally-cleared derivative transactions might not be available for OTC derivatives. For derivatives traded on an exchange or through a central counterparty, credit risk resides with the Fund's clearing broker, or the clearinghouse itself, rather than with a counterparty in an OTC derivative transaction. Changes in regulation relating to a mutual fund's use of derivatives and related instruments could potentially limit or impact the Fund's ability to invest in derivatives, limit the Fund's ability to employ certain strategies that use derivatives and/or adversely affect the value of derivatives and the Fund's performance

Mortgage-Related and Other Asset-Backed Securities Risk: the risks of investing in mortgage-related and other asset-backed securities, including interest rate risk, extension risk, prepayment risk and credit risk

Foreign (Non-U.S.) Investment Risk: the risk that investing in foreign (non-U.S.) securities may result in the Fund experiencing more rapid and extreme changes in value than a fund that invests exclusively in securities of U.S. companies, due to smaller markets, differing reporting, accounting and auditing standards, increased risk of delayed settlement of portfolio transactions or loss of certificates of portfolio securities, and the risk of unfavorable foreign government actions, including nationalization, expropriation or confiscatory taxation, currency blockage, or political changes or diplomatic developments. Foreign securities may also be less liquid and more difficult to value than securities of U.S. issuers

Emerging Markets Risk: the risk of investing in emerging market securities, primarily increased foreign (non-U.S.) investment risk

Leveraging Risk: the risk that certain transactions of the Fund, such as reverse repurchase agreements, loans of portfolio securities, and the use of when-issued, delayed delivery or forward commitment transactions, or derivative instruments, may give rise to leverage, magnifying gains and losses and causing the Fund to be more volatile than if it had not been leveraged. This means that leverage entails a heightened risk of loss

Management Risk: the risk that the investment techniques and risk analyses applied by PIMCO will not produce the desired results and that legislative, regulatory, or tax restrictions, policies or developments may affect the investment techniques available to PIMCO and the individual portfolio manager in connection with managing the Fund. There is no guarantee that the investment objective of the Fund will be achieved

Short Exposure Risk: the risk of entering into short sales, including the potential loss of more money than the actual cost of the investment, and the risk that the third party to the short sale will not fulfill its contractual obligations, causing a loss to the Fund

 

[ ] | PROSPECTUS

15


 

Table of Contents

PIMCO Short Asset Investment Fund

Please see "Description of Principal Risks" in the Fund's prospectus for a more detailed description of the risks of investing in the Fund. An investment in the Fund is not a deposit of a bank and is not insured or guaranteed by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation or any other government agency.

Performance Information

The performance information shows summary performance information for the Fund in a bar chart and an Average Annual Total Returns table. The information provides some indication of the risks of investing in the Fund by showing changes in its performance from year to year and by showing how the Fund's average annual returns compare with the returns of a broad-based securities market index and an index of similar funds. Absent any applicable fee waivers and/or expense limitations, performance would have been lower. The bar chart shows performance of the Fund's Institutional Class shares. For periods prior to the inception date of Class M shares (December 21, 2015), performance information shown in the table for that class is based on the performance of the Fund's Institutional Class shares, adjusted to reflect the actual distribution and/or service fees and other expenses paid by Class M shares. Performance for Administrative Class, Class A and I-2 shares in the Average Annual Total Returns table reflects the impact of sales charges. To obtain the Fund's current yield, call 888.87.PIMCO. The I-3 shares of the Fund have not commenced operations as of the date of this prospectus. The Fund's past performance, before and after taxes, is not necessarily an indication of how the Fund will perform in the future.

The Fund's benchmark index is the FTSE 3-Month Treasury Bill Index. The index is an unmanaged index representing monthly return equivalents of yield averages of the last 3-month Treasury Bill issues. The Lipper Ultra-Short Obligation Funds Average is a total return performance average of funds tracked by Lipper, Inc. that invest at least 65% of their assets in investment-grade debt issues or better, and maintain a portfolio dollar-weighted average maturity between 91 and 365 days. It does not reflect deductions for fees, expenses or taxes.

Performance for the Fund is updated daily and quarterly and may be obtained as follows: daily updates on the net asset value and performance page at http://investments.pimco.com/DailyPerformance and quarterly updates at http://investments.pimco.com/QuarterlyPerformance.

Calendar Year Total Returns — Institutional Class*

 

[To be updated by subsequent amendment]



*The year-to-date return as of June 30, 2018 is [ ]%. For the periods shown in the bar chart, the highest quarterly return was [ ]% in the [ ], and the lowest quarterly return was [ ]% in the [ ].

Average Annual Total Returns (for periods ended 12/31/17)

 

1 Year

5 Years

Since Inception (05/31/2012)

Institutional Class Return Before Taxes

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

Institutional Class Return After Taxes on Distributions‌(1)

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

Institutional Class Return After Taxes on Distributions and Sales of Fund Shares‌(1)

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

Class M Return Before Taxes

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

I-2 Return Before Taxes

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

Administrative Class Return Before Taxes

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

Class A Return Before Taxes

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

FTSE 3-Month Treasury Bill Index (reflects no deductions for fees, expenses or taxes)

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

 

Lipper Ultra-Short Obligation Funds Average (reflects no deductions for taxes)

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

(1) After-tax returns are calculated using the highest historical individual federal marginal income tax rates and do not reflect the impact of state and local taxes. Actual after-tax returns depend on an investor's tax situation and may differ from those shown, and the after-tax returns shown are not relevant to investors who hold their Fund shares through tax-deferred arrangements, such as 401(k) plans or individual retirement accounts. In some cases the return after taxes may exceed the return before taxes due to an assumed tax benefit from any losses on a sale of Fund shares at the end of the measurement period. After-tax returns are for Institutional Class shares only. After-tax returns for other classes will vary.

Investment Adviser/Portfolio Manager

PIMCO serves as the investment adviser for the Fund. The Fund's portfolio is managed by Jerome Schneider. Mr. Schneider is a Managing Director of PIMCO, and he has managed the Fund since its inception in May 2012.

Other Important Information Regarding Fund Shares

For important information about purchase and sale of Fund shares, tax information, and payments to broker-dealers and other financial intermediaries, please turn to the "Summary of Other Important Information Regarding Fund Shares" section on page [ ] of this prospectus.

 

16     

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Table of Contents

PIMCO Short-Term Fund

Investment Objective

The Fund seeks maximum current income, consistent with preservation of capital and daily liquidity.

Fees and Expenses of the Fund

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 $100,000 in Class A shares of eligible funds offered by PIMCO Equity Series and PIMCO Funds. More information about these and other discounts is available in the "Classes of Shares" section on page [ ] of the Fund's prospectus, Appendix B to the Fund's prospectus (Financial Firm-Specific Sales Charge Waivers and Discounts) or from your financial advisor.

Shareholder Fees (fees paid directly from your investment):

 

Inst
Class

I-2

I-3

Admin
Class

Class A

Class C

Class R

Maximum Sales Charge (Load) Imposed on Purchases (as a percentage of offering price)

None

None

None

None

2.25%

None

None

Maximum Deferred Sales Charge (Load) (as a percentage of the lower of the original purchase price or redemption price)

None

None

None

None

1.00%

1.00%

None

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

 

Inst
Class

I-2

I-3

Admin
Class

Class A

Class C

Class R

Management Fees

0.45%

0.55%

0.65%

0.45%

0.45%

0.45%

0.45%

Distribution and/or Service (12b-1) Fees

N/A

N/A

N/A

0.25%

0.25%

0.55%

0.50%

Other Expenses(1)

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

Fee Waiver and/or Expense Reimbursement(2)

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses After Fee Waiver and/or Expense Reimbursement

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

 

1 "Other Expenses" include interest expense of [ ]%.  Interest expense is borne by the Fund separately from the management fees paid to Pacific Investment Management Company LLC ("PIMCO").  Excluding interest expense, Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses After Fee Waiver and/or Expense Reimbursement are [ ]%, [ ]%, [ ]%, [ ]%, [ ]%, [ ]% and [ ]% for Institutional Class, I-2, I-3, Administrative Class, Class A, Class C and Class R shares, respectively.

2 PIMCO has contractually agreed, through July 31, 2019, to reduce its supervisory and administrative fee for the Fund's I-3 shares by 0.05% of the average daily net assets attributable to I-3 shares of the Fund. This Fee Waiver Agreement renews annually unless terminated by PIMCO upon at least 30 days' prior notice to the end of the contract term.

Example. The Example is intended to help you compare the cost of investing in Institutional Class, I-2, I-3, Administrative Class, Class A, Class C or Class R shares of the Fund with the costs of investing in other mutual funds. The Example assumes that you invest $10,000 in the noted class of shares for the time periods indicated, and then redeem all 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. Investors may pay brokerage commissions on their purchases and sales of Institutional Class, I-2 or I-3 shares of the Fund, which are not reflected in the Example. Although your actual costs may be higher or lower, based on these assumptions your costs would be:

If you redeem your shares at the end of each period:

 

1 Year

3 Years

5 Years

10 Years

Institutional Class

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

I-2

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

I-3

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

Administrative Class

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

Class A

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

Class C

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

Class R

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

If you do not redeem your shares:

 

1 Year

3 Years

5 Years

10 Years

Class A

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

Class C

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

Portfolio Turnover

The Fund pays transaction costs 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 the Annual Fund Operating Expenses or in the Example tables, affect the Fund's performance. During the most recent fiscal year, the Fund's portfolio turnover rate was [ ]% of the average value of its portfolio.

Principal Investment Strategies

The Fund seeks to achieve its investment objective by investing under normal circumstances at least 65% of its total assets in a diversified portfolio of Fixed Income Instruments of varying maturities, which may be represented by forwards or derivatives such as options, futures contracts or swap agreements. "Fixed Income Instruments" include bonds, debt securities and other similar instruments issued by various U.S. and non-U.S. public- or private-sector entities. The average portfolio duration of this Fund will vary based on Pacific Investment Management Company LLC's ("PIMCO") market forecasts and will normally not exceed one year. Duration is a measure used to determine the sensitivity of a security's price to changes in interest rates. The longer a security's duration, the more sensitive it will be to changes in interest rates. In addition, the dollar-weighted average portfolio maturity of the Fund, under normal circumstances, is expected not to exceed three years.

The Fund invests primarily in investment grade debt securities, but may invest up to 10% of its total assets in high yield securities ("junk bonds") rated B or higher by Moody's Investors Service, Inc. ("Moody's"), or equivalently rated by Standard & Poor's Ratings Services ("S&P") or Fitch, Inc. ("Fitch"), or, if unrated, determined by PIMCO to be of comparable quality. The Fund may invest up to 10% of its total assets in securities denominated in foreign currencies, and may invest beyond this limit in U.S.

 



PIMCO FUNDS | PROSPECTUS

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Table of Contents

PIMCO Short-Term Fund

dollar-denominated securities of foreign issuers. The Fund will normally limit its foreign currency exposure (from non-U.S. dollar-denominated securities or currencies) to 20% of its total assets.

The Fund may invest, without limitation, in derivative instruments, such as options, futures contracts or swap agreements, or in mortgage- or asset-backed securities, subject to applicable law and any other restrictions described in the Fund's prospectus or Statement of Additional Information. The Fund may purchase or sell securities on a when-issued, delayed delivery or forward commitment basis and may engage in short sales. The Fund may, without limitation, seek to obtain market exposure to the securities in which it primarily invests by entering into a series of purchase and sale contracts or by using other investment techniques (such as buy backs or dollar rolls). The Fund may also invest up to 10% of its total assets in preferred securities.

Principal Risks

It is possible to lose money on an investment in the Fund. The principal risks of investing in the Fund, which could adversely affect its net asset value, yield and total return are listed below.

Interest Rate Risk: the risk that fixed income securities will decline in value because of an increase in interest rates; a fund with a longer average portfolio duration will be more sensitive to changes in interest rates than a fund with a shorter average portfolio duration

Call Risk: the risk that an issuer may exercise its right to redeem a fixed income security earlier than expected (a call). Issuers may call outstanding securities prior to their maturity for a number of reasons (e.g., declining interest rates, changes in credit spreads and improvements in the issuer's credit quality). If an issuer calls a security that the Fund has invested in, the Fund may not recoup the full amount of its initial investment and may be forced to reinvest in lower-yielding securities, securities with greater credit risks or securities with other, less favorable features

Credit Risk: the risk that the Fund could lose money if the issuer or guarantor of a fixed income security, or the counterparty to a derivative contract, is unable or unwilling to meet its financial obligations

High Yield Risk: the risk that high yield securities and unrated securities of similar credit quality (commonly known as "junk bonds") are subject to greater levels of credit, call and liquidity risks. High yield securities are considered primarily speculative with respect to the issuer's continuing ability to make principal and interest payments, and may be more volatile than higher-rated securities of similar maturity

Market Risk: the risk that the value of securities owned by the Fund may go up or down, sometimes rapidly or unpredictably, due to factors affecting securities markets generally or particular industries

Issuer Risk: the risk that the value of a security may decline for a reason directly related to the issuer, such as management performance, financial leverage and reduced demand for the issuer's goods or services

Liquidity Risk: the risk that a particular investment may be difficult to purchase or sell and that the Fund may be unable to sell illiquid securities at an advantageous time or price or achieve its desired level of exposure to a certain sector. Liquidity risk may result from the lack of an active market, reduced number and capacity of traditional market participants to make a market in fixed income securities, and may be magnified in a rising interest rate environment or other circumstances where investor redemptions from fixed income mutual funds may be higher than normal, causing increased supply in the market due to selling activity

Derivatives Risk: the risk of investing in derivative instruments (such as futures, swaps and structured securities), including leverage, liquidity, interest rate, market, credit and management risks, mispricing or valuation complexity. Changes in the value of the derivative may not correlate perfectly with, and may be more sensitive to market events than, the underlying asset, rate or index, and the Fund could lose more than the initial amount invested. The Fund's use of derivatives may result in losses to the Fund, a reduction in the Fund's returns and/or increased volatility. Over-the-counter ("OTC") derivatives are also subject to the risk that a counterparty to the transaction will not fulfill its contractual obligations to the other party, as many of the protections afforded to centrally-cleared derivative transactions might not be available for OTC derivatives. For derivatives traded on an exchange or through a central counterparty, credit risk resides with the Fund's clearing broker, or the clearinghouse itself, rather than with a counterparty in an OTC derivative transaction. Changes in regulation relating to a mutual fund's use of derivatives and related instruments could potentially limit or impact the Fund's ability to invest in derivatives, limit the Fund's ability to employ certain strategies that use derivatives and/or adversely affect the value of derivatives and the Fund's performance

Equity Risk: the risk that the value of equity securities, such as common stocks and preferred securities, may decline due to general market conditions which are not specifically related to a particular company or to factors affecting a particular industry or industries. Equity securities generally have greater price volatility than fixed income securities

Mortgage-Related and Other Asset-Backed Securities Risk: the risks of investing in mortgage-related and other asset-backed securities, including interest rate risk, extension risk, prepayment risk and credit risk

Foreign (Non-U.S.) Investment Risk: the risk that investing in foreign (non-U.S.) securities may result in the Fund experiencing more rapid and extreme changes in value than a fund that invests exclusively in securities of U.S. companies, due to smaller markets, differing reporting, accounting and auditing standards, increased risk of delayed settlement of portfolio transactions or loss of certificates of portfolio securities, and the risk of unfavorable foreign government actions, including nationalization, expropriation or confiscatory taxation, currency blockage, or political changes or diplomatic developments. Foreign securities may also be less liquid and more difficult to value than securities of U.S. issuers

Currency Risk: the risk that foreign (non-U.S.) currencies will change in value relative to the U.S. dollar and affect the Fund's investments in foreign (non-U.S.) currencies or in securities that trade in, and receive revenues in, or in derivatives that provide exposure to, foreign (non-U.S.) currencies

Leveraging Risk: the risk that certain transactions of the Fund, such as reverse repurchase agreements, loans of portfolio securities, and the use of when-issued, delayed delivery or forward commitment transactions, or derivative instruments, may give rise to leverage, magnifying gains and losses and causing the Fund to be more volatile than if it had not been leveraged. This means that leverage entails a heightened risk of loss

Management Risk: the risk that the investment techniques and risk analyses applied by PIMCO will not produce the desired results and that

 

18     

PROSPECTUS | PIMCO FUNDS     


 

Table of Contents

Prospectus

legislative, regulatory, or tax restrictions, policies or developments may affect the investment techniques available to PIMCO and the individual portfolio manager in connection with managing the Fund. There is no guarantee that the investment objective of the Fund will be achieved

Short Exposure Risk: the risk of entering into short sales, including the potential loss of more money than the actual cost of the investment, and the risk that the third party to the short sale will not fulfill its contractual obligations, causing a loss to the Fund

Please see "Description of Principal Risks" in the Fund's prospectus for a more detailed description of the risks of investing in the Fund. An investment in the Fund is not a deposit of a bank and is not insured or guaranteed by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation or any other government agency.

Performance Information

The performance information shows summary performance information for the Fund in a bar chart and an Average Annual Total Returns table. The information provides some indication of the risks of investing in the Fund by showing changes in its performance from year to year and by showing how the Fund's average annual returns compare with the returns of a broad-based securities market index and an index of similar funds. Absent any applicable fee waivers and/or expense limitations, performance would have been lower. The bar chart shows performance of the Fund's Institutional Class shares. For periods prior to the inception date of I-2 shares (April 30, 2008), performance information shown in the table for that class is based on the performance of the Fund's Institutional Class shares, adjusted to reflect the actual distribution and/or service (12b-1) fees and other expenses paid by that class of shares. Performance for Class A and Class C shares in the Average Annual Total Returns table reflects the impact of sales charges. The I-3 shares of the Fund have not commenced operations as of the date of this prospectus. The Fund's past performance, before and after taxes, is not necessarily an indication of how the Fund will perform in the future.

The FTSE 3-Month Treasury Bill Index is an unmanaged index representing monthly return equivalents of yield averages of the last 3 month Treasury Bill issues. The Lipper Ultra-Short Obligation Funds Average is a total return performance average of funds tracked by Lipper, Inc. that invest at least 65% of their assets in investment-grade debt issues or better, and maintain a portfolio dollar-weighted average maturity between 91 and 365 days.

 Performance for the Fund is updated daily and quarterly and may be obtained as follows: daily updates on the net asset value and performance page at http://investments.pimco.com/DailyPerformance and quarterly updates at http://investments.pimco.com/QuarterlyPerformance.

Calendar Year Total Returns — Institutional Class*

 

[To be updated by subsequent amendment]



*The year-to-date return as of June 30, 2018 is [ ]%. For the periods shown in the bar chart, the highest quarterly return was [ ]% in the [ ], and the lowest quarterly return was [ ]% in the [ ].

Average Annual Total Returns (for periods ended 12/31/17)

 

1 Year

5 Years

10 Years

Institutional Class Return Before Taxes

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

Institutional Class Return After Taxes on Distributions‌(1)

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

Institutional Class Return After Taxes on Distributions and Sales of Fund Shares‌(1)

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

I-2 Return Before Taxes

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

Administrative Class Return Before Taxes

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

Class A Return Before Taxes

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

Class C Return Before Taxes

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

Class R Return Before Taxes

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

FTSE 3-Month Treasury Bill Index (reflects no deductions for fees, expenses or taxes)

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

 

Lipper Ultra-Short Obligation Funds Average (reflects no deductions for taxes)

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

(1) After-tax returns are calculated using the highest historical individual federal marginal income tax rates and do not reflect the impact of state and local taxes. Actual after-tax returns depend on an investor's tax situation and may differ from those shown, and the after-tax returns shown are not relevant to investors who hold their Fund shares through tax-deferred arrangements, such as 401(k) plans or individual retirement accounts. In some cases the return after taxes may exceed the return before taxes due to an assumed tax benefit from any losses on a sale of Fund shares at the end of the measurement period. After-tax returns are for Institutional Class shares only. After-tax returns for other classes will vary.

Investment Adviser/Portfolio Manager

PIMCO serves as the investment adviser for the Fund. The Fund's portfolio is managed by Jerome Schneider. Mr. Schneider is a Managing Director of PIMCO, and he has managed the Fund since January 2011.

 

[ ] | PROSPECTUS

19


 

Table of Contents

PIMCO Short-Term Fund

Other Important Information Regarding Fund Shares

For important information about purchase and sale of Fund shares, tax information, and payments to broker-dealers and other financial intermediaries, please turn to the "Summary of Other Important Information Regarding Fund Shares" section on page [ ] of this prospectus.

 

20     

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Table of Contents

Summary of Other Important Information Regarding Fund Shares

Purchase and Sale of Fund Shares

Fund shares may be purchased or sold (redeemed) on any business day (normally any day when the New York Stock Exchange is open). Generally, purchase and redemption orders for Fund shares are processed at the net asset value next calculated after an order is received by the Fund.

Institutional Class, Class M, I-2, I-3 and Administrative Class

The minimum initial investment for Institutional Class, Class M, I-2, I-3 and Administrative Class shares of the Fund is $1 million, except that the minimum initial investment may be modified for certain financial firms that submit orders on behalf of their customers.

You may sell (redeem) all or part of your Institutional Class, Class M, I-2, I-3 and Administrative Class shares of the Fund on any business day. If you are the registered owner of the shares on the books of the Fund, depending on the elections made on the Account Application, you may sell by:

Sending a written request by mail to:
PIMCO Funds c/o DST Asset Manager Solutions
330 W. 9th Street, Kansas City, MO 64105 

Calling us at 888.87.PIMCO and a Shareholder Services associate will assist you 

Sending a fax to our Shareholder Services department at 816.421.2861 

Sending an e-mail to piprocess@dstsystems.com

Class A, Class C and Class R

The minimum initial investment for Class A and Class C shares of the Fund is $1,000. The minimum subsequent investment for Class A and Class C shares is $50. The minimum initial investment may be modified for certain financial firms that submit orders on behalf of their customers. Class C shares of each Fund will automatically convert into Class A shares of the same Fund after they have been held for ten years, as described in the "Classes of Shares" section of the Fund's prospectus. You may purchase or sell (redeem) all or part of your Class A and Class C shares through a broker-dealer, or other financial firm, or, if you are the registered owner of the shares on the books of the Fund, by regular mail to PIMCO Funds, P.O. Box 55060, Boston, MA 02205-5060 or overnight mail to PIMCO Funds,
c/o DST Asset Manager Solutions, Inc., 30 Dan Road, Canton, MA 02021-2809. The Fund reserves the right to require payment by wire or U.S. Bank check in connection with accounts opened directly with the Fund by Account Application.

There is no minimum initial or minimum subsequent investment in Class R shares because Class R shares may only be purchased through omnibus accounts for specified benefit plans. Specified benefit plans that wish to invest directly by mail should send a check payable to the PIMCO Family of Funds, along with a completed Account Application, by regular mail to PIMCO Funds, P.O. Box 55060, Boston, MA 02205-5060 or overnight mail to PIMCO Funds, c/o DST Asset Manager Solutions, Inc., 30 Dan Road, Canton, MA 02021-2809.

Tax Information

The Fund's distributions are generally taxable to you as ordinary income, capital gains, or a combination of the two, unless you are investing through a tax-deferred arrangement, such as a 401(k) plan or an individual retirement account, in which case distributions may be taxable upon withdrawal.

Payments to Broker-Dealers and Other Financial Firms

If you purchase shares of the Fund through a broker-dealer or other financial firm (such as a bank), the Fund and/or its related companies (including PIMCO) may pay the financial firm for the sale of those shares of the Fund and/or related services. These payments may create a conflict of interest by influencing the broker-dealer or other financial firm and your salesperson to recommend the Fund over another investment. Ask your salesperson or visit your financial firm's Web site for more information.

 

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Description of Principal Risks

The value of your investment in a Fund changes with the values of that Fund's investments. Many factors can affect those values. The factors that are most likely to have a material effect on a particular Fund's portfolio as a whole are called "principal risks." The principal risks of each Fund are identified in the Fund Summaries. The principal risks are described in this section. Each Fund may be subject to additional risks other than those identified and described below because the types of investments made by a Fund can change over time. Securities and investment techniques mentioned in this summary that appear in bold type are described in greater detail under "Characteristics and Risks of Securities and Investment Techniques." That section and "Investment Objectives and Policies" in the Statement of Additional Information (the "SAI") also include more information about the Funds, their investments and the related risks. There is no guarantee that a Fund will be able to achieve its investment objective. It is possible to lose money by investing in a Fund.

Principal Risk

PIMCO
Government
Money Market
Fund

PIMCO
Low Duration Fund

PIMCO Low Duration Fund II

PIMCO
Low Duration ESG Fund

Interest Rate

x

x

x

x

Call Risk

x

x

x

x

Credit

x

x

x

x

High Yield

x

x

Market

x

x

x

x

Issuer

x

x

x

Liquidity

x

x

x

Derivatives

x

x

x

Equity

x

x

x

Mortgage-Related and Other Asset-Backed Securities

x

x

x

Foreign (Non-U.S.) Investment

x

x

Emerging Markets

x

x

Sovereign Debt Risk

x

x

Currency

x

x

Leveraging

x

x

x

Management

x

x

x

x

Reverse Repurchase Agreements and Other Borrowings Risk

x

Short Exposure

x

x

x

Responsible Investing Risk

x

 

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Principal Risk

PIMCO
Short Asset Investment Fund

PIMCO
Short-Term Fund

Interest Rate

x

x

Call Risk

x

x

Credit

x

x

High Yield

x

Market

x

x

Issuer

x

x

Liquidity

x

x

Derivatives

x

x

Equity

x

Mortgage-Related and Other Asset-Backed Securities

x

x

Foreign (Non-U.S.) Investment

x

x

Emerging Markets

x

Sovereign Debt Risk

Currency

x

Leveraging

x

x

Management

x

x

Reverse Repurchase Agreements and Other Borrowings Risk

Short Exposure

x

x

Responsible Investing Risk

Interest Rate Risk

Interest rate risk is the risk that fixed income securities and other instruments in a Fund's portfolio will decline in value because of an increase in interest rates. As nominal interest rates rise, the value of certain fixed income securities held by a Fund is likely to decrease. A nominal interest rate can be described as the sum of a real interest rate and an expected inflation rate. Interest rate changes can be sudden and unpredictable, and the Fund may lose money as a result of movements in interest rates. A Fund may not be able to hedge against changes in interest rates or may choose not to do so for cost or other reasons. In addition, any hedges may not work as intended.

Fixed income securities with longer durations tend to be more sensitive to changes in interest rates, usually making them more volatile than securities with shorter durations. The values of equity and other non-fixed income securities may also decline due to fluctuations in interest rates. Inflation-indexed bonds, including Treasury Inflation-Protected Securities ("TIPS"), decline in value when real interest rates rise. In certain interest rate environments, such as when real interest rates are rising faster than nominal interest rates, inflation-indexed bonds may experience greater losses than other fixed income securities with similar durations.

Variable and floating rate securities generally are less sensitive to interest rate changes but may decline in value if their interest rates do not rise as much, or as quickly, as interest rates in general. Conversely, floating rate securities will not generally increase in value if interest rates decline. Inverse floating rate securities may decrease in value if interest rates increase. Inverse floating rate securities may also exhibit greater price volatility than a fixed rate obligation with similar credit quality. When a Fund holds variable or floating rate securities, a decrease (or, in the case of inverse floating rate securities, an increase) in market interest rates will adversely affect the income received from such securities and the net asset value ("NAV") of the Fund's shares.

A wide variety of factors can cause interest rates to rise (e.g., central bank monetary policies, inflation rates, general economic conditions, etc.). This is especially true under current economic conditions because interest rates are near historically low levels. Thus, Funds currently face a heightened level of interest rate risk, especially as the Federal Reserve Board ended its quantitative easing program in October 2014 and has begun, and may continue, to raise interest rates. To the extent the Federal Reserve Board continues to raise interest rates, there is a risk that rates across the financial system may rise.

During periods of very low or negative interest rates, a Fund may be unable to maintain positive returns. Interest rates in the U.S. and many parts of the world, including certain European countries, are at or near historically low levels. Certain European countries have recently experienced negative interest rates on certain fixed income instruments. Very low or negative interest rates may magnify interest rate risk. Changing interest rates, including rates that fall below zero, may have unpredictable effects on markets, may result in heightened market volatility and may detract from Fund performance to the extent a Fund is exposed to such interest rates.

Measures such as average duration may not accurately reflect the true interest rate sensitivity of a Fund. This is especially the case if the Fund consists of securities with widely varying durations. Therefore, if a Fund has an average duration that suggests a certain level of interest rate risk, the Fund may in

 

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fact be subject to greater interest rate risk than the average would suggest. This risk is greater to the extent the Fund uses leverage or derivatives in connection with the management of the Fund.

Convexity is an additional measure used to understand a security's or Fund's interest rate sensitivity. Convexity measures the rate of change of duration in response to changes in interest rates. With respect to a security's price, a larger convexity (positive or negative) may imply more dramatic price changes in response to changing interest rates. Convexity may be positive or negative. Negative convexity implies that interest rate increases result in increased duration, meaning increased sensitivity in prices in response to rising interest rates. Thus, securities with negative convexity, which may include bonds with traditional call features and certain mortgage-backed securities, may experience greater losses in periods of rising interest rates. Accordingly, if a Fund holds such securities, the Fund may be subject to a greater risk of losses in periods of rising interest rates.

Call Risk

Call risk refers to the possibility that an issuer may exercise its right to redeem a fixed income security earlier than expected (a call). Issuers may call outstanding securities prior to their maturity for a number of reasons (e.g., declining interest rates, changes in credit spreads and improvements in the issuer's credit quality). If an issuer calls a security in which a Fund has invested, the Fund may not recoup the full amount of its initial investment and may be forced to reinvest in lower-yielding securities, securities with greater credit risks or securities with other, less favorable features. 

Credit Risk

A Fund could lose money if the issuer or guarantor of a fixed income security (including a security purchased with securities lending collateral), or the counterparty to a derivatives contract, repurchase agreement or a loan of portfolio securities, is unable or unwilling, or is perceived (whether by market participants, rating agencies, pricing services or otherwise) as unable or unwilling, to make timely principal and/or interest payments, or to otherwise honor its obligations. The downgrade of the credit of a security held by a Fund may decrease its value. Securities are subject to varying degrees of credit risk, which are often reflected in credit ratings. Measures such as average credit quality may not accurately reflect the true credit risk of a Fund. This is especially the case if the Fund consists of securities with widely varying credit ratings. Therefore, if a Fund has an average credit rating that suggests a certain credit quality, the Fund may in fact be subject to greater credit risk than the average would suggest. This risk is greater to the extent the Fund uses leverage or derivatives in connection with the management of the Fund. Municipal bonds are subject to the risk that litigation, legislation or other political events, local business or economic conditions, or the bankruptcy of the issuer could have a significant effect on an issuer's ability to make payments of principal and/or interest.

High Yield Risk

Funds that invest in high yield securities and unrated securities of similar credit quality (commonly known as "high yield securities" or "junk bonds") may be subject to greater levels of credit risk, call risk and liquidity risk than funds that do not invest in such securities. These securities are considered predominantly speculative with respect to an issuer's continuing ability to make principal and interest payments, and may be more volatile than other types of securities. An economic downturn or individual corporate developments could adversely affect the market for these securities and reduce a Fund's ability to sell these securities at an advantageous time or price. An economic downturn would generally lead to a higher non-payment rate and, a high yield security may lose significant market value before a default occurs. High yield securities structured as zero-coupon bonds or pay-in-kind securities tend to be especially volatile as they are particularly sensitive to downward pricing pressures from rising interest rates or widening spreads and may require a Fund to make taxable distributions of imputed income without receiving the actual cash currency. Issuers of high yield securities may have the right to "call" or redeem the issue prior to maturity, which may result in a Fund having to reinvest the proceeds in other high yield securities or similar instruments that may pay lower interest rates. A Fund may also be subject to greater levels of liquidity risk than funds that do not invest in high yield securities. In addition, the high yield securities in which a Fund invests may not be listed on any exchange and a secondary market for such securities may be comparatively illiquid relative to markets for other more liquid fixed income securities. Consequently, transactions in high yield securities may involve greater costs than transactions in more actively traded securities. A lack of publicly-available information, irregular trading activity and wide bid/ask spreads among other factors, may, in certain circumstances, make high yield debt more difficult to sell at an advantageous time or price than other types of securities or instruments. These factors may result in a Fund being unable to realize full value for these securities and/or may result in a Fund not receiving the proceeds from a sale of a high yield security for an extended period after such sale, each of which could result in losses to a Fund. Because of the risks involved in investing in high yield securities, an investment in a Fund that invests in such securities should be considered speculative.

Market Risk

The market price of securities owned by a Fund may go up or down, sometimes rapidly or unpredictably. Securities may decline in value due to factors affecting securities markets generally or particular industries represented in the securities markets. The value of a security may decline due to general market conditions which are not specifically related to a particular company, such as real or perceived adverse economic conditions, changes in the general outlook for corporate earnings, changes in interest or currency rates, adverse changes to credit markets or adverse investor sentiment generally. The value of a security may also decline due to factors which affect a particular industry or industries, such as labor shortages or increased production costs and competitive conditions within an industry. During a general downturn in the securities markets, multiple asset classes may decline in value simultaneously. Equity

 

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securities generally have greater price volatility than fixed income securities. Credit ratings downgrades may also negatively affect securities held by the Fund. Even when markets perform well, there is no assurance that the investments held by a Fund will increase in value along with the broader market. In addition, market risk includes the risk that geopolitical events will disrupt the economy on a national or global level. For instance, terrorism, market manipulation, government defaults, government shutdowns, political changes or diplomatic developments and natural/environmental disasters can all negatively impact the securities markets, which could cause the Funds to lose value. Any market disruptions could also prevent a Fund from executing advantageous investment decisions in a timely manner. Funds that have focused their investments in a region enduring geopolitical market disruption will face higher risks of loss. Thus, investors should closely monitor current market conditions to determine whether a specific Fund meets their individual financial needs and tolerance for risk.

Current market conditions may pose heightened risks with respect to Funds that invest in fixed income securities. As discussed more under "Interest Rate Risk," interest rates in the U.S. are near historically low levels. However, continued economic recovery, the end of the Federal Reserve Board's quantitative easing program, and an increased likelihood of a rising interest rate environment increase the risk that interest rates will continue to rise in the near future. Any further interest rate increases in the future could cause the value of any Fund that invests in fixed income securities to decrease. As such, fixed income securities markets may experience heightened levels of interest rate, volatility and liquidity risk. If rising interest rates cause a Fund to lose enough value, the Fund could also face increased shareholder redemptions, which could force the Fund to liquidate investments at disadvantageous times or prices, therefore adversely affecting the Fund and its shareholders.

Exchanges and securities markets may close early, close late or issue trading halts on specific securities, which may result in, among other things, a Fund being unable to buy or sell certain securities or financial instruments at an advantageous time or accurately price its portfolio investments. In addition, a Fund may rely on various third-party sources to calculate its NAV. As a result, a Fund is subject to certain operational risks associated with reliance on service providers and service providers' data sources. In particular, errors or systems failures and other technological issues may adversely impact the Fund's calculations of its NAV, and such NAV calculation issues may result in inaccurately calculated NAVs, delays in NAV calculation and/or the inability to calculate NAVs over extended periods. A Fund may be unable to recover any losses associated with such failures.

Issuer Risk

The value of a security 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 goods or services, as well as the historical and prospective earnings of the issuer and the value of its assets. A change in the financial condition of a single issuer may affect securities markets as a whole.

Liquidity Risk

Liquidity risk exists when particular investments are difficult to purchase or sell. Illiquid securities are securities that cannot be disposed of within seven days in the ordinary course of business at approximately the value at which the Fund has valued the securities. Illiquid securities may become harder to value, especially in changing markets. A Fund's investments in illiquid securities may reduce the returns of the Fund because it may be unable to sell the illiquid securities at an advantageous time or price, which could prevent the Fund from taking advantage of other investment opportunities. Additionally, the market for certain investments may become illiquid under adverse market or economic conditions independent of any specific adverse changes in the conditions of a particular issuer. Bond markets have consistently grown over the past three decades while the capacity for traditional dealer counterparties to engage in fixed income trading has not kept pace and in some cases has decreased. As a result, dealer inventories of corporate bonds, which provide a core indication of the ability of financial intermediaries to "make markets," are at or near historic lows in relation to market size. Because market makers provide stability to a market through their intermediary services, the significant reduction in dealer inventories could potentially lead to decreased liquidity and increased volatility in the fixed income markets. Such issues may be exacerbated during periods of economic uncertainty. 

In such cases, a Fund, due to limitations on investments in illiquid securities and the difficulty in purchasing and selling such securities or instruments, may be unable to achieve its desired level of exposure to a certain sector. To the extent that a Fund's principal investment strategies involve securities of companies with smaller market capitalizations, foreign (non-U.S.) securities, Rule 144A securities, illiquid sectors of fixed income securities, derivatives or securities with substantial market and/or credit risk, the Fund will tend to have the greatest exposure to liquidity risk. Further, fixed income securities with longer durations until maturity face heightened levels of liquidity risk as compared to fixed income securities with shorter durations until maturity. Finally, liquidity risk also refers to the risk of unusually high redemption requests, redemption requests by certain large shareholders such as institutional investors or asset allocators, or other unusual market conditions that may make it difficult for a Fund to sell investments within the allowable time period to meet redemptions. Meeting such redemption requests could require a Fund to sell securities at reduced prices or under unfavorable conditions, which would reduce the value of the Fund. It may also be the case that other market participants may be attempting to liquidate fixed income holdings at the same time as a Fund, causing increased supply in the market and contributing to liquidity risk and downward pricing pressure.

Certain accounts or PIMCO affiliates may from time to time own (beneficially or of record) or control a significant percentage of a Fund's shares. Redemptions by these shareholders of their holdings in a Fund may impact the Fund's liquidity and NAV. These redemptions may also force a Fund to sell securities, which may negatively impact the Fund's brokerage costs.

 

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Derivatives Risk

Derivatives are financial contracts whose value depends on, or is derived from, the value of an underlying asset, reference rate or index. The various derivative instruments that the Funds may use are referenced under "Characteristics and Risks of Securities and Investment Techniques—Derivatives" in this prospectus and described in more detail under "Investment Objectives and Policies" in the SAI. The Funds typically use derivatives as a substitute for taking a position in the underlying asset, as part of strategies designed to gain exposure to, for example, issuers, portions of the yield curve, indexes, sectors, currencies, and/or geographic regions, and/or to reduce exposure to other risks, such as interest rate, credit or currency risk. The Funds may also use derivatives for leverage, in which case their use would involve leveraging risk, and in some cases, may subject a Fund to the potential for unlimited loss. The use of derivatives may cause the Fund's investment returns to be impacted by the performance of securities the Fund does not own and result in the Fund's total investment exposure exceeding the value of its portfolio.

A Fund's use of derivative instruments involves risks different from, or possibly greater than, the risks associated with investing directly in securities and other traditional investments. Derivatives are subject to a number of risks described elsewhere in this section, such as liquidity risk (which may be heightened for highly-customized derivatives), interest rate risk, market risk, credit risk and management risk, as well as risks arising from changes in applicable requirements. They also involve the risk of mispricing or improper valuation and the risk that changes in the value of the derivative instrument may not correlate perfectly with the underlying asset, rate or index. By investing in a derivative instrument, the Fund could lose more than the initial amount invested and derivatives may increase the volatility of the Fund, especially in unusual or extreme market conditions. Also, suitable derivative transactions may not be available in all circumstances and there can be no assurance that a Fund will engage in these transactions to reduce exposure to other risks when that would be beneficial or that, if used, such strategies will be successful. In addition, a Fund's use of derivatives may increase or accelerate the amount of taxes payable by shareholders. Over-the-counter ("OTC") derivatives are also subject to the risk that a counterparty to the transaction will not fulfill its contractual obligations to the other party, as many of the protections afforded to centrally-cleared derivative transactions might not be available for OTC derivatives. For derivatives traded on an exchange or through a central counterparty, credit risk resides with a Fund's clearing broker, or the clearinghouse itself, rather than with a counterparty in an OTC derivative transaction.

Participation in the markets for derivative instruments involves investment risks and transaction costs to which a Fund may not be subject absent the use of these strategies. The skills needed to successfully execute derivative strategies may be different from those needed for other types of transactions. If the Fund incorrectly forecasts the value and/or creditworthiness of securities, currencies, interest rates, counterparties or other economic factors involved in a derivative transaction, the Fund might have been in a better position if the Fund had not entered into such derivative transaction. In evaluating the risks and contractual obligations associated with particular derivative instruments, it is important to consider that certain derivative transactions may be modified or terminated only by mutual consent of the Fund and its counterparty. Therefore, it may not be possible for a Fund to modify, terminate, or offset the Fund's obligations or the Fund's exposure to the risks associated with a derivative transaction prior to its scheduled termination or maturity date, which may create a possibility of increased volatility and/or decreased liquidity to the Fund. In such case, the Fund may lose money.

Because the markets for certain derivative instruments (including markets located in foreign countries) are relatively new and still developing, appropriate derivative transactions may not be available in all circumstances for risk management or other purposes. Upon the expiration of a particular contract, a Fund may wish to retain a Fund's position in the derivative instrument by entering into a similar contract, but may be unable to do so if the counterparty to the original contract is unwilling to enter into the new contract and no other appropriate counterparty can be found. When such markets are unavailable, a Fund will be subject to increased liquidity and investment risk.

When a derivative is used as a hedge against a position that a Fund holds, any loss generated by the derivative generally should be substantially offset by gains on the hedged investment, and vice versa. Although hedging can reduce or eliminate losses, it can also reduce or eliminate gains. Hedges are sometimes subject to imperfect matching between the derivative and the underlying instrument, and there can be no assurance that a Fund's hedging transactions will be effective.

The regulation of the derivatives markets has increased over the past several years, and additional future regulation of the derivatives markets may make derivatives more costly, may limit the availability or reduce the liquidity of derivatives, or may otherwise adversely affect the value or performance of derivatives. Any such adverse future developments could impair the effectiveness or raise the costs of a Fund's derivative transactions, impede the employment of the Fund's derivatives strategies, or adversely affect the Fund's performance.

Equity Risk

Equity securities represent an ownership interest, or the right to acquire an ownership interest, in an issuer. Equity securities also include, among other things, preferred securities, convertible stocks and warrants. The values of equity securities, such as common stocks and preferred securities, may decline due to general market conditions which are not specifically related to a particular company, such as real or perceived adverse economic conditions, changes in the general outlook for corporate earnings, changes in interest or currency rates or adverse investor sentiment generally. They may also decline due to factors which affect a particular industry or industries, such as labor shortages or increased production costs and competitive conditions within an industry. Equity securities generally have greater price volatility than fixed income securities. These risks are generally magnified in the case of equity investments in distressed companies.

 

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Mortgage-Related and Other Asset-Backed Securities Risk

Mortgage-related and other asset-backed securities represent interests in "pools" of mortgages or other assets such as consumer loans or receivables held in trust and often involve risks that are different from or possibly more acute than risks associated with other types of debt instruments. Generally, rising interest rates tend to extend the duration of fixed rate mortgage-related securities, making them more sensitive to changes in interest rates. As a result, in a period of rising interest rates, if a Fund holds mortgage-related securities, it may exhibit additional volatility since individual mortgage holders are less likely to exercise prepayment options, thereby putting additional downward pressure on the value of these securities and potentially causing the Fund to lose money. This is known as extension risk. Mortgage-backed securities can be highly sensitive to rising interest rates, such that even small movements can cause an investing Fund to lose value. Mortgage-backed securities, and in particular those not backed by a government guarantee, are subject to credit risk. In addition, adjustable and fixed rate mortgage-related securities are subject to prepayment risk. When interest rates decline, borrowers may pay off their mortgages sooner than expected. This can reduce the returns of a Fund because the Fund may have to reinvest that money at the lower prevailing interest rates. A Fund's investments in other asset-backed securities are subject to risks similar to those associated with mortgage-related securities, as well as additional risks associated with the nature of the assets and the servicing of those assets. Payment of principal and interest on asset-backed securities may be largely dependent upon the cash flows generated by the assets backing the securities, and asset-backed securities may not have the benefit of any security interest in the related assets.

Foreign (Non-U.S.) Investment Risk

Certain Funds may invest in foreign (non-U.S.) securities and may experience more rapid and extreme changes in value than a Fund that invests exclusively in securities of U.S. companies. The securities markets of many foreign countries are relatively small, with a limited number of companies representing a small number of industries. Additionally, issuers of foreign (non-U.S.) securities are usually not subject to the same degree of regulation as U.S. issuers. Reporting, accounting and auditing standards of foreign countries differ, in some cases significantly, from U.S. standards. Global economies and financial markets are becoming increasingly interconnected, and conditions and events in one country, region or financial market may adversely impact issuers in a different country, region or financial market. Also, nationalization, expropriation or confiscatory taxation, currency blockage, political changes or diplomatic developments could adversely affect a Fund's investments in a foreign country. In the event of nationalization, expropriation or other confiscation, a Fund could lose its entire investment in foreign (non-U.S.) securities. Adverse conditions in a certain region can adversely affect securities of other countries whose economies appear to be unrelated. To the extent that a Fund invests a significant portion of its assets in a specific geographic region, the Fund will generally have more exposure to regional economic risks associated with foreign (non-U.S.) investments. Foreign (non-U.S.) securities may also be less liquid and more difficult to value than securities of U.S. issuers.

Emerging Markets Risk

Foreign (non-U.S.) investment risk may be particularly high to the extent a Fund invests in emerging market securities. Emerging market securities may present market, credit, currency, liquidity, legal, political and other risks different from, and potentially greater than, the risks of investing in securities and instruments economically tied to developed foreign countries. To the extent a Fund invests in emerging market securities that are economically tied to a particular region, country or group of countries, the Fund may be more sensitive to adverse political or social events affecting that region, country or group of countries. Economic, business, political, or social instability may affect emerging market securities differently, and often more severely, than developed market securities. A Fund that focuses its investments in multiple asset classes of emerging market securities may have a limited ability to mitigate losses in an environment that is adverse to emerging market securities in general. Emerging market securities may also be more volatile, less liquid and more difficult to value than securities economically tied to developed foreign countries. The systems and procedures for trading and settlement of securities in emerging markets are less developed and less transparent and transactions may take longer to settle. Rising interest rates, combined with widening credit spreads, could negatively impact the value of emerging market debt and increase funding costs for foreign issuers. In such a scenario, foreign issuers might not be able to service their debt obligations, the market for emerging market debt could suffer from reduced liquidity, and any investing Funds could lose money.

Sovereign Debt Risk

Sovereign debt risk is the risk that fixed income instruments issued by sovereign entities may decline in value as a result of default or other adverse credit event resulting from an issuer's inability or unwillingness to make principal or interest payments in a timely fashion. A sovereign entity's failure to make timely payments on its debt can result from many factors, including, without limitation, insufficient foreign currency reserves or an inability to sufficiently manage fluctuations in relative currency valuations, an inability or unwillingness to satisfy the demands of creditors and/or relevant supranational entities regarding debt service or economic reforms, the size of the debt burden relative to economic output and tax revenues, cash flow difficulties, and other political and social considerations. The risk of loss to the Fund in the event of a sovereign debt default or other adverse credit event is heightened by the unlikelihood of any formal recourse or means to enforce its rights as a holder of the sovereign debt. In addition, sovereign debt restructurings, which may be shaped by entities and factors beyond the Fund's control, may result in a loss in value of the Fund's sovereign debt holdings.

 

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Currency Risk

If a Fund invests directly in foreign (non-U.S.) currencies or in securities that trade in, and receive revenues in, foreign (non-U.S.) currencies, or in derivatives that provide exposure to foreign (non-U.S.) currencies, it will be subject to the risk that those currencies will decline in value relative to the U.S. dollar, or, in the case of hedging positions, that the U.S. dollar will decline in value relative to the currency being hedged.

Currency rates in foreign (non-U.S.) countries may fluctuate significantly over short periods of time for a number of reasons, including changes in interest rates, intervention (or the failure to intervene) by U.S. or foreign (non-U.S.) governments, central banks or supranational entities such as the International Monetary Fund, or by the imposition of currency controls or other political developments in the United States or abroad. As a result, a Fund's investments in foreign currency-denominated securities may reduce the returns of the Fund.

Currency risk may be particularly high to the extent that a Fund invests in foreign (non-U.S.) currencies or engages in foreign currency transactions that are economically tied to emerging market countries. These currency transactions may present market, credit, currency, liquidity, legal, political and other risks different from, or greater than, the risks of investing in developed foreign (non-U.S.) currencies or engaging in foreign currency transactions that are economically tied to developed foreign countries.

Leveraging Risk

Certain transactions may give rise to a form of leverage. Such transactions may include, among others, reverse repurchase agreements, loans of portfolio securities, and the use of when-issued, delayed delivery or forward commitment transactions. The use of derivatives may also create leveraging risk. In accordance with federal securities laws, rules, and staff positions, PIMCO will mitigate its leveraging risk by segregating or "earmarking" liquid assets or otherwise covering transactions that may give rise to such risk. The Funds also may be exposed to leveraging risk by borrowing money for investment purposes. Leveraging may cause a Fund to liquidate portfolio positions to satisfy its obligations or to meet segregation requirements when it may not be advantageous to do so. Leveraging, including borrowing, may cause a Fund to be more volatile than if the Fund had not been leveraged. This is because leveraging tends to exaggerate the effect of any increase or decrease in the value of a Fund's portfolio securities. Certain types of leveraging transactions, such as short sales that are not "against the box," could theoretically be subject to unlimited losses in cases where a Fund, for any reason, is unable to close out the transaction. In addition, to the extent a Fund borrows money, interest costs on such borrowings may not be recovered by any appreciation of the securities purchased with the borrowed amounts and could exceed the Fund's investment returns, resulting in greater losses. Moreover, to make payments of interest and other loan costs, a Fund may be forced to sell portfolio securities when it is not otherwise advantageous to do so.

Management Risk

Each Fund is subject to management risk because it is an actively managed investment portfolio. PIMCO and each individual portfolio manager will apply investment techniques and risk analysis in making investment decisions for the Funds, but there can be no guarantee that these decisions will produce the desired results. Certain securities or other instruments in which a Fund seeks to invest may not be available in the quantities desired. In addition, regulatory restrictions, actual or potential conflicts of interest or other considerations may cause PIMCO to restrict or prohibit participation in certain investments. In such circumstances, PIMCO or the individual portfolio managers may determine to purchase other securities or instruments as substitutes. Such substitute securities or instruments may not perform as intended, which could result in losses to the Fund. To the extent a Fund employs strategies targeting perceived pricing inefficiencies, arbitrage strategies or similar strategies, it is subject to the risk that the pricing or valuation of the securities and instruments involved in such strategies may change unexpectedly, which may result in reduced returns or losses to the Fund. Additionally, legislative, regulatory, or tax restrictions, policies or developments may affect the investment techniques available to PIMCO and each individual portfolio manager in connection with managing the Funds and may also adversely affect the ability of the Funds to achieve their investment objectives. There also can be no assurance that all of the personnel of PIMCO will continue to be associated with PIMCO for any length of time.  The loss of the services of one or more key employees of PIMCO could have an adverse impact on the Fund's ability to realize its investment objective.

Reverse Repurchase Agreements and Other Borrowings Risk

A Fund may borrow money as a means of raising money to satisfy redemption requests or for other temporary or emergency purposes by entering into reverse repurchase agreements or other borrowings. Reverse repurchase agreements and other borrowings may increase the Fund's overall investment exposure and the related transaction costs may detract from Fund performance. Certain late-day reverse repurchase agreements may be settled free of payment by the Fund and a subsequent cash wire to the Fund once the collateral is received and verified by the counterparty.

Short Exposure Risk

A Fund's short sales, if any, are subject to special risks. A short sale involves the sale by the Fund of a security that it does not own with the hope of purchasing the same security at a later date at a lower price. A Fund may also enter into a short position through a forward commitment or a short derivative position through a futures contract or swap agreement. If the price of the security or derivative has increased during this time, then the Fund will incur a loss equal to the increase in price from the time that the short sale was entered into plus any transaction costs (i.e., premiums and interest) paid to the broker-dealer to borrow securities. Therefore, short sales involve the risk that losses may be exaggerated, potentially losing more money than the actual cost of the

 

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investment. By contrast, a loss on a long position arises from decreases in the value of the security and is limited by the fact that a security's value cannot decrease below zero.

By investing the proceeds received from selling securities short, a Fund could be deemed to be employing a form of leverage, which creates special risks. The use of leverage may increase a Fund's exposure to long security positions and make any change in the Fund's NAV greater than it would be without the use of leverage. This could result in increased volatility of returns. There is no guarantee that any leveraging strategy a Fund employs will be successful during any period in which it is employed.

In times of unusual or adverse market, economic, regulatory or political conditions, a Fund may not be able, fully or partially, to implement its short selling strategy. Periods of unusual or adverse market, economic, regulatory or political conditions generally may exist for as long as six months and, in some cases, much longer. Also, there is the risk that the third party to the short sale will not fulfill its contractual obligations, causing a loss to the Fund.

Responsible Investing Risk

A Fund's responsible investment strategy, which may select or exclude securities of certain issuers for reasons other than performance, carries the risk that the Fund may underperform funds that do not utilize a responsible investment strategy. The application of this strategy may affect the Fund's exposure to certain sectors or types of investments, which could negatively impact the Fund's performance. Responsible investing is qualitative and subjective by nature, and there is no guarantee that the criteria utilized by PIMCO or any judgment exercised by PIMCO will reflect the beliefs or values of any particular investor. In evaluating a company, PIMCO is dependent upon information and data obtained through voluntary or third-party reporting that may be incomplete, inaccurate or unavailable, which could cause PIMCO to incorrectly assess a company's business practices with respect to the environment, social responsibility and corporate governance ("ESG practices"). Socially responsible norms differ by region, and a company's ESG practices or PIMCO's assessment of a company's ESG practices may change over time. In addition, as a result of PIMCO's engagement activities, a Fund may purchase securities that do not currently engage in ESG practices to PIMCO's satisfaction, in an effort to improve an issuer's ESG practices. Successful application of a Fund's responsible investment strategy and PIMCO's engagement efforts will depend on PIMCO's skill in properly identifying and analyzing material ESG issues, and there can be no assurance that the strategy or techniques employed will be successful. Past performance is not a guarantee or reliable indicator of future results.

Disclosure of Portfolio Holdings

Please see "Disclosure of Portfolio Holdings" in the SAI for information about the availability of the complete schedule of each Fund's holdings.

 

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Management of the Funds

Investment Adviser and Administrator

PIMCO serves as the investment adviser and the administrator (serving in its capacity as investment adviser, the "Investment Adviser," and serving in its capacity as administrator, the "Administrator") for the Funds. Subject to the supervision of the Board of Trustees of PIMCO Funds (the "Trust"), PIMCO is responsible for managing the investment activities of the Funds and the Funds' business affairs and other administrative matters.

PIMCO is located at 650 Newport Center Drive, Newport Beach, CA 92660. Organized in 1971, PIMCO provides investment management and advisory services to private accounts of institutional and individual clients and to mutual funds. As of June 30, 2018, PIMCO had approximately $[ ] in assets under management.

Management Fees

Each Fund pays for the advisory and supervisory and administrative services it requires under what is essentially an all-in fee structure. The Management Fees shown in the Annual Fund Operating Expenses tables reflect both an advisory fee and a supervisory and administrative fee. For the fiscal year ended March 31, 2018, the Funds paid monthly Management Fees to PIMCO at the following annual rates (stated as a percentage of the average daily net assets attributable to each class's shares taken separately):

Management Fees


Fund Name

Inst
Class


Class M


I-2

Admin
Class

Class A

Class C

Class R

PIMCO Government Money Market Fund

0.18%

0.18%

0.28%

0.18%

0.33%

0.33%

N/A

PIMCO Low Duration Fund(1)

0.46%

N/A

0.56%

0.46%

0.50%

0.55%

0.55%

PIMCO Low Duration Fund II

0.50%

N/A

N/A

0.50%

N/A

N/A

N/A

PIMCO Low Duration ESG Fund

0.50%

N/A

0.60%

0.50%

N/A

N/A

N/A

PIMCO Short Asset Investment Fund

0.34%

0.34%

0.44%

0.34%

0.44%

N/A

N/A

PIMCO Short-Term Fund

0.45%

N/A

0.55%

0.45%

0.45%

0.45%

0.45%

 

1 Expense information in the table has been restated to reflect current Management Fees.

I-3 shares of the PIMCO Low Duration Fund, PIMCO Low Duration ESG Fund, PIMCO Short Asset Investment Fund and PIMCO Short-Term Fund were not operational during the fiscal year ended March 31, 2018. The management fee for the I-3 shares of the PIMCO Low Duration Fund, PIMCO Low Duration ESG Fund, PIMCO Short Asset Investment Fund and PIMCO Short-Term Fund is at the following annual rate (stated as a percentage of the average daily net assets attributable to the class's shares taken separately): 0.66%, [  ]%, 0.54% and 0.65%, respectively.

Advisory Fee. Each Fund pays PIMCO fees in return for providing investment advisory services. For the fiscal year ended March 31, 2018, the Funds paid monthly advisory fees to PIMCO at the following annual rates (stated as a percentage of the average daily net assets of each Fund taken separately):


Fund Name

Advisory Fees(1)
All Classes

PIMCO Government Money Market Fund

0.12%

PIMCO Low Duration Fund

0.25%

PIMCO Low Duration Fund II

0.25%

PIMCO Low Duration ESG Fund

0.25%

PIMCO Short Asset Investment Fund

0.20%(2)

PIMCO Short-Term Fund

0.25%

 

1 For details regarding changes to this rate within the last 5 years, please see the footnote disclosures for the Funds in the Financial Highlights section beginning on page [ ].

2 PIMCO has contractually agreed, through July 31, 2019, to waive its advisory fee by 0.07% of the average daily net assets of the PIMCO Short Asset Investment Fund. This Fee Waiver Agreement will automatically renew for one-year terms unless PIMCO provides written notice to the Trust at least 30 days prior to the end of the then current term. Under certain conditions, PIMCO may be entitled to reimbursement of amounts waived in future periods, not exceeding three years. See "Fee Waiver Agreement" below. Prior to August 1, 2017, PIMCO contractually agreed to reduce its advisory fee by 0.10% of the average daily net assets of the PIMCO Short Asset Investment Fund.

A discussion of the basis for the Board of Trustees' approval of the Funds' investment advisory contract is available in the Funds' Semi-Annual Report to shareholders for the fiscal half-year ended September 30, 2017. 

Supervisory and Administrative Fee. Each Fund pays for the supervisory and administrative services it requires under what is essentially an all-in fee structure. Shareholders of each Fund pay a supervisory and administrative fee to PIMCO, computed as a percentage of the Fund's assets attributable in the aggregate to that class of shares. PIMCO, in turn, provides or procures supervisory and administrative services for shareholders and also bears the costs of various third-party services required by the Funds, including audit, custodial, portfolio accounting, legal, transfer agency and

 

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printing costs. The Funds bear other expenses which are not covered under the supervisory and administrative fee which may vary and affect the total level of expenses paid by the shareholders, such as taxes and governmental fees, brokerage fees, commissions and other transaction expenses, organizational expenses, costs of borrowing money, including interest expenses, extraordinary expenses (such as litigation and indemnification expenses) and fees and expenses of the Trust's Independent Trustees and their counsel. PIMCO generally earns a profit on the supervisory and administrative fee paid by the Funds. Also, under the terms of the supervision and administration agreement, PIMCO, and not Fund shareholders, would benefit from any price decreases in third-party services, including decreases resulting from an increase in net assets.

For the fiscal year ended March 31, 2018, the Funds paid PIMCO monthly supervisory and administrative fees at the following annual rates (stated as a percentage of the average daily net assets attributable in the aggregate to each class's shares taken separately):

Supervisory and Administrative Fees(1)


Fund Name

Inst
Class

Class M

I-2

Admin
Class

Class A

Class C

Class R

PIMCO Government Money Market Fund

0.06%

0.06%

0.16%

0.06%

0.21%

0.21%

N/A

PIMCO Low Duration Fund(2)

0.21%

N/A

0.31%

0.21%

0.25%

0.30%

0.30%

PIMCO Low Duration Fund II

0.25%

N/A

N/A

0.25%

N/A

N/A

N/A

PIMCO Low Duration ESG Fund

0.25%

N/A

0.35%

0.25%

N/A

N/A

N/A

PIMCO Short Asset Investment Fund

0.14%

0.14%

0.24%

0.14%

0.24%

N/A

N/A

PIMCO Short-Term Fund

0.20%

N/A

0.30%

0.20%

0.20%

0.20%

0.20%

 

1 For details regarding changes to this rate within the last 5 years, please see the footnote disclosures for the Funds in the Financial Highlights section beginning on page [ ].

2 Effective March 1, 2018, the Fund's supervisory and administrative fee for Class A was reduced by 0.05% to 0.25% per annum.

I-3 shares of the PIMCO Low Duration Fund, PIMCO Low Duration ESG Fund, PIMCO Short Asset Investment Fund and PIMCO Short-Term Fund were not operational during the fiscal year ended March 31, 2018. The supervisory and administrative fee for the I-3 shares of the PIMCO Low Duration Fund, PIMCO Low Duration ESG Fund, PIMCO Short Asset Investment Fund and PIMCO Short-Term Fund is at the following annual rate (stated as a percentage of the average daily net assets attributable to the class's shares taken separately): 0.41%, [  ]%, 0.34% and 0.40%, respectively.

Expense Limitation Agreement

Pursuant to the Expense Limitation Agreement, PIMCO has agreed to waive a portion of each Fund's supervisory and administrative fees, or reimburse the Fund, to the extent that the Fund's organizational expenses and pro rata share of Trustee fees exceed 0.0049% (the "Expense Limit") (calculated as a percentage of average daily net assets attributable to each class). The Expense Limitation Agreement will automatically renew for one-year terms unless PIMCO provides written notice to the Trust at least 30 days prior to the end of the then current term. In any month in which the supervision and administration agreement is in effect, PIMCO is entitled to reimbursement by each Fund of any portion of the supervisory and administrative fee waived or reimbursed as set forth above (the "Reimbursement Amount") during the previous thirty-six months, provided that such amount paid to PIMCO will not: 1) together with any organizational expenses and pro rata Trustee fees, exceed, for such month, the Expense Limit; 2) exceed the total Reimbursement Amount; or 3) include any amounts previously reimbursed to PIMCO.

Fee Waiver Agreements

PIMCO has contractually agreed, through July 31, 2019, to waive its advisory fee by 0.07% of the average daily net assets of the PIMCO Short Asset Investment Fund. This Fee Waiver Agreement will automatically renew for one-year terms unless PIMCO provides written notice to the Trust at least 30 days prior to the end of the then current term. In any month in which the investment advisory contract is in effect, PIMCO is entitled to reimbursement by the Fund of any portion of the advisory fee waived as set forth above (the "SA Reimbursement Amount") during the previous thirty-six months, provided that such amount paid to PIMCO will not: 1) together with any recoupment of organizational expenses and pro rata Trustee fees or supervisory and administrative fees pursuant to the Expense Limitation Agreement, exceed, for such month, the Expense Limit; 2) exceed the total SA Reimbursement Amount; or 3) include any amounts previously reimbursed to PIMCO.

PIMCO has contractually agreed, through July 31, 2019, to waive its supervisory and administrative fee for I-3 shares by 0.05% of the average daily net assets attributable to I-3 shares of each of PIMCO Low Duration Fund, PIMCO Short Asset Investment Fund and PIMCO Short-Term Fund. This Fee Waiver Agreement will automatically renew for one-year terms unless PIMCO provides written notice to the Trust at least 30 days prior to the end of the then current term.

PIMCO has contractually agreed, through July 31, 2019, to waive its supervisory and administrative fee for I-3 shares by [ ]% of the average daily net assets attributable to I-3 shares of PIMCO Low Duration ESG Fund. This Fee Waiver Agreement will automatically renew for one-year terms unless PIMCO provides written notice to the Trust at least 30 days prior to the end of the then current term.

Temporary Fee Waivers, Reductions and Reimbursements

To maintain certain net yields for the PIMCO Government Money Market Fund, PIMCO and the Trust's Distributor, PIMCO Investments LLC (the "Distributor"), have entered into a fee and expense limitation agreement with the Fund (the "Agreement") pursuant to which PIMCO or the Distributor may temporarily and voluntarily waive, reduce or reimburse all or any portion of the Fund's supervisory and administrative fee, any distribution and/or service

 

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(12b-1) fees applicable to a class of the Fund, or the Fund's advisory fee, each waiver, reduction or reimbursement in an amount and for a period of time as determined by PIMCO or the Distributor.

In any month in which the investment advisory contract or supervision and administration agreement is in effect, PIMCO may recoup from the Fund any portion of the supervisory and administrative fee or advisory fee waived, reduced or reimbursed pursuant to the Agreement (the "GM Reimbursement Amount") during the previous thirty-six months, provided that such amount paid to PIMCO will not: 1) together with any recoupment of organizational expenses and pro rata trustee fees pursuant to the Expense Limitation Agreement, exceed the Expense Limit; 2) exceed the total GM Reimbursement Amount; 3) include any amounts previously reimbursed to PIMCO; or 4) cause any class of the Fund to maintain a net negative yield. The GM Reimbursement Amount will be reimbursed in the same order that fees were waived, except the Fund will not reimburse PIMCO or the Distributor for any portion of the distribution and/or service (12b-1) fees waived, reduced or reimbursed pursuant to the Agreement. There is no guarantee that the Fund will maintain a positive net yield.

With respect to the PIMCO Government Money Market Fund only, the Trust has suspended payment of any distribution and/or service (12b-1) fees at this time.

In certain circumstances, the Distributor or its affiliates may pay or reimburse financial firms for distribution and/or shareholder services out of the Distributor's or its affiliates' own assets when the Distributor does not receive associated distribution and/or service (12b-1) fees from the applicable Funds. These payments and reimbursements may be made from profits received by the Distributor or its affiliates from other fees paid by the Funds. Such activities by the Distributor or its affiliates may provide incentives to financial firms to purchase or market shares of the Funds. Additionally, these activities may give the Distributor or its affiliates additional access to sales representatives of such financial firms, which may increase sales of Fund shares.

Individual Portfolio Managers

The following individuals have primary responsibility for managing each of the noted Funds.

Fund

Portfolio Manager

Since

Recent Professional Experience

PIMCO Low Duration ESG

Mike Amey

10/17

Managing Director, PIMCO. Mr. Amey is a portfolio manager in the London office. He is responsible for sterling portfolios and is head of PIMCO's ESG (environmental, social and governance) strategies. He is also responsible for the European insurance (ex: Germany) and the European LDI (liability-driven investing) portfolio management groups. Prior to joining PIMCO in 2003, he was head of U.K. fixed income at Rothschild Asset Management and after their merger, at Insight Investment. He has 24 years of investment experience and holds undergraduate and master's degrees in corporate and international finance from the University of Durham. Mr. Amey is also a member of the U.K. Society of Investment Professionals.

PIMCO Low Duration
PIMCO Low Duration II
PIMCO Low Duration ESG

Scott A. Mather

9/14
9/14
9/14

CIO U.S. Core Strategies and Managing Director, PIMCO. Previously he was head of global portfolio management. He joined PIMCO in 1998.

PIMCO Government Money Market
PIMCO Low Duration
PIMCO Low Duration II
PIMCO Low Duration ESG
PIMCO Short Asset Investment
PIMCO Short-Term

Jerome Schneider

1/11
9/14
9/14
9/14
5/12*
1/11

Managing Director, PIMCO. Mr. Schneider joined PIMCO in 2008. Prior to joining PIMCO, he served as Senior Managing Director with Bear Stearns, specializing in credit and mortgage-related funding transactions. Mr. Schneider joined Bear Stearns in 1995.

 

* Inception of the Fund.

Please see the SAI for additional information about other accounts managed by the portfolio managers, the portfolio managers' compensation and the portfolio managers' ownership of shares of the Funds.

The Trustees are responsible generally for overseeing the management of the Trust. The Trustees authorize the Trust to enter into service agreements with the Investment Adviser, the Distributor (as defined below), the Administrator and other service providers in order to provide, and in some cases authorize service providers to procure through other parties, necessary or desirable services on behalf of the Trust and the Funds. Shareholders are not parties to or third-party beneficiaries of such service agreements. Neither this prospectus nor summary prospectus, the Trust's SAI, any contracts filed as exhibits to the Trust's registration statement, nor any other communications, disclosure documents or regulatory filings from or on behalf of the Trust or a Fund creates a contract between or among any shareholder of a Fund, on the one hand, and the Trust, a Fund, a service provider to the Trust or a Fund, and/or the Trustees or officers of the Trust, on the other hand. The Trustees (or the Trust and its officers, service providers or other delegates acting under authority of the Trustees) may amend this, or use a new prospectus, summary prospectus or SAI with respect to a Fund or the Trust, and/or amend, file and/or issue any other communications, disclosure documents or regulatory filings, and may amend or enter into any contracts to which the Trust or a Fund is a party, and interpret the investment objective(s), policies, restrictions and contractual provisions applicable to any Fund, without shareholder input or approval, except in circumstances in which shareholder approval is specifically required by law (such as changes to fundamental investment policies) or where a shareholder approval requirement is specifically disclosed in the Trust's then-current prospectus or SAI.

 

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Distributor

The Trust's Distributor is PIMCO Investments LLC (the "Distributor"). The Distributor, located at 1633 Broadway, New York, NY 10019, is a broker-dealer registered with the Securities and Exchange Commission ("SEC"). Please note all direct account requests or inquiries should be mailed to the Trust's transfer agent at P.O. Box 55060, Boston, MA 02205-5060 and should not be mailed to the Distributor.

 

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Classes of Shares

Class A, Class C, Class R, Institutional Class, Class M, I-2, I-3 and Administrative Class shares of the Funds are offered in this prospectus. Each share class represents an investment in the same Fund, but each class has its own expense structure and arrangements for shareholder services or distribution, which allows you to choose the class that best fits your situation and eligibility requirements.

The class of shares that is best for you depends upon a number of factors, including the amount and the intended length of your investment, the expenses borne by each class, which are detailed in the fee table and example at the front of this prospectus, any initial sales charge or contingent deferred sales charge (CDSC) applicable to a class and whether you qualify for any reduction or waiver of sales charges, and the availability of the share class for purchase by you. Certain classes have higher expenses than other classes, which may lower the return on your investment when compared to a less expensive class. Individual investors can generally invest in Class A and Class C shares. Class C shares of each Fund will automatically convert into Class A shares of the same Fund after they have been held for ten years. This automatic conversion will be executed without any sales charge, fee or other charge. After the conversion takes place, the shares will be subject to all features and expenses of Class A shares. Only certain investors may purchase Institutional Class, Class M, I-2, I-3, Administrative Class and Class R shares.

The availability of sales charge waivers and discounts may depend on whether you purchase Fund shares directly from the Distributor or a financial firm. More information regarding sales charge waivers and discounts is summarized below.

The following summarizes key information about each class to help you make your investment decision, including the various expenses associated with each class and the payments made to financial firms for distribution and other services. More information about the Trust's multi-class arrangements is included in the SAI and can be obtained free of charge by visiting pimco.com or by calling 888.87.PIMCO.

Sales Charges

Initial Sales Charges — Class A Shares

This section includes important information about sales charge reduction programs available to investors in Class A shares of the Funds and describes information or records you may need to provide to the Distributor or your financial firm in order to be eligible for sales charge reduction programs.

Unless you are eligible for a waiver, the public offering price you pay when you buy Class A shares of the Funds is the NAV of the shares plus an initial sales charge. The initial sales charge varies depending upon the size of your purchase, as set forth below. No sales charge is imposed where Class A shares are issued to you pursuant to the automatic reinvestment of income dividends or capital gains distributions. For investors investing in Class A shares of the Funds through a financial firm, it is the responsibility of the financial firm to ensure that you obtain the proper "breakpoint" discount.

PIMCO Low Duration, PIMCO Short Asset Investment and PIMCO Short-Term Funds — Class A shares

 

Amount of Purchase

Initial Sales Charge as % of Public Offering Price

Initial Sales Charge as % of Net Amount Invested

Under $100,000

2.25%

2.30%

$100,000 but under $250,000

1.25%

1.27%

$250,000 +

0.00%*

0.00%*

 

* As shown, investors that purchase $250,000 or more of the Fund's Class A shares will not pay any initial sales charge on the purchase. However, unless eligible for a waiver, certain purchasers of $250,000 or more of Class A shares may be subject to a CDSC of 1.00% if the shares are redeemed during the first 12 months after their purchase. If the financial firm through which such investors purchased their shares does not receive any upfront commission from the Distributor at the time of purchase, such investors will not be subject to a contingent deferred sales charge upon redemption. See "Contingent Deferred Sales Charges – Class A Shares" below.

Investors in the Funds may reduce or eliminate sales charges applicable to purchases of Class A shares through utilization of the Combined Purchase Privilege, Right of Accumulation (Cumulative Quantity Discount), Letter of Intent or Reinstatement Privilege. These programs, which apply to purchases of one or more funds that are series of the Trust or PIMCO Equity Series that offer Class A shares (other than the Money Market series of the Trust) (collectively, "Eligible Funds"), are summarized below and are described in greater detail in the SAI.

Combined Purchase Privilege and Right of Accumulation (Breakpoints). A Qualifying Investor (as defined below) may qualify for a reduced sales charge on Class A shares by combining concurrent purchases of the Class A shares of one or more Eligible Funds into a single purchase (the "Combined Purchase Privilege"). In addition, a Qualifying Investor may obtain a reduced sales charge on Class A shares by adding the purchase value of Class A shares of an Eligible Fund with the current aggregate NAV of all Class A and C shares of any Eligible Fund held by accounts for the benefit of such Qualifying Investor (the "Right of Accumulation" or "Cumulative Quantity Discount").

The term "Qualifying Investor" refers to:

1.

an individual, such individual's spouse or domestic partner, as recognized by applicable state law, or such individual's children under the age of 21 years (each a "family member") (including family trust* accounts established by such a family member); or

2.

a trustee or other fiduciary for a single trust (except family trusts* noted above), estate or fiduciary account although more than one beneficiary may be involved; or

3.

an employee benefit plan of a single employer.


* For the purpose of determining whether a purchase would qualify for a reduced sales charge under the Combined Purchase Privilege, Right of Accumulation or Letter of Intent, a "family trust" is one in which a family member, as defined in section (1) above, or a direct lineal descendant(s) of such person is/are the beneficiary(ies), and such person or another family member, direct lineal ancestor or sibling of such person is/are the trustee(s).

Please see the SAI for details and for restrictions applicable to shares held by certain employer-sponsored benefit programs.

 

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Letter of Intent. Investors may also obtain a reduced sales charge on purchases of Class A shares by means of a written Letter of Intent which expresses an intent to invest not less than $50,000 (or $100,000 in the case of the Funds with an initial sales charge breakpoint at $100,000) within a period of 13 months in Class A shares of any Eligible Fund(s) (which does not include the PIMCO Government Money Market Fund). The maximum intended investment allowable in a Letter of Intent is $1,000,000 (except for Class A shares of the PIMCO Low Duration, PIMCO Short Asset Investment and PIMCO Short-Term Funds for which the maximum intended investment amount is $250,000). Each purchase of shares under a Letter of Intent will be made at the public offering price or prices applicable at the time of such purchase to a single purchase of the dollar amount indicated in the Letter of Intent. The value of the investor's account(s) linked to a Letter of Intent will be included at the start date of the Letter of Intent. A Letter of Intent is not a binding obligation to purchase the full amount indicated. Shares purchased with the first 5% of the amount indicated in the Letter of Intent will be held in escrow (while remaining registered in your name) to secure payment of the higher sales charges applicable to the shares actually purchased in the event the full intended amount is not purchased. Redemptions during the LOI period  will not count against the shareholder, but a CDSC may be charged for LOIs of $1,000,000.

In making computations concerning the amount purchased for purposes of a Letter of Intent, the Right of Accumulation value of eligible accounts will be included in the computation when the Letter of Intent begins in addition to purchases made during the Letter of Intent Period.

Reinstatement Privilege. A Class A shareholder who has caused any or all of his shares to be redeemed may reinvest all or any portion of the redemption proceeds in Class A shares of any Eligible Fund at NAV without any sales charge, provided that such investment is made within 120 calendar days after the redemption date. The limitations and restrictions of this program are fully described in the SAI.

Method of Valuation of Accounts. To determine whether a shareholder qualifies for a reduction in sales charge on a purchase of Class A shares of Eligible Funds, the public offering price of the shares is used for purchases relying on the Combined Purchase Privilege or a Letter of Intent and the amount of the total current purchase (including any sales load) plus the NAV (at the close of business on the day of the current purchase) of shares previously acquired is used for the Right of Accumulation (Cumulative Quantity Discount).

Sales at Net Asset Value. In addition to the programs summarized above, the Funds may sell their Class A shares at NAV without an initial sales charge to certain types of accounts or account holders, including, but not limited to: Trustees of the Funds; employees of PIMCO and the Distributor; employees of participating brokers; certain trustees or other fiduciaries purchasing shares for retirement plans; and persons investing through certain "wrap accounts." Please see the SAI for details.

If you are eligible to buy both Class A shares and Institutional Class shares, you should buy Institutional Class shares because Class A shares may be subject to sales charges and an annual 0.25% service fee.

Required Shareholder Information and Records. In order for investors in Class A shares of the Funds to take advantage of sales charge reductions, an investor or his or her financial firm must notify the Fund that the investor qualifies for such a reduction. If the Fund is not notified that the investor is eligible for these reductions, the Fund will be unable to ensure that the reduction is applied to the investor's account. An investor may have to provide certain information or records to his or her financial firm or the Fund to verify the investor's eligibility for breakpoint discounts or sales charge waivers. An investor may be asked to provide information or records, including account statements, regarding shares of the Funds or other Eligible Funds held in:

all of the investor's accounts held directly with the Trust or through a financial firm; 

any account of the investor at another financial firm; and 

accounts of Qualifying Investors, at any financial firm.

The SAI provides additional information regarding eliminations of and reductions in sales loads associated with Eligible Funds. You can obtain the SAI free of charge from PIMCO by written request, by visiting pimco.com or by calling 888.87.PIMCO.

Contingent Deferred Sales Charges

Class A Shares

Unless you are eligible for a waiver, if you purchase $1,000,000 or more of Class A shares (and, thus, pay no initial sales charge) of a Fund other than the PIMCO Low Duration, PIMCO Short Asset Investment and PIMCO Short-Term Funds, you will be subject to a 1% CDSC if you sell (redeem) your Class A shares within 12 months of their purchase. Unless you are eligible for a waiver, if you purchase $250,000 or more of Class A shares (and, thus, pay no initial sales charge) of the PIMCO Low Duration, PIMCO Short Asset Investment and PIMCO Short-Term Funds, you will be subject to a 1% CDSC if you sell (redeem) your Class A shares within 12 months of their purchase. If the financial firm through which you purchased your shares does not receive any upfront commission from the Distributor at the time of purchase, you will not be subject to a CDSC upon redemption. The Class A CDSC does not apply if you are otherwise eligible to purchase Class A shares without an initial sales charge or are eligible for a waiver of the CDSC. See "Reductions and Waivers of Initial Sales Charges and CDSCs" below.

Class C Shares

Unless you are eligible for a waiver, if you sell (redeem) your Class C shares within the time periods specified below, you will pay a CDSC according to the following schedules. If you invest in Class C shares of the Funds through a financial firm, it is the responsibility of the financial firm to ensure that you are credited with the proper holding period for the shares redeemed.

Class C Shares*


Years Since Purchase Payment was Made

Percentage Contingent
Deferred Sales Charge

First

1%

Thereafter

0%

 

* Except shares of the PIMCO Government Money Market Fund that were not acquired by exchanging Class C shares of another Fund.

 

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How CDSCs will be Calculated

A CDSC is imposed on redemptions of Class C shares (and where applicable, Class A shares) on the amount of the redemption which causes the current value of your account for the particular class of shares of the Fund to fall below the total dollar amount of your purchase payments subject to the CDSC.

The following rules apply under the method for calculating CDSCs:

Shares acquired through the reinvestment of dividends or capital gains distributions will be redeemed first and will not be subject to any CDSC.

For the redemption of all other shares, the CDSC will be based on either your original purchase price or the then current NAV of the shares being sold, whichever is lower. To illustrate this point, consider shares purchased at an NAV of $10. If the Fund's NAV per share at the time of redemption is $12, the CDSC will apply to the purchase price of $10. If the NAV per share at the time of redemption is $8, the CDSC will apply to the $8 current NAV per share.

CDSCs will be deducted from the proceeds of your redemption, not from amounts remaining in your account.

In determining whether a CDSC is payable, it is assumed that you will redeem first the lot of shares which will incur the lowest CDSC.

For example, the following illustrates the operation of the Class C CDSC:

Assume that an individual opens an account and makes a purchase payment of $10,000 for 1,000 Class C shares of a Fund (at $10 per share) and that six months later the value of the investor's account for that Fund has grown through investment performance to $11,000 ($11 per share). If the investor should redeem $2,200 (200 shares), a CDSC would be applied against $2,000 of the redemption (the purchase price of the shares redeemed, because the purchase price is lower than the current NAV of such shares ($2,200)). At the rate of 1%, the Class C CDSC would be $20.

Reductions and Waivers of Initial Sales Charges and CDSCs

The initial sales charges on Class A shares and the CDSCs on Class A and Class C shares may be reduced or waived under certain purchase arrangements and for certain categories of investors. Please see the SAI for details.

A redemption by a Class A shareholder who purchased, through a financial firm, $250,000 or more of Class A shares of the PIMCO Low Duration, PIMCO Short Asset Investment and PIMCO Short-Term Funds (and, thus, did not pay an initial sales charge) will not be subject to a CDSC where the Distributor did not pay at the time of purchase an upfront commission to the financial firm but began paying distribution and/or shareholder services fees immediately.

Shares Purchased or Held Through Financial Firms

The availability of sales charge waivers and discounts may depend on the particular financial firm or type of account through which you purchase or hold Fund shares. The Funds' sales charge waivers and discounts disclosed in this Prospectus are available for qualifying purchases made directly from the Distributor and are generally available through financial firms unless otherwise specified in Appendix B. The sales charge waivers and discounts available through certain other financial firms are set forth in Appendix B to this Prospectus (Financial Firm-Specific Sales Charge Waivers and Discounts), which may differ from those available for purchases made directly from the Distributor or certain other financial firms. Please contact your financial firm for more information regarding sales charge waivers and discounts available to you and the financial firm's related policies and procedures.

No Sales Charges — Class R Shares

The Funds do not impose any sales charges or other fees on purchases, redemptions or exchanges of Class R shares. Class R shares generally are available only to 401(k) plans, 457 plans, employer sponsored 403(b) plans, profit sharing and money purchase pension plans, defined benefit plans, non-qualified deferred compensation plans, health care benefit funding plans and other specified benefit plans and accounts whereby the plan or the plan's financial firm has an agreement with the Distributor or PIMCO Funds to utilize Class R shares in certain investment products or programs (collectively, "specified benefit plans"). In addition, Class R shares also are generally available only to specified benefit plans where Class R shares are held on the books of the Funds through omnibus accounts (either at the benefit plan level or at the level of the plan's financial firm). Class R shares are not available to retail or non-specified benefit plan accounts, traditional and Roth IRAs (except through certain omnibus accounts), Coverdell Education Savings Accounts, SEPs, SAR-SEPs, SIMPLE IRAs, or individual 403(b) plans.

The administrator of a specified benefit plan or employee benefits office can provide participants with detailed information on how to participate in the plan and how to elect a Fund as an investment option. Plan participants may be permitted to elect different investment options, alter the amounts contributed to the plan, or change how contributions are allocated among investment options in accordance with the plan's specific provisions. The plan administrator or employee benefits office should be consulted for details. For questions about participant accounts, participants should contact their employee benefits office, the plan administrator, or the organization that provides recordkeeping services for the plan. In most cases, the Trust's transfer agent will have no information with respect to or control over accounts of specific Class R shareholders, and a shareholder may obtain information about accounts only through the specified benefit plan.

Eligible specified benefit plans generally may open an account and purchase Class R shares by contacting any broker, dealer or other financial firm authorized to sell or process transactions in Class R shares of the Funds. Eligible specified benefit plans may also purchase shares directly from the Distributor. See "Purchasing Shares – Class R" below. Additional shares may be purchased through a benefit plan's administrator or recordkeeper.

Financial firms may provide or arrange for the provision of some or all of the shareholder servicing and account maintenance services required by specified benefit plan accounts and their plan participants, including, without limitation, transfers of registration and dividend payee changes.

Moreover, financial firms and specified benefit plans may have omnibus accounts and similar arrangements with the Trust and may be paid for providing sub-accounting and other shareholder services. A financial firm or

 

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specified benefit plan may be paid for its services directly or indirectly by the Funds, the Administrator, another affiliate of the Fund or the Distributor (normally not to exceed an annual rate of 0.50% of a Fund's average daily net assets attributable to its Class R shares and purchased through such firm or specified benefit plan for its clients although payments with respect to shares in retirement plans are often higher). PIMCO or its affiliates may pay a financial firm or specified benefit plan an additional amount not to exceed 0.25% for sub-accounting or other shareholder services.

These fees and expenses could reduce an investment return in Class R shares. For further information on Class R shares and related items, please refer to the SAI.

No Sales Charges — Institutional Class, Class M, I-2, I-3 and Administrative Class Shares

The Funds do not impose any sales charges or other fees on purchases, redemptions or exchanges of Institutional Class, Class M, I-2, I-3 or Administrative Class shares. Only certain investors are eligible to purchase these share classes. Your financial advisor or financial firm can help you determine if you are eligible to purchase Institutional Class, I-2, I-3 or Administrative Class shares. You can also call 888.87.PIMCO.

An investor transacting in Institutional Class, I-2 or I-3 shares may be required to pay a commission to a broker or other financial firm. Other share classes of the Funds that have different fees and expenses are available.

Pension and profit-sharing plans, employee benefit trusts and employee benefit plan alliances, and "wrap account" programs established with broker-dealers or other financial firms may purchase Institutional Class, Class M, I-2, I-3 or Administrative Class shares only if the plan or program for which the shares are being acquired will maintain an omnibus or pooled account for each Fund and will not require a Fund to pay any type of administrative payment per participant account to any third party.

Institutional Class shares are offered primarily for direct investment by investors such as pension and profit sharing plans, employee benefit trusts, endowments, foundations, corporations and high net worth individuals. Institutional Class shares may also be offered through certain financial firms that charge their customers transaction or other fees with respect to their customers' investments in the Funds.

Class M shares are offered primarily for direct investment by investors such as pension and profit sharing plans, employee benefit trusts, endowments, foundations, corporations, high net worth individuals, and through intermediary trading platforms and portals that provide specialized sub-accounting and shareholder processing services. Class M shares may also be offered through certain financial firms that charge their customers transaction or other fees with respect to their customers' investments in the Funds.

I-2 shares are offered primarily through broker-dealers and other financial firms with which the Distributor has an agreement for the use of the share class in investment products, programs or accounts such as certain asset allocation, wrap fee and other similar programs. I-2 shares may also be offered through broker-dealers and other financial firms that charge their customers transaction or other fees with respect to their customers' investments in the Funds. I-2 shares of the Funds will be held in an account at a financial firm and, generally, the firm will hold a shareholder's I-2 shares in nominee or street name as your agent. In most cases, the Trust's transfer agent will have no information with respect to or control over accounts of specific I-2 shareholders, and a shareholder may obtain information about accounts only through the financial firm. Broker-dealers, other financial firms, pension and profit-sharing plans, employee benefit trusts and employee benefit plan alliances also may purchase I-2 shares.

I-3 shares of the Funds are offered primarily through broker-dealers and other financial firms with which the Distributor has an agreement for the use of the share class in investment products, programs or accounts such as mutual fund supermarkets or other no transaction fee platforms. I-3 shares of the Funds will be held in an account at a financial firm and, generally, the firm will hold a shareholder's I-3 shares in nominee or street name as your agent. In most cases, the Trust's transfer agent will have no information with respect to or control over accounts of specific I-3 shareholders, and a shareholder may obtain information about accounts only through the financial firm. Broker-dealers, other financial firms, pension and profit-sharing plans, employee benefit trusts and employee benefit plan alliances also may purchase I-3 shares.

Administrative Class shares are offered primarily through broker-dealers, other financial firms, and employee benefit plan alliances. Each Fund typically pays service and/or distribution fees to these entities for services they provide to Administrative Class shareholders.

Distribution and Servicing (12b-1) Plans

Class A, Class C and Class R shares. The Funds pay fees to the Distributor on an ongoing basis as compensation for the services the Distributor renders and the expenses it bears in connection with the sale and distribution of Fund shares ("distribution fees") and/or in connection with personal services rendered to Fund shareholders and the maintenance of shareholder accounts ("servicing fees"). These payments are made pursuant to Distribution and Servicing Plans ("12b-1 Plans") adopted by each Fund pursuant to Rule 12b-1 under the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended (the "1940 Act").

With respect to the PIMCO Government Money Market Fund only, the Trust has suspended payment of distribution and/or service (12b-1) fees at this time. The payment of distribution and/or service (12b-1) fees may only be resumed at such time as the Board of Trustees determines that it is in the best interests of Fund shareholders to do so.

Class A shares pay only servicing fees. Class C and Class R shares pay both distribution and servicing fees. The following lists the maximum annual rates at which the distribution and/or servicing fees may be paid under each 12b-1 Plan (calculated as a percentage of each Fund's average daily net assets attributable to the particular class of shares):

Class A

Servicing Fee

Distribution Fee

PIMCO Government Money Market Fund

0.10%

0.00%

All other Funds

0.25%

0.00%

 

Class C

Servicing Fee

Distribution Fee

PIMCO Government Money Market Fund

0.10%

0.00%

 

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Class C

Servicing Fee

Distribution Fee

PIMCO Low Duration Fund

0.25%

0.30%

PIMCO Short Asset Investment Fund

0.25%

0.30%

PIMCO Short-Term Fund

0.25%

0.30%

All other Funds

0.25%

0.75%

 

Class R

Servicing Fee

Distribution Fee

PIMCO Government Money Market Fund

0.10%

0.00%

All other Funds

0.25%

0.25%

Because distribution fees are paid out of the Fund's assets on an ongoing basis, over time these fees will increase the cost of your investment and may cost you more than other types of sales charges, such as sales charges that are deducted at the time of investment. Therefore, although Class C and Class R shares do not pay initial sales charges, the distribution fees payable on Class C and Class R shares may, over time, cost you more than the initial sales charge imposed on Class A shares. 

Administrative Class Shares. The Trust has adopted, pursuant to Rule 12b-1 under the 1940 Act, a separate Distribution and Servicing Plan for the Administrative Class shares of the Funds. The Distribution and Servicing Plan permits the Funds to compensate the Distributor for providing or procuring through financial firms, distribution, administrative, recordkeeping, shareholder and/or related services with respect to the Administrative Class shares. Most or all of the distribution and service (12b-1) fees are paid to financial firms through which shareholders may purchase or hold shares. Because these fees are paid out of a Fund's Administrative Class assets on an ongoing basis, over time they will increase the cost of an investment in Administrative Class shares.

With respect to the PIMCO Government Money Market Fund only, the Trust has suspended payment of any distribution and/or service (12b-1) fees at this time. The payment of distribution and/or service (12b-1) fees may only be resumed at such time as the Board of Trustees determines that it is in the best interests of Fund shareholders to do so.

The following lists the maximum annual rates at which the distribution and/or servicing fees may be paid under each Distribution and Servicing Plan (calculated as a percentage of each Fund's average daily net assets attributable to the particular class of shares):

Administrative Class

Distribution and/or Servicing Fee

PIMCO Government Money Market Fund

0.10%

All other Funds

0.25%

Servicing Arrangements

Shares of the Funds may be available through broker-dealers, banks, trust companies, insurance companies and other financial firms that have entered into shareholder servicing arrangements with respect to the Funds. A financial firm is one that, in exchange for compensation, sells, among other products, mutual fund shares (including the shares offered in this prospectus) or provides services for mutual fund shareholders. These financial firms provide varying investment products, programs, platforms and accounts, through which investors may purchase, redeem and exchange shares of the Funds. Shareholder servicing arrangements typically include processing orders for shares, generating account and confirmation statements, sub-accounting, account maintenance, tax reporting, collecting and posting distributions to investor accounts and disbursing cash dividends as well as other investment or administrative services required for the particular firm's products, programs, platform and accounts.

PIMCO and/or its affiliates may make payments to financial firms for the shareholder services provided. These payments are made out of PIMCO's resources, including the supervisory and administrative fees paid to PIMCO under the Funds' supervision and administration agreement. The actual services provided by these firms, and the payments made for such services, vary from firm to firm. The payments may be based on a fixed dollar amount for each account and position maintained by the financial firm and/or a percentage of the value of shares held by investors through the firm. Please see the SAI for more information.

These payments may be material to financial firms relative to other compensation paid by the Funds, PIMCO and/or its affiliates and may be in addition to other fees and payments, such as distribution and/or service (12b-1) fees, revenue sharing or "shelf space" fees and event support, other non-cash compensation and charitable contributions paid to or at the request of such firms (described below). Also, the payments may differ depending on the Fund or share class and may vary from amounts paid to the Funds' transfer agent for providing similar services to other accounts. PIMCO and/or its affiliates do not control these financial firms' provision of the services for which they are receiving payments.

These financial firms may impose additional or different conditions than the Funds on purchases, redemptions or exchanges of shares. They may also independently establish and charge their customers or program participants transaction fees, account fees and other amounts in connection with purchases, redemptions and exchanges of shares in addition to any fees imposed by the Funds. These additional fees may vary and over time could increase the cost of an investment in the Funds and lower investment returns. Each financial firm is responsible for transmitting to its customers and program participants a schedule of any such fees and information regarding any additional or different conditions regarding purchases, redemptions and exchanges. Shareholders who are customers of these financial firms or participants in programs serviced by them should contact the financial firm for information regarding these fees and conditions.

Other Payments to Financial Firms

Some or all of the sales charges, distribution fees and servicing fees described above are paid or "reallowed" to the financial firm, including their financial advisors through which you purchase your shares. With respect to Class C shares, the financial firms are also paid at the time of your purchase a commission of up to 1.00% of your investment in such share class. Please see the SAI for more details.

The Distributor or PIMCO (for purposes of this subsection only, collectively, the "Distributor") may from time to time make payments and provide other incentives to selected financial firms as compensation for services such as providing the Funds with "shelf space" or a higher profile for the financial firms' financial advisors and their customers, placing the Funds on the financial firms' preferred or recommended fund list, granting the Distributor access to the firms' financial advisors and furnishing marketing support and

 

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other specified services. These payments may be significant to the financial firms.

A number of factors will be considered in determining the amount of these payments to financial firms. On some occasions, such payments may be conditioned upon levels of sales, including the sale of a specified minimum dollar amount of the shares of the Funds, other funds sponsored by the Distributor and/or a particular class of shares, during a specified period of time. The Distributor may also make payments to one or more financial firms based upon factors such as the amount of assets a financial firm's clients have invested in the Funds and the quality of the financial firm's relationship with the Distributor.

The additional payments described above are made from the Distributor's or PIMCO's (or their affiliates') own assets (and sometimes, therefore referred to as "revenue sharing") pursuant to agreements with broker-dealers or other financial firms and do not change the price paid by investors for the purchase of a Fund's shares or the amount a Fund will receive as proceeds from such sales. These payments may be made to financial firms (as selected by the Distributor) that have sold significant amounts of shares of the Funds. With respect to Class A, C and R shares, except as described in the following paragraph, the level of payments made to a financial firm in any future year will vary and generally will not exceed the sum of: (a) 0.10% of such year's sales of Class A, C and R shares of funds of the Trust and PIMCO Equity Series by such financial firm; and (b) 0.03% of the assets attributable to that financial firm invested in Class A, C  and R shares of funds of the Trust and PIMCO Equity Series (the "10/3 cap"). In certain cases, the payments described in the preceding sentence are subject to certain minimum payment levels. In lieu of payments pursuant to the foregoing formula, the Distributor, PIMCO or their affiliates may make payments of an agreed upon amount which generally will not exceed the amount that would have been payable pursuant to the formula. With respect to Class M shares, the level of payments made to a financial firm in any future year will vary.

Financial firms with a combined AUM in excess of $10 Billion in Class A, C and I-2 shares of funds of the Trust and PIMCO Equity Series (for purposes of this paragraph, "Eligible Firms") may be eligible for marketing support payments beyond those described in the preceding paragraph on certain Eligible Assets (as defined below). The total payment to any Eligible Firm generally shall not exceed the greater of: (a) 0.05% of the combined Eligible Assets of Class A, C and I-2 shares of funds of the Trust and PIMCO Equity Series; or (b) the 10/3 cap with respect to Class A and Class C shares only. Should any Eligible Firm choose not to collect marketing support on I-2 shares, the total payment to such Eligible Firm generally shall not exceed the greater of: (x) 0.05% of Eligible Assets of Class A and C shares of funds of the Trust and PIMCO Equity Series; or (y) the 10/3 cap with respect to Class A and Class C shares only. With respect to the Eligible Firms receiving marketing support payments with respect to I-2 Shares pursuant to this paragraph, payments may be lower for particular funds of the Trust or PIMCO Equity Series as compared to other funds of the Trust or PIMCO Equity Series. "Eligible Assets" for purposes of this paragraph shall include all assets of Class A, C and I-2 shares of funds of the Trust and PIMCO Equity Series attributable to such Eligible Firm except advisory account assets held through a corporate retirement plan governed by the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974, Simplified Employee Pension Individual Retirement Accounts and Savings Incentive Match Plans for Individual Retirement Accounts.

Payments for marketing support may also include payments to financial firms in connection with the marketing and sale of model portfolios
developed by PIMCO. Such payments may relate to assets under management or sales of any share class of the Funds in such PIMCO-developed models.

In addition to the foregoing payments, the Distributor or its employees and representatives may make payments or reimburse financial firms for sponsorship and/or attendance at conferences, seminars or informational meetings ("event support"), provide financial firms or their personnel with occasional tickets to events or other entertainment, meals, and small gifts ("other non-cash compensation"), make charitable contributions to valid charitable organizations at the request of financial firms ("charitable contributions") and make financial contributions pertaining to sales incentives and contests, each to the extent permitted by applicable law, rules and regulations.

In addition, wholesaler representatives of the Distributor visit financial firms on a regular basis to market and educate financial advisors and other personnel about the Funds. These payments, reimbursements and activities may provide additional access to financial advisors at these financial firms, which may increase purchases and/or reduce redemptions of Fund shares.

The Distributor also may pay financial firms for certain services including technology, operations, tax, or audit consulting services, and may pay such firms for the Distributor's attendance at investment forums sponsored by such firms or for various studies, surveys, or access to databases. Subject to applicable law, PIMCO and its affiliates may also provide investment advisory services to financial firms and may execute brokerage transactions on behalf of the Funds with such financial firms. These financial firms may, in the ordinary course of their business, recommend that their clients utilize PIMCO's investment advisory services or invest in the Funds or in other products sponsored or distributed by the Distributor.

If investment advisers, distributors or affiliates of mutual funds make payments and provide other incentives in differing amounts, financial firms and their financial advisors may have financial incentives for recommending a particular mutual fund over other mutual funds. In addition, depending on the arrangements in place at any particular time, a financial firm and its financial advisors may also have a financial incentive for recommending a particular share class over other share classes. A shareholder who holds Fund shares through a financial firm should consult with the shareholder's financial advisor and review carefully any disclosure by the financial firm as to its compensation received by the financial advisor.

Although the Funds may use financial firms that sell Fund shares to effect transactions for the Funds' portfolios, the Funds and PIMCO will not consider the sale of Fund shares as a factor when choosing financial firms to effect those transactions.

For further details about payments made by the Distributor to financial firms, please see the SAI.

 

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Purchases, Redemptions and Exchanges

The following section provides basic information about how to purchase, redeem and exchange shares of the Funds.

More detailed information about purchase, redemption and exchange arrangements for Fund shares is provided in the SAI, which can be obtained free of charge by written request to the Funds at P.O. Box 55060, Boston, MA 02205-5060, visiting pimco.com or by calling 888.87.PIMCO. The SAI provides technical information about the basic arrangements described below and also describes special purchase, sale and exchange features and programs offered by the Trust, including:

Automated telephone and wire transfer procedures

Automatic purchase, exchange and withdrawal programs

A link from your PIMCO Fund account to your bank account

Special arrangements for tax-qualified retirement plans

Investment programs which allow you to reduce or eliminate the initial sales charges

Categories of investors that are eligible for waivers or reductions of initial sales charges and CDSCs

In addition to the other methods and notwithstanding any limitations described herein, shareholders with eligible Fund direct accounts may purchase Class A and Class C shares, and redeem (sell) and exchange Class A and Class C shares, by accessing their accounts online at pimco.com/MyAccountAccess.  Shareholders with eligible Fund direct accounts in the Institutional class may purchase, redeem (sell) and exchange shares by accessing their accounts online at pimco.com/InstitutionalAccountAccess. Accordingly, an investor must first establish a Fund direct account by completing and mailing the appropriate account application. Online redemptions are not available for all Fund direct accounts because in certain cases, a signature guarantee may be required.

If a shareholder elects to use Account Access to effect transactions for their Fund direct account, the shareholder will be required to establish and use a user ID and password. Shareholders are responsible for keeping their user IDs and passwords private. A Fund will not be liable for relying on any instructions submitted online. Submitting transactions online may be difficult (or impossible) during drastic economic or market changes or during other times when communications may be under unusual stress. Please see the Funds' SAI for additional terms, conditions and considerations.

If a shareholder elects not to use Account Access to view their account or effect transactions, the shareholder should not establish online account access.  If online account access has already been established and the client no longer wants the account accessible online, the client can call 888.87.PIMCO and request to suspend online access.

The Trust typically does not offer or sell its shares to non-U.S. residents. For purposes of this policy, a U.S. resident is defined as an account with (i) a U.S. address of record and (ii) all account owners residing in the U.S. at the time of sale.

The minimum initial investment may be modified for certain financial firms that submit orders on behalf of their customers. The Trust or the Distributor may lower or waive the minimum initial or subsequent investment for certain categories of investors at their discretion. Please see the SAI for details.

Purchasing Shares — Class A and Class C

You can purchase Class A or Class C shares of the Funds in the following ways:

Through your broker-dealer or other financial firm. Your broker-dealer or other financial firm may establish higher minimum investment requirements than the Trust and may also independently charge you transaction fees and additional amounts (which may vary) in return for its services, which will reduce your return. Shares you purchase through your broker-dealer or other financial firm will normally be held in your account with that firm.

Through the Distributor. You should discuss your investment with your financial advisor before you make a purchase to be sure the Fund is appropriate for you. To make direct investments, you must open an account with the Trust and send payment for your shares either by mail or through a variety of other purchase options and plans offered by the Trust. If you do not list a financial advisor and his/her brokerage firm on the Account Application, the Distributor is designated as the broker of record, but solely for purposes of acting as your agent to purchase shares.

Investment Minimums — Class A and Class C Shares. The following investment minimums apply for purchases of Class A and Class C shares.

Purchasing Shares — Class R

Eligible plan investors may purchase Class R shares of the Funds at the relevant NAV of that class without a sales charge. See "No Sales Charges — Class R Shares" above. Plan participants may purchase Class R shares only through their specified benefit plans. In connection with purchases, specified benefit plans are responsible for forwarding all necessary documentation to their financial firm or the Distributor. Specified benefit plans and financial firms may charge for such services.

Specified benefit plans may also purchase Class R shares directly through the Distributor. To make direct investments, a plan administrator must open an account with the Fund and send payment for Class R shares either by mail or through a variety of other purchase options and plans offered by the Trust. Specified benefit plans that purchase their shares directly from the Trust must hold their shares in an omnibus account at the specified benefit plan level.

Investment Minimums — Class R Shares. There is no minimum initial or additional investment in Class R shares.

To invest directly by mail, specified benefit plans should send a check payable to the PIMCO Family of Funds, along with a completed Account Application to the Trust by mail to PIMCO Funds, P.O. Box 55060, Boston, MA 02205-5060 or overnight courier to PIMCO Funds, c/o DST Asset Manager Solutions, Inc., 30 Dan Road, Canton, MA 02021-2809.

 

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The Funds accept all purchases by mail subject to collection of checks at full value and conversion into federal funds. Investors may make subsequent purchases by mailing a check to the address above with a letter describing the investment or with the additional investment portion of a confirmation statement. Checks for subsequent purchases should be payable to the PIMCO Family of Funds and should clearly indicate the relevant account number. Please call the Funds at 888.87.PIMCO if you have any questions regarding purchases by mail.

The Funds reserve the right to require payment by wire, Automatic Clearing House (ACH) or U.S. bank check. The Funds generally do not accept payments made by cash, money order, temporary/starter checks, third-party checks, credit card checks, traveler's check, or checks drawn on non-U.S. banks even if payment may be effected through a U.S. bank.

The SAI describes a number of additional ways you can make direct investments, including through the PIMCO Funds Automatic Investment Plan and ACH Network. You can obtain the SAI free of charge from the Funds by written request to the address above, visiting pimco.com or by calling 888.87.PIMCO.

Purchasing Shares — Institutional Class, Class M, I-2, I-3 and Administrative Class

Eligible investors may purchase Institutional Class, Class M, I-2 and Administrative Class shares of the Funds at the relevant NAV of that class without a sales charge. See "No Sales Charges — Institutional Class, Class M, I-2 and Admininstrative Class Shares" above.

Investment Minimums — Institutional Class, Class M, I-2 and Administrative Class Shares. The following investment minimums apply for purchases of Institutional Class, Class M, I-2 and Administrative Class shares.

Initial Investment. Investors who wish to invest in Institutional Class and Administrative Class shares may obtain an Account Application online at pimco.com/investments or by calling 888.87.PIMCO. I-2 shares are only available through financial firms. See "No Sales Charges — Institutional Class, Class M, I-2 and Administrative Class Shares." The completed Account Application may be submitted using the following methods:

Facsimile: 816.421.2861

Regular Mail:
    PIMCO Funds
    c/o DST Asset Manager Solutions
    330 W. 9th Street
    Kansas City, MO 64105

E-mail: piprocess@dstsystems.com

Except as described below, an investor may purchase Institutional Class, Class M and Administrative Class shares only by wiring federal funds to:

PIMCO Funds c/o State Street Bank & Trust Co.
One Lincoln Street, Boston, MA 02111
ABA: 011000028
DDA: 9905-7432
ACCT: Investor PIMCO Account Number
FFC: Name of Investor and Name of Fund(s) in which you wish to invest

Before wiring federal funds, the investor must provide order instructions to the Transfer Agent by facsimile at 816.421.2861, by telephone at 888.87.PIMCO or by e-mail at piprocess@dstsystems.com  (if an investor elected this option at account opening or subsequently in writing). In order to receive the current day's NAV, order instructions must be received in good order prior to market close. Instructions must include the name and signature of an authorized person designated on the Account Application ("Authorized Person"), account name, account number, name of Fund and share class and amount being wired. Wires received without order instructions may result in a processing delay or a return of wire. Failure to send the accompanying wire on the same day may result in the cancellation of the order.

An investor may place a purchase order for shares without first wiring federal funds if the purchase amount is to be derived from an advisory account managed by PIMCO or one of its affiliates, or from an account with a broker-dealer or other financial firm that has established a processing relationship with the Trust on behalf of its customers.

Additional Investments. An investor may purchase additional Institutional Class and Administrative Class shares of the Funds at any time by sending a facsimile or e-mail or by calling the Transfer Agent and wiring federal funds as outlined above. Eligible Institutional Class shareholders may also purchase additional shares online at pimco.com/InstitutionalAccountAccess. Contact your financial firm for information on purchasing additional Class M and I-2 shares. 

Other Purchase Information. Purchases of a Fund's Institutional Class, Class M, I-2 and Administrative Class shares will be made in full and fractional shares.

Purchasing Shares — Additional Information

The Trust and the Distributor each reserves the right, in its sole discretion, to suspend the offering of shares of the Funds or to reject any purchase order, in whole or in part, when, in the judgment of management, such suspension or rejection is in the best interests of the Trust.

Subject to the approval of the Trust, an investor may purchase shares of the Fund with liquid securities that are eligible for purchase by the Fund (consistent with the Fund's investment policies and restrictions) and that have a value that is readily ascertainable in accordance with the Trust's valuation policies. These transactions will be effected only if PIMCO intends to retain the security in the Fund as an investment. Assets purchased by the Fund in such a transaction will be valued in generally the same manner as they would be valued for purposes of pricing the Fund's shares, if such assets were included in the Fund's assets at the time of purchase. The Trust reserves the right to amend or terminate this practice at any time.

In the interest of economy and convenience, certificates for shares will not be issued.

 

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Redeeming Shares — Class A and Class C

You can redeem (sell) Class A or Class C shares of the Funds in the following ways: 

Through your broker-dealer or other financial firm. Your broker-dealer or other financial firm may independently charge you transaction fees and additional amounts in return for its services, which will reduce your return.

Redemptions by Telephone. An investor that elects this option on the Account Application (or subsequently in writing) may request redemptions of Class A and Class C shares by calling the Trust at 888.87.PIMCO. An Authorized Person must state his or her name, account name, account number, name of Fund and share class, and redemption amount (in dollars or shares). Redemption requests of an amount of $10 million or more must be submitted in writing by an Authorized Person. The Fund reserves the right to accept redemptions of $10 million or more via telephone for the PIMCO Government Money Market Fund.

Directly from the Trust by Written Request. To redeem shares directly from the Trust by written request, you must send the following items to the PIMCO Funds, P.O. Box 55060, Boston, MA 02205-5060:

i.

a written request for redemption signed by all registered owners exactly as the account is registered on the Transfer Agent's records, including fiduciary titles, if any, and specifying the account number and the dollar amount or number of shares to be redeemed;

ii.

for certain redemptions described below, a guarantee of all signatures on the written request or on the share certificate or accompanying stock power, if required, as described under "Signature Validation" below;

iii.

any share certificates issued for any of the shares to be redeemed (see "Certificated Shares" below); and

iv.

any additional documents which may be required by the Transfer Agent for redemption by corporations, partnerships or other organizations, executors, administrators, trustees, custodians or guardians, or if the redemption is requested by anyone other than the shareholder(s) of record. Transfers of shares are subject to the same requirements.

A signature validation is not required for redemptions requested by and payable to all shareholders of record for the account, and to be sent to the address of record for that account. To avoid delay in redemption or transfer, if you have any questions about these requirements you should contact the Transfer Agent in writing or call 888.87.PIMCO before submitting a request. Written redemption or transfer requests will not be honored until all required documents in the proper form have been received by the Transfer Agent. You cannot redeem your shares by written request if they are held in "street name" accounts—you must redeem through your financial firm.

If the proceeds of your redemption (i) are to be paid to a person other than the record owner, (ii) are to be sent to an address other than the address of the account on the Transfer Agent's records, and/or (iii) are to be paid to a corporation, partnership, trust or fiduciary, the signature(s) on the redemption request and on the certificates, if any, or stock power must be guaranteed as described under "Signature Validation" below.

The SAI describes a number of additional ways you can redeem your shares, including: 

Telephone requests to the Transfer Agent

Online Account Access

Expedited wire transfers 

Automatic Withdrawal Plan 

Automated Clearing House (ACH) Network

Unless you specifically elect otherwise, your initial Account Application permits you to redeem shares by telephone subject to certain requirements. To be eligible for expedited wire transfer, Automatic Withdrawal Plan, and ACH privileges, you must specifically elect the particular option on your Account Application and satisfy certain other requirements. The SAI describes each of these options and provides additional information about selling shares.

Other than an applicable CDSC, you will not pay any special fees or charges to the Trust or the Distributor when you sell your shares. However, if you sell your shares through your broker, dealer or other financial firm, that firm may charge you a commission or other fee for processing your redemption request.

Redeeming Shares — Class R

Class R shares may be redeemed through the investor's plan administrator. Investors do not pay any fees or other charges to the Trust when selling shares, although specified benefit plans and financial firms may charge for their services in processing redemption requests. Please contact the plan or firm for details.

Subject to any restrictions in the applicable specified benefit plan documents, plan administrators are obligated to transmit redemption orders to the Trust's Transfer Agent or their financial service firm promptly and are responsible for ensuring that redemption requests are in proper form. Specified benefit plans and financial firms will be responsible for furnishing all necessary documentation to the Trust's Transfer Agent and may charge for their services.

Redeeming Shares — Institutional Class, Class M and Administrative Class

Redemptions in Writing. Investors may redeem (sell) Institutional Class and Administrative Class shares by sending a facsimile, written request or e-mail as follows:

Facsimile: 816.421.2861

Regular Mail:
    PIMCO Funds
    c/o DST Asset Manager Solutions
    330 W. 9th Street
    Kansas City, MO 64105

E-mail: piprocess@dstsystems.com

The redemption request should state the Fund from which the shares are to be redeemed, the class of shares, the number or dollar amount of the shares to be redeemed and the account number. The request must be

 

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signed or made by an Authorized Person. Contact your financial firm for information on redeeming Class M shares.

Neither the Trust nor the Transfer Agent may be liable for any loss, cost or expense for acting on instructions (including those by fax or e-mail) believed by the party receiving such instructions to be genuine and in accordance with the procedures described in this prospectus. Shareholders should realize that by utilizing fax or e-mail redemption, they may be giving up a measure of security that they might have if they were to redeem their shares by mail. Furthermore, interruptions in service may mean that a shareholder will be unable to effect a redemption by fax or e-mail when desired. The Transfer Agent also provides written confirmation of transactions as a procedure designed to confirm that instructions are genuine.

All redemptions, whether initiated by mail, fax or e-mail, will be processed in a timely manner, and proceeds will be forwarded by wire in accordance with the redemption policies of the Trust detailed below. See "Redeeming Shares — Additional Information."

Redemptions by Telephone. An investor that elects this option on the Account Application (or subsequently in writing) may request redemptions of Institutional Class and Administrative Class shares by calling the Trust at 888.87.PIMCO. An Authorized Person must state his or her name, account name, account number, name of Fund and share class, and redemption amount (in dollars or shares). Redemption requests of an amount of $10 million or more must be submitted in writing by an Authorized Person. The Fund reserves the right to accept redemptions of $10 million or more via telephone for the PIMCO Government Money Market Fund.

In electing a telephone redemption, the investor authorizes PIMCO and the Transfer Agent to act on telephone instructions from any person representing him or herself to be an Authorized Person, and reasonably believed by PIMCO or the Transfer Agent to be genuine. Neither the Trust nor the Transfer Agent may be liable for any loss, cost or expense for acting on instructions (including by telephone) believed by the party receiving such instructions to be genuine and in accordance with the procedures described in this prospectus. Shareholders should realize that by electing the telephone option, they may be giving up a measure of security that they might have if they were to redeem their shares in writing. Furthermore, interruptions in service may mean that shareholders will be unable to redeem their shares by telephone when desired. The Transfer Agent also provides written confirmation of transactions initiated by telephone as a procedure designed to confirm that telephone instructions are genuine. All telephone transactions are recorded, and PIMCO or the Transfer Agent may request certain information in order to verify that the person giving instructions is authorized to do so. The Trust or Transfer Agent may be liable for any losses due to unauthorized or fraudulent telephone transactions if it fails to employ reasonable procedures to confirm that instructions communicated by telephone are genuine. All redemptions initiated by telephone will be processed in a timely manner, and proceeds will be forwarded by wire in accordance with the redemption policies of the Trust detailed below. See "Redeeming Shares — Additional Information."

An Authorized Person may decline telephone exchange or redemption privileges after an account is opened by providing the Transfer Agent a letter of instruction signed by an Authorized Signer. Shareholders may experience delays in exercising telephone redemption privileges during periods of abnormal market activity. During periods of volatile economic or market conditions, shareholders may wish to consider transmitting redemption orders by facsimile, e-mail or overnight courier.

Defined contribution plan participants may request redemptions by contacting the employee benefits office, the plan administrator or the organization that provides recordkeeping services for the plan.

Redemptions Online

An investor may redeem Institutional Class shares through their account online. To access your online account, please log onto pimco.com/InstitutionalAccountAccess and enter your account information and personal identification data.

Redeeming Shares — I-2 and I-3

An investor may redeem (sell) I-2 or I-3 shares through the investor's financial firm.  Investors do not pay any fees or other charges to the Trust when selling I-2 or I-3 shares.  Please contact the financial firm for details.

A financial firm is obligated to transmit an investor's redemption orders to the Transfer Agent promptly and is responsible for ensuring that a redemption request is in proper form. The financial firm will be responsible for furnishing all necessary documentation to the Transfer Agent and may charge for its services.

Redeeming Shares — Additional Information

Redemptions of all Classes of Fund shares may be made on any day the New York Stock Exchange ("NYSE") is open, but may be suspended when trading on the NYSE is restricted or during an emergency which makes it impracticable for the Funds to dispose of their securities or to determine fairly the value of their net assets, or during any other period as permitted by the SEC for the protection of investors. Under these and other unusual circumstances, the Trust may suspend redemptions or postpone payment for more than seven days, as permitted by law.

Following the receipt of a redemption request, redemption proceeds will normally be mailed to the redeeming shareholder within three calendar days or, in the case of wire transfer or ACH redemptions, will normally be sent to the designated bank account within one business day (except for the PIMCO Government Money Market Fund). Institutional Class shareholders may only receive redemption proceeds via wire transfer or ACH redemptions. ACH redemptions may be received by the bank on the second or third business day following a redemption request, but in either case may take up to seven days. In cases where shares have recently been purchased by personal check (Class A, Class C or Class R shareholders only), redemption proceeds may be withheld until the check has been collected, which may take up to 10 calendar days. To avoid such withholding, investors in Class A, Class C or Class R shares should purchase shares by certified or bank check or by wire transfer.

With respect to redemptions by wire from the PIMCO Government Money Market Fund, subject to the restrictions on order effectiveness set forth below in the section titled "Accepting and Timing of Purchase Orders, Redemption Orders and Share Price Calculations," redemption proceeds will

 

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normally be wired to the redeeming shareholder on the same business day that the redemption request is received, if the redemption order is accepted by the Fund or its designee prior to the close of regular trading on the NYSE (normally 4:00 pm Eastern time) ("NYSE Close") on a day the Fund is open for business. In such case, redemption proceeds will normally be paid by the close of the Federal Reserve wire transfer system (normally, 6:00 p.m., Eastern time).

For shareholder protection, a request to change information contained in an account registration (for example, a request to change the bank designated to receive wire redemption proceeds) must be received in writing, signed by the minimum number of Authorized Persons designated on the completed Account Application that are required to effect a redemption, and accompanied by a signature validation, as determined in accordance with the Trust's procedures, as more fully described below.

Retirement plan sponsors, participant recordkeeping organizations and other financial firms may also impose their own restrictions, limitations or fees in connection with transactions in the Funds' shares, which may be stricter than those described in this section. You should contact your plan sponsor, recordkeeper or financial intermediary for more information on any additional restrictions, limitations or fees that are imposed in connection with transactions in Fund shares.

Although the Board of Trustees has not elected to subject the PIMCO Government Money Market Fund to a "liquidity fee" and/or "redemption gate" that would temporarily restrict redemptions from the Fund, it reserves the right to do so in the future after providing at least sixty days' prior notice to shareholders. For additional information on liquidity fees and redemption gates, please see "Investment Objectives and Policies—Government Intervention in Financial Markets" in the SAI.

In order to meet redemption requests, the Funds typically expect to use a combination of sales of portfolio assets, holdings of cash and cash equivalents (including cash flows into Funds) and financing transactions (such as reverse repurchase agreements).These methods of meeting redemption requests are expected to be used regularly. The Funds reserve the right to use other types of borrowings and interfund lending.The use of borrowings (such as a line of credit) and interfund lending in order to meet redemption requests is typically expected to be used only during stressed market conditions, if at all. See "Characteristics and Risks of Securities and Investment Techniques—Reverse Repurchase Agreements, Dollar Rolls and Other Borrowings" and the SAI for more information. The Funds' use of redemptions in kind is discussed below.

Redemptions In Kind

The Trust has agreed to redeem shares of each Fund solely in cash up to the lesser of $250,000 or 1% of the Fund's net assets during any 90-day period for any one shareholder. In consideration of the best interests of the remaining shareholders, the Trust may pay any redemption proceeds exceeding this amount in whole or in part by a distribution in kind of securities held by a Fund in lieu of cash. It is highly unlikely that your shares would ever be redeemed in kind. If your shares are redeemed in kind, you should expect to incur transaction costs upon the disposition of the securities received in the distribution.

Certificated Shares

If you are redeeming shares for which certificates have been issued, the certificates must be mailed to or deposited with the Trust, duly endorsed or accompanied by a duly endorsed stock power or by a written request for redemption. Signatures must be guaranteed as described under "Signature Validation" below. The Trust may request further documentation from institutions or fiduciary accounts, such as corporations, custodians (e.g., under the Uniform Gifts to Minors Act), executors, administrators, trustees or guardians. Your redemption request and stock power must be signed exactly as the account is registered, including indication of any special capacity of the registered owner.

Signature Validation

When a signature validation is called for, a Medallion signature guarantee or Signature validation program (SVP) stamp may be required. A Medallion signature guarantee is intended to provide signature validation for transactions considered financial in nature, and an SVP stamp is intended to provide signature validation for transactions non-financial in nature. In certain situations, a notarized signature may be used instead of a Medallion signature guarantee or an SVP stamp. A Medallion signature guarantee or
SVP stamp may be obtained from a domestic bank or trust company, broker, dealer, clearing agency, savings association or other financial institution which is participating in a Medallion program or Signature validation program recognized by the Securities Transfer Association. When a Medallion signature guarantee or SVP stamp is required, signature validations from financial institutions which are not participating in one of
these programs will not be accepted. Please note that financial institutions participating in a recognized Medallion program may still be ineligible to provide a signature validation for transactions of greater than a specified dollar amount. The Trust may change the signature validation requirements from time to time upon notice to shareholders, which may be given by means of a new or supplemented prospectus. Shareholders should contact the Transfer Agent for additional details regarding the Funds' signature validation requirements.

In addition, corporations, trusts, and other institutional organizations are required to furnish evidence of the authority of the persons designated on the Account Application to effect transactions for the organization.

Minimum Account Size

Due to the relatively high cost of maintaining small accounts, the Trust reserves the right to redeem shares in any account that falls below the values listed below. 

Class A, Class C and Class R. Investors should maintain an account balance in the Fund held by an investor of at least the minimum investment necessary to open the particular type of account. If an investor's balance for the Fund remains below the minimum for three months or longer, the Administrator has the right (except in the case of employer-sponsored retirement accounts) to redeem an investor's remaining shares and close the Fund account after giving the investor 60 days to increase the account balance. An investor's account will not be liquidated if the reduction in size is due solely to a decline in market value of Fund shares or if the aggregate

 

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value of all the investor's holdings in the Trust and PIMCO Equity Series accounts exceeds $50,000.

Institutional Class, Class M and Administrative Class. The Trust reserves the right to redeem Institutional Class, Class M and Administrative Class shares in any account for their then-current value (which will be promptly paid to the investor) if at any time, due to redemption by the investor, the shares in the account do not have a value of at least $100,000. A shareholder will receive advance notice of a mandatory redemption and will be given at least 60 days to bring the value of its account up to at least $100,000.

Request for Multiple Copies of Shareholder Documents

To reduce expenses, it is intended that only one copy of the Funds' prospectus and each annual and semi-annual report, when available, will be mailed to those addresses shared by two or more accounts. If you wish to receive individual copies of these documents and your shares are held directly with the Trust, call the Trust at 888.87.PIMCO. You will receive the additional copy within 30 days after receipt of your request by the Trust. Alternatively, if your shares are held through a financial institution, please contact the financial institution directly.

Exchanging Shares

You may exchange shares of a Fund for the same class of shares of any other fund of the Trust or a fund of PIMCO Equity Series that offers the same class of shares, subject to any restriction on exchanges set forth in the applicable Fund's prospectus. You may also exchange Class M shares of a Fund for Institutional Class shares of any other fund of the Trust or a fund of PIMCO Equity Series, subject to any restriction on exchanges set forth in the applicable Fund's prospectus. Requests to exchange shares of the PIMCO Government Money Market Fund for shares of other funds of the Trust, PIMCO Equity Series received after 4:00 p.m., Eastern time, will be effected at the next day's NAV for those funds. Shareholders interested in such an exchange may request a prospectus for these other funds by contacting the Trust.

Exchanges of Class A and Class C shares are subject to an initial $1,000 minimum (and subsequent $50 minimum) for each Fund, except with respect to tax-qualified programs and exchanges effected through the PIMCO Funds Automatic Exchange Plan. Specified benefit plans or financial service firms may impose various fees and charges, investment minimums and other requirements with respect to exchanges of Class R shares.

An exchange is generally a taxable event which will generate capital gains or losses, and special rules may apply in computing tax basis when determining gain or loss. See "Tax Consequences" in this prospectus and "Taxation" in the SAI.

Eligible investors who maintain their account directly with the Funds may submit a request to exchange Fund shares by accessing their account online.  Eligible direct investors in Class A and Class C shares may access their online account via pimco.com/MyAccountAccess.  Eligible direct investors in Institutional shares may access their online account via pimco.com/InstitutionalAccountAccess.

If you maintain your Class A, Class C or Class R account with the Trust, you may exchange shares by completing a written exchange request and sending it to PIMCO Funds, P.O. Box 55060, Boston, MA 02205-5060 or by calling the Funds at 888.87.PIMCO. Exchanges of an amount of $10 million or more must be submitted in writing by an Authorized Person. The Fund reserves the right to accept exchanges from the PIMCO Government Money Market Fund of $10 million or more via telephone. If you maintain your Institutional Class, Class M, I-2 or Administrative Class shares with the Trust, you may exchange shares by following the redemption procedures for those classes above. If you maintain Class A, Class C, Class R, Institutional Class, Class M, I-2, I-3 or Administrative Class shares through an intermediary, please contact the intermediary to conduct your transactions.

Shares of one class of a Fund may also be exchanged directly for shares of another class of the Fund, subject to any applicable sales charge and other rules, as described in the SAI. 

The Trust reserves the right to refuse exchange purchases (or purchase and redemption and/or redemption and purchase transactions) if, in the judgment of PIMCO, the transaction would adversely affect a Fund and its shareholders. Although the Trust has no current intention of terminating or modifying the exchange privilege, it reserves the right to do so at any time. Except as otherwise permitted by the SEC, the Trust will give you 60 days' advance notice if it exercises its right to terminate or materially modify the exchange privilege with respect to Class A, Class C and Class R shares.

The SAI provides more detailed information about the exchange privilege, including the procedures you must follow and additional exchange options. You can obtain the SAI free of charge from the Funds by written request to the address above, by visiting pimco.com or by calling 888.87.PIMCO.

Acceptance and Timing of Purchase Orders, Redemption Orders and Share Price Calculations

Except for the PIMCO Government Money Market Fund, a purchase order received by the Trust or its designee prior to the NYSE Close, on a day the Trust is open for business, together with payment made in one of the ways described above will be effected at that day's NAV plus any applicable sales charge. An order received after the close of regular trading on the NYSE will be effected at the NAV determined on the next business day. However, orders received by certain retirement plans and other financial firms on a business day prior to the close of regular trading on the NYSE and communicated to the Trust or its designee prior to such time as agreed upon by the Trust and financial firm will be effected at the NAV determined on the business day the order was received by the financial firm. The Trust is "open for business" on each day the NYSE is open for trading, which excludes the following holidays: New Year's Day, Martin Luther King, Jr. Day, Presidents' Day, Good Friday, Memorial Day, Independence Day, Labor Day, Thanksgiving Day and Christmas Day. If the NYSE is closed due to weather or other extenuating circumstances on a day it would typically be open for business, the Trust reserves the right to treat such day as a Business Day and accept purchase and redemption orders and calculate a Fund's NAV, in accordance with applicable law. A Fund reserves the right to close if the primary trading markets of the Fund's portfolio instruments are closed and the Fund's management believes that there is not an adequate market to meet purchase, redemption or exchange requests. On any business day

 

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when the Securities Industry and Financial Markets Association ("SIFMA") recommends that the securities markets close trading early, each Fund may close trading early. Purchase orders will be accepted only on days which the Trust is open for business.

With respect to the PIMCO Government Money Market Fund, a purchase order received by the Fund or its designee prior to 5:30 p.m., Eastern time (or an earlier time if the Fund closes early), on a day the Fund is open for business, together with payment made in one of the ways described above, will be effected at that day's NAV plus any applicable sales charge. An order received after 5:30 p.m., Eastern time, will be effected at the NAV determined on the next day that the Fund is open for business. However, orders received by certain retirement plans and other financial firms on a business day prior to 5:30 p.m., Eastern time, and communicated to the Fund or its designee prior to such time as agreed upon by the Trust and financial firm will be effected at the NAV determined on the business day the order was received by the financial firm. The Fund is "open for business" on each day the NYSE is open for trading, which excludes the following holidays: New Year's Day, Martin Luther King, Jr. Day, Presidents' Day, Good Friday, Memorial Day, Independence Day, Labor Day, Thanksgiving Day and Christmas Day. If the NYSE is closed due to weather or other extenuating circumstances on a day it would typically be open for business, the Trust reserves the right to treat such day as a Business Day and accept purchase and redemption orders and calculate the Fund's NAV, in accordance with applicable law. The Fund reserves the right to close if the primary trading markets of the Fund's portfolio instruments are closed and the Fund's management believes that there is not an adequate market to meet purchase, redemption or exchange requests. On any business day when the SIFMA recommends that the securities markets close trading early, the Fund may close trading early. Purchase orders will be accepted only on days which the Trust is open for business.

Except for the PIMCO Government Money Market Fund, a redemption order received by the Trust or its designee prior to the NYSE Close on a day the Trust is open for business, is effective on that day (unless a specific subsequent trade date is provided). A redemption order received after that time becomes effective on the next business day. Redemption requests for Fund shares are effected at the NAV per share next determined after receipt of a redemption request by the Trust or its designee, minus any applicable sales charge. However, orders received by certain broker-dealers and other financial firms on a business day prior to the NYSE Close and communicated to the Trust or its designee prior to such time as agreed upon by the Trust and financial firm will be effected on the business day the order was received by the financial firm. The request must properly identify all relevant information such as trade date, account name, account number, redemption amount (in dollars or shares), the Fund name and the class of shares and must be executed by an Authorized Person.

With respect to the PIMCO Government Money Market Fund, a redemption request received by the Fund or its designee prior to 5:30 p.m., Eastern time, on a day the Fund is open for business, is effective on that day. Redemption requests for Fund shares are effected at the NAV per share next determined after receipt of a redemption request by the Fund or its designee. However, orders received by certain broker-dealers and other financial firms on a business day prior to 5:30 p.m., Eastern time, and communicated to the Fund or its designee prior to such time as agreed upon by the Trust and financial firm will be effected at the NAV determined on the business day the order was received by the financial firm. The request must properly identify all relevant information such as account number, redemption amount (in dollars or shares), the Fund name and the class of shares and must be executed by an Authorized Person.

The Trust and the Distributor each reserves the right, in its sole discretion, to accept or reject any order for purchase of Fund shares. The sale of shares may be suspended during any period in which the NYSE is closed other than weekends or holidays, or if permitted by the rules of the SEC, when trading on the NYSE is restricted or during an emergency which makes it impracticable for the Fund to dispose of its securities or to determine fairly the value of its net assets, or during any other period as permitted by the SEC for the protection of investors. Additionally, redemptions of Fund shares may be suspended when trading on the NYSE is restricted or during an emergency which makes it impracticable for the Fund to dispose of its securities or to determine fairly the value of its net assets, or during any other period as permitted by the SEC for the protection of investors. Under these and other unusual circumstances, the Trust may suspend redemptions or postpone payment for more than seven days, as permitted by law.

An investor should invest in the Fund for long-term investment purposes only. The Trust reserves the right to refuse purchases if, in the judgment of PIMCO, the purchases would adversely affect the Fund and its shareholders. In particular, the Trust and PIMCO each reserves the right to restrict purchases of Fund shares (including exchanges) when a pattern of frequent purchases and sales made in response to short-term fluctuations in share price appears evident. Notice of any such restrictions, if any, will vary according to the particular circumstances.

Abusive Trading Practices

The Trust encourages shareholders to invest in the Funds as part of a long-term investment strategy and discourages excessive, short-term trading and other abusive trading practices, sometimes referred to as "market timing." However, because the Trust will not always be able to detect market timing or other abusive trading activity, investors should not assume that the Trust will be able to detect or prevent all market timing or other trading practices that may disadvantage the Funds.

Certain of the Funds' investment strategies may expose the Funds to risks associated with market timing activities. For example, since certain Funds may invest in non-U.S. securities, they may be subject to the risk that an investor may seek to take advantage of a delay between the change in value of the Funds' non-U.S. portfolio securities and the determination of the Funds' NAV as a result of different closing times of U.S. and non-U.S. markets by buying or selling Fund shares at a price that does not reflect their true value. A similar risk exists for a Fund's potential investment in securities of small capitalization companies, securities of issuers located in emerging markets, securities of distressed companies or high yield securities that are thinly traded and therefore may have actual values that differ from their market prices.

Except with respect to the Funds identified below, to discourage excessive, short-term trading and other abusive trading practices, the Board of Trustees of the Trust has adopted policies and procedures reasonably

 

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designed to detect and prevent short-term trading activity that may be harmful to a Fund and its shareholders ("Market Timing Policy"). Such activities may have a detrimental effect on a Fund and its shareholders. For example, depending upon various factors such as the size of a Fund and the amount of its assets maintained in cash, short-term or excessive trading by Fund shareholders may interfere with the efficient management of the Fund's investments, increase transaction costs and taxes, and may harm the performance of the Fund and its shareholders. PIMCO Government Money Market, PIMCO Short Asset Investment and PIMCO Short-Term Funds are not subject to the Market Timing Policy because they generally invest in more liquid, short-duration fixed income securities and PIMCO anticipates that shareholders may purchase and sell shares of those Funds frequently.

The Trust seeks to deter and prevent abusive trading practices, and to reduce these risks, through several methods. First, to the extent that there is a delay between a change in the value of a mutual fund's portfolio holdings and the time when that change is reflected in the NAV of the fund's shares, the fund is exposed to the risk that investors may seek to exploit this delay by purchasing or redeeming shares at NAVs that do not reflect appropriate fair value prices. The Trust seeks to deter and prevent this activity, sometimes referred to as "stale price arbitrage," by the appropriate use of "fair value" pricing of a Fund's portfolio securities. See "How Fund Shares Are Priced" below for more information.

Second, the Trust and PIMCO seek to monitor shareholder account activities in order to detect and prevent excessive and disruptive trading practices. The Trust and PIMCO each reserves the right to restrict or refuse any purchase or exchange transactions if, in the judgment of the Trust or of PIMCO, the transaction may adversely affect the interests of a Fund or its shareholders. Among other things, the Trust may monitor for any patterns of frequent purchases and sales that appear to be made in response to short-term fluctuations in share price. Notice of any such restrictions, if any, will vary according to the particular circumstances. The Trust does not monitor the PIMCO Funds of Funds (as defined below) for purposes of detecting frequent or short-term trading practices with respect to shares of the Funds.

Although the Trust and its service providers seek to use these methods to detect and prevent abusive trading activities, and although the Trust will consistently apply such methods, there can be no assurances that such activities can be mitigated or eliminated. By their nature, omnibus accounts, in which purchases and sales of Fund shares by multiple investors are aggregated for presentation to a Fund on a net basis, conceal the identity of the individual investors from the Fund. This makes it more difficult for the Trust and/or PIMCO to identify short-term transactions in the Fund.

Verification of Identity

To help the federal government combat the funding of terrorism and money laundering activities, federal law requires all financial institutions to obtain, verify and record information that identifies each person that opens a new account, and to determine whether such person's name appears on government lists of known or suspected terrorists and terrorist organizations. As a result, a Fund must obtain the following information for each person that opens a new account:

1.

Name;

2.

Date of birth (for individuals);

3.

Residential or business street address; and

4.

Social security number, taxpayer identification number, or other identifying number.

Federal law prohibits the Funds and other financial institutions from opening a new account unless they receive the minimum identifying information listed above.

Individuals may also be asked for a copy of their driver's license, passport or other identifying document in order to verify their identity. In addition, it may be necessary to verify an individual's identity by cross-referencing the identification information with a consumer report or other electronic database. Additional information may be required to open accounts for corporations and other entities.

After an account is opened, a Fund may restrict your ability to purchase additional shares until your identity is verified. A Fund also may close your account and redeem your shares or take other appropriate action if it is unable to verify your identity within a reasonable time.

How Fund Shares Are Priced

The price of a Fund's shares is based on the Fund's NAV. The NAV of a Fund, or each of its share classes, as applicable, shares is determined by dividing the total value of a Fund's portfolio investments and other assets attributable to that Fund or class, less any liabilities, by the total number of shares outstanding of that Fund or class.

On each day that the NYSE is open, Fund shares, except for PIMCO Government Money Market Fund, are ordinarily valued as of the close of regular trading ("NYSE Close"). PIMCO Government Money Market Fund shares are valued as of 5:30 p.m., Eastern time, (or an earlier time if the Fund closes earlier) on each day the NYSE is open for trading. Information that becomes known to the Funds or their agents after the time as of which NAV has been calculated on a particular day will not generally be used to retroactively adjust the price of a security or the NAV determined earlier that day. Each Fund reserves the right to change the time its respective NAV is calculated if the Fund closes earlier, or as permitted by the SEC.

Except for the PIMCO Government Money Market Fund for purposes of calculating NAV, portfolio securities and other assets for which market quotes are readily available are valued at market value. Market value is generally determined on the basis of official closing prices or the last reported sales prices, or if no sales are reported, based on quotes obtained from established market makers or prices (including evaluated prices) supplied by the Funds' approved pricing services, quotation reporting systems and other third-party sources (together, "Pricing Services"). The Funds will normally use pricing data for domestic equity securities received shortly after the NYSE Close and do not normally take into account trading, clearances or settlements that take place after the NYSE Close. A foreign (non-U.S.) equity security traded on a foreign exchange or on more than one exchange is typically valued using pricing information from the exchange considered by PIMCO to be the primary exchange. If market value pricing is used, a foreign (non-U.S.) equity security will be valued as of the close of trading on the foreign exchange, or the NYSE Close, if the NYSE Close occurs before the end of trading on the foreign exchange. Domestic and foreign (non-U.S.) fixed income securities, non-exchange-traded

 

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derivatives, and equity options are normally valued on the basis of quotes obtained from brokers and dealers or Pricing Services using data reflecting the earlier closing of the principal markets for those securities. Prices obtained from Pricing Services may be based on, among other things, information provided by market makers or estimates of market values obtained from yield data relating to investments or securities with similar characteristics. Certain fixed income securities purchased on a delayed-delivery basis are marked to market daily until settlement at the forward settlement date. Exchange-traded options, except equity options, futures and options on futures are valued at the settlement price determined by the relevant exchange. Swap agreements are valued on the basis of bid quotes obtained from brokers and dealers or market-based prices supplied by Pricing Services or other pricing sources. With respect to any portion of the Fund's assets that are invested in one or more open-end management investment companies (other than exchange-traded funds), a Fund's NAV will be calculated based upon the NAVs of such investments.

If a foreign (non-U.S.) equity security's value has materially changed after the close of the security's primary exchange or principal market but before the NYSE Close, the security may be valued at fair value based on procedures established and approved by the Board of Trustees. Foreign (non-U.S.) equity securities that do not trade when the NYSE is open are also valued at fair value. With respect to foreign (non-U.S.) equity securities, the Fund may determine the fair value of investments based on information provided by Pricing Services and other third-party vendors, which may recommend fair value or adjustments with reference to other securities, indexes or assets. In considering whether fair valuation is required and in determining fair values, the Fund may, among other things, consider significant events (which may be considered to include changes in the value of U.S. securities or securities indexes) that occur after the close of the relevant market and before the NYSE Close. A Fund may utilize modeling tools provided by third-party vendors to determine fair values of non-U.S. securities. For these purposes, any movement in the applicable reference index or instrument ("zero trigger") between the earlier close of the applicable foreign market and the NYSE Close may be deemed to be a significant event, prompting the application of the pricing model (effectively resulting in daily fair valuations). Foreign (non-U.S.) exchanges may permit trading in foreign (non-U.S.) equity securities on days when the Trust is not open for business, which may result in a Fund's portfolio investments being affected when you are unable to buy or sell shares.

The PIMCO Government Money Market Fund's securities are valued using the amortized cost method of valuation, which involves valuing a security at cost on the date of acquisition and thereafter assuming a constant accretion of a discount or amortization of a premium to maturity, regardless of the impact of fluctuating interest rates on the market value of the instrument. While this method provides certainty in valuation, it may result in periods during which value, as determined by amortized cost, is higher or lower than the price the Fund would receive if it sold the instrument.

Senior secured floating rate loans for which an active secondary market exists to a reliable degree will be valued at the mean of the last available bid/ask prices in the market for such loans, as provided by a Pricing Service. Senior secured floating rate loans for which an active secondary market does not exist to a reliable degree will be valued at fair value, which is intended to approximate market value. In valuing a senior secured floating rate loan at fair value, the factors considered may include, but are not limited to, the following: (a) the creditworthiness of the borrower and any intermediate participants, (b) the terms of the loan, (c) recent prices in the market for similar loans, if any, and (d) recent prices in the market for instruments of similar quality, rate, period until next interest rate reset and maturity.

Investments valued in currencies other than the U.S. dollar are converted to the U.S. dollar using exchange rates obtained from Pricing Services. As a result, the value of such investments and, in turn, the NAV of the Fund's shares may be affected by changes in the value of currencies in relation to the U.S. dollar. The value of investments traded in markets outside the United States or denominated in currencies other than the U.S. dollar may be affected significantly on a day that the Trust is not open for business. As a result, to the extent that a Fund holds foreign (non-U.S.) investments, the value of those investments may change at times when shareholders are unable to buy or sell shares and the value of such investments will be reflected in the Fund's next calculated NAV.

Investments for which market quotes or market based valuations are not readily available are valued at fair value as determined in good faith by the Board of Trustees or persons acting at their direction. The Board of Trustees has adopted methods for valuing securities and other assets in circumstances where market quotes are not readily available, and has delegated to PIMCO the responsibility for applying the fair valuation methods. In the event that market quotes or market based valuations are not readily available, and the security or asset cannot be valued pursuant to a Board approved valuation method, the value of the security or asset will be determined in good faith by the Valuation Oversight Committee of the Board of Trustees, generally based on recommendations provided by PIMCO. Market quotes are considered not readily available in circumstances where there is an absence of current or reliable market-based data (e.g., trade information, bid/ask information, broker quotes, Pricing Services' prices), including where events occur after the close of the relevant market, but prior to the NYSE Close, that materially affect the values of the Fund's securities or assets. In addition, market quotes are considered not readily available when, due to extraordinary circumstances, the exchanges or markets on which the securities trade do not open for trading for the entire day and no other market prices are available. The Board of Trustees has delegated to PIMCO the responsibility for monitoring significant events that may materially affect the values of the Fund's securities or assets and for determining whether the value of the applicable securities or assets should be reevaluated in light of such significant events.

When the Fund uses fair valuation to determine the value of a portfolio security or other asset for purposes of calculating its NAV, such investments will not be priced on the basis of quotes from the primary market in which they are traded, but rather may be priced by another method that the Board of Trustees or persons acting at their direction believe reflects fair value. Fair valuation may require subjective determinations about the value of a security. While the Trust's policy is intended to result in a calculation of the Fund's NAV that fairly reflects security values as of the time of pricing, the Trust cannot ensure that fair values determined by the Board of Trustees or persons acting at their direction would accurately reflect the price that a

 

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Fund could obtain for a security if it were to dispose of that security as of the time of pricing (for instance, in a forced or distressed sale). The prices used by the Fund may differ from the value that would be realized if the securities were sold. The Funds' use of fair valuation may also help to deter "stale price arbitrage" as discussed above under "Abusive Trading Practices."

Under certain circumstances, the per share NAV of a class of the Fund's shares may be different from the per share NAV of another class of shares as a result of the different daily expense accruals applicable to each class of shares.

Fund Distributions

Each Fund distributes substantially all of its net investment income to shareholders in the form of dividends. Dividends paid by each Fund with respect to each class of shares are calculated in the same manner and at the same time, but dividends on different classes of shares may be different as a result of the service and/or distribution fees applicable to certain classes of shares. Each Fund intends to declare income dividends daily and distribute them monthly to shareholders of record.

In addition, each Fund distributes any net capital gains it earns from the sale of portfolio securities to shareholders no less frequently than annually. Net short-term capital gains may be paid more frequently.

A Fund's dividend and capital gain distributions with respect to a particular class of shares will automatically be reinvested in additional shares of the same class of the Fund at NAV unless the shareholder elects to have the distributions paid in cash. A shareholder may elect to have distributions paid in cash on the Account Application, by phone, or by submitting a written request, signed by an Authorized Person, indicating the account name, account number, name of Fund and share class. A shareholder may elect to invest all distributions in shares of the same class of any other fund of the Trust or PIMCO Funds which offers that class of shares at NAV. A shareholder must have an account existing in the fund selected for investment with the identical registered name. This option must be elected when the account is set up.

Shares Purchased by Wire: Except for the PIMCO Government Money Market Fund, dividends will begin to accrue the business day following the day the order is effected or such later date as agreed with the Trust.

With respect to the PIMCO Government Money Market Fund, if a purchase order for shares is received prior to 4:00 p.m., Eastern time, and payment in federal funds is received by the Transfer Agent by the close of the federal funds wire on the day the purchase order is received, dividends will accrue starting that day. If a purchase order is received at or after 4:00 p.m., Eastern time, and payment in federal funds is received by the Transfer Agent by the close of the federal funds wire on the day the purchase order is received, or as otherwise agreed to by the Trust, the order will be effected at the next day's NAV, and dividends will begin to accrue the following business day. If shares are redeemed, dividends will stop accruing the day prior to the day the shares are settled.

Shares Purchased by Check or ACH: The order will be effected at the day's NAV, but dividends will not begin to accrue until the following business day.

If a purchase order is placed through a broker, dealer or other financial firms authorized to settle through the National Securities Clearing Corporation (the "NSCC"), the purchase order will begin accruing dividends the business day following the NSCC settlement date or as agreed upon and as allowed by applicable law.

A Class A, Class C or Class R shareholder may choose from the following distribution options:

Reinvest all distributions in additional shares of the same class of the Fund at NAV. You should contact your financial firm (if shares are held through a financial firm) or the Fund's Transfer Agent (if shares are held through a direct account) for details. You do not pay any sales charges on shares received through the reinvestment of Fund distributions. This will be done unless you elect another option.

Invest all distributions in shares of the same class of any other fund of the Trust or PIMCO Equity Series which offers that class at NAV. You must have an account existing in the fund selected for investment with the identical registered name. You must elect this option on your Account Application or by a telephone request to the Transfer Agent at 888.87.PIMCO.

Receive all distributions in cash (either paid directly to you or credited to your account with your broker or other financial intermediary). If the postal or other delivery service is unable to deliver checks to your address of record, the Trust's Transfer Agent will hold the returned checks for your benefit in a non-interest bearing account. You must elect this option on your Account Application or by a telephone request to the Transfer Agent at 888.87.PIMCO.

The financial service firm may offer additional distribution reinvestment programs or options. Please contact the firm for details.

Tax Consequences

The following information is meant as a general summary for U.S. taxpayers. Please see the SAI for additional information. You should rely on your own tax adviser for advice about the particular federal, state and local tax consequences to you of investing in any Fund.

Each Fund will distribute substantially all of its income and gains to its shareholders every year, and shareholders will be taxed on distributions they receive.

Taxes on Fund Distributions. A shareholder subject to U.S. federal income tax will be subject to tax on taxable Fund distributions of taxable income or capital gains whether they are paid in cash or reinvested in additional shares of the Funds. For federal income tax purposes, taxable Fund distributions will be taxable to the shareholder as either ordinary income or capital gains.

Fund taxable dividends (i.e., distributions of investment income) are generally taxable to shareholders as ordinary income. A portion of distributions may be qualified dividends taxable at lower rates for individual shareholders. However, in light of the investment strategies of the Funds, it is not anticipated that a significant portion of the dividends paid by the Funds will be eligible to be designated as qualified dividends. Federal taxes on Fund distributions of gains are determined by how long a Fund owned the investments that generated the gains, rather than how long a shareholder has

 

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owned the shares. Distributions of gains from investments that the Fund owned for more than one year will generally be taxable to shareholders as long-term capital gains. Distributions of gains from investments that the Fund owned for one year or less will generally be taxable as ordinary income.

The tax treatment of income, gains and losses attributable to foreign currencies (and derivatives on such currencies), and various other special tax rules applicable to certain financial transactions and instruments could affect the amount, timing and character of a Fund's distributions. In some cases, these tax rules could also result in a retroactive change in the tax character of prior distributions and may also possibly cause all, or a portion, of prior distributions to be reclassified as returns of capital for tax purposes. See "Returns of Capital" below.

Taxable Fund distributions are taxable to shareholders even if they are paid from income or gains earned by a Fund prior to the shareholder's investment and thus were included in the price paid for the shares. For example, a shareholder who purchases shares on or just before the record date of a Fund distribution will pay full price for the shares and may receive a portion of his or her investment back as a taxable distribution.

Taxes on Redemption or Exchanges of Shares. You will generally have a taxable capital gain or loss if you dispose of your Fund shares by redemption, exchange or sale. The amount of the gain or loss and the rate of tax will depend primarily upon how much you pay for the shares, how much you sell them for, and how long you hold them. When you exchange shares of a Fund for shares of another Fund, the transaction will be treated as a sale of the Fund shares for these purposes, and any gain on those shares will generally be subject to federal income tax.

Returns of Capital. If a Fund's distributions exceed its taxable income and capital gains realized during a taxable year, all or a portion of the distributions made in the same taxable year may be recharacterized as a return of capital to shareholders. A return of capital distribution will generally not be taxable, but will reduce each shareholder's cost basis in the Fund and result in a higher reported capital gain or lower reported capital loss when those shares on which the distribution was received are sold.

Medicare Tax. An additional 3.8% Medicare tax is imposed on certain net investment income (including ordinary dividends and capital gain distributions received from a Fund and net gains from redemptions or other taxable dispositions of Fund shares) of U.S. individuals, estates and trusts to the extent that such person's "modified adjusted gross income" (in the case of an individual) or "adjusted gross income" (in the case of an estate or trust) exceeds certain threshold amounts.

Recent Tax Legislation. Under recent tax legislation, individuals (and certain other noncorporate entities) are generally eligible for a 20% deduction with respect to taxable ordinary dividends from REITs and certain taxable income from publicly traded partnerships. Currently, there is not a mechanism for regulated investment companies to pass through the 20% deduction to shareholders although it is possible that a legislative or regulatory approach to do so may be provided in the future. As a result, in comparison, investors investing directly in REITs or publicly traded partnerships would generally be eligible for the 20% deduction for such taxable income from these investments while investors investing in REITs or publicly traded partnerships indirectly through a Fund would not be eligible for the 20% deduction for their share of such taxable income. In addition, under the recent tax legislation, REITs as well as other corporations will be subject to certain leverage limitations regarding the deductibility of interest expense. The recent tax legislation also may, pending further regulatory guidance, require REITs and a Fund to accrue market discount currently, which may affect the taxability of REIT distributions received by a Fund and the amount of taxable distributions paid by a Fund to shareholders. The effects of these and other provisions of the tax legislation on REITs' operations, on master limited partnerships, or on a Fund, is uncertain at this time.

Important Tax Reporting Considerations. Your financial intermediary or the Fund (if you hold your shares in a Fund direct account) will report gains and losses realized on redemptions of shares for shareholders who are individuals and S corporations purchased after January 1, 2012 to the Internal Revenue Service (IRS). This information will also be reported to you on Form 1099-B and the IRS each year. In calculating the gain or loss on redemptions of shares, the average cost method will be used to determine the cost basis of Fund shares purchased after January 1, 2012 unless you instruct the Fund in writing that you want to use another available method for cost basis reporting (for example, First In, First Out (FIFO), Last In, First Out (LIFO), Specific Lot Identification (SLID) or High Cost, First Out (HIFO)). If you designate SLID as your cost basis method, you will also need to designate a secondary cost basis method (Secondary Method). If a Secondary Method is not provided, the Funds will designate FIFO as the Secondary Method and will use the Secondary Method with respect to automatic withdrawals made after January 1, 2012 or conducted via an automatic withdrawal plan. If a shareholder is a corporation and has not instructed the Fund that it is a C corporation in its Account Application or by written instruction, the Fund will treat the shareholder as an S corporation and file a Form 1099-B.

Backup Withholding. Each Fund may be required to withhold U.S. federal income tax on all taxable distributions payable to shareholders if they fail to provide the Fund with their correct taxpayer identification number or to make required certifications, or if they have been notified by the IRS that they are subject to backup withholding. Backup withholding is not an additional tax. Any amounts withheld may be credited against U.S. federal income tax liability.

Foreign Withholding Taxes. A Fund may be subject to foreign withholding or other foreign taxes, which in some cases can be significant on any income or gain from investments in foreign securities. In that case, the Fund's total return on those securities would be decreased. Each Fund may generally deduct these taxes in computing its taxable income. Rather than deducting these foreign taxes if more than 50% of the value of a Fund's total assets at the close of its taxable year consists of stock or securities of foreign corporations or foreign governments, or if at least 50% of the value of a Fund's total assets at the close of each quarter of its taxable year is

 

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represented by interests in other regulated investment companies, such Fund may make an election to treat a proportionate amount of eligible foreign taxes as constituting a taxable distribution to each shareholder, which would, subject to certain limitations, generally allow the shareholder to either (i) credit that proportionate amount of taxes against U.S. Federal income tax liability as a foreign tax credit or (ii) take that amount as an itemized deduction. Although in some cases the Fund may be able to apply for a refund of a portion of such taxes, the ability to successfully obtain such a refund may be uncertain.

Foreign shareholders may be subject to U. S. tax withholding of 30% (or lower applicable treaty rate) on distributions from the Funds. Additionally, the Funds are required to withhold U.S. tax (at a 30% rate) on payments of taxable dividends, and (effective January 1, 2019) redemption proceeds and certain capital gain dividends made to certain non-U.S. entities that fail to comply (or be deemed compliant) with extensive reporting and withholding requirements designed to inform the U.S. Department of the Treasury of U.S.-owned foreign investment accounts. Shareholders may be requested to provide additional information to enable the Funds to determine whether withholding is required.

This "Tax Consequences" section relates only to federal income tax; the consequences under other tax laws may differ. Shareholders should consult their tax advisors as to the possible application of foreign, state and local income tax laws to Fund dividends and capital distributions. Please see "Taxation" in the SAI for additional information regarding the tax aspects of investing in the Funds.

Characteristics and Risks of Securities and Investment Techniques

This section provides additional information about some of the principal investments and related risks of the Funds described under "Fund Summaries" and "Description of Principal Risks" above. It also describes characteristics and risks of additional securities and investment techniques that may be used by the Funds from time to time. Most of these securities and investment techniques described herein are discretionary, which means that PIMCO can decide whether to use them or not. This prospectus does not attempt to disclose all of the various types of securities and investment techniques that may be used by the Funds. As with any mutual fund, investors in the Funds rely on the professional investment judgment and skill of PIMCO and the individual portfolio managers. Please see "Investment Objectives and Policies" in the SAI for more detailed information about the securities and investment techniques described in this section and about other strategies and techniques that may be used by the Funds.

Investors should be aware that the investments made by a Fund and the results achieved by a Fund at any given time are not expected to be the same as those made by other funds for which PIMCO acts as investment adviser, including funds with names, investment objectives and policies similar to a Fund. This may be attributable to a wide variety of factors, including, but not limited to, the use of a different portfolio management team or strategy, when a particular fund commenced operations or the size of a particular fund, in each case as compared to other similar funds. Significant shareholder purchases and redemptions may adversely impact a Fund's portfolio management. For example, a Fund may be forced to sell a comparatively large portion of its portfolio to meet significant shareholder redemptions, or hold a comparatively large portion of its portfolio in cash due to significant shareholder purchases, in each case when the Fund otherwise would not seek to do so. Such shareholder transactions may cause Funds to make investment decisions at inopportune times or prices or miss attractive investment opportunities. Such transactions may also increase a Fund's transaction costs, accelerate the realization of taxable income if sales of securities resulted in gains, or otherwise cause a Fund to perform differently than intended. Similarly, significant shareholder purchases may adversely affect a Fund's performance to the extent the Fund is delayed in investing new cash and, as a result, holds a proportionally larger cash position than under ordinary circumstances and such impact may be heightened in funds of funds. While such risks may apply to Funds of any size, such risks are heightened in Funds with fewer assets under management. In addition, new Funds may not be able to fully implement their investment strategy immediately upon commencing investment operations, which could reduce investment performance.

More generally, a Fund may be adversely affected when a large shareholder purchases or redeems large amounts of shares, which can occur at any time and may impact the Fund in the same manner as a high volume of purchase or redemption requests. Such large shareholders include, but are not limited to, other funds, institutional investors, and asset allocators who make investment decisions on behalf of underlying clients. Large shareholder transactions may cause Funds to make investment decisions at inopportune times or prices or miss attractive investment opportunities. In addition, such transactions may also cause the Fund to sell certain assets in order to meet purchase or redemption requests, which could indirectly affect the liquidity of the Fund's portfolio. Such transactions may also increase the Fund's transaction costs, decrease economies of scale, accelerate the realization of taxable income, or otherwise cause the Fund to perform differently than intended. While large shareholder transactions may be more frequent under certain circumstances, the Fund is generally subject to the risk that a large shareholder can purchase or redeem a significant percentage of Fund shares at any time. Moreover, the Fund is subject to the risk that other shareholders may make investment decisions based on the choices of a large shareholder, which could exacerbate any potential negative effects experienced by the Fund.

Certain PIMCO Funds (the "PIMCO Funds of Funds") invest substantially all or a significant portion of their assets in Underlying PIMCO Funds, which is defined to include the Funds. In some cases, the PIMCO Funds of Funds and certain funds managed by investment advisers affiliated with PIMCO ("Affiliated Funds of Funds") may be the predominant or sole shareholders of a particular Underlying PIMCO Fund, including a Fund. Investment decisions made with respect to the PIMCO Funds of Funds and Affiliated Funds of Funds could, under certain circumstances, negatively impact the Underlying PIMCO Funds, including the Funds, with respect to the expenses and investment performance of the Underlying PIMCO Funds. For instance, large purchases or redemptions of shares of an Underlying PIMCO Fund by the PIMCO Funds of Funds and Affiliated Funds of Funds, whether as part of a reallocation or rebalancing strategy or otherwise, may result in

 

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the Underlying PIMCO Fund having to sell securities or invest cash when it otherwise would not do so. Such transactions could increase an Underlying PIMCO Fund's transaction costs and accelerate the realization of taxable income if sales of securities resulted in gains. Additionally, as the PIMCO Funds of Funds and Affiliated Funds of Funds may invest substantially all or a significant portion of their assets in Underlying PIMCO Funds, the Underlying PIMCO Funds may not acquire securities of other registered open-end investment companies in reliance on Section 12(d)(1)(F) or Section 12(d)(1)(G) of the 1940 Act, thus limiting the Underlying PIMCO Funds investment flexibility.

Investment Selection

Certain Funds seek maximum total return. The total return sought by a Fund consists of both income earned on a Fund's investments and capital appreciation, if any, arising from increases in the market value of a Fund's holdings. Capital appreciation of fixed income securities generally results from decreases in market interest rates, foreign currency appreciation, or improving credit fundamentals for a particular market sector or security.

In selecting securities for a Fund, PIMCO develops an outlook for interest rates, currency exchange rates and the economy, analyzes credit and call risks, and uses other security selection techniques. The proportion of a Fund's assets committed to investment in securities with particular characteristics (such as quality, sector, interest rate or maturity) varies based on PIMCO's outlook for the U.S. economy and the economies of other countries in the world, the financial markets and other factors.

With respect to fixed income investing, PIMCO attempts to identify areas of the bond market that are undervalued relative to the rest of the market. PIMCO identifies these areas by grouping Fixed Income Instruments into sectors such as money markets, governments, corporates, mortgages, asset-backed and international. In seeking to identify undervalued currencies, PIMCO may consider many factors, including but not limited to longer-term analysis of relative interest rates, inflation rates, real exchange rates, purchasing power parity, trade account balances and current account balances, as well as other factors that influence exchange rates such as flows, market technical trends and government policies. Sophisticated proprietary software then assists in evaluating sectors and pricing specific investments. Once investment opportunities are identified, PIMCO will shift assets among sectors depending upon changes in relative valuations, credit spreads and other factors. There is no guarantee that PIMCO's investment selection techniques will produce the desired results.

Fixed Income Instruments

"Fixed Income Instruments," as used generally in this prospectus, includes:

securities issued or guaranteed by the U.S. Government, its agencies or government-sponsored enterprises ("U.S. Government Securities");

corporate debt securities of U.S. and non-U.S. issuers, including convertible securities and corporate commercial paper;

mortgage-backed and other asset-backed securities;

inflation-indexed bonds issued both by governments and corporations;

structured notes, including hybrid or "indexed" securities and event-linked bonds;

bank capital and trust preferred securities;

loan participations and assignments;

delayed funding loans and revolving credit facilities;

bank certificates of deposit, fixed time deposits and bankers' acceptances;

repurchase agreements on Fixed Income Instruments and reverse repurchase agreements on Fixed Income Instruments;

debt securities issued by states or local governments and their agencies, authorities and other government-sponsored enterprises;

obligations of non-U.S. governments or their subdivisions, agencies and government-sponsored enterprises; and

obligations of international agencies or supranational entities.

Securities issued by U.S. Government agencies or government-sponsored enterprises may not be guaranteed by the U.S. Treasury.

The Funds (other than the PIMCO Government Money Market Fund), to the extent permitted by the 1940 Act, or exemptive relief therefrom, may invest in derivatives based on Fixed Income Instruments.

Duration

Duration is a measure used to determine the sensitivity of a security's price to changes in interest rates that incorporates a security's yield, coupon, final maturity and call features, among other characteristics. The longer a security's duration, the more sensitive it will be to changes in interest rates. Similarly, a fund with a longer average portfolio duration will be more sensitive to changes in interest rates than a fund with a shorter average portfolio duration. By way of example, the price of a bond fund with an average duration of eight years would be expected to fall approximately 8% if interest rates rose by one percentage point. Similarly, the price of a bond fund with an average duration of fifteen years would be expected to fall approximately 15% if interest rates rose by one percentage point. Conversely, the price of a bond fund with an average duration of negative three years would be expected to rise approximately 3% if interest rates rose by one percentage point. The maturity of a security, another commonly used measure of price sensitivity, measures only the time until final payment is due, whereas duration takes into account the pattern of all payments of interest and principal on a security over time, including how these payments are affected by prepayments and by changes in interest rates, as well as the time until an interest rate is reset (in the case of variable-rate securities). PIMCO uses an internal model for calculating duration, which may result in a different value for the duration of an index compared to the duration calculated by the index provider or another third party.

U.S. Government Securities

U.S. Government Securities are obligations of, or guaranteed by, the U.S. Government, its agencies or government-sponsored enterprises. The U.S. Government does not guarantee the NAV of the Fund's shares. U.S. Government Securities are subject to market and interest rate risk, as well as varying degrees of credit risk. Some U.S. Government Securities are issued or guaranteed by the U.S. Treasury and are supported by the full faith and credit of the United States. Other types of U.S. Government Securities are supported by the full faith and credit of the United States (but not issued by the U.S. Treasury). These securities may have less credit risk than U.S. Government Securities not supported by the full faith and credit of the United

 

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States. Such other types of U.S. Government Securities are: (1) supported by the ability of the issuer to borrow from the U.S. Treasury; (2) supported only by the credit of the issuing agency, instrumentality or government-sponsored corporation; or (3) supported by the United States in some other way. These securities may be subject to greater credit risk. U.S. Government Securities include zero coupon securities, which tend to be subject to greater market risk than interest-paying securities of similar maturities.

Securities issued by U.S. Government agencies or government-sponsored enterprises may not be guaranteed by the U.S. Treasury. Government National Mortgage Association ("GNMA"), a wholly owned U.S. Government corporation, is authorized to guarantee, with the full faith and credit of the U.S. Government, the timely payment of principal and interest on securities issued by institutions approved by GNMA and backed by pools of mortgages insured by the Federal Housing Administration or guaranteed by the Department of Veterans Affairs.  Government-related guarantors (i.e., not backed by the full faith and credit of the U.S. Government) include the Federal National Mortgage Association ("FNMA") and the Federal Home Loan Mortgage Corporation ("FHLMC"). Pass-through securities issued by FNMA are guaranteed as to timely payment of principal and interest by FNMA but are not backed by the full faith and credit of the U.S. Government. FHLMC guarantees the timely payment of interest and ultimate collection of principal, but its participation certificates are not backed by the full faith and credit of the U.S. Government.

Municipal Bonds

Municipal Bonds are generally issued by states, territories, possessions and local governments and their agencies, authorities and other instrumentalities. Municipal Bonds are subject to interest rate, credit and market risk, uncertainties related to the tax status of a Municipal Bond or the rights of investors invested in these securities. The ability of an issuer to make payments could be affected by litigation, legislation or other political events or the bankruptcy of the issuer. In addition, imbalances in supply and demand in the municipal market may result in a deterioration of liquidity and a lack of price transparency in the market. At certain times, this may affect pricing, execution and transaction costs associated with a particular trade. The value of certain municipal securities, in particular general obligation debt, may also be adversely affected by rising health care costs, increasing unfunded pension liabilities, changes in accounting standards and by the phasing out of federal programs providing financial support. Lower rated Municipal Bonds are subject to greater credit and market risk than higher quality Municipal Bonds. The types of Municipal Bonds in which the Funds may invest include municipal lease obligations, municipal general obligation bonds, municipal essential service revenue bonds, municipal cash equivalents, and pre-refunded and escrowed to maturity Municipal Bonds. The Funds may also invest in industrial development bonds, which are Municipal Bonds issued by a government agency on behalf of a private sector company and, in most cases, are not backed by the credit of the issuing municipality and may therefore involve more risk. The Funds may also invest in securities issued by entities whose underlying assets are Municipal Bonds.

Pre-refunded Municipal Bonds are tax-exempt bonds that have been refunded to a call date on or before the final maturity of principal and remain outstanding in the municipal market. The payment of principal and interest of the pre-refunded Municipal Bonds held by a Fund is funded from securities in a designated escrow account that holds U.S. Treasury securities or other obligations of the U.S. Government (including its agencies and instrumentalities ("Agency Securities")). As the payment of principal and interest is generated from securities held in a designated escrow account, the pledge of the municipality has been fulfilled and the original pledge of revenue by the municipality is no longer in place. The escrow account securities pledged to pay the principal and interest of the pre-refunded Municipal Bond do not guarantee the price movement of the bond before maturity. Investment in pre-refunded Municipal Bonds held by a Fund may subject the Fund to interest rate risk, market risk and credit risk. In addition, while a secondary market exists for pre-refunded Municipal Bonds, if a Fund sells pre-refunded Municipal Bonds prior to maturity, the price received may be more or less than the original cost, depending on market conditions at the time of sale.

Certain Funds may invest in trust certificates issued in tender option bond programs. In these programs, a trust typically issues two classes of certificates and uses the proceeds to purchase municipal securities having relatively long maturities and bearing interest at a fixed interest rate substantially higher than prevailing short-term tax-exempt rates. There is a risk that a Fund investing in a tender option bond program will not be considered the owner of a tender option bond for federal income tax purposes, and thus will not be entitled to treat such interest as exempt from federal income tax. Certain tender option bonds may be illiquid or may become illiquid as a result of, among other things, a credit rating downgrade, a payment default or a disqualification from tax-exempt status. A Fund's investment in the securities issued by a tender option bond trust may involve greater risk and volatility than an investment in a fixed rate bond, and the value of such securities may decrease significantly when market interest rates increase. Tender option bond trusts could be terminated due to market, credit or other events beyond a Fund's control, which could require the Fund to dispose of portfolio investments at inopportune times and prices. A Fund may use a tender option bond program as a way of achieving leverage in its portfolio, in which case the Fund will be subject to leverage risk.

In December 2013, regulators finalized rules implementing Section 619 (the "Volcker Rule") and Section 941 (the "Risk Retention Rules") of the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act. Both the Volcker Rule and the Risk Retention Rules apply to tender option bond programs and require that such programs be restructured. In particular, these rules preclude banking entities from: (i) sponsoring or acquiring interests in the trusts used to hold a Municipal Bond in the creation of tender option bond trusts; and (ii) continuing to service or maintain relationships with existing programs involving such trusts to the same extent and in the same capacity as existing programs. At this time, the full impact of these rules is not certain; however, in response to these rules, industry participants are continuing to explore various structuring alternatives for tender option bond programs. Because of the important role that tender option bond programs play in the Municipal Bond market, it is possible that implementation of these rules and any resulting impact may adversely impact the Municipal Bond market. For example, as a result of the implementation of these rules,

 

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the Municipal Bond market may experience reduced demand or liquidity and increased financing costs.

Mortgage-Related and Other Asset-Backed Securities

Mortgage-related securities include mortgage pass-through securities, collateralized mortgage obligations ("CMOs"), commercial mortgage-backed securities, mortgage dollar rolls, CMO residuals, stripped mortgage-backed securities ("SMBSs") and other securities that directly or indirectly represent a participation in, or are secured by and payable from, mortgage loans on real property.

The value of some mortgage- or asset-backed securities may be particularly sensitive to changes in prevailing interest rates. Early repayment of principal on some mortgage-related securities may expose a Fund to a lower rate of return upon reinvestment of principal. When interest rates rise, the value of a mortgage-related security generally will decline; however, when interest rates are declining, the value of mortgage-related securities with prepayment features may not increase as much as other fixed income securities. The rate of prepayments on underlying mortgages will affect the price and volatility of a mortgage-related security, and may shorten or extend the effective maturity of the security beyond what was anticipated at the time of purchase. If unanticipated rates of prepayment on underlying mortgages increase the effective maturity of a mortgage-related security, the volatility of the security can be expected to increase. The value of these securities may fluctuate in response to the market's perception of the creditworthiness of the issuers. See "Extension Risk" and "Prepayment Risk" below. Additionally, although mortgages and mortgage-related securities are generally supported by some form of government or private guarantee and/or insurance, there is no assurance that guarantors or insurers will meet their obligations.

Extension Risk. Mortgage-related and other asset-backed securities are subject to Extension Risk, which is the risk that the issuer of such a security pays back the principal of such an obligation later than expected. This may occur when interest rates rise. This may negatively affect Fund returns, as the value of the security decreases when principal payments are made later than expected. In addition, because principal payments are made later than expected, the Fund may be prevented from investing proceeds it would otherwise have received at a given time at the higher prevailing interest rates.

Prepayment Risk. Mortgage-related and other asset-backed securities are subject to Prepayment Risk, which is the risk that the issuer of such a security pays back the principal of such an obligation earlier than expected (due to the sale of the underlying property, refinancing, or foreclosure). This may occur when interest rates decline. Prepayment may expose the Fund to a lower rate of return upon reinvestment of principal. Also, if a security subject to prepayment has been purchased at a premium, the value of the premium would be lost in the event of prepayment.

One type of SMBS has one class receiving all of the interest from the mortgage assets (the interest-only, or "IO" class), while the other class will receive all of the principal (the principal-only, or "PO" class). The yield to maturity on an IO class is extremely sensitive to the rate of principal payments (including prepayments) on the underlying mortgage assets, and a rapid rate of principal payments may have a material adverse effect on a Fund's yield to maturity from these securities. Each Fund (except the PIMCO Government Money Market Fund) may invest up to 5% of its total assets in any combination of mortgage-related or other asset backed IO, PO, or inverse floater securities.

Each Fund (except the PIMCO Government Money Market Fund) may invest in each of collateralized bond obligations ("CBOs"), collateralized loan obligations ("CLOs"), other collateralized debt obligations ("CDOs") and other similarly structured securities. CBOs, CLOs and other CDOs are types of asset-backed securities. A CBO is a trust which is backed by a diversified pool of high-risk, below investment grade fixed income securities. 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. Other CDOs are trusts backed by other types of assets representing obligations of various parties. Certain Funds may invest in other asset-backed securities that have been offered to investors.

Privately Issued Mortgage-Related Securities: Pools created by non-governmental issuers generally offer a higher rate of interest than government and government-related pools because there are no direct or indirect government or agency guarantees of payments in such pools. Privately issued mortgage-related securities are not subject to the same underwriting requirements for the underlying mortgages that are applicable to those mortgage-related securities that have a government or government-sponsored entity guarantee. As a result, the mortgage loans underlying privately issued mortgage-related securities may, and frequently do, have less favorable collateral, credit risk or other underwriting characteristics than government or government-sponsored mortgage-related securities and have wider variances in a number of terms including interest rate, term, size, purpose and borrower characteristics. The risk of nonpayment is greater for mortgage-related securities that are backed by loans that were originated under weak underwriting standards, including loans made to borrowers with limited means to make repayment. A level of risk exists for all loans, although, historically, the poorest performing loans have been those classified as subprime.

Privately issued mortgage-related securities are not traded on an exchange and there may be a limited market for the securities, especially when there is a perceived weakness in the mortgage and real estate market sectors. Without an active trading market, mortgage-related securities held in a Fund's portfolio may be particularly difficult to value because of the complexities involved in assessing the value of the underlying mortgage loans. Privately Issued Mortgage-Related Securities include securities that reflect an interest in, and are secured by, mortgage loans on commercial real property. Many of the risks of investing in commercial mortgage-backed securities reflect the risks of investing in the real estate securing the underlying mortgage loans. These risks reflect the effects of local and other economic conditions on real estate markets, the ability of tenants to make loan payments, and the ability of a property to attract and retain tenants.

 

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Loan Participations and Assignments

Each Fund (except the PIMCO Government Money Market Fund) may invest in fixed- and floating-rate loans, which investments generally will be in the form of loan participations and assignments of portions of such loans. Participations and assignments involve special types of risk, including credit risk, interest rate risk, liquidity risk, and the risks of being a lender. If a Fund purchases a participation, it may only be able to enforce its rights through the lender, and may assume the credit risk of the lender in addition to the borrower.

Reinvestment

Each Fund may be subject to the risk that the returns of a Fund will decline during periods of falling interest rates because the Fund may have to reinvest the proceeds from matured, traded or called debt obligations at interest rates below the Fund's current earnings rate. For instance, when interest rates decline, an issuer of debt obligations may exercise an option to redeem securities prior to maturity, thereby forcing the Fund to invest in lower-yielding securities. A Fund also may choose to sell higher-yielding portfolio securities and to purchase lower-yielding securities to achieve greater portfolio diversification, because the Fund's portfolio manager believes the current holdings are overvalued or for other investment-related reasons. A decline in the returns received by a Fund from its investments is likely to have an adverse effect on the Fund's NAV, yield and total return.

Focused Investment

To the extent that a Fund focuses its investments in a particular sector, the Fund may be susceptible to loss due to adverse developments affecting that sector. These developments include, but are not limited to, governmental regulation; inflation; rising interest rates; cost increases in raw materials, fuel and other operating expenses; technological innovations that may render existing products and equipment obsolete; competition from new entrants; high research and development costs; increased costs associated with compliance with environmental or other governmental regulations; and other economic, business or political developments specific to that sector. Furthermore, a Fund may invest a substantial portion of its assets in companies in related sectors that may share common characteristics, are often subject to similar business risks and regulatory burdens, and whose securities may react similarly to the types of developments described above, which will subject the Fund to greater risk. A Fund also will be subject to focused investment risk to the extent that it invests a substantial portion of its assets in a particular issuer, market, asset class, country or geographic region.

Corporate Debt Securities

Corporate debt securities are subject to the risk of the issuer's inability to meet principal and interest payments on the obligation and may also be subject to price volatility due to such factors as interest rate sensitivity, market perception of the creditworthiness of the issuer and general market liquidity. When interest rates rise, the value of corporate debt securities can be expected to decline. Debt securities with longer maturities tend to be more sensitive to interest rate movements than those with shorter maturities. In addition, certain corporate debt securities may be highly customized and as a result may be subject to, among others, liquidity and pricing transparency risks.

Bank Capital Securities and Trust Preferred Securities

There are two common types of bank capital: Tier I and Tier II. Bank capital is generally, but not always, of investment grade quality. Tier I securities often take the form of trust preferred securities. Tier II securities are commonly thought of as hybrids of debt and preferred securities, are often perpetual (with no maturity date), callable and, under certain conditions, allow for the issuer bank to withhold payment of interest until a later date.

Trust preferred securities have the characteristics of both subordinated debt and preferred securities. The primary advantage of the structure of trust preferred securities is that they are treated by the financial institution as debt securities for tax purposes and as equity for the calculation of capital requirements. Trust preferred securities typically bear a market rate coupon comparable to interest rates available on debt of a similarly rated issuer. Typical characteristics include long-term maturities, early redemption by the issuer, periodic fixed or variable interest payments, and maturities at face value. The market value of trust preferred securities may be more volatile than those of conventional debt securities. There can be no assurance as to the liquidity of trust preferred securities and the ability of holders, such as a Fund, to sell their holdings.

High Yield Securities and Distressed Companies

Securities rated lower than Baa by Moody's, or equivalently rated by S&P or Fitch, are sometimes referred to as "high yield securities" or "junk bonds." Issuers of these securities may be distressed and undergoing restructuring, bankruptcy or other proceedings in an attempt to avoid insolvency. Investing in these securities involves special risks in addition to the risks associated with investments in higher-rated fixed income securities. While offering a greater potential opportunity for capital appreciation and higher yields, high yield and distressed company securities typically entail greater potential price volatility and may be less liquid than higher-rated securities. High yield securities and debt securities of distressed companies may be regarded as predominately speculative with respect to the issuer's continuing ability to meet principal and interest payments. They may also be more susceptible to real or perceived adverse economic and competitive industry conditions than higher-rated securities. Certain Funds may invest in securities that are in default with respect to the payment of interest or repayment of principal, or present an imminent risk of default with respect to such payments. Issuers of securities in default may fail to resume principal or interest payments, in which case a Fund may lose its entire investment.

Variable and Floating Rate Securities

Variable and floating rate securities are securities that pay interest at rates that adjust whenever a specified interest rate changes and/or that reset on predetermined dates (such as the last day of a month or a calendar quarter). Each Fund (except the PIMCO Government Money Market Fund) may invest in floating rate debt instruments ("floaters") and engage in credit spread trades. Variable and floating rate securities generally are less sensitive to interest rate changes but may decline in value if their interest rates do not rise as much, or as quickly, as interest rates in general.

 

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Conversely, floating rate securities will not generally increase in value if interest rates decline. Each Fund (except the PIMCO Government Money Market Fund) may also invest in inverse floating rate debt instruments ("inverse floaters"). An inverse floater may exhibit greater price volatility than a fixed rate obligation of similar credit quality. Each Fund (except the PIMCO Government Money Market Fund) may invest up to 5% of its total assets in any combination of mortgage-related or other asset-backed IO, PO or inverse floater securities. Accordingly, except with respect to the PIMCO Government Money Market Fund, a Fund may also invest, without limitation, in residual interest bonds. Residual interest bonds are a type of inverse floater. See "Municipal Bonds".

Inflation-Indexed Bonds

Inflation-indexed bonds (other than municipal inflation-indexed bonds and certain corporate inflation-indexed bonds, which are more fully described below) are fixed income securities whose principal value is periodically adjusted according to the rate of inflation. If the index measuring inflation falls, the principal value of inflation-indexed bonds (other than municipal inflation-indexed bonds and certain corporate inflation-indexed bonds) will be adjusted downward, and consequently the interest payable on these securities (calculated with respect to a smaller principal amount) will be reduced. Repayment of the original bond principal upon maturity (as adjusted for inflation) is guaranteed in the case of TIPS. For bonds that do not provide a similar guarantee, the adjusted principal value of the bond repaid at maturity may be less than the original principal.

TIPS may also be divided into individual zero-coupon instruments for each coupon or principal payment (known as "iSTRIPS"). An iSTRIP of the principal component of a TIPS issue will retain the embedded deflation floor that will allow the holder of the security to receive the greater of the original principal or inflation-adjusted principal value at maturity. iSTRIPS may be less liquid than conventional TIPS because they are a small component of the TIPS market.

Municipal inflation-indexed securities are municipal bonds that pay coupons based on a fixed rate plus CPI. With regard to municipal inflation-indexed bonds and certain corporate inflation-indexed bonds, the inflation adjustment is reflected in the semi-annual coupon payment. As a result, the principal value of municipal inflation-indexed bonds and such corporate inflation-indexed bonds does not adjust according to the rate of inflation. At the same time, the value of municipal inflation-indexed securities and such corporate inflation indexed securities generally will not increase if the rate of inflation decreases. Because municipal inflation-indexed securities and corporate inflation-indexed securities are a small component of the municipal bond and corporate bond markets, respectively, they may be less liquid than conventional municipal and corporate bonds.

The value of inflation-indexed bonds is expected to change in response to changes in real interest rates. Real interest rates are tied to the relationship between nominal interest rates and the rate of inflation. If nominal interest rates increase at a faster rate than inflation, real interest rates may rise, leading to a decrease in value of inflation-indexed bonds. Any increase in the principal amount of an inflation-indexed bond will be considered taxable ordinary income, even though investors do not receive their principal until maturity.

Event-Linked Exposure

Each Fund (except the PIMCO Government Money Market Fund) may obtain event-linked exposure by investing in "event-linked bonds" or "event-linked swaps" or by implementing "event-linked strategies." Event-linked exposure results in gains or losses that typically are contingent, or formulaically related to defined trigger events. Examples of trigger events include hurricanes, earthquakes, weather-related phenomena, or statistics related to such events. Some event-linked bonds are commonly referred to as "catastrophe bonds." If a trigger event occurs, a Fund may lose a portion or its entire principal invested in the bond or notional amount on a swap. Event-linked exposure often provides for an extension of maturity to process and audit loss claims where a trigger event has, or possibly has, occurred. An extension of maturity may increase volatility. Event-linked exposure may also expose a Fund to certain unanticipated risks including counterparty risk, adverse regulatory or jurisdictional interpretations, and adverse tax consequences. Event-linked exposures may also be subject to liquidity risk.

Convertible and Equity Securities

Common stock represents equity ownership in a company and typically provides the common stockholder the power to vote on certain corporate actions, including the election of the company's directors. Common stockholders participate in company profits through dividends and, in the event of bankruptcy, distributions, on a pro-rata basis after other claims are satisfied. Many factors affect the value of common stock, including earnings, earnings forecasts, corporate events and factors impacting the issuer's industry and the market generally. Common stock generally has the greatest appreciation and depreciation potential of all corporate securities.

Each Fund (except the PIMCO Government Money Market Fund) may invest in convertible securities and equity securities, as well as securities related to equities. Equity-related securities include securities having an equity component (e.g., hybrids, bank capital) and equity derivatives. Convertible securities are generally preferred securities and other securities, including fixed income securities and warrants, that are convertible into or exercisable for common stock at a stated price or rate. The price of a convertible security will normally vary in some proportion to changes in the price of the underlying common stock because of this conversion or exercise feature. However, the value of a convertible security may not increase or decrease as rapidly as the underlying common stock. A convertible security will normally also provide income and is subject to interest rate risk. Convertible securities may be lower-rated securities subject to greater levels of credit risk. A Fund may be forced to convert a security before it would otherwise choose, which may have an adverse effect on the Fund's ability to achieve its investment objective.

"Synthetic" convertible securities are selected based on the similarity of their economic characteristics to those of a traditional convertible security due to the combination of separate securities that possess the two principal characteristics of a traditional convertible security, i.e., an income-producing security ("income-producing component") and the right to acquire an equity security ("convertible component"). The income-producing component is achieved by investing in non-convertible, income-producing securities such as bonds, preferred securities and money market instruments, which may be represented by derivative instruments. The

 

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convertible component is achieved by investing in securities or instruments such as warrants or options to buy common stock at a certain exercise price, or options on a stock index. A simple example of a synthetic convertible security is the combination of a traditional corporate bond with a warrant to purchase equity securities of the issuer of the bond. A Fund may also purchase synthetic securities created by other parties, typically investment banks, including convertible structured notes. The income-producing and convertible components of a synthetic convertible security may be issued separately by different issuers and at different times.

Preferred and other senior securities generally entitle the holder to receive, in preference to the holders of other securities such as common stocks, dividends and a fixed share of the proceeds resulting from a liquidation of the company. Preferred and other senior securities may pay fixed or adjustable rates of return. Preferred and other senior securities are subject to issuer-specific and market risks applicable generally to equity securities. In addition, a company's preferred and other senior securities generally pay dividends only after the company makes required payments to holders of its bonds and other debt. For this reason, the value of preferred and other senior securities will usually react more strongly than bonds and other debt to actual or perceived changes in the company's financial condition or prospects. In addition, preferred and other senior securities often have special redemption rights allowing issuers to redeem such securities at par earlier than scheduled. If these rights are exercised, the Fund may have to reinvest proceeds in less attractive securities.

Among other risks described in this Prospectus, the following issues are particularly associated with investments in preferred and other senior securities.

Deferral and Omission of Distributions. Preferred and other senior securities may include features permitting or requiring the issuer to defer or omit distributions. Among other things, such deferral or omission may result in adverse tax consequences for the Fund.

Limited Voting Rights. Preferred and other senior securities generally do not have voting rights with respect to the issuer unless dividends have been in arrears for certain specified periods of time.


In the future, preferred or other senior securities may be offered with features different from those described above, and as such, may entail different risks. Over longer periods of time, certain types of preferred or other senior securities may become more scarce or less liquid as a result of legislative changes. Such events may result in losses to the Fund as the prices of securities it holds may be negatively affected. Revisions to bank capital requirements by international regulatory bodies, to the extent they are adopted in the United States, may also negatively impact the market for certain preferred or senior securities.

While some countries or companies may be regarded as favorable investments, pure fixed income opportunities may be unattractive or limited due to insufficient supply, or legal or technical restrictions. In such cases, subject to its applicable investment restrictions, a Fund may consider convertible securities or equity securities to gain exposure to such investments.

At times, in connection with the restructuring of a preferred security or Fixed Income Instrument either outside of bankruptcy court or in the context of bankruptcy court proceedings, a Fund (except the PIMCO Government Money Market Fund) may determine or be required to accept equity securities, such as common stocks, in exchange for all or a portion of a preferred security or Fixed Income Instrument. Depending upon, among other things, PIMCO's evaluation of the potential value of such securities in relation to the price that could be obtained by a Fund at any given time upon sale thereof, a Fund (except the PIMCO Government Money Market Fund) may determine to hold such securities in its portfolio.

Equity securities generally have greater price volatility than fixed income securities. The market price of equity securities owned by a Fund may go up or down, sometimes rapidly or unpredictably. Equity securities may decline in value due to factors affecting equity securities markets generally or particular industries represented in those markets. The value of an equity security may also 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 goods or services.

Foreign (Non-U.S.) Securities

Each Fund (except the PIMCO Government Money Market and PIMCO Low Duration II Funds) may invest in securities and instruments that are economically tied to foreign (non- U.S.) countries. PIMCO generally considers an instrument to be economically tied to a non-U.S. country if the issuer is a foreign government (or any political subdivision, agency, authority or instrumentality of such government), or if the issuer is organized under the laws of a non-U.S. country. A Fund's investments in foreign (non-U.S.) securities may include American Depositary Receipts ("ADRs"), European Depositary Receipts ("EDRs"), Global Depositary Receipts ("GDRs") and similar securities that represent interests in a non-U.S. company's securities that have been deposited with a bank or trust and that trade on a U.S. exchange or over-the-counter. ADRs, EDRs and GDRs may be less liquid or may trade at a different price than the underlying securities of the issuer. In the case of certain money market instruments, such instruments will be considered economically tied to a non-U.S. country if either the issuer or the guarantor of such money market instrument is organized under the laws of a non-U.S. country. With respect to derivative instruments, PIMCO generally considers such instruments to be economically tied to non-U.S. countries if the underlying assets are foreign currencies (or baskets or indexes of such currencies), or instruments or securities that are issued by foreign governments or issuers organized under the laws of a non-U.S. country (or if the underlying assets are certain money market instruments, if either the issuer or the guarantor of such money market instruments is organized under the laws of a non-U.S. country).

Investing in foreign (non-U.S.) securities involves special risks and considerations not typically associated with investing in U.S. securities. Shareholders should consider carefully the substantial risks involved for Funds that invest in securities issued by foreign companies and governments of foreign countries. These risks include: differences in accounting, auditing and financial reporting standards; generally higher commission rates on foreign portfolio transactions; the possibility of nationalization, expropriation or confiscatory taxation; adverse changes in

 

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investment or exchange control regulations; and political instability. Individual foreign economies may differ favorably or unfavorably from the U.S. economy in such respects as growth of gross domestic product, rates of inflation, capital reinvestment, resources, self-sufficiency and balance of payments position. The securities markets, values of securities, yields and risks associated with foreign (non-U.S.) securities markets may change independently of each other. Also, foreign (non-U.S.) securities and dividends and interest payable on those securities may be subject to foreign taxes, including taxes withheld from payments on those securities. Foreign (non-U.S.) securities often trade with less frequency and volume than domestic securities and therefore may exhibit greater price volatility. Investments in foreign (non-U.S.) securities may also involve higher custodial costs than domestic investments and additional transaction costs with respect to foreign currency conversions. Changes in foreign exchange rates also will affect the value of securities denominated or quoted in foreign currencies.

Certain Funds also may invest in sovereign debt issued by governments, their agencies or instrumentalities, or other government-related entities. Holders of sovereign debt may be requested to participate in the rescheduling of such debt and to extend further loans to governmental entities. In addition, there is no bankruptcy proceeding by which defaulted sovereign debt may be collected.

Emerging Market Securities. Each Fund that may invest in foreign (non-U.S.) securities may invest in securities and instruments that are economically tied to developing (or "emerging market") countries. The PIMCO Short Asset Investment Fund may invest up to 10% of its total assets in securities and instruments that are economically tied to emerging market countries. The PIMCO Short-Term Fund may invest up to 5% of its total assets in such securities and instruments. PIMCO generally considers an instrument to be economically tied to an emerging market country if: the issuer is organized under the laws of an emerging market country; the currency of settlement of the security is a currency of an emerging market country; the security is guaranteed by the government of an emerging market country (or any political subdivision, agency, authority or instrumentality of such government); for an asset-backed or other collateralized security, the country in which the collateral backing the security is located in an emerging market country; or the security's "country of exposure" is an emerging market country, as determined by the criteria set forth below. With respect to derivative instruments, PIMCO generally considers such instruments to be economically tied to emerging market countries if the underlying assets are currencies of emerging market countries (or baskets or indexes of such currencies), or instruments or securities that are issued or guaranteed by governments of emerging market countries or by entities organized under the laws of emerging market countries or if an instrument's "country of exposure" is an emerging market country. A security's "country of exposure" is determined by PIMCO using certain factors provided by a third-party analytical service provider. The factors are applied in order such that the first factor to result in the assignment of a country determines the "country of exposure." The factors, listed in the order in which they are applied, are: (i) if an asset-backed or other collateralized security, the country in which the collateral backing the security is located; (ii) the "country of risk" of the issuer; (iii) if the security is guaranteed by the government of a country (or any political subdivision, agency, authority or instrumentality of such government), the country of the government or instrumentality providing the guarantee; (iv) the "country of risk" of the issuer's ultimate parent; or (v) the country where the issuer is organized or incorporated under the laws thereof. "Country of risk" is a separate four-part test determined by the following factors, listed in order of importance: (i) management location; (ii) country of primary listing; (iii) sales or revenue attributable to the country; and (iv) reporting currency of the issuer. PIMCO has broad discretion to identify countries that it considers to qualify as emerging markets. In making investments in emerging market securities, a Fund emphasizes those countries with relatively low gross national product per capita and with the potential for rapid economic growth. Emerging market countries are generally located in Asia, Africa, the Middle East, Latin America and Eastern Europe. PIMCO will select the country and currency composition based on its evaluation of relative interest rates, inflation rates, exchange rates, monetary and fiscal policies, trade and current account balances, legal and political developments and any other specific factors it believes to be relevant.

Investing in emerging market securities imposes risks different from, or greater than, risks of investing in domestic securities or in foreign, developed countries. These risks include: smaller market capitalization of securities markets, which may suffer periods of relative illiquidity; significant price volatility; restrictions on foreign investment; possible repatriation of investment income and capital. In addition, foreign investors may be required to register the proceeds of sales; and future economic or political crises could lead to price controls, forced mergers, expropriation or confiscatory taxation, seizure, nationalization, or creation of government monopolies. The currencies of emerging market countries may experience significant declines against the U.S. dollar, and devaluation may occur subsequent to investments in these currencies by a Fund. Many emerging market countries have experienced substantial, and in some periods extremely high, rates of inflation for many years. Inflation and rapid fluctuations in inflation rates have had, and may continue to have, negative effects on the economies and securities markets of certain emerging market countries.

Additional risks of emerging market securities may include: greater social, economic and political uncertainty and instability; more substantial governmental involvement in the economy; less governmental supervision and regulation; unavailability of currency hedging techniques; companies that are newly organized and small; differences in auditing and financial reporting standards, which may result in unavailability of material information about issuers; and less developed legal systems. In addition, emerging securities markets may have different clearance and settlement procedures, which may be unable to keep pace with the volume of securities transactions or otherwise make it difficult to engage in such transactions. Settlement problems may cause a Fund to miss attractive investment opportunities, hold a portion of its assets in cash pending

 

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investment, or be delayed in disposing of a portfolio security. Such a delay could result in possible liability to a purchaser of the security.

Foreign (Non-U.S.) Currencies

Direct investments in foreign (non-U.S.) currencies or in securities that trade in, or receive revenues in, foreign (non-U.S.) currencies will be subject to currency risk. Foreign currency exchange rates may fluctuate significantly over short periods of time. They generally are determined by supply and demand in the foreign exchange markets and the relative merits of investments in different countries, actual or perceived changes in interest rates and other complex factors. Currency exchange rates also can be affected unpredictably by intervention (or the failure to intervene) by U.S. or foreign governments or central banks, or by currency controls or political developments. Currencies in which the Funds' assets are denominated may be devalued against the U.S. dollar, resulting in a loss to the Funds.

Foreign Currency Transactions. Funds that invest in securities denominated in foreign (non-U.S.) currencies may engage in foreign currency transactions on a spot (cash) basis, enter into forward foreign currency exchange contracts and invest in foreign currency futures contracts and options on foreign currencies and futures. A forward foreign currency exchange contract, which involves an obligation to purchase or sell a specific currency at a future date at a price set at the time of the contract, reduces a Fund's exposure to changes in the value of the currency it will deliver and increases its exposure to changes in the value of the currency it will receive for the duration of the contract. Certain foreign currency transactions may also be settled in cash rather than the actual delivery of the relevant currency. The effect on the value of a Fund is similar to selling securities denominated in one currency and purchasing securities denominated in another currency. Foreign currency transactions, like currency exchange rates, can be affected unpredictably by intervention (or the failure to intervene) by U.S. or foreign governments or central banks, or by currency controls or political developments. Such events may prevent or restrict a Fund's ability to enter into foreign currency transactions, force the Fund to exit a foreign currency transaction at a disadvantageous time or price or result in penalties for the Fund, any of which may result in a loss to the Fund. A contract to sell a foreign currency would limit any potential gain which might be realized if the value of the hedged currency increases. A Fund may enter into these contracts to hedge against foreign exchange risk, to increase exposure to a foreign currency or to shift exposure to foreign currency fluctuations from one currency to another. Suitable hedging transactions may not be available in all circumstances and there can be no assurance that a Fund will engage in such transactions at any given time or from time to time. Also, such transactions may not be successful and may eliminate any chance for a Fund to benefit from favorable fluctuations in relevant foreign currencies. A Fund may use one currency (or a basket of currencies) to hedge against adverse changes in the value of another currency (or a basket of currencies) when exchange rates between the two currencies are positively correlated. A Fund will segregate or "earmark" assets determined to be liquid by PIMCO in accordance with the procedures established by the Board of Trustees (or, as permitted by applicable law, enter into certain offsetting positions) to cover its obligations under forward foreign currency exchange contracts.

Redenomination. Continuing uncertainty as to the status of the euro and the European Monetary Union (the "EMU") has created significant volatility in currency and financial markets generally. Any partial or complete dissolution of the EMU could have significant adverse effects on currency and financial markets and on the values of a Fund's portfolio investments. If one or more EMU countries were to stop using the euro as its primary currency, a Fund's investments in such countries may be redenominated into a different or newly adopted currency. As a result, the value of those investments could decline significantly and unpredictably. In addition, securities or other investments that are redenominated may be subject to currency risk, liquidity risk and risk of improper valuation to a greater extent than similar investments currently denominated in euros. To the extent a currency used for redenomination purposes is not specified in respect of certain EMU-related investments, or should the euro cease to be used entirely, the currency in which such investments are denominated may be unclear, making such investments particularly difficult to value or dispose of. A Fund may incur additional expenses to the extent it is required to seek judicial or other clarification of the denomination or value of such securities.

There can be no assurance that if a Fund earns income or capital gains in a non-U.S. country or PIMCO otherwise seeks to withdraw a Fund's investments from a given country, capital controls imposed by such country will not prevent, or cause significant expense in, doing so.

Repurchase Agreements

Each Fund may enter into repurchase agreements, in which the Fund purchases a security from a bank or broker-dealer, which agrees to repurchase the security at the Fund's cost plus interest within a specified time. If the party agreeing to repurchase should default, the Fund will seek to sell the securities which it holds. This could involve procedural costs or delays in addition to a loss on the securities if their value should fall below their repurchase price. Repurchase agreements maturing in more than seven days and which may not be terminated within seven days at approximately the amount at which a Fund has valued the agreements are considered illiquid securities.  

Reverse Repurchase Agreements, Dollar Rolls and Other Borrowings

Each Fund may enter into reverse repurchase agreements and dollar rolls, subject to the Fund's limitations on borrowings. A reverse repurchase agreement involves the sale of a security by a Fund and its agreement to repurchase the instrument at a specified time and price. A dollar roll is similar except that the counterparty is not obligated to return the same securities as those originally sold by the Fund but only securities that are "substantially identical." Reverse repurchase agreements and dollar rolls may be considered borrowing for some purposes. A Fund will segregate or "earmark" assets determined to be liquid by PIMCO in accordance with procedures established by the Board of Trustees to cover its obligations under reverse repurchase agreements and dollar rolls. Reverse repurchase

 

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agreements, dollar rolls and other forms of borrowings may create leveraging risk for a Fund.

Each Fund may borrow money to the extent permitted under the 1940 Act. This means that, in general, a Fund may borrow money from banks for any purpose in an amount up to ⅓ of the Fund's total assets, less all liabilities and indebtedness not represented by senior securities. A Fund may also borrow money for temporary administrative purposes in an amount not to exceed 5% of the Fund's total assets. In addition, a Fund may borrow from certain other PIMCO funds in inter-fund lending transactions to the extent permitted by an exemptive order from the SEC.

Derivatives

Each Fund (except the PIMCO Government Money Market Fund) may, but is not required to, use derivative instruments for risk management purposes or as part of its investment strategies. Generally, derivatives are financial contracts whose value depends upon, or is derived from, the value of an underlying asset, reference rate or index, and may relate to stocks, bonds, interest rates, spreads between different interest rates, currencies or currency exchange rates, commodities, and related indexes. Examples of derivative instruments include options contracts, futures contracts, options on futures contracts and swap agreements (including, but not limited to, credit default swaps and swaps on exchange-traded funds). Each Fund (except the PIMCO Government Money Market Fund) may invest some or all of its assets in derivative instruments, subject to the Fund's objective and policies. A portfolio manager may decide not to employ any of these strategies and there is no assurance that any derivatives strategy used by a Fund will succeed. A description of these and other derivative instruments that the Funds may use are described under "Investment Objectives and Policies" in the SAI.

A Fund's use of derivative instruments involves risks different from, or possibly greater than, the risks associated with investing directly in securities and other more traditional investments. Certain derivative transactions may have a leveraging effect on a Fund. For example, a small investment in a derivative instrument may have a significant impact on a Fund's exposure to interest rates, currency exchange rates or other investments. As a result, a relatively small price movement in a derivative instrument may cause an immediate and substantial loss or gain. A Fund may engage in such transactions regardless of whether the Fund owns the asset, instrument or components of the index underlying the derivative instrument. A Fund may invest a significant portion of its assets in these types of instruments. If it does, the Fund's investment exposure could far exceed the value of its portfolio securities and its investment performance could be primarily dependent upon securities it does not own. A description of various risks associated with particular derivative instruments is included in "Investment Objectives and Policies" in the SAI. The following provides a more general discussion of important risk factors relating to all derivative instruments that may be used by the Funds.

CPI Swap. A CPI swap is a fixed maturity, over-the-counter derivative transaction in which the investor receives the "realized" rate of inflation as measured by the Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers ("CPI") over the life of the swap. The investor in turn pays a fixed annualized rate over the life of the swap. This fixed rate is often referred to as the "breakeven inflation" rate and is generally representative of the difference between treasury yields and TIPS yields of similar maturities at the initiation of the swap. CPI swaps are typically in "bullet" format, where all cash flows are exchanged at maturity. In addition to counterparty risk, CPI swaps are also subject to inflation risk, where the swap can potentially lose value if the realized rate of inflation over the life of the swap is less than the fixed market implied inflation rate (fixed breakeven rate) that the investor agrees to pay at the initiation of the swap.

Management Risk. Derivative products are highly specialized instruments that require investment techniques and risk analyses different from those associated with stocks and bonds. The use of a derivative requires an understanding not only of the underlying instrument but also of the derivative itself, without the benefit of observing the performance of the derivative under all possible market conditions.

Credit Risk. The use of many derivative instruments involves the risk that a loss may be sustained as a result of the failure of another party to the contract (usually referred to as a "counterparty") to make required payments or otherwise comply with the contract's terms. Additionally, a short position in a credit default swap could result in losses if a Fund does not correctly evaluate the creditworthiness of the company on which the credit default swap is based.

Liquidity Risk. Liquidity risk exists when a particular derivative instrument is difficult to purchase or sell. If a derivative transaction is particularly large or if the relevant market is illiquid (as is the case with many privately negotiated derivatives), it may not be possible to initiate a transaction or liquidate a position at an advantageous time or price.

Leverage Risk. Because many derivatives have a leverage component, adverse changes in the value or level of the underlying asset, reference rate or index could result in a loss substantially greater than the amount invested in the derivative itself. Certain derivatives have the potential for unlimited loss, regardless of the size of the initial investment. When a Fund uses derivatives for leverage, investments in that Fund will tend to be more volatile, resulting in larger gains or losses in response to market changes. To limit leverage risk, each Fund will segregate or "earmark" assets determined to be liquid by PIMCO in accordance with procedures established by the Board of Trustees (or, as permitted by applicable regulation, enter into certain offsetting positions) to cover its obligations under derivative instruments.

Lack of Availability. Because the markets for certain derivative instruments (including markets located in foreign countries) are relatively new and still developing, suitable derivatives transactions may not be available in all circumstances for risk management or other purposes. Upon the expiration of a particular contract, a portfolio manager may wish to retain a Fund's position in the derivative instrument by entering into a similar contract, but may be unable to do so if the counterparty to the original contract is unwilling to enter into the new contract and no other suitable counterparty can be found. There is no assurance that a Fund will engage in derivatives transactions at any time or from time to time. A Fund's ability to use derivatives may also be limited by certain regulatory and tax considerations.

Market and Other Risks. Like most other investments, derivative instruments are subject to the risk that the market value of the instrument will change in a way detrimental to a Fund's interest. If a portfolio manager incorrectly forecasts the values of securities, currencies or interest rates or other

 

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economic factors in using derivatives for a Fund, the Fund might have been in a better position if it had not entered into the transaction at all. While some strategies involving derivative instruments can reduce the risk of loss, they can also reduce the opportunity for gain or even result in losses by offsetting favorable price movements in other Fund investments. A Fund may also have to buy or sell a security at a disadvantageous time or price because the Fund is legally required to maintain offsetting positions or asset coverage in connection with certain derivatives transactions. The regulation of the derivatives markets has increased over the past several years, and additional future regulation of the derivatives markets may make derivatives more costly, may limit the availability or reduce the liquidity of derivatives, or may otherwise adversely affect the value or performance of derivatives. Any such adverse future developments could impair the effectiveness or raise the costs of the Fund's derivative transactions, or impede the employment of the Fund's derivatives strategies, or adversely affect the Fund's performance.

Other risks in using derivatives include the risk of mispricing or improper valuation of derivatives. Many derivatives, in particular privately negotiated derivatives, are complex and often valued subjectively. Improper valuations can result in increased cash payment requirements to counterparties or a loss of value to a Fund. Also, the value of derivatives may not correlate perfectly, or at all, with the value of the assets, reference rates or indexes they are designed to closely track. For example, a swap agreement on an exchange-traded fund would not correlate perfectly with the index upon which the exchange-traded fund is based because the fund's return is net of fees and expenses. In addition, a Fund's use of derivatives may cause the Fund to realize higher amounts of short-term capital gains (generally taxed at ordinary income tax rates) than if the Fund had not used such instruments.

Correlation Risk. In certain cases, the value of derivatives may not correlate perfectly, or at all, with the value of the assets, reference rates or indexes they are designed to closely track. In this regard, many of the Funds offered in this prospectus seek to achieve their investment objectives, in part, by investing in derivatives positions that are designed to closely track the performance (or inverse performance) of an index on a daily basis. However, the overall investment strategies of these Funds are not designed or expected to produce returns which replicate the performance (or inverse performance) of the particular index, and the degree of variation could be substantial, particularly over longer periods. There are a number of factors which may prevent a Fund, or derivatives or other strategies used by a Fund, from achieving a desired correlation (or inverse correlation) with an index. These may include, but are not limited to: (i) the impact of fund fees, expenses and transaction costs, including borrowing and brokerage costs/ bid-ask spreads, which are not reflected in index returns; (ii) differences in the timing of daily calculations of the value of an index and the timing of the valuation of derivatives, securities and other assets held by a fund and the determination of the NAV of Fund shares; (iii) disruptions or illiquidity in the markets for derivative instruments or securities in which a Fund invests; (iv) a Fund having exposure to or holding less than all of the securities in the underlying index and/or having exposure to or holding securities not included in the underlying index; (v) large or unexpected movements of assets into and out of a Fund (due to share purchases or redemptions, for example), potentially resulting in the Fund being over- or under-exposed to the index; (vi) the impact of accounting standards or changes thereto; (vii) changes to the applicable index that are not disseminated in advance; (viii) a possible need to conform a Fund's portfolio holdings to comply with investment restrictions or policies or regulatory or tax law requirements; and (ix) fluctuations in currency exchange rates.

Real Estate Investment Trusts (REITs)

REITs are pooled investment vehicles that own, and usually operate, income-producing real estate. Some REITs also finance real estate. If a REIT meets certain requirements, including distributing to shareholders substantially all of its taxable income (other than net capital gains), then it is not taxed on the income distributed to shareholders. Therefore, REITs tend to pay higher dividends than other issuers.

REITs can be divided into three basic types: Equity REITs, Mortgage REITs and Hybrid REITs. Equity REITs invest the majority of their assets directly in real property. They derive their income primarily from rents received and any profits on the sale of their properties. Mortgage REITs invest the majority of their assets in real estate mortgages and derive most of their income from mortgage interest payments. As its name suggests, Hybrid REITs combine characteristics of both Equity REITs and Mortgage REITs.

An investment in a REIT, or in a real estate linked derivative instrument linked to the value of a REIT, is subject to the risks that impact the value of the underlying properties of the REIT. These risks include loss to casualty or condemnation, and changes in supply and demand, interest rates, zoning laws, regulatory limitations on rents, property taxes and operating expenses. Other factors that may adversely affect REITs include poor performance by management of the REIT, changes to the tax laws, or failure by the REIT to qualify for tax-free distribution of income. REITs are also subject to default by borrowers and self-liquidation, and are heavily dependent on cash flow. Some REITs lack diversification because they invest in a limited number of properties, a narrow geographic area, or a single type of property. Mortgage REITs may be impacted by the quality of the credit extended.

Exchange-Traded Notes (ETNs)

ETNs are senior, unsecured, unsubordinated debt securities whose returns are linked to the performance of a particular market benchmark or strategy minus applicable fees. ETNs are traded on an exchange (e.g., the NYSE) during normal trading hours. However, investors can also hold the ETN until maturity. At maturity, the issuer pays to the investor a cash amount equal to the principal amount, subject to the day's market benchmark or strategy factor.

ETNs do not make periodic coupon payments or provide principal protection. ETNs are subject to credit risk and the value of the ETN may drop due to a downgrade in the issuer's credit rating, despite the underlying market benchmark or strategy remaining unchanged. The value of an ETN may also be influenced by time to maturity, level of supply and demand for the ETN, volatility and lack of liquidity in underlying assets, changes in the applicable interest rates, changes in the issuer's credit rating, and economic, legal, political, or geographic events that affect the referenced underlying asset. When a Fund invests in ETNs, it will bear its proportionate share of any fees and expenses borne by the ETN. A Fund's decision to sell its ETN

 

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holdings may be limited by the availability of a secondary market. ETNs are also subject to tax risk. The IRS and Congress are considering proposals that would change the timing and character of income and gains from ETNs. There may be times when an ETN share trades at a premium or discount to its market benchmark or strategy.

Delayed Funding Loans and Revolving Credit Facilities

Each Fund (except the PIMCO Government Money Market Fund) may also enter into, or acquire participations in, delayed funding loans and revolving credit facilities, in which a lender agrees to make loans up to a maximum amount upon demand by the borrower during a specified term. These commitments may have the effect of requiring a Fund to increase its investment in a company at a time when it might not otherwise decide to do so (including at a time when the company's financial condition makes it unlikely that such amounts will be repaid). To the extent that a Fund is committed to advance additional funds, it will segregate or "earmark" assets determined to be liquid by PIMCO in accordance with procedures established by the Board of Trustees in an amount sufficient to meet such commitments. Delayed funding loans and revolving credit facilities are subject to credit, interest rate and liquidity risk and the risks of being a lender.

When-Issued, Delayed Delivery and Forward Commitment Transactions

Each Fund (except the PIMCO Government Money Market Fund) may purchase or sell securities which it is eligible to purchase or sell on a when-issued basis, may purchase and sell such securities for delayed delivery and may make contracts to purchase or sell such securities for a fixed price at a future date beyond normal settlement time (forward commitments). When-issued transactions, delayed delivery purchases and forward commitments involve a risk of loss if the value of the securities declines prior to the settlement date. This risk is in addition to the risk that a Fund's other assets will decline in value. Therefore, these transactions may result in a form of leverage and increase a Fund's overall investment exposure. Typically, no income accrues on securities a Fund has committed to purchase prior to the time delivery of the securities is made, although a Fund may earn income on securities it has segregated or "earmarked" to cover these positions. When a Fund has sold a security on a when-issued, delayed delivery, or forward commitment basis, the Fund does not participate in future gains or losses with respect to the security. If the other party to a transaction fails to pay for the securities, a Fund could suffer a loss. Additionally, when selling a security on a when-issued, delayed delivery or forward commitment basis without owning the security, a Fund will incur a loss if the security's price appreciates in value such that the security's price is above the agreed-upon price on the settlement date.

Investment in Other Investment Companies

Each Fund may invest in securities of other investment companies, such as open-end or closed-end management investment companies, including exchange-traded funds, or in pooled accounts, or other unregistered accounts or investment vehicles to the extent permitted by the 1940 Act and the rules and regulations thereunder and any exemptive relief therefrom. A Fund may invest in other investment companies to gain broad market or sector exposure, including during periods when it has large amounts of uninvested cash or when PIMCO believes share prices of other investment companies offer attractive values. As a shareholder of an investment company or other pooled vehicle, a Fund may indirectly bear investment advisory fees, supervisory and administrative fees, service fees and other fees which are in addition to the fees the Fund pays its service providers. Although the PIMCO Government Money Market Fund has adopted a policy to invest 100% of its total assets in cash, U.S. Government Securities, and repurchase agreements secured by U.S. Government Securities or cash, this policy does not preclude the Fund from investing in other "government money market funds," which are money market funds that invest at least 99.5% of their total assets in cash, U.S. Government Securities, and/or repurchase agreements that are collateralized fully.

Each Fund (except the PIMCO Government Money Market Fund) may invest in certain money market funds and/or short-term bond funds ("Central Funds"), to the extent permitted by the 1940 Act, the rules thereunder or exemptive relief therefrom. The Central Funds are registered investment companies created for use solely by the series of the Trust, PIMCO Variable Insurance Trust, PIMCO ETF Trust, PIMCO Equity Series and PIMCO Equity Series VIT, and certain other series of registered investment companies advised by PIMCO, in connection with their cash management activities. The main investments of the Central Funds are money market instruments and short maturity Fixed Income Instruments. The Central Funds may incur expenses related to their investment activities, but do not pay investment advisory or supervisory and administrative fees to PIMCO.

Subject to the restrictions and limitations of the 1940 Act, each Fund may elect to pursue its investment objective by investing in one or more underlying investment vehicles or companies that have substantially similar investment objectives and policies as the Fund.

Small-Cap and Mid-Cap Companies

Certain Funds may invest in equity securities of small-capitalization and mid-capitalization companies. The Funds consider a small-cap company to be a company with a market capitalization of up to $1.5 billion and a mid-cap company to be a company with a market capitalization of between $1.5 billion and $10 billion. Investments in small-cap and mid-cap companies involve greater risk than investments in large-capitalization companies. Small- and mid-cap companies may not have an established financial history, which can present valuation challenges. The equity securities of small- and mid-cap companies may be subject to increased market fluctuations, due to less liquid markets and more limited managerial and financial resources. A Fund's investment in small- and mid-cap companies may increase the volatility of the Fund's portfolio.

Short Sales

A Fund may make short sales as part of its overall portfolio management strategies or to offset a potential decline in value of a security. A short sale involves the sale of a security that is borrowed from a broker or other institution to complete the sale. Short sales expose a Fund to the risk that it will be required to acquire, convert or exchange securities to replace the borrowed securities (also known as "covering" the short position) at a time when the securities sold short have appreciated in value, thus resulting in a loss to the Fund. When making a short sale (other than a "short sale

 

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against the box"), a Fund must segregate or "earmark" assets determined to be liquid by PIMCO in accordance with procedures established by the Board of Trustees or otherwise cover its position in a permissible manner. A Fund may engage in short selling to the extent permitted by the 1940 Act and rules and interpretations thereunder and other federal securities laws. To the extent a Fund engages in short selling in foreign (non-U.S.) jurisdictions, the Fund will do so to the extent permitted by the laws and regulations of such jurisdiction.

Responsible Investment

As the investment adviser to the PIMCO Low Duration ESG Fund, PIMCO may engage proactively with issuers to encourage them to improve their business practices with respect to the environment, social responsibility, and corporate governance ("ESG practices"). In determining the efficacy of an issuer's ESG practices, PIMCO will use its own proprietary assessments of critical ESG issues and may also reference standards as set forth by recognized global organizations such as the United Nations. PIMCO's activities in this respect may include, but are not limited to, direct dialogue with company management, such as through in-person meetings, phone calls, electronic communications, and letters. Through these engagement activities, PIMCO seeks to identify opportunities for a company to improve its ESG practices, and works collaboratively with company management to establish concrete objectives and to develop a plan for meeting these objectives. The Fund may invest in securities of issuers whose ESG practices are currently suboptimal, with the expectation that these practices may improve over time either as a result of PIMCO's engagement efforts or through the company's own initiatives. There can be no assurance that these engagement efforts will be successful. PIMCO may exclude from the Fund issuers that are not receptive to its engagement efforts. In addition, because the Fund invests primarily in Fixed Income Instruments, the Fund does not generally have standing to engage companies in all the ways that an investor in a company's equity securities does.

Illiquid Securities

Each Fund may invest up to 15% of its net assets (5% of total assets in the case of the PIMCO Government Money Market Fund) (taken at the time of investment) in illiquid securities. Certain illiquid securities may require pricing at fair value as determined in good faith under the supervision of the Board of Trustees. A portfolio manager may be subject to significant delays in disposing of illiquid securities, and transactions in illiquid securities may entail registration expenses and other transaction costs that are higher than those for transactions in liquid securities. The term "illiquid securities" for this purpose means securities that cannot be disposed of within seven days in the ordinary course of business at approximately the amount at which a Fund has valued the securities. Restricted securities, i.e., securities subject to legal or contractual restrictions on resale, may be illiquid. However, some restricted securities (such as securities issued pursuant to Rule 144A under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and certain commercial paper) may be treated as liquid, although they may be less liquid than registered securities traded on established secondary markets.

Loans of Portfolio Securities

For the purpose of achieving income, each Fund may lend its portfolio securities to brokers, dealers, and other financial institutions provided a number of conditions are satisfied, including that the loan is fully collateralized. Please see "Investment Objectives and Policies" in the SAI for details. When a Fund lends portfolio securities, its investment performance will continue to reflect changes in the value of the securities loaned, and the Fund will also receive a fee or interest on the collateral. Securities lending involves the risk of loss of rights in the collateral or delay in recovery of the collateral if the borrower fails to return the security loaned or becomes insolvent. A Fund may pay lending fees to a party arranging the loan. Cash collateral received by a Fund in securities lending transactions may be invested in short-term liquid fixed income instruments or in money market or short-term mutual funds, or similar investment vehicles, including affiliated money market or short-term mutual funds. A Fund bears the risk of such investments.

Portfolio Turnover

The length of time a Fund has held a particular security is not generally a consideration in investment decisions. A change in the securities held by a Fund is known as "portfolio turnover." When the portfolio manager deems it appropriate and particularly during periods of volatile market movements, a Fund may engage in frequent and active trading of portfolio securities to achieve its investment objective. Higher portfolio turnover (e.g., an annual rate greater than 100% of the average value of the Fund's portfolio) involves correspondingly greater expenses to a Fund, including brokerage commissions or dealer markups and other transaction costs on the sale of securities and reinvestments in other securities. Such sales may also result in realization of taxable capital gains, including short-term capital gains (which are generally taxed at ordinary income tax rates). The trading costs and tax effects associated with portfolio turnover may adversely affect a Fund's performance. Please see a Fund's "Fund Summary—Portfolio Turnover" or the "Financial Highlights" in this prospectus for the portfolio turnover rates of the Funds that were operational during the last fiscal year.

Temporary Defensive Positions

For temporary defensive purposes, each Fund may invest without limit in U.S. debt securities, including taxable securities and short-term money market securities, when PIMCO deems it appropriate to do so. When a Fund engages in such strategies, it may not achieve its investment objective.

From time to time, as the prevailing market and interest rate environment warrants, and at the discretion of its portfolio manager, some portion of the PIMCO Government Money Market Fund's total net assets may be uninvested. Such a strategy may be deemed advisable during periods where the interest rate on newly-issued U.S. Treasury securities is extremely low, or where no interest rate is paid at all. In such cases, Fund assets will be held in cash in the Fund's custody account. Cash assets are generally not income-generating and would impact a Fund's performance.

Changes in Investment Objectives and Policies

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fundamental and may not be changed without shareholder approval. Unless otherwise stated, all other investment policies of the Funds may be changed by the Board of Trustees without shareholder approval.

Percentage Investment Limitations

Unless otherwise stated, all percentage limitations on Fund investments listed in this prospectus will apply at the time of investment. A Fund would not violate these limitations unless an excess or deficiency occurs or exists immediately after and as a result of an investment. The PIMCO Government Money Market Fund has adopted a non-fundamental investment policy to invest at least 80% of its assets in investments suggested by its name. For purposes of this policy, the term "assets" means net assets plus the amount of any borrowings for investment purposes.

Credit Ratings and Unrated Securities

Rating agencies are private services that provide ratings of the credit quality of fixed income securities, including convertible securities. Appendix A to this prospectus describes the various ratings assigned to fixed income securities by Moody's, S&P and Fitch. Ratings assigned by a rating agency are not absolute standards of credit quality and do not evaluate market risks. Rating agencies may fail to make timely changes in credit ratings and an issuer's current financial condition may be better or worse than a rating indicates. A Fund will not necessarily sell a security when its rating is reduced below its rating at the time of purchase. PIMCO does not rely solely on credit ratings, and develops its own analysis of issuer credit quality.

A Fund may purchase unrated securities (which are not rated by a rating agency) if PIMCO determines, in its sole discretion, that the security is of comparable quality to a rated security that the Fund may purchase. In making ratings determinations, PIMCO may take into account different factors than those taken into account by rating agencies, and PIMCO's rating of a security may differ from the rating that a rating agency may have given the same security. Unrated securities may be less liquid than comparable rated securities and involve the risk that the portfolio manager may not accurately evaluate the security's comparative credit rating. Analysis of the creditworthiness of issuers of high yield securities may be more complex than for issuers of higher-quality fixed income securities. To the extent that a Fund invests in high yield and/or unrated securities, the Fund's success in achieving its investment objective may depend more heavily on the portfolio manager's creditworthiness analysis than if the Fund invested exclusively in higher-quality and rated securities.

Other Investments and Techniques

The Funds may invest in other types of securities and use a variety of investment techniques and strategies which are not described in this prospectus. These securities and techniques may subject the Funds to additional risks. Please see the SAI for additional information about the securities and investment techniques described in this prospectus and about additional securities and techniques that may be used by the Funds.

Cyber Security

As the use of technology has become more prevalent in the course of business, the Funds have become potentially more susceptible to operational and information security risks resulting from breaches in cyber security. A breach in cyber security refers to both intentional and unintentional cyber events that may, among other things, cause a Fund to lose proprietary information, suffer data corruption and/or destruction or lose operational capacity, result in the unauthorized release or other misuse of confidential information, or otherwise disrupt normal business operations. Cyber security breaches may involve unauthorized access to a Fund's digital information systems (e.g., through "hacking" or malicious software coding), but may also result from outside attacks such as denial-of-service attacks (i.e., efforts to make network services unavailable to intended users). In addition, cyber security breaches involving a Fund's third party service providers (including but not limited to advisers, sub-advisers, administrators, transfer agents, custodians, distributors and other third parties), trading counterparties or issuers in which a Fund invests can also subject a Fund to many of the same risks associated with direct cyber security breaches. Moreover, cyber security breaches involving trading counterparties or issuers in which a Fund invests could adversely impact such counterparties or issuers and cause the Fund's investment to lose value.

Cyber security failures or breaches may result in financial losses to a Fund and its shareholders. These failures or breaches may also result in disruptions to business operations, potentially resulting in financial losses; interference with a Fund's ability to calculate its NAV, process shareholder transactions or otherwise transact business with shareholders; impediments to trading; violations of applicable privacy and other laws; regulatory fines; penalties; reputational damage; reimbursement or other compensation costs; additional compliance and cyber security risk management costs and other adverse consequences. In addition, substantial costs may be incurred in order to prevent any cyber incidents in the future.

Like with operational risk in general, the Funds have established business continuity plans and risk management systems designed to reduce the risks associated with cyber security. However, there are inherent limitations in these plans and systems, including that certain risks may not have been identified, in large part because different or unknown threats may emerge in the future. As such, there is no guarantee that such efforts will succeed, especially because the Funds do not directly control the cyber security systems of issuers in which a Fund may invest, trading counterparties or third party service providers to the Funds. There is also a risk that cyber security breaches may not be detected. The Funds and their shareholders could be negatively impacted as a result.

 

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Prospectus

Financial Highlights

The financial highlights table is intended to help a shareholder understand the financial performance of Institutional Class, Class M, I-2, I-3, Administrative Class, Class A, Class C and Class R shares of each Fund for the last five fiscal years or, if shorter, the period since a Fund or a class commenced operations. Certain information reflects financial results for a single Fund share. Because I-3 shares of the PIMCO Low Duration Fund, PIMCO Low Duration ESG Fund, PIMCO Short Asset Investment Fund and PIMCO Short-Term Fund had not commenced operations during the periods shown, the financial performance information is not provided for the share class. The total returns in the table represent the rate that an investor would have earned or lost on an investment in a particular class of shares of a Fund (assuming reinvestment of all dividends and distributions). This information has been audited by PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP, whose report, along with each Fund's financial statements, are included in the Trust's annual report to shareholders. The annual report is available free of charge by calling the Trust at the phone number on the back of this prospectus. The annual report is also available for download free of charge on the Trust's Web site at pimco.com. Note: All footnotes to the financial highlights table appear at the end of the tables.

[To be updated by subsequent amendment]

 

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Appendix A
Description of Securities Ratings

The Fund's investments may range in quality from securities rated in the lowest category in which the Fund is permitted to invest to securities rated in the highest category (as rated by Moody's, Standard & Poor's or Fitch, or, if unrated, determined by PIMCO to be of comparable quality). The percentage of the Fund's assets invested in securities in a particular rating category will vary. The following terms are generally used to describe the credit quality of fixed income securities:

High Quality Debt Securities are those rated in one of the two highest rating categories (the highest category for commercial paper) or, if unrated, deemed comparable by PIMCO.

Investment Grade Debt Securities are those rated in one of the four highest rating categories, or if unrated deemed comparable by PIMCO.

Below Investment Grade High Yield Securities ("Junk Bonds"), are those rated lower than Baa by Moody's, BBB by Standard & Poor's or Fitch, and comparable securities. They are deemed predominantly speculative with respect to the issuer's ability to repay principal and interest.

The following is a description of Moody's, Standard & Poor's and Fitch's rating categories applicable to fixed income securities.

Moody's Investors Service, Inc.

Long-Term Corporate Obligation Ratings
Moody's long-term obligation ratings are opinions of the relative credit risk of fixed income obligations with an original maturity of one year or more. They address the possibility that a financial obligation will not be honored as promised. Such ratings use Moody's Global Scale and reflect both the likelihood of default and any financial loss suffered in the event of default.

Aaa: Obligations rated Aaa are judged to be of the highest quality, subject to the lowest level of credit risk.

Aa: Obligations rated Aa are judged to be of high quality and are subject to very low credit risk.

A: Obligations rated A are judged to be upper-medium grade and are subject to low credit risk.

Baa: Obligations rated Baa are judged to be medium-grade and subject to moderate credit risk and as such may possess certain speculative characteristics.

Ba: Obligations rated Ba are judged to be speculative and are subject to substantial credit risk.

B: Obligations rated B are considered speculative and are subject to high credit risk.

Caa: Obligations rated Caa are judged to be speculative of poor standing and are subject to very high credit risk.

Ca: Obligations rated Ca are highly speculative and are likely in, or very near, default, with some prospect of recovery of principal and interest.

C: Obligations rated C are the lowest rated and are typically in default, with little prospect for recovery of principal or interest.

Moody's appends numerical modifiers 1, 2, and 3 to each generic rating classification from Aa through Caa. The modifier 1 indicates that the obligation ranks in the higher end of its generic rating category; the modifier 2 indicates a mid-range ranking; and the modifier 3 indicates a ranking in the lower end of that generic rating category. Additionally, a "(hyb)" indicator is appended to all ratings of hybrid securities issued by banks, insurers, finance companies, and securities firms.*

* By their terms, hybrid securities allow for the omission of scheduled dividends, interest, or principal payments, which can potentially result in impairment if such an omission occurs. Hybrid securities may also be subject to contractually allowable write-downs of principal that could result in impairment. Together with the hybrid indicator, the long-term obligation rating assigned to a hybrid security is an expression of the relative credit risk associated with that security.

Medium-Term Note Program Ratings

Moody's assigns provisional ratings to medium-term note (MTN) programs and definitive ratings to the individual debt securities issued from them (referred to as drawdowns or notes).

MTN program ratings are intended to reflect the ratings likely to be assigned to drawdowns issued from the program with the specified priority of claim (e.g. senior or subordinated). To capture the contingent nature of a program rating, Moody's assigns provisional ratings to MTN programs. A provisional rating is denoted by a (P) in front of the rating.

The rating assigned to a drawdown from a rated MTN or bank/deposit note program is definitive in nature, and may differ from the program rating if the drawdown is exposed to additional credit risks besides the issuer's default, such as links to the defaults of other issuers, or has other structural features that warrant a different rating. In some circumstances, no rating may be assigned to a drawdown.

Moody's encourages market participants to contact Moody's Ratings Desks or visit www.moodys.com directly if they have questions regarding ratings for specific notes issued under a medium-term note program. Unrated notes issued under an MTN program may be assigned an NR (not rated) symbol.

Short-Term Ratings
Ratings assigned on Moody's global short-term rating scales are forward-looking opinions of the relative credit risks of financial obligations issued by non-financial corporates, financial institutions, structured finance vehicles, project finance vehicles, and public sector entitities. Short-term ratings are opinions of the ability of issuers to honor short-term financial obligations. Ratings may be assigned to issuers, short-term programs or to individual short-term debt instruments. Such obligations generally have an original maturity not exceeding thirteen months, unless explicitly noted.

Moody's employs the following designations to indicate the relative repayment ability of rated issuers:

P-1: Issuers (or supporting institutions) rated Prime-1 have a superior ability to repay short-term debt obligations.

P-2: Issuers (or supporting institutions) rated Prime-2 have a strong ability to repay short-term debt obligations.

 

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P-3: Issuers (or supporting institutions) rated Prime-3 have an acceptable ability to repay short-term obligations.

NP: Issuers (or supporting institutions) rated Not Prime do not fall within any of the Prime rating categories.

National Scale Long-Term Ratings

Moody's long-term National Scale Ratings (NSRs) are opinions of the relative creditworthiness of issuers and financial obligations within a particular country. NSRs are not designed to be compared among countries; rather, they address relative credit risk within a given country. Moody's assigns national scale ratings in certain local capital markets in which investors have found the global rating scale provides inadequate differentiation among credits or is inconsistent with a rating scale already in common use in the country. In each specific country, the last two characters of the rating indicate the country in which the issuer is located (e.g., Aaa.br for Brazil).

Aaa.n: Issuers or issues rated Aaa.n demonstrate the strongest creditworthiness relative to other domestic issuers.

Aa.n: Issuers or issues rated Aa.n demonstrate very strong creditworthiness relative to other domestic issuers.

A.n: Issuers or issues rated A.n present above-average creditworthiness relative to other domestic issuers.

Baa.n: Issuers or issues rated Baa.n represent average creditworthiness relative to other domestic issuers.

Ba.n: Issuers or issues rated Ba.n demonstrate below-average creditworthiness relative to other domestic issuers.

B.n: Issuers or issues rated B.n demonstrate weak creditworthiness relative to other domestic issuers.

Caa.n: Issuers or issues rated Caa.n demonstrate very weak creditworthiness relative to other domestic issuers.

Ca.n: Issuers or issues rated Ca.n demonstrate extremely weak creditworthiness relative to other domestic issuers.

C.n: Issuers or issues rated C.n demonstrate the weakest creditworthiness relative to other domestic issuers.

Moody's appends numerical modifiers 1, 2, and 3 to each generic rating classification from Aa through Caa. The modifier 1 indicates that the obligation ranks in the higher end of its generic rating category; the modifier 2 indicates a mid-range ranking; and the modifier 3 indicates a ranking in the lower end of that generic rating category. National scale long-term ratings of D.ar and E.ar may also be applied to Argentine obligations.

National Scale Short-Term Ratings
Moody's short-term NSRs are opinions of the ability of issuers in a given country, relative to other domestic issuers, to repay debt obligations that have an original maturity not exceeding thirteen months. Short-term NSRs in one country should not be compared with short-term NSRs in another country, or with Moody's global ratings.

There are four categories of short-term national scale ratings, generically denoted N-1 through N-4 as defined below.

In each specific country, the first two letters indicate the country in which the issuer is located (e.g., BR-1 through BR-4 for Brazil).

N-1: Issuers rated N-1 have the strongest ability to repay short-term senior unsecured debt obligations relative to other domestic issuers.

N-2: Issuers rated N-2 have an above average ability to repay short-term senior unsecured debt obligations relative to other domestic issuers.

N-3: Issuers rated N-3 have an average ability to repay short-term senior unsecured debt obligations relative to other domestic issuers.

N-4: Issuers rated N-4 have a below average ability to repay short-term senior unsecured debt obligations relative to other domestic issuers.

The short-term rating symbols P-1.za, P-2.za, P-3.za and NP.za are used in South Africa. National scale short-term ratings of AR-5 and AR-6 may also be applied to Argentine obligations.

US Municipal Short-Term Debt and Demand Obligation Ratings
Short-Term Obligation Ratings
There are three rating categories for short-term municipal obligations that are considered investment grade. These ratings are designated as Municipal Investment Grade (MIG) and are divided into three levels—MIG 1 through MIG 3. In addition, those short-term obligations that are of speculative quality are designated SG, or speculative grade. MIG ratings expire at the maturity of the obligation.

MIG 1: This designation denotes superior credit quality. Excellent protection is afforded by established cash flows, highly reliable liquidity support, or demonstrated broad-based access to the market for refinancing.

MIG 2: This designation denotes strong credit quality. Margins of protection are ample, although not as large as in the preceding group.

MIG 3: This designation denotes acceptable credit quality. Liquidity and cash-flow protection may be narrow, and market access for refinancing is likely to be less well-established.

SG: This designation denotes speculative-grade credit quality. Debt instruments in this category may lack sufficient margins of protection.

Demand Obligation Ratings
In the case of variable rate demand obligations (VRDOs), a two-component rating is assigned: a long- or short-term debt rating and a demand obligation rating. The first element represents Moody's evaluation of risk associated with scheduled principal and interest payments. The second element represents Moody's evaluation of risk associated with the ability to receive purchase price upon demand ("demand feature"). The second element uses a rating from a variation of the MIG scale called the Variable Municipal Investment Grade (VMIG) scale.

VMIG 1: This designation denotes superior credit quality. Excellent protection is afforded by the superior short-term credit strength of the liquidity provider and structural and legal protections that ensure the timely payment of purchase price upon demand.

VMIG 2: This designation denotes strong credit quality. Good protection is afforded by the strong short-term credit strength of the liquidity provider and structural and legal protections that ensure the timely payment of purchase price upon demand.

 

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VMIG 3: This designation denotes acceptable credit quality. Adequate protection is afforded by the satisfactory short-term credit strength of the liquidity provider and structural and legal protections that ensure the timely payment of purchase price upon demand.

SG: This designation denotes speculative-grade credit quality. Demand features rated in this category may be supported by a liquidity provider that does not have an investment grade short-term rating or may lack the structural and/or legal protections necessary to ensure the timely payment of purchase price upon demand.

Standard & Poor's Ratings Services

Long-Term Issue Credit Ratings
Issue credit ratings are based, in varying degrees, on S&P Global Ratings' ("S&P") analysis of the following considerations:

Likelihood of payment—capacity and willingness of the obligor to meet its financial commitment on a financial obligation in accordance with the terms of the obligation;

Nature and provisions of the obligation and the promise S&P imputes; and

Protection afforded by, and relative position of, the financial obligation in the event of a bankruptcy, reorganization, or other arrangement under the laws of bankruptcy and other laws affecting creditors' rights.

Issue ratings are an assessment of default risk, but may incorporate an assessment of relative seniority or ultimate recovery in the event of default. Junior obligations are typically rated lower than senior obligations, to reflect the lower priority in bankruptcy, as noted above. (Such differentiation may apply when an entity has both senior and subordinated obligations, secured and unsecured obligations, or operating company and holding company obligations.)

Investment Grade
AAA: An obligation rated 'AAA' has the highest rating assigned by S&P. The obligor's capacity to meet its financial commitment on the obligation is extremely strong.

AA: An obligation rated 'AA' differs from the highest-rated obligations only to a small degree. The obligor's capacity to meet its financial commitment on the obligation is very strong.

A: An obligation rated 'A' is somewhat more susceptible to the adverse effects of changes in circumstances and economic conditions than obligations in higher-rated categories. However, the obligor's capacity to meet its financial commitment on the obligation is still strong.

BBB: An obligation rated ‘BBB' exhibits adequate protection parameters. However, adverse economic conditions or changing circumstances are more likely to lead to a weakened capacity of the obligor to meet its financial commitment on the obligation.

Speculative Grade
Obligations rated 'BB', 'B', 'CCC', 'CC', and 'C' are regarded as having significant speculative characteristics. 'BB' indicates the least degree of speculation and 'C' the highest. While such obligations will likely have some quality and protective characteristics, these may be outweighed by large uncertainties or major exposures to adverse conditions.

BB: An obligation rated 'BB' is less vulnerable to nonpayment than other speculative issues. However, it faces major ongoing uncertainties or exposure to adverse business, financial, or economic conditions which could lead to the obligor's inadequate capacity to meet its financial commitment on the obligation.

B: An obligation rated 'B' is more vulnerable to nonpayment than obligations rated ‘BB', but the obligor currently has the capacity to meet its financial commitment on the obligation. Adverse business, financial, or economic conditions will likely impair the obligor's capacity or willingness to meet its financial commitment on the obligation.

CCC: An obligation rated 'CCC' is currently vulnerable to nonpayment, and is dependent upon favorable business, financial, and economic conditions for the obligor to meet its financial commitment on the obligation. In the event of adverse business, financial, or economic conditions, the obligor is not likely to have the capacity to meet its financial commitment on the obligation.

CC: An obligation rated 'CC' is currently highly vulnerable to nonpayment. The ‘CC' rating is used when a default has not yet occurred, but S&P expects default to be a virtual certainty, regardless of the anticipated time to default.

C: An obligation rated ‘C' is currently highly vulnerable to nonpayment, and the obligation is expected to have lower relative seniority or lower ultimate recovery compared to obligations that are rated higher.

D: An obligation rated ‘D' is in default or in breach of an imputed promise. For non-hybrid capital instruments, the ‘D' rating category is used when payments on an obligation are not made on the date due, unless S&P believes that such payments will be made within five business days in the absence of a stated grace period or within the earlier of the stated grace period or 30 calendar days. The ‘D' rating also will be used upon the filing of a bankruptcy petition or the taking of similar action and where default on an obligation is a virtual certainty, for example due to automatic stay provisions. An obligation's rating is lowered to ‘D' if it is subject to a distressed exchange offer.

NR: This indicates that no rating has been requested, that there is insufficient information on which to base a rating, or that S&P does not rate a particular obligation as a matter of policy.

Plus (+) or minus (-): The ratings from ‘AA' to 'CCC' may be modified by the addition of a plus (+) or minus (-) sign to show relative standing within the major rating categories.

Short-Term Issue Credit Ratings
A-1: A short-term obligation rated 'A-1' is rated in the highest category by S&P. The obligor's capacity to meet its financial commitment on the obligation is strong. Within this category, certain obligations are designated with a plus sign (+). This indicates that the obligor's capacity to meet its financial commitment on these obligations is extremely strong.

A-2: A short-term obligation rated 'A-2' is somewhat more susceptible to the adverse effects of changes in circumstances and economic conditions

 

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than obligations in higher rating categories. However, the obligor's capacity to meet its financial commitment on the obligation is satisfactory.

A-3: A short-term obligation rated 'A-3' exhibits adequate protection parameters. However, adverse economic conditions or changing circumstances are more likely to lead to a weakened capacity of the obligor to meet its financial commitment on the obligation.

B: A short-term obligation rated 'B' is regarded as vulnerable and has significant speculative characteristics. The obligor currently has the capacity to meet its financial commitments; however, it faces major ongoing uncertainties which could lead to the obligor's inadequate capacity to meet its financial commitments.

C: A short-term obligation rated 'C' is currently vulnerable to nonpayment and is dependent upon favorable business, financial, and economic conditions for the obligor to meet its financial commitment on the obligation.

D: A short-term obligation rated ‘D' is in default or in breach of an imputed promise. For non-hybrid capital instruments, the ‘D' rating category is used when payments on an obligation are not made on the date due, unless S&P believes that such payments will be made within any stated grace period. However, any stated grace period longer than five business days will be treated as five business days. The ‘D' rating also will be used upon the filing of a bankruptcy petition or the taking of a similar action and where default on an obligation is a virtual certainty, for example due to automatic stay provisions. An obligation's rating is lowered to ‘D' if it is subject to a distressed exchange offer.

Dual Ratings: Dual ratings may be assigned to debt issues that have a put option or demand feature. The first component of the rating addresses the likelihood of repayment of principal and interest as due, and the second component of the rating addresses only the demand feature. The first component of the rating can relate to either a short-term or long-term transaction and accordingly use either short-term or long-term rating symbols. The second component of the rating relates to the put option and is assigned a short-term rating symbol (for example, ‘AAA/A-1+' or ‘A-1+/A-1'). With U.S. municipal short-term demand debt, the U.S. municipal short-term note rating symbols are used for the first component of the rating (for example, ‘SP-1+/A-1+').

Active Qualifiers
S&P uses the following qualifiers that limit the scope of a rating. The structure of the transaction can require the use of a qualifier such as a 'p' qualifier, which indicates the rating addressed the principal portion of the obligation only. A qualifier appears as a suffix and is part of the rating.

L: Ratings qualified with ‘L' apply only to amounts invested up to federal deposit insurance limits.

p: This suffix is used for issues in which the credit factors, the terms, or both, that determine the likelihood of receipt of payment of principal are different from the credit factors, terms or both that determine the likelihood of receipt of interest on the obligation. The ‘p' suffix indicates that the rating addresses the principal portion of the obligation only and that the interest is not rated.

prelim: Preliminary ratings, with the ‘prelim' suffix, may be assigned to obligors or obligations, including financial programs, in the circumstances described below. Assignment of a final rating is conditional on the receipt by S&P of appropriate documentation. S&P reserves the right not to issue a final rating. Moreover, if a final rating is issued, it may differ from the preliminary rating.

Preliminary ratings may be assigned to obligations, most commonly structured and project finance issues, pending receipt of final documentation and legal opinions.

Preliminary ratings may be assigned to obligations that will likely be issued upon the obligor's emergence from bankruptcy or similar reorganization, based on late-stage reorganization plans, documentation and discussions with the obligor. Preliminary ratings may also be assigned to the obligors. These ratings consider the anticipated general credit quality of the reorganized or post-bankruptcy issuer as well as attributes of the anticipated obligation(s).

Preliminary ratings may be assigned to entities that are being formed or that are in the process of being independently established when, in S&P opinion, documentation is close to final. Preliminary ratings may also be assigned to the obligations of these entities.

Preliminary ratings may be assigned when a previously unrated entity is undergoing a well-formulated restructuring, recapitalization, significant financing or other transformative event, generally at the point that investor or lender commitments are invited. The preliminary rating may be assigned to the entity and to its proposed obligation(s). These preliminary ratings consider the anticipated general credit quality of the obligor, as well as attributes of the anticipated obligation(s), assuming successful completion of the transformative event. Should the transformative event not occur, S&P would likely withdraw these preliminary ratings.

A preliminary recovery rating may be assigned to an obligation that has a preliminary issue credit rating.

t: This symbol indicates termination structures that are designed to honor their contracts to full maturity or, should certain events occur, to terminate and cash settle all their contracts before their final maturity date.

cir: This symbol indicates a Counterparty Instrument Rating (CIR), which is a forward-looking opinion about the creditworthiness of an issuer in a securitization structure with respect to a specific financial obligation to a counterparty (including interest rate swaps, currency swaps, and liquidity facilities). The CIR is determined on an ultimate payment basis; these opinions do not take into account timeliness of payment.

Inactive Qualifiers (no longer applied or outstanding)

*:This symbol that indicated that the rating was contingent upon S&P receipt of an executed copy of the escrow agreement or closing documentation confirming investments and cash flows. Discontinued use in August 1998.

c: This qualifier was used to provide additional information to investors that the bank may terminate its obligation to purchase tendered bonds if the long-term credit rating of the issuer was lowered to below an investment-grade level and/or the issuer's bonds were deemed taxable. Discontinued use in January 2001.

 

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G: The letter 'G' followed the rating symbol when a fund's portfolio consisted primarily of direct U.S. government securities.

pi: This qualifier was used to indicate ratings that were based on an analysis of an issuer's published financial information, as well as additional information in the public domain. Such ratings did not, however, reflect in-depth meetings with an issuer's management and therefore, could have been based on less comprehensive information than ratings without a 'pi' suffix. Discontinued use as of December 2014 and as of August 2015 for Lloyd's Syndicate Assessments.

pr: The letters ‘pr' indicate that the rating was provisional. A provisional rating assumed the successful completion of a project financed by the debt being rated and indicates that payment of debt service requirements was largely or entirely dependent upon the successful, timely completion of the project. This rating, however, while addressing credit quality subsequent to completion of the project, made no comment on the likelihood of or the risk of default upon failure of such completion.

q: A ‘q' subscript indicates that the rating is based solely on quantitative analysis of publicly available information. Discontinued use in April 2001.

r: The ‘r' modifier was assigned to securities containing extraordinary risks, particularly market risks, which are not covered in the credit rating. The absence of an ‘r' modifier should not be taken as an indication that an obligation would not exhibit extraordinary non-credit related risks. S&P discontinued the use of the ‘r' modifier for most obligations in June 2000 and for the balance of obligations (mainly structured finance transactions) in November 2002.

Fitch Ratings

Long-Term Credit Ratings
Investment Grade
Rated entities in a number of sectors, including financial and non-financial corporations, sovereigns, insurance companies and certain sectors within public finance, are generally assigned Issuer Default Ratings (IDRs). IDRs are also assigned to certain entities in global infrastructure and project finance. IDRs opine on an entity's relative vulnerability to default on financial obligations. The threshold default risk addressed by the IDR is generally that of the financial obligations whose non-payment would best reflect the uncured failure of that entity. As such, IDRs also address relative vulnerability to bankruptcy, administrative receivership or similar concepts.

In aggregate, IDRs provide an ordinal ranking of issuers based on the agency's view of their relative vulnerability to default, rather than a prediction of a specific percentage likelihood of default.

AAA: Highest credit quality. ‘AAA' ratings denote the lowest expectation of credit risk. They are assigned only in cases of exceptionally strong capacity for payment of financial commitments. This capacity is highly unlikely to be adversely affected by foreseeable events.

AA: Very high credit quality. 'AA' ratings denote expectations of very low credit risk. They indicate very strong capacity for payment of financial commitments. This capacity is not significantly vulnerable to foreseeable events.

A: High credit quality. 'A' ratings denote expectations of low credit risk. The capacity for payment of financial commitments is considered strong. This capacity may, nevertheless, be more vulnerable to adverse business or economic conditions than is the case for higher ratings.

BBB: Good credit quality. 'BBB' ratings indicate that expectations of credit risk are currently low. The capacity for payment of financial commitments is considered adequate, but adverse business or economic conditions are more likely to impair this capacity.

Speculative Grade
BB: Speculative. ‘BB' ratings indicate an elevated vulnerability to credit risk, particularly in the event of adverse changes in business or economic conditions over time; however, business or financial alternatives may be available to allow financial commitments to be met.

B: Highly speculative. ‘B' ratings indicate that material credit risk is present.

CCC: Substantial credit risk.

CC: Very high levels of credit risk.

C: Exceptionally high levels of credit risk.

Defaulted obligations typically are not assigned 'RD' or ‘D' ratings, but are instead rated in the ‘B' to ‘C' rating categories, depending on their recovery prospects and other relevant characteristics. This approach better aligns obligations that have comparable overall expected loss but varying vulnerability to default and loss.

The modifiers "+" or "-" may be appended to a rating to denote relative status within major rating categories. For example, the rating category 'AA' has three notch-specific rating levels ('AA+'; 'AA'; 'AA-'; each a rating level). Such suffixes are not added to the ‘AAA' obligation rating category, or to corporate finance obligation ratings in the categories below ‘CCC.'

The subscript ‘emr' is appended to a rating to denote embedded market risk that is beyond the scope of the rating. The designation is intended to make clear that the rating solely addresses the counterparty risk of the issuing bank. It is not meant to indicate any limitation in the analysis of the counterparty risk, which in all other respects follows published Fitch criteria for analyzing the issuing financial institution. Fitch does not rate these instruments where the principal is to any degree subject to market risk. 

Recovery Ratings
Recovery Ratings are assigned to selected individual securities and obligations, most frequently for individual obligations of corporate finance issuers with Issuer Default Ratings (IDRs) in speculative grade categories.

Among the factors that affect recovery rates for securities are the collateral, the seniority relative to other obligations in the capital structure (where appropriate), and the expected value of the company or underlying collateral in distress.

The Recovery Rating scale is based on the expected relative recovery characteristics of an obligation upon the curing of a default, emergence from insolvency or following the liquidation or termination of the obligor or its associated collateral.

Recovery Ratings are an ordinal scale and do not attempt to precisely predict a given level of recovery. As a guideline in developing the rating assessments, the agency employs broad theoretical recovery bands in its

 

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ratings approach based on historical averages and analytical judgment, but actual recoveries for a given security may deviate materially from historical averages.

RR1: Outstanding recovery prospects given default. ‘RR1' rated securities have characteristics consistent with securities historically recovering 91%-100% of current principal and related interest.

RR2: Superior recovery prospects given default. ‘RR2' rated securities have characteristics consistent with securities historically recovering 71%-90% of current principal and related interest.

RR3: Good recovery prospects given default. ‘RR3' rated securities have characteristics consistent with securities historically recovering 51%-70% of current principal and related interest.

RR4: Average recovery prospects given default. ‘RR4' rated securities have characteristics consistent with securities historically recovering 31%-50% of current principal and related interest.

RR5: Below average recovery prospects given default. ‘RR5' rated securities have characteristics consistent with securities historically recovering 11%-30% of current principal and related interest.

RR6: Poor recovery prospects given default. ‘RR6' rated securities have characteristics consistent with securities historically recovering 0%-10% of current principal and related interest.

Short-Term Credit Ratings
A short-term issuer or obligation rating is based in all cases on the short-term vulnerability to default of the rated entity and relates to the capacity to meet financial obligations in accordance with the documentation governing the relevant obligation. Short-term deposit ratings may be adjusted for loss severity. Short-Term Ratings are assigned to obligations whose initial maturity is viewed as "short term" based on market convention. Typically, this means up to 13 months for corporate, sovereign, and structured obligations, and up to 36 months for obligations in U.S. public finance markets.

F1: Highest short-term credit quality. Indicates the strongest intrinsic capacity for timely payment of financial commitments; may have an added "+" to denote any exceptionally strong credit feature.

F2: Good short-term credit quality. Good intrinsic capacity for timely payment of financial commitments.

F3: Fair short-term credit quality. The intrinsic capacity for timely payment of financial commitments is adequate.

B: Speculative short-term credit quality. Minimal capacity for timely payment of financial commitments, plus heightened vulnerability to near term adverse changes in financial and economic conditions.

C: High short-term default risk. Default is a real possibility.

RD: Restricted default. Indicates an entity that has defaulted on one or more of its financial commitments, although it continues to meet other financial obligations. Typically applicable to entity ratings only.

D: Default. Indicates a broad-based default event for an entity, or the default of a short-term obligation.

 

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Appendix B
Financial Firm-Specific Sales Charge Waivers and Discounts

The availability of initial and contingent deferred sales charge waivers and discounts may depend on the particular financial firm or type of account through which you purchase or hold Fund shares. For waivers or discounts not available through a particular financial firm, investors will have to purchase shares directly from the Funds (or the Distributor) or through another financial firm to receive such waivers or discounts.

The following descriptions of sales charge waivers and discounts for a particular financial firm and class(es) of shares set forth information provided by the financial firm that the firm has represented is current as of the date of this Prospectus. These waivers or discounts, which may vary from those disclosed elsewhere in the Prospectus, are subject to change. The Funds will update this Appendix periodically based on information provided by the applicable financial firm. Neither the Funds, the Investment Adviser nor PIMCO Investments LLC supervises the implementation of these waivers or discounts or verifies the firms' administration of these waivers or discounts.

In all instances, it is an investor's responsibility to notify the financial firm of any facts that may qualify the investor for sales charge waivers or discounts. Please contact your financial firm for more information regarding the sales charge waivers and discounts available to you and the firm's related policies and procedures.

Effective April 10, 2017, shareholders purchasing Fund shares through a Merrill Lynch platform or account will be eligible only for the following load waivers (front-end sales charge waivers and contingent deferred, or back-end, sales charge waivers) and discounts, which may differ from those disclosed elsewhere in the Funds' prospectus or SAI.

Front-end Sales Load Waivers on Class A Shares available at Merrill Lynch

Employer-sponsored retirement, deferred compensation and employee benefit plans (including health savings accounts) and trusts used to fund those plans, provided that the shares are not held in a commission-based brokerage account and shares are held for the benefit of the plan

Shares purchased by or through a 529 Plan

Shares purchased through a Merrill Lynch affiliated investment advisory program

Shares purchased by third party investment advisors on behalf of their advisory clients through Merrill Lynch's platform

Shares purchased through reinvestment of capital gains distributions and dividend reinvestment when purchasing shares of the same fund (but not any other fund within the fund family)

Shares exchanged from Class C (i.e. level-load) shares of the same fund in the month of or following the 10-year anniversary of the purchase date

Employees and registered representatives of Merrill Lynch or its affiliates and their family members

Directors or Trustees of the Fund, and employees of the Fund's investment adviser or any of its affiliates, as described in the this prospectus

Shares purchased from the proceeds of redemptions within the same fund family, provided (1) the repurchase occurs within 90 days following the redemption, (2) the redemption and purchase occur in the same account, and (3) redeemed shares were subject to a front-end or deferred sales load (known as Rights of Reinstatement)

CDSC Waivers on A and C Shares available at Merrill Lynch

Death or disability of the shareholder

Shares sold as part of a systematic withdrawal plan as described in the Fund's prospectus

Return of excess contributions from an IRA Account

Shares sold as part of a required minimum distribution for IRA and retirement accounts due to the shareholder reaching age 70½

Shares sold to pay Merrill Lynch fees but only if the transaction is initiated by Merrill Lynch

Shares held in retirement brokerage accounts, that are exchanged for a lower cost share class due to transfer to a certain fee based account or platform (applicable to A and C shares only)

Front-end load Discounts Available at Merrill Lynch: Breakpoints, Rights of Accumulation & Letters of Intent

Breakpoints as described in this prospectus.

Rights of Accumulation (ROA) which entitle shareholders to breakpoint discounts will be automatically calculated based on the aggregated holding of fund family assets held by accounts within the purchaser's household at Merrill Lynch. Eligible fund family assets not held at Merrill Lynch may be included in the ROA calculation only if the shareholder notifies his or her financial advisor about such assets

Letters of Intent (LOI) which allow for breakpoint discounts based on anticipated purchases within a fund family, through Merrill Lynch, over a 13-month period of time

 

B-1     

PROSPECTUS | PIMCO FUNDS     


 

Table of Contents

INVESTMENT ADVISER AND ADMINISTRATOR

PIMCO, 650 Newport Center Drive, Newport Beach, CA 92660

DISTRIBUTOR

PIMCO Investments LLC, 1633 Broadway, New York, NY 10019

CUSTODIAN

State Street Bank & Trust Co., 801 Pennsylvania Avenue, Kansas City, MO 64105

TRANSFER AGENT

DST Asset Manager Solutions, Inc.
Institutional Class, Class M, I-2, I-3, Administrative Class — 330 W. 9th Street, 5th Floor, Kansas City, MO 64105
Class A, Class C, Class R — P.O. Box 55060, Boston, MA 02205-5060

INDEPENDENT REGISTERED PUBLIC ACCOUNTING FIRM

PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP, 1100 Walnut Street, Suite 1300, Kansas City, MO 64106-2197

LEGAL COUNSEL

Dechert LLP, 1900 K Street N.W., Washington, D.C. 20006 

 

For further information about the PIMCO Funds, call 888.87.PIMCO or visit our Web site at pimco.com.


 

Table of Contents





PIMCO FUNDS
650 Newport Center Drive
Newport Beach, CA 92660

The Trust's SAI and annual and semi-annual reports to shareholders include additional information about the Funds. The SAI and the financial statements included in the Funds' most recent annual report to shareholders are incorporated by reference into this Prospectus, which means they are part of this Prospectus for legal purposes. The Funds' annual report discusses the market conditions and investment strategies that significantly affected each Fund's performance during its last fiscal year.

The SAI contains detailed information about Fund purchase, redemption and exchange options and procedures and other information about the Funds. You can get a free copy of the SAI.

You may get free copies of any of these materials or request other information about a Fund by calling the Trust at 888.87.PIMCO (888.877.4626) or by writing to:

PIMCO Funds
650 Newport Center Drive
Newport Beach, CA 92660

Daily updates on the NAV of a Fund may be obtained by calling 1-888-87-PIMCO.

You may review and copy information about the Trust, including its SAI, at the Securities and Exchange Commission's public reference room in Washington, D.C. You may call the Commission at 202.551.8090 for information about the operation of the public reference room. You may also access reports and other information about the Trust on the EDGAR Database on the Commission's Web site at www.sec.gov. You may get copies of this information, with payment of a duplication fee, by writing the Public Reference Section of the Commission, 100 F Street N.E., Washington, D.C. 20549-1520, or by e-mailing your request to publicinfo@sec.gov.

You can also visit our web site at pimco.com for additional information about the Funds, including the SAI and the annual and semi-annual reports, which are available for download free of charge.

Reference the Trust's Investment Company Act file number in your correspondence.

Investment Company Act File Number: 811-05028

PF0007_[ ]


Table of Contents




Prospectus

PIMCO Funds

*I-2 was formerly called Class P.




As with other mutual funds, neither the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission nor the U.S. Commodity Futures Trading Commission has approved or disapproved these securities, or determined if this prospectus is truthful or complete. Any representation to the contrary is a criminal offense.

Tax-Efficient Strategy Funds

[ ]

Inst

I-2*

I-3

A

C

PIMCO California Intermediate Municipal Bond Fund

PCIMX

PCIPX

PCMBX

PCFCX

PIMCO California Municipal Bond Fund

PCTIX

PCTPX

PCTTX

PCTGX

PIMCO California Short Duration Municipal Income Fund

PCDIX

PCDPX

PCDAX

PCSCX

PIMCO High Yield Municipal Bond Fund

PHMIX

PYMPX

[ ]

PYMAX

PYMCX

PIMCO Municipal Bond Fund

PFMIX

PMUPX

[ ]

PMLAX

PMLCX

PIMCO National Intermediate Municipal Bond Fund

PMNIX

PMNPX

PMNTX

PMNNX

PIMCO New York Municipal Bond Fund

PNYIX

PNYPX

[ ]

PNYAX

PBFCX

PIMCO Short Duration Municipal Income Fund

PSDIX

PSDPX

[ ]

PSDAX

PSDCX

PIMCO Strategic Bond Fund

PUTIX

PUTPX

ATMAX

ATMCX




 

Table of Contents

Page

Fund Summaries

1

PIMCO California Intermediate Municipal Bond Fund

1

PIMCO California Municipal Bond Fund

5

PIMCO California Short Duration Municipal Income Fund

9

PIMCO High Yield Municipal Bond Fund

13

PIMCO Municipal Bond Fund

17

PIMCO National Intermediate Municipal Bond Fund

21

PIMCO New York Municipal Bond Fund

25

PIMCO Short Duration Municipal Income Fund

29

PIMCO Strategic Bond Fund

33

Summary of Other Important Information Regarding Fund Shares

37

Description of Principal Risks

38

Disclosure of Portfolio Holdings

47

Management of the Funds

48

Classes of Shares

51

Purchases, Redemptions and Exchanges

56

How Fund Shares are Priced

62

Fund Distributions

64

Tax Consequences

64

Characteristics and Risks of Securities and Investment Techniques

66

Financial Highlights

82

Appendix A - Description of Securities Ratings

A-1

Appendix B - Financial Firm-Specific Sales Charge Waivers and Discounts

B-1


 

PIMCO California Intermediate Municipal Bond Fund

Investment Objective

The Fund seeks high current income exempt from federal and California income tax. Capital appreciation is a secondary objective.

Fees and Expenses of the Fund

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 $100,000 in Class A shares of eligible funds offered by PIMCO Equity Series and PIMCO Funds. More information about these and other discounts is available in the "Classes of Shares" section on page [ ] of the Fund's prospectus, Appendix B to the Fund's prospectus (Financial Firm-Specific Sales Charge Waivers and Discounts) or from your financial advisor.

Shareholder Fees (fees paid directly from your investment):

 

Inst
Class

I-2

Class A

Class C

Maximum Sales Charge (Load) Imposed on Purchases (as a percentage of offering price)

None

None

2.25%

None

Maximum Deferred Sales Charge (Load) (as a percentage of the lower of the original purchase price or redemption price)

None

None

1.00%

1.00%

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

 

Inst
Class

I-2

Class A

Class C

Management Fees

0.445%

0.545%

0.525%

0.525%

Distribution and/or Service (12b-1) Fees

N/A

N/A

0.25%

1.00%

Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses

0.445%

0.545%

0.775%

1.525%

Example. The Example is intended to help you compare the cost of investing in Institutional Class, I-2, Class A or Class C shares of the Fund with the costs of investing in other mutual funds. The Example assumes that you invest $10,000 in the noted class of shares for the time periods indicated, and then redeem all 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. Investors may pay brokerage commissions on their purchases and sales of Institutional Class shares or I-2 shares of the Fund, which are not reflected in the Example. Although your actual costs may be higher or lower, based on these assumptions your costs would be:

If you redeem your shares at the end of each period:

 

1 Year

3 Years

5 Years

10 Years

Institutional Class

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

I-2

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

Class A

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

Class C

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

If you do not redeem your shares:

 

1 Year

3 Years

5 Years

10 Years

Class A

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

Class C

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

Portfolio Turnover

The Fund pays transaction costs 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 the Annual Fund Operating Expenses or in the Example tables, affect the Fund's performance. During the most recent fiscal year, the Fund's portfolio turnover rate was [ ]% of the average value of its portfolio.

Principal Investment Strategies

The Fund seeks to achieve its investment objective by investing under normal circumstances at least 80% of its assets in debt securities whose interest is, in the opinion of bond counsel for the issuer at the time of issuance, exempt from regular federal income tax and California income tax ("California Municipal Bonds"). California Municipal Bonds generally are issued by or on behalf of the State of California and its political subdivisions, financing authorities and their agencies. The Fund may invest in debt securities of an issuer located outside of California whose interest is, in the opinion of bond counsel for the issuer at the time of issuance, exempt from regular federal income tax and California income tax. By concentrating its investments in California, the Fund will be subject to California State-Specific Risk.

The Fund may invest without limitation in "private activity" bonds whose interest is a tax-preference item for purposes of the federal alternative minimum tax ("AMT"). For shareholders subject to the AMT, a substantial portion of the Fund's distributions may not be exempt from federal income tax. The Fund may invest 25% or more of its total assets in debt securities whose interest is, in the opinion of bond counsel for the issuer at the time of issuance, exempt from federal income tax ("Municipal Bonds") that finance education, health care, housing, transportation, utilities and other similar projects, and 25% or more of its total assets in industrial development bonds. The Fund may invest the remainder of its net assets in other types of Fixed Income Instruments. "Fixed Income Instruments" include bonds, debt securities and other similar instruments issued by various U.S. and non-U.S. public- or private-sector entities. The average portfolio duration of this Fund normally varies within (negative) 2 years to positive 4 years of the portfolio duration of the securities comprising the Bloomberg Barclays California Intermediate Municipal Bond Index, as calculated by Pacific Investment Management Company LLC ("PIMCO"), which as of [ ] was [ ] years. Duration is a measure used to determine the sensitivity of a security's price to changes in interest rates. The longer a security's duration, the more sensitive it will be to changes in interest rates. The portfolio manager focuses on bonds with the potential to offer attractive current income, typically looking for bonds that can provide consistently attractive current yields or that are trading at competitive market prices. Capital appreciation, if any, generally arises from decreases in

 



PIMCO FUNDS | PROSPECTUS

1


 

Table of Contents

PIMCO California Intermediate Municipal Bond Fund

interest rates or improving credit fundamentals for a particular state, municipality or issuer.

The Fund invests primarily in investment grade debt securities, but may invest up to 10% of its total assets in high yield securities ("junk bonds"), as rated by Moody's Investors Service, Inc. ("Moody's"), Standard & Poor's Ratings Services ("S&P") or Fitch, Inc. ("Fitch"), or, if unrated, as determined by PIMCO.

The Fund may invest in derivative instruments, such as options, futures contracts or swap agreements, or in mortgage- or asset-backed securities. The Fund may purchase or sell securities on a when-issued, delayed delivery or forward commitment basis and may engage in short sales. The Fund may also invest in securities issued by entities, such as trusts, whose underlying assets are municipal bonds, including, without limitation, residual interest bonds. The Fund may, without limitation, seek to obtain market exposure to the securities in which it primarily invests by entering into a series of purchase and sale contracts or by using other investment techniques (such as buy backs or dollar rolls). The Fund may also invest up to 10% of its total assets in preferred securities.

Principal Risks

It is possible to lose money on an investment in the Fund. The principal risks of investing in the Fund, which could adversely affect its net asset value, yield and total return are listed below.

Interest Rate Risk: the risk that fixed income securities will decline in value because of an increase in interest rates; a fund with a longer average portfolio duration will be more sensitive to changes in interest rates than a fund with a shorter average portfolio duration

Call Risk: the risk that an issuer may exercise its right to redeem a fixed income security earlier than expected (a call). Issuers may call outstanding securities prior to their maturity for a number of reasons (e.g., declining interest rates, changes in credit spreads and improvements in the issuer's credit quality). If an issuer calls a security that the Fund has invested in, the Fund may not recoup the full amount of its initial investment and may be forced to reinvest in lower-yielding securities, securities with greater credit risks or securities with other, less favorable features

Credit Risk: the risk that the Fund could lose money if the issuer or guarantor of a fixed income security, or the counterparty to a derivative contract, is unable or unwilling to meet its financial obligations

High Yield Risk: the risk that high yield securities and unrated securities of similar credit quality (commonly known as "junk bonds") are subject to greater levels of credit, call and liquidity risks. High yield securities are considered primarily speculative with respect to the issuer's continuing ability to make principal and interest payments, and may be more volatile than higher-rated securities of similar maturity

Market Risk: the risk that the value of securities owned by the Fund may go up or down, sometimes rapidly or unpredictably, due to factors affecting securities markets generally or particular industries

Issuer Risk: the risk that the value of a security may decline for a reason directly related to the issuer, such as management performance, financial leverage and reduced demand for the issuer's goods or services

Liquidity Risk: the risk that a particular investment may be difficult to purchase or sell and that the Fund may be unable to sell illiquid securities at an advantageous time or price or achieve its desired level of exposure to a certain sector. Liquidity risk may result from the lack of an active market, reduced number and capacity of traditional market participants to make a market in fixed income securities, and may be magnified in a rising interest rate environment or other circumstances where investor redemptions from fixed income mutual funds may be higher than normal, causing increased supply in the market due to selling activity

Derivatives Risk: the risk of investing in derivative instruments (such as futures, swaps and structured securities), including leverage, liquidity, interest rate, market, credit and management risks, mispricing or valuation complexity. Changes in the value of the derivative may not correlate perfectly with, and may be more sensitive to market events than, the underlying asset, rate or index, and the Fund could lose more than the initial amount invested. The Fund's use of derivatives may result in losses to the Fund, a reduction in the Fund's returns and/or increased volatility. Over-the-counter ("OTC") derivatives are also subject to the risk that a counterparty to the transaction will not fulfill its contractual obligations to the other party, as many of the protections afforded to centrally-cleared derivative transactions might not be available for OTC derivatives. For derivatives traded on an exchange or through a central counterparty, credit risk resides with the Fund's clearing broker, or the clearinghouse itself, rather than with a counterparty in an OTC derivative transaction. Changes in regulation relating to a mutual fund's use of derivatives and related instruments could potentially limit or impact the Fund's ability to invest in derivatives, limit the Fund's ability to employ certain strategies that use derivatives and/or adversely affect the value of derivatives and the Fund's performance

Equity Risk: the risk that the value of equity securities, such as common stocks and preferred securities, may decline due to general market conditions which are not specifically related to a particular company or to factors affecting a particular industry or industries. Equity securities generally have greater price volatility than fixed income securities

Mortgage-Related and Other Asset-Backed Securities Risk: the risks of investing in mortgage-related and other asset-backed securities, including interest rate risk, extension risk, prepayment risk and credit risk

Leveraging Risk: the risk that certain transactions of the Fund, such as reverse repurchase agreements, loans of portfolio securities, and the use of when-issued, delayed delivery or forward commitment transactions, or derivative instruments, may give rise to leverage, magnifying gains and losses and causing the Fund to be more volatile than if it had not been leveraged. This means that leverage entails a heightened risk of loss

Management Risk: the risk that the investment techniques and risk analyses applied by PIMCO will not produce the desired results and that legislative, regulatory, or tax restrictions, policies or developments may affect the investment techniques available to PIMCO and the individual portfolio manager in connection with managing the Fund. There is no guarantee that the investment objective of the Fund will be achieved

 

2     

PROSPECTUS | PIMCO FUNDS     


 

Table of Contents

Prospectus

Municipal Bond Risk: the risk that a Fund may be affected significantly by the economic, regulatory or political developments affecting the ability of issuers of Municipal Bonds to pay interest or repay principal

California State-Specific Risk: the risk that by concentrating its investments in California Municipal Bonds, the Fund may be affected significantly by economic, regulatory or political developments affecting the ability of California issuers to pay interest or repay principal

Municipal Project-Specific Risk: the risk that the Fund may be more sensitive to adverse economic, business or political developments if it invests a substantial portion of its assets in the bonds of similar projects (such as those relating to education, health care, housing, transportation, and utilities), industrial development bonds, or in bonds from issuers in a single state

Short Exposure Risk: the risk of entering into short sales, including the potential loss of more money than the actual cost of the investment, and the risk that the third party to the short sale will not fulfill its contractual obligations, causing a loss to the Fund

Please see "Description of Principal Risks" in the Fund's prospectus for a more detailed description of the risks of investing in the Fund. An investment in the Fund is not a deposit of a bank and is not insured or guaranteed by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation or any other government agency.

Performance Information

The performance information shows summary performance information for the Fund in a bar chart and an Average Annual Total Returns table. The information provides some indication of the risks of investing in the Fund by showing changes in its performance from year to year and by showing how the Fund's average annual returns compare with the returns of a broad-based securities market index and an index of similar funds. Absent any applicable fee waivers and/or expense limitations performance would have been lower. The bar chart shows performance of the Fund's Institutional Class shares. For periods prior to the inception date of I-2 shares (April 30, 2008) and Class C shares (August 31, 2009), performance information shown in the table for these classes is based on the performance of the Fund's Institutional Class shares, adjusted to reflect the actual distribution and/or service (12b-1) fees and other expenses paid by these classes of shares. Performance for Class A and Class C shares in the Average Annual Total Returns table reflects the impact of sales charges. The Fund's past performance, before and after taxes, is not necessarily an indication of how the Fund will perform in the future.

The Bloomberg Barclays California Intermediate Municipal Bond Index is an unmanaged index comprised of California Municipal Bond Issues having maturities of at least five years and less than ten years and consists of a broad selection of investment-grade general obligation and revenue bonds of maturities ranging from one year to 30 years. The index is made up of all investment grade municipal bonds issued after 12/31/90 having a remaining maturity of at least one year. The Lipper California Intermediate Municipal Debt Funds Average is a total return performance average of funds tracked by Lipper, Inc. that invest at least 65% of their assets in municipal debt issues that are exempt from taxation in California, with dollar weighted maturities of five to ten years.

Performance for the Fund is updated daily and quarterly and may be obtained as follows: daily updates on the net asset value and performance page at http://investments.pimco.com/DailyPerformance and quarterly updates at http://investments.pimco.com/QuarterlyPerformance

Calendar Year Total Returns — Institutional Class*

 

[To be updated by subsequent amendment]



*The year-to-date return as of June 30, 2018 is [ ]%. For the periods shown in the bar chart, the highest quarterly return was [ ]% in the [ ], and the lowest quarterly return was [ ]% in the [ ].

Average Annual Total Returns (for periods ended 12/31/17)

 

1 Year

5 Years

10 Years

Institutional Class Return Before Taxes

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

Institutional Class Return After Taxes on Distributions‌(1)

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

Institutional Class Return After Taxes on Distributions and Sales of Fund Shares‌(1)

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

I-2 Return Before Taxes

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

Class A Return Before Taxes

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

Class C Return Before Taxes

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

Bloomberg Barclays California Intermediate Municipal Bond Index (reflects no deductions for fees, expenses or taxes)

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

 

Lipper California Intermediate Municipal Debt Funds Average (reflects no deductions for taxes)

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

(1) After-tax returns are calculated using the highest historical individual federal marginal income tax rates and do not reflect the impact of state and local taxes. Actual after-tax returns depend on an investor's tax situation and may differ from those shown, and the after-tax returns shown are not relevant to investors who hold their Fund shares through tax-deferred arrangements, such as 401(k) plans or individual retirement accounts. In some cases the return after taxes may exceed the return before taxes due to an assumed tax benefit from any losses on a sale of Fund shares at the end of the measurement period. After-tax returns are for Institutional Class shares only. After-tax returns for other classes will vary.

 

[ ] | PROSPECTUS

3


 

Table of Contents

PIMCO California Intermediate Municipal Bond Fund

Investment Adviser/Portfolio Manager

PIMCO serves as the investment adviser for the Fund. The Fund's portfolio is jointly managed by Julie Callahan and David Hammer. Ms. Callahan is a Senior Vice President of PIMCO, and she has managed the Fund since August 2015. Mr. Hammer is an Executive Vice President of PIMCO, and he has managed the Fund since June 2016.

Other Important Information Regarding Fund Shares

For important information about purchase and sale of Fund shares, tax information, and payments to broker-dealers and other financial intermediaries, please turn to the "Summary of Other Important Information Regarding Fund Shares" section on page [ ] of this prospectus.

 

4     

PROSPECTUS | PIMCO FUNDS     


 

Table of Contents

PIMCO California Municipal Bond Fund

Investment Objective

The Fund seeks high current income exempt from federal and California income tax.

Fees and Expenses of the Fund

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 $100,000 in Class A shares of eligible funds offered by PIMCO Equity Series and PIMCO Funds. More information about these and other discounts is available in the "Classes of Shares" section on page [ ] of the Fund's prospectus, Appendix B to the Fund's prospectus (Financial Firm-Specific Sales Charge Waivers and Discounts) or from your financial advisor.

Shareholder Fees (fees paid directly from your investment):

 

Inst
Class

I-2

Class A

Class C

Maximum Sales Charge (Load) Imposed on Purchases (as a percentage of offering price)

None

None

2.25%

None

Maximum Deferred Sales Charge (Load) (as a percentage of the lower of the original purchase price or redemption price)

None

None

1.00%

1.00%

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

 

Inst
Class

I-2

Class A

Class C

Management Fees

0.44%

0.54%

0.54%

0.54%

Distribution and/or Service (12b-1) Fees

N/A

N/A

0.25%

1.00%

Other Expenses(1)

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

 

1 "Other Expenses" include interest expense of [ ]%. Interest expense is borne by the Fund separately from the management fees paid to PIMCO. Excluding interest expense, Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses are [ ]%, [ ]%, [ ]% and [ ]% for Institutional Class, I-2, Class A and Class C shares, respectively.

Example. The Example is intended to help you compare the cost of investing in Institutional Class, I-2, Class A or Class C shares of the Fund with the costs of investing in other mutual funds. The Example assumes that you invest $10,000 in the noted class of shares for the time periods indicated, and then redeem all 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. Investors may pay brokerage commissions on their purchases and sales of Institutional Class shares or I-2 shares of the Fund, which are not reflected in the Example. Although your actual costs may be higher or lower, based on these assumptions your costs would be:

If you redeem your shares at the end of each period:

 

1 Year

3 Years

5 Years

10 Years

Institutional Class

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

I-2

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

Class A

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

Class C

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

If you do not redeem your shares:

 

1 Year

3 Years

5 Years

10 Years

Class A

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

Class C

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

Portfolio Turnover

The Fund pays transaction costs 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 the Annual Fund Operating Expenses or in the Example tables, affect the Fund's performance. During the most recent fiscal year, the Fund's portfolio turnover rate was [ ]% of the average value of its portfolio.

Principal Investment Strategies

The Fund seeks to achieve its investment objective by investing under normal circumstances at least 80% of its assets in debt securities whose interest is, in the opinion of bond counsel for the issuer at the time of issuance, exempt from regular federal income tax and California income tax ("California Municipal Bonds"). California Municipal Bonds generally are issued by or on behalf of the State of California and its political subdivisions, financing authorities and their agencies. The Fund may invest in debt securities of an issuer located outside of California whose interest is, in the opinion of bond counsel for the issuer at the time of issuance, exempt from regular federal income tax and California income tax. By concentrating its investments in California, the Fund will be subject to California State-Specific Risk.

The Fund may invest in Fixed Income Instruments which include bonds, debt securities and other similar instruments issued by various U.S. and non-U.S. public- or private-sector entities. The Fund may invest without limitation in "private activity" bonds whose interest is a tax-preference item for purposes of the federal alternative minimum tax ("AMT"). For shareholders subject to the AMT, a substantial portion of the Fund's distributions may not be exempt from federal income tax. The Fund may invest 25% or more of its total assets in debt securities whose interest is, in the opinion of bond counsel for the issuer at the time of issuance, exempt from federal income tax ("Municipal Bonds") that finance education, health care, housing, transportation, utilities and other similar projects, and 25% or more of its total assets in industrial development bonds. The Fund may invest the remainder of its net assets in other types of Fixed Income Instruments. "Fixed Income Instruments" include bonds, debt securities and other similar instruments issued by various U.S. and non-U.S. public- or private-sector entities. The average portfolio duration of this Fund normally varies within (negative) 2 years to positive 4 years of the portfolio duration of the securities comprising the Bloomberg Barclays California Municipal Bond Index, as calculated by Pacific Investment Management Company LLC ("PIMCO"), which as of [ ] was [ ] years. Duration is a measure used to determine the sensitivity of a security's price to changes in interest rates. The longer a security's duration, the more sensitive it will be to changes in interest rates. The portfolio manager focuses on bonds with the potential to offer attractive current income, typically looking for bonds that can provide

 



PIMCO FUNDS | PROSPECTUS

5


 

Table of Contents

PIMCO California Municipal Bond Fund

consistently attractive current yields or that are trading at competitive market prices. Capital appreciation, if any, generally arises from decreases in interest rates or improving credit fundamentals for a particular state, municipality or issuer.

The Fund invests primarily in investment grade debt securities, but may invest up to 20% of its total assets in high yield securities ("junk bonds"), as rated by Moody's Investors Service, Inc. ("Moody's"), Standard & Poor's Ratings Services ("S&P") or Fitch, Inc. ("Fitch"), or, if unrated, as determined by Pacific Investment Management Company LLC ("PIMCO"). The Fund is non-diversified, which means that it may invest its assets in a smaller number of issuers than a diversified fund.

The Fund may invest in derivative instruments, such as options, futures contracts or swap agreements, or in mortgage- or asset backed securities. The Fund may purchase or sell securities on a when-issued, delayed delivery or forward commitment basis and may engage in short sales. The Fund may also invest in securities issued by entities, such as trusts, whose underlying assets are municipal bonds, including, without limitation, residual interest bonds. The Fund may, without limitation, seek to obtain market exposure to the securities in which it primarily invests by entering into a series of purchase and sale contracts or by using other investment techniques (such as buy backs or dollar rolls). The Fund may also invest up to 10% of its total assets in preferred securities.

Principal Risks

It is possible to lose money on an investment in the Fund. The principal risks of investing in the Fund, which could adversely affect its net asset value, yield and total return are listed below.

New/Small Fund Risk: the risk that a new or smaller Fund's performance may not represent how the Fund is expected to or may perform in the long term. In addition, new Funds have limited operating histories for investors to evaluate and new and smaller Funds may not attract sufficient assets to achieve investment and trading efficiencies

Interest Rate Risk: the risk that fixed income securities will decline in value because of an increase in interest rates; a fund with a longer average portfolio duration will be more sensitive to changes in interest rates than a fund with a shorter average portfolio duration

Call Risk: the risk that an issuer may exercise its right to redeem a fixed income security earlier than expected (a call). Issuers may call outstanding securities prior to their maturity for a number of reasons (e.g., declining interest rates, changes in credit spreads and improvements in the issuer's credit quality). If an issuer calls a security that the Fund has invested in, the Fund may not recoup the full amount of its initial investment and may be forced to reinvest in lower-yielding securities, securities with greater credit risks or securities with other, less favorable features

Credit Risk: the risk that the Fund could lose money if the issuer or guarantor of a fixed income security, or the counterparty to a derivative contract, is unable or unwilling to meet its financial obligations

High Yield Risk: the risk that high yield securities and unrated securities of similar credit quality (commonly known as "junk bonds") are subject to greater levels of credit, call and liquidity risks. High yield securities are considered primarily speculative with respect to the issuer's continuing ability to make principal and interest payments, and may be more volatile than higher-rated securities of similar maturity

Market Risk: the risk that the value of securities owned by the Fund may go up or down, sometimes rapidly or unpredictably, due to factors affecting securities markets generally or particular industries

Issuer Risk: the risk that the value of a security may decline for a reason directly related to the issuer, such as management performance, financial leverage and reduced demand for the issuer's goods or services

Liquidity Risk: the risk that a particular investment may be difficult to purchase or sell and that the Fund may be unable to sell illiquid securities at an advantageous time or price or achieve its desired level of exposure to a certain sector. Liquidity risk may result from the lack of an active market, reduced number and capacity of traditional market participants to make a market in fixed income securities, and may be magnified in a rising interest rate environment or other circumstances where investor redemptions from fixed income mutual funds may be higher than normal, causing increased supply in the market due to selling activity

Derivatives Risk: the risk of investing in derivative instruments (such as futures, swaps and structured securities), including leverage, liquidity, interest rate, market, credit and management risks, mispricing or valuation complexity. Changes in the value of the derivative may not correlate perfectly with, and may be more sensitive to market events than, the underlying asset, rate or index, and the Fund could lose more than the initial amount invested. The Fund's use of derivatives may result in losses to the Fund, a reduction in the Fund's returns and/or increased volatility. Over-the-counter ("OTC") derivatives are also subject to the risk that a counterparty to the transaction will not fulfill its contractual obligations to the other party, as many of the protections afforded to centrally-cleared derivative transactions might not be available for OTC derivatives. For derivatives traded on an exchange or through a central counterparty, credit risk resides with the Fund's clearing broker, or the clearinghouse itself, rather than with a counterparty in an OTC derivative transaction. Changes in regulation relating to a mutual fund's use of derivatives and related instruments could potentially limit or impact the Fund's ability to invest in derivatives, limit the Fund's ability to employ certain strategies that use derivatives and/or adversely affect the value of derivatives and the Fund's performance

Equity Risk: the risk that the value of equity securities, such as common stocks and preferred securities, may decline due to general market conditions which are not specifically related to a particular company or to factors affecting a particular industry or industries. Equity securities generally have greater price volatility than fixed income securities

Mortgage-Related and Other Asset-Backed Securities Risk: the risks of investing in mortgage-related and other asset-backed securities, including interest rate risk, extension risk, prepayment risk and credit risk

Issuer Non-Diversification Risk: the risk of focusing investments in a small number of issuers, including being more susceptible to risks associated with a single economic, political or regulatory occurrence than a more diversified portfolio might be. Funds that are "non-diversified" may invest a greater percentage of their assets in the securities of a single issuer (such as bonds issued by a particular state) than funds that are "diversified"

 

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Table of Contents

Prospectus

Leveraging Risk: the risk that certain transactions of the Fund, such as reverse repurchase agreements, loans of portfolio securities, and the use of when-issued, delayed delivery or forward commitment transactions, or derivative instruments, may give rise to leverage, magnifying gains and losses and causing the Fund to be more volatile than if it had not been leveraged. This means that leverage entails a heightened risk of loss

Management Risk: the risk that the investment techniques and risk analyses applied by PIMCO will not produce the desired results and that legislative, regulatory, or tax restrictions, policies or developments may affect the investment techniques available to PIMCO and the individual portfolio manager in connection with managing the Fund. There is no guarantee that the investment objective of the Fund will be achieved

Municipal Bond Risk: the risk that a Fund may be affected significantly by the economic, regulatory or political developments affecting the ability of issuers of Municipal Bonds to pay interest or repay principal

California State-Specific Risk: the risk that by concentrating its investments in California Municipal Bonds, the Fund may be affected significantly by economic, regulatory or political developments affecting the ability of California issuers to pay interest or repay principal

Municipal Project-Specific Risk: the risk that the Fund may be more sensitive to adverse economic, business or political developments if it invests a substantial portion of its assets in the bonds of similar projects (such as those relating to education, health care, housing, transportation, and utilities), industrial development bonds, or in bonds from issuers in a single state

Short Exposure Risk: the risk of entering into short sales, including the potential loss of more money than the actual cost of the investment, and the risk that the third party to the short sale will not fulfill its contractual obligations, causing a loss to the Fund

Please see "Description of Principal Risks" in the Fund's prospectus for a more detailed description of the risks of investing in the Fund. An investment in the Fund is not a deposit of a bank and is not insured or guaranteed by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation or any other government agency.

Performance Information

The performance information shows summary performance information for the Fund in a bar chart and an Average Annual Total Returns table. The information provides some indication of the risks of investing in the Fund by showing changes in its performance from year to year and by showing how the Fund's average annual returns compare with the returns of a broad-based securities market index and an index of similar funds. Absent any applicable fee waivers and/or expense limitations performance would have been lower. The bar chart shows performance of the Fund's Institutional Class shares. Performance for Class A and Class C shares in the Average Annual Total Returns table reflects the impact of sales charges. The Fund's past performance, before and after taxes, is not necessarily an indication of how the Fund will perform in the future.

The Bloomberg Barclays California Municipal Bond Index is the California component of the Bloomberg Barclays Municipal Bond Index. The Bloomberg Barclays Municipal Bond Index is a rules-based, market-value-weighted index engineered for the long term tax-exempt bond market. To be included in the Index, bonds must be rated investment-grade (Baa3/ BBB- or higher) by at least two of the following ratings agencies: Moody's, S&P and Fitch. If only two of the three agencies rate the security, the lower rating is used to determine index eligibility. If only one of the three agencies rates a security, the rating must be investment-grade. They must have an outstanding par value of at least $7 million and be issued as part of a transaction of at least $75 million. The bonds must be fixed rate, have a dated-date after December 31, 1990, and must be at least one year from their maturity date. Remarketed issues, taxable municipal bonds, bonds with floating rates, and derivatives, are excluded from the benchmark. The Lipper California Municipal Debt Funds Average is a total return performance average of Funds tracked by Lipper, Inc. that invest at least 65% of its assets in municipal debt issues that are exempt from taxation in California, with dollar-weighted average maturities of ten years or more.

Performance for the Fund is updated daily and quarterly and may be obtained as follows: daily updates on the net asset value and performance page at http://investments.pimco.com/DailyPerformance and quarterly updates at http://investments.pimco.com/QuarterlyPerformance.

Calendar Year Total Returns — Institutional Class*

 

[To be updated by subsequent amendment]



*The year-to-date return as of June 30, 2018 is [ ]%. For the periods shown in the bar chart, the highest quarterly return was [ ]% in the [ ], and the lowest quarterly return was [ ]% in the [ ].

Average Annual Total Returns (for periods ended 12/31/17)

 

1 Year

5 Years

Since Inception (05/31/2012)

Institutional Class Return Before Taxes

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

Institutional Class Return After Taxes on Distributions‌(1)

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

Institutional Class Return After Taxes on Distributions and Sales of Fund Shares‌(1)

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

I-2 Return Before Taxes

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

Class A Return Before Taxes

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

Class C Return Before Taxes

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

Bloomberg Barclays California Municipal Bond Index (reflects no deductions for fees, expenses or taxes)

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

 

Lipper California Municipal Debt Funds Average (reflects no deductions for taxes)

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

(1) After-tax returns are calculated using the highest historical individual federal marginal income tax rates and do not reflect the impact of state and local taxes. Actual after-tax

 

[ ] | PROSPECTUS

7


 

Table of Contents

PIMCO California Municipal Bond Fund

returns depend on an investor's tax situation and may differ from those shown, and the after-tax returns shown are not relevant to investors who hold their Fund shares through tax-deferred arrangements, such as 401(k) plans or individual retirement accounts. In some cases the return after taxes may exceed the return before taxes due to an assumed tax benefit from any losses on a sale of Fund shares at the end of the measurement period. After-tax returns are for Institutional Class shares only. After-tax returns for other classes will vary.

Investment Adviser/Portfolio Manager

PIMCO serves as the investment adviser for the Fund. The Fund's portfolio is managed by David Hammer. Mr. Hammer is an Executive Vice President of PIMCO, and he has managed the Fund since August 2015.

Other Important Information Regarding Fund Shares

For important information about purchase and sale of Fund shares, tax information, and payments to broker-dealers and other financial intermediaries, please turn to the "Summary of Other Important Information Regarding Fund Shares" section on page [ ] of this prospectus.

 

8     

PROSPECTUS | PIMCO FUNDS     


 

Table of Contents

PIMCO California Short Duration Municipal Income Fund

Investment Objective

The Fund seeks maximum total return, consistent with preservation of capital and prudent investment management.

Fees and Expenses of the Fund

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 $100,000 in Class A shares of eligible funds offered by PIMCO Equity Series and PIMCO Funds. More information about these and other discounts is available in the "Classes of Shares" section on page [ ] of the Fund's prospectus, Appendix B to the Fund's prospectus (Financial Firm-Specific Sales Charge Waivers and Discounts) or from your financial advisor.

Shareholder Fees (fees paid directly from your investment):

 

Inst
Class

I-2

Class A

Maximum Sales Charge (Load) Imposed on Purchases (as a percentage of offering price)

None

None

2.25%

Maximum Deferred Sales Charge (Load) (as a percentage of the lower of the original purchase price or redemption price)

None

None

1.00%

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

 

Inst
Class

I-2

Class A

Management Fees

0.33%

0.43%

0.48%

Distribution and/or Service (12b-1) Fees

N/A

N/A

0.25%

Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses

0.33%

0.43%

0.73%

Example. The Example is intended to help you compare the cost of investing in Institutional Class, I-2 or Class A shares of the Fund with the costs of investing in other mutual funds. The Example assumes that you invest $10,000 in the noted class of shares for the time periods indicated, and then redeem all 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. Investors may pay brokerage commissions on their purchases and sales of Institutional Class shares or I-2 shares of the Fund, which are not reflected in the Example. Although your actual costs may be higher or lower, based on these assumptions your costs would be:

If you redeem your shares at the end of each period:

 

1 Year

3 Years

5 Years

10 Years

Institutional Class

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

I-2

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

Class A

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

If you do not redeem your shares:

 

1 Year

3 Years

5 Years

10 Years

Class A

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

Portfolio Turnover

The Fund pays transaction costs 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 the Annual Fund Operating Expenses or in the Example tables, affect the Fund's performance. During the most recent fiscal year, the Fund's portfolio turnover rate was [ ]% of the average value of its portfolio.

Principal Investment Strategies

The Fund seeks to achieve its investment objective by investing under normal circumstances at least 80% of its assets in debt securities whose interest is, in the opinion of bond counsel for the issuer at the time of issuance, exempt from federal and California income tax ("California Municipal Bonds"). California Municipal Bonds generally are issued by or on behalf of the State of California and its political subdivisions, financing authorities and their agencies. The Fund may invest in debt securities of an issuer located outside of California whose interest is, in the opinion of bond counsel for the issuer at the time of issuance, exempt from regular federal income tax and California income tax. By concentrating its investments in California, the Fund will be subject to California State-Specific Risk.

The Fund does not intend to invest in securities whose interest is subject to the federal alternative minimum tax. The Fund may invest 25% or more of its total assets in debt securities whose interest is, in the opinion of bond counsel for the issuer at the time of issuance, exempt from federal income tax ("Municipal Bonds") that finance education, health care, housing, transportation, utilities and other similar projects, and 25% or more of its total assets in industrial development bonds. The Fund may invest the remainder of its net assets in other types of Fixed Income Instruments. "Fixed Income Instruments" include bonds, debt securities and other similar instruments issued by various U.S. and non-U.S. public- or private-sector entities. The average portfolio duration of this Fund varies based on Pacific Investment Management Company LLC's ("PIMCO") market forecasts and under normal market conditions is not expected to exceed three years. Duration is a measure used to determine the sensitivity of a security's price to changes in interest rates. The longer a security's duration, the more sensitive it will be to changes in interest rates. The total return sought by the Fund consists of both income earned on the Fund's investments and capital appreciation. The portfolio manager focuses on bonds with the potential to offer attractive current income, typically looking for bonds that can provide consistently attractive current yields or that are trading at competitive market prices. Capital appreciation, if any, generally arises from decreases in interest rates or improving credit fundamentals for a particular state, municipality or issuer.

The Fund invests primarily in investment grade debt securities, but may invest up to 10% of its total assets in high yield securities ("junk bonds") that are rated Caa or higher by Moody's Investors Service, Inc. ("Moody's"), or equivalently rated by Standard & Poor's Ratings Services ("S&P") or Fitch, Inc. ("Fitch"), or, if unrated, determined by PIMCO to be of comparable quality.

The Fund may invest in derivative instruments, such as options, futures contracts or swap agreements, or in mortgage- or asset-backed securities.

 



PIMCO FUNDS | PROSPECTUS

9


 

Table of Contents

PIMCO California Short Duration Municipal Income Fund

The Fund may purchase or sell securities on a when-issued, delayed delivery or forward commitment basis and may engage in short sales. The Fund may also invest in securities issued by entities, such as trusts, whose underlying assets are California Municipal Bonds, including, without limitation, residual interest bonds. The Fund may, without limitation, seek to obtain market exposure to the securities in which it primarily invests by entering into a series of purchase and sale contracts or by using other investment techniques (such as buy backs or dollar rolls). The Fund may also invest up to 10% of its total assets in preferred securities.

Principal Risks

It is possible to lose money on an investment in the Fund. The principal risks of investing in the Fund, which could adversely affect its net asset value, yield and total return are listed below.

Interest Rate Risk: the risk that fixed income securities will decline in value because of an increase in interest rates; a fund with a longer average portfolio duration will be more sensitive to changes in interest rates than a fund with a shorter average portfolio duration

Call Risk: the risk that an issuer may exercise its right to redeem a fixed income security earlier than expected (a call). Issuers may call outstanding securities prior to their maturity for a number of reasons (e.g., declining interest rates, changes in credit spreads and improvements in the issuer's credit quality). If an issuer calls a security that the Fund has invested in, the Fund may not recoup the full amount of its initial investment and may be forced to reinvest in lower-yielding securities, securities with greater credit risks or securities with other, less favorable features

Credit Risk: the risk that the Fund could lose money if the issuer or guarantor of a fixed income security, or the counterparty to a derivative contract, is unable or unwilling to meet its financial obligations

High Yield Risk: the risk that high yield securities and unrated securities of similar credit quality (commonly known as "junk bonds") are subject to greater levels of credit, call and liquidity risks. High yield securities are considered primarily speculative with respect to the issuer's continuing ability to make principal and interest payments, and may be more volatile than higher-rated securities of similar maturity

Market Risk: the risk that the value of securities owned by the Fund may go up or down, sometimes rapidly or unpredictably, due to factors affecting securities markets generally or particular industries

Issuer Risk: the risk that the value of a security may decline for a reason directly related to the issuer, such as management performance, financial leverage and reduced demand for the issuer's goods or services

Liquidity Risk: the risk that a particular investment may be difficult to purchase or sell and that the Fund may be unable to sell illiquid securities at an advantageous time or price or achieve its desired level of exposure to a certain sector. Liquidity risk may result from the lack of an active market, reduced number and capacity of traditional market participants to make a market in fixed income securities, and may be magnified in a rising interest rate environment or other circumstances where investor redemptions from fixed income mutual funds may be higher than normal, causing increased supply in the market due to selling activity

Derivatives Risk: the risk of investing in derivative instruments (such as futures, swaps and structured securities), including leverage, liquidity, interest rate, market, credit and management risks, mispricing or valuation complexity. Changes in the value of the derivative may not correlate perfectly with, and may be more sensitive to market events than, the underlying asset, rate or index, and the Fund could lose more than the initial amount invested. The Fund's use of derivatives may result in losses to the Fund, a reduction in the Fund's returns and/or increased volatility. Over-the-counter ("OTC") derivatives are also subject to the risk that a counterparty to the transaction will not fulfill its contractual obligations to the other party, as many of the protections afforded to centrally-cleared derivative transactions might not be available for OTC derivatives. For derivatives traded on an exchange or through a central counterparty, credit risk resides with the Fund's clearing broker, or the clearinghouse itself, rather than with a counterparty in an OTC derivative transaction. Changes in regulation relating to a mutual fund's use of derivatives and related instruments could potentially limit or impact the Fund's ability to invest in derivatives, limit the Fund's ability to employ certain strategies that use derivatives and/or adversely affect the value of derivatives and the Fund's performance

Equity Risk: the risk that the value of equity securities, such as common stocks and preferred securities, may decline due to general market conditions which are not specifically related to a particular company or to factors affecting a particular industry or industries. Equity securities generally have greater price volatility than fixed income securities

Mortgage-Related and Other Asset-Backed Securities Risk: the risks of investing in mortgage-related and other asset-backed securities, including interest rate risk, extension risk, prepayment risk and credit risk

Leveraging Risk: the risk that certain transactions of the Fund, such as reverse repurchase agreements, loans of portfolio securities, and the use of when-issued, delayed delivery or forward commitment transactions, or derivative instruments, may give rise to leverage, magnifying gains and losses and causing the Fund to be more volatile than if it had not been leveraged. This means that leverage entails a heightened risk of loss

Management Risk: the risk that the investment techniques and risk analyses applied by PIMCO will not produce the desired results and that legislative, regulatory, or tax restrictions, policies or developments may affect the investment techniques available to PIMCO and the individual portfolio manager in connection with managing the Fund. There is no guarantee that the investment objective of the Fund will be achieved

Municipal Bond Risk: the risk that a Fund may be affected significantly by the economic, regulatory or political developments affecting the ability of issuers of Municipal Bonds to pay interest or repay principal

California State-Specific Risk: the risk that by concentrating its investments in California Municipal Bonds, the Fund may be affected significantly by economic, regulatory or political developments affecting the ability of California issuers to pay interest or repay principal

Municipal Project-Specific Risk: the risk that the Fund may be more sensitive to adverse economic, business or political developments if it invests a substantial portion of its assets in the bonds of similar projects (such as those relating to education, health care, housing, transportation,

 

10     

PROSPECTUS | PIMCO FUNDS     


 

Table of Contents

Prospectus

and utilities), industrial development bonds, or in bonds from issuers in a single state

Short Exposure Risk: the risk of entering into short sales, including the potential loss of more money than the actual cost of the investment, and the risk that the third party to the short sale will not fulfill its contractual obligations, causing a loss to the Fund

Please see "Description of Principal Risks" in the Fund's prospectus for a more detailed description of the risks of investing in the Fund. An investment in the Fund is not a deposit of a bank and is not insured or guaranteed by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation or any other government agency.

Performance Information

The performance information shows summary performance information for the Fund in a bar chart and an Average Annual Total Returns table. The information provides some indication of the risks of investing in the Fund by showing changes in its performance from year to year and by showing how the Fund's average annual returns compare with the returns of a broad-based securities market index and an index of similar funds. Absent any applicable fee waivers and/or expense limitations, performance would have been lower. The bar chart shows performance of the Fund's Institutional Class shares. For periods prior to the inception date of I-2 shares (April 30, 2008), performance information shown in the table for that class is based on the performance of the Fund's Institutional Class shares, adjusted to reflect the actual distribution and/or service (12b-1) fees and other expenses paid by I-2 shares. Performance for Class A shares in the Average Annual Total Returns table reflects the impact of sales charges. The Fund's past performance, before and after taxes, is not necessarily an indication of how the Fund will perform in the future.

The Bloomberg Barclays California 1 Year Municipal Bond Index is an unmanaged index comprised of California Municipal Bond Issues having a maturity of at least one year and less than two years. The Lipper California Short/Intermediate Municipal Debt Funds Average is a total return performance average of funds that invest primarily in municipal debt issues that are exempt from taxation in California, with dollar-weighted average maturities of one to five years.

Performance for the Fund is updated daily and quarterly and may be obtained as follows: daily updates on the net asset value and performance page at http://investments.pimco.com/DailyPerformance and quarterly updates at http://investments.pimco.com/QuarterlyPerformance.

Calendar Year Total Returns — Institutional Class*

 

[To be updated by subsequent amendment]



*The year-to-date return as of June 30, 2018 is [ ]%. For the periods shown in the bar chart, the highest quarterly return was [ ]% in the [ ], and the lowest quarterly return was [ ]% in the [ ].

Average Annual Total Returns (for periods ended 12/31/17)

 

1 Year

5 Years

10 Years

Institutional Class Return Before Taxes

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

Institutional Class Return After Taxes on Distributions‌(1)

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

Institutional Class Return After Taxes on Distributions and Sales of Fund Shares‌(1)

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

I-2 Return Before Taxes

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

Class A Return Before Taxes

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

Bloomberg Barclays California 1 Year Municipal Bond Index (reflects no deductions for fees, expenses or taxes)

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

 

Lipper California Short/Intermediate Municipal Debt Funds Average (reflects no deductions for taxes)

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

(1) After-tax returns are calculated using the highest historical individual federal marginal income tax rates and do not reflect the impact of state and local taxes. Actual after-tax returns depend on an investor's tax situation and may differ from those shown, and the after-tax returns shown are not relevant to investors who hold their Fund shares through tax-deferred arrangements, such as 401(k) plans or individual retirement accounts. In some cases the return after taxes may exceed the return before taxes due to an assumed tax benefit from any losses on a sale of Fund shares at the end of the measurement period. After-tax returns are for Institutional Class shares only. After-tax returns for other classes will vary.

Investment Adviser/Portfolio Manager

PIMCO serves as the investment adviser for the Fund. The Fund's portfolio is jointly managed by Julie Callahan and David Hammer. Ms. Callahan is a Senior Vice President of PIMCO, and she has managed the Fund since January 2014. Mr. Hammer is an Executive Vice President of PIMCO, and he has managed the Fund since August 2015.

 

[ ] | PROSPECTUS

11


 

Table of Contents

PIMCO California Short Duration Municipal Income Fund

Other Important Information Regarding Fund Shares

For important information about purchase and sale of Fund shares, tax information, and payments to broker-dealers and other financial intermediaries, please turn to the "Summary of Other Important Information Regarding Fund Shares" section on page [ ] of this prospectus.

 

12     

PROSPECTUS | PIMCO FUNDS     


 

Table of Contents

PIMCO High Yield Municipal Bond Fund

Investment Objective

The Fund seeks high current income exempt from federal income tax. Total return is a secondary objective.

Fees and Expenses of the Fund

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 $100,000 in Class A shares of eligible funds offered by PIMCO Equity Series and PIMCO Funds. More information about these and other discounts is available in the "Classes of Shares" section on page [ ] of the Fund's prospectus, Appendix B to the Fund's prospectus (Financial Firm-Specific Sales Charge Waivers and Discounts) or from your financial advisor.

Shareholder Fees (fees paid directly from your investment):

 

Inst
Class

I-2

I-3

Class A

Class C

Maximum Sales Charge (Load) Imposed on Purchases (as a percentage of offering price)

None

None

[None]

2.25%

None

Maximum Deferred Sales Charge (Load) (as a percentage of the lower of the original purchase price or redemption price)

None

None

[None]

1.00%

1.00%

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

 

Inst
Class

I-2

I-3

Class A

Class C

Management Fees

0.55%

0.65%

[ ]

0.60%

0.60%

Distribution and/or Service (12b-1) Fees

N/A

N/A

[ ]

0.25%

1.00%

Other Expenses(1)

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

Fee Waiver and/or Expense Reimbursement(2)

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses After Fee Waiver and/or Expense Reimbursement

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

 

1 "Other Expenses" include interest expense of [ ]%. Interest expense is borne by the Fund separately from the management fees paid to Pacific Investment Management Company LLC ("PIMCO"). Excluding interest expense, Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses After Fee Waiver and/or Expense Reimbursement are [ ]%, [ ]%, [ ]%, [ ]% and [ ]% for Institutional Class, I-2, I-3, Class A and Class C shares, respectively.

2 PIMCO has contractually agreed, through July 31, 2019, to reduce its supervisory and administrative fee for the Fund's I-3 shares by [ ]% of the average daily net assets attributable to I-3 shares of the Fund. This Fee Waiver Agreement renews annually unless terminated by PIMCO upon at least 30 days' prior notice to the end of the contract term.

Example. The Example is intended to help you compare the cost of investing in Institutional Class, I-2, I-3, Class A or Class C shares of the Fund with the costs of investing in other mutual funds. The Example assumes that you invest $10,000 in the noted class of shares for the time periods indicated, and then redeem all 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. Investors may pay brokerage commissions on their purchases and sales of Institutional Class, I-2 or I-3 shares of the Fund, which are not reflected in the Example. Although your actual costs may be higher or lower, based on these assumptions your costs would be:

If you redeem your shares at the end of each period:

 

1 Year

3 Years

5 Years

10 Years

Institutional Class

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

I-2

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

I-3

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

Class A

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

Class C

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

If you do not redeem your shares:

 

1 Year

3 Years

5 Years

10 Years

Class A

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

Class C

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

Portfolio Turnover

The Fund pays transaction costs 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 the Annual Fund Operating Expenses or in the Example tables, affect the Fund's performance. During the most recent fiscal year, the Fund's portfolio turnover rate was [ ]% of the average value of its portfolio.

Principal Investment Strategies

The Fund seeks to achieve its investment objective by investing under normal circumstances at least 80% of its assets in debt securities whose interest is, in the opinion of bond counsel for the issuer at the time of issuance, exempt from federal income tax ("Municipal Bonds"). Municipal Bonds generally are issued by or on behalf of states and local governments and their agencies, authorities and other instrumentalities.

The Fund intends to invest a portion of its assets in high yield Municipal Bonds and "private activity" bonds that are rated (at the time of purchase) below investment grade by Moody's Investors Service, Inc. ("Moody's"), or equivalently rated by Standard & Poor's Ratings Services ("S&P") or Fitch, Inc. ("Fitch"), or, if unrated, determined by Pacific Investment Management Company LLC ("PIMCO") to be of comparable quality (commonly known as "junk bonds"). The Fund may also invest, without limitation, in higher rated Municipal Bonds. The Fund may invest up to 30% of its assets in "private activity" bonds whose interest is a tax-preference item for purposes of the federal alternative minimum tax ("AMT"). For shareholders subject to the AMT, distributions derived from "private activity" bonds must be included in their AMT calculations, and as such a portion of the Fund's distribution may be subject to federal income tax. The Fund may invest more than 25% of its total assets in bonds of issuers in California and New York. To the extent that the Fund concentrates its investments in California or New York, it will be subject to the applicable state-specific risk. The Fund may also invest 25% or more of its total assets in Municipal Bonds that finance education, health care, housing, transportation, utilities and other similar projects, and 25% or more of its total assets in industrial development bonds.

The average portfolio duration of this Fund normally varies within (negative) 2 years to positive 4 years of the portfolio duration of the securities comprising the Bloomberg Barclays High Yield Municipal Bond Index, as

 



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PIMCO High Yield Municipal Bond Fund

calculated by Pacific Investment Management Company LLC ("PIMCO"), which as of [ ] was [ ] years. Duration is a measure used to determine the sensitivity of a security's price to changes in interest rates. The longer a security's duration, the more sensitive it will be to changes in interest rates. The portfolio manager focuses on Municipal Bonds with the potential to offer high current income, typically looking for Municipal Bonds that can provide consistently attractive current yields or that are trading at competitive market prices. The "total return" sought by the Fund consists of both income earned on its investments and capital appreciation, if any, generally arising from decreases in interest rates or improving credit fundamentals for a particular state, municipality or issuer.

The Fund may invest in other types of Fixed Income Instruments. "Fixed Income Instruments" include bonds, debt securities and other similar instruments issued by various U.S. and non-U.S. public- or private-sector entities. The Fund may also invest in derivative instruments, such as options, futures contracts or swap agreements, and invest in mortgage- or asset-backed securities. The Fund may purchase or sell securities on a when-issued, delayed delivery or forward commitment basis and may engage in short sales. In addition, the Fund may also invest in securities issued by entities, such as trusts, whose underlying assets are Municipal Bonds, including, without limitation, residual interest bonds. The Fund may, without limitation, seek to obtain market exposure to the securities in which it primarily invests by entering into a series of purchase and sale contracts or by using other investment techniques (such as buy backs or dollar rolls). The Fund may also invest up to 10% of its total assets in preferred securities.

Principal Risks

It is possible to lose money on an investment in the Fund. The principal risks of investing in the Fund, which could adversely affect its net asset value, yield and total return are listed below.

Interest Rate Risk: the risk that fixed income securities will decline in value because of an increase in interest rates; a fund with a longer average portfolio duration will be more sensitive to changes in interest rates than a fund with a shorter average portfolio duration

Call Risk: the risk that an issuer may exercise its right to redeem a fixed income security earlier than expected (a call). Issuers may call outstanding securities prior to their maturity for a number of reasons (e.g., declining interest rates, changes in credit spreads and improvements in the issuer's credit quality). If an issuer calls a security that the Fund has invested in, the Fund may not recoup the full amount of its initial investment and may be forced to reinvest in lower-yielding securities, securities with greater credit risks or securities with other, less favorable features

Credit Risk: the risk that the Fund could lose money if the issuer or guarantor of a fixed income security, or the counterparty to a derivative contract, is unable or unwilling to meet its financial obligations

High Yield Risk: the risk that high yield securities and unrated securities of similar credit quality (commonly known as "junk bonds") are subject to greater levels of credit, call and liquidity risks. High yield securities are considered primarily speculative with respect to the issuer's continuing ability to make principal and interest payments, and may be more volatile than higher-rated securities of similar maturity

Market Risk: the risk that the value of securities owned by the Fund may go up or down, sometimes rapidly or unpredictably, due to factors affecting securities markets generally or particular industries

Issuer Risk: the risk that the value of a security may decline for a reason directly related to the issuer, such as management performance, financial leverage and reduced demand for the issuer's goods or services

Liquidity Risk: the risk that a particular investment may be difficult to purchase or sell and that the Fund may be unable to sell illiquid securities at an advantageous time or price or achieve its desired level of exposure to a certain sector. Liquidity risk may result from the lack of an active market, reduced number and capacity of traditional market participants to make a market in fixed income securities, and may be magnified in a rising interest rate environment or other circumstances where investor redemptions from fixed income mutual funds may be higher than normal, causing increased supply in the market due to selling activity

Derivatives Risk: the risk of investing in derivative instruments (such as futures, swaps and structured securities), including leverage, liquidity, interest rate, market, credit and management risks, mispricing or valuation complexity. Changes in the value of the derivative may not correlate perfectly with, and may be more sensitive to market events than, the underlying asset, rate or index, and the Fund could lose more than the initial amount invested. The Fund's use of derivatives may result in losses to the Fund, a reduction in the Fund's returns and/or increased volatility. Over-the-counter ("OTC") derivatives are also subject to the risk that a counterparty to the transaction will not fulfill its contractual obligations to the other party, as many of the protections afforded to centrally-cleared derivative transactions might not be available for OTC derivatives. For derivatives traded on an exchange or through a central counterparty, credit risk resides with the Fund's clearing broker, or the clearinghouse itself, rather than with a counterparty in an OTC derivative transaction. Changes in regulation relating to a mutual fund's use of derivatives and related instruments could potentially limit or impact the Fund's ability to invest in derivatives, limit the Fund's ability to employ certain strategies that use derivatives and/or adversely affect the value of derivatives and the Fund's performance

Equity Risk: the risk that the value of equity securities, such as common stocks and preferred securities, may decline due to general market conditions which are not specifically related to a particular company or to factors affecting a particular industry or industries. Equity securities generally have greater price volatility than fixed income securities

Mortgage-Related and Other Asset-Backed Securities Risk: the risks of investing in mortgage-related and other asset-backed securities, including interest rate risk, extension risk, prepayment risk and credit risk

Leveraging Risk: the risk that certain transactions of the Fund, such as reverse repurchase agreements, loans of portfolio securities, and the use of when-issued, delayed delivery or forward commitment transactions, or derivative instruments, may give rise to leverage, magnifying gains and losses and causing the Fund to be more volatile than if it had not been leveraged. This means that leverage entails a heightened risk of loss

Management Risk: the risk that the investment techniques and risk analyses applied by PIMCO will not produce the desired results and that

 

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Prospectus

legislative, regulatory, or tax restrictions, policies or developments may affect the investment techniques available to PIMCO and the individual portfolio manager in connection with managing the Fund. There is no guarantee that the investment objective of the Fund will be achieved

Municipal Bond Risk: the risk that a Fund may be affected significantly by the economic, regulatory or political developments affecting the ability of issuers of Municipal Bonds to pay interest or repay principal

California State-Specific Risk: the risk that by concentrating its investments in California Municipal Bonds, the Fund may be affected significantly by economic, regulatory or political developments affecting the ability of California issuers to pay interest or repay principal

New York State-Specific Risk: the risk that by concentrating its investments in New York Municipal Bonds, the Fund may be affected significantly by economic, regulatory or political developments affecting the ability of New York issuers to pay interest or repay principal

Municipal Project-Specific Risk: the risk that the Fund may be more sensitive to adverse economic, business or political developments if it invests a substantial portion of its assets in the bonds of similar projects (such as those relating to education, health care, housing, transportation, and utilities), industrial development bonds, or in bonds from issuers in a single state

Short Exposure Risk: the risk of entering into short sales, including the potential loss of more money than the actual cost of the investment, and the risk that the third party to the short sale will not fulfill its contractual obligations, causing a loss to the Fund

Please see "Description of Principal Risks" in the Fund's prospectus for a more detailed description of the risks of investing in the Fund. An investment in the Fund is not a deposit of a bank and is not insured or guaranteed by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation or any other government agency.

Performance Information

 The performance information shows summary performance information for the Fund in a bar chart and an Average Annual Total Returns table. The information provides some indication of the risks of investing in the Fund by showing changes in its performance from year to year and by showing how the Fund's average annual returns compare with the returns of a broad-based securities market index and an index of similar funds. Absent any applicable fee waivers and/or expense limitations, performance would have been lower. The bar chart shows performance of the Fund's Institutional Class shares. For periods prior to the inception date of Class C shares (December 29, 2006), and I-2 shares (April 30, 2008), performance information shown in the table for these classes is based on the performance of the Fund's Institutional Class shares, adjusted to reflect the actual distribution and/or service (12b-1) fees and other expenses paid by these classes of shares. Performance for Class A and Class C shares in the Average Annual Total Returns table reflects the impact of sales charges. The I-3 shares of the Fund have not commenced operations as of the date of this prospectus. The Fund's past performance, before and after taxes, is not necessarily an indication of how the Fund will perform in the future.

The Fund's primary benchmark is the Bloomberg Barclays High Yield Municipal Bond Index. The Bloomberg Barclays High Yield Municipal Bond Index is a rules-based, market-value-weighted index that measures the non-investment grade and non-rated U.S. tax-exempt bond market. To be included in the Index, bonds must be rated non-investment-grade (Ba1/BB +/BB+ or below) using the middle rating of the following rating agencies: Moody's, S&P and Fitch. If only two of the three agencies rate the security, the lower rating is used to determine Index eligibility. If only one of the three agencies rates a security, that rating is used. Non-rated issues are also eligible. Bonds must have an outstanding par value of at least $3 million and must be issued as part of a transaction of at least $20 million. The bonds must be fixed-rate, have a dated-date after January 1, 1991, and must be at least one year from their maturity date. Defaulted securities, remarketed issues, taxable municipal bonds, bonds with floating rates, partially pre-refunded bonds where no new securities are issued, illiquid securities that lack reliable pricing, and private placements are excluded from the benchmark. To be included in the Index, bonds must be rated investment-grade (Baa3/BBB- or higher) by at least two of the following ratings agencies: Moody's, S&P and Fitch. If only two of the three agencies rate the security, the lower rating is used to determine index eligibility. If only one of the three agencies rates a security, the rating must be investment-grade. They must have an outstanding par value of at least $7 million and be issued as part of a transaction of at least $75 million. The bonds must be fixed rate, have a dated-date after December 31, 1990, and must be at least one year from their maturity date. Remarketed issues, taxable municipal bonds, bonds with floating rates, and derivatives, are excluded from the benchmark. The Lipper High Yield Municipal Debt Funds Average is a total return performance average of funds tracked by Lipper, Inc. that typically invests 50% or more of their assets in municipal debt issues rated BBB or less.

Performance for the Fund is updated daily and quarterly and may be obtained as follows: daily updates on the net asset value and performance page at http://investments.pimco.com/DailyPerformance and quarterly updates at http://investments.pimco.com/QuarterlyPerformance.

Calendar Year Total Returns — Institutional Class*

 

[To be updated by subsequent amendment]



*The year-to-date return as of June 30, 2018 is [ ]%. For the periods shown in the bar chart, the highest quarterly return was [ ]% in the [ ], and the lowest quarterly return was [ ]% in the [ ].

 

[ ] | PROSPECTUS

15


 

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PIMCO High Yield Municipal Bond Fund

Average Annual Total Returns (for periods ended 12/31/17)

 

1 Year

5 Years

10 Years

Institutional Class Return Before Taxes

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

Institutional Class Return After Taxes on Distributions‌(1)

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

Institutional Class Return After Taxes on Distributions and Sales of Fund Shares‌(1)

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

I-2 Return Before Taxes

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

Class A Return Before Taxes

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

Class C Return Before Taxes

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

Bloomberg Barclays High Yield Municipal Bond Index (reflects no deductions for fees, expenses or taxes)

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

 

Lipper High Yield Municipal Debt Funds Average (reflects no deductions for taxes)

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

(1) After-tax returns are calculated using the highest historical individual federal marginal income tax rates and do not reflect the impact of state and local taxes. Actual after-tax returns depend on an investor's tax situation and may differ from those shown, and the after-tax returns shown are not relevant to investors who hold their Fund shares through tax-deferred arrangements, such as 401(k) plans or individual retirement accounts. In some cases the return after taxes may exceed the return before taxes due to an assumed tax benefit from any losses on a sale of Fund shares at the end of the measurement period. After-tax returns are for Institutional Class shares only. After-tax returns for other classes will vary.

Investment Adviser/Portfolio Manager

PIMCO serves as the investment adviser for the Fund. The Fund's portfolio is managed by David Hammer. Mr. Hammer is an Executive Vice President of PIMCO, and he has managed the Fund since August 2015.

Other Important Information Regarding Fund Shares

For important information about purchase and sale of Fund shares, tax information, and payments to broker-dealers and other financial intermediaries, please turn to the "Summary of Other Important Information Regarding Fund Shares" section on page [ ] of this prospectus.

 

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PIMCO Municipal Bond Fund

Investment Objective

The Fund seeks high current income exempt from federal income tax, consistent with preservation of capital. Capital appreciation is a secondary objective.

Fees and Expenses of the Fund

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 $100,000 in Class A shares of eligible funds offered by PIMCO Equity Series and PIMCO Funds. More information about these and other discounts is available in the "Classes of Shares" section on page [ ] of the Fund's prospectus, Appendix B to the Fund's prospectus (Financial Firm-Specific Sales Charge Waivers and Discounts) or from your financial advisor.

Shareholder Fees (fees paid directly from your investment):

 

Inst
Class

I-2

I-3

Class A

Class C

Maximum Sales Charge (Load) Imposed on Purchases (as a percentage of offering price)

None

None

[None]

2.25%

None

Maximum Deferred Sales Charge (Load) (as a percentage of the lower of the original purchase price or redemption price)

None

None

[None]

1.00%

1.00%

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

 

Inst
Class

I-2

I-3

Class A

Class C

Management Fees

0.44%

0.54%

[ ]

0.50%

0.50%

Distribution and/or Service (12b-1) Fees

N/A

N/A

[ ]

0.25%

0.75%

Other Expenses(1)

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

Fee Waiver and/or Expense Reimbursement(2)

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses After Fee Waiver and/or Expense Reimbursement

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

 

1 "Other Expenses" include interest expense of [ ]%. Interest expense is borne by the Fund separately from the management fees paid to Pacific Investment Management Company LLC ("PIMCO"). Excluding interest expense, Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses After Fee Waiver and/or Expense Reimbursement are [ ]%, [ ]%, [ ]%, [ ]% and [ ]% for Institutional Class, I-2, I-3, Class A and Class C shares, respectively.

2 PIMCO has contractually agreed, through July 31, 2019, to reduce its supervisory and administrative fee for the Fund's I-3 shares by [ ]% of the average daily net assets attributable to I-3 shares of the Fund. This Fee Waiver Agreement renews annually unless terminated by PIMCO upon at least 30 days' prior notice to the end of the contract term.

Example. The Example is intended to help you compare the cost of investing in Institutional Class, I-2, I-3, Class A or Class C shares of the Fund with the costs of investing in other mutual funds. The Example assumes that you invest $10,000 in the noted class of shares for the time periods indicated, and then redeem all 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. Investors may pay brokerage commissions on their purchases and sales of Institutional Class, I-2 or I-3 shares of the Fund, which are not reflected in the Example. Although your actual costs may be higher or lower, based on these assumptions your costs would be:

If you redeem your shares at the end of each period:

 

1 Year

3 Years

5 Years

10 Years

Institutional Class

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

I-2

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

I-3

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

Class A

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

Class C

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

If you do not redeem your shares:

 

1 Year

3 Years

5 Years

10 Years

Class A

$304

$472

$654

$1,181

Class C

$131

$409

$708

$1,556

Portfolio Turnover

The Fund pays transaction costs 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 the Annual Fund Operating Expenses or in the Example tables, affect the Fund's performance. During the most recent fiscal year, the Fund's portfolio turnover rate was [ ]% of the average value of its portfolio.

Principal Investment Strategies

The Fund seeks to achieve its investment objective by investing under normal circumstances at least 80% of its assets in debt securities whose interest is, in the opinion of bond counsel for the issuer at the time of issuance, exempt from federal income tax ("Municipal Bonds"). Municipal Bonds generally are issued by or on behalf of states and local governments and their agencies, authorities and other instrumentalities.

The Fund may invest up to 20% of its net assets in U.S. Government Securities, money market instruments and/or "private activity" bonds. For shareholders subject to the federal alternative minimum tax ("AMT"), distributions derived from "private activity" bonds must be included in their AMT calculations, and as such a portion of the Fund's distribution may be subject to federal income tax. The Fund invests primarily in investment grade debt securities, but may invest up to 20% of its total assets in high yield securities ("junk bonds"), as rated by Moody's Investors Service, Inc. ("Moody's"), Standard & Poor's Ratings Services ("S&P") or Fitch, Inc. ("Fitch"), or, if unrated, as determined by Pacific Investment Management Company LLC ("PIMCO"). The Fund may invest more than 25% of its total assets in bonds of issuers in California and New York. To the extent that the Fund concentrates its investments in California or New York, it will be subject to California or New York State-Specific Risk. The Fund may also invest 25% or more of its total assets in Municipal Bonds that finance education, health care, housing, transportation, utilities and other similar projects, and 25% or more of its total assets in industrial development bonds. The average portfolio duration of this Fund normally varies within (negative) 2 years to positive 4 years of the portfolio duration of the securities comprising the Bloomberg Barclays Municipal Bond Index, as

 



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PIMCO Municipal Bond Fund

calculated by PIMCO, which as of [ ] was [ ] years. Duration is a measure used to determine the sensitivity of a security's price to changes in interest rates. The longer a security's duration, the more sensitive it will be to changes in interest rates. The portfolio manager focuses on bonds with the potential to offer attractive current income, typically looking for bonds that can provide consistently attractive current yields or that are trading at competitive market prices. Capital appreciation, if any, generally arises from decreases in interest rates or improving credit fundamentals for a particular state, municipality or issuer.

The Fund may invest in derivative instruments, such as options, futures contracts or swap agreements, and invest in mortgage- or asset-backed securities. The Fund may purchase or sell securities on a when-issued, delayed delivery or forward commitment basis and may engage in short sales. The Fund may also invest in securities issued by entities, such as trusts, whose underlying assets are Municipal Bonds, including, without limitation, residual interest bonds. The Fund may, without limitation, seek to obtain market exposure to the securities in which it primarily invests by entering into a series of purchase and sale contracts or by using other investment techniques (such as buy backs or dollar rolls). The Fund may also invest up to 10% of its total assets in preferred securities.

Principal Risks

It is possible to lose money on an investment in the Fund. The principal risks of investing in the Fund, which could adversely affect its net asset value, yield and total return are listed below.

Interest Rate Risk: the risk that fixed income securities will decline in value because of an increase in interest rates; a fund with a longer average portfolio duration will be more sensitive to changes in interest rates than a fund with a shorter average portfolio duration

Call Risk: the risk that an issuer may exercise its right to redeem a fixed income security earlier than expected (a call). Issuers may call outstanding securities prior to their maturity for a number of reasons (e.g., declining interest rates, changes in credit spreads and improvements in the issuer's credit quality). If an issuer calls a security that the Fund has invested in, the Fund may not recoup the full amount of its initial investment and may be forced to reinvest in lower-yielding securities, securities with greater credit risks or securities with other, less favorable features

Credit Risk: the risk that the Fund could lose money if the issuer or guarantor of a fixed income security, or the counterparty to a derivative contract, is unable or unwilling to meet its financial obligations

High Yield Risk: the risk that high yield securities and unrated securities of similar credit quality (commonly known as "junk bonds") are subject to greater levels of credit, call and liquidity risks. High yield securities are considered primarily speculative with respect to the issuer's continuing ability to make principal and interest payments, and may be more volatile than higher-rated securities of similar maturity

Market Risk: the risk that the value of securities owned by the Fund may go up or down, sometimes rapidly or unpredictably, due to factors affecting securities markets generally or particular industries

Issuer Risk: the risk that the value of a security may decline for a reason directly related to the issuer, such as management performance, financial leverage and reduced demand for the issuer's goods or services

Liquidity Risk: the risk that a particular investment may be difficult to purchase or sell and that the Fund may be unable to sell illiquid securities at an advantageous time or price or achieve its desired level of exposure to a certain sector. Liquidity risk may result from the lack of an active market, reduced number and capacity of traditional market participants to make a market in fixed income securities, and may be magnified in a rising interest rate environment or other circumstances where investor redemptions from fixed income mutual funds may be higher than normal, causing increased supply in the market due to selling activity

Derivatives Risk: the risk of investing in derivative instruments (such as futures, swaps and structured securities), including leverage, liquidity, interest rate, market, credit and management risks, mispricing or valuation complexity. Changes in the value of the derivative may not correlate perfectly with, and may be more sensitive to market events than, the underlying asset, rate or index, and the Fund could lose more than the initial amount invested. The Fund's use of derivatives may result in losses to the Fund, a reduction in the Fund's returns and/or increased volatility. Over-the-counter ("OTC") derivatives are also subject to the risk that a counterparty to the transaction will not fulfill its contractual obligations to the other party, as many of the protections afforded to centrally-cleared derivative transactions might not be available for OTC derivatives. For derivatives traded on an exchange or through a central counterparty, credit risk resides with the Fund's clearing broker, or the clearinghouse itself, rather than with a counterparty in an OTC derivative transaction. Changes in regulation relating to a mutual fund's use of derivatives and related instruments could potentially limit or impact the Fund's ability to invest in derivatives, limit the Fund's ability to employ certain strategies that use derivatives and/or adversely affect the value of derivatives and the Fund's performance

Equity Risk: the risk that the value of equity securities, such as common stocks and preferred securities, may decline due to general market conditions which are not specifically related to a particular company or to factors affecting a particular industry or industries. Equity securities generally have greater price volatility than fixed income securities

Mortgage-Related and Other Asset-Backed Securities Risk: the risks of investing in mortgage-related and other asset-backed securities, including interest rate risk, extension risk, prepayment risk and credit risk

Leveraging Risk: the risk that certain transactions of the Fund, such as reverse repurchase agreements, loans of portfolio securities, and the use of when-issued, delayed delivery or forward commitment transactions, or derivative instruments, may give rise to leverage, magnifying gains and losses and causing the Fund to be more volatile than if it had not been leveraged. This means that leverage entails a heightened risk of loss

Management Risk: the risk that the investment techniques and risk analyses applied by PIMCO will not produce the desired results and that legislative, regulatory, or tax restrictions, policies or developments may affect the investment techniques available to PIMCO and the individual

 

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Prospectus

portfolio manager in connection with managing the Fund. There is no guarantee that the investment objective of the Fund will be achieved

Municipal Bond Risk: the risk that a Fund may be affected significantly by the economic, regulatory or political developments affecting the ability of issuers of Municipal Bonds to pay interest or repay principal

California State-Specific Risk: the risk that by concentrating its investments in California Municipal Bonds, the Fund may be affected significantly by economic, regulatory or political developments affecting the ability of California issuers to pay interest or repay principal

New York State-Specific Risk: the risk that by concentrating its investments in New York Municipal Bonds, the Fund may be affected significantly by economic, regulatory or political developments affecting the ability of New York issuers to pay interest or repay principal

Municipal Project-Specific Risk: the risk that the Fund may be more sensitive to adverse economic, business or political developments if it invests a substantial portion of its assets in the bonds of similar projects (such as those relating to education, health care, housing, transportation, and utilities), industrial development bonds, or in bonds from issuers in a single state

Short Exposure Risk: the risk of entering into short sales, including the potential loss of more money than the actual cost of the investment, and the risk that the third party to the short sale will not fulfill its contractual obligations, causing a loss to the Fund

Please see "Description of Principal Risks" in the Fund's prospectus for a more detailed description of the risks of investing in the Fund. An investment in the Fund is not a deposit of a bank and is not insured or guaranteed by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation or any other government agency.

Performance Information

The performance information shows summary performance information for the Fund in a bar chart and an Average Annual Total Returns table. The information provides some indication of the risks of investing in the Fund by showing changes in its performance from year to year and by showing how the Fund's average annual returns compare with the returns of a broad-based securities market index and an index of similar funds. Absent any applicable fee waivers and/or expense limitations, performance would have been lower. The bar chart shows performance of the Fund's Institutional Class shares. For periods prior to the inception date of I-2 shares (April 30, 2008), performance information shown in the table for that class is based on the performance of the Fund's Institutional Class shares, adjusted to reflect the actual distribution and/or service (12b-1) fees and other expenses paid by I-2 shares. Performance for Class A and Class C shares in the Average Annual Total Returns table reflect the impact of sales charges. The I-3 shares of the Fund have no commenced operations as of the date of this prospectus. The Fund's past performance, before and after taxes, is not necessarily an indication of how the Fund will perform in the future.

The Bloomberg Barclays Municipal Bond Index is a rules-based, market-value-weighted index engineered for the long term tax-exempt bond market. To be included in the Index, bonds must be rated investment-grade (Baa3/BBB- or higher) by at least two of the following ratings agencies: Moody's, S&P and Fitch. If only two of the three agencies rate the security, the lower rating is used to determine index eligibility. If only one of the three agencies rates a security, the rating must be investment-grade. They must have an outstanding par value of at least $7 million and must be issued as part of a transaction of at least $75 million. The bonds must be fixed rate, have a dated-date after December 31, 1990, and must be at least one year from their maturity date. Remarketed issues, taxable municipal bonds, bonds with floating rates, and derivatives, are excluded from the benchmark. The Fund's new broad-based securities market index was selected as its use is more closely aligned with the Fund's principal investment strategies. The Lipper General & Insured Municipal Debt Funds Average is a total return performance average of Funds tracked by Lipper, Inc. that either invest primarily in municipal debt issues rated in the top four credit ratings or invest primarily in municipal debt issues insured as to timely payment.

Performance for the Fund is updated daily and quarterly and may be obtained as follows: daily updates on the net asset value and performance page at http://investments.pimco.com/DailyPerformance and quarterly updates at http://investments.pimco.com/QuarterlyPerformance.

Calendar Year Total Returns — Institutional Class*

 

[To be updated by subsequent amendment]



*The year-to-date return as of June 30, 2018 is [ ]%. For the periods shown in the bar chart, the highest quarterly return was [ ]% in the [ ], and the lowest quarterly return was [ ]% in the [ ].

Average Annual Total Returns (for periods ended 12/31/17)

 

1 Year

5 Years

10 Years

Institutional Class Return Before Taxes

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

Institutional Class Return After Taxes on Distributions‌(1)

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

Institutional Class Return After Taxes on Distributions and Sales of Fund Shares‌(1)

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

I-2 Return Before Taxes

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

Class A Return Before Taxes

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

Class C Return Before Taxes

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

Bloomberg Barclays Municipal Bond Index (reflects no deductions for fees, expenses or taxes)

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

 

Lipper General & Insured Municipal Debt Funds Average (reflects no deductions for taxes)

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

(1) After-tax returns are calculated using the highest historical individual federal marginal income tax rates and do not reflect the impact of state and local taxes. Actual after-tax returns depend on an investor's tax situation and may differ from those shown, and the

 

[ ] | PROSPECTUS

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Table of Contents

PIMCO Municipal Bond Fund

after-tax returns shown are not relevant to investors who hold their Fund shares through tax-deferred arrangements, such as 401(k) plans or individual retirement accounts. In some cases the return after taxes may exceed the return before taxes due to an assumed tax benefit from any losses on a sale of Fund shares at the end of the measurement period. After-tax returns are for Institutional Class shares only. After-tax returns for other classes will vary.

Investment Adviser/Portfolio Manager

PIMCO serves as the investment adviser for the Fund. The Fund's portfolio is managed by David Hammer. Mr. Hammer is an Executive Vice President of PIMCO, and he has managed the Fund since August 2015.

Other Important Information Regarding Fund Shares

For important information about purchase and sale of Fund shares, tax information, and payments to broker-dealers and other financial intermediaries, please turn to the "Summary of Other Important Information Regarding Fund Shares" section on page [ ] of this prospectus.

 

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PIMCO National Intermediate Municipal Bond Fund

Investment Objective

The Fund seeks maximum tax exempt income.

Fees and Expenses of the Fund

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 $100,000 in Class A shares of eligible funds offered by PIMCO Equity Series and PIMCO Funds. More information about these and other discounts is available in the "Classes of Shares" section on page [ ] of the Fund's prospectus, Appendix B to the Fund's prospectus (Financial Firm-Specific Sales Charge Waivers and Discounts) or from your financial advisor.

Shareholder Fees (fees paid directly from your investment):

 

Inst
Class

I-2

Class A

Class C

Maximum Sales Charge (Load) Imposed on Purchases (as a percentage of offering price)

None

None

2.25%

None

Maximum Deferred Sales Charge (Load) (as a percentage of the lower of the original purchase price or redemption price)

None

None

1.00%

1.00%

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

 

Inst
Class

I-2

Class A

Class C

Management Fees

0.45%

0.55%

0.55%

0.55%

Distribution and/or Service (12b-1) Fees

N/A

N/A

0.25%

0.75%

Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses

0.45%

0.55%

0.80%

1.30%

Example. The Example is intended to help you compare the cost of investing in Institutional Class, I-2, Class A or Class C shares of the Fund with the costs of investing in other mutual funds. The Example assumes that you invest $10,000 in the noted class of shares for the time periods indicated, and then redeem all 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. Investors may pay brokerage commissions on their purchases and sales of Institutional Class shares or I-2 shares of the Fund, which are not reflected in the Example. Although your actual costs may be higher or lower, based on these assumptions your costs would be:

If you redeem your shares at the end of each period:

 

1 Year

3 Years

5 Years

10 Years

Institutional Class

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

I-2

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

Class A

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

Class C

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

If you do not redeem your shares:

 

1 Year

3 Years

5 Years

10 Years

Class A

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

Class C

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

Portfolio Turnover

The Fund pays transaction costs 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 the Annual Fund Operating Expenses or in the Example tables, affect the Fund's performance. During the most recent fiscal year, the Fund's portfolio turnover rate was [ ]% of the average value of its portfolio.

Principal Investment Strategies

The Fund seeks to achieve its investment objective by investing under normal circumstances at least 80% of its assets in debt securities whose interest is, in the opinion of bond counsel for the issuer at the time of issuance, exempt from federal income tax ("Municipal Bonds"). Municipal Bonds generally are issued by or on behalf of states and local governments and their agencies, authorities and other instrumentalities.

The Fund may invest in Fixed Income Instruments which include bonds, debt securities and other similar instruments issued by various U.S. and non-U.S. public- or private-sector entities. The Fund may invest without limitation in "private activity" bonds whose interest is a tax-preference item for purposes of the federal alternative minimum tax ("AMT"). For shareholders subject to the AMT, distributions derived from "private activity" bonds must be included in their AMT calculations, and as such a portion of the Fund's distribution may be subject to federal income tax. The Fund may invest more than 25% of its total assets in bonds of issuers in California and New York. To the extent that the Fund concentrates its investments in California or New York, it will be subject to California or New York State-Specific Risk. The Fund may also invest 25% or more of its total assets in Municipal Bonds that finance education, health care, housing, transportation, utilities and other similar projects, and 25% or more of its total assets in industrial development bonds. The Fund may invest the remainder of its net assets in other types of Fixed Income Instruments. "Fixed Income Instruments" include bonds, debt securities and other similar instruments issued by various U.S. and non-U.S. public- or private-sector entities. The average portfolio duration of this Fund normally varies within (negative) 2 years to positive 4 years of the portfolio duration of the securities comprising the Bloomberg Barclays 1-15 Year Municipal Bond Index, as calculated by Pacific Investment Management Company LLC ("PIMCO"), which as of [ ] was [ ] years. Duration is a measure used to determine the sensitivity of a security's price to changes in interest rates. The longer a security's duration, the more sensitive it will be to changes in interest rates. The portfolio manager focuses on bonds with the potential to offer attractive current income, typically looking for bonds that can provide consistently attractive current yields or that are trading at competitive market prices. Capital appreciation, if any, generally arises from decreases in interest rates or improving credit fundamentals for a particular state, municipality or issuer.

 



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Table of Contents

PIMCO National Intermediate Municipal Bond Fund

The Fund invests primarily in investment grade debt securities, but may invest up to 10% of its total assets in Municipal Bonds or "private activity" bonds which are high yield securities ("junk bonds"), as rated by Moody's Investors Service, Inc. ("Moody's"), Standard & Poor's Ratings Services ("S&P") or Fitch, Inc. ("Fitch"), or, if unrated, as determined by PIMCO.

The Fund may invest in derivative instruments, such as options, futures contracts or swap agreements, and invest in mortgage- or asset-backed securities. The Fund may purchase or sell securities on a when-issued, delayed delivery or forward commitment basis and may engage in short sales. The Fund may also invest in securities issued by entities, such as trusts, whose underlying assets are Municipal Bonds, including, without limitation, residual interest bonds. The Fund may, without limitation, seek to obtain market exposure to the securities in which it primarily invests by entering into a series of purchase and sale contracts or by using other investment techniques (such as buy backs or dollar rolls). The Fund may also invest up to 10% of its total assets in preferred securities.

Principal Risks

It is possible to lose money on an investment in the Fund. The principal risks of investing in the Fund, which could adversely affect its net asset value, yield and total return are listed below.

New/Small Fund Risk: the risk that a new or smaller Fund's performance may not represent how the Fund is expected to or may perform in the long term. In addition, new Funds have limited operating histories for investors to evaluate and new and smaller Funds may not attract sufficient assets to achieve investment and trading efficiencies

Interest Rate Risk: the risk that fixed income securities will decline in value because of an increase in interest rates; a fund with a longer average portfolio duration will be more sensitive to changes in interest rates than a fund with a shorter average portfolio duration

Call Risk: the risk that an issuer may exercise its right to redeem a fixed income security earlier than expected (a call). Issuers may call outstanding securities prior to their maturity for a number of reasons (e.g., declining interest rates, changes in credit spreads and improvements in the issuer's credit quality). If an issuer calls a security that the Fund has invested in, the Fund may not recoup the full amount of its initial investment and may be forced to reinvest in lower-yielding securities, securities with greater credit risks or securities with other, less favorable features

Credit Risk: the risk that the Fund could lose money if the issuer or guarantor of a fixed income security, or the counterparty to a derivative contract, is unable or unwilling to meet its financial obligations

High Yield Risk: the risk that high yield securities and unrated securities of similar credit quality (commonly known as "junk bonds") are subject to greater levels of credit, call and liquidity risks. High yield securities are considered primarily speculative with respect to the issuer's continuing ability to make principal and interest payments, and may be more volatile than higher-rated securities of similar maturity

Market Risk: the risk that the value of securities owned by the Fund may go up or down, sometimes rapidly or unpredictably, due to factors affecting securities markets generally or particular industries

Issuer Risk: the risk that the value of a security may decline for a reason directly related to the issuer, such as management performance, financial leverage and reduced demand for the issuer's goods or services

Liquidity Risk: the risk that a particular investment may be difficult to purchase or sell and that the Fund may be unable to sell illiquid securities at an advantageous time or price or achieve its desired level of exposure to a certain sector. Liquidity risk may result from the lack of an active market, reduced number and capacity of traditional market participants to make a market in fixed income securities, and may be magnified in a rising interest rate environment or other circumstances where investor redemptions from fixed income mutual funds may be higher than normal, causing increased supply in the market due to selling activity

Derivatives Risk: the risk of investing in derivative instruments (such as futures, swaps and structured securities), including leverage, liquidity, interest rate, market, credit and management risks, mispricing or valuation complexity. Changes in the value of the derivative may not correlate perfectly with, and may be more sensitive to market events than, the underlying asset, rate or index, and the Fund could lose more than the initial amount invested. The Fund's use of derivatives may result in losses to the Fund, a reduction in the Fund's returns and/or increased volatility. Over-the-counter ("OTC") derivatives are also subject to the risk that a counterparty to the transaction will not fulfill its contractual obligations to the other party, as many of the protections afforded to centrally-cleared derivative transactions might not be available for OTC derivatives. For derivatives traded on an exchange or through a central counterparty, credit risk resides with the Fund's clearing broker, or the clearinghouse itself, rather than with a counterparty in an OTC derivative transaction. Changes in regulation relating to a mutual fund's use of derivatives and related instruments could potentially limit or impact the Fund's ability to invest in derivatives, limit the Fund's ability to employ certain strategies that use derivatives and/or adversely affect the value of derivatives and the Fund's performance

Equity Risk: the risk that the value of equity securities, such as common stocks and preferred securities, may decline due to general market conditions which are not specifically related to a particular company or to factors affecting a particular industry or industries. Equity securities generally have greater price volatility than fixed income securities

Mortgage-Related and Other Asset-Backed Securities Risk: the risks of investing in mortgage-related and other asset-backed securities, including interest rate risk, extension risk, prepayment risk and credit risk

Leveraging Risk: the risk that certain transactions of the Fund, such as reverse repurchase agreements, loans of portfolio securities, and the use of when-issued, delayed delivery or forward commitment transactions, or derivative instruments, may give rise to leverage, magnifying gains and losses and causing the Fund to be more volatile than if it had not been leveraged. This means that leverage entails a heightened risk of loss

Management Risk: the risk that the investment techniques and risk analyses applied by PIMCO will not produce the desired results and that legislative, regulatory, or tax restrictions, policies or developments may affect the investment techniques available to PIMCO and the individual

 

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Prospectus

portfolio manager in connection with managing the Fund. There is no guarantee that the investment objective of the Fund will be achieved

Municipal Bond Risk: the risk that a Fund may be affected significantly by the economic, regulatory or political developments affecting the ability of issuers of Municipal Bonds to pay interest or repay principal

California State-Specific Risk: the risk that by concentrating its investments in California Municipal Bonds, the Fund may be affected significantly by economic, regulatory or political developments affecting the ability of California issuers to pay interest or repay principal

New York State-Specific Risk: the risk that by concentrating its investments in New York Municipal Bonds, the Fund may be affected significantly by economic, regulatory or political developments affecting the ability of New York issuers to pay interest or repay principal

Municipal Project-Specific Risk: the risk that the Fund may be more sensitive to adverse economic, business or political developments if it invests a substantial portion of its assets in the bonds of similar projects (such as those relating to education, health care, housing, transportation, and utilities), industrial development bonds, or in bonds from issuers in a single state

Short Exposure Risk: the risk of entering into short sales, including the potential loss of more money than the actual cost of the investment, and the risk that the third party to the short sale will not fulfill its contractual obligations, causing a loss to the Fund

Please see "Description of Principal Risks" in the Fund's prospectus for a more detailed description of the risks of investing in the Fund. An investment in the Fund is not a deposit of a bank and is not insured or guaranteed by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation or any other government agency.

Performance Information

The performance information shows summary performance information for the Fund in a bar chart and an Average Annual Total Returns table. The information provides some indication of the risks of investing in the Fund by showing changes in its performance from year to year and by showing how the Fund's average annual returns compare with the returns of a broad-based securities market index and an index of similar funds. Absent any applicable fee waivers and/or expense limitations performance would have been lower. The bar chart shows performance of the Fund's Institutional Class shares. Performance for Class A and Class C shares in the Average Annual Total Returns table reflects the impact of sales charges. The Fund's past performance, before and after taxes, is not necessarily an indication of how the Fund will perform in the future.

The Bloomberg Barclays 1-15 Year Municipal Bond Index is the 1-15 Year (1-17) component of the Bloomberg Barclays Municipal Bond Index. The Bloomberg Barclays Municipal Bond Index is a rules-based, market-value-weighted index engineered for the long term tax-exempt bond market. To be included in the Index, bonds must be rated investment-grade (Baa3/ BBB- or higher) by at least two of the following ratings agencies: Moody's, S&P and Fitch. If only two of the three agencies rate the security, the lower rating is used to determine index eligibility. If only one of the three agencies rates a security, the rating must be investment-grade. They must have an outstanding par value of at least $7 million and be issued as part of a transaction of at least $75 million. The bonds must be fixed rate, have a dated-date after December 31, 1990, and must be at least one year from their maturity date. Remarketed issues, taxable municipal bonds, bonds with floating rates, and derivatives, are excluded from the benchmark. The Lipper Intermediate Municipal Debt Funds Average is a total return performance average of Funds tracked by Lipper, Inc. that invest in municipal debt issues with dollar-weighted average maturities of five to ten years.

Performance for the Fund is updated daily and quarterly and may be obtained as follows: daily updates on the net asset value and performance page at http://investments.pimco.com/DailyPerformance and quarterly updates at http://investments.pimco.com/QuarterlyPerformance.

Calendar Year Total Returns — Institutional Class*

 

[To be updated by subsequent amendment]



*The year-to-date return as of June 30, 2018 is [ ]%. For the periods shown in the bar chart, the highest quarterly return was [ ]% in the [ ], and the lowest quarterly return was [ ]% in the [ ].

Average Annual Total Returns (for periods ended 12/31/17)

 

1 Year

5 Years

Since Inception (05/31/2012)

Institutional Class Return Before Taxes

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

Institutional Class Return After Taxes on Distributions‌(1)

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

Institutional Class Return After Taxes on Distributions and Sales of Fund Shares‌(1)

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

I-2 Return Before Taxes

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

Class A Return Before Taxes

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

Class C Return Before Taxes

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

Bloomberg Barclays 1-15 Year Municipal Bond Index (reflects no deductions for fees, expenses or taxes)

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

 

Lipper Intermediate Municipal Debt Funds Average (reflects no deductions for taxes)

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

(1) After-tax returns are calculated using the highest historical individual federal marginal income tax rates and do not reflect the impact of state and local taxes. Actual after-tax returns depend on an investor's tax situation and may differ from those shown, and the after-tax returns shown are not relevant to investors who hold their Fund shares through tax-deferred arrangements, such as 401(k) plans or individual retirement accounts. In some cases the return after taxes may exceed the return before taxes due to an assumed tax benefit from any losses on a sale of Fund shares at the end of the measurement period. After-tax returns are for Institutional Class shares only. After-tax returns for other classes will vary.

 

[ ] | PROSPECTUS

23


 

Table of Contents

PIMCO National Intermediate Municipal Bond Fund

Investment Adviser/Portfolio Manager

PIMCO serves as the investment adviser for the Fund. The Fund's portfolio is jointly managed by Julie Callahan and David Hammer. Ms. Callahan is a Senior Vice President of PIMCO, and she has managed the Fund since August 2015. Mr. Hammer is an Executive Vice President of PIMCO, and he has managed the Fund since June 2016.

Other Important Information Regarding Fund Shares

For important information about purchase and sale of Fund shares, tax information, and payments to broker-dealers and other financial intermediaries, please turn to the "Summary of Other Important Information Regarding Fund Shares" section on page [ ] of this prospectus.

 

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Table of Contents

PIMCO New York Municipal Bond Fund

Investment Objective

The Fund seeks high current income exempt from federal and New York income tax. Capital appreciation is a secondary objective.

Fees and Expenses of the Fund

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 $100,000 in Class A shares of eligible funds offered by PIMCO Equity Series and PIMCO Funds. More information about these and other discounts is available in the "Classes of Shares" section on page [ ] of the Fund's prospectus, Appendix B to the Fund's prospectus (Financial Firm-Specific Sales Charge Waivers and Discounts) or from your financial advisor.

Shareholder Fees (fees paid directly from your investment):

 

Inst
Class

I-2

I-3

Class A

Class C

Maximum Sales Charge (Load) Imposed on Purchases (as a percentage of offering price)

None

None

[None]

2.25%

None

Maximum Deferred Sales Charge (Load) (as a percentage of the lower of the original purchase price or redemption price)

None

None

[None]

1.00%

1.00%

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

 

Inst
Class

I-2

I-3

Class A

Class C

Management Fees

0.445%

0.545%

[ ]

0.525%

0.525%

Distribution and/or Service (12b-1) Fees

N/A

N/A

[ ]

0.25%

1.00%

Other Expenses(1)

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

Fee Waiver and/or Expense Reimbursement(2)

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses After Fee Waiver and/or Expense Reimbursement

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

 

1 "Other Expenses" include interest expense of [ ]%. Interest expense is borne by the Fund separately from the management fees paid to Pacific Investment Management Company LLC ("PIMCO"). Excluding interest expense, Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses After Fee Waiver and/or Expense Reimbursement are [ ]%, [ ]%, [ ]%, [ ]% and [ ]% for Institutional Class, I-2, I-3, Class A and Class C shares, respectively.

2 PIMCO has contractually agreed, through July 31, 2019, to reduce its supervisory and administrative fee for the Fund's I-3 shares by [ ]% of the average daily net assets attributable to I-3 shares of the Fund. This Fee Waiver Agreement renews annually unless terminated by PIMCO upon at least 30 days' prior notice to the end of the contract term.

Example. The Example is intended to help you compare the cost of investing in Institutional Class, I-2, I-3, Class A or Class C shares of the Fund with the costs of investing in other mutual funds. The Example assumes that you invest $10,000 in the noted class of shares for the time periods indicated, and then redeem all 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. Investors may pay brokerage commissions on their purchases and sales of Institutional Class, I-2 or I-3 shares of the Fund, which are not reflected in the Example. Although your actual costs may be higher or lower, based on these assumptions your costs would be:

If you redeem your shares at the end of each period:

 

1 Year

3 Years

5 Years

10 Years

Institutional Class

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

I-2

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

I-3

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

Class A

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

Class C

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

If you do not redeem your shares:

 

1 Year

3 Years

5 Years

10 Years

Class A

$303

$470

$651

$1,175

Class C

$156

$485

$837

$1,829

Portfolio Turnover

The Fund pays transaction costs 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 the Annual Fund Operating Expenses or in the Example tables, affect the Fund's performance. During the most recent fiscal year, the Fund's portfolio turnover rate was [ ]% of the average value of its portfolio.

Principal Investment Strategies

The Fund seeks to achieve its investment objective by investing under normal circumstances at least 80% of its assets in debt securities whose interest is, in the opinion of bond counsel for the issuer at the time of issuance, exempt from regular federal income tax and New York income tax ("New York Municipal Bonds"). New York Municipal Bonds generally are issued by or on behalf of the State of New York and its political subdivisions, financing authorities and their agencies. The Fund may invest in debt securities of an issuer located outside of New York whose interest is, in the opinion of bond counsel for the issuer at the time of issuance, exempt from regular federal income tax and New York income tax. By concentrating its investments in New York, the Fund will be subject to New York State-Specific Risk.

The Fund may invest without limitation in "private activity" bonds whose interest is a tax-preference item for purposes of the federal alternative minimum tax ("AMT"). For shareholders subject to the AMT, a substantial portion of the Fund's distributions may not be exempt from federal income tax. The Fund may invest 25% or more of its total assets in debt securities whose interest is, in the opinion of bond counsel for the issuer at the time of issuance, exempt from federal income tax ("Municipal Bonds") that finance education, health care, housing, transportation, utilities and other similar projects, and 25% or more of its total assets in industrial development bonds. The Fund may invest the remainder of its net assets in other types of Fixed Income Instruments. "Fixed Income Instruments" include bonds, debt securities and other similar instruments issued by various U.S. and non-U.S. public- or private-sector entities. The average portfolio duration of this Fund normally varies within (negative) 2 years to positive 4 years of the portfolio duration of the securities comprising the Bloomberg Barclays New York Municipal Bond Index, as calculated by Pacific Investment Management Company LLC ("PIMCO"), which as of [

 



PIMCO FUNDS | PROSPECTUS

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Table of Contents

PIMCO New York Municipal Bond Fund

] was [ ] years. Duration is a measure used to determine the sensitivity of a security's price to changes in interest rates. The longer a security's duration, the more sensitive it will be to changes in interest rates. The portfolio manager focuses on bonds with the potential to offer attractive current income, typically looking for bonds that can provide consistently attractive current yields or that are trading at competitive market prices. Capital appreciation, if any, generally arises from decreases in interest rates or improving credit fundamentals for a particular state, municipality or issuer.

The Fund invests primarily in investment grade debt securities, but may invest up to 20% of its total assets in high yield securities ("junk bonds"), as rated by Moody's Investors Service, Inc. ("Moody's"), Standard & Poor's Ratings Services ("S&P") or Fitch, Inc. ("Fitch"), or, if unrated, as determined by PIMCO. The Fund is non-diversified, which means that it may invest its assets in a smaller number of issuers than a diversified fund.

The Fund may invest in derivative instruments, such as options, futures contracts or swap agreements, or in mortgage- or asset-backed securities. The Fund may purchase or sell securities on a when-issued, delayed delivery or forward commitment basis and may engage in short sales. The Fund may also invest in securities issued by entities, such as trusts, whose underlying assets are Municipal Bonds, including, without limitation, residual interest bonds. The Fund may, without limitation, seek to obtain market exposure to the securities in which it primarily invests by entering into a series of purchase and sale contracts or by using other investment techniques (such as buy backs or dollar rolls). The Fund may also invest up to 10% of its total assets in preferred securities.

Principal Risks

It is possible to lose money on an investment in the Fund. The principal risks of investing in the Fund, which could adversely affect its net asset value, yield and total return are listed below.

Interest Rate Risk: the risk that fixed income securities will decline in value because of an increase in interest rates; a fund with a longer average portfolio duration will be more sensitive to changes in interest rates than a fund with a shorter average portfolio duration

Call Risk: the risk that an issuer may exercise its right to redeem a fixed income security earlier than expected (a call). Issuers may call outstanding securities prior to their maturity for a number of reasons (e.g., declining interest rates, changes in credit spreads and improvements in the issuer's credit quality). If an issuer calls a security that the Fund has invested in, the Fund may not recoup the full amount of its initial investment and may be forced to reinvest in lower-yielding securities, securities with greater credit risks or securities with other, less favorable features

Credit Risk: the risk that the Fund could lose money if the issuer or guarantor of a fixed income security, or the counterparty to a derivative contract, is unable or unwilling to meet its financial obligations

High Yield Risk: the risk that high yield securities and unrated securities of similar credit quality (commonly known as "junk bonds") are subject to greater levels of credit, call and liquidity risks. High yield securities are considered primarily speculative with respect to the issuer's continuing ability to make principal and interest payments, and may be more volatile than higher-rated securities of similar maturity

Market Risk: the risk that the value of securities owned by the Fund may go up or down, sometimes rapidly or unpredictably, due to factors affecting securities markets generally or particular industries

Issuer Risk: the risk that the value of a security may decline for a reason directly related to the issuer, such as management performance, financial leverage and reduced demand for the issuer's goods or services

Liquidity Risk: the risk that a particular investment may be difficult to purchase or sell and that the Fund may be unable to sell illiquid securities at an advantageous time or price or achieve its desired level of exposure to a certain sector. Liquidity risk may result from the lack of an active market, reduced number and capacity of traditional market participants to make a market in fixed income securities, and may be magnified in a rising interest rate environment or other circumstances where investor redemptions from fixed income mutual funds may be higher than normal, causing increased supply in the market due to selling activity

Derivatives Risk: the risk of investing in derivative instruments (such as futures, swaps and structured securities), including leverage, liquidity, interest rate, market, credit and management risks, mispricing or valuation complexity. Changes in the value of the derivative may not correlate perfectly with, and may be more sensitive to market events than, the underlying asset, rate or index, and the Fund could lose more than the initial amount invested. The Fund's use of derivatives may result in losses to the Fund, a reduction in the Fund's returns and/or increased volatility. Over-the-counter ("OTC") derivatives are also subject to the risk that a counterparty to the transaction will not fulfill its contractual obligations to the other party, as many of the protections afforded to centrally-cleared derivative transactions might not be available for OTC derivatives. For derivatives traded on an exchange or through a central counterparty, credit risk resides with the Fund's clearing broker, or the clearinghouse itself, rather than with a counterparty in an OTC derivative transaction. Changes in regulation relating to a mutual fund's use of derivatives and related instruments could potentially limit or impact the Fund's ability to invest in derivatives, limit the Fund's ability to employ certain strategies that use derivatives and/or adversely affect the value of derivatives and the Fund's performance

Equity Risk: the risk that the value of equity securities, such as common stocks and preferred securities, may decline due to general market conditions which are not specifically related to a particular company or to factors affecting a particular industry or industries. Equity securities generally have greater price volatility than fixed income securities

Mortgage-Related and Other Asset-Backed Securities Risk: the risks of investing in mortgage-related and other asset-backed securities, including interest rate risk, extension risk, prepayment risk and credit risk

Issuer Non-Diversification Risk: the risk of focusing investments in a small number of issuers, including being more susceptible to risks associated with a single economic, political or regulatory occurrence than a more diversified portfolio might be. Funds that are "non-diversified" may invest a greater percentage of their assets in the securities of a single issuer (such as bonds issued by a particular state) than funds that are "diversified"

Leveraging Risk: the risk that certain transactions of the Fund, such as reverse repurchase agreements, loans of portfolio securities, and the use of

 

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Prospectus

when-issued, delayed delivery or forward commitment transactions, or derivative instruments, may give rise to leverage, magnifying gains and losses and causing the Fund to be more volatile than if it had not been leveraged. This means that leverage entails a heightened risk of loss

Management Risk: the risk that the investment techniques and risk analyses applied by PIMCO will not produce the desired results and that legislative, regulatory, or tax restrictions, policies or developments may affect the investment techniques available to PIMCO and the individual portfolio manager in connection with managing the Fund. There is no guarantee that the investment objective of the Fund will be achieved

Municipal Bond Risk: the risk that a Fund may be affected significantly by the economic, regulatory or political developments affecting the ability of issuers of Municipal Bonds to pay interest or repay principal

New York State-Specific Risk: the risk that by concentrating its investments in New York Municipal Bonds, the Fund may be affected significantly by economic, regulatory or political developments affecting the ability of New York issuers to pay interest or repay principal

Municipal Project-Specific Risk: the risk that the Fund may be more sensitive to adverse economic, business or political developments if it invests a substantial portion of its assets in the bonds of similar projects (such as those relating to education, health care, housing, transportation, and utilities), industrial development bonds, or in bonds from issuers in a single state

Short Exposure Risk: the risk of entering into short sales, including the potential loss of more money than the actual cost of the investment, and the risk that the third party to the short sale will not fulfill its contractual obligations, causing a loss to the Fund

Please see "Description of Principal Risks" in the Fund's prospectus for a more detailed description of the risks of investing in the Fund. An investment in the Fund is not a deposit of a bank and is not insured or guaranteed by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation or any other government agency.

Performance Information

The performance information shows summary performance information for the Fund in a bar chart and an Average Annual Total Returns table. The information provides some indication of the risks of investing in the Fund by showing changes in its performance from year to year and by showing how the Fund's average annual returns compare with the returns of a broad-based securities market index and an index of similar funds. Absent any applicable fee waivers and/or expense limitations, performance would have been lower. The bar chart shows the performance of the Fund's Institutional Class shares. For periods prior to the inception date of Class C shares (August 31, 2009) and I-2 shares (November 19, 2010), performance information shown in the table for these classes is based on the performance of the Fund's Institutional Class shares, adjusted to reflect the actual distribution and/or service (12b-1) fees and other expenses paid by these classes of shares. Performance for Class A and Class C shares in the Average Annual Total Returns table reflects the impact of sales charges. The I-3 shares of the Fund have not commenced operations as of the date of this prospectus. The Fund's past performance, before and after taxes, is not necessarily an indication of how the Fund will perform in the future.

The Bloomberg Barclays New York Municipal Bond Index is the New York component of the Bloomberg Barclays Municipal Bond Index. The Barclays Municipal Bond Index is a rules-based, market-value-weighted index engineered for the long term tax-exempt bond market. To be included in the Index, bonds must be rated investment-grade (Baa3/BBB- or higher) by at least two of the following ratings agencies: Moody's, S&P and Fitch. If only two of the three agencies rate the security, the lower rating is used to determine index eligibility. If only one of the three agencies rates a security, the rating must be investment-grade. They must have an outstanding par value of at least $7 million and be issued as part of a transaction of at least $75 million. The bonds must be fixed rate, have a dated-date after December 31, 1990, and must be at least one year from their maturity date. Remarketed issues, taxable municipal bonds, bonds with floating rates, and derivatives, are excluded from the benchmark. The Lipper New York Municipal Debt Funds Average is a total return performance average of funds tracked by Lipper, Inc. that invest at least 65% of their assets in municipal debt issues that are exempt from taxation in New York.

Performance for the Fund is updated daily and quarterly and may be obtained as follows: daily updates on the net asset value and performance page at http://investments.pimco.com/DailyPerformance and quarterly updates at http://investments.pimco.com/QuarterlyPerformance.

Calendar Year Total Returns — Institutional Class*

 

[To be updated by subsequent amendment]



*The year-to-date return as of June 30, 2018 is [ ]%. For the periods shown in the bar chart, the highest quarterly return was [ ]% in the [ ], and the lowest quarterly return was [ ]% in the [ ].

Average Annual Total Returns (for periods ended 12/31/17)

 

1 Year

5 Years

10 Years

Institutional Class Return Before Taxes

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

Institutional Class Return After Taxes on Distributions‌(1)

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

Institutional Class Return After Taxes on Distributions and Sales of Fund Shares‌(1)

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

I-2 Return Before Taxes

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

Class A Return Before Taxes

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

Class C Return Before Taxes

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

Bloomberg Barclays New York Municipal Bond Index (reflects no deductions for fees, expenses or taxes)

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

 

Lipper New York Municipal Debt Funds Average (reflects no deductions for taxes)

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

 

[ ] | PROSPECTUS

27


 

Table of Contents

PIMCO New York Municipal Bond Fund

(1) After-tax returns are calculated using the highest historical individual federal marginal income tax rates and do not reflect the impact of state and local taxes. Actual after-tax returns depend on an investor's tax situation and may differ from those shown, and the after-tax returns shown are not relevant to investors who hold their Fund shares through tax-deferred arrangements, such as 401(k) plans or individual retirement accounts. In some cases the return after taxes may exceed the return before taxes due to an assumed tax benefit from any losses on a sale of Fund shares at the end of the measurement period. After-tax returns are for Institutional Class shares only. After-tax returns for other classes will vary.

Investment Adviser/Portfolio Manager

PIMCO serves as the investment adviser for the Fund. The Fund's portfolio is managed by David Hammer. Mr. Hammer is an Executive Vice President of PIMCO, and he has managed the Fund since August 2015.

Other Important Information Regarding Fund Shares

For important information about purchase and sale of Fund shares, tax information, and payments to broker-dealers and other financial intermediaries, please turn to the "Summary of Other Important Information Regarding Fund Shares" section on page [ ] of this prospectus.

 

28     

PROSPECTUS | PIMCO FUNDS     


 

Table of Contents

PIMCO Short Duration Municipal Income Fund

Investment Objective

The Fund seeks high current income exempt from federal income tax, consistent with preservation of capital.

Fees and Expenses of the Fund

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 $100,000 in Class A shares of eligible funds offered by PIMCO Equity Series and PIMCO Funds. More information about these and other discounts is available in the "Classes of Shares" section on page [ ] of the Fund's prospectus, Appendix B to the Fund's prospectus (Financial Firm-Specific Sales Charge Waivers and Discounts) or from your financial advisor.

Shareholder Fees (fees paid directly from your investment):

 

Inst
Class

I-2

I-3

Class A

Class C

Maximum Sales Charge (Load) Imposed on Purchases (as a percentage of offering price)

None

None

[None]

2.25%

None

Maximum Deferred Sales Charge (Load) (as a percentage of the lower of the original purchase price or redemption price)

None

None

[None]

1.00%

1.00%

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

 

Inst
Class

I-2

I-3

Class A

Class C

Management Fees

0.33%

0.43%

[ ]

0.48%

0.48%

Distribution and/or Service (12b-1) Fees

N/A

N/A

[ ]

0.25%

0.55%

Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses

0.33%

0.43%

[ ]

0.73%

1.03%

Fee Waiver and/or Expense Reimbursement(1)

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses After Fee Waiver and/or Expense Reimbursement

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

 

1 Pacific Investment Management Company LLC ("PIMCO") has contractually agreed, through July 31, 2019, to reduce its supervisory and administrative fee for the Fund's I-3 shares by [ ]% of the average daily net assets attributable to I-3 shares of the Fund. This Fee Waiver Agreement renews annually unless terminated by PIMCO upon at least 30 days' prior notice to the end of the contract term.

Example. The Example is intended to help you compare the cost of investing in Institutional Class, I-2, I-3, Class A or Class C shares of the Fund with the costs of investing in other mutual funds. The Example assumes that you invest $10,000 in the noted class of shares for the time periods indicated, and then redeem all 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. Investors may pay brokerage commissions on their purchases and sales of Institutional Class, I-2 or I-3 shares of the Fund, which are not reflected in the Example. Although your actual costs may be higher or lower, based on these assumptions your costs would be:

If you redeem your shares at the end of each period:

 

1 Year

3 Years

5 Years

10 Years

Institutional Class

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

I-2

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

I-3

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

Class A

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

Class C

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

If you do not redeem your shares:

 

1 Year

3 Years

5 Years

10 Years

Class A

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

Class C

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

Portfolio Turnover

The Fund pays transaction costs 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 the Annual Fund Operating Expenses or in the Example tables, affect the Fund's performance. During the most recent fiscal year, the Fund's portfolio turnover rate was [ ]% of the average value of its portfolio.

Principal Investment Strategies

The Fund seeks to achieve its investment objective by investing under normal circumstances at least 80% of its assets in debt securities whose interest is, in the opinion of bond counsel for the issuer at the time of issuance, exempt from federal income tax ("Municipal Bonds"). Municipal Bonds generally are issued by or on behalf of states and local governments and their agencies, authorities and other instrumentalities.

The Fund does not intend to invest in securities whose interest is subject to the federal alternative minimum tax. The Fund may only invest in investment grade debt securities. The Fund may invest more than 25% of its total assets in bonds of issuers in California and New York. To the extent that the Fund concentrates its investments in California or New York, it will be subject to California or New York State-Specific Risk. The Fund may also invest 25% or more of its total assets in Municipal Bonds that finance education, health care, housing, transportation, utilities and other similar projects, and 25% or more of its total assets in industrial development bonds. The average portfolio duration of this Fund varies based on Pacific Investment Management Company LLC's ("PIMCO") market forecasts and under normal market conditions is not expected to exceed three years. Duration is a measure used to determine the sensitivity of a security's price to changes in interest rates. The longer a security's duration, the more sensitive it will be to changes in interest rates. The portfolio manager focuses on bonds with the potential to offer attractive current income, typically looking for bonds that can provide consistently attractive current yields or that are trading at competitive market prices.

The Fund may invest in derivative instruments, such as options, futures contracts or swap agreements, or in mortgage- or asset-backed securities. The Fund may purchase or sell securities on a when-issued, delayed delivery or forward commitment basis and may engage in short sales. The Fund may also invest in securities issued by entities, such as trusts, whose underlying assets are Municipal Bonds, including, without limitation, residual interest bonds. The Fund may, without limitation, seek to obtain market exposure to the securities in which it primarily invests by entering into a series of

 



PIMCO FUNDS | PROSPECTUS

29


 

Table of Contents

PIMCO Short Duration Municipal Income Fund

purchase and sale contracts or by using other investment techniques (such as buy backs or dollar rolls). The Fund may also invest up to 10% of its total assets in preferred securities.

Principal Risks

It is possible to lose money on an investment in the Fund. The principal risks of investing in the Fund, which could adversely affect its net asset value, yield and total return are listed below.

Interest Rate Risk: the risk that fixed income securities will decline in value because of an increase in interest rates; a fund with a longer average portfolio duration will be more sensitive to changes in interest rates than a fund with a shorter average portfolio duration

Call Risk: the risk that an issuer may exercise its right to redeem a fixed income security earlier than expected (a call). Issuers may call outstanding securities prior to their maturity for a number of reasons (e.g., declining interest rates, changes in credit spreads and improvements in the issuer's credit quality). If an issuer calls a security that the Fund has invested in, the Fund may not recoup the full amount of its initial investment and may be forced to reinvest in lower-yielding securities, securities with greater credit risks or securities with other, less favorable features

Credit Risk: the risk that the Fund could lose money if the issuer or guarantor of a fixed income security, or the counterparty to a derivative contract, is unable or unwilling to meet its financial obligations

Market Risk: the risk that the value of securities owned by the Fund may go up or down, sometimes rapidly or unpredictably, due to factors affecting securities markets generally or particular industries

Issuer Risk: the risk that the value of a security may decline for a reason directly related to the issuer, such as management performance, financial leverage and reduced demand for the issuer's goods or services

Liquidity Risk: the risk that a particular investment may be difficult to purchase or sell and that the Fund may be unable to sell illiquid securities at an advantageous time or price or achieve its desired level of exposure to a certain sector. Liquidity risk may result from the lack of an active market, reduced number and capacity of traditional market participants to make a market in fixed income securities, and may be magnified in a rising interest rate environment or other circumstances where investor redemptions from fixed income mutual funds may be higher than normal, causing increased supply in the market due to selling activity

Derivatives Risk: the risk of investing in derivative instruments (such as futures, swaps and structured securities), including leverage, liquidity, interest rate, market, credit and management risks, mispricing or valuation complexity. Changes in the value of the derivative may not correlate perfectly with, and may be more sensitive to market events than, the underlying asset, rate or index, and the Fund could lose more than the initial amount invested. The Fund's use of derivatives may result in losses to the Fund, a reduction in the Fund's returns and/or increased volatility. Over-the-counter ("OTC") derivatives are also subject to the risk that a counterparty to the transaction will not fulfill its contractual obligations to the other party, as many of the protections afforded to centrally-cleared derivative transactions might not be available for OTC derivatives. For derivatives traded on an exchange or through a central counterparty, credit risk resides with the Fund's clearing broker, or the clearinghouse itself, rather than with a counterparty in an OTC derivative transaction. Changes in regulation relating to a mutual fund's use of derivatives and related instruments could potentially limit or impact the Fund's ability to invest in derivatives, limit the Fund's ability to employ certain strategies that use derivatives and/or adversely affect the value of derivatives and the Fund's performance

Equity Risk: the risk that the value of equity securities, such as common stocks and preferred securities, may decline due to general market conditions which are not specifically related to a particular company or to factors affecting a particular industry or industries. Equity securities generally have greater price volatility than fixed income securities

Mortgage-Related and Other Asset-Backed Securities Risk: the risks of investing in mortgage-related and other asset-backed securities, including interest rate risk, extension risk, prepayment risk and credit risk

Leveraging Risk: the risk that certain transactions of the Fund, such as reverse repurchase agreements, loans of portfolio securities, and the use of when-issued, delayed delivery or forward commitment transactions, or derivative instruments, may give rise to leverage, magnifying gains and losses and causing the Fund to be more volatile than if it had not been leveraged. This means that leverage entails a heightened risk of loss

Management Risk: the risk that the investment techniques and risk analyses applied by PIMCO will not produce the desired results and that legislative, regulatory, or tax restrictions, policies or developments may affect the investment techniques available to PIMCO and the individual portfolio manager in connection with managing the Fund. There is no guarantee that the investment objective of the Fund will be achieved

Municipal Bond Risk: the risk that a Fund may be affected significantly by the economic, regulatory or political developments affecting the ability of issuers of Municipal Bonds to pay interest or repay principal

California State-Specific Risk: the risk that by concentrating its investments in California Municipal Bonds, the Fund may be affected significantly by economic, regulatory or political developments affecting the ability of California issuers to pay interest or repay principal

New York State-Specific Risk: the risk that by concentrating its investments in New York Municipal Bonds, the Fund may be affected significantly by economic, regulatory or political developments affecting the ability of New York issuers to pay interest or repay principal

Municipal Project-Specific Risk: the risk that the Fund may be more sensitive to adverse economic, business or political developments if it invests a substantial portion of its assets in the bonds of similar projects (such as those relating to education, health care, housing, transportation, and utilities), industrial development bonds, or in bonds from issuers in a single state

Short Exposure Risk: the risk of entering into short sales, including the potential loss of more money than the actual cost of the investment, and the risk that the third party to the short sale will not fulfill its contractual obligations, causing a loss to the Fund

Please see "Description of Principal Risks" in the Fund's prospectus for a more detailed description of the risks of investing in the Fund. An investment in the

 

30     

PROSPECTUS | PIMCO FUNDS     


 

Table of Contents

Prospectus

Fund is not a deposit of a bank and is not insured or guaranteed by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation or any other government agency.

Performance Information

The performance information shows summary performance information for the Fund in a bar chart and an Average Annual Total Returns table. The information provides some indication of the risks of investing in the Fund by showing changes in its performance from year to year and by showing how the Fund's average annual returns compare with the returns of a broad-based securities market index and an index of similar funds. Absent any applicable fee waivers and/or expense limitations, performance would have been lower. The bar chart shows performance of the Fund's Institutional Class shares. For periods prior to the inception date of I-2 shares (April 30, 2008), performance information shown in the table for these classes is based on the performance of the Fund's Institutional Class shares, adjusted to reflect the actual distribution and/or service (12b-1) fees and other expenses paid by I-2 shares. Performance for Class A and Class C shares in the Average Annual Total Returns table reflects the impact of sales charges. The I-3 shares of the Fund have not commenced operations as of the date of this prospectus. The Fund's past performance, before and after taxes, is not necessarily an indication of how the Fund will perform in the future.

The Bloomberg Barclays 1 Year Municipal Bond Index is the 1 Year (1-2) component of the Bloomberg Barclays Municipal Bond Index. The Bloomberg Barclays Municipal Bond Index is a rules-based, market-value-weighted index engineered for the long term tax-exempt bond market. To be included in the Index, bonds must be rated investment-grade (Baa3/BBB- or higher) by at least two of the following ratings agencies: Moody's, S&P and Fitch. If only two of the three agencies rate the security, the lower rating is used to determine index eligibility. If only one of the three agencies rates a security, the rating must be investment-grade. They must have an outstanding par value of at least $7 million and be issued as part of a transaction of at least $75 million. The bonds must be fixed rate, have a dated-date after December 31, 1990, and must be at least one year from their maturity date. Remarketed issues, taxable municipal bonds, bonds with floating rates, and derivatives, are excluded from the benchmark. It is not possible to invest directly in an index. The Lipper Short Municipal Debt Funds Average is a total performance average of Funds tracked by Lipper, Inc. that invest in municipal debt issues with dollar-weighted maturities of less than three years. It does not reflect deductions for fees, expenses or taxes. It is not possible to invest directly in an unmanaged index.

Performance for the Fund is updated daily and quarterly and may be obtained as follows: daily updates on the net asset value and performance page at http://investments.pimco.com/DailyPerformance and quarterly updates at http://investments.pimco.com/QuarterlyPerformance.

Calendar Year Total Returns — Institutional Class*

 

[To be updated by subsequent amendment]



*The year-to-date return as of June 30, 2018 is [ ]%. For the periods shown in the bar chart, the highest quarterly return was [ ]% in the [ ], and the lowest quarterly return was [ ]% in the [ ].

Average Annual Total Returns (for periods ended 12/31/17)

 

1 Year

5 Years

10 Years

Institutional Class Return Before Taxes

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

Institutional Class Return After Taxes on Distributions‌(1)

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

Institutional Class Return After Taxes on Distributions and Sales of Fund Shares‌(1)

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

I-2 Return Before Taxes

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

Class A Return Before Taxes

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

Class C Return Before Taxes

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

Bloomberg Barclays 1 Year Municipal Bond Index (reflects no deductions for fees, expenses or taxes)

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

 

Lipper Short Municipal Debt Funds Average (reflects no deductions for taxes)

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

(1) After-tax returns are calculated using the highest historical individual federal marginal income tax rates and do not reflect the impact of state and local taxes. Actual after-tax returns depend on an investor's tax situation and may differ from those shown, and the after-tax returns shown are not relevant to investors who hold their Fund shares through tax-deferred arrangements, such as 401(k) plans or individual retirement accounts. In some cases the return after taxes may exceed the return before taxes due to an assumed tax benefit from any losses on a sale of Fund shares at the end of the measurement period. After-tax returns are for Institutional Class shares only. After-tax returns for other classes will vary.

Investment Adviser/Portfolio Manager

PIMCO serves as the investment adviser for the Fund. The Fund's portfolio is jointly managed by Julie Callahan and David Hammer. Ms. Callahan is a Senior Vice President of PIMCO, and she has managed the Fund since January 2014. Mr. Hammer is an Executive Vice President of PIMCO, and he has managed the Fund since August 2015.

 

[ ] | PROSPECTUS

31


 

Table of Contents

PIMCO Short Duration Municipal Income Fund

Other Important Information Regarding Fund Shares

For important information about purchase and sale of Fund shares, tax information, and payments to broker-dealers and other financial intermediaries, please turn to the "Summary of Other Important Information Regarding Fund Shares" section on page [ ] of this prospectus.

 

32     

PROSPECTUS | PIMCO FUNDS     


 

Table of Contents

PIMCO Strategic Bond Fund

Investment Objective

The Fund seeks maximum long-term return, consistent with preservation of capital and prudent investment management.

Fees and Expenses of the Fund

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 $100,000 in Class A shares of eligible funds offered by PIMCO Equity Series and PIMCO Funds. More information about these and other discounts is available in the "Classes of Shares" section on page [ ] of the Fund's prospectus, Appendix B to the Fund's prospectus (Financial Firm-Specific Sales Charge Waivers and Discounts) or from your financial advisor.

Shareholder Fees (fees paid directly from your investment):

 

Inst
Class

I-2

Class A

Class C

Maximum Sales Charge (Load) Imposed on Purchases (as a percentage of offering price)

None

None

3.75%

None

Maximum Deferred Sales Charge (Load) (as a percentage of the lower of the original purchase price or redemption price)

None

None

1.00%

1.00%

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

 

Inst
Class

I-2

Class A

Class C

Management Fees

0.70%

0.80%

0.85%

0.85%

Distribution and/or Service (12b-1) Fees

N/A

N/A

0.25%

1.00%

Other Expenses(1)

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

 

1 "Other Expenses" include interest expense of [ ]%. Interest expense is borne by the Fund separately from the management fees paid to PIMCO. Excluding interest expense, Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses are [ ]%, [ ]%, [ ]% and [ ]% for Institutional Class, I-2, Class A and Class C shares, respectively.

Example. The Example is intended to help you compare the cost of investing in Institutional Class, I-2, Class A or Class C shares of the Fund with the costs of investing in other mutual funds. The Example assumes that you invest $10,000 in the noted class of shares for the time periods indicated, and then redeem all 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. Investors may pay brokerage commissions on their purchases and sales of Institutional Class shares or I-2 shares of the Fund, which are not reflected in the Example. Although your actual costs may be higher or lower, based on these assumptions your costs would be:

If you redeem your shares at the end of each period:

 

1 Year

3 Years

5 Years

10 Years

Institutional Class

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

I-2

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

Class A

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

Class C

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

If you do not redeem your shares:

 

1 Year

3 Years

5 Years

10 Years

Class A

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

Class C

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

Portfolio Turnover

The Fund pays transaction costs 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 the Annual Fund Operating Expenses or in the Example tables, affect the Fund's performance. During the most recent fiscal year, the Fund's portfolio turnover rate was [ ]% of the average value of its portfolio.

Principal Investment Strategies

The Fund seeks to achieve its investment objective by investing under normal circumstances at least 80% of its assets in a diversified portfolio of Fixed Income Instruments of varying maturities, which may be represented by forwards or derivatives such as options, futures contracts, or swap agreements. "Fixed Income Instruments" include bonds, debt securities and other similar instruments issued by various U.S. and non-U.S. public- or private-sector entities. The Fund intends to utilize various investment strategies in a broad array of fixed income sectors to achieve its investment objective. The Fund will not be constrained by management against an index. The average portfolio duration of this Fund will normally vary from (negative) 1 year to positive 5 years based on Pacific Investment Management Company LLC's ("PIMCO") market forecasts. Duration is a measure used to determine the sensitivity of a security's price to changes in interest rates. The longer a security's duration, the more sensitive it will be to changes in interest rates.

The Fund may seek to manage capital gain distributions by, among other things, attempting to use losses from sales of securities that have declined in price to offset gains that would otherwise be taxable subject to maintenance of the portfolio investment strategy. However, such strategy may be unsuccessful or only partially successful and the Fund may realize taxable gains. For example, the Fund may realize taxable gains in order to satisfy cash redemption requests or when PIMCO believes the benefits of a transaction resulting in the realization of taxable gains outweigh tax considerations.

The Fund may invest in both investment-grade securities and high yield securities ("junk bonds") subject to a maximum of 20% of its total assets in securities rated below Baa by Moody's Investors Service, Inc. ("Moody's"), or equivalently rated by Standard & Poor's Ratings Services ("S&P") or Fitch, Inc. ("Fitch"), or, if unrated, determined by PIMCO to be of

 



PIMCO FUNDS | PROSPECTUS

33


 

Table of Contents

PIMCO Strategic Bond Fund

comparable quality. The Fund may also invest without limitation in securities denominated in foreign currencies and in U.S. dollar-denominated securities of foreign issuers. The Fund may invest up to 30% of its total assets in securities and instruments that are economically tied to emerging market countries (this limitation does not apply to investment grade sovereign debt denominated in the local currency with less than 1 year remaining to maturity, which means the Fund may invest in such instruments without limitation subject to any applicable legal or regulatory limitation). The Fund will normally limit its foreign currency exposure (from non-U.S. dollar-denominated securities or currencies) to 25% of its total assets. The Fund may also invest up to 10% of its total assets in preferred securities.

The Fund may invest in derivative instruments, such as options, futures contracts or swap agreements, or in mortgage- or asset-backed securities. The Fund may purchase or sell securities on a when-issued, delayed delivery or forward commitment basis and may engage in short sales. The Fund may, without limitation, seek to obtain market exposure to the securities in which it primarily invests by entering into a series of purchase and sale contracts or by using other investment techniques (such as buy backs or dollar rolls).

Principal Risks

It is possible to lose money on an investment in the Fund. The principal risks of investing in the Fund, which could adversely affect its net asset value, yield and total return are listed below. Investors should be aware that the investments made by the Fund and the results achieved by the Fund at any given time are not expected to be the same as those made by other funds for which PIMCO acts as investment adviser, including funds with names, investment objectives and policies similar to the Fund.

Interest Rate Risk: the risk that fixed income securities will decline in value because of an increase in interest rates; a fund with a longer average portfolio duration will be more sensitive to changes in interest rates than a fund with a shorter average portfolio duration

Call Risk: the risk that an issuer may exercise its right to redeem a fixed income security earlier than expected (a call). Issuers may call outstanding securities prior to their maturity for a number of reasons (e.g., declining interest rates, changes in credit spreads and improvements in the issuer's credit quality). If an issuer calls a security that the Fund has invested in, the Fund may not recoup the full amount of its initial investment and may be forced to reinvest in lower-yielding securities, securities with greater credit risks or securities with other, less favorable features

Credit Risk: the risk that the Fund could lose money if the issuer or guarantor of a fixed income security, or the counterparty to a derivative contract, is unable or unwilling to meet its financial obligations

High Yield Risk: the risk that high yield securities and unrated securities of similar credit quality (commonly known as "junk bonds") are subject to greater levels of credit, call and liquidity risks. High yield securities are considered primarily speculative with respect to the issuer's continuing ability to make principal and interest payments, and may be more volatile than higher-rated securities of similar maturity

Market Risk: the risk that the value of securities owned by the Fund may go up or down, sometimes rapidly or unpredictably, due to factors affecting securities markets generally or particular industries

Issuer Risk: the risk that the value of a security may decline for a reason directly related to the issuer, such as management performance, financial leverage and reduced demand for the issuer's goods or services

Liquidity Risk: the risk that a particular investment may be difficult to purchase or sell and that the Fund may be unable to sell illiquid securities at an advantageous time or price or achieve its desired level of exposure to a certain sector. Liquidity risk may result from the lack of an active market, reduced number and capacity of traditional market participants to make a market in fixed income securities, and may be magnified in a rising interest rate environment or other circumstances where investor redemptions from fixed income mutual funds may be higher than normal, causing increased supply in the market due to selling activity

Derivatives Risk: the risk of investing in derivative instruments (such as futures, swaps and structured securities), including leverage, liquidity, interest rate, market, credit and management risks, mispricing or valuation complexity. Changes in the value of the derivative may not correlate perfectly with, and may be more sensitive to market events than, the underlying asset, rate or index, and the Fund could lose more than the initial amount invested. The Fund's use of derivatives may result in losses to the Fund, a reduction in the Fund's returns and/or increased volatility. Over-the-counter ("OTC") derivatives are also subject to the risk that a counterparty to the transaction will not fulfill its contractual obligations to the other party, as many of the protections afforded to centrally-cleared derivative transactions might not be available for OTC derivatives. For derivatives traded on an exchange or through a central counterparty, credit risk resides with the Fund's clearing broker, or the clearinghouse itself, rather than with a counterparty in an OTC derivative transaction. Changes in regulation relating to a mutual fund's use of derivatives and related instruments could potentially limit or impact the Fund's ability to invest in derivatives, limit the Fund's ability to employ certain strategies that use derivatives and/or adversely affect the value of derivatives and the Fund's performance

Equity Risk: the risk that the value of equity securities, such as common stocks and preferred securities, may decline due to general market conditions which are not specifically related to a particular company or to factors affecting a particular industry or industries. Equity securities generally have greater price volatility than fixed income securities

Mortgage-Related and Other Asset-Backed Securities Risk: the risks of investing in mortgage-related and other asset-backed securities, including interest rate risk, extension risk, prepayment risk and credit risk

Foreign (Non-U.S.) Investment Risk: the risk that investing in foreign (non-U.S.) securities may result in the Fund experiencing more rapid and extreme changes in value than a fund that invests exclusively in securities of U.S. companies, due to smaller markets, differing reporting, accounting and auditing standards, increased risk of delayed settlement of portfolio transactions or loss of certificates of portfolio securities, and the risk of unfavorable foreign government actions, including nationalization, expropriation or confiscatory taxation, currency blockage, or political changes

 

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or diplomatic developments. Foreign securities may also be less liquid and more difficult to value than securities of U.S. issuers

Emerging Markets Risk: the risk of investing in emerging market securities, primarily increased foreign (non-U.S.) investment risk

Sovereign Debt Risk: the risk that investments in fixed income instruments issued by sovereign entities may decline in value as a result of default or other adverse credit event resulting from an issuer's inability or unwillingness to make principal or interest payments in a timely fashion

Currency Risk: the risk that foreign (non-U.S.) currencies will change in value relative to the U.S. dollar and affect the Fund's investments in foreign (non-U.S.) currencies or in securities that trade in, and receive revenues in, or in derivatives that provide exposure to, foreign (non-U.S.) currencies

Leveraging Risk: the risk that certain transactions of the Fund, such as reverse repurchase agreements, loans of portfolio securities, and the use of when-issued, delayed delivery or forward commitment transactions, or derivative instruments, may give rise to leverage, magnifying gains and losses and causing the Fund to be more volatile than if it had not been leveraged. This means that leverage entails a heightened risk of loss

Management Risk: the risk that the investment techniques and risk analyses applied by PIMCO will not produce the desired results and that legislative, regulatory, or tax restrictions, policies or developments may affect the investment techniques available to PIMCO and the individual portfolio manager in connection with managing the Fund. There is no guarantee that the investment objective of the Fund will be achieved

Short Exposure Risk: the risk of entering into short sales, including the potential loss of more money than the actual cost of the investment, and the risk that the third party to the short sale will not fulfill its contractual obligations, causing a loss to the Fund

Tax-Efficient Investing Risk: the risk that investment strategies intended to manage capital gain distributions may not succeed, and that such strategies may reduce investment returns or result in investment losses

Please see "Description of Principal Risks" in the Fund's prospectus for a more detailed description of the risks of investing in the Fund. An investment in the Fund is not a deposit of a bank and is not insured or guaranteed by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation or any other government agency.

Performance Information

The performance information shows summary performance information for the Fund in a bar chart and an Average Annual Total Returns table. The information provides some indication of the risks of investing in the Fund by showing changes in its performance from year to year and by showing how the Fund's average annual returns compare with the returns of a broad-based securities market index and an index of similar funds. Absent any applicable fee waivers and/or expense limitations, performance would have been lower. The bar chart shows performance of the Fund's Institutional Class shares. For periods prior to the inception date of I-2 shares (September 10, 2009), performance information shown in the table is based on the performance of the Fund's Institutional Class shares, adjusted to reflect the actual distribution and/or service (12b-1) fees and other expenses paid by I-2 shares. Performance for Class A and Class C shares in the Average Annual Total Returns table reflects the impact of sales charges. The Fund's past performance, before and after taxes, is not necessarily an indication of how the Fund will perform in the future.

Effective July 30, 2018, the Fund's broad-based securities market index is the 3 Month USD LIBOR (London Interbank Offered Rate) Index. The 3 Month USD LIBOR Index is an average interest rate, determined by the ICE Benchmark Administration, that banks charge one another for the use of short-term money (3 months) in England's Eurodollar market. The Fund's new broad-based securities market index was selected as its use is more closely aligned with the Fund's principal investment strategies. Prior to July 30, 2018, the Fund's broad-based securities market index was the 3 Month USD LIBOR After Tax. It is not possible to invest directly in an unmanaged index. Lipper Alternative Credit Focus Funds Average is a total return performance average of funds tracked by Lipper, Inc. that, by prospectus language, invest in a wide-range of credit-structured vehicles by using either fundamental credit research analysis or quantitative credit portfolio modelling trying to benefit from any changes in credit quality, credit spreads, and market liquidity.

Effective July 30, 2018, certain changes were made to the Fund's principal investment strategies, including reduced exposure to municipal securities, high yield securities ("junk bonds"), securities and instruments that are economically tied to emerging market countries and foreign currencies, and a more constrained duration guideline. The Fund's performance information prior to July 30, 2018 relates only to the Fund's former principal investment strategies.

Performance for the Fund is updated daily and quarterly and may be obtained as follows: daily updates on the net asset value and performance page at http://investments.pimco.com/DailyPerformance and quarterly updates at http://investments.pimco.com/QuarterlyPerformance.

Calendar Year Total Returns — Institutional Class*

 

[To be updated by subsequent amendment]



*The year-to-date return as of June 30, 2018 is [ ]%. For the periods shown in the bar chart, the highest quarterly return was [ ]% in the [ ], and the lowest quarterly return was [ ]% in the [ ].

 

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PIMCO Strategic Bond Fund

Average Annual Total Returns (for periods ended 12/31/17)

 

1 Year

5 Years

Since Inception (01/30/2009)

Institutional Class Return Before Taxes

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

Institutional Class Return After Taxes on Distributions‌(1)

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

Institutional Class Return After Taxes on Distributions and Sales of Fund Shares‌(1)

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

I-2 Return Before Taxes

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

Class A Return Before Taxes

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

Class C Return Before Taxes

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

3 Month USD LIBOR Index (reflects no deductions for fees, expenses or taxes)

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

3 Month USD LIBOR After Tax (reflects no deductions for fees, expenses or taxes)

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

 

Lipper Alternative Credit Focus Funds Average (reflects no deductions for taxes)

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

(1) After-tax returns are calculated using the highest historical individual federal marginal income tax rates and do not reflect the impact of state and local taxes. Actual after-tax returns depend on an investor's tax situation and may differ from those shown, and the after-tax returns shown are not relevant to investors who hold their Fund shares through tax-deferred arrangements, such as 401(k) plans or individual retirement accounts. In some cases the return after taxes may exceed the return before taxes due to an assumed tax benefit from any losses on a sale of Fund shares at the end of the measurement period. After-tax returns are for Institutional Class shares only. After-tax returns for other classes will vary.

Investment Adviser/Portfolio Manager

PIMCO serves as the investment adviser for the Fund. The Fund's portfolio is jointly managed by Marc P. Seidner and Mohit Mittal. Mr. Seidner is CIO Non-traditional Strategies and Managing Director of PIMCO, and he has managed the Fund since January 2015.  Mr. Mittal is a Managing Director of PIMCO and has managed the Fund since July 2018.

Other Important Information Regarding Fund Shares

For important information about purchase and sale of Fund shares, tax information, and payments to broker-dealers and other financial intermediaries, please turn to the "Summary of Other Important Information Regarding Fund Shares" section on page [ ] of this prospectus.

 

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Summary of Other Important Information Regarding Fund Shares

Purchase and Sale of Fund Shares

Fund shares may be purchased or sold (redeemed) on any business day (normally any day when the New York Stock Exchange is open). Generally, purchase and redemption orders for Fund shares are processed at the net asset value next calculated after an order is received by the Fund.

Institutional Class, I-2 and I-3

The minimum initial investment for Institutional Class, I-2 and I-3 shares of the Fund is $1 million, except that the minimum initial investment may be modified for certain financial firms that submit orders on behalf of their customers.

You may sell (redeem) all or part of your Institutional Class, I-2 and I-3 shares of the Fund on any business day. If you are the registered owner of the shares on the books of the Fund, depending on the elections made on the Account Application, you may sell by:

Sending a written request by mail to:
PIMCO Funds c/o DST Asset Manager Solutions
330 W. 9th Street, Kansas City, MO 64105 

Calling us at 888.87.PIMCO and a Shareholder Services associate will assist you 

Sending a fax to our Shareholder Services department at 816.421.2861 

Sending an e-mail to piprocess@dstsystems.com

Class A and Class C

The minimum initial investment for Class A and Class C shares of the Fund is $1,000. The minimum subsequent investment for Class A and Class C shares is $50. The minimum initial investment may be modified for certain financial firms that submit orders on behalf of their customers. Class C shares of each Fund will automatically convert into Class A shares of the same Fund after they have been held for ten years, as described in the "Classes of Shares" section of the Fund's prospectus. You may purchase or sell (redeem) all or part of your Class A and Class C shares through a broker-dealer, or other financial firm, or, if you are the registered owner of the shares on the books of the Fund, by regular mail to PIMCO Funds, P.O. Box 55060, Boston, MA 02205-5060 or overnight mail to PIMCO Funds, c/o DST Asset Manager Solutions, Inc., 30 Dan Road, Canton, MA 02021-2809. The Fund reserves the right to require payment by wire or U.S. Bank check in connection with accounts opened directly with the Fund by Account Application.

Tax Information

The Fund's distributions are generally taxable to you as ordinary income, capital gains, or a combination of the two, unless you are investing through a tax-deferred arrangement, such as a 401(k) plan or an individual retirement account, in which case distributions may be taxable upon withdrawal. Distributions paid by the Fund that are properly designated as
"exempt interest dividends" normally will be exempt from federal income taxes, but may not be exempt from the federal alternative minimum tax.

Payments to Broker-Dealers and Other Financial Firms

If you purchase shares of the Fund through a broker-dealer or other financial firm (such as a bank), the Fund and/or its related companies (including PIMCO) may pay the financial firm for the sale of those shares of the Fund and/or related services. These payments may create a conflict of interest by influencing the broker-dealer or other financial firm and your salesperson to recommend the Fund over another investment. Ask your salesperson or visit your financial firm's Web site for more information.

 

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Description of Principal Risks

The value of your investment in a Fund changes with the values of that Fund's investments. Many factors can affect those values. The factors that are most likely to have a material effect on a particular Fund's portfolio as a whole are called "principal risks." The principal risks of each Fund are identified in the Fund Summaries. The principal risks are described in this section. Each Fund may be subject to additional risks other than those identified and described below because the types of investments made by a Fund can change over time. Securities and investment techniques mentioned in this summary that appear in bold type are described in greater detail under "Characteristics and Risks of Securities and Investment Techniques." That section and "Investment Objectives and Policies" in the Statement of Additional Information (the "SAI") also include more information about the Funds, their investments and the related risks. There is no guarantee that a Fund will be able to achieve its investment objective. It is possible to lose money by investing in a Fund.

Principal Risk

PIMCO
California Intermediate Municipal Bond Fund

PIMCO
California Municipal Bond Fund

PIMCO
California Short Duration Municipal Income Fund

PIMCO
High Yield Municipal Bond Fund

PIMCO
Municipal Bond Fund

New/Small Fund

x

Interest Rate

x

x

x

x

x

Call

x

x

x

x

x

Credit

x

x

x

x

x

High Yield

x

x

x

x

x

Market

x

x

x

x

x

Issuer

x

x

x

x

x

Liquidity

x

x

x

x

x

Derivatives

x

x

x

x

x

Equity

x

x

x

x

x

Mortgage-Related and Other Asset-Backed Securities

x

x

x

x

x

Foreign (Non-U.S.) Investment

Emerging Markets

Sovereign Debt Risk

Currency

Issuer Non-Diversification

x

Leveraging

x

x

x

x

x

Management

x

x

x

x

x

Municipal Bond

x

x

x

x

x

California State-Specific

x

x

x

x

x

New York State Specific

x

x

Municipal Project-Specific

x

x

x

x

x

Short Exposure

x

x

x

x

x

Tax-Efficient Investing

 

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Principal Risk

PIMCO
National Intermediate Municipal Bond Fund

PIMCO
New York Municipal Bond Fund

PIMCO
Short Duration Municipal Income Fund

PIMCO
Strategic Bond Fund

New/Small Fund

x

Interest Rate

x

x

x

x

Call

x

x

x

x

Credit

x

x

x

x

High Yield

x

x

x

Market

x

x

x

x

Issuer

x

x

x

x

Liquidity

x

x

x

x

Derivatives

x

x

x

x

Equity

x

x

x

x

Mortgage-Related and Other Asset-Backed Securities

x

x

x

x

Foreign (Non-U.S.) Investment

x

Emerging Markets

x

Sovereign Debt Risk

x

Currency

x

Issuer Non-Diversification

x

Leveraging

x

x

x

x

Management

x

x

x

x

Municipal Bond

x

x

x

California State-Specific

x

x

New York State Specific

x

x

x

Municipal Project-Specific

x

x

x

Short Exposure

x

x

x

x

Tax-Efficient Investing

x

New/Small Fund Risk

A new or smaller 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 fully 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 a new or smaller 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.

Interest Rate Risk

Interest rate risk is the risk that fixed income securities and other instruments in a Fund's portfolio will decline in value because of an increase in interest rates. As nominal interest rates rise, the value of certain fixed income securities held by a Fund is likely to decrease. A nominal interest rate can be described as the sum of a real interest rate and an expected inflation rate. Interest rate changes can be sudden and unpredictable, and the Fund may lose money as a result of movements in interest rates. A Fund may not be able to hedge against changes in interest rates or may choose not to do so for cost or other reasons. In addition, any hedges may not work as intended.

Fixed income securities with longer durations tend to be more sensitive to changes in interest rates, usually making them more volatile than securities with shorter durations. The values of equity and other non-fixed income securities may also decline due to fluctuations in interest rates. Inflation-indexed bonds, including Treasury Inflation-Protected Securities ("TIPS"), decline in value when real interest rates rise. In certain interest rate environments, such as when real interest rates are rising faster than nominal interest rates, inflation-indexed bonds may experience greater losses than other fixed income securities with similar durations.

 

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Variable and floating rate securities generally are less sensitive to interest rate changes but may decline in value if their interest rates do not rise as much, or as quickly, as interest rates in general. Conversely, floating rate securities will not generally increase in value if interest rates decline. Inverse floating rate securities may decrease in value if interest rates increase. Inverse floating rate securities may also exhibit greater price volatility than a fixed rate obligation with similar credit quality. When a Fund holds variable or floating rate securities, a decrease (or, in the case of inverse floating rate securities, an increase) in market interest rates will adversely affect the income received from such securities and the net asset value ("NAV") of the Fund's shares.

A wide variety of factors can cause interest rates to rise (e.g., central bank monetary policies, inflation rates, general economic conditions, etc.). This is especially true under current economic conditions because interest rates are near historically low levels. Thus, Funds currently face a heightened level of interest rate risk, especially as the Federal Reserve Board ended its quantitative easing program in October 2014 and has begun, and may continue, to raise interest rates. To the extent the Federal Reserve Board continues to raise interest rates, there is a risk that rates across the financial system may rise.

During periods of very low or negative interest rates, a Fund may be unable to maintain positive returns. Interest rates in the U.S. and many parts of the world, including certain European countries, are at or near historically low levels. Certain European countries have recently experienced negative interest rates on certain fixed income instruments. Very low or negative interest rates may magnify interest rate risk. Changing interest rates, including rates that fall below zero, may have unpredictable effects on markets, may result in heightened market volatility and may detract from Fund performance to the extent a Fund is exposed to such interest rates.

Measures such as average duration may not accurately reflect the true interest rate sensitivity of a Fund. This is especially the case if the Fund consists of securities with widely varying durations. Therefore, if a Fund has an average duration that suggests a certain level of interest rate risk, the Fund may in fact be subject to greater interest rate risk than the average would suggest. This risk is greater to the extent the Fund uses leverage or derivatives in connection with the management of the Fund.

Convexity is an additional measure used to understand a security's or Fund's interest rate sensitivity. Convexity measures the rate of change of duration in response to changes in interest rates. With respect to a security's price, a larger convexity (positive or negative) may imply more dramatic price changes in response to changing interest rates. Convexity may be positive or negative. Negative convexity implies that interest rate increases result in increased duration, meaning increased sensitivity in prices in response to rising interest rates. Thus, securities with negative convexity, which may include bonds with traditional call features and certain mortgage-backed securities, may experience greater losses in periods of rising interest rates. Accordingly, if a Fund holds such securities, the Fund may be subject to a greater risk of losses in periods of rising interest rates.

Call Risk

A Fund that invests in fixed income securities may be subject to call risk. Call risk refers to the possibility that an issuer may exercise its right to redeem a fixed income security earlier than expected (a call). Issuers may call outstanding securities prior to their maturity for a number of reasons (e.g., declining interest rates, changes in credit spreads and improvements in the issuer's credit quality). If an issuer calls a security in which a Fund has invested, the Fund may not recoup the full amount of its initial investment and may be forced to reinvest in lower-yielding securities, securities with greater credit risks or securities with other, less favorable features.

Credit Risk

A Fund could lose money if the issuer or guarantor of a fixed income security (including a security purchased with securities lending collateral), or the counterparty to a derivatives contract, repurchase agreement or a loan of portfolio securities, is unable or unwilling, or is perceived (whether by market participants, rating agencies, pricing services or otherwise) as unable or unwilling, to make timely principal and/or interest payments, or to otherwise honor its obligations. The downgrade of the credit of a security held by a Fund may decrease its value. Securities are subject to varying degrees of credit risk, which are often reflected in credit ratings. Measures such as average credit quality may not accurately reflect the true credit risk of a Fund. This is especially the case if the Fund consists of securities with widely varying credit ratings. Therefore, if a Fund has an average credit rating that suggests a certain credit quality, the Fund may in fact be subject to greater credit risk than the average would suggest. This risk is greater to the extent the Fund uses leverage or derivatives in connection with the management of the Fund. Municipal bonds are subject to the risk that litigation, legislation or other political events, local business or economic conditions, or the bankruptcy of the issuer could have a significant effect on an issuer's ability to make payments of principal and/or interest.

High Yield Risk

Funds that invest in high yield securities and unrated securities of similar credit quality (commonly known as "high yield securities" or "junk bonds") may be subject to greater levels of credit risk, call risk and liquidity risk than funds that do not invest in such securities. These securities are considered predominantly speculative with respect to an issuer's continuing ability to make principal and interest payments, and may be more volatile than other types of securities. An economic downturn or individual corporate developments could adversely affect the market for these securities and reduce a Fund's ability to sell these securities at an advantageous time or price. An economic downturn would generally lead to a higher non-payment rate and, a high yield security may lose significant market value before a default occurs. High yield securities structured as zero-coupon bonds or pay-in-kind securities tend to

 

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be especially volatile as they are particularly sensitive to downward pricing pressures from rising interest rates or widening spreads and may require a Fund to make taxable distributions of imputed income without receiving the actual cash currency. Issuers of high yield securities may have the right to "call" or redeem the issue prior to maturity, which may result in a Fund having to reinvest the proceeds in other high yield securities or similar instruments that may pay lower interest rates. A Fund may also be subject to greater levels of liquidity risk than funds that do not invest in high yield securities. In addition, the high yield securities in which a Fund invests may not be listed on any exchange and a secondary market for such securities may be comparatively illiquid relative to markets for other more liquid fixed income securities. Consequently, transactions in high yield securities may involve greater costs than transactions in more actively traded securities. A lack of publicly-available information, irregular trading activity and wide bid/ask spreads among other factors, may, in certain circumstances, make high yield debt more difficult to sell at an advantageous time or price than other types of securities or instruments. These factors may result in a Fund being unable to realize full value for these securities and/or may result in a Fund not receiving the proceeds from a sale of a high yield security for an extended period after such sale, each of which could result in losses to a Fund. Because of the risks involved in investing in high yield securities, an investment in a Fund that invests in such securities should be considered speculative.

Market Risk

The market price of securities owned by a Fund may go up or down, sometimes rapidly or unpredictably. Securities may decline in value due to factors affecting securities markets generally or particular industries represented in the securities markets. The value of a security may decline due to general market conditions which are not specifically related to a particular company, such as real or perceived adverse economic conditions, changes in the general outlook for corporate earnings, changes in interest or currency rates, adverse changes to credit markets or adverse investor sentiment generally. The value of a security may also decline due to factors which affect a particular industry or industries, such as labor shortages or increased production costs and competitive conditions within an industry. During a general downturn in the securities markets, multiple asset classes may decline in value simultaneously. Equity securities generally have greater price volatility than fixed income securities. Credit ratings downgrades may also negatively affect securities held by the Fund. Even when markets perform well, there is no assurance that the investments held by a Fund will increase in value along with the broader market. In addition, market risk includes the risk that geopolitical events will disrupt the economy on a national or global level.  For instance, terrorism, market manipulation, government defaults, government shutdowns, political changes or diplomatic developments and natural/environmental disasters can all negatively impact the securities markets, which could cause the Funds to lose value. Any market disruptions could also prevent a Fund from executing advantageous investment decisions in a timely manner. Funds that have focused their investments in a region enduring geopolitical market disruption will face higher risks of loss. Thus, investors should closely monitor current market conditions to determine whether a specific Fund meets their individual financial needs and tolerance for risk.

Current market conditions may pose heightened risks with respect to Funds that invest in fixed income securities. As discussed more under "Interest Rate Risk," interest rates in the U.S. are near historically low levels. However, continued economic recovery, the end of the Federal Reserve Board's quantitative easing program, and an increased likelihood of a rising interest rate environment increase the risk that interest rates will continue to rise in the near future. Any further interest rate increases in the future could cause the value of any Fund that invests in fixed income securities to decrease. As such, the fixed income securities markets may experience heightened levels of interest rate, volatility and liquidity risk. If rising interest rates cause a Fund to lose enough value, the Fund could also face increased shareholder redemptions, which could force the Fund to liquidate investments at disadvantageous times or prices, therefore adversely affecting the Fund and its shareholders. 

Exchanges and securities markets may close early, close late or issue trading halts on specific securities, which may result in, among other things, a Fund being unable to buy or sell certain securities or financial instruments at an advantageous time or accurately price its portfolio investments. In addition, a Fund may rely on various third-party sources to calculate its NAV. As a result, a Fund is subject to certain operational risks associated with reliance on service providers and service providers' data sources. In particular, errors or systems failures and other technological issues may adversely impact the Fund's calculations of its NAV, and such NAV calculation issues may result in inaccurately calculated NAVs, delays in NAV calculation and/or the inability to calculate NAVs over extended periods. A Fund may be unable to recover any losses associated with such failures.

Issuer Risk

The value of a security 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 goods or services, as well as the historical and prospective earnings of the issuer and the value of its assets. A change in the financial condition of a single issuer may affect securities markets as a whole.

Liquidity Risk

Liquidity risk exists when particular investments are difficult to purchase or sell. Illiquid securities are securities that cannot be disposed of within seven days in the ordinary course of business at approximately the value at which the Fund has valued the securities. Illiquid securities may become harder to value, especially in changing markets. A Fund's investments in illiquid securities may reduce the returns of the Fund because it may be unable to sell the illiquid securities at an advantageous time or price, which could prevent the Fund from taking advantage of other investment opportunities. Additionally, the market for certain investments may become illiquid under adverse market or economic conditions independent of any specific adverse changes in the conditions of a particular issuer. Bond markets have consistently grown over the past three decades while the capacity for traditional dealer counterparties to

 

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PIMCO Funds

engage in fixed income trading has not kept pace and in some cases has decreased. As a result, dealer inventories of corporate bonds, which provide a core indication of the ability of financial intermediaries to "make markets," are at or near historic lows in relation to market size. Because market makers provide stability to a market through their intermediary services, the significant reduction in dealer inventories could potentially lead to decreased liquidity and increased volatility in the fixed income markets. Such issues may be exacerbated during periods of economic uncertainty.

In such cases, a Fund, due to limitations on investments in illiquid securities and the difficulty in purchasing and selling such securities or instruments, may be unable to achieve its desired level of exposure to a certain sector. To the extent that a Fund's principal investment strategies involve securities of companies with smaller market capitalizations, foreign (non-U.S.) securities, Rule 144A securities, illiquid sectors of fixed income securities, derivatives or securities with substantial market and/or credit risk, the Fund will tend to have the greatest exposure to liquidity risk. Further, fixed income securities with longer durations until maturity face heightened levels of liquidity risk as compared to fixed income securities with shorter durations until maturity. Finally, liquidity risk also refers to the risk of unusually high redemption requests, redemption requests by certain large shareholders such as institutional investors or asset allocators, or other unusual market conditions that may make it difficult for a Fund to sell investments within the allowable time period to meet redemptions. Meeting such redemption requests could require a Fund to sell securities at reduced prices or under unfavorable conditions, which would reduce the value of the Fund. It may also be the case that other market participants may be attempting to liquidate fixed income holdings at the same time as a Fund, causing increased supply in the market and contributing to liquidity risk and downward pricing pressure.

Certain accounts or PIMCO affiliates may from time to time own (beneficially or of record) or control a significant percentage of a Fund's shares. Redemptions by these shareholders of their holdings in a Fund may impact the Fund's liquidity and NAV. These redemptions may also force a Fund to sell securities, which may negatively impact the Fund's brokerage costs.

Derivatives Risk

Derivatives are financial contracts whose value depends on, or is derived from, the value of an underlying asset, reference rate or index. The various derivative instruments that the Funds may use are referenced under "Characteristics and Risks of Securities and Investment Techniques—Derivatives" in this prospectus and described in more detail under "Investment Objectives and Policies" in the SAI. The Funds typically use derivatives as a substitute for taking a position in the underlying asset, as part of strategies designed to gain exposure to, for example, issuers, portions of the yield curve, indexes, sectors, currencies, and/or geographic regions, and/or to reduce exposure to other risks, such as interest rate, credit or currency risk. The Funds may also use derivatives for leverage, in which case their use would involve leveraging risk, and in some cases, may subject a Fund to the potential for unlimited loss. The use of derivatives may cause the Fund's investment returns to be impacted by the performance of securities the Fund does not own and result in the Fund's total investment exposure exceeding the value of its portfolio.

A Fund's use of derivative instruments involves risks different from, or possibly greater than, the risks associated with investing directly in securities and other traditional investments. Derivatives are subject to a number of risks described elsewhere in this section, such as liquidity risk (which may be heightened for highly-customized derivatives), interest rate risk, market risk, credit risk and management risk, as well as risks arising from changes in applicable requirements. They also involve the risk of mispricing or improper valuation and the risk that changes in the value of the derivative instrument may not correlate perfectly with the underlying asset, rate or index. By investing in a derivative instrument, the Fund could lose more than the initial amount invested and derivatives may increase the volatility of the Fund, especially in unusual or extreme market conditions. Also, suitable derivative transactions may not be available in all circumstances and there can be no assurance that a Fund will engage in these transactions to reduce exposure to other risks when that would be beneficial or that, if used, such strategies will be successful. In addition, a Fund's use of derivatives may increase or accelerate the amount of taxes payable by shareholders. Over-the-counter ("OTC") derivatives are also subject to the risk that a counterparty to the transaction will not fulfill its contractual obligations to the other party, as many of the protections afforded to centrally-cleared derivative transactions might not be available for OTC derivatives. For derivatives traded on an exchange or through a central counterparty, credit risk resides with a Fund's clearing broker, or the clearinghouse itself, rather than with a counterparty in an OTC derivative transaction.

Participation in the markets for derivative instruments involves investment risks and transaction costs to which a Fund may not be subject absent the use of these strategies. The skills needed to successfully execute derivative strategies may be different from those needed for other types of transactions. If the Fund incorrectly forecasts the value and/or creditworthiness of securities, currencies, interest rates, counterparties or other economic factors involved in a derivative transaction, the Fund might have been in a better position if the Fund had not entered into such derivative transaction. In evaluating the risks and contractual obligations associated with particular derivative instruments, it is important to consider that certain derivative transactions may be modified or terminated only by mutual consent of the Fund and its counterparty. Therefore, it may not be possible for a Fund to modify, terminate, or offset the Fund's obligations or the Fund's exposure to the risks associated with a derivative transaction prior to its scheduled termination or maturity date, which may create a possibility of increased volatility and/or decreased liquidity to the Fund. In such case, the Fund may lose money.

Because the markets for certain derivative instruments (including markets located in foreign countries) are relatively new and still developing, appropriate derivative transactions may not be available in all circumstances for risk management or other purposes. Upon the expiration of a particular contract, a Fund may wish to retain a Fund's position in the derivative instrument by entering into a similar contract, but may be unable to do so if the counterparty to

 

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the original contract is unwilling to enter into the new contract and no other appropriate counterparty can be found. When such markets are unavailable, a Fund will be subject to increased liquidity and investment risk.

When a derivative is used as a hedge against a position that a Fund holds, any loss generated by the derivative generally should be substantially offset by gains on the hedged investment, and vice versa. Although hedging can reduce or eliminate losses, it can also reduce or eliminate gains. Hedges are sometimes subject to imperfect matching between the derivative and the underlying instrument, and there can be no assurance that a Fund's hedging transactions will be effective.

The regulation of the derivatives markets has increased over the past several years, and additional future regulation of the derivatives markets may make derivatives more costly, may limit the availability or reduce the liquidity of derivatives, or may otherwise adversely affect the value or performance of derivatives. Any such adverse future developments could impair the effectiveness or raise the costs of a Fund's derivative transactions, impede the employment of the Fund's deravatives strategies or adversely affect the Fund's performance.

Equity Risk

Equity securities represent an ownership interest, or the right to acquire an ownership interest, in an issuer. Equity securities also include, among other things, preferred securities, convertible stocks and warrants. The values of equity securities, such as common stocks and preferred securities, may decline due to general market conditions which are not specifically related to a particular company, such as real or perceived adverse economic conditions, changes in the general outlook for corporate earnings, changes in interest or currency rates or adverse investor sentiment generally. They may also decline due to factors which affect a particular industry or industries, such as labor shortages or increased production costs and competitive conditions within an industry. Equity securities generally have greater price volatility than fixed income securities. These risks are generally magnified in the case of equity investments in distressed companies.

Mortgage-Related and Other Asset-Backed Securities Risk

Mortgage-related and other asset-backed securities represent interests in "pools" of mortgages or other assets such as consumer loans or receivables held in trust and often involve risks that are different from or possibly more acute than risks associated with other types of debt instruments. Generally, rising interest rates tend to extend the duration of fixed rate mortgage-related securities, making them more sensitive to changes in interest rates. As a result, in a period of rising interest rates, if a Fund holds mortgage-related securities, it may exhibit additional volatility since individual mortgage holders are less likely to exercise prepayment options, thereby putting additional downward pressure on the value of these securities and potentially causing the Fund to lose money. This is known as extension risk. Mortgage-backed securities can be highly sensitive to rising interest rates, such that even small movements can cause an investing Fund to lose value. Mortgage-backed securities, and in particular those not backed by a government guarantee, are subject to credit risk. In addition, adjustable and fixed rate mortgage-related securities are subject to prepayment risk. When interest rates decline, borrowers may pay off their mortgages sooner than expected. This can reduce the returns of a Fund because the Fund may have to reinvest that money at the lower prevailing interest rates. A Fund's investments in other asset-backed securities are subject to risks similar to those associated with mortgage-related securities, as well as additional risks associated with the nature of the assets and the servicing of those assets. Payment of principal and interest on asset-backed securities may be largely dependent upon the cash flows generated by the assets backing the securities, and asset-backed securities may not have the benefit of any security interest in the related assets.

Foreign (Non-U.S.) Investment Risk

Certain Funds may invest in foreign (non-U.S.) securities and may experience more rapid and extreme changes in value than a Fund that invests exclusively in securities of U.S. companies. The securities markets of many foreign countries are relatively small, with a limited number of companies representing a small number of industries. Additionally, issuers of foreign (non-U.S.) securities are usually not subject to the same degree of regulation as U.S. issuers. Reporting, accounting and auditing standards of foreign countries differ, in some cases significantly, from U.S. standards. Global economies and financial markets are becoming increasingly interconnected, and conditions and events in one country, region or financial market may adversely impact issuers in a different country, region or financial market. Also, nationalization, expropriation or confiscatory taxation, currency blockage, political changes or diplomatic developments could adversely affect a Fund's investments in a foreign country. In the event of nationalization, expropriation or other confiscation, a Fund could lose its entire investment in foreign (non-U.S.) securities. Adverse conditions in a certain region can adversely affect securities of other countries whose economies appear to be unrelated. To the extent that a Fund invests a significant portion of its assets in a specific geographic region, the Fund will generally have more exposure to regional economic risks associated with foreign (non-U.S.) investments. Foreign (non-U.S.) securities may also be less liquid and more difficult to value than securities of U.S. issuers.

Emerging Markets Risk

Foreign (non-U.S.) investment risk may be particularly high to the extent a Fund invests in emerging market securities. Emerging market securities may present market, credit, currency, liquidity, legal, political and other risks different from, and potentially greater than, the risks of investing in securities and instruments economically tied to developed foreign countries. To the extent a Fund invests in emerging market securities that are economically tied to a particular region, country or group of countries, the Fund may be more sensitive to adverse political or social events affecting that region, country or

 

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group of countries. Economic, business, political, or social instability may affect emerging market securities differently, and often more severely, than developed market securities. A Fund that focuses its investments in multiple asset classes of emerging market securities may have a limited ability to mitigate losses in an environment that is adverse to emerging market securities in general. Emerging market securities may also be more volatile, less liquid and more difficult to value than securities economically tied to developed foreign countries. The systems and procedures for trading and settlement of securities in emerging markets are less developed and less transparent and transactions may take longer to settle. Rising interest rates, combined with widening credit spreads, could negatively impact the value of emerging market debt and increase funding costs for foreign issuers. In such a scenario, foreign issuers might not be able to service their debt obligations, the market for emerging market debt could suffer from reduced liquidity, and any investing Funds could lose money.

Sovereign Debt Risk

Sovereign debt risk is the risk that fixed income instruments issued by sovereign entities may decline in value as a result of default or other adverse credit event resulting from an issuer's inability or unwillingness to make principal or interest payments in a timely fashion. A sovereign entity's failure to make timely payments on its debt can result from many factors, including, without limitation, insufficient foreign currency reserves or an inability to sufficiently manage fluctuations in relative currency valuations, an inability or unwillingness to satisfy the demands of creditors and/or relevant supranational entities regarding debt service or economic reforms, the size of the debt burden relative to economic output and tax revenues, cash flow difficulties, and other political and social considerations. The risk of loss to the Fund in the event of a sovereign debt default or other adverse credit event is heightened by the unlikelihood of any formal recourse or means to enforce its rights as a holder of the sovereign debt. In addition, sovereign debt restructurings, which may be shaped by entities and factors beyond the Fund's control, may result in a loss in value of the Fund's sovereign debt holdings.

Currency Risk

If a Fund invests directly in foreign (non-U.S.) currencies or in securities that trade in, and receive revenues in, foreign (non-U.S.) currencies, or in derivatives that provide exposure to foreign (non-U.S.) currencies, it will be subject to the risk that those currencies will decline in value relative to the U.S. dollar, or, in the case of hedging positions, that the U.S. dollar will decline in value relative to the currency being hedged.

Currency rates in foreign (non-U.S.) countries may fluctuate significantly over short periods of time for a number of reasons, including changes in interest rates, intervention (or the failure to intervene) by U.S. or foreign (non-U.S.) governments, central banks or supranational entities such as the International Monetary Fund, or by the imposition of currency controls or other political developments in the United States or abroad. As a result, a Fund's investments in foreign currency-denominated securities may reduce the returns of the Fund.

Currency risk may be particularly high to the extent that a Fund invests in foreign (non-U.S.) currencies or engages in foreign currency transactions that are economically tied to emerging market countries. These currency transactions may present market, credit, currency, liquidity, legal, political and other risks different from, or greater than, the risks of investing in developed foreign (non-U.S.) currencies or engaging in foreign currency transactions that are economically tied to developed foreign countries.

Issuer Non-Diversification Risk

Focusing investments in a small number of issuers increases risk. Funds that are "non-diversified" may invest a greater percentage of their assets in the securities of a single issuer (such as bonds issued by a particular state) than funds that are "diversified." Funds that invest in a relatively small number of issuers are more susceptible to risks associated with a single economic, political or regulatory occurrence than a more diversified portfolio might be. Some of those issuers also may present substantial credit or other risks.

Leveraging Risk

Certain transactions may give rise to a form of leverage. Such transactions may include, among others, reverse repurchase agreements, loans of portfolio securities, and the use of when-issued, delayed delivery or forward commitment transactions. The use of derivatives may also create leveraging risk. In accordance with federal securities laws, rules, and staff positions, PIMCO will mitigate its leveraging risk by segregating or "earmarking" liquid assets or otherwise covering transactions that may give rise to such risk. The Funds also may be exposed to leveraging risk by borrowing money for investment purposes. Leveraging may cause a Fund to liquidate portfolio positions to satisfy its obligations or to meet segregation requirements when it may not be advantageous to do so. Leveraging, including borrowing, may cause a Fund to be more volatile than if the Fund had not been leveraged. This is because leveraging tends to exaggerate the effect of any increase or decrease in the value of a Fund's portfolio securities. Certain types of leveraging transactions, such as short sales that are not "against the box," could theoretically be subject to unlimited losses in cases where a Fund, for any reason, is unable to close out the transaction. In addition, to the extent a Fund borrows money, interest costs on such borrowings may not be recovered by any appreciation of the securities purchased with the borrowed amounts and could exceed the Fund's investment returns, resulting in greater losses. Moreover, to make payments of interest and other loan costs, a Fund may be forced to sell portfolio securities when it is not otherwise advantageous to do so.

 

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Management Risk

Each Fund is subject to management risk because it is an actively managed investment portfolio. PIMCO and each individual portfolio manager will apply investment techniques and risk analysis in making investment decisions for the Funds, but there can be no guarantee that these decisions will produce the desired results. Certain securities or other instruments in which a Fund seeks to invest may not be available in the quantities desired. In addition, regulatory restrictions, actual or potential conflicts of interest or other considerations may cause PIMCO to restrict or prohibit participation in certain investments. In such circumstances, PIMCO or the individual portfolio managers may determine to purchase other securities or instruments as substitutes. Such substitute securities or instruments may not perform as intended, which could result in losses to the Fund. To the extent a Fund employs strategies targeting perceived pricing inefficiencies, arbitrage strategies or similar strategies, it is subject to the risk that the pricing or valuation of the securities and instruments involved in such strategies may change unexpectedly, which may result in reduced returns or losses to the Fund. Additionally, legislative, regulatory, or tax restrictions, policies or developments may affect the investment techniques available to PIMCO and each individual portfolio manager in connection with managing the Funds and may also adversely affect the ability of the Funds to achieve their investment objectives. There also can be no assurance that all of the personnel of PIMCO will continue to be associated with PIMCO for any length of time.  The loss of the services of one or more key employees of PIMCO could have an adverse impact on the Fund's ability to realize its investment objective.

Municipal Bond Risk

A Fund that invests in Municipal Bonds may be affected significantly by the economic, regulatory or political developments affecting the ability of issuers of Municipal Bonds to pay interest or repay principal. In addition, the ability of an issuer to make payments or repay interest may be affected by litigation or bankruptcy. In the event of bankruptcy of such an issuer, a Fund investing in the issuer's securities could experience delays in collecting principal and interest, and the Fund may not, in all circumstances, be able to collect all principal and interest to which it is entitled. To enforce its rights in the event of a default in the payment of interest or repayment of principal, or both, a Fund may, in some instances, take possession of, and manage, the assets securing the issuer's obligations on such securities, which may increase the Fund's operating expenses. Any income derived from the Fund's ownership or operation of such assets may not be tax-exempt. Municipal Bonds are subject to interest rate, credit and market risk.

Because many Municipal Bonds are issued to finance similar projects (such as those relating to education, health care, housing, transportation, and utilities), conditions in those sectors may affect the overall municipal securities market. In addition, changes in the financial condition of an individual municipal issuer can affect the overall municipal market. Municipal Bonds backed by current or anticipated revenues from a specific project or specific assets can be negatively affected by the discontinuance of the supporting taxation or the inability to collect revenues for the specific project or specific assets. Municipal Bonds are subject to the risk that the Internal Revenue Service (the "IRS") may determine that an issuer has not complied with applicable tax requirements and that interest from the Municipal Bond is taxable, which may result in a significant decline in the value of the security. Municipal Bonds may be less liquid than taxable bonds and there may be less publicly available information on the financial condition of Municipal Bond issuers than for issuers of other securities, and the investment performance of a Fund investing in Municipal Bonds may therefore be more dependent on the analytical abilities of PIMCO than if the Fund held other types of investments such as stocks or taxable bonds. The secondary market for Municipal Bonds also tends to be less well-developed or liquid than many other securities markets, a by-product of lower capital commitments to the asset class by the dealer community, which may adversely affect a Fund's ability to sell Municipal Bonds it holds at attractive prices or value Municipal Bonds.

California State-Specific Risk

A Fund that concentrates its investments in California Municipal Bonds may be affected significantly by economic, regulatory or political developments affecting the ability of California issuers to pay interest or repay principal. Certain issuers of California Municipal Bonds have experienced serious financial difficulties in the past and reoccurrence of these difficulties may impair the ability of certain California issuers to pay principal or interest on their obligations. Provisions of the California Constitution and State statutes which limit the taxing and spending authority of California governmental entities may impair the ability of California issuers to pay principal and/or interest on their obligations. While California's economy is broad, it does have major concentrations in high technology, aerospace and defense-related manufacturing, trade, entertainment, real estate and financial services, and may be sensitive to economic problems affecting those industries. Future California political and economic developments, constitutional amendments, legislative measures, executive orders, administrative regulations, litigation and voter initiatives could have an adverse effect on the debt obligations of California issuers.

New York State-Specific Risk

A Fund that concentrates its investments in New York Municipal Bonds may be affected significantly by economic, regulatory or political developments affecting the ability of New York issuers to pay interest or repay principal. While New York's economy is broad, it does have concentrations in the financial services industry, and may be sensitive to economic problems affecting that industry. Certain issuers of New York Municipal Bonds have experienced serious financial difficulties in the past and reoccurrence of these difficulties may impair the ability of certain New York issuers to pay principal or interest on their obligations. The financial health of New York City affects that of the State, and when New York City experiences financial difficulty it may have an adverse affect on New York Municipal Bonds held by such Fund. The growth rate of New York has at times been somewhat slower than the nation overall. The economic and financial condition of New York also may be affected by various financial, social, economic and political factors.

 

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Municipal Project-Specific Risk

A Fund may be more sensitive to adverse economic, business or political developments if it invests a substantial portion of its assets in the bonds of specific projects (such as those relating to education, health care, housing, transportation, and utilities), industrial development bonds, or in general obligation bonds, particularly if there is a large concentration from issuers in a single state. This is because the value of municipal securities can be significantly affected by the political, economic, legal, and legislative realities of the particular issuer's locality or municipal sector events. In addition, a significant restructuring of federal income tax rates or even serious discussion on the topic in Congress could cause municipal bond prices to fall. The demand for municipal securities is strongly influenced by the value of tax-exempt income to investors. Lower income tax rates could reduce the advantage of owning municipal securities. Similarly, changes to state or federal regulation tied to a specific sector, such as the hospital sector, could have an impact on the revenue stream for a given subset of the market.

Municipal securities are also subject to interest rate, credit, and liquidity risk. 

Interest Rate Risk. The value of municipal securities, similar to other fixed income securities, will likely drop as interest rates rise in the general market. Conversely, when rates decline, bond prices generally rise.

Credit Risk. The risk that a borrower may be unable to make interest or principal payments when they are due. Funds that invest in municipal securities rely on the ability of the issuer to service its debt. This subjects a Fund to credit risk in that the municipal issuer may be fiscally unstable or exposed to large liabilities that could impair its ability to honor its obligations. Municipal issuers with significant debt service requirements, in the near-to mid-term; unrated issuers and those with less capital and liquidity to absorb additional expenses may be most at risk. A Fund that invests in lower quality or high yield municipal securities may be more sensitive to the adverse credit events in the municipal market. The treatment of municipalities in bankruptcy is more uncertain, and potentially more adverse to debt holders, than for corporate issues.

Liquidity Risk. The risk that investors may have difficulty finding a buyer when they seek to sell, and therefore, may be forced to sell at a discount to the market value. Liquidity may sometimes be impaired in the municipal market and Funds that primarily invest in municipal securities may find it difficult to purchase or sell such securities at opportune times. Liquidity can be impaired due to interest rate concerns, credit events, or general supply and demand imbalances.  These adverse developments sometimes cause a Fund to endure higher redemption rates. Depending on the particular issuer and current economic conditions, municipal securities could be deemed more volatile investments. 

In addition to general municipal market risks, different municipal sectors may face different risks. For instance, general obligation bonds are secured by the full faith, credit, and taxing power of the municipality issuing the obligation. As such, timely payment depends on the municipality's ability to raise tax revenue and maintain a fiscally sound budget. The timely payments may also be influenced by any unfunded pension liabilities or other post-employee benefit plan (OPEB) liabilities.

Revenue bonds are secured by special tax revenues or other revenue sources. If the specified revenues do not materialize, then the bonds may not be repaid.

Private activity bonds are yet another type of municipal security. Municipalities use private activity bonds to finance the development of industrial facilities for use by private enterprise. Principal and interest payments are to be made by the private enterprise benefitting from the development, which means that the holder of the bond is exposed to the risk that the private issuer may default on the bond.

Moral obligation bonds are usually issued by special purpose public entities. If the public entity defaults, repayment becomes a "moral obligation" instead of a legal one. The lack of a legally enforceable right to payment in the event of default poses a special risk for a holder of the bond because it has little or no ability to seek recourse in the event of default.

Municipal notes are similar to general municipal debt obligations, but they generally possess shorter terms. Municipal notes can be used to provide interim financing and may not be repaid if anticipated revenues are not realized.

Short Exposure Risk

A Fund's short sales, if any, are subject to special risks. A short sale involves the sale by the Fund of a security that it does not own with the hope of purchasing the same security at a later date at a lower price. A Fund may also enter into a short position through a forward commitment or a short derivative position through a futures contract or swap agreement. If the price of the security or derivative has increased during this time, then the Fund will incur a loss equal to the increase in price from the time that the short sale was entered into plus any transaction costs (i.e., premiums and interest) paid to the broker-dealer to borrow securities. Therefore, short sales involve the risk that losses may be exaggerated, potentially losing more money than the actual cost of the investment. By contrast, a loss on a long position arises from decreases in the value of the security and is limited by the fact that a security's value cannot decrease below zero.

By investing the proceeds received from selling securities short, a Fund could be deemed to be employing a form of leverage, which creates special risks. The use of leverage may increase a Fund's exposure to long security positions and make any change in the Fund's NAV greater than it would be without the use of leverage. This could result in increased volatility of returns. There is no guarantee that any leveraging strategy a Fund employs will be successful during any period in which it is employed.

 

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In times of unusual or adverse market, economic, regulatory or political conditions, a Fund may not be able, fully or partially, to implement its short selling strategy. Periods of unusual or adverse market, economic, regulatory or political conditions generally may exist for as long as six months and, in some cases, much longer. Also, there is the risk that the third party to the short sale will not fulfill its contractual obligations, causing a loss to the Fund.

Tax-Efficient Investing Risk

A Fund may engage in investment strategies intended to manage capital gain distributions. For example, a Fund may attempt to use losses from sales of securities that have declined to offset future gains that would otherwise be taxable. Any such strategy may be unsuccessful or only partially successful, and investors may experience adverse tax effects, including, but not limited to potentially greater tax liability than other PIMCO-advised funds. Additionally, such strategies may reduce investment returns or result in investment losses, which could cause the Fund and investors to lose money. Further, a Fund's focus on income generation may result in a higher overall tax liability as income may be taxed at a higher rate than capital gains.

Disclosure of Portfolio Holdings

Please see "Disclosure of Portfolio Holdings" in the SAI for information about the availability of the complete schedule of each Fund's holdings.

 

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Management of the Funds

Investment Adviser and Administrator

PIMCO serves as the investment adviser and the administrator (serving in its capacity as investment adviser, the "Investment Adviser," and serving in its capacity as administrator, the "Administrator") for the Funds. Subject to the supervision of the Board of Trustees of PIMCO Funds (the "Trust"), PIMCO is responsible for managing the investment activities of the Funds and the Funds' business affairs and other administrative matters.

PIMCO is located at 650 Newport Center Drive, Newport Beach, CA 92660. Organized in 1971, PIMCO provides investment management and advisory services to private accounts of institutional and individual clients and to mutual funds. As of June 30, 2018, PIMCO had approximately $[ ] in assets under management.

Management Fees

Each Fund pays for the advisory and supervisory and administrative services it requires under what is essentially an all-in fee structure. The Management Fees shown in the Annual Fund Operating Expenses tables reflect both an advisory fee and a supervisory and administrative fee. For the fiscal year ended March 31, 2018, the Funds paid monthly Management Fees to PIMCO at the following annual rates (stated as a percentage of the average daily net assets attributable to each class's shares taken separately):

Management Fees


Fund Name

Inst
Class


I-2

Class A

Class C

PIMCO California Intermediate Municipal Bond Fund

0.445%

0.545%

0.525%

0.525%

PIMCO California Municipal Bond Fund

0.44%

0.54%

0.54%

0.54%

PIMCO California Short Duration Municipal Income Fund

0.33%

0.43%

0.48%

N/A

PIMCO High Yield Municipal Bond Fund

0.55%

0.65%

0.60%

0.60%

PIMCO Municipal Bond Fund

0.44%

0.54%

0.50%

0.50%

PIMCO National Intermediate Municipal Bond Fund

0.45%

0.55%

0.55%

0.55%

PIMCO New York Municipal Bond Fund

0.445%

0.545%

0.525%

0.525%

PIMCO Short Duration Municipal Income Fund

0.33%

0.43%

0.48%

0.48%

PIMCO Strategic Bond Fund

0.70%

0.80%

0.85%

0.85%

I-3 shares of the PIMCO High Yield Municipal Bond Fund, PIMCO Municipal Bond Fund, PIMCO New York Municipal Bond Fund and PIMCO Short Duration Municipal Income Fund were not operational during the fiscal year ended March 31, 2018. The management fee for the I-3 shares of the PIMCO High Yield Municipal Bond Fund, PIMCO Municipal Bond Fund, PIMCO New York Municipal Bond Fund and PIMCO Short Duration Municipal Income Fund is at the following annual rate (stated as a percentage of the average daily net assets attributable to the class's shares taken separately): [ ]%, [ ]%, [ ]% and [ ]%, respectively.

Advisory Fee. Each Fund pays PIMCO fees in return for providing investment advisory services. For the fiscal year ended March 31, 2018, the Funds paid monthly advisory fees to PIMCO at the following annual rates (stated as a percentage of the average daily net assets of each Fund taken separately):


Fund

Advisory Fees(1)
All Classes

PIMCO California Intermediate Municipal Bond Fund

0.225%

PIMCO California Municipal Bond Fund

0.21%

PIMCO California Short Duration Municipal Income Fund

0.18%

PIMCO High Yield Municipal Bond Fund

0.30%

PIMCO Municipal Bond Fund

0.20%

PIMCO National Intermediate Municipal Bond Fund

0.22%

PIMCO New York Municipal Bond Fund

0.225%

PIMCO Short Duration Municipal Income Fund

0.18%

PIMCO Strategic Bond Fund

0.40%

 

1 For details regarding changes to this rate within the last 5 years, please see the footnote disclosures for the Funds in the Financial Highlights section beginning on page [ ].

A discussion of the basis for the Board of Trustees' approval of the Funds' investment advisory contract is available in the Funds' Semi-Annual Report to shareholders for the fiscal half-year ended September 30, 2017.

 

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Supervisory and Administrative Fee. Each Fund pays for the supervisory and administrative services it requires under what is essentially an all-in fee structure. Shareholders of each Fund pay a supervisory and administrative fee to PIMCO, computed as a percentage of the Fund's assets attributable in the aggregate to that class of shares. PIMCO, in turn, provides or procures supervisory and administrative services for shareholders and also bears the costs of various third-party services required by the Funds, including audit, custodial, portfolio accounting, legal, transfer agency and printing costs. The Funds bear other expenses which are not covered under the supervisory and administrative fee which may vary and affect the total level of expenses paid by the shareholders, such as taxes and governmental fees, brokerage fees, commissions and other transaction expenses, organizational expenses, costs of borrowing money, including interest expenses, extraordinary expenses (such as litigation and indemnification expenses) and fees and expenses of the Trust's Independent Trustees and their counsel. PIMCO generally earns a profit on the supervisory and administrative fee paid by the Funds. Also, under the terms of the supervision and administration agreement, PIMCO, and not Fund shareholders, would benefit from any price decreases in third-party services, including decreases resulting from an increase in net assets.

For the fiscal year ended March 31, 2018, the Funds paid PIMCO monthly supervisory and administrative fees at the following annual rates (stated as a percentage of the average daily net assets attributable in the aggregate to each class's shares taken separately):

Supervisory and Administrative Fee(1)


Fund

Inst
Class

I-2

Class A

Class C

PIMCO California Intermediate Municipal Bond Fund

0.22%

0.32%

0.30%

0.30%

PIMCO California Municipal Bond Fund

0.23%

0.33%

0.33%

0.33%

PIMCO California Short Duration Municipal Income Fund

0.15%

0.25%

0.30%

N/A

PIMCO High Yield Municipal Bond Fund

0.25%

0.35%

0.30%

0.30%

PIMCO Municipal Bond Fund

0.24%

0.34%

0.30%

0.30%

PIMCO National Intermediate Municipal Bond Fund

0.23%

0.33%

0.33%

0.33%

PIMCO New York Municipal Bond Fund

0.22%

0.32%

0.30%

0.30%

PIMCO Short Duration Municipal Income Fund

0.15%

0.25%

0.30%

0.30%

PIMCO Strategic Bond Fund

0.30%

0.40%

0.45%

0.45%

 

1 For details regarding changes to this rate within the last 5 years, please see the footnote disclosures for the Funds in the Financial Highlights section beginning on page [ ].

I-3 shares of the PIMCO High Yield Municipal Bond Fund, PIMCO Municipal Bond Fund, PIMCO New York Municipal Bond Fund and PIMCO Short Duration Municipal Income Fund were not operational during the fiscal year ended March 31, 2018. The supervisory and administrative fee for the I-3 shares of the PIMCO High Yield Municipal Bond Fund, PIMCO Municipal Bond Fund, PIMCO New York Municipal Bond Fund and PIMCO Short Duration Municipal Income Fund is at the following annual rate (stated as a percentage of the average daily net assets attributable to the class's shares taken separately): [ ]%, [ ]%, [ ]% and [ ]%, respectively.

Expense Limitation Agreement

Pursuant to the Expense Limitation Agreement, PIMCO has agreed to waive a portion of each Fund's supervisory and administrative fees, or reimburse the Fund, to the extent that the Fund's organizational expenses and pro rata share of Trustee fees exceed 0.0049% (the "Expense Limit") (calculated as a percentage of average daily net assets attributable to each class). The Expense Limitation Agreement will automatically renew for one-year terms unless PIMCO provides written notice to the Trust at least 30 days prior to the end of the then current term. In any month in which the supervision and administration agreement is in effect, PIMCO is entitled to reimbursement by each Fund of any portion of the supervisory and administrative fee waived or reimbursed as set forth above (the "Reimbursement Amount") during the previous thirty-six months, provided that such amount paid to PIMCO will not: 1) together with any organizational expenses and pro rata Trustee fees, exceed, for such month, the Expense Limit; 2) exceed the total Reimbursement Amount; or 3) include any amounts previously reimbursed to PIMCO.

Fee Waiver Agreement

PIMCO has contractually agreed, through July 31, 2019, to waive its supervisory and administrative fee for I-3 shares by [ ]% of the average daily net assets attributable to I-3 shares of each of PIMCO High Yield Municipal Bond Fund, PIMCO Municipal Bond Fund, PIMCO New York Municipal Bond Fund and PIMCO Short Duration Municipal Income Fund. This Fee Waiver Agreement will automatically renew for one-year terms unless PIMCO provides written notice to the Trust at least 30 days prior to the end of the then current term.

 

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PIMCO Funds

Individual Portfolio Managers

The following individuals have primary responsibility for managing each of the noted Funds.

Fund

Portfolio Manager

Since

Recent Professional Experience

PIMCO California Intermediate Municipal Bond
PIMCO California Short Duration Municipal Income
PIMCO National Intermediate Municipal Bond
PIMCO Short Duration Municipal Income

Julie Callahan

8/15
1/14
8/15
1/14

Senior Vice President, PIMCO. Ms. Callahan joined PIMCO in 2011 and is a member of the municipal bond portfolio management team. Prior to joining PIMCO, she served as a portfolio manager for municipal separately managed accounts at Western Asset Management Company. Previously, she was a director and portfolio manager for municipal money market funds with Citigroup Asset Management.

PIMCO California Intermediate Municipal Bond
PIMCO California Municipal Bond
PIMCO California Short Duration Municipal Income
PIMCO High Yield Municipal Bond
PIMCO Municipal Bond
PIMCO National Intermediate Municipal Bond
PIMCO New York Municipal Bond
PIMCO Short Duration Municipal Income

David Hammer

6/16
8/15
8/15
8/15
8/15
6/16
8/15
8/15

Executive Vice President, PIMCO. Mr. Hammer is the head of the municipal bond portfolio management team. He rejoined PIMCO in May 2015 after serving as Managing Director and Head of Municipal Trading, Risk Management and Research at Morgan Stanley, and previously he was a Senior Vice President of PIMCO. Prior to joining PIMCO in 2012, he was an Executive Director for Morgan Stanley, where he served as head of the high yield and distressed municipal bond trading group.

PIMCO Strategic Bond

Mohit Mittal

7/18

Managing Director, PIMCO. He manages investment grade credit, total return and unconstrained bond portfolios and is a member of the Americas Portfolio Committee. Previously, he was a specialist on PIMCO's interest rates and derivatives desk. Mr. Mittal joined PIMCO in 2007 and holds an MBA in finance from the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania and an undergraduate degree in computer science from Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) in Delhi, India.

PIMCO Strategic Bond

Marc P. Seidner

1/15

CIO Non-traditional Strategies and Managing Director, PIMCO. Mr. Seidner is head of portfolio management in the New York office. He is also a generalist portfolio manager and a member of the Investment Committee. He rejoined PIMCO in November 2014 after serving as head of fixed income at GMO LLC, and previously he was a PIMCO Managing Director, generalist portfolio manager and member of the Investment Committee until January 2014. Prior to joining PIMCO in 2009, he was a managing director and domestic fixed income portfolio manager at Harvard Management Company. Previously, he was director of active core strategies at Standish Mellon Asset Management and a senior portfolio manager at Fidelity Management and Research. He has investment experience since 1987 and holds an undergraduate degree in economics from Boston College.

Please see the SAI for additional information about other accounts managed by the portfolio managers, the portfolio managers' compensation and the portfolio managers' ownership of shares of the Funds.

The Trustees are responsible generally for overseeing the management of the Trust. The Trustees authorize the Trust to enter into service agreements with the Investment Adviser, the Distributor (as defined below), the Administrator and other service providers in order to provide, and in some cases authorize service providers to procure through other parties, necessary or desirable services on behalf of the Trust and the Funds. Shareholders are not parties to or third-party beneficiaries of such service agreements. Neither this prospectus nor summary prospectus, the Trust's SAI, any contracts filed as exhibits to the Trust's registration statement, nor any other communications, disclosure documents or regulatory filings from or on behalf of the Trust or a Fund creates a contract between or among any shareholder of a Fund, on the one hand, and the Trust, a Fund, a service provider to the Trust or a Fund, and/or the Trustees or officers of the Trust, on the other hand. The Trustees (or the Trust and its officers, service providers or other delegates acting under authority of the Trustees) may amend this, or use a new prospectus, summary prospectus or SAI with respect to a Fund or the Trust, and/or amend, file and/or issue any other communications, disclosure documents or regulatory filings, and may amend or enter into any contracts to which the Trust or a Fund is a party, and interpret the investment objective(s), policies, restrictions and contractual provisions applicable to any Fund, without shareholder input or approval, except in circumstances in which shareholder approval is specifically required by law (such as changes to fundamental investment policies) or where a shareholder approval requirement is specifically disclosed in the Trust's then-current prospectus or SAI.

Distributor

The Trust's Distributor is PIMCO Investments LLC (the "Distributor"). The Distributor, located at 1633 Broadway, New York, NY 10019, is a broker-dealer registered with the Securities and Exchange Commission ("SEC"). Please note all direct account requests or inquiries should be mailed to the Trust's transfer agent at P.O. Box 55060, Boston, MA 02205-5060 and should not be mailed to the Distributor.

 

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Classes of Shares

Class A, Class C, Institutional Class, I-2 and I-3 shares of the Funds are offered in this prospectus. Each share class represents an investment in the same Fund, but each class has its own expense structure and arrangements for shareholder services or distribution, which allows you to choose the class that best fits your situation and eligibility requirements.

The class of shares that is best for you depends upon a number of factors, including the amount and the intended length of your investment, the expenses borne by each class, which are detailed in the fee table and example at the front of this prospectus, any initial sales charge or contingent deferred sales charge (CDSC) applicable to a class and whether you qualify for any reduction or waiver of sales charges, and the availability of the share class for purchase by you. Certain classes have higher expenses than other classes, which may lower the return on your investment when compared to a less expensive class. Individual investors can generally invest in Class A and Class C shares. Class C shares of each Fund will automatically convert into Class A shares of the same Fund after they have been held for ten years. This automatic conversion will be executed without any sales charge, fee or other charge. After the conversion takes place, the shares will be subject to all features and expenses of Class A shares. Only certain investors may purchase Institutional Class, I-2 and I-3 shares.

The availability of sales charge waivers and discounts may depend on whether you purchase Fund shares directly from the Distributor or a financial firm. More information regarding sales charge waivers and discounts is summarized below.

The following summarizes key information about each class to help you make your investment decision, including the various expenses associated with each class and the payments made to financial firms for distribution and other services. More information about the Trust's multi-class arrangements is included in the SAI and can be obtained free of charge by visiting pimco.com or by calling 888.87.PIMCO.

Sales Charges

Initial Sales Charges — Class A Shares

This section includes important information about sales charge reduction programs available to investors in Class A shares of the Funds and describes information or records you may need to provide to the Distributor or your financial firm in order to be eligible for sales charge reduction programs.

Unless you are eligible for a waiver, the public offering price you pay when you buy Class A shares of the Funds is the NAV of the shares plus an initial sales charge. The initial sales charge varies depending upon the size of your purchase, as set forth below. No sales charge is imposed where Class A shares are issued to you pursuant to the automatic reinvestment of income dividends or capital gains distributions. For investors investing in Class A shares of the Funds through a financial firm, it is the responsibility of the financial firm to ensure that you obtain the proper "breakpoint" discount.

PIMCO California Intermediate Municipal, PIMCO California Municipal Bond, PIMCO High Yield Municipal Bond, PIMCO Municipal Bond, PIMCO National Intermediate Municipal Bond and PIMCO New York Municipal Bond Funds — Class A shares

 

Amount of Purchase

Initial Sales Charge as % of Public Offering Price

Initial Sales Charge as % of Net Amount Invested

Under $100,000

2.25%

2.30%

$100,000 but under $250,000

1.25%

1.27%

$250,000 +

0.00%*

0.00%*

 

* As shown, investors that purchase $250,000 or more of the Fund's Class A shares will not pay any initial sales charge on the purchase. However, unless eligible for a waiver, certain purchasers of $250,000 or more of Class A shares may be subject to a contingent deferred sales charge of 1.00% if the shares are redeemed during the first 12 months after their purchase. See "Contingent Deferred Sales Charges - Class A Shares" below.

PIMCO California Short Duration Municipal Income and PIMCO Short Duration Municipal Income Funds – Class A shares

 

Amount of Purchase

Initial Sales Charge as % of Public Offering Price

Initial Sales Charge as % of Net Amount Invested

Under $100,000

2.25%

2.30%

$100,000 but under $250,000

1.25%

1.27%

$250,000+

0.00%*

0.00%*

 

* As shown, investors that purchase $250,000 or more of the Fund's Class A shares will not pay any initial sales charge on the purchase. However, unless eligible for a waiver, certain purchasers of $250,000 or more of Class A shares may be subject to a contingent deferred sales charge of 1.00% if the shares are redeemed during the first 12 months after their purchase. If the financial firm through which such investors purchased their shares does not receive any upfront commission from the Distributor at the time of purchase, such investors will not be subject to a contingent deferred sales charge upon redemption. See "Contingent Deferred Sales Charges - Class A Shares" below.

All other Funds — Class A Shares

 

Amount of Purchase

Initial Sales Charge as % of Public Offering Price

Initial Sales Charge as % of Net Amount Invested

Under $100,000

3.75%

3.90%

$100,000 but under $250,000

3.25%

3.36%

$250,000 but under $500,000

2.25%

2.30%

$500,000 but under $1,000,000

1.75%

1.78%

$1,000,000 +

0.00%*

0.00%*

 

* As shown, investors that purchase $1,000,000 or more of the Fund's Class A shares will not pay any initial sales charge on the purchase. However, unless eligible for a waiver, certain purchasers of $1,000,000 or more of Class A shares may be subject to a CDSC of 1.00% if the shares are redeemed during the first 12 months after their purchase. See "Contingent Deferred Sales Charges – Class A Shares" below.

Investors in the Funds may reduce or eliminate sales charges applicable to purchases of Class A shares through utilization of the Combined Purchase Privilege, Right of Accumulation (Cumulative Quantity Discount), Letter of Intent or Reinstatement Privilege. These programs, which apply to purchases of one or more funds that are series of the Trust or PIMCO Equity Series that offer Class A shares (other than the Money Market series of the Trust)

 

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(collectively, "Eligible Funds"), are summarized below and are described in greater detail in the SAI.

Combined Purchase Privilege and Right of Accumulation (Breakpoints). A Qualifying Investor (as defined below) may qualify for a reduced sales charge on Class A shares by combining concurrent purchases of the Class A shares of one or more Eligible Funds into a single purchase (the "Combined Purchase Privilege"). In addition, a Qualifying Investor may obtain a reduced sales charge on Class A shares by adding the purchase value of Class A shares of an Eligible Fund with the current aggregate NAV of all Class A and C shares of any Eligible Fund held by accounts for the benefit of such Qualifying Investor (the "Right of Accumulation" or "Cumulative Quantity Discount").

The term "Qualifying Investor" refers to:

1.

an individual, such individual's spouse or domestic partner, as recognized by applicable state law, or such individual's children under the age of 21 years (each a "family member") (including family trust* accounts established by such a family member); or

2.

a trustee or other fiduciary for a single trust (except family trusts* noted above), estate or fiduciary account although more than one beneficiary may be involved; or

3.

an employee benefit plan of a single employer.


* For the purpose of determining whether a purchase would qualify for a reduced sales charge under the Combined Purchase Privilege, Right of Accumulation or Letter of Intent, a "family trust" is one in which a family member, as defined in section (1) above, or a direct lineal descendant(s) of such person is/are the beneficiary(ies), and such person or another family member, direct lineal ancestor or sibling of such person is/are the trustee(s).

Please see the SAI for details and for restrictions applicable to shares held by certain employer-sponsored benefit programs.

Letter of Intent. Investors may also obtain a reduced sales charge on purchases of Class A shares by means of a written Letter of Intent, which expresses an intent to invest not less than $50,000 (or $100,000 in the case of those funds with an initial sales charge breakpoint at $100,000) within a period of 13 months in Class A shares of any Eligible Fund(s). The maximum intended investment allowable in a Letter of Intent is $1,000,000 (except for Class A shares of the PIMCO California Intermediate Municipal Bond, PIMCO California Municipal Bond, PIMCO California Short Duration Municipal Income, PIMCO High Yield Municipal Bond, PIMCO Municipal Bond, PIMCO National Intermediate Municipal Bond, PIMCO New York Municipal Bond and PIMCO Short Duration Municipal Income Funds for which the maximum intended investment amount is $250,000). Each purchase of shares under a Letter of Intent will be made at the public offering price or prices applicable at the time of such purchase to a single purchase of the dollar amount indicated in the Letter of Intent. The value of the investor's account(s) linked to a Letter of Intent will be included at the start date of the Letter of Intent. A Letter of Intent is not a binding obligation to purchase the full amount indicated. Shares purchased with the first 5% of the amount indicated in the Letter of Intent will be held in escrow (while remaining registered in your name) to secure payment of the higher sales charges applicable to the shares actually purchased in the event the full intended amount is not purchased. Redemptions during the LOI period will not count against the shareholder, but a CDSC may be charged for LOIs of $1,000,000.

In making computations concerning the amount purchased for purposes of a Letter of Intent, the Right of Accumulation value of eligible accounts will be included in the computation when the Letter of Intent begins in addition to purchases made during the Letter of Intent Period.

Reinstatement Privilege. A Class A shareholder who has caused any or all of his shares to be redeemed may reinvest all or any portion of the redemption proceeds in Class A shares of any Eligible Fund at NAV without any sales charge, provided that such investment is made within 120 calendar days after the redemption date. The limitations and restrictions of this program are fully described in the SAI.

Method of Valuation of Accounts. To determine whether a shareholder qualifies for a reduction in sales charge on a purchase of Class A shares of Eligible Funds, the public offering price of the shares is used for purchases relying on the Combined Purchase Privilege or a Letter of Intent and the amount of the total current purchase (including any sales load) plus the NAV (at the close of business on the day of the current purchase) of shares previously acquired is used for the Right of Accumulation (Cumulative Quantity Discount).

Sales at Net Asset Value. In addition to the programs summarized above, the Funds may sell their Class A shares at NAV without an initial sales charge to certain types of accounts or account holders, including, but not limited to: Trustees of the Funds; employees of PIMCO and the Distributor; employees of participating brokers; certain trustees or other fiduciaries purchasing shares for retirement plans; and persons investing through certain "wrap accounts." Please see the SAI for details.

If you are eligible to buy both Class A shares and Institutional Class shares, you should buy Institutional Class shares because Class A shares may be subject to sales charges and an annual 0.25% service fee.

Required Shareholder Information and Records. In order for investors in Class A shares of the Funds to take advantage of sales charge reductions, an investor or his or her financial firm must notify the Fund that the investor qualifies for such a reduction. If the Fund is not notified that the investor is eligible for these reductions, the Fund will be unable to ensure that the reduction is applied to the investor's account. An investor may have to provide certain information or records to his or her financial firm or the Fund to verify the investor's eligibility for breakpoint discounts or sales charge waivers. An investor may be asked to provide information or records, including account statements, regarding shares of the Funds or other Eligible Funds held in:

all of the investor's accounts held directly with the Trust or through a financial firm; 

any account of the investor at another financial firm; and 

accounts of Qualifying Investors, at any financial firm.

The SAI provides additional information regarding eliminations of and reductions in sales loads associated with Eligible Funds. You can obtain the SAI free of charge from PIMCO by written request, by visiting pimco.com or by calling 888.87.PIMCO.

 

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Prospectus

Contingent Deferred Sales Charges

Class A Shares

Unless you are eligible for a waiver, if you purchase $1,000,000 ($250,000 in the case of the PIMCO California Intermediate Municipal Bond, PIMCO California Municipal Bond, PIMCO High Yield Municipal Bond, PIMCO Municipal Bond, PIMCO National Intermediate Municipal Bond and PIMCO New York Municipal Bond Funds) or more of Class A shares (and, thus, pay no initial sales charge) of a Fund other than the PIMCO California Short Duration Municipal Income and PIMCO Short Duration Municipal Income Funds, you will be subject to a 1% CDSC if you sell (redeem) your Class A shares within 12 months of their purchase. Unless you are eligible for a waiver, if you purchase $250,000 or more of Class A shares (and, thus, pay no initial sales charge) of the PIMCO California Short Duration Municipal Income and PIMCO Short Duration Municipal Income Funds, you will be subject to a 1% CDSC if you sell (redeem) your Class A shares within 12 months of their purchase. If the financial firm through which you purchased your shares does not receive any upfront commission from the Distributor at the time of purchase, you will not be subject to a CDSC upon redemption. The Class A CDSC does not apply if you are otherwise eligible to purchase Class A shares without an initial sales charge or are eligible for a waiver of the CDSC. See "Reductions and Waivers of Initial Sales Charges and CDSCs" below.

Class C Shares

Unless you are eligible for a waiver, if you sell (redeem) your Class C shares within the time periods specified below, you will pay a CDSC according to the following schedules. If you invest in Class C shares of the Funds through a financial firm, it is the responsibility of the financial firm to ensure that you are credited with the proper holding period for the shares redeemed.

Class C Shares

 


Years Since Purchase Payment was Made

Percentage
Contingent Deferred
Sales Charge

First

1%

Thereafter

0%

How CDSCs will be Calculated

A CDSC is imposed on redemptions of Class C shares (and where applicable, Class A shares) on the amount of the redemption which causes the current value of your account for the particular class of shares of the Fund to fall below the total dollar amount of your purchase payments subject to the CDSC.

The following rules apply under the method for calculating CDSCs:

Shares acquired through the reinvestment of dividends or capital gains distributions will be redeemed first and will not be subject to any CDSC.

For the redemption of all other shares, the CDSC will be based on either your original purchase price or the then current NAV of the shares being sold, whichever is lower. To illustrate this point, consider shares purchased at an NAV of $10. If the Fund's NAV per share at the time of redemption is $12, the CDSC will apply to the purchase price of $10. If the NAV per share at the time of redemption is $8, the CDSC will apply to the $8 current NAV per share.

CDSCs will be deducted from the proceeds of your redemption, not from amounts remaining in your account.

In determining whether a CDSC is payable, it is assumed that you will redeem first the lot of shares which will incur the lowest CDSC.

For example, the following illustrates the operation of the Class C CDSC:

Assume that an individual opens an account and makes a purchase payment of $10,000 for 1,000 Class C shares of a Fund (at $10 per share) and that six months later the value of the investor's account for that Fund has grown through investment performance to $11,000 ($11 per share). If the investor should redeem $2,200 (200 shares), a CDSC would be applied against $2,000 of the redemption (the purchase price of the shares redeemed, because the purchase price is lower than the current NAV of such shares ($2,200)). At the rate of 1%, the Class C CDSC would be $20.

Reductions and Waivers of Initial Sales Charges and CDSCs

The initial sales charges on Class A shares and the CDSCs on Class A and Class C shares may be reduced or waived under certain purchase arrangements and for certain categories of investors. Please see the SAI for details.

A redemption by a Class A shareholder who purchased, through a financial firm, $250,000 or more of Class A shares of the PIMCO California Short Duration Municipal Income and PIMCO Short Duration Municipal Income Funds (and, thus, did not pay an initial sales charge) will not be subject to a CDSC where the Distributor did not pay at the time of purchase an upfront commission to the financial firm but began paying distribution and/or shareholder services fees immediately.

Shares Purchased or Held Through Financial Firms

The availability of sales charge waivers and discounts may depend on the particular financial firm or type of account through which you purchase or hold Fund shares. The Funds' sales charge waivers and discounts disclosed in this Prospectus are available for qualifying purchases made directly from the Distributor and are generally available through financial firms unless otherwise specified in Appendix B. The sales charge waivers and discounts available through certain other financial firms are set forth in Appendix B to this Prospectus (Financial Firm-Specific Sales Charge Waivers and Discounts), which may differ from those available for purchases made directly from the Distributor or certain other financial firms. Please contact your financial firm for more information regarding sales charge waivers and discounts available to you and the financial firm's related policies and procedures.

No Sales Charges — Institutional Class, I-2 and I-3 Shares

The Funds do not impose any sales charges or other fees on purchases, redemptions or exchanges of Institutional Class, I-2 or I-3 shares. Only certain investors are eligible to purchase these share classes. Your financial advisor or financial firm can help you determine if you are eligible to purchase Institutional Class, I-2 or I-3 shares. You can also call 888.87.PIMCO.

 

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An investor transacting in Institutional Class, I-2 or I-3 shares may be required to pay a commission to a broker or other financial firm. Other share classes of the Funds that have different fees and expenses are available. Other share classes of the Funds that have different fees and expenses are available.

Pension and profit-sharing plans, employee benefit trusts and employee benefit plan alliances, and "wrap account" programs established with broker-dealers or other financial firms may purchase Institutional Class, I-2 or I-3 shares only if the plan or program for which the shares are being acquired will maintain an omnibus or pooled account for each Fund and will not require a Fund to pay any type of administrative payment per participant account to any third party.

Institutional Class shares are offered primarily for direct investment by investors such as pension and profit sharing plans, employee benefit trusts, endowments, foundations, corporations and high net worth individuals. Institutional Class shares may also be offered through certain financial firms that charge their customers transaction or other fees with respect to their customers' investments in the Funds.

I-2 shares are offered primarily through broker-dealers and other financial firms with which the Distributor has an agreement for the use of the share class in investment products, programs or accounts such as certain asset allocation, wrap fee and other similar programs. I-2 shares may also be offered through broker-dealers and other financial firms that charge their customers transaction or other fees with respect to their customers' investments in the Funds. I-2 shares of the Funds will be held in an account at a financial firm and, generally, the firm will hold a shareholder's I-2 shares in nominee or street name as your agent. In most cases, the Trust's transfer agent will have no information with respect to or control over accounts of specific I-2 shareholders, and a shareholder may obtain information about accounts only through the financial firm. Broker-dealers, other financial firms, pension and profit-sharing plans, employee benefit trusts and employee benefit plan alliances also may purchase I-2 shares.

I-3 shares of the Funds are offered primarily through broker-dealers and other financial firms with which the Distributor has an agreement for the use of the share class in investment products, programs or accounts such as mutual fund supermarkets or other no transaction fee platforms. I-3 shares of the Funds will be held in an account at a financial firm and, generally, the firm will hold a shareholder's I-3 shares in nominee or street name as your agent. In most cases, the Trust's transfer agent will have no information with respect to or control over accounts of specific I-3 shareholders, and a shareholder may obtain information about accounts only through the financial firm. Broker-dealers, other financial firms, pension and profit-sharing plans, employee benefit trusts and employee benefit plan alliances also may purchase I-3 shares.

Distribution and Servicing (12b-1) Plans

Class A and Class C shares. The Funds pay fees to the Distributor on an ongoing basis as compensation for the services the Distributor renders and the expenses it bears in connection with the sale and distribution of Fund shares ("distribution fees") and/or in connection with personal services rendered to Fund shareholders and the maintenance of shareholder accounts ("servicing fees"). These payments are made pursuant to Distribution and Servicing Plans ("12b-1 Plans") adopted by each Fund pursuant to Rule 12b-1 under the 1940 Act.

Class A shares pay only servicing fees. Class C shares pay both distribution and servicing fees. The following lists the maximum annual rates at which the distribution and/or servicing fees may be paid under each 12b-1 Plan (calculated as a percentage of each Fund's average daily net assets attributable to the particular class of shares):

Class A

Servicing Fee

Distribution Fee

All Funds

0.25%

0.00%

 

Class C

Servicing Fee

Distribution Fee

PIMCO California Short Duration Municipal Income Fund

0.25%

0.30%

PIMCO Municipal Bond Fund

0.25%

0.50%

PIMCO National Intermediate Municipal Bond Fund

0.25%

0.50%

PIMCO Short Duration Municipal Income Fund

0.25%

0.30%

All other Funds

0.25%

0.75%

Because distribution fees are paid out of the Fund's assets on an ongoing basis, over time these fees will increase the cost of your investment and may cost you more than other types of sales charges, such as sales charges that are deducted at the time of investment. Therefore, although Class C shares do not pay initial sales charges, the distribution fees payable on Class C shares may, over time, cost you more than the initial sales charge imposed on Class A shares.

Servicing Arrangements

Shares of the Funds may be available through broker-dealers, banks, trust companies, insurance companies and other financial firms that have entered into shareholder servicing arrangements with respect to the Funds. A financial firm is one that, in exchange for compensation, sells, among other products, mutual fund shares (including the shares offered in this prospectus) or provides services for mutual fund shareholders. These financial firms provide varying investment products, programs, platforms and accounts, through which investors may purchase, redeem and exchange shares of the Funds. Shareholder servicing arrangements typically include processing orders for shares, generating account and confirmation statements, sub-accounting, account maintenance, tax reporting, collecting and posting distributions to investor accounts and disbursing cash dividends as well as other investment or administrative services required for the particular firm's products, programs, platform and accounts.

PIMCO and/or its affiliates may make payments to financial firms for the shareholder services provided. These payments are made out of PIMCO's resources, including the supervisory and administrative fees paid to PIMCO under the Funds' supervision and administration agreement. The actual services provided by these firms, and the payments made for such services, vary from firm to firm. The payments may be based on a fixed dollar amount for each account and position maintained by the financial firm and/or a percentage of the value of shares held by investors through the firm. Please see the SAI for more information.

These payments may be material to financial firms relative to other compensation paid by the Funds, PIMCO and/or its affiliates and may be in

 

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addition to other fees and payments, such as distribution and/or service (12b-1) fees, revenue sharing or "shelf space" fees and event support, other non-cash compensation and charitable contributions paid to or at the request of such firms (described below). Also, the payments may differ depending on the Fund or share class and may vary from amounts paid to the Funds' transfer agent for providing similar services to other accounts. PIMCO and/or its affiliates do not control these financial firms' provision of the services for which they are receiving payments.

These financial firms may impose additional or different conditions than the Funds on purchases, redemptions or exchanges of shares. They may also independently establish and charge their customers or program participants transaction fees, account fees and other amounts in connection with purchases, redemptions and exchanges of shares in addition to any fees imposed by the Funds. These additional fees may vary and over time could increase the cost of an investment in the Funds and lower investment returns. Each financial firm is responsible for transmitting to its customers and program participants a schedule of any such fees and information regarding any additional or different conditions regarding purchases, redemptions and exchanges. Shareholders who are customers of these financial firms or participants in programs serviced by them should contact the financial firm for information regarding these fees and conditions.

Other Payments to Financial Firms

Some or all of the sales charges, distribution fees and servicing fees described above are paid or "reallowed" to the financial firm, including their financial advisors through which you purchase your shares. With respect to Class C shares, the financial firms are also paid at the time of your purchase a commission of up to 1.00% of your investment in such share class. Please see the SAI for more details.

The Distributor or PIMCO (for purposes of this subsection only, collectively, the "Distributor") may from time to time make payments and provide other incentives to selected financial firms as compensation for services such as providing the Funds with "shelf space" or a higher profile for the financial firms' financial advisors and their customers, placing the Funds on the financial firms' preferred or recommended fund list, granting the Distributor access to the firms' financial advisors and furnishing marketing support and other specified services. These payments may be significant to the financial firms.

A number of factors will be considered in determining the amount of these payments to financial firms. On some occasions, such payments may be conditioned upon levels of sales, including the sale of a specified minimum dollar amount of the shares of the Funds, other funds sponsored by the Distributor and/or a particular class of shares, during a specified period of time. The Distributor may also make payments to one or more financial firms based upon factors such as the amount of assets a financial firm's clients have invested in the Funds and the quality of the financial firm's relationship with the Distributor.

The additional payments described above are made from the Distributor's or PIMCO's (or their affiliates') own assets (and sometimes, therefore referred to as "revenue sharing") pursuant to agreements with broker-dealers or other financial firms and do not change the price paid by investors for the purchase of a Fund's shares or the amount a Fund will receive as proceeds from such sales. These payments may be made to financial firms (as selected by the Distributor) that have sold significant amounts of shares of the Funds. With respect to Class A and C shares, except as described in the following paragraph, the level of payments made to a financial firm in any future year will vary and generally will not exceed the sum of: (a) 0.10% of such year's sales of Class A and C shares of funds of the Trust and PIMCO Equity Series by such financial firm; and (b) 0.03% of the assets attributable to that financial firm invested in Class A and C shares of funds of the Trust and PIMCO Equity Series (the "10/3 cap"). In certain cases, the payments described in the preceding sentence are subject to certain minimum payment levels. In lieu of payments pursuant to the foregoing formula, the Distributor, PIMCO or their affiliates may make payments of an agreed upon amount which generally will not exceed the amount that would have been payable pursuant to the formula.

Financial firms with a combined AUM in excess of $10 Billion in Class A, C and I-2 shares of funds of the Trust and PIMCO Equity Series (for purposes of this paragraph, "Eligible Firms") may be eligible for marketing support payments beyond those described in the preceding paragraph on certain Eligible Assets (as defined below). The total payment to any Eligible Firm generally shall not exceed the greater of: (a) 0.05% of the combined Eligible Assets of Class A, C and I-2 shares of funds of the Trust and PIMCO Equity Series; or (b) the 10/3 cap with respect to Class A and Class C shares only. Should any Eligible Firm choose not to collect marketing support on I-2 shares, the total payment to such Eligible Firm generally shall not exceed the greater of: (x) 0.05% of Eligible Assets of Class A and C shares of funds of the Trust and PIMCO Equity Series; or (y) the 10/3 cap with respect to Class A and Class C shares only. With respect to the Eligible Firms receiving marketing support payments with respect to I-2 Shares pursuant to this paragraph, payments may be lower for particular funds of the Trust or PIMCO Equity Series as compared to other funds of the Trust or PIMCO Equity Series. "Eligible Assets" for purposes of this paragraph shall include all assets of Class A, C and I-2 shares of funds of the Trust and PIMCO Equity Series attributable to such Eligible Firm except advisory account assets held through a corporate retirement plan governed by the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974, Simplified Employee Pension Individual Retirement Accounts and Savings Incentive Match Plans for Individual Retirement Accounts.

Payments for marketing support may also include payments to financial firms in connection with the marketing and sale of model portfolios developed by PIMCO. Such payments may relate to assets under management or sales of any share class of the Funds in such PIMCO-developed models.

In addition to the foregoing payments, the Distributor or its employees and representatives may make payments or reimburse financial firms for sponsorship and/or attendance at conferences, seminars or informational meetings ("event support"), provide financial firms or their personnel with occasional tickets to events or other entertainment, meals, and small gifts ("other non-cash compensation"), make charitable contributions to valid charitable organizations at the request of financial firms ("charitable contributions") and make financial contributions pertaining to sales incentives and contests, each to the extent permitted by applicable law, rules and regulations.

 

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In addition, wholesaler representatives of the Distributor visit financial firms on a regular basis to market and educate financial advisors and other personnel about the Funds. These payments, reimbursements and activities may provide additional access to financial advisors at these financial firms, which may increase purchases and/or reduce redemptions of Fund shares.

The Distributor also may pay financial firms for certain services including technology, operations, tax, or audit consulting services, and may pay such firms for the Distributor's attendance at investment forums sponsored by such firms or for various studies, surveys, or access to databases. Subject to applicable law, PIMCO and its affiliates may also provide investment advisory services to financial firms and may execute brokerage transactions on behalf of the Funds with such financial firms. These financial firms may, in the ordinary course of their business, recommend that their clients utilize PIMCO's investment advisory services or invest in the Funds or in other products sponsored or distributed by the Distributor.

If investment advisers, distributors or affiliates of mutual funds make payments and provide other incentives in differing amounts, financial firms and their financial advisors may have financial incentives for recommending a particular mutual fund over other mutual funds. In addition, depending on the arrangements in place at any particular time, a financial firm and its financial advisors may also have a financial incentive for recommending a particular share class over other share classes. A shareholder who holds Fund shares through a financial firm should consult with the shareholder's financial advisor and review carefully any disclosure by the financial firm as to its compensation received by the financial advisor.

Although the Funds may use financial firms that sell Fund shares to effect transactions for the Funds' portfolios, the Funds and PIMCO will not consider the sale of Fund shares as a factor when choosing financial firms to effect those transactions.

For further details about payments made by the Distributor to financial firms, please see the SAI.

Purchases, Redemptions and Exchanges

The following section provides basic information about how to purchase, redeem and exchange shares of the Funds.

More detailed information about purchase, redemption and exchange arrangements for Fund shares is provided in the SAI, which can be obtained free of charge by written request to the Funds at P.O. Box 55060, Boston, MA 02205-5060, visiting pimco.com or by calling 888.87.PIMCO. The SAI provides technical information about the basic arrangements described below and also describes special purchase, sale and exchange features and programs offered by the Trust, including:

Automated telephone and wire transfer procedures

Automatic purchase, exchange and withdrawal programs

A link from your PIMCO Fund account to your bank account

Special arrangements for tax-qualified retirement plans

Investment programs which allow you to reduce or eliminate the initial sales charges

Categories of investors that are eligible for waivers or reductions of initial sales charges and CDSCs

In addition to the other methods and notwithstanding any limitations described herein, shareholders with eligible Fund direct accounts may purchase Class A and Class C shares, and redeem (sell) and exchange Class A and Class C shares, by accessing their accounts online at pimco.com/MyAccountAccess.  Shareholders with eligible Fund direct accounts in the Institutional class may purchase, redeem (sell) and exchange shares by accessing their accounts online at pimco.com/InstitutionalAccountAccess. Accordingly, an investor must first establish a Fund direct account by completing and mailing the appropriate account application. Online redemptions are not available for all Fund direct accounts because in certain cases, a signature guarantee may be required.

If a shareholder elects to use Account Access to effect transactions for their Fund direct account, the shareholder will be required to establish and use a user ID and password. Shareholders are responsible for keeping their user IDs and passwords private. A Fund will not be liable for relying on any instructions submitted online. Submitting transactions online may be difficult (or impossible) during drastic economic or market changes or during other times when communications may be under unusual stress. Please see the Funds' SAI for additional terms, conditions and considerations.

If a shareholder elects not to use Account Access to view their account or effect transactions, the shareholder should not establish online account access.  If online account access has already been established and the client no longer wants the account accessible online, the client can call 888.87.PIMCO and request to suspend online access.

The Trust typically does not offer or sell its shares to non-U.S. residents. For purposes of this policy, a U.S. resident is defined as an account with (i) a U.S. address of record and (ii) all account owners residing in the U.S. at the time of sale.

The minimum initial investment may be modified for certain financial firms that submit orders on behalf of their customers. The Trust or the Distributor may lower or waive the minimum initial or subsequent investment for certain categories of investors at their discretion. Please see the SAI for details.

The minimum initial investment may be modified for certain financial firms that submit orders on behalf of their customers. The Trust or the Distributor may lower or waive the minimum initial or subsequent investment for certain categories of investors at their discretion. Please see the SAI for details.

Purchasing Shares — Class A and Class C

You can purchase Class A or Class C shares of the Funds in the following ways:

Through your broker-dealer or other financial firm. Your broker-dealer or other financial firm may establish higher minimum investment requirements than the Trust and may also independently charge you transaction fees and additional amounts (which may vary) in return for its services, which will reduce your return. Shares you purchase through your broker-dealer or other financial firm will normally be held in your account with that firm.

 

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Through the Distributor. You should discuss your investment with your financial advisor before you make a purchase to be sure the Fund is appropriate for you. To make direct investments, you must open an account with the Trust and send payment for your shares either by mail or through a variety of other purchase options and plans offered by the Trust. If you do not list a financial advisor and his/her brokerage firm on the Account Application, the Distributor is designated as the broker of record, but solely for purposes of acting as your agent to purchase shares.

Investment Minimums — Class A and Class C Shares. The following investment minimums apply for purchases of Class A and Class C shares.

To invest directly by mail, specified benefit plans should send a check payable to the PIMCO Family of Funds, along with a completed Account Application to the Trust by mail to PIMCO Funds, P.O. Box 55060, Boston, MA 02205-5060 or overnight courier to PIMCO Funds, c/o Boston Financial Data Services, Inc., 30 Dan Road, Canton, MA 02021-2809.

The Funds accept all purchases by mail subject to collection of checks at full value and conversion into federal funds. Investors may make subsequent purchases by mailing a check to the address above with a letter describing the investment or with the additional investment portion of a confirmation statement. Checks for subsequent purchases should be payable to the PIMCO Family of Funds and should clearly indicate the relevant account number. Please call the Funds at 888.87.PIMCO if you have any questions regarding purchases by mail.

The Funds reserve the right to require payment by wire, Automatic Clearing House (ACH) or U.S. bank check. The Funds generally do not accept payments made by cash, money order, temporary/starter checks, third-party checks, credit card checks, traveler's check, or checks drawn on non-U.S. banks even if payment may be effected through a U.S. bank.

The SAI describes a number of additional ways you can make direct investments, including through the PIMCO Funds Automatic Investment Plan and ACH Network. You can obtain the SAI free of charge from the Funds by written request to the address above, visiting pimco.com or by calling 888.87.PIMCO.

Purchasing Shares — Institutional Class, I-2 and I-3

Eligible investors may purchase Institutional Class, I-2 and I-3 shares of the Funds at the relevant NAV of that class without a sales charge. See "No Sales Charges — Institutional Class, I-2 and I-3 Shares" above.

 Investment Minimums — Institutional Class, I-2 and I-3 Shares. The following investment minimums apply for purchases of Institutional Class, I-2 and I-3 shares.

Initial Investment. Investors who wish to invest in Institutional Class shares may obtain an Account Application online at pimco.com or by calling 888.87.PIMCO. I-2 and I-3 shares are only available through financial firms. See "No Sales Charges — Institutional Class, I-2 and I-3 Shares." The completed Account Application may be submitted using the following methods:

Facsimile: 816.421.2861

Regular Mail:
    PIMCO Funds
    c/o DST Asset Manager Solutions
    330 W. 9th Street
    Kansas City, MO 64105

E-mail: piprocess@dstsystems.com

Except as described below, an investor may purchase Institutional Class shares only by wiring federal funds to:

PIMCO Funds c/o State Street Bank & Trust Co.
One Lincoln Street, Boston, MA 02111
ABA: 011000028
DDA: 9905-7432
ACCT: Investor PIMCO Account Number
FFC: Name of Investor and Name of Fund(s) in which you wish to invest

Before wiring federal funds, the investor must provide order instructions to the Transfer Agent by facsimile at 816.421.2861, by telephone at 888.87.PIMCO or by e-mail at piprocess@dstsystems.com (if an investor elected this option at account opening or subsequently in writing). In order to receive the current day's NAV, order instructions must be received in good order prior to market close. Instructions must include the name and signature of an authorized person designated on the Account Application ("Authorized Person"), account name, account number, name of Fund and share class and amount being wired. Wires received without order instructions may result in a processing delay or a return of wire. Failure to send the accompanying wire on the same day may result in the cancellation of the order.

An investor may place a purchase order for shares without first wiring federal funds if the purchase amount is to be derived from an advisory account managed by PIMCO or one of its affiliates, or from an account with a broker-dealer or other financial firm that has established a processing relationship with the Trust on behalf of its customers.

Additional Investments. An investor may purchase additional Institutional Class shares of the Funds at any time by sending a facsimile or e-mail or by calling the Transfer Agent and wiring federal funds as outlined above. Eligible Institutional Class shareholders may also purchase additional shares online at pimco.com/InstitutionalAccountAccess. Contact your financial firm for information on purchasing additional I-2 or I-3 shares. 

Other Purchase Information. Purchases of a Fund's Institutional Class, I-2 and I-3 shares will be made in full and fractional shares.

Purchasing Shares — Additional Information

The Trust and the Distributor each reserves the right, in its sole discretion, to suspend the offering of shares of the Funds or to reject any purchase order,

 

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in whole or in part, when, in the judgment of management, such suspension or rejection is in the best interests of the Trust.

Subject to the approval of the Trust, an investor may purchase shares of the Fund with liquid securities that are eligible for purchase by the Fund (consistent with the Fund's investment policies and restrictions) and that have a value that is readily ascertainable in accordance with the Trust's valuation policies. These transactions will be effected only if PIMCO intends to retain the security in the Fund as an investment. Assets purchased by the Fund in such a transaction will be valued in generally the same manner as they would be valued for purposes of pricing the Fund's shares, if such assets were included in the Fund's assets at the time of purchase. The Trust reserves the right to amend or terminate this practice at any time.

In the interest of economy and convenience, certificates for shares will not be issued.

Redeeming Shares — Class A and Class C

You can redeem (sell) Class A or Class C shares of the Funds in the following ways: 

Through your broker-dealer or other financial firm. Your broker-dealer or other financial firm may independently charge you transaction fees and additional amounts in return for its services, which will reduce your return.

Redemptions by Telephone. An investor that elects this option on the Account Application (or subsequently in writing) may request redemptions of Class A and Class C shares by calling the Trust at 888.87.PIMCO. An Authorized Person must state his or her name, account name, account number, name of Fund and share class, and redemption amount (in dollars or shares). Redemption requests of an amount of $10 million or more must be submitted in writing by an Authorized Person.

Directly from the Trust by Written Request. To redeem shares directly from the Trust by written request, you must send the following items to the PIMCO Funds, P.O. Box 55060, Boston, MA 02205-5060:

1.

a written request for redemption signed by all registered owners exactly as the account is registered on the Transfer Agent's records, including fiduciary titles, if any, and specifying the account number and the dollar amount or number of shares to be redeemed;

2.

for certain redemptions described below, a guarantee of all signatures on the written request or on the share certificate or accompanying stock power, if required, as described under "Signature Validation" below;

3.

any share certificates issued for any of the shares to be redeemed (see "Certificated Shares" below); and

4.

any additional documents which may be required by the Transfer Agent for redemption by corporations, partnerships or other organizations, executors, administrators, trustees, custodians or guardians, or if the redemption is requested by anyone other than the shareholder(s) of record. Transfers of shares are subject to the same requirements.

A signature validation is not required for redemptions requested by and payable to all shareholders of record for the account, and to be sent to the address of record for that account. To avoid delay in redemption or transfer, if you have any questions about these requirements you should contact the Transfer Agent in writing or call 888.87.PIMCO before submitting a request. Written redemption or transfer requests will not be honored until all required documents in the proper form have been received by the Transfer Agent. You cannot redeem your shares by written request if they are held in "street name" accounts—you must redeem through your financial firm.

If the proceeds of your redemption (i) are to be paid to a person other than the record owner, (ii) are to be sent to an address other than the address of the account on the Transfer Agent's records, and/or (iii) are to be paid to a corporation, partnership, trust or fiduciary, the signature(s) on the redemption request and on the certificates, if any, or stock power must be guaranteed as described under "Signature Validation" below.

The SAI describes a number of additional ways you can redeem your shares, including: 

Telephone requests to the Transfer Agent

Online Account Access

Expedited wire transfers 

Automatic Withdrawal Plan 

Automated Clearing House (ACH) Network

Unless you specifically elect otherwise, your initial Account Application permits you to redeem shares by telephone subject to certain requirements. To be eligible for expedited wire transfer, Automatic Withdrawal Plan, and ACH privileges, you must specifically elect the particular option on your Account Application and satisfy certain other requirements. The SAI describes each of these options and provides additional information about selling shares.

Other than an applicable CDSC, you will not pay any special fees or charges to the Trust or the Distributor when you sell your shares. However, if you sell your shares through your broker, dealer or other financial firm, that firm may charge you a commission or other fee for processing your redemption request.

Redeeming Shares — Institutional Class

Redemptions in Writing. Investors may redeem (sell) Institutional Class shares by sending a facsimile, written request or e-mail as follows:

Facsimile: 816.421.2861
Regular Mail:
    PIMCO Funds
    c/o DST Asset Manager Solutions
    330 W. 9th Street
    Kansas City, MO 64105
E-mail: piprocess@dstsystems.com

The redemption request should state the Fund from which the shares are to be redeemed, the class of shares, the number or dollar amount of the shares to be redeemed and the account number. The request must be signed or made by an Authorized Person.

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accordance with the procedures described in this prospectus. Shareholders should realize that by utilizing fax or e-mail redemption, they may be giving up a measure of security that they might have if they were to redeem their shares by mail. Furthermore, interruptions in service may mean that a shareholder will be unable to effect a redemption by fax or e-mail when desired. The Transfer Agent also provides written confirmation of transactions as a procedure designed to confirm that instructions are genuine.

All redemptions, whether initiated by mail, fax or e-mail, will be processed in a timely manner, and proceeds will be forwarded by wire in accordance with the redemption policies of the Trust detailed below. See "Redeeming Shares — Additional Information."

Redemptions by Telephone. An investor that elects this option on the Account Application (or subsequently in writing) may request redemptions of Institutional Class shares by calling the Trust at 888.87.PIMCO. An Authorized Person must state his or her name, account name, account number, name of Fund and share class, and redemption amount (in dollars or shares). Redemption requests of an amount of $10 million or more must be submitted in writing by an Authorized Person. 

In electing a telephone redemption, the investor authorizes PIMCO and the Transfer Agent to act on telephone instructions from any person representing him or herself to be an Authorized Person, and reasonably believed by PIMCO or the Transfer Agent to be genuine. Neither the Trust nor the Transfer Agent may be liable for any loss, cost or expense for acting on instructions (including by telephone) believed by the party receiving such instructions to be genuine and in accordance with the procedures described in this prospectus. Shareholders should realize that by electing the telephone option, they may be giving up a measure of security that they might have if they were to redeem their shares in writing. Furthermore, interruptions in service may mean that shareholders will be unable to redeem their shares by telephone when desired. The Transfer Agent also provides written confirmation of transactions initiated by telephone as a procedure designed to confirm that telephone instructions are genuine. All telephone transactions are recorded, and PIMCO or the Transfer Agent may request certain information in order to verify that the person giving instructions is authorized to do so. The Trust or Transfer Agent may be liable for any losses due to unauthorized or fraudulent telephone transactions if it fails to employ reasonable procedures to confirm that instructions communicated by telephone are genuine. All redemptions initiated by telephone will be processed in a timely manner, and proceeds will be forwarded by wire in accordance with the redemption policies of the Trust detailed below. See "Redeeming Shares — Additional Information."

An Authorized Person may decline telephone exchange or redemption privileges after an account is opened by providing the Transfer Agent a letter of instruction signed by an Authorized Signer. Shareholders may experience delays in exercising telephone redemption privileges during periods of abnormal market activity. During periods of volatile economic or market conditions, shareholders may wish to consider transmitting redemption orders by facsimile, e-mail or overnight courier. Defined contribution plan participants may request redemptions by contacting the employee benefits office, the plan administrator or the organization that provides recordkeeping services for the plan.

Redemptions Online

An investor may redeem Institutional Class shares through their account online. To access your online account, please log onto pimco.com/InstitutionalAccountAccess and enter your account information and personal identification data.

Redeeming Shares — I-2 and I-3

An investor may redeem (sell) I-2 or I-3 shares through the investor's financial firm.  Investors do not pay any fees or other charges to the Trust when selling I-2 or I-3 shares.  Please contact the financial firm for details.

A financial firm is obligated to transmit an investor's redemption orders to the Transfer Agent promptly and is responsible for ensuring that a redemption request is in proper form. The financial firm will be responsible  for furnishing all necessary documentation to the Transfer Agent and may charge for its services.

A financial firm is obligated to transmit an investor's redemption orders to the Transfer Agent promptly and is responsible for ensuring that a redemption request is in proper form. The financial firm will be responsible for furnishing all necessary documentation to the Transfer Agent and may charge for its services.

Redeeming Shares — Additional Information

Redemptions of all Classes of Fund shares may be made on any day the New York Stock Exchange ("NYSE") is open, but may be suspended when trading on the NYSE is restricted or during an emergency which makes it impracticable for the Funds to dispose of their securities or to determine fairly the value of their net assets, or during any other period as permitted by the SEC for the protection of investors. Under these and other unusual circumstances, the Trust may suspend redemptions or postpone payment for more than seven days, as permitted by law.

Following the receipt of a redemption request, redemption proceeds will normally be mailed to the redeeming shareholder within three calendar days or, in the case of wire transfer or ACH redemptions, will normally be sent to the designated bank account within one business day. Institutional Class shareholders may only receive redemption proceeds via wire transfer or ACH redemptions. ACH redemptions may be received by the bank on the second or third business day following a redemption request, but in either case may take up to seven days. In cases where shares have recently been purchased by personal check (Class A or Class C shareholders only), redemption proceeds may be withheld until the check has been collected, which may take up to 10 calendar days. To avoid such withholding, investors in Class A or  Class C shares should purchase shares by certified or bank check or by wire transfer.

For shareholder protection, a request to change information contained in an account registration (for example, a request to change the bank designated to receive wire redemption proceeds) must be received in writing, signed by the minimum number of Authorized Persons designated on the completed Account Application that are required to effect a redemption, and accompanied by a signature validation, as determined in accordance with the Trust's procedures, as more fully described below.

 

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Retirement plan sponsors, participant recordkeeping organizations and other financial firms may also impose their own restrictions, limitations or fees in connection with transactions in the Funds' shares, which may be stricter than those described in this section. You should contact your plan sponsor, recordkeeper or financial intermediary for more information on any additional restrictions, limitations or fees that are imposed in connection with transactions in Fund shares.

In order to meet redemption requests, the Funds typically expect to use a combination of sales of portfolio assets, holdings of cash and cash equivalents (including cash flows into Funds) and financing transactions (such as reverse repurchase agreements).These methods of meeting redemption requests are expected to be used regularly. The Funds reserve the right to use other types of borrowings and interfund lending.The use of borrowings (such as a line of credit) and interfund lending in order to meet redemption requests is typically expected to be used only during stressed market conditions, if at all. See "Characteristics and Risks of Securities and Investment Techniques—Reverse Repurchase Agreements, Dollar Rolls and Other Borrowings" and the SAI for more information. The Funds' use of redemptions in kind is discussed below.

Redemptions In Kind

The Trust has agreed to redeem shares of each Fund solely in cash up to the lesser of $250,000 or 1% of the Fund's net assets during any 90-day period for any one shareholder. In consideration of the best interests of the remaining shareholders, the Trust may pay any redemption proceeds exceeding this amount in whole or in part by a distribution in kind of securities held by a Fund in lieu of cash. It is highly unlikely that your shares would ever be redeemed in kind. If your shares are redeemed in kind, you should expect to incur transaction costs upon the disposition of the securities received in the distribution.

Certificated Shares

If you are redeeming shares for which certificates have been issued, the certificates must be mailed to or deposited with the Trust, duly endorsed or accompanied by a duly endorsed stock power or by a written request for redemption. Signatures must be guaranteed as described under "Signature Validation" below. The Trust may request further documentation from institutions or fiduciary accounts, such as corporations, custodians (e.g., under the Uniform Gifts to Minors Act), executors, administrators, trustees or guardians. Your redemption request and stock power must be signed exactly as the account is registered, including indication of any special capacity of the registered owner.

Signature Validation

When a signature validation is called for, a Medallion signature guarantee or Signature validation program (SVP) stamp may be required. A Medallion signature guarantee is intended to provide signature validation for transactions considered financial in nature, and an SVP stamp is intended to provide signature validation for transactions non-financial in nature. In certain situations, a notarized signature may be used instead of a Medallion signature guarantee or an SVP stamp. A Medallion signature guarantee or SVP stamp may be obtained from a domestic bank or trust company, broker, dealer, clearing agency, savings association or other financial institution which is participating in a Medallion program or Signature validation program recognized by the Securities Transfer Association. When a Medallion signature guarantee or SVP stamp is required, signature validations from financial institutions which are not participating in one of these programs will not be accepted. Please note that financial institutions participating in a recognized Medallion program may still be ineligible to provide a signature validation for transactions of greater than a specified dollar amount. The Trust may change the signature validation requirements from time to time upon notice to shareholders, which may be given by means of a new or supplemented prospectus. Shareholders should contact the Transfer Agent for additional details regarding the Funds' signature validation requirements.

In addition, corporations, trusts, and other institutional organizations are required to furnish evidence of the authority of the persons designated on the Account Application to effect transactions for the organization.

Minimum Account Size

Due to the relatively high cost of maintaining small accounts, the Trust reserves the right to redeem shares in any account that falls below the values listed below.

Class A and Class C. Investors should maintain an account balance in the Fund held by an investor of at least the minimum investment necessary to open the particular type of account. If an investor's balance for the Fund remains below the minimum for three months or longer, the Administrator has the right (except in the case of employer-sponsored retirement accounts) to redeem an investor's remaining shares and close the Fund account after giving the investor 60 days to increase the account balance. An investor's account will not be liquidated if the reduction in size is due solely to a decline in market value of Fund shares or if the aggregate value of all the investor's holdings in the Trust and PIMCO Equity Series accounts exceeds $50,000. 

Institutional Class. The Trust reserves the right to redeem Institutional Class shares in any account for their then-current value (which will be promptly paid to the investor) if at any time, due to redemption by the investor, the shares in the account do not have a value of at least $100,000. A shareholder will receive advance notice of a mandatory redemption and will be given at least 60 days to bring the value of its account up to at least $100,000.

Request for Multiple Copies of Shareholder Documents

To reduce expenses, it is intended that only one copy of the Funds' prospectus and each annual and semi-annual report, when available, will be mailed to those addresses shared by two or more accounts. If you wish to receive individual copies of these documents and your shares are held directly with the Trust, call the Trust at 888.87.PIMCO. You will receive the additional copy within 30 days after receipt of your request by the Trust. Alternatively, if your shares are held through a financial institution, please contact the financial institution directly.

 

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Exchanging Shares

You may exchange shares of a Fund for the same class of shares of any other fund of the Trust or a fund of PIMCO Equity Series that offers the same class of shares, subject to any restriction on exchanges set forth in the applicable Fund's prospectus. Shareholders interested in such an exchange may request a prospectus for these other funds by contacting the Trust.

Exchanges of Class A and Class C shares are subject to an initial $1,000 minimum (and subsequent $50 minimum) for each Fund, except with respect to tax-qualified programs and exchanges effected through the PIMCO Funds Automatic Exchange Plan.

An exchange is generally a taxable event which will generate capital gains or losses, and special rules may apply in computing tax basis when determining gain or loss. See "Tax Consequences" in this prospectus and "Taxation" in the SAI.

Eligible investors who maintain their account directly with the Funds may submit a request to exchange Fund shares by accessing their account online.  Eligible direct investors in Class A and Class C shares may access their online account via pimco.com/MyAccountAccess.  Eligible direct investors in Institutional shares may access their online account via pimco.com/InstitutionalAccountAccess.

If you maintain your Class A or Class C account with the Trust, you may exchange shares by completing a written exchange request and sending it to PIMCO Funds, P.O. Box 55060, Boston, MA 02205-5060 or by calling the Funds at 888.87.PIMCO. Exchanges of an amount of $10 million or more must be submitted in writing by an Authorized Person. If you maintain your Institutional Class or I-2 shares with the Trust, you may exchange shares by following the redemption procedures for those classes above. If you maintain Class A, Class C, Institutional Class, I-2 or I-3 shares through an intermediary, please contact the intermediary to conduct your transactions.

Shares of one class of a Fund may also be exchanged directly for shares of another class of the Fund, subject to any applicable sales charge and other rules, as described in the SAI.

The Trust reserves the right to refuse exchange purchases (or purchase and redemption and/or redemption and purchase transactions) if, in the judgment of PIMCO, the transaction would adversely affect a Fund and its shareholders. Although the Trust has no current intention of terminating or modifying the exchange privilege, it reserves the right to do so at any time. Except as otherwise permitted by the SEC, the Trust will give you 60 days' advance notice if it exercises its right to terminate or materially modify the exchange privilege with respect to Class A and Class C shares.

The SAI provides more detailed information about the exchange privilege, including the procedures you must follow and additional exchange options. You can obtain the SAI free of charge from the Funds by written request to the address above, by visiting pimco.com or by calling 888.87.PIMCO.

Acceptance and Timing of Purchase Orders, Redemption Orders and Share Price Calculations

A purchase order received by the Trust or its designee prior to the close of regular trading on the NYSE (normally 4:00 p.m., Eastern time) ("NYSE Close"), on a day the Trust is open for business, together with payment made in one of the ways described above will be effected at that day's NAV plus any applicable sales charge. An order received after the close of regular trading on the NYSE will be effected at the NAV determined on the next business day. However, orders received by certain retirement plans and other financial firms on a business day prior to the close of regular trading on the NYSE and communicated to the Trust or its designee prior to such time as agreed upon by the Trust and financial firm will be effected at the NAV determined on the business day the order was received by the financial firm. The Trust is "open for business" on each day the NYSE is open for trading, which excludes the following holidays: New Year's Day, Martin Luther King, Jr. Day, Presidents' Day, Good Friday, Memorial Day, Independence Day, Labor Day, Thanksgiving Day and Christmas Day. If the NYSE is closed due to weather or other extenuating circumstances on a day it would typically be open for business, the Trust reserves the right to treat such day as a Business Day and accept purchase and redemption orders and calculate a Fund's NAV, in accordance with applicable law. A Fund reserves the right to close if the primary trading markets of the Fund's portfolio instruments are closed and the Fund's management believes that there is not an adequate market to meet purchase, redemption or exchange requests. On any business day when the Securities Industry and Financial Markets Association ("SIFMA") recommends that the securities markets close trading early, each Fund may close trading early. Purchase orders will be accepted only on days which the Trust is open for business.

A redemption order received by the Trust or its designee prior to the NYSE Close on a day the Trust is open for business, is effective on that day (unless a specific subsequent trade date is provided). A redemption order received after that time becomes effective on the next business day. Redemption requests for Fund shares are effected at the NAV per share next determined after receipt of a redemption request by the Trust or its designee, minus any applicable sales charge. However, orders received by certain broker-dealers and other financial firms on a business day prior to the NYSE Close and communicated to the Trust or its designee prior to such time as agreed upon by the Trust and financial firm will be effected on the business day the order was received by the financial firm. The request must properly identify all relevant information such as trade date, account name, account number, redemption amount (in dollars or shares), the Fund name and the class of shares and must be executed by an Authorized Person.

The Trust and the Distributor each reserves the right, in its sole discretion, to accept or reject any order for purchase of Fund shares. The sale of shares may be suspended during any period in which the NYSE is closed other than weekends or holidays, or if permitted by the rules of the SEC, when trading on the NYSE is restricted or during an emergency which makes it impracticable for the Fund to dispose of its securities or to determine fairly the value of its net assets, or during any other period as permitted by the SEC for the protection of investors. Additionally, redemptions of Fund shares may be suspended when trading on the NYSE is restricted or during an emergency which makes it impracticable for the Fund to dispose of its securities or to determine fairly the value of its net assets, or during any other period as permitted by the SEC for the protection of investors. Under these and other unusual circumstances, the Trust may suspend redemptions or postpone payment for more than seven days, as permitted by law.

 

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An investor should invest in the Fund for long-term investment purposes only. The Trust reserves the right to refuse purchases if, in the judgment of PIMCO, the purchases would adversely affect the Fund and its shareholders. In particular, the Trust and PIMCO each reserves the right to restrict purchases of Fund shares (including exchanges) when a pattern of frequent purchases and sales made in response to short-term fluctuations in share price appears evident. Notice of any such restrictions, if any, will vary according to the particular circumstances.

Abusive Trading Practices

The Trust encourages shareholders to invest in the Funds as part of a long-term investment strategy and discourages excessive, short-term trading and other abusive trading practices, sometimes referred to as "market timing." However, because the Trust will not always be able to detect market timing or other abusive trading activity, investors should not assume that the Trust will be able to detect or prevent all market timing or other trading practices that may disadvantage the Funds.

Certain of the Funds' investment strategies may expose the Funds to risks associated with market timing activities. For example, since certain Funds may invest in non-U.S. securities, they may be subject to the risk that an investor may seek to take advantage of a delay between the change in value of the Funds' non-U.S. portfolio securities and the determination of the Funds' NAV as a result of different closing times of U.S. and non-U.S. markets by buying or selling Fund shares at a price that does not reflect their true value. A similar risk exists for a Fund's potential investment in securities of small capitalization companies, securities of issuers located in emerging markets, securities of distressed companies or high yield securities that are thinly traded and therefore may have actual values that differ from their market prices.

To discourage excessive, short-term trading and other abusive trading strategies, the Board of Trustees of the Trust has adopted policies and procedures reasonably designed to detect and prevent short-term trading activity that may be harmful to a Fund and its shareholders ("Market Timing Policy"). Such activities may have a detrimental effect on a Fund and its shareholders. For example, depending on various factors such as the size of a Fund and the amount of its assets maintained in cash, short-term or excessive trading by Fund shareholders may interfere with the efficient management of the Fund's investments, increase transaction costs and taxes, and may harm the performance of the Fund and its shareholders. 

The Trust seeks to deter and prevent abusive trading practices, and to reduce these risks, through several methods. First, to the extent that there is a delay between a change in the value of a mutual fund's portfolio holdings and the time when that change is reflected in the NAV of the fund's shares, the fund is exposed to the risk that investors may seek to exploit this delay by purchasing or redeeming shares at NAVs that do not reflect appropriate fair value prices. The Trust seeks to deter and prevent this activity, sometimes referred to as "stale price arbitrage," by the appropriate use of "fair value" pricing of a Fund's portfolio securities. See "How Fund Shares Are Priced" below for more information.

Second, the Trust and PIMCO seek to monitor shareholder account activities in order to detect and prevent excessive and disruptive trading practices. The Trust and PIMCO each reserves the right to restrict or refuse any purchase or exchange transactions if, in the judgment of the Trust or of PIMCO, the transaction may adversely affect the interests of a Fund or its shareholders. Among other things, the Trust may monitor for any patterns of frequent purchases and sales that appear to be made in response to short-term fluctuations in share price. Notice of any such restrictions, if any, will vary according to the particular circumstances. The Trust does not monitor the PIMCO Funds of Funds (as defined below) for purposes of detecting frequent or short-term trading practices with respect to shares of the Funds.

Although the Trust and its service providers seek to use these methods to detect and prevent abusive trading activities, and although the Trust will consistently apply such methods, there can be no assurances that such activities can be mitigated or eliminated. By their nature, omnibus accounts, in which purchases and sales of Fund shares by multiple investors are aggregated for presentation to a Fund on a net basis, conceal the identity of the individual investors from the Fund. This makes it more difficult for the Trust and/or PIMCO to identify short-term transactions in the Fund.

Verification of Identity

To help the federal government combat the funding of terrorism and money laundering activities, federal law requires all financial institutions to obtain, verify and record information that identifies each person that opens a new account, and to determine whether such person's name appears on government lists of known or suspected terrorists and terrorist organizations. As a result, a Fund must obtain the following information for each person that opens a new account:

1.

Name;

2.

Date of birth (for individuals);

3.

Residential or business street address; and

4.

Social security number, taxpayer identification number, or other identifying number.

Federal law prohibits the Funds and other financial institutions from opening a new account unless they receive the minimum identifying information listed above.

Individuals may also be asked for a copy of their driver's license, passport or other identifying document in order to verify their identity. In addition, it may be necessary to verify an individual's identity by cross-referencing the identification information with a consumer report or other electronic database. Additional information may be required to open accounts for corporations and other entities.

After an account is opened, a Fund may restrict your ability to purchase additional shares until your identity is verified. A Fund also may close your account and redeem your shares or take other appropriate action if it is unable to verify your identity within a reasonable time.

How Fund Shares Are Priced

The price of a Fund's shares is based on the Fund's NAV. The NAV of a Fund, or each of its share classes, as applicable, is determined by dividing the total value of a Fund's portfolio investments and other assets attributable to that Fund or class, less any liabilities, by the total number of shares outstanding of that Fund or class.

 

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On each day that the NYSE is open, Fund shares are ordinarily valued as of the close of regular trading ("NYSE Close"). Information that becomes known to the Funds or their agents after the time as of which NAV has been calculated on a particular day will not generally be used to retroactively adjust the price of a security or the NAV determined earlier that day. Each Fund reserves the right to change the time its respective NAV is calculated if the Fund closes earlier, or as permitted by the SEC.

For purposes of calculating NAV, portfolio securities and other assets for which market quotes are readily available are valued at market value. Market value is generally determined on the basis of official closing prices or the last reported sales prices, or if no sales are reported, based on quotes obtained from established market makers or prices (including evaluated prices) supplied by the Funds' approved pricing services, quotation reporting systems and other third-party sources (together, "Pricing Services"). The Funds will normally use pricing data for domestic equity securities received shortly after the NYSE Close and do not normally take into account trading, clearances or settlements that take place after the NYSE Close. A foreign (non-U.S.) equity security traded on a foreign exchange or on more than one exchange is typically valued using pricing information from the exchange considered by PIMCO to be the primary exchange. If market value pricing is used, a foreign (non-U.S.) equity security will be valued as of the close of trading on the foreign exchange, or the NYSE Close, if the NYSE Close occurs before the end of trading on the foreign exchange. Domestic and foreign (non-U.S.) fixed income securities, non-exchange-traded derivatives, and equity options are normally valued on the basis of quotes obtained from brokers and dealers or Pricing Services using data reflecting the earlier closing of the principal markets for those securities. Prices obtained from Pricing Services may be based on, among other things, information provided by market makers or estimates of market values obtained from yield data relating to investments or securities with similar characteristics. Certain fixed income securities purchased on a delayed-delivery basis are marked to market daily until settlement at the forward settlement date. Exchange-traded options, except equity options, futures and options on futures are valued at the settlement price determined by the relevant exchange. Swap agreements are valued on the basis of bid quotes obtained from brokers and dealers or market-based prices supplied by Pricing Services or other pricing sources. With respect to any portion of the Fund's assets that are invested in one or more open-end management investment companies (other than exchange-traded funds), a Fund's NAV will be calculated based upon the NAVs of such investments.

If a foreign (non-U.S.) equity security's value has materially changed after the close of the security's primary exchange or principal market but before the NYSE Close, the security may be valued at fair value based on procedures established and approved by the Board of Trustees. Foreign (non-U.S.) equity securities that do not trade when the NYSE is open are also valued at fair value. With respect to foreign (non-U.S.) equity securities, the Fund may determine the fair value of investments based on information provided by Pricing Services and other third-party vendors, which may recommend fair value or adjustments with reference to other securities, indexes or assets. In considering whether fair valuation is required and in determining fair values, the Fund may, among other things, consider significant events (which may be considered to include changes in the value of U.S. securities or securities indexes) that occur after the close of the relevant market and before the NYSE Close. A Fund may utilize modeling tools provided by third-party vendors to determine fair values of non-U.S. securities. For these purposes, any movement in the applicable reference index or instrument ("zero trigger") between the earlier close of the applicable foreign market and the NYSE Close may be deemed to be a significant event, prompting the application of the pricing model (effectively resulting in daily fair valuations). Foreign (non-U.S.) exchanges may permit trading in foreign (non-U.S.) equity securities on days when the Trust is not open for business, which may result in a Fund's portfolio investments being affected when you are unable to buy or sell shares.

Senior secured floating rate loans for which an active secondary market exists to a reliable degree will be valued at the mean of the last available bid/ask prices in the market for such loans, as provided by a Pricing Service. Senior secured floating rate loans for which an active secondary market does not exist to a reliable degree will be valued at fair value, which is intended to approximate market value. In valuing a senior secured floating rate loan at fair value, the factors considered may include, but are not limited to, the following: (a) the creditworthiness of the borrower and any intermediate participants, (b) the terms of the loan, (c) recent prices in the market for similar loans, if any, and (d) recent prices in the market for instruments of similar quality, rate, period until next interest rate reset and maturity.

Investments valued in currencies other than the U.S. dollar are converted to the U.S. dollar using exchange rates obtained from Pricing Services. As a result, the value of such investments, and in turn, the NAV of the Fund's shares may be affected by changes in the value of currencies in relation to the U.S. dollar. The value of investments traded in markets outside the United States or denominated in currencies other than the U.S. dollar may be affected significantly on a day that the Trust is not open for business. As a result, to the extent that a Fund holds foreign (non-U.S.) investments, the value of those investments may change at times when shareholders are unable to buy or sell shares and the value of such investments will be reflected in the Fund's next calculated NAV.

Investments for which market quotes or market based valuations are not readily available are valued at fair value as determined in good faith by the Board of Trustees or persons acting at their direction. The Board of Trustees has adopted methods for valuing securities and other assets in circumstances where market quotes are not readily available, and has delegated to PIMCO the responsibility for applying the fair valuation methods. In the event that market quotes or market based valuations are not readily available, and the security or asset cannot be valued pursuant to a Board approved valuation method, the value of the security or asset will be determined in good faith by the Valuation Oversight Committee of the Board of Trustees, generally based on recommendations provided by PIMCO. Market quotes are considered not readily available in circumstances where there is an absence of current or reliable market-based data (e.g., trade information, bid/ask information, broker quotes, Pricing Services' prices), including where events occur after the close of the relevant market, but prior to the NYSE Close, that materially affect the values of the Fund's securities or assets. In addition, market quotes are considered not readily available when, due to extraordinary circumstances, the exchanges or

 

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markets on which the securities trade do not open for trading for the entire day and no other market prices are available. The Board of Trustees has delegated to PIMCO the responsibility for monitoring significant events that may materially affect the values of the Fund's securities or assets and for determining whether the value of the applicable securities or assets should be reevaluated in light of such significant events.

When the Fund uses fair valuation to determine the value of a portfolio security or other asset for purposes of calculating its NAV, such investments will not be priced on the basis of quotes from the primary market in which they are traded, but rather may be priced by another method that the Board of Trustees or persons acting at their direction believe reflects fair value. Fair valuation may require subjective determinations about the value of a security. While the Trust's policy is intended to result in a calculation of the Fund's NAV that fairly reflects security values as of the time of pricing, the Trust cannot ensure that fair values determined by the Board of Trustees or persons acting at their direction would accurately reflect the price that a Fund could obtain for a security if it were to dispose of that security as of the time of pricing (for instance, in a forced or distressed sale). The prices used by the Fund may differ from the value that would be realized if the securities were sold. The Funds' use of fair valuation may also help to deter "stale price arbitrage" as discussed above under "Abusive Trading Practices."

Under certain circumstances, the per share NAV of a class of the Fund's shares may be different from the per share NAV of another class of shares as a result of the different daily expense accruals applicable to each class of shares.

Fund Distributions

Each Fund distributes substantially all of its net investment income to shareholders in the form of dividends. Dividends paid by each Fund with respect to each class of shares are calculated in the same manner and at the same time, but dividends on different classes of shares may be different as a result of the service and/or distribution fees applicable to certain classes of shares. Each Fund intends to declare income dividends daily and distribute them monthly to shareholders of record.

In addition, each Fund distributes any net capital gains it earns from the sale of portfolio securities to shareholders no less frequently than annually. Net short-term capital gains may be paid more frequently.

A Fund's dividend and capital gain distributions with respect to a particular class of shares will automatically be reinvested in additional shares of the same class of the Fund at NAV unless the shareholder elects to have the distributions paid in cash. A shareholder may elect to have distributions paid in cash on the Account Application, by phone, or by submitting a written request, signed by an Authorized Person, indicating the account name, account number, name of Fund and share class. A shareholder may elect to invest all distributions in shares of the same class of any other fund of the Trust or PIMCO Funds which offers that class of shares at NAV. A shareholder must have an account existing in the fund selected for investment with the identical registered name. This option must be elected when the account is set up.

Shares Purchased by Wire: Dividends will begin to accrue the business day following the day the order is effected or such later date as agreed with the Trust.

Shares Purchased by Check or ACH: The order will be effected at that day's NAV, but dividends will not begin to accrue until the following business day.

If a purchase order is placed through a broker, dealer or other financial firms authorized to settle through the National Securities Clearing Corporation (the "NSCC"), the purchase order will begin accruing dividends the business day following the NSCC settlement date or as agreed upon and as allowed by applicable law.

A Class A or Class C shareholder may choose from the following distribution options:

Reinvest all distributions in additional shares of the same class of the Fund at NAV. You should contact your financial firm (if shares are held through a financial firm) or the Fund's Transfer Agent (if shares are held through a direct account) for details. You do not pay any sales charges on shares received through the reinvestment of Fund distributions. This will be done unless you elect another option.

Invest all distributions in shares of the same class of any other fund of the Trust or PIMCO Equity Series which offers that class at NAV. You must have an account existing in the fund selected for investment with the identical registered name. You must elect this option on your Account Application or by a telephone request to the Transfer Agent at 888.87.PIMCO.

Receive all distributions in cash (either paid directly to you or credited to your account with your broker or other financial intermediary). If the postal or other delivery service is unable to deliver checks to your address of record, the Trust's Transfer Agent will hold the returned checks for your benefit in a non-interest bearing account. You must elect this option on your Account Application or by a telephone request to the Transfer Agent at 888.87.PIMCO.

The financial service firm may offer additional distribution reinvestment programs or options. Please contact the firm for details.

Tax Consequences

The following information is meant as a general summary for U.S. taxpayers. Please see the SAI for additional information. You should rely on your own tax adviser for advice about the particular federal, state and local tax consequences to you of investing in any Fund.

Each Fund will distribute substantially all of its income and gains to its shareholders every year, and shareholders will be taxed on distributions they receive.

Taxes on Fund Distributions. A shareholder subject to U.S. federal income tax will be subject to tax on taxable Fund distributions of taxable income or capital gains whether they are paid in cash or reinvested in additional shares of the Funds. For federal income tax purposes, taxable Fund distributions will be taxable to the shareholder as either ordinary income or capital gains.

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qualified dividends taxable at lower rates for individual shareholders. However, in light of the investment strategies of the Funds, it is not anticipated that a significant portion of the dividends paid by the Funds will be eligible to be designated as qualified dividends. Federal taxes on Fund distributions of gains are determined by how long a Fund owned the investments that generated the gains, rather than how long a shareholder has owned the shares. Distributions of gains from investments that the Fund owned for more than one year will generally be taxable to shareholders as long-term capital gains. Distributions of gains from investments that the Fund owned for one year or less will generally be taxable as ordinary income.

The tax treatment of income, gains and losses attributable to foreign currencies (and derivatives on such currencies), and various other special tax rules applicable to certain financial transactions and instruments could affect the amount, timing and character of a Fund's distributions. In some cases, these tax rules could also result in a retroactive change in the tax character of prior distributions and may also possibly cause all, or a portion, of prior distributions to be reclassified as returns of capital for tax purposes. See "Returns of Capital" below.

Taxable Fund distributions are taxable to shareholders even if they are paid from income or gains earned by a Fund prior to the shareholder's investment and thus were included in the price paid for the shares. For example, a shareholder who purchases shares on or just before the record date of a Fund distribution will pay full price for the shares and may receive a portion of his or her investment back as a taxable distribution.

Taxes on Redemption or Exchanges of Shares. You will generally have a taxable capital gain or loss if you dispose of your Fund shares by redemption, exchange or sale. The amount of the gain or loss and the rate of tax will depend primarily upon how much you pay for the shares, how much you sell them for, and how long you hold them. When you exchange shares of a Fund for shares of another Fund, the transaction will be treated as a sale of the Fund shares for these purposes, and any gain on those shares will generally be subject to federal income tax.

Medicare Tax. An additional 3.8% Medicare tax is imposed on certain net investment income (including ordinary dividends and capital gain distributions received from a Fund and net gains from redemptions or other taxable dispositions of Fund shares) of U.S. individuals, estates and trusts to the extent that such person's "modified adjusted gross income" (in the case of an individual) or "adjusted gross income" (in the case of an estate or trust) exceeds certain threshold amounts.

Returns of Capital. If a Fund's distributions exceed its taxable income and capital gains realized during a taxable year, all or a portion of the distributions made in the same taxable year may be recharacterized as a return of capital to shareholders. A return of capital distribution will generally not be taxable, but will reduce each shareholder's cost basis in the Fund and result in a higher reported capital gain or lower reported capital loss when those shares on which the distribution was received are sold.

Recent Tax Legislation. Under recent tax legislation, individuals (and certain other noncorporate entities) are generally eligible for a 20% deduction with respect to taxable ordinary dividends from REITs and certain taxable income from publicly traded partnerships. Currently, there is not a mechanism for regulated investment companies to pass through the 20% deduction to shareholders although it is possible that a legislative or regulatory approach to do so may be provided in the future. As a result, in comparison, investors investing directly in REITs or publicly traded partnerships would generally be eligible for the 20% deduction for such taxable income from these investments while investors investing in REITs or publicly traded partnerships indirectly through a Fund would not be eligible for the 20% deduction for their share of such taxable income. In addition, under the recent tax legislation, REITs as well as other corporations will be subject to certain leverage limitations regarding the deductibility of interest expense. The recent tax legislation also may, pending further regulatory guidance, require REITs and a Fund to accrue market discount currently, which may affect the taxability of REIT distributions received by a Fund and the amount of taxable distributions paid by a Fund to shareholders. The effects of these and other provisions of the tax legislation on REITs' operations, on master limited partnerships, or on a Fund, is uncertain at this time.

Important Tax Reporting Considerations. Your financial intermediary or the Fund (if you hold your shares in a Fund direct account) will report gains and losses realized on redemptions of shares for shareholders who are individuals and S corporations purchased after January 1, 2012 to the Internal Revenue Service (IRS). This information will also be reported to you on Form 1099-B and the IRS each year. In calculating the gain or loss on redemptions of shares, the average cost method will be used to determine the cost basis of Fund shares purchased after January 1, 2012 unless you instruct the Fund in writing that you want to use another available method for cost basis reporting (for example, First In, First Out (FIFO), Last In, First Out (LIFO), Specific Lot Identification (SLID) or High Cost, First Out (HIFO)). If you designate SLID as your cost basis method, you will also need to designate a secondary cost basis method (Secondary Method). If a Secondary Method is not provided, the Funds will designate FIFO as the Secondary Method and will use the Secondary Method with respect to automatic withdrawals made after January 1, 2012 or conducted via an automatic withdrawal plan.

If a shareholder is a corporation and has not instructed the Fund in its Account Application or by written instruction that it is a C corporation, then the Fund will treat the shareholder as an S corporation and will file a Form 1099-B.

A Note on the Municipal Funds. Dividends paid to shareholders of the PIMCO California Intermediate Municipal Bond, PIMCO California Municipal Bond, PIMCO California Short Duration Municipal Income, PIMCO High Yield Municipal Bond, PIMCO Municipal Bond, PIMCO National Intermediate Municipal Bond, PIMCO New York Municipal Bond and PIMCO Short Duration Municipal Income Funds (collectively, the "Municipal Funds") and derived from Municipal Bond interest are expected to be designated by the Funds as "exempt-interest dividends" and shareholders may generally exclude such dividends from gross income for federal income tax purposes. The federal tax exemption for "exempt-interest

 

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dividends" from Municipal Bonds does not necessarily result in the exemption of such dividends from state and local taxes although the PIMCO California Intermediate Municipal Bond, PIMCO California Municipal Bond, PIMCO California Short Duration Municipal Income and PIMCO New York Municipal Bond Funds intend to arrange their affairs so that a portion of such distributions will be exempt from state taxes in the respective state. Each Municipal Fund may invest a portion of its assets in securities that generate income that is not exempt from federal or state income tax. Dividends derived from taxable interest or capital gains will be subject to federal income tax. The interest on "private activity" bonds is a tax-preference item for purposes of the federal alternative minimum tax. As a result, for shareholders that are subject to the alternative minimum tax, income derived from "private activity" bonds will not be exempt from federal income tax. The Municipal Funds seek to produce income that is generally exempt from federal income tax and will not benefit investors in tax-sheltered retirement plans or individuals not subject to federal income tax. Further, the PIMCO California Intermediate Municipal Bond, PIMCO California Municipal Bond, PIMCO California Short Duration Municipal Income and PIMCO New York Municipal Bond Funds seek to produce income that is generally exempt from the relevant state's income tax and will not provide any state tax benefit to individuals that are not subject to that state's income tax.

A Note on the PIMCO Strategic Bond Fund. Dividends paid to shareholders of the Fund are expected to be designated by the Fund as "exempt-interest dividends" to the extent that such dividends are derived from Municipal Bond interest and shareholders may generally exclude such dividends from gross income for federal income tax purposes. The federal tax exemption for "exempt-interest dividends" from Municipal Bonds does not necessarily result in the exemption of such dividends from state and local taxes. The Fund may invest a portion of its assets in securities that generate income that is not exempt from federal or state income tax. Dividends derived from taxable interest or capital gains will be subject to federal income tax and will be subject to state tax in most states. The payment of a portion of the Fund's dividends as dividends exempt from federal income tax will not provide additional tax benefits to investors in tax-sheltered retirement plans or individuals not subject to federal income tax.

Backup Withholding. Each Fund may be required to withhold U.S. federal income tax on all taxable distributions payable to shareholders if they fail to provide the Fund with their correct taxpayer identification number or to make required certifications, or if they have been notified by the IRS that they are subject to backup withholding. Backup withholding is not an additional tax. Any amounts withheld may be credited against U.S. federal income tax liability.

Foreign Withholding Taxes. A Fund may be subject to foreign withholding or other foreign taxes, which in some cases can be significant on any income or gain from investments in foreign securities. In that case, the Fund's total return on those securities would be decreased. Each Fund may generally deduct these taxes in computing its taxable income. Rather than deducting these foreign taxes, if more than 50% of the value of a Fund's total assets at the close of its taxable year consists of stock or securities of foreign corporations or foreign governments, or if at least 50% of the value of a Fund's total assets at the close of each quarter of its taxable year is represented by interests in other regulated investment companies, such Fund may make an election to treat a proportionate amount of eligible foreign taxes as constituting a taxable distribution to each shareholder, which would, subject to certain limitations, generally allow the shareholder to either (i) credit that proportionate amount of taxes against U.S. Federal income tax liability as a foreign tax credit or (ii) take that amount as an itemized deduction. Although in some cases the Fund may be able to apply for a refund of a portion of such taxes, the ability to successfully obtain such a refund may be uncertain.

Foreign shareholders may be subject to U. S. tax withholding of 30% (or lower applicable treaty rate) on distributions from the Funds. Additionally, the Funds are required to withhold U.S. tax (at a 30% rate) on payments of taxable dividends and (effective January 1, 2019) redemption proceeds and certain capital gain dividends made to certain non-U.S. entities that fail to comply (or be deemed compliant) with extensive reporting and withholding requirements designed to inform the U.S. Department of the Treasury of U.S.-owned foreign investment accounts. Shareholders may be requested to provide additional information to enable the Funds to determine whether withholding is required.

This "Tax Consequences" section relates only to federal income tax; the consequences under other tax laws may differ. Shareholders should consult their tax advisors as to the possible application of foreign, state and local income tax laws to Fund dividends and capital distributions. Please see "Taxation" in the SAI for additional information regarding the tax aspects of investing in the Funds.

Characteristics and Risks of Securities and Investment Techniques

This section provides additional information about some of the principal investments and related risks of the Funds described under "Fund Summaries" and "Description of Principal Risks" above. It also describes characteristics and risks of additional securities and investment techniques that may be used by the Funds from time to time. Most of these securities and investment techniques described herein are discretionary, which means that PIMCO can decide whether to use them or not. This prospectus does not attempt to disclose all of the various types of securities and investment techniques that may be used by the Funds. As with any mutual fund, investors in the Funds rely on the professional investment judgment and skill of PIMCO and the individual portfolio managers. Please see "Investment Objectives and Policies" in the SAI for more detailed information about the securities and investment techniques described in this section and about other strategies and techniques that may be used by the Funds.

Investors should be aware that the investments made by a Fund and the results achieved by a Fund at any given time are not expected to be the same as those made by other funds for which PIMCO acts as investment adviser, including funds with names, investment objectives and policies similar to a Fund. This may be attributable to a wide variety of factors,

 

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including, but not limited to, the use of a different portfolio management team or strategy, when a particular fund commenced operations or the size of a particular fund, in each case as compared to other similar funds. Significant shareholder purchases and redemptions may adversely impact a Fund's portfolio management. For example, a Fund may be forced to sell a comparatively large portion of its portfolio to meet significant shareholder redemptions, or hold a comparatively large portion of its portfolio in cash due to significant shareholder purchases, in each case when the Fund otherwise would not seek to do so. Such shareholder transactions may cause Funds to make investment decisions at inopportune times or prices or miss attractive investment opportunities. Such transactions may also increase a Fund's transaction costs, accelerate the realization of taxable income if sales of securities resulted in gains, or otherwise cause a Fund to perform differently than intended. Similarly, significant shareholder purchases may adversely affect a Fund's performance to the extent the Fund is delayed in investing new cash and, as a result, holds a proportionally larger cash position than under ordinary circumstances and such impact may be heightened in funds of funds. While such risks may apply to Funds of any size, such risks are heightened in Funds with fewer assets under management. In addition, new Funds may not be able to fully implement their investment strategy immediately upon commencing investment operations, which could reduce investment performance.

More generally, a Fund may be adversely affected when a large shareholder purchases or redeems large amounts of shares, which can occur at any time and may impact the Fund in the same manner as a high volume of purchase or redemption requests. Such large shareholders include, but are not limited to, other funds, institutional investors, and asset allocators who make investment decisions on behalf of underlying clients. Large shareholder transactions may cause Funds to make investment decisions at inopportune times or prices or miss attractive investment opportunities. In addition, such transactions may also cause the Fund to sell certain assets in order to meet purchase or redemption requests, which could indirectly affect the liquidity of the Fund's portfolio. Such transactions may also increase the Fund's transaction costs, decrease economies of scale, accelerate the realization of taxable income, or otherwise cause the Fund to perform differently than intended. While large shareholder transactions may be more frequent under certain circumstances, the Fund is generally subject to the risk that a large shareholder can purchase or redeem a significant percentage of Fund shares at any time. Moreover, the Fund is subject to the risk that other shareholders may make investment decisions based on the choices of a large shareholder, which could exacerbate any potential negative effects experienced by the Fund.

Certain PIMCO Funds (the "PIMCO Funds of Funds") invest substantially all or a significant portion of their assets in Underlying PIMCO Funds, which is defined to include the Funds. In some cases, the PIMCO Funds of Funds and certain funds managed by investment advisers affiliated with PIMCO ("Affiliated Funds of Funds") may be the predominant or sole shareholders of a particular Underlying PIMCO Fund, including a Fund. Investment decisions made with respect to the PIMCO Funds of Funds and Affiliated Funds of Funds could, under certain circumstances, negatively impact the Underlying PIMCO Funds, including the Funds, with respect to the expenses and investment performance of the Underlying PIMCO Funds. For instance, large purchases or redemptions of shares of an Underlying PIMCO Fund by the PIMCO Funds of Funds and Affiliated Funds of Funds, whether as part of a reallocation or rebalancing strategy or otherwise, may result in the Underlying PIMCO Fund having to sell securities or invest cash when it otherwise would not do so. Such transactions could increase an Underlying PIMCO Fund's transaction costs and accelerate the realization of taxable income if sales of securities resulted in gains. Additionally, as the PIMCO Funds of Funds and Affiliated Funds of Funds may invest substantially all or a significant portion of their assets in Underlying PIMCO Funds, the Underlying PIMCO Funds may not acquire securities of other registered open-end investment companies in reliance on Section 12(d)(1)(F) or Section 12(d)(1)(G) of the 1940 Act, thus limiting the Underlying PIMCO Funds investment flexibility.

Investment Selection

Certain Funds seek maximum total return. The total return sought by a Fund consists of both income earned on a Fund's investments and capital appreciation, if any, arising from increases in the market value of a Fund's holdings. Capital appreciation of fixed income securities generally results from decreases in market interest rates, foreign currency appreciation, or improving credit fundamentals for a particular market sector or security.

In selecting securities for a Fund, PIMCO develops an outlook for interest rates, currency exchange rates and the economy, analyzes credit and call risks, and uses other security selection techniques. The proportion of a Fund's assets committed to investment in securities with particular characteristics (such as quality, sector, interest rate or maturity) varies based on PIMCO's outlook for the U.S. economy and the economies of other countries in the world, the financial markets and other factors.

With respect to fixed income investing, PIMCO attempts to identify areas of the bond market that are undervalued relative to the rest of the market. PIMCO identifies these areas by grouping Fixed Income Instruments into sectors such as money markets, governments, corporates, mortgages, asset-backed and international. In seeking to identify undervalued currencies, PIMCO may consider many factors, including but not limited to longer-term analysis of relative interest rates, inflation rates, real exchange rates, purchasing power parity, trade account balances and current account balances, as well as other factors that influence exchange rates such as flows, market technical trends and government policies. Sophisticated proprietary software then assists in evaluating sectors and pricing specific investments. Once investment opportunities are identified, PIMCO will shift assets among sectors depending upon changes in relative valuations, credit spreads and other factors. There is no guarantee that PIMCO's investment selection techniques will produce the desired results.

Fixed Income Instruments

"Fixed Income Instruments," as used generally in this prospectus, includes:

securities issued or guaranteed by the U.S. Government, its agencies or government-sponsored enterprises ("U.S. Government Securities");

corporate debt securities of U.S. and non-U.S. issuers, including convertible securities and corporate commercial paper;

mortgage-backed and other asset-backed securities;

inflation-indexed bonds issued both by governments and corporations;

 

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structured notes, including hybrid or "indexed" securities and event-linked bonds;

bank capital and trust preferred securities;

loan participations and assignments;

delayed funding loans and revolving credit facilities;

bank certificates of deposit, fixed time deposits and bankers' acceptances;

repurchase agreements on Fixed Income Instruments and reverse repurchase agreements on Fixed Income Instruments;

debt securities issued by states or local governments and their agencies, authorities and other government-sponsored enterprises;

obligations of non-U.S. governments or their subdivisions, agencies and government-sponsored enterprises; and

obligations of international agencies or supranational entities.

Securities issued by U.S. Government agencies or government-sponsored enterprises may not be guaranteed by the U.S. Treasury.

The Funds, to the extent permitted by the 1940 Act, or exemptive relief therefrom, may invest in derivatives based on Fixed Income Instruments.

Duration

Duration is a measure used to determine the sensitivity of a security's price to changes in interest rates that incorporates a security's yield, coupon, final maturity and call features, among other characteristics. The longer a security's duration, the more sensitive it will be to changes in interest rates. Similarly, a fund with a longer average portfolio duration will be more sensitive to changes in interest rates than a fund with a shorter average portfolio duration. By way of example, the price of a bond fund with an average duration of eight years would be expected to fall approximately 8% if interest rates rose by one percentage point. Similarly, the price of a bond fund with an average duration of fifteen years would be expected to fall approximately 15% if interest rates rose by one percentage point. Conversely, the price of a bond fund with an average duration of negative three years would be expected to rise approximately 3% if interest rates rose by one percentage point. The maturity of a security, another commonly used measure of price sensitivity, measures only the time until final payment is due, whereas duration takes into account the pattern of all payments of interest and principal on a security over time, including how these payments are affected by prepayments and by changes in interest rates, as well as the time until an interest rate is reset (in the case of variable-rate securities). PIMCO uses an internal model for calculating duration, which may result in a different value for the duration of an index compared to the duration calculated by the index provider or another third party.

U.S. Government Securities

U.S. Government Securities are obligations of, or guaranteed by, the U.S. Government, its agencies or government-sponsored enterprises. The U.S. Government does not guarantee the NAV of the Fund's shares. U.S. Government Securities are subject to market and interest rate risk, as well as varying degrees of credit risk. Some U.S. Government Securities are issued or guaranteed by the U.S. Treasury and are supported by the full faith and credit of the United States. Other types of U.S. Government Securities are supported by the full faith and credit of the United States (but not issued by the U.S. Treasury). These securities may have less credit risk than U.S. Government Securities not supported by the full faith and credit of the United States. Such other types of U.S. Government Securities are: (1) supported by the ability of the issuer to borrow from the U.S. Treasury; (2) supported only by the credit of the issuing agency, instrumentality or government-sponsored corporation; or (3) supported by the United States in some other way. These securities may be subject to greater credit risk. U.S. Government Securities include zero coupon securities, which tend to be subject to greater market risk than interest-paying securities of similar maturities.

Securities issued by U.S. Government agencies or government-sponsored enterprises may not be guaranteed by the U.S. Treasury. Government National Mortgage Association ("GNMA"), a wholly owned U.S. Government corporation, is authorized to guarantee, with the full faith and credit of the U.S. Government, the timely payment of principal and interest on securities issued by institutions approved by GNMA and backed by pools of mortgages insured by the Federal Housing Administration or guaranteed by the Department of Veterans Affairs.  Government-related guarantors (i.e., not backed by the full faith and credit of the U.S. Government) include the Federal National Mortgage Association ("FNMA") and the Federal Home Loan Mortgage Corporation ("FHLMC"). Pass-through securities issued by FNMA are guaranteed as to timely payment of principal and interest by FNMA but are not backed by the full faith and credit of the U.S. Government. FHLMC guarantees the timely payment of interest and ultimate collection of principal, but its participation certificates are not backed by the full faith and credit of the U.S. Government.

Municipal Bonds

Municipal Bonds are generally issued by states, territories, possessions and local governments and their agencies, authorities and other instrumentalities. Municipal Bonds are subject to interest rate, credit and market risk, uncertainties related to the tax status of a Municipal Bond or the rights of investors invested in these securities. The ability of an issuer to make payments could be affected by litigation, legislation or other political events or the bankruptcy of the issuer. In addition, imbalances in supply and demand in the municipal market may result in a deterioration of liquidity and a lack of price transparency in the market. At certain times, this may affect pricing, execution and transaction costs associated with a particular trade. The value of certain municipal securities, in particular general obligation debt, may also be adversely affected by rising health care costs, increasing unfunded pension liabilities, changes in accounting standards and by the phasing out of federal programs providing financial support. Lower rated Municipal Bonds are subject to greater credit and market risk than higher quality Municipal Bonds. The types of Municipal Bonds in which the Funds may invest include municipal lease obligations, municipal general obligation bonds, municipal essential service revenue bonds, municipal cash equivalents, and pre-refunded and escrowed to maturity Municipal Bonds. The Funds may also invest in industrial development bonds, which are Municipal Bonds issued by a government agency on behalf of a private sector company and, in most cases, are not backed by the credit of the issuing municipality and may therefore involve more risk. The Funds may also invest in securities issued by entities whose underlying assets are Municipal Bonds.

 

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Pre-refunded Municipal Bonds are tax-exempt bonds that have been refunded to a call date on or before the final maturity of principal and remain outstanding in the municipal market. The payment of principal and interest of the pre-refunded Municipal Bonds held by a Fund is funded from securities in a designated escrow account that holds U.S. Treasury securities or other obligations of the U.S. Government (including its agencies and instrumentalities ("Agency Securities")). As the payment of principal and interest is generated from securities held in a designated escrow account, the pledge of the municipality has been fulfilled and the original pledge of revenue by the municipality is no longer in place. The escrow account securities pledged to pay the principal and interest of the pre-refunded Municipal Bond do not guarantee the price movement of the bond before maturity. Investment in pre-refunded Municipal Bonds held by a Fund may subject the Fund to interest rate risk, market risk and credit risk. In addition, while a secondary market exists for pre-refunded Municipal Bonds, if a Fund sells pre-refunded Municipal Bonds prior to maturity, the price received may be more or less than the original cost, depending on market conditions at the time of sale.

Certain Funds may invest in trust certificates issued in tender option bond programs. In these programs, a trust typically issues two classes of certificates and uses the proceeds to purchase municipal securities having relatively long maturities and bearing interest at a fixed interest rate substantially higher than prevailing short-term tax-exempt rates. There is a risk that a Fund investing in a tender option bond program will not be considered the owner of a tender option bond for federal income tax purposes, and thus will not be entitled to treat such interest as exempt from federal income tax. Certain tender option bonds may be illiquid or may become illiquid as a result of, among other things, a credit rating downgrade, a payment default or a disqualification from tax-exempt status. A Fund's investment in the securities issued by a tender option bond trust may involve greater risk and volatility than an investment in a fixed rate bond, and the value of such securities may decrease significantly when market interest rates increase. Tender option bond trusts could be terminated due to market, credit or other events beyond a Fund's control, which could require the Fund to dispose of portfolio investments at inopportune times and prices. A Fund may use a tender option bond program as a way of achieving leverage in its portfolio, in which case the Fund will be subject to leverage risk.

In December 2013, regulators finalized rules implementing Section 619 (the "Volcker Rule") and Section 941 (the "Risk Retention Rules") of the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act. Both the Volcker Rule and the Risk Retention Rules apply to tender option bond programs and require that such programs be restructured. In particular, these rules preclude banking entities from: (i) sponsoring or acquiring interests in the trusts used to hold a Municipal Bond in the creation of tender option bond trusts; and (ii) continuing to service or maintain relationships with existing programs involving such trusts to the same extent and in the same capacity as existing programs. At this time, the full impact of these rules is not certain; however, in response to these rules, industry participants are continuing to explore various structuring alternatives for tender option bond programs. Because of the important role that tender option bond programs play in the Municipal Bond market, it is possible that implementation of these rules and any resulting impact may adversely impact the Municipal Bond market. For example, as a result of the implementation of these rules, the Municipal Bond market may experience reduced demand or liquidity and increased financing costs.

Mortgage-Related and Other Asset-Backed Securities

Mortgage-related securities include mortgage pass-through securities, collateralized mortgage obligations ("CMOs"), commercial mortgage-backed securities, mortgage dollar rolls, CMO residuals, stripped mortgage-backed securities ("SMBSs") and other securities that directly or indirectly represent a participation in, or are secured by and payable from, mortgage loans on real property.

The value of some mortgage- or asset-backed securities may be particularly sensitive to changes in prevailing interest rates. Early repayment of principal on some mortgage-related securities may expose a Fund to a lower rate of return upon reinvestment of principal. When interest rates rise, the value of a mortgage-related security generally will decline; however, when interest rates are declining, the value of mortgage-related securities with prepayment features may not increase as much as other fixed income securities. The rate of prepayments on underlying mortgages will affect the price and volatility of a mortgage-related security, and may shorten or extend the effective maturity of the security beyond what was anticipated at the time of purchase. If unanticipated rates of prepayment on underlying mortgages increase the effective maturity of a mortgage-related security, the volatility of the security can be expected to increase. The value of these securities may fluctuate in response to the market's perception of the creditworthiness of the issuers. See "Extension Risk" and "Prepayment Risk" below. Additionally, although mortgages and mortgage-related securities are generally supported by some form of government or private guarantee and/or insurance, there is no assurance that guarantors or insurers will meet their obligations.

Extension Risk. Mortgage-related and other asset-backed securities are subject to Extension Risk, which is the risk that the issuer of such a security pays back the principal of such an obligation later than expected. This may occur when interest rates rise. This may negatively affect Fund returns, as the value of the security decreases when principal payments are made later than expected. In addition, because principal payments are made later than expected, the Fund may be prevented from investing proceeds it would otherwise have received at a given time at the higher prevailing interest rates.

Prepayment Risk. Mortgage-related and other asset-backed securities are subject to Prepayment Risk, which is the risk that the issuer of such a security pays back the principal of such an obligation earlier than expected (due to the sale of the underlying property, refinancing, or foreclosure). This may occur when interest rates decline. Prepayment may expose the Fund to a lower rate of return upon reinvestment of principal. Also, if a security subject to prepayment has been purchased at a premium, the value of the premium would be lost in the event of prepayment.

One type of SMBS has one class receiving all of the interest from the mortgage assets (the interest-only, or "IO" class), while the other class will receive all of the principal (the principal-only, or "PO" class). The yield to

 

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maturity on an IO class is extremely sensitive to the rate of principal payments (including prepayments) on the underlying mortgage assets, and a rapid rate of principal payments may have a material adverse effect on a Fund's yield to maturity from these securities. Each Fund may invest up to 5% of its total assets in any combination of mortgage-related or other asset backed IO, PO, or inverse floater securities.

Each Fund may invest in each of collateralized bond obligations ("CBOs"), collateralized loan obligations ("CLOs"), other collateralized debt obligations ("CDOs") and other similarly structured securities. CBOs, CLOs and other CDOs are types of asset-backed securities. A CBO is a trust which is backed by a diversified pool of high-risk, below investment grade fixed income securities. 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. Other CDOs are trusts backed by other types of assets representing obligations of various parties. Certain Funds may invest in other asset-backed securities that have been offered to investors.

Privately Issued Mortgage-Related Securities: Pools created by non-governmental issuers generally offer a higher rate of interest than government and government-related pools because there are no direct or indirect government or agency guarantees of payments in such pools. Privately issued mortgage-related securities are not subject to the same underwriting requirements for the underlying mortgages that are applicable to those mortgage-related securities that have a government or government-sponsored entity guarantee. As a result, the mortgage loans underlying privately issued mortgage-related securities may, and frequently do, have less favorable collateral, credit risk or other underwriting characteristics than government or government-sponsored mortgage-related securities and have wider variances in a number of terms including interest rate, term, size, purpose and borrower characteristics. The risk of nonpayment is greater for mortgage-related securities that are backed by loans that were originated under weak underwriting standards, including loans made to borrowers with limited means to make repayment. A level of risk exists for all loans, although, historically, the poorest performing loans have been those classified as subprime. Privately issued mortgage-related securities are not traded on an exchange and there may be a limited market for the securities, especially when there is a perceived weakness in the mortgage and real estate market sectors. Without an active trading market, mortgage-related securities held in a Fund's portfolio may be particularly difficult to value because of the complexities involved in assessing the value of the underlying mortgage loans.

Privately Issued Mortgage-Related Securities include securities that reflect an interest in, and are secured by, mortgage loans on commercial real property. Many of the risks of investing in commercial mortgage-backed securities reflect the risks of investing in the real estate securing the underlying mortgage loans. These risks reflect the effects of local and other economic conditions on real estate markets, the ability of tenants to make loan payments, and the ability of a property to attract and retain tenants.

Loan Participations and Assignments

Each Fund may invest in fixed- and floating-rate loans, which investments generally will be in the form of loan participations and assignments of portions of such loans. Participations and assignments involve special types of risk, including credit risk, interest rate risk, liquidity risk, and the risks of being a lender. If a Fund purchases a participation, it may only be able to enforce its rights through the lender, and may assume the credit risk of the lender in addition to the borrower.

Reinvestment

Each Fund may be subject to the risk that the returns of a Fund will decline during periods of falling interest rates because the Fund may have to reinvest the proceeds from matured, traded or called debt obligations at interest rates below the Fund's current earnings rate. For instance, when interest rates decline, an issuer of debt obligations may exercise an option to redeem securities prior to maturity, thereby forcing the Fund to invest in lower-yielding securities. A Fund also may choose to sell higher-yielding portfolio securities and to purchase lower-yielding securities to achieve greater portfolio diversification, because the Fund's portfolio manager believes the current holdings are overvalued or for other investment-related reasons. A decline in the returns received by a Fund from its investments is likely to have an adverse effect on the Fund's NAV, yield and total return.

Focused Investment

To the extent that a Fund focuses its investments in a particular sector, the Fund may be susceptible to loss due to adverse developments affecting that sector. These developments include, but are not limited to, governmental regulation; inflation; rising interest rates; cost increases in raw materials, fuel and other operating expenses; technological innovations that may render existing products and equipment obsolete; competition from new entrants; high research and development costs; increased costs associated with compliance with environmental or other governmental regulations; and other economic, business or political developments specific to that sector. Furthermore, a Fund may invest a substantial portion of its assets in companies in related sectors that may share common characteristics, are often subject to similar business risks and regulatory burdens, and whose securities may react similarly to the types of developments described above, which will subject the Fund to greater risk. A Fund also will be subject to focused investment risk to the extent that it invests a substantial portion of its assets in a particular issuer, market, asset class, country or geographic region.

Corporate Debt Securities

Corporate debt securities are subject to the risk of the issuer's inability to meet principal and interest payments on the obligation and may also be subject to price volatility due to such factors as interest rate sensitivity, market perception of the creditworthiness of the issuer and general market liquidity. When interest rates rise, the value of corporate debt securities can be expected to decline. Debt securities with longer maturities tend to be more sensitive to interest rate movements than those with shorter maturities. In addition, certain corporate debt securities may be highly customized and as a result may be subject to, among others, liquidity and pricing transparency risks.

 

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Bank Capital Securities and Trust Preferred Securities

There are two common types of bank capital: Tier I and Tier II. Bank capital is generally, but not always, of investment grade quality. Tier I securities often take the form of trust preferred securities. Tier II securities are commonly thought of as hybrids of debt and preferred securities, are often perpetual (with no maturity date), callable and, under certain conditions, allow for the issuer bank to withhold payment of interest until a later date.

Trust preferred securities have the characteristics of both subordinated debt and preferred securities. The primary advantage of the structure of trust preferred securities is that they are treated by the financial institution as debt securities for tax purposes and as equity for the calculation of capital requirements. Trust preferred securities typically bear a market rate coupon comparable to interest rates available on debt of a similarly rated issuer. Typical characteristics include long-term maturities, early redemption by the issuer, periodic fixed or variable interest payments, and maturities at face value. The market value of trust preferred securities may be more volatile than those of conventional debt securities. There can be no assurance as to the liquidity of trust preferred securities and the ability of holders, such as a Fund, to sell their holdings.

High Yield Securities and Distressed Companies

Securities rated lower than Baa by Moody's, or equivalently rated by S&P or Fitch, are sometimes referred to as "high yield securities" or "junk bonds." Issuers of these securities may be distressed and undergoing restructuring, bankruptcy or other proceedings in an attempt to avoid insolvency. Investing in these securities involves special risks in addition to the risks associated with investments in higher-rated fixed income securities. While offering a greater potential opportunity for capital appreciation and higher yields, high yield and distressed company securities typically entail greater potential price volatility and may be less liquid than higher-rated securities. High yield securities and debt securities of distressed companies may be regarded as predominately speculative with respect to the issuer's continuing ability to meet principal and interest payments. They may also be more susceptible to real or perceived adverse economic and competitive industry conditions than higher-rated securities. Certain Funds may invest in securities that are in default with respect to the payment of interest or repayment of principal, or present an imminent risk of default with respect to such payments. Issuers of securities in default may fail to resume principal or interest payments, in which case a Fund may lose its entire investment.

Variable and Floating Rate Securities

Variable and floating rate securities are securities that pay interest at rates that adjust whenever a specified interest rate changes and/or that reset on predetermined dates (such as the last day of a month or a calendar quarter). Each Fund may invest in floating rate debt instruments ("floaters") and engage in credit spread trades. Variable and floating rate securities generally are less sensitive to interest rate changes but may decline in value if their interest rates do not rise as much, or as quickly, as interest rates in general.

Conversely, floating rate securities will not generally increase in value if interest rates decline. Each Fund may also invest in inverse floating rate debt instruments ("inverse floaters"). An inverse floater may exhibit greater price volatility than a fixed rate obligation of similar credit quality. Each Fund may invest up to 5% of its total assets in any combination of mortgage-related or other asset-backed IO, PO or inverse floater securities. Additionally, a Fund may also invest, without limitation, in residual interest bonds. Residual interest bonds are a type of inverse floater. See "Municipal Bonds."

Inflation-Indexed Bonds

Inflation-indexed bonds (other than municipal inflation-indexed bonds and certain corporate inflation-indexed bonds, which are more fully described below) are fixed income securities whose principal value is periodically adjusted according to the rate of inflation. If the index measuring inflation falls, the principal value of inflation-indexed bonds (other than municipal inflation-indexed bonds and certain corporate inflation-indexed bonds) will be adjusted downward, and consequently the interest payable on these securities (calculated with respect to a smaller principal amount) will be reduced. Repayment of the original bond principal upon maturity (as adjusted for inflation) is guaranteed in the case of TIPS. For bonds that do not provide a similar guarantee, the adjusted principal value of the bond repaid at maturity may be less than the original principal.

TIPS may also be divided into individual zero-coupon instruments for each coupon or principal payment (known as "iSTRIPS"). An iSTRIP of the principal component of a TIPS issue will retain the embedded deflation floor that will allow the holder of the security to receive the greater of the original principal or inflation-adjusted principal value at maturity. iSTRIPS may be less liquid than conventional TIPS because they are a small component of the TIPS market.

Municipal inflation-indexed securities are municipal bonds that pay coupons based on a fixed rate plus CPI. With regard to municipal inflation-indexed bonds and certain corporate inflation-indexed bonds, the inflation adjustment is reflected in the semi-annual coupon payment. As a result, the principal value of municipal inflation-indexed bonds and such corporate inflation-indexed bonds does not adjust according to the rate of inflation. At the same time, the value of municipal inflation-indexed securities and such corporate inflation indexed securities generally will not increase if the rate of inflation decreases. Because municipal inflation-indexed securities and corporate inflation-indexed securities are a small component of the municipal bond and corporate bond markets, respectively, they may be less liquid than conventional municipal and corporate bonds.

The value of inflation-indexed bonds is expected to change in response to changes in real interest rates. Real interest rates are tied to the relationship between nominal interest rates and the rate of inflation. If nominal interest rates increase at a faster rate than inflation, real interest rates may rise, leading to a decrease in value of inflation-indexed bonds. Any increase in the principal amount of an inflation-indexed bond will be considered taxable ordinary income, even though investors do not receive their principal until maturity.

Event-Linked Exposure

Each Fund may obtain event-linked exposure by investing in "event-linked bonds" or "event-linked swaps" or by implementing "event-linked

 

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strategies." Event-linked exposure results in gains or losses that typically are contingent, or formulaically related to defined trigger events. Examples of trigger events include hurricanes, earthquakes, weather-related phenomena, or statistics related to such events. Some event-linked bonds are commonly referred to as "catastrophe bonds." If a trigger event occurs, a Fund may lose a portion or its entire principal invested in the bond or notional amount on a swap. Event-linked exposure often provides for an extension of maturity to process and audit loss claims where a trigger event has, or possibly has, occurred. An extension of maturity may increase volatility. Event-linked exposure may also expose a Fund to certain unanticipated risks including counterparty risk, adverse regulatory or jurisdictional interpretations, and adverse tax consequences. Event-linked exposures may also be subject to liquidity risk.

Convertible and Equity Securities

Common stock represents equity ownership in a company and typically provides the common stockholder the power to vote on certain corporate actions, including the election of the company's directors. Common stockholders participate in company profits through dividends and, in the event of bankruptcy, distributions, on a pro-rata basis after other claims are satisfied. Many factors affect the value of common stock, including earnings, earnings forecasts, corporate events and factors impacting the issuer's industry and the market generally. Common stock generally has the greatest appreciation and depreciation potential of all corporate securities.

Each Fund may invest in convertible securities and equity securities, as well as securities related to equities. Equity-related securities include securities having an equity component (e.g., hybrids, bank capital) and equity derivatives. Convertible securities are generally preferred securities and other securities, including fixed income securities and warrants, that are convertible into or exercisable for common stock at a stated price or rate. The price of a convertible security will normally vary in some proportion to changes in the price of the underlying common stock because of this conversion or exercise feature. However, the value of a convertible security may not increase or decrease as rapidly as the underlying common stock. A convertible security will normally also provide income and is subject to interest rate risk. Convertible securities may be lower-rated securities subject to greater levels of credit risk. A Fund may be forced to convert a security before it would otherwise choose, which may have an adverse effect on the Fund's ability to achieve its investment objective.

"Synthetic" convertible securities are selected based on the similarity of their economic characteristics to those of a traditional convertible security due to the combination of separate securities that possess the two principal characteristics of a traditional convertible security, i.e., an income-producing security ("income-producing component") and the right to acquire an equity security ("convertible component"). The income-producing component is achieved by investing in non-convertible, income-producing securities such as bonds, preferred securities and money market instruments, which may be represented by derivative instruments. The convertible component is achieved by investing in securities or instruments such as warrants or options to buy common stock at a certain exercise price, or options on a stock index. A simple example of a synthetic convertible security is the combination of a traditional corporate bond with a warrant to purchase equity securities of the issuer of the bond. A Fund may also purchase synthetic securities created by other parties, typically investment banks, including convertible structured notes. The income-producing and convertible components of a synthetic convertible security may be issued separately by different issuers and at different times.

Preferred and other senior securities generally entitle the holder to receive, in preference to the holders of other securities such as common stocks, dividends and a fixed share of the proceeds resulting from a liquidation of the company. Preferred and other senior securities may pay fixed or adjustable rates of return. Preferred and other senior securities are subject to issuer-specific and market risks applicable generally to equity securities. In addition, a company's preferred and other senior securities generally pay dividends only after the company makes required payments to holders of its bonds and other debt. For this reason, the value of preferred and other senior securities will usually react more strongly than bonds and other debt to actual or perceived changes in the company's financial condition or prospects. In addition, preferred and other senior securities often have special redemption rights allowing issuers to redeem such securities at par earlier than scheduled. If these rights are exercised, a Fund may have to reinvest proceeds in less attractive securities.

Among other risks described in this Prospectus, the following issues are particularly associated with investments in preferred and other senior securities.

Deferral and Omission of Distributions. Preferred and other senior securities may include features permitting or requiring the issuer to defer or omit distributions. Among other things, such deferral or omission may result in adverse tax consequences for a Fund.

Limited Voting Rights. Preferred and other senior securities generally do not have voting rights with respect to the issuer unless dividends have been in arrears for certain specified periods of time.

In the future, preferred or other senior securities may be offered with features different from those described above, and as such, may entail different risks. Over longer periods of time, certain types of preferred or other senior securities may become more scarce or less liquid as a result of legislative changes. Such events may result in losses to a Fund as the prices of securities it holds may be negatively affected. Revisions to bank capital requirements by international regulatory bodies, to the extent they are adopted in the United States, may also negatively impact the market for certain preferred or senior securities.

While some countries or companies may be regarded as favorable investments, pure fixed income opportunities may be unattractive or limited due to insufficient supply, or legal or technical restrictions. In such cases, subject to its applicable investment restrictions, a Fund may consider convertible securities or equity securities to gain exposure to such investments.

At times, in connection with the restructuring of a preferred security or Fixed Income Instrument either outside of bankruptcy court or in the context of bankruptcy court proceedings, a Fund may determine or be required to accept equity securities, such as common stocks, in exchange for all or a portion of a preferred security or Fixed Income Instrument. Depending upon, among other things, PIMCO's evaluation of the potential value of

 

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such securities in relation to the price that could be obtained by a Fund at any given time upon sale thereof, a Fund may determine to hold such securities in its portfolio.

Equity securities generally have greater price volatility than fixed income securities. The market price of equity securities owned by a Fund may go up or down, sometimes rapidly or unpredictably. Equity securities may decline in value due to factors affecting equity securities markets generally or particular industries represented in those markets. The value of an equity security may also 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 goods or services.

Foreign (Non-U.S.) Securities

Each Fund (except the PIMCO California Intermediate Municipal Bond, PIMCO California Municipal Bond, PIMCO California Short Duration Municipal Income, PIMCO High Yield Municipal Bond, PIMCO Municipal Bond, PIMCO National Intermediate Municipal, PIMCO New York Municipal and PIMCO Short Duration Municipal Income Funds) may invest in securities and instruments that are economically tied to foreign (non- U.S.) countries. PIMCO generally considers an instrument to be economically tied to a non-U.S. country if the issuer is a foreign government (or any political subdivision, agency, authority or instrumentality of such government), or if the issuer is organized under the laws of a non-U.S. country. A Fund's investments in foreign (non-U.S.) securities may include American Depositary Receipts ("ADRs"), European Depositary Receipts ("EDRs"), Global Depositary Receipts ("GDRs") and similar securities that represent interests in a non-U.S. company's securities that have been deposited with a bank or trust and that trade on a U.S. exchange or over-the-counter. ADRs, EDRs and GDRs may be less liquid or may trade at a different price than the underlying securities of the issuer. In the case of certain money market instruments, such instruments will be considered economically tied to a non-U.S. country if either the issuer or the guarantor of such money market instrument is organized under the laws of a non-U.S. country. With respect to derivative instruments, PIMCO generally considers such instruments to be economically tied to non-U.S. countries if the underlying assets are foreign currencies (or baskets or indexes of such currencies), or instruments or securities that are issued by foreign governments or issuers organized under the laws of a non-U.S. country (or if the underlying assets are certain money market instruments, if either the issuer or the guarantor of such money market instruments is organized under the laws of a non-U.S. country).

Investing in foreign (non-U.S.) securities involves special risks and considerations not typically associated with investing in U.S. securities. Shareholders should consider carefully the substantial risks involved for Funds that invest in securities issued by foreign companies and governments of foreign countries. These risks include: differences in accounting, auditing and financial reporting standards; generally higher commission rates on foreign portfolio transactions; the possibility of nationalization, expropriation or confiscatory taxation; adverse changes in investment or exchange control regulations; and political instability. Individual foreign economies may differ favorably or unfavorably from the U.S. economy in such respects as growth of gross domestic product, rates of inflation, capital reinvestment, resources, self-sufficiency and balance of payments position. The securities markets, values of securities, yields and risks associated with foreign (non-U.S.) securities markets may change independently of each other. Also, foreign (non-U.S.) securities and dividends and interest payable on those securities may be subject to foreign taxes, including taxes withheld from payments on those securities. Foreign (non-U.S.) securities often trade with less frequency and volume than domestic securities and therefore may exhibit greater price volatility. Investments in foreign (non-U.S.) securities may also involve higher custodial costs than domestic investments and additional transaction costs with respect to foreign currency conversions. Changes in foreign exchange rates also will affect the value of securities denominated or quoted in foreign currencies.

Certain Funds also may invest in sovereign debt issued by governments, their agencies or instrumentalities, or other government-related entities. Holders of sovereign debt may be requested to participate in the rescheduling of such debt and to extend further loans to governmental entities. In addition, there is no bankruptcy proceeding by which defaulted sovereign debt may be collected.

Emerging Market Securities. Each Fund that may invest in foreign (non-U.S.) securities may invest in securities and instruments that are economically tied to developing (or "emerging market") countries. PIMCO generally considers an instrument to be economically tied to an emerging market country if: the issuer is organized under the laws of an emerging market country; the currency of settlement of the security is a currency of an emerging market country; the security is guaranteed by the government of an emerging market country (or any political subdivision, agency, authority or instrumentality of such government); for an asset-backed or other collateralized security, the country in which the collateral backing the security is located in an emerging market country; or the security's "country of exposure" is an emerging market country, as determined by the criteria set forth below. With respect to derivative instruments, PIMCO generally considers such instruments to be economically tied to emerging market countries if the underlying assets are currencies of emerging market countries (or baskets or indexes of such currencies), or instruments or securities that are issued or guaranteed by governments of emerging market countries or by entities organized under the laws of emerging market countries or if an instrument's "country of exposure" is an emerging market country. A security's "country of exposure" is determined by PIMCO using certain factors provided by a third-party analytical service provider. The factors are applied in order such that the first factor to result in the assignment of a country determines the "country of exposure." The factors, listed in the order in which they are applied, are: (i) if an asset-backed or other collateralized security, the country in which the collateral backing the security is located; (ii) the "country of risk" of the issuer; (iii) if the security is guaranteed by the government of a country (or any political subdivision, agency, authority or instrumentality of such government), the country of the government or instrumentality providing the guarantee; (iv) the "country of risk" of the issuer's ultimate parent; or (v) the country where the issuer is organized or incorporated under the laws thereof. "Country of risk" is a separate four-part test

 

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determined by the following factors, listed in order of importance: (i) management location; (ii) country of primary listing; (iii) sales or revenue attributable to the country; and (iv) reporting currency of the issuer. PIMCO has broad discretion to identify countries that it considers to qualify as emerging markets. In making investments in emerging market securities, a Fund emphasizes those countries with relatively low gross national product per capita and with the potential for rapid economic growth. Emerging market countries are generally located in Asia, Africa, the Middle East, Latin America and Eastern Europe. PIMCO will select the country and currency composition based on its evaluation of relative interest rates, inflation rates, exchange rates, monetary and fiscal policies, trade and current account balances, legal and political developments and any other specific factors it believes to be relevant.

Investing in emerging market securities imposes risks different from, or greater than, risks of investing in domestic securities or in foreign, developed countries. These risks include: smaller market capitalization of securities markets, which may suffer periods of relative illiquidity; significant price volatility; restrictions on foreign investment; possible repatriation of investment income and capital. In addition, foreign investors may be required to register the proceeds of sales; and future economic or political crises could lead to price controls, forced mergers, expropriation or confiscatory taxation, seizure, nationalization, or creation of government monopolies. The currencies of emerging market countries may experience significant declines against the U.S. dollar, and devaluation may occur subsequent to investments in these currencies by a Fund. Many emerging market countries have experienced substantial, and in some periods extremely high, rates of inflation for many years. Inflation and rapid fluctuations in inflation rates have had, and may continue to have, negative effects on the economies and securities markets of certain emerging market countries.

Additional risks of emerging market securities may include: greater social, economic and political uncertainty and instability; more substantial governmental involvement in the economy; less governmental supervision and regulation; unavailability of currency hedging techniques; companies that are newly organized and small; differences in auditing and financial reporting standards, which may result in unavailability of material information about issuers; and less developed legal systems. In addition, emerging securities markets may have different clearance and settlement procedures, which may be unable to keep pace with the volume of securities transactions or otherwise make it difficult to engage in such transactions. Settlement problems may cause a Fund to miss attractive investment opportunities, hold a portion of its assets in cash pending investment, or be delayed in disposing of a portfolio security. Such a delay could result in possible liability to a purchaser of the security.

Foreign (Non-U.S.) Currencies

Direct investments in foreign (non-U.S.) currencies or in securities that trade in, or receive revenues in, foreign (non-U.S.) currencies will be subject to currency risk. Foreign currency exchange rates may fluctuate significantly over short periods of time. They generally are determined by supply and demand in the foreign exchange markets and the relative merits of investments in different countries, actual or perceived changes in interest rates and other complex factors. Currency exchange rates also can be affected unpredictably by intervention (or the failure to intervene) by U.S. or foreign governments or central banks, or by currency controls or political developments. Currencies in which the Funds' assets are denominated may be devalued against the U.S. dollar, resulting in a loss to the Funds.

Foreign Currency Transactions. Funds that invest in securities denominated in foreign (non-U.S.) currencies may engage in foreign currency transactions on a spot (cash) basis, enter into forward foreign currency exchange contracts and invest in foreign currency futures contracts and options on foreign currencies and futures. A forward foreign currency exchange contract, which involves an obligation to purchase or sell a specific currency at a future date at a price set at the time of the contract, reduces a Fund's exposure to changes in the value of the currency it will deliver and increases its exposure to changes in the value of the currency it will receive for the duration of the contract. Certain foreign currency transactions may also be settled in cash rather than the actual delivery of the relevant currency. The effect on the value of a Fund is similar to selling securities denominated in one currency and purchasing securities denominated in another currency. Foreign currency transactions, like currency exchange rates, can be affected unpredictably by intervention (or the failure to intervene) by U.S. or foreign governments or central banks, or by currency controls or political developments. Such events may prevent or restrict a Fund's ability to enter into foreign currency transactions, force the Fund to exit a foreign currency transaction at a disadvantageous time or price or result in penalties for the Fund, any of which may result in a loss to the Fund. A contract to sell a foreign currency would limit any potential gain which might be realized if the value of the hedged currency increases. A Fund may enter into these contracts to hedge against foreign exchange risk, to increase exposure to a foreign currency or to shift exposure to foreign currency fluctuations from one currency to another. Suitable hedging transactions may not be available in all circumstances and there can be no assurance that a Fund will engage in such transactions at any given time or from time to time. Also, such transactions may not be successful and may eliminate any chance for a Fund to benefit from favorable fluctuations in relevant foreign currencies. A Fund may use one currency (or a basket of currencies) to hedge against adverse changes in the value of another currency (or a basket of currencies) when exchange rates between the two currencies are positively correlated. A Fund will segregate or "earmark" assets determined to be liquid by PIMCO in accordance with the procedures established by the Board of Trustees (or, as permitted by applicable law, enter into certain offsetting positions) to cover its obligations under forward foreign currency exchange contracts.

Redenomination. Continuing uncertainty as to the status of the euro and the European Monetary Union (the "EMU") has created significant volatility in currency and financial markets generally. Any partial or complete dissolution of the EMU could have significant adverse effects on currency and financial markets and on the values of a Fund's portfolio investments. If one or more EMU countries were to stop using the euro as its primary currency, a Fund's investments in

 

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such countries may be redenominated into a different or newly adopted currency. As a result, the value of those investments could decline significantly and unpredictably. In addition, securities or other investments that are redenominated may be subject to currency risk, liquidity risk and risk of improper valuation to a greater extent than similar investments currently denominated in euros. To the extent a currency used for redenomination purposes is not specified in respect of certain EMU-related investments, or should the euro cease to be used entirely, the currency in which such investments are denominated may be unclear, making such investments particularly difficult to value or dispose of. A Fund may incur additional expenses to the extent it is required to seek judicial or other clarification of the denomination or value of such securities.

There can be no assurance that if a Fund earns income or capital gains in a non-U.S. country or PIMCO otherwise seeks to withdraw a Fund's investments from a given country, capital controls imposed by such country will not prevent, or cause significant expense in, doing so.

Repurchase Agreements

Each Fund may enter into repurchase agreements, in which the Fund purchases a security from a bank or broker-dealer, which agrees to repurchase the security at the Fund's cost plus interest within a specified time. If the party agreeing to repurchase should default, the Fund will seek to sell the securities which it holds. This could involve procedural costs or delays in addition to a loss on the securities if their value should fall below their repurchase price. Repurchase agreements maturing in more than seven days and which may not be terminated within seven days at approximately the amount at which a Fund has valued the agreements are considered illiquid securities.  

Reverse Repurchase Agreements, Dollar Rolls and Other Borrowings

Each Fund may enter into reverse repurchase agreements and dollar rolls, subject to the Fund's limitations on borrowings. A reverse repurchase agreement involves the sale of a security by a Fund and its agreement to repurchase the instrument at a specified time and price. A dollar roll is similar except that the counterparty is not obligated to return the same securities as those originally sold by the Fund but only securities that are "substantially identical." Reverse repurchase agreements and dollar rolls may be considered borrowing for some purposes. A Fund will segregate or "earmark" assets determined to be liquid by PIMCO in accordance with procedures established by the Board of Trustees to cover its obligations under reverse repurchase agreements and dollar rolls. Reverse repurchase agreements, dollar rolls and other forms of borrowings may create leveraging risk for a Fund.

Each Fund may borrow money to the extent permitted under the 1940 Act. This means that, in general, a Fund may borrow money from banks for any purpose in an amount up to ⅓ of the Fund's total assets, less all liabilities and indebtedness not represented by senior securities. A Fund may also borrow money for temporary administrative purposes in an amount not to exceed 5% of the Fund's total assets. In addition, a Fund may borrow from certain other PIMCO funds in inter-fund lending transactions to the extent permitted by an exemptive order from the SEC.

Derivatives

Each Fund may, but is not required to, use derivative instruments for risk management purposes or as part of its investment strategies. Generally, derivatives are financial contracts whose value depends upon, or is derived from, the value of an underlying asset, reference rate or index, and may relate to stocks, bonds, interest rates, spreads between different interest rates, currencies or currency exchange rates, commodities and related indexes. Examples of derivative instruments include options contracts, futures contracts, options on futures contracts and swap agreements (including, but not limited to, credit default swaps and swaps on exchange-traded funds). Each Fund may invest some or all of its assets in derivative instruments, subject to the Fund's objective and policies. A portfolio manager may decide not to employ any of these strategies and there is no assurance that any derivatives strategy used by a Fund will succeed. A description of these and other derivative instruments that the Funds may use are described under "Investment Objectives and Policies" in the SAI.

A Fund's use of derivative instruments involves risks different from, or possibly greater than, the risks associated with investing directly in securities and other more traditional investments. Certain derivative transactions may have a leveraging effect on a Fund. For example, a small investment in a derivative instrument may have a significant impact on a Fund's exposure to interest rates, currency exchange rates or other investments. As a result, a relatively small price movement in a derivative instrument may cause an immediate and substantial loss or gain. A Fund may engage in such transactions regardless of whether the Fund owns the asset, instrument or components of the index underlying the derivative instrument. A Fund may invest a significant portion of its assets in these types of instruments. If it does, the Fund's investment exposure could far exceed the value of its portfolio securities and its investment performance could be primarily dependent upon securities it does not own. A description of various risks associated with particular derivative instruments is included in "Investment Objectives and Policies" in the SAI. The following provides a more general discussion of important risk factors relating to all derivative instruments that may be used by the Funds.

CPI Swap. A CPI swap is a fixed maturity, over-the-counter derivative transaction in which the investor receives the "realized" rate of inflation as measured by the Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers ("CPI") over the life of the swap. The investor in turn pays a fixed annualized rate over the life of the swap. This fixed rate is often referred to as the "breakeven inflation" rate and is generally representative of the difference between treasury yields and TIPS yields of similar maturities at the initiation of the swap. CPI swaps are typically in "bullet" format, where all cash flows are exchanged at maturity. In addition to counterparty risk, CPI swaps are also subject to inflation risk, where the swap can potentially lose value if the realized rate of inflation over the life of the swap is less than the fixed market implied inflation rate (fixed breakeven rate) that the investor agrees to pay at the initiation of the swap.

Management Risk. Derivative products are highly specialized instruments that require investment techniques and risk analyses different from those associated with stocks and bonds. The use of a derivative requires an understanding not only of the underlying instrument but also of the

 

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derivative itself, without the benefit of observing the performance of the derivative under all possible market conditions.

Credit Risk. The use of certain derivative instruments involves the risk that a loss may be sustained as a result of the failure of another party to the contract (usually referred to as a "counterparty") to make required payments or otherwise comply with the contract's terms. Additionally, a short position in a credit default swap could result in losses if a Fund does not correctly evaluate the creditworthiness of the company on which the credit default swap is based.

Liquidity Risk. Liquidity risk exists when a particular derivative instrument is difficult to purchase or sell. If a derivative transaction is particularly large or if the relevant market is illiquid (as is the case with many privately negotiated derivatives), it may not be possible to initiate a transaction or liquidate a position at an advantageous time or price.

Leverage Risk. Because many derivatives have a leverage component, adverse changes in the value or level of the underlying asset, reference rate or index could result in a loss substantially greater than the amount invested in the derivative itself. Certain derivatives have the potential for unlimited loss, regardless of the size of the initial investment. When a Fund uses derivatives for leverage, investments in that Fund will tend to be more volatile, resulting in larger gains or losses in response to market changes. To limit leverage risk, each Fund will segregate or "earmark" assets determined to be liquid by PIMCO in accordance with procedures established by the Board of Trustees (or, as permitted by applicable regulation, enter into certain offsetting positions) to cover its obligations under derivative instruments.

Lack of Availability. Because the markets for certain derivative instruments (including markets located in foreign countries) are relatively new and still developing, suitable derivatives transactions may not be available in all circumstances for risk management or other purposes. Upon the expiration of a particular contract, a portfolio manager may wish to retain a Fund's position in the derivative instrument by entering into a similar contract, but may be unable to do so if the counterparty to the original contract is unwilling to enter into the new contract and no other suitable counterparty can be found. There is no assurance that a Fund will engage in derivatives transactions at any time or from time to time. A Fund's ability to use derivatives may also be limited by certain regulatory and tax considerations.

Market and Other Risks. Like most other investments, derivative instruments are subject to the risk that the market value of the instrument will change in a way detrimental to a Fund's interest. If a portfolio manager incorrectly forecasts the values of securities, currencies or interest rates or other economic factors in using derivatives for a Fund, the Fund might have been in a better position if it had not entered into the transaction at all. While some strategies involving derivative instruments can reduce the risk of loss, they can also reduce the opportunity for gain or even result in losses by offsetting favorable price movements in other Fund investments. A Fund may also have to buy or sell a security at a disadvantageous time or price because the Fund is legally required to maintain offsetting positions or asset coverage in connection with certain derivatives transactions.

Other risks in using derivatives include the risk of mispricing or improper valuation of derivatives. The regulation of the derivatives markets has increased over the past several years, and additional future regulation of the derivatives markets may make derivatives more costly, may limit the availability or reduce the liquidity of derivatives, or may otherwise adversely affect the value or performance of derivatives. Any such adverse future developments could impair the effectiveness or raise the costs of the Fund's derivative transactions, or impede the employment of the Fund's derivatives strategies, or adversely affect the Fund's performance. Many derivatives, in particular privately negotiated derivatives, are complex and often valued subjectively. Improper valuations can result in increased cash payment requirements to counterparties or a loss of value to a Fund. Also, the value of derivatives may not correlate perfectly, or at all, with the value of the assets, reference rates or indexes they are designed to closely track. For example, a swap agreement on an exchange-traded fund would not correlate perfectly with the index upon which the exchange-traded fund is based because the fund's return is net of fees and expenses. In addition, a Fund's use of derivatives may cause the Fund to realize higher amounts of short-term capital gains (generally taxed at ordinary income tax rates) than if the Fund had not used such instruments.

Correlation Risk. In certain cases, the value of derivatives may not correlate perfectly, or at all, with the value of the assets, reference rates or indexes they are designed to closely track. In this regard, many of the Funds offered in this prospectus seek to achieve their investment objectives, in part, by investing in derivatives positions that are designed to closely track the performance (or inverse performance) of an index on a daily basis. However, the overall investment strategies of these Funds are not designed or expected to produce returns which replicate the performance (or inverse performance) of the particular index, and the degree of variation could be substantial, particularly over longer periods. There are a number of factors which may prevent a Fund, or derivatives or other strategies used by a Fund, from achieving a desired correlation (or inverse correlation) with an index. These may include, but are not limited to: (i) the impact of Fund fees, expenses and transaction costs, including borrowing and brokerage costs/bid-ask spreads, which are not reflected in index returns; (ii) differences in the timing of daily calculations of the value of an index and the timing of the valuation of derivatives, securities and other assets held by a Fund and the determination of the NAV of Fund shares; (iii) disruptions or illiquidity in the markets for derivative instruments or securities in which a Fund invests; (iv) a Fund having exposure to or holding less than all of the securities in the underlying index and/or having exposure to or holding securities not included in the underlying index; (v) large or unexpected movements of assets into and out of a Fund (due to share purchases or redemptions, for example), potentially resulting in the Fund being over- or under-exposed to the index; (vi) the impact of accounting standards or changes thereto; (vii) changes to the applicable index that are not disseminated in advance; (viii) a possible need to conform a Fund's portfolio holdings to comply with investment restrictions or policies or regulatory or tax law requirements; and (ix) fluctuations in currency exchange rates.

Real Estate Investment Trusts (REITs)

REITs are pooled investment vehicles that own, and usually operate, income-producing real estate. Some REITs also finance real estate. If a REIT meets certain requirements, including distributing to shareholders substantially all of its taxable income (other than net capital gains), then it

 

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is not taxed on the income distributed to shareholders. Therefore, REITs tend to pay higher dividends than other issuers.

REITs can be divided into three basic types: Equity REITs, Mortgage REITs and Hybrid REITs. Equity REITs invest the majority of their assets directly in real property. They derive their income primarily from rents received and any profits on the sale of their properties. Mortgage REITs invest the majority of their assets in real estate mortgages and derive most of their income from mortgage interest payments. As its name suggests, Hybrid REITs combine characteristics of both Equity REITs and Mortgage REITs.

An investment in a REIT, or in a real estate linked derivative instrument linked to the value of a REIT, is subject to the risks that impact the value of the underlying properties of the REIT. These risks include loss to casualty or condemnation, and changes in supply and demand, interest rates, zoning laws, regulatory limitations on rents, property taxes and operating expenses. Other factors that may adversely affect REITs include poor performance by management of the REIT, changes to the tax laws, or failure by the REIT to qualify for tax-free distribution of income. REITs are also subject to default by borrowers and self-liquidation, and are heavily dependent on cash flow. Some REITs lack diversification because they invest in a limited number of properties, a narrow geographic area, or a single type of property. Mortgage REITs may be impacted by the quality of the credit extended.

Exchange-Traded Notes (ETNs)

ETNs are senior, unsecured, unsubordinated debt securities whose returns are linked to the performance of a particular market benchmark or strategy minus applicable fees. ETNs are traded on an exchange (e.g., the NYSE) during normal trading hours. However, investors can also hold the ETN until maturity. At maturity, the issuer pays to the investor a cash amount equal to the principal amount, subject to the day's market benchmark or strategy factor.

ETNs do not make periodic coupon payments or provide principal protection. ETNs are subject to credit risk and the value of the ETN may drop due to a downgrade in the issuer's credit rating, despite the underlying market benchmark or strategy remaining unchanged. The value of an ETN may also be influenced by time to maturity, level of supply and demand for the ETN, volatility and lack of liquidity in underlying assets, changes in the applicable interest rates, changes in the issuer's credit rating, and economic, legal, political, or geographic events that affect the referenced underlying asset. When a Fund invests in ETNs, it will bear its proportionate share of any fees and expenses borne by the ETN. A Fund's decision to sell its ETN holdings may be limited by the availability of a secondary market. ETNs are also subject to tax risk. The IRS and Congress are considering proposals that would change the timing and character of income and gains from ETNs. There may be times when an ETN share trades at a premium or discount to its market benchmark or strategy.

Delayed Funding Loans and Revolving Credit Facilities

Each Fund (except the PIMCO California Intermediate Municipal Bond, PIMCO California Municipal Bond, PIMCO California Short Duration Municipal Income, PIMCO High Yield Municipal Bond, PIMCO Municipal Bond, PIMCO National Intermediate Municipal, PIMCO New York Municipal and PIMCO Short Duration Municipal Income Funds) may also enter into, or acquire participations in, delayed funding loans and revolving credit facilities, in which a lender agrees to make loans up to a maximum amount upon demand by the borrower during a specified term. These commitments may have the effect of requiring a Fund to increase its investment in a company at a time when it might not otherwise decide to do so (including at a time when the company's financial condition makes it unlikely that such amounts will be repaid). To the extent that a Fund is committed to advance additional funds, it will segregate or "earmark" assets determined to be liquid by PIMCO in accordance with procedures established by the Board of Trustees in an amount sufficient to meet such commitments. Delayed funding loans and revolving credit facilities are subject to credit, interest rate and liquidity risk and the risks of being a lender.

When-Issued, Delayed Delivery and Forward Commitment Transactions

Each Fund may purchase or sell securities which it is eligible to purchase or sell on a when-issued basis, may purchase and sell such securities for delayed delivery and may make contracts to purchase or sell such securities for a fixed price at a future date beyond normal settlement time (forward commitments). When-issued transactions, delayed delivery purchases and forward commitments involve a risk of loss if the value of the securities declines prior to the settlement date. This risk is in addition to the risk that a Fund's other assets will decline in value. Therefore, these transactions may result in a form of leverage and increase a Fund's overall investment exposure. Typically, no income accrues on securities a Fund has committed to purchase prior to the time delivery of the securities is made, although a Fund may earn income on securities it has segregated or "earmarked" to cover these positions. When a Fund has sold a security on a when-issued, delayed delivery, or forward commitment basis, the Fund does not participate in future gains or losses with respect to the security. If the other party to a transaction fails to pay for the securities, a Fund could suffer a loss. Additionally, when selling a security on a when-issued, delayed delivery or forward commitment basis without owning the security, a Fund will incur a loss if the security's price appreciates in value such that the security's price is above the agreed-upon price on the settlement date.

Investment in Other Investment Companies

Each Fund may invest in securities of other investment companies, such as open-end or closed-end management investment companies, including exchange-traded funds, or in pooled accounts, or other unregistered accounts or investment vehicles to the extent permitted by the 1940 Act and the rules and regulations thereunder and any exemptive relief therefrom. A Fund may invest in other investment companies to gain broad market or sector exposure, including during periods when it has large amounts of uninvested cash or when PIMCO believes share prices of other investment companies offer attractive values. As a shareholder of an investment company or other pooled vehicle, a Fund may indirectly bear investment advisory fees, supervisory and administrative fees, service fees and other fees which are in addition to the fees the Fund pays its service providers.

Each Fund may invest in certain money market funds and/or short-term bond funds ("Central Funds"), to the extent permitted by the 1940 Act, the rules thereunder or exemptive relief therefrom. The Central Funds are

 

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registered investment companies created for use solely by the series of the Trust, PIMCO Variable Insurance Trust, PIMCO ETF Trust, PIMCO Equity Series and PIMCO Equity Series VIT, and certain other series of registered investment companies advised by PIMCO, in connection with their cash management activities. The main investments of the Central Funds are money market instruments and short maturity Fixed Income Instruments. The Central Funds may incur expenses related to their investment activities, but do not pay investment advisory or supervisory and administrative fees to PIMCO.

Subject to the restrictions and limitations of the 1940 Act, each Fund may, in the future, elect to pursue its investment objective either by investing directly in securities, or by investing in one or more underlying investment vehicles or companies that have substantially similar investment objectives and policies as the Fund.

Small-Cap and Mid-Cap Companies

Certain Funds may invest in equity securities of small-capitalization and mid-capitalization companies. The Funds consider a small-cap company to be a company with a market capitalization of up to $1.5 billion and a mid-cap company to be a company with a market capitalization of between $1.5 billion and $10 billion. Investments in small-cap and mid-cap companies involve greater risk than investments in large-capitalization companies. Small- and mid-cap companies may not have an established financial history, which can present valuation challenges. The equity securities of small- and mid-cap companies may be subject to increased market fluctuations, due to less liquid markets and more limited managerial and financial resources. A Fund's investment in small- and mid-cap companies may increase the volatility of the Fund's portfolio.

Short Sales

A Fund may make short sales as part of its overall portfolio management strategies or to offset a potential decline in value of a security. A short sale involves the sale of a security that is borrowed from a broker or other institution to complete the sale. Short sales expose a Fund to the risk that it will be required to acquire, convert or exchange securities to replace the borrowed securities (also known as "covering" the short position) at a time when the securities sold short have appreciated in value, thus resulting in a loss to the Fund. When making a short sale (other than a "short sale against the box"), a Fund must segregate or "earmark" assets determined to be liquid by PIMCO in accordance with procedures established by the Board of Trustees or otherwise cover its position in a permissible manner.  A Fund may engage in short selling to the extent permitted by the 1940 Act and rules and interpretations thereunder and other federal securities laws. To the extent a Fund engages in short selling in foreign (non-U.S.) jurisdictions, the Fund will do so to the extent permitted by the laws and regulations of such jurisdiction.

Illiquid Securities

Each Fund may invest up to 15% of its net assets (taken at the time of investment) in illiquid securities. Certain illiquid securities may require pricing at fair value as determined in good faith under the supervision of the Board of Trustees. A portfolio manager may be subject to significant delays in disposing of illiquid securities, and transactions in illiquid securities may entail registration expenses and other transaction costs that are higher than those for transactions in liquid securities. The term "illiquid securities" for this purpose means securities that cannot be disposed of within seven days in the ordinary course of business at approximately the amount at which a Fund has valued the securities. Restricted securities, i.e., securities subject to legal or contractual restrictions on resale, may be illiquid. However, some restricted securities (such as securities issued pursuant to Rule 144A under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and certain commercial paper) may be treated as liquid, although they may be less liquid than registered securities traded on established secondary markets.

Loans of Portfolio Securities

For the purpose of achieving income, each Fund may lend its portfolio securities to brokers, dealers, and other financial institutions provided a number of conditions are satisfied, including that the loan is fully collateralized. Please see "Investment Objectives and Policies" in the SAI for details. When a Fund lends portfolio securities, its investment performance will continue to reflect changes in the value of the securities loaned, and the Fund will also receive a fee or interest on the collateral. Securities lending involves the risk of loss of rights in the collateral or delay in recovery of the collateral if the borrower fails to return the security loaned or becomes insolvent. A Fund may pay lending fees to a party arranging the loan. Cash collateral received by a Fund in securities lending transactions may be invested in short-term liquid fixed income instruments or in money market or short-term mutual funds, or similar investment vehicles, including affiliated money market or short-term mutual funds. A Fund bears the risk of such investments.

Portfolio Turnover

The length of time a Fund has held a particular security is not generally a consideration in investment decisions. A change in the securities held by a Fund is known as "portfolio turnover." When the portfolio manager deems it appropriate and particularly during periods of volatile market movements, a Fund may engage in frequent and active trading of portfolio securities to achieve its investment objective. Higher portfolio turnover (e.g., an annual rate greater than 100% of the average value of the Fund's portfolio) involves correspondingly greater expenses to a Fund, including brokerage commissions or dealer markups and other transaction costs on the sale of securities and reinvestments in other securities. Such sales may also result in realization of taxable capital gains, including short-term capital gains (which are generally taxed at ordinary income tax rates). The trading costs and tax effects associated with portfolio turnover may adversely affect a Fund's performance. Please see a Fund's "Fund Summary—Portfolio Turnover" or the "Financial Highlights" in this prospectus for the portfolio turnover rates of the Funds that were operational during the last fiscal year.

Temporary Defensive Positions

For temporary defensive purposes, each Fund may invest without limit in U.S. debt securities, including taxable securities and short-term money market securities, when PIMCO deems it appropriate to do so. When a Fund engages in such strategies, it may not achieve its investment objective.

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Fund's total net assets may be uninvested. In such cases, Fund assets will be held in cash in a Fund's custody account. Cash assets are generally not income-generating and would impact a Fund's performance.

Changes in Investment Objectives and Policies

The investment objectives of the PIMCO California Municipal Bond, PIMCO California Short Duration Municipal Income, PIMCO High Yield Municipal Bond, PIMCO National Intermediate Municipal Bond, PIMCO Strategic Bond Funds are non-fundamental and may be changed by the Board of Trustees without shareholder approval. The investment objective of each other Fund is fundamental and may not be changed without shareholder approval. Unless otherwise stated, all other investment policies of the Funds may be changed by the Board of Trustees without shareholder approval.

Percentage Investment Limitations

Unless otherwise stated, all percentage limitations on Fund investments listed in this prospectus will apply at the time of investment. A Fund would not violate these limitations unless an excess or deficiency occurs or exists immediately after and as a result of an investment. The PIMCO Strategic Bond Fund has adopted a non-fundamental investment policy, and each of the PIMCO California Intermediate Municipal Bond, PIMCO California Municipal Bond, PIMCO California Short Duration Municipal Income, PIMCO High Yield Municipal Bond, PIMCO Municipal Bond, PIMCO National Intermediate Municipal, PIMCO New York Municipal and PIMCO Short Duration Municipal Income Funds has adopted a fundamental investment policy to invest at least 80% of its assets in investments suggested by its name. For purposes of this policy, the term "assets" means net assets plus the amount of any borrowings for investment purposes.

Credit Ratings and Unrated Securities

Rating agencies are private services that provide ratings of the credit quality of fixed income securities, including convertible securities. Appendix A to this prospectus describes the various ratings assigned to fixed income securities by Moody's, S&P and Fitch. Ratings assigned by a rating agency are not absolute standards of credit quality and do not evaluate market risks. Rating agencies may fail to make timely changes in credit ratings and an issuer's current financial condition may be better or worse than a rating indicates. A Fund will not necessarily sell a security when its rating is reduced below its rating at the time of purchase. PIMCO does not rely solely on credit ratings, and develops its own analysis of issuer credit quality.

A Fund may purchase unrated securities (which are not rated by a rating agency) if PIMCO determines, in its sole discretion, that the security is of comparable quality to a rated security that the Fund may purchase. In making ratings determinations, PIMCO may take into account different factors than those taken into account by rating agencies, and PIMCO's rating of a security may differ from the rating that a rating agency may have given the same security. Unrated securities may be less liquid than comparable rated securities and involve the risk that the portfolio manager may not accurately evaluate the security's comparative credit rating. Analysis of the creditworthiness of issuers of high yield securities may be more complex than for issuers of higher-quality fixed income securities. To the extent that a Fund invests in high yield and/or unrated securities, the Fund's success in achieving its investment objective may depend more heavily on the portfolio manager's creditworthiness analysis than if the Fund invested exclusively in higher-quality and rated securities.

Other Investments and Techniques

The Funds may invest in other types of securities and use a variety of investment techniques and strategies which are not described in this prospectus. These securities and techniques may subject the Funds to additional risks. Please see the SAI for additional information about the securities and investment techniques described in this prospectus and about additional securities and techniques that may be used by the Funds.

Cyber Security

As the use of technology has become more prevalent in the course of business, the Funds have become potentially more susceptible to operational and information security risks resulting from breaches in cyber security. A breach in cyber security refers to both intentional and unintentional cyber events that may, among other things, cause a Fund to lose proprietary information, suffer data corruption and/or destruction or lose operational capacity, result in the unauthorized release or other misuse of confidential information, or otherwise disrupt normal business operations. Cyber security breaches may involve unauthorized access to a Fund's digital information systems (e.g., through "hacking" or malicious software coding), but may also result from outside attacks such as denial-of-service attacks (i.e., efforts to make network services unavailable to intended users). In addition, cyber security breaches involving a Fund's third party service providers (including but not limited to advisers, sub-advisers, administrators, transfer agents, custodians, distributors and other third parties), trading counterparties or issuers in which a Fund invests can also subject a Fund to many of the same risks associated with direct cyber security breaches. Moreover, cyber security breaches involving trading counterparties or issuers in which a Fund invests could adversely impact such counterparties or issuers and cause the Fund's investment to lose value.

Cyber security failures or breaches may result in financial losses to a Fund and its shareholders. These failures or breaches may also result in disruptions to business operations, potentially resulting in financial losses; interference with a Fund's ability to calculate its NAV, process shareholder transactions or otherwise transact business with shareholders; impediments to trading; violations of applicable privacy and other laws; regulatory fines; penalties; reputational damage; reimbursement or other compensation costs; additional compliance and cyber security risk management costs and other adverse consequences. In addition, substantial costs may be incurred in order to prevent any cyber incidents in the future.

Like with operational risk in general, the Funds have established business continuity plans and risk management systems designed to reduce the risks associated with cyber security. However, there are inherent limitations in these plans and systems, including that certain risks may not have been identified, in large part because different or unknown threats may emerge in the future. As such, there is no guarantee that such efforts will succeed, especially because the Funds do not directly control the cyber security systems of issuers in which a Fund may invest, trading counterparties or third party service providers to the Funds. There is also a risk that cyber

 

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security breaches may not be detected. The Funds and their shareholders could be negatively impacted as a result.

 

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Financial Highlights

The financial highlights table is intended to help a shareholder understand the financial performance of Institutional Class, I-2, I-3, Class A and Class C shares of each Fund for the last five fiscal years or, if shorter, the period since a Fund or a class commenced operations. Certain information reflects financial results for a single Fund share. Because I-3 shares of the PIMCO High Yield Municipal Bond Fund, PIMCO Municipal Bond Fund, PIMCO New York Municipal Bond Fund and PIMCO Short Duration Municipal Income Fund had not commenced operations during the periods shown, financial performance information is not provided for the share class. The total returns in the table represent the rate that an investor would have earned or lost on an investment in a particular class of shares of a Fund (assuming reinvestment of all dividends and distributions). This information has been audited by PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP, whose report, along with each Fund's financial statements, are included in the Trust's annual report to shareholders. The annual report is available free of charge by calling the Trust at the phone number on the back of this prospectus. The annual report is also available for download free of charge on the Trust's Web site at pimco.com. Note: All footnotes to the financial highlights table appear at the end of the tables.

[Table to be added by amendment]

 

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Appendix A
Description of Securities Ratings

The Fund's investments may range in quality from securities rated in the lowest category in which the Fund is permitted to invest to securities rated in the highest category (as rated by Moody's, Standard & Poor's or Fitch, or, if unrated, determined by PIMCO to be of comparable quality). The percentage of the Fund's assets invested in securities in a particular rating category will vary. The following terms are generally used to describe the credit quality of fixed income securities:

High Quality Debt Securities are those rated in one of the two highest rating categories (the highest category for commercial paper) or, if unrated, deemed comparable by PIMCO.

Investment Grade Debt Securities are those rated in one of the four highest rating categories, or if unrated deemed comparable by PIMCO.

Below Investment Grade High Yield Securities ("Junk Bonds"), are those rated lower than Baa by Moody's, BBB by Standard & Poor's or Fitch, and comparable securities. They are deemed predominantly speculative with respect to the issuer's ability to repay principal and interest.

The following is a description of Moody's, Standard & Poor's and Fitch's rating categories applicable to fixed income securities.

Moody's Investors Service, Inc.

Long-Term Corporate Obligation Ratings
Moody's long-term obligation ratings are opinions of the relative credit risk of fixed income obligations with an original maturity of one year or more. They address the possibility that a financial obligation will not be honored as promised. Such ratings use Moody's Global Scale and reflect both the likelihood of default and any financial loss suffered in the event of default.

Aaa: Obligations rated Aaa are judged to be of the highest quality, subject to the lowest level of credit risk.

Aa: Obligations rated Aa are judged to be of high quality and are subject to very low credit risk.

A: Obligations rated A are judged to be upper-medium grade and are subject to low credit risk.

Baa: Obligations rated Baa are judged to be medium-grade and subject to moderate credit risk and as such may possess certain speculative characteristics.

Ba: Obligations rated Ba are judged to be speculative and are subject to substantial credit risk.

B: Obligations rated B are considered speculative and are subject to high credit risk.

Caa: Obligations rated Caa are judged to be speculative of poor standing and are subject to very high credit risk.

Ca: Obligations rated Ca are highly speculative and are likely in, or very near, default, with some prospect of recovery of principal and interest.

C: Obligations rated C are the lowest rated and are typically in default, with little prospect for recovery of principal or interest.

Moody's appends numerical modifiers 1, 2, and 3 to each generic rating classification from Aa through Caa. The modifier 1 indicates that the obligation ranks in the higher end of its generic rating category; the modifier 2 indicates a mid-range ranking; and the modifier 3 indicates a ranking in the lower end of that generic rating category. Additionally, a "(hyb)" indicator is appended to all ratings of hybrid securities issued by banks, insurers, finance companies, and securities firms.*

* By their terms, hybrid securities allow for the omission of scheduled dividends, interest, or principal payments, which can potentially result in impairment if such an omission occurs. Hybrid securities may also be subject to contractually allowable write-downs of principal that could result in impairment. Together with the hybrid indicator, the long-term obligation rating assigned to a hybrid security is an expression of the relative credit risk associated with that security.

Medium-Term Note Program Ratings

Moody's assigns provisional ratings to medium-term note (MTN) programs and definitive ratings to the individual debt securities issued from them (referred to as drawdowns or notes).

MTN program ratings are intended to reflect the ratings likely to be assigned to drawdowns issued from the program with the specified priority of claim (e.g. senior or subordinated). To capture the contingent nature of a program rating, Moody's assigns provisional ratings to MTN programs. A provisional rating is denoted by a (P) in front of the rating.

The rating assigned to a drawdown from a rated MTN or bank/deposit note program is definitive in nature, and may differ from the program rating if the drawdown is exposed to additional credit risks besides the issuer's default, such as links to the defaults of other issuers, or has other structural features that warrant a different rating. In some circumstances, no rating may be assigned to a drawdown.

Moody's encourages market participants to contact Moody's Ratings Desks or visit www.moodys.com directly if they have questions regarding ratings for specific notes issued under a medium-term note program. Unrated notes issued under an MTN program may be assigned an NR (not rated) symbol.

Short-Term Ratings
Ratings assigned on Moody's global short-term rating scales are forward-looking opinions of the relative credit risks of financial obligations issued by non-financial corporates, financial institutions, structured finance vehicles, project finance vehicles, and public sector entitities. Short-term ratings are opinions of the ability of issuers to honor short-term financial obligations. Ratings may be assigned to issuers, short-term programs or to individual short-term debt instruments. Such obligations generally have an original maturity not exceeding thirteen months, unless explicitly noted.

Moody's employs the following designations to indicate the relative repayment ability of rated issuers:

P-1: Issuers (or supporting institutions) rated Prime-1 have a superior ability to repay short-term debt obligations.

P-2: Issuers (or supporting institutions) rated Prime-2 have a strong ability to repay short-term debt obligations.

 

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P-3: Issuers (or supporting institutions) rated Prime-3 have an acceptable ability to repay short-term obligations.

NP: Issuers (or supporting institutions) rated Not Prime do not fall within any of the Prime rating categories.

National Scale Long-Term Ratings

Moody's long-term National Scale Ratings (NSRs) are opinions of the relative creditworthiness of issuers and financial obligations within a particular country. NSRs are not designed to be compared among countries; rather, they address relative credit risk within a given country. Moody's assigns national scale ratings in certain local capital markets in which investors have found the global rating scale provides inadequate differentiation among credits or is inconsistent with a rating scale already in common use in the country. In each specific country, the last two characters of the rating indicate the country in which the issuer is located (e.g., Aaa.br for Brazil).

Aaa.n: Issuers or issues rated Aaa.n demonstrate the strongest creditworthiness relative to other domestic issuers.

Aa.n: Issuers or issues rated Aa.n demonstrate very strong creditworthiness relative to other domestic issuers.

A.n: Issuers or issues rated A.n present above-average creditworthiness relative to other domestic issuers.

Baa.n: Issuers or issues rated Baa.n represent average creditworthiness relative to other domestic issuers.

Ba.n: Issuers or issues rated Ba.n demonstrate below-average creditworthiness relative to other domestic issuers.

B.n: Issuers or issues rated B.n demonstrate weak creditworthiness relative to other domestic issuers.

Caa.n: Issuers or issues rated Caa.n demonstrate very weak creditworthiness relative to other domestic issuers.

Ca.n: Issuers or issues rated Ca.n demonstrate extremely weak creditworthiness relative to other domestic issuers.

C.n: Issuers or issues rated C.n demonstrate the weakest creditworthiness relative to other domestic issuers.

Moody's appends numerical modifiers 1, 2, and 3 to each generic rating classification from Aa through Caa. The modifier 1 indicates that the obligation ranks in the higher end of its generic rating category; the modifier 2 indicates a mid-range ranking; and the modifier 3 indicates a ranking in the lower end of that generic rating category. National scale long-term ratings of D.ar and E.ar may also be applied to Argentine obligations.

National Scale Short-Term Ratings
Moody's short-term NSRs are opinions of the ability of issuers in a given country, relative to other domestic issuers, to repay debt obligations that have an original maturity not exceeding thirteen months. Short-term NSRs in one country should not be compared with short-term NSRs in another country, or with Moody's global ratings.

There are four categories of short-term national scale ratings, generically denoted N-1 through N-4 as defined below.

In each specific country, the first two letters indicate the country in which the issuer is located (e.g., BR-1 through BR-4 for Brazil).

N-1: Issuers rated N-1 have the strongest ability to repay short-term senior unsecured debt obligations relative to other domestic issuers.

N-2: Issuers rated N-2 have an above average ability to repay short-term senior unsecured debt obligations relative to other domestic issuers.

N-3: Issuers rated N-3 have an average ability to repay short-term senior unsecured debt obligations relative to other domestic issuers.

N-4: Issuers rated N-4 have a below average ability to repay short-term senior unsecured debt obligations relative to other domestic issuers.

The short-term rating symbols P-1.za, P-2.za, P-3.za and NP.za are used in South Africa. National scale short-term ratings of AR-5 and AR-6 may also be applied to Argentine obligations.

Short-Term Obligation Ratings
There are three rating categories for short-term municipal obligations that are considered investment grade. These ratings are designated as Municipal Investment Grade (MIG) and are divided into three levels—MIG 1 through MIG 3. In addition, those short-term obligations that are of speculative quality are designated SG, or speculative grade. MIG ratings expire at the maturity of the obligation.

MIG 1: This designation denotes superior credit quality. Excellent protection is afforded by established cash flows, highly reliable liquidity support, or demonstrated broad-based access to the market for refinancing.

MIG 2: This designation denotes strong credit quality. Margins of protection are ample, although not as large as in the preceding group.

MIG 3: This designation denotes acceptable credit quality. Liquidity and cash-flow protection may be narrow, and market access for refinancing is likely to be less well-established.

SG: This designation denotes speculative-grade credit quality. Debt instruments in this category may lack sufficient margins of protection.

Demand Obligation Ratings
In the case of variable rate demand obligations (VRDOs), a two-component rating is assigned: a long- or short-term debt rating and a demand obligation rating. The first element represents Moody's evaluation of risk associated with scheduled principal and interest payments. The second element represents Moody's evaluation of risk associated with the ability to receive purchase price upon demand ("demand feature"). The second element uses a rating from a variation of the MIG scale called the Variable Municipal Investment Grade (VMIG) scale.

VMIG 1: This designation denotes superior credit quality. Excellent protection is afforded by the superior short-term credit strength of the liquidity provider and structural and legal protections that ensure the timely payment of purchase price upon demand.

VMIG 2: This designation denotes strong credit quality. Good protection is afforded by the strong short-term credit strength of the liquidity provider and structural and legal protections that ensure the timely payment of purchase price upon demand.

 

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VMIG 3: This designation denotes acceptable credit quality. Adequate protection is afforded by the satisfactory short-term credit strength of the liquidity provider and structural and legal protections that ensure the timely payment of purchase price upon demand.

SG: This designation denotes speculative-grade credit quality. Demand features rated in this category may be supported by a liquidity provider that does not have an investment grade short-term rating or may lack the structural and/or legal protections necessary to ensure the timely payment of purchase price upon demand.

Standard & Poor's Ratings Services

Long-Term Issue Credit Ratings
Issue credit ratings are based, in varying degrees, on S&P Global Ratings' ("S&P") analysis of the following considerations:

Likelihood of payment—capacity and willingness of the obligor to meet its financial commitment on a financial obligation in accordance with the terms of the obligation;

Nature and provisions of the obligation and the promise S&P imputes; and

Protection afforded by, and relative position of, the financial obligation in the event of a bankruptcy, reorganization, or other arrangement under the laws of bankruptcy and other laws affecting creditors' rights.

Issue ratings are an assessment of default risk, but may incorporate an assessment of relative seniority or ultimate recovery in the event of default. Junior obligations are typically rated lower than senior obligations, to reflect the lower priority in bankruptcy, as noted above. (Such differentiation may apply when an entity has both senior and subordinated obligations, secured and unsecured obligations, or operating company and holding company obligations.)

Investment Grade
AAA: An obligation rated 'AAA' has the highest rating assigned by S&P. The obligor's capacity to meet its financial commitment on the obligation is extremely strong.

AA: An obligation rated 'AA' differs from the highest-rated obligations only to a small degree. The obligor's capacity to meet its financial commitment on the obligation is very strong.

A: An obligation rated 'A' is somewhat more susceptible to the adverse effects of changes in circumstances and economic conditions than obligations in higher-rated categories. However, the obligor's capacity to meet its financial commitment on the obligation is still strong.

BBB: An obligation rated ‘BBB' exhibits adequate protection parameters. However, adverse economic conditions or changing circumstances are more likely to lead to a weakened capacity of the obligor to meet its financial commitment on the obligation.

Speculative Grade
Obligations rated 'BB', 'B', 'CCC', 'CC', and 'C' are regarded as having significant speculative characteristics. 'BB' indicates the least degree of speculation and 'C' the highest. While such obligations will likely have some quality and protective characteristics, these may be outweighed by large uncertainties or major exposures to adverse conditions.

BB: An obligation rated 'BB' is less vulnerable to nonpayment than other speculative issues. However, it faces major ongoing uncertainties or exposure to adverse business, financial, or economic conditions which could lead to the obligor's inadequate capacity to meet its financial commitment on the obligation.

B: An obligation rated 'B' is more vulnerable to nonpayment than obligations rated ‘BB', but the obligor currently has the capacity to meet its financial commitment on the obligation. Adverse business, financial, or economic conditions will likely impair the obligor's capacity or willingness to meet its financial commitment on the obligation.

CCC: An obligation rated 'CCC' is currently vulnerable to nonpayment, and is dependent upon favorable business, financial, and economic conditions for the obligor to meet its financial commitment on the obligation. In the event of adverse business, financial, or economic conditions, the obligor is not likely to have the capacity to meet its financial commitment on the obligation.

CC: An obligation rated 'CC' is currently highly vulnerable to nonpayment. The ‘CC' rating is used when a default has not yet occurred, but S&P expects default to be a virtual certainty, regardless of the anticipated time to default.

C: An obligation rated ‘C' is currently highly vulnerable to nonpayment, and the obligation is expected to have lower relative seniority or lower ultimate recovery compared to obligations that are rated higher.

D: An obligation rated ‘D' is in default or in breach of an imputed promise. For non-hybrid capital instruments, the ‘D' rating category is used when payments on an obligation are not made on the date due, unless S&P believes that such payments will be made within five business days in the absence of a stated grace period or within the earlier of the stated grace period or 30 calendar days. The ‘D' rating also will be used upon the filing of a bankruptcy petition or the taking of similar action and where default on an obligation is a virtual certainty, for example due to automatic stay provisions. An obligation's rating is lowered to ‘D' if it is subject to a distressed exchange offer.

NR: This indicates that no rating has been requested, that there is insufficient information on which to base a rating, or that S&P does not rate a particular obligation as a matter of policy.

Plus (+) or minus (-): The ratings from ‘AA' to 'CCC' may be modified by the addition of a plus (+) or minus (-) sign to show relative standing within the major rating categories.

Short-Term Issue Credit Ratings
A-1: A short-term obligation rated 'A-1' is rated in the highest category by S&P. The obligor's capacity to meet its financial commitment on the obligation is strong. Within this category, certain obligations are designated with a plus sign (+). This indicates that the obligor's capacity to meet its financial commitment on these obligations is extremely strong.

A-2: A short-term obligation rated 'A-2' is somewhat more susceptible to the adverse effects of changes in circumstances and economic conditions

 

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than obligations in higher rating categories. However, the obligor's capacity to meet its financial commitment on the obligation is satisfactory.

A-3: A short-term obligation rated 'A-3' exhibits adequate protection parameters. However, adverse economic conditions or changing circumstances are more likely to lead to a weakened capacity of the obligor to meet its financial commitment on the obligation.

B: A short-term obligation rated 'B' is regarded as vulnerable and has significant speculative characteristics. The obligor currently has the capacity to meet its financial commitments; however, it faces major ongoing uncertainties which could lead to the obligor's inadequate capacity to meet its financial commitments.

C: A short-term obligation rated 'C' is currently vulnerable to nonpayment and is dependent upon favorable business, financial, and economic conditions for the obligor to meet its financial commitment on the obligation.

D: A short-term obligation rated ‘D' is in default or in breach of an imputed promise. For non-hybrid capital instruments, the ‘D' rating category is used when payments on an obligation are not made on the date due, unless S&P believes that such payments will be made within any stated grace period. However, any stated grace period longer than five business days will be treated as five business days. The ‘D' rating also will be used upon the filing of a bankruptcy petition or the taking of a similar action and where default on an obligation is a virtual certainty, for example due to automatic stay provisions. An obligation's rating is lowered to ‘D' if it is subject to a distressed exchange offer.

Dual Ratings: Dual ratings may be assigned to debt issues that have a put option or demand feature. The first component of the rating addresses the likelihood of repayment of principal and interest as due, and the second component of the rating addresses only the demand feature. The first component of the rating can relate to either a short-term or long-term transaction and accordingly use either short-term or long-term rating symbols. The second component of the rating relates to the put option and is assigned a short-term rating symbol (for example, ‘AAA/A-1+' or ‘A-1+/A-1'). With U.S. municipal short-term demand debt, the U.S. municipal short-term note rating symbols are used for the first component of the rating (for example, ‘SP-1+/A-1+').

Active Qualifiers
S&P uses the following qualifiers that limit the scope of a rating. The structure of the transaction can require the use of a qualifier such as a 'p' qualifier, which indicates the rating addressed the principal portion of the obligation only. A qualifier appears as a suffix and is part of the rating.

L: Ratings qualified with ‘L' apply only to amounts invested up to federal deposit insurance limits.

p: This suffix is used for issues in which the credit factors, the terms, or both, that determine the likelihood of receipt of payment of principal are different from the credit factors, terms or both that determine the likelihood of receipt of interest on the obligation. The ‘p' suffix indicates that the rating addresses the principal portion of the obligation only and that the interest is not rated.

prelim: Preliminary ratings, with the ‘prelim' suffix, may be assigned to obligors or obligations, including financial programs, in the circumstances described below. Assignment of a final rating is conditional on the receipt by S&P of appropriate documentation. S&P reserves the right not to issue a final rating. Moreover, if a final rating is issued, it may differ from the preliminary rating.

Preliminary ratings may be assigned to obligations, most commonly structured and project finance issues, pending receipt of final documentation and legal opinions.

Preliminary ratings may be assigned to obligations that will likely be issued upon the obligor's emergence from bankruptcy or similar reorganization, based on late-stage reorganization plans, documentation and discussions with the obligor. Preliminary ratings may also be assigned to the obligors. These ratings consider the anticipated general credit quality of the reorganized or post-bankruptcy issuer as well as attributes of the anticipated obligation(s).

Preliminary ratings may be assigned to entities that are being formed or that are in the process of being independently established when, in S&P opinion, documentation is close to final. Preliminary ratings may also be assigned to the obligations of these entities.

Preliminary ratings may be assigned when a previously unrated entity is undergoing a well-formulated restructuring, recapitalization, significant financing or other transformative event, generally at the point that investor or lender commitments are invited. The preliminary rating may be assigned to the entity and to its proposed obligation(s). These preliminary ratings consider the anticipated general credit quality of the obligor, as well as attributes of the anticipated obligation(s), assuming successful completion of the transformative event. Should the transformative event not occur, S&P would likely withdraw these preliminary ratings.

A preliminary recovery rating may be assigned to an obligation that has a preliminary issue credit rating.

t: This symbol indicates termination structures that are designed to honor their contracts to full maturity or, should certain events occur, to terminate and cash settle all their contracts before their final maturity date.

cir: This symbol indicates a Counterparty Instrument Rating (CIR), which is a forward-looking opinion about the creditworthiness of an issuer in a securitization structure with respect to a specific financial obligation to a counterparty (including interest rate swaps, currency swaps, and liquidity facilities). The CIR is determined on an ultimate payment basis; these opinions do not take into account timeliness of payment.

Inactive Qualifiers (no longer applied or outstanding)

*:This symbol that indicated that the rating was contingent upon S&P receipt of an executed copy of the escrow agreement or closing documentation confirming investments and cash flows. Discontinued use in August 1998.

c: This qualifier was used to provide additional information to investors that the bank may terminate its obligation to purchase tendered bonds if the long-term credit rating of the issuer was lowered to below an investment-grade level and/or the issuer's bonds were deemed taxable. Discontinued use in January 2001.

 

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G: The letter 'G' followed the rating symbol when a fund's portfolio consisted primarily of direct U.S. government securities.

pi: This qualifier was used to indicate ratings that were based on an analysis of an issuer's published financial information, as well as additional information in the public domain. Such ratings did not, however, reflect in-depth meetings with an issuer's management and therefore, could have been based on less comprehensive information than ratings without a 'pi' suffix. Discontinued use as of December 2014 and as of August 2015 for Lloyd's Syndicate Assessments.

pr: The letters ‘pr' indicate that the rating was provisional. A provisional rating assumed the successful completion of a project financed by the debt being rated and indicates that payment of debt service requirements was largely or entirely dependent upon the successful, timely completion of the project. This rating, however, while addressing credit quality subsequent to completion of the project, made no comment on the likelihood of or the risk of default upon failure of such completion.

q: A ‘q' subscript indicates that the rating is based solely on quantitative analysis of publicly available information. Discontinued use in April 2001.

r: The ‘r' modifier was assigned to securities containing extraordinary risks, particularly market risks, which are not covered in the credit rating. The absence of an ‘r' modifier should not be taken as an indication that an obligation would not exhibit extraordinary non-credit related risks. S&P discontinued the use of the ‘r' modifier for most obligations in June 2000 and for the balance of obligations (mainly structured finance transactions) in November 2002.

Fitch Ratings

Long-Term Credit Ratings
Investment Grade
Rated entities in a number of sectors, including financial and non-financial corporations, sovereigns, insurance companies and certain sectors within public finance, are generally assigned Issuer Default Ratings (IDRs). IDRs are also assigned to certain entities in global infrastructure and project finance. IDRs opine on an entity's relative vulnerability to default on financial obligations. The threshold default risk addressed by the IDR is generally that of the financial obligations whose non-payment would best reflect the uncured failure of that entity. As such, IDRs also address relative vulnerability to bankruptcy, administrative receivership or similar concepts.

In aggregate, IDRs provide an ordinal ranking of issuers based on the agency's view of their relative vulnerability to default, rather than a prediction of a specific percentage likelihood of default.

AAA: Highest credit quality. ‘AAA' ratings denote the lowest expectation of credit risk. They are assigned only in cases of exceptionally strong capacity for payment of financial commitments. This capacity is highly unlikely to be adversely affected by foreseeable events.

AA: Very high credit quality. 'AA' ratings denote expectations of very low credit risk. They indicate very strong capacity for payment of financial commitments. This capacity is not significantly vulnerable to foreseeable events.

A: High credit quality. 'A' ratings denote expectations of low credit risk. The capacity for payment of financial commitments is considered strong. This capacity may, nevertheless, be more vulnerable to adverse business or economic conditions than is the case for higher ratings.

BBB: Good credit quality. 'BBB' ratings indicate that expectations of credit risk are currently low. The capacity for payment of financial commitments is considered adequate, but adverse business or economic conditions are more likely to impair this capacity.

Speculative Grade
BB: Speculative. ‘BB' ratings indicate an elevated vulnerability to credit risk, particularly in the event of adverse changes in business or economic conditions over time; however, business or financial alternatives may be available to allow financial commitments to be met.

B: Highly speculative. ‘B' ratings indicate that material credit risk is present.

CCC: Substantial credit risk.

CC: Very high levels of credit risk.

C: Exceptionally high levels of credit risk.

Defaulted obligations typically are not assigned 'RD' or ‘D' ratings, but are instead rated in the ‘B' to ‘C' rating categories, depending on their recovery prospects and other relevant characteristics. This approach better aligns obligations that have comparable overall expected loss but varying vulnerability to default and loss.

The modifiers "+" or "-" may be appended to a rating to denote relative status within major rating categories. For example, the rating category 'AA' has three notch-specific rating levels ('AA+'; 'AA'; 'AA-'; each a rating level). Such suffixes are not added to the ‘AAA' obligation rating category, or to corporate finance obligation ratings in the categories below ‘CCC.'

The subscript ‘emr' is appended to a rating to denote embedded market risk that is beyond the scope of the rating. The designation is intended to make clear that the rating solely addresses the counterparty risk of the issuing bank. It is not meant to indicate any limitation in the analysis of the counterparty risk, which in all other respects follows published Fitch criteria for analyzing the issuing financial institution. Fitch does not rate these instruments where the principal is to any degree subject to market risk. 

Recovery Ratings
Recovery Ratings are assigned to selected individual securities and obligations, most frequently for individual obligations of corporate finance issuers with Issuer Default Ratings (IDRs) in speculative grade categories.

Among the factors that affect recovery rates for securities are the collateral, the seniority relative to other obligations in the capital structure (where appropriate), and the expected value of the company or underlying collateral in distress.

The Recovery Rating scale is based on the expected relative recovery characteristics of an obligation upon the curing of a default, emergence from insolvency or following the liquidation or termination of the obligor or its associated collateral.

Recovery Ratings are an ordinal scale and do not attempt to precisely predict a given level of recovery. As a guideline in developing the rating assessments, the agency employs broad theoretical recovery bands in its

 

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Prospectus

ratings approach based on historical averages and analytical judgment, but actual recoveries for a given security may deviate materially from historical averages.

RR1: Outstanding recovery prospects given default. ‘RR1' rated securities have characteristics consistent with securities historically recovering 91%-100% of current principal and related interest.

RR2: Superior recovery prospects given default. ‘RR2' rated securities have characteristics consistent with securities historically recovering 71%-90% of current principal and related interest.

RR3: Good recovery prospects given default. ‘RR3' rated securities have characteristics consistent with securities historically recovering 51%-70% of current principal and related interest.

RR4: Average recovery prospects given default. ‘RR4' rated securities have characteristics consistent with securities historically recovering 31%-50% of current principal and related interest.

RR5: Below average recovery prospects given default. ‘RR5' rated securities have characteristics consistent with securities historically recovering 11%-30% of current principal and related interest.

RR6: Poor recovery prospects given default. ‘RR6' rated securities have characteristics consistent with securities historically recovering 0%-10% of current principal and related interest.

Short-Term Credit Ratings
A short-term issuer or obligation rating is based in all cases on the short-term vulnerability to default of the rated entity and relates to the capacity to meet financial obligations in accordance with the documentation governing the relevant obligation. Short-term deposit ratings may be adjusted for loss severity. Short-Term Ratings are assigned to obligations whose initial maturity is viewed as "short term" based on market convention. Typically, this means up to 13 months for corporate, sovereign, and structured obligations, and up to 36 months for obligations in U.S. public finance markets.

F1: Highest short-term credit quality. Indicates the strongest intrinsic capacity for timely payment of financial commitments; may have an added "+" to denote any exceptionally strong credit feature.

F2: Good short-term credit quality. Good intrinsic capacity for timely payment of financial commitments.

F3: Fair short-term credit quality. The intrinsic capacity for timely payment of financial commitments is adequate.

B: Speculative short-term credit quality. Minimal capacity for timely payment of financial commitments, plus heightened vulnerability to near term adverse changes in financial and economic conditions.

C: High short-term default risk. Default is a real possibility.

RD: Restricted default. Indicates an entity that has defaulted on one or more of its financial commitments, although it continues to meet other financial obligations. Typically applicable to entity ratings only.

D: Default. Indicates a broad-based default event for an entity, or the default of a short-term obligation.

 

[ ] | PROSPECTUS

A-6


 

Table of Contents

PIMCO Funds

Appendix B
Financial Firm-Specific Sales Charge Waivers and Discounts

The availability of initial and contingent deferred sales charge waivers and discounts may depend on the particular financial firm or type of account through which you purchase or hold Fund shares. For waivers or discounts not available through a particular financial firm, investors will have to purchase shares directly from the Funds (or the Distributor) or through another financial firm to receive such waivers or discounts.

The following descriptions of sales charge waivers and discounts for a particular financial firm and class(es) of shares set forth information provided by the financial firm that the firm has represented is current as of the date of this Prospectus. These waivers or discounts, which may vary from those disclosed elsewhere in the Prospectus, are subject to change. The Funds will update this Appendix periodically based on information provided by the applicable financial firm. Neither the Funds, the Investment Adviser nor PIMCO Investments LLC supervises the implementation of these waivers or discounts or verifies the firms' administration of these waivers or discounts.

In all instances, it is an investor's responsibility to notify the financial firm of any facts that may qualify the investor for sales charge waivers or discounts. Please contact your financial firm for more information regarding the sales charge waivers and discounts available to you and the firm's related policies and procedures.

Effective April 10, 2017, shareholders purchasing Fund shares through a Merrill Lynch platform or account will be eligible only for the following load waivers (front-end sales charge waivers and contingent deferred, or back-end, sales charge waivers) and discounts, which may differ from those disclosed elsewhere in the Funds' prospectus or SAI.

Front-end Sales Load Waivers on Class A Shares available at Merrill Lynch

Employer-sponsored retirement, deferred compensation and employee benefit plans (including health savings accounts) and trusts used to fund those plans, provided that the shares are not held in a commission-based brokerage account and shares are held for the benefit of the plan

Shares purchased by or through a 529 Plan

Shares purchased through a Merrill Lynch affiliated investment advisory program

Shares purchased by third party investment advisors on behalf of their advisory clients through Merrill Lynch's platform

Shares purchased through reinvestment of capital gains distributions and dividend reinvestment when purchasing shares of the same fund (but not any other fund within the fund family)

Shares exchanged from Class C (i.e. level-load) shares of the same fund in the month of or following the 10-year anniversary of the purchase date

Employees and registered representatives of Merrill Lynch or its affiliates and their family members

Directors or Trustees of the Fund, and employees of the Fund's investment adviser or any of its affiliates, as described in the this prospectus

Shares purchased from the proceeds of redemptions within the same fund family, provided (1) the repurchase occurs within 90 days following the redemption, (2) the redemption and purchase occur in the same account, and (3) redeemed shares were subject to a front-end or deferred sales load (known as Rights of Reinstatement)

CDSC Waivers on A and C Shares available at Merrill Lynch

Death or disability of the shareholder

Shares sold as part of a systematic withdrawal plan as described in the Fund's prospectus

Return of excess contributions from an IRA Account

Shares sold as part of a required minimum distribution for IRA and retirement accounts due to the shareholder reaching age 70½

Shares sold to pay Merrill Lynch fees but only if the transaction is initiated by Merrill Lynch

Shares held in retirement brokerage accounts, that are exchanged for a lower cost share class due to transfer to a certain fee based account or platform (applicable to A and C shares only)

Front-end load Discounts Available at Merrill Lynch: Breakpoints, Rights of Accumulation & Letters of Intent

Breakpoints as described in this prospectus.

Rights of Accumulation (ROA) which entitle shareholders to breakpoint discounts will be automatically calculated based on the aggregated holding of fund family assets held by accounts within the purchaser's household at Merrill Lynch. Eligible fund family assets not held at Merrill Lynch may be included in the ROA calculation only if the shareholder notifies his or her financial advisor about such assets

Letters of Intent (LOI) which allow for breakpoint discounts based on anticipated purchases within a fund family, through Merrill Lynch, over a 13-month period of time

 

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Table of Contents

INVESTMENT ADVISER AND ADMINISTRATOR

PIMCO, 650 Newport Center Drive, Newport Beach, CA 92660

DISTRIBUTOR

PIMCO Investments LLC, 1633 Broadway, New York, NY 10019

CUSTODIAN

State Street Bank & Trust Co., 801 Pennsylvania Avenue, Kansas City, MO 64105

TRANSFER AGENT

DST Asset Manager Solutions, Inc.
Institutional Class, I-2 and I-3 — 330 W. 9th Street, 5th Floor, Kansas City, MO 64105
Class A and Class C — P.O. Box 55060, Boston, MA 02205-5060

INDEPENDENT REGISTERED PUBLIC ACCOUNTING FIRM

PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP, 1100 Walnut Street, Suite 1300, Kansas City, MO 64106-2197

LEGAL COUNSEL

Dechert LLP, 1900 K Street N.W., Washington, D.C. 20006 

 

For further information about the PIMCO Funds, call 888.87.PIMCO or visit our Web site at pimco.com.


 

Table of Contents





PIMCO FUNDS
650 Newport Center Drive
Newport Beach, CA 92660

The Trust's SAI and annual and semi-annual reports to shareholders include additional information about the Funds. The SAI and the financial statements included in the Funds' most recent annual report to shareholders are incorporated by reference into this Prospectus, which means they are part of this Prospectus for legal purposes. The Funds' annual report discusses the market conditions and investment strategies that significantly affected each Fund's performance during its last fiscal year.

The SAI contains detailed information about Fund purchase, redemption and exchange options and procedures and other information about the Funds. You can get a free copy of the SAI.

You may get free copies of any of these materials or request other information about a Fund by calling the Trust at 888.87.PIMCO (888.877.4626) or by writing to:

PIMCO Funds
650 Newport Center Drive
Newport Beach, CA 92660

Daily updates on the NAV of a Fund may be obtained by calling 1-888-87-PIMCO.

You may review and copy information about the Trust, including its SAI, at the Securities and Exchange Commission's public reference room in Washington, D.C. You may call the Commission at 202.551.8090 for information about the operation of the public reference room. You may also access reports and other information about the Trust on the EDGAR Database on the Commission's Web site at www.sec.gov. You may get copies of this information, with payment of a duplication fee, by writing the Public Reference Section of the Commission, 100 F Street N.E., Washington, D.C. 20549-1520, or by e-mailing your request to publicinfo@sec.gov.

You can also visit our web site at pimco.com for additional information about the Funds, including the SAI and the annual and semi-annual reports, which are available for download free of charge.

Reference the Trust's Investment Company Act file number in your correspondence.

Investment Company Act File Number: 811-05028

PF0008_[ ]


Table of Contents




Prospectus

PIMCO Funds

*I-2 was formerly called Class P.




As with other mutual funds, neither the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission nor the U.S. Commodity Futures Trading Commission has approved or disapproved these securities, or determined if this prospectus is truthful or complete. Any representation to the contrary is a criminal offense.

Share Class:
Inst, I-2, I-3, A, C

[ ]

Quantitative Strategies

Inst

I-2*

I-3

A

C

PIMCO TRENDS Managed Futures Strategy Fund

PQTIX

PQTPX

PQTNX

PQTAX

PQTCX




 

Table of Contents

Page

Fund Summary

1

Description of Principal Risks

6

Disclosure of Portfolio Holdings

12

Management of the Fund

13

Classes of Shares

16

Purchases, Redemptions and Exchanges

20

How Fund Shares are Priced

27

Fund Distributions

28

Tax Consequences

28

Characteristics and Risks of Securities and Investment Techniques

30

Financial Highlights

44

Appendix A - Description of Securities Ratings

A-1

Appendix B - Financial Firm-Specific Sales Charge Waivers and Discounts

B-1


 

PIMCO TRENDS Managed Futures Strategy Fund

Investment Objective

The Fund seeks positive, risk-adjusted returns, consistent with prudent investment management.

Fees and Expenses of the Fund

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 $100,000 in Class A shares of eligible funds offered by PIMCO Equity Series and PIMCO Funds. More information about these and other discounts is available in the "Classes of Shares" section on page [ ] of the Fund's prospectus, Appendix B to the Fund's prospectus (Financial Firm-Specific Sales Charge Waivers and Discounts) or from your financial advisor.

Shareholder Fees (fees paid directly from your investment):

 

Inst
Class


I-2

I-3


Class A


Class C

Maximum Sales Charge (Load) Imposed on Purchases (as a percentage of offering price)

None

None

None

5.50%

None

Maximum Deferred Sales Charge (Load) (as a percentage of the lower of the original purchase price or redemption price)

None

None

None

1.00%

1.00%

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

 

Inst
Class

I-2

I-3

Class A

Class C

Management Fees

1.40%

1.50%

1.60%

1.55%

1.55%

Distribution and/or Service (12b-1) Fees

N/A

N/A

N/A

0.25%

1.00%

Other Expenses(1)

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

Acquired Fund Fees and Expenses

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses(2)

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

Fee Waiver and/or Expense Reimbursement(3)(4)(5)

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses After Fee Waiver and/or Expenses Reimbursement

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

 

1 "Other Expenses" include interest expense of [ ]%. Interest expense is borne by the Fund separately from the management fees paid to Pacific Investment Management Company LLC ("PIMCO"). Excluding interest expense, Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses After Fee Waiver and/or Expense Reimbursement are [ ]%, [ ]%, [ ]%,[ ]% and [ ]% for Institutional Class, I-2, I-3, Class A and Class C shares, respectively.

2 Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses do not match the Ratio of Expenses to Average Net Assets Excluding Waivers of the Fund, as set forth in the Financial Highlights table of the Fund's prospectus, because the Ratio of Expenses to Average Net Assets Excluding Waivers reflects the operating expenses of the Fund and does not include Acquired Fund Fees and Expenses.

3 PIMCO has contractually agreed, through July 31, 2019, to reduce its advisory fee by 0.25% of the average daily net assets of the Fund.

4 PIMCO has contractually agreed to waive the Fund's advisory fee and the supervisory and administrative fee in an amount equal to the management fee and administrative services fee, respectively, paid by the PIMCO Cayman Commodity Fund VIII, Ltd. (the "Subsidiary") to PIMCO. The Subsidiary pays PIMCO a management fee and an administrative services fee at the annual rates of 0.49% and 0.20%, respectively, of its net assets. This waiver may not be terminated by PIMCO and will remain in effect for as long as PIMCO's contract with the Subsidiary is in place.

5 PIMCO has contractually agreed, through July 31, 2019, to reduce its supervisory and administrative fee for the Fund's I-3 shares by 0.05% of the average daily net assets attributable to I-3 shares of the Fund. This Fee Waiver Agreement renews annually unless terminated by PIMCO upon at least 30 days' prior notice to the end of the contract term.

Example. The Example is intended to help you compare the cost of investing in Institutional Class, I-2, I-3, Class A or Class C shares of the Fund with the costs of investing in other mutual funds. The Example assumes that you invest $10,000 in the noted class of shares for the time periods indicated, and then redeem all 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. Investors may pay brokerage commissions on their purchases and sales of Institutional Class, I-2 or I-3 shares of the Fund, which are not reflected in the Example. Although your actual costs may be higher or lower, based on these assumptions your costs would be:

If you redeem your shares at the end of each period:

 

1 Year

3 Years

5 Years

10 Years

Institutional Class

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

I-2

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

I-3

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

Class A

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

Class C

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

If you do not redeem your shares:

 

1 Year

3 Years

5 Years

10 Years

Class A

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

Class C

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

Portfolio Turnover

The Fund pays transaction costs 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 the Annual Fund Operating Expenses or in the Example tables, affect the Fund's performance. During the most recent fiscal year, the Fund's portfolio turnover rate was [ ]% of the average value of its portfolio.

Principal Investment Strategies

The Fund seeks to achieve its investment objective by pursuing a quantitative trading strategy intended to capture the persistence of price trends (up and/or down) observed in global financial markets and commodities. The Fund's investment strategy represents a composite of financial and commodity futures designed to provide exposure to global financial market and commodity price trends. Within the strategy's allocations, contracts are positioned either long or short based on various characteristics related to their prices. When making allocation decisions for the strategy, PIMCO considers various qualitative and quantitative factors relating to the U.S. and non-U.S. economies, and securities and commodities markets. PIMCO uses these qualitative and quantitative factors to help determine the Fund's target asset allocation and to identify potentially attractive relative value and risk hedging strategies.

 



PIMCO FUNDS | PROSPECTUS

1


 

Table of Contents

PIMCO TRENDS Managed Futures Strategy Fund

The Fund will invest under normal circumstances in derivative instruments linked to interest rates, currencies, mortgages, credit, commodities (including individual commodities and commodity indices), equity indices and volatility-related instruments. The Fund invests in derivative instruments, including futures, options on futures, options and swap agreements. The Fund may invest in derivative instruments on a speculative basis. The Fund's investments in derivative instruments will generally be backed by a short to intermediate duration portfolio which may consist of cash equivalent securities and Fixed Income Instruments. "Fixed Income Instruments" include bonds, debt securities and other similar instruments issued by various U.S. and non-U.S. public- or private-sector entities.

The Fund may seek to gain exposure to the commodity futures markets primarily through investments in swap agreements and futures, and through investments in the PIMCO Cayman Commodity Fund VIII, Ltd., a wholly-owned subsidiary of the Fund organized under the laws of the Cayman Islands (the "Subsidiary"). The Fund may invest up to 25% of its total assets in the Subsidiary. The Subsidiary is advised by PIMCO, and has the same investment objective as the Fund. As discussed in greater detail elsewhere in the prospectus, the Subsidiary (unlike the Fund) may invest without limitation in commodity-linked swap agreements and other commodity-linked derivative instruments. The value of commodity-linked derivative instruments may be affected by overall market movements and other factors affecting the value of a particular industry or commodity, such as weather, disease, embargoes, or political and regulatory developments. The Fund and the Subsidiary may also temporarily hold physical commodities directly as a means of settling derivatives transactions.

The Fund may also invest in leveraged or unleveraged commodity index-linked notes, which are derivative debt instruments with principal and/or coupon payments linked to the performance of commodity indices. These commodity index-linked notes are sometimes referred to as "structured notes" because the terms of these notes may be structured by the issuer and the purchaser of the note. The value of these notes will rise or fall in response to changes in the underlying commodity or related index.

In addition, the Fund may invest its assets in particular sectors of the commodities futures market.

The Fund may invest in high yield securities ("junk bonds") rated below investment grade by Moody's Investors Service, Inc. ("Moody's"), or equivalently rated by Standard & Poor's Ratings Services ("S&P") or Fitch, Inc. ("Fitch"), or, if unrated, determined by PIMCO to be of comparable quality. The Fund may invest without limitation in securities denominated in foreign currencies and in U.S. dollar-denominated securities of foreign issuers. The Fund may obtain foreign currency exposure (from non-U.S. dollar-denominated securities or currencies) without limitation. The Fund may invest without limitation in securities and instruments that are economically tied to emerging market countries. The Fund may, without limitation, seek to obtain market exposure to the securities in which it primarily invests by entering into a series of purchase and sale contracts or by using other investment techniques (such as buy backs or dollar rolls). The Fund may purchase and sell securities on a when-issued, delayed delivery or forward commitment basis and may engage in short sales.

Principal Risks

It is possible to lose money on an investment in the Fund. The principal risks of investing in the Fund, which could adversely affect its net asset value, yield and total return are listed below.

Interest Rate Risk: the risk that fixed income securities will decline in value because of an increase in interest rates; a fund with a longer average portfolio duration will be more sensitive to changes in interest rates than a fund with a shorter average portfolio duration

Call Risk: the risk that an issuer may exercise its right to redeem a fixed income security earlier than expected (a call). Issuers may call outstanding securities prior to their maturity for a number of reasons (e.g., declining interest rates, changes in credit spreads and improvements in the issuer's credit quality). If an issuer calls a security that the Fund has invested in, the Fund may not recoup the full amount of its initial investment and may be forced to reinvest in lower-yielding securities, securities with greater credit risks or securities with other, less favorable features

Credit Risk: the risk that the Fund could lose money if the issuer or guarantor of a fixed income security, or the counterparty to a derivative contract, is unable or unwilling to meet its financial obligations

High Yield Risk: the risk that high yield securities and unrated securities of similar credit quality (commonly known as "junk bonds") are subject to greater levels of credit, call and liquidity risks. High yield securities are considered primarily speculative with respect to the issuer's continuing ability to make principal and interest payments, and may be more volatile than higher-rated securities of similar maturity

Market Risk: the risk that the value of securities owned by the Fund may go up or down, sometimes rapidly or unpredictably, due to factors affecting securities markets generally or particular industries

Issuer Risk: the risk that the value of a security may decline for a reason directly related to the issuer, such as management performance, financial leverage and reduced demand for the issuer's goods or services

Liquidity Risk: the risk that a particular investment may be difficult to purchase or sell and that the Fund may be unable to sell illiquid securities at an advantageous time or price or achieve its desired level of exposure to a certain sector. Liquidity risk may result from the lack of an active market, reduced number and capacity of traditional market participants to make a market in fixed income securities, and may be magnified in a rising interest rate environment or other circumstances where investor redemptions from fixed income mutual funds may be higher than normal, causing increased supply in the market due to selling activity

Derivatives Risk: the risk of investing in derivative instruments (such as futures, swaps and structured securities), including leverage, liquidity, interest rate, market, credit and management risks, mispricing or valuation complexity. Changes in the value of the derivative may not correlate perfectly with, and may be more sensitive to market events than, the underlying asset, rate or index, and the Fund could lose more than the initial amount invested. The Fund's use of derivatives may result in losses to the Fund, a reduction in the Fund's returns and/or increased volatility. Over-the-counter ("OTC") derivatives are also subject to the risk that a counterparty to the transaction will not fulfill its contractual obligations to

 

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Prospectus

the other party, as many of the protections afforded to centrally-cleared derivative transactions might not be available for OTC derivatives. For derivatives traded on an exchange or through a central counterparty, credit risk resides with the Fund's clearing broker, or the clearinghouse itself, rather than with a counterparty in an OTC derivative transaction. Changes in regulation relating to a mutual fund's use of derivatives and related instruments could potentially limit or impact the Fund's ability to invest in derivatives, limit the Fund's ability to employ certain strategies that use derivatives and/or adversely affect the value of derivatives and the Fund's performance

Futures Contract Risk: the risk that, while the value of a futures contract tends to correlate with the value of the underlying asset that it represents, differences between the futures market and the market for the underlying asset may result in an imperfect correlation. Futures contracts may involve risks different from, and possibly greater than, the risks associated with investing directly in the underlying assets. The purchase or sale of a futures contract may result in losses in excess of the amount invested in the futures contract

Model Risk: the risk that the Fund's investment models used in making investment allocation decisions may not adequately take into account certain factors and may result in a decline in the value of an investment in the Fund

Commodity Risk: the risk that investing in commodity-linked derivative instruments may subject the Fund to greater volatility than investments in traditional securities. The value of commodity-linked derivative instruments may be affected by changes in overall market movements, commodity index volatility, changes in interest rates, or factors affecting a particular industry or commodity, such as drought, floods, weather, livestock disease, embargoes, tariffs and international economic, political and regulatory developments

Equity Risk: the risk that the value of equity securities, such as common stocks and preferred securities, may decline due to general market conditions which are not specifically related to a particular company or to factors affecting a particular industry or industries. Equity securities generally have greater price volatility than fixed income securities

Mortgage-Related and Other Asset-Backed Securities Risk: the risks of investing in mortgage-related and other asset-backed securities, including interest rate risk, extension risk, prepayment risk and credit risk

Foreign (Non-U.S.) Investment Risk: the risk that investing in foreign (non-U.S.) securities may result in the Fund experiencing more rapid and extreme changes in value than a fund that invests exclusively in securities of U.S. companies, due to smaller markets, differing reporting, accounting and auditing standards, increased risk of delayed settlement of portfolio transactions or loss of certificates of portfolio securities, and the risk of unfavorable foreign government actions, including nationalization, expropriation or confiscatory taxation, currency blockage, or political changes or diplomatic developments. Foreign securities may also be less liquid and more difficult to value than securities of U.S. issuers

Emerging Markets Risk: the risk of investing in emerging market securities, primarily increased foreign (non-U.S.) investment risk

Sovereign Debt Risk: the risk that investments in fixed income instruments issued by sovereign entities may decline in value as a result of default or other adverse credit event resulting from an issuer's inability or unwillingness to make principal or interest payments in a timely fashion

Currency Risk: the risk that foreign (non-U.S.) currencies will change in value relative to the U.S. dollar and affect the Fund's investments in foreign (non-U.S.) currencies or in securities that trade in, and receive revenues in, or in derivatives that provide exposure to, foreign (non-U.S.) currencies

Leveraging Risk: the risk that certain transactions of the Fund, such as reverse repurchase agreements, loans of portfolio securities, and the use of when-issued, delayed delivery or forward commitment transactions, or derivative instruments, may give rise to leverage, magnifying gains and losses and causing the Fund to be more volatile than if it had not been leveraged. This means that leverage entails a heightened risk of loss

Management Risk: the risk that the investment techniques and risk analyses applied by PIMCO will not produce the desired results and that legislative, regulatory, or tax restrictions, policies or developments may affect the investment techniques available to PIMCO and the individual portfolio managers in connection with managing the Fund. There is no guarantee that the investment objective of the Fund will be achieved

Short Exposure Risk: the risk of entering into short sales, including the potential loss of more money than the actual cost of the investment, and the risk that the third party to the short sale will not fulfill its contractual obligations, causing a loss to the Fund

Tax Risk: the risk that the tax treatment of swap agreements and other derivative instruments, such as commodity-linked derivative instruments, including commodity index-linked notes, swap agreements, commodity options, futures, and options on futures, may be affected by future regulatory or legislative changes that could affect whether income from such investments is "qualifying income" under Subchapter M of the Internal Revenue Code, or otherwise affect the character, timing and/or amount of the Fund's taxable income or gains and distributions

Subsidiary Risk: the risk that, by investing in the Subsidiary, the Fund is indirectly exposed to the risks associated with the Subsidiary's investments. The Subsidiary is not registered under the 1940 Act and may not be subject to all the investor protections of the 1940 Act. There is no guarantee that the investment objective of the Subsidiary will be achieved

Please see "Description of Principal Risks" in the Fund's prospectus for a more detailed description of the risks of investing in the Fund. An investment in the Fund is not a deposit of a bank and is not insured or guaranteed by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation or any other government agency.

Performance Information

The performance information shows summary performance information for the Fund in a bar chart and an Average Annual Total Returns table. The information provides some indication of the risks of investing in the Fund by showing changes in its performance from year to year and by showing how the Fund's average annual returns compare with the returns of a broad-based securities market index and an index of similar funds. Absent any applicable fee waivers and/or expense limitations, performance would have been lower. The bar chart shows performance of the Fund's Institutional

 

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PIMCO TRENDS Managed Futures Strategy Fund

Class shares. Performance in the Average Annual Total Returns table reflects the impact of sales charges. The I-3 shares of the Fund have not commenced operations as of the date of this prospectus. The Fund's past performance, before and after taxes, is not necessarily an indication of how the Fund will perform in the future.

The 3 Month USD LIBOR (London Interbank Offered Rate) Index is an average interest rate, determined by the ICE Benchmark Administration, that banks charge one another for the use of short-term money (3 months) in England's Eurodollar market. Lipper Alternative Managed Futures Funds Average is a total return performance average of funds tracked by Lipper Inc. that, by prospectus language, invest primarily in a basket of futures contracts with the aim of reduced volatility and positive returns in any market environment. Investment strategies are based on proprietary trading strategies that include the ability to go long and/or short.

Performance for the Fund is updated daily and quarterly and may be obtained as follows: daily updates on the net asset value and performance page at http://investments.pimco.com/DailyPerformance and quarterly updates at http://investments.pimco.com/QuarterlyPerformance.

Calendar Year Total Returns — Institutional Class*

 

[To be updated by subsequent amendment]



*The year-to-date return as of June 30, 2018 is [ ]%. For the periods shown in the bar chart, the highest quarterly return was [ ]% in the [ ], and the lowest quarterly return was [ ]% in the [ ].

Average Annual Total Returns (for periods ended 12/31/17)

 

1 Year

Since Inception (12/31/2013)

Institutional Class Return Before Taxes

3.26

%

4.18

%

Institutional Class Return After Taxes on Distributions‌(1)

3.26

%

1.73

%

Institutional Class Return After Taxes on Distributions and Sales of Fund Shares‌(1)

1.85

%

2.19

%

I-2 Return Before Taxes

3.15

%

4.02

%

Class A Return Before Taxes

-2.68

%

1.90

%

Class C Return Before Taxes

1.20

%

3.03

%

3 Month USD LIBOR Index (reflects no deductions for fees, expenses or taxes)

0.68

%

0.40

%

 

Lipper Alternative Managed Futures Funds Average (reflects no deductions for taxes)

-2.18

%

2.08

%

(1) After-tax returns are calculated using the highest historical individual federal marginal income tax rates and do not reflect the impact of state and local taxes. Actual after-tax returns depend on an investor's tax situation and may differ from those shown, and the after-tax returns shown are not relevant to investors who hold their Fund shares through tax-deferred arrangements, such as 401(k) plans or individual retirement accounts. In some cases the return after taxes may exceed the return before taxes due to an assumed tax benefit from any losses on a sale of Fund shares at the end of the measurement period. After-tax returns are for Institutional Class shares only. After-tax returns for other classes will vary.

Investment Adviser/Portfolio Manager

PIMCO serves as the investment adviser for the Fund. The Fund's portfolio is managed by Matthew P. Dorsten, Graham A. Rennison and Josh Davis. Messrs. Dorsten and Rennison are Senior Vice Presidents of PIMCO, and Dr. Davis is a Managing Director of PIMCO. Messrs. Dorsten and Rennison have managed the Fund since its inception in December 2013, and Dr. Davis has managed the Fund since December 2015.

Purchase and Sale of Fund Shares

Fund shares may be purchased or sold (redeemed) on any business day (normally any day when the New York Stock Exchange is open). Generally, purchase and redemption orders for Fund shares are processed at the net asset value next calculated after an order is received by the Fund.

Institutional Class, I-2 and I-3

The minimum initial investment for Institutional Class, I-2 and I-3 shares of the Fund is $1 million, except that the minimum initial investment may be modified for certain financial firms that submit orders on behalf of their customers.

You may sell (redeem) all or part of your Institutional Class, I-2 and I-3 shares of the Fund on any business day. If you are the registered owner of the shares on the books of the Fund, depending on the elections made on the Account Application, you may sell by:

Sending a written request by mail to:
PIMCO Funds c/o DST Asset Manager Solutions
330 W. 9th Street, Kansas City, MO 64105 

Calling us at 888.87.PIMCO and a Shareholder Services associate will assist you 

Sending a fax to our Shareholder Services department at 816.421.2861 

Sending an e-mail to piprocess@dstsystems.com

Class A and Class C

The minimum initial investment for Class A and Class C shares of the Fund is $1,000. The minimum subsequent investment for Class A and Class C shares is $50. The minimum initial investment may be modified for certain financial firms that submit orders on behalf of their customers. Class C shares of the Fund will automatically convert into Class A shares of the Fund after they have been held for ten years, as described in the "Classes of Shares" section of the Fund's prospectus. You may purchase or sell (redeem)

 

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Prospectus

all or part of your Class A and Class C shares through a broker-dealer, or other financial firm, or, if you are the registered owner of the shares on the books of the Fund, by regular mail to PIMCO Funds, P.O. Box 55060, Boston, MA 02205-5060 or overnight mail to PIMCO Funds, c/o DST Asset Manager Solutions, Inc., 30 Dan Road, Canton, MA 02021-2809. The Fund reserves the right to require payment by wire or U.S. Bank check in connection with accounts opened directly with the Fund by Account Application.

Tax Information

The Fund's distributions are generally taxable to you as ordinary income, capital gains, or a combination of the two, unless you are investing through a tax-deferred arrangement, such as a 401(k) plan or an individual retirement account, in which case distributions may be taxable upon withdrawal.

Payments to Broker-Dealers and Other Financial Firms

If you purchase shares of the Fund through a broker-dealer or other financial firm (such as a bank), the Fund and/or its related companies (including PIMCO) may pay the financial firm for the sale of those shares of the Fund and/or related services. These payments may create a conflict of interest by influencing the broker-dealer or other financial firm and your salesperson to recommend the Fund over another investment. Ask your salesperson or visit your financial firm's Web site for more information.

 

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Description of Principal Risks

The value of your investment in the Fund changes with the values of the Fund's investments. Many factors can affect those values. The factors that are most likely to have a material effect on the Fund's investments as a whole are called "principal risks." The principal risks of the Fund are identified in the Fund Summary and are described in this section. The Fund may be subject to additional risks other than those identified and described below because the types of investments made by the Fund can change over time. Securities and investment techniques mentioned in this summary that appear in bold type are described in greater detail under "Characteristics and Risks of Securities and Investment Techniques." That section and "Investment Objectives and Policies" in the Statement of Additional Information (the "SAI") also include more information about the Fund, its investments and the related risks. There is no guarantee that the Fund will be able to achieve its investment objective. It is possible to lose money by investing in the Fund.

Interest Rate Risk

Interest rate risk is the risk that fixed income securities and other instruments in the Fund's portfolio will decline in value because of an increase in interest rates. As nominal interest rates rise, the value of certain fixed income securities held by the Fund is likely to decrease. A nominal interest rate can be described as the sum of a real interest rate and an expected inflation rate. Interest rate changes can be sudden and unpredictable, and the Fund may lose money as a result of movements in interest rates. The Fund may not be able to hedge against changes in interest rates or may choose not to do so for cost or other reasons. In addition, any hedges may not work as intended.

Fixed income securities with longer durations tend to be more sensitive to changes in interest rates, usually making them more volatile than securities with shorter durations. The values of equity and other non-fixed income securities may also decline due to fluctuations in interest rates. Inflation-indexed bonds, including Treasury Inflation-Protected Securities ("TIPS"), decline in value when real interest rates rise. In certain interest rate environments, such as when real interest rates are rising faster than nominal interest rates, inflation-indexed bonds may experience greater losses than other fixed income securities with similar durations.

Variable and floating rate securities generally are less sensitive to interest rate changes but may decline in value if their interest rates do not rise as much, or as quickly, as interest rates in general. Conversely, floating rate securities will not generally increase in value if interest rates decline. Inverse floating rate securities may decrease in value if interest rates increase. Inverse floating rate securities may also exhibit greater price volatility than a fixed rate obligation with similar credit quality. When the Fund holds variable or floating rate securities, a decrease (or, in the case of inverse floating rate securities, an increase) in market interest rates will adversely affect the income received from such securities and the net asset value ("NAV") of the Fund's shares.

A wide variety of factors can cause interest rates to rise (e.g., central bank monetary policies, inflation rates, general economic conditions, etc.). This is especially true under current economic conditions because interest rates are near historically low levels. Thus, the Fund currently faces a heightened level of interest rate risk, especially as the Federal Reserve Board ended its quantitative easing program in October 2014 and has begun, and may continue, to raise interest rates. To the extent the Federal Reserve Board continues to raise interest rates, there is a risk that rates across the financial system may rise.

During periods of very low or negative interest rates, the Fund may be unable to maintain positive returns. Interest rates in the U.S. and many parts of the world, including certain European countries, are at or near historically low levels. Certain European countries have recently experienced negative interest rates on certain fixed income instruments. Very low or negative interest rates may magnify interest rate risk. Changing interest rates, including rates that fall below zero, may have unpredictable effects on markets, may result in heightened market volatility and may detract from Fund performance to the extent the Fund is exposed to such interest rates.

Measures such as average duration may not accurately reflect the true interest rate sensitivity of the Fund. This is especially the case if the Fund consists of securities with widely varying durations. Therefore, if the Fund has an average duration that suggests a certain level of interest rate risk, the Fund may in fact be subject to greater interest rate risk than the average would suggest. This risk is greater to the extent the Fund uses leverage or derivatives in connection with the management of the Fund.

Convexity is an additional measure used to understand a security's or the Fund's interest rate sensitivity. Convexity measures the rate of change of duration in response to changes in interest rates. With respect to a security's price, a larger convexity (positive or negative) may imply more dramatic price changes in response to changing interest rates. Convexity may be positive or negative. Negative convexity implies that interest rate increases result in increased duration, meaning increased sensitivity in prices in response to rising interest rates. Thus, securities with negative convexity, which may include bonds with traditional call features and certain mortgage-backed securities, may experience greater losses in periods of rising interest rates. Accordingly, if the Fund holds such securities, the Fund may be subject to a greater risk of losses in periods of rising interest rates.

Call Risk

Call risk refers to the possibility that an issuer may exercise its right to redeem a fixed income security earlier than expected (a call). Issuers may call outstanding securities prior to their maturity for a number of reasons (e.g., declining interest rates, changes in credit spreads and improvements in the issuer's credit quality). If an issuer calls a security in which the Fund has invested, the Fund may not recoup the full amount of its initial investment and may be forced to reinvest in lower-yielding securities, securities with greater credit risks or securities with other, less favorable features. 

Credit Risk

The Fund could lose money if the issuer or guarantor of a fixed income security (including a security purchased with securities lending collateral), or the counterparty to a derivatives contract, repurchase agreement or a loan of portfolio securities, is unable or unwilling, or is perceived (whether by market participants, rating agencies, pricing services or otherwise) as unable or unwilling, to make timely principal and/or interest

 

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payments, or to otherwise honor its obligations. The downgrade of the credit of a security held by the Fund may decrease its value. Securities are subject to varying degrees of credit risk, which are often reflected in credit ratings. Measures such as average credit quality may not accurately reflect the true credit risk of the Fund. This is especially the case if the Fund consists of securities with widely varying credit ratings. Therefore, if the Fund has an average credit rating that suggests a certain credit quality, the Fund may in fact be subject to greater credit risk than the average would suggest. This risk is greater to the extent the Fund uses leverage or derivatives in connection with the management of the Fund. Municipal bonds are subject to the risk that litigation, legislation or other political events, local business or economic conditions, or the bankruptcy of the issuer could have a significant effect on an issuer's ability to make payments of principal and/or interest.

High Yield Risk

Funds that invest in high yield securities and unrated securities of similar credit quality (commonly known as "high yield securities" or "junk bonds") may be subject to greater levels of credit risk, call risk and liquidity risk than funds that do not invest in such securities. These securities are considered predominantly speculative with respect to an issuer's continuing ability to make principal and interest payments, and may be more volatile than other types of securities. An economic downturn or individual corporate developments could adversely affect the market for these securities and reduce the Fund's ability to sell these securities at an advantageous time or price. An economic downturn would generally lead to a higher non-payment rate and, a high yield security may lose significant market value before a default occurs. High yield securities structured as zero-coupon bonds or pay-in-kind securities tend to be especially volatile as they are particularly sensitive to downward pricing pressures from rising interest rates or widening spreads and may require the Fund to make taxable distributions of imputed income without receiving the actual cash currency. Issuers of high yield securities may have the right to "call" or redeem the issue prior to maturity, which may result in the Fund having to reinvest the proceeds in other high yield securities or similar instruments that may pay lower interest rates. The Fund may also be subject to greater levels of liquidity risk than funds that do not invest in high yield securities. In addition, the high yield securities in which the Fund invests may not be listed on any exchange and a secondary market for such securities may be comparatively illiquid relative to markets for other more liquid fixed income securities. Consequently, transactions in high yield securities may involve greater costs than transactions in more actively traded securities. A lack of publicly-available information, irregular trading activity and wide bid/ask spreads among other factors, may, in certain circumstances, make high yield debt more difficult to sell at an advantageous time or price than other types of securities or instruments. These factors may result in the Fund being unable to realize full value for these securities and/or may result in the Fund not receiving the proceeds from a sale of a high yield security for an extended period after such sale, each of which could result in losses to the Fund. Because of the risks involved in investing in high yield securities, an investment in the Fund should be considered speculative.

Market Risk

The market price of securities owned by the Fund may go up or down, sometimes rapidly or unpredictably. Securities may decline in value due to factors affecting securities markets generally or particular industries represented in the securities markets. The value of a security may decline due to general market conditions which are not specifically related to a particular company, such as real or perceived adverse economic conditions, changes in the general outlook for corporate earnings, changes in interest or currency rates, adverse changes to credit markets or adverse investor sentiment generally. The value of a security may also decline due to factors which affect a particular industry or industries, such as labor shortages or increased production costs and competitive conditions within an industry. During a general downturn in the securities markets, multiple asset classes may decline in value simultaneously. Equity securities generally have greater price volatility than fixed income securities. Credit ratings downgrades may also negatively affect securities held by the Fund. Even when markets perform well, there is no assurance that the investments held by the Fund will increase in value along with the broader market. In addition, market risk includes the risk that geopolitical events will disrupt the economy on a national or global level. For instance, terrorism, market manipulation, government defaults, government shutdowns, political changes or diplomatic developments and natural/environmental disasters can all negatively impact the securities markets, which could cause the Fund to lose value. Any market disruptions could also prevent the Fund from executing advantageous investment decisions in a timely manner. Funds that have focused their investments in a region enduring geopolitical market disruption will face higher risks of loss. Thus, investors should closely monitor current market conditions to determine whether the Fund meets their individual financial needs and tolerance for risk.

Current market conditions may pose heightened risks with respect to the Fund's investment in fixed income securities. As discussed more under "Interest Rate Risk," interest rates in the U.S. are near historically low levels. However, continued economic recovery, the end of the Federal Reserve Board's quantitative easing program, and an increased likelihood of a rising interest rate environment increase the risk that interest rates will continue to rise in the near future. Any further interest rate increases in the future could cause the value of the Fund to decrease. As such, fixed income securities markets may experience heightened levels of interest rate, volatility and liquidity risk. If rising interest rates cause the Fund to lose enough value, the Fund could also face increased shareholder redemptions, which could force the Fund to liquidate investments at disadvantageous times or prices, therefore adversely affecting the Fund and its shareholders.

Exchanges and securities markets may close early, close late or issue trading halts on specific securities, which may result in, among other things, the Fund being unable to buy or sell certain securities or financial instruments at an advantageous time or accurately price its portfolio investments. In addition, the Fund may rely on various third-party sources to calculate its NAV. As a result, the Fund is subject to certain operational risks associated with reliance on service providers and service providers' data sources. In particular, errors or systems failures and other technological issues may adversely impact the Fund's calculations of its NAVs, and such NAV calculation issues may result in inaccurately calculated NAVs, delays in NAV

 

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PIMCO Funds

calculation and/or the inability to calculate NAVs over extended periods. The Fund may be unable to recover any losses associated with such failures.

Issuer Risk

The value of a security 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 goods or services, as well as the historical and prospective earnings of the issuer and the value of its assets. A change in the financial condition of a single issuer may affect securities markets as a whole.

Liquidity Risk

Liquidity risk exists when particular investments are difficult to purchase or sell. Illiquid securities are securities that cannot be disposed of within seven days in the ordinary course of business at approximately the value at which the Fund has valued the securities. Illiquid securities may become harder to value, especially in changing markets. The Fund's investments in illiquid securities may reduce the returns of the Fund because it may be unable to sell the illiquid securities at an advantageous time or price, which could prevent the Fund from taking advantage of other investment opportunities. Additionally, the market for certain investments may become illiquid under adverse market or economic conditions independent of any specific adverse changes in the conditions of a particular issuer. Bond markets have consistently grown over the past three decades while the capacity for traditional dealer counterparties to engage in fixed income trading has not kept pace and in some cases has decreased. As a result, dealer inventories of corporate bonds, which provide a core indication of the ability of financial intermediaries to "make markets," are at or near historic lows in relation to market size. Because market makers provide stability to a market through their intermediary services, the significant reduction in dealer inventories could potentially lead to decreased liquidity and increased volatility in the fixed income markets. Such issues may be exacerbated during periods of economic uncertainty.

In such cases, the Fund, due to limitations on investments in illiquid securities and the difficulty in purchasing and selling such securities or instruments, may be unable to achieve its desired level of exposure to a certain sector. To the extent that the Fund's principal investment strategies involve securities of companies with smaller market capitalizations, foreign (non-U.S.) securities, Rule 144A securities, illiquid sectors of fixed income securities, derivatives or securities with substantial market and/or credit risk, the Fund will tend to have the greatest exposure to liquidity risk. Further, fixed income securities with longer durations until maturity face heightened levels of liquidity risk as compared to fixed income securities with shorter durations until maturity. Finally, liquidity risk also refers to the risk of unusually high redemption requests, redemption requests by certain large shareholders such as institutional investors or asset allocators, or other unusual market conditions that may make it difficult for the Fund to sell investments within the allowable time period to meet redemptions. Meeting such redemption requests could require the Fund to sell securities at reduced prices or under unfavorable conditions, which would reduce the value of the Fund. It may also be the case that other market participants may be attempting to liquidate fixed income holdings at the same time as the Fund, causing increased supply in the market and contributing to liquidity risk and downward pricing pressure.

Certain accounts or PIMCO affiliates may from time to time own (beneficially or of record) or control a significant percentage of the Fund's shares. Redemptions by these shareholders of their holdings in the Fund may impact the Fund's liquidity and NAV. These redemptions may also force the Fund to sell securities, which may negatively impact the Fund's brokerage costs.

Derivatives Risk

Derivatives are financial contracts whose value depends on, or is derived from, the value of an underlying asset, reference rate or index. The various derivative instruments that the Fund may use are referenced under "Characteristics and Risks of Securities and Investment Techniques—Derivatives" in this prospectus and described in more detail under "Investment Objectives and Policies" in the SAI. The Fund typically uses derivatives as a substitute for taking a position in the underlying asset, as part of strategies designed to gain exposure to, for example, issuers, portions of the yield curve, indexes, sectors, currencies, and/or geographic regions, and/or to reduce exposure to other risks, such as interest rate, credit or currency risk. The Fund may also use derivatives for leverage, in which case their use would involve leveraging risk, and in some cases, may subject the Fund to the potential for unlimited loss. The use of derivatives may cause the Fund's investment returns to be impacted by the performance of securities the Fund does not own and result in the Fund's total investment exposure exceeding the value of its portfolio.

The Fund's use of derivative instruments involves risks different from, or possibly greater than, the risks associated with investing directly in securities and other traditional investments. Derivatives are subject to a number of risks described elsewhere in this section, such as liquidity risk (which may be heightened for highly-customized derivatives), interest rate risk, market risk, credit risk and management risk, as well as risks arising from changes in applicable requirements. They also involve the risk of mispricing or improper valuation and the risk that changes in the value of the derivative instrument may not correlate perfectly with the underlying asset, rate or index. By investing in a derivative instrument, the Fund could lose more than the initial amount invested and derivatives may increase the volatility of the Fund, especially in unusual or extreme market conditions. Also, suitable derivative transactions may not be available in all circumstances and there can be no assurance that the Fund will engage in these transactions to reduce exposure to other risks when that would be beneficial or that, if used, such strategies will be successful. In addition, the Fund's use of derivatives may increase or accelerate the amount of taxes payable by shareholders. Over-the-counter ("OTC") derivatives are also subject to the risk that a counterparty to the transaction will not fulfill its contractual obligations to the other party, as many of the protections afforded to centrally-cleared derivative transactions might not be available for OTC derivatives. For derivatives traded on an exchange or through a central counterparty, credit risk resides with the Fund's clearing broker, or the clearinghouse itself, rather than with a counterparty in an OTC derivative transaction.

 

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Participation in the markets for derivative instruments involves investment risks and transaction costs to which the Fund may not be subject absent the use of these strategies. The skills needed to successfully execute derivative strategies may be different from those needed for other types of transactions. If the Fund incorrectly forecasts the value and/or creditworthiness of securities, currencies, interest rates, counterparties or other economic factors involved in a derivative transaction, the Fund might have been in a better position if the Fund had not entered into such derivative transaction. In evaluating the risks and contractual obligations associated with particular derivative instruments, it is important to consider that certain derivative transactions may be modified or terminated only by mutual consent of the Fund and its counterparty. Therefore, it may not be possible for the Fund to modify, terminate, or offset the Fund's obligations or the Fund's exposure to the risks associated with a derivative transaction prior to its scheduled termination or maturity date, which may create a possibility of increased volatility and/or decreased liquidity to the Fund. In such case, the Fund may lose money.

Because the markets for certain derivative instruments (including markets located in foreign countries) are relatively new and still developing, appropriate derivative transactions may not be available in all circumstances for risk management or other purposes. Upon the expiration of a particular contract, the Fund may wish to retain the Fund's position in the derivative instrument by entering into a similar contract, but may be unable to do so if the counterparty to the original contract is unwilling to enter into the new contract and no other appropriate counterparty can be found. When such markets are unavailable, the Fund will be subject to increased liquidity and investment risk.

When a derivative is used as a hedge against a position that the Fund holds, any loss generated by the derivative generally should be substantially offset by gains on the hedged investment, and vice versa. Although hedging can reduce or eliminate losses, it can also reduce or eliminate gains. Hedges are sometimes subject to imperfect matching between the derivative and the underlying instrument, and there can be no assurance that the Fund's hedging transactions will be effective.

The regulation of the derivatives markets has increased over the past several years, and additional future regulation of the derivatives markets may make derivatives more costly, may limit the availability or reduce the liquidity of derivatives, or may otherwise adversely affect the value or performance of derivatives. Any such adverse future developments could impair the effectiveness or raise the costs of the Fund's derivative transactions, impede the employment of the Fund's derivatives strategies, or adversely affect the Fund's performance.

Futures Contract Risk 

A futures contract is an exchange-traded contract to buy or sell an underlying asset, such as a security, currency or commodity, for a set price on a future date. The risks associated with the Fund's use of derivative instruments, including futures contracts, are discussed in more detail under "Characteristics and Risks of Securities and Investment Techniques – Derivatives" in this prospectus and under "Investment Objectives and Policies" in the SAI. The purchase or sale of a futures contract may result in losses in excess of the amount invested in the futures contract. There can be no guarantee that there will be a correlation between price movements in the futures contract and the underlying asset. In addition, there are significant differences between the futures market and the markets for underlying assets, which could result in an imperfect correlation between the markets. The degree of imperfect correlation depends on circumstances such as variations in speculative market demand for futures and futures options on underlying assets, including technical influences in futures trading and futures options, and differences between the futures contract and underlying asset due to factors such as interest rate levels, maturities and creditworthiness of issuers.

Futures contracts are traded on exchanges, so that, in most cases, a party can close out its position on the exchange for cash, without delivering the underlying asset. Because the futures utilized by the Fund are exchange-traded, the primary credit risk on futures contracts resides with the Fund's clearing broker or the clearinghouse. Changes in regulation relating to a mutual fund's use of derivatives and related instruments could potentially limit or impact the Fund's ability to invest in derivatives, limit the Fund's ability to employ certain strategies that use derivatives and/or adversely affect the value of derivatives and the Fund's performance. Futures exchanges may limit the amount of fluctuation permitted in certain futures contract prices during a single trading day. There can be no assurance that a liquid market will exist at a time when the Fund seeks to close out a futures or a futures option position, and that Fund would remain obligated to meet margin requirements until the position is closed.

In addition, certain futures contracts may be relatively new instruments without a significant trading history. As a result, there can be no assurance that an active secondary market will develop or continue to exist.

Model Risk

In making investment allocation decisions, PIMCO may utilize quantitative models that may be proprietary or developed by third-parties. These models are used by PIMCO to help determine the Fund's target asset allocation and to identify potentially attractive relative value and risk hedging strategies. The Fund's investment models used in making investment allocation decisions may not adequately take into account certain factors and may result in a decline in the value of your investment.

Models rely on accurate market data inputs. If inaccurate market data is entered into a model, the resulting information will be incorrect. In addition, the models used may be predictive in nature and such models may result in an incorrect assessment of future events. The models evaluate securities or securities markets based on certain assumptions concerning the interplay of market factors. The markets or the prices of individual securities may be affected by factors not foreseen in developing the models.

Commodity Risk

The Fund's investments in commodity-linked derivative instruments may subject the Fund to greater volatility than investments in traditional securities. The value of commodity-linked derivative instruments may be affected by changes in overall market movements, commodity index volatility, changes in interest rates, or factors affecting a particular industry or commodity, such as drought, floods, weather, livestock disease, embargoes, tariffs and international economic, political and regulatory

 

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developments. The Fund and its Subsidiary (the "Subsidiary") each may concentrate its assets in a particular sector of the commodities market (such as oil, metal or agricultural products). As a result, the Fund and the Subsidiary may be more susceptible to risks associated with those sectors. The prices for commodities in those sectors may fluctuate widely due to factors such as changes in value, supply and demand and governmental regulatory policies.

Equity Risk

Equity securities represent an ownership interest, or the right to acquire an ownership interest, in an issuer. Equity securities also include, among other things, preferred securities, convertible stocks and warrants. The values of equity securities, such as common stocks and preferred securities, may decline due to general market conditions which are not specifically related to a particular company, such as real or perceived adverse economic conditions, changes in the general outlook for corporate earnings, changes in interest or currency rates or adverse investor sentiment generally. They may also decline due to factors which affect a particular industry or industries, such as labor shortages or increased production costs and competitive conditions within an industry. Equity securities generally have greater price volatility than fixed income securities. These risks are generally magnified in the case of equity investments in distressed companies.

Mortgage-Related and Other Asset-Backed Securities Risk

Mortgage-related and other asset-backed securities represent interests in "pools" of mortgages or other assets such as consumer loans or receivables held in trust and often involve risks that are different from or possibly more acute than risks associated with other types of debt instruments. Generally, rising interest rates tend to extend the duration of fixed rate mortgage-related securities, making them more sensitive to changes in interest rates. As a result, in a period of rising interest rates, if the Fund holds mortgage-related securities, it may exhibit additional volatility since individual mortgage holders are less likely to exercise prepayment options, thereby putting additional downward pressure on the value of these securities and potentially causing the Fund to lose money. This is known as extension risk. Mortgage-backed securities can be highly sensitive to rising interest rates, such that even small movements can cause an investing Fund to lose value. Mortgage-backed securities, and in particular those not backed by a government guarantee, are subject to credit risk. In addition, adjustable and fixed rate mortgage-related securities are subject to prepayment risk. When interest rates decline, borrowers may pay off their mortgages sooner than expected. This can reduce the returns of the Fund because the Fund may have to reinvest that money at the lower prevailing interest rates. The Fund's investments in other asset-backed securities are subject to risks similar to those associated with mortgage-related securities, as well as additional risks associated with the nature of the assets and the servicing of those assets. Payment of principal and interest on asset-backed securities may be largely dependent upon the cash flows generated by the assets backing the securities, and asset-backed securities may not have the benefit of any security interest in the related assets.

Foreign (Non-U.S.) Investment Risk

To the extent that the Fund invests in foreign (non-U.S.) securities, it may experience more rapid and extreme changes in value than a fund that invests exclusively in securities of U.S. companies. The securities markets of many foreign countries are relatively small, with a limited number of companies representing a small number of industries. Additionally, issuers of foreign (non-U.S.) securities are usually not subject to the same degree of regulation as U.S. issuers. Reporting, accounting and auditing standards of foreign countries differ, in some cases significantly, from U.S. standards. Global economies and financial markets are becoming increasingly interconnected, and conditions and events in one country, region or financial market may adversely impact issuers in a different country, region or financial market. Also, nationalization, expropriation or confiscatory taxation, currency blockage, political changes or diplomatic developments could adversely affect the Fund's investments in a foreign country. In the event of nationalization, expropriation or other confiscation, the Fund could lose its entire investment in foreign (non-U.S.) securities. Adverse conditions in a certain region can adversely affect securities of other countries whose economies appear to be unrelated. To the extent that the Fund invests a significant portion of its assets in a specific geographic region, the Fund will generally have more exposure to regional economic risks associated with foreign (non-U.S.) investments. Foreign (non-U.S.) securities may also be less liquid and more difficult to value than securities of U.S. issuers.

Emerging Markets Risk

Foreign (non-U.S.) investment risk may be particularly high to the extent the Fund invests in emerging market securities. Emerging market securities may present market, credit, currency, liquidity, legal, political and other risks different from, and potentially greater than, the risks of investing in securities and instruments economically tied to developed foreign countries. To the extent the Fund invests in emerging market securities that are economically tied to a particular region, country or group of countries, the Fund may be more sensitive to adverse political or social events affecting that region, country or group of countries. Economic, business, political, or social instability may affect emerging market securities differently, and often more severely, than developed market securities. If the Fund focuses its investments in multiple asset classes of emerging market securities, the Fund may have a limited ability to mitigate losses in an environment that is adverse to emerging market securities in general. Emerging market securities may also be more volatile, less liquid and more difficult to value than securities economically tied to developed foreign countries. The systems and procedures for trading and settlement of securities in emerging markets are less developed and less transparent and transactions may take longer to settle. Rising interest rates, combined with widening credit spreads, could negatively impact the value of emerging market debt and increase funding costs for foreign issuers. In such a scenario, foreign issuers might not be able to service their debt obligations, the market for emerging market debt could suffer from reduced liquidity, and the Fund could lose money.

 

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Sovereign Debt Risk

Sovereign debt risk is the risk that fixed income instruments issued by sovereign entities may decline in value as a result of default or other adverse credit event resulting from an issuer's inability or unwillingness to make principal or interest payments in a timely fashion. A sovereign entity's failure to make timely payments on its debt can result from many factors, including, without limitation, insufficient foreign currency reserves or an inability to sufficiently manage fluctuations in relative currency valuations, an inability or unwillingness to satisfy the demands of creditors and/or relevant supranational entities regarding debt service or economic reforms, the size of the debt burden relative to economic output and tax revenues, cash flow difficulties, and other political and social considerations. The risk of loss to the Fund in the event of a sovereign debt default or other adverse credit event is heightened by the unlikelihood of any formal recourse or means to enforce its rights as a holder of the sovereign debt. In addition, sovereign debt restructurings, which may be shaped by entities and factors beyond the Fund's control, may result in a loss in value of the Fund's sovereign debt holdings.

Currency Risk

If the Fund invests directly in foreign (non-U.S.) currencies or in securities that trade in, and receive revenues in, foreign (non-U.S.) currencies, or in derivatives that provide exposure to foreign (non-U.S.) currencies, it will be subject to the risk that those currencies will decline in value relative to the U.S. dollar, or, in the case of hedging positions, that the U.S. dollar will decline in value relative to the currency being hedged.

Currency rates in foreign (non-U.S.) countries may fluctuate significantly over short periods of time for a number of reasons, including changes in interest rates, intervention (or the failure to intervene) by U.S. or foreign (non-U.S.) governments, central banks or supranational entities such as the International Monetary Fund, or by the imposition of currency controls or other political developments in the United States or abroad. As a result, the Fund's investments in foreign currency-denominated securities may reduce the returns of the Fund.

Currency risk may be particularly high to the extent that the Fund invests in foreign (non-U.S.) currencies or engages in foreign currency transactions that are economically tied to emerging market countries. These currency transactions may present market, credit, currency, liquidity, legal, political and other risks different from, or greater than, the risks of investing in developed foreign (non-U.S.) currencies or engaging in foreign currency transactions that are economically tied to developed foreign countries.

Leveraging Risk

Certain transactions may give rise to a form of leverage. Such transactions may include, among others, reverse repurchase agreements, loans of portfolio securities, and the use of when-issued, delayed delivery or forward commitment transactions. The use of derivatives may also create leveraging risk. In accordance with federal securities laws, rules and staff positions, PIMCO will mitigate its leveraging risk by segregating or "earmarking" liquid assets or otherwise covering transactions that may give rise to such risk. The Subsidiary will comply with these asset segregation or "earmarking" requirements to the same extent as the Fund. The Fund also may be exposed to leveraging risk by borrowing money for investment purposes. Leveraging may cause the Fund to liquidate portfolio positions to satisfy its obligations or to meet segregation requirements when it may not be advantageous to do so. Leveraging, including borrowing, may cause the Fund to be more volatile than if the Fund had not been leveraged. This is because leveraging tends to exaggerate the effect of any increase or decrease in the value of the Fund's portfolio securities. Certain types of leveraging transactions, such as short sales that are not "against the box," could theoretically be subject to unlimited losses in cases where the Fund, for any reason, is unable to close out the transaction. In addition, to the extent the Fund borrows money, interest costs on such borrowings may not be recovered by any appreciation of the securities purchased with the borrowed amounts and could exceed the Fund's investment returns, resulting in greater losses. Moreover, to make payments of interest and other loan costs, the Fund may be forced to sell portfolio securities when it is not otherwise advantageous to do so.

Management Risk

The Fund and the Subsidiary are subject to management risk because they are actively managed investment portfolios. PIMCO and each individual portfolio manager will apply investment techniques and risk analysis in making investment decisions for the Fund and the Subsidiary, as applicable, but there can be no guarantee that these decisions will produce the desired results. Certain securities or other instruments in which the Fund seeks to invest may not be available in the quantities desired. In addition, regulatory restrictions, actual or potential conflicts of interest or other considerations may cause PIMCO to restrict or prohibit participation in certain investments. In such circumstances, PIMCO or the individual portfolio managers may determine to purchase other securities or instruments as substitutes. Such substitute securities or instruments may not perform as intended, which could result in losses to the Fund. To the extent the Fund employs strategies targeting perceived pricing inefficiencies, arbitrage strategies or similar strategies, it is subject to the risk that the pricing or valuation of the securities and instruments involved in such strategies may change unexpectedly, which may result in reduced returns or losses to the Fund. Additionally, legislative, regulatory, or tax restrictions, policies or developments may affect the investment techniques available to PIMCO and each individual portfolio manager in connection with managing the Fund and the Subsidiary and may also adversely affect the ability of the Fund and the Subsidiary to achieve their investment objectives. There also can be no assurance that all of the personnel of PIMCO will continue to be associated with PIMCO for any length of time. The loss of the services of one or more key employees of PIMCO could have an adverse impact on the Fund's ability to realize its investment objective.

Short Exposure Risk

The Fund's short sales, if any, are subject to special risks. A short sale involves the sale by the Fund of a security that it does not own with the hope of purchasing the same security at a later date at a lower price. The Fund may also enter into a short position through a forward commitment or a short derivative position through a futures contract or swap agreement. If

 

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the price of the security or derivative has increased during this time, then the Fund will incur a loss equal to the increase in price from the time that the short sale was entered into plus any transaction costs (i.e., premiums and interest) paid to the broker-dealer to borrow securities. Therefore, short sales involve the risk that losses may be exaggerated, potentially losing more money than the actual cost of the investment. By contrast, a loss on a long position arises from decreases in the value of the security and is limited by the fact that a security's value cannot decrease below zero.

By investing the proceeds received from selling securities short, the Fund could be deemed to be employing a form of leverage, which creates special risks. The use of leverage may increase the Fund's exposure to long security positions and make any change in the Fund's NAV greater than it would be without the use of leverage. This could result in increased volatility of returns. There is no guarantee that any leveraging strategy the Fund employs will be successful during any period in which it is employed.

In times of unusual or adverse market, economic, regulatory or political conditions, the Fund may not be able, fully or partially, to implement its short selling strategy. Periods of unusual or adverse market, economic, regulatory or political conditions generally may exist for as long as six months and, in some cases, much longer. Also, there is the risk that the third party to the short sale will not fulfill its contractual obligations, causing a loss to the Fund.

Tax Risk

The Fund gains exposure to the commodities markets through investments in commodity-linked derivative instruments, including commodity index-linked notes, swap agreements, commodity options, futures, and options on futures. The Fund may also gain exposure indirectly to commodity markets by investing in the Subsidiary, which invests primarily in commodity linked derivative instruments backed by a portfolio of cash equivalent securities and/or other Fixed Income Instruments. In order for the Fund to qualify as a regulated investment company under Subchapter M of the Code, the Fund must derive at least 90 percent of its gross income each taxable year from certain qualifying sources of income.

As more fully described below under "Tax Consequences-A Note on the Fund", the Internal Revenue Service (the "IRS") issued a revenue ruling which holds that income derived from commodity-linked swaps is not qualifying income under Subchapter M of the Code. However, the IRS has issued private letter rulings in which the IRS specifically concluded that income from certain commodity index-linked notes is qualifying income. In addition, the IRS has also issued private letter rulings in which the IRS specifically concluded that income derived from an investment in a subsidiary will also constitute qualifying income The IRS recently issued proposed regulations that, if finalized, would generally treat a fund's income inclusion with respect to a subsidiary as qualifying income only if there is a distribution out of the earnings and profits of a subsidiary that are attributable to such income inclusion. The proposed regulations, if adopted, would apply to taxable years beginning on or after 90 days after the regulations are published as final. The IRS also recently issued a revenue procedure, which states that the IRS will not in the future issue private letter rulings that would require a determination of whether an asset (such as a commodity index-linked note) is a "security" under the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended (the "1940 Act"). In connection with issuing such revenue procedure, the IRS has revoked the Note Rulings.

The Fund will seek to gain exposure to the commodity markets primarily through investments in the Subsidiary. If the IRS were to determine that income derived from investments in a Subsidiary does not constitute qualifying income, the Fund might be adversely affected and would be required to reduce its exposure to such investments, which might result in difficulty in implementing its investment strategies and increased costs and taxes. Investments in the Subsidiary involves specific risks. See "Characteristics and Risks of Securities and Investment Techniques-Investments in a Wholly-Owned Subsidiary" below for further information regarding the Subsidiary, including the risks associated with investing in the Subsidiaries.

Subsidiary Risk

By investing in the Subsidiary, the Fund is indirectly exposed to the risks associated with the Subsidiary's investments. The investments held by the Subsidiary are generally similar to those that are permitted to be held by the Fund and are subject to the same risks that apply to similar investments if held directly by the Fund. These risks are described elsewhere in this prospectus. There can be no assurance that the investment objective of the Fund or the Subsidiary will be achieved.

The Subsidiary is not registered under the 1940 Act, and, unless otherwise noted in this prospectus, is not subject to all the investor protections of the 1940 Act. In addition, changes in the laws of the United States and/or the Cayman Islands could result in the inability of the Fund and/or the Subsidiary to operate as described in this prospectus and SAI and could adversely affect the Fund. Changes in the laws of the United States and/or the Cayman Islands could adversely affect the performance of the Fund and/or the Subsidiary and result in the Fund underperfoming its benchmark index(es).

Disclosure of Portfolio Holdings

Please see "Disclosure of Portfolio Holdings" in the SAI for information about the availability of the complete schedule of the Fund's holdings.

 

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Management of the Fund

Investment Adviser and Administrator

PIMCO serves as the investment adviser and the administrator (serving in its capacity as investment adviser, the "Investment Adviser," and serving in its capacity as administrator, the "Administrator") for the Fund. Subject to the supervision of the Board of Trustees of PIMCO Funds (the "Trust"), PIMCO is responsible for managing the investment activities of the Fund and the Fund's business affairs and other administrative matters. PIMCO also serves as the investment adviser for the Subsidiary.

PIMCO is located at 650 Newport Center Drive, Newport Beach, CA 92660. Organized in 1971, PIMCO provides investment management and advisory services to private accounts of institutional and individual clients and to mutual funds. As of June 30, 2018, PIMCO had approximately $[ ] in assets under management.

Management Fees

The Fund pays for the advisory and supervisory and administrative services it requires under what is essentially an all-in-fee structure. The Management Fees shown in the Annual Fund Operating Expenses table reflect both an advisory fee and a supervisory and administrative fee. For the fiscal year ended March 31, 2018, the Fund paid monthly Management Fees to PIMCO at the following annual rates (stated as a percentage of the average daily net assets attributable in the aggregate to each class's shares taken separately):

Management Fees


Fund Name

Institutional
Class


I-2

Class A

Class C

PIMCO TRENDS Managed Futures Strategy Fund

1.40%

1.50%

1.55%

1.55%

I-3 shares of the Fund were not operational during the fiscal year ended March 31, 2018. The management fee for the I-3 shares of the Fund is at the following annual rate (stated as a percentage of the average daily net assets attributable to the class's shares taken separately): 1.60%.

Advisory Fee. The Fund pays PIMCO fees in return for providing investment advisory services. For the fiscal year ended March 31, 2018, the Fund paid monthly advisory fees to PIMCO at the following annual rate (stated as a percentage of the average daily net assets of the Fund):


Fund Name

Advisory Fee
All Classes

PIMCO TRENDS Managed Futures Strategy Fund

1.15%(1)

 

1 PIMCO has contractually agreed, through July 31, 2019, to waive its advisory fee by 0.25% of the average daily net assets of the Fund. This Fee Waiver Agreement will automatically renew for one-year terms unless PIMCO provides written notice to the Trust at least 30 days prior to the end of the then current term. Under certain conditions, PIMCO may be entitled to reimbursement of amounts waived in future periods, not exceeding three years. See "Fee Waiver Agreement" below.

A discussion of the basis for the Board of Trustees' approval of the Fund's investment advisory contract is available in the Fund's Semi-Annual Report to shareholders for the fiscal half-year ended September 30, 2017.

As discussed in the "Principal Investments and Strategies" section, the Fund may pursue its investment objective by investing in its Subsidiary. The Subsidiary has entered into a separate contract with PIMCO whereby PIMCO provides investment advisory and other services to the Subsidiary. In consideration of these services, the Subsidiary pays PIMCO a management fee and an administrative services fee at the annual rates of 0.49% and 0.20%, respectively. PIMCO has contractually agreed to waive the advisory fee and the supervisory and administrative fee it receives from the Fund in an amount equal to the management fee and administrative services fee, respectively, paid to PIMCO by the Subsidiary. This waiver may not be terminated by PIMCO and will remain in effect for as long as PIMCO's contract with the Subsidiary is in place.

Supervisory and Administrative Fee. The Fund pays for the supervisory and administrative services it requires under what is essentially an all-in fee structure. Shareholders of the Fund pay a supervisory and administrative fee to PIMCO, computed as a percentage of the Fund's assets attributable in the aggregate to that class of shares. PIMCO, in turn, provides or procures supervisory and administrative services for shareholders and also bears the costs of various third-party services required by the Fund, including audit, custodial, portfolio accounting, legal, transfer agency and printing costs. The Fund bears other expenses which are not covered under the supervisory and administrative fee which may vary and affect the total level of expenses paid by the shareholders, such as taxes and governmental fees, brokerage fees, commissions and other transaction expenses, organizational expenses, costs of borrowing money, including interest expenses, extraordinary expenses (such as litigation and indemnification expenses) and fees and expenses of the Trust's Independent Trustees and their counsel. PIMCO generally earns a profit on the supervisory and administrative fee paid by the Fund. Also, under the terms of the supervision and administration agreement, PIMCO, and not Fund shareholders, would benefit from any price decreases in third-party services, including decreases resulting from an increase in net assets.

For the fiscal year ended March 31, 2018, the Fund paid PIMCO monthly supervisory and administrative fees at the following annual rates (stated as a percentage of the average daily net assets attributable in the aggregate to each class's shares taken separately):

 

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Supervisory and Administrative Fees


Fund Name

Institutional
Class


I-2

Class A

Class C

PIMCO TRENDS Managed Futures Strategy Fund

0.25%

0.35%

0.40%

0.40%

I-3 shares of the Fund were not operational during the fiscal year ended March 31, 2018. The supervisory and administrative fee for the I-3 shares of the Fund is at the following annual rate (stated as a percentage of the average daily net assets attributable to the class's shares taken separately): 0.45%.

Expense Limitation Agreement

Pursuant to the Expense Limitation Agreement, PIMCO has agreed to waive a portion of each Fund's supervisory and administrative fees, or reimburse the Fund, to the extent that the Fund's organizational expenses and pro rata share of Trustee fees exceed 0.0049% (the "Expense Limit") (calculated as a percentage of average daily net assets attributable to each class). The Expense Limitation Agreement will automatically renew for one-year terms unless PIMCO provides written notice to the Trust at least 30 days prior to the end of the then current term. In any month in which the supervision and administration agreement is in effect, PIMCO is entitled to reimbursement by each Fund of any portion of the supervisory and administrative fee waived or reimbursed as set forth above (the "Reimbursement Amount") during the previous thirty-six months, provided that such amount paid to PIMCO will not: 1) together with any organizational expenses and pro rata Trustee fees, exceed, for such month, the Expense Limit; 2) exceed the total Reimbursement Amount; or 3) include any amounts previously reimbursed to PIMCO.

Fee Waiver Agreement

PIMCO has contractually agreed, through July 31, 2019, to waive its advisory fee by 0.25% of the average daily net assets of the Fund. This Fee Waiver Agreement will automatically renew for one-year terms unless PIMCO provides written notice to the Trust at least 30 days prior to the end of the then current term. In any month in which the investment advisory contract is in effect, PIMCO is entitled to reimbursement by the Fund of any portion of the advisory fee waived as set forth above (the "TRENDS Reimbursement Amount") during the previous thirty-six months, provided that such amount paid to PIMCO will not: 1) together with any recoupment of organizational expenses and pro rata Trustee fees or supervisory and administrative fees pursuant to the Expense Limitation Agreement, exceed, for such month, the Expense Limit; 2) exceed the total TRENDS Reimbursement Amount; or 3) include any amounts previously reimbursed to PIMCO.

PIMCO has contractually agreed, through July 31, 2019, to waive its supervisory and administrative fee for I-3 shares by 0.05% of the average daily net assets attributable to I-3 shares of the Fund. This Fee Waiver Agreement will automatically renew for one-year terms unless PIMCO provides written notice to the Trust at least 30 days prior to the end of the then current term.

Individual Portfolio Managers

The following individuals have primary responsibility for managing the Fund.

Fund

Portfolio Manager

Since

Recent Professional Experience

PIMCO TRENDS Managed Futures Strategy Fund

Josh Davis

12/15

Managing Director, PIMCO. Dr. Davis is a member of PIMCO's global quantitative portfolio group and focuses on portfolio solutions and quantitative strategy, including asset allocation, tail risk hedging, foreign exchange and variable annuities. Prior to joining PIMCO in 2008, he was a consulting strategist with Prime International Trading in Chicago.

Matthew P. Dorsten

12/13*

Senior Vice President, PIMCO. Mr. Dorsten is a member of the quantitative portfolio management group, focusing on quantitative strategy and passive replication. Mr. Dorsten joined PIMCO in 2006.

Graham A. Rennison

12/13*

Senior Vice President, PIMCO. Mr. Rennison is a member of the quantitative portfolio management group, focusing on multi-asset class systematic strategies. Prior to joining PIMCO in 2011, Mr. Rennison was associated with Barclays Capital and Lehman Brothers, researching and publishing widely on quantitative strategies in the credit markets.

 

* Inception of the Fund.

Please see the SAI for additional information about other accounts managed by the portfolio managers, the portfolio managers' compensation and the portfolio managers' ownership of shares of the Fund.

The Trustees are responsible generally for overseeing the management of the Trust. The Trustees authorize the Trust to enter into service agreements with the Investment Adviser, the Distributor (as defined below), the Administrator and other service providers in order to provide, and in some cases authorize service providers to procure through other parties, necessary or desirable services on behalf of the Trust and the Fund. Shareholders are not parties to or third-party beneficiaries of such service agreements. Neither this prospectus nor summary prospectus, the Trust's SAI, any contracts filed as exhibits to the Trust's registration statement, nor any other communications, disclosure documents or regulatory filings from or on behalf of the Trust or the Fund creates a contract

 

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between or among any shareholder of the Fund, on the one hand, and the Trust, the Fund, a service provider to the Trust or the Fund, and/or the Trustees or officers of the Trust, on the other hand. The Trustees (or the Trust and its officers, service providers or other delegates acting under authority of the Trustees) may amend this, or use a new prospectus, summary prospectus or SAI with respect to the Fund or the Trust, and/or amend, file and/or issue any other communications, disclosure documents or regulatory filings, and may amend or enter into any contracts to which the Trust or the Fund is a party, and interpret the investment objective(s), policies, restrictions and contractual provisions applicable to the Fund, without shareholder input or approval, except in circumstances in which shareholder approval is specifically required by law (such as changes to fundamental investment policies) or where a shareholder approval requirement is specifically disclosed in the Trust's then-current prospectus or SAI.

Distributor

The Trust's Distributor is PIMCO Investments LLC (the "Distributor"). The Distributor, located at 1633 Broadway, New York, NY 10019, is a broker-dealer registered with the Securities and Exchange Commission ("SEC"). Please note all direct account requests or inquiries should be mailed to the Trust's transfer agent at P.O. Box 55060, Boston, MA 02205-5060 and should not be mailed to the Distributor.

 

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Classes of Shares

Class A, Class C, Institutional Class, I-2 and I-3 shares of the Fund are offered in this prospectus. Each share class represents an investment in the same Fund, but each class has its own expense structure and arrangements for shareholder services or distribution, which allows you to choose the class that best fits your situation and eligibility requirements.

The class of shares that is best for you depends upon a number of factors, including the amount and the intended length of your investment, the expenses borne by each class, which are detailed in the fee table and example at the front of this prospectus, any initial sales charge or contingent deferred sales charge (CDSC) applicable to a class and whether you qualify for any reduction or waiver of sales charges, and the availability of the share class for purchase by you. Certain classes have higher expenses than other classes, which may lower the return on your investment when compared to a less expensive class. Individual investors can generally invest in Class A and Class C shares. Class C shares of the Fund will automatically convert into Class A shares of the Fund after they have been held for ten years. This automatic conversion will be executed without any sales charge, fee or other charge. After the conversion takes place, the shares will be subject to all features and expenses of Class A shares. Only certain investors may purchase Institutional Class, I-2, and I-3 shares.

The availability of sales charge waivers and discounts may depend on whether you purchase Fund shares directly from the Distributor or a financial firm. More information regarding sales charge waivers and discounts is summarized below.

The following summarizes key information about each class to help you make your investment decision, including the various expenses associated with each class and the payments made to financial firms for distribution and other services. More information about the Trust's multi-class arrangements is included in the SAI and can be obtained free of charge by visiting pimco.com or by calling 888.87.PIMCO.

Sales Charges

Initial Sales Charges — Class A Shares

This section includes important information about sales charge reduction programs available to investors in Class A shares of the Fund and describes information or records you may need to provide to the Distributor or your financial firm in order to be eligible for sales charge reduction programs.

Unless you are eligible for a waiver, the public offering price you pay when you buy Class A shares of the Fund is the net asset value ("NAV") of the shares plus an initial sales charge. The initial sales charge varies depending upon the size of your purchase, as set forth below. No sales charge is imposed where Class A shares are issued to you pursuant to the automatic reinvestment of income dividends or capital gains distributions. For investors investing in Class A shares of the Fund through a financial firm, it is the responsibility of the financial firm to ensure that you obtain the proper "breakpoint" discount.

Class A Shares

 

Amount of Purchase

Initial Sales Charge as % of Public Offering Price

Initial Sales Charge as % of Net Amount Invested

Under $50,000

5.50%

5.82%

$50,000 but under $100,000

4.50%

4.71%

$100,000 but under $250,000

3.50%

3.63%

$250,000 but under $500,000

2.50%

2.56%

$500,000 but under $1,000,000

2.00%

2.04%

$1,000,000 +

0.00%*

0.00%*

 

* As shown, investors that purchase $1,000,000 or more of the Fund's Class A shares will not pay any initial sales charge on the purchase. However, unless eligible for a waiver, certain purchasers of $1,000,000 or more of Class A shares may be subject to a CDSC of 1.00% if the shares are redeemed during the first 12 months after their purchase. See "Contingent Deferred Sales Charges – Class A Shares" below.

Investors in the Fund may reduce or eliminate sales charges applicable to purchases of Class A shares through utilization of the Combined Purchase Privilege, Right of Accumulation (Cumulative Quantity Discount), Letter of Intent or Reinstatement Privilege. These programs, which apply to purchases of one or more funds that are series of the Trust or PIMCO Equity Series that offer Class A shares (other than the Money Market series of the Trust) (collectively, "Eligible Funds"), are summarized below and are described in greater detail in the SAI.

Combined Purchase Privilege and Right of Accumulation (Breakpoints). A Qualifying Investor (as defined below) may qualify for a reduced sales charge on Class A shares by combining concurrent purchases of the Class A shares of one or more Eligible Funds into a single purchase (the "Combined Purchase Privilege"). In addition, a Qualifying Investor may obtain a reduced sales charge on Class A shares by adding the purchase value of Class A shares of an Eligible Fund with the current aggregate NAV of all Class A and C shares of any Eligible Fund held by accounts for the benefit of such Qualifying Investor (the "Right of Accumulation" or "Cumulative Quantity Discount").

The term "Qualifying Investor" refers to:

1.

an individual, such individual's spouse or domestic partner, as recognized by applicable state law, or such individual's children under the age of 21 years (each a "family member") (including family trust* accounts established by such a family member); or

2.

a trustee or other fiduciary for a single trust (except family trusts* noted above), estate or fiduciary account although more than one beneficiary may be involved; or

3.

an employee benefit plan of a single employer.


* For the purpose of determining whether a purchase would qualify for a reduced sales charge under the Combined Purchase Privilege, Right of Accumulation or Letter of Intent, a "family trust" is one in which a family member, as defined in section (1) above, or a direct lineal descendant(s) of such person is/are the beneficiary(ies), and such person or another family member, direct lineal ancestor or sibling of such person is/are the trustee(s).

Please see the SAI for details and for restrictions applicable to shares held by certain employer-sponsored benefit programs.

Letter of Intent. Investors may also obtain a reduced sales charge on purchases of Class A shares by means of a written Letter of Intent, which

 

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expresses an intent to invest not less than $50,000 (or $100,000 in the case of those funds with an initial sales charge breakpoint at $100,000) within a period of 13 months in Class A shares of any Eligible Fund(s). The maximum intended investment allowable in a Letter of Intent is $1,000,000. Each purchase of shares under a Letter of Intent will be made at the public offering price or prices applicable at the time of such purchase to a single purchase of the dollar amount indicated in the Letter of Intent. The value of the investor's account(s) linked to a Letter of Intent will be included at the start date of the Letter of Intent. A Letter of Intent is not a binding obligation to purchase the full amount indicated. Shares purchased with the first 5% of the amount indicated in the Letter of Intent will be held in escrow (while remaining registered in your name) to secure payment of the higher sales charges applicable to the shares actually purchased in the event the full intended amount is not purchased. Redemptions during the LOI period will not count against the shareholder, but a CDSC may be charged for LOIs of $1,000,000.

In making computations concerning the amount purchased for purposes of a Letter of Intent, the Right of Accumulation value of eligible accounts will be included in the computation when the Letter of Intent begins in addition to purchases made during the Letter of Intent Period.

Reinstatement Privilege. A Class A shareholder who has caused any or all of his shares to be redeemed may reinvest all or any portion of the redemption proceeds in Class A shares of any Eligible Fund at NAV without any sales charge, provided that such investment is made within 120 calendar days after the redemption date. The limitations and restrictions of this program are fully described in the SAI.

Method of Valuation of Accounts. To determine whether a shareholder qualifies for a reduction in sales charge on a purchase of Class A shares of Eligible Funds, the public offering price of the shares is used for purchases relying on the Combined Purchase Privilege or a Letter of Intent and the amount of the total current purchase (including any sales load) plus the NAV (at the close of business on the day of the current purchase) of shares previously acquired is used for the Right of Accumulation (Cumulative Quantity Discount).

Sales at Net Asset Value. In addition to the programs summarized above, the Fund may sell its Class A shares at NAV without an initial sales charge to certain types of accounts or account holders, including, but not limited to: Trustees of the Fund; employees of PIMCO and the Distributor; employees of participating brokers; certain trustees or other fiduciaries purchasing shares for retirement plans; and persons investing through certain "wrap accounts." Please see the SAI for details.

If you are eligible to buy both Class A shares and Institutional Class shares, you should buy Institutional Class shares because Class A shares may be subject to sales charges and an annual 0.25% service fee.

Required Shareholder Information and Records. In order for investors in Class A shares of the Fund to take advantage of sales charge reductions, an investor or his or her financial firm must notify the Fund that the investor qualifies for such a reduction. If the Fund is not notified that the investor is eligible for these reductions, the Fund will be unable to ensure that the reduction is applied to the investor's account. An investor may have to provide certain information or records to his or her financial firm or the Fund to verify the investor's eligibility for breakpoint discounts or sales charge waivers. An investor may be asked to provide information or records, including account statements, regarding shares of the Fund or other Eligible Funds held in:

all of the investor's accounts held directly with the Trust or through a financial firm; 

any account of the investor at another financial firm; and 

accounts of Qualifying Investors at any financial firm.

The SAI provides additional information regarding eliminations of and reductions in sales loads associated with Eligible Funds. You can obtain the SAI free of charge from PIMCO by written request, by visiting pimco.com, or by calling 888.87.PIMCO.

Contingent Deferred Sales Charges

Class A Shares

Unless you are eligible for a waiver, if you purchase $1,000,000 or more of Class A shares (and, thus, pay no initial sales charge) of the Fund, you will be subject to a 1% CDSC if you sell (redeem) your Class A shares within 12 months of their purchase. The Class A CDSC does not apply if you are otherwise eligible to purchase Class A shares without an initial sales charge or are eligible for a waiver of the CDSC. See "Reductions and Waivers of Initial Sales Charges and CDSCs" below.

Class C Shares

Unless you are eligible for a waiver, if you sell (redeem) your Class C shares within the time periods specified below, you will pay a CDSC according to the following schedules. If you invest in Class C shares of the Fund through a financial firm, it is the responsibility of the financial firm to ensure that you are credited with the proper holding period for the shares redeemed.


Years Since Purchase Payment was Made

Percentage
Contingent Deferred
Sales Charge

First

1%

Thereafter

0%

How CDSCs will be Calculated

A CDSC is imposed on redemptions of Class C shares (and where applicable, Class A shares) on the amount of the redemption which causes the current value of your account for the particular class of shares of the Fund to fall below the total dollar amount of your purchase payments subject to the CDSC.

The following rules apply under the method for calculating CDSCs:

Shares acquired through the reinvestment of dividends or capital gains distributions will be redeemed first and will not be subject to any CDSC.

For the redemption of all other shares, the CDSC will be based on either your original purchase price or the then current NAV of the shares being sold, whichever is lower. To illustrate this point, consider shares purchased at an NAV of $10. If the Fund's NAV per share at the time of redemption is $12, the CDSC will apply to the purchase

 

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price of $10. If the NAV per share at the time of redemption is $8, the CDSC will apply to the $8 current NAV per share.

CDSCs will be deducted from the proceeds of your redemption, not from amounts remaining in your account.

In determining whether a CDSC is payable, it is assumed that you will redeem first the lot of shares which will incur the lowest CDSC.

For example, the following illustrates the operation of the Class C CDSC:

Assume that an individual opens an account and makes a purchase payment of $10,000 for 1,000 Class C shares of the Fund (at $10 per share) and that six months later the value of the investor's account for that Fund has grown through investment performance to $11,000 ($11 per share). If the investor should redeem $2,200 (200 shares), a CDSC would be applied against $2,000 of the redemption (the purchase price of the shares redeemed, because the purchase price is lower than the current NAV of such shares ($2,200)). At the rate of 1%, the Class C CDSC would be $20.

Reductions and Waivers of Initial Sales Charges and CDSCs

The initial sales charges on Class A shares and the CDSCs on Class A and Class C shares may be reduced or waived under certain purchase arrangements and for certain categories of investors. Please see the SAI for details.

Shares Purchased or Held Through Financial Firms

The availability of sales charge waivers and discounts may depend on the particular financial firm or type of account through which you purchase or hold Fund shares. The Funds' sales charge waivers and discounts disclosed in this Prospectus are available for qualifying purchases made directly from the Distributor and are generally available through financial firms unless otherwise specified in Appendix B. The sales charge waivers and discounts available through certain other financial firms are set forth in Appendix B to this Prospectus (Financial Firm-Specific Sales Charge Waivers and Discounts), which may differ from those available for purchases made directly from the Distributor or certain other financial firms. Please contact your financial firm for more information regarding sales charge waivers and discounts available to you and the financial firm's related policies and procedures.

No Sales Charges — Institutional Class, I-2 and I-3 Shares

The Fund does not impose any sales charges or other fees on purchases, redemptions or exchanges of Institutional Class, I-2 or I-3 shares. Only certain investors are eligible to purchase these share classes. Your financial advisor or financial firm can help you determine if you are eligible to purchase Institutional Class, I-2 or I-3 shares. You can also call 888.87.PIMCO.

An investor transacting in Institutional Class shares, I-2 shares or I-3 shares may be required to pay a commission to a broker or other financial firm. Other share classes of the Fund that have different fees and expenses are available.

Pension and profit-sharing plans, employee benefit trusts and employee benefit plan alliances, and "wrap account" programs established with broker-dealers or other financial firms may purchase Institutional Class, I-2 or I-3 shares only if the plan or program for which the shares are being acquired will maintain an omnibus or pooled account for the Fund and will not require the Fund to pay any type of administrative payment per participant account to any third party.

Institutional Class shares are offered primarily for direct investment by investors such as pension and profit sharing plans, employee benefit trusts, endowments, foundations, corporations and high net worth individuals. Institutional Class shares may also be offered through certain financial firms that charge their customers transaction or other fees with respect to their customers' investments in the Fund.

I-2 shares are offered primarily through broker-dealers and other financial firms with which the Distributor has an agreement for the use of the share class in investment products, programs or accounts such as certain asset allocation, wrap fee and other similar programs. I-2 shares may also be offered through broker-dealers and other financial firms that charge their customers transaction or other fees with respect to their customers' investments in the Fund. I-2 shares of the Fund will be held in an account at a financial firm and, generally, the firm will hold a shareholder's I-2 shares in nominee or street name as your agent. In most cases, the Trust's transfer agent will have no information with respect to or control over accounts of specific I-2 shareholders, and a shareholder may obtain information about accounts only through the financial firm. Broker-dealers, other financial firms, pension and profit-sharing plans, employee benefit trusts and employee benefit plan alliances also may purchase I-2 shares.

I-3 shares of the Fund are offered primarily through broker-dealers and other financial firms with which the Distributor has an agreement for the use of the share class in investment products, programs or accounts such as mutual fund supermarkets or other no transaction fee platforms. I-3 shares of the Fund will be held in an account at a financial firm and, generally, the firm will hold a shareholder's I-3 shares in nominee or street name as your agent. In most cases, the Trust's transfer agent will have no information with respect to or control over accounts of specific I-3 shareholders, and a shareholder may obtain information about accounts only through the financial firm. Broker-dealers, other financial firms, pension and profit-sharing plans, employee benefit trusts and employee benefit plan alliances also may purchase I-3 shares.

Distribution and Servicing (12b-1) Plans

Class A and Class C shares. The Fund pays fees to the Distributor on an ongoing basis as compensation for the services the Distributor renders and the expenses it bears in connection with the sale and distribution of Fund shares ("distribution fees") and/or in connection with personal services rendered to Fund shareholders and the maintenance of shareholder accounts ("servicing fees"). These payments are made pursuant to Distribution and Servicing Plans ("12b-1 Plans") adopted by the Fund pursuant to Rule 12b-1 under the 1940 Act.

Class A shares pay only servicing fees. Class C shares pay both distribution and servicing fees. The following lists the maximum annual rates at which the distribution and/or servicing fees may be paid under each 12b-1 Plan (calculated as a percentage of the Fund's average daily net assets attributable to the particular class of shares):

 

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Class A

Servicing Fee

Distribution Fee

0.25%

0.00%

 

Class C

Servicing Fee

Distribution Fee

0.25%

0.75%

Because distribution fees are paid out of the Fund's assets on an ongoing basis, over time these fees will increase the cost of your investment and may cost you more than other types of sales charges, such as sales charges that are deducted at the time of investment. Therefore, although Class C shares do not pay initial sales charges, the distribution fees payable on Class C shares may, over time, cost you more than the initial sales charge imposed on Class A shares.

Servicing Arrangements

Shares of the Fund may be available through broker-dealers, banks, trust companies, insurance companies and other financial firms that have entered into shareholder servicing arrangements with respect to the Fund. A financial firm is one that, in exchange for compensation, sells, among other products, mutual fund shares (including the shares offered in this prospectus) or provides services for mutual fund shareholders. These financial firms provide varying investment products, programs, platforms and accounts, through which investors may purchase, redeem and exchange shares of the Fund. Shareholder servicing arrangements typically include processing orders for shares, generating account and confirmation statements, sub-accounting, account maintenance, tax reporting, collecting and posting distributions to investor accounts and disbursing cash dividends as well as other investment or administrative services required for the particular firm's products, programs, platform and accounts.

PIMCO and/or its affiliates may make payments to financial firms for the shareholder services provided. These payments are made out of PIMCO's resources, including the supervisory and administrative fees paid to PIMCO under the Fund's supervision and administration agreement. The actual services provided by these firms, and the payments made for such services, vary from firm to firm. The payments may be based on a fixed dollar amount for each account and position maintained by the financial firm and/or a percentage of the value of shares held by investors through the firm. Please see the SAI for more information.

These payments may be material to financial firms relative to other compensation paid by the Fund, PIMCO and/or its affiliates and may be in addition to other fees and payments, such as distribution and/or service (12b-1) fees, revenue sharing or "shelf space" fees and event support, other non-cash compensation and charitable contributions paid to or at the request of such firms (described below). Also, the payments may differ depending on the Fund or share class and may vary from amounts paid to the Fund's transfer agent for providing similar services to other accounts. PIMCO and/or its affiliates do not control these financial firms' provision of the services for which they are receiving payments.

These financial firms may impose additional or different conditions than the Fund on purchases, redemptions or exchanges of shares. They may also independently establish and charge their customers or program participants transaction fees, account fees and other amounts in connection with purchases, redemptions and exchanges of shares in addition to any fees imposed by the Fund. These additional fees may vary and over time could increase the cost of an investment in the Fund and lower investment returns. Each financial firm is responsible for transmitting to its customers and program participants a schedule of any such fees and information regarding any additional or different conditions regarding purchases, redemptions and exchanges. Shareholders who are customers of these financial firms or participants in programs serviced by them should contact the financial firm for information regarding these fees and conditions.

Other Payments to Financial Firms

Some or all of the sales charges, distribution fees and servicing fees described above are paid or "reallowed" to the financial firm, including their financial advisors through which you purchase your shares. With respect to Class C shares, the financial firms are also paid at the time of your purchase a commission of up to 1.00% of your investment in such share class. Please see the SAI for more details.

The Distributor or PIMCO (for purposes of this subsection only, collectively, the "Distributor") may from time to time make payments and provide other incentives to selected financial firms as compensation for services such as providing the Fund with "shelf space" or a higher profile for the financial firms' financial advisors and their customers, placing the Fund on the financial firms' preferred or recommended fund list, granting the Distributor access to the firms' financial advisors and furnishing marketing support and other specified services. These payments may be significant to the financial firms.

A number of factors will be considered in determining the amount of these payments to financial firms. On some occasions, such payments may be conditioned upon levels of sales, including the sale of a specified minimum dollar amount of the shares of the Fund, other funds sponsored by the Distributor and/or a particular class of shares, during a specified period of time. The Distributor may also make payments to one or more financial firms based upon factors such as the amount of assets a financial firm's clients have invested in the Fund and the quality of the financial firm's relationship with the Distributor.

The additional payments described above are made from the Distributor's or PIMCO's (or their affiliates') own assets (and sometimes, therefore referred to as "revenue sharing") pursuant to agreements with broker-dealers or other financial firms and do not change the price paid by investors for the purchase of the Fund's shares or the amount the Fund will receive as proceeds from such sales. These payments may be made to financial firms (as selected by the Distributor) that have sold significant amounts of shares of the Fund. With respect to Class A and C shares, except as described in the following paragraph, the level of payments made to a financial firm in any future year will vary and generally will not exceed the sum of: (a) 0.10% of such year's sales of Class A and C shares of funds of the Trust and PIMCO Equity Series by such financial firm; and (b) 0.03% of the assets attributable to that financial firm invested in Class A and C shares of funds of the Trust and PIMCO Equity Series (the "10/3 cap"). In certain cases, the payments described in the preceding sentence are subject to certain minimum payment levels. In lieu of payments pursuant to the foregoing formula, the Distributor, PIMCO or their affiliates may make payments of an

 

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agreed upon amount which generally will not exceed the amount that would have been payable pursuant to the formula.

Financial firms with a combined AUM in excess of $10 Billion in Class A, C and I-2 shares of funds of the Trust and PIMCO Equity Series (for purposes of this paragraph, "Eligible Firms") may be eligible for marketing support payments beyond those described in the preceding paragraph on certain Eligible Assets (as defined below). The total payment to any Eligible Firm generally shall not exceed the greater of: (a) 0.05% of the combined Eligible Assets of Class A, C and I-2 shares of funds of the Trust and PIMCO Equity Series; or (b) the 10/3 cap with respect to Class A and Class C shares only. Should any Eligible Firm choose not to collect marketing support on I-2 shares, the total payment to such Eligible Firm generally shall not exceed the greater of: (x) 0.05% of Eligible Assets of Class A and C shares of funds of the Trust and PIMCO Equity Series; or (y) the 10/3 cap with respect to Class A and Class C shares only. With respect to the Eligible Firms receiving marketing support payments with respect to I-2 Shares pursuant to this paragraph, payments may be lower for particular funds of the Trust or PIMCO Equity Series as compared to other funds of the Trust or PIMCO Equity Series. "Eligible Assets" for purposes of this paragraph shall include all assets of Class A, C and I-2 shares of funds of the Trust and PIMCO Equity Series attributable to such Eligible Firm except advisory account assets held through a corporate retirement plan governed by the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974, Simplified Employee Pension Individual Retirement Accounts and Savings Incentive Match Plans for Individual Retirement Accounts. 

Payments for marketing support may also include payments to financial firms in connection with the marketing and sale of model portfolios developed by PIMCO. Such payments may relate to assets under management or sales of any share class of the Fund in such PIMCO-developed models.

In addition to the foregoing payments, the Distributor or its employees and representatives may make payments or reimburse financial firms for sponsorship and/or attendance at conferences, seminars or informational meetings ("event support"), provide financial firms or their personnel with occasional tickets to events or other entertainment, meals, and small gifts ("other non-cash compensation"), make charitable contributions to valid charitable organizations at the request of financial firms ("charitable contributions") and make financial contributions pertaining to sales incentives and contests, each to the extent permitted by applicable law, rules and regulations. 

In addition, wholesaler representatives of the Distributor visit financial firms on a regular basis to market and educate financial advisors and other personnel about the Fund.  These payments, reimbursements and activities may provide additional access to financial advisors at these financial firms, which may increase purchases and/or reduce redemptions of Fund shares.

The Distributor also may pay financial firms for certain services including technology, operations, tax, or audit consulting services, and may pay such firms for the Distributor's attendance at investment forums sponsored by such firms or for various studies, surveys, or access to databases. Subject to applicable law, PIMCO and its affiliates may also provide investment advisory services to financial firms and may execute brokerage transactions on behalf of the Fund with such financial firms. These financial firms may, in the ordinary course of their business, recommend that their clients utilize PIMCO's investment advisory services or invest in the Fund or in other products sponsored or distributed by the Distributor.

If investment advisers, distributors or affiliates of mutual funds make payments and provide other incentives in differing amounts, financial firms and their financial advisors may have financial incentives for recommending a particular mutual fund over other mutual funds. In addition, depending on the arrangements in place at any particular time, a financial firm and its financial advisors may also have a financial incentive for recommending a particular share class over other share classes. A shareholder who holds Fund shares through a financial firm should consult with the shareholder's financial advisor and review carefully any disclosure by the financial firm as to its compensation received by the financial advisor.

Although the Fund may use financial firms that sell Fund shares to effect transactions for the Fund's portfolios, the Fund and PIMCO will not consider the sale of Fund shares as a factor when choosing financial firms to effect those transactions.

For further details about payments made by the Distributor to financial firms, please see the SAI.

Purchases, Redemptions and Exchanges

The following section provides basic information about how to purchase, redeem and exchange shares of the Fund.

More detailed information about purchase, redemption and exchange arrangements for Fund shares is provided in the SAI, which can be obtained free of charge by written request to the Fund at P.O. Box 55060, Boston, MA 02205-5060, visiting pimco.com or by calling 888.87.PIMCO. The SAI provides technical information about the basic arrangements described below and also describes special purchase, sale and exchange features and programs offered by the Trust, including:

Automated telephone and wire transfer procedures

Automatic purchase, exchange and withdrawal programs

A link from your PIMCO Fund account to your bank account

Special arrangements for tax-qualified retirement plans

Investment programs which allow you to reduce or eliminate the initial sales charges

Categories of investors that are eligible for waivers or reductions of initial sales charges and CDSCs

In addition to the other methods and notwithstanding any limitations described herein, shareholders with eligible Fund direct accounts may purchase, redeem (sell) and exchange Class A and Class C shares by accessing their accounts online at pimco.com/MyAccountAccess.  Shareholders with eligible Fund direct accounts in the Institutional class may purchase, redeem (sell) and exchange shares by accessing their accounts online at pimco.com/InstitutionalAccountAccess. Accordingly, an investor must first establish a Fund direct account by completing and mailing the appropriate account application. Online redemptions are not available for all Fund direct accounts because in certain cases, a signature guarantee may be required.

 

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If a shareholder elects to use Account Access to effect transactions for their Fund direct account, the shareholder will be required to establish and use a user ID and password. Shareholders are responsible for keeping their user IDs and passwords private. The Fund will not be liable for relying on any instructions submitted online. Submitting transactions online may be difficult (or impossible) during drastic economic or market changes or during other times when communications may be under unusual stress. Please see the Fund's SAI for additional terms, conditions and considerations.

If a shareholder elects not to use Account Access to view their account or effect transactions, the shareholder should not establish online account access.  If online account access has already been established and the client no longer wants the account accessible online, the client can call 888.87.PIMCO and request to suspend online access.

The Trust typically does not offer or sell its shares to non-U.S. residents. For purposes of this policy, a U.S. resident is defined as an account with (i) a U.S. address of record and (ii) all account owners residing in the U.S. at the time of sale.

The minimum initial investment may be modified for certain financial firms that submit orders on behalf of their customers. The Trust or the Distributor may lower or waive the minimum initial or subsequent investment for certain categories of investors at their discretion. Please see the SAI for details.

Purchasing Shares — Class A and Class C

You can purchase Class A or Class C shares of the Fund in the following ways:

Through your broker-dealer or other financial firm. Your broker-dealer or other financial firm may establish higher minimum investment requirements than the Trust and may also independently charge you transaction fees and additional amounts (which may vary) in return for its services, which will reduce your return. Shares you purchase through your broker-dealer or other financial firm will normally be held in your account with that firm.

Through the Distributor. You should discuss your investment with your financial advisor before you make a purchase to be sure the Fund is appropriate for you. To make direct investments, you must open an account with the Trust and send payment for your shares either by mail or through a variety of other purchase options and plans offered by the Trust. If you do not list a financial advisor and his/her brokerage firm on the Account Application, the Distributor is designated as the broker of record, but solely for purposes of acting as your agent to purchase shares.

Investment Minimums — Class A and Class C Shares. The following investment minimums apply for purchases of Class A and Class C shares.

Purchasing Shares — Institutional Class, I-2 and I-3

Eligible investors may purchase Institutional Class, I-2 and I-3 shares of the Fund at the relevant NAV of that class without a sales charge. See "No Sales Charges — Institutional Class, I-2 and I-3  Shares" above.

Investment Minimums — Institutional Class, I-2 and I-3 Shares. The following investment minimums apply for purchases of Institutional Class, I-2 and I-3 shares.

Initial Investment. Investors who wish to invest in Institutional Class shares may obtain an Account Application online at pimco.com or by calling 888.87.PIMCO. I-2 and I-3 shares are only available through financial firms. See "No Sales Charges — Institutional Class, I-2 and I-3 Shares." The completed Account Application may be submitted using the following methods:

Facsimile: 816.421.2861

Regular Mail:
    PIMCO Funds
    c/o DST Asset Manager Solutions
    330 W. 9th Street
    Kansas City, MO 64105

E-mail: piprocess@dstsystems.com

Except as described below, an investor may purchase Institutional Class and Administrative Class shares only by wiring federal funds to:

PIMCO Funds c/o State Street Bank & Trust Co.
One Lincoln Street, Boston, MA 02111
ABA: 011000028
DDA: 9905-7432
ACCT: Investor PIMCO Account Number
FFC: Name of Investor and Name of Fund(s) in which you wish to invest

Before wiring federal funds, the investor must provide order instructions to the Transfer Agent by facsimile at 816.421.2861, by telephone at 888.87.PIMCO or by e-mail at piprocess@dstsystems.com (if an investor elected this option at account opening or subsequently in writing). In order to receive the current day's NAV, order instructions must be received in good order prior to market close. Instructions must include the name and signature of an authorized person designated on the Account Application ("Authorized Person"), account name, account number, name of Fund and share class and amount being wired. Wires received without order instructions may result in a processing delay or a return of wire. Failure to send the accompanying wire on the same day may result in the cancellation of the order.

An investor may place a purchase order for shares without first wiring federal funds if the purchase amount is to be derived from an advisory account managed by PIMCO or one of its affiliates, or from an account with a broker-dealer or other financial firm that has established a processing relationship with the Trust on behalf of its customers.

 

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Additional Investments. An investor may purchase additional Institutional Class shares of the Fund at any time by sending a facsimile or e-mail or by calling the Transfer Agent and wiring federal funds as outlined above. Eligible Institutional Class shareholders may also purchase additional shares online at pimco.com/InstitutionalAccountAccess. Contact your financial firm for information on purchasing additional I-2 or I-3 shares. 

Other Purchase Information. Purchases of the Fund's Institutional Class, I-2 and I-3 shares will be made in full and fractional shares.

Purchasing Shares — Additional Information

The Trust and the Distributor each reserves the right, in its sole discretion, to suspend the offering of shares of the Fund or to reject any purchase order, in whole or in part, when, in the judgment of management, such suspension or rejection is in the best interests of the Trust.

Subject to the approval of the Trust, an investor may purchase shares of the Fund with liquid securities that are eligible for purchase by the Fund (consistent with the Fund's investment policies and restrictions) and that have a value that is readily ascertainable in accordance with the Trust's valuation policies. These transactions will be effected only if PIMCO intends to retain the security in the Fund as an investment. Assets purchased by the Fund in such a transaction will be valued in generally the same manner as they would be valued for purposes of pricing the Fund's shares, if such assets were included in the Fund's assets at the time of purchase. The Trust reserves the right to amend or terminate this practice at any time.

In the interest of economy and convenience, certificates for shares will not be issued.

Redeeming Shares — Class A and Class C

You can redeem (sell) Class A or Class C shares of the Fund in the following ways: 

Through your broker-dealer or other financial firm. Your broker-dealer or other financial firm may independently charge you transaction fees and additional amounts in return for its services, which will reduce your return.

Redemptions by Telephone. An investor that elects this option on the Account Application (or subsequently in writing) may request redemptions of Class A and Class C shares by calling the Trust at 888.87.PIMCO. An Authorized Person must state his or her name, account name, account number, name of Fund and share class, and redemption amount (in dollars or shares). Redemption requests of an amount of $10 million or more must be submitted in writing by an Authorized Person.

Directly from the Trust by Written Request. To redeem shares directly from the Trust by written request, you must send the following items to the PIMCO Funds, P.O. Box 55060, Boston, MA 02205-5060:

1.

a written request for redemption signed by all registered owners exactly as the account is registered on the Transfer Agent's records, including fiduciary titles, if any, and specifying the account number and the dollar amount or number of shares to be redeemed;

2.

for certain redemptions described below, a guarantee of all signatures on the written request or on the share certificate or accompanying stock power, if required, as described under "Signature Validation" below;

3.

any share certificates issued for any of the shares to be redeemed (see "Certificated Shares" below); and

4.

any additional documents which may be required by the Transfer Agent for redemption by corporations, partnerships or other organizations, executors, administrators, trustees, custodians or guardians, or if the redemption is requested by anyone other than the shareholder(s) of record. Transfers of shares are subject to the same requirements.

A signature validation is not required for redemptions requested by and payable to all shareholders of record for the account, and to be sent to the address of record for that account. To avoid delay in redemption or transfer, if you have any questions about these requirements you should contact the Transfer Agent in writing or call 888.87.PIMCO before submitting a request. Written redemption or transfer requests will not be honored until all required documents in the proper form have been received by the Transfer Agent. You cannot redeem your shares by written request if they are held in "street name" accounts—you must redeem through your financial firm.

If the proceeds of your redemption (i) are to be paid to a person other than the record owner, (ii) are to be sent to an address other than the address of the account on the Transfer Agent's records, and/or (iii) are to be paid to a corporation, partnership, trust or fiduciary, the signature(s) on the redemption request and on the certificates, if any, or stock power must be guaranteed as described under "Signature Validation" below.

The SAI describes a number of additional ways you can redeem your shares, including: 

Telephone requests to the Transfer Agent

Online Account Access

Expedited wire transfers 

Automatic Withdrawal Plan 

Automated Clearing House (ACH) Network

Unless you specifically elect otherwise, your initial Account Application permits you to redeem shares by telephone subject to certain requirements. To be eligible for expedited wire transfer, Automatic Withdrawal Plan, and ACH privileges, you must specifically elect the particular option on your Account Application and satisfy certain other requirements. The SAI describes each of these options and provides additional information about selling shares.

Other than an applicable CDSC, you will not pay any special fees or charges to the Trust or the Distributor when you sell your shares. However, if you sell your shares through your broker, dealer or other financial firm, that firm may charge you a commission or other fee for processing your redemption request.

Redeeming Shares — Institutional Class

Redemptions in Writing. Investors may redeem (sell) Institutional Class shares by sending a facsimile, written request or e-mail as follows:

 

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Facsimile: 816.421.2861
Regular Mail:
    PIMCO Funds
    c/o DST Aset Manager Solutions
    330 W. 9th Street
    Kansas City, MO 64105
E-mail: piprocess@dstsystems.com

The redemption request should state the Fund from which the shares are to be redeemed, the class of shares, the number or dollar amount of the shares to be redeemed and the account number. The request must be signed or made by an Authorized Person.

Neither the Trust nor the Transfer Agent may be liable for any loss, cost or expense for acting on instructions (including those by fax or e-mail) believed by the party receiving such instructions to be genuine and in accordance with the procedures described in this prospectus. Shareholders should realize that by utilizing fax or e-mail redemption, they may be giving up a measure of security that they might have if they were to redeem their shares by mail. Furthermore, interruptions in service may mean that a shareholder will be unable to effect a redemption by fax or e-mail when desired. The Transfer Agent also provides written confirmation of transactions as a procedure designed to confirm that instructions are genuine.

All redemptions, whether initiated by mail, fax or e-mail, will be processed in a timely manner, and proceeds will be forwarded by wire in accordance with the redemption policies of the Trust detailed below. See "Redeeming Shares — Additional Information."

Redemptions by Telephone. An investor that elects this option on the Account Application (or subsequently in writing) may request redemptions of Institutional Class shares by calling the Trust at 888.87.PIMCO. An Authorized Person must state his or her name, account name, account number, name of Fund and share class, and redemption amount (in dollars or shares). Redemption requests of an amount of $10 million or more must be submitted in writing by an Authorized Person. 

In electing a telephone redemption, the investor authorizes PIMCO and the Transfer Agent to act on telephone instructions from any person representing him or herself to be an Authorized Person, and reasonably believed by PIMCO or the Transfer Agent to be genuine. Neither the Trust nor the Transfer Agent may be liable for any loss, cost or expense for acting on instructions (including by telephone) believed by the party receiving such instructions to be genuine and in accordance with the procedures described in this prospectus. Shareholders should realize that by electing the telephone option, they may be giving up a measure of security that they might have if they were to redeem their shares in writing. Furthermore, interruptions in service may mean that shareholders will be unable to redeem their shares by telephone when desired. The Transfer Agent also provides written confirmation of transactions initiated by telephone as a procedure designed to confirm that telephone instructions are genuine. All telephone transactions are recorded, and PIMCO or the Transfer Agent may request certain information in order to verify that the person giving instructions is authorized to do so. The Trust or Transfer Agent may be liable for any losses due to unauthorized or fraudulent telephone transactions if it fails to employ reasonable procedures to confirm that instructions communicated by telephone are genuine. All redemptions initiated by telephone will be processed in a timely manner, and proceeds will be forwarded by wire in accordance with the redemption policies of the Trust detailed below. See "Redeeming Shares — Additional Information."

An Authorized Person may decline telephone exchange or redemption privileges after an account is opened by providing the Transfer Agent a letter of instruction signed by an Authorized Signer. Shareholders may experience delays in exercising telephone redemption privileges during periods of abnormal market activity. During periods of volatile economic or market conditions, shareholders may wish to consider transmitting redemption orders by facsimile, e-mail or overnight courier. Defined contribution plan participants may request redemptions by contacting the employee benefits office, the plan administrator or the organization that provides recordkeeping services for the plan.

Redemptions Online

An investor may redeem Institutional Class shares through their account online. To access your online account, please log onto pimco.com/InstitutionalAccountAccess and enter your account information and personal identification data.

Redeeming Shares — I-2 and I-3

An investor may redeem (sell) I-2 or I-3 shares through the investor's financial firm.  Investors do not pay any fees or other charges to the Trust when selling I-2 or I-3 shares.  Please contact the financial firm for details.

A financial firm is obligated to transmit an investor's redemption orders to the Transfer Agent promptly and is responsible for ensuring that a redemption request is in proper form. The financial firm will be responsible for furnishing all necessary documentation to the Transfer Agent and may charge for its services.

Redeeming Shares — Additional Information

Redemptions of all Classes of Fund shares may be made on any day the New York Stock Exchange ("NYSE") is open, but may be suspended when trading on the NYSE is restricted or during an emergency which makes it impracticable for the Fund to dispose of its securities or to determine fairly the value of its net assets, or during any other period as permitted by the SEC for the protection of investors. Under these and other unusual circumstances, the Trust may suspend redemptions or postpone payment for more than seven days, as permitted by law.

Following the receipt of a redemption request, redemption proceeds will normally be mailed to the redeeming shareholder within three calendar days or, in the case of wire transfer or ACH redemptions, will normally be sent to the designated bank account within one business day. Institutional Class shareholders may only receive redemption proceeds via wire transfer or ACH redemptions. ACH redemptions may be received by the bank on the second or third business day following a redemption request, but in either case may take up to seven days. In cases where shares have recently been purchased by personal check (Class A or Class C shareholders only), redemption proceeds may be withheld until the check has been collected, which may take up to 10 calendar days. To avoid such withholding,

 

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investors in Class A or Class C shares should purchase shares by certified or bank check or by wire transfer.

For shareholder protection, a request to change information contained in an account registration (for example, a request to change the bank designated to receive wire redemption proceeds) must be received in writing, signed by the minimum number of Authorized Persons designated on the completed Account Application that are required to effect a redemption, and accompanied by a signature validation, as determined in accordance with the Trust's procedures, as more fully described below.

Retirement plan sponsors, participant recordkeeping organizations and other financial firms may also impose their own restrictions, limitations or fees in connection with transactions in the Fund's shares, which may be stricter than those described in this section. You should contact your plan sponsor, recordkeeper or financial intermediary for more information on any additional restrictions, limitations or fees that are imposed in connection with transactions in Fund shares.

In order to meet redemption requests, the Fund typically expects to use a combination of sales of portfolio assets, holdings of cash and cash equivalents (including cash flows into the fund) and financing transactions (such as reverse repurchase agreements).These methods of meeting redemption requests are expected to be used regularly. The Fund reserves the right to use other types of borrowings and interfund lending.The use of borrowings (such as a line of credit) and interfund lending in order to meet redemption requests is typically expected to be used only during stressed market conditions, if at all. See "Characteristics and Risks of Securities and Investment Techniques—Reverse Repurchase Agreements, Dollar Rolls and Other Borrowings" and the SAI for more information. The Fund's use of redemptions in kind is discussed below.

Redemptions In Kind

The Trust has agreed to redeem shares of the Fund solely in cash up to the lesser of $250,000 or 1% of the Fund's net assets during any 90-day period for any one shareholder. In consideration of the best interests of the remaining shareholders, the Trust may pay any redemption proceeds exceeding this amount in whole or in part by a distribution in kind of securities held by the Fund in lieu of cash. It is highly unlikely that your shares would ever be redeemed in kind. If your shares are redeemed in kind, you should expect to incur transaction costs upon the disposition of the securities received in the distribution.

Certificated Shares

If you are redeeming shares for which certificates have been issued, the certificates must be mailed to or deposited with the Trust, duly endorsed or accompanied by a duly endorsed stock power or by a written request for redemption. Signatures must be guaranteed as described under "Signature Validation" below. The Trust may request further documentation from institutions or fiduciary accounts, such as corporations, custodians (e.g., under the Uniform Gifts to Minors Act), executors, administrators, trustees or guardians. Your redemption request and stock power must be signed exactly as the account is registered, including indication of any special capacity of the registered owner.

Signature Validation

When a signature validation is called for, a Medallion signature guarantee or Signature validation program (SVP) stamp may be required. A Medallion signature guarantee is intended to provide signature validation for transactions considered financial in nature, and an SVP stamp is intended to provide signature validation for transactions non-financial in nature. In certain situations, a notarized signature may be used instead of a Medallion signature guarantee or an SVP stamp. A Medallion signature guarantee or SVP stamp may be obtained from a domestic bank or trust company, broker, dealer, clearing agency, savings association or other financial institution which is participating in a Medallion program or Signature validation program recognized by the Securities Transfer Association. When a Medallion signature guarantee or SVP stamp is required, signature validations from financial institutions which are not participating in one of these programs will not be accepted. Please note that financial institutions participating in a recognized Medallion program may still be ineligible to provide a signature validation for transactions of greater than a specified dollar amount. The Trust may change the signature validation requirements from time to time upon notice to shareholders, which may be given by means of a new or supplemented prospectus. Shareholders should contact the Transfer Agent for additional details regarding the Fund's signature validation requirements.

In addition, corporations, trusts, and other institutional organizations are required to furnish evidence of the authority of the persons designated on the Account Application to effect transactions for the organization.

Minimum Account Size

Due to the relatively high cost of maintaining small accounts, the Trust reserves the right to redeem shares in any account that falls below the values listed below. 

Class A and Class C.  Investors should maintain an account balance in the Fund held by an investor of at least the minimum investment necessary to open the particular type of account. If an investor's balance for the Fund remains below the minimum for three months or longer, the Administrator has the right (except in the case of employer-sponsored retirement accounts) to redeem an investor's remaining shares and close the Fund account after giving the investor 60 days to increase the account balance. An investor's account will not be liquidated if the reduction in size is due solely to a decline in market value of Fund shares or if the aggregate value of all the investor's holdings in the Trust and PIMCO Equity Series accounts exceeds $50,000.            

Institutional Class.  The Trust reserves the right to redeem Institutional Class shares in any account for their then-current value (which will be promptly paid to the investor) if at any time, due to redemption by the investor, the shares in the account do not have a value of at least $100,000. A shareholder will receive advance notice of a mandatory redemption and will be given at least 60 days to bring the value of its account up to at least $100,000.

 

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Request for Multiple Copies of Shareholder Documents

To reduce expenses, it is intended that only one copy of the Fund's prospectus and each annual and semi-annual report, when available, will be mailed to those addresses shared by two or more accounts. If you wish to receive individual copies of these documents and your shares are held directly with the Trust, call the Trust at 888.87.PIMCO. You will receive the additional copy within 30 days after receipt of your request by the Trust. Alternatively, if your shares are held through a financial institution, please contact the financial institution directly.

Exchanging Shares

You may exchange shares of the Fund for the same class of shares of any other fund of the Trust or a fund of PIMCO Equity Series that offers the same class of shares, subject to any restriction on exchanges set forth in the applicable Fund's prospectus. Shareholders interested in such an exchange may request a prospectus for these other funds by contacting the Trust.

Exchanges of Class A and Class C shares are subject to an initial $1,000 minimum (and subsequent $50 minimum) for the Fund, except with respect to tax-qualified programs and exchanges effected through the PIMCO Funds Automatic Exchange Plan. 

An exchange is generally a taxable event which will generate capital gains or losses, and special rules may apply in computing tax basis when determining gain or loss. See "Tax Consequences" in this prospectus and "Taxation" in the SAI.

Eligible investors who maintain their account directly with the Fund may submit a request to exchange Fund shares by accessing their account online.  Eligible direct investors in Class A and Class C shares may access their online account via pimco.com/MyAccountAccess.  Eligible direct investors in Institutional shares may access their online account via pimco.com/InstitutionalAccountAccess.

If you maintain your Class A or Class C account with the Trust, you may exchange shares by completing a written exchange request and sending it to PIMCO Funds, P.O. Box 55060, Boston, MA 02205-5060 or by calling the Fund at 888.87.PIMCO. Exchanges of an amount of $10 million or more must be submitted in writing by an Authorized Person. If you maintain your Institutional Class or I-2 shares with the Trust, you may exchange shares by following the redemption procedures for those classes above. If you maintain Class A, Class C, Institutional Class, I-2 or I-3 shares through an intermediary, please contact the intermediary to conduct your transactions.

Shares of one class of the Fund may also be exchanged directly for shares of another class of the Fund, subject to any applicable sales charge and other rules, as described in the SAI. 

The Trust reserves the right to refuse exchange purchases (or purchase and redemption and/or redemption and purchase transactions) if, in the judgment of PIMCO, the transaction would adversely affect the Fund and its shareholders. Although the Trust has no current intention of terminating or modifying the exchange privilege, it reserves the right to do so at any time. Except as otherwise permitted by the SEC, the Trust will give you 60 days' advance notice if it exercises its right to terminate or materially modify the exchange privilege with respect to Class A and Class C shares.

The SAI provides more detailed information about the exchange privilege, including the procedures you must follow and additional exchange options. You can obtain the SAI free of charge from the Fund by written request to the address above, by visiting pimco.com or by calling 888.87.PIMCO.

Acceptance and Timing of Purchase Orders, Redemption Orders and Share Price Calculations

A purchase order received by the Trust or its designee prior to the close of regular trading on the NYSE (normally 4:00 p.m., Eastern time) ("NYSE Close"), on a day the Trust is open for business, together with payment made in one of the ways described above, will be effected at that day's NAV plus any applicable sales charge. An order received after the close of regular trading on the NYSE will be effected at the NAV determined on the next business day. However, orders received by certain retirement plans and other financial firms on a business day prior to the close of regular trading on the NYSE and communicated to the Trust or its designee prior to such time as agreed upon by the Trust and financial firm will be effected at the NAV determined on the business day the order was received by the financial firm. The Trust is "open for business" on each day the NYSE is open for trading, which excludes the following holidays: New Year's Day, Martin Luther King, Jr. Day, Presidents' Day, Good Friday, Memorial Day, Independence Day, Labor Day, Thanksgiving Day and Christmas Day. If the NYSE is closed due to weather or other extenuating circumstances on a day it would typically be open for business, the Trust reserves the right to treat such day as a Business Day and accept purchase and redemption orders and calculate the Fund's NAV, in accordance with applicable law.

The Fund reserves the right to close if the primary trading markets of the Fund's portfolio instruments are closed and the Fund's management believes that there is not an adequate market to meet purchase, redemption or exchange requests. On any business day when the Securities Industry and Financial Markets Association ("SIFMA") recommends that the securities markets close trading early, the Fund may close trading early. Purchase orders will be accepted only on days which the Trust is open for business.

A redemption order received by the Trust or its designee prior to the NYSE Close on a day the Trust is open for business, is effective on that day (unless a specific subsequent trade date is provided). A redemption order received after that time becomes effective on the next business day. Redemption requests for Fund shares are effected at the NAV per share next determined after receipt of a redemption request by the Trust or its designee, minus any applicable sales charge. However, orders received by certain broker-dealers and other financial firms on a business day prior to the NYSE Close and communicated to the Trust or its designee prior to such time as agreed upon by the Trust and financial firm will be effected on the business day the order was received by the financial firm. The request must properly identify all relevant information such as trade date, account name, account number, redemption amount (in dollars or shares), the Fund name and the class of shares and must be executed by an Authorized Person.

The Trust and the Distributor each reserves the right, in its sole discretion, to accept or reject any order for purchase of Fund shares. The sale of shares

 

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may be suspended during any period in which the NYSE is closed other than weekends or holidays, or if permitted by the rules of the SEC, when trading on the NYSE is restricted or during an emergency which makes it impracticable for the Fund to dispose of its securities or to determine fairly the value of its net assets, or during any other period as permitted by the SEC for the protection of investors. Additionally, redemptions of Fund shares may be suspended when trading on the NYSE is restricted or during an emergency which makes it impracticable for the Fund to dispose of its securities or to determine fairly the value of its net assets, or during any other period as permitted by the SEC for the protection of investors. Under these and other unusual circumstances, the Trust may suspend redemptions or postpone payment for more than seven days, as permitted by law.

An investor should invest in the Fund for long-term investment purposes only. The Trust reserves the right to refuse purchases if, in the judgment of PIMCO, the purchases would adversely affect the Fund and its shareholders. In particular, the Trust and PIMCO each reserves the right to restrict purchases of Fund shares (including exchanges) when a pattern of frequent purchases and sales made in response to short-term fluctuations in share price appears evident. Notice of any such restrictions, if any, will vary according to the particular circumstances.

Abusive Trading Practices

The Trust encourages shareholders to invest in the Fund as part of a long-term investment strategy and discourages excessive, short-term trading and other abusive trading practices, sometimes referred to as "market timing." However, because the Trust will not always be able to detect market timing or other abusive trading activity, investors should not assume that the Trust will be able to detect or prevent all market timing or other trading practices that may disadvantage the Fund.

Certain of the Fund's investment strategies may expose the Fund to risks associated with market timing activities. For example, since the Fund may invest in non-U.S. securities, it may be subject to the risk that an investor may seek to take advantage of a delay between the change in value of the Fund's non-U.S. portfolio securities and the determination of the Fund's NAV as a result of different closing times of U.S. and non-U.S. markets by buying or selling Fund shares at a price that does not reflect their true value. A similar risk exists for the Fund's potential investment in securities of small capitalization companies, securities of issuers located in emerging markets, securities of distressed companies or high yield securities that are thinly traded and therefore may have actual values that differ from their market prices.

Except as identified below to discourage excessive, short-term trading and other abusive trading practices, the Board of Trustees of the Trust has adopted policies and procedures reasonably designed to detect and prevent short-term trading activity that may be harmful to the Fund and its shareholders. Such activities may have a detrimental effect on the Fund and its shareholders. For example, depending upon various factors such as the size of the Fund and the amount of its assets maintained in cash, short-term or excessive trading by Fund shareholders may interfere with the efficient management of the Trust's investments, increase transaction costs and taxes, and may harm the performance of the Fund and its shareholders.

The Trust seeks to deter and prevent abusive trading practices, and to reduce these risks, through several methods. First, to the extent that there is a delay between a change in the value of the Fund's portfolio holdings, and the time when that change is reflected in the NAV of the Fund's shares, the Fund is exposed to the risk that investors may seek to exploit this delay by purchasing or redeeming shares at NAVs that do not reflect appropriate fair value prices. The Trust seeks to deter and prevent this activity, sometimes referred to as "stale price arbitrage," by the appropriate use of "fair value" pricing of the Fund's portfolio securities. See "How Fund Shares Are Priced" below for more information.

Second, the Trust seeks to monitor shareholder account activities in order to detect and prevent excessive and disruptive trading practices. The Trust and PIMCO each reserves the right to restrict or refuse any purchase or exchange transactions if, in the judgment of the Trust or of PIMCO, the transaction may adversely affect the interests of the Fund or its shareholders. Among other things, the Trust may monitor for any patterns of frequent purchases and sales that appear to be made in response to short-term fluctuations in share price and may also monitor for any attempts to improperly avoid the imposition of a redemption fee. Notice of such restrictions, if any, will vary according to the particular circumstances. The Trust does not monitor the PIMCO Funds of Funds (as defined below) for purposes of detecting frequent or short-term trading practices with respect to shares of the Fund.

Although the Trust and its service providers seek to use these methods to detect and prevent abusive trading activities, and although the Trust will consistently apply such methods, there can be no assurances that such activities can be mitigated or eliminated. By their nature, omnibus accounts, in which purchases and sales of Fund shares by multiple investors are aggregated for presentation to the Fund on a net basis, conceal the identity of the individual investors from the Fund. This makes it more difficult for the Trust and/or PIMCO to identify short-term transactions in the Fund.

Verification of Identity

To help the federal government combat the funding of terrorism and money laundering activities, federal law requires all financial institutions to obtain, verify and record information that identifies each person that opens a new account, and to determine whether such person's name appears on government lists of known or suspected terrorists and terrorist organizations. As a result, the Fund must obtain the following information for each person that opens a new account:

1.

Name;

2.

Date of birth (for individuals);

3.

Residential or business street address; and

4.

Social security number, taxpayer identification number, or other identifying number.

Federal law prohibits the Fund and other financial institutions from opening a new account unless they receive the minimum identifying information listed above.

Individuals may also be asked for a copy of their driver's license, passport or other identifying document in order to verify their identity. In addition, it may be necessary to verify an individual's identity by cross-referencing the

 

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identification information with a consumer report or other electronic database. Additional information may be required to open accounts for corporations and other entities.

After an account is opened, the Fund may restrict your ability to purchase additional shares until your identity is verified. The Fund also may close your account and redeem your shares or take other appropriate action if it is unable to verify your identity within a reasonable time.

How Fund Shares Are Priced

The price of the Fund's shares is based on the Fund's NAV. The NAV of the Fund's, or each of its share classes, as applicable, is determined by dividing the total value of the Fund's portfolio investments and other assets attributable to the Fund or that class, less any liabilities, by the total number of shares outstanding of the Fund or that class.

On each day that the NYSE is open, Fund shares are ordinarily valued as of the close of regular trading ("NYSE Close"). Information that becomes known to the Fund or its agents after the time as of which NAV has been calculated on a particular day will not generally be used to retroactively adjust the price of a security or the NAV determined earlier that day. The Fund reserves the right to change the time its NAV is calculated if the Fund closes earlier, or as permitted by the SEC.

For purposes of calculating NAV, portfolio securities and other assets for which market quotes are readily available are valued at market value. Market value is generally determined on the basis of official closing prices or the last reported sales prices, or if no sales are reported, based on quotes obtained from established market makers or prices (including evaluated prices) supplied by the Fund's approved pricing services, quotation reporting systems and other third-party sources (together, "Pricing Services"). The Fund will normally use pricing data for domestic equity securities received shortly after the NYSE Close and does not normally take into account trading, clearances or settlements that take place after the NYSE Close. A foreign (non-U.S.) equity security traded on a foreign exchange or on more than one exchange is typically valued using pricing information from the exchange considered by PIMCO to be the primary exchange. If market value pricing is used, a foreign (non-U.S.) equity security will be valued as of the close of trading on the foreign exchange, or the NYSE Close, if the NYSE Close occurs before the end of trading on the foreign exchange. Domestic and foreign (non-U.S.) fixed income securities, non-exchange traded derivatives, and equity options are normally valued on the basis of quotes obtained from brokers and dealers or Pricing Services using data reflecting the earlier closing of the principal markets for those securities. Prices obtained from Pricing Services may be based on, among other things, information provided by market makers or estimates of market values obtained from yield data relating to investments or securities with similar characteristics. Certain fixed income securities purchased on a delayed-delivery basis are marked to market daily until settlement at the forward settlement date. Exchange-traded options, except equity options, futures and options on futures are valued at the settlement price determined by the relevant exchange. Swap agreements are valued on the basis of bid quotes obtained from brokers and dealers or market-based prices supplied by Pricing Services or other pricing sources. With respect to any portion of the Fund's assets that are invested in one or more open-end management investment companies (other than exchange-traded funds), the Fund's NAV will be calculated based upon the NAVs of such investments.

If a foreign (non-U.S.) equity security's value has materially changed after the close of the security's primary exchange or principal market but before the NYSE Close, the security may be valued at fair value based on procedures established and approved by the Board of Trustees. Foreign (non-U.S.) equity securities that do not trade when the NYSE is open are also valued at fair value. With respect to foreign (non-U.S.) equity securities, the Fund may determine the fair value of investments based on information provided by Pricing Services and other third-party vendors, which may recommend fair value or adjustments with reference to other securities, indexes or assets. In considering whether fair valuation is required and in determining fair values, the Fund may, among other things, consider significant events (which may be considered to include changes in the value of U.S. securities or securities indexes) that occur after the close of the relevant market and before the NYSE Close. The Fund may utilize modeling tools provided by third-party vendors to determine fair values of non-U.S. securities. For these purposes, any movement in the applicable reference index or instrument ("zero triggered") between the earlier close of the applicable foreign market and the NYSE Close may be deemed to be a significant event, prompting the application of the pricing model (effectively resulting in daily fair valuations). Foreign (non-U.S.) exchanges may permit trading in foreign (non-U.S.) equity securities on days when the Trust is not open for business, which may result in the Fund's portfolio investments being affected when you are unable to buy or sell shares.

Senior secured floating rate loans for which an active secondary market exists to a reliable degree will be valued at the mean of the last available bid/ask prices in the market for such loans, as provided by a Pricing Service. Senior secured floating rate loans for which an active secondary market does not exist to a reliable degree will be valued at fair value, which is intended to approximate market value. In valuing a senior secured floating rate loan at fair value, the factors considered may include, but are not limited to, the following: (a) the creditworthiness of the borrower and any intermediate participants, (b) the terms of the loan, (c) recent prices in the market for similar loans, if any, and (d) recent prices in the market for instruments of similar quality, rate, period until next interest rate reset and maturity.

Investments valued in currencies other than the U.S. dollar are converted to the U.S. dollar using exchange rates obtained from Pricing Services. As a result, the value of such investments and, in turn, the NAV of the Fund's shares may be affected by changes in the value of currencies in relation to the U.S. dollar. The value of investments traded in markets outside the United States or denominated in currencies other than the U.S. dollar may be affected significantly on a day that the Trust is not open for business. As a result, to the extent that the Fund holds foreign (non-U.S.) investments, the value of those investments may change at times when shareholders are unable to buy or sell shares and the value of such investments will be reflected in the Fund's next calculated NAV.

Investments for which market quotes or market based valuations are not readily available are valued at fair value as determined in good faith by the Board of Trustees or persons acting at their direction. The Board of Trustees has adopted methods for valuing securities and other assets in

 

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circumstances where market quotes are not readily available, and has delegated to PIMCO the responsibility for applying the fair valuation methods. In the event that market quotes or market based valuations are not readily available, and the security or asset cannot be valued pursuant to a Board approved valuation method, the value of the security or asset will be determined in good faith by the Valuation Oversight Committee of the Board of Trustees, generally based on recommendations provided by PIMCO.

Market quotes are considered not readily available in circumstances where there is an absence of current or reliable market-based data (e.g., trade information, bid/ask information, broker quotes, Pricing Services' prices), including where events occur after the close of the relevant market, but prior to the NYSE Close, that materially affect the values of the Fund's securities or assets. In addition, market quotes are considered not readily available when, due to extraordinary circumstances, the exchanges or markets on which the securities trade do not open for trading for the entire day and no other market prices are available. The Board of Trustees has delegated to PIMCO the responsibility for monitoring significant events that may materially affect the values of the Fund's securities or assets and for determining whether the value of the applicable securities or assets should be reevaluated in light of such significant events.

When the Fund uses fair valuation to determine the value of a portfolio security or other asset for purposes of calculating its NAV, such investments will not be priced on the basis of quotes from the primary market in which they are traded, but rather may be priced by another method that the Board of Trustees or persons acting at their direction believe reflects fair value. Fair valuation may require subjective determinations about the value of a security. While the Trust's policy is intended to result in a calculation of the Fund's NAV that fairly reflects security values as of the time of pricing, the Trust cannot ensure that fair values determined by the Board of Trustees or persons acting at their direction would accurately reflect the price that the Fund could obtain for a security if it were to dispose of that security as of the time of pricing (for instance, in a forced or distressed sale). The prices used by the Fund may differ from the value that would be realized if the securities were sold. The Fund's use of fair valuation may also help to deter "stale price arbitrage" as discussed above under "Abusive Trading Practices."

Under certain circumstances, the per share NAV of a class of the Fund's shares may be different from the per share NAV of another class of shares as a result of the different daily expense accruals applicable to each class of shares.

Fund Distributions

The Fund distributes substantially all of its net investment income to shareholders in the form of dividends. Dividends paid by the Fund with respect to each class of shares are calculated in the same manner and at the same time, but dividends on different classes of shares may be different as a result of the service and/or distribution fees applicable to certain classes of shares. The Fund intends to declare income dividends and distribute them quarterly to shareholders of record.

In addition, the Fund distributes any net capital gains it earns from the sale of portfolio securities to shareholders no less frequently than annually. Net short-term capital gains may be paid more frequently.

The Fund's dividend and capital gain distributions with respect to a particular class of shares will automatically be reinvested in additional shares of the same class of the Fund at NAV unless the shareholder elects to have the distributions paid in cash. A shareholder may elect to have distributions paid in cash on the Account Application, by phone, or by submitting a written request, signed by an Authorized Person, indicating the account name, account number, name of Fund and share class. A shareholder may elect to invest all distributions in shares of the same class of any other fund of the Trust or PIMCO Funds which offers that class of shares at NAV. A shareholder must have an account existing in the fund selected for investment with the identical registered name. This option must be elected when the account is set up.

Shares Purchased by Wire: Dividends will begin to accrue the business day following the day the order is effected or such later date as agreed with the Trust.

Shares Purchased by Check or ACH: The order will be effected at that day's NAV, but dividends will not begin to accrue until the following business day.

If a purchase order is placed through a broker, dealer or other financial firms authorized to settle through the National Securities Clearing Corporation (the "NSCC"), the purchase order will begin accruing dividends the business day following the NSCC settlement date or as agreed upon and as allowed by applicable law.

A Class A or Class C shareholder may choose from the following distribution options:

Reinvest all distributions in additional shares of the same class of the Fund at NAV. You should contact your financial firm (if shares are held through a financial firm) or the Fund's Transfer Agent (if shares are held through a direct account) for details. You do not pay any sales charges on shares received through the reinvestment of Fund distributions.  This will be done unless you elect another option.

Invest all distributions in shares of the same class of any other fund of the Trust or PIMCO Equity Series which offers that class at NAV. You must have an account existing in the fund selected for investment with the identical registered name. You must elect this option on your Account Application or by a telephone request to the Transfer Agent at 888.87.PIMCO.

Receive all distributions in cash (either paid directly to you or credited to your account with your broker or other financial intermediary). If the postal or other delivery service is unable to deliver checks to your address of record, the Trust's Transfer Agent will hold the returned checks for your benefit in a non-interest bearing account. You must elect this option on your Account Application or by a telephone request to the Transfer Agent at 888.87.PIMCO.

The financial service firm may offer additional distribution reinvestment programs or options. Please contact the firm for details.

Tax Consequences

The following information is meant as a general summary for U.S. taxpayers. Please see the SAI for additional information. You should rely on your own tax adviser for advice about the particular federal, state and local tax consequences to you of investing in the Fund.

 

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The Fund will distribute substantially all of its income and gains to its shareholders every year, and shareholders will be taxed on distributions they receive.

Taxes on Fund Distributions. A shareholder subject to U.S. federal income tax will be subject to tax on taxable Fund distributions of taxable income or capital gains whether they are paid in cash or reinvested in additional shares of the Fund. For federal income tax purposes, taxable Fund distributions will be taxable to the shareholder as either ordinary income or capital gains.

Fund taxable dividends (i.e., distributions of investment income) are generally taxable to shareholders as ordinary income. A portion of distributions may be qualified dividends taxable at lower rates for individual shareholders. However, in light of the investment strategies of the Fund, it is not anticipated that a significant portion of the dividends paid by the Fund will be eligible to be designated as qualified dividends. Federal taxes on Fund distributions of gains are determined by how long the Fund owned the investments that generated the gains, rather than how long a shareholder has owned the shares. Distributions of gains from investments that the Fund owned for more than one year will generally be taxable to shareholders as long-term capital gains. Distributions of gains from investments that the Fund owned for one year or less will generally be taxable as ordinary income.

The tax treatment of income, gains and losses attributable to foreign currencies (and derivatives on such currencies), and various other special tax rules applicable to certain financial transactions and instruments could affect the amount, timing and character of the Fund's distributions.  In some cases, these tax rules could also result in a retroactive change in the tax character of prior distributions and may also possibly cause all, or a portion, of prior distributions to be reclassified as returns of capital for tax purposes.  See "Returns of Capital" below.

Taxable Fund distributions are taxable to shareholders even if they are paid from income or gains earned by the Fund prior to the shareholder's investment and thus were included in the price paid for the shares. For example, a shareholder who purchases shares on or just before the record date of the Fund distribution will pay full price for the shares and may receive a portion of his or her investment back as a taxable distribution.

Taxes on Redemption or Exchanges of Shares. You will generally have a taxable capital gain or loss if you dispose of your Fund shares by redemption, exchange or sale. The amount of the gain or loss and the rate of tax will depend primarily upon how much you pay for the shares, how much you sell them for, and how long you hold them. When you exchange shares of the Fund for shares of another Fund, the transaction will be treated as a sale of the Fund shares for these purposes, and any gain on those shares will generally be subject to federal income tax.

Returns of Capital. If the Fund's distributions exceed its taxable income and capital gains realized during a taxable year, all or a portion of the distributions made in the same taxable year may be recharacterized as a return of capital to shareholders. A return of capital distribution will generally not be taxable, but will reduce each shareholder's cost basis in the Fund and result in a higher reported capital gain or lower reported capital loss when those shares on which the distribution was received are sold.

Medicare Tax. An additional 3.8% Medicare tax is imposed on certain net investment income (including ordinary dividends and capital gain distributions received from the Fund and net gains from redemptions or other taxable dispositions of Fund shares) of U.S. individuals, estates and trusts to the extent that such person's "modified adjusted gross income" (in the case of an individual) or "adjusted gross income" (in the case of an estate or trust) exceeds certain threshold amounts.

Important Tax Reporting Considerations. Your financial intermediary or the Fund (if you hold your shares in a Fund direct account) will report gains and losses realized on redemptions of shares for shareholders who are individuals and S corporations purchased after January 1, 2012 to the Internal Revenue Service (IRS). This information will also be reported to you on Form 1099-B and the IRS each year. In calculating the gain or loss on redemptions of shares, the average cost method will be used to determine the cost basis of Fund shares purchased after January 1, 2012 unless you instruct the Fund in writing that you want to use another available method for cost basis reporting (for example, First In, First Out (FIFO), Last In, First Out (LIFO), Specific Lot Identification (SLID) or High Cost, First Out (HIFO)). If you designate SLID as your cost basis method, you will also need to designate a secondary cost basis method (Secondary Method). If a Secondary Method is not provided, the Fund will designate FIFO as the Secondary Method and will use the Secondary Method with respect to automatic withdrawals made after January 1, 2012 or conducted via an automatic withdrawal plan.

If a shareholder is a corporation and has not instructed the Fund that it is a C corporation in its Account Application or by written instruction, the Fund will treat the shareholder as an S corporation and file a Form 1099-B.

A Note on the Fund. One of the requirements for favorable tax treatment as a regulated investment company under the Code is that the Fund derive at least 90% of its gross income from certain qualifying sources of income. The IRS has issued a revenue ruling which holds that income derived from commodity-linked swaps is not qualifying income under Subchapter M of the Code. As such, the Fund's ability to utilize commodity-linked swaps, as part of its investment strategy is limited to a maximum of 10 percent of its gross income.

However, in a subsequent revenue ruling, the IRS provides that income from alternative investment instruments (such as certain commodity index-linked notes) that create commodity exposure may be considered qualifying income under the Code. The IRS has also issued private letter rulings in which the IRS specifically concluded that income from certain commodity index-linked notes is qualifying income (collectively, the "Notes Rulings"). In addition, the IRS has also issued private letter rulings in which the IRS specifically concluded that income derived from an investment in a subsidiary will also constitute qualifying income, even if that subsidiary itself owns commodity-linked swaps. The Fund will continue to seek to gain

 

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exposure to the commodity markets primarily through investments in the Subsidiary.

The IRS recently issued proposed regulations that, if finalized, would generally treat each Portfolio's income inclusion with respect to its respective Subsidiary as qualifying income only if there is a distribution out of the earnings and profits of the Subsidiary that are attributable to such income inclusion. The proposed regulations, if adopted, would apply to taxable years beginning on or after 90 days after the regulations are published as final. The IRS also recently issued a revenue procedure, which states that the IRS will not in the future issue private letter rulings that would require a determination of whether an asset (such as a commodity index-linked note) is a "security" under the 1940 Act. In connection with issuing such revenue procedure, the IRS has revoked the Notes Rulings. There can be no assurance that the IRS will not change its position with respect to some or all of these conclusions or that future legislation will not adversely impact the tax treatment of the Fund's commodity-linked investments. If the IRS were to change or reverse its position, or if future legislation adversely affected the tax treatment of the Fund's commodity-linked investments, there would likely be a significant adverse impact on the Fund, including the possibility of failing to qualify as a regulated investment company. If the Fund did not qualify as a regulated investment company for any taxable year, its taxable income would be subject to tax at the Fund level at regular corporate tax rates (without reduction for distributions to shareholders) and to a further tax at the shareholder level when such income is distributed.

Furthermore, the tax treatment of the Fund's investment in the Subsidiary may otherwise be adversely affected by future legislation, court decisions, Treasury Regulations and/or guidance issued by the IRS. Such developments could affect the character, timing and/or amount of the Fund's taxable income or any distributions made by the Fund or result in the inability of the Fund to operate as described in this Prospectus.

Backup Withholding. The Fund may be required to withhold U.S. federal income tax on all taxable distributions payable to shareholders if they fail to provide the Fund with their correct taxpayer identification number or to make required certifications, or if they have been notified by the IRS that they are subject to backup withholding. Backup withholding is not an additional tax. Any amounts withheld may be credited against U.S. federal income tax liability.

Foreign Withholding Taxes. The Fund may be subject to foreign withholding or other foreign taxes, which in some cases can be significant on any income or gain from investments in foreign securities. In that case, the Fund's total return on those securities would be decreased. The Fund may generally deduct these taxes in computing its taxable income. Rather than deducting these foreign taxes, if more than 50% of the value of the Fund's total assets at the close of its taxable year consists of stock or securities of foreign corporations or foreign governments, or if at least 50% of the value of the Fund's total assets at the close of each quarter of its taxable year is represented by interests in other regulated investment companies, the Fund may make an election to treat a proportionate amount of eligible foreign taxes as constituting a taxable distribution to each shareholder, which would, subject to certain limitations, generally allow the shareholder to either (i) credit that proportionate amount of taxes against U.S. Federal income tax liability as a foreign tax credit or (ii) take that amount as an itemized deduction. Although in some cases the Fund may be able to apply for a refund of a portion of such taxes, the ability to successfully obtain such a refund may be uncertain.

Foreign shareholders may be subject to U.S. tax withholding of 30% (or lower applicable treaty rate) on distributions from the Fund. Additionally, the Fund is required to withhold U.S. tax (at a 30% rate) on payments of taxable dividends and (effective January 1, 2019) redemption proceeds and certain capital gain dividends made to certain non-U.S. entities that fail to comply (or be deemed compliant) with extensive reporting and withholding requirements designed to inform the U.S. Department of the Treasury of U.S.-owned foreign investment accounts. Shareholders may be requested to provide additional information to enable the Fund to determine whether withholding is required. 

This "Tax Consequences" section relates only to federal income tax; the consequences under other tax laws may differ. Shareholders should consult their tax advisors as to the possible application of foreign, state and local income tax laws to Fund dividends and capital distributions. Please see "Taxation" in the SAI for additional information regarding the tax aspects of investing in the Fund.

Characteristics and Risks of Securities and Investment Techniques

This section provides additional information about some of the principal investments and related risks of the Fund described under "Fund Summary" and "Description of Principal Risks" above. It also describes characteristics and risks of additional securities and investment techniques that may be used by the Fund from time to time.

Most of these securities and investment techniques described herein are discretionary, which means that PIMCO can decide whether to use them or not. This prospectus does not attempt to disclose all of the various types of securities and investment techniques that may be used by the Fund. As with any mutual fund, investors in the Fund rely on the professional investment judgment and skill of PIMCO and the individual portfolio managers. Please see "Investment Objectives and Policies" in the SAI for more detailed information about the securities and investment techniques described in this section and about other strategies and techniques that may be used by the Fund.

Because the Fund may invest a portion of its assets in the Subsidiary, which may hold some of the investments described in this prospectus, the Fund may be indirectly exposed to the risks associated with those investments. With respect to its investments, the Subsidiary will generally be subject to the same fundamental, non-fundamental and certain other investment restrictions as the Fund; however, the Subsidiary (unlike the Fund) may invest without limitation in commodity-linked swap agreements and other commodity-linked derivative instruments. The Fund and the Subsidiary may

 

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test for compliance with certain investment restrictions on a consolidated basis, except that with respect to their investments in certain securities that may involve leverage, the Subsidiary will comply with asset segregation or "earmarking" requirements to the same extent as the Fund.

Investors should be aware that the investments made by the Fund and the results achieved by the Fund at any given time are not expected to be the same as those made by other funds for which PIMCO acts as investment adviser, including funds with names, investment objectives and policies similar to the Fund. This may be attributable to a wide variety of factors, including, but not limited to, the use of a different portfolio management team or strategy, when a particular fund commenced operations or the size of a particular fund, in each case as compared to other similar funds. Significant shareholder purchases and redemptions may adversely impact the Fund's portfolio management. For example, the Fund may be forced to sell a comparatively large portion of its portfolio to meet significant shareholder redemptions, or hold a comparatively large portion of its portfolio in cash due to significant shareholder purchases, in each case when the Fund otherwise would not seek to do so. Such shareholder transactions may cause the Fund to make investment decisions at inopportune times or prices or miss attractive investment opportunities. Such transactions may also increase the Fund's transaction costs, accelerate the realization of taxable income if sales of securities resulted in gains, or otherwise cause the Fund to perform differently than intended. Similarly, significant shareholder purchases may adversely affect the Fund's performance to the extent the Fund is delayed in investing new cash and, as a result, holds a proportionally larger cash position than under ordinary circumstances and such impact may be heightened in funds of funds. While such risks may apply to Funds of any size, such risks are heightened in Funds with fewer assets under management. In addition, new Funds may not be able to fully implement their investment strategy immediately upon commencing investment operations, which could reduce investment performance.

More generally, the Fund may be adversely affected when a large shareholder purchases or redeems large amounts of shares, which can occur at any time and may impact the Fund in the same manner as a high volume of purchase or redemption requests. Such large shareholders include, but are not limited to, other funds, institutional investors, and asset allocators who make investment decisions on behalf of underlying clients. Large shareholder transactions may cause the Fund to make investment decisions at inopportune times or prices or miss attractive investment opportunities. In addition, such transactions may also cause the Fund to sell certain assets in order to meet purchase or redemption requests, which could indirectly affect the liquidity of the Fund's portfolio. Such transactions may also increase the Fund's transaction costs, decrease economies of scale, accelerate the realization of taxable income, or otherwise cause the Fund to perform differently than intended. While large shareholder transactions may be more frequent under certain circumstances, the Fund is generally subject to the risk that a large shareholder can purchase or redeem a significant percentage of Fund shares at any time. Moreover, the Fund is subject to the risk that other shareholders may make investment decisions based on the choices of a large shareholder, which could exacerbate any potential negative effects experienced by the Fund.

Certain PIMCO Funds (the "PIMCO Funds of Funds") invest substantially all or a significant portion of their assets in Underlying PIMCO Funds, which is defined to include the Fund.  In some cases, the PIMCO Funds of Funds and certain funds managed by investment advisers affiliated with PIMCO ("Affiliated Funds of Funds") may be the predominant or sole shareholders of a particular Underlying PIMCO Fund, including the Fund.  Investment decisions made with respect to the PIMCO Funds of Funds and Affiliated Funds of Funds could, under certain circumstances, negatively impact the Underlying PIMCO Funds, including the Fund, with respect to the expenses and investment performance of the Underlying PIMCO Funds.  For instance, large purchases or redemptions of shares of an Underlying PIMCO Fund by the PIMCO Funds of Funds and Affiliated Funds of Funds, whether as part of a reallocation or rebalancing strategy or otherwise, may result in the Underlying PIMCO Fund having to sell securities or invest cash when it otherwise would not do so. Such transactions could increase an Underlying PIMCO Fund's transaction costs and accelerate the realization of taxable income if sales of securities resulted in gains. Additionally, as the PIMCO Funds of Funds and Affiliated Funds of Funds may invest substantially all or a significant portion of their assets in Underlying PIMCO Funds, the Underlying PIMCO Funds may not acquire securities of other registered open-end investment companies in reliance on Section 12(d)(1)(F) or Section 12(d)(1)(G) of the 1940 Act, thus limiting the Underlying PIMCO Funds investment flexibility.

Investment Selection

In selecting securities for the Fund, PIMCO utilizes a proprietary quantitative model that seeks to identify persistent price trends observed in global financial markets and commodities. When applying the model to security selection, PIMCO considers various qualitative and quantitative factors relating to the U.S. and non-U.S. economies, and securities and commodities markets. These factors may include, but are not limited to, trends in interest rates, currency exchange rates and the economy, credit and call risks, inflation rates, market technical trends and government policies. The proportion of the Fund's assets committed to investment in securities with particular characteristics (such as quality, sector, interest rate or maturity) varies based solely on the trends identified by the proprietary model. There is no guarantee that PIMCO's use of a proprietary quantitative model will produce the desired results.

Fixed Income Instruments

"Fixed Income Instruments," as used generally in this prospectus, includes:

securities issued or guaranteed by the U.S. Government, its agencies or government-sponsored enterprises ("U.S. Government Securities");

corporate debt securities of U.S. and non-U.S. issuers, including convertible securities and corporate commercial paper;

mortgage-backed and other asset-backed securities;

inflation-indexed bonds issued both by governments and corporations;

structured notes, including hybrid or "indexed" securities and event-linked bonds;

bank capital and trust preferred securities;

loan participations and assignments;

delayed funding loans and revolving credit facilities;

 

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bank certificates of deposit, fixed time deposits and bankers' acceptances;

repurchase agreements on Fixed Income Instruments and reverse repurchase agreements on Fixed Income Instruments;

debt securities issued by states or local governments and their agencies, authorities and other government-sponsored enterprises;

obligations of non-U.S. governments or their subdivisions, agencies and government-sponsored enterprises; and

obligations of international agencies or supranational entities.

Securities issued by U.S. Government agencies or government-sponsored enterprises may not be guaranteed by the U.S. Treasury.

The Fund, to the extent permitted by the 1940 Act, or exemptive relief therefrom, may invest in derivatives based on Fixed Income Instruments.

Duration

Duration is a measure used to determine the sensitivity of a security's price to changes in interest rates that incorporates a security's yield, coupon, final maturity and call features, among other characteristics. The longer a security's duration, the more sensitive it will be to changes in interest rates. Similarly, a fund with a longer average portfolio duration will be more sensitive to changes in interest rates than a fund with a shorter average portfolio duration. By way of example, the price of a bond fund with an average duration of eight years would be expected to fall approximately 8% if interest rates rose by one percentage point. Conversely, the price of a bond fund with an average duration of negative three years would be expected to rise approximately 3% if interest rates rose by one percentage point. The maturity of a security, another commonly used measure of price sensitivity, measures only the time until final payment is due, whereas duration takes into account the pattern of all payments of interest and principal on a security over time, including how these payments are affected by prepayments and by changes in interest rates, as well as the time until an interest rate is reset (in the case of variable-rate securities). PIMCO uses an internal model for calculating duration, which may result in a different value for the duration of an index compared to the duration calculated by the index provider or another third party.

U.S. Government Securities

U.S. Government Securities are obligations of, or guaranteed by, the U.S. Government, its agencies or government-sponsored enterprises. The U.S. Government does not guarantee the NAV of the Fund's shares. U.S. Government Securities are subject to market and interest rate risk, as well as varying degrees of credit risk. Some U.S. Government Securities are issued or guaranteed by the U.S. Treasury and are supported by the full faith and credit of the United States. Other types of U.S. Government Securities are supported by the full faith and credit of the United States (but not issued by the U.S. Treasury). These securities may have less credit risk than U.S. Government Securities not supported by the full faith and credit of the United States. Such other types of U.S. Government Securities are: (1) supported by the ability of the issuer to borrow from the U.S. Treasury; (2) supported only by the credit of the issuing agency, instrumentality or government-sponsored corporation; or (3) supported by the United States in some other way. These securities may be subject to greater credit risk. U.S. Government Securities include zero coupon securities, which tend to be subject to greater market risk than interest-paying securities of similar maturities.

Securities issued by U.S. Government agencies or government-sponsored enterprises may not be guaranteed by the U.S. Treasury. Government National Mortgage Association ("GNMA"), a wholly owned U.S. Government corporation, is authorized to guarantee, with the full faith and credit of the U.S. Government, the timely payment of principal and interest on securities issued by institutions approved by GNMA and backed by pools of mortgages insured by the Federal Housing Administration or guaranteed by the Department of Veterans Affairs.  Government-related guarantors (i.e., not backed by the full faith and credit of the U.S. Government) include the Federal National Mortgage Association ("FNMA") and the Federal Home Loan Mortgage Corporation ("FHLMC"). Pass-through securities issued by FNMA are guaranteed as to timely payment of principal and interest by FNMA but are not backed by the full faith and credit of the U.S. Government. FHLMC guarantees the timely payment of interest and ultimate collection of principal, but its participation certificates are not backed by the full faith and credit of the U.S. Government.

Municipal Bonds

Municipal Bonds are generally issued by states, territories, possessions and local governments and their agencies, authorities and other instrumentalities. Municipal Bonds are subject to interest rate, credit and market risk, uncertainties related to the tax status of a Municipal Bond or the rights of investors invested in these securities. The ability of an issuer to make payments could be affected by litigation, legislation or other political events or the bankruptcy of the issuer. In addition, imbalances in supply and demand in the municipal market may result in a deterioration of liquidity and a lack of price transparency in the market. At certain times, this may affect pricing, execution and transaction costs associated with a particular trade. The value of certain municipal securities, in particular general obligation debt, may also be adversely affected by rising health care costs, increasing unfunded pension liabilities, changes in accounting standards and by the phasing out of federal programs providing financial support. Lower rated Municipal Bonds are subject to greater credit and market risk than higher quality Municipal Bonds. The types of Municipal Bonds in which the Fund may invest include municipal lease obligations, municipal general obligation bonds, municipal essential service revenue bonds, municipal cash equivalents, and pre-refunded and escrowed to maturity Municipal Bonds. The Fund may also invest in industrial development bonds, which are Municipal Bonds issued by a government agency on behalf of a private sector company and, in most cases, are not backed by the credit of the issuing municipality and may therefore involve more risk. The Fund may also invest in securities issued by entities whose underlying assets are Municipal Bonds.

Pre-refunded Municipal Bonds are tax-exempt bonds that have been refunded to a call date on or before the final maturity of principal and remain outstanding in the municipal market. The payment of principal and interest of the pre-refunded Municipal Bonds held by the Fund is funded from securities in a designated escrow account that holds U.S. Treasury securities or other obligations of the U.S. Government (including its agencies and instrumentalities ("Agency Securities")). As the payment of

 

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principal and interest is generated from securities held in a designated escrow account, the pledge of the municipality has been fulfilled and the original pledge of revenue by the municipality is no longer in place. The escrow account securities pledged to pay the principal and interest of the pre-refunded Municipal Bond do not guarantee the price movement of the bond before maturity. Investment in pre-refunded Municipal Bonds held by the Fund may subject the Fund to interest rate risk, market risk and credit risk. In addition, while a secondary market exists for pre-refunded Municipal Bonds, if the Fund sells pre-refunded Municipal Bonds prior to maturity, the price received may be more or less than the original cost, depending on market conditions at the time of sale.

The Fund may invest in trust certificates issued in tender option bond programs. In these programs, a trust typically issues two classes of certificates and uses the proceeds to purchase municipal securities having relatively long maturities and bearing interest at a fixed interest rate substantially higher than prevailing short-term tax-exempt rates. There is a risk that a Fund investing in a tender option bond program will not be considered the owner of a tender option bond for federal income tax purposes, and thus will not be entitled to treat such interest as exempt from federal income tax. Certain tender option bonds may be illiquid or may become illiquid as a result of, among other things, a credit rating downgrade, a payment default or a disqualification from tax-exempt status. The Fund's investment in the securities issued by a tender option bond trust may involve greater risk and volatility than an investment in a fixed rate bond, and the value of such securities may decrease significantly when market interest rates increase. Tender option bond trusts could be terminated due to market, credit or other events beyond the Fund's control, which could require the Fund to dispose of portfolio investments at inopportune times and prices. The Fund may use a tender option bond program as a way of achieving leverage in its portfolio, in which case the Fund will be subject to leverage risk.

In December 2013, regulators finalized rules implementing Section 619 (the "Volcker Rule") and Section 941 (the "Risk Retention Rules") of the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act. Both the Volcker Rule and the Risk Retention Rules apply to tender option bond programs and require that such programs be restructured. In particular, these rules preclude banking entities from: (i) sponsoring or acquiring interests in the trusts used to hold a Municipal Bond in the creation of tender option bond trusts; and (ii) continuing to service or maintain relationships with existing programs involving such trusts to the same extent and in the same capacity as existing programs. At this time, the full impact of these rules is not certain; however, in response to these rules, industry participants are continuing to explore various structuring alternatives for tender option bond programs. Because of the important role that tender option bond programs play in the Municipal Bond market, it is possible that implementation of these rules and any resulting impact may adversely impact the Municipal Bond market. For example, as a result of the implementation of these rules, the Municipal Bond market may experience reduced demand or liquidity and increased financing costs.

Mortgage-Related and Other Asset-Backed Securities

Mortgage-related securities include mortgage pass-through securities, collateralized mortgage obligations ("CMOs"), commercial mortgage-backed securities, mortgage dollar rolls, CMO residuals, stripped mortgage-backed securities ("SMBSs") and other securities that directly or indirectly represent a participation in, or are secured by and payable from, mortgage loans on real property.

The value of some mortgage- or asset-backed securities may be particularly sensitive to changes in prevailing interest rates. Early repayment of principal on some mortgage-related securities may expose the Fund to a lower rate of return upon reinvestment of principal. When interest rates rise, the value of a mortgage-related security generally will decline; however, when interest rates are declining, the value of mortgage-related securities with prepayment features may not increase as much as other fixed income securities. The rate of prepayments on underlying mortgages will affect the price and volatility of a mortgage-related security, and may shorten or extend the effective maturity of the security beyond what was anticipated at the time of purchase. If unanticipated rates of prepayment on underlying mortgages increase the effective maturity of a mortgage-related security, the volatility of the security can be expected to increase. The value of these securities may fluctuate in response to the market's perception of the creditworthiness of the issuers. See "Extension Risk" and "Prepayment Risk" below. Additionally, although mortgages and mortgage-related securities are generally supported by some form of government or private guarantee and/or insurance, there is no assurance that guarantors or insurers will meet their obligations.

Extension Risk. Mortgage-related and other asset-backed securities are subject to Extension Risk, which is the risk that the issuer of such a security pays back the principal of such an obligation later than expected. This may occur when interest rates rise. This may negatively affect Fund returns, as the value of the security decreases when principal payments are made later than expected. In addition, because principal payments are made later than expected, the Fund may be prevented from investing proceeds it would otherwise have received at a given time at the higher prevailing interest rates. 

Prepayment Risk. Mortgage-related and other asset-backed securities are subject to Prepayment Risk, which is the risk that the issuer of such a security pays back the principal of such an obligation earlier than expected (due to the sale of the underlying property, refinancing, or foreclosure). This may occur when interest rates decline. Prepayment may expose the Fund to a lower rate of return upon reinvestment of principal. Also, if a security subject to prepayment has been purchased at a premium, the value of the premium would be lost in the event of prepayment.

One type of SMBS has one class receiving all of the interest from the mortgage assets (the interest-only, or "IO" class), while the other class will receive all of the principal (the principal-only, or "PO" class). The yield to maturity on an IO class is extremely sensitive to the rate of principal payments (including prepayments) on the underlying mortgage assets, and a rapid rate of principal payments may have a material adverse effect on the Fund's yield to maturity from these securities. The Fund may invest

 

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up to 5% of its total assets in any combination of mortgage-related or other asset-backed IO, PO or inverse floater securities.

The Fund may invest in each of collateralized bond obligations ("CBOs"), collateralized loan obligations ("CLOs"), other collateralized debt obligations ("CDOs") and other similarly structured securities. CBOs, CLOs and other CDOs are types of asset-backed securities. A CBO is a trust which is backed by a diversified pool of high-risk, below investment grade fixed income securities. 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. Other CDOs are trusts backed by other types of assets representing obligations of various parties. The Fund may invest in other asset-backed securities that have been offered to investors.

Loan Participations and Assignments

The Fund may invest in fixed- and floating-rate loans, which investments generally will be in the form of loan participations and assignments of portions of such loans. Participations and assignments involve special types of risk, including credit risk, interest rate risk, liquidity risk, and the risks of being a lender. If the Fund purchases a participation, it may only be able to enforce its rights through the lender, and may assume the credit risk of the lender in addition to the borrower.

Reinvestment

The Fund may be subject to the risk that the returns of the Fund will decline during periods of falling interest rates because the Fund may have to reinvest the proceeds from matured, traded or called debt obligations at interest rates below the Fund's current earnings rate. For instance, when interest rates decline, an issuer of debt obligations may exercise an option to redeem securities prior to maturity, thereby forcing the Fund to invest in lower-yielding securities. The Fund also may choose to sell higher-yielding portfolio securities and to purchase lower-yielding securities to achieve greater portfolio diversification, because the Fund's portfolio managers believe the current holdings are overvalued or for other investment-related reasons. A decline in the returns received by the Fund from its investments is likely to have an adverse effect on the Fund's NAV, yield and total return.

Focused Investment

To the extent that the Fund focuses its investments in a particular sector, the Fund may be susceptible to loss due to adverse developments affecting that sector. These developments include, but are not limited to, governmental regulation; inflation; rising interest rates; cost increases in raw materials, fuel and other operating expenses; technological innovations that may render existing products and equipment obsolete; competition from new entrants; high research and development costs; increased costs associated with compliance with environmental or other governmental regulations; and other economic, business or political developments specific to that sector. Furthermore, the Fund may invest a substantial portion of its assets in companies in related sectors that may share common characteristics, are often subject to similar business risks and regulatory burdens, and whose securities may react similarly to the types of developments described above, which will subject the Fund to greater risk. The Fund also will be subject to focused investment risk to the extent that it invests a substantial portion of its assets in a particular issuer, market, asset class, country or geographic region.

Corporate Debt Securities

Corporate debt securities are subject to the risk of the issuer's inability to meet principal and interest payments on the obligation and may also be subject to price volatility due to such factors as interest rate sensitivity, market perception of the creditworthiness of the issuer and general market liquidity. When interest rates rise, the value of corporate debt securities can be expected to decline. Debt securities with longer maturities tend to be more sensitive to interest rate movements than those with shorter maturities. In addition, certain corporate debt securities may be highly customized and as a result may be subject to, among others, liquidity and pricing transparency risks.

Volatility

The Fund may invest in volatility-related instruments, including, but not limited to, futures on volatility-related indices. Volatility measures the variability in the price of an investment over time. A higher volatility level signifies an investment's value may fluctuate over a larger range within a short period of time, either up or down. A lower volatility level means an investment's value is more likely to change within a narrower range, or less frequently, over time. The more volatile the portfolio holdings of the Fund, the less predictable the returns for the Fund. Higher volatility levels may indicate heightened risk of losses.

High Yield Securities and Distressed Companies

Securities rated lower than Baa by Moody's, or equivalently rated by S&P or Fitch, are sometimes referred to as "high yield securities" or "junk bonds." Issuers of these securities may be distressed and undergoing restructuring, bankruptcy or other proceedings in an attempt to avoid insolvency. Investing in these securities involves special risks in addition to the risks associated with investments in higher-rated fixed income securities. While offering a greater potential opportunity for capital appreciation and higher yields, high yield and distressed company securities typically entail greater potential price volatility and may be less liquid than higher-rated securities. High yield securities and debt securities of distressed companies may be regarded as predominately speculative with respect to the issuer's continuing ability to meet principal and interest payments. They may also be more susceptible to real or perceived adverse economic and competitive industry conditions than higher-rated securities. The Fund may invest in securities that are in default with respect to the payment of interest or repayment of principal, or present an imminent risk of default with respect to such payments. Issuers of securities in default may fail to resume principal or interest payments, in which case the Fund may lose its entire investment.

Variable and Floating Rate Securities

Variable and floating rate securities are securities that pay interest at rates that adjust whenever a specified interest rate changes and/or that reset on predetermined dates (such as the last day of a month or calendar quarter). The Fund may invest in floating rate debt instruments ("floaters") and engage in credit spread trades. Variable and floating rate securities

 

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generally are less sensitive to interest rate changes but may decline in value if their interest rates do not rise as much, or as quickly, as interest rates in general.

Conversely, floating rate securities will not generally increase in value if interest rates decline. The Fund may also invest in inverse floating rate debt instruments ("inverse floaters"). An inverse floater may exhibit greater price volatility than a fixed rate obligation of similar credit quality. The Fund may invest up to 5% of its total assets in any combination of mortgage-related or other asset-backed IO, PO, or inverse floater securities. Additionally, a Fund may also invest, without limitation, in residual interest bonds. Residual interest bonds are a type of inverse floater. See "Municipal Bonds".

Inflation-Indexed Bonds

Inflation-indexed bonds (other than municipal inflation-indexed bonds and certain corporate inflation-indexed bonds, which are more fully described below) are fixed income securities whose principal value is periodically adjusted according to the rate of inflation. If the index measuring inflation falls, the principal value of inflation-indexed bonds (other than municipal inflation-indexed bonds and certain corporate inflation-indexed bonds) will be adjusted downward, and consequently the interest payable on these securities (calculated with respect to a smaller principal amount) will be reduced. Repayment of the original bond principal upon maturity (as adjusted for inflation) is guaranteed in the case of TIPS. For bonds that do not provide a similar guarantee, the adjusted principal value of the bond repaid at maturity may be less than the original principal.

TIPS may also be divided into individual zero-coupon instruments for each coupon or principal payment (known as "iSTRIPS"). An iSTRIP of the principal component of a TIPS issue will retain the embedded deflation floor that will allow the holder of the security to receive the greater of the original principal or inflation-adjusted principal value at maturity. iSTRIPS may be less liquid than conventional TIPS because they are a small component of the TIPS market.

Municipal inflation-indexed securities are municipal bonds that pay coupons based on a fixed rate plus CPI. With regard to municipal inflation-indexed bonds and certain corporate inflation-indexed bonds, the inflation adjustment is reflected in the semi-annual coupon payment. As a result, the principal value of municipal inflation-indexed bonds and such corporate inflation-indexed bonds does not adjust according to the rate of inflation. At the same time, the value of municipal inflation-indexed securities and such corporate inflation-indexed securities generally will not increase if the rate of inflation decreases. Because municipal inflation-indexed securities and corporate inflation-indexed securities are a small component of the municipal bond and corporate bond markets, respectively, they may be less liquid than conventional municipal and corporate bonds.

The value of inflation-indexed bonds is expected to change in response to changes in real interest rates. Real interest rates are tied to the relationship between nominal interest rates and the rate of inflation. If nominal interest rates increase at a faster rate than inflation, real interest rates may rise, leading to a decrease in value of inflation-indexed bonds. Any increase in the principal amount of an inflation-indexed bond will be considered taxable ordinary income, even though investors do not receive their principal until maturity.

Event-Linked Exposure

The Fund may obtain event-linked exposure by investing in "event-linked bonds" or "event-linked swaps" or by implementing "event-linked strategies." Event-linked exposure results in gains or losses that typically are contingent, or formulaically related to defined trigger events. Examples of trigger events include hurricanes, earthquakes, weather-related phenomena, or statistics related to such events. Some event-linked bonds are commonly referred to as "catastrophe bonds." If a trigger event occurs, the Fund may lose a portion or its entire principal invested in the bond or notional amount on a swap. Event-linked exposure often provides for an extension of maturity to process and audit loss claims where a trigger event has, or possibly has, occurred. An extension of maturity may increase volatility. Event-linked exposure may also expose the Fund to certain unanticipated risks including counterparty risk, adverse regulatory or jurisdictional interpretations, and adverse tax consequences. Event-linked exposures may also be subject to liquidity risk.

Convertible and Equity Securities

Common stock represents equity ownership in a company and typically provides the common stockholder the power to vote on certain corporate actions, including the election of the company's directors. Common stockholders participate in company profits through dividends and, in the event of bankruptcy, distributions, on a pro-rata basis after other claims are satisfied. Many factors affect the value of common stock, including earnings, earnings forecasts, corporate events and factors impacting the issuer's industry and the market generally. Common stock generally has the greatest appreciation and depreciation potential of all corporate securities.

The Fund may invest in convertible securities and equity securities, as well as securities related to equities. Equity-related securities include securities having an equity component (e.g., hybrids, bank capital) and equity derivatives. Convertible securities are generally preferred securities and other securities, including fixed income securities and warrants, that are convertible into or exercisable for common stock at a stated price or rate. The price of a convertible security will normally vary in some proportion to changes in the price of the underlying common stock because of this conversion or exercise feature. However, the value of a convertible security may not increase or decrease as rapidly as the underlying common stock. A convertible security will normally also provide income and is subject to interest rate risk. Convertible securities may be lower-rated securities subject to greater levels of credit risk. The Fund may be forced to convert a security before it would otherwise choose, which may have an adverse effect on the Fund's ability to achieve its investment objective.

"Synthetic" convertible securities are selected based on the similarity of their economic characteristics to those of a traditional convertible security due to the combination of separate securities that possess the two principal characteristics of a traditional convertible security, i.e., an income-producing security ("income-producing component") and the right to acquire an equity security ("convertible component"). The income-producing component is achieved by investing in non-convertible, income-producing securities such as bonds, preferred securities and money market instruments, which may be represented by derivative instruments. The convertible component is achieved by investing in securities or instruments

 

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such as warrants or options to buy common stock at a certain exercise price, or options on a stock index. A simple example of a synthetic convertible security is the combination of a traditional corporate bond with a warrant to purchase equity securities of the issuer of the bond. The Fund may also purchase synthetic securities created by other parties, typically investment banks, including convertible structured notes. The income-producing and convertible components of a synthetic convertible security may be issued separately by different issuers and at different times.

Preferred and other senior securities generally entitle the holder to receive, in preference to the holders of other securities such as common stocks, dividends and a fixed share of the proceeds resulting from a liquidation of the company. Preferred and other senior securities may pay fixed or adjustable rates of return. Preferred and other senior securities are subject to issuer-specific and market risks applicable generally to equity securities. In addition, a company's preferred and other senior securities generally pay dividends only after the company makes required payments to holders of its bonds and other debt. For this reason, the value of preferred and other senior securities will usually react more strongly than bonds and other debt to actual or perceived changes in the company's financial condition or prospects. In addition, preferred and other senior securities often have special redemption rights allowing issuers to redeem such securities at par earlier than scheduled. If these rights are exercised, the Fund may have to reinvest assets in less attractive securities.

Among other risks described in this Prospectus, the following issues are particularly associated with investments in preferred and other senior securities.

Deferral and Omission of Distributions. Preferred and other senior securities may include features permitting or requiring the issuer to defer or omit distributions. Among other things, such deferral or omission may result in adverse tax consequences for the Fund.

Limited Voting Rights. Preferred and other senior securities generally do not have voting rights with respect to the issuer unless dividends have been in arrears for certain specified periods of time.

In the future, preferred or other senior securities may be offered with features different from those described above, and as such, may entail different risks. Over longer periods of time, certain types of preferred or other senior securities may become more scarce or less liquid as a result of legislative changes. Such events may result in losses to the Fund as the prices of securities it holds may be negatively affected. Revisions to bank capital requirements by international regulatory bodies, to the extent they are adopted in the United States, may also negatively impact the market for certain preferred or senior securities. 

While some countries or companies may be regarded as favorable investments, pure fixed income opportunities may be unattractive or limited due to insufficient supply, or legal or technical restrictions. In such cases, subject to its applicable investment restrictions, the Fund may consider convertible securities or equity securities to gain exposure to such investments.

At times, in connection with the restructuring of a preferred security or Fixed Income Instrument either outside of bankruptcy court or in the context of bankruptcy court proceedings, the Fund may determine or be required to accept equity securities, such as common stocks, in exchange for all or a portion of a preferred security or Fixed Income Instrument. Depending upon, among other things, PIMCO's evaluation of the potential value of such securities in relation to the price that could be obtained by the Fund at any given time upon sale thereof, the Fund may determine to hold such securities in its portfolio.

Equity securities generally have greater price volatility than fixed income securities. The market price of equity securities owned by the Fund may go up or down, sometimes rapidly or unpredictably. Equity securities may decline in value due to factors affecting equity securities markets generally or particular industries represented in those markets. The value of an equity security may also 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 goods or services.

Foreign (Non-U.S.) Securities

The Fund may invest in securities and instruments that are economically tied to foreign (non-U.S.) countries. PIMCO generally considers an instrument to be economically tied to a non-U.S. country if the issuer is a foreign government (or any political subdivision, agency, authority or instrumentality of such government), or if the issuer is organized under the laws of a non-U.S. country. The Fund's investments in foreign (non-U.S.) securities may include American Depositary Receipts ("ADRs"), European Depositary Receipts ("EDRs"), Global Depositary Receipts ("GDRs") and similar securities that represent interests in a non-U.S. company's securities that have been deposited with a bank or trust and that trade on a U.S. exchange or over-the-counter. ADRs, EDRs and GDRs may be less liquid or may trade at a different price than the underlying securities of the issuer. In the case of certain money market instruments, such instruments will be considered economically tied to a non-U.S. country if either the issuer or the guarantor of such money market instrument is organized under the laws of a non-U.S. country. With respect to derivative instruments, PIMCO generally considers such instruments to be economically tied to non-U.S. countries if the underlying assets are foreign currencies (or baskets or indexes of such currencies), or instruments or securities that are issued by foreign governments or issuers organized under the laws of a non-U.S. country (or if the underlying assets are certain money market instruments, if either the issuer or the guarantor of such money market instruments is organized under the laws of a non-U.S. country).

Investing in foreign (non-U.S.) securities involves special risks and considerations not typically associated with investing in U.S. securities. Investors should consider carefully the substantial risks involved for Funds that invest in securities issued by foreign companies and governments of foreign countries. These risks include: differences in accounting, auditing and financial reporting standards; generally higher commission rates on foreign portfolio transactions; the possibility of nationalization, expropriation or confiscatory taxation; adverse changes in investment or exchange control regulations; and political instability. Individual foreign economies may differ favorably or unfavorably from the U.S. economy in such respects as growth of gross domestic product, rates of inflation, capital reinvestment, resources, self-sufficiency and balance of payments position. The securities markets, values of securities, yields and risks associated with

 

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foreign (non-U.S.) securities markets may change independently of each other. Also, foreign (non-U.S.) securities and dividends and interest payable on those securities may be subject to foreign taxes, including taxes withheld from payments on those securities. Foreign (non-U.S.) securities often trade with less frequency and volume than domestic securities and therefore may exhibit greater price volatility. Investments in foreign (non-U.S.) securities may also involve higher custodial costs than domestic investments and additional transaction costs with respect to foreign currency conversions. Changes in foreign exchange rates also will affect the value of securities denominated or quoted in foreign currencies.

The Fund also may invest in sovereign debt issued by governments, their agencies or instrumentalities, or other government-related entities. Holders of sovereign debt may be requested to participate in the rescheduling of such debt and to extend further loans to governmental entities. In addition, there is no bankruptcy proceeding by which defaulted sovereign debt may be collected.

Emerging Market Securities. The Fund may invest in securities and instruments that are economically tied to developing (or "emerging market") countries. PIMCO generally considers an instrument to be economically tied to an emerging market country if: the issuer is organized under the laws of an emerging market country; the currency of settlement of the security is a currency of an emerging market country; the security is guaranteed by the government of an emerging market country (or any political subdivision, agency, authority or instrumentality of such government); for an asset-backed or other collateralized security, the country in which the collateral backing the security is located is an emerging market country; or the security's "country of exposure" is an emerging market country, as determined by the criteria set forth below. With respect to derivative instruments, PIMCO generally considers such instruments to be economically tied to emerging market countries if the underlying assets are currencies of emerging market countries (or baskets or indexes of such currencies), or instruments or securities that are issued or guaranteed by governments of emerging market countries or by entities organized under the laws of emerging market countries or if an instrument's "country of exposure" is an emerging market country. A security's "country of exposure" is determined by PIMCO using certain factors provided by a third-party analytical service provider. The factors are applied in order such that the first factor to result in the assignment of a country determines the "country of exposure." The factors, listed in the order in which they are applied, are: (i) if an asset-backed or other collateralized security, the country in which the collateral backing the security is located; (ii) the "country of risk" of the issuer; (iii) if the security is guaranteed by the government of a country (or any political subdivision, agency, authority or instrumentality of such government), the country of the government or instrumentality providing the guarantee; (iv) the "country of risk" of the issuer's ultimate parent; or (v) the country where the issuer is organized or incorporated under the laws thereof. "Country of risk" is a separate four-part test determined by the following factors, listed in order of importance: (i) management location; (ii) country of primary listing; (iii) sales or revenue attributable to the country; and (iv) reporting currency of the issuer. PIMCO has broad discretion to identify countries that it considers to qualify as emerging markets. In making investments in emerging market securities, the Fund emphasizes those countries with relatively low gross national product per capita and with the potential for rapid economic growth. Emerging market countries are generally located in Asia, Africa, the Middle East, Latin America and Eastern Europe. PIMCO will select the country and currency composition based on its evaluation of relative interest rates, inflation rates, exchange rates, monetary and fiscal policies, trade and current account balances, legal and political developments and any other specific factors it believes to be relevant.

Investing in emerging market securities imposes risks different from, or greater than, risks of investing in domestic securities or in foreign, developed countries. These risks include: smaller market capitalization of securities markets, which may suffer periods of relative illiquidity; significant price volatility; restrictions on foreign investment; possible repatriation of investment income and capital. In addition, foreign investors may be required to register the proceeds of sales; future economic or political crises could lead to price controls, forced mergers, expropriation or confiscatory taxation, seizure, nationalization, or creation of government monopolies. The currencies of emerging market countries may experience significant declines against the U.S. dollar, and devaluation may occur subsequent to investments in these currencies by the Fund. Many emerging market countries have experienced substantial, and in some periods extremely high, rates of inflation for many years. Inflation and rapid fluctuations in inflation rates have had, and may continue to have, negative effects on the economies and securities markets of certain emerging market countries.

Additional risks of emerging market securities may include: greater social, economic and political uncertainty and instability; more substantial governmental involvement in the economy; less governmental supervision and regulation; unavailability of currency hedging techniques; companies that are newly organized and small; differences in auditing and financial reporting standards, which may result in unavailability of material information about issuers; and less developed legal systems. In addition, emerging securities markets may have different clearance and settlement procedures, which may be unable to keep pace with the volume of securities transactions or otherwise make it difficult to engage in such transactions. Settlement problems may cause the Fund to miss attractive investment opportunities, hold a portion of its assets in cash pending investment, or be delayed in disposing of a portfolio security. Such a delay could result in possible liability to a purchaser of the security.

Foreign (Non-U.S.) Currencies

Direct investments in foreign (non-U.S.) currencies or in securities that trade in, or receive revenues in, foreign (non-U.S.) currencies will be subject to currency risk. Foreign currency exchange rates may fluctuate significantly over short periods of time. They generally are determined by supply and demand in the foreign exchange markets and the relative merits of investments in different countries, actual or perceived changes in interest rates and other complex factors. Currency exchange rates also can be affected unpredictably by intervention (or the failure to intervene) by U.S. or foreign governments or central banks, or by currency controls or political

 

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developments. Currencies in which the Fund's assets are denominated may be devalued against the U.S. dollar, resulting in a loss to the Fund.

Foreign Currency Transactions. The Fund may invest in securities denominated in foreign (non-U.S.) currencies, engage in foreign currency transactions on a spot (cash) basis, enter into forward foreign currency exchange contracts and invest in foreign currency futures contracts and options on foreign currencies and futures. A forward foreign currency exchange contract, which involves an obligation to purchase or sell a specific currency at a future date at a price set at the time of the contract, reduces the Fund's exposure to changes in the value of the currency it will deliver and increases its exposure to changes in the value of the currency it will receive for the duration of the contract. Certain foreign (non-U.S.) currency transactions may also be settled in cash rather than the actual delivery of the relevant currency. The effect on the value of the Fund is similar to selling securities denominated in one currency and purchasing securities denominated in another currency. Foreign currency transactions, like currency exchange rates, can be affected unpredictably by intervention (or the failure to intervene) by U.S. or foreign governments or central banks, or by currency controls or political developments. Such events may prevent or restrict the Fund's ability to enter into foreign currency transactions, force the Fund to exit a foreign currency transaction at a disadvantageous time or price or result in penalties for the Fund, any of which may result in a loss to the Fund. A contract to sell a foreign (non-U.S.) currency would limit any potential gain which might be realized if the value of the hedged currency increases. The Fund may enter into these contracts to hedge against foreign exchange risk, to increase exposure to a foreign currency or to shift exposure to foreign currency fluctuations from one currency to another. Suitable hedging transactions may not be available in all circumstances and there can be no assurance that the Fund will engage in such transactions at any given time or from time to time. Also, such transactions may not be successful and may eliminate any chance for the Fund to benefit from favorable fluctuations in relevant foreign currencies. The Fund may use one currency (or a basket of currencies) to hedge against adverse changes in the value of another currency (or a basket of currencies) when exchange rates between the two currencies are positively correlated. The Fund will segregate or "earmark" assets determined to be liquid by PIMCO in accordance with the procedures established by the Board of Trustees (or, as permitted by applicable law, enter into certain offsetting positions) to cover its obligations under forward foreign currency exchange contracts.

Redenomination. Continuing uncertainty as to the status of the euro and the European Monetary Union (the "EMU") has created significant volatility in currency and financial markets generally. Any partial or complete dissolution of the EMU could have significant adverse effects on currency and financial markets and on the values of the Fund's portfolio investments. If one or more EMU countries were to stop using the euro as its primary currency, the Fund's investments in such countries may be redenominated into a different or newly adopted currency. As a result, the value of those investments could decline significantly and unpredictably. In addition, securities or other investments that are redenominated may be subject to currency risk, liquidity risk and risk of improper valuation to a greater extent than similar investments currently denominated in euros. To the extent a currency used for redenomination purposes is not specified in respect of certain EMU-related investments, or should the euro cease to be used entirely, the currency in which such investments are denominated may be unclear, making such investments particularly difficult to value or dispose of. The Fund may incur additional expenses to the extent it is required to seek judicial or other clarification of the denomination or value of such securities.

There can be no assurance that if the Fund earns income or capital gains in a non-U.S. country or PIMCO otherwise seeks to withdraw the Fund's investments from a given country, capital controls imposed by such country will not prevent, or cause significant expense in, doing so.

Repurchase Agreements

The Fund may enter into repurchase agreements, in which the Fund purchases a security from a bank or broker-dealer, which agrees to repurchase the security at the Fund's cost plus interest within a specified time. If the party agreeing to repurchase should default, the Fund will seek to sell the securities which it holds. This could involve procedural costs or delays in addition to a loss on the securities if their value should fall below their repurchase price. Repurchase agreements maturing in more than seven days and which may not be terminated within seven days at approximately the amount at which the Fund has valued the agreements are considered illiquid securities.

Reverse Repurchase Agreements, Dollar Rolls and Other Borrowings

The Fund may enter into reverse repurchase agreements and dollar rolls, subject to the Fund's limitations on borrowings. A reverse repurchase agreement involves the sale of a security by the Fund and its agreement to repurchase the instrument at a specified time and price. A dollar roll is similar except that the counterparty is not obligated to return the same securities as those originally sold by the Fund but only securities that are "substantially identical." Reverse repurchase agreements and dollar rolls may be considered borrowing for some purposes. The Fund will segregate or "earmark" assets determined to be liquid by PIMCO in accordance with procedures established by the Board of Trustees to cover its obligations under reverse repurchase agreements and dollar rolls. Reverse repurchase agreements, dollar rolls and other forms of borrowings may create leveraging risk for the Fund.

The Fund may borrow money to the extent permitted under the 1940 Act. This means that, in general, the Fund may borrow money from banks for any purpose in an amount up to 1/3 of the Fund's total assets, less all liabilities and indebtedness not represented by senior securities. The Fund may also borrow money for temporary administrative purposes in an amount not to exceed 5% of the Fund's total assets. In addition, the Fund may borrow from certain other PIMCO funds in inter-fund lending transactions to the extent permitted by an exemptive order from the SEC.

Derivatives

The Fund may, but is not required to, use derivative instruments for risk management purposes or as part of its investment strategies. Generally,

 

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derivatives are financial contracts whose value depends upon, or is derived from, the value of an underlying asset, reference rate or index, and may relate to stocks, bonds, interest rates, spreads between different interest rates, currencies or currency exchange rates, commodities, and related indexes. Examples of derivative instruments include options contracts, futures contracts, options on futures contracts and swap agreements (including, but not limited to, credit default swaps and swaps on exchange-traded funds). The Fund may invest some or all of its assets in derivative instruments, subject to the Fund's objective and policies. A portfolio manager may decide not to employ any of these strategies and there is no assurance that any derivatives strategy used by the Fund will succeed. A description of these and other derivative instruments that the Fund may use are described under "Investment Objectives and Policies" in the SAI.

The Fund's use of derivative instruments involves risks different from, or possibly greater than, the risks associated with investing directly in securities and other more traditional investments. Certain derivative transactions may have a leveraging effect on the Fund. For example, a small investment in a derivative instrument may have a significant impact on the Fund's exposure to interest rates, currency exchange rates or other investments. As a result, a relatively small price movement in a derivative instrument may cause an immediate and substantial loss or gain. The Fund may engage in such transactions regardless of whether the Fund owns the asset, instrument or components of the index underlying the derivative instrument. The Fund may invest a significant portion of its assets in these types of instruments. If it does, the Fund's investment exposure could far exceed the value of its portfolio securities and its investment performance could be primarily dependent upon securities it does not own. A description of various risks associated with particular derivative instruments is included in "Investment Objectives and Policies" in the SAI. The following provides a more general discussion of important risk factors relating to all derivative instruments that may be used by the Fund.

CPI Swap. A CPI swap is a fixed maturity, over-the-counter derivative transaction in which the investor receives the "realized" rate of inflation as measured by the Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers ("CPI") over the life of the swap. The investor in turn pays a fixed annualized rate over the life of the swap. This fixed rate is often referred to as the "breakeven inflation" rate and is generally representative of the difference between treasury yields and TIPS yields of similar maturities at the initiation of the swap. CPI swaps are typically in "bullet" format, where all cash flows are exchanged at maturity. In addition to counterparty risk, CPI swaps are also subject to inflation risk, where the swap can potentially lose value if the realized rate of inflation over the life of the swap is less than the fixed market implied inflation rate (fixed breakeven rate) that the investor agrees to pay at the initiation of the swap.

Management Risk. Derivative products are highly specialized instruments that require investment techniques and risk analyses different from those associated with stocks and bonds. The use of a derivative requires an understanding not only of the underlying instrument but also of the derivative itself, without the benefit of observing the performance of the derivative under all possible market conditions.

Credit Risk. The use of certain derivative instruments involves the risk that a loss may be sustained as a result of the failure of another party to the contract (usually referred to as a "counterparty") to make required payments or otherwise comply with the contract's terms. Additionally, a short position in a credit default swap could result in losses if the Fund does not correctly evaluate the creditworthiness of the company on which the credit default swap is based.

Liquidity Risk. Liquidity risk exists when a particular derivative instrument is difficult to purchase or sell. If a derivative transaction is particularly large or if the relevant market is illiquid (as is the case with many privately negotiated derivatives), it may not be possible to initiate a transaction or liquidate a position at an advantageous time or price.

Leverage Risk. Because many derivatives have a leverage component, adverse changes in the value or level of the underlying asset, reference rate or index could result in a loss substantially greater than the amount invested in the derivative itself. Certain derivatives have the potential for unlimited loss, regardless of the size of the initial investment. When the Fund uses derivatives for leverage, investments in the Fund will tend to be more volatile, resulting in larger gains or losses in response to market changes. To limit leverage risk, the Fund will segregate or "earmark" assets determined to be liquid by PIMCO in accordance with procedures established by the Board of Trustees (or, as permitted by applicable regulation, enter into certain offsetting positions) to cover its obligations under derivative instruments.

Lack of Availability. Because the markets for certain derivative instruments (including markets located in foreign countries) are relatively new and still developing, suitable derivatives transactions may not be available in all circumstances for risk management or other purposes. Upon the expiration of a particular contract, a portfolio manager may wish to retain the Fund's position in the derivative instrument by entering into a similar contract, but may be unable to do so if the counterparty to the original contract is unwilling to enter into the new contract and no other suitable counterparty can be found. There is no assurance that the Fund will engage in derivatives transactions at any time or from time to time. The Fund's ability to use derivatives may also be limited by certain regulatory and tax considerations.

Market and Other Risks. Like most other investments, derivative instruments are subject to the risk that the market value of the instrument will change in a way detrimental to the Fund's interest. If a portfolio manager incorrectly forecasts the values of securities, currencies or interest rates or other economic factors in using derivatives for the Fund, the Fund might have been in a better position if it had not entered into the transaction at all. While some strategies involving derivative instruments can reduce the risk of loss, they can also reduce the opportunity for gain or even result in losses by offsetting favorable price movements in other Fund investments. The Fund may also have to buy or sell a security at a disadvantageous time or price because the Fund is legally required to maintain offsetting positions or asset coverage in connection with certain derivatives transactions. The regulation of the derivatives markets has increased over the past several years, and additional future regulation of the derivatives markets may make derivatives more costly, may limit the availability or reduce the liquidity of derivatives, or may otherwise adversely affect the value or performance of derivatives. Any such adverse future developments could impair the effectiveness or raise the costs of the Fund's derivative transactions, or

 

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impede the employment of the Fund's derivatives strategies, or adversely affect the Fund's performance.

Other risks in using derivatives include the risk of mispricing or improper valuation of derivatives. Many derivatives, in particular privately negotiated derivatives, are complex and often valued subjectively. Improper valuations can result in increased cash payment requirements to counterparties or a loss of value to the Fund. Also, the value of derivatives may not correlate perfectly, or at all, with the value of the assets, reference rates or indexes they are designed to closely track.  For example, a swap agreement on an exchange-traded fund would not correlate perfectly with the index upon which the exchange-traded fund is based because the fund's return is net of fees and expenses. In addition, the Fund's use of derivatives may cause the Fund to realize higher amounts of short term capital gains (generally taxed at ordinary income tax rates) than if the Fund had not used such instruments.

Correlation Risk. In certain cases, the value of derivatives may not correlate perfectly, or at all, with the value of the assets, reference rates or indexes they are designed to closely track. In this regard, the Fund seeks to achieve its investment objective, in part, by investing in derivatives positions that are designed to closely track the performance (or inverse performance) of an index on a daily basis. However, the overall investment strategies of the Fund are not designed or expected to produce returns which replicate the performance (or inverse performance) of the particular index, and the degree of variation could be substantial, particularly over longer periods. There are a number of factors which may prevent a Fund, or derivatives or other strategies used by a Fund, from achieving a desired correlation (or inverse correlation) with an index. These may include, but are not limited to: (i) the impact of fund fees, expenses and transaction costs, including borrowing and brokerage costs/bid-ask spreads, which are not reflected in index returns; (ii) differences in the timing of daily calculations of the value of an index and the timing of the valuation of derivatives, securities and other assets held by a fund and the determination of the NAV of Fund shares; (iii) disruptions or illiquidity in the markets for derivative instruments or securities in which a Fund invests; (iv) a Fund having exposure to or holding less than all of the securities in the underlying index and/or having exposure to or holding securities not included in the underlying index; (v) large or unexpected movements of assets into and out of a Fund (due to share purchases or redemptions, for example), potentially resulting in the fund being over- or under-exposed to the index; (vi) the impact of accounting standards or changes thereto; (vii) changes to the applicable index that are not disseminated in advance; (viii) a possible need to conform a Fund's portfolio holdings to comply with investment restrictions or policies or regulatory or tax law requirements; and (ix) fluctuations in currency exchange rates.

A Note on the Fund. In light of certain revenue rulings and private letter rulings issued by the IRS, as discussed above under "Tax Consequences—A Note on the Fund," the Fund will seek to gain exposure to the commodity markets primarily through investments in leveraged or unleveraged commodity index-linked notes, which are derivative debt instruments with principal and/or coupon payments linked to the performance of commodity indices, and through investments in the Subsidiary (as discussed below). The Fund may also invest in commodity-linked notes with principal and/or coupon payments linked to the value of particular commodities or commodity futures contracts, or a subset of commodities and commodities futures contracts. These notes are sometimes referred to as "structured notes" because the terms of these notes may be structured by the issuer and the purchaser of the note. The value of these notes will rise or fall in response to changes in the underlying commodity, commodity futures contract, subset of commodities, subset of commodities futures contracts or commodity index.

These notes expose the Fund economically to movements in commodity prices. These notes also are subject to risks, such as credit, market and interest rate risks, that in general affect the values of debt securities. In addition, these notes are often leveraged, increasing the volatility of each note's market value relative to changes in the underlying commodity, commodity futures contract or commodity index. Therefore, at the maturity of the note, the Fund may receive more or less principal than it originally invested. The Fund might receive interest payments on the note that are more or less than the stated coupon interest payments.

The Fund may also invest in other commodity-linked derivative instruments, including swap agreements, commodity options, futures and options on futures. The value of a commodity-linked derivative investment generally is based upon the price movements of a physical commodity (such as energy, mineral, or agricultural products), a commodity futures contract, a subset of commodities, a subset of commodities futures contracts or commodity index, or other economic variable based upon changes in the value of commodities or the commodities markets. Options transactions may be effected on exchanges or in the OTC market. When OTC options are purchased, the Fund's portfolio bears the risk that the counterparty that wrote the option will be unable or unwilling to perform its obligations under the option contract. Options may also be illiquid and, in such cases, the Fund may have difficulty closing out its position. OTC options also may include options on baskets of specific securities. 

Many swap transactions are privately negotiated agreements between the Fund and a counterparty to exchange or swap investment cash flows or assets at specified intervals in the future. The obligations may extend beyond one year. There is often no central exchange for swap transactions and therefore they can be less liquid investments than exchange-traded instruments. The Dodd-Frank Act and related regulatory developments require the clearing and exchange-trading of certain standardized OTC derivative instruments that the CFTC and SEC have defined as "swaps." The CFTC has implemented mandatory exchange-trading and clearing requirements under the Dodd-Frank Act and the CFTC continues to approve contracts for central clearing. Uncleared swaps are subject to margin requirements that are being implemented on a phased-in basis. The investment adviser will continue to monitor these developments, particularly to the extent regulatory changes affect the Fund's ability to enter into swap agreements.

As described below under "Characteristics and Risks of Securities and Investment Techniques—Investments in a Wholly-Owned Subsidiary," the Fund may gain exposure to commodity markets by investing in the Subsidiary. It is expected that the Subsidiary will invest primarily in commodity-linked derivative instruments, including swap agreements,

 

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commodity options, futures and options on futures, backed by a portfolio of inflation-indexed securities and other Fixed Income Instruments.

The IRS issued a revenue ruling that limits the extent to which the Fund may invest directly in commodity-linked swaps or certain other commodity-linked derivatives. The Subsidiary, on the other hand, may invest in these commodity-linked derivatives generally without limitation. See "Tax Consequences—A Note on the Fund" above for further information.

Investments in a Wholly Owned Subsidiary

Investments in the Subsidiary are expected to provide the Fund with exposure to the commodity markets within the limitations of the Subchapter M of the Code and IRS revenue rulings, as discussed above under "Tax Consequences-A Note on the Fund."

It is expected that the Subsidiary will invest primarily in commodity-linked derivative instruments, including swap agreements, commodity options, futures and options on futures, backed by a portfolio of cash equivalent securities and/or other Fixed Income Instruments. Although the Fund may enter into these commodity-linked derivative instruments directly, the Fund will likely gain exposure to these derivative instruments indirectly by investing in the Subsidiary. To the extent that PIMCO believes that these commodity-linked derivative instruments are better suited to provide exposure to the commodities market than commodity index-linked notes, the Fund's investment in its Subsidiary will likely increase. The Subsidiary will also invest in cash equivalent securities and Fixed Income Instruments, which are intended to serve as margin or collateral for the Subsidiary's derivatives position, common and preferred securities as well as convertible securities of issuers in commodity-related industries, collateralized debt obligations, event-linked bonds and event-linked swaps. To the extent that the Fund invests in its Subsidiary, it may be subject to the risks associated with those derivative instruments and other securities, which are discussed elsewhere in this prospectus.

While the Subsidiary may be considered similar to an investment company, it is not registered under the 1940 Act and, unless otherwise noted in the prospectus, is not subject to all of the investor protections of the 1940 Act. In addition, changes in the laws of the United States and/or the Cayman Islands could result in the inability of the Fund and/or the Subsidiary to operate as described in this prospectus and the SAI and could adversely affect the Fund. Changes in the laws of the United States and/or the Cayman Islands could adversely affect the performance of the Fund and/or the Subsidiary and result in the Fund underperforming its benchmark index.

Delayed Funding Loans and Revolving Credit Facilities

The Fund may also enter into, or acquire participations in, delayed funding loans and revolving credit facilities, in which a lender agrees to make loans up to a maximum amount upon demand by the borrower during a specified term. These commitments may have the effect of requiring the Fund to increase its investment in a company at a time when it might not otherwise decide to do so (including at a time when the company's financial condition makes it unlikely that such amounts will be repaid). To the extent that the Fund is committed to advance additional funds, it will segregate or "earmark" assets determined to be liquid by PIMCO in accordance with procedures established by the Board of Trustees in an amount sufficient to meet such commitments. Delayed funding loans and revolving credit facilities are subject to credit, interest rate and liquidity risk and the risks of being a lender.

When-Issued, Delayed Delivery and Forward Commitment Transactions

The Fund may purchase or sell securities which it is eligible to purchase or sell on a when-issued basis, may purchase and sell such securities for delayed delivery and may make contracts to purchase or sell such securities for a fixed price at a future date beyond normal settlement time (forward commitments). When-issued transactions, delayed delivery purchases and forward commitments involve a risk of loss if the value of the securities declines prior to the settlement date. This risk is in addition to the risk that the Fund's other assets will decline in value. Therefore, these transactions may result in a form of leverage and increase the Fund's overall investment exposure. Typically, no income accrues on securities the Fund has committed to purchase prior to the time delivery of the securities is made, although the Fund may earn income on securities it has segregated or "earmarked" to cover these positions. When the Fund has sold a security on a when-issued, delayed delivery, or forward commitment basis, the Fund does not participate in future gains or losses with respect to the security. If the other party to a transaction fails to pay for the securities, the Fund could suffer a loss. Additionally, when selling a security on a when-issued, delayed delivery or forward commitment basis without owning the security, the Fund will incur a loss if the security's price appreciates in value such that the security's price is above the agreed-upon price on the settlement date.

Investment in Other Investment Companies

The Fund may invest in securities of other investment companies, such as open-end or closed-end management investment companies, including exchange-traded funds, or in pooled accounts, or other unregistered accounts or investment vehicles to the extent permitted by the 1940 Act and the rules and regulations thereunder and any exemptive relief therefrom. The limitation described in the foregoing sentence shall not apply to the Fund's investments in the Subsidiary.

The Fund may invest in other investment companies to gain broad market or sector exposure, including during periods when it has large amounts of uninvested cash or when PIMCO believes share prices of other investment companies offer attractive values. As a shareholder of an investment company or other pooled vehicle, the Fund may indirectly bear investment advisory fees, supervisory and administrative fees, service fees and other fees which are in addition to the fees the Fund pays its service providers.

The Fund may invest in certain money market funds and/or short-term bond funds ("Central Funds"), to the extent permitted by the 1940 Act, the rules thereunder or exemptive relief therefrom. The Central Funds are registered investment companies created for use solely by the series of the Trust, PIMCO Variable Insurance Trust, PIMCO ETF Trust, PIMCO Equity Series and PIMCO Equity Series VIT, and certain other series of registered investment companies advised by PIMCO, in connection with their cash management activities. The main investments of the Central Funds are money market instruments and short maturity Fixed Income Instruments. The Central Funds may incur expenses related to their investment activities, but do not pay investment advisory or supervisory and administrative fees to PIMCO.

 

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Subject to the restrictions and limitations of the 1940 Act, the Fund may, in the future, elect to pursue its investment objective either by investing directly in securities, or by investing in one or more underlying investment vehicles or companies that have substantially similar investment objectives and policies as the Fund.

Short Sales

The Fund may make short sales as part of its overall portfolio management strategies or to offset a potential decline in value of a security. A short sale involves the sale of a security that is borrowed from a broker or other institution to complete the sale. Short sales expose the Fund to the risk that it will be required to acquire, convert or exchange securities to replace the borrowed securities (also known as "covering" the short position) at a time when the securities sold short have appreciated in value, thus resulting in a loss to the Fund. When making a short sale (other than a "short sale against the box"), the Fund must segregate or "earmark" assets determined to be liquid by PIMCO in accordance with procedures established by the Board of Trustees or otherwise cover its position in a permissible manner. The Fund may engage in short selling to the extent permitted by the 1940 Act and rules and interpretations thereunder and other federal securities laws. To the extent the Fund engages in short selling in foreign (non-U.S.) jurisdictions, the Fund will do so to the extent permitted by the laws and regulations of such jurisdiction.

Illiquid Securities

The Fund may invest up to 15% of its net assets (taken at the time of investment) in illiquid securities. Certain illiquid securities may require pricing at fair value as determined in good faith under the supervision of the Board of Trustees. A portfolio manager may be subject to significant delays in disposing of illiquid securities, and transactions in illiquid securities may entail registration expenses and other transaction costs that are higher than those for transactions in liquid securities. The term "illiquid securities" for this purpose means securities that cannot be disposed of within seven days in the ordinary course of business at approximately the amount at which the Fund has valued the securities. Restricted securities, i.e., securities subject to legal or contractual restrictions on resale, may be illiquid. However, some restricted securities (such as securities issued pursuant to Rule 144A under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and certain commercial paper) may be treated as liquid, although they may be less liquid than registered securities traded on established secondary markets.

Loans of Portfolio Securities

For the purpose of achieving income, the Fund may lend its portfolio securities to brokers, dealers, and other financial institutions provided a number of conditions are satisfied, including that the loan is fully collateralized. Please see "Investment Objectives and Policies" in the SAI for details. When the Fund lends portfolio securities, its investment performance will continue to reflect changes in the value of the securities loaned, and the Fund will also receive a fee or interest on the collateral. Securities lending involves the risk of loss of rights in the collateral or delay in recovery of the collateral if the borrower fails to return the security loaned or becomes insolvent. The Fund may pay lending fees to a party arranging the loan. Cash collateral received by the Fund in securities lending transactions may be invested in short-term liquid fixed income instruments or in money market or short-term mutual funds, or similar investment vehicles, including affiliated money market or short-term mutual funds. The Fund bears the risk of such investments.

Portfolio Turnover

The length of time the Fund has held a particular security is not generally a consideration in investment decisions. A change in the securities held by the Fund is known as "portfolio turnover." When the portfolio managers deem it appropriate and particularly during periods of volatile market movements, the Fund may engage in frequent and active trading of portfolio securities to achieve its investment objective. Higher portfolio turnover (e.g., an annual rate greater than 100% of the average value of the Fund's portfolio) involves correspondingly greater expenses to the Fund, including brokerage commissions or dealer mark-ups and other transaction costs on the sale of securities and reinvestments in other securities. Such sales may also result in realization of taxable capital gains, including short-term capital gains (which are generally taxed at ordinary income tax rates). The trading costs and tax effects associated with portfolio turnover may adversely affect the Fund's performance. Please see the Fund's "Fund Summary—Portfolio Turnover" or the "Financial Highlights" in this prospectus for the portfolio turnover rate of the Fund.

Temporary Defensive Positions

For temporary defensive purposes, the Fund may invest without limit in U.S. debt securities, including taxable securities and short-term money market securities, when PIMCO deems it appropriate to do so. When the Fund engages in such strategies, it may not achieve its investment objective.

From time to time, as the prevailing market and interest rate environments warrant, and at the discretion of its portfolio manager, some portion of the Fund's total net assets may be uninvested. In such cases, Fund assets will be held in cash in the Fund's custody account. Cash assets are generally not income-generating and would impact the Fund's performance.

Changes in Investment Objectives and Policies

The investment objective of the Fund is non-fundamental and may be changed by the Board of Trustees without shareholder approval. Unless otherwise stated, all other investment policies of the Fund may be changed by the Board of Trustees without shareholder approval.

Percentage Investment Limitations

Unless otherwise stated, all percentage limitations on Fund investments listed in this prospectus will apply at the time of investment. The Fund would not violate these limitations unless an excess or deficiency occurs or exists immediately after and as a result of an investment.

Credit Ratings and Unrated Securities

Rating agencies are private services that provide ratings of the credit quality of fixed income securities, including convertible securities. Appendix A to this prospectus describes the various ratings assigned to fixed income securities by Moody's, S&P and Fitch. Ratings assigned by a rating agency are not absolute standards of credit quality and do not evaluate market risks. Rating agencies may fail to make timely changes in credit ratings and

 

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an issuer's current financial condition may be better or worse than a rating indicates. The Fund will not necessarily sell a security when its rating is reduced below its rating at the time of the purchase. PIMCO does not rely solely on credit ratings, and develops its own analysis of issuer credit quality.

The Fund may purchase unrated securities (which are not rated by a rating agency) if PIMCO determines, in its sole discretion, that the security is of comparable quality to a rated security that the Fund may purchase. In making ratings determinations, PIMCO may take into account different factors than those taken into account by ratings agencies, and PIMCO's rating of a security may differ from the rating that a rating agency may have given the same security. Unrated securities may be less liquid than comparable rated securities and involve the risk that the portfolio manager may not accurately evaluate the security's comparative credit rating. Analysis of the creditworthiness of issuers of high yield securities may be more complex than for issuers of higher-quality fixed income securities. To the extent that the Fund invests in high yield and/or unrated securities, the Fund's success in achieving its investment objective may depend more heavily on the portfolio manager's creditworthiness analysis than if the Fund invested exclusively in higher-quality and rated securities.

Other Investments and Techniques

The Fund may invest in other types of securities and use a variety of investment techniques and strategies which are not described in this prospectus. These securities and techniques may subject the Fund to additional risks. Please see the SAI for additional information about the securities and investment techniques described in this prospectus and about additional securities and techniques that may be used by the Fund.

Cyber Security

As the use of technology has become more prevalent in the course of business, the Fund has become potentially more susceptible to operational and information security risks resulting from breaches in cyber security. A breach in cyber security refers to both intentional and unintentional cyber events that may, among other things, cause the Fund to lose proprietary information, suffer data corruption and/or destruction or lose operational capacity, result in the unauthorized release or other misuse of confidential information, or otherwise disrupt normal business operations. Cyber security breaches may involve unauthorized access to the Fund's digital information systems (e.g., through "hacking" or malicious software coding), but may also result from outside attacks such as denial-of-service attacks (i.e., efforts to make network services unavailable to intended users). In addition, cyber security breaches involving the Fund's third party service providers (including but not limited to advisers, sub-advisers, administrators, transfer agents, custodians, distributors and other third parties), trading counterparties or issuers in which the Fund invests can also subject the Fund to many of the same risks associated with direct cyber security breaches. Moreover, cyber security breaches involving trading counterparties or issuers in which the Fund invests could adversely impact such counterparties or issuers and cause the Fund's investment to lose value.

Cyber security failures or breaches may result in financial losses to the Fund and its shareholders. These failures or breaches may also result in disruptions to business operations, potentially resulting in financial losses; interference with the Fund's ability to calculate its NAV, process shareholder transactions or otherwise transact business with shareholders; impediments to trading; violations of applicable privacy and other laws; regulatory fines; penalties; reputational damage; reimbursement or other compensation costs; additional compliance and cyber security risk management costs and other adverse consequences. In addition, substantial costs may be incurred in order to prevent any cyber incidents in the future.

Like with operational risk in general, the Fund has established business continuity plans and risk management systems designed to reduce the risks associated with cyber security. However, there are inherent limitations in these plans and systems, including that certain risks may not have been identified, in large part because different or unknown threats may emerge in the future. As such, there is no guarantee that such efforts will succeed, especially because the Fund does not directly control the cyber security systems of issuers in which the Fund may invest, trading counterparties or third party service providers to the Fund. There is also a risk that cyber security breaches may not be detected. The Fund and its shareholders could be negatively impacted as a result.

 

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Financial Highlights

The financial highlights table is intended to help a shareholder understand the financial performance of Institutional Class, I-2, I-3, Class A and Class C shares of the Fund for the last five fiscal years or, if shorter, the period since the Fund or a class commenced operations.  Certain information reflects financial results for a single Fund share. Because I-3 shares of the Fund had not commenced operations during the periods shown, financial performance information is not provided for the share class. The total returns in the table represent the rate that an investor would have earned or lost on an investment in a particular class of shares of the Fund (assuming reinvestment of all dividends and distributions).  This information has been audited by PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP, whose report, along with the Fund's financial statements, are included in the Trust's annual report to shareholders.  The annual report is available free of charge by calling the Trust at the phone number on the back of this prospectus.  The annual report is also available for download free of charge on the Trust's Web site at pimco.com.

[To be updated by subsequent amendment]

 

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Appendix A
Description of Securities Ratings

The Fund's investments may range in quality from securities rated in the lowest category in which the Fund is permitted to invest to securities rated in the highest category (as rated by Moody's, Standard & Poor's or Fitch, or, if unrated, determined by PIMCO to be of comparable quality). The percentage of the Fund's assets invested in securities in a particular rating category will vary. The following terms are generally used to describe the credit quality of fixed income securities:

High Quality Debt Securities are those rated in one of the two highest rating categories (the highest category for commercial paper) or, if unrated, deemed comparable by PIMCO.

Investment Grade Debt Securities are those rated in one of the four highest rating categories, or if unrated deemed comparable by PIMCO.

Below Investment Grade High Yield Securities ("Junk Bonds"), are those rated lower than Baa by Moody's, BBB by Standard & Poor's or Fitch, and comparable securities. They are deemed predominantly speculative with respect to the issuer's ability to repay principal and interest.

The following is a description of Moody's, Standard & Poor's and Fitch's rating categories applicable to fixed income securities.

Moody's Investors Service, Inc.

Long-Term Corporate Obligation Ratings
Moody's long-term obligation ratings are opinions of the relative credit risk of fixed income obligations with an original maturity of one year or more. They address the possibility that a financial obligation will not be honored as promised. Such ratings use Moody's Global Scale and reflect both the likelihood of default and any financial loss suffered in the event of default.

Aaa: Obligations rated Aaa are judged to be of the highest quality, subject to the lowest level of credit risk.

Aa: Obligations rated Aa are judged to be of high quality and are subject to very low credit risk.

A: Obligations rated A are judged to be upper-medium grade and are subject to low credit risk.

Baa: Obligations rated Baa are judged to be medium-grade and subject to moderate credit risk and as such may possess certain speculative characteristics.

Ba: Obligations rated Ba are judged to be speculative and are subject to substantial credit risk.

B: Obligations rated B are considered speculative and are subject to high credit risk.

Caa: Obligations rated Caa are judged to be speculative of poor standing and are subject to very high credit risk.

Ca: Obligations rated Ca are highly speculative and are likely in, or very near, default, with some prospect of recovery of principal and interest.

C: Obligations rated C are the lowest rated and are typically in default, with little prospect for recovery of principal or interest.

Moody's appends numerical modifiers 1, 2, and 3 to each generic rating classification from Aa through Caa. The modifier 1 indicates that the obligation ranks in the higher end of its generic rating category; the modifier 2 indicates a mid-range ranking; and the modifier 3 indicates a ranking in the lower end of that generic rating category. Additionally, a "(hyb)" indicator is appended to all ratings of hybrid securities issued by banks, insurers, finance companies, and securities firms.*

* By their terms, hybrid securities allow for the omission of scheduled dividends, interest, or principal payments, which can potentially result in impairment if such an omission occurs. Hybrid securities may also be subject to contractually allowable write-downs of principal that could result in impairment. Together with the hybrid indicator, the long-term obligation rating assigned to a hybrid security is an expression of the relative credit risk associated with that security.

Medium-Term Note Program Ratings

Moody's assigns provisional ratings to medium-term note (MTN) programs and definitive ratings to the individual debt securities issued from them (referred to as drawdowns or notes).

MTN program ratings are intended to reflect the ratings likely to be assigned to drawdowns issued from the program with the specified priority of claim (e.g. senior or subordinated). To capture the contingent nature of a program rating, Moody's assigns provisional ratings to MTN programs. A provisional rating is denoted by a (P) in front of the rating.

The rating assigned to a drawdown from a rated MTN or bank/deposit note program is definitive in nature, and may differ from the program rating if the drawdown is exposed to additional credit risks besides the issuer's default, such as links to the defaults of other issuers, or has other structural features that warrant a different rating. In some circumstances, no rating may be assigned to a drawdown.

Moody's encourages market participants to contact Moody's Ratings Desks or visit www.moodys.com directly if they have questions regarding ratings for specific notes issued under a medium-term note program. Unrated notes issued under an MTN program may be assigned an NR (not rated) symbol.

Short-Term Ratings
Ratings assigned on Moody's global short-term rating scales are forward-looking opinions of the relative credit risks of financial obligations issued by non-financial corporates, financial institutions, structured finance vehicles, project finance vehicles, and public sector entitities. Short-term ratings are opinions of the ability of issuers to honor short-term financial obligations. Ratings may be assigned to issuers, short-term programs or to individual short-term debt instruments. Such obligations generally have an original maturity not exceeding thirteen months, unless explicitly noted.

Moody's employs the following designations to indicate the relative repayment ability of rated issuers:

P-1: Issuers (or supporting institutions) rated Prime-1 have a superior ability to repay short-term debt obligations.

P-2: Issuers (or supporting institutions) rated Prime-2 have a strong ability to repay short-term debt obligations.

 

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P-3: Issuers (or supporting institutions) rated Prime-3 have an acceptable ability to repay short-term obligations.

NP: Issuers (or supporting institutions) rated Not Prime do not fall within any of the Prime rating categories.

National Scale Long-Term Ratings

Moody's long-term National Scale Ratings (NSRs) are opinions of the relative creditworthiness of issuers and financial obligations within a particular country. NSRs are not designed to be compared among countries; rather, they address relative credit risk within a given country. Moody's assigns national scale ratings in certain local capital markets in which investors have found the global rating scale provides inadequate differentiation among credits or is inconsistent with a rating scale already in common use in the country. In each specific country, the last two characters of the rating indicate the country in which the issuer is located (e.g., Aaa.br for Brazil).

Aaa.n: Issuers or issues rated Aaa.n demonstrate the strongest creditworthiness relative to other domestic issuers.

Aa.n: Issuers or issues rated Aa.n demonstrate very strong creditworthiness relative to other domestic issuers.

A.n: Issuers or issues rated A.n present above-average creditworthiness relative to other domestic issuers.

Baa.n: Issuers or issues rated Baa.n represent average creditworthiness relative to other domestic issuers.

Ba.n: Issuers or issues rated Ba.n demonstrate below-average creditworthiness relative to other domestic issuers.

B.n: Issuers or issues rated B.n demonstrate weak creditworthiness relative to other domestic issuers.

Caa.n: Issuers or issues rated Caa.n demonstrate very weak creditworthiness relative to other domestic issuers.

Ca.n: Issuers or issues rated Ca.n demonstrate extremely weak creditworthiness relative to other domestic issuers.

C.n: Issuers or issues rated C.n demonstrate the weakest creditworthiness relative to other domestic issuers.

Moody's appends numerical modifiers 1, 2, and 3 to each generic rating classification from Aa through Caa. The modifier 1 indicates that the obligation ranks in the higher end of its generic rating category; the modifier 2 indicates a mid-range ranking; and the modifier 3 indicates a ranking in the lower end of that generic rating category. National scale long-term ratings of D.ar and E.ar may also be applied to Argentine obligations.

National Scale Short-Term Ratings
Moody's short-term NSRs are opinions of the ability of issuers in a given country, relative to other domestic issuers, to repay debt obligations that have an original maturity not exceeding thirteen months. Short-term NSRs in one country should not be compared with short-term NSRs in another country, or with Moody's global ratings.

There are four categories of short-term national scale ratings, generically denoted N-1 through N-4 as defined below.

In each specific country, the first two letters indicate the country in which the issuer is located (e.g., BR-1 through BR-4 for Brazil).

N-1: Issuers rated N-1 have the strongest ability to repay short-term senior unsecured debt obligations relative to other domestic issuers.

N-2: Issuers rated N-2 have an above average ability to repay short-term senior unsecured debt obligations relative to other domestic issuers.

N-3: Issuers rated N-3 have an average ability to repay short-term senior unsecured debt obligations relative to other domestic issuers.

N-4: Issuers rated N-4 have a below average ability to repay short-term senior unsecured debt obligations relative to other domestic issuers.

The short-term rating symbols P-1.za, P-2.za, P-3.za and NP.za are used in South Africa. National scale short-term ratings of AR-5 and AR-6 may also be applied to Argentine obligations.

US Municipal Short-Term Debt and Demand Obligation Ratings

Short-Term Obligation Ratings
There are three rating categories for short-term municipal obligations that are considered investment grade. These ratings are designated as Municipal Investment Grade (MIG) and are divided into three levels—MIG 1 through MIG 3. In addition, those short-term obligations that are of speculative quality are designated SG, or speculative grade. MIG ratings expire at the maturity of the obligation.

MIG 1: This designation denotes superior credit quality. Excellent protection is afforded by established cash flows, highly reliable liquidity support, or demonstrated broad-based access to the market for refinancing.

MIG 2: This designation denotes strong credit quality. Margins of protection are ample, although not as large as in the preceding group.

MIG 3: This designation denotes acceptable credit quality. Liquidity and cash-flow protection may be narrow, and market access for refinancing is likely to be less well-established.

SG: This designation denotes speculative-grade credit quality. Debt instruments in this category may lack sufficient margins of protection.

Demand Obligation Ratings
In the case of variable rate demand obligations (VRDOs), a two-component rating is assigned: a long- or short-term debt rating and a demand obligation rating. The first element represents Moody's evaluation of risk associated with scheduled principal and interest payments. The second element represents Moody's evaluation of risk associated with the ability to receive purchase price upon demand ("demand feature"). The second element uses a rating from a variation of the MIG scale called the Variable Municipal Investment Grade (VMIG) scale.

VMIG 1: This designation denotes superior credit quality. Excellent protection is afforded by the superior short-term credit strength of the liquidity provider and structural and legal protections that ensure the timely payment of purchase price upon demand.

VMIG 2: This designation denotes strong credit quality. Good protection is afforded by the strong short-term credit strength of the liquidity provider and structural and legal protections that ensure the timely payment of purchase price upon demand.

 

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VMIG 3: This designation denotes acceptable credit quality. Adequate protection is afforded by the satisfactory short-term credit strength of the liquidity provider and structural and legal protections that ensure the timely payment of purchase price upon demand.

SG: This designation denotes speculative-grade credit quality. Demand features rated in this category may be supported by a liquidity provider that does not have an investment grade short-term rating or may lack the structural and/or legal protections necessary to ensure the timely payment of purchase price upon demand.

Standard & Poor's Ratings Services

Long-Term Issue Credit Ratings
Issue credit ratings are based, in varying degrees, on S&P Global Ratings' ("S&P") analysis of the following considerations:

Likelihood of payment—capacity and willingness of the obligor to meet its financial commitment on a financial obligation in accordance with the terms of the obligation;

Nature and provisions of the obligation and the promise S&P imputes; and

Protection afforded by, and relative position of, the financial obligation in the event of a bankruptcy, reorganization, or other arrangement under the laws of bankruptcy and other laws affecting creditors' rights.

Issue ratings are an assessment of default risk, but may incorporate an assessment of relative seniority or ultimate recovery in the event of default. Junior obligations are typically rated lower than senior obligations, to reflect the lower priority in bankruptcy, as noted above. (Such differentiation may apply when an entity has both senior and subordinated obligations, secured and unsecured obligations, or operating company and holding company obligations.)

Investment Grade
AAA: An obligation rated 'AAA' has the highest rating assigned by S&P. The obligor's capacity to meet its financial commitment on the obligation is extremely strong.

AA: An obligation rated 'AA' differs from the highest-rated obligations only to a small degree. The obligor's capacity to meet its financial commitment on the obligation is very strong.

A: An obligation rated 'A' is somewhat more susceptible to the adverse effects of changes in circumstances and economic conditions than obligations in higher-rated categories. However, the obligor's capacity to meet its financial commitment on the obligation is still strong.

BBB: An obligation rated ‘BBB' exhibits adequate protection parameters. However, adverse economic conditions or changing circumstances are more likely to lead to a weakened capacity of the obligor to meet its financial commitment on the obligation.

Speculative Grade
Obligations rated 'BB', 'B', 'CCC', 'CC', and 'C' are regarded as having significant speculative characteristics. 'BB' indicates the least degree of speculation and 'C' the highest. While such obligations will likely have some quality and protective characteristics, these may be outweighed by large uncertainties or major exposures to adverse conditions.

BB: An obligation rated 'BB' is less vulnerable to nonpayment than other speculative issues. However, it faces major ongoing uncertainties or exposure to adverse business, financial, or economic conditions which could lead to the obligor's inadequate capacity to meet its financial commitment on the obligation.

B: An obligation rated 'B' is more vulnerable to nonpayment than obligations rated ‘BB', but the obligor currently has the capacity to meet its financial commitment on the obligation. Adverse business, financial, or economic conditions will likely impair the obligor's capacity or willingness to meet its financial commitment on the obligation.

CCC: An obligation rated 'CCC' is currently vulnerable to nonpayment, and is dependent upon favorable business, financial, and economic conditions for the obligor to meet its financial commitment on the obligation. In the event of adverse business, financial, or economic conditions, the obligor is not likely to have the capacity to meet its financial commitment on the obligation.

CC: An obligation rated 'CC' is currently highly vulnerable to nonpayment. The ‘CC' rating is used when a default has not yet occurred, but S&P expects default to be a virtual certainty, regardless of the anticipated time to default.

C: An obligation rated ‘C' is currently highly vulnerable to nonpayment, and the obligation is expected to have lower relative seniority or lower ultimate recovery compared to obligations that are rated higher.

D: An obligation rated ‘D' is in default or in breach of an imputed promise. For non-hybrid capital instruments, the ‘D' rating category is used when payments on an obligation are not made on the date due, unless S&P believes that such payments will be made within five business days in the absence of a stated grace period or within the earlier of the stated grace period or 30 calendar days. The ‘D' rating also will be used upon the filing of a bankruptcy petition or the taking of similar action and where default on an obligation is a virtual certainty, for example due to automatic stay provisions. An obligation's rating is lowered to ‘D' if it is subject to a distressed exchange offer.

NR: This indicates that no rating has been requested, that there is insufficient information on which to base a rating, or that S&P does not rate a particular obligation as a matter of policy.

Plus (+) or minus (-): The ratings from ‘AA' to 'CCC' may be modified by the addition of a plus (+) or minus (-) sign to show relative standing within the major rating categories.

Short-Term Issue Credit Ratings
A-1: A short-term obligation rated 'A-1' is rated in the highest category by S&P. The obligor's capacity to meet its financial commitment on the obligation is strong. Within this category, certain obligations are designated with a plus sign (+). This indicates that the obligor's capacity to meet its financial commitment on these obligations is extremely strong.

A-2: A short-term obligation rated 'A-2' is somewhat more susceptible to the adverse effects of changes in circumstances and economic conditions

 

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Prospectus

than obligations in higher rating categories. However, the obligor's capacity to meet its financial commitment on the obligation is satisfactory.

A-3: A short-term obligation rated 'A-3' exhibits adequate protection parameters. However, adverse economic conditions or changing circumstances are more likely to lead to a weakened capacity of the obligor to meet its financial commitment on the obligation.

B: A short-term obligation rated 'B' is regarded as vulnerable and has significant speculative characteristics. The obligor currently has the capacity to meet its financial commitments; however, it faces major ongoing uncertainties which could lead to the obligor's inadequate capacity to meet its financial commitments.

C: A short-term obligation rated 'C' is currently vulnerable to nonpayment and is dependent upon favorable business, financial, and economic conditions for the obligor to meet its financial commitment on the obligation.

D: A short-term obligation rated ‘D' is in default or in breach of an imputed promise. For non-hybrid capital instruments, the ‘D' rating category is used when payments on an obligation are not made on the date due, unless S&P believes that such payments will be made within any stated grace period. However, any stated grace period longer than five business days will be treated as five business days. The ‘D' rating also will be used upon the filing of a bankruptcy petition or the taking of a similar action and where default on an obligation is a virtual certainty, for example due to automatic stay provisions. An obligation's rating is lowered to ‘D' if it is subject to a distressed exchange offer.

Dual Ratings: Dual ratings may be assigned to debt issues that have a put option or demand feature. The first component of the rating addresses the likelihood of repayment of principal and interest as due, and the second component of the rating addresses only the demand feature. The first component of the rating can relate to either a short-term or long-term transaction and accordingly use either short-term or long-term rating symbols. The second component of the rating relates to the put option and is assigned a short-term rating symbol (for example, ‘AAA/A-1+' or ‘A-1+/A-1'). With U.S. municipal short-term demand debt, the U.S. municipal short-term note rating symbols are used for the first component of the rating (for example, ‘SP-1+/A-1+').

Active Qualifiers
S&P uses the following qualifiers that limit the scope of a rating. The structure of the transaction can require the use of a qualifier such as a 'p' qualifier, which indicates the rating addressed the principal portion of the obligation only. A qualifier appears as a suffix and is part of the rating.

L: Ratings qualified with ‘L' apply only to amounts invested up to federal deposit insurance limits.

p: This suffix is used for issues in which the credit factors, the terms, or both, that determine the likelihood of receipt of payment of principal are different from the credit factors, terms or both that determine the likelihood of receipt of interest on the obligation. The ‘p' suffix indicates that the rating addresses the principal portion of the obligation only and that the interest is not rated.

prelim: Preliminary ratings, with the ‘prelim' suffix, may be assigned to obligors or obligations, including financial programs, in the circumstances described below. Assignment of a final rating is conditional on the receipt by S&P of appropriate documentation. S&P reserves the right not to issue a final rating. Moreover, if a final rating is issued, it may differ from the preliminary rating.

Preliminary ratings may be assigned to obligations, most commonly structured and project finance issues, pending receipt of final documentation and legal opinions.

Preliminary ratings may be assigned to obligations that will likely be issued upon the obligor's emergence from bankruptcy or similar reorganization, based on late-stage reorganization plans, documentation and discussions with the obligor. Preliminary ratings may also be assigned to the obligors. These ratings consider the anticipated general credit quality of the reorganized or post-bankruptcy issuer as well as attributes of the anticipated obligation(s).

Preliminary ratings may be assigned to entities that are being formed or that are in the process of being independently established when, in S&P opinion, documentation is close to final. Preliminary ratings may also be assigned to the obligations of these entities.

Preliminary ratings may be assigned when a previously unrated entity is undergoing a well-formulated restructuring, recapitalization, significant financing or other transformative event, generally at the point that investor or lender commitments are invited. The preliminary rating may be assigned to the entity and to its proposed obligation(s). These preliminary ratings consider the anticipated general credit quality of the obligor, as well as attributes of the anticipated obligation(s), assuming successful completion of the transformative event. Should the transformative event not occur, S&P would likely withdraw these preliminary ratings.

A preliminary recovery rating may be assigned to an obligation that has a preliminary issue credit rating.

t: This symbol indicates termination structures that are designed to honor their contracts to full maturity or, should certain events occur, to terminate and cash settle all their contracts before their final maturity date.

cir: This symbol indicates a Counterparty Instrument Rating (CIR), which is a forward-looking opinion about the creditworthiness of an issuer in a securitization structure with respect to a specific financial obligation to a counterparty (including interest rate swaps, currency swaps, and liquidity facilities). The CIR is determined on an ultimate payment basis; these opinions do not take into account timeliness of payment.

Inactive Qualifiers (no longer applied or outstanding)

*:This symbol that indicated that the rating was contingent upon S&P receipt of an executed copy of the escrow agreement or closing documentation confirming investments and cash flows. Discontinued use in August 1998.

c: This qualifier was used to provide additional information to investors that the bank may terminate its obligation to purchase tendered bonds if the long-term credit rating of the issuer was lowered to below an investment-grade level and/or the issuer's bonds were deemed taxable. Discontinued use in January 2001.

 

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PIMCO Funds

G: The letter 'G' followed the rating symbol when a fund's portfolio consisted primarily of direct U.S. government securities.

pi: This qualifier was used to indicate ratings that were based on an analysis of an issuer's published financial information, as well as additional information in the public domain. Such ratings did not, however, reflect in-depth meetings with an issuer's management and therefore, could have been based on less comprehensive information than ratings without a 'pi' suffix. Discontinued use as of December 2014 and as of August 2015 for Lloyd's Syndicate Assessments.

pr: The letters ‘pr' indicate that the rating was provisional. A provisional rating assumed the successful completion of a project financed by the debt being rated and indicates that payment of debt service requirements was largely or entirely dependent upon the successful, timely completion of the project. This rating, however, while addressing credit quality subsequent to completion of the project, made no comment on the likelihood of or the risk of default upon failure of such completion.

q: A ‘q' subscript indicates that the rating is based solely on quantitative analysis of publicly available information. Discontinued use in April 2001.

r: The ‘r' modifier was assigned to securities containing extraordinary risks, particularly market risks, which are not covered in the credit rating. The absence of an ‘r' modifier should not be taken as an indication that an obligation would not exhibit extraordinary non-credit related risks. S&P discontinued the use of the ‘r' modifier for most obligations in June 2000 and for the balance of obligations (mainly structured finance transactions) in November 2002.

Fitch Ratings

Long-Term Credit Ratings
Investment Grade
Rated entities in a number of sectors, including financial and non-financial corporations, sovereigns, insurance companies and certain sectors within public finance, are generally assigned Issuer Default Ratings (IDRs). IDRs are also assigned to certain entities in global infrastructure and project finance. IDRs opine on an entity's relative vulnerability to default on financial obligations. The threshold default risk addressed by the IDR is generally that of the financial obligations whose non-payment would best reflect the uncured failure of that entity. As such, IDRs also address relative vulnerability to bankruptcy, administrative receivership or similar concepts.

In aggregate, IDRs provide an ordinal ranking of issuers based on the agency's view of their relative vulnerability to default, rather than a prediction of a specific percentage likelihood of default.

AAA: Highest credit quality. ‘AAA' ratings denote the lowest expectation of credit risk. They are assigned only in cases of exceptionally strong capacity for payment of financial commitments. This capacity is highly unlikely to be adversely affected by foreseeable events.

AA: Very high credit quality. 'AA' ratings denote expectations of very low credit risk. They indicate very strong capacity for payment of financial commitments. This capacity is not significantly vulnerable to foreseeable events.

A: High credit quality. 'A' ratings denote expectations of low credit risk. The capacity for payment of financial commitments is considered strong. This capacity may, nevertheless, be more vulnerable to adverse business or economic conditions than is the case for higher ratings.

BBB: Good credit quality. 'BBB' ratings indicate that expectations of credit risk are currently low. The capacity for payment of financial commitments is considered adequate, but adverse business or economic conditions are more likely to impair this capacity.

Speculative Grade
BB: Speculative. ‘BB' ratings indicate an elevated vulnerability to credit risk, particularly in the event of adverse changes in business or economic conditions over time; however, business or financial alternatives may be available to allow financial commitments to be met.

B: Highly speculative. ‘B' ratings indicate that material credit risk is present.

CCC: Substantial credit risk.

CC: Very high levels of credit risk.

C: Exceptionally high levels of credit risk.

Defaulted obligations typically are not assigned 'RD' or ‘D' ratings, but are instead rated in the ‘B' to ‘C' rating categories, depending on their recovery prospects and other relevant characteristics. This approach better aligns obligations that have comparable overall expected loss but varying vulnerability to default and loss.

The modifiers "+" or "-" may be appended to a rating to denote relative status within major rating categories. For example, the rating category 'AA' has three notch-specific rating levels ('AA+'; 'AA'; 'AA-'; each a rating level). Such suffixes are not added to the ‘AAA' obligation rating category, or to corporate finance obligation ratings in the categories below ‘CCC.'

The subscript ‘emr' is appended to a rating to denote embedded market risk that is beyond the scope of the rating. The designation is intended to make clear that the rating solely addresses the counterparty risk of the issuing bank. It is not meant to indicate any limitation in the analysis of the counterparty risk, which in all other respects follows published Fitch criteria for analyzing the issuing financial institution. Fitch does not rate these instruments where the principal is to any degree subject to market risk. 

Recovery Ratings
Recovery Ratings are assigned to selected individual securities and obligations, most frequently for individual obligations of corporate finance issuers with Issuer Default Ratings (IDRs) in speculative grade categories.

Among the factors that affect recovery rates for securities are the collateral, the seniority relative to other obligations in the capital structure (where appropriate), and the expected value of the company or underlying collateral in distress.

The Recovery Rating scale is based on the expected relative recovery characteristics of an obligation upon the curing of a default, emergence from insolvency or following the liquidation or termination of the obligor or its associated collateral.

Recovery Ratings are an ordinal scale and do not attempt to precisely predict a given level of recovery. As a guideline in developing the rating assessments, the agency employs broad theoretical recovery bands in its

 

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Prospectus

ratings approach based on historical averages and analytical judgment, but actual recoveries for a given security may deviate materially from historical averages.

RR1: Outstanding recovery prospects given default. ‘RR1' rated securities have characteristics consistent with securities historically recovering 91%-100% of current principal and related interest.

RR2: Superior recovery prospects given default. ‘RR2' rated securities have characteristics consistent with securities historically recovering 71%-90% of current principal and related interest.

RR3: Good recovery prospects given default. ‘RR3' rated securities have characteristics consistent with securities historically recovering 51%-70% of current principal and related interest.

RR4: Average recovery prospects given default. ‘RR4' rated securities have characteristics consistent with securities historically recovering 31%-50% of current principal and related interest.

RR5: Below average recovery prospects given default. ‘RR5' rated securities have characteristics consistent with securities historically recovering 11%-30% of current principal and related interest.

RR6: Poor recovery prospects given default. ‘RR6' rated securities have characteristics consistent with securities historically recovering 0%-10% of current principal and related interest.

Short-Term Credit Ratings
A short-term issuer or obligation rating is based in all cases on the short-term vulnerability to default of the rated entity and relates to the capacity to meet financial obligations in accordance with the documentation governing the relevant obligation. Short-term deposit ratings may be adjusted for loss severity. Short-Term Ratings are assigned to obligations whose initial maturity is viewed as "short term" based on market convention. Typically, this means up to 13 months for corporate, sovereign, and structured obligations, and up to 36 months for obligations in U.S. public finance markets.

F1: Highest short-term credit quality. Indicates the strongest intrinsic capacity for timely payment of financial commitments; may have an added "+" to denote any exceptionally strong credit feature.

F2: Good short-term credit quality. Good intrinsic capacity for timely payment of financial commitments.

F3: Fair short-term credit quality. The intrinsic capacity for timely payment of financial commitments is adequate.

B: Speculative short-term credit quality. Minimal capacity for timely payment of financial commitments, plus heightened vulnerability to near term adverse changes in financial and economic conditions.

C: High short-term default risk. Default is a real possibility.

RD: Restricted default. Indicates an entity that has defaulted on one or more of its financial commitments, although it continues to meet other financial obligations. Typically applicable to entity ratings only.

D: Default. Indicates a broad-based default event for an entity, or the default of a short-term obligation.

 

[ ] | PROSPECTUS

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PIMCO Funds

Appendix B
Financial Firm-Specific Sales Charge Waivers and Discounts

The availability of initial and contingent deferred sales charge waivers and discounts may depend on the particular financial firm or type of account through which you purchase or hold Fund shares. For waivers or discounts not available through a particular financial firm, investors will have to purchase shares directly from the Fund (or the Distributor) or through another financial firm to receive such waivers or discounts.

The following descriptions of sales charge waivers and discounts for a particular financial firm and class(es) of shares set forth information provided by the financial firm that the firm has represented is current as of the date of this Prospectus. These waivers or discounts, which may vary from those disclosed elsewhere in the Prospectus, are subject to change. The Fund will update this Appendix periodically based on information provided by the applicable financial firm. Neither the Fund, the Investment Adviser nor PIMCO Investments LLC supervises the implementation of these waivers or discounts or verifies the firms' administration of these waivers or discounts.

In all instances, it is an investor's responsibility to notify the financial firm of any facts that may qualify the investor for sales charge waivers or discounts. Please contact your financial firm for more information regarding the sales charge waivers and discounts available to you and the firm's related policies and procedures. 

Effective April 10, 2017, shareholders purchasing Fund shares through a Merrill Lynch platform or account will be eligible only for the following load waivers (front-end sales charge waivers and contingent deferred, or back-end, sales charge waivers) and discounts, which may differ from those disclosed elsewhere in the Fund's prospectus or SAI.

Front-end Sales Load Waivers on Class A Shares available at Merrill Lynch

Employer-sponsored retirement, deferred compensation and employee benefit plans (including health savings accounts) and trusts used to fund those plans, provided that the shares are not held in a commission-based brokerage account and shares are held for the benefit of the plan

Shares purchased by or through a 529 Plan

Shares purchased through a Merrill Lynch affiliated investment advisory program

Shares purchased by third party investment advisors on behalf of their advisory clients through Merrill Lynch's platform

Shares purchased through reinvestment of capital gains distributions and dividend reinvestment when purchasing shares of the same fund (but not any other fund within the fund family)

Shares exchanged from Class C (i.e. level-load) shares of the same fund in the month of or following the 10-year anniversary of the purchase date

Employees and registered representatives of Merrill Lynch or its affiliates and their family members

Directors or Trustees of the Fund, and employees of the Fund's investment adviser or any of its affiliates, as described in the this prospectus

Shares purchased from the proceeds of redemptions within the same fund family, provided (1) the repurchase occurs within 90 days following the redemption, (2) the redemption and purchase occur in the same account, and (3) redeemed shares were subject to a front-end or deferred sales load (known as Rights of Reinstatement)

CDSC Waivers on A and C Shares available at Merrill Lynch

Death or disability of the shareholder

Shares sold as part of a systematic withdrawal plan as described in the Fund's prospectus

Return of excess contributions from an IRA Account

Shares sold as part of a required minimum distribution for IRA and retirement accounts due to the shareholder reaching age 70½

Shares sold to pay Merrill Lynch fees but only if the transaction is initiated by Merrill Lynch

Shares held in retirement brokerage accounts, that are exchanged for a lower cost share class due to transfer to a certain fee based account or platform (applicable to A and C shares only)

Front-end load Discounts Available at Merrill Lynch: Breakpoints, Rights of Accumulation & Letters of Intent

Breakpoints as described in this prospectus.

Rights of Accumulation (ROA) which entitle shareholders to breakpoint discounts will be automatically calculated based on the aggregated holding of fund family assets held by accounts within the purchaser's household at Merrill Lynch. Eligible fund family assets not held at Merrill Lynch may be included in the ROA calculation only if the shareholder notifies his or her financial advisor about such assets

Letters of Intent (LOI) which allow for breakpoint discounts based on anticipated purchases within a fund family, through Merrill Lynch, over a 13-month period of time

 

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INVESTMENT ADVISER AND ADMINISTRATOR

PIMCO, 650 Newport Center Drive, Newport Beach, CA 92660

DISTRIBUTOR

PIMCO Investments LLC, 1633 Broadway, New York, NY 10019

CUSTODIAN

State Street Bank & Trust Co., 801 Pennsylvania Avenue, Kansas City, MO 64105

TRANSFER AGENT

DST Asset Manager Solutions, Inc.
Institutional Class, I-2, I-3 — 330 W. 9th Street, 5th Floor, Kansas City, MO 64105
Class A, Class C — P.O. Box 55060, Boston, MA 02205-5060

INDEPENDENT REGISTERED PUBLIC ACCOUNTING FIRM

PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP, 1100 Walnut Street, Suite 1300, Kansas City, MO 64106-2197

LEGAL COUNSEL

Dechert LLP, 1900 K Street N.W., Washington, D.C. 20006 

 

 

 

For further information about the PIMCO Funds, call 888.87.PIMCO or visit our Web site at pimco.com.


 

Table of Contents





PIMCO FUNDS
650 Newport Center Drive
Newport Beach, CA 92660

The Trust's SAI and annual and semi-annual reports to shareholders include additional information about the Fund. The SAI and the financial statements included in the Fund's most recent annual report to shareholders are incorporated by reference into this Prospectus, which means they are part of this Prospectus for legal purposes. The Fund's annual report discusses the market conditions and investment strategies that significantly affected the Fund's performance during its last fiscal year.

The SAI contains detailed information about Fund purchase, redemption and exchange options and procedures and other information about the Fund. You can get a free copy of the SAI.

You may get free copies of any of these materials or request other information about the Fund by calling the Trust at 888.87.PIMCO (888.877.4626) or by writing to:

PIMCO Funds
650 Newport Center Drive
Newport Beach, CA 92660

Daily updates on the NAV of a Fund may be obtained by calling 1-888-87-PIMCO.

You may review and copy information about the Trust, including its SAI, at the Securities and Exchange Commission's public reference room in Washington, D.C. You may call the Commission at 202.551.8090 for information about the operation of the public reference room. You may also access reports and other information about the Trust on the EDGAR Database on the Commission's Web site at www.sec.gov. You may get copies of this information, with payment of a duplication fee, by writing the Public Reference Section of the Commission, 100 F Street N.E., Washington, D.C. 20549-1520, or by e-mailing your request to publicinfo@sec.gov.

You can also visit our web site at pimco.com for additional information about the Fund, including the SAI and the annual and semi-annual reports, which are available for download free of charge. 

Reference the Trust's Investment Company Act file number in your correspondence.

Investment Company Act File Number: 811-05028

PF0009_[ ]


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PIMCO Funds

Statement of Additional Information

[            ], 2018

This Statement of Additional Information is not a prospectus, and should be read in conjunction with the prospectuses of PIMCO Funds (the “Trust”), as described below and as supplemented from time to time.

The Trust is an open-end management investment company (“mutual fund”) currently consisting of [84] separate portfolios (each such portfolio discussed in this Statement of Additional Information is referred to herein as a “Fund” and collectively as the “Funds”). The Trust offers up to eight classes of shares of each of its Funds.

Certain Funds’ Institutional Class, I-2, I-3, Administrative Class, Class A, Class C and Class R shares are offered through the Asset Allocation Funds Prospectus dated [            ], 2018, certain Funds’ Institutional Class, I-2, I-3, Administrative Class, Class A, Class C and Class R shares are offered through the Bond Funds Prospectus dated [            ], 2018, certain Funds’ Institutional Class, I-2, I-3, Administrative Class, Class A, Class C and Class R shares are offered through the Credit Bond Funds Prospectus dated [            ], 2018, certain Funds’ Institutional Class, I-2, I-3, Administrative Class, Class A, Class C and Class R shares are offered through the Equity-Related Strategy Funds Prospectus dated [            ], 2018, certain Funds’ Institutional Class, I-2, I-3, Administrative Class, Class A, Class C and Class R shares are offered through the International Bond Funds Prospectus dated [            ], 2018, the PIMCO TRENDS Managed Futures Strategy Fund’s Institutional Class, I-2, I-3, Class A and Class C shares are offered through the Quantitative Strategies Prospectus dated [            ], 2018, certain Funds’ Institutional Class, I-2, I-3, Administrative Class, Class A, Class C and Class R shares are offered through the Real Return Strategy Funds Prospectus dated [            ], 2018, certain Funds’ Institutional Class, Class M, I-2, I-3, Administrative Class, Class A, Class C and Class R shares are offered through the Short Duration Strategy Funds Prospectus dated [            ], 2018, and certain Funds’ Institutional Class, I-2, I-3, Class A and Class C shares are offered through the Tax-Efficient Strategy Funds Prospectus dated [            ], 2018, each as supplemented from time to time (each a “Prospectus,” collectively the “Prospectuses”). A copy of the Prospectuses may be obtained free of charge at the address and telephone number listed below.

 

     

Inst.

 

  

M

 

  

I-2

 

  

I-3

 

  

Admin.

 

  

A

 

  

C

 

  

R

 

PIMCO All Asset Fund

   PAAIX    -    PALPX    PAANX    PAALX    PASAX    PASCX    PATRX

PIMCO All Asset All Authority Fund

   PAUIX    -    PAUPX    PAUNX    -    PAUAX    PAUCX    -

PIMCO California Intermediate Municipal Bond Fund

   PCIMX    -    PCIPX    -    -    PCMBX    PCFCX    -

PIMCO California Municipal Bond Fund

   PCTIX    -    PCTPX    -    -    PCTTX    PCTGX    -

PIMCO California Short Duration Municipal Income Fund

   PCDIX    -    PCDPX    -    -    PCDAX    -    -

PIMCO CommoditiesPLUS® Strategy Fund

   PCLIX    -    PCLPX    PCLNX    PCPSX    PCLAX    PCPCX    -

PIMCO CommodityRealReturn Strategy Fund®

   PCRIX    -    PCRPX    PCRNX    PCRRX    PCRAX    PCRCX    PCSRX

PIMCO Credit Opportunities Bond Fund

   PCARX    -    PPCRX    [    ]    -    PZCRX    PCCRX    -

PIMCO Diversified Income Fund

   PDIIX    -    PDVPX    PDINX    PDAAX    PDVAX    PDICX    -

PIMCO Dynamic Bond Fund

   PFIUX    -    PUCPX    PFNUX    -    PUBAX    PUBCX    PUBRX

PIMCO Emerging Local Bond Fund

   PELBX    -    PELPX    PELNX    PEBLX    PELAX    PELCX    -

PIMCO Emerging Markets Bond Fund

   PEBIX    -    PEMPX    PEBNX    PEBAX    PAEMX    PEBCX    -

PIMCO Emerging Markets Corporate Bond Fund

   PEMIX    -    -    -    -    -    -    -


Table of Contents
     

Inst.

 

  

M

 

  

I-2

 

  

I-3

 

  

Admin.

 

  

A

 

  

C

 

  

R

 

PIMCO Emerging Markets Currency and Short-Term Investments Fund

   PLMIX    -    PLMPX    -    -    PLMAX    PLMCX    -

PIMCO Emerging Markets Full Spectrum Bond Fund

   PFSIX    -    -    -    -    -    -    -

PIMCO Extended Duration Fund

   PEDIX    -    PEDPX    -    -    -    -    -

PIMCO Global Advantage® Strategy Bond Fund

   PSAIX    -    PGBPX    -    -    PGSAX    PAFCX    -

PIMCO Global Bond Opportunities Fund (Unhedged)

   PIGLX    -    -    -    PADMX    PAGPX    -    -

PIMCO Global Bond Opportunities Fund (U.S. Dollar-Hedged)

   PGBIX    -    PGNPX    -    PGDAX    PAIIX    PCIIX    -

PIMCO Global Multi-Asset Fund

   PGAIX    -    PGAPX    -    -    PGMAX    PGMCX    PGMRX

PIMCO GNMA and Government Securities Fund

   PDMIX    -    PPGNX    [    ]    -    PAGNX    PCGNX    -

PIMCO Government Money Market Fund

   PGYXX    PGFXX    PGPXX    -    PGOXX    AMAXX    AMGXX    -

PIMCO High Yield Fund

   PHIYX    -    PHLPX    PHNNX    PHYAX    PHDAX    PHDCX    PHYRX

PIMCO High Yield Municipal Bond Fund

   PHMIX    -    PYMPX    [    ]    -    PYMAX    PYMCX    -

PIMCO High Yield Spectrum Fund

   PHSIX    -    PHSPX    PHFNX    -    PHSAX    PHSCX    -

PIMCO Income Fund

   PIMIX    -    PONPX    PIPNX    PIINX    PONAX    PONCX    PONRX

PIMCO Inflation Response Multi-Asset Fund

   PIRMX    -    PPRMX    -    -    PZRMX    -    -

PIMCO International Bond Fund (Unhedged)

   PFUIX    -    PFUPX    PFUNX    PFUUX    PFUAX    PFRCX    -

PIMCO International Bond Fund (U.S. Dollar-Hedged)

   PFORX    -    PFBPX    PFONX    PFRAX    PFOAX    PFOCX    PFRRX

PIMCO Investment Grade Credit Bond Fund

   PIGIX    -    PBDPX    PCNNX    PGCAX    PBDAX    PBDCX    -

PIMCO Long Duration Total Return Fund

   PLRIX    -    PLRPX    -    -    PLRAX    PLRCX    -

PIMCO Long-Term Credit Bond Fund

   PTCIX    -    PLCPX    -    -    -    -    -

PIMCO Long-Term Real Return Fund

   PRAIX    -    PRTPX    -    -    -    -    -

PIMCO Long-Term U.S. Government Fund

   PGOVX    -    PLTPX    [    ]    PLGBX    PFGAX    PFGCX    -

PIMCO Low Duration Fund

   PTLDX    -    PLDPX    PTLNX    PLDAX    PTLAX    PTLCX    PLDRX

PIMCO Low Duration Fund II

   PLDTX    -    -    -    PDFAX    -    -    -

PIMCO Low Duration ESG Fund

   PLDIX    -    PLUPX    [    ]    PDRAX    -    -    -

PIMCO Low Duration Income Fund

   PFIIX    -    PFTPX    PFNIX    -    PFIAX    PFNCX     

PIMCO Moderate Duration Fund

   PMDRX    -    PMOPX    -    -    -    -    -

PIMCO Mortgage-Backed Securities Fund

   PTRIX    -    PMRPX    PSANX    PMTAX    PMRAX    PMRCX    -

PIMCO Mortgage Opportunities and Bond Fund

   PMZIX    -    PMZPX    PMZNX    -    PMZAX    PMZCX    -

PIMCO Multi-Strategy Alternative Fund

   PXAIX    -    PXAPX    -    -    PXAAX    -    -

PIMCO Municipal Bond Fund

   PFMIX    -    PMUPX    [    ]    -    PMLAX    PMLCX    -


Table of Contents
     

Inst.

 

  

M

 

  

I-2

 

  

I-3

 

  

Admin.

 

  

A

 

  

C

 

  

R

 

PIMCO National Intermediate Municipal Bond Fund

   PMNIX    -    PMNPX    -    -    PMNTX    PMNNX    -

PIMCO New York Municipal Bond Fund

   PNYIX    -    PNYPX    [    ]    -    PNYAX    PBFCX    -

PIMCO Preferred and Capital Securities Fund

   PFINX    -    PFPNX    PFNNX    -    PFANX    -    -

PIMCO RAE Fundamental Advantage PLUS Fund

   PFATX    -    PFAPX    -    -    PTFAX    PTRCX    -

PIMCO RAE Low Volatility PLUS EMG Fund

   PLVLX    -    -    -    -    -    -    -

PIMCO RAE Low Volatility PLUS Fund

   PILVX    -    -    -    -    PXLVX    POLVX    -

PIMCO RAE Low Volatility PLUS International Fund

   PLVTX    -    PLVZX    -    -    -    -    -

PIMCO RAE PLUS EMG Fund

   PEFIX    -    PEFPX    -    -    PEFFX    PEFCX    -

PIMCO RAE PLUS Fund

   PXTIX    -    PIXPX    PXTNX    PXTAX    PIXAX    PIXCX    -

PIMCO RAE PLUS International Fund

   PTSIX    -    PTIPX    -    -    PTSOX    -    -

PIMCO RAE PLUS Small Fund

   PCFIX    -    PCCPX    -    -    PCFAX    PCFEX    -

PIMCO RAE Worldwide Long/Short PLUS Fund

   PWLIX    -    -    -    -    -    -    -

PIMCO REALPATH® Income Fund

   PRIEX    -    -    -    PRNAX    PTNAX    -    -

PIMCO REALPATH® 2020 Fund

   PRWIX    -    -    -    PFNAX    PTYAX    -    -

PIMCO REALPATH® 2025 Fund

   PENTX    -    -    -    PENMX    PENZX    -    -

PIMCO REALPATH® 2030 Fund

   PRLIX    -    -    -    PNLAX    PEHAX    -    -

PIMCO REALPATH® 2035 Fund

   PIVIX    -    -    -    PIVNX    PIVAX    -    -

PIMCO REALPATH® 2040 Fund

   PROIX    -    -    -    PEOAX    POFAX    -    -

PIMCO REALPATH® 2045 Fund

   PFZIX    -    -    -    PFZMX    PFZAX    -    -

PIMCO REALPATH® 2050 Fund

   PRMIX    -    -    -    POTAX    PFYAX    -    -

PIMCO REALPATH® 2055 Fund

   PRQIX    -    -    -    PQRZX    PQRAX    -    -

PIMCO Real Return Fund

   PRRIX    -    PRLPX    PRNPX    PARRX    PRTNX    PRTCX    PRRRX

PIMCO Real Return Limited Duration Fund

   PPIRX    -    -    -    -    -    -    -

PIMCO RealEstateRealReturn Strategy Fund

   PRRSX    -    PETPX    PNRNX    -    PETAX    PETCX    -

PIMCO Senior Floating Rate Fund

   PSRIX    -    PSRPX    -    -    PSRZX    PSRWX    -

PIMCO Short Asset Investment Fund

   PAIDX    PAMSX    PAIPX    PANDX    PAIQX    PAIAX    -    -

PIMCO Short Duration Municipal Income Fund

   PSDIX    -    PSDPX    [    ]    -    PSDAX    PSDCX    -

PIMCO Short-Term Fund

   PTSHX    -    PTSPX    PTSNX    PSFAX    PSHAX    PFTCX    PTSRX

PIMCO StocksPLUS® Absolute Return Fund

   PSPTX    -    PTOPX    PSPNX    -    PTOAX    PSOCX    -

PIMCO StocksPLUS® Fund

   PSTKX    -    PSKPX    PSTNX    PPLAX    PSPAX    PSPCX    PSPRX

PIMCO StocksPLUS® International Fund (Unhedged)

   PSKIX    -    PPLPX    PSKNX    -    PPUAX    PPUCX    -


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Inst.

 

  

M

 

  

I-2

 

  

I-3

 

  

Admin.

 

  

A

 

  

C

 

  

R

 

PIMCO StocksPLUS® International Fund (U.S. Dollar-Hedged)

   PISIX    -    PIUHX    PISNX    -    PIPAX    PIPCX    -

PIMCO StocksPLUS® Long Duration Fund

   PSLDX    -    -    -    -    -    -    -

PIMCO StocksPLUS® Short Fund

   PSTIX    -    PSPLX    PSNNX    -    PSSAX    PSSCX    -

PIMCO StocksPLUS® Small Fund

   PSCSX    -    PCKPX    PSNSX    PCKTX    PCKAX    PCKCX    -

PIMCO Strategic Bond Fund

   PUTIX    -    PUTPX    -    -    ATMAX    ATMCX    -

PIMCO Total Return Fund

   PTTRX    -    PTTPX    PTTNX    PTRAX    PTTAX    PTTCX    PTRRX

PIMCO Total Return Fund II

   PMBIX    -    PMTPX    -    PRADX    -    -    -

PIMCO Total Return Fund IV

   PTUIX    -    -    -    -    PTUZX    PTUCX    -

PIMCO Total Return ESG Fund

   PTSAX    -    PRAPX    [    ]    PRFAX    -    -    -

PIMCO TRENDS Managed Futures Strategy Fund

   PQTIX    -    PQTPX    PQTNX    -    PQTAX    PQTCX    -

Pacific Investment Management Company LLC (“PIMCO” or the “Adviser”), 650 Newport Center Drive, Newport Beach, California 92660, is the investment adviser to the Funds.

[To be updated by amendment]

PIMCO Funds

Regulatory Document Request

650 Newport Center Drive

Newport Beach, California 92660

Telephone: 1-888-87PIMCO


Table of Contents

TABLE OF CONTENTS

 

THE TRUST      1  
INVESTMENT OBJECTIVES AND POLICIES      2  

U.S. Government Securities

     3  

Municipal Bonds

     4  

Mortgage-Related Securities and Asset-Backed Securities

     13  

Real Estate Assets and Related Derivatives

     19  

Bank Obligations

     20  

Loans and Other Indebtedness, Loan Participations and Assignments

     20  

Senior Loans

     24  

Trade Claims

     24  

Corporate Debt Securities

     25  

High Yield Securities (“Junk Bonds”) and Securities of Distressed Companies

     25  

Creditor Liability and Participation on Creditors Committees

     26  

Variable and Floating Rate Securities

     26  

Inflation-Indexed Bonds

     27  

Event-Linked Exposure

     27  

Convertible Securities

     28  

Equity Securities

     29  

Preferred Securities

     30  

Depositary Receipts

     30  

Warrants to Purchase Securities

     30  

Foreign Securities

     31  

Foreign Currency Transactions

     38  

Foreign Currency Exchange-Related Securities

     40  

Borrowing

     40  

Derivative Instruments

     42  

Structured Products

     53  

Bank Capital Securities

     54  

Trust Preferred Securities

     54  

Exchange-Traded Notes

     54  

Delayed Funding Loans and Revolving Credit Facilities

     55  

When-Issued, Delayed Delivery and Forward Commitment Transactions

     55  

Standby Commitment Agreements

     56  

Infrastructure Investments

     56  

Short Sales

     57  

144A Securities

     57  

Regulation S Securities

     57  

Illiquid Securities

     57  

Repurchase Agreements

     58  

Loans of Portfolio Securities

     58  

Investments in Business Development Companies (“BDCs”)

     58  

Investments in Underlying PIMCO Funds

     58  

Investments in Exchange-Traded Funds (“ETFs”)

     59  

Environment, Social Responsibility and Governance Policies

     59  

Investments in the Wholly-Owned Subsidiaries

     60  

Government Intervention in Financial Markets

     61  

Cash Holdings

     61  

Increasing Government Debt

     62  

Inflation and Deflation

     62  

Regulatory Risk

     62  

Liquidation of Funds

     62  

Participation in Litigation or Arbitration Proceedings

     63  

Fund Operations

     63  
INVESTMENT RESTRICTIONS      64  

Fundamental Investment Restrictions

     64  


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Non-Fundamental Investment Restrictions

     65  
MANAGEMENT OF THE TRUST      71  

Trustees and Officers

     71  

Leadership Structure and Risk Oversight Function

     71  

Qualifications of the Trustees

     71  

Trustees of the Trust

     72  

Executive Officers

     74  

Securities Ownership

     76  

Trustee Ownership of the Investment Adviser and Principal Underwriter, and Their Control Persons

     78  

Standing Committees

     79  

Trustee Retirement Policy

     81  

Compensation Table

     81  

Investment Adviser

     82  

Advisory Agreements

     82  

Advisory Fee Rates

     85  

PIMCO REALPATH® Fund Advisory Fee Schedule

     86  

Advisory Fee Payments

     86  

Advisory Fees Waived and Recouped

     88  

Sub-Advisory Fee Payments

     89  

Proxy Voting Policies and Procedures

     89  

Fund Administrator

     90  

Supervisory and Administrative Fee Rates

     90  

Supervisory and Administrative Fee Payments

     93  

Supervisory and Administrative Fees Waived and Recouped

     95  
OTHER PIMCO INFORMATION      96  
PORTFOLIO MANAGERS      97  

Other Accounts Managed

     97  

Conflicts of Interest

     103  

Portfolio Manager Compensation

     106  

Securities Ownership

     107  
DISTRIBUTION OF TRUST SHARES      111  

Distributor

     111  

Account Managers’ and Associates’ Compensation

     112  

Potential Conflicts of Interest

     112  

Multi-Class Plan

     113  

Initial Sales Charge and Contingent Deferred Sales Charge

     114  

Distribution and Servicing Plans for Class A, Class C and Class R Shares

     114  

Payments Pursuant to Class A Plan

     116  

Payments Pursuant to Class C Plan

     119  

Payments Pursuant to Class R Plan

     122  

Distribution and Servicing Plan for Administrative Class Shares

     123  

Payments Pursuant to the Administrative Class Plans

     124  

Additional Payments to Financial Firms

     125  

Purchases, Exchanges and Redemptions

     128  

Exchange Privileges.

     144  

How to Sell (Redeem) Shares

     145  

Custodial Risks for Shares Held Through Third-Party Financial Intermediaries

     151  

Request for Multiple Copies of Shareholder Documents

     151  
PORTFOLIO TRANSACTIONS AND BROKERAGE      152  

Investment Decisions and Portfolio Transactions

     152  

Brokerage and Research Services

     152  

Brokerage Commissions Paid

     153  

Holdings of Securities of the Trust’s Regular Brokers and Dealers

     155  

Portfolio Turnover

     155  

Disclosure of Portfolio Holdings

     156  

Large Trade Notifications

     158  

 

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NET ASSET VALUE      158  
TAXATION      159  

Distributions

     161  

Sales of Shares

     162  

Potential Pass-Through of Tax Credits

     163  

Backup Withholding

     163  

Options, Futures and Forward Contracts, and Swap Agreements

     163  

Short Sales

     164  

Passive Foreign Investment Companies

     164  

Foreign Currency Transactions

     165  

Foreign Taxation

     165  

Original Issue Discount and Market Discount

     165  

Investments in REITs and REMICs

     166  

Uncertain Tax Consequences

     166  

Constructive Sales

     167  

IRAs and Other Retirement Plans

     167  

Non-U.S. Shareholders

     167  

Other Taxation

     168  
OTHER INFORMATION      168  

Capitalization

     168  

Information on PIMCO Global Bond Opportunities Fund (U.S. Dollar-Hedged)

     169  

Voting Rights

     170  

Control Persons and Principal Holders of Securities

     170  

Code of Ethics

     170  

Custodian, Transfer Agent and Dividend Disbursing Agent

     171  

Independent Registered Public Accounting Firm

     171  

Counsel

     171  

Registration Statement

     171  

Financial Statements

     171  

 

iii


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THE TRUST

The Trust is an open-end management investment company (“mutual fund”) currently consisting of separate investment portfolios, including:

 

PIMCO All Asset Fund

PIMCO All Asset All Authority Fund

PIMCO California Intermediate Municipal Bond Fund

PIMCO California Municipal Bond Fund

PIMCO California Short Duration Municipal Income Fund PIMCO CommoditiesPLUS® Strategy Fund

PIMCO CommodityRealReturn Strategy Fund®

PIMCO Credit Opportunities Bond Fund

PIMCO Diversified Income Fund

PIMCO Dynamic Bond Fund

PIMCO Emerging Local Bond Fund

PIMCO Emerging Markets Bond Fund

PIMCO Emerging Markets Corporate Bond Fund

PIMCO Emerging Markets Currency and Short-Term Investments Fund

PIMCO Emerging Markets Full Spectrum Bond Fund

PIMCO Extended Duration Fund

PIMCO Global Advantage® Strategy Bond Fund

PIMCO Global Bond Opportunities Fund (Unhedged)

PIMCO Global Bond Opportunities Fund (U.S. Dollar-Hedged) PIMCO GNMA and Government Securities Fund

PIMCO Global Multi-Asset Fund

PIMCO Government Money Market Fund

PIMCO High Yield Fund

PIMCO High Yield Municipal Bond Fund

PIMCO High Yield Spectrum Fund

PIMCO Income Fund

PIMCO Inflation Response Multi-Asset Fund

PIMCO International Bond Fund (Unhedged)

PIMCO International Bond Fund (U.S. Dollar-Hedged)

PIMCO Investment Grade Credit Bond Fund

PIMCO Long Duration Total Return Fund

PIMCO Long-Term Credit Bond Fund

PIMCO Long-Term Real Return Fund

PIMCO Long-Term U.S. Government Fund

PIMCO Low Duration Fund

PIMCO Low Duration Fund II

PIMCO Low Duration ESG Fund

PIMCO Low Duration Income Fund

PIMCO Moderate Duration Fund

PIMCO Mortgage-Backed Securities Fund

PIMCO Mortgage Opportunities and Bond Fund

PIMCO Multi-Strategy Alternative Fund

 

PIMCO Municipal Bond Fund

PIMCO National Intermediate Municipal Bond Fund

PIMCO New York Municipal Bond Fund

PIMCO Preferred and Capital Securities Fund

PIMCO RAE Fundamental Advantage PLUS Fund

PIMCO RAE Low Volatility PLUS EMG Fund

PIMCO RAE Low Volatility PLUS Fund

PIMCO RAE Low Volatility PLUS International Fund

PIMCO RAE PLUS EMG Fund

PIMCO RAE PLUS Fund

PIMCO RAE PLUS International Fund

PIMCO RAE PLUS Small Fund

PIMCO RAE Worldwide Long/Short PLUS Fund

PIMCO Real Return Fund

PIMCO Real Return Limited Duration Fund

PIMCO RealEstateRealReturn Strategy Fund

PIMCO REALPATH® Income Fund

PIMCO REALPATH® 2020 Fund

PIMCO REALPATH® 2025 Fund

PIMCO REALPATH® 2030 Fund

PIMCO REALPATH® 2035 Fund

PIMCO REALPATH® 2040 Fund

PIMCO REALPATH® 2045 Fund

PIMCO REALPATH® 2050 Fund

PIMCO REALPATH® 2055 Fund

PIMCO Senior Floating Rate Fund

PIMCO Short Asset Investment Fund

PIMCO Short Duration Municipal Income Fund

PIMCO Short-Term Fund

PIMCO StocksPLUS® Absolute Return Fund

PIMCO StocksPLUS® Fund

PIMCO StocksPLUS® International Fund (Unhedged)

PIMCO StocksPLUS® International Fund (U.S. Dollar-Hedged)

PIMCO StocksPLUS® Long Duration Fund

PIMCO StocksPLUS® Short Fund

PIMCO StocksPLUS® Small Fund

PIMCO Strategic Bond Fund

PIMCO Total Return Fund

PIMCO Total Return Fund II

PIMCO Total Return Fund IV

PIMCO Total Return ESG Fund

PIMCO TRENDS Managed Futures Strategy Fund

 


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INVESTMENT OBJECTIVES AND POLICIES

The investment objectives and general investment policies of each Fund are described in the Prospectuses. Consistent with each Fund’s investment policies, each Fund may invest in “Fixed Income Instruments,” which are defined in the Prospectuses. Additional information concerning the characteristics of certain of the Funds’ investments, strategies and risks is set forth below.

The PIMCO All Asset and PIMCO All Asset All Authority Funds, which are separate Funds, invest substantially all of their assets in other Funds, except the PIMCO REALPATH® Income, PIMCO REALPATH® 2020, PIMCO REALPATH® 2025, PIMCO REALPATH® 2030, PIMCO REALPATH® 2035, PIMCO REALPATH® 2040, PIMCO REALPATH®2045, PIMCO REALPATH® 2050 and PIMCO REALPATH® 2055 Funds (collectively, the “PIMCO REALPATH® Funds”), PIMCO Emerging Markets Full Spectrum Bond Fund, PIMCO Global-Multi-Asset Fund, PIMCO Inflation Response Multi-Asset Fund, PIMCO Multi-Strategy Alternative Fund and each other, as well as in actively managed or smart beta funds (including mutual funds or exchange-traded funds) of PIMCO ETF Trust and PIMCO Equity Series, each an affiliated open-end management investment company. The other Funds in which the PIMCO All Asset and PIMCO All Asset All Authority Funds invest are referred to in this Statement of Additional Information as “Underlying PIMCO Funds.” By investing in Underlying PIMCO Funds, the PIMCO All Asset Fund, PIMCO All Asset All Authority Fund and any other funds of funds managed by PIMCO that invest all or a significant portion of their assets in certain or all of the Underlying PIMCO Funds, as specified in each Fund’s Prospectus (together with the PIMCO All Asset and PIMCO All Asset All Authority Funds, the “PIMCO Funds of Funds”), may have indirect exposure to some or all of the securities and instruments described below depending upon how their assets are allocated among the Underlying PIMCO Funds. Because the PIMCO Funds of Funds invest substantially all or a significant portion of their assets in certain or all of the Underlying PIMCO Funds, investment decisions made with respect to the PIMCO Funds of Funds could, under certain circumstances, negatively impact the Underlying PIMCO Funds, including with respect to the expenses and investment performance of the Underlying PIMCO Funds. Similarly, certain funds managed by investment advisers affiliated with PIMCO (“Affiliated Funds of Funds”) may invest some or all of their assets in the Underlying PIMCO Funds, and investment decisions made with respect to Affiliated Funds of Funds similarly could, under certain circumstances, negatively impact the Underlying PIMCO Funds, including with respect to the expenses and investment performance of the Underlying PIMCO Funds. Please see “Investments in the Underlying PIMCO Funds” below for more information regarding potential risks related to the Underlying PIMCO Funds.

The PIMCO Emerging Markets Full Spectrum Bond, PIMCO Global Multi-Asset, PIMCO Inflation Response Multi-Asset, PIMCO Multi-Strategy Alternative and PIMCO REALPATH® Funds may also invest in certain Underlying PIMCO Funds except the PIMCO All Asset and PIMCO All Asset All Authority Funds and each other, as specified in each Fund’s Prospectus. However, the PIMCO Emerging Markets Full Spectrum Bond Fund, PIMCO Global Multi-Asset Fund, PIMCO Inflation Response Multi-Asset Fund, PIMCO Multi-Strategy Alternative Fund and PIMCO REALPATH® Funds may also invest in a combination of affiliated and unaffiliated funds, which may or may not be registered under the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended (the “1940 Act”), Fixed Income Instruments, equity securities, forwards and derivatives, to the extent permitted under the 1940 Act or exemptive relief therefrom.

The PIMCO CommodityRealReturn Strategy Fund® may pursue its investment objective by investing in the PIMCO Cayman Commodity Fund I Ltd., a wholly-owned subsidiary of the Fund organized under the laws of the Cayman Islands (the “CRRS Subsidiary”). The CRRS Subsidiary is advised by PIMCO, and has the same investment objective and will generally be subject to the same fundamental, non-fundamental and certain other investment restrictions as the Fund; however, the CRRS Subsidiary (unlike the Fund) may invest without limitation in commodity-linked swap agreements and other commodity-linked derivative instruments. The Fund and CRRS Subsidiary may test for compliance with certain investment restrictions on a consolidated basis, except that with respect to its investments in certain securities that may involve leverage, the CRRS Subsidiary will comply with asset segregation or “earmarking” requirements to the same extent as the Fund. By investing in the CRRS Subsidiary, the Fund is indirectly exposed to the risks associated with the CRRS Subsidiary’s investments. The derivatives and other investments held by the CRRS Subsidiary are generally similar to those held by the Fund and are subject to the same risks that apply to similar investments if held directly by the Fund. See below “Investment Objectives and Policies—Investments in the Wholly-Owned Subsidiaries” for a more detailed discussion of the Fund’s CRRS Subsidiary.

The PIMCO Global Multi-Asset Fund may pursue its investment objective by investing in the PIMCO Cayman Commodity Fund II Ltd., a wholly-owned subsidiary of the Fund organized under the laws of the Cayman Islands (the “GMA Subsidiary”). The GMA Subsidiary is advised by PIMCO, and has the same investment objective and will generally be subject to the same fundamental, non-fundamental and certain other investment restrictions as the Fund; however, the GMA Subsidiary (unlike the Fund) may invest without limitation in commodity-linked swap agreements and other commodity-linked derivative instruments. The Fund and GMA Subsidiary may test for compliance with certain investment restrictions on a consolidated basis, except that with respect to its investments in certain securities that may involve leverage, the GMA Subsidiary will comply with asset segregation or “earmarking” requirements to the same extent as the Fund. By investing in the GMA Subsidiary, the Fund is indirectly exposed to the risks associated with the GMA Subsidiary’s investments. The derivatives and other investments held by the GMA Subsidiary are generally


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similar to those held by the Fund and are subject to the same risks that apply to similar investments if held directly by the Fund. See below “Investment Objectives and Policies—Investments in the Wholly-Owned Subsidiaries” for a more detailed discussion of the Fund’s GMA Subsidiary.

The PIMCO CommoditiesPLUS® Strategy Fund may pursue its investment objective by investing in the PIMCO Cayman Commodity Fund III Ltd., a wholly-owned subsidiary of the Fund organized under the laws of the Cayman Islands (the “CPS Subsidiary”). The CPS Subsidiary is advised by PIMCO, and has the same investment objective and will generally be subject to the same fundamental, non-fundamental and certain other investment restrictions as the Fund; however, the CPS Subsidiary (unlike the Fund) may invest without limitation in commodity-linked swap agreements and other commodity-linked derivative instruments. The Fund and CPS Subsidiary may test for compliance with certain investment restrictions on a consolidated basis, except that with respect to its investments in certain securities that may involve leverage, the CPS Subsidiary will comply with asset segregation or “earmarking” requirements to the same extent as the Fund. By investing in the CPS Subsidiary, the Fund is indirectly exposed to the risks associated with the CPS Subsidiary’s investments. The derivatives and other investments held by the CPS Subsidiary are generally similar to those held by the Fund and are subject to the same risks that apply to similar investments if held directly by the Fund. See below “Investment Objectives and Policies—Investments in the Wholly-Owned Subsidiaries” for a more detailed discussion of the Fund’s CPS Subsidiary.

The PIMCO Inflation Response Multi-Asset Fund may pursue its investment objective by investing in the PIMCO Cayman Commodity Fund VII, Ltd., a wholly-owned subsidiary of the Fund organized under the laws of the Cayman Islands (the “IRMA Subsidiary”). The IRMA Subsidiary is advised by PIMCO, and has the same investment objective and will generally be subject to the same fundamental, non-fundamental and certain other investment restrictions as the Fund; however, the IRMA Subsidiary (unlike the Fund) may invest without limitation in commodity-linked swap agreements and other commodity-linked derivative instruments. The Fund and IRMA Subsidiary may test for compliance with certain investment restrictions on a consolidated basis, except that with respect to its investments in certain securities that may involve leverage, the IRMA Subsidiary will comply with asset segregation or “earmarking” requirements to the same extent as the Fund. By investing in the IRMA Subsidiary, the Fund is indirectly exposed to the risks associated with the IRMA Subsidiary’s investments. The derivatives and other investments held by the IRMA Subsidiary are generally similar to those held by the Fund and are subject to the same risks that apply to similar investments if held directly by the Fund. See below “Investment Objectives and Policies—Investments in the Wholly-Owned Subsidiaries” for a more detailed discussion of the Fund’s IRMA Subsidiary.

The PIMCO TRENDS Managed Futures Strategy Fund may pursue its investment objective by investing in the PIMCO Cayman Commodity Fund VIII, Ltd., a wholly-owned subsidiary of the Fund organized under the laws of the Cayman Islands (the “MF Subsidiary,” together with the CRRS Subsidiary, the GMA Subsidiary, the CPS Subsidiary and the IRMA Subsidiary, the “Commodities Subsidiaries”). The MF Subsidiary is advised by PIMCO, and has the same investment objective and will generally be subject to the same fundamental, non-fundamental and certain other investment restrictions as the Fund; however, the MF Subsidiary (unlike the Fund) may invest without limitation in commodity-linked swap agreements and other commodity-linked derivative instruments. The Fund and MF Subsidiary may test for compliance with certain investment restrictions on a consolidated basis, except that with respect to its investments in certain securities that may involve leverage, the MF Subsidiary will comply with asset segregation or “earmarking” requirements to the same extent as the Fund. By investing in the MF Subsidiary, the Fund is indirectly exposed to the risks associated with the MF Subsidiary’s investments. The derivatives and other investments held by the MF Subsidiary are generally similar to those held by the Fund and are subject to the same risks that apply to similar investments if held directly by the Fund. See below “Investment Objectives and Policies—Investments in the Wholly-Owned Subsidiaries” for a more detailed discussion of the Fund’s MF Subsidiary.

The PIMCO Preferred and Capital Securities Fund may pursue its investment objective by investing in the PIMCO Capital Securities Fund (Cayman) Ltd., a wholly-owned subsidiary of the Fund organized under the laws of the Cayman Islands (the “CSF Subsidiary,” together with the Commodities Subsidiaries, the “Subsidiaries”). The CSF Subsidiary is advised by PIMCO, and has the same investment objective and will generally be subject to the same fundamental, non-fundamental and certain other investment restrictions as the Fund; however, the CSF Subsidiary (unlike the Fund) may invest without limitation in Regulation S securities. The Fund and CSF Subsidiary will test for compliance with investment restrictions on a consolidated basis. By investing in the CSF Subsidiary, the Fund is indirectly exposed to the risks associated with the CSF Subsidiary’s investments. The investments held by the CSF Subsidiary are generally similar to those held by the Fund and are subject to the same risks that apply to similar investments if held directly by the Fund. See below “Investment Objectives and Policies—Investments in the Wholly-Owned Subsidiaries” for a more detailed discussion of the Fund’s CSF Subsidiary.

U.S. Government Securities

U.S. Government securities are obligations of and, in certain cases, guaranteed by, the U.S. Government, its agencies or instrumentalities. The U.S. Government does not guarantee the net asset value of the Funds’ shares. Some U.S. Government securities, such as Treasury bills, notes and bonds, and securities guaranteed by the Government National Mortgage Association (“GNMA”), are supported by the full faith and credit of the United States; others, such as those of the Federal Home Loan Banks, are supported by the right of the issuer to borrow from the U.S. Department of the Treasury (the “U.S. Treasury”); others, such as those of the Federal

 

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National Mortgage Association (“FNMA”), are supported by the discretionary authority of the U.S. Government to purchase the agency’s obligations; and still others, such as securities issued by members of the Farm Credit System, are supported only by the credit of the agency, instrumentality or corporation. U.S. Government securities may include zero coupon securities, which do not distribute interest on a current basis and tend to be subject to greater risk than interest-paying securities of similar maturities.

Securities issued by U.S. Government agencies or government-sponsored enterprises may not be guaranteed by the U.S. Treasury. GNMA, a wholly owned U.S. Government corporation, is authorized to guarantee, with the full faith and credit of the U.S. Government, the timely payment of principal and interest on securities issued by institutions approved by GNMA and backed by pools of mortgages insured by the Federal Housing Administration or guaranteed by the Department of Veterans Affairs. Government-related guarantors (i.e., not backed by the full faith and credit of the U.S. Government) include the FNMA and the Federal Home Loan Mortgage Corporation (“FHLMC”). Pass-through securities issued by FNMA are guaranteed as to timely payment of principal and interest by FNMA but are not backed by the full faith and credit of the U.S. Government. FHLMC guarantees the timely payment of interest and ultimate collection of principal, but its participation certificates are not backed by the full faith and credit of the U.S. Government.

Municipal Bonds

Each Fund (except the PIMCO Government Money Market Fund) may invest in securities issued by states, territories, possessions, municipalities and other political subdivisions, agencies, authorities and instrumentalities of states, territories, possessions and multi-state agencies or authorities. It is a policy of each of the PIMCO California Intermediate Municipal Bond, PIMCO California Municipal Bond, PIMCO California Short Duration Municipal Income, PIMCO High Yield Municipal Bond, PIMCO Municipal Bond, PIMCO National Intermediate Municipal Bond, PIMCO New York Municipal Bond, and PIMCO Short Duration Municipal Income Funds (each a “Municipal Fund,” and collectively, the “Municipal Funds”) to have at least 80% of its net assets plus borrowings for investment purposes invested in investments, the income of which is exempt from federal income tax (“Municipal Bonds”). In the case of the PIMCO California Intermediate Municipal Bond, PIMCO California Municipal Bond and PIMCO California Short Duration Municipal Income Funds, the Funds will invest, under normal circumstances, at least 80% of their net assets plus borrowing for investment purposes in investments, the income of which is exempt from federal income tax and California income tax. In the case of the PIMCO New York Municipal Bond Fund, the Fund will invest, under normal circumstances, at least 80% of its net assets plus borrowing for investment purposes in investments, the income of which is exempt from federal income tax and New York income tax. The ability of a Municipal Fund to invest in securities other than Municipal Bonds is limited by a requirement of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended (the “Internal Revenue Code”) that at least 50% of the applicable Municipal Fund’s total assets be invested in Municipal Bonds at the end of each quarter of a Municipal Fund’s tax year.

The PIMCO California Intermediate Municipal Bond, PIMCO California Municipal Bond and PIMCO California Short Duration Municipal Income Funds may concentrate their investments in California Municipal Bonds and will therefore be exposed to California state-specific risks. Similarly, the PIMCO New York Municipal Bond Fund may concentrate its investments in New York Municipal Bonds and therefore will be exposed to New York state-specific risks. State-specific risks are discussed in the “Description of Principal Risks” section of the Prospectuses and in this “Municipal Bonds” section of this Statement of Additional Information. The PIMCO High Yield Municipal Bond, PIMCO Municipal Bond, PIMCO National Intermediate Municipal Bond and PIMCO Short Duration Municipal Income Funds may, from time to time, invest more than 25% of their total assets in Municipal Bonds of issuers in California and New York. Accordingly, such Funds, to the extent they invest more than 25% in California or New York, will be subject to the applicable state-specific risks discussed in the “Description of Principal Risks” section of the Prospectuses and in this “Municipal Bonds” section of this Statement of Additional Information, but none of these Funds have any present intention to invest more than that amount in a particular state.

Municipal Bonds share the attributes of debt/fixed income securities in general, but are generally issued by states, municipalities and other political subdivisions, agencies, authorities and instrumentalities of states and multi-state agencies or authorities. Specifically, California and New York Municipal Bonds generally are issued by or on behalf of the State of California and New York, respectively, and their political subdivisions and financing authorities, and local governments. The Municipal Bonds which the Funds may purchase include general obligation bonds and limited obligation bonds (or revenue bonds); including industrial development bonds issued pursuant to former federal tax law. General obligation bonds are obligations involving the credit of an issuer possessing taxing power and are payable from such issuer’s general revenues and not from any particular source. Limited obligation bonds are payable only from the revenues derived from a particular facility or class of facilities or, in some cases, from the proceeds of a special excise or other specific revenue source. Tax-exempt private activity bonds and industrial development bonds generally are also revenue bonds and thus are not payable from the issuer’s general revenues. The credit and quality of private activity bonds and industrial development bonds are usually related to the credit of the corporate user of the facilities. Payment of interest on and repayment of principal of such bonds is the responsibility of the corporate user (and/or any guarantor).

Each Fund that may invest in Municipal Bonds, and in particular the Municipal Funds, may invest 25% or more of its total assets in Municipal Bonds that finance similar projects, such as those relating to education, health care, housing, transportation, and utilities, and 25% or more of its total assets in industrial development bonds. A Fund may be more sensitive to adverse economic, business or political developments if it invests a substantial portion of its assets in the bonds of similar projects or industrial development bonds.

 

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Each Fund that may invest in Municipal Bonds may invest in pre-refunded Municipal Bonds. Pre-refunded Municipal Bonds are tax-exempt bonds that have been refunded to a call date prior to the final maturity of principal, or, in the case of pre-refunded Municipal Bonds commonly referred to as “escrowed-to-maturity bonds,” to the final maturity of principal, and remain outstanding in the municipal market. The payment of principal and interest of the pre-refunded Municipal Bonds held by a Fund is funded from securities in a designated escrow account that holds U.S. Treasury securities or other obligations of the U.S. Government (including its agencies and instrumentalities (“Agency Securities”)). As the payment of principal and interest is generated from securities held in an escrow account established by the municipality and an independent escrow agent, the pledge of the municipality has been fulfilled and the original pledge of revenue by the municipality is no longer in place. The escrow account securities pledged to pay the principal and interest of the pre-refunded Municipal Bond do not guarantee the price movement of the bond before maturity. Issuers of Municipal Bonds refund in advance of maturity the outstanding higher cost debt and issue new, lower cost debt, placing the proceeds of the lower cost issuance into an escrow account to pre-refund the older, higher cost debt. Investments in pre-refunded Municipal Bonds held by a Fund may subject the Fund to interest rate risk, market risk and credit risk. In addition, while a secondary market exists for pre-refunded Municipal Bonds, if a Fund sells pre-refunded Municipal Bonds prior to maturity, the price received may be more or less than the original cost, depending on market conditions at the time of sale. To the extent permitted by the Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”) and the Internal Revenue Service (“IRS”), a Fund’s investment in pre-refunded Municipal Bonds backed by U.S. Treasury and Agency securities in the manner described above, will, for purposes of diversification tests applicable to certain Funds, be considered an investment in the respective U.S. Treasury and Agency securities.

Under the Internal Revenue Code, certain limited obligation bonds are considered “private activity bonds” and interest paid on such bonds is treated as an item of tax preference for purposes of calculating federal alternative minimum tax liability. The PIMCO California Short Duration Municipal Income and PIMCO Short Duration Municipal Income Funds do not intend to invest in securities whose interest is subject to the federal alternative minimum tax.

Each Fund (except the PIMCO Government Money Market Fund) may invest in Build America Bonds. Build America Bonds are tax credit bonds created by the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009, which authorizes state and local governments to issue Build America Bonds as taxable bonds in 2009 and 2010, without volume limitations, to finance any capital expenditures for which such issuers could otherwise issue traditional tax-exempt bonds. State and local governments may receive a direct federal subsidy payment for a portion of their borrowing costs on Build America Bonds equal to 35% of the total coupon interest paid to investors. The state or local government issuer can elect to either take the federal subsidy or pass the 35% tax credit along to bondholders. A Fund’s investments in Build America Bonds will result in taxable income and the Fund may elect to pass through to shareholders the corresponding tax credits. The tax credits can generally be used to offset federal income taxes and the alternative minimum tax, but such credits are generally not refundable. Build America Bonds involve similar risks as Municipal Bonds, including credit and market risk. They are intended to assist state and local governments in financing capital projects at lower borrowing costs and are likely to attract a broader group of investors than tax-exempt Municipal Bonds. For example, taxable funds, including Funds other than the Municipal Funds, may choose to invest in Build America Bonds. Although Build America Bonds were only authorized for issuance during 2009 and 2010, the program may have resulted in reduced issuance of tax-exempt Municipal Bonds during the same period. As a result, Funds that invest in tax-exempt Municipal Bonds, such as the Municipal Funds, may have increased their holdings of Build America Bonds and other investments permitted by the Funds’ respective investment objectives and policies during 2009 and 2010. The Build America Bond program expired on December 31, 2010, at which point no further issuance of new Build America Bonds was permitted. As of the date of this Statement of Additional Information, there is no indication that Congress will renew the program to permit issuance of new Build America Bonds.

The Funds may invest in municipal lease obligations. Municipal leases are instruments, or participations in instruments, issued in connection with lease obligations or installment purchase contract obligations of municipalities (“municipal lease obligations”). Although municipal lease obligations do not constitute general obligations of the issuing municipality, a lease obligation may be backed by the municipality’s covenant to budget for, appropriate funds for and make the payments due under the lease obligation. However, certain municipal lease obligations contain “non-appropriation” clauses, which provide that the municipality has no obligation to make lease or installment purchase payments in future years unless money is appropriated for such purpose in the relevant years. In deciding whether to purchase a lease obligation, the Funds will assess the financial condition of the borrower, the merits of the project, the level of public support for the project, and the legislative history of lease financing in the state. Municipal lease obligations may be less readily marketable than other municipal securities.

Projects financed with certificates of participation generally are not subject to state constitutional debt limitations or other statutory requirements that may apply to other municipal securities. Payments by the public entity on the obligation underlying the certificates are derived from available revenue sources. That revenue might be diverted to the funding of other municipal service projects. Payments of interest and/or principal with respect to the certificates are not guaranteed and do not constitute an obligation of a state or any of its political subdivisions.

Municipal leases may also be subject to “abatement risk.” The leases underlying certain municipal lease obligations may state that lease payments are subject to partial or full abatement. That abatement might occur, for example, if material damage to or destruction of the leased property interferes with the lessee’s use of the property. However, in some cases that risk might be reduced by insurance

 

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covering the leased property, or by the use of credit enhancements such as letters of credit to back lease payments, or perhaps by the lessee’s maintenance of reserve monies for lease payments. While the obligation might be secured by the lease, it might be difficult to dispose of that property in case of a default.

The Funds’ Board of Trustees has adopted guidelines to govern the purchase of municipal lease obligations and the determination of the liquidity of municipal lease obligations purchased by a Fund for purposes of compliance with the Fund’s investment restrictions with respect to illiquid securities. In determining whether a municipal lease obligation is liquid and is therefore not subject to the Fund’s limitations on investing in illiquid securities, PIMCO considers, on a case-by-case basis, the following factors:

 

  1.

the frequency of trades and quotes for the municipal lease obligation over the course of the last six months or as otherwise reasonably determined by PIMCO;

 

  2.

the number of dealers willing to purchase or sell the municipal lease obligation and the number of other potential purchases over the course of the last six months or as otherwise reasonably determined by PIMCO;

 

  3.

any dealer undertakings to make a market in the municipal lease obligation;

 

  4.

the nature of the municipal lease obligation and the nature of the market for the municipal lease obligation (i.e., the time needed to dispose of the municipal lease obligation, the method of soliciting offers, and the mechanics of transfer); and

 

  5.

other factors, if any, which PIMCO deems relevant to determining the existence of a trading market for such municipal lease obligation.

Once a municipal lease obligation is acquired by a Fund, PIMCO monitors the liquidity of such municipal lease obligation pursuant to the considerations set forth above. PIMCO also evaluates the likelihood of a continuing market for municipal lease obligations and their credit quality. The Funds may purchase unrated municipal lease obligations if determined by PIMCO to be of comparable quality to rated securities in which the Fund is permitted to invest. A Fund may also acquire illiquid municipal lease obligations, subject to the Fund’s investment restrictions with respect to illiquid securities generally.

The Funds may seek to enhance their yield through the purchase of private placements. These securities are sold through private negotiations, usually to institutions or mutual funds, and may have resale restrictions. Their yields are usually higher than comparable public securities to compensate the investor for their limited marketability. A Fund may not invest more than 15% of its net assets in illiquid securities, including unmarketable private placements (5% of “total assets,” as defined in Rule 2a-7 under the 1940 Act, in the case of the PIMCO Government Money Market Fund).

Some longer-term Municipal Bonds give the investor the right to “put” or sell the security at par (face value) within a specified number of days following the investor’s request - usually one to seven days. This demand feature enhances a security’s liquidity by shortening its effective maturity and enables it to trade at a price equal to or very close to par. If a demand feature terminates prior to being exercised, a Fund would hold the longer-term security, which could experience substantially more volatility.

The Funds that may invest in Municipal Bonds may invest in municipal warrants, which are essentially call options on Municipal Bonds. In exchange for a premium, municipal warrants give the purchaser the right, but not the obligation, to purchase a Municipal Bond in the future. A Fund may purchase a warrant to lock in forward supply in an environment where the current issuance of bonds is sharply reduced. Like options, warrants may expire worthless and they may have reduced liquidity. A Fund will not invest more than 5% of its net assets in municipal warrants.

The Funds may invest in Municipal Bonds with credit enhancements such as letters of credit, municipal bond insurance and Standby Bond Purchase Agreements (“SBPAs”). Letters of credit are issued by a third party, usually a bank, to enhance liquidity and ensure repayment of principal and any accrued interest if the underlying Municipal Bond should default. Municipal bond insurance, which is usually purchased by the bond issuer from a private, nongovernmental insurance company, provides an unconditional and irrevocable guarantee that the insured bond’s principal and interest will be paid when due. Insurance does not guarantee the price of the bond or the share price of any fund. The credit rating of an insured bond reflects the credit rating of the insurer, based on its claims-paying ability. The obligation of a municipal bond insurance company to pay a claim extends over the life of each insured bond. Although defaults on insured Municipal Bonds have been low to date and municipal bond insurers have met their claims, there is no assurance this will continue. A higher-than-expected default rate could strain the insurer’s loss reserves and adversely affect its ability to pay claims to bondholders. A significant portion of insured Municipal Bonds that have been issued and are outstanding are insured by a small number of insurance companies, an event involving one or more of these insurance companies, such as a credit rating downgrade, could have a significant adverse effect on the value of the Municipal Bonds insured by that insurance company and on the Municipal Bond markets as a whole. Downgrades of certain insurance companies have negatively impacted the price of certain insured Municipal Bonds. Given the large number of potential claims against the insurers of Municipal Bonds, there is a risk that they

 

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will not be able to meet all future claims. An SBPA is a liquidity facility provided to pay the purchase price of bonds that cannot be re-marketed. The obligation of the liquidity provider (usually a bank) is only to advance funds to purchase tendered bonds that cannot be remarketed and does not cover principal or interest under any other circumstances. The liquidity provider’s obligations under the SBPA are usually subject to numerous conditions, including the continued creditworthiness of the underlying borrower.

Certain Funds may invest in trust certificates issued in tender option bond programs. In a tender option bond transaction (“TOB”), a tender option bond trust (“TOB Trust”) issues floating rate certificates (“TOB Floater”) and residual interest certificates (“TOB Residual”) and utilizes the proceeds of such issuance to purchase a fixed-rate municipal bond (“Fixed Rate Bond”) that either is owned or identified by a Fund. The TOB Floater is generally issued to third party investors (typically a money market fund) and the TOB Residual is generally issued to the Fund that sold or identified the Fixed Rate Bond. The TOB Trust divides the income stream provided by the Fixed Rate Bond to create two securities, the TOB Floater, which is a short-term security, and the TOB Residual, which is a longer-term security. The interest rates payable on the TOB Residual issued to a Fund bear an inverse relationship to the interest rate on the TOB Floater. The interest rate on the TOB Floater is reset by a remarketing process typically every 7 to 35 days. After income is paid on the TOB Floater at current rates, the residual income from the Fixed Rate Bond goes to the TOB Residual. Therefore, rising short-term rates result in lower income for the TOB Residual, and vice versa. In the case of a TOB Trust that utilizes the cash received (less transaction expenses) from the issuance of the TOB Floater and TOB Residual to purchase the Fixed Rate Bond from a Fund, the Fund may then invest the cash received in additional securities, generating leverage for the Fund. Other PIMCO-managed accounts may also contribute municipal bonds to a TOB Trust into which a Fund has contributed Fixed Rate Bonds. If multiple PIMCO-managed accounts participate in the same TOB Trust, the economic rights and obligations under the TOB Residual will be shared among the funds ratably in proportion to their participation in the TOB Trust.

The TOB Residual may be more volatile and less liquid than other municipal bonds of comparable maturity. In most circumstances the TOB Residual holder bears substantially all of the underlying Fixed Rate Bond’s downside investment risk and also benefits from any appreciation in the value of the underlying Fixed Rate Bond. Investments in a TOB Residual typically will involve greater risk than investments in Fixed Rate Bonds.

The TOB Residual held by a Fund provides the Fund with the right to: (1) cause the holders of the TOB Floater to tender their notes at par, and (2) cause the sale of the Fixed-Rate Bond held by the TOB Trust, thereby collapsing the TOB Trust. TOB Trusts are generally supported by a liquidity facility provided by a third party bank or other financial institution (the “Liquidity Provider”) that provides for the purchase of TOB Floaters that cannot be remarketed. The holders of the TOB Floaters have the right to tender their certificates in exchange for payment of par plus accrued interest on a periodic basis (typically weekly) or on the occurrence of certain mandatory tender events. The tendered TOB Floaters are remarketed by a remarketing agent, which is typically an affiliated entity of the Liquidity Provider. If the TOB Floaters cannot be remarketed, the TOB Floaters are purchased by the TOB Trust either from the proceeds of a loan from the Liquidity Provider or from a liquidation of the Fixed Rate Bond.

The TOB Trust may also be collapsed without the consent of a Fund, as the TOB Residual holder, upon the occurrence of certain “tender option termination events” (or “TOTEs”) as defined in the TOB Trust agreements. Such termination events typically include the bankruptcy or default of the municipal bond, a substantial downgrade in credit quality of the municipal bond, or a judgment or ruling that interest on the Fixed Rate Bond is subject to federal income taxation. Upon the occurrence of a termination event, the TOB Trust would generally be liquidated in full with the proceeds typically applied first to any accrued fees owed to the trustee, remarketing agent and liquidity provider, and then to the holders of the TOB Floater up to par plus accrued interest owed on the TOB Floater and a portion of gain share, if any, with the balance paid out to the TOB Residual holder. In the case of a mandatory termination event (“MTE”), after the payment of fees, the TOB Floater holders would be paid before the TOB Residual holders (i.e., the Fund). In contrast, in the case of a TOTE, after payment of fees, the TOB Floater holders and the TOB Residual holders would be paid pro rata in proportion to the respective face values of their certificates.

In December 2013, regulators finalized rules implementing Section 619 (the “Volcker Rule”) and Section 941 (the “Risk Retention Rules”) of the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act (the “Dodd-Frank Act”). Both the Volcker Rule and the Risk Retention Rules apply to tender option bond programs and require that such programs be restructured. In particular, these rules preclude banking entities from (i) sponsoring or acquiring interests in the trusts used to hold a Municipal Bond in the creation of TOB Trusts; and (ii) continuing to service or maintain relationships with existing programs involving TOB Trusts to the same extent and in the same capacity as existing programs.

At this time, the full impact of these rules is not certain; however, in response to these rules, industry participants are continuing to explore various structuring alternatives for TOB Trusts. For example, under a new tender option bond structure, the Funds would hire service providers to assist with establishing, structuring and sponsoring a TOB Trust. Service providers to a TOB Trust, such as administrators, liquidity providers, trustees and remarketing agents would be acting at the direction of, and as agent of, the Funds as the TOB residual holders. This structure is relatively new to the TOB marketplace, and it is possible that regulators could take positions that could limit the market for such newly structured TOB Trust transactions or the Funds’ ability to hold TOB Residuals. Because of the important role that tender option bond programs play in the Municipal Bond market, it is possible that implementation of these rules may adversely impact the Municipal Bond market and the Funds. For example, as a result of the implementation of these

 

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rules, the Municipal Bond market may experience reduced demand or liquidity and increased financing costs. Under the new TOB Trust structure, the Funds have certain additional duties and responsibilities, which may give rise to certain additional risks including, but not limited to, compliance, legal, regulatory and operational risks.

The Risk Retention Rules took effect in December 2016 and require the sponsor to a TOB Trust to retain at least five percent of the credit risk of the underlying assets supporting the TOB Trust’s Municipal Bonds. The Risk Retention Rules may adversely affect the Funds’ ability to engage in TOB Trust transactions or increase the costs of such transactions in certain circumstances.

The Funds have restructured their TOB Trusts in conformity with regulatory guidelines. Under the new TOB Trust structure, the Liquidity Provider or remarketing agent will no longer purchase the tendered TOB Floaters, even in the event of failed remarketing. This may increase the likelihood that a TOB Trust will need to be collapsed and liquidated in order to purchase the tendered TOB Floaters. The TOB Trust may draw upon a loan from the Liquidity Provider to purchase the tendered TOB Floaters. Any loans made by the Liquidity Provider will be secured by the purchased TOB Floaters held by the TOB Trust and will be subject to an increased interest rate based on the number of days the loan is outstanding.

The Funds also may invest in participation interests. Participation interests are various types of securities created by converting fixed rate bonds into short-term, variable rate certificates. These securities have been developed in the secondary market to meet the demand for short-term, tax-exempt securities. The Funds will invest only in such securities deemed tax-exempt by a nationally recognized bond counsel, but there is no guarantee the interest will be exempt because the IRS has not issued a definitive ruling on the matter.

Municipal Bonds are subject to credit and market risk. Generally, prices of higher quality issues tend to fluctuate less with changes in market interest rates than prices of lower quality issues and prices of longer maturity issues tend to fluctuate more than prices of shorter maturity issues.

The recent economic downturn and budgetary constraints have made Municipal Bonds more susceptible to downgrade, default and bankruptcy. In addition, difficulties in the Municipal Bond markets could result in increased illiquidity, volatility and credit risk, and a decrease in the number of Municipal Bond investment opportunities. The value of Municipal Bonds may also be affected by uncertainties involving the taxation of Municipal Bonds or the rights of Municipal Bond holders in the event of a bankruptcy. Proposals to restrict or eliminate the federal income tax exemption for interest on Municipal Bonds are introduced before Congress from time to time. These legal uncertainties could affect the Municipal Bond market generally, certain specific segments of the market, or the relative credit quality of particular securities.

The Funds may purchase and sell portfolio investments to take advantage of changes or anticipated changes in yield relationships, markets or economic conditions. The Funds also may sell Municipal Bonds due to changes in PIMCO’s evaluation of the issuer or cash needs resulting from redemption requests for Fund shares. The secondary market for Municipal Bonds typically has been less liquid than that for taxable debt/fixed income securities, and this may affect the Fund’s ability to sell particular Municipal Bonds at then-current market prices, especially in periods when other investors are attempting to sell the same securities. Additionally, Municipal Bonds rated below investment grade (i.e., high yield Municipal Bonds) may not be as liquid as higher-rated Municipal Bonds. Reduced liquidity in the secondary market may have an adverse impact on the market price of a Municipal Bond and on a Fund’s ability to sell a Municipal Bond in response to changes or anticipated changes in economic conditions or to meet the Fund’s cash needs. Reduced liquidity may also make it more difficult to obtain market quotations based on actual trades for purposes of valuing a Fund’s portfolio. For more information on high yield securities please see “High Yield Securities (“Junk Bonds”) and Securities of Distressed Companies” below.

Prices and yields on Municipal Bonds are dependent on a variety of factors, including general money-market conditions, the financial condition of the issuer, general conditions of the Municipal Bond market, the size of a particular offering, the maturity of the obligation and the rating of the issue. A number of these factors, including the ratings of particular issues, are subject to change from time to time. Information about the financial condition of an issuer of Municipal Bonds may not be as extensive as that which is made available by corporations whose securities are publicly traded.

Each Fund that may invest in Municipal Bonds may purchase custodial receipts representing the right to receive either the principal amount or the periodic interest payments or both with respect to specific underlying Municipal Bonds. In a typical custodial receipt arrangement, an issuer or third party owner of Municipal Bonds deposits the bonds with a custodian in exchange for two classes of custodial receipts. The two classes have different characteristics, but, in each case, payments on the two classes are based on payments received on the underlying Municipal Bonds. In no event will the aggregate interest paid with respect to the two classes exceed the interest paid by the underlying Municipal Bond. Custodial receipts are sold in private placements. The value of a custodial receipt may fluctuate more than the value of a Municipal Bond of comparable quality and maturity.

The perceived increased likelihood of default among issuers of Municipal Bonds has resulted in constrained illiquidity, increased price volatility and credit downgrades of issuers of Municipal Bonds. Local and national market forces—such as declines in real estate prices and general business activity—may result in decreasing tax bases, fluctuations in interest rates, and increasing construction

 

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costs, all of which could reduce the ability of certain issuers of Municipal Bonds to repay their obligations. Certain issuers of Municipal Bonds have also been unable to obtain additional financing through, or must pay higher interest rates on, new issues, which may reduce revenues available for issuers of Municipal Bonds to pay existing obligations. In addition, events have demonstrated that the lack of disclosure rules in this area can make it difficult for investors to obtain reliable information on the obligations underlying Municipal Bonds. Adverse developments in the Municipal Bond market may negatively affect the value of all or a substantial portion of a fund’s holdings in Municipal Bonds.

Obligations of issuers of Municipal Bonds are subject to the provisions of bankruptcy, insolvency and other laws affecting the rights and remedies of creditors. Congress or state legislatures may seek to extend the time for payment of principal or interest, or both, or to impose other constraints upon enforcement of such obligations. There is also the possibility that as a result of litigation or other conditions, the power or ability of issuers to meet their obligations for the payment of interest and principal on their Municipal Bonds may be materially affected or their obligations may be found to be invalid or unenforceable. Such litigation or conditions may from time to time have the effect of introducing uncertainties in the market for Municipal Bonds or certain segments thereof, or of materially affecting the credit risk with respect to particular bonds. Adverse economic, business, legal or political developments might affect all or a substantial portion of a Fund’s Municipal Bonds in the same manner. In particular, the PIMCO California Intermediate Municipal Bond, PIMCO California Municipal Bond, PIMCO California Short Duration Municipal Income and PIMCO New York Municipal Bond Funds are subject to the risks inherent in concentrating investment in a particular state or region. The following summarizes information drawn from official statements, and other public documents available relating to issues potentially affecting securities offerings of issuers domiciled in the states of California and New York. Neither the Funds nor PIMCO have independently verified the information, but have no reason to believe that it is substantially different.

From time to time, proposals have been introduced before Congress for the purpose of restricting or eliminating the federal income tax exemption for interest on certain types of Municipal Bonds. Additionally, certain other proposals have been introduced that would have the effect of taxing a portion of exempt interest and/or reducing the tax benefits of receiving exempt interest. It can be expected that similar proposals may be introduced in the future. As a result of any such future legislation, the availability of such Municipal Bonds for investment by the Funds and the value of such Municipal Bonds held by the Funds may be affected. In addition, it is possible that events occurring after the date of a Municipal Bond’s issuance, or after a Fund’s acquisition of such obligation, may result in a determination that the interest paid on that obligation is taxable, in certain cases retroactively.

[California. Each Fund investing in California Municipal Bonds, and in particular the PIMCO California Intermediate Municipal Bond, PIMCO California Municipal Bond and PIMCO California Short Duration Municipal Income Funds, may be particularly affected by political, economic or regulatory developments affecting the ability of California tax-exempt issuers to pay interest or repay principal.

Provisions of the California Constitution and State statutes that limit the taxing and spending authority of California governmental entities may impair the ability of California governmental issuers to maintain debt service on their obligations. Future California political and economic developments, constitutional amendments, legislative measures, executive orders, administrative regulations, litigation and voter initiatives could have an adverse effect on the debt obligations of California issuers. The information set forth below constitutes only a brief summary of a number of complex factors that may impact issuers of California Municipal Bonds. The information is derived from sources that are generally available to investors, including information promulgated by the State’s Department of Finance, the State’s Treasurer’s Office, and the Legislative Analyst’s Office. The information is intended to give a recent historical description and is not intended to indicate future or continuing trends in the financial or other positions of California. Such information has not been independently verified by the Funds, and the Funds assume no responsibility for the completeness or accuracy of such information. It should be noted that the financial strength of local California issuers and the creditworthiness of obligations issued by local California issuers are not directly related to the financial strength of the State or the creditworthiness of obligations issued by the State, and there is no obligation on the part of the State to make payment on such local obligations in the event of default.

Certain debt obligations held by a Fund may be obligations of issuers that rely in whole or in substantial part on California state government revenues for the continuance of their operations and payment of their obligations. Whether and to what extent the California Legislature will continue to appropriate a portion of the State’s General Fund to counties, cities and their various entities, which depend upon State government appropriations, is not entirely certain. To the extent local entities do not receive money from the State government to pay for their operations and services, their ability to pay debt service on obligations held by the Funds may be impaired.

Certain tax-exempt securities in which the Funds may invest may be obligations payable solely from the revenues of specific institutions, or may be secured by specific properties, which are subject to provisions of California law that could adversely affect the holders of such obligations. For example, the revenues of California health care institutions may be subject to state laws, and California law limits the remedies of a creditor secured by a mortgage or deed of trust on real property.

 

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California’s economy, the largest state economy in the United States and one of the largest and most diverse in the world, has major components in high technology, trade, entertainment, manufacturing, government, tourism, construction and services, and may be sensitive to economic factors affecting those industries. The relative proportion of the various components of the California economy closely resembles the make-up of the national economy.

California’s fiscal health has improved since the severe recession ended in 2009, which caused large budget deficits. California’s General Fund budget has achieved structural balance for the last several fiscal years. In recent years, the State has paid off billions of dollars of budgetary borrowings, debts and deferrals that were accumulated to balance budgets during the most recent recession and years prior.

California’s real gross domestic product (“GDP”) increased by 4.1% in 2015, and totaled $2.5 trillion at current prices, making California the sixth largest economy in the world. California has also added jobs at a faster rate than the nation since 2012. Despite the increase in the minimum wage from $9 to $10 per hour in 2016, lower-wage sectors, such as leisure and hospitality, and educational and health services continued to grow in 2016. The stronger-than-expected growth in these lower-wage sectors led to greater labor force participation, but also led to slower overall wage and personal income growth than expected in 2016. The unemployment rate in 2016 was 5.4% and is expected to remain low despite the increase in the minimum wage.

The Governor released his proposed budget for fiscal year 2017-18 on January 10, 2017 (“Governor’s Budget”). The Governor’s Budget focused on balancing the State’s budget deficit, which resulted from revenues lagging previous estimates. The Governor’s Budget included provisions to pull back on many one-time spending commitments made in the previous budget and to keep spending commensurate with the previous year. The Governor’s Budget continued the State’s focus on building Proposition 2 reserves to save for future economic downturns. Previous budgets allocated discretionary resources in excess of constitutional funding requirements, such as those required by Proposition 98, and the Governor’s Budget aimed to reduce the Proposition 98 allocation down to the minimum guarantee.

On May 11, 2017, the Governor revised the projections contained in the Governor’s Budget (“May Revision”). The May Revision projected total reserves of $11.1 billion by the end of fiscal year 2016-17—$8.5 billion in the Budget Stabilization Account (“BSA”), as required under Proposition 2, and $2.6 billion in the General Fund. In addition to the required transfer to the BSA, Proposition 2 requires that an equivalent amount be used to pay down existing debts and reduce unfunded liabilities in excess of current base amounts. During fiscal year 2017-18, per the May Revision, the Governor proposed to spend a total of $1.8 billion to repay some of the General Fund’s loans from special funds and transportation projects, to partially settle-up previous Proposition 98 underfunding of local education and to reduce some of the University of California employee pension liabilities.

The May Revision projected that General Fund revenues and transfers would be $125.9 billion and expenditures would be $124.0 billion. The May Revision stated that the General Fund began fiscal year 2016-17 with a surplus balance of $4.5 billion, and projected that the General Fund would begin fiscal year 2017-18 with a surplus of approximately $723 million. The projected fiscal year 2017-18 General Fund revenues and transfers were 6.2% greater than the revised fiscal year 2016-17 estimate of $118.5 billion, while the projected fiscal year 2017-18 expenditures were 1.4% greater than the revised fiscal year 2016-17 estimate of $122.3 billion.

On June 27, 2017, the Governor’s Budget was signed into law (“Enacted Budget”). The Enacted Budget projects that General Fund revenues and transfers will be $125.8 billion and expenditures will be $125.1 billion. The Enacted Budget states that the General Fund began fiscal year 2016-17 with a surplus balance of $4.5 billion, and projects that the General Fund will begin fiscal year 2017-18 with a surplus of approximately $1.6 billion. The projected fiscal year 2017-18 General Fund revenues and transfers are 6.2% greater than the revised fiscal year 2016-17 estimate of $118.60 billion, while the projected fiscal year 2017-18 expenditures are 3.0% greater than the revised fiscal year 2016-17 estimate of $121.4 billion.

According to the Legislative Analyst’s Office, California’s nonpartisan fiscal and policy advisor, the State’s fiscal condition has worsened, and without new budget solutions, the State could face a budget deficit at the end of fiscal year 2017-18. Planning for the next downturn, which includes setting aside budget reserves, is an important priority. In addition, the Legislative Analyst’s Office noted that the Legislature now faces new uncertainties, as federal actions could significantly affect the budget in future years. The Governor’s emphasis on reserves is prudent, as a large budget reserve is the key to weathering the next recession with minimal disruption to public programs.

Moody’s Investors Service, Inc. (“Moody’s”), S&P Global Ratings (“S&P”) and Fitch Ratings, Inc. (“Fitch”) assign ratings to California’s long-term general obligation bonds, which represent their opinions as to the quality of the municipal bonds they rate. As of July 20, 2017, California’s general obligation bonds were assigned ratings of Aa3, AA+ and AA- by Moody’s, S&P and Fitch, respectively. The ratings agencies continue to monitor the State’s budget deliberations closely to determine whether to alter the ratings. It should be recognized that these ratings are not an absolute standard of quality, but rather general indicators. Such ratings reflect only the view of the originating rating agencies, from which an explanation of the significance of such ratings may be obtained. There is no assurance that a particular rating will continue for any given period of time or that any such rating will not be revised downward or withdrawn entirely if, in the judgment of the agency establishing the rating, circumstances so warrant. A downward

 

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revision or withdrawal of such ratings, or either of them, may affect the market price of the State municipal obligations in which a Fund invests.

The State is a party to numerous legal proceedings, many of which normally occur in governmental operations and which, if decided against the State, might require the State to make significant future expenditures or impair future revenue sources.

Constitutional and statutory amendments as well as budget developments may affect the ability of California issuers to pay interest and principal on their obligations. The overall effect may depend upon whether a particular California tax-exempt security is a general or limited obligation bond and on the type of security provided for the bond. It is possible that measures affecting the taxing or spending authority of California or its political subdivisions may be approved or enacted in the future.

New York. Funds investing in New York Municipal Bonds, and in particular the PIMCO New York Municipal Bond Fund, may be particularly affected by political, economic or regulatory developments affecting the ability of New York tax-exempt issuers to pay interest or repay principal. Investors should be aware that certain issuers of New York tax-exempt securities have at times experienced serious financial difficulties. A reoccurrence of these difficulties may impair the ability of certain New York issuers to maintain debt service on their obligations. The following information provides only a brief summary of the complex factors affecting the financial situation in New York and is derived from sources that are generally available to investors, including the New York State Division of the Budget and the New York City Office of Management and Budget. The information is intended to give a recent historical description and is not intended to indicate future or continuing trends in the financial or other positions of New York. Such information has not been independently verified by the Funds and the Funds assume no responsibility for the completeness or accuracy of such information. It should be noted that the creditworthiness of obligations issued by local New York issuers may be unrelated to the creditworthiness of obligations issued by New York City and State agencies, and that there is no obligation on the part of New York State to make payment on such local obligations in the event of default.

Relative to other states, New York has for many years imposed a very high state and local tax burden on residents. The burden of state and local taxation, in combination with the many other causes of regional economic dislocation, has contributed to the decisions of some businesses and individuals to relocate outside of, or not locate within, New York. The economic and financial condition of the State also may be affected by various financial, social, economic and political factors. For example, the securities industry is more central to New York’s economy than to the national economy, therefore any significant decline in stock market performance could adversely affect the State’s income and employment levels. Furthermore, such social, economic and political factors can be very complex, may vary from year to year and can be the result of actions taken not only by the State and its agencies and instrumentalities, but also by entities, such as the Federal government, that are not under the control of the State.

The fiscal stability of New York State is related to the fiscal stability of the State’s municipalities, its agencies and authorities (which generally finance, construct and operate revenue-producing public benefit facilities). This is due in part to the fact that agencies, authorities and local governments in financial trouble often seek State financial assistance. In the event that New York City or any of its agencies or authorities suffers serious financial difficulty, then the ability of the State, New York City, and the State’s political subdivisions, agencies and authorities to obtain financing in the public credit markets, and the market price of outstanding New York tax-exempt securities, may be adversely affected.

State actions affecting the level of receipts and disbursements, the relative strength of the State and regional economies and actions of the Federal government may create budget gaps for the State. Moreover, even an ostensibly balanced budget may still contain several financial risks. These risks include the impact of broad economic factors, additional spending needs, revenues that may not materialize and proposals to reduce spending or raise revenues that have been previously rejected by the Legislature. To address a potential imbalance in any given fiscal year, the State would be required to take actions to increase receipts and/or reduce disbursements as it enacts the budget for that year. Under the State Constitution, the Governor is required to propose a balanced budget each year. There can be no assurance, however, that the Legislature will enact such proposals or that the State’s actions will be sufficient to preserve budgetary balance in a given fiscal year or to align recurring receipts and disbursements in future fiscal years. The fiscal stability of the State is related to the fiscal stability of its public authorities. Authorities have various responsibilities, including those that finance, construct and/or operate revenue-producing public facilities. Authorities are not subject to the constitutional restrictions on the incurrence of debt that apply to the State itself, and may issue bonds and notes within the amounts and restrictions set forth in their respective legislative authorization.

Authorities are generally supported by revenues generated by the projects financed or operated, such as tolls charged for use of highways, bridges or tunnels; charges for electric power, electric and gas utility services; rentals charged for housing units and charges for occupancy at medical care facilities. In addition, State legislation authorizes several financing techniques for authorities. Also, there are statutory arrangements providing for State local assistance payments otherwise payable to localities, to be made under certain circumstances directly to the authorities. Although the State has no obligation to provide additional assistance to localities whose local assistance payments have been paid to authorities under these arrangements, if local assistance payments are diverted the affected localities could seek additional State assistance. Some authorities also receive monies from State appropriations to pay for the operating costs of certain of their programs.

 

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Over the near and long term, New York State and New York City may face economic problems. New York City accounts for a large portion of the State’s population and personal income, and New York City’s financial health affects the State in numerous ways. New York City continues to require significant financial assistance from the State and depends on State aid to both enable it to balance its budget and to meet its cash requirements. The State could also be affected by the ability of the City to market its securities successfully in the public credit markets, as well as by shifts upward or downward in the State’s real estate market.

In May 2017, the State’s Division of Budget (“DOB”) issued an Enacted Budget Financial Plan related to the State’s enacted budget for FY 2018 (“Enacted Budget”), which includes projections for FYs 2018 through 2021. The DOB estimates that New York’s Enacted Budget would eliminate the budget gap of $3.5 billion in FY 2018. The FY 2018 authorized gap-closing plan consists of approximately $3.6 billion in savings from spending control, including a $2.0 billion reduction in local assistance spending. The budget gap represents the difference between: (a) the projected General Fund disbursements, including transfers to other funds, needed to maintain anticipated service levels and specific commitments; and (b) the expected level of resources to pay for them.

The State has experienced a number of natural disasters in recent years, for which the State has received, and anticipates further receipt of, Federal disaster aid. However, there can be no assurance that anticipated Federal disaster aid will be provided to the State, or that such Federal disaster aid, if provided, will be for the full amount estimated or on the timeline expected.

Although the State’s economy continues to show signs of growth, there are significant risks to this forecast, including, but not limited to, the effects of: national and international events, climate change and extreme weather events; ongoing financial instability in the Euro Zone; major terrorist events, hostilities or war; changes in consumer confidence, oil supplies and oil prices; cyber security attacks; Federal statutory and regulatory changes concerning financial sector activities; changes concerning financial sector bonus payouts; and shifts in monetary policy affecting interest rates and the financial markets.

The State projects total nonagricultural employment growth of 1.5% for 2017, with modest private sector growth of 1.4% for 2017. The State projects that wages will increase 3.6% for 2017, accompanied by total personal income growth of 3.2%. The State’s unemployment rate as of April 2017 was 4.3%, which was down from 4.8% in April 2016. The State’s unemployment rate was slightly below the national average of 4.4% in April 2017.

Estimated total General Fund receipts for the Enacted Budget are projected to be $69.8 billion for FY 2018, an annual increase of $4.1 billion, or 6.2%, from FY 2017 results. These receipts consisted of $45.3 billion in personal income tax revenues (an increase of 5.9% from FY 2017), $13.3 billion in consumption/use tax receipts (an increase of 5.4% from FY 2017) and $5.7 billion in business tax receipts (an increase of 20.1% from FY 2017). The significant growth is primarily attributable to one-time factors affecting FY 2017 receipts. Against these revenues and transfers, the Enacted Budget included approximately $70.3 billion in General Fund appropriations.

New York City has the largest population of any city in the U.S., and it is obligated to maintain a complex, varied and aging infrastructure. The City bears responsibility for more school buildings, firehouses, health facilities, community colleges, roads, bridges, libraries, and police precincts than any other municipality in the country.

New York City’s general debt limit, as provided in the New York State Constitution, is 10 percent of the five-year rolling average of the full value of taxable City real property. The City’s FY 2017 general debt-incurring power of $90.24 billion is projected to increase to $97.26 billion in FY 2018, to $103.47 billion in FY 2019, and to $110.30 billion by FY 2020. The City’s general obligation debt outstanding was $37.9 billion as of June 2017. After including contract and other liability and adjusting for appropriations, the City’s indebtedness that is counted toward the debt limit totaled $60.07 billion as of July 2016. This indebtedness is expected to grow to $80.87 billion by the beginning of FY 2020. The City is projected to have remaining debt-incurring capacity of $30.93 billion on July 1, 2017, $28.82 billion on July 1, 2018, and $29.44 billion on July 1, 2019.

In addition to general obligation bonds, the City maintains several additional credits, including bonds issued by the New York City Transitional Finance Authority (“NYCTFA”) and Tobacco Settlement Asset Securitization Corporation (“TSASC”). At the end of FY 2016, NYCTFA debt backed by personal income tax revenues accounted for $29.31 billion of debt. In July 2009, the State Legislature granted NYCTFA the authority to issue additional debt for general capital purposes. This additional borrowing above the initial $13.5 billion limit is secured by personal income tax revenues and counted under the City’s general debt limit. In addition to this capacity, the NYCTFA is authorized to issue up to $9.4 billion of Building Aid Revenue Bonds (BARBs) for education purposes. Approximately $8.05 billion of these bonds have been issued as of June 30, 2016. Debt service for these bonds is supported by State building aid revenues. At the end of FY 2016, TSASC debt totaled $1.15 billion and there are currently no plans for future new money TSASC offerings. The City’s debt per capita has grown from $4,923 in FY 2000 to $9,782 by FY 2016, an increase of 99%. Over the same period, the cumulative growth rate in debt per capita was 2.2 times the City’s rate of inflation. Based on an analysis of financial statements released by other jurisdictions in FY 2015, New York City’s debt burden per capita was more than twice the average sample of large U.S. cities.

 

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As of July 20, 2017 New York State’s general obligation bonds are rated AA, Aa1, and AA+ by S&P, Moody’s, and Fitch, respectively. As of July 20, 2017, New York City’s general obligation debt was rated AA+ by S&P, Aa2 by Moody’s, and AA by Fitch. Such ratings reflect only the view of the originating rating agencies, from which an explanation of the significance of such ratings may be obtained. There is no assurance that a particular rating will continue for any given period of time or that any such rating will not be revised downward or withdrawn entirely if, in the judgment of the agency originally establishing the rating, circumstances so warrant. A downward revision or withdrawal of such ratings, or either of them, may have an effect on the market price of the State municipal obligations in which a Fund invests.]

Mortgage-Related Securities and Asset-Backed Securities

Mortgage-related securities are interests in pools of residential or commercial mortgage loans, including mortgage loans made by savings and loan institutions, mortgage bankers, commercial banks and others. Such mortgage loans may include reperforming loans (“RPLs”), which are loans that have previously been delinquent but are current at the time securitized. Pools of mortgage loans are assembled as securities for sale to investors by various governmental, government-related and private organizations. See “Mortgage Pass-Through Securities.” Certain Funds also may invest in debt securities which are secured with collateral consisting of mortgage-related securities (see “Collateralized Mortgage Obligations”). The PIMCO Senior Floating Rate Fund may invest up to 5% of its total assets in mortgage- or asset-backed securities.

The recent financial downturn—particularly the increase in delinquencies and defaults on residential mortgages, falling home prices, and unemployment—has adversely affected the market for mortgage-related securities. In addition, various market and governmental actions may impair the ability to foreclose on or exercise other remedies against underlying mortgage holders, or may reduce the amount received upon foreclosure. These factors have caused certain mortgage-related securities to experience lower valuations and reduced liquidity. There is also no assurance that the U.S. Government will take further action to support the mortgage-related securities industry, as it has in the past, should the economic downturn continue or the economy experience another downturn. Further, recent legislative action and any future government actions may significantly alter the manner in which the mortgage-related securities market functions. Each of these factors could ultimately increase the risk that a Fund could realize losses on mortgage-related securities.

Mortgage Pass-Through Securities. Interests in pools of mortgage-related securities differ from other forms of debt securities, which normally provide for periodic payment of interest in fixed amounts with principal payments at maturity or specified call dates. Instead, these securities provide a monthly payment which consists of both interest and principal payments. In effect, these payments are a “pass-through” of the monthly payments made by the individual borrowers on their residential or commercial mortgage loans, net of any fees paid to the issuer or guarantor of such securities. Additional payments are caused by repayments of principal resulting from the sale of the underlying property, refinancing or foreclosure, net of fees or costs which may be incurred. Some mortgage-related securities (such as securities issued by GNMA) are described as “modified pass-through.” These securities entitle the holder to receive all interest and principal payments owed on the mortgage pool, net of certain fees, at the scheduled payment dates regardless of whether or not the mortgagor actually makes the payment.

The rate of pre-payments on underlying mortgages will affect the price and volatility of a mortgage-related security, and may have the effect of shortening or extending the effective duration of the security relative to what was anticipated at the time of purchase. To the extent that unanticipated rates of pre-payment on underlying mortgages increase the effective duration of a mortgage-related security, the volatility of such security can be expected to increase. The residential mortgage market in the United States recently has experienced difficulties that may adversely affect the performance and market value of certain of the Funds’ mortgage-related investments. Delinquencies and losses on residential mortgage loans (especially subprime and second-lien mortgage loans) generally have increased recently and may continue to increase, and a decline in or flattening of housing values (as has recently been experienced and may continue to be experienced in many housing markets) may exacerbate such delinquencies and losses. Borrowers with adjustable rate mortgage loans are more sensitive to changes in interest rates, which affect their monthly mortgage payments, and may be unable to secure replacement mortgages at comparably low interest rates. Also, a number of residential mortgage loan originators have experienced serious financial difficulties or bankruptcy. Owing largely to the foregoing, reduced investor demand for mortgage loans and mortgage-related securities and increased investor yield requirements have caused limited liquidity in the secondary market for certain mortgage-related securities, which can adversely affect the market value of mortgage-related securities. It is possible that such limited liquidity in such secondary markets could continue or worsen.

Agency Mortgage-Related Securities. The principal governmental guarantor of mortgage-related securities is GNMA. GNMA is a wholly owned United States Government corporation within the Department of Housing and Urban Development. GNMA is authorized to guarantee, with the full faith and credit of the United States Government, the timely payment of principal and interest on securities issued by institutions approved by GNMA (such as savings and loan institutions, commercial banks and mortgage bankers) and backed by pools of mortgages insured by the Federal Housing Administration (the “FHA”), or guaranteed by the Department of Veterans Affairs (the “VA”).

 

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Government-related guarantors (i.e., not backed by the full faith and credit of the United States Government) include FNMA and FHLMC. FNMA is a government-sponsored corporation. FNMA purchases conventional (i.e., not insured or guaranteed by any government agency) residential mortgages from a list of approved seller/servicers which include state and federally chartered savings and loan associations, mutual savings banks, commercial banks and credit unions and mortgage bankers. Pass-through securities issued by FNMA are guaranteed as to timely payment of principal and interest by FNMA, but are not backed by the full faith and credit of the United States Government. FHLMC was created by Congress in 1970 for the purpose of increasing the availability of mortgage credit for residential housing. It is a government-sponsored corporation that issues Participation Certificates (“PCs”), which are pass-through securities, each representing an undivided interest in a pool of residential mortgages. FHLMC guarantees the timely payment of interest and ultimate collection of principal, but PCs are not backed by the full faith and credit of the United States Government.

FNMA and FHLMC also securitize RPLs. For example, in FNMA’s case, the RPLs are single-family, fixed rate reperforming loans that generally were previously placed in an MBS trust guaranteed by FNMA, purchased from the trust by FNMA and held as a distressed asset after four or more months of delinquency, and subsequently became current (i.e. performing) again. Such RPLs may have exited delinquency through efforts at reducing defaults (e.g., loan modification). In selecting RPLs for securitization, FNMA follows certain criteria related to length of time the loan has been performing, the type of loan (single-family, fixed rate), and the status of the loan as first lien, among other things. FNMA may include different loan structures and modification programs in the future.

On September 6, 2008, the Federal Housing Finance Agency (“FHFA”) placed FNMA and FHLMC into conservatorship. As the conservator, FHFA succeeded to all rights, titles, powers and privileges of FNMA and FHLMC and of any stockholder, officer or director of FNMA and FHLMC with respect to FNMA and FHLMC and the assets of FNMA and FHLMC. FHFA selected a new chief executive officer and chairman of the board of directors for each of FNMA and FHLMC.

In connection with the conservatorship, the U.S. Treasury entered into a Senior Preferred Stock Purchase Agreement with each of FNMA and FHLMC pursuant to which the U.S. Treasury will purchase up to an aggregate of $100 billion of each of FNMA and FHLMC to maintain a positive net worth in each enterprise. This agreement contains various covenants that severely limit each enterprise’s operations. In exchange for entering into these agreements, the U.S. Treasury received $1 billion of each enterprise’s senior preferred securities and warrants to purchase 79.9% of each enterprise’s common stock. In 2009, the U.S. Treasury announced that it was doubling the size of its commitment to each enterprise under the Senior Preferred Stock Program to $200 billion. The U.S. Treasury’s obligations under the Senior Preferred Stock Program are for an indefinite period of time for a maximum amount of $200 billion per enterprise. In 2009, the U.S. Treasury further amended the Senior Preferred Stock Purchase Agreement to allow the cap on the U.S. Treasury’s funding commitment to increase as necessary to accommodate any cumulative reduction in FNMA’s and FHLMC’s net worth through the end of 2012. In August 2012, the Senior Preferred Stock Purchase Agreement was further amended to, among other things, accelerate the wind down of the retained portfolio, terminate the requirement that FNMA and FHLMC each pay a 10% dividend annually on all amounts received under the funding commitment, and require the submission of an annual risk management plan to the U.S. Treasury.

FNMA and FHLMC are continuing to operate as going concerns while in conservatorship and each remain liable for all of its obligations, including its guaranty obligations, associated with its mortgage-backed securities. The Senior Preferred Stock Purchase Agreement is intended to enhance each of FNMA’s and FHLMC’s ability to meet its obligations. The FHFA has indicated that the conservatorship of each enterprise will end when the director of FHFA determines that FHFA’s plan to restore the enterprise to a safe and solvent condition has been completed.

Under the Federal Housing Finance Regulatory Reform Act of 2008 (the “Reform Act”), which was included as part of the Housing and Economic Recovery Act of 2008, FHFA, as conservator or receiver, has the power to repudiate any contract entered into by FNMA or FHLMC prior to FHFA’s appointment as conservator or receiver, as applicable, if FHFA determines, in its sole discretion, that performance of the contract is burdensome and that repudiation of the contract promotes the orderly administration of FNMA’s or FHLMC’s affairs. The Reform Act requires FHFA to exercise its right to repudiate any contract within a reasonable period of time after its appointment as conservator or receiver.

FHFA, in its capacity as conservator, has indicated that it has no intention to repudiate the guaranty obligations of FNMA or FHLMC because FHFA views repudiation as incompatible with the goals of the conservatorship. However, in the event that FHFA, as conservator or if it is later appointed as receiver for FNMA or FHLMC, were to repudiate any such guaranty obligation, the conservatorship or receivership estate, as applicable, would be liable for actual direct compensatory damages in accordance with the provisions of the Reform Act. Any such liability could be satisfied only to the extent of FNMA’s or FHLMC’s assets available therefor.

In the event of repudiation, the payments of interest to holders of FNMA or FHLMC mortgage-backed securities would be reduced if payments on the mortgage loans represented in the mortgage loan groups related to such mortgage-backed securities are not made by

 

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the borrowers or advanced by the servicer. Any actual direct compensatory damages for repudiating these guaranty obligations may not be sufficient to offset any shortfalls experienced by such mortgage-backed security holders.

Further, in its capacity as conservator or receiver, FHFA has the right to transfer or sell any asset or liability of FNMA or FHLMC without any approval, assignment or consent. Although FHFA has stated that it has no present intention to do so, if FHFA, as conservator or receiver, were to transfer any such guaranty obligation to another party, holders of FNMA or FHLMC mortgage-backed securities would have to rely on that party for satisfaction of the guaranty obligation and would be exposed to the credit risk of that party.

In addition, certain rights provided to holders of mortgage-backed securities issued by FNMA and FHLMC under the operative documents related to such securities may not be enforced against FHFA, or enforcement of such rights may be delayed, during the conservatorship or any future receivership. The operative documents for FNMA and FHLMC mortgage-backed securities may provide (or with respect to securities issued prior to the date of the appointment of the conservator may have provided) that upon the occurrence of an event of default on the part of FNMA or FHLMC, in its capacity as guarantor, which includes the appointment of a conservator or receiver, holders of such mortgage-backed securities have the right to replace FNMA or FHLMC as trustee if the requisite percentage of mortgage-backed securities holders consent. The Reform Act prevents mortgage-backed security holders from enforcing such rights if the event of default arises solely because a conservator or receiver has been appointed. The Reform Act also provides that no person may exercise any right or power to terminate, accelerate or declare an event of default under certain contracts to which FNMA or FHLMC is a party, or obtain possession of or exercise control over any property of FNMA or FHLMC, or affect any contractual rights of FNMA or FHLMC, without the approval of FHFA, as conservator or receiver, for a period of 45 or 90 days following the appointment of FHFA as conservator or receiver, respectively.

Privately Issued Mortgage-Related Securities. Commercial banks, savings and loan institutions, private mortgage insurance companies, mortgage bankers and other secondary market issuers also create pass-through pools of conventional residential mortgage loans. Such issuers may be the originators and/or servicers of the underlying mortgage loans as well as the guarantors of the mortgage-related securities. Pools created by such non-governmental issuers generally offer a higher rate of interest than government and government-related pools because there are no direct or indirect government or agency guarantees of payments in the former pools. However, timely payment of interest and principal of these pools may be supported by various forms of insurance or guarantees, including individual loan, title, pool and hazard insurance and letters of credit, which may be issued by governmental entities or private insurers. Such insurance and guarantees and the creditworthiness of the issuers thereof will be considered in determining whether a mortgage-related security meets the Trust’s investment quality standards. There can be no assurance that insurers or guarantors can meet their obligations under the insurance policies or guarantee arrangements. The Funds may buy mortgage-related securities without insurance or guarantees if, through an examination of the loan experience and practices of the originators/servicers and poolers, PIMCO determines that the securities meet the Trust’s quality standards. Securities issued by certain private organizations may not be readily marketable. A Fund will not purchase mortgage-related securities or any other assets which, in PIMCO’s opinion, are illiquid if, as a result, more than 15% of the value of the Fund’s net assets will be illiquid (5% of “total assets,” as defined in Rule 2a-7 under the 1940 Act, in the case of the PIMCO Government Money Market Fund).

Privately issued mortgage-related securities are not subject to the same underwriting requirements for the underlying mortgages that are applicable to those mortgage-related securities that have a government or government-sponsored entity guarantee. As a result, the mortgage loans underlying privately issued mortgage-related securities may, and frequently do, have less favorable collateral, credit risk or other underwriting characteristics than government or government-sponsored mortgage-related securities and have wider variances in a number of terms including interest rate, term, size, purpose and borrower characteristics. Mortgage pools underlying privately issued mortgage-related securities more frequently include second mortgages, high loan-to-value ratio mortgages and manufactured housing loans, in addition to commercial mortgages and other types of mortgages where a government or government-sponsored entity guarantee is not available. The coupon rates and maturities of the underlying mortgage loans in a privately-issued mortgage-related securities pool may vary to a greater extent than those included in a government guaranteed pool, and the pool may include subprime mortgage loans. Subprime loans are loans made to borrowers with weakened credit histories or with a lower capacity to make timely payments on their loans. For these reasons, the loans underlying these securities have had in many cases higher default rates than those loans that meet government underwriting requirements.

The risk of non-payment is greater for mortgage-related securities that are backed by loans that were originated under weak underwriting standards, including loans made to borrowers with limited means to make repayment. A level of risk exists for all loans, although, historically, the poorest performing loans have been those classified as subprime. Other types of privately issued mortgage-related securities, such as those classified as pay-option adjustable rate or Alt-A have also performed poorly. Even loans classified as prime have experienced higher levels of delinquencies and defaults. The substantial decline in real property values across the U.S. has exacerbated the level of losses that investors in privately issued mortgage-related securities have experienced. It is not certain when these trends may reverse. Market factors that may adversely affect mortgage loan repayment include adverse economic conditions, unemployment, a decline in the value of real property, or an increase in interest rates.

 

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Privately issued mortgage-related securities are not traded on an exchange and there may be a limited market for the securities, especially when there is a perceived weakness in the mortgage and real estate market sectors. Without an active trading market, mortgage-related securities held in a Fund’s portfolio may be particularly difficult to value because of the complexities involved in assessing the value of the underlying mortgage loans.

The Funds may purchase privately issued mortgage-related securities that are originated, packaged and serviced by third party entities. It is possible these third parties could have interests that are in conflict with the holders of mortgage-related securities, and such holders (such as a Fund) could have rights against the third parties or their affiliates. For example, if a loan originator, servicer or its affiliates engaged in negligence or willful misconduct in carrying out its duties, then a holder of the mortgage-related security could seek recourse against the originator/servicer or its affiliates, as applicable. Also, as a loan originator/servicer, the originator/servicer or its affiliates may make certain representations and warranties regarding the quality of the mortgages and properties underlying a mortgage-related security. If one or more of those representations or warranties is false, then the holders of the mortgage-related securities (such as a Fund) could trigger an obligation of the originator/servicer or its affiliates, as applicable, to repurchase the mortgages from the issuing trust.

Notwithstanding the foregoing, many of the third parties that are legally bound by trust and other documents have failed to perform their respective duties, as stipulated in such trust and other documents, and investors have had limited success in enforcing terms. To the extent third party entities involved with privately issued mortgage-related securities are involved in litigation relating to the securities, actions may be taken that are adverse to the interests of holders of the mortgage-related securities, including the Funds. For example, third parties may seek to withhold proceeds due to holders of the mortgage-related securities, including the Funds, to cover legal or related costs. Any such action could result in losses to the Funds.

Mortgage-related securities that are issued or guaranteed by the U.S. Government, its agencies or instrumentalities, are not subject to the Funds’ industry concentration restrictions, set forth below under “Investment Restrictions,” by virtue of the exclusion from that test available to all U.S. Government securities. The assets underlying privately issued mortgage-related securities may be represented by a portfolio of residential or commercial mortgages (including both whole mortgage loans and mortgage participation interests that may be senior or junior in terms of priority of repayment) or portfolios of mortgage pass-through securities issued or guaranteed by GNMA, FNMA or FHLMC. Mortgage loans underlying a mortgage-related security may in turn be insured or guaranteed by the FHA or the VA. In the case of privately issued mortgage-related securities whose underlying assets are neither U.S. Government securities nor U.S. Government-insured mortgages, to the extent that real properties securing such assets may be located in the same geographical region, the security may be subject to a greater risk of default than other comparable securities in the event of adverse economic, political or business developments that may affect such region and, ultimately, the ability of residential homeowners to make payments of principal and interest on the underlying mortgages.

PIMCO seeks to manage the portion of any Fund’s assets committed to privately issued mortgage-related securities in a manner consistent with the Fund’s investment objective, policies and overall portfolio risk profile. In determining whether and how much to invest in privately issued mortgage-related securities, and how to allocate those assets, PIMCO will consider a number of factors. These include, but are not limited to: (1) the nature of the borrowers (e.g., residential vs. commercial); (2) the collateral loan type (e.g., for residential: First Lien - Jumbo/Prime, First Lien - Alt-A, First Lien - Subprime, First Lien - Pay-Option or Second Lien; for commercial: Conduit, Large Loan or Single Asset / Single Borrower); and (3) in the case of residential loans, whether they are fixed rate or adjustable mortgages. Each of these criteria can cause privately issued mortgage-related securities to have differing primary economic characteristics and distinguishable risk factors and performance characteristics.

Collateralized Mortgage Obligations (“CMOs”). A CMO is a debt obligation of a legal entity that is collateralized by mortgages and divided into classes. Similar to a bond, interest and prepaid principal is paid, in most cases, on a monthly basis. CMOs may be collateralized by whole mortgage loans or private mortgage bonds, but are more typically collateralized by portfolios of mortgage pass-through securities guaranteed by GNMA, FHLMC, or FNMA, and their income streams.

CMOs are structured into multiple classes, often referred to as “tranches,” with each class bearing a different stated maturity and entitled to a different schedule for payments of principal and interest, including pre-payments. Actual maturity and average life will depend upon the pre-payment experience of the collateral. In the case of certain CMOs (known as “sequential pay” CMOs), payments of principal received from the pool of underlying mortgages, including pre-payments, are applied to the classes of CMOs in the order of their respective final distribution dates. Thus, no payment of principal will be made to any class of sequential pay CMOs until all other classes having an earlier final distribution date have been paid in full.

In a typical CMO transaction, a corporation (“issuer”) issues multiple series (e.g., A, B, C, Z) of CMO bonds (“Bonds”). Proceeds of the Bond offering are used to purchase mortgages or mortgage pass-through certificates (“Collateral”). The Collateral is pledged to a third party trustee as security for the Bonds. Principal and interest payments from the Collateral are used to pay principal on the Bonds in the order A, B, C, Z. The Series A, B and C Bonds all bear current interest. Interest on the Series Z Bond is accrued and added to principal and a like amount is paid as principal on the Series A, B, or C Bond currently being paid off. When the Series A, B and C

 

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Bonds are paid in full, interest and principal on the Series Z Bond begins to be paid currently. CMOs may be less liquid and may exhibit greater price volatility than other types of mortgage- or asset-backed securities.

As CMOs have evolved, some classes of CMO bonds have become more common. For example, the Funds may invest in parallel-pay and planned amortization class (“PAC”) CMOs and multi-class pass through certificates. Parallel-pay CMOs and multi-class pass-through certificates are structured to provide payments of principal on each payment date to more than one class. These simultaneous payments are taken into account in calculating the stated maturity date or final distribution date of each class, which, as with other CMO and multi-class pass-through structures, must be retired by its stated maturity date or final distribution date but may be retired earlier. PACs generally require payments of a specified amount of principal on each payment date. PACs are parallel-pay CMOs with the required principal amount on such securities having the highest priority after interest has been paid to all classes. Any CMO or multi-class pass through structure that includes PAC securities must also have support tranches—known as support bonds, companion bonds or non-PAC bonds—which lend or absorb principal cash flows to allow the PAC securities to maintain their stated maturities and final distribution dates within a range of actual prepayment experience. These support tranches are subject to a higher level of maturity risk compared to other mortgage-related securities, and usually provide a higher yield to compensate investors. If principal cash flows are received in amounts outside a pre-determined range such that the support bonds cannot lend or absorb sufficient cash flows to the PAC securities as intended, the PAC securities are subject to heightened maturity risk. Consistent with a Fund’s investment objectives and policies, PIMCO may invest in various tranches of CMO bonds, including support bonds.

Commercial Mortgage-Backed Securities. Commercial mortgage-backed securities include securities that reflect an interest in, and are secured by, mortgage loans on commercial real property. Many of the risks of investing in commercial mortgage-backed securities reflect the risks of investing in the real estate securing the underlying mortgage loans. These risks reflect the effects of local and other economic conditions on real estate markets, the ability of tenants to make loan payments, and the ability of a property to attract and retain tenants. Commercial mortgage-backed securities may be less liquid and exhibit greater price volatility than other types of mortgage- or asset-backed securities.

Other Mortgage-Related Securities. Other mortgage-related securities include securities other than those described above that directly or indirectly represent a participation in, or are secured by and payable from, mortgage loans on real property, including mortgage dollar rolls, CMO residuals or stripped mortgage-backed securities (“SMBS”). Other mortgage-related securities may be equity or debt securities issued by agencies or instrumentalities of the U.S. Government or by private originators of, or investors in, mortgage loans, including savings and loan associations, homebuilders, mortgage banks, commercial banks, investment banks, partnerships, trusts and special purpose entities of the foregoing.

Mortgage-related securities include, among other things, securities that reflect an interest in reverse mortgages. In a reverse mortgage, a lender makes a loan to a homeowner based on the homeowner’s equity in his or her home. While a homeowner must be age 62 or older to qualify for a reverse mortgage, reverse mortgages may have no income restrictions. Repayment of the interest or principal for the loan is generally not required until the homeowner dies, sells the home, or ceases to use the home as his or her primary residence.

There are three general types of reverse mortgages: (1) single-purpose reverse mortgages, which are offered by certain state and local government agencies and nonprofit organizations; (2) federally-insured reverse mortgages, which are backed by the U. S. Department of Housing and Urban Development; and (3) proprietary reverse mortgages, which are privately offered loans. A mortgage-related security may be backed by a single type of reverse mortgage. Reverse mortgage-related securities include agency and privately issued mortgage-related securities. The principal government guarantor of reverse mortgage-related securities is GNMA.

Reverse mortgage-related securities may be subject to risks different than other types of mortgage-related securities due to the unique nature of the underlying loans. The date of repayment for such loans is uncertain and may occur sooner or later than anticipated. The timing of payments for the corresponding mortgage-related security may be uncertain. Because reverse mortgages are offered only to persons 62 and older and there may be no income restrictions, the loans may react differently than traditional home loans to market events. Additionally, there can be no assurance that service providers to reverse mortgage trusts (RMTs) will diligently and appropriately execute their duties with respect to servicing such trusts. As a result, investors (which may include the Funds) in notes issued by RMTs may be deprived of payments to which they are entitled. This could result in losses to the Funds. Investors, including the Funds, may determine to pursue negotiations or legal claims or otherwise seek compensation from RMT service providers in certain instances. This may involve the Funds incurring costs and expenses associated with such actions.

CMO Residuals. CMO residuals are mortgage securities issued by agencies or instrumentalities of the U.S. Government or by private originators of, or investors in, mortgage loans, including savings and loan associations, homebuilders, mortgage banks, commercial banks, investment banks and special purpose entities of the foregoing.

The cash flow generated by the mortgage assets underlying a series of CMOs is applied first to make required payments of principal and interest on the CMOs and second to pay the related administrative expenses and any management fee of the issuer. The residual in a CMO structure generally represents the interest in any excess cash flow remaining after making the foregoing payments. Each payment of such excess cash flow to a holder of the related CMO residual represents income and/or a return of capital. The amount of

 

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residual cash flow resulting from a CMO will depend on, among other things, the characteristics of the mortgage assets, the coupon rate of each class of CMO, prevailing interest rates, the amount of administrative expenses and the pre-payment experience on the mortgage assets. In particular, the yield to maturity on CMO residuals is extremely sensitive to pre-payments on the related underlying mortgage assets, in the same manner as an interest-only (“IO”) class of stripped mortgage-backed securities. See “Other Mortgage-Related Securities-Stripped Mortgage-Backed Securities.” In addition, if a series of a CMO includes a class that bears interest at an adjustable rate, the yield to maturity on the related CMO residual will also be extremely sensitive to changes in the level of the index upon which interest rate adjustments are based. As described below with respect to stripped mortgage-backed securities, in certain circumstances a Fund may fail to recoup fully its initial investment in a CMO residual.

CMO residuals are generally purchased and sold by institutional investors through several investment banking firms acting as brokers or dealers. Transactions in CMO residuals are generally completed only after careful review of the characteristics of the securities in question. In addition, CMO residuals may, or pursuant to an exemption therefrom, may not have been registered under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the “1933 Act”). CMO residuals, whether or not registered under the 1933 Act, may be subject to certain restrictions on transferability, and may be deemed “illiquid” and subject to a Fund’s limitations on investment in illiquid securities.

Adjustable Rate Mortgage-Backed Securities. Adjustable rate mortgage-backed securities (“ARMBSs”) have interest rates that reset at periodic intervals. Acquiring ARMBSs permits a Fund to participate in increases in prevailing current interest rates through periodic adjustments in the coupons of mortgages underlying the pool on which ARMBSs are based. Such ARMBSs generally have higher current yield and lower price fluctuations than is the case with more traditional fixed income debt securities of comparable rating and maturity. In addition, when prepayments of principal are made on the underlying mortgages during periods of rising interest rates, a Fund can reinvest the proceeds of such prepayments at rates higher than those at which they were previously invested. Mortgages underlying most ARMBSs, however, have limits on the allowable annual or lifetime increases that can be made in the interest rate that the mortgagor pays. Therefore, if current interest rates rise above such limits over the period of the limitation, a Fund, when holding an ARMBS, does not benefit from further increases in interest rates. Moreover, when interest rates are in excess of coupon rates (i.e., the rates being paid by mortgagors) of the mortgages, ARMBSs behave more like fixed income securities and less like adjustable rate securities and are subject to the risks associated with fixed income securities. In addition, during periods of rising interest rates, increases in the coupon rate of adjustable rate mortgages generally lag current market interest rates slightly, thereby creating the potential for capital depreciation on such securities.

Stripped Mortgage-Backed Securities. SMBS are derivative multi-class mortgage securities. SMBS may be issued by agencies or instrumentalities of the U.S. Government, or by private originators of, or investors in, mortgage loans, including savings and loan associations, mortgage banks, commercial banks, investment banks and special purpose entities of the foregoing.

SMBS are usually structured with two classes that receive different proportions of the interest and principal distributions on a pool of mortgage assets. A common type of SMBS will have one class receiving some of the interest and most of the principal from the mortgage assets, while the other class will receive most of the interest and the remainder of the principal. In the most extreme case, one class will receive all of the interest (the “IO” class), while the other class will receive all of the principal (the principal-only or “PO” class). The yield to maturity on an IO class is extremely sensitive to the rate of principal payments (including pre-payments) on the related underlying mortgage assets, and a rapid rate of principal payments may have a material adverse effect on a Fund’s yield to maturity from these securities. If the underlying mortgage assets experience greater than anticipated pre-payments of principal, a Fund may fail to recoup some or all of its initial investment in these securities even if the security is in one of the highest rating categories.

Collateralized Bond Obligations, Collateralized Loan Obligations and other Collateralized Debt Obligations. The Funds (except the PIMCO Government Money Market and PIMCO Total Return IV Funds) may invest in each of collateralized bond obligations (“CBOs”), collateralized loan obligations (“CLOs”), other collateralized debt obligations (“CDOs”) and other similarly structured securities. CBOs, CLOs and other CDOs are types of asset-backed 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. Other CDOs are trusts backed by other types of assets representing obligations of various parties. CBOs, CLOs and other CDOs may charge management fees and administrative expenses.

For CBOs, CLOs and other CDOs, 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, CLO trust or trust of another CDO 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, CLO or other CDO tranches can experience substantial losses due to actual defaults, increased sensitivity to defaults due to collateral default and

 

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disappearance of protecting tranches, market anticipation of defaults, as well as aversion to CBO, CLO or other CDO securities as a class.

The risks of an investment in a CBO, CLO or other CDO depend largely on the type of the collateral securities and the class of the instrument in which a Fund invests. Normally, CBOs, CLOs and other CDOs are privately offered and sold, and thus, are not registered under the securities laws. As a result, investments in CBOs, CLOs and other CDOs may be characterized by the Funds as illiquid securities, however an active dealer market may exist for CBOs, CLOs and other CDOs allowing them to qualify for Rule 144A transactions. In addition to the normal risks associated with fixed income securities discussed elsewhere in this Statement of Additional Information and the Funds’ Prospectuses (e.g., prepayment risk, credit risk, liquidity risk, market risk, structural risk, legal risk and interest rate risk (which may be exacerbated if the interest rate payable on a structured financing changes based on multiples of changes in interest rates or inversely to changes in interest rates)), CBOs, CLOs and other CDOs carry additional risks including, but are not limited to: (i) the possibility that distributions from collateral securities will not be adequate to make interest or other payments; (ii) the quality of the collateral may decline in value or default; (iii) the risk that Funds may invest in CBOs, CLOs or other CDOs that are subordinate to other classes; and (iv) 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-Backed Securities. Asset-backed securities (“ABS”) are bonds backed by pools of loans or other receivables. ABS are created from many types of assets, including, but not limited to, auto loans, accounts receivable such as credit card receivables and hospital account receivables, home equity loans, student loans, boat loans, mobile home loans, recreational vehicle loans, manufactured housing loans, aircraft leases, computer leases and syndicated bank loans. ABS are issued through special purpose vehicles that are bankruptcy remote from the issuer of the collateral. The credit quality of an ABS transaction depends on the performance of the underlying assets. To protect ABS investors from the possibility that some borrowers could miss payments or even default on their loans, ABS include various forms of credit enhancement.

Some ABS, particularly home equity loan transactions, are subject to interest-rate risk and prepayment risk. A change in interest rates can affect the pace of payments on the underlying loans, which in turn, affects total return on the securities. ABS also carry credit or default risk. If many borrowers on the underlying loans default, losses could exceed the credit enhancement level and result in losses to investors in an ABS transaction. Additionally, the value of ABS is subject to risks associated with the servicers’ performance. In some circumstances, a servicer’s or originator’s mishandling of documentation related to the underlying collateral (e.g., failure to properly document a security interest in the underlying collateral) may affect the rights of the security holders in and to the underlying collateral. Finally, ABS have structure risk due to a unique characteristic known as early amortization, or early payout, risk. Built into the structure of most ABS are triggers for early payout, designed to protect investors from losses. These triggers are unique to each transaction and can include: a big rise in defaults on the underlying loans, a sharp drop in the credit enhancement level, or even the bankruptcy of the originator. Once early amortization begins, all incoming loan payments (after expenses are paid) are used to pay investors as quickly as possible based upon a predetermined priority of payment.

Consistent with a Fund’s investment objectives and policies, PIMCO also may invest in other types of asset-backed securities.

Real Estate Assets and Related Derivatives

Certain Funds (in particular, the PIMCO RealEstateRealReturn Strategy Fund) may generally gain exposure to the real estate sector by investing in real estate-linked derivatives, real estate investment trusts (“REITs”), and common, preferred and convertible securities of issuers in real estate-related industries. The Funds may also invest in loans or other investments secured by real estate and may, as a result of default, foreclosure or otherwise, take possession of and hold real estate as a direct owner (see “Indebtedness, Loan Participations and Assignments” below). Each of these types of investments are subject, directly or indirectly, to risks associated with ownership of real estate, including changes in the general economic climate or local conditions (such as an oversupply of space or a reduction in demand for space), loss to casualty or condemnation, increases in property taxes and operating expenses, zoning law amendments, changes in interest rates, overbuilding and increased competition, including competition based on rental rates, variations in market value, changes in the financial condition of tenants, changes in operating costs, attractiveness and location of the properties, adverse changes in the real estate markets generally or in specific sectors of the real estate industry and possible environmental liabilities. Real estate-related investments may entail leverage and may be highly volatile.

REITs are pooled investment vehicles that own, and typically operate, income-producing real estate. If a REIT meets certain requirements, including distributing to shareholders substantially all of its taxable income (other than net capital gains), then it is not generally taxed on the income distributed to shareholders. REITs are subject to management fees and other expenses, and so the Funds that invest in REITs will bear their proportionate share of the costs of the REITs’ operations.

There are three general categories of REITs: Equity REITs, Mortgage REITs and Hybrid REITs. Equity REITs invest primarily in direct fee ownership or leasehold ownership of real property; they derive most of their income from rents. Mortgage REITs invest mostly in mortgages on real estate, which may secure construction, development or long-term loans, and the main source of their income is mortgage interest payments. Hybrid REITs hold both ownership and mortgage interests in real estate.

 

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Along with the risks common to different types of real estate-related securities, REITs, no matter the type, involve additional risk factors. These include poor performance by the REIT’s manager, changes to the tax laws, and failure by the REIT to qualify for tax-free distribution of income or exemption under the 1940 Act. Furthermore, REITs are not diversified and are heavily dependent on cash flow.

A Fund or some of the REITs in which a Fund may invest may be permitted to hold senior or residual interests in real estate mortgage investment conduits (“REMICs”) or debt or equity interests in taxable mortgage pools (“TMPs”). A Fund may also hold interests in “Re-REMICs”, which are interests in securitizations formed by the contribution of asset backed or other similar securities into a trust which then issues securities in various tranches. The Funds may participate in the creation of a Re-REMIC by contributing assets to the trust and receiving junior and/or senior securities in return. An interest in a Re-REMIC security may be riskier than the securities originally held by and contributed to the trust, and the holders of the Re-REMIC securities will bear the costs associated with the securitization.

Bank Obligations

Bank obligations in which the Funds may invest include certificates of deposit, bankers’ acceptances, and fixed time deposits. Certificates of deposit are negotiable certificates issued against funds deposited in a commercial bank for a definite period of time and earning a specified return. Bankers’ acceptances are negotiable drafts or bills of exchange, normally drawn by an importer or exporter to pay for specific merchandise, which are “accepted” by a bank, meaning, in effect, that the bank unconditionally agrees to pay the face value of the instrument on maturity. Fixed time deposits are bank obligations payable at a stated maturity date and bearing interest at a fixed rate. Fixed time deposits may be withdrawn on demand by the investor, but may be subject to early withdrawal penalties which vary depending upon market conditions and the remaining maturity of the obligation. There are no contractual restrictions on the right to transfer a beneficial interest in a fixed time deposit to a third party, although there is no market for such deposits. A Fund will not invest in fixed time deposits which: (1) are not subject to prepayment; or (2) provide for withdrawal penalties upon prepayment (other than overnight deposits) if, in the aggregate, more than 15% of its net assets (5% of “total assets,” as defined in Rule 2a-7 under the 1940 Act, in the case of the PIMCO Government Money Market Fund) would be invested in such deposits, repurchase agreements with remaining maturities of more than seven days and other illiquid assets.

The activities of U.S. banks and most foreign banks are subject to comprehensive regulations which, in the case of U.S. regulations, have undergone substantial changes in the past decade and are currently subject to legislative and regulatory scrutiny. The enactment of new legislation or regulations, as well as changes in interpretation and enforcement of current laws, may affect the manner of operations and profitability of U.S. and foreign banks. Significant developments in the U.S. banking industry have included increased competition from other types of financial institutions, increased acquisition activity and geographic expansion. Banks may be particularly susceptible to certain economic factors, such as interest rate changes and adverse developments in the market for real estate. Fiscal and monetary policy and general economic cycles can affect the availability and cost of funds, loan demand and asset quality and thereby impact the earnings and financial conditions of banks.

The PIMCO California Intermediate Municipal Bond, PIMCO California Municipal Bond, PIMCO California Short Duration Municipal Income, PIMCO Government Money Market, PIMCO High Yield Municipal Bond, PIMCO GNMA and Government Securities, PIMCO Long-Term U.S. Government, PIMCO Low Duration II, PIMCO Mortgage-Backed Securities, PIMCO Municipal Bond, PIMCO National Intermediate Municipal Bond, PIMCO New York Municipal Bond, PIMCO Short Duration Municipal Income and PIMCO Total Return II Funds may invest in the same types of bank obligations as the other Funds, but they must be U.S. dollar-denominated. Subject to the Trust’s limitation on concentration of no more than 25% of its total assets in the securities of issuers in a particular industry, as described in the “Investment Restrictions” section below, there is no limitation on the amount of a Fund’s assets which may be invested in obligations of foreign banks which meet the conditions set forth herein.

Obligations of foreign banks involve somewhat different investment risks than those affecting obligations of United States banks, including the possibilities that their liquidity could be impaired because of future political and economic developments, that their obligations may be less marketable than comparable obligations of United States banks, that a foreign jurisdiction might impose withholding taxes on interest income payable on those obligations, that foreign deposits may be seized or nationalized, that foreign governmental restrictions such as exchange controls may be adopted which might adversely affect the payment of principal and interest on those obligations and that the selection of those obligations may be more difficult because there may be less publicly available information concerning foreign banks or the accounting, auditing and financial reporting standards, practices and requirements applicable to foreign banks may differ from those applicable to United States banks. Foreign banks are not generally subject to examination by any United States Government agency or instrumentality.

Loans and Other Indebtedness, Loan Participations and Assignments

Each Fund (except for the PIMCO Government Money Market Fund) may purchase indebtedness and participations in commercial loans, as well as interests and/or servicing or similar rights in such loans. Such instruments may be secured or unsecured and may be newly-originated (and may be specifically designed for a Fund). Indebtedness is different from traditional debt securities in that debt securities are part of a large issue of securities to the public whereas indebtedness may not be a security and may represent a specific commercial loan to a borrower. Loan participations typically represent direct participation, together with other parties, in a loan to a corporate borrower, and generally are offered by banks or other financial institutions or lending syndicates. The Funds may participate in such syndications, or can buy part of a loan, becoming a part lender. When purchasing indebtedness and loan participations, a Fund assumes the credit risk associated with the corporate borrower and may assume the credit risk associated with an interposed bank or other financial intermediary. The indebtedness and loan participations that a Fund may acquire may not be rated by any nationally recognized rating service.

 

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A loan is often administered by an agent bank acting as agent for all holders. The agent bank administers the terms of the loan, as specified in the loan agreement. In addition, the agent bank is normally responsible for the collection of principal and interest payments from the corporate borrower and the apportionment of these payments to the credit of all institutions which are parties to the loan agreement. Unless, under the terms of the loan or other indebtedness, a Fund has direct recourse against the corporate borrower, the Fund may have to rely on the agent bank or other financial intermediary to apply appropriate credit remedies against a corporate borrower.

A financial institution’s employment as agent bank might be terminated in the event that it fails to observe a requisite standard of care or becomes insolvent. A successor agent bank would generally be appointed to replace the terminated agent bank, and assets held by the agent bank under the loan agreement should remain available to holders of such indebtedness. However, if assets held by the agent bank for the benefit of a Fund were determined to be subject to the claims of the agent bank’s general creditors, the Fund might incur certain costs and delays in realizing payment on a loan or loan participation and could suffer a loss of principal and/or interest. In situations involving other interposed financial institutions (e.g., an insurance company or governmental agency) similar risks may arise.

Purchasers of loans and other forms of direct indebtedness depend primarily upon the creditworthiness of the corporate borrower for payment of principal and interest. If a Fund does not receive scheduled interest or principal payments on such indebtedness, the Fund’s share price and yield could be adversely affected. Loans that are fully secured offer a Fund more protection than an unsecured loan in the event of non-payment of scheduled interest or principal. However, there is no assurance that the liquidation of collateral from a secured loan would satisfy the corporate borrower’s obligation, or that the collateral can be liquidated. In the event of the bankruptcy of a borrower, a Fund could experience delays or limitations in its ability to realize the benefits of any collateral securing a loan.

The Funds may acquire loan participations with credit quality comparable to that of issuers of its securities investments. Indebtedness of companies whose creditworthiness is poor involves substantially greater risks, and may be highly speculative. Some companies may never pay off their indebtedness, or may pay only a small fraction of the amount owed. Consequently, when acquiring indebtedness of companies with poor credit, a Fund bears a substantial risk of losing the entire amount of the instrument acquired. The Funds may make purchases of indebtedness and loan participations to achieve income and/or capital appreciation.

Certain Funds that are diversified limit the amount of their total assets that they will invest in any one issuer and all Funds (except the PIMCO Preferred and Capital Securities Fund, which concentrates its investments in a group of industries related to banks) limit the amount of their total assets that they will invest in issuers within the same industry (see “Investment Restrictions”). For purposes of these limits, a Fund generally will treat the corporate borrower as the “issuer” of indebtedness held by the Fund. In the case of loan participations where a bank or other lending institution serves as a financial intermediary between a Fund and the corporate borrower, if the participation does not shift to the Fund the direct debtor-creditor relationship with the corporate borrower, the Fund will treat both the lending bank or other lending institution and the corporate borrower as “issuers” for purposes of a Fund’s policy with respect to diversification under Fundamental Investment Restriction 2 below in accordance with written guidance from the staff of the SEC. Treating a financial intermediary as an issuer of indebtedness may restrict a Fund’s ability to invest in indebtedness related to a single financial intermediary even if the underlying borrowers represent many different companies.

Loans and other types of direct indebtedness (which a Fund may originate, acquire or otherwise gain exposure to) may not be readily marketable and may be subject to restrictions on resale. In some cases, negotiations involved in disposing of indebtedness may require weeks to complete. Consequently, some indebtedness may be difficult or impossible to dispose of readily at what PIMCO believes to be a fair price. In addition, valuation of illiquid indebtedness involves a greater degree of judgment in determining a Fund’s net asset value than if that value were based on available market quotations, and could result in significant variations in the Fund’s daily share price. At the same time, some loan interests are traded among certain financial institutions and accordingly may be deemed liquid. As the market for different types of indebtedness develops, the liquidity of these instruments is expected to improve. In addition, the Funds currently intend to treat indebtedness for which there is no readily available market as illiquid for purposes of the Funds’ limitation on illiquid investments. Acquisitions of loan participations are considered to be debt obligations for purposes of the Trust’s investment restriction relating to the lending of funds or assets by a Fund.

Acquisition of loans through a purchase of a loan or a direct assignment of a financial institution’s interests with respect to the loan may involve additional risks to the Funds. The purchaser of an assignment typically succeeds to all the rights and obligations under the loan agreement with the same rights and obligations as the assigning lender. Assignments may, however, be arranged through private negotiations between potential assignees and potential assignors, and the rights and obligations acquired by the purchaser of an assignment may differ from, and be more limited than, those held by the assigning lender. For example, if a loan is foreclosed, a Fund could become owner, in whole or in part, of any collateral, which could include, among other assets, real estate or other real or personal property, and would bear the costs and liabilities associated with owning and holding or disposing of the collateral. In addition, it is conceivable that under emerging legal theories of lender liability, a Fund could be held liable as co-lender. It is unclear whether loans and other forms of direct indebtedness offer securities law protections against fraud and misrepresentation. In the absence of definitive regulatory guidance, the Funds rely on PIMCO’s research in an attempt to avoid situations where fraud or misrepresentation could adversely affect the Funds.

 

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Each Fund (except for the PIMCO Government Money Market Fund) may make, participate in or acquire debtor-in-possession financings (commonly known as “DIP financings”). DIP financings are arranged when an entity seeks the protections of the bankruptcy court under Chapter 11 of the U.S. Bankruptcy Code. These financings allow the entity to continue its business operations while reorganizing under Chapter 11. Such financings constitute senior liens on unencumbered security (i.e., security not subject to other creditors’ claims). There is a risk that the entity will not emerge from Chapter 11 and be forced to liquidate its assets under Chapter 7 of the U.S. Bankruptcy Code. In the event of liquidation, a Fund’s only recourse will be against the property securing the DIP financing.

Each Fund (except for the PIMCO Government Money Market Fund) may act as the originator for direct loans to a borrower. Direct loans between a Fund and a borrower may not be administered by an underwriter or agent bank. The Funds may provide financing to commercial borrowers directly or through companies acquired (or created) and owned by or otherwise affiliated with one or more Funds. The terms of the direct loans are negotiated with borrowers in private transactions. A direct loan may be secured or unsecured.

In determining whether to make a direct loan, a Fund will rely primarily upon the creditworthiness of the borrower and/or any collateral for payment of interest and repayment of principal. In making a direct loan, a Fund is exposed to the risk that the borrower may default or become insolvent and, consequently, that the Fund will lose money on the loan. Furthermore, direct loans may subject a Fund to liquidity and interest rate risk and certain direct loans may be deemed illiquid. Direct loans are not publicly traded and may not have a secondary market. The lack of a secondary market for direct loans may have an adverse impact on the ability of a Fund to dispose of a direct loan and/or to value the direct loan.

When engaging in direct lending, a Fund’s performance may depend, in part, on the ability of the Fund to originate loans on advantageous terms. In originating and purchasing loans, a Fund will compete with a broad spectrum of lenders. Increased competition for, or a diminishment in the available supply of, qualifying loans could result in lower yields on such loans, which could reduce Fund performance.

As part of its lending activities, a Fund may originate loans to companies that are experiencing significant financial or business difficulties, including companies involved in bankruptcy or other reorganization and liquidation proceedings. Although the terms of such financing may result in significant financial returns to the Fund, they involve a substantial degree of risk. The level of analytical sophistication, both financial and legal, necessary for successful financing to companies experiencing significant business and financial difficulties is unusually high. Different types of assets may be used as collateral for a Fund’s loans and, accordingly, the valuation of and risks associated with such collateral will vary by loan. There is no assurance that a Fund will correctly evaluate the value of the assets collateralizing the Fund’s loans or the prospects for a successful reorganization or similar action. In any reorganization or liquidation proceeding relating to a company that the Fund funds, the Fund may lose all or part of the amounts advanced to the borrower or may be required to accept collateral with a value less than the amount of the loan advanced by the Fund or its affiliates to the borrower. Furthermore, in the event of a default by a borrower, a Fund may have difficulty disposing of the assets used as collateral for a loan.

Various state licensing requirements could apply to a Fund with respect to the origination, acquisition, holding, servicing, foreclosure and/or disposition of loans and similar assets. The licensing requirements could apply depending on the location of the borrower, the location of the collateral securing the loan, or the location where the Fund or PIMCO operates or has offices. In states in which it is licensed, a Fund or PIMCO will be required to comply with applicable laws and regulations, including consumer protection and anti-fraud laws, which could impose restrictions on the Fund’s or PIMCO’s ability to take certain actions to protect the value of its holdings in such assets and impose compliance costs. Failure to comply with such laws and regulations could lead to, among other penalties, a loss of a Fund’s or PIMCO’s license, which in turn could require the Fund to divest assets located in or secured by real property located in that state. These risks will also apply to issuers and entities in which a Fund invests that hold similar assets, as well as any origination company or servicer in which the Fund owns an interest.

Loan origination and servicing companies are routinely involved in legal proceedings concerning matters that arise in the ordinary course of their business. These legal proceedings range from actions involving a single plaintiff to class action lawsuits with potentially tens of thousands of class members. In addition, a number of participants in the loan origination and servicing industry (including control persons of industry participants) have been the subject of regulatory actions by state regulators, including state Attorneys General, and by the federal government. Governmental investigations, examinations or regulatory actions, or private lawsuits, including purported class action lawsuits, may adversely affect such companies’ financial results. To the extent a Fund seeks to engage in origination and/or servicing directly, or has a financial interest in, or is otherwise affiliated with, an origination or servicing company, the Fund will be subject to enhanced risks of litigation, regulatory actions and other proceedings. As a result, a Fund may be required to pay legal fees, settlement costs, damages, penalties or other charges, any or all of which could materially adversely affect the Fund and its holdings.

In addition to laws governing the activities of lenders and servicers, certain states may require, or may in the future require, purchasers or holders of certain loans, including residential mortgage loans, to be licensed or registered in order to purchase, hold or foreclose such loans, or, in certain states, to collect a rate of interest above a specified rate. To the extent required or determined to be necessary or advisable by a Fund that seeks to acquire such loans, the Fund will take appropriate steps intended to address any applicable state licensing requirements, which may include acquiring and holding such loans through structures designed to preempt state licensing laws, in order to pursue its objectives and strategies. To the extent a Fund (or its direct or indirect fully-owned subsidiary) obtains licenses or is required to comply with related regulatory requirements, the Fund could be subject to increased costs and regulatory oversight by governmental authorities, which may have an adverse effect on its results or operations.

 

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Certain Funds initially intend to acquire residential mortgage loans through direct or indirect fully-owned subsidiaries. The subsidiaries directly holding a beneficial interest in loans will be formed as domestic common law or statutory trusts with a federally chartered bank serving as trustee. A Fund’s fully-owned subsidiary trust will hold the beneficial interests of loans and the federally chartered bank acting as trustee will hold legal title to the loans for the benefit of the subsidiary trust and/or the trust’s beneficial owners (i.e., a Fund or its direct or indirect fully-owned subsidiary). State licensing laws typically exempt federally chartered banks from their licensing requirements, and federally chartered banks may also benefit from federal preemption of state laws, including any licensing requirements. The use of common law or statutory trusts with a federally chartered bank serving as trustee is intended to address any state licensing requirements that may be applicable to purchasers or holders of loans, including state licensing requirements related to foreclosure. A Fund may allocate up to 5% of its total assets to its direct or indirect fully-owned subsidiary trust for the purpose of acquiring and holding loans if the acquisition and holding of such loans is permitted by the Fund’s investment objectives and policies and any limits set by the Fund’s Board of Trustees. The Funds believe that such direct or indirect fully-owned subsidiary trusts will not be treated as associations or publicly traded partnerships taxable as corporations for U.S. federal income tax purposes, and that therefore, the subsidiary trusts will not be subject to U.S. federal income tax at the subsidiary level. Investments in residential mortgage loans through entities that are not so treated can potentially be limited by a Fund’s intention to qualify as a regulated investment company, and limit the Fund’s ability to qualify as such.

If a Fund or its direct or indirect fully-owned subsidiary trust is required to be licensed in any particular jurisdiction in order to acquire, hold, dispose or foreclose loans, obtaining the required license may not be viable (because, for example, it is not possible or practical) and the Fund or its subsidiary trust may be unable to restructure its holdings to address the licensing requirement. In that case, the Fund or its subsidiary trust may be forced to cease activities involving the affected loans, or may be forced to sell such loans. If a state regulator or court were to determine that the Fund or its subsidiary trust acquired, held or foreclosed a loan without a required state license, the Fund or its subsidiary trust could be subject to penalties or other sanctions, prohibited or restricted in its ability to enforce its rights under the loan, or subject to litigation risk or other losses or damages.

Privacy and Data Security Laws

The Gramm-Leach-Bliley Act (“GLBA”) and other laws limit the disclosure of certain non-public personal information about a consumer to non-affiliated third parties and require financial institutions to disclose certain privacy policies and practices with respect to information sharing with both affiliates and non-affiliated third parties. Many states and a number of non-U.S. jurisdictions have enacted privacy and data security laws requiring safeguards on the privacy and security of consumers’ personally identifiable information. Other laws deal with obligations to safeguard and dispose of private information in a manner designed to avoid its dissemination. Privacy rules adopted by the U.S. Federal Trade Commission and SEC implement GLBA and other requirements and govern the disclosure of consumer financial information by certain financial institutions, ranging from banks to private investment funds. U.S. platforms following certain models generally are required to have privacy policies that conform to these GLBA and other requirements. In addition, such platforms typically have policies and procedures intended to maintain platform participants’ personal information securely and dispose of it properly.

The Fund generally does not intend to obtain or hold borrowers’ non-public personal information, and the Fund intends to implement procedures designed to prevent the disclosure of borrowers’ non-public personal information to the Fund. However, service providers to the Fund or its direct or indirect full-owned subsidiaries, including their custodians and the platforms acting as loan servicers for the Fund or its direct or indirect full-owned subsidiaries, may obtain, hold or process such information. While the Fund will adopt policies and procedures regarding the platforms’ and custodian’s protection and use of non-public personal information, the Fund cannot guarantee the security of that data and cannot guarantee that service providers have been and will continue to comply with GLBA, other data security and privacy laws and any other related regulatory requirements. Violations of GLBA and other laws could subject the Fund to litigation and/or fines, penalties or other regulatory action, which, individually or in the aggregate, could have an adverse

 

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effect on the Fund. The Fund may also face regulations related to privacy and data security in the other jurisdictions in which the Fund invests.

Senior Loans

To the extent the Funds invest in senior loans, including bank loans, the Funds may be subject to greater levels of credit risk, call risk, settlement risk and liquidity risk, than funds that do not invest in such investments. These instruments are considered predominantly speculative with respect to an issuer’s continuing ability to make principal and interest payments, and may be more volatile than other types of investments. An economic downturn or individual corporate developments could adversely affect the market for these instruments and reduce the Funds’ ability to sell these instruments at an advantageous time or price. An economic downturn would generally lead to a higher non-payment rate and, a senior loan may lose significant market value before a default occurs. In addition, the senior loans in which the Funds invest may not be listed on any exchange and a secondary market for such loans may be less liquid than markets for other instruments. Consequently, transactions in senior loans may involve greater costs than transactions in more actively traded instruments. Restrictions on transfers in loan agreements, a lack of publicly-available information, irregular trading activity and wide bid/ask spreads among other factors, may, in certain circumstances, make senior loans difficult to value accurately or sell at an advantageous time or price than other types of securities or instruments. These factors may result in a Fund being unable to realize full value for the senior loans and/or may result in a Fund not receiving the proceeds from a sale of a senior loan for an extended period after such sale, each of which could result in losses to a Fund. Senior loans may have extended trade settlement periods, which may result in sale proceeds not being immediately available to a Fund. As a result, transactions in senior loans that settle on a delayed basis may limit a Fund’s ability to make additional investments or satisfy the Fund’s redemption obligations. A Fund may seek to satisfy any short-term liquidity needs resulting from an extended trade settlement process by, among other things, selling portfolio assets, holding additional cash or entering into temporary borrowing arrangements with banks and other potential funding sources. If an issuer of a senior loan prepays or redeems the loan prior to maturity, a Fund may have to reinvest the proceeds in instruments that pay lower interest rates. Senior loans may not be considered securities under the federal securities laws. In such circumstances, fewer legal protections may be available with respect to a Fund’s investment in senior loans. In particular, if a senior loan is not considered a security under the federal securities laws, certain legal protections normally available to securities investors under the federal securities laws, such as those against fraud and misrepresentation, may not be available. Senior loans in which a Fund invests may be collateralized, although the loans may not be fully collateralized and the collateral may be unavailable or insufficient to meet the obligations of the borrower. A Fund may have limited rights to exercise remedies against such collateral or a borrower and loan agreements may impose certain procedures that delay receipt of the proceeds of collateral or require the Fund to act collectively with other creditors to exercise its rights with respect to a senior loan. Because of the risks involved in investing in senior loans, an investment in a Fund that invests in such instruments should be considered speculative.

Secondary trades of senior loans may have extended settlement periods. Any settlement of a secondary market purchase of senior loans in the ordinary course, on a settlement date beyond the period expected by loan market participants (i.e., T+7 for par/near par loans and T+20 for distressed loans, in other words more than seven or twenty business days beyond the trade date, respectively) is subject to the “delayed compensation” rules prescribed by the Loan Syndications and Trading Association (“LSTA”) and addressed in the LSTA’s standard loan documentation for par/near par trades and for distressed trades. “Delayed compensation” is a pricing adjustment comprised of certain interest and fees, which is payable between the parties to a secondary loan trade. The LSTA introduced a requirements-based rules program in order to incentivize shorter settlement times for secondary transactions and discourage certain delay tactics that create friction in the loan syndications market by, among other things, mandating that the buyer of a senior loan satisfy certain “basic requirements” as prescribed by the LSTA no later than T+5 in order for the buyer to receive the benefit of interest and other fees accruing on the purchased loan from and after T+7 for par/near par loans (for distressed trades, T+20) until the settlement date, subject to certain specific exceptions. These “basic requirements” generally require a buyer to execute the required trade documentation and to be, and remain, financially able to settle the trade no later than T+7 for par/near par loans (and T+20 for distressed trades). In addition, buyers are required to fund the purchase price for a secondary trade upon receiving notice from the agent of the effectiveness of the trade in the agent’s loan register. A Fund, as a buyer of a senior loan in the secondary market, would need to meet these “basic requirements” or risk forfeiting all or some portion of the interest and other fees accruing on the loan from and after T+7 for par/near par loans (for distressed trades, T+20) until the settlement date. The “delayed compensation” mechanism does not mitigate the other risks of delayed settlement or other risks associated with investments in senior loans.

Investors should be aware that a Fund’s investment in a senior loan may result in the Fund or PIMCO receiving information about the issuer that may be deemed material, non-public information. Under such circumstances, the Funds’ investment opportunities may be limited, as trading in securities of such issuer may be restricted. Additionally, PIMCO may seek to avoid receiving material, non-public information about issuers of senior loans. As a result, PIMCO may forgo certain investment opportunities or be disadvantaged as compared to other investors that do not restrict information that they receive from senior loan issuers. Please see “Portfolio Managers—Conflicts of Interest—Investment Opportunities” below for more information.

Trade Claims

The Funds may purchase trade claims and similar obligations or claims against companies in bankruptcy proceedings. Trade claims are non-securitized rights of payment arising from obligations that typically arise when vendors and suppliers extend credit to a

 

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company by offering payment terms for products and services. If the company files for bankruptcy, payments on these trade claims stop and the claims are subject to compromise along with the other debts of the company. Trade claims may be purchased directly from the creditor or through brokers. There is no guarantee that a debtor will ever be able to satisfy its trade claim obligations. Trade claims are subject to the risks associated with low-quality obligations.

Corporate Debt Securities

A Fund’s investments in U.S. dollar or foreign currency-denominated corporate debt securities of domestic or foreign issuers are limited to corporate debt securities (corporate bonds, debentures, notes and other similar corporate debt instruments, including convertible securities) which meet the minimum ratings criteria set forth for the Fund, or, if unrated, are in PIMCO’s opinion comparable in quality to corporate debt securities in which the Fund may invest.

The rate of interest on a corporate debt security may be fixed, floating or variable, and may vary inversely with respect to a reference rate. The rate of return or return of principal on some debt obligations may be linked or indexed to the level of exchange rates between the U.S. dollar and a foreign currency or currencies. Debt securities may be acquired with warrants attached.

Securities rated Baa and BBB are the lowest which are considered “investment grade” obligations. Moody’s describes securities rated Baa as “judged to be medium-grade and subject to moderate credit risk and as such may possess certain speculative characteristics.” S&P describes securities rated BBB as “having adequate capacity to meet financial commitments, but more subject to adverse economic conditions.” For securities rated BBB, Fitch states that “.expectations of default risk are currently low.capacity for payment of financial commitments is considered adequate, but adverse business or economic conditions are more likely to impair this capacity.” For a discussion of securities rated below investment grade, see “High Yield Securities (“Junk Bonds”) and Securities of Distressed Companies” below.

High Yield Securities (“Junk Bonds”) and Securities of Distressed Companies

Investments in securities rated below investment grade that are eligible for purchase by certain Funds are described as “speculative” by Moody’s, S&P and Fitch. Investment in lower rated corporate debt securities (“high yield securities” or “junk bonds”) and securities of distressed companies generally provides greater income and increased opportunity for capital appreciation than investments in higher quality securities, but they also typically entail greater price volatility and principal and income risk. Securities of distressed companies include both debt and equity securities. High yield securities and debt securities of distressed companies are regarded as predominantly speculative with respect to the issuer’s continuing ability to meet principal and interest payments. Issuers of high yield and distressed company securities may be involved in restructurings or bankruptcy proceedings that may not be successful. Analysis of the creditworthiness of issuers of debt securities that are high yield or debt securities of distressed companies may be more complex than for issuers of higher quality debt securities.

High yield securities and debt securities of distressed companies may be more susceptible to real or perceived adverse economic and competitive industry conditions than investment grade securities. The prices of these securities have been found to be less sensitive to interest-rate changes than higher-rated investments, but more sensitive to adverse economic downturns or individual corporate developments. A projection of an economic downturn, for example, could cause a decline in prices of high yield securities and debt securities of distressed companies because the advent of a recession could lessen the ability of a highly leveraged company to make principal and interest payments on its debt securities, and a high yield security may lose significant market value before a default occurs. If an issuer of securities defaults, in addition to risking payment of all or a portion of interest and principal, the Funds by investing in such securities, may incur additional expenses to seek recovery of their respective investments. In the case of securities structured as zero-coupon or pay-in-kind securities, their market prices are affected to a greater extent by interest rate changes, and therefore tend to be more volatile than securities which pay interest periodically and in cash. PIMCO seeks to reduce these risks through diversification, credit analysis and attention to current developments and trends in both the economy and financial markets.

High yield and distressed company securities may not be listed on any exchange and a secondary market for such securities may be comparatively illiquid relative to markets for other more liquid fixed income securities. Consequently, transactions in high yield and distressed company securities may involve greater costs than transactions in more actively traded securities, which could adversely affect the price at which the Funds could sell a high yield or distressed company security, and could adversely affect the daily net asset value of the shares. A lack of publicly-available information, irregular trading activity and wide bid/ask spreads among other factors, may, in certain circumstances, make high yield debt more difficult to sell at an advantageous time or price than other types of securities or instruments. These factors may result in a Fund being unable to realize full value for these securities and/or may result in a Fund not receiving the proceeds from a sale of a high yield or distressed company security for an extended period after such sale, each of which could result in losses to the Fund. In addition, adverse publicity and investor perceptions, whether or not based on fundamental analysis, may decrease the values and liquidity of high yield and distressed company securities, especially in a thinly-traded market. When secondary markets for high yield and distressed company securities are less liquid than the market for other types of securities, it may be more difficult to value the securities because such valuation may require more research, and elements of judgment may play a greater role in the valuation because there is less reliable, objective data available. PIMCO seeks to minimize the risks of investing in all securities through diversification, in-depth analysis and attention to current market developments.

 

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The use of credit ratings as the sole method of evaluating high yield securities and debt securities of distressed companies can involve certain risks. For example, credit ratings evaluate the safety of principal and interest payments of a debt security, not the market value risk of a security. Also, credit rating agencies may fail to change credit ratings in a timely fashion to reflect events since the security was last rated. PIMCO does not rely solely on credit ratings when selecting debt securities for the Funds, and develops its own independent analysis of issuer credit quality. If a credit rating agency changes the rating of a debt security held by a Fund, the Fund may retain the security if PIMCO deems it in the best interest of shareholders.

Creditor Liability and Participation on Creditors Committees

Generally, when a Fund holds bonds or other similar fixed income securities of an issuer, the Fund becomes a creditor of the issuer. If a Fund is a creditor of an issuer it may be subject to challenges related to the securities that it holds, either in connection with the bankruptcy of the issuer or in connection with another action brought by other creditors of the issuer, shareholders of the issuer or the issuer itself. Although under no obligation to do so, PIMCO, as investment adviser to a Fund, may from time to time have an opportunity to consider, on behalf of a Fund and other similarly situated clients, negotiating or otherwise participating in the restructuring of the Fund’s portfolio investment or the issuer of such investment. PIMCO, in its judgment and discretion and based on the considerations deemed by PIMCO to be relevant, may believe that it is in the best interests of a Fund to negotiate or otherwise participate in such restructuring. Accordingly, and subject to applicable procedures approved by the Board of Trustees, a Fund may from time to time participate on committees formed by creditors to negotiate with the management of financially troubled issuers of securities held by the Fund. Such participation may subject a Fund to expenses such as legal fees and may make a Fund an “insider” of the issuer for purposes of the federal securities laws, and therefore may restrict such Fund’s ability to trade in or acquire additional positions in a particular security when it might otherwise desire to do so. Participation by a Fund on such committees also may expose the Fund to potential liabilities under the federal bankruptcy laws or other laws governing the rights of creditors and debtors. Similarly, subject to the above-mentioned procedures, PIMCO may actively participate in bankruptcy court and related proceedings on behalf of a Fund in order to protect the Fund’s interests in connection with a restructuring transaction, and PIMCO may cause a Fund to enter into an agreement reasonably indemnifying third parties or advancing from the Fund’s assets any legal fees or other costs to third parties, including parties involved in or assisting the Fund with a restructuring transaction, such as trustees, servicers and other third parties. Further, PIMCO has the authority, subject to the above-mentioned procedures, to represent the Trust, or any Fund(s) thereof, on creditors’ committees (or similar committees) or otherwise in connection with the restructuring of an issuer’s debt and generally with respect to challenges related to the securities held by the Funds relating to the bankruptcy of an issuer or in connection with another action brought by other creditors of the issuer, shareholders of the issuer or the issuer itself.

Variable and Floating Rate Securities

Variable and floating rate securities provide for a periodic adjustment in the interest rate paid on the obligations. The terms of such obligations must provide that interest rates are adjusted periodically based upon an interest rate adjustment index as provided in the respective obligations. The adjustment intervals may be regular, and range from daily up to annually, or may be event based, such as based on a change in the prime rate. The PIMCO Government Money Market Fund may invest in a variable rate security having a stated maturity in excess of 397 calendar days if the interest rate will be adjusted and such Fund may demand payment of principal from the issuer within that period.

Certain Funds may invest in floating rate debt instruments (“floaters”) and (except for the PIMCO Government Money Market Fund) engage in credit spread trades. The interest rate on a floater is a variable rate which is tied to another interest rate, such as a money-market index or Treasury bill rate. The interest rate on a floater resets periodically, typically every six months. While, because of the interest rate reset feature, floaters provide a Fund with a certain degree of protection against rises in interest rates, a Fund will participate in any declines in interest rates as well. A credit spread trade is an investment position relating to a difference in the prices or interest rates of two securities or currencies, where the value of the investment position is determined by movements in the difference between the prices or interest rates, as the case may be, of the respective securities or currencies.

Each of the Funds (except for the PIMCO Government Money Market Fund) also may invest in inverse floating rate debt instruments (“inverse floaters”). The interest rate on an inverse floater resets in the opposite direction from the market rate of interest to which the inverse floater is indexed. An inverse floating rate security may exhibit greater price volatility than a fixed rate obligation of similar credit quality. The PIMCO Mortgage Opportunities and Bond Fund may invest up to 10% of its total assets in any combination of mortgage-related or other asset-backed IO, PO, or inverse floater securities. Each other Fund (except for the PIMCO Government Money Market Fund) may invest up to 5% of its total assets in any combination of mortgage-related and or other asset-backed IO, PO, or inverse floater securities. See “Mortgage-Related and Other Asset-Backed Securities” for a discussion of IOs and POs. To the extent permitted by each Fund’s investment objectives and general investment policies, a Fund (except for the PIMCO Government Money Market and PIMCO Total Return IV Funds) may invest in residual interest bonds without limitation. The term “residual interest bonds” generally includes tender option bond trust residual interest certificates and instruments designed to receive residual interest payments or other excess cash flows from collateral pools once other interest holders and expenses have been paid.

 

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Inflation-Indexed Bonds

Inflation-indexed bonds are fixed income securities whose principal value is periodically adjusted according to the rate of inflation. Two structures are common. The U.S. Treasury and some other issuers use a structure that accrues inflation into the principal value of the bond. Most other issuers pay out the Consumer Price Index (“CPI”) accruals as part of a semiannual coupon.

Inflation-indexed securities issued by the U.S. Treasury have maturities of five, ten or thirty years, although it is possible that securities with other maturities will be issued in the future. The U.S. Treasury securities pay interest on a semi-annual basis, equal to a fixed percentage of the inflation-adjusted principal amount. For example, if a Fund purchased an inflation-indexed bond with a par value of $1,000 and a 3% real rate of return coupon (payable 1.5% semi-annually), and inflation over the first six months was 1%, the mid-year par value of the bond would be $1,010 and the first semi-annual interest payment would be $15.15 ($1,010 times 1.5%). If inflation during the second half of the year resulted in the whole years’ inflation equaling 3%, the end-of-year par value of the bond would be $1,030 and the second semi-annual interest payment would be $15.45 ($1,030 times 1.5%).

If the periodic adjustment rate measuring inflation falls, the principal value of inflation-indexed bonds will be adjusted downward, and consequently the interest payable on these securities (calculated with respect to a smaller principal amount) will be reduced. Repayment of the original bond principal upon maturity (as adjusted for inflation) is guaranteed in the case of U.S. Treasury inflation-indexed bonds, even during a period of deflation. However, the current market value of the bonds is not guaranteed, and will fluctuate. The Funds also may invest in other inflation related bonds which may or may not provide a similar guarantee. If a guarantee of principal is not provided, the adjusted principal value of the bond repaid at maturity may be less than the original principal.

The value of inflation-indexed bonds is expected to change in response to changes in real interest rates. Real interest rates in turn are tied to the relationship between nominal interest rates and the rate of inflation. Therefore, if inflation were to rise at a faster rate than nominal interest rates, real interest rates might decline, leading to an increase in value of inflation-indexed bonds. In contrast, if nominal interest rates increased at a faster rate than inflation, real interest rates might rise, leading to a decrease in value of inflation-indexed bonds.

While these securities are expected to be protected from long-term inflationary trends, short-term increases in inflation may lead to a decline in value. If interest rates rise due to reasons other than inflation (for example, due to changes in currency exchange rates), investors in these securities may not be protected to the extent that the increase is not reflected in the bond’s inflation measure.

The periodic adjustment of U.S. inflation-indexed bonds is tied to the Consumer Price Index for Urban Consumers (“CPI-U”), which is calculated monthly by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. The CPI-U is a measurement of changes in the cost of living, made up of components such as housing, food, transportation and energy. Inflation-indexed bonds issued by a foreign government are generally adjusted to reflect a comparable inflation index, calculated by that government. There can be no assurance that the CPI-U or any foreign inflation index will accurately measure the real rate of inflation in the prices of goods and services. Moreover, there can be no assurance that the rate of inflation in a foreign country will be correlated to the rate of inflation in the United States.

Any increase in the principal amount of an inflation-indexed bond will be considered taxable ordinary income, even though investors do not receive their principal until maturity.

Event-Linked Exposure

Certain Funds may obtain event-linked exposure by investing in “event-linked bonds” or “event-linked swaps,” or by implementing “event-linked strategies.” Event-linked exposure results in gains that typically are contingent on the non-occurrence of a specific “trigger” event, such as a hurricane, earthquake, or other physical or weather-related phenomena. Some event-linked bonds are commonly referred to as “catastrophe bonds.” They may be issued by government agencies, insurance companies, reinsurers, special purpose corporations or other on-shore or off-shore entities (such special purpose entities are created to accomplish a narrow and well-defined objective, such as the issuance of a note in connection with a reinsurance transaction). If a trigger event causes losses exceeding a specific amount in the geographic region and time period specified in a bond, a Fund investing in the bond may lose a portion or all of its principal invested in the bond. If no trigger event occurs, the Fund will recover its principal plus interest. For some event-linked bonds, the trigger event or losses may be based on company-wide losses, index-portfolio losses, industry indices, or readings of scientific instruments rather than specified actual losses. Often the event-linked bonds provide for extensions of maturity that are mandatory, or optional at the discretion of the issuer, in order to process and audit loss claims in those cases where a trigger event has, or possibly has, occurred. An extension of maturity may increase volatility. In addition to the specified trigger events, event-linked bonds also may expose a Fund to certain unanticipated risks including but not limited to issuer risk, credit risk, counterparty risk, adverse regulatory or jurisdictional interpretations, and adverse tax consequences.

Event-linked bonds are a relatively new type of financial instrument. As such, there is no significant trading history of these securities, and there can be no assurance that a liquid market in these instruments will develop. See “Illiquid Securities” below. Lack of a liquid market may impose the risk of higher transaction costs and the possibility that a Fund may be forced to liquidate positions when it

 

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would not be advantageous to do so. Event-linked bonds are typically rated, and a Fund will only invest in catastrophe bonds that meet the credit quality requirements for the Fund.

Convertible Securities

Each Fund (except the PIMCO Government Money Market Fund) may invest in convertible securities, which may offer higher income than the common stocks into which they are convertible.

A convertible security is a bond, debenture, note, preferred security, or other security that entitles the holder to acquire common stock or other equity securities of the same or a different issuer. A convertible security generally entitles the holder to receive interest paid or accrued until the convertible security matures or is redeemed, converted or exchanged. Before conversion, convertible securities have characteristics similar to non-convertible debt or preferred securities, as applicable. Convertible securities rank senior to common stock in a corporation’s capital structure and, therefore, generally entail less risk than the corporation’s common stock, although the extent to which such risk is reduced depends in large measure upon the degree to which the convertible security sells above its value as a fixed income security. Convertible securities are subordinate in rank to any senior debt obligations of the issuer, and, therefore, an issuer’s convertible securities entail more risk than its debt obligations. Convertible securities generally offer lower interest or dividend yields than non-convertible debt securities of similar credit quality because of the potential for capital appreciation. In addition, convertible securities are often lower-rated securities.

Because of the conversion feature, the price of the convertible security will normally fluctuate in some proportion to changes in the price of the underlying asset, and as such is subject to risks relating to the activities of the issuer and/or general market and economic conditions. The income component of a convertible security may tend to cushion the security against declines in the price of the underlying asset. However, the income component of convertible securities causes fluctuations based upon changes in interest rates and the credit quality of the issuer.

If the convertible security’s “conversion value,” which is the market value of the underlying common stock that would be obtained upon the conversion of the convertible security, is substantially below the “investment value,” which is the value of a convertible security viewed without regard to its conversion feature (i.e., strictly on the basis of its yield), the price of the convertible security is governed principally by its investment value. If the conversion value of a convertible security increases to a point that approximates or exceeds its investment value, the value of the security will be principally influenced by its conversion value. A convertible security will sell at a premium over its conversion value to the extent investors place value on the right to acquire the underlying common stock while holding an income-producing security.

A convertible security may be subject to redemption at the option of the issuer at a predetermined price. If a convertible security held by a Fund is called for redemption, the Fund would be required to permit the issuer to redeem the security and convert it to underlying common stock, or would sell the convertible security to a third party, which may have an adverse effect on the Fund’s ability to achieve its investment objective.

A third party or PIMCO also may create a “synthetic” convertible security by combining separate securities that possess the two principal characteristics of a traditional convertible security, i.e., an income-producing security (“income-producing component”) and the right to acquire an equity security (“convertible component”). The income-producing component is achieved by investing in non-convertible, income-producing securities such as bonds, preferred securities and money market instruments, which may be represented by derivative instruments. The convertible component is achieved by investing in securities or instruments such as warrants or options to buy common stock at a certain exercise price, or options on a stock index. Unlike a traditional convertible security, which is a single security having a single market value, a synthetic convertible comprises two or more separate securities, each with its own market value. Therefore, the “market value” of a synthetic convertible security is the sum of the values of its income-producing component and its convertible component. For this reason, the values of a synthetic convertible security and a traditional convertible security may respond differently to market fluctuations.

More flexibility is possible in the assembly of a synthetic convertible security than in the purchase of a convertible security. Although synthetic convertible securities may be selected where the two components are issued by a single issuer, thus making the synthetic convertible security similar to the traditional convertible security, the character of a synthetic convertible security allows the combination of components representing distinct issuers, when PIMCO believes that such a combination may better achieve a Fund’s investment objective. A synthetic convertible security also is a more flexible investment in that its two components may be purchased separately. For example, a Fund may purchase a warrant for inclusion in a synthetic convertible security but temporarily hold short-term investments while postponing the purchase of a corresponding bond pending development of more favorable market conditions.

A holder of a synthetic convertible security faces the risk of a decline in the price of the security or the level of the index involved in the convertible component, causing a decline in the value of the security or instrument, such as a call option or warrant, purchased to create the synthetic convertible security. Should the price of the stock fall below the exercise price and remain there throughout the exercise period, the entire amount paid for the call option or warrant would be lost. Because a synthetic convertible security includes

 

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the income-producing component as well, the holder of a synthetic convertible security also faces the risk that interest rates will rise, causing a decline in the value of the income-producing instrument.

A Fund also may purchase synthetic convertible securities created by other parties, including convertible structured notes. Convertible structured notes are income-producing debentures linked to equity, and are typically issued by investment banks. Convertible structured notes have the attributes of a convertible security; however, the investment bank that issues the convertible note, rather than the issuer of the underlying common stock into which the note is convertible, assumes credit risk associated with the underlying investment, and the Fund in turn assumes credit risk associated with the convertible note.

Contingent Convertible Instruments. Contingent convertible securities (“CoCos”) are a form of hybrid debt security that are intended to either convert into equity or have their principal written down upon the occurrence of certain “triggers.” The triggers are generally linked to regulatory capital thresholds or regulatory actions calling into question the issuing banking institution’s continued viability as a going-concern. CoCos’ unique equity conversion or principal write-down features are tailored to the issuing banking institution and its regulatory requirements. Some additional risks associated with CoCos include, but are not limited to:

 

 

Loss absorption risk. CoCos have fully discretionary coupons. This means coupons can potentially be cancelled at the banking institution’s discretion or at the request of the relevant regulatory authority in order to help the bank absorb losses.

 

 

Subordinated instruments. CoCos will, in the majority of circumstances, be issued in the form of subordinated debt instruments in order to provide the appropriate regulatory capital treatment prior to a conversion. Accordingly, in the event of liquidation, dissolution or winding-up of an issuer prior to a conversion having occurred, the rights and claims of the holders of the CoCos, such as the Funds, against the issuer in respect of or arising under the terms of the CoCos shall generally rank junior to the claims of all holders of unsubordinated obligations of the issuer. In addition, if the CoCos are converted into the issuer’s underlying equity securities following a conversion event (i.e., a “trigger”), each holder will be subordinated due to their conversion from being the holder of a debt instrument to being the holder of an equity instrument.

 

 

Market value will fluctuate based on unpredictable factors. The value of CoCos is unpredictable and will be influenced by many factors including, without limitation: (i) the creditworthiness of the issuer and/or fluctuations in such issuer’s applicable capital ratios; (ii) supply and demand for the CoCos; (iii) general market conditions and available liquidity; and (iv) economic, financial and political events that affect the issuer, its particular market or the financial markets in general.

Equity Securities

While the securities in which certain Funds primarily intend to invest are expected to consist of fixed income securities, such Funds (except for the PIMCO Government Money Market Fund) may invest in equity securities. While the PIMCO RAE PLUS EMG, PIMCO RAE Low Volatility PLUS EMG, PIMCO RAE Fundamental Advantage PLUS, PIMCO RAE PLUS, PIMCO RAE PLUS International, PIMCO StocksPLUS® International (U.S. Dollar-Hedged), PIMCO StocksPLUS® International (Unhedged), PIMCO RAE Low Volatility PLUS International, PIMCO RAE Low Volatility PLUS, PIMCO StocksPLUS® Small, PIMCO RAE PLUS Small, PIMCO StocksPLUS®, PIMCO StocksPLUS® Long Duration, PIMCO StocksPLUS® Short, PIMCO StocksPLUS® Absolute Return and PIMCO RAE Worldwide Long/Short PLUS Funds (together, for purposes of this section only, “Equity-Related Funds”) will normally utilize derivatives to gain exposure to equity securities, each of the Equity-Related Funds may also invest directly in equity securities. Equity securities, such as common stock, represent an ownership interest, or the right to acquire an ownership interest, in an issuer. The PIMCO Total Return Fund and PIMCO Total Return Fund IV may not purchase common stock, but this limitation does not prevent the Funds from holding common stock obtained through the conversion of convertible securities or common stock that is received as part of a corporate reorganization or debt restructuring (for example, as may occur during bankruptcies or distressed situations).

Common stock generally takes the form of shares in a corporation. The value of a company’s stock may fall as a result of factors directly relating to that company, such as decisions made by its management or lower demand for the company’s products or services. A stock’s value also may fall because of factors affecting not just the company, but also companies in the same industry or in a number of different industries, such as increases in production costs. The value of a company’s stock also may be affected by changes in financial markets that are relatively unrelated to the company or its industry, such as changes in interest rates or currency exchange rates. In addition, a company’s stock generally pays dividends only after the company invests in its own business and makes required payments to holders of its bonds, other debt and preferred securities. For this reason, the value of a company’s stock will usually react more strongly than its bonds, other debt and preferred securities to actual or perceived changes in the company’s financial condition or prospects. Stocks of smaller companies may be more vulnerable to adverse developments than those of larger companies. Stocks of companies that the portfolio managers believe are fast-growing may trade at a higher multiple of current earnings than other stocks. The value of such stocks may be more sensitive to changes in current or expected earnings than the values of other stocks. The Funds generally consider a small-cap company to be a company with a market capitalization of up to $1.5 billion, a mid-cap company to be a company with a market capitalization of between $1.5 billion and $10 billion, and a large-cap company to be a company with a market capitalization of greater than $10 billion.

 

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With respect to the Equity-Related Funds, though the Equity-Related Funds do not normally invest directly in equity securities, when index derivatives appear to be overvalued relative to the index, each such Equity-Related Fund may invest all of its assets in a “basket” of index stocks. Individual stocks are selected based on an analysis of the historical correlation between the return of every index stock comprising each Fund’s respective index and the return of the index itself. In such case, PIMCO may employ fundamental analysis of factors such as earnings growth, price to earnings ratio, dividend growth and cash flows to choose among stocks that satisfy the correlation tests. Stocks chosen for the applicable Equity-Related Fund are not limited to those with any particular weighting in the applicable benchmark.

Different types of equity securities provide different voting and dividend rights and priority in the event of the bankruptcy and/or insolvency of the issuer. In addition to common stock, equity securities may include preferred securities, convertible securities and warrants, which are discussed elsewhere in the Prospectuses and this Statement of Additional Information. Equity securities other than common stock are subject to many of the same risks as common stock, although possibly to different degrees. The risks of equity securities are generally magnified in the case of equity investments in distressed companies.

Preferred Securities

Each Fund (except for the PIMCO Government Money Market Fund) may invest in preferred securities. Preferred securities represent an equity interest in a company that generally entitles the holder to receive, in preference to the holders of other stocks such as common stocks, dividends and a fixed share of the proceeds resulting from a liquidation of the company. Some preferred securities also entitle their holders to receive additional liquidation proceeds on the same basis as holders of a company’s common stock, and thus also represent an ownership interest in that company.

Preferred securities may pay fixed or adjustable rates of return. Preferred securities are subject to issuer-specific and market risks applicable generally to equity securities. In addition, a company’s preferred securities generally pay dividends only after the company makes required payments to holders of its bonds and other debt. For this reason, the value of preferred securities will usually react more strongly than bonds and other debt to actual or perceived changes in the company’s financial condition or prospects. Preferred securities of smaller companies may be more vulnerable to adverse developments than preferred securities of larger companies.

Depositary Receipts

Certain Funds may invest in American Depositary Receipts (“ADRs”), European Depositary Receipts (“EDRs”), Global Depositary Receipts (“GDRs”) and similar securities that represent interests in a company’s securities that have been deposited with a bank or trust and that trade on an exchange or over-the-counter (“OTC”). For example, ADRs represent interests in a non-U.S. company but trade on a U.S. exchange or OTC and are denominated in U.S. dollars. These securities represent the right to receive securities of the foreign issuer deposited with the bank or trust. ADRs, EDRs and GDRs can be sponsored by the issuing bank or trust company or the issuer of the underlying securities. Although the issuing bank or trust company may impose charges for the collection of dividends and the conversion of such securities into the underlying securities, there are generally no fees imposed on the purchase or sale of these securities, other than transaction fees ordinarily involved with trading stock. Such securities may be less liquid or may trade at a lower price than the underlying securities of the issuer. Additionally, receipt of corporate information about the underlying issuer and proxy disclosure may be untimely.

Warrants to Purchase Securities

The Funds (except the PIMCO Government Money Market Fund) may invest in or acquire warrants to purchase equity or fixed income securities. Warrants are instruments that give the holder the right, but not the obligation, to buy a security at a specific price for a specific period of time. Changes in the value of a warrant do not necessarily correspond to changes in the value of its underlying security. The price of a warrant may be more volatile than the price of its underlying security, and a warrant may offer greater potential for capital appreciation as well as capital loss. Warrants do not entitle a holder to dividends or voting rights with respect to the underlying security and do not represent any rights in the assets of the issuing company. A warrant ceases to have value if it is not exercised prior to its expiration date. These factors can make warrants more speculative than other types of investments. Bonds with warrants attached to purchase equity securities have many characteristics of convertible bonds and their prices may, to some degree, reflect the performance of the underlying stock. Bonds also may be issued with warrants attached to purchase additional fixed income securities at the same coupon rate. A decline in interest rates would permit a Fund to buy additional bonds at the favorable rate or to sell the warrants at a profit. If interest rates rise, the warrants would generally expire with no value.

A Fund (except the PIMCO Government Money Market Fund) will not invest more than 5% of its net assets in warrants to purchase securities. The PIMCO Government Money Market Fund will not invest in warrants. Warrants acquired in units or attached to securities will be deemed without value for purposes of this restriction.

The Funds (except the PIMCO Government Money Market Fund) may from time to time use non-standard warrants, including low exercise price warrants or low exercise price options (“LEPOs”), to gain exposure to issuers in certain countries. LEPOs are different from standard warrants in that they do not give their holders the right to receive a security of the issuer upon exercise. Rather, LEPOs pay the holder the difference in price of the underlying security between the date the LEPO was purchased and the date it is sold.

 

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Additionally, LEPOs entail the same risks as other OTC derivatives, including the risks that the counterparty or issuer of the LEPO may not be able to fulfill its obligations, that the holder and counterparty or issuer may disagree as to the meaning or application of contractual terms, or that the instrument may not perform as expected. Furthermore, while LEPOs may be listed on an exchange, there is no guarantee that a liquid market will exist or that the counterparty or issuer of a LEPO will be willing to repurchase such instrument when a Fund wishes to sell it.

Foreign Securities

The PIMCO Government Money Market Fund may not invest in securities of foreign issuers. Each other Fund (except for the following Funds: PIMCO California Intermediate Municipal Bond, PIMCO California Municipal Bond, PIMCO California Short Duration Municipal Income, PIMCO High Yield Municipal Bond, PIMCO Long-Term U.S. Government, PIMCO Low Duration II, PIMCO Municipal Bond, PIMCO National Intermediate Municipal Bond, PIMCO New York Municipal Bond, PIMCO Short Duration Municipal Income and PIMCO Total Return II Funds) may invest in corporate debt securities of foreign issuers, preferred or preference stock of foreign issuers, certain foreign bank obligations (see “Bank Obligations”) and U.S. dollar or foreign currency-denominated obligations of foreign governments or their subdivisions, agencies and instrumentalities, international agencies and supranational entities. The PIMCO GNMA and Government Securites and PIMCO Mortgage-Backed Securities Funds may invest in securities of foreign issuers only if they are U.S. dollar-denominated.

PIMCO generally considers an instrument to be economically tied to a non-U.S. country if the issuer is a foreign government (or any political subdivision, agency, authority or instrumentality of such government), or if the issuer is organized under the laws of a non-U.S. country. In the case of certain money market instruments, such instruments will be considered economically tied to a non-U.S. country if either the issuer or the guarantor of such money market instrument is organized under the laws of a non-U.S. country. With respect to derivative instruments, PIMCO generally considers such instruments to be economically tied to non-U.S. countries if the underlying assets are foreign currencies (or baskets or indexes of such currencies), or instruments or securities that are issued by foreign governments or issuers organized under the laws of a non-U.S. country (or if the underlying assets are certain money market instruments, if either the issuer or the guarantor of such money market instruments is organized under the laws of a non-U.S. country). With respect to the PIMCO RAE PLUS EMG, PIMCO RAE Low Volatility PLUS EMG, PIMCO RAE Fundamental Advantage PLUS, PIMCO RAE PLUS, PIMCO RAE PLUS International, PIMCO StocksPLUS® International (U.S. Dollar-Hedged), PIMCO StocksPLUS® International (Unhedged), PIMCO RAE Low Volatility PLUS International, PIMCO RAE Low Volatility PLUS, PIMCO Multi-Strategy Alternative, PIMCO StocksPLUS® Small, PIMCO RAE PLUS Small, PIMCO StocksPLUS®, PIMCO StocksPLUS® Long Duration, PIMCO StocksPLUS® Short, PIMCO StocksPLUS® Absolute Return and PIMCO RAE Worldwide Long/Short PLUS Funds’ (together, for purposes of this section only, “Equity-Related Funds”) derivative instruments, PIMCO generally considers such instruments to be economically tied to non-U.S. countries if the underlying assets of the derivative instrument, or a substantial portion of the components of the index to which the derivative instrument is exposed, are: (i) foreign currencies (or baskets or indexes of such currencies); (ii) instruments or securities that are issued by foreign governments; or (iii) instruments or securities that are issued by issuers organized under the laws of a non-U.S. country (or if the underlying assets are certain money market instruments, if either the issuer or the guarantor of such money market instruments is organized under the laws of a non-U.S. country). Further, with respect to the Equity-Related Funds’ derivative instruments, where a derivative instrument is exposed to an index, PIMCO generally considers the derivative to be economically tied to each country represented by the components of the underlying index pursuant to the criteria set forth in the preceding sentence.

To the extent that a Fund invests in instruments economically tied to non-U.S. countries, it may invest in a range of countries and, as such, the value of the Fund’s assets may be affected by uncertainties such as international political developments, changes in government policies, changes in taxation, restrictions on foreign investment and currency repatriation, currency fluctuations and other developments in the laws and regulations of countries in which investment may be made.

PIMCO generally considers an instrument to be economically tied to an emerging market country if: the issuer is organized under the laws of an emerging market country; the currency of settlement of the security is a currency of an emerging market country; the security is guaranteed by the government of an emerging market country (or any political subdivision, agency, authority or instrumentality of such government); for an asset-backed or other collateralized security, the country in which the collateral backing the security is located is an emerging market country; or the security’s “country of exposure” is an emerging market country, as determined by the criteria set forth below. With respect to derivative instruments, PIMCO generally considers such instruments to be economically tied to emerging market countries if the underlying assets are currencies of emerging market countries (or baskets or indexes of such currencies), or instruments or securities that are issued or guaranteed by governments of emerging market countries or by entities organized under the laws of emerging market countries or if an instrument’s “country of exposure” is an emerging market country. A security’s “country of exposure” is determined by PIMCO using certain factors provided by a third-party analytical service provider. The factors are applied in order such that the first factor to result in the assignment of a country determines the “country of exposure.” The factors, listed in the order in which they are applied, are: (i) if an asset-backed or other collateralized security, the country in which the collateral backing the security is located; (ii) the “country of risk” of the issuer; (iii) if the security is guaranteed by the government of a country (or any political subdivision, agency, authority or instrumentality of such government), the country of the government or instrumentality providing the guarantee; (iv) the “country of risk” of the issuer’s ultimate parent; or (v) the country where the issuer is organized or incorporated under the laws thereof. “Country of risk” is a separate four-part test determined by the

 

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following factors, listed in order of importance: (i) management location; (ii) country of primary listing; (iii) sales or revenue attributable to the country; and (iv) reporting currency of the issuer. PIMCO has broad discretion to identify countries that it considers to qualify as emerging markets. In exercising such discretion, PIMCO identifies countries as emerging markets consistent with the strategic objectives of the particular Fund. For example, a Fund may consider a country to be an emerging market country based on a number of factors including, but not limited to, if the country is classified as an emerging or developing economy by any supranational organization such as the World Bank or the United Nations, or related entities, or if the country is considered an emerging market country for purposes of constructing emerging markets indices. In some cases, this approach may result in PIMCO identifying a particular country as an emerging market with respect to certain Funds but not others.

The PIMCO Diversified Income, PIMCO Emerging Local Bond, PIMCO Emerging Markets Corporate Bond, PIMCO Emerging Markets Bond, PIMCO Emerging Markets Currency and Short-Term Investments, PIMCO Emerging Markets Full Spectrum Bond, PIMCO International Bond (Unhedged), PIMCO International Bond (U.S. Dollar-Hedged), PIMCO Global Advantage® Strategy Bond, PIMCO Global Bond Opportunities (Unhedged), PIMCO Global Bond Opportunities (U.S. Dollar-Hedged), PIMCO Global Multi-Asset, PIMCO Inflation Response Multi-Asset, PIMCO Multi-Strategy Alternative, PIMCO Preferred and Capital Securities, PIMCO REALPATH® Income, PIMCO REALPATH® 2020, PIMCO REALPATH® 2025, PIMCO REALPATH® 2030, PIMCO REALPATH® 2035, PIMCO REALPATH® 2040, PIMCO REALPATH® 2045, PIMCO REALPATH® 2050, PIMCO REALPATH® 2055 and PIMCO TRENDS Managed Futures Strategy Funds may invest, without limit, in securities and instruments that are economically tied to emerging market countries. The PIMCO High Yield Spectrum Fund may invest without limit in securities and instruments of corporate issuers economically tied to emerging market countries and may invest up to 10% of its total assets in sovereign debt issued by governments, their agencies or instrumentalities, or other government-related entities, that are economically tied to emerging market countries. The PIMCO GNMA and Government Securities Fund, PIMCO Mortgage-Backed Securities Fund and PIMCO Short Asset Investment Fund may each invest up to 10% of its total assets in U.S. dollar-denominated securities and instruments that are economically tied to emerging market countries. With respect to each of the following additional limitations on investments in securities and instruments economically tied to emerging market countries, the following limitations do not apply to investment grade sovereign debt denominated in the local currency with less than 1 year remaining to maturity, which means a Fund may invest in such sovereign debt instruments, together with any other investments denominated in foreign currencies, up to the Fund’s disclosed limitation (stated as a percentage of total assets) on investments in non-U.S. Dollar-denominated securities and instruments, if any, or if the Fund has no disclosed limitation on investments in non-U.S. Dollar-denominated securities and instruments, the Fund may invest in such sovereign debt instruments without limitation subject to any applicable legal or regulatory limitation:

 

   

The PIMCO Credit Opportunities Bond Fund may invest up to 70% of its total assets in securities and instruments that are economically tied to emerging market countries.

 

   

The PIMCO Dynamic Bond Fund may invest up to 50% of its total assets in securities and instruments that are economically tied to emerging market countries.

 

   

The PIMCO Strategic Bond Fund may invest up to 30% of its total assets in securities and instruments that are economically tied to emerging market countries.

 

   

Each of the PIMCO RAE PLUS EMG, PIMCO RAE Fundamental Advantage PLUS, PIMCO RAE PLUS, PIMCO RAE PLUS International, PIMCO StocksPLUS® International (Unhedged), PIMCO StocksPLUS® International (U.S. Dollar-Hedged), PIMCO Investment Grade Credit Bond, PIMCO Long-Term Credit Bond, PIMCO StocksPLUS® Small, PIMCO RAE PLUS Small, PIMCO StocksPLUS® Absolute Return and PIMCO StocksPLUS® Short Funds may invest up to 25% of its total assets in securities and instruments that are economically tied to emerging market countries.

 

   

With respect to each Fund’s fixed income investments, each of the PIMCO RAE Low Volatility PLUS EMG, PIMCO RAE Low Volatility PLUS International, PIMCO RAE Low Volatility PLUS and PIMCO RAE Worldwide Long/Short PLUS Funds may invest up to 25% of its total assets in securities and instruments that are economically tied to emerging market countries.

 

   

The PIMCO Income Fund may invest up to 20% of its total assets in securities and instruments that are economically tied to emerging market countries.

 

   

Each of the PIMCO Extended Duration, PIMCO High Yield, PIMCO Long Duration Total Return, PIMCO Low Duration Income, PIMCO Moderate Duration, PIMCO StocksPLUS® Long Duration, PIMCO Total Return and PIMCO Total Return ESG Funds may invest up to 15% of its total assets in securities and instruments that are economically tied to emerging market countries.

 

   

The PIMCO Short-Term Fund may invest up to 5% of its total assets in securities and instruments that are economically tied to emerging market countries.

 

   

Each remaining Fund that is permitted to invest in foreign (non-U.S.) securities may invest up to 10% of its total assets in securities and instruments that are economically tied to emerging market countries.

 

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Investment risk may be particularly high to the extent that a Fund invests in instruments economically tied to emerging market countries. These securities may present market, credit, currency, liquidity, legal, political and other risks different from, or greater than, the risks of investing in developed countries. Certain Funds may invest in emerging markets that may be in the process of opening to trans-national investment, which may increase these risks. Risks particular to emerging market countries include, but are not limited to, the following risks.

General Emerging Market Risk. The securities markets of countries in which the Funds may invest may be relatively small, with a limited number of companies representing a small number of industries. Additionally, issuers in countries in which the Funds may invest may not be subject to a high degree of regulation and the financial institutions with which the Funds may trade may not possess the same degree of financial sophistication, creditworthiness or resources as those in developed markets. Furthermore, the legal infrastructure and accounting, auditing and reporting standards in certain countries in which the Funds may invest may not provide the same degree of investor protection or information to investors as would generally apply in major securities markets.

Nationalization, expropriation or confiscatory taxation, currency blockage, political changes or diplomatic developments could adversely affect the Funds’ investments in a foreign country. In the event of nationalization, expropriation or other confiscation, the Funds could lose their entire investment in that country. Adverse conditions in a certain region can adversely affect securities of other countries whose economies appear to be unrelated. To the extent that the Funds invest a portion of their assets in a concentrated geographic area, the Funds will generally have more exposure to regional economic risks associated with that geographic area.

Restrictions on Foreign Investment. A number of emerging securities markets restrict foreign investment to varying degrees. Furthermore, repatriation of investment income, capital and the proceeds of sales by foreign investors may require governmental registration and/or approval in some countries. While the Funds that may invest in securities and instruments that are economically tied to emerging market countries will only invest in markets where these restrictions are considered acceptable, new or additional repatriation or other restrictions might be imposed subsequent to the Funds’ investment. If such restrictions were to be imposed subsequent to the Funds’ investment in the securities markets of a particular country, the Funds’ response might include, among other things, applying to the appropriate authorities for a waiver of the restrictions or engaging in transactions in other markets designed to offset the risks of decline in that country. Such restrictions will be considered in relation to the Funds’ liquidity needs and all other acceptable positive and negative factors. Some emerging markets limit foreign investment, which may decrease returns relative to domestic investors. The Funds may seek exceptions to those restrictions. If those restrictions are present and cannot be avoided by the Funds, the Funds’ returns may be lower.

Settlement Risks. Settlement systems in emerging markets may be less well organized and less transparent than in developed markets and transactions may take longer to settle as a result. Supervisory authorities may also be unable to apply standards which are comparable with those in developed markets. Thus there may be risks that settlement may be delayed and that cash or securities belonging to the Funds may be in jeopardy because of failures of or defects in the systems. In particular, market practice may require that payment shall be made prior to receipt of the security which is being purchased or that delivery of a security must be made before payment is received. In such cases, default by a broker or bank (the “Counterparty”) through whom the relevant transaction is effected might result in a loss being suffered by the Funds. A Fund may not know the identity of a Counterparty, which may increase the possibility of the Fund not receiving payment or delivery of securities in a transaction. The Funds will seek, where possible, to use Counterparties whose financial status is such that this risk is reduced. However, there can be no certainty that the Funds will be successful in eliminating or reducing this risk, particularly as Counterparties operating in emerging market countries frequently lack the substance, capitalization and/or financial resources of those in developed countries.

There may also be a danger that, because of uncertainties in the operation of settlement systems in individual markets, competing claims may arise in respect of securities held by or to be transferred to the Funds. Furthermore, compensation schemes may be non-existent, limited or inadequate to meet the Funds’ claims in any of these events.

Counterparty Risk. Trading in the securities of developing markets presents additional credit and financial risks. The Funds may have limited access to, or there may be a limited number of, potential Counterparties that trade in the securities of emerging market issuers. Governmental regulations may restrict potential Counterparties to certain financial institutions located or operating in the particular emerging market. Potential Counterparties may not possess, adopt or implement creditworthiness standards, financial reporting standards or legal and contractual protections similar to those in developed markets. Currency hedging techniques may not be available or may be limited. The Funds may not be able to reduce or mitigate risks related to trading with emerging market Counterparties. The Funds will seek, where possible, to use Counterparties whose financial status is such that the risk of default is reduced, but the risk of losses resulting from default is still possible.

Government in the Private Sector. Government involvement in the private sector varies in degree among the emerging markets in which the Funds invest. Such involvement may, in some cases, include government ownership of companies in certain sectors, wage and price controls or imposition of trade barriers and other protectionist measures. With respect to any emerging market country, there is no guarantee that some future economic or political crisis will not lead to price controls, forced mergers of companies, expropriation, or creation of government monopolies, to the possible detriment of the Funds’ investment in that country.

 

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Litigation. The Funds may encounter substantial difficulties in obtaining and enforcing judgments against individuals and companies located in certain emerging market countries. It may be difficult or impossible to obtain or enforce legislation or remedies against governments, their agencies and sponsored entities.

Fraudulent Securities. It is possible, particularly in markets in emerging market countries, that purported securities in which the Funds invest may subsequently be found to be fraudulent and as a consequence the Funds could suffer losses.

Taxation. Non-U.S. laws governing the taxation of income and capital gains accruing to non-residents varies among emerging market countries and, in some cases, is comparatively high. In addition, certain emerging market countries may not have less well-defined tax laws and procedures and such laws or procedures may permit retroactive taxation so that the Funds could in the future become subject to local tax liabilities that had not been anticipated in conducting its investment activities or valuing its assets. The Funds will seek to reduce these risks by careful management of their assets. However, there can be no assurance that these efforts will be successful.

Political Risks/Risks of Conflicts. Recently, various countries have seen significant internal conflicts and in some cases, civil wars may have had an adverse impact on the securities markets of the countries concerned. In addition, the occurrence of new disturbances due to acts of war or other political developments cannot be excluded. Apparently stable systems may experience periods of disruption or improbable reversals of policy. Nationalization, expropriation or confiscatory taxation, currency blockage, political changes, government regulation, political, regulatory or social instability or uncertainty or diplomatic developments could adversely affect the Funds’ investments. The transformation from a centrally planned, socialist economy to a more market oriented economy has also resulted in many economic and social disruptions and distortions. Moreover, there can be no assurance that the economic, regulatory and political initiatives necessary to achieve and sustain such a transformation will continue or, if such initiatives continue and are sustained, that they will be successful or that such initiatives will continue to benefit foreign (or non-national) investors. Certain instruments, such as inflation index instruments, may depend upon measures compiled by governments (or entities under their influence) which are also the obligors.

Each Fund (except for the PIMCO California Intermediate Municipal Bond, PIMCO California Municipal Bond, PIMCO California Short Duration Municipal Income, PIMCO Government Money Market, PIMCO High Yield Municipal Bond, PIMCO Long-Term U.S. Government, PIMCO Low Duration II, PIMCO Municipal Bond, PIMCO National Intermediate Municipal Bond, PIMCO New York Municipal Bond, PIMCO Short Duration Municipal Income and PIMCO Total Return II Funds) may invest in Brady Bonds. Brady Bonds are securities created through the exchange of existing commercial bank loans to sovereign entities for new obligations in connection with debt restructurings under a debt restructuring plan introduced by former U.S. Secretary of the Treasury, Nicholas F. Brady (the “Brady Plan”). Brady Plan debt restructurings were implemented in a number of countries, including: Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Bulgaria, Costa Rica, the Dominican Republic, Ecuador, Jordan, Mexico, Niger, Nigeria, Panama, Peru, the Philippines, Poland, Uruguay, and Venezuela. Beginning in the early 2000s, certain countries began retiring their Brady Bonds, including Brazil, Colombia, Mexico, the Philippines and Venezuela.

Brady Bonds may be collateralized or uncollateralized, are issued in various currencies (primarily the U.S. dollar) and are actively traded in the OTC secondary market. Brady Bonds are not considered to be U.S. Government securities. U.S. dollar-denominated, collateralized Brady Bonds, which may be fixed rate par bonds or floating rate discount bonds, are generally collateralized in full as to principal by U.S. Treasury zero coupon bonds having the same maturity as the Brady Bonds. Interest payments on these Brady Bonds generally are collateralized on a one-year or longer rolling-forward basis by cash or securities in an amount that, in the case of fixed rate bonds, is equal to at least one year of interest payments or, in the case of floating rate bonds, initially is equal to at least one year’s interest payments based on the applicable interest rate at that time and is adjusted at regular intervals thereafter. Certain Brady Bonds are entitled to “value recovery payments” in certain circumstances, which in effect constitute supplemental interest payments but generally are not collateralized. Brady Bonds are often viewed as having three or four valuation components: (i) the collateralized repayment of principal at final maturity; (ii) the collateralized interest payments; (iii) the uncollateralized interest payments; and (iv) any uncollateralized repayment of principal at maturity (these uncollateralized amounts constitute the “residual risk”).

Brady Bonds involve various risk factors including residual risk and the history of defaults with respect to commercial bank loans by public and private entities of countries issuing Brady Bonds. There can be no assurance that Brady Bonds in which a Fund may invest will not be subject to restructuring arrangements or to requests for new credit, which may cause the Fund to suffer a loss of interest or principal on any of its holdings.

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 the 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 toward the International Monetary Fund, and the political constraints to which a governmental entity may be subject. Governmental entities also may depend on expected disbursements from foreign governments, multilateral agencies and others 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 a

 

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governmental entity’s 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 service its debts in a timely manner. Consequently, governmental entities may default on their sovereign debt. Holders of sovereign debt (including the Funds) may be requested to participate in the rescheduling of such debt and to extend further loans to governmental entities. There is no bankruptcy proceeding by which sovereign debt on which governmental entities have defaulted may be collected in whole or in part. A Fund’s investments in foreign currency denominated debt obligations and hedging activities will likely produce a difference between its book income and its taxable income. This difference may cause a portion of the Fund’s income distributions to constitute returns of capital for tax purposes or require the Fund to make distributions exceeding book income to qualify as a regulated investment company for federal tax purposes.

Euro- and EU-related risks. The global economic crisis brought several small economies in Europe to the brink of bankruptcy and many other economies into recession and weakened the banking and financial sectors of many European countries. For example, the governments of Greece, Spain, Portugal, and the Republic of Ireland have all experienced large public budget deficits, the effects of which are still yet unknown and may slow the overall recovery of the European economies from the global economic crisis. In addition, due to large public deficits, some European countries may be dependent on assistance from other European governments and institutions or other central banks or supranational agencies such as the International Monetary Fund. Assistance may be dependent on a country’s implementation of reforms or reaching a certain level of performance. Failure to reach those objectives or an insufficient level of assistance could result in a deep economic downturn which could significantly affect the value of a Fund’s European investments.

The Economic and Monetary Union of the European Union (“EMU”) is comprised of the European Union (“EU”) members that have adopted the euro currency. By adopting the euro as its currency, a member state relinquishes control of its own monetary policies. As a result, European countries are significantly affected by fiscal and monetary policies implemented by the EMU and European Central Bank. The euro currency may not fully reflect the strengths and weaknesses of the various economies that comprise the EMU and Europe generally.

It is possible that one or more EMU member countries could abandon the euro and return to a national currency and/or that the euro will cease to exist as a single currency in its current form. The effects of such an abandonment or a country’s forced expulsion from the euro on that country, the rest of the EMU, and global markets are impossible to predict, but are likely to be negative. The exit of any country out of the euro may have an extremely destabilizing effect on other eurozone countries and their economies and a negative effect on the global economy as a whole. Such an exit by one country may also increase the possibility that additional countries may exit the euro should they face similar financial difficulties. In addition, in the event of one or more countries’ exit from the euro, it may be difficult to value investments denominated in euros or in a replacement currency.

The Funds may face potential risks associated with the referendum on the United Kingdom’s continued membership in the EU, which resulted in a vote for the United Kingdom to leave the EU. The vote to leave the EU may result in substantial volatility in foreign exchange markets and may lead to a sustained weakness in the British pound’s exchange rate against the United States dollar, the euro and other currencies, which may impact Fund returns. The vote to leave the EU may result in a sustained period of market uncertainty, as the United Kingdom seeks to negotiate the terms of its exit. It may also destabilize some or all of the other EU member countries and/or the Eurozone. These developments could result in losses to the Funds, as there may be negative effects on the value of Funds’ investments and/or on Funds’ ability to enter into certain transactions or value certain investments, and these developments may make it more difficult for Funds to exit certain investments at an advantageous time or price. Such events could result from, among other things, increased uncertainty and volatility in the United Kingdom, the EU and other financial markets; fluctuations in asset values; fluctuations in exchange rates; decreased liquidity of investments located, traded or listed within the United Kingdom, the EU or elsewhere; changes in the willingness or ability of financial and other counterparties to enter into transactions or the price and terms on which other counterparties are willing to transact; and/or changes in legal and regulatory regimes to which Fund investments are or become subject. Any of these events, as well as an exit or expulsion of an EU member state other than the United Kingdom from the EU, could negatively impact Fund returns.

Investments in Russia. Certain Funds may invest in securities and instruments that are economically tied to Russia. In determining whether an instrument is economically tied to Russia, PIMCO uses the criteria for determining whether an instrument is economically tied to an emerging market country as set forth above under “Foreign Securities.” In addition to the risks listed above under “Foreign Securities,” investing in Russia presents additional risks. In particular, investments in Russia are subject to the risk that the United States and/or other countries may impose economic sanctions. Such sanctions – which may impact companies in many sectors, including energy, financial services and defense, among others – may negatively impact a Fund’s performance and/or ability to achieve its investment objective. For example, certain investments in Russian companies or instruments tied to Russian companies may be prohibited and/or existing investments may become illiquid (e.g., in the event that a Fund is prohibited from transacting in certain existing investments tied to Russia), which could cause a Fund to sell other portfolio holdings at a disadvantageous time or price in order to meet shareholder redemptions. It is also possible that such sanctions may prevent U.S.-based entities that provide services to a Fund from transacting with Russian entities. Under such circumstances, a Fund may not receive payments due with

 

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respect to certain investments, such as the payments due in connection with the Fund’s holding of a fixed income security. More generally, investing in Russian securities is highly speculative and involves significant risks and special considerations not typically associated with investing in the securities markets of the U.S. and most other developed countries. Over the past century, Russia has experienced political, social and economic turbulence and has endured decades of communist rule under which tens of millions of its citizens were collectivized into state agricultural and industrial enterprises. Since the collapse of the Soviet Union, Russia’s government has been faced with the daunting task of stabilizing its domestic economy, while transforming it into a modern and efficient structure able to compete in international markets and respond to the needs of its citizens. However, to date, many of the country’s economic reform initiatives have floundered. In this environment, there is always the risk that the nation’s government will abandon the current program of economic reform and replace it with radically different political and economic policies that would be detrimental to the interests of foreign investors. This could entail a return to a centrally planned economy and nationalization of private enterprises similar to what existed under the old Soviet Union.

Poor accounting standards, inept management, pervasive corruption, insider trading and crime, and inadequate regulatory protection for the rights of investors all pose a significant risk, particularly to foreign investors. In addition, there is the risk that the Russian tax system will not be reformed to prevent inconsistent, retroactive, and/or exorbitant taxation, or, in the alternative, the risk that a reformed tax system may result in the inconsistent and unpredictable enforcement of the new tax laws. Investments in Russia may be subject to the risk of nationalization or expropriation of assets.

Compared to most national securities markets, the Russian securities market suffers from a variety of problems not encountered in more developed markets. There is little long-term historical data on the Russian securities market because it is relatively new and a substantial proportion of securities transactions in Russia are privately negotiated outside of stock exchanges. The inexperience of the Russian securities market and the limited volume of trading in securities in the market may make obtaining accurate prices on portfolio securities from independent sources more difficult than in more developed markets. Additionally, because of less stringent auditing and financial reporting standards than apply to U.S. companies, there may be little reliable corporate information available to investors. As a result, it may be difficult to assess the value or prospects of an investment in Russian companies. Securities of Russian companies also may experience greater price volatility than securities of U.S. companies.

Because of the recent formation of the Russian securities market as well as the underdeveloped state of the banking and telecommunications systems, settlement, clearing and registration of securities transactions are subject to significant risks. Ownership of shares (except where shares are held through depositories that meet the requirements of the 1940 Act) is defined according to entries in the company’s share register and normally evidenced by extracts from the register or by formal share certificates. However, there is no central securities depository and no central registration system for security holders and these services are carried out by the companies themselves or by registrars located throughout Russia. These registrars are not necessarily subject to effective state supervision nor are they licensed with any governmental entity, and it is possible for a Fund to lose its registration through fraud, negligence, or even mere oversight. Russian securities laws may not recognize foreign nominee accounts held with a custodian bank, and therefore the custodian may be considered the ultimate owner of securities they hold for their clients. While a Fund will endeavor to ensure that its interest continues to be appropriately recorded either itself or through a custodian or other agent inspecting the share register and by obtaining extracts of share registers through regular confirmations, these extracts have no legal enforceability and it is possible that 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 a Fund to enforce any rights it may have against the registrar or issuer of the securities in the event of loss of share registration. Furthermore, significant delays or problems may occur in registering the transfer of securities, which could cause a Fund to incur losses due to a counterparty’s failure to pay for securities the Fund has delivered or the Fund’s inability to complete its contractual obligations because of theft or other reasons. A Fund also may experience difficulty in obtaining and/or enforcing judgments in Russia.

The Russian economy is heavily dependent upon the export of a range of commodities including most industrial metals, forestry products, oil, and gas. Accordingly, it is strongly affected by international commodity prices and is particularly vulnerable to any weakening in global demand for these products.

Foreign investors also face a high degree of currency risk when investing in Russian securities and a lack of available currency hedging instruments. In addition, there is the risk that the Russian government may impose capital controls on foreign portfolio investments in the event of extreme financial or political crisis. Such capital controls may prevent the sale of a portfolio of foreign assets and the repatriation of investment income and capital.

[Investments in the People’s Republic of China. Certain Funds that may invest in emerging market countries may invest in securities and instruments that are economically tied to the People’s Republic of China (“PRC”). Such investment may be made through the PRC qualified foreign institutional investor (“QFII”) program and/or the RMB qualified foreign institutional investor (“RQFII”) program. In determining whether an instrument is economically tied to the PRC, PIMCO uses the criteria for determining whether an instrument is economically tied to an emerging market country as set forth above under “Foreign Securities.” In addition to the risks listed above under “Foreign Securities,” including those associated with investing in emerging markets, investing in the PRC presents

 

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additional risks. These additional risks include (without limitation): (a) inefficiencies resulting from erratic growth; (b) the unavailability of consistently-reliable economic data; (c) potentially high rates of inflation; (d) dependence on exports and international trade; (e) relatively high levels of asset price volatility; (f) small market capitalization and less liquidity; (g) greater competition from regional economies; (h) fluctuations in currency exchange rates, particularly in light of the relative lack of currency hedging instruments and controls on the ability to exchange local currency for U.S. dollars; (i) the relatively small size and absence of operating history of many Chinese companies; (j) the developing nature of the legal and regulatory framework for securities markets, custody arrangements and commerce; (k) uncertainty with respect to the development of the QFII / RQFII program and commitment of the government of the PRC to economic reforms; and (l) the risk that Chinese regulators may suspend trading in Chinese issuers (or permit such issuers to suspend trading) during market disruptions, and that such suspensions may be widespread.

In addition, there is a lower level of regulation and enforcement activity in these securities markets compared to more developed international markets. There could potentially be a lack of consistency in interpreting and applying the relevant regulations and a risk that the regulators may impose immediate or rapid changes to existing or introduce new laws, rules, regulations or policies without any prior consultation with or notice to market participants which may severely restrict the Fund’s ability to pursue its investment objectives or strategies. There also exists control on foreign investment in China and limitations on repatriation of invested capital. Under the QFII / RQFII program, there are certain regulatory restrictions particularly on aspects including (without limitation to) investment scope, investment quota, repatriation of funds, foreign shareholding limit and account structure. As a result of PRC regulatory requirements, a Fund may be limited in its ability to invest in securities or instruments tied to the PRC and/or may be required to liquidate its holdings in securities or instruments tied to the PRC. Under certain instances such as when the price of the securities is at a low level, the involuntary liquidations may result in losses for a Fund. In addition, securities exchanges in the PRC typically have the right to suspend or limit trading in any security traded on the relevant exchange. The PRC government or relevant PRC regulators may also implement policies that may adversely affect the PRC financial markets. Such suspensions, limitations or policies may have a negative impact on the performance of a Fund’s investments.

To the extent permissible by the relevant PRC regulations or authorities, the Fund may also directly invest in permissible products (which include cash bonds) traded on China inter-bank bond market (“CIBM”) in compliance with the relevant rules issued by the People’s Bank of China (“PBOC”, including its Shanghai Head Office) in 2016 including the Announcement [2016] No.3 and its implementing rules (“CIBM Rules”). Although there is no quota restriction under the CIBM Rules, relevant information about the Fund’s investment such as the anticipated investment volume and investment term needs to be filed with PBOC and an updated filing will be required if there is any significant change to the filed information. An onshore trading and settlement agent shall be engaged by PIMCO as the manager of the Fund to make the filing on behalf of the relevant Fund and conduct trading and settlement agency services for the Fund. PBOC will exercise on-going supervision on the onshore settlement agent and the Fund’s trading under the CIBM Rules and may take relevant administrative actions such as suspension of trading and mandatory exit against the Fund and/or PIMCO in the event of any incompliance with the CIBM Rules. The CIBM Rules are very new and have yet to be tested on the market. At this stage the CIBM Rules are still subject to further clarification and/or changes, which may adversely affect the Fund’s capability to invest in the CIBM.

Although the PRC has experienced a relatively stable political environment in recent years, there is no guarantee that such stability will be maintained in the future. As an emerging market, many factors may affect such stability – such as increasing gaps between the rich and poor or agrarian unrest and instability of existing political structures – and may result in adverse consequences to a Fund investing in securities and instruments economically tied to the PRC. Political uncertainty, military intervention and political corruption could reverse favorable trends toward market and economic reform, privatization and removal of trade barriers, and could result in significant disruption to securities markets.

The PRC is dominated by the one-party rule of the Communist Party. Investments in the PRC are subject to risks associated with greater governmental control over and involvement in the economy. The PRC manages its currency at artificial levels relative to the U.S. dollar rather than at levels determined by the market. This type of system can lead to sudden and large adjustments in the currency, which, in turn, can have a disruptive and negative effect on foreign investors. The PRC also may restrict the free conversion of its currency into foreign currencies, including the U.S. dollar. Currency repatriation restrictions may have the effect of making securities and instruments tied to the PRC relatively illiquid, particularly in connection with redemption requests. In addition, the government of the PRC exercises significant control over economic growth through direct and heavy involvement in resource allocation and monetary policy, control over payment of foreign currency denominated obligations and provision of preferential treatment to particular industries and/or companies. Economic reform programs in the PRC have contributed to growth, but there is no guarantee that such reforms will continue.

Natural disasters such as droughts, floods, earthquakes and tsunamis have plagued the PRC in the past, and the region’s economy may be affected by such environmental events in the future. A Fund’s investment in the PRC is, therefore, subject to the risk of such events. In addition, the relationship between the PRC and Taiwan is particularly sensitive, and hostilities between the PRC and Taiwan may present a risk to a Fund’s investments in the PRC.

 

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The application of tax laws (e.g., the imposition of withholding taxes on dividend or interest payments) or confiscatory taxation may also affect a Fund’s investment in the PRC. Because the rules governing taxation of investments in securities and instruments economically tied to the PRC are unclear, PIMCO may provide for capital gains taxes on Funds investing in such securities and instruments by reserving both realized and unrealized gains from disposing or holding securities and instruments economically tied to the PRC. This approach is based on current market practice and PIMCO’s understanding of the applicable tax rules. Changes in market practice or understanding of the applicable tax rules may result in the amounts reserved being too great or too small relative to actual tax burdens.

Investing through Stock Connect. Certain Funds may invest in eligible securities (“Stock Connect Securities”) listed and traded on the Shanghai Stock Exchange (“SSE”) through the Hong Kong – Shanghai Stock Connect (“Stock Connect”) program. Stock Connect allows non-Chinese investors (such as the Funds) to purchase certain SSE-listed equities via brokers in Hong Kong. Although Stock Connect is the first program allowing non-Chinese investors to trade Chinese equities without a license, purchases of securities through Stock Connect are subject to market-wide quota limitations, which may prevent a Fund from purchasing Stock Connect securities when it is otherwise advantageous to do so. An investor cannot purchase and sell the same security on the same trading day, which may restrict a Fund’s ability to invest in China A-shares through Stock Connect and to enter into or exit trades where it is advantageous to do so on the same trading day. Because Stock Connect trades are routed through Hong Kong brokers and the Hong Kong Stock Exchange, Stock Connect is affected by trading holidays in either Shanghai or Hong Kong, and there are trading days in Shanghai when Stock Connect investors will not be able to trade. As a result, prices of Stock Connect may fluctuate at times when the Fund is unable to add to or exit its position. Only certain China A-shares are eligible to be accessed through Stock Connect. Such securities may lose their eligibility at any time, in which case they could be sold but could no longer be purchased through Stock Connect. Because Stock Connect is relatively new, its effects on the market for trading China A-shares are uncertain. In addition, the trading, settlement and IT systems required to operate Stock Connect are relatively new and continuing to evolve. In the event that the relevant systems do not function properly, trading through Stock Connect could be disrupted.

Stock Connect is subject to regulation by both Hong Kong and China. Regulators in both jurisdictions are allowed to suspend Stock Connect trading; Chinese regulators may also suspend trading in Chinese issuers (or permit such issuers to suspend trading) during market disruptions, and such suspensions may be widespread. There can be no assurance that further regulations will not affect the availability of securities in the program, the frequency of redemptions or other limitations. Stock Connect transactions are not covered by investor protection programs of either the Hong Kong or Shanghai Stock Exchanges, although any default by a Hong Kong broker should be subject to established Hong Kong law. In China, Stock Connect securities are held on behalf of ultimate investors (such as the Fund) by the Hong Kong Securities Clearing Company Limited (“HKSCC”) as nominee. While Chinese regulators have affirmed that the ultimate investors hold a beneficial interest in Stock Connect securities, the mechanisms that beneficial owners may use to enforce their rights are untested. In addition, courts in China have limited experience in applying the concept of beneficial ownership and the law surrounding beneficial ownership will continue to evolve. A Fund may not be able to participate in corporate actions affecting Stock Connect securities due to time constraints or for other operational reasons. Similarly, a Fund will not be able to vote in shareholders’ meetings except through HKSCC and will not be able to attend shareholders’ meetings. Stock Connect trades are settled in Renminbi (RMB), the Chinese currency, and investors must have timely access to a reliable supply of RMB in Hong Kong, which cannot be guaranteed.

Stock Connect trades are either subject to certain pre-trade requirements or must be placed in special segregated accounts that allow brokers to comply with these pre-trade requirements by confirming that the selling shareholder has sufficient Stock Connect securities to complete the sale. If a Fund does not utilize a special segregated account, a Fund will not be able to sell the shares on any trading day where it fails to comply with the pre-trade checks. In addition, these pre-trade requirements may, as a practical matter, limit the number of brokers that a Fund may use to execute trades. While the Fund may use special segregated accounts in lieu of the pre-trade check, many market participants have yet to fully implement IT systems necessary to complete trades involving securities in such accounts in a timely manner. Market practice with respect to special segregated accounts is continuing to evolve.]

Foreign Currency Transactions

All Funds that may invest in foreign currency-denominated securities also may purchase and sell foreign currency options and foreign currency futures contracts and related options (see “Derivative Instruments”), and may engage in foreign currency transactions either on a spot (cash) basis at the rate prevailing in the currency exchange market at the time or through forward currency contracts (“forwards”). Funds may engage in these transactions in order to attempt to protect against uncertainty in the level of future foreign exchange rates in the purchase and sale of securities. These Funds also may use foreign currency options and foreign currency forward contracts to increase exposure to a foreign currency or to shift exposure to foreign currency fluctuations from one country to another.

A forward involves an obligation to purchase or sell a certain amount of a specific currency at a future date, which may be three business days or more from the date of the contract agreed upon by the parties, at a price set at the time of the contract. These contracts may be bought or sold to protect a Fund against a possible loss resulting from an adverse change in the relationship between foreign currencies and the U.S. dollar or to increase exposure to a particular foreign currency. Open positions in forwards used for non-hedging purposes will be covered by the segregation or “earmarking” of assets determined to be liquid by PIMCO in accordance with procedures established by the Board of Trustees, and are marked to market daily. Although forwards are intended to minimize the

 

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risk of loss due to a decline in the value of the hedged currencies, at the same time, they tend to limit any potential gain which might result should the value of such currencies increase. Forwards are used primarily to adjust the foreign exchange exposure of each Fund with a view to protecting the outlook, and the Funds might be expected to enter into such contracts under the following circumstances:

Lock In. When PIMCO desires to lock in the U.S. dollar price on the purchase or sale of a security denominated in a foreign currency.

Cross Hedge. If a particular currency is expected to decrease against another currency, a Fund may sell the currency expected to decrease and purchase a currency which is expected to increase against the currency sold in an amount approximately equal to some or all of the Fund’s portfolio holdings denominated in the currency sold.

Direct Hedge. If PIMCO wants to eliminate substantially all of the risk of owning a particular currency, and/or if PIMCO thinks that a Fund can benefit from price appreciation in a given country’s bonds but does not want to hold the currency, it may employ a direct hedge back into the U.S. dollar. In either case, a Fund would enter into a forward contract to sell the currency in which a portfolio security is denominated and purchase U.S. dollars at an exchange rate established at the time it initiated the contract. The cost of the direct hedge transaction may offset most, if not all, of the yield advantage offered by the foreign security, but a Fund would hope to benefit from an increase (if any) in value of the bond.

Proxy Hedge. PIMCO might choose to use a proxy hedge, which may be less costly than a direct hedge. In this case, a Fund, having purchased a security, will sell a currency whose value is believed to be closely linked to the currency in which the security is denominated. Interest rates prevailing in the country whose currency was sold would be expected to be closer to those in the United States and lower than those of securities denominated in the currency of the original holding. This type of hedging entails greater risk than a direct hedge because it is dependent on a stable relationship between the two currencies paired as proxies and the relationships can be very unstable at times.

Costs of Hedging. When a Fund purchases a foreign bond with a higher interest rate than is available on U.S. bonds of a similar maturity, the additional yield on the foreign bond could be substantially reduced or lost if the Fund were to enter into a direct hedge by selling the foreign currency and purchasing the U.S. dollar. This is what is known as the “cost” of hedging. Proxy hedging attempts to reduce this cost through an indirect hedge back to the U.S. dollar.

It is important to note that hedging costs are treated as capital transactions and are not, therefore, deducted from a Fund’s dividend distribution and are not reflected in its yield. Instead such costs will, over time, be reflected in a Fund’s net asset value per share.

The forecasting of currency market movement is extremely difficult, and whether any hedging strategy will be successful is highly uncertain. Moreover, it is impossible to forecast with precision the market value of portfolio securities at the expiration of a foreign currency forward contract. Accordingly, a Fund may be required to buy or sell additional currency on the spot market (and bear the expense of such transaction) if PIMCO’s predictions regarding the movement of foreign currency or securities markets prove inaccurate. Also, foreign currency transactions, like currency exchange rates, can be affected unpredictably by intervention (or the failure to intervene) by U.S. or foreign governments or central banks, or by currency controls or political developments. Such events may prevent or restrict a Fund’s ability to enter into foreign currency transactions, force the Fund to exit a foreign currency transaction at a disadvantageous time or price or result in penalties for the Fund, any of which may result in a loss to the Fund. In addition, the use of cross-hedging transactions may involve special risks, and may leave a Fund in a less advantageous position than if such a hedge had not been established. Because foreign currency forward contracts are privately negotiated transactions, there can be no assurance that a Fund will have the flexibility to roll-over a foreign currency forward contract upon its expiration if it desires to do so. Additionally, there can be no assurance that the other party to the contract will perform its services thereunder. Under definitions adopted by the Commodity Futures Trading Commission (“CFTC”) and SEC, many non-deliverable foreign currency forwards are considered swaps for certain purposes, including the determination of whether such instruments need to be exchange-traded and centrally cleared as discussed further in “Risks of Potential Government Regulation of Derivatives.” These changes are expected to reduce counterparty risk as compared to bi-laterally negotiated contracts.

Certain Funds may hold a portion of their assets in bank deposits denominated in foreign currencies, so as to facilitate investment in foreign securities as well as protect against currency fluctuations and the need to convert such assets into U.S. dollars (thereby also reducing transaction costs). To the extent these monies are converted back into U.S. dollars, the value of the assets so maintained will be affected favorably or unfavorably by changes in foreign currency exchange rates and exchange control regulations.

Tax Consequences of Hedging. Under applicable tax law, the Funds may be required to limit their gains from hedging in foreign currency forwards, futures, and options. Although the Funds are expected to comply with such limits, the extent to which these limits apply is subject to tax regulations as yet unissued. Hedging also may result in the application of the mark-to-market and straddle provisions of the Internal Revenue Code. Those provisions could result in an increase (or decrease) in the amount of taxable dividends paid by the Funds and could affect whether dividends paid by the Funds are classified as capital gains or ordinary income.

 

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Foreign Currency Exchange-Related Securities

Foreign currency warrants. Foreign currency warrants such as Currency Exchange WarrantsTM (“CEWsTM”) are warrants which entitle the holder to receive from their issuer an amount of cash (generally, for warrants issued in the United States, in U.S. dollars) which is calculated pursuant to a predetermined formula and based on the exchange rate between a specified foreign currency and the U.S. dollar as of the exercise date of the warrant. Foreign currency warrants generally are exercisable upon their issuance and expire as of a specified date and time. Foreign currency warrants have been issued in connection with U.S. dollar-denominated debt offerings by major corporate issuers in an attempt to reduce the foreign currency exchange risk which, from the point of view of prospective purchasers of the securities, is inherent in the international fixed-income marketplace. Foreign currency warrants may attempt to reduce the foreign exchange risk assumed by purchasers of a security by, for example, providing for a supplemental payment in the event that the U.S. dollar depreciates against the value of a major foreign currency such as the Japanese yen or the euro. The formula used to determine the amount payable upon exercise of a foreign currency warrant may make the warrant worthless unless the applicable foreign currency exchange rate moves in a particular direction (e.g., unless the U.S. dollar appreciates or depreciates against the particular foreign currency to which the warrant is linked or indexed). Foreign currency warrants are severable from the debt obligations with which they may be offered, and may be listed on exchanges. Foreign currency warrants may be exercisable only in certain minimum amounts, and an investor wishing to exercise warrants who possesses less than the minimum number required for exercise may be required either to sell the warrants or to purchase additional warrants, thereby incurring additional transaction costs. In the case of any exercise of warrants, there may be a time delay between the time a holder of warrants gives instructions to exercise and the time the exchange rate relating to exercise is determined, during which time the exchange rate could change significantly, thereby affecting both the market and cash settlement values of the warrants being exercised. The expiration date of the warrants may be accelerated if the warrants should be delisted from an exchange or if their trading should be suspended permanently, which would result in the loss of any remaining “time value” of the warrants (i.e., the difference between the current market value and the exercise value of the warrants), and, in the case the warrants were “out-of-the-money,” in a total loss of the purchase price of the warrants. Warrants are generally unsecured obligations of their issuers and are not standardized foreign currency options issued by the Options Clearing Corporation (“OCC”). Unlike foreign currency options issued by OCC, the terms of foreign exchange warrants generally will not be amended in the event of governmental or regulatory actions affecting exchange rates or in the event of the imposition of other regulatory controls affecting the international currency markets. The initial public offering price of foreign currency warrants is generally considerably in excess of the price that a commercial user of foreign currencies might pay in the interbank market for a comparable option involving significantly larger amounts of foreign currencies. Foreign currency warrants are subject to significant foreign exchange risk, including risks arising from complex political or economic factors.

Principal exchange rate linked securities. Principal exchange rate linked securities (“PERLsTM”) are debt obligations the principal on which is payable at maturity in an amount that may vary based on the exchange rate between the U.S. dollar and a particular foreign currency at or about that time. The return on “standard” principal exchange rate linked securities is enhanced if the foreign currency to which the security is linked appreciates against the U.S. dollar, and is adversely affected by increases in the foreign exchange value of the U.S. dollar; “reverse” principal exchange rate linked securities are like the “standard” securities, except that their return is enhanced by increases in the value of the U.S. dollar and adversely impacted by increases in the value of foreign currency. Interest payments on the securities are generally made in U.S. dollars at rates that reflect the degree of foreign currency risk assumed or given up by the purchaser of the notes (i.e., at relatively higher interest rates if the purchaser has assumed some of the foreign exchange risk, or relatively lower interest rates if the issuer has assumed some of the foreign exchange risk, based on the expectations of the current market). Principal exchange rate linked securities may in limited cases be subject to acceleration of maturity (generally, not without the consent of the holders of the securities), which may have an adverse impact on the value of the principal payment to be made at maturity.

Performance indexed paper. Performance indexed paper (“PIPsTM”) is U.S. dollar-denominated commercial paper the yield of which is linked to certain foreign exchange rate movements. The yield to the investor on performance indexed paper is established at maturity as a function of spot exchange rates between the U.S. dollar and a designated currency as of or about that time (generally, the index maturity two days prior to maturity). The yield to the investor will be within a range stipulated at the time of purchase of the obligation, generally with a guaranteed minimum rate of return that is below, and a potential maximum rate of return that is above, market yields on U.S. dollar-denominated commercial paper, with both the minimum and maximum rates of return on the investment corresponding to the minimum and maximum values of the spot exchange rate two business days prior to maturity.

Borrowing

Except as described below, each Fund may borrow money to the extent permitted under the 1940 Act, and as interpreted, modified or otherwise permitted by regulatory authority having jurisdiction, from time to time. This means that, in general, a Fund may borrow money from banks for any purpose in an amount up to 1/3 of the Fund’s total assets. A Fund also may borrow money for temporary administrative purposes in an amount not to exceed 5% of the Fund’s total assets.

Specifically, provisions of the 1940 Act require a Fund to maintain continuous asset coverage (that is, total assets including borrowings, less liabilities exclusive of borrowings) of 300% of the amount borrowed, with an exception for borrowings not in excess of 5% of the Fund’s total assets made for temporary administrative purposes. Any borrowings for temporary administrative purposes

 

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in excess of 5% of the Fund’s total assets must maintain continuous asset coverage. If the 300% asset coverage should decline as a result of market fluctuations or other reasons, a Fund may be required to sell some of its portfolio holdings within three days to reduce the debt and restore the 300% asset coverage, even though it may be disadvantageous from an investment standpoint to sell securities at that time.

As noted below, a Fund also may enter into certain transactions, including reverse repurchase agreements, mortgage dollar rolls, and sale-buybacks, that can be viewed as constituting a form of borrowing or financing transaction by the Fund. To the extent a Fund covers its commitment under a reverse repurchase agreement (or economically similar transaction) by the segregation or “earmarking” of assets determined in accordance with procedures adopted by the Trustees, equal in value to the amount of the Fund’s commitment to repurchase, such an agreement will not be considered a “senior security” by the Fund and therefore will not be subject to the 300% asset coverage requirement otherwise applicable to borrowings by the Funds. Borrowing will tend to exaggerate the effect on net asset value of any increase or decrease in the market value of a Fund’s portfolio. Money borrowed will be subject to interest costs which may or may not be recovered by appreciation of the securities purchased. A Fund also may be required to maintain minimum average balances in connection with such borrowing or to pay a commitment or other fee to maintain a line of credit; either of these requirements would increase the cost of borrowing over the stated interest rate. Each of the PIMCO Global Bond Opportunities Fund (U.S. Dollar-Hedged) and PIMCO Total Return Fund IV has adopted a non-fundamental investment restriction under which the respective Fund may not borrow in excess of 10% of the value of its total assets and then only from banks as a temporary measure to facilitate the meeting of redemption requests (not for leverage) or for extraordinary or emergency purposes. Non-fundamental investment restrictions may be changed without shareholder approval.

A Fund may enter into reverse repurchase agreements, mortgage dollar rolls, and economically similar transactions. A reverse repurchase agreement involves the sale of a portfolio-eligible security by a Fund to another party, such as a bank or broker-dealer, coupled with its agreement to repurchase the instrument at a specified time and price. Under a reverse repurchase agreement, the Fund continues to receive any principal and interest payments on the underlying security during the term of the agreement. The Fund typically will segregate or “earmark” assets determined to be liquid by PIMCO in accordance with procedures established by the Board of Trustees, equal (on a daily mark-to-market basis) to its obligations under reverse repurchase agreements. However, reverse repurchase agreements involve the risk that the market value of securities retained by the Fund may decline below the repurchase price of the securities sold by the Fund which it is obligated to repurchase. With respect to reverse repurchase agreements in which banks are counterparties, the Fund may treat such transactions as bank borrowings, which would be subject to the Fund’s limitations on borrowings. Such treatment would, among other things, restrict the aggregate of such transactions (plus any other borrowings) to one-third of a Fund’s total assets (except the PIMCO Global Bond Opportunities Fund (U.S. Dollar-Hedged) and PIMCO Total Return Fund IV).

A “mortgage dollar roll” is similar to a reverse repurchase agreement in certain respects. In a “dollar roll” transaction a Fund sells a mortgage-related security, such as a security issued by GNMA, to a dealer and simultaneously agrees to repurchase a similar security (but not the same security) in the future at a pre-determined price. A “dollar roll” can be viewed, like a reverse repurchase agreement, as a collateralized borrowing in which a Fund pledges a mortgage-related security to a dealer to obtain cash. Unlike in the case of reverse repurchase agreements, the dealer with which a Fund enters into a dollar roll transaction is not obligated to return the same securities as those originally sold by the Fund, but only securities which are “substantially identical.” To be considered “substantially identical,” the securities returned to a Fund generally must: (1) be collateralized by the same types of underlying mortgages; (2) be issued by the same agency and be part of the same program; (3) have a similar original stated maturity; (4) have identical net coupon rates; (5) have similar market yields (and therefore price); and (6) satisfy “good delivery” requirements, meaning that the aggregate principal amounts of the securities delivered and received back must be within a specified percentage of the initial amount delivered.

A Fund’s obligations under a dollar roll agreement must be covered by segregated or “earmarked” liquid assets (or cash equivalent securities in the case of the PIMCO Total Return Fund IV) equal in value to the securities subject to repurchase by the Fund. As with reverse repurchase agreements, to the extent that positions in dollar roll agreements are not covered by segregated or “earmarked” liquid assets at least equal to the amount of any forward purchase commitment, such transactions would be subject to the Funds’ restrictions on borrowings. Furthermore, because dollar roll transactions may be for terms ranging between one and six months, dollar roll transactions may be deemed “illiquid” and subject to a Fund’s overall limitations on investments in illiquid securities.

A Fund also may effect simultaneous purchase and sale transactions that are known as “sale-buybacks.” A sale buyback is similar to a reverse repurchase agreement, except that in a sale-buyback, the counterparty that purchases the security is entitled to receive any principal or interest payments made on the underlying security pending settlement of the Fund’s repurchase of the underlying security. A Fund’s obligations under a sale-buyback typically would be offset by liquid assets equal in value to the amount of the Fund’s forward commitment to repurchase the subject security.

It is possible that changing government regulation may affect a Fund’s use of these strategies. Changes in regulatory requirements concerning margin for certain types of financing transactions, such as repurchase agreements, reverse repurchase agreements, and securities lending and borrowing, could impact a Fund’s ability to utilize these investment strategies and techniques.

 

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Derivative Instruments

In pursuing their individual objectives, the Funds (except for the PIMCO Government Money Market Fund) may, to the extent permitted by their investment objectives and policies, purchase and sell (write) both put options and call options on securities, swap agreements, recovery locks, securities indexes, commodity indexes and foreign currencies, and enter into interest rate, foreign currency, index and commodity futures contracts and purchase and sell options on such futures contracts (“futures options”) for hedging purposes, to seek to replicate the composition and performance of a particular index, or as part of their overall investment strategies, except that those Funds that may not invest in foreign currency-denominated securities may not enter into transactions involving currency futures or options. The Funds (except for the PIMCO California Intermediate Municipal Bond, PIMCO California Municipal Bond, PIMCO California Short Duration Municipal Income, PIMCO High Yield Municipal Bond, PIMCO GNMA and Government Securities, PIMCO Government Money Market, PIMCO Long-Term U.S. Government, PIMCO Low Duration II, PIMCO Mortgage-Backed Securities, PIMCO Mortgage Opportunities and Bond, PIMCO Municipal Bond, PIMCO National Intermediate Municipal Bond, PIMCO New York Municipal Bond, PIMCO Short Duration Municipal Income, PIMCO Total Return II and PIMCO Total Return IV Funds) also may purchase and sell foreign currency options for purposes of increasing exposure to a foreign currency or to shift exposure to foreign currency fluctuations from one country to another. A Fund (except for the PIMCO Government Money Market Fund) also may enter into swap agreements with respect to interest rates, commodities, and indexes of securities or commodities, and to the extent it may invest in foreign currency-denominated securities, may enter into swap agreements with respect to foreign currencies. The Funds may invest in structured notes. If other types of financial instruments, including other types of options, futures contracts, or options on futures are traded in the future, a Fund also may use those instruments, provided that the Board of Trustees determines their use is consistent with the Fund’s investment objective.

The value of some derivative instruments in which the Funds invest may be particularly sensitive to changes in prevailing interest rates, and, like the other investments of the Funds, the ability of a Fund to successfully utilize these instruments may depend in part upon the ability of PIMCO to forecast interest rates and other economic factors correctly. If PIMCO incorrectly forecasts such factors and has taken positions in derivative instruments contrary to prevailing market trends, the Funds could be exposed to additional, unforeseen risks, including the risk of loss.

The Funds might not employ any of the strategies described herein, and no assurance can be given that any strategy used will succeed. If PIMCO incorrectly forecasts interest rates, market values or other economic factors in using a derivatives strategy for a Fund, the Fund might have been in a better position if it had not entered into the transaction at all. Also, suitable derivative transactions may not be available in all circumstances. The use of these strategies involves certain special risks, including a possible imperfect correlation, or even no correlation, between price movements of derivative instruments and price movements of related investments. While some strategies involving derivative instruments can reduce the risk of loss, they can also reduce the opportunity for gain or even result in losses by offsetting favorable price movements in related investments or otherwise. This is due, in part, to the possible inability of a Fund to purchase or sell a portfolio security at a time that otherwise would be favorable or the possible need to sell a portfolio security at a disadvantageous time because the Fund is required to maintain asset coverage or offsetting positions in connection with transactions in derivative instruments and the possible inability of a Fund to close out or to liquidate its derivatives positions. In addition, a Fund’s use of such instruments may cause the Fund to realize higher amounts of short-term capital gains (generally taxed upon distribution at ordinary income tax rates) than if it had not used such instruments. For Funds that gain exposure to an asset class using derivative instruments backed by a collateral portfolio of Fixed Income Instruments, changes in the value of the Fixed Income Instruments may result in greater or lesser exposure to that asset class than would have resulted from a direct investment in securities comprising that asset class.

Participation in the markets for derivative instruments involves investment risks and transaction costs to which a Fund may not be subject absent the use of these strategies. The skills needed to successfully execute derivative strategies may be different from those needed for other types of transactions. If the Fund incorrectly forecasts the value and/or creditworthiness of securities, currencies, interest rates, counterparties or other economic factors involved in a derivative transaction, the Fund might have been in a better position if the Fund had not entered into such derivative transaction. In evaluating the risks and contractual obligations associated with particular derivative instruments, it is important to consider that certain derivative transactions may be modified or terminated only by mutual consent of the Fund and its counterparty and certain derivative transactions may be terminated by the counterparty or the Fund, as the case may be, upon the occurrence of certain Fund-related or counterparty-related events, which may result in losses or gains to the Fund based on the market value of the derivative transactions entered into between the Fund and the counterparty. In addition, such early terminations may result in taxable events and accelerate gain or loss recognition for tax purposes. It may not be possible for a Fund to modify, terminate, or offset the Fund’s obligations or the Fund’s exposure to the risks associated with a derivative transaction prior to its termination or maturity date, which may create a possibility of increased volatility and/or decreased liquidity to the Fund. Upon the expiration or termination of a particular contract, a Fund may wish to retain a Fund’s position in the derivative instrument by entering into a similar contract, but may be unable to do so if the counterparty to the original contract is unwilling to enter into the new contract and no other appropriate counterparty can be found, which could cause the Fund not to be able to maintain certain desired investment exposures or not to be able to hedge other investment positions or risks, which could cause losses to the Fund. Furthermore, after such an expiration or termination of a particular contract, a Fund may have fewer counterparties with which to engage in additional derivative transactions, which could lead to potentially greater counterparty risk exposure to one or more counterparties and which could increase the cost of entering into certain derivatives. In such cases, the Fund may lose money.

 

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A Fund may engage in investment strategies, including the use of derivatives, to, among other things, seek to generate current, distributable income, even if such strategies could potentially result in declines in the Fund’s net asset value. A Fund’s income and gain-generating strategies, including certain derivatives strategies, may generate current income and gains taxable as ordinary income sufficient to support distributions, even in situations when the Fund has experienced a decline in net assets due to, for example, adverse changes in the broad U.S. or non-U.S. securities markets or the Fund’s portfolio of investments, or arising from its use of derivatives. Consequently, Fund shareholders may receive distributions subject to tax at ordinary income rates at a time when their investment in the Fund has declined in value, which may be economically similar to a taxable return of capital.

The tax treatment of certain derivatives may be open to different interpretations. Any recharacterization of payments made or received by a Fund pursuant to derivatives potentially could affect the amount, timing or characterization of Fund distributions. In addition, the tax treatment of such investment strategies may be changed by regulation or otherwise.

Options on Securities and Indexes. A Fund may, to the extent specified herein or in the Prospectuses, purchase and sell both put and call options on fixed-income or other securities or indexes in standardized contracts traded on foreign or domestic securities exchanges, boards of trade, or similar entities, or quoted on NASDAQ or on an OTC market, and agreements, sometimes called cash puts, which may accompany the purchase of a new issue of bonds from a dealer.

An option on a security (or index) is a contract that gives the holder of the option, in return for a premium, the right to buy from (in the case of a call) or sell to (in the case of a put) the writer of the option the security underlying the option (or the cash value of the index) at a specified exercise price often at any time during the term of the option for American options or only at expiration for European options. The writer of an option on a security has the obligation upon exercise of the option to deliver the underlying security upon payment of the exercise price (in the case of a call) or to pay the exercise price upon delivery of the underlying security (in the case of a put). Certain put options written by a Fund, which counterparties may use as a source of liquidity, may be structured to have an exercise price that is less than the market value of the underlying securities that would be received by the Fund. Upon exercise, the writer of an option on an index is obligated to pay the difference between the cash value of the index and the exercise price multiplied by the specified multiplier for the index option. (An index is designed to reflect features of a particular financial or securities market, a specific group of financial instruments or securities, or certain economic indicators.)

A Fund will “cover” its obligations when it writes call options or put options. In the case of a call option on a debt obligation or other security, the option is covered if the Fund owns the security underlying the call or has an absolute and immediate right to acquire that security without additional cash consideration (or, if additional cash consideration is required, cash or other assets determined to be liquid by PIMCO in accordance with procedures established by the Board of Trustees, in such amount are segregated by its custodian or “earmarked”) upon conversion or exchange of other securities held by a Fund. A call option on a security is also “covered” if a Fund does not hold the underlying security or have the right to acquire it, but the Fund segregates or “earmarks” assets determined to be liquid by PIMCO in accordance with procedures established by the Board of Trustees in an amount equal to the value of the underlying security (minus any collateral deposited with a broker-dealer or other financial institution), on a mark-to-market basis (a so-called “naked” call option).

For a call option on an index, the option is covered if a Fund maintains with its custodian liquid assets in an amount equal to the Fund’s net obligation under the option. A call option is also covered if a Fund holds a call on the same index or security as the call written where the exercise price of the call held is (i) equal to or less than the exercise price of the call written, or (ii) greater than the exercise price of the call written, provided the difference is maintained by the Fund in segregated or “earmarked” liquid assets. A put option on a security or an index is covered if a Fund segregates or “earmarks” liquid assets equal to the exercise price. A put option is also covered if the Fund holds a put on the same security or index as the put written where the exercise price of the put held is (i) equal to or greater than the exercise price of the put written, or (ii) less than the exercise price of the put written, provided the difference is maintained by the Fund in segregated or “earmarked” liquid assets. Obligations under written call and put options so covered will not be construed to be “senior securities” for purposes of the Fund’s investment restrictions concerning senior securities and borrowings.

If an option written by a Fund expires unexercised, the Fund realizes a capital gain equal to the premium received at the time the option was written. If an option purchased by a Fund expires unexercised, the Fund realizes a capital loss equal to the premium paid. Prior to the earlier of exercise or expiration, an exchange-traded option may be closed out by an offsetting purchase or sale of an option of the same series (type, exchange, underlying security or index, exercise price, and expiration). There can be no assurance, however, that a closing purchase or sale transaction can be effected when the Fund desires.

A Fund may sell put or call options it has previously purchased, which could result in a net gain or loss depending on whether the amount realized on the sale is more or less than the premium and other transaction costs paid on the put or call option which is sold. Prior to exercise or expiration, an option may be closed out by an offsetting purchase or sale of an option of the same series. A Fund will realize a capital gain from a closing purchase transaction if the cost of the closing option is less than the premium received from writing the option, or, if it is more, the Fund will realize a capital loss. If the premium received from a closing sale transaction is more than the premium paid to purchase the option, the Fund will realize a capital gain or, if it is less, the Fund will realize a capital loss. The principal factors affecting the market value of a put or a call option include supply and demand, interest rates, the current market

 

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price of the underlying security or index in relation to the exercise price of the option, the volatility of the underlying security or index, and the time remaining until the expiration date.

The premium paid for a put or call option purchased by a Fund is an asset of the Fund. The premium received for an option written by a Fund is recorded as a deferred credit. The value of an option purchased or written is marked to market daily and is valued at the closing price on the exchange on which it is traded or, if not traded on an exchange or no closing price is available, at the mean between the last bid and ask prices.

The Funds may write covered straddles consisting of a combination of a call and a put written on the same underlying security. A straddle will be covered when sufficient assets are deposited to meet the Funds’ immediate obligations. The Funds may use the same liquid assets to cover both the call and put options where the exercise price of the call and put are the same, or where the exercise price of the call is higher than that of the put. In such cases, the Funds will also segregate or “earmark” liquid assets equivalent to the amount, if any, by which the put is “in the money.”

Risks Associated with Options on Securities and Indexes. There are several risks associated with transactions in options on securities and on indexes. For example, there are significant differences between the securities and options markets that could result in an imperfect correlation between these markets, causing a given transaction not to achieve its objectives. A decision as to whether, when and how to use options involves the exercise of skill and judgment, and even a well-conceived transaction may be unsuccessful to some degree because of market behavior or unexpected events.

The writer of an American option often has no control over the time when it may be required to fulfill its obligation as a writer of the option. Once an option writer has received an exercise notice, it cannot effect a closing purchase transaction in order to terminate its obligation under the option and must deliver the underlying security at the exercise price. To the extent a Fund writes a put option, the Fund has assumed the obligation during the option period to purchase the underlying investment from the put buyer at the option’s exercise price if the put buyer exercises its option, regardless of whether the value of the underlying investment falls below the exercise price. This means that a Fund that writes a put option may be required to take delivery of the underlying investment and make payment for such investment at the exercise price. This may result in losses to the Fund and may result in the Fund holding the underlying investment for some period of time when it is disadvantageous to do so.

If a put or call option purchased by the Fund is not sold when it has remaining value, and if the market price of the underlying security remains equal to or greater than the exercise price (in the case of a put), or remains less than or equal to the exercise price (in the case of a call), the Fund will lose its entire investment in the option. Also, where a put or call option on a particular security is purchased to hedge against price movements in a related security, the price of the put or call option may move more or less than the price of the related security.

There can be no assurance that a liquid market will exist when a Fund seeks to close out an option position. If a Fund were unable to close out an option that it had purchased on a security, it would have to exercise the option in order to realize any profit or the option may expire worthless.

If trading were suspended in an option purchased by a Fund, the Fund would not be able to close out the option. If restrictions on exercise were imposed, the Fund might be unable to exercise an option it has purchased. Except to the extent that a call option on an index written by the Fund is covered by an option on the same index purchased by the Fund, movements in the index may result in a loss to the Fund; however, such losses may be mitigated by changes in the value of the Fund’s securities during the period the option was outstanding.

To the extent that a Fund writes a call option on a security it holds in its portfolio and intends to use such security as the sole means of “covering” its obligation under the call option, the Fund has, in return for the premium on the option, given up the opportunity to profit from a price increase in the underlying security above the exercise price during the option period, but, as long as its obligation under such call option continues, has retained the risk of loss should the price of the underlying security decline. If a Fund were unable to close out such a call option, the Fund would not be able to sell the underlying security unless the option expired without exercise.

Foreign Currency Options. Funds that invest in foreign currency-denominated securities may buy or sell put and call options on foreign currencies. These Funds may buy or sell put and call options on foreign currencies either on exchanges or in the OTC market. A put option on a foreign currency gives the purchaser of the option the right to sell a foreign currency at the exercise price until the option expires. A call option on a foreign currency gives the purchaser of the option the right to purchase the currency at the exercise price until the option expires. Currency options traded on U.S. or other exchanges may be subject to position limits which may limit the ability of a Fund to reduce foreign currency risk using such options. OTC options differ from exchange-traded options in that they are bilateral contracts with price and other terms negotiated between buyer and seller, and generally do not have as much market liquidity as exchange-traded options. Under definitions adopted by the CFTC and SEC, many foreign currency options are considered swaps for certain purposes, including determination of whether such instruments need to be exchange-traded and centrally cleared as discussed further in “Risks of Potential Government Regulation of Derivatives.”

 

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Futures Contracts and Options on Futures Contracts. A futures contract is an agreement to buy or sell a security or other asset for a set price on a future date. These contracts are traded on exchanges, so that, in most cases, a party can close out its position on the exchange for cash, without delivering the underlying security or other underlying asset. An option on a futures contract gives the holder of the option the right to buy or sell a position in a futures contract from or to the writer of the option, at a specified price and on or before a specified expiration date.

Each Fund (except for the PIMCO Government Money Market Fund) may invest in futures contracts and options thereon (“futures options”) with respect to, but not limited to, interest rates, commodities, and security or commodity indexes. To the extent that a Fund may invest in foreign currency-denominated securities, it also may invest in foreign currency futures contracts and options thereon.

An interest rate, commodity, foreign currency or index futures contract provides for the future sale or purchase of a specified quantity of a financial instrument, commodity, foreign currency or the cash value of an index at a specified price and time. A futures contract on an index is an agreement pursuant to which a party agrees to pay or receive an amount of cash equal to the difference between the value of the index at the close of the last trading day of the contract and the price at which the index contract was originally written. Although the value of an index might be a function of the value of certain specified securities, no physical delivery of these securities is made. A public market exists in futures contracts covering a number of indexes as well as financial instruments and foreign currencies, including , but not limited to: the S&P 500; the S&P Midcap 400; the Nikkei 225; the Markit CDX credit index; the iTraxx credit index; U.S. Treasury bonds; U.S. Treasury notes; U.S. Treasury bills; 90-day commercial paper; bank certificates of deposit; Eurodollar certificates of deposit; the Australian dollar; the Canadian dollar; the British pound; the Japanese yen; the Swiss franc; the Mexican peso; and certain multinational currencies, such as the euro. It is expected that other futures contracts will be developed and traded in the future. Certain futures contracts on indexes, financial instruments or foreign currencies may represent new investment products that lack performance track records. Certain of the Funds also may invest in commodity futures contracts and options thereon. A commodity futures contract is an agreement to buy or sell a commodity, such as an energy, agricultural or metal commodity at a later date at a price and quantity agreed-upon when the contract is bought or sold.

A Fund may purchase and write call and put futures options, as specified for that Fund in the Prospectuses. Futures options possess many of the same characteristics as options on securities and indexes (discussed above). A futures option gives the holder the right, in return for the premium paid, to assume a long position (call) or short position (put) in a futures contract at a specified exercise price at any time during the period of the option. Upon exercise of a call option, the holder acquires a long position in the futures contract and the writer is assigned the opposite short position. In the case of a put option, the opposite is true. A call option is “in the money” if the value of the futures contract that is the subject of the option exceeds the exercise price. A put option is “in the money” if the exercise price exceeds the value of the futures contract that is the subject of the option.

Certain Funds claim an exclusion from the definition of the term “commodity pool operator” (“CPO”) under the Commodity Exchange Act, as amended (“CEA”) and, therefore, are not subject to registration or regulation as commodity pools under the CEA. PIMCO is not deemed to be a CPO with respect to its service as investment adviser to these Funds. Additionally, certain Funds operating as funds-of-funds have claimed a temporary exemption from the definition of CPO under the CEA and, therefore, are not currently subject to registration or regulation as commodity pools under the CEA. PIMCO is not currently deemed to be a CPO with respect to its service as investment adviser to these funds-of-funds.

In 2012, the CFTC adopted certain rule amendments that significantly affected the exemptions that were available to each of the Funds and Subsidiaries. Effective January 1, 2013, certain Funds and Subsidiaries, as well as PIMCO, operate subject to CFTC regulation because of these changes.

To the extent any Funds are, or become, ineligible to claim an exclusion from CFTC regulation, these Funds may consider steps in order to continue to qualify for exemption from CFTC regulation, or may determine to operate subject to CFTC regulation. The table below identifies which Funds and Subsidiaries are subject to CFTC regulation, as of [                    ], unless otherwise noted: [To be updated by amendment.]

[Funds and Subsidiaries Subject to CFTC Regulation

PIMCO CommoditiesPLUS® Strategy Fund and its Subsidiary

PIMCO CommodityRealReturn Strategy Fund®

PIMCO Dynamic Bond Fund

PIMCO Global Advantage® Strategy Bond Fund

PIMCO Global Bond Fund (US Dollar-Hedged)

PIMCO Global Multi-Asset Fund and its Subsidiary

PIMCO Inflation Response Multi-Asset Fund and its Subsidiary

PIMCO Long-Term Real Return Fund

PIMCO Multi-Strategy Alternative Fund

PIMCO RAE Fundamental Advantage PLUS Fund

PIMCO RAE PLUS EMG Fund

 

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PIMCO RAE PLUS Fund

PIMCO RAE PLUS International Fund

PIMCO RAE PLUS Small Fund

PIMCO RAE Low Volatility PLUS EMG Fund

PIMCO RAE Low Volatility PLUS Fund

PIMCO RAE Low Volatility PLUS International Fund

PIMCO RAE Worldwide Long/Short PLUS Fund

PIMCO RealEstateRealReturn Strategy Fund

PIMCO REALPATH® 2055 Fund

PIMCO StocksPLUS® Absolute Return Fund

PIMCO StocksPLUS® Fund

PIMCO StocksPLUS® International Fund (Unhedged)

PIMCO StocksPLUS® International Fund (U.S. Dollar-Hedged)

PIMCO StocksPLUS® Long Duration Fund

PIMCO StocksPLUS® Short Fund

PIMCO StocksPLUS® Small Fund

PIMCO Strategic Bond Fund

PIMCO TRENDS Managed Futures Strategy Fund and its Subsidiary]

Limitations on Use of Futures and Futures Options. When a purchase or sale of a futures contract is made by such Fund, the Fund is required to deposit with its custodian (or broker, if legally permitted) a specified amount of assets determined to be liquid by PIMCO in accordance with procedures established by the Board of Trustees (“initial margin”). The margin required for a futures contract is set by the exchange on which the contract is traded and may be modified during the term of the contract. Margin requirements on foreign exchanges may be different than U.S. exchanges. The initial margin is in the nature of a performance bond or good faith deposit on the futures contract which is returned to the Fund upon termination of the contract, assuming all contractual obligations have been satisfied. Each Fund expects to earn interest income on its initial margin deposits. A futures contract held by a Fund is valued daily at the official settlement price of the exchange on which it is traded. Each day a Fund pays or receives cash, called “variation margin,” equal to the daily change in value of the futures contract. This process is known as “marking-to-market.” Variation margin does not represent a borrowing or loan by a Fund but is instead a settlement between the Fund and the broker of the amount one would owe the other if the futures contract expired. In computing daily net asset value, each Fund will mark-to-market its open futures positions.

A Fund is also required to deposit and maintain margin with respect to put and call options on futures contracts written by it. Such margin deposits will vary depending on the nature of the underlying futures contract (and the related initial margin requirements), the current market value of the option, and other futures positions held by the Fund.

Although some futures contracts call for making or taking delivery of the underlying securities or commodities, generally these obligations are closed out prior to delivery by offsetting purchases or sales of matching futures contracts (same exchange, underlying security or index, and delivery month). Closing out a futures contract sale is effected by purchasing an offsetting futures contract for the same aggregate amount of the specific type of financial instrument or commodity with the same delivery date. If an offsetting purchase price is less than the original sale price, a Fund realizes a capital gain, or if it is more, a Fund realizes a capital loss. Conversely, if an offsetting sale price is more than the original purchase price, a Fund realizes a capital gain, or if it is less, a Fund realizes a capital loss. The transaction costs must also be included in these calculations.

When purchasing a futures contract that cash settles, a Fund will maintain with its custodian (and mark-to-market on a daily basis) assets determined to be liquid by PIMCO in accordance with procedures established by the Board of Trustees that, when added to the amounts deposited with a futures commission merchant as margin, are equal to the marked-to-market value of the futures contract. Alternatively, a Fund may “cover” its position by purchasing a put option on the same futures contract with a strike price as high or higher than the price of the contract held by the Fund.

When selling a futures contract that cash settles, a Fund will maintain with its custodian (and mark-to-market on a daily basis) assets determined to be liquid by PIMCO in accordance with procedures established by the Board of Trustees that are equal to the marked-to-market value of the futures contract. Alternatively, a Fund may “cover” its position by owning the instruments underlying the futures contract (or, in the case of an index futures contract, a portfolio with a volatility substantially similar to that of the index on which the futures contract is based), or by holding a call option permitting the Fund to purchase the same futures contract at a price no higher than the price of the contract written by the Fund (or at a higher price if the difference is maintained in liquid assets with the Trust’s custodian).

With respect to futures contracts that “physically settle,” a Fund may cover the open position by setting aside or “earmarking” liquid assets in an amount equal to the full notional value of the futures contract. With respect to futures that are required to “cash settle,” however, a Fund is permitted to set aside or “earmark” liquid assets in an amount equal to the Fund’s daily marked-to-market (net) obligation, if any, (in other words, the Fund’s daily net liability, if any) rather than the full notional value of the futures contract. By

 

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setting aside or “earmarking” assets equal to only its net obligation under cash-settled futures, a Fund will have the ability to utilize these contracts to a greater extent than if the Fund were required to segregate or “earmark” assets equal to the full notional value of the futures contract.

When selling a call option on a futures contract, a Fund will maintain with its custodian (and mark-to-market on a daily basis) assets determined to be liquid by PIMCO in accordance with procedures established by the Board of Trustees that, when added to the amounts deposited with a futures commission merchant as margin, equal the total market value of the futures contract underlying the call option. Alternatively, the Fund may cover its position by entering into a long position in the same futures contract at a price no higher than the strike price of the call option, by owning the instruments underlying the futures contract, or by holding a separate call option permitting the Fund to purchase the same futures contract at a price not higher than the strike price of the call option sold by the Fund.

When selling a put option on a futures contract, a Fund will maintain with its custodian (and mark-to-market on a daily basis) assets determined to be liquid by PIMCO in accordance with procedures established by the Board of Trustees that equal the purchase price of the futures contract, less any margin on deposit. Alternatively, the Fund may cover the position either by entering into a short position in the same futures contract, or by owning a separate put option permitting it to sell the same futures contract so long as the strike price of the purchased put option is the same or higher than the strike price of the put option sold by the Fund.

To the extent that securities with maturities greater than one year are used to segregate or “earmark” assets to cover a Fund’s obligations under futures contracts and related options, such use will not eliminate the risk of a form of leverage, which may tend to exaggerate the effect on net asset value of any increase or decrease in the market value of a Fund’s portfolio, and may require liquidation of portfolio positions when it is not advantageous to do so. However, any potential risk of leverage resulting from the use of securities with maturities greater than one year may be mitigated by limiting the overall duration of the Fund’s portfolio securities. Thus, the use of a longer-term security may require a Fund to hold offsetting short-term securities to balance the Fund’s portfolio such that the Fund’s duration does not exceed the maximum permitted for the Fund in the Prospectuses.

The requirements for qualification as a regulated investment company also may limit the extent to which a Fund may enter into futures, futures options and forward contracts. See “Taxation.”

Risks Associated with Futures and Futures Options. There are several risks associated with the use of futures contracts and futures options as hedging techniques. A purchase or sale of a futures contract may result in losses in excess of the amount invested in the futures contract. There can be no guarantee that there will be a correlation between price movements in the hedging vehicle and in the Fund securities being hedged. In addition, there are significant differences between the securities and futures markets that could result in an imperfect correlation between the markets, causing a given hedge not to achieve its objectives. The degree of imperfection of correlation depends on circumstances such as variations in speculative market demand for futures and futures options on securities, including technical influences in futures trading and futures options, and differences between the financial instruments being hedged and the instruments underlying the standard contracts available for trading in such respects as interest rate levels, maturities, and creditworthiness of issuers. A decision as to whether, when and how to hedge involves the exercise of skill and judgment, and even a well-conceived hedge may be unsuccessful to some degree because of market behavior or unexpected interest rate trends.

Futures contracts on U.S. Government securities historically have reacted to an increase or decrease in interest rates in a manner similar to that in which the underlying U.S. Government securities reacted. To the extent, however, that a Fund enters into such futures contracts, the value of such futures will not vary in direct proportion to the value of such Fund’s holdings of U.S. Government securities. Thus, the anticipated spread between the price of the futures contract and the hedged security may be distorted due to differences in the nature of the markets. The spread also may be distorted by differences in initial and variation margin requirements, the liquidity of such markets and the participation of speculators in such markets.

Futures exchanges may limit the amount of fluctuation permitted in certain futures contract prices during a single trading day. The daily limit establishes the maximum amount that the price of a futures contract may vary either up or down from the previous day’s settlement price at the end of the current trading session. Once the daily limit has been reached in a futures contract subject to the limit, no more trades may be made on that day at a price beyond that limit. The daily limit governs only price movements during a particular trading day and therefore does not limit potential losses because the limit may work to prevent the liquidation of unfavorable positions. For example, futures prices have occasionally moved to the daily limit for several consecutive trading days with little or no trading, thereby preventing prompt liquidation of positions and subjecting some holders of futures contracts to substantial losses.

There can be no assurance that a liquid market will exist at a time when a Fund seeks to close out a futures or a futures option position, and that Fund would remain obligated to meet margin requirements until the position is closed. In addition, many of the contracts discussed above are relatively new instruments without a significant trading history. As a result, there can be no assurance that an active secondary market will develop or continue to exist.

 

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Risks Associated with Commodity Futures Contracts. There are several additional risks associated with transactions in commodity futures contracts, including but not limited to:

 

 

Storage. Unlike the financial futures markets, in the commodity futures markets there are costs of physical storage associated with purchasing the underlying commodity. The price of the commodity futures contract will reflect the storage costs of purchasing the physical commodity, including the time value of money invested in the physical commodity. To the extent that the storage costs for an underlying commodity change while a Fund is invested in futures contracts on that commodity, the value of the futures contract may change proportionately.

 

 

Reinvestment. In the commodity futures markets, producers of the underlying commodity may decide to hedge the price risk of selling the commodity by selling futures contracts today to lock in the price of the commodity at delivery tomorrow. In order to induce speculators to purchase the other side of the same futures contract, the commodity producer generally must sell the futures contract at a lower price than the expected future spot price. Conversely, if most hedgers in the futures market are purchasing futures contracts to hedge against a rise in prices, then speculators will only sell the other side of the futures contract at a higher futures price than the expected future spot price of the commodity. The changing nature of the hedgers and speculators in the commodity markets will influence whether futures prices are above or below the expected future spot price, which can have significant implications for a Fund. If the nature of hedgers and speculators in futures markets has shifted when it is time for a Fund to reinvest the proceeds of a maturing contract in a new futures contract, the Fund might reinvest at higher or lower futures prices, or choose to pursue other investments.

 

 

Other Economic Factors. The commodities which underlie commodity futures contracts may be subject to additional economic and non-economic variables, such as drought, floods, weather, livestock disease, embargoes, tariffs, and international economic, political and regulatory developments. These factors may have a larger impact on commodity prices and commodity-linked instruments, including futures contracts, than on traditional securities. Certain commodities are also subject to limited pricing flexibility because of supply and demand factors. Others are subject to broad price fluctuations as a result of the volatility of the prices for certain raw materials and the instability of supplies of other materials. These additional variables may create additional investment risks which subject a Fund’s investments to greater volatility than investments in traditional securities.

Additional Risks of Options on Securities, Futures Contracts, Options on Futures Contracts, and Forward Currency Exchange Contracts and Options Thereon. Options on securities, futures contracts, options on futures contracts, forward currency exchange contracts and options on forward currency exchange contracts may be traded on foreign (non-U.S.) exchanges. Such transactions may not be regulated as effectively as similar transactions in the United States, may not involve a clearing mechanism and related guarantees, and are subject to the risk of governmental actions affecting trading in, or the prices of, foreign (non-U.S.) securities. The value of such positions also could be adversely affected by: (i) other complex foreign political, legal and economic factors, (ii) lesser availability than in the United States of data on which to make trading decisions, (iii) delays in a Fund’s ability to act upon economic events occurring in foreign (non-U.S.) markets during non-business hours in the United States, (iv) the imposition of different exercise and settlement terms and procedures and margin requirements than in the United States, and (v) lesser trading volume.

Swap Agreements and Options on Swap Agreements. Each Fund (except for the PIMCO Government Money Market Fund) may engage in swap transactions, including, but not limited to, swap agreements on interest rates, security or commodity indexes, specific securities and commodities, and credit and event-linked swaps. To the extent a Fund may invest in foreign (non-U.S.) currency-denominated securities, it also may invest in currency exchange rate swap agreements. A Fund also may enter into options on swap agreements (“swaptions”).

A Fund may enter into swap transactions for any legal purpose consistent with its investment objectives and policies, such as attempting to obtain or preserve a particular return or spread at a lower cost than obtaining a return or spread through purchases and/or sales of instruments in other markets, to protect against currency fluctuations, as a duration management technique, to protect against any increase in the price of securities a Fund anticipates purchasing at a later date, or to gain exposure to certain markets in a more cost efficient manner.

OTC swap agreements are bilateral contracts entered into primarily by institutional investors for periods ranging from a few weeks to more than one year. In a standard OTC swap transaction, two parties agree to exchange the returns (or differentials in rates of return) earned or realized on particular predetermined investments or instruments. The gross returns to be exchanged or “swapped” between the parties are generally calculated with respect to a “notional amount,”i.e., the return on or change in value of a particular dollar amount invested at a particular interest rate, in a particular foreign (non-U.S.) currency, or in a “basket” of securities or commodities representing a particular index. A “quanto” or “differential” swap combines both an interest rate and a currency transaction. Certain swap agreements, such as interest rate swaps, are traded on exchanges and cleared through central clearing counterparties. Other forms of swap agreements include interest rate caps, under which, in return for a premium, one party agrees to make payments to the other to the extent that interest rates exceed a specified rate, or “cap”; interest rate floors, under which, in return for a premium, one party agrees to make payments to the other to the extent that interest rates fall below a specified rate, or “floor”; and interest rate collars, under which a party sells a cap and purchases a floor or vice versa in an attempt to protect itself against interest rate movements exceeding given minimum or maximum levels. A total return swap agreement is a contract in which one party agrees to

 

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make periodic payments to another party based on the change in market value of underlying assets, which may include a single stock, a basket of stocks, or a stock index 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. Consistent with a Fund’s investment objectives and general investment policies, certain of the Funds may invest in commodity swap agreements. For example, an investment in a commodity swap agreement may involve the exchange of floating-rate interest payments for the total return on a commodity index. In a total return commodity swap, a Fund will receive the price appreciation of a commodity index, a portion of the index, or a single commodity in exchange for paying an agreed-upon fee. If the commodity swap is for one period, a Fund may pay a fixed fee, established at the outset of the swap. However, if the term of the commodity swap is more than one period, with interim swap payments, a Fund may pay an adjustable or floating fee. With a “floating” rate, the fee may be pegged to a base rate, such as the London Interbank Offered Rate (“LIBOR”), and is adjusted each period. Therefore, if interest rates increase over the term of the swap contract, a Fund may be required to pay a higher fee at each swap reset date.

Each Fund (except for the PIMCO Government Money Market Fund) may also enter into combinations of swap agreements in order to achieve certain economic results. For example, a Fund may enter into two swap transactions, one of which offsets the other for a period of time. After the offsetting swap transaction expires, the Fund would be left with the economic exposure provided by the remaining swap transaction. The intent of such an arrangement would be to lock in certain terms of the remaining swap transaction that a Fund may wish to gain exposure to in the future without having that exposure during the period the offsetting swap is in place.

A Fund also may enter into swaptions. A swaption is a contract that gives a counterparty the right (but not the obligation) in return for payment of a premium, 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. Each Fund (except for the PIMCO Government Money Market Fund) may write (sell) and purchase put and call swaptions.

Depending on the terms of the particular option agreement, a Fund will generally incur a greater degree of risk when it writes a swaption than it will incur when it purchases a swaption. When a Fund purchases a swaption, it risks losing only the amount of the premium it has paid should it decide to let the option expire unexercised. However, when a Fund writes a swaption, upon exercise of the option the Fund will become obligated according to the terms of the underlying agreement.

A Fund also may enter into forward volatility agreements, also known as volatility swaps. In a volatility swap, the counterparties agree to make payments in connection with changes in the volatility (i.e., the magnitude of change over a specified period of time) of an underlying reference instrument, such as a currency, rate, index, security or other financial instrument. Volatility swaps permit the parties to attempt to hedge volatility risk and/or take positions on the projected future volatility of an underlying reference instrument. For example, a Fund may enter into a volatility swap in order to take the position that the reference instrument’s volatility will increase over a particular period of time. If the reference instrument’s volatility does increase over the specified time, the Fund will receive a payment from its counterparty based upon the amount by which the reference instrument’s realized volatility level exceeds a volatility level agreed upon by the parties. If the reference instrument’s volatility does not increase over the specified time, the Fund will make a payment to the counterparty based upon the amount by which the reference instrument’s realized volatility level falls below the volatility level agreed upon by the parties. Payments on a volatility swap will be greater if they are based upon the mathematical square of volatility (i.e., the measured volatility multiplied by itself, which is referred to as “variance”). This type of a volatility swap is frequently referred to as a variance swap. Certain of the Funds may engage in variance swaps.

Most types of swap agreements entered into by the Funds will calculate the obligations of the parties to the agreement on a “net basis.” Consequently, a 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”). A 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 or “earmarking” of assets determined to be liquid by PIMCO in accordance with procedures established by the Board of Trustees, to avoid any potential leveraging of the Fund’s portfolio. Obligations under swap agreements so covered will not be construed to be “senior securities” for purposes of a Fund’s investment restriction concerning senior securities.

A Fund also may enter into OTC and cleared credit default swap agreements. A credit default swap agreement may reference one or more debt securities or obligations that are not currently held by the Fund. The protection “buyer” in an OTC credit default contract is generally obligated to pay the protection “seller” an upfront or a periodic stream of payments over the term of the contract until a credit event, such as a default, 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. A Fund may be either the buyer or seller in the transaction. If the Fund is a buyer and no credit event occurs, the Fund may recover nothing if the swap is held through its termination date. However, if a credit event occurs, the buyer may receive the full notional value of the swap in exchange for an equal face amount of deliverable obligations of the reference entity whose value may have significantly decreased. As a seller, a Fund generally receives an upfront payment or a fixed rate of income throughout the term of the swap provided that

 

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there is no credit event. As the seller, a Fund would effectively add leverage to its portfolio because, in addition to its total net assets, a Fund would be subject to investment exposure on the notional amount of the swap.

The spread of a credit default swap is the annual amount the protection buyer must pay the protection seller over the length of the contract, expressed as a percentage of the notional amount. When spreads rise, market perceived credit risk rises and when spreads fall, market perceived credit risk falls. Wider credit spreads and decreasing market values, when compared to the notional amount of the swap, represent a deterioration of the credit soundness of the issuer of the reference obligation and a greater likelihood or risk of default or other credit event occurring as defined under the terms of the agreement. For credit default swap agreements on asset-backed securities and credit indices, the quoted market prices and resulting values, as well as the annual payment rate, serve as an indication of the current status of the payment/performance risk.

Credit default swap agreements sold by a Fund may involve greater risks than if a Fund had invested in the reference obligation directly since, in addition to general market risks, credit default swaps are subject to illiquidity risk, counterparty risk (with respect to OTC credit default swaps) and credit risk. A Fund will enter into uncleared credit default swap agreements only with counterparties that meet certain standards of creditworthiness. A buyer generally also will lose its investment and recover nothing should no credit event occur and the swap is held to its termination date. If a credit event were to occur, the value of any deliverable obligation received by the seller, coupled with the upfront 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 seller. The Fund’s obligations under a credit default swap agreement will be accrued daily (offset against any amounts owing to the Fund). In connection with credit default swaps in which a Fund is the buyer, the Fund will segregate or “earmark” cash or assets determined to be liquid by PIMCO in accordance with procedures established by the Board of Trustees, or enter into certain offsetting positions, with a value at least equal to the Fund’s exposure (any accrued but unpaid net amounts owed by the Fund to any counterparty), on a marked-to-market basis. In connection with credit default swaps in which a Fund is the seller, the Fund will segregate or “earmark” cash or assets determined to be liquid by PIMCO in accordance with procedures established by the Board of Trustees, or enter into offsetting positions, with a value at least equal to the full notional amount of the swap (minus any amounts owed to the Fund). Such segregation or “earmarking” will ensure that the Fund has assets available to satisfy its obligations with respect to the transaction and will limit any potential leveraging of the Fund’s portfolio. Such segregation or “earmarking” will not limit the Fund’s exposure to loss.

The Dodd-Frank Act and related regulatory developments require the clearing and exchange-trading of certain standardized OTC derivative instruments that the CFTC and SEC have defined as “swaps.” The CFTC has implemented mandatory exchange-trading and clearing requirements under the Dodd-Frank Act and the CFTC continues to approve contracts for central clearing. Uncleared swaps are subject to certain margin requirements that mandate the posting and collection of minimum margin amounts on certain uncleared swaps transactions, which may result in the Fund and its counterparties posting higher margin amounts for uncleared swaps than would otherwise be the case. PIMCO will continue to monitor developments in this area, particularly to the extent regulatory changes affect the Funds’ ability to enter into swap agreements.

Whether a Fund’s use of swap agreements or swaptions will be successful in furthering its investment objective will depend on PIMCO’s ability to predict correctly whether certain types of investments are likely to produce greater returns than other investments. Moreover, a Fund bears the risk of loss of the amount expected to be received under a swap agreement in the event of the default or bankruptcy of a swap agreement counterparty. The Funds will enter into OTC swap agreements only with counterparties that meet certain standards of creditworthiness. Certain restrictions imposed on the Funds by the Internal Revenue Code may limit the Funds’ ability to use swap agreements. The swaps market is subject to increasing regulations, in both U.S. and non-U.S. markets. It is possible that developments in the swaps market, including additional government regulation, could adversely affect a Fund’s ability to terminate existing swap agreements or to realize amounts to be received under such agreements.

Swaps are highly specialized instruments that require investment techniques, risk analyses, and tax planning different from those associated with traditional investments. The use of a swap requires an understanding not only of the reference asset, reference rate, or index but also of the swap itself, without the benefit of observing the performance of the swap under all possible market conditions. Because OTC swap agreements are bilateral contracts that may be subject to contractual restrictions on transferability and termination and because they may have remaining terms of greater than seven days, swap agreements may be considered illiquid and subject to a Fund’s limitation on investments in illiquid securities. However, the Trust has adopted procedures pursuant to which PIMCO may determine swaps to be liquid under certain circumstances. To the extent that a swap is not liquid, it may not be possible to initiate a transaction or liquidate a position at an advantageous time or price, which may result in significant losses.

Like most other investments, swap agreements are subject to the risk that the market value of the instrument will change in a way detrimental to a Fund’s interest. A Fund bears the risk that PIMCO will not accurately forecast future market trends or the values of assets, reference rates, indexes, or other economic factors in establishing swap positions for the Fund. If PIMCO attempts to use a swap as a hedge against, or as a substitute for, a portfolio investment, the Fund will be exposed to the risk that the swap will have or will develop imperfect or no correlation with the portfolio investment. This could cause substantial losses for the Fund. While hedging strategies involving swap instruments can reduce the risk of loss, they can also reduce the opportunity for gain or even result in losses by offsetting favorable price movements in other Fund investments. Many swaps are complex and often valued subjectively.

 

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A Fund also may enter into recovery locks. A recovery lock is an agreement between two parties that provides for a fixed payment by one party and the delivery of a reference obligation, typically a bond, by the other party upon the occurrence of a credit event, such as a default, by the issuer of the reference obligation. Recovery locks are used to “lock in” a recovery amount on the reference obligation at the time the parties enter into the agreement. In contrast to a credit default swap where the final settlement amount may be dependent on the market price for the reference obligation upon the credit event, a recovery lock fixes the settlement amount in advance and is not dependent on the market price of the reference obligation at the time of the credit event. Unlike certain other types of derivatives, recovery locks generally do not involve upfront or periodic cash payments by either of the parties. Instead, payment and settlement occurs after there has been a credit event. If a credit event does not occur prior to the termination date of a recovery lock, the agreement terminates and no payments are made by either party. A Fund may enter into a recovery lock to purchase or sell a reference obligation upon the occurrence of a credit event.

Recovery locks are subject to the risk that PIMCO will not accurately forecast the value of a reference obligation upon the occurrence of a credit event. For example, if a Fund enters into a recovery lock and agrees to deliver a reference obligation in exchange for a fixed payment upon the occurrence of a credit event, the value of the reference obligation or eventual recovery on the reference obligation following the credit event may be greater than the fixed payment made by the counterparty to the Fund. If this occurs, the Fund will incur a loss on the transaction. In addition to general market risks, recovery locks are subject to illiquidity risk, counterparty risk and credit risk. The market for recovery locks is relatively new and is smaller and less liquid than the market for credit default swaps and other derivatives. Elements of judgment may play a role in determining the value of a recovery lock. It may not be possible to enter into a recovery lock at an advantageous time or price. A Fund will only enter into recovery locks with counterparties that meet certain standards of creditworthiness.

A Fund’s obligations under a recovery lock will be determined daily. In connection with recovery locks in which a Fund is the seller, the Fund will segregate or “earmark” cash or assets determined to be liquid by PIMCO in accordance with procedures established by the Board of Trustees, or enter into certain offsetting positions, with a value at least equal to the Fund’s obligations, on a marked-to-market basis. In connection with recovery locks in which a Fund is the buyer, the Fund will segregate or “earmark” cash or assets determined to be liquid by PIMCO in accordance with procedures established by the Board of Trustees, or enter into offsetting positions, with a value at least equal to the fixed payment amount of the recovery lock (minus any amounts owed to the Fund, if applicable). Such segregation or “earmarking” will ensure that the Fund has assets available to satisfy its obligations with respect to the transaction and will limit any potential leveraging of the Fund’s portfolio.

Correlation Risk for Certain Funds. In certain cases, the value of derivatives may not correlate perfectly, or at all, with the value of the assets, reference rates or indexes they are designed to closely track. In this regard, certain Funds seek to achieve their investment objectives, in part, by investing in derivatives positions that are designed to closely track the performance (or inverse performance) of an index on a daily basis. However, the overall investment strategies of these Funds are not designed or expected to produce returns which replicate the performance (or inverse performance) of the particular index, and the degree of variation could be substantial, particularly over longer periods. There are a number of factors which may prevent a mutual fund, or derivatives or other strategies used by a fund, from achieving desired correlation (or inverse correlation) with an index. These may include, but are not limited to: (i) the impact of fund fees, expenses and transaction costs, including borrowing and brokerage costs/bid-ask spreads, which are not reflected in index returns; (ii) differences in the timing of daily calculations of the value of an index and the timing of the valuation of derivatives, securities and other assets held by a fund and the determination of the net asset value of fund shares; (iii) disruptions or illiquidity in the markets for derivative instruments or securities in which a fund invests; (iv) a fund having exposure to or holding less than all of the securities in the underlying index and/or having exposure to or holding securities not included in the underlying index; (v) large or unexpected movements of assets into and out of a fund (due to share purchases or redemptions, for example), potentially resulting in the fund being over- or under-exposed to the index; (vi) the impact of accounting standards or changes thereto; (vii) changes to the applicable index that are not disseminated in advance; (viii) a possible need to conform a fund’s portfolio holdings to comply with investment restrictions or policies or regulatory or tax law requirements; and (ix) fluctuations in currency exchange rates. For the PIMCO CommoditiesPLUS® Strategy Fund and PIMCO CommodityRealReturn Strategy Fund®, these factors include the possibility that the Fund’s commodity derivatives positions may have different roll dates, reset dates or contract months than those specified in a particular commodity index.

A Note on the PIMCO StocksPLUS® Short Fund. The PIMCO StocksPLUS® Short Fund will generally benefit when the value of the Fund’s associated index is declining and will generally not perform well when the index is rising, a result that is different from traditional mutual funds. Under certain conditions, even if the value of a Fund’s associated index is declining (which could be beneficial to a short strategy), this could be offset by declining values of the Fund’s holdings of Fixed Income Instruments. Conversely, it is possible that rising fixed income securities prices could be offset by a rising index (which could lead to losses in a short strategy). In either scenario, the Fund may experience losses. In a market where the value of the Fund’s associated index is rising and its Fixed Income Instrument holdings are declining, the Fund may experience substantial losses.

However, although the Fund uses derivatives and other short positions to gain exposures that may vary inversely with the performance of its associated index, Fund as a whole is not designed or expected to produce returns which replicate the inverse of the performance of its associated index, and the degree of variation could be substantial, particularly over longer periods. Because the value of the

 

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Fund’s derivatives short positions move in the opposite direction from the value of the Fund’s associated index every day, for periods greater than one day, the effect of compounding may result in the performance of these derivatives positions, and the Fund’s performance attributable to those positions, to be either greater than or less than the inverse of the index performance for such periods, and the extent of the variation could be substantial due to market volatility and other factors. In addition, the results of PIMCO’s active management of the Fund, including the combination of income and capital gains or losses derived from the Fixed Income Instruments held by the Fund and the ability of the Fund to reduce or limit short exposure, may result in an imperfect inverse correlation between the performance of the Fund’s associated index and the performance of the Fund. As noted above, there are a number of other reasons why changes in the value of derivatives positions may not correlate exactly (either positively or inversely) with an index or which may otherwise prevent a mutual fund or its positions from achieving such correlation.

Carbon Equivalent Emissions Allowances. Each of the PIMCO CommoditiesPLUS® Strategy Fund and PIMCO CommodityRealReturn Strategy Fund® may trade derivative instruments on carbon equivalent emissions allowances (“EUAs”) eligible for trading under the European Union Emissions Trading Scheme. The derivative instruments on EUAs will be subject to the risks associated with trading EUAs directly. Those risks are substantial, including possibly illiquid and volatile trading markets, changing supply and demand for EUAs which may be impacted by changes in economic growth, output, efficiency measures undertaken by affected industries and possible new technology for curbing carbon emissions, changes in the European Commission’s regulation of carbon emissions, changes in oil and gas prices, shifting weather patterns, the continued willingness of parties to continue to observe the carbon emissions limitations and other restrictions, and other possible actions undertaken by the global community in response to the perceived dangers of climate change caused by greenhouse gases.

Synthetic Equity Swaps. Certain Underlying PIMCO Funds may also enter into synthetic equity swaps, in which one party to the contract agrees to pay the other party the total return earned or realized on a particular “notional amount” of value of an underlying equity security including any dividends distributed by the underlying security. The other party to the contract makes regular payments, typically at a fixed rate or at a floating rate based on LIBOR or other variable interest rate based on the notional amount. Similar to currency swaps, synthetic equity swaps are generally entered into on a net basis, which means the two payment streams are netted out and the Underlying PIMCO Fund will either pay or receive the net amount. The Underlying PIMCO Fund will enter into a synthetic equity swap instead of purchasing the reference security when the synthetic equity swap provides a more efficient or less expensive way of gaining exposure to a security compared with a direct investment in the security.

Risk of Potential Government Regulation of Derivatives. It is possible that additional government regulation of various types of derivative instruments, including futures, options and swap agreements, may limit or prevent a Fund from using such instruments as a part of its investment strategy, and could ultimately prevent a Fund from being able to achieve its investment objective. It is impossible to fully predict the effects of past, present or future legislation and regulation in this area, but the effects could be substantial and adverse. It is possible that legislative and regulatory activity could limit or restrict the ability of a Fund to use certain instruments as a part of its investment strategy. Limits or restrictions applicable to the counterparties or issuers, as applicable, with which the Funds engage in derivative transactions could also limit or prevent the Funds from using certain instruments. These risks may be particularly acute for those Funds, such as the PIMCO CommoditiesPLUS® Strategy and PIMCO CommodityRealReturn Strategy Fund®, that make extensive use of commodity-related derivative instruments in seeking to achieve their investment objectives.

There is a possibility of future regulatory changes altering, perhaps to a material extent, the nature of an investment in the Funds or the ability of the Funds to continue to implement their investment strategies. The futures, options and swaps markets are subject to comprehensive statutes, regulations, and margin requirements. In addition, the SEC, CFTC and the exchanges are authorized to take extraordinary actions in the event of a market emergency, including, for example, the implementation or reduction of speculative position limits, the implementation of higher margin requirements, the establishment of daily price limits and the suspension of trading. The regulation of futures, options and swaps transactions in the United States is a rapidly changing area of law and is subject to modification by government and judicial action.

In particular, the Dodd-Frank Act sets forth a legislative framework for OTC derivatives, including financial instruments, such as swaps, in which the Funds may invest. Title VII of the Dodd-Frank Act makes broad changes to the OTC derivatives market, grants significant authority to the SEC and the CFTC to regulate OTC derivatives and market participants, and requires clearing and exchange trading of many OTC derivatives transactions.

Provisions in the Dodd-Frank Act include capital and margin requirements and the mandatory use of clearinghouse mechanisms for many OTC derivative transactions. The CFTC, SEC and other federal regulators have been developing the rules and regulations enacting the provisions of the Dodd-Frank Act. However, swap dealers, major market participants and swap counterparties are experiencing, and will continue to experience, new and additional regulations, requirements, compliance burdens and associated costs. The Dodd-Frank Act and the rules to be promulgated thereunder may negatively impact a Fund’s ability to meet its investment objective either through limits or requirements imposed on it or upon its counterparties. In particular, new position limits imposed on a Fund or its counterparties may impact that Fund’s ability to invest in futures, options and swaps in a manner that efficiently meets its investment objective. New requirements even if not directly applicable to the Funds, including margin requirements, changes to the

 

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CFTC speculative position limits regime and mandatory clearing, may increase the cost of a Fund’s investments and cost of doing business, which could adversely affect investors.

Structured Products

The Funds may invest in structured products, including instruments such as credit-linked securities, commodity-linked notes and structured notes, which are potentially high-risk derivatives. For example, a structured product may combine a traditional stock, bond, or commodity with an option or forward contract. Generally, the principal amount, amount payable upon maturity or redemption, or interest rate of a structured product is tied (positively or negatively) to the price of some commodity, currency or securities index or another interest rate or some other economic factor (each a “benchmark”). The interest rate or (unlike most fixed income securities) the principal amount payable at maturity of a structured product may be increased or decreased, depending on changes in the value of the benchmark. An example of a structured product could be a bond issued by an oil company that pays a small base level of interest with additional interest that accrues in correlation to the extent to which oil prices exceed a certain predetermined level. Such a structured product would be a combination of a bond and a call option on oil.

Structured products can be used as an efficient means of pursuing a variety of investment goals, including currency hedging, duration management, and increased total return. Structured products may not bear interest or pay dividends. The value of a structured product or its interest rate may be a multiple of a benchmark and, as a result, may be leveraged and move (up or down) more steeply and rapidly than the benchmark. These benchmarks may be sensitive to economic and political events, such as commodity shortages and currency devaluations, which cannot be readily foreseen by the purchaser of a structured product. Under certain conditions, the redemption value of a structured product could be zero. Thus, an investment in a structured product may entail significant market risks that are not associated with a similar investment in a traditional, U.S. dollar-denominated bond that has a fixed principal amount and pays a fixed rate or floating rate of interest. The purchase of structured products also exposes a Fund to the credit risk of the issuer of the structured product. These risks may cause significant fluctuations in the net asset value of the Fund. Each Fund, except for the PIMCO CommoditiesPLUS® Strategy Fund, and PIMCO CommodityRealReturn Strategy Fund®, will not invest more than 5% of its total assets in a combination of credit-linked securities or commodity-linked notes.

Credit-Linked Securities. Credit-linked securities are issued by a limited purpose trust or other vehicle that, in turn, invests in a basket of derivative instruments, such as credit default swaps, interest rate swaps and other securities, in order to provide exposure to certain high yield or other fixed income markets. For example, a Fund may invest in credit-linked securities as a cash management tool in order to gain exposure to the high yield markets and/or to remain fully invested when more traditional income producing securities are not available. Like an investment in a bond, investments in 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 trust’s receipt of payments from, and the trust’s potential obligations to, the counterparties to the derivative instruments and other securities in which the trust invests. For instance, the trust may sell one or more credit default swaps, under which the trust 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 trust 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 a Fund would receive as an investor in the trust. A 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 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.

Commodity-Linked Notes. Certain structured products may provide exposure to the commodities markets. These are derivative securities with one or more commodity-linked components that have payment features similar to commodity futures contracts, commodity options, or similar instruments. Commodity-linked structured products may be either equity or debt securities, leveraged or unleveraged, and have both security and commodity-like characteristics. A portion of the value of these instruments may be derived from the value of a commodity, futures contract, index or other economic variable. The Funds will only invest in commodity-linked structured products that qualify under applicable rules of the CFTC for an exemption from the provisions of the CEA.

Structured Notes and Indexed Securities. Structured notes are derivative debt instruments, the interest rate or principal of which is determined by an unrelated indicator (for example, a currency, security, commodity or index thereof). The terms of the instrument may be “structured” by the purchaser and the borrower issuing the note. Indexed securities may include structured notes as well as securities other than debt securities, the interest rate or principal of which is determined by an unrelated indicator. Indexed securities may include a multiplier that multiplies the indexed element by a specified factor and, therefore, the value of such securities may be very volatile. The terms of structured notes and indexed securities may provide that in certain circumstances no principal is due at maturity, which may result in a loss of invested capital. Structured notes and indexed securities may be positively or negatively indexed, so that appreciation of the unrelated indicator may produce an increase or a decrease in the interest rate or the value of the structured note or indexed security at maturity may be calculated as a specified multiple of the change in the value of the unrelated indicator. Therefore, the value of such notes and securities may be very volatile. Structured notes and indexed securities may entail a greater degree of market risk than other types of debt securities because the investor bears the risk of the unrelated indicator.

 

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Structured notes or indexed securities also may be more volatile, less liquid, and more difficult to accurately price than less complex securities and instruments or more traditional debt securities. To the extent a Fund invests in these notes and securities, however, PIMCO analyzes these notes and securities in its overall assessment of the effective duration of the Fund’s holdings in an effort to monitor the Fund’s interest rate risk.

Certain issuers of structured products may be deemed to be investment companies as defined in the 1940 Act. As a result, the Funds’ investments in these structured products may be subject to limits applicable to investments in investment companies and may be subject to restrictions contained in the 1940 Act.

Equity-Linked Securities and Equity-Linked Notes. A Fund may invest a portion of its assets in equity-linked securities. Equity-linked securities are privately issued derivative securities that have a return component based on the performance of a single stock, a basket of stocks, or a stock index. Equity-linked securities are often used for many of the same purposes as, and share many of the same risks with, other derivative instruments.

An equity-linked note is a note, typically issued by a company or financial institution, whose performance is tied to a single stock, a basket of stocks, or a stock index. Generally, upon the maturity of the note, the holder receives a return of principal based on the capital appreciation of the linked securities. The terms of an equity-linked note may also provide for the periodic interest payments to holders at either a fixed or floating rate. Because the notes are equity linked, they may return a lower amount at maturity due to a decline in value of the linked security or securities. To the extent a Fund invests in equity-linked notes issued by foreign issuers, it will be subject to the risks associated with the debt securities of foreign issuers and with securities denominated in foreign currencies. Equity-linked notes are also subject to default risk and counterparty risk.

Bank Capital Securities

The Funds may invest in bank capital securities. Bank capital securities are issued by banks to help fulfill their regulatory capital requirements. There are two common types of bank capital: Tier I and Tier II. Bank capital is generally, but not always, of investment grade quality. Tier I securities often take the form of common and non-cumulative preferred securities. Tier II securities are commonly thought of as hybrids of debt and preferred securities, are often perpetual (with no maturity date), callable and, under certain conditions, allow for the issuer bank to withhold payment of interest until a later date. Subject to certain regulatory requirements, both Tier I and Tier II securities may include trust preferred securities. As a general matter, trust preferred securities are being phased out as Tier I and Tier II capital of banking organizations unless they qualify for grandfather treatment.

Trust Preferred Securities

The Funds may invest in trust preferred securities. Trust preferred securities have the characteristics of both subordinated debt and preferred securities. Generally, trust preferred securities are issued by a trust that is wholly-owned by a financial institution or other corporate entity, typically a bank holding company. The financial institution creates the trust and owns the trust’s common securities. The trust uses the sale proceeds of its common securities to purchase subordinated debt issued by the financial institution. The financial institution uses the proceeds from the subordinated debt sale to increase its capital while the trust receives periodic interest payments from the financial institution for holding the subordinated debt. The trust uses the funds received to make dividend payments to the holders of the trust preferred securities. The primary advantage of this structure is that the trust preferred securities are treated by the financial institution as debt securities for tax purposes and as equity for the calculation of capital requirements.

Trust preferred securities typically bear a market rate coupon comparable to interest rates available on debt of a similarly rated issuer. Typical characteristics include long-term maturities, early redemption by the issuer, periodic fixed or variable interest payments, and maturities at face value. Holders of trust preferred securities have limited voting rights to control the activities of the trust and no voting rights with respect to the financial institution. The market value of trust preferred securities may be more volatile than those of conventional debt securities. Trust preferred securities may be issued in reliance on Rule 144A under the 1933 Act and subject to restrictions on resale. There can be no assurance as to the liquidity of trust preferred securities and the ability of holders, such as a Fund, to sell their holdings. In identifying the risks of the trust preferred securities, PIMCO will look to the condition of the financial institution as the trust typically has no business operations other than to issue the trust preferred securities. If the financial institution defaults on interest payments to the trust, the trust will not be able to make dividend payments to holders of its securities, such as a Fund.

As a result of trust preferred securities being phased out of Tier I and Tier II capital of banking organizations, a Fund’s ability to invest in trust preferred securities may be limited. This may impact a Fund’s ability to achieve its investment objective.

Exchange-Traded Notes

Exchange-traded notes (“ETNs”) are senior, unsecured, unsubordinated debt securities whose returns are linked to the performance of a particular market benchmark or strategy minus applicable fees. ETNs are traded on an exchange (e.g., the New York Stock Exchange) during normal trading hours. However, investors can also hold the ETN until maturity. At maturity, the issuer pays to the investor a cash amount equal to the principal amount, subject to the day’s market benchmark or strategy factor.

 

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ETNs do not make periodic coupon payments or provide principal protection. ETNs are subject to credit risk and the value of the ETN may drop due to a downgrade in the issuer’s credit rating, despite the underlying market benchmark or strategy remaining unchanged. The value of an ETN may also be influenced by time to maturity, level of supply and demand for the ETN, volatility and lack of liquidity in underlying assets, changes in the applicable interest rates, changes in the issuer’s credit rating, and economic, legal, political, or geographic events that affect the referenced underlying asset. When a Fund invests in ETNs it will bear its proportionate share of any fees and expenses borne by the ETN. A Fund’s decision to sell its ETN holdings may be limited by the availability of a secondary market. In addition, although an ETN may be listed on an exchange, the issuer may not be required to maintain the listing and there can be no assurance that a secondary market will exist for an ETN.

ETNs are also subject to tax risk. No assurance can be given that the IRS will accept, or a court will uphold, how the Funds characterize and treat ETNs for tax purposes. Further, the IRS and Congress are considering proposals that would change the timing and character of income and gains from ETNs.

An ETN that is tied to a specific market benchmark or strategy may not be able to replicate and maintain exactly the composition and relative weighting of securities, commodities or other components in the applicable market benchmark or strategy. Some ETNs that use leverage can, at times, be relatively illiquid and, thus, they may be difficult to purchase or sell at a fair price. Leveraged ETNs are subject to the same risk as other instruments that use leverage in any form.

The market value of ETN shares may differ from their market benchmark or strategy. This difference in price may be due to the fact that the supply and demand in the market for ETN shares at any point in time is not always identical to the supply and demand in the market for the securities, commodities or other components underlying the market benchmark or strategy that the ETN seeks to track. As a result, there may be times when an ETN share trades at a premium or discount to its market benchmark or strategy.

Delayed Funding Loans and Revolving Credit Facilities

Each Fund (except for the PIMCO Government Money Market Fund and Municipal Funds) may enter into, or acquire participations in, delayed funding loans and revolving credit facilities. Delayed funding loans and revolving credit facilities are borrowing arrangements in which the lender agrees to make loans up to a maximum amount upon demand by the borrower during a specified term. A revolving credit facility differs from a delayed funding loan in that as the borrower repays the loan, an amount equal to the repayment may be borrowed again during the term of the revolving credit facility. Delayed funding loans and revolving credit facilities usually provide for floating or variable rates of interest. These commitments may have the effect of requiring a Fund to increase its investment in a company at a time when it might not otherwise decide to do so (including at a time when the company’s financial condition makes it unlikely that such amounts will be repaid). To the extent that a Fund is committed to advance additional funds, it will segregate or “earmark” assets (or cash equivalent securities in the case of the PIMCO Total Return Fund IV), determined to be liquid by PIMCO in accordance with procedures established by the Board of Trustees, in an amount sufficient to meet such commitments.

A Fund (except for the PIMCO Government Money Market Fund and the Municipal Funds) may invest in delayed funding loans and revolving credit facilities with credit quality comparable to that of issuers of its securities investments. Delayed funding loans and revolving credit facilities may be subject to restrictions on transfer, and only limited opportunities may exist to resell such instruments. As a result, a Fund may be unable to sell such investments at an opportune time or may have to resell them at less than fair market value. The Funds currently intend to treat delayed funding loans and revolving credit facilities for which there is no readily available market as illiquid for purposes of the Funds’ limitation on illiquid investments. For a further discussion of the risks involved in investing in loan participations and other forms of direct indebtedness see “Indebtedness, Loan Participations and Assignments.” Participation interests in revolving credit facilities will be subject to the limitations discussed in “Indebtedness, Loan Participations and Assignments.” Delayed funding loans and revolving credit facilities are considered to be debt obligations for purposes of the Trust’s investment restriction relating to the lending of funds or assets by a Fund.

When-Issued, Delayed Delivery and Forward Commitment Transactions

Each of the Funds (except for the PIMCO Government Money Market Fund) may purchase or sell securities on a when-issued, delayed delivery, or forward commitment basis. When such purchases are outstanding, a Fund will segregate or “earmark” liquid assets (or cash equivalent securities in the case of the PIMCO Total Return Fund IV) in an amount sufficient to meet the purchase price. Typically, no income accrues on securities the Fund has committed to purchase prior to the time delivery of the securities is made, although the Fund may earn income on securities it has segregated or “earmarked.”

When purchasing a security on a when-issued, delayed delivery, or forward commitment basis, the Fund assumes the rights and risks of ownership of the security, including the risk of price and yield fluctuations, and takes such fluctuations into account when determining its net asset value. Because the Fund is not required to pay for the security until the delivery date, these risks are in addition to the risks associated with the Fund’s other investments. If the other party to a transaction fails to deliver the securities, the Fund could miss a favorable price or yield opportunity. If the Fund remains substantially fully invested at a time when when-issued, delayed delivery, or forward commitment purchases are outstanding, the purchases may result in a form of leverage.

 

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When a Fund has sold a security on a when-issued, delayed delivery, or forward commitment basis, the Fund does not participate in future gains or losses with respect to the security. If the other party to a transaction fails to pay for the securities, the Fund could suffer a loss. Additionally, when selling a security on a when-issued, delayed delivery, or forward commitment basis without owning the security, a Fund will incur a loss if the security’s price appreciates in value such that the security’s price is above the agreed upon price on the settlement date.

A Fund may dispose of or renegotiate a transaction after it is entered into, and may purchase or sell when-issued, delayed delivery or forward commitment securities before the settlement date, which may result in a gain or loss. There is no percentage limitation on the extent to which the Funds may purchase or sell securities on a when-issued, delayed delivery, or forward commitment basis.

Standby Commitment Agreements

The Funds and Underlying PIMCO Funds may enter into standby commitment agreements, which are agreements that obligate a party, for a set period of time, to buy a certain amount of a security that may be issued and sold at the option of the issuer. The price of a security purchased pursuant to a standby commitment agreement is set at the time of the agreement. In return for its promise to purchase the security, a Fund or Underlying PIMCO Fund receives a commitment fee based upon a percentage of the purchase price of the security. The Fund or Underlying PIMCO Fund receives this fee whether or not it is ultimately required to purchase the security.

There is no guarantee that the securities subject to a standby commitment agreement will be issued or, if such securities are issued, the value of the securities on the date of issuance may be more or less than the purchase price. A Fund or Underlying PIMCO Fund will limit its investments in standby commitment agreements with remaining terms exceeding seven days pursuant to the limitation on investments in illiquid securities. A Fund or Underlying PIMCO Fund will record the purchase of a standby commitment agreement, and will reflect the value of the security in the Fund’s or Underlying PIMCO Fund’s net asset value, on the date on which the security can reasonably be expected to be issued.

Infrastructure Investments

Infrastructure entities include companies in the infrastructure business and infrastructure projects and assets representing a broad range of businesses, types of projects and assets. The risks that may be applicable to an infrastructure entity vary based on the type of business, project or asset, its location, the developmental stage of a project and an investor’s level of control over the management or operation of the entity.

Infrastructure entities are typically subject to significant government regulations and other regulatory and political risks, including expropriation; political violence or unrest, including war, sabotage or terrorism; and unanticipated regulatory changes by a government or the failure of a government to comply with international treaties and agreements. Additionally, an infrastructure entity may do business with state-owned suppliers or customers that may be unable or unwilling to fulfill their contractual obligations. Changing public perception and sentiment may also influence a government’s level of support or involvement with an infrastructure entity.

Companies engaged in infrastructure development and construction and infrastructure projects or assets that have not been completed will be subject to construction risks, including construction delays; delays in obtaining permits and regulatory approvals; unforeseen expenses resulting from budget and cost overruns; inexperienced contractors and contractor errors; and problems related to project design and plans. Due to the numerous risks associated with construction and the often incomplete or unreliable data about projected revenues and income for a project, investing in the construction of an infrastructure project involves significant risks. The ability to obtain initial or additional financing for an infrastructure project is often directly tied to its stage of development and the availability of operational data. A project that is complete and operational is more likely to obtain financing than a project at an earlier stage of development. Additionally, an infrastructure entity may not be able to obtain needed additional financing, particularly during periods of turmoil in the capital markets. The cost of compliance with international standards for project finance may increase the cost of obtaining capital or financing for a project. Alternatively, an investment in debt securities of infrastructure entities may also be subject to prepayment risk if lower-cost financing becomes available.

Infrastructure projects or assets may also be subject to operational risks, including the project manager’s ability to manage the project; unexpected maintenance costs; government interference with the operation of an infrastructure project or asset; obsolescence of project; and the early exit of a project’s equity investors. Additionally, the operator of an infrastructure project or asset may not be able to pass along the full amount of any cost increases to customers.

An infrastructure entity may be organized under a legal regime that may provide investors with limited recourse against the entity’s assets, the sponsor or other non-project assets and there may be restrictions on the ability to sell or transfer assets. Financing for infrastructure projects and assets is often secured by cash flows, underlying contracts, and project assets. An investor may have limited options and there may be significant costs associated with foreclosing upon any assets that secure repayment of a financing.

 

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Short Sales

Each of the Funds (except for the PIMCO Government Money Market Fund), particularly the PIMCO RAE Fundamental Advantage PLUS Fund and PIMCO StocksPLUS® Short Fund, may make short sales of securities: (i) to offset potential declines in long positions in similar securities; (ii) to increase the flexibility of the Fund; (iii) for investment return; (iv) as part of a risk arbitrage strategy; and (v) as part of its overall portfolio management strategies involving the use of derivative instruments. A short sale is a transaction in which a Fund sells a security it does not own in anticipation that the market price of that security will decline.

When a Fund makes a short sale, it will often borrow the security sold short and deliver it to the broker-dealer through which it made the short sale as collateral for its obligation to deliver the security upon conclusion of the sale. In connection with short sales of securities, the Fund may pay a fee to borrow securities or maintain an arrangement with a broker to borrow securities, and is often obligated to pay over any accrued interest and dividends on such borrowed securities.

If the price of the security sold short increases between the time of the short sale and the time that the Fund replaces the borrowed security, the Fund will incur a loss; conversely, if the price declines, the Fund will realize a capital gain. Any gain will be decreased, and any loss increased, by the transaction costs described above. The successful use of short selling may be adversely affected by imperfect correlation between movements in the price of the security sold short and the securities being hedged.

The Funds may invest pursuant to a risk arbitrage strategy to take advantage of a perceived relationship between the value of two securities. Frequently, a risk arbitrage strategy involves the short sale of a security.

To the extent that a Fund engages in short sales, it will provide collateral to the broker-dealer and (except in the case of short sales “against the box”) will maintain additional asset coverage in the form of segregated or “earmarked” assets that PIMCO determines to be liquid in accordance with procedures established by the Board of Trustees and that is equal to the current market value of the securities sold short (calculated daily), or will ensure that such positions are covered by offsetting positions, until the Fund replaces the borrowed security. A short sale is “against the box” to the extent that the Fund contemporaneously owns, or has the right to obtain at no added cost, securities identical to those sold short. The Funds (except the PIMCO Total Return Fund IV) will engage in short selling to the extent permitted by the federal securities laws and rules and interpretations thereunder. The PIMCO Total Return Fund IV will limit short sales, including short exposures obtained using derivative instruments, to 10% of its total assets. To the extent a Fund engages in short selling in foreign (non-U.S.) jurisdictions, the Fund will do so to the extent permitted by the laws and regulations of such jurisdiction.

144A Securities

In addition to a Fund’s investments in privately placed and unregistered securities, a Fund may also invest in securities sold pursuant to Rule 144A under the 1933 Act. Such securities are commonly known as “144A securities” and may only be resold under certain circumstances to other institutional buyers. 144A securities frequently trade in an active secondary market and are treated as liquid under procedures approved by the Board of Trustees. As a result of the resale restrictions on 144A securities, there is a greater risk that they will become illiquid than securities registered with the SEC.

Regulation S Securities

A Fund may invest, either directly or through investments in its wholly-owned subsidiary, in the securities of U.S. and non-U.S. issuers that are issued through private offerings without registration with the SEC pursuant to Regulation S under the Securities Act of 1933 (“Regulation S Securities”). Offerings of Regulation S Securities may be conducted outside of the United States. Because Regulation S Securities are subject to legal or contractual restrictions on resale, Regulation S Securities may be considered illiquid. If a Regulation S Security is determined to be illiquid, the investment will be included with a Fund’s 15% of net assets limitation on investment in illiquid securities. Furthermore, because Regulation S Securities are generally less liquid than registered securities, a Fund may take longer to liquidate these positions than would be the case for publicly traded securities. Although Regulation S Securities may be resold in privately negotiated transactions, the price realized from these sales could be less than those originally paid by a Fund. Further, companies whose securities are not publicly traded may not be subject to the disclosure and other investor protection requirements that would be applicable if their securities were publicly traded. Accordingly, Regulation S Securities may involve a high degree of business and financial risk and may result in substantial losses.

Illiquid Securities

The Funds may invest up to 15% of their net assets in illiquid securities (5% of “total assets,” as defined in Rule 2a- 7 under the 1940 Act, in the case of the PIMCO Government Money Market Fund). The term “illiquid securities” for this purpose means securities that cannot be disposed of within seven days in the ordinary course of business at approximately the amount at which a Fund has valued the securities. Illiquid securities are considered to include, among other things, repurchase agreements with remaining maturities in excess of seven days, certain loan participation interests, fixed time deposits which are not subject to prepayment or provide for withdrawal penalties upon prepayment (other than overnight deposits), certain purchased OTC options and the assets used to cover

 

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certain written OTC options and other securities whose disposition is restricted under the federal securities laws (other than instruments that PIMCO has determined to be liquid under procedures approved by the Board of Trustees).

Illiquid securities may include privately placed securities, which are sold directly to a small number of investors, usually institutions. Unlike public offerings, such securities are not registered under the federal securities laws. Although certain of these securities may be readily sold, others may be illiquid, and their sale may involve substantial delays and additional costs.

Repurchase Agreements

Each Fund may enter into repurchase agreements, which involve an agreement to purchase a security and to sell that security back to the original seller at the Fund’s cost of purchasing the security plus interest within a specified time. If the party agreeing to repurchase should default, the Fund may seek to sell the securities which it holds. This could involve procedural costs or delays in addition to a loss on the securities if their value should fall below their repurchase price. Repurchase agreements maturing in more than seven days and which may not be terminated within seven days at approximately the amount at which a Fund has valued the agreements are considered illiquid securities. The PIMCO Total Return Fund IV will limit investments in repurchase agreements to 50% of the total assets of the Fund.

Loans of Portfolio Securities

For the purpose of achieving income, each Fund (except the PIMCO Total Return IV Fund) may lend its portfolio securities to brokers, dealers, and other financial institutions, provided: (i) the loan is secured continuously by collateral consisting of U.S. Government securities, cash or cash equivalents (negotiable certificates of deposits, bankers’ acceptances or letters of credit) maintained on a daily mark-to-market basis in an amount at least equal to 102% or the market value (plus accrued interest) of the securities loaned or 105% of the market value (plus accrued interest) of the securities loaned if the borrowed securities are principally cleared and settled outside of the U.S.; (ii) the Fund may at any time call the loan and obtain the return of the securities loaned; (iii) the Fund will receive any interest or dividends paid on the loaned securities; and (iv) the aggregate market value of securities loaned will not at any time exceed 331/3% of the total assets of the Fund (including the collateral received with respect to such loans). Each Fund’s performance will continue to reflect the receipt of either interest through investment of cash collateral by the Fund in permissible investments, or a fee, if the collateral is U.S. Government securities. Securities lending involves the risk of loss of rights in the collateral or delay in recovery of the collateral should the borrower fail to return the securities loaned or become insolvent. The Funds may pay lending fees to the party arranging the loan. Cash collateral received by a Fund in securities lending transactions may be invested in short-term liquid Fixed Income Instruments or in money market or short-term funds, or similar investment vehicles, including affiliated money market or short-term mutual funds. A Fund bears the risk of such investments.

Investments in Business Development Companies (“BDCs”)

Certain of the Funds may invest in BDCs, which typically operate as publicly traded private equity firms that invest in early stage-to-mature private companies as well as small public companies. BDCs are regulated under the 1940 Act and are generally taxed as regulated investment companies under the Internal Revenue Code. BDCs realize operating income when their investments are sold off, and therefore maintain complex organizational, operational, tax and compliance requirements. For tax purposes, BDCs generally intend to qualify for taxation as regulated investment companies. To so qualify, BDCs must satisfy certain asset diversification and source of income tests and must generally distribute at least 90% of their taxable earnings as dividends. Under the 1940 Act, BDCs are also required to invest at least 70% of their total assets primarily in securities of private companies or thinly traded U.S. public companies, cash, cash equivalents, U.S. government securities and high quality debt investments that mature in one year or less. Generally, little public information exists for private and thinly traded companies and there is a risk that investors may not be able to make a fully informed decision. Additionally, a BDC may only incur indebtedness in amounts such that the BDC’s asset coverage equals at least 200% after such incurrence. These limitations on asset mix and leverage may prohibit the way that the BDC raises capital.

Investments in Underlying PIMCO Funds

The PIMCO Funds of Funds invest substantially all or a significant portion of their assets in Underlying PIMCO Funds. Please see the “Principal Investment Strategies” section in the Prospectuses for a description of the asset allocation strategies and general investment policies of each Fund. In some cases, the PIMCO Funds of Funds and Affiliated Funds of Funds may be the predominant or sole shareholders of a particular Underlying PIMCO Fund. As noted above, investment decisions made with respect to the PIMCO Funds of Funds and Affiliated Funds of Funds could, under certain circumstances, negatively impact the Underlying PIMCO Funds.

For instance, the PIMCO Funds of Funds and Affiliated Funds of Funds may purchase and redeem shares of an Underlying PIMCO Fund as part of a reallocation or rebalancing strategy, which may result in the Underlying PIMCO Fund having to sell securities or invest cash when it otherwise would not do so. Such transactions could increase an Underlying PIMCO Fund’s transaction costs and accelerate the realization of taxable income if sales of securities resulted in gains.

 

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Additionally, as the PIMCO Funds of Funds and Affiliated Funds of Funds may invest substantially all or a significant portion of their assets in Underlying PIMCO Funds, the Underlying PIMCO Funds may not acquire securities of other registered open-end investment companies in reliance on Section 12(d)(1)(F) or Section 12(d)(1)(G) of the 1940 Act, thus limiting the Underlying PIMCO Funds’ investment flexibility.

Investments in Exchange-Traded Funds (“ETFs”)

Investments in ETFs entail certain risks; in particular, investments in index ETFs involve the risk that the ETF’s performance may not track the performance of the index the ETF is designed to track. Unlike the index, an ETF incurs administrative expenses and transaction costs in trading securities. In addition, the timing and magnitude of cash inflows and outflows from and to investors buying and redeeming shares in the ETF could create cash balances that cause the ETF’s performance to deviate from the index (which remains “fully invested” at all times). Performance of an ETF and the index it is designed to track also may diverge because the composition of the index and the securities held by the ETF may occasionally differ. In addition, investments in ETFs involve the risk that the market prices of ETF shares will fluctuate, sometimes rapidly and materially, in response to changes in the ETF’s NAV, the value of ETF holdings and supply and demand for ETF shares. Although the creation/redemption feature of ETFs generally makes it more likely that ETF shares will trade close to NAV, market volatility, lack of an active trading market for ETF shares, disruptions at market participants (such as Authorized Participants or market makers) and any disruptions in the ordinary functioning of the creation/redemption process may result in ETF shares trading significantly above (at a “premium”) or below (at a “discount”) NAV. Significant losses may result when transacting in ETF shares in these and other circumstances. Neither PIMCO nor the Trust can predict whether ETF shares will trade above, below or at NAV. An ETF’s investment results are based on the ETF’s daily NAV. Investors transacting in ETF shares in the secondary market, where market prices may differ from NAV, may experience investment results that differ from results based on the ETF’s daily NAV.

Environment, Social Responsibility and Governance Policies

The PIMCO Low Duration ESG Fund and PIMCO Total Return ESG Fund will not, as a matter of non-fundamental operating policy, invest in the securities of any issuer determined by PIMCO to be engaged principally in the manufacture of alcoholic beverages, tobacco products or military equipment, the operation of gambling casinos, the production of coal, or in the production or trade of pornographic materials. In addition, the PIMCO Low Duration ESG Fund and PIMCO Total Return ESG Fund will not invest in the securities of any issuer determined by PIMCO to be engaged principally in the provision of healthcare services or the manufacture of pharmaceuticals, unless the issuer derives 100% of its gross revenues from products or services designed to protect and improve the quality of human life, as determined on the basis of information available to PIMCO. To the extent possible on the basis of information available to PIMCO, an issuer will be deemed to be principally engaged in an activity if it derives more than 10% of its gross revenues from such activities (“Socially-Restricted Issuers”). In analyzing whether an issuer meets any of the criteria described above, PIMCO may rely upon, among other things, information provided by an independent third party.

Evaluation of any particular issuer’s business practices with respect to the environment, social responsibility, and governance (“ESG practices”) will involve the exercise of qualitative and subjective judgment by PIMCO, and there is no guarantee that the criteria utilized, or judgment exercised by PIMCO will reflect the beliefs or values of any one particular investor. Information regarding responsible practices is obtained through voluntary or third-party reporting, which may not be accurate or complete, and PIMCO is dependent on such information to evaluate a company’s commitment to, or implementation of, responsible practices. PIMCO’s assessment of a company’s ESG practices at any given time will, however, be based upon its good faith interpretation of available information and its continuing and reasonable best efforts to obtain and evaluate the most current information available, and to utilize such information, as it becomes available, promptly and expeditiously in portfolio management for the Funds. Socially responsible norms differ by region, and in determining the efficacy of an issuer’s ESG practices, PIMCO will use its own proprietary assessments of material ESG issues and may also reference standards as set forth by recognized global organizations such as entities sponsored by the United Nations. Additionally, PIMCO may engage proactively with issuers to encourage them to improve their ESG practices. PIMCO’s activities in this respect may include, but are not limited to, direct dialogue with company management, such as through in-person meetings, phone calls, electronic communications, and letters. Through these engagement activities, PIMCO seeks to identify opportunities for a company to improve its ESG practices, and will endeavor to work collaboratively with company management to establish concrete objectives and to develop a plan for meeting these objectives. The PIMCO Low Duration ESG Fund and PIMCO Total Return ESG Fund may invest in securities of issuers whose ESG practices are currently suboptimal, with the expectation that these practices may improve over time either as a result of PIMCO’s engagement efforts or through the company’s own initiatives. It may also exclude those issuers that are not receptive to PIMCO’s engagement efforts, as determined in PIMCO’s sole discretion.

Additionally, the PIMCO Low Duration ESG Fund and PIMCO Total Return ESG Fund will not, as a matter of non-fundamental operating policy, invest directly in securities of issuers that are engaged in certain business activities in or with the Republic of the Sudan (“Sudan-Related Issuers”). In applying the policy noted in the prior sentence, PIMCO will not invest directly in companies who own or control property or assets in Sudan; have employees or facilities in Sudan; provide goods or services to companies domiciled in Sudan; obtain goods or services from Sudan; have distribution agreements with companies domiciled in Sudan; issue credits or loans to companies domiciled in Sudan; or purchase goods or commercial paper issued by the Government of Sudan. In analyzing

 

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whether an issuer is a Sudan-Related Issuer, PIMCO may rely upon, among other things, information from a list provided by an independent third party.

The PIMCO Low Duration ESG Fund and PIMCO Total Return ESG Fund will not invest in derivative instruments where the counterparties to such transactions are themselves either Socially-Restricted Issuers or Sudan-Related Issuers (each a “SRI” and collectively “SRIs”). PIMCO’s determination of whether a counterparty is a SRI at any given time will be based upon PIMCO’s good faith interpretation of available information and its continuing and reasonable best efforts to obtain and evaluate the most current information available. PIMCO anticipates that it will review all counterparties periodically to determine whether any qualify as a SRI at that time, but will not necessarily conduct such reviews at the time a Fund enters into a transaction. This could cause a Fund to enter into a transaction with a SRI counterparty. In such cases, upon the determination that a counterparty is a SRI, the PIMCO Low Duration ESG Fund or the PIMCO Total Return ESG Fund, as applicable, will use reasonable efforts to divest themselves of the applicable investment and may incur a loss in doing so. The PIMCO Low Duration ESG Fund and PIMCO Total Return ESG Fund will not invest in derivative instruments whose returns are based, in whole, on securities issued by SRIs. With respect to investments in derivative instruments that are based only in part on securities issued by SRIs, including, but not limited to, credit default swaps on an index of securities, the PIMCO Low Duration ESG Fund or the PIMCO Total Return ESG Fund may be obligated to take possession of the underlying securities in certain circumstances. In such cases, the PIMCO Low Duration ESG Fund or the PIMCO Total Return ESG Fund, as applicable, will use reasonable efforts to divest themselves of these securities and may incur a loss in doing so.

Because the PIMCO Low Duration ESG Fund and PIMCO Total Return ESG Fund adhere to the social investment policies described above, these Funds may be required to forego certain investment opportunities and their associated returns. In addition, there is no assurance that the socially responsible investing strategy and techniques employed will be successful. Past performance is not a guarantee or reliable indicator of future results.

Investments in the Wholly-Owned Subsidiaries

Investments in the Commodities Subsidiaries are expected to provide the PIMCO CommoditiesPLUS® Strategy Fund, PIMCO CommodityRealReturn Strategy Fund®, PIMCO Global Multi-Asset Fund, PIMCO Inflation Response Multi-Asset Fund and PIMCO TRENDS Managed Futures Strategy Fund, respectively, with exposure to the commodity markets within the limitations of Subchapter M of the Internal Revenue Code and IRS revenue rulings, as discussed below under “Taxation.” Investments in the CSF Subsidiary are expected to provide the PIMCO Preferred and Capital Securities Fund with exposure to Regulation S securities. The Subsidiaries are companies organized under the laws of the Cayman Islands, and are overseen by their own board of directors. The PIMCO CommoditiesPLUS® Strategy Fund is the sole shareholder of the CPS Subsidiary, and it is not currently expected that shares of the CPS Subsidiary will be sold or offered to other investors. The PIMCO CommodityRealReturn Strategy Fund® is the sole shareholder of the CRRS Subsidiary, and it is not currently expected that shares of the CRRS Subsidiary will be sold or offered to other investors. The PIMCO Global Multi-Asset Fund is the sole shareholder of the GMA Subsidiary, and it is not currently expected that shares of the GMA Subsidiary will be sold or offered to other investors. The PIMCO Inflation Response Multi-Asset Fund is the sole shareholder of the IRMA Subsidiary, and it is not currently expected that shares of the IRMA Subsidiary will be sold or offered to other investors. The PIMCO TRENDS Managed Futures Strategy Fund is the sole shareholder of the MF Subsidiary, and it is not currently expected that shares of the MF Subsidiary will be sold or offered to other investors. The PIMCO Preferred and Capital Securities Fund is the sole shareholder of the CSF Subsidiary, and it is not currently expected that shares of the CSF Subsidiary will be sold or offered to other investors.

It is expected that the Commodities Subsidiaries will invest primarily in commodity-linked derivative instruments, including swap agreements, commodity options, futures and options on futures, backed by a portfolio of inflation-indexed securities and other Fixed Income Instruments. Although the PIMCO CommoditiesPLUS® Strategy Fund, PIMCO CommodityRealReturn Strategy Fund®, PIMCO Global Multi-Asset Fund, PIMCO Inflation Response Multi-Asset Fund and PIMCO TRENDS Managed Futures Strategy Fund may enter into these commodity-linked derivative instruments directly, each Fund will likely gain exposure to these derivative instruments indirectly by investing in its Subsidiary. To the extent that PIMCO believes that these commodity-linked derivative instruments are better suited to provide exposure to the commodities market then commodity index-linked notes, each Fund’s investment in its Subsidiary will likely increase. The Commodities Subsidiaries will also invest in inflation-indexed securities and other Fixed Income Instruments, which are intended to serve as margin or collateral for the respective Subsidiary’s derivatives position. To the extent that each of the PIMCO CommoditiesPLUS® Strategy Fund, PIMCO CommodityRealReturn StrategyFund®, PIMCO Global Multi-Asset Fund, PIMCO Inflation Response Multi-Asset Fund and/or PIMCO TRENDS Managed Futures Strategy Fund invests in its respective Commodities Subsidiary, such Fund may be subject to the risks associated with those derivative instruments and other securities, which are discussed elsewhere in the applicable Prospectuses and this Statement of Additional Information.

It is expected that the CSF Subsidiary will invest primarily in newly-issued Regulation S securities, backed by a portfolio of Fixed Income Instruments. The PIMCO Preferred and Capital Securities Fund will gain exposure to these instruments indirectly by investing in the CSF Subsidiary. To the extent the PIMCO Preferred and Capital Securities Fund invests in the CSF Subsidiary, the

 

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PIMCO Preferred and Capital Securities Fund may be subject to the risks associated with those newly-issued Regulation S securities, which are discussed elsewhere in the applicable Prospectus and this Statement of Additional Information.

While the Subsidiaries may be considered similar to investment companies, they are not registered under the 1940 Act and, unless otherwise noted in the applicable Prospectuses and this Statement of Additional Information, are not subject to all of the investor protections of the 1940 Act and other U.S. regulations. Changes in the laws of the United States and/or the Cayman Islands could result in the inability of the PIMCO Preferred and Capital Securities Fund, PIMCO CommoditiesPLUS® Strategy Fund, PIMCO CommodityRealReturn Strategy Fund®, PIMCO Global Multi-Asset Fund, PIMCO Inflation Response Multi-Asset Fund, PIMCO TRENDS Managed Futures Strategy Fund and/or the Subsidiaries to operate as described in the applicable Prospectuses and this Statement of Additional Information and could negatively affect the Funds and their shareholders.

In May 2014, the Board of Trustees granted PIMCO the authority to establish and terminate wholly-owned subsidiaries of the Funds to implement certain trading strategies, hold certain investments or for other reasons.

Government Intervention in Financial Markets

Instability in the financial markets during and after the 2008-2009 financial downturn has led the U.S. Government and governments across the world to take a number of unprecedented actions designed to support certain financial institutions and segments of the financial markets that have experienced extreme volatility, and in some cases a lack of liquidity. Most significantly, the U.S. Government has enacted a broad-reaching regulatory framework over the financial services industry and consumer credit markets, the potential impact of which on the value of securities held by a Fund is unknown. Federal, state, and other governments, their regulatory agencies, or self regulatory organizations may take actions that affect the regulation of the instruments in which the Funds invest, or the issuers of such instruments, in ways that are unforeseeable. Legislation or regulation may also change the way in which the Funds themselves are regulated. Such legislation or regulation could limit or preclude a Fund’s ability to achieve its investment objective.

Governments or their agencies may also acquire distressed assets from financial institutions and acquire ownership interests in those institutions. The implications of government ownership and disposition of these assets are unclear, and such a program may have positive or negative effects on the liquidity, valuation and performance of the Funds’ portfolio holdings. Furthermore, volatile financial markets can expose the Funds to greater market and liquidity risk and potential difficulty in valuing portfolio instruments held by the Funds. The Funds have established procedures to assess the liquidity of portfolio holdings and to value instruments for which market prices may not be readily available. PIMCO will monitor developments and seek to manage the Funds in a manner consistent with achieving each Fund’s investment objective, but there can be no assurance that it will be successful in doing so.

The value of a Fund’s holdings is also generally subject to the risk of future local, national, or global economic disturbances based on unknown weaknesses in the markets in which a fund invests. In the event of such a disturbance, issuers of securities held by a Fund may experience significant declines in the value of their assets and even cease operations, or may receive government assistance accompanied by increased restrictions on their business operations or other government intervention. In addition, it is not certain that the U.S. Government will intervene in response to a future market disturbance and the effect of any such future intervention cannot be predicted. It is difficult for issuers to prepare for the impact of future financial downturns, although companies can seek to identify and manage future uncertainties through risk management programs.

In July 2014 and September 2015, the SEC amended certain regulations that govern money market funds registered under the 1940 Act (“Rule 2a-7 Amendments”) to adopt several reforms, all of which became effective by October 14, 2016. First, the Rule 2a-7 Amendments allow (or, in certain circumstances, require) a money market fund to impose liquidity fees, and permit a money market fund to limit (or gate) redemptions for up to 10 business days in any 90-day period, when a fund’s liquidity levels fall below certain thresholds. Second, the Rule 2a-7 Amendments require “institutional” money market funds that do not qualify as “retail” or “government” money market funds (as defined in the Rule 2a-7 Amendments) to transact fund shares based on a market-based NAV (i.e., these funds will be required to float their NAVs). Retail and government money market funds are permitted to transact fund shares at a NAV calculated using the amortized cost method of valuation, and government money market funds are also exempted from the provisions of the Rule 2a-7 Amendments concerning liquidity fees and/or redemption gates. Additionally, the Rule 2a-7 Amendments impose new disclosure and reporting requirements as well as enhanced portfolio quality and diversification requirements. The degree to which a money market fund is impacted by the Rule 2a-7 Amendments will depend upon the type of fund (institutional, retail or government). The PIMCO Government Money Market Fund intends to operate as a government money market fund under the Rule 2a-7 Amendments.

Cash Holdings

If PIMCO believes that economic or market conditions are unfavorable to investors, PIMCO may temporarily invest up to 100% of a Fund’s assets in certain defensive strategies for temporary or indefinite periods. These defensive strategies include holding a substantial portion of the Fund’s assets in cash, cash equivalents or other highly rated short-term securities, including securities issued

 

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or guaranteed by the U.S. government, its agencies or instrumentalities. As discussed in this Statement of Additional Information, a Fund may also invest in affiliated money market and/or short-term bond funds for cash management purposes.

Increasing Government Debt

The total public debt of the United States as a percentage of gross domestic product has grown rapidly since the beginning of the 2008-2009 financial downturn. Governmental agencies project that the United States will continue to maintain high debt levels for the foreseeable future. Although high debt levels do not necessarily indicate or cause economic problems, they may create certain systemic risks if sound debt management practices are not implemented.

A high national debt level may increase market pressures to meet government funding needs, which may drive debt costs higher and cause the U.S. Treasury to sell additional debt with shorter maturity periods, thereby increasing refinancing risk. A high national debt also raises concerns that the U.S. Government will not be able to make principal or interest payments when they are due. In the worst case, unsustainable debt levels can cause declines in the valuation of currencies, and can prevent the U.S. Government from implementing effective counter-cyclical fiscal policy in economic downturns.

In August 2011, S&P lowered its long-term sovereign credit rating on the U.S. from “AAA” to “AA+,” which was last affirmed by S&P in June 2017. In explaining the downgrade, S&P cited, among other reasons, controversy over raising the statutory debt ceiling and growth in public spending. Recent U.S. “fiscal cliff” and budget deficit concerns, difficulties in approving annual budgets and continued increases in the statutory debt ceiling, together with signs of deteriorating sovereign debt conditions in Europe, have increased the possibility of additional credit-rating downgrades by S&P or other credit rating agencies, which may lead to increased interest rates, volatility and significant disruption across various financial markets and asset classes. Moreover, the market prices and yields of securities supported by the full faith and credit of the U.S. government may be adversely affected by a sovereign credit rating downgrade. This could adversely affect the value of the Funds’ investments.

Inflation and Deflation

The Funds may be subject to inflation and deflation risk. Inflation risk is the risk that the present value of assets or income of a Fund will be worth less in the future as inflation decreases the present value of money. A Fund’s dividend rates or borrowing costs, where applicable, may also increase during periods of inflation. This may further reduce Fund performance. Deflation risk is the risk that prices throughout the economy decline over time creating an economic recession, which could make issuer default more likely and may result in a decline in the value of a Fund’s assets. Generally, securities issued in emerging markets are subject to a greater risk of inflationary or deflationary forces, and more developed markets are better able to use monetary policy to normalize markets.

Regulatory Risk

Financial entities, such as investment companies and investment advisers, are generally subject to extensive government regulation and intervention. Government regulation and/or intervention may change the way a Fund is regulated, affect the expenses incurred directly by the Fund and the value of its investments, and limit and/or preclude a Fund’s ability to achieve its investment objective. Government regulation may change frequently and may have significant adverse consequences. Moreover, government regulation may have unpredictable and unintended effects. Many of the changes required by the Dodd-Frank Act could materially impact the profitability of the Funds and the value of assets they hold, expose the Funds to additional costs, require changes to investment practices, and adversely affect the Funds’ ability to pay dividends. For example, the Volcker Rule’s restrictions on proprietary trading may negatively impact fixed income market making capacity and could, therefore, result in reduced liquidity in fixed income markets. Additional legislative or regulatory actions to address perceived liquidity or other issues in fixed income markets generally, or in particular markets such as the municipal securities market, may alter or impair the Funds’ ability to pursue their investment objectives or utilize certain investment strategies and techniques. While there continues to be uncertainty about the full impact of these and other regulatory changes, it is the case that the Funds will be subject to a more complex regulatory framework, and may incur additional costs to comply with new requirements as well as to monitor for compliance in the future.

Liquidation of Funds

The Board of Trustees of the Trust may determine to close and/or liquidate a Fund at any time, which may have adverse tax consequences to shareholders. In the event of the liquidation of a Fund, shareholders will receive a liquidating distribution in cash or in-kind equal to their proportionate interest in the Fund. The value of an investment in a Fund, and any subsequent distribution in the event of termination, will be subject to market conditions at that time. A liquidating distribution would generally be a taxable event to shareholders, resulting in a gain or loss for tax purposes, depending upon a shareholder’s basis in his or her shares of the Fund. A shareholder of a liquidating Fund will not be entitled to any refund or reimbursement of expenses borne, directly or indirectly, by the shareholder (such as sales loads, shareholder account fees (if any), or Fund operating expenses), and a shareholder may receive an amount in liquidation less than the shareholder’s original investment.

It is the intention of any Fund expecting to close or liquidate to retain its qualification as a regulated investment company under the Internal Revenue Code during the liquidation period and, therefore, not to be taxed on any of its net capital gains realized from the

 

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sale of its assets or ordinary income earned that it timely distributes to shareholders. In the unlikely event that a Fund should lose its status as a regulated investment company during the liquidation process, the Fund would be subject to taxes which would reduce any or all of the types of liquidating distributions.

Participation in Litigation or Arbitration Proceedings

PIMCO, in its judgment and discretion and based on the considerations deemed by PIMCO to be relevant, may believe that it is in the best interests of a Fund to initiate or settle a claim or join a class of plaintiffs pursuing a claim as lead plaintiff (or opt out of a class and pursue a claim directly). Similarly, PIMCO may determine not to take or not to recommend any such action. To the extent that a Fund has liquidated, PIMCO will generally not take or recommend any such action. Subject to procedures approved by the Board of Trustees, PIMCO may, on behalf of a Fund, directly initiate or participate in litigation or an arbitration proceeding as a named plaintiff or claimant. Pursuant to such procedures, PIMCO may, without limitation, (i) engage legal counsel for a Fund and/or cause a Fund to pay fair and reasonable legal fees and expenses incurred in connection with investigating the validity of a potential claim (or performing other due diligence relating to a potential claim) or taking any actions considered by PIMCO to be necessary or appropriate (a) to protect or preserve a Fund’s rights or interests in connection with (1) defending a claim made against a Fund and (2) initiating or otherwise engaging in preliminary measures intended to facilitate possible future litigation or arbitration or otherwise support a judicial decision favorable to the Fund and (b) to preserve the Fund’s ability to bring a claim and to prevent the expiration of an applicable statute of limitations; and (ii) on behalf of a Fund that is not acting or seeking to act as a named plaintiff or claimant, (a) give direction to a third party (such as trustees or service providers), (b) cause the Fund to advance fair and reasonable legal fees and expenses to such third party, and/or (c) indemnify, on behalf of the Fund, such third party for its fair and reasonable fees and expenses, in each such case in connection with litigation or a claim concerning the Fund’s investment and pursuant to the terms of the investment (including, without limitation, as a result of the Fund’s holding of a certificate issued by a trust where the trustee or other service provider to the trust is commencing litigation or pursuing a claim on behalf of the trust). PIMCO may also vote for or authorize a settlement relating to litigation or a claim described in subparagraph (ii) above. Pursuant to the Board approved procedures, a Fund may directly bear a portion or all of the fees associated with the actions described above.

Fund Operations

Operational Risk. An investment in a Fund, like any fund, can involve operational risks arising from factors such as processing errors, human errors, inadequate or failed internal or external processes, failures in systems and technology, changes in personnel and errors caused by third-party service providers. The occurrence of any of these failures, errors or breaches could result in a loss of information, regulatory scrutiny, reputational damage or other events, any of which could have a material adverse effect on a Fund. While the Funds seek to minimize such events through controls and oversight, there may still be failures that could cause losses to a Fund.

Cyber Security Risk. As the use of technology has become more prevalent in the course of business, the Funds have become potentially more susceptible to operational and information security risks resulting from breaches in cyber security. A breach in cyber security refers to both intentional and unintentional cyber events that may, among other things, cause a Fund to lose proprietary information, suffer data corruption and/or destruction or lose operational capacity, result in the unauthorized release or other misuse of confidential information, or otherwise disrupt normal business operations. Cyber security breaches may involve unauthorized access to a Fund’s digital information systems (e.g., through “hacking” or malicious software coding), but may also result from outside attacks such as denial-of-service attacks (i.e., efforts to make network services unavailable to intended users). In addition, cyber security breaches involving a Fund’s third party service providers (including but not limited to advisers, sub-advisers, administrators, transfer agents, custodians, distributors and other third parties), trading counterparties or issuers in which a Fund invests can also subject a Fund to many of the same risks associated with direct cyber security breaches. Moreover, cyber security breaches involving trading counterparties or issuers in which a Fund invests could adversely impact such counterparties or issuers and cause the Fund’s investment to lose value.

Cyber security failures or breaches may result in financial losses to a Fund and its shareholders. These failures or breaches may also result in disruptions to business operations, potentially resulting in financial losses; interference with a Fund’s ability to calculate its net asset value, process shareholder transactions or otherwise transact business with shareholders; impediments to trading; violations of applicable privacy and other laws; regulatory fines; penalties; reputational damage; reimbursement or other compensation costs; additional compliance and cyber security risk management costs and other adverse consequences. In addition, substantial costs may be incurred in order to prevent any cyber incidents in the future.

Like with operational risk in general, the Funds have established business continuity plans and risk management systems designed to reduce the risks associated with cyber security. However, there are inherent limitations in these plans and systems, including that certain risks may not have been identified, in large part because different or unknown threats may emerge in the future. As such, there is no guarantee that such efforts will succeed, especially because the Funds do not directly control the cyber security systems of issuers in which a Fund may invest, trading counterparties or third party service providers to the Funds. There is also a risk that cyber security breaches may not be detected. The Funds and their shareholders could be negatively impacted as a result.

 

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INVESTMENT RESTRICTIONS

Fundamental Investment Restrictions

The investment objective of each of the following Funds, as set forth in the Prospectuses under the heading “Investment Objective,” together with the investment restrictions set forth below, is a fundamental policy of that Fund and may not be changed with respect to a Fund without shareholder approval by vote of a majority of the outstanding shares of that Fund:

 

PIMCO All Asset Fund

  

PIMCO Low Duration Fund II

PIMCO California Intermediate Municipal Bond Fund

  

PIMCO Low Duration ESG Fund

PIMCO CommodityRealReturn Strategy Fund®

  

PIMCO Moderate Duration Fund

PIMCO Diversified Income Fund

  

PIMCO Mortgage-Backed Securities Fund

PIMCO Emerging Markets Bond Fund

  

PIMCO Municipal Bond Fund

PIMCO Global Bond Opportunities Fund (Unhedged)

  

PIMCO New York Municipal Bond Fund

PIMCO Government Money Market Fund

  

PIMCO Real Return Fund

PIMCO GNMA and Government Securities Fund

  

PIMCO Short Duration Municipal Income Fund

PIMCO High Yield Fund

  

PIMCO Short-Term Fund

PIMCO International Bond Fund (U.S. Dollar-Hedged)

  

PIMCO StocksPLUS® Fund

PIMCO Investment Grade Credit Bond Fund

  

PIMCO StocksPLUS® Absolute Return Fund

PIMCO Long-Term Real Return Fund

  

PIMCO Total Return Fund

PIMCO Long-Term U.S. Government Fund

  

PIMCO Total Return Fund II

PIMCO Low Duration Fund

  

PIMCO Total Return ESG Fund

 

  1.

A Fund (except the PIMCO Preferred and Capital Securities Fund) may not concentrate its investments in a particular industry, as that term is used in the 1940 Act, and as interpreted, modified, or otherwise permitted by regulatory authority having jurisdiction, from time to time. The PIMCO Preferred and Capital Securities Fund will concentrate its investments in a group of industries related to banks.

 

  2.

A Fund may not, with respect to 75% of the Fund’s total assets, purchase the securities of any issuer, except securities issued or guaranteed by the U.S. government or any of its agencies or instrumentalities, if, as a result (i) more than 5% of the Fund’s total assets would be invested in the securities of that issuer, or (ii) the Fund would hold more than 10% of the outstanding voting securities of that issuer (this investment restriction is not applicable to the [PIMCO California Municipal Bond, PIMCO CommoditiesPLUS® Strategy, PIMCO Emerging Local Bond, PIMCO International Bond (U.S. Dollar-Hedged), PIMCO Global Bond Opportunities (Unhedged), PIMCO Global Bond Opportunities (U.S. Dollar-Hedged) and PIMCO New York Municipal Bond Funds]). For the purpose of this restriction, each state and each separate political subdivision, agency, authority or instrumentality of such state, each multi-state agency or authority, and each guarantor, if any, are treated as separate issuers of Municipal Bonds.

 

  3.

A Fund may not purchase or sell real estate, although it may purchase securities secured by real estate or interests therein, or securities issued by companies which invest in real estate, or interests therein.

 

  4.

A Fund may not purchase or sell commodities or commodities contracts or oil, gas or mineral programs (This investment restriction is not applicable to the PIMCO CommoditiesPLUS® Strategy, PIMCO Inflation Response Multi-Asset and PIMCO TRENDS Managed Futures Strategy Funds). This restriction shall not prohibit a Fund, subject to restrictions described in the Prospectuses and elsewhere in this Statement of Additional Information, from purchasing, selling or entering into futures contracts, options on futures contracts, foreign currency forward contracts, foreign currency options, hybrid instruments, or any interest rate or securities-related or foreign currency-related hedging instrument, including swap agreements and other derivative instruments, subject to compliance with any applicable provisions of the federal securities or commodities laws (This restriction is not applicable to the PIMCO Global Bond Opportunities Fund (U.S. Dollar-Hedged), but see non-fundamental restriction “6”).

 

  5.

A Fund may borrow money or issue any senior security, only as permitted under the 1940 Act, as amended, and as interpreted, modified, or otherwise permitted by regulatory authority having jurisdiction, from time to time.

 

  6.

A Fund may make loans, only as permitted under the 1940 Act, as amended, and as interpreted, modified, or otherwise permitted by regulatory authority having jurisdiction, from time to time.

 

  7.

A Fund may not act as an underwriter of securities of other issuers, except to the extent that in connection with the disposition of portfolio securities, it may be deemed to be an underwriter under the federal securities laws.

 

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  8.

Notwithstanding any other fundamental investment policy or limitation, it is a fundamental policy of each Fund that it may pursue its investment objective by investing in one or more underlying investment companies or vehicles that have substantially similar investment objectives, policies and limitations as the Fund.

 

  9.

The PIMCO High Yield Municipal Bond, PIMCO Municipal Bond, PIMCO National Intermediate Municipal Bond and PIMCO Short Duration Municipal Income Funds will invest, under normal circumstances, at least 80% of their assets in investments the income of which is exempt from federal income tax.

 

  10.

The PIMCO California Intermediate Municipal Bond, PIMCO California Municipal Bond and PIMCO California Short Duration Municipal Income Funds will invest, under normal circumstances, at least 80% of their assets in investments the income of which is exempt from both federal income tax and California income tax.

 

  11.

The PIMCO New York Municipal Bond Fund will invest, under normal circumstances, at least 80% of its assets in investments the income of which is exempt from both federal income tax and New York income tax.

For purposes of Fundamental Investment Restrictions No. 9, 10 and 11, the term “assets,” as defined in Rule 35d-1 under the 1940 Act, means net assets, plus the amount of any borrowings for investment purposes.

Non-Fundamental Investment Restrictions

Each Fund is also subject to the following non-fundamental restrictions and policies (which may be changed by the Trust’s Board of Trustees without shareholder approval) relating to the investment of its assets and activities.

 

  1.

A Fund may not invest more than 15% of its net assets (5% of “total assets,” as defined in Rule 2a-7 under the 1940 Act, in the case of the PIMCO Government Money Market Fund) taken at market value at the time of the investment in “illiquid securities,” which are defined to include securities subject to legal or contractual restrictions on resale (which may include private placements), repurchase agreements with remaining maturities of more than seven days, certain loan participation interests, fixed time deposits which are not subject to prepayment or provide for withdrawal penalties upon prepayment (other than overnight deposits), certain options traded over the counter that a Fund has purchased, securities or other liquid assets being used to cover such options a Fund has written, securities for which market quotations are not readily available, or other securities which legally or in PIMCO’s opinion may be deemed illiquid (other than securities issued pursuant to Rule 144A under the 1933 Act, as amended, and certain other securities and instruments PIMCO has determined to be liquid under procedures approved by the Board of Trustees).

 

  2.

A Fund may not purchase securities on margin, except for use of short-term credit necessary for clearance of purchases and sales of portfolio securities, but it may make margin deposits in connection with covered transactions in options, futures, options on futures and short positions. For purposes of this restriction, the posting of margin deposits or other forms of collateral in connection with swap agreements is not considered purchasing securities on margin.

 

  3.

The PIMCO Mortgage Opportunities and Bond Fund may invest up to 10% of its total assets (taken at market value at the time of investment) in any combination of mortgage-related or other asset-backed interest only, principal only, or inverse floating rate securities. Each other Fund (except for the PIMCO Government Money Market Fund) may invest up to 5% of its total assets (taken at market value at the time of investment) in any combination of mortgage-related or other asset-backed interest only, principal only, or inverse floating rate securities. The 5% and 10% limitations described in this restriction are considered Elective Investment Restrictions (as defined below) for purposes of a Fund’s acquisition through a Voluntary Action (as defined below).

 

  4.

Each of the PIMCO Global Bond Opportunities Fund (U.S. Dollar-Hedged) and the PIMCO Total Return Fund IV may not borrow money in excess of 10% of the value (taken at the lower of cost or current value) of the Fund’s total assets (not including the amount borrowed) at the time the borrowing is made, and then only from banks as a temporary measure to facilitate the meeting of redemption requests (not for leverage) which might otherwise require the untimely disposition of portfolio investments or for extraordinary or emergency purposes (Such borrowings will be repaid before any additional investments are purchased.); or pledge, hypothecate, mortgage or otherwise encumber its assets in excess of 10% of the Fund’s total assets (taken at cost) and then only to secure borrowings permitted above (The deposit of securities or cash or cash equivalents in escrow in connection with the writing of covered call or put options, respectively, is not deemed to be pledges or other encumbrances. For the purpose of this restriction, collateral arrangements with respect to the writing of options, futures contracts, options on futures contracts, and collateral arrangements with respect to initial and variation margin are not deemed to be a pledge of assets and neither such arrangements nor the purchase or sale of futures or related options are deemed to be the issuance of a senior security).

 

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  5.

A Fund may not maintain a short position, or purchase, write or sell puts, calls, straddles, spreads or combinations thereof, except on such conditions as may be set forth in the Prospectuses and in this Statement of Additional Information.

 

  6.

The PIMCO Global Bond Opportunities Fund (U.S. Dollar-Hedged) may not purchase or sell commodities or commodity contracts except that the Fund may purchase and sell financial futures contracts and related options.

In addition, the Trust has adopted the following non-fundamental investment policies that may be changed on 60 days’ notice to shareholders:

 

  1.

The PIMCO GNMA and Government Securities Fund will invest, under normal circumstances, at least 80% of its assets in GNMA investments and U.S. government securities.

 

  2.

The PIMCO Mortgage-Backed Securities Fund will invest, under normal circumstances, at least 80% of its assets in mortgage investments.

 

  3.

The PIMCO Investment Grade Credit Bond Fund will invest, under normal circumstances, at least 80% of its assets in investment grade fixed income investments.

 

  4.

Each of the PIMCO High Yield and PIMCO High Yield Spectrum Funds will invest, under normal circumstances, at least 80% of its assets in high yield investments.

 

  5.

The PIMCO Long-Term U.S. Government Fund will invest, under normal circumstances, at least 80% of its assets in U.S. Government investments.

 

  6.

Each of the PIMCO Global Bond Opportunities (Unhedged) and PIMCO Global Bond Opportunities (U.S. Dollar-Hedged) Funds will invest, under normal circumstances, at least 80% of its assets in bond investments.

 

  7.

Each of the PIMCO International Bond Fund (Unhedged) and PIMCO International Bond Fund (U.S. Dollar-Hedged) will invest, under normal circumstances, at least 80% of its assets in bond investments.

 

  8.

The PIMCO Emerging Markets Bond Fund will invest, under normal circumstances, at least 80% of its assets in emerging market bond investments.

 

  9.

The PIMCO Emerging Markets Currency and Short-Term Investments Fund will invest under normal circumstances at least 80% of its assets in currencies of, or Fixed Income Instruments denominated in the currencies of, emerging market countries and in short-term investments.

 

  10.

The PIMCO Emerging Local Bond Fund will invest under normal circumstances at least 80% of its assets in Fixed Income Instruments denominated in currencies of countries with emerging securities markets.

 

  11.

Each of the PIMCO Dynamic Bond and PIMCO Strategic Bond Funds will invest, under normal circumstances, at least 80% of its assets in Fixed Income Instrument investments.

 

  12.

The PIMCO Global Advantage® Strategy Bond Fund will invest, under normal circumstances, at least 80% of its assets in Fixed Income Instrument investments.

 

  13.

The PIMCO Government Money Market Fund will invest, under normal circumstances, at least 80% of its assets in U.S. government securities.

 

  14.

Each of the PIMCO Credit Opportunities Bond and PIMCO Long-Term Credit Bond Funds will invest, under normal circumstances, at least 80% of its assets in Fixed Income Instruments investments.

 

  15.

The PIMCO Emerging Markets Corporate Bond Fund will invest, under normal circumstances, at least 80% of its assets in corporate Fixed Income Instruments that are economically tied to emerging market countries.

 

  16.

The PIMCO Senior Floating Rate Fund will invest, under normal circumstances, at least 80% of its assets in senior debt investments that effectively enable the Fund to achieve a floating rate of income.

 

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  17.

The PIMCO Emerging Markets Full Spectrum Bond Fund will invest, under normal circumstances, at least 80% of its assets in investments economically tied to emerging market countries and 80% of its assets in Fixed Income Instruments, which may be represented by direct or indirect (through an Acquired Fund) investments.

 

  18.

The PIMCO Preferred and Capital Securities Fund will invest, under normal circumstances, at least 80% of its assets in a combination of preferred securities and securities issued by financial institutions that can be used to satisfy the financial institution’s regulatory capital requirements.

 

  19.

The PIMCO Mortgage Opportunities and Bond Fund will invest, under normal circumstances, at least 80% of its assets in mortgage investments and Fixed Income Instrument investments.

For purposes of these policies, the term “assets,” as defined in Rule 35d-1 under the 1940 Act, means net assets plus the amount of any borrowings for investment purposes. In addition, for purposes of these policies, investments may be represented by forwards or derivatives such as options, futures contracts, or swap agreements. Further, for purposes of these policies, a Fund may “look through” a repurchase agreement to the collateral underlying the agreement (typically, government securities), and apply the repurchase agreement toward the 80% investment requirement based on the type of securities comprising its collateral. For purposes of these policies, the term “convertible investments” includes synthetic convertible securities created by PIMCO and those created by other parties such as investment banks.

In addition, for purposes of a Fund’s investment policy adopted pursuant to Rule 35d-1 under the 1940 Act, the Fund will count derivative instruments at market value.

For purposes of other investment policies and restrictions, the Funds may value derivative instruments at market value, notional value or full exposure value (i.e., the sum of the notional amount for the contract plus the market value). For example, a Fund may value credit default swaps at full exposure value for purposes of the Fund’s credit quality guidelines because such value in general better reflects the Fund’s actual economic exposure during the term of the credit default swap agreement. As a result, a Fund may, at times, have notional exposure to an asset class (before netting) that is greater or less than the stated limit or restriction noted in the Fund’s prospectus. In this context, both the notional amount and the market value may be positive or negative depending on whether the Fund is selling or buying protection through the credit default swap. The manner in which certain securities or other instruments are valued by the Funds for purposes of applying investment policies and restrictions may differ from the manner in which those investments are valued by other types of investors.

Currency Hedging. The Trust has adopted a non-fundamental policy pursuant to which each Fund that may invest in securities denominated in foreign currencies, except for the PIMCO CommoditiesPLUS® Strategy Fund, PIMCO Diversified Income Fund, PIMCO Dynamic Bond Fund, PIMCO Emerging Local Bond Fund, PIMCO Emerging Markets Bond Fund, PIMCO Emerging Markets Corporate Bond Fund, PIMCO Emerging Markets Currency and Short-Term Investments Fund, PIMCO Emerging Markets Full Spectrum Bond Fund, PIMCO International Bond Fund (Unhedged), PIMCO Global Advantage® Strategy Bond Fund, PIMCO Global Bond Opportunities Fund (Unhedged), PIMCO Global Multi-Asset Fund, PIMCO Income Fund, PIMCO Multi-Strategy Alternative Fund, PIMCO Preferred and Capital Securities Fund, PIMCO RAE Fundamental Advantage PLUS Fund, PIMCO RAE PLUS EMG Fund, PIMCO RAE PLUS Fund, PIMCO RAE PLUS International Fund, PIMCO RAE PLUS Small Fund, PIMCO RAE Low Volatility PLUS EMG Fund, PIMCO RAE Low Volatility PLUS International Fund, PIMCO RAE Low Volatility PLUS Fund, PIMCO RAE Worldwide Long/Short PLUS Fund, PIMCO REALPATH® Income Fund, PIMCO REALPATH® 2020 Fund, PIMCO REALPATH® 2030 Fund, PIMCO REALPATH® 2040 Fund, PIMCO REALPATH® 2050 Fund, PIMCO REALPATH® 2055 Fund, PIMCO Senior Floating Rate Fund, PIMCO StocksPLUS® Absolute Return Fund, PIMCO StocksPLUS® International Fund (Unhedged), PIMCO StocksPLUS® International Fund (U.S. Dollar-Hedged), PIMCO StocksPLUS® Short Fund, PIMCO StocksPLUS® Small Fund, PIMCO Strategic Bond Fund, PIMCO Total Return Fund IV and PIMCO TRENDS Managed Futures Strategy Fund will normally limit its foreign currency exposure (from non-U.S. dollar-denominated securities or currencies) to 20% of its total assets. In addition:

 

   

The PIMCO Multi-Strategy Alternative Fund and PIMCO TRENDS Managed Futures Strategy Fund may each obtain foreign currency exposure without limitation.

 

   

The PIMCO Emerging Markets Full Spectrum Bond Fund will normally limit its foreign currency exposure (from non-U.S. dollar-denominated securities or currencies) to 20%-80% of its total assets.

 

   

The PIMCO Dynamic Bond Fund will normally limit its foreign currency exposure (from non-U.S. dollar-denominated securities or currencies) to 35% of its total assets.

 

   

Each of the PIMCO RAE Fundamental Advantage PLUS Fund, PIMCO RAE PLUS Fund, PIMCO RAE PLUS Small Fund, PIMCO StocksPLUS® Absolute Return Fund and PIMCO StocksPLUS® Short Fund will normally limit its foreign currency exposure (from non-U.S. dollar-denominated securities or currencies) to 35% of its total assets. In addition, each of these Funds will normally limit its exposure (from non-U.S. dollar-denominated securities or currencies) to each non-U.S. currency to 10% of its total assets. Further, each of these Funds will

 

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normally limit its aggregate U.S. dollar exposure from transactions or instruments that reference the relative return of a non-U.S. currency or currencies as compared to the U.S. dollar to 20% of its total assets.

 

   

With respect to the AR Bond Alpha Strategy (as defined in the Prospectus), each of the PIMCO RAE PLUS EMG Fund, PIMCO RAE PLUS International Fund, PIMCO RAE Low Volatility PLUS EMG Fund, PIMCO RAE Low Volatility PLUS Fund, PIMCO RAE Low Volatility PLUS International Fund and PIMCO RAE Worldwide Long/Short PLUS Fund will normally limit its foreign currency exposure (from non-U.S. dollar-denominated securities or currencies) to 35% of its total assets. In addition, with respect to the AR Bond Alpha Strategy, each of these Funds will normally limit its exposure (from non-U.S. dollar-denominated securities or currencies) to each non-U.S. currency to 10% of its total assets. Further, with respect to the AR Bond Alpha Strategy, each of these Funds will normally limit its aggregate U.S. dollar exposure from transactions or instruments that reference the relative return of a non-U.S. currency or currencies as compared to the U.S. dollar to 20% of its total assets.

 

   

With respect to its fixed income investments, each of the PIMCO StocksPLUS® International Fund (Unhedged), PIMCO StocksPLUS® International Fund (U.S. Dollar-Hedged) and PIMCO StocksPLUS® Small Fund will normally limit its foreign currency exposure (from non-U.S. dollar-denominated securities or currencies) to 35% of its total assets. In addition, with respect to its fixed income investments, each of these Funds will normally limit its exposure (from non-U.S. dollar-denominated securities or currencies) to each non-U.S. currency to 10% of its total assets. Further, with respect to its fixed income investments, each of these Funds will normally limit its aggregate U.S. dollar exposure from transactions or instruments that reference the relative return of a non-U.S. currency or currencies as compared to the U.S. dollar to 20% of its total assets.

 

   

Each of the PIMCO Inflation Response Multi-Asset Fund and PIMCO Strategic Bond Fund will normally limit its foreign currency exposure (from non-U.S. dollar-denominated securities or currencies) to 25% of its total assets.

 

   

Each of the PIMCO Preferred and Capital Securities Fund, PIMCO CommoditiesPLUS® Strategy Fund, PIMCO Income Fund and PIMCO Low Duration Income Fund will normally limit its foreign currency exposure (from non-U.S. dollar-denominated securities or currencies) to 10% of its total assets.

 

   

The PIMCO High Yield Spectrum Fund will normally limit its currency exposure to within 10% (plus or minus) of the Fund’s benchmark index.

 

   

The PIMCO Senior Floating Rate Fund will normally limit its foreign currency exposure (from non-U.S. dollar-denominated securities or currencies) to 5% of its total assets.

 

   

The PIMCO Total Return Fund IV will normally limit its foreign currency exposure (from non-U.S. dollar-denominated securities or currencies) to 5% of its total assets.

There can be no assurance that currency hedging techniques will be successful. All percentage limitations described in this paragraph are considered Elective Investment Restrictions (as defined below) for purposes of a Fund’s acquisition through a Voluntary Action (as defined below).

Under the 1940 Act, a “senior security” does not include any promissory note or evidence of indebtedness where such loan is for temporary purposes only and in an amount not exceeding 5% of the value of the total assets of the issuer at the time the loan is made. A loan is presumed to be for temporary purposes if it is repaid within sixty days and is not extended or renewed. To the extent that borrowings for temporary administrative purposes exceed 5% of the total assets of a Fund (except for the PIMCO Global Bond Opportunities Fund (U.S. Dollar-Hedged)), such excess shall be subject to the 300% asset coverage requirement.

As noted above, a Fund may enter into certain transactions that can be viewed as constituting a form of borrowing or financing transaction by the Fund. In such event, a Fund covers its commitment under such transactions by segregating or “earmarking” assets determined in accordance with procedures adopted by the Board of Trustees. In addition to covering such commitments in the manner described above, with respect to forwards, futures contracts, options and swaps that are required to cash settle (i.e., where physical delivery of the underlying reference asset is not permitted), a Fund is permitted to segregate or “earmark” liquid assets equal to a Fund’s daily mark-to-market net obligation under the instrument, if any, rather than the instrument’s full notional value (i.e., the market value of the reference asset underlying the forward or derivative). By doing so, such instruments will not be considered a “senior security” by the Fund. By segregating or earmarking liquid assets equal to only its net mark-to-market obligation under forwards or derivatives that are required to cash settle, a Fund will have the ability to utilize such instruments to a greater extent than if a Fund were required to segregate or earmark liquid assets equal to the full notional value of the instrument.

The staff of the SEC has taken the position that purchased OTC options and the assets used as cover for written OTC options should generally be treated as illiquid. However, the staff of the SEC has also taken the position that the determination of whether a particular instrument is liquid should be made under guidelines and standards established by a fund’s board of trustees. The SEC staff has provided examples of factors that may be taken into account in determining whether a particular instrument should be treated as liquid. Pursuant to policies adopted by the Funds’ Board of Trustees, purchased OTC options and the assets used as cover for OTC options written by a Fund may be treated as liquid under certain circumstances, such as when PIMCO has the contractual right to

 

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terminate or close out the OTC option on behalf of a Fund within seven days. These policies are not fundamental policies of the Funds and may be changed or modified by the Board of Trustees without the approval of shareholders, provided that any such change or modification will be consistent with applicable positions of the SEC staff.

The Funds interpret their policy with respect to concentration in a particular industry under Fundamental Investment Restriction 1, above, to apply to direct investments in the securities of issuers in a particular industry, and to any other investments, such as certain derivatives, that may properly be assigned to a particular industry, as defined by the Trust. For purposes of this restriction, a foreign government is considered to be an industry. Currency positions are not considered to be an investment in a foreign government for industry concentration purposes. Mortgage-backed securities that are issued or guaranteed by the U.S. Government, its agencies or instrumentalities are not subject to the Funds’ industry concentration restrictions, by virtue of the exclusion from that test available to all U.S. Government securities. Similarly, Municipal Bonds issued by states, municipalities and other political subdivisions, agencies, authorities and instrumentalities of states and multi-state agencies and authorities are not subject to the Funds’ industry concentration restrictions. With respect to investments in Underlying PIMCO Funds by the PIMCO All Asset Fund, PIMCO All Asset All Authority Fund, PIMCO Emerging Markets Full Spectrum Bond Fund, PIMCO Global Multi-Asset Fund, PIMCO Inflation Response Multi-Asset Fund and the PIMCO REALPATH® Funds, the Trust takes the position that investments in Underlying PIMCO Funds are not considered an investment in a particular industry, and portfolio securities held by an Underlying PIMCO Fund in which these Funds may invest are not considered to be securities purchased by these Funds for purposes of the Trust’s policy on concentration.

A Fund may invest in certain derivative instruments which, while representing a relatively small amount of the Fund’s net assets, provide a greater amount of economic exposure to a particular industry. To the extent that a Fund obtains economic exposure to a particular industry in this manner, it may be subject to similar risks of concentration in that industry as if it had invested in the securities of issuers in that industry directly.

For purposes of applying the Funds’ policy with respect to diversification under Fundamental Investment Restriction 2, above, traditional bond insurance on a security will not be treated as a separate security, and the insurer will not be treated as a separate issuer of the security. Therefore, the Funds’ policy with respect to diversification does not limit the percentage of a Fund’s assets that may be invested in securities insured by a single bond insurer.

Under the Funds’ policy under Fundamental Investment Restriction 3, above, where a Fund purchases a loan or other security secured by real estate or interests therein, in the event of a subsequent default, foreclosure, or similar event, the Fund may take possession of and hold the underlying real estate in accordance with its rights under the initial security and subsequently sell or otherwise dispose of such real estate.

The Funds interpret their policy with respect to the purchase and sale of commodities or commodities contracts under Fundamental Investment Restriction 4 above to permit the Funds, subject to each Fund’s investment objectives and general investment policies (as stated in the Prospectuses and elsewhere in this Statement of Additional Information), to invest in commodity futures contracts and options thereon, commodity-related swap agreements, hybrid instruments, and other commodity-related derivative instruments and to permit the PIMCO CommoditiesPLUS® Strategy, PIMCO Inflation Response Multi-Asset and PIMCO TRENDS Managed Futures Strategy Funds to make direct investments in commodities.

The Funds interpret their policies with respect to borrowing and lending to permit such activities as may be lawful for the Funds, to the full extent permitted by the 1940 Act or by exemption from the provisions therefrom pursuant to exemptive order of the SEC. Pursuant to an exemptive order issued by the SEC on November 19, 2001, the Funds may enter into transactions with respect to the investment of daily cash balances of the Funds in shares of PIMCO-sponsored money market and/or short-term bond funds. Pursuant to an exemptive order issued by the SEC, the Funds, along with other registered investment companies in the PIMCO Funds family may engage in interfund lending transactions, to the extent such participation is consistent with each Fund’s investment objective and investment policies. As part of the interfund lending program, certain PIMCO-sponsored money market and short-term bond funds will have the ability to lend to certain other PIMCO-sponsored non-money market and non-short-term bond funds, as detailed in the exemptive relief (the “Interfund Lending Program”).

Any loan made through the Interfund Lending Program would be preferable to borrowing from a bank from the perspective of a borrowing fund and more beneficial than an alternative short-term investment from the perspective of a lending fund. The term of an interfund loan is limited to the time required to receive payment for securities sold, but in no event more than seven days. In addition, an interfund loan is callable with one business day’s notice. All loans are for temporary cash management or emergency purposes and the interest rates to be charged will be the average of the overnight repurchase agreement rate and the bank loan rate.

The limitations detailed above and the other conditions of the SEC exemptive order permitting interfund lending are designed to minimize the risks associated with interfund lending for both the lending fund and the borrowing fund. No fund may borrow more than the amount permitted by its investment limitations and all loans are subject to numerous conditions designed to ensure fair and equitable treatment of all participating funds. The interfund lending facility is subject to the oversight and periodic review of the Board.

 

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No borrowing or lending activity is without risk. When a fund borrows money from another fund, there is a risk that the interfund loan could be called on one day’s notice or not renewed, in which case the fund may have to borrow from a bank at higher rates if an interfund loan is not available. If a borrowing fund is unable to repay the loan when due, a delay in repayment to the lending fund could result in a lost investment opportunity for the lending fund.

Unless otherwise indicated, all limitations applicable to Fund investments (as stated above and elsewhere in this Statement of Additional Information or in the Prospectuses) apply only at the time of investment. Any subsequent change in a rating assigned by any rating service to a security (or, if unrated, deemed to be of comparable quality), or change in the percentage of Fund assets invested in certain securities or other instruments, or change in the average duration of a Fund’s investment portfolio, resulting from market fluctuations or other changes in a Fund’s total assets will not require a Fund to dispose of an investment. In the event that ratings services assign different ratings to the same security, PIMCO will use the highest rating as the credit rating for that security. With respect to the PIMCO Government Money Market Fund, a First Tier Security (as defined in Rule 2a-7 under the 1940 Act) rated in the highest short-term category by three or more rating agencies at the time of purchase that subsequently receives a rating below the highest rating category from one of those rating agencies or a different rating agency may continue to be considered a First Tier Security.

From time to time, a Fund may voluntarily participate in actions (for example, rights offerings, conversion privileges, exchange offers, credit event settlements, etc.) where the issuer or counterparty offers securities or instruments to holders or counterparties, such as a Fund, and the acquisition is determined to be beneficial to Fund shareholders (“Voluntary Action”). Notwithstanding any percentage investment limitation listed under this “Investment Restrictions” section or any percentage investment limitation of the 1940 Act or rules thereunder, if a Fund has the opportunity to acquire a permitted security or instrument through a Voluntary Action, and the Fund will exceed a percentage investment limitation following the acquisition, it will not constitute a violation if, prior to the receipt of the securities or instruments and after announcement of the offering, the Fund sells an offsetting amount of assets that are subject to the investment limitation in question at least equal to the value of the securities or instruments to be acquired.

Unless otherwise indicated, all percentage limitations on Fund investments (as stated throughout this Statement of Additional Information or in the Prospectuses) that are not: (i) specifically included in this “Investment Restrictions” section; or (ii) imposed by the 1940 Act, rules thereunder, the Internal Revenue Code or related regulations (the “Elective Investment Restrictions”), will apply only at the time of investment unless the acquisition is a Voluntary Action. In addition and notwithstanding the foregoing, for purposes of this policy, certain Non-Fundamental Investment Restrictions, as noted above, are also considered Elective Investment Restrictions. The percentage limitations and absolute prohibitions with respect to Elective Investment Restrictions are not applicable to a Fund’s acquisition of securities or instruments through a Voluntary Action.

A Fund may engage in roll-timing strategies where the Fund seeks to extend the expiration or maturity of a position, such as a forward contract, futures contract or to-be-announced (“TBA”) transaction, on an underlying asset by closing out the position before expiration and contemporaneously opening a new position with respect to the same underlying asset that has substantially similar terms except for a later expiration date. Such “rolls” enable the Fund to maintain continuous investment exposure to an underlying asset beyond the expiration of the initial position without delivery of the underlying asset. Similarly, as certain standardized swap agreements transition from over-the-counter trading to mandatory exchange-trading and clearing due to the implementation of Dodd-Frank Act regulatory requirements, a Fund may “roll” an existing over-the-counter swap agreement by closing out the position before expiration and contemporaneously entering into a new exchange-traded and cleared swap agreement on the same underlying asset with substantially similar terms except for a later expiration date. These types of new positions opened contemporaneous with the closing of an existing position on the same underlying asset with substantially similar terms are collectively referred to as “Roll Transactions.” Elective Investment Restrictions (defined in the preceding paragraph), which normally apply at the time of investment, do not apply to Roll Transactions (although Elective Investment Restrictions will apply to the Fund’s entry into the initial position). In addition and notwithstanding the foregoing, for purposes of this policy, those Non-Fundamental Investment Restrictions that are considered Elective Investment Restrictions for purposes of the policy on Voluntary Actions (described in the preceding paragraph) are also Elective Investment Restrictions for purposes of this policy on Roll Transactions. The Funds will test for compliance with Elective Investment Restrictions at the time of a Fund’s initial entry into a position, but the percentage limitations and absolute prohibitions set forth in the Elective Investment Restrictions are not applicable to a Fund’s subsequent acquisition of securities or instruments through a Roll Transaction.

Recently finalized Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (“FINRA”) rules include mandatory margin requirements for the TBA market that require the Funds to post collateral in connection with their TBA transactions. There is no similar requirement applicable to the Funds’ TBA counterparties. The required collateralization of TBA trades could increase the cost of TBA transactions to the Funds and impose added operational complexity.

Certain of the Funds have investment policies, limitations, or practices that are applicable “normally” or under “normal circumstances” or “normal market conditions” (as stated above and elsewhere in this Statement of Additional Information or in the Prospectuses). Pursuant to the discretion of PIMCO and a Fund’s sub-adviser, if any, these investment policies, limitations, or practices may not apply during periods of abnormal purchase or redemption activity or during periods of unusual or adverse market,

 

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economic, political or other conditions. Such market, economic or political conditions may include periods of abnormal or heightened market volatility, strained credit and/or liquidity conditions, or increased governmental intervention in the markets or industries. During such periods, a Fund may not invest according to its principal investment strategies or in the manner in which its name may suggest, and may be subject to different and/or heightened risks. It is possible that such unusual or adverse conditions may continue for extended periods of time.

MANAGEMENT OF THE TRUST

Trustees and Officers

The business of the Trust is managed under the direction of the Trust’s Board of Trustees. Subject to the provisions of the Trust’s Declaration of Trust, its By-Laws and Massachusetts law, the Board of Trustees (the “Board”) has all powers necessary and convenient to carry out this responsibility, including the election and removal of the Trust’s officers.

Leadership Structure and Risk Oversight Function

The Board is currently composed of eight Trustees, six of whom are not “interested persons” of the Trust (as that term is defined by Section 2(a)(19) of the 1940 Act) (“Independent Trustees”). The Trustees meet periodically throughout the year to discuss and consider matters concerning the Trust and to oversee the Trust’s activities, including its investment performance, compliance program and risks associated with its activities.

Brent R. Harris, a Managing Director of PIMCO, and therefore an “interested person” of the Trust, serves as Chairman of the Board. The Board has established three standing committees to facilitate the Trustees’ oversight of the management of the Trust: an Audit Committee, a Valuation Oversight Committee and a Governance Committee. The scope of each Committee’s responsibilities is discussed in greater detail below. As of February 2017, the Independent Trustees have appointed Ronald C. Parker as the Lead Independent Trustee of the Trust. The Lead Independent Trustee’s duties and responsibilities include serving as chair of, and leading and facilitating discussions at, executive sessions of the Independent Trustees and acting as chair at Board or Committee meetings in the absence of the Chairman of the Board or other currently-appointed chair; coordinating with the Independent Trustees and the Trust’s management to discuss recommendations for Board meeting agendas; reviewing, and providing input to the Trust’s management as appropriate regarding, whether agenda objectives are being met; and acting generally as spokesperson for the Independent Trustees on external matters, provided that if another Independent Trustee is deemed to be more qualified or better able to address a particular matter, such other Independent Trustee shall serve as spokesperson in connection with such matter. In addition, the Chairs of the Audit Committee and Governance Committee and the co-leads of the Valuation Oversight Committee, each of whom is an Independent Trustee, act as liaisons between the Independent Trustees and the Trust’s management between Board Meetings and, with management, are involved in the preparation of agendas for Board and Committee meetings, as applicable.

The Board believes that, as Chairman, Mr. Harris provides skilled executive leadership to the Trust and performs an essential liaison function between the Trust and PIMCO, its investment adviser. The Board believes that its governance structure allows all of the Independent Trustees to participate in the full range of the Board’s oversight responsibilities. The Board reviews its structure regularly as part of its annual self-evaluation. The Board has determined that its leadership structure is appropriate in light of the characteristics and circumstances of the Trust because it allocates areas of responsibility among the Committees and the Board in a manner that enhances effective oversight. The Board considered, among other things, the role of PIMCO in the day-to-day management of the Trust’s affairs; the extent to which the work of the Board is conducted through the Committees; the number of portfolios that comprise the Trust and other trusts in the fund complex overseen by members of the Board; the variety of asset classes those portfolios include; the net assets of each Fund, the Trust and the fund complex; and the management, distribution and other service arrangements of each Fund, the Trust and the fund complex.

In its oversight role, the Board has adopted, and periodically reviews, policies and procedures designed to address risks associated with the Trust’s activities. In addition, PIMCO and the Trust’s other service providers have adopted policies, processes and procedures to identify, assess and manage risks associated with the Trust’s activities. The Trust’s senior officers, including, but not limited to, the Chief Compliance Officer (“CCO”) and Treasurer, PIMCO portfolio management personnel and other senior personnel of PIMCO, the Trust’s independent registered public accounting firm (the “independent auditors”) and personnel from the Trust’s third-party service providers make periodic reports to the Board and its Committees with respect to a variety of matters, including matters relating to risk management.

Qualifications of the Trustees

The charts below identify the Trustees and executive officers of the Trust. Unless otherwise indicated, the address of all persons below is 650 Newport Center Drive, Newport Beach, CA 92660. [To be updated by amendment.]

 

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Trustees of the Trust

 

Name, Year of Birth

and

Position

Held with Trust*

  

Term of Office

and Length of

Time

Served†

   Principal Occupation(s)
During Past 5 Years
   Number of
Funds in Fund
Complex
Overseen by
Trustee*
  

Other Public Company
and Investment Company
Directorships

Held by Trustee During
the Past 5 Years

Interested Trustees1

           

Brent R. Harris (1959)

Chairman of the Board and Trustee

   02/1992 to present    Managing Director, PIMCO. Formerly, member of Executive Committee, PIMCO.    [    ]    Chairman and Trustee, PIMCO Variable Insurance Trust, PIMCO ETF Trust, PIMCO Equity Series and PIMCO Equity Series VIT; Director, StocksPLUS® Management, Inc.; and member of Board of Governors, Investment Company Institute.

Peter G. Strelow (1970)

Trustee

   05/2017 to present    Managing Director, Chief Administrative Officer and Co-Chief Operating Officer, PIMCO. President of the Trust, PIMCO Variable Insurance Trust, PIMCO ETF Trust, PIMCO Equity Series, PIMCO Equity Series VIT, PIMCO Managed Accounts Trust, PIMCO-Sponsored Interval Funds and PIMCO-Sponsored Closed-End Funds.    [    ]    Trustee, PIMCO Variable Insurance Trust and PIMCO ETF Trust.
Independent Trustees            

George E. Borst

(1948)

Trustee

   04/2015 to present    Executive Advisor, McKinsey & Company; Formerly, Executive Advisor, Toyota Financial Services; CEO, Toyota Financial Services.    [    ]    Trustee, PIMCO Variable Insurance Trust and PIMCO ETF Trust; Director, MarineMax Inc.

Jennifer Holden Dunbar

(1963)

Trustee

   04/2015 to present    Managing Director, Dunbar Partners, LLC (business consulting and investments).    [    ]    Trustee, PIMCO Variable Insurance Trust, PIMCO ETF Trust, PIMCO Equity Series and PIMCO Equity Series VIT; Director, PS Business Parks; Director, Big 5 Sporting Goods Corporation.

 

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Name, Year of Birth

and

Position

Held with Trust*

  

Term of Office

and Length of

Time

Served†

   Principal Occupation(s)
During Past 5 Years
   Number of
Funds in Fund
Complex
Overseen by
Trustee*
  

Other Public Company
and Investment Company
Directorships

Held by Trustee During
the Past 5 Years

Kym M. Hubbard

(1957)

Trustee

   02/2017 to present    Formerly, Global Head of Investments, Chief Investment Officer and Treasurer, Ernst & Young.    [    ]    Trustee, PIMCO Variable Insurance Trust and PIMCO ETF Trust; Director, State Auto Financial Corporation.

Gary F. Kennedy

(1955)

Trustee

   04/2015 to present    Formerly, Senior Vice President, General Counsel and Chief Compliance Officer, American Airlines and AMR Corporation (now American Airlines Group).    [    ]    Trustee, PIMCO Variable Insurance Trust and PIMCO ETF Trust.

Peter B. McCarthy

(1950)

Trustee

   04/2015 to present    Formerly, Assistant Secretary and Chief Financial Officer, United States Department of Treasury; Deputy Managing Director, Institute of International Finance.    [    ]    Trustee, PIMCO Variable Insurance Trust, PIMCO ETF Trust, PIMCO Equity Series and PIMCO Equity Series VIT.

Ronald C. Parker

(1951)

Lead Independent Trustee

  

07/2009 to present

Lead Independent Trustee – 02/2017 to present

   Director of Roseburg Forest Products Company. Formerly, Chairman of the Board, The Ford Family Foundation. Formerly President, Chief Executive Officer, Hampton Affiliates (forestry products).    [    ]    Lead Independent Trustee, PIMCO Variable Insurance Trust and PIMCO ETF Trust; Trustee, PIMCO Equity Series and PIMCO Equity Series VIT.

 

(1) 

Mr. Harris and Mr. Strelow are “interested persons” of the Trust (as that term is defined in the 1940 Act) because of their affiliations with PIMCO.

() 

Trustees serve until their successors are duly elected and qualified.

(*) 

The information for the individuals listed is as of [ ]. Mr. Strelow became a Trustee of the Trust effective May 16, 2017. [To be updated by amendment.]

The Board has determined that each of the Trustees is qualified to serve as a Trustee of the Trust, based on a review of the experience, qualifications, attributes and skills of each Trustee, including those listed in the table above. The Board has taken into account each Trustee’s commitment to the Board and participation in Board and committee meetings throughout his or her tenure on the Board. The following is a summary of qualifications, experiences and skills of each Trustee (in addition to the principal occupation(s) during the past five years noted in the table above) that support the conclusion that each individual is qualified to serve as a Trustee:

Mr. Harris’s position as a Managing Director of PIMCO and, formerly, as a Member of its Executive Committee give him valuable experience with the day-to-day management of the operation of the Trust as well as other funds within the fund complex, enabling him to provide essential management input to the Board.

Mr. Strelow’s position as a Managing Director and Co-Chief Operating Officer of PIMCO, his former position as Chief Administrative Officer of PIMCO, as well as his role as President of the Trust, PIMCO Variable Insurance Trust, PIMCO ETF Trust, PIMCO Equity Series, PIMCO Equity Series VIT, PIMCO Managed Accounts Trust, PIMCO-Sponsored Interval Funds and PIMCO-

 

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Sponsored Closed-End Funds, give him valuable experience with the day-to-day management of the Trust as well as other funds within the fund complex, enabling him to provide essential management input to the Board.

Mr. Borst served in multiple executive positions at a large automotive corporation. Mr. Borst has prior financial experience from his oversight of the chief financial officer, treasury, accounting and audit functions of the corporation. He also served as the general manager of a credit company. Additionally, Mr. Borst has prior experience as a board member of a corporation.

Ms. Dunbar has prior financial experience investing and managing private equity fund assets. Additionally, Ms. Dunbar has previously served on the boards of directors of a variety of public and private companies. She currently serves on the boards of directors of two public companies.

Ms. Hubbard has prior financial, operations and management experience as the Global Head of Investments, Chief Investment Officer and Treasurer of a large accounting firm. She currently serves on the board of directors of a public company.

Mr. Kennedy served as general counsel, senior vice president and chief compliance officer for a large airline company. He also has experience in management of the company’s corporate real estate and legal departments.

Mr. McCarthy has experience in the areas of financial reporting and accounting, including prior experience as Assistant Secretary and Chief Financial Officer of the United States Department of the Treasury. He also served as Deputy Managing Director of the Institute of International Finance, a global trade association of financial institutions. Mr. McCarthy also has significant prior experience in corporate banking. Additionally, Mr. McCarthy has valuable experience from his service on the board of trustees of PIMCO Equity Series and PIMCO Equity Series VIT since 2011.

Mr. Parker has prior financial, operations and management experience as the President and Chief Executive Officer of a privately held company. He also has investment experience as the Chairman of a family foundation.

Executive Officers

 

Name, Year of Birth

and Position Held with

Trust*

  

Term of Office and

Length of Time Served

   Principal Occupation(s) During Past 5 Years†

Peter G. Strelow (1970)

President

  

01/2015 to present

 

Senior Vice President

11/2013 to 01/2015

 

Vice President

05/2008 to 11/2013

   Managing Director, Chief Administrative Officer and Co-Chief Operating Officer, PIMCO. President, PIMCO Variable Insurance Trust, PIMCO ETF Trust, PIMCO Equity Series, PIMCO Equity Series VIT, PIMCO Managed Accounts Trust, PIMCO-Sponsored Interval Funds and PIMCO-Sponsored Closed-End Funds.

David C. Flattum (1964)

Chief Legal Officer

   11/2006 to present    Managing Director and General Counsel, PIMCO. Chief Legal Officer, PIMCO Variable Insurance Trust, PIMCO ETF Trust, PIMCO Equity Series and PIMCO Equity Series VIT. Formerly, Managing Director, Chief Operating Officer and General Counsel, Allianz Asset Management of America L.P.

Jennifer E. Durham

(1970)

Chief Compliance Officer

   07/2004 to present    Managing Director and Chief Compliance Officer, PIMCO. Chief Compliance Officer, PIMCO Variable Insurance Trust, PIMCO ETF Trust, PIMCO Equity Series and PIMCO Equity Series VIT.

Brent R. Harris

(1959)

Senior Vice President

  

01/2015 to present

 

President

03/2009 to 01/2015

   Managing Director, PIMCO. Formerly, member of Executive Committee, PIMCO. Senior Vice President, PIMCO Variable Insurance Trust, PIMCO ETF Trust, PIMCO Equity Series and PIMCO Equity Series VIT.

 

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Name, Year of Birth

and Position Held with

Trust*

  

Term of Office and

Length of Time Served

   Principal Occupation(s) During Past 5 Years†

Joshua D. Ratner

(1976)**

Vice President—Senior Counsel, Secretary

  

11/2013 to present

 

Assistant Secretary

10/2007 to 01/2011

  

Executive Vice President and Senior Counsel, PIMCO. Chief Legal Officer, PIMCO Investments LLC. Vice President – Senior Counsel, Secretary, PIMCO Variable Insurance Trust, PIMCO ETF Trust, PIMCO Equity Series and PIMCO Equity Series VIT. Vice President, Secretary and Chief Legal Officer, PIMCO Managed Accounts Trust, PIMCO-Sponsored Interval Funds and PIMCO-Sponsored Closed-End Funds.

Ryan G. Leshaw (1980)

Assistant Secretary

   05/2012 to present    Senior Vice President and Senior Counsel, PIMCO. Assistant Secretary, PIMCO Variable Insurance Trust, PIMCO ETF Trust, PIMCO Equity Series, PIMCO Equity Series VIT, PIMCO Managed Accounts Trust, PIMCO-Sponsored Interval Funds and PIMCO-Sponsored Closed-End Funds. Formerly, Associate, Willkie Farr & Gallagher LLP.

Stacie D. Anctil (1969)

Vice President

  

05/2015 to present

 

Assistant Treasurer

11/2003 to 05/2015

   Executive Vice President, PIMCO. Vice President, PIMCO Variable Insurance Trust, PIMCO ETF Trust, PIMCO Equity Series, PIMCO Equity Series VIT, PIMCO Managed Accounts Trust, PIMCO-Sponsored Interval Funds and PIMCO-Sponsored Closed-End Funds.

William G. Galipeau

(1974)

Vice President

   11/2013 to present    Executive Vice President, PIMCO. Vice President, PIMCO Variable Insurance Trust, PIMCO ETF Trust, PIMCO Equity Series and PIMCO Equity Series VIT. Treasurer, PIMCO Managed Accounts Trust, PIMCO-Sponsored Interval Funds and PIMCO-Sponsored Closed-End Funds.

Eric D. Johnson

(1970)**

Vice President

   05/2011 to present    Executive Vice President, PIMCO. Vice President, PIMCO Variable Insurance Trust, PIMCO ETF Trust, PIMCO Equity Series, PIMCO Equity Series VIT, PIMCO Managed Accounts Trust, PIMCO-Sponsored Interval Funds and PIMCO-Sponsored Closed-End Funds.

Henrik P. Larsen (1970)

Vice President

   02/1999 to present    Senior Vice President, PIMCO. Vice President, PIMCO Variable Insurance Trust, PIMCO ETF Trust, PIMCO Equity Series and PIMCO Equity Series VIT.

Bijal Y. Parikh (1978)

Vice President

   02/2017 to present    Senior Vice President, PIMCO. Vice President, PIMCO Variable Insurance Trust, PIMCO ETF Trust, PIMCO Equity Series and PIMCO Equity Series VIT.

Greggory S. Wolf (1970)

Vice President

   05/2011 to present    Senior Vice President, PIMCO. Vice President, PIMCO Variable Insurance Trust, PIMCO ETF Trust, PIMCO Equity Series and PIMCO Equity Series VIT.

Trent W. Walker (1974)

Treasurer

  

11/2013 to present

 

Assistant Treasurer

05/2007 to 11/2013

   Executive Vice President, PIMCO. Treasurer, PIMCO Variable Insurance Trust, PIMCO ETF Trust, PIMCO Equity Series and PIMCO Equity Series VIT. Assistant Treasurer, PIMCO Managed Accounts Trust, PIMCO-Sponsored Interval Funds and PIMCO-Sponsored Closed-End Funds.

Erik C. Brown (1967)

Assistant Treasurer

   02/2001 to present    Executive Vice President, PIMCO. Assistant Treasurer, PIMCO Variable Insurance Trust, PIMCO ETF Trust, PIMCO Equity Series, PIMCO Equity Series VIT, PIMCO Managed Accounts Trust, PIMCO-Sponsored Interval Funds and PIMCO-Sponsored Closed-End Funds.

Christopher M. Morin

(1980)

Assistant Treasurer

   08/2016 to present    Vice President, PIMCO. Assistant Treasurer, PIMCO Variable Insurance Trust, PIMCO ETF Trust, PIMCO Equity Series, PIMCO Equity Series VIT, PIMCO Managed Accounts Trust, PIMCO-Sponsored Interval Funds and PIMCO-Sponsored Closed-End Funds. Formerly, Vice President of Operations, Standard Life Investments USA; Assistant Vice President, Brown Brothers Harriman.

 

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Name, Year of Birth

and Position Held with

Trust*

  

Term of Office and

Length of Time Served

   Principal Occupation(s) During Past 5 Years†

Laura S. Melman

(1966)**

Assistant Treasurer

   02/2017 to present    Senior Vice President, PIMCO. Assistant Treasurer, PIMCO Variable Insurance Trust, PIMCO ETF Trust, PIMCO Equity Series and PIMCO Equity Series VIT.

Colleen D. Miller

(1980)**

Assistant Treasurer

   02/2017 to present    Vice President, PIMCO. Assistant Treasurer, PIMCO Variable Insurance Trust, PIMCO ETF Trust, PIMCO Equity Series and PIMCO Equity Series VIT.

Jason J. Nagler (1982)**

Assistant Treasurer

   05/2015 to present    Vice President, PIMCO. Assistant Treasurer, PIMCO Variable Insurance Trust, PIMCO ETF Trust, PIMCO Equity Series, PIMCO Equity Series VIT, PIMCO Managed Accounts Trust, PIMCO-Sponsored Interval Funds and PIMCO-Sponsored Closed-End Funds. Formerly, Head of Mutual Fund Reporting, GMO and Assistant Treasurer, GMO Trust and GMO Series Trust Funds.

 

*

Unless otherwise noted, the information for the individuals listed is as of [                    ]. [To be updated by amendment.]

() 

The term “PIMCO-Sponsored Closed-End Funds” as used herein includes: PIMCO California Municipal Income Fund, PIMCO California Municipal Income Fund II, PIMCO California Municipal Income Fund III, PIMCO Municipal Income Fund, PIMCO Municipal Income Fund II, PIMCO Municipal Income Fund III, PIMCO New York Municipal Income Fund, PIMCO New York Municipal Income Fund II, PIMCO New York Municipal Income Fund III, PCM Fund Inc., PIMCO Corporate & Income Opportunity Fund, PIMCO Corporate & Income Strategy Fund, PIMCO Dynamic Credit and Mortgage Income Fund, PIMCO Dynamic Income Fund, PIMCO Global StocksPLUS & Income Fund, PIMCO High Income Fund, PIMCO Income Opportunity Fund, PIMCO Income Strategy Fund, PIMCO Income Strategy Fund II and PIMCO Strategic Income Fund, Inc.; the term “PIMCO-Sponsored Interval Funds” as used herein includes: PIMCO Flexible Credit Income Fund.

**

The address of these officers is Pacific Investment Management Company LLC, 1633 Broadway, New York, New York 10019.

Securities Ownership

Listed below for each Trustee is a dollar range of securities beneficially owned in the Funds together with the aggregate dollar range of equity securities in all registered investment companies overseen by the Trustee that are in the same family of investment companies as the Trust, as of [                    ]. [To be updated by amendment.]

 

Name of Trustee    Name of Fund   

Dollar Range of Equity

Securities in the Funds

   Aggregate Dollar Range of
Equity Securities in All Funds
Overseen by Trustee in Family
of Investment Companies
Interested Trustees         
Brent R. Harris    PIMCO All Asset Fund    [            ]    [            ]
   PIMCO All Asset All Authority Fund    [            ]   
   PIMCO CommodityRealReturn Strategy Fund®    [            ]   
   PIMCO Emerging Markets Bond Fund    [            ]   
   PIMCO Government Money Market Fund    [            ]   
   PIMCO Long-Term U.S. Government Fund    [            ]   

 

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   PIMCO Mortgage Opportunities and Bond Fund    [            ]   
   PIMCO International Bond Fund (U.S. Dollar-Hedged)    [            ]   
   PIMCO RAE Fundamental Advantage PLUS Fund    [            ]   
   PIMCO RAE PLUS EMG Fund    [            ]   
   PIMCO RAE Worldwide Fundamental Advantage PLUS Fund    [            ]   
   PIMCO Long-Term Real Return Fund    [            ]   
   PIMCO Real Return Fund    [            ]   
   PIMCO RealEstateRealReturn Strategy Fund    [            ]   
   PIMCO Senior Floating Rate Fund    [            ]   
   PIMCO Short Asset Investment Fund    [            ]   
   PIMCO StocksPLUS® Short Fund    [            ]   
   PIMCO Total Return Fund    [            ]   
Peter G. Strelow    PIMCO Emerging Markets Bond Fund    [            ]    [            ]
   PIMCO Global Multi-Asset Fund    [            ]   
   PIMCO RAE PLUS Fund    [            ]   
   PIMCO RAE PLUS EMG Fund    [            ]   
   PIMCO RAE PLUS Small Fund    [            ]   
   PIMCO REALPATH® 2040 Fund    [            ]   
Independent Trustees         
George E. Borst    PIMCO Low Duration Fund    [            ]    [            ]
   PIMCO Short Duration Municipal Income Fund    [            ]   
   PIMCO Total Return Fund    [            ]   
Jennifer Holden Dunbar    PIMCO All Asset Fund    [            ]    [            ]
   PIMCO High Yield Municipal Bond Fund    [            ]   
   PIMCO Income Fund    [            ]   
   PIMCO Real Return Fund    [            ]   

 

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   PIMCO Real Return Limited Duration Fund    [            ]   
   PIMCO Senior Floating Rate Fund    [            ]   
   PIMCO StocksPLUS® Fund    [            ]   
   PIMCO StocksPLUS® International Fund (U.S. Dollar-Hedged)    [            ]   
   PIMCO Total Return Fund    [            ]   
Kym M. Hubbard    PIMCO High Yield Fund    [            ]    [            ]
   PIMCO Mortgage Opportunities and Bond Fund    [            ]   
   PIMCO Total Return Fund    [            ]   
   PIMCO Dynamic Bond Fund    [            ]   
Gary F. Kennedy    PIMCO All Asset Fund    [            ]    [            ]
   PIMCO All Asset All Authority Fund    [            ]   
   PIMCO StocksPLUS® Fund    [            ]   
   PIMCO Total Return Fund    [            ]   
Peter B. McCarthy    PIMCO Government Money Market Fund    [            ]    [            ]
      [            ]   
Ronald C. Parker    PIMCO All Asset All Authority Fund    [            ]    [            ]
   PIMCO RAE Low Volatility PLUS EMG Fund    [            ]   
   PIMCO Total Return Fund    [            ]   

The table below sets forth, to the best of the Trust’s knowledge, the approximate percentage of applicable classes of Funds owned by the Trust’s Officers and Trustees, as a group, as of [                    ]. [To be updated by amendment.]

 

Fund    Class    Percent

[            ]

  

[                    ]

  

[            ]

[To the best of the Trust’s knowledge, as of [                    ], the Trustees and Officers of the Trust, as a group, owned less than 1% of the shares of each class of each Fund not listed in the above table.]

Trustee Ownership of the Investment Adviser and Principal Underwriter, and Their Control Persons

[No independent Trustee (or his immediate family members) had any direct or indirect interest, the value of which exceeds $120,000, in the investment adviser, the principal underwriter of the Trust, or any entity controlling, controlled by or under common control with the investment adviser or the principal underwriter of the Trust (not including registered investment companies).] Set forth in the table below is information regarding each independent Trustee’s (and his immediate family members’) share ownership in securities of the investment adviser of the Trust, the principal underwriter of the Trust, and any entity controlling, controlled by or under common control with the investment adviser or principal underwriter of the Trust (not including registered investment companies), as of [                    ]. [To be updated by amendment.]

 

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Name of Independent

Trustee

  

Name of Owners

and Relationships

to Trustee

   Company    Title of Class    Value of
Securities
   Percent of Class

George E. Borst

   [            ]    [            ]    [            ]    [            ]    [    ]

Jennifer Holden Dunbar

   [            ]    [            ]    [            ]    [            ]    [    ]

Kym M. Hubbard

   [            ]    [            ]    [            ]    [            ]    [    ]

Gary F. Kennedy

   [            ]    [            ]    [            ]    [            ]    [    ]

Peter B. McCarthy

   [            ]    [            ]    [            ]    [            ]    [    ]

Ronald C. Parker

   [            ]    [            ]    [            ]    [            ]    [    ]

[No independent Trustee or immediate family member has during the two most recently completed calendar years had any securities interest in the principal underwriter of the Trust or the investment adviser or their affiliates (other than the Trust). No independent Trustee or immediate family member has during the two most recently completed calendar years had any material interest, direct or indirect, in any transaction or series of similar transactions, in which the amount involved exceeds $120,000, with:

 

   

the Funds;

 

   

an officer of the Funds;

 

   

an investment company, or person that would be an investment company but for the exclusions provided by sections 3(c)(1) and 3(c)(7) of the 1940 Act, having the same investment adviser or principal underwriter as the Funds or having an investment adviser or principal underwriter that directly or indirectly controls, is controlled by, or is under common control with the investment adviser or principal underwriter of the Funds;

 

   

an officer or an investment company, or a person that would be an investment company but for the exclusions provided by sections 3(c)(1) and 3(c)(7) of the 1940 Act, having the same investment adviser or principal underwriter as the Funds or having an investment adviser or principal underwriter that directly or indirectly controls, is controlled by, or is under common control with the investment adviser or principal underwriter of the Funds;

 

   

the investment adviser or principal underwriter of the Funds;

 

   

an officer of the investment adviser or principal underwriter of the Funds;

 

   

a person directly or indirectly controlling, controlled by, or under common control with the investment adviser or principal underwriter of the Funds; or

 

   

an officer of a person directly or indirectly controlling, controlled by, or under common control with the investment adviser or principal underwriter of the Funds.

With respect to the persons listed in the bullet points above, no independent Trustee or immediate family member has during the two most recently completed calendar years had any direct or indirect relationship, the value of which exceeds $120,000, wherein the relationship included:

 

  1.

Payments for property or services to or from any such person;

 

  2.

Provision of legal services to any such person;

 

  3.

Provision of investment banking services to any such person; and

 

  4.

Any consulting or other relationship that is substantially similar in nature and scope to the relationships listed in (i) through (iii) above.]

Standing Committees

[To be updated by amendment.]

 

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The Committee membership for each Committee and other information below is listed as of [                    ]. However, the members of any Committee may be changed by the Board of Trustees from time to time.

The Trust has a standing Audit Committee that consists of Messrs. Borst, Kennedy, McCarthy and Parker (Chair) and Msses. Dunbar and Hubbard. The Audit Committee’s responsibilities include, but are not limited to, (i) assisting the Board’s oversight of the integrity of the Trust’s financial statements, the Trust’s compliance with legal and regulatory requirements, the qualifications and independence of the Trust’s independent auditors, and the performance of such firm; (ii) overseeing the Trust’s accounting and financial reporting policies and practices, its internal controls and, as appropriate, the internal controls of certain service providers; (iii) overseeing the quality and objectivity of the Trust’s financial statements and the independent audit thereof; and (iv) acting a liaison between the Trust’s independent auditors and the full Board. The Audit Committee also reviews both the audit and non-audit work of the Trust’s independent auditors, submits a recommendation to the Board of Trustees as to the selection of an independent auditor, and reviews generally the maintenance of the Trust’s records and the safekeeping arrangement of the Trust’s custodian. During the fiscal year ended March 31, 2018, there were [        ] meetings of the Audit Committee.

The Board of Trustees has formed a Valuation Oversight Committee who has been delegated responsibility by the Board for overseeing determination of the fair value of each Fund’s portfolio securities and other assets on behalf of the Board in accordance with the Fund’s valuation procedures. The Valuation Oversight Committee reviews and approves procedures for the fair valuation of each Fund’s portfolio securities and periodically reviews information from PIMCO regarding fair value determinations made pursuant to Board-approved procedures, and makes related recommendations to the full Board and assists the full Board in resolving particular fair valuation and other valuation matters. In certain circumstances as specified in the Trust’s valuation policies, the Valuation Oversight Committee may also determine the fair value of portfolio holdings after consideration of all relevant factors, which determinations shall be reported to the full Board of Trustees. The Valuation Oversight Committee consists of Messrs. Borst, Harris, Strelow, Kennedy (co-lead), McCarthy (co-lead) and Parker and Msses. Dunbar and Hubbard. During the fiscal year ended March 31, 2018, there were [        ] meetings of the Valuation Oversight Committee.

The Trust also has a Governance Committee, which currently consists of Messrs. Borst (Chair), Harris, Strelow, Kennedy, McCarthy and Parker and Msses. Dunbar and Hubbard, and which is responsible for the selection and nomination of candidates to serve as Trustees of the Trust. Only members of the Committee that are Independent Trustees (Messrs. Borst (Chair), Kennedy, McCarthy and Parker and Msses. Dunbar and Hubbard) vote on the nomination of Independent Trustee candidates.

The Governance Committee has a policy in place for considering trustee candidates recommended by shareholders. The Governance Committee may consider potential trustee candidates recommended by shareholders provided that the proposed candidates: (i) satisfy any minimum qualifications of the Trust for its Trustees and (ii) are not “interested persons” of the Trust or the investment adviser within the meaning of the 1940 Act. The Governance Committee will not consider submissions in which the Nominating Shareholder is the trustee candidate.

Any shareholder (a “Nominating Shareholder”) submitting a proposed trustee candidate must continuously own as of record, or beneficially through a financial intermediary, shares of the Trust having a net asset value of not less than $25,000 during the two-year period prior to submitting the proposed trustee candidate. Each of the securities used for purposes of calculating this ownership must have been held continuously for at least two years as of the date of the nomination. In addition, such securities must continue to be held through the date of the special meeting of shareholders to elect trustees.

All trustee candidate submissions by Nominating Shareholders must be received by the Fund by the deadline for submission of any shareholder proposals which would be included in the Fund’s proxy statement for the next special meeting of shareholders of the Fund.

Nominating Shareholders must substantiate compliance with these requirements at the time of submitting their proposed trustee nominee to the attention of the Trust’s Secretary. Notice to the Trust’s Secretary should be provided in accordance with the deadline specified above and include, (i) the Nominating Shareholder’s contact information; (ii) the number of Fund shares which are owned of record and beneficially by the Nominating Shareholder and the length of time which such shares have been so owned by the Nominating Shareholder; (iii) a description of all arrangements and understandings between the Nominating Shareholder and any other person or persons (naming such person or persons) pursuant to which the submission is being made and a description of the relationship, if any, between the Nominating Shareholder and the trustee candidate; (iv) the trustee candidate’s contact information, age, date of birth and the number of Fund shares owned by the trustee candidate; (v) all information regarding the trustee candidate’s qualifications for service on the Board of Trustees as well as any information regarding the trustee candidate that would be required to be disclosed in solicitations of proxies for elections of trustees required by Regulation 14A of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (the “1934 Act”) had the trustee candidate been nominated by the Board; (vi) whether the Nominating Shareholder believes the trustee candidate would or would not be an “interested person” of the Fund, as defined in the 1940 Act and a description of the basis for such belief; and (vii) a notarized letter executed by the trustee candidate, stating his or her intention to serve as a nominee and be named in the Fund’s proxy statement, if nominated by the Board of Trustees, and to be named as a trustee if so elected.

 

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During the fiscal year ended March 31, 2018, there were [            ] meetings of the Governance Committee.

Trustee Retirement Policy

The Board has in place a retirement policy for all Trustees who are not “interested persons” of the Trust, as that term is defined in Section 2(a)(19) of the 1940 Act, that seeks to balance the benefits of the experience and institutional memory of existing Trustees against the need for fresh perspectives, and to enhance the overall effectiveness of the Board. No Independent Trustee shall continue service as a Trustee beyond the first Board meeting occurring after his or her 76th birthday, provided that this policy may be waived or modified from time to time at the discretion of the Governance Committee. The continued appropriateness of the retirement policy is reviewed from time to time by the Governance Committee.

Compensation Table

The following table sets forth information regarding compensation received by the Trustees for the fiscal year ended March 31, 2018. [To be updated by amendment.]

 

Name and Position    Aggregate
Compensation
from Trust1,2
  Pension or Retirement
Benefits Accrued As
Part of Funds
Expenses
   Total Compensation
from Trust and Fund
Complex Paid to
Trustees3

George Borst, Trustee

   $[            ]   N/A    $[            ]

Jennifer Holden Dunbar, Trustee

   $[            ]   N/A    $[            ]

Kym M. Hubbard, Trustee

   $[            ]   N/A    $[            ]

Gary F. Kennedy, Trustee

   $[            ]   N/A    $[            ]

Peter B. McCarthy, Trustee

   $[            ]   N/A    $[            ]

Ronald C. Parker, Trustee

   $[            ]   N/A    $[            ]

(1) For their services to PIMCO Funds, each Trustee, other than those affiliated with PIMCO or its affiliates, receives an annual retainer of $[        ], plus $[        ] for each Board of Trustees meeting attended in person, $[        ] ($[        ] in the case of the audit committee chair with respect to audit committee meetings) for each committee meeting attended and $[        ] for each Board of Trustees meeting attended telephonically, plus reimbursement of related expenses. In addition, the audit committee chair receives an additional annual retainer of $[        ] and each other committee chair receives an additional annual retainer of $[        ]. Each Trustee, other than the Trustees affiliated with PIMCO, or its affiliates, receives $[        ] for each Valuation Oversight Committee meeting attended. In addition, the Valuation Oversight Committee co-leads together receive an additional retainer of $[        ], which amount is divided evenly among the co-leads so that each individually receives an additional annual retainer of $[        ]. The Lead Independent Trustee receives an annual retainer of $[        ].

(2) The amounts shown in this column represent the aggregate compensation before deferral with respect to the Trust’s fiscal year ended March 31, 2018.

(3) During the one-year period ending March 31, 2018, each Trustee also served as a Trustee of PIMCO Variable Insurance Trust, a registered open-end management investment company, and as a Trustee of PIMCO ETF Trust, a registered open-end management investment company. In addition, during the one-year period ending March 31, 2018, Ms. Dunbar and Messrs. McCarthy and Parker also served as Trustees of PIMCO Equity Series, a registered open-end management investment company, and as Trustees of PIMCO Equity Series VIT, a registered open-end management investment company.

For their services to PIMCO Variable Insurance Trust, each Trustee, other than those affiliated with PIMCO or its affiliates, receives an annual retainer of $[        ], plus $[        ] for each Board of Trustees meeting attended in person, $[        ] for each committee meeting attended and $[        ] for each Board of Trustees meeting attended telephonically, plus reimbursement of related expenses. In addition, the audit committee chair receives an additional annual retainer of $[        ], the Valuation Oversight Committee co-leads together receive an additional retainer of $[        ], which amount is divided evenly among the co-leads so that each individually receives an additional annual retainer of $[        ], and each other committee chair receives an additional annual retainer of $[        ]. The Lead Independent Trustee receives an annual retainer of $[        ].

For their services to PIMCO ETF Trust, each Trustee, who is unaffiliated with PIMCO or its affiliates, receives an annual retainer of $[        ], plus $[        ] for each Board of Trustees meeting attended in person, $[        ] for each committee meeting attended and $ [        ] for each Board of Trustees meeting attended telephonically, plus reimbursement of related expenses. In addition, the audit committee chair receives an additional annual retainer of $[        ], the Valuation Oversight Committee co-leads together receive an additional retainer of $[        ], which amount is divided evenly among the co-leads so that each individually receives an additional annual

 

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retainer of $[        ], and each other committee chair receives an additional annual retainer of $[        ]. The Lead Independent Trustee receives an annual retainer of $[        ].

For their services to PIMCO Equity Series, Ms. Dunbar and Messrs. McCarthy and Parker receive an annual retainer of $[        ], plus $ [        ] for each Board of Trustees meeting attended in person, $[        ] ($[        ] in the case of the audit committee chair with respect to audit committee meetings) for each committee meeting attended and $[        ] for each Board of Trustees meeting attended telephonically, plus reimbursement of related expenses. In addition, the audit committee chair receives an additional annual retainer of $[        ], the Valuation Oversight Committee co-leads together receive an additional retainer of $[        ], which amount is divided evenly among the co-leads so that each individually receives an additional annual retainer of $[        ], and each other committee chair received an additional annual retainer of $[        ].

For their services to PIMCO Equity Series VIT, Ms. Dunbar and Messrs. McCarthy and Parker receive an annual retainer of $[        ], plus $[        ] for each Board of Trustees meeting attended in person, $[        ] ($[        ] in the case of the audit committee chair with respect to audit committee meetings) for each committee meeting attended and $[        ] for each Board of Trustees meeting attended telephonically, plus reimbursement of related expenses. In addition, the audit committee chair receives an additional annual retainer of $[        ], the Valuation Oversight Committee co-leads together receive an additional retainer of $[        ], which amount is divided evenly among the co-leads so that each individually receives an additional annual retainer of $[        ], and each other committee chair received an additional annual retainer of $[        ].

Investment Adviser

PIMCO, a Delaware limited liability company, serves as investment adviser to the Funds pursuant to an investment advisory contract (“Advisory Contract”) between PIMCO and the Trust. PIMCO also serves as investment adviser to the Subsidiaries. PIMCO is located at 650 Newport Center Drive, Newport Beach, California 92660. PIMCO had approximately $[        ] trillion of assets under management as of [        ] and $[        ] billion of third-party assets under management.

PIMCO is a majority owned subsidiary of Allianz Asset Management of America L.P. (“Allianz Asset Management”) with minority interests held by Allianz Asset Management of America LLC, by Allianz Asset Management U.S. Holding II LLC, a Delaware limited liability company, and by certain current and former officers of PIMCO. Allianz Asset Management was organized as a limited partnership under Delaware law in 1987. Through various holding company structures, Allianz Asset Management is majority owned by Allianz SE. Allianz SE is a European based, multinational insurance and financial services holding company and a publicly traded German company.

The general partner of Allianz Asset Management has substantially delegated its management and control of Allianz Asset Management to a Management Board. The Management Board of Allianz Asset Management is comprised of John C. Maney.

As of the date of this Statement of Additional Information, there are currently no significant institutional shareholders of Allianz SE.

PIMCO has engaged Research Affiliates, LLC (“Research Affiliates”), a California limited liability company, to serve as asset allocation sub-adviser to the PIMCO All Asset Fund and PIMCO All Asset All Authority Fund pursuant to separate asset allocation sub-advisory agreements (“Asset Allocation Sub-Advisory Agreements”) and as sub-adviser to the PIMCO Multi-Strategy Alternative, PIMCO RAE Fundamental Advantage PLUS, PIMCO RAE PLUS, PIMCO RAE PLUS EMG, PIMCO RAE PLUS International, PIMCO RAE PLUS Small, PIMCO RAE Low Volatility PLUS, PIMCO RAE Low Volatility PLUS EMG, PIMCO RAE Low Volatility PLUS International and PIMCO RAE Worldwide Long/Short PLUS Funds, pursuant to a separate sub-advisory agreement (“RAFI® Sub-Advisory Agreement”). Research Affiliates was organized in March 2002 and is located at 620 Newport Center Drive, Suite 900, Newport Beach, California, 92660.

Absent an SEC exemption or other regulatory relief, the Funds generally are precluded from effecting principal transactions with brokers that are deemed to be affiliated persons of the Funds, the Advisor or the Sub-Adviser, and the Funds’ ability to purchase securities being underwritten by an affiliated broker or a syndicate including an affiliated broker is subject to restrictions. Similarly, the Funds’ ability to utilize the affiliated brokers for agency transactions is subject to the restrictions of Rule 17e-1 under the 1940 Act. PIMCO does not believe that the restrictions on transactions with the affiliated brokers described above will materially adversely affect its ability to provide services to the Funds, the Funds’ ability to take advantage of market opportunities, or the Funds’ overall performance.

Advisory Agreements

The Funds pay for the advisory and supervisory and administrative services they require under what is essentially an all-in fee structure.

PIMCO is responsible for making investment decisions and placing orders for the purchase and sale of the Trust’s investments directly with the issuers or with brokers or dealers selected by it in its discretion. See “Portfolio Transactions and Brokerage,” below. PIMCO also furnishes to the Board of Trustees, which has overall responsibility for the business and affairs of the Trust, periodic reports on the investment performance of each Fund.

 

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Under the terms of the Advisory Contract, PIMCO is obligated to manage the Funds in accordance with applicable laws and regulations. The investment advisory services of PIMCO to the Trust are not exclusive under the terms of the Advisory Contract. PIMCO is free to, and does, render investment advisory services to others.

Following the expiration of the two year period commencing with the effectiveness of the Advisory Contract, it will continue in effect on a yearly basis provided such continuance is approved annually: (i) by the holders of a majority of the outstanding voting securities of the Trust or by the Board of Trustees; and (ii) by a majority of the independent Trustees. The Advisory Contract may be terminated without penalty by vote of the Trustees or the shareholders of the Trust, or by PIMCO, on 60 days’ written notice by either party to the contract and will terminate automatically if assigned.

As discussed in “Investment Objectives and Policies” above, the PIMCO Preferred and Capital Securities Fund may pursue its investment objective by investing in the CSF Subsidiary, the PIMCO CommoditiesPLUS® Strategy Fund may pursue its investment objective by investing in the CPS Subsidiary, the PIMCO CommodityRealReturn Strategy Fund® may pursue its investment objective by investing in the CRRS Subsidiary, the PIMCO Global Multi-Asset Fund may pursue its investment objective by investing in the GMA Subsidiary, the PIMCO Inflation Response Multi-Asset Fund may pursue its investment objective by investing in the IRMA Subsidiary and the PIMCO TRENDS Managed Futures Strategy Fund may pursue its investment objective by investing in the MF Subsidiary. The Subsidiaries have each entered into a separate contract with PIMCO whereby PIMCO provides investment advisory and other services to the Subsidiaries (the “Subsidiary Advisory Contracts”). In consideration of these services, each Subsidiary pays PIMCO a management fee and an administrative services fee at the annual rates of 0.49% and 0.20%, respectively. PIMCO has contractually agreed to waive the advisory fee and the supervisory and administrative fee it receives from the PIMCO Preferred and Capital Securities Fund in an amount equal to the management fee and administrative services fee, respectively, paid to PIMCO by the CSF Subsidiary. This waiver may not be terminated by PIMCO, and will remain in effect for as long as PIMCO’s contract with the CSF Subsidiary is in place. PIMCO has contractually agreed to waive the advisory fee and the supervisory and administrative fee it receives from the PIMCO CommoditiesPLUS® Strategy Fund in an amount equal to the management fee and administrative services fee, respectively, paid to PIMCO by the CPS Subsidiary. This waiver may not be terminated by PIMCO, and will remain in effect for as long as PIMCO’s contract with the CPS Subsidiary is in place. PIMCO has contractually agreed to waive the advisory fee and the supervisory and administrative fee it receives from the PIMCO CommodityRealReturn Strategy Fund® in an amount equal to the management fee and administrative services fee, respectively, paid to PIMCO by the CRRS Subsidiary. This waiver may not be terminated by PIMCO, and will remain in effect for as long as PIMCO’s contract with the CRRS Subsidiary is in place. PIMCO has contractually agreed to waive the advisory fee and the supervisory and administrative fee it receives from the PIMCO Global Multi-Asset Fund in an amount equal to the management fee and administrative services fee, respectively, paid to PIMCO by the GMA Subsidiary. This waiver may not be terminated by PIMCO, and will remain in effect for as long as PIMCO’s contract with the GMA Subsidiary is in place. PIMCO has contractually agreed to waive the advisory fee and the supervisory and administrative fee it receives from the PIMCO Inflation Response Multi-Asset Fund in an amount equal to the management fee and administrative services fee, respectively, paid to PIMCO by the IRMA Subsidiary. This waiver may not be terminated by PIMCO, and will remain in effect for as long as PIMCO’s contract with the IRMA Subsidiary is in place. PIMCO has contractually agreed to waive the advisory fee and the supervisory and administrative fee it receives from the PIMCO TRENDS Managed Futures Strategy Fund in an amount equal to the management fee and administrative services fee, respectively, paid to PIMCO by the MF Subsidiary. This waiver may not be terminated by PIMCO, and will remain in effect for as long as PIMCO’s contract with the MF Subsidiary is in place.

The Subsidiary Advisory Contracts will continue in effect until terminated. The Subsidiary Advisory Contracts are each terminable by either party thereto, without penalty, on 60 days’ prior written notice, and shall terminate automatically in the event: (i) it is “assigned” by PIMCO (as defined in the Investment Advisers Act of 1940, as amended (the “Advisers Act”)); or (ii) the Advisory Contract between the Trust, acting for and on behalf of the PIMCO Preferred and Capital Securities Fund, PIMCO CommoditiesPLUS® Strategy Fund, PIMCO CommodityRealReturn Strategy Fund®, PIMCO Global Multi-Asset Fund, PIMCO Inflation Response Multi-Asset Fund and/or PIMCO TRENDS Managed Futures Strategy Fund, as applicable, and PIMCO is terminated.

PIMCO employs Research Affiliates to provide asset allocation services to the PIMCO All Asset Fund and PIMCO All Asset All Authority Fund pursuant to separate Asset Allocation Sub-Advisory Agreements. Under each Asset Allocation Sub-Advisory Agreement, Research Affiliates is responsible for recommending how the assets of the Funds are allocated and reallocated from time to time among the Underlying PIMCO Funds. The Funds indirectly pay a proportionate share of the advisory fees paid to PIMCO by the Underlying PIMCO Funds in which the Funds invest. Research Affiliates is not compensated directly by the PIMCO All Asset Fund or PIMCO All Asset All Authority Fund, but is paid by PIMCO. Under the terms of each Asset Allocation Sub-Advisory Agreement, Research Affiliates is obligated to sub-advise the PIMCO All Asset and PIMCO All Asset All Authority Funds in accordance with applicable laws and regulations.

Each Asset Allocation Sub-Advisory Agreement will continue in effect with respect to the PIMCO All Asset Fund and the PIMCO All Asset All Authority Funds, respectively, for two years from its respective effective date, and thereafter on a yearly basis provided such continuance is approved annually: (i) by the holders of a majority of the outstanding voting securities of the Trust or by the Board of Trustees; and (ii) by a majority of the independent Trustees. Each Asset Allocation Sub-Advisory Agreement may be terminated without penalty by vote of the Trustees or its shareholders, or by PIMCO, on 60 days’ written notice by either party to the contract and

 

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will terminate automatically if assigned. If Research Affiliates ceases to serve as sub-adviser of the Funds, PIMCO will either assume full responsibility therefor, or retain a new asset allocation sub-adviser, subject to the approval of the Board of Trustees and, if required, the Fund’s shareholders.

PIMCO also employs Research Affiliates to provide sub-advisory services to the Funds listed below pursuant to the RAFI® Sub-Advisory Agreement. Under the RAFI® Sub-Advisory Agreement, Research Affiliates is responsible for providing, subject to the supervision of PIMCO, investment advisory services in connection with each Fund’s swap-based exposure to the proprietary model portfolio or portfolios listed beside such Fund’s name. More specifically, Research Affiliates will provide PIMCO, or counterparties designated by PIMCO, with the relevant proprietary model portfolio or portfolios for purposes of developing equity total return swaps based on that model portfolio or those model portfolios. Research Affiliates is not compensated directly by the Funds, but is paid by PIMCO.

 

   Fund   Model Portfolio(s)
PIMCO RAE Fundamental Advantage PLUS Fund   RAE Fundamental US Large Model Portfolio
PIMCO RAE PLUS EMG Fund   RAE Fundamental Emerging Markets Model Portfolio
PIMCO RAE PLUS Fund   RAE Fundamental US Large Model Portfolio
PIMCO RAE PLUS International Fund   RAE Fundamental International Large Model Portfolio
PIMCO RAE PLUS Small Fund   RAE Fundamental US Small Model Portfolio
PIMCO RAE Low Volatility PLUS EMG Fund   RAE Low Volatility Emerging Markets Model Portfolio
PIMCO RAE Low Volatility PLUS Fund   RAE Low Volatility US Model Portfolio
PIMCO RAE Low Volatility PLUS International Fund   RAE Low Volatility International Model Portfolio
PIMCO RAE Worldwide Long/Short PLUS Fund  

RAE Low Volatility US Model Portfolio

RAE Low Volatility International Model Portfolio

RAE Low Volatility Emerging Markets Model Portfolio

PIMCO Multi-Strategy Alternative Fund  

RAE Fundamental US Large Model Portfolio

RAE Low Volatility US Model Portfolio

RAE Low Volatility Emerging Markets Model Portfolio

RAE Low Volatility International Model Portfolio

With respect to each Fund listed above except the PIMCO Multi-Strategy Alternative Fund, Research Affiliates is paid a fee based upon the average daily value of the net assets of each Fund. With respect to the PIMCO Multi-Strategy Alternative Fund, Research Affiliates is paid a fee based upon the average daily long only notional value of the Fund’s derivative instruments based on the model portfolios listed beside the PIMCO Multi-Strategy Alternative Fund’s name above. If any investment company, separate account, sub-advised account, other pooled vehicle or other account, which is sponsored or advised by PIMCO and sub-advised by Research Affiliates pursuant to an agreement wherein Research Affiliates is primarily responsible for the day-to-day management of the portfolio (a “PIMCO Managed Account”), including, without limitation, the PIMCO All Asset Fund, PIMCO All Asset All Authority Fund, PIMCO All Asset Portfolio (a series of PIMCO Variable Insurance Trust) and PIMCO All Asset All Authority Portfolio (a series of PIMCO Variable Insurance Trust), invests in a Fund listed above, Research Affiliates shall, subject to applicable law, waive any fee to which it would be entitled under the RAFI® Sub-Advisory Agreement with respect to any assets of the PIMCO Managed Account invested in such Fund. PIMCO Managed Accounts do not include investment companies, separate accounts, sub-advised accounts, other pooled investment vehicles or other accounts for which Research Affiliates is not primarily responsible for day-to-day management of the account’s portfolio, regardless of whether Research Affiliates serves as a sub-adviser with respect to the account.

Under the terms of the RAFI® Sub-Advisory Agreement, Research Affiliates is obligated to provide advice to the Funds listed above in accordance with applicable laws and regulations. The RAFI® Sub-Advisory Agreement will continue in effect with respect to the Funds listed above for two years from its effective date, and thereafter on a yearly basis provided such continuance is approved annually with respect to each such Fund: (i) by the holders of a majority of the outstanding voting securities of the Trust or by the Board of Trustees; and (ii) by a majority of the independent Trustees. The RAFI® Sub-Advisory Agreement may be terminated, without penalty, with respect to a Fund by: (i) a vote of the majority of such Fund’s outstanding voting securities; (ii) a vote of a majority of the Board of Trustees upon 60 days’ written notice; (iii) PIMCO upon 60 days’ written notice; or (iv) Research Affiliates upon 60 days’ written notice. The RAFI® Sub-Advisory Agreement will terminate automatically in the event of its assignment.

In rendering investment advisory services to the Trust, PIMCO may use the resources of one or more foreign (non-U.S.) affiliates that are not registered under the Advisers Act (the “PIMCO Overseas Affiliates”) to provide portfolio management, research and trading services to the Trust. Under the Memorandums of Understanding (“MOUs”), each of the PIMCO Overseas Affiliates are Participating Affiliates of PIMCO as that term is used in relief granted by the staff of the SEC allowing U.S. registered advisers to use investment advisory and trading resources of unregistered advisory affiliates subject to the regulatory supervision of the registered adviser. Each Participating Affiliate and any of their respective employees who provide services to the Trust are considered under the MOUs to be “associated persons” of PIMCO as that term is defined in the Advisers Act for purposes of PIMCO’s required supervision.

 

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Advisory Fee Rates

Each Fund either currently pays, or will pay, a monthly investment advisory fee at an annual rate based on average daily net assets of the Funds as follows:

 

Fund()    Advisory
Fee Rate
 
PIMCO Government Money Market Fund      0.12
PIMCO All Asset Fund      0.175
PIMCO California Short Duration Municipal Income and PIMCO Short Duration Municipal Income Funds      0.18
PIMCO All Asset All Authority Fund, PIMCO Municipal Bond Funds, PIMCO Real Return Limited Duration Fund, PIMCO Short Asset Investment Fund      0.20
PIMCO California Municipal Bond Fund      0.21
PIMCO National Intermediate Municipal Bond Fund      0.22
PIMCO California Intermediate Municipal Bond, PIMCO Long-Term U.S. Government and PIMCO New York Municipal Bond Funds      0.225
PIMCO High Yield Municipal Bond, PIMCO High Yield Spectrum, PIMCO Long-Term Credit Bond, PIMCO Low Duration Income and PIMCO Long-Term Real Return Funds      0.30
PIMCO StocksPLUS® Long Duration, PIMCO Mortgage Opportunities and Bond and PIMCO Global Advantage® Strategy Bond(1) Funds      0.35
PIMCO StocksPLUS® Absolute Return, PIMCO StocksPLUS® International (Unhedged), and PIMCO StocksPLUS® Short Funds      0.39
PIMCO Senior Floating Rate(2) and PIMCO Strategic Bond Funds      0.40
PIMCO Preferred and Capital Securities, PIMCO Inflation Response Multi-Asset(3) and PIMCO StocksPLUS® Small Funds      0.44
PIMCO Diversified Income, PIMCO Emerging Local Bond, PIMCO Emerging Markets Bond, PIMCO Emerging Markets Currency and Short-Term Investments and PIMCO StocksPLUS® International (U.S. Dollar-Hedged) Funds      0.45
PIMCO CommoditiesPLUS® Strategy, PIMCO CommodityRealReturn Strategy and PIMCO RealEstateRealReturn Strategy Funds      0.49
PIMCO REALPATH® Income(4) and PIMCO Emerging Markets Corporate Bond(5)(6) Funds      0.50 %* 
PIMCO REALPATH® 2020 Fund(7)      0.53 %* 
PIMCO RAE PLUS, PIMCO RAE Low Volatility PLUS and PIMCO Emerging Markets Full Spectrum Bond(8) Funds      0.54
PIMCO REALPATH® 2025(9) and PIMCO Dynamic Bond(10) Funds      0.55 %* 
PIMCO RAE PLUS International(11) and PIMCO RAE Low Volatility PLUS International Funds      0.57
PIMCO REALPATH® 2030(12)      0.58 %* 
PIMCO RAE PLUS Small Fund      0.59
PIMCO Credit Opportunities Bond, PIMCO REALPATH® 2035(13) and PIMCO REALPATH® 2040(14) Funds      0.60 %* 
PIMCO REALPATH® 2045(15), PIMCO REALPATH® 2050(15) and PIMCO REALPATH® 2055 Funds      0.62 %* 
PIMCO RAE Fundamental Advantage PLUS Fund      0.64
PIMCO RAE PLUS EMG and PIMCO RAE Low Volatility PLUS EMG Funds      0.85
PIMCO Global Multi-Asset Fund      0.90
PIMCO RAE Worldwide Long/Short PLUS Fund      0.94
PIMCO Multi-Strategy Alternative Fund      1.05
PIMCO TRENDS Managed Futures Strategy Fund      1.15
All other Funds      0.25

() As disclosed in the Funds’ prospectuses, the Funds may invest in certain PIMCO-advised money market funds and/or short-term bond funds (“Central Funds”), to the extent permitted by the 1940 Act, the rules thereunder or exemptive relief therefrom. The Central Funds are registered investment companies created for use solely by the Funds and certain other series of registered investment companies advised by PIMCO, in connection with their cash management activities. The Central Funds do not pay an investment advisory fee to PIMCO in return for providing investment advisory services. However, when investing in a Central Fund, each such Fund (“Investing Fund”) has agreed that 0.005% of the advisory fee that such Investing Fund is currently obligated to pay to PIMCO under its investment advisory contract will be designated as compensation for the investment advisory services PIMCO provides to the applicable Central Fund.

* As the PIMCO REALPATH® Funds approach their target dates, the Funds’ investment advisory contract provides that certain PIMCO REALPATH® Funds’ advisory fee will periodically decrease over time according to set intervals. The following table provides information with respect to these and other advisory fee adjustments.

 

(1) 

Effective October 2, 2017, the Fund’s Advisory Fee was reduced by 0.05% to 0.35% per annum.

(2) 

Effective October 1, 2013, the Fund’s Advisory Fee was reduced by 0.10% to 0.40% per annum.

(3) 

Effective October 1, 2015, the Fund’s Advisory Fee was reduced by 0.21% to 0.44% per annum.

(4) 

Effective October 1, 2013, the Fund’s Advisory Fee was reduced by 0.20% to 0.50% per annum.

 

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(5) 

Effective October 1, 2015, the Fund’s Advisory Fee was reduced by 0.20% to 0.55% per annum.

(6) 

Effective October 2, 2017, the Fund’s Advisory Fee was reduced by 0.05% to 0.50% per annum.

(7) 

Effective April 1, 2015, the Fund’s Advisory Fee was reduced by 0.02% to 0.53% per annum.

(8) 

Effective October 2, 2017, the Fund’s Advisory Fee was reduced by 0.05% to 0.54% per annum.

(9) 

Effective April 1, 2015, the Fund’s Advisory Fee was reduced by 0.03% to 0.55% per annum.

(10) 

Effective October 2, 2017, the Fund’s Advisory Fee was reduced by 0.05% to 0.55% per annum.

(11) 

Effective October 1, 2013, the Fund’s Advisory Fee was reduced by 0.02% to 0.57% per annum.

(12) 

Effective April 1, 2015, the Fund’s Advisory Fee was reduced by 0.02% to 0.58% per annum.

(13) 

Effective October 1, 2013, the Fund’s Advisory Fee was reduced by 0.15% to 0.60% per annum.

(14) 

Effective April 1, 2015, the Fund’s Advisory Fee was reduced by 0.02% to 0.60% per annum.

(15) 

Effective October 1, 2013, the Fund’s Advisory Fee was reduced by 0.18% to 0.62% per annum.

PIMCO REALPATH® Fund Advisory Fee Schedule

(stated as a percentage of the average daily net assets of each Fund taken separately)

 

Fund    April 1,
2020
  April 1,
2025
  April 1,
2030
  April 1,
2035

PIMCO REALPATH® Income Fund

   0.50%   0.50%   0.50%   0.50%

PIMCO REALPATH® 2020 Fund

   0.50%   0.50%   0.50%   0.50%

PIMCO REALPATH® 2025 Fund

   0.53%   0.50%   0.50%   0.50%

PIMCO REALPATH® 2030 Fund

   0.55%   0.53%   0.50%   0.50%

PIMCO REALPATH® 2035 Fund

   0.58%   0.55%   0.53%   0.50%

PIMCO REALPATH® 2040 Fund

   0.60%   0.58%   0.55%   0.53%

PIMCO REALPATH® 2045 Fund

   0.60%   0.60%   0.58%   0.55%

PIMCO REALPATH® 2050 Fund

   0.62%   0.60%   0.60%   0.58%

PIMCO REALPATH® 2055 Fund

   0.62%   0.62%   0.60%   0.60%

Advisory Fee Payments

The advisory fees paid by each Fund that was operational during the fiscal years ended March 31, 2018, 2017 and 2016 were as follows: [To be updated by amendment.]

 

Fund    Year Ended
3/31/2018
    

Year Ended

3/31/2017

    

Year Ended

3/31/2016

 
PIMCO All Asset Fund      $ [            ]        $33,370,162        $43,352,042  
PIMCO All Asset All Authority Fund      [            ]        16,587, 660        25,469,741  
PIMCO California Intermediate Municipal Bond Fund      [            ]        308,991        269,864  
PIMCO California Municipal Bond Fund      [            ]        31,619        18,879  
PIMCO California Short Duration Municipal Income Fund      [            ]        255, 124        271,441  
PIMCO CommoditiesPLUS® Strategy Fund      [            ]        15,292,190        18,169,535  
PIMCO CommodityRealReturn Strategy Fund®      [            ]        38,363,577        45,068,237  
PIMCO Credit Opportunities Bond Fund      [            ]        2,345,598        4,070,807  
PIMCO Diversified Income Fund      [            ]        11,712,656        10,697,474  
PIMCO Dynamic Bond Fund      [            ]        24,008,723        43,449,975  
PIMCO Emerging Local Bond Fund      [            ]        18,989,851        28,344,830  
PIMCO Emerging Markets Bond Fund      [            ]        7,804,067        9,143,032  
PIMCO Emerging Markets Corporate Bond Fund      [            ]        796,197        1,516,273  
PIMCO Emerging Markets Currency and Short-Term Investments Fund      [            ]        16,459,221        22,958,393  
PIMCO Emerging Markets Full Spectrum Bond Fund      [            ]        2,116,522        2,111,449  
PIMCO Extended Duration Fund      [            ]        1,687,807        904,805  
PIMCO Global Advantage® Strategy Bond Fund      [            ]        2,809,966        5,948,841  
PIMCO Global Bond Opportunities Fund (Unhedged)      [            ]        1,270,312        1,435,632  
PIMCO Global Bond Opportunities Fund (U.S. Dollar-Hedged)      [            ]        1,741,527        1,440,835  
PIMCO Global Multi-Asset Fund      [            ]        6,252,236        9,437,468  
PIMCO GNMA and Government Securities Fund      [            ]        1,998,615        2,077,714  
PIMCO Government Money Market Fund      [            ]        822,690        388,352  
PIMCO High Yield Fund      [            ]        26,588,434        23,201,143  
PIMCO High Yield Municipal Bond Fund      [            ]        2,426,892        1,546,165  
PIMCO High Yield Spectrum Fund      [            ]        5,846,829        5,478,918  
PIMCO Income Fund      [            ]        166,345,596        124,816,919  

 

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Fund    Year Ended
3/31/2018
    

Year Ended

3/31/2017

    

Year Ended

3/31/2016

 
PIMCO Inflation Response Multi-Asset Fund      [            ]        5,453,245        4,721,008  
PIMCO International Bond Fund (Unhedged)      [            ]        3,034,763        3,934,814  
PIMCO International Bond Fund (U.S. Dollar-Hedged)      [            ]        19,585,057        20,577,324  
PIMCO Investment Grade Credit Bond Fund      [            ]        24,298,047        16,748,627  
PIMCO Long Duration Total Return Fund      [            ]        7,249,184        9,418,974  
PIMCO Long-Term Credit Bond Fund      [            ]        8,963,968        9,795,912  
PIMCO Long-Term Real Return Fund      [            ]        1,836,896        7,838,035  
PIMCO Long-Term U.S. Government Fund      [            ]        2,358,953        1,556,336  
PIMCO Low Duration Fund      [            ]        24,458,911        29,851,038  
PIMCO Low Duration Fund II      [            ]        844,373        959,071  
PIMCO Low Duration ESG Fund      [            ]        455,850        517,908  
PIMCO Low Duration Income Fund      [            ]        1,013,106        1,900,787  
PIMCO Moderate Duration Fund      [            ]        3,698,905        3,949,482  
PIMCO Mortgage Opportunities and Bond Fund      [            ]        7,971,271        5,973,109  
PIMCO Mortgage-Backed Securities Fund      [            ]        510,972        520,875  
PIMCO Multi-Strategy Alternative Fund      [            ]        792,757        581,703  
PIMCO Municipal Bond Fund      [            ]        1,419,543        1,209,588  
PIMCO National Intermediate Municipal Bond Fund      [            ]        148,055        107,037  
PIMCO New York Municipal Bond Fund      [            ]        434,096        322,598  
PIMCO Preferred and Capital Securities Fund      [            ]        179,631        158,104  
PIMCO RAE Fundamental Advantage PLUS Fund      [            ]        3,733,538        9,597,193  
PIMCO RAE Low Volatility PLUS EMG Fund      [            ]        27,898,569        31,321,710  
PIMCO RAE Low Volatility PLUS Fund      [            ]        1,301,760        3,979,104  
PIMCO RAE Low Volatility PLUS International Fund      [            ]        7,875,532        10,806,569  
PIMCO RAE PLUS EMG Fund      [            ]        14,146,856        19,263,880  
PIMCO RAE PLUS Fund      [            ]        9,472,297        14,315,050  
PIMCO RAE PLUS International Fund      [            ]        3,959,529        4,669,824  
PIMCO RAE PLUS Small Fund      [            ]        389,059        1,424,548  
PIMCO RAE Worldwide Fundamental Advantage PLUS Fund      [            ]        3,743,168        10,442,377  
PIMCO RAE Worldwide Long/Short PLUS Fund      [            ]        16,874,433        28,130,000  
PIMCO Real Return Fund      [            ]        28,155,195        30,387,696  
PIMCO Real Return Limited Duration Fund      [            ]        7,769        4,624  
PIMCO RealEstateRealReturn Strategy Fund      [            ]        7,130,629        9,466,951  
PIMCO REALPATH® 2020 Fund      [            ]        233,951        423,081  
PIMCO REALPATH® 2025 Fund      [            ]        218,550        381,836  
PIMCO REALPATH® 2030 Fund      [            ]        312,233        585,348  
PIMCO REALPATH® 2035 Fund      [            ]        244,617        430,227  
PIMCO REALPATH® 2040 Fund      [            ]        314,480        500,412  
PIMCO REALPATH® 2045 Fund      [            ]        278,123        312,095  
PIMCO REALPATH® 2050 Fund      [            ]        430,322        529,140  
PIMCO REALPATH® 2055 Fund      [            ]        25,038        19,967  
PIMCO REALPATH® Income Fund      [            ]        219,719        377,434  
PIMCO Senior Floating Rate Fund      [            ]        4,602,507        6,894,695  
PIMCO Short Asset Investment Fund      [            ]        2,326,691        914,286  
PIMCO Short Duration Municipal Income Fund      [            ]        438,996        377,843  
PIMCO Short-Term Fund      [            ]        29,119,401        34,450,602  
PIMCO StocksPLUS® Small Fund      [            ]        3,999,413        5,365,583  
PIMCO StocksPLUS® Absolute Return Fund      [            ]        4,846,139        5,665,305  
PIMCO StocksPLUS® Fund      [            ]        1,994,462        2,404,972  
PIMCO StocksPLUS® International Fund (Unhedged)      [            ]        4,942,901        4,535,003  
PIMCO StocksPLUS® International Fund (U.S. Dollar-Hedged)      [            ]        10,789,076        10,697,118  
PIMCO StocksPLUS® Long Duration Fund      [            ]        2,034,662        1,828,653  
PIMCO StocksPLUS® Short Fund      [            ]        7,648,364        10,672,615  
PIMCO Strategic Bond Fund      [            ]        530,933        981,811  
PIMCO Total Return Fund      [            ]        205,626,963        243,774,578  
PIMCO Total Return Fund II      [            ]        1,878,197        2,275,602  
PIMCO Total Return Fund IV      [            ]        3,561,699        3,678,399  
PIMCO Total Return ESG Fund      [            ]        2,702,786        2,797,893  
PIMCO TRENDS Managed Futures Strategy Fund      [            ]        4,023,453        5,113,659  

 

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Advisory Fees Waived and Recouped

PIMCO has contractually agreed, for the PIMCO All Asset Fund and PIMCO All Asset All Authority Fund, to waive its advisory fee to the extent that the advisory fees, supervisory and administrative fees and management fees charged by PIMCO to the Underlying PIMCO Funds exceed certain amounts of the total assets each Fund has invested in Underlying PIMCO Funds. PIMCO may recoup these waived fees in future periods, not exceeding three years, provided total expenses, including such recoupment, do not exceed the annual expense limit. These waivers renew annually for a full year unless terminated by PIMCO upon at least 30 days’ notice prior to the end of the contract term.

In addition, PIMCO has contractually agreed to reduce total annual fund operating expenses for certain Funds by waiving a portion of its advisory fee, which may or may not be recouped in future fiscal periods depending on the contract.

PIMCO also has contractually agreed to waive the advisory fee it receives from the PIMCO Preferred and Capital Securities Fund in an amount equal to the management fee paid to PIMCO by the CSF Subsidiary, which cannot be recouped. PIMCO also has contractually agreed to waive the advisory fee it receives from the PIMCO CommoditiesPLUS® Strategy Fund in an amount equal to the management fee paid to PIMCO by the CPS Subsidiary, which cannot be recouped. PIMCO also has contractually agreed to waive the advisory fee it receives from the PIMCO CommodityRealReturn Strategy Fund® in an amount equal to the management fee paid to PIMCO by the CRRS Subsidiary, which cannot be recouped. PIMCO also has contractually agreed to waive the advisory fee it receives from the PIMCO Global Multi-Asset Fund in an amount equal to the management fee paid to PIMCO by the GMA Subsidiary, which cannot be recouped. PIMCO also has contractually agreed to waive the advisory fee it receives from the PIMCO Inflation Response Multi-Asset Fund in an amount equal to the management fee paid to PIMCO by the IRMA Subsidiary, which cannot be recouped. PIMCO also has contractually agreed to waive the advisory fee it receives from the PIMCO TRENDS Managed Futures Strategy Fund in an amount equal to the management fee paid to PIMCO by the MF Subsidiary, which cannot be recouped. These waivers may not be terminated by PIMCO and will remain in effect for as long as PIMCO manages the Funds.

PIMCO has also agreed to waive, first, the advisory fee and, to the extent necessary, the supervisory and administrative fee it receives from the PIMCO Emerging Markets Full Spectrum Bond Fund, PIMCO Global Multi-Asset Fund, PIMCO Inflation Response Multi-Asset Fund, PIMCO Multi-Strategy Alternative Fund and each PIMCO REALPATH® Fund in an amount equal to the Underlying PIMCO Fund expenses attributable to advisory and supervisory and administrative fees at the Underlying PIMCO Fund level. These waivers renew annually for a full year unless terminated by PIMCO upon at least 30 days’ notice prior to the end of the contract term.

Advisory fees waived during the fiscal years ended March 31, 2018, 2017 and 2016 were as follows: [To be updated by amendment.]

 

Fund    Year Ended
3/31/2018
     Year Ended
3/31/2017
     Year Ended
3/31/2016
 
PIMCO All Asset Fund    $  [            ]      $ 26,610,040      $ 41,942,360  
PIMCO All Asset All Authority Fund      [            ]        6,036,970        12,518,314  
PIMCO CommoditiesPLUS® Strategy Fund      [            ]        3,083,145        3,872,705  
PIMCO CommodityRealReturn Strategy Fund®      [            ]        6,808,551        8,090,123  
PIMCO Emerging Markets Full Spectrum Bond Fund      [            ]        2,116,522        2,111,449  
PIMCO Global Multi-Asset Fund      [            ]        1,387,741        2,561,317  
PIMCO Government Money Market Fund      [            ]        0        14,422  
PIMCO Inflation Response Multi-Asset Fund      [            ]        1,902,099        1,738,802  
PIMCO Low Duration Income Fund      [            ]        38,609        0  
PIMCO Multi-Strategy Alternative Fund      [            ]        552,948        408,677  
PIMCO Preferred and Capital Securities Fund      [            ]        17,544        20,817  
PIMCO RAE Low Volatility PLUS EMG Fund      [            ]        4,923,277        5,527,361  
PIMCO Real Return Limited Duration Fund      [            ]        388        231  
PIMCO REALPATH® 2020 Fund      [            ]        177,073        418,762  
PIMCO REALPATH® 2025 Fund      [            ]        154,756        367,571  
PIMCO REALPATH® 2030 Fund      [            ]        208,388        548,721  
PIMCO REALPATH® 2035 Fund      [            ]        151,937        388,952  
PIMCO REALPATH® 2040 Fund      [            ]        191,105        446,692  
PIMCO REALPATH® 2045 Fund      [            ]        158,494        265,695  
PIMCO REALPATH® 2050 Fund      [            ]        243,786        442,014  
PIMCO REALPATH® 2055 Fund      [            ]        14,067        16,413  
PIMCO REALPATH® Income Fund      [            ]        175,102        377,434  
PIMCO Short Asset Investment Fund      [            ]        1,163,346        457,143  
PIMCO TRENDS Managed Futures Strategy Fund      [            ]        1,079,532        1,244,898  

 

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Sub-Advisory Fee Payments

PIMCO paid the following fees to Research Affiliates in connection with the Asset Allocation Sub-Advisory Agreements and the RAFI® Sub-Advisory Agreement during the fiscal years ended March 31, 2018, 2017 and 2016: [To be updated by amendment.]

 

Fund    Year Ended
3/31/2018
     Year Ended
3/31/2017
     Year Ended
3/31/2016
 
PIMCO All Asset Fund    $  [            ]      $ 23,835,830      $ 30,965,744  
PIMCO All Asset All Authority Fund      [            ]        12,440,745        19,102,306  
PIMCO Multi-Strategy Alternative Fund      [            ]        29,327        22,381  
PIMCO RAE Fundamental Advantage PLUS Fund      [            ]        99,022        201,915  
PIMCO RAE Low Volatility PLUS EMG Fund      [            ]        6,227        4,275  
PIMCO RAE Low Volatility PLUS Fund      [            ]        17,282        9,072  
PIMCO RAE Low Volatility PLUS International Fund      [            ]        13,829        4,503  
PIMCO RAE PLUS EMG Fund      [            ]        204,847        297,161  
PIMCO RAE PLUS Fund      [            ]        1,345,094        1,895,174  
PIMCO RAE PLUS International Fund      [            ]        57,065        86,398  
PIMCO RAE PLUS Small Fund      [            ]        63,987        57,310  
PIMCO RAE Worldwide Fundamental Advantage PLUS Fund      [            ]        99,023        46,895  
PIMCO RAE Worldwide Long/Short PLUS Fund      [            ]        18,493        8,555  

Proxy Voting Policies and Procedures

PIMCO has adopted written proxy voting policies and procedures (“Proxy Policy”) as required by Rule 206(4)-6 under the Advisers Act. The Trust has adopted the Proxy Policy of PIMCO when voting proxies on behalf of the Funds.

In addition to covering the voting of equity securities, the Proxy Policy also applies generally to voting and/or consent rights of fixed income securities, including but not limited to, plans of reorganization, and waivers and consents under applicable indentures. The Proxy Policy does not apply, however, to consent rights that primarily entail decisions to buy or sell investments, such as tender or exchange offers, conversions, put options, redemption and Dutch auctions. The Proxy Policy is designed and implemented in a manner reasonably expected to ensure that voting and consent rights (collectively, “proxies”) are exercised in the best interests of accounts.

With respect to the voting of proxies relating to equity securities, PIMCO has selected an unaffiliated third-party proxy research and voting service (“Proxy Voting Service”), to assist it in researching and voting proxies. With respect to each proxy received, the Proxy Voting Service researches the financial implications of the proposals and provides a recommendation to PIMCO as to how to vote on each proposal based on the Proxy Voting Service’s research of the individual facts and circumstances and the Proxy Voting Service’s application of its research findings to a set of guidelines that have been approved by PIMCO. Upon the recommendation of the applicable portfolio managers, PIMCO may determine to override any recommendation made by the Proxy Voting Service. In the event that the Proxy Voting Service does not provide a recommendation with respect to a proposal, PIMCO may determine to vote on the proposals directly.

With respect to the voting of proxies relating to fixed income securities, PIMCO’s fixed income credit research group (the “Credit Research Group”) is responsible for researching and issuing recommendations for voting proxies. With respect to each proxy received, the Credit Research Group researches the financial implications of the proxy proposal and makes voting recommendations specific for each account that holds the related fixed income security. PIMCO considers each proposal regarding a fixed income security on a case-by-case basis taking into consideration any relevant contractual obligations as well as other relevant facts and circumstances at the time of the vote. Upon the recommendation of the applicable portfolio managers, PIMCO may determine to override any recommendation made by the Credit Research Group. In the event that the Credit Research Group does not provide a recommendation with respect to a proposal, PIMCO may determine to vote the proposal directly.

PIMCO may determine not to vote a proxy for an equity or fixed income security if: (1) the effect on the applicable account’s economic interests or the value of the portfolio holding is insignificant in relation to the account’s portfolio; (2) the cost of voting the proxy outweighs the possible benefit to the applicable account, including, without limitation, situations where a jurisdiction imposes share blocking restrictions which may affect the ability of the portfolio managers to effect trades in the related security; or (3) PIMCO otherwise has determined that it is consistent with its fiduciary obligations not to vote the proxy.

In the event that the Proxy Voting Service or the Credit Research Group, as applicable, does not provide a recommendation or the portfolio managers of a client account propose to override a recommendation by the Proxy Voting Service, or the Credit Research Group, as applicable, PIMCO will review the proxy to determine whether there is a material conflict between PIMCO and the applicable account or among PIMCO-advised accounts. If no material conflict exists, the proxy will be voted according to the portfolio managers’ recommendation. If a material conflict does exist, PIMCO will seek to resolve the conflict in good faith and in the

 

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best interests of the applicable client account, as provided by the Proxy Policy. The Proxy Policy permits PIMCO to seek to resolve material conflicts of interest by pursuing any one of several courses of action. With respect to material conflicts of interest between PIMCO and a client account, the Proxy Policy permits PIMCO to either: (i) convene a committee to assess and resolve the conflict (the “Proxy Conflicts Committee”); or (ii) vote in accordance with protocols previously established by the Proxy Policy, the Proxy Conflicts Committee and/or other relevant procedures approved by PIMCO’s Legal and Compliance department with respect to specific types of conflicts. With respect to material conflicts of interest between one or more PIMCO-advised accounts, the Proxy Policy permits PIMCO to: (i) designate a PIMCO portfolio manager who is not subject to the conflict to determine how to vote the proxy if the conflict exists between two accounts with at least one portfolio manager in common; or (ii) permit the respective portfolio managers to vote the proxies in accordance with each client account’s best interests if the conflict exists between client accounts managed by different portfolio managers.

PIMCO will supervise and periodically review its proxy voting activities and the implementation of the Proxy Policy.

Information about how PIMCO voted a Fund’s proxies for the most recent twelve-month period ended June 30th (Form N-PX) will be available no later than the following August 31st, without charge, upon request, by calling the Funds at 1-800-927-4648, on the Funds’ website at http://www.pimco.com and on the SEC’s website at http://www.sec.gov.

Fund Administrator

PIMCO also serves as Administrator to the Funds pursuant to a supervision and administration agreement (as amended and restated from time to time, the “Supervision and Administration Agreement”) with the Trust. The Supervision and Administration Agreement replaces the Third Amended and Restated Administration Agreement and the administrative fees payable thereunder. Pursuant to the Supervision and Administration Agreement, PIMCO provides the Funds with certain supervisory, administrative and shareholder services necessary for Fund operations and is responsible for the supervision of other Fund service providers, and receives a supervisory and administrative fee in return. PIMCO may in turn use the facilities or assistance of its affiliates to provide certain services under the Supervision and Administration Agreement, on terms agreed between PIMCO and such affiliates. The supervisory and administrative services provided by PIMCO include but are not limited to: (1) shareholder servicing functions, including preparation of shareholder reports and communications, (2) regulatory compliance, such as reports and filings with the SEC and state securities commissions, and (3) general supervision of the operations of the Funds, including coordination of the services performed by the Funds’ transfer agent, custodian, legal counsel, independent registered public accounting firm, and others. PIMCO (or an affiliate of PIMCO) also furnishes the Funds with office space facilities required for conducting the business of the Funds, and pays the compensation of those officers, employees and Trustees of the Trust affiliated with PIMCO. In addition, PIMCO, at its own expense, arranges for the provision of legal, audit, custody, transfer agency, sub-accounting, recordkeeping and other services for the Funds, and is responsible for the costs of registration of the Trust’s shares and the printing of Prospectuses and shareholder reports for current shareholders.

Supervisory and Administrative Fee Rates

PIMCO has contractually agreed to provide the foregoing services, and to bear these expenses, at the following rates for each class of each Fund (each expressed as a percentage of the Fund’s average daily net assets attributable to its classes of shares on an annual basis):

 

Fund    Institutional
and
Administrative
Classes
  I-2   I-3   Classes A and C   Class M    Class R
PIMCO All Asset Fund    0.05%   0.15%   0.25%   0.25%(1)   N/A    0.25%(1)
PIMCO All Asset All Authority Fund    0.05%   0.15%   0.25%   0.25%(2)   N/A    N/A
PIMCO California Intermediate Municipal Bond Fund    0.22%   0.32%   N/A   0.30%   N/A    N/A
PIMCO California Municipal Bond Fund    0.23%   0.33%   N/A   0.33%   N/A    N/A
PIMCO California Short Duration Municipal Income Fund    0.15%   0.25%   N/A   0.30%   N/A    N/A
PIMCO CommoditiesPLUS® Strategy Fund    0.25%   0.35%   0.45%   0.45%(3)   N/A    N/A
PIMCO CommodityRealReturn Strategy Fund®    0.25%   0.35%   0.45%   0.45%(4)   N/A    0.45%(4)
PIMCO Credit Opportunities Bond Fund    0.30%   0.40%   [    ]   0.45%   N/A    N/A
PIMCO Diversified Income Fund    0.30%   0.40%   0.50%   0.45%   N/A    N/A
PIMCO Dynamic Bond Fund(15)    0.25%   0.35%   0.45%   0.40%   N/A    0.40%
PIMCO Emerging Local Bond Fund    0.45%   0.55%   0.65%   0.60%(11)   N/A    N/A
PIMCO Emerging Markets Bond Fund    0.38%   0.48%   0.58%   0.50%(6)   N/A    N/A
PIMCO Emerging Markets Corporate Bond Fund    0.40%   N/A   N/A   N/A   N/A    N/A
PIMCO Emerging Markets Currency and Short-Term Investments Fund    0.40%   0.50%   N/A   0.55%   N/A    N/A

 

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Fund    Institutional
and
Administrative
Classes
  I-2   I-3   Classes A and C   Class M   Class R
PIMCO Emerging Markets Full Spectrum Bond Fund    0.40%   N/A   N/A   N/A   N/A   N/A
PIMCO Extended Duration Fund    0.25%   0.35%   N/A   0.40%   N/A   N/A
PIMCO Global Advantage® Strategy Bond Fund    0.30%   0.40%   N/A   0.45%   N/A   N/A
PIMCO Global Bond Opportunities Fund (Unhedged)    0.30%   N/A   N/A   0.45%   N/A   N/A
PIMCO Global Bond Opportunities Fund (U.S. Dollar-Hedged)    0.30%   0.40%   N/A   0.40%(7)   N/A   N/A
PIMCO Global Multi-Asset Fund    0.05%   0.15%   N/A   0.25%(12)   N/A   0.25%(12)
PIMCO GNMA and Government Securities Fund    0.25%   0.35%   [    ]   0.40%   N/A   N/A
PIMCO Government Money Market Fund    0.06%   0.16%   N/A   0.21%   0.06%   N/A
PIMCO High Yield Fund    0.30%   0.40%   0.50%   0.40%   N/A   0.40%
PIMCO High Yield Municipal Bond Fund    0.25%   0.35%   [    ]   0.30%   N/A   N/A
PIMCO High Yield Spectrum Fund    0.30%   0.40%   0.50%   0.40%   N/A   N/A
PIMCO Income Fund    0.25%(17)   0.35%(17)   0.45%   0.40%(8)(17)   N/A   0.40%(8)(17)
PIMCO Inflation Response Multi-Asset Fund    0.25%   0.35%   N/A   0.45%   N/A   N/A
PIMCO International Bond Fund (Unhedged)    0.25%   0.35%   0.45%   0.40%(7)   N/A   N/A
PIMCO International Bond Fund (U.S. Dollar-Hedged)    0.25%   0.35%   0.45%   0.40%(7)   N/A   0.40%(7)
PIMCO Investment Grade Credit Bond Fund    0.25%   0.35%   0.45%   0.40%   N/A   N/A
PIMCO Long Duration Total Return Fund    0.25%   0.35%   N/A   0.40%   N/A   N/A
PIMCO Long-Term Credit Bond Fund    0.25%   0.35%   N/A   0.40%   N/A   N/A
PIMCO Long-Term Real Return Fund    0.25%   0.35%   N/A   N/A   N/A   N/A
PIMCO Long-Term U.S. Government Fund    0.25%   0.35%   [    ]   0.35%(8)   N/A   N/A
PIMCO Low Duration Fund    0.21%   0.31%   0.41%   0.25% (9)(19)(Class A)

0.30%(9)(Class C)

  N/A   0.30%(10)
PIMCO Low Duration Fund II    0.25%   N/A   N/A   N/A   N/A   N/A
PIMCO Low Duration ESG Fund    0.25%   0.35%   [    ]   N/A   N/A   N/A
PIMCO Low Duration Income Fund(14)    0.20%   0.30%   0.40%   0.35%   N/A   N/A
PIMCO Moderate Duration Fund    0.21%   0.31%   N/A   N/A   N/A   N/A
PIMCO Mortgage-Backed Securities Fund    0.25%   0.35%   0.45%   0.40%   N/A   N/A
PIMCO Mortgage Opportunities and Bond Fund    0.25%   0.35%   0.45%   0.40%   N/A   N/A
PIMCO Multi-Strategy Alternative Fund    0.10%   0.20%   N/A   0.25%   N/A   N/A
PIMCO Municipal Bond Fund    0.24%   0.34%   [    ]   0.30%   N/A   N/A
PIMCO National Intermediate Municipal Bond Fund    0.23%   0.33%   N/A   0.33%   N/A   N/A
PIMCO New York Municipal Bond Fund    0.22%   0.32%   [    ]   0.30%   N/A   N/A
PIMCO Preferred and Capital Securities Fund    0.35%   0.45%   0.55%   0.45%   N/A   N/A
PIMCO RAE Fundamental Advantage PLUS Fund    0.25%   0.35%   N/A   0.40%   N/A   N/A
PIMCO RAE Low Volatility PLUS EMG Fund    0.30%   N/A   N/A   N/A   N/A   N/A
PIMCO RAE Low Volatility PLUS Fund    0.25%   N/A   N/A   0.40%   N/A   N/A
PIMCO RAE Low Volatility PLUS International Fund    0.25%   0.35%   N/A   N/A   N/A   N/A
PIMCO RAE PLUS EMG Fund(5)    0.30%   0.40%   N/A   0.45%   N/A   N/A
PIMCO RAE PLUS Fund    0.25%   0.35%   0.45%   0.40%   N/A   N/A
PIMCO RAE PLUS International Fund    0.25%   0.35%   N/A   0.35%   N/A   0.35%
PIMCO RAE PLUS Small Fund    0.25%   0.35%   N/A   0.35%   N/A   0.35%
PIMCO RAE Worldwide Long/Short PLUS Fund    0.25%   N/A   N/A   N/A   N/A   N/A
PIMCO Real Return Fund    0.20%   0.30%   0.40%   0.35%(8)   N/A   0.35%(8)
PIMCO Real Return Limited Duration Fund    0.20%   N/A   N/A   0.35%   N/A   N/A
PIMCO RealEstateRealReturn Strategy Fund    0.25%   0.35%   0.45%   0.40%(7)   N/A   N/A
PIMCO REALPATH® Income Fund    0.05%   N/A   N/A   0.25%(13)   N/A   N/A
PIMCO REALPATH® 2020 Fund    0.05%   N/A   N/A   0.25%(13)   N/A   N/A
PIMCO REALPATH® 2025 Fund    0.05%   N/A   N/A   0.25%(13)   N/A   N/A
PIMCO REALPATH® 2030 Fund    0.05%   N/A   N/A   0.25%(13)   N/A   N/A
PIMCO REALPATH® 2035 Fund    0.05%   N/A   N/A   0.25%(13)   N/A   N/A
PIMCO REALPATH® 2040 Fund    0.05%   N/A   N/A   0.25%(13)   N/A   N/A
PIMCO REALPATH® 2045 Fund    0.05%   N/A   N/A   0.25%(13)   N/A   N/A

 

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Fund    Institutional
and
Administrative
Classes
  I-2   I-3   Classes A and C   Class M   Class R
PIMCO REALPATH® 2050 Fund    0.05%   N/A   N/A   0.25%(13)   N/A   N/A
PIMCO REALPATH® 2055 Fund    0.05%   N/A   N/A   0.25%(13)   N/A   N/A
PIMCO Senior Floating Rate Fund    0.30%   0.40%   N/A   0.35%   N/A   N/A
PIMCO Short Asset Investment Fund    0.14%   0.24%   0.34%   0.24%   0.14%   N/A
PIMCO Short Duration Municipal Income Fund    0.15%   0.25%   [    ]   0.30%   N/A   N/A
PIMCO Short-Term Fund(18)    0.20%   0.30%   0.40%   0.20%(10)   N/A   0.20%(10)
PIMCO StocksPLUS® Absolute Return Fund    0.25%   0.35%   0.45%   0.40%   N/A   N/A
PIMCO StocksPLUS® Fund    0.25%   0.35%   0.45%   0.40%   N/A   0.40%
PIMCO StocksPLUS® International Fund (U.S. Dollar-Hedged)    0.30%   0.40%   0.50%   0.45%   N/A   N/A
PIMCO StocksPLUS® International Fund (Unhedged)    0.25%   0.35%   0.45%   0.40%   N/A   N/A
PIMCO StocksPLUS® Long Duration Fund    0.24%   0.34%   N/A   0.39%   N/A   N/A
PIMCO StocksPLUS® Short Fund    0.25%   0.35%   0.45%   0.40%   N/A   N/A
PIMCO StocksPLUS® Small Fund    0.25%   0.35%   0.45%   0.40%   N/A   N/A
PIMCO Strategic Bond Fund    0.30%   0.40%   N/A   0.45%   N/A   N/A
PIMCO Total Return Fund    0.21%   0.31%   0.41%   0.30%(8)(16)(Class A)

0.35%(8)(Class C)

  N/A   0.35%(8)
PIMCO Total Return Fund II    0.25%   0.35%   N/A   N/A   N/A   N/A
PIMCO Total Return Fund IV    0.25%   N/A   N/A   0.35%   N/A   N/A
PIMCO Total Return ESG Fund    0.25%   0.35%   [    ]   N/A   N/A   N/A
PIMCO TRENDS Managed Futures Strategy Fund    0.25%   0.35%   0.45%   0.40%   N/A   N/A

 

(1) 

Effective October 1, 2016, the Fund’s Supervisory and Administrative Fee for Class A, C and R shares was reduced by 0.05% to 0.25% per annum.

(2) 

Effective May 1, 2011, the Fund’s Supervisory and Administrative Fee was reduced by 0.15% to 0.25% per annum.

(3) 

Effective October 1, 2016, the Fund’s Supervisory and Administrative Fee for Class A and C shares was reduced by 0.05% to 0.45% per annum.

(4) 

Effective May 1, 2011, the Fund’s Supervisory and Administrative Fee was reduced by 0.05% to 0.45% per annum.

(5) 

Effective October 1, 2013, the Fund’s Supervisory and Administrative Fee for each class of shares was reduced by 0.10% per annum.

(6) 

Effective October 1, 2014, the Fund’s Supervisory and Administrative Fee was reduced by 0.05% to 0.50% per annum.

(7) 

Effective May 1, 2011, the Fund’s Supervisory and Administrative Fee was reduced by 0.05% to 0.40% per annum.

(8) 

Effective May 1, 2011, the Fund’s Supervisory and Administrative Fee was reduced by 0.05% to 0.35% per annum.

(9) 

Effective May 1, 2011, the Fund’s Supervisory and Administrative Fee was reduced by 0.05% to 0.30% per annum.

(10) 

Effective May 1, 2011, the Fund’s Supervisory and Administrative Fee was reduced by 0.10% to 0.20% per annum.

(11) 

Effective October 1, 2016, the Fund’s Supervisory and Administrative Fee for Class A and C shares was reduced by 0.05% to 0.60% per annum.

(12) 

Effective October 1, 2016, the Fund’s Supervisory and Administrative Fee for Class A, C and R shares was reduced by 0.15% to 0.25% per annum.

(13) 

Effective October 1, 2016, the Fund’s Supervisory and Administrative Fee for Class A shares was reduced by 0.05% to 0.25% per annum.

(14) 

Effective January 23, 2017, the Fund’s Supervisory and Administrative Fee was reduced by 0.05% to 0.20% for Institutional Class shares, 0.30% for I-2 shares and 0.35% for Class A and Class C shares per annum.

(15) 

Effective October 2, 2017, the Fund’s Supervisory and Administrative Fee for each class of shares was reduced by 0.05% per annum.

(16) 

Effective October 2, 2017, the Fund’s Supervisory and Administrative Fee for Class A was reduced by 0.05% to 0.30% per annum.

(17) 

Effective October 2, 2017, the Fund’s Supervisory and Administrative Fee was increased by 0.05% to 0.25% for Institutional Class and Administrative Class shares, 0.35% for I-2 shares and 0.40% for Class A, Class C and Class R shares per annum.

(18) 

Effective May 1, 2011, the Fund’s Supervisory and Administrative Fee was reduced by 0.05% to 0.20% per annum.

(19)

Effective March 1, 2018, the Fund’s Supervisory and Administrative Fee for Class A was reduced by 0.05% to 0.25% per annum.

Except for the expenses paid by PIMCO, the Trust bears all costs of its operations. The Funds are responsible for: (i) salaries and other compensation of any of the Trust’s executive officers and employees who are not officers, directors, stockholders, or employees of PIMCO or its subsidiaries or affiliates; (ii) taxes and governmental fees; (iii) brokerage fees and commissions and other portfolio

 

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transaction expenses; (iv) costs of borrowing money, including interest expenses; (v) fees and expenses of the Trustees who are not “interested persons” of PIMCO or the Trust, and any counsel retained exclusively for their benefit (except the PIMCO All Asset and PIMCO All Asset All Authority Funds); (vi) extraordinary expenses, including costs of litigation and indemnification expenses; (vii) expenses, such as organizational expenses, which are capitalized in accordance with geneally accepted accounting principles; and (viii) any expenses allocated or allocable to a specific class of shares (“class-specific expenses”).

Class-specific expenses include distribution and service fees payable with respect to different classes of shares and supervisory and administrative fees as described above, and may include certain other expenses as permitted by the Trust’s Multi-Class Plan (as amended and restated from time to time, the “Multi-Class Plan”) adopted pursuant to Rule 18f-3 under the 1940 Act and subject to review and approval by the Trustees.

The Supervision and Administration Agreement may be terminated by the Trustees, or by a vote of a majority of the outstanding voting securities of the Trust, Fund or Class as applicable, at any time on 60 days’ written notice. Following the expiration of the one-year period commencing with the effectiveness of the Supervision and Administration Agreement, it may be terminated by PIMCO, also on 60 days’ written notice.

The PIMCO All Asset, PIMCO All Asset All Authority, PIMCO Emerging Markets Full Spectrum Bond, PIMCO Global Multi-Asset, PIMCO Inflation Response Multi-Asset and PIMCO REALPATH® Funds indirectly pay a proportionate share of the supervisory and administrative fees paid to PIMCO by the Underlying PIMCO Funds in which they invest.

The Supervision and Administration Agreement is subject to annual approval by the Board of Trustees, including a majority of the Trustees who are not interested persons of the Trust (as that term is defined in the 1940 Act). The current Supervision and Administration Agreement, as supplemented from time to time, was approved by the Board of Trustees, including all of the independent Trustees at a meeting held for such purpose. In approving the Supervision and Administration Agreement, the Trustees determined that: (1) the Supervision and Administration Agreement is in the best interests of the Funds and their shareholders; (2) the services to be performed under the Supervision and Administration Agreement are services required for the operation of the Funds; (3) PIMCO is able to provide, or to procure, services for the Funds which are at least equal in nature and quality to services that could be provided by others; and (4) the fees to be charged pursuant to the Supervision and Administration Agreement are fair and reasonable in light of the usual and customary charges made by others for services of the same nature and quality.

Supervisory and Administrative Fee Payments

The supervisory and administrative fees paid by each Fund that was operational during the fiscal years ended March 31, 2018, 2017 and 2016 were as follows:

 

Fund    Year Ended
3/31/2018
    Year Ended
3/31/2017
     Year Ended
3/31/2016
 

PIMCO All Asset All Authority Fund

     [                 8,236,967        13,297,616  

PIMCO All Asset Fund

   $ [               $ 14,004,508      $ 19,363,450  

PIMCO California Intermediate Municipal Bond Fund

     [                 378,517        319,525  

PIMCO California Municipal Bond Fund

     [                 45,366        25,739  

PIMCO California Short Duration Municipal Income Fund

     [                 293,974        334,947  

PIMCO CommoditiesPLUS® Strategy Fund

     [                 8,133,119        10,256,185  

PIMCO CommodityRealReturn Strategy Fund®

     [                 20,990,941        24,782,355  

PIMCO Credit Opportunities Bond Fund

     [                 1,230,315        2,129,930  

PIMCO Diversified Income Fund

     [                 8,353,823        7,663,218  

PIMCO Dynamic Bond Fund

     [                 13,653,444        24,773,440  

PIMCO Emerging Local Bond Fund

     [                 19,259,564        28,756,906  

PIMCO Emerging Markets Bond Fund

     [                 7,160,902        8,403,775  

PIMCO Emerging Markets Corporate Bond Fund

     [                 582,052        916,455  

PIMCO Emerging Markets Currency and Short-Term Investments Fund

     [                 14,692,070        20,500,077  

PIMCO Emerging Markets Full Spectrum Bond Fund

     [                 1,443,036        1,444,007  

PIMCO Extended Duration Fund

     [                 1,724,971        939,542  

PIMCO Global Advantage® Strategy Bond Fund

     [                 2,152,372        4,531,983  

PIMCO Global Bond Opportunities Fund (U.S. Dollar-Hedged)

     [                 2,248,482        1,872,444  

PIMCO Global Bond Opportunities Fund (Unhedged)

     [                 1,549,662        1,753,196  

PIMCO Global Multi-Asset Fund

     [                 1,277,635        2,028,046  

PIMCO GNMA and Government Securities Fund

     [                 2,653,098        2,804,729  

PIMCO Government Money Market Fund

     [                 587,084        214,408  

PIMCO High Yield Fund

     [                 34,226,531        29,820,739  

PIMCO High Yield Municipal Bond Fund

     [                 2,351,345        1,500,610  

PIMCO High Yield Spectrum Fund

     [                 6,093,232        5,619,859  

 

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Table of Contents
Fund    Year Ended
3/31/2018
    Year Ended
3/31/2017
     Year Ended
3/31/2016
 

PIMCO Income Fund

     [                 178,844,166        135,561,656  

PIMCO Inflation Response Multi-Asset Fund

     [                 2,983,209        2,201,751  

PIMCO International Bond Fund (U.S. Dollar-Hedged)

     [                 23,265,573        23,922,178  

PIMCO International Bond Fund (Unhedged)

     [                 3,795,257        4,746,792  

PIMCO Investment Grade Credit Bond Fund

     [                 29,177,518        20,353,212  

PIMCO Long Duration Total Return Fund

     [                 7,269,535        9,443,813  

PIMCO Long-Term Credit Bond Fund

     [                 7,554,451        8,262,189  

PIMCO Long-Term Real Return Fund

     [                 1,547,672        6,539,832  

PIMCO Long-Term U.S. Government Fund

     [                 2,872,970        2,021,002  

PIMCO Low Duration ESG Fund

     [                 492,582        548,982  

PIMCO Low Duration Fund

     [                 23,059,672        28,246,463  

PIMCO Low Duration Fund II

     [                 844,662        960,031  

PIMCO Low Duration Income Fund

     [                 1,181,552        2,107,656  

PIMCO Moderate Duration Fund

     [                 3,113,867        3,324,193  

PIMCO Mortgage Opportunities and Bond Fund

     [                 6,286,245        4,769,316  

PIMCO Mortgage-Backed Securities Fund

     [                 632,002        652,143  

PIMCO Multi-Strategy Alternative Fund

     [                 84,195        59,801  

PIMCO Municipal Bond Fund

     [                 2,079,872        1,777,729  

PIMCO National Intermediate Municipal Bond Fund

     [                 199,706        148,851  

PIMCO New York Municipal Bond Fund

     [                 535,140        387,658  

PIMCO Preferred and Capital Securities Fund

     [                 142,324        120,225  

PIMCO RAE Fundamental Advantage PLUS Fund

     [                 1,516,600        3,872,417  

PIMCO RAE Low Volatility PLUS EMG Fund

     [                 9,848,710        11,056,951  

PIMCO RAE Low Volatility PLUS Fund

     [                 628,997        1,865,593  

PIMCO RAE Low Volatility PLUS International Fund

     [                 3,464,855        4,742,863  

PIMCO RAE PLUS EMG Fund

     [                 5,049,038        6,828,022  

PIMCO RAE PLUS Fund

     [                 6,247,945        9,277,238  

PIMCO RAE PLUS International Fund

     [                 1,750,257        2,062,249  

PIMCO RAE PLUS Small Fund

     [                 177,198        621,728  

PIMCO RAE Worldwide Fundamental Advantage PLUS Fund

     [                 1,265,637        3,528,306  

PIMCO RAE Worldwide Long/Short PLUS Fund

     [                 4,488,818        7,481,721  

PIMCO Real Return Fund

     [                 28,923,001        31,655,729  

PIMCO Real Return Limited Duration Fund

     [                 7,910        4,642  

PIMCO RealEstateRealReturn Strategy Fund

     [                 4,525,985        5,844,258  

PIMCO REALPATH® 2020 Fund

     [                 44,196        76,413  

PIMCO REALPATH® 2025 Fund

     [                 26,282        45,540  

PIMCO REALPATH® 2030 Fund

     [                 42,950        79,358  

PIMCO REALPATH® 2035 Fund

     [                 25,761        42,440  

PIMCO REALPATH® 2040 Fund

     [                 39,973        63,901  

PIMCO REALPATH® 2045 Fund

     [                 24,879        29,105  

PIMCO REALPATH® 2050 Fund

     [                 40,499        53,414  

PIMCO REALPATH® 2055 Fund

     [                 2,352        2,005  

PIMCO REALPATH® Income Fund

     [                 43,323        68,853  

PIMCO Senior Floating Rate Fund

     [                 3,532,867        5,273,496  

PIMCO Short Asset Investment Fund

     [                 1,821,595        697,459  

PIMCO Short Duration Municipal Income Fund

     [                 612,240        532,138  

PIMCO Short-Term Fund

     [                 24,704,717        28,285,994  

PIMCO StocksPLUS® Absolute Return Fund

     [                 4,180,920        4,940,470  

PIMCO StocksPLUS® Fund

     [                 2,595,211        3,044,088  

PIMCO StocksPLUS® International Fund (U.S. Dollar-Hedged)

     [                 8,583,833        9,225,563  

PIMCO StocksPLUS® International Fund (Unhedged)

     [                 3,268,824        3,032,500  

PIMCO StocksPLUS® Long Duration Fund

     [                 1,395,197        1,253,933  

PIMCO StocksPLUS® Short Fund

     [                 5,096,955        7,065,253  

PIMCO StocksPLUS® Small Fund

     [                 3,184,757        4,368,539  

PIMCO Strategic Bond Fund

     [                 481,302        877,720  

PIMCO Total Return ESG Fund

     [                 2,750,687        2,844,583  

PIMCO Total Return Fund

     [                 195,095,057        234,040,434  

PIMCO Total Return Fund II

     [                 1,888,924        2,282,951  

PIMCO Total Return Fund IV

     [                 3,580,429        3,698,417  

PIMCO TRENDS Managed Futures Strategy Fund

     [                 1,067,270        1,291,541  

 

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Supervisory and Administrative Fees Waived and Recouped

PIMCO has contractually agreed, through July 31, 2019, for certain Funds, to waive their supervisory and administrative fee, or reimburse such Funds, to the extent that organizational expenses and pro rata Trustees’ fees exceed 0.0049% of the Fund’s average net assets attributable to the respective share class (the “Expense Limit”). Under the Expense Limitation Agreement, which renews annually for a full year unless terminated by PIMCO upon at least 30 days’ notice prior to the end of the contract term, PIMCO may recoup these waivers and reimbursements in future periods, not exceeding three years, provided organizational expenses and pro rata Trustees’ fees, plus such recoupment, do not exceed the Expense Limit.

PIMCO has contractually agreed to waive the supervisory and administrative fee it receives from the PIMCO Preferred and Capital Securities Fund in an amount equal to the administrative services fee paid to PIMCO by the CSF Subsidiary, which cannot be recouped. PIMCO has contractually agreed to waive the supervisory and administrative fee it receives from the PIMCO CommoditiesPLUS® Strategy Fund in an amount equal to the administrative services fee paid to PIMCO by the CPS Subsidiary, which cannot be recouped. PIMCO has contractually agreed to waive the supervisory and administrative fee it receives from the PIMCO CommodityRealReturn Strategy Fund® in an amount equal to the administrative services fee paid to PIMCO by the CRRS Subsidiary, which cannot be recouped. PIMCO has contractually agreed to waive the supervisory and administrative fee it receives from the PIMCO Global Multi-Asset Fund in an amount equal to the administrative services fee paid to PIMCO by the GMA Subsidiary, which cannot be recouped. PIMCO has contractually agreed to waive the supervisory and administrative fee it receives from the PIMCO Inflation Response Multi-Asset Fund in an amount equal to the administrative services fee paid to PIMCO by the IRMA Subsidiary, which cannot be recouped. In addition, PIMCO has contractually agreed to waive the supervisory and administrative fee it receives from the PIMCO TRENDS Managed Futures Strategy Fund in an amount equal to the administrative services fee paid to PIMCO by the MF Subsidiary, which cannot be recouped.

PIMCO has also agreed to waive, first, the advisory fee and, to the extent necessary, the supervisory and administrative fee it receives from the PIMCO Emerging Markets Full Spectrum Bond Fund, PIMCO Global Multi-Asset Fund, PIMCO Inflation Response Multi-Asset Fund and PIMCO Multi-Strategy Alternative Fund in an amount equal to the Underlying PIMCO Fund expenses attributable to advisory and supervisory and administrative fees at the Underlying PIMCO Fund level. These waivers may not be terminated by PIMCO and will remain in effect for as long as PIMCO manages the Funds. PIMCO has contractually agreed, through July 31, 2018, to waive, first, the advisory fee and, second, the supervisory and administrative fee it receives from each PIMCO REALPATH® Fund in an amount equal to the expenses attributable to the Management Fees of Underlying PIMCO Funds indirectly incurred by the PIMCO REALPATH® Fund in connection with its investments in Underlying PIMCO Funds, to the extent the PIMCO REALPATH® Fund’s Management Fees are greater than or equal to the Management Fees of the Underlying PIMCO Funds. This waiver renews annually for a full year unless terminated by PIMCO upon at least 30 days’ notice prior to the end of the contract term.

PIMCO has contractually agreed, through July 31, 2019, to waive its supervisory and administrative fee for I-3 shares by 0.05% of the average daily net assets attributable to I-3 shares of each of PIMCO All Asset All Authority Fund, PIMCO All Asset Fund, PIMCO CommoditiesPLUS® Strategy Fund, PIMCO CommodityRealReturn Strategy Fund®, PIMCO Diversified Income Fund, PIMCO Dynamic Bond Fund, PIMCO Emerging Local Bond Fund, PIMCO Emerging Markets Bond Fund, PIMCO High Yield Fund, PIMCO High Yield Spectrum Fund, PIMCO Income Fund, PIMCO International Bond Fund (Unhedged), PIMCO International Bond Fund (U.S. Dollar-Hedged), PIMCO Investment Grade Credit Bond Fund, PIMCO Low Duration Fund, PIMCO Low Duration Income Fund, PIMCO Mortgage Opportunities and Bond Fund, PIMCO Mortgage-Backed Securities Fund, PIMCO Preferred and Capital Securities Fund, PIMCO RAE PLUS Fund, PIMCO Real Return Fund, PIMCO RealEstateRealReturn Strategy Fund, PIMCO Short Asset Investment Fund, PIMCO Short-Term Fund, PIMCO StocksPLUS® Absolute Return Fund, PIMCO StocksPLUS® Fund, PIMCO StocksPLUS® International Fund (U.S. Dollar-Hedged), PIMCO StocksPLUS® International Fund (Unhedged), PIMCO StocksPLUS® Short Fund, PIMCO StocksPLUS® Small Fund, PIMCO Total Return Fund and PIMCO TRENDS Managed Futures Strategy Fund. This Fee Waiver Agreement will automatically renew for one-year terms unless PIMCO provides written notice to the Trust at least 30 days prior to the end of the then current term.

PIMCO has contractually agreed, through July 31, 2019, to waive its supervisory and administrative fee for I-3 shares by [    ]% of the average daily net assets attributable to I-3 shares of each of PIMCO Credit Opportunities Bond Fund, PIMCO GNMA and Government Securities Fund, PIMCO High Yield Municipal Bond Fund, PIMCO Long-Term U.S. Government Fund, PIMCO Low Duration ESG Fund, PIMCO Municipal Bond Fund, PIMCO New York Municipal Bond Fund, PIMCO Short Duration Municipal Income Fund and PIMCO Total Return ESG Fund. This Fee Waiver Agreement will automatically renew for one-year terms unless PIMCO provides written notice to the Trust at least 30 days prior to the end of the then current term.

Supervisory and administrative fees waived during the fiscal years ended March 31, 2018, 2017 and 2016 were as follows: [To be updated by amendment.]

 

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Fund    Year Ended
3/31/2018
    Year Ended
3/31/2017
     Year Ended
3/31/2016
 

PIMCO California Municipal Bond Fund

   $ [               $ 0      $ 43  

PIMCO CommoditiesPLUS® Strategy Fund

     [                 1,258,426        1,580,696  

PIMCO CommodityRealReturn Strategy Fund®

     [                 2,779,097        3,302,091  

PIMCO Emerging Markets Full Spectrum Bond Fund

     [                 1,047,942        1,257,390  

PIMCO Global Multi-Asset Fund

     [                 153,099        144,153  

PIMCO Government Money Market Fund

     [                 5,159        80,741  

PIMCO Inflation Response Multi-Asset Fund

     [                 397,779        340,746  

PIMCO Mortgage Opportunities and Bond Fund

     [                 0        0  

PIMCO Multi-Strategy Alternative Fund

     [                 502        1,575  

PIMCO National Intermediate Municipal Bond Fund

     [                 0        233  

PIMCO Preferred and Capital Securities Fund

     [                 7,415        92,434  

PIMCO RAE Low Volatility PLUS EMG Fund

     [                 23,642        20,584  

PIMCO RAE Low Volatility PLUS International Fund

     [                 0        0  

PIMCO RAE Low Volatility PLUS Fund

     [                 0        0  

PIMCO RAE Worldwide Long/Short PLUS Fund

     [                 0        2,166  

PIMCO Real Return Limited Duration Fund

     [                 26        78,548  

PIMCO REALPATH® 2020 Fund

     [                 0        3,157  

PIMCO REALPATH® 2025 Fund

     [                 0        7,431  

PIMCO REALPATH® 2035 Fund

     [                 0        0  

PIMCO REALPATH® 2045 Fund

     [                 0        0  

PIMCO REALPATH® 2055 Fund

     [                 28        17  

PIMCO REALPATH® Income Fund

     [                 378        12,069  

PIMCO Short Asset Investment Fund

     [                 7,086        1,993  

PIMCO TRENDS Managed Futures Strategy Fund

     [                 109,280        71,857  

Previously waived supervisory and administrative fees recouped during the fiscal years ended March 31, 2018, 2017 and 2016 were as follows: [To be updated by amendment.]

 

Fund    Year Ended
3/31/2018
    Year Ended
3/31/2017
     Year Ended
3/31/2016
 

PIMCO California Municipal Bond Fund

   $ [               $ 87      $ 440  

PIMCO Emerging Markets Full Spectrum Bond Fund

     [                 1,294        17,536  

PIMCO Government Money Market Fund

     [                 26,238        15,837  

PIMCO Inflation Response Multi-Asset Fund

     [                 0        0  

PIMCO Mortgage Opportunities and Bond Fund

     [                 0        0  

PIMCO Multi-Strategy Alternative Fund

     [                 3,700        2,715  

PIMCO National Intermediate Municipal Bond Fund

     [                 895        2,384  

PIMCO Preferred and Capital Securities Fund

     [                 1,805        0  

PIMCO RAE Low Volatility PLUS EMG Fund

     [                 160,827        180,561  

PIMCO RAE Low Volatility PLUS International Fund

     [                 0        0  

PIMCO RAE Low Volatility PLUS Fund

     [                 0        1,868  

PIMCO RAE Worldwide Long/Short PLUS Fund

     [                 0        49,222  

PIMCO Real Return Limited Duration Fund

     [                 190        0  

PIMCO REALPATH® 2025 Fund

     [                 0        424  

PIMCO REALPATH® 2035 Fund

     [                 0        403  

PIMCO REALPATH® 2045 Fund

     [                 0        262  

PIMCO REALPATH® 2055 Fund

     [                 198        158  

PIMCO Short Asset Investment Fund

     [                 57,004        22,400  

PIMCO TRENDS Managed Futures Strategy Fund

     [                 16,028        21,063  

OTHER PIMCO INFORMATION

PIMCO has created the PIMCO Global Advantage Bond Index® (“GLADI®”), an investment-grade global fixed income benchmark. The PIMCO Global Advantage® Strategy Bond Fund utilizes GLADI® as a benchmark. PIMCO owns the intellectual property rights to GLADI®, and PIMCO has filed a patent application with respect to certain features of GLADI®. PIMCO has retained an unaffiliated leading financial information services company and global index provider to independently administer and calculate GLADI® (the “Calculation Agent”). The Calculation Agent, using a publicly available rules-based methodology, calculates, maintains and disseminates GLADI®.

 

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PIMCO may from time to time develop methodologies for compiling and calculating a benchmark index. PIMCO may license or sell its intellectual property rights in such methodologies to third parties who may use such methodologies to develop a benchmark index. Such third parties may pay to PIMCO a portion of the subscription or licensing fees the third party receives in connection with such indices. PIMCO may pay out of its own resources a fee to such third parties for certain data related to such indices. A Fund may use such an index as the Fund’s primary or secondary benchmark index but would not bear any fees for such use.

PORTFOLIO MANAGERS

Other Accounts Managed

The portfolio managers who are primarily responsible for the day-to-day management of the Funds also manage other registered investment companies, other pooled investment vehicles and other accounts, as indicated in the table below. The following table identifies, as of March 31, 2018 (except as noted below)*: (i) each portfolio manager of the Funds; (ii) the number of other registered investment companies, pooled investment vehicles and other accounts managed by the portfolio manager (exclusive of the Funds); and (iii) the total assets of such other companies, vehicles and accounts, and the number and total assets of such other companies, vehicles and accounts with respect to which the advisory fee is based on performance. The Fund(s) managed by each portfolio manager, including each Fund’s total assets, are listed in the footnotes following the table. Effective July 30, 2018, the PIMCO Strategic Bond Fund is jointly managed by Marc P. Seidner and Mohit Mittal. Effective May 25, 2018, the PIMCO Emerging Markets Corporate Bond Fund is jointly managed by Kofi Bentsi, Mohit Mittal and Yacov Arnopolin. [To be updated by amendment.]

 

     Total Number of
Accounts
    Total Assets of All
Accounts (in
$millions)
    Number of Accounts
Paying a Performance
Fee
    Total Assets of
Accounts Paying a
Performance Fee (in
$millions)
 
Amey1                                
Registered Investment Companies     [            ]       $[            ]       [            ]       $[            ]  
Other Pooled Investment Vehicles     [            ]       $[            ]       [            ]       $[            ]  
Other Accounts     [            ]       $[            ]       [            ]       $[            ]  
                                 
Anderson2                                
Registered Investment Companies     [            ]       $[            ]       [            ]       $[            ]  
Other Pooled Investment Vehicles     [            ]       $[            ]       [            ]       $[            ]  
Other Accounts     [            ]       $[            ]       [            ]       $[            ]  
                                 
Arif3                                
Registered Investment Companies     [            ]       $[            ]       [            ]       $[            ]  
Other Pooled Investment Vehicles     [            ]       $[            ]       [            ]       $[            ]  
Other Accounts     [            ]       $[            ]       [            ]       $[            ]  
                                 
Arnopolin4                                
Registered Investment Companies     [            ]       $[            ]       [            ]       $[            ]  
Other Pooled Investment Vehicles     [            ]       $[            ]       [            ]       $[            ]  
Other Accounts     [            ]       $[            ]       [            ]       $[            ]  
                                 
Arnott5                                
Registered Investment Companies     [            ]       $[            ]       [            ]       $[            ]  
Other Pooled Investment Vehicles     [            ]       $[            ]       [            ]       $[            ]  
Other Accounts     [            ]       $[            ]       [            ]       $[            ]  
                                 
Arora6                                
Registered Investment Companies     [            ]       $[            ]       [            ]       $[            ]  
Other Pooled Investment Vehicles     [            ]       $[            ]       [            ]       $[            ]  
Other Accounts     [            ]       $[            ]       [            ]       $[            ]  
                                 
Balcells7                                
Registered Investment Companies     [            ]       $[            ]       [            ]       $[            ]  
Other Pooled Investment Vehicles     [            ]       $[            ]       [            ]       $[            ]  
Other Accounts     [            ]       $[            ]       [            ]       $[            ]  
                                 
Balls8                                
Registered Investment Companies     [            ]       $[            ]       [            ]       $[            ]  

 

97


Table of Contents
      Total Number of
Accounts
   Total Assets of All
Accounts (in
$millions)
   Number of Accounts
Paying a Performance
Fee
   Total Assets of
Accounts Paying a
Performance Fee  (in
$millions)
Other Pooled Investment Vehicles    [            ]    $[            ]    [            ]    $[            ]
Other Accounts    [            ]    $[            ]    [            ]    $[            ]
                     
Banet9                    
Registered Investment Companies    [            ]    $[            ]    [            ]    $[            ]
Other Pooled Investment Vehicles    [            ]    $[            ]    [            ]    $[            ]
Other Accounts    [            ]    $[            ]    [            ]    $[            ]
                     
Bentsi10                    
Registered Investment Companies    [            ]    $[            ]    [            ]    $[            ]
Other Pooled Investment Vehicles    [            ]    $[            ]    [            ]    $[            ]
Other Accounts    [            ]    $[            ]    [            ]    $[            ]
                     
Bodereau11                    
Registered Investment Companies    [            ]    $[            ]    [            ]    $[            ]
Other Pooled Investment Vehicles    [            ]    $[            ]    [            ]    $[            ]
Other Accounts    [            ]    $[            ]    [            ]    $[            ]
                     
Brightman12                    
Registered Investment Companies    [            ]    $[            ]    [            ]    $[            ]
Other Pooled Investment Vehicles    [            ]    $[            ]    [            ]    $[            ]
Other Accounts    [            ]    $[            ]    [            ]    $[            ]
                     
Callahan13                    
Registered Investment Companies    [            ]    $[            ]    [            ]    $[            ]
Other Pooled Investment Vehicles    [            ]    $[            ]    [            ]    $[            ]
Other Accounts    [            ]    $[            ]    [            ]    $[            ]
                     
Cudzil14                    
Registered Investment Companies    [            ]    $[            ]    [            ]    $[            ]
Other Pooled Investment Vehicles    [            ]    $[            ]    [            ]    $[            ]
Other Accounts    [            ]    $[            ]    [            ]    $[            ]
                     
Davis15                    
Registered Investment Companies    [            ]    $[            ]    [            ]    $[            ]
Other Pooled Investment Vehicles    [            ]    $[            ]    [            ]    $[            ]
Other Accounts    [            ]    $[            ]    [            ]    $[            ]
                     
Devgon16                    
Registered Investment Companies    [            ]    $[            ]    [            ]    $[            ]
Other Pooled Investment Vehicles    [            ]    $[            ]    [            ]    $[            ]
Other Accounts    [            ]    $[            ]    [            ]    $[            ]
                     
Dhawan17                    
Registered Investment Companies    [            ]    $[            ]    [            ]    $[            ]
Other Pooled Investment Vehicles    [            ]    $[            ]    [            ]    $[            ]
Other Accounts    [            ]    $[            ]    [            ]    $[            ]
                     
Dorsten18                    
Registered Investment Companies    [            ]    $[            ]    [            ]    $[            ]
Other Pooled Investment Vehicles    [            ]    $[            ]    [            ]    $[            ]
Other Accounts    [            ]    $[            ]    [            ]    $[            ]
                     
Fahmi19                    
Registered Investment Companies    [            ]    $[            ]    [            ]    $[             ]

 

98


Table of Contents
     

Total Number of

Accounts

   Total Assets of All
Accounts (in
$millions)
   Number of Accounts
Paying a Performance
Fee
   Total Assets of
Accounts Paying a
Performance Fee  (in
$millions)
Other Pooled Investment Vehicles    [            ]    $[            ]    [            ]    $[            ]
Other Accounts    [            ]    $[            ]    [            ]    $[            ]
                     
Garbuzov20                    
Registered Investment Companies    [            ]    $[            ]    [            ]    $[            ]
Other Pooled Investment Vehicles    [            ]    $[            ]    [            ]    $[            ]
Other Accounts    [            ]    $[            ]    [            ]    $[            ]
                     
Gomez21                    
Registered Investment Companies    [            ]    $[            ]    [            ]    $[            ]
Other Pooled Investment Vehicles    [            ]    $[            ]    [            ]    $[            ]
Other Accounts    [            ]    $[            ]    [            ]    $[            ]
                     
Gupta22                    
Registered Investment Companies    [            ]    $[            ]    [            ]    $[            ]
Other Pooled Investment Vehicles    [            ]    $[            ]    [            ]    $[            ]
Other Accounts    [            ]    $[            ]    [            ]    $[            ]
                     
Hammer23                    
Registered Investment Companies    [            ]    $[            ]    [            ]    $[            ]
Other Pooled Investment Vehicles    [            ]    $[            ]    [            ]    $[            ]
Other Accounts    [            ]    $[            ]    [            ]    $[            ]
                     
Hyman24                    
Registered Investment Companies    [            ]    $[            ]    [            ]    $[            ]
Other Pooled Investment Vehicles    [            ]    $[            ]    [            ]    $[            ]
Other Accounts    [            ]    $[            ]    [            ]    $[            ]
                     
Ivascyn25                    
Registered Investment Companies    [            ]    $[            ]    [            ]    $[            ]
Other Pooled Investment Vehicles    [            ]    $[            ]    [            ]    $[            ]
Other Accounts    [            ]    $[            ]    [            ]    $[            ]
                     
Jessop26                    
Registered Investment Companies    [            ]    $[            ]    [            ]    $[            ]
Other Pooled Investment Vehicles    [            ]    $[            ]    [            ]    $[            ]
Other Accounts    [            ]    $[            ]    [            ]    $[            ]
                     
Johnson27                    
Registered Investment Companies    [            ]    $[            ]    [            ]    $[            ]
Other Pooled Investment Vehicles    [            ]    $[            ]    [            ]    $[            ]
Other Accounts    [            ]    $[            ]    [            ]    $[            ]
                     
Kiesel28                    
Registered Investment Companies    [            ]    $[            ]    [            ]    $[            ]
Other Pooled Investment Vehicles    [            ]    $[            ]    [            ]    $[            ]
Other Accounts    [            ]    $[            ]    [            ]    $[            ]
                     
MacLean29                    
Registered Investment Companies    [            ]    $[            ]    [            ]    $[            ]
Other Pooled Investment Vehicles    [            ]    $[            ]    [            ]    $[            ]
Other Accounts    [            ]    $[            ]    [            ]    $[            ]
                     
Mariappa30                    
Registered Investment Companies    [            ]    $[            ]    [            ]    $[             ]

 

99


Table of Contents
     

Total Number of

Accounts

   Total Assets of All
Accounts (in
$millions)
  

Number of Accounts
Paying a Performance

Fee

   Total Assets of
Accounts Paying a
Performance Fee  (in
$millions)
Other Pooled Investment Vehicles    [            ]    $[            ]    [            ]    $[            ]
Other Accounts    [            ]    $[            ]    [            ]    $[            ]
                     
Mather31                    
Registered Investment Companies    [            ]    $[            ]    [            ]    $[            ]
Other Pooled Investment Vehicles    [            ]    $[            ]    [            ]    $[            ]
Other Accounts    [            ]    $[            ]    [            ]    $[            ]
                     
Mittal32                    
Registered Investment Companies    [            ]    $[            ]    [            ]    $[            ]
Other Pooled Investment Vehicles    [            ]    $[            ]    [            ]    $[            ]
Other Accounts    [            ]    $[            ]    [            ]    $[            ]
                     
Murata33                    
Registered Investment Companies    [            ]    $[            ]    [            ]    $[            ]
Other Pooled Investment Vehicles    [            ]    $[            ]    [            ]    $[            ]
Other Accounts    [            ]    $[            ]    [            ]    $[            ]
                     
Pagani34                    
Registered Investment Companies    [            ]    $[            ]    [            ]    $[            ]
Other Pooled Investment Vehicles    [            ]    $[            ]    [            ]    $[            ]
Other Accounts    [            ]    $[            ]    [            ]    $[            ]
                     
Pier35                    
Registered Investment Companies    [            ]    $[            ]    [            ]    $[            ]
Other Pooled Investment Vehicles    [            ]    $[            ]    [            ]    $[            ]
Other Accounts    [            ]    $[            ]    [            ]    $[            ]
                     
Rennison36                    
Registered Investment Companies    [            ]    $[            ]    [            ]    $[            ]
Other Pooled Investment Vehicles    [            ]    $[            ]    [            ]    $[            ]
Other Accounts    [            ]    $[            ]    [            ]    $[            ]
                     
Rodosky37                    
Registered Investment Companies    [            ]    $[            ]    [            ]    $[            ]
Other Pooled Investment Vehicles    [            ]    $[            ]    [            ]    $[            ]
Other Accounts    [            ]    $[            ]    [            ]    $[            ]
                     
Schneider38                    
Registered Investment Companies    [            ]    $[            ]    [            ]    $[            ]
Other Pooled Investment Vehicles    [            ]    $[            ]    [            ]    $[            ]
Other Accounts    [            ]    $[            ]    [            ]    $[            ]
                     
Seidner39                    
Registered Investment Companies    [            ]    $[            ]    [            ]    $[            ]
Other Pooled Investment Vehicles    [            ]    $[            ]    [            ]    $[            ]
Other Accounts    [            ]    $[            ]    [            ]    $[            ]
                     
Sharenow40                    
Registered Investment Companies    [            ]    $[            ]    [            ]    $[            ]
Other Pooled Investment Vehicles    [            ]    $[            ]    [            ]    $[            ]
Other Accounts    [            ]    $[            ]    [            ]    $[            ]
                     

 

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Total Number of

Accounts

   Total Assets of All
Accounts (in
$millions)
  

Number of Accounts
Paying a Performance

Fee

   Total Assets of
Accounts Paying a
Performance Fee  (in
$millions)
Stracke41                    
Registered Investment Companies    [            ]    $[            ]    [            ]    $[            ]
Other Pooled Investment Vehicles    [            ]    $[            ]    [            ]    $[            ]
Other Accounts    [            ]    $[            ]    [            ]    $[            ]
                     
Sundstrom42                    
Registered Investment Companies    [            ]    $[            ]    [            ]    $[            ]
Other Pooled Investment Vehicles    [            ]    $[            ]    [            ]    $[            ]
Other Accounts    [            ]    $[            ]    [            ]    $[            ]
                     
Thimons43                    
Registered Investment Companies    [            ]    $[            ]    [            ]    $[            ]
Other Pooled Investment Vehicles    [            ]    $[            ]    [            ]    $[            ]
Other Accounts    [            ]    $[            ]    [            ]    $[            ]
                     
Tournier44                    
Registered Investment Companies    [            ]    $[            ]    [            ]    $[            ]
Other Pooled Investment Vehicles    [            ]    $[            ]    [            ]    $[            ]
Other Accounts    [            ]    $[            ]    [            ]    $[            ]
                     
Worah45                    
Registered Investment Companies    [            ]    $[            ]    [            ]    $[            ]
Other Pooled Investment Vehicles    [            ]    $[            ]    [            ]    $[            ]
Other Accounts    [            ]    $[            ]    [            ]    $[            ]

 

*

The above table does not include liquidated Funds.

 

(1) 

Mr. Amey co-manages the PIMCO Low Duration ESG Fund ($[        ] million) and the PIMCO Total Return ESG Fund ($[        ] million).

(2) 

Mr. Anderson co-manages the PIMCO Mortgage Opportunities and Bond Fund ($[        ] million).

(3) 

Mr. Arif co-manages the PIMCO High Yield Fund ($[        ] million) and the PIMCO High Yield Spectrum Fund ($[        ] million).

(4) 

Mr. Arnopolin co-manages the PIMCO Emerging Markets Corporate Bond Fund ($[        ] million).

(5) 

Mr. Arnott co-manages the PIMCO All Asset Fund ($[        ] million), the PIMCO All Asset All Authority Fund ($[        ] million), the PIMCO RAE PLUS EMG Fund ($[        ] million), the PIMCO RAE Low Volatility PLUS EMG Fund ($[        ] million), the PIMCO RAE Fundamental Advantage PLUS Fund ($[        ] million), the PIMCO RAE PLUS Fund ($[        ] million), the PIMCO RAE PLUS International Fund ($[        ] million), the PIMCO RAE Low Volatility PLUS International Fund ($[        ] million), the PIMCO RAE Low Volatility PLUS Fund ($[        ] million), the PIMCO RAE PLUS Small Fund ($[        ] million) and the PIMCO RAE Worldwide Long/Short PLUS Fund ($[        ] million).

(6) 

Mr. Arora co-manages the PIMCO Investment Grade Credit Bond Fund ($[        ] million).

(7) 

Mr. Balcells co-manages the PIMCO Emerging Local Bond Fund ($[        ] million) and the PIMCO Emerging Markets Currency and Short-Term Investments Fund ($[        ] million).

(8) 

Mr. Balls co-manages the PIMCO International Bond Fund (Unhedged) ($[        ] million), the PIMCO International Bond Fund (U.S. Dollar-Hedged) ($[        ] million), the PIMCO Global Advantage® Strategy Bond Fund ($[        ] million), the PIMCO Global Bond Opportunities Fund (Unhedged) ($[        ] million) and the PIMCO Global Bond Opportunities Fund (U.S. Dollar-Hedged) ($[        ] million).

(9) 

Mr. Banet co-manages the PIMCO CommodityRealReturn Strategy Fund® ($[        ] million), the PIMCO Real Return Fund ($[        ] million), the PIMCO Long-Term Real Return Fund ($[        ] million), the PIMCO Real Return Limited Duration Fund ($[        ] million) and the PIMCO RealEstateRealReturn Strategy Fund ($[        ] million).

(10) 

Mr. Bentsi co-manages the PIMCO Emerging Markets Corporate Bond Fund ($[        ] million).

(11) 

Mr. Bodereau co-manages the PIMCO Preferred and Capital Securities Fund ($[        ] million).

(12) 

Mr. Brightman co-manages the PIMCO All Asset Fund ($[        ]million), the PIMCO All Asset All Authority Fund ($[        ] million), the PIMCO RAE PLUS EMG Fund ($[        ] million), the PIMCO RAE Low Volatility PLUS EMG Fund ($[        ] million), the PIMCO RAE Fundamental Advantage PLUS Fund ($[        ] million), the PIMCO RAE PLUS Fund ($[        ] million), the PIMCO RAE PLUS International Fund ($[        ] million), the PIMCO RAE Low Volatility PLUS International Fund ($[        ] million), the PIMCO RAE Low Volatility PLUS Fund ($[        ] million), the PIMCO RAE PLUS Small Fund ($[        ] million) and the PIMCO RAE Worldwide Long/Short PLUS Fund ($[        ] million).

(13) 

Ms. Callahan co-manages the PIMCO California Intermediate Municipal Bond Fund ($[        ] million), the PIMCO California Short Duration Municipal Income Fund ($[        ] million), the PIMCO National Intermediate Municipal Bond Fund ($[        ] million) and the PIMCO Short Duration Municipal Income Fund ($[        ] million).

 

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(14) 

Mr. Cudzil co-manages the PIMCO Extended Duration Fund ($[        ] million), the PIMCO and Government Securities Fund ($[        ] million), the PIMCO Long Duration Total Return Fund ($[        ] million), the PIMCO Long-Term U.S. Government Fund ($[        ] million), the PIMCO Mortgage-Backed Securities Fund ($[        ] million) and the PIMCO StocksPLUS® Long Duration Fund ($[        ] million).

(15) 

Dr. Davis co-manages the PIMCO Multi-Strategy Alternative Fund ($[        ] million), the PIMCO RAE Worldwide Long/Short PLUS Fund ($[        ] million) and the PIMCO TRENDS Managed Futures Strategy Fund ($[        ] million).

(16) 

Mr. Devgon co-manages the PIMCO REALPATH® Income Fund ($[        ] million), the PIMCO REALPATH® 2020 Fund ($[        ] million), the PIMCO REALPATH® 2025 Fund ($[        ] million), the PIMCO REALPATH® 2030 Fund ($[        ] million), the PIMCO REALPATH® 2035 Fund ($[        ] million), the PIMCO REALPATH® 2040 Fund ($[        ] million), the PIMCO REALPATH® 2045 Fund ($[        ] million), the PIMCO REALPATH® 2050 Fund ($[        ] million) and the PIMCO REALPATH® 2055 Fund ($[        ] million).

(17) 

Mr. Dhawan co-manages the PIMCO Emerging Local Bond Fund ($[        ] million), the PIMCO Emerging Markets Currency and Short-Term Investments Fund ($[        ] million), the PIMCO Emerging Markets Full Spectrum Bond Fund ($[        ] million) and the PIMCO Global Advantage® Strategy Bond Fund ($[        ] million).

(18) 

Mr. Dorsten co-manages the PIMCO TRENDS Managed Futures Strategy Fund ($[        ] million).

(19) 

Mr. Fahmi co-manages the PIMCO Multi-Strategy Alternative Fund ($[        ] million), the PIMCO RAE Fundamental Advantage PLUS Fund ($[        ] million), the PIMCO RAE PLUS EMG Fund ($[        ] million), the PIMCO RAE PLUS Fund ($[        ] million), the PIMCO RAE PLUS International Fund ($[        ] million), the PIMCO RAE PLUS Small Fund ($[        ] million), the PIMCO RAE Low Volatility PLUS EMG Fund ($[        ] million), the PIMCO RAE Low Volatility PLUS International Fund ($[        ] million), the PIMCO RAE Low Volatility PLUS Fund ($[        ] million), the PIMCO RAE Worldwide Long/Short PLUS Fund ($[        ] million), the PIMCO StocksPLUS® Absolute Return Fund ($[        ] million), the PIMCO StocksPLUS® International Fund (Unhedged) ($[        ] million), the PIMCO StocksPLUS® International Fund (U.S. Dollar-Hedged) ($[        ] million), the PIMCO StocksPLUS® Short Fund ($[        ] million), the PIMCO StocksPLUS® Small Fund ($[        ] million) and the PIMCO Dynamic Bond Fund ($[        ] million).

(20) 

Mr. Garbuzov co-manages the PIMCO Preferred and Capital Securities Fund ($[        ] million).

(21) 

Mr. Gomez manages the PIMCO Emerging Markets Full Spectrum Bond Fund ($[        ] million). Mr. Gomez also co-manages the PIMCO Emerging Local Bond Fund ($[        ] million), the PIMCO Emerging Markets Bond Fund ($[        ] million) and the PIMCO Emerging Markets Currency and Short-Term Investments Fund ($[        ] million).

(22) 

Mr. Gupta co-manages the PIMCO International Bond Fund (Unhedged) ($[        ] million), the PIMCO International Bond Fund (U.S. Dollar-Hedged) ($[        ] million), the PIMCO Global Advantage® Strategy Bond Fund ($[        ] million), the PIMCO Global Bond Opportunities Fund (Unhedged) ($[        ] million) and the PIMCO Global Bond Opportunities Fund (U.S. Dollar-Hedged) ($ [        ] million).

(23) 

Mr. Hammer manages the PIMCO California Municipal Bond Fund ($[        ] million), the PIMCO High Yield Municipal Bond Fund ($[        ] million), the PIMCO Municipal Bond Fund ($[        ] million) and the PIMCO New York Municipal Bond Fund ($[        ] million). Mr. Hammer also co-manages the PIMCO California Intermediate Municipal Bond Fund ($[        ] million), the PIMCO California Short Duration Municipal Income Fund ($[        ] million), the PIMCO National Intermediate Municipal Bond Fund ($[        ] million) and the PIMCO Short Duration Municipal Income Fund ($[        ] million).

(24) 

Mr. Hyman co-manages the PIMCO GNMA and Government Securities Fund ($[        ] million), the PIMCO Mortgage-Backed Securities Fund ($[        ] million) and the PIMCO Mortgage Opportunities and Bond Fund ($[        ] million).

(25) 

Mr. Ivascyn co-manages the PIMCO Diversified Income Fund ($[        ] million), the PIMCO Income Fund ($[        ] million), the PIMCO Low Duration Income Fund and the PIMCO Dynamic Bond Fund ($[        ] million).

(26) 

Mr. Jessop co-manages the PIMCO High Yield Fund ($[        ] million) and the PIMCO High Yield Spectrum Fund ($[        ] million).

(27) 

Mr. Johnson co-manages the PIMCO CommoditiesPLUS® Strategy Fund ($[        ] million), the PIMCO CommodityRealReturn Strategy Fund® ($[        ] million), the PIMCO Inflation Response Multi-Asset Fund ($[        ] million) and the PIMCO RealEstateRealReturn Strategy Fund ($[        ] million).

(28) 

Mr. Kiesel co-manages the PIMCO Credit Opportunities Bond Fund ($[        ] million), the PIMCO Investment Grade Credit Bond Fund ($[        ] million), the PIMCO Long-Term Credit Bond Fund ($[        ] million), the PIMCO Total Return Fund ($[        ] million), the PIMCO Total Return Fund II ($[        ] million), the PIMCO Total Return Fund IV ($[        ] million) and the PIMCO Total Return ESG Fund ($[        ] million).

(29) 

Ms. MacLean manages the PIMCO Senior Floating Rate Fund ($[        ] million).

(30) 

Mr. Mariappa manages the PIMCO StocksPLUS® Fund ($[        ] million). Mr. Mariappa also co-manages the PIMCO Moderate Duration Fund ($[        ] million), the PIMCO RAE Fundamental Advantage PLUS Fund ($[        ] million), the PIMCO RAE PLUS EMG Fund ($[        ] million), the PIMCO RAE PLUS Fund ($[        ] million), the PIMCO RAE PLUS International Fund ($[        ] million), the PIMCO RAE PLUS Small Fund ($[        ] million), the PIMCO RAE Low Volatility PLUS EMG Fund ($[        ] million), the PIMCO RAE Low Volatility PLUS International Fund ($[        ] million), the PIMCO RAE Low Volatility PLUS Fund ($[        ] million), the PIMCO RAE Worldwide Long/Short PLUS Fund ($[        ] million), the PIMCO StocksPLUS® Absolute Return Fund ($[        ] million), the PIMCO StocksPLUS® International Fund (Unhedged) ($[        ] million), the PIMCO StocksPLUS® International Fund (U.S. Dollar-Hedged) ($[        ] million), the PIMCO StocksPLUS® Short Fund ($[        ] million) and the PIMCO StocksPLUS® Small Fund ($[        ] million).

(31) 

Mr. Mather co-manages the PIMCO Low Duration Fund ($[        ] million), the PIMCO Low Duration Fund II ($[        ] million), the PIMCO Low Duration ESG Fund ($[        ] million), the PIMCO Moderate Duration Fund ($[        ] million), the PIMCO Total

 

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Return Fund ($[        ] million), the PIMCO Total Return Fund II ($[        ] million), the PIMCO Total Return Fund IV ($[        ] million) and the PIMCO Total Return ESG Fund ($[        ] million).

(32) 

Mr. Mittal co-manages the PIMCO Emerging Markets Corporate Bond Fund ($[        ] million), PIMCO Investment Grade Credit Bond Fund ($[        ] million), the PIMCO Long-Term Credit Bond Fund ($[        ] million), the PIMCO Long Duration Total Return Fund ($[        ] million), the PIMCO StocksPLUS® Long Duration Fund ($[        ] million) and the PIMCO Strategic Bond Fund ($[        ] million).

(33) 

Mr. Murata co-manages the PIMCO Diversified Income Fund ($[        ] million), the PIMCO Income Fund ($[        ] million), the PIMCO Low Duration Income Fund ($[        ] million) and the PIMCO Mortgage Opportunities and Bond Fund ($[        ] million).

(34) 

Dr. Pagani co-manages the PIMCO International Bond Fund (Unhedged) ($[        ] million), the PIMCO International Bond Fund (U.S. Dollar-Hedged) ($[        ] million), the PIMCO Global Bond Opportunities Fund (Unhedged) ($[        ] million) and the PIMCO Global Bond Opportunities Fund (U.S. Dollar-Hedged) ($[        ] million).

(35) 

Ms. Pier co-manages the PIMCO Diversified Income Fund ($[        ] million).

(36) 

Mr. Rennison co-manages the PIMCO REALPATH® Income Fund ($[        ] million), the PIMCO REALPATH® 2020 Fund ($[        ] million), the PIMCO REALPATH® 2025 Fund ($[        ] million), the PIMCO REALPATH® 2030 Fund ($[        ] million), the PIMCO REALPATH® 2035 Fund ($[        ] million), the PIMCO REALPATH® 2040 Fund ($[        ] million), the PIMCO REALPATH® 2045 Fund ($[        ] million), the PIMCO REALPATH® 2050 Fund ($[        ] million), the PIMCO REALPATH® 2055 Fund ($[        ] million) and the PIMCO TRENDS Managed Futures Strategy Fund ($[        ] million).

(37) 

Mr. Rodosky co-manages the PIMCO Extended Duration Fund ($[        ] million), the PIMCO Long Duration Total Return Fund ($ [        ] million), the PIMCO Long-Term U.S. Government Fund ($[        ] million) and the PIMCO StocksPLUS® Long Duration Fund ($[        ] million).

(38) 

Mr. Schneider manages the PIMCO Government Money Market Fund ($[        ] million), the PIMCO Short Asset Investment Fund ($[        ] million) and the PIMCO Short-Term Fund ($[        ] million). Mr. Schneider also co-manages the PIMCO Low Duration Fund ($[        ] million), the PIMCO Low Duration Fund II ($[        ] million) and the PIMCO Low Duration ESG Fund ($[        ] million).

(39) 

Mr. Seidner manages the PIMCO Strategic Bond Fund ($[        ] million). Mr. Seidner also co-manages the PIMCO Dynamic Bond Fund ($[        ] million).

(40) 

Mr. Sharenow co-manages the PIMCO CommoditiesPLUS® Strategy Fund ($[        ] million).

(41) 

Mr. Stracke co-manages the PIMCO Credit Opportunities Bond Fund ($[        ] million).

(42) 

Ms. Sundstrom co-manages the PIMCO Global Multi-Asset Fund ($[        ] million).

(43) 

Mr. Thimons co-manages the PIMCO Extended Duration Fund ($[        ] million) and the PIMCO Long-Term U.S. Government Fund ($[        ] million).

(44) 

Ms. Tournier co-manages the PIMCO Diversified Income Fund ($[        ] million) and the PIMCO Low Duration Income Fund ($[        ] million).

(45) 

Mr. Worah co-manages the PIMCO CommodityRealReturn Strategy Fund® ($[        ] million), the PIMCO Global Multi-Asset Fund ($[        ] million), the PIMCO Inflation Response Multi-Asset Fund ($[        ] million), the PIMCO Multi-Strategy Alternative Fund ($[        ] million), the PIMCO Real Return Fund ($[        ] million), the PIMCO Long-Term Real Return Fund ($[        ] million), the PIMCO Real Return Limited Duration Fund ($[        ] million), the PIMCO RealEstateRealReturn Strategy Fund ($[        ] million), the PIMCO REALPATH® Income Fund ($[        ] million), the PIMCO REALPATH® 2020 Fund ($[        ] million), the PIMCO REALPATH® 2025 Fund ($[        ] million), the PIMCO REALPATH® 2030 Fund ($[        ] million), the PIMCO REALPATH® 2035 Fund ($[        ] million), the PIMCO REALPATH® 2040 Fund ($[        ] million), the PIMCO REALPATH® 2045 Fund ($[        ] million), the PIMCO REALPATH® 2050 Fund ($[        ] million), the PIMCO REALPATH® 2055 Fund ($[        ] million), the PIMCO Total Return Fund ($[        ] million), the PIMCO Total Return Fund II ($[        ] million), the PIMCO Total Return Fund IV ($[        ] million) and the PIMCO Total Return ESG Fund ($[        ] million).

Conflicts of Interest

From time to time, potential and actual conflicts of interest may arise between a portfolio manager’s management of the investments of a Fund, on the one hand, and the management of other accounts, on the other. Potential and actual conflicts of interest may also arise as a result of PIMCO’s other business activities and PIMCO’s possession of material non-public information about an issuer. Other accounts managed by a portfolio manager might have similar investment objectives or strategies as the Funds, track the same index a Fund tracks or otherwise hold, purchase, or sell securities that are eligible to be held, purchased or sold by the Funds. The other accounts might also have different investment objectives or strategies than the Funds. Potential and actual conflicts of interest may also arise as a result of PIMCO serving as investment adviser to accounts that invest in the Funds. In this case, such conflicts of interest could in theory give rise to incentives for PIMCO to, among other things, vote proxies or redeem shares of a Fund in a manner beneficial to the investing account but detrimental to the Fund. Conversely, PIMCO’s duties to the Funds, as well as regulatory or other limitations applicable to the Funds, may affect the courses of action available to PIMCO-advised accounts (including certain Funds) that invest in the Funds in a manner that is detrimental to such investing accounts. In addition, regulatory restrictions, actual or potential conflicts of interest or other considerations may cause PIMCO to restrict or prohibit participation in certain investments. For example, with respect to the Funds for which Research Affiliates serves as sub-adviser pursuant to the RAFI® Sub-Advisory Agreement, regulatory concerns, conflicts of interest or other considerations may cause PIMCO, in its oversight role, to restrict or prohibit the purchase of a particular instrument indicated by the relevant RAE® model portfolio, which may cause such Fund to perform differently from the relevant RAE® model portfolio.

 

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Because PIMCO is affiliated with Allianz, a large multi-national financial institution, conflicts similar to those described below may occur between the Funds or other accounts managed by PIMCO and PIMCO’s affiliates or accounts managed by those affiliates. Those affiliates (or their clients), which generally operate autonomously from PIMCO, may take actions that are adverse to the Funds or other accounts managed by PIMCO. In many cases, PIMCO will not be in a position to mitigate those actions or address those conflicts, which could adversely affect the performance of the Funds or other accounts managed by PIMCO.

Knowledge and Timing of Fund Trades. A potential conflict of interest may arise as a result of the portfolio manager’s day-to-day management of a Fund. Because of their positions with the Funds, the portfolio managers know the size, timing and possible market impact of a Fund’s trades. It is theoretically possible that the portfolio managers could use this information to the advantage of other accounts they manage and to the possible detriment of a Fund.

Investment Opportunities. A potential conflict of interest may arise as a result of the portfolio manager’s management of a number of accounts with varying investment guidelines. Often, an investment opportunity may be suitable for one or more Funds or other accounts managed by PIMCO (each a “Client,” and collectively, the “Clients”), but may not be available in sufficient quantities for all accounts to participate fully. Similarly, there may be limited opportunity to sell an investment held by a Fund and another Client. PIMCO has adopted policies and procedures reasonably designed to allocate investment opportunities on a fair and equitable basis over time.

Under PIMCO’s allocation procedures, investment opportunities are allocated among various investment strategies based on individual account investment guidelines and PIMCO’s investment outlook. PIMCO has also adopted additional procedures to complement the general trade allocation policy that are designed to address potential conflicts of interest due to the side-by-side management of the Funds and certain pooled investment vehicles, including investment opportunity allocation issues.

From time to time, PIMCO may take an investment position or action for a Client that may be different from, or inconsistent with, an action or position taken for one or more other Clients having similar or differing investment objectives. These positions and actions may adversely impact, or in some instances may benefit, one or more affected Clients, including Clients that are PIMCO affiliates, in which PIMCO has an interest, or which pays PIMCO higher fees or a performance fee. For example, a Client may buy a security and another Client may establish a short position in that same security. The subsequent short sale may result in a decrease in the price of the security that the other Client holds. Similarly, transactions or investments by one or more Clients may have the effect of diluting or otherwise disadvantaging the values, prices or investment strategies of another Client.

When PIMCO implements for one Client a portfolio decision or strategy ahead of, or contemporaneously with, similar portfolio decisions or strategies of another Client, market impact, liquidity constraints or other factors could result in one or more Clients receiving less favorable trading results, the costs of implementing such portfolio decisions or strategies could be increased or such Clients could otherwise be disadvantaged. On the other hand, potential conflicts may also arise because portfolio decisions regarding a Client may benefit other Clients. For example, the sale of a long position or establishment of a short position for a Client may decrease the price of the same security sold short by (and therefore benefit) other Clients, and the purchase of a security or covering of a short position in a security for a Client may increase the price of the same security held by (and therefore benefit) other Clients.

Under certain circumstances, a Client may invest in a transaction in which one or more other Clients are expected to participate, or already have made or will seek to make, an investment. Such Clients (or groups of Clients) may have conflicting interests and objectives in connection with such investments, including with respect to views on the operations or activities of the issuer involved, the targeted returns from the investment and the timeframe for, and method of, exiting the investment. When making such investments, PIMCO may do so in a way that favors one Client over another Client, even if both Clients are investing in the same security at the same time. Certain Clients may invest on a “parallel” basis (i.e., proportionately in all transactions at substantially the same time and on substantially the same terms and conditions). In addition, other accounts may expect to invest in many of the same types of investments as another account. However, there may be investments in which one or more of such accounts does not invest (or invests on different terms or on a non-pro rata basis) due to factors such as legal, tax, regulatory, business, contractual or other similar considerations or due to the provisions of a Client’s governing documents. Decisions as to the allocation of investment opportunities among such Clients present numerous conflicts of interest, which may not be resolved in a manner that is favorable to a Client’s interests. To the extent an investment is not allocated pro rata among such entities, a Client could incur a disproportionate amount of income or loss related to such investment relative to such other Client.

In addition, Clients may invest alongside one another in the same underlying investments or otherwise pursuant to a substantially similar investment strategy as one or more other Clients. In such cases, certain Clients may have preferential liquidity and information rights relative to other Clients holding the same investments, with the result that such Clients will be able to withdraw/redeem their interests in underlying investments in priority to Clients who may have more limited access to information or more restrictive withdrawal/redemption rights. Clients with more limited information rights or more restrictive liquidity may therefore be adversely affected in the event of a downturn in the markets.

 

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Further, potential conflicts may be inherent in PIMCO’s use of multiple strategies. For example, conflicts will arise in cases where different Clients invest in different parts of an issuer’s capital structure, including circumstances in which one or more Clients may own private securities or obligations of an issuer and other Clients may own or seek to acquire private securities of the same issuer. For example, a Client may acquire a loan, loan participation or a loan assignment of a particular borrower in which one or more other Clients have an equity investment, or may invest in senior debt obligations of an issuer for one Client and junior debt obligations or equity of the same issuer for another Client.

PIMCO may also, for example, direct a Client to invest in a tranche of a structured finance vehicle, such as a CLO or CDO, where PIMCO is also, at the same or different time, directing another Client to make investments in a different tranche of the same vehicle, which tranche’s interests may be adverse to other tranches. PIMCO may also cause a Client to purchase from, or sell assets to, an entity, such as a structured finance vehicle, in which other Clients may have an interest, potentially in a manner that will have an adverse effect on the other Clients. There may also be conflicts where, for example, a Client holds certain debt or equity securities of an issuer, and that same issuer has issued other debt, equity or other instruments that are owned by other Clients or by an entity, such as a structured finance vehicle, in which other Clients have an interest.

In each of the situations described above, PIMCO may take actions with respect to the assets held by one Client that are adverse to the other Clients, for example, by foreclosing on loans, by putting an issuer into default, or by exercising rights to purchase or sell to an issuer, causing an issuer to take actions adverse to certain classes of securities, or otherwise. In negotiating the terms and conditions of any such investments, or any subsequent amendments or waivers or taking any other actions, PIMCO may find that the interests of a Client and the interests of one or more other Clients could conflict. In these situations, decisions over items such as whether to make the investment or take an action, proxy voting, corporate reorganization, how to exit an investment, or bankruptcy or similar matters (including, for example, whether to trigger an event of default or the terms of any workout) may result in conflicts of interest. Similarly, if an issuer in which a Client and one or more other Clients directly or indirectly hold different classes of securities (or other assets, instruments or obligations issued by such issuer or underlying investments of such issuer) encounters financial problems, decisions over the terms of any workout will raise conflicts of interests (including, for example, conflicts over proposed waivers and amendments to debt covenants). For example, a debt holder may be better served by a liquidation of the issuer in which it may be paid in full, whereas an equity or junior bond holder might prefer a reorganization that holds the potential to create value for the equity holders. In some cases PIMCO may refrain from taking certain actions or making certain investments on behalf of Clients in order to avoid or mitigate certain conflicts of interest or to prevent adverse regulatory or other effects on PIMCO, or may sell investments for certain Clients (in each case potentially disadvantaging the Clients on whose behalf the actions are not taken, investments not made, or investments sold). In other cases, PIMCO may not refrain from taking actions or making investments on behalf of certain Clients that have the potential to disadvantage other Clients. In addition, PIMCO may take actions or refrain from taking actions in order to mitigate legal risks to PIMCO or its affiliates or its Clients even if disadvantageous to a Client’s account. For example, if PIMCO acquires material non-public confidential information in connection with its business activities for other Clients, a portfolio manager may be restricted from purchasing securities or selling securities for a Client. Moreover, a Client may invest in a transaction in which one or more other Clients are expected to participate, or already have made or will seek to make, an investment.

Additionally, certain conflicts may exist with respect to portfolio managers who make investment decisions on behalf of several different types of Clients. Such portfolio managers may have an incentive to allocate trades, time or resources to certain Clients, including those Clients who pay higher investment management fees or that pay incentive fees or allocations, over other Clients. These conflicts may be heightened with respect to portfolio managers who are eligible to receive a performance allocation under certain circumstances as part of their compensation.

PIMCO may conduct litigation on behalf of one or more Clients. In such cases, Clients may be required to bear certain fees, costs, expenses and liabilities associated with the litigation. Other Clients that are or were investors in, or otherwise involved with, the subject investments may or may not (depending on the circumstances) be parties to such litigation actions, with the result that certain Clients may participate in litigation actions in which not all Clients with similar investments may participate, and such non¬participating Clients may benefit from the results of such litigation actions without bearing or otherwise being subject to the associated fees, costs, expenses and liabilities. PIMCO, for example, typically does not pursue legal claims on behalf of its separate accounts.

The foregoing is not a complete list of conflicts to which PIMCO or Clients may be subject. PIMCO seeks to review conflicts on a case-by-case basis as they arise. Any review will take into consideration the interests of the relevant Clients, the circumstances giving rise to the conflict, applicable PIMCO policies and procedures, and applicable laws. Clients (and investors in Portfolios) should be aware that conflicts will not necessarily be resolved in favor of their interests and may in fact be resolved in a manner adverse to their interests. PIMCO will attempt to resolve such matters fairly, but even so, matters may be resolved in favor of other Clients which pay PIMCO higher fees or performance fees or in which PIMCO or its affiliates have a significant proprietary interest. There can be no assurance that any actual or potential conflicts of interest will not result in a particular Client or group of Clients receiving less favorable investment terms in or returns from certain investments than if such conflicts of interest did not exist.

 

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Conflicts like those described above may also occur between Clients, on the one hand, and PIMCO or its affiliates, on the other. These conflicts will not always be resolved in favor of the Client. In addition, because PIMCO is affiliated with Allianz, a large multi¬national financial institution, conflicts similar to those described above may occur between clients of PIMCO and PIMCO’s affiliates or accounts managed by those affiliates. Those affiliates (or their clients), which generally operate autonomously from PIMCO, may take actions that are adverse to PIMCO’s Clients. In many cases PIMCO will have limited or no ability to mitigate those actions or address those conflicts, which could adversely affect Client performance. In addition, certain regulatory restrictions may prohibit PIMCO from using certain brokers or investing in certain companies (even if such companies are not affiliated with Allianz) because of the applicability of certain laws and regulations applicable to PIMCO, Allianz SE or their affiliates. An account’s willingness to negotiate terms or take actions with respect to an investment may also be, directly or indirectly, constrained or otherwise impacted to the extent Allianz SE, PIMCO, and/or their affiliates, directors, partners, managers, members, officers or personnel are also invested therein or otherwise have a connection to the subject investment (e.g., serving as a trustee or board member thereof).

Performance Fees. A portfolio manager may advise certain accounts with respect to which the advisory fee is based entirely or partially on performance. Performance fee arrangements may create a conflict of interest for the portfolio manager in that the portfolio manager may have an incentive to allocate the investment opportunities that he or she believes might be the most profitable to such other accounts instead of allocating them to a Fund. PIMCO has adopted policies and procedures reasonably designed to allocate investment opportunities between the Funds and such other accounts on a fair and equitable basis over time.

PIMCO All Asset and PIMCO All Asset All Authority Funds. Because the PIMCO All Asset and the PIMCO All Asset All Authority Funds invest substantially all of their assets in the Underlying PIMCO Funds, Research Affiliates believes that the potential conflicts of interest discussed above are mitigated. However, if the PIMCO All Asset Fund or the PIMCO All Asset All Authority Fund invests in any of the PIMCO RAE Fundamental Advantage PLUS Fund, PIMCO RAE PLUS EMG Fund, PIMCO RAE PLUS Fund, PIMCO RAE PLUS International Fund, PIMCO RAE PLUS Small Fund, PIMCO RAE Low Volatility PLUS EMG Fund, PIMCO RAE Low Volatility PLUS Fund, PIMCO RAE Low Volatility PLUS International Fund or PIMCO RAE Worldwide Long/Short PLUS Fund, each a series of PIMCO Funds, or PIMCO Dividend and Income Fund, PIMCO RAE Emerging Markets Fund, PIMCO RAE International Fund, PIMCO RAE US Fund or PIMCO RAE US Small Fund, each a series of PIMCO Equity Series, Research Affiliates will, subject to applicable law, waive any fee to which it would be entitled under any sub-advisory agreement with any such Fund with respect to the assets of the PIMCO All Asset Fund or PIMCO All Asset All Authority Fund, as applicable, invested in such Fund. Accordingly, PIMCO and Research Affiliates believes that the potential conflicts of interest discussed above also are mitigated.

Portfolio Manager Compensation

PIMCO’s approach to compensation seeks to provide professionals with a Total Compensation Plan and process that is driven by PIMCO’s mission and values. Key Principles on Compensation Philosophy include:

 

   

PIMCO’s pay practices are designed to attract and retain high performers;

 

   

PIMCO’s pay philosophy embraces a corporate culture of rewarding strong performance, a strong work ethic, and meritocracy;

 

   

PIMCO’s goal is to ensure key professionals are aligned to PIMCO’s long-term success through equity participation; and

 

   

PIMCO’s “Discern and Differentiate” discipline guides total compensation levels.

The Total Compensation Plan consists of three components. The compensation program for portfolio managers is designed to align with clients’ interests, emphasizing each portfolio manager’s ability to generate long-term investment success for PIMCO’s clients. A portfolio manager’s compensation is not based solely on the performance of any Fund or any other account managed by that portfolio manager:

Base Salary – Base salary is determined based on core job responsibilities, positions/levels and market factors. Base salary levels are reviewed annually, when there is a significant change in job responsibilities or position, or a significant change in market levels.

Performance Bonus – Performance bonuses are designed to reward risk-adjusted performance and contributions to PIMCO’s broader investment process. The compensation process is not formulaic and the following non-exhaustive list of qualitative and quantitative criteria are considered when determining the total compensation for portfolio managers:

 

   

Performance measured over a variety of longer- and shorter-term periods, including 5-year, 4-year, 3-year, 2-year and 1-year dollar-weighted and account-weighted, pre-tax total and risk-adjusted investment performance as judged against the applicable benchmarks (which may include internal investment performance-related benchmarks) for each account managed by a portfolio manager (including the Funds) and relative to applicable industry peer groups; greatest emphasis is placed on 5-year and 3-year performance, followed by 1-year performance;

 

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Consistency of investment performance across portfolios of similar mandate and guidelines, rewarding low dispersion and consistency of outperformance;

 

   

Appropriate risk positioning and risk management mindset, which includes consistency with PIMCO’s investment philosophy, the Investment Committee’s positioning guidance, absence of defaults, and appropriate alignment with client objectives;

 

   

Contributions to mentoring, coaching and/or supervising members of team;

 

   

Collaboration, idea generation, and contribution of investment ideas in the context of PIMCO’s investment process, Investment Committee meetings, and day-to-day management of portfolios;

 

   

With much lesser importance than the aforementioned factors: amount and nature of assets managed by the portfolio manager, contributions to asset retention, and client satisfaction.

PIMCO’s partnership culture further rewards strong long term risk adjusted returns with promotion decisions almost entirely tied to long term contributions to the investment process. 10-year performance can also be considered, though not explicitly, as part of the compensation process.

Deferred Compensation – Long Term Incentive Plan (“LTIP”) and/or M Options are awarded to key professionals. Employees who reach a total compensation threshold are delivered their annual compensation in a mix of cash and/or deferred compensation. PIMCO incorporates a progressive allocation of deferred compensation as a percentage of total compensation, which is in line with market practices.

 

   

The LTIP provides participants with deferred cash awards that appreciate or depreciate based on PIMCO’s operating earnings over a rolling three-year period. The plan provides a link between longer term company performance and participant pay, further motivating participants to make a long term commitment to PIMCO’s success.

 

   

The M Unit program provides mid-to-senior level employees with the potential to acquire an equity stake in PIMCO over their careers and to better align employee incentives with the Firm’s long-term results. In the program, options are awarded and vest over a number of years and may convert into PIMCO equity which shares in the profit distributions of the Firm. M Units are non-voting common equity of PIMCO and provide a mechanism for individuals to build a significant equity stake in PIMCO over time.

Participation in the LTIP and M Unit program is contingent upon continued employment at PIMCO.

Profit Sharing Plan. Portfolio managers who are Managing Directors of PIMCO receive compensation from a non-qualified profit sharing plan consisting of a portion of PIMCO’s net profits. Portfolio managers who are Managing Directors receive an amount determined by the Compensation Committee, based upon an individual’s overall contribution to the firm.

Research Affiliates. Robert D. Arnott, through his family trust, is the majority owner and sole voting member of Research Affiliates Global Holdings, LLC the sole member of Research Affiliates. Mr. Arnott receives a fixed base salary from Research Affiliates and periodic capital distributions from Research Affiliates Global Holdings. Capital distributions are not fixed, rather they are dependent upon profits generated by Research Affiliates. Mr. Arnott’s compensation as manager is not dependent on the performance of the Funds. Research Affiliates also has a defined benefit plan.

Securities Ownership

To the best of the Trust’s knowledge, the table below shows the dollar range of shares of the Funds beneficially owned as of March 31, 2018 (except as noted) by each portfolio manager of the Funds. [To be updated by amendment.]

 

Portfolio Manager    Funds Managed by Portfolio Manager    Dollar Range of Shares Owned

Amey

  

PIMCO Low Duration ESG Fund

   [            ]
  

PIMCO Total Return ESG Fund

   [            ]

Anderson

  

PIMCO Mortgage Opportunities and Bond

   [            ]

Arif

  

PIMCO High Yield

   [            ]
  

PIMCO High Yield Spectrum

   [            ]

Arnott

  

PIMCO All Asset

   [            ]
  

PIMCO All Asset All Authority

   [            ]
  

PIMCO RAE PLUS EMG

   [            ]
  

PIMCO RAE Low Volatility PLUS EMG

   [            ]
  

PIMCO RAE Fundamental Advantage PLUS

   [            ]

 

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Portfolio Manager    Funds Managed by Portfolio Manager    Dollar Range of Shares Owned
  

PIMCO RAE PLUS

   [            ]
  

PIMCO RAE PLUS International

   [            ]
  

PIMCO RAE Low Volatility PLUS International

   [            ]
  

PIMCO RAE Low Volatility PLUS

   [            ]
  

PIMCO RAE PLUS Small

   [            ]
  

PIMCO RAE Worldwide Long/Short PLUS

   [            ]

Arnopolin

  

PIMCO Emerging Markets Corporate Bond

   [            ]

Arora

  

PIMCO Investment Grade Credit Bond

   [            ]

Balcells

  

PIMCO Emerging Local Bond

   [            ]
   PIMCO Emerging Markets Currency and Short-Term Investments    [            ]

Balls

  

PIMCO International Bond (Unhedged)

   [            ]
  

PIMCO International Bond (U.S. Dollar-Hedged)

   [            ]
  

PIMCO Global Advantage® Strategy Bond

   [            ]
  

PIMCO Global Bond Opportunities (Unhedged)

   [            ]
  

PIMCO Global Bond Opportunities (U.S. Dollar-Hedged)

   [            ]

Banet

  

PIMCO CommodityRealReturn Strategy

   [            ]
  

PIMCO Real Return

   [            ]
  

PIMCO Long-Term Real Return

   [            ]
  

PIMCO Real Return Limited Duration

   [            ]
  

PIMCO RealEstateRealReturn Strategy

   [            ]

Bentsi

  

PIMCO Emerging Markets Corporate Bond

   [            ]

Bodereau

  

PIMCO Preferred and Capital Securities

   [            ]

Brightman

  

PIMCO All Asset

   [            ]
  

PIMCO All Asset All Authority

   [            ]
  

PIMCO RAE PLUS EMG

   [            ]
  

PIMCO RAE Low Volatility PLUS EMG

   [            ]
  

PIMCO RAE Fundamental Advantage PLUS

   [            ]
  

PIMCO RAE PLUS

   [            ]
  

PIMCO RAE PLUS International

   [            ]
  

PIMCO RAE Low Volatility PLUS International

   [            ]
  

PIMCO RAE Low Volatility PLUS

   [            ]
  

PIMCO RAE PLUS Small

   [            ]
  

PIMCO RAE Worldwide Long/Short PLUS

   [            ]

Callahan

  

PIMCO California Intermediate Municipal Bond

   [            ]
  

PIMCO California Short Duration Municipal Income

   [            ]
  

PIMCO National Intermediate Municipal Bond

   [            ]
  

PIMCO Short Duration Municipal Income

   [            ]

Cudzil

  

PIMCO Extended Duration

   [            ]
  

PIMCO GNMA and Government Securities

   [            ]
  

PIMCO Long Duration Total Return

   [            ]
  

PIMCO Long-Term U.S. Government

   [            ]
  

PIMCO Mortgage-Backed Securities

   [            ]
  

PIMCO StocksPLUS® Long Duration

   [            ]

Davis

  

PIMCO Multi-Strategy Alternative

   [            ]
  

PIMCO RAE Worldwide Long/Short PLUS

   [            ]
  

PIMCO TRENDS Managed Futures Strategy

   [            ]

Devgon

  

PIMCO REALPATH® Income

   [            ]
  

PIMCO REALPATH® 2020

   [            ]
  

PIMCO REALPATH® 2025

   [            ]
  

PIMCO REALPATH® 2030

   [            ]
  

PIMCO REALPATH® 2035

   [            ]
  

PIMCO REALPATH® 2040

   [            ]
  

PIMCO REALPATH® 2045

   [            ]
  

PIMCO REALPATH® 2050

   [            ]
  

PIMCO REALPATH® 2055

   [            ]

Dhawan

  

PIMCO Emerging Local Bond

   [            ]
   PIMCO Emerging Markets Currency and Short-Term Investments    [            ]
  

PIMCO Emerging Markets Full Spectrum Bond Fund

   [            ]
  

PIMCO Global Advantage® Strategy Bond

   [            ]

Dorsten

  

PIMCO TRENDS Managed Futures Strategy

   [            ]

 

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Portfolio Manager    Funds Managed by Portfolio Manager    Dollar Range of Shares Owned

Fahmi

  

PIMCO Multi-Strategy Alternative

   [            ]
  

PIMCO RAE Fundamental Advantage PLUS

   [            ]
  

PIMCO RAE PLUS EMG

   [            ]
  

PIMCO RAE PLUS

   [            ]
  

PIMCO RAE PLUS International

   [            ]
  

PIMCO RAE PLUS Small

   [            ]
  

PIMCO RAE Low Volatility PLUS EMG

   [            ]
  

PIMCO RAE Low Volatility PLUS International

   [            ]
  

PIMCO RAE Low Volatility PLUS

   [            ]
  

PIMCO RAE Worldwide Long/Short PLUS

   [            ]
  

PIMCO StocksPLUS® Absolute Return

   [            ]
  

PIMCO StocksPLUS® International (Unhedged)

   [            ]
  

PIMCO StocksPLUS® International (U.S. Dollar-Hedged)

   [            ]
  

PIMCO StocksPLUS® Short

   [            ]
  

PIMCO StocksPLUS® Small

   [            ]
  

PIMCO Dynamic Bond

   [            ]

Garbuzov

  

PIMCO Preferred and Capital Securities

   [            ]

Gomez

  

PIMCO Emerging Local Bond

   [            ]
  

PIMCO Emerging Markets Bond

   [            ]
   PIMCO Emerging Markets Currency and Short-Term Investments    [            ]
  

PIMCO Emerging Markets Full Spectrum Bond

   [            ]

Gupta

  

PIMCO International Bond (Unhedged)

   [            ]
  

PIMCO International Bond (U.S. Dollar-Hedged)

   [            ]
  

PIMCO Global Advantage® Strategy Bond

   [            ]
  

PIMCO Global Bond Opportunities (Unhedged)

   [            ]
  

PIMCO Global Bond Opportunities (U.S. Dollar-Hedged)

   [            ]

Hammer

  

PIMCO California Intermediate Municipal Bond

   [            ]
  

PIMCO California Municipal Bond

   [            ]
  

PIMCO California Short Duration Municipal Income

   [            ]
  

PIMCO High Yield Municipal Bond

   [            ]
  

PIMCO Municipal Bond

   [            ]
  

PIMCO National Intermediate Municipal Bond

   [            ]
  

PIMCO New York Municipal Bond

   [            ]
  

PIMCO Short Duration Municipal Income

   [            ]

Hyman

  

PIMCO GNMA and Government Securities

   [            ]
  

PIMCO Mortgage-Backed Securities

   [            ]
  

PIMCO Mortgage Opportunities and Bond

   [            ]

Ivascyn

  

PIMCO Diversified Income

   [            ]
  

PIMCO Income

   [            ]
  

PIMCO Low Duration Income

   [            ]
  

PIMCO Dynamic Bond

   [            ]

Jessop

  

PIMCO High Yield

   [            ]
  

PIMCO High Yield Spectrum

   [            ]

Johnson

  

PIMCO CommoditiesPLUS® Strategy

   [            ]
  

PIMCO CommodityRealReturn Strategy®

   [            ]
  

PIMCO Inflation Response Multi-Asset

   [            ]
  

PIMCO RealEstateRealReturn Strategy

   [            ]

Kiesel

  

PIMCO Credit Opportunities Bond

   [            ]
  

PIMCO Investment Grade Credit Bond

   [            ]
  

PIMCO Long-Term Credit Bond

   [            ]
  

PIMCO Total Return

   [            ]
  

PIMCO Total Return II

   [            ]
  

PIMCO Total Return IV

   [            ]
  

PIMCO Total Return ESG

   [            ]

MacLean

  

PIMCO Senior Floating Rate

   [            ]

Mariappa

  

PIMCO Moderate Duration

   [            ]
  

PIMCO RAE Fundamental Advantage PLUS

   [            ]
  

PIMCO RAE PLUS EMG

   [            ]
  

PIMCO RAE PLUS

   [            ]
  

PIMCO RAE PLUS International

   [            ]
  

PIMCO RAE PLUS Small

   [            ]

 

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Portfolio Manager    Funds Managed by Portfolio Manager    Dollar Range of Shares Owned
  

PIMCO RAE Low Volatility PLUS EMG

   [            ]
  

PIMCO RAE Low Volatility PLUS International

   [            ]
  

PIMCO RAE Low Volatility PLUS

   [            ]
  

PIMCO RAE Worldwide Long/Short PLUS

   [            ]
  

PIMCO StocksPLUS® Absolute Return

   [            ]
  

PIMCO StocksPLUS®

   [            ]
  

PIMCO StocksPLUS® International (Unhedged)

   [            ]
  

PIMCO StocksPLUS® International (U.S. Dollar-Hedged)

   [            ]
  

PIMCO StocksPLUS® Short

   [            ]
  

PIMCO StocksPLUS® Small

   [            ]

Mather

  

PIMCO Low Duration

   [            ]
  

PIMCO Low Duration II

   [            ]
  

PIMCO Low Duration ESG

   [            ]
  

PIMCO Moderate Duration

   [            ]
  

PIMCO Total Return

   [            ]
  

PIMCO Total Return II

   [            ]
  

PIMCO Total Return IV

   [            ]
  

PIMCO Total Return ESG

   [            ]

Mittal1

  

PIMCO Emerging Markets Corporate Bond

   [            ]
  

PIMCO Investment Grade Credit Bond

   [            ]
  

PIMCO Long Duration Total Return

   [            ]
  

PIMCO Long-Term Credit Bond

   [            ]
  

PIMCO StocksPLUS® Long Duration

   [            ]
  

PIMCO Strategic Bond Fund

   [            ]

Murata

  

PIMCO Diversified Income

   [            ]
  

PIMCO Income

   [            ]
  

PIMCO Low Duration Income

   [            ]
  

PIMCO Mortgage Opportunities and Bond

   [            ]

Pagani

  

PIMCO International Bond (Unhedged)

   [            ]
  

PIMCO International Bond (U.S. Dollar-Hedged)

   [            ]
  

PIMCO Global Bond Opportunities (Unhedged)

   [            ]
  

PIMCO Global Bond Opportunities (U.S. Dollar-Hedged)

   [            ]

Pier

  

PIMCO Diversified Income

   [            ]

Rennison

  

PIMCO REALPATH® Income

   [            ]
  

PIMCO REALPATH® 2020

   [            ]
  

PIMCO REALPATH® 2025

   [            ]
  

PIMCO REALPATH® 2030

   [            ]
  

PIMCO REALPATH® 2035

   [            ]
  

PIMCO REALPATH® 2040

   [            ]
  

PIMCO REALPATH® 2045

   [            ]
  

PIMCO REALPATH® 2050

   [            ]
  

PIMCO REALPATH® 2055

   [            ]
  

PIMCO TRENDS Managed Futures Strategy

   [            ]

Rodosky

  

PIMCO Extended Duration

   [            ]
  

PIMCO Long Duration Total Return

   [            ]
  

PIMCO Long-Term U.S. Government

   [            ]
  

PIMCO StocksPLUS® Long Duration

   [            ]

Schneider

  

PIMCO Government Money Market

   [            ]
  

PIMCO Low Duration

   [            ]
  

PIMCO Low Duration II

   [            ]
  

PIMCO Low Duration ESG

   [            ]
  

PIMCO Short Asset Investment

   [            ]
  

PIMCO Short-Term

   [            ]

Seidner

  

PIMCO Dynamic Bond

   [            ]
  

PIMCO Strategic Bond

   [            ]

Sharenow

  

PIMCO CommoditiesPLUS® Strategy

   [            ]

Stracke

  

PIMCO Credit Opportunities Bond

   [            ]

Sundstrom

  

PIMCO Global Multi-Asset

   [            ]

Thimons

  

PIMCO Extended Duration

   [            ]
  

PIMCO Long-Term U.S. Government

   [            ]

Tournier

  

PIMCO Diversified Income

   [            ]

 

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Portfolio Manager    Funds Managed by Portfolio Manager    Dollar Range of Shares Owned
  

PIMCO Low Duration Income

   [            ]

Worah

  

PIMCO CommodityRealReturn Strategy

   [            ]
  

PIMCO Global Multi-Asset

   [            ]
  

PIMCO Inflation Response Multi-Asset

   [            ]
  

PIMCO Multi-Strategy Alternative

   [            ]
  

PIMCO Real Return

   [            ]
  

PIMCO Long-Term Real Return

   [            ]
  

PIMCO Real Return Limited Duration

   [            ]
  

PIMCO RealEstateRealReturn Strategy

   [            ]
  

PIMCO REALPATH® Income

   [            ]
  

PIMCO REALPATH® 2020

   [            ]
  

PIMCO REALPATH® 2025

   [            ]
  

PIMCO REALPATH® 2030

   [            ]
  

PIMCO REALPATH® 2035

   [            ]
  

PIMCO REALPATH® 2040

   [            ]
  

PIMCO REALPATH® 2045

   [            ]
  

PIMCO REALPATH® 2050

   [            ]
  

PIMCO REALPATH® 2055

   [            ]
  

PIMCO Total Return

   [            ]
  

PIMCO Total Return II

   [            ]
  

PIMCO Total Return IV

   [            ]
  

PIMCO Total Return ESG

   [            ]

 

1 

Effective July 30, 2018, Mr. Mittal co-manages the PIMCO Strategic Bond Fund. Information for the PIMCO Strategic Bond Fund is as of [        ].

DISTRIBUTION OF TRUST SHARES

Distributor

PIMCO Investments LLC (the “Distributor”) serves as the principal underwriter in the continuous public offering of each class of the Trust’s shares pursuant to a distribution contract (“Distribution Contract”) with the Trust, which is subject to annual approval by the Board of Trustees. The Distributor is a wholly-owned subsidiary of PIMCO and an indirect subsidiary of Allianz Asset Management. As noted in further detail below, under a separate marketing services agreement between PIMCO and the Distributor, PIMCO compensates the Distributor for providing various marketing services for the Funds. Furthermore, representatives of the Distributor (“Account Managers and Associates”) may also be employees or associated persons of PIMCO. Because of these affiliations with PIMCO, the interests of the Distributor may conflict with the interests of Fund investors.

As noted above, PIMCO pays the Distributor a fee for marketing and related services pursuant to a Marketing Services Agreement between PIMCO and the Distributor. These payments are made to the Distributor from PIMCO’s profits and are in addition to the revenue the Distributor earns under its Distribution Contract with the Trust. The fee is payable on a monthly basis at a current annual rate of 0.20 percent of gross fund sales in the month (“gross fund sales” includes the aggregate gross dollar value of sales of all share classes of the series of the Trust, PIMCO Variable Insurance Trust (“PVIT”), PIMCO Equity Series (“PES”), PIMCO Equity Series VIT (“PESVIT”) and PIMCO ETF Trust during the applicable month, excluding, however (i) the sale of series of the Trust’s, PVIT’s, PES’s, PESVIT’s or PIMCO ETF Trust’s shares to another PIMCO-managed fund and (ii) sales of any shares of the Trust that are not registered under both the 1940 Act and the 1933 Act (including but not limited to shares of any series of the PIMCO Funds: Private Account Portfolio Series)). In addition, pursuant to the Marketing Services Agreement, PIMCO pays the Distributor a fee at the annual rate of 0.10 percent of the average daily net asset value of the shares of the Trust, PVIT, PES, PESVIT and PIMCO Flexible Credit Income Fund, an affiliated closed-end investment company, excluding assets in (i) any series of PIMCO Funds: Private Account Portfolio Series, (ii) any series of PES that is an exchange-traded fund, and (iii) any series of the Trust, PVIT, PES or PESVIT that operates as a fund of funds.

The Distributor, located at 1633 Broadway, New York, NY 10019, is a broker-dealer registered with the SEC and is a member of FINRA. All account inquiries should be mailed to the Trust’s Transfer Agent, and should not be mailed to the Distributor.

The Distribution Contract will continue in effect with respect to each Fund and each class of shares thereof for successive one-year periods, provided that each such continuance is specifically approved: (i) by the vote of a majority of the 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 Distribution Contract, the Supervision and Administration Agreement or the Distribution and Servicing Plans described below; and (ii) by the vote of a majority of the entire Board of Trustees cast in person at a meeting called for that purpose. If the Distribution Contract is

 

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terminated (or not renewed) with respect to one or more Funds or classes thereof, it may continue in effect with respect to any class of any Fund as to which it has not been terminated (or has been renewed).

The Trust generally does not offer or sell its shares outside of the United States, except to certain investors in approved jurisdictions and in conformity with local legal requirements.

Account Managers’ and Associates’ Compensation

Compensation for the Account Managers and Associates discussed in this section has four main components: base pay, an annual bonus, commissions, and certain special bonuses.

Base Pay. All Account Managers and Associates receive some amount of base pay — a predetermined and fixed annual salary paid in semi-monthly installments. From time to time, the Distributor reviews the minimum base salary to confirm it is consistent with a reasonable wage and that there is an appropriate ratio between base salary and the other three compensation components.

Annual Bonus. Account Managers and Associates are eligible to receive an annual bonus. The annual bonus is determined through numerous factors, including a manager’s assessment that takes into consideration the Account Manager’s or Associate’s job and sales performance, both in absolute terms and relative to other Account Managers and Associates, as applicable, as well as PIMCO’s and the Distributor’s performance. The Distributor may use various metrics to assess or compare the job performance of Account Managers and Associates. Such metrics generally are indicative of the Account Manager’s or Associate’s success in the areas of, among others, financial advisor satisfaction and the Account Manager’s or Associate’s product knowledge, responsiveness, and effectiveness. Annual bonuses may form a significant part of an Account Manager’s or Associate’s overall compensation.

Commissions. Account Managers and Associates are eligible to receive commissions for the sale of certain products, including mutual funds, closed-end funds (including interval funds), and retail separately managed accounts (i.e., wrap accounts). Account Managers and Associates do not receive higher commissions for selling fund classes with distribution fees, for sales at approved firms. Additionally, Account Managers and Associates receive the same commission for products eligible for commissions utilizing the same investment strategy (i.e., Total Return, Short Term, etc., other than certain PIMCO Variable Insurance Trust (“PVIT”) and PIMCO Equity Series VIT (“PESVIT”) sales). Account Managers and Associates employed by the Distributor are eligible to receive compensation, ascending by product type, with respect to sales of the following: Short Term Strategies, PVIT and PESVIT Funds sold through Allianz Life variable insurance products, Total Return Strategies, Select Strategies, and Select Focus Strategies (each as defined, from time to time, by the Distributor). Account Managers and Associates may receive commissions from the sale of other products, including closed-end funds, whose commission rates may be higher than those product types noted above. Account Managers and Associates compensation does not distinguish between proprietary and non-proprietary products. The Distributor reserves the right to determine the amount of commissions payable to Account Managers and Associates in its sole discretion.

Other Compensation. From time to time Account Managers and Associates may receive special bonuses or other rewards in connection with the Distributor’s incentive programs that reward certain performance-related items such as increased awareness of a particular class of products, certain job performance metrics, certain territory coverage related circumstances, or excellent sales performance. Additionally, the Distributor may provide discretionary compensation for certain product sales, such as exchange-traded funds, not otherwise included in the Account Managers’ and Associates’ compensation plan.

Potential Conflicts of Interest

As described above, Account Managers and Associates are eligible to receive compensation, in addition to their base pay, which could represent a significant portion of an Account Manager’s and Associate’s compensation. A factor that is evaluated in determining such compensation is the Account Manager’s or Associate’s success in marketing and selling products distributed by the Distributor. Account Managers and Associates may have a financial incentive to offer certain types of products to you, and the offering of such products may be considered, among other factors, in the assessment of an Account Manager’s or Associate’s performance.

As described above, Account Managers and Associates who offer certain products may receive compensation as a direct or indirect result of your selection of those products, which could represent a significant portion of an Account Manager’s or Associate’s compensation, and in certain circumstances an Account Manager’s or Associate’s compensation could be reduced if you subsequently redeem such products. This compensation may be more than what the Account Manager or Associate would receive if you had selected other products. Therefore, Account Managers and Associates may have a financial incentive to offer certain products. For example, Select Focus Strategies offers a higher commission rate than Select Strategies, which offers a higher commission rate than Total Return Strategies, and so on, as noted above. Under policies applicable to all Account Managers and Associates, no Account Manager or Associate is permitted to promote, recommend, or solicit the sale of one product over another solely because that product will provide higher revenue or compensation to the Account Manager or Associate, the Distributor or PIMCO. Please review all product materials and disclosures before selecting an investment product.

 

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Multi-Class Plan

The Trust has adopted a Multi-Class Plan pursuant to Rule 18f-3 under the 1940 Act. Under the Multi-Class Plan, shares of each class of each Fund represent an equal pro rata interest in such Fund and, generally, have identical voting, dividend, liquidation, and other rights, preferences, powers, restrictions, limitations, qualifications and terms and conditions, except that: (a) each class has a different designation/name; (b) each class of shares bears any class-specific expenses allocated to it; and (c) each class has exclusive voting rights on any matter submitted to shareholders that relates solely to its distribution or service arrangements, and each class has separate voting rights on any matter submitted to shareholders in which the interests of one class differ from the interests of any other class.

Each class may, at the Board of Trustees’ discretion, pay a different share of distribution or shareholder servicing expenses (but not including advisory or custodial fees or other expenses related to the management of the Trust’s assets) if the distribution or shareholder servicing expenses are actually incurred in a different amount by that class, or if the class receives services of a different kind or to a different degree than the other classes. All other expenses are allocated to each class on the basis of the net asset value of that class in relation to the net asset value of the particular Fund. In addition, each class may have a different sales charge structure, and different exchange and conversion features.

The Trust may offer up to eight classes of shares: Class A, Class C, Class M, I-2, I-3, Class R, Institutional Class and Administrative Class.

Class A and Class C shares of the Trust are primarily offered and sold to retail investors by broker-dealers which are members of FINRA and which have agreements with the Distributor, but may be available through other financial firms, including banks and trust companies and to specified benefit plans (as defined below) and other retirement accounts.

Class R shares generally are available only to 401(k) plans, 457 plans, employer sponsored 403(b) plans, profit sharing and money purchase pension plans, defined benefit plans, non-qualified deferred compensation plans, health care benefit funding plans (collectively, “specified benefit plans”) and other accounts whereby the plan or the plan’s financial firm has an agreement with the Distributor or the Administrator to utilize Class R shares in certain investment products or programs (each such plan or account, a “Class R Eligible Plan”). Additionally, Class R shares also are generally available only to Class R Eligible Plans where Class R shares are held on the books of the Funds through omnibus accounts (either at the plan level or at the level of the financial service firm). Class R shares are not available to retail accounts, non-Class R Eligible Plans, traditional and Roth IRAs (except through certain omnibus accounts), SEPs, SAR-SEPs, SIMPLE IRAs, individual 403(b) plans or Coverdell Education Savings Accounts. Plan participants may not directly purchase Class R shares through the Distributor. Financial firms may provide or arrange for the provision of some or all of the shareholder servicing, account maintenance and other services required by Class R Eligible Plans and their participants, for which fees or expenses may be charged in addition to those described in the Prospectus and Statement of Additional Information.

I-2 shares are offered primarily through by broker-dealers and other financial firms with which the Distributor has an agreement for the use of the share class in investment products, programs or accounts such as certain asset allocation, wrap fee and other similar programs. I-2 shares also may be offered through broker-dealers and other financial firms that charge their customers transaction or other fees with respect to their customers’ investment in the Funds. I-2 shares are generally held in an account at a financial firm and generally, the firm will hold a shareholder’s I-2 shares in nominee or street name as your agent. In most cases, the Trust’s transfer agent will have no information with respect to or control over accounts of specific I-2 shareholders, and a shareholder may obtain information about accounts only through the financial firm. Broker-dealers, other financial firms, pension and profit-sharing plans, employee benefit trusts and employee benefit plan alliances also may purchase I-2 shares. Financial firms may provide or arrange for the provision of some or all of the shareholder servicing, account maintenance and other services required by specified benefit plan accounts and their participants, for which fees or expenses may be charged in addition to those described in the Prospectus and Statement of Additional Information.

I-3 shares are offered primarily through broker-dealers and other financial firms which the Distributor has an agreement for the use of the share class in investment products, programs or accounts such as mutual fund supermarkets or other no transaction fee platforms or for which a fee may be charged. I-3 shares are generally held in an account at a financial firm in nominee or street name as your agent. In most cases, the Trust’s transfer agent will have no information with respect to or control over accounts of specific I-3 shareholders, and a shareholder may obtain information about accounts only through the financial firm. Broker-dealers, other financial firms, pension and profit-sharing plans, employee benefit trusts and employee benefit plan alliances also may purchase I-3 shares.

Institutional Class shares are offered primarily for direct investment by investors such as specified benefit plans, endowments, foundations, corporations and high net worth individuals that can meet the minimum investment amount. Institutional Class shares also may be offered through certain financial firms that charge their customers transaction or other fees with respect to the customer’s investment in the Funds. Financial firms may provide or arrange for the provision of some or all of the shareholder servicing, account maintenance and other services required by specified benefit plan accounts and their participants, for which fees or expenses may be charged in addition to those described in the Prospectus and Statement of Additional Information.

 

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Class M shares are offered primarily for direct investment by investors such as specified benefit plans, endowments, foundations, corporations, high net worth individuals that can meet the minimum investment amount and through intermediary trading platforms and portals that provide specialized sub-accounting and shareholder processing services.

Administrative Class shares are generally offered through broker-dealers and other financial firms for investment by specified benefit plans. Financial firms may provide or arrange for the provision of some or all of the shareholder servicing, account maintenance and other services required by specified benefit plan accounts and their plan participants, for which fees or expenses may be charged in addition to those described in the Prospectus and Statement of Additional Information.

Initial Sales Charge and Contingent Deferred Sales Charge

As described in the Prospectuses under the caption “Classes of Shares—Sales Charges,” Class A shares of the Funds are sold pursuant to an initial sales charge (except for the PIMCO Government Money Market Fund), which declines as the amount of purchase reaches certain defined levels. For the fiscal years ended March 31, 2018, March 31, 2017 and March 31, 2016, the Distributor received an aggregate of $[        ], $33,268,329 and $25,296,507, respectively, and retained $[        ], $3,485,646 and $3,751,284, respectively, in initial sales charges paid by Class A shareholders of the Trust.

Each Fund may sell its Class A shares at net asset value without an initial sales charge to certain categories of investors, including current or retired officers, trustees, directors or employees of the Trust, PIMCO or the Distributor. The Trust believes that this arrangement encourages those persons to invest in the Funds, which further aligns the interest of the Funds and those persons. See “Sales at Net Asset Value” below for more information.

As further described in the Prospectuses under the caption “Classes of Shares—Sales Charges,” a contingent deferred sales charge is imposed upon certain redemptions of the Class A and Class C shares. No contingent deferred sales charge is imposed upon redemptions of Class M, I-2, I-3, Class R, Institutional Class, or Administrative Class shares. Because contingent deferred sales charges are calculated on a fund-by-fund and class-by-class basis, shareholders should consider whether to exchange shares of one fund for shares of another fund or exchange one share class for another share class in the same fund (an “intra-fund exchange”) prior to redeeming an investment if such an exchange or intra-fund exchange would reduce the contingent deferred sales charge applicable to such redemptions.

During the fiscal years ended March 31, 2018, March 31, 2017 and March 31, 2016, the Distributor received the following aggregate amounts in contingent deferred sales charges on Class A shares and Class C shares of the Funds: [To be updated by amendment.]

 

     

Year Ended
3/31/2018

 

    

Year Ended
3/31/2017

 

    

Year Ended
3/31/2016

 

       

Class A

   $  [            ]      $ 500,991      $ 633,566     

Class C

     [            ]        1,966,560        1,870,548     

In certain cases described in the Prospectuses, the contingent deferred sales charge is waived on redemptions of Class A or Class C shares for certain classes of individuals or entities on account of: (i) the fact that the Trust’s sales-related expenses are lower for certain of such classes than for classes for which the contingent deferred sales charge is not waived; (ii) waiver of the contingent deferred sales charge with respect to certain of such classes is consistent with certain Internal Revenue Code policies concerning the favored tax treatment of accumulations; and (iii) with respect to certain of such classes, considerations of fairness, and competitive and administrative factors. See “Waiver of Contingent Deferred Sales Charges” below for more information.

Distribution and Servicing Plans for Class A, Class C and Class R Shares

Class A, Class C and Class R shares are continuously offered. Pursuant to separate Distribution and Servicing Plans for Class A, Class C, and Class R shares (the “Retail Plans”), the Distributor receives distribution fees from the Funds, and in connection with personal services rendered to Class A, Class C and Class R shareholders of the Funds and the maintenance of shareholder accounts, the Distributor receives servicing fees from the Funds. Subject to the percentage limitations on these distribution and servicing fees set forth below, the distribution and servicing fees may be paid with respect to services rendered and expenses borne in the past with respect to Class A, Class C and Class R shares as to which no distribution and servicing fees were paid on account of such limitations. As described in the Prospectuses, the Distributor pays: (i) all or a portion of the distribution fees it receives from the Funds to broker-dealers, and (ii) all or a portion of the servicing fees it receives from the Funds to broker-dealers, certain banks and other financial firms.

The Distributor pays distribution and servicing fees to broker-dealers and servicing fees to certain banks and other financial firms as well as specified benefit plans, their service providers and their sponsors in connection with the sale of Class C and Class R shares, and servicing fees to broker-dealers, certain banks and other financial firms related to servicing Class A shares. In the case of Class A

 

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shares, broker-dealers receive a portion of the front-end sales charge set forth in the tables below under the caption “Initial Sales Charge Alternative—Class A Shares” except in cases where Class A shares are sold without a front-end sales charge (although the Distributor may pay broker-dealers an advance/upfront commission in connection with sales of Class A shares without a sales charge). In the case of Class C shares, part or all of the first year’s distribution and servicing fee is generally paid at the time of sale. Pursuant to a Distribution Contract with the Trust, with respect to each Fund’s Class A, Class C and Class R shares, the Distributor bears various other promotional and sales related expenses, including the cost of preparing, printing and distributing advertising, sales literature and Prospectuses to persons other than current shareholders.

The Retail Plans were adopted pursuant to Rule 12b-l under the 1940 Act and are of the type known as “compensation” plans. This means that, although the Trustees of the Trust are expected to take into account the expenses of the Distributor and its predecessors in their periodic review of the Retail Plans, the fees are payable to compensate the Distributor for services rendered even if the amount paid exceeds the Distributor’s expenses.

The distribution fee, applicable to Class C and Class R shares, may be spent by the Distributor on any activities or expenses primarily intended to result in the sale of Class C or Class R shares, including compensation to, and expenses (including overhead and telephone expenses) of, registered representatives or other employees of the Distributor or of broker-dealers who engage in sales of Class C or Class R shares. The servicing fee, applicable to Class A, Class C and Class R shares, may be spent by the Distributor on personal services rendered to shareholders of the Funds and the maintenance of shareholder accounts, including compensation to, and expenses (including telephone and overhead expenses) of, financial advisors or other employees of broker-dealers, certain banks and other financial firms as well as specified benefit plans, their service providers and their sponsors who provide services to plan participants, who aid in the processing of purchase or redemption requests or the processing of dividend payments, who provide information periodically to shareholders showing their positions in a Fund’s shares, who forward communications from the Funds to shareholders, who render advice concerning the suitability of particular investment opportunities offered by the Trust in light of the shareholders’ needs, who provide and maintain elective shareholder services such as check writing and wire transfer services, who provide and maintain pre-authorized investment plans for shareholders, who act as sole shareholder of record and nominee for shareholders, who respond to inquiries from shareholders relating to such services, or who train personnel in the provision of such services or who provide such similar services as permitted under applicable statutes, rules or regulations. Distribution and servicing fees also may be spent on interest payments relating to unreimbursed distribution or servicing expenses from prior years.

Many of the Distributor’s sales and servicing efforts involve the Trust as a whole, so that fees paid by Class A, Class C or Class R shares of any Fund may indirectly support sales and servicing efforts relating to the other Funds’ shares of the same class and vice versa. In reporting its expenses to the Trustees, the Distributor itemizes expenses that relate to the distribution and/or servicing of a single Fund’s shares, and allocates other expenses among the Funds based on their relative net assets. Expenses allocated to each Fund are further allocated among its classes of shares annually based on the relative sales of each class, except for any expenses that relate only to the distribution or servicing of a single class. The Distributor may make payments to broker-dealers (and with respect to servicing fees only, to certain banks and other financial firms) of up to the following percentages annually of the average daily net assets attributable to shares in the accounts of their customers or clients:

 

Fund

 

  

Servicing

Fee1

 

   

Distribution
Fee1

 

 

Class A

 

                

PIMCO Government Money Market Fund3

     0.10     None  

All other Funds

 

    

 

0.25

 

 

   

 

None

 

 

 

Class C2

 

                

PIMCO Government Money Market Fund3

     0.10     None  

PIMCO Low Duration, PIMCO Low Duration Income, PIMCO Real Return Limited Duration, PIMCO Short Duration Municipal Income and PIMCO Short-Term Funds

     0.25     0.30

PIMCO Municipal Bond, PIMCO National Intermediate Municipal Bond, PIMCO Real Return and PIMCO StocksPLUS® Funds

     0.25     0.50

All other Funds

 

    

 

0.25

 

 

   

 

0.75

 

 

Class R

 

                

All Funds

     0.25     0.25

 

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(1) Applies, in part, to Class A and Class C shares of the Trust issued to former shareholders of PIMCO Advisors Funds in connection with the reorganizations/mergers of series of PIMCO Advisors Funds as/with Funds of the Trust in a transaction which took place on January 17, 1997.

(2) Payable only with respect to shares outstanding for one year or more except in the case of shares for which no payment is made to the party at the time of sale.

(3) With respect to the PIMCO Government Money Market Fund, the Trust has suspended payment of distribution and/or servicing fees at this time. The payment of distribution and/or servicing fees may only be resumed at such time as the Board of Trustees determines that it is in the best interests of Fund shareholders to do so.

Some or all of the sales charges, distribution fees and servicing fees described above are paid or “reallowed” to the broker-dealer, bank, trust company, insurance company or benefit plan administrator or other service provider (collectively, “financial firms”) through which you purchase your shares. A financial firm is one that, in exchange for compensation, sells, among other products, mutual fund shares (including shares of the Trust) or provides services for mutual fund shareholders.

If in any year the Distributor’s expenses incurred in connection with the distribution of Class C and Class R shares and, for Class A, Class C and Class R shares, in connection with the servicing of shareholders and the maintenance of shareholder accounts, exceed the distribution and/or servicing fees paid by the Trust, the Distributor would recover such excess only if the Retail Plan with respect to such class of shares continues to be in effect in some later year when the distribution and/or servicing fees exceed the Distributor’s expenses. The Trust is not obligated to repay any unreimbursed expenses that may exist at such time, if any, as the relevant Retail Plan terminates.

Each Retail Plan may be terminated with respect to any Fund to which the Plan relates by vote of a majority of the 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 Plan or the Distribution Contract (“Disinterested Trustees”) or by vote of a majority of the outstanding voting securities of the relevant class of that Fund. Any change in any Retail Plan that would materially increase the cost to the class of shares of any Fund to which the Plan relates requires approval by the affected class of shareholders of that Fund. The Trustees review quarterly written reports of such costs and the purposes for which such costs have been incurred. Each Retail Plan may be amended by vote of the Disinterested Trustees cast in person at a meeting called for the purpose. As long as the Retail Plans are in effect, selection and nomination of those Trustees who are not interested persons of the Trust shall be committed to the discretion of such Disinterested Trustees.

The Retail Plans will continue in effect with respect to each Fund and each class of shares thereof for successive one-year periods, provided that each such continuance is specifically approved: (i) by the vote of a majority of the Disinterested Trustees; and (ii) by the vote of a majority of the entire Board of Trustees cast in person at a meeting called for that purpose.

The Retail Plans went into effect for the Trust in January 1997 (December 2002 for Class R shares). If a Retail Plan is terminated (or not renewed) with respect to one or more Funds, it may continue in effect with respect to any class of any Fund as to which it has not been terminated (or has been renewed).

The Retail Plans, as well as the Administrative Class Plan discussed below, are designed to promote sales of shares and to reduce the amount of redemptions that might otherwise occur if those plans were not in effect, and to compensate financial firms for their servicing and maintenance of shareholder accounts. Although Fund expenses are primarily based on a percentage of net assets, increasing net assets through sales of shares and limiting reductions in nets assets by reducing redemptions may help lower a Fund’s expense ratio by spreading its fixed costs over a larger base and may reduce the potential adverse effects of selling a Fund’s portfolio securities to meet redemptions. In addition, PIMCO and the Distributor may profit by reason of the operation of the plans through increases in Fund assets which may allow them to recruit and retain talent required to maintain a high level of performance and service to the Funds and their shareholders. It is impossible to know for certain if the level of sales and redemptions of Fund shares would differ in the absence of these plans, or whether other benefits will be realized as a result of these plans.

Payments Pursuant to Class A Plan

For the fiscal years ended March 31, 2018, March 31, 2017, and March 31, 2016, the Trust paid the Distributor an aggregate of $[            ], $66,116,962 and $73,083,631, respectively, pursuant to the Distribution and Servicing Plan for Class A shares, of which the indicated amounts were attributable to the following operational Funds: [To be updated by amendment.]

 

Fund    Year Ended
3/31/2018
     Year Ended
3/31/2017
     Year Ended
3/31/2016
 

PIMCO All Asset All Authority Fund

     [            ]        1,541,260        2,579,241  

PIMCO All Asset Fund

   $  [            ]      $ 1,891,379      $ 2,628,145  

PIMCO California Intermediate Municipal Bond Fund

     [            ]        117,212        93,286  

PIMCO California Municipal Bond Fund

     [            ]        16,195        6,185  
PIMCO California Short Duration Municipal Income Fund      [            ]        90,617        118,292  

 

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Fund    Year Ended
3/31/2018
     Year Ended
3/31/2017
     Year Ended
3/31/2016
 
PIMCO CommoditiesPLUS® Strategy Fund      [            ]        104,411        120,695  
PIMCO CommodityRealReturn Strategy Fund®      [            ]        785,665        948,309  
PIMCO Credit Opportunities Bond Fund      [            ]        31,975        44,925  
PIMCO Diversified Income Fund      [            ]        395,548        389,852  
PIMCO Dynamic Bond Fund      [            ]        659,641        1,092,900  
PIMCO Emerging Local Bond Fund      [            ]        116,976        155,607  
PIMCO Emerging Markets Bond Fund      [            ]        398,734        483,592  
PIMCO Emerging Markets Corporate Bond Fund      [            ]        2,506        3,424  
PIMCO Emerging Markets Currency and Short-Term Investments Fund      [            ]        36,151        50,855  
PIMCO Emerging Markets Full Spectrum Bond Fund      [            ]        3,621        5,400  
PIMCO Global Advantage® Strategy Bond Fund      [            ]        28,853        45,374  
PIMCO Global Bond Opportunities Fund (U.S. Dollar-Hedged)      [            ]        186,475        183,660  
PIMCO Global Multi-Asset Fund      [            ]        286,157        409,683  
PIMCO GNMA and Government Securities Fund      [            ]        518,316        594,952  
PIMCO High Yield Fund      [            ]        1,539,820        1,657,612  
PIMCO High Yield Municipal Bond Fund      [            ]        650,304        385,484  
PIMCO High Yield Spectrum Fund      [            ]        64,635        41,401  
PIMCO Income Fund      [            ]        19,865,907        15,619,379  
PIMCO Inflation Response Multi-Asset Fund      [            ]        23,243        26,284  
PIMCO International Bond Fund (U.S. Dollar-Hedged)      [            ]        1,137,739        1,098,729  
PIMCO International Bond Fund (Unhedged)      [            ]        202,374        241,727  
PIMCO Investment Grade Credit Bond Fund      [            ]        2,547,076        2,337,703  
PIMCO Long-Term U.S. Government Fund      [            ]        327,520        434,936  
PIMCO Low Duration Fund      [            ]        2,460,740        3,181,666  
PIMCO Low Duration Income Fund      [            ]        313,482        367,131  
PIMCO Mortgage Opportunities and Bond Fund      [            ]        132,797        78,970  
PIMCO Mortgage-Backed Securities Fund      [            ]        69,796        70,519  
PIMCO Multi-Strategy Alternative Fund      [            ]        2,157        6,217  
PIMCO Municipal Bond Fund      [            ]        700,681        562,751  
PIMCO National Intermediate Municipal Bond Fund      [            ]        51,469        38,703  
PIMCO New York Municipal Bond Fund      [            ]        234,648        135,318  
PIMCO Preferred and Capital Securities Fund      [            ]        2,553        3,993  
PIMCO RAE Fundamental Advantage PLUS Fund      [            ]        30,932        53,117  
PIMCO RAE Low Volatility PLUS EMG Fund      [            ]        784        949  
PIMCO RAE Low Volatility PLUS Fund      [            ]        26,894        22,935  
PIMCO RAE Low Volatility PLUS International Fund      [            ]        6,402        4,934  
PIMCO RAE PLUS EMG Fund      [            ]        11,802        18,171  
PIMCO RAE PLUS Fund      [            ]        1,104,284        1,543,948  
PIMCO RAE PLUS International Fund      [            ]        7,272        7,002  
PIMCO RAE PLUS Small Fund      [            ]        6,945        10,558  
PIMCO RAE Worldwide Long/Short PLUS Fund      [            ]        240        235  
PIMCO Real Return Fund      [            ]        4,595,814        5,075,428  
PIMCO RealEstateRealReturn Strategy Fund      [            ]        603,695        656,828  
PIMCO REALPATH® 2020 Fund      [            ]        18,383        19,936  
PIMCO REALPATH® 2025 Fund      [            ]        5,078        5,331  
PIMCO REALPATH® 2030 Fund      [            ]        11,153        14,586  
PIMCO REALPATH® 2035 Fund      [            ]        4,679        3,577  
PIMCO REALPATH® 2040 Fund      [            ]        9,829        13,145  
PIMCO REALPATH® 2045 Fund      [            ]        1,954        2,041  
PIMCO REALPATH® 2050 Fund      [            ]        3,918        5,750  
PIMCO REALPATH® 2055 Fund      [            ]        299        266  
PIMCO REALPATH® Income Fund      [            ]        18,718        19,128  
PIMCO Senior Floating Rate Fund      [            ]        173,495        206,508  
PIMCO Short Asset Investment Fund      [            ]        259,632        80,952  
PIMCO Short Duration Municipal Income Fund      [            ]        267,633        250,597  
PIMCO Short-Term Fund      [            ]        1,781,065        1,528,666  
PIMCO StocksPLUS® Absolute Return Fund      [            ]        656,195        798,738  
PIMCO StocksPLUS® Fund      [            ]        480,362        546,800  
PIMCO StocksPLUS® International Fund (U.S. Dollar-Hedged)      [            ]        792,095        1,125,972  
PIMCO StocksPLUS® International Fund (Unhedged)      [            ]        50,810        60,880  

 

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Fund    Year Ended
3/31/2018
     Year Ended
3/31/2017
     Year Ended
3/31/2016
 
PIMCO StocksPLUS® Short Fund      [            ]        119,165        131,487  
PIMCO StocksPLUS® Small Fund      [            ]        616,829        804,856  
PIMCO Strategic Bond Fund      [            ]        54,578        62,100  
PIMCO Total Return Fund      [            ]        16,802,680        23,690,791  
PIMCO Total Return Fund IV      [            ]        36,063        39,174  
PIMCO TRENDS Managed Futures Strategy Fund      [            ]        17,837        35,076  

During the fiscal year ended March 31, 2018, the amounts collected pursuant to the Distribution and Servicing Plan for Class A shares were used as follows: sales commissions and other compensation to sales personnel, $[            ]; preparing, printing and distributing sales material and advertising (including preparing, printing and distributing Prospectuses to non-shareholders), and other expenses (including data processing, legal and operations), $[            ].

These totals, if allocated among: (i) sales commissions and compensation; and (ii) sales materials and other expenses for each operational Fund, were as follows: [To be updated by amendment.]

 

Fund   

Sales Commissions

and Compensation

    

Sales

Materials

and Other

Expenses

     Total  

PIMCO All Asset All Authority Fund

     [            ]        [            ]        [            ]  

PIMCO All Asset Fund

     $ [            ]        $ [            ]        $ [            ]  

PIMCO California Intermediate Municipal Bond Fund

     [            ]        [            ]        [            ]  

PIMCO California Municipal Bond Fund

     [            ]        [            ]        [            ]  

PIMCO California Short Duration Municipal Income Fund

     [            ]        [            ]        [            ]  

PIMCO CommoditiesPLUS® Strategy Fund

     [            ]        [            ]        [            ]  

PIMCO CommodityRealReturn Strategy Fund®

     [            ]        [            ]        [            ]  

PIMCO Credit Opportunities Bond Fund

     [            ]        [            ]        [            ]  

PIMCO Diversified Income Fund

     [            ]        [            ]        [            ]  

PIMCO Dynamic Bond Fund

     [            ]        [            ]        [            ]  

PIMCO Emerging Local Bond Fund

     [            ]        [            ]        [            ]  

PIMCO Emerging Markets Bond Fund

     [            ]        [            ]        [            ]  

PIMCO Emerging Markets Corporate Bond Fund

     [            ]        [            ]        [            ]  

PIMCO Emerging Markets Currency and Short-Term Investments Fund

     [            ]        [            ]        [            ]  

PIMCO Emerging Markets Full Spectrum Bond Fund

     [            ]        [            ]        [            ]  

PIMCO Global Advantage® Strategy Bond Fund

     [            ]        [            ]        [            ]  

PIMCO Global Bond Opportunities Fund (U.S. Dollar-Hedged)

     [            ]        [            ]        [            ]  

PIMCO Global Multi-Asset Fund

     [            ]        [            ]        [            ]  

PIMCO GNMA and Government Securities Fund

     [            ]        [            ]        [            ]  

PIMCO High Yield Fund

     [            ]        [            ]        [            ]  

PIMCO High Yield Municipal Bond Fund

     [            ]        [            ]        [            ]  

PIMCO High Yield Spectrum Fund

     [            ]        [            ]        [            ]  

PIMCO Income Fund

     [            ]        [            ]        [            ]  

PIMCO Inflation Response Multi-Asset Fund

     [            ]        [            ]        [            ]  

PIMCO International Bond Fund (U.S. Dollar-Hedged)

     [            ]        [            ]        [            ]  

PIMCO International Bond Fund (Unhedged)

     [            ]        [            ]        [            ]  

PIMCO Investment Grade Credit Bond Fund

     [            ]        [            ]        [            ]  

PIMCO Long-Term U.S. Government Fund

     [            ]        [            ]        [            ]  

PIMCO Low Duration Fund

     [            ]        [            ]        [            ]  

PIMCO Low Duration Income Fund

     [            ]        [            ]        [            ]  

PIMCO Mortgage Opportunities and Bond Fund

     [            ]        [            ]        [            ]  

PIMCO Mortgage-Backed Securities Fund

     [            ]        [            ]        [            ]  

PIMCO Multi-Strategy Alternative Fund

     [            ]        [            ]        [            ]  

PIMCO Municipal Bond Fund

     [            ]        [            ]        [            ]  

PIMCO National Intermediate Municipal Bond Fund

     [            ]        [            ]        [            ]  

 

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Table of Contents
Fund   

Sales Commissions

and Compensation

    

Sales

Materials

and Other

Expenses

     Total  

PIMCO New York Municipal Bond Fund

     [            ]        [            ]        [            ]  

PIMCO Preferred and Capital Securities Fund

     [            ]        [            ]        [            ]  

PIMCO RAE Fundamental Advantage PLUS Fund

     [            ]        [            ]        [            ]  

PIMCO RAE Low Volatility PLUS EMG Fund

     [            ]        [            ]        [            ]  

PIMCO RAE Low Volatility PLUS Fund

     [            ]        [            ]        [            ]  

PIMCO RAE Low Volatility PLUS International Fund

     [            ]        [            ]        [            ]  

PIMCO RAE PLUS EMG Fund

     [            ]        [            ]        [            ]  

PIMCO RAE PLUS Fund

     [            ]        [            ]        [            ]  

PIMCO RAE PLUS International Fund

     [            ]        [            ]        [            ]  

PIMCO RAE PLUS Small Fund

     [            ]        [            ]        [            ]  

PIMCO RAE Worldwide Long/Short PLUS Fund

     [            ]        [            ]        [            ]  

PIMCO Real Return Fund

     [            ]        [            ]        [            ]  

PIMCO RealEstateRealReturn Strategy Fund

     [            ]        [            ]        [            ]  

PIMCO REALPATH® 2020 Fund

     [            ]        [            ]        [            ]  

PIMCO REALPATH® 2025 Fund

     [            ]        [            ]        [            ]  

PIMCO REALPATH® 2030 Fund

     [            ]        [            ]        [            ]  

PIMCO REALPATH® 2035 Fund

     [            ]        [            ]        [            ]  

PIMCO REALPATH® 2040 Fund

     [            ]        [            ]        [            ]  

PIMCO REALPATH® 2045 Fund

     [            ]        [            ]        [            ]  

PIMCO REALPATH® 2050 Fund

     [            ]        [            ]        [            ]  

PIMCO REALPATH® 2055 Fund

     [            ]        [            ]        [            ]  

PIMCO REALPATH® Income Fund

     [            ]        [            ]        [            ]  

PIMCO Senior Floating Rate Fund

     [            ]        [            ]        [            ]  

PIMCO Short Asset Investment Fund

     [            ]        [            ]        [            ]  

PIMCO Short Duration Municipal Income Fund

     [            ]        [            ]        [            ]  

PIMCO Short-Term Fund

     [            ]        [            ]        [            ]  

PIMCO StocksPLUS® Absolute Return Fund

     [            ]        [            ]        [            ]  

PIMCO StocksPLUS® Fund

     [            ]        [            ]        [            ]  

PIMCO StocksPLUS® International Fund (U.S. Dollar-Hedged)

     [            ]        [            ]        [            ]  

PIMCO StocksPLUS® International Fund (Unhedged)

     [            ]        [            ]        [            ]  

PIMCO StocksPLUS® Short Fund

     [            ]        [            ]        [            ]  

PIMCO StocksPLUS® Small Fund

     [            ]        [            ]        [            ]  

PIMCO Strategic Bond Fund

     [            ]        [            ]        [            ]  

PIMCO Total Return Fund

     [            ]        [            ]        [            ]  

PIMCO Total Return Fund II

     [            ]        [            ]        [            ]  

PIMCO Total Return Fund IV

     [            ]        [            ]        [            ]  

PIMCO TRENDS Managed Futures Strategy Fund

     [            ]        [            ]        [            ]  

Payments Pursuant to Class C Plan

For the fiscal years ended March 31, 2018, March 31, 2017 and March 31, 2016, the Trust paid the Distributor an aggregate of $[        ], $169,687,090 and $177,372,242, respectively, pursuant to the Distribution and Servicing Plan for Class C shares, of which the indicated amounts were attributable to the following operational Funds: [To be updated by amendment.]

 

Fund    Year Ended
3/31/2018
     Year Ended
3/31/2017
     Year Ended
3/31/2016
 
PIMCO All Asset All Authority Fund      [            ]        8,303,947        13,189,741  
PIMCO All Asset Fund    $  [            ]      $ 7,091,824      $ 10,302,996  
PIMCO California Intermediate Municipal Bond Fund      [            ]        122,915        98,543  
PIMCO California Municipal Bond Fund      [            ]        25,438        19,147  
PIMCO California Short Duration Municipal Income Fund      [            ]        14,153        13,827  
PIMCO CommoditiesPLUS® Strategy Fund      [            ]        100,631        119,040  

 

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Fund    Year Ended
3/31/2018
     Year Ended
3/31/2017
     Year Ended
3/31/2016
 
PIMCO CommodityRealReturn Strategy Fund®      [            ]        1,147,035        1,602,245  
PIMCO Credit Opportunities Bond Fund      [            ]        65,316        93,431  
PIMCO Diversified Income Fund      [            ]        1,052,107        1,120,650  
PIMCO Dynamic Bond Fund      [            ]        2,969,659        4,608,433  
PIMCO Emerging Local Bond Fund      [            ]        226,563        301,181  
PIMCO Emerging Markets Bond Fund      [            ]        703,171        832,804  
PIMCO Emerging Markets Corporate Bond Fund      [            ]        4,501        5,405  
PIMCO Emerging Markets Currency and Short-Term Investments Fund      [            ]        72,965        106,576  
PIMCO Emerging Markets Full Spectrum Bond Fund      [            ]        4,437        3,253  
PIMCO Global Advantage® Strategy Bond Fund      [            ]        67,991        99,616  
PIMCO Global Bond Opportunities Fund (U.S. Dollar-Hedged)      [            ]        248,880        261,770  
PIMCO Global Multi-Asset Fund      [            ]        1,223,279        1,622,496  
PIMCO GNMA and Government Securities Fund      [            ]        864,808        988,060  
PIMCO High Yield Fund      [            ]        3,433,517        3,996,449  
PIMCO High Yield Municipal Bond Fund      [            ]        953,159        764,724  
PIMCO High Yield Spectrum Fund      [            ]        78,393        77,667  
PIMCO Income Fund      [            ]        73,271,699        57,484,244  
PIMCO Inflation Response Multi-Asset Fund      [            ]        19,580        19,264  
PIMCO International Bond Fund (U.S. Dollar-Hedged)      [            ]        1,033,315        848,630  
PIMCO International Bond Fund (Unhedged)      [            ]        226,533        287,095  
PIMCO Investment Grade Credit Bond Fund      [            ]        5,986,971        5,257,523  
PIMCO Long-Term U.S. Government Fund      [            ]        319,304        291,273  
PIMCO Low Duration Fund      [            ]        2,870,505        3,452,900  
PIMCO Low Duration Income Fund      [            ]        460,841        569,226  
PIMCO Mortgage Opportunities and Bond Fund      [            ]        243,712        159,299  
PIMCO Mortgage-Backed Securities Fund      [            ]        106,068        105,583  
PIMCO Multi-Strategy Alternative Fund      [            ]        5,709        1,770  
PIMCO Municipal Bond Fund      [            ]        920,568        821,166  
PIMCO National Intermediate Municipal Bond Fund      [            ]        42,856        35,634  
PIMCO New York Municipal Bond Fund      [            ]        175,780        122,957  
PIMCO Preferred and Capital Securities Fund      [            ]        2,736        2,389  
PIMCO RAE Fundamental Advantage PLUS Fund      [            ]        90,754        145,799  
PIMCO RAE Low Volatility PLUS EMG Fund      [            ]        5,732        3,088  
PIMCO RAE Low Volatility PLUS Fund      [            ]        49,399        44,027  
PIMCO RAE Low Volatility PLUS International Fund      [            ]        5,544        3,792  
PIMCO RAE PLUS EMG Fund      [            ]        18,174        18,847  
PIMCO RAE PLUS Fund      [            ]        3,475,728        4,557,015  
PIMCO RAE PLUS International Fund      [            ]        13,751        18,129  
PIMCO RAE PLUS Small Fund      [            ]        36,412        44,919  
PIMCO RAE Worldwide Long/Short PLUS Fund      [            ]        2,219        287  
PIMCO Real Return Fund      [            ]        5,785,146        6,969,378  
PIMCO RealEstateRealReturn Strategy Fund      [            ]        1,120,141        1,564,867  
PIMCO Senior Floating Rate Fund      [            ]        532,024        655,505  
PIMCO Short Duration Municipal Income Fund      [            ]        75,497        78,709  
PIMCO Short-Term Fund      [            ]        971,971        995,984  
PIMCO StocksPLUS® Absolute Return Fund      [            ]        1,696,261        2,065,667  
PIMCO StocksPLUS® Fund      [            ]        1,079,865        1,087,820  
PIMCO StocksPLUS® International Fund (U.S. Dollar-Hedged)      [            ]        1,678,711        2,095,484  
PIMCO StocksPLUS® International Fund (Unhedged)      [            ]        80,685        92,930  
PIMCO StocksPLUS® Short Fund      [            ]        156,704        184,021  
PIMCO StocksPLUS® Small Fund      [            ]        1,191,863        1,560,519  
PIMCO Strategic Bond Fund      [            ]        57,177        92,216  
PIMCO Total Return Fund      [            ]        36,978,223        45,194,259  
PIMCO Total Return Fund IV      [            ]        24,712        26,387  
PIMCO TRENDS Managed Futures Strategy Fund      [            ]        38,329        68,668  

During the fiscal year ended March 31, 2018, the amounts collected pursuant to the Distribution and Servicing Plan for Class C shares were used as follows: sales commissions and other compensation to sales personnel, $[        ]; preparing, printing and distributing sales

 

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Table of Contents

material and advertising (including preparing, printing and distributing Prospectuses to non-shareholders), and other expenses (including data processing, legal and operations), $[        ].

These totals, if allocated among: (i) sales commissions and compensation; and (ii) sales materials and other expenses for each operational Fund, were as follows: [To be updated by amendment.]

 

Fund    Sales Commissions
and Compensation
    

Sales

Materials

and Other

Expenses

     Total  

PIMCO All Asset All Authority Fund

     [            ]        [            ]        [            ]  

PIMCO All Asset Fund

   $  [            ]      $  [            ]      $  [            ]  

PIMCO California Intermediate Municipal Bond Fund

     [            ]        [            ]        [            ]  

PIMCO California Municipal Bond Fund

     [            ]        [            ]        [            ]  

PIMCO California Short Duration Municipal Income Fund

     [            ]        [            ]        [            ]  

PIMCO CommoditiesPLUS® Strategy Fund

     [            ]        [            ]        [            ]  

PIMCO CommodityRealReturn Strategy Fund®

     [            ]        [            ]        [            ]  

PIMCO Credit Opportunities Bond Fund

     [            ]        [            ]        [            ]  

PIMCO Diversified Income Fund

     [            ]        [            ]        [            ]  

PIMCO Dynamic Bond Fund

     [            ]        [            ]        [            ]  

PIMCO Emerging Local Bond Fund

     [            ]        [            ]        [            ]  

PIMCO Emerging Markets Bond Fund

     [            ]        [            ]        [            ]  

PIMCO Emerging Markets Corporate Bond Fund

     [            ]        [            ]        [            ]  

PIMCO Emerging Markets Currency and Short-Term Investments Fund

     [            ]        [            ]        [            ]  

PIMCO Emerging Markets Full Spectrum Bond Fund

     [            ]        [            ]        [            ]  

PIMCO Global Advantage® Strategy Bond Fund

     [            ]        [            ]        [            ]  

PIMCO Global Bond Opportunities Fund (U.S. Dollar-Hedged)

     [            ]        [            ]        [            ]  

PIMCO Global Multi-Asset Fund

     [            ]        [            ]        [            ]  

PIMCO GNMA and Government Securities Fund

     [            ]        [            ]        [            ]  

PIMCO High Yield Fund

     [            ]        [            ]        [            ]  

PIMCO High Yield Municipal Bond Fund

     [            ]        [            ]        [            ]  

PIMCO High Yield Spectrum Fund

     [            ]        [            ]        [            ]  

PIMCO Income Fund

     [            ]        [            ]        [            ]  

PIMCO Inflation Response Multi-Asset Fund

     [            ]        [            ]        [            ]  

PIMCO International Bond Fund (U.S. Dollar-Hedged)

     [            ]        [            ]        [            ]  

PIMCO International Bond Fund (Unhedged)

     [            ]        [            ]        [            ]  

PIMCO Investment Grade Credit Bond Fund

     [            ]        [            ]        [            ]  

PIMCO Long-Term U.S. Government Fund

     [            ]        [            ]        [            ]  

PIMCO Low Duration Fund

     [            ]        [            ]        [            ]  

PIMCO Low Duration Income Fund

     [            ]        [            ]        [            ]  

PIMCO Mortgage Opportunities and Bond Fund

     [            ]        [            ]        [            ]  

PIMCO Mortgage-Backed Securities Fund

     [            ]        [            ]        [            ]  

PIMCO Multi-Strategy Alternative Fund

     [            ]        [            ]        [            ]  

PIMCO Municipal Bond Fund

     [            ]        [            ]        [            ]  

PIMCO National Intermediate Municipal Bond Fund

     [            ]        [            ]        [            ]  

PIMCO New York Municipal Bond Fund

     [            ]        [            ]        [            ]  

PIMCO Preferred and Capital Securities Fund

     [            ]        [            ]        [            ]  

PIMCO RAE Fundamental Advantage PLUS Fund

     [            ]        [            ]        [            ]  

PIMCO RAE Low Volatility PLUS EMG Fund

     [            ]        [            ]        [            ]  

PIMCO RAE Low Volatility PLUS Fund

     [            ]        [            ]        [            ]  

PIMCO RAE Low Volatility PLUS International Fund

     [            ]        [            ]        [            ]  

PIMCO RAE PLUS EMG Fund

     [            ]        [            ]        [            ]  

PIMCO RAE PLUS Fund

     [            ]        [            ]        [            ]  

PIMCO RAE PLUS International Fund

     [            ]        [            ]        [            ]  

PIMCO RAE PLUS Small Fund

     [            ]        [            ]        [            ]  

 

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Table of Contents
Fund    Sales Commissions
and Compensation
    

Sales

Materials

and Other

Expenses

     Total  

PIMCO RAE Worldwide Long/Short PLUS Fund

     [            ]        [            ]        [            ]  

PIMCO Real Return Fund

     [            ]        [            ]        [            ]  

PIMCO RealEstateRealReturn Strategy Fund

     [            ]        [            ]        [            ]  

PIMCO REALPATH® 2020 Fund

     [            ]        [            ]        [            ]  

PIMCO REALPATH® 2025 Fund

     [            ]        [            ]        [            ]  

PIMCO REALPATH® 2030 Fund

     [            ]        [            ]        [            ]  

PIMCO REALPATH® 2035 Fund

     [            ]        [            ]        [            ]  

PIMCO REALPATH® 2040 Fund

     [            ]        [            ]        [            ]  

PIMCO REALPATH® 2045 Fund

     [            ]        [            ]        [            ]  

PIMCO REALPATH® 2050 Fund

     [            ]        [            ]        [            ]  

PIMCO REALPATH® 2055 Fund

     [            ]        [            ]        [            ]  

PIMCO REALPATH® Income Fund

     [            ]        [            ]        [            ]  

PIMCO Senior Floating Rate Fund

     [            ]        [            ]        [            ]  

PIMCO Short Duration Municipal Income Fund

     [            ]        [            ]        [            ]  

PIMCO Short-Term Fund

     [            ]        [            ]        [            ]  

PIMCO StocksPLUS® Absolute Return Fund

     [            ]        [            ]        [            ]  

PIMCO StocksPLUS® Fund

     [            ]        [            ]        [            ]  

PIMCO StocksPLUS® International Fund (U.S. Dollar-Hedged)

     [            ]        [            ]        [            ]  

PIMCO StocksPLUS® International Fund (Unhedged)

     [            ]        [            ]        [            ]  

PIMCO StocksPLUS® Short Fund

     [            ]        [            ]        [            ]  

PIMCO StocksPLUS® Small Fund

     [            ]        [            ]        [            ]  

PIMCO Strategic Bond Fund

     [            ]        [            ]        [            ]  

PIMCO Total Return Fund

     [            ]        [            ]        [            ]  

PIMCO Total Return Fund IV

     [            ]        [            ]        [            ]  

PIMCO TRENDS Managed Futures Strategy Fund

     [            ]        [            ]        [            ]  

Payments Pursuant to Class R Plan

For the fiscal years ended March 31, 2018, March 31, 2017, and March 31, 2016, the Trust paid the Distributor an aggregate of $[        ], $[        ] and $[        ], respectively, pursuant to the Distribution and Servicing Plan for Class R shares, of which the indicated amounts were attributable to the following operational Funds: [To be updated by amendment.]

 

Fund    Year Ended
3/31/2018
     Year Ended
3/31/2017
     Year Ended
3/31/2016
 
PIMCO All Asset Fund    $  [            ]      $ 368,572      $ 447,466  
PIMCO CommoditiesPLUS® Strategy Fund      [            ]        0        6,594  
PIMCO CommodityRealReturn Strategy Fund®      [            ]        241,598        247,564  
PIMCO Credit Opportunities Bond Fund      [            ]        0        2,810  
PIMCO Dynamic Bond Fund      [            ]        40,400        53,604  
PIMCO Global Advantage® Strategy Bond Fund      [            ]        16,694        21,420  
PIMCO Global Multi-Asset Fund      [            ]        32,338        45,704  
PIMCO High Yield Fund      [            ]        169,246        179,682  
PIMCO Income Fund      [            ]        1,354,770        751,450  
PIMCO Inflation Response Multi-Asset Fund      [            ]        0        1,814  
PIMCO International Bond Fund (U.S. Dollar-Hedged)      [            ]        220,142        188,714  
PIMCO Low Duration Fund      [            ]        447,420        490,830  
PIMCO Real Return Fund      [            ]        1,658,326        1,789,424  
PIMCO Senior Floating Rate Fund      [            ]        0        19,890  
PIMCO Short-Term Fund      [            ]        541,578        464,946  
PIMCO StocksPLUS® Absolute Return Fund      [            ]        54        16  
PIMCO StocksPLUS® Fund      [            ]        73,796        71,740  
PIMCO StocksPLUS® International Fund (U.S. Dollar-Hedged)      [            ]        92        16  
PIMCO StocksPLUS® Small Fund      [            ]        62        14  

 

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Fund    Year Ended
3/31/2018
     Year Ended
3/31/2017
     Year Ended
3/31/2016
 
PIMCO Total Return Fund      [            ]        6,560,276        8,245,386  

During the fiscal year ended March 31, 2018, the amounts collected pursuant to the Distribution and Servicing Plan for Class R shares were used as follows: sales commissions and other compensation to sales personnel, $[            ]; preparing, printing and distributing sales material and advertising (including preparing, printing and distributing Prospectuses to non-shareholders), and other expenses (including data processing, legal and operations), $[        ].

These totals, if allocated among: (i) sales commissions and compensation; and (ii) sales materials and other expenses for each operational Fund, were as follows: [To be updated by amendment.]

 

Fund   

Sales Commissions

and Compensation

    

Sales

Materials

and Other

Expenses

     Total  

PIMCO All Asset Fund

   $  [            ]      $  [            ]      $  [            ]  

PIMCO CommodityRealReturn Strategy Fund®

     [            ]        [            ]        [            ]  

PIMCO Dynamic Bond Fund

     [            ]        [            ]        [            ]  

PIMCO Global Advantage® Strategy Bond Fund

     [            ]        [            ]        [            ]  

PIMCO Global Multi-Asset Fund

     [            ]        [            ]        [            ]  

PIMCO High Yield Fund

     [            ]        [            ]        [            ]  

PIMCO Income Fund

     [            ]        [            ]        [            ]  

PIMCO International Bond Fund (U.S. Dollar-Hedged)

     [            ]        [            ]        [            ]  

PIMCO Low Duration Fund

     [            ]        [            ]        [            ]  

PIMCO Real Return Fund

     [            ]        [            ]        [            ]  

PIMCO Short-Term Fund

     [            ]        [            ]        [            ]  

PIMCO StocksPLUS® Absolute Return Fund

     [            ]        [            ]        [            ]  

PIMCO StocksPLUS® Fund

     [            ]        [            ]        [            ]  

PIMCO StocksPLUS® International Fund (U.S. Dollar-Hedged)

     [            ]        [            ]        [            ]  

PIMCO StocksPLUS® Small Fund

     [            ]        [            ]        [            ]  

PIMCO Total Return Fund

     [            ]        [            ]        [            ]  

Distribution and Servicing Plan for Administrative Class Shares

The Trust has adopted a Distribution and Servicing Plan with respect to the Administrative Class shares of each Fund pursuant to Rule 12b-1 under the 1940 Act (the “Administrative Class Plan”). Under the terms of the Administrative Class Plan, a Fund may compensate the Distributor for providing, or procuring through financial firms, certain services in connection with the distribution and marketing of Administrative Class shares and/or certain shareholder services to a financial firm’s customers or participants in benefits plans that invest in Administrative Class shares of the Funds. The following lists the maximum annual rates at which the distribution and/or servicing fees may be paid under the Administrative Class Plan (calculated as a percentage of each Fund’s average daily net assets attributable to Administrative Class shares):

 

Administrative Class    Distribution and/or Servicing Fee

PIMCO Government Money Market Fund

  

0.10%

All other Funds

  

0.25%

The fee payable pursuant to the Administrative Class Plan may be used by the Distributor to provide or procure services including, among other things, providing facilities to answer questions from prospective investors about a Fund; receiving and answering correspondence, including requests for Prospectuses and the Statement of Additional Information; preparing, printing and delivering Prospectuses and shareholder reports to prospective shareholders; complying with federal and state securities laws pertaining to the sale of Administrative Class shares; and assisting investors in completing application forms and selecting dividend and other account options. In addition, the fee payable pursuant to the Administrative Class Plan may be used by the Distributor to provide or procure administrative services for Administrative Class shareholders of the Funds including, among other things, receiving, aggregating and processing shareholder orders; furnishing shareholder sub-accounting; providing and maintaining elective shareholder services such as check writing and wire transfer services; providing and maintaining pre-authorized investment plans; communicating periodically with shareholders; acting as the sole shareholder of record and nominee for shareholders; maintaining accounting records for shareholders;

 

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answering questions and handling correspondence from shareholders about their accounts; and performing similar account administrative services.

In accordance with Rule 12b-1 under the 1940 Act, the Administrative Class Plan may not be amended to increase materially the costs which Administrative Class shareholders may bear under the respective Administrative Class Plan without approval of a majority of the outstanding Administrative Class shares, as applicable, 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 Administrative Class Plan or any agreements related to it (the “Administrative Class Plan Trustees”), cast in person at a meeting called for the purpose of voting on the Administrative Class Plan and any related amendments. The Administrative Class Plan may not take effect until approved by a vote of a majority of both: (i) the Trustees of the Trust; and (ii) the Administrative Class Plan Trustees. The Administrative Class Plan shall continue in effect so long as such continuance is specifically approved at least annually by the Trustees and the Administrative Class Plan Trustees. The Administrative Class Plan may be terminated at any time, without penalty, by vote of a majority of the Administrative Class Plan Trustees or by a vote of a majority of the outstanding Administrative Class shares of a Fund. Pursuant to the Administrative Class Plan, the Board of Trustees will be provided with quarterly reports of amounts expended under the Administrative Class Plan and the purpose for which such expenditures were made.

FINRA rules limit the amount of asset-based sales charges (“distribution fees”) that may be paid by mutual funds out of their assets as a percentage of total new gross sales. “Service fees,” defined to mean fees paid for providing shareholder services or the maintenance of accounts (but not transfer agency or sub-account services) are not subject to these limits on distribution fees. While the fees paid pursuant to the Administrative Class Plan will typically be treated as distribution fees for purposes of FINRA rules, some portion of the fees may qualify as “service fees” (or fees for ministerial, recordkeeping or administrative activities) and therefore will not be limited by FINRA rules which limit distribution fees as a percentage of total new gross sales. However, FINRA rules limit service fees to 0.25% of a Fund’s average annual net assets.

Payments Pursuant to the Administrative Class Plans

For the fiscal years ended March 31, 2018, March 31, 2017, and March 31, 2016, the Trust paid qualified service providers an aggregate amount of $[            ], $[            ] and $[            ], respectively, pursuant to the Administrative Services Plan and the Administrative Distribution Plan. Such payments were allocated among the Funds with operational Administrative Class shares listed below as follows: [To be updated by amendment.]

 

Fund    Year Ended
3/31/2018
     Year Ended
3/31/2017
     Year Ended
3/31/2016
 
PIMCO All Asset Fund    $  [            ]      $ 575,070      $ 772,119  
PIMCO CommoditiesPLUS® Strategy Fund      [            ]        19,831        12,190  
PIMCO CommodityRealReturn Strategy Fund®      [            ]        268,113        487,760  
PIMCO Diversified Income Fund      [            ]        26,651        23,168  
PIMCO Emerging Local Bond Fund      [            ]        22,184        58,266  
PIMCO Emerging Markets Bond Fund      [            ]        12,058        16,790  
PIMCO Emerging Markets Currency and Short-Term Investments Fund      [            ]        10,165        15,274  
PIMCO Global Bond Opportunities Fund (U.S. Dollar-Hedged)      [            ]        21,037        16,238  
PIMCO Global Bond Opportunities Fund (Unhedged)      [            ]        300,199        318,465  
PIMCO High Yield Fund      [            ]        998,387        957,120  
PIMCO Income Fund      [            ]        663,768        585,121  
PIMCO International Bond Fund (U.S. Dollar-Hedged)      [            ]        209,930        130,577  
PIMCO International Bond Fund (Unhedged)      [            ]        59,898        44,439  
PIMCO Investment Grade Credit Bond Fund      [            ]        794,593        467,506  
PIMCO Long-Term U.S. Government Fund      [            ]        66,468        100,648  
PIMCO Low Duration ESG Fund      [            ]        13,868        14,460  
PIMCO Low Duration Fund      [            ]        381,360        572,313  
PIMCO Low Duration Fund II      [            ]        22,966        24,794  
PIMCO Mortgage-Backed Securities Fund      [            ]        9,894        25,130  
PIMCO RAE PLUS EMG Fund      [            ]        680        615  
PIMCO RAE PLUS Fund      [            ]        28,363        40,853  
PIMCO Real Return Fund      [            ]        1,513,571        1,661,067  
PIMCO REALPATH® 2020 Fund      [            ]        44,689        100,165  
PIMCO REALPATH® 2025 Fund      [            ]        58,836        116,525  
PIMCO REALPATH® 2030 Fund      [            ]        62,863        139,237  
PIMCO REALPATH® 2035 Fund      [            ]        48,027        108,014  
PIMCO REALPATH® 2040 Fund      [            ]        37,530        84,502  
PIMCO REALPATH® 2045 Fund      [            ]        20,898        34,137  

 

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Fund    Year Ended
3/31/2018
     Year Ended
3/31/2017
     Year Ended
3/31/2016
 
PIMCO REALPATH® 2050 Fund      [            ]        51,237        95,017  
PIMCO REALPATH® 2055 Fund      [            ]        28        0  
PIMCO REALPATH® Income Fund      [            ]        50,339        98,631  
PIMCO Short Asset Investment Fund      [            ]        69,575        822  
PIMCO Short-Term Fund      [            ]        3,689,850        4,154,938  
PIMCO StocksPLUS® Fund      [            ]        32,034        13,400  
PIMCO StocksPLUS® International Fund (Unhedged)      [            ]        19,042        13,769  
PIMCO StocksPLUS® Small Fund      [            ]        31,625        6,397  
PIMCO Total Return ESG Fund      [            ]        117,600        164,082  
PIMCO Total Return Fund      [            ]        12,194,340        20,386,152  
PIMCO Total Return Fund II      [            ]        32,434        41,896  

The remaining Funds did not make payments under the Administrative Class Plans.

Additional Payments to Financial Firms

The Distributor may from time to time make payments and provide other incentives to financial firms as compensation for services such as providing the Funds with “shelf space” or a higher profile for the financial firms’ financial advisors and their customers, placing the Funds on the financial firms’ preferred or recommended fund list or otherwise identifying the Funds as being part of a complex to be accorded a higher degree of marketing support than complexes not making such payments, granting the Distributor access to the financial firms’ financial advisors (including through the firms’ intranet websites) in order to promote the Funds, promotions in communications with financial firms’ customers such as in the firms’ internet websites or in customer newsletters, providing assistance in training and educating the financial firms’ personnel, and furnishing marketing support and other specified services. The actual services provided, and the payments made for such services, vary from firm to firm. These payments may be significant to the financial firms.

A number of factors will be considered in determining the amount of these additional payments to financial firms. On some occasions, such payments may be conditioned upon levels of sales, including the sale of a specified minimum dollar amount of the shares of a Fund and/or all of the Funds and/or other funds sponsored by the Distributor together or a particular class of shares, during a specified period of time. The Distributor also may make payments to one or more financial firms based upon factors such as the amount of assets a financial firm’s clients have invested in the Funds and the quality of the financial firm’s relationship with the Distributor, PIMCO and/or their affiliates.

The additional payments described above are made from the Distributor’s own assets (and sometimes, therefore referred to as “revenue sharing”) pursuant to agreements with broker-dealers or other financial firms and do not change the price paid by investors for the purchase of a Fund’s shares or the amount a Fund will receive as proceeds from such sales. These payments may be made to financial firms (as selected by the Distributor) that have sold significant amounts of shares of the Funds. With respect to Class A, C, and R shares, except as described in the following paragraph, the level of payments made to a financial firm in any future year will vary and generally will not exceed the sum of: (a) 0.10% of such year’s sales of Class A, C and R shares of the Funds and PIMCO Equity Series by such financial firm; and (b) 0.03% of the assets attributable to that financial firm invested in Class A, C and R shares of the Funds and PIMCO Equity Series (the “10/3 cap”). In certain cases, the payments described in the preceding sentence are subject to certain minimum payment levels. In lieu of payments pursuant to the foregoing formula, the Distributor may make payments of an agreed upon amount which generally will not exceed the amount that would have been payable pursuant to the formula. With respect to Class M shares, the level of payments made to a financial firm in any future year will vary.

Financial firms with a combined AUM in excess of $10 Billion in Class A, C and I-2 shares of the Funds and PIMCO Equity Series (for purposes of this paragraph, “Eligible Firms”) may be eligible for marketing support payments beyond those described in the preceding paragraph on certain Eligible Assets (as defined below). The total payment to any Eligible Firm generally shall not exceed the greater of: (a) 0.05% of the combined Eligible Assets of Class A, C and I-2 shares of the Funds and PIMCO Equity Series; or (b) the 10/3 cap with respect to Class A and Class C shares only. Should any Eligible Firm choose not to collect marketing support on I-2 shares, the total payment to such Eligible Firm generally shall not exceed the greater of: (a) 0.05% of Eligible Assets of Class A and C shares of the Funds and PIMCO Equity Series; or (b) the 10/3 cap with respect to Class A and Class C shares only. With respect to the Eligible Firms receiving marketing support payments with respect to I-2 shares pursuant to this paragraph, payments may be lower for particular Funds or funds of PIMCO Equity Series as compared to other Funds or funds of PIMCO Equity Series. “Eligible Assets” for purposes of this paragraph shall include all assets of Class A, C and I-2 shares of the Funds and PIMCO Equity Series attributable to such Eligible Firm except advisory account assets held through a corporate retirement plan governed by the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974, Simplified Employee Pension Individual Retirement Accounts and Savings Incentive Match Plans for Individual Retirement Accounts. Although these payments are made from the Distributor’s own assets, in some cases the levels of such payments may vary by Fund or share class in relation to advisory fees, total annual operating expenses or other payments made

 

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by the Fund or share class to PIMCO and the Distributor. These additional payments by the Distributor may be made to financial firms (as selected by the Distributor) that have sold significant amounts of shares of the Funds.

Payments for marketing support may also include payments to financial firms in connection with the marketing and sale of model portfolios developed by PIMCO. Such payments may relate to assets under management or sales of any share class of the Funds in such PIMCO-developed models.

In addition to revenue sharing payments, the Distributor may also make payments to financial firms in connection with certain transaction fees (also referred to as “ticket charges”) incurred by the financial firms.

In addition to the payments described above, the Distributor and/or PIMCO may make payments in connection with or reimburse financial firms’ sponsorship and/or attendance at conferences, seminars or informational meetings (“event support”), provide financial firms 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 financial firms (“charitable contributions”) to the extent permitted by applicable law, rules and regulations.

In addition, wholesale representatives of the Distributor and employees of PIMCO or their affiliates visit financial firms on a regular basis to educate financial advisors and other personnel about the Funds and to encourage the sale or recommendation of Fund shares to their clients. The Distributor and/or PIMCO may also provide (or compensate consultants or other third parties to provide) other relevant training and education to a financial firm’s financial advisors and other personnel. Although a Fund may use financial firms that sell Fund shares to effect transactions for the Fund’s portfolio, neither the Fund nor PIMCO will consider the sale of Fund shares as a factor when choosing financial firms to effect those transactions.

The Distributor also may make payments or reimbursements to financial firms or their affiliated companies, which may be used for the development, maintenance and availability of services including, but not limited to, platform education and communications, relationship management support, development to support new or changing products, trading platforms and related infrastructure/technology and/or legal risk management and regulatory compliance infrastructure in support of investment-related products, programs and services (collectively, “platform support”) or for various studies, surveys, industry data, research and access to information about, and contact information for, particular financial advisors who have sold, or may in the future sell, shares of the Funds (i.e., “leads”). Subject to applicable law, PIMCO and its affiliates may also provide investment advisory services to financial firms and their affiliates and may execute brokerage transactions on behalf of the Funds with such financial firms’ affiliates. These financial firms or their affiliates may, in the ordinary course of their financial firm business, recommend that their clients utilize PIMCO’s investment advisory services or invest in the Funds or in other products sponsored or distributed by the Distributor. In addition, the Distributor may pay investment consultants or their affiliated companies for certain services including technology, operations, tax, or audit consulting services and may pay such firms for the Distributor’s attendance at investment forums sponsored by such firms (collectively, “consultant services”).

Payments for items including event support, platform support, leads and consultant services (but not including certain account services, discussed below), as well as revenue sharing, may be bundled and allocated among these categories in the Distributor’s discretion. Portions of such bundled payments allocated by the Distributor to revenue sharing shall remain subject to the percentage limitations on revenue sharing payments disclosed above. The financial firms receiving such bundled payments may characterize or allocate the payments differently from the Distributor’s internal allocation.

As of [July 30, 2018], the Distributor and PIMCO anticipate that the firms that will receive the additional payments for marketing support, shelf space or other services as described above include: [To be updated by amendment.]

 

Ameriprise Financial Services, Inc.

AXA Advisors, LLC

Cetera Financial Group, Inc. on behalf of its affiliated broker-dealers

Citigroup Global Markets Inc.

Citizens Securities, Inc.

Commonwealth Financial Network

Cuna Brokerage Services

Fidelity Brokerage Services

Fidelity Investments Institutional Operations Company Inc.

FSC Securities Corporation

Voya Financial Advisors

Institutional Cash Distributors

INVEST Financial Corporation

  

Morgan Stanley Smith Barney LLC

National Financial Services LLC

National Planning Corporation

Northwestern Mutual Investment Services, LLC

PNC Investments

Questar Capital

Raymond James & Associates

Raymond James Financial Services, Inc.

RBC Capital Markets, LLC

Robert W. Baird & Co.

Royal Alliance Associates

SagePoint Financial, Inc.

Sammons Financial Network LLC

Securities America, Inc.

Securities Service Network, Inc.

 

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Investacorp, Inc.

Investment Centers of America

Janney Montgomery Scott LLC

J.P. Morgan Securities LLC

Kestra Investment Services LLC

KMS Financial Services Inc.

Ladenburg Thalmann Advisor Network

Lincoln Financial Advisors Corp

Lincoln Financial Securities Corp

LPL Financial

Merrill Lynch, Pierce, Fenner & Smith Incorporated

  

SII Investments, Inc.

Stifel, Nicolaus & Company, Inc.

SunTrust Investment Services

The Legend Group (Lincoln Investment Planning)

Triad Advisors, Inc.

UBS Financial Services

US Bancorp Investments, Inc.

Wells Fargo Advisers LLP

Woodbury Financial Services

The Distributor expects that additional firms may be added to this list from time to time.

Subject to applicable law, PIMCO and its affiliates may also provide investment advisory services to financial firms and their affiliates and may execute brokerage transactions on behalf of the Funds with such financial firms’ affiliates. These consultants or their affiliates may, in the ordinary course of their financial firm business, recommend that their clients utilize PIMCO’s investment advisory services or invest in the Funds or in other products sponsored or distributed by the Distributor.

In addition to the payments, reimbursements and incentives described above, further amounts may be paid by PIMCO to financial firms for providing services with respect to shareholders holding Fund shares in nominee or street name, including, but not limited to, the following services: providing explanations and answering inquiries regarding the Funds and their accounts; providing recordkeeping and other administrative services, including preparing record date shareholder lists for proxy solicitation; maintaining records of and facilitating shareholder purchases and redemptions; processing and mailing transaction confirmations, periodic statements, prospectuses, shareholder reports, shareholder notices and other Securities and Exchange Commission-required communications to shareholders; providing periodic statements to certain benefit plans and participants in such plans of the Funds held for the benefit of each participant in the plan; processing, collecting and posting distributions to their accounts; issuing and mailing dividend checks to shareholders who have selected cash distributions; assisting in the establishment and maintenance of shareholder accounts; providing account designations and other information; capturing and processing tax data; establishing and maintaining automatic withdrawals and automated investment plans and shareholder account registrations; providing sub-accounting services; providing recordkeeping services related to purchase and redemption transactions, including providing such information as may be necessary to assure compliance with applicable blue sky requirements; and performing similar administrative services as requested by PIMCO to the extent that the firm is permitted by applicable statute, rule or regulation to provide such information or services. The actual services provided, and the payments made for such services, vary from firm to firm.

For these services, PIMCO may pay: (i) an annual fee of up to 0.25% per annum (up to 0.10% per annum with respect to I-2 shares and up to 0.15% per annum with respect to I-3 shares) of the value of the assets in the relevant accounts; or (ii) annual per account charges that in the aggregate generally range from $0 to $6 per account, and in some cases up to $12 per account, for networking fees for NSCC-networked accounts and from $14 to $19 for services to omnibus accounts (but in no event more than the amounts described in (i) above). These payments are made out of PIMCO’s own resources. Such resources may include the supervisory and administrative fees paid to PIMCO under the Funds’ supervision and administration agreement. Additionally, although these payments are made out of PIMCO’s own resources, in some cases the levels of such payments may vary by Fund or share class in relation to advisory fees, total annual operating expenses or other payments made by the Fund or share class to PIMCO and the Distributor. In addition, PIMCO may pay financial firms a flat fee to cover certain set-up costs by Fund or share class. These payments, taken together in the aggregate, may be material to financial firms relative to other compensation paid by a Fund and/or PIMCO and may be in addition to any (i) distribution and/or servicing (12b-1) fees; (ii) marketing support, revenue sharing or “shelf space” fees; and (iii) event support, other non-cash compensation and charitable contributions disclosed above and paid to or at the request of such financial firms or their personnel. The additional servicing payments and set-up fees described above may differ depending on the Fund and share class and may vary from amounts paid to the Trust’s transfer agent for providing similar services to other accounts.

If investment advisers, distributors or affiliated persons of mutual funds make payments and provide other incentives in differing amounts, financial firms and their financial advisors may have financial incentives for recommending a particular mutual fund over other mutual funds. In addition, depending on the arrangements in place at any particular time, a financial firm and its financial advisors also may have a financial incentive for recommending a particular share class over other share classes. Because financial firms and plan recordkeepers may be paid varying amounts per class for sub-accounting and related recordkeeping services, the service requirements of which also may vary by class, this may create an additional incentive for financial firms and their financial advisors to favor one fund complex over another or one fund class over another. You should review carefully any disclosure by the financial firm or plan recordkeepers as to its compensation.

In certain circumstances, the Distributor or its affiliates may pay or reimburse financial firms for distribution and/or shareholder services out of the Distributor’s or its affiliates’ own assets when the Distributor does not receive associated distribution and/or service

 

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(12b-1) fees from the applicable Funds. These payments and reimbursements may be made from profits received by the Distributor or its affiliates from other fees paid by the Funds. Such activities by the Distributor or its affiliates may provide incentives to financial firms to purchase or market shares of the Funds. Additionally, these activities may give the Distributor or its affiliates additional access to sales representatives of such financial firms, which may increase sales of Fund shares. The payments described in this paragraph may be significant to payors and payees.

Purchases, Exchanges and Redemptions

Purchases, exchanges and redemptions of all Fund shares are discussed under the “Purchases, Redemptions and Exchanges” section of the Prospectuses, and that information is incorporated herein by reference.

Certain managed account clients of PIMCO may purchase Fund shares. To avoid the imposition of duplicative fees, PIMCO may be required to make adjustments in the management fees charged separately by PIMCO to these clients to offset the management fees and expenses paid indirectly through a client’s investment in the Fund.

Certain clients of PIMCO whose assets would be eligible for purchase by one or more of the Funds may purchase shares of the Trust with such assets. Assets so purchased by a Fund will be valued in accordance with procedures adopted by the Board of Trustees.

Generally, the minimum initial investment for shares of Class A and Class C is $1,000 per Fund. For information on specific account types for Class A and Class C shares see below. The minimum initial investment for shares of the Institutional Class, Class M, I-2, I-3 and Administrative Class is $1 million per account, except that the minimum investment may be modified for certain financial firms that submit orders on behalf of their customers. A Fund or the Distributor may lower or waive the minimum initial investment for certain categories of investors at their discretion. In addition, the minimum initial investment may be modified for the Trustees and certain employees and their extended family members of PIMCO and its affiliates. (See “Sales at Net Asset Value” below for the definition of extended family members.) To obtain more information about exceptions to the minimum initial investment for all share classes please call 888.87.PIMCO.

One or more classes of shares of the Funds may not be qualified or registered for sale in all States. Prospective investors should inquire as to whether shares of a particular Fund, or class of shares thereof, are available for offer and sale in their State of domicile or residence. Shares of a Fund may not be offered or sold in any State unless registered or qualified in that jurisdiction, unless an exemption from registration or qualification is available.

As described in the Prospectuses under the caption “Exchanging Shares,” a shareholder may exchange shares of any Fund for shares of the same class of any other Fund of the Trust or any series of PIMCO Equity Series that is available for investment, each on the basis of their respective net asset values. A shareholder may also exchange Class M shares of any Fund for Institutional Class shares of any other Fund of the Trust or any series of PIMCO Equity Series that is available for investment. This exchange privilege may in the future be extended to cover any “interval” funds that may be established and managed by the Adviser and its affiliates. The original purchase date(s) of shares exchanged for purposes of calculating any contingent deferred sales charge will carry over to the investment in the new Fund. For example, if a shareholder invests in Class C shares of one Fund and 6 months later (when the contingent deferred sales charge upon redemption would normally be 1%) exchanges his shares for Class C shares of another Fund, no sales charge would be imposed upon the exchange but the investment in the other Fund would be subject to the 1% contingent deferred sales charge until one year after the date of the shareholder’s investment in the first Fund as described in the applicable Prospectus.

Shares of one class of a Fund may be exchanged, at a shareholder’s option, directly for shares of another class of the same Fund (an “intra-fund exchange”), subject to the terms and conditions described below and to such other fees and charges as set forth in the applicable Prospectus(es) (including the imposition or waiver of any sales charge (load) or contingent deferred sales charge (“CDSC”)), provided that the shareholder for whom the intra-fund exchange is being requested meets the eligibility requirements of the class into which such shareholder seeks to exchange. Additional information regarding the eligibility requirements of different share classes, including investment minimums and intended distribution channels, is provided under “Distribution of Trust Shares” above, and/or in the applicable Prospectus(es). Shares of a Fund will be exchanged for shares of a different class of the same Fund on the basis of their respective NAVs, and no redemption fee will apply to intra-fund exchanges. Ongoing fees and expenses incurred by a given share class will differ from those of other share classes, and a shareholder receiving new shares in an intra-fund exchange may be subject to higher or lower total expenses following such exchange. In addition to changes in ongoing fees and expenses, a shareholder receiving new shares in an intra-fund exchange may be required to pay an initial sales charge (load) or CDSC. Generally, intra-fund exchanges into Class A shares will be subject to a Class A sales charge unless otherwise noted below, and intra-fund exchanges out of Class A or Class C shares will be subject to the standard schedule of CDSCs for the share class out of which the shareholder is exchanging, unless otherwise noted below. If Class C shares are exchanged for Class A shares, a shareholder will be responsible for paying any Class C CDSCs and any applicable Class A sales charge. If I-2 or I-3 shares are exchanged for Class A shares, a Class A sales charge will not apply. If Class A shares were purchased at NAV and no commission was paid and then exchanged for Institutional Class shares, a CDSC will not apply. With respect to shares subject to a CDSC, if less than all of an investment is exchanged out of one class of a Fund, any portion of the investment exchanged will be from the lot of shares that would

 

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incur the lowest CDSC if such shares were being redeemed rather than exchanged. Shareholders generally should not recognize gain or loss for U.S. federal income tax purposes upon such an intra-fund exchange, provided that the transaction is undertaken and processed, with respect to any shareholder, as a direct exchange transaction. If an intra-fund exchange incurs a CDSC or sales charge, Fund shares may be redeemed to pay such charge, and that redemption will be taxable. Shareholders should consult their tax advisors as to the federal, state, local and non-U.S. tax consequences of an intra-fund exchange.

For each Fund (except for PIMCO Government Money Market Fund), orders for exchanges accepted prior to the close of regular trading on the NYSE (normally 4:00 pm Eastern time) (“NYSE Close”) on any day the Trust is open for business will be executed at the respective net asset values determined as of the close of business that day. Orders for exchanges received after the NYSE Close on any business day will be executed at the respective net asset values determined at the close of the next business day.

For the PIMCO Government Money Market Fund, orders for exchanges accepted prior to 5:30 p.m., Eastern time, (or an earlier cut-off time if the Fund closes early (the “cut-off time”)) on any day that the PIMCO Government Money Market Fund is open for business will be executed at the net asset value determined as of 5:30 p.m., Eastern time. Orders for exchanges received after the cut-off time on any day that the PIMCO Government Money Market Fund is open for business will be executed at the net asset value determined as of 5:30 p.m., Eastern time, the next day the PIMCO Government Money Market Fund is open for business. Requests to exchange shares of the PIMCO Government Money Market Fund for shares of other Funds of the Trust or any series of PIMCO Equity Series received after 4:00 p.m., Eastern time, will be effected at the next day’s net asset value for those funds.

An excessive number of exchanges may be disadvantageous to the Trust. Therefore, the Trust, in addition to its right to reject any exchange, reserves the right to adopt a policy of terminating the exchange privilege of any shareholder who makes more than a specified number of exchanges in a 12-month period or in any calendar quarter. The Trust reserves the right to modify or discontinue the exchange privilege at any time.

The Trust reserves the right to suspend or postpone redemptions during any period when: (a) trading on the NYSE is restricted, as determined by the SEC, or the NYSE is closed for other than customary weekend and holiday closings; (b) the SEC has by order permitted such suspension; or (c) an emergency, as determined by the SEC, exists, making disposal of portfolio securities or valuation of net assets of a Fund not reasonably practicable.

The Trust is committed to paying in cash all requests for redemptions by any shareholder of record and certain beneficial owners of shares of the Funds, limited in amount with respect to each shareholder during any 90-day period to the lesser of: (i) $250,000; or (ii) 1% of the net asset value of the Trust at the beginning of such period. Although the Trust will normally redeem all shares for cash, it may, in unusual circumstances, redeem amounts in excess of the lesser of (i) or (ii) above by payment in kind of securities held in the Funds’ portfolios.

The Trust has adopted procedures under which it may make redemptions-in-kind to shareholders who are affiliated persons of a Fund. Under these procedures, the Trust generally may satisfy a redemption request from an affiliated person in-kind, provided that: (1) the redemption-in-kind is effected at approximately the affiliated shareholder’s proportionate share of the distributing Fund’s current net assets, and thus does not result in the dilution of the interests of the remaining shareholders; (2) the distributed securities are valued in the same manner as they are valued for purposes of computing the distributing Fund’s net asset value; (3) the redemption-in-kind is consistent with the Fund’s Prospectus and Statement of Additional Information; and (4) neither the affiliated shareholder nor any other party with the ability and the pecuniary incentive to influence the redemption-in-kind selects, or influences the selection of, the distributed securities.

The Trust’s Declaration of Trust authorizes the Trust to redeem shares under certain circumstances as may be specified by the Board of Trustees, including small accounts.

In addition to the other methods and notwithstanding any limitations described herein and in each Fund’s prospectus, shareholders with eligible Fund direct accounts may purchase, redeem (sell) and exchange Class A, and Class C shares by accessing their accounts online via pimco.com/MyAccountAccess. Shareholders with eligible Fund direct accounts in the Institutional Class may purchase, redeem (sell) and exchange shares by accessing their accounts via pimco.com/InstitutionalAccountAccess. Accordingly, an investor must first establish a Fund direct account by completing and mailing the appropriate account application. Online redemptions are not available for all Fund direct accounts because in certain cases, a signature guarantee may be required.

If a shareholder elects to use Account Access to effect a transaction in a PIMCO Fund or Fund within the PIMCO Equity Series direct account, the shareholder will be required to establish and use a user ID and password. Shareholders are responsible for keeping their user ID and password private. The Funds will not be liable for relying on any instructions submitted online via Account Access. Submitting transactions online may be difficult (or impossible) during drastic economic or market changes or during other times when communications may be under unusual stress.

 

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The Transfer Agent, on behalf of the Trust, will receive and process instructions to purchase, exchange or redeem Class A, Class C and Institutional Class shares in the Funds presented for processing in accordance with the terms of the applicable prospectus after shareholders have entered their instructions and transmitted their orders online through Account Access. By submitting transaction instructions online through Account Access the Transfer Agent and such other agents as the Trust designates is/are permitted to act on the orders received online via Account Access on behalf of the shareholder. Once an order has been submitted it will not be canceled if it has been received (in good order) and it has been acknowledged online. The online acknowledgement of receipt of an order does not constitute final acceptance of an order. Shareholders will receive a confirmation of their order and/or an account statement at their address of record by mail, which contains information regarding accepted orders. Shareholders are responsible for reviewing any confirmation and/or statement for accuracy and for contacting the Transfer Agent immediately in the event of any error or inaccuracy. Shareholders should contact the Transfer Agent if they believe someone has unauthorized access to their account(s) or password.

How to Buy Shares—Class A, Class C and Class R Shares.

Purchases through Financial Firms. Class A, Class C and Class R shares of each Fund are offered through various financial firms including broker-dealers, banks, trust companies and certain other firms.

Direct Purchases. Class A or Class C shares may be purchased directly by mail by obtaining an application form online at pimco.com or by calling 888.87.PIMCO. Send completed applications along with a check payable to PIMCO Family of Funds to:

 

Regular Mail:

PIMCO Funds

P.O. Box 55060

Boston, MA 02205-5060

  

Overnight Delivery:

PIMCO Funds

c/o DST Asset Manager Solutions, Inc.

30 Dan Road

Canton, MA 02021-2809

All shareholders who establish accounts by mail may receive individual confirmations of each purchase, redemption, dividend reinvestment, exchange or transfer of Fund shares, including the total number of Fund shares owned as of the confirmation date, except that purchases resulting from the reinvestment of daily-accrued dividends and/or distributions will be confirmed once each calendar quarter. See “Fund Distributions” in the applicable Fund’s Prospectus. Information regarding direct investment or any other features or plans offered by the Trust may be obtained by calling 888.87.PIMCO or by calling your financial firm representative.

Purchases are accepted subject to collection of checks at full value and conversion into federal funds. Payment by a check drawn on any member of the Federal Reserve System can normally be converted into federal funds within two business days after receipt of the check. Checks drawn on a non-member bank may take up to 15 days to convert into federal funds. In all cases, the purchase price is based on the net asset value next determined after the purchase order and check are accepted, even though the check may not yet have been converted into federal funds.

The Trust reserves the right to require payment by wire. The Trust generally does not accept payments made by cash, money order, temporary/starter checks, third party checks, credit cards, traveler’s checks, credit card checks, or checks drawn on non-U.S. banks even if payment may be effected through a U.S. bank. Investors may also elect to purchase additional shares over the phone provided that you have linked a bank account to your direct account. For more information please call 888.87.PIMCO.

Subsequent Purchases of Shares—Class A and Class C Shares. The minimum subsequent purchase in any Fund is $50. Subsequent purchases of Class A or Class C shares can be made as indicated above by mailing a check with a letter of instruction describing the investment (i.e., account number, name of fund, share class, number of shares, or investment amounts in dollars) or utilizing the “Invest by Mail” portion of a confirmation statement. Additionally, subsequent purchases can be made through the Automatic Investment Plan, the Automatic Exchange Plan, and the Automated Clearing House (ACH) privilege referred to below. Shareholders with eligible Fund direct accounts can also make subsequent purchases by accessing their accounts online via pimco.com/MyAccountAccess. All checks should be made payable to PIMCO Family of Funds and should clearly indicate the shareholder’s account number. Checks should be mailed to one of the addresses under “Direct Purchases” above.

Purchasing Class R Shares. Class R shares are generally available only to 401(k) plans, 457 plans, employer-sponsored 403(b) plans, profit sharing and money purchase pension plans, defined benefit plans, non-qualified deferred compensation plans, health care benefit funding plans (collectively “specified benefit plans”) and other accounts whereby the plan or the plan’s financial firm has an agreement with the Distributor or the Administrator to utilize Class R shares in certain investment products or programs (each such plan or account, a “Class R Eligible Plan”). Additionally, Class R shares are generally available only to Class R Eligible Plans where Class R shares are held on the books of the Funds through omnibus accounts (either at the plan level or at the level of the financial firm level). Class R shares are not available to retail accounts, non-Class R Eligible Plans, traditional and Roth IRAs (except through certain omnibus accounts), SEPs, SAR-SEPs, SIMPLE IRAs, individual 403(b) plans, or Coverdell Education Savings Accounts.

 

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Plan participants may not directly purchase Class R shares through the Distributor. There is no minimum initial or additional investment in Class R shares because Class R shares may only be purchased through omnibus accounts. For more information please call 888.87.PIMCO.

How to Buy Shares— Institutional Class, Class M, I-2, I-3 and Administrative Class Shares.

Purchases through Financial Firms. Institutional Class, Class M, I-2, I-3 and Administrative Class shares of each Fund are offered through various financial firms including broker-dealers, banks, trust companies and certain other financial firms.

Direct Purchases. Institutional Class and Class M Shares may be purchased directly by obtaining an application online at pimco.com or by calling 888.87.PIMCO and making payment by wire of federal funds, except as described below. Completed applications may be sent using the following methods:

Facsimile:

816.421.2861

Regular Mail and Overnight Delivery:

PIMCO Funds

c/o DST Asset Manager Solutions

330 W. 9th Street Kansas City, MO 64105

Email:

piprocess@dstsystems.com

Purchase amounts should be sent via wire as follows:

PIMCO Funds c/o State Street Bank & Trust Co.

One Lincoln Street, Boston, MA 02111

ABA: 011000028

DDA: 9905-7432

ACCT: Investor PIMCO Account Number

FFC: Name of Investor and Name of Fund(s)

Before wiring federal funds, the investor must provide purchase instructions to the Transfer Agent. In order to receive the current day’s price, purchase instructions must be received in good order prior to market close. Purchase instructions must include the name and signature of authorized person on the account, account name, account number, name of Fund and share class, and amount being wired. Wires received without purchase instructions may result in a processing delay or a return of wire. Failure to send the accompanying wire on the same day may result in the cancellation of the purchase order.

Eligible investors may also purchase additional shares of the Institutional Class online. For more information please call 888.87.PIMCO.

Investors may also purchase Institutional Class, Class M and Administrative Class shares with proceeds derived from an advisory account managed by PIMCO or one of its affiliates. For more information please call 888.87.PIMCO.

Unavailable or Restricted Funds. Certain Funds and/or share classes are not currently offered to the public as of the date of this Statement of Additional Information. Please see the applicable Prospectuses for details.

Additional Information about Purchases. Shares may be purchased at a price equal to their net asset value per share next determined after receipt of an order plus a sales charge (if applicable), which may be imposed either: (i) at the time of the purchase in the case of Class A shares (the “initial sales charge alternative”); or (ii) by the deduction of an ongoing asset-based sales charge in the case of Class C and Class R shares (the “asset-based sales charge alternative”). In certain circumstances, Class A and Class C shares are also subject to a CDSC. See “Alternative Purchase Arrangements.” Purchase payments for Class C and R shares are fully invested at the net asset value next determined after acceptance of the trade. Purchase payments for Class A shares, less the applicable sales charge, are invested at the net asset value next determined after acceptance of the trade.

All purchase orders (except purchase orders for the PIMCO Government Money Market Fund, which are discussed below) received by the Trust or its designee prior to the NYSE Close on a regular business day are processed at that day’s offering price. However, orders received by the Trust or its designee after the offering price is determined that day from financial firms or certain retirement plans will receive such offering price if the orders were received by the financial firm or retirement plan from its customer or participant prior to such offering price determination and were transmitted to and received by the Trust or its designee prior to such

 

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time as agreed upon by the Distributor or Administrator in accordance with an agreement or as allowed by applicable law. Purchase orders will be accepted only on days on which a Fund is open for business. If a purchase order is received on a day when a Fund is not open for business, it will be processed on the next succeeding day the Fund is open for business (according to the succeeding day’s net asset value). The Trust is “open for business” on each day the NYSE is open for trading, which excludes the following holidays: New Year’s Day, Martin Luther King, Jr. Day, Presidents’ Day, Good Friday, Memorial Day, Independence Day, Labor Day, Thanksgiving Day and Christmas Day. If the NYSE is closed due to weather or other extenuating circumstances on a day it would typically be open for business, the Trust reserves the right to treat such day as a Business Day and accept purchase and redemption orders and calculate a Fund’s NAV, in accordance with applicable law. Each Fund reserves the right to close if the primary trading markets of a Fund’s portfolio instruments are closed and the Fund’s management believes that there is not an adequate market to meet purchase, redemption or exchange requests. On any business day when the Securities Industry and Financial Markets Association recommends that the securities markets close trading early, each Fund may close trading early.

Purchase orders for the PIMCO Government Money Market Fund received by the Trust or its designee prior to 5:30 p.m., Eastern time (or an earlier time if the Fund closes early) on a day the Fund is open for business, will be processed at that day’s net asset value plus any applicable sales charge. Orders received after 5:30 p.m., Eastern time, will be effected at the net asset value determined on the next day that the Fund is open for business. However, orders received by the Trust or its designee after 5:30 p.m., Eastern time, will be processed at that day’s net asset value if the orders were received by a financial firm from its customer prior to 5:30 p.m., Eastern time and were transmitted to and received by the Trust or its designee prior to such time as agreed upon by the Distributor or Administrator in accordance with an agreement or as allowed by applicable law.

Broker-dealers and other financial firms are obligated to transmit purchase orders promptly. The Trust and the Distributor each reserves the right, in its sole discretion, to accept or reject any order for purchase of Fund shares. The sale of shares may be suspended on any day on which the NYSE is closed and, if permitted by the rules of the SEC, when trading on the NYSE is restricted or during an emergency that makes it impracticable for the Funds to dispose of their securities or to determine fairly the value of their net assets, or during any other period as permitted by the SEC for the protection of investors.

Specified Benefit Plans and Other Retirement Accounts. The Funds make available services and documents for Individual Retirement Accounts (“IRAs”), including Roth IRAs, for which UMB Bank n.a. serves as trustee. The Funds make available services and prototype documents for Simplified Employee Pension Plans (“SEP”). In addition, prototype documents are available for establishing 403(b)(7) custodial accounts with UMB Bank n.a. as custodian.

For purposes of this section, a “Plan Investor” means any specified benefit plan (as defined above in the section entitled “Distribution and Multi-Class Plan”) investing in Class A, Class C or Class R shares. The term “Plan Investor” does not include an IRA, Roth IRA, SEP IRA, SIMPLE IRA, SAR-SEP IRA, 403(b)(7) custodial account, or Coverdell Education Savings Account.

The minimum initial investment for all Plan Investors, IRAs, Roth IRAs, SEP IRAs, SIMPLE IRAs, SAR-SEP IRAs and 403(b)(7) custodial accounts are set forth in the table below. For Plan Investors invested in a Fund through omnibus account arrangements, there is no minimum initial investment per plan participant. Instead, there is a minimum initial investment per plan, which is agreed upon by the Distributor and the financial firm maintaining the omnibus account. However, any Plan Investor that has existing positions in the Funds and that does not already maintain an omnibus account with a Fund and would like to invest in such Fund is subject to the minimum initial investment set forth in the table below.

Automatic Investment Plan. The Automatic Investment Plan provides for periodic investments into a direct account with the Funds by means of automatic transfers of a designated amount from the shareholder’s bank account. The minimum required in order to establish an Automatic Investment Plan is $250 per Fund. Subsequent investments in a direct account associated with an Automatic Investment Plan are subject to a minimum of $50 per Fund. Further information regarding the Automatic Investment Plan is available from the Funds and similar plans may be available from financial firms. You may enroll your direct account online or by completing the appropriate section on the account application, or you may obtain the appropriate Account Options Form by calling 888.87.PIMCO or your financial advisor or by visiting pimco.com. The use of the appropriate form may be limited for certain Funds and/or share classes at the discretion of the Funds.

Automatic Exchange Plan. Further information regarding the Automatic Exchange Plan is available by calling PIMCO Funds at 888.87.PIMCO or your financial advisor. You may enroll your direct account online or by completing the Account Options Form, which may be obtained by telephone request or by visiting pimco.com. The use of the appropriate form may be limited for certain Funds and/or other share classes at the option of the Funds, and as set forth in the Prospectus. For more information on exchanges, see “Exchange Privilege.”

Automated Clearing House (ACH) Privileges. The ACH network allows electronic transfer from a checking or savings account into a direct account with the Funds. The ACH privilege may be used for initial purchases, subsequent purchases, and for redemptions and other transactions described under “How to Redeem.” Purchase transactions are effected by electronic funds transfers from the investor’s account at a U.S. bank or other financial institution that is an ACH member. To initiate such purchases, please call

 

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888.87.PIMCO. All calls will be recorded. For Class A and Class C shares the minimum initial investment by ACH is $1,000 per Fund and the subsequent investment by ACH is $50 per Fund. Purchases of Fund shares by ACH are subject to a limit of $100,000 per Fund per day. The Funds reserve the right to waive such limit in their sole discretion.

ACH privileges must be requested on the account application, or may be established on an existing account by completing an Account Options form, which is available by calling 888.87.PIMCO or by visiting pimco.com. Validated signatures from all shareholders of record for the account are required. See “Signature Validation” below. To add this privilege to an account holding Institutional shares please call 888.87.PIMCO. Such privileges apply to each shareholder of record for the Fund account unless and until the Funds receive written instructions from a shareholder of record canceling such privileges. Changes of bank account information must be made by completing a new Account Options form. If telephone privileges are elected, the Fund and its agents may rely on any telephone instructions believed to be genuine and will not be responsible to shareholders for any damage, loss or expenses arising out of such instructions. The Funds reserve the right to amend, suspend or discontinue the ACH privileges at any time without prior notice. The ACH privilege does not apply to shares held in broker “street name” accounts or in other omnibus accounts.

Signature Validation. When a signature validation is called for, a Medallion signature guarantee or Signature Validation Program (“SVP”) stamp may be required. A Medallion signature guarantee is intended to provide signature validation for transactions considered financial in nature, and an SVP stamp is intended to provide signature validation for transactions non-financial in nature. In certain situations, a notarized signature may be used instead of a Medallion signature guarantee or an SVP stamp. A Medallion signature guarantee or SVP stamp may be obtained from a domestic bank or trust company, broker, dealer, clearing agency, savings association or other financial institution which is participating in a Medallion program or Signature Validation Program recognized by the Securities Transfer Association. Shareholders should contact the Transfer Agent for additional details regarding the Funds’ signature guarantee requirements.

Account Registration and Privilege Changes. Changes in registration or account privileges may be made in writing via letter of instruction or via the Account Options form which can be obtained online at pimco.com or by calling 888.87.PIMCO. Signature validation may be required. See “Signature Validation” above. All correspondence must include the account number and may be submitted using the following methods:

For Class A, Class C and Class R shares:

 

Regular Mail:

PIMCO Funds

P.O. Box 55060

Boston, MA 02205-5060

  

Overnight Delivery:

PIMCO Funds

c/o DST Asset Manager Solutions, Inc.

30 Dan Road

Canton, MA 02021-2809

For Institutional Class, Class M, and Administrative Class Shares:

Facsimile:

816.421.2861

Regular Mail and Overnight Delivery:

PIMCO Funds

c/o DST Asset Manager Solutions

330 W. 9th Street

Kansas City, MO 64105

Email:

piprocess@dstsystems.com

Small Accounts.

Class A, Class C and Class R. Due to the relatively high cost to the Funds of maintaining small accounts, holders of Class A and Class C shares are asked to maintain an account balance in each Fund in which the shareholder invests at least equal to the amount necessary to open the type of account involved. If a shareholder’s average balance for any account is below such minimum for a rolling three-month period or longer, the Fund’s administrator shall have the right (except in the case of retirement accounts) to close that account after giving the shareholder 60 days in which to increase his or her balance. The shareholder’s account will not be liquidated if the reduction in size is due solely to market decline in the value of the shares or if the aggregate value of the shareholder’s accounts (and the accounts of the shareholder’s spouse and his or her children under the age of 21 years), or all of the accounts of an employee benefits plan of a single employer, in series of the Trust and PIMCO Equity Series exceeds $50,000.

Institutional Class and Administrative Class. The Trust reserves the right to redeem Institutional Class and Administrative Class shares in any account for their then-current value (which will be promptly paid to the investor) if at any time, due to redemption by the

 

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investor, the cumulative shares held in the account do not have a value of at least $100,000. A shareholder will receive advance notice of a mandatory redemption and will be given at least 60 days to bring the value of its account up to at least $100,000.

Transfer on Death Registration. The Funds may accept “transfer on death” (“TOD”) account registration requests from investors. The laws of a state selected by the Funds in accordance with the Uniform TOD Security Registration Act will govern the registration. The Funds may require appropriate releases and indemnifications from investors as a prerequisite for permitting TOD registration. The Funds may from time to time change these requirements (including by changes to the determination as to which state’s law governs TOD registrations).

Summary of Minimum Investments for Class A, Class C and Class R Shares. The following table provides a summary of the minimum initial investment and minimum subsequent investment for each type of account (including Specified Benefit Accounts):

 

Type of Account   

Initial Minimum

Investment

   Subsequent Minimum
Investment

Regular/General Retail Accounts

   $1,000 per Fund    $50 per Fund

IRA

   $1,000 per Fund    $50 per Fund

Roth IRA

   $1,000 per Fund    $50 per Fund

UTMA

   $1,000 per Fund    $50 per Fund

UGMA

   $1,000 per Fund    $50 per Fund

Automatic Investment Plan

   $250 per Fund    $50 per Fund

Automatic Exchange Plan

   $1,000 per Fund    $50 per Fund

SEP IRA established on or before March 31, 2004

   $50 per Fund/per participant    $0

SEP IRA established after March 31, 2004

   $1,000 per Fund/per participant    $0

SIMPLE IRA*

   $50 per Fund/per participant    $0

SAR-SEP IRA*

   $50 per Fund/per participant    $0
403(b)(7) custodial account plan established on or before March 31, 2004    $50 per Fund/per participant    $0
403(b)(7) custodial account plan established after March 31, 2004    $1,000 per Fund/per participant    $0
Plan Investors held through omnibus accounts–      

Plan Level

   $0    $0

Participant Level

   $0    $0
Plan Investors held through non-omnibus accounts (individual participant accounts) established on or before March 31, 2004    $50 per Fund    $0
Plan Investors held through non-omnibus accounts (individual participant accounts) established after March 31, 2004    $1,000 per Fund    $0

 

(*) 

The minimums apply to existing accounts only. No new SIMPLE-IRA or SAR-SEP IRA accounts are being accepted.

Alternative Purchase Arrangements.

Class A and Class C shares bear sales charges in different forms (i.e., initial, deferred and/or asset-based) and amounts and bear different levels of expenses, as described below. The alternative purchase arrangements described in this Statement of Additional Information are designed to enable a retail investor to choose between purchasing Class A shares and Class C shares based on all factors to be considered, including the amount and intended length of the investment, the particular Fund and whether the investor intends to exchange shares for shares of other Funds. Generally, when making an investment decision, investors should consider the anticipated life of an intended investment in the Funds, the size of the investment, the accumulated distribution and servicing fees plus contingent deferred sales charges (CDSCs) on Class C shares, the initial sales charge plus accumulated servicing fees on Class A shares (plus a CDSC in certain circumstances), the possibility that the anticipated higher return on Class A shares due to the lower ongoing charges will offset the initial sales charge paid on such shares, and the difference in the CDSCs applicable to Class A and Class C shares.

Investors should understand that initial sales charges, servicing and distribution fees and CDSCs are all used directly or indirectly to fund the compensation of broker-dealers or other financial firms that sell or provide services with respect to Class A and Class C shares. Depending on the arrangements in place at any particular time, a financial firm may have a financial incentive for recommending a particular share class over other share classes.

 

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Institutional Class, I-2, I-3, Administrative Class and Class R shares are sold without sales charges and may have different distribution and service fees than Class A and Class C shares. See “Distributor and Multi-Class Plan” above for information on share class eligibility and “Purchases, Exchanges and Redemptions” above for investment minimums. Class R shares are only available to specified benefit plan investors. As a result of lower sales charges, distribution and/or service fees, and/or operating expenses, Institutional Class, I-2, I-3, Administrative Class and Class R shares are generally expected to achieve higher investment returns than Class A or Class C shares. To obtain information about the various share classes or investment minimums please call 888.87.PIMCO.

Class A Shares. The initial sales charge alternative (Class A shares) might be preferred by investors purchasing shares of sufficient aggregate value to qualify for reductions in the initial sales charge applicable to such shares. Similar reductions are not available on the asset-based sales charge alternative (Class C shares). Class A shares are subject to a servicing fee but are not subject to a distribution fee and, accordingly, such shares are expected to pay correspondingly higher dividends on a per share basis. However, because initial sales charges are deducted at the time of purchase, not all of the purchase payment for Class A shares is invested initially. Class C shares might be preferable to investors who wish to have all purchase payments invested initially, although remaining subject to higher distribution and servicing fees and, for certain periods, being subject to a CDSC. An investor who qualifies for an elimination of the Class A shares initial sales charge should also consider whether he or she anticipates redeeming shares in a time period that will subject such shares to a CDSC as described below. Class A shares of the PIMCO Government Money Market Fund are not subject to an initial sales charge or a CDSC.

Class C Shares. The asset-based sales charge alternative (Class C shares) might be preferred by investors who intend to purchase shares that are not of sufficient aggregate value to qualify for Class A sales charges of 1% or less, who wish to have all purchase payments invested initially, or who are unsure of the intended length of their investment. Class C shares are not subject to a CDSC after they have been held for one year. Class C shares of the PIMCO Government Money Market Fund are not subject to a CDSC unless acquired by exchanging Class C shares of another Fund.

In determining whether to purchase Class A or Class C shares, a retail investor should always consider the availability of a waiver or reduction of initial sales charges or a waiver of a CDSC. See generally “Initial Sales Charge Alternative—Class A Shares” and “Waiver of Contingent Deferred Sales Charges” below.

For shares purchased or held through financial firms, the availability of sales charge waivers and discounts may depend on the particular financial firm or type of account through which the shares are purchased or held. The Funds’ sales charge waivers and discounts disclosed in this Statement of Additional Information are available for qualifying purchases made directly from the Distributor and are generally available through financial firms unless otherwise specified in Appendix B to the Funds’ Prospectuses (Financial Firm-Specific Sales Charge Waivers and Discounts). The sales charge waivers and discounts available through certain other financial firms for a Fund are set forth in Appendix B, which may differ from those available for purchases made directly from the Distributor. Please contact your financial firm for information regarding applicable sales charge waivers and discounts and the financial firm’s related policies and procedures.

The maximum purchase of Class C shares of a Fund in a single purchase is $499,999.99 ($249,999.99 for the PIMCO California Intermediate Municipal Bond, PIMCO California Municipal Bond, PIMCO High Yield Municipal Bond, PIMCO Low Duration, PIMCO Low Duration Income, PIMCO Municipal Bond, PIMCO National Intermediate Municipal Bond, PIMCO New York Municipal Bond, PIMCO Real Return Limited Duration, PIMCO Senior Floating Rate, PIMCO Short Asset Investment, PIMCO Short-Term and PIMCO Short Duration Municipal Income Funds). If an investor intends to purchase Class C shares: (i) for more than one Fund and the aggregate purchase price for all such purchases will exceed $499,999.99 ($249,999.99 for the PIMCO California Intermediate Municipal Bond, PIMCO California Municipal Bond, PIMCO High Yield Municipal Bond, PIMCO Low Duration, PIMCO Low Duration Income, PIMCO Municipal Bond, PIMCO National Intermediate Municipal Bond, PIMCO New York Municipal Bond, PIMCO Real Return Limited Duration, PIMCO Senior Floating Rate, PIMCO Short Asset Investment, PIMCO Short-Term and PIMCO Short Duration Municipal Income Funds) for Class C shares; or (ii) for one Fund in a series of transactions and the aggregate purchase amount will exceed $499,999.99 ($249,999.99 for the PIMCO California Intermediate Municipal Bond, PIMCO California Municipal Bond, PIMCO High Yield Municipal Bond, PIMCO Low Duration, PIMCO Low Duration Income, PIMCO Municipal Bond, PIMCO National Intermediate Municipal Bond, PIMCO New York Municipal Bond, PIMCO Real Return Limited Duration, PIMCO Senior Floating Rate, PIMCO Short Asset Investment, PIMCO Short-Term and PIMCO Short Duration Municipal Income Funds) for Class C shares, then in either such event the investor should consider whether purchasing another share class may be in the investor’s best interests.

Class R Shares. Only Class R Eligible Plans may purchase Class R shares. Class R shares are not subject to an initial sales charge or a CDSC but are subject to ongoing service fees of 0.25% of the average daily net asset value of the Class R shares per year and ongoing distribution fees of 0.25% of the average daily net asset value of the Class R shares per year. Servicing fees are used to compensate financial firms for personal services and the maintenance of shareholder accounts. Distribution fees are used to support the firm’s marketing and distribution efforts, such as compensating financial advisors and their financial firms, advertising and promotion. If Class R shares are held over time, these fees may exceed the maximum sales charge than investor would have paid as a shareholder of one of the other share classes.

 

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For a description of the Distribution and Servicing Plans and distribution and servicing fees payable thereunder with respect to Class A, Class C and Class R shares, see “Distribution and Servicing (12b-1) Plans” in the prospectuses.

Waiver of Contingent Deferred Sales Charges. The CDSC applicable to Class A and Class C shares is currently waived for:

(i) any partial or complete redemption in connection with (a) required minimum distributions to IRA account owners or beneficiaries or (b) distributions to participants in employer-sponsored retirement plans upon attaining age 59 1/2 or on account of death or permanent and total disability (as defined in Section 22(e) of the Internal Revenue Code) that occurs after the purchase of Class A or Class C shares;

(ii) any partial or complete redemption in connection with a qualifying loan or hardship withdrawal from an employer sponsored retirement plan;

(iii) any complete redemption in connection with a distribution from a qualified employer retirement plan in connection with termination of employment or termination of the employer’s plan and the transfer to another employer’s plan or to an IRA;

(iv) any partial or complete redemption following death or permanent and total disability (as defined in Section 22(e) of the Internal Revenue Code) of an individual holding shares for his or her own account and/or as the last survivor of a joint tenancy arrangement (this provision, however, does not cover an individual holding in a fiduciary capacity or as a nominee or agent, or the owners, trustees or beneficiaries of a legal entity) provided the redemption is requested within one year of the death or initial determination of disability and provided the death or disability occurs after the purchase of the shares;

 

(v)

any redemption resulting from a return of an excess contribution to a qualified employer retirement plan or an IRA;

(vi) up to 10% per year of the value of all Class A and Class C shares of the Funds owned by an investor and subject to an Automatic Withdrawal Plan;

(vii) redemptions by current or former Trustees, officers and employees of the Trust or PIMCO Equity Series, and by directors, officers and current or former employees of the Distributor, Allianz, Allianz Global Fund Management or PIMCO if the account was established while employed;

(viii) redemptions effected pursuant to a Fund’s right to involuntarily redeem a shareholder’s Fund account if the aggregate net asset value of shares held in such shareholder’s account is less than a minimum account size specified in such Fund’s prospectus;

(ix) redemptions of shares of any Fund that is combined with another Fund, investment company, or personal holding company by virtue of a merger, acquisition or other similar reorganization transaction;

(x) redemptions by a shareholder who is a participant making periodic purchases of not less than $50 through certain employer sponsored savings plans that are clients of a financial firm with which the Distributor has an agreement with respect to such purchases;

(xi) redemptions effected by trustees or other fiduciaries who have purchased shares for employer-sponsored plans, the trustee, administrator, fiduciary, broker, trust company or registered investment adviser for which has an agreement with the Distributor with respect to such purchases;

(xii) redemptions in connection with IRA accounts established with Form 5305-SIMPLE under the Internal Revenue Code for which the Trust is the designated financial institution;

(xiii) redemptions where the shareholder can demonstrate hardship, which shall be determined in the sole discretion of the Funds;

(xiv) an intra-fund exchange of Class A shares for Institutional Class shares where the Class A shares were purchased at NAV and no commission was paid;

(xv) exchanges from a taxable account invested in a PIMCO fund to a PIMCO fund held in an IRA or other qualified retirement plan account for the purpose of making a contribution to such IRA or other qualified retirement plan account; and

(xvi) redemptions of shares of any Fund following the public announcement of the Board’s approval of a plan of liquidation for such Fund or for Class A or Class C shares of such Fund.

The Funds may require documentation prior to waiver of the CDSC for any class, including distribution letters, certification by plan administrators, applicable tax forms, death certificates, physicians’ certificates (e.g., with respect to disabilities), etc.

 

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Exempt Transactions. Investors will not be subject to CDSCs in the following transactions:

(i) a redemption by a holder of Class A shares who purchased $250,000 or more of Class A Shares of the PIMCO California Short Duration Municipal Income, PIMCO Low Duration, PIMCO Real Return Limited Duration, PIMCO Short Asset Investment, PIMCO Short-Term and PIMCO Short Duration Municipal Income Funds (and therefore did not pay an initial sales charge) where pursuant to an agreement between the broker-dealer and the Distributor, the Distributor did not pay at the time of purchase the upfront commission it normally would have paid the broker-dealer but began paying distribution and/or shareholder services fees immediately; and

(ii) a redemption by a holder of Class A or Class C shares where, by agreement between the broker-dealer and Distributor, the Distributor did not pay at the time of purchase all or a portion of the payments (or otherwise agreed to a variation from the normal payment schedule) it normally would have paid to the broker-dealer (e.g., upfront commissions and/or advancements of distribution and/or shareholder services fees) in connection with such purchase.

Initial Sales Charge Alternative - Class A Shares. Class A shares are sold at a public offering price equal to their net asset value per share plus a sales charge. As indicated below under “Class A Deferred Sales Charge,” certain investors who purchase $1,000,000 ($250,000 in the case of the PIMCO California Intermediate Municipal Bond, PIMCO California Municipal Bond, PIMCO High Yield Municipal Bond, PIMCO Low Duration Income, PIMCO Municipal Bond, PIMCO National Intermediate Municipal Bond, PIMCO New York Municipal Bond and PIMCO Senior Floating Rate Funds) or more of Class A shares (and thus pay no initial sales charge) of a Fund other than the PIMCO California Short Duration Municipal Income, PIMCO Low Duration, PIMCO Real Return Limited Duration, PIMCO Short Asset Investment, PIMCO Short Duration Municipal Income and PIMCO Short-Term Funds may be subject to a CDSC of up to 1% if they redeem such shares during the first 12 months after their purchase. Certain investors who purchase $250,000 or more of Class A shares of the PIMCO California Short Duration Municipal Income, PIMCO Low Duration, PIMCO Real Return Limited Duration, PIMCO Short Asset Investment, PIMCO Short Duration Municipal Income and PIMCO Short-Term Funds may be subject to a CDSC of up to 1% if they redeem such shares during the first 12 months after their purchase. With respect to purchases of $250,000 or more of Class A shares of the PIMCO California Short Duration Municipal Income, PIMCO Low Duration, PIMCO Real Return Limited Duration, PIMCO Short Asset Investment, PIMCO Short Duration Municipal Income and PIMCO Short-Term Funds, if the financial firm through which the investors purchased their shares does not receive any upfront commission from the Distributor at the time of purchase, such investors will not be subject to a CDSC upon redemption. Class A shares of the PIMCO Government Money Market Fund are not subject to an initial sales charge or CDSC.

PIMCO All Asset All Authority, PIMCO CommoditiesPLUS® Strategy, PIMCO CommodityRealReturn Strategy, PIMCO Global Multi-Asset, PIMCO Inflation Response Multi-Asset, PIMCO RealEstateRealReturn Strategy, PIMCO REALPATH® Income, PIMCO REALPATH® 2020, PIMCO REALPATH® 2025, PIMCO REALPATH® 2030, PIMCO REALPATH® 2035, PIMCO REALPATH® 2040, PIMCO REALPATH® 2045, PIMCO REALPATH® 2050, PIMCO REALPATH® 2055, PIMCO and TRENDS Managed Futures Strategy Funds

 

Amount of Purchase   

Initial Sales

Charge as % of

Public Offering

Price**

    

Initial Sales

Charge as % of

Net Amount

Invested

    

Discount or

Commission to dealers

as % of Public Offering

Price*

 

Under $50,000

     5.50      5.82      4.75

$50,000 but under $100,000

     4.50      4.71      4.00

$100,000 but under $250,000

     3.50      3.63      3.00

$250,000 but under $500,000

     2.50      2.56      2.00

$500,000 but under $1,000,000

     2.00      2.04      1.75

$1,000,000 +

     0.00      0.00 %1       0.00 %2 

PIMCO All Asset, PIMCO Preferred and Capital Securities, PIMCO Credit Opportunities Bond, PIMCO Diversified Income, PIMCO RAE PLUS EMG, PIMCO Emerging Local Bond, PIMCO Emerging Markets Bond, PIMCO Emerging Markets Currency and Short-Term Investments, PIMCO International Bond (Unhedged), PIMCO International Bond (U.S. Dollar-Hedged), PIMCO RAE Fundamental Advantage PLUS, PIMCO RAE PLUS, PIMCO Global Advantage® Strategy Bond, PIMCO Global Bond Opportunities (Unhedged), PIMCO Global Bond Opportunities (U.S. Dollar-Hedged), PIMCO GNMA and Government Securities, PIMCO High Yield, PIMCO Income, PIMCO RAE PLUS International, PIMCO StocksPLUS® International (U.S. Dollar-Hedged), PIMCO StocksPLUS® International (Unhedged), PIMCO Investment Grade Credit Bond, PIMCO Long-Term U.S. Government, PIMCO RAE Low Volatility PLUS, PIMCO Mortgage-Backed Securities, PIMCO Mortgage Opportunities and Bond, PIMCO Multi-Strategy Alternative, PIMCO Real Return, PIMCO StocksPLUS® Small, PIMCO RAE PLUS Small, PIMCO StocksPLUS®, PIMCO StocksPLUS® Long Duration, PIMCO StocksPLUS®

 

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Absolute Return, PIMCO StocksPLUS® Short, PIMCO Total Return, PIMCO Dynamic Bond and PIMCO Strategic Bond Funds

 

Amount of Purchase   

Initial Sales

Charge as % of

Public Offering

Price**

    

Initial Sales

Charge as % of

Net Amount

Invested

    

Discount or

Commission to dealers

as % of Public Offering

Price*

 

Under $100,000

     3.75      3.90      3.25

$100,000 but under $250,000

     3.25      3.36      2.75

$250,000 but under $500,000

     2.25      2.30      2.00

$500,000 but under $1,000,000

     1.75      1.78      1.50

$1,000,000 +

     0.00 %1       0.00 %1       0.00 %3 

PIMCO California Intermediate Municipal Bond, PIMCO California Municipal Bond, PIMCO High Yield Municipal Bond, PIMCO Low Duration Income, PIMCO Municipal Bond, PIMCO National Intermediate Municipal Bond, PIMCO New York Municipal Bond and PIMCO Senior Floating Rate Funds

 

Amount of Purchase   

Initial Sales

Charge as % of

Public Offering

Price**

    

Initial Sales

Charge as % of

Net Amount

Invested

    

Discount or

Commission to dealers

as % of Public Offering

Price*

 

Under $100,000

     2.25      2.30      2.00

$100,000 but under $250,000

     1.25      1.27      1.00

$250,000 +

     0.00 %1       0.00 %1       0.00 %4 

PIMCO California Short Duration Municipal Income, PIMCO Low Duration, PIMCO Real Return Limited Duration, PIMCO Short Asset Investment, PIMCO Short Duration Municipal Income and PIMCO Short-Term Funds

 

Amount of Purchase   

Initial Sales

Charge as % of

Public Offering

Price**

    

Initial Sales

Charge as % of

Net Amount

Invested

    

Discount or

Commission to dealers

as % of Public Offering

Price*

 

Under $100,000

     2.25      2.30      2.00

$100,000 but under $250,000

     1.25      1.27      1.00

$250,000 +

     0.00 %1       0.00 %1       0.00 %5 

 

(1) 

As shown, investors who purchase more than $1,000,000 of any Fund’s Class A shares ($250,000 in the case of the PIMCO California Intermediate Municipal Bond, PIMCO California Municipal Bond, PIMCO California Short Duration Municipal Income, PIMCO High Yield Municipal Bond, PIMCO Low Duration, PIMCO Low Duration Income, PIMCO Real Return Limited Duration, PIMCO Municipal Bond, PIMCO National Intermediate Municipal Bond, PIMCO New York Municipal Bond, PIMCO Senior Floating Rate, PIMCO Short Asset Investment, PIMCO Short Duration Municipal Income and PIMCO Short-Term Funds) will not pay any initial sales charge on such purchase. However, except with regard to purchases of Class A shares of the PIMCO Government Money Market Fund and purchases described below under “Sales at Net Asset Value” where no commission is paid, purchasers of $1,000,000 ($250,000 in the case of the PIMCO California Intermediate Municipal Bond, PIMCO California Municipal Bond, PIMCO High Yield Municipal Bond, PIMCO Low Duration Income, PIMCO Municipal Bond, PIMCO National Intermediate Municipal Bond, PIMCO New York Municipal Bond and PIMCO Senior Floating Rate Funds) or more of Class A shares of a Fund other than the PIMCO California Short Duration Municipal Income, PIMCO Low Duration, PIMCO Real Return Limited Duration, PIMCO Short Asset Investment, PIMCO Short Duration Municipal Income and PIMCO Short-Term Funds will be subject to a CDSC of up to 1% if such shares are redeemed during the first 12 months after such shares are purchased. Except with regard to purchases described below under “Sales at Net Asset Value” where no commission is paid, purchasers of $250,000 or more of Class A shares of the PIMCO California Short Duration Municipal Income, PIMCO Low Duration, PIMCO Real Return Limited Duration, PIMCO Short Asset Investment, PIMCO Short Duration Municipal Income and PIMCO Short-Term Funds will be subject to a CDSC of up to 1% if such shares are redeemed during the first 12 months after such shares are purchased. With respect to purchases of $250,000 or more of Class A shares of the PIMCO California Short Duration Municipal Income, PIMCO Low Duration, PIMCO Real Return Limited Duration, PIMCO Short Asset Investment, PIMCO Short Duration Municipal Income and PIMCO Short-Term Funds, if the financial firm through which the investors purchased their shares does not receive any upfront commission from the Distributor at the time of purchase, such

 

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investors will not be subject to a CDSC upon redemption. The Class A CDSC does not apply if such purchasers are eligible for a waiver of the CDSC as described under “Waiver of Contingent Deferred Sales Charges” above. See “Class A Deferred Sales Charge” below.

 

(2) 

The Distributor will pay a commission to dealers that sell amounts of $1,000,000 or more of Class A shares according to the following tiered schedule: 1.00% of the first $4,999,999.99, and 0.50% of amounts of $5,000,000 or over. These payments are not made in connection with sales to employer-sponsored plans. The Distributor will then also pay to such dealers a Rule 12b-1 trail fee of 0.25% beginning in the thirteenth month after purchase.

 

(3)

The Distributor will pay a commission to dealers that sell amounts of $1,000,000 or more of Class A shares of each of these Funds except for the PIMCO Government Money Market Fund (for which no payments are made), in each case according to the following tiered schedule: 1.00% of the first $4,999,999.99, and 0.50% of amounts of $5,000,000 or over. These payments are not made in connection with sales to employer sponsored plans. The Distributor will then also pay to such dealers a Rule 12b-1 trail fee of 0.25% beginning in the thirteenth month after purchase.

 

(4)

The Distributor will pay a commission to dealers that sell amounts of $250,000 or more of Class A shares according to the following tiered schedule: 1.00% of the first $4,999,999.99, and 0.50% of amounts of $5,000,000 or over. These payments are not made in connection with sales to employer-sponsored plans. The Distributor will then also pay to such dealers a Rule 12b-1 trail fee of 0.25% beginning in the thirteenth month after purchase.

 

(5) 

The Distributor will not pay a commission to dealers that sell amounts of $250,000 or more of Class A shares, but the Distributor will pay to such dealers a Rule 12b-1 trail fee of 0.25% beginning immediately upon purchase and will waive the CDSC. If a dealer opts-out of this commission schedule, the dealer will receive a commission from the Distributor according to the following tiered schedule: 1.00% of the first $4,999,999.99, and 0.50% of amounts of $5,000,000 or over. These payments are not made in connection with sales to employer-sponsored plans. In the case where the dealer opts out and is receiving a commission according to the tiered schedule described immediately above, the Distributor will then also pay to such dealers a Rule 12b-1 trail fee of 0.25% beginning in the thirteenth month after purchase, and a CDSC of 1% will apply to redemptions made within 12 months of purchase.

 

(*) 

From time to time, these discounts and commissions may be increased pursuant to special arrangements between the Distributor and certain participating brokers.

 

(**) 

The initial sales charge shown is a percentage of the fund’s public offering price (“POP”), or the price you pay for each share you buy. This price is rounded to the nearest penny. The actual sales charge rate will be shown on your trade confirmation or statement, which—because of rounding—could be more or less than what is shown in the table. Rounding differences could be greater for small purchases or when a fund’s NAV is higher.

Each Fund receives the entire net asset value of its Class A shares purchased by investors (i.e., the gross purchase price minus the applicable sales charge). The Distributor receives the sales charge shown above less any applicable discount or commission “reallowed” to participating brokers in the amounts indicated in the tables above. The Distributor may, however, elect to reallow the entire sales charge to participating brokers for all sales with respect to which orders are placed with the Distributor for any particular Fund during a particular period. During such periods as may from time to time be designated by the Distributor, the Distributor will pay an additional amount of up to 0.50% of the purchase price on sales of Class A shares of all or selected Funds purchased to each participating broker that obtains purchase orders in amounts exceeding thresholds established from time to time by the Distributor.

Shares issued pursuant to the automatic reinvestment of income dividends or capital gains distributions are issued at net asset value and are not subject to any sales charges.

Under the circumstances described below, investors may be entitled to pay reduced sales charges for Class A shares.

These discounts and commissions may be increased pursuant to special arrangements from time to time agreed upon between the Distributor and certain participating brokers.

Right of Accumulation and Combined Purchase Privilege (Breakpoints). A Qualifying Investor (as defined below) may qualify for a reduced sales charge on Class A shares (the “Combined Purchase Privilege”) by combining concurrent purchases of the Class A shares of one or more Eligible Funds (as defined below) into a single purchase. In addition, a Qualifying Investor may qualify for a reduced sale charge on Class A shares (the “Right of Accumulation” or “Cumulative Quantity Discount”) by combining the purchase of Class A shares of an Eligible Fund with the current aggregate net asset value of all Class A and C shares of any Eligible Fund held by accounts for the benefit of such Qualifying Investor. An Eligible Fund is a Fund (other than the PIMCO Government Money Market Fund) that offers Class A shares.

 

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The term “Qualifying Investor” refers to:

 

  1.

an individual, such individual’s spouse or domestic partner, as recognized by applicable state law, or such individual’s children under the age of 21 years (each a “family member”) (including family trust* accounts established by such a family member); or

  2.

a trustee or other fiduciary for a single trust (except family trusts* noted above), estate or fiduciary account although more than one beneficiary may be involved; or

  3.

an employee benefit plan of a single employer.

*For the purpose of determining whether a purchase would qualify for a reduced sales charge under the Combined Purchase Privilege, Right of Accumulation or Letter of Intent, a “family trust” is one in which a family member, as defined in section (1) above, or a direct lineal descendant(s) of such person is(are) the beneficiary(ies), and such person or another family member, direct lineal ancestor or sibling of such person is(are) the trustee(s).

Class A shares purchased or held through a Plan Investor or any other employer-sponsored benefit program as well as Class A shares purchased at NAV through “wrap accounts” are not counted for purposes of determining whether an investor has qualified for a reduced sales charge through the use of Rights of Accumulation.

Letter of Intent. An investor may also obtain a reduced sales charge on purchases of Class A shares by means of a written Letter of Intent, which expresses an intention to invest not less than $50,000 (or $100,000 in the case of those funds with an initial breakpoint at $100,000) within a period of 13 months in Class A shares of any Eligible Fund(s) (which does not include the PIMCO Government Money Market Fund). The maximum intended investment amount allowable in a Letter of Intent is $1,000,000 (except for Class A shares of the PIMCO California Intermediate Municipal Bond, PIMCO California Municipal Bond, PIMCO California Short Duration Municipal Income, PIMCO High Yield Municipal Bond, PIMCO Low Duration, PIMCO Low Duration Income, PIMCO Municipal Bond, PIMCO National Intermediate Municipal Bond, PIMCO New York Municipal Bond, PIMCO Real Return Limited Duration, PIMCO Senior Floating Rate, PIMCO Short Asset Investment, PIMCO Short-Term and PIMCO Short Duration Municipal Income Funds, for which the maximum intended investment amount is $250,000). Each purchase of Class A shares under a Letter of Intent will be made at the public offering price or prices applicable at the time of such purchase to a single purchase of the dollar amount indicated in the Letter. Please note that the value of account(s) for the shareholder(s) linked to the Letter of Intent will be included at the start date of the Letter of Intent. In making computations concerning the amount purchased for purpose of a Letter of Intent, purchases of Class C shares of Eligible Funds will be included and the ROA value of eligible accounts will be included in the computation when the Letter of Intent begins.

Qualifying Investors may purchase shares of the Eligible Funds (which does not include the PIMCO Government Money Market Fund) under a single Letter of Intent. A Letter of Intent is not a binding obligation to purchase the full amount indicated. The minimum initial investment under a Letter of Intent is 5% of such amount. Shares purchased with the first 5% of the amount indicated in the Letter of Intent will be held in escrow (while remaining registered in your name) to secure payment of the higher sales charge applicable to the shares actually purchased in the event the full intended amount is not purchased. If the full amount indicated is not purchased, a sufficient amount of such escrowed shares will be involuntarily redeemed to pay the additional sales charge applicable to the amount actually purchased, if necessary. Dividends on escrowed shares, whether paid in cash or reinvested in additional Eligible Fund shares, are not subject to escrow. When the full amount indicated has been purchased, the escrow will be released.

If an investor wishes to enter into a Letter of Intent in conjunction with an initial investment in Class A shares of a Fund, the investor should complete the appropriate portion of the account application or contact their financial firm. A current Class A shareholder desiring to do so may obtain a form to initiate a Letter of Intent by contacting the Funds at 888.87.PIMCO or their financial firm.

Class A shares purchased or held through a Plan Investor or any other employer-sponsored benefit program as well as Class A shares purchased at NAV through “wrap accounts” are not counted for purposes of determining whether an investor has qualified for a reduced sales charge through the use of a Letter of Intent.

Reinstatement Privilege. A Class A shareholder who paid a sales charge upon the purchase of his shares and has caused any or all of his shares (other than shares of the PIMCO Government Money Market Fund that were not acquired by exchanging Class A shares of another Fund) to be redeemed may reinvest all or any portion of the redemption proceeds in Class A shares of any Eligible Fund at net asset value without any sales charge, provided that such reinvestment is made within 120 calendar days after the redemption or repurchase date. Shares are sold to a reinvesting shareholder at the net asset value next determined. See “How Fund Shares are Priced” in the applicable Fund’s prospectus. If the redemption of Class A shares triggers the imposition of a contingent deferred sales charge (CDSC), such CDSC will be credited to the investor’s account upon reinvestment. A reinstatement pursuant to this privilege will not cancel the redemption transaction and, consequently, any gain or loss so realized may be recognized for federal tax purposes except that no loss may be recognized to the extent that the proceeds are reinvested in shares of the same Fund within 30 days. The

 

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reinstatement privilege may be utilized by a shareholder only once per year per account (per 365 days), irrespective of the number of shares redeemed, except that the privilege may be utilized without limit in connection with transactions whose sole purpose is to transfer a shareholder’s interest in a Fund to his Individual Retirement Account or other qualified retirement plan account. An investor may exercise the reinstatement privilege by written request sent to the Funds or to the investor’s financial firm. Investors who were not assessed a sales charge upon the purchase of their shares may not utilize the reinstatement privilege with respect to reinvestment of such shares following their redemption.

Sales at Net Asset Value. Each Fund may sell its Class A shares at net asset value without a sales charge to:

(i) current, retired, or former officers, trustees, directors or employees of any of the Trust (including accounts established for former employees or extended family of former employees established while employed), PIMCO Equity Series, Allianz Funds, or Allianz Funds Multi-Strategy Trust, Allianz, Allianz Global Investors U.S. LLC, PIMCO or the Distributor, other affiliates of Allianz Global Investors U.S. LLC and funds advised or subadvised by any such affiliates, in any case at the discretion of PIMCO or the Distributor; their spouse or domestic partner, as recognized by applicable state law, children, siblings, current brother/sister-in-laws, parents, and current father/mother-in-laws (“extended family”), or family trust account for their benefit, or any trust, profit-sharing or pension plan for the benefit of any such person;

(ii) current registered representatives and other full-time employees of broker-dealers that have selling agreements with the Distributor or such persons’ spouse or domestic partner, as recognized by applicable state law, children under 21, and family trust accounts;

(iii) trustees or other fiduciaries purchasing shares through certain group omnibus plans (such as 401(k), 403(b), Health Savings Accounts, 457, Profit Sharing/Keogh, Money Purchase Pension and Defined Benefit; not including individual participant directed accounts (i.e., accounts listed in the Fund’s records as for the benefit of a named individual), SEP-IRAs, SIMPLE IRAs, SARSEP IRAs and 403(b)7 custodial accounts) sponsored by employers, professional organizations or associations, or charitable organizations that qualify for 501(c)(3) status under the Internal Revenue Code;

(iv) investors rolling over assets from specified benefit plans to IRAs or other qualified retirement plan accounts if such assets were invested in the Funds or series of PIMCO Equity Series at the time of distribution;

(v) participants investing through accounts known as “wrap accounts” established with broker-dealers approved by the Distributor where such broker-dealers are paid a single, inclusive fee for brokerage and investment management services;

(vi) client accounts of broker-dealers or registered investment advisers affiliated with such broker-dealers (i) with which the Distributor or PIMCO has an agreement for the use of Class A shares of a Fund in particular investment products or programs or in particular situations in which the broker-dealer will make Class A shares available for purchase at NAV or (ii) that, prior to the conversion of Class D shares to Class A shares, offered Class D shares of a Fund in particular investment products or programs or in particular situations and that offers Class A shares of the Fund following the Class D to Class A share class conversion in such investment products or programs or in particular situations;

(vii) accounts for which the company that serves as trustee or custodian either (a) is affiliated with PIMCO or (b) has a specific agreement to serve as trustee or custodian of the account with the Distributor;

(viii) investors following the public announcement of the Board’s approval of a plan of liquidation for such Fund or for another share class of such Fund until the liquidation date;

(ix) investors exchanging proceeds of required minimum distributions from an IRA or other qualified retirement plan account invested in a PIMCO Fund to a taxable account invested in a PIMCO Fund;

(x) investors making an exchange from a taxable account invested in a PIMCO Fund to a PIMCO Fund held in an IRA or other qualified retirement plan account for the purpose of making a contribution to the IRA or other qualified retirement plan account;

(xi) investors (i) acquiring Class A shares of a Fund as a result of any automatic conversion of their shares of another class of the Fund into Class A shares; or (ii) making a subsequent purchase of Class A shares following the automatic conversion of their Class D shares to Class A shares in the same account where such investors previously were able to purchase Class D shares; and

(xii) any other person if the Distributor anticipates that there will be minimal cost borne by the Distributor associated with the sale, which shall be determined in the sole discretion of the Distributor.

The Distributor will only pay service fees and will not pay any initial commission or other fees to broker-dealers upon the sale of Class A shares to the purchasers described in sub-paragraphs (i) through (xii) above.

 

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In addition, the Distributor will only pay distribution and service fees and will not pay any initial commission or other fees to broker-dealers upon the sale of Class C shares of any Fund following the public announcement of the Board’s approval of a plan of liquidation for such Fund.

Notification of Distributor. In many cases, none of the Trust, PIMCO Equity Series, the Distributor or the Transfer Agent will have the information necessary to determine whether a quantity discount or reduced sales charge is applicable to a purchase. An investor or broker-dealer must notify the Distributor whenever a quantity discount or reduced sales charge is applicable to a purchase and must provide the Distributor with sufficient information at the time of purchase to verify that each purchase qualifies for the privilege or discount, including such information as is necessary to obtain any applicable “combined treatment” of an investor’s holdings in multiple accounts. Upon such notification, the investor will receive the lowest applicable sales charge. For investors investing in Class A shares through a financial intermediary, it is the responsibility of the financial intermediary to ensure that the investor obtains the proper quantity discount or reduced sales charge. The quantity discounts and commission schedules described above may be modified or terminated at any time.

Class A Deferred Sales Charge. For purchases of Class A shares of all Funds (except the PIMCO California Intermediate Municipal Bond, PIMCO California Municipal Bond, PIMCO California Short Duration Municipal Income, PIMCO Government Money Market, PIMCO High Yield Municipal Bond, PIMCO Low Duration, PIMCO Low Duration Income, PIMCO Real Return Limited Duration, PIMCO Municipal Bond, PIMCO National Intermediate Municipal Bond, PIMCO New York Municipal Bond, PIMCO Senior Floating Rate, PIMCO Short Asset Investment, PIMCO Short-Term and PIMCO Short Duration Municipal Income Funds), investors who purchase $1,000,000 or more of Class A shares (and, thus, purchase such shares without any initial sales charge) may be subject to a 1% CDSC if such shares are redeemed within 12 months of their purchase. Certain purchases of Class A shares of the PIMCO California Intermediate Municipal Bond, PIMCO California Municipal Bond, PIMCO High Yield Municipal Bond, PIMCO Low Duration Income, PIMCO Municipal Bond, PIMCO National Intermediate Municipal Bond, PIMCO New York Municipal Bond and PIMCO Senior Floating Rate Funds described above under “Initial Sales Charge Alternative—Class A Shares” may be subject to a CDSC of 1% if such shares are redeemed within 12 months after their purchase. Certain purchases of Class A shares of the PIMCO California Short Duration Municipal Income, PIMCO Low Duration, PIMCO Real Return Limited Duration, PIMCO Short Asset Investment, PIMCO Short Duration Municipal Income and PIMCO Short-Term Funds may be subject to a CDSC of 1% if such shares are redeemed within 12 months after their purchase. With respect to those certain purchases of Class A shares of the PIMCO California Short Duration Municipal Income, PIMCO Low Duration, PIMCO Real Return Limited Duration, PIMCO Short Asset Investment, PIMCO Short Duration Municipal Income and PIMCO Short-Term Funds, if the financial firm through which the investors purchased their shares does not receive any upfront commission from the Distributor at the time of purchase, such investors will not be subject to a CDSC upon redemption. The CDSCs described in this paragraph are sometimes referred to as the “Class A CDSC.”

The Class A CDSC does not apply to Class A shares of the PIMCO Government Money Market Fund. However, if Class A shares of this Fund are purchased in a transaction that, for any other Fund, would be subject to the CDSC (i.e., a purchase of $1,000,000 or more ($250,000 or more in the case of the PIMCO California Intermediate Municipal Bond, PIMCO California Municipal Bond, PIMCO High Yield Municipal Bond, PIMCO Low Duration Income, PIMCO Municipal Bond, PIMCO National Intermediate Municipal Bond, PIMCO New York Municipal Bond and PIMCO Senior Floating Rate Funds and $250,000 or more in the case of the PIMCO California Short Duration Municipal Income, PIMCO Low Duration, PIMCO Real Return Limited Duration, PIMCO Short Asset Investment, PIMCO Short Duration Municipal Income and PIMCO Short-Term Funds, unless the financial firm through which the investors purchased their shares does not receive any upfront commission from the Distributor at the time of purchase)) and are subsequently exchanged for Class A shares of any other Fund, a Class A CDSC will apply to the shares of the Fund(s) acquired by exchange for a period of 12 months from the date of the exchange.

For Class A shares outstanding for 12 months or more, the Distributor may also pay participating brokers annual servicing fees of 0.25% (0.10% for the PIMCO Government Money Market Fund) of the net asset value of such shares.

Calculation of CDSC on Shares Purchased After December 31, 2001. A contingent deferred sales charge (CDSC) may be imposed on Class A or Class C shares under certain circumstances. A CDSC is imposed on shares redeemed within a certain number of years after their purchase. When shares are redeemed, any shares acquired through the reinvestment of dividends or capital gains distributions will be redeemed first and will not be subject to any CDSC. For the redemption of all other shares, the CDSC will be based on either the shareholder’s original per-share purchase price or the then current net asset value of the shares being sold, whichever is lower. CDSCs will be deducted from the proceeds of the shareholder’s redemption, not from the amounts remaining in the shareholder’s account. In determining whether a CDSC is payable, it is assumed that the shareholder will redeem first the lot of shares that will incur the lowest CDSC. Whether a CDSC is imposed and the amount of the CDSC will depend on the number of years since the investor purchased the shares being redeemed. See the Fund’s prospectus for information about any applicable CDSCs.

Class C shares of each Fund will automatically convert into Class A shares of the same Fund after they have been held for ten years. See each Fund’s prospectus for information about the conversion of Class C shares to Class A shares. The Class C CDSC is

 

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currently waived in connection with certain redemptions as described above under “Alternative Purchase Arrangements—Waiver of Contingent Deferred Sales Charges.” For more information about the Class C CDSC, call the PIMCO Funds at 888.87.PIMCO. For investors invested in Class C shares through a financial intermediary, it is the responsibility of the financial intermediary to ensure that the investor is credited with the proper holding period for the shares redeemed.

Except as otherwise disclosed herein or in the appropriate Prospectus(es), Class C shares of a Fund that are received in an exchange for Class C shares of another Fund will be subject to a CDSC to the same extent as the shares exchanged. In addition, Class C shares that are received in such an exchange will convert into Class A shares at the same time as the original shares would have converted into Class A shares. Class C shares received in exchange for Class C shares with a different CDSC period will have the same CDSC period as the shares exchanged. Furthermore, shares that are received in an exchange will be subject to the same CDSC calculation as the shares exchanged. In other words, shares received in exchange for shares purchased after December 31, 2001 will be subject to the same manner of CDSC calculation as the shares exchanged.

Conversion of Class C Shares Purchased Through Reinvestment of Distributions. For purposes of determining the date on which Class C shares convert into Class A shares, a Class C share purchased through the reinvestment of dividends or capital gains distributions (a “Distributed Share”) will be considered to have been purchased on the purchase date (or deemed purchase date) of the Class C share through which such Distributed Share was issued.

Conversion of Class C “Free Shares”. In addition, any Class C shares for which the Transfer Agent cannot determine a holding period (commonly known as “Free Shares”) may, depending upon system settings, convert to Class A shares even if such Class C Free Shares have been held for less than ten years. Free Shares typically arise with respect to reinvested dividends not associated with purchased shares and with respect to shares from a Fund that liquidated prior to implementation of the Class C to Class A conversion policy.

Asset-Based Sales Charge Alternative – Class C Shares. Class C shares are sold at their current net asset value without any initial sales charge. A CDSC is imposed if an investor redeems Class C shares within a certain time period after their purchase. When shares are redeemed, any shares acquired through the reinvestment of dividends or capital gains distributions will be redeemed first and will not be subject to any CDSC. For the redemption of all other shares, the CDSC will be based on either the shareholder’s original per-share purchase price or the then current net asset value of the shares being sold, whichever is lower. CDSCs will be deducted from the proceeds of the shareholder’s redemption, not from the amounts remaining in the shareholder’s account. In determining whether a CDSC is payable, it is assumed that the shareholder will redeem first the lot of shares that will incur the lowest CDSC. All of an investor’s purchase payments are invested in shares of the Fund(s) selected.

Any CDSC imposed on redemption of Class C shares is paid to the Distributor. For investors investing in Class C shares through a financial intermediary, it is the responsibility of the financial intermediary to ensure that the investor is credited with the proper holding period for the shares redeemed. The automatic conversion of Class C shares to Class A shares described above will be executed without any sales charge, fee or other charge. After the conversion takes place, the shares will be subject to all features and expenses of Class A shares.

The manner of calculating the CDSC on Class C shares is described above under “Calculation of CDSC on Shares Purchased After December 31, 2001.” Except as described below, for sales of Class C shares made and services rendered to Class C shareholders, the Distributor expects to make payments to broker-dealers, at the time the shareholder purchases Class C shares of a Fund. The Distributor does not expect to make any payment for sales of Class C shares or services rendered for the PIMCO Government Money Market Fund. For sales of Class C shares made to participants making periodic purchases of not less than $50 through certain employer sponsored savings plans that are clients of a broker-dealer with which the Distributor has an agreement with respect to such purchases, no payments are made at the time of purchase. Financial firms that receive distribution and/or service fees may in turn pay and/or reimburse all or a portion of these fees to their customers. During such periods as may from time to time be designated by the Distributor, the Distributor will pay an additional amount of up to 0.50% of the purchase price on sales of Class C shares of all or selected Funds purchased to each broker-dealer that obtains purchase orders in amounts exceeding thresholds established from time to time by the Distributor.

In addition, after the time of shareholder purchase for sales of Class C shares made and services rendered to Class C shareholders, the Distributor expects to make annual payments to broker-dealers, as follows:

 

Fund*

 

  

Annual Service
Fee**

 

   

Annual

Distribution
Fee**

 

   

Total

 

 
PIMCO CommoditiesPLUS® Strategy, PIMCO CommodityRealReturn Strategy, PIMCO RealEstateRealReturn Strategy, PIMCO REALPATH® 2025, PIMCO REALPATH® 2035 and PIMCO Senior Floating Rate Funds      0.25     0.75     1.00

 

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PIMCO Municipal Bond, PIMCO Real Return, and PIMCO StocksPLUS® Funds      0.25     0.45     0.70
PIMCO Low Duration, PIMCO Low Duration Income, PIMCO Short Duration Municipal Income, PIMCO Short Asset Investment, and PIMCO Short-Term Funds      0.25     0.25     0.50
PIMCO Government Money Market Fund      0.10     0.00     0.10
All other Funds      0.25     0.65     0.90

(*) Applies only to those Funds that commenced operations before July 31, 2011. For Funds that commenced operations on or after July 31, 2011, the Distributor may make annual payments to broker-dealers with respect to such Funds’ Class C shares up to a maximum of 1.00%, subject to: (i) a separate agreement with the broker for payment of a different amount; or (ii) such different amount as disclosed in this Statement of Additional Information from time to time.

(**) Paid with respect to shares outstanding for one year or more (or shorter period if the Distributor has an agreement with the broker to that effect) so long as the shares remain outstanding, and calculated as a percentage of the net asset value of such shares.

Asset-Based Sales Charge Alternative – Class R Shares. Class R shares are sold at their current net asset value without any initial sales charge. The full amount of the investor’s purchase payment will be invested in shares of the Fund(s). Class R shares are not subject to a CDSC upon redemption by an investor. For sales of Class R shares made and services rendered to Class R shareholders, the Distributor expects to make payments to broker-dealers and, with respect to servicing fees, other financial intermediaries (which may include specified benefit plans, their service providers and their sponsors), at the time the shareholder purchases Class R shares, of up to 0.50% (representing up to 0.25% distribution fees and up to 0.25% servicing fees) of the purchase.

Information for All Share Classes. Broker-dealers and other financial intermediaries provide varying arrangements for their clients to purchase and redeem Fund shares. Some may establish higher minimum investment requirements than set forth above. Firms may arrange with their clients for other investment or administrative services and may independently establish and charge transaction fees and/or other additional amounts to their clients for such services, which charges would reduce clients’ return. Firms also may hold Fund shares in nominee or street name as agent for and on behalf of their customers. In such instances, the Trust’s Transfer Agent will have no information with respect to or control over accounts of specific shareholders. Such shareholders may obtain access to their accounts and information about their accounts only from their broker. In addition, certain privileges with respect to the purchase and redemption of shares or the reinvestment of dividends may not be available through such firms. Some firms may participate in a program allowing them access to their clients’ accounts for servicing including, without limitation, transfers of registration and dividend payee changes; and may perform functions such as generation of confirmation statements and disbursement of cash dividends.

Exchange Privileges.

Class A, Class C and Class R Shares. Except with respect to exchanges for shares of Funds for which sales may be suspended to new investors or as provided in the applicable Fund’s prospectus or in this Statement of Additional Information, a shareholder may exchange Class A, Class C and Class R shares of any Fund for the same Class of shares of any other Fund in an account with identical registration on the basis of their respective net asset values, minus any applicable Redemption Fee (see the subsection “Redemption Fees” below),except that a sales charge will apply on exchanges of Class A shares of the PIMCO Government Money Market Fund on which no sales charge was paid at the time of purchase. For Class R shares, specified benefit plans may also limit exchanges to Funds offered as investment options in the plan and exchanges may only be made through the plan administrator. Class A shares of the PIMCO Government Money Market Fund may be exchanged for Class A shares of any other Fund, but the usual sales charges applicable to investments in such other Fund apply on shares for which no sales charge was paid at the time of purchase. Shares of one Class of a Fund may also be exchanged directly for shares of another Class of the same Fund (an “intra-fund exchange”), as described (and subject to the conditions and restrictions set forth) under “Distribution of Trust Shares—Purchases, Exchanges and Redemptions” in this Statement of Additional Information. There are currently no other exchange fees or charges. Exchanges are subject to any minimum initial and subsequent investment minimum requirements for each share class of each Fund, except with respect to exchanges effected through the Trust’s Automatic Exchange Plan. An exchange (other than an intra-fund exchange) will constitute a taxable sale for federal income tax purposes.

Investors who maintain their account with the Funds may exchange shares by a written exchange request sent to PIMCO Funds, P.O. Box 55060, Boston, MA 02205-5060 or, unless the investor has specifically declined telephone exchange privileges on the account application or elected in writing not to utilize telephone exchanges, by a telephone request to PIMCO Funds at 888.87.PIMCO. Exchanges of an amount of $10 million or more must be submitted in writing by an Authorized Person. The Trust reserves the right to accept exchanges from the PIMCO Government Money Market Fund of $10 million or more via telephone. The Trust will employ reasonable procedures to confirm that instructions communicated by telephone are genuine, and may be liable for any losses due to unauthorized or fraudulent instructions if it fails to employ such procedures. The Trust will require a form of personal identification prior to acting on a caller’s telephone instructions, will provide written confirmations of such transactions and will record telephone instructions. To request an exchange, call 888.87.PIMCO if there will be no change in the registered name or address of the

 

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shareholder. Telephone exchanges, for all Funds except the PIMCO Government Money Market Fund, may be made between 9:00 a.m., Eastern time and the NYSE Close on any day the Exchange is open (generally weekdays other than normal holidays). For the PIMCO Government Money Market Fund, orders for exchanges accepted prior to 5:30 p.m., Eastern time, (or an earlier cut-off time if the Fund closes early) on a day that the PIMCO Government Money Market Fund is open for business will be executed at the net asset value determined as of 5:30 p.m., Eastern time.

With respect to Class C shares, or Class A shares subject to a CDSC, if less than all of an investment is exchanged out of a Fund, any portion of the investment exchanged will be from the lot of shares that would incur the lowest CDSC if such shares were being redeemed rather than exchanged.

Except as otherwise disclosed in the applicable Prospectus(es), shares that are received in an exchange will be subject to the same CDSC as the shares exchanged. For example, Class C shares that have a twelve-month CDSC period received in exchange for Class A shares that have an eighteen-month CDSC period will have the same CDSC period as the shares exchanged (in this case, eighteen months).

Shareholders should take into account the effect of any exchange on the applicability of any CDSC that may be imposed upon any subsequent redemption.

Investors may also select the Automatic Exchange Plan, which establishes automatic periodic exchanges. For further information on automatic exchanges see “How to Buy Shares—Automatic Exchange Plan” above.

Institutional Class, Class M, I-2, I-3 and Administrative Class Shares. Except with respect to exchanges for shares of Funds for which sales may be suspended to new investors or as provided in the applicable Fund’s prospectus or in this Statement of Additional Information, a shareholder may exchange Institutional Class, Class M, I-2, I-3 and Administrative Class Shares of any Fund for the same Class of shares of any other Fund in an account with identical registration on the basis of their respective net asset values, minus any applicable Redemption Fee (see the subsection “Redemption Fees” below). An investor may also exchange Class M shares of a Fund for Institutional Class shares of any other Fund of the Trust that offers Institutional Class shares based on the respective NAVs of the shares involved. An investor may also exchange shares of a Fund for shares of the same class of a series of PIMCO Equity Series. Class M shares of a Fund may also be exchanged for Institutional Class shares of a series of PIMCO Equity Series. An investor may exchange Institutional Class, Class M and Administrative Class shares of a Fund by following the redemption procedure described below under “Written Requests – Institutional Class, Class M and Administrative Class” or, if the investor has elected the telephone redemption option, by calling the Trust at 888.87.PIMCO. Exchanges of an amount of $10 million or more must be submitted in writing by an Authorized Person (as defined below under “Written Requests – Institutional Class, Class M and Administrative Class shares). The Trust reserves the right to accept exchanges from the PIMCO Government Money Market Fund of $10 million or more via telephone. Eligible investors who maintain their Institutional Class share account direct with the Funds may submit a request to exchange Fund shares by accessing their account online via pimco.com/InstitutionalAccountAccess.

All Share Classes. The Trust reserves the right to refuse exchange purchases (or purchase and redemption and/or redemption and purchase transactions) if, in the judgment of an Adviser or a Fund’s Sub-Adviser, such transaction would adversely affect a Fund and its shareholders. In particular, a pattern of transactions characteristic of “market timing” strategies may be deemed by an Adviser to be detrimental to a Trust or a particular Fund. Although the Trust has no current intention of terminating or modifying the exchange privilege, each reserves the right to do so at any time. Except as otherwise permitted by the SEC, each Trust will give 60 days’ advance notice to shareholders of any termination or material modification of the exchange privilege. Because the Funds will not always be able to detect market timing activity, investors should not assume that the Funds will be able to detect or prevent all market timing or other trading practices that may disadvantage the Funds. For example, it is more difficult for the Funds to monitor trades that are placed by omnibus or other nominee accounts because the broker, retirement plan administrator, fee-based program sponsor or other financial intermediary maintains the record of the applicable Fund’s underlying beneficial owners. For further information about exchange privileges, contact your broker-dealer or other financial firm or call 888.87.PIMCO.

How to Sell (Redeem) Shares.

Redemptions of Class A, Class C and Class R Shares. Depending on how an investor holds shares and the elections made, eligible Class A, Class C or Class R shares may be redeemed through an investor’s broker-dealer or other financial firm, or by telephone, online by submitting a written redemption request to the Funds’ Transfer Agent, through an Automatic Withdrawal Plan, or by electronic transfer to an investor’s checking or savings account through the Automated Clearing House (ACH) network, if available. Class R shares may be redeemed only through the plan administrator, and not directly by the plan participant.

A CDSC may apply to redemptions of Class A or Class C shares. See “Alternative Purchase Arrangements” above. Shares are redeemed at their net asset value next determined after a redemption request has been received as described below, less any applicable CDSC or Redemption Fee. There is no charge by the Distributor (other than an applicable CDSC or Redemption Fee) with respect to redemptions; however, a broker-dealer or other financial firm that processes a redemption for an investor may charge customary fees for its services (which may vary).

 

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All redemption requests (except redemption requests for the PIMCO Government Money Market Fund, which are discussed below) received by the Trust or its designee prior to the NYSE Close on a regular business day are processed at that day’s net asset value, less any applicable CDSC or Redemption Fee. However, redemption requests received by the Trust or its designee after the net asset value is determined that day from financial firms or certain retirement plans will receive such net asset value (less any applicable CDSC or Redemption Fee) if the redemption requests were received by the financial firm or retirement plan from its customer or participant prior to such net asset value determination and were transmitted to and received by the Trust or its designee prior to such time as agreed upon by the Distributor or Administrator in accordance with an agreement or as allowed by applicable law. Redemption requests will be accepted only on days on which a Fund is open for business. If a redemption request is received on a day when a Fund is not open for business, it will be processed on the next succeeding day the Fund is open for business (according to the succeeding day’s net asset value). Broker-dealers and other financial firms are obligated to transmit redemption requests promptly.

Redemption requests for the PIMCO Government Money Market Fund received by the Trust or its designee prior to 5:30 p.m., Eastern time (or an earlier time if the Fund closes early) on a day the Fund is open for business, will be processed at that day’s net asset value. Orders received after 5:30 p.m., Eastern time, will be effected at the net asset value determined on the next day that the Fund is open for business. However, redemption requests received by the Trust or its designee after 5:30 p.m., Eastern time, will be processed at that day’s net asset value if the redemption requests were received by a financial firm from its customer prior to 5:30 p.m., Eastern time and were transmitted to and received by the Trust or its designee prior to such time as agreed upon by the Distributor or Administrator in accordance with an agreement or as allowed by applicable law.

Redemptions of Fund shares may be suspended when trading on the NYSE is restricted or during an emergency that makes it impracticable for the Funds to dispose of their securities or to determine fairly the value of their net assets, or during any other period as permitted by the SEC for the protection of investors. Under these and other unusual circumstances, the Trust may suspend redemptions or postpone payments for more than seven days, as permitted by law.

A shareholder’s original account application (if investing directly with the Trust) permits the shareholder to redeem by written request and by telephone (unless the shareholder specifically elects not to utilize telephone redemptions) and to elect one or more of the additional redemption procedures described below. A shareholder may change the instructions indicated on his original account application, or may request additional redemption options, only by transmitting a written direction to the Funds’ Transfer Agent. Requests to institute or change any of the additional redemption procedures will require a signature validation.

Redemptions of an amount of $10 million or more must be submitted in writing by an Authorized Person. The Trust reserves the right to accept redemptions of $10 million or more via telephone for the PIMCO Government Money Market Fund.

Redemption proceeds of Class A, Class C and Class R shares will normally be mailed to the redeeming shareholder within three calendar days or, in the case of wire transfer or Automated Clearing House (ACH) redemptions, sent to the designated bank account within one business day, but may take up to seven days (except for the PIMCO Government Money Market Fund). ACH redemptions may be received by the bank on the second or third business day. In cases where shares have recently been purchased by personal check, redemption proceeds may be withheld until the check has been collected, which may take at least 10 days. To avoid such withholding, investors should purchase shares by certified or bank check or by wire transfer. Except for the PIMCO Government Money Market Fund, redemption proceeds of Institutional Class, Administrative Class and Class M shares will ordinarily be wired to the investor’s bank within one business day after the redemption request, but may take up to seven days. Redemption proceeds will be sent by wire only to the bank name designated on the account application. An investor may redeem (sell) I-2 or I-3 shares through the investor’s financial firm. Investors do not pay any fees or other charges to the Trust when selling I-2 or I-3 shares. Please contact the financial firm for details.

With respect to redemptions by wire from the PIMCO Government Money Market Fund, subject to the restrictions on order effectiveness set forth above in this section, redemption proceeds will normally be wired to the redeeming shareholder on the same business day that the redemption request is received if the redemption order is accepted by the Fund or its designee prior to the NYSE Close on a day the Fund is open for business. In such case, redemption proceeds will normally be paid by the close of the Federal Reserve wire transfer system (normally, 6:00 p.m., Eastern time).

Written Requests – Class A, Class C and Class R Shares. To redeem Class A, Class C and Class R shares held in a Fund account in writing (whether or not represented by certificates), a shareholder must send the following items to the Transfer Agent, DST Asset Manager Solutions, Inc., at PIMCO Funds, P.O. Box 55060, Boston, MA 02205-5060:

(1) a written request for redemption signed by all registered owners exactly as the account is registered on the Transfer Agent’s records, including fiduciary titles, if any, and specifying the account number and the dollar amount or number of shares to be redeemed;

(2) for certain redemptions described below, a validation of all signatures on the written request or on the share certificate or accompanying stock power, if required, as described under “Signature Validation”;

 

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(3)

any share certificates issued for any of the shares to be redeemed (see “Certificated Shares” below); and

(4) any additional documents that may be required by the Trust or the Transfer Agent for redemption by corporations, partnerships or other organizations, executors, administrators, trustees, custodians or guardians, or if the redemption is requested by anyone other than the shareholder(s) of record.

Transfers of shares are subject to the same requirements. A signature validation is not required for a redemption requested by and payable to all shareholders of record for the account that is to be sent to the address of record for that account. To avoid delay in redemption or transfer, shareholders having any questions about these requirements should contact the Transfer Agent in writing or call PIMCO Funds at 888.87.PIMCO before submitting a request. Redemption or transfer requests will not be honored until all required documents have been completed by the shareholder and received by the Transfer Agent.

The foregoing written request procedure does not apply to shares held in “street name” accounts. Shareholders whose shares are held in “street name” accounts must redeem through their broker-dealer or other financial intermediary. Plan Investor participants must redeem through their plan administrator.

If the proceeds of the redemption: (i) are to be paid to a person other than the record owner; (ii) are to be sent to an address other than the address of the account on the Transfer Agent’s records; or (iii) are to be paid to a corporation, partnership, trust or fiduciary, the signature(s) on the redemption request and on the certificates, if any, or stock power must be validated as described above.

Written Requests – Institutional Class, Class M and Administrative Class Shares. To redeem Institutional Class, Class M and Administrative Class shares held in a fund account in writing, a shareholder or its Authorized Person must send the request stating the Fund from which the shares are to be redeemed, the class of shares, the number or shares or dollar amount to be redeemed and the account number. The request must be signed by the appropriate persons designated on Account Application (“Authorized Person”) to the following:

Facsimile:

816.421.2861

Regular Mail:

PIMCO Funds

c/o DST Asset Manager Solutions

330 W. 9th Street

Kansas City, MO 64105

Email:

piprocess@dstsystems.com

All redemptions, whether initiated by phone, mail, fax or e-mail, will be processed in a timely manner, and proceeds will be forwarded by wire in accordance with the redemption policies of the Trust detailed below. See “Other Redemption Information.”

Telephone Redemptions. The Funds accept telephone requests for redemption of uncertificated shares held in Fund accounts, except (i) for investors who have specifically declined telephone redemption privileges on the account application or elected in writing not to utilize telephone redemptions, and (ii) except as otherwise described herein, redemption requests for an amount of $10 million or more (the Trust reserves the right to accept redemptions of $10 million or more via telephone for the PIMCO Government Money Market Fund). The proceeds of a telephone redemption will be sent to the record shareholder at his record address. Changes in account information must be made in a written authorization with a signature validation. See “Signature Validation.” Telephone redemptions will not be accepted during the 30-day period following any change in an account’s record address. This redemption option does not apply to shares held in broker “street name” accounts. Shareholders whose shares are held in broker “street name” accounts must redeem through their broker and will be subject to that broker’s policies and procedures for redemptions. Plan participants must redeem through their plan administrator.

By completing an account application, an investor agrees that the Funds and their agents shall not be liable for any loss incurred by the investor by reason of the Funds accepting unauthorized telephone redemption requests for his/her account if the Funds reasonably believe the instructions to be genuine. Thus, shareholders risk possible losses in the event of a telephone redemption not authorized by them. The Funds may accept telephone redemption instructions from any person identifying himself as the owner of an account or the owner’s broker where the owner has not declined in writing to utilize this service. The Funds will employ reasonable procedures to confirm that instructions communicated by telephone are genuine, and may be liable for any losses due to unauthorized or fraudulent instructions if it fails to employ such procedures. The Funds will require a form of personal identification prior to acting on a caller’s telephone instructions, will provide written confirmations of such transactions and will record telephone instructions.

 

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A shareholder making a telephone redemption should call PIMCO Funds at 888.87.PIMCO and state: (i) the name of the shareholder as it appears on their account statement; (ii) his/her account number with the applicable Fund; (iii) the amount to be withdrawn and (iv) the name of the person requesting the redemption. Usually the proceeds are sent to the investor on the next business day after the redemption is effected, provided the redemption request is received prior to the NYSE Close that day (or, for the PIMCO Government Money Market Fund, prior to 5:30 p.m., Eastern time on each day the NYSE is open for business). If the redemption request is received after the NYSE Close, the redemption is effected on the following business day at that day’s net asset value and the proceeds are usually sent to the investor on the second following business day. The Funds reserve the right to terminate or modify the telephone redemption service at any time. During times of severe disruptions in the securities markets, the volume of calls may make it difficult to redeem by telephone, in which case a shareholder may wish to send a written request for redemption as described under “Written Requests” above. Telephone communications may be recorded.

Redemptions through the Automated Clearing House (ACH) Privileges. If a shareholder has established ACH privileges, the shareholder may redeem shares by telephone, in writing or online (if eligible) and have the redemption proceeds sent to a designated account at a financial institution. To use ACH privileges for redemptions, call PIMCO Funds at 888.87.PIMCO. Subject to the limitations set forth above under “Telephone Redemptions,” the Funds or their agents, a Trust and the Transfer Agent or their agents may rely on instructions by any registered owner believed to be genuine and will not be responsible to any shareholder for any loss, damage or expense arising out of such instructions. Requests received by the Funds and their agents prior to the NYSE Close on a business day (or, for the PIMCO Government Money Market Fund, prior to 5:30 p.m., Eastern time on each day the NYSE is open for business) will be processed at the net asset value on that day and the proceeds (less any CDSC or Redemption Fee) will normally be sent to the designated bank account on the following business day and received by the bank on the second or third business day. If the redemption request is received after the NYSE Close (or, for the PIMCO Government Money Market Fund, after 5:30 p.m., Eastern time on a day the NYSE is open for business), the redemption is effected on the following business day. Shares purchased by check may not be redeemed through ACH until such shares have been owned (i.e., paid for) for at least 10 calendar days. The ACH privilege may not be used to redeem shares held in certificated form.

Changes in bank account information must be made by completing the Account Options form, signed by all owners of record of the account, with all signatures validated. See “Signature Validation.” See “Automated Clearing House (ACH) Privileges” for information on establishing the ACH privilege. The Funds may terminate the ACH privilege at any time without notice to its shareholders. This redemption option does not apply to shares held in “street name” accounts. Shareholders whose shares are held in “street name” accounts must redeem through their financial firm and will be subject to that firm’s policies and procedures for redemptions. Plan participants must redeem through their plan administrator. The ACH privilege may not be available to all Funds and/or share classes.

Expedited Wire Transfer Redemptions. If a shareholder holding shares in a Fund account has given authorization for expedited wire redemption, shares can be redeemed and the proceeds sent by federal wire transfer to a single previously designated bank account. Requests received by the Funds prior to the NYSE Close will result in shares being redeemed that day at the next determined net asset value (less any CDSC or Redemption Fee, if applicable). Normally the proceeds will be sent to the designated bank account the following business day. The bank must be a member of the Federal Reserve wire system. Delivery of the proceeds of a wire redemption request may be delayed by the Funds for up to seven days if the Funds deem it appropriate under the current market and other conditions. Once authorization is on file with the Funds, they will honor requests by any person identifying himself/herself as the owner of an account or the owner’s broker by telephone at 888.87.PIMCO or by written instructions. The Funds cannot be responsible for the efficiency of the Federal Reserve wire system or the shareholder’s bank. The Funds do not currently charge for wire transfers. The shareholder is responsible for any charges imposed by the shareholder’s bank. The minimum amount that may be wired is $1,000. The Funds reserve the right to change this minimum or to terminate the wire redemption privilege. Shares purchased by check may not be redeemed by wire transfer until such shares have been owned (i.e., paid for) for at least 10 calendar days. Expedited wire transfer redemptions may be authorized by sending instructions to the Funds. Wire redemptions may not be used to redeem shares in certificated form. To change the name of the single bank account designated to receive wire redemption proceeds, it is necessary to send a written request with signatures validated to PIMCO Funds, P.O. Box 55060, Boston, MA 02205-5060. See “Signature Validation.” This redemption option does not apply to shares held in broker “street name” accounts. Shareholders whose shares are held in broker “street name” accounts must redeem through their broker and will be subject to that broker’s policies and procedures for redemptions. Plan participants must redeem through their plan administrator.

Certificated Shares. The Trust no longer issues share certificates. To redeem shares for which certificates have been issued, the certificates must be mailed to or deposited with the Trust, duly endorsed or accompanied by a duly endorsed stock power or by a written request for redemption. Signatures must be validated as described under “Signature Validation” above. Further documentation may be requested from institutions or fiduciary accounts, such as corporations, custodians (e.g., under the Uniform Gifts to Minors Act), executors, administrators, trustees or guardians (“institutional account owners”). The redemption request and stock power must be signed exactly as the account is registered, including indication of any special capacity of the registered owner.

Automatic Withdrawal Plan. An investor who owns or buys shares of PIMCO Funds having a net asset value of $5,000 or more (may be lower for a Required Minimum Distribution or Inherited IRA) may open an Automatic Withdrawal Plan and have a designated sum of money paid periodically to the investor or another person. The minimum redemption amount for an Automatic Withdrawal Plan is

 

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$50 per Fund. Such a plan may be established by completing the appropriate section of the account application, completing Account Options Form or by obtaining the appropriate form from the Trust or your financial firm. If an Automatic Withdrawal Plan is set up after the account is established providing for payment to a person other than the record shareholder or to an address other than the address of record, a signature validation is required. See “Signature Validation.” In the case of Uniform Gifts to Minors or Uniform Transfers to Minors accounts, the application must state that the proceeds will be for the beneficial interest of the minor. Shares in a plan account are redeemed at net asset value (less any applicable CDSC or Redemption Fee) to make each withdrawal payment. Any applicable CDSC or Redemption Fee may be waived for certain redemptions under an Automatic Withdrawal Plan. See “Alternative Purchase Arrangements—Waiver of Contingent Deferred Sales Charges” above and “Waivers of Redemption Fees” below.

Redemptions for the purpose of withdrawals are ordinarily made on the business day selected by the investor at that day’s closing net asset value. Checks are normally mailed on the following business day. If the date selected by the investor falls on a weekend or holiday, the Funds will normally process the redemption on the preceding business day. Payment will be made to any person the investor designates; however, if the shares are registered in the name of a trustee or other fiduciary, payment will be made only to the fiduciary, except in the case of a profit-sharing or pension plan where payment will be made to the designee. As withdrawal payments may include a return of principal, they cannot be considered a guaranteed annuity or actual yield of income to the investor. The redemption of shares in connection with an Automatic Withdrawal Plan may result in a gain or loss for tax purposes, and may result in account closure if the redemption amount exceeds the account balance. Continued withdrawals in excess of income will reduce and possibly exhaust invested principal, especially in the event of a market decline. The maintenance of an Automatic Withdrawal Plan concurrently with purchases of additional shares of the Fund would be disadvantageous to the investor because of the CDSC that may become payable on such withdrawals in the case of Class A or Class C shares and because of the initial sales charge in the case of Class A shares.

Investors should consider carefully with their own financial advisors whether the plan and the specified amounts to be withdrawn are appropriate in their circumstances. The Trust and the Distributor make no recommendations or representations in this regard.

Redemption Fees. As set forth in the relevant Prospectuses, investors in shares of the PIMCO Senior Floating Rate Fund are subject to a redemption fee, equal to 1.00% of the net asset value of the shares redeemed or exchanged (based upon the total redemption proceeds after any applicable deferred sales charges), on redemptions and exchanges made by the investor within 30 calendar days after the shares’ acquisition (whether by purchase or exchange) (the “Redemption Fee”). A new holding period begins on the day following each acquisition of shares through a purchase or exchange (other than a Share Class Conversion (as defined below)). Redemption Fees are not currently imposed on redemptions and exchanges of the other Funds of the Trust.

When calculating the Redemption Fee, shares that are not subject to a Redemption Fee (“Free Shares”), including, but not limited to, shares acquired through the reinvestment of dividends and distributions, will be considered redeemed first. If Free Shares are not sufficient to fulfill the redemption order, and in cases where redeeming shareholders hold shares acquired on different dates, the first-in/first-out (“FIFO”) method will be used to determine which additional shares are being redeemed, and therefore whether a Redemption Fee is payable. As a result, Free Shares will be redeemed prior to Fund shares that are subject to the fee. Redemption Fees are deducted from the amount to be received in connection with a redemption or exchange and are paid to the PIMCO Senior Floating Rate Fund for the purpose of offsetting any costs associated with short-term trading, thereby insulating longer-term shareholders from such costs. In cases where redemptions are processed through financial intermediaries, there may be a delay between the time the shareholder redeems his or her shares and the payment of the Redemption Fee to the PIMCO Senior Floating Rate Fund, depending upon such financial intermediaries’ trade processing procedures and systems.

A new 30-day time period begins with the day following each acquisition of shares through a purchase or exchange (other than a Share Class Conversion (as defined below)). For example, a series of transactions in which Class A shares of the PIMCO Senior Floating Rate Fund are exchanged for Class C shares of the PIMCO Senior Floating Rate Fund 5 days after the purchase of the Class A shares, followed in 5 days by an exchange of the Class C shares for shares of a different Fund, will be subject to one Redemption Fee. With respect to a Share Class Conversion (as defined below), a shareholder’s holding period for the class of shares purchased will include the holding period of the other class of shares redeemed.

Redemption Fees are not paid separately, but are deducted from the amount to be received in connection with a redemption or exchange. Redemption Fees are paid to and retained by the PIMCO Senior Floating Rate Fund to defray certain costs described below and are not paid to or retained by PIMCO or the Distributor. Redemption Fees are not sales loads or contingent deferred sales charges.

The purpose of the Redemption Fees is to deter excessive, short-term trading and other abusive trading practices, as described under “Abusive Trading Practices” in the PIMCO Senior Floating Rate Fund’s Prospectuses, and to help offset the costs associated with the sale of portfolio securities to satisfy redemption and exchange requests made by “market timers” and other short-term shareholders, thereby insulating longer-term shareholders from such costs. The purpose of the Redemption Fees is also to eliminate or reduce so far as practicable any dilution of the value of the outstanding securities issued by the PIMCO Senior Floating Rate Fund. There is no assurance that the use of Redemption Fees will be successful in this regard.

 

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Waivers of Redemption Fees. The PIMCO Senior Floating Rate Fund has elected not to impose the Redemption Fee in the following situations:

 

   

redemptions and exchanges of Fund shares acquired through the reinvestment of dividends and distributions;

 

   

redemptions or exchanges in connection with an automatic withdrawal plan (including an automatic exchange plan);

 

   

certain types of redemptions and exchanges of Fund shares owned through participant-directed retirement plans (see below for details);

 

   

redemptions or exchanges in a discretionary asset allocation or wrap program (“wrap programs”) that are made as a result of a full withdrawal from the wrap program;

 

   

redemptions or exchanges that are initiated by the sponsor of a program as part of a periodic rebalancing, provided that such rebalancing occurs no more frequently than monthly;

 

   

redemptions or exchanges by “Lifestyle Funds” (funds that have a predetermined asset mix tailored to the level of risk and return desired by particular investors) or participant accounts in defined contribution plans utilizing a similar model;

 

   

redemptions or exchanges in connection with required minimum distributions from a wrap program, an IRA, a participant-directed retirement plan or any other employee benefit plan or account qualified under Section 401 of the Code;

 

   

redemptions or exchanges in connection with distributions from a 529 plan;

 

   

involuntary redemptions, such as those resulting from a shareholder’s failure to maintain a minimum investment in the Fund, or to pay shareholder fees;

 

   

redemptions and exchanges effected by other mutual funds or accounts that are sponsored by an Adviser or its affiliates; and

 

   

otherwise as an Adviser or the Trusts may determine in their sole discretion.

Additionally, no Redemption Fee applies to a redemption of shares of any class of shares of the PIMCO Senior Floating Rate Fund where the entirety of the proceeds of such redemption are immediately invested in another share class of the PIMCO Senior Floating Rate Fund (a “Share Class Conversion”).

Applicability of Redemption Fees in Certain Participant-Directed Retirement Plans. Redemption Fees will not apply to the following transactions in participant-directed retirement plans (such as 401(k), 403(b), 457 and Keogh plans): (1) where the shares being redeemed were purchased with new contributions to the plan (e.g., payroll contributions, employer contributions, loan repayments); (2) redemptions made in connection with taking out a loan from the plan; (3) redemptions in connection with death, disability, forfeiture, hardship withdrawals, or qualified domestic relations orders; (4) redemptions made by a defined contribution plan in connection with a termination or restructuring of the plan or in connection with paying plan administrative fees; (5) redemptions made in connection with a participant’s termination of employment; and (6) redemptions or exchanges where the application of a Redemption Fee would cause the PIMCO Senior Floating Rate Fund, or an asset allocation program of which the PIMCO Senior Floating Rate Fund is a part, to fail to be considered a “qualified default investment alternative” under the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974, as amended, and the rules and regulations thereunder. Except as described in the next paragraph, Redemption Fees generally will apply to other participant-directed redemptions and exchanges. For example, if a participant takes shares of Fund A that were purchased with new contributions and exchanges them into Fund B, a Redemption Fee would not apply to that exchange. However, any subsequent participant-directed exchange of those shares from Fund B into Fund A or another fund may be subject to Redemption Fees, depending upon the holding period and subject to the exceptions described in this paragraph (and other limitations on imposing Redemption Fees, as discussed above).

Retirement plan sponsors, participant recordkeeping organizations and other financial intermediaries may also impose their own restrictions, limitations or fees in connection with transactions in the PIMCO Senior Floating Rate Fund’s shares in lieu of or in addition to the restrictions discussed above. These other restrictions may be stricter than those described in this section. You should contact your plan sponsor, recordkeeper or financial intermediary for more information on any differences in how the Redemption Fee is applied to your investments in the PIMCO Senior Floating Rate Fund, and whether any additional restrictions, limitations or fees are imposed in connection with transactions in Fund shares.

The Trusts may eliminate or modify the waivers enumerated above at any time, in their sole discretion. Shareholders will receive 60 days’ notice of any material changes to the Redemption Fee, unless otherwise permitted by law.

Unclaimed Property Laws. These laws require investment companies, such as the Trust, to undertake various efforts, including monitoring Fund direct accounts for shareholder-initiated activity. A Fund direct account is deemed lost when there is no shareholder-initiated activity or an invalid mailing address during a statutorily-prescribed time period (generally, three or five years). If a

 

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shareholder’s Fund direct account is dormant or “lost,” the Trust may be required to transfer the account to the state in which the shareholder resides, in accordance with applicable unclaimed property (also called escheat) laws. To help protect their accounts, shareholders should keep their accounts up-to-date and active.

If a shareholder invests into a Fund direct account, it is the shareholder’s responsibility to ensure that the shareholder provides a current and valid mailing address to the Trust or Fund (as applicable). Failure to provide a current and valid address will result in an interruption of purchases, redemptions or distributions, as described herein. If the United States Post Office or another carrier returns mailings sent to the shareholder as undeliverable, future mailings will be suppressed. Further, under such circumstances, if the shareholder has elected to receive income dividends and capital gains distributions in cash, subsequent distributions will automatically be reinvested back into the shareholder’s account until the address on the account has been updated. In the event a Fund is liquidated, direct account liquidation proceeds may be withheld from distribution pending the receipt of further instructions or until required to be transferred to the applicable state pursuant to applicable unclaimed property laws.

Mail suppression, described above, and a lack of shareholder-initiated activity will impact whether a shareholder’s Fund direct account is subject to escheatment under applicable law.

Shareholders that reside in the state of Texas may designate a representative to receive escheatment notifications by completing and submitting a designation form that can be found on the website of the Texas Comptroller.

Shareholders should contact their financial advisor or PIMCO at 888.87.PIMCO for further information about state unclaimed property laws and/or to update their address or to generate shareholder-initiated activity in your account(s). For general information about unclaimed property rules, shareholders should visit the National Association of Unclaimed Property Administrators website at www.unclaimed.org. Shareholders may also visit pimco.com/investments/unclaimedproperty for a brief Q&A on the topic.

Deceased Shareholders. If PIMCO receives information confirming that a Fund direct account shareholder is deceased, to protect that shareholder and his or her beneficiaries, any Automatic Investment Plan, Automatic Exchange Plan and Automatic Withdrawal Plan in the account(s) associated with the shareholder will be suspended, and future cash dividends and/or capital gain payments will be reinvested back in such account(s) until such time as the authorized beneficiary or designee provides adequate instructions to the Fund regarding such account. To determine what documentation is needed to transfer ownership of an account, shareholders should contact the transfer agent at 888.87.PIMCO. In the event a Fund is liquidated, direct account liquidation proceeds will be sent to the shareholder of record.

Custodial Risks for Shares Held Through Third-Party Financial Intermediaries

Certain share classes of the Funds are available for purchase directly through the Distributor, in which case the shareholder will be a registered owner of Fund shares as reflected on the Fund’s books and records as maintained by the Transfer Agent.

Alternatively, shares of the Funds are available through broker-dealers, banks or other financial firms that permit their customers to purchase and custody Fund shares through them under nominee arrangements (where the financial firms serve as registered owners of the Fund shares) or under arrangements in which the financial firms may open shareholder accounts and provide instructions to the Fund through the National Securities Clearing Corporation’s Fund/SERV platform. The manner in which these financial firms custody an investor’s Fund shares or the extent to which they may provide instructions to the Fund concerning an investor’s shareholder account with the Fund may vary by firm, including based on its arrangements with the Distributor or PIMCO and their level of participation on Fund/SERV. Shareholders should consult their financial firm for details.

As disclosed above, in some cases, the Distributor or PIMCO have arrangements with financial firms under which they may provide recordkeeping, shareholder services or other services with respect to the Funds, their shares and shareholders. However, these financial firms are not acting as agents of the Fund, the Trust or its Transfer Agent, the Distributor or PIMCO when maintaining custody or control of Fund shares for their customers or providing instructions to the Fund concerning an investor’s shareholder account with the Fund, and their responsibilities are a function of their relationship to their customers and applicable law. None of the Funds, the Trust, PIMCO or the Distributor is responsible for the manner in which any financial firm maintains custody or control of Fund shares on behalf of its customers.

Securities such as Fund shares held in the custody of financial firm may be subject to risks of, among other things, misappropriation, cyber attacks or delays in the availability of such securities if the financial firm becomes subject to a bankruptcy or insolvency proceeding under the Securities Investor Protection Act or other applicable law.

Request for Multiple Copies of Shareholder Documents

To reduce expenses, it is intended that only one copy of the Funds’ prospectus and each annual and semi-annual report, when available, will be mailed to those addresses shared by two or more accounts. If you wish to receive individual copies of these documents and your shares are held in a Fund account, call PIMCO Funds at 888.87.PIMCO. You will receive the additional copy

 

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within 30 days after receipt of your request by PIMCO Funds. Alternatively, if your shares are held through a financial institution, please contact the financial institution.

PORTFOLIO TRANSACTIONS AND BROKERAGE

Investment Decisions and Portfolio Transactions

Investment decisions for the Trust and for the other investment advisory clients of PIMCO are made with a view to achieving their respective investment objectives. Investment decisions are the product of many factors in addition to basic suitability for the particular client involved (including the Trust). Some securities considered for investments by the Funds also may be appropriate for other clients served by PIMCO. Thus, a particular security may be bought or sold for certain clients even though it could have been bought or sold for other clients at the same time, including accounts in which PIMCO, its officers or employees may have a financial interest. If a purchase or sale of securities consistent with the investment policies of a Fund and one or more of these clients served by PIMCO is considered at or about the same time, transactions in such securities will be allocated among the Fund and other clients pursuant to PIMCO’s trade allocation policy that is designed to ensure that all accounts, including the Funds, are treated fairly, equitably, and in a non-preferential manner, such that allocations are not based upon fee structure or portfolio manager preference.

PIMCO may acquire on behalf of its clients (including the Trust) securities or other financial instruments providing exposure to different aspects of the capital and debt structure of an issuer, including without limitation those that relate to senior and junior/subordinate obligations of such issuer. In certain circumstances, the interests of those clients exposed to one portion of the issuer’s capital and debt structure may diverge from those clients exposed to a different portion of the issuer’s capital and debt structure. PIMCO may advise some clients or take actions for them in their best interests with respect to their exposures to an issuer’s capital and debt structure that may diverge from the interests of other clients with different exposures to the same issuer’s capital and debt structure.

PIMCO may aggregate orders for the Funds with simultaneous transactions entered into on behalf of other clients of PIMCO when, in PIMCO’s reasonable judgment, aggregation may result in an overall economic benefit to the Funds and other clients in terms of pricing, brokerage commissions or other expenses. When feasible, PIMCO allocates trades prior to execution. When pre-execution allocation is not feasible, PIMCO promptly allocates trades following established and objective procedures. Allocations generally are made at or about the time of execution and before the end of the trading day. As a result, one account may receive a price for a particular transaction that is different from the price received by another account for a similar transaction on the same day. In general, trades are allocated among portfolio managers on a pro rata basis (to the extent a portfolio manager decides to participate fully in the trade), for further allocation by each portfolio manager among that manager’s eligible accounts. In allocating trades among accounts, portfolio managers generally consider a number of factors, including, but not limited to, each account’s deviation (in terms of risk exposure and/or performance characteristics) from a relevant model portfolio, each account’s investment objectives, restrictions and guidelines, its risk exposure, its available cash, and its existing holdings of similar securities. Once trades are allocated, they may be reallocated only in unusual circumstances due to recognition of specific account restrictions.

In some cases, PIMCO may sell a security on behalf of a client, including the Funds, to a broker-dealer that thereafter may be purchased for the accounts of one or more of PIMCO’s other clients, including the Funds, from that or another broker-dealer. PIMCO has adopted procedures it believes are reasonably designed to obtain the best execution for the transactions by each account.

Brokerage and Research Services

There is generally no stated commission in the case of fixed income securities, which are often traded in the OTC markets, but the price paid by the Trust usually includes an undisclosed dealer commission or mark-up. In underwritten offerings, the price paid by the Trust includes a disclosed, fixed commission or discount retained by the underwriter or dealer. Transactions on U.S. stock exchanges and other agency transactions involve the payment by the Trust of negotiated brokerage commissions. Such commissions vary among different brokers. Also, a particular broker may charge different commissions according to such factors as the difficulty and size of the transaction. Transactions in foreign securities generally involve the payment of fixed brokerage commissions, which are generally higher than those in the United States. Transactions in fixed income securities on certain foreign exchanges may involve commission payments.

PIMCO places all orders for the purchase and sale of portfolio securities, options and futures contracts for the relevant Fund and buys and sells such securities, options and futures for the Trust through a substantial number of brokers and dealers. In so doing, PIMCO uses its best efforts to obtain for the Trust the best execution available. In seeking best execution, PIMCO, having in mind the Trust’s best interests, considers all factors it deems relevant, including, by way of illustration, price, the size of the transaction, the nature of the market for the security, the amount of the commission, the timing of the transaction taking into account market prices and trends, the reputation, experience and financial stability of the broker-dealer involved and the quality of service rendered by the broker-dealer in other transactions. Changes in the aggregate amount of brokerage commissions paid by a Fund from year-to-year may be attributable to changes in the asset size of the Fund, the volume of portfolio transactions effected by the Fund, the types of instruments in which the Fund invests, or the rates negotiated by PIMCO on behalf of the Funds.

 

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Brokerage Commissions Paid

For the fiscal years ended March 31, 2018, 2017 and 2016, the following amounts of brokerage commissions were paid by each operational Fund: [To be updated by amendment.]

 

Fund   

Year Ended
3/31/2018

 

    

Year Ended
3/31/2017

 

    

Year Ended
3/31/2016

 

 
PIMCO All Asset All Authority Fund      [            ]        0        430  
PIMCO All Asset Fund    $  [            ]      $ 0      $ 545  
PIMCO California Municipal Bond Fund      [            ]        182        62  
PIMCO CommoditiesPLUS® Strategy Fund      [            ]        32,731        139,248  
PIMCO CommodityRealReturn Strategy Fund®      [            ]        263,214        445,963  
PIMCO Credit Opportunities Bond Fund      [            ]        28,964        85,238  
PIMCO Diversified Income Fund      [            ]        28,656        21,223  
PIMCO Dynamic Bond Fund      [            ]        239,250        250,075  
PIMCO Emerging Local Bond Fund      [            ]        7,881        2,949  
PIMCO Emerging Markets Bond Fund      [            ]        14,874        2,495  
PIMCO Emerging Markets Corporate Bond Fund      [            ]        211        0  
PIMCO Emerging Markets Currency and Short-Term Investments Fund      [            ]        0        0  
PIMCO Extended Duration Fund      [            ]        11,192        542  
PIMCO Global Advantage® Strategy Bond Fund      [            ]        67,774        93,989  
PIMCO Global Bond Opportunities Fund (U.S. Dollar-Hedged)      [            ]        55,974        51,357  
PIMCO Global Bond Opportunities Fund (Unhedged)      [            ]        40,872        45,959  
PIMCO Global Multi-Asset Fund      [            ]        242,214        520,236  
PIMCO GNMA and Government Securities Fund      [            ]        0        419  
PIMCO High Yield Municipal Bond Fund      [            ]        8,046        1,621  
PIMCO High Yield Spectrum Fund      [            ]        641        0  
PIMCO Income Fund      [            ]        195,229        111,431  
PIMCO Inflation Response Multi-Asset Fund      [            ]        126,568        159,554  
PIMCO International Bond Fund (U.S. Dollar-Hedged)      [            ]        496,536        432,500  
PIMCO International Bond Fund (Unhedged)      [            ]        99,304        105,701  
PIMCO Investment Grade Credit Bond Fund      [            ]        147,529        133,480  
PIMCO Long Duration Total Return Fund      [            ]        31,668        7,460  
PIMCO Long-Term Credit Bond Fund      [            ]        35,723        57,415  
PIMCO Long-Term Real Return Fund      [            ]        42,761        99,364  
PIMCO Long-Term U.S. Government Fund      [            ]        18,344        2,365  
PIMCO Low Duration ESG Fund      [            ]        7,615        9,121  
PIMCO Low Duration Fund      [            ]        513,895        561,333  
PIMCO Low Duration Fund II      [            ]        10,355        11,102  
PIMCO Low Duration Income Fund      [            ]        9,596        9,715  
PIMCO Moderate Duration Fund      [            ]        159,276        131,063  
PIMCO Mortgage Opportunities and Bond Fund      [            ]        44,411        193,825  
PIMCO Mortgage-Backed Securities Fund      [            ]        0        297  
PIMCO Multi-Strategy Alternative Fund      [            ]        4,956        2,595  
PIMCO Municipal Bond Fund      [            ]        9,228        3,935  
PIMCO National Intermediate Municipal Bond Fund      [            ]        125        363  
PIMCO New York Municipal Bond Fund      [            ]        1,121        597  
PIMCO Preferred and Capital Securities Fund      [            ]        653        1,155  
PIMCO RAE Fundamental Advantage PLUS Fund      [            ]        94,245        98,276  
PIMCO RAE Low Volatility PLUS EMG Fund      [            ]        405,235        220,222  
PIMCO RAE Low Volatility PLUS Fund      [            ]        31,666        49,896  
PIMCO RAE Low Volatility PLUS International Fund      [            ]        183,341        139,004  
PIMCO RAE PLUS EMG Fund      [            ]        273,122        139,745  
PIMCO RAE PLUS Fund      [            ]        265,334        167,867  
PIMCO RAE PLUS International Fund      [            ]        104,584        72,287  
PIMCO RAE PLUS Small Fund      [            ]        11,307        15,771  
PIMCO RAE Worldwide Long/Short PLUS Fund      [            ]        354,893        382,690  
PIMCO Real Return Fund      [            ]        450,330        462,906  
PIMCO Real Return Limited Duration Fund      [            ]        167        74  
PIMCO RealEstateRealReturn Strategy Fund      [            ]        113,133        150,718  
PIMCO REALPATH® 2020 Fund      [            ]        3,674        6,734  

 

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Fund   

Year Ended
3/31/2018

 

    

Year Ended
3/31/2017

 

    

Year Ended
3/31/2016

 

 
PIMCO REALPATH® 2025 Fund      [            ]        3,889        7,010  
PIMCO REALPATH® 2030 Fund      [            ]        5,289        11,937  
PIMCO REALPATH® 2035 Fund      [            ]        4,507        10,303  
PIMCO REALPATH® 2040 Fund      [            ]        6,033        12,629  
PIMCO REALPATH® 2045 Fund      [            ]        4,624        8,326  
PIMCO REALPATH® 2050 Fund      [            ]        9,213        14,575  
PIMCO REALPATH® 2055 Fund      [            ]        514        504  
PIMCO REALPATH® Income Fund      [            ]        3,429        0  
PIMCO Short Asset Investment Fund      [            ]        11,447        4,883  
PIMCO Short-Term Fund      [            ]        724,811        1,237,778  
PIMCO StocksPLUS® Absolute Return Fund      [            ]        229,885        187,949  
PIMCO StocksPLUS® Fund      [            ]        28,271        84,144  
PIMCO StocksPLUS® International Fund (U.S. Dollar-Hedged)      [            ]        463,092        370,169  
PIMCO StocksPLUS® International Fund (Unhedged)      [            ]        174,594        70,668  
PIMCO StocksPLUS® Long Duration Fund      [            ]        49,369        42,438  
PIMCO StocksPLUS® Short Fund      [            ]        397,701        356,178  
PIMCO StocksPLUS® Small Fund      [            ]        137,925        120,766  
PIMCO Strategic Bond Fund      [            ]        11,203        13,584  
PIMCO Total Return ESG Fund      [            ]        89,296        94,074  
PIMCO Total Return Fund      [            ]        7,712,805        7,533,504  
PIMCO Total Return Fund II      [            ]        46,039        55,734  
PIMCO Total Return Fund IV      [            ]        53,675        49,657  
PIMCO TRENDS Managed Futures Strategy Fund      [            ]        125,879        162,092  

PIMCO places orders for the purchase and sale of portfolio investments for the Funds’ accounts with brokers or dealers selected by it in its discretion. In effecting purchases and sales of portfolio securities for the account of the Funds, PIMCO will seek the best execution of the Funds’ orders. In doing so, a Fund may pay higher commission rates than the lowest available when PIMCO believes it is reasonable to do so in light of the value of the brokerage and research services provided by the broker effecting the transaction, as discussed below. Although the Trust may use broker-dealers that sell Fund shares to effect the Trust’s portfolio transactions, the Trust and PIMCO will not consider the sale of Fund shares as a factor when selecting broker-dealers to execute those transactions.

It has for many years been a common practice in the investment advisory business for advisers of investment companies and other institutional investors to receive research services from broker-dealers which execute portfolio transactions for the clients of such advisers. Consistent with this practice, PIMCO may receive research services from many broker-dealers with which PIMCO places the Trust’s portfolio transactions. These services, which in some cases also may be purchased for cash, include such matters as general economic and security market reviews, industry and company reviews, evaluations of securities and recommendations as to the purchase and sale of securities. Such information may be provided in the form of meetings with analysts, telephone contacts and written materials. Some of these services are of value to PIMCO in advising various of its clients (including the Trust), although not all of these services are necessarily useful and of value in managing the Trust. The management fee paid by the Trust would not be reduced in the event that PIMCO and its affiliates received such services. Although PIMCO considers the research products and services it receives from broker-dealers to be supplemental to its own internal research, PIMCO would likely incur additional costs if it had to generate these research products and services through its own efforts or if it paid for these products or services itself.

As permitted by Section 28(e) of the 1934 Act, PIMCO may cause the Trust to pay a broker-dealer which provides “brokerage and research services” (as defined in the 1934 Act) to PIMCO an amount of disclosed commission or spread (sometimes called “soft dollars”) for effecting a securities transaction for the Trust in excess of the commission or spread which another broker-dealer would have charged for effecting that transaction, if PIMCO determines in good faith that the commission is reasonable given the brokerage and/or research services provided by the broker-dealer. PIMCO is typically in a position to make this necessary determination in connection with transactions in equity securities and in other circumstances where there is sufficient transparency to objectively determine the transaction price and commission (e.g., where the commission and transaction price are fully and separately disclosed on the confirmation and the transaction is reported under conditions that provide independent and objective verification of the transaction price), which generally is not the case with transactions in fixed income securities. Accordingly, the provision of brokerage and research services is not typically considered with respect to transactions by the Trust when trading in fixed income securities, although PIMCO may receive research or research-related credits from brokers which are generated from underwriting commissions when purchasing new issues of fixed income securities or other assets for a Fund.

 

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In selecting broker-dealers that provide research or brokerage services that are paid for with soft dollars, potential conflicts of interest may arise between PIMCO and the Trust because PIMCO does not produce or pay for these research or brokerage services, but rather uses brokerage commissions generated by Fund transactions to pay for them. In addition, PIMCO may have an incentive to select a broker-dealer based upon the broker-dealer’s research or brokerage services instead of the broker-dealer’s ability to achieve best execution.

As noted above, PIMCO may purchase new issues of securities for the Trust in underwritten fixed price offerings. In these situations, the underwriter or selling group member may provide PIMCO with research in addition to selling the securities (at the fixed public offering price) to the Trust or other advisory clients. Because the offerings are conducted at a fixed price, the ability to obtain research from a broker-dealer in this situation provides knowledge that may benefit the Trust, other PIMCO clients, and PIMCO without incurring additional costs. These arrangements may not fall within the safe harbor of Section 28(e) because the broker-dealer is considered to be acting in a principal capacity in underwritten transactions. However, FINRA has adopted rules expressly permitting broker-dealers to provide bona fide research to advisers in connection with fixed price offerings under certain circumstances. As a general matter in these situations, the underwriter or selling group member will provide research credits at a rate that is higher than that which is available for secondary market transactions.

PIMCO may place orders for the purchase and sale of portfolio securities with a broker-dealer that is affiliated to PIMCO where, in PIMCO’s judgment, such firm will be able to obtain a price and execution at least as favorable as other qualified broker-dealers.

Pursuant to applicable sections under the 1940 Act, a broker-dealer that is an affiliate of the Adviser or sub-adviser may receive and retain compensation for effecting portfolio transactions for a Fund if the commissions paid to such an affiliated broker-dealer by a Fund do not exceed one per centum of the purchase or sale price of such securities.

Since the securities in which certain Funds invest consist primarily of fixed income securities, which are generally not subject to stated brokerage commissions, as described above, their investments in securities subject to stated commissions generally constitute a small percentage of the aggregate dollar amount of their transactions.

SEC rules further require that commissions paid to such an affiliated broker-dealer, or PIMCO by a Fund on exchange transactions not exceed “usual and customary brokerage commissions.” The rules define “usual and customary” commissions to include amounts that are “reasonable and fair compared to the commission, fee or other remuneration received or to be received by other brokers in connection with comparable transactions involving similar securities being purchased or sold on a securities exchange during a comparable period of time.” [The Funds did not pay any commissions to affiliated brokers during the fiscal years ended March 31, 2018, 2017 and 2016.]

The following table sets forth certain information regarding payments from the Funds to the Distributor during the previous fiscal year: [To be updated by amendment.]

 

Net Underwriting Discounts and

Commissions

 

  

Compensation on Redemptions and

Purchases

 

 

Total Brokerage Commissions

 

$[        ]    $[        ]   $[        ]

Holdings of Securities of the Trust’s Regular Brokers and Dealers

The following table indicates the value of each operational Fund’s aggregate holdings, in thousands, of the securities of its regular brokers or dealers for the fiscal year ended March 31, 2018. [To be updated by amendment.]

Portfolio Turnover

A change in the securities held by a Fund is known as “portfolio turnover.” PIMCO manages the Funds without regard generally to restrictions on portfolio turnover. See “Taxation” below. Trading in fixed income securities does not generally involve the payment of brokerage commissions, but does involve indirect transaction costs. Trading in equity securities involves the payment of brokerage commissions, which are transaction costs paid by a Fund. The use of futures contracts may involve the payment of commissions to futures commission merchants. High portfolio turnover (e.g., greater than 100%) involves correspondingly greater expenses to a Fund, including brokerage commissions or dealer mark-ups and other transaction costs on the sale of securities and reinvestments in other securities. The higher the rate of portfolio turnover of a Fund, the higher these transaction costs borne by the Fund generally will be. Such sales may result in realization of taxable capital gains (including short-term capital gains which generally would be taxed at ordinary income tax rates when distributed to shareholders).

The portfolio turnover rate of a Fund is calculated by dividing: (a) the lesser of purchases or sales of portfolio securities for the particular fiscal year by; (b) the monthly average of the value of the portfolio securities owned by the Fund during the particular fiscal

 

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year. In calculating the rate of portfolio turnover, there is excluded from both (a) and (b) all securities, including options, whose maturities or expiration dates at the time of acquisition were one year or less and any short sales that the Fund does not intend to maintain for more than one year. Proceeds from short sales and assets used to cover short positions undertaken are included in the amounts of securities sold and purchased, respectively, during the year. Portfolio turnover rates for each Fund that was operational as of the Trust’s most recent fiscal year end are provided in the applicable Prospectuses under the “Financial Highlights.”

The PIMCO All Asset, PIMCO All Asset All Authority, PIMCO Emerging Markets Full Spectrum Bond, PIMCO Global Multi-Asset, PIMCO Inflation Response Multi-Asset, PIMCO Multi-Strategy Alternative and the PIMCO REALPATH® Funds indirectly bear the expenses associated with the portfolio turnover of the Underlying PIMCO Funds (and unaffiliated funds, in the case of PIMCO Emerging Markets Full Spectrum Bond Fund, PIMCO Global Multi-Asset Fund, PIMCO Inflation Response Multi-Asset Fund, PIMCO Multi-Strategy Alternative Fund and the PIMCO REALPATH® Funds), which may have fairly high portfolio turnover rates (i.e., in excess of 100%). Shareholders in the PIMCO All Asset, PIMCO All Asset All Authority, PIMCO Emerging Markets Full Spectrum Bond, PIMCO Global Multi-Asset, PIMCO Inflation Response Multi-Asset, PIMCO Multi-Strategy Alternative and PIMCO REALPATH® Funds also bear expenses directly or indirectly through sales of securities held by the Funds and the Underlying PIMCO Funds (and unaffiliated funds, in the case of PIMCO Emerging Markets Full Spectrum Bond Fund, PIMCO Global Multi-Asset Fund, PIMCO Inflation Response Multi-Asset Fund, PIMCO Multi-Strategy Alternative Fund and the PIMCO REALPATH® Funds), which result in realization of taxable capital gains. To the extent such gains relate to securities held for one year or less, such gains will be short-term taxable gains which generally would be taxed at ordinary income tax rates when distributed to shareholders.

The [                    ] each experienced a [                    ] portfolio turnover rate compared to its prior year. These Funds’ trading activity [                    ] during the period ended March 31, 2018 when sales of Fund shares increased, as compared to the prior period ended March 31, 2017.

Disclosure of Portfolio Holdings

Policies and Procedures Generally. The Trust has adopted portfolio holdings disclosure policies and procedures to govern the disclosure of the securities holdings of the Funds (the “Disclosure Policy”). The Disclosure Policy is designed to protect the confidentiality of the Funds’ non-public portfolio holdings information, to prevent the selective disclosure of such information, and to ensure compliance by PIMCO and the Funds with the federal securities laws, including the 1940 Act and the rules promulgated thereunder and general principles of fiduciary duty. PIMCO serves as investment adviser to various funds, including exchange-traded funds, that may have investment objectives, strategies and portfolio holdings that are substantially similar to or overlap with those of the Funds, and in some cases, these funds may publicly disclose portfolio holdings on a more frequent basis than is required for the Funds. For example, portfolio holdings for PIMCO advised actively managed exchange-traded funds are required, by the terms of the applicable SEC exemptive relief, to be publicly disclosed each business day. Similarly, PIMCO serves as an investment adviser to separate accounts that may have investment objectives, strategies and portfolio holdings that are substantially similar to or overlap with those of the Funds, and the separate account holdings that are disclosed to the client or others under the terms of the client’s investment management agreement could be similar or identical to Fund holdings. As a result, it is possible that other market participants may use such information for their own benefit, which could negatively impact the Funds’ execution of purchase and sale transactions.

Monitoring and Oversight. The Trust’s Chief Compliance Officer (“CCO”) is responsible for ensuring that PIMCO has adopted and implemented policies and procedures reasonably designed to ensure compliance with the Disclosure Policy and, to the extent the CCO considers necessary, the CCO shall monitor PIMCO’s compliance with its policies and procedures.

Any exceptions to the Disclosure Policy may be made only if approved by the CCO upon determining that the exception is in the best interests of the Fund. The CCO must report any exceptions made to the Disclosure Policy to the Trust’s Board of Trustees at its next regularly scheduled meeting.

Quarterly Disclosure. The Funds will publicly disclose the complete schedule of each Fund’s holdings, as reported on a fiscal quarter-end basis, by making the information publicly available in a manner consistent with requirements established by the SEC. You may view a Fund’s complete schedule of portfolio holdings for the most recently completed quarter online at www.pimco.com/investments, or obtain a copy of the schedule by calling PIMCO at 1-800-927-4648. Except as provided below under “Disclosure of Portfolio Holdings—Monthly/Weekly Disclosure,” this information will be available no earlier than the day on which it is transmitted to shareholders in the Funds’ annual and semi-annual reports, or filed with the SEC on Form N-Q, which will occur on or about the sixtieth day after a fiscal quarter’s end.

The Funds file their complete schedules of securities holdings with the SEC for the first and third quarters of each fiscal year on Form N-Q. The Funds’ Forms N-Q will be available on the SEC’s website at http://www.sec.gov and may be reviewed and copied at the SEC’s Public Reference Room in Washington, D.C. Information on the operation of the Public Reference Room may be obtained by calling 1-202-551-8090.

 

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Monthly/Weekly Disclosure. The PIMCO Short Asset Investment Fund will publicly disclose the complete schedule of the Fund’s holdings, as reported on a month-end basis, free of charge in a manner determined by PIMCO. This information will be available no earlier than five days after such month-end. If the fifth day falls on a weekend or other non-business day, such information will be made available on the following business day.

The PIMCO Government Money Market Fund will publicly disclose the complete schedule of the Fund’s holdings, as reported on a week-end basis, free of charge in a manner determined by PIMCO. This information will be available no earlier than five days after such week-end. If the fifth day falls on a weekend or other non-business day, such information will be made available on the following business day.

Generally, the PIMCO Short Asset Investment and PIMCO Government Money Market Funds will disclose their respective portfolio holdings as permitted according to the preceding two paragraphs. However, from time to time, the portfolio manager(s) of a Fund may determine that it is in the Fund’s best interest not to disclose this information pursuant to the schedule set forth above. In such a case, the portfolio manager(s) must provide a written explanation to the Fund’s CCO as to why the portfolio manager(s) believe(s) it is in the best interests of the Fund to not make the disclosure at that time. The CCO or his or her designee shall determine whether to withhold the issuance of the Fund’s portfolio holdings information. The past performance of a particular holding or of a Fund’s portfolio relative to similar funds shall not be a factor in making this determination.

If the CCO or his or her designee determines not to disclose the Fund’s portfolio holdings as of a particular date pursuant to the schedule set forth above, no new portfolio holdings information for the Fund shall be disclosed as of that date. The Fund may continue to disclose portfolio holdings information from the prior period, provided that the date of such information is disclosed.

Defaulted/Distressed Securities. PIMCO may, in its discretion, publicly disclose portfolio holdings information at any time with respect to securities held by the Funds that are in default or experiencing a negative credit event. Any such disclosure will be broadly disseminated via PIMCO’s website at www.pimco.com/investments, the Distributor’s website at www.pimco.com/investments, or by similar means.

Confidential Dissemination of Portfolio Holdings Information. No disclosure of non-public portfolio holdings information may be made to any unaffiliated third party except as set forth in the Disclosure Policy. This prohibition does not apply to information sharing with the Funds’ service providers, such as the Funds’ investment adviser, sub-advisers (if any), distributor, custodian, transfer agent, administrator, sub-administrator (if any), accountant, counsel, securities class action claims services administrator, financial printer, proxy voting agent, lender, service providers to PIMCO or to PIMCO affiliates who may perform services or assist PIMCO in the performance of services for or on behalf of a Fund and other select third party service providers (collectively, the “Service Providers”), who generally need access to such information in the performance of their contractual duties and responsibilities. Such Service Providers are subject to duties of confidentiality, including a duty not to trade on non-public information, imposed by law and/or contract.

Each Fund or PIMCO may, to the extent permitted under applicable law, distribute non-public information regarding a Fund, including portfolio holdings information, more frequently to (i) certain third parties that have a legitimate business purpose in receiving such information, including, but not limited to, mutual fund analysts and rating and ranking organizations, pricing information vendors, analytical service providers, certain platform providers and potential Service Providers, or (ii) a redeeming shareholder effecting a redemption-in-kind from one of the Funds as may be permitted by PIMCO from time to time; provided, however, that any recipient of non-public information pursuant to this paragraph shall be subject to a confidentiality agreement meeting the requirements of the Disclosure Policy. PIMCO currently has an ongoing arrangement to distribute non-public portfolio holdings information for the PIMCO Government Money Market Fund to Moody’s solely for the purpose of Moody’s rating the Fund.

The distribution of non-public information must be authorized by an officer of the Trust after determining the requested disclosure is in the best interests of the Fund and its shareholders and after consulting with and receiving approval from PIMCO’s legal department. The Disclosure Policy does not require a delay between the date of the information and the date on which the information is disclosed; however, any recipient of non-public information will be subject to a confidentiality agreement that contains, at a minimum, provisions specifying that: (1) the Funds’ non-public information provided is the confidential property of the Funds and may not be used for any purpose except in connection with the provision of services to the Funds or for an agreed-upon legitimate business purpose and, in particular, that such information may not be traded upon; (2) except to the extent contemplated by the Disclosure Policy, the recipient of the non-public information agrees to limit access to the information to its employees and agents who are subject to a duty to keep and treat such information as confidential; and (3) upon written request from the Funds or PIMCO, the recipient of the non-public information shall promptly return or destroy the information, except as otherwise required by applicable law or such recipient’s record retention policies and procedures. Neither the Funds nor PIMCO may receive compensation or consideration in connection with the distribution of non-public portfolio holdings information.

 

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Non-Specific Information. Under the Disclosure Policy, the Funds or PIMCO may distribute non-specific information about the Funds and/or summary information about the Funds at any time. Such information will not identify any specific portfolio holding, but may reflect, among other things, the quality or character of a Fund’s holdings.

Model Portfolios and Indexes. Certain Funds (the “Index-Replicating Funds”) may obtain exposure to one or more proprietary model portfolios or market capitalization indexes by investing primarily in swaps or other derivatives based on such model portfolio(s) or index(es). Certain disclosures regarding the composition of the model portfolio(s) or index(es) are not considered “portfolio holdings information” for purposes of the Disclosure Policy. In particular, the Index Replicating Funds may publicly disclose the ten largest holdings of the model portfolio or index as of the last calendar day of each month, but not earlier than the tenth business day of the subsequent month.

Required Disclosures. No provision of the Disclosure Policy is intended to restrict or prevent the disclosure of portfolio holdings information as may be required by applicable state or federal law, which are requested by governmental authorities or in connection with litigation involving a Fund’s current or past portfolio holdings.

Large Trade Notifications

A Fund or its agent may from time to time receive notice that a current or prospective shareholder will place, or that a financial intermediary has received, an order for a large trade in a Fund’s shares. The Fund may determine to enter into portfolio transactions in anticipation of that order, even though the order will not be placed or processed until the following business day, as applicable. This practice provides for a closer correlation between the time shareholders place trade orders and the time a Fund enters into portfolio transactions based on those orders, and permits the Fund to be more fully invested in investment securities, in the case of purchase orders, and to more orderly liquidate its investment positions, in the case of redemption orders. On the other hand, the current or prospective shareholder or financial intermediary, as applicable, may not ultimately place or process the order. In this case, a Fund may be required to borrow assets to settle the portfolio transactions entered into in anticipation of that order, and would therefore incur borrowing costs. The Funds may also suffer investment losses on those portfolio transactions. Conversely, the Funds would benefit from any earnings and investment gains resulting from such portfolio transactions.

NET ASSET VALUE

Net asset value is determined as indicated under “How Fund Shares are Priced” in the Prospectuses. All Funds’ net asset value will not be determined on 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. On any business day when the Securities Industry and Financial Markets Association (“SIFMA”) recommends that the securities markets close trading early, the PIMCO Government Money Market Fund may close trading early and determine net asset value as of an earlier time.

For all Funds other than the PIMCO Government Money Market Fund, portfolio securities and other assets for which market quotations are readily available are valued at market value. Market value is generally determined on the basis of last reported sales prices, or if no sales prices are reported, as is the case for most securities traded OTC, on the basis of either: (i) the mean between representative bid and ask quotations obtained from a quotation reporting system or from established market makers; or (ii) prices (including evaluated prices) supplied by a Fund’s approved pricing services, quotation reporting systems and other third-party sources (together, “Pricing Services”). For exchange-traded securities, market value also may be determined on the basis of the exchange’s Official Closing Price or Settlement instead of the last reported sales prices. Certain exchange-traded equity options may be valued using evaluations from Pricing Services. Fixed income securities, including those to be purchased under firm commitment agreements, are normally valued on the basis of quotes obtained from brokers and dealers or prices provided by Pricing Services, which may take into account appropriate factors such as, without limitation, institutional-sized trading in similar groups of securities, yield, quality, coupon rate, maturity, type of issue, trading characteristics, and other market data.

The PIMCO Government Money Market Fund’s securities are valued using the amortized cost method of valuation. This involves valuing a security at cost on the date of acquisition and thereafter assuming a constant accretion of a discount or amortization of a premium to maturity, regardless of the impact of fluctuating interest rates on the market value of the instrument. While this method provides certainty in valuation, it may result in periods during which value, as determined by amortized cost, is higher or lower than the price the Fund would receive if it sold the instrument. During such periods the yield to investors in the PIMCO Government Money Market Fund may differ somewhat from that obtained in a similar investment company which uses available market quotations to value all of its portfolio securities.

The SEC’s regulations require the PIMCO Government Money Market Fund to adhere to certain conditions. The Board of Trustees, as part of its responsibility within the overall duty of care owed to the shareholders, is required to establish procedures reasonably designed, taking into account current market conditions and the Fund’s investment objective, to stabilize the net asset value per share as computed for the purpose of distribution and redemption at $1.00 per share. The Trustees’ procedures include a requirement to periodically monitor, as appropriate and at such intervals as are reasonable in light of current market conditions, the relationship between the amortized cost value per share and the net asset value per share based upon available indications of market value. The

 

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Board of Trustees will consider what steps should be taken, if any, in the event of a difference of more than 1/2 of 1% between the two. The Board of Trustees will take such steps as it considers appropriate, (e.g., selling securities to shorten the average portfolio maturity) to minimize any material dilution or other unfair results which might arise from differences between the two. The Fund also is required to maintain a dollar-weighted average portfolio maturity of 60 days or less and a dollar-weighted average life to maturity of 120 days or less, to limit its investments to instruments having remaining maturities of 397 days or less (except securities held subject to repurchase agreements having 397 days or less maturity) and to invest only in securities determined by PIMCO under procedures established by the Board of Trustees to be of high quality with minimal credit risks. The Fund may not invest more than 0.5% of its total assets, measured at the time of investment, in securities of any one issuer that are in the second-highest rating category for short-term debt obligations.

Each Fund’s liabilities are allocated among its classes. The total of such liabilities allocated to a class plus that class’s distribution and/or servicing fees (if any) and any other expenses specially allocated to that class are then deducted from the class’s proportionate interest in the Fund’s assets, and the resulting amount for each class is divided by the number of shares of that class outstanding to produce the class’s “net asset value” per share. Under certain circumstances, the per share net asset value of the Class C shares of the Funds that do not declare regular income dividends on a daily basis may be lower than the per share net asset value of the Class A shares as a result of the daily expense accruals of the distribution fee applicable to the Class C shares. Generally, when Funds pay income dividends, those dividends are expected to differ over time by approximately the amount of the expense accrual differential between a particular Fund’s classes.

TAXATION

[The following summarizes certain additional federal income tax considerations generally affecting the Funds and their shareholders. The discussion is for general information only and does not purport to consider all aspects of U.S. federal income taxation that might be relevant to beneficial owners of shares of the Funds. The discussion is based upon current provisions of the Internal Revenue Code, existing regulations promulgated thereunder, and administrative and judicial interpretations thereof, all of which are subject to change, which change could be retroactive. The discussion applies only to beneficial owners of Fund shares in whose hands such shares are capital assets within the meaning of Section 1221 of the Internal Revenue Code, and may not apply to certain types of beneficial owners of shares (such as insurance companies, tax-exempt organizations, and broker-dealers) who may be subject to special rules. Persons who may be subject to tax in more than one country should consult the provisions of any applicable tax treaty to determine the potential tax consequences to them. Prospective investors should consult their own tax advisers with regard to the federal tax consequences of the purchase, ownership and disposition of Fund shares, as well as the tax consequences arising under the laws of any state, foreign country, or other taxing jurisdiction. The discussion here and in the Prospectuses is not intended as a substitute for careful tax planning.

Each Fund intends to qualify annually and elect to be treated as a regulated investment company under the Internal Revenue Code. To qualify for tax treatment as a regulated investment company, each Fund generally must, among other things, (a) derive in each taxable year at least 90% of its gross income from dividends, interest, payments with respect to securities loans, and gains from the sale or other disposition of stock, securities or foreign currencies, net income from certain “qualified publicly traded partnerships,” or other income derived with respect to its business of investing in such stock, securities or currencies (“Qualifying Income Test”); (b) diversify its holdings so that, at the end of each quarter of the taxable year, (i) at least 50% of the market value of the Fund’s assets is represented by cash, U.S. Government securities, the securities of other regulated investment companies and other securities, with such other securities of any one issuer limited for the purposes of this calculation to an amount not greater than 5% of the value of the Fund’s total assets and 10% of the outstanding voting securities of such issuer, and (ii) not more than 25% of the value of its total assets is invested in the securities of any one issuer (other than U.S. Government securities or the securities of other regulated investment companies), the securities of certain controlled issuers in the same or similar trades or businesses, or the securities of one or more “qualified publicly traded partnerships;” and (c) distribute in each taxable year dividends of an amount at least equal to the sum of (i) 90% of its investment company taxable income (which includes dividends, interest and net short-term capital gains in excess of any net long-term capital losses), determined without regard to any deduction for dividends paid, and (ii) 90% of its tax exempt interest, net of expenses allocable thereto. The Treasury Department is authorized to promulgate regulations under which gains from foreign currencies (and options, futures, and forward contracts on foreign currency) would constitute qualifying income for purposes of the Qualifying Income Test only if such gains are directly related to investing in securities. To date, such regulations have not been issued.

If a Fund failed to qualify as a regulated investment company accorded special tax treatment in any taxable year, a Fund would be subject to tax on its taxable income at corporate rates, and all distributions from earnings and profits, including any distributions of net tax-exempt income and net long-term capital gains, would be taxable to shareholders as ordinary income. Some portions of such distributions may be eligible for the dividends received deduction in the case of corporate shareholders and reduced rates of taxation on qualified dividend income in the case of individuals. In addition, a Fund could be required to recognize unrealized gains, pay substantial taxes and interest and make substantial distributions before requalifying as a regulated investment company that is accorded special tax treatment.

 

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As described in the applicable Prospectuses, the PIMCO CommoditiesPLUS® Strategy, PIMCO CommodityRealReturn Strategy, PIMCO Global Multi-Asset, PIMCO Inflation Response Multi-Asset and PIMCO TRENDS Managed Futures Strategy Funds may gain exposure to the commodities markets through investments in commodity index-linked derivative instruments. On December 16, 2005, the IRS issued Revenue Ruling 2006-01 which held that income derived from commodity index-linked swaps would not be qualifying income. As such, each Fund’s ability to utilize commodity index-linked swaps as part of its investment strategy is limited to a maximum of 10 percent of its gross income, respectively.

A subsequent revenue ruling, Revenue Ruling 2006-31, clarified the holding of Revenue Ruling 2006-01 by providing that income from alternative investment instruments (such as certain commodity index-linked notes) that create commodity exposure may be considered qualifying income under the Internal Revenue Code. The IRS has also issued private letter rulings in which the IRS specifically concluded that income from certain commodity index-linked notes is qualifying income (collectively, the “Notes Rulings”). Each Fund will continue to seek to gain exposure to the commodity markets primarily through investments in its Commodities Subsidiary (as discussed below). The IRS recently issued a revenue procedure which states that, the IRS will not in the future issue private letter rulings that would require a determination of whether an asset (such as a commodity index-linked note) is a “security” under the 1940 Act. In connection with the issuance of this revenue procedure, the IRS has revoked the Notes Rulings.

As discussed in “Investment Objectives and Policies—Investments in the Wholly-Owned Subsidiaries,” certain Funds intend to invest a portion of their assets in a wholly-owned subsidiary of such Funds organized under the laws of the Cayman Islands (a “Commodities Subsidiary”), each of which will be classified as a corporation for U.S. federal income tax purposes. The IRS has also issued private rulings in which the IRS specifically concluded that income derived from investment in a subsidiary will also be qualifying income. The IRS recently issued proposed regulations that, if finalized, would generally treat a Fund’s income inclusion with respect to its Subsidiary as qualifying income only if there is a distribution out of the earnings and profits of the Subsidiary that are attributable to such income inclusion. The proposed regulations, if adopted, would apply to taxable years beginning on or after 90 days after the regulations are published as final. There can be no assurance that the IRS will not change its position with respect to some or all of these issues or that future legislation or court decisions will not adversely impact the tax treatment of a Fund’s commodity-linked investments. If the IRS were to determine that income derived from investments in the Subsidiaries does not constitute qualifying income and if such positions were upheld or if future legislation or court decisions were to adversely affect the tax treatment of Fund investments, certain Funds, including the PIMCO CommoditiesPLUS® Strategy, PIMCO CommodityRealReturn Strategy, PIMCO Global Multi-Asset, PIMCO Inflation Response Multi-Asset and PIMCO TRENDS Managed Futures Strategy Funds might cease to qualify as regulated investment companies and would be required to reduce their exposure to such investments which might result in difficulty in implementing their investment strategies. If the PIMCO CommoditiesPLUS® Strategy, PIMCO CommodityRealReturn Strategy, PIMCO Global Multi-Asset, PIMCO Inflation Response Multi-Asset and PIMCO TRENDS Managed Futures Strategy Funds did not qualify as a regulated investment companies for any taxable year, their taxable income would be subject to tax at the Fund level at regular corporate tax rates (without reduction for distributions to shareholders) and to a further tax at the shareholder level when such income is distributed. In such event, in order to re-qualify for taxation as a regulated investment companies, the PIMCO CommoditiesPLUS® Strategy, PIMCO CommodityRealReturn Strategy, PIMCO Global Multi-Asset, PIMCO Inflation Response Multi-Asset and PIMCO TRENDS Managed Futures Strategy Funds may be required to recognize unrealized gains, pay substantial taxes and interest and make certain distributions.

Foreign corporations, such as the Subsidiaries, will generally not be subject to U.S. federal income taxation unless they are deemed to be engaged in a U.S. trade or business. It is expected that the Subsidiaries will conduct their activities in a manner so as to meet the requirements of a safe harbor in Section 864(b)(2) of the Internal Revenue Code under which the Subsidiaries may engage in trading in stocks or securities or certain commodities without being deemed to be engaged in a U.S. trade or business. However, if certain of either Subsidiary’s activities were determined not to be of the type described in the safe harbor (which is not expected), then the activities of such Subsidiary may constitute a U.S. trade or business, or would be subject to tax as such.

In general, foreign corporations, such as the Subsidiaries, that do not conduct a U.S. trade or business are nonetheless subject to tax at a flat rate of 30 percent (or lower tax treaty rate), generally payable through withholding, on the gross amount of certain U.S.-source income that is not effectively connected with a U.S. trade or business. There is presently no tax treaty in force between the U.S. and the Cayman Islands that would reduce this rate of withholding tax. It is not expected that the Subsidiaries will derive income subject to such withholding tax.

Each Subsidiary will be treated as a controlled foreign corporation (“CFC”). The PIMCO CommoditiesPLUS® Strategy Fund will be treated as a “U.S. shareholder” of the CPS Subsidiary, the PIMCO CommodityRealReturn Strategy Fund® will be treated as a “U.S. shareholder” of the CRRS Subsidiary, the PIMCO Global Multi-Asset Fund will be treated as a “U.S. shareholder” of the GMA Subsidiary, the PIMCO Inflation Response Multi-Asset Fund will be treated as a “U.S. shareholder” of the IRMA Subsidiary and the PIMCO TRENDS Managed Futures Strategy Fund will be treated as a “U.S. shareholder” of the MF Subsidiary. As a result, each Fund will be required to include in gross income for U.S. federal income tax purposes all of its Subsidiary’s “subpart F income,” whether or not such income is distributed by such Subsidiary. It is expected that all of the Subsidiaries’ income will be “subpart F income.” Each Fund’s recognition of its Subsidiary’s “subpart F income” will increase such Fund’s tax basis in its Subsidiary. Distributions by the Subsidiary to its respective Fund will be tax-free, to the extent of its previously undistributed “subpart F income,”

 

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and will correspondingly reduce such Fund’s tax basis in its Subsidiary. “Subpart F income” is generally treated as ordinary income, regardless of the character of the Subsidiary’s underlying income. If a net loss is realized by a Subsidiary, such loss is not generally available to offset the income earned by such Subsidiary’s parent Fund, and such loss cannot be carried forward to offset taxable income of the parent Fund or the Subsidiary in future periods.

As a regulated investment company, a Fund generally will not be subject to U.S. federal income tax on its investment company taxable income and net capital gains (any net long-term capital gains in excess of the sum of net short-term capital losses and capital loss carryovers from prior years) designated by the Fund as capital gain dividends, if any, that it distributes as dividends to its shareholders on a timely basis. Each Fund intends to distribute to its shareholders, at least annually, all or substantially all of its investment company taxable income and any net capital gains. In addition, amounts not distributed by a Fund on a timely basis in accordance with a calendar year distribution requirement may be subject to a nondeductible 4% excise tax. Unless an applicable exception applies, to avoid the tax, a Fund must distribute dividends in respect of each calendar year to its shareholders of an amount at least equal to the sum of (1) 98% of its ordinary income (taking into account certain deferrals and elections) for the calendar year, (2) 98.2% of its capital gains in excess of its capital losses (and adjusted for certain ordinary losses) generally for the twelve-month period ending on October 31, and (3) all ordinary income and capital gains for previous years that were not distributed during such years and on which the Fund paid no U.S. federal income tax. To avoid application of the excise tax, each Fund generally intends, to the extent necessary, to make its distributions in accordance with the calendar year distribution requirement. However, each Fund reserves the right to retain a portion of its earnings and be subject to excise tax on such earnings. A distribution will be treated as paid on December 31 of the calendar year if it is declared by a Fund in October, November, or December of that year to shareholders of record on a date in such a month and paid by the Fund during January of the following calendar year. Such distributions will be taxable to shareholders (other than those not subject to federal income tax) in the calendar year in which the distributions are declared, rather than the calendar year in which the distributions are received.

Distributions

Each Municipal Fund must have at least 50% of its total assets invested in Municipal Bonds at the end of each quarter of each taxable year so that dividends derived from its net interest income on Municipal Bonds and so designated by the Fund will be “exempt-interest dividends,” which are generally exempt from federal income tax when received by an investor. Other Funds that have at least 50% of their assets invested in other Funds at the end of each quarter may also be eligible to pay exempt-interest dividends. A portion of the distributions paid by a Municipal Fund may be subject to tax as ordinary income (including certain amounts attributable to bonds acquired at a market discount). In addition, any distributions of net short-term capital gains generally would be taxed as ordinary income and any distribution of capital gain dividends generally would be taxed as long-term capital gains. Certain exempt-interest dividends, as described in the applicable Prospectuses, may increase alternative minimum taxable income for purposes of determining a shareholder’s liability for the alternative minimum tax. In addition, exempt-interest dividends allocable to interest from certain “private activity bonds” will not be tax exempt for purposes of the regular income tax to shareholders who are “substantial users” of the facilities financed by such obligations or “related persons” of “substantial users.” The tax-exempt portion of dividends paid by a Fund for a taxable year constituting “exempt-interest dividends” will be designated after the end of each calendar year and will be based upon the ratio of net tax-exempt income to total net income earned by the Fund during such year. That ratio may be substantially different than the ratio of net tax-exempt income to total net income earned during a portion of the year. Thus, a shareholder who holds shares for only a part of the year may be allocated more or less tax-exempt interest dividends than would be the case if the allocation were based on the ratio of net tax-exempt income to total net income actually earned by the Fund while a shareholder. All or a portion of interest on indebtedness incurred or continued by a shareholder to purchase or carry shares of a Municipal Fund will not be deductible by the shareholder. The portion of interest that is not deductible is equal to the total interest paid or accrued on the indebtedness multiplied by the percentage of the Fund’s total distributions (not including distributions of the excess of net long-term capital gains over net short-term capital losses) paid to the shareholder that are exempt-interest dividends. Under rules used by the IRS for determining when borrowed funds are considered used for the purpose of purchasing or carrying particular assets, the purchase of shares may be considered to have been made with borrowed funds even though such funds are not directly traceable to the purchase of shares. Future changes in federal and/or state laws could possibly have a negative impact on the tax treatment and/or value of municipal securities.

In order for the PIMCO California Intermediate Municipal Bond Fund, the PIMCO California Municipal Bond Fund, and the PIMCO California Short Duration Municipal Income Fund (collectively, the “California Municipal Funds”) to distribute exempt-interest dividends for purposes of the California personal income tax, at least 50% of the value a California Municipal Fund’s total assets at the end of each quarter of each taxable year must consist of California state or local obligations and/or U.S. federal obligations, the interest from which is exempt from California personal income taxation. If a California Municipal Fund qualifies to distribute exempt-interest dividends and reports these distributions as such to California Municipal Fund shareholders, all distributions of such California Municipal Fund attributable to interest income earned on such California state or local obligations and/or U.S. federal obligations for the taxable year of the California Municipal Fund will be exempt from California personal income tax.

Shareholders of the PIMCO New York Municipal Bond Fund (the “New York Municipal Fund”) will be entitled to exclude any portion of any distributions made by the New York Municipal Fund that is attributable to interest earned by the New York Municipal Fund on federally tax-exempt obligations issued by New York State or any political subdivision thereof (including New York City);

 

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obligations of the U.S. and its possessions from their gross income, but only if, at the close of each quarter of the New York Municipal Fund’s taxable year, at least 50% of the value of the New York Municipal Fund’s total assets consist of obligations of the U.S. and its possessions and the Fund properly designates the income from such obligations; or obligations of any authority, commission, or instrumentality of the U.S. to the extent U.S. federal law exempts such interest from state or local income taxation.

Shareholders of the Municipal Funds receiving social security or railroad retirement benefits may be taxed on a portion of those benefits as a result of receiving tax-exempt income (including exempt-interest dividends distributed by the Fund). The tax may be imposed on up to 50% of a recipient’s benefits in cases where the sum of the recipient’s adjusted gross income (with certain adjustments, including tax-exempt interest) and 50% of the recipient’s benefits, exceeds a base amount. In addition, up to 85% of a recipient’s benefits may be subject to tax if the sum of the recipient’s adjusted gross income (with certain adjustments, including tax-exempt interest) and 50% of the recipient’s benefits exceeds a higher base amount. Shareholders receiving social security or railroad retirement benefits should consult with their tax advisors.

Except for exempt-interest dividends paid by the Municipal Funds, all dividends and distributions of a Fund, whether received in shares or cash, generally are taxable and generally must be reported on each shareholder’s federal income tax return. Dividends paid out of a Fund’s investment company taxable income will be taxable to a U.S. shareholder as ordinary income. Distributions received by tax-exempt shareholders will not be subject to federal income tax to the extent permitted under the applicable tax exemption.

Although all or a portion of the dividends paid by certain Funds may qualify for the deduction for dividends received by certain U.S. corporations and/or the reduced tax rate for individuals and other noncorporate taxpayers on certain “qualified dividend income,” it is not expected that any such portion would be significant. Dividends paid by certain other Funds generally are not expected to qualify for the deduction for dividends received by corporations and/or the reduced tax rate for individuals and other noncorporate taxpayers on certain “qualified dividend income.” Distributions of net capital gains, if any, designated as capital gain dividends, are taxable as long-term capital gains, regardless of how long the shareholder has held a Fund’s shares and are not eligible for the dividends received deduction. Any distributions that are not from a Fund’s investment company taxable income or net realized capital gains may be characterized as a return of capital to shareholders or, in some cases, as capital gain. The tax treatment of dividends and distributions will be the same whether a shareholder reinvests them in additional shares or elects to receive them in cash. The maximum individual rate applicable to “qualified dividend income” and long-term capital gains is generally either 15% or 20%, depending on whether the individual’s income exceeds certain threshold amounts. Any Fund’s participation in a securities lending transaction may affect the amount, timing, and character of distributions derived from such transaction to shareholders. In this case, amounts derived by a Fund in place of dividends earned on a security during the period that such security was not directly held by the Fund may not give rise to qualified dividend income or the deduction for dividends received by certain corporations.

In taxable years when a Fund distributes amounts in excess of its earnings and profits, such distributions may be treated in part as a return of capital. A return of capital is not taxable to a shareholder and has the effect of reducing the shareholder’s basis in the shares.

An additional 3.8% Medicare tax is imposed on certain net investment income (including ordinary dividends and capital gain distributions received from a Fund and net gains from redemptions or other taxable dispositions of Fund shares) of U.S. individuals, estates and trusts to the extent that such person’s “modified adjusted gross income” (in the case of an individual) or “adjusted gross income” (in the case of an estate or trust) exceeds certain threshold amounts.

The PIMCO All Asset, PIMCO All Asset All Authority, PIMCO Emerging Markets Full Spectrum Bond, PIMCO Global Multi-Asset, PIMCO Inflation Response Multi-Asset, PIMCO Multi-Strategy Alternative and PIMCO REALPATH® Funds will not be able to offset gains realized by one Underlying Fund in which the Funds invest against losses realized by another Underlying Fund in which the Funds invest. Redemptions of shares in an Underlying Fund could also result in a gain and/or income to the PIMCO All Asset, PIMCO All Asset All Authority, PIMCO Emerging Markets Full Spectrum Bond, PIMCO Global Multi-Asset, PIMCO Inflation Response Multi-Asset, PIMCO Multi-Strategy Alternative and PIMCO REALPATH® Funds. The Funds’ use of the fund-of-funds structure could therefore affect the amount, timing and character of distributions to shareholders. Redemptions of shares in an Underlying Fund could also cause additional distributable investment company taxable income or net capital gains to shareholders.

The tax treatment of income, gains and losses attributable to foreign currencies (and derivatives on such currencies), and various other special tax rules applicable to certain financial transactions and instruments could affect the amount, timing and character of a Fund’s distributions. In some cases, these tax rules could also result in a retroactive change in the tax character of prior distributions and may also possibly cause all, or a portion, of prior distributions to be reclassified as returns of capital for tax purposes.

Sales of Shares

Upon the disposition of shares of a Fund (whether by redemption, sale or exchange), a shareholder may realize a gain or loss. Such gain or loss will be capital gain or loss if the shares are capital assets in the shareholder’s hands, and will be long-term or short-term generally depending upon the shareholder’s holding period for the shares. Any loss realized on a disposition will be disallowed to the extent the shares disposed of are replaced within a period of 61 days beginning 30 days before and ending 30 days after the shares are disposed of. In such a case, the basis of the shares acquired will be adjusted to reflect the disallowed loss. Any loss realized by a

 

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shareholder on a disposition of shares held by the shareholder for six months or less will be treated as a long-term capital loss to the extent of any distributions of capital gain dividends received by the shareholder with respect to such shares. Additionally, any loss realized upon the sale or exchange of Fund shares with a tax holding period of six months or less may be disallowed to the extent of any distributions treated as exempt interest dividends with respect to such shares. If a Fund redeems a shareholder in-kind rather than in cash, the shareholder would realize the same gain or loss as if the shareholder had been redeemed in cash. Further, the shareholder’s basis in the securities received in the in-kind redemption would be the securities’ fair market value on the date of the in-kind redemption.

Your financial intermediary or the Fund (if you hold your shares in a Fund direct account) will report gains and losses realized on redemptions of shares for shareholders who are individuals and S corporations purchased after January 1, 2012 to the IRS. This information will also be reported to you on Form 1099-B and the IRS each year. In calculating the gain or loss on redemptions of shares, the average cost method will be used to determine the cost basis of Fund shares purchased after January 1, 2012 unless you instruct the Fund in writing that you want to use another available method for cost basis reporting (for example, First In, First Out (“FIFO”), Last In, First Out (“LIFO”), Specific Lot Identification (“SLID”) or High Cost, First Out (“HIFO”)). If you designate SLID as your cost basis method, you will also need to designate a secondary cost basis method (Secondary Method). If a Secondary Method is not provided, the Funds will designate FIFO as the Secondary Method and will use the Secondary Method. Your cost basis election method will be applied to all Fund positions for all of your accounts as well as to all future Funds added, unless otherwise indicated by you.

Mutual fund shares acquired prior to January 1, 2012, are not covered by cost basis regulations. When available, average cost will be reported to shareholders who will be solely responsible for calculating and reporting gains and losses realized on the sale of non-covered securities. This information is not reported to the IRS. All non-covered shares will be depleted before the covered shares, starting with the oldest shares first.

When transferring the ownership of covered shares, you must provide account information for the recipient/account receiving shares and the reason the transfer is taking place (i.e., re-registration, inheritance through death, or gift). If a reason is not provided, the transfer will be defaulted as a transfer due to gift. If the recipient’s existing account or new account will use the Average Cost accounting method, they must accept the shares being transferred at fair market value on the date of the gift or settlement if the shares should be transferred at a loss. For transfers due to Inheritance on accounts with Joint Tenants with Rights of Survivorship (JWROS), unless you instruct us otherwise by indicating the ownership percentage of each party, the shares will be split equally with the basis for the decedents portion determined using the fair market value of the date of death and the other portions maintaining the current cost basis.

If a shareholder is a corporation and has not instructed a Fund that it is a C corporation in its account application or by written instruction, the Fund will treat the shareholder as an S corporation and file a Form 1099-B.

Potential Pass-Through of Tax Credits

If a Fund invests in Build America Bonds, created by the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009, or any other qualified tax credit bonds, the investment will result in taxable income to such Fund. The applicable Fund may elect to pass through to shareholders the applicable interest income and available tax credits, in which case shareholders will be required to report both the interest income and tax credits as taxable income. Shareholders may be able to claim the tax credits on their federal tax returns against their income tax, including alternative minimum tax, liability. However, such tax credits are generally not refundable. There is no assurance that a Fund will elect to pass through any such income and credits.

Backup Withholding

A Fund may be required to withhold up to 28% of all taxable distributions payable to shareholders who fail to provide the Fund with their correct taxpayer identification number or to make required certifications, or who have been notified by the IRS that they are subject to backup withholding. Corporate shareholders and certain other shareholders specified in the Internal Revenue Code generally are exempt from such backup withholding. Backup withholding is not an additional tax. Any amounts withheld may be credited against the shareholder’s U.S. federal tax liability.

Options, Futures and Forward Contracts, and Swap Agreements

Some of the options, futures contracts, forward contracts, and swap agreements used by the Funds may be considered “section 1256 contracts.” Any gains or losses on section 1256 contracts are generally considered 60% long-term and 40% short-term capital gains or losses (“60/40”) although certain foreign currency gains and losses from such contracts may be treated as ordinary in character. Also, section 1256 contracts held by a Fund at the end of each taxable year (and, for purposes of the 4% excise tax, on certain other dates as prescribed under the Internal Revenue Code) are “marked to market” with the result that unrealized gains or losses are treated as though they were realized and the resulting gain or loss is treated as ordinary or 60/40 gain or loss.

 

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Generally, the hedging transactions and certain other transactions in options, futures and forward contracts undertaken by a Fund, may result in “straddles” for U.S. federal income tax purposes. In some cases, the straddle rules also could apply in connection with swap agreements. The straddle rules may affect the amount, timing and character of gains (or losses) realized by a Fund. In addition, losses realized by a Fund on positions that are part of a straddle may be deferred under the straddle rules, rather than being taken into account in calculating the Fund’s taxable income for the taxable year in which such losses are realized. Because only a few regulations implementing the straddle rules have been promulgated, the tax consequences of transactions in options, futures, forward contracts, and swap agreements to a Fund are not entirely clear. The transactions may increase the amount of short-term capital gain realized by a Fund which generally would be taxed as ordinary income when distributed to shareholders.

A Fund may make one or more of the elections available under the Internal Revenue Code which are applicable to straddles. If a Fund makes any of the elections, the amount, character and timing of the recognition of gains or losses from the affected straddle positions will be determined under rules that vary according to the election(s) made. The rules applicable under certain of the elections operate to accelerate the recognition of gains or losses from the affected straddle positions.

Because application of the straddle rules may affect the character of gains or losses, defer losses and/or accelerate the recognition of gains or losses from the affected straddle positions, the amount which must be distributed to shareholders, and which generally will be taxed to shareholders either as ordinary income or long-term capital gain, may be increased or decreased substantially as compared to a fund that did not engage in such hedging transactions.

Rules governing the tax aspects of swap agreements are in a developing stage and are not entirely clear in certain respects. Accordingly, while the Funds intend to account for such transactions in a manner they deem to be appropriate, the IRS might not accept such treatment. If it did not, the status of a Fund as a regulated investment company might be affected. The Trust intends to monitor developments in this area.

Certain requirements that must be met under the Internal Revenue Code in order for a Fund to qualify as a regulated investment company, including the qualifying income and diversification requirements applicable to a Fund’s assets may limit the extent to which a Fund will be able to engage in transactions in options, futures contracts, forward contracts, and swap agreements.

In addition, the use of swaps or other derivatives could adversely affect the character (capital gain vs. ordinary income) of the income recognized by the Funds for federal income tax purposes, as well as the amount and timing of such recognition, as compared to a direct investment in underlying securities, and could result in a Fund’s recognition of income prior to the receipt of any corresponding cash. As a result of the use of swaps and derivatives, a larger portion of the Fund’s distributions may be treated as ordinary income than would have been the case if the Fund did not enter into such swaps or derivatives. The tax treatment of swap agreements and other derivatives may also be affected by future legislation or Treasury Regulations and/or guidance issued by the IRS that could affect the character, timing and/or amount of a Fund’s taxable income or gains and distributions made by the Fund.

Short Sales

Certain Funds, particularly the PIMCO RAE Fundamental Advantage PLUS and PIMCO StocksPLUS® Short Funds, may engage in short sales of securities. In general, gain or loss on a short sale is recognized when a Fund closes the short sale by delivering the borrowed securities to the lender, not when the borrowed securities are sold. Short sales may increase the amount of short-term capital gain realized by a Fund, which generally would be taxed as ordinary income when distributed to shareholders. In addition, these rules may terminate the holding period of “substantially identical property” held by these Funds. Moreover, a loss recognized by a Fund on a short sale will be treated as a long-term capital loss if, on the date of the short sale, “substantially identical property” has been held by the Fund for more than one year. A Fund generally will not be permitted to deduct payments made to reimburse a lender of securities for dividends paid on borrowed securities if the short sale is closed on or before the 45th day after the Fund enters into the short sale. Short sales also may be subject to the “Constructive Sales” rules, discussed below.

Passive Foreign Investment Companies

Certain Funds may invest in the stock of foreign corporations which may be classified under the Internal Revenue Code as passive foreign investment companies (“PFICs”). In general, a foreign corporation is classified as a PFIC for a taxable year if at least one-half of its assets constitute investment-type assets or 75% or more of its gross income is investment-type income. If a Fund receives a so-called “excess distribution” with respect to PFIC stock, the Fund itself may be subject to tax on a portion of the excess distribution, whether or not the corresponding income is distributed by the Fund to stockholders. In general, under the PFIC rules, an excess distribution is treated as having been realized ratably over the period during which the Fund held the PFIC stock. A Fund itself will be subject to tax on the portion, if any, of an excess distribution that is so allocated to prior taxable years and an interest factor will be added to the tax, as if the tax had been payable in such prior taxable years. Certain distributions from a PFIC as well as gain from the sale of PFIC stock are treated as excess distributions. Excess distributions are characterized as ordinary income even though, absent application of the PFIC rules, certain excess distributions might have been classified as capital gain.

 

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A Fund may be eligible to elect alternative tax treatment with respect to PFIC stock. Under an election that currently is available in some circumstances, a Fund generally would be required to include in its gross income its share of the earnings of a PFIC on a current basis, regardless of whether distributions are received from the PFIC in a given taxable year. If this election were made, the special rules, discussed above, relating to the taxation of excess distributions, would not apply. Alternatively, another election may be available that would involve marking to market a Fund’s PFIC shares at the end of each taxable year, with the result that unrealized gains are treated as though they were realized and reported as ordinary income. Any mark-to-market losses and any loss from an actual disposition of PFIC shares would be deductible as ordinary losses to the extent of any net mark-to-market gains included in income with respect to such shares in prior taxable years. If this election were made, tax at the Fund level under the PFIC rules would generally be eliminated, but the Fund could, in limited circumstances, incur nondeductible interest charges. A Fund’s intention to qualify annually as a regulated investment company may limit its elections with respect to PFIC shares.

Because the application of the PFIC rules may affect, among other things, the character of gains and the amount of gain or loss and the timing of the recognition of income with respect to PFIC shares, and may subject a Fund itself to tax on certain income from PFIC shares, the amount that must be distributed to shareholders and generally will be taxed to shareholders either as ordinary income or long-term capital gain may be increased or decreased substantially as compared to a fund that did not invest in PFIC shares.

Foreign Currency Transactions

Under the Internal Revenue Code, gains or losses attributable to fluctuations in exchange rates which occur between the time a Fund accrues income or other receivables or accrues expenses or other liabilities denominated in a foreign currency and the time the Fund actually collects such receivables or pays such liabilities generally are treated as ordinary income or loss. Similarly, on disposition of debt securities denominated in a foreign currency and on disposition of certain other instruments, gains or losses attributable to fluctuations in the value of the foreign currency between the date of acquisition of the security or contract and the date of disposition also are treated as ordinary gain or loss. These gains and losses, referred to under the Internal Revenue Code as “section 988” gains or losses, may increase or decrease the amount of a Fund’s investment company taxable income to be distributed to its shareholders as ordinary income.

Fund of Funds Structure

A Fund that has at least 50% of its assets invested in shares of other regulated investment companies at the end of each quarter of its taxable year (a “Fund of Funds”) generally will be ineligible to offset gains distributed by one underlying Fund in which it invests against losses in another underlying Fund in which it invests. Redemptions of shares in an underlying Fund, including those resulting from changes in the allocation among underlying Funds, could also cause additional distributable gains to Fund of Funds shareholders. A portion of any such gains may be short-term capital gains that generally would be distributable as ordinary income to Fund of Funds shareholders. Further, a portion of any losses realized by a Fund of Funds on redemptions of shares in an underlying Fund may be subject to deferral by application of the wash sale rules. These factors could affect the amount, timing, and character of distributions received by a Fund of Funds.

Foreign Taxation

Income and gains recognized by the Funds from sources within foreign countries may be subject to withholding and other taxes imposed by such countries. Tax conventions between certain countries and the U.S. may reduce or eliminate such taxes. In addition, PIMCO intends to manage the Funds with the intention of minimizing foreign taxation in cases where it is deemed prudent to do so. If more than 50% of the value of a Fund’s total assets at the close of its taxable year consists of securities of foreign corporations or foreign governments, the Fund will be eligible to elect to “pass-through” to the Fund’s shareholders the amount of foreign income and similar taxes paid by the Fund. A Fund of Funds may also be eligible to make this election. If this election is made, a shareholder subject to tax generally will be required to include in gross income (in addition to taxable dividends actually received) his or her pro rata share of the foreign taxes paid by the Fund, and may be entitled either to deduct (as an itemized deduction) his or her pro rata share of foreign taxes in computing his or her taxable income or to use it (subject to limitations) as a foreign tax credit against his or her U.S. federal income tax liability. No deduction for foreign taxes may be claimed by a shareholder who does not itemize deductions. Each shareholder will be notified after the close of the Fund’s taxable year whether any foreign income or related foreign taxes paid by the Fund will “pass-through” for that taxable year.

Generally, a credit for foreign taxes is subject to the limitation that it may not exceed a shareholder’s U.S. tax attributable to such shareholder’s total foreign source taxable income. For this purpose, if the pass-through election is made, the source of a Fund’s income will flow through to shareholders of the Fund. With respect to such Fund, gains from the sale of securities will be treated as derived from U.S. sources and certain currency fluctuation gains, including fluctuation gains from foreign currency-denominated debt securities, receivables and payables will be treated as ordinary income derived from U.S. sources. Furthermore, any amounts received by a Fund in place of dividends earned and any related withholding taxes incurred on a security while such security was subject to a securities loan, respectively, will not qualify as foreign income and will not qualify as a foreign tax paid by such Fund and, therefore, will not be able to be passed through to shareholders even if the Fund satisfies the requirements described above. The limitation on the foreign tax credit is applied separately to foreign source passive income, and to certain other types of income. Shareholders may be

 

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unable to claim a credit for the full amount of their proportionate share of the foreign taxes paid by the Fund. Various other limitations, including a minimum holding period requirement, apply to limit the credit and/or deduction for foreign taxes for purposes of regular federal tax and/or alternative minimum tax.

Original Issue Discount and Market Discount

Some of the debt securities (with a fixed maturity date of more than one year from the date of issuance) that may be acquired by a Fund may be treated as debt securities that are issued originally at a discount. Generally, the amount of the original issue discount (“OID”) is treated as interest income and is included in income over the term of the debt security, even though payment of that amount is not received until a later time, usually when the debt security matures. A portion of the OID includable in income with respect to certain high-yield corporate debt securities may be treated as a dividend for federal income tax purposes.

Some of the debt securities (with a fixed maturity date of more than one year from the date of issuance) that may be acquired by a Fund in the secondary market may be treated as having market discount. Generally, any gain recognized on the disposition of, and any partial payment of principal on, a debt security having market discount is treated as ordinary income to the extent the gain, or principal payment, does not exceed the “accrued market discount” on such debt security. Market discount generally accrues in equal daily installments. A Fund may make one or more of the elections applicable to debt securities having market discount, which could affect the character and timing of recognition of such income.

Some debt securities (with a fixed maturity date of one year or less from the date of issuance) that may be acquired by a Fund may be treated as having acquisition discount, or OID in the case of certain types of debt securities. Generally, the Fund will be required to include the acquisition discount, or OID, in income over the term of the debt security, even though payment of that amount is not received until a later time, usually when the debt security matures. The Fund may make one or more of the elections applicable to debt securities having acquisition discount, or OID, which could affect the character and timing of recognition of such income.

A Fund generally will be required to distribute dividends to shareholders representing discount on debt securities that is currently includable in income, even though cash representing such income may not have been received by the Fund. Cash to pay such dividends may be obtained from sales proceeds of securities held by the Fund.

Investments in REITs and REMICs

Some of the Funds may invest in REITs. Such investments in REIT equity securities may require a Fund to accrue and distribute income not yet received. In order to generate sufficient cash to make the requisite distributions, the Fund may be required to sell securities in its portfolio (including when it is not advantageous to do so) that it otherwise would have continued to hold. A Fund’s investments in REIT equity securities may at other times result in the Fund’s receipt of cash in excess of the REIT’s earnings; if the Fund distributes such amounts, such distribution could constitute a return of capital to Fund shareholders for federal income tax purposes. Dividends received by a Fund from a REIT generally will not constitute qualified dividend income.

As discussed above, a Fund or some of the REITs in which a Fund may invest may be permitted to hold senior or residual interests in REMICs or debt or equity interests in TMPs. Under Treasury regulations not yet issued, but that may apply retroactively, a portion of a Fund’s income from a REIT that is attributable to the REIT’s residual interest in a REMIC or a TMP (referred to in the Internal Revenue Code as an “excess inclusion”) will be subject to federal income tax in all events. These regulations are expected to provide that excess inclusion income of a regulated investment company, such as a Fund, will be allocated to shareholders of the regulated investment company in proportion to the dividends received by shareholders, with the same consequences as if shareholders held the related REMIC residual or TMP interest directly.

In general, excess inclusion income allocated to shareholders (i) cannot be offset by net operating losses (subject to a limited exception for certain thrift institutions), (ii) will constitute unrelated business taxable income to entities (including a qualified pension plan, an individual retirement account, a 401(k) plan, a Keogh plan or other tax-exempt entity) subject to tax on unrelated business income, thereby potentially requiring such an entity that is allocated excess inclusion income, and that otherwise might not be required to file a tax return, to file a tax return and pay tax on such income, and (iii) in the case of a non-U.S. shareholder, will not qualify for any reduction in U.S. federal withholding tax.

If at any time during any taxable year a “disqualified organization” (as defined in the Internal Revenue Code) is a record holder of a share in a regulated investment company earning excess inclusion income, then the regulated investment company will be subject to a tax equal to that portion of its excess inclusion income for the taxable year that is allocable to the disqualified organization, multiplied by the highest federal income tax rate imposed on corporations. It is not expected that a substantial portion of a Fund’s assets will be residual interests in REMICs. Additionally, the Funds do not intend to invest in REITs in which a substantial portion of the assets will consist of residual interests in REMICs.

Under recent tax legislation, individuals (and certain other noncorporate entities) are generally eligible for a 20% deduction with respect to taxable ordinary dividends from REITs and certain taxable income from publicly traded partnerships. Currently, there is not

 

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a mechanism for regulated investment companies to pass through the 20% deduction to shareholders although it is possible that a legislative or regulatory approach to do so may be provided in the future. As a result, in comparison, investors investing directly in REITs or publicly traded partnerships would generally be eligible for the 20% deduction for such taxable income from these investments while investors investing in REITs or publicly traded partnerships indirectly through a Fund would not be eligible for the 20% deduction for their share of such taxable income. In addition, under the recent tax legislation, REITs as well as other corporations will be subject to certain leverage limitations regarding the deductibility of interest expense. The recent tax legislation also may, pending further regulatory guidance, require REITs and a Fund to accrue market discount currently, which may affect the taxability of REIT distributions received by a Fund and the amount of taxable distributions paid by a Fund to shareholders. The effects of these and other provisions of the tax legislation on REITs’ operations, on master limited partnerships, or on a Fund, is uncertain at this time.

Uncertain Tax Consequences

A Fund may invest a portion of its net assets in below investment grade instruments. Investments in these types of instruments may present special tax issues for the Fund. U.S. federal income tax rules are not entirely clear about issues such as when the Fund may cease to accrue interest, original issue discount or market discount, when and to what extent deductions may be taken for bad debts or worthless instruments, how payments received on obligations in default should be allocated between principal and income and whether exchanges of debt obligations in a bankruptcy or workout context are taxable. These and other issues will be addressed by the Funds to the extent necessary in order to seek to ensure that they distribute sufficient income that they do not become subject to U.S. federal income or excise tax.

Constructive Sales

Certain rules may affect the timing and character of gain if a Fund engages in transactions that reduce or eliminate its risk of loss with respect to appreciated financial positions. If a Fund enters into certain transactions in property while holding substantially identical property, the Fund would be treated as if it had sold and immediately repurchased the property and would be subject to tax on any gain (but not loss) from the constructive sale. The character of gain from a constructive sale would depend upon the Fund’s holding period in the property. Loss from a constructive sale would be recognized when the property was subsequently disposed of, and its character would depend on the Fund’s holding period and the application of various loss deferral provisions of the Internal Revenue Code.

IRAs and Other Retirement Plans

If you invest in a Fund through an IRA or other retirement plan, you should consult with your own tax adviser on the applicable rules for such IRA or retirement plan with respect to plan qualification requirements, limits on contributions and distributions, and required distributions from IRAs and retirement plans. As an example, there could be tax penalties on distributions from an IRA or retirement plan prior to age 59 1/2. Certain minimum distribution requirements may also apply to IRAs or retirement plans by April 1 of the year following the calendar year in which you reach age 70 1/2. Failure to follow these requirements and other applicable requirements may result in significant additional taxes and penalties. It is your responsibility to ensure that you comply with these and other requirements.

Non-U.S. Shareholders

Withholding of Income Tax on Dividends: Under U.S. federal tax law, dividends paid on shares beneficially held by a person who is a “foreign person” within the meaning of the Internal Revenue Code, are, in general, subject to withholding of U.S. federal income tax at a rate of 30% of the gross dividend, which may, in some cases, be reduced by an applicable tax treaty. However, if the dividends are effectively connected with the conduct by the beneficial holder of a trade or business in the United States, the dividend will generally be subject to U.S. federal net income taxation at regular income tax rates. Distributions of long-term net realized capital gains generally will not be subject to withholding of U.S. federal income tax.

A Fund may invest in the securities of corporations that invest in U.S. real property, including U.S. REITs. The sale or other disposition of a U.S. real property interest (“USRPI”) by a Fund, a U.S. REIT, or a U.S. real property holding corporation in which the Fund invests may trigger special tax consequences to the Fund’s non-U.S. shareholders. The Foreign Investment in Real Property Tax Act, as amended (“FIRPTA”), makes non-U.S. persons subject to U.S. tax on the sale or other disposition of a USRPI as if such person was a U.S. person. Such gain is sometimes referred to as FIRPTA gain. The Code provides a look-through rule for distributions of FIRPTA gain by certain regulated investment companies received from U.S. REITs. Because each Fund expects to invest less than 50% of its assets at all times, directly or indirectly, in USRPIs, each Fund expects that neither gain on the sale or redemption of Fund shares nor Fund dividends and distributions would be subject to FIRPTA reporting and any related tax withholding.

A Fund is generally able to designate certain distributions to non-U.S. shareholders as being derived from certain net interest income or net short-term capital gains and such designated distributions are generally not subject to U.S. tax withholding. However, distributions that are derived from other sources, such as dividends on corporate stock, foreign currency gains, foreign source interest, and ordinary income from swaps or investments in PFICs, would still be subject to U.S. tax withholding when distributed to non-U.S. shareholders. Moreover, in the case of Fund shares held through an intermediary, the intermediary may have withheld amounts even if

 

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a Fund reported all or a portion of a distribution as exempt from U.S. tax withholding. Affected non-U.S. shareholders should contact their intermediaries regarding the application of these rules to their accounts. There can be no assurance as to the amount of distributions that would not be subject to U.S. tax withholding when paid to non-U.S. shareholders.

The Funds are required to withhold U.S. tax (at a 30% rate) on payments of taxable dividends and (effective January 1, 2019) redemption proceeds and certain capital gain dividends made to certain non-U.S. entities that fail to comply (or be deemed compliant) with extensive new reporting and withholding requirements designed to inform the U.S. Department of the Treasury of U.S.-owned foreign investment accounts. Shareholders may be requested to provide additional information to the Funds to enable the Funds to determine whether withholding is required.

Income Tax on Sale of a Fund’s shares: Under U.S. federal tax law, a beneficial holder of shares who is a foreign person is not, in general, subject to U.S. federal income tax on gains (and is not allowed a deduction for losses) realized on the sale of such shares unless (i) the shares in question are effectively connected with a permanent establishment in the United States of the beneficial holder and such gain is effectively connected with the conduct of a trade or business carried on by such holder within the United States or (ii) in the case of an individual holder, the holder is present in the United States for a period or periods aggregating 183 days or more during the year of the sale and certain other conditions are met.

State and Local Tax: A beneficial holder of shares who is a foreign person may be subject to state and local tax in addition to the federal tax on income referred above.

Estate and Gift Taxes: Upon the death of a beneficial holder of shares who is a foreign person, such shares will be deemed to be property situated within the United States and may be subject to U.S. federal estate tax. If at the time of death the deceased holder is a resident of a foreign country and not a citizen or resident of the United States, such tax will be imposed at graduated rates from 18% to 40% on the total value (less allowable deductions and allowable credits) of the decedent’s property situated within the United States. In general, there is no gift tax on gifts of shares by a beneficial holder who is a foreign person.

The availability of reduced U.S. taxation pursuant to any applicable treaties depends upon compliance with established procedures for claiming the benefits thereof and may further, in some circumstances, depend upon making a satisfactory demonstration to U.S. tax authorities that a foreign investor qualifies as a foreign person under U.S. domestic tax law and such treaties.

Other Taxation

Distributions also may be subject to additional state, local and foreign taxes, depending on each shareholder’s particular situation. Under the laws of various states, distributions of investment company taxable income generally are taxable to shareholders even though all or a substantial portion of such distributions may be derived from interest on certain federal obligations which, if the interest were received directly by a resident of such state, would be exempt from such state’s income tax (“qualifying federal obligations”). However, some states may exempt all or a portion of such distributions from income tax to the extent the shareholder is able to establish that the distribution is derived from qualifying federal obligations. Moreover, for state income tax purposes, interest on some federal obligations generally is not exempt from taxation, whether received directly by a shareholder or through distributions of investment company taxable income (for example, interest on FNMA Certificates and GNMA Certificates). Each Fund will provide information annually to shareholders indicating the amount and percentage of a Fund’s dividend distribution which is attributable to interest on federal obligations, and will indicate to the extent possible from what types of federal obligations such dividends are derived. Shareholders are advised to consult their own tax advisers with respect to the particular tax consequences to them of an investment in a Fund.]

OTHER INFORMATION

Capitalization

The Trust is a Massachusetts business trust established under a Declaration of Trust dated February 19, 1987, as amended and restated November 4, 2014. The capitalization of the Trust consists solely of an unlimited number of shares of beneficial interest with a par value of $0.0001 each. The Board of Trustees may establish additional series (with different investment objectives and fundamental policies) at any time in the future. Establishment and offering of additional series will not alter the rights of the Trust’s shareholders. When issued, shares are fully paid, non-assessable, redeemable and freely transferable. Shares do not have preemptive rights or subscription rights. In liquidation of a Fund, each shareholder is entitled to receive his pro rata share of the net assets of that Fund.

Under Massachusetts law, shareholders could, under certain circumstances, be held personally liable for the obligations of the Trust. However, the Declaration of Trust disclaims liability of the shareholders, Trustees or officers of the Trust for acts or obligations of the Trust, which are binding only on the assets and property of the Trust, and requires that notice of the disclaimer be given in each contract or obligation entered into or executed by the Trust or the Trustees. The Declaration of Trust also provides for indemnification out of Trust property for all loss and expense of any shareholder held personally liable for the obligations of the Trust. The risk of a shareholder incurring financial loss on account of shareholder liability is limited to circumstances in which such disclaimer is inoperative or the Trust itself is unable to meet its obligations, and thus should be considered remote.

 

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Information on PIMCO Global Bond Opportunities Fund (U.S. Dollar-Hedged)

The table below sets forth the average annual total return of certain classes of shares of the PIMCO Global Bond Opportunities Fund (U.S. Dollar-Hedged) (which was a series of PIMCO Advisors Funds (“PAF”) prior to its reorganization as a Fund of the Trust on January 17, 1997) for the periods ended March 31, 2018. Accordingly, “Inception Date of Fund” refers to the inception date of the PAF predecessor series. Since Class A shares were offered since the inception of PIMCO Global Bond Opportunities Fund (U.S. Dollar-Hedged), total return presentations for periods prior to the Inception Date of the Institutional Class are based on the historical performance of Class A shares, adjusted to reflect that the Institutional Class does not have a sales charge, and the different operating expenses associated with the Institutional Class, such as 12b-1 distribution and servicing fees and administrative fee charges.

Total Return for Periods Ended March 31, 2018†

 

      Class*    1
Year
  5
Years
  10
Years
 

Since Inception
of Fund

(Annualized)

  Inception
Date of Fund
   Inception
Date of Class

PIMCO Global Bond (U.S. Dollar-Hedged)

  

Institutional Return Before Taxes

   [    ]%   [    ]%   [    ]%   [    ]%   10/2/1995    2/25/1998
   Institutional Return After Taxes on Distributions†    [    ]%   [    ]%   [    ]%   [    ]%     
   Institutional Return After Taxes on Distributions and Sale of Fund Shares†    [    ]%   [    ]%   [    ]%   [    ]%     
   I-2 Return Before Taxes    [    ]%   [    ]%   [    ]%   [    ]%      4/30/2008
   Admin Class Return Before Taxes    [    ]%   [    ]%   [    ]%   [    ]%      9/30/2003
   Class A Return Before Taxes    [    ]%   [    ]%   [    ]%   [    ]%      10/2/1995
   Class A Return After Taxes on Distributions†    [    ]%   [    ]%   [    ]%   [    ]%     
   Class A Return After Taxes on Distributions and Sale of Fund Shares†    [    ]%   [    ]%   [    ]%   [    ]%     
   Class C Return Before Taxes    [    ]%   [    ]%   [    ]%   [    ]%      10/2/1995

(†)

  

After-tax returns are calculated using the highest historical individual federal marginal income tax rates and do not reflect the impact of state and local taxes. Actual after-tax returns depend on an investor’s tax situation and may differ from those shown, and the after-tax returns shown are not relevant to investors who hold their Fund shares through tax-deferred arrangements, such as 401(k) plans or individual retirement accounts. In some cases the return after taxes may exceed the return before taxes due to an assumed tax benefit from any losses on a sale of Fund shares at the end of the measurement period. After-tax returns are for Institutional Class and Class A shares only. After-tax returns for Class C shares will vary.

(*)

  

Institutional Class total return presentations for periods prior to the Inception Date of that class reflect the prior performance of Class A shares of the former PAF series, adjusted to reflect the fact that there are no sales charges on Institutional Class shares of the Fund. The adjusted performance also reflects any different operating expenses associated with Institutional Class shares. These include (i) 12b-1 distribution and servicing fees, which are not paid by the Institutional Class but are paid by Class A (at a maximum rate of 0.25% per annum), and (ii) administrative fee charges, which are lower for Institutional Class shares (at a differential of 0.15% per annum).

Note also that, prior to January 17, 1997, Class A, Class C shares of the PIMCO Global Bond Opportunities Fund (U.S. Dollar-Hedged) were subject to a variable level of expenses for such services as legal, audit, custody and transfer agency services. As described in the Class A and C Prospectus, for periods subsequent to January 17, 1997, Class A and Class C shares of the Trust are subject to a fee structure which essentially fixes these expenses (along with other administrative expenses) under a single

 

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administrative fee based on the average daily net assets of the Fund attributable to Class A and Class C shares. Under the current fee structure, the PIMCO Global Bond Opportunities Fund (U.S. Dollar-Hedged) is expected to have lower total Fund operating expenses than its predecessor had under the fee structure for PAF (prior to January 17, 1997). All other things being equal, the higher expenses of PAF would have adversely affected total return performance for the Fund after January 17, 1997.

The method of adjustment used in the table above for periods prior to the Inception Date of Institutional Class shares of the PIMCO Global Bond Opportunities Fund (U.S. Dollar-Hedged) resulted in performance for the period shown that is higher than if the historical Class A performance were not adjusted to reflect the lower operating expenses of the newer class. The following table shows the lower performance figures that would be obtained if the performance for the Institutional Class was calculated by tacking to the Institutional Class’ actual performance the actual performance of Class A shares (with their higher operating expenses) for periods prior to the initial offering date of the newer class (i.e., the total return presentations below are based, for periods prior to the inception date of the Institutional Class, on the historical performance of Class A shares adjusted to reflect the current sales charges associated with Class A shares, but not reflecting lower operating expenses associated with the Institutional Class, such as lower administrative fee charges and/or distribution and servicing fee charges).

Total Return for Periods Ended March 31, 2018

(with no adjustment for operating expenses of the Institutional Class for periods prior to its Inception Date)

 

Fund    Class      1 Year   5 Years   10 Years  

Since

Inception of

Fund

(Annualized)

PIMCO Global Bond Opportunities (U.S. Dollar-Hedged)

     Institutional      [    ]%   [    ]%   [    ]%   [    ]%

Voting Rights

Under the Declaration of Trust, the Trust is not required to hold annual meetings of Trust shareholders to elect Trustees or for other purposes. It is not anticipated that the Trust will hold shareholders’ meetings unless required by law or the Declaration of Trust. In this regard, the Trust will be required to hold a meeting to elect Trustees to fill any existing vacancies on the Board of Trustees if, at any time, fewer than a majority of the Trustees have been elected by the shareholders of the Trust. In addition, the Declaration of Trust provides that the holders of not less than two-thirds of the outstanding shares of the Trust may remove a person serving as Trustee either by declaration in writing or at a meeting called for such purpose. The Trustees are required to call a meeting for the purpose of considering the removal of a person serving as Trustee if requested in writing to do so by the holders of not less than ten percent of the outstanding shares of the Trust. In the event that such a request was made, the Trust has represented that it would assist with any necessary shareholder communications. Shareholders of a class of shares have different voting rights with respect to matters that affect only that class.

The Trust’s shares do not have cumulative voting rights, so that the holder of more than 50% of the outstanding shares may elect the entire Board of Trustees, in which case the holders of the remaining shares would not be able to elect any Trustees. To avoid potential conflicts of interest, the PIMCO All Asset, PIMCO All Asset All Authority, PIMCO Emerging Markets Full Spectrum Bond, PIMCO Global Multi-Asset, PIMCO Inflation Response Multi-Asset, PIMCO Multi-Strategy Alternative and PIMCO REALPATH® Funds will vote shares of each Underlying PIMCO Fund which they own in proportion to the votes of all other shareholders in the Underlying PIMCO Fund. In addition, to the extent the Funds own shares of a money market fund or short-term bond fund pursuant to the November 19, 2001 SEC exemptive order discussed above, the Funds will vote such shares in proportion to the votes of all other shareholders of the respective money market or short-term bond fund. If such money market or short-term bond fund has no other shareholders except the Funds and other PIMCO-advised funds, the Funds will vote such shares in proportion to the votes of the respective Fund’s shareholders on the proposal, or if such Fund’s shareholders are not solicited for their vote on the same proposal, such Fund will vote such shares in proportion to the votes of all other shareholders of the respective money market or short-term bond fund.

Control Persons and Principal Holders of Securities

As of [                    ], the following persons owned of record or beneficially 5% or more of the noted class of shares of the following Funds: [To be provided by amendment.]

Code of Ethics

The Trust, PIMCO, Research Affiliates and the Distributor each has adopted a Code of Ethics pursuant to the requirements of the 1940 Act and the Advisers Act. These Codes of Ethics permit personnel subject to the Codes of Ethics to invest in securities, including securities that may be purchased or held by the Funds.

 

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Custodian, Transfer Agent and Dividend Disbursing Agent

State Street Bank and Trust Company (“State Street”), 801 Pennsylvania, Kansas City, Missouri 64105, serves as custodian for assets of the Funds. Under the custody agreement, State Street may hold the foreign securities at its principal office at 225 Franklin Street, Boston, Massachusetts 02110, and at State Street’s branches, and subject to approval by the Board of Trustees, at a foreign branch of a qualified U.S. bank, with an eligible foreign subcustodian, or with an eligible foreign securities depository.

Pursuant to rules adopted under the 1940 Act, the Trust may maintain foreign securities and cash in the custody of certain eligible foreign banks and securities depositories. Selection of these foreign custodial institutions is made by the Board of Trustees following a consideration of a number of factors, including (but not limited to) the reliability and financial stability of the institution; the ability of the institution to perform capably custodial services for the Trust; the reputation of the institution in its national market; the political and economic stability of the country in which the institution is located; and further risks of potential nationalization or expropriation of Trust assets. The Board of Trustees reviews annually the continuance of foreign custodial arrangements for the Trust. No assurance can be given that the Trustees’ appraisal of the risks in connection with foreign custodial arrangements will always be correct or that expropriation, nationalization, freezes, or confiscation of assets that would impact assets of the Funds will not occur, and shareholders bear the risk of losses arising from these or other events.

DST Asset Manager Solutions, Inc., 330 W. 9th Street, 5th Floor, Kansas City, Missouri 64105 serves as transfer agent and dividend disbursing agent for the Institutional Class, Class M, I-2, I-3 and Administrative Class shares of the Funds. DST Asset Manager Solutions, Inc., P.O. Box 55060, Boston, Massachusetts 02205-8050 serves as transfer agent and dividend disbursing agent for the Class A, Class C and Class R shares of the Funds.

Independent Registered Public Accounting Firm

PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP, 1100 Walnut Street, Suite 1300, Kansas City, Missouri 64106-2197, serves as the independent registered public accounting firm for the Funds. PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP provides audit services, tax assistance and consultation in connection with review of SEC and IRS filings.

Counsel

Dechert LLP, 1900 K Street, NW, Washington, DC 20006-1110, passes upon certain legal matters in connection with the shares offered by the Trust, and also acts as counsel to the Trust.

Registration Statement

This Statement of Additional Information and the Prospectuses do not contain all of the information included in the Trust’s registration statement filed with the SEC under the 1933 Act with respect to the securities offered hereby, certain portions of which have been omitted pursuant to the rules and regulations of the SEC. The registration statement, including the exhibits filed therewith, may be examined at the offices of the SEC in Washington, D.C.

Statements contained herein and in the Prospectuses as to the contents of any contract or other documents referred to are not necessarily complete, and, in each instance, reference is made to the copy of such contract or other documents filed as an exhibit to the registration statement, each such statement being qualified in all respects by such reference.

Financial Statements

[To be provided by amendment.]

PF000SAI_[     ]

 

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PART C.

  

OTHER INFORMATION

Item 28. Exhibits

 

(a)

   (1)   

Amended and Restated Declaration of Trust dated November 4, 2014(25)

   (2)   

Fifth Amended and Restated Establishment and Designation of Series of Shares of Beneficial Interest dated February 13, 2018(46)

(b)

     

Amended and Restated By-Laws of Registrant dated November 4, 2014(25)

(c)

     

Not applicable

(d)

   (1)   

Amended and Restated Investment Advisory Contract dated February 23, 2009(3)

   (2)   

Supplement and Amended Exhibit A to Amended and Restated Investment Advisory Contract relating to the PIMCO Emerging Markets Corporate Bond Fund dated May 19, 2009(4)

   (3)   

Supplement and Amended Exhibit A to Amended and Restated Investment Advisory Contract relating to fee changes dated October 1, 2009(6)

   (4)   

Supplement and Amended Exhibit A to Amended and Restated Investment Advisory Contract relating to the PIMCO CommoditiesPLUS® Strategy Fund dated February 23, 2010(7)

   (5)   

Supplement and Amended Exhibit A to Amended and Restated Investment Advisory Contract relating to the PIMCO High Yield Spectrum Fund dated August 17, 2010(8)

   (6)   

Supplement and Amended Exhibit A to Amended and Restated Investment Advisory Contract relating to certain fee reductions dated October 1, 2010(9)

   (7)   

Supplement and Amended Exhibit A to Amended and Restated Investment Advisory Contract relating to the PIMCO Funds: Private Account Portfolio Series – Senior Floating Rate Portfolio, PIMCO Senior Floating Rate Fund, PIMCO Total Return Fund IV, PIMCO RAE Fundamental PLUS International Fund, PIMCO REALPATH® 2025 Fund, PIMCO REALPATH® 2035 Fund and PIMCO RAE Fundamental PLUS Small Fund dated February 28, 2011(10)

   (8)   

Supplement and Amended Exhibit A to Amended and Restated Investment Advisory Contract relating to the PIMCO Credit Absolute Return Fund and PIMCO Inflation Response Multi-Asset Fund dated May 23, 2011(12)

   (9)   

Supplement and Amended Exhibit A to Amended and Restated Investment Advisory Contract relating to the PIMCO Funds: Private Account Portfolio Series – Low Duration Portfolio and PIMCO Funds: Private Account Portfolio Series – Moderate Duration Portfolio dated August 16, 2011(13)

   (10)   

Supplement and Amended Exhibit A to Amended and Restated Investment Advisory Contract relating to PIMCO REALPATH® 2045 Fund dated November 8, 2011(14)

   (11)   

Supplement and Amended Exhibit A to Amended and Restated Investment Advisory Contract relating to the PIMCO California Municipal Bond Fund, PIMCO National Intermediate Municipal Bond Fund, PIMCO Short Asset Investment Fund and PIMCO Funds: Private Account Portfolio Series – Short Term Floating NAV Portfolio III dated February 28, 2012(15)

   (12)   

Supplement and Amended Exhibit A to Amended and Restated Investment Advisory Contract relating to the PIMCO Mortgage Opportunities Fund dated August 15, 2012(18)

   (13)   

Supplement and Amended Exhibit A to Amended and Restated Investment Advisory Contract relating to the PIMCO Emerging Markets Full Spectrum Bond Fund dated November 13, 2012(19)

   (14)   

Supplement and Amended Exhibit A to Amended and Restated Investment Advisory Contract relating to the PIMCO RAE Fundamental PLUS EMG Fund, PIMCO RAE Fundamental Advantage PLUS Fund, PIMCO RAE Fundamental PLUS Fund, PIMCO RAE Fundamental PLUS International Fund, PIMCO StocksPLUS® International Fund (Unhedged), PIMCO StocksPLUS® International Fund (U.S. Dollar Hedged), PIMCO StocksPLUS® Small Fund, PIMCO RAE Fundamental PLUS Small Fund, PIMCO StocksPLUS® Absolute Return Fund and PIMCO StocksPLUS® Short Fund dated March 22, 2013(21)

 

2


Table of Contents
   (15)   

Supplement and Amended Exhibit A to Amended and Restated Investment Advisory Contract relating to the PIMCO TRENDS Managed Futures Strategy Fund dated August 13, 2013(22)

   (16)   

Supplement and Amended Exhibit A to Amended and Restated Investment Advisory Contract relating to the PIMCO RAE Fundamental PLUS International Fund, PIMCO REALPATH® Income Fund, PIMCO REALPATH® 2020 Fund, PIMCO REALPATH® 2025 Fund, PIMCO REALPATH® 2030 Fund, PIMCO REALPATH® 2035 Fund, PIMCO REALPATH® 2040 Fund, PIMCO REALPATH® 2045 Fund, PIMCO REALPATH® 2050 Fund and PIMCO Senior Floating Rate Fund dated October 1, 2013(24)

   (17)   

Supplement and Amended Exhibit A to Amended and Restated Investment Advisory Contract relating to the PIMCO RAE Low Volatility PLUS EMG Fund, the PIMCO RAE Low Volatility PLUS Fund, and the PIMCO RAE Low Volatility PLUS International Fund dated November 5, 2013(23)

   (18)   

Supplement and Amended Exhibit A to Amended and Restated Investment Advisory Contract relating to the PIMCO REALPATH® 2055 Fund dated August 12, 2014(25)

   (19)   

Supplement and Amended Exhibit A to Amended and Restated Investment Advisory Contract relating to the PIMCO Multi-Strategy Alternative Fund and PIMCO RAE Worldwide Long/Short PLUS Fund dated November 5, 2014(25)

   (20)   

Supplement and Amended Exhibit A to Amended and Restated Investment Advisory Contract relating to the PIMCO Preferred and Capital Securities Fund dated February 24, 2015(27)

   (21)   

Supplement and Amended Exhibit A to Amended and Restated Investment Advisory Contract relating to the PIMCO Real Return Limited Duration Fund dated May 11, 2015(28)

   (22)   

Supplement and Amended Exhibit A to Amended and Restated Investment Advisory Contract relating to the PIMCO Emerging Markets Corporate Bond Fund and PIMCO Inflation Response Multi-Asset Fund dated October 1, 2015(33)

   (23)   

Supplement and Amended Exhibit A to Amended and Restated Investment Advisory Contract relating to the PIMCO Total Return ESG Fund, PIMCO Low Duration ESG Fund and PIMCO Low Duration Income Fund dated November 7, 2016(45)

   (24)   

Supplement and Amended Exhibit A to Amended and Restated Investment Advisory Contract relating to the PIMCO Funds: Private Account Portfolio Series – PIMCO Short Asset Portfolio dated February 14, 2017(38)

   (25)   

Supplement and Amended Exhibit A to Amended and Restated Investment Advisory Contract relating to the PIMCO Emerging Markets Corporate Bond Fund, PIMCO Emerging Markets Full Spectrum Bond Fund, PIMCO Global Advantage® Strategy Bond Fund and PIMCO Unconstrained Bond Fund dated October 2, 2017(43)

   (26)   

Amendment to Amended and Restated Investment Advisory Contract dated February 13, 2018(46)

   (27)   

Amended and Restated Asset Allocation Sub-Advisory Agreement relating to PIMCO All Asset Fund and PIMCO All Asset All Authority Fund dated December 1, 2010(11)

   (28)   

Supplement to Amended and Restated Asset Allocation Sub-Advisory Agreement relating to PIMCO All Asset Fund and PIMCO All Asset All Authority Fund and Sub-Advisory Agreement relating to PIMCO RAE Fundamental PLUS Fund, PIMCO RAE Fundamental PLUS International Fund and PIMCO RAE Fundamental PLUS Small Fund dated December 1, 2012(19)

   (29)   

Amended and Restated Sub-Advisory Agreement relating to the PIMCO RAE Fundamental PLUS EMG Fund, PIMCO RAE Low Volatility PLUS EMG Fund, PIMCO RAE Fundamental Advantage PLUS Fund, PIMCO RAE Fundamental PLUS Fund, PIMCO RAE Fundamental PLUS International Fund, PIMCO RAE Low Volatility PLUS International Fund, PIMCO RAE Fundamental PLUS Small Fund and PIMCO RAE Low Volatility PLUS Fund dated December 20, 2013(23)

   (30)   

Amendment to Amended and Restated Sub-Advisory Agreement relating to the PIMCO Multi-Strategy Alternative Fund and PIMCO RAE Worldwide Long/Short PLUS Fund dated November 5, 2014(26)

 

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(e)

   (1)   

Second Amended and Restated Distribution Contract dated February 14, 2017(46)

   (2)   

Amendment to Second Amended and Restated Distribution Contract related to I-3 shares dated February 13, 2018(46)

   (3)   

Form of Sales Agreement(36)

   (4)   

Form of Sales Agreement(36)

(f)

     

Not Applicable

(g)

   (1)   

Custody and Investment Accounting Agreement dated January 1, 2000(5)

   (2)   

Amendment to Custody and Investment Accounting Agreement dated June 8, 2001(5)

   (3)   

Amendment to Custody and Investment Accounting Agreement dated March 30, 2010(7)

   (4)   

Amendment to Custody and Investment Accounting Agreement dated February 8, 2017(42)

   (5)   

Amended Appendix A to Custody and Investment Accounting Agreement dated April 20, 2017(42)

(h)

   (1)   

Second Amended and Restated Supervision and Administration Agreement dated April 1, 2012(17)

   (2)   

Supplement to the Second Amended and Restated Supervision and Administration Agreement relating to the PIMCO Mortgage Opportunities Fund dated August 15, 2012(18)

   (3)   

Supplement to the Second Amended and Restated Supervision and Administration Agreement relating to the PIMCO Emerging Markets Full Spectrum Bond Fund dated November 13, 2012(19)

   (4)   

Supplement to the Second Amended and Restated Supervision and Administration Agreement relating to the PIMCO RAE Fundamental PLUS EMG Fund, PIMCO RAE Fundamental Advantage PLUS Fund, PIMCO RAE Fundamental PLUS Fund, PIMCO RAE Fundamental PLUS International Fund, PIMCO StocksPLUS® International Fund (Unhedged), PIMCO StocksPLUS® International Fund (U.S. Dollar-Hedged), PIMCO StocksPLUS® Small Fund, PIMCO RAE Fundamental PLUS Small Fund, PIMCO StocksPLUS® Absolute Return Fund and PIMCO StocksPLUS® Short Fund dated March 22, 2013(21)

   (5)   

Supplement to the Second Amended and Restated Supervision and Administration Agreement relating to the PIMCO TRENDS Managed Futures Strategy Fund dated August 13, 2013(22)

   (6)   

Amendment to the Second Amended and Restated Supervision and Administration Agreement dated October 1, 2013(24)

   (7)   

Supplement to the Second Amended and Restated Supervision and Administration Agreement relating to the PIMCO RAE Low Volatility PLUS EMG Fund, the PIMCO RAE Low Volatility PLUS Fund, and the PIMCO RAE Low Volatility PLUS International Fund dated November 5, 2013(23)

   (8)   

Supplement to the Second Amended and Restated Supervision and Administration Agreement relating to the PIMCO REALPATH® 2055 Fund dated August 12, 2014(25)

   (9)   

Supplement to Second Amended and Restated Supervision and Administration Agreement dated October 1, 2014(25)

   (10)   

Supplement to the Second Amended and Restated Supervision and Administration Agreement relating to the PIMCO Multi-Strategy Alternative Fund and PIMCO RAE Worldwide Long/Short PLUS Fund dated November 5, 2014(25)

   (11)   

Supplement to the Second Amended and Restated Supervision and Administration Agreement relating to the PIMCO Preferred and Capital Securities Fund dated February 24, 2015(27)

   (12)   

Supplement to the Second Amended and Restated Supervision and Administration Agreement relating to the PIMCO Real Return Limited Duration Fund dated May 11, 2015(28)

   (13)   

Supplement to the Second Amended and Restated Supervision and Administration Agreement relating to the PIMCO StocksPLUS® Absolute Return Fund, PIMCO StocksPLUS® International Fund (U.S. Dollar-Hedged) and PIMCO StocksPLUS® Small Fund dated October 1, 2015(33)

   (14)   

Supplement to the Second Amended and Restated Supervision and Administration Agreement relating to the PIMCO Moderate Duration Fund and PIMCO Short Asset Investment Fund dated November 2, 2015(42)

 

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  (15)  

Supplement to the Second Amended and Restated Supervision and Administration Agreement relating to the PIMCO Government Money Market Fund dated February 23, 2016(34)

  (16)  

Supplement to the Second Amended and Restated Supervision and Administration Agreement dated October 1, 2016(37)

  (17)  

Amendment to the Second Amended and Restated Supervision and Administration Agreement relating to PIMCO Funds: Private Account Portfolio Series – PIMCO Short Asset Portfolio dated February 14, 2017(38)

  (18)  

Supplement to the Second Amended and Restated Supervision and Administration Agreement relating to the PIMCO Long Duration Total Return Fund dated October 2, 2017(44)

  (19)  

Supplement to the Second Amended and Restated Supervision and Administration Agreement relating to the PIMCO Global Bond Fund (Unhedged) dated November 14, 2017(44)

  (20)  

Amendment to the Second Amended and Restated Supervision and Administration Agreement dated February 13, 2018(46)

  (21)  

Supplement to the Second Amended and Restated Supervision and Administration Agreement relating to I-3 shares dated February 13, 2018(46)

  (22)  

Fourth Amended and Restated Fee Waiver Agreement relating to the PIMCO Global Multi-Asset Fund dated July 25, 2011(11)

  (23)  

Amended and Restated Fee Waiver Agreement relating to the PIMCO Inflation Response Multi-Asset Fund dated July 25, 2011(11)

  (24)  

Seventh Amended and Restated Fee Waiver Agreement relating to PIMCO REALPATH® Income Fund, PIMCO REALPATH® 2020 Fund, PIMCO REALPATH® 2025 Fund, PIMCO REALPATH® 2030 Fund, PIMCO REALPATH® 2035 Fund, PIMCO REALPATH® 2040 Fund, PIMCO REALPATH® 2045 Fund, PIMCO REALPATH® 2050 Fund and PIMCO REALPATH® 2055 Fund dated August 12, 2014(25)

  (25)  

Amended and Restated Fee Waiver Agreement relating to the PIMCO Short Asset Investment Fund dated July 31, 2017(42)

  (26)  

Amended and Restated Fee and Expense Limitation Agreement relating to PIMCO Government Money Market Fund dated July 31, 2013(24)

  (27)  

Fee Waiver Agreement relating to the PIMCO Emerging Markets Full Spectrum Bond Fund dated November 13, 2012(19)

  (28)  

Fee Waiver Agreement relating to the PIMCO TRENDS Managed Futures Strategy Fund dated August 13, 2013(22)

  (29)  

Fee Waiver Agreement relating to the PIMCO RAE Low Volatility PLUS EMG Fund dated November 5, 2013(23)

  (30)  

Fee Waiver Agreement relating to the PIMCO Multi-Strategy Alternative Fund dated November 5, 2014(26)

  (31)  

Fee Waiver Agreement relating to the PIMCO Real Return Limited Duration Fund dated May 11, 2015(28)

  (32)  

Fee Waiver Agreement relating to the PIMCO Low Duration Income Fund dated January 23, 2017(40)

  (33)  

Fee Waiver Agreement relating to the PIMCO Unconstrained Bond Fund dated October 2, 2017(46)

  (34)  

Fee Waiver Agreement relating to I-3 shares dated February 13, 2018(46)

  (35)  

Amended and Restated Fee Waiver Agreement relating to the PIMCO CommodityRealReturn Strategy Fund (PIMCO Cayman Commodity Fund I Ltd.) dated February 23, 2009(20)

  (36)  

Amended and Restated Fee Waiver Agreement relating to the PIMCO Global Multi-Asset Fund (PIMCO Cayman Commodity Fund II, Ltd.) dated February 23, 2009(20)

  (37)  

Fee Waiver Agreement relating to the PIMCO CommoditiesPLUS Strategy Fund (PIMCO Cayman Commodity Fund III, Ltd.) dated May 7, 2010(20)

  (38)  

Fee Waiver Agreement relating to the PIMCO Inflation Response Multi-Asset Fund (PIMCO Cayman Commodity Fund VII, Ltd.) dated May 23, 2011(32)

 

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   (39)  

Fee Waiver Agreement relating to the PIMCO TRENDS Managed Futures Strategy Fund (PIMCO Cayman Commodity Fund VIII, Ltd.) dated September 20, 2013(22)

   (40)  

Fee Waiver Agreement relating to the PIMCO Preferred and Capital Securities Fund (PIMCO Capital Securities Fund (Cayman) Ltd.) dated March 1, 2015(27)

   (41)  

Amended and Restated Expense Limitation Agreement dated February 23, 2009(11)

   (42)  

Amendment to Amended and Restated Expense Limitation Agreement dated February 23, 2010(11)

   (43)  

Revised Schedules A and B to Amended and Restated Expense Limitation Agreement dated May 11, 2015(28)

   (44)  

Second Amended and Restated Expense Limitation Agreement relating to the PIMCO All Asset Fund dated September 26, 2012(20)

   (45)  

Second Amended and Restated Expense Limitation Agreement relating to the PIMCO All Asset All Authority Fund dated September 26, 2012(20)

   (46)  

PIMCO Cayman Commodity Fund I Ltd. Appointment of Agent for Service of Process(1)

   (47)  

PIMCO Cayman Commodity Fund II Ltd. Appointment of Agent for Service of Process(2)

   (48)  

PIMCO Cayman Commodity Fund III Ltd. Appointment of Agent for Service of Process(7)

   (49)  

PIMCO Cayman Commodity Fund VII, Ltd. Appointment of Agent for Service of Process(12)

   (50)  

PIMCO Cayman Commodity Fund VIII, Ltd. Appointment of Agent for Service of Process(22)

   (51)  

PIMCO Capital Securities Fund (Cayman) Ltd. Appointment of Agent for Service of Process(27)

   (52)  

Amended and Restated Transfer Agency and Service Agreement dated May 14, 2015(29)

(i)

    

Opinion and Consent of Counsel(47)

(j)

   (1)  

Consent of Independent Registered Public Accounting Firm(47)

   (2)(A)  

Secretary’s Certificate pursuant to Rule 483(b)(36)

(k)

    

Not Applicable

(l)

    

Not Applicable

(m)

   (1)  

Distribution and Servicing Plan for Class A Shares(5)

   (2)  

Distribution and Servicing Plan for Class C Shares(5)

   (3)  

Distribution and Servicing Plan for Administrative Class Shares(16)

   (4)  

Distribution and Services Plan for Class R Shares(5)

   (5)  

Form of Bank Fund Services Agreement (24)

   (6)  

Form of Fund Services Agreement(32)

(n)

    

Seventeenth Amended and Restated Multi-Class Plan Adopted Pursuant to Rule 18f-3 dated February 13, 2018(46)

(p)

   (1)  

Revised Code of Ethics for the Registrant(42)

   (2)  

Revised Code of Ethics for PIMCO and PIMCO Investments LLC(46)

   (3)  

Revised Code of Ethics for Research Affiliates LLC(45)

*

    

Powers of Attorney(34)

**

    

Power of Attorney(39)

 

(1)

 

Filed with Post-Effective Amendment No. 133 on April 29, 2008, and incorporated by reference herein.

(2)

 

Filed with Post-Effective Amendment No. 147 on December 22, 2008, and incorporated by reference herein.

(3)

 

Filed with Post-Effective Amendment No. 151 on March 18, 2009, and incorporated by reference herein.

(4)

 

Filed with Post-Effective Amendment No. 157 on June 8, 2009, and incorporated by reference herein.

(5)

 

Filed with Post-Effective Amendment No. 160 on July 29, 2009, and incorporated by reference herein.

(6)

 

Filed with Post-Effective Amendment No. 167 on October 28, 2009, and incorporated by reference herein.

(7)

 

Filed with Post-Effective Amendment No. 173 on May 12, 2010, and incorporated by reference herein.

(8)

 

Filed with Post-Effective Amendment No. 178 on August 30, 2010, and incorporated by reference herein.

 

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(9)

 

Filed with Post-Effective Amendment No. 181 on November 3, 2010, and incorporated by reference herein.

(10)

 

Filed with Post-Effective Amendment No. 187 on March 18, 2011, and incorporated by reference herein.

(11)

 

Filed with Post-Effective Amendment No. 210 on July 28, 2011, and incorporated by reference herein.

(12)

 

Filed with Post-Effective Amendment No. 213 on August 17, 2011, and incorporated by reference herein.

(13)

 

Filed with Amendment No. 279 on August 30, 2011, and incorporated by reference herein.

(14)

 

Filed with Post-Effective Amendment No. 222 on January 30, 2012, and incorporated by reference herein.

(15)

 

Filed with Post-Effective Amendment No. 226 on March 7, 2012, and incorporated by reference herein.

(16)

 

Filed with Post-Effective Amendment No. 228 on April 30, 2012, and incorporated by reference herein.

(17)

 

Filed with Post-Effective Amendment No. 229 on May 21, 2012, and incorporated by reference herein.

(18)

 

Filed with Post-Effective Amendment No. 238 on September 5, 2012, and incorporated by reference herein.

(19)

 

Filed with Post-Effective Amendment No. 243 on January 29, 2013, and incorporated by reference herein.

(20)

 

Filed with Post-Effective Amendment No. 245 on March 15, 2013, and incorporated by reference herein.

(21)

 

Filed with Post-Effective Amendment No. 246 on May 14, 2013, and incorporated by reference herein.

(22)

 

Filed with Post-Effective Amendment No. 253 on October 30, 2013, and incorporated by reference herein.

(23)

 

Filed with Post-Effective Amendment No. 255 on December 30, 2013, and incorporated by reference herein.

(24)

 

Filed with Post-Effective Amendment No. 257 on May 30, 2014, and incorporated by reference herein.

(25)

 

Filed with Post-Effective Amendment No. 265 on November 7, 2014, and incorporated by reference herein.

(26)

 

Filed with Post-Effective Amendment No. 267 on December 15, 2014, and incorporated by reference herein.

(27)

 

Filed with Post-Effective Amendment No. 270 on March 6, 2015, and incorporated by reference herein.

(28)

 

Filed with Post-Effective Amendment No. 273 on May 26, 2015, and incorporated by reference herein.

(29)

 

Filed with Amendment No. 370 on June 10, 2015, and incorporated by reference herein.

(30)

 

Filed with Post-Effective Amendment No. 276 on July 28, 2015, and incorporated by reference herein.

(31)

 

Filed with Amendment No. 375 on August 14, 2015, and incorporated by reference herein.

(32)

 

Filed with Amendment No. 378 on September 16, 2015, and incorporated by reference herein.

(33)

 

Filed with Post-Effective Amendment No. 278 on October 1, 2015, and incorporated by reference herein.

(34)

 

Filed with Post-Effective Amendment No. 284 on May 27, 2016, and incorporated by reference herein.

(35)

 

Filed with Amendment No. 389 on July 12, 2016, and incorporated by reference herein.

(36)

 

Filed with Post-Effective Amendment No. 286 on July 27, 2016, and incorporated by reference herein.

(37)

 

Filed with Amendment No. 395 on October 3, 2016, and incorporated by reference herein.

(38)

 

Filed with Amendment No. 399 on March 21, 2017, and incorporated by reference herein.

(39)

 

Filed with Post-Effective Amendment No. 291 on May 25, 2017, and incorporated by reference herein.

(40)

 

Filed with Post-Effective Amendment No. 292 on May 26, 2017, and incorporated by reference herein.

(41)

 

Filed with Post-Effective Amendment No. 295 on July 28, 2017, and incorporated by reference herein.

(42)

 

Filed with Post-Effective Amendment No. 298 on August 25, 2017, and incorporated by reference herein.

 

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(43)

 

Filed with Post-Effective Amendment No. 301 on October 24, 2017, and incorporated by reference herein.

(44)

 

Filed with Post-Effective Amendment No. 307 on January 16, 2018, and incorporated by reference herein.

(45)

 

Filed with Post-Effective Amendment No. 311 on February 23, 2018, and incorporated by reference herein.

(46)
(47)

 

Filed with Post-Effective Amendment No. 314 on April 27, 2018, and incorporated by reference herein.

To be filed by amendment.

 

Item 29. Persons Controlled by or Under Common Control with Registrant.

The Trust through the PIMCO Preferred and Capital Securities Fund, a separate series of the Trust, wholly owns and controls the PIMCO Capital Securities Fund (Cayman) Ltd. (“CSF Subsidiary”), a company organized under the laws of the Cayman Islands. The CSF Subsidiary’s financial statements will be included, on a consolidated basis, in the PIMCO Preferred and Capital Securities Fund’s annual and semi-annual reports to shareholders.

The Trust through the PIMCO CommodityRealReturn Strategy Fund®, a separate series of the Trust, wholly owns and controls the PIMCO Cayman Commodity Fund I Ltd. (“CRRS Subsidiary”), a company organized under the laws of the Cayman Islands. The CRRS Subsidiary’s financial statements will be included, on a consolidated basis, in the PIMCO CommodityRealReturn Strategy Fund®’s annual and semi-annual reports to shareholders.

The Trust through the PIMCO Global Multi-Asset Fund, a separate series of the Trust, wholly owns and controls the PIMCO Cayman Commodity Fund II Ltd. (“GMA Subsidiary”), a company organized under the laws of the Cayman Islands. The GMA Subsidiary’s financial statements will be included, on a consolidated basis, in the PIMCO Global Multi-Asset Fund’s annual and semi-annual reports to shareholders.

The Trust through the PIMCO CommoditiesPLUS® Strategy Fund, a separate series of the Trust, wholly owns and controls the PIMCO Cayman Commodity Fund III Ltd. (“CPS Subsidiary”), a company organized under the laws of the Cayman Islands. The CPS Subsidiary’s financial statements will be included, on a consolidated basis, in the PIMCO CommoditiesPLUS® Strategy Fund’s annual and semi-annual reports to shareholders.

The Trust through the PIMCO Inflation Response Multi-Asset Fund, a separate series of the Trust, wholly owns and controls the PIMCO Cayman Commodity Fund VII, Ltd. (“IRMA Subsidiary”), a company organized under the laws of the Cayman Islands. The IRMA Subsidiary’s financial statements will be included, on a consolidated basis, in the PIMCO Inflation Response Multi-Asset Fund’s annual and semi-annual reports to shareholders.

The Trust through the PIMCO TRENDS Managed Futures Strategy Fund, a separate series of the Trust, wholly owns and controls the PIMCO Cayman Commodity Fund VIII, Ltd. (“MF Subsidiary”), a company organized under the laws of the Cayman Islands. The MF Subsidiary’s financial statements will be included, on a consolidated basis, in the PIMCO TRENDS Managed Futures Strategy Fund’s annual and semi-annual reports to shareholders.

The Trust through the PIMCO Short-Term Floating NAV Portfolio III, a separate series of the Trust, wholly owns and controls the PIMCO ST Floating NAV III Subsidiary LLC (“Short-Term Floating NAV Subsidiary II”), a company organized under the laws of the state of Delaware. The Short-Term Floating

 

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NAV Subsidiary II’s financial statements will be included, on a consolidated basis, in the PIMCO Short-Term Floating NAV Portfolio III’s annual and semi-annual reports to shareholders.

The Trust through the PIMCO Short Asset Portfolio, a separate series of the Trust, wholly owns and controls the PIMCO Short Asset Portfolio Subsidiary LLC (“Short Asset Portfolio Subsidiary”), a company organized under the laws of the state of Delaware. The Short Asset Portfolio Subsidiary’s financial statements will be included, on a consolidated basis, in the PIMCO Short Asset Portfolio’s annual and semi-annual reports to shareholders.

The Trust through the PIMCO International Portfolio, a separate series of the Trust, wholly owns and controls the PIMCO International Portfolio Subsidiary LLC (“International Subsidiary”), a company organized under the laws of the state of Delaware. The International Subsidiary’s financial statements will be included, on a consolidated basis, in the PIMCO International Portfolio’s annual and semi-annual reports to shareholders.

The Trust through the PIMCO Income Fund, a separate series of the Trust, wholly owns and controls the MLM 766 LLC (“Income Subsidiary”), a company organized under the laws of the state of Delaware. The Income Subsidiary’s financial statements will be included, on a consolidated basis, in the PIMCO Income Fund’s annual and semi-annual reports to shareholders.

The Trust through the PIMCO Total Return Fund, a separate series of the Trust, wholly owns and controls the MLM 700 LLC (“TR Subsidiary”), a company organized under the laws of the state of Delaware. The TR Subsidiary’s financial statements will be included, on a consolidated basis, in the PIMCO Total Return Fund’s annual and semi-annual reports to shareholders.

 

Item 30. Indemnification

Reference is made to Article IV of the Registrant’s Amended and Restated Declaration of Trust, which was filed with the Registrant’s Post-Effective Amendment No. 265 on November 7, 2014.

Insofar as indemnification for liabilities arising under the Securities Act of 1933 may be permitted to trustees, officers and controlling persons of the Registrant by the Registrant pursuant to the Declaration of Trust or otherwise, the Registrant is aware that in the opinion of the Securities and Exchange Commission, such indemnification is against public policy as expressed in the Act and, therefore, is unenforceable. In the event that a claim for indemnification against such liabilities (other than the payment by the Registrant of expenses incurred or paid by trustees, officers or controlling persons of the Registrant in connection with the successful defense of any act, suit or proceeding) is asserted by such trustees, officers or controlling persons in connection with the shares being registered, the Registrant will, unless in the opinion of its counsel the matter has been settled by controlling precedent, submit to a court of appropriate jurisdiction the question whether such indemnification by it is against public policy as expressed in the Act and will be governed by the final adjudication of such issues.

 

Item 31. Business and Other Connections of the Investment Adviser

Pacific Investment Management Company LLC (“PIMCO”) is an investment adviser registered under the Advisers Act. The list required by this Item 31 of officers and directors of PIMCO, together with any information as to any business, profession, vocation, or employment of a substantial nature engaged in by such officers and directors during the past two years, is incorporated herein by reference from Form ADV filed by PIMCO pursuant to the Advisers Act (SEC File No. 801-48187).

Research Affiliates, LLC (“Research Affiliates”) is an investment adviser registered under the Advisers Act. The list required by this Item 31 of officers and directors of Research Affiliates, together with any

 

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information as to any business, profession, vocation, or employment of a substantial nature engaged in by such officers and directors during the past two years, is incorporated herein by reference from Form ADV filed by Research Affiliates pursuant to the Advisers Act (SEC File No. 801-61153).

 

Item 32. Principal Underwriter

 

(a)

PIMCO Investments LLC (the “Distributor”) serves as Distributor of Shares of the Trust.

 

(b)

The officers of the Distributor are:

 

Name and Principal

Business Address*

   Positions and Offices With Underwriter   

Positions and Offices with

Registrant

Mogelof, Eric    Chairman    None
Sutherland, Eric M.    President    None
Martin, Colleen M.    Chief Financial Officer and Financial and Operations Principal    None
Adams, Daniel    Chief Compliance Officer and Anti-Money Laundering Compliance Officer    None
Ratner, Joshua D.    Chief Legal Officer    Vice President-Senior Counsel, Secretary
Plump, Steven B.    Head of Business Management, Vice President    None

 

*

The business address of all officers of the Distributor is 1633 Broadway, New York, NY 10019.

 

Item 33. Location of Accounts and Records

The account books and other documents required to be maintained by Registrant pursuant to Section 31(a) of the Investment Company Act of 1940 and the Rules thereunder will be maintained at the offices of Pacific Investment Management Company LLC, 650 Newport Center Drive, Newport Beach, California 92660, State Street Bank & Trust Co., 801 Pennsylvania Ave., Kansas City, Missouri 64105, State Street Investment Manager Solutions, 46 Discovery, Suite 150, Irvine, California 92618, State Street Bank & Trust Co. c/o Iron Mountain Information Management, Inc., 1000 Campus Boulevard, Collegeville, PA 19426, Boston Financial Data Services – Midwest, 330 W. 9th Street, Kansas City, Missouri 64105, Boston Financial Data Services, Inc., P.O. Box 55060, Boston, Massachusetts 02205-8050, Boston Financial Data Services, c/o Recall North America, 5 Beeman Road, Northborough, MA 01532, Boston Financial Data Services, c/o Iron Mountain, 175 Bearfoot Road, Northborough, MA 01532, Boston Financial Data Services, c/o Iron Mountain, 6119 Dermus, Kansas City, Missouri 64120, and Schick Databank, 2721 Michelle Drive, Tustin, California 92680.

 

Item 34. Management Services

Not applicable

 

 

10


Table of Contents

SIGNATURES

Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the “1933 Act”), and the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended, the Registrant has duly caused this Post-Effective Amendment No. 317 to be signed on its behalf by the undersigned, thereunto duly authorized, in the City of Washington in the District of Columbia on the 25th day of May, 2018.

 

PIMCO FUNDS

 

(Registrant)

 

By:

 

 

Peter G. Strelow*, President

*, **By:

 

/s/ BRENDAN C. FOX

 

Brendan C. Fox

as attorney-in fact

 

Pursuant to the requirements of the 1933 Act, this Registration Statement has been signed by the following persons in the capacities and on the dates indicated:

 

Signature

 

  

Title

 

  

                Date

 

 

Brent R. Harris**

   Trustee    May 25, 2018

 

George E. Borst**

   Trustee    May 25, 2018

 

Jennifer H. Dunbar**

   Trustee    May 25, 2018

 

Kym M. Hubbard**

   Trustee    May 25, 2018

 

Gary F. Kennedy**

   Trustee    May 25, 2018

 

Peter B. McCarthy**

   Trustee    May 25, 2018

 

Ronald C. Parker**

   Trustee    May 25, 2018

 

Peter G. Strelow*,**

  

Trustee and President

(Principal Executive Officer)

   May 25, 2018

 

Trent W. Walker*

  

Treasurer

(Principal Financial and Accounting Officer)

   May 25, 2018

 

*, **By:

 

    /s/ BRENDAN C. FOX

 

    Brendan C. Fox

    as attorney-in-fact

 

 

 

*

Pursuant to powers of attorney filed with Post-Effective Amendment No. 284 to Registration Statement No. 33-12113 on May 27, 2016.

**

Pursuant to power of attorney filed with Post-Effective Amendment No. 291 to Registration Statement No. 33-12113 on May 25, 2017.